From being an Abandoned who had rarely left the Hollowed Grounds, to embracing the call of adventure, to dying and being reborn first as an Ascended and then as an Ancient, Maea has gone through quite the amount of changes in her life. One thing remains common, though, in her attempts to find out just where she belongs; she’s always had a craving for knowledge which has brought her to so many places and to meet so many people here in Caido. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Congratulations, Maea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
who are these people? I just woke up in my underwear
"If your objective was to not be recognised, and someone has just recognised you by your shoes, did it work, Ever?" Mateo wants to know, dunking his cup back into the punch bowl rather than using the ladle like everyone else. Still, he brightens at the news of the Firefly girl's name. "That's easy, then. Do you know, your name means dear in Italian?"
He doesn't hear the yes/no chorus due to the hubbub by the doors, Mateo turning while still fishing the eyeballs out of his punch to watch Lady Liberty and King Kong swagger into the party. "Hot," he says, and it's unclear which one he's talking about. (Both. It's both). But also... "I think I know that gorilla." He squints, trying to figure it out, but the mask obscures him because he's on his way to being drunk, not because it actually does anything.
no liquor left on the shelf I should probably introduce myself
Opening his mouth to argue, Ever's brows furrow as his lips close. It isn't often that Mateo is able to make a point so succinctly, but as he does it now, the paramedic is forced to concede. "No." He replies, glumly.
'Well, I like your shoes." Cara peeps, inserting herself back into the conversation before beaming at Mateo. "Like the animal?" She wonders, smiling, because homophones are hard.
"What, by the shoes." Ever asks a touch irritably as he looks at Dr. Lockwood and then immediately looks away. Her copper-green dress hugs curves normally hidden by her doctor's coat, and though its been a while since he's seen the statue of liberty, he's almost certain her dress was not that short.
'So..where are we going?' Cara wonders, sidling out from her side of the table and standing next to Ever (uncomfortably, so).
I was a dead man walking, with bloodshot eyes—right place, wrong time.
10-22-2021, 09:13 PM (This post was last modified: 10-22-2021, 09:13 PM by Mateo.)
Mateo
who are these people? I just woke up in my underwear
"Well there we go, then. It is my fault, I ought to have thought of your shoes," Mateo says, offering a comforting pat to Ever's arm as if he was the one in the wrong here. "Mm? No no, like the loved one," he says to Cara with a wink that only partially shows the sparkle of his eyeshadow; all the more reason to get out of here.
He is looking at the gorilla's shoes now, of course (and they're very nice actually, but not in a way that makes Mateo suspect they were his choice), but that's not what clicks. "Oh!" he announces, snapping his fingers, only to be momentarily interrupted by Cara. "Well I need to stop by the Palliser because I owe the bartender a date, but there's a rave happening in the Cellar, and I thought we could cap it off at that cocktail bar I like. What's it called... Margot's?" He looks to Ever for confirmation.
But back to the gorilla. "Hey, ciao!" he calls. "Sono io, dal bagno! Hai qualcosa?"
no liquor left on the shelf I should probably introduce myself
"Oh." Cara says, twirling her hair and preening ever so slightly; a dear was much better than a deer in that case.
"The Palliser?" Looking appropriately stunned, Cara's mouth drops open as she looks from Ever to Mateo and than back again. "I've...I've never been." Exclusive didn't even begin to cover what the Palliser was. Pressing his fingers beneath the eyehole of his mask as if itching the plastic would somehow transfer to the skin below, Ever just nods.
The gorilla, with an arm currently snuggling around Dr. Lockwood's waist, glances up at the sound of Italian being sung at him from across the room. It was at him he assumed, given the subject matter and the dialect. Tugging off his gorilla's mask to reveal a headful of perfectly messy curls, Remi narrows his eyes in Mateo's direction. The golden mask reveals nothing helpful, but still he calls back, "Ah! Dovresti stare più attento con le tue cose, lo sai."
Leaning against him in a way that makes Ever stiffen and raise his chin, Cara looks up. "What's he saying?" Without looking down at her, Ever just shakes his head. "You know want to know."
I was a dead man walking, with bloodshot eyes—right place, wrong time.
who are these people? I just woke up in my underwear
"Oh? Oh, you'll love it!" Mateo assures Cara, all but dancing from foot to foot to know that they're all about to have a very messy exciting time. He beams up at Everest and nods towards the door. "I will be right back," he tells him with the reverence of a promise. "I'll meet you outside if you can call an Uber? I told you it wouldn't be long." Blowing him a kiss as if that will help, he turns back to the Italian gorilla, spots the narrowed eyes and tilts up his mask to grin brightly.
"Attento è noioso," he sings back, palms open as if greeting an old friend. "Sto per uscire e ho della coca. Commercio?" He isn't moving towards the bathroom as much as gesturing towards it with his body. No blow jobs, no getting off with his co workers, no stealing drugs from the store rooms. Mateo is following all of Ever's rules.
no liquor left on the shelf I should probably introduce myself
Ever nods into the blown kiss as if it's commonplace (it is), and pulls out his phone to call an Uber. "I can't believe I'm going to the Palliser," Cara gushes at his side, still leaning against him far more than he'd like. "Oh, but dressed like this?" Glancing away from his phone screen, Ever considers for a moment. "Kaylee was an excellent character. She took care of Serenity." Taking this as approval, Cara stands taller and beams.
Grinning in easy agreement, Remi combs a hand through his hair and nods. "Be right back." The musician whispers into Isla's ear, before kissing her on the cheek. The sound of her hostile hiss of annoyance doesn't dampen his smile as he strolls in Mateo's wake. "Amerai quello che ho." He says, pushing open the door to the single-occupant bathroom (wheelchair accessible too, meaning it was fairly spacious), and locking the door behind them. "È nuovo. Ti farà sentire i colori e sentire i suoni." So saying, from somewhere in the gorilla suit, Remi pulls out a baggie with two small squares inside, each with a unicorn on them. "Saluti."
I was a dead man walking, with bloodshot eyes—right place, wrong time.
who are these people? I just woke up in my underwear
Leaving Everest to his date (probably, who knows? Not Mateo), he follows after his Italian gorilla and casts a surreptitious glance over his shoulder, before sidling into the accessible bathroom. "Non ne dubito," he purrs, grinning and taking off his mask properly to set it down on the counter. That leaves Mateo dressed in a full tuxedo with flamboyant gold makeup and glitter all over his face and in his curls, and he already feels better.
"Oho," comes his approval at the little unicorn baggie, and he produces one of his own filled with white powder. "Ho provato questo prima. È roba buona." So saying, he offers out the baggie for a trade. Does Mateo mix his narcotics? Shut up. of course he does.
no liquor left on the shelf I should probably introduce myself
Having met mostly in occasions such as this, in sweaty backrooms after shows and before after-after parties, it's rare for Remi and Mateo to look at one another before they're well and truly fucked up. The musician's eyes wander over the other man, a touch jealous of his apparent freedom of expression, before redirecting his attention to the matter at hand. Opening the baggie, Remi presses a tab to his fingertip and places it directly onto the centre of his tongue where it begins to dissolve into a sugary mess.
Holding the other out for Mateo, Remi glances over his shoulder. There was the bath of the toilet, which, given that this was a hospital, was probably fairly clean. But there was also..."Qui, qui." Holding out his gorilla mask, Remi flattens the forehead portion to create a surface for the powder.
Back out in the party, Everest is making painful small talk with Cara, who has spotted the sparkles on the paramedic's hands and wants to know where it came from.
I was a dead man walking, with bloodshot eyes—right place, wrong time.
who are these people? I just woke up in my underwear
Obviously unaware that his beauty has sparked envy in his fellow drug taker, Mateo accepts the unicorn tab and follows suit, keeping an ear cocked to make sure no one is approaching the bathroom while Remi deals with their surface issues. Turning back, he nods his approval and fishes around in his tuxedo jacket, producing his credit card and a wrinkled dollar bill that's probably been used a bunch of times for these purposes.
"Per te," he says, handing the dollar to Remi for him to roll up and use, even as the tab continues to fizz on his tongue. Meanwhile he hurriedly taps the power from the baggie so he can cut them a line each, sealing it again and pressing it into Remi's hands. "Tienilo per dopo," he suggests, nothing if not generous.
no liquor left on the shelf I should probably introduce myself
'Grazie.' The older man says smoothly, accepting the bill and tightening the roll with ease. Glancing at the baggie, Remi frowns, considers, resists and then shakes his head. "Oh, non potevo. Devo essere nel mio miglior comportamento." He explains with a wince.
Holding the mask steady, Remi expertly closes one nostril with a finger while inhaling smoothly up the line with the bill between his fingers. Closing his eyes and pressing his nostrils together, the Italian blinks and then tilts his head back with a sigh, as if having just shot a really smooth drink. 'Fottimi. Quello era buono. Ora tu. Se restiamo molto più a lungo, penseranno che stavamo facendo qualcos'altro qui." Which, unfairly attractive irishman not withstanding, Remi would normally have been all for.
I was a dead man walking, with bloodshot eyes—right place, wrong time.
who are these people? I just woke up in my underwear
Quietly puzzled, Mateo winces on the other man's behalf and nods his understanding, tucking the baggie away. "La prossima volta, allora," he says, keeping the mask held steady until Remi is done with his line, clicking his tongue in approval. "Te l'avevo detto. È del tizio della Vin Room," he explains, taking over the rolled up dollar and leaning in with the taste of sugar on his lips and a fizzing in his bones that might be anticipation, or it might be drugs.
They're like two pros, and as Mateo leans back against the sink with his fingers pressed to the bridge of his nose, he can't help a breathy chuckle. "Se solo. Devo prendere un Uber," he says with a wink of a golden shadowed eye, giving himself a second before tucking bill and card away and smoothing off his suit.
"Sempre un piacere," he croons, clapping the gorilla on the shoulder and swiftly exiting the bathroom, though he's already regretting not at least stealing a kiss goodbye.
no liquor left on the shelf I should probably introduce myself
"Mmmm." The musician hums in emphatic agreement. His vision swims and grows hazy as Mateo leans down, his curls looking very much like seaweed caught in a slow wave beneath the water. If he weren't holding the mask steady he might have reached out to brush his fingers through them, wondering if they would come away smelling like salt.
Too relaxed to blush, Remi just snorts and raises a complacent eyebrow. "Alla prossima volta, eh?" He agrees, rubbing at his nose before turning back to the mirror to tidy himself up before going back to find Isla.
Meanwhile, Everest is standing with about as good a posture as is possible, trying to keep himself as far away from Cara's continued nudged of his arm and side as was possible without actually stepping away from her. 'Oh! Look, there he is.' Ever sighs with relief seeing Mateo float out of the bathroom. At this point he hardly cares if it was sex or drugs that were done or had in the bathroom, just so long as he's back. "Car is almost here." He advises waggling his phone.
'Oh, this is going to be so fun!' Cara beams, wrapping one of her arms through Ever's and practically vibrating with excitement.
I was a dead man walking, with bloodshot eyes—right place, wrong time.
who are these people? I just woke up in my underwear
"Here I am!" Mateo echoes the announcement as he swans up to the couple waiting for the Uber, and whilst he gives Ever an affectionate clap to the shoulder, he takes his place beside Cara. It's only at this point that he realises he's forgotten his antler mask in the bathroom, which pretty much makes his costume hot guy in makeup, but he's pretty sure he can rock it.
"It is," he croons to Cara, because like Mateo or hate him, he can still sense his friend's discomfort as if it was his own, and he's keen to alleviate it by taking the attention away. "I can't believe you have never been - you are in for a treat, mia cara." And here comes the Uber, right on time, Mateo hailing it down and sidling into the backseat.
no liquor left on the shelf I should probably introduce myself
'Aren't you excited, Ever?' Cara asks, peering up at him and fluttering her eyelashes with an obviousness that the alcohol in her system likely makes her think is quite coy. "Oh, well I've been before a few times." He replies with a shrug that makes him want to wince; her fingers clench the muscles of his arm and every time he moves it feels like she's touching him anew.
With Cara lodged (happily) between he and Mateo in the Uber, Ever gives the address and off they go. Leaning against him as comfortably as anything, Cara turns toward Mateo, inspecting his eyeshadow. "That looks amazing. I'm terrible with my makeup." She laments, clearly fishing for a compliment as she pouts prettily.
I was a dead man walking, with bloodshot eyes—right place, wrong time.
