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!
Maeve didn't make it a habit of going to Stormbreak. Truthfully she didn't make it a habit to leave Torchline. Not with her many duties to focus on. Between the Halenani and the Court, the Nightshade was plenty busy, not to mention raising her son. He wasn't able to make this trip with her for reasons the boy didn't really understand. There had been questions of why and what he'd done to deserve being stone. It broke her heart to have to tell him that there were just some places who thought him bad.
Still, there was reason for her visit and truthfully it wouldn't have been appropriate for Edmund to come anyway. Especially given that her trip was taking her to Molly's. She was looking for someone in particular. A certain demigod of Frey's. One who had reportedly been seen working around Molly's. Maeve just hoped the rumors were true.
With her sweetened breath, and her tongue so mean She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
Indeed, Phoebe did work around Molly's. Not as a prostitute obviously, but where there were brothels there inevitably were pregnant women needing a midwife. That was the gap Phoebe filled in Stormbreak, when she wasn't making visits to various other places around Caido. So it was while stepping out of one of the lesser known brothels that Phoebe happened to spot the familiar face in the crowd.
"Maeve?" she called out in surprise, lifting her heavy winter skirts to hurry down the stairs more quickly. "Whatever brought you here? Is everything okay?" she asked, worried that something had gone wrong. Why else would she leave the warmth of Torchline in the middle of Deepfrost?
Truthfully Maeve wasn't expecting to find Phoebe so quickly. Things had a funny way of working themselves out. At the sound of her name the Nightshade spun, face half covered by the thick scarf around her neck and she moved quickly to close the distance between them, catching Phoebe by the shoulders. "Everything is fine, I assure you." Maeve soothed without hesitation, not wishing to cause the Nightingale any concerns, knowing she likely already had by simply being here. "I was looking for you, though." She offered the midwife a gentle smile before nodding her head towards a small shop down the street, a warm light coming from inside, soft and inviting. The perfect place for a little chat.
"I was hoping to talk with you about Frey. While I tend to favor Safrin, as surprising as that may be, I'm not naïve enough to think that the other heralds might not have gifts that Torchline will need at some point. My last meeting with Frey didn't go very well and I was hoping you might have some insight." She explained as they pressed into the small cafe, quickly claiming a table close to the hearth, offering a soft thank you to the waitress that brought them tea service without question. "I went to request help rebuilding the Halenani after the monsoons, fully prepared to give something in return, but we had a bit of a misunderstanding."
With her sweetened breath, and her tongue so mean She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
Well it was a relief to hear that everything was fine. Her shoulders slumped slightly as her body relaxed, not having realized just how much she tensed up. But the reason for her visit was far more surprising than she could have anticipated - she certainly wouldn't have guessed it would be a question about Frey of all things! "Of course, I am happy to chat. There is a tavern around the corner, let's go take a seat first." she said, turning to lead the way.
There was nothing special about the place, just a decent spot to get a warm drink and catch up with a friend making a surprise visit. Once seated, Phoebe tilted her head. "Tell me as best you can remember exactly what happened with Frey when you saw them last." she said, holding a mug of warm cider with both hands.
As always, Phoebe is more than willing to help. Not that Maeve expected anything less from her. It was just in the woman's nature to extend herself in whatever way was necessary. The Nightshade takes a moment to make her tea to her liking, taking a slow sip and letting the warm liquid chase away the cold that's seemed to settle in her bones, sighing softly as she sets her cup down.
"Well, I visited them here. It was shortly after the Halenani collapsed and I was hoping for some help given that I wanted to expand on our original concept. I brought them a peach tart topped with cream, stripped down naked, and asked for their time if they were willing to give it." Maeve begins, recalling that night almost an entire year ago now, brows knitting together as she does her best to remember. "I told them my plan and expressed that I would like some help in creating a space for our workers to live as well as provide their services. I was of course willing to give something in return, but they said I didn't need their help. That... That my nipples might impress other's, but wouldn't sway them." The last bit had her lips twitching in mild amusement now despite how it had irked her then.
"Truthfully I felt that things were not entirely salvageable at that point. I was still trying to cope with having lost my home and everyone else being displaced that I wasn't entirely in the right mindset to bargain, I suppose."
With her sweetened breath, and her tongue so mean She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
Phoebe listened quietly as Maeve told her tale, nodding here and there to assure her that she was in fact listening. Knowing Frey as well as she did, she could see areas where a few missteps had been taken, things that she had learned from years of friendship now with the Herald. Slowly she sipped her cider, setting it down and contemplating the beverage before saying anything.
"When dealing with Frey, it is first important to consider their interests. Unlike Safrin, Frey doesn't offer aid or guidance just because they are asked or out of a sense of duty. they tend to those matters of their interest almost exclusively. So building living quarters...well it wouldn't strike their fancy. Not enough to do with sex or nurturing or anything like that. Too boring, they might say." Phoebe explained. "By the time I asked them to help build the brothel, I had a strong relationship with them, so they were more apt to be accommodating. Does that make sense?"
Her brows draw together, lips pressing into a thin line as she considers her words, "But it was something for nurturing? We have girls raising their children there. It was so they would have a safe space. Not to mention rebuilding the brothel itself." Maeve can't help the way she bristles slightly. If only because it doesn't make much sense to her as to why they turned down her proposal in the first place. Still, the Madame sighs softly, taking a sip of he tea and settles her nerves. She didn't understand how the Halenani didn't align with their interests when they were the reason it was built in the first place.
"Perhaps I'm misunderstanding. Maybe I'm too used to how my relationship with Safrin works." Her herald was almost always willing to give and provide help. All Maeve had to do was ask and majority of the time she got what she wanted. Not without doing a bit of work, of course. Still, the Nightshade didn't quite understand, but she wanted to.
With her sweetened breath, and her tongue so mean She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
"But which half of Frey did you get?" Phoebe asked, tilting her head. If she had gone to the shrine naked as if in offering, she had a fairly good guess. "If it was the half of Frey dealing with sex, then they have no interest, just as the half of Frey dealing with nurturing has no interest in a woman laid bare at a shrine." she explained. Frey was complicated and they made no qualms in making that clear to everyone around them, parishioners included.
The Nightingale nodded at the Nightshade's conclusion, that she was conflating experiences when there was no reason to assume they would be the same. "Safrin and Frey are indeed very different and shouldn't be treated the same. And there isn't anything wrong with having an easier time with one or the other. The Halenani is responsible for bringing a lot of life into the world, surely Safrin acknowledges that." she said, trying to get a positive spin back to the conversation. "And just because I have a close relationship with Frey doesn't mean you need to, even as the Madame of the brothel."
11-20-2021, 10:53 PM (This post was last modified: 01-01-2022, 04:35 PM by Maeve.)
Maeve
Maeve listens as she speaks, sipping at her tea and taking in every word, tucking it all away for another time. She hums as Phoebe finishes speaking, wrapping her arms around her slender frame as she leans back in her seat, "I now I don't have to be incredibly close with them, but I think it important to have a good working relationship given my position." Maeve finishes off her tea before tucking her hands back into her sweater. "Should I approach them again, I'll keep all of this in mind, though."
She offers her a soft smile, "Hopefully you can put in a potentially good word in for me the next time you speak with them." The Nightshade teases with a quiet laugh, wrinkling her nose. The rest of their time passes quickly, the two women using the chance to catch up while they can.
~FIN~
With her sweetened breath, and her tongue so mean She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
