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!
"I wouldn't know," Finn remarks quietly about the basilisk, and he resists the urge to roll his eyes to hear that he wouldn't be able to hit Remi should he decide to move. He knows the massive advantage that the Lullaby has over him in every single way. Stronger, faster, tougher, with abilities that terrify and overwhelm, Finn can't even be safe from Remi inside his own head. One wrong step and he might end up trapped in a dream with the other man, or shoved out of his body to float, soulless, until Remi is done with him.
And yet the alchemist is always the one to look so constipated when he inevitably puts himself in Finn's path, over and over again. "That sounds like your sort of place," he mutters, his tone reminicent of steep cliffs, of knives and feathers and being deep underwater. And this time as Remi takes off with a beat of his wings, Finn is already tracking him with the gun.
He doesn't care if the sun burns out his retinas, he still doesn't look away as he conjures another shot, aiming to take out one of the great wings spread wide.
This scar I can't reverse, when the more it heals the worse it hurts
And yours, Remi thinks wickedlylovingly, as he thinks of Finn's face looking down at him, calling his name and screaming apologies.
Has Finn hit Remi? There are no falling feathers to indicate he has nor any sounds of pain, but then, there hadn't been before either. With no backboard save for the clouds, there's no sound of the errant shot having struck something else either.
"Faster." Remi calls from above, wanting Finn to try and pin him with multiple shots but wondering if the man below would be able to given what his sun-blind eyes would see coming at him. Shifted to become a wraith, there are only pools of fierce white where Remi's eyes should be amidst a hairy pool of black. Allowing the sun to silhouette him, he glides slowly toward Finn as the Ludo-like tattered fabric of his robe? body? trail loosely behind him.
REMI
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
It isn't sun blindness that will prevent Finn from being able to pin Remi with multiple shots, no. The Spyglass is about to learn the limits of his firearm thus far, because the next shot he tries to conjure towards the other man results in a big fat nothing. Indeed, as he tries to draw up the energy it almost makes him feel lethargic, and he's left numbly holding onto the weapon as a black nightmare floats down from the sky.
For a second he considers throwing the firearm, but gods if that doesn't seem like a stupid idea. He also considers running, but turning his back on the wraith frightens him more than anything else currently. Finn has never seen this shift, and so in his shock and stupor, he merely manages to stagger back a step or two, trip over a rock on the ground, and raise a hand to shield his face. For all the good it would do.
This scar I can't reverse, when the more it heals the worse it hurts
There is the sound of feathers and flapping—like some strange garment being fluffed out to hang over a line. "Finn," Remi says softly, still backlit by the sun and likely just as ominous to behold, but back in his own body at least. Holding out his hand toward the other man, the alchemist thinks better of it, and instead takes a step back to give the Spyglass room to stand on his own. "I am hardly one of the scariest things you will behold should you go after more relics." He points out, rubbing the back of his neck. "If that made you unable to attack..." Slowly he shakes his head. Basilisks and gargoyles, and Finn was undone by white eyes and rags?
To be fair, Remi is one of the few who has never had to experience himself.
REMI
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
It's a shame, that the one time the Spyglass is reaching back for Remi is the time he steps away. The sound of a familiar voice, however unnerving it might be at times, is enough for Finn to want to get closer to it and farther away from the whatever it was coming for him. Instead, breathing heavily, he hefts himself to his feet and gazes down at his weapon. "It was this," he tries to explain. "I couldn't fire any more. It was like I was exhausted when I tried..." Puzzled, his brows knit together in a frown. "It must draw the power directly out of me...?"
Letting out a shuddering breath, his shoulders slump and he glances back towards the Lullaby. "I didn't realise you had a shift like that," he adds. "I thought it was something else." Turning the firearm over in his hands, Finn gives a wry smile. "Speaking of relics, I have been tasked to look into the one at the Sea of Glass. Rest assured, I will keep you and Ronin out of it. Half a season is the least I might do, right?"
This scar I can't reverse, when the more it heals the worse it hurts
Were this actually about scientific enquiry, Remi might have taken the weapon in his own hand and tried to fire it, to either prove or disprove Finn's theory. But it wasn't, and he doesn't. Perhaps it doesn't matter anyway, if it is only ever meant to be Finn's.
With a hole in the front of his shirt and two in the back, to anyone who showed up now, it might seem as though Finn had been quite successful with his new item. Folding his arms comfortably across his chest (and where his fingers wouldn't be tempted to touch the places his eyes were currently looking), Remi raises a brow and huffs a small laugh. "Oh? Here I thought you had files on me. On what I could and couldn't do." He's been told there are files, though too late Remi realizes that he'd likely be more hurt if Finn hadn't bothered to read them, than if he had.
Never quite sure what Finn's smiles mean, the Lullaby tilts his head slightly. "Do you have the power to keep us out of it? I thought it was Cian's call." Had Finn shared the attuned bond that his wife and son did, he'd have felt Remi's pulse quicken with uncertain but ferocious heat that the Spyglass would phrase it as if he was doing Remi a favour.
REMI
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"There are files," Finn says mildly, turning the gun over in his hands a few more time before giving up and putting it away. Currently it lives in the inside pocket of his coat, but he supposes he will have to get a holster(?) or something for it. "Unfortunately I have been quite lax in keeping them up to date because of this business with the relics." And, y'know, give or take a drug dependency, and having a child. "Your updates end shortly after you leave for the Greatwood."
And he will definitely update it now, rest assured. Resting his hands in his pockets, Finn shakes his head a little to the other man. "Cian asks a lot of questions, but he very rarely gives specific direction," he explains. "It is usually my call to make. And if I make the wrong choice, I definitely pay for it one way or another. I am used to it, so enjoy Flowerbirth without needing to go to Halo." It is very obviously a favour, however Remi wants to feel about it.
This scar I can't reverse, when the more it heals the worse it hurts
"Glad to hear there is still a bit of mystery in the world." Remi remarks dryly, even if that mystery was merely what new shifts and abilities he'd attained. He shouldn't be as annoyed as he is that Finn hasn't been keeping tabs on him. He should be relieved, given how adamant he's been about everyone leaving him alone. Yet here he is, forcing his eyes up to the sky lest something in his gaze belie the inappropriate knife-twist he feels in his gut.
"No need to go on your account, you mean." Remi corrects, still blinking up at a cloud. "Perhaps the relic will be gone by the time you get there." Who knew more about it, than Ronin via Safrin? The alchemist doesn't care about collecting relics, but getting to this one before Finn felt like appropriate retribution for the knot Finn's words had caused in Remi's stomach.
REMI
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Are you alright?" Finn asks suddenly. He might have all the social aptitude of a vase of tulips, but he has learned the most obvious tells from people, and Remi is radiating discomfort. If anything, he had also expected the Lullaby to be relieved that Finn hasn't been keeping as close an eye on him as he otherwise might. Regardless, even after having asked the question, the Spyglass can do little more than shift his feet and fidget with the ring on his thumb.
"Yes, I suppose that is what I mean," he concedes with a nod. "And you are right, it may be gone by the time I arrive. But I am going to do my best to leave as soon as possible, so that isn't the case." He's not assuming that Remi will be the one to snatch away said relic, of course - Finn is more worried about the Ascended getting it. Indeed, should the alchemist succeed instead, he'd hardly count that as a loss.
This scar I can't reverse, when the more it heals the worse it hurts
The question strikes Remi as being as out of place as if the Spyglass had just invited him over for dinner. Swallowing hard and trying to even out the frown on his lips, for a moment as he turns his gaze to Finn he distantly recalls when it was like to slip out of his own body and briefly twine himself around the other man's bones. "Are any of us?" Remi asks as lightly as he can, giving his head a slight shake before rubbing one hand wearily across his eyes.
"Well, best of luck." He mumbles, already turning away as spiteful plans take form in the back of his mind. It was Safrin's relic after all. Why should the Order have it? "And...if Ever needs a place to stay while you're gone...Mateo is always glad to have him around." This is added with a shocking amount of genuine concern and affection. Where his children were concerned one could always count on Remi to be less of an asshole, even now.
Nodding stiffly, the offer not needing an answer just now, Remi looks down at his shirt, now riddled with holes, and sighs. 'Take care, Finn.' He adds, and sounds as if he means that as well.
~FINlolidiots
REMI
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
