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 know what it takes to move on; I know how it feels to lie All I wanna do is trade this life for something new
Truth be told, Nate has no idea what to expect at the mouth of the Labyrinth. The Voice hadn't been elaborated, she'd simply given her needs and sent him on his way, and he'd scurried off to do what he'd been asked.
And now here he was, on the last step, kneeling on the soggy ground while he arranges the stones he'd collected, trying to find a pattern that works for what he has. His lips curl as he works, head tipping this way and that as it comes apart and together more than once, Nate finally sighing and pulling his hands away, unable to let himself fiddle with anything anymore. He wants to be out of here before sunrise, after all. The meat is much easier to handle, dumped unceremoniously into the ring and knocking one of the stones encircling it, giving him an excuse to readjust just one more time.
With everything set up, Nate rises back up onto the balls of his feet, staying ducked down in a crouch and staring intently into the labyrinth, waiting for... whatever's supposed to be happening. Maybe he should have asked.
Nothing at first, anyway. But as Nate will well know by now, when the Voice sets a quest, there are always results.
Even if those results might not be what one expects.
She has told him that he could use extra help, with the war coming. And she is serious about it. There's always some give and take, though, and here is the part where Nate needs to give.
From the Labyrinth comes a warbling sort of trill, as if something is scenting the meat in the circle of rocks, and he might see something peeping through the hedges at the front. Something small and scraggly and shy.
I know what it takes to move on; I know how it feels to lie All I wanna do is trade this life for something new
Maybe he should have asked specifics, should have asked what exactly he was meant to be gaining here, but Nate had enough faith in the Voice at this point to trust that when she said she'd help, she would help.
In any other instance, the keening sound from the labyrinth would have the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, but right now it just fills him with a grim kind of excitement. Without hesitating, Nate drops to a crouch and grabs a piece of meat, then shuffles towards the shape in the hedges. He stops well before them though, and deposits the meat into the palm of a newly summoned holographic hand, offering it out to whatever is lurking in the blooming greenery.
Meat has already enticed them, and as it's brought closer they are heedless to resist. Another warble hits the air, like they want to be suspicious but they can't really force themselves in the presence of food. And thus Nate will meet the help that the Voice has promised.
The dragonling - small enough to sit very comfortably in the crook of the demigod's arm is a scraggly thing, smudged with blues and sandy tones, and it pounces at the holographic arm much like a cat would. As if it might kill its prey (i.e. the hunk of meat), it tries to wrestle the hologram to seize the prize, trilling all the while.
I know what it takes to move on; I know how it feels to lie All I wanna do is trade this life for something new
A slow grin spreads across Nate's face as the tiny thing creeps out of the bushes, his eyes lighting up with the single-minded ferocity it attacks his false hand with. "Look at you." He murmurs softly, wiggling his fingers in a brief fight before letting his hand go limp, the prize sitting in his outstretched palm. "Aren't you pretty, huh?"
Another hand crackles into being, grabbing another scrap of meat and holding it closer to him, trying to entice the thing towards arms that are flesh and blood instead of light and static. "You gonna come over to me?" He croons, utterly focused on the little reptilian slip.
The dragonling keens with their victory as they 'kill' the hunk of meat, setting upon it and feasting quite happily in Nate's vicinity. And when another prey makes itself known, this time the little reptile is much quicker to set upon it. And rather than just claws, there's a static sort of pulse that vibrates up and through its throat - it will render the holographic hand stunned (a feeling that is akin to having one's leg fall asleep) and useless.
And then the dragonling is upon it again, snapping up the hunk of meat and trilling affectionately to Nate. And it is at that moment that the demigod will feel the companion bond snap into place, the reptile clambering closer and up, up, up onto his shoulders.
I know what it takes to move on; I know how it feels to lie All I wanna do is trade this life for something new
Fingers twitch in one last kick of life, though it’s more curiosity in NateMs part than an intentional tease. The sensation of numbness is strange, difficult to really parse. He’s distracted away from it by the warm sound the dragonling purrs out at him, a space opening in his mind that’s familiar and brand new, all at once.
“So this is what she meant.” Nate hums, pushing himself up off the ground slowly and turning to look sidelong at the little dragon on his shoulders. He offers a finger out to it experimentally, interest painted over his face. “Youre gonna stuck with me, huh?”
This is what she meant, and they are absolutely going to stick with Nate. Especially if he keeps offering out tasty hunks of meat. At the offered finger, though, the dragonling runs their scaly cheek all along it and trills out in affection, before relaxing around Nate's shoulders like a scarf. And in a gesture that seems new right now, but one which will rapidly become everyday, the tiny reptile yawns loudly into the demigod's ear. Done and done.
