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!
"Okay, we're here." Ronin has been narrating the trip all the way up to the apartment door, and now that they are standing outside of it (and he can already hear Ever and Mateo chattering within), it's time for the last dress rehearsal. "This," he tells Remi, reaching out to straighten his husband's tie - and his own, for that matter, "is just one night. Not even an entire night. Just a few hours, and then you and I are going wherever you need to go to cool off. If you need to cool off." Because it might be fine, right? Right.
"We have spoken to gods. We have fought giant stone gargoyles, and basilisks, and giant sea dino-monsters. And that's just in the past few seasons." Ronin's hands smooth down the front of Remi's shirt, and he offers a smile that's tries for reassuring. "This is nothing. But," and he means this, his hands going to straighten the alchemist's collar, "if it gets too much, you tell me. If you need a break, or if you just need to get out of there, you stamp on my foot as hard as you want, and we'll make our excuses and we'll go."
Ronin leans in now, leaving a soft and lingering kiss against Remi's lips.
there's a feeling i get when i look to the west, & my spirit is crying for leaving.
Clenching his teeth together, Remi regards Finn's door with unfettered animosity. Not even the warm rays of emotions flowing from Ronin are enough to tear his attention away, not until the Huntsman makes an offer that the Lullaby is instantly ready to take him up on. Tapping his foot on top of Ronin's, he raises a brow. "It's too much." He murmurs, both serious and not.
'Mmmm, don't do that.' Remi whispers against his husband's lips as an instant plume of heat rises in his belly. Even as Ronin pulls away the alchemist keeps his eyes closed. "Don't make me want you before seeing him." He groans. "That's cruel, and I haven't even done anything wrong, yet."
Opening his eyes, Remi pulls in a strained breath as he fixes his husband with a worried look. "Maybe I can...I don't know. Find a job in the kitchen so that I'm away from everyone. There's got to be something that needs constant stirring, right?"
in my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees & the voices of those who stand looking.
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Ronin scoffs out a soft laugh, though he does understand his husband taking advantage of things. "Minimum of one hour," he corrects himself. "Just so Mateo can see we are making an effort, okay?" If nothing else, maybe thinking of their son will help. Thinking about kissing him certainly isn't doing anything to make things easier, Ronin letting his hands gently squeeze against Remi's biceps.
"You won't do anything wrong," he tries to reassure him. "It's just dinner. Just drinking some wine, talking about bullshit, and eating some food," he says. "And maybe you can do that, yes. Though I am sure our hosts already have that covered. Perhaps you won't even see him all that much?" He's sure their hosts can also hear them debating this outside the door, but so be it.
"Come on, let's do this. Do you have the wine? Or was it gin?" Ronin asks, gently slipping an arm around Remi's waist and gesturing for him to knock at the door whenever he's ready.
there's a feeling i get when i look to the west, & my spirit is crying for leaving.
"Everyone is an attuned except for Finn and Mateo..maybe I could just.." Feathers ruffle suggestively through his curls (in which Oria is perched and ready to pull every last hair out of Remi's head to make him behave). Sighing with defeat, Remi kicks Ronin's foot softly. "Whatever happens, I love you more than I can ever say." It's said with all the gravity of a man going off to war or some other uncertain situation where death is very likely.
Holding up a bag containing 4 bottles of wine, Remi nods. "Wine." He confirms having got it wrong in the last thread. Turning toward the door, Remi pulls in a breath and holds it. Maybe he can hold it all night long, or maybe he'll pass out and Ronin will have to take him home. Either would be fine.
in my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees & the voices of those who stand looking.
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
It's a quiet consolation A mistake that I don't mind
'You look really great." Tobi hums, caught awkwardly between wanting to give Finn support for what was to come, and also girlishly fawning over him. Dressed in a simple black dress that she was able to make seem opulent if only because of the way she looked in it, the doctor was radiantly understated as she stood beneath the kitchen lights.
In the dining room Mateo and Everest are putting the final touches on the table, adjusting Mateo's centrepiece just so as Everest checks that the cutlery is in precisely the right position. The house smells delicious and feels warm and cozy with candles lit and music playing softly from the living room.
"At any time at all, you can excuse yourself to stir something, or check on dessert." Tobi reminds Finn, slyly undressing him with her eyes before catching herself. "And if Remi tries to follow you, I'll shift and bite him."
Maybe you'll meet me at the station Or maybe somewhere down the line
"Do you think looking great will make the evening go more smoothly?" Finn wonders, worrying his lower lip between his teeth and fussing over his cuffs and sleeves. He's wearing a deep, wine coloured shirt and a tie that's such a dark shade of red that it's almost black, and that only serves to make his eyes seem all the more stormy. "I mean... you look beautiful as well." Belatedly catching his manners and expected social cues, he offers a fleeting smile to Tobi.
Nodding at her reassurances and taking a long breath in and letting it out again, he glances around at their perfectly prepared kitchen and peers through the doors to see Ever and Mateo putting the finishing touches on the table. "Okay... Okay, yes. That sounds good," he murmurs, centring himself by closing his eyes for a moment, before they flick open again and he leans in suddenly to kiss her (which comes as much of a surprise to him as it likely will to Tobi).
"Thank you," he murmurs as he draws back, awkwardly ruffling a hand through the back of his curls.
It's a quiet consolation A mistake that I don't mind
"It certainly will for me." Tobi chuckles, not minding at all Finn's late compliment. Were this a scene in a romcom, this would be where the pretty doctor throws herself at the awkward Spyglass, knocking their carefully curated foods off of the counters as they paw one another's clothes off. Then they answer the door, satisfied with their hair mussed, and the laugh track sounds. This of course doesn't happen.
Instead, it's a sweet kiss that they share that nevertheless has Tobi's cheeks flushing. I love you, she thinks. "This will be over before you know it. You've survived much worse things than a dinner with Remi Taliesin." She reminds him.
A knock at the door has Tobi glancing over her shoulder, before turning back to Finn. "Ready?" She asks him, before pressing a brief kiss to his cheek and leaving the kitchen before he can tell her that no, he isn't. Opening the door to find Remi looking sullen and Ronin looking dashing, Tobi beams and ushers them both inside. "The boys are just finishing up with the table. They've been working at it all afternoon. I think...parts of it..move?" She explains, before shrugging.
Maybe you'll meet me at the station Or maybe somewhere down the line
Ronin looks dashing, Remi looks sullen, Tobi is beautiful and Finn would make the most handsome undertaker the Huntsman has ever seen, given that he honestly looks like someone has died. "It smells amazing in here!" Ronin gushes, his arm still safely around Remi's waist as he leads them inside, leaning in to kiss the doctor's cheek. "Thank you for inviting us. I don't think I have ever seen you without scrubs," he remarks.
At that point, of course, Mateo has come to barrel into both of his parents to hug them tightly (and murmur a thank you against Remi) and invite them over to look at said table. Smiling, Ronin nudges his husband as if to tell him to go, before turning back to Tobi. "We brought wine, and I think we are going to need it," he says. "Would you like me to help with anything?"
It's a quiet consolation A mistake that I don't mind
Rolling her eyes affectionately at Ronin, Tobi chuckles. "And I don't believe I've ever seen you without an open wound." She counters brightly, reaching out for his and Remi's coats. Watching the alchemist stiffly follow his child into the dining room, Tobi resists the urge to cover her mouth and laugh, instead turning back to Ronin and offering him a knowing smile. "Oh I think you're right about that." She says about the wine, before tossing her head and leading him into the kitchen.
"I think Finn has everything covered, but the wine glasses are just over there if you'd like to pour everyone a glass?" Tobi says to Ronin. Comfortable with one another but not overly affectionate in public or with others around, the doctor taps the toe of her shoe against the back of Finn's heel that he might be reminded of her support.
Maybe you'll meet me at the station Or maybe somewhere down the line
there's a feeling i get when i look to the west, & my spirit is crying for leaving.
"Mateo! Guarda cosa hai fatto!" Remi calls out enthusiastically, clapping his son on the shoulder. Finding it easier to lean into being with his son and Everest than mingling with the adults in the kitchen, he gestures to Mateo's display that the boy might show him how it works.
Remembering that he's meant to be making himself seem not-scary in Ever's eyes, the Lullaby kneels down so that he's nearly eye level with the table, and flashes the Hart boy what he hopes is a non-threatening smile. This looks very good. He whispers to Ever through the attuned bond, following the sentiment with a flush of appreciation and pride.
in my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees & the voices of those who stand looking.
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"The night is young - I might end up cutting myself," Ronin says to that, flashing Tobi another smile and rescuing the wine bottles from Remi so he can take them into the kitchen with the doctor. Nodding back at the Spyglass where he's stirring something, Ronin takes full advantage of the offer to pour the wine, carefully setting out the bottles and uncorking one to fill each glass with a generous measure. (They'll need it, and he communicates this silently with a bob of his eyebrows to Tobi).
"How is work?" he asks them both conversationally, peeking into the living room to watch as Remi busies himself with the two boys, something that makes him phenomenally proud to even see him making the effort. Offering a wine glass out to Tobi and setting one on the counter for Finn, Ronin lifts his glass in a cheers and takes a small sip.
So far, so good - he isn't dead yet. The heat isn't even on for the sauce he's stirring, and it won't need to be for some time, but it makes Finn feel useful. And the tap to the back of his heel (not to mention the appearance of the wine) makes it better as well, bit by bit. He nods to Ronin in greeting and ceases his stirring to take a very happy sample of his drink, and his stormy eyes widen a fraction. "This is very good," he murmurs.
As for work? The Spyglass's eyes flick towards the door for a second before focusing on Ronin's shoes, and he shrugs. "It is slow. I was unfortunately unable to complete my last assignment," he explains. And they all know why, don't they Ronin.
It's a quiet consolation A mistake that I don't mind
"Is that what we're doing?" Tobi asks with a bubbly laugh. "We're making small talk about work?" Rolling her eyes playfully in Ronin's direction, the doctor leans again the counter and takes a healthy sip of her wine. Amazingly, none of her lipstick transfers to the glass. (#ThanksSera). "Other than all those poor recruits who I have to bandage up day in and day out thanks to your training schedule, things aren't too bad." She replies breezily, not really wanting to get into the nitty-gritty details and bring morale down.
"How's living on a houseboat?" Tobi wonders in an obvious gesture to change the subject. "I think I'd get seasick, honestly." Whether or not that was true seemed entirely irrelevant.
Maybe you'll meet me at the station Or maybe somewhere down the line
Remi's voice in his head feels incredibly loud, and it's with a bristle he tries to immediately still that Ever catches himself. 'It was mostly Mateo.' The Hart boy explains quickly, thinking that Remi's muscles looked very big up close. "Did...Mateo tell you about the ghost? The ghost in the kitchen that took the cookies?" He blurts out, his anxiety making him a good deal less polite than he might otherwise have been.
Shooting a hasty look to his friend and licking his lips, he turns his blue eyes back toward Remi. "If..it isn't too much trouble, do you think you can...you know, see if there is a ghost? And then...maybe ask it to leave? Or..I mean, I'm happy to make it cookies, I just want to make sure it doesn't take my things without at least asking first."
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
