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!
"Mmmhmm. I see." Tobi hums along, looking appropriately skeptical and adoring all at the same time. "Not a lot about puns though, I'd wager.." She adds with another laugh, squeezing his hand with relentless warmth and joy.
Tobi knows all about the Taliesin's accommodations, if only because of her dish-washing chat with Ronin. The Greatwood, for now, seems amenable enough to Tobi's request, and as Finn ushers them back onto what looks little more than a deer path, suddenly the trees around them grow dense and in the distance, the sound of rushing water can be heard. No, not rushing. Falling.
"Does that sound like what I think it does?" Tobi asks with such sudden enthusiasm her perked ears and wagging tail were nearly made visible by her excitement.
"I did not ask if they had books about puns," Finn says softly, and were it not for the sudden interruption of the Taliesins into their date (or the prospect of them, anyway) he might have directed a crooked smile in her direction. As it stands, he follows her away into the woods once more - or rather, the woods lead them onwards - and he perks up at the sound of falling water. "It does sound like what you think it sounds like," he agrees. "Providing, of course, you think that it sounds like a waterfall."
And as they press onwards, soon enough glints of crimson appear between the fresh green of the Greatwood's leaves, until all at once they spill out into a clearing that puts the Cataract right before them, roaring in its red fury and spraying them with mist from its downpour. "The forest must like you," he says slowly.
When you're standing at the crossroads & don't know which path to choose
"That," Tobi says, spinning in place so that she's walking backwards, practically dragging Finn along. "-is exactly what I think it is."
As green begins to reveal bids of frothy red, Tobi can feel her heart threaten to leap up into her throat as her excitement becomes so palpable she thinks Finn must be able to feel it even though he doesn't share her attuned-bond. Unable to contain herself a moment longer—what are outings for, if not shedding all the responsibility and decorum of your day-to-day life?—Tobi flashes Finn a crooked smile, offers a quick, "-sorry! and can you bring my bag?" before shifting and racing off toward the sound of the waterfall.
Without even a moment's hesitation, Tobi lunges toward the water; her paws extend, her tail streams out behind her for balance, and her ears flap away from her head before she crashes into the pool.
Let me come along, 'Cause even if you're wrong, I'll stand by you
Were that this simply an outing - alas, this is meant to be a date, and Finn is left blinking his confusion as he tries to both absorb Tobi's apology and scoop up her bag as she goes racing away towards the Cataract. "Tobi?" he calls, breaking into a jog after her only to hear a mighty splash that makes him wince. "Tobi..." This time his tone is a mix of amusement and disappointment, and he strolls towards the bank of the waterfall to try and spy the canine in the depths.
"I didn't bring a towel, or anything to dry you off," he says softly, rubbing at the back of his head and setting down the bag. He definitely isn't sure about the protocol here, and there most certainly weren't books on the subject when he went to the Archives.
When you're standing at the crossroads & don't know which path to choose
Unable to hear Finn's second utterance, no doubt the disappointment therein would have broken her heart, Tobi emerges from the water with a wide smile on her canine face. Barking happily, Tobi clearly isn't bothered by the fact that she'll have to remain wet a little longer. Maybe there's even a spare change of clothes in her bag. Wouldn't that be terrible convenient?
Swimming towards the bank without making any attempt at all to keep her splashing to a minimum, Tobi tilts her head back and barks with unfettered joy, clearly not sharing any of Finn's concerns. Eyeing him expectantly the way dogs tend to do, that his hands are free of anything he might throw for her is seemingly irrelevant. Find something Finn; surely spontaneity was part of his date-reading?
Let me come along, 'Cause even if you're wrong, I'll stand by you
Spontaneity might be part of dating, but it is also a fairly unknown part of Finn's personality, and as he watches the canine emerge from the depths, it's with dozens of scenarios playing out behind his eyes. Of all the directions he might have expected this to go, Tobi becoming a dog and jumping into algae infested waters was not one of them. Still, he can't help the weak smile that tugs at his lips at her doggy grin and exuberant barking, Finn backing up a little so he can reach down into the long grasses to retrieve - wouldn't you know it? - a stick.
"Will this do?" he wonders, pulling his arm back and throwing said stick away into the water. He makes sure to try and stick to the outer edges of the bank, just in case Tobi ends up caught up in all the algae or whatever else might be lurking in the depths.
When you're standing at the crossroads & don't know which path to choose
Stick, her wide smile seems to scream, and though it's awkward, her tail is wagging back and forth as hard as it can in the water. Already some of the lichen is trying to cling to her fur, but nevermind that now. Not when there's a stick.
Barking loudly and raucously as the stick is thrown, Tobi spins and leaps through the water like a lumbering deer, until swimming becomes all she's capable of. Paddling just as quickly as she can, Tobi grabs the stick in her teeth and begins to make her way back toward Finn. Looking ridiculous as her cheeks puff in and out despite her mostly-open mouth, eventually Tobi is able to make it back towards the bank and deposit the stick near Finn's feet.
Barking and lowering her head playfully, Tobi resists the urge to shake—but only just. Hopefully Finn throws the stick again before the need overtakes her.
Let me come along, 'Cause even if you're wrong, I'll stand by you
Tobi's enthusiasm and glee are contagious, and despite himself, the Spyglass is smiling as he watches her wade and paddle after the thrown stick. "Be careful!" he calls, though really, if anything had happened he'd be next to useless given the deeper water. Indeed, as she comes to deposit the stick back at his feet, Finn has taken a couple of hops backward so he can pick it up and this time launch it away from the waterfall.
And clearly her joy has been rubbing off on him, because the stick goes soaring off into the woods far enough that Finn is wincing. "Sorry!" he manages, though he's already trying to get clear of the wet-dog-path he's sure Tobi is about to tear in pursuit of her prize. "I'll try to aim a little better next time!"
Few things might distract Tobi in this moment, given how fixated she is on the stick and the man on the banks throwing it for her. Few things indeed, and yet...As Tobi races toward the stick—who cares where he's thrown it?—suddenly the large canine stops dead in her tracks. Pausing, her ears perked forward and her nostrils twitching, Tobi's tail curls upwards, poised in a tight arch over her as her eyes scan the treeline. It isn't so much that her vision is particularly keen in this form, so much as she's looking for corroborating evidence for the information her nose has given her. Something in the wood smells both predatory, but also like...paint. Paint, and botanicals, a scent that registers instantly in her mind.
With a borderline-aggressive huff, Tobi darts forward, the stick forgotten. Her hackles are up, and despite her waterlogged coat, she suddenly looks much bigger than she had only moments ago. Trotting animatedly towards the treeline, she pauses just for a second, before snarling loudly enough to scar a few birds nearby, before shifting. Her yellow dress clings to her body revealing underwear lines and the contours of her body, but never mind that. Never mind how her hair is plastered to her neck and forehead, or the water that gushes out of her sandals (she really should have taken those off).
From his place on the bank, Finn will hear Tobi shout, "Ohhhh no. Absolutely not." In a tone that sounds as if she might be crossly chastizing a patient who has wandered out of bed. Disappearing into the trees, the sound of shouting will filter back across the meadow, the words lost in the rush of the waterfall.
Busy trying to find something to wipe his wet (drooly?) hands on, Finn misses it, at first, as Tobi's posture changes so completely. Indeed, it's only the snarl that has his head snapping up - conveniently just in time to see her shift, and then he has no idea where he's supposed to be looking. "Tobi?" he calls, worry furrowing his brow, and he breaks out into a jog after the doctor.
Almost automatically, he reaches into the inside of his coat where his firearm is tucked (just in case), and as the shouting begins, he's drawn it properly. "Tobi!" he calls again, but this time his voice rings clearly through the Greatwood, and he thinks nothing of ducking between the branches to try and find a glimpse of a yellow dress.
When Finn makes his way towards his girlfriend Tobi, he'll be treated to a rather strange sight: Remi, looking softly bewildered with his hands raised to placate the shouting doctor. "I don't care whether you asked for this or not. He certainly didn't, so you and this obsession of yours can find a new target."
"I wanted to apologize, I did. I didn't mean for any of it to happen. But with him, it always seems to—"
"I think you've spent far too long thinking about things from your side, and justifying them in your mind, so let me tell you how it is from a point of view other that your own: You, are a nightmare." A play on The Lullaby? Maybe. But shh, just listen. "You pop up where you aren't wanted, and even when you aren't around, you haunt. You linger like a bad smell."
Frowning, and looking as if he was about to argue, Tobi holds up a warning finger to indicate that she's far from finished, which shuts Remi up. "All of it ends now. If you see Finn in the street, you'll smile and then go the other direction. If you are ever forced to work with him, you will be nothing but helpful and you will keep every weird thought in your own mind." Taking a few steps towards Remi and standing as tall as she's able, Tobi is pleased to see that enough colour has drained from the Lullaby's face to suggest that he's listening. "I swear by every god there is, if we have to have this conversation again, I will do everything in my power to stop you. I might not be able to kill you, but I've got enough drugs to put you under long enough that you'll wake up with wrinkles."
As flushed as Remi was pale, Tobi shivers slightly as her adrenaline spike finally begins to wear off, and the fact that she's soaking wet begins to register. Swallowing hard, and noticing Finn for the first time, Remi clears his throat and nods. "Understood." He mumbles, and turns to leave.
"AND," Tobi calls, her voice suddenly cheerful and bright. "Finn is incredible in bed."
The sight that greets Finn is almost enough to have to gun slipping from between his fingers. As luck should have it, that doesn't happen, but the Spyglass is silent and slackjawed in his bemusement as he watches this impromptu showdown between Remi and Tobi. And every time he seems to summon words of his own - apologies, he realises, or ways to play down all that the Lullaby has put him through whether intentionally or otherwise - the doctor jumps in afresh. Later he'll realise that his failed interruptions were in sync with Remi's. It won't be a pleasant realisation.
The flush to his cheeks that adrenaline and shock has brought darkens to a hot crimson to hear Tobi's parting jab, and he clears his throat as if she might not have noticed his presence. Remi certainly has, that much is clear, and he gives a thoroughly awkward nod to the Lullaby as he takes his leave. In the meantime, Finn has managed to slink up next to the doctor, his arm slipping around her despite the fact that her dress and cardigan are soaked through.
"That was the most amazing thing I have ever seen," he whispers, hardly comprehending that he's speaking at all. "You are... you... Tobi."
Spinning with surprise, her focus having been so heavily chained to the Lullaby that she's hardly aware of anything else, Tobi glances Finn and feels adrenaline spike through her afresh. "Finn, you—" Her apology is cut off by the feel of the Spyglass at her side. "No, you'll get wet." She says with a laugh, gently trying to pull away so that Finn might stay dry and free of the algae that has managed to hold on to her throughout.
"I didn't mean for you to hear." Tobi explains as she pushes a bit of hair from her forehead. "He said he was just coming for some supplies and I told him to go because we were here, and he said he had a right to be here, and..." Exhaling, her words and thoughts coming too fast, the doctor gives her head a shake. "I think he'll respect our boundaries now, though."
Finn doesn't care about getting wet, as is evident by the way he only draws Tobi closer against him, his arms slipping around her properly such that when they eventually do part from each other, it will look as though the Spyglass has been swimming as well. "It doesn't matter," he murmurs regarding the whys and wherefores of Remi's being there. And it really doesn't, he finds, his fingers tilting up her chin so he can lean down for a slow and lingering kiss.
Finn is mediocre with words even on his better days, and so he hopes he can explain to the doctor what she's just done for him with the dance and press of his tongue instead. And when he does finally come up for air, it's with his fingers twined through her wet curls, his face barely inches away from hers. "I don't think anyone has ever cared about me the way you do," he admits through a whisper.
