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!
Ignoring his comment, Alex takes the offered seat, chair tipping back as she throws her arms over her head in a stretch. Righting herself she gives Jack a raised brow, "Waif? Really?" She doesn't know whether to be amused or offended. She was far from the scraggly half-starved kid she used to be. Though, maybe she was still a bit underweight? Eh, whatever.
After ordering herself some rum, Alex returns her attention to the man sitting by her with a sigh. "Pray tell, why in the hell would I tell you my sob story?" Was he an idiot or just nosey? Probably the latter would be her guess. Taking a sip of her drink after it arrived, Alex decided to indulge him a bit. Snickering slightly, she offers, "How about this? It was a mistake, a betrayal, for survival, a mutiny, and finally succession. In that order." That was all this man would get out of her while she was still sober. And she could likely give him a run for his money in a drinking contest.
Jack's order is also rum, black as night and served over ice, and he raises his eyebrows back at Alex as she questions him: yes, really. "If I ain't mistaken, dinner is usually accompanied by some bullshit form of smalltalk, ain't it?" He shrugs, sipping at his drink and relaxing back in his seat. The index finger of his free hand absently taps out a metronome on the table; an old habit he'll never break.
"Ooh, how dramatic," he drawls, flashing her a grin over his glass. "Best be careful, though. Mutiny is as mutiny does. A crew who'll turn on one captain is more likely to turn on another one in time." He neither believes nor cares that she can drink him under the table. This isn't a party, and Jack's not here to blow out candles or dance.
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
Alex takes a sip and nods, "True." She rolls her eyes slightly, "And yes, oh so dramatic. It's been an interesting decade to say the least." The mention of mutiny makes the pirate sigh, "I know. I'm not that naive." A mutiny for one captain meant they were willing to throw away another. There were a few members of her crew that she did truly trust but others she trusted only as far as friendship or respect. They were pirates after all, and even amongst friends it was best to sleep with one eye open.
Taking another sip Alex relaxes further in her seat as she begins to look at the menu. Small talk went both ways, so she raises a brow at Jack, "And what about you? How fairs your life?" A small snicker escapes her, "Any hobbies? I'm rather fond of surfing. Always try to catch a wave or two when we dock." A bit odd for a pirate, but hey, fun was fun.
"Life ain't ever borin' in Caido," Jack says, though the gods know that things have been more interesting lately than they ever have been before. His life was hardly stale before that barrier in the Hollowed Grounds fell, but since then it's been heralds and demigods and war, oh my! "Best bet's to make an example an' get new blood on board," he says around his rum - a free bit of advice for her re: mutinies.
His life and his hobbies, though? Jack scoffs. "Torchline's declared for Safrin and we've gone from Governors to Queens in the matter of a year. War's on the horizons, so besides gettin' hammered, I ain't really had time to work on my knittin'," he mutters, selecting something from the menu and waiting for the waitress to saunter over before ordering.
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
Alex snickers, raising her gas slightly in acknowledgement, "Ain't that the truth." Caido was never boring, not for long at least. Someone somewhere was always stirring up trouble it seemed.
The other captain's advice makes the pirate snicker once more, "Thank you for the advice, it's actually already in the works." The gratitude is given with a sharp grin but it's genuine. It was surprising to Alex that Jack would offer any true advice. Still, it's appreciated, even if it was something she was already well aware of and implementing.
Ordering her food when the waitress arrives, the pirate listens to Jack give a brief summary of what's currently happening in Torchline. The news of war and Queens makes Alex narrow her eyes, "So the rumors are true? The Gods have declared a war on each other?" That was the word amongst pirates, that the Old and New had grown so fed up with each other that another war was imminent. That they were already forcing their followers to prepare to fight for them.
"Good. If you leave the fuckers in Torchline I'll make sure they never worm their way onto another ship again." Or maybe he'll recruit them himself and whip them into shape himself. Who knows, who cares at this moment, in a shady bar on an island to kill a few hours. Watching their waitress leave with an appreciative glance at her backside, Jack takes another sip of his rum before offering her a response.
"I'm not sure they've actually declared anythin' yet. There's a lot of pomp and posturin' though. They're preparin' for it, for sure," he mutters, still tapping away at the table with one finger. "I've got no doubt shit'll start flyin' even out on the open ocean soon enough." You can run but you can't hide from conflict, in Jack's experience. "You declared for any gods?" he asks.
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
"Will do." She might throw them overboard first. More fun that way. After they order Alex snorts a laugh at Jack's blatant staring, but she makes no comment. After all, how can she blame him? The waitress does have a great ass.
The topic of war draws her full attention as Alex takes another sip. listening intently as Jack clarifies the situation. "I see." Her smile is grim, "Should make sailing interesting for a bit." There'd likely be less opportunities for her crew. More dangers too. Who knew what creatures deep beneath the waves would be stirred by such fighting?
Jack's question is logical though a bit surprising for Alex. "The fact that you're asking makes me thing that you and your ship have already declared." The man didn't seem like the religious types, but who was she to judge? The pirate takes a sip and decides that she might as well give him an answer. "I'm not declared per say. I do follow the Old Gods and always will, but I've never actually met any of them." The pirate would never side with the Voice or any other New Gods. Why would she? The Old symbolized the sea and stars, her entire life. Why would she follow any other?
"Aye. In the past all I'd have to worry about was ghost whales, sea panthers an' the likes of you," Jack agrees, raising his glass in a gruff cheers, though it's not exactly to a happy occasion. A smirk crawls across his face as Alex continues, the captain shrugging and gesturing all around them. "Ain't the only one. Torchline eats outta Safrin's palm these days, ain't you heard? And as far as the old gods go, she's the best of 'em. Hasn't harmed me any, put it that way."
Unless, you know, it's on the inside. But for his ship and his business? Safrin's great in his books, if it wasn't obvious by the tiny, starry mark next to his eye. "Ought to take yourself up to a shrine in the... oh, two an' a half hours you've got left here?" he suggests, kicking back to relax in his chair and running a finger around his glass.
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
01-05-2022, 06:39 PM (This post was last modified: 01-07-2022, 08:07 PM by Alex.)
A black flag, is a flag of freedom
Alex let out a scoff, but she raises her glass in return with a smirk, "True." She listens with a raised brow as Jack mentions Safrin in particular and how she's the 'best'. "You favor a Goddess because she hasn't hurt you? You don't strike me as one whose standards are that low." At least not when it comes to actual devotion. Other things were likely a different story with this one.
Still the idea of visiting a shrine isn't unappealing. Alex hasn't had the chance in... ever. She's never had the chance now that she thinks about it. That was sad. Maybe she should go if only to fix that. "Might as well. Is there one for the Old close by?" The former Torcher can't remember off the top of her head the locations of the local shrines.
Now it's Jack's turn to scoff, the captain slouching back in his chair and swirling the last of his rum in the glass. "I favour her 'cause I met her face to face, and she put the rest of the gods to shame with her generosity," he drawls. Not only had she actually turned up, she'd given him the thing he'd been asking for in Torchline since Maeve had become queen. There's little to dislike about the goddess, in Jack's eyes. (Even if she nearly broke his brain).
"Closest one's along the port, but it's for Ludo an' Mort," he says, sitting up only when the waitress emerges with their food - it's hot, it's spiced, and it came from the sea, and that's all they need to know. "Up on the Aumakua - the big lighthouse - that's where Safrin's shrine is. For Frey you'll have to go up to the Rainbow Road, though."
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
"I see." Alex raises a brow at his speedy defense, wondering if it's for himself or his goddess. Probably a mix. Still, the pirate hadn't heard of Safrin's generosity before, it was certainly something to consider. Generosity deserved equal return though, and Alex wasn't sure if she was ready to straight up swear herself to a god.
When their food arrives, Alex can't help but grin with excitement. She loves food, sue her. Digging in happily, she nods as Jack lists off the local shrines, mentally mapping them out. The food is demolished in a concerningly short period of time, finished with a thrown back swing of rum.
Slamming her glass back down on the table, the pirate stands up. "Thanks for the advice, Jack, and the company." She eyes the sun's position for a moment. "I best be off to that shrine, so I don't miss my send-off time. Hope I don't see you around." With one last wink, the pirate settles their tab and heads off to visit the Gods.
