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!
It's done. The shrine is clear and the candles are lit and the offerings have been given - all but one, anyway, but Ronin's is right here. As the stars begin to peek out, the Huntsman remains on the opposite side of the stone altar to Sunjata, staring deeply into the pinprick candle flames.
Crimson feathers blanket his shoulders and trickle down his spine, cladding him in tight leather decorated with constellations as a result. He wouldn't come to a shrine for Safrin looking anything less than his best, after all.
Not looking at Jata, instead Ronin directs his gaze to the stars. "If you would grace us with your presence, Lady Safrin, I have brought Sunjata to explain to you in person why he has chosen to step away from your light." Clearly, he is pulling no punches tonight.
right by the entrance you broke, finally reality's taking its hold
Oh, Sunjata doesn’t look to the sky or the stars, he doesn’t look anywhere but the shrine they'd just cleaned, the reflecting flame of Ronin’s Phoenix partial shift glittering off the offerings. And so he works his jaw, silently, figuring out where to even begin, silently praying that it isn’t his last night to walk among Caido’s earth.
An arm is still braced around his middle as he stares at the shrine, working his jaw as he waits to see if Safrin graces them with her presence or not, unsure whether he hopes to rip the bandaid off now or let it sit and wait for another day — perhaps one where he isn’t in so much pain.
you're not who you were, but you can't let it go you're not where you're from, but you're always alone
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
A sound like tearing paper dampened by silk ruffles the air. Suddenly everything smells of lilac and petrichor while the warm candlelight suddenly turns cold and a shade of galactic violet that blends in with the shadows. Dressed in a figure-hugging lace gown, the goddess appears from a patch of darkness made suddenly bright by moonlight. With her chin raised, she turns first to Ronin. Her eyes burn and flash, making her look both predatory and wicked, but also loving and protective. Reaching her palms toward his cheeks, she tips his head down that she might press a kiss to his forehead that will fill his bones with righteous pleasure and light.
Turning her head that she might cast a weighty gaze upon Sunjata, only as her shoulders begin to twist does she release her hold of Ronin. "You have no idea what a mistake you've made." She says, turned toward him fully now. "But you will."
Ronin's shoulders sag even at the noise of tearing silk that preludes Safrin's appearance. He'd been momentarily worried, perhaps, that she would think his work unsatisfactory, but as she clasps his cheeks and her lips touch his forehead, he (literally) glows with delight. Silent - because this is Sunjata's judgement now - he merely steps back as she turns to face the Flood.
He will remain to pick up whatever pieces of Sunjata the goddess chooses to leave behind, to accept any further instruction, but other than that, he wisely chooses to keep his mouth shut. He will bear witness to this, whatever the result may be.
Ronin won't reply unless directly spoken to from here!
right by the entrance you broke, finally reality's taking its hold
There’s a flash of darkness before it’s so bright that Sunjata has to close his eyes briefly. He doesn’t flinch, simply ducking his head instead, looking nearer to the goddess’ feet than he does her face to see the exchange between her and Ronin. There’s no words said yet, but there’s the light that erupts from Ronin and it only makes the pit in Sunjata’s stomach grow.
He remains still as she looks to him, as her words feel like each one is punctuated with the destruction of the stars, and he works his jaw as he tries to figure out what he could even say. He’s never been good with his words, though, so why start now? Instead, he aims straight for the thick of it. “We both know I couldn’t be what you wanted me to be.” He would have tried and tried so many times only to let himself fall apart, torn at the seams.
He looks up after a second of letting that hang in the air. “I’m sorry, Safrin.”
you're not who you were, but you can't let it go you're not where you're from, but you're always alone
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
01-02-2022, 06:41 PM (This post was last modified: 01-02-2022, 06:41 PM by Safrin.)
every bait and switch was a work of art
"Oh, we're taking the cowardly way out right from the start?" Safrin asks with a voice like a whip crack. "The woe is me approach?" Scoffing, she shakes her head causing the air around her to crackle with violet light. "You could have been anything you wanted. That is all I ever wanted you to be. But it has always been you standing in your own way. Even with Nate, we made a way forward, didn't we? With me, there would always have been a way towards the light."
Pausing, her jaw tensing, she narrows her eyes. "But now, do you know where you're headed? Do you know where a path with Frey leads?" Without letting him answer, she steps forward, eyes blazing. "Tell me, do you think that Frey is more powerful than I am? Do you think they can protect you as I could have done?" Again, she continues that he might not have a chance to answer. "I have seen wars before. I have seen those who pledge themselves to Frey before too and I can tell you what their protection amounts to: you and Nate will rot beneath the earth, while all those you care about die above you. Their blood will flow through the soil and coat your skin. You will hear their cries and your muscles will scream that you might help them, but oh no. For you are safe."
right by the entrance you broke, finally reality's taking its hold
He flinches with her tone, a small wince that has his ribs twinging with pain as he swallows hard. His lips part, about to speak before he’s cut off — a theme that goes on and on until he isn’t even sure what to try to address. He doesn’t answer when she asks if he knows where the path ahead leads — he knows she’ll inform him. And his lips part again at the mention of who’s more powerful (because in Sunjata’s mind he imagines them to be equal, heavier in their own respective paths, but balanced), but he doesn’t get to respond to that too.
His gaze does lift though, to her face. And maybe it’s selfish, but the only thought that rings through his head is the fact that so long as his family is safe, he would rot beneath the earth of the war held above. “What would your protection have been? Would you have still even protected Nate after sitting there, telling our daughter that she would die in her sleep at his hands?” As if he’d ever let something like that happen. “Our daughter who only exists because of him?” Another pause, a sharp inhale of breath that rattles through him with the pain in his ribs.
“If I have to rot to ensure my family is safe then I will. At least I’ll know they’re all safe.” There’s a part of him that is indeed worried of it, but another part that struggles with trusting Safrin’s word. Another part that struggles with the idea that she isn’t manipulating him into regret when it’s the most free he’s felt in years.
you're not who you were, but you can't let it go you're not where you're from, but you're always alone
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
"My protection would have been to invest in you. To make sure that you were capable of protecting them." Safrin snarls in response before shaking her head. "Unlike you, I keep my promises." She says, eyes narrowing. "You can throw that in my face all you like, but until you come to terms with the fact that at any moment the Voice can take him over, you'll remain a fool."
Shaking her head, the information clearly not sinking in, Safrin plants her hands on her hips. "Will they be safe? Your bargain with Frey was for you and Nate, was it not? How will Kamaria feel to know that you didn't love her enough to include her? That she might die without her father or her precious Nate to help her? What of all your friends? Everything you have ever worked for? It while all be destroyed, while you linger with the worms." Laughing, Safrin shakes her head again.
'You won't know that they're safe, Sunjata. All you'll know is that in their darkest hours, you abandoned them."
// it's not enough that you're wrestling yourself but your friends talk shit while you're going through hell //
“So I’ve heard.” Sunjata mutters, still letting it be a lingering thought in the back of his mind and yet still knowing that the second it does happen (if it does) that he wouldn’t be himself regardless.
It’s the mention of Kamaria that has him stiffening despite the pain, jaw feathering. “Would you not protect your own daughter from the war?” He says instead, letting the words fall from his lips before he has a chance to think on it. “Or would you let her suffer to make a point to me?” He certainly hopes she wouldn’t go that route but at this point he doesn’t know.
Her words tug on him in a way that has him shaking his head, a huff of air leaving him. “I started over from nothing once before.” An outlander that had dropped from the portal, in a different time, starting from scratch. “Who is asking for me to protect them? To be there for them? I don’t have friends anymore—” a small glance in Robin’s direction. “—And the ones that come close are on the wrong side.” So who is he really protecting?
// you said it feels like you're swimming through mercury and every night you think you're gonna die in your sleep //
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
'Are you evening listening to yourself? Do you care so little about a life you brought into this world, a life you created as a promise, that you'd just throw her safety back into my face as if you don't have an equal part to play in her life?"
Moving her arms now that they might be folded over her chest, Safrin stands taller. "Not Ronin, then? Not your daughter. Not your sister, not Hotaru? Your niece?" Her shoulders shrug, causing the lace of her gown to shimmer slightly. "You are a reckless fool who is too blindsided by his own mistakes to see that it's by your own hand that you've hung the noose. Every decision you have made has been your own.
You aren't sorry. You're weak. A man who has given more care and attention to being able to fuck his husband than to the safety of his daughter."
// it's not enough that you're wrestling yourself but your friends talk shit while you're going through hell //
“I do have an equal part to play. And I have been. With every turn you’ve undermined it.” He feels like he’s digging his hole in deeper but he can’t quite keep his mouth shut. So much so that when Safrin continues, his gaze focuses on her with tired stormy steel. “Ask him. I doubt he’ll agree.” But he works his jaw as she brings up the mention of his sister and Melita, of Hotaru even.
He bristles a bit further. “Melita doesn’t want hardly anything to do with me. And Hotaru?” There’s a humorless laugh that leaves him. “How long until she turns on me again?” Because he can’t trust anyone. It’s exactly why he’d gone to Safrin for the items to help him handle his own mental state.
He knows he’s flawed. He’s only ever tried to do his best. But he does bristle when she makes the comparison, rolling his eyes as he heaves another breath. “That is not the reason.” It was simply a perk, and he doesn’t want it to be drug down to the base bones of it. “I didn’t want to come to the shrine every time and sit there, waiting for your disapproval or anger because of who I’m married to. I didn’t want to be chastised for my own happiness when it wasn’t with you.” He snaps, working his jaw, taking a breath to settle himself, his mind rebounding between the things he wants to say and the things he thinks are too far.
// you said it feels like you're swimming through mercury and every night you think you're gonna die in your sleep //
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
"How?" Safrin demands with an exasperated gasp. "By telling her the truth you were too cowardly and selfish to tell her?" Nate was a threat. Pure and simple.
"I doubt there is a soul in this world who would believe you." Safrins snaps, about the PeRkS of being a demigod of Frey being a minor consideration. "Is that really how things have played out Sunjata? Or have you just tricked yourself into thinking it is? Did I not vow to protect Nate? It wasn't my fault he went and became a demigod. Did I not say I would try? Did I not excuse you of your duties in Torchline so you could go and live in the Wilds? Did I not continue to aid you with shifts and items to ease your mind?" Nodding her head to indicate Ronin behind her, the goddess narrows her eyes.
"I dislike his husband and relationship as well. Have you ever thought that perhaps your suffering is not quite so great as you make it out to be?"
// it's not enough that you're wrestling yourself but your friends talk shit while you're going through hell //
“Because she’s a child.” He interjects. A child that shouldn’t be faced with the stark cold reality of life so early on when there were those around to protect them. He would know. He was one of them with a ruined childhood. As for people believing his reasoning, he doesn’t have to have them believe it. So long as he knows the reasons it’s good enough for him.
He straightens his shoulders, breath hitching as his ribs bark in protest. “I have tricked myself into a lot of things, Safrin. Most notably the one where I wanted to be one of yours in my darkest moments.” To be her blade, only to realize now that it was never for him. That he chose it because he didn’t want to die alone without having done anything for himself. It was selfish and stupid, but again, he’s used to hearing all of those things about himself. “I am forever grateful for them, Safrin, and they have helped. But it frightens me to get closer to you. You wanted me to become your demigod and I couldn’t. I couldn’t because you would have expected so much more from me than I would have ever given you.” As broken and fragile as he is, it’s an attempt to scotch tape a weapon and hope it’s still as dangerous.
“The difference there is that Remi is Ludo’s. They’re on the same side.” Regardless of what happened between their respective gods, they were still standing on the same side of the battleground. “Or am I mistaken?” Disliked as their relationship might be, at least they’d stand together.
// you said it feels like you're swimming through mercury and every night you think you're gonna die in your sleep //
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
'A child that you let sleep next to a ticking time bomb." Safrin snarls in response. 'Perhaps you are not fit to be her father if you cannot see how carelessly and consistently you've put her in danger." The air stills and grows cold as Safrin considers.
Now it is Safrin's turn to tense, and had she been much more mortal and young than she was, she might have reached back to clutch at Ronin's hand for support. Instead, she merely smiles cruely. "So you decided to be a demigod for someone else. Someone who doesn't love or care for you. My, what a future you have set up for yourself Sunjata."
Tightening her arms across her chest, Safrin shakes her head. "There is no difference. Either you can abide what part Nate will play in this war, or you can't. And if you can, my thoughts on it should bother you about as much as they bother Ronin. I always said I would never ask you to turn against Nate."
Starlight flashes darkly in Safrin's eyes for a moment, as she gazes up into Sunjata's. "Has it occurred to you that the Voice might not let Nate be part of your plan? That you might stew and spoil beneath the earth while he is forced to fight...? Frey might not care about this war, but the Voice very much does...Do you think she will really let her second strongest demigod just...take a pass?"
Safrin's smile turns cold. "You have done all of this for nothing, Sunjata." She whispers.
