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 not the people who are the issue." Nate says, no small amount of force in his voice, his whole face twisting with the mention of the Lullaby. "And the people, on both sides, will do what they're commanded to do by their Gods." Unless they can find ways to weasel out of it, ways to shrink and hide away from reality. "The difference between us and them is necessity. If we don't fight, we die. If they don't fight, nothing changes."
As for him and Sunjata? Nate rolls his shoulders, trying to not displace Mia too much more. "We... haven't really settled anything." It's a grim admission to make, the hard set of his jaw and the roughness of his voice speaking volumes more than the few words. "Safrin doesn't give anyone a choice about this."
They move on though, talking about powers, their upgrades, and Nate can only fight the grin that spreads over his lips for so long. "You make it sound like a bad thing." He addresses the spot where Sam's face was, then turns to talk directly to Mia instead, stroking under her chin while he does. "It works for you. It... supports a weakness. Not... not weakness, but... you're not a fighter. You shouldn't be up close where people can reach you. So," he tips his chin towards Sam, as if that settles everything.
You got me actin' like the old me But you don't even know me
"...I think the Old Gods might well kill someone for not fighting." Sam sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "But you're right, a lot of us aren't operating with much choice. I know this is probably highly blasphemous, but...sometimes I wish I could be an Outlander somewhere else. Leave here and go see another world's problems, for a bit. Do you think it'd be more relaxing back in your world?" He asked, half-joke, half-serious.
He was surprised to hear that no agreement had been reached with Sunjata and Nate; he had assumed to be married, the two had to have some kind of work-around. "Oh. So...what are you going to do...when the war...?" Sam didn't think he had to say much more and Nate probably wouldn't want to hear it. What would they do when they were forced apart or worse, sent to kill each other?
Slowly reappearing, Sam's face still was hardly impressed at Nate's save. "Uh huh. And you shouldn't ever be where people can hear you."
"At least a few of them wouldn't hesitate." Nate agrees in a vicious rumble, a certain lunatic goddess sauntering across his mind. He can feel himself getting angrier, can feel the barbed words lining up on his tongue, only to be surprised out of it by Sam's wish. Nate has to stop, to think for a good long minute before he answers, his hand coming up to stroke his chin. "It's easier to hide, in a way, but..." His finger comes up to brush across his lips. "I don't think it's worth it. Nothing is gettin' me back there."
Nate works his jaw. Wrinkles his nose with the force of his huff. Considers, for a moment, pretending like he hadn't heard Sam, though he knows the bookemaker is the annoying type who'd just insist on repeating himself. "We're still," he swallows, rolls a shoulder, "we're figuring that out." He looks away, ending the line of questioning.
"Unfortunately for people, they don't get a choice about that." Nate teases back easily, a charming grin aimed at Sam, softened ever so slightly by the hint of apology in it.
You got me actin' like the old me But you don't even know me
Sam noticed he had successfully stemmed the tide of Nate's anger (which seemed to always be under the surface) with his question and a faint smile crossed his lips even as he heard the answer, which was surprising. "Really? You run the risk of being murdered by a God here, but you'd rather stay than go back? It must have been awful where you came from." He'd heard a decent amount about Nate's past already, but Sam had trouble picturing it: so much of it was foreign to him.
It sounded very much like Nate and Sunjata were not figuring it out, but Sam managed to hold his tongue and just nod at the floor. It was funny - they had always been one of those couples he'd assumed had a perfectly happy life together. Was it not so idyllic behind closed doors?
"Unfortunate indeed. ...I am sorry I doubted you, since it does seem you're telling the truth. It's just...we have to be so careful, right now. We can't have any false hopes in case they make us act irresponsibly." He glanced at Nate to see if he understood. Mia, who seemed far less concerned, rolled around in Nate's arms and made a huffy sigh noise at the lack of pets.
“Here it’s…” Nate visibly struggles to find the words, his jaw working and his lips curling. “It’s simpler.” He settles on after a moment. “Not that it’s better, but at least I know where it’s coming from. It’s not like I didn’t run the risk of getting killed back home.” If anything, he was probably in more danger back there, not to mention the chance of simple random violence.
Shoulders roll as Nate settles Mia more comfortably in his arms, his gaze dipping down to the furball when he speaks, voice surprisingly sincere. “It’s alright. I understand, it’s… tense times.” He shakes his head and snorts, trying not laugh at the understatement. It was better than falling into despair. “I’m not gonna do anything to make shit harder on us.” Not intentionally at least, though that little addendum remains unvoiced as Nate moves to settle into a chair, fingers stroking along Mia’s fur again.
“Make me a tea, and I’ll tell you more about them.” He offers, settling in for the next hour at least, comfortable with Sam now that the drama has passed. They can chat a while longer, at least until Mia decides she’s sick of him and leaves.
Fin~
You got me actin' like the old me But you don't even know me
