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 early morning and one of the few times during the day that isn't spent either with her son, the twins, or performing multiple tasks that come with being Queen. With the war coming, Maeve knows she can't grow lax with her training now. Maeve sprints down the beach, feet pounding against the still cool sand, not yet heated to scorching by the Longheat sun. The Nightshade slows as she reaches the edge of the sand just before they shift into tidal pools.
With her hands braced against her knees, Maeve takes a minute to catch her breath, pushing her hair back from her sweat damp forehead. This season's heat was going to be brutal. She could already tell.
No one wants you when you have no heart and I’m sitting pretty in my brand new scars
Sah was quite sure that he was melting. There was no way he wasn't, not with the inferno that was the outdoors right now. In between meeting up with the guild and seeing Cordelia, the Outlander had come out to explore Torchline's coast this morning. The swirling colors of the Rainbow Road were almost worth the mind-numbing heat. Almost. Gods he missed Halo's snow.
Hearing the sound of approaching feet, Sah turns and spots Maeve just as the woman takes her break. It takes a moment, but he quickly recognizes her, "Queen Ansel?" They haven't spoken since the initial report when Morgan retook Halo and were still pretty much strangers. As such, Sah wasn't sure if he was supposed to address her by name or title.
Queen Ansel. The title and use of her last name has her attention snapping to the sound of the voice, turning so quickly she almost loses her balance, eyes narrowing towards the man it comes from. Only when she recognizes him does she ease slightly. Her shoulders dropping as a small smile curls on her lips, "Please, just call me Maeve. That's what everyone else does." She huffs with a laugh, bending quickly to scoop a bit of water, splashing it on her face to chase the heat away.
"I didn't know you were here. I'm assuming you came to help Deimos?" The Queens asks, drawing away from the water and taking a few steps towards the outlander, hands braced on her hips.
No one wants you when you have no heart and I’m sitting pretty in my brand new scars
Sah relaxes now that it's clear formalities are unnecessary, "Maeve then." An easy smile comes to his face at her question. He gives a nod, "Yes. I was part of the guild when it was based in Halo. It only seemed right that I come help out with its move to Torchline." The smile turns a bit melancholy, "Cordelia also moved here and I haven't seen her in far too long. I'm taking some time to visit." He'd missed his cousin immensely. Halo was too empty without the people he loved.
Sah let out a small sigh, shaking away the heavy sensation in his chest. "I didn't interrupt your training, did I?" It was clear that the Queen had been exercising and he felt a bit bad for making her stop.
She could understand the sentiment. There was always a lingering coldness whenever any of her loved ones were far from her. She could only imagine how Sah felt with the mountains separating them among other things. "Yes, I heard as much." The Queen hums, offering him a small smile, eyes full of understanding. "Family is important. To be apart from them is a burden that weighs heavily on people like us, no?"
As for training... "I was just trying to get some exercise in. I haven't had much time between the three little ones and my other duties." Maeve huffs with a laugh, gathering her hair up into a messy bun and giving him another smile. "If you're free, though, I could use a sparring partner."
No one wants you when you have no heart and I’m sitting pretty in my brand new scars
Sah gave a small smile, "More than anything." He was in full agreement of the sentiment. Family was everything for the Outlander and ensuring their wellbeing influenced just about every single decision he made. He refused to lose anyone else.
Maeve's mention of three has Sah tilting his head. "Three? I was under the impression that you had only one pup?" Weren't human gestation periods similar to that of his kind? She couldn't have possibly already had another two, could she? Now he was just confused.
The offer of a spar however has Sah perking up and shaking off his confusion. "I'd love to join you for a spar. I'm always down for some training." Besides hunting, training was one of the Abandoned's first choice for spending his free time.
Her smile is soft and understanding. For a moment she seems just as normal as he is. Just another woman who holds her family dear. It's a reminder that she's simply a human being despite her role as Torchline's queen. "I understand that feeling." She murmurs, dipping her head towards him before she straightens.
"Only one that is truly my own. His name is Edmund." Maeve pauses, taking a breath as she thinks back on the twins she's taken in for the time being. "Two more came through a portal. They were dumped out onto the beach. I don't believe they're more than six or so." She doesn't mention their names right away, not thinking it important at the moment, but she'd be willing to share more should he ask.
Maeve hums, smirking towards Sah as she approaches, stretching out her limbs as she does so. "Wonderful. I'll even let you take the first swing."
No one wants you when you have no heart and I’m sitting pretty in my brand new scars
Sah's brow furrows with concern, "Two children came through a portal? Alone? That happens?" The concept is incredibly disturbing. He'd been disoriented and honestly scared when he'd portaled in. For two kids to deal with that was something he did not want to consider.
Stepping back into a fighting stance, Sah returns Maeve's smirk, "Perfect." He's never fought the woman but she's lithe, likely fast. Once she's ready to start, he moves. He attempts to get in close to send and elbow to her side, his other arm coming up to guard against any returning strike.
Sah keeps his eyes on any minute changes in Maeve's movements, trying to get a judge on her capabilities. Given her position, he assumes she's more than capable.
She understands exactly where he's coming from. It's a hard thing to think about and consider. Maeve nods sadly, a heavy sigh pushing past her lips, "Not often, but it can. This is the first I've seen, but they've been settling in well enough. It's taking time." Not that she can fault them for that. This world was very different from the one that they'd been in originally. Maeve pushes the thought aside for the time being, deciding to focus on the task at hand. Which happened to be kicking Sah's ass.
Maeve is nimble on her feet. She's faster than one might give her credit for. The Nightshade practically dances away from Sah, spinning behind him and out of reach, striking towards the back of his knee with her foot. She doesn't linger close to him, not wanting to give him a chance to grab her should he maintain his footing after that blow to the back of his leg.
No one wants you when you have no heart and I’m sitting pretty in my brand new scars
Sah nods, "I wish them the best." If this were a different time, he'd ask for more information but given that this is a spar, he refrains. Good thing too, because Maeve clearly excels at hand-to-hand combat. Her blow lands but not solidly enough to make the Outlander lose his footing.
Sah turns sharply, rounding into a kick to her side. Maeve is likely too far too punch at the moment, so this is his next best option. He does brace himself enough that should the kick miss he probably won't send himself sprawling. Hopefully it'll be enough that he can just go with the momentum and stick his landing.
Their conversation quickly dies because there are other things to focus on. Like staying out of his reach. Sah aims a kick at her side, but she's ready for this too. Her hand flashes out, grasping his calf as slender fingers dig into the soft spot behind his knee, attempting to make him buckle. Maeve uses the grip to spin into him, back to his chest as she keeps a tight grip, not letting him loose even as the sharp point of her elbow finds his gut. "Sorry." She huffs between a laugh, not really sounding sorry at all, using the momentum to push away from him.
Maeve dives down into a roll, cringing as the sand sticks to her sweat damp skin, putting some distance between the two of them. "Come on, puppy. Let's play." The Nightshade goads, flashing him a wink as her lips curl into a smirk, feet back under her once more.
No one wants you when you have no heart and I’m sitting pretty in my brand new scars
03-02-2022, 12:52 AM (This post was last modified: 03-02-2022, 05:36 PM by Sah.)
Sah
Sah manages to keep his balance and only grimaces slightly when Maeve's elbow hits home. Slightly breathless from the hit he shakes his head at her, about to retort. But then her teasing words reach him and Sah's expression darkens, eyes turning steely. He circles her lazily, "You know I should advise you..."
He pauses, surging forward to tackle the Queen, wrestling her until he has her pinned beneath him. One hand holds Maeve's wrists down while the other balances himself as Sah continues, "...against calling me that." The words are quiet, not shouted, but the underlying anger is clear.
He knows Maeve meant it jokingly, it's the only reason he's keeping his anger in check. But he can't shake the memories associated with the word, the painful connotation.
There is something heady about sparing. The proximity. The heated breaths. The way they size each other up before lunging for each other over and over and over again. It shouldn't be so thrilling. The way his eyes darken sends a sudden shiver down her spine, prickling at the back of her neck, making goosebumps rise across her exposed skin despite the heat. Her stomach flips and for a moment her brain screams to run if only so he'll chase her. It's that thought that keeps her from reacting in time to dodge his tackle. He pins her with ease, straddling her waist as her wrists are pressed into the sand, but Maeve doesn't just take it. She bares her teeth, growling as she squirms, planting her feet into the earth and pushing hard.
"You should know I'm not one to follow the rules." She hisses between her teeth, using the extra leverage to roll them so he's the one pressed into the sand. Her knee comes up to press into his stomach as her forearm braces against his throat, barely pressing there, jade eyes dark as she holds his gaze.
She is simply playing. Teasing. It comes as naturally as breathing and despite the fact that she's obviously struck a nerve, the Nightshade is tempted to press again if only to see what other reactions she could draw from him.
No one wants you when you have no heart and I’m sitting pretty in my brand new scars
It startles Sah slightly when Maeve growls, giving her even more of an advantage as she flips their positions. The Outlander can't help the snarl that leaves him, a rumbling growl whose vibrations are felt more by their proximity then it's heard. He does not like being pinned, not in the least. And he really doesn't' like that he can't push her off at the moment not with her arm at his throat.
"Whose rules?", he counters, narrowing his eyes at her. The anger is dissipating into eagerness and excitement. This spar is beginning to feel like the ones back home. As such, Sah gives in to instinct. Using the meager room she's provided; he tilts his head and bites the upper part of the arm at his throat. Not enough to cut but enough to bruise if she doesn't let go soon.
