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!
There aren't many places to escape the heat of Torchline this time of year. It's oppressive and stifling and Maeve feels like she's fucking melting. The only place of the beach that has any kind of shade is their little cove. It's the main reason she chooses to go there to train. Aside from the fact that she's missing Locke just a bit. More than a bit, but she's trying her best not to focus on that. Instead her attention is on the makeshift target she's set up in the sand.
Her whip cracks, echoing off the stones that surround the cove, igniting the dummy as it strikes. The flames don't last. Not when she took the time to soak it in water, but the whip certainly tries to set it on fire. Maeve grits her teeth, striking again, harder and faster.
Baby I'm preying on you tonight and Hunt you down eat you alive
He's only been gone for a moment, the ass end of Flowerbirth and the start of Longheat but it feels like an eternity without her. Everything had taken longer than he had anticipated but it was fine. There are things in place and balls rolling and he's excited about all of it. But he's mostly excited to be home.
He hears the crack of the whip before he sees her and he stands on the rocks a moment, just kind of admiring her. He also makes a point of ignoring the way his skin tingles at the whipping noise. That's a thought for another life probably. He jumps down, whistling as he draws closer to her. "Can't decide if I'm glad that's not me or if I kinda wish it was." Cocky as ever it seems.
There's beauty in all kinds of danger But none so beautiful as you
Maeve doesn't hear his approach over the cracking of the whip, but she twists as soon as his feet hit the ground, already poised to strike again. There is fire in her eyes that matches the burning whip in her hands, a snarl curling at her lips, but it tampers out at the sight of him. Instead a different kind of heat flares and her lips curl with a predatory smirk. "You definitely wish it was." She all but purrs, stalking towards him, already reaching out to grab him by the scruff of his neck and yanking him down to her for a kiss.
It's all tongue and teeth and nothing but heat. She only pulls back after leaving him with a sharp nip to his bottom lip, eyes half lidded as she looks up at him from beneath thick lashes, "You were gone too long. Care to share what trouble you were getting up to?"
Baby I'm preying on you tonight and Hunt you down eat you alive
She pulls him closer and he growls but accepts her kiss anyway. He nuzzles his nose against her's for a moment before pulling away. "Well, I was headed up to the Grounds when I saw this weird house. Almost got killed by it. Got shot by Noah. Then I uh, went to the Grounds, like properly. Spent a few days, got some things. Here I am." She'd probably notice the new Ascended bites but otherwise, he looks the same as ever.
"I know shit's weird with the war and all but a friend asked me to come up and I thought it'd be right to pay my respects to the Voice. You know, for the Wren Society thing." Locke wiggles his scarred fingers at her, a reminder. "I got you some presents though. Had to do a bit of bartering for some of them but yeah. They're back at the Halenani."
He reaches down, fingers skimming along hers to make her grip the whip tighter, "What have you been up to?"
There's beauty in all kinds of danger But none so beautiful as you
She huffs out a sound that could be amused, rolling her eyes at him, "I wrote to Noah. I was preparing to give him hell, but he told me what happened." Maeve drawls, shaking her head as she presses into his space, fingers threading through his hair as he speaks. As he speaks her eyes scan him, spotting the new bites and her jaw feathers, thumb pressing against the bite as her brow arches. It's a silent question and she expects him to answer.
There is a moment of anxiety, instantly worrying about what that means, wondering if Safrin will ask about that too. Maeve takes a breath, keeping the corners of her mouth from twitching down into a frown, "Right. I suppose that was only fair." The Voice had kept him safe in the fire and for that she is thankful. Perhaps it wasn't so bad to thank her for that. "Presents? You know how much I like gifts."
Her fingers do tighten around the whip at his encouragement, a soft crackling filling the air as it smolders, "A lot, actually. I, uh, found two children on the beach. Saw them portal in. I brought them home with me. I couldn't just leave them there. Other than that... Set up a place for trades in the Halenani for the guild to use. Did some training... Took Edmund to the Greatwood for a little trip..."
Baby I'm preying on you tonight and Hunt you down eat you alive
"It was crying, Mae. I couldn't let him shoot it." Not that he explains what it is but it'll be fine. Plus, she's distracting, pressing her thumb into a fresh bite. "Turns out having shifts is a pretty good way to barter. Makes sense to pay in blood there, I suppose." It's not a lie nor the whole truth. And he'll tell her, soon. In time.
Maybe he could just.. Tell her now.. But he doesn't. No, they need to be in that frame of mind and right now he just wants to touch her. He'll approach that whole fiasco later. He leans down to kiss her again, "Mm, she saved me and your girls. S'only fair." But he drops it, head tilting as she speaks.
"Kids? I.. Are they okay?" That's.. new. And concerning. But there's plenty of people to take care of said kids. Including him and Maeve. Oh yeah. The Guild. That thing he's part of. Probably. Still. He'll have to go find Jack at some point. "If I'd known you were in the Greatwood, I would've met up with you on the way home."
"Do you want to keep training? I didn't mean to interrupt you." Yes he did. "Could train together, if you want. I got some new shifts.."
There's beauty in all kinds of danger But none so beautiful as you
Her brows lift towards her hairline at the mention of crying. It? She wants to ask more questions, but there are too many other thoughts racing through her mind. Specifically the way he's so warm and how she wants to be pressed up against him despite the heat. Maeve is half tempted to scold him, but she supposes it's no different than what they do here. "Should be mindful about who you let bite you." Maeve hums, pressing her thumb on the still fresh bite, tracing the raised edges of it. "Might get jealous."
The Nightshade readily accepts the kiss, reacquainting herself with the taste of him, sighing as he pulls away, content for the time being. She nods at his question, "They're okay. They were a little shaken up when they came through. One of them bit me. Feral little things. They're settled in now." It was a process getting to that point, but until she found out if they had family here, they were staying with her. Maeve smiles softly, her feet hand cupping his cheek gently, "Edmund wanted to see one of Safrin's shrines. We went to have a picnic there."
New shifts? Well that was news to her. "I could do with some more training. What else do you have lurking under your skin, bête?" She finally takes a step back, fingers twitching around the handle of her whip, giving it a little flick against the sand.
Baby I'm preying on you tonight and Hunt you down eat you alive
Her finger presses into the fresh bite and he hisses softly, "Yeah? You gonna do something about it?" He snaps his teeth at her, mere inches from her nose before pulling away. Equal parts curious and trying to goad her into doing something.
He steps another step back, head tilted. "When I said I wanted more kids, not exactly what I meant but alright." He's not against adopting more babies. He likes kids after all. His eyes narrow briefly at the last part but he drops it. "Well, I'm glad you had fun at least. Maybe I can come next time."
"A lot actually. One I think you'll like in particular though." He's got lots of new fancy tricks she's probably never seen before. This one she's seen in some extent but he's got his own spin on it. Black feathers sprout along his neck and shoulders and he slips easily enough into the gore crow.
He flies up into the air, cawing at her before shifting again. This time to the rat. Little, brown, easy to miss. He fits in easily enough with the other wharf rats. Again, he shifts. Human again. "I have the strong urge to steal all the shiny things, just so you know."
There's beauty in all kinds of danger But none so beautiful as you
The flicker of heat in her gaze at the sound of his hiss and the way her lips curl into a smirk that's edging on sinful is enough to give away exactly what she's thinking. Oh, she'll do something alright. He snaps his teeth at her and Maeve arches a brow, "Just say you want me to, darling. No need to play coy." The queen drawls in return, releasing him so he can step back from her.
"This wasn't what I was thinking either, but I couldn't just leave them." Until she knows where they came from or if they had family here, they were her responsibility. End of discussion. "I'd love that and I have no doubt that Edmund would too." She knows that he would, but Maeve also knows how wary of Safrin Locke is. Not that she necessarily blames him. The starry goddess was rather polarizing to most.
The black feathers make her pause, watching as they sprout along his skin, standing out against his tan. Her lips curl into a smile and she laughs, watching him slip between shifts, a dark brow arching. "Well I hope anything shiny you steal is fitting for me."
Baby I'm preying on you tonight and Hunt you down eat you alive
"Only if you promise to show it off with nothing else." He gives her a little wink as he slips further down the beach. "Why don't you practice that whip on me? I can handle it." And maybe he's just feeling cocky lately. His back still bothers him, the arrow wound having mostly healed over but the burn is still tender and deep down it still hurts.
But he kind of likes that.
"Just don't set me on fire, yeah?" He shifts again, to his jaguar form. It's the one he's most comfortable with and in the long run, likely the one he'll be using in the war. If it comes to that.
There's beauty in all kinds of danger But none so beautiful as you
Briefly her mind flashes back to the necklace he gave her. The choker made of silver and black gems that sat so prettily around her neck. She still has it. Tucked away safe and sound. Perhaps she'll remind him of that very soon. Maeve stalks after him, fingers flexing on the handle of her whip, feeling the leather press warmly against her palm. "I can promise that." She drawls, jade eyes trailing over his form as her wrist twitches, causing the tip of the whip to snap against the sand.
"Don't worry. I'll only singe you a little." It's all the warning he gets before she's suddenly spinning, lashing out with the length of her whip, striking at his front paws with two movements that come lightening quick. Each one sparks, but the whip doesn't ignite. She meant what she said. "Here, kitty kitty." Maeve taunts, grinning as she flicks the weapon again like some oversized cat toy.
Baby I'm preying on you tonight and Hunt you down eat you alive
He growls softly, wiggling as she taunts him. Predatory nature is the jaguar's domain but have you ever seen a cat that didn't want to play. He's well aware he can hurt her like this but she can hurt him so it's only fair. The whip cracks suddenly and he barely manages to leap away with a hiss. He lands firmly in the sand a few feet away, crouching down to the ground.
Golden eyes narrow to tiny slits as he stalks around her. He keeps himself low to the ground, a low rumble in his chest as he moves. He's not quite as agile here on flat ground as he is in the jungles and no matter how much his brain pushes him to attack, he can't. Another hiss, showing off massive fangs as he draws closer. A leap and he aims to be behind before before pouncing at her whip, trying to grab the offending thing from her.
There's beauty in all kinds of danger But none so beautiful as you
It shouldn't be fun. It really shouldn't. Except she's always been fond of pussy cats. The Nightshade dances away from him on featherlight feet, twisting herself around to keep him in her line of sight, knowing that it would be a mistake to let him out of it. His hiss and rumble roll through her, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, urging her to run.
She ignores this. Instead Maeve jerks the whip away, the Phoenix feather on the end sparking and spitting embers, letting it trail across the sand before him. Maeve can feel her muscles coiling tighter, ready to spring into action at the next pounce, "Is that all you got? Have to be quicker than that, kitten."
Baby I'm preying on you tonight and Hunt you down eat you alive
Her movement catches him off-guard, pulling a long forgotten memory back. She was a dancer before, no? It makes so much more sense now. She stills owes him a dance and maybe he'll bug her for it after this. The whip cracks away from his paws and he snarls. The end sparks and he swats the embers away from his fur before it's singed. This is really becoming a problem.
Away he leaps, tail lashing in annoyance as he stalks her again. Then she calls him kitten and he grins in an entirely un-feline way. Two can play at this game. Maybe. He leaps again but mid-air he shifts from cat to crow. His talons out stretched to grab at her as he swoops closer.
There's beauty in all kinds of danger But none so beautiful as you
