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!
"...I think it is best not because it might be best, though," Finn confesses with a wry smile, staring up at the ceiling for a moment. "I think it is best because then I don't have to worry about it." And it's a selfish admission, one he's comfortable making in Tobi's presence now, at least.
His pulse has quickened at the prospect of returning to Mother Molly's, and he swears Tobi will be able to feel it in his fingertips as her lips brush against them. He believes her, with all that he has, but he also believes there are forces at play which might conspire to cause his downfall all over again.
He lets go of his breath in a fluttering, shaky sigh, suddenly drawing Tobi against his chest to slip his arms around her. "I don't feel free," Finn admits. He feels anxious, afraid, unable to proceed forward or back. "Perhaps I ought to make this into a project. What to do with myself." A joke? Impossible.
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
Laughing softly and not blaming Finn at all for his selfishness, Tobi just nods.
Sipping in a breath of surprise but finding herself quickly relaxing against Finn, Tobi wraps her arms around his neck and pulls herself closer. Sliding her cheek against the flat of his chest and enjoying the easiness of being in his arms, Tobi closes her eyes, loving Finn intensely. "I'm going to tell you something, and it might not change anything, but I think you need to hear it." She says, not needing to speak loudly. "The fate of Stormbreak does not rest on your shoulders. It doesn't even rest on your toes. It isn't up to you to save it , just like it won't be your fault if it falls. "
Standing on her toes and trying to reach her arms around him all the more, she nuzzles in against him. "But you are free. And more than that...you're a father. A wonderful partner. A musician. And, on rare occasions, a maker of puns."
01-24-2022, 07:30 PM (This post was last modified: 01-24-2022, 07:30 PM by Finn.)
finn
it always seems more quiet in the dark
It might not change anything, but he absolutely does need to hear it. Suddenly it doesn't matter that they are in Cian's office, it doesn't matter that the Eye is dead or that the future is uncertain. Tobi leans up on her toes and Finn is all but lifting her off the ground anyway with the force of his embrace, burying his nose in her curls and forcing himself to relax.
"Thank you," he whispers, gently setting her back down but not releasing her. "Thank you, Tobi. I think..." Frowning a bit, it's as though a few cogs have started to spin in the Spyglass's mind, as if the spark of something new might just be trying to take hold. "I think maybe there is something I could do to help the rest of Stormbreak."
Stepping back at last, he takes her hands and squeezes them gently. "I need to get all of the information here about the city, rather than about the war." His focus is absolute - as it tends to be in situations like this.
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
Giggling like a schoolgirl kissed against her locker or nearly lifted onto her desk, Tobi forgets momentarily where they are as she hums a sigh of pure bliss. But, as she's brought back down, her smile doesn't diminish as Finn focuses on reality. If anything, it grows.
Allowing the distance but keeping her fingers tight around his, the doctor tilts her head to the side and raises a brow. "About the city? Okay." Glancing over her shoulder and narrowing her eyes at the rows upon rows of books, she turns back to him. "Anything in particular? I mean...how should we organize it all I guess is what I'm asking." Books on bridges could count as architecture or pageantry if this is purely to be informative, but it could also be organized as strategic or defensive depending on what Finn had in mind. Gods it would all be easier if he was an attuned, Tobi thinks not for the first time.
"Crime," Finn says, his hands slipping out of Tobi's so he might plop into the Eye's seat at his desk, like it's absolutely just a room with stuff in it. Just like she said. "Cold cases, recent crimes... it doesn't matter." His analytical mind and research skills could work wonders on the city when put to proper use. Maybe. Already Finn has opened a blank notebook (flicking through it first to ensure it actually is blank), grabbing a pen and starting to jot down notes.
"We could list them by date and severity, and split them into areas of the city," he says as he finishes writing that very thing down, glancing about the office for a box or something to gather the books together. He doesn't intend to stay up here, after all - he has his own space down in the Collegium.
"I might need to pay a visit to the Needle as well, for more specific information..."
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
"Crime." It's the last thing she expects to hear, especially as he pulls his hands from hers and slips down into Cian's chair like it was nothing at all. Watching as he gets to work, pen flying over the stark white pages as if he were merely revealing what was already there rather than writing it, the doctor holds her breath for a moment and wonders if she hasn't just steered Finn horribly and irrevocably wrong.
"I wonder if someone like Ronin or the other dragoons wouldn't be more helpful. Much of that information might be stored at the Dragon's Nest as well." I guess this is where we offer a jailer/sherrif type as an adoptable for SB? Tobi says, folding her arms over her chest in an effort to fill the void Finn has left.
"Your glasses...do you think there could be a way to further enhance them? That they might tell you something other than just species?" Law-breaking is probably too vague, but perhaps whether or not they had come into contact with blood, or if they'd taken a life within a certain amount of time?
Whether wrong or right, Tobi has steered Finn towards the first major decision of his life, and there's nothing she can do to change it now. "Ah, yes. The Dragon's Nest," he agrees, writing that down as well and furrowing his brow. "I thought of the Needle for files on past perpetrators. I imagine my own profile is still there, and there is evidence to suggest that criminals are likely to re-offend if they are processed through the judicial system without any attempts at rehabilitation."
In full flow now, Finn locates a storage box and sets it on the ex-Eye's desk, gathering his notebook and proceeding to the bookshelves to peruse them. Tobi's remark about his glasses have him pausing, though, and he turns to regard her with what might best be described as academic adoration. "That is a very good idea," he says. "Once I complete the initial research scope, I'll be able to make a guess at the most useful addition to them..."
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
Swallowing, Tobi has no thoughts on the likelihood of criminals reoffending nor much else to do with the judicial system of Stormbreak. She thinks only of how to slow Finn down, to get him to pause and take a breath, but finds all the mental threads she tugs on simply unwind. This is Finn at his best and worst, and now that he's started, there's nothing really for her to do other than support him as best she can.
"Well it sounds as if you have everything in hand." Tobi says, reaching out to give his shoulder a squeeze. "Don't forget to eat. I'll know if you do." She adds with a knowing look; such was the power of mothers and doctors everywhere. "And remember to come home for dinner. Ever is back this afternoon, okay?" So saying, Tobi gathers up the one medical book she was going to take down to the hospital, and puts the bag of sandwiches annoyingly in the middle of the desk where Finn couldn't help but notice it.
He feels her hand against his shoulder like the lick of a flame, and Finn swears in that moment as he gazes at her that her aura is on fire as well. He's still not slept, he still needs to eat, he's still a mess. But he's kickstarted, and its better than the inertia that has seized him since discovering Cian's severed head in the Pacifist Plaza. (Or at least to Finn, it's better). "Thank you," he says to Tobi, and he means it.
"I will be home for dinner - I'll work with my office door open so I can hear the clock chime," he assures her, turning as if to put the books down on the desk only to find a picnic in the way. Faltering, Finn slowly lets himself ease back into the seat behind Cian's desk, offering a small smile to the woman he loves.
And she'll be pleased to notice that he's unpacking the sandwiches as she leaves, making sure to refuel before diving back into the whims of his research.
