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!
Hearing about the heralds like this was indeed something new. Now they felt more like actual persons rather than icons for something. Knowing they had both strengths and flaws made them more... human, in a way. Though she felt neither of them would be happy to hear that.
All of this answered many questions. And posed many others. But Lilliane didn't want to bombard Lena with dozens of questions again, instead settling for the one only Lena would be able to answer. "How did that go about? You being given that position? Unless that's too personal and you would rather not talk about it," she added with a smile.
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
The story of how she acquired her position wasn’t spellbinding or noteworthy, but it gave Lena a grand grin, regardless. Humming softly under her breath, the mellifluent tendencies began again, lifting her chin slightly so the sea wind ruffled hair and meandered leisurely over her face. “I have admired Nature Frey for a while. They have always been one of my favorites.” The ability to channel the essence of the world – all the beauty, all the creation within it. “And I have cherished animals just the same. When I was little, I would try and cure every hurt beast I came across,” and here she laughed, soft and melodic. “Perhaps they thought me worthy then – when they asked me to be the Caretaker.”
She paused, shrugging her shoulders. “And I have been trying to ensure I fulfill the role ever since.” Pondering all the while, her attention finally meandered back to Lilliane. “And what about you? What do you want to do here?”
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
Hearing Lena's story was surprisingly refreshing after the brooding topics they had talked about beforehand. With a smile on her face, Lilliane let her gaze wander over the sea. "I'm not entirely sure yet," she admitted. "Mostly, I just want to settle down, do work I enjoy, have a few friends, maybe a partner someday. Nothing big or special." At least, not in the grand scheme of things.
She tapped the wooden railing a few times. "Though I feel like that's more difficult than it sounds lately." With even simple things like where to settle down and who to try and build a friendship with affected by the looming war.
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
Lena smiled at Lilliane’s predilections and hopes for the future; even if they were simplistic, sometimes that was the best, with a world teetering on the brink of hovering war. “That sounds special enough.” And achievable, by some standards. “What sort of work do you enjoy?” Perhaps she could get started on those efforts, at the very least, and everything else could fall into place.
At the final statement though, her brow arched, gaze sweeping back out towards the sea. “Maybe, maybe not. It depends on what you want to achieve first. Settling down is feasible, once you find a place you enjoy. I have heard of some even venturing into the Wilds.” She poised an effortless shrug. “Travel. See the world. Now more than ever. You’ll find friends within.” And perhaps an occupation, or loved ones – found family.
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
At the thought of work she enjoyed, Lilliane's smile widened. "I like baking and cooking. If possible, I want to open a cafe that's also a bakery. Where people can come to buy bread and pastries. But also a place where they can sit down, relax, drink some tea and eat pastries. Somewhere where people feel welcome and at home." Preferably a place where everyone could feel at home, without any wars looming over their heads. Then again, Lilliane doubted the Ascended would fancy a cafe anyway.
"That's also why I'm here right now. I want to learn about the different places of Caido, so I can decide where to settle down and open my cafe." She tilted her head slightly, thinking about the option of venturing into the wilds. "Though I kind of like the idea of traveling for a bit." It might be dangerous but then again, what wasn't dangerous in this world. "What about you? Did you travel a lot, before you found your place in the Celestine? Or was that your goal all along?"
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
“Ah, now that does sound lovely.” Her smile grew, resplendent and gleaming, at the prospects of such a place. Home, serenity, tranquility, in one place with pastries looming and people milling about – content and dignified, without fear, remorse, or heartache. “Perhaps with its own garden?” An addition to a fantasy, maybe, but indulgent nonetheless – eyes flickering upward, following after trails of birds again.
The thoughts murmured were met with her own clarity though. “Maybe travel for now, find what you like, and then go forward.” There was still time before the pressing of war, and maybe they’d all need a little solace and respite before then.
As for her own travels, she shook her head. “Not much. Stormbreak often had all we needed.” But she was curious and nosey and bright – yearning to trace over the boundaries of the world. Gaze growing a little mischievous, she turned back towards Lilliane. “The Celestine is my heart and soul, but I do manage to indulge myself every once in a while. I think I’d like to see more of King’s End and the Oerwoud.”
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
"A garden... I like the idea," Lilliane said, envisioning the place in her mind. If anything, Caido still seemed to have enough empty space for that to be feasible. "Maybe with tables outside as well, so people can sit and chat in the sun." Yes, she'd try that, if possible.
The thought of travelling seemed more and more appealing, however. "Well, I feel like I don't know enough about this world to go far from the cities. But maybe I'll travel further and see more places in the future." All in all, if Lilliane decided that she didn't want to have anything to do with the war, she might as well try and set up camp somewhere remote. If that proved a feasible option.
Thinking back at her own adventures so far, Lilliane grinned. "The last time I was in the Oerwoud, I was chasing after a water horse with some others. Don't ask me why I decided to do something so crazy, I have no idea what got into me that day." She chuckled. "But it was fun. Crazy, but fun. Though I'd like to go and take a calmer look at the Oerwoud again as well."
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
“Wouldn’t that be sublime?” She answered at the notions of some outdoor café area, immediately turning her face towards the sun – imagining the notions of serenity, of tranquility, with just the little pockets of light beaming in.
As for travels, the Caretaker opened her eyes, tilting her head somewhat, content with all the thoughts brewing in her head. “You could always take someone you trust with you. There’ve been quite a few others who’ve traveled far and wide, I’m sure.” Especially given the nature of Outlanders and their curiosity, Lena couldn’t fathom many who stuck straight into their roots. Inquiry burned brightly in the multitudes; the youth included.
And she hadn’t expected a story about the Oerwoud, though her delight was plain on her features as she shifted and turned to regard Lilliane fully. Recognition of the name gave her complexion another bright smile, hands itching to clamber over her notebook. “Oh! A Ceffyl Dŵr? What did you think of it?”
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
Traveling with someone else was an option. "Sounds like a good idea. Right now I don't know anyone who knows their way around and whom I know well enough to trust that much yet. But once I do, I'll try that." There were several who might turn out to be such people. But she would have to spend more time with them beforehand.
Lena's excitement brought a smile to Lilliane's face. "It was quite impressive. I mostly saw glimpses of it, before it hid in the fog or the lake. I'm not entirely sure if it tried to hide from us, or lure us towards the lake. But I think it tried to lure us somewhere where it would be in the advantage. Because when we were at the lake, it threw a huge wave of water at us."
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
“Given time then,” and she smiled; pretending as if there were infinite amounts of it, instead of the limited multitudes before the notions of travel, of exploration, were all gone by the wayside.
Her attention, however, strongly yearned and wound to the discourse of the water horse, and her charcoal began flying neatly across the page, along a new scrawl of notes – face thoroughly enlightened, if the ebullient, beaming grin was anything to go by. “They’re quite elusive when they want to be,” she mentioned offhandedly, humming under her breath. Eventually, she pried her eyes away from the parchment, and back to Lilliane, the same proportions of her features remaining, warm and pleasant, despite the warnings instilled thereafter. “You’re very lucky it only did that. It likes to lure others to ride it, and then drops them.” Leaving the Accepted to fill in the blanks on what came thereafter; but usually pain and death.
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
"I've been told so as we were on our way to look for one as well," Lilliane said, accompanied by a nod. She had been about to turn around at that time, worried that she might not be able to deal with such an animal. Looking back, what kept her there was probably her own stubbornness, as well as the infectious excitement Melita had spread among them. "I think it might have tried to do that as well. But the others scared it off after the wave."
Thinking back at the situation back then, Lilliane furrowed her brows. All in all, even though she saw a Ceffyl Dwr, she didn't really know anything about them. "Do you know what they eat? Back then we thought about luring it out of the lake with fishes, but that plan failed before we could even try it."
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
The question gave her over to pondering, speculating through her experience with the beasts. Truth be told, there hadn’t been much. “They don’t frequent the Celestine often,” which meant they likely took fairly good care of themselves – keeping away from opposition, or understanding how to reflect back on predators alike. “So I’m not entirely certain. If we went by horse structures, I would have to say they’d be an herbivore.” Which might’ve explained why they didn’t go after the fish – Lena suspected the marshy grass and other vegetation throughout the Oerwoud benefitted them greatly.
An instant later though, her brows furrowed, and she began glancing back through her notebook, thumbing through pages, uttering other information along the way. “But then again, we have perytons, who are carnivorous deer.”
When she couldn’t find what she wanted though, the Caretaker shook her head. All in all, she had to laugh a little. “I apologize, that probably wasn’t very helpful. Sounds like more research needs to be done.” And she grinned, sheepish and dismayed she didn’t have the answer the baker was looking for.
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
Answering Lena's grin with a slight smile, Lilliane shook her head. "No need to apologize. Nobody needs to be able to answer every single question." And life would probably be rather boring with every question already answered.
Lilliane furrowed her brows slightly. "Is there a way to distinguish those perytons from normal deer? I didn't even know that such creatures exist. And I guess I don't want to be attacked by a herd of deer all of a sudden."
Thinking of all the creatures out there, which she didn't even know existed, Lilliane hummed to herself. "Have you ever thought of making a book out of your notes? I'm sure there are a lot of people who are interested in all kinds of creatures, but don't have the time or opportunity to learn about them directly." She knew she would.
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
She smiled again at the insinuation, taking it as a starting point in gaining and accessing more knowledge about the animals surrounding the world. But, at least, she could delve into answers about perytons, shifting to another page and showcasing several sketches from different days. “They have wings! Gives them away fairly quickly.” Her finger went over a couple other points, laughing lightly. “And the fangs, of course.” She hummed lightly again, considering implications amidst. "Along with the ability to blend in with their surroundings if they're completely still." Adept hunters, really.
But no – she hadn’t considered the notions, eyes widening for a moment. “I’m likely too busy,” if she were to tell the truth, completely unaware of what would be heading their way in the near future. “Most of these are for my own studies and notations while I care for them. But, we have many texts in Stormbreak’s archives and libraries.” Her nose wrinkled, considering other possibilities. “The Monster Hunter’s Guild would have journals as well, though probably more on the predators than anything else,” given the name and title of the guild itself.
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
