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!
You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes You're going to have to make a few compromises
It might've seemed odd that Amun would want some time alone after he'd been trapped for so long. However, so much had happened since his return that he found himself leaving the Hollowed Ground, not evening taking Zhanshi with him. His legs took him through the portal into Torchline, and down to the docks.
He managed to board the Night Galleon, the one he'd never actually taken out before. It was tough with only one person, but he released the ropes and unfurled the sails and set off. Sanding at the wheel, he didn't steer so much as avoid obstacles, not caring about the destination.
Given that he'd set off in the middle of the night, it was still dark when he arrived at a spot where he was surrounded by small islands, but none were close enough to make out the details. He raised the sails and dropped then anchor, before lowering the boat.
Getting into the smaller vessel, he rowed a bit then stopped. It drifted slightly in the current as he stared up at the moon. "I haven't prayed to you in a while," he admitted in a whisper. "But if there's any way you can guide me now, I need it."
For now we're happy if not overjoyed And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid
03-02-2022, 02:35 PM (This post was last modified: 03-02-2022, 02:36 PM by Chrysaora.)
When Chrys saw a ship out in these parts of the ocean at night, she couldn't help but be curious. Smugglers were the most likely scenario. But even then, watching them might be interesting. Especially since they seemed to let down a boat.
Following the boat below the water surface, she stuck her head out of the water once she was closer to it, watching and listening. With a slight tilt of the head, she listened to the lone man's prayer.
Intrigued, she closed in the last few meters, peeking over the edge of the boat while asking "Who are you praying to?"
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
The voice cause Amun's head to whip around. Sound carried oddly over the water; still, it only took him a few moments to locate the mermaid that was hanging off the side of his boat. Blinking, he tilted his head to one side. "No one in this world," he admitted with a shy.
Turning to face her fully, he shifted his weight as the boat rocked from his movements. "I'm sorry to disturb you. I didn't realize anyone would be out here at this time of night." He gestured around at mostly empty ocean around them. "I can return to shore if you'd like." He inclined his head to her.
Chrys tilted her head slightly as she looked Amun inquisitively. "Why are land-dwellers always so worried about being somewhere? It's not like the ocean belongs to someone." A quick smile as she continued to talk. "And I don't mind you being here either."
She pulled herself up a bit further so that she could look at Amun better. But she made sure not to tip the boat over at the same time. "Can they hear you if they are not here? And does that mean you're an Outlander? I haven't talked to many outlanders yet." The questions came quickly, Chrys almost stumbling over the words.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Shrugging, Amun gestured out towards the horizon. "Maybe not, but as I was once told by your people, these waters specifically are mermaid territory. And my kind are not often welcome." Sighing, he blinked away the fluid that pooled in his eyes. He turned slightly so the woman couldn't see it, though hopefully the darkness would hide his pain.
As she pulled herself up, he moved backwards to compensate. Gesturing for her to take as much space as she liked, he inclined his head. Shaking his head at her questions, he glanced up at the moon. "I doubt it." Rubbing the back of his head, he pressed his lips into a line. "And yes, I am an Outlander. And an Ascended." Tensing, his gaze slid towards her.
Chrys tilted her head slightly, then she shrugged. "Yeah, some of us can be a bit grumpy. But it's gotten better recently. A bit." At this, she chuckled slightly. It seemed that she hadn't noticed why Amun had turned away. Or if she did, she didn't mention it.
Instead, she looked up at the moon as well when Amun did so before her gaze settled back on him. "I haven't talked to many Ascended either. What's being an Ascended like?" Settling in for a possibly longer talk, and at the gesture of Amun to take as much space as she wanted, she simply stored the seaweed satchel she was carrying inside the boat. Less for her to carry after all.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Amun let out a huff of air halfway between a laugh and a snort. Shrugging at her assessment, he leaned back until his elbows were resting on the edge of the boat. "You're not the only grumpy ones, don't worry. I'm glad you've found reasons to be happier, though." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
Following her motions as she stored her satchel, he arched an eyebrow. However, he didn't comment on it. "It's different. We don't experience physical sensations the way most races do. No pleasure, no pain. We can take in sensory input, but it's divorced from feeling, if that makes sense. On the flip side, we don't age and we don't need food, water, or air to survive." He paused and let his gaze trail across the horizon. "What's it like being a mermaid?"
With a wide smile, Chrys rested her chin on her hands, looking at Amun. "Well, some of us are still plenty grumpy, but there are always people like them. Who else is that grumpy then?" She tilted her head a bit to one side, then to the other, thinking. "Also I'm not sure if they're really happier. Just maybe less: we want nothing to do with anyone who's not us."
As she listened, Chrys frowned slightly. "That sounds pretty annoying. I get not wanting to feel pain, but no pleasure makes life really dull, no?"
The question directed at her made her pause for a moment. "It's cool and it's annoying. Like, everyone else is doing land stuff and I can't take a look at it or participate." At this, she rolled her eyes. But then she shrugged. "I'd never want to live on the land though. Only being able to go back and forth, but not up or down would make me crazy."
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
"Me, for one. But I don't mean to burden you with my current woes." Amun inclined his head to the mermaid. Holding out his hand to her, he mustered up a semblance of a smile. "I'm Amun, by the way."
Nodding at her clarification, he gestured at the waters below. "And what do you think of outsiders?" He arched an eyebrow at her.
Shrugging, he rubbed the back of his head. "It's not for everyone. But it has its perks, too. For instance, I can see everything right now as if it were clear as day." Peering into the depths, he pointed at a school of fish swimming deep below. "And while we might not feel physical pleasure, we experience joys of other kinds. Like meeting someone new on a beautiful moonlit night."
Tilting his head to one side, he hummed a low note. "What kind of activities do you feel you're missing out on?" As she complained about most people only being able to walk, he let out an actual chuckle. "I can see how that would be difficult, but what if you could fly?" He made a little flapping motion with his arms.
Chrys took his hand for a handshake. "I'm Chrys." After that she tilted her head slightly, thinking for a moment. Then she shrugged. "I think they're interesting. Things get really boring when always only talking to the same people."
Looking at the school of fish Amun pointed at, she said "Well, I can't see in the dark up here. But I can see down at the seafloor where landpeople can't. Guess everyone has something special they can do," she said with a grin.
But then she furrowed her brows again. "It's not even that they do something special. They do many things similar to us. It's just really annoying that I'm not capable of going wherever I want. Or take a look into the shops along the streets of the land-cities." She looked up at the sky, contemplating for a moment. "I think flying would be fun." Then she looked at Amun. "Is there something you really want to do?"
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Amun nodded at Chrys. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Chrys." Lips twitching at her response about the Outlanders, he inclined his head. "I imagine you don't see a lot of outsiders of any kind are these parts." He gestured at the entirely empty ocean around them.
Humming a low note, he winked at her. "Actually, I can see down at the bottom of the seafloor too." He tapped right beside his eyes with one finger.
"Well, do you have shops and whatnot in your city? Because shops are shops. As for not being able to travel, most people can't travel the depths of the ocean either, so in that sense you've got the advantage." Letting out a huff of laughter at her question, he nodded. "Lots of things." Dropping his voice to a whisper, he leaned towards her. "I'll confess I have always been fascinated to know what the famous underwater city looks like."
Chrys nodded slightly. "Not many. That's why I like to swim over to the port. There's always a lot of people there. And then they look at me funny because they've never seen a mermaid before." she added with a laugh.
"And you don't explore down at the seafloor? Why? You can see there and you don't need to breathe, right?" Slightly tilting her head, she looked at him inquisitively, curious.
"Yes, we have shops." And now she frowned. "But I want to go there. I don't care if others can or can't do things. I want to be able to." The way she said it, it almost sounded like an angry child, complaining about not having sweets.
Though the next topic brightened her mood a little. "Outsiders are not allowed within the city, unfortunately," she said with a roll of her eyes. "But I can show you a bunch of other cool places if you want." And here her smile returned.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Amun let out a bark of laughter as Chrys revealed that she enjoyed her visits to the harbor. Arching an eyebrow, he gestured in the vague direction of the harbor. "Are mermaids that unusual in Haulani? I thought your kind visited fairly frequently."
Shrugging, he scratched the back of his head. "I can explore, but I'm afraid of getting lost. Maybe if I had a guide." He winked at her.
As she explained further her desire to explore the surface world, he nodded. Humming a few notes, he leaned his head back to watch the moon above. "Well, how do you plan to see more of the world? Or alternatively, how do you plan to adapt surface customs to life underwater?" His eyes flicked down to her.
Sighing as she shot down his idea, he nodded. "I know. Doesn't stop me from wanting to see it, same as you want to see the rest of the surface world." Shifting so he could look into the depths below, he narrowed his eyes. "Like what?"
"Both are true," Chrys said, tilting her head slightly. "We've always visited there. But it's been more of a secret. Some helped in smuggling." And she shrugged again. "The others like it better that way."
For a moment, Chrys stayed silent in thought. "I don't know. But some of us can control water. Maybe I'll just make a biiiig bubble to move around in?" She stretched her arms to both sides as she talked about the big bubble. "Some of us can also go on land during certain times, so maybe I'll be able to as well someday."
A smirk crept on her face. "Maybe I can sneak you in someday so you can get a look. And I can show you around other places for now and be your guide if you want." Thinking, she tapped the side of the boat a few times. "There's a shipwreck a bit away from here. And I know a place with a lot of beautiful corals. There's also the shrine. It's not in the city and open to anyone. And not far from here is a place where kelp grows really high, so it's almost like a forest. It's creepy at night but interesting at the same time."
