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!
Sah was sitting on a rock, waiting for Maeve to arrive. He'd been pleasantly surprised when she'd agree to it, and he was looking forward to sparring with the Queen once more. The Outlander had found their last spar a true challenge and even though she'd solidly beat him, he'd hardly minded due to the fun he'd had.
Soon the sound of rustling reaches his ears and Sah glances over as Maeve appears, "Hey, Maeve, how have you been. Anything new?" He sent her a warm smile, "Thank you by the way. For sending Luka. He and Sol are settling in well." The Outlander couldn't' even begin to put into words how thankful he was to the women in front of him for looking out for his pups.
The invitation had been surprising, but in that pleasant way like when you realize that there are two puppies instead of one. It was much more welcome than the death that seems to be hiding around every corner. The Nightshade pushes through a bit of brush, finding Sah waiting for her just like he said he would be. Her smile is soft, but her eyes spark almost mischeviously, the jade irises growing darker to match the surrounding greenery. "Oh plenty of new things. Went to the desert, found the Flowerbirth deity, pleased Safrin..." Thos were the big things she felt the need to share. The important things. Not that two of them would matter to the Outlander.
At the mention of the children, her expression softens and she lets out a breath, "Good, I'm glad to hear it. I worried about them." Not just when they were in her care, but after too. She has no doubt that Sah is plenty capable of taking care of his own children, but she can't help letting her thoughts drift to the twins often.
Sah raises a brow, "Very busy indeed. You found the Flowerbirth deity in the desert? That seems like an odd home for them." Wouldn't they prefer somewhere with more foliage? As for pleasing Safrin, he chuckles though there's a tint of melancholy. "It's always a great feeling when your Goddess is happy with you." He knew that feeling firsthand. Every time he met our surpassed Mune's expectations and was met with her praise or approval, Sah felt satisfied. At peace, even.
Seeing Maeve's clear fondness and care for his pups has Sah sending her a warm smile. "You're welcome to visit them whenever. They're very fond of you." Despite the rocky start he'd heard of it seemed that the pups had nothing but affection and respect for the Queen. At least, as far as he could tell.
Sah stood up from his rock, eyeing Maeve with mischief and anticipation. "Shall we start our spar? Weapons, or no? Your choice today." He was always down for either.
"They became too weak to leave. Otherwise I think they would have." Maeve lifts her shoulders in a shrug, agreeing with his thoughts on the idea of it being an odd place for them. She hums in quiet agreement, dipping her head in a nod as she pulls back her hair from her face, securing it in a loose bun. "It is." Safrin might be a bit difficult at times, but should you get n her good side? Well, it was worth any and all struggle one faced in the process.
His words and invitation are unexpected, making her blink up at him in surprise, lips parting slightly. "I didn't think that they would miss me. Not once they had you back." Truthfully, Maeve thought they would forget all about her. Not that she could ever forget them They had a piece of her heart now.
Maeve arches a brow as his eyes run over her, a spark in his eyes that has a smirk curling onto her lips, "You aren't scared of a little bit of fire, are you, pup?" The easy teasing falling from her lips as she removes her whip from her hip, taking a step back to ignite it with a loud crack, sparks igniting in length of the weapon. Maeve waits for him to get ready before she strikes for his foot, hoping to throw him off balance.
Sah simply nods, dropping the topic but filing the information away for later. He'll bring the deity water, probably rope Cordelia into helping him too. It was never a bad idea to help out a deity when you could. Well, almost never.
Maeve's words are a surprise to the Outlander. "You're kidding, right?" He tilts his head in confusion, "You welcomed them in and helped them begin to adjust to Caido. And from what I've been able to tell, they felt safe with you. That's worth more than can be put into words." Sah hopes that the queen sees his point. It rubs him the wrong way to see her downplay her worth, especially in regard to her protecting his pups.
Sah raises a brow at the whip, "Why am I not surprised that you have a whip?" The weapon fit her personality rather well. The fire was a fun addition. He takes a step back and gets into a fighting stance. The Abandoned wants to see the range of the whip before he makes his own plan.
Mave certainly shows him, the whip striking him hard, knocking him off balance and leaving a small burn. Sah tries to catch his balance but fails, one knee hitting the ground. Standing he snickers at himself, "Ok, that has more range than I expected." Part of him is embarrassed, ego a little bruised. But he tries to ignore it. It's a spar after all. And he's never faced a whip in his current body. Got to cut himself some slack and all that.
Drawing his sword, Sah lets his magic crackle to life, lightning coating the blade. With a smirk, he surges forward. Sah comes in as close as he dares to slash at the queen. He wonders if his lighting will travel through the whip. The Abandoned notes the possibility. He doesn't want to fully electrocute Maeve after all.
The sudden intensity in his voice makes her blink, jade eyes widening as he presses forward, seeming as if he might grip her by the shoulders and shake her. Petal pink lips part in surprise, brows lifting towards her hair before a flush stains the high points of her cheeks and the queen almost seems nervous. The Nightshade clears her throat, tucking a stray lock behind her ear, ”I suppose I didn’t think of it like that. I knew I could never compare to their home and I wouldn’t have been hurt if they didn’t miss me. Why would they when they have you again?” Her slender shoulders lift into a delicate shrug and she knows he has a point, but it is still hard to wrap her head around. They weren’t her children and she couldn’t ever replace their mother.
”Fitting, isn’t it?” The Nightshade hums, cracking the whip as she stalks towards him, but doesn’t get within more than fifteen feet. She doesn’t need to with the length of her weapon. Her first attack pays off, catching him completely off guard and causing him to stumble. Her smile is deadly as she cocks her head to the side, jade eyes glinting dangerously as she draws back to strike again, but he’s faster this time around.
He ducks and weaves, drawing his sword and slashing out towards her instead, causing her to yelp as she barely manages to dodge the majority of the blade. However it doesn’t keep the lightning from jumping over onto her, singing her through her clothes enough to bring a sting of tears to her eyes. ”Fuck..” The queen breathes, baring her teeth at him as she spins out of reach again, striking towards the hand holding the sword this time.
04-11-2022, 03:15 PM (This post was last modified: 04-11-2022, 04:15 PM by Sah.)
Sah
The forest never sleeps and the wolf neve dies
It's a pleasant surprise to Maeve flush at his words. "Never would have thought it'd only take telling the truth to make you blush." Sah's lips twitch into a smirk, "I'll keep that in mind."
She still doesn't seem to believe him, and he shakes his head with frustrated amusement. "It's not about replacing me or their mothers. It's about the fact that you gave them a place of safety in an unfamiliar world. Completely separate but still irreplaceable." If Maeve still didn't get it after that, then at least the Abandoned could say that he tried.
Sah hums under his breath as his magic surges through the queen. He knows full well how much lighting can harm. Despite her cursing, the Abandoned is pleased to see that the level he's keeping his magic at is acceptable for a spar. Holding back the volatile magic in his blood isn't the easiest thing to do. Seems all that training in control was paying off.
The whip lashes out again and this time it's Sah's turn to curse as the sharp end of the weapon strikes true. "Fucking hell that stings." he grumbles as his hand reflexively let's go of his sword. Jumping back, he holds out his hand and activates his telekinesis. The sword surges forward and returns to his hand.
Adjusting his grip and reactivating his lighting, Sah regards the queen for a second before he's moving again. This time he twists as he draws closer, sword coming down towards Maeve's side.
"Yes, well, people don't often speak plainly with me." Instead they fed her pretty words. Pretty words for a pretty girl. Never mind that they were empty and lacking substance. Never mind that she starved for more. No, she didn't need anything more than pretty words. "It's refreshing." Even if it did make her blush. Not much did these days.
Finally she hums her understanding, dipping her head quickly, "Ah, I suppose that makes sense. I'm glad that I was there for them." It was luck that she had been. There's no telling what would have happened to them if she hadn't collected them so quickly.
The whip strikes true, lashing across his hand and leaving a burn in its wake, causing him to drop the sword. It doesn't stay down for long as he pulls it back into his hand without moving a muscle. Dark brows lift towards her hairline, eyes widening slightly as her lips part in surprise. It doesn't distract her from the next swing he takes. A breathy laugh pushes past her lips as she dances away from him, spinning effortlessly as if she was preforming instead of sparring, feet barely touching the ground as she dodges the incoming swipe. "You're going to have to be faster than that, pup."
Maeve snaps her whip again, but she doesn't have enough momentum to land a good hit, instead striking the ground by his feet, leaving a small patch of scorched earth behind her.
Pushing up from the ground before you is a blood-red rose.
You’ve encountered one of Vi’s Roses.. This counts as a rare creature encounter for the purposes of levelling, but does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention. You can post a link to this thread in the character updates thread if you pick the rose, to have it added to your inventory.
Vi's Roses (rare): A beautiful crimson flower with thorns of deep gold, it is rumoured that these roses are coloured with Vi's lifeblood. When planted, they have the ability to cleanse the area around them.
Sah feels a surge of satisfaction as he gets through to Maeve. "Good." He notes the tidbit about speaking plainly for later. It was nice to know that he wasn't the only one who valued honesty.
He notices Maeve's surprise at his magic and smirks, "I might be good with my hands, but I don't always need them." Telekinesis was handy for sure. Then his own words process, and it's Sah's turn to flush. "Not like that. Well. yes. but... fuck." He gives up with a sigh. "There's no saving that one."
Chuckling at himself, Sah shakes his head at Maeve's taunt and tries to ignore his embarrassment. "Pup? Aren't we around the same age?" He moves to dodge the whip, but it becomes clear that the queen has missed her mark. Taking the offered opportunity, Sah gets in close moves to strike. At the last second he switches his grip. the end of his sword coming up towards Maeve's ribs instead of the point.
It's as the strike lands and she's pushed back somewhat with the force that Sah notices the flower. "What's that?" He's never seen a flower that vibrantly red before. And the energy to it is hard to describe. "It feels like Noah's healing magic...?" It wasn't the same but it had the same taste for lack of a better word.
A dark brow arches and the surprised expression shifts into a smirk of her own, catlike an feral, a glint in her eyes as her head cocks to the side. "Is that right?" She purrs, voice dipping down into something sultry and smoky, "And where did you learn those skills, hm?" Was she talking about the magic? His handiness? There was no telling.
Her shoulders lift in a shrug before she strike again, missing, but not seeming overly concerned with that. "It doesn't have anything to do with age, darling." The Nightshade retorts, but the air is knocked out of the taunt as the end of his sword meets her gut, winding her. She stumbles, coughing as she wheezes in a breath, eyes watering with the effort.
Bracing her hands against her knees, Maeve doesn't notice the flower at first, still struggling to catch her breath from the last strike, but she eventually manages it as jade eyes fall on the vivid bloom. Having not felt Noah's magic, but knowing exactly what this is, the Nightshade is quick to approach. Dropping down to her knees so she might inspect it more closely, "It's one of Vi's Roses... That's probably why it feels like Noah."
Sah bites his lip, ears turning pink at Maeve's tone. Still, he manages a chuckle, "You're impossible." And he loves it. There was nothing more attractive than confidence without arrogance. Except being good to his pups. Shit, Maeve was both. The realization makes her comment about age go right over his head as he focuses on their spar.
As Maeve catches her breath, Sah eyes the flower curiously. Hearing her explanation, his eyes widen. "That must be why the grass around it is so green." The area surrounding the flower was positively thriving. The Abandoned bent down and gently began to tease the flower out of the ground.
Once he has the flower, roots and all in his hand, he turns and presents it to Maeve. "You should take this to Torchline and plant it. Halo has Noah so Torchline should have Vi's rose." As the other stronghold of the Old Gods, it made sense to ensure their wellbeing. And maybe with this he could start to repay Maeve for all she'd done for his pups.
She laughs, smirking at him as she shoots a wink his way, "Oh come on now, that's one of the best things about me." Maeve murmurs, noting the faint flush on his cheeks and the tops of his ears, wondering vaguely if she could make that blush spread along his chest. She bets that she could. Given enough time. Before she can tease him further, however, the air is knocked from her lungs and she's left trying to catch her breath as the flower blooms beside them.
Straightening up, the Nightshade puts her weapon away for the time being, watching as he gingerly digs the plant up form the ground. She's not expecting him to offer it to her and her lips part in surprise. "Thank you." She says softly, taking it from him and carefully placing it in the basket she keeps with her for herb collecting.
With the flower safely put away, Maeve turns back to Sah, slowly circling him like a predator stalking prey. Maeve tips her head towards him, fingers trailing across his shoulders, "Come on, pup. I'm not done with you yet." Her voice is by his ear, breath warm there and the smirk curling on her lips can be heard in her words. With a little push to his shoulder, Maeve sends him stumbling forward, waiting for his final attack.
Sah finds himself glancing away, ears still red as he mumbles, "True." Maeve was fun to be around, despite how much she threw him off balance at times. Both literally and not.
"You're welcome." The Outlander feels a burst of satisfaction as the Queen accepts the flower and tucks it away. He might have given it to her mostly out of logic, but it was still a present. Still the kind of item, being both pretty and valuable, that his kind would often use as courtship gifts. But he wasn't about to tell her that at the moment.
The spar continues and Sah can't help the slight shiver that goes down at Maeve's glancing touch. He watches her from the corner of his eye as she circles him, a smirk coming to his lips. His voice drops a few octaves and takes on a tint of amusement, "Oh?" The 'pup' comment is still irritating but he ignores it for now.
Seeing Maeve act predatorily makes Sah want to rise to the challenge. As soon as she pushes him and steps back, Sah goes with his momentum. One hand and knee drop to the ground for balance while his other leg kicks back to sweep Maeve's legs out from under her.
