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!
Pihu was perched on one of the many posts that lined the docks in the port. As she pecked at some crumbs, she watched a ship that had just come in as sailors disembarked. When what appeared to be the last of them got off, she took flight. Flapping her wings, she landed on the mast.
Eying the deck below, she waited a few moments to see if anyone else would emerge. When no one else did, she descended to the railing. Searching for either the nearest hatch or an open window below, she kept her senses trained for any disturbance or any sign that her presence had been discovered.
There were many things Paige had taken to doing recently. Hiding out on the various boats in the port was one of them. She scurried behind a crate, dodging yet another set of feet, trying her best to keep low until the rest of the crew disappeared. Then she might be free to poke and prod into the various crates that were hidden below deck. Maybe she'd find a few shiny things to take back to Ludo or some toys it might enjoy. Perhaps even spices for her mama to try in her cooking.
Unaware of the other Attuned nearby, Paige didn't bother keeping a hold on her emotions, letting thoughts and feelings of mischief spark brightly along the bond. Paige poked her head out from behind a crate, sniffing at the air before scrambling on top of it, standing up on her hind legs to check if the coast was clear.
Love you to the moon and to Saturn Passed down like folk songs, the love lasts so long
As the mental bond picked up the presence of yet another Attuned, Pihu froze. Slamming her own thoughts shut, she leapt off the porthole she'd been in the process of entering and flew up above. She circled the ship, looking for any sign of movement.
It was just as Paige was trying to see if the coast was clear that the raven spotted her. Immediately she banked, heading lower towards the deck. Landing on the crate, she puffed up her feathers and flapped her wings at the ferret. Oi! What're ye doin' here ye feckin' rat? Croaking, Pihu clacked her beak at the unknown Attuned.
They say these are the golden years But I wish I could disappear
Now, Paige was growing more used to other Attuned in her mind, but she wasn't entirely used to that presence cursing at her. As the bird appeared Paige was left to do nothing except backpedal to the edge of the crate. Her dark eyes widening as she let out a startled squeak. I- I'm scouting! She finally managed, voice distinctly childlike and unsure, fear at being caught creeping along the bond. The young Attuned didn't know how to close off her emotions yet and that much was clear in the way she was so easily read.
What are you doing here? She tried for tough, accusatory and firm. The last thing she needed was for whoever this stranger was to think her weak or like easy pickings. Rule number one in Torchline, always act tougher than you are. Rule number two was never tell the truth, but it seemed that Paige forgot that one today.
Love you to the moon and to Saturn Passed down like folk songs, the love lasts so long
When you see something out of the corner of your eye, turn to look, and see nothing at all, what should you conclude? That you were having a hallucination? Or that your peripheral vision is perhaps not to be trusted. Ask yourself, are you tired? Drunk? Under the influence of something? Is the lighting good? Are there lots of moving shadows about? Are there reasons you have to think that your mind is playing tricks on you?
Because...well, because it would be absurd to think that out of the corner of your eye you had just seen a house. A house with a figure slamming its hands against one of the upper windows with enough force to shatter it, and then...
04-10-2022, 09:19 PM (This post was last modified: 04-12-2022, 08:51 PM by Pihu.)
Pihu
The little rodent (the raven wasn't super up to date on the taxonomy of the mammalian family) flailed away from Pihu. Croaking, she kept her wings spread and paced from side to side, making herself loom over the other attuned. Scouting what? It seemed they were both there on clandestine business.
Before the thief could respond to the weasel's question, movement registered in the corner of Pihu's eye. By the time she turned her head, though, whatever had caught her attention had disappeared. Did ye fuckin' see that? She backed away from the direction the whatever it was might have been in.
Looking back at the child, the raven settled down. Folding her wings, she let her feathers lay flat again. Normally I'd say none of yer fuckin' business, but we might be able to help each other. She cocked her head to one side. Hasn't anyone taught ye how to keep yer emotions from spilling over?
They say these are the golden years But I wish I could disappear
The ship. Paige replied, shrinking down a little bite more, trying to make herself as small as possible before the bird. Despite being a predator in her own right, Paige wasn't prepared to face the other Attuned if it came down to it. She wasn't used to fighting in this form at all.
Paige did see it and it only caused the fear and unease swirling in her belly to intensify. Shifting nervously from side to side, not having anywhere else to do as she was backed up to the edge of the crate, the weasel drew in a quick breath. It looked like a house... But why would there be a house in the water? That made no sense.
The raven stopped pacing, returning to her normal size without the puffed up feathers and Paige relaxed significantly, slowly sitting up again. She shook her head, No... I didn't know they were. How do you do that? Curiosity piqued, her head tilted to the side, little paws held to her chest.
Love you to the moon and to Saturn Passed down like folk songs, the love lasts so long
Looking down at the quivering weasel, Pihu croaked. Turning slightly sideways to the girl, the raven ducked her head under a wing and preened a feather. Lookin' for anythin' in particular? The thief still kept a tight lid on his thoughts and emotions, but her feathers had returned to a normal size and she was no longer pacing or looming.
Stepping between the child and the direction of the strange vision, Pihu looked between the weasel and the water. Our eyes must be playin' tricks on us. Flapping her wings as if the raven could blow away any lingering traces of the strange illusion, she turned just her head so she could watch the water and her fellow Attuned at the same time.
Aigh't, picture the bond like a tunnel, yeah? Now picture yerself wallin' up that tunnel with whatever ye think makes sense. Pihu paused to let the girl try that out. Then when ye want to communicate, take a single section out and send just one thought through. Got it?
Paige shakes her head a little and if she were in her human form, her lip would be caught between her teeth and her eyes downcast, but that's not the case right now. Not really... Just for something cool. Cool being anything worth taking for Ludo or herself to use for trading, that is. The raven seemed to relax and that did wonders for her own nerves.
The house is gone as soon as it comes and she feels her heart slow again, unease dissipating like salt water on the wind and Paige is relieved that the raven moves between her and the now gone house. Yeah... That's gotta be it. Just tricks. Paige mutters, willing to take her word as law on the matter.
Especially when there was a lesson to be learned. Paige is quiet, thinking long and hard about what she says, imagining a wall like she instructs. She imagines herself stacking brick after brick. Only when it's nice and tall does she attempt to remove one and let something through. Like this?
Love you to the moon and to Saturn Passed down like folk songs, the love lasts so long
Pihu croaked at the child. For a moment, the raven paced back and forth as she considered the other Attuned's response. Before the thief could reply, though, they had the whole vision issue to deal with. Thankfully, whatever it was, if it'd been there to begin with, was well and truly gone.
Bending down and twisting, she presented her back to the weasel. Sending a pulse of approval through the bond, she pecked at the edge of the crate. Exactly like that. How's it feel? Also hop on. Two sets of eyes are likely to spot something twice as cool, ain't they? She fluffed her feather a bit to make them easier to grab.
There was a burst of pride at the other Attuned's words before she quickly tamped that down too. Whoops. She wasn't supposed to do that. It would likely take some practice before she got really good at it, but this was a start. Good. Thank you for showing me. She chirps in the woman's head before a little bit of laughter breaks through too. Paige had ridden on Ever's back before, but she hadn't flown. This was going to be new for her.
Without any hesitation, something else that was likely a reason for concern, Paige hops onto her back. It takes a little bit of squirming to figure out the best way to hang on, but she manages it. So... What are you looking for?
Love you to the moon and to Saturn Passed down like folk songs, the love lasts so long
The emotion coming from the child made Pihu cock her head to one side. Thankfully, the girl got it under control, so the raven just let out a single croak. Yer welcome.
As the other Attuned made her way onto the thief's back, she shifted her weight back and forth to accommodate. Stepping from one foot to the other, she spread her wings. Somethin' small enough to carry, but cool enough that other people might want it. With that, she leapt off the edge of the crate. For a moment, she wobbled in the air before she got her bearings. Beating her wings, she headed for the porthole she'd discovered earlier.
05-12-2022, 04:57 PM (This post was last modified: 05-12-2022, 05:22 PM by Paige.)
Paige
Now that was right up her ally. The Attuned holds on tightly to the raven's back, little trickles of excitement coming along the bond despite herself. Maybe we can find something to give to Ludo, too! I always try to steal something for it. Paige chirps into the other Attuned's mind. Keeping her eyes peeled for anything that would constitute as shiny and small, she's caught off guard when they duck into a porthole, but she manages to stay on her back.
This is where they put all their crates! She says, hopping from the raven's back as she lands once more, sniffing the air as if that might give her a clue as to where to look.
Love you to the moon and to Saturn Passed down like folk songs, the love lasts so long
The excitement bouncing through the bond just caused Pihu to pump her wings harder. Granted, that might've just been the additional weight of Paige on the raven's back. Still, she managed to transport them belowdecks.
Landing, she stooped down to help the weasel off. Standing straight, the older Attuned surveyed the crates before them. That's why I picked it! she sent back with a mental chuckle. Croaking, she hopped closer to them.
One of them was cracked open and a glitter caught her eye. Cocking her head to the side, she fluttered over to it. Bending down, she inserted her beak into the small space between the lid and the box. Then she tried to lever it open. Can ye lend me a paw?
