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!
Pursing her lips, Maea narrowed her eyes at him, amusement glittering beneath the snowy lashes. "I wouldn't say doubt... It's more along the lines of dread. I don't really know what kind of person you would portray me as..?" That didn't sound the way she intended. She tried again. "I just mean. That what you see when looking at me, and how I feel about myself is probably quite far apart." For starters, she would never think to call herself beautiful. Just strange and different.
Tying up the small strand she had braided, it became a bracelet that she slipped onto his wrist. "Would it make you very happy to give me a makeover?" If it meant that much to him... maybe...
Maybe it would erase the scowl on his face. It was painful to see. Her gaze darkened when he mentioned what Ronin had done. Something black and cold rose to the surface, tasting of fire-smoke and violence.
"He didn't, though. I'm alright. And so are you. And if we run into either of them again, we teleport away. Alright?" If he allowed it, she would braid her fingers in with his and offer a light squeeze.
"I've been thinking about what you said before. That we might have to split up. Could we... decide on where to meet up, after? If it were to happen. If we couldn't return to the Grounds for some reason." It was the first place that made sense. Home - however much she might resent the idea still. But the Grounds were also a very obvious target to strike when the war started. Maea wanted alternatives. Places to look, should she be separated from Amun.
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Amun arched an eyebrow as Maea expressed her doubts. It crept higher as she went on until he finally laughed at her question. "Probably. It's more about what you want, though, and if you'd rather not update your wardrobe I obviously won't force it on you." He winked. "I also wouldn't ever make you wear something you're uncomfortable in."
Grimacing, he shrugged a shoulder. He allowed her to give his hand a squeeze but slipped his fingers out once it was done. Letting go of her hair as well, he plucked up the flower crown he'd abandoned and started weaving it together again. "I can try, but he hit me before I teleported." Glancing down at her, he nodded. "My compass only allows me to teleport to capital cities, though. Halo is probably out, but Torchline could work." He whistled a few notes as he considered the issue.
Well, that decided the matter. Maea smiled and reached up to poke his cheek with a finger. "I want to see you happy, and to have fun together. If that means a makeover, then a makeover it shall be." It wouldn't hurt, probably. And with that last guarantee, she knew she could always say no if things went too far.
Unsure of what it was that made him withdraw, Maea sat up and turned so she could study her brother's face. Watched him continue with the flower crown, while searching for some indication on whether there was a problem.
"Alright. Torchline it is. I spent quite a bit of time in Rae's Fingers, after I came back... we could meet up there." It offered some peace of mind, but didn't answer the question at hand.
"Amun? What went through your mind there? Was it something I said?"
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Amun grinned. Placing his own mostly complete flower crown on his head, he reached down to pinch Maea's cheek. "I don't know if it'll be fun, per se. Makeovers are serious business." He winked at her. "But once it's done we'll find a style that's suitable to you." Picking up the braid he'd abandoned, he started layering the strands again.
"Rae's Fingers sounds good to me." Frowning at her question, he narrowed his eyes. "Hm? Oh, no, nothing you said." Sighing, he looked around at the meadow they were resting in. Then his gaze was drawn to the night sky above. "No, I just try not to let my anger infect others. That, and I know you and Remi and Ronin were friends, or at least friendly once upon a time, and I don't want to upset you."
"Oooh, serious business, you say? Well then." She put on her gravest expression, and issued a mock salute - made only slightly awkward by the lazy position she was in. "Reporting for duty, sir! Does my style, by chance, have anything to do with braids and flower crowns? Because if it does, I'll have you know that pigtails is a no-no." The warning glare was undercut by the twitch in her lips as she tried and failed to mask her amusement.
On a more serious note, Maea nodded with sudden understanding. She wanted to reach for him again, but thought better of it, and plucked with the grass around her instead. Considering her words carefully, before speaking.
"I'm not sure that 'friends' is the right word," she mused in low tones. "I admired Ronin. I saw the way he fought against the Spire Demon, and how his friends mourned him when he died, and I vowed to myself that I would never stand idle and helpless again. I wanted to be like him. Ultimately, that desire found me in the belly of a ghost whale, because I couldn't accept that I was useless." Not the Huntsman's fault in any way, but it was a realization that had soured her against idol worship. And now that he had caused Amun harm for a second time... She shook her head. "As for Remi, I hardly know him. We've run into one another a few times, but that is it. I let him plant flowers in my garden once... maybe that's why he let me off, before. Or because I died when he was around - who can say."
Following Amun's gaze up into the sky, she contemplated the constellations without really seeing them. "So you don't have to worry about me. Won't you talk about it? I know what keeping anger pent up can do to a person... it's not a good place to be." Returning her attention to Amun, she settled in and waited, quiet and patient.
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Amun grinned at Maea's response. "Very serious," he acknowledged with a nod. His smile morphed into a pout, though he waggled his eyebrows at the same time. "But how else am I going to tug on them and dip them in inkwells?" Laughing, he kept up his efforts with the regular braid.
Falling silent during her explanation, he whistling a few notes off pitch. However, he sighed when he asked her to talk about his feelings. "I mean, I'm angry and frightened. There's not much I can do when those two decide to actually wage war against us, and they're not the only two we're facing. I'm not really sure what else to say on the matter." He shrugged. "I try not to be mad and scared, though, because it makes me stupid."
"You're not, that's the whole point. And I'd also look like a five year old child, which might put a damper on your plans to get me a date." To illustrate, she gathered the pale hair up just beneath the ears, and leveled the most wide-eyed, empty-headed doll smile at him that she could manage. But carefully, so as not to undo the braids he had made.
While she listened, Maea's fingers busied themselves with splitting strands of grass. One by one, carefully divided down the middle, in some fruitless attempt at appearing calm and peaceful.
"There's nothing inherently wrong with being either. I heard someone say that fear shows us our greatest weaknesses." She tried to catch his gaze. "But you have strengths, too. Right? You have made it this far. You are not powerless, and certainly not stupid. A little reckless, perhaps, but that's probably because you've spent too much time with me." Anger was the real problem. The kind of ceaseless burn in the throat that made you stop thinking and simply act.
Like herself in Torchline. Like him, in Stormbreak. Maea leaned forward.
"Is there something I can do to help you? Train, or... anything at all? You just have to name it." But she was painfully aware that once the war broke out, she would be a burden to him at best. There just wasn't time enough for her to catch up, at this point.
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Continuing to pout at Maea, Amun batted his eyelashes at her. "But what if I really, really want to." Smirking, he twisted the braid he'd made around her skull. Activating his metal manipulation upgrade, he formed some pins out of the bracelets he wore and started tucking them into her hair to secure the crown braid in place.
Sighing, he gave her hair one last pat before leaning back a bit and resting his hands on the ground. "I say it makes me stupid because I stop acting and just start reacting. If you need any proof of that, look at the debacle in Stormbreak." He shook his head and grimaced.
"Unless you've got a strong creature tied up somewhere, no, not at the moment." Pausing, his brow furrowed. "Actually, that's not strictly true. Do you know anything about Safrin's Library?"
She rolled her eyes but otherwise sat very still while Amun played with her hair. "Then you'll have to make it worth my time. And find me a soap that will strip the ink from my hair after." Despite the ultimatums she staked out, there was a happy little smile playing on her lips, that lingered even after he sat back down. Careful hands touched the flower braid and the pins, and for what must be the first time in years she wished there was a mirror nearby. So she could see what he had created.
"Alright, you're not wrong. But - " Biting her lip, Maea tried to find something to say that might cheer him up. Why was she so terrible at this? Loren had been easier to console, in a way, because his ghosts were internal for the most part. Unfortunately, Amun would have to face his on a very real battlefield. "Look. You are not alone, alright? No matter what happens. Maybe I won't do much good in battle, but in everything else you can count on me." Was it enough? It didn't feel enough. But it was all she had, all she could do.
At least, Maea thought so, until he came with a question that made her sit up straight with surprise. "Safrin's...? Now, that's nostalgic. I haven't heard anyone mention it for years." Lifting her eyes to the sky, to the distant stars, she had to think for some time before answering. "Well. I know that Amalia, Jigano and Deimos found it. They brought some books back, and Jigano spent a lot of time studying documents he wouldn't show to anyone. At some point, Deimos and Rexanna came asking for information about the Barrier - this was before it fell - and Amalia suggested that they might go back to the library to search for details." Scrunching up her nose against the bittersweet memories, Maea looked back on Amun. "I don't know if they ever returned there. But I think it's supposed to be located in the Underground, somewhere." She cocked her head askew, curious about the sudden inquiry. "Was that of any help?"
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
"Or I could just use a light-colored ink," Amun teased. However, as the conversation moved on to other, weightier topics, he sighed. Still, he lifted one hand to cup her cheek. "I know. And I will definitely count on you and count you in wherever I can." He picked up his hand to stick out his pinky for her.
As she began to explain what she knew about the library, his eyes widened. Still, he found himself grinning. "A great deal of help. I don't suppose you know where Jigano stashed those papers?" Humming a low note, he looked up at the night sky for a moment. "I'm not sure what you've heard about the relics. They're ancient weapons or artifacts used by the champions of the gods in the last war. Wessex and the Voice haven't been able to locate the Voice's."
Glancing down at her, he cocked his head to the side. "Wessex believes that means it's in a place the old gods have shielded. Hence the library. And even if there's not a relic in there, it may contain information that could be of use to us in the war." He paused to let that sink in and see if she had any questions or more information she could dredge up.
Down and out, and out of luck, we're spinning but the needle's stuck
She laughed at the image of her hair dyed in a multitude of colors, though the thought wasn't entirely outrageous. Maybe it would be interesting, to not be so... monochrome. But thoughts of hair dye and new clothes faded with the turn of the conversation, and Maea touched the back of Amun's hand with a smile.
"You are the best brother I ever had." It wasn't a jest. For all that her blood brother would always have a place in her heart, Amun did more for her than Noah ever had. Maea did her best to squash the feeling of being an additional burden for him to carry on his shoulders. Would that she could be of more use... and wasn't that every younger sister's wish throughout time?
At least her little tidbits were drawing a smile back to his face. Encouraged, Maea sifted through what she could recall of her time with the Loreseekers. "Jigano had a study in the Atheneum, at the back of the Loreseeker guild hall. If he didn't bring them with him, they might still be there. Though I suspect he might have taken them, if they were important - he would not be careless with important books or texts."
News of the relics had reached her, but she hadn't paid much attention to them before. Now Maea leaned in and listened with interest - this was exactly the sort of thing that used to light a fire in her, back in the day.
"I see. Yes, she might have a point. Hm." Tugging on her cuffs, in deep thought, Maea eventually shook her head - not without disappointment. "I'm sorry, that's all I know. I was just a newcomer back then, who could barely read or write because of my eyes. I suspect Sam would have known more, he and Jigano were good friends. But they never told me much about the dangerous stuff." It was as frustrating now as it had been back then. Sheltered and protected - but this time she wasn't about to go running off on her own.
She had learned something from the mistakes of her past.
Maea
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
"Why thank you. I'd say you're the best sister I've ever had, but you're the only sister I've had, technically, so you're also the worst." Amun smirked down at Maea.
Nodding along as she explained what else she knew, he sighed. "Well if our search of the Atheneum doesn't turn up anything I suppose we'll have to go straight to the source." He arched an eyebrow at her. "If Wessex and Isla agree and perhaps accompany us, would you do me the honor of braving the depths of Safrin's Library and whatever fun surprises might be lurking down there?" He grinned, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
Maea's expression shifted rapidly from flattered, to outraged, to deeply thoughtful. "Really? You don't think of the other's as siblings, too? Wessex, for example, or..." Actually, the Wraith was the only one that came to mind. Her knowledge of who her new 'kin' were was woefully limited. She didn't know why, but the answer suddenly mattered terribly. It had begun as half a joke from her, but somewhere along the way, Amun had really become family. The only one who both told her the honest truth - even when it hurt to hear - and stayed to pick up the pieces afterward. Who made her laugh, who shared his concerns with her, whom she was allowed to love without condition or compromise.
She could only hope that this bond she felt was as real to him, as it was to her.
Perhaps it was because of all this that the offer to join the search meant so much. Without a word Maea rocked forward and reached her arms out, to hug him fiercely about the neck.
"I'll come, if you'll have me along" she nodded, not even trying to suppress the happy grin. "I swear I'll do as I'm told and not get in the way. Thank you. For asking." For not being like the rest, who tried so hard to protect her that it became suffocating.
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Barking out a laugh, Amun shook his head. Grinning at Maea, he arched an eyebrow. "Wessex? Definitely not sister material. We're close and all, but she's more like a cool aunt than anything else. Maybe an older cousin, someone to listen to and confide in, but can you picture her letting me braid her hair?" He chuckled again at the thought. "As for the rest, we're family and kin, but I don't consider them siblings, exactly." Reaching out, he would slide his fingers into hers for a moment.
Of course then she was shifting around in his lap. Steadying her, he returned the hug with a smile. "Of course you need to come along. I can't make heads or tails of ancient texts, even if I was the bookish scholarly sort."
