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 must disguise yourself,” she urges. “They identified Isla last time we were there. Won’t risk it with you.” Uttered with a smile, Wessex is nevertheless quite insistent as she offers Nikolai a faintly scarred wrist and waits for him to take a bit of her magic.
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She’d thought to go to the brothels first - after all, where is the one place an Ascended isn’t like to go? Byt then she thought the better of it - with no solid plan and no desire to put either herself or Nikolai through that kind of awkwardness… well, plan B it is. Keep your eyes and ears open, she mutters to him, let’s split up for a bit. Get a drink. Be a shadow. For her part, she looks like a man with an overgrown, slightly ungroomed mustache and beard falling over his lips in order to hide the sight of any fangs. He's a working man, and he just wants a pink in peace.
there was a time that we were kind, but now don't write me, you're not fooling anyone
Nikolai nods sharply, swallowing nervously before he reaches out and takes the offered wrist. Bringing it to his mouth, the younger Ascended lets his fangs sink in as he suppresses the satisfied hum that threatens to leave him. As he feels Wessex's magic surge through him, Nikolai releases her wrist.
Standing up he closes his eyes and focuses on the newly borrowed magic. Using her Anyone magic, he changes appearance to look as plain as possible. Brown eyes, brown hair, nonremarkable facial features, and a matching beard like the Demi-god's. Once it's done, he nods at her silent orders. Will do. Where and when should we reconvene? The younger Ascended is nervous but determined to succeed in their mission.
Nikolai is borrowing:
Magic: Anyone | Can alter surface level appearances over her whole body, such as skin, hair, and eye color. Cannot change internal structures (bones, voice, etc.)
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Well. They could be brothers, of a sort - an odd twist on their current family dynamic, but Wessex can dig it.
Two hours? she offers. But let me know if you need to bump that up. Will meet you outside and around the left corner, in that dark alley. It’s properly sneaky, moseying around in dark alleys this time. None of that out and about in public wandering that she and Isla were doing (none of it was Isla’s fault, she should have insisted the Remedy take her magic, but - alas - hindsight and all that). Wessex finds an open spot at the bar and orders a pint, lowering her voice and mumbling slightly so that she’s only just understood.
Then with her pint in hand, she finds an empty table off-center from the room, slouches into it, manspreads, and starts to take in the people around her.
there was a time that we were kind, but now don't write me, you're not fooling anyone
Understood. It's a sound plan and when they separate, Nikolai begins to head to the other side of town. He finds a quiet bookstore and perks up before heading in. Finding an interesting book on art history to purchase, he then heads to the cafe next door and orders a coffee.
Taking out a piece of paper and pen, Nikolai begins to jot down notes on the book's contents. For all intents and purposes, he's just a young man doing some late night studying in a cafe. Even as he studies, he notes his surroundings as he takes sips of his coffee and trains his ears on the conversations going on around him.
She’s about to protest when Nikolai leaves the White Hart, but maybe it’s for the best that they split up? Sighing to herself and grumbling about the youth (like any proper middle-aged man), the Wraith hunches some more over her pint and looks out at the world from beneath bushy eyebrows.
Focusing in one pair of men, Wessex strains to be able to hear them. What she can catch is mostly shop talk. Nothing of relics. Then a group of women, howling and laughing away as they talk about their children and partners. Hmmm. No. She needs that ear to whisper in to. Someone alone, maybe? Or the barkeep. If they’re anything like Sunjata or Neron, they know all the good shit that goes on. But is it too risky? Wessex sits back and begins to debate herself on the idea for a bit first.
there was a time that we were kind, but now don't write me, you're not fooling anyone
Nikolai attempts to keep up the illusion of a harmless intellectual of sorts. A wide variety of conversations swell up around him. Some are the awkward questions of a first date, another a passionate rant, and yet another the laughter of two friends catching up. It's nice to listen to, soothing even. But it isn't what he's looking for.
Knocking the rest of his coffee back, Nikolai stands and heads back to the register. He orders a refill and while he waits on the barista, the Ascended turns his ears towards the conversations that were previously out of range. Perhaps one of them will lend him some insight.
In the end she decides for it, taking her empty tankard back up to the bar and waiting patiently for the barkeep’s attention. Another ale, cheapest (not like she’ll taste the difference between the piss-yellow swill and the good, dark and hoppy beer), and she pays for it. Taking a moment to turn around and observe the crowd, the Wraith does her best to keep her spot at the bar, sipping slowly and keeping her eyes downcast. Just a tired, overworked and underpaid man, tryin’ to drown it all in drink, like so many men before him.
Gods, sometimes she wished life were that simple. How you doin? she calls quietly out to Nikolai, as she gets halfway through the pour.
there was a time that we were kind, but now don't write me, you're not fooling anyone
Round two of unnecessary caffeine acquired, Nikolai returns to his table. He flips a page just as he hears Wessex's voice and refrains from giving any outward indication of the internal conversation. I'm good. Haven't heard anything yet. What about you? Taking a sip of his coffee, the Ascended turns the next page.
As he does so, a new group of customers come in and he trains his ears on their conversation. Hopefully he'll get something out of them. With how much danger the two Ascended were in just being here, Nikolai really didn't want this trip to be for nothing. Well, it wouldn't truly be for nothing. He actually really likes the book he's using for his cover. Definitely worth buying.
Looking around once more, Wessex down the rest of her tankard and mentally sighs. There’s no hiding her disappointment as she replies, Nothing, unfortunately. Let’s call it and come back another time. If he’s up for it, of course - and she hopes it is, because Wessex doesn’t want to have to say that this may be his only chance to visit the forbidden city, what with the war and the killing-Ascended curtain about to fall down on their heads.
Pushing herself away from the bar, the Wraith slides through the patrons and out the door - into the cold, dark night, and around the corner, where she’ll wait for Nikolai. They can debrief when they get home.
{Fin}
there was a time that we were kind, but now don't write me, you're not fooling anyone
