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!
death, you bring death and destruction to all that you touch
With injuries healed, and time taken to whittle away the measures, the reflections, of how the landshark hunt had gone, Deimos sent out notes to two members of the party. Thereafter, he settled down into the chair behind his desk, and drew up a long piece of parchment.
What had he done wrong? Given them too much responsibility? Held high, lofty expectations? Presumed they could handle disastrous wakes and the strange, bewitching way chaos could unravel? Within the blink of an eye, things had gone downhill, but there had been moments beforehand that could have ensured a lack of lacerations, panic, or rash, unhinged thinking. As both General and guildmaster, the Sword had taken it upon himself to ensure protection; amidst instruction and placing himself on the frontlines.
But he couldn’t make decisions for others, and that was where the crux of the issue unfurled. The real trepidation, worry, and concern, could and would span out further. How many people had he lost, in between two lifetimes? How many could he save, when it came to warfare? How many would he have claimed to have taught, that simply learned nothing at all?
Jotting down a few more notes, his eyes went to those entering – namely, Sah and Talyson. Expression reticent and unyielding, his jaw jutted towards the two chairs he’d left seated in front of his table, imploring them to sit without a single word, but a narrowed portion to his piercing gaze.
Only thereafter, once they’d settled, did the rumble of his tones exude over the parlor. "Explain your actions at the hunt, and why you chose to endanger the lives of yourselves and guild mates."
Tal trudged in with slouched shoulders and eyes that seemed glued to the floor. His habitual scowl was trying to assert itself but he fought to keep his expression neutral - with middling success. He flicked a tentative glance at Deimos but when the General's expression gave nothing away he sighed and settled gingerly into one of the chairs indicated and waited in brooding, anxious silence for Sah to arrive.
And then it began.
There were remnants of his father's tone in Deimos's voice and Tal winced, glaring mulishly at the edge of the desk. It was a question he'd been avoiding successfully since the hunt had ended, but like a puppy with his nose rubbed in the mess he'd made there was no avoiding it now. He slanted an unreadable glance at Sah, fingers drumming restlessly against his thigh, before clearing his throat--
And mumbling.
"It seemed... like a good idea at the time?" Another wince and he shook his head. "No, I mean... I didn't really... I wasn't thinking." He admitted reluctantly, the words dragged out of him by Deimos's immovable gaze. "I ran outta throwing axes an' I didn't... Delia and S-- Delia was in danger," he corrected himself. "An' I had to get close t'use my fighting axe an'... I'm quick on my feet. I thought I could at least distract 'em. I didn't want to be useless." A bitter word, from a young man who couldn't see how far he'd already come in so short a time. Overconfidence and a need to impress. Underestimating a foe he'd never faced before. And lack of experience working with a team. Faults that had, thankfully, not led to anyone dying.
Though he did shoot a guilty glance towards Sah's healed leg.
Sah arrived and sat beside Tal, listening silently as Deimos spoke. He knew that they'd fucked up, that was undeniable. Still, it felt wrong to see the courier so unsure of himself. Hearing him speak the first bit of his name was a surprise and suddenly it clicked for him just what Tal had been trying to do.
Feeling a surge of gratitude, Sah reached out and placed a firm hand on Tal's shoulder in a show of solidarity, and maybe even a hint of protectiveness. Eyes turned to Deimos he answered, "I know we messed up. Arguing childishly put everyone in unnecessary danger. It will not happen again."
They could have easily gotten everyone and themselves killed by being so distracted and uncooperative. it was afterward that that fact truly hit Sah. He could make the argument that adrenaline, pettiness, and all other manner of excuses. But they were just that, excuses.
Sah nodded at Tal briefly as he added to Deimos, "We've already made up to a degree as well." A night of vodka did wonders for bonding after all.
death, you bring death and destruction to all that you touch
The demeanors didn’t affect his countenance, nor his regards towards the situation. They could hold slouched shoulders and excuses with haggard, long-drawn faces all day long, and the Sword would have remained in his nonchalance and reticence, blinking steadily through the myriad of excuses. Talyson’s might have been more feasible, given his inexperience, but Sah’s lacked anything at all – and Deimos had expected something significant from him. His eyes narrowed in brief flickers of disappointment, a head tilt in predacious swings, as a tiger might consider its prey.
His first rumble was to the Thunder, who either wasn’t taking this seriously or had forgotten the initial statement and command. “Is that your explanation?” For punching sharks and acting like a fool?
The second interval was to the courier, who’d at least attempted to pinpoint where it’d gone wrong – in panic and stupidity. “If I believed you useless, I would not have invited you. Putting yourself in harm’s way did nothing to aid the situation.” Just made it worse.
Thereafter he sighed, strongly contemplating the drinks in the cupboard nearby. “I errored too, in thinking you were ready. These hunts emphasize teamwork, trust, and tactics.” Which they hadn’t demonstrated well, when everything began to fall apart. “I do not care if you dislike each other outside of our gatherings, but your antagonism towards one another put everyone in jeopardy, and it will not be tolerated.” They’d heard his warnings during the pursuit and tracking, and now they’d understand that he meant the augurs.
“So, you will have to earn your place for an upcoming hunt. I will be holding a team building exercise for some of the recruits who have similar problems. You will participate together, and then I will see if you are ready to work with the guild again.” He paused, waiting to hear from either of them. “Do you understand?”
Even after their night of vodka-fueled bonding, Tal wasn't expecting the hand on his shoulder and looked over to Sah sharply. The Advisor's words were straightforward and sincere, however, and the courier ducked his head at the unexpected solidarity, awkwardly uncertain of how to accept it but not refuting the other man's assurance to their guildmaster, either. He gave Deimos a stilted nod, still very much aware of why they'd been called in - and the potentially disastrous consequences that Sah had taken the brunt of because of their childish bickering that day.
A wince met Deimos's judgment, but the courier lifted his head a little in surprise at the reminder that maybe the General had more confidence in him than he sometimes had for himself.
And then he'd gone and cocked it up by trying to be a hero.
He wasn't exactly surprised that they were being taken off the hunts until they proved themselves, but his shoulders still slumped beneath Sah's hand as the punishment came down. He slanted a glance at the Advisor to see what his fellow delinquent thought, but they had made some progress since Leafchange. Things had shifted during LongNight, and he gave a cautious nod of agreement to the plan. "Yessir."
Sah paused at the additional question and the Sword's demeanor. It dawned on him then just what Deimos was looking for. The Thunder sighed and nodded, "Ah. This is about punching the shark as well." He gathered his thoughts for a moment, trying to determine how to phrase his train of thought at the time.
"In hindsight it was an idiotic and reckless move. But at the time it seemed like my best option. The platform under me and Cordelia was shattering, and she was fleeing in her fox form while the shark was coming straight at us. While her fox form could, I didn't think I had the agility and speed to reach the platform before the shark reached me. So, I thought my best bet was to stay and defend myself while at the same time keep the shark's attention on me and not Cordelia." The Abandoned had truly doubted he could make it to the platform in time and thought it would be more viable to go on the defense.
Sah let out a breath, shaking his head as he continued, "I thought maybe if I even managed to stun it with lighting, I could buy myself a bit of time to then actually make it to the platform. Clearly, I failed that endeavor as it shook the lighting off and went after me as I made my break for the platform." He rubbed his temples, recalling the bite to his leg that had occurred when he had actually tried to rejoin the others.
"Even if I had stayed, I really should have just tried to shoot it with lighting instead of waiting for it to get close enough to punch. That bit was just pure reckless idiocy that I have no excuse for." Really, why hadn't he considered that option at the time? Hindsight was 20/20 and all but really, that had been an incredibly stupid choice. Maybe it was pettiness and anger? Adrenaline fueled stupidity? Still, there was no valid excuse.
Deimos' orders were heard loud and clear and Sah couldn't blame him for his decision. He'd likely have made the same choice if he were in the Sword's shoes. "Understood."
death, you bring death and destruction to all that you touch
With no argument from Talyson, his focus pinpointed towards Sah. Idiotic and reckless seemed to denote the highlight of Sah’s actions from the initial bickering, and Deimos could only find himself agreeing with the consensus. “In moments like these, it would be better to find the safer alternative, regroup, and reassess.” Which, the Thunder likely learned the hard way, through pain and stupidity. His eyes glanced towards both thereafter, perhaps the hint of a warning laced within rumbling tones once more. “These are hunts. Not moments to act like heroes or cease thinking entirely." Had they both not consented to fumble around like morons, one could argue that these moments may not have even occurred. And in the back of the Sword’s mind, he worried greatly for the time when war broke, and he’d be forced elsewhere – unable to do much else for those like Sah or Talyson.
The learning curves were steep and becoming sharper.
With nothing more, Deimos eased a long, slow breath out of his chest, and dismissed them. “You may leave. I will send notice when I have the others ready.”
Then, thereafter, they’d all see the nature of changed behavior, or the punishments for disregarding those notions altogether.
