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!
After a few seasons readjusting to Halo’s temperatures upon moving back, Torchline’s magical cold can hardly hold a candle, even with the biting winds off the ocean’s surface. The sun hangs at her apex in the sky, as planned ahead by correspondence she’d been uncertain would reach a man whose life was spent beneath water, but the response had reached her with enough time to ease those concerns. A small satchel at her hip warms through her leggings, meals prepped and held in glass containers that she had brought with an eager intent to share with the forger.
Sitting on an outdoor pillow at the water’s edge, the Evergreen pulls her hood back to free her long fiery hair, hoping it would help her friend find her among the few other brave souls on the cold beach.
The City beneath the waves was making its own preparations for the upcoming War, and Hadama had been an impetus for it. He relied on his family and his friends to spread the word, but he had found himself spending more and more time involved in matters he had once thought well beyond his station. Still, as much for his sanity as any other reason, he made time to visit the surface and stay in touch with his human friends as best they could all manage with the world beginning to tilt around them.
Evie's message couldn't have come at a better time, truth be told.
The great manta stitched with gold cruised into the shallows, a diamond shadow passing over the pale sand until it scraped his belly. Then the broad wings shrank and the body lengthened, a spill of steely silk streaming over his back as he glided the last bit into shore and pushed himself up amidst the chilly surf a few feet from his red-haired friend. "Hello, Evie," he greeted, the warmth in his rumbling voice hopefully making up for the unseasonable chill. He swept his slender tail to curve forward and plucked the tightly woven satchel that had trailed behind him from the water; his own offerings for their picnic cool and wet within their driftwood boxes. "Are you well?"
Though the weather is bleak, the sun still shines, and the water is clear and blue; as such it allows her to see Hadama’s arrival where grey coasts and dark skies might have otherwise concealed him. He is a welcome vision, and the Evergreen smiles well before he emerges, straightening from her comfortable waiting slouch on the cushion.
“It’s good to see you Hadama,” she greets warmly, shuffling onto the damp portion of sand with her pillow, confident in its water resistance. Though much weighs on her mind, she looks far better than last he’d seen her; wracked with grief, alone and uncertain, waiting hopelessly for Halo’s passages to thaw so that she could reach her hand for the last person she knew could be trusted. Now, though appearing a little tired, there is a warmth and color to her face and a peaceful set to her features that makes it clear Evie has pulled herself away from the rocks she’d been cast into with Sam’s death.
“My mind is a little full these days, but I’m doing much better. How are you? Is all well in your kingdom?” A realm she still knows so little of, but which she worries for if only because of Hadama’s presence in her life.
The merman studied Evie's face and bearing thoughtfully, seeing the changes that time had wrought and finding them for the better. He gave a single, slow nod to himself of contentment for the light and life that had blossomed in the time they had been apart.
"Busy," he admitted for his own case. The question of his kingdom had him growing quiet again, however, considering both her words and his own. While it certainly wasn't taboo to ask into the affairs of the Underwater City and its court, it was still rare among natural Torchers, who tended to respect the merfolk's desire for privacy and separation from the land.
A separation that was a matter of age-old tradition and wisdom. But that - perhaps, in light of recent world-shaking events - was due for... amending.
Perhaps.
"As well as we can be, with War on the horizon," he rumbled at last, warmth fading to solemnity though his welcome remained as he pulled himself as far onto the shore as he could while keeping his lower half in the surf. "How are the Hollowed Grounds faring?" For last they'd spoken, she had claimed that region as her residence.
A short response, but one she can undoubtedly relate to, and the commiserating grimace of a smile she feels naturally rise to her face makes that clear. Evie has no way of knowing the courtesies he’s used to - she has rarely ever stepped foot in Torchline to start - but all lands these days seem stand-offish and reclusive. She remembers feeling that way when Outlanders started pouring in, but after the fall of the barrier Evie wants to touch every piece of earth the world has to offer. Living in a bubble had lost its charm early in her youth.
“I moved permanently to Halo,” she shares freely, beginning to unpack her own items between them. Only once she has does she press her hand to the sand to create his little tide pool like she’d done the first time they’d met, giving him more room without sacrificing his connection to the incoming waves. A slight hue of pink takes over her cheeks. “Actually I was recently voted in as one of the new Wardens,” she confesses, still adjusting to the newness of her title. “I don’t know the current state of the Grounds. But Halo is doing well. Any who can’t fight or have no desire to I have been encouraging to plan on going to the safe haven in King’s End when the time comes.” Suddenly frowning, a certain regality comes over her as her eyes lift with intent to Hadama’s face. “Is the Haven accessible for your people?”
This was only their second meeting but Hadama had a premonition - a hope - that someday Evie would be a friend close enough to share some of his worries with. It was too soon to burden a woman he barely knew with such weight, however. It would be a discourtesy to her even above the break with his people's traditional secrecy. The merman was content to let their friendship grow and root and blossom at its own pace...
If the War and their responsibilities would give them that time.
He waited while she unpacked her bag, patient and stoic though her words genuinely surprised him. A great deal had changed since last they'd met upon the strand, it seemed, and he considered her with new respect due her elevated position. "Congratulations," he offered, warm and solemn at once as he relaxed into the deepened tide pool for his personal use. Allowing himself a single, luxurious stretch, he pulled his own bag to the rim of the pool and began to remove the boxes and hinged-and-latched clam shells within, setting them on the sand.
It was strange, however. No matter how far up the sand the surf raced as it washed ashore the crescent of beach in front of Evie remained dry as a bone, not even spray reaching the woman in the unseasonable chill of the day.
"I know of this... haven," he said slowly, considering each word with some of the warmth fading from his eyes. "I was assured the mer would be welcome there. But... I am not certain that I trust it. I have advised my people not to go there." Though as a seasmith without a forge of his own he didn't seem convinced that his word carried much weight.
He considered Evie with concerned emerald eyes. "Will you be joining your people who choose it?" It would make a certain sense, that those displaced from Halo would need a leader in their self-imposed exile for as long as the War lasted.
His congratulations help chase the cold of the persistent winter still gripping Torchline, and her smile is smaller, but far more meaningfully warm in response. “Thank you. I’ve ruled before, but it never stops being quite the change.” The subtlest admission of frazzlement she will allow, if only because she too believes that someday they will be closer confidants. Fostering that can only be done with intent.
So captivated by the subtle change in Hadama’s demeanor, the Evergreen doesn’t notice the strangeness of the dry sand around her, her own expression mirroring into a concerned frown. “Have you heard of something that makes you wary of it? Given it has Frey’s blessing, I was willing to overlook the fact I don’t know the creators well.” As well as the involvement of various Ascended. Given her twin had been one, Evie knew some of the Voice’s children did not follow her blindly.
Shaking her brilliant crown, Evie sighs softly. “No. I am a healer first and foremost, and for all the warriors on the field - and even the breadth of my own abilities - I suspect I will be needed more direly on the frontlines.” Even if that only entailed standing on the fringes, healing those stronger than herself to keep them in the fight. “What of yourself?”
09-19-2022, 09:59 PM (This post was last modified: 09-21-2022, 04:06 PM by Hadama.)
He was in no rush as they made themselves comfortable and arranged their contributions to the day, and he took the time to think over her words. But though he had a guess as to what she meant, he didn't want to jump to a conclusion too soon. Not so quickly after the first misassumption, at least. "Where did you rule before?" A curious inquiry, and a bit more respect colored his tone. He hadn't realized that he'd been eating lunch with a former leader when they'd met.
Though now, at least, she was also a friend.
And because of that Hadama was open with his concern over the Haven, though he kept his own people's political instability close to his bare chest. "Frey's blessing, yes," he agreed with a slow nod of his head. "And the Voice. But not that of Safrin or Ludo. And no word from the Old Gods." He paused a moment, brow furrowing in concern. "It may not even be intentional harm, but I do not know if even the combined power of Frey and the Voice can prevent the... hm. The collateral damage if the Old Gods join the War against the Voice personally." He met Evie's gaze steadily, but there were stormclouds of concern in his own. "And the gods will join the War this time." Or so Safrin had told him. "So I will also stay and fight to defend my home as well. However I can." A simple declaration, but it held the certainty of the ebb and flow of the tide behind it.
Turning his attention to the boxes and containers that had been laid out he nodded to Evie's with a questioning tilt of his brow and a conscious effort to lighten the mood once more.
Recalling her time leading the Grounds is never easy, but it’s a pain she had trained herself to grapple with in her seasons of isolation. “The Hollowed Grounds, for a time. Before the Ascended began ruling it.” Further ammunition for her guilt, but she has always been some doomed mixture of grey on the topic of the Ascended and their creator.
Which is why her brows furrow at the news that the Haven had been blessed by The Voice as well apparently. “I wasn’t aware,” she admits, tone carefully neutral but also tellingly lower in both decibel and octave. “The Old Gods appear even more rarely than their Heralds, but it would be wise to seek Safrin and Ludo’s opinions on the matter.” A task for anyone but her obviously, tainted as she is. “I’ve seen what only one herald’s power can accomplish, if they’re tied to their respective Old God it’s not necessarily the power I would worry about, but the collaboration.” It’s nice to say that both sides have a vested interest in minimizing collateral damage, but that damage could be tide turning. How long could they all pretend to be morally pure?
At his reminder of the containers, Evie obligingly begins to open them, revealing salted cured meats, winter berries, and best of all: a carefully packaged, undamaged burger from the vendor she and Deimos often visited in Halo. Still wonderfully steaming and plentifully topped with additional goodies.
Ah. Hadama nodded slowly in acceptance of the information, neither reassuring Evie nor condoning her for it. It was not his place even if he had known of the complexities and nuances that had led her to take and then relinquish such a position. It was simply another aspect of the red-haired woman that he added to the other things he had learned, giving more color and detail to the picture of her that was slowly filling out in his mind.
"It is... troubling," he agreed. Hence his unwillingness to recommend the Refuge to his own people. "I have a task to complete before I see Safrin again. But once I do... I will ask what she thinks." He just hoped he would be able to fulfill Her requests before the War began.
For now, though, the dishes were of great interest and the mermanta's eyes gleamed as the scents were freed to waft across the small stretch of sand that separated them. With a glance he widened his control over the nearby waters to push them back farther to keep the precious feast safe before he began to unveil his own offerings for the day. Small, choice filleted cuts of raw fish both white and red were wrapped in plump kelp like miniature sandwiches; a different variety of green seaweed had been prepared as a salad, dotted with finely diced shrimp and seaweed grapes; mixed scallops and octopus filled another bowl, also raw but already cut into bite-sized chunks. And beside each dish were two or three small containers of thick, flavorful pastes in flavors ranging from spicy to tangy to sweet. "You may put some of this on you food right before you eat it," he explained, demonstrating by dipping a thin, flat bone spatula into a red paste (a tangy citrus flavor) and spreading it deftly across a fish sandwich before offering it to Evie.
Ah, another Safrin follower then. Evie seems to draw them to her in droves. Amalia, Deimos, Seren herself, now Hadama. Though the stars have never drawn her, Evie respects the goddess on principal alone. Her loved ones wouldn’t follow her without reason after all. “Perhaps that will help. Regardless of her answer, you’ll have more information to form your opinion.” Which was sometimes all they could ask themselves with in these scenarios.
As each dish is revealed, Evie’s own excitement and intrigue grow to match Hadama’s, only marginally less reserved. She doesn’t even know where to start, and as such is grateful when Hadama takes the choice from her hands by expertly adorning the food with some sort of sauce and handing it to her. Taking it eagerly, Evie trades him a long piece of jerky. Caribou, to start, as she’d made sure to bring a few kinds. “This is caribou jerky. Salted and seasoned, then dried until all the water has left the meat. It’s very chewy.” Now, both with food to contend with, Evie bites into her strange sandwich. The sauce is the first to hit her taste buds, and it’s absolutely delightful, lingering long enough to blend with the salt of the kelp and the soft flesh of the fish. She moans appreciatively (belatedly hoping that wasn’t an insult in his culture) and doesn’t even bother hurrying for the sake of commentary. Lingering on the bite until she could no longer. “Oh wow, the sauce is incredible! I’ve never had such good fish either, the Grounds had nowhere to do it growing up.” Which means she’s rarely ever had it in her diet.
He tilted his head in acknowledgment, hoping that Evie was right. The goddess could be coy with her wisdom, however, and owed no mortal an explanation of their intentions, and he knew better than to expect a satisfactory answer. All he could do was pray and make do with what she was willing to share.
The food provided a welcome return to more light-hearted conversation and Hadama accepted the jerky with solemn gratitude. Fish jerky was something he was used to; brining was an inevitable part of life beneath the waves, but the red caribou meat was an entirely new flavor all its own and he chewed with pleasure, taking time to appreciate the different texture as well as taste.
Unbothered by Evie's sound of enjoyment - Melita also didn't hide her opinions of their culinary adventures - Hadama looked quietly pleased that the flavors suited Evie. Swallowing the last bite of jerky he gave a gracious nod. "Thank you. My father taught me how to make the sauces." Green eyes sparkled with a hint of pride. "They are thicker, usually. The sea thins them naturally between spreading and taking a bite, underwater. I have been practicing how to make them correctly for serving in air, too."
He reached for another of the dishes that Evie had uncovered, and though his movements were as slow and controlled as ever there was a sense of eagerness in the emerald gaze he flashed his dinner companion. "It is strange to think of how many places are far from the sea," he admitted. "Is there nothing like it in the Grounds?"
Evie listens attentively - incapable of commentary even if she wanted, due to the food in her mouth - and easily squashes the small green jealousy that rears its head at mention of his father teaching him the recipes. Her parents are dead; Evie doesn’t want to waste time mourning inadequacies that had persisted while they were still alive.
Swallowing, she begins layering a different sauce on her next bite, eager to try all the options. “The Grounds has access to the ocean only at the very edges of the peninsula as far as I’m aware, and it was not accessible at all when the barrier was active. We had a small lake, but given the scarcity of food with the barrier, all the fish and edible creatures were long taken from it.” Whether anyone has bothered to transport and reintroduce them since the fall is an unknown to her.
The tide lapped tamely into his little human-made tidepool and out again, his water magic keeping the waves at bay and the spray from dampening his friend (though he didn't mind that which fell on him). Their picnic would be protected if he had any say in the matter - and, even if only recently, he did.
He reached for the burger next as Evie spoke, lifting it to examine the layers of bread and meat and toppings with silent fascination. The aroma wafting from it was unlike anything beneath the waves and his mouth began to water even before he took a bite.
Unlike Evie he didn't make a sound, but his eyes closed in bliss as he savored the mix of flavors and the hot juices from the burger as he chewed slowly and with great care to catch every nuance on his tongue.
"Hmm. Unfortunate," he rumbled, a quiet lament for the dead waters. "Was it large enough to learn how to swim in?" He knew what a lake was, in theory. He had even seen one - sort of - in Remi's dreamscape in the Greatwood. But all he really understood about them was that they were larger than a tidepool and smaller than an ocean. It left a great deal of room for misunderstanding in what was and was not possible in one.
