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!
living in this big blue world with my head up in outer space Stirring stars instead of sugar in my lemonade
The eve of his impromptu aging, Jude is escorted to the door of the Court by Prim, who he gives a messy kiss on the head to in thanks before waving a cheerful goodbye. The receptionist Julie is no longer working, so he encounters no curious stares or other obstacles on his way to the door that leads to the back rooms - the home he has known his entire life at this point.
When he opens the door, the sitting area is empty. It makes sense, despite how it makes him frown; the only reason it would normally be active is if he were the one there on the carpet, being entertained by one of his parents.
Stepping further in - and politely closing the door, lest he forget - he wanders further in on legs that are far longer and stronger than he had before, but which ultimately don’t make him much taller. “Maman? Daddy?” he calls, no trepidation in his tone, feeling utterly safe in these walls.
The sound of the door opening at this hour isn’t uncommon nor unexpected. Edmund usually coming home around this hour or even Harper managing to slip away from his duties early. However it isn’t either of those voices that drifts towards her through the apartment. It’s entirely unfamiliar and yet the cadence strikes a cord in her. Maeve pauses her hands over the dough she’s currently kneading and grabs the cloth on the counter, wiping the flour from her palms. Maman? There is only one person who she has taught to address her that way. It couldn’t possibly be… ”Jude? Mon petit soleil?” The Queen calls out, rounding the corner into the living room and stopping short at the sight of the boy.
There was no mistaking him. He had all of his father’s best features. She’d recognize him anywhere. Her intake of breath is sharp as her hand comes up to her chest, a tightness there she isn’t expecting as she takes him in, ”Look at you.. when did this happen? Does your father know?” Surely Harper must have some idea. Maeve couldn’t imagine that he wouldn’t, but between going back and forth and his duties, the Attuned might not of had a chance to see him yet.
Finally approaching him, Maeve takes his face between her hands, cupping his cheeks gently as she gazes down at him. ”Oh, you’ve grown so much!” And because it’s been too long since she’s been alone with him and properly held her son, the Nightshade gathers him into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. ”I’ve missed you more than you could know. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there.”
But I don't like a gold rush, gold rush I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush
living in this big blue world with my head up in outer space Stirring stars instead of sugar in my lemonade
Jude innocently doesn’t consider the confusion that must come in the wake of his call, only aware of how he brightens to hear his mother’s call from the kitchen. In his mind there is no complexity to having two moms, only a surplus of love that he revels in happily, returning it from all sides. “Ici, maman!” he calls back, already crossing the rug in the entrance by time she emerges, hand going to her heart.
Her shock is enough to give him pause, second guessing himself. Little hands grip the hem of his shirt guiltily. “Umm no…Miss Amy took us on a field trip today, and now I’m bigger!” he tries to infuse optimism in his tone as his arms splay in a wide ‘ta-da’, wanting to ease the sorrow he sees in her face. It must work (he’s a genius) because she approaches and takes his face in her hands, and Harper’s gifted dimples emerge immediately as Jude giggles and scrunches up his nose beneath her inspection. He goes into the hug eagerly, wrapping his arms around her waist and enjoying how much more of her he can hold onto now. “I missed you too! Mom took me to get ice cream today, but I couldn’t bring any back to share with you. I’m sorry.” Even with the colder weather, it surely would have melted.
It does work. At least well enough. Maybe it has to do with the fact that she's gone through this once before with Edmund and thus is prepared for the aftermath of this sudden change. Thus when his hands grip at the hem of his shirt and his expression falters, confidence wavering in his voice, the Nightshade is quick to change her approach. His father's dimples appear at the corners of his smile and her heart melts to see them there as he giggles in response to her hands on his cheeks. "Did you go to the Rainbow Road?" She asks curiously, wondering if it was the same thing that happened to Edmund.
His arms slip around her waist in a tight hug and she drops her cheek against the top of his head as he tells her about his day, doing her best to keep her distaste off of her features of at the mention of Phoebe. "That's okay, mon soleil. What flavor did you have?" She asks, drawing back and leading him towards the kitchen, urging him to take a seat on one of the barstools. "How are you feeling now that you've grown? Different?"
But I don't like a gold rush, gold rush I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush
living in this big blue world with my head up in outer space Stirring stars instead of sugar in my lemonade
It's a good thing she is used to it, that she has gone through this once already. Jude knows in his heart of hearts that Harper, on the other hand, would not take it well at all. Which is why he melts the moment she discards her bittersweet concern in favor of embracing him. His father's reaction will surely break his heart for the first time he will ever remember, and for now Maeve's love helps him forget that future.
"Yes! It was much prettier when I got older. But Miss Amy was too upset to answer my questions about it." Such as was the stone itself colorful, or the water? Or was it magic, like so much in Caido?
"Every flavor!" he shares exuberantly, pulling excitedly on her blouse before remembering himself and forcefully stilling his hands. Realizing it might sound bad, he quickly amends, "But they were small scoops, promise." And as he follows her into the kitchen, Jude delights in the ease of climbing onto the barstool now that he is older. Though he kicks his legs eagerly. "Very different. But I like it! I wanted to talk to you and Daddy so bad, and now I finally can!"
Maeve knows that Harper won't handle it well. That her lover will put on a brave face for their son and act as if everything is alright while breaking a bit further. Still, that isn't the concern either of them need to have now. Instead the Nightshade focuses on the present, wrapping her son into her arms and squeezing him tightly, trying to chase away whatever unease lingers in his belly with her embrace. Only when she draws back and leads him into the kitchen does she acknowledge his words with a soft hum.
"We'll go back for a picnic once it warms up, okay? I can tell you all about it." The Rainbow Road was one of her favorite places in Torchline. Next to the hidden crystal cave that Harper had found and the cathedral of coral hidden on the coast. Both places worth visiting.
Her brows lift towards her hairline and she lets out a breezy laugh, catching his hands in hers as he tugs at her blouse, "Every flavor? Which was your favorite?" The Nightshade amends her question, brushing back his hair lightly before she's shifting around the counter to continue cutting the vegetables for the stew she's putting together. "Yes you can. Do you still remember the French you were learning?"
But I don't like a gold rush, gold rush I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush
living in this big blue world with my head up in outer space Stirring stars instead of sugar in my lemonade
Her tight embrace squeezes out a little breathless giggle as the air is pressed out of his lungs, naive to the turmoil he has caused and the years that now lay lost behind him. Though her promise does have him tilting his head towards her with a curious expression. “Why is it so cold still maman? Miss Amy mentioned it a lot today, normally the field trips are during the warmer seasons.” They’d all had to bundle up quite a lot to go out this time, which was an adventure unto itself given the lack of cold weather clothing in most Torchers closets.
She catches his hands in one of hers, so he can’t gesticulate his excited answer. Instead he wriggles in his seat to display it, feeling like he’ll explode if he doesn’t move in some way. “Strawberry and lime! I didn’t like the ones with stuff in them, they were too cold for my teeth. I liked the fruity ones a lot.” Strawberry, raspberry, even the fun ones like lemon and grapefruit had been favored despite their sourness. But her gentle reminder has him forcefully controlling his excitement in favor of sitting primly, nodding his curly head as he watches her move behind the counter. “Oui, maman. Je me souviens!” Perhaps that too was magic, allowing him to recall a language he’d only been learning for a year, the same way he now understands English.
10-12-2022, 10:35 PM (This post was last modified: 11-01-2022, 04:12 PM by Maeve.)
Maeve
"Well, there is a shrine hidden deep in Rae's Fingers. It was built for the goddess of Deepfrost, but because of that our weather is a bit of a mess." And she was going to be taking care of that very soon with Ronin and Melita. The shrine couldn't be allowed to stay. "Which is why I'm going to have to destroy it with the help of some of my friends." The Nightshade explains, not bothering to keep any details from him. There was no real point to it. She was of the firm belief that her children would be aware of all things going on in their homeland and what it was that being the Queen of Torchline entailed.
A soft hum pushes past her lips, smiling over at her son as she scoops the onion and celery she's been chopping from the cutting board and into the pot on the stove. Adding a dash of oil, she begins sauté them along with various aromatics, allowing them to soften before the chicken stock goes in next. "That sounds delicious. My favorite is lavender and honey. Did they have that one today?" She wouldn't be surprised if they didn't. The lavender wasn't growing right now. Despite it being the season for it. Damn cold was wreaking havoc on everything.
"Très bien, mon soleil. Nous continuerons à nous entraîner." She replies brightly, shifting her attention to the potatoes next. "Do you want to help me cut? I bet it'll taste ten times better with your help." They spend the rest of their afternoon putting together the stew, enjoying a house to themselves before Edmund and Harper come home.
~FIN <3~
But I don't like a gold rush, gold rush I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush
