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!
One last stop in her impromptu tour of Torchline before she is to head home to Halo. Admittedly the unnatural chill has made this visit rather lackluster, and she’d only seen the markets once before that. Many seem to have been drawn to Torchline’s sunny beaches over the years, but Evie can’t say she experiences the same pull. In fact the chill only reminds her of home, and encourages her to return there more swiftly.
But first she has a mountain to climb.
Joking, of course. The eruption had ensured ash and volcanic rock alike had stretched down the shoreline in east reach of quest-goers like herself. Wearing dark leggings to combat the inevitable ash fallout, flame-hair tied in a voluminous topknot, the Evergreen gets to work finding the rare loose chunks of volcanic rock in the vein flows.
Cover your crystal eyes And let your colors bleed and blend with mine
I never had a chance to be soft I was always bloody knuckles
Coming home held different connotations this time.
It was still cold, still harsh, still brisk, and she had tucked herself quietly into the modest fur coat she’d snagged in Halo, thoughts rambling upon the latest adventure. What should’ve been something awe-inspiring, between relic snagging and rock giant spying, desecrating, and the Falling actually being somewhat alive…
Her eyes flickered towards her house, and she permitted Sila’s tail to curl around her shoulder a little tighter.
Fangorn followed along as they reached the scale of Apopo, her mind wandering while her feet traversed. Her muscles knew the paths anyway, even if they were occasionally lined in ice, rime, and pockets of snow now, and while her breath plumed out in front of her, she caught a glimpse of another.
Her brow furrowed, spine straightening, wondering if she needed to reach for her weapons by instinct alone, but the fellowship of crimson hair worked out the possibilities and parameters before her hands snagged over bow or staff. “Evie?” Was an inquiry out over the wind – her head tilted vaguely, own locks taken along by the breeze.
and shards of glass I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me
Amanda perched over a rift in the volcanic rock. Blazing hot steam rose all around her, making her sweat until her clothes were soaked through. Her left arm had one end of a rope coiled around it, and she gripped it tightly with her fist; the other end was tied around a large rock, holding her in place so she wouldn't fall into the lava below.
She stretched her right arm down towards the lava below. It was as hot as holding her hand right up next to a blazing fire; any closer, and she would get burned. But rather than reach further with her hand, she reached further with her magic, stretching the telekinetic force down into the lava. Through the magic, she could "feel" the intense heat, but it couldn't touch her from here.
She pushed the lava around with the telekinesis, reaching as deep as she could, feeling her way along the volcanic rock underneath the lava flow. When she felt a loose rock with her telekinetic hand, she pulled it up, floating it over the lava. She gave it a few shakes to get rid of most of the dripping lava, then she carefully floated it over to the ground nearby, setting it down with a few other volcanic rocks she had collected. While they began to slowly cool, she turned her attention back to the lava, reaching her telekinesis down into it once more.
When she heard the sound of approaching footsteps, she glanced over to see the redheaded stranger approaching. "Stay back," she warned the stranger, "the rock is loose around here. You don't want to fall in."
Despite her own warning, Amanda continued dangling off the edge of the fissure, feet braced against the very lip of the rock, held steady only by the rope she gripped with all of her might.
Amanda’s voice is the first she hears, and her steps pause immediately, accustomed to warnings in Caido being the type you heeded well. Only as soon as she peers over the edge - because curiosity still drove her onward, if more carefully - she inhales sharply in alarm. “I can have the rock create a foothold beneath you, don’t startle,” she commands, and kneels immediately to press her hands to the rock to do so. Beneath Amanda’s feet, an inch below so as not to disturb her foothold, the rock bulges out obligingly beneath her magic to create a shelf for the woman to stand on in case of travesty. “It’s strong enough to bear your weight, at least use it to rest your hands. What in the world are you doing down there?”
Except her question becomes a secondary concern as, from behind, a far more familiar voice speaks her name. Turning on her shins, Evie’s eyes flit over Melita in habitual diagnosis; finding only sorrow and conflict, which concerns her all the same. “Melita? It’s good to see you. There’s somebody down here, but you’re safe to come to me.” A path already taken, and clear for the Honeybee to utilize to make it to Evie’s side.
Cover your crystal eyes And let your colors bleed and blend with mine
I never had a chance to be soft I was always bloody knuckles
Whether or not the stranger’s voice echoing across was for her, the youth furrowed her brow. Petty, and perhaps indifferent to the hazards of danger, her intrepid feet continued to carry her along the ice, sure-footed despite the alteration in terrain. “I’m all right,” she handwaved to both Evie and the other woman, shouldering the weaponry along her back and bag.
And so sauntering downward, as if at home no matter what the volcano’s compunctions had in store (not unlike herself, perhaps, in some regards), her eyes narrowed somewhat, followed in kind by her companions. Sila murmured a soft coo in her ear, and Fangorn bobbled, vines whipping out to ensure his own lack of freefall. “What are you up to?” extended to both individuals, perhaps, given the strangeness of the meeting.
and shards of glass I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me
Amanda glanced down at the stone as it reshaped itself under the influence of the stranger's magic. She nodded in approval.
"Nice trick," she said, bracing her feet against the newly created foothold. She still kept a strong grip on the rope with her one hand, but she felt much more well-balanced now. Still, she continued to lean far over the edge, far enough that if she lost her grip on the rope, she would fall right into the lava.
When both women asked what she was doing, Amanda off-handedly replied, "Scavenging volcanic stones," her tone making it seem like the most obvious thing in the world.
Finding a rock that was being a bit stubborn, Amanda glanced over to her nearby backpack where it lay on the ground. From the backpack, a small rock hammer floated out, drifting through the air and down into the fissure. She swung it a few times telekinetically at the stubborn rock, sending up some hot fiery sparks that singed her clothes. When the rock came free, she telekinetically lifted it into the air, the rock still glowing bright red with the heat of the lava below.
"Might want to step back," she said as the glowing hot stone floated over to join the others in her pile. "Ain't my fault if you get too close and get burned."
Evie breathes a sigh of relief to see the woman’s shoulders even out as her weight finds stability on the shelf the Evergreen has made. Though she does shoot a baffled, exasperated look over her shoulder at Melita where the woman in the crevice cannot witness it. The Honeybee ventures closer as the stranger calls up an answer, and Evie wonders how common volcanic rock collecting must be for both of them to be doing it on the same day. Then again, she knows little of Torchline, so perhaps it’s a ritual of some sorts.
Evie plainly and shamelessly spectates as Amanda’s magic plays out below her and Melita. “Oh, well I'm also doing that actually. Though I was admittedly using my magic to create my own rocks instead of finding the loose fragments.” Which feels a little like cheating now that she’s witnessing the effort the stranger is putting into her own crusade, but clearly she has her own magic to make things easier.
Accustomed to the brusque nature Amanda seems to display, Evie obligingly slides a little farther back at the warning before standing. She takes a quick moment to smile at Melita and her companions, adorable as ever, before she responds. “If you’d like I can help you gather a larger chunk so it’s safer?” It’s called down into the crevice, feeling restless with someone in any more danger than they strictly required being in her general presence. Sidling closer to Melita, she reaches out to touch the young woman’s shoulder in a friendly greeting, not wanting her to feel forgotten while they both watch like vultures from the lip of the crevice.
Cover your crystal eyes And let your colors bleed and blend with mine
I never had a chance to be soft I was always bloody knuckles
Melita watched the bizarre exchange with little of her expression hidden. Unlike Evie, who was far more subtle and sly about the confusion and bewilderment, the Honeybee’s shown plainly on her face – an arched brow, a tilted head, and a quizzical dominion beginning to circumvent. She’d been known to snag volcanic stones now and then too, but not in the way the stranger was doing.
Whatever.
Stepping lightly down to where Evie was, she gave not a single shit about the lava, shrugging her shoulders. At the Evergreen’s amicable touch, she lost some of her exasperation, looking down into the pits as the other woman continued onward. Hopefully the rope remained in tact. “What’re you getting yours for?” the young smuggler inquired, perhaps to both.
and shards of glass I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me
Amanda looked Evie up and down when she started discussing her earth-magic. "Sounds nifty," she said. "Can you like, make diamonds and stuff from scratch? Could make a tidy profit if you can conjure gems right out of the ground..."
She climbed back up out of the crevice, looking over the pile of salvaged stones she'd found. She brushed the ash off her hands and onto her pants. "If you can haul up something with your magic, I'd be grateful. Hard to find the good stuff just fishing around in the lava, right? Obsidian, basalt, kimberlite. Can get some nice gems out of those, and I know a guy who pays handsomely for the raw gems ready for cutting."
"If you're looking to trade, I can hook you up with my contacts in Torchline. I know everyone there."
She was exaggerating a little, but only a little.
"Might be able to work out a little deal, even. Y'all help gather up the goods," she nodded to both girls, "I find the buyer. We can all make a profit. Hardest part is hauling it all back to town, but if your earth magic tricks can separate the ores, it'd be easier to get the valuable minerals out, leave the crud behind."
Evie can’t help but stifle a bewildered laugh at Amanda’s…well, she isn’t quite sure how to describe the woman’s personality truly. Melita’s open expressions only made it all the harder, having to bite physically on a tongue that peeks out between her teeth to try and force back her laughter, cheeks going pink with effort. Surely making quite the stupid expression because of it.
“No unfortunately, but I can dig them up faster than any miner because I can feel the differences in the earth and seek them out.” Which actually gives her quite a good idea, once Amanda expounds a little on the topic. “If I pull some up now, would you trade me your stones? I don’t even need all of them.” Which would ensure Amanda would walk away the better off of the two; Evie proposes it precisely with the hope it will entice her.
She wiggles her brows at Melita while Amanda is looking away, mischievous, bringing the girl in on a joke that is building with each word. “Then I can strip off the useless bits so you have less to carry, and whatever I pull up you can sell without splitting the rewards. Think that’s fair?” It’s entirely in Amanda’s favor, but Evie doesn’t care. She just wants those stones for a fraction of the effort.
Cover your crystal eyes And let your colors bleed and blend with mine
I never had a chance to be soft I was always bloody knuckles
Considering Melita was a smuggler, and mostly just a violent hellion on her best days, the notions of trades for enticing pebbles and volcanic stones had been something she was already well-versed in.
But the joke was lost on her, arching a brow in consideration towards Evie while she called back down to the stranger. “I’m good. Got lots of pretty rocks.” That she’d found immersed and lined amongst the world – including vacant woods or Frey’s rainbow-cast pools, along the bottom of crimson falls, and everywhere else she was lured. Contacts of her own too; amongst the Guild, the Ark, and the rest of the void in between.
and shards of glass I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me
"Sounds like a deal to me," Amanda said. "I might have to get me some of that earth magic myself. Sounds pretty dang useful."
She started sorting through the rocks she'd collected, using her telekinesis to move them around since they were still too hot to touch. She sorted the obsidian from the basalt and put each of the other minerals in its own separate pile. Spread, out, they were able to start cooling a bit faster, and it made it easier to show off the goods she had collected.
"What do you think you can find around here? I've never dug down deep so I don't know what's in the area, but I'm sure I can find a buyer for anything you can dig up."
"Either of you do business in Torchline?" she asked. "I've got a business down there. Looking to expand real soon. Just got to, heh, cut out some of the competition, if you know what I mean." She winked at both girls. Torchline was known for its cut-throat business, and sometimes that was taken literally. Not that Amanda intended to cut any throats. But she did intend on cutting some competition out of the market entirely, using any non-violent means necessary.
The deal is struck, and Melita’s easy denial makes amusement linger on the corners of her easily smiling lips. Evie has always been honest, but never quite so forthright as the Honeybee. It’s admirable.
While Amanda works at sorting her own collection, Evie closes her eyes and focuses on the earth below her own feet. Listening with half an ear as she works at finding the denser deposits beneath. “Let’s see…” she mutters in a trailing answer. Grasping onto the first thing she feels and pulling, removing it from the earth easily. Its tourmaline - makes sense, given the water involvement in the volcanic explosion. “Here you go, how about this one?” It’s a pricy stone, though nothing like a diamond, and as big as both her fists together. But Amanda is the expert on what is desired in Torch, so Evie holds it up for the woman to examine.
Laughing, a little baffled, Evie shakes her head. Maybe Melita would be interested in helping chase out some local competition, but - “No, I’m actually just visiting. I live in Halo.” Thus the need for traveling to find volcanic rock.
Cover your crystal eyes And let your colors bleed and blend with mine
I never had a chance to be soft I was always bloody knuckles
“I can send you Jack’s way,” which caused such a Cheshire grin unbidden on her features that it was probably more of a warning than anything else. It provided her with foretold amusement within an instant – because she had little doubt this individual would annoy the fuck out of the Captain, and vice versa. And if not, at least the mental image of the potential brought her some mirth.
Her eyes flickered back and forth between drawn rocks and found stones, her crow brain sweeping over pretty hues and delightful colors. She would’ve taken the tourmaline within an instant to add to a collection of beautiful things she could use to bash someone's head in, but it wasn’t up to her on this go around.
and shards of glass I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me
