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!
Finn hasn't wanted to admit it, because he'd done his best with moving, with Halo, but now he's living here again in Stormbreak... he's very glad to be back. It isn't just his son who had missed the familiarity, even if neither of them are particularly sociable when it comes to the people they see every day. And although being out from under Cian's shadow is strange in a way that can be freeing as much as it is dangerous, Finn walks the same streets and hears the same voices, and he takes comfort from it.
Today is a day off from a case he's working on (some shop owner burglarising his own business, how about that), and so the detective is turning his attention instead to his more musical proclivities. Armed with some sheet music that a kind someone had sent from the Citadel, Finn is sitting cross-legged against the back of their sofa, just as he had back in Tobi's apartment in the Tower, his guitar on his lap and his eyes on the musical notes on the scattered papers.
Furrowing his brow, he spends a couple of moments plucking out a familiar tune, before deciding on taking the plunge into the new music.
Waiting for the right moment. Waiting for the right words. Waiting for the right sort of feeling in his stomach and in his feet and in the tips of his fingers. With his notebook tucked under his arm and the smallest bit of conviction in his eyes, the boy had tiptoed as silently as he could from his room and toward the living room. There was no need to walk quietly in his own house, and yet existing as if he were a ghost was something he'd inadvertently picked up from his father (as opposed to leaving sweet traces of her existence the way Tobi did).
Of course, just as Ever made his way into the living room, his father had closed his eyes and let himself melt down deep into the melody he'd been working on. Standing with one leg raised to take another step, his lips tucked between his teeth, and his breath held, Ever once again began to wait.
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
Everest won't be waiting for long exactly, but it might be long enough that his leg will start to cramp a bit. Eventually, though, Finn does blink open his stormy eyes again, planning to tweak a few of the notes on the sheet music or try them again until they feel right, in that way that musicians do. And given that their entire family is pretty much musical, it's likely something that his son can understand.
Upon seeing Ever, though, of course Finn pauses, instead offering the boy a warm smile and lowering the guitar a bit. "Is everything alright?" he asks, assuming that he has something on his mind to have willingly come to haunt the living room, rather than merely passing through on the way to the kitchen or his bedroom.
A leg cramp is far more preferable than interrupting his father, and so even as pain seizes his thigh and lower back, the boy refuses to move. When Finn finally does look his way, there's no sigh of relief from the boy until his father lowers his guitar. Then, and only then, does Ever breathe and straighten. "Yes, everything is alright." He answers with a polite nod, though Finn's astute gaze will no doubt notice the way Ever is clutching at the base of his shirt with one hand and breathing in and out from his ribcage rather than low from his diaphragm.
"I would like to have a discussion with you about the upcoming war." He says nervously, yet somehow also sounding far older than he is. Such is the effect of being Finn and Tobi's son of course. "If...or, when you're free. I can see that you aren't, so I'll come back."
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
"Hmm," says Finn helpfully, in a way that suggests he will believe Everest, but not because what he is saying is necessarily true. Still, his expression grows as stormy as his eyes as the boy mentions the war, and Finn is already nodding and setting aside his instrument even as Ever tries to backtrack. "I have no set time on my agenda today," he says, "so I am free to move things around as I wish."
Rising to his feet to sink down onto the sofa properly, he pats the seat beside him for Ever to come and join him. (Partially because it would be better to discuss this on an equal level, and also to alleviate the cramp in his leg). "What is it you would like to know about the war?" he asks. "I am not sure how helpful I might be at answering, but I will do my best."
Already in the process of turning away and having desperately wished he'd stayed in his room, Ever is forced to stop and turn back around. Eyeing the place on the couch his father is indicating he should take, Ever's mind is forced to quickly recalibrate how he'd expected this discussion to go. In his mind, he'd imagined them at the table, and for most this is a small adjustment, but for Ever, it temporarily hinders his ability to move while his brain adjusts.
Sitting down next to Finn, Ever opens his notebook and looks at the various notes he's made. "It isn't something that I would like to know, so much as a rule I would like you to make." He begins, all of this sounding rehearsed (wonder why that could be). "The more I consider it, the more I think Mateo would want to be out during the War. He's been allowed to be here in Stormbreak even when it's been dangerous with both of his parents gone, and I think he'll believe that the war will be no different." Hazarding a glance up into his father's face, Ever sips in a quick breath before continuing.
"So..I would like you and mom to explicitly say that I have to spend the war inside of the Safe Haven. If you do that, I think I can convince Mateo to come with me." As reasonable as all of this sounds of course, to someone like Ever, it's inappropriate to dictate to his parents what they should do, and normally he wouldn't even think to give them instructions, only...
..it's the only way he can think to keep his friend safe.
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
It's a strange balance he has learned to strike with his son; Finn is used to being the anxious one in his life and in most of his interactions, but with Ever he's had to reverse the role and be the calm and strength and authority he usually seeks from other people. And, y'know, he thinks he's doing okay? Maybe? Regardless, he's all ears as the boy begins to explain.
Unlike other parents, there is no smirking or hiding laughter as Ever lays out his terms, Finn merely tilting his head to be told he needs to make a rule. But when it becomes apparent, what that rule is, he does finally let a smile trickle across his face. "You are worried about him, aren't you?" he murmurs, letting out a soft sigh.
"If it will help, then of course. I know your mother is already in agreement, but yes - you may consider this my saying explicitly that you have to spend the war inside the Safe Haven." He nods. "Mom and I will be there too. Perhaps that will also help to convince Mateo."
Wordlessly, Ever bobs his head. Mateo's bold and brave and reckless in ways that keeps Ever up at night, and though he loves those qualities in his friend, he knows that on his own, they're more than likely what will get him killed.
As Finn speaks the rule into being, Ever's shoulders sag noticeably as he exhales most of the tension he'd been carrying. Flipping open a new page in his notebook, he writes down his father's words exactly as he'd spoken them. "Thank you." He murmurs appreciatively, before glancing up a touch startled. "You..you will?" Having fully expected duty to keep both of his parents 'out' during the war, this revelation has a genuine and unmanaged smile spreading across Ever's face. "You really mean it? We can all be together? Safe?"
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
09-22-2022, 04:42 PM (This post was last modified: 09-22-2022, 04:42 PM by Finn.)
finn
it always seems more quiet in the dark
Smiling and watching as Everest turns to a new, crisp page in his notebook, Finn tilts his head to observe the neatly written rule bloom into being. "Would you like me to sign and date it?" he asks, knowing that it's something he would absolutely have found helpful in a moment like this. (Especially if this was to be used as evidence to prevent a friend from doing something thoroughly dangerous).
Surprised (obviously) by Everest's surprise, Finn finds himself catching his son's smile out of habit if nothing else, though he does give a soft nod of confirmation. "All together safe," he confirms, feeling himself relax internally about it as well. "Mom and I spoke about it, and you are far more important than anything else happening out here. We would never want you not knowing if everything was okay. So we're all going to King's End together."
Brightening, Ever nods with a childlike enthusiasm not normally on display. 'That would be very helpful, yes please.' So saying he nudges his notebook onto his father's knee before holding out his pen for Finn to take. Of course, someone might object that the signature had been forged when presented with this 'evidence', but of course anyone who knew Everest Hart would know he'd sooner die than break his parent's trust in such a manner.
Ever's relief instantly cools to turmoil as his tendency to overthink gets the better of him. "But..if you and mom could make a difference here...then all the potential good you might have done...it's all on me for having denied Stormbreak your help." He argues, his toes curling on the carpet as the full force of his concern begins to take root.
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
Accepting the pen, it is clear that Finn doesn't expect Everest to forge the signature just the same as Finn wouldn't give it with anything but sincerity. And so, with the notebook on his knee, he delivers his looping signature at the bottom of Ever's carefully printed rule, handing it back when he's done. "There," he says with a small smile. "And now it's official."
The overthinking and concern ought to have been foreseen, and Finn reaches out to softly grasp his son's shoulder, offering him a gentle smile. "Ever," he says. "We are going to the Safe Haven together, and that is final. It is a decision your mother and I made, and we are comfortable that there are plenty of other people here who are better able to help. This isn't your decision and it isn't your responsibility. Okay?"
Though the circle of those who can touch Ever without having him flinch is very small, Finn is indeed at its center, and so rather than bracing against his father's hand, the boy slouches beneath it. There aren't a series of words he knows how to string together to properly express his gratitude, and, not unlike the thoughts his mother occasionally has, Ever wishes Finn was an attuned too so that he could simply feel his son's complicated emotions.
'Thanks dad.' Ever mumbles, as if the true meaning of Finn's stern rephrasing was something secret just between the two of them. "Mateo and I went to talk to Sunjata about the haven, and it seems like it's going to be pretty neat. Do you think it would be okay to bring some of the books from the Archive with us when we go?"
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
"You are welcome," Finn replies, and he means it. Giving his son's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, the detective releases him and settles back properly against the sofa. "Oh, you did? I haven't gotten a chance to go and see it yet. Did you take notes about it?" He knows the answer is almost certainly yes, but he wants to give Everest the opportunity to show him himself.
As for the books, Finn nods, genuine pride in his expression. "That is a very good idea," he says. "Not just to give us something to read whilst we're in the haven, but if something were to happen to the Archive, it would be good to take a selection of important books to keep safe, don't you think?"
"I did!" Running his finger along one of the tabs in his notebook, Ever flips back several pages. "There will be..rotating crops, a fishery, several buildings have already been constructed. Sunjata wasn't sure about some things, like the weather or the passage of time." Those areas had question marks next to them instead of bullet points. "Everyone will just be..regular inside, though. No shifting, no magic, no items, no upgrades..." Biting at the inside of his lip, Ever shrugs a touch. "It'll be weird not being able to shift."{/\'say} He admits with his eyes firmly on the book before him, though the idea didn't seem quite so terrifying now that he knew his parents would be there with him.
"Oh! That's a good idea!" Flipping back to a new page, Ever smiles up at his father. "Should we make a list of the sorts of irreplaceable books that we should bring?" He asks, the brightness in his blue eyes clearly indicating that the hopes the answer is yes.
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
