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!
She is a very bright and gentle child, but these days she seems more like a little thundercloud, afro nearly bristling with the tension apparent in her little body. Irma is their caretaker in the haven, and Soleil often lays in their strange bed at the end of the night, shame faced and guilty for how she treats the woman who is still undeniably pack. She can’t help it; everything is strange and scary again, and her father is gone again, and nothing is okay anymore.
Most days she paces like a caged animal. Never straying far from Irma despite her recent rebelliousness. Today, after Irma had snapped at her - entirely fairly, given Soleil’s recent treatment of her packmember - Soleil is in a completely different section of the haven than she’s used to. Sitting on the outskirts of a small field of late harvest plants, head in her knees, weeping.
let us live like flowers, darling wild and beautiful and drenched in sun
see what you find there with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair
Paige used to hate the refuge.
That was until she realized that she had just as much freedom here as she did back in Torchline. Perhaps even more due to the fact that there wasn't really much trouble to get into here. Her mother wasn't nearly as worried about her antics and thus she could go just about anywhere within the boundary.
The Attuned had do a pretty good job of mapping out the entire place in the days that she'd been here, exploring thoroughly after her first day of moping and because of this she knew all of the best hiding places to get away from prying eyes. She was heading for one of her favorites when the sound of crying caught her attention, making her steps falter, brows knitting together. It wasn't uncommon to hear crying. Not when so many people were concerned for others who were fighting outside of the refuge, but this wasn't an adult.
Pushing through the tall stalks of corn, Paige follows the whimpering until she stumbles upon a familiar head of curls and her expression instantly softens, "Keep that up and you're gonna drown the crops." She teases softly, shifting closer until her shadow stretches long over Sol, hands braced on her hips and a kind smile curling on her lips. "What's got you so blue, sunshine?"
Nobody has really walked past in the time she has been sitting on the roadside, so the sudden sound of approaching footsteps - previously hidden by the sound of the wind through the cornstalks - makes her jump a little, turning her ruddy face from her knees to over her shoulder just as the older girl marches to a stop with her hands on her hips, voice contrastingly sweet.
Soleil's lip wobbles horribly at the sight of her best friend, and she scrambles up gracelessly, dress stained already by soil, and throws herself into Paige's arms. "Paige, you're here!" It's a pitiful mix between tears, relief, and joy. Pulling away, she scrubs at her cheeks to try and remove the sticky, itchy tears, sniffling a little as she tries to compose herself. "I got into a fight with Irma, who is taking care of us. And...and I really miss my dad, and I'm so worried, and Irma hasn't let us very far because she's supposed to watch us so I didn't even know you were here!" It all comes out in a waterfall rush of words, anxious hands pulling at her hair in a terrible habit she would never outgrow.
let us live like flowers, darling wild and beautiful and drenched in sun
see what you find there with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair
Paige is ready to catch Sol as soon as the girl throws herself into her arms, wrapping her own around the younger girl and holding her tightly, fingers tangling into the curls at the back of her head. "'course I'm here. Where else would I be?" She murmurs, drawing back slightly as Sol does the same, watching in mild concern as she scrubs roughly at her cheeks. "Hey, hey, it's okay, sunshine." Paige soothes, reaching forward to chuff her under the chin, smiling reassuringly down at her.
"I know it's hard not to worry. Especially when they're so far away, but your poppa is strong. Come on... Walk with me." The Attuned extends her hand to the girl, drawing her out of the field and back onto the path she'd been on before being distracted by the sound of crying. "It's not all bad here, you know? Plenty of sweet berries to pick and springs to swim in. Trees to climb, too." It's all Paige had been doing since coming here. After the initial stage of moping, of course.
With their fingers laced together, Paige doesn't hesitate to draw her into her side, looping an arm around her shoulders while still holding onto her hand. The move tucks the girl securely against her side as they walk, "Probably why your poppa thought you'd be okay here. I know it's why Auntie Maeve sent all of us here."
