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!
"Of course! My own survival is the most important thing! You're the one out here doing something that doesn't help yours." Kaiden clarified, slightly disturbed that the concept wasn't obvious to the man. How had he lived so long without knowing that simple thing? The mer was distracted by the appearance of something that smelled sweet and minty. But before they could ask what it was, Morgen caught them off guard.
The question should have been insulting, taunting or judgmental. But it sounded, genuine? Kaiden's jaw snapped shut as they regarded the man for a long moment. Contemplating in the silence, the mer finally spoke, returning the honesty. Their voice was quieter, steadier than it had been for this entire conversation so far. "It's safer. Keeps people away most days."
Other people brought danger. They fought Kaiden for resources or pretended to be friends only to betray them later. Most though didn't even waste time pretending to be nice. They just went straight to scorn and mistrust. How could Kaiden respond to that kind of treatment in any other way except returning it?
"And yet here I am, survivin' just the same." Morgen counters with a shrug, still unrattled by the mer's rather provocative way of speaking.
Listening, Morgen frowns, though it's more of a thoughtful gesture than one of sadness or displeasure. "That might be true. But I sorta think if you really wanted t'keep folks away, you wouldn't have popped up here like you did. Plenty of ocean to be in, and I might not of even noticed you if'n you hadn't shouted at me." Not one to assume for the most part, Morgen wondered if some part of Kaiden wanted a bit of contact, but just didn't know how to go about gettin' it.
'I get it though. Got a couple like that in the herd right now. Mostly youngsters. Most of 'em learn that there are better ways of gettin' along than always be'in ornery, but not all. Some stay sour 'cause it's all they know."
Kaiden scowled, "Stop projecting there, Morgen." For a moment, their voice was almost mature. Almost like a reprimand from a superior to their subordinate. But then they ruined the illusion with a shake of their head.
"I came here to get away from the bustle of the ocean for a moment. I only popped up because you and your one-horns were disturbing the water and thus, me." There was no way that the mershark wanted contact. People brought decepion, lies, and pain. Why would they ever willingly seek out someone's company?
As the wrangler continued to speak, the furrow in Kaiden's brow deepened. "And now you're projecting your one-horns onto me." Kaiden glanced at the colt from earlier and deadpan asked, "Are you secretly a shark or something?" The colt simply went about its business of drinking water with an ear flick. "No?" Turning back to Morgen they added with bared teeth, "So stop psychoanalyzing me like you know me."
How long did it take unicorns to drink? Surely the man would be leaving soon. Hopefully.
Morgen merely chuckles and gives his head a shake. "They weren't disturbin' shit and you know it." He counters with a smile. "Ain't like they were splashin' about out deep. They were all barely in up to their knees." Turning, he narrows his eyes down the coastline. "I figure you coulda swum all the way down there in just a minute or two and none of this woulda happened." Turning back, Morgen reaches into his pocket to pull out a small roll of tobacco.
'But instead you popped up and made a big stink of us bein' here. Same as you're still doin' now. You're outnumbered and out-powered, so either you're just a moron lookin' to pick a fight, or you do actually want the contact." Morgen continues with another shrug.
'I ain't got to know you and I ain't got to know what psychoanalyzing means to call things like I see 'em. You want to be alone? Then git."
12-12-2022, 07:59 PM (This post was last modified: 12-12-2022, 07:59 PM by Kaiden.)
kaiden
There is no shame in survival
Only strength
Kaiden's scowl turned into a full snarl, teeth grit in a mix of anger and embarrassment. "You know nothing, stupid one-horn walker. Even minor disturbances are detectable and annoying for my kind. Just because you can't sense shit doesn't mean that I can't!" The unicorns had been disturbing them. The mershark had wanted to be alone but being aware of creatures up above had ruined that. The fact that Morgen couldn't see that meant that he was stupid.
"I'm done here. Because the water is too warm from your one-horns walking in it. I hope you have a terrible fucking day. Bye." With a snort, Kaiden dove under the water, grumbling to themselves. Morgen had been spewing bullshit. Them? Feeling lonely? Madness. Maybe the wrangler hit his head as a child. That would explain it.
