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!
champagne, cocaine, gasoline and most things in between
He's only gone and done it again.
Mateo doesn't remember what it was - ThirdEye mixed with Snapdragon, maybe, except it was that really really good Snapdragon that he'd cultivated a few months before, the stuff that's stronger than it has any right to be - but either way, it has fucked. Him. Up.
There's not a crowd forming per say, because that would imply that Mateo is making a scene, and whilst he likes to do so at almost every opportunity, he does prefer to die quietly, as they say. And so the night finds him slumped against a wall in an alleyway in the Silk Houses, head lolling, mascara running down his hollowed cheeks.
Is this how he dies? Nah, probably not. He just needs a couple minutes for his heart to stop hammering out of his chest, and for the world to climb down out of the sky. Heh, get it? Because Stormbreak is up in the sky?
With numb fingers, he reaches up to rake his hands through curls as unruly as one father's and as dark as the other's, his blue eyes rolling back in his head as he contemplates climbing down the Grotto and just... letting go.
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
Now you might be asking yourself how it is that Everest Hart just happens to be in the right alley at the right time to find Mateo. For now we'll call it PlOt ArMoUR but in actuality now that he's an adult, the complexities of Ever's life are...harder to describe, and right now, this is about Mateo.
Shoving a wet nose against the side of his friend's neck and snorfling, Ever relies briefly on his canine senses to answer questions and provide evidence his human senses wouldn't even be able to guess at. Mateo wasn't on the verge of a seizure or a diabetic episode, which was good. He smelled of sick and adrenaline, which was also good, because neither of those things were tinged with death. Shifting back but remaining kneeling Ever reaches for Mateo's chin to steady his friend's droopy neck. "If you're going to vomit you need to tell me, otherwise I need to check your pupils." This is said with relative calm. It isn't their first rodeo, after all.
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
champagne, cocaine, gasoline and most things in between
"Such a good doggy," Mateo slurs at the furry muzzle that comes huffing against the side of his neck, nearly overbalancing him to the point of falling over. But before he can get that far there's a steady hand straightening him back up, and he flutters his eyelashes at Ever like that will help to accomplish the task. "Not sick," he says. "Can we get a dog?" His accent is so thick it's a wonder that Everest will be able to understand him at all - but again, it's not their first rodeo.
Reaching out, he sloppily attempts to straighten his friend's collar and smooth out his shirt (or that's what he thinks he's doing, but in reality he's just sort of slapping at him). "You cannot look like that if we are going to Mother Molly's," he tells Ever. "I bet they have somebody lovely for you there tonight. We should go there now."
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
"Mmm, probably not." Everest says, of getting a dog. "We already have a dog." He was that dog, of course. Pulling out a small light, Ever flashes it quickly in front of his friend's eyes, watching the dilation of his pupils. It's sluggish--that being the snapdragon--but at least there's some sort of response. Turning his hand over he presses the inside of his wrist against Mateo's forehead to gauge his temperature while using his other hand to try and dissuade his friend from hitting him.
Satisfied that what Mateo needed was fluids (clear fluids sans alcohol), rest, and maybe something carby and basic to soak up whatever the hell was in his system, Everest relaxes slightly and pulls out a small pocket-sized notebook from, wouldn't you believe it, his pocket. "Can you tell me what you mixed?" To anyone passing by it probably looked as though Everest was very strongly coming onto Mateo, given how close he was standing to the other man in an effort to keep him vertical.
"No, no you're right, I can't." Ever agrees sagely. "What if we stopped at home and you picked something out for me?"
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
champagne, cocaine, gasoline and most things in between
"We do? That is great! I will need to buy him a parachute." The reasoning being, of course, that they lived on a skyboat, and that meant the dog was liable to fall into the open air rather than into the water. Not that Mateo is able to articulate that much. And for those who know him, it would neither seem odd nor out of place for Everest to be coming on to Mateo. Alas.
"Mmm, ThirdEye with my special Snapdragon, and some of dad's gin." A lot of Remi's gin, actually, but hey, who cares about amounts? Everest that's who. As for picking out an outfit for his friend, Mateo brightens considerably and flashes him a dimpled grin. "You would let me?" He straightens, only to lurch dangerously to one side again.
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
One of the many things Everest has learned since leaving the Refuge after the war, is what threads to pluck at when it came to Mateo, and which to leave alone. So instead of saying why would a dog need a parachute, Mateo, he simply agrees with a hearty "Mmm!"
Everest might have guessed that special snapdragon was involved. Scribbling down a few notes, Ever nods to himself and slides the notebook back into his pocket. "Why of cou-" Pushing one of his legs forward (between Mateo's as it happens), Ever's hands are suddenly on his friend's shoulders to keep him steady. Though Ever isn't terribly strong, the few inches he has on Mateo act as leverage in situations like this.
"-course I would. Do you want to go home now, so that we aren't late? You can pick out anything you like." He meant it too: Ever would wear whatever Mateo decided on. It just so happened they wouldn't be leaving the house.
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
champagne, cocaine, gasoline and most things in between
"Mmm!" Mateo agrees right back at Ever, because apparently that's the new game they are playing - along with thrusting his leg between the botanist's thighs, it seems. "I always knew this night would come," he mumbles, clearly taking his friends steadily presence as a green light. The height difference will come in handy here as well, as it happens, because as Mateo slumps forward, he's delivering an open mouthed kiss to Ever's chin rather than his lips.
"Your tongue's spiky," he slurs, about to take umbridge with that fact were it not for the prospect of dressing up his friend and roommate. "Yesss," he confirms, tucking himself firmly under Ever's arm as if he's going to be the one helping to carry him home. "I got a purse you will like. It has boats on it."
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
This right here is precisely why the majority of people in Stormbreak think that Mateo and Everest are some strange open-relationship couple. Conveniently Everest has never really worried about what other people thought of him, and he was fairly certain that Mateo actually encouraged the rumours when it benefitted him.
The good news was that if Mateo was coherent enough to try and come onto him, he absolutely was going to be alright. The bad news was this was the most action Ever had gotten in months. "Mmm, sorry about that." Ever mumbles apologetically; he probably did need to shave. Sliding his arm around Mateo's shoulders and making sure to take small steps, Ever grimaces up at the moon as he exhales. "That sounds great. I do love boats."
Technically this was Mateo's apartment--Ever owned one nearer to the Tower, though when he was in town he most often stayed with Mateo--so he knew his way around well enough. "Keys?" He asks hopefully. If not he was fairly certain one of the upper windows would have been inevitably left open.
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
champagne, cocaine, gasoline and most things in between
"Like a cat's," Mateo is continuing on the subject of Ever's spiky tongue, leaning on his friend as they almost tiptoe towards his skyboat. He hasn't named it still, so it's the one without a name to a lot of those in the Skyport, and he's squinting around everything that keeps trying to double itself when they get close enough for him to clamber aboard.
"Keys," he repeats in a singsong voice, rummaging around in the pockets of his pants and drawing out a couple of pills, a scrunchie, a raffle ticket and a set of keys. Stuffing the other (very important) items back away, Mateo jingles said keys at Ever and proceeds to try and jam one inside a crack in the boards of the skyship. That'll work, right?
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
"Ah." Ever mumbles, surprised by how apt an analogy that was. He supposed he could do with a shave. "Maybe I will see if I can't do something about that before we leave."
Glancing down, Everest narrows his eyes at the pills in Mateo's palm, but dismisses them fairly quickly. His friend's more potent drugs didn't come in pill form normally; garish liquids in delicate perfume-shaped bottles or as small biodegradable stickers, yes. Plain pills? No.
"A little higher." Ever encourages as his friend fumbles, jamming his keys into whatever open slot he could find.
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
champagne, cocaine, gasoline and most things in between
Mateo starts giggling at that, but it won't be clear why until he finally succeeds in slotting the keys into the door. "Where were you an hour ago?" He titters, having needed similar encouragement at Molly's when (as it transpires) he was attemping to make sweet love to a pillow for a good couple of minutes, instead of his patiently obliging partner.
The door to the boat cabin swings open, Mateo parting a curtain of sentient vines as they try to creep along his shoulders. The area, while not a large space, is expertly organised in a way that still manages to spill chaos out of every nook and cranny. Cluttered, with plants and jars and vials and goodness knows what else on every available surface (each given a handmade label in beautiful handwriting), the floor space is at least passable.
It's true that there's a dress discarded hung up on the ground, a yoga rug and a few half burned candles to work through, but there has been worse, as Ever is likely very aware. "Make yourself at home," Mateo sings.
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
The metaphor isn't lost on Everest, though rather than finding it amusing he winces at the thought. Instead of picturing Mateo fumbling about with someone, he thinks of himself. Gods know Everest doesn't need another sexual hurdle to have to overcome, but Mateo had just given him something new to agonize over and to add to his long list of concerns when it comes to sex.
The clutter organisation within the skyboat wears on Ever's delicate sensibilities, but he manages well enough. Stepping over, under, and around the everything scattered about the main cabin, Ever makes his way towards the small kitchen space to pour Mateo a healthy glass of water. "Here, try this." Ever says in a voice he hopes sounds tantalizing. He presents the cup to his friend with a flourish as if it was the latest cocktail and not simply something to help dilute whatever was in his friend's system.
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
champagne, cocaine, gasoline and most things in between
Ever wisely goes to the kitchen to deal with the logical aspects of their homecoming; Mateo, in the mean time, is stuck inside the shirt he's trying to pull over his head, gets tangled in the dress and ends up falling onto the yoga rug, which isn't nearly as soft as it ought to be in his opinion. "Fanculo," he hisses under his breath, freeing his head at last and sprawling out on the rug like it was intentional.
"Ooooh, thank you," he trills at the glass of water, though rather than sitting up and assisting in any way, he merely opens his mouth for Ever to tip the water down his throat. Maybe he'll drown, or maybe it'll work incredibly well. The key, Ever, is to try.
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
As Mateo struggles, stumbles, and fans out his shirt on the rug, Everest turns his chin over his shoulder just in time to catch the last part of his friend's performance. Not a paramedic in this timeline, Ever has learned enough from his mother to provide serviceable first-aid to Mateo, but should the botanist break something trying to get undressed, that will require a trip to the Tower.
Though Mateo is apparently not unwilling to try the clear but gourmet liquid Ever has on offer, he is apparently unwilling to drink it on his own. "...right." He mumbles worriedly to himself as he kneels down at Mateo's side. Holding up one hand and awkwardly hovering it over and then beside his friend's face, Everest decides eventually on placing it against Mateo's chin to aid with the drinking. Aiming for his tongue so that he won't drown his friend, he pours a small stream into Mateo's mouth like some strange mother bird. "And swallow." He encourages.
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
