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!
11-29-2022, 05:12 PM (This post was last modified: 12-04-2022, 12:52 AM by Kaiden.)
kaiden
There is no shame in survival
Only strength
Kaiden was furious. Their favorite place to sun underwater was currently occupied. And it was occupied by the weirdest fucking creature the mershark had ever seen. They honestly were having a hard time deciding if it was a bird, a fish, or a mirage. But it certainly was a pretty blue color.
The mershark bared their teeth at the creature, hoping to make it flee from its coral perch. The blue thing simply let out an air bubble and turned over. The audacity of it was incomprehensible. "I should just eat you. How would you like that you little pest?" The creature, the Aqueix, seemed unfazed.
The great manta with its golden scars swam gracefully through the water, flanked by a pair of swordfish. A quiet hum of conversation whispered through the telepathic bond as they drew closer and then the ray noticed Kaiden and their new friend. Curious, he paused to finish the discussion with the pair of guards and then watched them swim further into the reef.
As for Hadama, he tilted his broad pectoral fins and swam towards the mershark, the leisurely ripple of his fins a deceptive indicator of the speed with which he cut through the water.
Kaiden, he rumbled in greeting. What have you found?
Kaiden startled at teh voice that suddenly appeared in their mind. So used to solitude, they had nearly forgotten the sensation of the telepathic bond. Recognizing Hadama, they reluctantly relaxed. They might not like the King all that much, but they at least knew that the manta wasn't likely to hurt them unprovoked. At least, the patience shown in their prior conversation hinted at that.
In the mershark's distraction however, the Aqueix further settled into the prime location that Kaiden so deeply desired, even looking as if it were about to fall asleep. Glancing down, the mer scowled angrily before whipping and glaring at Hadama, This little shit took my spot! And you distracting me just made it worse! What might have come out as an impassioned yell earlier that day was now more of an impudent tantrum. Kaiden had been arguing with the creature for the better part of an hour, and they were fed up with the whole situation.
Was it so wrong that they wanted to warm up on their favorite rock? Apparently so.
All patience had its limit, but Hadama's limit was a long one and Kaiden's abrupt rudeness on its own wasn't enough to reach it. The king was no saint, but he wasn't inclined to take the mershark's grumpiness personally; after all, the other mer had been perfectly willing to put their flukes in their mouth even before they knew of the tattooed manta's title, or even his name.
So it was that when he was snapped at, the king simply floated and considered the situation, looking from Kaiden to the Aqueix to the rock and then up to the surface where the sun shone down through the shallow waters. He swam a slow circle around the rock, giving the bird-fish a wide berth so at not to disturb it while he silently contemplated the unusual creature before the great manta returned to 'hover' beside and a little below Kaiden, broad wings lightly riffling the sand beneath him.
I have heard reports of this creature, he intoned slowly, admiring the elemental. It is good for the Reef. One small black eye peered up at the mershark, glinting with subtle mischief. I appreciate that you have not hurt it. Would you like help moving it?
What is it? Kaiden asked, eyeing the weird creature in renewed distrust. How could it be good for the reef when it was so damn annoying? Though maybe it was the reason that the spot had been flourishing with underwater flora in the past few weeks. The change had been gradual yet still noticeable. If the Aqueix was the cause, then the mershark might be able to forgive it. The extra barrier of kelp made the spot more secluded and cozier.
Hadama's comment made the mershark snort, If I'm not hunting it, why would I hurt it? Kaiden wasn't stupid enough to waste energy on such a thing. Nor was he petty enough to lash out at a sea creature for simply annoying him.
The offer for help, though unexpected, is taken warily. Yes. But I'm not paying you back for it. If the King tried to call Kaiden later to call upon a 'favor' from them, the mershark would turn tail and head to the ocean's depths. They didn't do debts.
Aquiex, Hadama answered succinctly. Like the tumseas, a life-bringer. Or so the reports had said. This was his first time seeing one in person and he found the increased fish and kelp growth around it fascinating. They were certainly worth encouraging to take up residence in the Reef and as close to the City as they could be coaxed...
The manta turned a considering black eye on the merfolk at their snorted answer, and a sense of subtle appreciation rippled through the bond. Others are not so restrained. Kaiden might not be petty enough to lash out, but others among their people certainly were, and Hadama was glad that the hot-headed young man was wiser than that.
You have already paid, he assured his companion, rising from beneath the mershark and skimming straight up until there was space to do a languorous roll and stretch his wings wide - directly above the water-bird. Nearly thirty feet from tip to tip, his fins cast an impressive shadow as he floated between the sun and the rock below.
At first the Aquiex continued to doze, but as the shadow remained and the sun's warmth leached away the bird cocked an eye open and glared up at the manta blocking her light. She stirred irritably, seeking a single beam of sun upon the rock, but without success.
Kaiden blinked at the sensation of Hadama's quiet approval. The bond itself was unfamiliar, but positive emotions sent via it? The mershark couldn't remember the last time they'd experienced that. The realization left them subdued as they watched the King attempt to gently coax the Aquiex away.
Kaiden quietly approached the creature, resting an arm and chin on the rock where she lay. Keeping their arm where it was, the mershark tapped the rock impatiently. Maybe between the vibrations and lack of sunlight, she'd leave. Despite their lack of aggressive action, Kaiden's tail did thrash behind them in annoyance when there was no change.
The mermanta was comfortable in silence, and he didn't press the young mershark when the bond went quiet. He could be patient with more than just elemental seabirds, and in truth he was probably the most comfortable of the trio. The sun warmed his dark back while he rippled the edges of his broad, flat fins just enough to hold him steady in the gentle current that flowed here. It truly was a prime spot, he noticed; deep enough and protected by the taller coral seaward to block the more intense currents that raced over the higher sandbars, but shallow enough to get nearly-full benefit from the sun's warming rays.
He watched Kaiden, too, noting the man's impatience but his restraint in trying to annoy the Aquiex away. Hadama kept his amusement to himself as the bird glared at the young rogue and a school of small, brightly-colored fish began to swim beneath him, tickling his belly scales. The great ray simply floated serenely, entirely willing to wait her out until, with a bubbling hiss, she finally slid off the stone and flounced away, deeper into the reef.
Though her fish lingered to torment Kaiden with their tickles a few minutes longer.
Kaiden's glee at the interloper's retreat was overshadowed by the fishes' actions. No matter how stoic, how abrasive, or how stubborn Kaiden was. There was no way of getting around the fact that they were ticklish. The mershark let out a startled laugh, doing a barrel roll and attempting to swat the fish away with their tail and hands.
Struggling to suppress their snickers, the mershark finally drove this fish away, but not before they were flush with laughter and embarrassment. Gritting thier teeth they refused to look at Hadama, "Thanks." The words where a grumble as their discomfort flooded the bond, the mershark being too unpracticed to block it from the other.
There was nothing the great manta could do to help Kaiden with their fishy woes, alas. He was simply too large to shoo them away and he had no power to compel them. He drifted out of the line of sunlight on the rock, pretending not to notice the mershark's merry laughter or the cause for it. If he couldn't aid the other mer, at least he could give them a pretense of dignity.
In the same way he politely didn't mention the discomfort in the bond, letting his own calm serenity soothe the telepathic link as the manta drifted down to swim a slow circle around Kaiden. You are welcome, he said simply, making no larger a deal of it than his companion had.
Finishing his loop, he began to swim away in the direction his guards had gone earlier, but a final thought made him pause. Do you train for combat?
12-12-2022, 07:45 PM (This post was last modified: 12-12-2022, 07:45 PM by Kaiden.)
kaiden
There is no shame in survival
Only strength
Kaiden was silently grateful as Hadama blatantly ignored the past few moments. They sent one last sharp glare at the retreating fish, pausing when the King gave his inquiry. Train for combat? There was a brief flash of confusion in their eyes You mean outside of the day-to-day fighting for food and supplies? Isn't basically the same as training? It was real-life practice and experience.
For the rogue who spent most of their day out in the open ocean or on the fringes of society, the majority of their time was taken up by hunting for food and finding a safe place for the night. They had a few mains safehouses set up across Caido, but sometimes they were in need of a rest in-between those locations. They'd hardly spoken to anyone in the last year., returning once more to their tiger shark form.
The great manta considered the mershark thoughtfully. If he'd had his human half he might have tilted his head in acknowledgment of the other Mer's confusion, for before the War he had thought much the same. His games with Melita had largely been that: fun, a challenge to better himself and improve his magic and his marksmanship.
But War - a year ago, but no less present today for all that it was past - had changed that. He'd had to prepare himself for the possibility of fighting against something sentient. And when the battle came upon them he found himself facing an opponent he would never have chosen if lives had not been on the line. He would have fled, if it had been himself alone, and taken no shame in acknowledging an opponent that was beyond him.
But flight was not always an option.
Yes, he confirmed solemnly to the first two questions. And no, he answered the last. With a ripple of his fins he turned once more. If you would like to know the difference, seek me out when you are ready.
And with those words the mermanta swam gracefully away.
