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
"I am alright, Ever," Mateo tells his friend in a voice made low and calm more by the alcohol still in his system than because of how he actually feels. "Perfettamente bene, in fact. It was a very shallow cut - it did more damage to my outfit, truthfully." Were it anyone else, the botanist would have reached across to clasp the other man's hands between his own. Except it isn't, of course, so instead he carefully peels the dressing back to show Ever the superficial damage to put his mind at ease.
And he's right for once, at least; the cut is long but it has already stopped bleeding, and the salve that has been applied to the dressing seems to be doing a fine job. "I will use a poultice of my own when I am back home," he says, because of course Mateo knows better, and he replaces the dressing to smile across at Ever. "I think I need lunch, but I understand if you are not hungry any more," he says. "I really am sorry for what happened back there. My mind has been in a strange place lately."
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
Ever was no stranger to injury thanks to his mother (and his father, really), but still he pulls a face as Mateo's wound is revealed. It's more in response to the fact that it's Mateo (delicate, delicate Mateo) than the wound itself. Of all the things his friend is not particularly good with, plants are not one of them, and so it's with a nod and sigh of relief that Ever accepts Mateo's at-home care plans.
"No, no. I can eat." Whether this is true or if Ever is simply people-pleasing is anyone's guess. Sitting up slightly, his brain logging this conversational cue for what it is, the apprentice laces his hands politely on the table. "Would you like to talk about it?" He asks, and then, remembering something Tobi had tried to teach both he and his father, offers Mateo a smile. "I would like to hear about it if you do want to talk."
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 is very, very delicate, it's true, and he's also good with plants, and so given that Ever is accepting of his treatment plan, the botanist covers up the wound again and says (and thinks) very little more of it. Instead his mind turns to food, and he squints up at the Specials board nearby and the items sketched down on it in chalk. "Soup and a sandwich?" he suggests.
As for talking about it, Mateo scrunches his nose and gazes down at his hands; he doesn't not want to talk about it, but equally, it isn't exactly a situation to be proud of. "I fell out with Flora, about Enzo," he says, rubbing at the back of his neck. "And then we went to the desert, and Enzo was there, and... ugh. It just feels like a mess."
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
Everest blinks. For a moment his mind hangs on the phrase fell out, because he's imagining Mateo falling out of a Flora-shaped tree which has him slow to hear the rest of what his friend has to say. But Enzo is dead, he wants to point out, but wisely bites at the inside of his cheek and instead offers an understanding nod. Or at least, a nod.
"Wait." Decorum forgotten (gasp), now the attuned has no choice but to voice the comment he'd previously kept tucked behind his teeth. "But Enzo is dead.." Said gently, as though Mateo might be having a breakdown and Ever was trying to guide him through what was a hallucination and what wasn't, Ever tries to think what Tobi would do in this situation. Though it felt insanely awkward, he reaches across to try and take his friend's hand to give it a reassuring pat pat pat.
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 decides that soup and a sandwich is what they're having, since Ever has declined to comment, and he flags down a waitress to order for the two of them. Coincidentally this gives his friend time to become appropriately flustered, and it's just as he's taking a slurp of his drink that the other man's hand comes awkwardly pat pat pating at his own.
Of course, Mateo naturally takes the gesture in his stride (and then some), linking his fingers with Ever's in a manner that would be casually endearing for anyone who was not the man thay Everest Hart was. "I know he is," he mutters. "My dad contacted Mort. He was able to bring Enzo back for long enough that he could say goodbye to all of us..."
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
To those who might be looking at the two men, it's a rather awkward scene of hand-holding and understanding being given in the wrong direction (that is, Mateo looked like he was comforting Ever instead of the other way around). 'Oh.' Ever hums, and then after an appropriate moment of puzzling and thinking, he adds: "O...oh."
Mort. The god of death. Of course someone like Remi would be able to call down the god, and of course Mateo would be there for it. (None of these of courses actually came that easy, but never mind). 'Oh.' Everest adds for a third time, his mind overloaded by the feel of Mateo's fingers between his own.
"That sounds nice."
Only, it hadn't been, and Mateo had just said as much. 'I mean...I...well, why was it a mess?"
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
"Oh," Mateo echoes with a soft nod, running his tongue across his teeth and frowning into the depths of his drink as if it might hold all the answers to the questions he knows are coming. And honestly he's almost content to let the sounds nice faux pas slide, letting out a whoosh of a sigh as he's forced to commit to this thread of conversation.
"I pissed off Flora. I was worried about her and I think I probably overstepped, telling her how to act after this amount of time." He shrugs. "It made the meeting with Enzo feel a bit weird. And I am still angry with her, even though I know it is my fault as well."
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
"Well..sometimes we need to be told how to act." Everest offers cautiously if only because handing out advice was as strange as hand holding to him. "I don't even know where I'd be if my mom hadn't told me how to act. And you tell me all the time, even now." He continues, trying on a small smile purely for Mateo's benefit.
"We can't control how other people feel. We can only control what we do." Ever adds, miming the words he'd been told time and time again with ease. "If Flora is upset, maybe that says more about her and the things she needs to work on, than it does about whatever you might have done." This is another adage he's picked up along the way, and though it makes absolutely no sense at all to him, Ever hopes it will help Mateo.
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
It's fairly ridiculous, the ease with which Ever is able to soothe Mateo's worries, and if he weren't feeling so self-absorbed tired of it all, he might have realised that his friend was merely quoting what he'd been taught to say at times like these. It probably wouldn't have mattered though, honestly - the reason Ever has been taught to say those platitudes is because they work, by and large.
"Thank you," he mumbles, giving Ever's hand a quick squeeze before releasing him to finish his drink; as he lowers his glass their food arrives, Mateo thanking the server in the travelling tongue and promptly dunking his sandwich in his soup. "I do not know whether I ought to give her space, or if I should go and see her," he says, though he doesn't expect Ever to know either - he's just airing his thoughts.
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
Trying not to gasp with relief as his hand is released, Ever makes himself pull it slowly across the table and resists the urge to wipe it against his pants. Mateo had just been in a fight, and surely whoever had bandaged him up had cleaned his hands? And..if not...well, Ever would go and wash them before they started eating anyway. He just..wouldn't touch anything until then.
"We could make a pros and cons list?" Ever suggests, before mumbling an apology and quickly dashing to the bathroom to wash his hands. Upon returning he's already pulling out his notebook, having started the list in his mind already.
'One pro is that it demonstrates you care about her enough to follow up. And I've been told that sometimes people like to push others away just to see if they'll come back, though I've never verified that for myself."
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
Or I could just send a letter, is what Mateo is about to vocalise to his friend, but it's too late; Ever is dashing to the bathroom and the botanist settles in for his (admittedly very helpful) pros and cons list. Having ordered a refill and finished half a sandwich by the time Ever returns, he hums to himself and licks some soup from his thumb.
"One con is that she might slap me, or insult my flowers again," he notes, trusting Ever to jot that down. "One pro of staying away is that I don't have to worry about a confrontation..." Another sip of his drink. "But a con is that she might never get in touch with me, and I might not see her again."
And he might be upset with his sister (and he might have thought some heinous things), but he doesn't want her out of his life.
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
'She insulted your flowers?' There's real indignation in Ever's voice even if there's no anger; Mateo's flowers were a work of art and no matter what the botanist had done, Flora's anger shouldn't be directed toward his work. Still, Ever does write these in the con column, before adjusting his sandwich plate and glass so that they weren't in his way.
Lists always came before food.
"Well..given how everything tends to work out, do you really think you could avoid a confrontation? What about that masquerade in King's End?" There was no doubt in Ever's mind that both (K)(T)aliesin's would undoubtedly be there. "And then you'd be forced into a confrontation that you didn't have time to prepare for."
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
"She did," Mateo all but whispers, and the furrow of his brow says that he still feels quite perturbed by that turn of events. It means that, if and when he does decide to visit his sister again, he will not be bringing along any of his carefully nurtured specimens. Everest, as usual, makes a good point, and the botanist grumbles around a spoonful of soup.
Sucking thoughtfully on the spoon as he considers, he eventually settles back and shakes his head. "I suppose it would be easier to go and see her, and at least know," he mutters. "Even if I were to send a letter, she might not reply." Ruffling a hand through his curls and propping an elbow on the table, it's with a sulky acceptance that he gestures to Ever's notebook.
"That thing is always too helpful for its own good."
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
"I'm very sorry." Though the words sound contrived, Ever really does mean them, stiff-shouldered and blank-faced though he might be. He knows how much Mateo's flowers mean to him.
'Would you like me to come with you?' Quite what that would accomplish Everest has no idea, but it seems like the appropriate thing to offer. "Or...I could follow as a dog and if you give me the signal I could...I don't know, bark and provide a distraction?" Glancing at his notebook with quiet confusion, Ever presses his lips together and closes the book to lessen its apparently offensive nature.
Reaching for his sandwich Ever rotates the plate several times before picking it up delicately and staring at it long and hard to determine the best way to bite into it.
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
