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!
A young girl walked off the skyship, bare feet padding silently across the wooden planks of the skyport. She walked along the walkways, past sprouting branches that grew from the great tree, showing no concern when a branch snagged her dark hair. She dragged a doll along behind her, the doll's tiny porcelain feet bumping against the wooden walkway.
The girl left the skyport behind, showing no sign of interest in the people around her. Travelers boarding the ships. Boring. Astronomers studying the skies. Boring. Birds singing on the tree branches? Very boring.
Her bare feet soon led her to the observatory, where couples gathered together to watch the stars in hopes of spotting a Star Whale overhead. Others studied the stars, searching for signs of the gods or hints to the changing seasons.
Boring.
People moved around the girl as she walked, stepping aside to let her pass. She continued on, dragging her doll along behind her. The doll's glassy black eyes stared out from its porcelain face. Watching the passerby. Watching. Waiting.
The girl stopped in the center of the observatory. She glanced around, studying the people gathered around. So many people, so quiet, so peaceful.
Peaceful was boring. Maybe one of them would want to play.
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
A staircase to the stars. Sohalia had never seen that before.
It was extraordinary, the way the stairs and ladders wound intricately up the trunk of a great tree in Sidhe Village. Sohalia climbed with eyes wide, struggling to take in all that was around her. People passed by every way she turned, and more than once she had to wait her turn at one of the many ladders. She was grateful for the rest; the tree was tall, and she was out of breathe before she'd made it halfway to the top.
So this is a skyport, she thought as she climbed, watching the great skyships come in to dock and take off into the sky. Sohalia had led a sheltered life and had never been to any of the large cities dotting Caido. This was merely the first of what she hoped were many such visits.
She kept climbing, resting as she needed, taking all the time she wanted. There was no rush for Sohalia, not today. Today, she was simply exploring.
The Observatory was everything Sohalia had hoped it would be. She saw individuals, couples, even small groups of what she assumed were scientists, all staring up into the sky. The stars seemed brighter and larger up here, as though she could simply reach out and pick one from the inky blackness of the sky.
She might have taken her own place on the observatory, content to stare up at the stars, but her grey eyes lit on a young girl standing in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the Observatory, dragging a porcelain doll behind her. That was odd. Why was the girl there alone? Perhaps her parents were among the stargazers?
"Hello," said Sohalia as she crouched beside the girl, a friendly smile on her face. "Are you lost?"
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
Trinket turned slowly, looking up at the stranger, expressionless. She was silent for a long while, staring, unblinking. Then she finished turning and pulled her doll up to her chest, holding it with one arm. The doll's head seemed to tilt upwards as well, staring into the stranger's gaze with its black, lifeless eyes.
"Why do people always ask me if I'm lost?" Trinket asked, tilting her head to the side. "How can I be lost if I'm here. Is there somewhere else I'm supposed to be?"
The moonlight overhead shone in the girl's deep, dark eyes, summoning a faint glint of light from their black, fathomless depths. She stared unblinking. Stood unflinching. Not a single muscle twitched, not a single expression crossed her face. Her smooth pale skin might as well have been the same porcelain as the doll's.
Girl and doll, two pairs of black eyes, stared at the stranger, waiting. Both unmoving. Both unblinking. Both silent, waiting for the stranger's response.
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
Sohalia's smile faltered beneath the child's intense gaze. There was something unsettling about the girl's cool, unblinking stare, and Sohalia found herself fidgeting nervously despite the fact that she was easily a decade older. The girl pulled up her doll, and Sohalia was startled to see its bleak, black, lifeless eyes staring at her. Almost as if it was alive. But that was impossible - wasn't it?
When the girl finally spoke, it left Sohalia stumped as to how to respond. When the girl said it like that, so matter-of-factly, it seemed to make perfect sense. Why shouldn't a child be wandering a skyport or the Observatory alone? Except, of course, that in Sohalia's mind, she should be supervised, at the very least. But perhaps her opinion didn't matter. In fact, now that she considered it, the girl didn't really even look lost. If anything, she looked - well, Sohalia wasn't really sure. It was just that she was all alone.
Sohalia would be lonely, if she were that young and all alone.
"I'm sorry," she said, a disconcerted frown on her pretty face. "I'm just not used to seeing someone your age alone." She paused, considering. Perhaps the child wasn't alone, and she was just making an assumption. "Are you alone?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
Trinket was silent for a long moment as she considered the question. Curious. No one had asked her quite that question before.
"I'm not alone," she finally said. "You're here. That means neither of us is alone."
She dismissed the notion from her mind. Questions of being alone or together were boring. But the woman in front of her looked interesting. Interesting people were always fun to be around.
"Do you want to play a game?" she asked. She looked around the observatory. Lots of people, scattered about, watching the stars. Couples huddle quietly together in dark corners. So many people, so focused on their evenings.
Boring.
When there were this many people being so boring, she would make sure to make their evening far more interesting.
She looked back at the woman in front of her. Not a single muscle twitched beyond her lips as she said, "This game is called 'Hide and Seek.' I'll hide someone, and you have to find them."
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
It was Sohalia's turn to be silent as she considered the girl's answer to her question. It was true that neither of them was alone now that they were together, but that wasn't quite what the young woman had meant. Still, it appeared to be as much of an answer as she was going to get. Whoever this child was, she seemed to be completely in command of the situation - whatever the situation was.
"A game?" Sohalia asked. "What kind of game?" What could they possibly play safely in the crowded area that was the Observatory? She imagined tag (where would they run?) and hide and seek (but where would they hide?), but nothing seemed to make sense.
And then the girl explained her game, and Sohalia frowned in confusion. Did she just say she would hide someone? Did she mean her doll? "I - um - okay," she stuttered. She closed her eyes. "One... two... three..."
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
As soon as the woman started counting, Trinket turned towards one of the couples leaning against the railing that ran along the edge of the Observatory. The two people were cuddled close together, whispering to each other and sharing the occasional kiss.
Boring.
Trinket decided that these two people were going to play hide and seek. She would hide one of them, maybe both.
She was sure they would have fun.
She looked at the railing they were leaning against and gave it a command: break.
The wood started to flex and strain. The couple didn't notice for a moment. The wood flexed more, starting to bend near the middle. The man braced against the railing when it started moving. The woman took a step back.
The railing continued to bend, until it broke in half with a loud snap!
With a scream, the man fell over the edge, tumbling into the branches below. The sound of breaking branches filled the air. The people nearby called out in a panic, some of them rushing over. The woman by the railing screamed, pulling her hair nearly out of her head.
"Help, help! Someone please help! I think he's still holding on, but his grip is slipping."
Trinket glanced over the edge of the railing. In the darkness, the man couldn't be seen. But the branches still shook and swayed. He was surely holding onto a branch, at least for the next few moments. But his strength would surely give out soon.
She turned back to her new playmate. "Time to seek," she said, her tone flat and devoid of all emotion. "Now try to find him before he falls."
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
"... eight... nine..."
CRACK!
Sohalia jumped, her eyes flying open at the sudden noise and the screams of terror that followed. She glanced toward the girl and was momentarily relieved to find her safely standing near the edge of the Observatory platform, looking out over the railing. At least whatever was happening didn't have anything to do with them.
The young woman rushed to the railing beside the child, peering out into the darkness. There were thrashing noises in the tree branches below them, but she couldn't see the person who had clearly fallen over the rail. How in the world had that happened? Had he jumped?
But then the girl looked at her, eyes devoid of emotion, and said, "Time to seek." And for a moment, all Sohalia could do was gape at the child in terror. "Y-you - h-how - oh my gods!" Sohalia finally shrieked, throwing herself from the child and rushing to the nearest stairwell. Unfortunately for her, many of the others on the platform had the same idea, whether it was their intention to watch in horror or offer assistance.
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
Trinket watched, expressionless, as the chaos unfolded. People all over were shouting. The woman by the railing was crying. Some people were talking about finding rope, others about climbing down. No one had a clear idea. It was anarchy.
Anarchy was interesting.
Trinket followed her new friend to watch what she would do. She stayed back, not wanting to interfere in the game. It was up to her friend to find the man, after all. Trinket merely wanted to see what would happen.
Sohalia would find the man dangling from a tree branch, just a bit past the stairwell. Too far to reach without help. He was flailing about, legs kicking back and forth as he tried to find a foothold. His grip on the branch was slipping. It was a long way to the ground.
"Do you think he will die?" Trinket asked her friend. There was neither malice nor concern in her voice. Only mere curiosity.
She had never seen someone die. Whether the man was rescued or not, this was proving to be a very interesting evening.
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
Sure enough, the man was dangling from a tree limb near the base of the stairwell when Sohalia finally managed to press through the crowd enough to descend. He was holding on for dear life, his legs flailing in the air as he sought some kind of purchase, but hde was too far away from the trunk of the tree to have anything to brace himself on. He was helpless, hanging there, and it showed in his fearful screams.
"Oh my gods," Sohalia gasped again, wringing her hands as she watched, feeling equally as helpless as the man hanging from the tree. What was she to do? She could transform into her snowy owl form, but what would that accomplish? She would hardly be strong enough to lift the man to the ground. What if there were multiple birds or flying creatures? Could enough of them bear the man's weight?
No, that was a ridiculous idea. Think, Soh, think!
"Do you think he will die?" asked the girl, and Sohalia rounded on her, incredulous. But a sharp tongue wouldn't help the situation. Sohalia took a deep breath. "I don't know," she told the girl. "But I'd rather he didn't." She looked around again, searching for anything she could use to get to the man. He needed something to brace his feet on.
"Does anyone have a rope?" she called over the din. Perhaps she could fly a rope over to the man and the gathered group could pull him back to safety?
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
01-07-2023, 01:45 AM (This post was last modified: 01-07-2023, 01:46 AM by Trinket.)
In response to Sohalia's request, someone ran to the Skyport, and quickly returned with a rope. They tied the rope to the railing, and dangled it down towards the man.
Trinket let out the tiniest little huff. "That's cheating," she told Sohalia. "You are the seeker. You can't have them help.
The dangling man managed to grab hold of the rope. He got a firm grip on it, bracing himself as best he could. Two men up above, by the railing, started pulling on the rope to raise the man to safety.
This wouldn't do. Trinket didn't like it when people didn't play fair. She looked at the rope and gave it a command: unravel. The rope threads started to undo themselves, making the man's grip slip. In a few moments, the rope would lose enough threads that it wouldn't be enough to support him anymore.
Trinket studied the woman she had declared as seeker. She hadn't decided yet if this one was fun to play with. She stepped closer and whispered softly into Sohalia's ear, "Seeker, time to seek. No one else can save him but you."
She stepped back, leaving the seeker to seek. She was curious whether Sohalia could win the game by herself.
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
"That's cheating," the girl said, and Sohalia looked at her with a mixture of exasperation and indignation (and, perhaps, a healthy dose of fear). She could hardly believe that this child was responsible for this so-called game, but here they were. And the girl was still calling the shots. How had she gotten herself into this mess? She'd just been trying to make sure the girl wasn't lost, and here they were, playing some twisted, high-stakes game that Sohalia was very eager to end.
"What does that even mean?" she cried, in near hysterics as the rope that had so helpfully been thrown to the man frayed before her eyes. She was just one person; how was she supposed to save this poor man? Tears welled in her grey eyes. "This game isn't fun. I want to stop!"
Fearing that it would not be that easy to end this mess she had found herself in, Sohalia leaned over the railing, reaching for the man. If she could just grab him in time and pull him towards her, perhaps he could fall back towards the tree.
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
Trinket tilted her head to the side, studying the seeker. This game was very fun, as far as Trinket was concerned. Everyone was running around. People were shouting and crying. The night was active and full of life.
Before, it had been boring. People standing around, looking at the stars.
She had made things much more interesting.
Meanwhile, the man saw Sohalia's outstretched hand. He reached for her, grabbing her hand just as the rope gave out. He fell towards Sohalia, dangling from her hand as he held onto her with a death grip. He screamed, reaching up his other hand to grab hold of Sohalia's wrist. He was secure for now, but his weight was much greater than Sohalia's own, and Trinket was sure the woman wouldn't be able to hold onto the dangling man for long.
Trinket stepped closer, looking over the railing at the man. Then she glanced at Sohalia and whispered in her ear, "What does it mean? It means you almost won the game. If he dies, you lose. If he lives, you win. Isn't that fun? You hold his life in your hands."
Quite literally, in fact, as the man's only grip on life was holding onto Sohalia's hand. He yelled and begged her to pull him up.
