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!
01-01-2023, 06:51 PM (This post was last modified: 01-02-2023, 12:06 PM by Deimos.)
Deimos
walked from revelation to revelation came back storm-drenched
Skyports made the world far easier to traverse – and they wouldn’t have to think about logistics of snagging enough containers of water, and transporting them back to Halo via shifts or journeys along boats. Long walks through caverns left him entirely unbothered and at ease, and all three of them were strong enough to shrug off the notions of gore crows or swamp rats nearby. He kept the task in the back of his mind, forgoing the occasional juvenile glance towards Evie – not willing to give up the game to Noah quite yet.
With buckets in hand, they eventually arrived at the Frey’s Breath, a favored place based on many outcomes and experiences. All of them would’ve been familiar with the outcroppings, healing statures, and present warmth, so he made no preamble or announcement on its surroundings. “We can start here,” he murmured with a distinct rumble, rolling up his pant legs to wade into the shallower portions, dipping the vessel into the bubbling, brewing sanction.
Before turning swiftly, rapidly, into the Evergreen’s direction with a juvenile snicker, a volley of water launched in her direction.
through shattered mountains and aching famine stronger than all of it
The glances are admittedly returned in kind. Noah is far from an unobservant man, but he has admittedly been incredibly busy with getting married and twins on the way. Still, it provides a great level of amusement for the pair of them to be effectively incognito in his presence. Not unlike playing “super spies” with Sam as tiny children, and still just as amusing in adulthood.
Frey’s Breath remains, and forever will, a fond destination given how it had drawn her and Deimos together. The humid caverns inspire a swelling bubble of affection and mischief in her breast even now, which makes it hard to swallow down snickers that try to escape for no real reason. As they wade in at Deimos’ command, the hairs on the back of her neck prickle; she knows the Sword far too well, so when he launches his newly filled bucket her way, she is far from surprised - even if she can do little about it without gouging the stone basin dramatically to form a wall. Lifting her forearm to shield herself pitifully, the previously restrained laughter eeks free delightedly, and she sweeps her arm through the bubbling water to send a wave back at her partner. “You couldn’t even wait two minutes!” she crows, eyes crinkling. Then, eagle eyed and mischievous, she turns to her other side and sweeps another wave over at Noah, intent on wrangling him into their juvenile antics.
Noah kept to himself for the most part as they traveled. When conversation happened, he interacted, but he wasn’t beginning and debates or philosophy discussions today. His mind was on Cordelia, her growing belly nearly ready to give way to their children. It could be any day now, and Noah would be damned if he wasn’t there. The quicker their journey and task could be done and they could return to the Citadel, the happier the hunter would be. He stuck awfully close lately, and he only ventured this far because of the confidence in the compass in his pocket.
Noah kept his ears shifted to white satellites beneath his blond hair, listening for the approach of anything or anyone. Last time he had come to the Climb he had been attacked by one of the Ancients — a young, dumb Ancient — and he did not want that to happen to them today. With his focus on listening as they traveled, Noah didn’t catch any of the twitterpated glances between the Wardens.
Wading in with the buckets Deimos gave him, Noah was inclined to fill them and skirt out. The Sword, though, had other plans. Evil followed, and as water came splashing his way he couldn’t help but laugh. For as hardened as the warlord was, Deimos had an easily indicted playful streak in him. ”Hey!” Noah growled playfully, reaching down with a cupped hand to swipe a wave (albeit a small wave compared to what those with mastery over the element could send) towards both Wardens.
walked from revelation to revelation came back storm-drenched
Considering Noah’s shifting roles, Deimos wouldn’t ever begrudge him for not noticing other altered stances. Neither the Sword nor Evergreen ever really hid their relationship – maybe an open secret of sorts by now – but the Sentinel had other, far more important things going on, than to wonder what the Wardens had been up to.
“Why should I?” came on a rogue, snickering response to Evie’s outcry, watching as the wave pummeled and pooled nearby, slamming into rocks and concaves, soaking the bottom cuff of his pants. Amused all the more, and beginning to refill his bucket, Noah’s intervals of play (a rarity, perhaps) were enough to spurn Deimos onward with his plots and schemes, indifferent to the undulations and droplets cascading his way.
Going purposefully around Evie’s shield in quick, rapid motions, almost as if the water parted and permitted his swift motions, he aimed to dump the bucket right over the top of her head. Not to leave the Sentinel out, another oscillation rallied and turned, intending to send the motion in his direction.
through shattered mountains and aching famine stronger than all of it
She’s no midwife like Phoebe, but Evie is a medic, a healer, and she has seen the crease in a man’s brow enough times to recognize the paternal worry in Noah. Which is why when Deimos begins his antics, she immediately involves Noah - it’s good to see him startled and brightening with laughter, sinking into the juvenile mire right alongside them.
Her defenses are pitiful, and Deimos’ magic too wily and clever, and she sputters as she’s assaulted simultaneously by Noah’s wave from the side. She can’t even see clearly enough to notice that Deimos was included in the demigod’s retaliation, too busy using her telekinesis to exact revenge in the form of trying to yank their buckets from their hands. Her own plunks down into the water, the arms she’d been using to cover her face abandoning their post given their uselessness. Once filled, she let her magic take over, floating the bucket high and dumping it in a swinging arc over all their heads, wiling to be soaked alongside them in hopes of a successful attack.
Noah couldn’t help but laugh. The mirth in the air was too thick to ignore and as he took each breath of the humid, sticky air, it clung to his lungs and spread through his veins. He was no match for the two mages who could control the water to their wim, but at least he didn’t have to stay put. A flash and he was gone, avoiding the drenching attacks from his two comrades.
He reappeared behind Deimos, kicking up enough water to totally drench him if he didn’t move out of the way — or block the water with his own ability over the element. Though he did not want to leave Evie out, he then turned and kicked more water in her direction as well.
walked from revelation to revelation came back storm-drenched
“You cannot have it,” came on a wrinkled nose and a juvenile notion of sticking his tongue out at Evie, as she attempted to finagle his vessel away. Holding onto his bucket willfully, for his strength and brawn would be difficult for the Evergreen to overcome, he paid no mind or bother to the way hers arced over the top of his head. Instead, soused from head to toe, he shook much like a dog, hoping to snag some of the cascading droplets her way.
He would’ve retaliated immediately, but in the movement and motion of one to another, Noah had teleported, and the ripples in the water behind him were the only alert he was permitted before another cascade undulated across his back. The deep rumbles of his laughter echoed, and the warmth of the springs ensured none of them would catch a chill. All amusements, all unbound antics and mischief, content with the upheaval and fruitless, wild inhibitions.
Vengeance was sought for both in tandem: elemental incantations surging in controlled volley from the center of his form: rushing outwards to pummel them from all angles and sides.
through shattered mountains and aching famine stronger than all of it
Evie can't help the shocked yelp as Noah simply disappears from beside her. She has never seen that particular talent of his, and it leaves her own attack a little lackluster - both because Deimos won't unhand his own bucket, and because the arc overhead was meant for three in a row, not two clumped up in a group. "For now," she grins back at Deimos through eyes squinted against the absolute maelstrom of water in the air.
Laugh-shrieking and shrinking away from Noah's hearty kick, Evie tries to get enough air into her lungs to contend with the laughter she can't seem to contain. It has been a very long, difficult year. This, however, makes it worth it.
Deimos' attack is unexpected, and Evie's yelp is strangled as her hair rises from head to toe, the sparks like a strong tickle through the water. Scrambling out of the water by shoving herself backward on her butt at the edge of the pool, the Evergreen uses her leg to kick back at Deimos, minimizing the shock to just her foot. "You're going to mess up Noah's perfect hair!" she accuses, eyes bright with grinning mischief aimed at the pair of them.
Had this been happening anywhere near their home, cold and ice would have already taken them over. But in the safety and confines of this hot spring they were fine. Drenched now from head to toe, Noah didn't contain his laughter any longer. An eye-wrinkling smile consumed his face and he gripped at the growing stitch in his side as he laughed, and laughed, and laughed. It was as if all of the tension within him rolled off of his body with the droplets of water that dripped from his clothes. When Evie's voice rang out, he turned his head to her. Instantly his smile faded, though the glint in his eye did not leave. His hands rushed to his head and grasped either side, his eyes widening with sarcastic terror. "My hair!" Noah repeated, he kicked his voice up and octave and made sure it was filled with anguish and despair.
walked from revelation to revelation came back storm-drenched
”Ever," he rumbled with distinct emphasis in Evie’s direction, content and amused as the chaos continued to escalate and streamline. He snorted as she evaded and escaped, scooting to the edge of the pool instead of remaining in the shallow proportions, and in his calculating mind, seemed to only open herself up to another impending barrage. On those machinations, he sent another wave and volley towards her, intending to raise its height directly over her head, before crashing down amidst rocks and stones.
Noah’s laughter seemed to be a rarer thing than even his own, and turning to glance over his shoulder at the Sentinel, another low rumble persisted. “Oh no, anything but that,” was a deadpan echo as the demigod’s mocking despair overflowed the expanse.
And since they all knew it was a pretense and farce, Deimos snickered, and aimed another blast of air and water towards the top of the other man’s head.
through shattered mountains and aching famine stronger than all of it
Deimos' insistent reply is frankly adorable to her, and enough to force her to bite her lip to keep her errant laughter from turning into more girlish giggles that would give her away. She certainly can't steal it away from him with brute force, but perhaps later...sneakily...
The plan is cemented as he chases her onto the ledge with another wave of water, one that she dispels with a narrow pillar of rock that she summons up from beneath her, just enough to take the majority of the blow. Peeking out from behind it with a cheeky grin right as Noah catches onto her antics and plays along, the Evergreen is distracted from her partner by his anguished wail. It's astonishingly good acting for a spur-of-the-moment choice, and the Evergreen's laughter is choked as she tries vainly to stuff it back in. "It's his best feature!" she scolds, dramatically aghast, and uses Deimos' distraction as he targets Noah to kick another wave at him before ducking back behind her little pillar.
Steam and splashing water were all consuming in this moment. While they had a task to do, it was a reprieve to not have to do it with scowling faces and seriousness etched in their brows. While Noah had more opportunity to see Deimos in such a light, knowing that Evie could keep pace with the Sword made him more confident in her.
Noah’s laughter dissolved into chuckles as he waded his way towards the edge of the pool, stepping backwards to keep his eyes on Deimos even as he doused him again. ”It’s my only good feature!” Noah cried out before stomping and kicking more water towards Deimos as if he were a toddler throwing a tantrum.
walked from revelation to revelation came back storm-drenched
The Sword’s eyes rolled as the pillar of rock crested just enough to block most of his onslaught upon the Evergreen. Pretending he wouldn’t have conjured the same measures, he altered the course of his next onslaught, ensuring the towering blast could reach over the stone, and work its way around as well; twisting and turning with the forces of his laughter.
And he’d take the blunt hit of her kicked wave, snorting as it crashed against his back along the intervals of his distraction – caught in the middle of the volley. Noah’s pretend tantrum, perhaps he was practicing for the eventuality of his impending infants, made the Warden shake his head, douse droplets nearby, clothes entirely soaked through. “And now you must go without,” he rumbled in return, with a cheeky grin, pressing another quick iteration of water surging to engulf Noah.
through shattered mountains and aching famine stronger than all of it
Deimos ensures she can't fully escape his attacks, and while she knew the entire time that any resistance was futile, it doesn't cheapen the success she feels at having stopped at least one wave of it. Noah's cry makes her sputter-laugh against the water her partner douses her with, amused that he has taken her joke and run with it confidently.
Blinking past the droplets that run from her crown down her skin and into her eyes, Evie sees her pitiful kick splash up against Deimos' back and grins with sudden inspiration. Standing on her rocky perch, the Evergreen runs the short few steps between them and jumps. All endings seem perfectly acceptable to the Evergreen; back in the warm spring, clinging to his back, or otherwise caught or flipped as he so often does, content to haul her around like a favored potato sack. Regardless, it would give Noah a perfect opening for revenge.
