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!
Torchline is... not how they left it. Ronin has tried not to be surprised about this, because they knew the world had changed, but still, as they arrive in the half-floating city of Haulani, gods, he wasn't expecting this. Granted, it might also be the fact that this is his first time in a bustling city in over a year, and even for a social butterfly like the Huntsman, it's jarring.
They'd sent their letters to Flora and Mateo, and whilst the latter has agreed to come to the city via skyboat to meet with his fathers(s) (probably because he doesn't know what the meeting is really for), Ronin is unsure how he'll field this with Flora. They aren't known to like each other - or she him, more specifically - and it has been a long time.
Still, he waits against one of the railings to gaze off into the clouds and the sprawl of city on the ground, wondering if she'll show up. That would be a good start, at least.
Show up she does. Unlike when last Ronin had seen Flora—or really, when anyone had seen her—today Flora's aesthetic style is pure unfettered decadence. Having taken her twin's parting words to heart, the girl is determined to live a life worthy of the pair of them. So, wearing heels despite the sand, wearing a skirt despite the nip in the air, and wearing a shirt made of sequins despite how it rubs against her skin, Flora sashays towards her secondary father figure with her chin held high and a mischievous light in her aqua eyes.
"Well isn't this quite the little surprise." She calls out by way of greeting. Her lips are tugged down in one of those smile-frowns, and she scrunches up her shoulders as a secondary sort of hello.
Glancing up from where he's been trying to pick out landmarks he recognises, Ronin turns to face Flora - and then has to do a double take, not because she looks bad (he's not sure she is capable of that) but because of how unexpected the look is for Torchline. "Surprise," he says with a small smile, stepping away from the railing and resting his hands in his pockets.
Unlike his daughter... figure(?), the Huntsman is dressed more simply than he ever has done, in a pale linen shirt and a pair of pants that have been patched at the knee, with - and he'll only notice this afterwards - a still fading hickey visible on the side of his neck. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. How are you doing?"
Flora forces a hum from the back of her throat as a smile plasters itself on her lips. "Suprise indeed." She agrees, crinkling her nose and making absolutely no attempt to give Ronin a hug. 'Well it isn't every day that a demigod descends from on high for a chat." And, it really wasn't. She'd not seen her own father since The Talk, and though she'd heard that Ronin had been out and about moreso than his hermit counterpart, the pair hadn't really exchanged words. Not that Flora had made herself particularly available, but whatever.
"Oh my gods, so good." Her words are sugary sweet, with a caramel-centre of why the fuck would I tell you anything. "You're so sweet for asking." She adds with a smile.
"It has been a long time," Ronin agrees, feeling as though he might well get cavities for how sugary sweet she's being - and that it might just be her intention. "I'm glad. Remi spoke to me about what happened in the desert, and I realised it might be time to stop being so... He shrugs towards the sky, as if to say on high. It isn't the only reason, of course, but it is something Ronin has been considering aside from this situation.
"I wondered if you'd show me the marketplaces?" he says. "I haven't been in Torchline for a long while, and I thought you would have a better idea about where to find things these days." Or maybe she'll just stab him in the back with one of her feathers - he'd neither be surprised and nor would he blame her.
"Being soooooo....?" She isn't about to let him off the hook. Elusive? Pompous? Up his own ass? Do tell Ronin, do tell.
Though Flora straightens and nods, turning toward the pathway which would lead them toward the Marketplace, she tilts her head suspiciously to the side. "Pretty sure anyone you bumped into would trip over themselves to just lick your boots, or—" Glancing down at his knee, she raises her eyebrows. "—patch your pants for you, much less show you around the marketplace." She purrs innocently as they stroll. "You don't need me to show you where things are."
Having much better things to do with her day than pander to Ronin's ... well, whatever this was, Flora sighs softly. "Soooo, what is it exactly you want?" She had some idea, but gods she wanted to hear him say it: Mateo said you were mean to him
"Absent," Ronin says, already having put on his social armour for today - he doesn't blame Flora for any of the cheap shots she wants to take (mostly because none of them are cheap at all), and given that he has always readily been the subject of her ire, he's ready for it now. "Being so absent. I can't say the same for Remi, of course." Even after a year up in the Cordillera, Ronin thinks his husband has only even begun to heal.
They walk together and he flashes her a warm smile, despite the obvious dig at his attire. "That may be true, but I want you to show me where things are. I am not as used to crowds as I once was," he murmurs. "And I'm in the market for some new clothes, as you might have noticed. And a scarf for someone." He scrunches his nose. "It seems to be a Deepfrost tradition, to do something nice for someone you don't much like. And it's quite cold where that someone is."
"Oh, okay." Flora replies, and had this been a text message, she'd have included an upside down happy face to suggest that she wasn't really buying any of this. "No of course not. Poor Remi with his Big Responsibilities." She says agreeably enough, though she's rolling her eyes just the same. "I wonder if it would help him to know that he isn't the only one with problems? Might be worth mentioning. Literally, no one else has decided to run away, so.." Flora smiles and shrugs, ever helpful.
Okay, colour Flora intrigued. "Oooh, a someone mmmm?" She asks, suddenly interested. "Have you and dad opened up your marriage again? Good for you." Trailing her fingers across every shiny thing that they pass as if her raven-brain could soak up the glimmer through feel alone, Flora runs her tongue over her teeth seeing this segue for what it was.
'Oh gosh, are we doing that again? Gods, how will I ever decide between Remi and Mateo this year." Tilting her head back, Flora laughs brassily. "Maybe I'll just go out of my way and do something nice for both of them. You know, really be the bigger person."
"I think he's quite aware," Ronin murmurs to Flora, and were it anyone else, of course the bite in his words might have been literal and metaphorical, but for her he tries for soft, understanding even. (How good a job he's doing is anyone's guess). "And perhaps they haven't run away physically, but I think a few people might not be a hundred percent here," he adds, glancing at all of the shinies that she's fondling.
Snorting under his breath, Ronin shakes his head. "No, nothing like that. It's for Sunjata - we had a disagreement a long time ago, and I think we just dislike each other out of habit now." As for the obvious segue? It is obvious, but it's also the truth, and the Huntsman smiles again, holding his hands up in a you got me gesture.
"I didn't make the list this year? I'll write it in my journal," he says mildly. "Still, Remi I can understand, but I always figured you and Mateo would be the type to get along. Since we're on the subject."
'No, but at least they are here-here.' Flora protests. "Like, on the one hand he acts like being who he is is such a burden, but he's all too happy to take all the perks, y'know? Like, name one other person who could get away with the shit he's pulled." Flora will wait all day for an answer to that one. Though probably only she, Ronin, or maybe Mateo could call Remi on his bullshit and live, Flora very much doubted if anyone ever had. 'Like, pick a lane.'
Narrowing her eyes in an effort to drum up the demigod's face, Flora manages it and grins. "Shame. He's hot." She says of the Flood, thinking that if Ronin were planning on cheating, he could do a lot worse than that tall drink of water.
"Nope, you're small potatoes now." Flora replies with a grin, flicking a curl over her shoulder before running her hands across a piece of fabric. Turning, she holds it up to Ronin. It's an obnoxious paisley pattern that not even Ronin's easy charm could pull off. "This would look so cute on you." She drawls before huffing out a sigh.
"Yeah, well, somewhere along the line he turned into a bit of a bitch, so." She shrugs. "He didn't even know Enzo and he swanned all around like grieving a sibling was the latest fashion statement."
Ronin nods gently, because when Flora's got a point she's got a point. Although, "I imagine you could probably get away with a lot of shit, too," he remarks. Between her looks and her attitude, he feels like she probably already has. He daren't mention that it might be a hereditary trait though, because if her fashion choices for him and her words are scathing, he's got no doubt her slap would be too.
"As a crop top or some shorts?" he asks about the paisley fabric, cocking his head to the side and sitting a hand on his hip as if he's some model. "Maybe a fetching shawl?" Because if the way to Flora's heart is through mildly insulting banter, well why the fuck not?
As for Sunjata, though, he thinks he's got her there, raising his eyebrows. "Oh?" he says. "Do you know, he's my age? There's only a season between us."
Pausing to examine some other fabrics - a deep blue, some star-spangled material, an obnoxious mustard yellow - Ronin flicks his eyes back up at Flora, almost off-handedly. "I suppose even if he did know Enzo, it still isn't the same as being his twin," he says softly. "It must have been difficult - it was when my brother died. Or, well... I assumed he was dead. I never found out."
"Oh you think so? Because just about everyone has told me to stop moping around, and how I need to TaKe CaRe Of MySeLf." She replies with a sniff. 'Honestly, I think Remi gets away with it not necessarily because of what he is, but because most people actually think he'll kill them." Flora flicks her aqua stare to Ronin, an eyebrow raised in a tell me I'm wrong, gesture.
"Mmm, I think a nice headscarf and speedo." The girl replies immediately with a large Chesire-cat grin. Not daunted at all, Flora just raises one shoulder coquettishly. "What's your point? Dad's are hot. Before when I said people would trip over themselves to help you out...did you think I meant they'd do that because they think you're nice?" She laughs. "Some things about Torchline have changed, and some never will." Pausing, the girl bites at her lip thoughtfully for a moment. "Or, do you mean he's too old for you?" Remi was, as far as she remembered, a few years younger than Ronin.
Rolling her eyes, Flora immediately holds up a hand. "Nope, I'm going to stop you right there. Grief isn't the same, none of it is. I don't care that your brother died. I don't care that Mateo's brother died." Bristling, Flora straightens. "I didn't ask anyone to try and understand. I didn't ask anyone for anything, and yet of all of them, Mateo was the worst. Telling me I was grieving wrong, that he understood, that I should care about Remi and Hotaru's feelings." Tears had started to sparkle in Flora's eyes, though instead of swiping them away, she let them ball up lest she ruin her mascara and eyeliner.
"Well, with respect, your moping isn't as good as your other theatrics. Though perhaps you've had a lot of practice over the past few seasons," Ronin considers, putting down the fabric and deciding that a ready-made scarf will have to do - he doesn't know if the conversation will last long enough to ask someone to cut and style the fabric. Unexpectedly perhaps, Ronin does bark out a laugh at her comment about Remi. "Most people would be right," he admits. "Or at least a year ago they would have been. I'm not so sure about now."
Moving on and fixing Flora with a stare that's as befuddled as it is amused - that's a lot of directions the Sunjata conversation just went - he opts only to focus on the last part. "He just isn't your father," he says, lamentingly. "Me and my paisley headscarf and speedo would drive Remi wild."
Too bad the banter can't continue, and Ronin almost physically falters as Flora holds up her hand, his brows furrowing as he hears her rant out. He's not sure how much of what she says is true - that's for the awkward reunion with Remi later. "What did you want?" he asks quietly, after a few seconds had passed. "Other than to have him back, of course. What were you trying to do? Join him?"
"Good thing I was practicing then—yeah. That." He takes the words right from her mouth which steals a good deal of their bite, but...well. Shush. 'Well, since you seem to be handing out life suggestions today, maybe you should let him know that he doesn't really pull off martyred asshole very well." Remi wasn't some tortured and burden-heavy soul, he was just a bully with too many divine get out of jail free cards up his sleeve.
'Ugh, barf.' Gagging, Flora turns her nose up in disgust. It had been fun to think of Ronin prancing down the beach in some horrific getup when the point had been cheating on Remi. The truth of Ronin's words had fully taken any enjoyment Flora might have gotten out of this away, and so with a shrug she tugs the material from Ronin's fingertips and tosses it back toward the merchant.
"No, Ronin, I was just..." Flora's cheek flush to such a deep shade of coral that it's no longer pretty, but instead looks as though she's let some child fingerprint on her blush. "...sad, okay? I lost some weight, I stopped wearing makeup or wearing what I normally do, but so what? If I want to stare at the sea for hours and hours, so what? What right does Mateo have to tell me that's wrong?"
