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!
The young man sat huddled in the very center of the tea shop, as far from the windows - and the water - as he could get. Though he had dried off and gotten himself more or less put back to rights outwardly the courier was subdued by his recent brush with a watery grave.
His second, now, and once more only saved through the intervention of another person who had been in the right place at the right time.
Hands curved around the tiny tea cup to warm them, he sighed and inhaled the sweet, spicy scent of the Fae brew, determined to appreciate being alive and in the moment when he so easily might not have been here anymore. Behind his chair the glacier-toned dragon who accompanied him - nearly as tall at the shoulders as some of the Fae waiters - crooned soft reassurance and encouragement.
Dark haired, brown of skin, and with pale eyes, Tal smiled ruefully and took a sip before he murmured: "Yeah, girl, I know. Love you, too, you big scaly hound dog." Her long, serpentine tail thumped once against the wood of the floor and then she perked up as the dragonfly-winged waiter approached with a faintly apologetic air.
"Pardon, patron. All of the other tables are full at the moment. Would you mind sharing yours with another?"
Tal hesitated a moment, unsure that he wanted company, but then shrugged and gave a small nod. "Sure, why not, I guess." It still felt weird to be allowed into the Fae village, and he wasn't about to piss any of them off by being a rude customer.
"Thank you, patron!" the waiter chirped, spinning on his toe and darting back to guide the newest customer over.
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
The little tea shop on the water was quaint; Sohalia liked it as soon as she saw it. She'd worked up a thirst as she picked her way through the market stalls and wandered past shops, taking it all in with a breathless awe that could only mean she was new in town. There was so much to see, so much to do! She'd explored with the type of infectious glee that only the young and innocent have, leaving smiles in her wake.
The tea shop, unfortunately, was full. "Pardon, patron," the maître d' said apologetically as Sohalia entered, grey eyes alight. "All of the tables are full at the moment -" The maître d' paused as a waiter ran up to whisper something in his ear. He straightened and smiled. "- except for one, if you don't mind sharing with another?"
Sohalia considered. She was always willing to meet a new friend, but she didn't want to intrude on someone else's meal. Finally, she smiled. "That would be fine. Thank you." And the helpful waiter led her to her - their - table.
The man at the table had brown skin and dark hair, and he sat with a large, ice-colored dragon. That gave Sohalia pause. She'd never seen a dragon in person before. She faltered for only a moment before she continued to the table and took the seat indicated by the waiter with a word of thanks.
"Hello!" she said brightly to the man and his dragon. "I'm Sohalia. I do hope I'm not intruding."
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
The dragon watched Sohalia approach with alert, friendly eyes, tilting her head curiously at the young woman. She was relaxed and calm in her posture, and she might have stood up to greet the new addition to their table herself - with her usual lack of concern for whether someone found her intimidating - but Tal dropped his fingers to tug lightly at one of her horns to distract her as the woman sat down.
"No, uh... not really. I mean, it's not like it's a private table or anything." The courier realized he was rambling a bit and cleared his throat. Looking the blonde girl over, all he could seem to decide for sure was that she was younger than him, but just before the silence could become uncomfortable his dragon nudged his hand and Tal started a little.
"Oh! I'm Tal. Tal Seawright. Nice to meet you, Sohalia." He looked a little sheepish and glanced down at his tea. "Are you from around here? The Greatwood, I mean?"
At least he didn't come right out and say 'you're a little tall for a Fae, aren't you.' His conversation skills had definitely improved!
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
As she sat and her new friend rambled a rather fumbling hello, Sohalia took a moment to look him over. He was taller and older than her, with dark, tousled hair and striking grey-green eyes. His dragon, however, was infinitely more interesting to the young woman, who had never seen a dragon up close before. She glanced sidelong at the creature, trying hard not to stare. How fascinating it must be to have such a creature as a friend!
"It's nice to meet you, too, Tal," she said with a smile, turning her attention back to the young man.
He asked where she was from, and her face dropped momentarily at the memory of home. There were good memories, of course - she'd had an idyllic childhood, for a while - but they were clouded with sorrow. Her parents had died when she was young, and the woman who had taken care of her after their death had perished not so long ago as well. It had sent her into the world alone, and though she was enjoying her adventures, it was difficult to know she had no one to go home to.
Still, she shook off the sadness quickly. "I'm not from around here originally, no," she admitted. "But I've been traveling the area for a while now. It's fascinating, isn't it?"
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
Boreal was perfectly happy to be stared at, and she watched Sohalia with open curiosity. Tal kept a hand on her head, scratching lightly at her brow ridges to keep her distracted while his new tablemate completed the introductions.
He didn't know what caused the fleeting moment of sadness in her expression, but couldn't help but be curious about it. He had just enough tact to not blurt out an annoyingly personal question too soon, however, opting to take a sip from his teacup before nodding. "It's pretty weird," he agreed, even though... that wasn't really what she'd said. "Think I liked it better back before the War, but..." He shrugged, accepting the changes to the world that were beyond his ability to alter.
He tilted his head at her then, and Boreal tilted her head at the same time in an uncanny echo. "So where're you from, if y'don't mind me askin'?"
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
Sohalia tilted her head to one side at Tal's statement that it was pretty weird around here; she wasn't sure 'weird' was the term she would use, but then she had a very... awestruck kind of personality. There were very few things she'd encountered that she would truly call 'weird.' She wondered what Tal had experienced in the Greatwood to make him say that, but she wasn't one to pry. Perhaps she would see for herself if she continued roaming long enough.
Then he asked where she was from, and she bit her lip hesitantly. If she was being honest, she didn't really want to talk about her past. She'd gone wandering the world to avoid the topic. But, since he seemed so interested, what was the harm? Maybe it would be good to remember, if only for a moment. "Originally, I'm from the Hollowed Grounds," she said. "But I left after my guardian - died."
Her breath caught on the last word. It was the first time she'd said it aloud. Sohalia swallowed hard. "What about you, Tal? Where are you from?"
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
She hesitated at answering and Tal wrinkled his nose in embarrassment as he realized he'd maybe asked something he shouldn't have. Again. Everything he asked seemed to be a problem and he tried to hide his discomfort behind his tiny teacup.
The mention of the Hollowed Grounds a moment later made a lot more sense, then, and the courier relaxed, feeling a little less guilty. The Grounds had a certain reputation thanks to the Ascended, but now that the War was over that was all water under the bridge as far as Tal was concerned. Lots of bridges, in fact, given how the Grounds had shaken apart into all those islands.
Death was never far on Caido, though that didn't make it hurt less. He winced in sympathy as he set his teacup back down, a shiver running down his back at how close he'd come to dying himself earlier that day. "Oh. I'm, uh... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--" Bring up a bad memory? He scowled at his reflection in his tea and took a deep breath. Get it together, Tal! Hurrying past the awkward moment he looked up with a forced grin on his face. "Me? I'm from Halo, born an' bred." He tugged at his dragon's horns fondly. "Her, too. Her name's Boreal. We run a courier service, deliverin' packages an' letters people don't wanna risk with th'ravens." Raven mail usually got where it was going... unless the bird got eaten or taken out by bad weather on the way. Sometimes the human touch was just a little more dependable if something absolutely had to get where it was going.
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
There was something almost reassuring about their shared discomfort, and when Tal glanced down at his tea and scowled, Sohalia reached out to pat his arm. "It's alright," she said shyly, withdrawing her hand. "It's just - difficult to talk about, sometimes." She took a sip of her tea, glancing away for a moment to let the awkwardness pass.
When Tal tugged on his dragon's horns, Sohalia allowed her attention to shift to the magnificent creature. "Boreal," she repeated thoughtfully. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she added a moment later, smiling at the dragon.
As Tal described his work, Sohalia's face lit with excitement. "Oh, a courier service! That sounds fascinating! You must have been to so many different places! Where all have you been? What's your favorite place? How -" She stopped suddenly, blushing, and glanced down to where her hands sat in her lap. "I'm sorry. This is the first time I've been away from home, so I just - there's so many places I want to see."
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
Tal looked up at the unexpected touch to his arm and blinked in surprise, but his scowl lightened in understanding and he gave a jerky nod as Sohalia pulled away. "Yeah... I lost my parents, too. A few years back, before the War. So I get it." At least, he thought he did. He looked down at his tea and took a deep breath before hurrying on.
Boreal was pretty much always a safe bet, not least because she was always on her best manners with everyone who wasn't Tal. The dragon sat up in her best 'pretty sit' pose and tilted her head at Sohalia in rapt curiosity. She didn't have ears, but if she'd had them they would have been perked forward, alert and friendly as the dragon stretched her neck as far towards the nice lady as Tal would let her.
The courier wasn't expecting the sudden outpouring of praise and excitement and his ears flushed pink as he reached up to rub at the back of his neck fiercely, torn between pride and a sudden bout of self-conscious shyness. As her flood of questions cut off he brought his head up sharply. "No, no, you're fine! No need t'apologize!" He grinned sheepishly, toying with his tea cup and then taking a gulp that drained the tiny porcelain bowl. "I started out makin' runs around Halo on my dogsled. Now I've got my own skyboat an' I go all over Caido. The Sea o' Glass in Halo will always be my favorite. It's where I found her egg," he added, scrubbing Boreal's head while the dragon rumbled happily and leaned into the attention. "But lots o' places have their charm. Is there anywhere in particular y'wanna go?"
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
When the dragon sat up and tilted her head, Sohalia could have died from how adorable she thought the creature was. Magnificent and beautiful, of course, but adorable all the same. Sohalia started to stretch out her hand, but hesitated. "May I... say hello?" she asked Tal, unsure of the proper etiquette in this situation. Neither her parents nor her guardian had taught her anything about dragons and their keepers.
Sohalia sipped her tea, swirling the last dregs around in the bottom of the cup as she listened with barely contained excitement. Her recent destinations had included the Greatwood's Undercroft; even after the war, its shelves were brimming with knowledge. Sohalia had spent days poring over great tomes of history and legends, determined to soak up as much as she could from the ages-old books.
Halo, she recalled, was a cold and lonely land with its share of dangers - of course, what lands weren't dangerous, these days? - and she felt her estimation of her new friend, already fairly high, rise even more. To traverse such terrain on a dogsled - it sounded wonderful and terrifying all at the same time! "The Sea of Glass?" the young woman repeated thoughtfully. "I read about it recently, but I'd love to see it. However did you manage in such a cold place? I can't imagine that much ice!"
She paused thoughtfully at his question, at first unsure how to answer. "Oh, it's so difficult to pick just one! But I think I'd have to choose the Oerwoud. It sounds magnificent, from the books I found in the Undercroft."
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
Tal grinned at his tablemate's courtesy, giving a nod as he answered. "She'd be more offended if you didn't. Manners, girl," he added in an aside to Boreal, who gave him an offended side-eye as she was released. Her blunt muzzle came within an inch of Sohalia's hand, sniffing curiously before she scooted forward to bump her warm, scaly head beneath the young woman's fingers.
The teapot on the courier's side of the table was still piping hot, and Tal poured himself another cup from it carefully. He hadn't been sure about sharing his table at first, but Sohalia's genuine interest and excitement was a welcome distraction from his misadventure earlier in the day, and he found himself relaxing around her almost without realizing it. Talking about Halo helped, of course; it was a lot harder to drown in a land where the water was usually frozen solid! "I couldn't imagine so much water that wasn't ice for most o' my life," he admitted, gesturing vaguely out the teashop's door and to the water-logged Greatwood beyond. "We dress warm, though. Keep fires burnin', an' use whatever magic we have." The Abandoned had been far less persecuted in Halo than the Hollowed Grounds... though the herald gods had been absent for several centuries until the Grounds' Barrier fell several years back.
At her mention of the Oerwoud his nose wrinkled up, but he nodded in reluctant agreement. "It's... a lot, fur sure," he agreed wryly. "Hot an' sticky-humid, but there's some neat stuff there, I guess. The Walkin' Palms are pretty neat." If he did say so himself, looking almost as smug as his dragon as he took another, daintier sip of his tea.
03-18-2023, 04:36 AM (This post was last modified: 03-19-2023, 02:20 AM by Sohalia.)
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
When Boreal's head touched her palm, Sohalia could hardly contain her glee. Though scaly, the dragon's hide didn't feel like the young woman had expected. She ran a hand along Boreal's head before scratching her horns, trying to mimic what she'd seen Tal do. After a moment, she withdrew her hand.
Sohalia had never given much thought to the form of water she was surrounded by, having lived the vast majority of her life in the Grounds. The Greatwood didn't feel so different (in Sohalia's limited experience). She sighed contentedly, propping her head on her hand, wondering what it would be like to visit Halo - or anywhere else, for that matter.
The way Tal described the Oerwoud was not as glamorous as the books she'd read in the library. It was one thing to read about a jungle, and another to hear it described as "sticky." Even so, Sohalia perked up immediately at his description, her hand dropping to the table, her tea forgotten. "Oh, I wish I could see them!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining with admiration. "Have you seen the Leap of Faith? It sounds terrifying!" she added, sounding anything but afraid.
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
Happy with just about any attention, Boreal grumbled contentedly and tilted her head into the unpracticed scritches. Tal watched with a lopsided smile that was softer than his usual expressions as he caught his dragon's enjoyment and relaxed a little more in spite of himself. He sipped his tea until the conversation shifted to the Oerwoud and then he offered his own opinions of the place with his usual pragmatic lack of poetry.
"Yeah, I hope you get to, too. Frey made 'em a few years back, so they're still gettin' settled in." And he'd played a part in delivering the very first Walking Palm to its new home, though he wasn't quite bold enough to come out and say it. The mention of the Leap, however, gave him a perfect opening for a little boasting and he nodded, looking pleased with himself. "Sure have! We've hunted Blink Hares there, haven't we, girl?" The dragon looked up at him expectantly and expelled a little puff of smoke from her nostrils. "It's a little dicey at the edge, but the view's worth it!"
He set his teacup down and tilted his head at Sohalia in an unconscious echo of Boreal's inquisitive body language. "What's stoppin' you from takin' a skyship there t'morrow?"
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
If Tal was boasting, Sohalia neither noticed nor cared. She listened with rapt attention, leaning forward slightly in her chair as though she would be able to fall into his descriptions. She wasn't entirely sure what a Blink Hare was or how one went about hunting them, but it all sounded so exciting and exotic. She was so pleased that she had been seated with Tal! She was just beginning her journey as a wanderer through Caido, and her companion seemed so knowledgeable and worldly. She wondered if she would ever be able to be like him.
What's stoppin' you from takin' a skyship there t'morrow?
Well, that gave her pause. "O-oh, um..." She blushed slightly, her hands falling to her lap, where she wrung them anxiously. "You'll think I'm being silly," she admitted shyly, glancing at Tal from beneath her lashes. "But I've... never actually been on a skyship. I took a boat from the Grounds to the Greatwood, and I'm - well, I'm a bit nervous about flying." She bit her lip.
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
