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!
An appreciative noise escapes him as he sips his own - an overtly sweetened coffee that can scarcely be called that anymore - clearly familiar with the drink, though he hasn't tried it from this cafe yet. Unaware of the milk foam mustache he has just given himself, Harper merely grins gratefully as she extends the biscuits.
"Since it's warming up so fast, I think so. I'll have the best luck of finding ice that I can capture the sunlight in that won't melt immediately." He's not a fast enough artist to paint something worthwhile out of the brief few minutes an ice cube would grant him. And easier than finding someone with both water and air magic to make some for him. "Have you ever been? I'm pretty unprepared, I've only been once for less than a day."
I am water - soft enough to offer life tough enough to drown it away
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
Breaking apart one of the biscuits to reveal jelly inside, she was content to munch and converse for a while, offering little bits and pieces to Mittens from time to time. Though glancing upwards to find Harper with a foam mustache was enough to make her crinkle a smile, she wouldn’t openly laugh or mock him, pretending it didn’t exist for the time being.
Humming methodically, the Caretaker had to shake her head at the inquiry. “I haven’t been yet.” Between her other rounds of exploration, managing the Celestine, and anything else cropping up, the only experiences she had were with the animals. “Certainly take care of yourself though. I’ve had ursur in before.” And though they hadn’t shown her any malice or menace, due to being sick and striving for good health once more, she could see where they’d earned their reputation.
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
Harper zeroes in on the jelly immediately, and abandons his drink to claim a biscuit of his own now that he has been properly enticed. They’re warm and clearly fresh, and just as delicious as they looked as he takes an appreciatively large bite.
It therefore takes an extra few seconds to chew and swallow before he can answer (half the mustache erased with his bite, the other half now littered with crumbs). “I’m just going for the ‘fly in and hope for the best’ method,” he admits with a laugh. Unaware that it would drop him right in Talyson’s lap, half-frozen and out of his depth.
Reclining back in his seat, Harper tilts his head at Alena and peers at her more speculatively. “How is Stormbreak doing, lately?” He’d known a few of those who had been lost, but he hasn’t heard anything politically as a councilman in Torchline from her region.
I am water - soft enough to offer life tough enough to drown it away
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
Lena continued to munch happily on her biscuit, though her brows furrowed at Harper’s plans. Considering she’d already experienced a round of his ‘fly in and hope for the best’ tactic, recalling a bird hung up in portions of rope, her head tilted, voice and thoughts striving for the best way to parse through the situation. “Now, I’ve seen you use that before…,” a hint, hoping to ease into the notions with a small smile and less damage. “You could at least get some heavier, warmer clothing. Gloves, and the like.” Stormbreak surely had some, even if the fabric wasn’t hardy enough for the constant winter in Halo. It was better than nothing at all.
At the notions of this land though, her fingers tapped on her cup. “Quiet. We’re all slowly rebuilding.” From where shelters and sanctities had been torn apart, thrown about in the island’s haste to save itself. Her gaze went a little downcast, staring into the drink. “We still don’t have a leader, though Anju manages. It shouldn’t be all on her though.” So they were all stuck in limbo, not quite maneuvering back or forward. “We had thought previously of trying to get more to live here, or to strive at finding ways for Abandoned to come, but…,” without a sovereign, methods didn’t much matter.
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
A sheepish but unrepentant grin is immediately summoned at her light teasing, conceding her accuracy with a boyish shrug and head roll combo. "Yeah, you got me there. I'll make sure to get some new clothes before I go if nothing else!" It was a shame Stormbreak didn't allow Abandoned, it would have been nice to get a warming tonic just in case from the alchemist types he often saw in Torchline.
He feels immediately guilty for having inspired the dimming of light on Lena's face, and can't help but frown slightly, reaching out with one hand to gently touch his fingers to the back of one of her own. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine how tough that is. Does she simply not want to lead, or do the people not desire her?" He doesn't know more than the woman's name from his frequent visits before the war, so he wouldn't assume anything. "That's a very noble cause to strive for at the very least! If there's anything I or Torchline can do in an official capacity, all you have to do is send me a letter. I'm happy to help or rally the troops." With their smaller population, they'd likely need outside help regardless.
I am water - soft enough to offer life tough enough to drown it away
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
With the clothing at least mildly acceptable, as much as Harper seemed to think necessary, the youth wasn’t sure what else to do with the fingers on the back of her own, other than to smile kindly and continue to tap them lightly against the cup’s enamel. “I cannot speak for her, but maybe she thinks no one would want her to lead.” She shrugged, because nothing would be further from the truth – but these were mere presumptions on the Caretaker’s part, from nothing but friendly insight.
Taking a sip, which gave her more opportunities to mull things over, because she wasn’t certain what Torchline could do, nonetheless, she kept it in the back of her mind for the future. Just in case. “Thank you.” She paused, head tilting vaguely. “How are things in Torchline?”
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
Ah, that. Well - "I can relate a little too much to that. Hadama - the King of the Mer - has been leading Torchline in the interim, but I haven't stepped up myself for the same reasons. It can be hard even when you're already in government to think yourself capable of it." For him it's perhaps an issue of being too humble, but he has led so many times before in a world where it only ever meant barely holding the line. Seeing people fall, feeling the guilt and weight even when he hadn't been in the field, wondering if a different leader could have prevented it.
"Well, like I said it's a bit tough right now with Maeve having stepped down. She's...well, was my fiancee. She's been missing three seasons now, so I'm a bit too close to the issue to be impartial." Leaning more towards the side of oversharing than political neutrality. "But crime hasn't spiked, Hadama is well-received as interim ruler...they're as good as they can be I suppose."
I am water - soft enough to offer life tough enough to drown it away
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
She’d heard some news of Hadama’s reign – figured the mer was capable of it, considering there’d be no follow-up reports on anything falling apart amidst the world of beaches and sea. She hadn’t realized Harper was so involved, but then again, she’d only known him as a crow stuck in rope, so she wasn’t going to judge too severely. “I see,” she uttered at first, contemplating and quiet. “Is that something you’d be interested in? Leading Torchline?” Even without the humble nature or the rotating structure of its government; Lena presumed those in such roles either took it on because of necessity, duty, devotion, responsibility, or a need for power. She doubted Harper was the latter.
More information followed, leaving her eyes widening more than a fraction at the news, and she figured she’d let him take the last of the biscuits just for all the turbulence of his life. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” A thousand other inquiries nearly meandered along her tongue, but she thought better of them; he didn’t need her prying or well-wishes, foundations of when did you see her last and running him over coals he’d probably already stoked himself.
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
It's a very direct question, which he wouldn't have expected from the soft-spoken woman, so it takes him a little off guard. "I've been considering it lately," he confesses, taking the last biscuit without being aware that his tragic story had inspired her to give it up. Splitting it neatly in half (or as neatly as possible given the filling inside) he extends one side towards Lena for her to take with a smile. "I've lead similar numbers before, but never as a sworn-in ruler. And it would depend on if the people want me, or if anybody else volunteers." Hopefully nobody with questionable morals or scruples, because then he would really have to run against them.
Trying to muster a brave smile, Harper idly sweeps a few lost crumbs away. "Thank you. It's been really hard, but we've made no progress on finding her, and she would be devastated if I let Torchline fall to the wayside in favor of trying to track her down." She had been a devoted queen, and even if Harper didn't have his own close ties to the land, he would have stayed to keep it running in her memory if nothing else. He couldn't afford to quit and spend all his days hunting the wilds.
I am water - soft enough to offer life tough enough to drown it away
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
Lena might’ve been known for her kindness, benevolence, and soothing properties, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t capable of concise, precise thoughts. Rather than meandering around the subject, she could dive into the heart of the matter just as quickly and efficiently as the rest of the world, but in a gentle formation, rather than a slicing calculation. “All yours,” she countered as the biscuit half was proffered back to her side, wrapping her fingers around her warm mug again. Then she listened, sipping the indulgent drink, considering and contemplating before expressing herself further.
But it all made sense – after strife and war and everything else, it would still be best for the people to decide. “Of course. The power should remain with its citizens.” It was how Stormbreak had managed nowadays.
The Caretaker didn’t know much about this Maeve, her devotion, or the way she’d apparently been split apart by two convictions and ideals, but the trial and tribulation left in her wake didn’t seem vastly appealing either. Difficult all around, with no right or wrong; just a series of circumstances hard to parse through or imagine. “I wish you good luck with whatever occurs.”
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
He's tempted to insist, but eventually concedes and draws the other half of the biscuit back onto his plate, choosing to trust that she sincerely does not want it. He can feel the denouement slowly winding around them, but it feels more like a blanket than a noose, one he is happy to linger within until their mugs have gone dry and other needs pull them away.
"Thank you. And I wish you luck with Stormbreak's leadership as well." Lifting his mug, he taps it against her own with a little clink of sound, grinning boyishly at the enforced toast before taking another sip. He hadn't anticipated this portion of his quest to have led to such good conversation and an impromptu reunion, but it gives him hope that the rest of his tasks will be filled with the same.
- Fin!
I am water - soft enough to offer life tough enough to drown it away
