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!
There were several things quickly approaching Noah. A jittery anxiety quickened his steps as he moved from the home he shared with his very pregnant wife and the greenhouse nestled at the edge of the Citadel. He could navigate the streets without thinking after all this time, and that was a benefit to him because he was totally lost in his own head. He ran the list over and over again as he walked, making sure he had time to give each task the time that was necessary.
Finally making it to the greenhouse, Noah greeted some of the people who were doing the same as him. The keepers and gardeners had done so well this year in tending to the plants and herbs within the space that they had already made deliveries to each home, but with the future of the Olson house as it was, Noah knew they needed more.
He took his time and asked questions of what he could take, and he was more than happy to be elbow deep in the soil harvesting the potatoes he had been given free range to.
Why Darkeye was here he did not know. He actually wanted to visit Deimos. But he had lost his way and was just looking for a place to warm up. He had the feeling that it was even colder here than the last time he was there. The green here was a welcome change from what he saw outside. White over white the snow and ice were beautiful and yes in his world they shared the opinion that in the ice lay the clarity. However, it was just too cold.
When he saw Noah scurrying through the halls and talking to some people he wondered if he should talk to him, the last conversation didn't go very well between them. Nevertheless, Deimos thought a lot of him. Should he dare a second try? Had they simply caught each other on the wrong foot? A try could not hurt.
He walked up to him and cleared his throat. "Greetings, Noah, I see you're collecting supplies. I assume you are preparing for the upcoming long night. May I help you carry or even invite you for a cup of good and warm tea?" he said calmly and hoped that Noah would not reject him.
With the state of the Hollowed Grounds, Noah wasn't surprised when he saw Darkeye enter the greenhouse. Halo was, for the first time in hundreds of years, a flourishing land that drew the attention of many refugees. While the older man made his way towards him, Noah willed his body to relax.
If Noah could give Sunjata an ounce of grace, after all the Flood had done, then surely Darkeye deserved that, too. After all, it was only his ignorance of this world that made Noah keep the man at a cold arm's length. "Sure." He said, offering a slight nod of his head.
"Im going to dig up this whole bed of potatoes, if you want to help me do that." Noah said, reaching to the ground below him to grab a three-tined hand rake and hand it over to the cleric.
He had not been a farmer but knew how to dig fields. It was something you learn when you dig ditches for defense. He took the rake and set about giving Noah a hand. "I see Halo is changing and I'm happy for you. A lot of things are hopefully changing for the better." He said calmly and set to work while he was still talking.
Whether he could also take some seeds here to give the people on the Grounds possibilities to show other plants and edible fruits. Maybe even a few apple trees. The people needed hope. The man in front of him seemed different from the last time we saw each other. What was different?
Noah nodded and smiled some. "We've worked hard. We are a very hardy people." He lifted his eyes briefly for a moment, but brought his eyes back down to his work when Darkeye also got to work.
"How are the Hollowed Grounds doing?" Noah asked. "I've only been there to build the skyport since well before the Second War." He commented, his eyes fixed down on the bed of dirt and potatoes.
Noah brushed a few off and set them in the basket next to him. He then continued to dig around, searching for all sizes of potatoes. He planned to take a majority of them home to his wife to be able to keep them fed and happy through the winter, but also planned to give some to his eldest neighbor.
He nods. "You can see it you should be proud of yourselves. It was very nice here before. But now it is even better I am impressed." he said, nodding. Aks wiped away some sweat. Better this way than blood came the train of thought
"Quite true spoke I would not have expected your help there thank you very much first of all for that. As for the grounds, they have the potential to develop, but they are short of people. Many have died and many who survived fear that the bird that destroyed it may come again. Others still see it as the home of Voice even when she is gone. I had a few conversations with her just like our first conversation, it went the same way. She cursed me for the way I talked to her," he said quietly and went to work.
He put a few potatoes in the basket and immediately put in the new seedlings. "If it is allowed Noah I would take some seedlings and see if the grounds will accept some of the plants here if it is allowed." He asks as he continues to work.
”Thank you.” Noah said between pulling more potatoes from the dirt and replacing them with sprouted cuttings. ”Halovians work hard.” It was an undeniable truth, and with Wardens in place who could withstand the barrage and assault of hardships that living in such a place naturally brought there would be longevity to that hard work through their direction.
”I don’t wish any ill on the people of the Grounds. It wasn’t them I was opposed to — it was the goddess that resided there.” Noah’s voice was soft and sincere, though his eyes did not reach back up to look at Darkeye’s. ”And I have no ill will against you, Darkeye. We didn’t see eye to eye, and I didn’t believe there to be room for you to grow in your understanding and beliefs of this world. I hope the last year has changed that.”
When the cleric asked him if he could take some seedlings home, Noah looked up and nodded confidently. ”You can take seedlings of any plant in the greenhouse. You can even have some of my share of these potatoes.” Noah gestured to the basket that the man was filling, and a soft smile broke over his lips. ”They’ll keep you full and happy over Longnight.”
Darkeye nods to Noah. He knew the people here were anything but lazy. They had survived the bitterest cold. Yet they had harnessed the land through their ingenuity. Something he would like to see from the Grounders. They too had survived many bad things. However, it was not extreme weather.
"I know it has Noah. I don't blame you. The voice was dangerous and didn't know what she was doing. The best example is the LongNight monster. She had tried many things and wanted to create a life like the other gods." He tried to agree with Noah in his own way. "I have learned many things in the last few weeks. But I doubt if it's enough." He said calmly.
"I'll be fine with the seedlings. Thank you, Noah. Good luck in Longnight, I'll be on my way again." He nodded to him again and said a polite goodbye before packing his bags and setting off on the long trek home.
