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!
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
Mateo has not come to Torchline to see Flora.
Nope.
He is just visiting the islands to enjoy Flowerbirth from a half-up, half-down perspective is all. (It all feels very isolated up in Stormbreak sometimes).
And if he has sent a note to his sister - which he has, but he isn't thinking about it - mentioning that he will be at the port on the midday skyship coming in... well, that is just a coincidence, alright?
She won't come, and that's fine. Mateo can do his shopping and get on with his life. Speaking of which, he's wearing some truly obnoxious paisley patterned scarf around his neck; a gift he's sure was intended as a slap across the face.
He'll apologise to Flora (even though she definitely won't show up) for liking it and wearing it down here. Under his arm, Mateo carries a small, watercolor canvas, painted during a (hopefully not-so) rare visit from their father. His sister definitely won't want that when he offers it to her, he knows, so he'll probably trade it out at the marketplace later.
Or sooner rather than later.
You know, because she's not coming.
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
Almost like some twin intuition that had morphed and adapted since Enzo's death, Flora knew that Mateo was in Torchline. At least, that's absolutely how she was going to explain this particular encounter when she inevitably retold it. Never mind the letter, there's no proof she even got it, or that he even sent it.
So, having had the time to prepare herself exactly Flora set out as if with fate on her side. Wearing a stunning peach tea dress, Flora took the time that morning to braid a number of tropical flowers into her blonde curls with the sole aim of having Mateo hate them if only because he didn't grow them. With a basket on her arm that held a blanket and bottle of wine (she'd tell Mateo that she was going to meet friends on the beach if he asked), she sauntered toward the docks. Perhaps she'd find Jack before she found Mateo, and gods but wouldn't that be wonderful?
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
It really would be. Perhaps Mateo would find Jack before Flora did, and wouldn't that be even more wonderful?
Alas, the wonder of their imagined encounters will likely be ruined by the fact that both siblings are as noticeable as one another, meaning they are painfully, beautifully easy to pick out in a crowd.
So it is that as Mateo notices his sister - ridiculously stunning in her dress, with flowers that match the colour of her hair and the tone of her clothing so perfectly that he can't hate it even if he wants to - he finds himself somewhat stranded.
Part of him wants to approach her with his heart on his sleeve, sincere and upset and all the things he's felt since they stung each other two seasons back. Another part of him wants to accidentally-on-purpose spill something sticky and dark onto her dress and call it a day.
Hopefully he comes out on the happier side of in between, because his feet are approaching the last Kaliesin quite without his permission, until he's left standing before her, awkward as all shit.
"Hey," he says, lamely.
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
Likewise, Flora hates the ease with which Mateo is able to pull off the paisley abomination around his neck. Worst still, he makes it look good. Expensive even. He's her only living sibling, a title that makes her cherish him as much as hate him, and gods but she doesn't know if she wants to throw her arms around him or accidentally hip-check him off of the dock.
'Oh,' Flora explains, removing her sunglasses and almost squinting at her brother even though he was standing right before her. "I didn't even see you!" She lies brightly, her smile full but empty. "Gods look how pale you are." Flora continues, adopting an expression of sisterly concern as she scans his complexion. "But I guess that's no surprise given how pale Stormbreak is. I bet this trip will do wonders for your skin."
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
How easy it would be to slip the razors from beneath his tongue and give his sister a few cuts in return. In fact, the way Mateo's jaw tightens with his smile suggests he might very well be considering doing just that, were it not for some annoying fatherly wisdom needling the back of his skull. Something about Flora needing to learn who she was now that she didn't have her twin, about how he needed to learn who he was now that he didn't have a brother.
And so his smile fades, and with it, he forces his shoulders to relax. "I am sorry, Flora," he says, and it doesn't make him throw up like he thinks it will. In fact, once that bit is done, the rest starts to feel easy. Like picking a scab, or digging a grave.
"I am sorry I am not Enzo. And that isn't supposed to be... bitter, or angry. I am sorry I am not him. I could never take his place." He shrugs his shoulders, like it doesn't matter even though it does. "But I am here, if you ever need me. I guess I just wanted you to know that."
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
An apology is about the last thing that Flora expects to hear from Mateo such it deflates the wind from her sales and has her visibly hardening in response as if to protect herself from whatever sort of trick this might be. As he continues the girl lowers her gaze to her basket where she begins to adjust the corners of the blanket therein, biting at the inside of her lip and waiting for the other shoe to drop.
When it doesn't and silence fills the gap between them, Flora swallows hard, and then dry swallows again. "You could never be Enzo." She murmurs softly, lips plumped downward into a frown. "You're not tall enough." Had her tone been different this might have sounded like a snipe, but softly said as it was, perhaps Mateo might see it for the tentative step toward this being a real conversation as she meant it to be.
"I mean, you're here now, but then you'll just..go back to Stormbreak." Flora points out, flashing her eyes up to his before looking back into her basket that he might not be able to read the rest of the thought in her eyes.
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
Flora doesn't expect to hear an apology and Mateo doesn't expect to laugh today, but here they both are. "You are right," he agrees. "I do not even think the heels I own would make up the difference." Reaching up to pass a hand through curls that are carelessly tousled enough to suggest that they haven't been meticulously teased into place (which they have, and he just ruined it), the botanist glances up at his sister just as she looks away, beginning an unfortunate dance of hide-the-eye-contact.
"Well," he says slowly, "that is where I live. It is where I conduct my business." Which, you know, has been the case since his balls dropped and he got hold of a skyboat. "But I do not have to be in Stormbreak nearly as often as I am." He lets his hand drop and risks another look at Flora.
"And you could visit sometimes as well, if you wanted to."
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
Flora's expressions flitter about her face as her lips form into half-smiles and then a frown, her cheeks plump then hollow, and her eyebrows wave with various thoughts. Eventually, she pulls in a breath hard enough to have her nostrils flattening against her nose as she rolls the shoulder holding the basket as if to draw strength from it.
"I mean.." She mumbles, glancing up and finding herself held in a blue stare that was blissfully nothing at all like Enzo's. "...it's still a place where abandoned can't go, so..." Flora's head moves from side to side. "..fuck that, you know?" Perhaps because Enzo was dead the girl was heavily invested in boycotting anywhere that would have turned him away.
"Besides, I don't really like heights." She added as if that was a relevant point here. It wasn't of course, but it was something to say, and Flora found herself still mentally scrambling to catch up to the emotional pace Mateo was setting.
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
"Nowhere is perfect," Mateo says, but the nod of his head concedes that he will respect her choice, if that's the hill she wants to die on today. "For what it is worth, I think there was some talk about making it safe for Abandoned. And I think you would like it." The shopping scene, if nothing else, was definitely an attraction for the Floras and Mateos of the world.
Her remark about heights does have him smirking a little, and he shades his eyes from the Flowerbirth sun to gaze up at the portion of Torchline blissfully suspended in the air overhead. "And yet," he says, before nodding down at her basket. "Are you going on a date?" he wonders. Because just as she definitely wasn't coming to meet him today, there's absolutely no way they could do something together. Like, you know, real siblings.
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
Graves dot many a hillside bearing Flora Kaliesin's name, Mateo, and she's happy to add yet another. Mmmphing her victory with regard to Stormbreak, she can only shrug. "What's that they say about talk?" She asks, as if searching for the answer. Coming to it with a dramatic gesture, she fixes her gaze back on her sibling. "Oh right, it's cheap."
Glancing in the direction Mateo was looking, where the city suddenly jut up recklessly into the air, Flora just sniffs as if to say so what? though wisely didn't try and argue the point. "Mmm? Oh, just meeting some friends on the beach later." She says of her Get-Away-From-Mateo prop. 'But I'm early, so...' Clearing her throat, Flora swallows and seems to weigh her options. Though this was all rather abrupt, she found herself wanting to linger at Mateo's side, if only to figure out what sort of game he was trying to play.
"..want to walk through the market? I have a little time."
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
"Not in Stormbreak it isn't," Mateo disagrees, but the slant of his smile suggests that he isn't arguing for the reason she might think. "Most things up there can be classed as quite expensive," he clarifies; talk included, or so some merchants would have you believe. Not Mateo, though, no no. He is a fair and honourable drug supplier businessman and botanist.
Nodding vacantly as if on the verge of excusing himself from interrupting Flora's day - and honestly perhaps it's better to keep it short and sweet before either of them ruined things - Mateo is very pleasantly surprised at her offer. Blinking a little life back into his eyes, he smiles enough to dimple one of his cheeks. "I would like that. Perhaps I will find some matching pieces for this lovely gift."
So saying, he (of course) touches his fingers to the paisley monstrosity around his neck. "Thank you, by the way."
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
Doubt, Flora's expression conveys as she rolls her eyes, though like her counterpart, she's content to let this particular point go if only because she's quite certain they'll find something more to argue about.
Though the Doubletake's eyes narrow skeptically, she slaps on a wide smile for her brother's benefit. "It really brings out your eyes." Which is true; Flora had just hoped it would bring them out in a "oh god, why do I feel sick all of a sudden" sort of way.
"SooOOoOoo..." Flora segues in a sing-song voice as she leads them toward the market. "Get up to anything interesting during LongNight...?"
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
Mateo's hand flutters dramatically to his chest in a gesture of aw, thank you, and both dimples have appeared by now as they stroll together towards the - conveniently half in the sky, Flora - marketplace. As her question trills through the air, he raises his eyebrows as if not having expected small talk, though it's something they're both very skilled at. "Strangely enough, I did not," he admits, sounding surprised himself.
"Everest was away piloting, and I thought I'd give sobriety a go for a week." That's code for I was hungover and depressed, which she will absolutely know, but whatever. Shifting the canvas under his arm, he does hold it out for her. "I did put the finishing touches on this, though. I was going to... well, I brought it for you. But if you don't want it, I can trade it at the market. It's just a view over Stormbreak."
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
'Well it's no surprise you're so pale, then.' Flora huffs with a chuckle, and had this not been the first time they'd been on speaking terms in months, she might have reached over to pinch his cheek. 'What? Eww.' She grimaces, of trying out sobriety, regardless of what necessitated it. "I tried to make gin like Dad's...but...without using any of the ingredients he normally does. Eucalyptus instead of current, jasmine instead of lavender, honey instead of sugar..." Trailing off as he reveals the canvas, Flora stutter-steps over the cobblestones.
'Oh,' she ohs, and it's hard to tell if this is her way of softening a forthcoming criticism or if it's awkwardness over the thoughtfulness of the gesture. "Well...I mean, if you aren't leaving right away, you could always bring it to my apartment and see if you think it goes with the colours we..." Not as much colour as you might expect, but some, drains from Flora's checks before she sniffs and carries on. "..that I have."
