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
"You are speshuler," Mateo informs his sister with a raise of his glass and a wink. "And it is not deflection - I just want to be able to appraise any of the Doubletake's potential suitors. Just because we are in Torchline it does not mean anyone is good enough for you."
Which would be a potentially interesting thread of conversation to tug at, if things hadn't taken a nosedive then and there. What Flora doesn't say serves well enough to freeze over the warmth and camaraderie between them, and Mateo takes a measured swallow of his drink before speaking.
"I take it that you have not, then? Talked to him?" he says softly. "Maybe he thinks you do not want to speak to him? But I... either way, that is shitty. I am sorry." Considering for a moment, he tries on a smirk. "You could gatecrash the Cordillera when I go, if you want."
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
"No, you." Flora chimes back without missing a beat. All at once Flora's eyes light up and her mouth drops open. "Oh my gods, you know what we should do????" Falling silent so that the weight of all those question marks might appropriately resonate, Flora grins before continuing. "We should have a...like...a match-making event. Like a big singles evening or whatever, and we can pair people up!" This idea had everything: Mateo and Flora getting to judge everyone, know their business, boss people around, and take credit for everything that went well.
But then, yes, the ice water on the conversation serves to dampen the Doubletake's spirits.
"Not him, no. Ronin came by a while ago." Flora murmurs moodily as she swirls her cup. 'Maybe I could dress as you and show up and yell GOTCHA when they realize the unwanted child had come instead of you."
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
Of course Mateo is in, hooked from the moment she says match-making. With near identical mischief in his blue eyes, he runs a finger around the rim of his glass and bounces his eyebrows at her. "We could set it up on the beach at Longheat. The sunset, the heat, the sand and booze... sarebbe così romantico." And they would be there the entire time, of course, hosting and enjoying themselves. (And gossiping).
Retrieving his drink and finishing that one off as well, Mateo wants to laugh because the image is funny, but the truth behind it isn't. "You are a wanted sister," he tells her softly. "And I am sorry Dad sucks. But - and I mean this in the nicest possible way, Flora - you could never pull off being me. They would see right through it in an instant." Okay, maybe he's smiling a bit now. Sorry.
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
"Sara-be cossee romantiko." Flora agrees, adding her own flourishes to the words where she felt they were appropriate in lieu of proper pronunciation.
With a flat stare the Doubletake regards her sibling, wondering if the sentiment behind his words came from a place of guilt or not. "I was an accident to start with, and now I'm just.." In her mind she can see her name and the title that follows it, only instead of doubletake it says afterthought. She sighs. "It is what it is."
Gasping dramatically both because the moment called for it and because she was tired of frowning (ew, wrinkles), Flora reaches out to softly (?) punch her brother in the shoulder. "Oh em gee Mateo, I could so!" She declares with a laugh.
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
"Esattamente," Mateo agrees with a grin - Flora is likely one of the only people in Caido that he'll allow to butcher the travelling tongue (Ever being the other). "When I come to visit at Longheat we will arrange it. There are plenty of singles around, right?" He raises his eyebrows. "Because if it is just the two of us, that might be awkward." And here comes the incest again.
If it's guilt then it's buried deep enough down to masquerade as something else, deep enough for Mateo not to know about it, and so he takes her deflections (and her punches) with typical good humour, though he's absolutely rubbing at his arm where he bets a bruise will form. "It is what it is, but it does not have to be," he says with all the sage of a junkie. "And I correct my statement, then - you could, but you won't. My clothes are too eclectic for you, I think."
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
"Puurrrrrrrfect. Everyone will want to be half-naked during LongHeat anyways given how hot it is." And that always made flirting so much easier (and also harder, wink wonk). Crinkling her nose, Flora pulls a face at her sibling. "EwwwwwDavid Mateo." She complains through a smile.
For a brief moment, there's a flicker of pure reasonableness on Flora's face. It makes her look older and sad as her shoulders rise up toward her ears only to drop hastily back. "I know. Maybe one day I'll get rid of the chip on my shoulder, and do something about it, but if I'm being honest?" Which apparently she was. "It's sort of easier this way. I haven't spoken to my mother in months, and dad just...well, I don't even know. It doesn't have to be the way it is, but for right now I think everyone is content to just...sort of complain about it."
As for Mateo's clothes? Looking her brother up and down, Flora finds her lips twisting with horror and fascination, not least of all because he's managed to make the ugly scarf she'd gotten him look so damn good. "Okay fine, I suppose you've got me there." She concedes at last.
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
"Ewwwww Flora," Mateo echoes, doing his best impression of his sister that's absolutely ruined by his accent, all the while reaching for the bottle of drain cleaner liquor. He said he'd make it look like she could hold more booze than he can, and he's going to live up to it, so help him.
He doesn't expect to come face to face with the sad reality of Flora's self-awareness, and even though Mateo has wanted it for so long, he finds that he hates it a little bit. He wants to see the smile back on his sister's face, wants her not to have to think about how fucking shitty things are when it comes to their dysfunctional family.
And so, taking her lead, he reaches out to clink his glass against hers. "Then you complain as much as you want, and I'll make sure to chip in like a good brother," he says. And as for his clothes? "It's alright," he says, "You've got better legs than me. I could never pull off your clothes either."
(Well, he could, but he's trying to make her feel better).
~FIN
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
