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!
Hadama arrived at the promised canal by the market with a small pack slung over his back and a waterproof box in his hands. He had swum from the Tidepool Bar's kitchen - a shared workspace for both mer and human chefs, with an oven in reach of the water - holding his precious cargo above the gentle wavelets of the canal the whole way. Though the box was waterproof its contents were still soft and warm, and he hadn't wanted them to lose their heat by having their container submerged in the cool Flowerbirth currents.
It was a cloudy day, and there had been rain that morning though the afternoon looked to be holding dry for a change. The mermanta found a clear patch of ground at the edge of the canal to set the box down, returning the nods and greetings of some of the local merchants while he looked around for the sun-bright blonde hair of his young friend.
Flora, fashionably late, raised a hand to her merfriend and waved a many-ringed hand in his direction both as a greeting and to get his attention. This was likely unnecessary, as Flora's massive flowing white gown caught the light as it billowed around her. Looking like some bohemian bride with her curls, bare feet, and bright red lipstick, she sashayed across the sands and toward the canals clutching the moodboard she'd made, having prepared for this meeting but not for the rain that was sure to come at some point.
"Heya!" The Doubletake chimed once she was close enough. Brushing back a bit of hair caught against her lips, Flora flashes another smile as she plops down daintily at the water's edge.
The mermanta waved back at the brightly-clad woman who sashayed through the crowd, the corners of his eyes crinkling towards a smile as she approached. "Flora," he rumbled in warm welcome. "You look lovely." It was good to see his young friend in high spirits and the blithe, bright center of attention again. She was certainly turning heads in the flowy dress!
Hadama lifted the lid off the box of cookies - chocolate chip - and offered Flora the first choice before he took one for himself. "Have you begun to work on your own outfit yet?" A curious question, not least because he trusted her to know which way the winds of fashion were blowing - and to be at the forefront of them.
At the mermanta's compliment, Flora's eyes widen as if he's just said something unexpected. Feigning a blush, she grins and waves him off, though absolutely no part of her shies away from the attention.
'Ooooh!' If calories are a thing that the Kaliesin worries about, she won't do so publicly. Reaching into the box for the chocolatiest cookie she can find, Flora lifts it to her nose and sniffs cutely before giving Hadama a curious look. 'You're quite the charmer, you know that?' He was also nearly twice her age, but life, as the girl had learned far too young, was short.
Flicking one foot in the water, Flora gives her head a shake. "No, I'm still waiting for inspiration to strike." Lifting one of her shoulders in half-shrug, the Doubletake kicks out at the water again. "And, you know, to see if I might go with anyone with this. That way we can match."
Ahem.
'Oh! I brought this for you!' So saying Flora reaches behind her for the mood board she'd made. Opening the two cardboard folds to reveal a symphony of colours and textures, Flora begins to explain. "So obviously we want colours that will compliment your skin. You already have a lot of gold going on, so I thought maybe green? To go with your eyes?"
Hadama simply inclined his head at her wave, hiding the smile in his eyes even as he pretended to accept her playful refusal of the compliment. Cookies were offered instead, and accepted, and once she'd chosen her first victim he was able to begin nibbling on a second. The recipe was a good one, and he was becoming quite adept at judging the timing to pull them out of the Tidepool Bar's oven.
At her own compliment he flashed her one of his rare true smiles, clearly pleased. "Thank you." It always came easier with his friends, and the practice was good for him. But it seemed he wouldn't get the chance to admire her own creation today and he nodded thoughtfully in understanding. "Indeed."
He paused as the mood board was unveiled, complex in its variety but with Flora's signature eye for style. The mermanta looked over the various swatches intently, a quiet hum of approval rumbling from his chest. "Yes. Green is my favorite color," he agreed with a pleased nod. Then he tilted his head back up at her, those emerald eyes sly with mischief as he returned to his previous thought. "Is there anyone you are considering going with?" Surely there must be several Torchers vying for her attentions, though whether Flora favored any of them in return was the big question.
Not one to show any outward signs of nervousness (unless it benefited her, of course), Flora waited with calm composure as Hadama looked over the cardboard rectangles that she’d transformed into a verdant mess of texture. Inwardly though, her heart had begun to stutter-step in her chest and her stomach felt both weighed down with seawater and oddly buoyant at the same time. So when the mermanta rendered his verdict, it was with perhaps a slightly breathier exhale of relief that she beamed down at him.
“Perfect!” She trilled, drumming her fingers along the sides of her mood board. “Now we just have to decide on a theme..!” Before she could say more, Hadama’s question had Flora’s aqua gaze momentarily darkening before she shrugged away whatever melancholy was trying to settle in the curve of her smile. “Not really, no.” Though the Doubletake’s smile was still bright, there was a flicker of honesty in it that somehow subdued its shine. “Commitment is hard, you know?” Even for something as simple as a date to a ball.
The Doubletake could be just as poised as the Tidebreaker, and Hadama was taken in by her facade. His attention was fully on the board she had prepared once it was presented, and by the time he looked up again it was to her beaming smile and musical enthusiasm - not that he had ever doubted her fashion sense or taste. She had his full confidence, and he was glad of her assistance in the matter of his royal raiment at the upcoming event.
But her unexpected response to his questions, which he had hoped would lighten the mood, had him pausing in thought. He regarded the young woman in silence for several long moments before he came to a decision and gave a slow nod to settle his thoughts. "I will not have an escort, either," he stated, a simple fact for the consort-less King. His emerald eyes were warm as he offered his friend a smile. "Will you save a dance for me?"
Perhaps it would be closer to a father-daughter dance than anything else, but hopefully there would be some cachet for having a King on her dance card?
Would a wave theme be too... Hm. Too much?" he questioned, moving the conversation calmly along with all the assurance of a galleon in full sail.
Wrinkling her nose a touch at the word escort, Flora nevertheless flashes the King an amused smile. "Well, I happen to know Maeve could help you with that, if you wanted." She jokes, knowing precisely what Hadama had meant, but not being able to help poking fun at his word choice just the same. "A dance?" Eyelashes fluttering, Flora glances down toward the water as if to silently wonder just how such a thing might work between them. Deciding that she didn't actually care mostly because Odd was too lazy to put Flora into the SWE, the Kaliesin merely shrugs and bobs her head. "Absolutely I will. A few in fact."
Glancing back to her moodboard, Flora considers the mermanta's question with a twitch of her lips. "Normally I'd say yes, but I think if we make it subtle it could work? What about--" So saying, the Doubletake pulls out a pencil from her bag and begins to sketch out various wave patterns that aren't too garish or over the top.
By the time the pair have landed on a design befitting a King, Flora's feet are quite wrinkly from having been in the canal so long, though if she minds at all, she gives no notice
