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!
Though Everest had nearly died, he had still managed to find a LongNight souvenir for his best friend, pilot his skyship home after having made all the required deliveries, and been appropriately stitched, fussed, and lectured by Tobi. Though his body cried out for him to slip into a coma until the middle of the season, he'd made plans to meet Mateo for an afternoon of relaxation by the hot springs, and by gods he was going to be there.
Having left home extraordinarily early in order to accommodate his still-sprained ankle, the aviator limped his way into the heart of Stormbreak with a small package nestled under one arm and a look of stern concentration on his face. He really should have taken the crutch his mother had offered him, but Ever had imagined a scenario where someone far worse off had needed one only to find the hospital had run out. So, despite the improbability of this event coming to pass, the boy had declined for better or worse.
Having never been to the Eye of the Storm before, Ever took a moment to orient himself to his surroundings before entering. He took note of where people were sitting (there were large flat rocks to serve as chairs), where both dirty and clean towels could be found, and what the standards of behaviour in the pool seemed to be (unfortunately, it seemed to be largely promiscuous, which had him wincing).
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
champagne, cocaine, gasoline and most things in between
Unaware of any of Everest's Longnight shenanigans, and having been down to the islands to see his sister, Mateo is a little late, if anything, but that means that his friend will have plenty of time to survey the surroundings before he arrives. He hasn't been to the Eye of the Storm either, but gods he doesn't know why if the number of naked bodies are anything to go by. Hitching his bag of holding over one shoulder and hurriedly exhaling a plume of smoke around the very last of his cigarette, Mateo disposes of it and heads into the hot springs to find Ever.
And when he spots him, the boy's eyes all but light up, and it's with a dimpled smile that he rushes forward to embrace his friend. "Benvenuto a casa! The Greatwood was lucky to have you, but I have missed you," he tells him, stepping back and already inching towards some lockers where they can get changed.
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
Bracing himself for this greeting, Everest's body tenses as he stiffens, breath lodged just below his throat. "Mmrrrppph-" He moans softly against his friend's tangle of curls, blinking away the wince distorting his features and trying not to huff out his breath too immediately as Mateo pulls away. "Ciao." The aviator returns with none of the language's musicality as he limps in Mateo's wake.
"I missed you too." Ever adds, and though the words are rather dry, the sentiment behind them is nevertheless genuine.
Trying to limp and sidestep around a bunch of naked men, Ever keeps his chin resolutely raised before falling to a halt by a bank of lockers. 'I brought you this.' He offers, stiffly holding out an expertly wrapped package. Sprigs of peppermint bark have been intertwined with ribbon, and should Mateo choose to open it, he'll find a lush olive-green scarf and matching pocket-square, as well as an assortment of seeds from the fae. They were nothing terribly uncommon, but Ever had hoped they would remind Mateo of the Greatwood and Vai.
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
champagne, cocaine, gasoline and most things in between
"Ciao," Mateo sings in return, turning to head to the lockers and only glancing back at his friend when he arrives, which is about when he realises Ever is limping. "Cosa è successo? You are hurt!" He gushes, having already taken off one of his sandals - only to have a beautifully wrapped gift held out for him instead.
Placing the sandal back onto his foot to keep both hands free for Ever's package (har har har), Mateo's "You did not have to get me anything," is promptly silenced as he carefully opens the present, revealing the seeds and the scarf. With a boyish smile filled with genuine delight, he leans up to smooch Ever on both cheeks.
"And we are at a place where I am takng my clothing off?" he sighs dramatically. "Grazie, Ever. They are beautiful." And he will be sure to wear them at the very next opportunity.
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
Frowning, if only because successo sounds to Ever's ears like the word success which seems firmly out of place, the aviator understands as Mateo continues. "Oh, well. A little, yes." He mumbles, not wanting to make a big deal of it. He hadn't actually died, and if that one gif is anything to go by, almost dying wasn't anything to brag about.
Turning his chin up so that his eyes could gaze at the ceiling -- Ever of course hated watching people open gifts almost as much as he hated receiving them -- the aviator shrugs. "I wasn't going to see you for LongNight and I thought I could bring you back a piece of the Greatwood." He explains as he scrutinizes a cobweb in one of the windows.
Trying not to complain about the kisses, Ever just nods stiffly, though inwardly he was both relieved and pleased that Mateo liked his presents. 'Well...I supposed you could wear the scarf, but...I wouldn't recommend it. I don't think the fae would, either." Ever replies, missing the humour entirely and instead turning to his locker.
"Do we...are we taking all our clothes off?" Glancing over his shoulder, based on what he was seeing, it seemed the answer was yes, which of course filled Ever with utter dread, though in that moment he had no idea which was worse: break convention and wear clothes in the pool, or be naked.
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
Champagne, cocaine, gasoline and most things in between
"A little? I-- wh..." Taking a deep breath and letting it out again, because Mateo is swamped by conflicting emotions (glee because his friend has been so thoughtful and abject horror that there is something wrong), he decides to tackle the easiest one first. "I wish I had thought of that," he says of the gift. "I could have gotten you a piece of Stormbreak to take around with you," Lifting the present to softly inhale the scent of the woods on the scarf, Mateo carefully wraps it again before stowing it away in his bag. "Thank you," he says again, this time in a language his friend will understand.
But back to the hurt. "What happened?" he asks, already unbuttoning his (sheer, sky blue) shirt and shrugging out of it. "Are you alright? We can always go somewhere else." Because the clothing dilemma seems to be playing on Ever's mind as well. Mateo, at least, is happy to flaunt tradition for his friend's comfort. "We will keep our modesty," he decides, which is to say he'll not strip completely if that's what the aviator wants to do as well.
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
'You know I don't like things.' Ever offers with a stilted shake of his head; though if Mateo gave him anything at all as a keepsake, he'd be obligated to carry it around with him forever. 'You're very welcome.'
Turning to the lockers and briefly considering the numbers before him (maybe he could find a prime numbered locker), Ever presses his lips together as he navigates peeling his sweater off. "I had a run-in with an owlbear." He mumbles into the material, as casually as possible, before switching gears and adding: "I would like to keep my modesty."
So saying, what Everest Hart strips down to is a swimming shirt and overly modest swimming shorts that nearly reach his knees.
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
champagne, cocaine, gasoline and most things in between
"You like some things," Mateo objects with a grin, all the while setting his bag of holding into the locket and hanging up his clothes so they don't get creased. He's just tying up his curls into a hasty top-knot when Ever mentions an owl-bear, a creature he has never heard of, never wants to encounter, and wholeheartedly believes is capable of injuring his friend.
"You ran into it?" He raises his eyebrows, wondering if he ought to contact his fathers to let them know that vicious mystery predators were roaming the Greatwood and hurting Everest specifically. While he ponders, Ever has technically gotten undressed and Mateo is (not wearing Speedos, much to all of our surprise) in a pair of much more regular length swimming shorts, looking like a rakish sort of surfer.
Of course he's never been surfing in his life and would rather sunbathe and drink cocktails, but what can you do?
"How badly are you hurt? Does your mother know?"
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
Opening his mouth to object, Everest is forced to promptly close it once more. Mateo is quite correct, there are in fact some things he does enjoy, like his notebooks and pens. What he had meant was that he didn't like trinkety things, but of course his verbal sloppiness in not being clearer in the beginning is what led to this argument, but before Ever could wordily clarify, Mateo was asking about the owlbear.
"Yes." Ever confirms about having run into the creature. He glances at Mateo, and while most in the changing room would likely think his gaze was one of a boyfriend checking out his partner, in fact Ever was trying to gauge if his swimming costume was appropriate. Deeming that it was (he'd seen Mateo wearing far less in any number of situations), he closes his locker and shrugs.
"Badly hurt when it first happened. But then this very rude man stabbed me with a healing spear, which admittedly helped." Ever explained this through clenched teeth, and it wouldn't take a particularly nuanced understanding of the aviator to guess his thoughts on Darkeye's "help". "She does. She set my ankle and healed some wounds which would have normally needed stitches." Concealed by his shirt, Ever gestures towards his ribs.
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
champagne, cocaine, gasoline and most things in between
It's at times like these - and at rarely any other time, in fact - that Mateo wishes that his friend would be a little more socially aware. It passes quickly, of course, and the botanist centres himself against his shock to ask questions Everest will be able to answer. "Where did all of this happen?" he asks. "Are all of the Fae alright? Is the... the owlbear dead now?"
A very rude man stabbed me with a healing spear. It's unfortunate that, of this entire sentence, Mateo hears only man, stabbed me and spear, and for a second he looks a little like the gif of that blinking interviewer. "Oh," he says after mentally taking at least two shots of liquor, swallowing hard and leading them towards the hotspring in somewhat of a daze.
"Well, I am glad you are alright. Or less hurt than you were. It... it sounded serious. I am sorry that I wasn't there."
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
"In the Wildwood." Ever replies quite matter-of-factly. "Not all, no. There were at least three dead when I..we, arrived. There were three others who happened upon the owlbear. The rude man, the king of the merfolk, and a healer from Torchline." He explains. "The owlbear is dead now, yes. I thought...I thought maybe I would bring you back some of it, you know, as your gift, but the others took everything before I could."
Everest nods, looking a little like the gif of David, pursing his lips and emphatically agreeing. Following along behind Mateo and out into the daylight, the aviator narrows his eyes against the brightness. 'I wish you were with me, too. Not because I would have wanted you to get hurt, or even to fight it, it's just.." At a loss for words, Everest frowns down at his own shadow for a moment.
"It was scary and I thought I might die and you wouldn't even have known." He fumbles. "And..when I'm scared I like having you around." An older couple who had been eavesdropping offer up a thoughtful awwwwwwwwwwwww at this sentiment, patting Mateo on the arm as they pass.
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
champagne, cocaine, gasoline and most things in between
Feeling his heartbeat start to slow as Ever is able to fill in all of the necessary blanks, Mateo lets out a sigh hard enough to puff his cheeks, rubbing at the stubble on his chin while they make it to the edge of the hotspring. Ever becomes a little hazed in the steam, but his voice is still clear enough at least, and Mateo has to take a second to smile at the couple as they pass before he gives his friend his full attention again.
"I like having you around when I am scared, too," he says, resisting the urge to give Ever a gentle nudge in case it hurts any of his still-present-but-no-longer-life-threatening-apparently injuries. "Maybe we should have... I don't know. A compass, like my dads have? Or something that lights up to tell the other person we are in trouble and need help."
Still thinking hard about this - and how to loosen the knot of dread in his stomach to think that Ever could have died and Mateo might not have known - the botanist slips into the hot water without nearly enough preparation, and the heat is enough to steal his breath for a second.
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
Doubtfully, if only because there are a thousand thoughts running through his head, Everest frowns. "It would need to be able to distinguish between...I'm in trouble because I've lost my favourite eraser, and I'm being stabbed by a small rude man." Differentiating these could actually be a rather fun activity if you were someone like Ever. Similarly, Mateo would need it to differentiate between oh no I'm going to cum too fast and help I'm ODing in an alley."Hmmm."
Learning from his friend's mistakes, Everest sits down at the edge of the pool like a toddler. He first dips in one toe, considers the temperature, and then adds the other. It takes him several minutes to even shuffle himself away from the edge.
"I've heard there are rings that work with non-attuned that sort of...gives them an attuned bond with one person." The aviator says as he experiments with his range of motion now that the warm water has loosened his muscles. "But..maybe it wouldn't be good to hear or feel each other's thoughts."
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
champagne, cocaine, gasoline and most things in between
"I am becoming very curious about this small rude man," Mateo murmurs from somewhere next to Ever, having sunk into the spring enough that his body is beginning to get accustomed to the heat. "Hmmm," he says as well on the subject of the panic-button, but in all honesty he's already abandoned the idea, because Mateo's states of crisis come and go so quickly (but not always because of that reason, thank you) that it would probably give Ever a heart attack.
Bobbing a few feet to the right so Ever can slip into the water properly, the steam is already starting to plaster Mateo's curls to his forehead, and he winces on his friend's behalf. "You are my friend, Everest, and I cannot subject you to my thoughts. It would not be fair." Back to the drawing board on that one, then.
"I suppose we will just have to go everywhere together."
I roam the city in a shopping cart a pack of Camels and a smoke alarm
