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!
04-20-2023, 04:17 AM (This post was last modified: 04-20-2023, 04:23 AM by Phoebe.)
and there she was, living, despite it all
"Of course." She said in assurance. "One day, with your big heart, you'll sweep a girl off her feet, like your father did me." she said. "Or you'll meet a young man and fall deeply in love and visit my garden. You will be a father, I am sure." she said with confidence and kissed his forehead. And he would be a great father - greater than Harper could have hoped to be.
Phoebe laughed lightly and ran her fingers through his hair. "Not quite so young as that. I was old when I had you." she teased. "I am nort going to ask Frey to make me older just so the numbers work out. Just...promise me you won't ask a god to make you any older?" she said, almost pleading with him.
It's a rollercoaster of emotions between the warmth that envelops his heart at her easy acceptance of his future, the terror of believing she would abandon him, and the slow denouement into something approaching familiarity. Emotions are strangely more exhausting at sixteen, but Jude supposes they have more gravity now as opposed to the things he would cry over when he was ten.
Slumping into his mother's hold, resting his head against her clavicle so she can continue running her fingers carefully through his curls, Jude giggles quietly into her skin. "Now you can be a young mom instead, right? Now you can't say I tire you out when we play anymore." Because the teen is just as friendless as before he'd aged, and Phoebe will not be exempt from the various games and field trips they used to take together. Shaking his head slightly against her chest, Jude lifts one hand out for her to see his pinky held aloft. "I promise. I don't want to be any older now." Sixteen already feels so hard. He knows it will be worth it, but he doubts he'll ever want to age again.
I LEND EVERYONE MY EAR, BUT NOBODY MY HEART I'D LIKE TO CHANGE THAT, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START
Phoebe held her son close, hand running through his hair. She was savoring this moment, knowing that all too soon he would realize that most children his age didn't cuddle their mothers. She would cling to his childish ways for as long as she could.
"Yes, a very young mom indeed." she said with a laugh. "But you still might tire me out. I'm sure you're still a ball of energy." she said. Especially since she couldn't really enforce a bed time. He might be up all hours of the night and that she certainly couldn't keep up with.
At the sight of his pinky she grinned. Lifting her own arm she linked her pinky with his. Apparently pinky promises still held weight for him. "Thank you." she said and kissed his head. "Now let's get you home. I'm sure you're hungry."
Soon they would all collectively discover that Jude would not be much like his age-mates, but for now they are both unaware of the young man he has become, and can merely sit there in the sand holding one another quietly. Though he does laugh quietly into her shoulder, because he doesn't exactly feel energetic. He feels tired, and sad, and a little like he is both freer now and yet also more encumbered by the age he finds himself.
"Was I really energetic at ten?" Because now he is old enough for such self-reflection, and he worries privately that he had tired out his parents even more than he had feared. But he recalls he spent most of his days entertaining himself on the various coastlines and waterways of Torchline and the Greatwood. Was swimming more exhausting as an adult?
Pinky promises definitely still hold weight, and it's clear by the way his shoulders dip with relief when his mother links them together that a similar weight has been taken from them. "Hungrier than I remember being as a kid," he admits on a soft laugh. "Maybe my stomach grew too." He stands carefully, and helps his mother up with both hands - only to pause, realizing the changes in height far more now that he wasn't alone. "Oh...I'm taller than you now," he blurts, a little stumped by the realization.
I LEND EVERYONE MY EAR, BUT NOBODY MY HEART I'D LIKE TO CHANGE THAT, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START
"Oh you were unstoppable." she said with a laugh. "And putting you to bed...if we hadn't worn you out enough you'd stay up and read until the wee hours of the morning." she said with a grin. He had his father's endless energy, that was for certain. But she knew that now it would be channelled differently so really she didn't have much to worry about.
Well, maybe except for him visiting sex Frey now. That was a conundrum for another day.
"You're a growing boy, that's why." she said with a laugh. "I'll have to double up on groceries." she said with a teasing smack of his shoulder. But as he stood, her eyes tilted up. He was taller than her. Why she was surprised she didn't know - he was 16 and men were notoriously tall in her family. But it tugged at her heartstrings again. Her baby was almost a man.
"And you might get even taller yet. Men on my side were all very tall." she informed him as they headed home.
Jude grins sheepishly at that particular reminder, recalling all the different flashlights and candles that had been confiscated from his room for reading well after bedtime. "I guess I didn't think about that as being tiring, but I did keep you up a lot," he laughs quietly. It's a comfort to him to know that while it feels like everything has changed now that he's sixteen, they really haven't. They're just different now. The same Jude, just in a different shade. It settles his turbulent emotions even further, enough to laugh as his mother swats at his shoulder, cringing away playfully.
"Maybe triple!" But the playfulness turns into horror at the idea of being even taller. "Oh no, I hope not! I don't want to be too tall!" He has been around plenty of very tall men, but they'd all been much more...masculine. Jude feels pretty waifish in comparison. "Ronin and dad are the same height, hopefully I can just stay this tall." And considering the two are his idols, he'd be admittedly disappointed if that changed.
I LEND EVERYONE MY EAR, BUT NOBODY MY HEART I'D LIKE TO CHANGE THAT, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START
"You're lucky your parents were young enough to go a little sleep deprived." she joked with a smile. The walk from the beach to their home wasn't far. And soon enough they were at the door and she was leading him in. From the icebox she produced roast sandwiches, made from leftovers of the night before. "There is plenty more where this came from, so just ask if you're still hungry." she said, patting his shoulder before heading to the kitchen to start on another sandwich.
She glanced back at him, laughing at his horror of being taller. "You're already so much like your father. Don't you want something of your mother?" she said, feigning hurt. But then she smiled. "Whatever height you are, you'll be perfect."
"Then you're still young enough, right?" he teases quietly, a tiny grin on his face. He's not the type to make mischief or poke fun, but if it keeps her smiling he'll try his hand at anything. The doorway feels smaller when they return home. Actually, everything does, but Jude can only marvel at it instead of feeling intimidated. So much has changed in the course of a single evening. At least his mother's food remains the same, down to the enticing smells, even for leftovers. Jude smiles gratefully and takes a neat bite, stomach rumbling appreciatively.
He can tell she's joking, but Jude swallows and aims a small smile her way. "I have your eyes, that's the best part. The one everyone notices, right?" Windows to the soul and all. He has always been happy to have that part of her, more than her fair skin or her figure.
I LEND EVERYONE MY EAR, BUT NOBODY MY HEART I'D LIKE TO CHANGE THAT, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START
Phoebe smirked at his poking fun. "For now." But time would move forward and she and Harper would grow older and slow down. But for now they did have the energy to keep up with their son.
She smiled warmly and nodded. "You do have my eyes." she agreed. And that was a lovely part to share with her son. "And my complection and build. Really you're a perfect blend of your father and I." she admitted. "But you're still a growing boy. You never know what might change." she said, coming to the table to enjoy her own sandwich - she was hungry too!
"Though now that you're 16, I suppose it is time we have an important conversation." she said with a smirk. She guessed he would squirm awkwardly at this discussion, which would only amuse the demigoddess of Frey.
The way she says that he's the perfect blend of him makes him duck his head, grinning as his cheeks turn pink. It's a compliment he didn't know he wanted to hear. Like he's bridging the gap between Harper and Phoebe - the way his sheer existence already does. Holding the family together no matter how untraditional it has become.
"I hope I get a bit more muscle. Maybe dad's side will come through a bit." He chuckles, because he doesn't mind being rather wiry, but compared to Harper's finely tuned musculature he feels a little waifish already.
He is NOT expecting the turn in conversation, though both his parents have always been age-appropriately open about sex and reproduction as a modern man and a demigoddess of Frey. So he doesn't exactly squirm, but he does nod his head like the diligent son he is, ready to submit to his fate. "I know the stuff you've both already told me, but I'm sure there's more." A little embarrassment will be worth making his mom smile.
I LEND EVERYONE MY EAR, BUT NOBODY MY HEART I'D LIKE TO CHANGE THAT, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START
Phoebe smiled at him warmly. "The men on my side of the family were all very muscular. I am sure with some training you'll grow into it." she said assuringly. Though he was awful waifish like her at the moment, she believed the male genes would kick in at some point and build him up.
But as he stiffened at the change in subject, she smirked. It would have been more amusing if he had squirmed, but she and Harper had long prepared him for this conversation. She folded her hands on her lap, and tilted her head to the side, an amused smile on her face. "Why don't we start with you telling me what you think you already know and we can go from there." she said, encouraging him to lead the conversation. There was no point rehashing things he already knew after all.
Jude can't help the hope that buds in his expressive eyes. It might be a long shot, but it was better than sulking about it like the teenager he now unfortunately is - prone to mood swings and all. "Dad is going to have to let me train more with him now that I'm older." Something he's admittedly eager for. Harper so far had only let Jude tag along for a bit of a jog and some stretching, all age-appropriate stuff (aside from the acrobatics he'd been teaching Jude in secret, wanting to pass on his family's cherished skills).
Her amusement is clear, which makes the suffering worth it to Jude. Clearing his throat slightly he fiddles with the placemat on the table to give his anxious fingers something to do. "Procreation outside of magical means is usually only between a man and woman, if we're not diving into gender expression and being intersex." Again, the perks of being raised by Frey's demigod and a modern man. "Condoms - for me - are important to not only prevent that, but any infections or diseases." A little less common with magical healing but still a pain in the interim. "It's my job to always bring protection, and no protection means no sex because other methods aren't reliable." Cheeks still stubbornly pink, Jude clears his throat again. "And always communicate consent." Admittedly there is little flavor to his education, but few people ever seem to tell their kids (or students, if you're a teacher) those sorts of things.
I LEND EVERYONE MY EAR, BUT NOBODY MY HEART I'D LIKE TO CHANGE THAT, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START
Phoebe smiled at her son. "Just say the word and I am sure he will be happy to teach you." she said.
But there were more amusing matters at hand.
A Cheshire grin sat upon her lips as he fiddled with this and that, cheeks flaring red here and there. And what he said was all well and good. But it was very surface level. "Yes, that's all right." she praised, nodding her head. "But do you know how it actually works? What having sex actually entails?" she said. "Do you know the basic anatomical differences between male and female and why they are that way?" she continued to prod him along. Oh yes. She was going to go into detail with this conversation. Frey would smite her elsewise.
As he started to answer, she stood and went to the icebox, fetching some lemon meringue pie. Cutting out the perfect piece, she placed it on a plate, then cut another. One for each of them. She brought him his piece then sat again with her own. She took a bite and smiled at him lovingly from across the table. This was all for his own good.
Jude cannot properly stifle his exasperated exhale as she continues to push. Yes he knows how it works, had seen the diagrams and various other supplementary materials between school and his father (he will never look at a cantaloupe the same way again, thanks Harper). That doesn't mean he wants to say it. He's a rather shy boy, so even the words are uncomfortable. Not due to immaturity, but a sense of propriety that his mother certainly (obviously) doesn't share.
Still, he can sense it will only get worse if he can't say it, lest she think he doesn't know at all.
"Yeah, the anatomy was one of the first things we learned," he murmurs, shoulders rising uncomfortably. "Including proper anatomy like differentiating the vagina and labia." Instead of referring to the entire area as the former, as he knows many of his peers do. Harper had even brought in a tutor from Stormbreak when Jude had first aged up to ensure Torchline's more lackadaisical teachings wouldn't impact his health-ed schooling. Never let it be said that either of his parents didn't go above and beyond.
Pulling the plate of pie closer, he murmurs a soft thank you before taking a bite. The bite of lemon helps clear his head a little bit. "Dad also gave me a lotta lessons on um...performance." He grimaces again. Harper - with his unfailing kindness and soft approach to parenting - had never made him feel so under the spotlight, but that might also be because they're both male and this is his mom. He can't see her as Frey's demigod because of that.
I LEND EVERYONE MY EAR, BUT NOBODY MY HEART I'D LIKE TO CHANGE THAT, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START
