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!
"I've been known to be wise occasionally," Isla agrees with a grin that's getting easier all the while, though she's also happy to leave thoughts of unrequited feelings and unhealthy habits behind for the time being. Or at the very least she's happy to swap one habit out for another.
Listening with interest as Flora gives her opinion on the other regions - having been out of touch with civilisation for a fair few seasons now, it's refreshing to hear the other woman's take on things as they are now. "I would struggle to go to Halo now these days anyway," she admits. "Do you not find it difficult living in Safrin's shadow, though?" The mercurial goddess can be difficult to be around at the best of times, or so she's heard.
Pulled away from the sea by the sight of their drinks, Isla lifts hers instantly and holds it to Flora. "Here's to not spending the night worried about other people and their feelings." Or lack thereof.
we're gonna separate ourselves tonight we're always running scared but holding knives
'Her shadow? Nah.' Flora leans forward a touch conspiratorily. "I kind of like that she's a bitch? I mean, I know she's done some shady shit and she hates my dad for sure, but," Raising a single finger to indicate a pause, the Doubletake helps herself to a sip of her drink before continuing. "I mean, I get it. She only hates Remi because she's in love with Ronin, and honestly, if I was in that position, same." Flora offers a knowing shrug despite moments before having just hinted at what a clusterfuck her love life was. "I'd be pissed too if I was a literally goddess and someone chose Remi over me." She adds before taking another sip.
"And yes she's a bitch, but you always know when it's coming. Unlike the other heralds, Safrin is like, very clear in what she wants and if you don't want to meet her standards, then just don't? But if you do, it's super rewarding." Reaching around, Flora pulls out one of her feather daggers, only now it was coated a shiny star-black. "Now these are poison, all compliments of Safrin."
Sitting back to sip at her martini, Isla tilts her head curiously to hear Flora's opinions about the celestial goddess. She doesn't want to say it's a surprisingly mature response, but it's more honest than perhaps a lot of Safrin aficionados might have been. Finding a smile tugging at her lips as she lowers her glass to place it back down on the table, the Remedy tilts her head to examine the feather Flora produces with clear fascination.
"When you put it like that, it almost feels as though we should have invited her down here for some drinks as well," she admits, settling once more. "Maybe I've been judging her a bit too harshly. As you can imagine, most of the people I've spoken to haven't given her such shining reviews. I'm glad she's helped you, though - and Torchline."
we're gonna separate ourselves tonight we're always running scared but holding knives
"Well, if you ever want to come with me when I go and see her you're more than welcome." Flora offers breezily. Maybe not for this current quest turn-in, but when she further upgraded the poison on her daggers? Absolutely.
"Most of the people being...oh, Sunjata?" Given how gossipy Torchline was Flora knew enough of the context to be able to nod knowingly. "I mean, sure sounds like he dug his own grave on that one." The girl says, raising her eyebrows judgementally before sipping at her drink. "And I think that's the thing about Safrin, you know? The consequences are as harsh as the benefits are good. She's fire, but if you get burned it's almost always the sort of thing you should be able to see coming." So Flora thought, anyway.
"So now that you're an ancient are you like...rah-rah Dygra?"
Almost choking on another sip of her martini at Flora's offer, Isla lets out and apologetic laugh and dabs at her lips with a napkin, leaving a small kiss there from the stain she's used on them. "That's very kind of you to offer," she says. "But you'll forgive me if I say I'll think about it, I hope? After everything with the Voice... gods, part of me is still very afraid I'll get struck by lightning for visiting another shrine."
It's both Sunjata and Remi, not that the latter will recall any of those conversations that may have formed Isla's opinion, but Flora is nonetheless correct. Setting down her glass and her napkin, the Remedy hums softly as she considers the bejewelled, dark goddess to whom she owes her current life. "I mean, she doesn't seem like that sort of goddess. Which I suppose is exactly what you might expect from chaos. But... I wouldn't be here like this without her, so I'll definitely be giving my thanks."
we're gonna separate ourselves tonight we're always running scared but holding knives
For a moment Flora's confusion is bright on her face. She's all wide aqua eyes and O shaped lips. Having come from a family of demigods and accepted, to think that someone wouldn't want to visit a shrine (Mateo, you black sheep) was a bit of a shocker. Nodding only as Isla explained, the Doubletake offers up an apologetic laugh before reaching for her drink. "Ooooohhhh, right right. I mean, you aren't an ascended anymore, soooooo. And isn't Dygra like..above Safrin?" Flora says this as if this means that Isla will necessarily be safe from Safrin's wrath, but on second thought that wasn't the sort of thing you'd want to test out.
'So is that who you'd go to if you want...stuff? Or do you still have all the things you did when you were an ascended?' The second martini has lowered Flora's conversational netting such that nearly every one of her thoughts was able to make its way toward her mouth.
Isla agrees, frankly - she hasn't ever met the goddess, but she knows enough about her, bad and good now, as it happens, to know how much of a bad idea it would be to go singing hierarchies at her. "I suppose it's true. And I don't get the impression that Dygra much minds if we visit other shrines and gods..." It's just, why would you? a small voice in the back of her mind whispers, and for a moment she longs to be back in the ruby encrusted silhouette of the deity who had offered her a fresh start.
Stuff does have a smile returning to the Remedy's face, and she rolls her shoulders in an easy shrug. "I have no idea what stuff I would even need these days. There's no war to prepare for, so that feeling of panic is gone. And I lost all of my upgrades. The only items I have left only even work on Ascended, so they are redundant. I can't bear to throw them out, though."
we're gonna separate ourselves tonight we're always running scared but holding knives
"I would have never pegged you for being so sentimental." Flora gushes. Not only had the medic arrived with basically nothing with her, but on the whole Isla seemed way too practical for sentimentality. That she wasn't was actually very endearing. "What sort of things? Couldn't Dygra just..make them work on the ancients?" In Flora's mind, the gods could do anything, if only because thus far she'd never asked them for anything out of their jurisdiction and so had never been told no.
"I know Torchline is already really hot, but maybe you could have like..a magical healing sauna here for the ancients since you all like the heat, right?" Again, Flora was just happily spewing whatever came into her mind at this point, and it wasn't necessarily going to get better given how she was nearly done her second martini.
Feeling a flush rise to her cheeks at Flora's comment - she doesn't peg herself as sentimental either - Isla supposes of the tiny amount of belongings she has left, everything that goes with her that isn't clothing is absolutely important. "Oh, it's just a penlight that let me analyse Ascended systems for injury, and some manufactured adrenaline," she says, even the words feeling strange on her tongue after so long.
Letting out a soft laugh at the idea of an Ancients sauna, Isla shrugs her shoulders. "I suppose, but we do have Frey's Breath in the Climb for that," she says. "Either way, it's something to think about." If she can't be close to anyone, maybe she can forge a relationship with the gods? "But anyway, tell me more about how you've been. Enough about my woes."
we're gonna separate ourselves tonight we're always running scared but holding knives
"Mmmmm."{s/ay} Flora mmmmmms, trying her best to sound interested but really having no idea what Isla's talking about. "Sounds super...technical." She decides before helping herself to the last swallow of her drink.
Shrugging, the ideas about magical saunas offered more as a reason for Isla to stick around than anything concrete, Flora glances around the Tavern for a moment before deciding that she didn't actually much want to be at work just now. "Hey listen, I have better stuff at home. Or rather, it's the same stuff but we don't have to wear bras and we can sit on my couch." Raising her eyebrows to ask if Isla was up for it, the Doubletake slid off of her chair and gathered up their glasses and napkins. "Just let me clear these up and we'll go?" So saying Flora toddled off to the back, only she went to the back back, instead of the back, carefully hiding Isla's glass and napkin in one of the hidden boxes behind a painting of a sailboat before breezing back toward their table.
"Come on. I can tell you about the girl who asked me out and then kissed my brother."
