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!
Melita ducked, but not fast enough; Soh's staff hit her in the collarbone, eliciting a snarl from the other young woman. Soh winced in sympathy (she'd had her own collarbone rapped several times throughout her practice) and almost paused to ask if Melita was alright, but the Accepted was already moving again, twisting, turning, dashing to Soh's right and levying a controlled swing towards the Attuned's back.
Soh tried to skip to the left, aiming to dodge the incoming blow, but this time, she failed, and Melita's staff connected with the back of her right arm, jolting it forward and sending the staff spinning from Soh's hands. With a wince at the new bruise and a laugh at her own folly, Soh held up her hands in a defensive gesture. "I yield!" she said, acquiescing to Melita's superior skill.
I never had a chance to be soft I was always bloody knuckles
Oh, Melita could feel the injury, but the emboldened nature of her indulgence for violence ensured she’d be smarting well, well after these occurrences. Too caught up in the vehemence of it all – much like any experiences amid Caido’s monstrous havens; if she slowed down, if she winced, if she bled, she could be picked off like anyone else.
So she persisted and rallied despite her body’s concentrated efforts otherwise, until the laughter rang and the yielding proclaimed. At the notions, she ceased altogether, the bright, Cheshire grin plastered on her features once more. “You did really well though. Huge improvements since I saw you last.” The Honeybee’s skills had developed on a means for survival – Sohalia had clearly been given impressive instruction.
and shards of glass I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me
Injuries were common amongst Caido's people, but Soh was not yet used to being counted among that number. Still, since she'd begun training, she had borne her scrapes and bruises with few complaints. This was something she had brought on herself, after all, when she elected to learn to fight. It was worth it, if she could protect herself and others from danger.
Melita's bright smile elicited a corresponding grin from Soh. "Thank you," she said, warmed by the compliment. "I've been working hard. I've got a long way to go, but it's nice to see improvement." She knelt to pick up her staff, then made her way to the bag she had set off to the side, rummaging through it until she found her water flask. She drank greedily, pleased that she'd remembered to pack it on this warm Longheat day. When she finished, she offered it to Melita. "Water?"
I never had a chance to be soft I was always bloody knuckles
Rolling her shoulders as the bruise tightened, Melita would simply have to ice it later or wander into the healing fountain. Maybe both. Eventually. Seeing as how she didn’t rampage off in that moment, it was probably fine, and she accepted the offer of water with aplomb. “Thank you,” taking only a few sips, but hoping to stave off the remainder of the headache.
Handing it back to the Attuned, she twisted the staff back and forth in her hands, clearly toiling over something. “There’s always a need for protection in Caido,” and she shrugged, not feeding into the notions – but Sohalia would likely know, given some of the circumstances she’d found herself within. “Let me know if you ever want to spar again though.”
and shards of glass I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me
Soh accepted her water flask back with a word of thanks. It was an odd friendship, really, this being brought together by violence thing that she and Melita shared, but Soh valued it all the same. Perhaps one day they would do something together that didn't involve hitting each other with sticks.
There's always a need for protection in Caido. Soh supposed that was true, though she'd yet to see much violence for herself. Still, she'd heard and read enough about the war that she knew that peace could all too easily fall again to chaos. Even if she was unsure of her own feelings on the subject of fighting, it couldn't hurt to be prepared. "Sure," said Soh. "I look forward to it."
