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!
George was sure that some of the locals would find cause to complain, but he was also equally sure that Flora wouldn't particularly care. He doubted that curmudgeonly old men were her target clientele, anyway.
In any case, it was quite rare for George to be asked outright about his business; of course, it was equally rare as of late to make a new acquaintance outside of the circle of thieves he usually ran with, so it wasn't usually something that required a question. "I'm a merchant," he said easily, throwing in a wink for good measure. "I find... unique items and locate the right clients to purchase them." And quite a lucrative business it was, too.
"Oh you find them, do you?" Flora wonders, running her tongue across her teeth. "Just..on the side of the road? Antique shops? Garage sales?" Grinning, the Doubletake lets her gaze narrow slightly as she regards George somehow sternly for a moment. Recklessness was something the girl was known for, and yet because of who she was, she managed to more or less come out on top. Lately though, with things not going quite her way, Flora had learned to pace herself. To be a bit more cautious. Even so, she thought she'd judged George correctly, and...well, if not, she was fairly certain she could call upon Remi to handle him, as the Lullaby had handled Mateo's little problem in Stormbreak.
"Come're." Nodding over her shoulder, Flora sashays her way toward a rather innocuous door next to the bar. Turning the handle, she glances over her should and up into George's face. "Can I trust you?"
"In a manner of speaking," George drawled, leaning on the bar counter. "They are usually just laying around." Inside people's houses or on their person, usually, but that was neither here nor there. Suffice it to say that Flora had judged George correctly, even if he wasn't one to come right out and say as much.
As Flora led him back behind the bar, George drained his glass and left it lying on the counter, curiosity piqued. It seemed that his earlier guess about the back room may well had been correct, and if so, he was eager to get in on it while the getting was good, so to speak. "On my honor as a thief," he said, winking as he finally admitted to what she'd been digging at. Of course, what honor a thief had was up for debate.
"That," Gazing up at him, Flora pokes a finger against the thief's sternum to emphasize her point. "-is exactly what I wanted to hear." Half closing one in a coquettish almost wink, the Doubletake turns and pushes the door all the way open.
The once grand Back Room of the Hanged Man was free of nearly everything that had once made it useful. The various exits had been caved in, all books and valuables were gone, and everything left was coated with a layer of what was probably equal parts dust and blood. With a bit of a sigh, Flora steps aside to make room for George as she folds her arms across her chest.
"I'm going to bring it back." She says in a low voice, with all the solemnity of a vow. "I know the right people, and I know what Torchline wants." Glancing up, her aqua gaze suddenly free of flirtation in lieu of honesty. "You in?"
Those were clearly the magic words, and as Flora poked a finger against his chest, George grinned - this time with something lacking the flirtation that had been at the forefront and altogether more feral. Whatever he'd been expecting of this chance meeting, this was far better, and as they walked into the back room, George saw more than the dusty remnants of the once grand thieves' haven: he saw a new opportunity.
This was going to be big.
And Flora, it seemed, knew the importance of the Hanged Man and its back room, understood the meaning that it would have for the underbelly of the region - hell, for the underbelly of Caido itself. And so it was that George met her eyes with a matching solemnity and said, "I'm in."
Biting at her bottom lip in an effort to keep her smile from spreading all the way to her ears, Flora swallows back the bright burst of excitement she can feel building in the back of her throat. Knowing that dancing about like a schoolgirl is no way to impress a thief and potentially her first guild member, the Doubletake does her best to play things cool. Even so, the flush on her cheeks and the sudden sparkle in her aqua gaze likely belies some of her excitement.
"Meet me back here tomorrow then, around noon? We can set some things in motion." Taking a step back out of the room and into the bar, Flora tugs the door closed behind her.
"Oh, and George?" She winks. "Good running into you."
