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!
and they will shake their heads and wag their bony fingers
He's done something wrong. He has no idea what, of course, but he can feel the way the mood shifts, a sudden cold tension carving cruelly into their warm camaraderie. Koa's smile falters, a furrow of concern forming between his brows as Sohalia shudders as though he had just suggested they go kick a dog. Fuck, he thinks, heart thundering, throat closing - an uncharacteristic amount of anxiety, but man, he does not want to mess this up.
Luckily she seems to forgive him quickly, though he's still left wondering how exactly he transgressed. He doesn't pry, though, grateful to be able to bask once more in her smile, even if the wattage has turned down a shade. "I've never been," he confesses with a shrug, reaching up to scratch Pip beneath her chin. "We haven't left Stormbreak all that much - hard to make the time - but maybe one day we'll find someone willing to show us the world." He leaves it there like an invitation, a hope, flashing her a sly look and a raised brow.
She seems happy talking about travel, and Koa is more than happy to listen. "What takes you out and about so often? Work?" he wonders, tilting his head as they continue to walk along the pathway, toward a little cluster of cafes that marks where town meets misty stone.
in all the wrong directions— and by daybreak we'll be gone
She really didn't mean to make him think that her sudden frigidity was his fault - in fact, that was the furthest thing from the truth. It was just that it wasn't so long ago that she'd run away from Stormbreak to Torchline to live for a brief time with Harper, her face bruised and bloodied from The Incident, as she'd taken to calling it. It had only been through her surrogate father's kindness that she'd begun to heal. Enough to brave the streets of home again, even if she still couldn't quite face the Silk Houses.
In any case, she shoved the memories and lingering pain away, locking it tightly into a little box in the back of her mind, slowly coming back to herself as the conversation turned to travel. "I'd be happy to show you sometime," she offered without thinking much of it, missing Koa's raised brow, oblivious to the hopeful look he shot her way. "I wouldn't recommend some places - the Feverlands, for example, are not my favorite - but there are so many beautiful places in Caido. Everyone should see them sometime."
Relaxed once more, she clasped her hands behind her back as they walked, happy to talk about travel and her work. "I'm a cartographer," she explained, pride in her voice. "That's mostly why I travel, though sometimes it's just to see friends in other regions." She thought of Jude and smiled fondly. "I'm fortunate that my work allows me such flexibility. The only problem I've run into is how to keep my shop running when I'm away. I've been thinking about hiring an assistant, but... I don't know. We'll see what happens." Sliding her gaze sideways to peer at Koa from beneath her lashes, she turned his query around. "What about you?" she asked. "What keeps you in Stormbreak all the time?"
and they will shake their heads and wag their bony fingers
"With such an experienced guide, I'm sure we'd have a phenomenal time." He winks at her, thrilled twofold by the prospect of further adventure and more time by her side. The temptation to throw an arm around her shoulders is strong, but somehow, against all odds, the young man resists. Instead he shoves his hands in his pockets, a goofy and self-satisfied grin spread across his face.
He's watching her, and so he catches the little smile at the mention of friends, and.... is that jealousy, Koa? Not a particularly familiar emotion for the young man, and one he tries to shake off quickly. "You must be away a lot." Will I get to see more of you? It's a question that bites unbidden at him, a nagging mosquito as he realizes that he very, very, very much hopes so.
As for him? "I'm a Dragoon," he informs her with no small amount of pride, chin rising involuntarily as he straightens his spine. A posturing interrupted by a nip at his ear. "Ow- yes, sorry. We're Dragoons," Koa corrects indulgently, earning a trill of approval from Pip. He lets his shoulders slump a little, the warm pride fading to something more vulnerable as he glances away from Sohalia, toward town. "Plus, y'know... my Pop's here, and hasn't been doing great. Someone has to take care of the old man."
in all the wrong directions— and by daybreak we'll be gone
Sohalia laughed, charmed. "I'd certainly do my best. Although, normally I'm pretty boring - I just take a journal and a pencil and go wherever the wind takes me." It was a figure of speech, but it might as well have been literal - she did, from time to time, shift to get an aerial view of her area of choice, and that had taken her to some interesting places, as well.
She traveled often, it was true, but she'd found herself drawn more and more to the city since her arrival. At least, until The Incident, which had chased her off again. It was complicated. She smiled crookedly. "I am," she admitted, glancing at Koa sidelong. "But I always end up at home again." If it was her way of saying yes, Koa, you will get to see more of her, then she was quite sly about it.
That he was a Dragoon made no small influence on Soh, and she tilted her head, her eyes alighting with interest even as her shoulders relaxed infinitesimally. If he was a Dragoon, that meant that she'd be safe. She could stop worrying about him, and her surroundings, and where they were going, and whether she'd be stuck out after dark. It meant that he could take care of her, and that was something that was the reassurance that Soh dearly needed these days. "Yes, Pip, keep him in line," Soh laughed as the little dragon nipped at her bonded. "But that's so impressive!"
Of course, it also meant that he might have heard of her and her case, and she was glad not to have given her full name. Although Mateo had been sworn to secrecy regarding her identity, Tal had not, and if word had gotten back to Anju that the girl attacked in the Silk Houses had been Soh... well, anything was possible. She swallowed down those nerves, though, in favor of reaching to span the distance between them and gently touch Koa's arm. As an orphan, she could relate all too well to the fear of losing a parent. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said gently. Then, hesitantly. "If you ever need help, my door's always open."
and they will shake their heads and wag their bony fingers
Boring is not a word Koa would use to describe Sohalia, and he laughs at the very idea, a warm, earnest, rolling laugh that's accompanied by an expression of affectionate disbelief. "You may be a lot of things, Mis Soh," the boy says warmly, his copper gaze glittering with the fire of youthful ardor, "But boring definitely isn't one of them. I may not know you very well yet, but I think you're the most interesting person I've ever met." And at least right now, at least right here, he really does mean it.
Her touch on his arm is a shock of electricity, nearly making him start. It brings him back from his brief rivière, out of his head and back to her - a much more interesting topic than Koa's arthritic dad. "It's not all that bad," the Dragoon laughs, but for the first time it's awkward, a little closed off, his tone implying he would rather close the door on that particular topic. "He's just gettin' on, y'know?"
Luckily they've reached their destination, and Koa is able to redirect his attention to getting them seats. It's a small cafe, nothing fancy on the outside, but the backyard... well, there's the real charm. "Friend of the family opened it after the war," Koa winks at Sohalia as he leads her through the small space and to a nearly-hidden door. "Hope you're not afraid of heights," he adds, before pushing out into the main event: a spur of stone that juts out from the rim of the Falling, some 100 feet into open air. A handful of picnic tables dot the area, each with a candle set in the middle. Fairy lights give the yard an ethereal, rustic charm.
"Whaddya think?" Koa asks her, rocking nervously on his heels as he watches intently for Soh's response. "We can go somewhere else if you want - it's not as fun as Hart's, I know, but... well, it's got it's charm."
Is that... are you nervous, Koa?
in all the wrong directions— and by daybreak we'll be gone
Soh was rather boring, in her opinion, but it was always nice to have that opinion challenged - particularly when it was someone who she would really prefer to impress. It was her turn to laugh as he challenged her, turning her own affectionate gaze towards him. "I thought we decided to do away with this 'miss' nonsense," she teased, a blush mantling her cheeks at his praise. The most interesting person he's ever met? She thought not, but she appreciated the intent behind the words. And there was, perhaps, a little part of her that hoped he was telling the truth - that someone like her could catch and hold the attention of someone like him.
In any case, Soh could recognize a topic that someone would rather not discuss, and so she smiled and nodded in understanding. She wasn't one to pry or press for information, preferring to allow her friends to come to her when they needed her - whether that was as a helper, a listening ear, or a shoulder to cry on. She'd been all three. She'd done all that she needed to do for now for Koa by letting him know she was here, if he ever needed her, even if she thought it unlikely he would take advantage of that in someone he'd just met.
They arrived shortly thereafter at a little cafe that Soh had never noticed before, and she followed Koa eagerly through a nearly-hidden door and into perhaps the most wonderful cafe area she'd ever seen. She paused in the doorway, delighted awe clear on her face as she took in the open air, the picnic tables, the fairy lights, the sunset - all combining to make a perfect little first-date spot. "Oh, Koa, it's beautiful," she breathed. "Don't you dare take me anywhere else. This is perfect."
and they will shake their heads and wag their bony fingers
Her approval is a glow warmer than the sunset. Koa rubs at the back of his neck, feeling rather uncharacteristically bashful about this success. "Not a lot of people know it," he explains, moving his hand to the small of her back and gently guiding her forward. "Given how far it is from the Houses. Used to be a more of a waystation, but they redecorated recently." He nods to a waitress who flashes a smile, waving the pair on to seat themselves. Koa chooses a bench near the end of the spit, waiting for Soh to choose her side before sliding in across.
The waitress brings a pair of menus, winking at Koa as she drops them off. A list of specials is rattled off - a summer squash soup, arugula salad, pie of the night made from fresh caught blink hare - then steps away to let them choose, her hand lingering on the young man's shoulder as she turns to go.
Koa doesn't seem to notice - he's busy perusing the drink menu - and when he looks up at Soh it is to pass her the listing, a sunny smile on his face. "If there's something not on here you'd like I'm sure they could whip it together. What's your usual drink of choice?" he wonders, as Pip curls up on the edge of the table, her head inching closer and closer to Sohalia's currently-not-petting hands.
in all the wrong directions— and by daybreak we'll be gone
His touch at the small of her back sent a momentary rush of electricity through her, and she flushed as he guided her forward. It was strange, this fluttery feeling in her stomach, the nervous buzz in her chest; but she ignored it, focusing instead on moving forward, on sitting gracefully at the bench Koa had selected, on accepting the menu from the waitress with a word of thanks. Her gaze caught on the pretty woman as she winked at Koa, as her hand lingered on his shoulder. Soh turned her attention to the menu in her hand, a sour taste in her mouth.
It rapidly dissipated, though, as Koa offered a sunny smile and passed her a drink listing. Soh perused it for a moment, completely out of her element. She never really drank drinks like this, often ordering a simple water or a lemonade when she went out for food. Most of the words on the page were foreign to her; even if she'd heard of some of the drinks, she had no idea what they tasted like. She was about to ask what he liked and just order that when he asked about her usual drink of choice. Sorry, Soh.
"I, um - I don't actually drink much," she admitted, making a face as she reached out to pet Pip. "I like fruity drinks - do you have any recommendations?"
and they will shake their heads and wag their bony fingers
Pipsqueak purrs under Soh's ministrations, providing further evidence that she is in fact part cat. It makes Koa smile to see her so happy; he runs an indulgent finger down the dragonling's fluffy spine, tugging gently at her long tail. "She likes you," the boy tells his companion warmly, glancing back at Soh with a twinkle in his eye. "That makes two of us."
Part of him thinks he ought to try to impress her by ordering something like whiskey, neat, but the truth is Koa, too, likes his drinks sweet and fruity, the alcohol drowned by sugary goodness. So he waves the waitress back over and requests "Watermelon mojito and a tequila sunrise, Val," before turning back to Sohalia. "You can decide which one you like best - I'll take the other," is the gallant promise, accompanied by a smile.
Drink order placed, Koa leans his elbow on the table, chin resting on his palm. "So... what made you decide to Attune?" the Dragoon wonders, his other hand still stroking idly over Pipsqueak's fur. The little dragon has now slid over the table, half-twisted to try and maximize pets from both sources, claws extending and contracting as she kneads contentedly at the air.
in all the wrong directions— and by daybreak we'll be gone
Soh scratched under the dragon's chin, charmed and entertained in equal measure by the creature's purring. The dragons she'd met thus far in her life had acted far more like dogs than cats, so this was an unexpected treat. That makes two of us, said Koa, bringing a blush to Soh's fair cheeks. He'd been doing that a fair bit that evening, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. She was relieved when he ordered for them and didn't seem to mind her lack of experience.
She paused when he asked about her Attunement, having to think back quite a ways for the story. "I was quite young when I Attuned," she told him. "My parents had just died, and I went to pray for them at a Mort shrine." She didn't even remember what she'd said, really, but she remembered the overwhelming sorrow that she'd felt, the fear that she was and would always be alone. That she'd prayed to be free of the pain of losing them, and that freedom had brought birds to mind for her. But that seemed like a lot to dump on someone she'd just met, so she simply smiled a little sadly and said, "I suppose I didn't decide to Attune as much as Mort decided it was what I needed."
and they will shake their heads and wag their bony fingers
Oh. Oh no. Koa pauses in his petting as a change comes over Soh, the playful conversation treading dangerously into serious, soulful waters. He hadn't meant to pry open old wounds, and he can feel his eyes growing wider in appalled sympathy as she tells her story, bares her wound for him. He feels terribly guilty for making her think about it, and he feels sympathy for how lonely it must have been, and he feels sad for his own losses, and he feels awe at her strength.
Pipsqueak, more emotionally intelligent than her companion, scoots herself closer to Sohalia. Still purring, the dragonling rolls over to display her belly - a true act of comfort, and a rare privilege - while pressing her face to her new friend's hand.
Unsure of what else to do, Koa moves his hand to Sohalia's, letting his calloused fingers squeeze gently over hers. "I'm sorry, Soh," he says sincerely, copper eyes warm as they seek her grey. He doesn't know what else to say, so he says the thing he's tried to believe of his own mother, since she died: "I'm sure they're proud of who you are now." Another squeeze: he means it, sincerely, for what little that's worth. Not of himself, but for her? Who wouldn't be proud?
in all the wrong directions— and by daybreak we'll be gone
The loss of her parents was indeed an old wound, but it was, perhaps surprisingly, the loss of her guardian, Auden, that had left Soh heartbroken. Auden had found her after her parents had died and taken her in, treating her as a surrogate child in her parents' absence. Even though the hole her parents had left behind when they died ached, if Soh was being honest, she couldn't even remember their faces anymore. For so long, when she had thought of a parent figure, she'd thought of Auden.
Pip pressed her face to Soh's hand, and Koa reached out to squeeze it gently, and her smile shifted from sad to genuine. "Thanks, Koa," she said, touched by his sincerity, and though she wasn't a particularly touchy-feely person with strangers, she didn't move her hand away. He'd just met her, and already he was trying to make her feel better, to reassure her of something that, quite frankly, she often questioned. She tried to be a good person, to bring light and love into the world, but sometimes she wasn't sure that it made a lot of difference. Would they be proud of her, wherever they were? She hoped so, but she didn't know.
"It was a long time ago," she added after a moment, trying to reassure him that she wasn't about to fall apart. Perhaps in private, on occasion, but she'd long since come to terms with their deaths, and she could usually manage without the pain it had caused at the forefront of her mind.
To change the subject to a (hopefully) lighter topic, she said, "What about you? What made you decide to become a Dragoon?"
and they will shake their heads and wag their bony fingers
She leaves her hand there, so he does, too, terribly aware even in this moment of the human contact, the brush of her soft skin. Her smile is met with one of his own, softer than usual, sympathetic; he doesn't know what more to say. That it being a long time ago doesn't matter? That it gets easier? That he's sorry, again? Nothing seems adequate, and so he settles for rubbing his thumb over hers, another gentle squeeze before he draws his hand away.
Alas, his career path isn't necessarily a light topic, but Koa is content to leave the sordid details out. "I didn't decide, exactly," the boy answers with a rueful smile, rubbing at the back of his neck. "My Ma, she was a Dragoon, and her parents before, and so on, the story goes, right back to the first war." He rolls his hand through the air, gesticulating to represent the passage of time.
Then he shrugs, easy grin falling back in place, though it doesn't quite meet his eyes. "So of course I was always going to be one, too. Call it a family business. Us Carpenters, we're built for fighting," he adds with a wink, flexing his right arm to display quite impressive biceps.
in all the wrong directions— and by daybreak we'll be gone
Koa's thumb rubbing over hers was oddly soothing, and when he drew away, she felt the chill of its absence acutely. Shifting her attention back to Pip, she now offered scratches under the chin with one hand while tickling the cat dragon's belly with the other. It was easier to focus on other things, for while she wasn't exactly avoidant of the topic of her family, it also wasn't something that generally came up with a near-perfect stranger.
Like the topic of the Dragoons. She listened with interest as Koa spoke, her grey eyes piercing in their intensity. That he was always going to be a Dragoon was a matter of debate; she wondered, briefly, if he'd ever wanted a different life - but her musings were cut short as he flexed an arm. "I can see that," she said without thinking, and a blush immediately darkened her cheeks. She was unused to such easy flirtation, her friends generally being older than her and therefore uninterested, or her age and shy. She couldn't imagine Jude, for instance, being quite as cocky as Koa.
"A-anyway," she said hurriedly, her sudden shyness painful in its awkwardness, "Family business or not, I still think it's admirable."
