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
Soh's blush is fuel to his flirtatious fire, enough to burn away what lingering shadows are left behind by the thought of his mother, of duty, of blood and choice. "And do you like what you see?" is the brazen, teasing follow-up, infectious grin spreading even wider over his own flushed cheeks.
It's hard to tell what's working, but so far Koa would like to think he's made a good impression. Or a memorable one, at least.
The waitress returns then, sparing Soh a need to reply should she opt not to. Val rolls her eyes playfully as she hands over the fruity drinks, giving Soh an appraising once-over and coming to some silent conclusion that she doesn't share with the class. She does, however, lean over to Koa and murmur too loudly not to be overhears: "She's way out of your league, K."
Which Koa doesn't exactly disagree with. He's just cocky enough to believe he stands a chance.
He pulls a face and waves Val away before turning his attention back to Sohalia, brow raised towards the drinks. "Let me know which one you like better - and if you hate them both we'll order another," he adds in a misplaced show of chivalry, "Until we get it right."
in all the wrong directions— and by daybreak we'll be gone
Gods, but he was brazen, to ask her so openly what she thought of him! Her blush darkened, pulling red to the tips of her ears as she bit her lip to hide a smile. Thankfully, she was saved from having to respond by the arrival of their waitress, who deposited two colorful drinks on the table. Soh was, perhaps, a little uncomfortable with the waitress's stare, but she choked back a laugh at the woman's whispered message. She didn't think she was particularly out of anyone's league, much less Koa's - he seemed like a perfectly wonderful young man: handsome, kind, fun. What wasn't to like? Soh felt like a pale imitation of herself in Koa's shadow, left to marvel at his boldness and open flirtation.
Turning her attention to the drinks, she selected the one with the watermelon slice as a garnish and took a small sip; while contemplating that, she turned her attention to the other drink, which was a bright yellow-orange. As it turned out, she preferred the tequila sunrise, and she slid the mojito towards Koa with a smile. "I like this one," she told him, her fingers tapping her glass. "This one's the tequila one, right?"
She took another sip, her gaze drifting away from Koa and out towards the sunset, which was shaping up to be beautiful. Alarm bells sounded in the back of her mind - she didn't like to be out past dark anymore, and night was rapidly approaching - but she ignored them. If she wasn't safe with a Dragoon, then who was she safe with? "So, aside from trying to throw poor Pip off a cliff, what do you like to do for fun?"
and they will shake their heads and wag their bony fingers
"Ah, a winner already!" He looks as pleased as if he'd made the drink himself, the glow of her approval as bright as the sunset. "Wouldn't have pegged you for a tequila girl, but you're full of surprises. I like that." Claiming the mojito, Koa raises it in a toast. "What shall we drink to?" he asks with a smile, waiting for her their glasses to touch before taking sip. It's cool and refreshing, perfect for a Longheat night, and if the liquor content is a little higher than usual, hey, perks of knowing the waitress, right?
He's mid-sip when the question makes him nearly spit, indignation and amusement bright in his boyish voice. "I wasn't throwing her, I was trying to help her," is the correction, a clarification the dragon seems to disagree with. She squawks in protest from her position half-draped into Sohalia's lap, using it as an excuse to slide the rest of the way off the table and curl against the girl, as though seeking protection from being yeeted once again. Undaunted, Koa continues: "She needs to get in touch with her instincts. Learn how to be a real dragon, instead of a catsnake."
Pip pops her head back over the edge of the table, sticking out her tongue before retreating to the safety of Soh's lap.
in all the wrong directions— and by daybreak we'll be gone
Koa's excitement was catching, and Soh made a sound that, in a less attractive girl, would have been labelled a snort. She wasn't sure what it meant to be or not be a 'tequila girl;' all she knew was that the drink was tasty on her tongue, and that she didn't mind the slight burn it left on the way down. Had she known enough to be cautious, she might have hoped that the liquor content wasn't too high - after all, as a slight young woman with no experience with alcohol, her tolerance was likely to be ridiculously low - but she didn't think about it, and was more than happy to accept the offer of a toast, even if she couldn't think of anything flirtatious and clever to say. "To new friends," she settled on, offering Koa a wink as she clinked her glass against his.
She giggled when he nearly spit out his drink, indignant at her insinuations, and laughed outright as Pip slithered into her lap. Stroking the dragon-cat-snake-creature, she took a healthy sip of her drink. "She's perfect just the way she is," she said in the voice that all animal lovers adopt when speaking to a cute little angel. Then, with a tilt of her head to one side: "Would it be so bad, if she didn't learn to fly?"
and they will shake their heads and wag their bony fingers
"She's winged," Koa counters somewhat petulantly. Why have wings if not to fly? "And she's a dragon. My ma's dragon, Fang, he..."
He trails off suddenly, his voice growing distant as a memory rises, unbidden, to the front of his mind. For a moment he's quiet, his gaze on the horizon- then he blinks, coming back to the present with a nervous laugh and a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Sorry. Fang was a beautiful creature. Definitely a dragon. Unlike this one. And really, what kind of Dragoon has a dragon who can't fly?"
Indeed, Pipsqueak has popped her chin back on the table to peer at Koa in his rare, vulnerable moment. Reaching across the table, he boops the snoot of his indignant companion, earning his fingers an affectionate nip. "Ow!" he exclaims, raising the finger to show to Soh, a comically stricken expression on her face. "See the abuse I suffer?" A ring of pin-point indentations are visible on his fingertip, but very little evidence of injury beyond that.
in all the wrong directions— and by daybreak we'll be gone
06-08-2023, 02:37 AM (This post was last modified: 06-08-2023, 02:37 AM by Sohalia.)
Sohalia
Soh was entirely teasing, and it had the desired effect... until it didn't. Her fingers stilled on Pip's back as Koa looked off into the sunset, seeming, for a moment, very far away from their little table. Unsure of what to do or say, Soh glanced back to her drink, studying its pretty, bright colors studiously until Koa turned back to her with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. She swallowed, wishing she could take it back, to apologize for whatever it was that she'd done to bring him pain, but she merely took another drink instead.
The easiest thing, then, was to let it go, and so she did as Koa reached over to playfully boop Pip's snoot. Soh giggled, a small, quiet thing, as Koa held up his "injured" finger. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but a growing confidence in Soh's chest brought a mischievous grin to her face. "Aww," she said with a wink, reaching out to capture his hand playfully in hers. "Should I kiss it to make it feel better?"
and they will shake their heads and wag their bony fingers
Grief is hard. It comes like a swell in the open ocean, interrupting calm without warning or care. It can swallow you, drown you, roll you in its wake- but luckily Koa has learned how to surface, to spit out the brine and tread water and wait until the next wave.
So he moves on smoothly from his moment of sadness, flickering from shadow back into the sun. It helps when there's a beautiful girl across from him, her cheeks aglow in the glow of sunset, her blonde curls spilling down her neck. Her lips, lush and coral pink, linger mere breaths from his finger, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't a little surprised by her sudden boldness, as well as a little turned on.
She's taken his hand, and he feels his heartbeat quicken in response, warmth blooming in his cheeks. "Would you?" he asks, his voice slightly husky, copper gaze alighting on her stirring silver in a look that is both a dare and a plea. He can't imagine anything he'd like more than to feel those lips on his skin.
in all the wrong directions— and by daybreak we'll be gone
Okay, so it was definitely the alcohol. She'd somehow managed to down most of her drink, and on an empty stomach, too. Soh, of course, was oblivious to the fact that it was her drink making her bolder, less inhibited; she simply thought that maybe she'd suddenly gotten cleverer. More clever? Whatever, what were words, anyway?
She grinned at the color that bloomed in Koa's cheeks, pleased to have had the effect on him that he'd been having on her all night. This, she decided, was quite fun; why didn't she go out for a drink more often?
Still, for all her brazen, buzzed confidence, she still quailed at the prospect of actually following through on her offer. But then she saw the dare in his eyes, and something inside her went from 0 to 100 real quick; without breaking his gaze, she tugged his finger closer and pressed her lips to his skin.
and they will shake their heads and wag their bony fingers
Oh my, Soh. A large part of Koa expects the girl to beg off from the kiss, and so it with comically wide eyes that he watches her bring his finger closer, and with a thunderous rush of heartbeats that he feels it touch her lips. It's about as chaste a smooch as the young Dragoon has ever received, and yet all the more meaningful for that. Something about her - her blushes, her serious nature, the way she seems to treat all of this as something instead of just a lark - it tugs at a vulnerability Koa didn't know he had, makes him want to savor each moment, to slowly learn every surprise.
He captures her hand when the kiss ends, unwilling to let her escape just yet. "Much better," Koa murmurs huskily, his thumb running gently over her knuckles, his copper eyes aflame in the dimming light. The alcohol is having far less effect on him that on her, though he can feel the beginning of a gentle buzz vibrating pleasantly in the back of his mind.
The clearing of a throat breaks his reverie, and oh, if he could pay Val to just walk away. Reluctantly he breaks eye contact with Sohalia, though he won't release her hand unless she pulls away. "Gonna order any food?" Val asks sardonically, clearly impervious to Koa's irritation at having a moment intruded upon.
in all the wrong directions— and by daybreak we'll be gone
Why such a small gesture could have such a big impact, Soh would never understand, even when she considered her actions later with a certain modicum of cringe. And yet a large impact it was, for just as Koa's heart beat thunderously, so, too, did Soh's as she placed a chaste kiss on Koa's 'wounded' finger. And if her lips happened to linger for longer than strictly necessary, well, she could always blame it on the alcohol.
In other words, it was Koa's own fault. He'd picked the drinks.
The clearing of a throat nearly made Soh jump, and she pulled her hand away as though caught doing something wrong, looking sheepish and unable to quite meet Val's eyes as the waitress returned to ask if they wanted food. Soh returned to petting Pip, sure that that was the safer course of action. "Do you want anything?" she asked Koa, heat in her cheeks. She wasn't particularly hungry - the butterflies in her stomach saw to that - but if he wanted something, she'd be happy to share.
and they will shake their heads and wag their bony fingers
Losing her hand is like losing the sun - and indeed, he could later swear the world grew darker in that moment, as the last of daylight began to slip away beyond the horizon, leaving lingering twilight in its wake.
But Koa is not deterred by darkness, and oh, Soh, do you have to make it so very easy? "So much," he answers her question huskily, eyes once more alighting on the fair face of his date. He wants to touch her, to taste her, to reclaim the magic of their brushing fingers and fluttering, youthful hearts. He wants to make her blush again and again, to tease her out of her delicate shell.
Ah, but reality. After a too-long pause he looks at Val again. "Maybe chips and hummus?" Koa suggests, glancing back at Soh for approval. "I'm not super hungry, but if you want something else...?"
in all the wrong directions— and by daybreak we'll be gone
Koa's husky voice made her blush faintly, and she thought giddily that her cheeks might stay stained pink for the rest of her days if he kept it up. The loss of his hand left her cold and wanting - a sharp contrast with the fire growing in her belly, a pang of desire that took her by surprise. Blame it on the alcohol all you want, Soh - it doesn't hide the fact that, for the first time in her life, she was left with cheeks aflame not with embarrassment, but a deep want that wouldn't subside.
Their silence lingered for a moment before Koa broke their eye contact, and it was as if Soh was suddenly released from a hypnotic spell. Her gaze fell to her glass, nearly empty now, and her finger circled the rim aimlessly. It was easier, when he wasn't staring at her, to ignore the fluttering stomach, the skipped heartbeats, and remember that this was only a first date, and that she didn't know him very well, and what was she doing?
But one peek up at him, all confidence and muscle, and she lost her sanity once more.
"Chips and hummus sounds great," she said with a smile. "I'm not that hungry, either." (Oho, but aren't you?)
and they will shake their heads and wag their bony fingers
"Chips and hummus it is," Koa confirms decisively, nodding the order to Val. And then it's back to Soh, to swimming in her grey eyes and coaxing out her laugh. To playing footsie under the table and feeding her hummus-laden chips. It's a warm and beautiful evening, and it turns into a wonderful night. Even Pipsqueak remains in good spirits, stealing chips to eat under the table and falling asleep on Soh's feet.
And so an hour or two pass in the blink of an eye, and dusk falls hard and fast. Koa takes the last sip he can possibly manage of his very empty second mojito, trying to make the evening last longer. He's pleasantly buzzed now, and it makes him bolder and a little goofy: he's already impersonated multiple Breakers (including Anju, of course) and attempted to balance a trio of chips. Now he plucks the umbrella from Sohalia's cup, reaching up to tuck it in her hair behind her ear.
"There!" the Dragoon declares enthusiastically, clearly pleased with his work. "A lovely look for a lovely lady - and you really are so pretty, Soh. Pretty, and interesting, and clever, and, and..." He reaches for her hand again, capturing it between both of his own and bringing it to rest, feather-soft, on his lips. His eyes are sincere, his voice earnest. "And I very much would like to kiss you. Would that be okay?"
in all the wrong directions— and by daybreak we'll be gone
It was perhaps the most romantic evening of Soh's young life - an evening somehow free of worry and care and filled with fun and laughter. With recent events, she'd forgotten what it felt like to be free of the burdens that weighed upon her, but freedom was exactly what Koa gave her, and she liked him all the more for it. Time passed by quickly, and dusk fell, calling out the stars in the night sky. Somehow the little cafe is more beautiful in the moonlight. For now, Soh would have been happy to linger here forever.
Koa tucked the little umbrella from her drink behind her ear, and she leaned into his touch before he reached for her hand again. His complements were sweet and earnest, bringing a smile to her lips and a blush to her cheeks. But before she could protest that she really wasn't any of those things, she was just her, his lips brushed against her hand and all logical thought flew out the window. When he asked to kiss her, her heart nearly stopped, and so it was with a certain breathlessness that she whispered, "Yes."
