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!
The restaurant was crowded, and Sohalia was glad she had made a reservation. She arrived a few minutes before the appointed time, dressed in a long, blue dress that made her grey eyes all the more piercing, her hair tied up off her neck in a loose, braided bun. She carried a basket on one arm, which she set beneath the table as she was seated by a pretty, red-headed server. She ordered herself a water and settle down to wait. She was sure that Mateo wouldn't be long.
It had been some weeks since what she had come to call "The Incident" in her mind, and her physical wounds had long since healed, the only indication that anything had happened being a small scar on her left eyebrow. Since then, she'd thought of her friendly neighborhood botanist often, and she was pleased to have finally found a time to meet up with him again. In truth, she was relieved that he'd agreed to meet her at all - gods only knew what he thought of her now.
If only Sohalia knew what Mateo had been up to himself over the past few weeks; if he cared what people thought of him (even his friends and family), he might be worried about her opinion of him nowadays. For now, though, he's late only because he couldn't adequately scrunch his curls in a way that he found aesthetically pleasing until literally ten minutes ago, and as he swans into the restaurant, he can see that she's already been seated.
Raising a hand in a wave, the botanist exchanges polite conversation with the server before coming to sit across from his friend. Dressed in a crisp white shirt and black slacks, Mateo is vibing with his (mostly) masculine energy today, apparently. "Ciao, bella," he breathes as he sinks down into his chair. "I do hope you have not been waiting for me long. I was caught up in a battle with the mirror, you see."
I wanna wake up Can't even tell if this is a dream
Even if Soh had known the intricacies of Mateo's life, she would have adored him all the same. Perhaps there was a certain blindness that came along with someone saving one's life; perhaps she was simply drawn to someone who seemed to be as vivacious and full of life as herself. Either way, there was little that Mateo could do to change Soh's opinion of him - at least in a negative way.
As he arrived, Soh smiled warmly at him. "It's a battle you seem to have won," she told him, admiring the cut of his figure in the crisp white shirt and black slacks. Together, they made quite the lovely pair, though Soh was never one to dwell on such things. "But no, I haven't been waiting long," she assured him. "I'm so glad to see you!" It felt like it had been ages since she'd left his house, broken and alone, and in a way, it had been. She felt like a different person, some days, full of grief and sadness and an anger that just would not dissipate.
But she didn't like to think of that, so she tended to shove it away into the corner of her mind where it couldn't bother her, which was difficult to do, given the role Mateo had played in what Soh had come to call 'The Incident.' Regardless of any inner turmoil, though, she kept a smile on her face for the botanist, and if a certain tiredness showed around her eyes, who could blame her?
"You are too kind," Mateo purrs. "Though I am glad you think so, else I would risk making you seem untidy. You look beautiful." And there's nothing but sincerity in his kohl-lined eyes as he takes her in, knowing better than to insinuate anything other than platonic ease given what she's endured as of late. "And I you," he assures her, glancing to the server who approaches and offering them a dimpled smile.
Accepting the menu they offer and perusing it with gold-polished nails, the botanist raises his eyebrows to Soh as if to ask what she'd like to drink. "We could share a carafe of wine?" he offers. "The red here is quite good, but I am happy to take your lead." Once they have decided and the server withdraws to give them time to peruse the menu further, Mateo lets his voice soften.
"How have you been?"
I wanna wake up Can't even tell if this is a dream
Soh blushed at Mateo's praise, offering a shy smile. "Thank you," she said, touched by her friend's sincerity. The server approached with a menu, and Soh nodded in agreement. "The red sounds fine," she said. She wasn't much of a drinker, so she rarely knew what she wanted when it came to beverages; her tendency was to order water, or lemonade, if it was available, so she was happy to follow Mateo's lead.
As the server withdrew and Mateo's voice softened, Soh hesitated. Part of her wanted to insist that she was fine, to shy away from the emotions she kept hidden so carefully away - but Mateo was a dear friend, and she owed him more honesty than that, especially when he asked her so directly how she was. "I've been traveling a lot," she admitted. Anything to get her out of the city. "I... can't sleep, when I'm at home." Plagued by nightmares, by thoughts of what could have happened. "But I need to be here to have the shop open, so..."
The red it is, then. Listening quietly as Soh explains, Mateo waits until their carafe arrives and the server withdraws again before he replies. "I can understand that," he says softly, reaching out to pour them both a glass. "If you would like to come by my place when you are here, I am happy to keep you company. Or perhaps I can build a flower cart and push it around outside your shop." Smirking at the very idea - it does seem very Mateo - he resists the urge to slip too far into the humorous, instead seeking out Soh's gaze.
"I wanted you to know that the person who..." Wincing, he knows she knows what he means. "...They are not going to be a problem any more. I would prefer to spare you the details if that is all the same, but you will not have to look over your shoulder when you walk through the Silk Houses. Not because of them, anyway."
I wanna wake up Can't even tell if this is a dream
Accepting the glass of red wine, Soh sipped at it gingerly, not sure what to expect, but relaxing at the dark taste of it on her tongue. She smiled at her friend as he offered to keep her company, letting loose a giggle at the idea of him setting up a flower cart in front of her shop. "I would appreciate the company," she admitted. Then, teasingly: "Either at your place or outside my shop. Perhaps I'll even let you come in." As though she would ever keep him out, after all he'd done for her.
But then the tide of the conversation turns, and Soh swallowed hard at the topic, looking studiously into her wine glass so that she might maintain some semblance of control over her emotions. She had known that The Incident was likely to come up, but she had to admit that she still wasn't entirely prepared for it. Especially not to be told that the man wouldn't be bothering her again. She looked up at Mateo with surprise, her fingers trembling slightly where they met her wine glass. "I... you... how...?" she stammered, trailing off as she stared at Mateo, feeling a very strange mixture of confusion, fear, and gratitude. She took a deep breath, trying on a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relieved," she admitted.
She wasn't sure how to feel, honestly. She'd feel better if she thought the man was imprisoned, but surely if that was the case, Mateo would simply have said so. What, then, was the alternative? That he was dead? Had he died of natural causes, or had someone killed for her? Wouldn't that put her right back where she started? Maybe if she just didn't think about it, then she wouldn't have to feel anything at all.
She took a healthy drink of her wine, hoping that, since she never really drank, perhaps she could get wine-drunk and just move on with her life.
"Now you are just teasing," Mateo says with a smile slanted over the rim of his wine glass, before he takes a slow sip and sets it down again. More than seasoned in any and all alcohols (and then some), he can appreciate the vintage for what it is, but he's not going to be doing anything silly like trying to pair it with his food. Not that he's even glanced at the menu again yet; as the conversation swings towards the inevitable, he's left watching Soh to make sure she's alright.
Reaching out, if she allows he'll let his hand softly cover her own, as if to ease the trembling of her fingers. "Friends in high places?" he tries with a weak smile, before knowing he needs to clarify. "My fathers are demigods. One of Ludo, the other of Safrin," he says quietly. "I told them what happened, and they took care of it. I wasn't told how, but I was told that... well, that you were not the first person this happened to. And you were never going to be the last."
And if Soh has any guilt about it, Mateo will happily take it onto his shoulders instead. He doesn't regret anything Remi had taken it upon himself to do.
I wanna wake up Can't even tell if this is a dream
For the briefest of moments, she felt her heart beat too fast, heard the blood rushing in her ears, and she felt like she was back in that alley, a prisoner of her own panic. She'd never wanted this, never wanted anyone to get hurt. She and Mateo should have been friends for other reasons, not become close due to her almost having killed someone. And though she'd hoped thoroughly to never see the man again, she'd also never intended for anything to happen to him... no matter how much he deserved it.
But Mateo was blessedly silent on the details, and that allowed Soh a glimmer of hope that perhaps the man was simply imprisoned somewhere, left to rot in a jail cell with nothing to occupy him but his own thoughts.
When his hand softly covered hers, Soh jumped a little, somehow managing to avoid spilling her wine. The news that his fathers were demigods was revelation enough, but that they would care enough to do something to help her? Even if it was through Mateo's intervention, the thought of two such powerful people doing anything to make things better for someone like her was both touching and concerning. She felt as though she should thank them, but what did one do in this sort of situation? Send a gift basket?
"I... don't know what to say," she finally said, her brow creased with worry and her voice slightly shaky. "I - I never thought..." She'd never thought to be free of the monster who'd attacked her, always anticipated looking over her shoulder. She'd even considered moving, no matter how much she loved Stormbreak, just to get away from the memory of him. But now it was like a weight had lifted from her shoulders. She met Mateo's gaze squarely and took a deep breath. "Thank you." And, to her surprise, she meant it.
If it makes her feel better to imagine the man imprisoned somewhere in Stormbreak, Mateo will not be the one to break that illusion for her. (It's something he might have contentedly imagined, too, if he hadn't seen firsthand the blood on his father's fingers). "Sorry," he says softly, for making her jump, the botanist giving her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing her again, sitting back in his chair.
"You do not have to say anything," he assures her, his dimpled smile warm and gentle. "Consider it a sort of justice, if anything. No one will be hurt because of that man now - not you, nor anybody else." Still, he understands if she wants to call their dinner short on the heels of his revelation, Mateo sitting with his hands in his lap until her thanks rings through the air, rendering him both surprised and content.
"You are very welcome, Soh. Would you like to get something to eat? You must tell me about where you have been travelling."
I wanna wake up Can't even tell if this is a dream
There was a strange sense of peace and relief in the sudden revelation that she needn't be afraid anymore, a strong pang of righteousness that the man had gotten what he deserved. Mateo was right; it was justice, and better yet, it was justice not taken into her own hands. She'd never have been able to forgive herself if she'd been the one to kill him, to play judge, jury, and executioner - no matter how much her friends had assured her that it had been perfectly reasonable self-defense.
Travel was an easier topic, and she relaxed into the change with a small smile. She'd spent most of her time recently in Torchline, and the memory of her last such trip brought a faint blush to her cheeks. "I've been in Torchline," she said aloud. "Mostly in Haulani with a... friend." The title paled in comparison to Jude's actual role in her life, but it was the best she could manage for the time being. "But I've been trying to do some mapping, while I've been there. Oh! And I'm planning a trip to Halo soon."
More than happy to settle into easier subjects and sunnier places, Mateo also feels himself relax; he hopes they can put the subject to bed from here, given that - gods willing - Soh won't find herself in any similar situations in the future. Perusing the menu as she talks of Torchline, the botanist only glances up at the mention of her friend, not because of the word used, but the loud silence that preceded it.
"What is his name?" he wonders with a catlike grin, glancing up as their server approaches and ordering some grilled vegetables as to start, glancing to Soh to see what she'd like. "Ah, Halo? That is interesting. I only went there once when I was young. I think we saw a white dragon." At the time it had been horrifying for he and Ever, but now he looks back with almost fondness.
I wanna wake up Can't even tell if this is a dream
She truly hadn't meant to be so obvious, but, well, she still wasn't exactly sure what she and Jude were now. Still, she looked down at the menu to hide a shy smile, her cheeks flushing a faint pink. "I'll have what he's having," she told their server, and once they were out of earshot, she turned back to Mateo. "What makes you think they're a 'he?'" she wanted to know, her eyes twinkling with good humor.
The topic of travel further lightened the mood, until Soh could almost put the past in the past where it belonged. Later, of course, she would mull over Mateo's revelation; she would obsess over what it meant, what had happened, and what part she'd had to play. But for now, it was easier (and much more fun) to let it go. "A white dragon?" she asked, her voice excited. "But I thought dragons stayed in the Cordillera! Maybe I could see one when I go to Halo." From a safe distance, of course.
"Ah, forgive me," Mateo gushes, despite very much having a hunch about it, "how presumptuous. What is their name?" The correction is accompanied by a mischievious bob of his eyebrows, as if to ask whether he's any closer to receiving a proper answer for his good manners. Handing the menu back to the server - he might end up going straight for dessert and cocktails, depending on his mood - the botanist takes another sip of his wine and nods earnestly about his own dragon sighting.
"They do, mostly," he agrees. "But white dragons can be found in Halo, and I believe there have been black dragon sightings in the Climb." Not that he imagines she will want to go there. "If you do see one, I hope it is an illustration in a book," he jokes. "Otherwise one of my fathers can shift into a dragon, if you are desperate to meet one."
I wanna wake up Can't even tell if this is a dream
