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!
It's not the long flowing dress that you're in Or the light coming off of your skin
The sun has burned off all the early morning fog in the plaza, and though the wind is strong up in the clouds today it doesn't seem to deter the sellers in the least as they set out their signs with weighted bags and continue about their business. As the next stop on her personal journey through all the lands, civilized or otherwise, Soleil cannot help but gawk at the modern amenities of the city. As a young woman who already struggles with feeling human, it is almost intimidating.
But like any young woman with confidence to spare and plenty of coin, Soleil is enticed by the notion of going on a shopping spree. She'd already had one in Torchline, but who was around to stop her from doing it twice?
First she buys a lovely leather satchel with floral embroidery floss hand-stitched onto the shoulder strap and flap closure - to hold all of her pending purchases of course. Gallivanting about with her hair natural and loose in a cloud of curls today, heedless of the hot wind, the young woman flits from shopfront to shopfront like an eager butterfly, peering at all the options and gracefully - but dangerously - sweeping past and through gaggles of other shoppers on long brown legs.
It's the fragile heart you protected for so long The mercy in your sense of right and wrong
Soleil was not the only one on a shopping spree. Sohalia, too, was out and about on this windy day, her hair in a double twist tied back into a knot at the base of her skull. A few tendrils escaped as the breeze blew by, falling to frame her face more and more the longer she was out. Pacifist Plaza was perhaps the place in the city where Soh felt the safest; her home and shop were only a few blocks away, and the plaza was always filled with plenty of shoppers. She never had to be alone in the plaza.
She wandered from shop to shop, stopping here and there to look over the items available for purchase. She wasn't looking for anything in particular, so she took her time, window shopping and admiring the latest in summer fashions. She carried a worn bag on her shoulder - the same bag she always wore - containing her journal and a few other basic necessities. It was almost time to replace the bag - it was beginning to fray around the edges of the fabric, and she could use something a bit bigger for her many travels. Perhaps she should try the shop over there -
And all of a sudden, she was running into someone with wild curls and brown legs, someone who, when Soh took a closer look, actually appeared to be about her age. It was so rare for her to find another teenager that she let out a happy little, "Oh!" before realizing that perhaps she should offer some kind of apology for, you know, running into her. "I'm so sorry," she said, backing up a step and shooting the stranger an apologetic smile. "I wasn't paying enough attention to where I was going."
It's not the long flowing dress that you're in Or the light coming off of your skin
Soleil is preternaturally graceful despite having no wolf inside her any longer, but it does not mean she can control the grace of others nearby. It also does not help that Sol is accustomed to caring for her own body and nobody else's, which lends itself to ignoring most others in her midst until it is too late. It is a harmless bump, one that Soleil is happy to brush off until the other young woman makes a rather startled sound that pulls her out of her own head to examine the stranger.
She is just slightly shorter, and fairer in nearly every way - skin, hair, eyes. But of a similar age, which makes Soleil brighten similarly, her focused expression melting away into pure sunshine and forgiveness. "That's okay, it didn't hurt." And, because she is a naturally social woman, Soleil shifts her new bag to the side to present her hand cheerily. "I'm Soleil. Are you shopping? I don't know the shops well, I'm trying to find shoes." No harm in hoping the other young woman will be able to help her.
It's the fragile heart you protected for so long The mercy in your sense of right and wrong
The young woman she'd bumped into was all curls and brown skin, with an air of brightness about her that lessened Soh's concern about bumping into a perfect stranger. Her own smile becoming more sunny and less apologetic, Soh reached out to grasp Soleil's hand. "I'm Soh," she said. "I like your bag! Which shop did you get it from? I'm thinking about a new one, myself," she added, gesturing to the old bag hung over her shoulder.
Then the other young woman said something about shoes, and Soh lit up instantly. She loved shoes. "I know just the spot!" she exclaimed, turning to scan the marketplace. Once she had her bearings, she started down the street, chattering to her new friend. "I love shoes, so this is one of my favorite shops. They have all kinds of colors and styles, and they're usually reasonably priced." Arriving outside of the shoemaker's shop, she gestured toward the window displays, which held shoes of all shapes and sizes. "Come on!" Soh said, leading the way inside.
It's not the long flowing dress that you're in Or the light coming off of your skin
'Soh' sounds almost exactly like 'Sol', so the young woman decides then and there that it must be fate and they are clearly destined to be friends. The eager babbling helps that estimation as Soleil beams brightly. "Nice to meetcha! I got it at Hi-Design down that way," she shares happily, gesturing with her chin and starting a wave of motion in her curls as they follow suit.
Anyone else may have been a bit overwhelmed by how swiftly Sohalia takes up the new topic and runs with it, but Soleil is quite good at thinking on her feet and going where the wind (or a relative stranger) takes her. Following on Soh's heels like a trotting pup, Soleil only pauses to ooh over the shoes in the window, which sure enough fit Sohalia's praise perfectly. Colorful, plentiful, and - if the other woman is to be believed - well made. At her beckoning Soleil abandons the glass display to scurry inside, looking around with wide, eager eyes. "I don't even know where to start!" Spinning in a slow circle as she looks around the shop, her eyes alight on Sohalia and she smiles. "In Halo there are maybe two total types of shoes you even can wear. What do you suggest?"
It's the fragile heart you protected for so long The mercy in your sense of right and wrong
Soh made a mental note to check out Hi-Design next, but then they were off to the shoemaker's and she was chattering away. She was pleased to find that Soleil seemed just as taken with the shop as she was, and with a giggle, she pulled the other girl inside. The inside of the shop was small, but well-stocked, with shoes displayed floor-to-ceiling on a variety of racks, separated by style and then by color. It did Soh's heart good to see things so well-organized, and she glanced over her shoulder at Soleil, giggling again to find her new friend spinning in a slow circle, eyes bright and a smile on her face.
"Oh, are you from Halo?" she asked curiously as she looked around the shop, leading the way over to the sandals and heels. She turned to look Soleil over again, as though contemplating, and then made a selection of a few different pairs. "What size are you?" she asked over her shoulder as she tugged at various boxes: red flip-flops; low, bright yellow wedges; and a nice black flat for a little neutrality.
It's not the long flowing dress that you're in Or the light coming off of your skin
Halo has become far more developed than it originally started, but Stormbreak has more brick-and-mortar storefronts and legacy businesses, and the evidence of that is staring her right in the face with how plentiful the shoes are.
“Yep! I’ve been exploring all the regions, I just came from Torchline today.” She is in no rush, having already spent two weeks on those sandy beaches before getting on a skyboat and ending up here mere hours ago. “I’m a size 8,” she shares easily, peering over Sohalia’s shoulder with zero concept of personal space as she admires the choices. “Oh! Wedges! I’ve been so excited to try wedges and heels!” Icy pathways and snow were not exactly compatible with such tenuous footing. Though it also means Soleil is woefully uneducated in how to walk in them, which she will surely find out soon.
It's the fragile heart you protected for so long The mercy in your sense of right and wrong
Soh had never been to Halo, so she had no frame of reference for how the two regions differed. From what she'd read, though, Halo was going to be not only colder, but more wild, with a great deal more wilderness than Stormbreak's massive cityscape offered. She was looking forward to her planned trip to Halo immensely, both to see Tal and to explore a whole new area of the world.
In any case, Soh smiled. "Well, welcome to Stormbreak!" she said. She pulled shoes from the racks on the wall, keeping an eye out for Soleil's size. She was a little uncomfortable with the other girl's proximity; Soh still wasn't particularly touchy-feely, especially with strangers, but Solei didn't seem to even register that personal space might be a thing. "These are good to start with, if you're not used to them," Soh said, indicating the pair of wedges she'd pulled from the wall. "As for heels..." She considered the wall, tapping a forefinger to her lips in thought. "How about these?" Low heels in a neutral tone. "These will go with almost anything."
It's not the long flowing dress that you're in Or the light coming off of your skin
Completely oblivious to the other woman's discomfort at her proximity either due to some social shortcoming or her focus on the shoes in Sohalia's hands, Soleil extends her own to take the boxes from her before turning to look for one of the plentiful benches scattered throughout the room. Settling easily upon one, she neatly aligns her shoes beside her to begin trying on the pair of black flats first, marveling at being able to see the tops of her feet and ankles so plainly. Standing, she gives a little spin to feel the lack of grip on the soles and grins.
"Honestly I don't want to go back if everyone else has such great fashion," she laughs. Her father would surely have a heart attack, but he loves her as she is, wandering heart and all. Sitting back down to begin putting on the wedges next, Soleil looks up at her new companion from where she's bent over, having to puff a breath to get a curl out of her face. "Is everywhere like this here? Modern, I mean." Halo's wilderness is fierce and beautiful, but the cobblestone and architecture here is its own form of beauty that Soleil can't help but admire.
It's the fragile heart you protected for so long The mercy in your sense of right and wrong
As Soleil withdrew, Soh breathed a soft sigh of relief. She was sure the other girl didn't mean any harm, but she was unused to someone being so unaware of her personal space. It was almost kind of nice, in a way, even if it made her uncomfortable.
The black flats looked lovely on Soleil's long legs, and Soh clapped her hands together with delight as the girl spun in place. "They look great on you!" she gushed. It was rare that she went shopping like this, and rarer still that she had a friend with whom to do it. This felt like a special treat, and Soh pulled a box of her own from the shelf, if only to prolong the outing. She sat on the bench next to Soleil as her new friend tried on the wedges. Soh herself kicked off her shoes and pulled on a set of wedges in a deep blue, her toes peeking out from the opening at the top.
"Pretty much," she said with a smile. "We have a ton of shops and restaurants - I could give you some wonderful recommendations for dinner, by the way - but people tend to think that's all we have. If you like nature, we have some pretty incredible hot springs, and there's the Celestine. Our architecture is unlike anything I've seen elsewhere - I'm sorry," she said suddenly. "I'm rambling a bit, aren't I?"
It's not the long flowing dress that you're in Or the light coming off of your skin
Such girlish companionship - and compliments! - are practically unheard of in Halo, and Soleil brightens until she could rival a solar flare as a pleased pink hue takes over her cheeks, suddenly uncharacteristically shy. "Really, you think so?" She looks down at her own legs, rolling the tip of her toe to look at the back of her calf and rotate through to get the full visual. The black compliments her skin tone well, and she hasn't seen this much of her own ankles without socks and leggings in what feels like her whole life. "I really like them."
Sitting beside Sohalia to trade them out for the wedges - which ironically match Sohalia's own blue wedges - she listens attentively as the girl rambles on and merely laughs kindly when she notices it herself. "Sure you are, but who cares? I love to hear about it!" Clearly Soleil has no such compunctions about apologizing for her desires and impulses, and thinks Sohalia shouldn't either.
"I'd love a dinner recommendation, though honestly everyone I meet is a bit of a foodie and I don't have a very mature palate." She'd eat rocks if they looked interesting enough. "But wait you said hot springs? I thought only Halo and the Climb had those!" Clearly she's missing out! Standing as soon as she has her shoes on, Soleil wobbles immediately and sticks her arms out to try and balance, clearly disoriented. "Woah, this is harder than I thought," she puffs out, staring down at the shoes. But, man, the yellow is perfect on her.
It's the fragile heart you protected for so long The mercy in your sense of right and wrong
"Definitely!" said Soh with a grin. "They compliment your legs so well!" Even if she wasn't particularly comfortable showing her own legs off, she could still appreciate how things looked on others. "You should get them, unless you're planning to go back to Halo. Then you might not get much use out of them."
Soh admired her own wedges as her new friend traded shoes, standing to look in a nearby mirror while twisting this way and that. She rather liked the blue, which complimented her skin tone well, and she had been a fan of wedges for a while. Perhaps she would get some new ones - even if she already had a similar pair at home.
"There's a gorgeous little restaurant down towards the Falling," Soh said, thinking of her drinks with Koa with a smile, giving Soleil directions before turning her attention to other things. "Yeah, they're called the Eye of the Storm. You have to check them out!" Soh said excitedly. "You can see straight through the bottom! It's beautiful." And, speaking of beautiful, the yellow of the shoes that Soh had selected looks perfect on Soleil. Soh watches on with admiration, hiding a smile as the other girl struggled to balance. "It gets easier with practice," she advised. "But I love the yellow."
It's not the long flowing dress that you're in Or the light coming off of your skin
"Thank you!" she chirrups excitedly, though she waves away the concern of Halo shortly thereafter. "I won't be going back for more than visits for some time. My dad knows I'm adventuring, so I can just store them while I do my check-ins." In fact Soleil has no idea how long she'll be in Stormbreak given she has no timeline, and hasn't had one since setting out on this little journey.
Soh's excitement is infectious - or maybe it's just the novelty of being around another girl her age. "That sounds terrifying and awesome. Would you want to come with?" Now or some other day, Sol doesn't mind. She's self-confident bold enough to invite the young woman out with her in hopes of striking up a friendship; friendships don't just fall into your lap you know, you have to put in the work! The worst Sohalia can say is no.
Huffing a laugh at the kind comfort, Soleil manages a few more wobbly steps without running into anything. It's a peculiar sensation in the bridge of her foot, but not enough to discourage her. "I do too, I think I'll get them and practice wearing them in my room at the hotel before I chance the cobblestone." Because that sounds like a death sentence. Or at least a broken ankle.
It's the fragile heart you protected for so long The mercy in your sense of right and wrong
Soh laughed. "You sound like me," she said. Soh remembered when she had first left the Hollowed Grounds and just wandered with no real purpose. It seemed like a lifetime ago now, but it had only been a couple of seasons since she'd gone out on her own. "I love to travel! Where all have you been so far?" she added eagerly. If Soleil had been to different places than Soh, maybe they could compare notes!
As the Eye of the Storm was one of her favorite places in Stormbreak, Soh had no qualms about agreeing to accompany Soleil. "I'd love to go!" she said with a grin. "It's one of my favorite places here." Not to mention, she had few friends her own age; it would be nice to just spend time with a new friend.
Soh giggled at Soleil's plan for her shoes. "That's probably a good idea," she agreed. Sometimes Soh still managed to trip on the cobblestone, even in flat shoes, and she'd lived here for a while now. "I think I'll get these," she said, admiring the blue of her own wedges. "They match an outfit I've had sitting in my closet for a while."
