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!
'Really, it's nothing.' Everest is saying as he sets down the bags he'd carried back from Mother Molly's. Some had luxurious dresses within while others contained new lip stains and blushes for the botanist to try out; all were gifts from the staff of the brothel to Mateo. Or perhaps payment. Ever wasn't sure but nor did he feel the need to ask. 'I think it's just a rash. I can have my mother look at it if it starts to spread.'
As a man Everest Hart wouldn't dare to go in the places he did as a canine. Of course, as a dog, his belly and torso were exposed to any number of less-than-savoury substances, many of which were completely alien to his system. Normally his fur kept most things from taking hold, but just lately he'd noticed a large asymmetrical splotch on his shoulder which was beginning to trickle down his ribcage and chest. A rash, and nothing more.
Waiting for further instructions from his friend if he should relocate the bags he'd just placed on the botanist's little table, the aviator self-consciously tugs at his shirt to further conceal the wine-red rash on his shoulder.
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
who are these people? I just woke up in my underwear
"If it was just nothing, you would not have told me what it was," Mateo points out, murmuring a brief thanks as Everest kindly sets down his bags on the table. Wearing a close approximation of a jade green sarong and a sheer white shirt, the botanist scoops his curls up into a hasty top knot and fills his tea kettle, plonking it on the stove to heat up.
"You would have also worn a turtleneck, even in this heat, if you did not want it seen," he continues, giving no instructions but moving the bags himself and clearing off his little table, patting the patchwork sofa for Ever to sit down. "Take! It! Off!" he tells his friend, punctuating each word with a clap of heavily ringed fingers, as if that will encourage him further.
"If you have gotten into anything toxic, I may be able to identify it from the rash at least."
no liquor left on the shelf I should probably introduce myself
"We are friends. Friends tell each other things." Everest argues with a shrug. He'd have told Mateo he had a UTI if that was the case. Turning to glance at his friend, a more socially-aware man might have taken a moment to appreciate the depth of his friendship with a marvel like Mateo. Surely one of the most handsome men in all of Stormbreak and surely the most colourful, the botanist was a proper wellspring of all that was interesting and notable. Of course Everest, while very appreciative of their relationship, saw only the boy he'd grown up with and not the intoxicating man Mateo had become.
"And risk heatstroke?" Ever clicks under his tongue, just once and without much sarcasm behind it. It was a gesture he'd picked up from the botanist, and now he wielded it quite clumsily. Wincing as he's told to remove his shirt but knowing better than to argue, the aviator sits down sulkily on the couch before carefully unbuttoning his shirt. Removing it gently, and with no small amount of difficulty thanks to the pain on his left side, Everest nevertheless meticulously folds the garment and sets it down.
"It's probably just some contact dermatitis."
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
who are these people? I just woke up in my underwear
"You mean to tell me that you do not already have heatstroke wearing that?" Mateo raises his eyebrows at Ever; the fact that he's still wearing a shirt with buttons at all is something that the botanist finds utterly hedonistic (and he should know). Still, as his friend dutifully removes his shirt, Mateo washes his hands thoroughly and dries them on a fresh towel, before dragging up an upturned crate so he can sit before the aviator.
It's a nasty rash, and Mateo can see that much even without being who he is, and he lets out a slow breath through his teeth. "How long have you had this?" he wonders, tracking the way it has begun to spread down Ever's ribcage and across his chest. "Is it okay to touch the area around it? I am just trying to tell if it is raised or hot to the touch."
no liquor left on the shelf I should probably introduce myself
"It has UV protection in it." Ever replies a touch defensively, though they both know it's simply because he didn't like having much bare skin showing. For whatever reason, at some point growing up the young aviator had developed quite a complex about his body, hence swimming wearing a shirt and shorts.
Despite his dislike of being touched, in a medical setting (and perhaps solely because of his mother), Ever was more or less patient about it, such that he nodded (grimly) to Mateo. "It doesn't really hurt." He says, justifying this half-lie because of how subjective defining pain was. As for how long? Closing one eye and looking up at a corner of the ceiling partially to aid in remembering and partially so that he wouldn't be swamped by the close presence of Mateo, Ever hmmmmm'd. "Maybe a week or so?" The aviator can't be entirely sure if only because he'd promptly started ignoring the discomfort the second he had felt it.
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
who are these people? I just woke up in my underwear
"Right, right." Mateo rolls his eyes. "I have some perfectly good lotion with UV protection in it if you want to not walk around like a nun." Ever will never take him up on it unless it's absolutely necessary - but hey, they might just be staring down the barrel of absolutely necessary with the rash he's suddenly presented with.
Reaching out and examining his friend's chest with cool hands, Ever will only be graced by the scent of citrus and cardamom for a few seconds - Mateo doesn't need long to realise what he's looking at. "Everest Hart," he scolds to hear how long it has been. "Your mother taught you better than that."
Sitting back and folding his arms across his chest, he raises his eyebrows at the aviator. "Well, the good news is that it looks as though you may have gotten overly friendly with some poison ivy. So it is not the end of the world. However, because you have been aggravating it with your clothes and lack of treatment, it seems to have gotten worse. It may have even combined with a heat rash at this point."
no liquor left on the shelf I should probably introduce myself
"What's wrong with how I walk around?" It occurred to Ever that, in large part, the only reason he'd seen thus far to wear less clothing was purely to invite the eyes of others. There were far more practical and safe ways of keeping cool and repelling the sun than simply stripping off layers and adding glistening oils to his body.
Regarding the top corner of Mateo's schooner intensely as his friend's fingers trace over his skin, Ever flinches as if struck as he's chastised. "It really isn't that bad." He protests, dropping his eyes for a moment just in time to meet Mateo's and feeling all the more guilty for it. "My ball did go into one of the exhibits in the Celestine..." He murmurs contritely, reaching a hand around to scratch at the back of his neck before letting it fall politely back into his lap.
"So...what should I do?" He knows that the answer is ointment and letting the skin breathe, but given what this implies, Everest rather hopes maybe Mateo will have some narcotic or other to take its place.
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
who are these people? I just woke up in my underwear
"Nothing at all, unless you have a rash under your clothes which will get irritated by the friction. Which you do." Mateo points out, tilting his head and gazing at his friend all the more intently following his protests. Luckily, mention of the sacred ball does cause the botanist to soften somewhat, though there's a touch of suspicion in his expression now. "And who was throwing it?" he wants to know, probably just so he can tut at them for being so careless with Ever.
And certainly not because of any jealousy, no no.
The answer certainly is ointment and letting the skin breathe, and the smile on Mateo's face says as much. "I can make you something up with peppermint bark and aloe which should stop it being so painful. But at least at home, you should keep it exposed to the air as much as possible. I can give you some dressings, too, so it will not rub so much under your clothes?"
Tilting his head, he adds (with sudden clarity, as if he's a fool for not considering it), "Or I could just heal it with nonna."
no liquor left on the shelf I should probably introduce myself
Exhaling a pointed stream of air but knowing that Mateo was 100% correct, Everest just nods stiffly. As for the ball throwing? Blushing, but not for the reason Mateo might think, the aviator looks down suddenly, studying a callous on one of his hands. Debating picking at it before making himself lace his fingers together to stifle the impulsion, he lets his head loll back and forth as he tries to find the words to explain. "I..built a machine." He explains, and for the sudden colour on his cheeks and the way his lips seem heavy with shame and guilt, one might think said machine was the sort to help a young man masturbate, instead of what it in fact did.
"It...I put the ball in, and it throws it for me." That way he'd never have to bother anyone to play with him, as he assumed it was a nuisance.
Exhaling in a way that tries to avoid being a sigh, Everest resigns himself to being shirtless at home. At least there would be no one around to see, though he'd have to triple-check that the blinds were closed. "Okay. That would be helpful, thank you." Brightening suddenly, the aviator looks at the necklace around his friend's neck. "Is that alright? I don't want to...to waste her powers on this."
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
who are these people? I just woke up in my underwear
"You... a ball throwing machine?" Mateo furrows his brow. One might assume that the botanist is one to howl at laughter with that, and were it anyone else he very well might have. Instead, it's with a soft sigh and a kind smile that he rises to his feet to attend to the whistling kettle. "Would you like chamomile tea? Or I also have lavender, ginger or lemongrass."
Because he's not going to make a big deal out of the hows and whys of the poison ivy now that he has his answers. But he is going to offer to play ball with Ever a lot more often, knowing his friend is more likely to accept an invitation than give one.
"It is alright with me. I do not believe her powers can run out..." he says softly, smiling and looping the necklace over his head. "She had magic hands. She still does, it is just that I need to do the pointing, these days." He clearly doesn't mind, any way, and the offer is there if Ever wants to take it .
no liquor left on the shelf I should probably introduce myself
Biting at the inside of his cheek hard enough to twist that side of his lips, Everest nods and stares down at his hands. The offer of tea has him pausing, and though he doesn't want any, he asks for 'Lavendar, please.' just the same.
Watching Mateo peel his dead Nonna's finger-bones from around his neck should have been the sort of thing that horrified Everest, but from a purely anatomical and magical point of view, he found it novel and just the sort of thing that suited the botanist. "I would like it much more than salves and dressings." He admits with a small smile, reaching for his shirt but not putting it on. Instead he drapes it over his lap as if he might obscure the lower part of his body with it, before glancing around Mateo's schooner.
"I met your friend the other day. The one from the alleyway? Sohalia?" He says, tapping his fingers across his knees. "I said that maybe the three of us could do some flying. Not all the way to where your dads live, but nearer to the mountains. Both she and I would like to make maps of the area."
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
who are these people? I just woke up in my underwear
Once Mateo is done with his megik making he'll brew them lavender and lemongrass teas respectively. For now, though, he approaches his friend to sit back on the crate before him, bleached finger bones in hand. "This will only takea second," he assures him, the bones starting to glow softly as he holds them out towards the aviator's abused skin.
"Oh, you did?" Raising his eyebrows as if to ask whether Ever had done more than meet her - he doubts it, because she's dating Jude and Ever is rendered frozen by social, emotional and physical vulnerability - the botanist hears out his friend with an interested ooooooh.
"Well, my ship only holds 2 people, but if both of you are able to fly as Attuned...?" He smiles - it should be more than doable. "Ah, there. You are as good as new."
no liquor left on the shelf I should probably introduce myself
"One..." Everest counts, both playfully and seriously holding Mateo accountable to his estimate. Nodding, recalling his meeting with the cartographer with shocking fondness, he mumbles a "..two.." before the glow of Vai's bones takes all of the sting from his skin. Looking down to see his body as he expected it to be, the aviator immediately reaches for his shirt to tug it on, buttoning it up to the neck despite the heat. "Grat-see." He murmurs, smoothing his shirt down.
"Yes. Out by the Spyglass. We were both mapping, though she is significantly more skilled than I am." Said with a wistful appreciation for her craft, Everest folds his hands in his lap, pleased to once more be fully dressed. "She spoke very highly of you." Anyone else would have added a suggestive raising of their eyebrows, but Everest merely stated this as fact.
"That was my thinking. I could pilot us out, and she and I could then take turns landing on the boat to make notes, so long as you could keep La Verbena flying more or less straight."
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
who are these people? I just woke up in my underwear
Rolling his eyes and sitting back to slip Vai's bones back over his head, the botanist offers a much more musical, "Prego," in response. He can't fault Ever for trying, but he'd still love to get Remi's opinion on the word rhyming with yahtzee. "Well she is a cartographer," he points out - even with his friend's remarkable talent for detail, he doesn't know if he can quite compare to Soh when it comes to her job.
Smiling and taking the compliment with little more than a small flare of joy in his chest, Mateo rises back to his feet to go back and tend to their tea. "As long as we are not flying too close to mountain ranges and the weather is clear, I think I should be able to manage it," he says, but honestly, it's Mateo - he thinks he can manage most things. "It would be nice to take the ship out a little further afield, too."
no liquor left on the shelf I should probably introduce myself
