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 full moon had risen again over Torchline, and Hadama's memories of his night at the Stormbreak observatory had been rekindled beneath its glow. With his duties done for the day, he had composed himself and aquaported to the Eye of the Storm once more, and from there he had slipped from the waters, tail becoming legs wrapped in a dark skirt of fabric.
Asking directions had led him to the Celestine, and though the hour was late and he had little hope of finding Lena there, still he had entered, content to wander amidst the eternal twilight and wonder at the place his friend tended to. The peace of the gardens was pleasing to him, as was the delicate scents of the flowers that bloomed there.
And then there were the animals, each in their special enclosures while they healed. Many were sleeping, hidden away, but now that it was nighttime there were many that were active, prowling if their injuries didn't prevent it, or simply watching those few evening wanderers who made their way through the gardens, seeking some inspiration or solace here instead of in their own beds.
He paused in front of an enclosure filled with sand, hot and dry and horrifically fascinating to the Mer. A Shangyang with a bandaged wing was drowsing near a cluster of stones, its feet hidden beneath its feathery body as it nested down for the night.
I must become a lion hearted girl Ready for a fight
Leaning into the nocturnal nature of her lioness, Ellyra prowled. She was not hunting, not looking to fill her belly, but her apartment felt too small and too lonely to stay in. The silver moonlight glistened along her golden fur as her muscles rippled beneath with every fluid step she took. It was a beautiful autumn night, and the chilled air filling her lungs was bringing her more comfort than not.
The Celestine was full of enough souls, even with them not being human, to crack and chip away at the loneliness that Ellyra felt in her heart. The sounds of soft snores and even soft chirpings of animals still awake in the night brought a calmness to the lioness that reverberated all around her in tangible, slow thrums of her own purr.
Turning a corner, and glancing up down to look ahead from where she had been looking at the sky, the lioness spotted another. She stopped, her great head lifting and her golden ear twitching.
The bird was interesting, but it was the habitat that had captured the merman's attention so completely. He leaned on his trident as he contemplated such a desolate, waterless land that would mean instant death for any of his people - but there was a thrill, too, of being so near to such a dangerous environment, even if it was safely contained within the magical enclosure.
After a while he exhaled a long-held breath and finally tore his eyes away, seeking the next biome along the path and wondering what strange creatures he might see within.
Instead his emerald eyes fell on a small, golden sea panther-like creature standing on the path a little distance away. He tilted his head slowly, his expression calm and serene though a sliver of wary tension moved through his muscles as he recognized a predator. Still, the Celestine was supposed to be a place of peace for all the creatures within, and he trusted Lena's word on that.
Peace, he sent through the Attuned Bond, his mental voice a low, warm rumble like distant summer thunder. Perhaps the feline could understand him... or perhaps it was no true cat at all. Either way, he lost nothing by trying.
I must become a lion hearted girl Ready for a fight
The lioness stood guard, her body still as stone save for the twitch of her ears. The man hadn't noticed her yet, and she contemplated turning silently on massive paws and walking away without being noticed at all. Just as she lifted a paw and flicked her tail to turn and move, his emerald eyes fell on her. Falling still as stone once more, the feline girl watched him with unwavering eyes.
When his mind proclaimed an intention over the attuned bond, the lioness lifted her head. Her eyes narrowed some, and her tail flicked out behind her. Ellyra wasn't sure she was ready to accept such an offer when his trident glinted in the moonlight. Who carried such a weapon around with them, anyway? Who are you?
The lion stood still and the man stood still and they watched each other until the silence of the Bond was broken once more. Hadama did not entirely relax; sentience did not mean friendliness, and in his experience people - humans and Mer alike - were more dangerous than any beast. But he inclined his head politely beneath the starlit tines of his trident, leaning comfortably on the weapon like a staff.
I am Hadama. Visiting from Torchline. A pleasure to meet you. Or so he hoped, with his usual mixture of courtesy, optimism, and pragmatism. Who are you? Another of the Celestine's caretakers? A citizen of Stormbreak, out for an evening stroll beneath the full moon? Or a traveler like himself, far from home and taking in the sites of the floating city? Unsure and unwilling to assume, the Mer waited patiently for the lioness's response.
life is waiting for you, it's all messed up but we're alive
Hadama. Ellyra knew that name if only by the whispers of others, but the fact that king of the merfolk followed after that name had her stepping forward once and shifting from lioness to girl. She raised her chin slightly to look up at him, amber eyes less keen now that she no longer stalked the Celestine in her feline shift.
"My name is Ellyra." She spoke aloud, tucking a lock of stray golden hair behind her ear. Still as apprehensive as she was in lion form, she stayed where she was. Her hand didn't fall back down to her side, but she clutched her opposite arm with it and covered her chest. She blinked, still trying to focus on the man--mer--in the dim light. "I'm a nurse. I had a long shift and needed to clear my head." She admitted the half-truth.
The lioness became a woman between one step and the next, tawny coat giving way to fair skin and a predator's grace compacting into a human's body. Hadama watched the shift curiously, always a little reassured by the similarities between Attuned and Merfolk, even though the forms they took were usually meant for different habitats. When she stood revealed and introduced herself, the Tidebreaker inclined his head in courteous greeting, taking note of the name - and her profession as well.
"It is nice to meet you, Ellyra," he said, meaning the words sincerely. He stayed where he was, comfortable speaking at their current distance and not missing the girl's shy body language even in the dimness of the garden's enchanted twilight. "I am a cook. Among other things." Though in a land without Mer, being King seemed less important than his culinary skills. "Are you familiar with the animals here?"
life is waiting for you, it's all messed up but we're alive
"You too." Ellyra offered politely, despite not truly wanting to. Not cruel, or even rude, by nature, the lionness stepped a few steps towards the king. "Not really. I know a few, but I've never been interested enough in animals to study them. Not like Lena." She said, name-dropping the Celestine Caretaker with some importance.
"What brings you so far away from Torchline?" She asked, now only a few meters away from him. "and...how did you even get here? If you don't mind me asking." she rushed the last few words, her face flushing. Her arm stayed covering her chest. This hesitation within her was a new thing, and the only thing she could trace it back to was what had happened -- or nearly happened -- to Sohalia.
Hadama was still for a moment, aware of his height on land and the breadth of his shoulders and not wanting to loom. Once Ellyra had stopped he took two small, slow steps towards her as well before coming to a halt at a more comfortable speaking distance.
Her mention of Lena brought the ghost of a smile to his lips and he tilted his head in recognition. "She is very conscientious of her charges," he agreed, a warmth in his rumbling voice as he spoke of his friend.
The questions that followed revealed that he was not quite as incognito as he might have hoped, but the young woman's rush of apparent embarrassment at them earned a slight shake of the King's head in gentle reassurance. "I do not mind. It is a rare gift among my people." He lifted his face to the round, bright moon that shone down through the Gardens' eternal twilight. "When the moon is full I can shift into a human. Like you can shift into a lion." It was all a matter of perspective. "I use the chance to see places my people normally could not. Lena has often mentioned the Celestine and I have always wished to see it. Tonight, I am here." He returned his attention to Ellyra and nodded to the path ahead.
life is waiting for you, it's all messed up but we're alive
Ellyra’s head lifted some, and if she had dexterous ears they would have perked up. He was friends with Lena. That I’m and of itself was a good sign. The woman was kind and soft, but Ellyra knew in her gut she would not keep company those that looked to others with malice. The lioness softened slightly.
”Okay.” she stepped in alongside him. She was dwarfed next to him, but she let her arms both drop at her sides. ”Im sorry if it seems like I’m being rude.” The lioness said, looking down at the dark pavement as they walked, the moonlight glittering in her hair. ”My friend got attacked a few months ago. I’ve been on edge ever since. Spend a lot of time walking in my lion form.”
As Ellyra joined him he began to walk again, his pace slow. He used his trident as a walking-stick, using it to balance himself and steady his steps as he fell into the rhythm of controlled falling that humans used as locomotion.
Her apology was met with a single shake of his head, though her news of an attack drew a faint furrow of concern between his brows. "I do not mind," he said simply of her curiosity - and her well-earned wariness. "I hope she was not hurt."
They passed slowly beyond the desert biome and approached an enclosure that mimicked the Oerwoud next. Verdant growth ran rampant, and a pair of gleaming silver eyes watched them from the shadows beneath a fallen log. "What places in Stormbreak would you recommend to a visitor?" he asked curiously. There wouldn't be time tonight; he had to return to the water before dawn. But there would be other full moons, and he had found that he enjoyed the chance to stretch his legs in the city above the clouds.
life is waiting for you, it's all messed up but we're alive
Ellyra noticed the way that he almost had to focus on walking. It gave her comfort, though slight and easily pushed to the back of her mind, that if she needed to get away from him she was most likely able to outrun the merking. "I'm still learning most of the city myself. I was only here a short time before the war, and since then I've really pushed myself into my work." She admitted, a hint of a sheepish smile creeping up on her face. "But I've heard the White Hart has good food and good ale." Although she had never visited the establishment. She kept most of her time, like she said, at work or walking the more open and safer parts of the city, despite the claws that lay only a blink away beneath her manicured fingers.
Walking had grown easier with practice over the last several months when he had occasionally grown legs, but Ellyra was quite safe from Hadama on land. He had not yet attempted jogging, much less running, and even a child would be able to outpace him on two legs. In the water it would be another matter entirely... but given the King's disposition it seemed unlikely she would ever have to worry about that, either.
If he was surprised to hear that she was a recent immigrant to Stormbreak he didn't show it, but he gave a grateful nod at the mention of the White Hart, filing the name away for future investigation. He was intrigued at the thought of exploring the region's culinary specialties. "I will visit it next time," he agreed solemnly, emerald eyes sparkling with hidden good humor. "And you are welcome at the Tide Pool Bar if you come to Torchline."
life is waiting for you, it's all messed up but we're alive
"Is it mermaid owned?" Ellyra asked, her head tilting in a feline manner. She hadn't realized, when she mentioned the good food and good ale at the well-known bar that mer might not even drink. Did they have alcohol in the ocean depths? The twisting and twirling thoughts may not be broadcast over the attuned bond, but there was certainly evidence of the way her mind whirled in her amber eyes.
"I've only been to Torchline once. My friend, the one who was attacked, asked me to come with her on a business trip. I only had one real option, because the other place she was going was Halo and you couldn't catch me in that frozen place over my dead body." She huffed out a laugh, wondering if he felt the same.
