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!
Set away from the lights of the Stormbreak, the Spyglass provided the perfect place for star-watching. Without any light pollution (or at least as little as possible), and with the sun having set hours ago, the night was as serene and clear as Everest could have hoped for (and indeed he had been hoping). Having checked the evening forecast every day that week for a clear night, it was with a canvas bag already packed with all the things that he would need that the aviator set out to map the stars.
They had always fascinated him, the stars. Having spent a good deal of his time as a boy travelling back and forth from Stormbreak to the Greatwood with Mateo, he'd often thought that the stars looked slightly different to him based on where he was. Tonight he planned to map things out to see if that was true. With a thermos of tea (and gods he did hope it was just tea, though it was Mateo who had made it), and some sandwiches, Ever began to set up a large easel and several sheets of paper. Reaching for the large blanket he'd brought with him, a small sound just behind caught his attention.
Turning his head over his shoulder and peering into the thick darkness, the aviator frowned. Likely he should be afraid, though what anyone would want of him at this time of night was anyone's guess. "Is someone there?"
I've done the math, checked the facts And there's no changing that
Got no plans and I've got no money Gone are the days of milk and honey
Soh was, for lack of a better word, morose. In the time since Jude had left, she'd been anxious and antsy, unable to sit still for any length of time, much less focus on her work. She'd tried to think about what he'd said to her, and all the things left unsaid between them, but it had been hard. No matter which way she looked at things, she couldn't see a happy ending, and that frightened her more than anything.
On this particular evening, unable to sleep and unwilling to toss and turn in bed for hours, she'd taken to the Spyglass, hoping to map the stars as a way to calm her mind and her nerves. She hadn't, however, expected to find company. At least the voice that called out to her was familiar. "It's just me," she called back to her friend. At least, she thought they were friends. They were colleagues, if nothing else. "Sorry, am I interrupting?"
Green eyes and a head of gold I'll give you two dollars if you save my soul
Recognizing the voice almost instantly Ever relaxes his shoulders down from where they'd bunched up around his ears even as he continues to blink into the darkness. Slowly Sohalia's silhouette became clear, outlined in moonlight and the soft silvery plums of past-midnight. "Not at all." He called back politely, straightening his sweater and standing taller. Whatever the pair were to one another—friends by any normal definition, but then Everest was an odd duck—Sohalia was still the Luminary and perhaps she was here in some official capacity.
"I'm here alone as well." The aviator murmurs, glancing behind him as if to underscore this. Still keenly recalling the assault the Heart had undergone previously, Everest did his best to try and appear as unassuming and unthreatening as possible. Conveniently for someone like Everest Hart, this was exceedingly easy.
I've done the math, checked the facts And there's no changing that
Got no plans and I've got no money Gone are the days of milk and honey
Soh was most definitely not here in any official capacity. She'd barely made the effort to change out of her pajamas before leaving her apartment, and she stood before Everest now looking somewhat disheveled. Fortunately, the darkness covered most of the disarray, as well as the dark circles under her eyes from long nights spent not sleeping. "Would you mind some company?" she asked as she moved closer, unaware of Ever's attempts to appear as unthreathening as possible. He was her friend, or close enough, and so he was firmly categorized in the 'not a threat' box in her mind.
She took in the scene before her: paper and an easel, a blanket, a thermos of tea. "Oh, are you mapping?" she asked, curious in spite of her inner turmoil. It was rare for Soh to map the stars - she was more of a daytime, landscape cartographer - and she wondered if this was something that Everest could teach her sometime.
Green eyes and a head of gold I'll give you two dollars if you save my soul
In addition to the darkness that concealed Sohalia's comparable disarray, was the fact that Everest Hart had never 'checked anyone out' in his entire life. So it was that whatever he might have thought about Sohalia's opinion, his expression remained polite and neutral, with his eyes focused gently on her face. "I wouldn't at all." He replies smoothly, standing aside slightly as if to give her permission to enter into the little space he'd been setting up.
"Not yet, but I was planning to." He replied in his usual overly informative tone. "I was going to map the stars using this-" Pointing to the easle, Ever reaches out for one of the hinges and pushes. Immediately it tipped forward until it was horizontal to the ground. "This way you can lay beneath and poke holes where you see stars to create a star map, and it doesn't kink your neck." An invention of his own, Everest's tone takes on a slightly pleased quality as he describes it.
"I have tea and sandwiches as well if you would like some. The food I prepared myself, and the tea Mateo made, so.." Given that they both knew Mateo, Everest hoped that his shrug would communicate it might be drugs.
I've done the math, checked the facts And there's no changing that
Got no plans and I've got no money Gone are the days of milk and honey
Soh watched the demonstration with keen eyes, impressed with the invention and the thought that had clearly gone into it. "That's marvelous!" she said. As for the tea and sandwiches, she accepted graciously. "Thank you. That all sounds lovely." If Mateo had made the tea, maybe it would be drugged. Honestly, at this point, she wouldn't be mad if it was. Maybe that's who she should visit for love advice; at least Mateo could give her something to make her feel better for a while.
Taking a seat, cross-legged and comfortable, Soh leaned back on her hands and tilted her head back to stare up into the sky. "How have you been?" she asked. "It feels like it's been ages since I've seen you." It hadn't, really; it had only been, at most, a few days, but that was in an Official Capacity. Seeing Ever in their off time had become something of a rarity, these days.
Green eyes and a head of gold I'll give you two dollars if you save my soul
Never quite sure what to do with praise, the aviator smiled politely and dipped his head before happily moving onto talk of sandwiches and tea. Reaching into the basket Everest pulled out two perfectly neatly wrapped sandwiches, each of which was meticulously labelled. "Turkey, cheese, and brie, or egg salad with goat cheese?" He asks, holding each out for the Heart's inspection if she would like a closer look.
Watching Soh a touch shyly and nervously for a moment, Ever reminded himself that standing around awkwardly fell into the rude category of behaviour, such that no matter his uncertainty, he should sit down as well. Smiling if only so he had something to do with his face, the aviator sat neatly at a distance that was both friendly, but not too close.
"I've been just fine." He answered, before narrowing his eyes thoughtfully for a moment. "Actually it's been about 3 weeks, whereas an age is defined as about 100 years." The aviator added with a slightly dimpled smile. Others might call him obtuse or plain old annoying to speak to, but the spyglass had never really learned any other way of being. Twisting around for two cups (he always came prepared) and the thermos of tea, Ever began to unscrew the lid. "How have you been?"
I've done the math, checked the facts And there's no changing that
Got no plans and I've got no money Gone are the days of milk and honey
The sandwiches were, of course, neatly wrapped and labeled, and Soh smiled affectionately as she made her selection. "Turkey, please," she said as she reached out to take the proffered good. Maybe others found Ever odd or off-putting, but she'd never felt that way about the man. They'd bonded over cartography, and that had been enough to cement him firmly as a friend in Soh's mind, and so she regarding his quirks with a certain fondness.
As Everest sat, Soh smiled to hear that he had been doing well. "Fair enough," she said with a chuckle. "Just three weeks, though? It feels like longer. I hope I haven't been neglecting you, either as a friend or as Stormbreak's Heart." Still, she felt certain that if Everest had something that needed her attention, he would have hunted her down before now, or sent a message, or something. He didn't strike her as the type to let something linger that needed doing.
But then her smile slipped a little. "I've been okay," she said, but her brow furrowed with the lie. "I mean, things are going well in Stormbreak, and we're working on our regional quest and all, so I really shouldn't complain, but..." She shrugged helplessly. "Truthfully? I've been better."
Green eyes and a head of gold I'll give you two dollars if you save my soul
'Turkey it is.' He agrees, handing over the sandwich before beginning to unwrap his own snack. This of course Ever did with unnecessary care as if keeping the cellophane in which it was wrapped in perfect condition was the utmost priority.
"Neglecting me? Of course not. You have no obligations to me, professional or friendly." The words sounded a touch cold to even his ears, and so, as Mateo had taught him, Ever raised his blue eyes and offered Sohalia a smile.
Pouring them each a small dose of tea, Everest handed one cup to Sohalia. "A small sip first, to make sure that it isn't...well, to make sure that you'd like more." Because if it was drugs, given Sohalia's current mood, maybe she would want more regardless. "Oh?" Looking appropriately concerned, the aviator tilted his head with a decidedly canine-like jerk as he frowned.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
I've done the math, checked the facts And there's no changing that
Got no plans and I've got no money Gone are the days of milk and honey
Soh began to unwrap her sandwich, not taking nearly as much care as Everest (though she wasn't a complete slob about it, either). In the end, she spread the cellophane out as a makeshift plate to catch any crumbs as she took a bite.
Ever's next comment made her a little sad; of course she had obligations to him! He was her friend, and he deserved as much attention as any of the others that she spent time with. Not to mention, he was her Spyglass, and his position involved a certain degree of notice on her part. That didn't seem to occur to him, though, but she could tell by his smile that he hadn't meant any harm, and she smiled back in return.
Soh took a small sip of her tea, but she couldn't tell whether it was drugged or not; either way, she took another sip before setting it aside. Would she want more if it was drugged? She honestly couldn't say for sure; she probably shouldn't run from her emotions, no matter how tempting it might be to do so. "I'm... not sure," she said, once she had settled her cup in a spot nearby. "It's just... a problem with my boyfriend. Or, I think it's a problem? I think we had a fight, but then he said he wasn't mad, but he still wanted space, so I..." She trailed off, then sighed. "It's strange for him to be gone. I miss him."
Green eyes and a head of gold I'll give you two dollars if you save my soul
His head still tilted slightly to the side and his blue eyes unjudgemental, Everest folded his hands into his lap as Sohalia began to speak. Both his mother and father had told him that, when listening to someone else, it was best not to fidget or move too much lest they think you weren't properly listening to them or that you were distracted. Besides, he wasn't overly hungry just now anyway.
"Oh I see." The aviator murmured, even though he didn't. Everest, who had never so much as held anyone's hand much less been in a relationship was precisely the wrong sort of person to offer any suitable advice in this instance, though perhaps he could just listen and see if the Luminary could work things out on her own.
"I've often noticed that people say they aren't mad when they don't know what the words are to describe what emotions they're actually feeling." Ever explains. "And that can often lead to confusion on the part of the other person, in this case you, because while it's true that they aren't mad, they are something, but often we interpret not mad, as meaning not anything, which is incorrect." Honestly, if he could write this out with variables he thought it would be much clearer. Alas, his father had told him often that other people's minds didn't work quite the way his did.
"Have you told him that you miss him? It might be nice for him to hear, even if he does want space."
I've done the math, checked the facts And there's no changing that
Got no plans and I've got no money Gone are the days of milk and honey
After she finished speaking, Soh fiddled with the edges of the cellophane, distracted and distressed. Perhaps she could have used some lessons from Everest's parents on proper listening etiquette. Regardless, her troubled grey eyes found Ever's nonjudgmental gaze, and something about the way he simply sat and listened, without bombarding her with questions or seeming to mind her sharing, soothed the young Heart.
She listened with interest to her friend's observations, tilting her head to one side as she considered. She'd believed Jude when he said he wasn't mad, but Ever was right - that didn't mean that Jude hadn't felt something. And put into that context, wanting space to figure out exactly how he was feeling didn't seem so terrible. Didn't she need time to process things sometimes, too? Perhaps nothing as big as this, or as important, but still. Didn't the same concepts apply?
"I haven't yet. He said I could write, but I didn't want to impose if he wanted space, you know? But it's a good idea," she hurried to add, because it was, and she had every intention of writing to her boyfriend when she felt like she had something to say. She didn't want to write too soon and make it seem like she wasn't thinking seriously, because she was, but she also wanted Jude to know that she was thinking about him. Maybe Ever was right, and she should just take the chance and write.
Green eyes and a head of gold I'll give you two dollars if you save my soul
"I do." The aviator agrees. "And though I still often curb my actions based on what I think other people want of me, my mother once explained to me that in doing so, I'm robbing them of their own agency. He told you that you could write, and if you decide that he must actually not have meant that, you're ignoring his wishes." Everest continues. "It's very confusing, because sometimes people clearly do say one thing and mean another, but...you can't just try and outthink them."
Gods but Ever wished Tobi was here. His mother was so good when it came to knowing what to do about feelings and communication.
"I'm sorry that you're in this situation. It sounds very confusing and difficult."
I've done the math, checked the facts And there's no changing that
Got no plans and I've got no money Gone are the days of milk and honey
Soh listened, cocking her head to one side as she considered what Ever had to say. His mother sounded quite wise, and she said as much: "Your mother sounds like an amazing person." She was filled, suddenly, with a dull ache for her own mother. Would she have had advice for the situation in which Soh found herself? The young Heart would never know. "And you're not wrong about people doing one thing and meaning another. I just... wish it was easier."
She sighed. If Ever was the type of person who hugged, Soh would have reached across the distance between them for a one-armed hug, if only for her own comfort. Instead, she fiddled with the edges of the cellophane, feeling morose. "Thank you, Ever. I appreciate your help. It is a confusing situation, but your insight helps a lot." She should write to Jude, then, instead of trying to read between the lines and make assumptions of what he might have meant. He said she could write, so she would.
Green eyes and a head of gold I'll give you two dollars if you save my soul
