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!
07-27-2023, 05:07 PM (This post was last modified: 07-27-2023, 05:08 PM by Eden.)
Eden
Her boots in hand, sand scratching between her toes and dusting the backs of her calves, Eden brought a wide grin to the Hanged Man. She nudged Lorin in the side (who shot her a what was that for? kind of look) and pointed at a bottle behind the bar.
"They have that brand you like. Go get us a table and I'll get us some drinks."
The next look her brother shot her was a mix of exasperation and amusement as he accepted the heavy pack she handed him. "Are you going to be this bossy all the time? Make mine a double, E." But he looked relieved as he claimed a two-top in partial shade, heaving a contented sigh and sinking into his chair. Maybe he wasn't cut out for their adventure. Eden wasn't even tired. Traveling on a Skyship was invigorating. Then again, she hadn't had to do much but sit back and enjoy the journey.
She slid onto a stool, dropping her boots beneath it, and let her coat fall back to drape from elbow to elbow, exposing her shoulders to the refreshing sea air. Then she leaned her weight on her arms atop the bar, lacing her fingers together.
"Are you Flora?" she asked a woman who fit the rough description Talyson gave her. "I'm meant to tell you there's a delivery coming your way later on."
don't even ask cuz you know what I'll say: somehow I'm going to get my way
The lopsided shelves behind the bar were filled with various sizes and shapes of liquor bottles that Flora didn't bother to try and keep in any semblance of order. Her staff hated it, Everest specifically, but the Doubletake cared not at all for alphabetizing labels or grouping containers them based on kind. She rather thought the look and feel of chaos suited the Hanged Man - and Torchline in general - and besides, she had better things to do with her day than arrange bottles.
Despite nearly being on the tail end of the season, Flora's attire was still of the sort which suggested balmy temperatures. In a strapless sundress and with a mischievous smile on her perfectly painted lips, the Doubletake spins around as she hears the sound of someone sitting down at the bar. "That's meeeeeeeeeee." She sings in a bright voice that speaks of the cool confidence afforded to those of a very specific upbringing.
"A delivery?" Raising her eyebrows theatrically until they nearly disappeared into her sea-curled bangs, the girl feigned both shock and awe. "Gasp." Leaning against the bar, and it was surely only by accident that doing so had the effect of emphasizing her breasts, the girl grinned. "Must be some delivery to come with a verbal warning of its arrival."
Whatever Eden had expected of the message recipient, this bubbly, vibrant woman was not it. Her free, charismatic manner glowed contagiously, and Eden couldn't help but match that grin with her own brightest.
Eden was proud to say her baby blues remained glued to Flora's face. Peripheral vision, however, imparted her a sense of appreciation.
"You say that like don't already know what you're getting." Whether Flora intended to pique Eden's curiosity, or perhaps just wanted to prod for how much Eden knew about it, the redhead couldn't be sure, but this felt like some kind of game. (Good thing Eden loved games.) The newcomer flexed her fingers, tapping her nails on the bar briefly before leaning her face into one of her hands. "Or do you have so many packages coming all the time that you just lose track?"
And wouldn't that be a dream? Her eldest brother, Alfric, would no doubt be delighted if Eden managed to send him a single piece of merchandise before the week was out.
don't even ask cuz you know what I'll say: somehow I'm going to get my way
'Welllll, maybe I don't?' Flora trills, and if there's a way of twisting the words to suggest an innuendo, the girl tries for it. Crinkling her nose as she considers—life was a game, when you were the Doubletake—Flora briefly regards the ceiling for a moment before her gaze drops back to Eden. "Oh no, nothing like that, though I do receive quite a few packages of all kinds. Just that...maybe it's from a secret admirer?" Her eyes widen to emphasize this idea, before she too lets her chin rest in her hand, whether consciously or unconsciously mirroring the other girl.
"You must not be from around here though...I run a..." Pausing to feign consideration, Flora chews on the inside of her cheek for a moment as her eyes drink in the sharp and wildly interesting angles of her messenger's face. "..lost and found." She decides, eventually, not bothering to hide the way she searched her counterpart's eyes and body language for any indication that she knew of what Flora was referencing.
Distinctly, Eden recognized how she held information which Flora might want. Not that it granted her much of anything in an undefined game with unknown stakes which all might very well be in Eden's head. Especially since the woman would learn exactly what goods were coming her way when they arrived, regardless of what Eden knew or decided to share. Still... this cheerful, possibly flirtatious counterpart seemed the sort who always had the upper hand, and if Eden had the opportunity to remain on top for the time being, that was exactly what she'd do. Her only response, at the present, was to replace her grin with a soft, crooked I know something you don't know turn of the lips.
But as to the 'lost and found'... However much the shopkeeper's daughter fancied herself an astute observer with brilliant insight, she was limited by how green she actually was. It was clear, by the way the barkeeper sought to read Eden's response to the latent implication, that Flora was looking for something from her. What that something was, the Attuned had little clue.
Why would Tal be delivering goods which clearly were not lost? Or was that unrelated entirely?
Ultimately, Eden shook her head, her crimson curls brushing her cheeks. "Well, I won't out your admirer, if they're planning to seduce you slowly. Unless you're already hopelessly devoted to someone else?" Hand to heart, Eden didn't intend that question to sound so suggestive. "And no, I'm not from around here. Just passing through for business. And a couple drinks. How long have you been working here?"
don't even ask cuz you know what I'll say: somehow I'm going to get my way
Whatever Eden's play here, she would find Flora a willing participant; the Doubletake didn't mind letting someone else take the lead or be on top so long as they knew what they were doing. Or you know, at least made an effort. Her aqua gaze said as much as it dipped toward the messenger's lips, trailing along her cupid's bow and the mischievous slant of her smile.
'Slowly?' Flora moans with a theatrical roll of her eyes. "Who has the time for that these days?" She adds, before giving her head a decisive shake. "And the only thing I'm hopelessly devoted to is a good skin care routine." You couldn't live in a place like Torchline and be constantly bombarded by salt, sand, and sun all day long without one. Not if you wanted to avoid looking like a prune by 25.
"Mmm, didn't think so. I'd have noticed you if you had been." Flashing Eden a bright smile, it's at that moment that a ball of white descends from the ceiling with wings outspread and far too much enthusiasm for its tiny body. Landing with a sound that made Flora wince slightly, the small white dragon flared its wings at Eden before flapping them up and down in a clear attempt to show off. Or possibly to be intimidating.
'Well...,' Flora murmurs, scooping the dragon up into one of her hands and stroking a single finger down its spine. "Only a few seasons? Feels like longer though." Shrugging, the girl's eyes suddenly brighten. "About those drinks though...what's your poison?"
But damn, would she get an earful from Lorin if she asked Flora for a tour of the back rooms of the bar. Not that she cared overmuch what he thought of her tendencies - both he and Alfric had given up efforts to keep her impulses on a leash, after the nights out they'd spent together - but she would rather avoid the whining and the lecturing she no doubt would have to put up with periodically all throughout their romp around Caido. That guy never let anything go. We're supposed to be focusing, Edie, he'd say, and he only ever used that nickname to try to soften when he was really irritated with her and was trying to seem like he wasn't.
"You do have incredible skin," Eden settled for. "You must give me some tips. But if that's the case, I don't mind telling you, Talyson Seawright is the man you're expecting."
The magnificent little creature startled a sound out of Eden, one of those barks of shock and amusement which precluded free, genuine peals of laughter. "And what's your name?"
As for drinks... Eden shot a look toward where her brother lounged. He wore an expression which said he'd be more relaxed if he held a beverage in his hand. She rolled her tastefully lined eyes before swivelling back to the audience she preferred having. "Whatever's cheap. My brother's tight with his purse strings and too cranky to deal with right now. Is that a good 'longer' or a bad 'longer'?"
don't even ask cuz you know what I'll say: somehow I'm going to get my way
08-17-2023, 07:05 PM (This post was last modified: 08-17-2023, 07:06 PM by Flora.)
flora
"Awww, thanks." Flora titters as if she hadn't been quite obviously fishing for preciously this compliment. Still, reeling it in with a dainty shrug, the Doubletake trickles the fingers of one hand up the forearm of the other if only to draw Eden's gaze in that direction. "Anytime. In fact, we should take a trip to my mom's spa. She has the most amazing herbal mud bath."
Hearing Tal's name certainly rang bells of recognition, and the way Flora straightened and huffed slightly said about as much as needed saying. "Oh. Okay wellllllll, I'll keep an eye out for him." So nothing for the back rooms then. But perhaps it was something from her mother?
Looking down at the dragon, Flora grinned proudly. "Spice." She replied for the small creature. "I didn't name her. One of my dad's did. His dragon is called Sugar, and so when he found this one..." Sugar and Spice, etcetera; Ronin was very clever.
Watching Eden as the girl gazed toward her brother and wasting not a single second of the silent conversation occurring between the siblings, it was with a mischievous glint in her aqua eyes that Flora shook her head. "Okay well, he can have whatever is cheapest, but you are going to try this." Spinning on her heel, the Doubletake began to pour.
