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!
08-17-2023, 03:27 PM (This post was last modified: 08-22-2023, 05:22 PM by Koa.)
Koa
We're going down, down in an earlier round And sugar, we're going down swinging
It's official. Koa needs an office.
Working out of a closet has become untenable, to say the least. Sure, it was fine when he was spending most of his time in Torchline, but with Deepfrost approaching it's only a matter of days before he returns to home, and work. And, given that he's taken on the gargantuan task of forming the Dragoons into a Global Task Force basically single-handed, there's going to be quite a lot of work that Koa has to do.
He's staked out a space in an upper level of the Nest. A little bit small and a lot dusty, it's been chosen for one reason and one reason alone: a great balcony, currently absolutely infested with spiders, that overlooks the Righteous Road. It'll be an excellent place to read or work or just sit in the light, if only he can get it livable.
Which is, of course, the hard part.
Clad in work clothes and with Pip on his shoulder, Koa surveys the room. It'll take a good deal of work to turn this space into a tolerable office. Luckily for him, though, he's reached out for help. Now it's simply a matter of waiting in hopes that help shows up.
Open PQ to set up Koa's office!
1. Koa
2. -----
3. -----
Please post your character arriving. They could have seen a notice board post, or Koa could have asked them directly <3
I'll be your number one with a bullet A loaded god complex, cock it and pull it
He knew better than to glance at the notice board. He really did. And yet, he just kept doing it and getting himself in trouble.
Today, on the way to deliver a package from Halo to a nice little old lady off the Plaza he had seen a name on it that had rung a recent bell. All through his delivery he had hemmed and hawed and almost talked himself out of it but...
Well...
He'd liked the young Dragoon, and Boreal had been quite taken with little Pip. She'd needed to be dissuaded from trying to adopt the wee noodle and once she sensed his thoughts drifting towards the furry longdragon she'd turned her biggest, most hopeful eyes on him and it had all been over. With a long-suffering sigh he'd thrown his hands in the air and then scratched her horns and led the way to the Nest.
But it was Boreal who shoved past him to galumph up the stairs with all the stealth of an enthusiastic bull, bowling into the room and skidding to a halt just behind Koa with a happy croon of greeting for her young dragon-friend. A few minutes later Tal slouched in behind her and leaned on the wall to help hold it up, reaching up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly as he looked anywhere but at Koa.
"Hey," he offered. "Boreal wanted t'help y'guys out so..." So here he was.
Koa was hard at work, and it did not go unnoticed by Anna. The elder dragoon spent most of the day training new recruits and newborn soldiers, squaring them away with weapons assessments and physical fitness tests. It was on her way out of the building that she heard a few of the others talking about it. Another man, unknown to her, and his dragon passed her just as she stopped to consider what the men had said. Lifting her brow, the woman and her dragon turned and headed back up the stairs.
Samael prickled at the sound of the other dragon ahead of them bounding up the stone stairs. Anna wore a neutral expression despite her companion, and stepped in past Talyson. She didn't say anything to him, or even look at him, but gave him the room to speak. Then, she took her turn. "Some kids said you wanted to make yourself an office. Since they weren't coming in to lend a hand, I thought I would." She smiled some, straight white teeth nearly glinting. "It's better than going home alone." She joked, hands coming up to rest on her hips.
---
Anna and Samael are here to help!
And as you step back into line, a mob jumps to their feet
Let our blades shine with Justice
Let Valor our hearts sing.
Let all who seek protection
Find it 'neath the Dragoon's Wing.
We're going down, down in an earlier round And sugar, we're going down swinging
Hey, look! Friends!
Pipsqueak's dragon senses tingle as soon as Boreal begins to trundle up the stairs, and while dragons are hardly a rarity in the Nest, she still gets excited any time she sees one. Especially one who has been so fun and friendly to play with. With a screech of delight she launches herself off of Koa, gliding (gliding!) to land on the back of the older dragon. Koa shakes her head as she begins to chatter updates and greetings to her friend-turned-perch, looking with a bemused grin as Tal appears behind.
"Tal!" the boy greets brightly, seemingly oblivious to the poor courier's discomfort. "Hey, come in - it's good to see you! Pip and I were just talking about how we need to come visit, before it gets too cold."
Anna appears in the doorway next, and if Koa's grin could broaden it certainly would. Instead his eyebrows shoot into his hairline, arm raising up in a bright salute. "Ms Donovan! Samael! Hey, this it Talyson and Boreal - they're couriers and adventurers, from Halo. Tal scared off a giant sea cat last time we met." He winks at the man. "Tal, this is Anna Donovan, one of my mentors, and Samael."
Introductions complete, the young man claps his hands together. "Thanks so much for coming to help - it was getting a little cramped, working out of a closet." He wrinkles his nose, Pip trilling a note of agreement. "Um, first things first. The desk and chair are pretty old, so I was thinking we could clear that out? And the balcony is infested with spiders, so Pip and I were going to, ah, relocate them. The other dragons are welcome to help." From Boreal's back, Pip exhales a plume of indignant smoke. Violence is the only option, in her mind.
"And then all these old broken shelves need to come off the wall," he concludes, gesturing to one such unit which looks quite forlorn, a rotting shelf half-collapsed onto the wood below.
Round one!
-- Koa and Pip are going to clear spiders off the balcony! Samael and Boreal have been invited to participate in the slaughter help.
-- Someone needs to get the desk and chairs out of the office!
-- Someone needs to take the rotting shelves off the walls!
I'll be your number one with a bullet A loaded god complex, cock it and pull it
Friend!! Boreal warbled happily in greeting as Pip glided over to her, curving her long neck back to sniff a welcome at her little friend as the noodle landed. Pip's chatter was music to the bigger dragon's ears and she began to amble around the room, sticking her blunt muzzle into things that looked interesting (re: smelly) and occasionally rumbling a comment back at her fuzzy passenger.
Their antics even brought a wry grin to Tal's taciturn face and he met Koa's energy with a little more grace, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, you should! There's this great bakery in Snowcloak--" he cut himself off as a stranger entered the room - a proper adult, no less, and with a third dragon for Boreal to cheerfully croon a greeting to, the big, pale reptile trotting over to make her own introductions with Pip in tow, of course!
Koa's idea of introductions had the courier's cheeks darkening and he scrubbed the back of his neck harder in embarrassment at the complimentary embellishment of their last encounter. "Um. S'not really what... I mean... Uh. Hi." He belatedly extended his hand to Anna since Koa clearly welcomed her, then retrieved it so he could jam both hands into his pockets while their first tasks were laid out.
"I can get th'shelves down," he offered, rolling up his sleeves in preparation as he considered the task. "Pretty decent at woodworkin', if y'need new ones, too." Years of making and repairing his dog sleds had seen to that, and more recent experiences with projects similar to this one had broadened his practical skills. He reached into his Bag of Holding to pull out heavy leather gloves and flexed his fingers before getting to work, breaking about the rotted wood and stripping it off the wall. When he was done he rummaged around until he found a hammer and then began to pull the nails out with the claw end.
Boreal, meanwhile, was downright gleeful at the chance to cause a little chaos, and she trotted eagerly over to join Koa at the balcony. You know what was a great way to get rid of a spider infestation?
Yeah, so did she.
With an inviting chortle to Pip to join in the fun, Boreal inhaled deeply and then crouched to breathe fire in a cleansing sweep across the balcony floor and railing.
Tal pulls down the old shelves while Boreal does her best "nuke 'em from orbit" impression.
A respectful, though warm greeting, from the younger dragoon filled Anna's heart with joy. She could see his mother in nearly every curve of his face and in the determination of his heart. She swallowed the lump down her throat, her face etching no evidence of it. Quartering to the stranger, Anna's lips tightened into a thin smile, humor glinting somewhere deep in the colored pools of her eyes. "Nice to meet you, Talyson." She extended a hand, watching the awkward boy--man--carefully. She was used to young soldiers stumbling over themselves in her presence, especially when challenged by her, but never really strangers. She didn't know that this was Talyson's nature, though it didn't keep the actions from going to her head.
All the while, Samael watched as the younger dragons danced and played. Enticed, Samael let himself dissolve the cold, stone figment of his age and he bounded towards the others. His long body was like a wave, though every move of his was elegant. He happily joined the dragons and Koa in emptying the place of the silk-weaving spiders.
Anna let the stranger take to work on the shelves, then she herself went on to empty the room of old furniture.
--
Anna cleans out the room while Samael helps with the spiders.
And as you step back into line, a mob jumps to their feet
Let our blades shine with Justice
Let Valor our hearts sing.
Let all who seek protection
Find it 'neath the Dragoon's Wing.
We're going down, down in an earlier round And sugar, we're going down swinging
Koa claps a hand on Tal's shoulder, flashing a grin to the younger man. "That'd be great," he says effusively, before heading off to herd cats supervise the small army of dragons.
Alas, Talyson 's experience making sleds does not quite translate to demolition - or maybe he's just nervous. Whatever the reason, the poor courier will find that the shelving is more than ready to come down - directly onto his head. The shelves collapse in a plume of dust and mold (ew), leaving behind exposed wall and some rather nasty nails. Guess it's time for clean up, eh?
Anna fares far better, her training and strength making the movement of furniture positively light work. She'll have no issues dragging out the old desk and chairs, leaving nary a scratch upon the floor. Now empty, the dustiness of the room is quite painfully stark. It'll take a good mopping and some work on the windows to set the place to rights.
And then there's the dragons, and boy oh boy, there certainly is no limit to what chaos three enthusiastic dragons can come together and achieve. The poor spiders don't stand a chance: between fire and lightning they are well and truly incinerated down to a one, their webbing burnt away and their nests laid bare. It's slaughter verging on genocide, and Pipsqueak, at least, is supremely proud of it, shrieking her accomplishment from Boreal's back. Koa rolls her eyes at her, surveying the wreckage. "Well now you have to clean it up," he informs the monsters, indicating the scorch marks and carcasses that coat the stone floor. For his part the young man collects a broom, sighing as he sweeps dead spiderlings off the crispy deck. There's soap and water for the dragons to use: better get to scrubbing, eh?
Round 2!
-- The old shelves need to be removed from the office, and new ones put in!
-- The office needs to be swept and mopped!
-- The dragons need to clean up their mess!
I'll be your number one with a bullet A loaded god complex, cock it and pull it
The crashing in the space next to her had her wincing some. A pained look filled her face as she called over to Talyson, "You alright?" She paused for a moment to listen to his answer before heading back to her tasks, now that the room was empty.
With the spiders quickly taken care of, the grey dragon sidled up next to the other two. He gave them each a look of pride, his chest puffing some as he folded his wings against his long body. But as the dragoon spoke, Samael blinked, looking from Koa to the buckets, then back down on to himself. Without arms, he wasn't sure how he could accomplish such a task. Images flashed in Anna's mind as Samael's head cocked in a more canine-like fashion than draconian. The woman chuckled and sent back another image to her bonded. He hissed slightly, accepting this image as the right answer, and quickly grabbed a thickly bristled brush with both of his feet. He used his wings to balance and glide him across the floor, leaving soapy paths in his wake.
As Anna worked and the furniture removal made the room open up in a brilliant way, she also noticed how dirty it was. There was a perfect outline of each piece she had removed, evidence that nothing had been touched in this room for years. She frowned, but continued to work. She kept her head low and her thoughts focused, even as she helped her companion problem solve. Thankfully, Koa had already gathered the needed supplies and all Anna had to do was apply the elbow grease.
--
Samael and Anna clean!
And as you step back into line, a mob jumps to their feet
Let our blades shine with Justice
Let Valor our hearts sing.
Let all who seek protection
Find it 'neath the Dragoon's Wing.
Maybe Tal just didn't know his own strength? Or maybe he was just really unlucky. Given how some of his other attempts to help with shops and houses had gone, he was definitely leaning towards the latter, but either way he ended up sitting down hard on the floor while broken wood and mold cascaded down over his head.
Coughing and sneezing, he waved vaguely at Anna - though whether in reassurance or request for help was up for interpretation. He sat there a few minutes more, making sure the bump on his scalp wasn't anything worse than a bruise before picking himself up and scowling down at the broken wood piled at his feet. He almost kicked it, but managed to remember he had an audience and settled for grumbling over to the pile of supplies to find a burlap sack to stuff the old wood and nails into. He hauled it down and out of the Tower before puffing back up the stairs with a lingering cough. Sidling around the sweeping and mopping in progress and trying not to step on the wet floor, he snagged up the tools and spare wood that Koa provided and headed back outside once more to build his shelves in the fresh air - and out of the way of the cleaning crews!
Boreal chortled her victory with Pip, rising up on her hind legs and giving a mighty flap of her wings to clear char and spider legs off the lip of the balcony. When she came back down to Koa's admonition she cocked her head at him and blinked in innocent confusion. Cleaning? No, no, silly mammal! That's what humans were for!
But with Samael providing a more mature (and less chaotic) example, Boreal eventually snorted and used her head to tip a bucket over, then nosed a scrub brush around - occasionally picking it up and giving it a good shake in case it had developed a neck to snap in the intervening minutes.
Tal tries to make shelving happen while Boreal uh... helps(???) clean!
We're going down, down in an earlier round And sugar, we're going down swinging
It's clear that Anna has experience maintaining a space, because she is able to clean up the office with efficiency and skill. The result is a fully revitalized room, floors sparkling, light flooding through windows, no speck of dust remaining. It's enough that Koa's eyes almost tear in gratitude as he pops his head in to investigate, absolutely dumbfounded and profoundly grateful by the effort his mentor has put in.
Talyson does a little better this round, but he's still floundering a bit. Perhaps it's unfamiliarity with his surroundings, but the Courier will find himself turned around as he tries to return from dumping the wood. Eventually some kind (though snickering) Dragoons direct him back from whence he came, and he is able to get to work installing shelves. The result isn't anything to write home about, but it's certainly serviceable, which is good enough for Koa.
As for the young man and his mischievous army? Let's just say dragons are far better at making messes than cleaning them up. Unimpressed wit the older dragons and their need for outside help, Pip decides to dunk her entire body into a bucket of water and then squirm along the balcony, letting her furry hide do the work. Hilarious? Yes. Effective?
Ha.
Between Boreal's attempt to murder the sponge, Samael's sulky scrubbing, and Pipsqueak's brilliant idea to simply become a mop, the trio accomplish very little more than nothing, and that more through dumb luck than any sort of skill. Dismayed and amused, Koa follows along behind, valiantly trying to compensate for the chaos unfolding around him. Finally it becomes too much: shaking his broom at them, he shoos the contingent off to go bring their mischief elsewhere. Pip will suggest they sneak to the kitchens; what do the older dragons think?
"Uh, so, I'm gonna finish up out here." Soaked in soapy water and with ash on his nose, a bedraggled Koa surveys the almost finished interior. "Could you guys grab the new desk and chair? My dad said he'd be sending it over. I have to... I don't even know." Muttering something about useless lizards, the young man ducks back outside, leaving Anna and Talyson to figure out furniture fetching and arrangement.
Round 3!
Anna rolled a nat 20 and the room is now dazzlingly clean
Tal had a bit more trouble, the the shelves are up and serviceable!
Koa and the dragons... well, it went about as well as one might expect.
-- Tal and Anna, please bring up and arrange furniture
-- Koa, fix the mess you created outside
I'll be your number one with a bullet A loaded god complex, cock it and pull it
It took a lot longer than it should have for Tal to return, and when he did the scowl was back on his face. He was too embarrassed to admit that he'd gotten lost in the Dragoon headquarters but luckily neither Anna nor Koa seemed inclined to ask.
And wow, had the impressive Dragoon done an amazing job turning the place over and leaving it sparkling. He couldn't help but whistle appreciatively as he paused in the door with his load of lumber, and after seeing all of Anna's hard work he went back down one more time to beg a scrap of canvas that he used as a drop-cloth to keep his woodworking mess contained and easy to bundle out afterwards.
It... wasn't his best work, and Tal grimaced apologetically as he hung the hurried constructions in their new places and called back to Koa . "Look. Y'ever decide y'want somethin' a little fancier, an' when we aren't on a time crunch, well... just lemme know." Maybe he hadn't come here intending to offer free help, but hail, Boreal was having such a good time with the other dragons and Koa was so nice and Anna was pretty darn cool and...
Well, what was the harm in offering?
Shelves hung, Tal turned to Anna with a bob of his head. "Just tell me which end t'take," he offered of the furniture, figuring it would go better if they worked as a team and also hoping that if he stuck with her, he wouldn't get lost again. Under her direction and with her help, he lifted, carried, and placed the new furniture.
As for Boreal? She never turned down an invitation to raid a kitchen!
Tal helps Anna with the furniture and Boreal goes to cause more chaos with Pip! ...just somewhere else this time.
Samael, so proud of his work and how he and his bond mate had figured out such an exemplary way to clean, was disappointed in the other two dragons. When he finished he pinned back his head fins and hissed at the younglings, an arrant display of his displeasure. Rather than follow them to the kitchens, he went instead to find his bondmate.
Rather proud of how the cleaning went on her end, Anna brushed off her hands as she placed her supplies back in the small corner closet. If anyone saw her one bedroom apartment, they would understand the cleaning that took place here. Her home didn’t look like anyone even lived in it, with how it was as clean as the day it was a finished build and she moved in. Resting her hands on her hips for a moment to survey her work, Anna let Samael round himself about her.
Following, or rather leading, the courier to the new stock of furniture, Anna brushed some hair away from her face. Wordlessly, though with physical indicators towards Talyson that she was listening but focused, she worked with him. She jutted her chin to one end of the rather large couch while she took the other. Samael, helpful, unfurled himself from Anna’s shoulders and grabbed two throw pillows.
”We can put it here, so the sun shines on it but not directly in anyone’s face.” Anna said, angling to couch and hoping Tal would follow her lead.
—
Anna and Samael help move furniture.
And as you step back into line, a mob jumps to their feet
Let our blades shine with Justice
Let Valor our hearts sing.
Let all who seek protection
Find it 'neath the Dragoon's Wing.
We're going down, down in an earlier round And sugar, we're going down swinging
Well then, Talyson, looks as though your ship has finally come in. The furniture moving goes as smoothly as one could hope. Between Anna 's leadership and Tal's eye for detail it's no surprise how well the room comes together, furniture placed to optimize lighting, desks and tables and couches arranged to make perfect use of the space. But it's Tal's finishing touches that really bring things together, whatever decorations he may or may not add more than compensating for the quality of the shelves.
It takes him the rest of their allotted time, but Koa at last finished the balcony. Clean and now sporting a couple plants (with thorough guidance on their care provided by Mateo), the sunlit space is bright with promise. Almost as bright as Koa's smile as he steps back inside, copper eyes widening in grateful delight at the change that has come over the office.
"Oh wow, it's perfect," he breathes, running a hand over the masterwork desk that his father crafted for his mother, years and years ago. Tears prickle at his eyes; rather than let them fall he spins back to his companions, offering Anna a cheeky kiss on the hand before slinging an arm over Talyson's shoulders. "I owe you guys. Can I start the repayment process with a drink?" He raises his brows in invitation and should they accept will lead them out to collect their dragons and hit a local watering hole.
DONE! Thank you both so much <333
I'll archive this in a day or two, feel free to put in a wrap-up post (or not, up to you!)
I'll be your number one with a bullet A loaded god complex, cock it and pull it
Tal followed Anna's directions and as it happened they were both a complementary kind of fussy when it came to efficient placement and making sure things were just so. Tal was used to having to maximize storage space on his sleds and now his skyboat, and with Anna's military precision added in they tweaked the layout to perfection.
A mirror on the back wall caught the indirect light off the balcony and helped to naturally brighten the room while a large vase in the corner could hold either seasonal flowers or a sneaky Pip. A few other decorations brightened the room up, and Tal enjoyed placing them with the relieved knowledge that he wouldn't be the one dusting them in the future.
Stepping back to admire his work, Tal actually grinned as Koa slung an arm around his shoulders. "I could go for a drink," he agreed. "Got any place in mind?"
