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!
"Well thank you," Ronin says with a sunny smile around his drink; the angel's judgement is the equivalent of a bright compliment to him, of course. "On the contrary, you have been ever so righteous," he agrees, though the glint in his dark eyes says otherwise. "Through my obviously intense surveillance efforts, I've seen you miracle some sugar for your tea, peruse a secondhand bookshop, and spend a great deal of time in your little shop. Curios, isn't it?" What he sells, Ronin means, not the name of it.
As for the canals and the boat race, through another sip of spiked coffee the demon's expression turns positively fiendish, and it's with a self-satisfied smile that he lowers his cup and rolls his shoulders. "I couldn't possibly say," he drawls with all the solemnity of a circus clown.
09-07-2023, 06:03 PM (This post was last modified: 09-07-2023, 06:04 PM by Remi.)
REMI
when people say that something is forever
"Wh- ho- ...I-" The sounds stumbled forth like hesitant newborn stars attempting to form constellations before being scattered as the angel withered with embarrassment. Flushed and at a loss for words, he cast an imploring glance at his drink; meanwhile, the once-roiling tempest surrounding them seemed to have lost interest without the angel's oversight and began dissipating with a stormy sigh. "The sugar, you see," the angel confessed, his gaze darting up with an almost comical swiftness, his lower lip forming a pout of contemplation, "wasn't a miracle in the strictest sense. It's just that I happen to have a knack for a bit of sleight of hand." He paused, the weight of his unspoken question hanging in the air like a feather caught in a breeze. "You've...seen my shop, then?" He asked sheepishly.
Remi levelled an incredulous stare at the demon before sighing with exasperation. "I rather suspected as much," he murmured softly. "Though it's not as if those fish were causing any harm, really." The revelation that the canals had been inexplicably teeming with fish was one curious twist of fate, but that they'd found their way into the boats, sinking them? A wry smile tugged at the corners of Remi's lips as he contemplated the absurdity of it all, before catching himself and schooling his expression into something much more righteous and disapproving.
either way, it ends
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Intrigued as he is an absolute shitbag, Ronin leans his elbow on the table, cupping his chin in his hand as he smiles across to Remi. "Is that so?" he murmurs. "I'd love to see some sleight of hand when you have the time. Unless, of course, that's another lie?" You know, what with the lying to the priest earlier - not that Ronin is counting. (But he absolutely is).
At the mention of his shop, the demon nods sagely. "I have indeed - the outside, anyway. Usually I have no problem going in and out of shops, but it's the most curious thing - I appear to need to be invited into yours." Ho hum, wonder why that could be. "It looks very interesting through the window, though."
The fish, at least, have him relaxing again, buoyant in his own amusement. "The fish enjoyed themselves, I thought," he says. "Besides, those boat races cause all sorts of havoc for the aquatic life. About time they had a say, if you ask me."
09-07-2023, 06:50 PM (This post was last modified: 09-07-2023, 06:50 PM by Remi.)
REMI
when people say that something is forever
Gulping, the angel straightens, flushes crimson right to the tips of his ears, before extending a trembling hand towards his sparkly pink drink, fingers hovering for a moment before finally grasping it. "I did not lie." He protests weakly. "You were on hollowed ground after all. I had every reason to think you weren't actually a demon." With a chastised air and a hint of sulkiness, the angel reclined in his chair, punctuating his words with a few animated stirs of his Shirley Temple, the straw swirling in the drink like a tiny vortex.
'You've...tried the door, then?' Remi wonders, peeking surreptitiously across at Ronin through his curls and raising an eyebrow and perhaps looking just the littlest bit pleased.
'Well on that we agree.' The angel says with a nod; humans often showed very little regard for other species when planning their extracurricular activities. 'Anything..else? on the books for you?' He asked casually, green eyes only lightly focused on the demon.
either way, it ends
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Look, whether it was a lie or the truth, I am very grateful," Ronin says, as if knowing the idea of his gratitude will likely irk the angel beside him (which, insane, because they're drinking together at a cafe as if it's nothing at all - you know, if you discount that he's chained by the ankle to the table). His shiteating smile does wither slightly as he raises a hand that's still singed and healing - the opposite to the one with a hole in it right now - suggesting that yes, he did try the door.
"I may have attempted to give it a jiggle," he confesses with a lazy shrug. "Alas, your curios are your own." Insert Frodo alright, keep your secrets gif. As for whether there's anything else he's up to, Ronin lets out a rather musical laugh.
"Oh, yes," he says with an exaggerated nod. "First I plan to destroy you, and then armies of demons are going to crawl up from below and take Venice by storm. We're also planning to pants Gabriel, the next chance we get." Yes, clearly Ronin assumes Remi is digging for information. And no, he's not lying about that last part.
Tutting with a mixture of admonishment and delight, the angel shook his head, his expression a blend of celestial disapproval and amusement. "You could have knocked you know." He points out helpfully. "Though...I wouldn't entirely rule out the possibility of a guided tour... If you're interested..?" Trying not to sound too eager, Ronin was a demon after all and a chained one at that, the angel turns his gaze to the street for a moment to people-watch now that the rain had abated.
Looking back utterly horrified, it takes the angel several seconds more than it should to realize that the demon is kidding. Huffing indignantly, his eyebrows nearly touching above his nose, Remi tutts. "Is that so?" he mused, giving a discreet tug to the chain hidden beneath the table, a subtle reminder to the demon that such liberties were no longer within his control.
either way, it ends
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"The sign was flipped to Open, and I didn't see anyone else knocking," Ronin protests, as if that will make up for the fact that he'd brazenly decided to try his luck, nothing more. Flexing the singed hand as if reminded of the burn of celestial light, the offer of a tour is something that's as much of a surprise as anything else tonight. "Well," he says, containing his smile behind a sip of coffee, "it's hardly as though I've much else on my agenda. Why not?"
The pull of his chain does tug his legs uncrossed beneath the table, Ronin having to be careful not to spill either of their drinks as he sets his own down again, flashing black-eyed disapproval at his new captor. "A shame about your storm," he says mildly, unable to help jabbing at the failed weather.
"No one else needed to knock." The angel counters smoothly, before being forced to hide his own smile as well; having finished his drink Remi turns to look out onto the street once more. "Why not." He agrees, sounding pleased despite the fact that Ronin was more or less obligated at this point.
'A shame about your-' Errr? Face? Sucking at his teeth and having absolutely nothing with which to finish the end of that sentence, the angel absently brushed at invisible crumbs from his jacket, a cross expression flickering across his celestial features. 'Oh nevermind.'
Standing abruptly, Remi pulls out a good amount of money from his pocket - far too much for the price of their two drinks - and puts it on the table. "Let's go then. The sooner I can phone upstairs the sooner I can be rid of you."
either way, it ends
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Mmhm," Ronin replies pointedly, smiling and finishing off his own drink. He's only just set it down when Remi is abruptly paying for a three course meal, leaving the demon dumbfounded and wondering if his new acquaintance is excessively charitable, or just a bit stupid. Still, as he stands of course Ronin is forced along for the ride, trying to shake out his ankle so he doesn't trip as he steps away from the table.
And it's all been quite absurd and pleasant until the mention of phoning upstairs, and rather than choking on air as his lungs try to do, he attempts the casual route. "Oh? And whatever for? You don't want them to think you don't have the situation handled, do you?" It's him - he is the situation.
"Excessively Charitable or Just a Bit Stupid" would undoubtedly be the title of Remi's sex tape, if he'd ever had one. Gathering up the golden cord - it flit magically up the demon's body from his ankle, to his waist, and then back to his wrist again - Remi held it delicately, much like one might handle a disobedient poodle, a mix of pride and mild apprehension on his angelic
'That won't work on me.' Remi declared with an air of utmost certainty as he marched purposefully towards his shop, clutching the cord. "I do, in fact, have the situation well in hand. It's precisely because I'm calling upstairs that I have it well in hand," he added, his confidence waning slightly, his words beginning to take on the tone of an internal monologue rather than a conversation with Ronin, but nevermind.
'We'll get this all sorted out and maybe it will even be Gabriel who pops down and you can see all about his pants then."
either way, it ends
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Hey!" Ronin's objection comes a second too late, because he's already being tugged along in Remi's wake by the time it leaves his lips. Having to stumble to stop from being ferried along like some headstrong toddler (not an inaccurate image on any given day), the demon is forced to take a long, steadying breath before his next attempt. "If Gabriel pops down I'm quite certain I won't be seeing anything this side of Heaven or Hell ever again," he admits, not above weaponising honesty.
"Couldn't you just... maybe hold off on calling them for a day or two? I had theatre tickets, and I wouldn't want to miss the show, especially if it's the last human bit of entertainment I'll ever get to enjoy." And he's not lying about that either. He does have tickets.
09-07-2023, 08:04 PM (This post was last modified: 09-07-2023, 08:05 PM by Remi.)
REMI
when people say that something is forever
"Well...!" The angel's distress was caused moreso by the mental image of smouldering demonic ash sinking into the pristine hardwood floors of his shop than at the implications of Gabriel's arrival for Ronin, but nevermind. He drew in a breath, holding it as if it were a soothing lozenge that might calm his tongue. "You know, perhaps you should have considered that beforehand." He mutters as if it had been entirely within Ronin's abilities to simply not be summoned by the priest.
With a whirl that sent his jacket's coattails dancing around him, Remi pivoted on his heel, raising a fist towards Ronin's face, a single finger extended to punctuate each word. "A few days? And what exactly am I to do with you during that time? Just have you skulking along in my shadow like a... like a..." His lip curled dramatically, but there was no insult forthcoming if only because this sort of argumentative banter was relatively new to the angel.
either way, it ends
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Ronin's lips part to object only to find there's absolutely nothing there that he could say that would make sense. The result is a completely baffled, black clad man bumbling along in Remi's wake, his brows drawn into a frown, his wrist comically extended before him (you know, since he's being pulled about).
Only suddenly they're dancing, or that's how it will appear to any passers by, anyway - such is Remi's movement that Ronin is almost forced back into an arch, his chin lifted so as not to be impaled by the angel's accusatory finger. "You could go to the theatre with me," he suggests, his tone infuriatingly mild.
Slowly, he reaches up to pinch the tip of Remi's finger, as if to move it enough to straighten up properly. "And maybe I could help out in your shop?"
'I could..! Go to..? Theatre? With you?" Hiccuping out fragments of what the demon had just said, Remi's green eyes widen only slightly more than his nostrils. As Ronin reached out to touch him, the angel flinched, a shivery breath escaping him as he took a cautious step back, putting some distance between them. He swallowed, smoothing down his jacket and casting a fleeting glance over the taller man's shoulder, offering a weak smile to a couple who were eyeing the two of them.
"I don't need help. Especially not yours, seeing as I'm sure you'd rather enjoy just breaking everything that I've carefully curated." He added stuffily, straightening and raising his own chin as if that might somehow counteract the demon's height.
either way, it ends
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
