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!
'Hey, which of these do you like more?' Flora asks, promptly shoving two pillar candles beneath Iskra's nose. What, who, and where the man is going aren't questions that the Doubletake concerns herself with. For right now he's just a nose and mouth (and a rather cute pair at that), with hopefully a brain beneath his flop of hair which will allow him to answer her question.
Having left the balmy shores of Torchline to come and visit her mother's spa here in Halo, despite the fashionable fur coat that her mother had dressed her in that morning, Flora was sorely missing the more temperate climate she was used to. Still, if she wanted to stay on the cutting edge of things she couldn't keep buying her housewares from Torchline.
"Well?" A pair of perfectly sculpted brows raised over aqua eyes as Flora pushed aside her bangs and gave the man she'd scentually assaulted with her candles an expectant stare.
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
09-08-2023, 03:50 AM (This post was last modified: 09-08-2023, 03:50 AM by Iskra.)
Iskra
Follow me when it's dark out
Taken off guard by the abrupt arrival of candles in his face, Iskra initially flinched, his head jerking away and his half-completed stride jarring backward awkwardly. Iskra shuffled to regain his balance, nearly trampling the dog at his side as he did so. Goose skittered out of the way, ears set back in displeasure and he glanced over with a scathing look that went unnoticed by the woodcutter. "Wha-?" was all Iskra managed to get out before the bundle of kindling in his hands, unable to endure all the jostling, spilled a few pieces onto the ground. As if taking arrow fire, Goose's hackles lifted and he gave a short series of low barks as he dashed away from the two of them, fucking off to a safer place down the way to stand.
As Iskra recovered from the unexpected mugging he just survived, a broad grin settled naturally and he laughed, half at his dog for cussing him out, and half at the boldness of this stranger. He ignored the firewood clutter at his feet - he couldn't leave her waiting any longer (even if the chaos had taken mere seconds to unfold) - and bowed back towards the candles with an eagerness that burned on inhale.
"Hmm," he mused loudly and with unnecessary emphasis, scrunching up his face in thought. Without waiting he leaned in for a second sniff, this time more gentle, digesting the first inhale of one before tilting to do the same to the other. "I think," he said while setting his weight back on his heels, "I need to know their names first." The grin he'd held this whole time (except for the deep-thinking posturing), crept into a playful smirk now, suggesting he'd gladly take more names than just those of the candles. "You can tell a lot about a name you know," he edged, "I'd be remiss to choose without knowing all there was."
She was like an embodiment of sunshine and that was most welcome in this darkest and coldest season.
Don't misread things, Flora loves animals, but just now she has bigger fish to fry as it were, and those fish relied more on what Iskra had to say about the candles than what his dog thought. Although...given what good noses dogs had, perhaps she'd picked the wrong nose? She might have gone after Goose had the dog stayed a touch closer or had Iskra not looked so charming as he bumbled with his load of wood.
Going off of appearances only, one might have assumed that Iskra would offer no more than a brutish grunt and if Flora was lucky, a slight incline of his head toward one candle or the other. That he was playing along filled the Doubletake with a bright sense of mischief that had her cheeks rounding almost to the point of making it difficult to speak. Biting at her lower lip to try and coerce her mouth into forming words, Flora clears her throat slightly and if she leans in slightly toward the woodcutter, surely that's just to avoid the crowd filtering around them. "Well, we can't have that." Flora purrs, finding something about the way his words seemed at odds with his general appearance utterly enthralling.
"This one is called..." Pulling one back and looking at the base, the Doubletake chuckles under her breath. "Big Wick Energy," smirking, Flora flicks her eyes up to Iskra, smile crooked. "And this one is called...Man Cold."
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
He watched her in waiting, unknowingly tracing all the ways happiness left its mark on her. The way it bubbled up in her cheeks, the light it brought to eyes that had already seemed dazzling, and the curvature of her lips beneath teeth caught in a smile. Her joy could be his undoing if he wasn't careful because at this moment he felt he might give the world to never see it ruined.
He inhaled deeply, grateful for the burn of the candles that remained close, thrust even more so as she leaned in as if their moment was secretive and too special to be shared with the world outside the sunbeam her presence cast. Drawn in, he leaned forward as well, ready for her spell. What she had to say next caused a laugh to erupt from Iskra's chest, his body shaking with it and spilling more of his wood from his grip. "I think there's only one clear winner then," he admitted, winking as he leaned back once more and nodded at the one. "Can't have anything other than big wick energy," he grinned, the movement reaching his eyes. He was certainly grateful she hadn't needed help to name them, as her choices topped the best he could have dreamed up; left up to him he probably would have called them champagne sweat and mud mouth, or something equally as terrible.
"You're very talented," he added, assuming she had made these and was here to pedal them, and well even if not, was the statement incorrect?
Something about the way his laughter caused the kindling and logs in his arms to spill from his hands despite the clear strength hidden beneath the layers of his clothing had the Doubletake grinning rather girlishly no matter how much she tried to restrain her smile. 'Oh? Is that so?" She wonders, head inclined imploringly as her eyebrows raise and disappear beneath the curtain of her bangs.
His choice has her huffing out a laugh that takes the shape of a small cloud thanks to the Deepfrost chill. "No, I suppose we can't." Flora agrees, more than pleased with his choice as much as the innuendo. 'Although...do you think big wick energy is the same as the real thing?' She wonders, her expression far too innocent to be anything other than entirely disingenuous. "I mean, you don't suppose it's false advertising, do you?" This is said in a stage whisper as Flora leans forward. As for her talents?
A touch skeptically but no less pleased for it, Flora draws herself slightly taller, her lips an S shape of both disbelief and mischief. "Do you think so? Well." Turning to the merchant who was busying herself with anything other than dealing with the pair, the Doubletake smiles triumphantly. "Two of these ones, I think." She declares, handing over a rather large manticore feather as payment.
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
He had missed this and hadn't realized it until it was here before him again. It was the way the world paused for a moment, giving up its troubles to let people have their little moments of delight, however small or brief; just little fireflies lighting up in the darkness.
"Has that happened often to you?" Iskra can't help but ask, grinning like a fool in the aftermath of her implications and too eager to keep playing this game. "It must have if you've got cautionary tales about it," he swiftly answered with a tutting cluck of his tongue and a devilish crease to his lips that suggested he wouldn't know, having both the energy and the wick. "Say it isn't so" he mourned with dramatization, "chivalry really has died."
Surprise did light up Iskra's features as she turned to the shopkeep. He supposed he had been a bit in his own mind when walking down the street, he hadn't even noticed the candle stand. Then again, once he had noticed Flora, everything else had kind of melted away. Such was the downfall of big wick energy. As she busied herself with her order, Iskra dropped to one knee and began to reorganize and collect his wood bundle, a motion which drew Goose back over for proper supervisory status.
"More than I'd care to admit." To anyone passing by and indeed to the proprietor of the shop, the pair were having a casual conversation amidst the hustle and bustle of those prepping for Longnight. For Flora though, this felt anything but casual; every word was a lob in Iskra's direction as if their quips were some balloon each was bobbing back to the other and gods even if it was just a simple game, she found herself utterly devoted to winning.
Or at least, outlasting her partner. Not to worry, she also had far too much experience with that as well.
Beaming as the woodcutter drops down to collect the rest of his wood, Flora bites at the inside of her lip before clearing her throat loudly. "Proposing? Already?" She wonders, perfectly sculpted eyebrows raising high enough to disappear beneath her blonde fringe. "And without having even asked my name." Tutting softly under her breath, the Doubletake shakes her head, before adding Iskra's candle onto the top of his wood pile without any attempt at all to keep it balanced.
"Chivarly really is dead." She's forced to agree, huffing out a sigh long and loud enough to have a white frost cloud forming just in front of her lips.
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
Iskra barked out a laugh, glancing up at Flora as she loomed over him. Her wit was sharper than his axe, and he was equally certain she could cut him just the same, and surely defeat him without working up a sweat. "I'm not that fast," Iskra drawled in return, a rough grin settling after he regained his breath. "Besides," he went on after pausing to appreciate the gift, even if he did freeze for a moment, certain she'd send his reassembled wood pile toppling over like a late game of Jenga. "I already know your name." Iskra pulled at the laces of his boot, yanking the material free so he could bind his wood and avoid this mess going forward. Her company, while welcome, did not seem to be departing as he'd expected when she turned around to purchase her find, and he didn't want them to be playing with his wood the entire time.
He stood up and dusted off his pants, affectionately ruffling Goose's head in the process. "It's Dawn." He gave her a wink, aware he was being unbearable. "Because you light up the world and chase away all the darkness and the cold." His smile was lopsided, but kind, the mischief replaced with an earnest intention, even if only briefly.
"At least," he exhaled heavily, leaning over to grab his candle and his wood. "That's what a giant sap would say, but I wouldn't know anything about that." He tilted the candle at her and nodded his head in thanks, acutely aware he had nothing worthwhile to give her in return. "Buy you a drink?" he offered.
As Iskra's laughter rippled through the crisp air, Flora couldn't help but feel her heart warm with the exchange of playful banter. It was as though their words were an intricate dance, each step revealing more about the other, and she relished every moment of it. Her eyes sparkled with mirth as she leaned closer, teasingly lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Well that's a relief. Although...there is something to be said about a bit of haste. You never know when a lady might need a quick rescue from a dragon or a candle catastrophe."
The way he accepted her impromptu addition to his woodpile without complaint made her smile broaden. She was beginning to appreciate his easygoing nature, which contrasted so delightfully with his rugged appearance. "Ah, you do, do you?" Flora feigned surprise, her fingers lightly brushing against her chest in a mock display of astonishment. She supposed it wasn't impossible, given who her parents were and the general drama that followed her family around like a bad smell, that this man would know who she was. But as he explained, Flora had to bite at the inside of her cheek to keep her smile running away with her. Opting to roll her eyes at him, the girl shakes her head. "Shut up." She says through a laugh, though the words were soft and utterly without bite. Something told her that Iskra just might be exactly that sort of sap (i see you what you did there), but never mind.
"Well if I'm Dawn that must make you..." Gods, the urge to say woody was just so tempting. "..my Hiro. But spelled with an I instead of an e. Wouldn't want you to get a big head over it or anything." As for a drink? Flashing him a smile that she very much hoped lived up to her new name, Flora nodded. "Absolutely I would."
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
Her whisper caught a glance that he coasted over her with, looking her up and down in a way that suggested both appreciation, but also disbelief. Something told Iskra that this lady hardly needed rescuing. Each curve of her suggested a more than capable quality at handling whatever life threw at her, be it dragons or candles. Still, Iskra supposed every once in a while it felt good to be rescued, needed or not.
Iskra was more than pleased to see the effects of his work on her, barely able to contain his own returning smile from consuming every bit of his features as her's blossomed into an eye roll. In a world full of candle catastrophes and dragons, it was steady work to keep smiles lit; sometimes it was all that could truly save you in the end.
"Hiro," he tested it out, making sure to emphasize the I like she said, because no he did not need a big head right now, he had more than enough wood to carry at the moment. "I could get used to that," he agreed, sticking out an arm for her while his other reached for his tie on his logs.
A playful retort was just shaping Flora's lips into a shape which promised to both be witty and utterly filthy, when the girl's attention was suddenly pulled away by the sound of a name called out. Blinking, the Doubletake frowns at the general lazy hum of the shoppers around them as ifsilently demanding that they hush so that she might know whether or not her date was about to be ruined or not.
The name came again, not dawn, but instead Flora. With a huff which was far too disappointed to be anything but entirely sincere, the girl turned her large aqua eyes back to Iskra with a playful pout. "Duty calls." Standing up on her tiptoes and not thinking at all about the stain her lipstick would leave, Flora aims a kiss against one of Iskra's scruffy cheeks. A quick peck, and nothing more.
Whether she missed or connected wouldn't change the coquettish wink she trailed after the gesture, nor the way her eyes ghosted across his lips as if she might transplant the kiss there instead. "I'll find you again, Hiro!" She called before disappearing—quite literally as it happened—leaving just a candle and perhaps a bit of lipstick to remember her by.
~FIN
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
