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!
And there's so much that I can't touch You're all I want, but it's not enough this time
The Dusklight was busy - not a surprise for LongNight. After all, what else was the Hollowed Grounds supposed to do to while away the darkness? The night was long and full of terrors, and the Dusklight - and other establishments like it - were there to give people an escape, if only for a little while.
Raelyn strode through the front doors, leaving her most trusted dog, Malice, in a down-stay outside. On another day, perhaps she would be looking for an escape from the boredom and monotony of life in LongNight, when everything seemed to be placed on hold as the world waited for the sun to shine once more, but today, she was looking for Dantalion. She had a business proposition, and she'd heard that this was the best place to find the Ancient, especially in the cold of Deepfrost.
She asked for him at the bar, then ordered a whiskey sour while she waited. Her blue eyes scanned the bar, people watching, when a ruckus in the corner caught her eye. A particularly drunken patron was getting a little rough with another, and it looked to be escalating. A quick look around showed no sign of security, and so Raelyn pushed off the bar, drink in hand, and meandered over to where the fight was brewing.
With a sharp whistle, she summoned Mal from outside; the dog appeared instantly at her side, and with a carefully trained hand motion, she indicated trouble. Mal bared his teeth in a silent snarl, eyeing the patrons warily. At a simple command, he would attack. With a charming smile, she looked over the two patrons, who had frozen at the sound of her whistle, and tutted. "I'd leave, if I were you. I'd hate to bloody the floor."
And all the pages are just slipping through my hands And I'm so scared of how this ends
Having been working (I know, right?) in the backrooms of the Dusklight, at the sound of a ruckus beyond what he considers the norm, Danta meanders out into the bar and zones in on the back of a familiar head, and a semi-familiar canine. The patrons, for their part, are subdued by the primitive survival instinct not to be ripped apart by a dog, and it only takes a raise of Danta's eyebrows over Raelyn's shoulder for them to wisely slink away.
"Now that's a useful skill," he drawls, waiting for the door to shut out both the exiting drunkards and the resulting cold, before bringing himself shoulder to shoulder with Rae. "I wasn't aware your dogs were trained in bar security." Gesturing for her to come to the bar, Danta hikes himself over the counter to lean against it. "What can I get you? On the house, for your heroics."
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
And there's so much that I can't touch You're all I want, but it's not enough this time
Raelyn watched with a slight smirk as the patrons slunk away, snapping her fingers to call Mal to heel once more. Truth be told, the dog looked a little put out; he'd been bred and raised for protection, after all, but he'd rarely had to actually use those skills. But he was just a dog, and he quickly settled at Rae's knee, panting, watching for praise just as eagerly as he watched their surroundings. The woman gave him an affectionate pat just as a familiar voice sounded from behind her. She grinned over at Danta as he came shoulder to shoulder with her, then followed him to the bar.
"You'd be surprised, what you can train a dog to do," she told him with a shrug. "Looks like your security is a little lacking. Maybe you should think about hiring some new bouncers." She grinned wolfishly. "We'll take pay in raw meat." Where that meat came from was up to the Maverick; Rae's dogs weren't picky. In any case, she leaned against the bar, flicking her hair over one shoulder. "I'll take a whiskey sour," she said. After she'd been served, she took a sip, eyes flicking over the room, which was quite a bit more subdued than when she'd come in, though she had no doubt that things would pick back up again quickly.
Eyes returning to Danta, she added, "I'm glad I found you. I have a proposition for you."
And all the pages are just slipping through my hands And I'm so scared of how this ends
"Mm, sometimes I like to just let them fight, you know?" Danta says with a slow roll of his shoulder, smirking at the (momentarily) subdued nature of the Dusklight. It won't last long, as Rae has correctly guessed, but it's long enough for them to hold a civilised conversation. "Keeps everyone's blood up."
Inclining his head and gesturing for one of the bar staff to make her drink, Danta leans an elbow against the counter and cups his chin in his hand, glancing wolfishly between the woman and her canine. "Raw meat, mm? I think I can arrange for that. How fresh do you like it?" he asks, straightening up only when the whiskey sour arrives.
"I do love being propositioned," he croons with a suggestive raise of his eyebrows - it's a brothel, after all, and he's guilty as charged. "Go on."
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
And there's so much that I can't touch You're all I want, but it's not enough this time
"I'd think you'd want blood to stay up and not on the floor," Raelyn said with a snort. But that was really none of her business; if Danta liked a good fight, then maybe she'd resist the urge to intervene next time.
Her whiskey sour was really quite good, and Rae took a moment to savor it, swirling the liquor around in her glass. "Raw for the dogs. Rare for me," she said, grinning. It often surprised people that she preferred her meat rare, but somehow she had a feeling that Danta would understand. "But don't worry about us. We can find what we need." It was among the many benefits of owning a farm.
Raelyn fluttered her lashes at the suggestion in Danta's tone, shooting a wolfish grin towards the Maverick. "Well, I did come to see if you needed any supplies on the regular - eggs, or milk, or wood, say. See if we could work out a trade. But now I'm curious about what other propositions you might be fielding," she added, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Maybe I can one-up those, hmm?"
And all the pages are just slipping through my hands And I'm so scared of how this ends
"Some people are into that shit, what can I say?" Danta flashes her a fanged grin and shrugs a shoulder, accepting a whiskey on the rocks from the bartender on their way past. He raises it to Rae in a crooked little toast, before shooting it back. "A woman after my own heart. But if I'm not paying you in meat, how else do I repay you for keeping my floors clean?" You know, from the blood she helped avoid spilling.
Walking his long fingers around the rim of his empty glass, his raised eyebrows suggest that she ought to know exactly what other propositions he's fielding in a brothel of all places. But he'll bite. "Do tell - I'm dying to know how you'd one-up my hard workers." He grins. "The supplies would be useful, though. And I suppose the place is a little lacking in security."
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
And there's so much that I can't touch You're all I want, but it's not enough this time
Raelyn returned the toast, taking a sip of her drink. "Oh, I'm sure you'll think of something," she said with a grin. She'd come to make a trade deal, but if things were that interesting around here, then maybe she should offer up something more fun. And as fun as becoming a worker at Danta's brothel sounded, she thought that there were better things she could do - things that wouldn't require most of her time to be spent on her back.
Of course, she wasn't above making use of the brothel's services. In fact, she had her eye on a petite blonde woman in the corner who had winked at her flirtatiously. But she could have some fun after she'd concluded her business. So she returned her attention to Danta. "Well, as you've seen, I have a few tricks up my sleeve," she said with a wink. "It'd be silly to show my hand completely." She took another sip. "Well, I've supplies to offer and I've security to offer, if you're looking for it. I'm sure we could come to a suitable arrangement." Her gaze wandered back to the blonde.
And all the pages are just slipping through my hands And I'm so scared of how this ends
For an impromptu job interview, Danta feels more like he's the one in the hot seat - and yes, he does like that about Rae. "Alright," he says slowly, handing his empty glass back to the bartender as he sidles past.
"Supplies and security. We'll work out a rota later. How does free use of the Dusklight's bar and services sound to you as payment, at least at first?" He's yet to see the quality of her supplies after all, or how much security they'd actually need.
"Oh, and your companions will be taken care of while they're here with you as well, of course." He nods down to Malice for clarification, not that he really expects the dog to have much of an opinion on the matter.
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
And there's so much that I can't touch You're all I want, but it's not enough this time
It wasn't the money that she'd come in hoping to barter for, but she had to admit that it was a fair deal. After all, they still needed to prove themselves to one another - Danta that his bar and his services were worth it, and Raelyn that her supplies and security would be everything that Danta hadn't known he needed. So she thought about it for a moment, if only to avoid being seen as too eager, before she nodded. "Sounds fair," she said. As for her dogs, she grinned. "I would expect no less."
With business nearly concluded, her gaze wondered back to the blonde in the corner. "I can arrange for daily deliveries of anything you need fresh," she said. "Especially if I'm providing security, I can just bring it along with me. Anything special you need, we can work out ahead of time." She drained her drink. "When do you want me to start?"
And all the pages are just slipping through my hands And I'm so scared of how this ends
"I'm nothing if not fair," Danta agrees, despite how true (or not) it may be. Either way, if he gets something out of the deal and it's not going to break the bank to have Rae enjoy herself, there's really no reason to say no. He's just considering offering his new bouncer another drink when he spots her wandering gaze, and the Maverick's smile grows crooked and knowing.
"You've already started, if that business earlier was anything to go by," he points out, tipping her a wink for her trouble. "But you can absolutely take your first payment now if you've got anyone particular in mind." Raising his eyebrows, he nods to the blonde, who rises to her feet with her drink and comes sauntering over. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do, alright?"
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
And there's so much that I can't touch You're all I want, but it's not enough this time
Danta followed her gaze and smiled crookedly before sending her on her way. Raelyn ordered another drink and tilted it towards the Maverick in a silent toast. "Someday, you'll have to give me a list of the things you wouldn't do," she drawled, quirking a brow at him. "But until then, I'll just have to do my best."
The blonde sauntered closer with a smile, and Raelyn was content to take her drink with her as the woman led her to a back room. If today was anything to go by, this arrangement was going to suit her just fine.
-FIN-
And all the pages are just slipping through my hands And I'm so scared of how this ends
