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!
Toppled momentarily by Flora's attempt to steady him, the arm not pressed to his side stretches around the Doubletake's shoulders, and to anyone not looking closely at the splash of red on Jack's clothes, it will look like a regular little stroll down the boardwalk. "Mm, I did hear." Because - correct - it's Jack, and of course he has. "I mean, if they finish the fountain at least we can be drunk at the end of the world," he says with a scoff, squinting across at the fountain-in-progress.
"We lived through one world endin'," he adds. "What's another notch in the bedpost?" He still has that weird hide from the Kingmaker to show for it, too. Though if you ask Jack, he'd be much better at fighting something like that this second time around. (And yet, stabbed). "You see those fuckin' lights in the sky at Longnight?"
are the angels on their way? i’m in the dirt
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
"I run a bar." Flora counters dryly. "I can be drunk anytime I like, end of the world or not." Sneering one last time at the fountain as they pass, the Doubletake huffs. "Hadama and Harper called this meeting and it was just...I mean, it was a joke really. They have no idea what's coming but they act like they have it all in hand, and that finishing a stupid fountain is somehow more important than, you know, doing something actually helpful?" Despite strolling along with the good captain's arm around her shoulder, Flora was temporarily transported somewhere else, as made quite clear by the sudden venom in her tone.
Blinking herself back at the mention of notches and bedposts, she glances up at Jack and shakes her head. "No, but I heard about them. Weird shooting stars, right?"
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
That remark earns a proper grin, and Jack inclines his head in agreement - if anyone could get drunk whenever and wherever, it would be Flora. And him by proxy, as it happens, especially given how much blood is missing from his system and how much liquor has already replaced it. "What would you do, then?" he asks, somewhat sobered by the bitterness in her thoughts. "If you were in charge, how'd you prepare?" He has his own thoughts and opinions of course - he always does - and he's curious as to how they align.
Gazing out across the black waves streaked with gold from the torches, Jack squints into the inky horizon. "Mmhm. Went towards King's End, I think." Not that he's able to go out and see for himself this season, not unless he wants to ruin the Ark on the waves. He could fly over them he supposes, but he doesn't know how far out the bad weather goes."
are the angels on their way? i’m in the dirt
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
As always Flora is more than just keen to rise to any challenge Jack presents to her. "Well, I think it's a bit naive to just worry about training everyone. They kept talking about training and getting soldiers, and blah blah blah. They also said that they should make a safe house somewhere for everyone to go, but what if that isn't the threat at all?" Glancing toward Jack's moonlit silhouette, momentarily distracted by the weight of his arm on her shoulder, Flora flares his nostrils and continues.
"I mean, what if it's like the blight? What if it isn't anything we can fight with weapons and fists? Which means everything we'd have done to prepare would all be for nothing, and worse, we'd all be locked up together while everyone was sick and crazy." Tutting under her breath, Flora shakes her head. "I mean, the smartest idea would be to have all the regions just...specialize in something and then based on what threat actually comes down, we all go to one region or other who planned the right thing. Everyone always talks about holding hands and being cooperative again, but like...literally no one is doing anything. Halo is the most isolated and cold, so if it's an infection, it probably makes sense to have healthy people there. Stormbreak already has the dragoons, so they can just worry about fighting. That leaves us, the Greatwood, and the Hollowed Grounds to like...prepare for other sorts of eventualities."
Falling silent to see just how much of this Jack was buying, Flora swallows and focuses instead on keeping the length of their strides exactly the same. "Huh. Maybe I'll write to Sunjata and see if he knows anything about it."
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
Jack listens, and he also listens. He's always surprised how intelligent and insightful Flora can be when someone gives her the time of day (the fact that it's still a surprise says more about you than it does about her, buddy), but the bubbling need for approval beneath the surface of her thoughts always makes her ideas feel fragile. Even so, with a tilt of his head and a 'huh' of consideration, she's clearly earned his interest in the matter.
"We've got the ships, the supplies, the Mer," he murmurs with a roll of his shoulder. "Could work. Not that people'd ever work together in that way." He scoffs - the world is too selfish and paranoid for that, no matter how many times they try to hold hands. Sunjata is another good idea, even if the wrinkle of Jack's nose tells that the Flood still isn't in his good books.
Letting out a long sigh, he drags his gaze from the beach and back to the boardwalk. "When'd your place get so far away?"
are the angels on their way? i’m in the dirt
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
"Hiding beneath the sea could work too...with the bubble stream and manta crystals..." Flora agrees. "If it is some sort of...like, intelligent threat, they might not think to look there." As for people working together? The girl can only huff and raise her eyebrows. "I think I could get them to work together." She declares, perhaps rather boldly, but when had the girl not been able to get what she wanted election aside? She was on good terms with Danta and thus the Grounds, Phoebe in the Greatwood was her aunt, Sohalia was her bestie, and Halo? Well...if she got everyone else together, she was pretty sure she could get her mother to convince Deimos to listen.
"It isn't far away." Grinning, Flora nudges Jack with a hip ever so slightly so as not to throw him off balance. "You're just lollygagging." So saying she tries to tug him along. "I don't think Isla will be home—she's been staying with me off and on—but if she is, she can definitely take a look at your side. And if not..." Flora shrugs. "There's more whiskey."
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
"And after all this, I bet Safrin ends up dealing with the threat and nothing ever comes from it." Jack huffs out a laugh and shakes his head. "Underwater isn't a bad idea though, but I doubt our good Mer King will be happy with all the manta crystals being used." Not that they don't already have a surplus of them, given the hunting they've been secretly doing whenever the Ark gets the chance.
Jack has been described as a great many things, but he doesn't ever think anyone has accused him of lollygagging, and he can do little more than raise his eyebrows at the implication. "Isla? The medic, right? Well, I'm all for more whiskey," he mumbles. As it so happens, Isla is not home, which is no bad thing in Jack's opinion. He's not a fan of doctors. (And that is putting it mildly).
are the angels on their way? i’m in the dirt
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
"Right?" Flora agrees, grinning. "I mean, if it was so serious, why would Vi be involved? Why would she just leave bracelets as a way of communicating? I mean it's cute, but like, doesn't really say please take this seriously, you know?" Rolling her eyes once again, the girl can only clench her teeth together somewhat. "Okay well, maybe he should have done a quest for us all to breathe underwater instead of doing the fountain then, huh?" Just because the fountain had been her idea didn't mean she was going to stand by it come hell or high water, especially not with a global threat apparently on the horizon.
Raising her eyebrows right back, Flora nods. "Yeah.' Also pleased that Isla isn't home—the Remedy is basically everything the Doubletake wants to be, and she'd no doubt have felt quite jealous to see the blonde all sleepy and in her PJs within the captain's line of sight—Flora opens her front door and ushers Jack in. "Nice to come in through the front door, huh?" She quips, before all but abandoning him in the hallway in order to fetch a bottle of something for them to drink.
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
Unable to help himself, Jack lets out a laugh to hear Flora's opinion on all of this, vitriol included, and he winces his way up towards her front door. "See, this is why I voted for you to co-lead," he tells her. Absolutely nothing to do with her being easy for the good captain to manipulate, no siree, and honestly, the more he's gotten to know Remi Taliesin's daughter, the more there is to be impressed about.
"Ain't sure I'd be able to climb through the window in this state, so it's appreciated," he rumbles, clicking the door shut behind them and slouching against the wall as he's abandoned in lieu of liquor, not that he particularly minds. It's a nice break, to let his head pound and swim for a bit without focusing on conversation, and Jack wonders if Flora will mind if he just hunkers down here against the wall.
Regardless, it's where she'll find him when she comes back.
are the angels on their way? i’m in the dirt
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
Were Jack more generous with his compliments, they'd likely have lost their sparkle for Flora. But sprinkled far and few between as they were, they caught the Doubletake's attention as succinctly as any drug might, keeping her hooked and needing another fix. "Yeah...well...' Shrugging, the joy fades from her eyes as she gives her head a little shake. "Before it was like...I was just mad about not being elected. But now...I dunno. Torchline seems to be a bit shit, you know?" Rather than with venom, Flora's words are simply laced with disappointment. No, she hadn't been born here as many had, but she'd chosen this place. She'd bled for it and lost her brother to it. How much more she could give while being ignored and seeing all she loved turn to shit, she honestly didn't know.
But anyway.
No Jack, Flora doesn't mind, but she does prefer the couch. "Come on, you." She coaxes, waggling the bottle in front of him to try and lure him from the entranceway and into the living room. Sinking down onto her couch—it's cream-coloured and Jack is absolutely going to ruin it—Flora turns her chin up to him, and takes a sip of the whiskey, before holding it up to Jack.
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
"Gods, it does, doesn't it," Jack agrees, however reluctantly, and he rubs at his eyes with his less bloody hand while Flora potters about with the liquor. "Place used to be hot shit. Might have to start some fresh trouble." He's as tempted as he is irked by the whiskey and its distance from his waiting fingers, and it's with a soft curse and a grimace that he shuffles back to his feet and slouches into the living room.
Grasping the bottle and already taking a long pull from it as he slumps onto the couch he's definitely going to ruin, Jack relishes the burn in his chest and throat and offers it back to Flora. "Fuck," he says wearily, as if to put a fine point on this shitstorm of an evening. "And fuck again."
are the angels on their way? i’m in the dirt
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
"Yeah?" Sounding pleased at that, the Doubletake's mind is suddenly a bright and kaleidoscopic landscape of hope and petty determination. Does she still see herself as Queen of Torchline? Sure. With Melita and Jack at her side? Absolutely. Will she settle for a bit of chaos? Yeah, probably.
"And once more for good luck." The Doubletake agrees, taking the bottle back from Jack and taking another drink herself. Settling back against the couch, curling her knees up to her chest the way girls do and slouching in a way she hopes looks attractive, Flora taps her fingernails against the bottle.
"Will you sail away, if it all goes to shit?" She wonders, sounding a trifle too innocent for her tone to be genuine.
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
"Yeah," Jack agrees, smirking without opening his eyes. Her thoughts flow through him like a watercolour, each emotion bleeding into the next, some blending into something new entirely, and he clutches onto it like a man adrift at sea grabbing a raft. He'd also settle for a bit of chaos - or a lot of chaos, depending on the flavour of it all - and while he's still not sure Torchline is the sort of place that has a queen, if Flora wants to play at the role, he'll still prop up her government.
Humming a hearty agreement, Jack cracks open an eye to glance across at her, melting into her couch much like the wounded ruffian he is, with no thought about the attractiveness of his posture. "Sail away for good?" he murmurs, wrinkling his nose. "Fuck no. Torchline's been mine since I first sailed her perimeter. Ain't gonna let it go."
are the angels on their way? i’m in the dirt
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
In Flora's mind, Jack is looking at her just the way she wants regardless of what his blue eyes are in fact seeing, such is the whiskey singing in her veins. "No?' Already feeling the buzz of the alcohol making her lips feel a touch numb, the girl grins and leans toward the captain with a rather devilish slant to her mouth. "I'm surprised a man like you has let someone like Hadama run his hands all over her the way he has. Harper too, for that matter." She was going for the sexual innuendo of course to try and rile the captain up, but Flora was fairly certain Jack would have given much different orders, were he at Torchline's helm.
"Like..whatever happened with all those pirates? I mean, we sunk an entire ship and apparently, they had a whole island or whatever, and just..." Taking a swig, Flora presses the back of her hand against her mouth to stifle the burn from far too large a swallow, before handing it to Jack. "..nothin'."
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
