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!
In the aftermath of the mothman's attack, Soh had been healing - physically, at least. Emotionally? Now, that was another story.
She sat today in the Celestine, on a bench beside a tucked-away path near the shrine. It was Flowerbirth - finally - and she'd dressed casually in a calf-length skirt and scoop-necked shirt that did little to hide the new scar that she bore from their Deepfrost battle against the giant moth that had threatened the city. She was vain enough to be glad that it only peeked out of her shirt at the shoulder and up the side of her neck rather than wrapping around her front or onto her face; but she was practical enough to know that she was lucky to have escaped with only a scar. Her near-death experience had been harrowing, to say the least, but she would gladly go back to facing a mothman if it meant she could get out of her own head for a while.
The weather of late had been strange, and today was no exception. Lightning flickered and flared overhead, illuminating the dim starlight of the Celestine with each flash, a stark contrast to the soft light that shrouded the greenery below. For now, Soh was simply glad that it wasn't pouring rain, and that she could sit in peace for a while, out of sight of most of Stormbreak.
The work is endless. Even after a quiet LongNight, cleanup needs be done, and the storms have done nothing but slow things down as they snap and snarl in Stormbreak's skies. At least for now they seem to be lingering off the northern face, making it a perfect day to spend in the Celestine.
And after a morning of enclosure repairs, Koa and Pip are tired. The young man's arms are a mess of dirt and sweat, his uniform coat long since abandoned in favor of the tank-top underneath. Pip's fur is a mess of brambles and oddly enough feathers, which the dragoon doesn't want to question too hard. A wool cap has kept Koa's hair in place, but he pulls it off as he trudges down a side path, using it to wipe his brow. According to Lena there's a small flock of Ningoes who need some work done on their pen.
So it is that Koa passes by where Sohalia sits. It isn't the same path, but rather one over, that the young Dragoon is on. As he reaches the point across from her he stops, brow furrowing, copper gaze sweeping up and then over his shoulder, opposite of where she sits. He makes a show of removing his pack and fumbling inside, evidently searching for something that he's struggling to find. Maybe he doesn't see her.
Or maybe this is a play, a way to let her take the lead on whether or not they talk.
i can't decide if it's a choice, getting swept away
The greeting was out of her mouth before she could think the better of it, and she scrambled to her feet to approach the young Dragoon. It had been since the attack that she'd seen him - sleeping by her bedside, keeping the promise that he wouldn't leave - and she'd yet to broach the topic of her feelings for him. It seemed easier to just ignore them, hope they would go away. She had wondered often why he'd stayed, but they'd never had a chance to discuss it - as soon as the doctors had realized she was awake, Koa had been ushered from the room, just one shared glance between them before he was gone. She didn't know what to make of it. She didn't know what she wanted to make of it.
She came to an uncertain stop beside him. "Hey," she said, because she really didn't think this far ahead and she really wasn't sure what she was doing. Every topic that she should discuss with him - the political nightmares that he'd started across Caido, for example - fled her mind. Instead, she just prayed that he might take a moment to talk with her. Sit with her, maybe. Anything else seemed like too much to ask, after everything they'd been through.
Koa rises slowly, his body uncoiling toward Sohalia with purpose and control. His eyes are last; only when he's faced her fully does he focus on the Luminary, copper gaze muddy with the conflict in his heart. "Hey, Soh," he echoes her warmly, the easy smile not quite enough to illuminate his face. He hasn't seen her since the Mothman, since he'd woken up in that hospital room where she lay, as frail and beautiful as a porcelain doll.
When she may have said things and he may have heard them, but never mind that.
For now.
Carefully Koa looks her over, expression hardening at the fresh scar that peeks up from beneath her blouse. "You're looking... well. I'm glad," he adds with real ardor, some of that boyish warmth and color returning to his cheeks. It is good to see her up and about, as complicated as everything else might be. He's happy she's healthy.
He hopes she's happy, too.
Koa shrugs a shoulder, his smile widening. "Community service. To make up for all my crimes." A playful wink and a crooked smirk; even Koa can't keep a straight face at the thought of him being a hardened criminal. Again her shrugs, gesturing with his chin. "But yeah - Ms. Lena says the animals always get riled up after Long Night. So we've been putting their homes back in order. What about you?" he adds, heat tilted. "Enjoying the break in the weather, or...?"
i can't decide if it's a choice, getting swept away
Koa rose from where he rummaged through his pack oh so slowly, leaving Soh breathless with nervous anticipation. Would he be pleased to see her? Angry? Gods, if he'd heard what she'd said, he'd have every right to be angry with her. She wouldn't blame him. And yet, she couldn't help but hope that maybe, maybe, they could start to mend their broken bridges, to move forward and past the wreckage that lay beneath.
Forward to what? Well, that remained to be seen.
She smiled with relief as he greeted her warmly, "Thank you," she said shyly, a faint blush creeping up into her cheeks. "So are you." He did look well, and strong, and handsome - but those were all things she shouldn't say, so she swallowed them, biting her lip anxiously until he offered a playful wink and a smirk, coaxing a giggle from her. "Your many, many crimes," she teased, before remembering that he actually did have some things to answer for. Later, a voice in the back of her mind whispered. For now, she'd set aside her role as Heart to just be Sohalia.
"I was just taking a break from reports," she said. "Would you want - I mean, do you have time to take a break from working? Or do you need any help?"
His smile broadens at her teasing, the poor sweet idiot still blissfully ignorant of the trouble he may have caused for Soh. The new trouble - y'know, besides fucking up her first relationship and nearly getting her killed by a moth.
The smile falters. Maybe this was a bad plan.
Koa rubs the back of his neck, glancing toward where the squawking birds await. "Well... I really ought to finish repairing the Ningo pen," he mutters, biting at his lip in conflicted thought. It's a good escape, an easy way to get out of what will doubtless be an uncomfortable conversation (or another disaster), but...
Another smile back to Soh, accompanied by a shrug that he hopes is nonchalant. "They say many hands makes light work. Pip and I wouldn't say no to some help." Oh, Koa, you damnable fool. Why can't you quit while you're only a little behind?
i can't decide if it's a choice, getting swept away
If we're being honest, Soh wasn't really one to race towards conflict - especially not where Koa was concerned. Perhaps it was a leadership flaw (it was), but at this moment, she really just wanted to mend fences rather than tearing them down. The time for inquiries and lectures would come later. For once, just once, she wanted to have a nice time and not royally fuck things up with the young dragoon.
And yeah, maybe she should have just let Koa go back to work, gone back to her office and her reports, and just let sleeping dogs lie, but he was right there, and spending time with him felt so enticing, and it was just a little while working on the ningo pen, right? What could possibly go wrong?
(No, Soh hasn't learned her lesson.)
So when he smiled and shrugged nonchalantly, Soh's heart fluttered with the hope that they could move forward together - or maybe not together, but at least not separate. If all she accomplished today was inviting Koa not to hate her, well, she'd consider that a win. So she perked up at the invitation, a brilliant smile brightening her face, not even able to pretend at nonchalance. "I'd love to help," she said. "You know, a friend of mine has a dragon who loves to chase ningos. How's Pip with them?"
His heart clenches and lets go, an uncomfortable ba-bump ba-ba-BUMP! that hitches in his chest. A year ago, he would have killed to arrange this situation: a chance to show off strapping skill in front of a pretty girl. Now, though, those innocent teenage hormones and longing are tainted by all the things he came so close to having, the many opportunities that have slipped between his grasping fingers when it comes to him and her.
And Jude. Because even from the beginning there was a third part of this equation, one that carried weight in Sohalia's heart- and now in Koa's, too.
Even now as he moves to offer his arm in gallant invitation, those puppy dog eyes loom in his mind. The memory of them hold his action, leaving his arm to flop somewhat awkwardly as he course corrects into a sweeping gesture of after you. "Um, pretty sure this'll be her first experience," he answers, his voice a little artificially bright. "How 'bout Tarak? Think he's got much of a future in the Ningo herding trade?"
i can't decide if it's a choice, getting swept away
There was too much, between the two of them, and between those others who also had a dog in this fight, and Soh knew that this was a bad idea, that it could only lead to more ruin and heartache. But gods, if she didn't want to just bask in the easy banter for just a few moments, to establish some kind of positive interaction that didn't leave her looking like a massive bitch.
So she went to take the offered arm tentatively, before it was swept out in an after you gesture, leaving Soh to jerk her hand back and wrap her arms behind her back. She fell into step with Koa, aware of the awkwardness that lingered between them but determined to make the best of the situation. "I guess we'll find out together," she said with a laugh that sounded a little too bright to her ears. "Tarak, what do you think?" The griffin appeared from the nearby undergrowth, huffing dramatically. Herding ningos, it seemed, was beneath his dignity. Or perhaps he just thought he'd be bad at it.
It's terribly easy to fall in beside her, dangerously comfortable to bask at her side. Such a picturesque display they manage: the soldier and his Queen traipsing through a garden, flanked by mythic companions and illuminated by distant lighting strikes. Pipsqueak follows after Tarak, having abandoned the awkward vibes of the humans in favor of stalking her friend. Now she, too, squawks dramatically, snapping her teeth at Tarak's tail and raising her haunches in challenge. Few things are beneath an almost-flightless catsnake, and she's pretty sure she can do a better job of herding Ningos than any bird.
Koa smiles indulgently at the companions and their antics. Some of the tension slides off his shoulders, relaxing him a little as they walk toward the pen. "According to Lena there's damage on the western fence line-- ah, there." Ahead of them, a post hangs precariously, clearly only kept in place by its neighbors Herculean strength. Koa drops his bag and coat on the ground and moves to inspect it, trying to determine if it's broken or just unstable.
It makes it easier to talk, when he can't drown in those grey eyes. "So have you decided what to do with your mothman trophy? Maybe an armored dress? You'd look incredible in silver scale."
i can't decide if it's a choice, getting swept away
The companions played: Tarak met Pip's snapping teeth with a squawk and raised wings, as though to make himself appear bigger than he was. Then he darted forward, pouncing at the catsnake with barely concealed glee before racing off in another direction, trying to entice the dragon into a game of tag.
Knowing that her companion wouldn't roam too far, Soh followed Koa to the western fence line, where there was indeed a precariously held post. Soh leaned down to inspect it; she couldn't tell from a quick glance if it was broken or just crooked, and in this, she was more than willing to defer to Koa's expertise. "Just tell me what you need me to do," she said easily, clasping her hands behind her back as she waited for further instruction.
The compliment came as a surprise, and Soh flushed with pleasure, all the while knowing that she shouldn't be enjoying herself this much. "Thank you," she murmured, then shook herself from the trance she'd nearly fallen into: a daydream where they kissed and made up, and lived life happily ever after. "Definitely some kind of armor. I'm not sure how practical a dress would be for combat, but I'll take it under advisement," she joked, trying to keep the mood light.
"What about you?" she asked. "Any big plans for armor? Maybe a shield?"
"Looks like it's just displaced, not broken." With Koa crouched beside the post, Soh will have the unusual experience of looking down at him. He shifts his weight forward to his toes, pressing on the leaning piece of wood. "I think we can get away with some simple reinforcement, at least for now." He wipes his hands on his pants as he stands, grinning wryly at Sohalia. "It'll give Miss Lena time to find someone who actually knows what they're doing, anyway."
With a soldier's efficiency he sets about his work, directing Soh to hold the post as he adds in boards for stability. It's good, hard labor, and Koa handles it with practiced ease: despite his inability to sit still long enough to really learn his father's craft, he's picked up some things. "I was thinking a jacket," he answers between hammer strikes, waggling his eyebrows up at Soh. "Scale leather - what do you think? We could have a matching set."
It's so easy, falling into flirtation. He knows he shouldn't - that the easy banter and the flush of her cheeks will only lead him down a dangerous, painful road. But right now, Koa doesn't want to care. He wants to be young and naïve and stupid.
i can't decide if it's a choice, getting swept away
As Koa set about stabilizing the post, Soh was happy to follow his instructions and did her best to hold the leaning pole steady. It was easy, falling into this rhythm with Koa - so easy that for a moment, Soh was able to forget all of the history between them and simply enjoy herself. It was nice to watch him as he worked, all deft hands and quick hammer strikes, and when he glanced up at her to waggle his brows, she blushed faintly and smiled. "We'd be quite the pair," she agreed. "Marching into battle with our silver scale. Not that I want to do battle again any time soon," she hurried to add. The one fight had been quite enough for her, thank you very much.
Lightning flashed overhead, flickering through the haze of clouds, and Soh glanced up as a few raindrops began to fall. "What do you think of this weather?" she asked, shifting her grip on the post. "Is it always this way in Flowerbirth?" After all, Soh hadn't been in Stormbreak for very long, all things considered, and Koa had grown up here. Maybe the storms weren't as strange as Soh thought they were.
"A lover, not a fighter?" Koa laughs easily at the joke, though he can feel his stomach knot in response. It might have been us, an insidious voice croons against his ear, cruel and breathy and hungry and hot, clouding his judgment as he looks up at her. He knows he shouldn't let himself linger on her lips, on the rosy color across her cheeks or the way her scar tracks down below her blouse. She is someone else's girlfriend - his friend's girlfriend - and he needs stop thinking with the dumber of his heads.
And yet...
An opportune strike of lighting breaks the boy's reverie. He rises, blinking against the spots in his vision, his empty hand rubbing at his eyes. "Definitely not," the young man grumbles gruffly. Making a great show of testing the repaired post for stability, Koa is careful not to meet Sohalia's eyes again. "Stormy, sure, but never this constant bullshit. I forgot that you aren't from here. Kinda wild, given you're the Heart."
i can't decide if it's a choice, getting swept away
