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!
We were supposed to be just friends
Depending on what kind of mood and situation-ship I'm in
She growls. Well, it's more like a snarl as she clenches her teeth, dragging a crate though the sand and up towards the cave entrance she's turned into her secret hideaway. Stupid fucking box. What the hell was in this thing? Rocks? No, she knew better than that. After all, she was the one who hard procured it. An obsidian statue of Dryga rested inside. Ridiculous if you asked her. A waste of resources, but the person who wanted it paid well and she wasn't going to pass up a good connection.
Even if the box was a pain in the ass to move.
Giving it one final shove, Paige curses under her breath, finally coming to a stop outside of the mouth of the cave. "Good enough for now." She mutters mostly to herself, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. Drawing in a breath, the Attuned is about to slip inside when she hears the sound of approaching footsteps. The footfalls heavy and dragging through the sand.
Paige presses herself against one of the rocky columns, hand instantly going to her dagger, drawing it from its sheath as her whole body tenses. The trespasser barely crosses her path before she's lunging, dagger against his throat and her slender body pressed to his back. "What exactly do you think you're doing here, hm?" She breathes against his ear, not realizing just who she's caught.
After the fight he'd gotten into with the small band of smugglers in the Fingers, he didn't think he was going to return anytime soon. Though his self-destructive search for anything to fuel his anger is still ongoing, he isn't stupid enough to tangle with Torchline's smugglers on the whole. Except the guy he'd gotten into a fight with had dropped something, a valuable something, and it had inspired two different things in Jude; first, the golden boy desire to be good and return it, and second, the dark curiosity of what if?
Fighting and drinking have shown themselves to be fickle but useful friends, and while Jude realistically doesn't want to slide too far, the danger and mystery of the Fingers - a place his father had always forbidden him to explore - is too enticing a lure.
When someone grabs him from behind and the unmistakable feeling of a knife at his throat is what greets him, panic claws at his chest, and he wonders if maybe he's gone searching in the wrong corners. Lifting both hands - not too high, so the woman doesn't think he's trying to reach for the knife - Jude tries to take a breath and calm down enough to concoct a good response. Except thinking isn't very high on his list right now, so the truth comes out in a knee-jerk reaction. "I have something of yours. O-Or if it's not yours, you might want your hands on it." He doesn't care if it doesn't get back to its original owner, it was likely stolen in the first place. But the whole point of coming was to try and wield a bit of leverage - leverage he isn't sure he really has right now, but he hopes the prospect of goods is enough to buy him some time at the very least.
stop trying to keep this alive you're pointing at stars in the sky that already died
We were supposed to be just friends
Depending on what kind of mood and situation-ship I'm in
Paige, for all intents and purposes, wasn't a particularly violent person. No, she usually preferred to rely on her cunning and smooth talking in most situations. Except for when that didn't seem to be an option. Like now. What was she supposed to do with a stranger stumbling into her place of operations that she did her best to keep secret. Certainly not smile and carry on a friendly conversation. Absolutely not.
Even still, her interest is piqued as his words reach her, breathless and tinged with fear. She draws a breath, scenting the alcohol and salt on him, a tinge of blood mixed in with the scent. Her nose wrinkles and her grip loosens only slightly. Though the kiss of the blade doesn't leave his throat. Not yet.
"And what exactly do you have?" Paige murmurs, not intimidated by his taller stature. He couldn't weigh more than one hundred pounds soaking wet. Not that she was much better. Still, she had the knife and he didn't.
With all the grace of a tide jaguar, Paige inches around the front of him only slightly, still mostly pressed to his back. However, she can finally get a look at him and her brows raise, his features are startlingly familiar and she can't exactly place why. There is a scratching at the back of her brain, some memory she can't recall of when she used to live with her mother at the brothel. "What's your name?"
His father's training tickles in the back of his mind, and he can hear his dad's voice quietly murmuring, asking questions over and over in every sparring session to train Jude to take note of his surroundings; what are your advantages? What can you determine about their identity, their stature, their strength? Will you be fast enough to move without injury if you don't hesitate?
Normally, it's a helpful dialogue. Considering the constant agony he feels when he thinks of his dad these days though, it sounds like hornets in his ears, and leaves him immobile and out of his depth. She hasn't cut him yet, so maybe honesty is working out for now. Maybe he can keep her intrigued enough to stay her hand.
"A necklace. Magical, if the instruction slip with it is to be trusted. Someone was intending to sell it." He doesn't want to say anything negative about the man, or admit that he'd gotten into a fistfight with him which had led to the item being dropped in the first place. "Compulsion magic." Maybe that will sound familiar to her. And if not, maybe it's something from a rival, and she'll want the prize more than his blood. Technically she could get both if she wanted, and trepidation curdles in his stomach -
As she turns him slightly to better look at him, his own dark brows furrow at the familiarity of her face. He considers lying, but...well, he's trying to ruin his dad's reputation, right? "Jude. Jude Quinn," he admits after a too-long pause, still trying to puzzle out why this woman feels so familiar.
stop trying to keep this alive you're pointing at stars in the sky that already died
We were supposed to be just friends
Depending on what kind of mood and situation-ship I'm in
The mention of the necklace is intriguing. Her brain files through every deal she currently has in the works, recalling if there was any talk of a necklace, but coming up short. Doesn't mean that it wasn't something for her originally. The Attuned purses her lips, another hum coming from her as she considers his offer, but not bothering to ask a follow up question.
Instead her free hand slides along his chest from the other side, slipping down into his pockets with practiced ease as she starts her search for the parcel in question. If it wasn't for the fact that he knew what she was doing, the teen likely wouldn't have known she was riffling through his pockets and it doesn't take long for her to find her prize.
She lifts it before both of them, brows scrunching in concentration before she quickly hides it away on her person. Through it all, she doesn't release him, keeping the knife at his throat. He shifts and she presses it harder before his name comes spilling past his lips. Crystalline eyes widen, the blue of her irises matching the sea that surrounds their coast as she meets his own gaze, "You're Mae-" Her mouth shuts, teeth clicking with the force of it as the realization dawns. Maeve's adopted son and Edmund's brother. Harper Quinn's only child. The bodyguard turned king who disappeared from their land. The same man who watched over her multiple times in her life when he still worked at the brothel.
"Fuck..." She hisses, shaking her head as she draws her knife back finally, sheathing it once more. Her cheeks flush, "Don't tell Edmund... He'd be pretty upset that I almost killed you." Taking a slight step away from him, almost like she'd been burned, the Attuned looks almost sheepish.
He feels a little helpless when she takes the necklace off his person, aware it was his only leverage and that it now lies out of reach. What reason does she have not to cut his throat now? He tries to move and the knife presses harder, and Jude is preparing himself to move fast and decisive the way his dad taught him when Maeve's name drops half-spoken, leaving him frozen in place once more.
She releases him immediately, leaving him a little out of his depth to say the least, but he turns immediately so he can at least see her. That's when recognition sets in on his behalf; though she'd played more with Edmund given their similar ages, Jude wouldn't forget someone who is essentially his cousin. "Oh. Paige."
It feels weird to have Edmund's protection hang like a cloak around his shoulders, but if it keeps his throat intact he's not going to argue the point. "I won't - um, if you make me a deal," he tacks on in a stumble at the end, belatedly realizing this might be his chance. "I'm trying to um...find something. Something you might be selling?" He winces, embarrassed by his own blatant novice status when it comes to this.
stop trying to keep this alive you're pointing at stars in the sky that already died
We were supposed to be just friends
Depending on what kind of mood and situation-ship I'm in
Oh. Paige. Oh Paige indeed. There was a niggling bit of guilt in the back of her mind for almost harming her somewhat cousin, but she pushes it aside. Looking at him hard as he makes his stuttered demand. The Attuned snorts, shaking her head in disbelief as she crosses her arms over her chest, a dark brow arching. "What could you possibly looking for from me?"
Because Paige knew him. Knew his type. He wasn't a partier. He didn't do drugs. Hell, he barely even drank. So pray tell, what could he want from her?
She rocks back on her heels in the sand, blue eyes studying him closely, trying to figure him out in that single look. "I'm not sure I've got what you need. Don't really dabble in legal things."
The bold forthrightness of her question dries out all the moisture in his mouth, making him swallow multiple times as he tries to work up the courage to say the actual words. It's a lost cause to try and get them out from behind his teeth with anything similar to the conviction of her own, but at least he can try. He has to try - he can't keep living the way he has been.
"I'm not looking for legal," he manages to spit out, though it's slightly hushed - ridiculous considering they're certainly alone. Rubbing his sweaty palms against his thighs, he clears his throat awkwardly and drops his eyes, realizing he can't hold her eyes when he says it. "I...I'm looking for Dreamdust." It comes out on a blurt on the back half, as if saying it faster will make it easier. Wincing, he stares down a particularly interesting piece of dirt on his shoe. "I just really need to sleep. And forget, if it'll do that." Jude isn't going to pretend he knows much more about it than the whispers in the bars he's been frequenting lately. If it'll let him sleep without dreaming, that's enough. Anything else will just be a bonus.
stop trying to keep this alive you're pointing at stars in the sky that already died
We were supposed to be just friends
Depending on what kind of mood and situation-ship I'm in
If she's surprised further by his request, it doesn't show. Her ocean eyes study him, the blue a stormy grey today instead of the typical bright cerulean pools. Paige doesn't speak for a long moment, considering his request, the crux of what he wants. "Dreamdust will help you sleep, but it won't make you numb. If you want something that will do that part, I suggest Myrthroot." She finally says, turning away from him and slipping between the rocks and disappearing from sight.
"Come on. I'm not gonna wait all day." The Attuned calls over her shoulder as she nears a dark crevice that looks like it leads to no where until she slips inside. Gathering a torch from the ground, she lights it in the same movement, casting a small dank hallway in stark relief as she winds through the cave towards her hideaway.
Jude has never heard of myrthroot, but he's not surprised by that. His parents had only ever sought to educate him on medicinal and poisonous plants, and certainly nothing potentially addictive. When she turns and disappears into a crevice he hesitates, uncertain. Paige had always been Edmund's friend, which is not an unfamiliar experience for Jude who has a whole one friend currently as a young adult, and she'd just been holding a knife to his neck...
Startling into motion when she calls back for him to hurry up, he does so without thinking it through any further. Following is an easy thing to do when he's a slip of a thing himself, finding no issue with the otherwise claustrophobic passageway. "Um...can't I have both?" He doesn't want to press the issue when she's going to offer him the goods so to speak, but he'd come here with the intent of purchasing something particular, and part of the self-destructive process was knowing it was illegal. Following in the wake of her torchlight, Jude wrings his hands in front of himself. This isn't how he saw all this going down, but he can't exactly back out now.
stop trying to keep this alive you're pointing at stars in the sky that already died
01-10-2024, 02:30 AM (This post was last modified: 01-10-2024, 02:30 AM by Paige.)
We were supposed to be just friends
Depending on what kind of mood and situation-ship I'm in
Edmund's friend or not, Paige didn't have any intention of hurting Jude. Not given the fact that she wanted to live. The Attuned had no doubt that her aunt would come out of hiding to have her throat if she dared to harm a hair on Jude's precious head. Just like she would probably if she knew that Paige was supplying him with any sort of substance.
Which was why Paige had no intentions of telling anyone about this particular interaction. Only once she was sure he was following her, did she press forward, his words echoing slightly off of the damp walls. "I didn't say you couldn't have both. Just telling you that what you want isn't going to come from just the Dreamdust." She replied simply, slipping through an even narrower space before finally stepping into a small area that would have been completely missed if it wasn't for the fact that she was leading him directly to it.
Slotting the torch into a spot on the wall, Paige used the light to start sorting through various crates until she finally withdrew with a couple of wooden cigar boxes. Using one of the crates as a makeshift table, the Attuned began fiddling with various glass vials, "How much do you want?"
