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're just two ghosts swimming in a glass half empty
Ophelia follows in Maea's footsteps like a shadow, emerging into the quieter vestibule of the Temple's annex. They sit primly next to the loreseeker, only to pull their legs up to sit cross-legged on the pew in a rather strange contortion that feels more comfortable for them despite the break in religious etiquette. They angle themself to watch Maea as she reclines over the back of the pew, hands on their ankles like an attentive, captivated child.
Ophelia is not known for understanding social norms, so their head tilts slightly at the empathy on display. "Was your family horrible to you too?" Samuel and Aamu had not given Ophelia the proper words to describe their upbringing, and their own lack of social grace has their tone tilting toward eager curiosity over a potential similarity upon which to build a friendship instead of the gravity it requires.
Ophelia is too pale to be likened to the sun, but the radiance of a full moon shines from their face at Maea's offer instead, illuminated from within as a bright smile brings out fangs that peak over her lips with the force of her joy. "Yes! Let's be roommates!" Their tail flickers and thunks against the wooden pew like an overexcited dog. "I would like that. A lot." As if it was at all unclear. "Do you want to live somewhere particular?" Her home farm, or another memorable location? Ophelia has no such connections, so the choice lies in Maea's hands.
trying vainly to forget the pain that came with heartbeats
Not the kind of question she usually received, Maea sat stunned for a moment. Then had to think back, with a new angle to view her upbringing from.
"No..." came the slow response, while she let her gazed travel upward into the ceiling. "At least they tried not to be. My brother, Noah? He was wonderful. But I think father would have preferred if I wasn't Abandoned. He always had this air of disappointment when talking to me. And I couldn't use my magic at all. But I never wanted for food or shelter or anything I needed when I was sick - which was often. If anything, they were almost too kind. I could never quite repay any of it." Feelings of being a burden settled deep in the bones and was difficult to shake off. In many ways it still colored her decisions, making it difficult to sit empty handed and act out of pure self interest. Maea never felt as though she deserved anything.
"Were your family...? I know you said you weren't allowed to leave." Rolling her head over to gaze at Ophelia, Maea's eyes were filled with quiet care bordering on concern. She didn't quite know what to do with this instant connection to another person. Part of her wanted to bundle the other woman up in her arms and protect her, while a far more savage inclination told her to go apply some arson to a certain farm. She really, really hated cages of any form.
Was it hasty to tie herself down with someone else? A practical stranger? Perhaps. But Ophelia's enthusiasm was conscious, and Maea found herself toying with the idea of what a home might be like, that wasn't filled with shades of the past. The ruins of her old home were probably out there still, half a days walk from the Settlement - but even though it was entirely feasible to restore it, Maea didn't even consider it.
"Somewhere I've never lived before," she mused,. "A new place, not too far from the city. The Domiciles would be fine, or on the fringes.... Access to nature would be nice. What would you like?" It would take some planning, and more resources than Maea currently had access to, but the idea of a cottage wouldn't quite let go.
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
we're just two ghosts swimming in a glass half empty
Ophelia sits enraptured and fully attentive as Maea begins to open up, their pale eyes unblinking in a way that could definitely be considered unnerving even when considering their sincerity. Conversing with anyone is still novel to them even after years of freedom. The Ascended had been few in number, and the war preparation had already progressed far enough that even fewer had time to spare for the likes of Ophelia.
The anti-Abandoned sentiment is not unfamiliar to Ophelia, and a soft hum of understanding comes from their throat. "Are you still sick?" Concern immediately creases Ophelia's face, a tinge of panic that would be endearing if it were not strange given how recently they met.
The concern is shared in kind, and Ophelia's eyes go a bit distant even as their neutral half-smile returns. Perhaps their constant dreamlike state is a defense mechanism, but when they speak, it's lilted and unaffected. "My parents blamed my brother for our misfortune, as he was Abandoned. After my mother disappeared and never returned, and feeding the family became difficult, my father killed him." Their eyes don't move from the spot in the corner where they've found themselves for a long while after that, though eventually they meet eyes with Maea once more. "It still did not appease the gods. Our animals still died, and our land grew less and less wheat. He was a fool, as all who believe magic to be a sin are." Ophelia is not very opinionated, but there is something sharp in their fang-filled smile at this declaration.
"He beat me often. But eventually, it was just us two, and he took his own life in his misery. I took our last horse and left that night. That's where Aamu found me!" They end on a bright note, hands splaying wide in a showy 'ta-da!' And with that, they move on swiftly to the idea of living with this new sister they have found, eyes brightening ever further. "I want to be close to nature! I like to garden and it makes hunting easier." Their tail thwacks against the wooden pew once more, good mood returned.
trying vainly to forget the pain that came with heartbeats
Shaking her head slowly, Maea smiled faintly. Resting an elbow against the backrest, she combed through her hair with fingers stained from ash and blood; uncaring, or at least too tired to bother thinking about the mess she made. "No, a friend was able to heal me. It seems to have stuck - and the Voice remade my body entirely, as I was dead before Ascending. So I'm free of all my old ailments." It was hard to stop, once she began to talk about herself. Like a chipped dam couldn't keep from spilling, with little regard for anyone caught in its way. Maea bit her lip, forced to resort to pain to shut herself up; this person didn't need to know about the dying. Was it too late to pretend she hadn't said anything?
Maybe. Ophelia seemed far more at ease talking about her own past, and Maea didn't mind listening. The seething anger in her gut only intensified the more her new friend spoke, and she found it a pity to hear how the father had gotten an easy end. It robbed her of a chance to do anything about him...
The change in Ophelia's tone snapped Maea from her plotted revenge. Amun's name drew a softness back to her expression that had almost been lost, and without thinking she reached out to stroke the other woman's pale hair. Feeling the kinship of being saved by the same person - far more willing to accept sisterhood with this person than any random Ancient that might cross her path. It took Maea far more than a shared goddess to forge a bond, even a shallow one as this.
"I am glad you are safe now," she murmured. "Would you like to pick the place for our new home? And when you have found the perfect one, we can build it to be exactly what we want. It doesn't have to be quick; better to have it just right instead."
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
we're just two ghosts swimming in a glass half empty
Ophelia relaxes at the reassurance, though their eyes watch Maea's hands comb ash through her hair with a strange expression on their face. One entirely unrelated to the accidental admission that does not escape their notice. "It's strange to know we can die again. Well, in 'normal' ways," they elaborate, meaning things like starvation and various lacerations or injuries that would otherwise only create electric impulses and system warnings in their previous bodies. Phi knows better than to ask about Maea's death, though they're admittedly curious about it. "I was so happy to not feel human things anymore when I first Ascended." It had been their entire goal to begin with, to ensure they would never starve again, never fear that if they fell asleep on a frozen night that they wouldn't wake again.
"I lived hungry, cold, hurting. I never wanted to feel anything again. But it's nice to feel heat again, and to hold hands or hug." They don't get to do it often, but even carrying the man in from outside had slaked the eternal thirst of desire for touch that lives in their chest.
That kind of starvation is one they have never managed to assuage, and so when Maea gently strokes their hair, they lean into it like a needy cat as their face takes on an expression not unlike awe. "Yes," they whisper, feeling just as they had when in the Voice's presence for the first time as they gaze up at Maea then. Her pale skin is ash-streaked and bits of webbing cling stubbornly through her ivory hair. She is painfully, beautifully mortal, and yet she seems godlike to Ophelia as they sit together on worn pews that have seen countless patrons of pious fealty. What is one more? It almost chokes them, but Phi breathes through it enough to beam, brighter than moonlight. "I will look right away! That way you can have your own room again." Ophelia is more than happy to sleep in the woods in their Lial form forever, but now they have a mission, a bridge to be built that might lead them to meaningful connection again. There is no time to waste.
trying vainly to forget the pain that came with heartbeats
Meeting Ophelia's gaze, there was something in her expression that staggered the older Ancient. Looking away with a troubled churn in her gut, she kept absently stroking the soft hair beneath her palm. The gesture seemed to be appreciated, though it drew up emotions in Maea that she couldn't put a name on. Something soft, and weak, and painful.
"I... did not do well, as Ascended. The lack of input from the world around me always had me feeling cut off. Like I wasn't a part of anything anymore." Unable to feel heat or cold, separated from pain, from scents, taste, touch - it had been something she feared long before it became her reality. "Living under Dygra might be a far cry from what I wanted for myself once. But I'll do anything She asks, if I can just stay like this."
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
we're just two ghosts swimming in a glass half empty
Unaware of their own expression or how it is affecting Maea, Ophelia merely holds as still as possible, hoping that if they don't draw any attention to the ongoing petting that it might yet continue. Ophelia had been the second-born, but their older brother had never been inclined to show affection in this way, and Ophelia had been the only daughter. These types of displays of affection are utterly foreign to them, and already they are nearly drunk on how it feels to be touched.
Empathy is not Ophelia's strongest skill, but their heart still clenches at the hurt so evident in Maea's tone. More than that, the desperation to not have something precious and new taken from her hands.
Phi tilts their head to better meet Maea's eyes, and smiles as reassuringly as they can. "She wants less than the Voice did. Less than all the gods, really. She likes self-indulgence and lack of structure." A nice way to say chaos but sometimes people get prickly about that particular descriptor, so Ophelia neatly discards it. "Maybe now is the perfect time to just be you. It would please her just to do that." So why not kill two birds with one stone?
trying vainly to forget the pain that came with heartbeats
The concept of self-indulgence was a foreign one to the Hollow-born. Raised on the need for collaboration, because the need of the person was nothing against the need of the community, she had been spoon fed guilt whenever she did anything that took her even a step out of line. The concern she felt on hearing Dygra's preferences expressed itself in the soft frown that drew too-early lines in her forehead, even in a face that was far more youthful than her years would suggest.
Meeting the other Ancient's eyes, Maea forced a little smile. "You might have to show me how to do that," she murmured. "I don't... really know who I am, anymore. Or what I want."
The admission nearly drove tears into her eyes; tilting her head back so she could hide away in a scrutiny of the roof, it took some deep breaths to get the ache in her chest to settle. As good as it felt to feel again, this new connection to her own emotions was difficult to get used to. For one who never cried, to suddenly weep over every little thing - it was downright annoying.
"We need to figure out what you want for your room, too," she added, hoping to shift the subject away from herself. Her fingers closed gently around a handful of Ophelia's hair, and she tugged gently, jostling the other's head in a gentle rocking motion. "It won't just be my home, after all. Don't forget about yourself in all this." A hypocritical thing for her to say; but it was always easier to help others than yourself. The sky would likely fall down the day Maea Valair stood up straight and declared her own desires.
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
we're just two ghosts swimming in a glass half empty
Perhaps it's a topic for the two of them to explore later, that they had gone down different paths in terms of self-care and self-indulgence despite their similar upbringings and geographical starts. Or perhaps it would be something for Maea to explore on her own, or with Dygra as her guide. "I can do that! I don't, either. But it doesn't bother me," they confess easily, tail swaying and smile serene. They quite enjoy figuring things out at their own pace and being beholden to nobody but themself.
Still, it seems to bother Maea quite a bit, and though Ophelia doesn't understand they can still sympathize with the distress she shows. Reaching out, they gently place their hand on Maea's, offering their fingers to grip and hold if it would soothe the woman's tumultuous emotions.
Luckily, Maea seems to recover soon enough, and Ophelia's head bows to the side obligingly when their hair is tugged on - laughing warmly. "I'll try not to! I've never had my own room, I'm not sure what I want." Smiling, they follow the hand that had tugged on their hair and butt their horns up against Maea's fingers. "I guess we both have a lot to figure out." But they're excited for it, and grateful that a few pesky spiders had ended in such a wonderful union.
- Fin <33
trying vainly to forget the pain that came with heartbeats
