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!
Sitting amidst the greenery, Evie and Micah are two sore thumbs with their colorful hair and fur. Even more eye-catching is the large tooth-shaped shield sitting across Evie's lap, being diligently scrubbed by the Evergreen's freckled hands. She had needed to use it against one of the void creatures out here, and she doesn't want to risk any blood being infected or otherwise caustic to the one gift she has ever received from a herald.
Micah lays flopped on his side, tail flickering against the shield and against her hands, making her huff and push it away over and over again. He's doing it on purpose, and she can tell. Fondly exasperated, Evie throws down her rag and catches hold of the jaguar's tail, making him lift his head to look over his shoulder with big eyes that won't convince her of anything like innocence. "Stop itttt," she hisses in the long-suffering way of any cat owner, giving the fluffy tail a shake before dropping it. Micah holds her stare - and then flicks his tail one more time. Evie tosses her head back with a long, loud groan.
Well, maybe she's just being paranoid. Her shield looks pretty clean - "You're doing this intentionally, aren't you?" Her head tips back down, narrowing her eyes at Micah, suspicious.
a golden cage, for all its worth and beauty is still just a cage
A rustling in the branches overhead might get Evie's (and Micah's) attention before anything else, and when the intruder appears, it comes in the shape of a pale, cat-sized dragon. Chirruping at them from one of the overhanging branches, Sugar seems more inclined to continue on her escape from her own bonded than bothering the relative strangers.
Alas, they're too deep in the Greenwing for her to be successful for long.
"Get here, you!" Like Evie, Ronin's voice is fondly exasperated, and the Supernova comes tromping through the greenery with his hand shading his eyes, his face turned up to the trees where Sugar squawks at him in what might easily be interpreted as draconic laughter. "I swear..."
With a sigh heavy enough to blow out his cheeks, Ronin finally notices the Evergreen and her companion and offers her a quick, sheepish smile. "Gods, I'm so sorry. I hope she hasn't been bothering you."
In fact it grabs both of their attentions, two pairs of eyes turning upward toward the intruder and beginning to narrow - only for Evie’s to widen as what is clearly a companion peeks through the foliage with a chirrup of greeting. She looks familiar, and Evie’s brows crinkle thoughtfully until Micah spotting something pings across the bond, drawing her attention to a far more familiar figure stomping through the undergrowth.
Ronin notices her before she can find her tongue. Craned around and still sitting in the foliage, Evie feels rather ridiculous, but his own apology gives her the advantage right? Smiling, Evie stands and brushes off her rear, hefting her shield with one hand. “Hardly longer than a moment. I can’t imagine trying to wrangle a flighted companion on a rampage, so you’re forgiven,” she assures with a grin, eliciting a grumble from Micah who has finally decided to arise if only to swiftly climb the tree Sugar is perched in. Evie’s smile drops comically. “Well…I guess that’s equally inconvenient,” she huffs. Maybe if they deprive them both of attention…? Turning exaggeratedly toward Ronin, Evie smiles warmly. “What brings you out all this way? Last I heard you were in Torchline?” Much farther from Halo than the Draig.
a golden cage, for all its worth and beauty is still just a cage
"I have considered a leash on more than one occasion," Ronin admits, his voice becoming a drawl that's almost half a threat as his eyes flash up towards Sugar. The companion, of course, snorts out an icy breath and completely ignores him - which is for the best, as it happens, because she's soon distracted by the feline in the tree with her. Standoffish at the best of times, nevertheless Sugar seems content with a fellow trouble-maker, and thus invites Micah to a game of kiss-chase through the branches.
Chuckling and dutifully giving his attention to Evie in full, Ronin ruffles a hand through his dark hair and nods. "I heard Halo was hit as badly as Torchline by the meteor crash, so I thought I'd come up and see if anyone needed a hand. I know between you and Deimos you run a tight ship, but I can always lift heavy things if needed." He laughs, before glancing around the rich foliage.
"Granted, I've been a bit distracted by all the greenery. It must be nice, to have this bit of colour in Halo these days."
Micah pounces after Sugar, and Evie's heart pangs slightly to see him so sure-footed on paws that had not long ago been comically large with youth. Ronin is a fitting distraction for the odd maternal pang in her breast, though his compliments make her laugh. "I'm sure you can do much more than that, Commander," she teases, eyes crinkling with her smile.
Glancing around at the greenery, Evie's smile softens. "I'm biased," she prefaces - her title is the Evergreen - "but it felt like a blessing after everything the war brought us. It's still comforting even now." A place to escape to when the sight of water outside the Citadel gates and waterlogged debris becomes too much to handle. Shield still half-slung on her arm, Evie spares Ronin the need to delve into more emotional avenues with someone who may not have yet earned access to those spaces, and she motions to it. "By the way, how experienced are you with shields? I'd love some tips."
a golden cage, for all its worth and beauty is still just a cage
"Hey, now," Ronin says through a laugh, as though his former title is a source of embarrassment rather than pride. "Stormbreak is in good hands these days without me, but if you think I'll be of use in Halo, you let me know." Stepping forward a bit to avoid a few small sticks that shower the forest floor (thanks, Sugar), the Nova nods his understanding. "I remember feeling the same way about Torchline after so long in the Grounds," he admits; having recently moved back to the islands, the feeling still stands even now.
As for shields, Ronin tilts his head at the object in question and offers Evie a somewhat self-deprecating smile. "I've got basic training with them," he says. "Though I never used them much myself. I have seen some people do some crazy things with them, though." Glancing over his shoulder to make sure there's enough space in the clearing, Ronin backs up and invites Evie to join him.
"Definitely not for just heavy lifting," she laughs, glad to have proven her point in some small way, "but I'll need some time to come up with decent questions. I'm sure you've answered enough half-baked questions about Safrin to last a lifetime." Not that Evie isn't still tempted to ask them, but Ronin deserves something more elegantly composed.
Following in his wake, Evie wonders who else might have the experience she seeks. Amalia's memory always makes her conflicted and sour, so she doesn't linger on it for long. "I used it a lot more in close quarters than I expected during the war, and while it worked, I definitely could have been better," she confesses. Though Deimos had healed the scars her shoulder still aches with phantom memory of the Banshee's claws. "If you have time - wanna throw a few punches at me?" Her grin says come at me, though she doesn't think she has that punchable of a face.
a golden cage, for all its worth and beauty is still just a cage
"That may be the case, but it does mean I'm quite good at answering them, half-baked or otherwise," Ronin says with a smirk and a shrug of his shoulders, though he isn't going to complain if Evie wants more time to compose her questions for him. He hasn't plucked up the courage yet to go and visit his goddess after almost losing his life a few weeks back, and so his responses might not be the best at present anyway.
Shields, then, are a much easier topic, and one he's more than willing to engage in. "Ordinarily I'd decline, but since you asked so politely." Chuckling, he nods to her, giving her a second to take a stance before darting forward, trying to strike around the broad expanse of her shield.
"A lot of the soldiers I saw who were adept with shields actually used them as weapons," he says conversationally.
"Politeness gets you everywhere," she assures with a minxlike grin, one that is wiped almost immediately from her lips as he darts forward. He is going easy on her and she knows it, but she doesn't intend to ask for anything more, not when she is perfectly aware of how gratuitous the levels are between them.
Evie has trained enough with Deimos to not instinctively step backward, but this time she pushes shield-first toward Ronin, trying to glance his punch off to the side while getting further into his space to throw a punch of her own toward his sternum with her free hand.
Hopping backward right after, cautious of his longer reach, Evie spares a moment to envy the easy way he continues talking while sparring. "It is a giant tooth, but only the bottom is really any good for puncturing," she huffs on a laugh. Not that it keeps her from using it for battering ram purposes so perhaps that's what he meant.
a golden cage, for all its worth and beauty is still just a cage
That is indeed what Ronin is getting at - not that he can say as much as Evie tries to swipe at him around the side of her shield. Forced into a half-step and having to make sure not to take a tumble over a fallen log nearby, it's with a sheepish grin that he straightens back up and presses back on the attack.
"Have you considered getting a spear or something?" he asks. "You can shove your opponents back with the shield and then snag them out of reach."
He's seen it used to deadly effect in the past; for now, though, Ronin attempts to shoulder barge the shield (and the woman behind it by proxy), seeing how well she can hold her own when fire is fought with fire.
02-21-2024, 03:53 PM (This post was last modified: 02-21-2024, 03:54 PM by Evie.)
Evie
He's too imposing to be graceless to most boring mortals, like seeing a celebrity stumble, but it only grants her a temporary reprieve from his onslaught.
"I used a kusarigama before I got my shield. They aren't as compatible with a single-hand style," she explains readily, digging her heels into the loam in preparation for a second attack. "Aren't spears easier to grab and use against the wielder? Or is that just a Deimos thing?" Her grin is cut by the line of her shield, but it's dimpled and playful on the half he'll be able to see.
In terms of stubborn, dogged determination, Evie has it in spades. Her heels cut tracks through the soft, moist groundcover, because Ronin's battering is still stronger than her physical defenses can contend with. Bending her knees for more center mass and stability, Evie plants her back foot and uses her front to kick the bottom of the shield from the inside to have it lurching out - sharp tip and all - to batter against Ronin's shins.
a golden cage, for all its worth and beauty is still just a cage
"A kusarig... what?" Ronin knows his fair share of weapons but he's never heard of this one in particular, and he'll blame this 'distraction' for what happens next. (It's false, though - Evie is just skilled with her shield and has caught him by surprise). "That depends on how good you are with a spear," he continues, flashing a smile at her as he tries to barge her into the earth. "I doubt Deimos would be so keen to grab and pull something you just stabbed into his guts-- ACK!"
It's with this eloquent phrase that Ronin is forced to stagger back, blood freely streaming from his shin where the tip of the tooth-shield has caught it, not that he seems to mind at all. Raising his eyebrows at Evie, visibly impressed, he offers her a little bow in lieu of a touche, before promptly bullrushing her in an attempt to shove her off balance.
"A scythe of sorts on a chain," she pants out, the workout ensuring she's beginning to work up a small sweat. Bantering is unexpectedly delightful while they fight, but she can't help her choked laugh of surprise when she gets him square in the shin with her shield. They stare at each other in a rather comical way before Ronin bullrushes her, and now it's Evie's turn to get fucked over by her opponent's skill.
Well, perhaps she should be attributing it to his strength alone, because it's enough to knock her back and have one knee bending. That's ironically what saves her from completely sprawling backward, as her arm strength fails in the struggle and her shield glances off to the side. The tooth-shape works against her, digging partially into the soft, wet earth and ensuring she can't swiftly pull it back to her chest. "Shit-!" squawks free, and while it would earn her cool points to say she plans it, she completely doesn't as she lands on her back shin and her front leg sweeps out to try and take Ronin down by the ankles.
a golden cage, for all its worth and beauty is still just a cage
"That does sound impressive, but you're right - not much use with a shield," Ronin quips with a grin. It would be a lie to say that the banter is just because he can, given a demigod's constitution. As a former training captain, it's almost knitted into him to offer distractions during a fight; hopefully it means when the real thing comes along, focus is more easily kept.
Offering Evie a shit eating grin for her trouble as her shield is knocked to the side, Ronin backs off in a couple of quick steps. And what happens next is completely his own fault for losing that focus he's apparently so good at training, because he assumes it's over. "I guess that's the downside of the shield's shape," he remarks, readying himself to offer a hand and help her to her feet.
Only for her to swipe his balance out from under him. Landing flat on his back with an oof!, one might expect a number of things from the Nova in that moment, but it's his wheezing laughter that hits the air as he tries to get breath back in his lungs. "I deserved that," he chokes out. "If we were in a real fight, now's about when you should finish me."
