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!
Lena didn’t frequent the Needle often; it gave her the sudden apprehensive wake down the reaches of her spine that most would consider dread or fear. Instead, it reminded her of past actions and brutalities some portions of races and worlds should’ve never faced, and though she’d been too young and naïve to ever participate in such follies, the knowledge that it had remained solid and firm here – on this earthen plain – still irked and tore at the slant of her soul.
Today wasn’t for that though, but a different kind of trepidation. More than one person had come seeking her advice on the void creatures now inhabiting Stormbreak as well – touched and scorned by something she couldn’t define. Sure enough, she’d followed the unmistakable caws to the things now perched firmly on metal with mettle. Once grand and glorious messengers, the ravens had become some twisted, vile things, and she stared upwards at them, the dread settling over her shoulders like a wicked, foolish wake.
What could she do against them anyway? To get them to flee?
Mittens growled at her side, but she didn’t let it meander and wave off just yet – uncertain and afraid of their potential bite.
Don't come over, don't get too close to me And dear god don't be too good to me
Though Anju has held the desire to see Lena for some time, it's purely a coincidence that their paths cross on this day. Anju has received similar reports of the newly infected crows; it seems citizens are divided on whether to let Lena and her Celestine ilk handle the problem or to have the Dragoons wipe them out. Riya is uncharacteristically focused and mannered at her side with the mission in mind, but as soon as she lays eyes on Lena, her head shoots up and she ambles across the remaining distance to butt her head into the caretaker's hip without so much as a howdy-do.
Sighing quietly but resigning herself to Riya's distraction, Anju follows in her wake, though she keeps half of her attention on the crows overhead. "It's good to see you Lena," she murmurs as she comes to a stop beside her friend. Work is distinctly different, and Anju does not count their council meetings as anything more than exactly that. "Did you receive reports about them too?" Her chin tilts slightly higher toward the crows. "Frankly I'm not sure if bringing them into the Celestine is safe. We may have to exterminate them or chase them off periodically." Anju doubts they will stay gone for good. Their non-infected kin are certainly bold enough to keep trying again and again, so why should they be any different?
I'm not proud of it, please But I want it to sting
Lena could be the first to admit she hadn’t seen her friend in some time – work aside – with everything else going on. There were always some trials, some tribulations, some wakes to be had, and that had been well before the devastation wrought upon the world. So her head inclined and her features forged a smile for Anju just the same, even when dread was an unmistakable blight upon the rest of her. “Anju – I hope you’re well?”
She took Riya’s greeting all in stride too, welcomed the barreling tactics against her hip even if Mittens hissed and rambled to hover above her shoulder. Out of habit, she snagged at her pockets for the plentiful bounty of treats, holding out her palm for the dragon to snag at her leisure.
The subject matter though is another task, and she sighed. “Yes. I thought maybe I could assist in chasing them away.” Compel or strive to send others in their wake – not yearning for harm to come to any of them in the process. “I don’t want them in with the other wounded animals either,” in regards to the Celestine; especially if they were still uncertain about lingering and long-lasting effects.
01-26-2024, 04:38 PM (This post was last modified: 01-26-2024, 04:39 PM by Anju.)
Anju
Don't come over, don't get too close to me And dear god don't be too good to me
Anju is not exactly known for being anything less than straightforward, but she is equally not the type to ever admit - to herself or others - that she is struggling, so her face goes through a complex series of spasms for a moment as she considers Lena’s question. Surely the crows are more pressing of an issue than her worries? Riya pauses in delicately taking the treats from Lena’s palm (the only person she doesn’t wolf it down from, the liar) and turns to stare balefully over her shoulder, clearly unimpressed. Anju averts her eyes with a slight frown. “I have been…troubled. For unfortunately unrelated reasons,” she admits, which clearly isn’t enough for Riya but at least there are other distractions to consider.
Alarmed at the notion presented, Anju’s eyes swiftly return to Lena’s with brows drawn down and lips pursed. “Do you believe Frey’s magic would transfer them to the Celestine the same as the others?” Anju does not follow Frey, but the notion that the infected variants could slip beneath the herald’s radar makes their introduction to the world more sinister and threatening in her eyes. All things die - she is Ludo’s follower for a reason - but Anju despises unnatural death. “Riya can help, fire should scare them off, if not her size.” Though Anju lifts a hand to rest her hand on her bow all the same, ready to defend her companion against any more brazen birds.
I'm not proud of it, please But I want it to sting
Lena watched Anju’s face, even while distracted by assorted companions, and the complications seemingly mirroring over her features. She hadn’t thought the inquiry too prying, and perhaps that was her error – opening her mouth to begin apologizing when the Captain admitted to the current issues. “Oh? Anything I can help with?” Anju never struck her as someone “troubled”; quick, swift, to the point, and far more capable than most.
The other inquiry caused her brow to furrow, in thought, in complexities, in frustration she wouldn’t air or name. “I’m not certain, but I fear that it could.” If most of the animals were mauled indiscriminately, without extermination, she wouldn’t be surprised to find their fearful frames and figured amidst untainted brethren. And then what was she to do?
As for the current solution, Lena nodded, permitting another breath to slide through. “If you’d like for her to try. I just don’t want her injured either.”
Don't come over, don't get too close to me And dear god don't be too good to me
Lena is not inaccurate in her estimation of Anju, which is precisely why she had chosen the caretaker to confess these concerns to at all. It was as calculated as such a spontaneous confession could be, trusting not only in Lena's kind heart but her trustworthy wisdom. "I'm unsure. It's about Sohalia." Her eyes find Lena's, dark brows drawn together in a troubled frown.
Tilting her chin toward Riya, Anju withdraws her bow and knocks an arrow, holding it ready but not drawn as her companion takes flight. "I will cover her," she reassures, though her command for Riya to stay as far away as possible echoes through the bond all the same. Her sister heeds it well - large swathes of flame emitting from her maw from a distance as she divebombs and swoops around the birds, using the reach of her fire and the threatening spread of her wings in lieu of physical engagement. Anju draws her bow, though she refrains from firing, keeping an eye on any birds that get too close to her sister.
I'm not proud of it, please But I want it to sting
Lena expected Anju to have some sort of quandary of her own life – though what that could’ve been, the Caretaker would remain forever uncertain – and her brows furrowed, then arched, at the inclusion of Sohalia instead. “Is something wrong?” The girl was young, if a bit innocent and naïve, but she’d certainly clambered Stormbreak together when no one else was willing, and it needed the notions the most.
As for the other portions, her eyes flickered back to the ravens, and to Riya. Never one for conflict, she bared the moments all the same, watching and waiting, staff at the ready. The dragon seemed to have it handled though, or the void creatures were much smarter than any counterparts – immediately taking off once the divebombing Riya swarmed and threatened, spewing fire and unfurling infernos. Most made it, and she swallowed down any trepidation as once was caught in the blast, beginning to tumble down towards them in a series of dilapidated spirals.
Don't come over, don't get too close to me And dear god don't be too good to me
Anju is not the type to spill secrets, but Lena - sweet, trustworthy Lena - is the only person she would consider doing so with. The oldest friend she has, at least since Koa's mother had died. Anju does not have a typical go-to confidante, but Lena is surely the closest she has. "I found her in the Oerwoud, extremely distressed." Breaking down. "She expressed wanting to stop leading. Or rather, feeling like she couldn't. I worry the pressure is becoming too much for her." And while she cares for the Heart as much as someone like Anju can, she worries just as much for Stormbreak.
Anju steps sideways to bump her shoulder into Lena's as the one crow that is caught in Riya's flames comes spiraling down, making it look like a natural movement when in reality she hopes to take the Caretaker's eyes away from the sight. Riya swoops back down toward them, crows effectively scattered, and lands on the cobblestone with an uncharacteristically grim expression. Anju settles a hand on her scaly brow. "These efforts are temporary fixes at best. I'm not sure what we should do at this point." Animals and plants are so far out of her wheelhouse, and yet they are so threatening now. Anju can't help but feel frustrated at her own uselessness.
I'm not proud of it, please But I want it to sting
Anju was correct – Lena could harbor multitudes of secrets and confident presses, all sealed away with trusted ease. She likely held fewer notions simply based on time’s sake and busy parameters – her social hours justifiably scarce and vacant depending on the hour of the day. But she’d always bend a listening ear for those in need, especially friends like Anju, who seemed to hold it all contained within.
Her eyes rounded slightly, alarmed, at the truth uttered – distress, craving to leave the post, overburdened perhaps. “Oh dear,” she slipped, gaze going downward. “Have we not been doing enough for her?” An immediate thought of the Council, or Stormbreak at large, not taking hold of their own responsibilities. “It is a large role to fill, and I would hate for her to feel as though she’s taken on too much.” Her fingers interlocked with one another, mind absorbed in solving or pouring salve over a problem. “Do you think anyone would be willing to share leadership with her?”
The animals were their own trials and tribulations, and Lena did look away as one fell – even though she was well immersed in what it meant for creatures to fade and die, she still didn’t want to be the hand guiding it to death’s door. “I wish we knew the cause. Then we might be able to stop the spread.”
Don't come over, don't get too close to me And dear god don't be too good to me
Anju frowns, not so free of duty to do something like shrug but communicating the uncertainty all the same with her eyes. "I feel as if we have. She seemed quite distraught about how leading was affecting her more...personal life." Relationships, to put it bluntly, but Anju does not want to say it lest it come across as putting the Heart down for her youth - something she cannot control.
Sighing, she crosses her arms and stares over Lena's shoulder. "I would be willing, but only as a last resort. I don't think I am the best to lead Stormbreak." But if it would take the weight off Sohalia's shoulders? Yes, Anju would step up. "I think it would be too much for Everest. And I don't know how you feel about the position yourself." She turns an inquisitive brow toward Lena, allowing her to share those sentiments freely. And, given she is not the type to lament what-ifs and maybes, she merely grunts an agreement on the topic of the infected animals and sends a quiet prayer to Ludo about it.
I'm not proud of it, please But I want it to sting
“Ah,” Lena hummed under her breath, a steady means to comfort herself and anyone in her surroundings. The Caretaker had been through her own sets of relationships; she wouldn’t envy the dramatic laurels on anyone, much less Sohalia and her youth. “That’s unfortunate. Maybe we can pull her aside sometime and offer our support.” In counseling, rather than simply governmental notions.
And as for leading, she shook her head too – the interest not there, and her heart, her role, her duty immersed in the Celestine gardens. “Well, when we get the opportunity, we should talk to her.” And then they could go from there – unaware of how little it would matter in the near future. With a light and tense smile, she maneuvered around Anju, intending to lead the way back into the plaza. “Have some lunch with me and we can make some plans.”
