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!
Recharged by both crab, physicality, and a lovely gift, Phi skitters away from Danta’s swatting and licks the taste off their fangs as they continue fisting rocks into their bag. They don’t entirely understand Maea’s desires, but they seem ecstatic with Dantalion’s offer so Ophelia leaves her to it, content to simply be happy for her.
Her offer of protection feels quite personal, though whether that’s Phi projecting or just a byproduct of the Grounds crew being so small is unclear to the ghost. It makes them smile more sincerely all the same at Maea over their shoulder. “Are you a fighter as well as a letter writer then?” She’d been quite adept at taking out those spiders in the domiciles, Phi wouldn’t be surprised.
Ears perked by Danta’s stumbling, Phi tilts their head curiously and turns fully, walking leisurely backwards. “Noah? Is he still around?” The correlation to fighting doesn’t connect for Phi, but they’re admittedly surprised to hear he’d been interacting with more than themself. Hefting their bag around, Phi shakes it toward their companions. “How are we all doing?” Their own bag is about halfway full, but would three full bags be enough?
it's peaceful in the deep, either way you cannot breathe no need to pray - no need to speak
Oh, you say you have to fall apart to really be someone
Most definitely the type to work herself to the bone if given half a chance, Maea shrugged with a half smile as if to say 'what can I say'. It grew into a full grin of pure delight at Danta's reply; throwing hands into the air she twirled her victory dance, actually laughing by the time she came to a stop.
"Liaison or ambassador, I'll be whatever you want," she promised. "Thank you Danta!"
She almost didn't catch the rest for the rush of blood in her ears. The sky had never been so blue, nor the scent of the water so sweet to her senses - and for all that it was small success, it was the first one in such a long time that Maea happily let it go to her head.
Fortunately Ophelia did pay attention, and delivered a name that was at least somewhat familiar to her. Blinking herself back to earth, Maea faked loose strands of hair back from her face, navigating around the horns with increasing familiarity.
"Oh. If it's the same Noah, he wrote to me and asked for my help with some ward in Halo. I was going to accept, once I figured out what to ask for in return. Unless you'd rather see that I didn't?" She gave Danta a curious look, wondering what had happened for Noah to be singled out like this.
Hefting her bag of rocks to check her own progress, she found it not quite half full. Vowing to spend more time gathering and less time talking, she inched closer to Ophelia. "Only if I have to be," she told her, in response to the question of whether she was a fighter. "I'll do anything if it keeps my friends safe."
Base by Odd
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
"Ambassador it is,"" Danta says with an indulgent nod, reaching to scoop some more rocks into his bag. He gives it a little shake as Ophelia's question, and though the sound alone probably means very little to anyone, it does indicate that there's plenty of room for more to go in. "I'll let Kiada know - or just drop by the Dusklight when you're free. She's usually lurking in one of the booths, or the Backrooms."
Busying himself collecting a few smooth and shiny pebbles from the shores, Danta offers little more than a grunt at the Halo situation. "Nicole, yeah - that's him," he mutters. "I don't mind what you do, but Halo's deadly to us. If he's inviting you out there, be sure it's not to trap you and make you turn to stone again. It'd be difficult for any of us to come and help you." Warnings don't come often from Danta's lips, but what can he say? The camaraderie of all of this must have put him in a good mood.
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
Ophelia admittedly tunes out as they discuss work-things. Nobody can call Phi a slacker given the unnerving frequency of their involvement in regional efforts, but that doesn’t mean Ophelia particularly cares about careers or governments and the like. Noah’s name - or Danta’s butchering of it - is a passing curiosity at best, but even that does not hold their attention for long.
“One of us should get a cool companion who can run in and retrieve stone-Ancients,” they wax nonsensically, thoughts spilling out without any extra consideration. “Or maybe we can have Dygra teleport any stone Ancients to one location when it happens. Like a big, awkward sculpture garden.” They snicker at the mental image, shoving more rocks into their bag. Straightening up, they stretch their back leisurely after being stooped over for so long, finding the sensation novel even after years of getting nerve endings back. “Or just don’t go. Easy peasy.” Ophelia has no desire to see the frozen wasteland that is Halo. Pain and discomfort had been so prevalent in their youth that seeking it out intentionally now seems ridiculous.
Turning to Maea, they smile easily and tap their tail against the new ambassador’s shin. “Just be careful!” Regardless of where the woman’s heart takes her in the near future.
it's peaceful in the deep, either way you cannot breathe no need to pray - no need to speak
Oh, you say you have to fall apart to really be someone
Nodding cheerfully, the new ambassador gave her liege a thumbs up to assure she would take care of it.
A stupidly happy little smile played over her lips even when she returned to collecting stones. Ophelia's ruminations were entertaining to listen to. Maea entertained the idea of a statue garden too, thought of Stormbreak and wondered if any of their numerous sculptures might hatch something interesting if enough fire was applied to the city. Given the current company... she decided not to share that particular notion. Just in case they got enthusiastic about it.
Smiling at Ophelia's little nudge, Maea let her own tail coil around hers for a second. "I can tell them to come to me," she said. Leaning down, she fished up a peculiar piece of rock and turned it over in her hand. After rinsing it off in the water, she went over to Dantalion and offered it to him on an open palm. Smoothed down by waves over time, it was a piece of obsidian with lines of some golden material spiderwebbing through it. "Then you wouldn't need to worry."
Frankly, their concern touched her more than she thought it would. Not only were they listening to her woes, but they both seemed to accept her in their own ways. Maea wasn't used to it. Had kept to herself for so long that she didn't quite know what to do with these tentative bonds that spread such bleeding softness within. Pretty rocks was a poor way to show gratitude – but in the spur of the moment it was the first thing that came to mind.
It was that or crying, honestly.
Base by Odd
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
"I wonder if we could have her teleport them directly to the bonfire in the Inner Quarter. They could thaw out as soon as they are turned to stone," Danta muses, and although it's all fun and games and they're currently on the defence against void monsters, the idea holds water. He doubts it's something that can be managed on a regional level, though, nice as the idea may be.
Gathering stones indiscriminately now (his attention has its limits), he glances up only at the sight of his new ambassador approaching with a shiny something outstretched. "How beautiful," he purrs, accepting the gold-veined obsidian and pocketing it like some greedy magpie.
Minutes pass now in comfortable silence, and soon enough Danta is having to drag his sack of stones along, pausing to stretch. "I think I'm done. How about you two?"
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
Danta's input on their nonsensical ramblings makes Phi grin, pleased to be perceived and yet eternally taken by surprise by it after a lifetime of anonymity. "Maybe each person can quest for a bracelet from Dygra for that. Due burden unto the customer," they intone in a nasally fashion reminiscent of stuck-up merchants who were disinclined to go the extra mile.
Smiling more sincerely at Maea's reassurances, Ophelia tangles their tail against the other woman's, letting any anxieties hidden by their dreamlike countenance fade and quiet. Ophelia is distrustful of the world beyond the Grounds, and the people moreso. It is equally an unfortunate admission to themself that Maea can handle herself and Phi has no ability to chain them here where they think she will be infinitely safer.
Looking down into their bag, Ophelia spins it shut tight at the top and smirks back at Danta. "Ready to rock, sir," they chirp innocently, as if they have no notion of what puns are. Breaking and laughing shortly after, they bump shoulders with Maea, idly reaching out their hand in case the woman would want to take it and tilting their chin back toward the inner quarter. "Let's go find some bigger crabs and warm up!"
- Fin!
it's peaceful in the deep, either way you cannot breathe no need to pray - no need to speak
