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!
It’s anything but a strange sight to see, as the broad shouldered man helps out a rickety, put together shop in the destruction of Haulani, a space to prepare and make food for those that are working on fixing the area. Of course, it’s the scent of that food that draws Pierce’s attention, something particularly divine as he takes a bite.
The stranger finds that it’s worth it to stick around, indulging in the sites despite the debris that taints it, taking in the violet hue on the horizon as the sun heads toward sunset, drifting between learning how to prepare these delicious slabs of meat and grilled vegetables along side being helpful as he takes the little trays of them out toward the workers. Why? Because how are you supposed to get an idea of what the people were thinking if you weren’t directly involved in being kind and generous and curious, of course.
He'd gotten about all the information he wanted, and finds himself on the city’s edge, propped up in a chair and diving into dinner, incredibly content to watch the waves amongst the purple streaked sunset and indulge.
Thal ventured through the jerry-rigged stalls of the vendors who were attempting to optimize the food stores that had survived the chaos. Most knew that the community would be in dire need of sustenance and took advantage of that by raising their prices. A few people prepared food specifically for the restoration workers. An even smaller group chose to use what little supplies they had to make a large pot of watered-down soup that could be bought with a smile and a "thank you." Although she admired the sentiment, Thal had little desire for dirty meat water. Her palate was too... refined for that.
Many of the greedy shop owners had their eyes peeled for desperate riff-raff who might attempt to make off with their delectable goods. But Thal didn't look like a "desperate riff-raff." With her black cloak pulled up to hide her Ancient features, she glided through the throngs of people unnoticed. The chaos of the community allowed her to swipe a few piping hot meat pastries and a bushel of plump fruit. The coins in her pouch would probably have been enough, but free dinner was always better than dinner you had to pay for. Even better, if someone else paid for it.
Caught up in enjoying her evening meal, she strolled towards the water's edge, humming a sea shanty. Thal noticed a lone figure already occupying the area but was in too good of a mood to assert dominance over the location. Instead, she proceeded to pick a nearby tree to lean against as she shoved another bite into her mouth.
The sunset cast a purple glow on the horizon. Each color melted into the next. Purple. Pink. Orange. Yellow. The water below welcomed the array of colors, choosing to reflect the masterful art on its surface rather than the usual blue of its depths. It almost made her wish that she was back on its currents, going anywhere but here. For now, she would have to settle for her meat pastries, sea shanties, and sunset ocean views.
He knows he isn’t alone the first second she steps out into the clearing above the water, though he doesn’t immediately acknowledge her presence. Instead, Pierce finishes up the last bite of food, licks his fingers clean, keeps his eyes trained on the horizon and the sounds of people rushing by to constantly fix things paired with the cry of passing gulls. The dull roar of the ocean’s roaring waves can even be heard here, though it’s nothing compared to the baritone of his voice when he does acknowledge the stranger, eyes still fixated on the horizon.
”There’s nothing quite like having dinner with a view, wouldn’t you agree?” Pierce asks, shifting ever so slightly in the seat, head tilting toward her after a few heartbeats of a second to take her in. A smaller frame, a hood concealing much of her appearance aside from the dark curls that poke out from the fabric. There’s an air of mystique alongside unbridled confidence that immediately captures the man’s attention.
He says nothing more, however, beyond awaiting her response as he boldly looks her over.
As the crispy exterior of the pastry passes her lips, Thal makes a sound of appreciation for the last morsel. Perhaps her detour here had not been completely in vain. Would the chef possibly be vulnerable to a motivating invitation? Maybe she would be departing with more than just supplies.
Thal glances at the man occupying the chair, observing the silhouette of his dark curls and stocky build. Despite the violence of his bulging muscles, the set of the man's shoulders and his relaxed movements convey a sense of nonchalance and calm indifference. When his head turns to meet her gaze, the blue of his eyes seems to glow against his dark figure with the sun setting behind him. It gives him an almost otherworldly sheen.
His baritone voice implies an even deeper strength that Thal finds herself curious of and the open assessment in his eyes piques her senses. She flashes him a grin and chuckles. "Dessert would be preferred, but I suppose dinner is a close second." Thal brushes the crumbs from her hands by running them down her trousers. "Although I have never been one to sit still for long and sunsets are often fleeting."
At this point, she would have chosen to walk away for emphasis, but she finds herself intrigued enough to stay, maintaining eye contact with this stranger in the departing sunlight.
”Oh, who could forget about dessert?” As if the realization had just dawned on him. Something sweet sounded delectable, something that he hadn’t initially thought of when he’d settled down in this chair with the remnants of dinner having already passed by his lips. But she continues to speak and he continues to observe, watching as she wipes away the crumbs from whatever she’d devoured, allowing his gaze to travel back up to meet her eyes.
A fleeting smile tugs on the corner of his lips, head tilting as his gaze grows a hint more calculating. ”I suppose we have that in common, then.” Comes the amused response. He breaks eye contact with her then, in order to stand from the rickety chair that had worked hard to maintain his form within it. He stretches out a little, arms above his head, still getting used to the sensation this body allowed him. He can’t deny that stretching out tired muscles brought a euphoric sense to him, one that’s punctuated with the little sighed out groan that passes from his lips as he settles again.
”What has kept you sitting still this long?” Pierce asks, turning toward her more fully, framed by the backdrop of the sunset in airs of swirling hues.
Thal tracks the stranger's eyes as they rise back up to meet hers. A light shiver runs down her spine, but she remains rooted to the spot. She would not allow this man to make her waver. Even as the tilt of his head reminds her of a predator assessing his catch. Instead, Thal crosses her arms defiantly and shrugs. "I suppose so." Lifting her eyebrows conspiratorially, she tilts her head in a similar fashion. "I wonder what else we might have in common?"
The stranger stands slowly. His muscles seem to strain against his skin as he stretches. A thin layer of sweat reflects the purple light. The chair now looks surprisingly small next to his hulking figure. How had it held him to begin with? At the sound of his groan, Thal makes note of his comfortable and easy confidence. When he finally stills, she lets him see her eyes watching him - not that she dared look anywhere else.
With a dramatic sigh, she feigns exasperation, clutching her chest. "There is so little worth exploring on this demolished wasteland. My soul feels like it is dying of boredom." She pauses for exaggeration before laughing. Thal peaks out at him behind her dark curls and flashes him a fanged grin. "Do you have any cures for my ailment?" Her tone is sarcastic and amused, waiting patiently for his response.
”One way to find out.” Pierce responds, his baritone voice fleeting as he rises from the chair and stretches out, relishing in the sensation as it loosens his muscles – a feeling he doesn’t often get but one that he finds he enjoys a surprising amount. And perhaps part of it is the show, letting her watch and enjoy this form of his, indulging in the fact that she’s focused on him rather than anything else around.
He turns to her then, lips twitching into a smirk as she feigns her exasperation, the dramatics blossoming around her in a swell that has a deep rumble of a chuckle leaving him to meet her fanged grin. ”Oh, but there is so much to see and witness. Perhaps you don’t know where to look.” He teases her in return, boldly stepping toward the Ancient, closing in on the space between them to let his chin dip as he looks down toward her. ”But I do.” His smirk shifts into a wolfish, toothy grin, waiting to see if she accepts the offer.
Thal found her curiosity continuing to increase with each minute. This stranger seems to naturally exude power from every pore. Boredom was the farthest thing from her mind right now. She was more interested in discovering what kind of things they might have in common. A subconscious grin sneaks onto her face at the idea. "I look forward to it." It comes out more as a whisper, but she hopes he heard.
His deep laugh sparks a thrill of exhilaration deep in the pit of her stomach, only strengthened as he steps closer. Thal had to lift her chin to maintain eye contact. Although her shorter stature was often a cause for frustration, she liked the view from this angle. "Do you now? Don't keep me waiting." She pushes her body away from the tree, bringing her even closer to his smile. In a taunting manner, Thal turns to step away, throwing a look over her shoulder. "Did I mention that I hate sitting still?"
He does exude power. He’s strength. He’s power. And one thing that he does the best is he doesn’t have to say any of it. His mere presence announces it, in the ripple of the muscle viewable from the way he shifts, the stocky build and rumbling baritone of his voice. He’s only spurred on from her grin, a brow raising beneath bouncing curls, that wolfish grin sticking around all the same in a silent answer of me too.
Pierce steps closer, though, peering down at her to take her in, head cocking as she pushes off the tree, closer to him where he can quite nearly breathe her in. ”I believe you have mentioned that.” That deep tone vibrates out again, Pierce pausing for one brief moment to glance back out at the water and the view, before he turns and starts to follow her, aiming to close into her space, promptly brushing right by her side before he confidently takes the lead.
He isn’t a man of announcing plans ahead of time, and so it’s with a mostly quiet path that Pierce guides them toward an entrance to a cave system, shaken loose and far more visible ever since the meteor had crashed into the Arclight, disappearing into the dark with a taunting and playful grin, as if egging her to come along with.
Their exchange of smiles feels like the exciting start to something. Thal is impatient to discover what that might be. The shared breath promises a deep level of intensity and his intimately deep voice spells trouble. Whether that trouble would be for her or others was yet to be seen. At the moment, she couldn't care less.
It only takes him a second to catch up to her, the "brush" of his body against her side feeling more like granite than a person. Watching his back proceed ahead of her, Thal is tempted to test her new theory that he may be stone rather than skin and bones. It would explain the smooth skin and sculpted muscles. However, the warmth had been unmistakable. And it seems to linger on her skin despite the growing shadows around them.
She studies his steady stride and purposeful movements, following him without a second thought to wherever he intended. Nothing has piqued her interest like this in quite some time and she is determined to see where it takes her. Even as he leads her to a crumbling cave entrance.
The grin he shoots her before melting into the dark would have been a warning for others, but Thal was not easily fazed. She flashes a fanged smile back, accepting the invitation in his eyes and steps over the threshold into the unknown.
As her eyes adjust, Thal notices that it's not just a cave, but a system of caves. How long had they been here? Were they made or naturally occurring? How far did they travel? She finds a flood of questions making her nearly speechless. Nearly.
"So, guide, how are these dilapidated caves going to solve my boredom?" She turns to him with a light smirk, making sure to stay close in the dim lighting.
It’s quite possible that he does feel like granite beneath her touch, hardened muscle and taught skin – this form at odds with the rippling power that settled beneath his exterior. He runs hot, as she’d noticed when he’d brushed against her however briefly it had been, before he guides her toward Rae’s Finger’s, new entrances opening from the meteor crash.
And perhaps it’s an amount of cockiness, that roguish grin offered before he melts into the backdrop of nothing, amused within the shadows to find her own fanged grin back, watching as she approaches. He continues to step backwards, allowing her eyes to adjust, finding his aptly piercing – even if they still don’t know each other’s names, Pierce finds he doesn’t particularly care about the small talk when she looks at him the way that she does.
Like she wants to find out what makes him tick. ”Because they aren’t just any dilapidated caves, my dear.” Comes the throaty, deep purr, ensuring that she remains close as he guides her, even if he doesn’t have to exactly look where he’s going. The sections drift deeper, the echoing sound of water lapping against rocks are the only other sound aside from their breathing and the flickering crackle of a torch or two in the distance.
He stops rather abruptly, like a bloodhound who just got a better trail, stopping hard enough that she might run into him – but Pierce pays it little mind as he reaches for her – palm almost hot (though as an Ancient she likely wouldn’t mind) – to tug her into an offshoot where boxes half opened, broken, and completely sealed sat waiting for the taking. There’s one torch here, lighting up the space enough to spy the gilded glimmer of weaponry and shiny gold and silver trinkets.
Pierce releases her the second they’re within the confines of it, stepping aside to press his back against the sharp wall, content to watch her peruse the treasure, should she like to.
He steps backwards, further into the darkness. His piercing eyes serve to pull her like a magnet in his vicinity. Each step is silent in the caressing shadows. Yet the ocean breeze winding through the tunnels does little to keep her from enjoying the heat of his proximity. It seems to pulse like a heartbeat, somehow matching her own while simultaneously being her inverse. Almost hypnotic, Thal wants to lean into the heat and explore its intricacies. Screw semantics. Maybe she just wants to explore his intricacies.
The purred response settles in her ears comfortably, eliciting a hum of acknowledgement and approval from her. Although she is tempted to ask more questions, the anticipation surrounding them takes up more air than words would require. Thal is content to glide through the maze of caves, following behind this tantalizing stranger in silence.
When he stops suddenly, she takes the opportunity to steal a fleeting moment of nearness that is promptly followed by the searing touch of his hand on her arm through the fabric of her clothing. It makes her want to pull him inconceivably closer. She has never felt such a comfortable warmth. Thal almost doesn't notice the alcove he pulls them into until his palm leaves her.
As her thoughts reorient, she takes a moment to observe her surroundings, always conscious of the stranger's presence. The torchlight glistens against metals of every kind. Gold. Silver. Steel. And others she couldn't name. Her profession often gave her access to large amounts of wealth, but the treasures held in this room are overwhelming. And yet, unimaginably, her mind isn't focusing on any of them. It is lingering with the man against the wall, his gaze ignoring everything but her. Watching. Waiting.
Thal smirks mischievously as she pretends to continue her analysis of the trove. She drifts amongst the boxes, letting her hand skim their surfaces, careful not to make a sound. It wouldn't do to ruin the moment. Instead, she lets her fingers brush each item gently, overemphasizing her movements from the trailing tips of her nails to the elegant sway of her body. Perhaps it is slightly dramatic, but she enjoys the thrill it gives her to act under his attentive eye.
When she has finally finished her "assessment," Thal stops near him and sighs loudly. "It disappoints me to think that you thought trinkets would be enough to assuage my boredom." She is exaggerating slightly. Although the treasure would have excited her an hour ago, she has found something much more stimulating. "Is this the best you've got?" Despite her acknowledgement of his power and the dangerous game she was playing, the challenge is present in the angle of her hips and the tsk from her tongue. Dancing with fire is a hobby of hers after all.
He has no need for the shiny trinkets in this offshoot of the cave. He has no need for anything, really, but there’s temptation in the way that she walks through it, while his eyes never leave her. It’s almost as if she’s putting on a show for him and Pierce is nothing if not raptly attentive.
Her fingers drag against each box full of goodies and he remains, back to the wall, waiting to hear what she decides to be worth the travel into the caves with the stranger. And when her voice starts to rise, a quiet dull thrum of an echo through the cavern they’re in, Pierce’s wolfish smirk grows again, especially as she rounds to a stop before him.
His back presses into the grooves of the stone cave behind him, his head tilting playfully like a cat with a mouse. ”I wanted to see what I was working with.” That baritone voice crosses the distance between them again, and without a heartbeat of a second more, Pierce pushes off the wall, crowding her and offering the heat and marble of his body, effectively trying to corral her to step back, aiming to press her back against the table where the trinkets and boxes sat.
He leans in, head hovering above her shoulder, her curls tickling at his nose when he speaks in an almost impossible gravellier tone. ”Seems like the most valuable thing in here to you, is me.” And just like that, she’d passed a test of sorts, and Pierce remains exactly where he is, pressing against her but still refraining from touching, as if trying to figure out just how he’d reward her.
His carnivorous gaze has her wanting to step forward, but she waits patiently for his response to her challenge. When his deep voice rumbles through the cave, she barely has time to register them before he is upon her. The heat and strength of his body is so near that she is tempted to let him press against her, but she prefers the delicious tension between them. Instead, she allows herself to lean seductively against the table behind her, letting her hands brace against the wood. Soft clinking echoes as their movements disturbs a few of the long-forgotten trinkets.
As he leans down, she turns her head slightly to bare her neck. The low octave of his voice has her taking a deep, catching breath. Thal processes the words faintly, more focused on the warmth of him being so close. Time seems to hang frozen around them, but she isn't interested in holding her breath. She angles her head so that her mouth almost brushes his ear in return. "Not you..." A fanged tooth extends to drag along his earlobe and a low growling accompanies her next word. "Us." The implication is clear enough without her having to say it. And what we can do.
Thal doesn't know this man, but she has an idea of what he can offer her, and she thinks it will be more than enough to satisfy her boredom.
