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!
the fire can't touch me for I have burned too many times
His amusement remained as the cyclone emerged and immersed, swindling and coursing through the grounds – enough to give others nearby some apprehension as well, if the raised heads were anything to go by. But as they were purposefully not at full strength, it still didn’t take long for them to dissipate, the armor to shatter, or for Sah to roll out of the way.
Shaking his head and laughing, he dissipated the remains, so the snow, rocks, and other portions fell back to their original spaces on the floor. Uncertain if this had been enough for the Wild Thunder’s particulars, his head tilted, voice rumbling through the section as the rest of his soldiers returned to their duties and practices. “Did you need anything else?”
the sea can't harm me for I have been drowning all my life
Sah stood and dusted himself off with a laugh, "I think that more than proved to me the current limits of my mage armor. Thank you." Using telekinesis, he cleaned up the area of any damage. A complicated expression crossed his face as he turned back to Deimos once he was done.
"Have Hotaru and Talyson told you about their plans?" The question was tentative, uncertain if he was informing the Sword of something the duo would rather keep quiet about for now. Neither had said so, but Noah hadn't mentioned wanting to keep the twin's status as Abandoned a secret. Yet the man had gone and hidden the fact anyway, leaving Sah to reveal it to Cordelia accidentally.
the fire can't touch me for I have burned too many times
“You are welcome,” he acknowledged with only a boyish grin and a nod, eyes glancing towards the climbing wall. He figured he’d be returning there shortly, with Sah appeased and content with the outcomes, and began taking the first necessary strides, when the inquiry came, assembled and assigned with notions the Sword hadn’t thought would even be considered today.
He froze instantly, the juvenile qualities of his mirth gone and settling for something taut and unyielding. “Ru has,” he permitted to unfurl from his slight frown, and not much else. Uncertain where this was going, and having no knowledge (or care) of Talyson’s plans, he could only grant the honest and blunt answer.
the sea can't harm me for I have been drowning all my life
Sah felt pricks of guilt at Deimos' sudden shift in mood. He let out a heavy sigh before nodding, "They're both moving." Leaving us. The Wild Thunder's jaw tightened, "I can't understand it. I wished them the best, but I just... don't get it." The wild Thunder reached up and ran a hand through his hair, "Where's the logic? This is their home, so many of their people are here. Times are growing dangerous again. So...just...why?" Sah glanced at Deimos helplessly, hoping his wiser friend could shed some insight. He'd been wracking his brain but had been coming up empty. He knew both of them had grown distant from Halo, but the decision to move still seemed radical.
"I can't help but keep asking myself if there was something I could have done to stop this." The words were quiet, strained. Almost like a confession.
the fire can't touch me for I have burned too many times
Deimos had already had his moments of shock, shame, guilt, disappointment, and that overwhelming sensation of loss and abandonment. The reopening of the scarred over lacerations didn’t quite help, and he could feel the age-old, primordial semblances of melancholy rising back over the surface. Rather than fold and yield, he indicated they should vacate the surroundings with a twist of his head, away from the sights and sounds of the soldiers (who were always listening). “Come with me,” and he started heading towards his office; much quieter, and tucked away from prying ears.
Once they were down the hallway and into the parlor, with its flickering fire, he found himself leaning against his desk, something solid, arms crossed over his chest. “I am not certain I will ever understand it either,” especially Ru – running right back into the arms of someone who’d harmed her over and over again and seemingly so willing to forgo and forget everything. “I blamed myself initially, wondered if I was not doing enough, or if Halo simply was not for her any longer.” He took a long, slow breath, a shrug of his shoulders forming – because loyalty was a driven fact between both of them, and multitudes more amidst the sanction of the mountainous world – the thought of leaving had never occurred. “Perhaps they thought there were other opportunities they could not find here. I would never allow Sunjata within Halo, for example,” in Ru’s case. Not after everything he’d done.
His eyes wandered towards the fire, restless again. “I am not certain either – but it is safe to say you are not the cause,” and here he gave the lightest of smiles, before it threatened to dissipate once more. “What would you have tried?”
the sea can't harm me for I have been drowning all my life
02-24-2024, 08:53 PM (This post was last modified: 02-25-2024, 02:01 AM by Sah.)
I have never feared the storm
Sah nodded and followed the man silently to his office. It was both a blessing and a curse to hear that Deimos had considered similar notions. The Wild Thunder shook his head as he sternly addressed his friend, "You do more than enough for Halo. We're strong, thriving as much as we can in the current state of the world. Our people are healthy. The vast majority of that is directly attributable to you and Evie." Halo's current Wardens were excellent rulers and had rightfully earned the region's respect. If Sah needed to remind his friend of that every day, he would.
He listened as Deimos spoke, brow furrowing as he spoke of Sunjata. The Wild Thunder had only met the man a few brief times and only knew the basics of what had transpired between him and Ru. Not enough to form an opinion. He considered asking for elaboration, but that was Ru's tale to tell. "Other opportunities? Maybe." But was that really enough to leave? If they felt unwelcome in Halo, perhaps it was.
Sah smiled slightly at the reassurance, "Perhaps not." The smile fell quickly, though, and he ran a hand over the table beside him to try and rally his thoughts. "Tal asked me to go with them." Sah looked up and met Deimos' eyes, "I told him I couldn't, wouldn't." He shook his head, "I can't imagine myself anywhere but Halo. This is home." That was part of what made Ru and Tal's choice so hard to grasp. They'd been part of Halo far longer than him yet he seemed to be more tied to the place at the moment.
The question caught Sah off guard. What would he have done differently? What could he have done differently? "I...I don't know. I would have tried to be enough of a reason to stay, but...I don't think that's possible." His jaw clenched, "I don't have anything else I could have offered except for the loyalty and love that I already freely gave them." Would always give them.
the fire can't touch me for I have burned too many times
His eyes widened at the compliments provided, perhaps because he rarely accustomed any to himself, but had been learning, striving, trying to not make everything self-deprecating. “Thank you,” he obliged instead of immediately refusing the semblances. “But it still matters if some are not content.” And maybe he would eventually have to learn sometimes it had nothing to do with them at all – and just the way the world revolved and rotated.
The Sword could’ve given any number of reasons why Sunjata was banned from Halo’s vicinity as long as Deimos lived and breathed, but when Sah didn’t ask for any details or elaboration, he let it be. “Ru initially wanted to be with her family,” which hurt in another way – because the mountain range and its people had been exactly that for years upon years, granting, giving, sheltering, encompassing, and she in return. Now they were even more scattered. “And though it may not have worked out,” especially since Flora was leading in Torchline now, “I told her she was always welcome here, regardless of how many arguments her and I had about it."
Something like surprise bestowed its way through his gaze, but he smothered it down for a narrowed gaze at the floor again. He didn’t hold Talyson in any high esteem, not after their quick parting of ways and words, and hardly cared for what the courier did nowadays with his life. It wasn’t his business, nor his concern, but to hear that he’d strived to take Sah out of Halo, and potentially even pilfer apart Sah’s own family in the selfish maneuver, caused another round of rancor to take hold. He wouldn’t show it, nor express it, however, opting instead for the show of loyalty to the Thunder, an individual who didn't bend or break. “Thank you for staying. I could not either.”
But where Sah and Deimos had roots, maybe others didn’t – and he couldn’t make them, regardless. So his smile chiseled its way back, residing halfway. “Exactly. So we continue to give them that love and support, even when it is difficult and from afar."
the sea can't harm me for I have been drowning all my life
Sah nodded, "There will always be those who are discontent. As long as the majority are settled and compromises can be made, then that's enough." He'd struggled with his very brief moment of Wardenship, overwhelmed by the suddenness of it. Later reflection had given him some insights, rudimentary as they were.
The Wild Thunder couldn't help the shaky sigh that escaped him, "Good." Family had always been one of Ru's driving forces, overflowing with love as she was. it ached to know that she'd left despite them being here. Did romantic attachments really come first? It was hard to picture, but given that Sah had never been in a committed romantic relationship, he had no way of knowing how he'd behave.
Some of the ache left as Sah's eyes softened, "Of course." He'd certainly be visiting Ru and Tal, but short of an order from Safrin or a risk to his children's lives, nothing would tear the Wild Thunder from Halo. Halo had been the region that the Outlander had arrived in, and it had slowly but surely become his home and his people. The only thing that might be strong enough was if the region as a whole somehow betrayed him, but Halo was nothing if not tight-knit. The possibility didn't even cross the Wild Thunder's mind.
He blinked in surprise at Deimos' response. Was that truly enough? He wasn't so sure, but Sah still returned the Sword's smile with a slightly forced one of his own, "It's still a bit hard to accept, but you might have a point." The words and reassurances helped, but it would take time for the self-doubts and 'what-ifs' to truly leave his mind.
the fire can't touch me for I have burned too many times
A nod of agreement and understandings followed through on Sah’s additional motions; he hadn’t forgotten the time the Thunder had led briefly, after Morgan’s demise and during their flight of banishment, exile, and flickering their way home. He’d always been grateful that the Abandoned had taken hold of Halo in that time, when so many other fractures and splinters could’ve unfurled and veiled.
And maybe all of it wasn’t enough, but it would have to be for the moment. It was all the Sword had been able to decipher through his own emotional upheaval, and perhaps, with time, they’d have more. “I do not think it will ever be easy.” And who was to say that it would last forever – eternities switched rapidly within Caido. “But thank you for the spar, and for your words. Let me know if you need anything else.”
From there, they could part ways, each perhaps slightly more prepared for the onslaughts to come.
{FIN}
the sea can't harm me for I have been drowning all my life
