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 has been long enough since Isla first seeded the idea of a clinic in Torchline in her mind. Since then there's been curiosity, doubt and literal catastrophe, but finally today she's putting thought into action, making plans into reality.
Having sent out a letter to Stormbreak to see if a certain aviator might be available for assistance - Everest had expressed interest previously, after all - Isla has also roped in her oldest friend for the occasion. And call it dark humour, but she quite enjoys the idea of Ludo's demigod helping to build a medical clinic.
The building in question is (or will be) a lovely little place opening out onto a wide street and a set of railings, overseeing the glittering ocean... er, and the ominous, purple-hued island in the distance. But whatever. Currently in a state of disrepair, needing new windows, a new roof and a good clean, Isla nonetheless finds herself feeling positive about it all as she waits for help to arrive.
This is a PQ to set up a medical clinic in Haulani!
Though Everest had been anticipating Isla's letter, when it finally did arrive it filled the aviator with a weighty and unshakable feeling of anxiety that held him hostage until the evening he set sail for Torchline. Having been consumed by research about clinics, about how best to construct a building on sand, having extensively shadowed his mother on her rounds and queried all the rest of the medical staff about what they'd most want in a clinic, Everest found himself feeling less prepared to help Isla for all of his research, then when he'd started. Such was the risk of realizing all one didn't know about a subject.
Still, having arrived the night before so that there was no chance of being late, Everest arrived with an armful of coffees, teas, biscuits, and muffins in the hopes of meeting the tastes of anyone else who had come to help Isla.
"Good morning." Ever called, nudging open the sagging door with one foot and blinking into the mottled sunlight.
I will not be brave but i'm grateful to get through
Mumbling something sweet and vaguely menacing against Ronin's ear, the Lullaby rolled out of bed and scrubbed the sleep from his eyes before getting dressed. The pair had moored (read: pulled) their houseboat closer to the bit of the coast nearest to where Isla's clinic would be, such that Remi only had to fly for a few minutes in order to reach the little street the Remedy had described.
Spying Everest with his arms full, Remi wandered in his direction, clearing his throat loudly to announce his presence. Though he hadn't seen his son's friend as much now that the boys had grown into men, he remembered enough about the aviator's strange way of going about life not to sneak up on him. "Hey Everest. Are you here to help as well?"
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Within the clinic, of course Isla has rounded up some good-natured and eager to help NPCs citizens, and they, at the very least, are thrilled to see Everest and his offerings. Shooting the aviator a bright smile, one that becomes softer and warmer to see Remi on his heels, Isla moves away from the plans and lists she's put together to approach the two men. "Good morning," she greets, offering Remi a hug and a quick kiss to his cheek for his trouble.
"Thanks for coming, both of you. There's... well. There's a lot to do, but this isn't my first rodeo." The infirmary had needed putting back together enough times. "The first part is structural, though. Remi, do you think you can take a look at the roof? I'm hoping it just needs new tiles. And Everest, could you look at the windows and the door? There are plenty of supplies, and we've got a carpenter or two in the group to help."
First round!
Isla has asked if Remi can look at the roof and make some repairs as needed. She's asked if Everest would mind sorting the windows and the door so they open/shut properly. In the meantime, Isla and her group will clean out the area.
"Hello Remi." The aviator greets, before the door is suddenly pulled open in earnest. Trying his best to return Isla's smile, Everest's attention is pulled rather forcefully by the hands suddenly relieving him of the various drinks and snacks that he's brought. Fumbling to try and keep things from falling, it's only when nearly everything has been removed from him that he's able to breathe and look up, just in time to see the embrace between Lullaby and Remedy. Regarding the pair with a blink, Everest shuffles out of the way with his eyes low.
"I can do that." He agrees immediately, and, thanks to the books he'd read recently as well as the other buildings he'd helped set right again in Stormbreak, felt fairly confident that he could. With a project to take his mind off of the social complexities of the situation he found himself in, the aviator busied himself with the door first.
"We'll need to reshim the frame so that it closes level. We should also add in some insulation here and here to help with drafts." So saying, he nodded to a few NPCs before setting about to do most of the work himself.
I will not be brave but i'm grateful to get through
"Mmmm, it has been too long." Remi murmurs into a wave of blonde hair as he wraps his arms around the medic to draw her close. "I have missed you." He adds before straightening and flashing his friend a crooked smile. He was relieved that it was Everest here and not Sunjata, even if the aviator's presence was a bit of a surprise.
"I can do that." Stepping around Everest in order to get outside, it was with a shake of his shoulders that the Lullaby unfurled his wings and made his way to the roof. Pulling at a few tiles revealed a good number would in fact need to be repaired, though from what he could see of the physical structure itself, things looked to be in good condition.
Or, so he thought right up until one of his legs plunged through the roof. This was followed by a rather melodic string of curses in the travelling tongue as Remi pulled himself out and began his repairs in earnest.
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Thank you," Isla says, her gratitude all but rolling off her as she watches both men get to work. Hardly one to stand idly by, of course the medic also gathers her help and begins clearing debris and cleaning floors and surfaces. By the time Ever has the door working and the windows gliding open and shut, the place is already looking a lot brighter.
Until Remi's foot showers them all with splinters, and a curse spills from Isla's lips in her surprise. "Gods, are you alright?" she calls up to the Lullaby, despite knowing that he will be. It's Remi, after all. So instead fo panicking, she gets to sweeping up the new mess, until it looks like a very respectable - if empty - reception area.
Waiting for Remi to return from the roof - and giving them all a chance for a drink and a break - Isla proceeds.
"This will be the reception. There's a couple of rooms in the back I'll use as a consultation area and an office. There's timber and tools here - would someone be able to help put a desk together, do you think? And I could use a hand clearing out the back."
Round 2! Someone can come with Isla to clear out the back two rooms, and another person can help to put together the reception desk!
"Sorry—!" Comes the reply, before a rather boyish-looking demigod glances down through the hole and flashes Isla an apologetic smile. Finishing up on the roof, Remi wipes at his forehead before leaping down with his wings fanned to slow his descent. Shaking them off in order to fit through the door frame, Remi accepts a glass of water with thanks as he glances around.
"It has been a few years since I have been any good at following instructions." Remi says of the desk before nodding to Everest. "I think maybe you would be better for that." It would also give him more time to chat with Isla which he'd sorely missed. It seemed the only time he saw her these days was at parties or when he'd been sliced open by arrivals from another world.
"So you have finally decided to put roots down here, mm?"
Remi helps Isla!
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Flinching at the sudden hole in the ceiling, Everest looks up sharply before immediately trying to identify any other points of weakness in the ceiling lest someone should get hurt. Remi was invulnerable, that he knew from his days growing up with Mateo, but as far as he was aware, neither he, Isla, nor any of the citizens here to help shared the Lullaby's strength. Only when he was convinced there was no immediate danger did the aviator finish up his tasks, before silently accepting a drink as well.
Frowning a touch at Remi's reasoning for taking one task over the other though not minding being on desk-duty, Everest turned and set out the instructions before meticulously putting the pieces into piles, getting all the necessary screws and nails, and ensuring he had a clean workspace before beginning. The desk came together efficiently and without issue. Everest even took the time to sand down a few of the edges so that they wouldn't be so sharp should someone pass too close, and to grease the drawer's tracks so they'd slide more easily.
I will not be brave but i'm grateful to get through
"I have," Isla says with a grin as she spots Remi coming through the doors to help. She starts with the office space, which luckily already has a functioning desk, some shelving and bookcases, and just needs a thorough clean. "Especially after what happened at the beginning of Longheat... it's starting to feel like we should be ready for anything again, you know?"
It's sad but true, Isla opening the windows of her office and dusting out the interior, before starting to sweep debris and dust into a neat pile. "I notice you have as well," she adds with a crooked grin, referring of course to putting down roots. (Albeit watery ones).
Back out in the reception, of course Everest is able to put the desk together with meticulous perfection; as such, his helping hands are more available to help manoeuvre it into place, and to add varnish and other finishing touches to it and the rest of the space. By the time Remi and Isla are able to take a break from the office area, they've even managed to add some seating.
"It's starting to come together," the medic says, sounding pleased. "I need a hand with the consultation area, and there's a sign to hang outside the door," she continues.
Round 3! Onto the consultation room for whoever wants to help Isla, and there's a wooden hanging sign to attach above the front door!
"Well, one of us realized that perhaps we should be a bit closer to our children." Remi says with a shrug, and though there's a grin on his lips, it isn't at all clear if he means that it was his idea or Ronin's. "Could not have picked better timing, I suppose." As for being ready for anything? The boyish smile melts from the Lullaby's lips and for a moment he looks a bit too much like the murderous man he'd become post-war. Trying to sigh away the tension from his shoulders and his mind, Remi gives his head a small shake as his fingers become feathered. Brushing at some of the dust before opting to switch to a broom, he nudges the Remedy with what might have been a tentacle. "Look at us, living in the same place again. How many years has it been since we could say that?"
Grinning, Remi grabs for the sign. Picking up a hammer and some nails on his way out, it's with wings and easy strength that he begins to secure the sign to the outside of the clinic.
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
With tasks to keep his mind focused and enough physical distance between himself and everyone else thanks to the protective wall of wood and supplies he's tactically placed on the floor, Ever has stopped feeling actively anxious about things and has started to relax. Perhaps that's why as Isla sets out the next two tasks the aviator isn't as hesitant as he otherwise might have been about helping with the consultation rooms.
"My mother and some of the medical staff in Stormbreak had some insights about rooms like this, if you'd like to hear them." Ever offers politely, not wanting to seem as though he was implying Isla was ignorant or was in desperate need of such advice. If she was open to it, he'd explain what the other doctors had said about setting rooms up so as not to look confrontational, to make people feel at home, and also to provide safe access to exits in case patients should become agitated or dangerous while in the room.
I will not be brave but i'm grateful to get through
Grinning after Remi and appropriately nudged by a miscellaneous appendage, for a moment Isla can't help but linger on his parting words. They make her want to cry and scream, or grab at Remi's cheeks and squash them with glee. Swallowing down the emotion lest it interrupt their task, the Remedy nevertheless makes a mental note to catch up properly with her old friend after this, and heads into the consultation room.
The space is relatively airy and bright, getting the best of the light of the day, and while Isla does have many ideas about how to set up the room, she of course nods eagerly to hear Ever's opinions. "I haven't had a chance to visit Stormbreak as much as I'd like. I've always wanted to learn about how things are done there from a medical perspective." Given the lack of magic for so long, of course.
Between the two of them and their combined knowledge, however borrowed Ever's might be, the room comes together relatively quickly. There's even a back door leading out into a little garden area if patients should need a break or want to make a discreet exit, and as they return to the reception, it's with the space seeming all but complete.
"Only one last thing for now," Isla says, gesturing to a few crates and boxes neatly stacked in one corner. "A lot of these are supplies for the stockroom in the consultation area, if someone wouldn't mind putting them away. I also moved the first aid kits from the Hanged Man - we can keep them here behind the reception desk."
Last round! There's supplies to put away and first aid kits to arrange!
'I am sure they would love to have you. My mother would, certainly.' Tobi was fascinated by Outlanders as it was, but an Outlander physician? "They can be a little stuck in their ways though, I'll warn you of that now." Everest adds with a small smile. Perhaps he'd elaborate more when their tasks were completed.
For now, Everest goes to the first aid kits. Given his familiarity with them it only made sense, though he experienced the strangest sort of melancholy as he recalled the afternoon in which they were made. Rubbing between his eyes for a moment, the aviator begins to neatly arrange the kits so that they could be easily grabbed or handed out without disturbing the rest.
Stepping back not to admire his work, but to ensure he hadn't missed anything, Ever found himself nodding with approval. Not that it was his to give, of course. "This looks really great, Isla."
I will not be brave but i'm grateful to get through
