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!
There are way too many trees, she realizes, when she looks up and can’t even try to navigate their way out by the stars. A short look of consternation flits across her face as she resigns herself to wandering around with the hopes that they’ll make it out before daylight. Good news is that there’s a lot of shade in here - bad news is daylight lasts a fucking long time right now. Anyway. She follows Lucas’s lead this time - not because she thinks he knows which way to go, but because she hasn’t any idea either, and one guess is as good as any other at this point.
Wessex is, however, trying to siphon information from their surroundings: air flow, smell, temperature, even. Unfortunately, everything just smells like the woods.
Lucas brings her attention back to him (well done) and her lips purse a little in response. “Yes, of course. But with the right people. Unfortunately, Naturals aren’t too keen on Ascending. We’re the stuff of nightmares to children and the devout call us abominations. It’s stupid, really.” She pauses and tilts her head in a thoughtful manner. “There might be some old ones still in hiding, like 108 and Kristopher. But I wouldn’t count on it.” She throws him a glance now, curious. “Why? Have someone in mind?”
Perhaps a certain, always beautiful lady who’s name rhymes with Shmexshanna? Not that Wessex would know about that.
Lucas waved a hand at the mention of Naturals, wrinkling his nose. "They are certainly not the right kind of people," he drawled. "Apart from yourself and a select few others - most of whom regrettably died in the assault on the Spire - they are not the sort to make good Ascended anyway." Quite the opposite, in fact, especially if Sam was anything to go by. And he didn't plan to go by him for any future recruits.
Did he have anyone in mind, though? Lily, certainly, might make a good Ascended. But there were precious few people within or without the barrier with that freedom of choice, it seemed. Grumbling to himself and kicking a stray rock as they walked, he glanced back over his shoulder at Wessex. "I think I have changed my mind," he muttered. "Perhaps you and I ought to focus on ourselves, for now - on making sure we are of as much use as possible."
05-20-2019, 05:58 PM (This post was last modified: 05-20-2019, 05:59 PM by Wessex.)
“When you say ‘ourselves’ do you mean respectively, or us as a team?” Wessex halts and turns to face the blonde man, crossing her arms and fixing Lucas with a look of mild skepticism, a look that he could easily see in the dark. Wessex trusts very few people, and even if they are going to take that intimate step towards ‘teammates,’ she still isn’t sure she’d trust him with her second life. She knows nothing about his past. And the guy’s too attractive and smooth for his own good.
In her experience, those kind of people are rarely to be trusted. They’ve developed the charisma for a reason.
“‘Cause I can get behind ‘Team Ascended’ if it involves furthering Her cause, but I also think you would stab me in the back if it benefitted you.” She shrugs a little. “Hell, I’d probably do the same to you, depending on the reward.”
"I always mean respectively unless stated otherwise," Lucas said smoothly, falling to a halt at Wessex's sudden turn to gaze at him. Oh so sharp, was this one, and the Ascended felt a fanged grin spreading across his face. "Though I'd agree that anything and everything we can share to further Her cause would be worth it."
That didn't mean he wouldn't betray her at the drop of a pin, though, and Lucas wasn't afraid to say it. He breezed by, picking up his pace again and seeming pleased to spot the thinning trees up ahead, leading back into the Outskirts. "It wouldn't take something as defined as 'benefitting me' to stab you in the back," he remarked. "But that doesn't mean I don't think we couldn't benefit each other in this endeavour, either."
Well. You don’t outlive your whole damn family without being sharp, so fuck you too and your Ascended dad jokes too, Lucas.
At any rate, they’re on the same page and know each other’s intentions. They’re both utterly selfish, self-serving, and probably narcissistic. They also conveniently lack that annoying guilt complex that others seem to bury themselves in. It’s freeing, really. At least that’s how Wessex chooses to see it.
Which means.... Game on.
“For Her, then.” she says in agreement. With the Outskirts up ahead, there’s little reason for them to remain together. When they cross the Wildwood border, Wessex states matter-of-factly, recapping their discussion of their excursion. “So you’ll get those onyx pieces and I’ll work on the other bits. And if anything comes up regarding Her, we’ll find each other. Otherwise… “ she makes a gesture as if to say ‘fuck off, we both know we work better alone’ and leaves it at that. Her sharp ears would catch any words of affirmation or rejection he might say as she sets off towards ‘home,’ and then the glassblowers camp.
"For Her," Lucas agreed, stepping out of the Wildwood and back into the Outskirts as seamlessly as, no doubt, his companion had managed. He rested his hands in his pockets and inclined his head to her. "Once I have the onyx pieces I'll come and call on you," he said. And in the meantime, yadda yadda yadda...
He grinned at her gesture, offering a roguish bow of acknowledgement and a quiet call of farewell. Then Lucas set off in the other direction, a blur in the shadows on feet that could move faster than any mere mortal. Game on, indeed.
