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!
Water rippled against the rocky shoreline. Small pinetree seedlings scrabbled for perchage in the shallow soil, crooked and windswept from the constant exposure to the ocean winds. This far out among the islands the Outer Brambles gave Maea the impression of an archipelago, and the climate a life entirely its own. The wind was crisp and clear, full of scents both familiar and foreign; treesap and dry earth, ocean brine and something sweet that could be a nearby apple tree at the height of ripeness - or, less charming, something that rotted in some tidal pool får enough away that the stench wouldn't be overpowering.
Standing on a high rise with the trees stepped back in a circle around her, the wind felt like fingers threading through her hair. She thought of Harper, and just as quickly turned her thoughts away to the question Tal had posed regarding shrines - and sighed over the complications men added to her life.
Hunger rumbling through her gut soon banished them both from her immediate concerns however. Arming herself with a simple fishing spear whittled from a piece of driftwood, Maea kicked off her worn down boots and began to stalk the shoreline for something edible. Too late in the season for eggs, and with little knowledge about seafood, she kept her eyes out for fish as a general rule. Shadows darting in the shallows told her they were certainly there... question was how to catch them without falling in.
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Some deliveries were easier than others, being near to the docks or at least to the courier station he'd built between the town and Jack Tar Landing to facilitate his business. Some were definitely less convenient, being located way out in the middle of nowhere and requiring a lengthy trek to find the recipient. Today's was in the middle; not out in the Wilds, at least, but in one of the least accessible parts of the Grounds.
Tal heaved a heavy sigh, looking tired but sharp-eyed as he trotted back from his errand. There were allogators in the waters around the Brambles; he and Fox had run into a particularly big one the first time they'd met. And then there were the void flowers and beasties that could catch a man unawares if he wasn't careful. Boreal was flying overhead, theoretically keeping an eye out from the air, but sometimes he wondered...
And right on cue there was a cheerful carol of draconic greeting from above before the big, glacier-scaled companion plummeted from the sky to splash into the water nearby. She emerged with a big, fat fish flopping in her muzzle and climbed out onto the shore near Maea, grumbling happily to see the Ancient. Tal changed his direction so he could peer down the embankment, dark hair tousled by the wind and the sunlight glinting off the mica flecks in his dapper black stone vest. "Boreal, what're you-- oh! Hey, Maea," he called, the fond exasperation for his dragon turning to a more cautious greeting for the Ancient, unsure where they stood after their conversation about the proposed shrine.
Starfall har nothing on the tidal wave the dragon created. Maea was sure to tell her that, when the worst of her surprise had settled and the brunt of the cold water had been squeezed from the trousers. She still dripped a bit when Tal caught up and she looked up at him, with the same faint smile as ever.
"Hey there. We really keep running into one another everywhere, don't we." Pale hands kept rubbing the dragon's scales, fighting an internal battle to keep herself from stealing the fish. The faint scent of blood in the air har her tail thrashing wildly.
"Are you any good at fishing?" Plainly ignoring any lingering awkwardness between them, Maea's attention was focused on her stomach at the moment, and the glittering water that rippled and crested in wake of the bombardment. It was a glorious day; she didn't want to spend it arguing.
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
03-12-2024, 07:48 PM (This post was last modified: 03-14-2024, 05:52 PM by Talyson.)
Boreal was, indeed, very proud of the splash that she had made, chin lifted and a somehow jaunty angle to her serpentine tail. She ambled over to 'help' Maea by leaning against the pale woman's side, her own scales still damp, and pushing her horns under those clever fingers. The fish finally ceased its flopping as Tal appeared nearby.
"It's, uh... yeah. Kinda weird, huh?" He attempted an awkward and rather anemic smile as he slide down the bank to join her on the shore, moving towards them with cautious intention. Boreal snorted when she saw him coming and suddenly tossed her head, flipping the fish up and catching it so that it slid head-first and whole down her throat. All except for the tail, which she neatly bit off before it joined the rest of its body.
"Boreal! Bad dragon!" Tal scolded her, scrambling over in a sudden hurry and reaching for her jaws in a futile attempt to pry them open - far too late. "You're gonna choke on those lil bones, y'lunk," he chided her, half-frantic as they wrestled on the water's verge.
At least it broke the tension, and he spared Maea a distracted, sheepish glance and a shake of his scruffy head. "Nah, 'fraid not. Boreal's better at it'n I am. But, um. I've got some jerky, if you're hungry?" He never went anywhere without some. Whatever he didn't eat, his dragon would!
Maea shook her head. "Not that kind of hunger," she elaborated. "But thank you all the same. What sre you doing this far out?" She hadn't seen any settlements - maybe it was another request like that of the rose. There were certainly enough spirits crying in the wind to explain strange deliveries.
Slapping Boreal's neck affectionately, the Ancient separated herself from the dragon and stepped down to the water's edge again. Watching the shadows shooting back and forth for a bit, she made a sudden dive straight out. The water was cold, and splashed high into glittering cascades as the short woman fumbled for fish. Her hand almost caught one, but it slipped through her fingers and she hissed, though perhaps not as viciously as she could have.
It was actually kind of fun.
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Tal's brow furrowed for a moment before understanding dawned. "Ooooh, right." He shrugged and finally gave up wrestling his dragon, who hadn't choked, and was feeling quite smug about getting away with her treat against her human's wishes. She grumbled good-naturedly as Maea slipped away to go back to her own fishing endeavors while Tal found himself having to squeeze out his now-damp clothes just as Maea had been doing.
"Hmm? Oh, had a delivery. There's an old hermit out there," he waved vaguely back the way he'd come from. "Grumpy ol' bastard, but his kids send him stuff now an' again I guess. I got hired t'do it this time, an' I was in th'area makin' some other deliveries in town so..." So the Seawright courier service had struck again!
Even if that courier service was currently rather wet around the edges and looking rather windblown and bedraggled.
He stumped over to a large rock to plop down on, letting the Leafchange sun warm and dry him while Boreal waded back into the water, this time with careful, stalking deliberation. A grin came over the courier's face as he sensed what his companion was up to. Only a Mer could maybe herd fish, but Boreal could spook them towards Maea when she suddenly lunged forward towards the darting, silver shapes so that they had to change direction or risk a mouthful of teeth!
Maea didn't notice Boreal's aid, though likely wouldn't have minded even if she did. Too focused on the fish, she grew very still when the school came flying her way. Glittering droplets didn't even quiver on the horns and skin while she waited, intense in her focus. Another sudden launch - and this time she vanished entirely beneath the surface before emerging a moment later, whooping as she held a wriggling fish in both her hands.
"I caught one! Look Tal, I got it!" Laughing with delight Maea came wading back up on the shore, slipping a bit on the slippery cliffs. A quick bite across the back of the fish's head put it out of its misery. A faint shudder of pleasure passed through her as blood touched her tongue; but the gleam in her eyes soon faded, and she had a new air of contentment about her as she settled down to eat.
"I see. You find people in the strangest places. Guess I can understand why someone would be out here though. It's nice - might be my favorite place in the Grounds right now."
Raw fish was not very tasty, she found. The blood was a bit thin, and the flesh wriggly. "Do you have flint and steel on hand? I just need a spark." She extended her snack like a child asking for more ketchup on her burger.
"I've been well. Keeping busy... Danta gave me a job; you're looking at the new Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds." Color warmed her cheeks; she had not expected anything when asking. Certainly not to be so pleased when she actually got the job. "I met Ronin, and Remi too... never had a chance to talk to them like that before, but it was nice. I like them a lot. And I met Dygra too!" Maea's eyes glazed over at the recollection. "She was... so warm. I finally understand why the others call her Mother. I never knew mine so I can't compare, but... it makes sense."
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Tal watched Maea's plunge with bemusement, sitting safe and dry on the big rock. Well, safe and damp thanks to Boreal, but in the process of drying. At least being near the water didn't freak him out as much as it used to since Sohalia had taught him how to swim. Which was something he probably needed to practice again, so he didn't forget how it worked...
But Maea had emerged from the water, unscathed and victorious, and Tal grinned at her triumph. "Y'sure did! Bare-handed, too!" Which looked even harder than the usual method of fishing, though he didn't have much experience either way. It was the sort of thing he usually left to Boreal, who'd taken to unfrozen water like a... well, like a fish.
He'd heard that raw fish was eaten in Torchline, but this was the first time he'd seen it. His nose wrinkled as he imagined how cold and slimy it probably tasted, and then he snorted as Maea apparently felt the same way. "Sure," he replied easily, shifting to fish around in his Bag for his fire striker and flint to make a few sparks with.
His dark brows lifted towards his hairline at hearing of Maea's promotion and his grin widened. "Hey, congrats! Does that mean y'get to sail around Caido drinkin' fancy grape juice an' eatin' cucumber sandwiches with th'big wigs?" That was probably what an ambassador mostly did, right? The rest washed over him in a wave of her enthusiasm and he listened curiously to all of the other things she'd been up to, until she mentioned Dygra.
"Yeah? I'm glad it's workin' out for you. Did y'ask her for anythin'?" he asked curiously. That was usually how his prayers went, at least.
Sparks flew off the steel with a subtle clack. Ready to catch it with her magic, a flame suddenly whooshed into being, hovering in mid air. Maea stared at it, surprised at how easy it felt. Splitting the orb into two was no harder; excitement bubbled up within and a bright expression washed over her face as she filled the air with a swarm of fiery butterflies. They spiralled up towards the blue sky, winking out only as they went beyond the edge of her reach.
A threshold had been passed, without her noticing. Her skill with the flame was growing - she was growing stronger. Or rather, regaining the strength she had once possessed! It felt... amazing.
Keeping a single orb bobbing beneath the fish to roast it, the Ancient laughed at the imagery Tal painted for her. "I wish, and maybe it can happen sometime. Mostly I fear it's more like herding cats, and convincing stubborn people that they really can get along. And meetings." But the eyeroll was only half sincere. Maea looked forward to a chance to make a difference, even if that only meant picking up the slack on her revered Theocrat.
Testing a nibble of the fish, she found it much better with toasted skin. "Mmhm! I did," she replied between bites. "Armour. One that'll be a dress most of the time. So I'll look more the part of a council member, than now." She waved a fraying sleeve. While there technically wasn't anything wrong with her clothes, they showed definite signs of daily wear and frequent mending. Her wide-legged trousers were patched, the shirt worn thin at the shoulders, the coat so stained that it was impossible to discern which shade of black was the original. And she still hadn't changed boots, though her bare feet seemed quite content to dry in the pale sunlight.
"I've picked out a dress, and done what I need with that. Now I just need to find someone else who has armor and do some sparring." She sighed; so far she'd had little success on that front.
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Tal blinked away, temporarily blinded as the light of the fire caught him by surprise. He cleared his vision in time to see the flock of butterflies spin around them and his dark brows rose in shock. "...Huh. Guess you've been practicin'?" To put it mildly.
He shook his head ruefully at her glee and busied himself with putting away his fire striking materials while they talked and he asked about her new duties. Apparently it was a lot more work than he'd thought, and his nose wrinkled up in dismay as she explained the responsibilities. Those sounded a lot less fun than cucumber sandwiches, but someone had to do it, right? And better her than him!
Dygra was a lot more interesting than herding cats, and Tal pursued that question with a lot more personal interest. When she explained what she'd asked for he squinted at her, trying to imagine the slightly shabby woman in a nice dress and having trouble with the details. Especially the boots. She definitely needed better footwear if she was going to be representing a region!
Of course, there was more to making blessed armor than just picking out a good base. The courier snorted as she sighed and leaned back so the light caught the flecks in the flexible black stone of his own Vest. "Yeah, too bad y'don't know anyone who's got armor," he teased, pretending to commiserate with her. "Want me t'ask around an' see if I can find someone for ya?"
"Yeah," she breathed dreamily, watching the sparks fly through the air. "Did I ever tell you how much I love magic? Because I really love magic." Not just molding it and feeding her will and energy into it, but watching it be done by others too. The wonder and awe, all the great and terrible things it was capable of - Maea loved it all. She would never stop lamenting the loss of her potential as a mage, even as she embraced the abilities of the Ancients.
Not quite catching the playful lilt of his voice, Maea looked at Tal with a sincere smile. "Really? You would do that, even though I've been less than helpful to you?" As it turns out she had not forgotten the unanswered request of his regarding the shrine. Nor did she really expect favours before the matter was settled... If it ever was. She had no more answers today than the first time he asked.
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
"Oh... yeah?" There was a complicated expression on Tal's face when he saw Maea's expression amidst the butterflies. Jealousy spasmed there, brief and sharp, before he shoved it down with the long practice of someone chronically ill swallowing a bitter pill they took all too often. He looked away, up to the Leafchange sun and the blue sky, and let its warmth wash over his brown skin, as powerless to call magic from his soul as he'd always been. At least Maea had an Ancient's spells to call on, even if they weren't as limitless as an Abandoned's potential arsenal.
It was with an effort that he kept his envy bottled up tight, but as the fiery butterflies faded it became easier. He was used to being around Ru and Sah and Alys, and mostly repressing that unpleasant side of himself. It was only that Maea had called attention to it that had let the beast slip its leash this time, and Tal did his best to make sure it didn't ruin the perfectly nice day and the almost normal conversation they were managing to have in spite of the awkwardness in the Atheneum.
"Mmm. I mean... it's not really how that works, y'know? It's not... not just about helpin' me on it. If you're not okay with a shrine here, it doesn't matter who wants t'build it, right?" He gave an awkward shrug, his grin slipping a bit and turning crooked. "It's not really consent if y'feel like you're obligated t'say 'yes.' So... long as y'give me an answer one o' these days, even if it's 'no,' I figure we can keep on keepin' on th'way we've been."
He whistled to his dragon, who had been happily paddling about in the water, and she splashed her way over to him with bright eyes and a curious guhwrrrf? as he scratched at her horns to keep her from shaking herself dry all over him. "Hey, girl. Think y'can find someone t'help Maea out?" he crooned to her with a conspiratorial wink.
Maea knew jealousy intimately. It was, admittedly, one of her least charming traits, and the one she was most aware of as a flaw. On a good day she could admit that the world wasn't fair, and that she indeed had gifts enough for one person - but most of the time that did nothing to prevent her from craving more. Greed was jealousy's ugly cousin, and together they served as the basis for many crimes across the vast universe.
Because she knew it so well, she read something in the Messenger's expression that he perhaps would not have wanted her to notice. Growing serious as she turned to face him more properly, she cocked her horned head and flicked her tail in his direction, nudging at a knee.
"You like it too... don't you?" she asked quietly, with understanding written in her eyes. "The way I like dragons... but can't bond with one?" Her gaze went to Boreal, complicated emotions warring with the simple affection towards someone else's pet. She understood. She really, really did.
Perhaps it was a day for talking about difficult things, after all. Sunlight had a way of curing more than seasonal depressions, and though the wind was cold enough to make her shudder as it chilled her damp clothes, the fire in her grasp made up for it with a warmth she freely shared with her friend.
"But it does make a difference," Maea objected. "If a complete stranger had asked me the same question, I would have refused them outright. The only reason I'm giving it a proper consideration now is because I trust that you mean well, and don't have ulterior motives. At least, if you do, you're really good at hiding them." Frowning softly as she tapped her feet together, Maea admitted that she might be a bit prejudiced against strangers. "Ultimately, it's not even all that much about the Old Gods or your comfort - sorry about that. It's more... if I gave my consent, and something happened - could I live with the knowledge that I allowed it to happen in the first place?"
Accountability, and responsibility, and ultimately, trust in whether she could risk being let down by an unchanging world.
Watching Boreal come trundling up to her bonded, Maea regarded them both curiously, wondering what this all was about. She saw nothing peculiar in Tal's vest, and found the winking a little odd, but no more.
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
For all that he was terrible at poker, Tal never quite realized just how much his face gave away of his feelings. So he was surprised when Maea saw through him, jerking a little as his knee was prodded, though in reality it was her perceptive words that sent the real shock through him. "Uh, what? I mean--" He swallowed hard, mentally scrambling to pull his thoughts together. The envy had been with him so long he felt it without conscious words or thoughts, but the way Maea compared it to something concrete of her own made it instantly clear what she'd understood. He didn't try to deny it, at least, when he realized she'd already cut to the heart of the matter. His perennial scowl flashed across his face, armor even more instinctive than what Ludo had given him as he looked down at his booted feet and nodded jerkily, hating the admission even as he made it. "...Yeah. I guess. I... didn't know y'wanted a dragon," he finished lamely. "For what it's worth... Boreal likes y'plenty." It wasn't enough, of course. Wasn't the same, any more than having an item that held magic was the same as being able to wield it from within oneself. But it was all he had to offer, and the dragon in question was perfectly happy to accept and return affection from the Ancient, even if their souls would never be connected on a deeper level.
He might not have needed the warmth of the fire the way Maea did, but the sensation of having some of the ugliness in his heart stripped bare to the world sent its own kind of shiver down Tal's spine, and he shuffled closer to the pale woman's flame as further uncomfortable truths came to light in the chilly Leafchange sunlight.
He listened to Maea's objection with a complicated wrinkle of his nose and brow that might have been mistaken for constipation as he gave it hard consideration and ended up chewing his lip in dawning understanding. "...Oh. Well... thanks for that, then," was all he could come up with at hearing that he got special dispensation, knowing it was lame but not having any silver on his tongue to better gild the words. "An' I don't really know about anything' ulterior. It just... feels like it might help with everythin' goin' t'shit. It'd be great if Dygra an' th'rest o' th'gods would work t'gether against this void stuff, y'know? She doesn't really sound like th'team-buildin' type, but y'could say that about Rae, too." He shrugged awkwardly, then finally raised his eyes to shoot Maea a questioning glance. "Maybe we could ask her?"
At least armor and sparring was something he could help with, and Boreal was more than happy to provide her own assistance in the matter. The dragon leaned into his scratches and then looked from courier to loreseeker with a curious tilt to her head at the request. Tal paused in his attentions to hold out his hand in a gesture that was probably meant to be grand, but all it really meant was that he was no longer scratching his companion's horns. Boreal ducked away from him and padded over to Maea, putting her broad head behind the Ancient and attempting to push her gently towards the courier who stood grinning as he rapped his knuckles against the stony surface of his Vest. "Tada!"
