What do you get when two ruthless assassins raise their daughter travelling through the wildest reaches of Caido? Take one look at Theea and you'll get a pretty good idea. Cheerful and tenacious in equal measure, and curious beyond all else, she began her journey on a mission to find those her mother once called family. And find them she did, soon rubbing elbows with demigods, leaders and even ghosts from the past. Her determination is resolute, her thirst for knowledge unmatched. We can't wait to see where her next adventure takes her!
Congratulations, Theea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
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Strike hands with me. The glass is brim. The dew is on the heather.
Zavien's already four beers in by the time he starts to feel the effects. He's not usually much of a drinker, so it sneaks up on him, a slight haze coming over her thoughts. His eyes and speech are still clear despite the feeling that loosens the tension in his shoulders. It doesn't help with the ache of his heart yet, but at least it makes him a little bolder, the anxieties losing some of their hold on him.
He turns to Koa, his eyes narrowed in concentration, like he's trying to puzzle something out - or read. Taking a sip of his beer, he nods his head decisively. "Koa. You're a good friend. We need to find you a good girl." He already has something in mind, an image of a sweet, kind soul who can calm the Dragoon's energy enough to keep him from having to put his foot in his mouth as often. Someone smart and pretty, but with a good sense of humor so they can laugh together. Someone as passionate about the greater good as he is.
But that's what Zavien thinks Koa needs. And what he needs isn't always what he might want, so he doesn't hesitate to ask, "What's your type?" He doesn't mention that he knows Flora is his type, quite certain that's a topic they should avoid like the plague. Instead, he sits silently, sipping on his beer.
And love is good, and life is long, and friends are best together.
04-11-2025, 06:39 AM (This post was last modified: 04-11-2025, 06:42 AM by Koa.)
Koa
Don't you just wanna wake up dark as a lake Smelling like a bonfire, lost in a haze?
When two guys go drinking and one of them is having a crisis, it is the moral responsibility of the other to at least attempt to keep his shit together. That's always been Koa's credo, at least, and it's why he's only on his second drink, nursing and old fashioned and the comfortable buzz of static it leaves in his brain.
They've been chatting about fairly meaningless things, Koa giving Zavien time to bring up Lena again. But as the conversation finally shifts back to love lives, the handsome young man is caught by surprise, snorting as Zavien asks about his.
His immediate reaction is to shake his head, chuckling ruefully into his glass. "I don't need a girl - I have Pip!" Who is still glued to Zavien's lap, purring in a comforting, characteristically un-dragonlike way. She lifts her head at this, setting her chin upon the table with an indecipherable snort.
As for his type? Again Koa chuckles, though bitterness creeps in. "I dunno... available?" Shrugging, he takes another sip of the old fashioned, suddenly regretting how sober he is. "I kinda have a track record for picking girls who are already in love with someone else."
If you're drunk on life, babe, I think it's great But while in this world I think I'll take my whiskey neat
Strike hands with me. The glass is brim. The dew is on the heather.
He looks down at the dragon in his lap, still feeling a little bittersweet as he tries to pretend it's Sol. That's hard to do when he runs a hand down her length, feeling the fur that's very characteristically not his dragon. Still, Zavien takes comfort in the contact, scratching the crook of her neck as he says, "I love Pip just as much as the next guy, but I think even she might want you to have someone else in your life." If only not to be constantly smothered by her companion.
The alcohol runs hot and fast down his throat as he waits for Koa to answer. He nearly chokes on the liquid, letting out a strangled cough to look incredulously at his friend. "A 'track record'? Was there more than just Flora?" He'd been meaning to avoid the name, but Zavien isn't great with alcohol, and he's too surprised by Koa's words to be cautious of the topic. His face is a myriad of shock and confusion, wondering what other situations the Dragoon had found himself it.
And love is good, and life is long, and friends are best together.
Don't you just wanna wake up dark as a lake Smelling like a bonfire, lost in a haze?
Pip chirps something halfway between agreement and annoyance at Zavien's comments, melting like a damp noodle as he scratches beneath her chin. Koa snorts at the exchange; "What she wants is more people around to pet her," he drawls, but leans across the table obligingly, giving his companion a quick scritch between her horns.
Oh, but now he's done it. With the arrogance of youth Koa had assumed Zav knew all about his failed romances; now he realizes that there's no escaping dishing out that dirt. He can't help the wince at the mention of Flora, that particular well-scabbed, now, but still sore. But the other, deeper, older one? The one that keeps threatening to be reopened, that he sometimes feels aching like it has its own damn pulse? For a second Koa's silent, jaw clenching and working as he makes up his mind; finally he shrugs, seeming to give up his internal fight. "Soh. Sohalia. We were... well, we weren't anything, I guess, because she was in love with someone else."
Studiously, Koa avoids checking Zavien's face to see how he responds. Instead he's focused on his whiskey glass, staring as he bites uncomfortably at the inside of his lower lip. Maybe if he looks at it he won't be tempted to down the whole damn thing, because right now with the direction things are going, the temptation to be far, far drunker is making his fingers itch.
If you're drunk on life, babe, I think it's great But while in this world I think I'll take my whiskey neat
Strike hands with me. The glass is brim. The dew is on the heather.
The confession doesn't immediately register in his mind, another drink of beer hitting his system as he pets Pip. However, when it does, Zavien's green eyes widen, turning to look at Koa. It's hard to make sense of it when his thoughts are started to fuzz, but a few thin, fragile connections seem to form through conversations and interactions. His mouth gapes a little as things fall into place. "Oooooh..... I had no idea."
It's both shocking and makes perfect sense to his alcohol-induced brain. They'd be the power couple of Stormbreak, and they're personalities fit so well together. Zavien wonders how he hadn't seen it before.
A sudden thought has his face scrunching in confusion. "Isn't she single?" She hasn't mentioned a significant other - at least not that he's heard - so he doesn't really understand Koa's comment about 'unavailability,' seeing no reason they can't be together now. But he also has very little experiences with relationships and can't quite grasp the concept of why 'history' might affect their chances of being together.
And love is good, and life is long, and friends are best together.
Don't you just wanna wake up dark as a lake Smelling like a bonfire, lost in a haze?
"Yeah, well." Again Koa shrugs, trying for unbothered and landing somewhere in the realm of despondent. He takes another sip of the old fashioned, savoring the burn upon his throat. Setting the glass down on the table with a clunk, he lets himself huff a bitter laugh. "I didn't know she was seeing someone else. Just like Flora. See? I have a type."
He expects it to end there, with a aw buddy sorry and little else. What he doesn't anticipate is Zavien bringing up Soh's current relationship status. Before he can think Koa looks up, eyebrows raising marginally. "Y... yeah, I guess. Or she was the last time we talked." A week before, so unlikely to have changed, but Koa's given up trying to predict what can happen in a week.
Glancing back down, he pretends to be very interested in a crack on the table, rubbing his thumbnail against it. "Not that it matters. We're finally friends again, and even if I wanted--" He stops, frowning, wanting very much to blame the alcohol for the way heat raises on his neck. Does he want that? Koa shakes his head. "It doesn't matter," he mutters softly, as much to himself as to Zav.
If you're drunk on life, babe, I think it's great But while in this world I think I'll take my whiskey neat
Strike hands with me. The glass is brim. The dew is on the heather.
He still can't see how that's a 'type' if Koa doesn't know about it, but Zavien's thoroughly invested by this point. Leaning forward, he ignores his drink for a moment, his eyes narrowed in confusion. "Well... what happened with the other guy? Did she pick him, and it didn't work out?" If not, it sounds to Zavien like Koa hadn't been 'rejected.' It means there's still a chance for them.
The frown marring his friend's features isn't something he likes to see, and he bumps a shoulder in support of whatever her may be feeling. "I think it matters." It's playful but serious, remembering how the man had teased and encouraged his affections for Lena. Finally taking another drink of his beer, he asks, "Do you still like her?"
And love is good, and life is long, and friends are best together.
Don't you just wanna wake up dark as a lake Smelling like a bonfire, lost in a haze?
"Pretty much, yeah." There's a bit more to it - like the part when Soh then sort of invited him into a threesome, and then how Koa later sort of drunkenly made out with the other guy who, oh yeah, is now living in his house.
Lots of reasons not to try and start a something with Soh.
Does he still like her? "What?" He startles almost sharply, like a dog caught sniffing day-old socks. Heat creeps up the sides of his neck; he rubs it, as though he might force the embarrassment back down to his skin. "No! I mean- yeah, as a friend." He's overemphasizing, not making eye contact, hoping it'll be enough. Does he like her?
What's the point of thinking about it, if she doesn't like him back?
Raising his hand to signal the waiter, he gestures for two more drinks. "Anyway, I thought we were here to talk about your love life, not my lack thereof?"
If you're drunk on life, babe, I think it's great But while in this world I think I'll take my whiskey neat
Strike hands with me. The glass is brim. The dew is on the heather.
His face puckers in confusion again, trying to puzzle out what Koa means, but when he can't figure it out himself, he just asks, "What does 'pretty much' mean? Did she not pick him?" Zavien feels like there's a lot he's not being told, and he doesn't know if it's just because Koa doesn't want to talk about it, or if it's because he doesn't know enough about relationships to understand. It doesn't even occur to him that there might be a long list of drama and crossed wires.
He doesn't think he believes Koa, an eyebrow raising as he shrugs his shoulders. "Well, I don't think someone who only sees you as a 'regular friend' would be willing to use a rose on your sister." Despite his obvious struggles during the conversation, he hadn't missed the words, the ones that now floated around in his head, connecting lines and ideas through all the fuzziness. It's because of that fuzziness that he even brings it up, knowing that it might start some drama again.
Seeing Koa order another round, Zavien downs his current drink with more skill than one might expect of the lightweight. He still grimaces a little as it burns his throat, but he lets out a melancholy laugh. "I thought we were just here to get me drunk?" It's not that he doesn't want to talk about Lena, it's that he doesn't know what else to say. It seems like they're just at a point where he needs to fix himself and see where things go.
And love is good, and life is long, and friends are best together.
Don't you just wanna wake up dark as a lake Smelling like a bonfire, lost in a haze?
"She did, but it didn't work out and... I dunno, man, it's complicated." Zavien should not be winning this argument, but he's working from the inherent advantage of being absolutely correct. Not that Koa is willing to acknowledge as much, because Denial is a river and he's trying valiantly to row upstream in class II rapids with a silly straw for a paddle. "Soh is Flora's best friend, so even if she did want something - which she doesn't - it's not like she'd do anything. And I'm not gonna say something just to be turned down. Again. I don't think my pride can handle it."
Which is as close as he's come to confessing that there is something to be said, a slip he's too worked up to give any proper thought.
Getting Zavien drunk is way safer. "That's right, exactly!" Koa agrees, clapping his friend on the arm. "We're here to get you drunk, so let's get moving. What do you say? Shots next round?" Which is definitely not a great idea, but they crossed the border of practicality quite some time ago.
If you're drunk on life, babe, I think it's great But while in this world I think I'll take my whiskey neat
Strike hands with me. The glass is brim. The dew is on the heather.
Nothing Zavien hears convinces him that they can't work, or that Koa doesn't like Soh that way. All he hears are excuses of things that he doesn't really understand, that he doesn't currently (or maybe ever) have the mental capacity to work through. One thing he can understand is the fear of rejection. He'd lamented about the same thing to Koa just months ago, and although things had worked out for him, he can't say for sure that things will work out for his friend.
Still, something nags at him, and Zavien leans forward with a teasing smile, the alcohol definitely kicking in. "Well, if she said she wanted something more, would you be open to it?" Because if he had to guess, he'd bet that Soh still likes him - but maybe that's the beer talking.
At least the topic of getting drunk isn't something heavy with history or anxious potential, the thoughts of women and relationships something he can look at from a foggy distance. Smiling, he shrugs his shoulders. "I'm not drunk yet, so why not?"
And love is good, and life is long, and friends are best together.
Don't you just wanna wake up dark as a lake Smelling like a bonfire, lost in a haze?
Okay, well, that's because you haven't heard the juicy shit, Zav. But keep the shots coming and maybe that'll change, despite Koa's better judgment and mostly because he's really quite desperate to get this all off his chest.
Ah, but there's the real question, though, the heart of the issue and the thing that he has no answer for. If Koa were being honest with himself - he's not, but let's pretend - if he's being honest, then yes, he has thought about what would happen if Soh wanted more. And more than a just little - the thought has risen at the most inopportune times, while he's training, or showering, or trying to sleep, like a fucking mosquito he cannot shake. He's pictured it a hundred ways, imagined the what if. But on the absurdly few occasions he's dared to really, really contemplate what he would do...
"I... don't know," Koa answers softly, honestly, all bravado and humorous armor finally stripped away. Because that's the truth of it: Koa doesn't know he wants.
If he'd be brave enough to try again.
Ah, but shots! Shots will solve all these problems, carry them away on a hazy river of disinhibition and ease. "Hell yeah! Waiter, a round of shots, please - and make his a double!" Maybe that will be enough to get Zavien to stop asking such Hard Deep Questions.
If you're drunk on life, babe, I think it's great But while in this world I think I'll take my whiskey neat
Strike hands with me. The glass is brim. The dew is on the heather.
His smile falls a little at Koa's uncertainty, sympathy softening his features as he bumps lightly against the man's shoulder. "That sounds like something you should probably figure out." Because Zavien knows as much as the next guy that living in limbo is not fun, and there will be no rest until the matter is settled, until everything is finally out in the open - whether Koa or Soh cracks first.
Tipping his glass, he tries to offer the only solution his fuzzy fuddled brain can come up with, an eyebrow raised in suggestion. "Maybe a little more alcohol will clear things up for you." According to most people, it's a great way to lose logic, but sometimes distance is the only way to see the whole picture. And who knows, maybe tonight will be different (spoken like a real drinking novice).
He might have argued that a single would probably be more than enough for him, but Zavien had said he wanted to get drunk, so why take the slow road when he could plow right through? His mouth closes around the interruption, accepting the small glass of amber liquid. Not bothering to ask what it is (he really doesn't want to know), he lifts it to Koa in a final toast/salute before throwing it back in one fell swoop. It burns and sears his throat, making his face contort in a series of hilarious expressions ending in a shake of his head and a muffled cough.
To no one's surprise, the shot kicks in like a crazy ex-girlfriend hellbent on reclaiming her obnoxious teacup puppy. It disorients and leaves him blinking for a second to adjust to the intrusion on his mind, reaching (stupidly) for his beer like it's not the equivalent of a slippery slope as he takes a sip to wash down the shot. Lucky for Koa, Hard Deep Questions are quickly abandoning him to the clutches of an encroaching fog, leaving him very vulnerable to whatever topic his friend might have in mind.
And love is good, and life is long, and friends are best together.
Don't you just wanna wake up dark as a lake Smelling like a bonfire, lost in a haze?
Yeah, Zavien. It sure does. Too bad Koa's always been a shoot first ask questions later kind of idiot when it comes to love.
Shots are good; shots dull the edge, loosening tight muscles and making it easier to smile instead of frown. Koa laughs uproariously at Zavien's aghast expression, snickering fiercely at his clearly less experienced friend. For his part, the Dragoon is able to handle the burn of liquor without so much as a grimace.
What this says about his coping mechanisms is a problem for another day.
Laughter and merriment follow easily, and then another round of beers, and sooner than he would have wanted (but late enough to warrant some credit, thank you) Koa finds he's drunk enough to bring the subject back to Soh. "It's just... I'm so fucking scared, y'know? Like, what if she changes her mind again, and I'm just, like, standing there, like a gods-damned moron. Again." He's thrown his hands up in exasperation, fixing Zavien with a look full of abject and overdramatic woe.
"I mean... fuck, man, I dunno if I can do that again." He picks up his half-empty pint glass of beer, gazing forlornly at the amber liquid as though it may be hiding the answers he seeks.
If you're drunk on life, babe, I think it's great But while in this world I think I'll take my whiskey neat
