Click here for a list of weather descriptions, seasonal festivals, and a real time:site time conversion.
Character of the Season
Once known as the Butcher of Whitebrim, he's now The Butcher of Dygra, stepping forward as the first created demigod of the Ancients. There is no question that Astaroth casts an intimidating silhouette. Tall, domineering and dangerous, if looks could kill you'd be dead already, but to get up close and personal with the Grounds' resident cannibal tells a much different story. Dripping with charm and clad in only the finest attire, Asta is a gentleman monster, as polite as they come and committed to his role as security for the Dusklight and those who have earned his loyalty. Be careful of that smile, though - those teeth are sharp.
Congratulations, Asta!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
OG Skinning provided by Kaons, with functionality and many custom plugins made by Neowulf!
Hmming to himself in response to that, evidently Jack doesn't really mind on this occasion; if he did the signs of it would already be there in his expression and posture, but if The Ark considers Bassian penitent enough, then so be it. As she draws back against his side, still glittering with healing water and with the sunlight catching in the fire of her hair, Jack doesn't keep her hand but instead stakes his claim with a casual arm around her waist, and they fall into step together away from the Court of the Stars.
"Music to my ears," he drawls as she confirms his presence is required as well as wanted, the Captain already mentally pencilling in some time to go and see the shipwright for an initial assessment. "We can replace the sails come the end of Longheat too," he adds; the heat will have bleached them through another season by then, and after a year out in colder shores and making cross-continental flights, it hardly feels like an expense.
"You see the new bar as we came in?" Jack continues, arching an eyebrow across at her. "Where The Hanged Man used to be. Wonder if they do breakfast."
fight so dirty but you love so sweet talk so pretty but your heart got teeth
i see nothing better, i'll keep him forever, like a vendetta
The Ark settles easily beneath Jack’s arm, matching his stride without thought as they leave the fountain behind. She has worn this body for only a handful of seasons, but there is nothing new in the way they move together. They have already crossed too many seas, weathered too many storms, and carried one another through too many lives for the adjustment from Captain and ship to man and woman to feel anything but inevitable.
She hums her agreement about the sails, already imagining fresh canvas snapping overhead beneath a Longheat wind. "Only one way to find out," she says when Jack turns them towards the new bar. Her bare feet earn them no resistance at the door, though The Ark wouldn’t have honoured a no-shoes policy even if someone had been foolish enough to post one. Flora, for better or worse, isn’t around, which leaves The Ark free to turn her thoughts elsewhere.
As they settle into a booth overlooking the water, The Ark leans forward across the table, damp hair spilling over one shoulder while a more interesting current begins to move through her thoughts. "What do you make of the rumours about a ship around here that can turn invisible?" she asks, sea-bright eyes narrowing with bright, tactical interest.
i see how this is gonna go, touch me and you'll never be alone
Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3
Siren's Wake | After she leaves a space, traces of her presence linger briefly: a faint scent of salt, the sound of distant water, a restless feeling in the chest. People rarely notice it consciously.
Scoffing at that, Jack's arm softens at The Ark's waist to let her turn and redirect them, and before long they are stepping through the doors of The Last Word as if this is a regular haunt instead of the first time. It's the sort of quiet that goes hand in hand with clientele who rise with the sun, and he settles opposite the siren in their booth with his eyes already back on the water. It's a painful familiarity, having the Arclight in such immediate reach, and Jack is the sort of man to take things in stride but not for granted.
He keeps his eyes on the waves as The Ark leans in, but the smile that tugs at his lips is crooked enough that it's clear he's heard her words and the sentiment behind them. "First I've heard of such a rumour," he rumbles, glancing back at her a second before a server approaches. Ordering a pot of coffee to start, Jack waits for them to depart again before he replies.
"An entire ship - that'd be quite a feat. Even illusion magic wouldn't cover a galleon like that."
fight so dirty but you love so sweet talk so pretty but your heart got teeth
i see nothing better, i'll keep him forever, like a vendetta
The Ark doesn’t ease back when the server approaches. She remains folded toward Jack across the table, sharp with interest, her attention fixed on him until the interruption passes and the coffee is ordered. A small hum acknowledges his assessment, though another thought moves beneath it. Jack not having heard the rumour could mean she had stumbled onto something genuinely fresh, whispered in the right corner of the docks before it had time to spread. It could just as easily mean the whole thing was nonsense, too flimsy to survive long enough to reach him.
She gives the possibility a slight shake of her head. "Smaller than me, from what I heard." Her shoulders lift, conceding that a good amount of magic would still be required, even so. "A brigantine, I think."
The Ark’s mouth tightens thoughtfully as she turns the idea over. There is greed in her interest, certainly; invisibility would sit beautifully beside every other advantage already built into her, another weapon to fold into the arsenal. But the sharper current is strategic. If another captain can vanish a ship from sight, then Torchline’s waters may already hold threats no lookout could spot and no cannon could answer until it was too late. "Do you think Safrin’s the sort to be bribed into answering a few questions?" she asks, sapphire eyes narrowing with intent. "About what kinds of quests she’s been handing out to other captains?"
i see how this is gonna go, touch me and you'll never be alone
Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3
Siren's Wake | After she leaves a space, traces of her presence linger briefly: a faint scent of salt, the sound of distant water, a restless feeling in the chest. People rarely notice it consciously.
Jack takes her thoughts entirely in stride, because there's merit to all of them; rumours, by an large, lean towards a kernel of truth in his experience, but if that's the case they're better off chasing them down on land than playing hide and seek with invisible ships on the water. "Huh," he says, narrowing his eyes a fraction as further details tumble out. "I know my share of brigantines. Been a long while since I was here to know the dirty details, though."
That will change in time, of course, but for now it's a matter of watching, waiting and listening hard - hopefully before cannons are fired from invisible gunports. "Might be worth another visit to the Tide and Tonic soon," he adds; if any captains are going to own - or know someone who owns - a ship like that, the underground bar will have seen them at some point. As for Safrin, Jack's grin is sharp and indulgent.
"Oh, probably," he says with a nod. "Though in my experience we'd be better off askin' for it ourselves. You never know - maybe it wasn't Safrin who gave the quest, mm?"
fight so dirty but you love so sweet talk so pretty but your heart got teeth
i see nothing better, i'll keep him forever, like a vendetta
The Ark’s interest sharpens at the thought. Brigantines tend to carry pirates, though she's never had much reason to fear them. Her size, her guns, and the particular sort of crew Jack commands have always been warning enough. Invisibility, however, would close the gap with uncomfortable efficiency. A smaller ship that could vanish before choosing its angle would be more than a curiosity; it would be a threat worth identifying before it decided to test itself against her.
She would happily return to the Tide and Tonic for the drink alone, if only because there is a certain appeal in reminding the captains who gather there that The Ark is no longer merely watching them from the docks, and perhaps planting the seeds that were any of them foolish enough to cause her any trouble, she might take it upon herself to wake their ships up just as she'd been.
The arrival of coffee draws her back as the pot, two cups, cream, and sugar are set between them. She settles against the booth and watches the server leave before lifting one shoulder. "True," she concedes, reaching for the pot. "But she’s still who I’d ask first. Or the Blackfox". No doubt Mirabelle would only divulge that information if such a ship had gotten itself on her bad side, though.
Steam curls between them as The Ark fills both mugs, leaving Jack’s untouched for him to doctor as he pleases. Her own receives a generous pour of cream, though her attention remains fixed on the Captain and the sparkling sea.
i see how this is gonna go, touch me and you'll never be alone
Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3
Siren's Wake | After she leaves a space, traces of her presence linger briefly: a faint scent of salt, the sound of distant water, a restless feeling in the chest. People rarely notice it consciously.
"Plenty of time for all that now," Jack murmurs, the quip in response to the thoughts that paint the air between them, and he sits up a fraction as the coffee lands on the table, accepting the cup she pours for him. He can almost hear the surf crashing against the shore through the windows, the sound alone enough to bring a dozen or so memories with it, and despite himself Jack seems more awake before any of the coffee ever touches his lips.
Dumping an amount of sugar into his cup but leaving it black without really looking or measuring, the Captain stirs with the idle sort of patience that suggests he's got nothing but things to look forward to in the future. "Mm, both would be best," he agrees. "Finch can shit himself too when he learns I'm back. Still need to figure out what's happenin' with my fuckin' caches." The ones in the Fingers, he means, not the ones dangling precariously over a tar pit.
"We're home," he says suddenly, as if only just now has it occurred to him; makes sense, in fairness, given the state of him up until the healing fountain.
fight so dirty but you love so sweet talk so pretty but your heart got teeth
i see nothing better, i'll keep him forever, like a vendetta
The Ark’s laughter rolls low across the rim of her cup as she settles deeper into the booth. Jack’s confidence that every loose thread can be gathered in time is familiar, but it still catches her off guard every now and then. They share too many similar traits to count, yet she has not learned the patience he has honed across the years. Her own inclination is to seize the line the instant it twitches and drag whatever is hiding at the other end into daylight.
At Finch’s name, her smile turns keen. "Good." She has never met the thief Jack has folded beneath his thumb, but everything she has heard paints him as far too comfortable with the arrangement. A man ought to retain some healthy fear when the hand holding his leash belongs to Jack, and The Ark sees no harm in his homecoming serving as a sharp reminder. She blows lightly across her coffee before taking a careful sip, then adds, "It’ll be easier to figure out what's going on with them now that you can see to it yourself." No more sending instructions across half of Caido or trusting other people to notice what Jack would catch at a glance. Torchline is beneath his feet again, and everything that belongs to him is finally within reach.
With the Arclight spread beyond him and the last visible traces of sickness chased from his face, Jack looks as though he has been fitted back into the world where he belongs. The water behind him is a blue so bright it seems to shine from within, breaking white along the beaches before folding endlessly toward the horizon. It mirrors the sea inside her almost perfectly, warm and glittering now that her hull rests in familiar waters and there is no departure waiting to pull them north again.
Her gaze returns from the windows, and the smile she gives him is softer than most things she allows the world to see. "Thank you," she says quietly. He could have chosen any harbour after King’s End. There were warmer waters elsewhere, cities without old enemies waiting in their alleys, and ports that carried none of the history Torchline has carved into him. That this had been his home once does not make the choice inevitable, nor does it diminish what he has agreed to endure by returning. He has brought her back despite every ghost and grudge waiting ashore, and The Ark knows exactly whose happiness tipped the scales.
i see how this is gonna go, touch me and you'll never be alone
Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3
Siren's Wake | After she leaves a space, traces of her presence linger briefly: a faint scent of salt, the sound of distant water, a restless feeling in the chest. People rarely notice it consciously.
"It'd be no fun if we were both patient," Jack mutters half under his breath, a quiet rime of frost creeping around his cup to cool it before he lifts it to his lips. "An' gods know I can have my moments too." Smirking at her over the rim of his coffee, he raises it in a half toast before relaxing back in the booth as well. Letting the bittersweet heat wash through him to smooth down any barbs not already soothed by the fountain, he's still smiling as he lowers the cup.
"Maybe he ought to meet you," he suggests. "He ain't the type to fall to your feet to kiss 'em," he adds - Finch leans more in Murphy's direction, as far as Jack can tell, "but that just means you can practice your other skills on him." Like magic or intimidation or knifework, should that become necessary. Besides which, with their homecoming, it makes sense for The Ark to get to spread her wings as more than just a ship in the dock or a redhead at his side.
Her thanks, quiet and earnest across the table, are unexpected even for a telepath, and it takes Jack a moment to truly know what to do with them. In the end, though, he reaches across to take her hand, lifting the back of her knuckles to his lips. "Comin' back was easy as breathin', once I finally committed," he says. "So thank you. Let's make it worth every day we were away, yeah?"
fight so dirty but you love so sweet talk so pretty but your heart got teeth
i see nothing better, i'll keep him forever, like a vendetta
The Ark only smirks across her coffee. Jack may possess patience enough to let plots ripen and enemies mistake silence for safety, but restraint has rarely survived where she is concerned. Not since Rae gave her a body, at least. Back alleyways, boltholes, shadowed corners aboard the ship, and any other place offering a few stolen minutes have provided ample evidence of that. Whatever discipline he practises with schemes and grudges, she has seldom been required to endure much of it herself, and for that she's been oh so grateful.
At the suggestion of meeting Finch, she rolls her eyes and takes another sip. She has already gathered enough about the thief’s inclinations to know that her usual methods of persuasion are unlikely to land quite as intended, though the distinction hardly discourages her. "We’ll see about that," she hums, confidence smoothing through the words. She has no interest in coaxing Finch into anyone’s bed, least of all hers when that place belongs exclusively to Jack, but getting him onto his knees is an entirely separate challenge. Devotion, fear, leverage, or simple humiliation can all produce remarkably similar postures, after all.
The touch of Jack’s mouth against her knuckles quiets the sharper amusement in her all at once. Her affection for him usually arrives dressed for war, all teeth and blood and the promise that she would break the world apart before allowing it to take him from her. It lives in every cannon she would fire at his command, every hull she would split, and every final blaze she would willingly become if it meant carrying him safely through the end of everything. This feels different, though. The warmth gathers beneath her throat instead of racing toward her hands, steady and almost tender where violence usually gives it shape. "Agreed," The Ark murmurs, satisfaction curving softly across her lips as her fingers settle more securely around his.
Naturally, the thought of making their days worthwhile immediately invites consideration of everything capable of souring them such that Flora’s name surfaces in her mind with the persistence of a weed forcing itself through a seam in the deck, unwelcome but difficult to ignore now that they are back in the queen’s territory for more than a passing visit. The Ark raises her cup again, watching Jack over its rim before taking a measured drink. "How long do you think it’ll take her to realise we aren’t just visiting?"
i see how this is gonna go, touch me and you'll never be alone
Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3
Siren's Wake | After she leaves a space, traces of her presence linger briefly: a faint scent of salt, the sound of distant water, a restless feeling in the chest. People rarely notice it consciously.
"Careful where those thoughts go," Jack murmurs, smirking over another sip of his coffee. "I'm already in a good mood." Enough that a back alleyway or a bolt hole (or the wall around the side of The Last Word) might well be enough to test his own patience now that he's back in his right mind and feeling himself.
Snorting under his breath at the inevitable challenge she gives in response to his suggestions about Finch, that's largely what the Captain has come to expect too, and he shrugs in a way that suggests he's more than happy to let the thief be a test subject for the redhead's skills - whether or not he's a willing participant.
Glancing up as the server returns - a deal more wary in their thoughts this time, Jack notes, as if the passing few minutes have been enough for them to realise who sits at the booth - the Captain opts to play ignorant, his hand still loosely claiming The Ark's. He orders more coffee along with a breakfast skillet and some fresh fruit, besides whatever she'd like, and by the time the server is on their way his magic is already snagging on the inevitable name that surfaces in her thoughts: Flora.
His lip curls just a fraction, Jack glancing back out at the sea as if the Arclight is enough to temper against the less-wanted trouble their return will stir up. "Not long," he mutters. "This is her bar, an' rumours travel quick. A lot of the crew will already be spreadin' the word. Besides, you're a sight for sore eyes in Kaiholo for a lot of people."
fight so dirty but you love so sweet talk so pretty but your heart got teeth
i see nothing better, i'll keep him forever, like a vendetta
The Ark arches a maroon brow over the rim of her cup, coy mischief brightening her expression."That’s twice this morning you’ve threatened me with a good time, Captain." A quiet laugh follows, softened against the coffee as she takes another sip, though the heat stirring through her thoughts suggests she has no intention of forgetting the offer.
When the server returns, The Ark orders a fish taco with extra lemon, then watches with open amusement as their attention catches on Jack a second time. Recognition has begun to settle over the table, edging caution into every glance directed their way, and the sight only deepens her smirk. It is satisfying to watch Torchline remember him in real time.
She hums her agreement when the conversation turns back to Flora, the name souring the pleasant current of the morning without quite spoiling it. Knowing how quickly the queen is likely to hear of their return gives The Ark some measure of when she might need to deal with her, especially when whatever understanding Jack has reached with Flora and Kaisel has no jurisdiction over her. Still, her attention drifts easily toward something far more welcome. Distance does little to weaken the awareness running through every board, mast, and deck she left behind in the harbour, and affection warms her smile as she feels the lightness of footsteps moving through her. "They do sound happy to be back," she murmurs. "They haven’t disembarked that quickly in a long time." Her focus stretches along the tether binding flesh to hull, counting the few remaining presences aboard before returning fully to Jack. "There are only a handful left onboard now."
Her sapphire gaze settles on him with quiet fondness. "And you," she adds, because he is every bit as welcome a sight in Kaiholo as she is, whatever trouble his return might eventually stir.
The Ark takes another drink before setting her cup down. "You’d be happy for me to visit Safrin about what we discussed?" she asks. She assumes the answer is yes, Safrin over any other herald or god, but it's best to check when mixing business, pleasure, and goddesses.
i see how this is gonna go, touch me and you'll never be alone
Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3
Siren's Wake | After she leaves a space, traces of her presence linger briefly: a faint scent of salt, the sound of distant water, a restless feeling in the chest. People rarely notice it consciously.
"Too many threats ain't like me at all. I usually make good on 'em by the second warnin'." Or even before the first in truth, but Jack will take the sultry heat in The Ark's thoughts as pleasure rather than frustration, because whilst she might not be the more patient between them, delayed gratification can still be enticing. He watches the server go with his interest in them already waning, the Captain brushing a lock of damp hair out of his face and reaching casually across to open the window beside them, letting in the salt-sweet air and the cry of morning hels.
Hearing it written plain in The Ark's mind - that she plans to deal with Flora should it become necessary - Jack raises his eyebrows at her with a mix of amusement and speculation. "Didn't you already scare the shit out of her himbo husband?" he drawls, having let the memory grow fuzzy since their last visit to Torchline.
Only this isn't a visit this time, so it makes sense to keep his understanding of things sharp. "Mm, they are happy. Might be we take on some extra crew now as well - old crew who stayed when we left the islands." Jack hadn't blamed them and nor had he held it against them, but he's no fool; he knows that no matter what loyalty had bound the remaining men to The Ark, being back here is going to raise spirits and keep them high.
As for Safrin, Jack nods casually as he refills his coffee cup. "Only seems right for it to be her. Besides, you ain't ever been on this side of a lighthouse." And the view from up there is something.
fight so dirty but you love so sweet talk so pretty but your heart got teeth
i see nothing better, i'll keep him forever, like a vendetta
The Ark holds Jack’s gaze, sea-bright eyes glittering as her smile turns wolfish. "Mmm. Must still be some infection left in you, I guess." One maroon brow bounces in challenge, though the salt-sweet air spilling through the open window briefly steals her attention. She draws it deep into her lungs, letting the familiar mixture of sea and morning settle through her with the same pleasure as warm water moving along her hull.
Leaning back, she combs her fingers through her damp hair and winds one maroon lock around them until it forms a loose spiral. "You know, I don’t even think he realized it was me." Amusement slips into her voice without lowering its volume, because whatever discretion surrounded Flora’s secret marriage is hardly The Ark’s responsibility. [sy]"I never gave him my name, and surely Flora would’ve said something if she knew I’d kissed her secret husband." She rolls her eyes before Jack can grant Kaisel any more flattering a label than he deserves. "Calling him a himbo gives him too much credit. He’s a boy scout in a man’s body, and even that’s a stretch." Boyish is the kindest description she has for him, though nothing about the word is complimentary in the waters of her mind.
The prospect of old crew returning draws a more approving hum from her. "All the more reason to throw a party once we’re settled." As Jack reaches for the coffee pot, The Ark nudges her cup forward to join his. "That I’d like to do alone," she admits of visiting Safrin. The shipwright is a practical matter, one where Jack’s presence belongs as naturally as her own. Appearing before the goddess is something else entirely, a challenge she wants to meet without her Captain standing beside her to tilt the encounter in her favour. "Unless you think that’s unwise?"
i see how this is gonna go, touch me and you'll never be alone
Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3
Siren's Wake | After she leaves a space, traces of her presence linger briefly: a faint scent of salt, the sound of distant water, a restless feeling in the chest. People rarely notice it consciously.
