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.
OG Skinning provided by Kaons, with functionality and many custom plugins made by Neowulf!
"Delivery for th'Cassidy residence," a voice called out from the front door, familiar if not often heard there in recent seasons. The excited, rumbling croon of a dragon companion accompanied the announcement, followed by a muffled curse and: "Boreal, get offa my foot!"
A certain courier stood on the porch in a grey button-down shirt with the sleeves partially rolled up, and a black vest with silver pinstripes. The Cuff that protected him from the chilly Leafchange temperatures gleamed softly from one wrist and his tousled black hair was looking uncharacteristically crisp and styled out of its usual scruffy mess. All in all, Tal was looking surprisingly professional and well-groomed these days (thanks in no small part to Alys's influence and Koa's assistance, with a dash of inspiration from Hawthorn) as he stood on the doorstep of his childhood friend's house with a box of good beeswax candles from King's End.
He couldn't seem to decide if he was awkwardly uncertain of his welcome or smugly pleased to be there, but the muscular white dragon beside him kept shifting her weight to step on his foot with eager impatience, wings rustling when she sneezed from excitement. She knew exactly what she was feeling, and she was happy to see her old friends again!
It was uncommon these days to find Rhiannon at home; she was often busy, either on patrol or attending to other duties around Halo, and when she wasn't working, she found places to be and things to do. Not that she had anything against her home, of course. She adored her parents, who had always doted on her, and there was always something comforting about coming back to the house she still shared with them. But she was also a woman grown, and it was high time for her to get her own place - one day, soon, whenever she found the time.
As the only Cassidy in residence at the moment, Rhiannon stirred at the sound of a familiar voice. Leaving the lunch she'd been working on crafting to simmer on the stove, Rhi hurried to fling open the front door, staring unabashedly at the courier who stood there. He was looking much more put together than the last time she'd seen him, and she had to admit that it was a good change. A professional look, after all, would probably bring in more business. People judged based on appearance more than anything else.
As if in juxtaposition to Tal's neatly groomed appearance, it was clear that Rhi had the day off. She'd thrown on an oversized sweater atop a pair of dark leggings, and her black braids hung loose, tumbling down her shoulders to frame her face. She wasn't entirely unkempt - her pride wouldn't let her completely let go of appearances - but nor was she the polished soldier today, either. It gave her a bit of softness that it was rare, these days, to see.
Hands on her hips, she looked Tal up and down. "Well, it's about time," she told him haughtily, though she did stick a hand out, offering it to Boreal in a way that indicated just how familiar she was with the dragon. "Where in Caido have you been?"
He hadn't been sure that Rhi would be home; she hadn't been the last couple of times he'd made deliveries in recent seasons, but he'd always said hello to her parents and even come in once to have a tea break before heading back out on his route. But the moment the door was flung open he knew who would be standing there, even before he saw the face of his childhood friend.
"Five minutes early an' this is th'thanks I get?" Tal pretended to huff, mouth trying to twitch out of the scowl he'd put on just in time. Boreal had no such patience for the sibling-esque rivalry, however, not when Rhi's hand was already outstretched. The dragon shouldered past Tal's knee, nearly taking the courier down on her way past him to greet Rhiannon with a happy croon and a serpentine wag of her long, scaly tail. She bumped her head under the offered hand and ended up halfway in the house before Tal could try to stop her. Not that he could with his hands full of Big Ass Box, but it was the thought that counted, right?
"So are y'gonna let me in, or do I have t'take these candles back t'King's End?" His grin finally won out in spite of his best efforts to the contrary and Tal stuck his booted foot out to try and nudge his companion out of the way.
Boreal, of course, ignored his boot and plopped her haunches down right in the threshold, as immovable as a boulder so long as Rhi was giving her scritches.
At Tal's (rather predictable) response, Rhi snorted, electing to focus her attention on providing Boreal with scratches rather than deign to respond. She struggled to stay aloof as the dragon pushed her way into the house, losing the battle to grin down at the silly creature. Rhi had always been a dog person, and sometimes Boreal acted more canine than draconic.
Then she turned her grin to Tal, beckoning for him to come in with her free hand. "Fine, but you're lucky. I don't usually let strangers into the house. C'mon, Boreal," she added as she turned to lead the way inside. She walked down a short hallway and into a large, open space that held the kitchen, a dining nook, and a living room, returning to the stove just in time to stir the pot of lunch she'd been working on. "You hungry? It's nothing fancy, but chili sounded good now that the weather's getting cooler."
Having been largely raised by Tal's sled dog team, Boreal had always been a pretty doggy kind of dragon, though she'd grown quite a bit bigger from the hatchling the courier had come home with when he'd been sixteen. From being the size of chubby, rolypoly little lizard that Rhi could tuck under her arm to the burly hound-sized companion she was today, Boreal had grown quite a bit! Though she was just as affectionate now as she'd been twelve years ago.
The dragon happily trotted after her childhood friend, ignoring her companion completely as Tal wrestled with the package and the door and his boots. "Stranger? Who're you callin' a stranger, short stuff!" he protested from the foyer.
He finally sorted himself out and followed the girls to the kitchen, taking a deeply appreciative sniff of the aroma wafting from the stove. Setting the box down on the table, he nodded enthusiastically. "That'd hit th'spot, thanks! I was gonna stop for lunch after this anyways." He pulled his Dagger and got the box open, carefully lifting the boxes of candles out and checking them for damage. "Have y'gotten that promotion yet?" he asked curiously while he worked.
At Tal's protest, Rhiannon snorted, tossing her hair over her shoulder dismissively. She might be shorter than Tal, but she was hardly small enough to be considered short, and she hadn't been for quite some time. Which he would have known, if he had been around. Still, it was secretly good to see him. She didn't have so many friends that she could afford to dismiss one of her oldest, after all!
She stirred the chili, pulling out a fresh spoon to taste it before adding a dash of paprika and a few more shakes of chili powder. She heard Tal unboxing the package behind her and glanced back to see a few boxes of candles that he was now checking over for any damage. She was sure they would be fine. He was good at his job; he wouldn't have been gone from Halo so often, otherwise.
"Yeah, a few seasons back," she said proudly, tossing a grin over her shoulder. "I'm not just a grunt anymore! Mom and Dad were so proud." Of course, they'd also encouraged her to keep climbing the ladder. They wanted to see her get as far as she could in life. "And what about you? You're based in King's End now, right?"
The candles were in good shape - and had been delivered right on time, if those animated gourds he'd seen were any indication! He began to set the candles up on the table, grouped by size. They were sturdy columns and tapers of pale yellow beeswax with wicks as white as snow. The tapers would need holders but the columns could be set on a plate or in a bowl to catch the wax dribbles and protect the sills of the windows they were destined for.
The chili was smelling better by the minute, and it was Tal's turn to look over his shoulder towards the steaming pot, sniffing appreciatively. "Yeah, that was your first promotion," he agreed easily, a sly, teasing lilt to his voice. "But what about your second promotion?"
He hefted one of the candles thoughtfully, looking around for a window to stick it in. "Yup, an' we just finished th'Skyport, so there's no more excuses for y'not t'come an'visit" He grinned back at her, looking pleased and proud and - oddly - a little bashful. "Y'still haven't met my partner Alys, after all!"
The chili was almost done, and Rhiannon gave it one more stir before going to a nearby cupboard and pulling out a few dishes. Bowls, for the chili; plates, for the candles; and a few glasses for whatever they ended up drinking. "Just one promotion so far," she said. "But I'm working on it!" Handing the plates to Tal and gesturing to the window over the sink, she returned to her task, ladling chili into the two bowls. "Water okay to drink, or do you want something stronger?"
As for visiting King's End, well, Rhiannon had never had the particular urge to leave home. But in recent seasons, she had noticed a growing sense of restlessness that her work didn't seem to fill, a sort of longing for something more. Maybe traveling a bit wouldn't be so bad, if she could get the leave to do it.
"Still can't believe you found someone who'll put up with you," she teased as she deposited a bowl in front of the courier. "I have to meet her, if only to figure out how you managed it."
Tal took the plates and balanced one on the sill so he could stick a candle on it. He didn't have any fancy magic but he did have matches, and he struck one so he could light the wick on the pillar of beeswax. A cheerful flame soon grew from it, shedding a small but warm glow both inside and outside. "Water's fine," he assured her. He had more deliveries to make after lunch, and it wouldn't do to start drinking when he had to go back to work soon!
He started off towards another window with another plate and candle in tow. Boreal, meanwhile, was following Rhi like a big scaly puppy, pale eyes fixed mournfully on the bowls of chili as she put on her best starving, pathetic dragon face.
"She's pretty amazin'," Tal agreed happily, unfazed by the teasing and his companion's begging. "I bet she can even handle your sass without battin' an eye!" He grinned back at the Shield - no longer quite so little, though she'd always be 'Short stuff' to him! - and gestured at the box of candles. "C'mon, gimme a hand while th'chili stops doin' its lava impression. I saw some o' those weird possessed gourds on th'way over. Better safe'n sorry, if some extra light'll keep 'em at bay!"
With Tal's agreement, Rhiannon poured two glasses of water, then sits his beside his bowl. She sets her own place nearby, gathering spoons, napkins, and a pile of bread for the center of the table. When Tal wasn't looking, she slipped a piece of bread from the table to offer it to Boreal. It wasn't quite as good as meat, but something told the woman that the dragon would take it happily. At Tal's teasing, Rhi snorted, rolling her eyes at his declaration that she had sass. Of course she did - she always had - and the idea of anyone handling it was equal parts offensive and amusing to the soldier.
Now that lunch was prepared, Rhi set to work helping with the candles, searching in a nearby hutch for some candlesticks for the tapers. "Yeah, what's with the gourds this year, anyway?" she asked as she moved into the living room, settling a three-pronged candelabra in the large bay window there. "We've been getting some weird reports."
Boreal accepted the bread with dainty gravitas, taking the edge of it in the very tips of her front teeth and waiting until Rhi released it before she scarfed it down - very nearly swallowing it whole before Tal could turn around and catch a glimpse. Her scaly tail wagged happily, however, swishing over the rugs of the floor as she bumped her head against the woman's thigh affectionately.
Tal was either oblivious to the interplay or chose to ignore it for Boreal's sake as he set up a candle in another window, though he was grinning to himself. He knew exactly what he'd said and he'd said it that way for a reason - which paid off at Rhi's snort, and even if he didn't see the eyeroll he could feel it. It warmed the cockles of his cold Halovian heart and it was an effort of will not to hum in self-satisfaction.
"Dunno, but it's like they're possessed or somethin'. Or... extra possessed," he amended with a frown. The vampire gourds had always been annoying and mildly malicious - except for Fangorn - but the floaty ones were even worse than usual. "Never seen flyin' ones afore this year. Here, I need more plates." He stacked up on some more little ones and followed Rhi into the living area to make sure each window had its protective light. "How's th'Void stuff been around here this season?" He set another candle in one of the smaller side windows. It was a little precarious, and Tal took the time to fiddle with it until he was sure it was secure and wouldn't fall over even if someone bumped it before lighting it.
Boreal took the bread gently, and Rhi left the dragon to her snack as the humans worked on placing candles in the windows. Once her tapered candles were in place atop the candelabra, Rhi took a shorter, fatter candle and a plate and went to a smaller window nearby. Rather than reach for the matches, she rubbed her palms on her thighs, generating static electricity along her pant leg before manipulating that spark to start the flame on the candles.
Tal's description of the gourds lined up with the reports that the Shields had gotten thus far, though Rhi's patrols had been largely devoid of the possessed vegetables. That was sure to change, though; things always did around here, and usually it happened when she was on duty. "I've only seen a few, myself," she said. "But our reports are full of 'em. Lots of citizens panicking, wondering it they have anything to do with the Void." So far, they hadn't seen any indication of such, but she couldn't blame the populace for wondering.
Speaking of the Void: "It's been about the same, but at least we have the hot springs. We did have a nasty run in with a Void ursur not too long ago," she recalled, shuddering slightly in spite of herself at the memory. "Matthias - one of the guys on my patrol - nearly got himself killed trying to stop it."
Tal headed to the last unlit window and carefully wedged a small plate into place on the wide sill. He added a short, thick beeswax column and lit the wick from one of the previous candles before stepping back to survey their work. With his arms crossed over his chest he gave a proud nod at a job well done before looking back over to Rhi. The news she shared wasn't exactly great and he grimaced at the description of how some Halovians were reacting. "Wish I had an answer for you. Or them." He shrugged uncomfortably and turned his scowl on the window and the grey, cloudy day outside where a few flurries drifted down from higher up; a promise of Deepfrost to come. "I've seen a few, too, but they're not... obviously Void-touched." It was a hesitant sort of conclusion, lacking in full confidence. "Leastwise they ain't purple or black. But the timin's a little too suspicious, y'know?" A new, more powerful, more malicious breed of vampire gourd, right when there were lots of Void-touched variations on the native flora and fauna running around that were also more aggressive and powerful than their original flavors? If it looked like a Void duck and it quacked like a Void duck...
He nodded at the mention of the hot springs, perking up for a moment before news of the ursur brought the scowl back. And he didn't miss her shiver, either. He ambled over to bump his shoulder against hers, nudging her back towards the kitchen. "Sounds familiar," Tal muttered, remembering his own run-in with the gigantic Voidshade Ursur that had been heading for the Citadel back in Flowerbirth. "But I'm glad he made it. An' th'bear didn't. Y'didn't get hurt by it, did you?" There was a sudden flash of concern in his pale eyes as he realized the ramifications of the news, and shoved his hands in his pockets to stop himself from checking the young Shield over himself.
A few flurries drifted down from the clouds outside, and Rhi smiled as she settled the last candle in a window. She'd always loved the snow - at least, while it was falling. There was something beautiful about the way the flakes looked as the floated down from the heavens, piling up in fluffy drifts. Of course, she liked it less as it started to melt, becoming muddy slush that clung to her boots, but that was a later kind of problem.
She hummed agreement to Tal's assessment of the gourds, turning her attention back to the courier and the conversation that continued within the warmth of the Cassidy residence. "No, I'm fine," she reassured him, waving away his concern. "It just took him by surprise, but there were enough of us out on patrol that we were able to dispatch it with minimal damage. We go out with more in each group now, for additional security."
She gestured toward the table, where the now cooled chili sat just waiting for them, and took a seat while waiting for Tal to do the same. "What about you? Are you staying safe on your deliveries?"
