Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
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And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
He scowled a bit more at the question. Knew he was being teased, and should respond in kind... but the subject stung and he couldn't find anything to smile about. "Not for lack of trying," he answered, and looked down at his hands. "I just... don't get how she does it. Let people in like that, let them run around as they please. It's not like she doesn't care and don't get hurt... yet somehow she can still smile about it." Korbin couldn't. Didn't know how.
Maybe she was just stronger like that.
"Some nerve, to demand that kind of trial of others when he's done no such thing for ruling Halo in the first place," Korbin muttered. "And? Did you find anything?"
Turning his head slightly, he tried to listen to the wind outside. It had gotten quieter than before... with a bit of luck, they would be able to leave soon.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Seeing the scowl, hearing the words, both caused Loren's expression and voice to soften. "No one's asking you to smile. Or if they are, fuck that." He grinned briefly. "But maybe if you let people in, you'll remember how to." Shrugging, he gave Korbin an understanding look. "And maybe, with enough practice, you'll realize one day that it's not so hard after all."
Snorting, the healer nodded in agreement. "Probably for the best that I didn't know how he came to become Warden before he sent me on his errands." Letting out a huff of laughter, he shook his head. "No, of course not. Don't you think you would've heard if I'd found some mageglass?" It wasn't a lie. After all, he didn't know that what he'd seen was mageglass.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
"Not in so many words, but I know she keeps wishing I'll just return to being the way I was as a kid," he answered quietly. The prankster, always laughing, joking, running amok... Was that him anymore though? Sometimes he thought so, sometimes not. Today? Definitely not. That mischievous raven child of before never killed anyone.
And letting people in... No. He still didn't want to do that.
Korbin gave Loren a wry look. "You didn't bother finding out before accepting the job?" He shrugged. "For all I know, the Warden could keep a hundred secrets in his Palace, and no one down in Snowcloak would ever find out." Where had the man been for the past season? Would he finally give up and go somewhere that actually wanted him?
Ha. That was probably more than he could hope for.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
"So?" Loren grinned at Korbin. "If she can't accept that you've changed, that's on her, not on you." Then the healer's expression grew a bit more serious. "Look, I'm probably the last person you want advice from but...sometimes it's best to just have serious conversations about these things rather than stringing them along." He looked distinctly uncomfortable, but his voice had come out firmly.
Shaking his head, he sighed. "No. I was...mourning, and not really in my right mind." Pressing his lips together, he rubbed a palm against his thigh. Nodding in acknowledgement of the hunter's words, the Launceleyn spoke in a slightly subdued tone. "Fair enough. Mageglass is not one of the secrets in the Palace." That he knew of, at least.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
Loren was right that he was the last person Korbin wanted to listen to. Or perhaps second to last, after his brother. But the raven had done unpleasant things he didn't like all his life. What was a bit of unsolicited advice from an outlander?
"Sure, that may be true, but what if I don't know myself who I am these days? Or what I want, or..." He broke off, and fought to keep the frustration from flaring up. Not Loren's fault, it was the reason for all his mood, and yet... he was such a convenient target. "Until I know that, there's no point in saying anything. It wouldn't lead anywhere." He took a steadying breath, and found that it helped very little.
Of course, finding that he had well and truly stepped in it didn't help make matters better. Loren's response reminded Korbin of the reason why the Healer was here in the first place, and he winced internally for the lack of tact. That was crude, even for him. There was a slightly long pause, as he struggled with himself.
"Right. I'm... sorry."
He didn't look up, kept his head down. But there was a genuine regret in his tone. He'd gone too far.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
04-22-2020, 08:49 PM (This post was last modified: 04-22-2020, 08:50 PM by Loren.)
"Well." Loren spoke slowly and carefully. As he did, he made sure to meet Korbin's eyes squarely. "As someone who is still trying to figure out who he is, and who gets particularly defensive when people try to force me into one mold or another, I think you can absolutely tell her you need time and space to figure it out. Or a sympathetic ear." The healer smiled softly. "She loves you. I promise you she'll understand."
Shaking his head, he waved away the apology as he instinctively sent a pulse of reassurance to the other man. "No need to apologize. Really. You're absolutely right, I should've figured out what mess I was getting into." Grinning, the Launceleyn rubbed his hands together. "Better late than never, right?" He spoke in a joking tone, hoping to lighten the suddenly somber mood.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
It was sensible advice. A wonderful thing to say, really. And it would have been the ultimate thing to do... Except, Korbin already had all that. Understanding, space, the freedom to do whatever he wanted. If he wanted to talk, all he had to do was talk, and he'd get all the support he could wish for.
And for some reason, that was frustrating. How was he supposed to not let someone down who offered all that? What expectations were there to live up to, except 'be happy'? What was he to break away from and rebell against, when there were no barriers to climb over and no borders that shouldn't be crossed?
There was such a thing as too supportive. Too good. Especially when he wanted someone to rage against. Oh look, good thing there was a fucking outlander lording it over Halo to take it out on, right? And his brother. And everyone else that stood out like a sore thumb.
"Right... That she does." Korbin averted his eyes. Didn't know what to do with all the soft understanding, when it really felt like there was none at all.
The reassurance pulsing down the bond was not very welcome, but he was starting to give up on resisting it. There seemed no point when Loren kept flinging his feelings around. "Yeah. Sure."
He stood again, turned away. Knew he was not helping things, but it was like the bottom of a barrel had broken off, and all his energy was rushing out. It was too much, really. Too many emotions going on, too many things to think about. He killed someone. He got a job offer. He'd talked more in the past while than he had in weeks, and was none too happy about it, because it left him feeling exposed when it was the last thing he wanted to be.
Poking the toe of his boot against the ice a few times, Loren jerked his chin towards it. "Let's check how the weather is coming along? Been a while since I heard any wind."
The day was getting old and Korbin really, desperately wanted to go home.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Not knowing what was going on in Korbin's mind, Loren just smiled as reassuringly as he could at the hunter's words. "That she does," the healer agreed easily.
Then he grinned, with maybe the slightest hint of mischief in his eyes. "And hey, if you ever need to talk to someone who you're not related to, I'm free. And I don't even care if you're shitty to me, as evidenced by my continued presence here." His tone was lightly teasing.
Hesitating just a bit when the other man didn't respond to the Launceleyn's joke, he ended up just glancing at the gap. Rising to his feet, he waved a hand at the ice he'd raised. It melted away into water, revealing that the storm had, indeed, died down outside.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
There was an inclination to withdraw into sullen silence. To shut down, close himself off, just... return to the reticence he'd worn at the beginning of this incident. But somehow, the young man knew they'd already come too far for that. Too many words had been exchanged, and even if he continued with the pretense of loathing... it just didn't have the same cutting edge as before.
It seemed pointless to be an ass to someone who just shrugged and smiled back.
"Ah. Like the snowstorm didn't have anything to do with that," he mumbled back. There was only the slightest bite to his tone; no doubt, if there had been a way to leave sooner, Korbin would have been long gone by now. Let's just pretend he didn't actually enjoy himself for a moment or two.
He watched the ice melt and run off. The wind had stilled, but snow kept falling. A full, rapid rain of white that looked much like a thick wall. He plodded out through the substantial drift that had formed where the ice wall used to be, and looked around.
"I don't know..." he said slowly, squinting through the snowflakes that wanted to settle on dark eyelashes. "It might be passable, but... Can you keep your bearings in this whiteout?"
Possibly it would be easier to fly, but Korbin had a feeling his wings would get iced over in no time. There was always a risk involved in moving around when the visibility was this poor.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
04-22-2020, 10:20 PM (This post was last modified: 04-22-2020, 10:21 PM by Loren.)
Loren just snorted at Korbin's quip. "You're welcome to test that theory at any time." However, the healer would be lying if he said he didn't want to get out of here. Frowning at the heavy snowfall, he glanced at the hunter.
"Give me a second." With that, the Launceleyn took a deep breath. Brow furrowing in concentration, he tapped deep into his magic. Raising his arms above his head, he pushed outwards with his water magic.
The snow wavered a bit, then finally succumbed. It parted above them for a good distance, leaving a dome of clear air above and around them. A few flurries broke through, but it was much easier to see. "Does this help?" His voice was slightly strained, and he bit his lip as he tried to maintain his focus.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
Not very likely, he wanted to say... but that sounded childish even to himself. The Citadel wasn't large enough to completely avoid another person forever, and Deepfrost would force everyone to endure each others presence. Making stupid vows now would only make him look foolish later.
Korbin did indeed give Loren a second. He got several, actually, and watched with narrowed eyes as the snow shifted and moved, pushed away by some invisible force. Despite himself, he felt goosebumps rise over his skin. Envy, awe, some primal fear of the unknown stirred within... but he pushed it all down. Took the time to look around and search for landmarks in the landscape.
"It does. You can let go now." Having marked one crag in the mountainside he knew from before, the raven put his back to it and walked out into the snow, in the general direction of the Citadel. "With this course, we should hit the causeway in a few hours. Don't think flying is a very good idea right now."
He didn't wait for approval; confident that his plan would work as long as they didn't veer too far off course, he just kept walking.
Still... he couldn't help himself. After a while, Korbin looked back to Loren. "What's it like? Being able to change the world around you like that?" There was a peculiar note of longing in his tone.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Focused as he was on his magic, Loren didn't notice Korbin's reaction. Instead, the healer's brow just stayed furrowed as he concentrated on not letting his spell collapse. When the hunter told the Launceleyn to let go, he nodded. Lowering his arms, he let go of his magic as well. The snow began falling down again.
Turning to face the other man, Loren followed carefully behind Korbin. Not wanting to get lost, the healer just paid attention to putting one foot in front of the other. However, he shot the hunter a surprised look at the other man's question. "It feels good," the Launceleyn admitted, a bit guiltily. He couldn't keep the faint hint of embarrassment from his voice. "To be able to think something and just...watch it happen."
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
He hummed thoughtfully. Turned back to the direction he had set out, keenly aware of his responsibility to keep them both on track. Part of him wondered if it had been foolish to set out while it was still snowing.
"I can't even imagine," he admitted. He only knew the feeling of shifting. Of melting and reclaiming form, of being purified into the essence of his very being. Like part of the soul had just been... clarified. Explained. 'Ah, so this was who he was.'
"Do you know anything about what it is? The magic? What are you actually doing and how... that sort of thing."
His voice was muffled by the heavy snowfall. Every once in a while he looked back, to make sure he was keeping to the right course, and at times Korbin asked Loren to lift the snowfall again. Adjusting as necessary whenever they began to veer away.
If he had doubts, they didn't show on him. Or in the bond.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Trusting in Korbin to keep them on track, Loren just followed behind. The snow crunched under his boots and he distractedly brushed it off his clothes as it tried to stick. Pressing his lips together, he stared at the hunter's back. "For what it's worth, I've met Attuned with incredibly remarkable abilities too." The healer's voice came out slowly and softly, since he wasn't sure how the other man would take it.
The Launceleyn shook his head before realizing Korbin wouldn't see it. "No, I don't." Loren sighed. "Probably no one does but the gods, and good luck getting a straight answer from them about it." Tone wry, he continued forging ahead in the snow, lifting the snows whenever necessary.
