A rogue at heart and in life, Jack has been dodging trouble and rewriting Torchline’s rules for as long as most can remember. Though his slight, rugged exterior might seem easy to overlook in the crowded alleys of Haulani, a sharper look reveals a man as dangerous as he is enigmatic. With an infamous reputation and razor-sharp wit, matched with eyes that see and say more than most can handle, Jack's real weapon lies not in his stance but in his piercing blue gaze—and a telepathic edge no one knows about. Recent endeavours—like romancing Torchline's queen and trading favours for children with Safrin—show that while Jack may lack a conventional moral compass, he’s bound only by his own ambitions.
Congratulations, Jack!
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!
Cam slouched into the Temple, kicking at the ground -- they knew it made them look like an angsty teenager, but they couldn't stop. They found a good spot to sit, somewhere they could stare at the shrine without being in people's way, and did just that, their gaze boring into the altar while they slumped with a miserable look on their face.
Their last visit to the Temple hadn't turned out how they'd hoped at all: instead of receiving help from the Voice, they'd been cursed -- something they'd discovered only later, when they realized they could only respond to questions with "yes" or "no." For someone who could be quite verbose, always hedging and qualifying their statements, it was a struggle. They'd come back to the Temple wondering how long this would last -- an anxious voice inside them wondered if it was permanent -- but of course they couldn't ask anyone, damn it.
Should they take this curse as a rejection from the Voice, or just bad luck?
For the duration of this thread, Cam is cursed and can only answer "yes" or "no"! (This curse technically expired a week ago but I wanted to do a thread with it anyway.)
cameron ?
"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
With the Infirmary under way, Varus has found that he’s spent a few more moments lingering in the Temple than he otherwise would have. It’s fine, truly, makes it easier to up on fluid while here before he departs at the very least. And that might be part of what he’s up to when he slips in toward the shrine – noting its differences from the one that had stood there before he’d been lost in a war centuries ago.
But he notices someone sitting there, almost as if they’re boring holes into the shrine with how they stare at it. And Varus can’t help but comment, his metal arm lifting to rub at his opposite shoulder, flashing them a small fanged grin. “Sorry, kid. Thought the shrine was empty. I can wait ‘til you’re done if I interrupted.” An olive branch, Varus halfway between stepping in further and stepping out of the room – all dependent upon what Cameron chooses.
and i find sorrow in idle minds and solace in being heard
Cam startled a little at the man's words; they'd focused so hard on the shrine that they hadn't even realized anyone was there. And he wanted permission to go in -- thought he had interrupted them? Cam shook their head. "No."
Unable to elaborate, they could only hope that the man would understand what they meant: that no, he wasn't interrupting, and he should go ahead and use the shrine if he wished. To emphasize the message, Cam pulled back a little, settling further into their seat -- trying to show that they had no interest in getting up -- and turning their gaze away from the shrine, eyes downcast.
cameron ?
"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Honestly, Varus hadn’t anticipated on surprising the person within the shrine the way he had. The jump has him offering an apologetic smile to them after he airs his question. And it really doesn’t help the question he’d aired, unsure what exactly the no referred to. So the smile remains apologetic and Varus slips in a bit further toward the shrine, giving Cameron a good look as they settle in the pew, looking away from the shrine.
Varus takes it as his cue and slips toward the shrine, uttering a soft "thanks," before he raises his metal hand to rest it on the shrine, while he takes a deep steadying breath, one that’s relieved soon after as he’s replenished and he turns to look back to Cameron in the pew, offering a soft smile. “You alright?” It didn’t seem like they were and Varus was a stranger, after all, but sometimes talking to a stranger helped.
and i find sorrow in idle minds and solace in being heard
Cameron didn't watch Varus interact with the shrine, figuring that the man's religious activities were none of their business; in fact, they had just decided to leave when he turned back to them. Staring at the shrine would not bring them answers, after all -- especially when they physically couldn't ask questions.
A state of affairs that made Varus's question a little awkward. Cam wasn't totally OK, but they also weren't in the kind of distress that required a stranger's aid. They appreciated his concern, but there was no point in worrying him when he couldn't help them.
"Yes," Cam replied, with an awkward smile. Oh, how they would have loved to elaborate! Usually Cam's conversations were all elaboration and qualification, their words rambling through tangled sentences and twisting back on each other. Sometimes they felt self-conscious about this style of speaking, but it was better than this -- not being able to convey more information, more context for their actions, was killing them.
cameron ?
"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The question is aired, asking if they’re okay, and Varus leans back on the balls of his feet to await the answer – curious despite himself. And he receives an awkward smile and a yes that he’s still not entirely sure is answer in and of itself for what the kid sitting there feels. So, Varus steps forward, sitting in the pew in front of Cameron, arms draping across the back of the pew with one metal arm on display and the other made of flesh.
“Are you trying to decide which gods to follow?” He asks with a tilt of his head, trying to gauge whether or not they had an idea. He isn’t sure, given that Cameron didn’t need the shrine when he’d arrived and since then, they’d simply watched the shrine in interest. That made sense, right?
and i find sorrow in idle minds and solace in being heard
"Yes," Cam said, though the real answer was closer to "maybe." They had no intention of following the Old Gods, really, not after all they'd heard about the Old Gods' followers attempting to wipe out the Ascended just for the crime of worshiping another god. But did that mean they should follow the Voice? Become Ascended? Consent to such an enormous change to their body?
Cameron's relationship with their body had always been a little difficult. They'd always said that if they could have a perfectly androgynous, sexless doll body that didn't have to eat, they'd leap at the opportunity. But now that something similar presented itself, they couldn't help feeling unsure.
Not that they could really discuss much of that with this man, with the whole yes-or-no answers thing. If only they could find some way to convey their limitations -- but they'd found that the curse was so total that they couldn't even write an explanation. Whenever they put pencil to paper, it came out as "yes," "no," or an illegible scribble.
cameron ?
"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Yes is good enough, and the smile that breaks across Varus’ face is vibrant as it is wide and fanged, amused and charmed as he tips his head this way and that, almost as if he’s trying to wrack his brain into finding a place to start. “Well, I’m definitely biased, but…” He trails off, wiggling his metal arm where it drapes over the edge of the pew toward Cameron.
His gaze focuses on them with a crooked smile, one that’s fanged and soft. “I chose the Voice over three hundred years ago. Haven’t had any reason to doubt her.” He pauses, pursing his lips a fraction. “Fought in wars for her. Compared to the old gods, she’s one of the ones that treated us like her family rather than those to be commanded.” And for a soldier like Varus? Sometimes the family was commanding, but it was far easier to command those that trusted you than those that you didn’t.
“Are you accepted?” He asks, pausing to wait for them to respond before he continues. “Have you… Considered Ascending?”
and i find sorrow in idle minds and solace in being heard
Cam listened to Varus with interest -- if they'd been able to speak freely, they would have been full of questions and responses. Had the Voice given him his metal arm? Did it have special powers? Three hundred years? What kinds of wars?
But, alas, they remained silenced; they could only nod along. But they did give Varus what respond they could, when he asked his questions: "Yes," and then another "Yes."
If Varus had been Ascended for three hundred years and hadn't come to regret it -- well, that was a pretty good endorsement in Cam's book. Varus's description of the Voice's attitude encouraged Cam, too; he didn't think he could follow a god who issued commands, who expected to be obeyed for their divinity. But they could be part of a family, maybe.
They just wished they could say so.
cameron ?
"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
A yes and another resounding yes to answer his questions. And Varus wonders why Cameron hasn’t simply done it yet. Perhaps that’s a question they can ask at a later date – the wondering of why it was such a difficult choice. But for now, the fanged smile he offers them is gentle as it is kind, drawing in a quiet breath that he certainly doesn’t need, before he pushes himself up from the pew and stretches out the metal arm.
“Well, I should get going. If you’re still on the fence about it, maybe we can chat about it again.” He offers easily, inclining his head in a nod toward them, giving a quick glance along them to make sure that they’re okay, before he makes his departure.
- FIN <333
and i find sorrow in idle minds and solace in being heard