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!
I will stand by you forever; you can take my breath away
As they get to scrubbing themselves clean, Wessex has the opportunity to see just how Varus’s arm is attached. She tries not to stare, but it is interesting, from a mechanics perspective. “Silly question,” she begins suddenly, “But do you ever have to worry about rust?” It seems to her like it might be a constant problem, but then she doesn’t know what kind of metal his arm is made out of, or any other sort of precautions he might take.
One final good scrub and holding her shirt out to see if she’s missed anything, and the Wraith is clean enough for now. There might be spots she’s missed, but she’ll take care of them at home. Instead, she grabs a nearby stick and beckons Varus come closer. There, in the dirt, she does her best to sketch out the bird the Voice had brought to life - and honestly, it’s not great, but she tries to describe it adequately. “Imagine a night-black bird, large as a dragon, big enough to carry more than a few people. But with blades for wings. Razor sharp talons. Something to rival an Attuned’s mythical shifts… but with a little twist.”
She can’t help the bright, but almost vicious grin that slips across her face. “It’s a secret, though. I have faith the Voice can do it, but it needs to be a surprise. For everyone. Except you, because - I’d like you to be my second-in-command. If you can stand me enough to work closely with me.” It's a little self-deprecating, but an important question. If he doesn't think he can work closely with her, he isn't the person for the job. And while she thinks she knows what his answer might be, she can't be certain.
Either way, one other person should know. Just in case.
and all their words for glory, well they always sounded empty
“{sa}yHm?” He asks as he shakes out the rest of the water from the hinges in his arm. His gaze lifts to her and he shrugs lightly. “Haven’t so far. I try to make sure just in case, though. I imagine if it does rust, the Voice can fix it up pretty quick.” Here, his grin shifts a bit crookedly. “That or give Isla some sorta anti-rust thing to stick on it.” He snorts, rising from the water and coming closer just as Wessex has asked, wringing his shirt out beside them as she makes her sketch.
His eyes follow it, then up to Wessex’s with a bright grin. “Sounds like it’s somethin’ fearsome.” He admits, his grin growing a bit more crooked as Varus squints at Wessex. “I’d be honored to be your second in command, Wes.” He offers with a soft laugh, a shake of his wet hair. “Do I get a fancy title or something?” Here he nudges Wessex with his metal elbow, his grin turning a bit more childish before he draws back and promptly sits on his ass in the grassy and dirt coated riverbank.
“I guess if you’re gonna promote me or something, might be a good time to tell you my own little secret, huh?” He wonders if she remembers how he’d kept his true first name from her, how it had been a secret held close to his chest where the total of three (possibly four, given Nikolai’s quick attention to what the Voice had called him when he’d taken the young man to Ascend) people knew of.
I will stand by you forever; you can take my breath away
“Isla is prettying fuckin’ clever,” she agrees. If there’s anyone who might be willing to come up with something to prevent Ascended from rusting, it would probably be her.
And to her delight, Varus accepts the responsibility offer without needing any convincing and the Wraith feels like she can breathe a bit easier (figuratively speaking, of course) for the moment. “You can call yourself whatever you want,” she chuckles amicably, throwing out some clear absurdities. “Lord Protector, The Man Who Survived The War, Old Iron Fist…” pausing for dramatic effect, she continues, “But Captain might also suit you well. If you want.”
Honestly, he could call himself whatever he wanted to. Wessex wouldn’t care.
The promise of his own secret cuts her off and she gives him a glance with brows raised, clearly all ears. “Oh? I’m listening.”
and all their words for glory, well they always sounded empty
Another soft chuckle leaves Varus as he nods, finishing the shake out of the water from his metal arm, flashing an amused look toward Wessex. “She is, isn’t she?” He was quite proud of her, despite having no real right to being proud of her. He just is. She’s done a lot for an Outlander, let alone the whole death, rebirth, death again, and rebirth again. The fact her mind is still relatively sound is incredible.
He squints at Wessex with the laid out names, a low whistle leaving him as he breaks into a grin. “Oh, Old Iron Fist has a nice ring to it, but I think Captain’s probably better, huh?” And so Captain it is, and he straightens up to approach Wessex a bit closer as the mention of his secret is in the air.
And perhaps it’s just a bit dramatic and his quiet want to be a bit of a dork, but he flashes her his best (and oldest bow), before drawing up. “My first name’s Varus.” He offers her, straightening up fully. “Varus Callahan. But you see, it’s a bit of a secret because when we’re out on that field and you call me Varus it will absolutely short circuit me. So use it wisely.” He winks to her, before huffing a laugh. “Isla knows. She’s seen it happen once by accident.”
I will stand by you forever; you can take my breath away
“Alright,” she says with a chuckle of her own. “Captain it is then.”
And that is that, as far as she’s concerned. It doesn’t matter to her what his name is - but the ‘short circuiting’ bit does give her a bit of a pause.After taking the information in, she is quiet for a moment, head tilting slightly to one side. “Do you foresee a time when someone might need to stop you?” she asks cautiously.
It’s good to know, but an odd sort of reaction. A liability, even. They all have their weaknesses, so she isn’t by any means faulting him for it. But if he’s got a secret tendency to go into a berserk rage then calming the beast is yes, absolutely necessary.
and all their words for glory, well they always sounded empty
It’s settled, Captain ringing a nice bell in Varus’ mind as he delves into telling Wessex his own little secret. She’s quiet for longer than he expects, though, the cocked head intriguing him as to what thoughts race through her head – until she voices them and Varus offers a bright fanged smile. “Sure. I’m an Assassin. It’s a good redirect if information is wrong.” He shrugs. It’s been done before – a wrong target marked, undercover in a way that Varus hadn’t known at the time.
“Aside from that, it’s beneficial to have a few people know in case I get in over my head on the field.” He’s got a couple of modes – war mode and Varus mode, and it’s rare that the two tend to overlap. Still, its good information to have for those that might need it, the most notable two being the General and his girlfriend.
I will stand by you forever; you can take my breath away
”Oh.” Suddenly the picture seems to come together and Wessex gives her new Captain a little bit of amused and fanged side-eye.
“Soldier is a little different than assassin, my friend.” She can understand why he might want to hide that part of his identity right now, but the reveal has opened a bit of a door for the Wraith. In her head, at least. She doesn’t express any of that aloud. “But that’s definitely good to know.” All of it.
“Shall we head back then?” Offering Cal a hand, she beckons Loki to her shoulders and the too-big dragon lands precariously, while the Wraith prepares to take the three of them to the closest portal.
