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!
Is she deserving of it? There is little Ru wouldn’t do for this vexing, contradictory, beautiful woman. Still the gravity of even the implication of the same is humbling. A raspy tongue flattens the sleek fur of the vixen’s cheek, rumbling approval inside and out as a secondary date is tacked on to the end. LongNight as well. Will you be missed? She is too selfish to offer Wessex the out directly, but she would not keep the Wraith from her family if they would need her in the Grounds or elsewhere. The distance wouldn’t keep her, but would she know if she was needed?
Her heart squeezes for a half-second as the kitsune rolls out of reach, but then she is a woman anew, and Hotaru shuffles closer to place her mighty golden head on the General’s thigh. A deep purr escapes, eyes closing as strong fingers work at the pleasant spot behind her dark ears. She lingers there, enjoying the touch silently as she considers her response. And then she too is changing, shifting, until it is the golden-haired woman on her back with her head tilted over Wessex’s thigh, blinking up at her. This way, there is no bond between them for Wessex to tap into, but the emotions are all there on the Valkyrie’s face to be perceived regardless.
A hand lifts to snag at Wessex’s fingers before they retreat, twining between paler shades. “But would I be putting you at risk?” she asks quietly, searching Wessex’s eyes. She may be welcome in the Grounds, but if her visits became noticeably frequent? Would she be painting a target on the woman’s back? Surely if Hotaru died the Wraith would continue on regardless, but Ru is not unaware of the weaknesses love and attachment can create. And she is mildly terrified to realize that she would do anything - even sneak around like a secret held close - if it meant keeping Wessex safe.
You may need me there to carry all your weight but you're no burden I assure
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Will she be missed? The demigod cant speak for her family, so all that’s left is to shrug. “I don’t know,” she murmurs aloud, finishing their attuned conversation as she continues to stroke tawny fur that turns to soft, golden strands. It’s a gorgeous transformation, and Wessex watches it with a fascinated expression. “We have no plans, and at this point I always hope for a quiet LongNight. They killed the monster in Halo… I can’t see any others surviving this long without something to sustain them.”
So that leaves… everything else. “And you’d have to be an idiot to attack Ascended during LongNight.” The ceasefire still stands and Gods willing, it’ll stand then too. “So I genuinely think it’ll be okay to leave.” She is, however, only half of their pair, and with a little frown, she peers down at the pale beauty in her lap, fingers sensually entwined. “What about you? Your kids?” Can she leave for that long? Aren’t they still… quite small?
And as for is the Valkyrie would be putting the Wraith at risk, she can only assume the Outlander means that someone might ken their attachment. Another, casual shrug. “I worry only about two - or three people. One loves you to death, one is the father of your children, and the other is… well I’m counting on him not coming to the Grounds. Ever.” Bringing a hand up to her mouth, her lips graze Ru’s knuckles, and then the outside of her hand. “I only meant that you have free reign if you need it.”
In the Grounds and in her heart. Ru can go wherever she likes, and Wessex is sure no one would stop her.
there was a time that we were kind, but now don't write me, you're not fooling anyone
She could listen to Wessex talk for hours. Would, if she could. With her head balanced on the woman’s thigh and gazing up at her she blinks slow, catlike, expressing an affection she can’t put to words. An indolent expression worsened by the relaxing, pleasurable comb of battle-shaped fingers through her long hair. She can’t remember the last time she cut it, and it spills in long waves over Wessex’s legs, more than plenty to play with. Hotaru could care less how, so long as the Wraith continues to touch her.
The care shown for her children squeezes around her heart, and with the walls so far down the warmth in her expression is plainly visible. “They are older now. Frey’s doing. And safe, besides.” So long as they reside in the Greatwood, Hotaru is sure they’ll never come to harm. Remi will see to that, though Hotaru would not be far behind.
A slight pink comes to her cheeks at the insinuation that she is so protected, so cherished. It’s a foreign notion. How she ended up with any of them is beyond her even now. Had age and loss tempered her more distasteful qualities? The flush deepens a shade as smooth, cool lips press to her knuckles, charmed by such a simple but meaningful gesture. “Then maybe I will see you sooner,” she whispers, scared to break this moment. Her hand squeezes gently upon Wessex’s - just enough for the General’s sensors to detect. Finding she has nothing else she desires to say, wanting instead to simply lay there and memorize the other woman’s face and the way their hands fit together.
You may need me there to carry all your weight but you're no burden I assure
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
It’s pure selfishness that makes the demigod ask about Hotaru’s children; she would rather have the woman all to herself than half here, and half worrying about feral munchkins. But with her assurance, Wessex smiles and nods. “Good.”
As for whether or not the Valkyrie would actually come to see the Wraith - well, that remains to be seen. She dare not get her hopes up, but she squeezes her hand in return and gently lays it back down beside Ru. “I’d like that,” she murmurs, before impishly diving down to lay a chaste, quick pick on a pale forehead. Something stirs in her, something says she has tarried here too long, and though she would rather whisper a million sweet nothings and girlish confessions to the Outlander, she has too many other responsibilities. This… whatever this is, is too fragile. Too new. She can’t let herself get completely lost in it yet.
“I hate to say it, but we should go. Until one of us can stop time, it will not stop for us.” She tries to keep it light, but there’s the tiniest undercurrent of sadness in the statement as she waits for Ru to rise, therefore allowing Wessex to do the same.
there was a time that we were kind, but now don't write me, you're not fooling anyone
The kiss to her brow strikes her tongue dead in her mouth in a way so few people ever manage. It is easier to be coy and flirtatious when your heart doesn’t swell into the passage of your throat, choking any words from ever seeing the light of day. Instead there is the soft click of her swallow to be heard, pink bleeding like watercolor out from beneath the spot Wessex placed her lips until it’s diluted and warm across her entire face. Sweetness is still so foreign to her after all these years. For all Wessex sees her as strong and capable - she knows this, or the Wraith would not have trusted her to go on such dangerous quests at her side - the General still holds her so gently. It does terrible things to the Valkyrie’s heart.
She doesn’t want to part, but the promise of another meeting - and more, in the Grounds - is enough to have Hotaru reluctantly rising. Dusting off the dry, fallen detritus of leaves and grasses to soothe the shake of her hands so that when she reaches for Wessex’s own, they are stable once more. Lifting the pale hand in hers, Ru brushes a gentle kiss to the knuckles - with just a hint of a spark, for the Wraith’s sensors to pick up. Smiling just a little, content too leave it at that, Ru let’s their hands drop - still connected - between them even as she takes a step back. Wanting to linger, to stay, but knowing they cannot. “I’ll see you at the end of the season.” It’s a quiet vow, but as their hands part, Ru is determined to carry it with her, to let it sustain her until then.
- FIN <3
You may need me there to carry all your weight but you're no burden I assure
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
