Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
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"Mm... I do and I don't," Finn agrees, closing his eyes and sighing deeply, finding a smile creeping across his face quite without his permission. "If you come with me, then you don't have to leave my side," he suggests by way of a compromise, blinking his eyes back open and carefully shifting to lean up on one arm so he can gaze down at Tobi. "I can stoke up the fire and we can sit and watch the snow," he suggests. "Or I can read to you."
These are, of course, all real and loving suggestions based entirely on their combined interests, but it's also a sweetly sinister way to avoid sleep. Because for all of his steps forward, Finn is a perpetual work in progress, and the destruction of the Tower, his apartment, and the very important belongings inside it have left wounds that still bleed beneath his skin.
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
"You could always channel...I bet Frey could make excellent tea." Would it be laced with something? Undoubtedly. Did Tobi care if it meant she could stay curled up at Finn's side? Trickling her fingers across Finn's chest, it takes the doctor a moment to translate the rumblings and vibrations of his voice leaving his skin and understand them as actual words.
"A fire.." Tobi coos, suddenly entranced by the idea of flickering flames, popping coals, and snow falling silently outside their window. "That one, please." If an orgasm hadn't been enough to knock consciousness from Finn's thoughts, perhaps heat and monotony would do it. And if that didn't work, there was always waiting until he was up for a second go. Reluctantly sitting up and trying to ignore the pangs of self-consciousness that came from the way the twist of her body made her body roll and fold in the middle, Tobi reaches for her Finn's her shirt to slip back on over her head.
"I have no doubt that they would. But I know the sorts of other things that Frey likes, so perhaps not." Would the tea keep Finn up all night? No doubt about it, and whilst the ex-Spyglass might appreciate that he'll still end up not sleeping, he's not sure he'll be able to take the chafing. And so a tea, the fire, and softly falling snow it is.
Smiling to Tobi and taking a moment to clean himself up before rising back to his feet, Finn pulls on some comfier clothes, rolling his shoulders as he heads back out into their little house. "With LongNight coming," he ventures slowly, glancing up the darkened stairs towards their son's room, "...do you know whether you would like to stay in Halo? I know we said we would try it until Flowerbirth."
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
Raising a silent eyebrow at that, Tobi decides to let further speculation of what it might be like to channel a deity to make them a cup of tea fade away. Sliding her feet into a pair of slippers and clearly opting out of wearing pants (they're going to have a fire to keep them warm), Tobi follows behind Finn like a companionable pet eager on keeping her counterpart within eyesight.
Lightly drumming her fingers against Finn's back to keep him moving that they might not have to have this conversation in the middle of the hall, Tobi waits until they're in the kitchen before answering. "I was thinking about that too...I...think we need to first decide what roles we think we might play with the war coming." WaR was such a big topic, but running water for tea and pulling out a pair of mugs somehow made it seem an easier thing to discuss. "I mean...is there any point in settling down somewhere if we know we're just going to up and move again when things begin? And if we aren't going to do that..." The logical part of her mind wants to flesh out the other option, namely, that they aren't going to aid in the war effort at all. It isn't in Tobi's nature, but with everything that has happened to Finn and with all of his wounds made fresh by the collapsing of the Tower, the doctor can't help but wonder if they shouldn't try and avoid it altogether.
"I...heard rumours..." Tobi adds as she places the kettle over a low heat to boil. "..of a place being made that blocks all shifts and magic and even upgrades...a place that is going to be neutral and safe during the war..."
Flinching automatically at the unexpected fingers against his back, Finn picks up his pace towards the kitchen and sets about getting down a jar of tea while Tobi also continues to potter. "If we were still in Stormbreak and part of the Order, it would be a given that we would be part of things," he murmurs, ruffling a hand through the back of his curls and setting the kettle down on their stove. "But now, not so much..."
Letting out a long breath, he nods agreement about the rumours, having heard much the same thing himself. "It would be good for Ever to have somewhere safe to go..." he begins, before sagging back against the counter and rubbing at his shoulder, as if the tension there is already starting to build back up. "He does not like it here," he murmurs. "He hasn't said anything, but... I can tell." And for Finn to know without it being blatant, either it's painfully obvious, or he and his son express their discomfort in very similar ways.
06-07-2022, 08:51 PM (This post was last modified: 06-07-2022, 08:54 PM by October.)
October
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
Leaning against the counter and wrapping her arms around herself, Tobi offers Finn no comforting words or touches as he puzzles things out. It would be disingenuous to do so, as Tobi had no more idea of what they could or should do than Finn did. Biting thoughtfully at the inside of her cheek and trying to keep her thoughts on the rational side of things instead of edging towards panic at the mention of their son, Tobi exhales a long and slow breath that does nothing to ease the thudding of her heart.
"I know he doesn't. I was hoping maybe that would ease when the snow could be cleared so that he could go and visit his friends." She offers, though somewhat doubtfully. "And this whole not speaking thing..." Shaking her head, Tobi raises her eyes from where they'd fallen somewhere around Finn's feet, to instead regard him. "I know children can through periods of not wanting to communicate and Ever is quieter than most, but...he won't even talk to me." Sounding exasperated and at a loss now, Tobi drums her fingertips on the counter.
"I don't think he liked it even when Mateo could visit," Finn admits, even though he doesn't want to add more fuel to the negativity fire. Pinching at the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes, he wishes foolishly for things to be easier. For the Tower to have not fallen, for the war to not be creeping ever closer. But that simply isn't possible, and he lets out a long breath that does nothing to relax him whatsoever.
"I think that whatever we decide, we should make sure that Ever stays with us," he says slowly. "I don't want him to be alone when things get bad." Not like I was. As for their boy not talking, even to Tobi - that has him swallowing hard and rushing to get to the kettle before it whistles and wakes Everest up. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "Do you want to see if I can speak to him? I... I know I am not the best with words, but..." He shrugs, already half abandoning the idea as he pours the tea.
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
Tapping her foot restlessly on the ground and trying to balance her need to vent her frustration without letting it overwhelm Finn, Tobi forces herself to still. Imagining her agitation like a scribbled pencil drawing, she mentally takes her fingers and pinches it at either end, drawing it into a straight line. As she does this Tobi makes herself breathe, and think, and focus. "I want that too." October agrees, and the fact that they're on the same page about not sending Ever away causes at least one knot in her stomach to loosen.
Perhaps what Tobi says next is unfair because of the complicated emotional response it perhaps demands, but she finds the words spilling out before she can help it. "It makes me feel like a bad mother." She admits, and not even the whistle of the kettle shakes away the grief that has frozen her in place.
Nodding, Finn also feels himself unspool at least a fraction to know that whatever they decide to do, they will do it together. It might not help their current predicament, i.e. Everest not speaking to them and locking himself up in his room and hating living in Halo - but it's something. As Tobi speaks again, though, and Finn sets down the kettle again, the ex-Spyglass glances up with a mix of surprise and upset on his face.
"You are not a bad mother," he almost whispers, sounding certain about that and opening his arms for her without hesitation. "You aren't. Ever is lucky to have you, and he loves you. Some things are just... difficult to admit to yourself, I think. Let alone to other people." Especially when those things involve big feelings that don't know how to express themselves.
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
Looking up, Tobi regards Finn's open arms for a moment. Was it taking advantage of him, if she folded herself against his chest? Would it be asking too much of him to seek comfort? Gods she didn't know, and very nearly she might have stayed where she was if the thought of Ever holding out a sheet of paper with a perfectly composed and immaculately written request on it hadn't flashed before her eyes. Fleeing across the kitchen and into Finn's arms, Tobi presses her nose against the base of his throat and huffs a weary sound as she twines her arms around him.
"I just...it's so hard to know what to do in times like these. And this is such an important stage of development, and..." All of this is said into the fabric of Finn's shirt, but it's Tobi's next question that she cares if he hears or not, and so she straightens slightly that she might look up at him. "Do you think he knows how much we love him?"
On the contrary, given that Finn has offered his comfort openly and without expectation of anything other than making Tobi feel better, as she folds into his arms the ex-Spyglass gives her nothing more than a warm squeeze and a gentle smile. When it comes to their son, their hearts may as well beat as one; they both feel just as worried and they both want the best for Ever. Better than what they have had growing up, however different it might have been for each of them.
Finn doesn't really know how to answer her questions, though, and he furrows his brows as she gazes up at him, the Spyglass teasing his fingers through the ends of her dark hair. "...I think he knows. But I also think we could show him. He... he does not want to be here, Tobi. And I think thinks may only get worse if we make him stay."
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
Finn feels so impossibly strong against her that Tobi has to remind herself that for all his physical changes over the past few seasons, his mind is still fractured and slow to heal. Still, she appreciates the comfort of his arms more than he knows, and—oh. There was absolutely no reason for that. "Even just a hug from you makes me feel so much better." Tobi whispers softly. "It means a lot, and I really appreciate it."
Appreciating Finn's candour all the more in this moment, Tobi nods with a swift agreement. "Then we will leave. We could leave sooner than the end of the season if we could get a message to Ronin." If their letters made it Tobi was quite sure that the Huntsman would help them to leave using his compass. Whether or not it would involve Remi she had no idea, but if they really were in such dire straights with Ever, maybe it didn't matter.
"I'm glad that I can do something to help," Finn murmurs, his smile softening into something just a touch pleased; it isn't often that he's able to get things right in situations like this, and given how simple an act it is, he's more than content to offer it to Tobi when she needs it. And although he probably doesn't need to repeat it, he still does. "You are not a bad mother. You are wonderful with our son."
That it's so simple - Everest isn't happy, and so they leave - has a laugh threatening in the back of his throat, and he has to resist the urge to lean down and kiss Tobi. Since they're being spontaneous and all that, why not? "We could. Do you think Ever would prefer to go back at the change of the season, though?" It's how Finn's mind works, anyway. As for where?
"...I think going back to Stormbreak might be safest for now. And it's where Mateo is, and the Collegium. We can decide whether we will be participating in the war from there, and move to the sanctuary being created if not. Does that sound alright?" He blinks at her, realising belatedly that he's let his own thoughts craft everything without her input. "Do you think somewhere else might be better?"
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
Finn is so much like their son—or rather, Everest is so like his father—Tobi poses the question right back to him. "If it were you and you were in an uncomfortable and unhappy situation, what would you prefer?" Unsure quite what to do with her hands, pressed against Finn as she is, Tobi loops them around Finn's neck while gazing up at him almost as if they are about to start dancing.
'Stormbreak.' Tobi repeats, both surprised as much as she could have predicted that as an answer. "Are you suggesting Stormbreak because it is familiar and easy?" She wonders, though there's no judgement or challenge in her voice. Even if those were Finn's reasons, they were good enough ones, she supposed. Twitching her lips and letting her fingers capture a few of Finn's curls to twine between them, she shrugs a touch helplessly. "I...don't know. Stormbreak seems like such a target for the ascended. Especially with rumours of a new relic being there? What's to stop the ascended staging another attack the way they did before, other than their say so that they won't?"
