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 reach out to my lifeline, the angels laugh in paradise
El quietly sipped their ale and coolly watched George out of the corner of their eye, understanding why he didn't want to talk at the moment. They tried to commit just as well and shared a smirk with the bartender at George's obnoxious behavior. George left shortly after, and El gave it a minute to finish their ale before leaving as well. No use wasting money to drink only half a pint.
They found George at the entrance and couldn't help but smile at him when they walked by, proud of them both for a plan well-executed. They continued walking past him through the Whisper, until they found a short alley that turned off the main way and ducked inside. It was dark and abandoned, and there were the remnants of an old stall that looked like it may have been selling something at some point in time. They turned around, untethered the purse from their belt, and waited for George.
George leaned against the wall outside the bar, pulling a coin from his own hidden purse to flip in the air as he waited for Hawke. People streamed by outside the bar, some going in, others coming out, and many passing it by entirely. It was a busy night in the Last Whisper, and George was eager to see how the rest of it played out.
When Hawke passed by, a smile on their face, George hid a grin of his own and pushed off from the wall, shoving his hands into his pockets. He walked down the street after Hawke, not following them, exactly, but meandering from this stall to that. He made a purchase of two apple fritters at one stall, admired a particularly decorative-looking knife at another, then ducked into the alley behind his new friend.
"Not bad," he said, holding out a fritter to Hawke with a crooked grin. "Simple and clean." Just the way he liked it. Nothing messy, no getting caught - just an easy target losing his fat purse.
if life had background music playing your song I've got to be honest - I tried to escape you but the orchestra plays on
05-29-2023, 02:21 AM (This post was last modified: 05-29-2023, 02:21 AM by Eleftheria.)
i reach out to my lifeline, the angels laugh in paradise
"Not bad" wasn't the highest praise George could have given, but he made up for it by offering Hawke a fresh apple fritter. They salivated at the sight of it and traded the coin purse for the fritter, trusting him enough at this point not to make off with the money.
"You count. I need to eat this as a reward for my fine work." They said this before tearing into the fritter, gasping through the mouth after discovering the first bite was too hot. They couldn't help it; they were weak for sweets. El glanced behind them to look for a place to sit before deciding on a low stoop.
"You do this often then?" they said through bites of the fritter, then added in a teasing tone,"Simple and clean?"
George accepted the purse from Hawke, trading it for the fritter with a playful bow. He stuck his own fritter in his mouth for a bite, holding it momentarily in his teeth as he opened the purse to inspect its contents. Seemingly satisfied, he closed it again and joined Hawke on the stoop, sitting with his legs stuck out in front of him, crossed at the ankles, the nicked bag on his lap. "Often enough," he said with a shrug after he swallowed his bite of fritter. "Gotta make a livin' somehow." At this point, he felt confident that Hawke wasn't going to run off with his description to the authorities, so admitting to being a thief felt safe enough.
"Simple and clean - no big fuss, no getting caught. If you're going to filch something, do it right," he said, taking another bite of his fritter. When he'd finished eating, he brushed the crumbs from his hands and inspected the purse they'd stolen more closely. He poured the bag's contents out into his hand, counting out coins and separating them easily into piles. In the end, he'd split the bag's contents and put one half - or maybe a little more than half - back into the bag and handed it to Hawke (what, he was feeling generous!). The other half disappeared into his own purse, which he then hid back inside an inner pocket.
"Ever been to Torchline?" he asked then, that crooked grin back on his face. He'd had an idea, and now that El had been tested properly... well, he could think of a few uses for them back home, that was for sure.
if life had background music playing your song I've got to be honest - I tried to escape you but the orchestra plays on
i reach out to my lifeline, the angels laugh in paradise
El was happily finishing their fritter while George portioned out the money, licking the crumbs off their fingers as George noticeably split the pot unevenly and handed the bigger half over to them. El pulled their head back in a moment of surprise before accepting it, unable to quell the grin on their face. The purse weighed so nicely in El's hand, nearly overfilling it. This was way more than they felt safe carrying around most of the time, and their head filled with possibilities of how they might spend it.
George's question about Torchline came unexpected to El. They put the purse away and said, "Torchline?" They scoffed. "No. That's like on the other side of the continent, right? Can't say I've traveled that far." They couldn't understand why George would ask such a question, so they added, "Why do you ask? Are you trying to test my knowledge of geography now?" The last part was said jokingly, with a grin.
George remembered when he'd been a kid and he'd first started stealing. He'd started out small, just an apple here or there, or a coin or two when he could manage it. Hawke's first attempt at stealing that night had reminded him of himself, a little, and so perhaps that was why he'd left them the lion's share of the profit for them. Either way, he'd gotten what he'd wanted out of the bargain - and, if he played his cards right, he might could convince El to join him and his friends in their... less than savory endeavors. They could always use another hand, after all. There was an awful lot of Caido and only a few of them.
But George didn't want to come across as too eager, so he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and a book of matches, offering Hawke a smoke before taking out his own and lighting up. He took a drag, leaning back against the building they sat against. "Just hoping to see more of you, love," he joked back, raising an eyebrow to see how they'd react. "I mentioned earlier I'm from Torchline, yeah? It's where my associates and I are based. I was just thinking, if you ever wanted to live a little... well, there's always fun to be had back home."
if life had background music playing your song I've got to be honest - I tried to escape you but the orchestra plays on
05-29-2023, 03:30 AM (This post was last modified: 05-29-2023, 04:00 AM by Eleftheria.)
i reach out to my lifeline, the angels laugh in paradise
Eleftheria took the cigarette he offered and waited as he lit it for them, staring at it curiously. They'd never smoked tobacco before, though they had very faint memories of their grandfather smoking from his pipe by the fire in the Deepfrost nights. They raised it to their lips and pulled, tasting bitterness and heat in their mouth and throat. They barely exhaled a thing, but still fought the urge to cough a little. It wasn't the worst thing in the world.
George continued by flirting again, which at this point only made them grin, without suspicion. As George invited El back to his home in Torchline, El was in the middle of an inhale. They allowed the smoke to mingle in their lungs, then exhaled slowly into the air. Torchline. Could be interesting. Definitely more interesting than this place. And working with George tonight had been fun, admittedly.
"I could be agreeable to that, yeah. You have associates then? What kind of work do you do, if I may ask?" It was starting to sound a little gang-like, and El was having mixed feelings about it. A part of them was yearning for adventure, yelling at them to take any opportunity to see new things, experience new places. And this was quite an opportunity. But was it the right one?
Hawke took the proffered cigarette and took a drag; George put away his matches, his own cigarette wedged between two fingers, then leaned back, enjoying the calm of a night well spent. It had been fun - and lucrative, which was all George really cared about. Fun and money - what could be better?
Well, there was power - like the power that his friends back home hoped to wield through their invention of the Thieves' Guild. While it hadn't been his idea, he'd gotten in with the right people. Now he was committed. Which, of course, was why he was subtly trying to convince Hawke to join up with them. They'd been a great help tonight, after all, and they'd been pleasant to work with. Not worried and nervous, not overconfident and cocky. Just the perfect mix of daring and subtle.
George took a puff of his cigarette and breathed out a ring of smoke. "Just a few of us," he assured Hawke. "We're merchants," he said innocently. "We sell various items that we... procure for our clients." And by 'procure,' he meant steal, of course.
if life had background music playing your song I've got to be honest - I tried to escape you but the orchestra plays on
i reach out to my lifeline, the angels laugh in paradise
El waited patiently for George's reply, then took some time to consider it. What did they have to lose, really? Was stealing really the worst trouble they could get into? An image of their father's disappointed face came to mind, and they banished it away. He wasn't around anymore to tell them what was right or wrong. El had to decide for themself, and sitting around in the Hollowed Grounds stealing a couple of coins for a drink felt wrong to El. Especially after tonight, especially after George revealed to them what was possible.
They took one more long hit of their cigarette just to make George wait, then stubbed it out on the stone beneath them. With a shrug of their shoulder, they said,
"I'm in." They thought about the homestead, what little personal effects they had there and what they might take with them. Definitely some herbs to add to these nasty cigarettes. Perhaps some seeds as well, just in case there was a place they could grow. They could think of little else they wanted to bring, however. There really wasn't anything left here for them.
"We can leave tomorrow morning, unless you want to stick around for some reason."
George waited as Hawke considered, bending one leg to rest his elbow against his knee before taking another long drag of his cigarette. He wasn't in any big hurry, and his feelings wouldn't be hurt either way. They could part here as friends, and he'd be just as happy as if Hawke joined their Guild. Well, perhaps not just as happy. But it was a free world, wasn't it, and Hawke would have to make their own decision on the matter.
When they finally agreed, a genuine smile broke out on George's face. "A truly excellent choice," he said, shifting to clap Hawke on the shoulder. He was sure that they would be a good addition to the guild, and it would be nice to have someone he'd brought in, rather than to be the odd man out amongst a group who had known each other far longer than he'd known any of them. George stubbed out his own cigarette and rose easily, remarkably graceful, offering Hawke a hand up. "Tomorrow is fine by me. You can find me at the Silk Lantern," he added, naming a local inn, "And we can catch a skyship together."
-FIN-
if life had background music playing your song I've got to be honest - I tried to escape you but the orchestra plays on
