Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
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She has been away a little longer than planned this time, but she’d sent a letter ahead to her dad to let him know so he wouldn’t worry too much. Soleil doesn’t lie to herself and say he wouldn’t worry at all because that’s simply untrue, but she’d done her best.
While she has been having the time of her life exploring Torchline and Stormbreak, Halo’s light snow settling in her curly hair and kissing frost against her cheeks makes her feel like she’s home. There’s something to be said about home being where your heart is, but Soleil is a young woman with exploration in her heart; she can’t stay home forever. But, at the same time, she never resents coming back. Looks forward to this moment where she opens the front door and kicks her boots off, taking in all the familiar scents and smiling brightly.
“Dad! I’m home!” They’d arranged to have a private dinner for her first night back upon her request, and she’s both ravenous and ready to throw herself into her father’s arms.
Of course Sah had worried regardless of the letter. This was his little sun his daughter. A precious being who takes so strongly after him it scares him at times. Her loyalty, love, and adventurous spirit fully mirroring his own. When Sah looks at her, he sees the childhood he could have had if war hadn't taken his entire adolescence and he hadn't been thrown into a position of authority far too long. Safeguarding that innocent curiosity, that wanderlust and love of life in Soleil is a task he devoutly accepts. Balancing it with letting his little sun soar was a constant challenge but one he will never back down from. Sah will always protect his daughter and her independence. Her freedom to choose and live as she pleases.
As such there is no scolding or lecture when Soleil arrives home late. Instead Sah all but sprints from the kitchen and sweeps his daughter into a warm and enthusiastic hug. "Soleil!" Letting out a pleased rumble he presses a kiss to her temple. "Welcome home, my little sun."
After giving her another tight squeeze, Sah reluctantly pulls back. "Come on. Dinner is ready. I made your favorite." How was lucky was he to have a daughter that still came home for dinner? The luckiest.
Her dad is like a windstorm fitting of his moniker as he runs out of the kitchen, sweeping her up into his arms to a chorus of her laughter. Soleil throws her arms around his neck and hugs him tight, nuzzle her face along his cheek and temple in a distinctly canine manner that she has never bothered to outgrow. It makes her heart swell to inhale his familiar scent and intertwine their own to that shared pack-scent she has been missing while away.
Soleil is accustomed to not being like her peers, so when he lets her go she isn't ashamed to linger as close as she can, feeling like the affection she was just given wasn't enough even if they do have to eat. "Thanks dad," she says with a warm, loving smile, appreciative of the work he'd put into making her favorite - a very simple dish of steak, asparagus, and mashed potatoes. Nobody in Torchline or Stormbreak had made a steak as good as her dad, and it had only made her miss him more each time she'd tried.
Taking his hand she guides them both into the kitchen, plopping down in the chair right next to his so she can knock their knees together for more of that physical contact she has been missing. "I have so much to tell you about my trip! I saw Paige again." The girl is the only friend she'd had outside of Halo, so Soleil is confident her dad will remember her name. "And I went hunting, and swimming, and saw geysers! It was so sunny and hot, it was amazing." As much as she adores Halo it had been an exhilarating difference, and her skin is noticeably darker from so much sun exposure.
Sah happily nuzzles Soleil back in the same manner, taking a moment to absorb her warmth and scent, letting it soothe his instincts. A reminder that his pack is complete once more. Soleil hasn't been gone for too long, but Gods does it feel that way. Her thanks are met with a warm grin, "Of course, Sweetheart." Mastering her favorite dish had been a worth the time and effort. Anythign to make his little sun smile.
The Wild Thunder lets his daughter lead him to the kitchen table where their meal is already placed. As Solei speaks, he serves them both, smiling softly at her enthusiastic tone. "Is Paige still as much of a troublemaker as she was before she aged?" Sah chuckles before adding, "I can imagine the mischief the two of you created."
Torchline's climate truly was Halo's opposite the vast majority of the time. "I'm glad you had fun. What was your favorite thing to hunt?" Though that does give Sah an idea. Maybe one he masters creation magic, maybe he can make his daughter a coat that will keep her warm or cool in any region? That way she can safely explore Caido? It's an idea worth noting for later at least.
She does dim slightly despite having been the one to bring up Paige, but she’s never been the type to hide her emotions, never ashamed of them in the first place. “More so I’d say. But…seeing her didn’t feel the same. Like I was too late in joining her in adulthood, and the world has shaped her differently than how I knew her.” It’s almost poetic - which Soleil surely isn’t - but she gives her father a bittersweet smile. She doesn’t regret having waited to age up, especially knowing her dad would have prevented it entirely if he could. Her heart is strong enough to weather this sad realization that some friends will change and grow further apart. “Still, we had fun. And I met a Merman! The King, actually. I helped him do some trading at the beach and he shared his lunch, which attracted a bird they have there that lets you walk on water if it’s on your shoulder!” Demonstrating her resilience in real time, Soleil’s excitement returns immediately alongside the shine of her eyes as she recounts her tale of having walked on water for the first time.
“I actually hunted them later with another girl. She was so cool. They’re really dimwitted prey, but they flock tightly so it was a fun challenge.” Reminded now, she eagerly reaches into her hip pouch which she hadn’t taken off at the door like her backpack and presents an array of feathers from those kills. “See! I brought them back so I could fletch some new arrows for my bow. Melita was impressed by my shooting style,” she shares with a toothy grin, clearly radiating pride given it had been Sah who had taught her how to shoot. Halovian methods are clearly different from Torchline styles, but they’d both bagged birds in the end so who was to say if one was better? “And then I went to Stormbreak and made three friends!” Had he thought her tale was done? Ohhhhh no. Soleil has so much more to share.
08-03-2023, 03:15 PM (This post was last modified: 08-03-2023, 03:15 PM by Sah.)
Sah
Sah reached over and gently ruffled his daughter's hair with a soft smile, "Friendships are weird like that in Caido. I'm glad you still had fun." He hated that she'd been sad, even if only momentarily. It made him want to offer his sympathies, but his little sun bounced back before he even could. Gods, he was so proud of her.
"You met the King of the Mers? What's he like?" Sah had heard of Hadama and seen him in passing but had yet to have a one-on-one conversation with the King. He sounded kind though and it set the Abandoned at ease. "A bird that lets you walk on water? Incredible!" Just as he had when Soleil was young, the Wild Thunder made sure to match her excitement and energy.
Hearing about his daughter's hunting prowess had Sah grinning ferally, "Well done, little sun." The name Melita had him cackling, "You met Melita? She's great. Whenever we've met in the past, we challenged each other to random competitions." Knowing that the unpredictable and fiery woman had had his daughter's back on her hunt warmed the older hunter. He had no doubt that Soleil had learned from her.
Sah tilted his head, "Stormbreak? What's it like there?" There were whispers that Abandoned may be able to visit in the near future and it had further piqued his curiosity. "Tell me about your new friends. What are they like?" The Wild Thunder was glad that Soleil's story was continuing. He loved to hear her speak with such excitement.
Her lips twitch in a sad attempt at a smile, his comforts not exactly...comforting. But she can't fault him for that. This predicament was one he couldn't help repair. So she merely holds her tongue on the admission that she thinks her friendship with Paige can't be saved. She doesn't want him feeling any worse on her behalf.
"Like the sort of king you hear in storybooks," she admits with a small laugh. "Poised, regal, that sort of thing. But he was kind at least." Not the chilly, uppity sort of regal that the more villainous storybook options always painted their rulers to be. Soleil would happily consider him a friend, but she would admittedly consider nearly anyone to be a friend so long as their meeting is neutral at best. Which is why it's unsurprising that her father knows Melita too, given Soleil takes so much after him.
"Stormbreak is so full of people in such a small area, a lot like the Citadel. They have a lot more human advancements than the magical kind that we do." Sometimes Soleil's cheeriness can make her come off as dimwitted, but she's far from it. She'd been deeply intrigued by the history she'd seen in Caido's capital, and had found herself comparing their technology to magical alternatives consistently. "Well I went clubbing with a girl named Noe, and then went jumping off the edge of the city on bungee cords with a girl named Ellyra! I also met the ruler there, too, though I didn't know it at the time. Her name is Sohalia. We went shoe shopping." And by the gleam in her eye, it's clear Soleil had loved it. Halo's weather restricting fashionable footwear is the most grievous sin she has come to know.
08-14-2023, 03:35 PM (This post was last modified: 09-03-2023, 03:59 PM by Sah.)
Sah
Sah picked up on his failed attempt and reached over to give Solei's hand a squeeze. Physical comfort was easier to give, and he hoped that it helped, at least a little. The older Outlander hadn't had the issue of mismatched aging of friends when he'd come to Caido. He didn't know what words would help or make things worse.
"He is? Good." Sah let go of Solei's hand to playfully poke her side, "Kind rulers are always the best kind. They're followed with loyalty and not fear. If you end up with your own followers, do the same." He knows for a fact that she will, but there's no harm in giving that kind of advice. Sah truly wouldn't be surprised if Soleil ended up a leader, even if it was just the leader of a friend group on not a politics. She had the charisma and intelligence for it.
An intelligence she one again proved as she spoke of Stormbreak's technology. "Fascinating. I'd wondered if they had the same level of magical advancements, just ones gifted by gods and not stemming from the people."
Sah commits the names given to memory, just in case they're mentioned again in the future. "I've met Sohalia very briefly. She seemed like a gentle soul." Shoes? What was so fun about shoes? Internally baffled, the Wild Thunder just grinned, "What kind of shoes did you get?"
Soleil, as a rather physical young woman, takes more comfort from the squeeze of his hand than anything he might have said. He knows her well, to nobody's surprise. Returning the firmness of his touch, Soleil offers a small, wan smile that marks the end of that topic, unwilling to ruminate on sadder things when there are so many better things to share.
"You really think I could rule someday?" she asks, a slight laugh in her undertone that exemplifies her disbelief. Soleil is more than confident in herself, but leadership has never appeared on her mental radar as something her future might hold. She isn't certain her happy-go-lucky, wandering heart would be of any use as a queen.
"I wonder why the knowledge hasn't been dispersed through the other lands," she admits, a small furrow forming between her dark brows. Was there something more insidious at work? Why had such technology not been shared with the other regions?
Her father pulls her back from her thoughts, and Soleil brightens anew. "Heels and sandals mostly! There are so many more fun shoes to wear outside of Halo!" As deeply as she loves this land, she can't deny there are benefits to living elsewhere. Benefits that keep her frequently leaving the region.
Sah chuckled, "There are many forms of leadership, little sun. Regional leaders, guild leaders, or even just the leader of a group of friends. I wouldn't be surprised to find you in some form of it." Perhaps it was a parental thing, but the Wild Thunder saw so much potential in his daughter. Whatever path she took. he had no doubt that it would be carved in her own way. And he'd be cheering her on the entire time, always in the background should she ever need a shoulder to lean on.
The Abandoned didn't have a firm answer for Solei's question but he hummed in thought, "Perhaps it was a combination of geographic distance from their allies and cultural differences?" It was possible that under Sohalia, things would change but only time would tell.
Sah's eyes softened as Soleil went on about the different kinds of shoes. Spending time with his daughter and letting her happily ramble about the things she likes was such a blessing. One that he'd never take for granted. "Which was your favorite?" Maybe he could make her some that would be usable in any terrain? Paired with a coat to keep her warm or cool?
She flushes and preens with pride, his faith a warmth that sits in the middle of her chest that even Halo’s cold can’t steal from her bones. “Maybe someday, when I’m done exploring the world,” she concedes with a grin. The world is vast, so that gives her plenty of time to avoid things like duty or inspiring the masses.
Though Soleil is happy to debate and ponder with her father any day, there’s simply too little information at hand, so she shoots him a helpless look and merely shrugs. “Maybe once they get rid of their Abandoned defenses we can check out their library together? They might not be entirely honest in their history books, but it would be a start.” Not only would they be able to do it together, but Soleil could show her father around given she has already been able to explore the region a little. It’s not like she has ever been bothered by ideas such as her style being cramped by her dad’s presence.
Waving away his question with a bright smile, Soleil leans over the edge of the table toward him, eyes bright. “I’ll show you later - I want to know what I’ve missed! What have you been doing?” Letters were never scarce between them, but given she moved around so much they often were delayed in getting to her. As much as she understands the reason why, she doesn’t want her father to make this conversation all about her.
Sah chuckled, "There will always be more to explore." The world was ever changing and there would always be more to experience than was physically possible. At the notion of visiting Stormbreak, the Abandoned perked up. "I'd love that." Exploring a new region with his daughter sounded like an incredible adventure.
Although Sah could spend days hearing Soleil speak and discussing her interests, he relented to her change of topic. "I've been working on mastering my creation magic. I'm almost there." Swirling his fingers, he called forth his magic. The elements came together in his hand and with a grin he held his palm out.
In his hand laid a gold bracelet with a small black wolf charm. "Cool, right? Here, for you." At the moment this was the peak of his magic but soon he'd be able to craft magical weapons.
Soleil knows he's right, even if the childish urge to refute still rises in her throat; what if the borders of the world never change? What if an entire region is wiped away, like the destruction of Whitebrim during the coup? But they are small, useless arguments, and so she subsides beneath her father's wisdom.
Instead, there is the distraction of his magic - which she admittedly envies even now that she is older - and she gasps softly to see him work it so masterfully. Her darker fingers trace over his palm for a brief moment as she takes the bracelet gently, emotion almost palpable. "Thank you daddy," she murmurs, never ashamed to use a phrase seemingly too young for her now. Slipping the bracelet on - and promising herself she'd never take it off - Soleil gives him a watery smile and leans forward to pull him into a hug. "It's beautiful." And no matter how small, it will remind her of home and family whenver she is away.
