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!
Morning brings drizzle, which morphs into afternoon thunderstorms. And now, in the dead of the evening, a steady, rumbling downpour drums across the rooftops of the Silk Houses. Stormbreak's unsavoury weather patterns haven't dampened the business of this part of the city, at least, and people hurry from taverns and boudoirs, in and out of the doors of gambling parlours and the illegal fight clubs beneath them, occasionally into brothels.
Dahlia, too, is hurrying. She's the picture of it, in fact, her skirts gathered into one hand to keep them from getting soaked on the wet pavestones, her dark hair dripping, her footsteps quick and agile to avoid puddles. Alas, she is not entirely successful - in large part thanks to a passing carriage - and a large wheel crashes through a few inches of water, which splashes up and soaks her.
Her scream is one of shock; soaked and startled, she's forced back a few paces, where she promptly catches the heel of her shoe on a loose cobblestone, and falls to the ground.
let me put my lips to something
let me wrap my teeth around the world
I'm the king, and you're the queen and we will stumble through heaven
Koa is tired of the rain, but the gods don't seem to care. Rae is bowling, his father used to say of thunder storms; the dragoon can only assume the twin beings are on a remarkable winning streak, given the endless rumbling that rolls across the sky. Rain has cast his city in shades of grey, muting what should be a season of color. The streets are wet and muddy and full of fog; the people are sour-tempered and morose; and the Dragoons are stretched thinner than ever, trying to keep all semblance of civility from washing into the sea below.
It is evening. The young man is coming off a particularly arduous shift when a scream cuts through the busy street, muted by the fog. For a brief moment - brief! - he contemplates moving onward, ignoring leaving whatever is about to unfold for whoever is on next to deal with. But before he can even finish the thought Koa has turned around, pushing his way across the street to the source of the sound. He can't ignore a damsel in distress, especially not here; the Silk Houses are a dangerous place at the best of times, and tired as the boy may be, his duty binds him tight.
"Ma'am, are you alright?" Koa kneels beside the woman, the picture of concerned professionalism in his uniform. One hand extends to assist Dahlia; the other holds an umbrella above her head, leaving Koa to take the brunt of the rain. Droplets gather in his hair, running through the crease between his brows and tracking a path down to his chin. "My name's Koa; I'm a Dragoon. Let me help you up. Can you stand?"
If there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes I know you wanna go to heaven, but you're human tonight
One might consider this serendipitous - that the person Dahlia has been seeking out since King's End is the very one to come to her rescue, however briefly he may have considered leaving her in the cold.
And anyone with half a brain would say it was going exactly to plan. Regardless, here comes her knight in shining armour, and Dahlia blinks through the dark and the rain up at him, accepting his hand with clear gratitude.
"Thank you so much," she says, her breathless voice somewhat swallowed by the downpour. Gripping his fingers and gathering herself to her feet, she glances back at the cobbles to make sure she hasn't dropped anything or broken the heel of her shoe. "Sorry for the trouble. I was trying to get back to the White Hart, but I believe I've gotten myself turned around. My name's Dahlia."
let me put my lips to something
let me wrap my teeth around the world
I'm the king, and you're the queen and we will stumble through heaven
Koa smiles gallantly as the pair rise to their feet, the young Dragoon supporting Dahlia in her slippery ascent. "It's my duty and my pleasure," the young man half-yells, trying to keep his voice above the level of the rain. He scoots in closer, trying not to crowd her too badly while also maintaining the umbrella over both of their heads. And though he's very tired and it would be very easy for him to simply offer directions and be on his way, well...
Wouldn't be very gentlemanly, would it?
"I'd be happy to escort you back to the Hart, Ms Dahlia." A damp but charming smile is cast down toward her, his cheeks rosy in the cold. Offering his arm for her to take, the young man tilts his head. "Wouldn't do to have a lady lost in the Houses, especially given this rain." His laugh and grin wave away any real obligation or hesitation that might be implied in his words; at this point it might make more sense for him to crash at the Hart than to try and swim home.
If there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes I know you wanna go to heaven, but you're human tonight
Happily accepting the close in distance between them despite their very brief encounter so far, Dahlia peers out from Koa's umbrella at the downpour and slips her arm gratefully through his own. "You are very kind," she tells him, a relieved smile on her full lips. "I didn't realise that Stormbreak suffered this kind of weather."
Gathering her sodden skirts up into her free hand, she will stick with him whichever route he decides to take, clasping his bicep with gentle fingers and gazing around, doe-eyed, as if trying to remember where she'd gotten lost. "I have heard of the Dragoons. You are just as gallant as all the stories I've been told," she calls to him over the rain.
"Have you been part of the organisation for long?"
let me put my lips to something
let me wrap my teeth around the world
12-26-2023, 09:24 PM (This post was last modified: 12-26-2023, 09:25 PM by Koa.)
Koa
I'm the king, and you're the queen and we will stumble through heaven
"We don't usually." For a moment Koa's smile falters, countenance darkening to match the skies above. "The weather's been weird since the start of Flowerbirth - we always get some rain, but nothing like this." The young man peers unhappily into the rain, frowning as though angry that it would withhold answers.
But flattery proves an excellent balm for Koa's fried nerves, and he's more than happy to return to the warm halo of the umbrella and the woman within. The young Dragoon flashes a grin at Dahlia, heat. "I try," Koa chuckles, shrugging at her question. "Since I was old enough to enlist - and before then, too. My ma was an officer," the boy says proudly - never mind that Dahlia will have no knowledge of his mother, nor any reason to care.
Gently Koa steers her around a corner, toward the street where the Hart waits. The rain lessons slightly as they walk, though the downpour is still a steady beat which drums on the umbrella. "What brings you to Stormbreak, Miss Dahlia?" Hopefully not the famous views, now tragically shrouded in mist and storms.
If there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes I know you wanna go to heaven, but you're human tonight
Furrowing her brow up into the skies, Dahlia contemplates the downpour and shivers to herself. "Perhaps there is something in the air," she murmurs, nevertheless seeming more than happy to turn her attention to Koa than the adverse weather. "A family legacy," she says, smiling up at him. "I bet your mother is very proud of you."
Her eyes flick forward as they round the street and she spots the tell-tale glow of luxere antlers over the doorway of the White Hart. "Hm? Oh..." Here Dahlia blushes, a pretty heat in her cheeks as she glances up at Koa from beneath dark lashes. "In truth, I came looking for someone," she says. "I think I have been lucky enough to find him, though."
Pausing outside the doorway to the Hart, she gives Koa a brief little curtsey. "Could I offer you a drink, to say thank you?" she asks, hope lending a warmth to her voice.
let me put my lips to something
let me wrap my teeth around the world
I'm the king, and you're the queen and we will stumble through heaven
"Ah, well... I like to think so, but only Mort knows for sure." The rain washes away some of of the softness in his words, even it can't fully mask the boy's potent grief. Despite his smiles, his bravado and aplomb, there's vulnerability deep in the Dragoon - and nothing better to bring it out than the memory of Mahina's loss.
It sets him up to be taken in, a domino ready to fall.
Koa's face heats in response to hers, a fly in the web of her thick, dark lashes. "I... is that right?" the young man answers, flustered, a chuckle punctuating the narrow space between them. Was she looking for him? Or just a Dragoon? "The gods must have been smiling when we ran into each other, then." Either way, he's more than happy to serve whatever need remains unmet.
The curtsey, the antler light of the Hart, the sheets of rain that mute out the world beyond them - it's fucking magical, and Dahlia's curtsey and hopeful voice melt away the last of his reserve. "Only if I can buy the second round," the young man replies brightly, grinning down at the lovely stranger and wondering what he's possibly done to deserve this stroke of luck.
"After you, my lady," Koa smiles, pushing open the door to expose the warmth and bustle of the Hart within. He waits for Dahlia before closing the umbrella and following behind, faint curls of steam coming off his damp hair. "What's your pleasure, Dahlia?"
If there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes I know you wanna go to heaven, but you're human tonight
"Ah, I see. I'm sorry for your loss." Having only learned about Mort from afar, one would nonetheless believe Dahlia as a lifelong believer, and she reaches across to warmly clasp the Dragoon's arm beneath the umbrella, even as they fall to a halt outside the White Hart. "That is so," she confirms, glancing coquettishly away from him and ducking inside out of the downpour. "Though I am more inclined to thank you than the gods tonight, Koa," she adds, smiling over her shoulder.
Moving among the bustle of patrons towards the bar like a knife through butter, Dahlia blooms all the brighter for being inside, and though her clothes and hair are heavy with rain, there's a lightness to her gestures, and she beckons Koa with her. "The second on you then, good sir," she croons to him. "In the meantime, lately I've been favouring something sweet and dark." Like you, she might add, while simultaneously pointing to a lovely red vintage behind the bar.
let me put my lips to something
let me wrap my teeth around the world
I'm the king, and you're the queen and we will stumble through heaven
She strolls through the Hart like she owns the place, like a shark's fin slicing through moonlit water. Heads turn, eyes watch, and Koa preens to walk behind her, to ride the wake of her grace and splendor,
just as dazzled as anyone else by her grace and charm.
The Hart is familiar territory for Koa, who gentlemanly pulls out a seat for Dahlia before sliding in beside her at the bar. "Like you?" he says the words she doesn't, copper eyes dancing in the tavern's warm light. A gesture calls the barkeep over - a middle-aged woman with curly brown hair, her expression keen and familiar as she greets the boy with a smile. "Your ravishing today, Amy. Two glasses?" he requests, then turns back to Dahlia as the woman bustles off.
"So..." Leaning in against the bar (and closer to the dark-eyed beauty), Koa tilts his head. "You never did say what brought you to Stormbreak." Besides him, but there's no way that's the entire story.
If there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes I know you wanna go to heaven, but you're human tonight
"You charmer," Dahlia hisses playfully, though the way she sidles into the seat he draws out for her gives her away; she doesn't mind a bit, and is evidently in the mood to be charmed. Watching the interaction between Koa and the bartender with a curiosity that borders on the intense, Dahlia smooths out her wet skirts and lets her gaze follow Amy and their two glasses right up until she returns with them.
"Mm...? Well," she gushes, her attention moving right back to the Dragoon at her side once the glass is between her fingers. "I had heard that Stormbreak had recently begun welcoming Abandoned. And that demigods visit fairly often. With everything happening in the world lately, I wondered whether it might be a safer place than the other regions."
let me put my lips to something
let me wrap my teeth around the world
I'm the king, and you're the queen and we will stumble through heaven
The ruby liquid matches her lips, brings out the flushes on both of their cheeks. "To new friends," Koa purrs his cheer, relishing the soft clink as their glasses strike. The wine, though not his usual beverage, goes down smooth as silk on his throat. He's careful to take small sips of the liquid - to mirror her mannerisms and elegance - though a part of his brain yearns to drown the vino, to bask in its ambrosial haze.
Again his chest puffs at the praise of Stormbreak, boyish pride vibrant in his smiling face. "We are uniquely situated to avoid many potential dangers," Koa agrees, taking another sip of the wine. "And the Dragoons are one of Caido's oldest and most advanced militaries. I've even been trying to establish us as protectors in areas that don't currently have adequate guardianship - the Wilds, for example. Nobody in Caido should feel the have nobody to call upon for protection. We can hardly expect the demigods to be everywhere, after all."
He's straightened as he's spoken, unconsciously assuming a soldier's stance. Passion always does this to him - he loves his work, is proud of it, even when some people want to shit on his dreams.
If there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes I know you wanna go to heaven, but you're human tonight
Give it time, and there will be basking and overindulgence, at least if Dahlia has anything to say about it. Clinking her glass against Koa's, the wine paints her lips a darker shade of red, and she offers a catlike smile as she leans in towards him. "And much more than friends besides," she purrs back, laughing and straightening up again for a second taste of her drink.
The way he inflates like a proud little hero presses so many of her buttons that it's a wonder she doesn't simply toss the glass to the ground and pull him away with her, Dahlia's gaze lingering on the set of his jaw, the conviction in his words all but echoing across the bar. "Well said," she murmurs. "I feel very grateful to have been saved by one of Stormbreak's best and brightest."
let me put my lips to something
let me wrap my teeth around the world
I'm the king, and you're the queen and we will stumble through heaven
It's so easy to fall into her grasp, to be lulled and seduced by the smoky praise billowing from her ruby lips. Lips that Koa finds himself staring at, a lump rising in his throat as he forces his gaze back to those striking eyes. He's feeling emboldened, drunk off flattery and the presence of a beautiful woman. The ego that's been bruised these past seasons now flares up, stoked and soothed. He's feeling good.
He wants to feel better.
He takes another sip of wine, nearly draining the glass. "I have to say, Miss Dahlia," Koa smiles, letting his hand drift over the bar top, closer to her arm. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were coming onto me." And I wouldn't mind it in the slightest, his curved smirk seems to say.
If there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes I know you wanna go to heaven, but you're human tonight
