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!
He should expect the way Danta’s face lights up, yet it still takes him a bit by surprise – anyone else and it would have made more sense, but coming from ’the mighty Astaroth’, he doesn’t expect it to hold as much weight as that stupid look on the other Ancient’s face seems to suggest it does. “So the saying goes.” He says, starting to reach for the pelt when Danta’s voice reaches him in the worst mimicry of his voice he’s ever fucking heard.
It sparks a bark of a laugh that’s cut quite short with the heat of Danta’s hand lifting to rub the mark from his face as he departs, the sound of his teeth echoing in the Spire as he snaps toward the blonde that’s very much aware of what he’s doing as he retreats toward the door. And Asta has nothing else really at his disposal, aside from the knife he’d been working with, which he launches quite deftly into the wood of the Spire’s door beside Danta as he starts to step through. “Good thing I invited the pack mule.” He drawls, collecting all of the items swiftly and following Danta to drape the bloody pelt over his shoulders and pull the knife from the door.
Glancing sharply around, both at the snap of teeth and the thok of the blade in the wooden door, Danta can do little more than snort and grin at the other man. "One of these days maybe you'll actually nip me," he drawls, before turning away again to head out into the chill breeze and cool sunshine. Of course, that's about when a still-warm, bloody doe pelt is draped around his shoulders, wet side down, and the Maverick's exclamation of shock and surprise can hardly be hidden.
"Deer isn't really my colour," he grumbles, grabbing the pelt and, fine, carrying it, but not before he goes to collect up his coat as well. He's grateful that there's really no one out here around The Spire, else they'd have to come up with a pretty creative explanation for the state of the two of them.
"There should be a stream up that way." He nods back towards the Glade, already feeling his skin grow sticky in the air as the blood begins to dry. "Let's go."
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
A smirk blooms as Danta steps through and Asta grabs the dagger and drapes the pelt over the Maverick’s shoulder, the taller Ancient sighing wistfully. “What a day that’ll be.” He drawls before shaking his head, collecting the bag and stuffing the meat into it so that it hides before trailing along beside Danta to be taken toward the Glade.
“Red is your color, though.” He points out, keeping his gaze peeled for any crows that might wish to make an appearance. So far so good, though, and Asta is more content when he can hear the water rustling as they approach. Already Asta’s ensuring the pack of food isn’t going to be messed with as he sheds out of his bloodstained shirt, dipping it into the water as he kneels alongside it, ensuring he gets most of it out and from his hands before he starts to cleanse the rest of himself off, face first.
"Don't sound too dreamy about it," Danta scolds petulantly, though there's still a whisper of a smirk on his face, and the way he falls comfortably back into step with the other man tells that whatever animosity they manage to fire up between them, it's playfully done these days. (Mostly). "Mm, it is my colour," he agrees. "I prefer being able to take it on and off, though." You know, rather than being caked in it.
Setting down pelt and coat, Danta is debating whether to go for a full dip when Asta gives him an opportunity so perfect - and childish, granted - that he's half convinced the taller Ancient has done it on purpose. "Shame red isn't your colour, given how much of it you wear," he teases, kicking off his shoes and meandering past the other man on the riverbank.
Which is when he oopses into a stumble, one that ever so conveniently knocks him into Asta. Maybe it'll even nudge him right into the stream. "Oh, how clumsy of me!" he calls out, dramatic as usual.
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
04-15-2024, 08:22 PM (This post was last modified: 04-15-2024, 08:30 PM by Astaroth.)
am i still waiting like a lamb to the slaughter
Oh he does dream about it, but he keeps that juicy tidbit carefully locked behind his sharp teeth. Instead, focusing on the trek and arriving on the edge of the lake, meticulously moving to clean both himself and the shirt on his back when the Maverick decides he’s going to be haha funny.
Luckily, it’s more of a ha ha, fuck you as Asta starts to pitch forward, hands braced out in front of him in the cold water, tail lashing out and hooking onto Danta’s leg to drag him in along with the taller Ancient as he goes into the really fucking cold water. “Fuck’s sake!” He crows amongst the sudden shiver racing down his spine, grappling against the Maverick to climb out like a cat in water.
Danta is very haha funny, thank you very much, and he'd say as much if he weren't busy actually laughing at the way ever-so-put-together Astaroth goes pitching headfirst into the water. Granted, it's absolutely his downfall, because he doesn't notice the spaded tail latching around his ankle until it's far too late. With a very affronted, "HEY" of course Danta goes sailing into the cold murk right after the other man.
"Stop drowning me," he's complaining through a wheeze, trying to find his footing while Asta is apparently trying to become Danta's fetching new hat, not to mention the way every limb - and his lungs - have tensed up with the sudden temperature change, making even the simple matter of drawing breath difficult and painful.
"Asta get off," he manages eventually, the words barked through a laugh even as he's trying to peel the other man away and swamp out of the river at the same time.
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
He’d be busy offering some smart ass retort if cold as fuck water wasn’t suddenly invading his lungs. It’s fight or flight and let’s just say Asta knows he’s going to get nowhere trying to fight the stream. So he turns it into Danta instead, as the man careens in after him. Gasping for breath and coughing out a lungful of water, Asta hears the laugh from the Maverick and he seems partially green and annoyed and if he had his canine ears in this form they’d be pinned back as far as they can go.
“No.” He says through a hoarse throat as he scrambles to continue to try and utilize Danta like some body board, clamoring onto the rivers edge, spaded tail lashing out like an angry cat, flicking cold water everywhere, arms wrapped around his scarred chest as he very visibly shivers and makes no attempt to help Danta out of the stream.
"You kn-know, that's f-fair," Danta stammers even as he scrabbles and drags himself out of the water after the other man, managing it more or less without harm. (If he's suffered any harm, actually, it's from Asta clawing at him). Still, the Maverick seems in fairly bright spirits despite the violence of his own shivering - likely because the whole damn thing is his own fault.
With his tail curling instinctively around his own leg, Danta trembles his way over to his coat and fumbles in the pocket. "Alright, I've had b-better ideas," he admits, taking out a tinderbox with shaking hands and scooting up the riverbank to set it down on a dry bit of grass. "Hang on."
It takes an obnoxiously long time to get a flame given the state of him, but the second a spark is created, Danta is able to coax it into roaring ribbons of fire, standing to let it swarm around him and burn the cold and wet from his bare skin. Visibly relieved, he gives a nod to the other man to come and warm up as well.
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
He’s freezing, and Asta continues to chatter and shiver away, tail whipping around back and forth as he tries to shed the water from his skin to try and keep the breeze from adding to the chill he feels. His chest grows tight as he watches Danta move around, a glare burning into the Maverick’s back, until he spots the fire (even if it had taken 84 years to get it started.)
Like a moth to flame, Asta approaches, loosening as the warmth starts to take the edge off, jaw insanely tight to keep from his teeth from chattering loudly. “W-wasn’t your b-brightest idea, w’was it-t?” He asks as he starts to warm up, ever so slowly, letting Danta bring the fire up higher to start to thaw him.
"Oh, I dunno," Danta says, feeling a lot more put together already, and let no one say he isn't generous when it comes to sharing his warmth, allowing the fire to wind around Astaroth and kiss at his skin, injecting warmth and drying away the cold water. "It's funny again now." He's smirking again, shrugging to the other man. "And we're clean, aren't we?"
For better or for worse, anyway.
Once he feels as though he's able to step away, he leaves the fire twisting around the taller man and goes to shrug back into his coat. His pants are a lost cause, still, but gods, maybe if they keep moving he'll be able to forget that they're soaking wet. "Shall we bring the fire with us?" he suggests coaxing some of the flames back so he can rub them between his fingers.
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
Asta’s grin is still gone as the flames lick up, but at least the tightness in his jaw loosens and he starts to seem like he’s not trying to contain all the heat he can muster from within, relishing in a quiet moment of peace as the flame brushes against his skin. There’s a glare shot toward Danta, but within it is the warmth of some kind of amusement. “I suppose. But at what cost?” He asks, moving to collect the damp shirt and the bag, slipping the shirt on now that he’s not frigid.
His pants are soaking wet as well, and when Danta suggests bringing the fire back with them, his head nods, his dark hair dripping still as it bounces with the movement of the force of his nod. “I was hoping you would.” He says as they start to walk, glancing over to see Danta’s movements with the flame. They walk for a little bit before Asta’s sighing lightly. “Now I want to take a nap in the bonfire.” He protests with a small whine.
"Our dignity?" Danta suggests with a scoff, grinning over his shoulder at Asta and waiting for him to fall into step before he continues, pelt and coat in hand, fire twisting between them to keep them warm and as dry as possible. He raises his eyebrows to hear the other man's complaints; he doesn't think he's ever heard Asta whine before, and it has him laughing warmly.
"Don't let me stop you," he tells him. "But it will only make everyone at the Dusklight - and the rest of the Inner Quarter - want to ogle you more. Clothes don't really stand a chance against the fire," he says; it might be quite hard to nap with whores warming their hands and trying to peek at Astaroth's assets.
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
His nose wrinkles at the realization that the Maverick is right. He would be quite the sight to see, and he realizes he maybe should slink away and nap in his own personal fireplace in his room as opposed to the large bonfire.
The breeze starts to dry his hair at least so now it’s not dripping along his cold damp shirt, and he settles a little as they walk. “Perhaps I won’t.” He admits after a moment with a little laugh, amusement clinging to the corner of his lips with a smirk. “Perhaps I’ll just get my fireplace quite warm and bundle up in so many blankets nobody would be able to tell it’s me.” Asta flashes a brighter grin and a shrug of his shoulder toward Danta, because they both know regardless of how hard he tried to bundle up, it would still be obvious it’s him.
"I thought you'd reconsider, somehow." Danta grins and shifts the pelt on his shoulder, having shrugged back into his coat since it had remained dry all this time. "I'd quite hope no one was in your room spying on you to be able to tell it was you in the first place," he adds, settling into an easy rhythm as they put the Spire behind them. (And it's probably a good idea they're not looking behind them either, lest Asta notice the crows, vultures and buzzards beginning to circle the area where they'd first bloodied the deer.
"Me?" he echoes. "Well, since I've inadvertently ruined my own fun by convincing you not to sleep in the bonfire," and therefore destroying his own chance to ogle, "I find the best way to warm up is with body heat." Already seeming quite sly about it, Danta evidently plans to cover himself not with blankets, but with other people. Exercise is also a good way to warm up, and sex burns calories, don't you know?
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
