#if anyone would recognize him it might be hades or persephone but like overall also unlikely due to how entirely different he appears now

[bcneheaded]

hello good morning ! I've added a thing to the rules jsyk - it's not because of anyone dw dw, but just figured I should mention as it is entirely likely that Artemis will run across greek deities or gods in general (the thing i added below the cut for ya!)

[heartslogos]

the fool rushes in [1/2]

Judge is decidedly off kilter when he goes to find Kore in the Red Veil headquarters. How all six of the Syndicates were able to set up offices next to each other in every relay without coming to violence is beyond him.

It had taken him a little longer than he’d thought to negotiate with a few other Tenno he was on actual speaking terms with. Mostly because it’s incredibly hard to tell when another Tenno is awakened from the dream or not, and also because Kore firmly refuses to work with anyone for longer than necessary. And since Judge is almost always with Kore - well, mostly after he woke up from the dream - that means Judge hasn’t had much of a chance to form bonds with the other Tenno, either.

After that he was immediately summoned - unexpectedly - to the Arbiters where he was subject to an incredibly embarrassing and surreal vetting.

(“We feel that you have strayed from the path, Tenno. This destroyer from the Red Veil corrupts you and your purpose.”)

Overall, Judge feels like he’s had his head thrown into a centrifuge and it doesn’t help that he had to go through both Cephalon Simaris and Suda before meeting up with the other Tenno. Both meetings ran a little long in that both Cephalons were watching over his shoulder as he went through their data bases and making comments that he’s certain they wouldn’t be happy to be told were really -

Well. Not logical?

Judge feels like he’s going to burst straight out of Mag at any second. He’s pretty sure that his knee is jiggling back in his Orbiter. Or something.

The doors to the Red Veil headquarters slide open, and the first wave of heat always makes him want to double take. A few heads turn his way, many of the Red Veils Respected and Honored turn to give him odd looks.

He isn’t exactly unwelcome here - at least, not as unwelcome here as he is with the Perrin Sequence and New Loka - but it’s a close thing. The Red Veil’s sent a few death squads after him, mostly out of protocol.

Kore’s dealt with them all with an easy, precise, almost bored lack of attention. It reminds him that during the war she was one of the best soldiers. Good enough, even, to warrant Ballas’ attention, himself.

Judge flips open his general broadcast - “Is Persephone here?”

If she’s not here she’d be with the Steel Meridian, but if possible Judge would like to avoid going there. He tends to get teased. At least the members of the Red Veil keep silent about their dislike of him. Aside from the ever ominous heavy and filtered breathing through their masks.

One of them approaches now, looking Judge’s warframe up and down slowly, appraising him.

“Are you worthy?” It - Judge can never tell if the members of the Red Veil are biologically male or female - murmurs.

Judge doesn’t know how to answer to that. He feels Kore deeper in the room, and looks up for her -

It takes him a second to place her. Kore rarely switches between her warframes unless she has a very specific task - and even rarer still, she doesn’t really change the colors of her warframes very much either.

He had known she’d recently obtained the modification blueprints to alter her Frost frame, but he didn’t think he’d - uh. Encounter it here.

“Revered one,” The Red Veil members nod and lower their heads to her as they pass. The glittering crystals hanging off of Frost’s horns seem to spark like lightning in the flames she walks over.

“Hades,” his name slides over across the network.

“Are you worthy?” The same Red Veil member repeats to him and Kore looks between the two of them.

Judge chooses to ignore this.

“Are you good to go?” Judge asks.

Frost’s shoulders shrug, walking past him. He jumps when he feels Frosts’s cold metal hand smack Mag’s ass, “Yeah. We’re good.”

She switches to their private channel, her voice doing a remarkable and humbling amount to soothe his frazzled nerves. “What took you so long? I was starting to think I’d actually have to accept promotion here if I couldn’t talk my way out of it.”

“Again?” Judge asks.

Kore doesn’t actively work with Red Veil - their respect for her mostly comes from her close work with the Steel Meridian.

“Mhm,” Frosts’s head nods, arm slinging around Mag’s shoulders as they head back to their retrieval ships. “When you said quick stop at the relay, I didn’t realize you’d take so long.”

“I didn’t realize I’d take so long, either,” Judge replies. He really hadn’t anticipated just how many people would want to talk to him.

Mag leans into Frost, just a little bit. Frost is cold, but Mag was designed to not overheat in battle, so it’s fine.

Judge hopes that someday Kore is comfortable enough around him to touch him as easily as she touches others with her warframe.

“So what were you in meetings about?” Kore asks, ignoring everyone - Judge attempts to wave at a few frames he recognizes, but Frosts’s long legs force Mag to half-trot to keep up.

“I have something - a research thing for Suda,” Judge half-lies. He’s terrible at lying - he’s never had a reason to - and Kore has a very strong, very accurate, very perceptive radar for lies told to her. “Are you free tonight?”

Kore hums, a sound that tickles Judge’s ear through their com-line and also seems to make Frosts’ metal chassis vibrate. No sound through Frost, though, just cold mist over the frame’s faceplate.

“Depends, am I going to be diving into the Derelict to save you again? Or have we learned that particular lesson?”

Judge grimaces. “I mostly had it.”

“Mhm,” He can picture her rolling her eyes, “I’m free.”

“I’ll come get you. Suda’s requesting more data on Titania’s grove. Now that the fires are out and it’s recovering I figure this would be a good time to gather data on regrowth.”

Frost’s body stiffens in the way Judge knows to mean that he has Kore’s attention, even though she doesn’t want to show it.

“Earth?” She confirms, “A night cycle on earth?”

“Yeah,” Judge says, “I’ll come get you when I’m ready.”

“Alright,” Frost’s arm falls from Mag’s shoulders as Kore moves towards her retrieval unit, stepping onto the body-shaped crevice. Judge watches the warframe get locked into place and slowly rotated into the retrieval unit as it takes off.

Judge sags in relief - he’s pretty sure that she believes him. Or at least, is interested enough in visiting Earth during the night - on what he’s made to sound like a peaceful walk - that she’s dismissed whatever bad tells he was showing.

He is in so much trouble.

(But that’s his Untouchable. Trouble, trouble, trouble.)

-

He has six cans of Kore’s preferred fizz-cola. Darvo’s assured him that it’s quality stuff - not going to eat through a person’s insides or corrode any metals and stuff. Judge’s had a few tastes of the fizz-cola Kore’s been attempting to synthesize back on her orbiter and he can’t really see why she likes it so much.

Kore says that it’s because she hasn’t found the right formula let.

Judge also has the entire grove - and a reasonable section of land surrounding it - protected by the other Tenno for the night.

(See, Kore? It’s a good thing to network and build a persona and stuff.)

He’s also gotten some modest bedding to roll out on the forest floor and some cool old Earth stuff he found in Suda and Simaris’ archives.

Judge swallows, fingers reaching down for Ugly - Handsome, Judge has no idea why the Kavat responds to Ugly and blames Kore entirely on it - who nudges his nose against Judge’s fingertips before skulking off to - most likely - destroy one of Judge’s model ships.

He really really wants this to go well. For him it’d be nothing short of a small miracle if it does, but if it works - if it makes Kore happy -

Judge’s chest begins to bubble and foam with energy as he rocks back and forth on his feet, hands opening and closing.

The thought of Kore smiling under the stars really shouldn’t be making him wound up so much. Judge forces himself to try and calm down.

There’s a significant chance that despite everything he’s planned and thought up she’s going to absolutely hate this.

Because, really, he had thought taking over her ship and forcing her to talk to him was a good idea too. Until he actually boarded it, and walked in on her standing in front of her transference room, red faced and looking more hurt and angry than he’s ever seen her before.

That memory hurts more than almost everything else Judge has to remember.

He doesn’t know if maybe he was born lacking the ability to think ahead and to control himself, or if that’s just a side effect of -

Of -

Of -

The war changed them, Judge reminds himself - layering Kore’s voice over them. We may not have been Orokin once we left the void, but we weren’t beasts until the Orokin took us.

Judge closes his eyes, and pushes down on the feelings, tries to reel them in and put them in place. He tries to line them up and arrange them in sequence, into something that flows and is understandable and logical. Into something that doesn’t spiral out of control and rip at the seams and unravel.

He swallows, throat dry and consciously wills himself not to chew on his lip. Judge’s body sways and he reaches out -

“Hey,” Kore’s voice - very real, very close, and very soft -

Judge yelps, eyes flying open and jumping back - a burst of void energy explodes from his fingertips and Kore raises her arms - her own pale green-gold energy - rising to meet his in a deflective shield.

“I - what are you?” Judge looks around, and is suddenly very grateful that his thoughts don’t exactly stick together in ways that make sense because all of his research and idea screens, through his eyes, create a very clear picture of what he has planned for tonight. But as bad as he is at zooming in on a single outcome, he’s even worse at keeping a straight line of thought.

Kore gives him an annoyed look, “You hailed me and told me to come over ten minutes ago. You said that your ship was open so I came in. Midas looked worried - sorry.” Her expression softens, “I should have used the coms first, I know, but. You looked like you might hurt yourself.”

Judge grimaces and nods, roughly rubbing at the back of his neck.

After he burst in on her, they’d agreed to only board after either being invited or being let in. And after Kore had found him - uh - not present? They’d also agreed to hold off until the other was acknowledged.

Kore steps closer to him, eyes narrowing on his face. She raises her hand and gestures to her own face, “You bit your lip again.”

Judge pokes his tongue at his lip, wincing. The skin isn’t broken, but it is tender.

“I don’t know how you can tell.”

“I can smell it,” Kore replies and he has no idea if she’s serious or not. Kore’s teeth flash in the low lights of his orbiter and the lights of his screens.

Judge feels his skin begin to heat up. He can never tell if it’s Void energy being restless or just him being restless. Either way, he’s glad that his orbiter’s lights are very dim and that his own skin usually hides the beginning signs of his blushes.

“So,” Kore says, “Are you ready to deploy or no? I’ll grab coordinates for the drop from your cephalon. Put something on your lip and maybe clean out some of your garbage.”

“Ready,” Judge croaks, swallowing nervously as Kore sighs at him, shaking her head. She bends down to give Midas a quick belly rub before she stands up again and heads back to her ship. “And it’s not garbage. It’s research.”

-

Kore looks suspicious when they drop and Judge is in his Ash frame. Judge figures that if Kore gets upset he’d stand a better chance of escape if he’s in Ash rather than Mag or Nova.

Judge waits for Kore to look around - she always takes a few seconds to just. To just bask in Earth.

Judge watches her through Ash’s optics. Kore looks nothing like one of Ballas’ Saryns. They were beautiful, yes, powerful, very. But Ballas’ Saryns looked - they looked something like what Judge thinks the Old Earth humans though Angels were meant to look like. White, effervescent, and radiant things. Still and silent.

Kore’s Saryn is dark and stark, unforgiving and harsh colors that speak for her.

She is still, to him at least, beautiful.

Saryn’s black faceplate turns back to him and nods that she’s ready to go.

They make their way through the forest with ease - he can feel Kore getting more and more suspicious as they get closer to Titania’s Grove. The Grineer have had trouble getting close, but normally it isn’t this quiet.

Thankfully, they don’t run into any of the Tenno Judge asked favors from on the way.

As soon as they’re in the clearing, Kore skids to a stop, Saryn’s heels crunch on loose soil as she takes in what’s in front of her.

“Judge,” Kore’s voice is low, rasping in the way that means she’d be bristling if she were a Kavat, hackles raised if she were a Kubrow, “What’s going on?”

“Um,” Judge carefully transports himself through Ash, tensing at the combined feel of the fresh night air and Saryn’s unreadable gaze. “I thought. Uh. I just wanted to - “

“You thought?”

“I wanted you to have a nice night for once,” Judge blurts out. “You never leave your warframe.”

“Judge, we’ve been over this.” He can hear Kore’s voice start to tick towards anger. “You know I don’t - “

“You don’t feel safe,” Judge says. “I know. But we’re in Titania’s Grove. On Earth. Is there a single thing on Earth that you and I can’t handle? That we haven’t been able to handle since we were unawakened dreamers? I called in some favors.”

“Favors?” Kore sounds mildly incredulous.

“I keep telling you it’s a good idea to work a persona,” Judge replies. “People respect me as Hades. They think you’re a myth or my adjunct - “

Kore’s voice swings over from real anger to her normal sort of riled up irritation, “Take it back or I break yours.”

“It’s because you never talk, you’re like a ghost and that isn’t the point here. I asked some Tenno to keep the area clear for a bit,” Judge says, holding his hands out to her. “You’re here. In Titania’s Grove. There’s only one entrance.”

Saryn’s head pointedly looks at the open cave ceiling.

“And the other entrance is pretty obvious,” Judge says. “There is nothing that can hurt you here. There is nothing that will get to you here. Not through all the Tenno that hunt tonight, not through the two entrances that we have eyes on, not through me.”

Saryn stands, an unmoved pillar of poison.

“Judge,” Kore’s voice is strained between anger and hurt and understanding.

“Kore,” Judge says, “Even if you don’t leave your Warframe - that’s alright, too - but can you just - relax for once? Enjoy yourself? We have no mission here, no objectives. We can just look at the stars. Play with grass.”

Judge turns around and reaches into his gear box and holds up two cans of fizz-cola.

He can feel Kore’s eyes locking onto them through Saryn’s optics.

“Have a drink?” Judge suggests.

Kore’s tongue clicks harshly through the coms. Saryn turns and stomps off towards the rising slope at the back of the grove.

“Fool,” She mutters, darkly.

Judge breathes out a slow sigh of relief. She’s mad. But not mad enough to leave. That was, honestly, what he was expecting. Worst case scenario.

Judge follows after her, Ash silently following his movements behind him.

Saryn is standing, arms crossed, hip cocked as she stares up at the opening to the sky.

While her eyes are turned away Judge quickly prepares what he had stored here earlier.

Sleeping rolls and blankets he’d traded a probably dumb amount of credits for at Maroo’s.

Judge sits down on them, rubbing the fabric between his fingers and feeling something like electricity race up his skin. He wants to curl up in it, in all of it. The grass, the moonlight, the fabric, the metal of the fizz-cola cannister, Kore.

“Your neck will get a crick,” Judge says, lying down.

Saryn turns to look at him, fingers tapping angrily - but no spores showing. Not yet.

Ash has settled down, back against the farthest rock wall of the grotto, optics firmly locked onto the entrance they came in through.

Saryn looks between Judge and Ash before Kore lets out an explosive sigh.

Judge holds his breath, feels it hitch in his belly.

Saryn goes and sits a few feet apart from Ash, and Kore slowly steps out of her - the gold-green of her void energy covering her like a light film and illuminating the shadows before Kore materializes. Scowl and all.

Saryn’s hands fold in her lap, and her faceplate slowly turns towards the sky.

Kore stands in front of her warframe, the only light reaching her the glow of the crest on her chest and the faint yellow-green of her inner eye.

Judge slowly rises onto his elbows, reaching down to his side and holding up the fizz-cola to her. It should be the temperature she likes by now.

Kore’s expression twists before she stomps over and snatches it from his hand, moving away to sit at the edge of the small jutting cliff at the zenith of the grove. He hears her pop it open - and the fizz of the drink inside.

“I’m mad at you,” Kore says.

“That’s more than fair,” Judge sits up fully, slowly dragging his finger in circles around the edges of the second can. He had considered bringing the entire case, but not even Kore would drink that much in one sitting. If anything, he can send the rest to her later as an apology.

Kore’s shoulders hunch.

“I don’t like being in the open.”

Judge loves being in the open - loves touching everything, feeling everything. But that’s because the war touched him in an entirely different way than it did Kore.

Judge remains quiet. Keeps his mouth shut for once in his life.

“I was on display a lot,” Kore says slowly. “And before that - do you remember what it was like in the Zariman? Our hovels?”

Judge remembers. They didn’t claim much space to themselves. They lost a lot of it after the first few times their - the adults broke through.

“Everyone was always touching,” Kore says. “You could always feel someone next to you. Hear them breathe. You couldn’t even piss without someone being there. Almost on top of you.”

It helped when it was cold. And it was cold.

“I hated it. I wish I really was as Untouchable as you like to think I am,” Kore spits out. “And afterwards you’d think it’d have been better. All of us isolated in our cells to be studied. But no. It was worse. We didn’t want to be that close in the Zariman. We didn’t want to touch each other. We did our best. The Orokin touched us. Probed us. Examined us. Looked at our teeth and our hands and our ears and our eyes and our everything.”

Judge remembers that, too.

Parts of it.

At the time his Void powers would switch on and off - they had to knock him out for most testing. Drug him.

“They’d pet you, too. Good girl,” Kore sneers the words. “Like pets. Like things.”

Judge does not have that experience. Mostly Judge was left alone. Alone.

(In the dark. Bite his lip to remind himself it was there. Hit his head against whatever the could get for the sound, the feeling of the muzzle digging into his skin. Remind himself that the metal was - in certain parts - cold because his skin couldn’t reach it. Hum through the bit for the buzzing in his teeth. Dark. No helping it. So dark. Blocked his Void lights. Closed his eyes. No helping him. It’s so dark.)

Judge drags in a breath as he drags himself out of the memory.

This is for Kore.

“I don’t like to be touched,” Kore says, “I don’t like it when people look at me.”

Kore turns to look at him, “Ballas said my coloring matched my call sign. Told me I had to shine for him. Told me I had to be beautiful. For her. For Margulis. I didn’t even like Margulis.”

“You’re Kore,” Judge says when she doesn’t say anything more. “You don’t have to be anything.”

Kore’s head jerks down. “I am Kore.”

She turns back towards the sky again, sharply.

“You can go back to your warframe,” Judge says softly, “You can go. I just wanted this for you. I wanted you to have one moment where you could do what you wanted, where you could relax as you. Not through the eyes of something else. Not through another body.”

“I’m not like you, Judge,” Kore sighs, “Transference isn’t like it is with you and yours.”

“But transference still isn’t the same as actually being there,” Judge presses.

No matter how much she and her warframes meld, there will always be a difference.

Kore is quiet as she drinks her fizz-cola, pink hair turned a sort of lavender-blue in the moonlight.

Earth’s wind brushes her hair a little. Judge can see the glints of the metal in her ears from here.

She is Untouchable. Parts of his chest unravel for her, unsteady.

“You’ve always had my back, Kore,” Judge says, carefully. “At least for one night - can you let me have yours?”

Kore shivers, head ducking down.

“Fool, you’re already looking at it.”