[hr][center][h1][color=B8860B]Theo Callahan[/color], [color=lightblue]Cassandra Voss[/color], & [color=FFD700]Rylan Kane[/color][/h1][/center] [center]Collab between [@beyond visions] & [@Heretic][/center][hr]

Not much after Cass's short [i]scrap[/i] with Carmen, she was informed that Theo summoned her presence. Which due to the sudden absence of the bride and groom at the reception, this already seemed unusual. Theo was with Cap'n at the edge of the Carter, a location that stood at the very center of vanguard territory. When Cass last saw Theo, he was dressed in a tux, yet now he was wearing his normal attire, cargo pants, combat boots, and his dog-tag. He stood with his back slightly facing his second-in-command. His posed seemed awfully ridged and more over on the defensive, though his fists remained balled up. Cap'n stood a distance away from the now boiling king, with a worried expression. 

With Theo's jaw tightened he spoke behind gritted teeth, [color=B8860B]"Were you thinking of abandoning your duty of being my second-in-command by leaving Churchill?"[/color] He asked a question, yet his tone and inflection made it sound like a threat. He seemed awfully calmer than usual when furious, yet it was always more dangerous to watch Theo harness his anger rather than release it. 

And so her secret was out. Cassie looked over at Cap'n before mouthing the words [I]bad move[/I] to him while shaking her head. She was going to tell Theo...eventually, but she wanted to do it on her own terms to lessen the impact the news would have on him. But now she was stuck, and she could only hope she would be able to distance herself from his wrath as soon as possible. Not because she was scared of what he might do to her, but rather, to avoid him changing his mind about her in any way possible.

[color=lightblue]"I--I'm not abandoning you...they just need me out there more than you need me here. Theo, you have Isabel now, and while she won't exactly take over my role, she'll be here to help you out to the best of her abilities."[/color]

Cassie slowly walked over to him, her mind somewhat clouded given her slightly drunken state. She clutched a handful of material from the side of her dress to alleviate her tension as she went. 

[color=lightblue]"I may not be here to fulfill the duties as a Second-in-Command for the time being, but I'll still be a Vanguard."[/color]

[color=B8860B]"How [i]noble[/i] of you..,"[/color] Theo uttered sarcastically.[color=B8860B]"But yes, you are right. You will still be a vanguard, but a vanguard under [i]my[/i] command,"[/color] as Theo adjusted all emphasis on the word, 'my',  he dared a menacing scowl at Cap'n. [color=B8860B]"Which means [i]I[/i] tell you where to go."[/color] It was as if all of the humility Theo was ever capable of showing had been drained clean since Isabel. He was now aggressively assertive, hostile with every word. 

[color=lightblue]"Of course it'll be under [i]your[/i] command, I've always been beneath someone and it's not like I'll be given the chance to do things [i]my[/i] way!"[/color] Cassie shouted, realizing that she was going into somewhat of a sore subject for the both of them. But she didn't care at the moment, nor did she care that Cap'n was just a few feet away, bearing witness to one of the many intense arguments between the top two members of the vanguards. But that didn't matter much; it's not like they were known for their patience anyway. [color=lightblue]"But you can quit your fucking power trip because it's obvious I'm not going anywhere now!"[/color]

Cassie hurriedly walked past Theo, intentionally bumping him on the side as she went to stand a distance away from him, her arms crossing and her back to both men once she reached the edge.

[color=B8860B]"This is your fault,.."[/color] at first, that claim seemed like it was directed towards Cass, especially since she was the last person he was speaking to. Yet when Theo finished his sentence, it was obvious who bore the accusation,  [color=B8860B]"now walk the plank, you failed jolly-rancher son of a bitch!"[/color] 
 
Though the man is a big hulking mass of muscle, Theo is faster than he initially looks, because it only took a  matter of seconds for Theo to charge Cap'n with both hands pushed forward till the First Combatant was forced off of the edge of the Crater. His body rolled against the dirt hill till he finally hit the bottom of the dueling pit. As soon as Cap'n looked up with his one good eye, there was Theo positioned in a stance that clearly meant he was ready for fight. As it being his first instinct when in battle, Cap'n unsheathed his cutlass, though quickly tossed it aside saying, [color=FFD700] "Forget the blade-- fuck it, want t' act like a star-buzzin' bitching blackhole slave driver, then I'll bloody you up you wit' 'tis steel hook and the bare bones of my knuckles!"[/color] 

[color=lightblue]"No, stop!"[/color] Cassie was quickly rushing to place herself between her fellow vanguards in order to prevent a bloody fight. This was ridiculous, and she slowly came to the realization that she had been the biggest idiot for pissing off Theo, especially on his damn wedding night.

[color=lightblue]"We can't fight, not like this, not each other..."[/color] She hoped she was making sense as the words poured out because oddly enough, all the arguing wasn't sobering her up. In fact, it was doing quite the opposite. [color=lightblue]"Don't you see what's going on? We're right where the enemy wants us; whether that's the Overseers or one of us down here, we can't give them the satisfaction of losing to ourselves."[/color]

Cassie suddenly started shaking. Maybe she was cold because her dress wasn't necessarily the warmest article of clothing she owned, or maybe their situation had gotten so intense that it elicited such response from her. But either way, it was clearly visible that she was struggling to keep still.

To Theo, Cass did not appear to be excessively drunk, perhaps slightly tipsy, though not to the point of rocking back and forth like she did. Witnessing her in such a weakened state, was something that just did not feel right to Theo. She was Cassandra Voss, for years, before Theo rose to the title of Spartan, this woman was of rank higher than him, she commanded him, she was stronger than him. Though, in her own ways, she still is, Cap'n has always known that. And now, as Theo realizes that his second-in-command would leave the comfort of the colony to potentially put her life on the line to accomplish what can be done on the field, he sees her strength in the sacrifice, even when he runs to her side, catching her before she can fall. 

[color=B8860B]"C-Cass what's-- tell me exactly how you're feeling,"[/color] His right arm was wrapped around her back, supporting her up while his left hand held onto her shoulder. In his head he was theorizing any possible reasons for why she would be on the verge of unconsciousness. And then, he panicked when speculating, that just might be on the verge of death.

[color=B8860B]"Oh shit,"[/color] he whispered the curse in fear. [color=B8860B]"Y-You don't think that you were... poisoned,  that someone is using you as leverage to force me out of the wedding?"[/color] 

Cassie thought about it for a moment, her pulse increasing at the possibility that someone could have specifically targeted her to break up Theo and Isabel's marriage. 

[color=lightblue]"No, I don't think so,"[/color] she finally shook her head, thinking back to when she first got to the wedding ceremony and remembering she grabbed her own drinks. [color=lightblue]"If they wanted to poison me, they would have had to ruin the entire batch. But hold that thought—"[/color] she said, pushing Theo's hand aside as she rushed to the edge to throw up. The woman struggled for a few moments before she could compose herself.

[color=lightblue]"I think I should go back and get cleaned up. You two play nice now..."[/color] she managed to say as she walked away, leaving Theo and Cap'n by themselves.