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Character of the Season
Frail in body but dangerously quick of mind, Nikandr is the sort of character who proves that curiosity can be just as perilous as any weapon. A necromancer, inventor, and problem-solver with more ambition than self-preservation, Niki approaches the world like a puzzle box begging to be opened, even when what’s inside has teeth. Blunt, dry-witted, fiercely independent, and carrying a history best left partially buried, he has a knack for making even failure feel fascinating. Whether he’s raising the dead, moving across Caido to King's End, or experiencing a hangover for the first time, Nikandr brings a wonderfully strange spark to Caido, and we can’t wait to see what trouble his brilliant mind wanders into next.
Congratulations, Niki!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
OG Skinning provided by Kaons, with functionality and many custom plugins made by Neowulf!
Darling, you never could scare me Set me ablaze like you do
Remi snorts under his breath, the sound warm and grudgingly amused. "Alright, fine," he mutters, a huff of air escaping him as he tips his head toward Ronin. "Sunjata probably would find it funny." Still, the scoff that follows is more playful than sharp. "We’re not going to lose our baby," he insists, though a small frown pinches at his brow as he glances around the endless waves of identical flowers. "...Even if the entire meadow does look exactly the same."
He leans into the touch without hesitation, Ronin’s fingers tracing his cheek as if they were memorising him all over again. The moment pulls a boyish smile from him, dimples carving deep, the kind of smile that softens everything in him no matter how hard he tries to keep from melting. But when the Knight points out the Flora-Alora rhyme, Remi frowns thoughtfully. "I thought it could be sort of cute," he admits with a small shrug, clearly unbothered by the potential for confusion.
Still, he perks up again as Ronin suggests his names, eyebrows lifting in quiet approval. "Calan and Ciara," he echoes, letting the names sit in his mouth for a moment before nodding. "I like them." Reaching out, he plucks a flower from beside them and holds it between his fingers, brow raised. "We could always let fate decide," he says, plucking a single petal off and watching it flutter lazily down, suggesting they do a he loves me, he loves me not pattern but with names. But the mischief fades into something softer as he glances back toward Ronin, voice quieter now. "Or just...wait. See what name feels right when it's born." He smiles again, this one gentler. "It might not be either of those."
I'd walk over coals in my bare feet
If that gets me closer to you
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"And that's why one of us is staying here while we go to New Haven for supplies," Ronin confirms with a gentle laugh, following Remi's gaze around at the identical waves of flowers. "...It is beautiful here though. I feel like our baby is lucky to get to grow here in the flowers at Longheat." Especially given the recent flooding, and the blankets of snow prior to that. Wildfires aside - and again, they'll be on hand to deal with that if they get too close - this feels perfect.
Laughing at Remi's defence of Flora's potential little sister and her name, Ronin leans over to deliver a soft kiss to his lips, before he's finally rolling to sit up properly and stretch. "I didn't say it wasn't cute," he quips, "just that I don't know how cute Flora would find it." Propping himself back on one hand, he gazes over his shoulder only to find his breath catching in his throat at the sight of his husband, lined gold against the sunshine, plucking at flower petals like a casual Adonis in the meadow.
"I like that idea," he decides. "Of waiting. When they get here... we'll know." And that small sentence, the when they get here, it makes it all suddenly real for Ronin, and the radiance beams out him such that he ends up smiling apologetically to Remi. "I think I'd better get to New Haven before I blind you," he mumbles, reaching for his shirt to shrug back into it.
Darling, you never could scare me Set me ablaze like you do
Remi huffs, rolling his eyes in that long-suffering, affectionate way that only Ronin can coax out of him, and nods. "Fine, yes, I’ll stay and keep the cows from trampling our baby." His tone is dry but warm, the smile on his lips tugging upward in spite of itself. As Ronin stretches, Remi shifts to prop himself up slightly, curls tousled and catching light like threads of gold. Humming thoughtfully, he squints up at the sky. "Other than water and shade to keep it from burning in the sun...is there anything else you think we need?" he asks, already cataloguing supplies in his head. "Maybe we could water it with healing water from Torchline?"
The kiss that follows is soft, unhurried, laced with the lazy contentment that only ever seems to follow them when the world leaves them alone for a while. "Hard to tell with Flora," Remi admits as he settles back into the grass again, his voice light, fond.
But when Ronin says when they get here and starts to glow in that stupid beautiful way he does, Remi’s expression softens completely, a crooked smile tugging at his mouth as his dimples deepen. There’s a moment where he just watches him, soaking it in, that shine, that joy, and then with a reluctant sigh, he pushes himself upright. "I can think of worse things," he murmurs, adoring and sincere. Then, unable to help himself, his grin tips into something cheekier. "And hey, if you can’t find me when you come back, don’t worry." He reaches lazily for a flower and twirls it between his fingers. "I’ll be happy to raise my own flagpole to help make it easier." Or harder, as the case might be.
I'd walk over coals in my bare feet
If that gets me closer to you
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"See? Great father already," Ronin says with a grin, shimmying back into his pants and starting to button them, expression growing thoughtful. "Healing water would be a good idea," he agrees. "Water, shade - but not too much shade - and maybe... I know they make like... plant food that's good for them? Only they won't really be a plant." Laughing, he waves it off. "We'll think more about that later and get the basics for now."
Cue Ronin reading bedtime stories to their baby whilst they're still little more than a sprout.
At last the Knight rolls to his feet, brushing some grass and petals off his clothes before beaming down at Remi. "You have already been blind," he reminds him. "And as fabulously as you coped with it, I'd prefer not to have a repeat of that time." Not unless it's replaying where they properly fell for one another - Ronin is happy to relive that every day.
Making sure he's got everything (i.e. his dick isn't out), the Knight lets dragon wings spread elegantly from his shoulders to catch the light and tips Remi a wink. "Oh, I'll be looking for it," he assures him before leaping into the air to catch an updraft. It's only moments before he's gone into the sky, but Ronin watches his husband until he's little more than a speck, and thinks of him long after that.
