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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!
Rather than meet at the House of Midnight, this time Sunjata invites Flora to the actual ruling house within King’s End. She’d helped him make it, after all, it was only fair she got to see just how well everything worked out within it with the desks and rooms and hideaway sections. For now, it certainly looks like it has been there a few seasons — weathered from Deepfrost and the seasons leading up to it. Inside, a fireplace is sparked to keep it warm, the desk harboring books and journals, and along the corner of the main room a big crate sits.
“It worked out last season. I think I’m gonna do it again and just try and get a stockpile, y’know?” Speaking to Flora, Sunjata opens the door and lets her drift into the warmth of the regional building, flashing her an easy smile before he drifts in deeper toward the crate in the back. “What are you thinking about doing with it?” He asks, popping the lid off the crate before he gestures for her to come and see the jars of unicorn horn shavings within.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Whether I'm gonna curse you out or Take you back to my house
"This looks super nice." Everything had been that too-organized sort of new when she'd first helped Sunjata put everything together, and now that it had been used a little it had taken on a rather charming life of its own.
"Honestly we're doing the same. We have a few soldiers but, like, it never seems to help much." She says with a shrug. Given Torchline's overall advancements, it didn't seem to make much sense working on road upgrades or pageantry when war was literally at their door either. "I'm going to get Jack to help me put these all around the city so that citizens have access to them." Jack's participation was of course to keep them from being stolen.
"Ooooh. Pretty." Peering over one of the crates, Flora reaches for a jar and gives it a little shake. "This seems way cooler than tumsea shells, to be honest." Then again being lucky was nothing to sneeze at, even if they didn't look as cool.
“Well, it does have yours and your mother’s touch.” Comes the easy tease, flashing a more amused and crooked smile. As for what Torchline is intending to do, he hums a note of agreement, stepping back slightly to let her inspect the jars with the shavings sat within it. “I’ve been waiting on training soldiers only because I think it might be weird to have soldiers before a real town.” He huffs a soft laugh, before he shakes his head, knowing full well that it’s all on him to get the ball rolling on that.
He’s been busy, though. Planning to ask Hotaru to marry him and the whole infected business, but that’s neither here nor there at the moment. For now, they’re trading, and options are as good as any.
“Hey, being lucky is important too. I’m pretty sure that luck’s the only thing that’s kept me around.” Flashing her a roguish wink, the Flood nods toward the crate. “So we’ll take some extra luck for the rest of King’s End, just in case.”
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Whether I'm gonna curse you out or Take you back to my house
Mention of her mother has butterflies lifting off inside of her stomach. Twisting, the queen leans against the crates. "Speaking of.." Lifting her brows playfully at him, Flora raises her chin, her blue eyes flashing mischievously. "When are you going to propose??? It's like, the worst secret that I know!" Well, aside from Jack being a telepath of course.
"Oh, okay." Widening her eyes, the queen nudges against the Flood if only to emphasize just how similar he was to a statue made of carved fucking marble, rather than some noodly man who needed luck to make his way through the world. Either way, though. "I'll take two, and send you two shells from home?" Lifting her brows to make sure that was okay, Flora reached for two of the jars, giving each a shake if only to see the opalescent shards flick and flutter.
Snorting, he rolls his eyes a touch annoyed (playfully, of course). “Longheat. Right around her birthday.” He leans heavily on the crate as well, flashing his soon to be daughter a playfully lopsided smile. “Still planning on doing it at the Hanged Man, if you’re good with that?” He has to double check – but he has been collecting bits and pieces to make it a truly special night – concocting special mocktails for the Valkyrie, knowing her preference to not drink that often in public, yet still wanting it to feel special and important.
That, and ensuring the ring(s) are in good condition, along with whatever lovey dovey things he decides to say in the moment. He’s certainly needed time to think about those given his notoriously terrible way with words.
An accented laugh leaves him as he swats away her hands gently. “I wasn’t always like this, y’know.” He’d been plenty weak before – the reminder of Ronin’s physical warnings, Remi’s threats, his father’s lessons, and Safrin’s actual literal attempt on his life. “Luck kept me from drowning when I got this, along with mostly everything else.” Gesturing to the half Glasgow smile on his face, his steel gaze shifts toward the jars that she starts to pluck the two jars she’d like out of the crate.
“Sounds good to me.” Sunjata hums, content with the trade, before he’s pushing off the crate toward his desk, snagging a pen and a piece of paper to write a reminder to replace it this season with another round of collecting unicorn horn shavings.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Whether I'm gonna curse you out or Take you back to my house
"Uggghhhhh, that's so far awayyy." Flora whines playfully, and while she's quite certain that her mother will love the careful attention that Sunjata has put into planning everything, the Valkyrie's daughter is far too impulsive to appreciate the gestures. "Of course I am, and...so hey.." Raising her brows, Flora shuffles a step closer. "Do you know when the wedding will actually be? Because if it isn't going to be this year...I could always have Remi bring Enzo and Vai to the Hanged Man when you pop the question..?" It would be more important to have them around on Sunjata and Hotaru's big day, but if wedding planning would take as long as proposal planning, then...
Rolling her eyes affectionately up at him and crinkling her nose, Flora scoffs as if she doesn't believe he hasn't always been one of the most powerful men in all of Caido. "Fine, well. I'm glad you don't have to rely on just luck anymore." Not when he had friends and people who truly loved him, not when he could push trees over with a good shove his shoulder and command the ocean and its tide with nothing more than a flick of his wrist.
“That’s next season,” he clarifies with a laugh that seems equally as playful as her whining is. He knows it’s a while away, especially when he’d first brought it up, but he had to make sure that everything was in order and that they weren’t rushing it too soon. He was sure he knew it would end up there eventually, but, it wasn’t until the day after LongNight that the Flood was absolutely positive that it was as good a time as any.
Flashing her a crooked smile as she says that she is fine with him still having it at the Hanged Man, but it falters slightly as she shuffles closer and his head tilts avian-like in its movement as he listens to her question and follow up suggestion. It isn’t her fault that the mention of Vai’s name sparks a flicker of light against the scarring in his face and down the arm, the lightning strike crackling through his skin and all of its raised edges as he considers it, resulting in a soft little “well, you know your mother. I’m sure she’s gonna wanna plan things in excruciating details…” And if the potential of having them there both times came up, well, he’s sure Ru wouldn’t complain. And neither would he in regards to Vai’s appearance – still having yet to see her despite the news Remi and Ronin had dropped not that long ago.
Another thought creeps in and the Flood huffs a small awkward laugh. “I’ve never met Enzo.” It’s a comment made that no where means that he wouldn’t want the dearly departed to be there, but simply a statement. And a silent hope that the young man might look down from Mort’s Realm now and then and think that Sunjata’s not too bad of a guy. These days, at least.
Crinkling his nose toward her in a mimicry of her own, he shakes his head and lets a dark curl fall into his face, the sun having brought out many more of the freckles that dust his cheeks. “Trust me, I’m pretty fucking glad too.” It’s said with a playfully weary sigh.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Whether I'm gonna curse you out or Take you back to my house
"Stillllllllll." Flora trills if only to be argumentative, though there's nothing but warm affection written on her features as she gazes up at Sunny.
Swallowing, though she didn't quite take a step back from the Flood, Flora did pull away as lightning sparked up the side of his arm and danced across his face. It had her sipping in a surprised gasp as she watched the light play out across his tanned skin in a manner both terrifying and beautiful. "Uhhh, so..is that a yes?" Pulling her gaze away from Sunjata's arm and returning it to his face with a slight raise of her brows, Flora pauses as he mentions her twin. Shrugging softly the queen looks down, picking at one of her nails for a moment. "I mean...he's basically the best." With Remi's ability to bring him back and with her sights set on level 15 bringing him back, Flora had stopped speaking of her twin in the past tense.
"It does mean Remi would have to be there...but I could always just shove him in one of the back rooms so that it isn't awkward."
“That’s a yes.” Sunjata confirms, even if a part of him isn’t sure he’s ready to come face to face with the news just yet. At least there’s the rest of the season to prepare, right? And whatever else Longheat will bring. For now, though, he seems ignorant of the light show his skin has cast, even if it reflected against her skin and he’d noticed her swallowing. At the way she looks down and speaks on Enzo, though, he gives her a little squeeze, nodding.
The present tense doesn’t spark any notes of alarm – not when ones father could seemingly consistently bring someone back from the dead for fleeting moments to speak to one another. So he makes no comment on it as he focuses instead on the fact that Remi would have to be there. And perhaps, before the Tournament, it would have soured the mood.
After? He’s content to let the past remain in the past. Especially when there’s so much in the future to look forward to. “It’s fine if he’s there.” Sunjata says – meaning that he doesn’t need to be squirreled away into the back rooms or anything. “I think we’re okay, now. He and Ronin even invited your mother and I to dinner one of these days.” Which may come as a surprise for the Doubletake, just as it had surprised himself.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Whether I'm gonna curse you out or Take you back to my house
"EEEEEEEEEE!" The sound is as bright and girlishly shrill as you'd expect it to be given the delight beaming out across Flora's face. But then things take a strangely serious and sombre turn, leaving the queen's smile melting softly away as flashes of something she doesn't understand quite literally scatter across Sunjata's body.
"He can serve drinks if nothing else." The Doubletake titters with a lopsided smile, before her eyebrows raise. "Seriously?" Colour her properly surprised. "I mean...I guess that's good?" Where the adults might have wanted to hide their skepticism, Flora felt under no such compulsion, and so the lingering questions hung on the corners of her lips and the way her eyes were still suspiciously narrowed.
But whatever; not her monkey, not her circus.
"Mmmk, well, I should go." Tapping the jars of unicorn shavings, Flora smiles. "I'll have everything ready at the bar for mom's birthday, but if it isn't going to be that day just let me know." Either way was fine, Flora just wanted to make sure she had time to get everything prepared on her end.
Nodding, because it was good, even if not a bit strange – perhaps leaving the past in the past was better for all of them. Perhaps it was time to move on. Either way, the Flood doesn’t know what to expect from such a night, but he does know that having Flora, Enzo, and Vai there would be a wonderful addition to what he hopes to be a perfect time to ask for Hotaru’s hand. “Yeah, so far?” He says with a huff of a laugh, shrugging a shoulder and trying to loosen the strange sensation building in his gut.
At the mention of her leaving, though, the Flood nods and moves to follow her out to bid her goodbye so that he can send off the paper designating to collect more of the unicorn shavings. “I’m intending on it being that day, but I’ll let ya know if things change.” And before she leaves, he reaches for her to pull her in for a gentle hug, before releasing her with that crooked smile of his. “See ya soon, Flora. And thank you.”
- FIN
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
