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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!
Emotional overwhelm seems to be the flavour of the evening, and Ronin drifts through the party in something of a daze after parting from Remi, exchanging further greetings with those who have arrived - both dead and alive - and grabbing himself something very strong to drink. He's finished his liquor and has exchanged it for two classes of sweet wine before seeking out Seren, drawn towards his daughter as if connected by that golden thread of his magic; the thread he'd been unable to use the night she'd died.
"Hey," he says, sounding a mix of exhilarated and exhausted as he draws up beside her, offering her out a glass of wine if for no other reason than to free up a hand to draw her into a one-armed hug. "I hope you're having fun. I only wish I could spend all night with everyone who came back, you know?" Ronin's smile is a touch guilty without him being able to help it.
Turning away from the conversation she had been listening to without any hesitation, Seren accepted the glass and hugged her father right back. "It is the trouble with most family gatherings, I hear," she laughed, "and that is without the dead stopping by." He needn't feel guilty about a thing; she would wait for him for as long as it took, as she had come here to see him above all others.
"I am! Being back on this side even for a visit feels wonderful - Remi truly outdid himself this time." Slinging an arm comfortably around his back, she rested her raven head upon his shoulder. "It is good to see you, as well. How are you holding up?" Her tone was warm, and the blue of her eyes held a depth that turned the simple question multifaceted; going beyond tonight, past the difficulties of the season to the core of his being. It had been a long ten years, after all, of trials and tribulations, love and loss and so many new beginnings as most people only saw in a lifetime. If he was tired, she would not be surprised. But Seren hoped that he still had some curiosity lingering, enough of a spark burning to keep him looking forward, for at least another ten years - and more, if he so wished.
I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces Reaching the starlight and silver fields
"You hear right," Ronin agrees with a laugh, giving her a warm squeeze as she embraces him in return and dropping a kiss against her dark hair. "I'm just glad Remi opted to have this start at late afternoon. At least people have plenty of time to catch up with one another." Like the two of them right now; and whether he ought to feel guilty or not, that feeling is almost baked-in when it comes to his children, and especially those that reside in Mort's realm.
Sipping at his wine, the Knight nods emphatic agreement. "He really did," he says softly. "No idea how any gift I might have gotten him will hold up against this." But then Seren is asking about him, and Ronin turns his head to rest it against his daughter's, letting the silence swallow them for a few beats. (As much silence as they are like to get with the festivities swarming all around).
"It's been rough," he admits freely. "Losing you. Not knowing why, or how. Your mother and I both struggled. But I think I'm getting better - especially after tonight." Ronin's smile grows warmer and he turns to hug Seren properly, forgetting about the drink in his hand. "I'm sorry things ended the way they did for you," he mumbles.
She had few reassurances to offer, in the end. Just her presence for this sliver of evening until the lantern burned low and the door left ajar between the layers of the world had to close. What she could give him was the truth; and as her father pulled her in for a proper hug, Seren let her head come to rest against his shoulder like so many (so achingly few) times before.
"Me too. It was scary," she admitted, hushed like it was a secret offered only to him. "In hindsight I should have realised that the island was not safe anymore. I shouldn't have gone there - or at least not gone alone - but..." Seren's grip hardened, her jaw clenching with the return of dread and uncertainty. "It had always been my haven. How was I to know the Void could get me even there?" It came out as a plea for understanding; that she had not left him by choice. Had not stayed silent all these months out of resentment or blame.
Sometimes, even the dead needed time to heal from the trauma of their passing.
I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces Reaching the starlight and silver fields
It was scary makes his heart clench and his stomach lurch, Ronin clutching Seren closer on instinct, as if he might be able to protect her from something that had already happened. And when she first speaks of the island he thinks, initially, of Starfall, but when she clarifies, gods...
"You were attacked in your pocket realm?" he whispers, straightening up enough to smooth her hair out of his face, brows furrowed in horror and sorrow. "Seren, no one could have known that. No one could have even guessed at it," he tells her vehemently, gathering her back against him and pressing his eyes shut.
"I'm so sorry that happened to you. I... we suspected the void, but of course there was no way to know." Until now.
Much as she detested bringing more sorrow and concern to her father, the tightness of his hug squeezed something broken together within her, making her feel solid and whole. Seren nodded against his shoulder, confirming the nightmare; that she'd been defeated in the one place she never expected to have to fight.
"I think they are there, still," she sighed. "All around my things... I hate the thought of it. I wish they were gone - so Mother can take the island back, and you can have what I left behind." It wasn't much, truth be told. A piece of monster bone, shells and driftwood, clothes and all the detritus of a life cut too short; but rather than leave it for the void, Seren preferred if her family took possession of it. Found uses for them, or gave them back to the sea - or kept some token to remember her by.
I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces Reaching the starlight and silver fields
Ronin's brow furrows at Seren's remarks, the Knight pressing a gentle kiss to the crown of her head. "I will speak to Safrin about it, if I get the chance" he says softly. He doesn't mention wondering whether the little pocket dimension would have collapsed in on itself at the point of Seren's death - doesn't want to suggest it when already the conversation is so dark. Instead, taking a long deep breath and sighing it out, Ronin steps back enough to clasp her shoulders. (He's long dropped his drink to the sand).
"I love you," he says with a sad smile. "That will never change, whether you're here, in the stars or in Mort's Halls. And it means so much that you're here now." Drawing her back against him, the Knight spends a long few seconds merely standing with his daughter, sharing that space and time they so often had to fight for during her life.
