Click here for a list of weather descriptions, seasonal festivals, and a real time:site time conversion.
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!
Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil.
He could vaguely make out her own release beyond the way she writhed and tightened beneath him, his mind a blank white sheet of thought and a raging inferno of blazing nerves. It was a slow descent from that high. Zavien was first aware of gentle fingertips threading through his hair, then the slick skin against his calloused palms, then her beautiful chiming laugh just before he managed to find her lips through the haze. He grounded himself in her, drinking in every drop of pleasure and offered moan like a man tasting drugs for the first time and realizing that he'd never be the same but not quite caring.
When he finally dragged his mouth away from the kiss, his breathing still hadn't recovered, his thoughts and eyes only focusing enough for him to give an airy chuckle through the haze. "Every second of it." He punctuated the sentiments with a lighter kiss before pulling away just enough to flop unceremoniously next to Lena, pulling her into his chest where she might hear the race of his heart.
It was a strange feeling, to be more tired and vulnerable than any training session might have made him, yet more content than he'd ever remembered being. Zavien nearly laughed again, disbelieving that he was here, Lena in his arms after everything they'd been through. His hands moved in soft caresses down her skin, not needy or seductive, just skimming as if to prove to himself it was real, to enjoy the warmth and affection thrumming against him.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, absent-minded as his thoughts drifted pleasantly. When he spoke, his voice was gentle despite how much concentration the words took. "Thank you for being patient with me. I hope you weren't disappointed after waiting so long." He didn't hold much doubt that she had enjoyed herself, but it didn't change his wishes for her to have found it worth the time and effort. After all, he hadn't planned to drag things out, not when he'd known for a long time how he felt about her.
She took another intake of air as he breathed new portions into her – delighted, satisfied, content, a horde of other feelings and emotions tangling and knotting through her. Where she would’ve been just as amused, tranquil, and comfortable underneath him, being swept into his arms was another wholly soothing, appeasing notion – and she sequestered herself there, under his jawline, tucked somewhere in the crook of his neck and the shape of his muscles, the planes of his body. “I was nearly running out of it,” she laughed, knowing it’d spark something out of him – her patience was seemingly an unending thing, but when it came to knowing one another far more intimately…she’d certainly tried to initiate the notions well before now.
Not that she would have ever forced him into something he was uncomfortable with, but the sparks of play and the thoughts of having him fully had also been on her mind – the timing seemingly very wrong on at each instance. “And there are so many other things we can try,” she winked, glancing up at him while her fingers reached for his arms, soothing and placating, but teasing and toying just the same. “Or I can finally get my bath, hm?”
Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil.
It was obvious that Lena was joking, that she'd cared enough not to push or tease - even if he hadn't noticed any cues to bolster him into acting. However, the laughter poked at something insecure and worried, wanting her to know why. His face shifted out of view, tense despite all the soft feelings settled in his bones. "It's not that I didn't want to... I just - " Zavien ran a hand down the smooth skin of her spine, gentle and reverent like he might just count the vertebrae there along with every reason he cared for her. "I didn't want you to think I was only dating you for sex, and I wanted to make sure it was enjoyable for you." To make sure he knew what he was doing so he didn't hurt her or ruin the mood with his gaping inexperience. It was a desire to do well for her, to prove just how much she meant to him.
Ultimately though, the best advice had been communicating, and Zavien planned to take that farther than the bedroom. Starting with the words that continued to echo through his heart and mind, the ones he'd been too scared to say again. "Last time wasn't the best timing," there was a pause, a breath as he steeled himself for a similar rejection as the first time he'd said it, "but I really do love you, Lena. I meant that then, and I still mean it now." The world may have changed around them, but his feelings for her hadn't - even if she didn't feel the same way.
It's why he was so utterly captivated by her, why her playful wink and teasing words caused a fluttering behind his sternum, why the brush of her fingers might as well have been ropes for how they kept him firmly in place. He took her in, his smile careful in its warm as Zavien let himself hope and wish for a thousand more chances to show her how special she was. His eyes searched hers as he said softly, "Something to look forward to." On both fronts.
Her brows knitted together as he looked away, and she moved one hand to maneuver below his jaw, turning his face back to her – the layers of teasing gone for something broader and more serious. “I never thought that,” as she stared at him, brown eyes focused on his features, the confusion evident, but the honesty flickering through. “Nor am I certain where you would get such an idea.” Zavien was far and away more reputable than many, and had never presented himself as someone who’d only strain for his own satisfaction, laying claim to her, then passing her off to the ether. She wouldn’t have ever found herself involved with him had that been the case. “So don’t put that on yourself.” She certainly hoped she hadn’t made him sink into such notions.
There’d been no rejection from Lena the first time he’d uttered the following words – just acceptance and some inward trepidation – the newness, the unknown, had clawed at her initially – and the scope of such statements had been surprising. At least he seemed to be aware of that now, and she tilted her head, studying him, granting a small, indulgent smile as the layers reverted together. “I know. I never doubted you.” He’d always led with his heart; chiseling away at many seams. “I love you too.” Simple, perhaps, and not the way the earth might’ve shattered beneath them, but that wasn’t Lena – preferring to be heartfelt, extended, and honest – waiting to see his response. “I think the first time you said them scared me a little,” in truth, if they were going for veracity. They’d only just started things…and weathered many more storms to come. “I’m sorry it took me a little longer to realize.”
Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil.
He let her hand guide him so that his eyes met hers, a sad smile forming as he wished he could change the various experience he'd had in his childhood and how they were affecting Lena now. "Well, I didn't exactly grow up with the best role models. Everyone focused on the sex and what they could get out of the relationship." Screaming matches and projectiles could be noticed from down the street, just another Tuesday breakup that left tensions and bruises throughout the Silk Houses, leaving the occasional batch of kids with another absentee parent. His mom might have kept her business separate, but it didn't protect him from knowing, from seeing what toll it took on her or the leering looks on the street, from understanding the greed and false professions of love. It didn't stop the idealistic wishes he'd developed, the ones that he voiced with a tender expression towards Lena. "I know it sounds silly, but I didn't want us to be like that."
There was a pause, a moment where Zavien was sure his confession would go unanswered again, a beat where Lena simply validated his feelings and moved on. He nearly missed the response in his rising disappointment, the joy having difficulty catching when the words didn't hold the weight he'd expected. It took time for the sentiments to register, for him to realize that she'd said it before his heart was fluttering through the quiet delivery.
His eyes widened a touch, the grin slow to spread across his face, although no less bright. He shook his head, dismissing her apology without a second thought. "I would have waited forever," his finger gently slid a damp strand of dark hair behind her ear, like a secret he was giving her to tuck away as he added softly, "but I'm glad I didn't have to." Then he kissed her again, no longer needy or rushed in hopes of grounding himself in her, but soft and loving like they had all the time in the world to say it a million times over. Caressing hands braced around her, willing him to believe and embrace the excitement of the moment, satisfied to never leave.
Only when he pulled back did he think on it more, curiosity painting his blissful features with a hint of confusion as he asked, "But... what changed? Why didn't you say anything?" He hadn't dared say the words in case they sent her running again, in case she wasn't ready. Other than time and frightening moments of change, he didn't feel that anything monumental had passed (at least not anything more impactful than his death).
Understanding nudged at her senses, a nod to follow as the comprehension flickered in – situations in childhood wildly different from one another, and growth from there. She wished she’d known sooner, but maybe that scarcely mattered now, building something worth savoring and having without the horrors alongside. “Of course not,” she uttered, sinking back into his kiss, finally being able to take what they wanted after so many hardships, aches, and pains.
From there, she could regale him with the changed sentiments, storylines whittled and carved from her mouth, punctured and pierced together with each ringing moment of clarity up until now – when it seemed to have meant the most.
