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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!
Remi lifts his brows at her first remark, not needing to voice the concerns he can already feel threading through her touch, the unspoken please let this not be catastrophic humming there beneath the humour. He exhales softly through his nose instead, letting it pass without argument. She’s right, of course, and they both know it.
When she points out the inevitability of the connection to Tobi—to Finn, to that whole tangled branch of the family tree—his gaze drifts, unseeing, out toward the stretch of sea beyond them. There’s no real link between him and Isla anymore, not like that, but the lines still cross in uncomfortable places, old memories tugging at him with a quiet insistence he doesn’t indulge for long. He swallows it down, steadying himself, and turns back with a small, crooked smile. "Oh, I see," he says, rolling his eyes lightly as a chuckle slips free. "So my job here is just to tell you that everything is okay, is that it? Nothing else?"
As the food arrives, he settles back into his chair and pours himself a generous cup of tea, lifting it immediately and blowing across the surface with exaggerated determination, as if sheer force of will might cool it faster. He nods at her next words, expression boyish beneath the humour. "I won’t tell anyone else," he agrees. Then his mouth quirks, mischief flickering briefly in his eyes. "Especially not Flora." He takes a careful sip, smirking over the rim of the cup. "Gods know she and Kaisel don't need any more ideas."
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Yes, obviously," Isla says, and if they'd not been sitting across from one another with the tea between them, she'd have swatted him for the audacity. "You're my best friend and a father to multiple children," she adds, "so if anything I'll be knocking on your door at all hours for help once the baby is actually here." Her expression softens suddenly too as she lifts her tea to her lips without needing to worry for the heat of it, and she gazes across at Remi through the steam.
"I haven't discussed it with Ever yet, but providing he agrees, it would mean a lot if you were one of the baby's godparents," she says softly. "I know it's an antiquated sort of thing from back in Northaven, but... you can take the girl out of the duchess, and all that..." She shrugs.
As for Flora - and Kai, by extension - Isla scoffs out a laugh at that, raising her teacup as if to toast to it. "I mean, I will be telling her at some point," she says, as if to tell Remi he isn't permanently off the hook. "How is she, anyway? I heard Ronin is on her council, now? I'm glad - ruling solo is not an envious positon to be in."
Remi lets out a boyish laugh, rolling his eyes as he leans back in his chair. "You don’t even need to ask," he says easily. "Ronin will be over the moon. I’m fairly certain he already thinks every child in existence is at least partially his responsibility."
But as Isla speaks continues, the humour drains from him in a heartbeat. The offer lands with real weight, stirring old memories he hadn't thought of in years; of a time he'd been the godparent to a child whose parents had both perished, raising her on his own at least until her father had come back from the dead. His expression gentles, eyes warming as he looks at her over the rim of his teacup, and this time there’s no deflection, no joke to buffer the moment. "Oh," he says quietly, then nods once, decisively. "Yes. Of course." There’s no hesitation in it, even if the gravity settles deep in his chest. "I’d be honoured." A breath leaves him, steady and sincere. "And honestly, even if you didn’t ask, I’d act like one anyway."
He reaches for his tea again, sips hastily, and immediately regrets it, the heat catching him off guard. He hisses softly, pressing the back of his hand to his mouth as he sighs through it, clearly offended by his own impatience. When he recovers, his mouth quirks into a smirk as Isla asks after Flora. "She’s good," he says, amusement and exasperation threading his voice again. "Apparently very much in love with Kaisel, and loudly threatening to marry him." He shrugs, lifting his brows. "So far she hasn’t killed Ronin or kicked him off her council, which I’m taking as an excellent sign, and Torchline seems to still be standing, so. All things considered, I think it’s going well."
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Hey, I've seen the way the Torchline kids gawk after Ronin, pretending to be knights or dragons or both. It's not entirely a delusion." Isla grins, distantly wondering whether her child will do the same. More likely, she imagines, if they try to emulate anyone it'll be Everest with his music or Mateo with his botany, but she doesn't say that out loud.
Wincing on Remi's behalf as he's scolded by the heat of his teacup, she's reached out to skewer a bit of cake on a fork when he offers his acceptance as a godparent. Smiling, fully appreciative of the weight of the ask and the memories associated with it, Isla is nearly glowing with the joy of it. She doesn't have Ronin's literal radiance to illuminate the teahouse, but the metaphor still stands. "Thank you," she murmurs.
Enjoying her bite of cake before surrendering to the warm spice of her tea again, Isla luckily isn't mid-sip when Remi mentions Flora's threats of marriage, the Remedy scoffing a laugh and shaking her head. "At least that means she's happy?" she ventures. "It certainly sounds like it's going well. I'm pleased for her - I know it's been a bumpy road."
Remi’s answering chuckle is warm and helplessly fond, his eyes crinkling as the image settles in his mind, of Ronin radiant and ridiculous, trailed by a small army of earnest, wide-eyed children brandishing sticks and wide smiles. He tips his head in easy agreement, shoulders lifting in a quiet, affectionate shrug. "Sometimes," he adds in a lowered, conspiratorial murmur, "He'll shift into a leviathan or a dragon and let them slay him, or rise again as a phoenix from the ashes after they have saved the day."
At the mention of Flora, his expression shifts, fondness edged with something more (be)grudging. He rolls his eyes with exaggerated restraint, though there’s no real heat in it. "She does seem happy," he concedes, stirring his tea absently before lifting the cup again. "I only worry it all feels a little fast. A little too perfect after how everything ended with Jack." He exhales softly through his nose, then shakes his head once, curls shifting against his forehead. "But that is not meant to be about my parental problems, today is meant to be about yours."
A wink follows, light and reassuring, before he takes another sip. When he looks back at the Remedy, the smile he offers is quieter and more sincere. "I am truly happy for you, Isla," he says adoringly. "And I think you will be an amazing mother."
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"But of course he will," Isla says, chuckling around another bite of cake. "What's the use of having such slayable shifts if he doesn't let the kids have a victory or two? I'm surprised you don't take part and let him lead a heroic adventure against you." Bouncing her eyebrows, the Remedy evidently thinks it's something Remi ought to consider if he hasn't actively committed to it already.
Setting her fork down and giving her own tea a stir, she can sense the ripples of uncertainty that ride along beneath her friend's words as if by instinct now, and she reaches out to rest a hand atop Remi's, her feelings steady with reassurance in a way they hadn't been when considering her own situation. "Too fast, too much, too soon - it will all work out no matter what happens," she says warmly. "She has you and Ronin to catch her if she falls, so she'll be just fine."
As for Isla, it's the first time she's heard herself referenced in that way out loud - a mother - and a flush of something quiet and unexpectedly protective surges through her. "You're the best, Remi," she mumbles, cheeks pink with delight that she promptly tries to hide behind her tea. It's still very early, but already the shock is beginning to fade into steadier ground, and the memory of Remi's support will ring through her long after they leave the teahouse and head home.
