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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!
Though Flora had heard from her Dads that Hadama had asked about coming to see her, the queen had declined. Of course she knew her co-ruler meant well and certainly wouldn't judge her on her appearance, and while she felt well enough to slink around the Ark and try and bait Jack into an erection that would no doubt upset the internal injuries he had which were still healing, it didn't mean she was well enough to want to deal with all the questions Hadama would likely have about what happened, and was she okay.
Because she still woke up in the middle of the panic in a cold sweat with Pierce's grin burned into her mind. So no, she was definitely not okay.
But, recently back from the dead or not, being able to activate Torchline's Stargate from anywhere within the region seemed even more advantageous than it had before, and so, in a long sleeve shirt to hide the scars that sliced through her shoulder and stomach, Flora made her way toward the outskirts of Hualani where the Stargate, and, based on the letter she'd sent to Hadama, the Tidebreaker would be.
How can a person know everything at 18 but nothing at 22? Will you still want me when I'm nothing new?
12-13-2024, 01:46 PM (This post was last modified: 12-15-2024, 02:26 PM by Hadama.)
He might not know why Flora had declined his initial request, but Hadama was patient and he had the reassurance of her fathers that she was safe. It was enough that he could wait until she was ready to see him, and he received her invitation to join her at the stargate with quiet but intense relief.
The Bubblestream made travel to Kaiholo a simple affair, and from there the mermanta swam through the canals until he reached the newly-cleaned and gleaming stargate. The team that had taken on the task had done well, and the device looked almost as good as the day Safrin had blessed it with her power. But for the moment his eyes were on the blonde he was meeting as they both approached their destination from land and water, respectively. The shirt hid the outward reminders of what had happened, but Hadama's silver-steel brows still pulled together in subtle concern as he pulled himself halfway from the canal. He ignored the cool breeze of Leafchange that made Flora's sartorial choice sensible rather than unusual, emerald gaze on his co-ruler. "Flora," he rumbled quietly. "Welcome home."
Turning at the sound of his voice, Flora doesn't move to greet her co-ruler in a hug the way she normally might, instead keeping her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she offers him a weak smile. "Hey." Exhaustion darkened the queen's usual bright stare, though her eyes were far from vacant of emotion as her smile widened ever so slightly. "I've never been so happy to be home." She admits, huffing out a tired laugh.
"Sorry I didn't come and see you before, I..." Swallowing hard, Flora glances out toward where Starfall lumbered in the Arclight, her long lashes fluttering as memories swept through her mind. "..I don't even really know how to explain it." For all of the Doubletake's confidence that death couldn't keep her down given who her family was—not that she'd been wrong—what Flora hadn't ever accounted for was what death would feel like. The memories of Jack's body slumping over against hers, of the life draining out of her as the world grew smaller and colder with shocking speed had her waking up most nights trembling and soaked in her own sweat.
How can a person know everything at 18 but nothing at 22? Will you still want me when I'm nothing new?
The subtle expression of concern turned more pronounced as Flora came closer and he could see more details. The outward scars were concealed, but her exhaustion was clear and the mental strain of her encounter - of her murder - was not so easily hidden.
Her apology was met with a shake of the mermanta's wet head even as she looked away from him. Towards the cause of her turmoil. Towards Starfall, and the Family that tended it.
His voice was quiet, a gentle rumble of assurance at her inability to put into words her reluctance to see him. "You do not need to." He read her body language and came to the conclusion that a hug would not be welcome yet, and he quietly slid himself back into the canal beside the stargate. "When you are ready, I will welcome time spent with you. Not as rulers, but as friends." He took a slow, deep breath and then bowed his head deeply to her from the water. "Today, this is enough." That she held her duties as Queen even above her own mental health and still-recovering state was not lost on him, and it only made him respect her more as his co-ruler.
"Thanks." Appreciation softens Flora's sleep-deprived features as she shoots the Tidebreaker a grateful smile. It was still impossible to think about what had happened to her, much less to put it into words, and every time she tried it seemed she was forced back several steps in her attempts to get her mind to move on from the trauma she'd experienced.
"The Fae gave me a ring that heals, which has been a big help." Glancing down at one hand, Flora adjusts the golden band on her finger with a soft sigh. The majority of her wounds were mental now, but Flora was no less sore for it.
"Well, speaking of..." Glancing at the stargate with a frown, the queen combs her fingers through a lock of her hair. "..what are you going to give to it? I've been trying to think, and honestly for having bled for Torchline more times than I can count, I'm honestly at a loss as to what else I could give."
How can a person know everything at 18 but nothing at 22? Will you still want me when I'm nothing new?
"Gold goes well with your complexion." Something that might not matter now, but that he hoped would matter to her again in the future. "And healing is always welcome." A quietly fervent agreement as he watched her play with the new accessory. Though there was not always the opportunity to do so when facing a large and dangerous foe, knowing that Flora could heal herself in the future took a weight off of his broad shoulders. "As is protection. I will rest easier once the key is in your hands."
He looked from his queen to their stargate as she asked her question, and then back with a tilt of his head, watching her play with the tress in her fingers. "You have done enough bleeding lately." The statement was firm, his voice dry. "Fae ring aside. What about a lock of your hair?" He reached down into the water, running his fingers over his hip until they caught on a rough patch of scale, damaged by a sharp splinter of coral in the Razortooth Basin. Expressionless, he dug a nail under it and pulled the dark scale loose before lifting it to show Flora what he held. Thankfully the passage out of the canal had rinsed most of the blood from it. "I am giving it this. It is why I did not wear pants today," he informed her, blandly serene.
On any other day Flora might have scolded Hadama for suggesting she do anything to damage her luscious locks, but today? Gods, she couldn't find the energy to do anything more than offer the Tidebreaker a weary shrug. "Not like it won't grow back." She agrees before tilting her chin slightly to watch his hands disappear below the waves. Initially she thought he was going to offer her a knife with which to cut out a curl like he'd suggested, only to grimace as he pulled out a scale.
"Ewwwuhhhh." Theatrically said, Flora wrinkled her nose. "That's like...like me peeling off some dry skin." Whether or not it was an apt comparison hardly mattered, not when it had the queen laughing softly under her breath.
As for the Tidebreaker not wearing pants? Lifting her eyebrows, Flora lets the corners of her mouth crinkle as a smile grows crookedly across her lips. "You keep that up and I'll tell Jack that you were flirting with me." She warns, eyes widening before turning toward the Stargate herself.
How can a person know everything at 18 but nothing at 22? Will you still want me when I'm nothing new?
The listless response to his suggestion was further proof of the trauma that Flora had endured, a painful reminder of how difficult things had been for the young woman in the wake of her twin's death. Now she also had to deal with her own, however brief it had been. Hadama watched her in wordless worry for a moment, but in the end he made no protest. She had come to do her duty as Queen of Torchline, and he would not make it any harder on her than it already was.
At least she had the energy for theatrics a moment later as he produced his own offering for the gate. He considered the comparison gravely before giving a solemn nod of his head, some of the worry easing from his expression at the sound of Flora's quiet laughter and the sight of her smile. "Mmh. Just do not tell your father. I told him you were a charming young woman once, several years ago, and I was uncertain if I would survive the encounter." He tipped a wink her way before they turned their attention to the defensive construction that had brought them there.
"Do we place them in the center of the gate?" he wondered, considering the phrasing of their task. "Or on the stones of the arch?"
Snorting at that, the queen rolls her eyes affectionately. "Bet they're kicking themselves now." She chuckles, before pausing to explain. "They don't approve of Jack. Or, didn't. But given he just died for me I don't think they really have a leg to stand on anymore." Still, even though the age difference between she and Tidebreaker was even worse than that between she and Jack, no doubt Remi and Ronin would have much preferred she ended up with someone as even-tempered and level-headed as the mermanta instead.
"Err..." Glancing toward the gate, Flora begins to make her way over, standing directly beneath it. "I mean...I guess? Safrin didn't really say." Nibbling at the inside of her lip, the queen threads her fingers through her hair, combing out a section at the back. Twisting a few strands around her finger, Flora pulls a face before yanking hard enough to have the golden strands coming out by the roots. "Owwuhh." She complains, huffing out a breath and then letting her hair fall beneath the center of the arch.
How can a person know everything at 18 but nothing at 22? Will you still want me when I'm nothing new?
The explanation was necessary, though the Tidebreaker could only lift one bare shoulder in a philosophical shrug at the not-unexpected revelation of what her dads thought of her boyfriend. "I admit, he is not... hm. The easiest man to get along with. But he makes you happy. That is what matters." Warm emerald eyes rested on the Doubletake, able to calmly support her life choices because she was not his daughter.
And perhaps because he did not know as much about Jack as Remi did.
Whether or not he would have offered a knife was irrelevant as Flora pulled out some hair by the roots. He closed his eyes in sympathy, a faint grimace marring his serene stoicism at her plaintive sound of pain. He contemplated the distance to the Gate from the water and finally conceded to the inevitable. Pulling himself fully from the canal, he shifted to legs and crossed the short distance to stand beside Flora. He set his scale down beside her hair and then straightened, considering the arch thoughtfully.
"We will soon have the key for protection. But we should consider other items for Torchline. Has there been any luck in trading with King's End for unicorn horns?" If Sunjata had been less reliable in recent seasons, perhaps they should turn their focus elsewhere.
Pausing to see if anything would happen as they both left their offerings, when nothing did, Flora merely sighed—hard enough to have her cheeks puffing out—before turning to Hadama. "He's been really hard to get ahold of. Maybe it's the wedding he's planning?" As it would turn out, it probably had a lot more to do with the fact that both Sunjata and Hotaru had been infected the entire time, but of course neither the Tidebreaker nor Doubletake were to know that just now.
"I almost wonder if we shouldn't turn our sights inward again. Next season we could maybe reach out to Halo or the Grounds, but I know there are still some pathways and roads that need to be looked at."
How can a person know everything at 18 but nothing at 22? Will you still want me when I'm nothing new?
Flora's co-ruler also watched the ring intently, hoping for some sign that their offerings had been accepted or at least acknowledged by whatever magic Safrin had infused the Stargate with. It remained quiet and quiescent, but he did not let any trace of disappointment mar his serene features as he turned back to the Doubletake. Instead a single brow slowly rose towards his hairline, emerald eyes glinting with sudden interest. "Hmm..." But for the moment his personal curiosity was set aside for their discussion of Torchline.
"It is a good season for building," he agreed. "Both below the waves and above. I will speak to the crews. And when you are ready, we will go to Safrin for the key." Whether that was this season or next, he would not rush Flora's healing or the time she needed to come to terms with what had happened to her in the Greatwood.
But since they were together for the moment, perhaps a small distraction would be welcome...
