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!
Feeling a bit half-dead after a long day of helping haul rubble away, repeatedly loading and unloading rocks out of wagons and being treated to the hard seats rattling down cobblestones, Kaisel trudges into the steam room like a shell of a man. He'd done the hot springs yesterday, and those had helped, but he doesn't particularly want to argue with wind chill today, so the thought of a fully enclosed room simply simmering with heat sounds far more appealing.
Groaning through most of the process of stripping down in the locker room, he shuffles his way to the blessed steam. Door may as well be a portal to hell for the wall of heat that smacks him in the face the moment he steps into the box. Certain to seal it shut back behind him, Kaisel breathes in deep, able to feel the weight of the air as he drags it in. It's stifling at first, and his jaw works, as though tempted to chew on the breath the way you might pulp in your drink.
He steps further in, drifting towards the hot coals where he ladles out a fresh scoop of water. He disperses it over the warmed stones, the liquid splashing against the temperature change with a series of sharp hisses. Sheets of steam waft up with such intensity that he has to lean away from them. "Thaaaat's the good shit," he appraises, sweat already beading on his 'brow. Setting the ladle back in the bucket, he tightens his towel against his waist and melts into a bench with an exaggerated sigh.
Pain is what you desire So, you wanna be immortal?
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
Had Kaisel bothered to look down, he might have noticed a golden shimmer through the steam where Sol slumbered comfortably on the floor near the furnace. The dragon didn't stir with anything more than a blink heavy with sleep. Similarly taxed by a day of hard labor and training, Zavien and his companion had sought the refuge of the sauna to ease the tightness they could already feel growing, exhaustion pulling at their limbs.
The Dragoon sits at the far end, arms spread against the warm spruce of the bench in ripples of sweaty muscle. Bruises are starting to bloom across his arms and legs, products of practice swords as much as clumsiness. Dressed only in his towel, the scar across his flank is on full display, the skin stretching the mass of pink tissue that hadn't yet faded after a year of healing. There's a content grin on his face when he lifts his head from where he'd hung it back. His eyes flash in recognition, amused by the exaggerated appreciation from Kai. "Thanks. I was just getting ready to do that myself."
A lazy smile fits into place at the familiar voice and the gratitude. He had entered the room like a zombie, so no, he hadn't noticed a cleverly hidden golden dragon or the Commander already posted up here. The company doesn't bother him in the slightest though, and he tilts his head back to affix an upsidedown glance at the man. "Glad to be of assistance," he drawls in response, a half-hearted salute offered in jest. His own scar is visible across his back, a branching pattern of silver down his shoulder blades where a little smooch from lightning had nearly sent him to an early grave.
Rolling his head back upright, Kaisel sighs long and content. He seems to gather the peace for a moment before inhaling and pivoting a bit to better see Zavien. "The Tower sure is taking a long time to complete, huh?" he says conversationally. Although he means it more as, damn that's got to be a bitch to build, he's not a wordsmith on the best of days, least of all when he's worn out by the day.
Pain is what you desire So, you wanna be immortal?
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
Chuckling at the salute and lazy upside down expressions, he returns the motion then settles back into his limp form until the question is being launched his way. He raises his head to meet the young man's gaze.
Fortunately for Kai, Zavien doesn't take offense to the observation, having thought it plenty of times himself. Instead, he groans, running a hand through his sweat-slick hair. "Tell me about it. I'd hoped to have it completed by now. First it was a contracting issue, then the funds got scrambled when it was discovered that one of the neighborhoods needed new streets, then the supplies got routed to Halo instead of Stormbreak - Who confuses the two? - then a nest of ROUS were discovered in the rubble."
He lets out a heavy sigh that only increases the heat around him, not complaining, but honest. "I thought it'd be a lot easier, but it seems like the Tower might have to wait until after LongNight." A terrifying thought considering what horrors sometimes lurk in the dark of those weeks, but he has to take into account the people and the work they've put in thus far. He can't afford to overwork them when the work has just begun.
Looking to Kai again, he raises a curious eyebrow. "You seem to be spending a lot of time in the city." There's a softness to his ever-present smile that makes it easy to see that it lacks accusation or judgement, just offering quiet observation and conversation to the fellow Dragoon.
Kaisel shakes his head and rolls his eyes with emphasis at all the unbelievable annoyances that Zavien and the city have faced thus far, each reaction fitting into place at the proper section of the explanations that unfurl about the Tower. "Gods," he practically swears with the exhale, not envious of the headache the Commander is dealing with. "Welp, better late than never, right?" Which is sometimes the only defense you have against life's a bitch. "I'm sure the town'll understand the delays, and all the rest of the work being done is evident, I think. Does suck to have your first project as Commander flop a bit though, doesn't it sir?"
The smile he beams at him suggests the intention is heartfelt. It does suck to try hard and have that still not be enough to matter, in the end. His features soften a bit though as Zavien points out his time here, and for a moment Kaisel just nods his head in agreement with it. He finds himself missing the roar of the Torchline coast now, and he's been craving tacos from that one hole in the wall at the corner near his house, and he's especially having Flora withdrawals. Climbing in and out of bed every night and day without the tangle of her limbs pressing heat into him, or the shallow sound of her breath to drift into as the world falls away, it's practically torture. Last time he'd been here, he'd mourned what felt like the loss of home, but now this already feels like a strange place to be if it's without her. She's his home.
"Yeah—I want to make sure I can help however I can to get this place back up to how it was before the Family ruined it. I wanna see this place really thrive again." His smile is a bit more fragile now, nostalgia coming in with fond and distant memories of a simpler time. "So I've been helping out wherever the rubble is worst. Flora understands." She'd loaned the soldiers after all, like Kaisel had told Zavien they would, and though he is in fact a Torchline soldier, he'd have been here regardless.
Pain is what you desire So, you wanna be immortal?
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
He nods along to the exasperated sentiments, feeling very much the same about the delays. Zavien chuckles around the small twinge of failure that tries to worm its way into his thoughts. "I mean... it's not a 'flop.' It'll still get done. It's just taking a little longer than expected." His shoulders shrug, not too bothered by it when his optimism is so strong. There's a determination there, a willingness to finish no longer how much time it takes.
Smiling at Kai's desires that so closely match his own, he has to admire the young man's dedication even if it's no longer the city in which he lives. That doesn't mean he'll discourage him, knowing there's no limit to the amount of hands needed to rebuild, and selfishly glad to have just one more pair to share the load. "Well, we appreciate the help."
Zavien leans back on his bench again, considering Kai's words. Not a member of any rumor mills, he lets the steam melt away some of his usual apprehension about asking personal questions, especially of someone he's not extremely close to, but there have been too many hints, and with Koa busy during recent weeks... he begins to wonder, "Are you and Flora...?" His tone is cautious, lacking judgement but bracing for what answer he might find.
He nods at the gratitude, his smile flashing up bright and while again in a way that says of course. It's nice to be thanked, to have the work noticed and know it lands the way he intends, but he'd do it regardless. If Zavien was cursing his name and chasing him out of town it'd be a lot harder, but he'd find a way to sneak in, wear some master level disguise (read: glue-on moustache and glasses) and still get to work.
Sweat plummets off one of the ends of his hair as his head turns back further towards Zavien at the question. For a minute his mouth runs dry. He hadn't even realized he'd just thrown her name out there like that, too used to fit of it now beside his life. His scalp prickles, nerves crawling like something tangible. "Yeah," he says finally, a touch of a smile easing in past the worry. "Yeah, we're dating now." That hardly feels like an appropriate way to describe what she means to him, but he's definitely not about to tell Zavien that she's basically the best thing since air. Not when he needs to ask him to keep it hushed.
"Just—" Kaisel sighs, the flicker of happiness subsiding into a frown, weighed down with a guilt he still hasn't gotten off his chest. It's easy to ignore in her company, but here, with Koa so close by (and yet never home when Kaisel knocks), it feels like it might eat him alive. "Don't tell anyone, not yet, please sir?" He glances away, bowing over his knees as his forearms slip onto his thighs, chin resting on a bridge of his hands. "I want to tell Koa first. Make sure he hears it right." Which is difficult to do, when the man's keeping so busy. "He's just been hard to track down to tell." Kaisel had definitely been avoiding him at first too, but not lately. His letter never got answered, which he's trying not to worry about or take too personal. Koa's fine, and he will be fine, and they'll all be fine. It's fine.
He pops up from his seat, apparently deciding they're not suffering enough as he ladles more water over the coals. More steam hisses into existence, sweat bedazzling Kaisel now as he takes a seat more in line with Zavien this time for conversation. "How're things with you and Lena?" he wonders, 'brows lifting with an expectant waggle. "Wedding bells any time in the future, sir?"
Pain is what you desire So, you wanna be immortal?
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
Despite having been an unofficial 'spy' for awhile, Zavien is the least secretive person, his expressions holding subtitles that put his thoughts on broadcast. So when Kai finally admits that he and Flora are dating, the widened pinch of his eyes says more than it's meant to. It's not just shock or surprise, but a level of unease for what the news might do to his friend.
He doesn't say anything for a time, watching the cascade of emotions fall across the man's face. It's hard because he can see the happiness, glimpses the joy that Flora brings him, and Zavien refuses to smother that, but he can't not think about the equal measures of heartbreak Koa might go through when he finds out, the devastation that would only further cripple his hope for finding love. Although he does his best to offer a feeble smile and a muttered, "Congrats," the circumstances are making it hard to celebrate a good thing.
That doesn't mean he thinks it's his place to drop that particular bomb, even if he plans to be fully present for the aftermath. Zavien shakes his head, trying not to look like he's disapproving or reprimanding, sincerely hoping that their relationship is worth tearing apart his family and being unable to wish the situation upon anyone. "I'll do my best to avoid it, but if Koa asks me the question directly, I'm not going to lie to him." It's one of the lines he refuses to cross when it comes to the people he cares about, and the quiet set of his shoulders says as much, willing to give Kai grace and understanding up to that point.
Regardless, he's grateful when the man breaks the moment, standing to renew the steam like it might force them to sweat out the nerves. But then he goes and asks those teasing questions that nearly have him jolting in his seat. "Wha-Wedd- No, no. We're not at that point." Considering they'd only just managed to cross that physical line into sex, he doubts a wedding is in the near future. Not to say he doesn't want to marry her - he's already said he loves her and would probably drop to one knee right now if he thought she'd say yes- but when he sometimes questions the strength of her feelings for him, it plants seeds of confusion that make him hesitant to believe she's at that same point.
Trying not to appear too thrown by the questions - and failing - Zavien smiles, tapping a finger against the wood as he shifts in his seat. "Maybe one day."
Cut from the same cloth as they are, Kaisel's taking in the response from the other man in a way he didn't expect. Maybe it's lack of practice in spreading the news, which should otherwise be a celebratory confetti cannon, but instead has been hushed and braced around, offered to those who'd spit on him in response. Kaisel didn't expect Zavien to leap for joy, the way Kaisel's heart feels when he repeats it to himself, but the stretch of silence after says plenty. The awkward congrats lands like a Hallmark card plucked at random in the grocery store, evidence of consideration without any meaningful thought. He'd have preferred nothing over being forced to hold the poorly drawn pun and smile with pretend gratitude over it. "Thaaaanks," Kaisel drags out, confusion touching his voice and his features with a tucked in quality. Congrats is usually for an accomplishment, or a prize—he hadn't won Flora.
Although, he can maybe see why Zavien might think so with what comes next, evidently knowing Koa had been involved in the running of the hearts. Fucking narc! Kaisel feels immediately fooled, as though tricked into revealing something he should have kept closer to his vest, a fault of thinking far too highly of Zavien. He'd not make that mistake again any time soon.
He's too speechless to say anything at first, so just builds up their steam, the rush of that heat a necessary balance for the roar of it up inside Kaisel. It starts in his toes, then races up to engulf the whole of him, licking at the bottom of his mind so that his thoughts are smoking. It's not enough to cause a blush, not the same burn as arousal or embarrassment, more like the flood of fight or flight instinct in an entirely inappropriate scenario. By the time he returns to the bench and asks about Lena, he's stuffed it back down into just a low banking ember curling in his chest.
"Ah, I see," Kaisel says with an all too understanding nod of his head to the man's stammering explanation of his relationship, slanted smile fitting in as his gaze wanders easily, shoulders lazily shrugging in dismissal of it all. "Well, I'll do my best to avoid it, but I might have to tell Lena you don't want to marry her." His voice starts as a lazy drawl, but sharpens to a set point at the end, dangerously dry. The gaze that flashes back to Zavien is flinty and dark, the normally bright copper shine lost to the seriousness of the matter at hand. Fuck with me, and I'll fuck with you. "Since we're sharing unnecessary things to people important to each other and all."
Pain is what you desire So, you wanna be immortal?
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
The moment is awkward and hazy, the happiness and joy that should come with a budding relationship tainted by concerns and repercussions. It's something he weathers for a time, relaxing when he thinks the topic has passed, unaware of the telltale smoke beginning to rise in the distance. No, he just lets the 'innocent' questions drag him along, getting lost in the intricacies of his own relationship until the steam turns nearly stifling.
His words are echoed back at him, pulling away any boyish embarrassment that might be lingering to replace it with something sour and dark and cold. The tap of his finger stops, his eyes scanning Kai's to find the joke there; but the threat is clear, the gauntlet laid in something akin to malice that he hadn't been anticipating. It elicits more confusion than anger, not sure why his and Lena's relationship needs to be targeted when his only intention had been to support a friend - however, Zavien doesn't let his own lack of understanding stop the protective nature from rising.
He leans forward, all rippling muscle and the steady bracing of a warrior who sees battle on the horizon, hoping he might be misinterpreting the flag of a friend. The slow drag of his words are the gentle rays of sunset, soft and receding in their brightness, but holding no less power in their willingness to make room for darkness. "So you would lie to my girlfriend because I won't lie to Koa? Isn't that a little harsh?" Challenge and warning dare Kai to clarify the intent, to make it very clear what he's getting into if he follows through with something so immature as spreading rumors.
Sol sits up, sensing the shift as he looks between the two, a small puff of smoke billowing from a huff of air. Zavien feels the tensions rising, but he resists them, hating the idea of fighting with Kai almost as much as a threat to Lena. The intense green of his eyes are firm but not unkind, wary as he makes his own position crystal clear. "I said I'd try. That means I'm not going to seek him out just to tell him. You're still my friend, and I want you to be happy and free to love Flora. I refuse to stand in the way of that, but Koa's been hurt enough as is. I won't add to his pain by being someone he can't trust." Straightening, he places his hands against he bench, solid and unmoving as he says, "I'm sorry, but if he asks - although I don't know why he would - I won't lie." No matter what Kai chooses to go after, he won't budge on that stance.
He's entirely aware of the move he just made, and who it is that sits across from him at this game board. The turn's over, there's no undoing the placement of that piece, but Kaisel's not about to leave his hand lingering over it, fingers twitching with uncertainty of the play. He set it down with a decisive motion, the loud click of its placement final and sure. Zavien might be the more experienced player, the one with more options in his hands too—hell it's his home they're playing in—but none of that deters Kaisel. If anything he's glad to see the visible shift in the sunlight as the Commander straightens up to take this a bit more seriously, because he means it. Zavien's remark set down like a threat, and Kaisel's worn thin on ignoring blades and blood.
The burnt amber of his steeled gaze doesn't flinch from the tension that hardens the air between them, both bodies growing more taut. "All I asked sir, was that you didn't tell Koa so I could. Not sure why lying had to get involved, plenty of ways to just not tell someone something, seems to be the case between you and Lena so sure sounds like you know how when you want to." He doesn't mean to drag her into this, but he needs Zavien to back the fuck up.
There's a subtle shift in him too now that the casual delivery has been peeled back. His legs rest on either side of the bench he's sitting and facing Zavien on, but his weight's on the balls on his feet, ready to spring up and away if the need arises. His hands are braced on his thighs, leaning in faintly, back rigid and tall otherwise. His deadpan expression slowly sinks into a frown the more Zavien speaks, a bitterness rising in the back of his throat. "You think I don't know how hurt my own family is?" A disbelieving scoff cuts out as Kaisel's head shakes in frustration. "That's why I want to tell him—just me." A sharp finger directs itself at Kaisel's chest, a foul shape curling his lip against his teeth. He's plenty good at fucking things up all on his own, he doesn't need Zavien's help burning down bridges with his own cousin.
"Don't sit here and act like you're being noble, when you doing that would only hurt him more." The words are tight, the hard clench of his jaw barely making space to talk, one of the last barriers against the swell of anger rising up inside him. The room suddenly feels far too warm, his skin flushing red. Sweat drips from the wet smash of his hair against his forehead, and annoying addition to this entire ordeal. So much for relaxing. "If you don't know why he would ask, then why the fuck did you even bring it up?!" His hands have launched into the air beside him, mouth ajar with open disbelief, another scoff rattling free. The way he said it made it sound like him and Koa have been in frequent contact, whereas Kaisel's been getting nothing but radio silence. It felt like a warning, which only tend to get handed out when the potential is there. If Koa asking is slim, then Zavien could have just as equally told him to be careful not to enter the Draig unless he wants to get eaten by a dragon, a completely pointless caution unless Kaisel's prone to vacationing in deadly mountains.
Pain is what you desire So, you wanna be immortal?
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
Whether Kai intends to drag Lena into or not, he has. Otherwise, Zavien might have let the offenses pass. He might have chalked everything up to the protectiveness of new love and the fear of Koa's wrath, but when Kai threatens and jabs at his girlfriend, it sets his anger flaring. He can take whatever punches are thrown his way, but he won't let anything hurt Lena, lies included.
The smiles are long gone, the warmth leaching from his demeanor to leave ice standing against Kai's fire. "What do you mean by that? Just because I don't think we're at the point of marriage yet? I'm fairly certain she'd agree with me." Zavien never lied and he hadn't been keeping anything from her.
Had he?
Doubts worm their way into his thoughts, threatening to burrow deeper if he lingers on them. There are certain things they don't talk about: his death, her sister's death, his mom's death, their intimacy, their future. But that doesn't mean he avoids them, right? He wants to talk about them, to know about her hopes and fears and dreams.
Is failing to ask the questions the same as deceiving her?
He's not sure, and part of him begins to ache from the failed confidence. It's something he'll think about late into the night, something that might continue to needle at him when he's not facing down a man on the verge of snapping. But right now, Kai is fuming more than the steam, the anger rolling off him in waves of sniped words and bitter expressions. They buffer harmlessly off Zavien, seeing the fear that fuels it all. Still, he can't sit quietly when the young man seems intent on putting him in the middle.
"If you're that worried about it, then tell him, but don't put me in a compromising position when you knew exactly what you were getting into." He'd had plenty of time to bring it up before making things official with Flora. Just because he put himself in a situation to hurt Koa doesn't mean he has a right to drag others into the downfall.
The next words are well-placed enough to strike something in Zavien, bruising the pride he holds - the efforts he constantly places in upholding his morals and values. It hurts enough to show, but it's not rage or betrayal on his face, just a gentle sadness to see someone he cares about lashing out, the disappointment of having been caught in the crossfire. It dampens the urge to fight, but he doesn't lower his guard. Until the threat to Lena has been revoked, he will be alert, ready to defend her.
Sol adjusts his wings to glance between them, the confusion flooding through the bond as he tries to figure out whether their friend is someone he should be attacking. Droplets fall from the tips of his hair when Zavien shakes his head, dismissing such notions from either of their minds. "Kai, I am not your enemy. Neither of us want Koa to get hurt, but you panicking and getting heated over something that will probably never happen isn't going to help." He stands like a statue being sculpted, stone solidifying in quiet preparation to withstand whatever storm may buffer his stance. The calm of his gaze is just as firm when it falls on Kai. "I'll do what I can to send him your way if I see him first. That's the best I can offer you." Not a retreat or a concession of his values, but a clear willingness to minimize Koa's suffering in it all.
10-10-2025, 11:24 AM (This post was last modified: 10-10-2025, 11:24 AM by Kaisel.)
KAISEL
So, you wanna start a war? Bang, shots fired
He's not exactly keen on the topic of whether Zavien will or won't marry Lena, not anymore. All ideas of a nice, casual chat have been burnt up, leaving just ash smearing in the steam. So the question Zavien asks rolls over him, no clarity to be had when everything is ending up coated in charcoal.
A coarse, fractured laugh snaps loose when Zavien has the genius plan of telling Koa. "Tell him?" he repeats with a widening of his eyes, his grin starting to grow over the clench of his teeth, but it provides little comfort. "Tell him!?" Kaisel leans in further, and all the brief glow of mad humor has dissolved into another bout of acute scrutiny at Zavien. "What the fuck do you think I'm trying to do?" All the rest doesn't seem to matter much right now, although Kaisel would gladly have pointed out that Zavien's the one who fucking asked, so it sure seems like he put himself in this compromised position.
At this point, Kaisel's just throwing punches, the only way he knows how to fight off the deep seat of irritation that's gathered around everything that's gone sideways as of late. Koa just happens to be one of the most sore spots—his version of a bar that he's trying to keep from getting torched, and Zavien had the audacity to flash a box of matches out from under his sleeve.
He relents a bit though, the flurry of it all leaving him a bit emptier than before, heat having a way of burning itself out if you let it. I'm not your enemy Zavien reassures, and Kaisel sighs as he tilts further back into his seat. His expression doesn't ease entirely, just settled into a low banking glower, sliding along the floor as Zavien keeps offering explanations. The end though, the way Zavien says it, suggests he has been in contact with Koa. This doesn't surprise him, he figured his cousin was out and about helping rebuild the city, but it doesn't keep the slap of hurt that Koa's been too busy for him, but not Zavien. "Have you talked to him?" he asks sharply, and there's a touch of jealousy in the way his eyes rise from muddled thoughts on the floor back to Zavien's face.
Maybe they're far worse off than he ever realized, and he took the silence for repair instead of ruin. One day he might learn that giving people their space never seems to work out in his favor. "He hasn't talked to me, not for weeks." This comes out lower, softened with the brittle truth that maybe he's really fucked this up. "Not since he found out I slept with her," Kaisel admits, a grimace on his lips as the ugly shouting of Koa replays in his mind. "I thought we ended it okay, but he hasn't answered the letter I sent him either. I figured he was busy, with Stormbreak and all."
Pain is what you desire So, you wanna be immortal?
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
The suggestion might have been simple and obvious, but that's who Zavien is. He doesn't understand the games and avoidance, preferring openness and honesty in everything he does, and as complicated as the process of telling Koa might be - finding him, breaking the news, etc. - sometimes breaking it down in the most basic of terms makes it feel less daunting. Based on Kai's reaction, he gathers this isn't one of those cases.
He grips the edge of the bench, caution in his tone as he lets the anger roll off him. "I think you're taking your frustrations out on the wrong people." Unwilling to be a punching bag for his poor emotional regulation, Zavien stands, ready to remove himself from the situation entirely. It's only when the heat begins to cool that he eases the tension he holds tight, the grip of his fists loosening at his side but not relaxed.
Sol watches attentively to the shift, the cross of Zavien's arms when he's met with the sharp accusation in Kai's question. His eyes narrow despite the softening of his voice, willing the confrontation to cool so he could focus on what's important. "Not recently." The truth is that he hadn't even had the chance to properly tell his friend about his new role as Commander, missing the opportunity to pull him into the council from the beginning. It's enough to worry him with the new revelations, wondering if he'd been neglecting friends again.
Obviously worried, he shakes his head again. "I thought it was just work keeping him busy but..." His silence says more than the words he might have said, but he doesn't torture Kai with more guilt, looking away through the steam like his friend might be sitting on the other side, hurting, alone. "Maybe he just needs some space. It's not like he can stay angry forever." There's a shift, a wish to smile and give the young man hope, but Zavien honestly doesn't know how long or if Koa will be able to forgive him. They'd never talked in depth about his relationship with Flora, and yet he knows enough to understand that having his cousin succeed where he'd been rejected would be a betrayal of ultimate proportions. There's no telling what kind of space, time, or reparations he might need to consider repairing the relationship.
