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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!
11-22-2025, 08:38 PM (This post was last modified: 11-23-2025, 10:04 PM by Flora.)
flora
Flora waits in the cool hush of the Courthouse garden, where the marble still holds the memory of sun even in this strangely dry break between storms. The glass dome above her glows with early light, sky-blue and gentle through the curved panes, and the breeze that slips between the columns tastes faintly of the sea and something sweeter from the docks.
She stands at the fountain’s edge with her jeans rolled once at the ankle and a light sweater pushed up to her elbows, gold bracelets catching the shifting light as if they’re winking at her for being early. Spice is perched on her shoulder, tail curled warm against her collarbone, the tiny dragon’s breath cooling her skin in the soft rhythmic puffs of a creature too smug to be this adorable.
At her feet are the supplies: the jar of salt Isla and Melita distilled from the ocean, and the sealed containers of juiced citrus that still smell like the afternoon she and Kaisel had spent elbow-deep in mud.
Flora shifts her weight and glances toward the double doors, curls lifting with the breeze. She’s as ready as one can be when about to scrub divine plumbing with her dads and the most powerful couple in Caido.
PQ to clean out the fountain and then put in the salt/citrus!
Remi approaches from the beach with his arm comfortably looped around Ronin's waist, their steps slow and unhurried as they cross from warm sand onto cool marble. The breeze shifts as they near the Courthouse, salt giving way to the faint sweetness of flowers drifting from the domed garden.
He leans a little into Ronin, curls brushing his shoulder, a quiet smile tugging at his mouth. "At least it looks like it won't rain while we work," he murmurs, amusement threading gently through his voice.
Remi loosens his arm only enough so they can step forward into the garden. The breeze threads through his curls, light catching in green-gold eyes as he takes in the scene, the fountain, the supplies, Flora herself. "Morning," he says with a grin as they step toward her.
we'll float away
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Mm, even if it did, a little rain never hurt anyone," Ronin says softly, smiling towards Remi and leaning in to sneak a few kisses to his cheek and his curls, as if getting out all of his overflowing affection before they enter the Courthouse to be cleanup crew for their daughter and the Queen of Torchline. "We could just spend the afternoon inside and drying each other off then, besides," he adds, before they enter the garden and both men straighten up enough to be together, still, without being so obviously entwined.
"You've got the look of a woman who has some heavy lifting for us to do," he announces to Flora as they approach, grinning broadly and glancing towards the healing fountain. He doesn't know if that's actually true, of course, but it usually gets to that point when they're asked to be involved in these sorts of projects.
Flora brightens as her dads appear, her grin blooming wide enough to match Ronin’s as she bounces her eyebrows at both of them in greeting. "Well, someone has to put you two to work," she teases, sweeping a look between them before nodding toward the fountain, its water shimmering faintly with magic. "Dooooooo either of you have some miracle clean and drain magic I don't know about?"
She already knows the answer, but she delivers the question with hopeful brightness anyway, curls shifting as she tips her head toward the water. When no obvious magic reveals itself, she exhales through a crooked almost-laugh and gestures with theatrical resignation toward the pile waiting beside the fountain. "If not—" her smile sharpens, wicked and fond all at once, "—there are scrub brushes, buckets, and sponges. Pick your weapon."
Spice chirps, clearly voting for anything that involves splashing.
Flora lifts the jar of salt in one hand, the citrus in the other. "I’ve got the ingredients ready once we're sure that the fountain itself is clean." She gives them both a look that’s equal parts queen, daughter, and long-suffering supervisor of two extremely powerful men asked to do basic manual labour.
Round 1 Get Cleaning!
I hold my breath just a little bit longer halfway out the door but it won't close
Remi huffs under his breath at Ronin’s comment about rain, the sound soft and incredulous, as if he’s never heard such foolish optimism in his life. The grin he flashes over his shoulder is all fondness, curls brushing lightly against Ronin’s temple before they straighten themselves into something resembling professional dignity.
At Flora’s hopeful question, he can only shake his head, amusement warming his voice. "Magically clean it? No. At best, I could empty it very quickly if I shifted into a kraken," he muses, tilting his head as if genuinely considering it. "But I doubt flooding the courthouse and potentially breaking the fountain would be helpful."
With a resigned but cheerful shrug, he reaches for one of the scrub brushes. Rather than wade in to the water, Remi rolls his shoulder to partially shift, his skin giving way to sleek dark texture as two tentacles coil out beside him. One curls delicately around the scrub brush, the other claiming a sponge, each moving with an ease that suggests he’s done far stranger things while half-shifted.
Both tentacles stretch out over the water, beginning to scrub along opposite surfaces at once while Remi remains comfortably planted outside the fountain, looking entirely too pleased with himself as he multitasks.
Remi scrubs!
we'll float away
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Pursing his lips and considering Flora's ask, it's with a resigned sigh that Ronin eventually shakes his head apologetically. "Wrong dads for that, I'm afraid," he says with a chuckle; she'd have been better off involving the one called the Flood for any water based shenanigans. "I do know my way around a bucket, at least." Grinning at Remi - and pointedly looking away when his arm super casually spawns into two writhing tentacles - the Knight goes to grab up his own supplies.
"So this is the last task?" he asks with a softer smile over at Flora. "After this, everyone should be able to take fountain water outside of Torchline?" Seizing a bucket and a scrub brush, he heads to the opposite side of the fountain to Remi, focusing on the areas that even SpongeTentacle and ScrubbyTentacle can't reach. Rinsing everything off with clean water from the bucket when he's satisfied, he might make sure it splashes a bit too, just for Spice.
Flora nods in clear approval as both of them settle into the rhythm of scrubbing, though she can’t resist rolling her eyes at Ronin with all the theatrical flourish of someone long resigned to dad-logic. "I would have asked him," she says, lifting her voice just enough to carry over the bubbling water, "but the last time I saw Sunjata he was up to his knees in mud, which—let’s be honest—is basically shoulder height for normal people."
She shrugs, curls bouncing, and grabs a sponge of her own. Spice perks up at Ronin’s purposeful splashing, wings flicking happily, clearly convinced she’s supervising a highly important aquatic mission.
At Ronin’s question about the task, Flora straightens just enough to glance over her shoulder. "Yeah," she says, offering a small, satisfied nod. "Once this is done we can bottle it, label it, and make sure all of our people have some."
She bends back to the work just as footsteps patter across the marble behind her, small, hurried, carrying the tremble of something going very wrong. Flora turns, expecting maybe a messenger only to see a boy no older than ten or eleven approaching with a cluster of friends hovering nervously behind him. His arm is held stiffly to his chest, blood tracking down in shaky lines, and the way he’s biting the inside of his cheek tells her the tears are right there, waiting to spill.
He swallows hard, voice thin as he looks between the three of them. "Um...can we—can we use the fountain? Please? It really hurts."
Round 2
oh no! someone needs the fountain but we're cleaning it!
I hold my breath just a little bit longer halfway out the door but it won't close
Remi drifts his sponge tentacle through the water with deliberate aim, letting it glide straight across the fountain and bump against Ronin’s arm with a level of casual mischief that suggests he planned it several minutes ago. His expression remains serenely innocent, save for the tiny curl of a smile at the corner of his mouth as he continues scrubbing in impossible reach from the dry edge.
His rhythm only breaks when he hears the thin, muffled whimper behind them. Remi’s head lifts, sea glass green eyes sharpening with immediate concern. The tentacles still, suspended mid-scrub as he turns to take in the boy, the blood, the way the child’s whole body shivers around the effort not to cry. For a heartbeat Remi considers the simplest route—the soft tug of his own life force, an easy transfer, one he’s done a thousand times without thought—but it isn’t healing, not truly, and he's been told that it still leaves pain behind.
Remi's gaze meets Ronin’s across the fountain and without a word, a third tentacle unfurls at Remi’s side, smooth and steady as it reaches for Ronin’s bucket. Go on, I'll finish this.
Remi cleans more and says Ronin should heal the boy
we'll float away
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Ugh, I forgot that King's End was hit so hard by the mud," Ronin mutters, wrinkling his nose sympathetically at Sunjata's plight (whether it's at knee-height or shoulder) and squawking a gentle admonishment towards his husband for tentacle shenanigans. The upset quickly dissipates thanks to Spice's enjoyment of his bucket splashing, and he's just considering flicking some water playfully her way (and Remi's) when the pitter-patter of footsteps draws his attention.
The sight of the boy has him immediately turning, bucket forgotten - which ironically has he and the Bastion working in perfect tandem as usual. Nodding to Remi and offering a smile to both he and Flora, Ronin steps forwards. I've got it.
"We're cleaning the fountain right now," he apologises to the boy, sinking to one knee before him, "but I think I can help. Just hold still, okay?" Smiling encouragingly, already a gentle breeze is starting to whip up around them, injecting healing into the injured arm and soothing away the pain.
Ronin heals the boy's arm with his Zephyr magic!
Magic: Magic: Zephyr | Ronin may summon forth a gale blessed by the God of Life. If directed at an enemy, strikes with Air damage. If ally directed, provides healing. 15ft radius.
Type: Light | Rank: Basic | Cost: Action
11-29-2025, 07:26 PM (This post was last modified: 12-01-2025, 12:52 PM by Flora.)
flora
Flora nods with the sage weariness of someone who has seen far too much mud for one lifetime as Spice prepared herself for what's clearly going to be a heroic dive-bomb straight at one of Remi’s tentacles. "Spicccceeee," Flora hisses, scooping an arm reflexively to intercept her, but the interruption comes first in the form of the injured boy.
Flora watches Ronin kneel, his voice soft, his magic rippling into the air in a way that makes something old and tender tighten in her chest. It casts her back—just briefly—to the memory of her younger self stumbling on a step on her way to Safrin's lighthouse, ankle screaming, tears in her eyes and Ronin at her side. The ache is bittersweet. A small, melancholy smile curves her lips as the boy’s expression shifts from fear to relieved disbelief.
The healing breeze gathers, warm and bright, and the boy’s breath catches as the pain slips away. His arm straightens instinctively, blood drying, skin knitting smooth in a shimmer of Ronin’s magic. He stares at it wide-eyed, then lets out a delighted gasp before launching himself forward to wrap both arms around the Knight’s neck in a fierce, grateful hug. "Thank you!" he blurts, voice bright and trembling. Pulling back just enough to peer past Ronin’s shoulder, he squints at the fountain and the supplies scattered around it. "Are you cleaning it like when I have to scrub out the bathtub at home?" he asks, equal parts horror and curiosity.
Flora chuckles before turning back toward Remi. "Go ahead and dump the salt in, I think this all looks good," she tells him, chin lifting toward the jar Isla and Melita had worked so hard to fill. "We can add the citrus once Ronin’s finished."
Round 3
Lets pour the salt in!
I hold my breath just a little bit longer halfway out the door but it won't close
Remi can’t help the way his expression softens as he watches Ronin work, affection easing through every line of his posture. The boy’s relieved gasp, the way he clings to Ronin, the bright innocence of his question; Remi drinks it in with a warmth that glows low in his chest. A gentle pulse of adoration threads through the Attuned bond, steady and unmistakable, a wordless you’re wonderful sent directly to his husband.
Turning back to Flora, he nods once, decisive and ready. "Can do." One tentacle curls toward the jar of salt, lifting it with surprising gentleness before deftly twisting the lid open. Remi tips the jar and sprinkles the salt in sweeping arcs across the fountain’s surface, the crystals catching the light like tiny sparks as they fall. His other tentacles shift in smooth, controlled motions, stirring the water in careful currents that chase the salt outward into every corner.
Remi dumps in the salt and stirs the water with his tentacles!
we'll float away
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Ooof---" Not expecting the sudden little arms - both working perfectly now, he's pleased to see - that fling around his neck, Ronin grins and just about catches his balance to pat the boy on the back. "You're welcome. You did the right thing by coming to the fountain - next time it should be ready for anyone to use," he explains, straightening up when he's able and following the child's gaze over to Remi and the salt cauldron.
Laughing at the question, he tilts his head in the sort of gesture that communicates eh, sorta? and points towards the empty jar of salt and the citrus they need to add. "We're going to make it so that people in Torchline can use the healing water even when they leave to go to different places. To do that we have to add special ingredients, but we thought we should give it a good scrub before then," he explains.
Flora watches Remi coax the salt through the water in soft spirals, as if waiting for something to happen. A glow, a pulse, some kind of celestial sparkle, anything. When none appears, she lifts her brows, waits another breath, then shrugs with an easy, resigned little exhale. "Alright then," she murmurs, stepping over to the crates.
She crouches to retrieve the container of citrus, the scent bright and sharp as she cracks the lid. "Kai and I had spirits in the Oerwoud help juice these," she says with a grin. "So I really hope it’s good." Straightening, she hands the container to Remi so he can pour it in with all the tentacled precision he’s already mastered.
Beside Ronin, the boy tilts his head up at the Knight, skepticism blooming in his expression before he squints toward the fountain again. He sniffs exaggeratedly, nose wrinkling. "It kinda just smells like you’re making a big bath," he declares, the citrus and salt evidently giving very spa-day vibes. But with a shrug that signals the mysteries of adult behaviour are well above his pay grade, he trots back to his friends, arm whole again, already swept back into their game.
Flora watches him go before turning back to Ronin with a faint smile softened by relief. "Hey—can you grab the sponges and brushes and haul them back into town once we’re done?"
Final round! Remi pour in the citrus and Ronin clean up!
I hold my breath just a little bit longer halfway out the door but it won't close
Remi takes the citrus container from Flora, twisting the lid before the scent hits him like a thrown lemon to the face. He recoils a fraction, eyes squeezing shut as the bright tang of it barrels straight up his nose. "Oh—well then," he mutters, blinking rapidly as if that might clear the citrus attack from his sinuses.
When Flora mentions the spirits helping, he gestures vaguely with the container. "Why, were your hands busy?" The words are out before he can catch them, and he winces, shoulders lifting in a mortified hunch. "Nevermind. I don’t want to know."
He clears his throat, pointedly avoiding both her eyes and focuses instead on the task, tipping the citrus into the water. The liquid threads through the salted water in curling golden streams, and his tentacles immediately set to stirring, creating gentle currents that pull the mixture evenly through the basin.
Remi pours in the citrus and stirs!
we'll float away
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
