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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.
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06-08-2026, 09:17 PM (This post was last modified: 06-08-2026, 09:19 PM by Zavien.)
Zavien
Haulani isn't nearly as cold as New Haven and Zavien has to admit for the millionth time today that the move is a good idea. Sol rushes up ahead, exploring the area near a place he and Soh are considering during their trip out here.
It's a nice enough place. The house is cozy and big enough for their growing family. The area seems friendly and it's close to the clinic. It's even high enough up the hill that it reminds him of Stormbreak, even if he avoids the nearby cliffs. Overall, there haven't been any downsides, and it only confirms the decision - much to his relief and frustration.
Wanting to focus on something other than the impending move, Zavien gravitates subconsciously towards the familiar sound of clashing swords, Sol having found the practice ring set in the middle of the city. He can already feel his muscles loosening, his hand drifting towards the hilt of his starblade as he debates finding someone to go a round with.
It turns out that the older you get, the more you realize everyone is full of shit because no one knows what the fuck they're doing. Adults have just been pretending to have everything under control, but everyone is just one belt-loop snagged on a door handle away from losing their goddamn mind at any given time. This, all because everything you're supposed to do each day leaves hardly any time for the things you want to do, which sounds like the complete opposite reason to be alive at all, and everyone's grumpy about it even if they're pretending they aren't.
The only way to keep your head above any water at all seems to be mimicking sea otters to your fullest capabilities. This, of course, requires that you hold onto someone when you're afraid of floating away. That you find the right tools to help you crack open the best parts of life. That you adapt to your environment so you can chase opportunities in the sea and on land. That you scrub the saltwater out of your fur. That you...on second thought, he might just be spending too much time with Craig.
Craig is one of the locals that bums around the beach, and Kaisel's too much of an extrovert to pass up conversation on patrol, even when said conversation somehow circles back to sea otters every single time. Admittedly, he's learned some cool shit. Sea otters don't have to go to the store because they forgot green beans, or scrub the fifty-some-odd toilets of a sweeping estate. Sea otters seem to be having a grand ol' time, honestly, and Craig certainly seems to enjoy both life and sea otters plenty. Maybe there's a secret there after all.
What Kaisel has actually started to realize, other than Craig's affinity for the world's softest animal, is that you have to find a way to carve out time for the things that matter most to you. It's why he's here, stretching out in preparation for a good workout, needing the physical and mental release as much as the ice-cream guilt repentance. It's also why the double date just never quite made it on everyone's plates on the same day at the same time. They're all busy people, and while they've made time for each other before, wrangling four of anything is always much harder than three or two, and sometimes just the one, yourself, is more than enough to manage in a day.
Still, like a sea otter who's discovered a cache of urchins, Kaisel isn't about to let this opportunity pass him by. He catches sight of Zavien as he rises up from touching his toes, and immediately his hand shoots up and gives a vigorous wave. "ZAVIEN!" he shouts, already making his way to close the distance. "Hey! Looking to work up a sweat?" He offers a smile, though it's anything but easy. It's weaker around the edges than normal, threatening to buckle beneath uncertainty, the soft roar of his pulse rising behind his ears betraying his confidence with a swell of anxiety over how this might go.
He hasn't forgotten the way Zavien turned away at the rodeo, or the request for amends his invitation had returned. What he has forgotten is the slow churn of ire for the man who betrayed his older cousin, especially now that the shock of it has dulled with time. As evidenced by Sohalia's continued happiness, perhaps it's for the best that this is the man standing beside her rather than another.
What remains between them is something stale, and he means to let it breathe today, one way or another.
Kaisel
So welcome to the fire, I'm the one with the lighter
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
His name echoes through the space, the familiar voice echoing far deeper. Zavien shifts his weight, tension coiling up his spine in preparation for whatever insult the man might throw his way today; but as his eyes raise to the smiling face, that dreading anticipation faulters. There's a tightness to the smile Kai wears, as if he can feel the unspoken words, the lingering frustrations and doubts making him nervous. It's a shocking comparison to the carefree expression he remembers, along with all the good times they've had, laughing and joking and having fun. He hadn't realized how much he missed that - how much he missed having a friend.
While it's easy to hold anger and hurt when the source is leagues away, standing in front of him makes the conflict feel childish and weak. Zavien sighs, trying to push out months of emotions in a single breath like flipping the cap on a pressure cooker. They resonate deep, but they're distant, as if time and effort have caused them to drift farther than he noticed.
Sol looks up from his feet, seeming to teeter uncertainly between supporting Zavien and saying hi to the man they had previously called 'friend.' Unspoken permission flows down the bond, a quiet reassurance that he plans to try moving past whatever slights he'd felt.
The golden dragon rushes forward on bounding limbs as his bonded nods. While Zavien's greeting isn't nearly as friendly or excited as the bright chirps of his companion, it's not cold either, a hollow breeze attempting to stir the rays of light. "I was thinking about it." He takes a deep breath, looking more closely at the clearing of sparring people before his gaze lands back on Kai, cautious even as Sol begs the man for scratches. "Are you free?"
He anticipates another cold shoulder. It'd be easier for Zavien to say no and keep walking, pretending this isn't the droid he's looking for, however clearly he means to come into the fighting ring. Instead, Zavien seems to take a breath, the first gust of fresh air over old wounds. Kaisel doesn't exactly relax, not yet, but one of many cords seems to loosen at this and it allows his gaze to drop warmly to the golden dragon that saunters over.
"Well, you've come to one of the better places," Kaisel offers as reassurance, tempting Zavien not to change his mind. Crouching properly as Sol nears to provide his hand, he gently scrubs at the areas that are always hard to reach for dragons. "Hey Sol," he greets softly, always fond of the draconic companions. "You just trying to get in a workout while you're visiting, or ?" Although tact and Kaisel don't routinely walk hand in hand, he's not keen on staring at the ugly thing between them directly for too long. It's easier to pick up the old habits they've since dropped, things they shared once when they could still be called friends. Routines and commonalities from sharing a region and a career, the very same things he once thought braided their relationship into something strong. A brotherhood gets formed, in a sense, with Dragoons. Given how him and Koa fought recently though, perhaps this is just par for the course.
Another cord loosens, Kaisel's head lifting, one eye squinting to peer up at the Risen Sun in front of the risen sun. "No, I cost at least one ice cream cone," he offers with a stoic expression. It soon splinters into a wry grin and Kaisel gives Sol a final pat before standing. "Knuckles or swords?" he asks with a tone daring to be eager.
Kaisel
So welcome to the fire, I'm the one with the lighter
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
Sol embraces the attention a lot better than Zavien does, tail wagging while a rumbling purr vibrates in his chest. He tilts his head to get all the best angles, eyes rolling back when Kai hits just the right spot. The display does more for Zavien's reluctance than anything Kai could say, although he can see why this training area could be considered one of the best; it rivals the Dragoons' ring, and there are plenty of people milling about to spar with. Another begrudging point in Torchline's favor.
Unable to avoid Kai's question - and never one to lie - Zavien swallows, his gaze sliding awkwardly to the surrounding accommodations. "Actually, Soh and I might be moving nearby, so I was checking out the training options." When his eyes land back on the man, there's a beat of hesitation, unsure himself whether his next question is a strange attempt at polite conversation or a determining point against the location. "Is this your usual spot?' At least it doesn't come out hostile, and he thinks it sounds casual enough not to be abrasive, even if it's not chipper.
The joke initially hits like a wet rag on the floor, sloppy and out of place. He blinks. Once. Twice. Trying to process the flat delivery with what he thinks is an attempt at joking despite the lingering tension. Mostly on instinct, his mouth opens, closes, brows furrow, and head tilts before the words are flopping out. "Just the cone?"
Kai's wry grin is met with a tentative smile, as if he's trying on the expression, like getting a feel for a jacket by stepping out the door. It chafes a little, humor not quite fitting the way it did before - not yet, not when he's still figuring things out. But he doesn't shy away from it, nodding as Kai moves to stand. "Swords." And in case there's any suspicion of a hidden agenda to chop him to bits, Zavien shrugs his shoulders to add, "I'm working on a quest for Safrin." He angles the hilt of his Starblade forward to indicate the item in question, wondering if that will change Kai's decision at all.
The scratching of the dragon slows noticeably as Zavien carefully puts down the explanation for his being in town. It doesn't last, Kaisel soon enough catching himself starting to pause (and Sol surely demanding he not), and he resumes as if Zavien had not just passed him a can of nuts actually full of loaded snakes that'll spring forth the moment he opens the lid. "Oh, that's great," he offers up with an ease that makes him swallow, almost afraid his tongue might slip away from him soon. "I know she was wanting somewhere besides Wildering House, and if you're looking in Haulani, I know you'll find something to your liking." He has been kept abreast of most of the things sitting between the four of them, because telling one person who's married is the same as telling them both, esecially in their case where Flora's ears might as well serve as Kaisel's diary. So he knows what Zavien really means, but he chooses not to trace the outline of that shape too long.
"If you need a hand..." he starts to offer, then seems to think better of pushing his luck so bluntly. "Well, I was looking for a house around here not so long ago myself, before moving in with Flora. So I can send you in the right direction for some of the better deals." He assumes Zavien and Soh have better money in hand than he had, so he'd not be showing them the cat-piss apartment rented out by the man who smells like mayonnaise.
The question that follows is an easier one to deal with, Kaisel shaking his head a touch. "I don't really have a usual," he admits, glancing from dragon to man for the moment of addressing him. "Wildering House has a gym that I'm usually at because it's convenient, and I can always spar with Flora (or her fathers if he wants to feel impossibly outmatched). Plus, being a soldier, we have some assigned training times that vary on location so that the environment is just as much of an opponent." He shrugs, the admission light. "But if I'm out and interested, this one is my favorite, yeah. Although sometimes you can find Ronin leading pop-up workout sessions around Torchline and those are always worth it too."
It's almost easy enough to forget, just for a moment, that bad blood has curdled between them as the veneer of politeness stretches out over it. Especially when the poor attempt at humor crowds in-between, Zavien's equally dry delivery taking Kaisel by surprise. It warms him once the disbelief gives way, and an honest, rich laugh shakes free quite without meaning to. "Cones might be good, but not that good. One scoop of strawberry ice cream is required," he clarifies, the matter more serious than he lets on, ice cream ranking quite high on Kaisel's list of Important Things.
With the dragon left and the easier topics drifting away to the meat of the matter, Kaisel's gaze drops to look at the familiar sword Zavien flashes. "Well, happy to oblige something Safrin is requiring," he says with a faint smile, unfazed by the risk of the sharp edge. Turning, he steps out of the entrance and deeper into the fighting outfit, the movement an invitation for Zavien to follow. He reaches for the rack of community weapons. They're as well-kept as they can be given the multitude of hands that work them, and after testing two out Kaisel settles on one short sword. "Speaking of Safrin," he starts, as he makes his way to one of the sparring rings that's still open. "Not sure if you've heard, but she demied Flora recently." He settles into a fighting stance on the opposite end of Zavien, hands gripping the hilt with a certain semblance of knowledge for the tool.
Kaisel
So welcome to the fire, I'm the one with the lighter
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
Sure enough, Sol notes the pause, pushing a little harder into Kai's hand to continue the attentive scritches, a demanding grumble bubbling forth in case that's not enough. Zavien's awareness of the shift is more complex than his companion. Add in that the words don't sound especially excited, and he has to wonder at whether this is still a good idea - moving and sparring alike. Kai has no reason to welcome him with open arms. He's made his opinion of Zavien fairly clear from his perspective, but at least they both appear to be making an effort.
He nods his head to confirm Soh's preference, not bothering to mention that Haulani was a choice they'd both made due to proximity to healthcare and distance from Flora. It doesn't feel like the thing to tell her fiancé.
There's a slight pause at the start of an offer, Zavien doing his best to hide the surprise as he focuses more on the extended advice. He attempts a polite smile, lined with a bit of amusement he assumes Kai might understand as someone in a relationship. "Thanks, but I think Soh might be set on the one we found nearby." It might shock Kai to learn that Zavien has little money to his name after the fall of Stormbreak. He's been living on the good will of people and what coin he can scrounge together from helping the community. Regardless, he's determined to give his girlfriend and their unborn baby the house they deserve, no matter how much he has to break his back in the process.
Zavien is slightly relieved to hear that the younger man hasn't chosen this ring as his sole place for training, possibly giving them a chance for more space until things between them aren't so strained. Considering that sparring and exercise are one of Zavien's few escapes, he values the time as somewhat sacred, a time not to be disturbed by heavier emotions or conflicts, a time he can just move without thinking or worrying. Comparatively, it's a great place for community, and he perks up at the news of group workouts. He tilts his head, mentioning casually, "I heard Ronin might be looking for some help training the soldiers."
The sudden, genuine laughter catches him off guard, slipping past his defenses. A fuller smile rises in response, feeling the awkwardness dissipate a bit more. The lightness lingers as they prepare for the spar. Familiar with the drill, Sol trots off to the side. Zavien pulls out his sword to give it a few practice swings while Kai picks his weapon, relieved that he'll be able to finish one thing on his list.
Whatever peace there was buckles as Kai brings up Flora. He tries not to show how much it bothers him, hoping that this is an effort for small talk rather than a segue into some threat or boast on the backbones of his fiancé's new power. At least the news doesn't catch him by surprise since Soh had already told him and the making of a new demigod doesn't stay quiet for long in Caido. "I've heard," he says carefully, rolling his shoulders to dismiss any tension that tries to give away his personal thoughts. "How's it going?"
Once Kai's in position and confirming his readiness, Zavien moves forward into the familiar striking motion, his sword arcing down towards an exposed shoulder. It's controlled, testing, cautious. He watches for more than just parries and counterattacks, watching for any emotional subtleties that might tell him to stop the spar. However, he also doesn't insult the man by pulling his attack, the Starblade slicing through the air with a glowing reminder of the power it possesses.
Trying to keep control of his face, Kaisel opts for an agreeable nod in response to Zavien's declination for any housing assistance. It either means when he said earlier they might be moving here that he'd been bending the truth, or it means he's bending it now in order to avoid taking any of Kaisel's advice. A strange potential for someone who once expressed not being able to lie, even just to tell Koa cousin to talk to him instead. He can understand though, that Zavien might not want the help, that saying it outright would be impolite, and it's why Kai had tried to offer it on a version of a map instead of his company. All a reminder that however cordial they are for right now, the first time in a while admittedly, that nothing is truly fixed between them. Baby steps and all that.
"Of course," Kaisel says with a dip of his head and a smile that doesn't fully reach his eyes. "Glad you guys found something that works, and I'm sure Soh knows her way around this place just fine." She had been visiting here far longer than he had, after all.
Another nod follows suit at the question. "That's right. With all the trouble in the Fingers we've been having, we've needed people more prepared." For all of Kaisel's training, he isn't really of the rank or time of his life to be giving much instruction out yet, least of all compared to the likes of Ronin. Although there's a cold curl in his gut at the idea of Zavien one day appearing before him to give commands, but he swallows it away. He'd once taken them just fine from this man, and he knows Zavien's experience speaks for itself in that regard. He could learn things still from Zavien.
Leaving their more idle conversations outside the ring, Kaisel stands at the ready for the first attack, gaze focusing in a way it hadn't before on Zavien. Now he doesn't read the expressions so much as the tells that lead to movement, swinging between feet and hand. Unaware that Zavien holds Flora in such low regard, figuring the stiffness between them is all his doing, there's nothing nefarious to his talk, just the inevitability of a man in love speaking of the source. "Oh, it's great!" he beams, a truly honest smile racing out at the thought of her. "Safrin suggested it to her when she couldn't provide an item to match what Flora needed. She can summon memories for you now, isn't that cool!?"
His conversation cuts out as Zavien surges forward, blade cutting in an arc of light, looking very lightsaber. The opening is always easier, Kaisel finds, when everyone is at proper stance and distance and focus. The trick will be maintaining the endurance of it all to last, but for now Kaisel's steel sword rises up to catch the starblade, deflecting it with a slide and whine of metal, some of his sword shearing away beneath the enchanted opponent. Kaisel side steps with it, breaking the contact, and as he pulls his now skinnier blade away, he glances at it with a "huh, might need to get another blade partway through. Didn't consider that." He shrugs, utterly unbothered byt the evident risk.
With steel between them and movement working up their pulse, the anxiety from before is easily drowned out with the rhythm of fighting. It's what helps Kaisel put his thumb over the bruise of what sits between them, the pain of it less severe amid the thunder of everything else rising in his body. "Y'know, I am glad that things are going so well between you and Soh. She has always deserved this sort of happiness. I always thought it'd be with my cousin, since they've been dancing around each other for so long, but history doesn't always mean it's good." He steps in suddenly, shoulder dropping as he cuts his sword in low and over, aiming for Zavien's right arm.
1/4
Dodges Zavien's hit and swings his sword for Zavien's right arm
Kaisel
So welcome to the fire, I'm the one with the lighter
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
Contrary to Kai's unspoken belief that Zavien's wording has anything to do with him or a prevalence for bending the truth, the reality is more aligned with the way he seems to be holding out the slimmest, delusional hope that they might not go through with the plans. He knows they're what's best for Soh and the baby, knows that he's willing to put aside his discomfort for them, knows that everything he's seen only confirms the decision. But part of him still subconsciously resists the move, keeping his terminology in the 'maybes' and 'mights' of the gray in-between as if it could slow the transition and the sinking feeling that Torchline will never be a home to him like Stormbreak was - that nowhere will.
As if confirming his silent struggle, Zavien glances away from the half-hearted smile, taking it as another sign that their strained relationship isn't what it once was. Perhaps Kai is just as conflicted about their moving here, and he resists the certainty in the man's tone, shrugging his shoulders as if disrupting the concrete plans. "It's not official. We haven't signed anything yet." Maybe if Kai said he didn't want them here - if he made his dislike clear - Zavien would finally have an excuse not to make the move.
But things continue to progress, and it's becoming blatantly clear that there's space for them in Torchline, even for a washed-up Dragoon and failed Commander. "Maybe I can help with that," he says softly of their issue in the Fingers. He doesn't expect to lead anything or anyone, but maybe it'll give him purpose enough in this new region to feel useful, to distract him from everything else.
Any concern about threats or bullying with Flora's abilities is quickly dismissed by Kai's vibrant smile. There doesn't appear to be anything nefarious behind his eyes, no ulterior motive in bringing up his fiancé's new status. It's just the ramblings of a man completely obsessed and proud of his significant other, and Zavien visibly softens. The smile he grants isn't completely free of tension, but it's more genuine before, happy for the two of them even if he hasn't gotten along with either of them in recent seasons. "That must be pretty useful." Perhaps not in a fight, but he's never taken Flora as the type to need magic to find the upper hand.
They slip into the fight easily enough and he offers a humored smile at Kai's comment of needing another sword. Zavien thinks the conversation will dissipate, but the funny thing about sparring is that it takes away that ability to hide everything when the focus is on moving his body and avoiding metal, and sometimes words flow easier in their wake. It makes it nearly impossible to disguise the less-than-convinced expression he wears as Kai brings up how 'glad' he is for Zavien and Soh, the initial reaction from Soh's perspective echoing in his mind when his sword whips through the air with a little more force than before, clashing with Kai's blade before it can reach his arm. "Really? It didn't sound like you were very happy when Soh first told you." There's the smallest hint of bite to his words, and a bit of the previous emotions bubble in his chest.
Not wanting to start a fight when he's supposed to be getting along, Zavien bottles some of his frustrations in favor of confirming Kai's words - uncertain whether they were genuine to begin with but at least impressed the man hasn't said anything especially offensive yet. "I love Soh." He declares it with a confident step, pinning Kai with a look that dares him to argue before moving in for another attack. "I can't say I'm proud with how or when things started, but Koa," he shifts into another move, sword swinging towards Kai's other shoulder, "he understood that just like he understood you and Flora."
2/4
Parries Kai's attack and moves to hit his other shoulder.
Breaking away from the defensive angle of Zavien's sword, his own not a wise one to push into the Safrin-touched blade, Kaisel opts to slide away on footwork and roll his weapon back around. He resets his stance essentially, sword held out in front of him like a miniature shield, one with teeth.
He doesn't miss the streak of doubt in Zavien's features, or the way it peels up his words. "Because when she first told me, I had convinced myself it was her and my cousin," Kaisel grunts, well aware of the poor response he'd first offered, but that's just it. He's had time to sit with it now, and what he'd once taken as a shock is something he's adapted to, and proven to be lasting. "She was very vague, at first, and I had no idea you two were anything like that. I thought because of Koa that—" Kaisel shrugs a little, sword lowering in his hands. "Well, I thought you'd be better than I had been to him." It's not a choice he'd change, declaring his love for Flora and building this life with her, but he wishes he could have found a way to do it without causing so much damage. Maybe if he'd used a bit more finesse, or better timing...or any number of things that he couldn't do now, it wouldn't have felt like losing Koa so much.
He sighs, but fighting doesn't leave him time to dwell, Zavien already stepping in again and forcing Kaisel to focus up. Kaisel moves to back up as Zavien swings, Kaisel's sword arcing above him to catch and guide the strike off to the side and away from his body. He follows suit with his own quick step in, swinging his blade around in a circular motion to draw it back into motion and turn its edge towards Zavien's opposite side. "I get it," he bites out, clenching through the effort more than the words, or so he thinks, could be both. "How you feel for Soh, despite Koa, is how it was for me and Flora. It's why when you wouldn't promise to keep it secret so I could talk to my cousin properly I got so pissed. It's tricky."
2/4
Blocks Zavien's swing with his sword and steps in to swing his sword at Zavien's side
Kaisel
So welcome to the fire, I'm the one with the lighter
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
Zavien's eyes narrow as he takes in the explanation. Understanding softens some of his anger, but the guilt doesn't leave. Because Kai's right, and he can't run from the truth of it, no matter how noble his intentions have ever been. Like a warped mirror, it shifts his reflection into something grotesque and detestable, reaching its gnarled grip out to strangle the reality of who he is. But Zavien won't let one mistake define him. Sometimes, turning on the light is all that's needed to reveal the truth in the mirror, blemishes and all.
"I'd never planned to act on it, and I never could have imagined she felt the same." His sword pauses as Kai adjusts, his voice resigned but firm when he admits, "But I was a terrible friend." Having rocked onto his heels during the interim, Zavien leans forward again, his Starblade shining like a reckoning that will come for them both. "Koa deserved better." From him. From Kai. From all his terrible luck with love. He wished his friend hadn't received blow after blow. He wished his friend hadn't been hurt in the process.
Their swords spark, the whine of metal-on-metal echoing through the sparring ring. But Zavien only hears Kai, his words sharper than before, reminding him of the fear he'd seen on the man's face when they'd argued, knowing that his response hadn't eased any of that panic. Sympathy keeps the anger at bay, even as he shakes his head, sword rising to block the strike against his side in a momentary stalemate. "I never wanted to come between any of you." Not Koa and Kai, and definitely not Flora and Kai.
He holds Kai's gaze as their swords lock, emotion fracturing across his face in quick succession: regret, sadness, pity. "I could have handled it better and I'm sorry if you ever thought I wanted to ruin your happiness," - hurt and anger rise up in the end, his jaw clenching tight as he shoves back against Kai to break them apart - "but I still haven't forgotten how you were willing to lie and ruin mine over a misunderstanding." His sword swings fast and bright towards the man's thigh, his restraint slipping in the swell.
3/4
Locks swords with Kai, shoves him back, and swings for his thigh.
It's nice to hear the admission fall from Zavien's lips. He's always felt like such a golden boy, shining so brightly beside Koa. The two have always been stronger, fitter, better than Kaisel, largely by virtue of age and experience, but still the example he was held up to and found lacking time and time again. Be more like them. Said by his parents, his commanders, his peers. Because they don't sneak out, they don't fuck up, they don't laugh and yell when it's not appropriate. They aren't sprinkles, they're the whole damn dessert.
So to glimpse a peek of something a bit tarnished beneath the glow has sat with Kaisel less like proof of their ability to fail and more like a problem for him having seen it. Glimpsing the wizard behind the curtain without permission, and oh how the monkeys have come for him over it. The wizard is out now though, and that drastically changes things.
Kaisel visibly straightens up as the confession drops, concentration melting from his features as something closer to awe takes its place. He never expected to hear such words, having instead wound the injustice of it all deep inside him, pretending with another time the pressure of it might gradually leak out elsewhere, that the sight of it would diminish beneath the piling of other things until maybe he too believed them perfect again.
"Love makes terrible friends of us all," he settles on instead as they clash.
The apology that comes next is wholly unexpected, and he takes a half-step back, as if this too is one of Zavien's assaults upon him. He didn't realize the bitterness that he still clenched between his teeth about it all, but he notices it now as Zavien offers up something sweeter to swallow, the difference between what he's held onto and what he's just been given so obvious he isn't certain how he thought himself moved past it until now. His strength lessens, his conviction fleeing, and it allows Zavien to shove him off easily. "That's big of you to say," he acknowledges, and there's no sarcasm or taunt to be found as he staggers back from the force of their separation, sword now clumsily falling to his side, his stance weakening from before.
He doesn't have time to recover before Zavien is upon him, still reeling from being handed something when he's kept his fists so tightly balled, expecting so little as to not even bother. So the full brunt of Zavien's anger lands, alongside his sword, Kaisel scarcely pulling his sword up to block, maybe knowing there's no shield he can erect for this. "I—" he starts to say, but the sound is cut off into a wail as his skin spreads apart beneath the bite of the starlit blade.
His feeble attempt at bringing his sword up is perhaps the only thing that keeps the blade from finding a worse angle in him, but that hardly seems worth it now when the pain is so immediate and full-forced. Air hisses through his teeth as he shoves Zavien's arm away roughly, his body recoiling behind the gesture. "Fuck!" he swears, the sound biting out at the air to match the snarl setting into his thigh. Reflexively, his other hand still holding the sword, flings it towards Zavien to keep him at bay, tip wagging back and forth in the air in warning to Zavien that he keep his distance.
3/4
Fails to block fully and is cut on the thigh by Zavien. Shoves his arm away and and waves his sword tip around towards Zavien.
Kaisel
So welcome to the fire, I'm the one with the lighter
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
Many good people are tricked by fool's gold, thinking that the bright exterior is anything but worthless filament. They may look at Zavien and see the golden boy, the shining knight, the perfect soldier, a man with the perfect life. In reality, the gilding is nothing but endless hours of practice and an easy smile that easily catches the light, sometimes managing to fool those around him into thinking he might be gold. Beneath are the constant recognitions of his own faults, the failures he wants to fix, the layers of imperfections that flake apart with a gentle touch. He'll be the first to admit his mistakes and the first to claim his own inadequacies, because in his mind, Zavien is still a weak orphan boy who dreamed of being a noble Dragoon.
And now look at him. Homeless. Jobless. Directionless. And without his best friend by his side.
He doesn't capitalize on Kai's lack of concentration, his own mind lingering on all the regrets that threaten to stain his happiness. They're strong after so much time, but the light weakens them, and when they paint his thoughts, it's as if they've been watered down. The emotions are faint as Zavien nods his head, letting them share a single moment of understanding before their swords clash again.
But despite apologies and whatever shock Kai carries, memories bring with them the lingering frustrations, forcing distance between them again. Before he can think better of it, before he can reign in the fire of his feelings, before he can see the fight leaving his opponent, Zavien's sword is falling fast and damning into Kai's leg.
Like the stumble of a missed step, Zavien realizes his error too late. His strength isn't enough to stop the blow or keep the blazing surface of the sword from searing into flesh. No matter how his mind fights the reality, the wound splits easily beneath his blade, a wail rising to match the scream starting in his head.
"Shit." The curse is acidic on his tongue, an ashen, putrid taste that fumbles around the unfamiliar shape of the word. Anger has fled his mind in a plume of smoke, stealing his strength to leave him with nothing but guilt and shame. His sword feels heavy in his grasp, mouth gaping wide as he rips his weapon away so he can't do anymore damage. "I'm so sorry. I didn't - " He reaches out with his free hand, golden ring glinting on his finger - the same one that nearly gets chopped off by the flailing sword.
Zavien flinches from the exclaimed curse, trying not to breathe in the scent of charred flesh as he stretches out his hand again. "Shit, let me - " But he's cut off by the bite of metal in his arm, kept at a distance by the uncoordinated flash of steel.
Clenching his jaw against the inability to fix his mistake, Zavien lifts his sword to press it against the weaker blade, begging the man to think past his pain. "Kai, stop and let me heal you!" He pushes, trying to create enough of a gap to reach him without hurting him further.
4/4
Tries to push aside Kai's blade so he can step up and heal him. Gets nicked by the flailing sword.
He doesn't begrudge the other man for landing such a blow. It'd been his mistake, letting thoughts stray too far while handling objects that require attention and precision. These aren't wooden swords, and rightly so, as they aren't novice boys. Yet, it's the same warning he's been given before, time and time again when he fights, that he has to focus.
Embarrassment at the mistake wells up between the spaces that pain leaves, creating a very defensive response that gets the better of Kaisel's sense. He also can't be sure that Zavien won't press in further attacks, which is why Kaisel does his best to create a barrier of steel and sharp edges, not about to let another strike land so easily on him despite the struggle to regather himself for now. The pain is not so ordinary as a normal sword, so it takes a moment for Kaisel to clench down on it fully and brace against it, breath dragged in deep and quick to help combat the throbbing and the burning that crowds in on every other sensation, nerves flayed open with heat and magic.
The apology comes and Kaisel squints down the length of his sword at it, attempting to ascertain the intent here as his blade threatens to lob off fingers. "I ONLY SAID THAT TO MAKE YOU LISTEN!" The explanation barks out like an attack of its own, slicing through the strangled attempts from Zavien to fight for a cleaner solution that'd just re-pack this all back down again. Lips pull up over clenched teeth as Kaisel holds his sword firmer now, resisting the push from Zavien's blade in a battle of muscle as much as wills.
"Something to make you back off. An out for your sense of honesty or whatever you were claiming." Because as twisted an explanation as Zavien had offered him then, the inability to lie outright, it seemed like having a reason to hold his tongue, a little blackmail, a smol threat, would do the trick. "I wasn't actually going to tell Lena." Probably. Kaisel is not in the habit of hurting people on purpose; he does a much more wonderful job of it when it's an accident. There'd be no point in ruining Zavien as just a tit for tat, although perhaps if Lena had been just nearby, the outrage would have coaxed it out of him without any effort. "She was my friend too."
His last words are grunted out, and the battle of strength is lost, Zavien clearly superior in that field and not nearly as wounded. Kaisel's hand jerks to the side with the force and his sword snaps in half under the strain of the starblade, clattering to the ground. Kaisel gasps as he sidesteps, wincing as the hurt leg has to take the stride, and then pulls up taller, shaking his head. "I'm sorry it came to that, but I really needed to be the one to tell Koa," he grumbles, sucking in a breath through his teeth. "I'm sure you can appreciate why better now?" The fight's clearly over, but Kaisel doesn't immediately relent to the idea of healing, more than content to limp over to his bag and take out his fountain water on his own terms.
4/4
Blocks Zavien's sword and holds, pushing back, but his sword snaps in half and he sidesteps.
Kaisel
So welcome to the fire, I'm the one with the lighter
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
