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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!
Smirking to himself - Jack believes it, that he'll never hear the end of it if he decides to leave her hanging (literally) - and dutifully holding her steady, the captain won't be of much use should Flora actually expect him to bear her weight, but he can be as good a prop as possible. "Your stance with the gods is still better'n mine," he points out, as if to tell her that she ought to be the one considering teleportation. Three kids with Safrin or not, the odds remain in Flora's favour.
Guiding her down off the stool, Jack tilts his head to watch with lazy appreciation as she makes her way over to the bed, the white silk of her robe hugging the curves he'd just had wrapped all around him. "Mm, all afternoon," he confirms, following after her and kicking off his boots before sinking onto the plush mattress and its deep red sheets.
Only a few weeks ago he'd have been rolling over to sleep without another word about it to the Doubletake, so let it never be said that the captain isn't capable of change. Instead, reaching out to slip his fingers through the loop she's only recently tied to keep the robe closed, he uses the silk ribbon to ferry her forward, hoping to overbalance her and onto the bed.
you wanted perfect, you got your perfect but now I'm too perfect for someone like you
"You say that, but a month ago your fingers weren't capable of the things they just did." Flora points out, and though, on the one hand, she does mean that their sex that afternoon was better than it's ever been, more specifically she means his lightning. "Maybe if you just think really really hard about teleportation, you'll develop it." She suggests with a wry smile, doubting that was how things worked with an abandoned but not wanting Jack to get the last word in.
"Good," Flora huffs with a relieved sigh before she's being unwrapped like a present, the silk knot almost immediately coming undone revealing the darkening scatter of fingertip-sized constellations all across her hips. "You're a menace." She hisses before her laughter spills out as she tumbles forward, far too tired to try and defy the pull of gravity but also not wanting to in the least.
Crawling astride the captain and very much doubting that he has the energy to fight her off, Flora takes full advantage by leaning down to press a sweetly sensual kiss against his mouth, her hair a golden curtain of curls around his face.
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
"What my fingers are capable of has nothin' to do with the gods," Jack points out, scoffing nevertheless at the idea that he can just think teleportation into existence. Honestly, it's as likely as anything else at this point - fuck if he knows how his magic develops, after all. There's no instruction manual for any of it, in his experience.
"Mm, I am," the captain agrees with a sly smile, though at least Flora is able to see him as more of a menace than just plain menacing, which is what the rest of the world gets. Either way, she topples forward and astride him and he has no complaints about any of it, rolling onto his back and letting his hands stroke up the length of her thighs to cup her ass just as she leans down for a kiss.
One he offers freely, much to his own surprise, Jack subconsciously trying to chase the sweet oblivion of her thoughts from just a few minutes before, as if he can find his way back there with little more than the press of his lips and tongue. A valiant effort, but not one likely to bear fruit, and he's far too tired to try it for long. "Next time maybe you can learn how to use those," he suggests with a smirk, nodding at the spreader bars suspended from the ceiling.
you wanted perfect, you got your perfect but now I'm too perfect for someone like you
09-30-2024, 11:53 AM (This post was last modified: 09-30-2024, 12:10 PM by Odd.)
flora
Wrinkling her nose as if to say you sure about that?—elemental abilities aside, no doubt most of Jack's hands on training had been greatly benefited by his telepathy—Flora just rolls her eyes and grins. "Well, I do think I might have screamed your name more than theirs this afternoon." She agrees, laughing under her breath.
While it's true that Flora's mind is no longer bathed in the bright ultraviolet light of unfettered bliss, her tongue is more than happy to suggest the various pathways in her mind that the captain might follow if he's looking for a quiet corner to curl himself up in. Indeed if he isn't too tired to notice, Jack might come to realize that for every layer of golden affection that Flora constructs at the top of her mind, something equally as dark is formed deep at the bottom. Beneath the sparkling waves of her consciousness, all the way down to the core of who she is and who she might be, her love has grown something ruthless. Something powerful, and with far more teeth than whatever girlish notions she'd once had about what love should be.
But it's all so far away, especially with exhaustion blurring her thoughts into colourful smears that blow away before they can really form in to anything. "I love when you touch me." Flora purrs softly, her hips shifting back and forth in his hands. Though she'd have been content to simply sprawl over top of him, making out until they both fell asleep, the Doubletake lets herself tumble to the side, bonelessly shifting onto her back. Blinking up at the ceiling and only making a perfunctory attempt to cover herself with her robe, Flora lets her head loll back toward Jack. "What's it for?"
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
Were he not equally as spent from the past however long's activities, Jack might have been happy to argue about whether his telepathy is considered gods-given, considering the very nature of an Abandoned and their poor standing with any deity. Alas, he'll just have to continue to write his opinions against Flora's tongue, relaxing into the palette of her thoughts and the way the colours melt into one another.
One day perhaps he'll spend his afternoons wholly in Flora's head, delving deep into the still pool of her love and the powerful, dangerous calm forming at its core. Perhaps he'll even fall asleep there. Not today, though, when his hands are busy greedily following each gentle sway of her hips, chasing after her curves even as she rolls over to lay beside him. Letting a lazy hand drift over her navel and up her torso, he peers up at the bars with a crooked smile.
"Keepin' you from movin' around too much when you're misbehaving," he says. "They can stay up there, or you can unhook them from the ceiling. There are cuffs that can go on your ankles, or your wrists, or both. The bar keeps you from closing your legs and playin' coy."
you wanted perfect, you got your perfect but now I'm too perfect for someone like you
"Sounds like you should be the one who wears them, then." The queen counters with a feline smile. Last time she checked she hadn't broken out of any restraints, and if she remembered correctly (and she did), Jack had even called her a good girl. Trying to imagine how the bar would work, though Flora's initial reaction was once again to think that it wasn't for her, after how thoroughly she was proved wrong with the swing, she simply nibbled at the inside of her cheek. "Guess we'll have to come back, then." On another day, another date; because they were dating now.
Stretching out so that Jack's wandering hands might have more space to roam, Flora hums quietly under her breath before resting her head comfortably against the captain's shoulder. "We both know you wouldn't want me completely helpless, though." Bound a little perhaps, the Doubletake thought it might be more maddening than exciting to have her legs forced apart where she couldn't curl them around Jack's waist as he fucked her. Maybe if she was on her stomach and he was fucking her from behind..? Too tired to imagine, Flora just gives her head a sleepy shake.
"Anything you like that we didn't get to try?" She knew that wasn't really how things worked with Jack, but that was no reason to think that there might not be certain objects he'd like to try on her (or she to him), or ways he'd like to fuck her assuming she was on board.
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
09-30-2024, 01:01 PM (This post was last modified: 09-30-2024, 01:02 PM by Jack.)
JACK
"I never play coy," Jack objects, his arm curling around her shoulders almost automatically as she settles against him, the thumb of his free hand grazing gently across her nipple before returning to less devious wanderings. "We can either come back or make our own in the House of Midnight," he says, not minding either way. He doesn't dislike Stormbreak by any stretch of the imagination, though, and the memories he'll take from this room are absolutely helping.
"I won't know that unless I try," he says, of enjoying Flora being completely helpless. "And neither will you, for that matter." Maybe she'll enjoy it as much as the swing, who knows? But her train of thought relaxes into the mental equivalent of a sleepy shrug, and Jack is equally as content to let it be for now.
As for him, Jack gives Flora the courtesy of actually glancing around the room, though he only lingers on what looks like an expansive collection of dildos on one shelf, raising an eyebrow across at her. "Another time," he decides; if they start discussing anything in detail, his body will decide for him that it would like to try it out right the fuck now, and he doesn't feel like giving himself blue balls.
you wanted perfect, you got your perfect but now I'm too perfect for someone like you
There was no chance of running into her sort-of ex-boyfriend if they were at the House of Midnight, and if nothing else, the set of parents in King's End were likely to receive Jack with a far warmer welcome than the ones in Torchline had. "I'd like that." Despite the sweet sleepy quality of her voice, Flora's thoughts are suddenly gilded with crimson to imagine the ways in which they might heighten their experimentation by being able to manipulate the room they were in as well. Though it might come as a surprise to anyone on the outside looking in, despite a rather understandable moment of feeling self-conscious (Flora was just 21, after all), she'd never felt more comfortable or safe with anyone else, especially where sex was involved. It made the idea of experimentation thrilling rather than terrifying, especially with how well their first attempt had gone.
Tilting her chin down and letting her eyes scan around the room as if she might follow his gaze, Flora groans theatrically at his answer as she rolls onto her side. " I NevEr PlAy CoY." She repeats mockingly as her palm smoothes out over his chest, her fingers acting like extensions of his serpentine tattoo in the way they reach for the skin by his heart.
"When we get back, I have a thing in the Oerwoud." Flora says, dousing a yawn against the crook of Jack's arm. "So if I don't see you for a few days, that's why."
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
Once upon a time, Jack might have scoffed or rolled his eyes at the romance novels Flora writes for him in her mind, but whether he's too tired or simply used to it at this point, as she lets her thoughts wander, he merely wanders with them. Drawn back only by the stroke of amusement that parts the crimson flush of her imagination, he smirks and shrugs his shoulders. "That wasn't coy," he tells her haughtily, "that was just the truth." Whether another time was at the House of Midnight or simply later, there's no way either of them are fit for anything other than exactly what they're doing.
"A thing, huh?" Raising his eyebrows and curling his arm against her as she rolls onto her side, the heat of her fingers on his chest is just enough without becoming stifling, though he imagines of all the places in Stormbreak, Molly's is probably very adept at keeping things cool in Longheat. "A'right. Don't die, and bring me back somethin' nice." Jack's smile is audible, his eyes slipping shut as he gets more comfortable. If nothing else, Flora will know the captain will never try to tie her down, at least.
you wanted perfect, you got your perfect but now I'm too perfect for someone like you
10-01-2024, 05:20 AM (This post was last modified: 10-01-2024, 05:43 AM by Flora.)
flora
"Knowing you, that could mean anything," Flora complains as if either of them had the energy to act on any of Jack's inclinations much less discuss them. All the while her fingers sketched out invisible pathways across his skin; tired as the Doubletake was, it was a rare thing indeed for the captain to let her snuggle so close and she wasn't about to waste an opportunity to let her hands roam over him. Whatever his thoughts on the matter, he was hot and she was in love with him, so there. If anything he should be grateful that she hadn't curled up in his lap, purring like a contended kitten.
"As if I'd let a little thing like death keep me down." Flora trills airily, though if there was anyone who came by such a disregard for death honestly, it was the Doubletake. Time would tell whether or not this comment turned out to be prophetic, but for the moment the queen merely smiles wryly against Jack's chest. "Sure. I'll bring you back some vines you can tie me up with." She quips before her fingertips tap against his sternum like she might be able to entice the snake on his chest to follow the movement.
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
It really could mean anything, so Jack doesn't bother to correct her, relaxing back further into the (surprisingly comfortable, given that he doesn't imagine sleep is a priority for anyone here) bed and quietly accepting her fuss. He can't fault Flora for taking advantage either - maybe this is a reward for the very well fucked, who knows? - and is instead rightly grateful not to have her crawling all over him.
"I've no doubt someone with your skills could walk off dyin'," he agrees, his voice low and quiet, "but it'd be inconvenient for everyone, so if you could keep the dramatics to a minimum out there, we'd all appreciate it."
Smirking, Jack only opens one eye at the prospect of receiving vines as a gift, the captain scrunching his nose. "The same ones that tried to hang me last time we were there? I'm good, thanks. Didn't realise we'd already reached the stage where your gifts are barely veiled threats." Lazily swatting at her hand as it taps across his chest, Jack almost resorts to holding it to keep it still, before thinking better of it.
you wanted perfect, you got your perfect but now I'm too perfect for someone like you
"We, huh?" Grinning at that, Flora shrugs. "We'll see. The group I'm going with doesn't inspire much confidence based on their past performances, so.." Indeed, on the beach Noah and Sah hadn't done as much as the queen would have expected, and in the past Talyson was hit or miss (literally) at best. "I'll have an ace up my sleeve though, so I'm not too worried." She adds, perhaps to reassure Jack that she'd come back to him in one piece, perhaps simply to brag.
"Aww, and here I thought it would be romantic." Feigning a pout even as her thoughts turn wicked and bright with amusement, Flora cracks open her eyes and grins up at the captain. "You went and changed everything that day, after all." She adds, just in case Jack needed any sort of a reminder as to whose fault it was that Flora was currently pressed up against his side.
Undeterred, Flora's fingers scamper right back to where they'd been, though instead of tapping at the snake, she traces the intricate lines with her fingertip, her gaze growing a touch hazy until his bronze skin begins to look like the seashore and the black lines of his tattoo strange black waves.
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
"I said what I said," Jack drawls - yes, he includes himself in the mysterious we, but he imagines Flora's fathers would also prefer it if they didn't have to go out, find her and bring her back to life. Not to mention her wider family and friends, as well as the rest of Torchline. Still, whether it's for bragging rights or otherwise, the captain subtly relaxes beside her to know she's not storming off into a void infested jungle with nothing but some Brady Bunch rejects and her own wits.
"That's true enough, but I'd still prefer not to relive the moment where it almost cost me my fuckin' life, if it's all the same to you," he snarks, a smirk twitching at the corner of his lips. And were he anyone else that might have been it, but gods if Flora's mischievous fingers don't always push it a step overboard. Snatching her hand properly this time, if it weren't for the heat and exhaustion Jack might have pinned it and her down on the bed; alas, he merely keeps it trapped beneath his own, a flicker of frost at his fingertips doing its part to scold her.
you wanted perfect, you got your perfect but now I'm too perfect for someone like you
As far as her fathers were concerned, they could scour the entire continent for her if it came to it, and they'd still not be out of the dog house. Still, given how much almost dying had been, Flora wasn't keen to test out actually dying, even if it did mean getting to see her twin again.
"Mm." Flora hums, not sounding convinced. "Some people are into that sort of thing." She adds wisely, just in case Jack hadn't been aware, but before she could elaborate, her fingertips were flinching in response to the cold suddenly blanketing them. Rather than pulling away, instead the Doubletake shifts, pressing her ear against their clasped hands. Jack had nearly given her a second piercing with how hard he'd bitten it earlier, and actually, the cold felt really good. "Mmmmmmm." Moaning her appreciation as if Jack had done something kind rather than scolding, Flora wriggles closer, her thoughts blooming with mischief and amusement. "That feels great." She purrs with theatrical appreciation.
i scream for whatever it's worth "i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?
