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Character of the Season
Once known as the Butcher of Whitebrim, he's now The Butcher of Dygra, stepping forward as the first created demigod of the Ancients. There is no question that Astaroth casts an intimidating silhouette. Tall, domineering and dangerous, if looks could kill you'd be dead already, but to get up close and personal with the Grounds' resident cannibal tells a much different story. Dripping with charm and clad in only the finest attire, Asta is a gentleman monster, as polite as they come and committed to his role as security for the Dusklight and those who have earned his loyalty. Be careful of that smile, though - those teeth are sharp.
Congratulations, Asta!
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!
we write out the ends on our palms, then forget to read
Rain beads along the edges of her umbrella like strings of glass pearls, each droplet catching the fractured gold of the streetlamps as it falls. The air in Stormbreak is damp and clean in that sanctimonious sort of way, as if even the weather refuses to make a mess here. Flora keeps the umbrella tilted just enough to cover both herself and Niki, though he’s taller, and her arm aches a little from holding it that high.
"My brother’s shop is that way—" A turn of her wrist sends the umbrella wobbling, the fabric humming with the patter of raindrops. "—the best shops are that way," she adds, pointing in another direction where bright awnings flare like spring flowers against the grey. And then, with an arched brow and a conspiratorial grin, she flicks her fingers toward a street where the lamps glow a little warmer, the air thicker with perfume and laughter. "And the Silk Houses are that way."
Her voice lilts with teasing familiarity, though it softens as her gaze drifts briefly over the bustling square. Spring has made everything smell alive again; wet stone, citrus blossoms, the faint sweetness of pastry from a nearby stall. The rain catches in her curls and jewels, the gold gleaming like drops of sunlight against her skin.
Spice hums from beneath her coat, tiny claws pricking against fabric as she shifts restlessly, unimpressed by the drizzle. Flora murmurs something soft to her before glancing up at Niki with a smirk that’s equal parts mischief and challenge. "Sooooooooo where do you think we should start? Shopping, sinning, or sibling introductions?"
Luckily for Flora, Niki stoops a bit due to his cane, and painful politeness means that he's constantly checking to make sure he isn't being an inconvenience to Flora's umbrella. He's drawn the hood up on his coat either way, so being out in the downpour won't exactly do him harm, but he won't deny that being able to peep out at Stormbreak from under cover is quite nice as well.
His cane clicks with muted satisfaction against the well-worn cobblestones, Niki offering a nod and a hmm of curiosity as certain landmarks and directions are pointed out, though he does arch an eyebrow at the descent into the Silk Houses, as if to place that surreptitiously at the bottom of his list. "What about shopping first?" he suggests with a smile from beneath his hood.
"Or if you know somewhere good we could get lunch, I will gladly treat you. Thank you again for flying us up here, especially with the weather as it is." On cue, a soft rumble of thunder purrs distantly in the skies overhead.
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
Flora flashes Niki a grin over her shoulder, the kind that curls with easy warmth despite the drizzle. "Perfect," she says, adjusting her grip on the umbrella to tilt it more securely above him. "We’ll head down toward the boutiques. There’s this little deli tucked between a tailor and a bookshop. They do soup and sandwiches that’ll ruin you for anything else they're so good."
She starts toward the glistening street, her boots clicking lightly as puddles ripple in their wake. The Sugar Tide feels a world away already, replaced by the chatter of vendors and the smell of fresh bread carried on the damp spring air. "I used to come up here all the time," she goes on, her tone a touch wistful. "Especially when my brother first moved up here. But lately?" Her nose wrinkles as she sidesteps a puddle, curls bouncing with the motion. "The city’s been nothing but drama for me."
A laugh escapes her, bright and self-deprecating, as thunder rolls lazily through the clouds above. "Last time I was here—just before LongNight, actually—I got into the weirdest fight with Stormbreak’s new Commander." She glances at Niki with an incredulous smile, like she still can’t quite believe it herself. "Which, for the record, I did not start."
"Sounds good to me," Niki says readily, his stomach rumbling in response to Flora's suggestion, though it's mostly covered by the patter of rain and rumble of thunder. Together they begin to make their way towards the deli in question, Niki peering out from the cover of the umbrella to watch people queuing at a coffee stand or hurrying on their way between shops. It's the sort of metropolitan bustle that he's never seen before, not even in Torchline, and he's quietly awed by the city and its machinations.
"Drama?" he echoes as Flora explains, drawn from where he's been peeking out at what looks like a giant spyglass towering overhead and back to the Doubletake. "Your brother still lives here though, right?" Unless that's part of the drama in question, and Niki is about to tell her that they don't have to talk about it if she doesn't want to, but she's already volunteering the information.
His brow furrows at first, before he remembers that Flora is in fact the Queen of Torchline, so of course she'd have reason to meet with this region's new Commander. "What happened?" he asks.
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
we write out the ends on our palms, then forget to read
Flora nods, curls bouncing as her grin curves toward something conspiratorial. "Yeah, Mateo’s here. And so is this guy I liked when I was a teenager, who I dated briefly, who also happens to be Kaisel’s cousin, and who has been in this on-again off-again thing with my best friend for like, years now." Her aqua eyes widen with exaggerated scandal, letting the implication hang there long enough for Niki to fill in the tangled family tree himself.
The memory makes her snort softly, the sound almost lost beneath the rain. Her umbrella tilts as she gestures with it, sending a few stray droplets tumbling over its rim. "Ahh, well, Zavien—Stormbreak’s shiny new Commander—got into a stupid fight with Kaisel one day, because apparently testosterone has no boundaries. They were both being idiots." She rolls her eyes, the motion accompanied by a delicate huff that fogs in the cool air.
"Kai told me about it, but I mean...it was a fight between bros so I didn't really think anything of it, but at the end of our meeting, Zavien brings it up like it’s this major political concern," she continues, the sharp edge of disbelief in her voice softened by humour. "Like he expected me, as queen, to care that one of my citizens got into an argument with the Commander of Stormbreak, instead of just...the guy behind the title." Her grip tightens on the umbrella handle, gold rings glinting as the rain drums a steady rhythm above. "Then he tried to offer advice, which felt like he was totally just mansplaining."
Flora glances sidelong at Niki then, eyes sparkling with both irritation and delight at her own defiance. "So I made sure to remind him who’s in charge of the strongest region," she says breezily, "and who’s in charge of the weakest." Her smile is all sugar and poison—sweet as citrus, sharp as its peel just as it had been back then—as she leads them onward through the rain. "So that shut him up pretty quick."
"Ah," says Niki as Flora explains, with the air of someone who has either understood entirely and knows better not to ask any follow-up questions regarding the Doubletake's endlessly tangled love life, or hasn't understood at all but has come to exactly the same conclusion anyway.
Not that it matters, because as it happens, said drama with Stormbreak's Commander seems to follow along exactly the same vein - that is, in that it's related to Flora's relationship - and the necromancer's brow starts to furrow in a slow, deliberate dawning that leadership is not the lofty and serious profession he once would have made it out to be. "...I see," he says slowly.
"So does this mean that Zavien and Stormbreak are now under threat from Torchline?" he wonders. "It does sound as though everything got out of hand." And suddenly the Greatwood - leaderless and free with only the Fae to draw borders around the wilderness - sounds like a really good place to be. "Either way, hopefully next time he will learn to separate personal and politics."
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
we write out the ends on our palms, then forget to read
Flora shakes her head, curls scattering raindrops that glimmer as they fall. "Nah," she says easily, the word stretching with Torchline drawl and confidence. "It just means if Stormbreak wants to keep using Torchline’s soldiers and resources to rebuild, I’m going to expect Zavien to smarten the fuck up."
Her tone is casual, but the steel beneath it hums like a drawn blade. They weave between puddles and perfumed vendors, her umbrella bobbing slightly as she walks, rain whispering across the canopy. "Stormbreak used to be led by my best friend," she continues. "So our regions were always allied." She exhales slowly, a sigh that steams in the damp air and carries something heavier beneath it. "But now?" Her shoulders lift in a small, resigned shrug. "If Zavien wants to be a dickhead about things, that’s on him. It’s not my job to hold his hand politically while he figures it all out." Flora glances toward Niki with a lopsided smirk, gold catching the streetlight as she tips the umbrella just enough to keep the rain from his face. "I’ve already got enough men who need babysitting back home."
"Ah, that is true. I had forgotten that you were sending resources up here to help to rebuild. It is looking good." Niki smiles around his hood to Flora; granted they haven't really been anywhere near the Tower or the ruin that Dahlia and her dragon made of it, so of course it looks put together, but his point still stands.
It's a little more difficult for Niki to weave around puddles at short notice, and in the end - and with a warm smile to Flora - he does them both a favour and steps out from under her umbrella to let his coat and hood do the work so she doesn't have to keep swerving and holding it aloft for him. "Sohalia, right?" he says of the best-friend-former-leader. "She was there at the construction of Wildering House."
Nodding his agreement - if nothing else he's absolutely on board with Flora not having to hold anyone's political hand but her own - Niki can't help but laugh at her babysitting comment. "One less now at least." He gestures to himself. "But I will let Kai know what you truly think about him."
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
we write out the ends on our palms, then forget to read
Flora nods, her smile lingering as the rain drifts between them like mist. "Most of our soldiers have been up here since last season," she says, her tone warm with a quiet sort of pride. "We’ve been sending supplies too. I was even planning to come help with the Tower rebuild myself."
When Niki steps out from under her umbrella in a bid to out-polite, she makes a soft, disapproving sound in her throat, half sigh, half laugh. "Honestly," she mutters, angling the umbrella stubbornly toward him anyway, "for your next birthday, you’re getting a magical umbrella."
At the mention of Sohalia, Flora’s expression brightens again, a fond smile curling her lips. "Yeah, that’s her," she confirms, aqua eyes flicking toward the street ahead, before glancing at Niki over one shoulder and grinning. "I was mostly meaning my dads, actually." Her smirk turns impish as she leans closer, lowering her voice as if sharing a scandalous secret. "Pretty sure those reports of sea monsters in the Fingers? Just them fooling around."
"Will you still do that with everything that happened?" Niki asks with a gentle tilt of his head; he knows that Flora is simultaneously very objective and very petty in her leadership, and with her description of Zavien's behaviour, he wouldn't have blamed her for letting the Commander take care of the Tower by himself.
Letting out a soft laugh in response to the stubborn thrust of her umbrella, Niki raises a hand in acceptance and ducks back beneath it, having to navigate a difficult puddle to do that. "Or you could simply allow me to use my coat for what it is intended for," he snarks back affectionately. "Are we almost there?"
As for the men Flora needs to babysit and the sea monsters fooling around, the boy's expression - a mix of confusion and quiet horror - suggests he isn't quite sure how to take it. Fooling around as sea monsters? Or just... playing around? "Do they make a habit of starting rumours of monsters around Torchline for fun?" he wonders.
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
we write out the ends on our palms, then forget to read
Flora shrugs, rainwater glinting off the umbrella’s edge as they weave through the busy walkway. "In the end, Zavien did apologise," she says, her tone carrying the faintest smirk, "though it was one of those I’m sorry, but... kind of apologies." Her fingers tighten briefly on the handle before relaxing again. "So maybe I’ll play it by ear. Torchline’s got its RQ coming up anyway, and that’s going to be my first priority."
Her grin slips back toward mischief as she tilts the umbrella over him again despite his protests. "Or, I’ll do what I please. I’m going to be short on opportunities to fuss over you once you’re home again." Her curls brush her cheek as she gestures up the walkway, where rain gathers in silver ribbons between cobblestones. "See the shop on the corner? It’s the one just before that."
The air smells like wet bread and cardamom as they pass a bakery stall, and she laughs when Niki’s expression falters at her earlier remark. "Oh, for sure they do," she confirms cheerfully. "For the longest time, people thought Remi was the kraken that lived in the Maw. Even now, most of them still think he’s the only one out there."
"I'm sorry... but?" Niki echoes, having honestly never heard of such a thing, though the sly twist of his smile suggests that he can imagine that it's the sort of apology that's only half sincere at best. At the mention of Torchline's RQ, though, he brightens. "Ah, that is where you are able to petition the gods for assistance with your region, right?" he says. Of course, never having been in a region where one has been completed, it's all just theory in his mind.
"When has that not been the case?" he wonders, tone dry is old paper; when it comes to doing as she pleases, Flora is practically the dictionary definition. Tugging his hood up further so he can get a better view of the street ahead, he does indeed spy the deli just before the corner shop, nodding and ensuring he keeps to the dryer parts of the cobbles without stepping out from beneath the protection offered by Flora's umbrella.
It shouldn't surprise him, he supposes, that two demigods are the source of myth and rumour, but he supposes in his mind he just assumed it would be... loftier, somehow? "I wonder how many krakens are out there in the ocean..."
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
we write out the ends on our palms, then forget to read
Flora nods, lips curving wryly. "Yeah, it’s an apology where you say you’re sorry but then immediately start explaining why what you did wasn’t actually wrong," she says, her tone half exasperation, half amusement. "It sort of cancels itself out. Like emotional math."
She hums in agreement as he mentions the regional quest, her expression softening. "That’s the one. As much as I’d love to make my first solo RQ something fun and flashy, I’m trying to be responsible." Her grin turns a little sheepish at the word, like it still feels new in her mouth. "So I’m going to make it so Torchline’s healing water can extend past our borders."
The rain begins to ease as they pass under the canopies that line the street, so Flora lowers her umbrella and gives it a little shake. She gives a small shrug, brushing her shoulder against Niki's in passing. "I dunno, but I doubt Remi’s the only one. Same as there’s bound to be more phoenixes and pegasi somewhere." And all the other mythical things the demigods could become. Her gaze drifts toward the far-off grey shimmer of the sea visible between rooftops, eyes narrowing in thought. "They’re probably all tucked away up in the Cordillera, or hiding way beneath the ocean."
Nodding his understanding, even if he does mouth the words emotional math to himself, Niki nevertheless tucks this new form of apology away in the back of his mind and turns his attention fully towards Torchline's next RQ and Flora's ideas for it, his eyes lighting up to hear her plans. "I feel as though the citizens being able to heal themselves wherever they are in the world is very fun," he counters with a smirk, jostling against her ever so slightly.
"And I am sure the next one can be fun and flashy as compensation though, right?" Insert the it's like a reward soundbyte. "You will have until this is finished to think of it, too." Plenty of time to decide to petition for inflatable pool animals to be a permanent resident of Torchline's shallow waters.
Letting out a small sigh of relief as the rain begins to ease off, Niki reaches up to push back his hood and shake the worst of the water off his coat, feeling much better now he has full use of his peripheral vision again. "Possibly for the best," he says, "though it is exciting to think of so many of those creatures roaming Caido."
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
