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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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Flora bursts into laughter, nearly choking on the bite of sandwich she’s just taken. "Okay but what does it take to retire at your age?" she teases, wiping at the corner of her mouth with a napkin and flashing him a mischievous grin. "Is it because you saved the world? Or because you switched allegiances as a demigod to someone less demanding? Or is it just surviving ten years married to someone like Remi that earns you the golden ticket?" Her tone is warm, affectionate; she’s clearly joking, but the fondness woven through her voice makes it something softer too.
As Ronin speaks about her council, her grin fades into something more thoughtful. She nods slowly, lips twitching as she mulls it over. Setting the half-eaten sandwich aside, she breaks off a piece of chocolate instead, absently rolling it between her fingers before leaning back into the couch. "It would be nice to have a bit more help," she admits. "And obviously you know what you’re doing."
Her head tilts, curls brushing her shoulder as she glances at him sidelong. "But...wouldn’t it be weird, though?" she asks, tone light but edged with genuine concern. "What happens if I assign you something you don’t want to do? Or if we disagree about how something should go?" She pulls a face, part rueful, part amused. "I mean, I’m the Queen, but you’re my dad, and I’m pretty sure every Taliesin comes with an entire manual of big ideas on how things should be done, and..." She shrugs. As adults, the pair have only squared off a time or two, but gods knew it was in both of them to defend their ideas, and the power imbalance now just seemed weird.
and if you'd never come for me, I might've drowned in the melancholy
I swore my loyalty to me, myself, and I, Right before you lit my sky up
"I think," Ronin says slowly, "it takes going toe to toe with Caido, yeah. And for Remi particularly, it involves shoving your hand into Caido to grab hold of the Core, withering your arm in the process." His own hand flexes a bit instinctively, the wrinkle of his nose suggesting that for all of his 'retirement' antics, he remembers those days all too clearly. "After that, you kind of get to do whatever the fuck you want, yeah."
Laughing to himself, Ronin reaches back for his milkshake as Flora takes on board everything he's suggested, giving her time to mull it over and decide if and what she'd want from him. And her counterpoints are good ones, such that he's already smiling as he puts the shake back down, nodding his agreement and propping an elbow on the arm of the sofa to rest his chin in his hand.
"Normally I'd agree with you entirely," he says with a laugh. "I think the difference this time is - and don't take it the way it sounds, please - I don't really care about Torchline in that way." Still grinning, he's quick to clarify. "What I mean is, sure, once upon a time I'd have had a vision for the region or whatever, but I'm more interested in helping my daughter than I am in ruling the islands. I'd be there to give you advice and I'd be there to take some of the work off your shoulders, but ultimately I'm following your lead."
Flora nods slowly, like Ronin's just explained something utterly reasonable. "Ahhh, okay," she says, her tone all mock-serious understanding. "So all I have to do is pick a fight with Caido, win, and then I get afternoons off. Easy." Her grin widens, bright and teasing, before she leans back against the couch and slurps the dregs of her milkshake as though that settles it.
As he keeps talking, though, her expression softens. The way he says he doesn’t care about Torchline in that way makes her brows rise at first, but when he clarifies, she gets it. It’s the kind of answer that feels exactly right coming from him: protective without being possessive, supportive without taking over. Still, a flicker of reluctance curls somewhere beneath her ribs. After all, she’s only just begun to rule on her own; letting someone else in, even for the right reasons, feels a little like sharing air she’s only just learned to breathe.
With a sigh that’s half resignation, half amusement, she nods again. "I did ask Melita if she wanted to get involved politically," she admits, "but she said absolutely not, which is basically what I'd expected." She smiles faintly, tapping her fingers against her cup. "And it would be nice to actually take a vacation without worrying the whole place will catch fire while I’m gone."
Then her grin flickers back, brighter now, play chasing away the hesitation. She shoots him a sidelong look and lifts her hand, pinky crooked toward him. "Pinky-swear we keep professional and personal separate?" she asks, tone mock-solemn but her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Because it'd get pretty awkward if I had to channel Remi or Sunjata to throw you in jail if it came to it."
and if you'd never come for me, I might've drowned in the melancholy
I swore my loyalty to me, myself, and I, Right before you lit my sky up
11-06-2025, 08:54 AM (This post was last modified: 11-06-2025, 08:55 AM by Ronin.)
RONIN
the white knight
"Exactly," Ronin says with an indulgent nod of his head. "Not even just afternoons off. It's basically a permission slip for whatever you want for a year, minimum." And that's the story he's sticking to, based on his and Remi's mental breakdown secondment up to the Cordillera until they felt human enough to return to civilised life.
Kicking off his shoes so he can sit cross legged on the couch, Ronin pointedly doesn't watch Flora for her reaction or her decision, instead reaching for another strawberry and a bit of chocolate while he waits for her judgement. Because ultimately if she decides it's not a good fit, he's still just sitting and having lunch with her. And as she speaks of Melita, Ronin can't help but laugh softly and shake his head.
"Well," he says, "I think all of us could have anticipated that sort of a reaction." Shrugging, he finally lets his gaze settle back on Flora. "Your call," he says, as if the reminder alone is evidence of how they'd operate together.
But when the final decision comes in the form of an extended pinky, the Knight can't stop the laughter rumbling from his chest. "You're really obsessed with putting me in jail today," he tells her, before reaching out to curl his pinky finger around her own. "I swear," he tells her. "You're always my daughter first. But if we make... I don't know, working hours, or say that certain spaces are professional only, that could help. Granted, it would mean we'd have to go somewhere else for lunch."
Flora raises her brows, eyes glinting like sunlight catching the sea. "Absolutely sounds like something worth risking your life over," she says, tone far too casual for what they’re actually discussing. Her lips twitch around the chocolate she nibbles on, as if she’s savouring both the taste and her own sarcasm.
She laughs softly at the mention of Melita, nodding in agreement. [sa]y"Yeah, I figured as much," she says, brushing a curl back from her cheek. "Mostly I just wanted her to know she’s wanted here. That Torchline values her, even if she doesn’t want to sit through meetings about shipping routes or the price of rum. "
When he jokes about her obsession with jailing him, Flora snickers and shrugs, feigning innocence. "Someone’s gotta make sure the jail cells are still in good shape," she quips, tugging on his pinky with a grin to seal their promise. As the pinky-lock settles into something real, she sighs dramatically, leaning back into the couch. "Oh noooo, not going out for lunch," she laments in mock despair, theatrical to her core. "Whatever will we do." Then, with a softer laugh, she adds, "If I’ve got more help, I can probably afford to take more lunch breaks anyway."
Her grin turns sly, wickedly pleased with herself. "Alright then, first official task, Mister Advisor—" she pauses for effect, lifting her chin as if crowning him on the spot, "—you get to tell Remi that I don’t want him on my council." Tilting her head, she adds with exaggerated sweetness, "One dad feels like more than enough, and you two sort of come as a package deal anyway."
and if you'd never come for me, I might've drowned in the melancholy
I swore my loyalty to me, myself, and I, Right before you lit my sky up
"That's sweet of you," Ronin says with a warm smile. "And yet another reason why you make a good leader. Not many people would check in with their citizens like that, whether or not you also happen to be friends." He's sure Melita will be happy enough causing chaos along the coastlines without the extra pressure of a political position, anyway.
As for the jail cells, the Knight scoffs and, now that their pinky promise is sealed, he shrugs his shoulders airily. "Shall I add an inspection of them to my to-do list?" he asks, his lofty tone entirely ruined by the smile in his voice. "I can also make sure finding places to go out for lunch is on my regular agenda, for the record." Because the gods know Ronin Taliesin could write a book on the best places to eat in Torchline, advisor to the queen or not.
Settling back into his seat on the couch, his eyebrows raise at the immediate allocation of an official task, but whatever quiet seriousness had been settling over him breaks once more into humour when he gets the details. "Oh, I see. I've been your advisor for one minute and you're already demanding I break my husband's heart." He sighs dramatically. "Very well. You're right, anyway. Having one of us on board is almost exactly like having us both."
Tipping his head across to the desk and its masses of paperwork, when he speaks next, it is with actual work on his mind, however. "If there's any of that you want to give me, I'm happy to look it over. Just let me know the ropes beforehand if I'm telling a lot of people no." He grins. "Do you have any big plans for Torchline this year?"
Flora nods decisively, as if his offer to check the jail cells is the most vital part of Torchline’s governance. "Mmm, I think you should," she says, her tone half regal, half amused. "Aside from an enchantment that keeps people from magicking their way out, it’s probably good to make sure they’ll actually hold regular people too. You know, just in case we ever have to imprison someone who isn't a demigod or doesn't have one on speed dial, for once." Her grin widens, aqua eyes glinting with humour. Flora is pretty sure the last person to be actually imprisoned was her mother, who'd been teleported out by Remi.
She inclines her head magnanimously when he mentions taking lunch seriously, a queen bestowing her approval. "Excellent." When he sighs about breaking Remi’s heart, Flora snickers, unable to help herself. "Better you than me," she says brightly, her tone all teasing and unapologetic warmth.
Her gaze drifts toward the desk again, and the smile softens, giving way to something more thoughtful. "Honestly? I’m not sure what’s next," she admits, voice quieter now. "Once this regional quest wraps up, if things stay peaceful I'm not sure we need to focus on adding more weapons or anything like that." She tucks one leg beneath her, shoulders relaxing as she looks out toward the sea through the tall windows. "Seasonally, I was thinking more of the same. Maintenance, improvement, not overhauling anything unless we need to. I don’t see the point in more soldiers, not with you and Remi here when it counts. And truthfully..." Her fingers trace lazy patterns on the side of her glass. "I like the idea of work that benefits everyone—repairing, planting, rebuilding—instead of just accumulating a few shiny items for a few people to own." AKA better to improve their regional score to increase everyone's luck in one go.
and if you'd never come for me, I might've drowned in the melancholy
I swore my loyalty to me, myself, and I, Right before you lit my sky up
"Consider it done. I'll write up my findings and have them on your desk in a couple of days," Ronin tells her chipperly. And if he and Remi have a lowkey game of cops and robbers while he's doing that Very Important Work, well, he's just checking the integrity of the jail in a creative way, right? Who knows when someone of Dahlia's calibre might need to be held there again? (Not that she'd been all that impressive at the time).
Rolling his eyes affectionately as Flora wholeheartedly passes him the task of letting the Bastion down about his (non) role in the council, he puts that to the back of his mind, at least, while they focus on the more immediate workload. Following her gaze towards the windows - and seeming unsurprised to note more moody clouds rolling in overhead - he hums his quiet agreement. "It's what I would do as well," he says readily, smirking back across to her.
"And I'm not just saying that. The relics and their ownership caused a few very prickly conversations when the Family were getting ready for war. I'm not a fan of a lot of power for the very few." He can't help the Vi-given gifts coarsing through his own veins, of course, but that's different to a magical item in his back pocket.
Flora can’t quite help the little spark of pride that lights her expression when Ronin agrees with her; for all her feelings about wanting to rule on her own, having his validation still lands like sunlight after rain. "Exactly," she says, pleased but trying not to sound too triumphant about it. "If Torchline ever does come into more powerful weapons or relics, I’d rather they go to the weaker citizens than the front lines. The people who actually need protection, not the ones who can already level a ship if they sneeze."
Her shoulders lift in a small, easy shrug as she watches the clouds rolling in beyond the windows. "It never seems to be the demigods who need them anyway, you know?" she muses, her tone a thoughtful hum. "And as much as I love the idea of you all being everywhere at once—" a wry glance cuts his way "—we both know that’s not how it works."
Another shrug, lighter this time, and a grin curls at the edge of her mouth. "Maybe I’ll just start questing for Safrin in my spare time and arm the whole region myself," she says, the words half a joke, half a dare to the world. "You know—Torchline’s first divine arsenal. I’m sure she’d love that." Pausing, Flora's brows will raise. "Oh, speaking of...are you two...like, still fighting?" Safrin was still Torchline's patron deity after all, and if she and Flora's new council member were beefing, then maybe her next quest would be a divine get-along shirt to shove them in.
and if you'd never come for me, I might've drowned in the melancholy
I swore my loyalty to me, myself, and I, Right before you lit my sky up
"That only happened one time and I was a leviathan, and the ship was OK in the end," Ronin protests, though he's already grinning about it. "But in all seriousness, you're absolutely right. When Apopo last erupted the citizens on the ground were the ones who suffered above everyone else. They lost businesses, homes, possessions - the people on the front lines were actively running towards the lava." Thus proving Flora's point further.
Nodding again, he almost says it - not just the demigods - but he holds that behind his teeth. "I gave my last relic up to Sunjata to keep in King's End, since his region was so new. The other I had only worked for Ascended, and Wilde's Rapier..." He scowls deeply at that; it had gone with Pierce, likely never to be seen again, but there's nothing he can do about that now.
And it's a similar story about not being everywhere at once. "I always think about people who can't channel who might have needed me," he confesses, rubbing at the back of his neck. "But all any of us can do is our best." And even then it's not always enough, Ronin recalling the brief and bleak memory of being channelled during Longnight by Zavien, long after he'd have been able to make a difference.
Absently rolling his shoulders, as if to shrug off the weight of that lingering guilt, he glances abck to Flora, and his laughter at the all-too-real prospect of a divine arsenal rings musically from the walls. "I can't see how that would be a bad thing," he says. "And for the record... no, we're not. Not after Seren, and not after things with the void got bad. Our last conversation felt better than any we'd had in years, actually." He smiles, still hardly believing it, but appreciating it nevertheless.
Flora chuckles, her tone rich with mock understanding. "Ohhh, riiiiiight," she says with exaggerated sarcasm, brows arching as if to say that makes it completely fine then. Still, her grin softens as he continues, and she nods, expression slipping toward something more contemplative. "Yeah. When that void sea panther attacked on the beach, I barely managed to handle it on the beach with Noah and Jack. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if it had reached the city."
Her gaze drifts toward the domed glass above them, where clouds now churn like dark silk across the sky. "Maybe some short-range teleports would be useful around the island," she muses, half to herself. The thought hangs there for a moment; pragmatic, but laced with the quiet ache of hindsight.
When he mentions Wilde’s Rapier, Flora's face tightens, the memory surfacing sharp as broken glass. "Yeah," she echoes softly, the word small but heavy as she tries to stiffle a shiver. The shift in his tone draws her back, and her brows lift in surprise. "Oh seriously?" she asks, voice brightening with genuine surprise and relief. "That’s...honestly, that’s great." One less thing for either of them to worry about, if nothing else.
Then Flora's gaze drops to her hands, fingers worrying at one of her rings as she hesitates. "Uhhh so, speaking of gods and...dead siblings," she murmurs, her voice gentler now, careful. "I think I finally have everything in place to ask Mort to bring Enzo back.." The admission hangs fragile between them. She doesn’t look up right away, her eyes tracing the curve of her cup instead. When she does, it’s only a flicker; a sidelong glance through her lashes, uncertainty flickering across her face. The discomfort isn’t from doubt in her decision, but from the weight of what it means to say it to him, to Ronin, who still carries the ghosts of two children she can’t replace.
and if you'd never come for me, I might've drowned in the melancholy
I swore my loyalty to me, myself, and I, Right before you lit my sky up
"Oh, like short-distance portals, almost?" Ronin smiles at that idea, nodding. "Perhaps that can be the next ask, once we've finished the work on the fountain." It would certainly benefit citizens and visitors alike, providing easier access to Torchline's most important areas, and that's even without considering when they might be needed most. "You could have one that brought you here, one to the fountain, one to the docks..." However many the gods might allow.
Still quietly elated at the reminder of being back on good terms with Safrin, Ronin can only nod in agreement, though as Flora continues (and it's along the vein of dead siblings?) he stills, brows furrowing in confusion. Ah, but when the admission comes, it both is and isn't a surprise. For as long as Enzo has been gone Flora has been speaking about bringing him back, and the Knight shifts to the edge of the couch to reach across and take her hand between both of his own.
"Flora, that's amazing news," he says, proving that one can be filled with joy and sorrow entirely at the same time. "I know Mort will listen to you. If the timing works out, maybe you can invite Enzo to dinner with us, if he's up to it?" There will be time to feel quietly selfish later - for now, this isn't about Ronin, and Flora deserves nothing but his complete support. "I'm proud of you, y'know. For everything you've achieved and the person you've grown up to be."
Flora nods immediately. "Yeah, exactly. Maybe it could just start with something small—one side of Haulani to the other—and then expand from there." Her tone is thoughtful, already plotting out the possibilities in her head as Ronin plucks locations seemingly from right out of her thoughts.
When he leans forward and reaches for her hands, the movement catches her completely off guard. She blinks, startled by the sudden warmth of his palms closing around hers, and lets out a small, breathy laugh. She’d half-expected him to go broody and haunted at the mention of Enzo, so the gentleness of his smile is entirely unexpected. It fills her chest with something golden, a rush of warmth that loosens a knot she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
"Then the dinner has to be at my house," she says quickly, her voice breaking into a bright, watery laugh. "Because I’m going to bubble-wrap Enzo and not let him out of my sight again for at least a year." The image is ridiculous, but her tone makes it clear she’s only half joking.
But when he tells her he’s proud of her, something in her stills. Her shoulders drop, all the bravado sliding away like tidewater leaving the sand. The smile she gives him is luminous but fragile, threaded through with emotion she can’t quite disguise. Memories flicker behind it; those awkward, difficult years of sharp words and distance, of learning each other slowly and painfully, of trying to build something that should have been simple but never was because of the complicated circumstances of her conception.
"Thanks," she says softly, the word catching faintly in her throat. Her eyes shimmer as she meets his, and though she tries for levity, the sincerity wins out. "That...means a lot, Ronin."
and if you'd never come for me, I might've drowned in the melancholy
I swore my loyalty to me, myself, and I, Right before you lit my sky up
"Probably a wise idea, though I give him a week before he's stir-crazy even with the spirits in your house to keep him entertained." Not to mention the size of the place, too. "Having dinner at your place might be a good plan in any case, given how we'd need to have it out on the beach to fit everyone around a table, and it seems to rain every five minutes lately." Grinning, Ronin gives her hand another gentle squeeze. "I can still do the cooking, or help out with it at least."
And as Flora stills, as the Knight sees the effect of his words despite the way she tries to cover them with bravado at first, he can't stop himself rising to his feet, drawing the Doubletake with him so he can fold her into a hug. "I should have been saying it a lot more and a lot sooner," he tells her, pressing a kiss to her crown. "Better late than never though, huh?"
Hugging her for a few seconds more before he lets her go, Ronin nods back over to the desk with a boyish grin. "C'mon - want to show me all your exciting paperwork?"
