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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!
Danta doesn't come to Jack Tar all that often - the place has far too much water and not enough tropical heat to make it worthwhile, in his opinion - but having taken a brief stroll with Asta that turned into a fucking hike, this is the best place to find somewhere to sit and have a well deserved drink.
He's slouched back in his seat under an awning outside one of the dockside taverns, head almost entirely tilted back to scowl up and into the beams overhead. They've ordered their drinks already - Danta has asked for their signature cocktail and plans to judge it accordingly, something learned from Flora - and so all that's left to do is look around until they arrive.
Above in the beams, something has woven a very sinister looking web, and he can see it scuttling about. It looks like a wine spider but he instinctively knows that it isn't, the Maverick scrunching his nose. "Wow, I hate that," he says of what is evidently a voidweaver spider.
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
“Hmm?” Blissfully unaware, the butcher’s so ready to collapse into the chair and await the drink that might make this whole trek worth it. He slouches slightly, hands adjusting the tie that feels as if it’s grown a little too tight around his neck, or maybe that’s just from the exertion it took to finally get here.
He scans Danta’s face, dark eyes trailing up to see what he’s looking at, up and up without turning his head or lifting his chin, which of course has the horrible web glimmer in the light in such a way that its rainbow hue appears as though it might be making its web right in the crux of the tines of his antlers.
It’s not just the web, though, because he sees the movement of the spider and for a moment his blood pressure rises and the most unAstaroth sound leaves him, reaching up immediately to swipe at his antlered horns as he sinks down and his knees knock into Danta’s. “What the fuck?!” Comes the echo of Danta’s own phrasing, swatting at his horns to try and clear up any potential arachnid visitors that he thinks might be making a nest in the cradle of his horns.
The noise alone causes Danta to jump, his head snapping forward quick enough to give him whiplash, and that's without Asta suddenly ducking and knocking into him and flailing towards his horns. "What the fuck--" he echoes unintentionally, the words slipping out on autopilot as he glances quickly around at the table and the butcher and the area above them.
For a second he wonders if the voidweaver has dropped unceremoniously onto his lover, but no, it's still crouched up there - if anything, it scrunches itself further back into a corner of one of the overhanging bits of awning, as if to encourage them to not notice it before it feels like retaliation. "Asta it's nowhere near you," Danta gasps, grasping at the other man's shoulder and huffing out a breath that's almost a laugh.
"It was never anywhere near you, what the fuck is wrong with you?" Now he's properly laughing, because if nothing else, maybe that will channel his adrenaline into something productive.
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
He too wonders if it’s fallen on him, with the gasp of an inhale he takes as if prepping for round two. But his hands drop, and without the feeling of webbing stuck to them like a hair you can’t swipe away, he fully looks up to the awning with a sneer, hearing Danta’s voice distantly. The spider curls back in and Asta straightens, trying to catch his breath, wiping his hands that are very much empty against the sides of his waistcoat and trying to put himself somewhat back together. “Listen.. I didn’t see where it was. I only saw the web and I thought it was in my horns.” He says with a whine and his full Whitebrim accent, but Asta’s confusion and panic are numbed enough that Danta’s laughter has a low hum escaping the butcher in return.
Casting one more look up at the void infected wine spider, the butcher shakes his head and leans a little away from it to make sure it didn’t fall on him if it lost its balance. “I feel like I had a heart attack.” He admits with another series of laughs, leaning forward to rest his head into the palm of his hand, still trying to unsuccessfully catch his breath while his tail continues to whip at his heels.
"Oh, well it's a good thing no one overreacted," Danta says, raising his eyebrows at Asta and trying (and failing) to contain the smirk that twitches across his lips. "Gods you're dumb sometimes." He whispers this remark, the words laced with warm affection, and as Asta slumps forward to rest his head in his palms, the Maverick winds an arm around his shoulders and kisses the crown of his head, careful to avoid his - spider-free, by the way - horns.
"Yeah? I feel like you gave me one too," he echoes, glancing to the docks and the water beyond where, thankfully, things are too busy for anyone to have given the butcher more than a cursory glance. "C'mon," he suggests, urging him to stand. "I think maybe we should sit inside and admire the view from a window. Save you from a premature death by arachnophobia, mm?"
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
“Ugh.” Comes the low groan to the playful barb, because had there been a spider making a nest in his antlers, it would not have been an overreaction. But here they are, with the butcher slightly flushed from the rapid increase of his heart rate, trying not to laugh the panic away, head cradled into his palm. “You love me anyway.” He whispers back affectionately.
Leaning into the touch and the kiss to his crown, finally drawing up to glance around them and ensure the spider hasn’t moved an inch closer. Satisfied, his attention finally finds his lover, able to admire in the dust of his crisis the splash of rainbows on the golden waves of his hair. “Gods, please. I would like nothing more.” Comes the soft chuckle, rising in a moment after to slip the chair back into place, extending a hand for Danta to take if he wished to before he ushers them inside. “I will try not to put us in an early grave, but I cannot make any guarantees.” He says with a soft laugh, still flushed red across his cheeks and his ears from the sudden rush of blood.
"I do. You tricked me into it before I realised how dumb you were though, so I feel like that's on you." Smirking and accepting the hand up, Danta also tucks his chair in and throws a glance back over his shoulder at the spider before leaving the arachnid to its own devices. Stepping in closer to Asta and casually slipping an arm around his waist, his hand settles comfortably into the other man's back pocket as they head inside.
Gesturing to the bartender and pointing to a booth next to a window, once he's satisfied that he knows where their drinks will be coming from, he leads them over. "I dunno," he teases, glancing up at Asta and grinning. "You spend quite a lot of time trying to put us into early graves one way or another." Whether via injury or anxiety or quests.
Luckily, as the butcher has already pointed out, Danta does love him, and so it's with little more than a kiss to one of his reddened cheeks that he slumps down into their booth.
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
Snorting a sound akin to a mockery of ha, ha, ha, the butcher’s arm slips around Danta’s shoulders in turn as they approach the door. “Are you saying I have trapped you by false advertising?” He hums quietly, glancing over at his lover with amusement in his gaze and far less of the panic of before, relishing the warmth of the hand tucked into his back pocket and the body at his side.
Pausing as Danta gestures to the bartender, once it’s been assured they’re going to be inside now, they drift toward the new seat where Asta specifically picks the side where he can watch the reflection of the sun on the waves reflect in his lover’s diamond horns, choosing the shadowier spot beside him for himself, leaning into the kiss pressed to his hot cheek.
“This is true, but hopefully changing.” Gesturing with a flick of his wrist of the very same arm the crow charm bracelet was nestled against, it’s truly been a breath of fresh air for the two of them. “You slept so hard last night that I woke up with your elbow in my face after you had stolen the large bear fur.” He hums nonchalantly, but his lips do twitch in a small smirk.
"Not at all," Danta croons, settling into his own seat and relaxing already now that they are inside where, presumably, any eight legged friends would have been gently evicted, or at the very least wouldn't be tainted by the void. "It was my fault for neglecting to read the fine print. You were as advertised for much of our time together before any ridiculousness really started to show." He grins.
Pausing to accept their drinks as a server crosses the tavern to place them down, Danta hums his approval and stirs his cocktail with a wooden cocktail sword skewered with a maraschino cherry. "Hmm? I did?" Chuckling to himself and glancing up, he offers the cherry sword out for Asta to enjoy the fruit if he wishes.
"Well, I didn't hear you complaining, so you must not have been that bothered about my elbow or the bear fur." Or, most likely, Asta had complained, but Danta had been too deeply asleep to notice. "Gods it's been nice to have uninterrupted naps though."
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
“Ah, very good.” The butcher purrs a playful hum, content with it being Danta’s fault that he simply didn’t read the fine print. And it’s to his grin that the butcher flashes a sharp one of his own, all confidence and cockiness, like he hadn’t just spent a few moments outside frantically swiping at his antlers.
Murmuring his thanks to the bartender as their drinks arrive, he collects his closer to him to press his hand against, feeling the warmth of it radiate through the ceramic. He gladly accepts the cherry spiked on the sword, though, leaning over before a glimmer of mischief and suggestiveness blooms in his gaze. He doesn’t pluck the sword from his hand, but rather leans in to place his mouth upon it, deftly stealing the cherry with his tongue, before sliding off of it.
Taking a moment to chew on the cherry, he swallows it and snorts, waving a hand to his lover with an almost exasperated expression. “Mmm, but I did. Complain, that is. I believe you were still half asleep.” He touts proudly, before deflating slightly to lean into Danta’s shoulder. “It has been a wonderful respite. You make a lovely blanket, darling.” He hums, lifting his hot toddy to his lips to take a sip without cooling it off, an unnecessary step given their Ancient status.
Naturally curious as to the quality of Asta's drink as well as his own, of course Danta eyes up the hot toddy as it arrives, which gives the other man the perfect opportunity to take advantage of his distraction. Starting just a little as the butcher leans in, Danta's eyes darken just a fraction as he watches the deft flick of his tongue, the cherry disappearing between his lips as if it was never there.
Those same dark eyes narrow a fraction, and as Asta reaches for his drink Danta's sword-holding fingers lance down, jabbing at the back of his palm with the cocktail stick. "Behave," he complains, "or the people in this bar will be seeing a lot more of you and I than they ever bargained for."
Still, leaning companionably back into his shoulder, Danta flicks away the cocktail sword and retrieves his glass for a sip. "Oh, good," he trills, and it's not entirely certain whether he's praising the fact he'd ignored Asta's complaints, or that he makes a fine blanket for him. "How's your drink?"
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
The glint of a smirk remains on the butcher’s lips as he withdraws, chewing contentedly on the too-sweet-for-the-Maverick fruit. Swallowing it down, the butcher reaches forward to snag his hot toddy, ready to take a sip when he feels the sharp little sting of the cocktail sword stick. Chuckling a low and warm sound akin to coals cracking in a fire, his dark gaze slides over toward Danta with a brighter and sharp grin. “Do you not have a reputation to uphold?” He hums back playfully before Danta’s leaning back against his shoulder.
His arm slips around his shoulders as he watches the tiny sword zip off into the unknown recesses of the shadows of the tavern. It gives him a moment unimpeded to take a sip of the hot toddy, relishing in the sweetness of it and the heat as it soaks into his bones. “Quite lovely, would you like a sip?” He asks once he sets it down, sliding the drink over toward Danta at the same time his hand remains on the table in the light, his shadows warping enough to lift and twist toward the Maverick, smacking his hand if he tries to take a sip.
"My reputation precedes me without you having to fuck me on this table in front of all these people," Danta assures the other man, though the low and wicked tone of his voice suggests that he might thoroughly be tempted by it if the conversation continues down this vein. Shifting to lean comfortably into Asta as he feels his arm land about his shoulders, the Maverick watches him sample his drink and raises his eyebrows for the verdict.
"It would be rude not to - though if it's as sweet as you tend to like your drinks, I might regret this." And he will, but not for the reason he initially thinks. Reaching for the glass and jumping ever so slightly as he's slapped by one of the butcher's shadows, the look Danta flashes his lover is playful outrage mingled with challenge. "It's like that, is it?" he says, reaching out - and not for the drink this time.
Long fingers grasp for Asta's chin, as if to ferry him forward and against Danta's lips, where he can properly kiss the taste of the beverage from his mouth; thoroughly, too, if the Maverick has his way.
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
“Word of mouth, mm? Perhaps they need a demonstration.” He says so casually before he takes a sip of his drink, as if he’d mentioned nothing more than oh the weather’s nice today, or I can’t wait for Longheat. It doesn’t stop the mischief, though, very clearly in his shadowy actions, the main shadow warping to slap away Danta’s hand the second he tries to reach for the drink.
Snorting as he catches Danta’s playful outrage, the challenge that he raises a dark brow toward. He’s very nearly ready to let his shadows strike again, when his lover’s rumble escapes him and before he has a chance to respond to him, that jeweled hand lifts and warm fingers find his bearded chin to drag him in for a kiss. And he certainly isn’t going to complain, meeting him part of the way.
His tail winds around Danta’s leg and his arm tightens around his shoulders, indulging his lover with the kiss so that he might taste the hot toddy that remains, far less sweet in sugar but sweet nonetheless. His shadows warble again, this time the one that casts a shadow on Danta’s back flattens for an even pressure to keep him close, parting only when his lungs scream. He parts with an affectionate nuzzle of his nose along his cheek, panting lightly. “Well? How did it taste?” He asks playfully and breathily, teeth clicking toward Danta’s jeweled ear.
