From Attuned to Ascended to Ancient, Kiada Njovu-Reyes has been reborn several times throughout her short life, but her fighting spirit has never once been diminished. With beauty, grace and a quick wit, Kiada is the whole package wrapped in an infectious smile. Recent endeavours have found her in the heart of the Hollowed Grounds, aiding the region and bettering it for her new Ancient kin, and whatever she does next, we know it's sure to pack a punch.
Congratulations, Kiada!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
'cause my life is like a bedroom door don't lead me in when you feel low
If there’s one thing Sunjata’s envious of, it’s the fact that Nate doesn’t have to breathe beneath the waves. But he thinks momentarily back to the cloud manta, how it had worked for Maea, and sparks an idea for the future. A surprise, perhaps, to be able to sink to the depths with Nate should he wish to all in the name of exploring and Sunjata certainly not dying because he can’t breathe. But that’s for a later time, and his attention flickers to Nate as his hand moves to the Ascended’s neck, and Sunjata can feel the light pressure to his hips where the skin shifts to blubber.
His other hand raises to run through those long dark tresses, a smirk crossing his face before Nate’s full comment is heard. And it turns into a bright hum of laughter, a wry look sent back to Nate with a playful roll of his eyes. “Oh, c’mon.” He grins back to Nate, leaning forward as the hand at the Ascended’s neck tightens a small amount, adding some amount of pressure he hopes Nate registers. “It’s supposed to be poetic.” And it had been, for the stories written. But that was a different time, a different life. “die vlam en die vloed neem die krotbuurte.” He smirks, recalling one of the headlines from Korofi. “The video from that was amazing. To us, at least. My father didn’t think so.” He tips a wink to Nate before humming another laugh.
die vlam en die vloed neem die krotbuurte. – the flame and the flood take the slums
'cause i might make a move
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
The ease of closeness between them is nice, even though its the kind of thing Nate gets into his own head about, the hand pressing through his hair making him tip his head back, eyes darting around them before they slowly close. They're in the ocean, there's no prying eyes, and even if there was he doesn't care. He just needs to remind himself of that now and again.
A low hum rumbles out of Nate at the pressure on his neck, his eyes rolling open to focus on the Flood, his own grin lazy in response. "Poetic, huh?" He licks his lips, head tilting back and forth as he seems to consider it, though he doesn't get to say anything before Sunjata is continuing, and he has to take a moment to translate the words in his head. Nate's brows pull together, one of his hands sliding up the attuneds body to squeeze at his shoulder. "Krotbuurte?"
Really though, he should have waited, should have asked all his questions all at once, because the continuation has his face twisting all over again, though at least this is more surprise than confusion. "Video? You mean you had like, cameras around?"
I would never call him enemy He's the bad god I need
'cause my life is like a bedroom door don't lead me in when you feel low
There’s nothing in Sunjata’s mind to be worried about when it comes to showing his affection. Nate’s made it an option for him, and despite the fact that Sunjata might not be able to say that he loves him, he can at least show it in the tender touches, the attention given to the Ascended. In fact, similarly to how he applies the pressure, the hand through Nate’s hair, the attempt to get him to feel the rough and calloused hands, offering a wry smirk back to him at the lazy grin.
The question, the feel of Nate’s hand along his shoulder, and he hums lightly under the feeling. “The closest thing to it would be… Like the Slums.” He explains, head tilting a bit toward Nate, charging onto talk about the video of it, when the rebellion had managed to tackle the slums and get it back under their control. Still, Nate’s comment surprises him – recalling having to explain to Lily what a camera was, what a photograph was.
So the smile that crosses his face with it is nostalgic, excited, pleased to have someone to share it with. “Yeah. Cameras, screens, all of that.” The lip curls a bit more with that, excited to delve into it a bit. “Of course it was all propaganda, but the rebellion used to get into the signal and play our stuff. That’s what made it hard to show up at the rebellion, everyone knew what I looked like. My face was played all over the city.” His head tilts, hand trailing through Nate’s dark hair again, scanning his face. “What was it like in yours?” Did you have cameras? Screens, movies, photographs? Guns, cars, bikes?
'cause i might make a move
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
The translation of the one word he's missing is appreciated, Nate nodding in thanks as the statement makes sense, but it's far less important than the revelation of something shared between their pasts. It does catch him off guard some, for whatever reason he'd assumed Korofi had been like Caido, without the magic. Though, if he'd been able to assume there wasn't any technology, who's to say there wasn't magic too? Nate mirrors the excited smile, his arm shifting around Sunjata's shoulder and bringing them closer together while he tried to press everything he knew back together. Somehow, the addition of technology he knew made the little he knew of the other mans past more horrifying, more present to him.
They were having a good time though, and his worry could be bottled up for a different time. "We had... fuck, stolen cable so we could watch tv when I was a kid, and drive in movies and shit when I was older." It's hard to shrug while still staying upright in the water, but Nate manages. "There was PSA's and shit too, but... I think that's a little less intense than propaganda." He chuckles softly, leaning into the fingers in his hair. A dark brow rose in silent question to the gaze searching his face, wondering what exactly was being looked for, if his answer had been it.
I would never call him enemy He's the bad god I need
'cause my life is like a bedroom door don't lead me in when you feel low
Nate’s arm around him is a comforting touch, while the flashes of the scenes he’d witnessed and been a part of pop into his mind. And so he’s happy to oblige to the gentle readjustment, body pulled close to Nate’s just as his own reaches the Ascended – tail to tail, intertwining as much as he could. Still, the hand trails from the wet hair of his lover to trail down with the other one along Nate’s sides, keeping him close, keeping him upright while the waves bob the both of them in gentle dips and lifts.
He scans Nate’s face, listening at the mention of cable, drive in movies, and the curl of Sunjata’s lip grows a bit wider, a hum of amusement and thought slipping from his throat. There’s a slight nod in some sort of understanding – a PSA likely being like the notice board was here, from what Sunjata could tell, but the thing that stuck out the most was the talk of drive in movies. The smile shifts to a conspirators smirk, mischievous as he focuses on Nate a bit more. “Drive in, huh? Vehicles?” There’s a raise of his brow as he pauses, a light laugh slipping past his lips. “We had these… Armored vehicles for the enforcing and what not. Nothing fancy. The best one I had was a bike though, great for quick getaways.” A rogue grin crosses his face, attention on the Ascended with that tidbit of information.
'cause i might make a move
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Whatever earlier hesitation that had gripped Nate was gone now, overwhelmed by the urge to press against the other man as much as possible, to hold onto him until he could feel it. If they had every conversation like this Nate didn’t think he’d ever think of a reason to stop talking.
The look of mischief that spreads over Sunjata’s face has Nate’s heads tilting, wondering again what part of what he’s shared is so exciting. And despite the awkward way it’s phrased, the chance to talk about cars, his car, has him beaming. ”Nothing fancy? Didn’t-“ Nate cuts himself off, suddenly distracted by the idea of the other man on a bike. It makes sense, but the idea had never occurred to him before it was said out loud. It’s... surprisingly attractive, when he’d thought there was little else that could add to the other mans allure. ”Never got the chance to ride a bike.” He mumbles.
”I had a car.” The moment of distraction passes, and Nate returns to his earlier thought. ”You would’ve liked her, she was blue, and she purred like a kitten.” There’s a bright laugh at that, nostalgia claiming him.
I would never call him enemy He's the bad god I need
'cause my life is like a bedroom door don't lead me in when you feel low
It is a comforting touch, a sort of release that keeps him close to Nate, intertwined as they could be as the mention of vehicles has a Cheshire smirk crossing the korofian’s face. His hands continue their gentle roaming, lacing through wet locks of hair until settling at the way Nate cuts off. No, nothing fancy, not really – unless you considered a tank to be something fancy and not the terrifying machine it was. So instead, his head tilts a bit, sending a bit of water trailing down his temple as he hears the mumble. “It was a great quick escape.” He offers with a brighter grin. “Fit easily under an awning where the snipers couldn’t see. Just hop on and go through the alleys.” A bit of excitement lingering through this, despite the dark overhead comment that Sunjata skips by as if he’s talking about the sunrise.
But he stills himself as Nate mentions his car, the excitement still running through him as he focuses on the Ascended, at the bright laugh that accompanies it even as Sunjata raises a conspirator’s brow. “Blue is the best color.” He winks, before a hum of laughter strums through him to accompany Nate’s own. “What did it look like?” He asks, aside from the obvious of it being blue. Was it smooth and sporty, boxy, sharp edged and fierce? “And were there cities? Skyscraping buildings and all of that?” He can’t help the need to try and garner more – of how similar yet different their lives had been.
'cause i might make a move
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Fingers come up absently to push the trickle of water away from Sunjata's temple, back into his hair, an ultimately useless gesture considering the water around them. Nate was just happy to get his hands on the other man, to have his fingers curling through his hair. Blue eyes widen slightly, what started as a fun detail very quickly turning dark, though it doesn't seem to drag the other man down, so it passes without comment. For the moment at least.
There's a snort, Nate quietly amused by the wink, the luck that the him of the past had liked the blue. "Sleek. It was a long smooth curve, nothing too flashy, and a little smaller than other things that were available, but fuck, I loved that car." Nate shakes his head and sighs, though the grin clinging to his lips doesn't leave with his dramatics. In fact it grows a little more sly as he looks up again. "The inside was black leather. And a long bench seat." His brows waggle, as if the words need any more implication dripping from them.
It feels a little bit weird to only be talking about himself, his world, but if it keeps them away from the other man's darker memories, from talk of snipers and spirals, then Nate's happy to answer anything. "The house I grew up in was right across the river from a big city. Skyscrapers and all." Another soft laugh leaves him, his fingers slowly stilling in Sunjata's hair. "Me and Bart used to have all these big plans, said we were gonna leave, move out to the city, or... some other city, and never be found again." It sounds like such a childish dream now, despite the fact that in some way, he's achieved exactly that.
I would never call him enemy He's the bad god I need
'cause my life is like a bedroom door don't lead me in when you feel low
He leans into the touch Nate offers, a gentle wiping away of the water that trickles along his temple, as his gaze remains on Nate and his fingers continue their idle roaming through the Ascended's long dark hair. He brightens up a bit with the explanation of what it looked like, a small boyish smile overtaking the edges of his face. “I’d have loved to see it.” He admits quietly, nostalgia tugging at him as he tries to compare it similarly to the ones they had at home in Korofi. The sly response does bring another quiet chuckle to the air. “Was it big enough to fit my long legs in it though, that’s the question.” He tilts his head and winks back.
But he settles, amused as he waits for the explanation of the city, of the house he grew up in, those fingers tender and gentle as they wrap around the Ascended and keep him close and tangled up. The mention of Bart has his mind flickering toward the name — having not quite gotten the name before but based by how Nate speaks, Sunjata can only assume he means his twin. The smile grows a bit softer, and he leans forward to press a kiss to Nate’s cheek gently. “I had those plans too. With Lusea and Saartjie.” He murmurs quietly. “Consolation prizes for shitty upbringings, huh?” The smile grows a bit crooked with that, doing his best not to delve into it too much in case it brings up sadder memories.
“I grew up in a manor. Spikes all over the outside of it, huge hedges and trees so nobody could see in unless they were invited to.” He muses. “I got really good at climbing trees.” So what if he’d fallen out of them occasionally? “But the only thing I really wanted was just a house by the sea.” He trails off, gaze flickering along Nate’s face. Because he has that now, and someone to share it with.
'cause i might make a move
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Smiles are not uncommon on Nate's face, but the one he aims at Sunjata now, bright, and so wide he can't stop his eyes from crinkling, is rare. He doesn't need the approval, not really, when it's for something in another life, one that the other man could never touch, but it's still nice. "I could've found a way for you be real comfortable." Comes the purred reply, the fingers in the attuneds hair serving as the perfect way to hold him still so Nate could press a kiss to his lips, pulling back to explain about the place he'd grown up.
It's easiest to talk about memories with a healthy amount of space between him and them, Nate having long ago learned the trick of it. Keep things impersonal and they can never hurt you. This particular conversation is far from impersonal. He leans into the kiss easily, his eyes a little glassy when they find steel again, but the quiet words bring a huff of amusement, a matching crookedness on his face. "Something like that." There's something else in his throat, something he can't get the words to cooperate with, so he nods, and saves it to be the wrong thing to say next time.
Nate's hands shift around the other man when he starts describing his own childhood, trying to offer comfort. He can see the house being described in his minds eyes easily, though he'd always been on the wrong side of those fences. It's not lost on Nate that the one thing Sunjata wanted was something he had now, but it does raise another question, the first one that feels like an actual dip up in the conversation, instead of skimming the surface of darkness. "So what do you want now?"
I would never call him enemy He's the bad god I need
'cause my life is like a bedroom door don't lead me in when you feel low
The bright smile that crosses Nate’s face is something… Else, something different from what Sunjata was used to seeing. The crinkle around his eyes, the spark to the blue, all of things that Sunjata decides he wants to bring out more, something he’d love to give the other man again and again. All he can offer right now is a quiet hum of a sound from his throat, almost a challenge but not quite, not after Nate’s purred response and he leans in to kiss him, fingers tight in the dark brown waves of hair.
So he settles instead, offering what little bits he can to try and share some of the experiences and trauma of their upbringing — so different yet so similar all the same, is this perhaps why Sunjata meshes with the Ascended so well? There’s no justification required, no understanding, because Nate just simply gets it. It’s like breathing in a breath of fresh, cool air on a morning after suffocating. He offers a kiss, gentle and soft, before he explains the house he’d grown up in — keeping the white walled sad parts to himself, and focuses on the things he does have now.
Nate’s question does give him pause, and there’s a moment of sheepish anxiety that crosses Sunjata’s face, quite unlike him. He exhales a soft sound, pulling himself closer to Nate, needing the anchor that the Ascended has become for him. And when his gaze lifts to meet Nate’s there’s a brief roll of his shoulders in a shrug. “I don’t know.” He rumbles quietly. “I offered myself to Safrin to become something for her… Before I found out about Maea and all of that. I’m still doing the quest for it but I’m not sure…” He trails off, gaze searching for anything else other than the man intertwined with him. “I’m not sure whether it’ll change everything or keep it all the same.” He manages.
Was it worth it to make plans only to have them destroyed again in the end? Was it worth it to put all his stock into wanting something that might never happen? He doesn’t know, and he reverts back to that rebellious boy of the resistance, a rolling wave taking the punches and changing course as necessary.
'cause i might make a move
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Nate isn't really sure what he expects to hear, to see in response to his question. It wasn't like he had any idea what he was doing, where he was going. It's unfair to expect the other man to have the same. He shifts around Sunjata almost automatically, pulling him in closer, so they're cheek to cheek, almost hugging. There's nothing but patience in his touch, fingers tracing soft circles through wavy hair, Nate leaning back to meet the eyes that rise towards him. "You offered yourself up, huh?" There's the edge of a smirk on his lips, the words trying to be light, but it doesn't quite work right, too much worry lingering in it. He's heard mostly good things about Safrin, but that didn't mean he was quick to trust any of the Gods here.
"What kind of quest is it?" He asks instead of anything else, instead of how could it change everything? That's not something Nate actually wants to think about, if he's being honest, not something he wants to say out loud, for fear of bringing the consequences down on their heads. Instead, he lets his hand slip down to smooth along Sunjata's face, to try and draw that steely gaze back up.
I would never call him enemy He's the bad god I need
'cause my life is like a bedroom door don't lead me in when you feel low
As Nate shifts, the hand in his hair trace soft circles through it, Nate leaning back to meet those steel eyes that nearly edge toward the shade again. Despite the edge of a smirk, it does spark some sort of smile on Sunjata – though something perhaps a bit more closely related to being exasperation. He offered himself up, wholly, without thinking of what could happen. Without knowing of what had happened with Ronin and Safrin, of the child that had suddenly appeared… He sighs, and lifts his chin to at least be able to tell Nate what worries he has.
He can tie it in with what the quest is, at least. And he’s not entirely sure how the Ascended might take it, considering… The war that’s supposedly brewing, but he hopes that Nate realizes Sunjata wouldn’t do anything to intentionally hurt him. He has to know it, doesn’t he? “I asked to be something for her like Ronin and Amalia were. Amalia’s her Shield, Ronin’s her Star.” He chews on his lower lip briefly. “There’s those daggers I have back home, the ones with the stars all over the hilts of the both of them… She made them for me. I think I’m to become her dagger.” His voice grows a bit quieter here, but at least he lets his head move within Nate’s hand to meet the Ascended’s gaze with the gentle guidance.
“I have to get the blood of every race on one of them. The other has to be used for justice. And then I have to go back and see what else she needs from me.” There’s a quiet sigh that slips from his lips, his gaze shuttering slightly as he considers it. And he swallows hard, the seriousness of the conversation winning out in the end. “You know… Seren is Ronin and Safrin’s, right? He didn’t know what he did with Safrin was real, Nate. He thought it was a dream and some small amount of time later Safrin came down and gave Seren to him to care for… What, two seasons after his daughter was killed during Fiat Lux?” Perhaps it answers his uncertainty about how it could change everything. What if he’s made to do something that would change everything else? What if she did something to him that would change him forever?
Would Nate stay?
'cause i might make a move
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
It does nothing to quell the worry in Nate's mind when stormy eyes rise up to meet him gaze again, the smirk on the other mans face almost making the shadows more concerning. He doesn't know a lot about Safrin though, has steered clear of all the gods but the Voice. There's a huff of disbelief that leaves him as Sunjata's explanation begins though, Nate's brows rising. "That's... kind of an open request, don't you think?" He murmurs, before nodding as Sunjata continues, the daggers a familiar sight in their home. There's a pause, his previous statement answered, but bringing new questions with it. "What exactly does that mean?" There was something about the specificity of dagger as opposed to sword, or even just blade, that felt... sinister?
The description of the quest itself didn't help the quiet discomfort simmering in Nate. It's clear, in the way his jaw works, the way his tongue darts out to wet his lips, that he's having some trouble swallowing it all, but finally, he nods, fingers tapping Sunjata's face gently. "If... I can help with that, the blood, let me know." The offer was half spite, something about willingly doing something for Safrin feeling like a rebellion, in the face of a goddess ignoring him. The other half, was a conscious, deliberate choice to trust in Sunjata, in his plans. To stand by him.
"I knew she was Ronin and Safrin's, she was all too excited to tell me, but..." A short sigh streams out Nate's nose, all of this suddenly far more complicated than he'd expected. "I didn't know it started as a dream though." This, like many things about Sunjata, is not something Nate has enough experience to deal with, so he reverts back to old habits, an almost easy smirk crossing his face. "There any dreams you need to warn me about then?" There were a lot of things he could roll with, a lot of things he could accept in the moment and nod along to, but a kid was one of those things he needed at least a little bit of warning for.
There was little Nate considered more life changing than a child, the example suddenly bringing home just how much things had the potential to change. It was impossible to know what he would do until it happened, but it didn't stop his mind spiralling, trying to come up with situations, and solutions, before anything had even happened.
I would never call him enemy He's the bad god I need
