folternis

[folternis]

there's something fascinatingly understated about jakob. he wears too much of what he is right there on his face, though niles refrains from pointing that out in this moment.

who knows what effect that might have? and right now, he's been very pleased with what he has elicited. jakob is so deliciously predictable, the way he flusters and flounders. niles is surprised at how easy it is, but not displeased. his eye flicks toward jakob's throat, noting the way his breathing catches.

he suspected that jakob was precisely as starved for touch as he'd looked.

( there is no banquet too abundant for a man who has been denied, is there? )

he doesn't draw attention to that either, though.

he doesn't want to chase him off, by knowing too much, seeing too much.

"and if i told you i haven't tried this on anyone else? at least not today. what would you think then?" he asks, sliding obediently off jakob's desk and taking care not to tear any papers on his way. "is that really what you think of me? the kind of man to just try and cast a wide enough net as to catch something?"

he's amused, not insulted, but he pretends for a moment that he's very insulted indeed.

he ignores jakob's instruction to leave, at least for now. he'll hold onto that card, play it only when it's less convenient for the other man.

"maybe i really just wanted to get my teeth into you today."

he wants to hear it again, wants jakob to fluster and twitch and tell him to leave again.

𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙩

continued from here x.

[folternis]

"Welcome back, Niles," Leo greets warmly, expression for once unguarded. It's a relief, having one half of his retainers again at his side.

(He need not worry about the archer, yet Leo cannot help but wonder what trouble Niles will land himself in without someone there to break his fall.)

"How is Nohr? Flourishing under Xander's leadership, I presume?" There's no trace of mockery in his tone. Nohr deserves a king who loves her.

"Ah, before I forget--I also heard your wife arrived recently. Should either of you need anything, please let me know."

niles is ever-pleased to see that leo is still here. he dislikes being away from his side ( that place where he belongs, near liege-friend-savior ) but sometimes needs must. niles is more than happy to be the one sent away if it means he can better acquire what he needs in service to the younger of nohr's princes.

"nohr is doing as well as you expect, milord," he says, nodding. for once his easy smile is not present, and in its place is a more sincere expression, one of contentment rather than play-acting at amusement. it's good to finally be able to pass along good news more frequently than bad.

he isn't well-suited to peacetime, but that doesn't mean he's not happy with it.

"your brother is a spectacular ruler—i'm happy to report that all is well."

he brightens just a little at the mention of his wife. it's a subtle expression, his visible eye widening just a touch, but it's likely one leo would know him well enough to pick up on. then he blinks and it's gone.

"i'll keep that in mind. but you know, it's not your job to see to anything i need, is it?"

[folternis]

-- holding your lover by the jaw to kiss them .

He was moving around too much. He did that, sometimes, or maybe he didn't; Azura was particular about some things, and she knew that she was the strange one in most situations like this. She knew her husband, though, and knew how to get him to pay attention to her.

Her hand was cold as she reached out and held Niles' jaw. She moved his face so he would look at her, and without another word she kissed him.

It was a serious thing at first, demanding in as much as Azura could demand anything of anyone. But soon it became distinctly hers, the ebb and flow of emotion that had pooled up in her chest rising up like a tidal wave. It seeped through everything, her kiss and her hands on Niles' body, down to the earth beneath them.

She pulled back to look at him, her eyes looking into his. "I want you to stop worrying," she said softly. "And I want you to take me to bed now, please."

kiss & tell | accepting !

he was surprised, as she grabbed him. his body language became infinitely more relaxed than it should have been ( and had it been anyone else, he would have tensed, maybe would have driven a knife through their gut ) but she did always have that effect on him.

he'll let her flow over him like running water, inexorable as the tide. and if she is water, then what is he, in this metaphor? is he a shark? stuck moving to and fro, unable to stop lest he stop breathing and choke on the lack of motion?

or is this metaphor clumsy, as are other things. niles is not usually clumsy, but she reduces him to such a state nonetheless.

"you think my taking you to bed would make me less worried? you mean to distract me. i... could be open to that. with me, then, wife. i'll make us both forget our worries."

[folternis]

a kiss shared on a rooftop while the sun sets .

kiss & tell | accepting !

zihark is charming. quiet (which niles doesn't dislike), competent (which he's curious about), and easy enough to fluster (which is, of course, ever-amusing).

for all that he acts with that calm, even temper... well, niles can see that there's something more beneath, like how a pond will show only ripples on the surface when there's something brewing beneath. no matter. niles is something of an expert in ferreting out responses, good or bad.

it will remain to be seen what this will evoke. he eyes the swordsman with something that might be wariness and might be interest as the sun sets. the view is... he has to admit it's almost pretty. it will be better when it's a bit later, and the moon is out, and the sky is blanketed with stars. but what he's planning has no place with the backdrop of a pretty sky. no, something with that almost qualifier is better suited.

he grabs zihark by the chin, with all the impatience of someone trying to act before he thinks better of it, and kisses him swiftly. when he pulls back he is watching him, curious, as if more concerned with how he'll respond than with the act itself.

[folternis]

kissing them to shut them up . (how many of these do you think niles is gunna get)

kiss & tell | accepting !

he talks too much. he knows he talks too much, and too crudely. he's been told it before, he's likely to hear it again. but lord leo is indulgent of his bad habits and so he sees no need to curb them.

rather, he indulges them freely. consequences catch up sometimes, though, don't they? the press of lips against his own is certainly something like a consequence. it certainly cuts off the tail end of his sentence, but in return it sends his mind twisting in a number of new directions.

the surprise of it does quiet him for the moment. her goal is surely achieved, then.

he's never one to let someone have more than a momentary victory, and so a lazy grin spreads across his face.

"lost my train of thought. impressive," he admits, tilting his head just a little. "now... how should i pay you back for that? let me think..."

[folternis]

↪     𝑲𝑰𝑺𝑺  ﹠ ᵀᴱᴸᴸ .    (  a  collection  of  50+ kiss prompts .   feel  free  to  specify  the  initiating  muse .  potentially  nsfw  content  within .   will  be  updated .)

finally kissing the person you’ve been pining for .

a kiss shared during a game  ( truth or dare ,  spin the bottle ,  etc ) .

kissing your lover to show you forgive them .

neck kisses that turn into love bites .

wiping away your lover’s tears as you kiss them .

a kiss to prove you don’t have feelings for them .

a last kiss before one goes away .

biting your lover’s lip amidst a kiss .

an emotional kiss bringing one party to tears .

a kiss while being reunited after a long time .

kissing your lover in a moment of sheer joy .

a kiss while slow dancing .

sharing a spontaneous kiss with a stranger .

an abrupt ,  heated kiss during the middle of a fight .

kissing them to shut them up .

a kiss to wake your lover up in the morning .

sharing a kiss in a heavy downpour of rain .

kissing your partner to seal a marriage .

a possessive kiss that is meant to stake a claim .

a kiss to resolve suppressed romantic/sexual tension .

a kiss attempting to convince the other party to stay .

kissing the top of their head as you hold them .

a risky kiss between forbidden lovers .

stolen kisses while hiding away from a crowd .

a kiss that leaves lipstick stains .

a kiss shared on a rooftop while the sun sets .

a flirtatious kiss on the back of the hand .

sneaking off to a public bathroom to make out .

a kiss on the forehead as the other sleeps .

an  ( accidental / mutually )  drunken kiss .

caging your lover against a wall with your arms to kiss them .

a kiss after joining your lover in the shower .

a kiss after receiving good news .

a tentative ,  exploratory kiss between friends .

a kiss shared between enemies during combat .

kissing your lover after believing you’d lost them .

a kiss after a devastating event ,  meant to comfort .

a possessive kiss in front of a jealous third party .

kissing your lover under the night sky while stargazing .

a kiss between two people in a fake relationship .

a kiss that seals a promise .

kissing your lover lazily first thing in the morning .

holding your lover by the jaw to kiss them .

kissing the tears from their cheeks .

a kiss to your lover’s stomach as you travel down their body .

an abrupt kiss that you melt into after a moment of hesitation .

sleepy ,  domestic morning kisses in the kitchen while making breakfast .

a rushed kiss before one party leaves for work .

a kiss shared while holding your dying lover .

[folternis]

he takes note of the mercenary's focus and probable awareness of his own staring and grins, amused. he's not trying to make him uncomfortable at all, or at least no more than usual.

"zihark. a pleasure to meet you. you can call me niles."

no more than he would with anyone. but they are to be working together, and so there's a measure of… well, not respect. but he's holding back, okay? he's trying to be nice and personable and friendly.

he is not about to be the first one into the cave, though. he's not feeling that friendly.

niles watches as zihark obediently takes a few steps into the cave. he's right behind him, of course, but he's always reluctant to take the first steps and risk danger, at least with anyone other than lord leo. anyone else? well, it's better to be careful.

he eyes the tide and shrugs.

"dinner, hm? now you're just trying to get something out of me, aren't you?"

he doesn't sound angry. more curious. as if he's always looking for an ulterior motive. he gives him a lazy smile, though. "i'll accept. assuming we get out of this in one piece and with heavy pockets, at least."

𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙫𝙚

affluence mission board | bow + 1

[folternis]

a trip out with one of the newer knights ( or at least, niles does not remember seeing him around until recently ) is not what he had expected to put on his agenda, but it promises to be rewarding, in some way or another.

the knight he's helping out is not what he typically sees from the profession. this one is more like a mercenary, in demeanor and in the way he's dressed. none of the polished helms he typically associates with the church.

it marks the man as interesting, an anomaly, and most certainly a foreigner. niles wonders, not for the first time, what draws foreigners to this land into positions of knighthood with the church, as so few seem to share religious ties. is it a moral thing? a chivalric code? more and more curious.

questions he'll attempt to ask with effort. but for now... the cave is just ahead. it promises to be both pretty and profitable. too good to be true, if you ask him.

"after you," he says, giving the other man a grand sweeping bow, as if to suggest he go first. "let's see if this place is all it's promised to be."

@swordsmanoftranquility

𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙫𝙚

affluence mission board | bow + 1

[folternis]

niles' eyebrows lift slightly as he catches sight of his son. he puts his hands on his hips as he stays to watch the boy—ah, watch him miss.

if it were anyone else, he'd probably laugh.

instead, he just watches, inspecting his form and trying to think in advance of ways he could help him improve. so much of it is muscle memory, things learned through form correction and extensive practice rather than described outright. still, he's seen more hopeless cases here, been the poor sod assigned to helping even them.

as shigure finally notices him, niles can't help but smile.

( something about this boy, bringing out a soft side in him he usually keeps better-hidden )

he immediately moves to hug shigure—tightly as he can. he wonders distantly, and not for the first time, if shigure inherited his sicknesses, his wrongness. if he did, he shows no signs of it. every time he thinks of this, he feels relief. like he is not inherently contaminated, beyond repair. that something good can come from him.

"no, you're not there at all. why are you working so hard at the bow? if i'm not mistaken, you've always been more reliable up close."

( not ) a sharpshooter !

[folternis]

angels aren't just flesh and feather. divine things ( inasmuch as a man like niles could believe in something like that ) come in all sorts of patterns and palettes, aspen bark and rose thorns and... seafoam. in the right light, anything can be holy enough to make even someone like him feel—

oh, never mind it.

she looks lost, and he hates that. he doesn't want to look away, though. to see her again... it's all he can do not to pull her into his arms, and damn the consequences, and the thorns.

instead, he unfastens his cloak and drops it onto her shoulders.

"don't you dare tell me to go. not now."

distance is not something he can tolerate, not after the absence of her, in the aftermath of the war. in the aftermath of her songs.

✧.* that's what the water gave me.

[REUNION] - Niles & Azura.

[folternis]

niles cannot help but laugh at the reprimand given to the knight, and by a student of all things. there's something amusing in that, and in the way it doesn't seem to matter.

their battle is going well enough that he's feeling cocky. more than that, he's feeling mirthful.

( maybe if they finish quickly, he can turn his weapons toward his comrades as well. all in the name of good fun, of course. )

but for now, there is still a little resistance left on the field.

he finally turns his attention to the one in armor, catching him in his sights.

Niles declares Calm Philosopher 5/10HP his target for Valentian Bowmanship. Sue’s Backup activates! -1HP, Calm Philosopher 4/10HPCalm Philosopher’s Defiant Defense activates. Calm Philosopher’s DEF is now +6.

sue's arrow hits a gap in the armor, and something about that strike seems to awaken something in the shadowy figure. agitation, maybe? he can't get a read, likely because this is not a real person.

obfuscated as the figure is, though, niles detects something and grins. he can weaken the man, no problem, all he has to do is strike true.

Niles 10/10HP critically hits Calm Philosopher 4/10HP with Stunner [Roll: 15 - 4 = 11, -2HP, Calm Philosopher 2/10HP]. Niles 10/10HP misses Calm Philosopher 2/10HP with Stunner [Roll: 3 - 4 = -1, -0HP, Calm Philosopher 2/10HP].

one shot lands, the other bounces harmlessly off the armor. it matters little, he can see that the imposing force is no longer so imposing.

"got him! he's not nearly as tough as he looks!"

without the blazing, it's just bullshit - team 11

summer arena 2024, gold round

[folternis]

niles watches as sue makes short work of another of their foes. this is good, they're honestly making good time with this, and doing much better than before.

again, their enemies target the armored student. again, this is a futule act.

the confusion seems to have even one of their allies attacking him, though, and his eyebrows raise as the knight makes similarly futile attacks, harming himself in the process.

a smile pulls at his lips. more and more entertaining...

but he must focus.

Selkiesheen does not activate! [Roll: 2]

he considers his bow, but again takes aim with the spell. he enjoys the way it gets that shadow all tangled up, helpless and pathetic, stops it from hitting back.

Niles 10/10HP hits The Future 8.5/10HP with Candlelight at range [Roll: 14, -1.5HP, The Future 7/10HP]The Future 7/10HP and Calm Philosopher 8/10HP are afflicted with Bind and cannot make ranged attacks.

his spell goes on to strike true, just as before, hitting and entangling the figure.

"aha! now, while she's relatively contained!"

without the blazing, it's just bullshit - team 11

summer arena 2024, gold round

[folternis]

he laughs, and there's genuine delight in it. momentary reprieve from the bombardment of uphill battles can do wonders for a man's mood.

even as he watches his ally try and fail to hit the cavalryman, he's confident in the team's success.

it will only be a matter of time. he looks to the purple-haired student as if with new awareness of their capabilities. the sword did little against the armor, but their technique is good.

"hah. don't worry, you'll do better against a different target, i'm sure!"

he looks over their opponents again. where at first he had assumed none were familiar, the one on horseback finally catches his eye.

no one he knows well, but he bears a resemblance to one of hoshido's royal retainers. he's looked into his nation's enemy, of course, to better serve lord leo.

a frown, but he dismisses it, for the moment, as a coincidence.

instead, he looks around at what remains on the field.

"this one, perhaps! let me soften her up for you..."

Selkiesheen does not activate! [Roll: 2] Sue’s Backup activates! -1HP The Future 9/10HP

sue's arrow strikes true. he smiles again, cold and mean, as he momentarily foregoes that nice bow for the tome he carries, taking aim at the woman in the bridal gown.

Niles 10/10HP hits The Future 9/10HP at range with Candlelight [Roll: 7, -1.5HP, The Future 7.5/10HP]The Future 7.5/10HP and Calm Philosopher 8/10HP are afflicted with Bind and cannot make ranged attacks.

his spell connects, knocking her somewhat off-balance and ensnaring her such that she'll find it difficult to hit back.

"she's been weakened, at least. let’s pick off those who remain."

without the blazing, it's just bullshit - team 11

summer arena 2024, gold round

[folternis]

it is not often that one's presumed-dead wife stumbles back home.

well, not home, strictly speaking.

( what would be their home? his is nohr, at least generally. more specifically it is at lord leo's side, of course, niles cannot forego his duty to his savior, nor would he try. so his home is less a place than a duty.

and hers is—he does not know. has he ever known? add this to the list of things he regrets never having asked, but she has always seemed apart from nohr and hoshido both, in a way he could not fully grasp. )

still, this is not something he'd dared expect and yet... he would know her anywhere. even a cruel man such as he has weaknesses, has someone would break himself across the fields and stone of the world to find, had he thought it would be possible. across miles and centuries. he is glad she came back to him instead.

"azura!" he calls out, rushing to her side in an instant.

✧.* that's what the water gave me.

[REUNION] - Niles & Azura.

[folternis]

things will be different this time.

is that an oversimplification? perhaps. niles is not an optimistic person by nature, but he is a terribly stubborn one. as they step into the arena once again, they are face to face with surprisingly normal-looking figures.

despite intimidating weapons and armor, they do not appear overly dangerous. certainly not like the monstrous things they'd fought before. niles is not about to get cocky ( yet ) and surveys them closely. as his allies' shots go wide, he prepares for this to be—difficult. these things are agile, evasive.

there's danger in that.

Niles declares Atoning Strategist 10/10HP his target for Valentian Bowmanship. Selkiesheen does not activate [Roll: 2]

he scans the field, looking for the best target. he settles on the archer, picking out her bow as a potential danger.

as he takes aim, his new favorite student aims a shot at the target she'd missed earlier, hitting this time. he grins.

"nice one! maybe there's hope for us all yet!"

it definitely weakened their enemy.

Niles 10/10HP critically hits Atoning Strategist 9/10HP with Stunner [Roll: 19 - 8 = 11, -10HP Atoning Strategist 0/10HP]. Atoning Strategist has been defeated!

with his target in his sight, he shoots, a smile on his face as his arrow seems to rip through her. the magic of it, combined with his impeccable aim...

he's always been a bit of a crackshot.

"take that! now, let's keep this up!"

@inserviceto

without the blazing, it's just bullshit - team 11

summer arena 2024, gold round

[folternis]

niles nods, considering this. it sounds like there's something personal here, likely an experience of the boy's own or that of a loved one. niles does not pry into that, wants to let him keep his secrets, at least as best he can.

besides, he's already heard plenty.

he can help with this; of course he's only agreeing to satisfy his own wants, but he does genuinely think he can help.

"leave it to me, little lord. you'll be in good hands. if you'll follow me to my office? we can work there, i don't think many people will be in today. not on a sunday, with the weather so pleasant."

are you sure this BetterHelp program is accredited?

[AFFLUENCE] - faith+1, Niles & Eliwood.

[folternis]

niles raises his eyebrows a bit, appraising the kid. naïveté practically oozes off him. it's amusing, to say the least, but it's also an opportunity to play.

he has a certain responsibility bequeathed upon him in the form of his job here. he's not going to be too harsh. but come on, the promise of someone with this lack of guile...

well, maybe not a lack, but certainly less than many have. and the perfect opportunity, someone who wants a bit of pain, as well as someone with a self-professed fear of it.

"you're okay with pain on the battlefield but... torture might be beyond what you can handle, you said?"

it's really too perfect. niles hasn't had a chance to play in some time, at least not since he's arrived here.

"it won't be any trouble. and... i don't think it's foolish to fear being trapped somewhere, at the mercy of those who might hurt you. many people fear it. it's what makes torture so well-used a method of information-gathering."

are you sure this BetterHelp program is accredited?

[AFFLUENCE] - faith+1, Niles & Eliwood.