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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!
Whether I'm gonna curse you out or Take you back to my house
As she'd done with the shrine out on the ice, Flora placed a small bottle that contained sand and water from Torchline's shores on one of the ledges inside the Citadel's shrine. Lighting a candle, the queen closed her eyes, offering a small prayer to Safrin before dripping some of the wax into the shape of the star upon the altar. If it was blasphemous to do, the queen was quite certain Safrin would forgive her for it.
Stepping back out onto the busy street, Flora tugged her scarf a touch tighter around her neck. Even though it was Longheat Halo was by no means warm, not even with the temperature barrier stretching over the city. She wasn't at risk of frostbite the way she had been out on the ice, but even so, the Doubletake consistently wondered how and why the Halovians continued to live here.
Having sent a letter to Deimos asking him to meet her, the queen hovered by the entrance of the shrine, her eyes scouring the crowd for the Sword whose height and presence ought to have him sticking out like a sore thumb.
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
The stretches of Longheat had still done wonders for Halo, regardless of any visitors’ feelings. Warmer than usual, it assisted with growth amidst the brief pillars of greenery beyond the tundra, along with some burst of energy from the rest of them – working on their next set of scruples for the region. They could savor it for now, as the next few seasons were the harder ones, pressing back into the cold.
Between Starfall enterprises, Warden responsibilities, and family ties, the Sword still found time in between to dedicate to other means and measures (and avoiding paperwork). Leaving Erebos with Evie at this juncture, for he wasn’t entirely certain what Flora required, he left the barracks, winding around towards the shrine on long strides, towering over a majority of the crowd, parting portions of them easily as they moved alongside at his presence or simply felt a shadow nearby.
He gave a singular nod and a rumbled greeting towards the Torchline queen, not bothering to ask why they were at the altar; she’d mentioned previous pilgrimages before. He’d done enough of them in the past to comprehend the necessity. “Flora.” His glance went towards the offerings, some new and some faded, noting the star-shape with a vague smile, but saying nothing. Instead, his gaze returned to the Doubletake. “Did you need something?”
Whether I'm gonna curse you out or Take you back to my house
Watching the crowd part to allow the Warden through, for a man who cut such an intimidating figure, his reception was warmly received by those he passed by, with most whispering polite hellos. "Hiya!" Stepping down from the steps and thus immediately having to tilt her chin up to keep the Sword's gaze in hers, the Doubletake grins.
"I do, in fact. I was hoping we could trade." Still annoyed with both of her dads for the way they'd ambushed her and Jack, what Flora was about to do was certainly petty, but still saw that the lily she procured found its way into the right hands. "I was hoping you could make me a ring. Nothing magical, I just...wanted it to be very specific." She explains with a small shrug. "And in return, I'll give you one of Rae's Lilies."
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
Not expecting a trade, his brow arched even further, head tilting to indicate his listening and curiosity. And while the semblances spelled out might’ve been simple enough, it said far more that she was willing to exchange a lily for something he could make within half a moment (and that he’d just as easily give, with no need for transactions). His eyes narrowed significantly, pondering if there was a catch, but not voicing it yet. “Congratulations. Was this one you quested for?” Or perhaps he was merely hoping someone out there had snagged one from Frey’s Breath – to hear it was possible after so much time.
Contorting and creating a piece of parchment and charcoal into his hands, which was probably an already registered acceptance, the statements and questions were a considerate weight, meandering through the machinations in his mind. “I can do that. What were you thinking?” She could detail it for him, or even draw the artifact out herself – but the notion thereafter was one that had been lingering behind his teeth. “You were not going to give the flower to your fathers?” They'd likely be involved in any discussions about what to do with it thereafter, regardless, but perhaps there was something else going on that he didn't want to be implicated in.
Whether I'm gonna curse you out or Take you back to my house
"Yep! I went to see Rae just a few days ago." Flora confirms with a bounce of her head, having forgotten all about mentioning her quest to the Sword when last she saw him.
Glancing at the parchment, the Doubletake grins. "Okay so—" Flora hadn't inherited Remi's artistic talents the way her brother had, so instead she sketched out her idea with words: a thin golden band inlaid with stars on both the outside and the inside with a stylized eye in the centre.
As for the flower? Pulling her gaze up from the parchment and peering at the Sword through the curtain of her bangs, Flora sighs and wrinkles her nose. "I'm not talking to them right now because they're assholes." Succinctly said, the Doubletake shrugs. For all that Flora was, private was not normally an attribute associated with her, nor was she one to sugar-coat the truth. Obviously she wasn't going to keep the lily to herself simply to be petty, not when it would no doubt play such an important role in protecting Caido, but that didn't mean she wouldn't happily give it to someone else on the A-Team rather than her dads.
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
He nodded at the Rae confirmation, at least knowing those portions were still feasible if they became desperate, and then watched Flora’s ideas come to life along the parchment. Thin golden bands, inlaid stars outwards and inwards, eye in the center.
He would’ve started creating it right then and there, but the reasoning behind her flower extensions had him snorting. Not wanting any other information than that, and perhaps dreading days where he may very well be on the receiving end of pettiness from his own child (perhaps Erebos wouldn’t inherit the inclinations towards spite), he shook his head. “All right.” Acceptance, easily done and committed.
From there, his eyes went to the paper instead, committing the image to his mind, before turning over his hands. They began their usual gilded glow, mustering creation enchantments and incantations with scarcely a breath, motions unfurling and contorting in the accords of what she’d drawn. Formed along his palms was an exact replica; resplendent and star-embedded, down to the eye middle – and then he gave it over to her for inspection. “Will that do?”
Whether I'm gonna curse you out or Take you back to my house
As the Sword went to work, Flora's gasp was as theatrical as it was genuine. It was a fairly rare skill in Caido, and as Remi had lost the ability long before she was born, it was the first time she'd ever seen something created from nothing right in front of her. "That's so fucking cool." She hums, sounding more like the 21-year-old that she was, rather than Torchline's queen coming to trade one of the most valuable plants on the entire continent to Halo's Warden.
Taking the band, Flora fits it over her pinky. Though she shared a good amount of her jewelry these days with Jack, there wouldn't ever be a need for him to have something like this, and so the fact that it was quite small didn't matter. "Ugh, it's perfect!" Grinning up at the Sword, Flora reaches into the bag slung over her shoulder. The bloom was placed inside of a lantern, with leftover bits of manure and healing water in the bottom as well as a bit of sand to help with drainage.
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
At Flora’s gasp, he snorted and shook his head; recalling an exact time when her father could do just the same – creating and contorting and thinking nothing of it. Hopefully, in time, he found other ways to manage the artisan lines. But that was neither here nor there presently, and he handed over the small ring dutifully. “Thank you.”
The tradeoff was swift and keen, and no sooner had he relinquished the band, did he find the flower, with all its accoutrements and lantern adornments, within his grasp. “It will go to good use.” Either placed on Starfall amidst its brethren, or among the infected wilds; the decision yet to be made but letters would be swiftly churning once they were done here. With everything finalized and the transaction complete, he muffled a laugh at the swiftness, but appreciated the abrupt exchange all the same. “Take care.”
