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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!
Lena couldn’t help but snort as Mittens went to retrieve the arrow again, extending her arm out to her snowball companion as it dropped the armament within her palm. She gently began to put things away though, reassembling them back into her bag, careful not to bombard the gifts laden and hidden within. The strain in her muscles was another reminder of further things to implement, but nothing a little time and remedy in the bath couldn’t fix. “We’ll see about that,” she mustered with a wrinkle to her nose, and then the subject changed to what she’d sought out initially.
Brightening again, with a radiant grin, she snagged at the presents she’d grabbed, eager to share. But instead of placing them outwards immediately, she warded them behind her back. “Of course I am. Shall I close my eyes?”
Despite his love of training, Zavien was somehow more excited for their next activity. So as Lena agreed, he chuckled, moving towards his own belongings. Her offer was met with a vibrant grin, green eyes sparkling with a speck of mischief. "Absolutely." And when he saw that her eyes were finally closed, Zavien reached into his bag to retrieve the small box with a lilac ribbon on it. Conflicted, he almost aborted his plan, but he steeled his nerves as he instructed her, "Don't move."
Opening the box, he retrieved the necklace with careful caution. It looked small in his hands, the gold and amethyst catching the sunlight beautifully. The clasp took him a few tries before he was able to step forward, glancing at her face with a soft smile. He suddenly noticed how loud his breaths were, wondering if she could hear the racing of his heart. Luckily, he succeeded in placing it around her neck without any unfortunate incidents.
Zavien took a moment to praise himself for the way the lavender charm shone against her tan complexion. It made his chest swell momentarily. He gave her some space as he said quietly, "Okay. Open your eyes." He waited with bated breath to see her reaction. Alys had reassured him of his choice, and he didn't think she would be disappointed with his gift, but there was still a kernel of doubt sending butterflies through his stomach.
That giddy little excitement and enthrallment rang over all the other emotions; alternating over the dread and gloom, the misgivings and precedents, the unknown and the gaping mire. Instead, she laughed as he uttered don’t move, purposefully stock still, save for the grin on her face. It felt like an eternity – and she was half-inclined to open one eye just to see what he was getting up to – but then then were movements around her neck, and she was motionless again.
The lightest touch of a cool, metallic chain fell around her skin, and she could ascertain some sort of necklace. Once everything was declared ready though, her gaze flickered towards the golden essence and the embedded nuances; recognizing the lavender nestled against her flesh instantly. “It’s beautiful,” she gasped, a few breaths following through, trying to calm the rush of something across her senses, but the flush of her cheeks was still there and she could feel some semblance of tears threatening to trickle against the corners of her eyes. Maybe she hadn't realized how deep Gavin's sentimentality ran; or how clear and distinct some memories and meetings had become. “Thank you. This is very thoughtful,” and her fingers went to brush over the charm, before lingering at the close-knit touches of his shirt, purposefully dashing away a few stray tears with the palm of one hand, a laugh following thereafter. “Don’t think I can top that one.”
Zavien was a simple man, and Lena's words pushed away any uncertainty that loomed over his decision. If he hadn't grown up with an emotional woman, he might have panicked to see the tears forming in her eyes. Even still, it brought his heart racing faster to see such a passionate response to the necklace. Why had he been so worried?
Smiling, he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm glad you like it." His chest swelled with a mix of emotions and with enough time, he may have been able to give each a name, piecing together what this moment meant to him; but for now, all he cared to know was that every single feeling made him all the more happy to have Lena before him. Although he couldn't put it into words, he hoped that she realized the significance of his gift and how much she consumed his thoughts.
Her joking words flared both his pride and protective nature. He didn't want her to feel like this was supposed to be some kind of 'equal exchange,' or that she ever owed him anything. Zavien cupped his hand against the side of her head, chuckling softly. "Luckily, it's not a competition." He used his thumb to brush away the dampness of her tears, reminding himself that they were a good thing and not a reason to be alarmed. His voice was gentle and full of emotion as he added, "And your smile is more than enough."
Lena gave a light laugh, letting the mellifluous moment not be snagged by miscommunicating ventures. Her smile being more than enough might have conjured another, but she shook her head, only escaping his embrace to provide and preside in her own gifting semblances. “We’ll see,” she uttered with a wrinkle to her nose, casting some amusement and mirth, but eager to see how he’d react to the gifts.
The first, that she’d been hiding behind her back anyway (and she was content in hoping he hadn’t peeked), made her catch one of his hands and gently turn it over, depositing a cowboy hat (upside down, of course), with the inside portions filled to the brim with an assortment of goodies. Greatwood delicacies and treats, including clotted cream fudge, lemon drops, gummy starwhales, and bits and pieces of favored chocolates and flavors sat within. Then, not to be outdone, while his palms were full of those notions, she laid out the shoulder guards and breastplate she’d found in the forest-laden market too.
Stepping back, she gave another grin. “There!” Then all the Caretaker could do was watch his face for a reaction – wondering if she should be giving explanations or reasonings…or to simply let him figure it out.
Her reaction to his words made him smile, shaking his head at the absolute stubbornness. Little did he know how much she'd brought. He hadn't peeked at all, and was pleasantly surprised when she placed a cowboy hat in his hand, filled to the literal brim with sweets and candies. Zavien's eyes brightened, excited to try all the different options. "Oooh. These look delicious!" He raised his gaze to hers as he asked, "You're going to help me eat all of this, right?"
But then she was filling his arms with even more, and Zavien burst out into a full-belly laugh. "You really went all out." Not really used to receiving gifts, he just stood there for a moment, uncertain how to proceed. His hands shuffled the items in his indecision. It seemed obvious to try on the hat, but it was kind of impossible with all the goodies being carefully contained within it. And his thick layers would make it hard to try on the armor. He settled for a beaming smile, balancing it all in one arm to pull her into a hug. "Thank you, Lena. I really appreciate how much thought you put into it." She obviously knew him very well, even if the hat wasn't necessarily something he'd considered before, it was probably the thing he was most excited about. Chuckling, he looked again at the assortment of items, completely baffled. "Where did you get it all?"
“If you’d like,” she grinned; though she hadn’t put any of her favorites in the hat (they were for him, after all), she could easily tolerate quite a few of the morsels. But then she watched for reactions, perhaps ensuring her own apprehensions were ill placed and that she’d done well with the bestowals. Perhaps, because the Caretaker always willingly gave herself over to others in so many ways, this one meant a touch more.
Seeing him struggle, she shook her head and took the hat out of his hands, grasping it so he might inspect the other wares. “You’re welcome,” she beamed, still a little apprehensive and nervous about the armor situation, so she began rattling off, utilizing words and explanations to ease the restlessness. “Noe and I went shopping in the Greatwood – the hat was more of a joke. Some were so ridiculous! But – I figured you’d be able to pull this one off easily.” Another sunshine grin followed, before more animated discourse with her hands as she pointed at the armor. “If that doesn’t work out, I can probably find something more suitable – but I thought you’d be able to get them enchanted by a herald, if you ever wanted, to really enhance them.”
"Considering you put so much work into it, I'd hate for you to miss out on all the deliciousness." That, and he'd most certainly give himself a stomachache. He was totally self-aware that he had no control when it came to sweets, like a kid stuffing his face, he'd end up in a sugar coma. Lena may like him now, but he wasn't so sure she'd find his snoring, blue-stained face very attractive. And then Sol would probably get into what was left, joining him in unconscious bliss.
He couldn't stop smiling as he let her take the hat from his grasp. "I actually really like it." Zavien hadn't ever been one for hats, but he liked the way the wide brim and dark leather looked practical as well as 'fashionable' (not that he was any expert on that). "It'll be great for travel, yard work, and any other excuse I can find to wear it." He already planned to relocate the snacks so that he could proudly wear it on their trip back to Stormbreak. Sol would probably find him wearing it around the house just for the fun of it, tipping it to imaginary people with a polite "ma'am."
However, with the hat out of his hands, the Dragoon took a moment to look closer at the armor, running his hands admiringly over its surface. It was well-crafted and perfect for its purpose. Even without enchantments, the paneling would easily deflect a blade or two, but he still nodded his head in agreeemnt. "That's a good idea. I can't always rely on my personal healer to be there." (Little did he know...) Zavien sent a wink her way, playful yet not quite joking about the matter. They'd just seen one of their friends infected before their very eyes. They couldn't be too safe.
And the topic of Noe was certainly one he didn't want to linger on. He knew that Lena had seen her before the engineer had been tainted, but it still made him nervous to think about them being near to each other. Thanks to Deimos, they knew that the Family could influence the decisions of someone infected. He'd hate for their attentions to turn to the Caretaker because of her friendship with Noe.
As if the sun was suspecting his mood, it began to dim, the shadows lengthening amongst the trees. Zavien felt the apprehension returning, dampening the happiness that he felt at the gifts he'd received. His eyes scanned with sudden alertness, but he still gave Lena a comforting smile. "We should probably head home." Gathering his new gifts into his bags and redistributing the foods so he could wear the hat, Zavien made his way to her side, already practicing the slight tip as he said, "M'lady." His beaming smile said more than his words about the satisfaction with her decisions.
Once she was ready, he'd wrap an arm around her shoulders, placing a sweet kiss on her forehead with a content smile. "Thank you. I can't tell you how amazing this Deepfrost has been." Most of which had to do with the pleasant company, and some of which had to do with the strange heaviness of presents weighing his bags. It very much felt like a competition now, but he didn't care as he saw the lavender charm around Lena's neck, heart fluttering with pride.
Acceptance seemed to gather through the air again, and she let it settle amidst her shoulders. Content, she listened to his explanations and details with a light laugh, releasing all of the tension in her features, or the nervousness that had threatened to gnaw. There’d be more days ahead for that; and she’d rather not squander the few pleasant opportunities they had. “Home it is,” she wrinkled her nose, threading her arm through his, granting that illustrious and luminescent grin once more. “Mm. I bet we can make it even better,” she granted – with no idea of how erred that notion would become.
