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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!
Although obviously disappointed by her answer, Zavien nodded in understanding, not wanting to make her feel guilty about having to choose her work. Instead, he gave her a warm smile, taking what she was willing to give. "They do." Like most bakeries, they opened before first light, the smell of their fresh-baked goods wafting through the street to summon early risers from every corner of the village.
Palming a handful of cashews from the platter, he leaned back to look at the stars as an idea came to mind. He didn't immediately speak, looking at the constellations like them might tell him it was a terrible suggestion, but when the stars stayed stubbornly silent, he let out a low hum. "Hm. Maybe I'll travel back with you for a few days. See how it goes..."
let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.
Not wanting to traverse down the same lines, pathways, and routes they’d already backtracked on multiple times, Lena just nodded, stifling something at the edges of his disappointment, and giving a warm smile instead when he concurred. “Fantastic,” she murmured, giving something else some hope and light in wake of so many other things.
Thereafter, her eyes wandered over the other foods available – opting for some cheese and crackers, and then munching quietly in contentment – occasionally spying the array of stars lined for them, and traces and foundations of spirals in the galaxy. What a wonderful thing to have in their world – when so many other notions conspired and unraveled, these figments were still here –
His words jolted her out of her thoughts, and her head tilted back toward him. She was surprised, certainly, given how readily he’d wanted out of Stormbreak, and she wasn’t about to argue him out of the sentiments – but if it made it worse for him… “Only if you think you’re ready,” she offered instead, watching him intensely, trying to gauge where he was going.
Her cautious words made him smile at her, still slightly uncertain himself. "I feel better. I still have some things to work through..." He swallowed around the dark sentiments, knowing that he couldn't train his way out of nightmares. They'd become slightly less frequent, but he couldn't tell if that was distance from Stormbreak or time - or, even more baffling, healing. Whatever it may be, he needed to find out.
Zavien let out a soft sigh to release any lingering apprehension, looking back up to the starlit sky, knowing that home was out there. "But I said I'd visit, and I think I need to give it a trial run. Stay for a few days and see how I feel." The possibilities hung in the air, a tipping point that may lead to his ultimate return, or more time traveling and training and healing.
Looking to Lena, his smile turned sad - wanting - as his eyes spoke of the nights he'd spent staring up at this same sky, unable to sleep but still dreaming of better days. "I just - I miss home. I miss you." There was an unspoken fear of becoming complacent where he was. It seemed impossible, but he didn't want to start getting too comfortable someplace other than home. He could already feel a routine beginning to blossom in the Greatwood, and while they revolved around his plans to return home, what if he forgot his purpose? Forgot Lena? He knew it was stupid, but would he always let the fear dictate his choices? That wasn't how he was raised, and it wasn't how he wanted to live.
let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.
Quiet and thoughtful, she simply listened as he wove into explanations, a vague and soft smile along her mouth. All of this would be a difficult fixture – testing the wounds, seeing if they could be rendered as healed or simply left open to bleed and fester again. Lena doubted any of them had been mended in all the ways they yearned and craved; sometimes those instances were later down the road, when danger had been obliterated and the hearts could do something other than beat feverishly. “Let me know when?” Then she could be there too – and they could take those frightening steps together, if he wanted.
“I miss you too,” she offered, but not pinpointed directly at him – mostly at the stars, at the collection of constellations, where she could make out distant patterns of ancients and primordial things. She didn’t want him to feel bad or guilty about his choices – they’d been for him and him alone – and that growth had been a necessary venture after all the horrendous events. “It’s been hushed lately. I don’t know if things are being planned or,” she shrugged, never rendered much by way of information.
Fidgeting with the few remaining cashews still in his hands, Zavien tried not to let the nerves or apprehensions change his mind. He wouldn't have considered attempting the test without Lena present, but it was nice to hear her support, and he nodded his head as the plans began to fall into place. "I was thinking tomorrow, after I visit the shrine. No use delaying it." It would only increase the fear, and he wasn't sure what else he might be able to do before returning, to make the process any easier.
Despite her echoed words, he wished she would be more selfish, to set aside whatever was making her tiptoe around the subject and just tell him how she felt about it all. He almost considered asking her, opening that door of communication so he might better understand what was going through her mind as she looked up into the stars instead of into his eyes as she said the words.
But then she was diverting to the only topic he really didn't want to talk about surrounding his decision to try returning home, and Zavien balked at the idea of what the Family might be 'planning' in the confines of their home. "I'm not sure. I've been a little out of the loop, and it feels like people are being more cautious with their information." Although unsurprising in light of all the many ways the Family could spy on them, it made things more difficult for those without the Attuned bond to be included in such sensitive schemes.
let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.
Tomorrow sounded like lifetimes and seconds away simultaneously, and though she likely looked surprised, it all curled back into a smile; accepting and regal. “Okay.” Taking another slice of cheese and combining it with a handful of cranberries, she munched away, trying to quell the sudden rush of anxiety and trepidation in her ribs. There was always this gnawing, empty feeling at the back of her mind that she wasn’t doing, or saying, enough for him. But she didn’t want to press or bother, worry so unrelentingly that it would further serve to irritate and goad; and in the end she was quiet, scared, and tucked away, striving to keep the peace.
And then, as with everything else, she still managed to say or do the wrong thing; the light in her grin fading into the dismal acceptance once more – gaze shifting back up to the stars, and following after pathways and beams of light. “I can’t say that I blame them,” she murmured. Living in constant fear of what the Family might try next. Not knowing who to trust, or who was infected. Stormbreak was likely the last place anyone would send missives and letters detailing further plans. “Well, we can still make our own though,” like roses and shrines and such.
With plans decided and someone to keep him accountable, Zavien gave a nod of his head, shifting to fill his now-empty hands with a stack of cured meat. He tried to stay relaxed in the conversation, but his fears and anxieties were rearing their ugly heads along with a very prevalent feeling of inadequacy. If people didn't feel a need to share information with him, then maybe there was a reason.
Lena was right though, with how tense everything was becoming, could he blame people for keeping their cards close to their chest? The answer was obviously no, even as he continued to silently stare into the sky, quietly wondering what he might be able to do to change that, if he was ready to. Obtaining a flower would certainly have an effect, and Zavien gave a small smile. "I suppose that's true." Although only time would tell how much it would help in the grand scheme of things.
Something purplish flickered at the edge of his vision, something moving in the trees far below. All he could see was a flash of black-purple scales, but there was no doubt it was Void related, and his muscles tensed, ready for a fight, his breathing shallow but steady as he felt the adrenaline starting in his chest.
let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.
And so her anxieties festered too; and she placed them against her spine and her ribcage, where they could be pushed aside for something greater and grander than the sum of fears. “We’ll find some ways,” she assured, because their efforts had to mean something. Determination. Renewal. In the space of all these quandaries, traumas, trials, and tribulations, they couldn’t have fought so hard for nothing.
She wouldn’t even let the glimmer of the void vipers nearby – resting amongst the shade – sully the evening. “See how many constellations you can name,” she honored and distracted instead, taking another portion of cheese, remembering promises and what was much harder to keep – beginning to outline the first one she saw to him, finger tracing the ramparts in the air. Because they’d always have this to fall back on – if nothing else at all.
