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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!
After fixing up the shrine, Hadama had chosen to linger an extra day to see how the Greatwood was recovering with his own eyes. Enjoying his time with Nova, he had invited her to join him for tea in one of the small, cozy cafes that dotted the Bodega and provided shelter to weary - or at least thirsty - shoppers and travelers.
Tea was one of the landwalker traditions that he had taken to early on, even before he had access to legs at will. Hot and soothing, it was especially welcome in the crisp breeze of Leafchange, and Hadama gave a grateful nod to their server as the diminutive Fae deposited their tea pots and cups and then whisked away to tend to other customers.
Pouring his cup full of a lovely, aromatic green, he was given a moment's pause when several small bits of leaves slipped out the wide spout of his teapot to bob and float in the liquid in his cup before he took a sip. Satisfied, he looked across the table at his bubbly cafe companion for the day and tilted his head at her.
"I have heard that one can read the future from tea leaves. Are you familiar with it?"
Pulling her own mug close, Nova took a small sip. The bitter taste of leaves and dirty water made her face scrunch dramatically in distaste. She smacked her lips lightly as she lifted the sugar bowl, humming lightly as she poured half the container into her tea. Stirring it to help the glob dissolve, she glanced up at Hadama. "Hm? Not much. I usually prefer tarot cards or my crystal ball." Her blue eyes twinkled in a way that could be taken as joking or excited at the prospect of using her 'ability.'
Nova lifted her mug back to her lips, tasting that the mixture was slightly more tolerable. Tilting her head at the Mer King, she giggled as she said, "If you'd like a reading, I'd be more than happy to oblige. Once you finish your cup, hand it to me." In the meantime, she'd have to come up with some fun fortune to feed the man.
'Grass water' was very much an acquired taste, he was aware, and Hadama hid his smile behind his teacup and another sip as Nova replaced half of her tea with sugar. For himself, he savored the complex bitterness mellowed with subtle floral notes of his own hibiscus green before looking across the table at Nova and giving a slight tilt to his head. "I did not know you had a crystal ball." His rumble was intrigued at learning this new aspect of one of Safrin's youngest daughters.
He was in no hurry to rush his drink, but suspecting that the bubbly young woman's patience was not as long as his own, he did not linger over it, either. Within a few minutes he had emptied the small cup of all but the dregs of the leaves, dark and green against the sloping sides of the white porcelain. He contemplated them for a moment, seeming to wonder what truths they held, before he used both hands to offer the cup across the table to Nova.
"Thank you," he said solemnly, but there was a hint of humor gleaming in his eyes. "I have never had my future read before."
Nova chuckled at the purpose for her crystal ball. "I only recently acquired it." So she could swindle gullible Torchliners with fortunes based on her telepathic brother's hints.
Not that Hadama needed to know that.
Snagging a pastry to wash down the still-bitter taste in her mouth, Nova waited 'patiently' for him to finish his tea. Her feet bounced under the table while she hummed around the tasty treat. It was well deserved after all the work she'd done (or maybe the Fae did most of it?). But when Hadama finally reached forward to offer his mug, Nova forgot about the food, eager to retrieve the untold potential lies she could spin. Clasping it in her hands, she cocked her head to inspect him closer. "Really? Was there anything in particular you were hoping to learn?"
While she waited to hear what the Mer King might long to know, she glanced into the dregs of his tea. The negative space between the leaves looked like hands at the bottom of the cup. She decided to start out simple and vague enough. "From an initial glance, there appear to be two hands reaching towards each other. This can often symbolize that there is someone - or something - wanting to initiate a meeting or waiting for you to do so." Being a King, she was sure he had no shortage of citizens who wished to speak with him or make connections.
He was content to trust the word of Safrin's daughter, if only because whether it was truth or lie, it did no harm to him or others. That some might be swindled out of their currency in exchange for fortunes which may or may not be true was not his concern. They were adults and could make their own decisions. That some of those decisions were poor ones was entirely on their own heads.
As for his own fortune, he considered the bright young woman across from him and made a decision to steer clear of more serious questions of the Void or threats to their region. Those were likely too broad for fortune telling anyways. Likewise, asking about his sister's odious fiancee and the chances of her dismissing the merman was too disconnected from himself. So, a question he hoped to learn about his own future...
"I have wondered," he began slowly, thoughtfully, remembering meeting Zavien's young dragon in Stormbreak. "If there is a... hmm. A creature that might be a match for me. A companion. If that is something you can see in these leaves?"
Her initial reading was certainly optimistic enough in that direction, and emerald eyes brightened at the words. "Promising," he rumbled. "Can you see any details? Where, or when?"
Shrugging her shoulders to relieve any responsibility or certainty regarding the matter, Nova said, "A companion would definitely fall into that realm of possibilities. If that is something on your mind, it seems all the more likely." Especially if that was something he planned on actively pursuing. Even without Vesper's shadow messages, she seemed to be doing quite well at guess-timating futures. Maybe she was actually good at this?
Quite pleased with herself, she smiled 'sadly' at him before inspecting the leaves again with more confidence. "The small mugs make it difficult to see specifics, particularly on location, however, it is towards the rim of the bottom which implies that it will be in the near future." As little as she knew about tea leaf readings, she remembered reading that the rim of the cup was the 'present' while the bottom was the 'future.' Considering the man before her, she stepped out on a limb. She nodded her head as if the information had just been revealed to her, eyes scanning the dregs again. "The fact that there is still liquid pooling amongst the leaves leads me to believe that your future interaction will take place in proximity to water." Being the King of an Underwater City, it seemed like a safe bet that most of his interactions would take place around water.
Not an impossible stretch, by any means, and Hadama digested that a companion might, indeed, be waiting for him somewhere. Living its life well, but holding a space in its heart for another, perhaps. The question was: would fate or chance intervene to bring them together, or would they forever live their lives apart, never knowing the other was just a region away?
Distracted by his own ruminations, he did not study Nova's expressions too closely. When he did allow his gaze to focus on her face she appeared quite earnest, and her explanations made as much sense as any prognostication he had heard of did.
"I see," he murmured, a quiet acknowledgment as he pondered on the subjectivity of futures near and far. The addition of place drew a slow tilt of his head, more amused than solemn, but he accepted her words at face value. "It is likely," he agreed. After all, he was rarely not in proximity to water. Ah, but which water...? There was so much more of it cutting through Caido and all of its regions than there had been before the War. "Do you see anything else in the leaves?" Some hint, or clue that might help him advance this 'near-future connection?'
She let the merman process the information, taking another sip of her own bitter leaf water with a better disguised grimace. A bite of pastry helped clear the pallet while she waited for Hadama. At his question, Nova shook her head with disappointment, sighing softly. "Unfortunately, tea leaves are very limited in their sight." Even if they were currently only limited by her own imagination. She couldn't make it too unbelievable.
Tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear, Nova gave him an endearing smile. "If you come visit my tent in Torchline sometime, I'm sure I could give you a more in depth reading." Supported by the information passed to her by Vesper's ability. At least her methods didn't involve dirty water dregs.
He accepted her negation with calm equanimity, respecting her expertise in the area of divination. It might have helped that it seemed plausible, for that matter; his very limited knowledge of reading tea leaves had also seemed to imply a broad and shallow interpretation of future events, rather than certainties. If nothing else she had offered him a reason for optimism. Whether it held true or not was less important than the hope it gave him now. It was good to have something to look forward to.
The corners of his eyes crinkled at her charming smile and he extended a hand in request to take his tea cup back. The drink may have been too bitter for the young woman's taste, but Hadama found it bracing, and the warmth was welcome in the season of chilly breezes. "I would enjoy that." He tilted his head in acceptance of her kind invitation, pouring himself a fresh cuppa. "Do you ever read your own fortune?"
Handing the Mer King his cup, she nodded her head at his agreement. "I'll be patiently awaiting you." Although who knew how long Vesper would be willing to put up with her fortune-telling antics? She enjoyed the showmanship of it all, but it wasn't really something she intended to do long-term. In fact, she didn't really know what she wanted to do in general. For now, she was just enjoying life, exploring Caido and her own abilities, but one day she'd like to find her purpose.
It made Hadama's question all the more humorous as she shrugged her shoulders and gave a generic fortune teller answer, "Reading your own fortune can come with a lot of unintended biases." Smiling sweetly, her laughter twinkled around the cafe like delicate starlight as she said, "Plus, I make my own future." She winked and popped another pastry in her mouth, humming along to her chair dance of delicious delight.
The steel-haired head inclined in acknowledgment, the ghost of a smile lingering contentedly on Hadama's face as he poured his tea. 'Patience' was not a trait he had yet associated with the bubbly young lady, but he was only beginning to get to know her and her siblings. There were many surprises still to learn about them, and he was looking forward to having the time to learn.
Fortune willing, and with the blessing of their gods on their endeavors to protect their homes and each other.
Her generic answer seemed to satisfy him, though it was her wink and her laughter that kept their conversation light and enjoyable. "Very wise," the Mer King murmured, a twinkle of humor in his emerald eyes as he sipped his fresh cup. The future was as changeable as the tide line, shifting with each decision made. With a little luck, Nova's future would be as bright and joyful as the young woman herself.
