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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!
Sohalia meandered down the docks of Kaiholo Port, nervous anticipation threading through her veins. She'd just arrived on a skyship from King's End, and she was off to meet with Flora to discuss a variety of topics, none of which were particularly easy. She was early - the skyship had made good time - and so she took her time in walking, stopping here and there at this vendor or that to look over the wares on display. For someone so very happy about the direction her life was going, she was also an anxious wreck. Everything in her wanted the people around her to be happy, and yet she feared that some of her news was going to ruin the blissful peace that she craved so much.
It was a cloudy day, though the scream rain was blessedly quiet (for now), and Soh tilted her head back as she walked to survey the grey skies as though searching for even a shred of sunlight. When none was to be found, she lowered her gaze back to the merchant's table she was perusing, picking out a few small trinkets and making her purchase before moving on. Her next stop was at one of the outdoor bars dotting the port, though she ordered only a water as she tucked her purchases into the bag at her side. The bartender gave her a strange look, but shrugged and poured her a glass before turning back to his other patrons.
Soh hopped onto a barstool, gaze surveying her surroundings, and sipped at the water. The water was choppy today, the occasional gust of wind carrying a bit of spray through the port to dust her cheeks. Perhaps she could just sit for a time, enjoying the solitude and people watching, before moving on to meet Flora at their favorite spa.
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Sohalia.
It was their last stop in Torchline before the season turned too cold for consistent work. The crew was already dispersing gathering the necessary supplies for the trip back, working under the promise of a few hours of liberty if they work fast enough. Unfortunately for them, she wouldn't be much help. Her business was in town. After all, what good was being in Torchline if she didn't gather some information?
Sidling up to the outdoor bar frequented by her favorite source, she found that one of the few seats was being occupied by the blonde from the Festival of Lights. Colt had mentioned an altercation between them, but without any details - or being involved - it didn't stop Thal from claiming the seat next to her, black cloak whispering against the wood as she leaned into it.
She lifted a finger to summon the bartender, silently communicating that they'd talk once the woman was gone. He poured her a glass of whiskey with a short nod, refilling the blonde's glass with water of all things before retreating to clean a few glasses, his eyes avoiding them with practiced precision.
Flicking her tail idly behind her, Thal didn't bother to glance at the woman when she said conversationally, "Some might say drinking water at a bar is rude."
is my value based only on your perception? or is your opinion of me… not my responsibility
Someone slid into the seat beside Sohalia, and her gaze flicked to the side to see a woman she didn't recognize joining her. It was a small bar, with only a few seats, so she returned to her glass of water with a mental shrug, thinking nothing of a stranger choosing to sit beside her. At least, she thought nothing of it until the woman spoke to her.
Turning to the stranger with raised brows, surprise coloring her features, she then tilted her head to one side. "Rude?" she asked, genuinely perplexed. Strange, maybe, and fair enough, but rude? ”How so?” If she avoided explaining why she was sitting here with a glass of water rather than a cocktail, then such was her right. She didn’t owe anyone an explanation, least of all some random woman scolding her at a bar.
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Sohalia.
Thal dangled her glass in her raised hand, appearing in no hurry to guzzle the drink as she peered at the woman from the corner of her eye. She lifted her fingers from the cool glass to gesture at the assortment of beverages displayed behind the counter, enticing the customers to pick their poison. "Because bars make money off liquor and you're taking a seat from someone who could make them more money." The establishment might not be hopping right now, but it didn't change the fact that having one extra person might deter a paying customer from taking a seat. And what kind of message did it send that a current customer would rather have water than their alcohol?
Taking a large swig of her whiskey, she abandoned the more 'logical' argument for the widely agreed upon superstition. "Plus, it's bad luck to toast with water." Thal waved an uncaring hand, obviously unbothered by the notion herself, even as she clarified, "Curses and whatnot."
is my value based only on your perception? or is your opinion of me… not my responsibility
"I was planning to leave a good tip," Soh protested weakly, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with her choice to take a seat. Her brow creased for a moment as she gnawed on her lip. Then she summoned the bartender. "I'll have one of what she's having," she requested. The bartender turned to procure another glass.
The next argument had Soh tilting her head once more. "Oh, are we toasting?" Soh asked then, a small smile tilting her lips up at the corners. She wasn't sure what there was for two perfect strangers to toast to, but she was more than willing to listen if the woman had something toast-worthy to share.
Just then, the bartender arrived with the drink she'd ordered. She thanked him, then pushed it towards the woman. "There," she said. "I'm not going to drink it, but someone should." At least this way, she'd made her taking a seat somewhat worthwhile to the bar. Propping her head on one hand, she continued to chatter. "I've never heard of a curse related to toasting with water," she said. "Most curses I've heard about are related to something a bit more... problematic."
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Sohalia.
The excuse was paltry at best, but - despite how it may appear - Thal didn't actually care. The profits of the bar weren't something Thal was considered or particularly interested in, it had simply been an excuse to feel the woman out as she waited for her to leave, and maybe even convince her to leave prematurely through guilt.
Still, she stayed, apparently finding her lack of bar etiquette amusing from the smirk on her face, but at least she'd ordered a drink. "No, but you always have to be ready for a toast at a bar." Thal tipped her glass up in a silent toasting motion, as if she were toasting to the idea of toasting, a quiet acknowledgement to the tradition of shared drinks.
Then the bartender was setting the whiskey on the counter where the woman pushed it towards her. The overly generous gesture twisted her face from practiced disinterest to outright suspicion. If she hadn't watched the bartender pour it herself, she might have thought it poisoned, and even now, she was playing through her mind if there had been an opportunity for it. But thinking of none - and not one to turn down a free drink - Thal let the argument of her ordering choice drop.
Taking another sip of her drink, she plastered a spooky, mischievous grin onto her face. "Mhm. Toasting with water is a death wish at the bottom of the ocean - a watery grave if you will." Her gaze flit to the woman, a dangerous challenge and an eerie warning glinting in her blue eyes. "Don't know how it gets more problematic than that."
is my value based only on your perception? or is your opinion of me… not my responsibility
Despite having spent a decent amount of time drinking, Soh actually didn't spend much time sitting at bars. In her history, a drink was best enjoyed while dancing or socializing, and she'd rarely had an impromptu toast offered to her. Still, this woman seemed to know what she was talking about, so the Luminary simply hummed an acknowledgement.
Her offer of the drink was met with outright suspicion, but in the end, the stranger said nothing. Soh wondered who she was, and what she did that made her such a strange partner at a bar. Had Soh been nursing a drink herself, would the stranger have even bothered with her? Maybe she had ties to this particular bar, so wanted to make sure they were going to be paid well for a day's work. It shouldn't matter - it didn't, really - but Soh had always been one to want to understand others, and this bizarre turn of events was no different.
Soh sipped at her water, a breeze stirring the blonde waves that framed her face. She met the stranger's spooky, mischievous energy with a raised brow, though she sobered as the woman's expression turned dangerous. Shifting uncomfortably in her chair, Soh shrugged. "I suppose I just meant that drinking water seems innocuous enough. Not like, say, being cursed for walking over a grave. You've heard that one, right?"
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Sohalia.
As pirates, they took their partying and toasting very seriously, making the idea of toasting with water less than some 'innocuous' idea. It was practically sacrilege, enough to earn someone a healthy dose of bullying and an unhealthy dose of alcohol to make up for the infraction. Most of the crew had grown up in the culture and knew of the superstition, but those who didn't quickly learned their lesson.
Noting the awkward adjustment in the woman's seat, Thal's grin turned sharpened - knowing. She glanced away again, taking another deep swig that nearly finished her first whiskey, letting the woman debate whether she still wanted to stay with her dangerous glass of water.
Apparently deciding she could take the risk, the woman diverted the topic instead to burials. Why were people obsessed with trapping dead bodies in the ground? Finding it unpleasant to admit a lack of knowing to a stranger, Thal settled for a shrug that neither confirmed nor denied her familiarity with the curse. "Not many graves to walk over at sea."
is my value based only on your perception? or is your opinion of me… not my responsibility
Unaware of her sacrilege, and indeed already past the 'innocuous' comment she'd made, Soh sipped once more at her water. At least she didn't have to be jealous of the stranger's ability to drink - whiskey had never been her liquor of choice, at least not unless it was heavily mixed with something else. Besides, she would do anything for the little life growing inside her, and if that meant no alcohol for the foreseeable future, it was well worth the sacrifice.
Unwilling to get into the private details of her life with a perfect stranger, Soh focused instead on the easier topic of ghost stories and curses. "Fair enough," she said with a shrug, though she had to wonder if sailing over bodies had the same effect as walking over them on land. "Well, on land, they say that walking over someone's grave invites them back to haunt you as a ghost. Brings back all kinds of bad luck." She wasn't sure if she believed it, but she wasn't going to test the theory.
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Sohalia.
Taking the last swig of her first drink, she set it forward on the counter for the bartender. Her eyes lingered on him a moment longer, disguised as she reached for the second glass to dangle from her fingertips as easily as one of the daggers glinting on her hips.
She was only half listening to the woman, extremely uninterested in whatever curses she - or the general public - believed in. "Sounds pretty stupid," she commented, paying more attention to the amber liquid than the woman. She hadn't the faintest idea how Colt had managed to piss her off when she seemed harmless and gullible enough.
Tilting her glass again, she flicked another glance to her side. "One of the many reasons burial at sea is better." No one to interrupt their peaceful rest, plus the added benefit of possibly turning into a siren who lured sailors to their deaths. Anyone can guess at what Thal would prefer.
is my value based only on your perception? or is your opinion of me… not my responsibility
What a strange conversation this had turned out to be. Unsure what to make of someone striking up a random discussion about curses and such things, especially someone who seemed so completely uninterested in what she had to say on the matter, Soh downed the last of her water and sat the cup back on the counter. As promised, she paid for her water and the woman's second whiskey, and left a sizeable tip for the bartender. Then, hopping down from her stool, she turned once more to the stranger.
"Well, thanks for the conversation," she said easily, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she gathered her belongings. "Enjoy the whiskey. And watch out for graves," she added with a parting wink, before strolling away, meandering through the crowds on her way to the spa to meet Flora. At least the stranger had distracted her for a short while from her nerves.
fin
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Sohalia.
