NIKI
It is perhaps unsurprising that Niki is used to crowds forming around him, their curious expressions disguised as pity; it's neither the first nor the last time he has fallen in public, though he'll likely bear the bruises from this encounter for a few weeks afterwards. Gingerly he gets himself into a sitting position, his mind performing checks through the pain that are nearly automatic - no broken bones, not winded, nothing numb or screaming with an agony that seems other compared to what's expected. Just badly bruised and a little shaken up.
He's assuring the woman again that she doesn't need to apologise and that he'll be fine, and at the sudden help offered out, Niki can already feel his cheeks threatening to heat with a mix of shame and embarrassment at knowing he'll need to accept it. With his cane gripped between his fingers and a mutter of gratitude, he's just reaching for the hand when he realises who it - and the voice - belong to.
Brows flinching together, for a moment the necromancer can only gaze up at Vesper, frozen with indecision. But with the crowd so close, although he doesn't put it past the demigod to do something callous (not knowing, of course, that this ship has already sailed) he doubts he'll do so quite so publically. So while this is probably just an excuse to lord the good deed over him, Niki would like to not be on the hard ground any more.
"Thank you," he says properly this time, reaching further for Vesper's hand; and his fingers are just about to glance against the other man's when he's just gone suddenly, spirited away into nothing. Niki's face is on fire now whether he likes it or not, the boy biting hard at the inside of his cheek and forcing himself to stand under his own muster.
By the time Vesper returns the crowd will already be dispersing, and the necromancer will be leaning heavily on his cane and glancing across the square for a place to sit and catch his breath.
He's assuring the woman again that she doesn't need to apologise and that he'll be fine, and at the sudden help offered out, Niki can already feel his cheeks threatening to heat with a mix of shame and embarrassment at knowing he'll need to accept it. With his cane gripped between his fingers and a mutter of gratitude, he's just reaching for the hand when he realises who it - and the voice - belong to.
Brows flinching together, for a moment the necromancer can only gaze up at Vesper, frozen with indecision. But with the crowd so close, although he doesn't put it past the demigod to do something callous (not knowing, of course, that this ship has already sailed) he doubts he'll do so quite so publically. So while this is probably just an excuse to lord the good deed over him, Niki would like to not be on the hard ground any more.
"Thank you," he says properly this time, reaching further for Vesper's hand; and his fingers are just about to glance against the other man's when he's just gone suddenly, spirited away into nothing. Niki's face is on fire now whether he likes it or not, the boy biting hard at the inside of his cheek and forcing himself to stand under his own muster.
By the time Vesper returns the crowd will already be dispersing, and the necromancer will be leaning heavily on his cane and glancing across the square for a place to sit and catch his breath.
my body's on the line now, I can't fight this time now
I can feel the light shine on my face
I can feel the light shine on my face
