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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!
Friends are equally as foreign a concept to Danta, though one he's becoming more familiar with as his time in the Grounds continues. And thus, as Maea sprawls across the table, he tilts his head and listens to her fears, her scenarios, her what ifs and then whats and so on. Reaching out, he offers her a gentle pat on the head for her trouble.
"Don't be scared," he trills, as if it's as easy as that. "We might not be demigods or heroes, but there are some silly do-gooder types out there working on the problem, I'm sure. And if it comes to it, I'm sure Dygra won't let us starve. But I don't truly think it'll come to it."
Not with how Dahlia hadn't moved instantly to strike, not with how keen she seemed to be to know things and make her presence felt above all. Danta doesn't know what's coming, it's true, but he doubts it will be a sudden and hostile takeover forcing them to shelter in a space too small for them.
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
His hand was big and warm against her head, and while the gesture was unexpected it actually made her feel better. Humming in response, Maea's expression softened and as she nudged her head into the touch she closed her eyes, allowing the reassurance to sink in. How much of it that would stick after sobering up was hard to say, but at least in the moment she was perfectly alright with letting someone else solve the problems of the world.
Not to mention, Dygra stepping in to protect them was heartening - it wasn't even an option she'd considered before now.
"You know her better than me, so if you say so I'll believe it." Thinking about their goddess, she cracked an eyelid open to peer at Danta. "Have you ever seen her?" All Maea knew was the purr of a voice, the red glow and a voice in the dark. Profound, immense - but also intangible.
Mussing Maea's pale hair and smiling to himself, Danta removes his hand to tuck his feet up beneath him on the booth, clearly socially lubricated (read: well on his way to drunk) to also start to feel sleepy. "She's never let us down yet," he muses of Dygra, the words flowing easily from wine soaked lips. "Even when we were all turned to stone, it was to keep us safe."
As for what she looks like, Danta does refocus a bit at that, glancing to Maea with a slow smile and a nod of his head. "Yes," he says, "I have. And I won't spoil it for you, so don't bother asking. She's beautiful, though. Most beautiful thing I've ever seen, anyway."
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
"Boo, don't leave me hanging like this! Now I want to see her even more." Puffing upp her cheeks in a disappointed pout, she wilted back into her own side of the booth. Tempted to curl up on the cushioned seat, it was mostly a fear of seeing what the floor actually looked like that kept her mostly upright. And Danta's smile, too. It seemed different from the usual salacious smirks, luring her to return it in a sort of hazy reverie.
"I think I'm a bit drunk," she confessed, still smiling. It certainly would explain much of the warm, fluffy giddiness, and the way her eyes were threatening to fall shut on her. "Did you know they have a rum fountain in Torchline? If you fell in, what would it take to get you to come back out again?"
"I'm sure you will one day," Danta assures her merrily enough. "Until then, I won't ruin her aura of mystique." Maea will undestand, he's sure. And if she doesn't, well, he's still going to stay tight lipped about their dark and bejewelled goddess until she sees fit to grace them with her visible presence.
Grinning at her next remark and nodding his head as if he, too, is not also a bit drunk, the Maverick forces himself to wobble upright and gesture to the pitcher of water. "Maybe that will be more assistance?" he suggests - not that he plans to drink any himself, of course.
"I did not know that," he continues about the rum fountain, his eyes widening as he tilts his head. "It's bold of you to assume that I would have fallen in, rather than jumping in."
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
"Hmph, fine, I guess. I can wait." Good things apparently came to waiters, so she would try for some patience. She could still pout about it, of course, until sufficiently distracted.
The suggestion of fixing the pleasant buzz in her veins was given due consideration; alas, but when she reached out to fill her glass, somehow she wound up with the wine bottle instead. "Oops," she smirked, more than just a little irresponsible. "Is it true it's bad to mix different types of drinks? Like beer and wine." If so they might be in trouble.
Maea laughed at the mental image of Danta diving head first into the fountain. "I helped fix it up before coming home. We should go see if it's any good sometime. After LongNight, maybe?"
"It'll be worth it," Danta assures her in something of a sing-song voice, grinning at her pout - because she's absolutely right, and she can still whine about it to her heart's content, no matter how worth said wait might be. As for the water-turned-wine, the Maverick gasps and bounces his eyebrows at her as if they're in a conspiracy together, and he reaches out when she's finished to 'accidentally' also pour himself another drink.
"Oh, pffff, no," he drawls regarding different drinks. "Or at least, it's never mattered to me alcohol wise. People do say to eat something beforehand though." Smirking, Danta lowers his voice. "I think that's cheating, personally."
All the more reason to go and investigate this rum fountain, and he nods his enthusiasm. "Absolutely. We can fill up a few bottles and bring them back here as well."
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
"You're a terrible influence," Maea laughed, though she didn't seem to mind being corrupted all that much. "How about eating while drinking? I wouldn't mind a bite of something..." Savory or sweet, she wasn't too picky, and if he was not opposed she'd be happy to go and fetch something for them both. It would be a good test to see how much sway she had in her legs by now.
Beaming, Maea already looked forward to the trip. "Absolutely. What's something else you would like doing? You know, aside from things like this?" she wondered, waving a hand to the general debauchery of the Dusklight - his fondness for drinking, fucking and occasionally fighting she was already aware of.
"Guilty as charged," Danta croons - because yes, he is, and no he doesn't plan to stop any time soon. As Maea continues, though, he can only wrinkle his nose and shrug, delaying his reply with another sip of wine. "I'm always hungry, so I can never really tell," he admits, before gesturing towards the back of the bar - the pale Ancient knows the way, and Danta is full aware that his legs won't hold him at this stage.
"Knock yourself out," he tells her, stretching out then and shrugging honestly in response to her question. "I've never really been given time and space to do much else," he admits. "Never given it much thought. You reckon I should take up a hobby or something?"
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
"In that case I'll bring some for you too," she chirped and got up from her seat. Somewhat to her own surprise, Maea found her knees perfectly capable of supporting her weight. It was by no means a straight line she drew between the booth and the bar, but she made it without clinging to the walls and only once bumped into someone. Returning a few moments later with a plate piled high with fruits and meat and cheese - and sweets, because why deny herself anything at this point? - she set it triumphantly between them, offering Danta the first choice with a sweeping gesture. "Ta da! Sweet or spicy?"
Spilling back into the booth with all the grace of a tiger high on catnip, Maea stole a slice of some sticky sweet pastry for herself and munched on it while considering the rest of the conversation. "I don't know about 'should'," she mused, "I just reckon that you can if you want to. There's no one who will stop you now, at least. Quite the opposite." She counted off a list on her fingers. "I enjoy magic, and books, and learning new ways to fight, and seeing new places. These past few seasons I've learned how to sail a skyboat and the basics of smithing... It's been fun." And hectic; but that was entirely by choice, and had served a purpose in keeping her from brooding too much.
Looking up at the Theocrat, she cocked her head curiously at him; "What about you? Anything about the past year that stands out?"
Waving his hand as if to tell Maea to do as she pleases - the gods know he won't not eat if she brings him something back, Danta spends the time she's gone stretching out and waiting for the ceiling to stop its listless spinning. Which it luckily does, allowing him to clamber back up in time for the tray to hit the table, the Maverick nodding approvingly.
"I'm not our resident security, and I will always enjoy a kick of spice in my life," he tells her with a fanged smile, reaching out to select a few cuts of meat to wrap around a hunk of cheese.
He mulls over what she has to say as he chews, shifting to sit cross-legged in the booth and slouch against its interior, brow furrowed as he thinks. "Well, I suppose I chopped down a few trees. And I had a snowball fight, and we decorated this place. I quite enjoyed that." The decorating, he means. Snorting and reaching for his wine, Danta wonders if he might enjoy a future in interior design.
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
Ske looked pleased. "More sweets for me then." Licking syrup off her fingers, Maea helped herself to another treat while Danta considered. Her expression softened at the answer, and she nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that was fun. Maybe you could try some kind of art? Or music. You would look amazing with a lute." Winking mischievously at him, she hummed a phrase of a tune she couldn't remember the lyrics to.
Stifling a yawn against the back of her hand, she shifted in her seat so she could gaze out over the room. From here, all she saw were silhouettes of laughing, dancing, twisting shades, abstract in shades of crimson and gold. "Makes me wish I could dance," she sighed wistfully. "You know, properly, not just spin on the spot. You ever seen those in Torchline who leap and spin and all? I'd like to be like that..." Now that was art, in her eyes.
"A lute?" Danta smirks around his snack and inclines his head as if to say he'd think about it. "Or a drum. Perhaps a fiddle. Who knows?" Flowerbirth might see him tinkering around in a few music shops or stalls making instruments. Ah, but then Maea is peering out and talking about dancing, and the Maverick scoffs and abandons his cheese to scoot unsteadily out of the booth.
"Then be like that," he tells her easily, dusting off his hands and extending one out to her, as if to hurry them over to the other writhing bodies and the music warbling out towards them. "Come on. You don't know if you don't try." Danta certainly doesn't know how. But not knowing has never stopped him in his life.
if we're in love or if we're in pain?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
"Maybe all of them," she giggled, entertained by the mental image of Danta trying to play every instrument at once using both hands, toes and the tail too.
"Hmm?" Looking over to see what caused the scoff, her eyes widened at the outstretched hand. For a moment she sat paralyzed, numbed by doubts and hesitation; but the urging smacked of a challenge, and she was far too stubborn to pass up on that. "Uuuh... alright."
Rising too quickly and smacking a hip into the edge of the table, she tried and failed at gracefully wriggling out of the booth. Taking Danta's hand, it struck her that that was the most connection they'd had, like, ever, possibly excluding that time where she had patched up his arrow-wound. Doubtlessly she was making too big a deal out of it. But she was also intensely aware of the living, breathing being that began at the edge of her palm - warm and big and a little bit sticky from cheese and meat and spilled liquor. Or maybe that was her fingers, Maea couldn't quite tell.
The dance floor seemed a completely different world from the booth. Looking at it from the outside had nothing on being there in the midst of it. Suddenly people had erased any semblance of personal space and kept brushing past her shoulders, grazing her back, nudging briefly an elbow or a knee. Perfume and incense and the scents of food and alcohol bombarded her senses - without realizing it her grip had tightened convulsively around Danta's fingers, overwhelm threatening to take the fun out of this before it had started. It wasn't even close to the ordered affair of the ball, and none of the rules she had picked up on seemed to apply here.
"Uhm, how..?" Turning to the Maverick, the sheer size of him this close up had her caught between confusion and laughter - the normal thing was to put a hand on his shoulder, but Maea didn't think she'd be able to reach without a ladder.
