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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!
The piercing howl shocked Elizabeth from her work and she straightened quickly to look at the woman with narrowed eyes. The dramatics had her seriously questioning the validity of her claim, but she wouldn't give Mrs. Tooks any fuel to call her heartless. So she put on a concerned expression and rushed to her side. "Oh no! That's terrible! I have read of these kinds of injuries. They can be so painful and debilitating." Ushering the woman towards the door, she gave an excessive amount of support, as if the woman wouldn't be able to hold herself upright.
Her voice continued in a rushed tone of knowledgeable instructions. "You'll have to be on bedrest for at least a month. I'll leave the snow on the porch because it will make it easier to use for your cold therapy. The only way for it to properly heal will be to ice your back and you'll need to alternate a new patch of snow every twenty minutes. I'll make sure to visit you daily myself so that I can assist you with changing and any electrical therapy you may require. We can also spend that time getting to know each other! Perhaps this will be a blessing in disguise!" Most of the information was highly exaggerated, but Elizabeth wasn't about to let this woman weasel out of work. Instead, she gave Mrs. Tooks and excited expression, as if she was overjoyed with the idea of quality time and a chance to practice her 'nursing' skills. Before the woman could argue, Elizabeth shook her head and said, "Please, I insist! I would hate for your injury to heal improperly without the proper treatment."
Elizabeth is 'very concerned' about Mrs. Tooks and explains that the snow can't be cleared so it can be used for her treatment!
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
The last of the ice and snow was smoothly removed from the roof, posing no further threat to anyone walking below. Climbing down from the roof, Sah surveyed the scattered piles that Deimos had pointed out. "Ah. Good point." The paths were blocked and half-hidden beneath the powder. If they didn't clean up, one of the Smiths' would surely trip.
Eyes narrowing, the Abandoned used telekinesis and water magic to try to collect the ice and snow into one grand pile. It would be out of the way of the paths, and a passing child would surely turn it into a snowman of sorts. Maybe he would if it was still untouched tomorrow.
~
Sah uses telekinesis and water magic to move the snow into one big pile away from the paths.
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
Mrs. Took was wily and cunning, and gods be damned if she was going to have to put any effort into this. Despite all of Elizabeth ’s attempts, the woman snarled, hand still on her (not so) hurt back. ”Hmph. I’ll let my husband know you’re just not helping me.” She didn’t want any of that new-fangled therapy nonsense, nor anything more than the porch cleared. ”And the Wardens,” she sneered, as if this prospect might be worse. Then she kicked a patch of snow, lurched again, and leaned upon the railing, beginning to howl much louder this time and attracting hordes of attention.
Including Sah and Deimos – once they were done maneuvering the snow. The mounds of crust, ice, and powder began to lift under telekinesis and air jurisdictions, along with properly assembled water control and contortions, making the process easy and nothing.
Save for the howling nearby, of course. “Hear that?” He rumbled, shaking his head. “We should probably go rescue her.” Fully meaning Elizabeth at this point, as both of them would know from experience about any of the Tooks…demeanors.
--
Sah and Deimos have finished with the Smiths’. Travel back to the Tooks and see what can be done.
The woman was obviously difficult to manage, not willing to budge on her pretend injury. Elizabeth had to grit her teeth into a saccharine sweet smile. "Ma'am, I think both your husband and the Wardens would agree that your health is the top priority. Seeing as this was my fault, it's only right that I oversee all of your care." She didn't actually believe that it was her fault, but it could help Mrs. Took think that she cared.
When the snow went scattering into the wind, Elizabeth wasn't even phased. Even as the howling began anew, she kept her expression schooled. These childish actions wouldn't get her riled up. So she placed a hand on the woman's side to further support her, voice lilting in pity. "Oh, Mrs. Took. See? You really do need to be on bedrest. Each excessive movement could lead to a pinched nerve, possibly leaving you paralyzed!" Clucking her tongue, she guided her towards the door. "I'll shovel the snow into a pile to save for your back when I come to help." Elizabeth knew it wasn't what the woman wanted, but she would hear nothing of it, ushering her to rest.
Elizabeth won't give in, but she's offered to shovel the snow into a pile for use on Mrs. Took's back.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
Sah whistled lowly when he heard the commotion, "I'm starting to suspect that she's going to outlive us all." Mrs. Took's endless energy and raw spite would surely keep her around long after the world turned on its axis and Halo turned into the tropics. Following Deimos, he wondered what could have set the woman off this time.
Approaching Elizabeth, the Wild Thunder glanced between her and Mrs. Took, "Is everything okay?" The question was directed more towards his fellow Abandoned, but he did try to include Mrs. Took to prevent her from flying into a worse rage. She might truly hurt herself in the process, and then she'd be even more insufferable.
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
In response to Sah ’s statement, Deimos grimaced, not comforted by the thought. “Do not put that out into the universe,” he muttered, shaking his head and chuckling lightly as they made their way back over to the commotion at hand – eyes flickering over to Elizabeth with an arched brow, then Mrs. Took.
Who seemed all the more eager to ignore everything the Abandoned had been saying. ”I can barely get any help around here!” a common phrase, and the Sword had to bite his tongue from beginning to argue the point. ”And this young woman insists on badgering me!” It would be worthwhile to note that she flailed her arms about, and moved quite well, under the circumstances of her “injury”.
With a very long sigh, he offered his support. “We can all pitch in and assist.” Presuming there’d been some battle of wills over everything, there’d likely have to be a compromise in the middle. “What portion can you do, Mrs. Took?” When the woman began to utter and spout again, only much milder this time, she pointed to a very small, dainty section – to which Deimos nodded and moved around to the other side – perhaps sneakily adding additional snow from an earlier pile to hers when she began to turn away.
Sah let a sharp laugh, "Sorry, sorry." He just barely managed to stifle his snickers when they reached Elizabeth and the irate woman. He only half understood Ms.Took's rant but it was likely because he was only half listening. He got the gist of it and that was enough.
Using his telekinesis and shovel, Sah got to work on the last snow piles. He blatantly turned a blind eye to Deimos' actions. He was mostly jealous that he hadn't thought of using the same tactic himself. But if two of them added to Ms.Took's pile, she'd surely catch on. Thus, the Wild Thunder just focused on clearing his section.
Ready to strangle the woman if only to prove that she wasn't injured, Elizabeth was grateful to see Deimos and Sah arrive, even as she noticed the stifled laughs presumably at her predicament. Her eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head as Mrs. Took continued her dramatics, but she kept a polite and concerned smile on her face whenever the woman glanced her way. She prided herself on her people skills, yet this was not her shining moment. Deimos obviously knew how to deal with her antics, though.
With the new plan in place (which was eerily familiar to her original recommendation), she released her 'support' on Mrs. Took to grab her shovel once more. Elizabeth occasionally gave the woman a pitying look as she cleared snow from the porch, pretending to be concerned for the 'injury.' She wouldn't have this old badger think she'd won.
Elizabeth helps clear the snow.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
Mrs. Took nodded, seemingly content with the notions at hand. While the rest of them worked, Deimos continued to add to the back of the woman’s pile here and there, little portions and pieces so in the end, it should’ve been equal amounts. He made sure to wink and smirk in Elizabeth ‘s direction, ensuring he knew exactly what she’d been through (a rite of passage in Halo, apparently), and how to rectify the situation. To Sah as well, for not tattling.
When they’d all parsed through their shoveling, save for Mrs. Took, who was still slowly and painstakingly going through her fake-injury nonsense and blathering about something that Deimos was ignoring, the Sword nodded at his constituents. “There you are, ma’am. We have done our parts, and most move on now, unfortunately.” Tipping his head respectfully, he glanced at Sah and Elizabeth in turn, in a motion of time to move before the butcher’s wife could begin spouting again.
So they’d leave her in a pocket of snow and ice of her own making, Deimos already taking out his list. “Sorry about her,” he mentioned with a shrug, because she was simply a heathen and there wasn’t much else to it. “We can head over to the Cooper’s Bakery for a break, and then see what they need done. Something about the ice getting into their siding.”
--
Flee and/or complain about Mrs. Took, and head to the bakery with Deimos.
Shoveling the last bit out of her section, Elizabeth gave Mrs. Took a warm political smile. "Please let me know if you need help recovering from your injury. I would be more than happy to assist you with any therapies." She knew that their interaction would probably be enough to keep the woman from reaching out from her 'help' again, but that was more than okay with her. Without waiting for a snarky response, she followed the men away from the mostly cleared porch, a genuine smile on her lips. "Don't apologize. That woman is so manipulative, she could talk a mermaid into a river of lava, even if it's just to escape her presence." Her laugh was light and airy, all signs of frustration gone. She wouldn't let the sour woman affect her mood for the rest of the day.
Elizabeth's mouth watered at the mention of food and the growl of her stomach immediately revealed her agreement with the plan. As they made their way past the other workers, she admired the way the community came together, communicating and assisting with various projects following the chaos of Longnight. Her eyes followed the shimmering ice patterns while she listened to the chatter amongst scraping shovels. The only interruption to the damp smell of snow was the sweet fragrance of pastries. It drew her attention like a worm to a book and she sped past the others to enter the cozy interior. Catching the eye of the owner, she gathered an assortment of warm beverages and deliciously flaky pastries before claiming an empty wooden table for the group to enjoy their well-deserved break. Elizabeth waved the others over, a croissant already filling in her mouth. "Deimos, I think this has been your best idea yet."
Elizabeth obtains the pastries and gathers some warm beverages for the group.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
08-06-2024, 08:50 PM (This post was last modified: 08-06-2024, 08:50 PM by Sah.)
Sah
"Oh, thank fuck." Sah let out a heavy sigh of relief once they'd left Mrs. Took behind. The storm that was that woman always wore him out. If he wasn't walking on eggshells so she wouldn't break his eardrums, he was doing his damn best not to mildly shock her. Not enough to harm her, of course. But enough to make her leave him alone. The same concept when one swats away a fly hard enough that it gives up.
They soon arrived at the bakery and the smell of baked goods immediately improved his mood. Taking a seat at their table, he happily chose a chocolate croissant, "Thank you, Elizabeth." Taking a bite of his pastry, he let out a pleased hum as it melted in his mouth. This was exactly what he needed after that debacle. Hopefully, the worst was behind them, and the rest of the cleanup would go smoothly.
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
Relief in the way they could march from Mrs. Took took over, and for a few moments Deimos didn’t have to be filled with dread or apprehension; just the fulfillment and satisfaction of their work being taken care of and done, one more iteration crossed off the list. So while he snorted at Elizabeth racing ahead and snagging at the items, he turned to the counter, discussing terms and notions with Mr. Cooper, and paying for the food.
Sitting down amidst the small group, he merely gave each of them a singular nod before snagging at a hot tea and chocolate pastry, placing the parchment down on the table. In between bites he made several notations, giving way to silence so the others might not have to immediately churn and burn into their next sentiments.
Eventually though, the break would fade into the next set of duties, and only when he’d finished off the mug did he announce the following set of parameters. “There seem to be three spots around the building where the ice built up and went into the siding,” and he made a little diagram for each of them, depicting what the baker had told him. “If Sah and I melt it, and Elizabeth collects the water, we should be able to assess any damage afterwards.” And if anything needed to be replaced.
So when they were ready, they could head to the first place, off to the eastern side of the building, where the sweet aromas still wafted, but the siding bulged.
--
Sah and Deimos need to melt the ice, and Elizabeth can collect the water! No post order!
As the final bite of croissant melted into her mouth, Elizabeth let her eyes flutter closed, savoring the last moment of reprieve before they resumed the hard work of the day. With any hope, it would be nothing like the beginning. Just in case, she prepared her mind, emptying the dregs of her tea from the mug and focusing on Deimos's instructions.
Elizabeth analyzed the diagram, attempting to understand the sketched lines and scratch marks. But she found that they made no sense to her relational mind. However, she dismissed it, certain that it wouldn't matter as long as they all stuck together.
Pushing back her chair, she cleared the table and followed the others out the door, shooting Mr. Cooper a grateful look and a quick "Thanks" as she passed. She grabbed a bucket for the water before looking up with wide eyes at the bulging wall of ice plastering the side of the building. Getting into position, she looked to Deimos and Sah, giving them an encouraging smile.
Elizabeth is ready to collect the water in her bucket.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
With their snack gone, it was time to get to work. Sah studied the map briefly before glancing over to where the siding was damaged. Nodding, he stood up from their table and cleared it, "Alright."
Walking over to the siding he ran a hand over the area just beneath the bulge. It felt far too squishy for his taste, and he grimaced. He had no idea that water could be so damaging. Focusing on the ice, he warmed his palm with fire magic. Not enough to start a flame, but certainly warm enough to complete the task. Double-checking that Elizabeth had the bucket in place, Sah began to melt the ice.
