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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!
Another deep and accented rumble of a laugh leaves the butcher, his horned head coated in flames nodding his agreement. “Oh, most certainly.” No one he’d grown up with had been deserving of it, though perhaps if he’d utilized it as an interrogation of some kind (and flaunting what he’d became,) perhaps maybe then it would be worth it.
Something to ponder, perhaps.
Seeing the buildings in the distance, the butcher relaxes a touch and his posture straightens imperceptibly. “Ah, is that so? I shall have to pay it a visit.” His grin broadens at the idea, the flames brightening with the realization. He wonders how proud Danta might be to see him return home with the very taffy he’d shoved into his mouth during the Festival.
“I am not too picky. Anything sweet will do for me.” His tail wags not unlike a dogs with the prospect before he tames himself down again and the entrance of the village is finally upon them.
With his smile mostly hidden behind his scarf, Niki nonetheless finds a bit of tension relaxing in his shoulders at the other man's laughter, as if pleased to find his somewhat bitter opinion received with agreement rather than with disdain. "Hopefully you find something you enjoy there," he says of the stall Asta plans to visit - he might get the opportunity very soon, too, given that Niki can hear the bustle of the village in the near distance as well as see the shapes of buildings in more detail.
"Oh? Well if that is the case you will definitely not be disappointed. There is a tea house as well, which serves honeycomb alongside some of their brews. Should you feel like something to drink as well," he adds, relaxing further still as the icy, hard-packed dirt beneath their feet finally turns to frosted cobblestones. "Thank you for your help. It appears I was only lacking in company to get to the village."
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
Oh, the butcher is positive he’ll be able to find at least something to enjoy. If not one, then a series. But as they approach, the sloping rooftops and buildings come better into view and the bustle of chatter echoes down the stone walls to reach them even this far from the entrance. And it is quite a good thing they’re on steadier ground now as he turns toward Niki with a somehow impossibly bright smile with the next addition. “And a tea shop? Ah, how indulgent.” Perhaps a wonderful vacation spot, though he imagines the Maverick may find it somewhat boring if it was only sweets and tea.
Alas, thoughts to mull over as he nods to Niki and glances around the entrance of the village before continuing to make his way inside. Something sticks out of the snow, and were it not for it matching the very same tines that adorn his own head, it would have blended in beautifully with the background. “Of course, darling. You are welcome to head in if you would like, I am just going to take a look at this.” Gesturing to what looks like a heap of snow, the butcher takes the ball of fire in his hand with him as he drifts toward the heap, spreading the fire out to melt the snow and reveal a luxere long since passed, antlers on display now that the snow drift is melted from them.
His tail flicks in delight, ignoring the other smaller creatures that have perished amongst the little group here – an odd thing, he has to say, but he won’t complain – he extinguishes the flames to touch the antlers, considering the best way to break them free from the creatures skull and imbuing the least amount of damage in the process.
"The Fae have kept a surprising variety of shops and stalls in the village, considering how closed off it is," Niki agrees; indeed, he has never felt as though he was particularly missing out on anything by not leaving the Greatwood. Then again, having never left, he has no idea what he might be missing, so he might not be the best judge. Either way, with luck his new companion will find plenty of things to satisfy his sweet tooth.
About to do just that, Niki does halt on the way into the familiar sounds and smells as Asta steps to one side; curiosity has him following his gaze at the very least, and as the bleached bone of the luxere is revealed courtesy of the butcher's ball of flame, he cocks his head to the side. "I wonder what happened to it," he says, gesturing as well to the other creatures - a small sparrow, it looks like, and a red squirrel recently passed. "And to them."
Realising the other man means to break the antlers free, Niki can't stop himself as he lifts his cane to gesture to the joining of the antler to the skull. "This looks as if it is a weak spot," he says. "If you would like to try there. Do you collect these sorts of things?"
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
“Mm, even closed off I am sure that people do require variety now and then. It keeps everything interesting, no?” He teases as he’s distracted by the luxere in the snow – drifting closer to the pile of it to melt it away, scanning the creature for whatever had caused its untimely demise along with the best way to collect said antlers. His horned head tilts curiously, and he’s surprised when Niki joins him in the investigation – though he isn’t displeased by it.
Least of all for the offer of help with the perfect place to snap the antlers off. Nodding, he sets his threaded cane down amongst the snow and kneels, melting away more snow when he reaches for the cold antlers. “I do collect them. Antlers tend to be a favorite of mine.” He admits, flashing a too sharp grin over toward Niki as he gestures with a hand to the dark crown of them he boasts himself. Both hands latching onto the antlers now, careful to not slice his hands on the sharp tines, he makes quick work of snapping them off. A loud series of crack! echoes through the woods and he collects them both in one hand before he draws back up to his full height, brushing off the snow from his legs before he collects his cane again.
Peering down at the rest of them, the butcher’s head tilts slightly. “It appears as if this luxere was ill. Perhaps the others were too, and traveling from the same source of infection?” He muses, lifting the end of the bladed cane to nudge the sparrow curiously, a small temporary frown replacing his traditional smile.
Not noticing the gentle teasing from the other man - Niki is far too focused on the body of the luxere and the little corpses strewn about it - he conducts his own silent investigation while Asta goes about removing the antlers he desires. Not nearly so dexterous, Niki isn't able to crouch in the same way his companion manages, but with a helping hand from a tree he might lean upon, he stoops enough to sweep a handful of snow and the sorry looking sparrow along with it.
"You will not be disappointed if you would like to collect more in the woods," he remarks of the antlers Asta has said he favours, glancing from the bird up at the other man. "They will likely not be so... er, attached as these, but there are still some buried in the snow from when the antlers shed." He tilts his head at the sparrow, and were he alone he'd have collected the specimen for later perusal without a thought. He does have company, though, however macabre Asta's tastes might also be.
"Would you be alarmed if I took this with me?" he asks of the half frozen dead bird, thinking it best to be polite. "It is for magic practice, nothing more."
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
“Mm, that is true.” The butcher hums to the comment of sheds within the woods – and he has to bite back the immediate response of just how much he adored ripping it from their skulls. Not that it would matter, he thinks, given the next series of questions to leave his odd little companion. As such, the butcher’s attention flits toward him again as he holds the antlers in one hand and the cane in the other.
Noticing the loss of a sparrow amongst the band of creatures that have passed, the butcher’s attention flits back to Niki with a smile creeping onto his face. “Not at all, darling. What kind of magic practice?” Would he be burning it, reviving it, utilizing the feathers for something else he can’t quite imagine the specifics of? It’s clear in the smile he flashes Niki’s way that he’s eager to find out.
So eager, in fact, he steps closer to the necromancer in curiosity
Rapidly becoming used to being the odd little companion on outings like this, Niki is nonetheless relieved to hear the matter-of-fact response from Asta in response to his question. "Hm? Oh, it--" Automatically taking a half-step back as the other man encroaches into his space before seeing the curiosity in his face rather than suspicion or disapproval, Niki bites at the inside of his cheek. He's been trying not to be so forthcoming with demonstrations lately, given the mixed reactions, but then no one has ever asked while literally ripping the antlers from a dead deer, right?
"It is a strange sort of magic that I can do," he continues, tucking his cane against the crook of his elbow and taking a second to balance befor raising the (now free) hand. "I can bring creatures back, for a time. Not in the true sense - I believe it is just an act of reanimation. False life, if it can be called such a thing." Letting out a breath that clouds the air and falling silent to concentrate, he lifts the sparrow and slowly clenches his other hand into a fist.
That familiar pulse of something cold and ethereal moves through his limbs, reaching out to snag around the bird until, with a clumsy flutter of its wings, it hops up on Niki's snow covered palm.
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
It’s okay Niki, Asta is also considered an odd companion. Though little isn’t used much to describe him unless it’s about his waif like bulk. But, there’s excitement that lingers in the butcher’s face as he steps closer, only bolstered on by the mention of it being strange. Which, shouldn’t surprise Niki about the eagerness when the man’s teeth had been sharpened down into points, a strange feat in and of itself as well even if it had been beneficial in his other life.
“Can you truly?” He asks with a low thrum of his voice that’s not at all dissuaded by the young man’s abilities. In fact, he settles in to watch as Niki’s hand closes into a fist and the frozen sparrow’s wings twitch and flutter to life. “Ah, so.. Necromancy?” He asks, brows lifting but his grin grows sharper and more eager, excited with the revelation. “That is a remarkable gift, Niki.”
In the past, people have veered from cold uncertainty through towards tentative acceptance when it comes to the nature of his magic. Never, though, has someone called it remarkable, and though his smile up towards Asta is quick and distracted due to his concentration on maintaining the spell, he feels some part of himself relax at not being immediately shunned. "Necromancy is another word for it, yes," he agrees with a much more open nod; it's a term he quite likes the sound of, in fact.
The sparrow hops, with Niki's encouragement, from his palm towards his fingertips, and he offers the creature out towards the butcher in case he would like to inspect it more closely. "I am only able to maintain it for a few minutes, and only with small creatures like this," he explains. "But I hope that with enough practice I will be able to extend the ability to larger animals." Or people. Maybe even people.
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
The butcher’s grin sharpens and widens all the same to see Niki relax under his approval. He remains silent, watching and listening to the abandoned’s explanation all while the sparrows wings flutter and it hops around, and with the offer to inspect more closely? You can sign the butcher right up. He drifts closer, inspecting and appreciating with all the air of someone that would likely be overjoyed to have such an ability. “That is brilliant.” The praise drops easily from his lips, his tail flicking back and forth beneath his coat where the spaded tip can be seen almost like a dog’s wag.
“They do say practice makes perfect. How wonderful that would be, to utilize it on larger creatures. Or…” Astaroth is the one to break the silent dance they’ve made, his gaze flitting to the young man’s face with a touch too much eagerness. “To even utilize it on humans. Quite a feat, I would imagine.” The opportunities it would spark is endless, and the butcher can barely contain his excitement though he does try to temper it as he seeks the reaction from the younger man.
"I have never met anyone with the same sort of ability," Niki says softly as Asta moves closer still, and this time the boy accepts the shrinking distance with ease; scientific interest has inevitably won out over any social awkwardness. "And there are no records of it here in the Greatwood or its libraries, so my practice has been very much self driven." So far so good, but as the butcher points out, being able to expand his studies to larger creatures would be a point of pride. Not to mention...
"Indeed." Or humans. His own excitement is something dark and tempered, sewn into the fabric of his being and guarded fiercely lest it be discovered and judged, but the small smile he levels towards Asta gives enough away to show that they are in agreement. Alas, he is nowhere near ready for such feats of power, and as if to demonstrate, his grip over the spell soon wanes, the boy even paler from the exertion as the sparrow falls still once more in his hand. "I have a long way to go, as you can see."
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
If the butcher was being honest, neither has he. And it’s something he can dwell on later when the thoughts of it flicker through his mind. “If you would prefer, I could inspect the library of the Grounds and see if there are any records there?” The offer is extended easily – not even with a deal or favor attached, solely due to how obsessed with the idea of Niki’s magic the butcher is.
Now, he is very astute as well, and he notices that while Niki doesn’t quite outwardly say he approves of the topic of testing it on humans, there’s the glint in the small smile he edges his way that has the butcher more or less understanding where he might be coming from, even as the poor sparrow begins to wane. He notices the way Niki seems paler for it, though, and he straightens up from where he’d bent a touch over his cane pressed into the snow to see it better, allowing his gaze to linger on the young man. “At any rate, I do believe you are quite imaginative.” He hums, wondering what even sparked the abandoned’s mind to let him try it in the first place.
It's another though to dwell on later, especially as the butcher ensures he’s got a good hold on the antlers in his hand. “Would you prefer company on the way back to your home? I am sure I will be able to find the stand afterwards.” But given how pale the other man looked, help might be beneficial – and given his excitement over the necromancy, well… The butcher decides this young man is an important one to keep an eye on.
"Please, do not trouble yourself," Niki begins automatically, before he realises that this is perhaps the first person he's met who has shown a genuine interest in what he does - and has a similar approach, too. "But I suppose if you do see any literature about it, I would be doing myself a disservice not to take you up on it." Smiling and carefully setting the bird back down in the snow, leaning heavily on his cane to do so, as he straightens he has to take a moment for the wave of dizziness to pass.
"Thank you," he says, gently inclining his head; imaginative is one of the more complimentary things he's been called, for certain. "And thank you for the offer, but I actually have business in the village," he explains, gesturing to the hustle and bustle before them. "Though I may go to that tea house first to thaw out." And catch his breath, and perhaps get a bit of energy back. He doesn't say that much, but he doubts he needs to.
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
