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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!
Haulani is swarming with people on the afternoon Jack decides to take to the streets, the good captain dressed warmly and with his hands buried in his pockets as he breezes past stalls and shops and towards one boutique in particular. Despite his relative infamy throughout Torchline, he can still melt into a crowd when the occasion calls for it, and today he'd much rather stay anonymous.
Whether she knows it or not, Flora swanning off to the Greatwood has created the perfect opportunity for Jack to surprise her with a gift. Perhaps part of him just wants to get something for the Doubletake (and if it's true, he'll never tell), but mainly he's averse to being indebted to anyone. And her mageglass present, however much Flora might claim it unnecessary, is deserving of some reciprocation.
The boutique is her usual tailor - that much Jack knows even without his magic - but having approached the man a few days prior, what he's requested is certainly bespoke, and as such it's taken this long for it to be finished. As he ducks into the shop, the bell ringing overhead, Jack assumes he won't be disappointed by the results.
when I look at something, I see it for what it could be
when I look at something, I see how it ends
lately i've been leaning on what she swears is a feeling
It’s a boutique with quite the array of fabrics and colors and a reputation to back it up, so of course it’s no wonder the young attuned would be here. She’s busy drifting between the rows, distracted by everything in between black and gold, warm golds and cold golds and hues that look like sunrises and sunsets. She’s in a wonderland, and it’s clear in her thoughts as she decides on quite the beautiful glittering dress, mostly black with flares of sheer gold throughout. Certainly a summer dress, but she can’t help but want it.
She’s unaware of her father being in the same boutique, especially as she snags the dress and whirls in a little spin, blonde curls bouncing around her face as she drifts down the small aisle toward the counter, flashing a smile at the shopkeeper as she asks in a bright and content tone. “Can I try this on?” Hoisting the dress, she lowers it in time to see Jack stepping in. Her smile twists a bit more playfully before she nods her head in greeting toward him. “Hey, Jack.” She hums, stepping up toward the counter as she waits to receive the instructions on where the dressing room might be.
The calm waters of Calypso's mind remain that way even when she's brimming with excitement (at least in comparison to her sister), such that Jack can almost use them as a balm against the raucous crowds of Haulani. His magic is sharp for the overwhelming colour and chaos of the other Marin girl, but when there's no sign of Nova, he heads for the counter where both the tailor and Caly have glanced towards him.
Inclining his head towards her in a nod of greeting, he waits for the tailor to point her in the direction of the changing room towards the back of the shop before leaning against the counter to arrange pick-up of his order. With a gleam of excitement, the tailor nods and disappears out back to go and fetch it. "I'll cover whatever she's gettin' as well," the captain calls, almost as an afterthought, and gestures to the changing room and whatever Caly decides to purchase.
There, Vesper. You can't say Jack doesn't do anything nice.
when I look at something, I see it for what it could be
when I look at something, I see how it ends
lately i've been leaning on what she swears is a feeling
Flashing a slightly sunnier smile toward her father, the young attuned’s attention flits back to the tailor as he points her to the space and hands her the little key, one she takes with a chime of thanks before she’s bounding away – out of earshot to hear whether or not Jack was paying for it should she decide to get it. And luckily for the both of them, she isn’t gone too long. The dress fits like a glove, hugging curves and accentuating her best features, Caly is quite pleased when she returns.
Setting the dress carefully on the counter so as to not ruin it, she realizes Jack’s still there as the tailor works to get whatever he’s getting boxed up and ready – something Caly notices immediately. “Since when do you do gifts?” She asks under her breath, her amber honey toned gaze flitting toward the Captain with a raise of a playful brow – her mind still a calm and collected swarm of amusement and mischief, still blissfully unaware of his offer to pay for the dress she intends to get.
Already knowing that Caly will be purchasing the dress from the positive self-talk he can hear from her mind, Jack is busy signing a rather cryptic looking invoice that promises the tailor gods know what in exchange for the boxed up item (and the extra garment) when she returns. The tailor also comes out to meet them at this point, setting down Jack's wrapped parcel and accepting the changing room key back from Caly before taking away her dress to fold and package it up.
"Since people started givin' 'em to me," Jack quips to the Attuned, leaning casually against the counter and letting his fingers dance over the packaging, as if he can see through it to what's inside. "Always feels like I owe a debt." Suffice to say that the captain does not like being under anyone's thumb, and it extends even to things like early birthday presents from Flora.
Handing Caly a bag with the dress inside it, the tailor will shake his head at the offer of any payment from her, gesturing to Jack and assuring her that it's already been covered.
when I look at something, I see it for what it could be
when I look at something, I see how it ends
lately i've been leaning on what she swears is a feeling
It’s a strange coincidence, as far as Caly can tell – because she, too, isn’t particularly fond of receiving gifts unless they were from her siblings for precisely the same reason – and it’s that glittering shine that encases her mind as she wonders briefly, if it were an inherited thing or simply an observation from growing up watching Torchline from the stars. “Yeah, I get that.” She hums, letting the smile still play on her lips. “I only give ‘em to V and Nova.” Not that it would be surprising, they were siblings. It was different. There wasn’t a debt when you shared a similar soul in so many ways.
As the tailor returns and shakes his head as she begins to ask how much it will be, confusion flares like the dimming of a sunset, letting the dark encroach momentarily before her amber gaze flits toward Jack. “Oh. Uh, thanks!” She chimes, recovering swiftly, flashing that sunny smile toward the tailor before she takes the bag with her dress in it and drifts closer to her father, watching as the tailor busies himself with another customer down one of the rows before her attention flits back toward him. “Do I owe ya a debt now?” She asks playfully and a touch quietly, raising a brow as if it were a joke (and beautifully pulling off the mask of innocence), but there’s an underlying tone in her mind that has her searching for whether or not it would be serious, and the slight annoyance amongst it in not having a choice.
It's something Jack finds curious as well, despite his best efforts not to be interested in the lives of the three siblings who had hopped down from the stars. (And who happen to share his blood). "That's more like gettin' a present for yourself anyway, ain't it?" He smirks, referring to her penchant for getting gifts for Vesper and Nova. Something something triplet bond, or whatever.
Collecting up his parcel and stepping away from the counter, the captain hides his smile with practiced ease to sense the fading twilight of Caly's thoughts erupt once more into sunlight, and he glances sidelong at her to see that she's drawn up next to him. "Nah. Your debts are long paid by someone else," he drawls, and it won't take a genius to put two and two together and come up with overprotective big brother.
"Let me know if you ever do wanna do business, though," Jack adds, tipping her a wink and heading for the door to the boutique. He's no fool, and despite the obvious similarities between he and Vesper due to their magic, it hasn't escaped his notice either, that he and Caly are more alike in personality than he'd expected.
Like father like daughter, indeed.
~FIN
when I look at something, I see it for what it could be
when I look at something, I see how it ends
