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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!
Sing to me, I am not doing well Getting tired of my own words
Opposites attract, or so the saying goes. While Maea wasn't accustomed to Nova's bubbly enthusiasm, she found herself enjoying the company all the same. There was a brightness about the girl that banished some of her own gloom, tempting and coaxing out the occasional smile. Who knew, perhaps one day enough exposure to such a bright light might even teach her how to laugh freely again.
For now, Maea enjoyed the smack-talk well enough. Thinking back to that one encounter with Vox, she shuddered wholeheartedly. "Yeah, that. I'd say you're better off not seeing it. Him? Aside from oozing of void aura, that figure is... all out of sorts. Extra limbs, eyes coming and going, the sense it's not quite here and yet entirely too present – just looking at it made me want to claw my eyes out." Snorting, she swiped a hand over said eyes as if to chase away the memory.
"What do you think... do we play along, or ignore 'em?" Neither option felt entirely safe, and she wasn't thrilled about the idea, but... if a poem would keep additional visits out of her head, Maea would put some actual effort in.
Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself through the loudness of my own hurts
Her body squirmed in a visceral reaction to the description. "Eeeew. That does not sound cute." Nova stuck her tongue out, pulling her arms in like it might protect her from the weird extra eyes that might be watching them. Her magic stood at the ready, buzzing through her body like a warning not to touch her. Luckily, there didn't seem to be anyone or anything else lurking around, so she gave a dramatic shiver to dispel the feeling.
Tuning her head to Maea, she clapped her hands. "I like playing games! Let's do it!" She jumped up to balance precariously on the edge of a pool, tapping her finger to her chin. "Hmm. Maybe something rhyming with 'Vox?'" She tried to wrack her brain for ideas, but nothing sounded appealing. Fox? Box? Locks? Rocks? A frustrated hum started in her chest, annoyance at being stumped by the game so soon. Her face scrunched adorably, distorting her starry freckles.
Sing to me, I am not doing well Getting tired of my own words
Nope, not cute in the least. Still, she had to laugh at Nova's visceral reaction, and hummed thoughtfully as she considered how to structure a poem. It would have to be polite enough that it wasn't taken as an insult, but poetry was not the same without a degree of honesty. And she had strong opinions on his habit of strolling through her mind uninvited...
Running a few different combinations through her mind, Maea eventually cleared her throat.
"Foxy Vox never knocks before he stalks in and talks to the flocks. Headlocks the peacocks on sidewalks and boondocks, spacewalks like warlocks through cellblocks, there's no detox from the chatterbox Vox."
Winking at Nova, she waited for a rection; honestly, Maea was rather pleased with herself. "How's that for a tongue twister? Your turn."
Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself through the loudness of my own hurts
Maea had her idea first, and Nova listened with amazement. She hopped down to bounce in front of the Ancient. "Wow! How am I supposed to compete with that?" Her lips came out in a pout as she crossed her arms, but there was a slight twinkle in her eyes. Even if hers wasn't as good, Maea's had been great, and she was already enjoying herself.
Spinning on her toes, she stumbled through her own 'poem.' "When Vox talks... it's like he unlocks... my mind. It's... unorthodox! And mocks... the roadblocks!" Although stilted and odd, Nova felt proud of her own attempt, giggling. "That was actually pretty fun! Do you think he heard them?" That was the whole point, right? It made her wonder what else he heard, or saw for that matter. It was really creepy.
Sing to me, I am not doing well Getting tired of my own words
Applauding the girl with genuine appreciation for the choice of words, Maea huffed a dry bit of laugh. "He better be, I'm not writing it down. And if he's really listening - Stay out of my head, please." Casting about with a beliggerent sort of glare, she almost immediately regretted saying anything. The confidence would not last if the weird Family member showed up in person, and the very idea that everything they said would be monitored prickled her skin with unease.
Shuddering, she dragged a hand through her hair, pushing it back from the face. "Let's, uh... let's keep going. We can make poems about something else, if you'd like?" They had a lot of ground to cover before combing through Frey's Breath, and longer still until the sister caught up. Maea could think of worse ways to pass the time.
Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself through the loudness of my own hurts
With a bright grin, she gave a playful bow, soaking in the applause. "Thank you. Thank you. I can hear all day." She let out a giggle, especially as Maea seemed to agree with her unspoken feelings on being watched/listened? to. Just to be safe, she stuck her tongue out to blow a raspberry in the air. Take that, Vox.
And with that unpleasant business done, she was happy to continue the game on a lighter note, one with more color variation. She spun, hair flaring out around her head like a golden halo. "Okay!" Nova then proceeded to make very poorly written poems and random rhymes about their surroundings, somehow always bringing it back to colors and rainbows. They walked for a time with no flowers in sight. She didn't mind though, skipping pleasantly between the steaming pools of water without a care in the world.
