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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!
No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight
"It was an accident!" Koa protests defensively, arms raised with a laugh. "I set it right after, and she was totally fine!" At least he has the wherewithal to look properly chagrined, eyes widening into alarmed saucers as she threatens to never spar again. "I'll be careful, Dragoon's honor," Koa promises, eager as a puppy dog who fears the imminent denial of a game of fetch.
But then she agrees, rising to her feet; Koa bounces with enthusiasm and relief. "Okay, so the first tenant of self defense is to avoid conflict when you can. Maintain your awareness, don't engage in a stronger opponent, and if you're accosted by someone with a weapon, throw your wallet and run." Steadily steadying, Koa's boyish enthusiasm coalesces into a soldier's confidence; he looks to Lena for understanding before pressing on.
"Of course, sometimes that isn't possible, which is where these basics come in. Everything begins with your stance. Here-" Demonstrating, Koa sets his feet at a shoulder's distance, then takes one half-step. "You want your non-dominant foot forward, and your knees slightly bent. And then your hands should be here, and your head tucked in-- great, you're basically there. May I?"
Should Lena allow, the young man will circle her deliberately, making adjustments to her position until he's satisfied.
Giving Koa the only potential side-eye she could warrant for his actions upon Sohalia, she let it go with an arch of her brow, and settled into the instruction. She figured she covered the first tenant easily; she tended to avoid conflict regardless, aiming to utilize compassion, understanding, and the temptation to solve problems rationally, rather than with violence. So she nodded once more, giving herself an inward pat on the shoulder for being able to handle some portions already.
As for stances – her eyes widened for a second. “Oh, I was shown some of those for staff work. Hang on.” And though it clearly wasn’t automatic, she remembered something, mostly from Zavien’s methods, and shuffled her feet, hands, and the rest of her form into the right places; or at the very least, for swinging a wooden armament. “How about that?”
No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight
"That's great!" Koa effuses as Lena assumes a proper stance, nodding encouragement. "The only thing I'd change is putting your arms here-" he nudges her arms up and inward, better to protect her face, "And here," he finishes, using his foot to gently scoot hers back. "With a staff your hands are going to be set wider and lower, because the weapon is your defense. But if you're caught unaware, you want to make sure you're using your forearms to keep your face safe. Because, see?"
Moving around now to face Lena, Koa assumes his own loose fighting stance. "Now if I try to come in like this, you can either turn or move your arm to block me. Try it now." Slowly and intentionally, he swings his arm toward her face in a punch, giving the Caretaker more than enough opportunity to react. "A real hit would hurt a lot more, of course, but your forearms can take a helluva lot more damage than your face can, and getting a hit to them won't leave you bleeding or dazed. You swing at me next, see how it feels to be blocked," he instructs, raising his own arms up in defense.
She nodded, heeding the advice and moving her arms and hands for where they were supposed to be – trying to ignore that discomforting feeling rising over her ribs again. Especially now, as Koa moved to give directions, and seemed to be extending a punch; her instincts all screamed towards evasion and running. It would make more sense for her to simply shift out of the mess altogether.
But that wasn’t what they were training for; despite the grimace on her face.
She raised her forearms abruptly, opting to shield her face other than scream away in fright. The resulting measures meant the semblance of his knuckles hit her muscles, but not overly, painstakingly so, and she could peek around the forefront with another tight and uncomfortable smile. “Was that okay?”
Swinging at him made her feel even more apprehensive, and she drew back, not nearly as much as she should, and fired a very weak and feeble strike towards him.
No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight
"That was great!" Koa effuses, smiling encouragingly as Lena peeks out from behind her fists. "You got your arms up and tucked in your chin, exactly like you're supposed to." Sure, the hit he'd thrown her had been done in slow-motion; if she hadn't managed to block it they would have far bigger concerns. But Koa is intuitive enough to read some of the discomfort that radiates off Lena in palpable waves, and he's done enough training sessions to understand the value positive reinforcement has on increasing confidence.
Not that her confidence seems to have raised too significantly yet. The hit Lena aims at him is less thrown than meekly tossed; he thinks bemusedly that he might have taken more damage from a butterfly sneeze. But teaching her how to punch is not today's goal, and he drops his arms with a nod. "See how your knuckles glance off my forearms? Way better than a hit to the face.
"Speaking of - let's talk counter-attacks and soft spots. Self-defense is about fighting dirty, not clean. If someone has you in a dangerous position, you want to know exactly where to hit them to give yourself the best shot at getting away." Assuming a more relaxed stance, Koa begins pointing to the more delicate points on an attacker. "Eyes, nose, throat, junk - these are the most vulnerable spots, and the ones you want to aim for. There's a few moves you can use on those spots- let's start with a palm-heel strike."
Koa demonstrates the move both in front of and alongside Lena: a powerful outward thrust of the left palm toward the assailant's face, backed up by her body weight as she steps into it. "Keep your right hand up to protect your face," he instructs her firmly. He watches the Caretaker practice a few times with an approving nod before stepping back in front of her. "Alright, now try on me - aim for my nose. But, like, slowly," he cautions with a laugh. "I don't much feel like bleeding on this shirt."
Koa was very patient and diligent to be dealing with her, and so she nodded and complied, grateful to learn but avoidant in her mind just the same. She brightened a little at the praise, opting to do less worrying on her lips and more concentration on the task at hand. Nodding along, she tried to intercept and snag at any information without feeling overwhelmed, taking in short strides and formations.
Counter-attacks. Soft spots. Fighting dirty, not clean. Not exactly the description of Lena’s entire character, and her eyes widened as the claims were made. “Right, I know - ,” she just didn’t want to be the one maiming. Or being in that situation.
Though she did manage a light snort at his detailed report.
Which went away once the palm-heel strike was mentioned. Watching the demonstration, her head tilted, and she tried to mimic the same motions without anyone or anything touching – the maneuvers abrupt and quick on her end.
Trying it on Koa was a different story, and doing as she was told, she unfurled the slow-motion technique, all with a clear grimace on her face.
No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight
Poor Lena is so far outside her comfort zone she may as well be in Halo, but Koa's determined to keep the training as light and fun as he can. He waits patiently for her palm to strike, mouthing a slow motion 'ooooohhhh nooooooo!' just before it lands.
Well, 'lands' might be generous. It's less anything resembling a hit, more tentative, tiptoed tap.
Which doesn't stop him from gasping dramatically, nor from clasping his nose in playful pantomime. "Perfect form- if that had been a really hit, I'd definitely think twice about messing with you," he says encouragingly, opting to forgo complex criticism just now.
"Okay, next spot: knee to the groin. This one works especiallyvery specific... ah, but never mind."
Again he goes through the maneuver with her, showing her how to twist her hips to maximize her force. And when he's satisfied with pantomime he stands before her, inviting her to practice on him - though this time he does keep his hands placed protectively to take the impact. You know, just in case.
Koa may not be using his junk actively, but he still likes to keep it in good repair.
Koa’s dramatic antics did make the situation better – because despite her evident and tangible discomfort, the pantomimed actions did make her laugh. Like being within the ridiculous theater district, the pretenses of gasps and mocking danger had her shaking her head. “Certainly. I know I must seem very threatening,” she gave in return, clearly sarcastic even in her light tones. Especially with her nearly always instinctive notion to run away.
The knee to the groin didn’t need to be explained though – that was one facet that all women knew and understood. “I understand,” and she winked to show her comprehension, no need of further discourse on the matter.
And she’d be careful.
The demonstration showed a more brutal side to the semblances though, and she inwardly grimaced again, trying not to show it on her face. It probably came out more as concentration with her furrowed brows, taking a few steps away to practice the lift to her knee and movement of her hips with a far more potent and powerful impact.
Only after two or three motions did she return to actually try it on Koa – but clearly with an apology on her lips and far less action, bringing her knee upwards with lighter aspirations.
No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight
Again they walk through it together first, Lena taking care to practice, Koa gently correcting her form while trying not to blanch at the though of that strong leg slamming into his groin. When at last the time for a full demonstration comes it is with only a little trepidation; Koa goes first, his knee scarcely grazing Lena, then lets the Caretaker practice on him. The result is scarcely a butterfly kiss, and Koa can't quite help but laugh, cupping her knee between his palms before letting her go. "Okay, you can try a little harder," he chortles. "I'm not that delicate, I swear."
Once he's satisfied he nods and steps back. "Okay, last thing. Let's say someone grabs you from behind." He steps behind Lena to demonstrate, extending his arms. "May I?" Only if and when she steps into his grasp will Koa proceed. "Now, in this position you have a little wiggle room, which is good. It means you can try and get your elbow into my side, or face, or somewhere else squishy. But if I were to grab you like this-"
Adjusting his grip, Koa pulls Lena tighter, so that her ability to wiggle will be minimized. "It's a lot harder to move your arms, right? So in this case what I want you to do is drop. Let your weight just fall, so I have to put effort into carrying you. Then you can either try to wiggle free, or when I'm bent over you shove back up, slamming your head into my chin." He'll give her the opportunity to practice before letting go.
“Yes, I know,” she conceded with a huff of air, bringing hair out of her eyes, “but I don’t want to hurt you.” And that was what it really came down to all along with the Caretaker – not wishing to see harm wrought upon anyone or anything.
Grabbing from behind sent her prey instincts into molten bits and pieces, and though she granted and gave permission, the very thought had her mind instinctively yearning to flee. Wouldn’t it be easier to shift herself out of the position? To fly away? To cower and shrink and evade?
But not everything was going to be like that, and she knew this too – so fighting every urgency to breathe hastily and panic, she waited for the instructions, trying not to become so unyielding and still. There was even the merest thought of jamming her elbow into his ribs just to slither her way out –
But then she was wrapped tighter, and her nose wrinkled. “Just drop?” She squinted, striving to understand the semblances and motions of dead weight. “But what if it's still easy for me to be carted off - ?” which she left hanging, because she did as she was told – letting the substance of her form fall.
No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight
Actually, shifting into a bird or something else wriggly and small would be a brilliant strategy for escape - but Koa is too used to relying on his body alone to remember to teach Lena to utilize those gifts. Most of the Dragoons he trains with lack any sort of magic or shapeshifting skill. He'll have to remind himself later to focus on those, rather than create blanket lessons like this.
But anyway. Lena, with some protest, drops, becoming a dead weight in Koa's arms. Immediately the young man sags in response, his balance upset as he has to take on her mass as well as his own. "See, that's way harder on me," he points out encouragingly, though his teeth grit as she slips down, further out of his grasp. "Now I have to work to hold you up and hold onto you, so it'll be way, way easier for you to strike back or slip away." He waits for her to do one of those things, assuming it'll be the latter.
Likewise, Lena didn’t expect to go nearly completely falling on her backside; and she had to stifle a good-natured laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. It might’ve taken the entire time of the training session for her to finally feel comfortable – but she knew what to do in this portion.
Slip away it was.
She immediately shifted into something light – Koa would notice the difference between mass and size as she flew off as a parrot – hovering over with a squawk, before gently gliding downwards and landing nearby – back to solely the Caretaker, a smile finally on her face. “All right – how was that?”
One moment Koa's clinging to Lena's deadweight, the next he's staggering forward in surprise, arms empty but for a couple of feathers that blow into his face. Sputtering as he catches himself, the Dragoon looks up to find a parrot hovering in air - a parrot which quickly shifts back into a familiar figure, earing an astonished and impressed grin.
"That was excellent!" Clapping his hands together, Koa beams grins boyishly. "Incorporating your shift? Brilliant. I shoulda thought of that." He rolls onto the soles of his feet and then back to his heels. "I'll definitely have to do some Attuned-specific trainings in the future... or get someone to help with it." Maybe one of the demigods - Ronin, or Sunjata. Or even Deimos, if he'd agree.
Such things can wait for later, though. For now... "I think that's enough for today. Anything else you need to get done? I'd be happy to lend a hand." He'll stick with Lena, assisting as needed until he's dismissed. He doesn't know when the next time he'll see the Celestine will be, and he wants to enjoy it for as long as he can, while ignoring the world going to shit just outside the walls.
