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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!
Fool me once, fool me twice
Are you death or paradise?
Letting out a heavy sigh, she kicks another bit of dirt farther into the fog ahead of them. "That's too bad." There's disappointment in her tone. Because where's the fun in 'behaving?'
She doesn't say anything more as she listens, eyes straining ahead to see if she can spot the ocean ahead. There's still an anger that taints her emotions, along with the sadness surrounding his continuing trauma. She instinctually wants to apologize for his suffering but knows she isn't the one who'd caused it, and she certainly won't say the words Maea should be. Instead, Thal gives a darkly humored chuckle. "Has Maea ever needed an invitation to ruin someone's night?" Or week.
Regardless, Thal hates to hear that she wasn't there for Asta. There's no doubt that Danta was by his side, but she bristles nonetheless, knowing that he'd had to turn to drinking to wash away the taste of Maea's harassment. Having been tipsy together multiple times, she finds it hard to believe Asta being 'sloppy' about anything. The flick of her tail matches her steps, starting to calm with his emotions. "Did the alcohol help?" Her crystal blue eyes still take him in, curious if the interaction still bothers him or if he'd cleansed the anger and disgust. If not, she's more than happy to help him find a way to do so.
Now you'll never see me cry
There's just no time to die
run, baby, run, run for your life i'ma tear out your heart, it'll always be mine
It was too bad, but there would always be time. It wasn’t like Maea was going anywhere – if anything, she really seemed to be like a flea he couldn’t get rid of, nagging and chafing constantly. Infuriating as all hell. But he watches the path ahead all the same as he hears her chuckle and her answer – granting her one in return, a low and warm thing that blooms in his chest. “No, she is perfect at being uninvited.” He agrees, exhaling his laugh on a breathy sigh.
Looking down at her to see the question in her sea blue gaze, Asta’s soften a touch even if his smile is sharper. “I had plenty of ways to burn off my ire that night, thankfully.” He murmurs, offering his assurance to the fact that he’s fine. That, and Danta had taken him out to hunt the next day, to relieve that additional need. But in terms of the rest, he hears the underlying question, and his tongue clicks as he scans the misty path ahead. “Though I would not say no to another brief battle. Perhaps we shall be lucky in finding a creature I can set ablaze.” Craning his head back toward her, his smile is sharper and his gaze is a touch darker, the weight of the lace from the Spectral Villi still felt in his pocket, but the frustration of the fight was still there beneath the surface, amongst the still aching brands on his chest.
Fool me once, fool me twice
Are you death or paradise?
Glad to leave the topic of Maea in the dust of their footsteps, Thal lets their agreeance be the end of it, an amused grin spread across her lips. They could preach to the choir all the way to the ship if they wanted, but it's become tiring to spin circles around the never-changing woman. Until one of them encounters her again, Thal hopes they might be able to pretend that she just doesn't exist.
After all, Asta appears to have dealt with his most recent interaction - even if her eyebrow raises at what sort of ways he may have accomplished that. A mischievous smirk hints at the curiosity while she gives a clipped, "Good." It's the tone of someone in charge, someone who would not have allowed any other outcome to be acceptable, and as her focus shifts to hunting, her words are similarly laced with the notes of command. "Do you want purely violence? Or a meal?" There's not 'if' anymore - no luck - just the details of the matter and what his needs are as she continues to scan his eyes for signs of discontent, her own filled with trouble and chaos to come.
Now you'll never see me cry
There's just no time to die
run, baby, run, run for your life i'ma tear out your heart, it'll always be mine
These days, the butcher has a multitude of ways to burn off steam rather than holing himself away until he was capable of being around people again. An old means to making sure he didn’t drift too far into his typical tendencies. Even though he has a better means to getting it out of his system, some things still lingered. The craving for violence, for blood, and at the present moment? They collide in the memory of Maea’s audacity and the fight with the Villi and the biting cold pain he can still feel across his chest.
“Violence.” The butcher confirms, his smile flashing a touch too sharp and eager toward Thal. It wasn’t bloodlust sating. It was carnage and destruction.
As if on cue, the rustle in the dune grass as it shifts toward the sand of the boondocks captures the butcher’s attention - head whipping enough to notice nearly immediately as something purple and black begins to gun for them, bolting through like a terrible tumbleweed made of void tendrils, outstretched on the hunt. Hissing a sound of displeasure, the butcher’s hand outstretches, a fireball scorching the grass as he aims for the beast’s center. “Must be our lucky day.”
Fool me once, fool me twice
Are you death or paradise?
His answer is everything she wants - her smile looking nearly as sharp without the need for extra fangs. She lets her hands hover over her daggers as her body shifts into something more lethal, the predatory instincts softening her steps and giving her limbs a deadly grace. "Good. Let's -"
A sound interrupts her, the rustle of grass distinct enough to her ears to indicate a threat. Her head whips to find the source, watching as a tumbling shape of twisting purple and black limbs races towards them. Chuckling, she drops to a crouch, poised for action. "Must be."
Thal's faced more than enough Void River Stars to recognize the creature, but unlike before, she doesn't feel the immediate call to violence. She puzzles over it for a critical second, trying to will her heart to race, her blood to sing with destruction, her body to move against the threat; yet when she looks at the purple tendrils that reach for Asta, she feels only a sense of protectiveness. It's on that alone that she finally acts.
Her dagger flies from her hand, striking the dirt in front of the first tentacle - the one reaching for Asta's feet. It's close enough to look like she might have been trying to hit it, but she lets it act as a warning; the sharp physical barrier and flaring fire cause the Void River Star to garble a hiss, twisting around to attack from a different angle.
Now you'll never see me cry
There's just no time to die
run, baby, run, run for your life i'ma tear out your heart, it'll always be mine
They both shift their intentions, steps twisting into a graceful violence, purposeful and lithe. The butcher, a touch more upfront and brash in comparison to the way Thalassa blends into shadows. Asta’s own approach more akin to getting up close and drawing the focus. It’s much the same here with the void river star that tumbles out their way, black tendrils glinting purple in the low light of the evening. The butcher’s smile is one sharp and eager as he adjusts the cane in his hand once the fireball flies out.
It hits the river star on one of its outstretched limbs, singeing with a scent that would make his stomach turn if he didn’t know well enough already to block out that portion of his senses. The tendril reaching for his feet hesitates with Thal’s throw, a growl escape it as it tries to launch itself at the butcher.
In this time, he’s pressed the button to the cane, the blade fracturing into bladed pieces as it pools against the dune grass, and with a practiced motion of his wrists, the butcher’s bladed whip launches out to aim the river star across its chest, chuckling deeply in delight.
Fool me once, fool me twice
Are you death or paradise?
While the battle between Asta and the Void River Star rages on outside, Thal is in a struggle of her own. Every lingering instinct tells her to back up her friend, to stand against the threat despite the knowledge that he can more than handle his own. Even as he lashes out with flame and cane, she recognizes the urge to protect him. But it's muffled by the blanket of purple haze that fills her mind, trying to placate her worries, to convince her that the creature attacking Asta isn't an enemy despite every other experience she's had with the Void.
Her jaw clenches as her thoughts twist and crash against each other. If only to avoid confronting either side, Thal sings back her dagger, a melancholy tone similar to that of the villi they'd just fought. The moment it joins its twin in her hands, she flicks her wrists. They fly forward to create a barrier on each side of the reaching tentacles to box it in, as if she's just helping Asta have all the fun by keeping it from escaping.
Now you'll never see me cry
There's just no time to die
run, baby, run, run for your life i'ma tear out your heart, it'll always be mine
Not minding whether Thal participates too much in this attack, the butcher’s fairly confident it won’t last that much longer. The whip portion of the blade lunges out, slicing and snagging across the river star’s center – purple and dark inky blood begins to leak from the wound, splattering in odd patterns across the creature’s body. Thal’s voice is a lovely addition to the deep laugh of the butcher – violence intermixed with beauty.
He thinks she may have been inclined to be a siren, if things had been a little different. But he doesn’t complain, not with the way that the blades sling out toward the river star, blocking it in as Asta takes the final move, clicking the button so that the cane returns to a bladed point, stepping forward just in time for the river star to snag at his boot before Asta’s blade lifts and he gives the final blow, watching as it falls into a twitching mess.
Panting lightly, the butcher’s hand lifts to rake through his hair and brush it back out of his face, flashing Thal a too sharp smile that clearly indicates he’s pleased.
Fool me once, fool me twice
Are you death or paradise?
The creature doesn't stand a chance, its blood splattering across the dirt like oily raindrops in a premonition of death. Her assistance is unnecessary, and she basks in the laughter of her friend, letting him have all the fun - mostly because she's having difficulty doing so herself. Perhaps it's relief more than anything that falls over her when the battle finally ends, Asta's cane falling down to deal the death blow in his usually elegant showmanship.
Thal returns his smile with a sharp grin, although there's something muted about her own delight. She pulls from her enjoyment of his own satisfaction to fuel the expression, trying to ignore the slight pang of disappointment for the death of the Void River Star.
A few notes of a song leave her lips as she recalls one dagger, then the other, twirling them in her fingers with practiced ease. Smirking at Asta, she tilts her head. "Better?"
Now you'll never see me cry
There's just no time to die
run, baby, run, run for your life i'ma tear out your heart, it'll always be mine
He notes the muted reaction — and Flora’s announcement just prior to this lingers in his mind. But, ever the man with the mask, Asta’s smile is still sharp and appreciative as it was before, even if hers doesn’t shine nearly as bright as his. Wiping the bladed cane against the long dune grasses to clean up the blood from its blade, he listens to her song with content as her own blades recall. “Very much.” He purrs to her, straightening up to fix his posture and flash a brilliant smile.
Stepping closer to her now, another indicator that he considers her one of his closest friends, he offers his elbow out for her to take should she wish to (though he knows it could go 50/50 of whether or not she will), turning his attention back to the path to the Marauder through the Boondocks of King’s End. “I am getting old, evidently. This whole ordeal has been exhausting.” The tones of his voice flare higher in his dramatics, going so far as to add a brief and little slouch to his shoulders.
Fool me once, fool me twice
Are you death or paradise?
Her next smile is more genuine, fueled by his mental wellbeing. It's sharp enough to cut away the other worries, stripping away the burden as easily as spiderwebs on her conscious. "Good." She sheaths her daggers, sealing the tomb on her emotions and letting the moment of weakness end along with it.
Despite whatever's going on with her, Asta has become an anchor, someone for her to lean on, so when he offers his arm, she takes it, gripping it tight like a lifeline. Chuckling, she moves into step next to him, a playful gleam in her eyes. "Oh? So you're finally accepting it?" Perhaps she'll be less considerate around the topic from now on, adding it to her growing list of things to tease him about.
For now, she knows he took a few hits, and she can only imagine how his old body might be handling it. Thal leans casually into his taller form, her grin crooked with humor. "You're welcome to sleep in my cabin during the trip. The crew won't bother you there." Not that he'd be comfortable per se, but at least he might not collapse from exhaustion when they make it to Jack Tar.
Now you'll never see me cry
There's just no time to die
run, baby, run, run for your life i'ma tear out your heart, it'll always be mine
If he’s surprised (he is) that she takes his offered elbow, he hides it well. Feeling the warmth of her hand tuck in as his other one wraps around it, keeping her anchored to him as they pave their path - his cane hanging easily from the crook of his other elbow. His dramatics are still in full swing, though, as her question has him rolling his eyes and scoffing a playful sound, staring into the distance down the path they pluck. “Begrudgingly.” He admits, nose wrinkling, before his horned head angles down toward her.
“How kind of you, darling. Thank you.” A brief pause before his smile turns a touch mischievous. “I would like to offer a greeting to Spook on the way.” Lifting a brow playfully, the butcher pushes past that before realizing he hadn’t quite told her the destination he intends to go when the Marauder comes into view.
Patting her hand, he looks over toward the ship in the distance. “If it is not too much trouble, could you take me to Torchline? I vowed to Danta that I would not miss the sky ship back with him.” They can get it settled as they get there, he’s sure, but for now he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to some peace and quiet on the waves.
And the good company, of course, because Thalassa never lacks in that regard.
