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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!
It doesn't take much between them to fill the sails, and it's an exercise common enough on the ship that the crew adjusts to it seamlessly, tweaking rigging and lending more give to the ropes while Murphy makes minor alterations to their course. Jack barely changes position on the deck; his magic stirs around him silent and potent, bowing out the sails at the foremast until, with Nova's assistance, the clouds are all but blurring by around them.
Calypso confirms as much a moment later, and the Captain nods his satisfaction. "Now imagine havin' to keep this up for hours at a time if someone was on our tails an' intended to cannon us outta the sky or the water," he says, then whistles up towards Caly. "You can come down whenever you get tired, but long as you're up there, keep an eye on shit," he calls.
As for Nova, Jack slowly releases his influence on the sails once he's content that they've caught a decent tailwind. "Crew'll thank you if you wanna carry on," he says. "Otherwise jus' sit back an' enjoy the ride to the Greatwood."
you're the last of a dying breed; write our names in the wet concrete
I wonder if your therapist knows everything about me
The wind is at your back, the world is at your feet
The wind picks up around them, buffeting against her body so that she feels as light and buoyant as if she were the one taking flight rather than the ship beneath them. Giggling, she doesn't bother to push the hair from her face, the golden and pink locks obscuring her vision of the red sails billowing beneath her magic's influence. Nova can already feel the toll of the efforts, but when she glances out at the blur of clouds, she could keep it up forever, loving the feeling of freedom and exhilaration coursing through her veins.
Glancing towards Jack, she scrunches her face. "Why run?! I'd just take them out!" Blocking cannons can't be that hard, and between her wings and her magic, Nova is more than confident that she can rain hell fire down on anyone who dares to mess with her. They'd go down in a blaze of glittery glory.
The shift in focus is like opening the loose lid on a promised storm, Nova's attention snapping to Jack so quickly that the air goes eerily silent, the pressure sucking in like a black hole forming. She gasps, excitement shimmering bright around her. "Can I steer now?!"
She’s content to stay up here surveying everything and letting the wind whip at her hair – at least for a few more minutes. It’s only when the chill does start to get to her from the speed that they’re set at, that has Caly returning to the ground from the crows nest. Her cheeks are pink from the wind, hair a bit tangled, but she’s absolutely golden as she returns to where her father and Nova have been chatting.
She doesn’t know the conversation they’re talking about, only arriving to hear the question and see the excitement bounce from her sister about steering. Her amber gaze flits toward Jack with a raise of her brow and a small and amused smile. “If nothin’ else we’ll get a good view from up there?” That is to say if Jack didn’t want her steering just yet, but she’d be content leaning against the railing in the back to watch the world move pass beneath them.
She does, however, think that if Jack were there to supervise the steering that Nova would do a good job in an attempt to make him proud.
The air goes still enough that all parties on deck will feel it beneath their feet as The Ark slows a bit, Jack turning his focus from the foremast to the main to pick up the slack. He pins Nova with a look that's as begrudging as it is unimpressed, and the follow-up glance to Caly suggests he knows well that putting this off will only make it more enticing (and annoying) in the long run.
"You can steer for five minutes," he tells her, "if you're calm. No screamin', no bouncin', no glitter. Got it?" He raises his eyebrows. "An' then you don't ask again. I got shit to do once you've had your fun, so if I find you've been pesterin' Murph once I'm gone, I'll drop you at the nearest town an' you can walk the rest of the way to the Greatwood."
you're the last of a dying breed; write our names in the wet concrete
I wonder if your therapist knows everything about me
The wind is at your back, the world is at your feet
The wait is torture, every hemidemisemiquaver of a second feeling like an eternity. When Jack finally assents, she gasps, ready to burst into a glittery ray of starlight that streaks across the deck, but the conditions intercept her the moment she bounces to move. Freezing mid-step, she processes the restrictions, carefully considering the challenge it would present while trying desperately to contain the energy thrumming through her very existence. Surely Jack can't be serious, right? But looking at the harsh lines of his face, Nova can't tell.
Biting her lip, she fidgets in place, bottling up the urge to hop up and ask a million questions. Does she risk it? He could just be teasing - although she's never seen him do that before. Maybe she can get away with just a little fun when he's not looking...
A thousand thoughts and schemes race through her mind in neon lights, visible even to those without telepathy as she twitches and trembles from her toes to the end of her hair. She bites harder against her lip, resisting every instinct to squeal and leap when she decides to try 'following the rules' for the time being. But despite all her glitter-gripped control, she can't hide the radiant smile or shimmering eyes as she nods her head. "Got it!"
Her walk across the deck is stuttered, skipping excitement disguised in forced 'casual' and 'composed.' One limb jerks forward to stop suddenly, the next shaking to find the right rhythm. Magic reluctantly bottled into her veins, she looks like a broken windup toy as she teeters her way to the wheel. Looking brightly at the people around her - mostly lingering on Jack to confirm and Caly to share the fun - Nova raises her hands so they hover over the wood then places them cautiously against the control. A sharp sound rises in her chest only to be firmly clipped, eyes alighting with a galaxy of delight as she looks out over the Ark. The swell of emotions manifests in the slight wiggle she can't quite control, too busy resisting the urge to spin the wheel sharply left and right.
Let it be known that Jack is entirely as smart as she’d always assumed him to be. So when he glances over at her and there’s the understanding that putting it off would only be hell later, Caly beams at him when he answers her sister with a yes but with boundaries. A smart move and one that has her chuckling slightly beneath her breath as she trails after her sister, hopping along the boards with an easy grace that still confirms she’s very aware of the soul of the Ark and very appreciative for this favor that she and Jack have helped them on.
She stands beside her sister at the wheel, warmth blooming through her as she watches Nova do the absolute best she can to keep herself contained and put together in order to be allowed to steer for the moment, and with a grin of pride aimed at her sister she chimes her praise. “I’ve never steered but from where I’m standin’ I think you’re doin’ a great job, sis.” Granted there was very little to do right now as far as Caly’s concerned – their course already plotted and planned and with the easy winds they’ve encountered she imagines something insane would have to happen to disrupt the peaceful glide the Ark is taking through the skies.
Still, she glances over at Jack anyway and shoots him a wink from her amber eye with the star tattoo at the corner, a mirror of her father.
Jack is very serious, as is evident in the way his expression does not change as Nova makes her stop-start way across the deck and up to where Murphy is waiting at the wheel. "Mm, you better," he rumbles as he follows in her wake. Got it, that is. It isn't long before they're all clustered up at the half-deck and Murphy is giving over control, explaining - whether Nova listens or not - how to keep The Ark on her course.
Caly is right though, and there's very little to actually do now that they're flying straight and fast and will be for some time (which is precisely why Jack has chosen now to let Nova steer). Still, the Captain's eyes and magic are sharp for any sharp spins the hybrid might be tempted to make, and as Caly sends a wink his way he responds with quiet, weary resignation.
Still, no one dies, The Ark doesn't careen out of control, and Nova gets her moment in the sun. But five minutes is five minutes, and when the time is up Jack snaps his fingers. "A'right, that's you done," he announces. "Now git, both of you. We got a full day 'fore we see the Greatwood, so go make yourselves busy." Code for stay out of the way, and if you can't do that, at least stay out of trouble.
you're the last of a dying breed; write our names in the wet concrete
I wonder if your therapist knows everything about me
The wind is at your back, the world is at your feet
She actually listens to Murphy - thank you very much - about how to steer the ship, taking notes in puffy glitter ink to be laminated in her mind for future use. She does plan on steering again after all, preferably through a dramatic storm with her magic singing through her veins and wind whipping around her head. It's the image she keeps running in her mind as she stands stock still with her hands on the wheel.
Too worried she'll yell or say something to break one of Jack's rules, Nova beams a bright smile her sister's direction, basking in the compliment despite doing little more than standing there. Regardless, she feels the power of the position, feels what it's like to look over the deck of the Ark, feels the wind whip past as they speed through the sky, feels the thrill of potential beneath her fingers, feels why Jack must like being Captain so much.
Nova barely has a taste before he's announcing that her time is up, shooing them away to spend their time doing anything other than bother him. She opens her mouth to protest, the shape of it pursed with displeasure. But she stops when looking at his face, getting the sixth sense of magic brewing in a quiet threat, and if she wants to do this again at some point, it makes vague sense to her that Nova should stay on his good side - for now.
Releasing her hold on the wheel, she steps back and takes a breath, letting all the careful control wash away in a fall of shimmering glitter. "Okay! We're going to find a snack!" Giggling, Nova spins around before much else can be said, grabbing Caly along the way so they can 'keep busy.' The trouble part remains to be seen, but it won't be long before the Greatwood is coming into view beneath them, and Nova plans to make the most of their time.
