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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!
"Mm, I suppose we are," Niki says, though his tone falls much more on the side of fondness than mischief. Flora is, after all, almost the entire reason he's as social and well-travelled as he is these days, and he can think of much worse people to be like. That doesn't mean he intends to let any of Kaisel's glass onions out of the bag, though, and his eyes are still on the glittering threat of her other rings when she closes the distance between them again.
"I said it was a surprise, not that it was birthday related," he quips with a shake of his head, and he'd have opted to say nothing further at all were it not for the Doubletake suddenly removing his glass from his fingers and replacing it with a refill. "I sense you are hoping that I will get loose lips if you feed me enough cocktails," he says dryly (but he does take a drink).
"The joke is on you, though. As you are aware, I am famously terrible at holding my liquor." Meaning he's more likely to pass out than spill any secrets.
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
Flora's brows lift at that, expression sharpening into something almost studious as she considers him, like she’s genuinely working through a problem instead of absolutely trying to trap him. "True," she says slowly, "but you also said I’d find out soon, which leads me to believe it is birthday-related, since nothing else notable is coming up."
At his accusation, she lets out a theatrical huff of laughter, shaking her head immediately. "No, of course not," she says, feigning innocence with only the slightest delay. "I’m just trying to be a good hostess." The crooked grin that follows ruins it entirely, her eyes glinting as she tilts her glass slightly in his direction. "Well...there’s only one way to increase your tolerance, soooo..." she trails off, waggling her eyebrows at him before taking a long, unapologetic sip of her own drink.
Fever dream high in the quiet of the night You know that I caught it
"Soon is a relative term," Niki says haughtily, smiling at Flora over the rim of his new drink and, perhaps wisely, opting to say nothing further on the subject. The less he says, the less Flora will have to try and dig more information out of him. Besides which, Kai seems to have worked fiercely on this particular present, and the necromancer won't be the one to spoil it before he gets the chance to do his big reveal.
Luckily he's soon distracted by the Doubletake's clearly superior alcohol tolerance, Niki's eyes widening a fraction to see her take a long and apparently inconsequential sip of her drink. "Flora, when you find me slumped against a wall later - because I sense that you will - can I assume I am able to stay here for the night?" he asks with a laugh that seems almost pleading. "I am sure the spirits will assist me in getting up the stairs if I need."
It's either that or passing out on the beach on the way to the skyport, and this feels much more comfortable. "Granted, I sense you may already end up with a full house." Based on the potency of the alcohol and the number of attendees.
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
Flora hums, low and skeptical, her eyes narrowing just slightly at Niki's careful refusal to elaborate, like she’s filing it away as confirmation rather than defeat. "Okay," she huffs, tilting her head at him, "but can you at least tell me if it actually has to do with onions?" Her nose wrinkles immediately after, expression turning faintly offended. "They’re like, one of my least favourite foods."
At his question, she lets out a bright laugh and nods without hesitation. "Yes, obviously," she says, as if there was never any doubt. "And I even promise I won’t let you slump anywhere. The second your balance starts to go, I’ll make sure you’re somewhere cozy."
Her gaze drifts briefly, taking in the fullness of the party all without lingering too long anywhere specific, before she looks back to him with a softer sort of smile, something quieter threading through the edges of it. "I wish it could be like this always," she admits, the words slipping out with a small, wistful exhale before she wrinkles her nose at herself and amends it, "not always a party, but..having people around, you know?"
Fever dream high in the quiet of the night You know that I caught it
"It probably does not have anything to do with actual onions," Niki says, his grin as close to shit-eating as it's likely to get for the necromancer. He can't guarantee what kind of memories others might have contributed to Kaisel's gift, after all. "Noted, though. I will ensure I never get you any as a present myself, glass or otherwise." He smirks then, though, raising an eyebrow. "What else does he say in his sleep?" he wonders of Kaisel. "He told me earlier he had a dream that I died and became a ghost."
Which should feel bizarre, but is actually rather par for the course when it comes to Flora's fiance.
Sighing in relief to know that he will be able to woozily settle somewhere mostly upright by the end of the night, Niki celebrates with another sip of is cocktail - still much more measured than Flora, for now. "Oh?" His gaze follows hers around the party, Niki wrinkling his nose affectionately. "I confess you have turned me into less of a hermit, but a crowd like this still makes me a little claustrophobic. Besides, you do have rather a full house now, do you not?"
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
Flora laughs brightly at that, the sound easy and immediate as she tips Niki a quick, conspiratorial wink. "Good," she says, as if he’s just made a very important and binding promise.
At his question, though, her grin widens again, and she lets out another soft laugh, shaking her head. "Oh my gods, he has dreams about people becoming ghosts so often," she says, rolling her eyes fondly. "Usually he talks a lot when there’s a new demigod, because it means new merch, which he collects, so he gets real excited about it."
She nudges his shoulder gently, nodding with unfettered approval. Much fun as she liked venturing North (soon to be East) to see Niki, it was refreshing to see him out and about in a way that didn't seem to cost him too much to do it. "Both of my brothers are living with me now, and some days it feels like we’re all just twelve again." She says with a laugh, before her gaze flicks briefly toward her mother, her expression easing into something quieter. "I’m not sure how long she’ll stay for, but...yeah, it’s nice having her around."
Her eyes shift again, this time toward Soh, and when she speaks next her voice dips just a fraction. "I don’t think she’ll stay much longer either."
Fever dream high in the quiet of the night You know that I caught it
"He does?" Niki doesn't know whether to feel relieved or offended by that statement, the necromancer letting out a quiet laugh. "And here I thought I occupied some strange and unique space in Kai's subconscious. I am glad I am not the only ghost there, though." And besides, it sounds more like he should be counting his lucky stars that he's not a demigod based on what Flora says next. "...He collects it?" he repeats. "Well I suppose I know what to get him for his birthday."
Finding each of the family and friends in question as she speaks of them, Niki can't help but scoff and scrunch his nose at the idea of being twelve again; evidently it isn't a time he'd revisit given the choice. "At least there is plenty of space for you to get away from one another if you need it," he consdiers, before Flora's gaze lands on Sohalia and he feels the joy bleed out of her a fraction just in the tone of her voice.
"Did something happen?" he wonders, inviting her to talk if she wants to.
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
Flora laughs, quick and bright, shaking her head at him. "Oh no, you’re definitely, like, the lead ghost in his mind," she says, grin tipping sideways with easy affection before her shoulders lift in a small shrug. "But I think he really worries that one day he’ll wake up and everyone will just be ghosts, so it's a recurring theme."
At the mention of collecting, she nods immediately. "Oh, it extends to rulers too," she says, already rolling her eyes. "You have no idea what a turn off it is to be making out with someone and then they take off their jacket and you just see one of your parents’ faces on their shirt." She pauses, just long enough to let that settle, before adding flatly, "Or their underwear."
The sigh that follows is half theatrical, half softened by the alcohol warming through her, and she shifts slightly, lifting her glass to gesture loosely. "Okay, so that’s Colt," she says, pointing toward the blonde by the ice sculpture without lingering. "She used to live in King’s End, her ranch burned down, now she’s moving up north to the desert, whatever," the words rushing past like they’re only there to get her where she actually wants to go, her tone sharpening as she leans in just slightly. "But she offered Sohalia—who is my best friend, and like, everyone knows that—a position on her council. And this was after I’d just had, like, a nice girls’ spa weekend for all of us together. Like... that’s a dick move, right? I mean, I get needing people to start up a region, but my best friend?"
She exhales sharply, catching herself a second too late as she realises where her focus has landed, and she shakes her head as if to correct it. "And Sohalia didn’t even say no," she adds, frustration threading through now. "She said she’d think about it." Her mouth twists, something more complicated slipping in as she sighs. "And now she’s dating someone who basically hates me and Kai, so...yeah it feels like between that and feeling like she needs purpose, she's gonna leave." The story, poorly and unfairly told of course thanks to the alcohol, has Flora's cheeks flushing slightly as she looks at Niki.
Fever dream high in the quiet of the night You know that I caught it
"In Caido anything is possible," Niki reasons, sipping absently at his drink; had Kaisel been there he might have accompanied it with a smile that isn't entirely reassuring, but given that the ghostbusting soldier is entertaining elsewhere in the party, he saves it. "I am glad to hear I command some sort of authority even in his dreams, though." One day perhaps Kai will come across him sleepwalking and really get a fright.
Scoffing and almost inhaling some of his cocktail at the mere thought of a parent's face beaming up at Flora from her fiance's crotch, he shakes his head and leans a little more heavily on his cane. "And you have not yet banned that sort of thing from your bedroom? You are a bold woman, Flora," he says around a cough.
But then it's tea time, and as Niki is directed on a tour of the room to understand the cast of this particular beverage, he almost wishes he'd asked to sit down somewhere first. Offering nods and well-placed mmhms as the story unfolds, eyes flicking from Colt to Sohalia and finally back to Flora, evidently the alcohol is also affecting his own composure, because when he speaks it's with a furrowed brow that already suggests he's made his mind up about the situation.
"Are you sure you are her best friend?" he asks, voice pitched unnecessarily low. "And does she even like the desert? It seems like quite a miserable place to move." All of the heat and sand, none of Torchline's oceans and perks. "I am sorry that happened, Flora. Though I do find it difficult to believe that anyone would hate you." Bitter exes aside.
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
Flora snickers, quick and bright. "Well, feel free to tell Kai that when you talk to him if you really want to keep him up at night," she says, grin flashing with clear satisfaction at the idea.
At Niki's comment about banning things from the bedroom, she exhales a feigned, weary sigh, tipping her head back slightly as if burdened by impossible leadership decisions. "A good queen knows when to pick her battles," she says, shaking her head in mock defeat before her mouth curls into a thoroughly unrepentant, shit-eating grin. "Besides, it only happens in the bedroom like, twenty percent of the time," she adds, winking at him.
But his next question lands differently, and her brows lift, surprise flickering across her face like she genuinely hadn’t considered it before, causing a scarlet flush to span the bridge of her nose. "No, and that’s the worst part," she says quickly, her cheeks flushing a little deeper now. "She said she definitely wasn’t going to leave for the desert, but that she just didn’t want to hurt Colt’s feelings." She exhales, shaking her head as if trying to untangle it. "And Soh’s not the kind of person who wants to hurt anyone, I know that, but...isn’t giving someone false hope worse than just making them disappointed?"
She takes another sip of her drink, the motion slower this time, a soft, self-aware laugh slipping out over the rim of the glass before her gaze drifts back toward Colt. "Well," she says, something sharper threading through again, "she clearly can’t like me that much either if she thinks it’s fine to try and lure my best friend literally to the other side of the world by offering her a council position. Which—" Flora's eyebrows shoot up. "When I offered her the same thing, thinking maybe she just wanted to have more responsibility in her life, she basically said it was just a handout."
Fever dream high in the quiet of the night You know that I caught it
Niki raises his glass at that, as if to assure Flora that he will certainly keep some ghost-related shenanigans in his back pocket specifically for conversations with Kai. On the faces-on-underwear front, though, he's still staunchly against it. "Twenty percent of the time is still twenty percent too much," he remarks, voice muffled behind another sip from his glass. "But you have more experience of leadership than I do. And of Kai."
But as her cheeks flush he realises he might have said too much and far too bluntly, the necromancer giving her a warm nudge of his arm. "Perhaps she needed your advice on what to do?" he ventures, backtracking even without fully believing his own words. "You are right, though. I think it is always better to know where you stand." With friends or otherwise, and if Niki's eyes are drawn fleetingly to a particularly tall demigod, it's a coincidence and nothing more.
As for Colt, that's a little easier at least. "Please kick my cane out from under me if I am speaking out of turn, but maybe she was not thinking of you at all. Not in a malicious way, just... her focus was on herself and her future. You know?" Not on Flora's feelings or future.
"Ah, but that seems to make less sense," he offers in consolation at Sohalia's reasons behind refusing a council position. "Either it is a merit to her to join either council, or it is a handout either way, surely?"
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
Flora exhales softly, shoulders lifting in a small, uncertain shrug. "Maybe I’m putting too much focus on it," she says, though the way her mouth twists suggests she doesn’t entirely believe that herself. Flora would never mislead someone just to keep from hurting her feelings, but then, she and Soh obviously handled things very differently, and maybe it was nothing more than that. This line of thought has Flora missing the way Niki's eyes trail through the crowd, and where they, if only briefly, linger.
Letting out a quiet laugh at Niki's phrasing, Flora briefly looks toward Colt, lips twitching before she looks back to him. "Well, that’s still a dick move, right? Because I thought we were friends," she says, the frustration slipping through more clearly now. She pauses, then adds with a small shake of her head, "Honestly, I’d rather have someone intentionally do something than just.. be that thoughtless, you know?"
Her eyes widen as he continues, nodding emphatically. "Yeah, but like, since she started dating this guy she’s just...it’s like she’s not herself," she says, the words coming a little quicker now. "For instance, Kai said something that hurt her feelings, because he was being a moron and didn’t think, which—okay, fair, absolutely be mad at him—but normally Soh is super forgiving, but on that day she just left upset at him. Which I get, but then she told me, like to my actual face, that she just didn’t want to see him for a while?" She shakes her head, clearly still stuck on it. "She’s not one to hold a grudge, and yet it was a super cold shoulder."
Another breath, another small, helpless shrug. "So anyway, now with this whole maybe-moving-to-the-desert thing and not wanting my help with anything, I just...don’t feel like she’ll stay here much longer."
Fever dream high in the quiet of the night You know that I caught it
"Well, if you are it sounds as though it is because you want what is best for the people you care about. And as though you like having Sohalia around, which can be considered selfish in only the most flattering of ways." Smiling, Niki shrugs his shoulder and polishes off the last of his cocktail, setting the empty glass down on a tray of other empties which is quickly whisked away by one of the caterers.
Unfamiliar with intentional dick moves (he isn't aware of the number of times Vesper has bullied him in secret, sorry), Niki can nevertheless see the logic plain in Flora's line of thought, and he nods absently as if he only realises he agrees with her the moment it happens. "I think I would prefer that as well," he says. "Thoughtless hurt is... well. It is just that. A lack of care."
He almost drifts into tipsy distraction with it, but luckily Flora is there with further tea to spill, the necromancer refocusing on the party and the apparently-not-present subject of all of this ire. "They say that people do change sometimes when they start to date someone, do they not?" he hazards. "Usually I would say that some distance might do you some good, but if that is how things are, if she does decide to move to the desert, perhaps all of you should sit and meet before she goes to clear the air." If such a thing is even possible; suffice to say, Niki is not a relationship expert.
stay your pretty eyes on course keep the memories of who i was before
Flora huffs out a quiet sigh, the sound soft but edged, because flattering isn’t quite the word she’d use for any of this, not when it sits like something slightly off in her chest. She finishes her drink without much thought, more because Niki had than because she wants it, and when a tray drifts by she automatically plucks two fresh glasses from it, pressing one into the necromancer's hand like it’s simply the next logical step.
She hums at his distinction, nodding once as she leans lightly back into him again. "Yeah," she says, softer now. There’s another small exhale as he mentions people changing, and she tips her head slightly, considering it even as her mouth twists. "Maybe I’m just focusing too much on me and not seeing the bigger picture," she admits, though the words don’t quite settle. "But like...wanting to ghost your bestie’s husband—" Too snowballed by her own story to notice the slip, Flora just continues on. "— and move away from her seem like not great changes." Or at least, not ones unrelated to the man she was now dating.
Her gaze lifts back to Niki then, the tension easing just enough for her smile to return, warm and a little crooked. "You’re a really good listener, has anyone ever told you that?" she says, the compliment sincere even if the slight wrinkle of her nose right after suggests she already knows the answer.
Fever dream high in the quiet of the night You know that I caught it
