Specify “established relationship,” “established enemies,” “established tension,” etc. at the top of your ask if you want The Sambo Devil to act familiar with the character.
Birth Name: Nikandr Shikalov
Personality: Obsessive and tends to hold a grudge. Craves attention. Thinks he is a badass - isn’t. Very chaotic energy.
Sexuality: Bisexual
History: Grew up with John at the Tarkovsky Theater, then ran away. Lived at the Bowery for a time, but was then kicked out for getting in too many fights. After that, he began planning to take revenge on John out of envy.
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More? Come on, you're not even devoted to fighting anymore, you're distracted by ribbons and tutus. Meanwhile I stayed laser-focused. Who's the real winner here?
...Not to mention you could have checked in when I was on the run. We were in the same boat for a while there. But I guess you only care about yourself.
Distracted? I have accomplished many great things while you were on the run. I built myself a fortune, I always knew I was destined for the life I have now. I always dreamt big and forced my way into what I have now.
But yes, maybe I should have checked on you, maybe I should have. But to get what I want, I must be focused on it.
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More? Come on, you're not even devoted to fighting anymore, you're distracted by ribbons and tutus. Meanwhile I stayed laser-focused. Who's the real winner here?
...Not to mention you could have checked in when I was on the run. We were in the same boat for a while there. But I guess you only care about yourself.
OH RIGHT!! what was Nikandr and Iosef’s relationship like? how did they meet? ^_^
OKAY YESSSS I've been excited to talk about this!!
Wholesome stuff:
They met through Iosef's friends, some of whom knew Nikandr and were selling him weed. They smoked together and talked about life and then ended up hooking up without thinking.
Iosef really panicked that first morning when he woke up in Nikandr's arms. But Nikandr calmed him down and helped him feel like this was nothing to be ashamed of.
They did a lot of things together after that. Gaming together, going shooting, just hanging out on some random rooftop and watching the stars.
Nikandr also taught him a lot of martial arts skills.
This is another instance of why Iosef should've known who John was but he was just that dense about it. Nikandr was always talking in general about the people at the Tarkovsky who wronged him as a kid but Iosef never put together who that was, lmao.
Nikandr in general was a source of guidance and comfort for Iosef. He was there for him when everyone else was ignoring him, and was always really sweet to him. He included Iosef in his plans, trusted him with assignments, and didn't blow up at him if he made a mistake.
And Iosef gave him the same thing - exactly the kind of support he'd been needing. He looked up to Nikandr and listened to his ideas seriously without laughing at him. He genuinely thought Nikandr was cool and talented, and wanted his dreams to become a reality.
Toxic stuff:
Nikandr was one of the many people who was a bad influence on Iosef. He reinforced that it was cool to get into fights, to want to be rich, to want to be the powerful one.
They did bicker a lot. Fighting over nothing - video games, where to eat, stuff like that.
They had a really big age gap, because Nikandr is around the same age as John. Kirill tried to convince him that it was a red flag for someone in their 40s to want to date him, because they were probably immature. In this case, he was right.
Kirill in general really disapproved of the relationship and it made him exhausted to deal with the two of them. Iosef tried to tell Kirill that Nikandr was just a friend and he never admitted to anything more, but Kirill could tell by the way Iosef talked about him.
Viggo never knew. Completely oblivious.
They broke up over something really little and stupid because they triggered each other's trauma. Iosef accidentally said something questioning Nikandr's abilities, and that made Nikandr feel like a failure. So he just stopped answering his texts and ran away like he always does. And of course, Iosef can't stand feeling neglecting by someone who claims to love him.
After like two weeks, they ran into each other in a bar and Iosef dumped him. It was a big, messy fight and would have turned physical if Iosef's friends didn't hold him back. The breakup in general was messy - they blocked each other and vague-posted about each other and were both just a wreck.
After that, Iosef tried to bury his feelings for guys again. It was just a one time thing, a mistake.
do you by any chance have more things to share about nikandr?🥺
Always! (Pic is Nikandr's wounded inner child, btw)
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Nikandr tried to read Dostoyevsky and a lot of other Russian classics because John likes those and he’s a copycat, but he didn’t really understand them, other than Notes from Underground, which became one of his favorite books.
He smokes weed. Yeah.
He’s a nerd for gun statistics and always knows about the latest models. That was something he and Iosef used to talk about.
They also played COD together.
He loves to look at fire and has done arson at some point!
Also really likes having candles around, especially if they’re cool, shaped candles.
He definitely made one of those old geocities websites about his plans to achieve greatness. Terrible graphics. Edgy gifs. Looking at it was...an experience.
He feels awkward around unhoused people, both because they could be with the Bowery and because he’s self conscious about his own time living without a home. He says he’s not “homeless,” he’s “on the run.”
But secretly, he feels bad for them because he knows what it’s like and if he can, he’ll give them food and even share a cigarette and talk for a while.
One of his more positive dreams is to open a dojo. He would even like to teach orphans, with more care than The Director gave them. But it’s a long way off right now - and he thinks he might die getting revenge before he ever gets to do it…
He’s probably not mature enough to be a parent, but he would really thrive if he got to be an older brother figure for a kid.
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desire: What's one thing your OC wants more than anything in the world? Are they open with that desire? Why or why not? What would they do to fulfill it?
I might sound like a broken record here, but Nikandr really wants found family or just love of any kind. A group of people that he can trust and talk to about anything. And he wants to be a leader in that group, somebody that people look up to. He’d do just about anything for that. He is open about that desire, because he doesn’t see it as his fault that he hasn’t gotten that. He rants in vague posts about the Tarkovsky and the Bowery, about his exes and old friends and how none of them could appreciate him. He’s constantly reaching out to people, trying to build a following. I also think he’s the type to download dating apps, try for a short while, then get frustrated and delete them in a cycle that keeps repeating. So yeah, he’s open about what he wants. What he can’t bring himself to talk about is how his own behavior has played into all those burnt bridges.
nightmare: What does your OC have nightmares about? How do they deal with their nightmares? Do they tell people, or keep it to themself?
Nikandr usually sleeps like a rock - he can fall asleep anywhere. But he does have some nightmares. They’re kind of weird and obscure - imagery of body horror or bizarre events that don’t seem scary on the surface but feel scary at the time. He might tell someone about it as if it’s funny, like, “Haha, what a trippy dream, isn’t that wild?” But secretly he wishes they’d have some insight about it.
✶ Yvette stepped off the plane, the oppressive heat and humidity a stark contrast to the cool, moonlit streets of Paris. She had crossed an ocean to find John, and the mission weighed heavily on her. Chara, her black cat, nestled comfortably in her travel bag, peeked out, her green eyes glinting with curiosity and alertness.
The drive to the woods felt interminable. The city’s chaos faded into memory, replaced by the encroaching silence of the forest. Yvette’s irritation grew with each passing mile. She despised these desolate trees, their barren branches clawing at the sky, a far cry from the urban labyrinth she navigated with ease.
✶ As she parked at the trailhead and began the trek into the forest, Chara leapt from the bag, her sleek form darting ahead, then circling back to stay close. Yvette’s footsteps were nearly silent, a skill honed from centuries of practice, but the crunch of leaves and the occasional snap of twigs still grated on her nerves.
“I hate this,” she muttered to Chara, who responded with a soft meow, her tail flicking in agreement. “Why couldn’t he hide somewhere more… civilized?” Chara wrapped her tail around her owners leg in response, just before jumping to her shoulders.
✶ Yvette’s role as a tracker for the Marquis demanded patience and precision, qualities she possessed in abundance. Yet, the forest’s oppressive solitude unnerved her, the silence pressing in, amplifying her thoughts. Gun in hand, she had to remain cautious, not just because of the Marquis’s orders, but also due to the myriad dangers these woods concealed.
✦ Deep in the forest, where a rocky ridge crested over a distant river, a blue jay fell silent. There was something in the air. It was the warmest day of the season, under crystal clear skies, but a wave of instinctive, primal fear caused the wildlife to pause and turn tail. A moment later, something too large to be a normal wolf rose, on steady, relentless paws, to the height of that ridge. Even in the sunlight, his eyes glowed white and his fur poured out a dark miasma of fear. If he could feel all of that within his own body, he must really be suffering...
✦ A low, unearthly howl reverberated through the valley, trailing off into a whimper. And then, impossibly, the creature began to speak.
"Koji...why?"
✦ His face contorted from sadness into a snarl of rage, and he took a step back as if gathering himself.
"WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO HIM, VINCENT? HE DID NOTHING TO YOU. I WAS TRYING TO FORGIVE YOU! I'M TRYING SO HARD TO FORGIVE YOU, LIKE HELEN SAID!!! I DIDN'T WANT THIS TO END IN BLOOD! IT ALWAYS ENDS IN BLOOD!!!!"
✦ Suddenly, the beast fell silent. He caught a glimpse of movement, very, very far away. A hiker? Damn it. It didn't matter who it was, he could not be seen by anyone...or be heard. Anyone might carry a rumor back to the High Table. He turned, and tore off into the trees. Now that he was gone, the sunlight on the cliff seemed inexplicably warmer...
[Tagging @soulacheron to keep you informed, Blue!]
✶ Yvette’s sharp senses caught the wave of primal fear that silenced the forest. The sudden hush was unnerving, the kind of silence that only preceded something ominous. Chara, ever vigilant, pressed closer to Yvette, her green eyes scanning the treeline with unease.
✶ When the low, unearthly howl echoed through the valley, Yvette froze. The voice was deep, resonant with a mixture of sorrow and rage. The name Vincent, spoken with such venom, only heightened her suspicion.
“John?” she whispered, disbelief and hope warring within her. The tone was different, deeper, but the anguish was familiar. She had seen John on the brink of madness before, but this was something else. Something darker.
✶ The words that followed, a desperate cry against betrayal, made her head spin. The mention of Helen confirmed her fears. It had to be John.
✶ Yvette’s heart pounded as she rounded the corner, her gun at the ready. The sight that met her eyes made her blood run cold. There, silhouetted against the dappled sunlight, stood a giant, wolf-like creature. Its eyes glowed with an unnatural white light, and a dark miasma of fear seemed to emanate from its fur. She felt a chill, the primal part of her that connected with death sensing the immense suffering within the beast. Instinctively, she ducked back behind a tree, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps. Was this real? The shadows played tricks in the forest, but the raw, visceral dread she felt was unmistakable. The creature was no illusion. She could practically taste the agony on the tip of her tongue.
✦ John made his way into the depths of the valley. Whoever this was, best to put an end to them before they could speak of what they'd seen. He didn't quite think this, but rather felt it. He was running mostly on instinct and self preservation, which made him extremely dangerous. His usual dismay at taking innocent life (weakened by High Table training even at the best of times) was entirely offline at the moment. Someone was a threat to him, and he was mad about it. That was as far as his thoughts could reach.
✦ He smelled her before he reached her. Something familiar. The fear was mixed with a gentle kind of strength. He couldn't place it right now, though - his thoughts were so clouded. He went still and then began to scan the trees, pacing in circles. He was in a thick section of woods, criss-crossed by shadows, and he couldn't place the exact source. She was close by, but she must have been walking through this whole area.
"WHO'S THERE? SHOW YOURSELF."
✦ That hint of familiarity only furthered his dread. This had better not be another betrayal.
✶ Yvette watched as John roamed the valley, his eyes scanning the trees with a wild, predatory intensity. Her heart ached at the sight of him, transformed by fear and rage into something almost unrecognizable. Chara, usually so confident, was now tense, her fur bristling, and her eyes wide with apprehension. The air around them was thick with the aura of death and the sense that death clouded John was almost suffocating.
✶ Steeling herself, Yvette took a deep breath and stepped out from her hiding spot, moving with the shadows to reach another one, not quite sure if she wanted to reveal herself just yet.
✶ As a banshee, Yvette was intimately familiar with the presence of death. She could feel its cold touch in the air, a chilling reminder of the fate that awaited those who crossed paths with John in his current state. Her every step was cautious, her movements fluid and silent as she slipped from shadow to shadow. Her banshee nature allowed her to blend seamlessly with the darkness, an ethereal figure moving with otherworldly grace.
“John,” she called out again, her voice soft but carrying the weight of her resolve. “It’s Yvette. Vincent sent me.” Gun in hand, she remained cautious. She didn’t know if John was one to trust right now.
✶ Yvette’s fingers twitched, the urge to wail—to let out the mournful cry—almost overwhelming. But she held back, knowing that revealing her presence too soon could spell disaster.
✶ She was a harbinger of death, but she refused to let that define her actions.
✦ The air around John pulsed and wavered with confusion. Even in this state, he remembered that name, and tried to focus on it. She was a friend. Safe. Someone not to hurt.
"Yvette...?"
✦ But just as he felt that he might come back to himself a little, he realized that Vincent could only have sent her for one reason.
"VINCENT SENT YOU!? SHE WANTS ME DEAD. ARE YOU - WHY? JUST FOR THE MONEY??"
✦ He took a few steps back, tensed in every muscle and prepared to spring forward at the first sign of an enemy emerging.
✶ Yvette’s heart pounded as she stepped out from behind the tree, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and confusion.
✶ The sight of John’s true form—a massive, wolf-like creature—left her momentarily breathless. The glowing eyes, the dark miasma of fear surrounding him, it all seemed unreal.
✶ Chara was now pressed tightly against her leg, her fur standing on end and her eyes darting nervously.
“John…” she called out, her voice trembling. “I’m not here to hurt you. I came to warn you.”
✶ With shaking hands, Yvette slowly unstrapped her weapons and let them drop to the ground. She raised her empty hands, palms outward, hoping to show that she meant no harm.
“I… I don’t understand,” she continued, taking a cautious step forward. “Why did Vincent send me to find you? Why does he want you dead?”
✦ That finally got through to him. Seeing her in front of him helped, as it usually did - seeing a friend always got him into a clearer frame of mind. She sounded so sincere, and the sight of her dropping her weapons was enough to calm him down almost completely. He would be capable of transforming back into a human now if he wanted to, but he decided it was safest to wait until they'd talked for a while.
"Oh. That's...actually very kind. I'm sorry for scaring you."
✦ His hackles lowered, and he sat back on his hind legs, though he was still eyeing her carefully with those fierce, glowing eyes. He started to explain.
"Vincent was given the authority of Autem Imperator to hunt me down, after I was excommunicated. ...Also I think it might be personal at this point. I'm surprised the Marquise didn't mention how much she hates me. He wasn't too happy when he heard that I was supposed to come give blood to stop the Elder's spell, as if I was a High Table member in my own right. But it's not like I ASKED for that!"
✦ John shook his head, trying not to let himself get riled up again.
"Things are such a mess right now, Yvette. I can't BELIEVE what she did at Osaka."
✶ Yvette’s breath quickened, a storm of emotions swirling within her. She had always been perceptive, her banshee nature attuned to the nuances of death and danger, but this was different. The fear and tension clouding John was almost tangible.
“Osaka? What happened in Osaka, John?” she asked, her voice a mix of confusion and concern. She stepped closer, her eyes searching his for answers. “I’ve been left in the dark throughout this whole conflict.”
✶ Her mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of this dark puzzle. Chara sensed her unease and let out a low, anxious meow, pressing closer to Yvette’s leg. The cat’s expression was mirroring Yvette’s own turmoil.
✦ John looked down at Chara and took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking. He didn't want to scare her either - at least Yvette could understand what was going on, but he couldn't afford to rage around an innocent kitten. Better to express sadness than let it turn into anger. His voice was flat and a bit miserable as he spoke.
"Vincent...massacred...a lot of the Osaka Continental. And nearly killed an old friend of mine named Koji. We still don't know if he'll survive. I don't see any reason for it except just to hurt me."
✦ He almost didn't want to ask, but he couldn't help himself. If Koji was fated to die, there was a chance she'd be able to sense it. He wasn't really sure how much contact she needed to see a person's future death - maybe a brief explanation wasn't enough, but the chance was there.
"Yvette. Do you know what's going to happen to him?"
✦ The fact that she hadn't mentioned anything about his own death yet almost gave him hope, but he tried to push that away. His situation wasn't good, he knew that much. If death came for him, he wanted to face it fighting until the end. Knowing whether or not it was foretold wouldn't change that.
✶ Yvette felt a cold shiver run down her spine at John's words. She knelt down to soothe Chara, her fingers trembling as they stroked the cat's fur. Chara let out a soft, comforting purr, but her eyes remained vigilant, reflecting the tension in the air.
“Vincent did that?” Yvette's voice was steady, though her eyes betrayed a deep sorrow. "I can't say I'm surprised. He's always been heartless and cold…” Her mind raced, trying to reconcile the brutal actions of Vincent with the orders she had been given.
✶ John's question hung in the air, a plea for knowledge that Yvette knew she couldn't avoid. She took a deep breath, summoning her courage.
✶ She closed her eyes, focusing on the image of Koji, on the bond he shared with John. It was enough to offer get a small vision. The forest around her seemed to grow still, the air heavy with the weight of her concentration. Chara's purring grew louder, almost as if the cat was trying to offer her strength.
✶ She looked up at John, her own eyes reflecting the weight of the truth se was going to deliver.
“I'm sorry, John…” she paused. She didn’t want to spoil John’s hope but knew she had to tell him the truth. “The veil between life and death has thinned for him. He won’t make it.”
✦ John could feel the weight of her words, resonating with the vastness of the great beyond, and he couldn't deny their truth. Koji, one of the dearest friends who had helped him survive in the underworld since his youth, would soon be gone. He didn't even rage. He just lay down and hid his head between his paws. It was quite a sight to see: this huge beast cowering like a puppy.
✦ A long whimper turned into a howl before he finally spoke.
"I'm...I'm sorry Yvette. Thank you...for telling me. Just give me a second."
✦ But a few moments later, he went tense, and stood up, staring into the trees. His hackles raised again.
"Shit. Did you bring anyone with you? Someone's coming. No - two are coming."
✦ There was a scent on the wind, an animal scent but not one that belonged in the forest. One was definitely a dog of some kind, not unlike himself. The other was too obscured by fire, almost like woodsmoke mixed with burning oil. A cerberus. Those were not very common, and he only knew one personally. He really hoped he didn't know who that was...
OOC: Thread merge!! (unless anybody objects)
@soulacheron I'm going to reply as Nikandr here to show them arriving.
✮ Nikandr took a deep breath with all three heads and steadied himself. Having Acheron there to encourage him meant a lot. It was good to see his confidence, and it made him feel much safer to have someone by his side. He couldn't count the number of times he'd tried this sort of thing on his own and failed. But now, they might just have a chance. His own tail started wagging too.
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right, I'm not about to give up after dreaming about this for years! Let's go get him."
✮ They both took off running towards the source of the howling. It was a significant distance, and Nikandr was panting puffs of smoke by the time they drew close to a small clearing where they could see John looking in their general direction, already alerted to their presence. And there was Yvette beside him with her cat. Why wasn't she attacking?
✮ He nudged Acheron.
"Shhh, wait. Don't let him see you yet. I want to know what's going on here."
✮ Nikandr slunk behind a tree in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.
