d1 • nikolas areni

what you see

Around the shorter side for men his age, Nik stands at five foot and ten inches. He's not particularly bothered by that, much preferring it to being an absolute giant like many of the people in the Career Districts. There was never a moment in his life when he wished to be large and muscular like many of his friends; the Games were never a goal of his and he was glad to have avoided them. He weighs in at one hundred and sixty pounds, neither too large nor too thin. He's not especially muscular as most of his job doesn't involve the use of incredible strength. The heaviest objects he may have to handle are the barrels filled with aging wine, something that he has no problem doing. It's the sole source of the musculature that can be found on his body as he isn't one to work out or spend time in the training centers that dot the District.

His hair is often messy, the curls hanging over his face and typically not kept at all. The brown locks frame his face in a way that adds youth, often making him younger than he is. Most of the time he aimlessly runs a hand through it to keep it from his eyes but it always seems to find its way back to complete the rundown look he almost always has. His eyebrows are thicker and rough, sitting above his eyes. Facial hair always covers his face, stretching across his jawline and around his mouth. He keeps it trimmed shorter, not letting the beard get too out of hand but also preferring it to the bare face he possesses. It, too, adds youth to his face and so he just decides to stick with keeping it hairy. His arms and legs are covered in natural hair, but his chest is bare from body hair.

Eyes as bright and blue as the sky, they move about between the baggy and bruised eye sockets. Flecks of silver dot across it, a typical sight in the Areni family bloodline. His eyes are his father's entirely, having taken nothing from the green of his mother. He fits in with the bright eyed bunch in District One, though his shine more like aquamarines than sapphires. His nose is thicker, stretching down and out to proportionally match his face. Ears stick out the sides, also larger and long. His lips are thick and are typically stretched out in an emotionless expression or covered in a smirk that seems to come from a place of maliciousness.

His torso stretches out into long arms that end off in smaller hands. He's, again, not a particularly big fellow and so his hands look more delicate and smooth. They're not worn from years of experiencing the fabric of weapon hilts as he trained to be the best killer should he be reaped for the Games. Instead they were used to harvest the grapes, and work all the different machinery for fermentation and finishing of the wine. His legs are shorter, and thin, the muscles of his calves seeming the most prominent across all of his body. His feet are almost always in some sort of shoes, but they stretch out fairly long and thin, and are mostly flat.

He dresses in a lot of more formal clothing, like button ups and jackets or nicer sweatshirts. His pants tend to be darker denim or dressier pants, unless he's working in the winery in which case they're all meant for being comfortable. He owns a pair of glasses that often sit upon his nose - thick framed and black - through which he peers with intrigue.

what you are

He's extremely mentally unstable, unsure of the line where reality and insanity meet. Everything blurs together for him and he has difficulty processing the world around him as his brain struggles to comprehend all the complexities. He's fearfully aware of how his brain and conscience seems to be fading away, fighting it as much as he can but knowing it's a moot point. There's an absence behind his eyes, as if he is already long gone and has become something entirely different. He fears the day when he won't have control of himself any longer, embracing the darkness that so often climbs its way to the forefront of his thoughts. The sorts of things he thinks of are scary to him, so scary in fact that he tries as hard as he can to avoid being within his mind for too long. He'll keep busy so as to avoid the loneliness of his conscience.

Morals are practically out the door for Nik. He doesn't particularly care how he goes about his activities, as long as they lead to a beneficial end. His life is surrounded by the clandestine acts of the night life, as it logically would be by being in the alcohol business. He still pursues it even more, embracing the darkness it adds to his life. Not very respectful of other people, he says what needs to be said when it needs to be said and it doesn't bother him if it's offensive. He goes for the logical and efficient way through life instead of looking for emotions to guide him; partly because he feels he lacks those emotions and because it makes things easier to traverse. He's neither altruistic nor selfish; neither the needs of others, nor the needs of himself matter in the grand scheme of things.

He keeps primarily to himself, but isn't one to shy away from personal connection. He does form friendships out of necessity, connecting himself mostly to those involved with the night life, even if that means criminals. His vernacular is eloquent and carefully spoken, but he isn't likely to avoid being harsh or cruel in his words. Clearly educated, he seems to have a vast amount of knowledge stored up in his brain that he doesn't always put to use. It's as if he's too afraid to venture into the confines of his mind and end up getting lost in all of the horrors up there. There's an awkwardness to the way he speaks as if he doesn't quite feel comfortable in his skin in moments of social contact, though he doesn't actually mind it.

A very curious man, he struggles to keep his curiosity under control. He's not particularly adventurous and so the two conflict often as he wishes to seek out answers but has no motivation to actually proceed with it. He likes knowing about what's going on, a sucker for involving himself in things he probably shouldn't get into. It's why being involved in the life he lives in is particularly dangerous as he likes getting himself in situations that are hard to get out of with people who don't like letting witnesses go. Nonetheless, he carefully approaches these moments whilst in them, managing to work his way out of it for the most part. He's a keen man, though not particularly enthusiastic. He's a serious and quiet person.

Violence runs in the Areni blood. His family has always been directly connected to the criminal groups throughout District One, and they aren't the type to hesitate in issuing out a necessary taste of pain. Nik, too, has this tendency to turn towards violence. He's a brutal man within his mind, sick in most cases. And yet he very rarely actually acts it out, knowing that stepping in that direction will mean never getting out. If he were to let in the negativity, he fears he would lose the person he grew up to be: the hardworking vintner who has worked to make the family name grow to mean more than just the name of a crime family.

what you remember

Marcas Areni, the fifth son of Aventius Areni, grew to embrace his family name. The name was well known as a source of trouble and crime, though they were often overshadowed by others that existed in the District. They remained under the radar for that reason, though many would find the inside of the Detention Center to be their homes for periods of time. Marcas met Ilene Delfour and they married only months after, combining the riches of the two families together. Ilene was aware of the source of the Areni income, knowing full well that the winery was only so successful amongst the citizens of the Capitol. She knew that Areni wine was top quality, but not enough that they lived so comfortably. Not to mention there wasn't particularly any safety amongst the family; Ilene knew she had married a criminal.

They had eight children in total: Nevus (32), Ninda (29), Nala (29), Nikolas (25), Nicayla (22), Neptune (18), Neuvirth (15), Nickel (12). It was a busy household, especially with all the conflicting personalities in a volatile world. By the age of 15, they were told all the secrets of the Areni family and were offered to be involved. Nevus was a natural born leader, taking the first born title to heart and looking to coach his siblings towards the good life of being wealthy. He was a natural in taking to the harshness of the darker life. Ninda was a little less prepared, having a kind heart that sought the job of being a healer. Only because her twin sister Nala gladly stepped towards the life of crime did she accept that it was her calling, and so she took part anyways. Nala was the bad girl of the group, and was probably the most natural in the new life she discovered at the age of 16. It came so easily to her that she immediately began working with Nevus and the higher ups. Nicayla was the motherly influence in the family, caring deeply for all her siblings and wanting them to be all together until the very end. Neptune was a quiet and reserved young man, keeping to his books and numbers. He translated these skills and interests to book keeping for the family. Neuvirth is the latest inductee, hating every moment of it and wishing so desperately that he weren't an Areni. But Nickel is everything to him, and he always has a beaming smile when she's around; he accepted being a part of the family to watch out for his sister. Nickel had such an incredible purity that was extremely uncommon for the family. She was the least prepared to learn the truth.

Nik was somewhere in the middle of being ready, knowing that he'd embrace the life fairly well but not knowing if he really should. It was his preference that he stay far away from it so as to avoid the darkness that accompanied it, but there tends to not be a choice when it's a family business. And so he took control of the winery, running all of its operations so as to act as a sort of front for the real activities occurring. He has slowly begun tasting the other sides of that life, knowing that he'll one day fall into it completely. His relationship with Nevus was the strongest of his siblings, and so he was often encouraged to follow the family's footsteps throughout life as much as he wished to avoid it.

And yet as he grew older, he stepped closer and closer towards all of it until the day he went with his father and Nevus to "attain a new client". They met with a man in his wealthy home, and things immediately became uncomfortable for Nik in the situation. He knew well in advance what was going to happen from the tenseness of the situation, but nothing could prepare him as his father and brother brutally murdered the man before his eyes. And the fact of the matter was that he didn't shy away or avoid watching. It scared him greatly.

His father was arrested for that very act, claiming it was only him involved in it. Nevus was a great liar, and Nik was unassuming enough that they fell under the radar; without any other proof the family lived on. Marcas was no longer around to lead the family and so it fell upon Nevus who decided to turn things in a slightly less violent direction, working more with the transfer of illegal goods instead, like forgeries, drugs, and other banned products. And yet the violent past always haunted the family.

Nik keeps to the winery as much as he can, knowing the streets run red with the blood of his family's enemies. And yet there's always a part of him that wants to step out and run the family as he feels he was destined to do, taking the mantle from his father and older brother. If anybody had the mind to handle crime, it was Nikolas. He only needed a push in the right - or wrong - direction.

what

Hi there! My name is Damen and you can find my character tracker here.

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