Nida | FF8 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
skyward_eyes) wrote2019-05-29 11:17 am
skyward_eyes) wrote2019-05-29 11:17 am
Entry tags:
App for Dualis
YOU
Player name: Churby
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
churbooseanon or on discord at Churby#4290
Referral: Rae and Ty
Current characters: N/A
THEM
Character Name: Nida Nomura
Character Age: 21
Canon: Final Fantasy 8 (CRAU)
Canon Point: Two and a half years post game, as well as post 6th Iteration
History/World:
For canon references see here
For world references see here
In the grand scheme of things on his world, Nida's history isn't exactly a unique one. It starts easily enough, with Nida the only child of former members of the Galbadian army who had settled down in a forest cabin outside of the town of Timber. What led them there Nida can't say, in no small part due to the fact that his parents were dead not too long after his eight birthday. For all that the pair had been part of the Galbadian army during the war against the nation of Esthar ruled by a powerful and cruel Sorceress named Adel they could not stand for the way that Timber was annexed and oppressed and ended up joining one of many rebel groups associated with the city. They, like many others that stood against Galbadia and the Deling family, found their end in front of a firing squad, with their son watching on. This detail, thankfully, Nida ended up repressing for a very long time, and Nida was shuffled off to the place that orphaned children go to: a Garden.
Balamb Garden, a relief really considering most students of Galbadia Garden ended up shuffled into the Galbadian military upon graduation. At the same time it proved a problem because no Garden worked with Guardian Forces, also known as GFs, and the paramagic they granted nearly as much as Balamb Garden. It wouldn't be for a good number of years that confirmation that GFs wore away at memories at an insane speed, leaving Nida's parents nothing more than a dull ache of loss in the back of his mind, preserved only through a bracelet of his mother's and an absolute conviction that some day his hometown truly should be free from Galbadian oppression.
Life in Balamb Garden wasn't too bad. Nida was a hard working and dedicated student, because really what else was there to be? For nine years he studied combat specializing in the bo staff and tambo, failed to impress overly much with paramagic beyond his skill with air and water magics, and didn't leave too much of an impression on many people. Just another face in a crowd of primarily orphans, yet to prove himself. By the time he hit fifteen and became eligible to start taking the SeeD Qualification Exam Nida had realized that his use to the program wouldn't necessarily be in how he fought or the spells he could fling, but rather in how he didn't stand out much. Being a quiet kid who didn't raise too much attention, who blended in, fit a niche that not as many did at Garden and at the advice of his homeroom instructor Nida refocused himself toward an infiltration specialization. There were always clients who needed someone who could get into places to retrieve information only spread in whispered tones or when someone had a bit too much alcohol, and Nida could be the ears and eyes clients wanted.
Do your best, even if you don't stand out, the words spoken to him by Headmaster Cid Kramer when seventeen-year-old Nida became the fourth SeeD Graduate in his year after a mission to a Galbadian occupied city of Dollet. However when a mission was assigned to his fellow graduates the next day, Nida was left out of the mix. After finding that the trio had been sent to his home town of Timber to serve as the hand of one of the last surviving rebel factions he found himself going to the Headmaster to demand to know why. They wouldn't know Timber like he would, there was even a chance he would know some number of their employers. Nida could fit in to Timber unlike them, he had the looks, the accent, and while he hadn't been there in nearly a decade he knew the places to press for information and could trade in on his family's name for more.
The issue came down to how emotionally invested he was in the situation. The SeeDs sent would have a detachment from the situation and thus be better able to serve the needs of the client. Nida was effectively grounded because his value to SeeD was his ability to blend in, which he could hardly do in Timber if he brought to mind his parents, used his family as a chip for the program. When it was put like that he could see Cid wasn't wrong. Realistically he could turn into more of a liability to the situation than an asset, especially since the rebels themselves could provide much of what Nida thought he had.
In the end he was actually a touch relieved to have been left behind. Not long after the team was dispatched things started going wrong. Sure there was concern over the newly rising Sorceress Edea, but at Garden a 'Garden Master' had raised their head, claiming to be the real power and trying to get the faculty to take over the facility to him. He wanted to sacrifice Nida's fellow graduates to the Sorceress to be put to death, and while Nida didn't know the details, he refused to side with someone who would betray the people who had given their lives to Garden. People like him. Betray one group of people and how hard is it to sell out the next. The only realistic choice was to stand with the Headmaster and during the ensuing riots Nida found himself as one of the SeeDs there to help try and hold order. Once again he found himself on the edge of the solutions going on around him, with Squall Leonhart and his team returning with help to put down the so called Garden Master, managed to save the Garden from a missle strike, and found their now mobile home floating into the sea.
No longer would Nida be left behind, not truly. When they crashed into Fisherman's Horizon and the engineering specialists there repaired the Garden and set it up to be actively piloted, Nida immediately offered himself as the pilot of the oversized vessel. Perhaps his talents as an infiltration specialist wasn't the most useful in a worldwide war where the enemy could get around through magic portals, but he could be useful like this. As such Nida ended up being the pilot during the battle of the Gardens and beyond, finding himself as one of the people who sat in more than anyone else in important decisions during the war. While he may not have spoken up much, ever quiet and dutiful before his seniors in SeeDs Xu and Quistis and his newly made superior officer Squall Leonhart, he found himself finally serving a role in the war that he could be proud of.
After the end of the war and Time Compression Nida found himself settling back into life at Garden and as a SeeD, finally seeing more deployment as the organization became involved with recovery post war. At last he got a chance to put his infiltration and growing mechanic skills to use for Garden and their clients. Finally he could be proud of what he was doing with his life, knowing that his family had been avenged and the world saved by the actions of Squall Leonhart and his team. After all, he could always support them in his own way. Which mostly served the role of pilot and spy, the former of which he became increasingly good at for a long time.
Beyond this point there be CRAU!
And that is where Nida's story diverges. Two different paths, taking place at the same time. In one he awoke in a fountain in the middle of a strange place called the village, in its Sixth Iteration. In this place Nida lived a relatively peaceful life. Finding a place to fit in wasn't easy, he was a spy, not a settler. But in his time there he found himself moving more and more away from the life he'd lived as a SeeD, mercenary, and spy, and more into exploration of life as a 'real person' as he put it. There he made a number of friends (including forcefully adopting 'former vigilante' named Jason Todd, becoming close to Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly, and a number of other friendships of note such as with Tommy Shepherd, the Iron Bull, and Desmond Miles). Little changed him more, though, than two people in particular. First was Seifer Almasy, considered a villain back home and who had tormented Nida a bit growing up became Nida's best friend and adoptive brother, together the two learned a lot about living life outside of Garden, finding jobs that suited them in a 'real' world, and trying to recover from all of the traumas of the war they had fought on opposite sides of. Second was one Billy Kaplan, known in his world by several hero names including Wiccan and Demiurge, the powerless witch who taught Nida about friendship and affection, popular culture, hope, and dare he even say love? Yes. He dares say it, loudly and often, often with his boyfriend wrapped in his arms.
Of course there were a number of 'misadventures' as it was in that strange place and time. For instance, Nida came to lead the village dojo, trying to help people as a combat instructor so they would be safe in the potential dangers beyond the village. He also worked with the village guard, ensuring the place was as safe from all potential threats external to it. Then there were the two very different times that he was swept seemingly magically away from the village. The first showed him forcefully the memory of his parents' deaths, which left Nida temporarily very broken and distant from the world, which he would have stayed were it not for his friends. The second time it was more of an adventure, slaying monsters and saving the day. Not that he liked the village much, but over time there, he settled in.
Until about two and a half months before his arrival in Dualis, by his frame of reference. Well, one of his frames of reference. One day he just disappeared from the village and was home, with no memory of his experiences. Instead he spent almost a year and a half back in his world, time that changed him deeply. In addition to finally making A-Rank and finding a long term replacement for his roles as a pilot, Nida rededicated himself to his spy work, which ultimately culminated in an eight-month long under-cover operation in Deling City. Tensions that had been high after the Ultimecia incident had gotten too intense, and there was not only contracts to be had for information jobs in Galbadia given the new power-struggles that kept playing out in the absence of the Deling family to serve as heredity president, there were growing military conflicts. Rumors that portions of the military, with possible assistance from Galbadian SeeDs, were attempting another coup, which could throw the world into more turmoil. For months he chased hints of whoever he pursued, his best friend, lover, and fellow SeeD named Elijah Zale at his side.
Problem was? No one had expected the traitor SeeD to be one from Balamb Garden who was just Galbadian by birth. Nida was working alongside his target and didn't know it until the end of a very long mission, wherein Elijah led him around on a merry chase, one that revealed to Nida the truth of his parents' death, the role he had played in them, and even ended with Elijah trying to get Nida to join him and his movement. The conversation had ended with Nida nearly fatally wounded for the second time in as many weeks (poison the first time, Elijah's sword through his shoulder the second), and Elijah impaled on his own blade, by Nida's hand. His boyfriend, his lover, his confidant, the man who had been his rock since he was an eight-year-old orphan betraying him worse than he even knew how to put into words.
Nida was shipped home and at Garden, once he had recovered, he was lauded as a hero. Applauded. Celebrated. It made him sick. Sick enough that seeing his face in the mirror in his dorm led to him smashing it. Which led to him trying to take a more permanent way out of being celebrated for the most horrible moment in his life. And that, of course, was when he woke back up in the village fountain not two days since he'd been there last, shaken, certain he had died, and not having any of it.
Readjusting was hard, but with time and care from his friends, brother, and lover, Nida was able to more or less get back on his feet, even if he still can't sleep. Which, of course, meant it was perfect time for something strange to happen, and that strangeness? Dualis. This time, though, he's starting with a support network to keep him on the straight and narrow and hopefully mentally balanced. Because Nida doesn't want to backslide, doesn't want to touch that older, jaded man that he's trying to push out of his heart. No, instead he wants to keep moving forward and finding out what life is really like. Because what was it Cid had said? Oh right.
Do your best, even if you don't stand out.
Personality:
There are things that are looked for in when picking out the elite of an organization focused on turning orphans into monster killing, magic slinging, money taking weapons. There are things instilled into them with each class, each meal, and each examination of what they have learned. Loyalty. Obedience. Even a touch of honor, if only one shared between their own number. Nida has all of those. Of course it's to be expected when you grow up surrounded by people reminding you what the Garden has given you. A home, food, shelter, and a good education even if it is skewed toward martial service rather than different sorts of trades, and these are all things Nida has found himself thankful for. Why should he not become a loyal man, dutiful and obedient to those above him, focused on the place that was his home and the people that in a way were his family?
Of course there are downsides to this sort of focus. Loyalty can become blind, or can lead to one hurting when they question decisions made for them. Nida has found himself caving to the answers and explanations of superiors before, and would do so again, even when his heart might call him to do something else. He also falls into the trap of puttng perhaps too much value on objectives before him, to the point where Nida might find himself putting his own safety second to a task he needs to complete. Hyne knows he's made that mistake before, and he's got the scars to prove it (because T-Rexaurs probably shouldn't be taken on solo just to prove you're good enough).
Yet there are positives as well. Garden instilled into Nida a sense of devotion that he's never going to be anything but proud to have. He will give a hundred and ten percent to any task set before him, ranging from learning new skills, refining old ones, or just being there to support people. There is a reason that Nida was told, upon graduating to SeeD and becoming one of the elite warriors of Garden, 'Do your best, even if no one notices.' It's good advice that Nida has tried to live by since Cid gave it to him. Recognition shouldn't be the reward for hard work. Hard work should be it's own reward. Serve others, help others, protect others. There's no need for a pat on the back or a monetary bonus or recognition, just for working hard and getting the job done.
That being said, part of the reason he doesn't get recognized as much is because, in spite of himself, Nida was never much of one to put himself forward. He's a quiet sort of guy, one who observes before acting when he can. This was what led to him to a specialization in infiltration, a quiet disposition and a thoughtful nature, letting him blend into the background even as he gathers everything he needs to make the best decision possible.
None of this, though, absolves Nida of his faults. When it comes down to it, Nida can stress over the small details, because it's those details that can do you in when you're alone in the field. This manifests with a sometimes overly cautious nature when faced with a situation taking an unexpected turn or when setting off into a new situation. While he doesn't freeze up when encountering these things he may be found triple checking supplies before heading out into the wild, keeping tight inventories of vital supplies in general, and staying quiet at first when he should speak up or speak out.
At his core, Nida is a nice guy who wants to do the right thing and do it well. His parents died to do the right thing after all, and Garden doesn't accept anything but the best. Helps that in the end Garden ended up at the forefront of doing the right thing when it came to a crazy Sorceress trying to take over slash destroy the world and all of existence. On the other hand he finds it a bit harder to swallow the bad taste in his mouth when he feels that what he isn't on the right side of a situation, or that doing his best won't be enough to resolve things in a positive way. That doesn't mean he won't still act, won't still do what he feels is his duty even if he might morally see it as a bit questionable.
Things have been changing for him, though, since becoming involved with the people he met in the village. It used to be that pretty much from the start of meeting someone Nida would try and seem non-threatening. For people he knew were trained in military ways he would make sure to stay slightly off balance, always keep himself inside of their easy reach but him in an awkward position to grab at them, always open and smiling positions. These were the sort of things the spy used to make people feel comfortable. That was what he lived and breathed, and literally none of it was genuine. Now though? The warm smiles are actually from warmth. And he doesn't really bother to hide that he's a very, very dangerous man in the way he carries himself, in the way he moves. Nida's a trained ambush predator, and he's tired of hiding it.
On the other hand, he's also very fragile, very broken. In his eyes he not only murdered his best friend and lover because of orders, but at the same time he was cheating on his boyfriend from the village. The man that, upon returning and having all of his memories, upon being able to evaluate his feelings, he realized was the one he actually loved. Elijah? Elijah was just a childish devotion that Elijah had manipulated into the form it took by the end. It was abusive, and he still beats himself up over it. At this point, the very thought of mercenaries and militaries makes Nida ill. He'd rather live a normal life and try to deal with a very serious case of PTSD, survivor's guilt, and certainty that he isn't good enough for the family or love that he's found. But hey, he's trying to get better, which is something.
Items: Dark green leather coat with a pattern not unlike dragon-scales but smaller, gray button-up shirt, black jeans and combat boots. Leather gloves. Two leather holsters for tanbo, strapped to his thighs, but lacking weapons. A Triple Triad deck. Silver chain bracelet with heart locket. Set of dog-tags with message 'If found, return to Seifer Almasy and Jason Todd' on them. Leather bound, hand-sized notebook of unlined paper, with some drawing in it.
Powers/skills: Combat specialist with polearms and short sticks, spy, mechanic, pilot. Experienced instructor in all but spy-craft. Moderate skill with paramagic and summoning, but this is useless without possessing a Guardian Force. He does have a small selection of stocked magic spells still left from his last 'trip' home. However these spells are completely inaccessible to him without a Junctioned Guardian Force, which he lacks.
-43 Aero spells
-25 Tornado spells
-37 Water spells
-15 Protect spells
-15 Shell spells
-20 Cura spells
-32 Cure spells
SAMPLE
Sample Here
PERMISSIONS
Permissions and Opt-Out Here
Player name: Churby
Contact:
Referral: Rae and Ty
Current characters: N/A
THEM
Character Name: Nida Nomura
Character Age: 21
Canon: Final Fantasy 8 (CRAU)
Canon Point: Two and a half years post game, as well as post 6th Iteration
History/World:
For canon references see here
For world references see here
In the grand scheme of things on his world, Nida's history isn't exactly a unique one. It starts easily enough, with Nida the only child of former members of the Galbadian army who had settled down in a forest cabin outside of the town of Timber. What led them there Nida can't say, in no small part due to the fact that his parents were dead not too long after his eight birthday. For all that the pair had been part of the Galbadian army during the war against the nation of Esthar ruled by a powerful and cruel Sorceress named Adel they could not stand for the way that Timber was annexed and oppressed and ended up joining one of many rebel groups associated with the city. They, like many others that stood against Galbadia and the Deling family, found their end in front of a firing squad, with their son watching on. This detail, thankfully, Nida ended up repressing for a very long time, and Nida was shuffled off to the place that orphaned children go to: a Garden.
Balamb Garden, a relief really considering most students of Galbadia Garden ended up shuffled into the Galbadian military upon graduation. At the same time it proved a problem because no Garden worked with Guardian Forces, also known as GFs, and the paramagic they granted nearly as much as Balamb Garden. It wouldn't be for a good number of years that confirmation that GFs wore away at memories at an insane speed, leaving Nida's parents nothing more than a dull ache of loss in the back of his mind, preserved only through a bracelet of his mother's and an absolute conviction that some day his hometown truly should be free from Galbadian oppression.
Life in Balamb Garden wasn't too bad. Nida was a hard working and dedicated student, because really what else was there to be? For nine years he studied combat specializing in the bo staff and tambo, failed to impress overly much with paramagic beyond his skill with air and water magics, and didn't leave too much of an impression on many people. Just another face in a crowd of primarily orphans, yet to prove himself. By the time he hit fifteen and became eligible to start taking the SeeD Qualification Exam Nida had realized that his use to the program wouldn't necessarily be in how he fought or the spells he could fling, but rather in how he didn't stand out much. Being a quiet kid who didn't raise too much attention, who blended in, fit a niche that not as many did at Garden and at the advice of his homeroom instructor Nida refocused himself toward an infiltration specialization. There were always clients who needed someone who could get into places to retrieve information only spread in whispered tones or when someone had a bit too much alcohol, and Nida could be the ears and eyes clients wanted.
Do your best, even if you don't stand out, the words spoken to him by Headmaster Cid Kramer when seventeen-year-old Nida became the fourth SeeD Graduate in his year after a mission to a Galbadian occupied city of Dollet. However when a mission was assigned to his fellow graduates the next day, Nida was left out of the mix. After finding that the trio had been sent to his home town of Timber to serve as the hand of one of the last surviving rebel factions he found himself going to the Headmaster to demand to know why. They wouldn't know Timber like he would, there was even a chance he would know some number of their employers. Nida could fit in to Timber unlike them, he had the looks, the accent, and while he hadn't been there in nearly a decade he knew the places to press for information and could trade in on his family's name for more.
The issue came down to how emotionally invested he was in the situation. The SeeDs sent would have a detachment from the situation and thus be better able to serve the needs of the client. Nida was effectively grounded because his value to SeeD was his ability to blend in, which he could hardly do in Timber if he brought to mind his parents, used his family as a chip for the program. When it was put like that he could see Cid wasn't wrong. Realistically he could turn into more of a liability to the situation than an asset, especially since the rebels themselves could provide much of what Nida thought he had.
In the end he was actually a touch relieved to have been left behind. Not long after the team was dispatched things started going wrong. Sure there was concern over the newly rising Sorceress Edea, but at Garden a 'Garden Master' had raised their head, claiming to be the real power and trying to get the faculty to take over the facility to him. He wanted to sacrifice Nida's fellow graduates to the Sorceress to be put to death, and while Nida didn't know the details, he refused to side with someone who would betray the people who had given their lives to Garden. People like him. Betray one group of people and how hard is it to sell out the next. The only realistic choice was to stand with the Headmaster and during the ensuing riots Nida found himself as one of the SeeDs there to help try and hold order. Once again he found himself on the edge of the solutions going on around him, with Squall Leonhart and his team returning with help to put down the so called Garden Master, managed to save the Garden from a missle strike, and found their now mobile home floating into the sea.
No longer would Nida be left behind, not truly. When they crashed into Fisherman's Horizon and the engineering specialists there repaired the Garden and set it up to be actively piloted, Nida immediately offered himself as the pilot of the oversized vessel. Perhaps his talents as an infiltration specialist wasn't the most useful in a worldwide war where the enemy could get around through magic portals, but he could be useful like this. As such Nida ended up being the pilot during the battle of the Gardens and beyond, finding himself as one of the people who sat in more than anyone else in important decisions during the war. While he may not have spoken up much, ever quiet and dutiful before his seniors in SeeDs Xu and Quistis and his newly made superior officer Squall Leonhart, he found himself finally serving a role in the war that he could be proud of.
After the end of the war and Time Compression Nida found himself settling back into life at Garden and as a SeeD, finally seeing more deployment as the organization became involved with recovery post war. At last he got a chance to put his infiltration and growing mechanic skills to use for Garden and their clients. Finally he could be proud of what he was doing with his life, knowing that his family had been avenged and the world saved by the actions of Squall Leonhart and his team. After all, he could always support them in his own way. Which mostly served the role of pilot and spy, the former of which he became increasingly good at for a long time.
Beyond this point there be CRAU!
And that is where Nida's story diverges. Two different paths, taking place at the same time. In one he awoke in a fountain in the middle of a strange place called the village, in its Sixth Iteration. In this place Nida lived a relatively peaceful life. Finding a place to fit in wasn't easy, he was a spy, not a settler. But in his time there he found himself moving more and more away from the life he'd lived as a SeeD, mercenary, and spy, and more into exploration of life as a 'real person' as he put it. There he made a number of friends (including forcefully adopting 'former vigilante' named Jason Todd, becoming close to Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly, and a number of other friendships of note such as with Tommy Shepherd, the Iron Bull, and Desmond Miles). Little changed him more, though, than two people in particular. First was Seifer Almasy, considered a villain back home and who had tormented Nida a bit growing up became Nida's best friend and adoptive brother, together the two learned a lot about living life outside of Garden, finding jobs that suited them in a 'real' world, and trying to recover from all of the traumas of the war they had fought on opposite sides of. Second was one Billy Kaplan, known in his world by several hero names including Wiccan and Demiurge, the powerless witch who taught Nida about friendship and affection, popular culture, hope, and dare he even say love? Yes. He dares say it, loudly and often, often with his boyfriend wrapped in his arms.
Of course there were a number of 'misadventures' as it was in that strange place and time. For instance, Nida came to lead the village dojo, trying to help people as a combat instructor so they would be safe in the potential dangers beyond the village. He also worked with the village guard, ensuring the place was as safe from all potential threats external to it. Then there were the two very different times that he was swept seemingly magically away from the village. The first showed him forcefully the memory of his parents' deaths, which left Nida temporarily very broken and distant from the world, which he would have stayed were it not for his friends. The second time it was more of an adventure, slaying monsters and saving the day. Not that he liked the village much, but over time there, he settled in.
Until about two and a half months before his arrival in Dualis, by his frame of reference. Well, one of his frames of reference. One day he just disappeared from the village and was home, with no memory of his experiences. Instead he spent almost a year and a half back in his world, time that changed him deeply. In addition to finally making A-Rank and finding a long term replacement for his roles as a pilot, Nida rededicated himself to his spy work, which ultimately culminated in an eight-month long under-cover operation in Deling City. Tensions that had been high after the Ultimecia incident had gotten too intense, and there was not only contracts to be had for information jobs in Galbadia given the new power-struggles that kept playing out in the absence of the Deling family to serve as heredity president, there were growing military conflicts. Rumors that portions of the military, with possible assistance from Galbadian SeeDs, were attempting another coup, which could throw the world into more turmoil. For months he chased hints of whoever he pursued, his best friend, lover, and fellow SeeD named Elijah Zale at his side.
Problem was? No one had expected the traitor SeeD to be one from Balamb Garden who was just Galbadian by birth. Nida was working alongside his target and didn't know it until the end of a very long mission, wherein Elijah led him around on a merry chase, one that revealed to Nida the truth of his parents' death, the role he had played in them, and even ended with Elijah trying to get Nida to join him and his movement. The conversation had ended with Nida nearly fatally wounded for the second time in as many weeks (poison the first time, Elijah's sword through his shoulder the second), and Elijah impaled on his own blade, by Nida's hand. His boyfriend, his lover, his confidant, the man who had been his rock since he was an eight-year-old orphan betraying him worse than he even knew how to put into words.
Nida was shipped home and at Garden, once he had recovered, he was lauded as a hero. Applauded. Celebrated. It made him sick. Sick enough that seeing his face in the mirror in his dorm led to him smashing it. Which led to him trying to take a more permanent way out of being celebrated for the most horrible moment in his life. And that, of course, was when he woke back up in the village fountain not two days since he'd been there last, shaken, certain he had died, and not having any of it.
Readjusting was hard, but with time and care from his friends, brother, and lover, Nida was able to more or less get back on his feet, even if he still can't sleep. Which, of course, meant it was perfect time for something strange to happen, and that strangeness? Dualis. This time, though, he's starting with a support network to keep him on the straight and narrow and hopefully mentally balanced. Because Nida doesn't want to backslide, doesn't want to touch that older, jaded man that he's trying to push out of his heart. No, instead he wants to keep moving forward and finding out what life is really like. Because what was it Cid had said? Oh right.
Do your best, even if you don't stand out.
Personality:
There are things that are looked for in when picking out the elite of an organization focused on turning orphans into monster killing, magic slinging, money taking weapons. There are things instilled into them with each class, each meal, and each examination of what they have learned. Loyalty. Obedience. Even a touch of honor, if only one shared between their own number. Nida has all of those. Of course it's to be expected when you grow up surrounded by people reminding you what the Garden has given you. A home, food, shelter, and a good education even if it is skewed toward martial service rather than different sorts of trades, and these are all things Nida has found himself thankful for. Why should he not become a loyal man, dutiful and obedient to those above him, focused on the place that was his home and the people that in a way were his family?
Of course there are downsides to this sort of focus. Loyalty can become blind, or can lead to one hurting when they question decisions made for them. Nida has found himself caving to the answers and explanations of superiors before, and would do so again, even when his heart might call him to do something else. He also falls into the trap of puttng perhaps too much value on objectives before him, to the point where Nida might find himself putting his own safety second to a task he needs to complete. Hyne knows he's made that mistake before, and he's got the scars to prove it (because T-Rexaurs probably shouldn't be taken on solo just to prove you're good enough).
Yet there are positives as well. Garden instilled into Nida a sense of devotion that he's never going to be anything but proud to have. He will give a hundred and ten percent to any task set before him, ranging from learning new skills, refining old ones, or just being there to support people. There is a reason that Nida was told, upon graduating to SeeD and becoming one of the elite warriors of Garden, 'Do your best, even if no one notices.' It's good advice that Nida has tried to live by since Cid gave it to him. Recognition shouldn't be the reward for hard work. Hard work should be it's own reward. Serve others, help others, protect others. There's no need for a pat on the back or a monetary bonus or recognition, just for working hard and getting the job done.
That being said, part of the reason he doesn't get recognized as much is because, in spite of himself, Nida was never much of one to put himself forward. He's a quiet sort of guy, one who observes before acting when he can. This was what led to him to a specialization in infiltration, a quiet disposition and a thoughtful nature, letting him blend into the background even as he gathers everything he needs to make the best decision possible.
None of this, though, absolves Nida of his faults. When it comes down to it, Nida can stress over the small details, because it's those details that can do you in when you're alone in the field. This manifests with a sometimes overly cautious nature when faced with a situation taking an unexpected turn or when setting off into a new situation. While he doesn't freeze up when encountering these things he may be found triple checking supplies before heading out into the wild, keeping tight inventories of vital supplies in general, and staying quiet at first when he should speak up or speak out.
At his core, Nida is a nice guy who wants to do the right thing and do it well. His parents died to do the right thing after all, and Garden doesn't accept anything but the best. Helps that in the end Garden ended up at the forefront of doing the right thing when it came to a crazy Sorceress trying to take over slash destroy the world and all of existence. On the other hand he finds it a bit harder to swallow the bad taste in his mouth when he feels that what he isn't on the right side of a situation, or that doing his best won't be enough to resolve things in a positive way. That doesn't mean he won't still act, won't still do what he feels is his duty even if he might morally see it as a bit questionable.
Things have been changing for him, though, since becoming involved with the people he met in the village. It used to be that pretty much from the start of meeting someone Nida would try and seem non-threatening. For people he knew were trained in military ways he would make sure to stay slightly off balance, always keep himself inside of their easy reach but him in an awkward position to grab at them, always open and smiling positions. These were the sort of things the spy used to make people feel comfortable. That was what he lived and breathed, and literally none of it was genuine. Now though? The warm smiles are actually from warmth. And he doesn't really bother to hide that he's a very, very dangerous man in the way he carries himself, in the way he moves. Nida's a trained ambush predator, and he's tired of hiding it.
On the other hand, he's also very fragile, very broken. In his eyes he not only murdered his best friend and lover because of orders, but at the same time he was cheating on his boyfriend from the village. The man that, upon returning and having all of his memories, upon being able to evaluate his feelings, he realized was the one he actually loved. Elijah? Elijah was just a childish devotion that Elijah had manipulated into the form it took by the end. It was abusive, and he still beats himself up over it. At this point, the very thought of mercenaries and militaries makes Nida ill. He'd rather live a normal life and try to deal with a very serious case of PTSD, survivor's guilt, and certainty that he isn't good enough for the family or love that he's found. But hey, he's trying to get better, which is something.
Items: Dark green leather coat with a pattern not unlike dragon-scales but smaller, gray button-up shirt, black jeans and combat boots. Leather gloves. Two leather holsters for tanbo, strapped to his thighs, but lacking weapons. A Triple Triad deck. Silver chain bracelet with heart locket. Set of dog-tags with message 'If found, return to Seifer Almasy and Jason Todd' on them. Leather bound, hand-sized notebook of unlined paper, with some drawing in it.
Powers/skills: Combat specialist with polearms and short sticks, spy, mechanic, pilot. Experienced instructor in all but spy-craft. Moderate skill with paramagic and summoning, but this is useless without possessing a Guardian Force. He does have a small selection of stocked magic spells still left from his last 'trip' home. However these spells are completely inaccessible to him without a Junctioned Guardian Force, which he lacks.
-43 Aero spells
-25 Tornado spells
-37 Water spells
-15 Protect spells
-15 Shell spells
-20 Cura spells
-32 Cure spells
SAMPLE
Sample Here
PERMISSIONS
Permissions and Opt-Out Here