Despite all the wrong turns his life has taken in the past handful of months, Nikolai has to admit that being fished from a pool to find himself in an entirely different world was not a turn he anticipated. And he had a whole mental list prepared of all the ways things could go (further) to hell...

However, Nikolai is nothing if not quick to adapt, the too-clever fox that always finds a way to survive another day. He listens to the welcoming spiel and asks questions until the robed mage gently suggests that he get acquainted with his new lodgings and comrades. So off he goes, exploring every corner of the compound and easily approaching whomever he crosses paths with.

At the training grounds, Nikolai watches another Summoned practice from a few yards away, noting the form and technique, before walking over with a disarming grin.

"In need of a sparring partner? I promise that I'm a step up from the practice dummies," he jokes. Tall and trim, his physique lends some credibility to this claim. And with his shirt sleeves rolled up — he prefers to cover up, but the desert heat has forced his hand — the scars fracturing his hands are visible. They're curious things, black tendrils climbing up his forearms. From a distance, one might think he'd dipped his fingers in ink and made a mess of himself, but up close the tilled-up texture of his skin is unmistakable.

Eventually, he finds his way back to that storage room he'd been led through after his drowned rat episode. His curiosity leads him to the bits of machinery seemingly gathering dust on the shelves, and his sharp eyes to a small tool box tucked among the wooden crates.

Long story short, should you enter the storage room for whatever reason, you'll find this man kneeling on the floor, methodically taking apart a who-knows-what with an expression that wavers between intense focus and manic glee — and if you're especially lucky, you might even enter at the exact moment that a small screw or spring or what-have-you pops into the air and pelts your way. Nikolai looks up, reminiscent of a(n incredibly handsome) rodent suddenly emerging from its hole.

"Did you see where that went?" A frown and a thoughtful hum. "I imagine I'll need it to put this thing back together..."

Of course Nikolai jumps at the opportunity to explore the nearby city, uncomfortable wagon-ride be damned. There, he sponges up news, gossip, and political discourse from cafes and taverns. He peruses the history museum, uncovering the conflicts and triumphs that have made this nation. He finds his way to a particular corner of the city where several of its academies cluster together.

On a whim, he walks up alongside a student on their way to class — or who he thinks could be a student, but maybe it's another Summoned?

"Say, are you a student here?" he asks, all measured charm. "You wouldn't happen to have a bring-a-stranger-to-class day coming up soon, would you?"