THE PHYSICAL:

Hair: Straight. White. Thin. Not long enough to call it “long hair,” but always looking in need of a trim. In a wispy, untamed wave, sometimes hidden under a hat.

Eyes: Average set. Average size, but made smaller-looking because of heavy eyelids and crow’s feet. Light blue-gray. Bushy white eyebrows.

Nose: Stubby, wide, and knob-like. Often a little red if he gets sunburned.

Mouth: Average lips. Teeth are somewhat crooked and not in great condition.

Skin: Tanned, leathery skin with lots of wrinkles.

Face: Much of the lower half is covered by a bushy white untamed beard that ends at his chest. Big round ears that get sunburned a lot. Apple-like cheeks.

Age: By book 5, 59 years old.

Height: Short, about 5’3” or 5’4”.

Weight: A bit stocky.

Body: Arms and legs look a bit gnarled and fingernails are yellowed. Thickly built with a straight back and good posture. Right-handed.

Ethnicity: Caucasian—mother’s side has roots in Romania and Italy, while father’s side is ancestrally German.

Distinguishing features: Looks weaker than he is. Almost comical appearance since he’s so short and odd-looking.

Voice: Low, smooth storyteller’s voice. Laughs in quiet chuckles or forceful, often single bursts.

Gestures: Moves a tad stiffly. Has twinkly eyes when he’s amused by the person he’s talking to or when he has a secret. Likes to answer with silence if he thinks the answer is obvious or unimportant. Tends to close his eyes and listen to things others can’t hear.

Clothing and style: Prefers earthy colors and fabrics in true hippie style. Likes to wear loose-fitting cotton pants and layered fabrics on top (such as a tunic, a vest, and a jacket). Uses shawls and scarves for belts. Often wears hats—knitted head-hugging hats or a straw hat with a brim. Usually has on one or more macramé or rope accessory pieces, and enjoys wearing rings or necklaces that contain certain rocks. On his feet, he almost always wears traveling moccasins.

THE PERSONAL:

General mood: Very calm, optimistic, and gives off a general sense of being in control and being aware of something below the surface of reality.

Talents and abilities: Most obviously, his wind talent. Nicholas has an ability to use some kind of energy to create wind. This is an art form for him. He cannot lift anything with his ability, but he can push things with wind if he cracks down on his control. Nicholas also has a secondary clairvoyant ability, but doesn’t totally recognize it as being something he can do on purpose; he sees it as the wind telling him stories, or he uses Tarot cards as his focus and manages to use intuitive reasoning and a little something extra to read the future more accurately than most fortune-tellers. Beyond that, he knows LOTS of metaphysical information, from horoscopes to healing herbs; he has an excellent memory; he can climb and hike with the endurance of a man half his age; and he can philosophize and tell good stories. He also whistles very well.

Weaknesses and shortcomings: Knows what he believes and thinks that is never going to change. Also tends to believe in “magic that’s fake” as well as “magic that’s real”—he is a bit gullible that way, sometimes seeing absolutely everything as an omen or convinced of magical properties an ordinary stone might have. In the interest of sounding dignified and mysterious, sometimes his words come out making him sound like he’s in an ancient play.

Interests: Studying nature, the ocean, wind, the clouds, metaphysical studies, Tarot cards, astrology, herbalism, palm-reading, divination, journeys, and in general learning new things.

Pet peeves: People who litter, being interrupted when thinking or in meditation, being bullied or otherwise sassed or harassed, being disrespected.

Phobias: Falling.

Eating habits: Never eats before midday. Generally eats a small vegetable and grain meal at midday and a meat and nut dish at night. Otherwise, drinks lots of water, and—if it’s available—tea. Likes fruit when he can get it.

Education: Went to school more than forty years ago, but never graduated from high school—dropped out because he felt alienated and wanted to withdraw from the world for the most part. Did much to educate himself.

Language abilities: Speaks English in a very artful, poised way—some call it elegant and some call it cheesy.

Occupation: No occupation; he is a hermit and a wanderer.

Political affiliation: If he paid attention to anything, he would side with whatever people pushed environmental issues and freedom of alternative beliefs.

Religious beliefs: Believes in a strange sort of predestination, and that he is one of God’s servants, for which he has received blessings. He feels listening to the wind and helping others are his missions in life, and that listening to these things glorifies God. Otherwise, he practices a loose sort of folk magic/Earth spirituality, some of which he’s read about and incorporated into his life and some of which he inherited in practices from his gypsy grandmother.

Sexual orientation: Has had a few romantic experiences with women in his late teens, twenties, and early thirties. Does not seem interested in being tied down.

Marital status: Single, never married.

Family information: Raised by grandmother and single mother. No longer living.

Friend information: Nicholas has no outside friends—except a person here and there who might remember him from chance encounters—except Ivy and her Handprints crew, plus Adele. He does not mind.

Other information: Nicholas believes wholeheartedly in destiny, so it isn’t surprising that he’s dreamed up a very important one for himself. He believes that one day he will meet his “nemesis” and will have to triumph in a life or death battle. He worries that he is getting too old to have the strength to fight this menace when it actually does arrive. Ivy and Nicholas share a gesture of spinning wind against each other’s ears to get their attention; a sort of unspoken “hey, listen.”

THE STORY:

Grandmother was part of a gypsy tribe that was nomadic. She settled down to raise her children, and Nicholas’s mom was born. When his mom grew older and found she would have a baby, she didn’t know who its father was. Both grandmother and mother prayed for a girl, but Nicholas disappointed them, and his family didn’t really know how to relate to him or whether to teach him their mother-to-daughter magic traditions. Nicholas grew up feeling neglected at home and neglected at school for the most part (he was not outgoing), but in elementary school one day he discovered his wind art ability—or rather that something outside his body could move—and focused much of his next few years honing that talent, researching, doing some human resources work, and traveling around helping in various ways. After his mom and grandma found out what he could do, they became more interested in teaching him the traditions, and he learned with a strong feminine influence in his life. His young adulthood had him forming tentative relationships with others and failing to find someone who could accept and understand his art, not to even mention not finding anyone else like him. He traveled some more, learning about survival and becoming a true hermit, and he studied and meditated and formed a close partnership with God, as well as a deep understanding of his art and his sciences.

Then Ivy came along one day and harassed him in the cave where he had set up temporary shop, and though he tried to drive her away with his wind she countered with one of her own and gave him the shock of a lifetime. He immediately suspected her of being his nemesis, but she turned out to be simply curious about him as well as very interesting in her own right, so the two sat and talked the day away and spun a wind together. Ivy invited Nicholas to see her home after that, and though he insisted he likes to travel and didn’t want to attach himself to one place, once he arrived at her house he has yet to leave the general area. He helped found her Handprints group and sometimes stays in its clubhouse for his shelter if the weather is bad or he’s in the mood, and otherwise he walks around and explores or stays in the old cave. He also has an interesting relationship with Adele, since they both practice divination.

FAVORITE NICHOLAS QUOTES:

“Since the beginning of time I have dreamed that one day I would meet my nemesis—” –Book 4, chapter 33

“You may have a child’s physique, but your charm is undeniable. I am sure you’ve had many suitors.” –Book 4, chapter 33

“You will learn in time that not everything is a destination. Life’s ultimate stopping point is death, and I doubt you would hasten to it. As cliché as it sounds, do remember that your very life is a journey, and you can’t spend it rushing to your ultimate destiny.” –Book 4, chapter 35

“There is no such thing as perfection.” –Book 4, chapter 39