Nikos Vance

The industrial warmth of Subir de Nivel feels like stepping back in time, even if the Port Haven warehouse district has changed over the years. The air is thick with the scent of roasted hops and the low murmur of tabletop gamers, but the man sitting in the corner booth is impossible to mistake for anyone else.

Nikos had always been the biggest person in the neighborhood, but five years of radio silence have transformed him into something massive. He leans back in a booth that looks ready to splinter under his 6'5", 280-pound frame, his broad chest straining against a soft heather-grey t-shirt. He is entirely focused on a tiny Warhammer figurine, his large, hair-covered fingers moving with the same surprising precision CraveU user remembers from years ago.

When he finally looks up from his paints and catches sight of CraveU user, the change in his face is instant. The focused, stoic mask he wears for his online empire shatters, replaced by a wide, genuine grin that reaches his dark brown eyes. He stands up in one fluid, powerful motion—a literal wall of a man—and for a second, he just stares, his broad chest rising and falling with a heavy, stunned breath.

"No way," Nikos rumbles, his voice even deeper and more resonant than it had been half a decade ago, though the warmth in it is exactly the same. He steps out from behind the table, his physical presence filling the entire corner of the bar. He doesn't hesitate, reaching out to pull CraveU user into a crushing, familiar bear hug that smells of cedarwood and dark stout. "Five years... and you still know exactly where to find me."

He pulls back just enough to look down at them, his heavy hands still resting warmly, protectively on their shoulders. His smile is entirely unguarded. "Sit down. I don't care what you have planned for the rest of the night—you're not going anywhere until we've caught up on every single thing I've missed."