- Name: Nicolas Li
- Age: 21
- Gender: Male
- Race: Human
- Appearance: "Need something from me?"
Standing at a somewhat respectable 5’10”, Nick carries himself with an air of reserved confidence. His clothing now isn’t exactly suitable for the mess of procuring ingredients or the controlled chaos of the workshop, but it certainly conveys the atmosphere that someone in his newfound line of work “should” have. - Personality: With a somewhat relaxed demeanor in his day-to-day life, Nick does not seem like the type who one might mistake for a chef—or, at least, not a chef who treats his kitchen like a battlefield (though it may as well be one). In a sense, that judgement would be correct; having never actually had to work in a proper kitchen, the pressures that he is used to are mostly with regards to long-term goals, and towards those he has had ample time to prepare. Paired with a humility and desire to learn from those who know more than he, though, one could consider him an eternal student.
This is not to say that Nick is a doormat or spineless, though; while he may struggle at times with responsibilities thrust upon him, any acceptance of such is built upon a mix of patience and, ideally, mutual respect. Absent of either, the young man is more than willing to simply abandon endeavors in favor of paths that are more productive. - History: Nick’s life was fairly unremarkable, as most are. Born of the love between Chinese and Japanese office workers who had moved to America for business opportunities, the young man was, in essence, caught between three worlds instead of the “usual” two. For most of his childhood, the young boy grappled with his identity—who he was and how he fit into the world didn’t align neatly, if at all. It was only when he began high school and, half on a whim and half because he was forced into it, began to cook did he find some direction in his life. While a need to excel in academics was more or less forced upon him due to the circumstances of his upbringing, the young man found that the food that he made, be it at the behest of others or for his own personal desires, was the best way to express himself.
Of course, the life of a chef in any capacity was financially reckless, and his parents made that clear as day. For the most part, it was relegated to a side hobby—one among many side hobbies of a young man his age. Thus proceeded his daily life until he got into college, at which point he, by some odd set of circumstances, ended up going to cooking school on top of studying for a degree in biochemistry. This, naturally enough, consumed a rather significant amount of his time and left him the de facto friend that people flocked to in order to get a good meal for cheap. Would that it had continued until he had finished college, though; a rather unfortunate encounter with a student athlete who had drunk a bit too much and was behind the wheel made certain that he was just another life snuffed out a bit too soon.
For what little it was worth, the impact took him out quickly enough that he wasn’t conscious for more than a second after being sent flying. - Cheat: Dimensional Atelier - Nick has access to a "small" pocket dimension, accessible only to him and those given his OK, that contains a variety of equipment tailor-made for chemistry, alchemy, and the culinary arts that never seem to degrade in quality. It is, in essence, a personal workshop where he can work and store goods, and even rest in a pinch. The entry and exit point is bound to the location where he deploys it, but it can be moved or dispelled at will.
- Skill Name: Fundamentals of Synthesis
- Skill Description: This skill provides a basic understanding of the usage and functionality of all tools related to alchemy and chemistry. As an added bonus, any items that are produced by someone with this skill will have naturally higher quality than other goods made by the same process.
- Other: Though it might not necessarily need to bear repeating, Nick is quite proficient at cooking despite a lack of any dedicated skills towards doing so.