#cloth. sighs. warned abt the tribe and all but to learn of the traitors in the gardens too...? ]

[aueua]

nola, my fair champion, may your name ring true.

* for reference, cloth dialogue

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[QG: DREAM NAIL] “It's time! I'll face that fear. {Nola will be proud.}“

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[QG: DEATH VS DM: ALIVE] “{Nola is waiting} and I'm done down here. // {Nola, I'm coming.} More challenging foes are out there, somewhere, but {none in this ruin could take me to you...}“

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NOLA  HOURS AHAHA [/IMPLODES]

nola (person) - moth | because of a genus of them named “nola” (x) | (x) name origins: fair/white shoulder (x) | noble/famous (x) | champion (x) | blessed (x) town sub-note: italian, church bells (x) other note: “nola” as a word (??? see to: voice lines)   ⠀ HC: (she/they), works with either set of pronouns

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⠀ ⠀ ◆︱origins

a moth not native to hallownest. though their progenitors may have been born from the radiance’s light, they were not devout—rather, they felt they could worship her without needing to idle in her sight (and/or truly did not wish to worship to begin with). they could settle elsewhere, develop their traditions and culture in other lands as peaceful as they may be. this was one of the seldom exceptions that they would wield a weapon: with purpose and with utmost reverence towards those they meet.

they thus left before the king ever arrived.

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as this gives way for far too much potential, I will shorten it to a: they had integrated into a town of many faiths and peoples, their contribution falling into creative areas such as bells, chimes, stained glass, fabrics woven with history, and the like. there is an arguable peace, but they’ve also learned to pick up arms if at all necessary even if this was a bit... uncommon, to them for great reasons that breaches into a whole bag of other headcanon territory. once more though. it was with purpose and intent of respect.

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something something though, it eventually involves a certain culture of fighting as well—warriors, to at least ensure that they would be able to safeguard themselves (and if possible, their home). they eventually hear about hallownest (how could they not? it was odd that such a kingdom was established allegedly around where they had used to live) and... well. moving on.

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⠀ ⠀ ◆︱cloth⠀

oh, yes. I have entertained them—the thoughts that nola if a person could have been a former love. a friend. there are other dynamics involved as well, and yet I cannot shake the entertainment I enjoy that the two could have had a familial bond.

the bells on cloth’s shawl are nola’s own. cloth as a child was soft-spoken and usually kept to herself but more importantly—a klutz who’d often wandered off and manage to find herself in bizarre situations. (she was no crybaby though. not often, anyways.) ⠀ so they served a few purposes. one: to keep track of her; wherever she may be, she can be heard with the delicate noise. two: a symbol that not only will cloth always carry her home on her, but for her, to always have nola with her. (she’d always remarked how their voice was akin to the ring of bells. pleasant, and something she’d love hearing even if she did not understand the words at times.) ⠀

given the moths and their expertise in fabrics to a degree, cloth had grown a slight fascination of her own with the whole concept of... well. everything enough that when she was addressed as “cloth,” the name stuck. (and it was nice in its own way, to know that she had a family all cut from the same cloth! o-or so they say.) ⠀ she never minded showing her face; however, her clumsy nature as a child had led to the creation of a facemask fashioned out of... you guessed it. cloth! one that could endure rough-housing and burrowing, and if it did by chance tear, it was easy enough to mend or otherwise discard. this may or may not have led to her feeling incredibly off without the mask as she later grew up though. ⠀

with the others around her commonly using nails, pins, lances, or—overall, thin weapons—she had attempted to wield them herself. she found herself unwieldy with these however (including greatnails), but would eventually find that clubs fit right and perfectly in her claws, helped by nola’s light suggestion as they made it easier for her to use. ⠀ as the town had grown to accept other wanderers and saw the occasional fight (more of a consenting spar than not), she herself would eventually find those that wish to challenge her or at least remarked on how great her stature was for fighting so surely. she must be a “fearsome warrior?” (and when told otherwise, there were some who’d said her size was wasted on her, and more often than not, she agreed.) ⠀

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⠀ ⠀ ◆︱nola gets an actual section in the nola section

I begin with saying that there is due chance that “nola” in itself is a town or a concept (such as the afterlife, where the latter may be gently disregarded with the dialogue “Nola will be proud”). thus, the town they’ve originated from—the one where a bit of their kind may have settled in. it was arguably pristine, but it was most importantly: home. ⠀ though not everyone worshiped any sort of higher being, that did not mean anyone would, well. try to get others to worship their said faith. there is possibility that the radiance even here is forgotten, but she is still kept alive to some degree in that they had grown to follow something more community based. something that involved a theme of bells—sound overall, where you could interpret a certain set of rings as a message. ⠀ nola held enough renown that she was titled a... well. she would never call herself by the full thing for how wordy it was, but it was along the lines of a “fair and blessed noble champion.” and she was, but mostly by merit. merit that she earned in enjoying the art of combat (as well as her less fight-centered culture simultaneously). ⠀ frequently she was challenged, and frequently, she won with pride. a hearty laugh, an offered claw. ⠀

we will say that cloth had at least one parent. a near lifelong friend of nola’s, both having gone through several encounters and experiences together, yet losing contact at some point and reconnecting a bit after cloth is born. they are made aware of this child, and had been there when said friend was on their deathbed to boot after they went up against a particularly mean beast. ⠀ so, inevitably. nola takes her under their wings and raises her. (they always enthuse on how cloth’d grown larger than them, at some point.) there is, of course, the chance that they may have coddled her—she was a moth. fighting is not inherently theirs even with nola as an exception. however, they were at the least capable of training cloth and helping her get used to her weapon. she was fine and confident in their bouts, yet attempting to apply them to actual circumstances would often result in her faltering. cowering, regardless of the pace they may take. ⠀

eventually the two would set off. their town had commonly exported to hallownest, and it was recently when they’d hear word that it’d turn into a labyrinth housing beasts of all sizes and strengths. (and, of course, that colosseum was a subject for discussion at ties, too.) ⠀ no need to linger on the idea of what could have happened to the moths there, haha... ⠀

I wrap this up by saying that nola died protecting cloth. they had fought together against a foe with large and sharp teeth; a foe that only fell with nola sustaining near lethal damage. their age had already been getting to them—and frankly, their stature wasn’t so great at enduring something so Whack anyways. ⠀ but, they would at least manage to share a few more parting graces with her. they’d note that cloth’d need a new club, the one they made her before was far too worn and it was about to crumble to dust. that despite everything, they were pretty darn proud of cloth and knowing her aspirations, would suggest that she kept challenging herself (in moderation assumed) so that she may be a better warrior like she so hoped to be. ⠀ (this is the note of acknowledgement of afterlife, at least for them. at least for cloth. and at least she’s over it, her strange fear/s at some point. <3) ⠀

bonus random doodle

(more bells! and a shoulder plate. and a monocle. sighs)