#she's also a Bahari

[houseofantedeluvians]

Im a firm believer in that when you make an npc/spc, if you start feeling the need to play them at some point, then you're doing it right.

[hassianlovebot]

disregard entire fucking post im stupid as fuck bro

[penguuthegentoo]

Now I can start posting the real love of my life, apple of my eye, whore extraordinaire—

Bahari “Magic Mouse” Nettlepine

My gerbil mousefolk bard ! I didn’t expect to love her as much as I did but man…she’s fun

She’s the leap before you look/whatever happens happens type

She’s a runaway bride from her controlling rich/crime family, just wanting to escape and live her life how she wants to live it (and maybe definitely figure out what love means to her). She’s big on her impulses and often encourages others to “live a little”. She lives her life with no regrets— even if things turn sour from her own decisions…

I just love her your honor

[honeyduex]

Say hi to my Majiri boy Halan Illnar, the celebrity star captain of the Bahari Phoenixes. 🩵💛

I LOVE HIM YOUR HONOR

(ha-LAWN ILL-nar)

Also known as: Hal (anyone close, really), Lan (Tish, Jel; inside joke), Hallie (Nai'o), City Boy (Eshe; endearing)

Age: 24

Pronouns: he/him/his

Height: 5'10

Sexuality: Bisexual

Star Path: The Watcher

Star Stone: Onyx

Element: Air

Shepp: Halan doesn't like to talk about his ceremony anymore.

Halan grew up in the humble village of Elya, and had always had a knack for athletics and entertaining others. As a child, he would always participate in local roundball tournaments. He gained a small reputation for his enthusiasm and the ways he'd hilariously interact with the crowd following a goal or a foul from the opposing team. One fateful day when he was 18, a talent scout from Bahari City watched a scrimmage that Halan played in, and was astonished by how advanced he played at such a young age. Following a brief interview, Halan was met with contract that stated that should he leave his home village for Bahari to complete professional coaching, he would be signed to the Bahari Phoenixes automatically. Encouraged by his father to chase his dreams, Halan accepted the contact and had to leave his gentle rural life behind.

As his career began, the public quickly took a liking to him for his humble beginnings mixed with his adorable personality and visage. Halan was the new kid on the block, and his cheesy displays of excitement and his expert plays soon let him solidify his name in the public' eye. For better or for worse. Later in his blossoming career, he met a Majiri woman named Narya, and the two began a romantic relationship. Although they seemed to be a wholesome couple, they eventually split, and Narya was so angry following their break up that she spread cruel rumors to the news about Halan and how he was during their relationship. This bruised Halan's reputation for months, and he swore never to date publicly again, and to use extreme caution with trusting people in his life. Since then, he hasn't been able to really connect with anyone near him except for his coach and his teammates, who are essentially like his family.

After his scandal with Narya, Halan additionally picked up a habit of venturing to low-key towns and village, just to befriend locals without paparazzi and dozens of screaming fans chasing him. Just to get a feel of normalcy in his life. His adventures fatefully led him to Kilima Village, where he began to actually make the genuine friendships and connections he'd always wanted. He grew close to Nai'o, who swore Halan looked familiar and kept squinting at him for several days until he finally introduced himself. Although Halan was originally nervous to meet someone who actually knew who he was in a small village, Nai'o quickly proved himself to be a dependable confidant. Their chemistry made it easy for Halan to fit in somewhere in the village, where he ultimately decided to stay until his new season of roundball rolled around. He grew close to Hassian, Jel and Tish, Sifuu, and Eshe as well, and often seeks them for guidance and advice on how to be useful to the community during his stay.

Trivia:

- Halan LOVES fancy alcoholic drinks (not mead or ale, it sucks and tastes terrible); his favorite drink is strawberry daiquiri, which Reth can never seem to make right for him

- Halan finds humans shifty after learning about their destructive past civilization, and distrusts them even more than his own folk

- Halan might present to be a dumb jock when one first meets him, but he's much more philosophical and intelligent than he lets on

[la-bog]

Palia Character Questions

What is your character’s name? Did they choose it themselves after awakening in Palia? Or is it something they remember from their past?

How old is your character, or about how old do they appear? Do they remember anything about their childhood, even broken fleeting things? Or do they feel like a child now, attempting to relearn the world?

As a human, what has their experience been acclimating to the culture in Kilima Valley? Did they get comfortable quickly, or did it take time to adjust to?

Was Jina the first villager your character met, or was it someone else? What was their awakening like? Did anything notable happen?

How long has your character lived within Kilima at this point in their personal narrative? How well are they settled in now? Do they have a personal routine at this point?

What is your character’s home like? Did they actually build it themselves? Did other villagers help them in the building process?

Where is your character’s favourite place on their property to spend time?

Where is your character’s favourite place in the village to spend time at, if they have one?

What is your character’s take on Eshe? How do they feel about how she is running the village? Are they close to Eshe?

What is your character’s view on Kenli? How do they feel about how he handles his responsibilities in the village? Are they close to Kenli?

Kenyatta carries a lot of the weight of being her parents’ child—does your character sympathize with her? What are your character’s thoughts on Kenyatta?

Does your character spend much time at the Inn? Are they particularly close to Ashura or Reth? Do they have a favourite meal from the Inn?

Did your character learn to cook from Reth? What do they think of his lettuce soup? What's their favourite thing to cook?

Speaking of Ashura—does your character enjoy foraging? Do they spend a lot of time doing it, or is it something they avoid doing? Does your character have a favourite foraged item?

While foraging, you can often find bugs! Is your character a fan of bugs? Do they have a favourite bug from Kilima Valley? How about from Bahari Bay?

Speaking of bugs and bug-enthusiasts—what does your character think about Auni? Did they join the Bug Catching Guild?

While you’re out foraging and catching bugs, you might also be tempted to mine for some ore and gems! Does your character enjoy mining? Do they like searching for gems? Do you have a specific gem you associate with your character, whether because of its lore or for aesthetics?

Hodari is the resident mining expert—is your character friends with him? What are their thoughts on him?

Najuma is Hodari’s daughter and a lover of tinkering—does your character tinker? Are they an accomplice to Najuma’s explosives? What do they think of the little inventor?

Is your character an artisan of any sort like Tish? Do they make their own furniture, or buy from her? What are their thoughts on Tish, are they close to her?

Another artisan in the Valley is Jel—what is your character’s relationship to Jel? Does your character spend a lot of time at his shop getting new clothes? Does your character make their own clothing?

Zeki is always willing to sell you a few things—whether above or underground—what are your character’s thoughts on him? Do they frequent the underground market?

Use of Flow is forbidden to Majiri outside of the Order—what is your character’s relationship to Flow? Because of being a human, how do you relate to it in a way that your neighbors might not?

Speaking of the Order—what was your character’s reaction to Subira showing up in the Valley? Have they grown close to her since then, or do they distrust her still?

Tamala has a history with the Order, and a number of the characters in the Valley and Bay—what is your character’s relationship to her? What do they think of her, do they trust her?  

Hekla and Einar as Galdur have a unique relationship to Flow as well, and to the Oneness of the self. If your character had a Oneness, what do you think it would be? What is your character’s relationship to Hekla? What about with Einar?

Does your character like to fish like Einar? What is your character's favourite fish?

Some seek their Oneness, others look to the stars—what are your character’s thoughts on the local priest and apothecary Chayne?

As your character has learned about Galdur, Oneness, Majiri culture et cetra—have they stopped by the library to pick up some of that knowledge? Is your character a big reader? What do they think of Caleri?

Speaking of Caleri, have you heard that she doesn’t know about the cryptids of the Valley, or rather denies them! How silly—you and I both know about the stars right… What’s your character’s take on Elouisa and her theories? How comfortable is your character with Elouisa?

If cryptids aren’t your character’s thing, what about puns? Lettuce break some of them out, why don’t we? What’s your character’s relationship to Badruu?

Speaking of Badruu—does your character like to farm? What is their most common crop, if they do?

Delaila is a prize-winning jam maker! What does your character think about the Daiya matron? Are they close to her? Does she make them miss their own mother/guardian/parents, or do they even remember them?

Nai’o really prizes working on his parents’ farm and takes great pride in it. What are your character’s thoughts on Nai’o? Do they like farm animals as much as he does?  (Are they/you excited for future animal husbandry being added?)

A good animal is a good friend! Like Tau! What’s your character’s take on Palia’s best boy? Does your character have a pet?

Does your character hunt? Did they learn the bow from Hassian? What's their favourite creature to hunt, if they do hunt? What’s their take on Palia’s resident hunter?

Did you character ever dream of being an adventurer? What are your character’s thoughts on Sifuu’s stories and legend? What does your character think of Sifuu herself?

Where in the world of Palia does your character want to go from here? What are they looking forward to? What do they want to learn about themselves and other humans? Is there a specific place in Palia that’s been mentioned they want to visit?

[grayscaleearts]

I love your palia oc Sol! and I LOVEEE the artwork you did of them in palia's artstyle! really looks like official art, if you ever had commissions opened I'd love to see my character in your art (obviously not pushing if you don't do comms or anything!)

just wanted to say I love the artwork and wanted to ask if you had any headcanons/lore for your character? I don't know if I do for mine, but I love peoples creativity and when they can give a story to their oc's/game characters ^-^

omg, thank you so much!! It's made me so happy how positively people have reacted to my attempt at the palia artstyle, this community has been so welcoming and supportive of the art I've made and i genuinely love it so much. I actually made a commission sheet for palia style pieces a while back, so I may post it here on tumblr some time soon! I've actually recently updated that art, since it was the first art I ever drew of them before having a concrete design idea for them:

As for the second part, I've actually put quite a lot of thought into their character, so heres some info about them under a read more :D (also for anyone interested in character plots, the plot I have uploaded to the tour board as Sol Reagem is my original plot, but it also doubles as what Sol's actual home looks like!)

- when they first emerged they were very curious to learn as much as they could about the world around them, and spent a lot of their time talking with Ashura and Chayne asking questions, and just talking and befriending villagers in general. They also spent probably an equal amount of time exploring the world around them (and almost immediately discovering some of the not so legal goings on of the underground). As they start to get a better grasp and establish themself more in the village, they still end up spending most of their time socializing when they can (and more often than not they're either hanging around the Inn or at Jel's shop!) - their main skills are in foraging and cooking, which is quite fitting that two of the people they become closest to are Ashura and Reth. They sell a lot of forage and wood as their primary income, but they really enjoy making extra food to be able to share with company. They also have a tendency to chopping wood to help clear their mind, (if youve seen the tumblr post you know LOL) - they have absolutely no memory of pre void, and never will gain it back. Those memories are permanently lost to time, and its something they're glad for - for the most part. Sometimes at first they do struggle with not having any memories or life experiences outside of Kilima and Bahari, but with time they find family and new memories in the people there :) they consider Ashura a father figure, and ask him to be their Shepp when the time comes for it. - they actually have a little runt palcat named Leaf! She's smaller than usual palcats (and her ears are pretty large looking because of it!) and she LOVES to hunt bugs. I jokingly call her the Village emotional support palcat, since Sol will bring her into town pretty frequently, and often leaves her with someone if they need a little cheering up or comfort.

Thank you for being interested in them :D!! i love when people ask, it makes me so happy to share bc i always put so much thought into my characters

[hodari-pavels-good-boy]

Espresso Chapter 3:

Vaunting

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3

Pairing: Hodari Pavel x Reader Word Count: 2.1k Chapter: 3/? Rating: E

Tags: Angst, Angst with a happy ending, miscommunication, fluff, eventual smut

A/N: This is a multi chapter Hodari x y/n story! Gender is not specified so everyone can enjoy it (though I did originally start writing it with the intention of it being a male reader lol). Tags will be updated as the fic goes. Cross-posted Here on Ao3. Fic below the cut! Enjoy :)

In the days that passed since Hodari confronted you in the mines you’ve been avoiding the Pavel house like the plague and succinctly the mines themselves. ‘It’s nothing personal’ still echoes in your head and you’ve decided the best course of action would probably be to avoid all of the southern half of Bahari Bay for right now so you don’t accidentally run into the miner or his daughter and risk catching Hodari’s ire. The message was received loud and clear the first time and you’re not exactly chomping at the bit to hear it again. You’re not one to place yourself where you aren’t welcomed or wanted. 

This clever plan however, has its drawbacks. Only sticking to the northern half of the bay has unfortunately proven to be quite a challenge. It comes with the steep price of annoyance from the town’s stern hunter who has been trying to mentor you in proper use of your new bow and you fear his patience is running thin with the various excuses you’ve been feeding him.

Your ore stash has also taken a hit with not being able to actually venture into the mines or the foothills that surround them. Thankfully you still had a decent supply set up from your excessive late night mining but it's not an expansive supply by any means so there wasn’t much to spare. This means you’ve been stuck with the less-than-ideal pickaxe you had been hoping to ditch in favor of a better one. You’d been planning on talking to the miner about the upgrade but no longer see that happening in the foreseeable future so you’ll just have to make do. 

You feel yourself cringe internally at the memory of the conversation still freshly haunting your thoughts. Thinking back on it, he didn't seem mad per se but any interaction with him is most likely going to be tense and awkward and you'd rather avoid the whole thing if you can. It’s bad enough that when you spot him in town you find yourself ducking into the nearest building to avoid any confrontation with him.

Regardless of anger, your heart still hurts and your self esteem definitely took a harder hit than you’d like to admit, even if only to yourself. Fitting in and finding your place here has been nothing short of difficult but you thought you had been making headway. If you were feeling bold, you might have even said becoming friends. ’We- I don’t know you’ floats its way back into your thoughts and you stop it in its tracks before you can spiral again. Finding out you had been very mistaken and overstepping boundaries left and right unknowingly is as painful as it is embarrassing. 

Deciding to stop the tiny pity party you've found yourself in, you get ready to head into town. You’ve been needing to stop by Zeki’s for a few things and no better time to do so than when the day is still young. Now that the weekend is here once you've finished what you need to do, you're looking forward to not having to worry for a few days and take the time to relax and soothe your hurt and embarrassment in peace. With one last quick check you leave your plot and start your walk to the general store.

As you’re making your way down the hill Sifuu spots you. “Y/n!” She calls and waves you over. 

“Good morning!” You greet as you approach her. She smiles and claps a large hand on your shoulder. “Haven’t seen you around the last few days, my iron has been running low!” she laughs. You smile placatingly and brush it aside, apologizing letting her know you’ve been busy.

“Haven't we all! Tell you what, I’ve got some extra gold in it for you if you could help me out and get me some extra for tomorrow. I’ve got an order I've been working on that’s requiring a bit more than I expected. I promise I’ll make it worth your while.” She winks and you hesitate. On one hand you do want to help her and the promise of some extra coin is as good a motivator as any. On the other hand… you still aren't planning on going anywhere near the mines anytime soon. ‘Well good bye gold’ you silently mourn.

“I'm sorry, I wish I could help but I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be going down in the mines right now. I’ve got a lot going on right now and won't have time” you apologize, the tiny lie falling from your lips. You hope she doesn’t ask any for any clarification and thankfully she doesn't. She just narrows her eyes but doesn’t press any further. You internally let out a sigh of relief, you really didn’t want to explain the situation. As kind as the blacksmith is, you have a feeling she wouldn’t be the best person to talk about this with.

She sends you off with reassurance that it’s okay and that she hopes to see you around town again before heading towards her forge. You head the opposite direction towards the docks, reasoning Zeki’s can wait a bit longer. A few hours of comfortable silence later spent with Einar as you fish together, the sun is high in the sky and your stomach is telling you it’s time to eat. You sell Einar your tiny haul and head back towards the town for some food. 

Between the time and it being the weekend you figured the inn would be empty for the lunch period. Walking in you were surprised to find that instead of the silence you were expecting, the inn seemed to be quite busy and filled with life. Sifuu and Badruu are here lounging at the long table by the door laughing loudly, drink spilling as their cheeks color a ruddy hue from what you're not sure is from the joy they're projecting or from the spirits in their cup. Both Kenli and Zeki sit across from them, one far more interested in the going ons across the table than the other. In the corner at the end of the same table, Delaila and Chayne are more quietly talking amongst themselves. Curious, you walk over to the bar where Reth is. 

“What’s going on?” you ask the cook motioning to the commotion behind you. 

Reth laughs, wiping the bar down. “I guess everyone decided to have a break day. They're all taking the afternoon off to catch up before the end of season rushes hit everyone.” You nod along and slide into one of the stools at the counter.

“Guess I’ll take my lunch over here then, I don’t want to intrude.” 

Reths gives you a weird look before throwing the towel on his shoulder and leaning against the countertop. “Look I’m not wanting to stick my nose in where it isn’t wanted so you can tell me to forget it and it's gone, but are you doing okay, sweet tooth? You’ve seemed pretty down every time I’ve seen you the last few days. Starting to miss the smiles around here.”

You take a moment to think before you answer, this is Reth. If anyone is going to be sympathetic to the situation, it’d be him. "I'm fine. I just- do you ever realize you misunderstood something and the aftermath of that... just kinda sucks?" 

Reth’s face changes from curious to mildly confused at your question. "Yeah. I guess so. What happened?" 

You're not sure if you want to tell him the whole situation, not wanting to cause a bigger issue, but the genuine concern in his eyes placates some of your nerves. You can trust him. "It's not a big deal really.. I just thought I was finally understanding the gift giving and friendship rules here” you pause before sighting, “but I guess not."

Reth stays quiet for a moment as he ponders the words and then tilts his head, " So what happened?" He asks again.

You look down at the counter picking at the grain of the wood., "I accidentally overstated my welcome in someone’s company and misread a situation. It's fine, I'm just a little embarrassed." 

Reth gets a bit more serious now, everyone in town adores your presence. You've been so kind and helpful to everyone! Eager to learn the customs unfamiliar to you without complaint and you go out of your way to help everyone you come across, even at your own inconvenience and expense. You've been so kind to him in particular, he can't imagine who wouldn't want you around. Surely there's just been a misunderstanding "Who-" he starts before Ashuras booming voice fills the inn

"Hodari, my friend! You made it. We were getting worried you wouldn't actually come"

Hodari says something in response but you don't catch is as you feel your whole body lock up, refusing to turn around

Reth shoots you another strange look at your reaction before his eyes widen, putting the dots together. "What did he say?" He begins but you shake your head. 

"It's really not a big deal, Reth. It’s more of an ego hit or sting to my pride than anything else."

Reth just hums and gives you an almost withering look to tell you he’s not impressed with the answer but drops it and you feel a wave of gratitude towards your friend. As time passes you slowly start to relax as you realize the miner hasn’t seen you as they all gather amongst themselves to chat. 

Reth sets a bowl of your favorite soup in front of you that you hadn't ordered yet. You look up at him quizzically and he shrugs. "It’s a new recipe, you're the first to try it so let me know what you think. On the house for testers of course." You nod and take a sip and can't help a smile as the flavor bursts across your tongue, there's nothing new about it at all. And with every spoonful, you feel just a little bit warmer. After you've finished, Reth takes the bowl from you. "Want me to go talk to the grouch?" He nods his head towards where Hodari is talking and laughing and you stifle a laugh at the image in front of you with the ‘grouch’ descriptor while shaking your head. 

"No. It's okay, really. I misread the situation, it stings and I'm so embarrassed. But it's probably for the best. I don't want to force myself to be somewhere I'm not wanted." 

Reth scrunched his nose at that huffing ".. I don't like that. We don't do that. Sure we can be pretty strict in our traditions and some can be harsh if someone deviates" he pauses gesturing to his entire self, "but we repay the kindness we are shown." You nod along to appease him but don't say anything as he continues. "I meant it when I said you don't have to tell me what happened, but I'm not gonna lie, sweet tooth, I'm a little confused what he could say or do to make you feel like that. He’s a bit gruff, sure, but under all that he tends to mind his own business and is always willing to help out when it's needed. I mean, he hasn't even shown any issue with me. Maybe it's just a really big misunderstanding?" He says not unkindly. 

You shrug noncommittally, wanting the conversation to move on. Reth picks up on the change pretty quick and switches the topic to something more neutral. Soon enough he has you throwing your head back in laughter, Hodari and the conversation far from your mind. Before you know it, over an hour has passed and you needed to be heading back home. You tell Reth as such and he offers to help you sneak and you slip out the back so you don't have to walk past the whole group still engrossed in their conversation or Hodari. 

As you're leaving from behind the inn, your steps feel a little lighter. Even with everything that's happened, you still have friends who care for you and it'll be okay. This has been a learning opportunity and you’ll give yourself room to grow. Lost in your own self assurance as you start the walk home you almost miss the sound of footsteps racing behind you. Subconsciously you start to brace for impact from Auni when a girl's voice calls out "Y/N!" You turn around to see Najuma tearing out from seemingly Jel’s shop, if the harried tailor and Tish running out from the building are any indication, and running right towards you.  'Oh no..'

[Dividers by the-aesthetic-shop]

[nikolaidelphiki]

Since a total of zero people asked me: here are my opinions on Palia non-romancable NPCs after playing the game for about 100 or so hours. And as always SPOILERs:

Ashura: You are my dad. You're my dad. Boogie-ooogie-oogie. I actually don't take to him as much as I should.The fact that he was the chill one in his family makes so much sense. He's such a calming presence. But of course there's the Regrets.

Delaila: Ok but why is she the few Older adult Majiri OG in Kilima? Like have you noticed that she's kinda the only one that's originally from the village? Like, where did she come from? Is she the real leader? Did she secretly take everyone out that she didn't like and replace them with people lured in my her homecooking? Things to think about.

Kenli: What happens when you don't give a nepotism baby a coming-of-age redemption arc. This guy is just trying his best. He likes sandwiches and cute fluffy animals. His best friend is the town priest. But despite it all man understands capitalism like no other (see Maji Market).

Caleri: She's a fav. Maybe I'm projecting but I too would die for my books and eat sleep and breathe in the library. Intelligent, unbothered by village happenings. Yet, keeps a detailed leger of each book bowers status upon the borrowed book's return. However, deeply unhappy with the cards life has delt her. I try to bring her all the glass bulbs so she can read into the night.

Elouisa: The only real G's out there. Sending me on impossible tasks to prove her theories and beat to cryptid allegations. Of course she's the older twin. Intelligent, bothered by village happenings when it comes to her projects. Still watches over her sister and cares in her own way. I love her.

Badruu: Comedic genius. I'm pretty sure when he gave up the bard life for farming, he realized he needed to put his funny guy hat on and has been spitting puns ever since. And yet despite the dad jokes, he asks me me, the amnesiad human for parenting advice. The absolute honor. Also, I just need to see him talk with Einar, PLEASE. The comedic fallout would be unmatched.

Najuma: I make the journey to Bahari Bay every day just for her. Because 1) thanks for the glider I use that every day 2) we are besties and 3) it's good to keep a genius that can blow stuff up on your side idk. We may have different types of Momma Trauma but we are still going to bond over it.

Chayne: I don't interact with him much idk. His dad's raised him right I think. Basically, caretaker for the entire village. Also my Shepp-in-law, grand-Shepp?? idk

Hekla: Jina's caretaker. A bit aloof at first. I also don't interact with Hekla much, but one day I'mma find out what's in the tent.

Sifuu: That's my Shepp! Also a problematic mother that doesn't really understand her child and yearns for days of adventure. And ripped. There's something to be said that she gave me an ornamental sword as a gift. Like insta-loyalty from me even if I wasn't romantically pursuing your son.

Auni: We babe who needed someone is his bug hunting club but mysteriously sucks at hunting most bugs if his item requests are anything to go by. The fact that he ran away from home for the exact length of time that his delivery shift is and wondered why no one was worried is absolutely hilarious and yes I read his journal and laughed.

Zeki: First of all, why is Zeki the only one selling toilets and they are contraband? Has anyone asked this? Is it like illegal to use indoor plumbing and Zeki has the monopoly?? Secondly, I know this fool is scamming me and when I finally get enough gold I'ma buy out him and his whole underground establishment. Respectfully, of course.

Eshe: If Eshe has zero haters, I'm dead. Just because she didn't get with the politically powerful sibling, she makes it everyone else's problem while somehow still efficiently running the village. Even I gotta admit no one's doing it like her. Another member of the problematic mom club but don't tell her she's been grouped with Sifuu. She'll pitch a fit.

Tau: The fact that there's only one of him is a crime. The only good boy.

[spectres-fulcrum]

Some Palia crumbs and gut feelings I need to type out

Okay so I met the last “villager” I had left to meet yesterday(as I fell asleep while typing this). Tamala. I didn’t even like her in the promo art, and I had to go to her cause she never comes to town. I knew from promo stuff, she was an adult, a potion maker, and Hassian’s ex, so I was willing to be like some of my initial ick was jealousy. She just gives me SUCH bad vibes.

Like vililan vibes. And I’m intrigued but she grosses me off. Then my mind goes “If all magic is bad then does she even do dark magic if ALL magic is dark? And all you know now is that she does beauty and youth-ew, we will get there- potions.”

But she gives bad news vibes like sirens. Like there’s a reason she’s forced into the northern parts of Bahari Bay and none of the villagers dare to go to the north. Not even Hassian or Hodari who live in the Bay.

And we know it wasn’t always like that-Hassian and Tamala. They were lovers. And he’s a young adult. How young? Idk. I feel like 23/24ish. He feels like middle of the young adult age group characters. Kenyatta and Nai’o feels like the youngest, and Jel and Reth seem the oldest to me. Tamala is classified as adult and looks, idk, 30s, early 30s, and probably spun a web, but I saw in Discord she referred to an event 40 years ago, so she’s what, 45? 50? 60? Like how old was she 40 years ago is the question. (They clearly classified her by her appearence, smart)

So she;s idk how old and seduced the young hunter from the village-red flag. And she uses potions to hide her true age-red flag. And in our daily chat she was like, charming potions are so nice. They compliment you so much/hang onto every word you say/smth. And I’m just like. Angry. Cause is that what you did with Hassian, Tamala? Potioned him into “loving” you? Cause That’s so fucking noncon. Crosses so many lines. And it’s just like-Disguising.

If my gut feeling is right. That whatever they had was dressed up in potions of youth and charm and was never real at all but felt real-felt real enough. Like I grew up on Speak Now enough to know when to say “Alexa play Dear John.” Ow. I can see Hassian and Sifuu having a falling out over this gorgeous woman in the “my mother accused me of losing my mind but I swore I was fine.” Because they’re both so much more… fire…. Than Taylor and Andrea. Like full blowout argument, they don’t talk for weeks. Until Hassian realized it was all pretend and he’s broken and going home and mom doesn’t say I told you so like he’s picturing, but just has hugs and cuddles when the tears comes and it feels likes it’ll never be okay again but that’s…

And Reth once told me Hassian plays cards with Auni? Why? To keep an eye on him? So she can’t sink her claws into a child next? How often does Hodari thank the dragon that Najuma would never have any interest in witches promises beauty and love potions? Is part of why Jina can’t move the red tape an inch because Hassian accidentally moved them and touched magic too intimately?

Idk. Just theorizing some gut feelings and crumbs. I don’t expect the game to delve into any serious shit like this-doesn’t mean we can’t. Also it’s not going to anger as many people cause it’s younger man/older woman vs the other way around. I’m very well aware of that. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t gross me out.

So now I’m like. Tamala will clearly move the plot forward and I want to know what I can gleam from her. And my character doesn’t know about her and Hassian or anything. She just knows her as the recluse who makes potions in north Bahari Bay and she doesn’t like her but is also intrigued. I’m intrigued but enraged and I don’t like how she is. I also don’t like how Taylor put Mean after Dear John on Speak Now. Fucking whiplash.

We’ll see. I just needed to get this out. I am thrilled to write it though but as a game character I do not want to interact with Tamala. And there’s people who romance her??? Well, I imprinted on Hassian and I don’t typically like the goth witchy types so…

[caleris-library]

It Starts With H

You can also read also on AO3!

Summary: Reth was on his way to deliver a “cake” in Bahari Bay when he stumbles upon a bittersweet love letter to “T.” Who else could it be other than his dear sister, Tish? Well, whoever this person is better prove themselves if they want to get back with her. There’s no other way to determine it except by investigating all the villagers whose names starts with “H.”

Author's Note: This may possibly be out of character for most, if not all, of the characters that show up in this fic. I do hope that you will still enjoy this!

What a coincidence their names both start with T.

Can’t blame Reth for accidentally messing it up. There were only a few people he knows their names that start with T and one of them is his sister. A love letter? Who would it be for if it weren’t to his sister? If he wasn’t the most wanted person, then that title would’ve gone to Tish. There was nothing to not love about her. She was the village’s sweetheart.

Just as there were only a few people he knows their names that start with T, there were only a few people he knows their names that start with an H. But, who the person writing the letter was more obvious than anything. It was an open secret.

It was Hodari.

.

.

.

Jel’s face falls flat at that conclusion. “You couldn’t be anything more than wrong,” he says, voice dragging out the last word.

It was a warm, busy evening, despite the season getting colder as if shifts from summer to fall. There were preparations being made with the Maji Market, furniture being made for the Watcher, the humans’ upcoming Acceptance Ceremony... A lot to do. Reth was busy enough already having to make food for literally all three events.

Yet, here he is.

The Tailor was small and quiet shop, fitting for the lanky melancholic man that works the place. Reth always makes his way after his shift to Jel’s store. All he has is three hours to spend time with Tish, his little sister, and Jel, his little sister’s best friend. However, it was only the two of them today.

Tish was working overtime at her shop for the Watcher. The materials needed were hard to come by. From what Reth remembered about Tish’s rambling, they required palium ore.

And, Hodari is a miner.

“How could I be wrong?” Reth asks flabbergasted. “If it’s not Hodari, who could it be?”

Because, without a doubt, it was certainly meant towards Tish. Who wouldn’t want Tish? Well, next to the furniture was the library. And, guess who stands in front of the library.

Reth gently smacks his palm on the table. “Hekla!” But that doesn’t sound right.

Jel rolls his eyes and chuckles.

“Then, who could it be?!”

At the same time, both Reth and Jel lean over the table to look at the letter. Reth found it while making a delivery in Bahari Bay. The words were sickeningly sweet — Reth is sure that Sweet Tooth would eat this up if he were to show them. However, he can’t reach out for their help right now as they were busy.

Reth huffs a little and slides the paper towards Jel while he rests his head on his palm. Jel takes the paper in between two of his fingers and rereads it again, over and over, through his tinted lens (how can he read through that?).

“How about you ask Tish?” Jel suggests. He leans on the table with his other hand and swings his other hand with the paper in it. Everything about him just exudes elegance.  “She’ll tell us whenever she’s ready. It is her letter after all.”

Jel was right. Whatever happened between Tish and her secret partner — ex-secret partner — is between them. There was probably, obviously, a reason she kept it a secret. Even though the thought of his little sister keeping a secret from him hurts a little, Reth knows that he has more secrets that he has never told her before either.

How something like ours was never meant to last. Did Tish say that to them? Was it something about her health? Was she getting worse? Is that why they both broke up? Is that why Tish was keeping it a secret?

Clearly, whoever wrote this letter to her cares about her. And, whoever they are, Tish must’ve really trusted them to tell them about their health first before her own brother. Reth would do anything for her — even if it meant going in debt to the cartel. Still, Reth wants to see himself if the person Tish broken up with was really a good person. If they would do anything for her, they gotta prove themselves they could do more than him.

It was nearing 8 pm. Reth stands up from his seat, some of the paper falls off the table, and stretches his arms. “Well, looks like my time is running short,” he says. “I think I’m gonna stop by Tish’s before I head back to the Tavern. I have to make sure she gets her dinner.”

“You’re gonna ask her?” Jel asks lightheartedly, offering back the letter.

Reth takes the letter off his hands and slides it in his apron pocket. “Nope,” he answers, popping the ‘p.’ “Like you said, this is Tish’s business.”

Jel raises a brow at that statement. “And, what does that mean?”

“Nothing you should worry about.” Reth winks. “Don’t tell Tish about this. If she stops by later, I was helping you come up with ideas.” He waves as he departed from the store.

Jel sighs and pushes his glasses up his nose. His eyes wanders to the floor and spot the fallen sheets of paper. As he picks them up, he realizes they were sketches for his new clothing line and he gasps. “Oh, right. I need to talk to Hassian about the fur.”

Jel quickly gathers all the paper up and places them on his desk neatly. There was a small closed box where Reth was sitting at, taped with words “Fragile! Zeki’s Special Cake Delivery! Keep Refrigerated.”

“Oh dear, did he forget to take this?”

Well, he’ll just put it in his fridge until Reth comes back. It would be awhile until Reth is available and he doesn’t want the cake to spoil.

Very rarely does Reth and Tish have a full day together.

Tish doesn’t know how Reth did it, but she assumes that he got a human (Sweet Tooth, he calls them) to do his work. Nothing wrong with that. It’s fine to slack off for one day or two. Despite what the other villagers may think of Reth, she knows that Reth works hard. She could never blame him for getting some help. Tish is grateful that he has a friend, maybe more, he can rely on.

But, it was a very strange day.

It was early when the two of them set off from their house. The morning was chilly. After all, it was very important to get some clean fresh air. Kilima Village had that rural essence that a city can’t achieve. It was a quiet village yet it was noisy in it’s own way. Everyone pretty much knows everyone. Mostly.

They made their way straight to the Mirror Pond Ruins. The plan was to have a picnic first thing in the morning. Leafhopper Hills was usually a nice place to have one — lots of land and grass, a good amount of trees, and a nice view of the beach. Reth suggested that they should try a new scenery.

That wasn’t the strange part though.

It was when he invited Jina and Hekla over to their picnic.

“Are there any dishes I can make with mushrooms?” Reth asks casually. He’s sitting criss cross applesauce while holding a bowl of his world’s famous lettuce soup. “I’m trying to expand my menu and Sweet Tooth complains about having too much mushrooms.”

Jina lights up and leans forward. “I know one that fits right in your expertise!” she answers excitedly, but she coughs a bit as she regains her composure. “Have you heard of cream of mushroom soup? It’s a simple recipe.”

Tish doesn’t mind the company. In fact, she considers herself and Jina to be good friends. She often goes to Jina to ask her about the ruins for some craft ideas and it’s fun learning new stuff. Old human civilization had some creative choices. Thinking about it, maybe she has some sort of magnet that pulls Water-type personalities towards her.

“Oh, right, Hekla, didn’t we discover what brightshrooms could do?” Jina asks, facing towards her Galdur partner.

Hekla’s head bobs and tilts before answering, “Brightshrooms get their glow from absorbing flow. Because of this, brightshrooms have some healing properties.”

In the corner of Tish’s eye, Reth glances at Tish then back at Hekla. His face was slightly scrunched. He had one hand rubbing his chin while another on his bowl of soup. In front of him was a small notepad. Tish remembers him writing on it earlier when Jina shared the recipe. She leans in a bit. There were some doodles that looked like Hekla and... was that Hodari?

Reth places the bowl of soup down, on top of the notepad. Gosh darn it. “So, basically, you’re saying is that we can make an immortality potion out of that,” he jokes and Tish giggles.

“The flow intake is too little to cause any change when consumed,” Hekla finishes. “Most of the flow is used to make it glow, so when it is cooked, the flow is transferred somewhere else. Flow cannot be destroyed.” Her head sinks back into her body. “The only thing it adds is an umami flavor, as humans describe it.”

“It would be really cool if someone figures out how to make medicine out of that.” Tish claps her hands together and smiles brightly. “Maybe Kenyatta knows more about that! When I visited her at the City Hall, she suggested that I put some heat root when I got injured while I was crafting.”

Jina nods her head. “Brightshrooms have a lot of alchemical purposes and...”

And, the entire time, it was about mushrooms. Tish had a lot of fun conversing with Jina and Hekla. It wasn’t every day she talked with them when they were always on some sort of adventure together. Just whenever she leaves her store and sees them at the library does she give them a small chat. Maybe suggest a few books on architecture or such. It was a nice experience.

It was just strange. Reth’s a social guy, but he wouldn’t try to get interruptions during their hangout. Even though he invited Jina and Hekla, he was overall quiet with the exceptions of a few jokes. It was mainly her and Jina talking with Hekla making some more commentary.

After Jina and Hekla left to head to the temple, Reth was writing something in his notepad before packing all the stuff up. He sighs contently, brushing his hands off after putting all the bowls into a backpack. “That was fun. Maybe Jina and Hekla will come around more often at the Tavern once I put that recipe in the menu. What’s your opinion on them?”

“Well... Jina’s a good friend and I would like to know more about Hekla.”

Reth nods his head quicky and stares at Tish expectantly.

Tish tilts her head. “We’re not gonna stay around here a bit more?” she asks. Typically, they would stay in one spot and catch up with each other since it’s not every day the see each other despite being family, until it was the end of the day or until they were busy. Regardless, she helped carefully place the bigger pots in another bag.

“Nope,” Reth answers as he takes the picnic blanket. “I had another idea planned. We’re gonna go to Bahari Bay.”

“Bahari Bay?” Tish squints her eyes as she picks up the basket. “Why?”

“Heard from a certain Sweet Tooth you were eyeing some Palium Ore to make the furniture for the Watcher. So, I thought, maybe we should go mining together!”

“Mining.” Tish slowly nods her head and squints her eyes. “Reth, uhm,” how does one say this kindly, “we don’t have pickaxes.”

Reth clicks his tongue and points a finger gun at her. “I already asked some human friends to lend me some of their old pickaxes. Had to mend it a little since it was getting worn out. It’s a great chance to go sightseeing and get a little bit more exercise.” He mimics a quick run. “Don’t worry. I’ll do all the work.”

For some reason, Tish was convinced.

Najuma’s breakfast was interrupted when her dad unexpectedly came back with the village’s cook and carpenter following after him. Her mouth was opened, the spoon in her hand halfway into her mouth. She couldn’t even take her first bite. Her dad stops at the table where she was eating her fried eggs and diced tomatoes and says, “These folks have some worn down picks. I’m gonna head back to the workshop and grab them some better ones. You don’t mind talking to them, right?”

Yes, she does very mind it, but she doesn’t say that out loud. Najuma didn’t say anything as her dad already left off to head to their workshop. Well, there he goes.

Fortunately, Tish was good at making small talk. Sure, it just the regular ol’ “the weather is lovely here” type of small talk, but Najuma admires Tish for being so friendly and welcoming. She’s, like, one of the few people who always greet them and check out what they have whenever they are in town.

It wasn’t long until Hodari comes back with some two picks and his own. “Now, considering that I have never seen you two ever hold a pick, do you folks know where to mine?” he asks.

Najuma sighs in relief that it wasn’t very long that she had to keep a conversation up.

“Nope,” Reth answers, popping the ‘p.’ “Just kinda figured, as long as we hit a rock, it would give us something, right? That’s what Sweet Tooth’s tells me at least.”

In other words, they have no idea what they are doing at all.

Najuma recognizes the opportunity and stands up from her seat and exclaims, “I can show them around Bahari Bay!” This is her chance to check out the mines.

“No can do,” Hodari immediately denies.

But, those two don’t even know what they’re doing! she wanted to yell, but that would be embarrassing to argue with her dad in front of someone. She certainly doesn’t want to drag them into it either.

Tish raises a hand and suggests, “Maybe, she can come with us?”

Reth nods his head. “You’ll be with us too, aren’t you?” he asks, glancing at the three picks. “I figured you would show us a spot with that question.”

Hodari glances at the two siblings before he sighs. He didn’t plan on taking the two into any dangerous mining spots, so it would also be safe for Najuma to also come along. Plus, as long as he is with them, he can keep an eye out on Najuma.

He looks at Najuma. Her eyes were sparkling with hope. She already knew the answer after the first sigh.

“As long as you stay outside the area,” he grumbles, crossing his arms. “I don’t want you to be getting into any accidents.”

.

.

.

They were around Hideaway Bluffs, it’s not a cave but it’s a safe place to mine. There were always ores around the cliffs so it’s no wonder why her dad picked this place out. Najuma kicks her prosthetic leg as she watches Hodari teach Tish how to hold a pickaxe. Her dad swings the pickaxe at the ore, then tells Tish to copy after him. Reth was a bit in the back and watched the two closely.

What’s strange though was him suspiciously inching closer each time they hit the ore.

“Do you need something?” Najuma asks hesitantly.

Reth pulled out a notebook with a pen in his hand and asked in a hushed tone, “Say, Najuma, do you know anything about Hodari and Tish?”

“Do I know anything about my dad... and Tish?” Najuma asked back flabbergasted. She squints her eyes. A question worded like that could be misinterpreted in such a way. “Are you trying to imply something here? And,” her eyes dart to the notebook, “and, what’s with the notebook?”

“It’s a book of notes,” Reth answers plainly.

He wasn’t wrong there.

Najuma fidgets around with her hands. What else more can she say? There’s still that first question that needs to be answered but the only answer she has was that she’s only seen her dad and Tish only have small talk. She respects Tish. The young woman has always made an effort to welcome everyone.

“Well, she would make a great... business partner?” Najuma answers hesitantly. “Though, I think she wouldn’t be as interested since it’s more... mechanical stuff. She has great ideas though.” Her hands try to grasp at something. Being around the mines for the first time in a long while, she feels empty without a pick in her hands. “May I ask why are you asking?”

Reth pulls out a sheet of paper and answers, “There was a letter I found with no names except T and H.” He passes the paper to Najuma. At least her hands are less empty. She doesn’t know what to do with them. “I was wondering if you know anything about it.”

Najuma skims through the letter. The letter was so romantic and so... sad. She’s glad it wasn’t advice on like “do you think I wrote this letter good” or “how should I respond to this?” She was never good with her words, so giving emotional advice really wasn’t her forte. Especially when it comes to the sappy stuff.

Najuma replies slowly, “You think... my dad and Tish were dating at some point?” So, that’s the whole reason why they’re here in Bahari Bay. And, Tish doesn’t know anything about this.

Reth nods his head dumbfoundedly.

She giggles a bit at the idea. “I think you got the wrong people. My dad can’t write words like that. Plus, they really are nothing more than acquaintances, like everyone else.” Najuma passes the letter back to Reth. “Are you sure, though, that it’s to Tish?”

“Positively,” Reth answers and folds the letter back in his pocket. “There’s no one else who’s name that I know that starts with a T. Well, maybe a few. But, it’s most definitely Tish.”

Najuma wasn’t sure what made Reth so confident, but she was convinced that it could really be Tish with the way he declared it. It never crossed her mind that maybe it could be the other two people that lived in Bahari Bay besides her and her dad.

“Do you know anyone else’s name that starts with H—”

Their short conversation ends when Tish finally manages to mine out an iron ore. “Look, Reth! I got sapphire! This is Jel’s starstone!” she cheers. “He’s gonna be so happy to see this.”

Reth smiles brightly. “That’s great!”

Najuma’s mouth agapes. “Do you guys know how rare that is?!”

They both were running up to her, Hodari yelling in the background, “Be careful!” to Najuma, as the previous topic was long forgotten.

It was nearing the end of the day. The skies were a pretty red-orange with some clouds in the sky. As they were heading back to Kilima Village, there were humans using their gliders and jumping off carelessly off the cliffs. Surprisingly, Tish was still pretty energetic compared to Reth and was carrying all their treasures that they earned today. Then again, she probably has carried heavier stuff than Reth ever had.

Tish was humming happily, her hands behind her back as she carried a small but heavy satchel of ores. Even Najuma said that they were pretty lucky today to be finding so much starstones. That’s all Tish’s luck, honestly.

Reth sighs tiredly, swinging his shoulder around to ease the pain.

“Today was nice, wasn’t it?” Tish cheers. “I’m so excited to use these ores. I can just feel the inspiration flowing right now.”

Reth laughs. “What do you plan on making out of them?” he asks.

“Well, for Jel, I was thinking with the sapphire I got, maybe a chair that has the jewel at the top...” Tish talks about all the ideas she could make. “..with the quartz I got for Najuma. Then, with this citrine, I think it would be nice to make a bracelet for you.” They stopped at the front of her store. She takes a small breath and glances at Reth. “You know, despite how strange today was, I had lots of fun.”

Reth scrunches his face. “Strange?! How was I acting strange today?” he asks dumbfoundedly.

“Well, for one, we went to a picnic—”

“We always have picnics when we hangout! Was it the change of scenery?”

“Yeah, no, yeah, but you invited Jina and Hekla to sit with us!” Tish answers quickly. “I had no problem hanging out with them. The more, the merrier after all. Then, we went mining which was a very, very outlandish idea.” She fiddles with her fingers as she was carrying her satchel. Her voice goes more quiet as she says, “It makes me worried, you know? It felt like you were checking out a bucket list with me. Trying to get me close to Hekla ‘cause she used to be a caretaker. Trying to mine because maybe that’s something that you always wanted to try before you... You’re not gonna disappear on me, are you?” At the end of her question, her voice shakes a little.

When their parents disappeared, Tish was really young where it was hard for her to remember their voices. Despite that, she was still affected by their disappearance. She only had Reth to rely on. Her shelter, her clothes, her meals, her medicine. As her older brother, Reth did everything, sacrificed everything for her to grow up well. He deviated from his path in order to get money and food on the table. Reth pretty much raised her.

“I’m not gonna disappear, I promise,” he says gently. “It’s just...”

This is going to sound stupid.

“There was this letter I found at Bahari Bay. To T, Love H.” Reth sucks in a deep break. “I thought it was meant for you and I tried to figure out who it was from.”

Tish furrows her brows. “What type of letter?”

Reth pulls out the letter from his pocket and unfolds it before he hands it to Tish.

“Oh my dragon, this is so sweet!” Tish exclaims. “Oh, I hope it works out for them, whoever they are. This is so romantic... But, this isn’t for me, you know. I would tell you if I was courting someone.” Tish lightly punches Reth on the shoulder. “I tell you and Jel everything! You guys are the closest family I have. Did you think I was dating Hekla or Hodari?” 

Reth looks away. “No...?”

Tish laughs. “Of course not, silly!” She returns the letter back to Reth. “I think you should return it back to where you found it. I’m sure someone has put it there for that person to read it. Maybe it was their meeting spot, or something.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Reth replies as he takes back the letter. “I probably should go do it now while I still have my day off.”

Tish does a shooing motion with her hand. “Go, go! Stay safe, Reth! I had fun today!”

Reth waves back and makes sure that Tish entered Jel’s store before he walks all the way back to Bahari Bay again.

Reth was in a bad situation.

A very bad, bad, bad situation.

Maybe what Tish was worried about earlier, him disappearing, might come true.

Reth was walking back to Bahari Bay and accidentally dropped the letter. It so happened to fall in front of a certain plumehound. As he was about to pick it up, someone’s shoes were in front of him.

Hassian sharply glares at him as he snatches the paper out of Reth’s hands. “Where the hell did you get this from?!” he asks angrily. The paper crinkles in his tight grip. “You didn’t read this, did you?”

Well, what’s the right answer to this? Yes, how else would he figure out the names, then Hassian gets angry at him for reading it. No, he’s never read it, then Hassian gets angry at him for lying. Then, Reth will get—

Will get what? Punched, slapped, choked? Reth knows Hassian isn’t like that.

Reth swallows dryly and as he stood up straight. He knows what the right answer is. “I... I did read your letter and I’m sorry.” He rubs the back of his neck and kicks his foot. “I found it in the ground at Bahari Bay. I didn’t realize it was you who wrote the letter.”

Hassian was still staring at him, eyebrows furrowed. Tau, which also starts with a T, was standing between them, his tail tucked between his legs as he worriedly looks at his partner.

Reth takes a deep breath. “Listen, I’m not going to question who’s it for or anything about it. I just want you to know that I don’t have any bad intentions with it.”

“... Did anyone else saw it?” Hassian asks, voice low and deep.

Reth shakes his head immediately, pauses, then nods. “Only three people. Jel, Najuma, and Tish. They don’t know that it was you though and I was only asking for help to figure out who it belonged to.” He’s definitely going to leave out the part where he thought it was meant for Tish, before he learned that it wasn’t meant for Tish. “I was planning on returning it back to where I found it since I figured that whoever wrote it, or you, have purposefully left it there or something...”

Imagine if he learnt that it was Hassian before Tish told him it wasn’t for her — he could only imagine how many ways it could’ve went and how all those ways will result in embarrassment. Reth is grateful the world didn’t set him up for that. How Reth didn’t think it was Hassian in the first place however was one heck of a wonder though. It’s an open secret about Hassian’s interest in romance stories, so it’s no wonder his writing is on par of one.

“I apologize for raising my voice,” Hassian calmly says, resorting back to his usual stance. He coughs before he stands up straight and crosses his arms. “It’s... a sensitive issue for me. I appreciate that you will not bother me further about it. Thank you for returning it to me. I will take my leave now.” He waves his hand at Tau and the two started continuing their walk back to Bahari Bay.

Well, Reth didn’t exactly returned it to him, but he didn’t have the chance to say that.

.

.

.

Reth steps out of his storeroom and enters the Underground. There was already a bunch of humans all surrounding themselves at the tables. One certain table has soup spilling out all over as the group were yelling at each other and laughing loudly. Some of their friends surrounded them, arms hung over each other’s shoulders as they were cheering.

Great. Now, he’s gotta stay longer after his shift to clean up the mess.

Reth ties his apron around his waist as he makes his way to the bar. As he enters the hallway, a door creaks open. Zeki steps out of the office and adjusts his suit. His four ears perks up as he spot the familiar business associate. 

“Hey, kid. I haven’t seen you all day!” the ginger cat exclaims with a sharp smile that closes his eyes. It turns into a threatening grimace when he asks, “Have you finished your little cake delivery to Tamala, yet?”

Right. The package. The “cake delivery.” The whole reason why he was in Bahari Bay the first place yesterday. Reth groans, sliding a hand down his face. “I’m really sorry, Zeki. You see I was already delivering the package to Tamala when—”

Reth pauses.

Tamala... T... Bahari.

Oh.

Author's Note: There are were some things I wanted to include and fix with this fic, but it's been so long that I have wrote something properly that I feel a little rusty. I appreciate constructive criticism. I still hope that you enjoyed this fic!

[kitsu-cowboy]

TW For Depictions of Injuries and Monster Transformation. Palia Infection AU - Part 1 (I will also create/edit a video/dubbed version!) Notes: Recently Re-emerged human Isacc Tavora reportedly visited Kilima's resident healer Chayne, complaining of a scuffle with a chappa. He was treated for minor injuries, bandaged, and sent on his way. Later, Kilima residents reported seeing the patient in increasing states of distress - exhibiting syptoms such as: Sweating, irritated/inflamed patches of skin, scratching, Erratic eating, and complaints of a headache. Last sighting was near the woods in Bahari Bay, heading north towards the Elderwoods. Chayne has since requested Hassian lead a Chappa Saftey course for incoming humans, and is awaiting a response. [Kilima's Bulletin Board] Additional announcement: Majiri Librarian and Scholar Caleri has yet again requested that new residents do not enter the forbidden section of the library - and NOT to mess with artifacts stored there. please return any 'borrowed' items lest she call Eshe. Thank You.

To be continued..

[noneofchar]

Also, I made a Palia community! We’re still tiny, so if you enjoy Palia, please join 😊

[luvsavos]

Live Laugh Monsterfuck --- for science, of course

[girlnextvore]

For the vtm oc ask game: 7, 21, 27, 45, 48, and 50 for Rosa and Drea!!! (Wild card is Bahari question. about Drea's garden and general sitch)

Answer 7 and 21 for both of them!

27. Do they have a clan they don’t particularly like?

I answered this for Rosa but Drea doesn't usually dislike ANY CLAN. But if he had to choose one it would be the Giovanni (and by proxy the hecata). Being a Hecata herself has really made her dislike all the things to hate about those guys. A close second would be Lasombra.

45. What are their disciplines?

Rosa has Protean and Dominate but her main focus is Blood Sorcery but she is specifically a Koldun

Drea is mostly all in on Potence and Fortitude as a bodyguard but she knows her way around necromancy for no other reason then it was a requirement by her sire. She doesn't have much of a taste for it though.

48. Detail things about your OC you spent a lot of time on!

I answer this for Rosa! As for Drea i put a lot (maybe to much) detail and work into her Scars and tattoos. I wanted her to look really rough and almost unapproachable but not from being mean but seeming as if she has lived a far harder life then anyone her age should have.

50. SO ABOUT DREA BEING A BAHARI

She is. But also she is so deeply disconnected its LAUGHABLE. Like one of her Coterie mates is also a bahari and the only time Drea spends any time doing the rituals is with her. Drea was basically raised by a Lamia so she knows all the stories and has respect for the dark mother but its almost like a kid who has a religious mother.

Yea he knows all the stuff and believes it but never really does the work. This has started to change a little since the hardship she is going through started. She is beginning to see the suffering as the work of Lilith.

[findingtarshish]

16, 30, 34 and 38 for the ask game. For all 3 blorbos because I don't want to choose >.<

Questions can be found here by the talented @evrensadwrn! Pls send more asks!!

16. How good are they at acting “alive”?

Harmony is certainly the best out of them due to her magic; the ability to walk in daylight tends to trump all other concerns, but the rest of the Path of Innocence helps her too: she's impossible to detect with either medical exams or supernatural observation, and she is very active in her local mortal community. Golconda seekers want what she has (Actually the Praesidium wants it because the ability to suppress clan banes means they could rebuild the pyramid)

Andrasta on the other hand has always struggled with appearing human, partially because she never has been. She's a werewolf! After her Embrace, however, her sire tried to break her down to turn her into a demure, exotic concubine. Instead, she has caused untold violence and destruction and might have caused the fall of Rome. In modern nights, she's reached Ego 9, a fairly major feat, and can fairly easily pass as human, but her ego is much more fragile than Harmony's.

Finally, Leo. Leonora is in many ways a natural vampire; she's well suited to the night, and she thrives in undead society. She can usually pass for human with her 8 Humanity, but her weird fashion sense and red eyes give her away.

30. Do they have a clan that they do particularly like?

Harmony likes Tzimisce, for obvious reasons (wife). She gets a foam finger with #1 dragonfucker on it.

Andrasta likes Nosferatu. Her current PLP is a nossie, and they are good friends :) Part of it is also overcompensating for her hatred of her own clan, as most think of Toreadors and Nosferatu as opposites.

Leo likes Toreadors! She's quite artistic, so she appreciates the similarity in mindset. She just met the Torrie primogen in Toronto and they're getting along swimmingly (for now)

34. What are their thoughts on blood dolls?

Harmony was her sire's doll before the Embrace, and to be honest, she still thinks of herself as a doll. Part of it is due to her Kiss addiction, but part of it is due to her poor mental health thinking of herself as only worthwhile when she's giving to others. She for her own dolls, as priestess of the (now) largest Bahari garden in Philadelphia, she is slowly transitioning from consensualist (siren) to consensualist (osiris), and has a cult to feed from.

Blood dolls are useless to Andrasta, as she's too old to keep her prey alive when she feeds. Even when she was young, she never partook of Michael's dolls, preferring to feed on the guilty, which invariably meant murdering veteran legionnaires.

Leo's never had a chance to develop a herd, but she likely wouldn't- she likes hunting as a siren too much.

38. Do they care about the taste of blood?

Harmony and Leo both have preferred flavors, but they aren't particularly interesting in that regard.

Andrasta, on the other hand, pretends not to care about blood flavor, but secretly enjoys the taste of evil deeds and absolute terror when she murders another oil exec.

Thankie for the questions ^.^

[quicksilverster]

[😇] crashing ❈ yoon jeonghan

⋆⑅˚₊✎ prompt(s): crashing by illenium, bahari

⋆⑅˚₊✎ genres: a whole lotta fluff, a bit of angst, acquaintances-to-lovers!au, college!au, roommate!au.

⋆⑅˚₊✎ description: Five times Jeonghan crashes at Yejin’s apartment, and the one time she crashes at his.

⋆⑅˚₊✎ warning(s): mentions of alcohol

⋆⑅˚₊✎ pairing(s): yoon jeonghan x kang yejin

⋆⑅˚₊✎ word count: 3.4k words

⋆⑅˚₊✎ a/n: A fic I turned into a short story and into a fic again because I recently got back into SEVENTEEN. This is old, 2021-early 2022 writing, but I’m going to post it anyway because it wasn’t that bad (IMO) + I like this story. (i also apologize for the banner quality cuz it's been literal years since i made one for a kpop dude)

one.

The first time Jeonghan crashed at her place, Yejin was alone in her apartment, working on her essay.

Her roommate Aera wasn’t home; she was at a party or club somewhere, getting drunk and dancing her limbs off. Yejin could practically see her limping the next morning, the product of a crushed foot. She was alone in her room, sipping from a mug of warm tea as she added words in Times New Romans font onto her document. The only source of light in the room made its presence known through the glaring screen in front of her, illuminating her worn face. Melodies from her Spotify window and the clacking noise from her fingers drumming the keys were the only sounds in the room, accompanied by Yejin’s tired breathing. She leaned against the back of her chair with exhaustion, her brain fried like a skillet.

Yejin was jolted out of her reverie when the sharp rapping of knuckles against her front door resonated into her ears. Aera usually arrived home after 2 a.m. during one of these crazy social events, meaning the person at the door could not be her. The knocks were rather composed, too, given by one with a sober mind. Begrudgingly peeling her eyes away from the screen, Yejin slid her arctic feet into her fluffy slippers and headed to the front door. Gripping the door handle tightly, she swung it open to meet a familiar face, a smile frozen across his face as a result of the wintry atmosphere outside.

“It’s 11 p.m., why are you still awake?” Jeonghan bustled into the apartment chattering like a mother hen. He scrutinized her fluffy lavender pajamas and wide eyes behind her glinting spectacles. “I understand that you have work and stuff, but sleep is important as well.”

Yejin blinked blankly, watching Jeonghan tut over her apartment with a watchful eye, and dropped an overnight bag on her couch. “Um,” she managed after a few flummoxed seconds. “Uh, what are you doing here?”

“Aera sent me here,” he shrugged, carding his messy locks back. “She wanted me to make sure you’re doing your essay diligently instead of scrolling through Instagram or whatnot.”

“So you’re sleeping over?” Yejin raised a doubtful eyebrow.

Jeonghan scratched the back of his head. “Well, Aera said she might not be back until tomorrow morning, so she wants me to keep you company.”

Aera was currently dating Jeonghan’s best friend and roommate Seungcheol, so she was well acquainted with the young man in front of her. However, that didn’t mean she was entirely comfortable with the idea of him sleeping over in her apartment.

Jeonghan seemed to comprehend Yejin’s indecisive expression, for he placed his hands in the air. “I won’t do anything suspicious, I promise. Aera just doesn’t want you to be alone here.”

“Okay,” Yejin said, slipping her earbud into her ear as she continued her assignment. “Make yourself at home, I guess.”

Jeonghan grinned a broad, boyish smile, before plopping onto the couch and pulling his phone out to play a mobile game. Within a few minutes, he had fallen asleep. His snores accompanied the already existing sounds in the room.

Yejin eyed him from her workstation, her lips punctured as she wondered what her roommate was up to.

two.

“I’m perfectly fine being by myself,” Yejin said with as much patience (which isn’t much) as she could summon from the inner depths of her heart. However, her roommate was making it particularly difficult to be nice.

“I told you a hundred times, you need human interaction!” Aera said as she shoved her feet into a pair of heels, ready for yet another party.

“Easy for you to say, you social butterfly.”

Aera grinned proudly at the nickname she was bestowed with. “Thank you!” She said, bowing for extra effect.

Yejin fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Jeonghan hardly counts as human interaction.” She poked the yogurt cup in her hand with her spoon, denting the fragile base of the plastic. “Whenever he comes here, he only lounges over our couch, steals our snacks, and plays with his phone.”

“It’d be nice if you both become friends.”

“Doesn’t Jeonghan have a girlfriend? Are you sure it’s wise for him to be here?”

Aera fidgeted in the spot, her eyes ricocheting from the door and to her roommate. “If you put it like that, probably not.”

“You just want me to interact with him because he’s your boyfriend’s roommate.”

“And he’s a nice person, and you need his company,” Aera added hurriedly. “Now can I go? I’m going to be late.”

“Fine,” Yejin said. Aera bolted as soon as the words left her roommate’s mouth. Yejin shook her head almost endearingly as the front door slammed shut.

Half an hour later, Jeonghan materialized in her doorway with a messy hairdo and a plastic bag filled with boxes of food. The former was the result of the displeased weather outside, but Yejin couldn’t think of a special occasion that would warrant takeout.

“I heard you have an exam coming up,” Jeonghan placed the plastic bag down in front of her laptop, the smell of it tantalizing Yejin’s stomach to growl. “So I got you this.”

Yejin eyed the plastic bag, her fingers tingling to reach out and devour whatever was inside in a single gulp. She glanced upward and stared into Jeonghan’s eyes. It was difficult to maintain contact; his eyes were obsidian in color, as dark as black holes. If Yejin stared for too long, she’d get sucked in.

“What are you getting out of this?” Yejin asked as politely as she could, though a trained ear could detect the venom hiding within.

Jeonghan leaned in, his disorganized chestnut side-swept hair falling over his eyes. He fixed the navy blue backpack strap hanging from the side of his shoulder as he bent down to stare into her eyes. Yejin held her breath, intimidated by the sudden change of atmosphere.

“Your friendship,” Jeonghan ended cheekily, a boyish smile curling on the corners of his lips.

“Ha,” Yejin muttered weakly, running her hand through her long hair.

“You’re a very smart student, Yejin,” Jeonghan reached out to fidget with her laptop screen, pushing it close before pulling it up again before it could involuntarily shut down. “But it’s okay to take a break sometimes, you know. When you’re done with that assignment of yours, let’s play Monopoly.”

“Monopoly?” Yejin frowned. “We don’t have Monopoly here.”

“I noticed,” Jeonghan commented in a pained tone. “How can you not have a Monopoly board in this apartment? You and Aera are disappointments. Here,” he dropped his backpack on the floor and pulled out a Monopoly board.

Yejin raised a brow. “You brought a whole Monopoly board with you?”

“Yes, for this very special occasion,” Jeonghan said proudly. “Eat your food, and then tell me when you’re finished with your work. I’ll wait for you.”

Despite her protests, Yejin’s heart fluttered a little at his words.

“Okay,” she mumbled.

Jeonghan smiled and threw his body over the couch, unaware that he left a certain girl’s heart hammering violently against her sternum.

three.

A knock dragged Yejin’s attention away from her book and towards the door. Setting the paperback page down on the coffee table, Yejin stretched her sore back as her guest knocked on her door again.

“Coming,” she said, peeking through the eyehole to check. Her eyes widened a little when she recognized the mop of brown hair and swung the door wide open without hesitation. Jeonghan fell forward like a piece of domino, but luckily, Yejin caught his shoulders before he could collide with the ground.

“Get up, you’re heavy,” Yejin inhaled, catching a whiff of alcohol. She coughed, startled. “Oh, crap. Have you been drinking?”

“It was Aera,” he mumbled, his legs flailing behind him. He groaned as his palm flew to his temple. Yejin laid him gently on the couch and rummaged through her drawers for painkillers.

“What were you doing with Aera?” Yejin asked as she placed a glass of water and some tablets on the coffee table. She peered down at Jeonghan’s head from the side of the couch as his body took up the rest of the comfy furniture. From her vantage point, she could see the elegant curves and slopes that made up Jeonghan’s face. He was, indeed, handsome. She threw her gaze away in case he saw her staring, but he was too drunk to care.

“Some party,” Jeonghan said, his voice so soft that Yejin had to guess what he said through his closed lips. He had an arm over his eyes, and his voice sounded strained. Yejin raised an eyebrow.

“Okay,” she pulled at his arm to get him to sit up. “Come on, you need to drink this.”

“I don’t have a headache yet,” his words were slurred as Yejin attempted to yank him to his feet.

“You look like you have a headache. Trust me, Aera’s my roommate.”

“Can I confess something?” Jeonghan swiftly rolled over onto his stomach as he shot Yejin a smile. Or a smirk, more like, judging from the lopsided curve on the right side of his mouth.

“Okay?” Yejin gulped, feeling her cheeks pinking at the casual smile he offered.

“I actually like you,” he laughed, a bubbly note ringing through the silent air of the apartment.

Yejin froze. “What?”

“It was two years ago. I saw you at orientation and developed a crush on you. Surprising, eh? And I only saw you once but I fell deep. In love, I mean. I forgot about you, sort of, when I didn’t see you again for a very long time. And then a few months ago I saw you in the library and learned you were my roommate’s girlfriend’s roommate. You can imagine my shock.”

“Jeonghan, you have a girlfriend,” Yejin reminded him, feeling a stinging in her eye sockets.

“Yeah, I know,” Jeonghan laughed, his eyelids closing halfway through. “Funny. If only I went out more, socialized more, you know. Maybe I would’ve met you. Maybe I would’ve been dating you right now.”

“You sound so confident,” Yejin said, reaching out to press her palm against Jeonghan’s cheek. Just this once. One time, then I’m never going to do this again.

“I mean, maybe. I don’t know,” Jeonghan leaned into her hand and his lips brushed the heel of her palm. Her breath hitched and she swallowed. “Do you like me?”

Yejin grimaced, her lips embracing her teeth. “I don’t know.”

Jeonghan kept his firm gaze on her eyes, but she looked away within seconds. A sigh escaped his mouth and he leaned against the couch.

“Of course, you don’t.” He peeled Yejin’s hand from his cheek. “I’m sorry for coming here.”

“It’s alright,” Yejin said, running her fingers through his hair. “I don’t mind at all.”

“I really like you,” Jeonghan repeated, his voice fading into a soft laugh. “I just…”

A snore left his throat, and a tear escaped her eyelids.

four.

“I want you to be gentle with Jeonghan,” Aera said as she shoved her heels into her shoes.

“What do you mean?” Yejin asked as soon as she pulled the pen from between her teeth. Normally, she’d tuck the piece of stationary behind her ear, but that space was currently occupied by her black-rimmed glasses.

“Something happened,” Aera answered vaguely, averting her gaze from Yejin’s scrutiny.

“To him?”

“You’ll see for yourself.”

When Jeonghan came along, Yejin immediately understood what Aera meant. His fluffy swept hair was even more disgruntled than usual, vaguely reminding Yejin of a thornbush. There were dark circles under his eyes that were almost the shade of his onyx eyes and his lips were chapped and scarlet in some places, but Yejin glanced away before he could catch her staring. Despite how exhausted he looked, he still managed to smile at her.

“I’ve never seen you wear glasses before,” he said.

Yejin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, swallowing nervously. “Yeah, well, I usually prefer my lenses.”

Jeonghan exhaled, a rough, guttural sound that shattered Yejin’s glass heart into a thousand fragments. “I broke up with Stacey.”

“Oh,” Yejin closed her eyes, squeezing them tightly. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Jeonghan laughed, an empty sound that undulated as he flopped face-first onto the couch. “I’m sorry about last time and for… for being here. I don’t know who else to go to.”

Yejin pursed her lips, wondering if Jeonghan still remembered his confession. Did he remember that he told her he liked her? Did he remember how she placed her palm on his cheek? Did he remember the sound of her heartbeat and the warm emotions thumping in rhythm with her blood?

“Do you want a hug?” she asked, surprising herself.

Jeonghan watched her, a small smile materializing on his face. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

Yejin accompanied Jeonghan on the couch and allowed him to sink his head into the dip of her shoulder. They stayed that way for a while as Yejin allowed Jeonghan to take the warm comfort she offered him.

“I saw her,” he mumbled into the collar of Yejin’s sweater, “with another guy. It’s only been a week since we broke up and there she is. Dating again.”

“Maybe… that’s her way of recovering?” Yejin asked meekly.

“Maybe,” Jeonghan exhaled and Yejin could feel his breath on her neck. “But it still hurts so much, you know.”

“Yeah,” Yejin stared out at the dark sky. “I know.”

“Can I…” Jeonghan shifted to a more comfortable position, keeping his head on Yejin’s shoulder and his arms around her torso. “Can I stay here tonight?”

“Sure.” Yejin pulled away to grab a cushion on the floor and positioned it under Jeonghan’s head. “Not a problem at all.”

Jeonghan looped his fingers through Yejin’s hand, and she didn’t pull away. Instead, she rested her head against the couch and watched his chest rise and fall.

five.

“What’s he doing here?” Aera frowned.

“No, the question is, why are you still here?” Yejin responded.

“I live here!” Aera threw her hands into the air incredulously.

“She’s kicking you out,” Jeonghan snickered. “She wants full ownership of the apartment and the cat and the refrigerator full of your delicious food.”

“We don’t have a cat.”

“He’s the cat,” Yejin jabbed her finger in Jeonghan's direction.

“Ouch,” Jeonghan used his hand that wasn’t occupied with holding a yogurt cup to slam the right side of his chest. “That smarts, Yejin.”

Even the way he said her name made her stomach soar.

“It’s true!” She argued, hoping that her cheeks remained their normal hue. “All you do here is sleep and eat our food. Just like a cat.”

“I meant,” Aera began, flapping the air when Jeonghan opened his mouth to argue, “that I haven’t even left and yet you’re already here. You usually come after I’m gone.”

“We’re having a movie marathon today,” Yejin said. “We’re binging the Larry Hatter movies.”

“Ah, that’s a classic. Have fun, you two.”

“Do you have the popcorn?” Yejin asked as the front door slammed shut.

Jeonghan snorted. “Of course I brought the popcorn. And the candy. What’s a movie marathon without candy?” He grabbed the tubs of popcorn and the colorful plastic bag and plopped onto the couch next to Yejin with a huff.

Larry Hatter and the Thaumaturge’s Rock flashed across the screen in front of them, but Yejin could only focus on the side of Jeonghan’s face. She watched the colors dance over the soft angles of his cheeks, garnering a blush on Yejin’s cheeks. Suddenly, he was watching her, but she didn’t look away.

“Is my face much more interesting than the movie?” Jeonghan laughed, a smirk dancing over his lips. Yejin fought the urge to slap it off his face.

“Why do you like coming over here?” Yejin answered with a question, her head slightly tilted to the side.

Jeonghan paused, watching her as Persephone scolded Roland for pronouncing a spell wrong on screen. Yejin watched the emotions swirl behind his irises, unable to discern any of them.

“Because you’re here,” he said.

Yejin nodded, trying not to smile at the vague answer. “Mhm.”

“Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not making fun of you.”

“You’re smiling,” he poked her cheek and Yejin fought the urge to lean into his hand.

Remember, he just got out of a relationship. Don’t do this to him.

“So what, you’ve taken away my right to smile now?” Yejin huffed.

“No,” Jeonghan assured, throwing his head back in a laugh. “It’s just that I can’t control myself when you smile.”

Breathe.

“Okay,” Yejin shrugged. She tightened her grip on her bowl of popcorn and kept a steel gaze on the movie, making sure to ignore Jeonghan’s stares and his hands.

+ one.

One bad thing kept happening after the other.

Earlier that day, someone knocked into Yejin while she was going up the stairs and she fell, scraping her knees against the pavement. They burned like an inferno and Yejin had to bite her lip to prevent herself from crying. The person who shoved her didn’t even spare a second glance her way; she walked home limping. When she arrived home, she checked her phone and discovered that she attained a superbly low grade for one of her essays. She also received a message from one of her friends that his dog ripped apart a book that she lent him. To make matters worse, it was one of her favorite books; a book her mother had given her on her fifteenth birthday.

It was too much for Yejin to handle.

Aera wasn’t home—where was comfort when you needed it—and no one from her family was picking up. Yejin’s face was buried deep into her right palm as another hand pressed her phone against her ear.

Please, Yejin thought as the phone continued to ring in her ear.

“Hello?”

Yejin’s balloon heart sagged in relief.

“Hi,” she swallowed. “Can I come over?”

Jeonghan’s response was immediate. “Yes.”

That was how Yejin found herself in Jeonghan’s apartment, snuggled against him on the couch with a warm mug of hot chocolate. He was playing a game on his PS5, but his arms were around Yejin like a large, comfy teddy bear. She leaned against his chest, hearing his heartbeat in sync with hers.

“Thanks,” she mumbled to him, and she could feel his heart pump faster.

“Any time,” he answered, pulling her closer to his chest.

Yejin continued to watch the characters and graphics flash across the screen. She sipped her hot chocolate as she placed her hands on one of Jeonghan’s hands, momentarily distracting him from his game. He recovered quickly and twisted his thumb so that he was caressing her palm.

“Jeonghan?”

He hummed in response.

“I think I like you.”

Jeonghan froze and his character died. He turned to her, ignoring the flashing message on the screen that spelled GAME OVER in red capital letters.

“You think?” he asked, voice cracking at the end.

Yejin shook her head quickly. “No, no. Not think. I do like you.”

She squirmed nervously; he was still at a loss for words. She vaguely watched his throat gulp as he swallowed.

“Really?” he asked, his voice raw and vulnerable.

Yejin understood why he was so hesitant. He had recently gotten out of a relationship—he didn’t know if he was ready to give his heart to someone else after losing it not too long ago.

“You don’t have to give me an answer right now,” Yejin assured, squeezing his wrist. “I’ll wait—”

“Yejin.”

Yejin glanced at Jeonghan’s serious expression; his jawline is firm and stiff and his eyebrows are slightly wrinkled. He stared at her for a while, deep in thought, before he leaned in to kiss her.

Her eyes fluttered shut in response. Jeonghan’s lips were slightly chapped but soft and gentle. She was frozen for a while, her mind unable to process what was happening at first. Then Jeonghan pulled away, and she grabbed his collar to pull him into her.

“Yejin,” Jeonghan said breathlessly, his hair tousled as he held Yejin in his arms. “I don’t want you to think I’m only using you as a rebound; I like you, from the bottom of my heart. Can I be your boyfriend?”

Yejin laughed at the innocent question and reached up to tuck one of his curls behind his ear. She leaned up to peck him again.

“Yes.”

© silver newton┊ ༑ ࿐ྂ。