š How does your OC handle being unwell or forced to rest in bed? Who cares for them and in what ways? Does your OC enjoy being doted on or are they a terrible patient? Reversed: is your OC good at taking care of others who are ill or in need?
Oh, boy. Oh, boy. Caellach is a notoriously terrible patient - less so for disobeying menders and moreso for actively trying to avoid them in the first place. He absolutely hates being stuck in bed and resting, as it reminds him far too much of a youth spent stuck in the Omphalos Chamber. He wants to be out there, helping, not sitting around having things done for him, it makes him feel useless. He is far and away the one most likely to ignore and/or hide a wound just so he can focus his attention on someone else and what they need, even if he's gritting his teeth with the pain, even if there's a patch of sap blooming beneath his shirt. Trahearne is less than amused pretty much every single time. Luckily for the Marshal, however, he does hold more sway over his dear Noon-bloom than anyone else in the world, so it doesn't take more than a stern look to have the Commander retreating back to bed.
(He doesn't have to be pleased about it, though.)
When finally wrangled by watched over by menders or Pact healers, he's efficient, polite, and does listen as best he can to their advice, knowing that his habit of putting it off isn't a good one - one of these days he'll regret it, he knows he will. He's all soldier, all Commander, all business and no pleasure. He allows them to do as they need to, so he can get back to doing what he needs to do. In private with those dear to him, though - namely Trahearne and Kahedins - he can revert just a little bit to the little brother they know him as, complete with the pouting over having to rest. Someone please sit on this man so he can't run while they're not looking.
(When he's really very ill or badly wounded - meaning he can't get up of his own volition - he's a lot easier to deal with, ironically enough. He hides it very well, but deep down he loves to be doted on, especially by Trahearne. Sit by his side and pet his fronds and speak softly to him, let him rest and feel safe and warm and content, and he'll be putty in your hands.)
š¼Who are this character's friends and found family? How did they meet, how long have they been friends for, could they ever be something more than just friends? What do they look for in a friend or a romantic partner?
Caellach is my story Commander, so their found family is the same friend group found in the game - Kas, Jory, Braham, Rox, Taimi, Gorrik, and Rytlock. Oh, and Aurene, too!
In terms of friends, he's absolutely closest to Rytlock, both sharing a soldier's outlook on life and the drive of an underdog fighting tooth and claw to reach the top. They get along like a metaphorical house on fire and, by the time the Icebrood Saga rolls around, they have a synergy in combat that can make even the most battle-hardened warriors run for the hills. They really are brothers-in-arms, and Caellach even has an unofficial Stone warband name - Brightstone.
But for kids? Far and away, Braham, Taimi, Gorrik, Blish and Aurene are his babies. He doesn't care that Braham has a good foot of height on him, Braham is his son, and I cannot even begin to describe how much their argument and split crushed him. Even before Eir was lost, Caellach considered Braham under his protection, and that only amplified from then on. He wants so badly to be the guiding figure that Braham never got to have.
The same goes for Taimi, who he swiftly became protective of due to their shared experiences with illness and chronic pain. He's practically watched both her and Braham grow up, and oh, hell hath no fury like a father with a daughter in danger - when she was taken by Joko, there was nothing that would have withstood the force of Caellach's anger. Nobody puts her in danger, ever. His fire almost melted Scruffy in his attempt to get her out in time.
(He held her so tight when they did. Sat down on that floor and ignored the screaming pain of magic overuse and just held her, rocked her, whispered into her hair, until all their panic finally melted away. "It's alright, it's okay, you're okay. Shh-shh-shh. You're safe now. I- thorns, you're safe now. I'm so sorry. We're okay, you're okay. It's over, now. I promise. I promise.")
Blish and Gorrik are special, and pretty amusing, cases. Right at the beginning, Caellach was very wary of them both, as of course they were both Inquest; as a Firstborn, Caellach hardly has much trust for a red-clad rat. Once they proved themselves willing to save the world, however - and with the realisation of just how young they both were, dragged into the Inquest like that - they both swiftly became Additional Sons, and joined the ranks of Caellach's odd little family. He's as protective of the two of them as any of the others. Losing Blish in the fight against Kralkattorik, therefore, hurt Caellach beyond words. He wanted to keep them both safe, and couldn't. The helplessness of it was soul-crushing. He swore he would never lose another of his kids again.
Finally, there is, of course, Aurene - his littlest daughter, now a big shiny Elder Dragon! He can't believe how much she's grown in such a short time, and to be honest, he was sent reeling by the change from guardian to guarded. It was like watching your child grow up so fast and become an adult themselves, doing the exact thing you had been doing for so long. He is honoured to have been her "surrogate" father, and to have become her Champion, but sometimes he misses the little hatchling she was, and her ravenous appetite for fish.
(She lays her head in his lap, still, on occasion, especially when she was recovering in Seitung. He's so small to her, now, so fragile, when he used to be the biggest, brightest star in her universe - she supposes that such is life as a hatchling growing up into a dragon. Even so, she'll nuzzle up close from time to time, doing her best not to rest too much weight on him, and enjoys the feeling of his hands stroking at her head, just like he used to do. She's not sure what she'll do when he's no longer there.)
š Does your OC enjoy hugs? What do they do as a show of affection for: their friends, their family, their significant other(s) or for strangers? Over all what are they like with recieving affection from others?
He does love hugs, but they're typically reserved for family, very close friends, and his significant other. He's even one of Taimi's favoured "carrier people" if she needs someone to take over with the whole walking thing. He'll allow a hug from a stranger if they're doing it out of genuine gratitude for something he's done, but a soldier's mind never really rests, so please don't hug him completely out of nowhere!
With those he's close to, you can easily tell how much they mean to him by how comfortable he is around them - he'll let the Commander persona slip, he'll relax, he'll laugh and joke and make sarcastic little comments like the rest of them.
