open starter / a pub in the summer court / @ahqstart·
“So then I said, ‘there’s a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. it would be a pity to damage yours,’ and then she slapped me,” Cian snickered taking a sip from his beer as he spoke to his drinking companion. He pulled out his pipe, and began to scrape out the ash. “So yeah, my date did not end well.” He stuffed the pipe with peppermint tobacco + lit it. He puffed perfect smoke rings in various shapes.
ara’s lips pursed as she listened to the story, eyebrows raised as he progressed. “ and you’re shocked by that?? ” she leaned back in her chair, legs folded under her as she sipped her drink. “ i would’ve slapped you, too. ” she shrugged, stating it as more of a fact than response. “ maybe if you weren’t so... salacious, it would’ve gone better. but now you know for next time. ”
Every time Jacen felt antsy, he traveled to his favorite place. It was a place that not a lot of people often were. It was a place that not many people dared to venture. Cloverwood Forest was beautiful. No matter how many times he ventured there, no matter how many times he’d marveled at the beauty of the greenery, the knowledge of the creatures that inhabited the forest had always been his intrigue. It was what had intrigued him about the place. Of course he knew what to look for and how to handle these animals. It came from many years of visiting and bonding with the magical creatures of the forest, especially dragons.
It felt almost serene to him, but as he’d walked, he heard rustling and twigs snapping. It didn’t sounds like an animal. As he looked up, he noticed he wasn’t alone. He was such a natural with animals, and then people were a different story. He nodded in greeting. “Enjoying the scenery as well? Or are you lost? It’s not safe out here when you’re not experienced in the things that can jump out at you. There’s a baby dragon out here that’s not yet been trained.” He was definitely in a part of the forest that wasn’t outright inhabited. It had been apart of the charm for him, being utterly alone…until now.
cloverwood was, without a doubt, ara’s favorite place to loose herself. sure, she loved the garden ( it was her home, after all ) but sometimes she wanted to see what she could find inspiration from outside of the guarded areas. she’d been told plenty of times by many people that it wasn’t the safest of habits, but she couldn’t get the same feeling in the garden as she could when she saw the sun peaking through the leaves, rays shining down in little beams she could weave in and out of without care. and she always felt her writing came best when perched in a tree, high enough up that no one could see her and she could observe even the smallest creature.
as much as she wanted to stay perched where she was, the day was getting away from her. she could spend hours there, but she had to go back at some point. jumping down from the tree, she stretched a bit before whipping around at the sound of someone else. though she was off-put at first, she relaxed once she knew it was someone from the wild hunt and not someone threatening. “ definitely the first. ” she smiled, hands folded in front of her as she fully turned to him. “ and... possibly some of the second?? not sure on that yet... ”
The Golden City was her pride and joy. It had passed hands through her family and she just wanted to make those that came before her proud. She enjoyed every aspect of her city, but what she truly loved were the beaches. Growing up with this place being a hot-spot for inter-court travelers and meets, she often happened upon many people out on the beaches. Even though she spent most of the day on the beach, she still felt as though she was ever the hostess, wanting to make sure that people enjoyed themselves when they were here. “I feel as though it would be a humble brag if I tried to hold court and parties on the beach. It’s such a beautiful day, it inspires me to want to have some kind of beach party at some point.”
it was rare for ara to find herself at one of the courts -- she preferred to stick to the garden or surrounding forests most of the time, but she was craving some time in the sun near the water today. so the nymph found herself a nice place on one of beaches in the day court, soaking up the sunshine when she heard someone talking near her. she looked over with a smile, nodding. “ technically, it’d be a humble brag. but when you have the access to something as gorgeous as this sight, it almost seems like a waste to not show it off every chance you can. ” she shrugged.
Starter: Open
Location: Cloverwood, just outside The Garden
Time: Doesn’t matter lmao
“Who goes there?” Beauregard’s voice carried out across the Cloverwood forest, eyes darting between trees. They had settled just outside the Garden, keeping careful eye and ear for any enemies that dared step close. It had been the faint ruffling of the wind and a scent not their own that alerted them to the other presence. They took a few steps forward, hand reaching for a weapon they didn’t need. Their wings, a pale ivory, tucked against their back as they prepared for the shift into wolf form, still hoping the visitor was a friendly one. “Only those permitted may enter.”
ara simply smiled as she moved closer to the tree cover, pleasantly surprised to see beau at the post. “ just me. ” she called, hoping they would recognize her voice before she stepped into their line of sight. “ i don’t think i’ve lost my permission in the few hours i’ve been gone... ” ara joked as she finally came into sight, pulling a leaf from her hair. “ i didn’t know you were on guard today. ” normally she’d exchange pleasantries with guards and go about her day, but this wasn’t just a guard. this was beau, and she’d take any chance she could to talk to them. “ how are you ?? ”
&&. cauldron above, ( ara zaki ) was just spotted in the fae lands — word has it ( she ) is affiliated with ( the garden ). ( she ) is a ( 213 / appears 26 ) year old ( nymph ). it’s been said that ( she ) resembles ( jade thirlwall ). ( she ) has been said to be ( optimistic & creative ) but also quite ( secretive & gullible ). ( she ) is currently serving as ( a mentor for young nymphs ).
past: ( tw: parental disappearance )
ara has always known the garden she grew up in. it’s always been her safe place and the only home she’s ever had -- though, growing up without parents can do that to a girl. she doesn’t know what happened, really, though she got conflicting reports when she’d ask people who seemed to know one or other and never got a real answer. eventually she stopped asking and ended up with the story she came up all her own: they had been in love, mates for eternity, and just weren’t quite ready for a child, and left her in the garden because they knew she’d be safe. of course, the older she got, the less likely that once-comforting thought became, and she faced the real truth: her parents were just gone. she didn’t know where or why, but over the years it seemed less and less important. she grew up happy, and that was what mattered to her.
the older she got, the more she wanted to learn and loved helping out with the older nymphs in teaching. it was clear from the moment she started that she was going to end up being a mentor, the joy she felt incomparable to anything else. she started counting down to the time when she’d finally be eligible, a long a tedious wait, but one she was more than willing to do -- it just felt like what she was meant to do. through all of this, she never lost her creative streak and love for stories -- she could often be found with younger kids, telling them stories of fictional nymphs and their mates, or princess fae and their noble steeds, always with a happy ending.
a happy ending wasn’t something ara ever planned for herself -- after years of rejections and failed attempts at what she thought was love, she’d written it off for her own future. it wasn’t until she met beau samson that she thought it could work out for her. they grew close fast, ara falling hard, not holding herself back. they got along better than anyone she’d met before, she felt like she could be completely herself around them. it was clear that they were meant to be, anyone could see it. but then one day, they just... disappeared without a word. some said they’d lost their mother, others said they just left with no reasoning. either way, ara was devastated. she was five years away from being eligible to be a mentor, and ended up walking away from it temporarily -- the loss of someone she considered her best friend was too much, and she just needed time.
present:
it took a few years, but she eventually came back to what she needed to do to be a mentor. she worked tirelessly to catch back up, dedicating herself to it once more. after a decade, beau showed up again, and she was hesitant to talk to them again -- maybe they’d realized they didn’t want her around anymore, or she’d done something to upset them. but eventually they started talking again, and grew closer. just a few years after that she finally became a mentor and she and beau started actually opening up again.
personality:
born and raised in the garden, ara has always had a knack for storytelling. even from a young age she had a wild imagination and loved sharing what she came up with. she grew up always wanting to learn, and always fell for other’s jokes and pranks. this gullibility has lead her to have a tendency to fall fast and hard when it comes to love, something she’s tried to move on from and hasn’t been able to. because of this, it has lead to many rejections and judgements from others and she tends to keep not only her romantic feelings but even little things about herself. however, none of this has ever deterred herself from telling stories. living in the garden, she’s learned everything she can about being a nymph and loves helping the younger girls through everything. she’s sort of like an older sister to them, and makes friends easily.
connection ideas:
friends
exes ( she’s tried dating in the past -- could’ve gone well or ended badly !! )
parental figures/fellow mentors who knew her before becoming a mentor
mentees
literally anything !! im always up for connections !!
&&. cauldron above, ( ara zaki ) was just spotted in the fae lands — word has it ( she ) is affiliated with ( the garden ). ( she ) is a ( 213 / appears 26 ) year old ( nymph ). it’s been said that ( she ) resembles ( jade thirlwall ). ( she ) has been said to be ( optimistic & creative ) but also quite ( secretive & gullible ). ( she ) is currently serving as ( a mentor for young nymphs ).
hello hello!! im tor, 22, in the cst, and this angel is ara, a complete ray of sunshine who just loves to tell stories and teach!!
born and raised in the garden, ara has always had a knack for storytelling. even from a young age she had a wild imagination and loved sharing what she came up with. she grew up always wanting to learn, and always fell for other’s jokes and pranks. this gullibility has lead her to have a tendency to fall fast and hard when it comes to love, something she’s tried to move on from and hasn’t been able to. because of this, it has lead to many rejections and judgements from others and she tends to keep not only her romantic feelings but even little things about herself. however, none of this has ever deterred herself from telling stories. living in the garden, she’s learned everything she can about being a nymph and loves helping the younger girls through everything. she’s sort of like an older sister to them, and makes friends easily.
this isnt the best but its almost 1 in the morning and i have work tomorrow so ill flesh out her backstory and such at a later date, but like this and ill come bother you for plotting!! ( im open to literally anything ) ( it might not be until tuesday after work simply bc i work all day tomorrow and tuesday but i promise i will!! ) and im so excited to be here!!
Losing him was blue like I’d never knownMissing him was dark grey all aloneForgetting him was like trying to know somebody you’ve never metBut loving him was redLoving him was red
“a soft heart is stronger than an iron-clad mind.” kindness and love floods her spirit. she is sweet, gentle, and sensitive. she cares for those who cannot care for themselves, and loves those who cannot find love elsewhere. she is warmhearted in every respect.
kaledo-art
andulkaphoto
snowghoul
romaincrisis
