laxmi had had enough chaos to last a lifetime during the last twenty-four hours. when a ship crashed on the shore just a few hours after her plane did, she thought it couldn’t get stranger. she had assumed it was a deserted island, but then the islanders appeared while she was still trying to make some sense of what had happened. everything smelled of smoke and salt, and nothing could be more appealing than a soft bed.
but no, they had announced a bonfire to welcome those who had landed during the day. welcome us to what? what is this place? where am i? some part of her rational brain was thinking maybe she had passed out or died, and this was all a product of her imagination. how else could she explain what she’d seen?
the only certain thing was that she didn’t trust them. the islanders made laxmi’s hair stand on end, and she felt cold even though the air was warm and fragrant —no trace of the stink of smoke, somehow. it was just a stupid feeling, probably just the adrenaline still running through her veins, yet she could not let herself appear scared. there were more survivors from her flight, some of them mere children, whom she needed to show strength for.
but she wasn’t about to simply accept that they were friendly. laxmi sat by the fire and refused every plate or drink she was offered, deciding to chew some leaves she’d found harmless instead. when she heard someone sit next to her, her eyes didn’t move away from the bonfire, scared that it might be one of the strange islanders. ‘oh, don’t be pathetic, they’re not going to eat you… or maybe they are?’ gathering up all her courage, she gulped loudly and extended her hand, full of leaves, at the stranger. “want one? they taste like mint.”
Blaze had embraced Concordia in a way that he didn’t usually see others take to it. There is always the first layer of caution and in a way, he understands it. He can still recall the first time he saw the island and it took his brain a little while to catch up. Each day felt as fuzzy as the next and now, they all blended together into his first few months before he had really chosen which kingdom to join. He had sampled each one in some way, whether it was time spent with the monarchs or with the few sprites that had been there when he had arrived. Each were fascinating but, in the end, it was Ardora that he chose.
Still, he never saw the point of the division between everyone. He easily would have preferred a choice where he could visit all whenever he felt like it. But, until he figured out a loop hole around that, he had settled for Ardora and the occasional visits elsewhere. Could’ve been worse, though, he had thought at the time. He was well on his way to several more prison stints, maybe even a more permanent one since he had joined the mob shortly before his arrival.
That never ended well. Here, though, he had never felt safer. A near death combined with an accidental rescue in the form of hospitality was fine by him. Perhaps he was just bored but, he decidedly chose to return the favor moreover with this particular crowd. Typically, he hung back in background, far from everyone. Instead, he soaked it all in, drank and found something to amuse himself until everyone finally retreated back home. He was usually the last one.
“I think I’m okay but, I appreciate that you’re sharing your leaves with people. Nice of you.” There was a hint of humor in his voice as he looked from the leaves back to her. “We do have fruits and vegetables here, though, grown locally and all that.” He had no idea why he bothered to explain that to her. It was rather obvious but, he also couldn’t figure out why she’d chosen to eat mint leaves that were grown here but nothing else. “You worried we’re gonna poison you?”
It’s better, really, to go out in a blaze, we love the ones who walk right into the fire.
NAME: Rhys Warren / Blaze.
AGE: One hundred and twenty seven.
KINGDOM: Fire sprite.
GENDER IDENTITY: Cismale (he&him).
SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Biromantic & bisexual.
Rhys Warren was born to a young couple that weren’t prepared for children. The pair had never set down roots anywhere nor did they really ever intend to. One from a traditional Irish family and the other craved a life away from where their family had been forced to live, together they chose a life on the run. His mother was groomed to remain a part of her own society, where she might take over her mother’s role as an agricultural leader. The role itself was a good one as far as things went but, it wasn’t exciting. She was never one for political intricacies and instead, held out hope for a chance to explore the world with another. Enter Rhys’ father, someone of Irish importance that held no claim to his own name. Rather than marry into another wealthy family to find a housewife and raise the allotted children that his family hoped for, he met another that he would escape his designated life with and live carefree with until their first son was born. Rhys had been unexpected but, strangely, still a wanted surprise for them.
When the family was complete with three children, the couple decided to return home for a little while. Namely, back to where Rhys’ father’s side had settled. Their life there would be short-lived, however, only a few years were spent there before the fatigue of everyday life hit the couple. They were advised by both sides of the family to leave the children behind and at first, they obliged. Rhys lived with his mother’s side of the family where he learned how to hunt, to gather and shadowed other leaders within their society. He thrived moreover in hunting and in working within the fields. The manual labor kept his fiery personality in check which was key because otherwise, the child would often pick fights with other children around them.
Like many in the early 1900’s, Rhys never attended school. Instead, he labored in fields and worked alongside elders, learning basic education with them. He learned to read and write at an older age than most would but, technically, it wasn’t something that was truly necessary for him until he was older. Until his parents decided that they were moving to Florida and hoped to take their children with them, that was. By then, Rhys was seventeen and his siblings were a few years younger. They obliged despite how their caretakers felt and soon, the five of them were living in a commune just outside of Miami. The commune itself was an offset of another that had been created several years back. It was, effectively, a socialist commune where revolutionary socialists and anarchists of all sorts came to live amongst one another. It was there that Rhys found his love for boxing and would continue to practice elsewhere later. Rhys remained at the commune for several years before he made the decision to move on to Miami.
However, Rhys wasn’t the only one interested in the Magic City. Upon the time that he moved there, the city’s officials had set out to create canals that would create more land and divert water away from the city. It was soon made clear that they required additional help doing this to finish in a timely manner. Rhys answered this call for more help and worked his way to a place to live while he looked for more work. However, this downtime sparked a change in Rhys. Hard work kept Rhys’ overactive mind at bay but, now that he had precious little to do in the way of manual labor, he started to feel the pull once again to achieve far more dangerous machinations. Burglary was first but, it certainly wasn’t enough. No matter how much he stole or how difficult the entrance and exit were, he found that the challenge didn’t do enough for him. Then came gambling. He learned the cheap tricks and dirty secrets behind how to win every time and once he had those mastered, boredom wrapped around his mind once again. But, it would be arson that kept his attention for much longer.
It was also what kept him in jail most often. He tried to keep his distance but it was difficult to do that but also watch the flames in all of their glory. So, occasionally, he was caught due to his attempt to watch the art that he had created. But, sometimes he chose places where people had angered him which made it entirely too obvious that it was Rhys Warren who had set the fire even if he was hidden elsewhere as the blaze burned the establishment down to ashes. In and out of jail, he had made friends within and outside which slowly created a network of how people knew Rhys. It wasn’t until his twenty eighth birthday, of which the evening was spent in a jail cell, that this network finally paid off. He didn’t know the person who had paid his bail but, they had known of him. A recruiter sent from the mob, Rhys was formally invited to prove himself to something bigger than him. Something that might actually hold his attention.
Rhys climbed the ranks of the mob until he sat pretty as a rum runner. He had spent several years building trust with the Miami sect of the American Mafia, where they mainly dealt in gambling and procuring alcohol during a time of Prohibition. However, he was on the fence about moving up even higher within the mob. It meant more responsibility and as someone born and raised in a world with no rigid schedule, Rhys was free-spirited. He didn’t adhere to the ideals of time management and strict routines. He knew, in his heart of hearts, that this would become a problem at some point. However, after the death of one of his siblings, the itch to leave and embark on a journey that would both keep him preoccupied and offer much needed excitement, Rhys pushed to be a part of the negotiations that dealt with the Dominican Republic. And so, he stepped onto the Horizons with the belief he would be back soon.
A lot of work had gone into Rhys’ preparation from a presentational standpoint. He had taught himself while on the voyage to conduct himself in a professional manner, to appear as a charismatic businessman rather than a hot-headed fighter with permanent calluses on the palms of his hands from a life of hard work. As fruitless as this was, the shore that he awoke on with lungs filled with salt water was beyond his wildest hopes and dreams. He accepted the deal when it was presented to him as an immediate believer of the sprites. Here, he could finally lean into the more dangerous, volatile whims that had always lurked underneath his skin. Rhys Warren was made of fire but, it was Blaze that would embody it.
CONNECTION IDEAS
THE FIRE SPREADS - Anyone who is aware of the laws of the land but still love the idea of bending them. Whether there’s a reasoning behind it or they’re more akin to Blaze who is the epitome of ‘fuck around and find out’, perhaps they were a criminal in a past life and sometimes, they just need to seek out a thrill or two.
PASSIONATE EMBERS - Those who Blaze has been with in some capacity. It’s a running theme for him to be looking for ‘the one’ and though he isn’t a wholly sensitive person, he does have a romantic side. This might have been a passionate romance with a quick burn out, nights of passion now unspoken or something else, we can figure it out.
A SPARK - This could be anything - a friendship, soon to be enemies, potentially a relationship, etc., but the point is that there’s something there and they haven’t figured out what it is. But, there’s a push and a pull between them.
ASHES NOW - They were close for some time and then had a horrible falling out. Their relationship (be it whatever it was, platonic or otherwise) was one that seemed like it would be lasting but, now it’s bitter. There’s unresolved feelings and even potentially disdain.
FIRE & ICE - I just really dig the idea of him teaming up with someone from the water kingdom, I don’t really have any solid ideas but, hit me up and we can come up with something wild.
HORIZONS PASSENGERS - Lastly, I’d dig some plots with the people that Blaze arrived with! They probably didn’t know one another at the time but, that doesn’t mean we can’t get some spicy ideas going.
