DISTINGUISHING MARKS: Cross-shaped scar on his forehead, notch torn out of his left ear, navel piercing, violet tiger-stripe war paint, very fluffy tail, resting bored face
COMMON ACCESSORIES: Lots of gold jewelry, feathers, and flowers
personal ––– –
PROFESSION: Entertainer, hunter, healer
HOBBIES: Goldsmithing, singing, piano, drawing
RESIDENCE: Shirogane
BIRTHPLACE: The Black Shroud
RELIGION: Menphina
PATRON DEITY: Menphina, the Lover
FEARS: Losing loved ones, abandonment, being seen as filthy or disgusting
Preferred Sexual Role: submissive | dominant | switch
Libido: High
Turn ons: Roughness, claws and teeth, praise/flattery
Turn offs: Egotism, possessiveness, jealousy
Love Language: Words of affirmation and physical touch
Relationship Tendencies: Highly experienced in casual flings, but has only had one good, serious relationship. Desires to have multiple partners as he dreams of having a big family.
traits ––– -
extroverted / introverted / in between.
disorganized / organized / in between.
close minded / open-minded / in between.
calm / anxious / in between/
disagreeable / agreeable / in between.
cautious / reckless / in between.
patient / impatient / in between.
outspoken / reserved / in between.
leader / follower / in between.
empathetic / apathetic / in between.
optimistic / pessimistic / in between.
traditional / modern / in between.
hard-working / lazy / in between.
cultured / un-cultured / in between.
loyal / disloyal / unknown / in between.
faithful / unfaithful / unknown / in between.
additional information ––– –
SMOKING HABIT: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.
DRUGS: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess. /
ALCOHOL: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess /
A heavy sigh escaped the Au Ra's lips as he read the note; it was incredibly terse, especially for someone as verbose as Mhalv'a. I better go check on him... he thought, taking the pouch of gil and shoving it into his pocket. He decided he would simply hold onto it for the time being. Inevitably, Mhalv'a was going to get it back at some point once he was feeling up to giving lessons again.
Before going to Mhalv'a's room - or, more accurately, the room that Kaito had built for him after taking over the one that did belong to Mhalv'a - the Raen grabbed a bottle of rum from the bar, then made a couple of sandwiches. The poor guy probably needed it, he figured. He wasn't sure how much the bard had been eating or drinking recently, but then again, he'd spent less and less time at the company house. Still, it didn't hurt to show him that he wasn't alone.
With his arms full, the Au Ra turned and thumped his tail on Mhalv'a's door. "Nee, Maru-chan. Koko ni iru ka? You there?" he asked.
For a measure or two, there was silence, followed by what sounded like something being skewered. The fuck?? Eventually, a faint and muffled, "Come in," came through the door.
Kaito was fairly worried about what he might find on the other side; Mhalv'a was typically a very rational person, but rationality tended to fly out the window when love and trauma were involved, at least in his experience. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as what his mind had conjured up - the bard had set up a target dummy in the middle of the room and was practicing his archery. Everything else he had in there was pushed off to the sides rather haphazardly.
"Is this why you canceled my piano lesson?" Kaito asked as he set the food and drinks down on the table.
Without bothering to look over at Kaito, Mhalv'a nocked an arrow, pulled back the bowstring, then released. The arrow zipped toward the dummy, hitting it in the dead center of the target. "Yes," he answered simply.
As he watched the display, the Raen let out an appreciative whistle, then poured some rum for both of them and held out a glass for the Miqo'te. "You're pretty damn good... is this all you've been doing lately?"
Another arrow nocked, a moment of concentration, and the bard released it. The second arrow struck directly next to the previous one. "Yes," Mhalv'a repeated.
Frowning slightly, Kaito realized that he was probably going to need to carry the conversation - not that this would be too difficult, considering what a big mouth he had. "Come over here and eat something," he requested, pulling out a seat for the Miqo'te before sitting down himself. "I know you're hurting right now... I am too. I don't know if my brother's alive or dead, I don't know exactly where they've got him, and I'm terrified at having to go back to Garlean territory..."
The bard side-eyed Kaito, then shot one last arrow that nestled between the other two before setting his bow aside. "At least everyone recognizes your capability," he stated in a quiet, seething tone as he took a seat.
"I'm not denying your capability, Maru-chan, but you can't go running off there on your own," Kaito sighed.
"I wasn't attempting to," came the response, with an implied "again" at the end of the statement. Mhalv'a stared at the food and drinks, as if trying to remember how such things worked.
Lowering his eyes, the Au Ra sighed again, then took a large gulp of his rum. "What you did was crazy and stupid, but... it was helpful too," he murmured, slowly turning the glass in his hand and staring at the way the light reflected off of it. After a moment, he turned to look at the target dummy, and a grin spread across his face as he got an idea. "Had any practice with a moving target?"
Mhalv'a had just been about to take a bite of his sandwich, but he paused at the question and turned his eyes to meet the Au Ra's. "What are you suggesting?"
"I'm saying finish that sandwich, chug down your rum, and then let's play kakurenbo," Kaito responded with a wide, mischievous grin.
***
"Are you certain about this?" Mhalv'a asked, looking vaguely worried as he stared at Kaito, who was standing about twenty yalms away.
"Trust me. Just shoot!" the Au Ra called out. Just to be safe, he'd donned his full armor and mask - the last thing he needed was to get seriously injured before they all went out to save Hinan.
With a sigh of resignation, the bard nocked an arrow, pulled back his bowstring, then released it directly toward Kaito. Luckily, his trust wasn't misplaced - the Shinobi plucked the arrow out of the air as if catching a feather drifting toward him, then spun it around in his hand before setting it aside.
"So now try to hit me while I'm moving," Kaito called out, then danced around, back and forth over the spot where he'd been standing. "C'mon, Maru-chan! Penetrate me!"
The Miqo'te made a face briefly at Kaito's request to "penetrate" him; it just made him all the more determined to shoot the little bastard. Focusing was difficult though. Every other time he'd put his archery skills to use, his target had been relatively still - usually deer or rabbits he was hunting for food and skins. This was far more of a challenge than he expected, and every arrow he shot either flew past the shinobi or just stuck in the ground near him. "Damn it..." the Keeper sighed.
"Focus! I'm not even moving that much compared to what you're gonna deal with in a real battle!" Kaito called out, still dancing around. He was relatively slow, but Mhalv'a was very out of practice when it came to shooting anything that wasn't stationary. "Just take deep breaths and aim where you think I'm going to be."
Closing his eyes, the Miqo'te inhaled deeply as instructed, then let out a long, drawn-out breath as he nocked his next arrow. He took aim and sang quietly to himself. "Hunt your prey and act, draw your arrow back, never let them get away. Set your arrow free on the enemy, never let them get away." After taking a moment to predict Kaito's movements, he loosed the arrow, and it zipped right toward Kaito's chest.
The Shinobi's eyes crinkled - the only indication that he was grinning behind his mask, and he clapped his hands onto the shaft of the arrow as it flew towards him. "Direct hit!" he exclaimed, letting out an excited cheer afterwards.
Eyes wide, the Miqo'te watched in awe as his arrow nearly pierced his companion, only to be stopped just in time. For a moment, he was quiet, pursing his lips and trying to convince himself that it wasn't just a fluke. Well, even if it was, he just needed more practice, right?
"Mou ichido!" the bard called out as he nocked another arrow. Kaito blinked a couple of times in surprise, then grinned as he started dancing around again, faster and in broader, sweeping motions this time.
"Pull the bowstring back, just before it snaps, feel the tension in your fingers," Mhalv'a sang along with his motions, narrowing his eyes as he watched the Shinobi closely. Just like before, he aimed right where he predicted the Raen would be, singing louder as he loosed his arrow, "As they're frozen still, go in for the kill, making sure no life will linger!"
Surprisingly, the Raen was caught off-guard by the next arrow zipping towards him. He let out a yelp, then quickly dodged out of the way - it would have gotten him directly through the gut if he hadn't been quick enough. "Holy shit! Maru-chan!" he shouted as he sprinted up to the Miqo'te excitedly.
Mhalv'a's eyes were still wide, but he gave the Au Ra a little smile; clearly, he was doing something right. "I guess... I should keep doing this?" he asked, looking up at Kaito a bit anxiously. It was weird having their student-teacher dynamic flipped on its head, but there was something kind of nice about it too. Besides, he'd already learned enough about archery in his youth that really, Kaito was just helping him transfer that knowledge.
"Now we play kakurenbo," the Au Ra said with a grin. He stepped aside and reached into the satchel he'd brought along, then pulled out a new quiver full of arrows tipped in suction cups. "I'm gonna run off and hide. Once you find me, I'm gonna start running, and when you shoot me, you win," he explained.
This didn't sound like any game of "hide-and-seek" that Mhalv'a had ever played, but the idea of having an excuse to riddle the adorable asshole with arrows - however harmless they may have been - was rather enticing. After removing his own quiver, the bard slipped the one from Kaito over his shoulder, then smirked. "Kakugo shinasai yo!" he snapped, immediately drawing an "arrow" and nocking it on his bow.
Laughing brightly, Kaito darted off to find a place to hide.
***
The two played "hide-and-seek" for several bells; Mhalv'a found it easier over time to predict where to shoot, even as Kaito's movements became more erratic. After exhausting the quiver several times over, the two of them headed back to the company house, sore and out of breath, then flopped down amongst the flowers in the lawn.
"Hinan's gonna be super impressed," Kaito panted as he tugged his mask off. With a little grin, he turned to look at Mhalv'a, but his smile quickly faded when he saw the Miqo'te's expression. Granted, Mhalv'a didn't look terribly different from normal, but his wilted ears and the look in his eyes told the Au Ra everything he needed to know.
"He was going to teach me..." Mhalv'a whispered, biting his lower lip as he stared up at the stars. "I keep thinking maybe we'll hear something... anything..."
"I know... it's driving me nuts too, but all we can do is just... focus on keeping it together," Kaito responded in a gentler tone than usual as he turned on his side to look at the Keeper. "For his sake, and for everyone else."
Mhalv'a closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly to compose himself. "I know..." he whispered.
After finally gathering the strength to push himself up into a sitting position, Kaito gave Mhalv'a a firm clap on the shoulder. "Come have dinner with me and S'aeil some night," he offered. "Maybe it'll help ya feel better, ya know, not feeling like you're stuck here. Just... don't tell Takumi I let you eat my cooking. It's already bad enough I let S'aeil and Ralei in on the secret. If she finds out more people are getting to experience my culinary prowess, she's gonna flip the fuck out."
The bard couldn't help the quiet laugh that bubbled up in response to Kaito's request - it was absurd, but just the kind of absurd he'd come to expect of the "twins." "So long as it wouldn't be an imposition..." he sighed quietly. "Thank you, Kaito..."
Mhalv'a's reaction to Kaito's remark was what he was looking for, and the Au Ra grinned once again. "Thank you... for everything you've done to help get my brother back," he responded, giving his companion's shoulder a squeeze. "I'm gonna head back home for now, but... just page my linkpearl whenever you'd like to come over. Dropping in on us unexpectedly is dangerous, otherwise I'd just say come over whenever."
It was clear what Kaito meant by "dangerous," and the Miqo'te wrinkled his nose slightly. "... of course," he agreed after a moment, then finally pushed himself up to his feet. "I suppose I could stand to make use of the new bathing facilities downstairs..."
Kaito stood as well, and they hugged briefly before parting ways. If nothing else, Mhalv'a was at least feeling more confident in his abilities, and, hopefully, he would be able to convince everyone to let him accompany them whenever the time came to rescue Hinan.
((OOC: This is for a campaign my partner is running for his guild. Since Aomaho and Sabanrab are involved, he gave me permission (because I requested it, not because I needed it necessarily) to participate. Figured I’d post here what I wrote up for it.))
Zrimgor had spent his time recently tending to his half-limbless half-elven brother-in-law Mal'valen - thankfully, that wasn't difficult, considering Mal'valen was also undead and therefore incapable of feeling pain. For that matter, he got around quite well for a guy with only one leg thanks to his levitation abilities, though writing had proven difficult since his right arm was the one that was ripped off and confiscated by those damned imps.
So, for the most part, Zrimgor acted as ambassador and scribe between visits with his ward, Zimina, sending messages this way and that as dictated by the de facto leader of Sun's Peak. It was certainly a position the old Death Knight, a former commanding officer on Argus, had never expected to be in, but it was what needed to be done. He even spent some time at Acherus to the northwest, discussing the Legion's return and hiring some of the other Ebon Knights as temporary guards for the coastal village.
Sitting at a desk that was almost comically too small, Zrimgor wrote as Mal'valen dictated:
"Your assistance is appreciated greatly, and we will see that you are compensated generously for services ren-..." The priest's voice trailed off, and his golden eyes grew wide.
Zrimgor paused his writing and turned to peer at his brother-in-law, his expression characteristically blank with only a faint hint of concern in his barely creased brow.
"Aomaho," Mal'valen murmured, biting his lip as he finally looked up at the Death Knight at his desk. "A Legion ship just arrived in Seradane... Aomaho's out there."
Zrimgor lowered the pen and closed his eyes momentarily. "... Sabanrab as well..." he rumbled.
Using his staff to pull himself up, Mal'valen stood and floated toward the door. "We need to help them... take your father and sister to Seradane. Of everyone here, you three are the most capable of getting there quickly and helping them," he stated.
"Mal--"
"That is an order," the half-elf interrupted. "I don't like using those words but I know they're the only ones you'll take seriously enough to do this." He paused and looked down at his remaining arm. "I can't do anything for Aomaho like this other than provide moral support. You and your father know actual military tactics and strategy, and Ambb can teleport the three of you easily. Please... please do this."
A quiet rumbling sigh emanated from the Death Knight's chest, and, reluctantly, he stood and headed toward Mal'valen. "I talk to Zimina first," he stated. "Then we leave... do not let her worry."
The half-elf smiled and nodded in response. "You know she'll be in good hands," he responded, letting Zrimgor leave first so he didn't have to open the door.
