been meaning to introduce miji's beloved siblings, reese and emma! after their parents passed away (5 years before mistria timeline), miji stepped up to become an adventurer/mercenary to protect their livelihoods. they're who she works day and night for, but due to her long absences, their relationship has become rather strained.
lore drop and refs below the cut :3
they're also all on art fight! if you'd like more lore specifically from their pov, you can visit my art fight account >:)
miji, reese, and emma were extremely close back then, and their family was tightly-knit. miji learned swordsmanship from their dad while reese picked up pottery (and later, sculpting) from their mom.
because of his admiration for the eldest, reese tried to learn swordsmanship prior to pottery, but he simply didn't have the affinity for it. it upset him — that he couldn't be like miji, but he got over it eventually with her encouragement.
emma was drawn to theater and dancing, but had terrible stage fright and performance anxiety. miji and reese would act as her backup dancers to ease her stress and accustom her to performing. through this, emma found she enjoyed teaching her older siblings choreography.
after an unexpected accident that caused the deaths of their parents, miji, being the only (barely) adult at the time, signed up at the adventurer's guild at 20 years old. with the kind of bills she needed to pay, miji knew she had to quickly work her way up the ranks.
later in her career, miji shifted her focus to collaborating with nobility and merchants on commissions typically involving escorting goods and important figures — definitely more dangerous than the regular, but paid handsomely. miji believed she could handle them.
with the quick increase of their adventure rank and experience through the years, miji talked less about their work, came back home less frequently, and wore longer sleeves to cover up their wounds. they pretended to be the reliable eldest sister to avoid their siblings' concerns over the risks of their job. this was the only way for her family to live a comfortable life; she did what she had to.
these actions gradually distanced her from her siblings. reese grew both resentful and guilty. emma sacrificed her feelings to lessen their burdens. all three of them hated where their relationship was headed and how it was making them feel; however, they have yet to break the ice.
when the commission from mistria was posted on the board of the adventurer's guild, miji saw it as an opportunity to retire from mercenary work. with all that she's experienced, she knew that she could very well draw her last breath tomorrow, even if she made all precautions.
despite the hardships of work and sacrifice, miji intends to live a long life; one where she can live happily with her siblings once more.
(fun fact! miji's spring outfit is actually the furthest from her actual style. she wore it purely to make good first impressions. her clothing choice over the seasons shows her gradual willingness to open up to the people of mistria ^^ beach outfit only gets worn year 2 onwards)