Clover

K'mih turned her head quickly to her father, surprised at his entrance. The metallic smell of blood reached her before the sight of it did, making her eyes open wider with concern. (Father... you're...) No words came from her at first. She listened, staring at his injured form with both hands on her stomach, the stone hidden inside one of them. It was difficult to gauge how severe his wound was, but he was losing blood. That much was clear. At the elder's command for K'yohko to sound the alarm, K'mih stepped forward. "I-I will do it! Please allow me...!" She said, as determined as she was nervous. It was the only thing that could make her feel useful now. Her gaze turned to her father then, soaked in pure concern. "Father, please let K'zhumi tend to your wounds as soon as possible..."

Slowly, K'mih's head rose until her worried gaze could meet the elder who spoke. As much as she thought she'd known how important the dance was, it felt like her eyes had been closed. She'd known nothing. The hand which held the stone remained protectively closed, trembling slightly. Would she be able to honour her tribe and her ancestors with less than two days of preparations? If she danced and searched for her father's gaze, would she only find disgust and disappointment there? Her lips parted slightly, as if wishing to speak. ‘I’ll do my best,’ she wanted to say. ‘I’ll do it right,' she wanted to believe. (I can't do this...) was the true voice in her heart, paralyzing her. Finally, her only reply came a nod from her head, eyes dropping to the sand.

Clover had spent most of the trip with her back turned to everyone else, a leg half resting on her seat as she stared at the changing scenery. It was a familiar path, full of familiar colours she never got tired of. Brown to green, sometimes blue, sometimes grey. The sky was the sad shade today, though nostalgia hit the same no matter what the weather. "This is where you saved me," she mentioned suddenly when the carriage crossed a certain spot, breaking the silence that had travelled with them. That was one of her memories; one that hadn't hurt so far. It couldn't. Not when she could simply turn her eyes to the side and find the same warrior there, as if time hadn't passed. And she did, smiling lightly at him. Had she been traveling on her own, she wouldn't have dared to even take a peek at her side.

Aah, thank you for the screen K'nahli >_< That's a beautiful edit! I'm very excited today about the new poses. Finally, Clover can have some variety while sitting. With Andre Winter. Miqo'te sitting pose is also perfect for K'mih. With K'nahli.

K'rahto blinked, still frowning. Well-meaning as they actually were, Li's words sounded like an insult in the Tia's head. Was that Moon miqo'te implying that K'zhumi wasn't enough to properly attend K'luha's wounds? "If my sister needs help, she'll ask for it!" He raised his voice, clearly annoyed at what he perceived as an arrogant attitude. For some reason, arrogant attitudes were especially bothersome when they came from strangers and from K'nahli, and he'd gotten them from both today. "Just don't expect that to happen."

The bead appeared like a guiding star, opening the girl's eyes wider. She stared at it, hypnotised, almost afraid that the elder would suddenly make it disappear again. Up until less than a bell ago, she'd never given that small stone much of a thought. Now, in a matter of minutes, it'd become something strangely important to her. She extended her hands together to receive the bracelet, her gaze still on it. 'Your heart is in the right place, child,' she could hear K'jhanhi's voice say, and slowly, ever so slowly, a small smile timidly made its way upon her features. "Thank you very much." K'mih bowed down with her face hidden and her hand closed, fingers protecting a treasure that had become only hers. "I will treasure this." [...] Outside the medical tent, K'rahto Tia stood with crossed arms. His expression was as stoic as he could manage, which translated into a perpetual unfriendly face. When the stranger approached him, he couldn't help but to scan him from head to toe, frowning. Was he actually asking to take part on K'luha's treatment? Why would he even consider such a ridiculous idea? "We got a healer already, one we trust," was the Tia's cutting answer, making it clear for the stranger that he wasn't needed. ...Or so he thought.

K'mih's eyes brightened at K'deiki's words. Family was the most important, what kept the tribe alive; that could only mean that her devotion was perfectly justified and normal. Why had K'ile told her that her mere thoughts were wrong, when they came from the very first lesson she was taught? The elder's next question made her a bit nervous, for she realized they hadn't actually agreed to give her the stone. Were they having doubts? Or perhaps she was reading too much into it? She tried not to press the matter and follow their conversation. They were being kind to her, after all. She shouldn't be concerned... "I'm worried about K'luha..." she replied honestly, ears dropping slightly. "Ah... Everyone is, I guess. But... if we are celebrating a feast tomorrow, it can only mean that the chance for her to recover is high... isn't it?"

If the time is EU friendly, I'd love to attend it! The last beach event I went to was a lot of fun.

Lala K'mih and lala K'nahli. Must take screens of lala Clover. And actually level her.

Hahahaha! Crisiet and my male hyur would be good friends.

K'RAHTO: So that's how it is...

F'yue Tia. I wish he RPed in this community.

Haha, I agree that some names sound better with the initial letter (and others without it. I created an NPC to RP with some friends from the F tribe, and I'm glad everyone drops the F from her name because "F'korolon" sounds odd to me ^^; ) Names like Nahli and Rahto sound odd too. In my case, I just accept them as a part of the lore, even if I'm not too fond of them myself.

Ah, I actually didn't notice the K'ile part from K'nahli's post. I've searched for the miqo'te naming conventions post (http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/61150-Miqo-te-Naming-Conventions), and after explaining the pronunciation of all the letters, they add this bit: "Pronunciation-wise, other than the tribe pronunciations listed above, names follow common English phonics. Though followed by an apostrophe, the tribe sound is usually flows into the name. O’raha would be pronounced “o-RA-ha” not “OH. raha” Does that mean that the sound of the original letter can be altered? Or just that it doesn't need to be emphasised? In any case, I for one would rather follow the lore. I find it chaotic if everyone makes up their own rules and pronunciations about something that's been explained in detail.

About pronunciations, I *think* K'ailia's name shouldn't actually be "Kay-lee-ah". Unless I'm mistaken and understood it completely wrong (which could be the case), the lore stated that the initial K is read as ku/coo, followed by any name. The sound of the initial letter is not mixed with the following name; it has its own sound, unrelated to what follows it.

Thank you for your input, Wizard and Warren! Truth be told, when I started RPing miqo'tes, I didn't pay much attention to the letter dropping. I read "sometimes it happens" and assumed it'd be a rare case. I also liked how the characters' names sounded with the initial letter. For some reason, now I feel that perhaps I should have gone with the name dropping from the beginning. My miqo'te is supposed to be very friendly and very close to her sister K'nahli, but so far she hasn't dropped the initial letter when addressing her. Since my perspective has changed, now I feel that it's unnatural for K'mih to use her sister's full name. What could her reason be? Habit? I guess I'll have to take that route if I want to explain their closeness without letter dropping *sweatdrops*.

K'takka's words were reassuring; her smile, contagious. Albeit still shyly, K'mih smiled back at the old woman, at the warmth she was treating her with. The girl had seen the elders angry before. She knew of their unforgiving nature, and she'd always felt lucky not to be the target of their severity. They were very different with her, all kindness and smiles, for she'd never done anything wrong. Yes, submission was always the best path to take. The elders, her father, K'nahli... everyone -no matter how cold or distant or severe- would continue looking at her kindly so long as she kept being a good girl. "I want... my father to be proud of me tomorrow," she admitted, using the chance that he'd been mentioned. A sweet daughter who wanted to be her father's pride. There was nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all. "I'm willing to work hard to learn."

Delightful as K'nahli's weakness was for the Tia, the difficulty she was having in giving him a straight answer only added to his already heavy tension. K'rahto did his best to stay silent and not pressure her further. He waited with eyes glued to the female, burning with desperation. "It will be many summers before I would even contemplate such a path.." When the answer finally came, it sounded like the sweetest melody in the Tia's relieved ears. K'rahto exhaled soundly, releasing a breath he hadn't even noticed he was holding. No longer mattered that she'd rejected him in the past, for she had just admitted the true reason behind her attitude. Or that was what he believed. If she needed time, so did he. In many summers, K'rahto might have become a true man, one who'd be ready to become the Nunh. Such wordless determination was now reflected in his eyes as he stared at her. "Understood," was his answer when he finally spoke. He didn't smile, despite his relief; it was still early for that. Or maybe he just didn't even know how. "In several summers, I will ask you again." With this new declaration of war, K'rahto turned his back to the girl and started walking away, taking the conversation as finished. He'd heard what he came for; there'd be no use delaying his departure and bothering K'nahli further. He left with the memory of her troubled eyes, lingering like poisonous hope. She'd seen his weakness before, and now, he knew what hers looked like.

K'deiki's voice sounded welcoming, even warm behind the doorway. It made K'mih slightly less nervous. At the warning to watch her step, she blinked and started by taking a look inside before venturing further, effectively spotting the symbols the old woman was drawing in the sand. The girl took a single and careful step inside, enough to find herself in the intimacy of the elder's tents without disturbing their work. She bowed respectfully to them before she spoke, polite and a bit shy. No eye contact was made. "K'ile has asked me to dance tomorrow in his place... If you approve of me for the task, I would like to request a firedancing stone."

Unable to shake the memory of K'tahjha's hurt expression from her head, K'mih walked to the elders' tent with ears and tail down. Her first mission, albeit unsuccessful, had been completed. The next task was by no means easier; she'd have to approach the elders in such a tense moment, with a stranger in the camp and a severely injured huntress. Perhaps tomorrow's feast would be the least of their concerns right now, and she certainly wouldn't want to bother them at such a time if it depended on her. But it didn't. Her steps stopped at the entrance of the elders' tent. She stared at it for a moment, inhaling deeply and nervously. Then, she got the courage to lift the courtain slightly and let her voice be heard. "V-venerable elders... I'm K'mih Yohko, I come in K'ile's name," she announced her presence without daring as much as to even peek inside until she was told to. "May I speak to you for a moment...?"

Eh? But... female miqo'tes didn't have "kawaii" /cposes until now @x@ Out of four standing poses they'll have, only one is the cute kind.

I'm personally very excited about the new poses! My female miqo'te has been unable to use the current /cpose because nothing really suited her. However, the new standing pose from the second pic and the sitting on chairs pose look really cute and girly, perfect for her. I hope I can use them as default. My female hyur has been luckier with /cpose when standing, since I love the first one we already have. She hasn't been using /cpose when sitting on chairs, but this new one will definitely suit her. tl;dr... I love how the new poses add more variety and different kinds of charisma. Some of them are perfect for my characters, so I'm naturally very happy about this update.

The world seemed to change in that single moment. It changed with K'nahli. Something happened to the cold, proud, and arrogant huntress. Something that broke her shell, albeit slightly, and disarmed her. She looked strangely fragile and lost after the transformation, as perhaps only her sister K'mih had seen her. Now, K'rahto had become a new witness of her weakness. His heart was racing again. Had it been him the one who stole all her words, just like she always stole his? Was it him the one she was trying to protect herself from? The one she tried to step away from as if he could burn? In all her overwhelming confusion, K'nahli didn't get to finish any of her questions, and the Tia wouldn't let her either. He spoke again before she could sort her thoughts. "I answered," was stated with unusual calmness, albeit not completely devoid of defensive tints. "It's your turn now..." An answer. That was what he initially came for. If K'nahli Yohko was going to belong to another man, K'rahto needed to know. The mere thought, the mere uncertainty made his blood boil again. She really knew nothing.

Yay! Since many people will be kidnapped, that means Clover can play the rescuer role! It's time for her to put the little she knows about magic into good use.