Elysia

That's what crossed my mind as well! I remember being surprised at how the Elezens (as the standard 'elf' race) didn't appear like a more perfect version of the Hyur. Their odd bodily proportions put me off them for a while, but I've come to deeply appreciate the effort SE puts in to differentiate the races in terms of lore and appearance. I now have to restrain myself from creating a Duskwight alt. My first character (on Gilgamesh) was a Miqo'te female; I loved her nimbleness. But when I moved to Balmung, I picked a Hyur Midlander initially simply because Midlanders don't have a strong cultural background or history the way the other races do, so I could build my character's story and personality without being restricted by these. I also have a Lalafell alt, because, well... my other half and I played a hobbit couple on LotRO, so we imported them into FFXIV as Lalafell incarnations :blush: I've grown a great fondness for Lalafells, though, the Lalafell NPCs in-game have got such great personalities. And I also have a Midlander alt for the warrior princess trope, though I hardly play her... The Roegadyn and Midlander females have the most beautiful and interesting faces, IMHO. Hell, I love all them races.

I'm not sure if this has been asked before, though this is something that has been bothering me ever since I made my Lalafell alt... According to Lalafell lore, it appears that Dunesfolk traditionally made their dwellings upon "the backs of large beasts of burden", but what are these likely to be (Adamantoises) and where are they (in-game)? I've never seen (or have yet to see?) any of them. Are these settlements largely a thing of the past since the Dunesfolk have mostly settled in Ul'dah or in other trading posts across Thanalan? I'm toying with the idea of having my Lalafell character grow up in a family which pulled itself out of the poverty trap by 'selling' this aspect of the Dunesfolk Lalafell culture to curious Eorzean tourists (limited to particular body sizes and weights, of course). Dunesfolk RPers, have you made mention of these travelling settlements in your character's background or do your characters still reside in them? It'd be fun to have a community of Adamantoise-riding Dunesfolk RPers.

Avis noted the reappearance and subsequent withdrawal of the young waiter, but her gaze was fixed on the baby behemoth, who was currently regarding her outstretched hand with a rather Ishgardian apprehension. Despite her relative unfamiliarity with reading porcine body language, it was clear to anyone at the table that Avis's presence was not quite appreciated. She sighed and withdrew her hand, leaning back into her chair and folding her arms, offering Pig an arched eyebrow. She knew better, of course, than to force her case. Glancing in the direction of the retreating waiter, she made a mental note to tip him handsomely later - he could use a boost in morale, and she had verbally expressed her intention to empty her money pouch at this table for the party anyway, even if Steel and Miko were ignorant about the state of her finances. She hoped he had beaten a recourse to Momodi. Momodi would know about Pig, even if the rest of her staff - of varying levels of competency - didn't. She hadn't spoken to good old Momodi in a good long time, though, and she wasn't sure if she would be prepared for Momodi's inevitable fussing-over of her. If she decided that the case of Prince Pig and his threatening bodyguards warranted a personal visit to their table, of course. Avis turned to Steel and nodded. "I'm feeling much better, thank you," she said in reply. "I'll be better after a bit of food and rest, though it seems my head can't decide whether it'd like to go to sleep or pound continuously through cursed desert sand." Pressing fingers to her temple briefly, Avis continued, wryly "The real problem here, though, is our relationship - or lack of one." She gestured at the purple creature and spread her hands helplessly. "We had a little... misunderstanding. But in the spirit of... psychological inquiry... I'd love to be able to hold this little one once before we return it to its owner."

Ah. More water. Avis downed a few more mouthfuls as if her life depended on it. Though of course, technically, it did. She now knew better than to challenge Azeyma out in Thanalan without proper supplies and experience, though she wondered now, in the relative bliss of tavern and amicable company, if the sun keeper's punishment for her dispassionate patronage hadn't been too harsh. Currently, this contrast from her experiences earlier was serving to make Avis feel increasingly drowsy - and she hadn't even started on the whiskey. So it was that Miko's fourth glass of whiskey for Pig went unnoticed until it was pointed out by the Miqo'te herself, and so it was that Avis yelped out a rather sudden and disproportionate bark of a laugh when that had her attention. She leaned forward and patted Miko's hand. The Miqo'te's demeanour had altered somewhat, as though she'd suddenly become self-conscious. "Well, we could solve one mystery now," she said, grinning somewhat, and, plucking Pig's glass from beside him, lifted it briefly to his nose for two moments before pulling it quickly out of reach. "Is that something you enjoy, little scholar?" Avis said to him, her speech just that tiny bit slurred from sleepiness. On impulse, she lifted her other hand to stroke his fur.

Steel's height and statement had its intended effect on the greenhorn waiter - he blanched and twitched perceptibly, putting Avis in mind of one of the jumpier, maladjusted dodos from Red Rooster Stead. "M-My apologies, miss, I - we - er - I'm not sure - we have nothing in the kitchens for a baby... baby... b-behemoth," he managed, his eyes widening in horror as, nearby, a round purple curiosity began its short trek up the Miqo'te's hair, and then his features contorted even more as he took in the creature's uncanny resemblance to what seemed like a kinder version of a wild boar. "Th-that's demonic," the apparent neophobe mumbled as he attempted to scoot away - but his words had not gone unheard, and the Miqo'te had chosen that moment to grab him by the sleeve. Avis raised her eyebrows at the Miqo'te's request at this time of the day. Would the whiskey sedate this frisky one or send her literally up the walls of the Quicksand? And what of Steel? And so Avis's curiosity was secured. But that waiter seemed overeager to leave, and before he could make a smooth escape, Avis half-leapt after him, putting his thin wrist in a surprisingly tight grip. "We're not done," she said in the sweetest tone she could manage. "Wait over here." She turned now to Miko, whose outstretched hand she took quickly. "I'm Avis. I asked more questions back in my day." Then, back to the waiter: "Another bottle of whiskey, please. And another glass of water for me, and this drinking skin, here," she lifted up Steel's drained water skin, "needs some fattening up. Now, that's not all. You're to give us the choicest meats and vegetables from your kitchen. If you can't remember all that, at least remember to drop word of this sweet little purple cherub here - be mindful of the terms you use or I'll ask Momodi's permission for that axe on your tongue -" The waiter looked as ready to faint as Avis had been - it didn't help that Avis was clearly enjoying it. She patted his arm. "- so bring us news of someone, anyone, who might be a friend of this behemoth here, and I'll tip you well." Now, at last, he fled. Then back to Miko. Avis smiled warmly at her. "Welcome to Ul'dah. Everything that's beautiful has its bite, so do be careful." She watched idly as Steel fingered the baby behemoth's fur and hair. It was a strangely soothing sight. It struck her that holding that little purple creature in her arms might be a good way, once and for all, to verify the remote possibility of her ever being insane enough to pass four doughy Hyur bundles through her birth canal, much less one... Now, if only she could get on his good side...

I. Basic Info Characters: Avis Inkwood Primary character: Avis Inkwood Linkshells: Aether Science Squad, Harbingers of Dawn II. RP Style Amount of RP (light, medium, heavy): I'd say light to medium because of work commitments. I'm rarely able to stay in-game for more than two hours at a time, which is why forum RP works quite well for me too. That said, I'm still new to the RP scene in Balmung, and once I settle in a bit more, I'm sure Avis will be IC everywhere (as far as possible). Character development is important to me! Views on RP combat and injuries: Why not, as long as it happens realistically and reasonably between mature RPers? That said, though, I prefer my character mostly whole or healthy for the time being, because she still needs to go places and meet more people. Also, fighting on field while RPing is something I'm definitely open to and excited to try out, though I'm generally not the best battle strategist to begin with so I'd expect that having to multitask might take a toll on my wits... and I really like the idea of dungeon RP. Views on IC romance: I'm open to it as long as it develops naturally between the two characters - no OOC drama, please. Conversational chemistry gets Avis's attention. She actually enjoys falling / in being in love, though this rarely happens, and she doesn't set out actively looking for it. Views on non-romantic RP (family ties, etc): Relationships - even antagonistic ones - are the lifeblood of RP. Avis is certainly looking to make more connections. (As for family ties... well, I'm not sure if any of the Ingrams would be fun to play. None of them ever want to leave the comfort of their couches.) Views on lore: Yes, adherence to lore is important to me, but I'm definitely not finicky with some liberties being taken with lore material if it's slight and in the service of character / plot development. (I'm quite new to FFXIV and still working my way through to Level 50, so if I've missed out on any important details or made any anachronistic slips, do let me know!) Views on chat functions (/say, /linkshell, etc): The usual, really. Also, I think I'm in the running for Mistell Queen. ): III. Other Info Region: Asia Timezone: UTC/GMT+08:00 Contact info: Please feel free to drop me a PM or /tell me in-game. (: [align=center][glow=blue]~Special announcements can be found in the posts below~[/glow][/align]

Judge? Why? I think we need to be friends. the world needs more Garnet love. I'm enjoying reading everyone's stories on this thread! I'm one of those people who enjoy trawling through baby names databases for naming inspirations - and sometimes because the names themselves have 'personalities' that create the characters. I used to plan these long fantasy stories with piles of characters who existed fundamentally because I wanted to use a particular name I'd found, not because the plot demanded their existence. I found "Avis" the same way. I was looking for a name that was elegant, concise, feminine but also leaning towards an androgynous 'feel'. Avis means "desired" and also "bird" in Latin. I felt that captured my character's free-spiritedness, so Avis it was for her first name. "Inkwood" is a last name Avis invented for herself, since she fancies herself a reader and writer. Her real name is "Ingram", which is the rather stereotypical name of a snobbish family a friend and I invented for a collaborative work of fiction, and that was based on - you might've guessed it - Blanche Ingram from Jane Eyre.

Avis fell into step behind them just as Steel made her confession. Ah. So Avis's suspicions were right then. She let out a little sigh, glad that Pig was finally tucked in nicely and that they were headed for rest. She threw a little wink and wave at the behemoth child, though the creature made no sign of having noticed her approach. The moment Avis stepped into the Quicksand, her features instinctively assembled themselves into what Jasper had used to label as her light, wry, "tavern smile". Her pallor, however, and the onset of a treacherous migraine - the effects of dehydration - meant that her smile appeared plastered, frozen, tighter than usual. Her face could have resembled that of a particularly feminine and pretty species of golem. She moved quickly past pig, Roegadyn and Miqo'te with an air of purpose, scanning their surroundings. And sighed, deeply, again. She was home. The Quicksand was hardly a place for the slumberous, but the combined effect of its nostalgia and her little sun-stricken "ordeal" so overwhelmed Avis that, had she been in any mood for the dramatic, she would have curled herself up on a table and bawled herself into a blissful sleep. So she settled for dropping like a stone down onto the nearest chair at the nearest empty table, gesturing to her new companions (when? when had she last entered this place accompanied and uncloaked?) and spreading her hands to indicate the spaces around her. "Over here, Steel," she said briskly, with the air of a practiced tavern-goer, while nodding her chin in the direction of the waiter nearby."You too, lady with the dozen questions. Drinks and food on me." Inwardly, she grimaced. This exhaustion had obviously robbed her of her clearheadedness. Ah well. There's always Kokoniku to go to. The waiter approached, a thin, sallow, nervous looking youth with a rather high nose and an air of defensiveness. He appeared unused to, if not repulsed by, the throaty laughter and general earthiness that dominated the Quicksand. Avis's odd little smile widened for him. "Good day. Would you have anything to recommend for a baby behemoth?"

An interest survey, you say. I am very, very interested in this and in the general promotion of the arts in Eorzea! (Might create an alt just for the theater aspect of things :blush: ) Wasn't involved in such initiatives in my year of LotRO, but I definitely wouldn't mind helping or being involved.

At a safe distance from the jumpy pig-of-sorts, Avis watched the ensuing scene with relish. Ah, the ordeal was over - for both the lift's passengers and Steel herself. Still, there was something about the creature's attitude to Steel that did not seem congruent with what one would expect from an ambivalent mother-child - well, mother-pet relationship. Clearly Pig had not been panicking because he was lost, and if he or she were playing the role of the recalcitrant youth, such diving gladness into "Momma's" arms seemed somewhat out-of-character. Still, she nodded and smiled warmly at Steel in response to her invitation - they were finally headed to the Quicksand, where shade and sustenance awaited. "I'll take you up on that," she said. "I owe you a drink once we get to the Quicksand, but a tiny errand beckons - I'll catch up in a while." Turning, Avis headed directly for the importer she knew positioned himself in a small nest of urns nearby in a corner of the marketplace, hoping Steel did not harbour any intentions to feast on Pig while she busied herself for the moment with filling out her money pouch. Roarich's tone was brusque as always, and indeed his impatience only thickened when he recognized a fatigued and long-lost Avis draped over one of his urns. "Come, come, leave that face alone and relieve me of these animal hides. I owe that Roegadyn with the big axe my life, and her purple devil my sanity." Gil changed hands, much to the sour importer's reluctance, and Avis left him with an only slightly heavier pouch (today had robbed her of an airship ticket, really) and a heightened consciousness of how badly her hands were shaking again. She was some feet away from the very unlikely crew of martial Roegadyn, purple pig, and frolicsome Miqo'te, and the sun seemed stupendously, overwhelmingly bright. Avis prayed she would not faint before they reached the steps of the Quicksand, and that her wits would remain intact for the interview she knew was to come. She had an interesting proposition for the Miqo'te, who, from the looks of it, would likely not require much persuasion to become enthusiastic for her cause.

Ah yes, I did wonder it does sound potentially interesting though. I'll be sure to contact Anon if his services are ever required!

I actually use my Hyur character's starter top a lot, because it just seems to fit her personality and preferences better than a lot of the mage gear one finds between levels 10-40. (Also because Level 50 is still a long way away for me :cry: ) I came up with an IC excuse for the 'commonness' of her outfit too - she's a new adventurer, needs to travel light, her old heavy dresses from her upper-class Ul'dah life don't make sense and she doesn't have much money for fancier garb anyway.

Nice idea! I'm toying with the idea of having Avis do some ghostwriting for players ICly (ghostwriting is a perfect way for her to practice writing flamboyantly and collect gossip stories, so...). If they somehow met and merged their interests, they could be an empire business to reckon with...

(OOC: everything's happening in slow-mo. 8D) Avis's mouth fell open as the Roegadyn woman pulled the great axe from her baldric while charging for the elevator. Now this was something one didn't see everyday, even by Ul'dah standards, and considering the fact that a purple roly-poly was currently running amok in the city... the lift attendants were rarely harassed in such a manner. Avis stopped her pathetic semblance of a run and put a hand over her mouth to stifle yet another laugh - the attendant's face was truly one to behold. What an eventful day this was turning out to be. The lift was looking terribly crowded as its occupants aided the attendant in holding the lift door open, their survival instincts having kicked in nicely. Avis held back, unsure of whether there would be space for her, and wondering if half a minute of fresh air deprivation would be beneficial for her at all in her current state. Steel's water skin still swung lamely in her hand. Ah, well. She could always sell some loot and buy the Roegadyn a drink later. The lady wouldn't be difficult to find. Staying rooted just behind Steel, Avis wasn't sure if Pig heard her over the din in the confines of the elevator, but she raised her voice for the creature anyway. "Hey, scholar, people upstairs are GREEDIER and more likely to have YOU for LUNCH than I ever will!" She had given a more dedicated emphasis to that taboo word that had caused Pig to become overly excitable, hoping (against hope) that her words would be taken as a friendly warning that would turn it from whatever mission it intended to carry out. Or perhaps it'd be frightened back into its owner's very strong and willing arms... And if it didn't understand... well, at least she would have a more accurate grasp of its linguistic faculties. Then, resting a hand on her hip, she calmly drained what remained in Steel's water skin.

As someone who's done a teeny bit of theater, I find this an awesome idea. Ah, auditions! The drama and hilarity that would ensue! Non-acting members can also be involved in some capacity (e.g. front-of-house, ticketing, ushering, etc. - in the Eorzean context anyway) and contribute to the outcome of the performance too. (Also, this is definitely something my character Avis would love to poke her nose into. Or write a review for, at least.) Not sure if my schedule would allow for this, but I'd love to help or be involved in some way!

Though Pig's reaction to her compliments were less than friendly, Avis did not view this as an affront; instead, her smile widened. She wasn't completely convinced that the creature understood everything she'd said, but its aversion to "lunch" and evidence of some ability to appraise situations made it a commendable porcine specimen - one which definitely did not deserve a place on the butcher's table. She turned to the woman, who'd just introduced herself. "Sthalwilf Haemrstymmwyn," Avis echoed slowly and uncertainly, enjoying rather the unfamiliarity of the syllables and the clumsiness of the language on her tongue. "It's good to make your acquaintance. I'm Avis." Before she could provide Steel Wolf with suggestions on possible educational opportunities for Pig, however, the purple creature had thrust itself out of her arm, something in the distance having caught its attention. Steel lunged herself after it, leaving Avis still propped up weakly against the wall with an outstretched arm that clutched an almost-drained water skin. "Ah... S... Steel!" Avis gasped after, clambering to her feet as well. Then there were the usual market-goers and merchants to weave through again before Pig's destination became quite apparent to her. Struggling to keep up, and ignoring the faint buzzing still present in her head, Avis called out to the Roegadyn, only a few feet from the elevator. "You want to stop Behemoth Junior!" Avis called. "Purple ball wants to see the world, might just be headed for an airship - do you let him out enough?"

Somehow, her presence had sent the creature into panic mode all over again. Avis drew back instinctively, prepared to bow out of the situation (literally) and crawl to the Quicksand, but it was then that the Roegadyn woman took heed of her most ridiculous of plights and extended a drinking skin in her direction. While keeping Pig where he (or she, or it) was supposed to be. That was admirable. "You have my deep gratitude," Avis said gravely. She slumped in the shady corner where the woman had pointed her to, taking care to be at arm's length from Pig. She gulped down great mouthfuls of water in some haste, greatly relieved, and closed her eyes, wishing she could instantaneously will her body out of damsel-in-distress mode. Such refreshing coolness, though. The world seemed to have calmed somewhat. "Thank you," she said again at length, opening her eyes. "You are a wonder. And so is the little one," she added, nodding at Pig still nestled in the Roegadyn's arms. She was feeling slightly better, or at least well enough to burst unexpectedly into chuckles. "You are a very, very intelligent one," Avis said, softly but warmly, leaning in slightly to the baby behemoth and addressing it directly. She hoped it would take better to this. "You are a little scholar of our speech. If I were your mother here, I would be very proud of you, as I'm sure she is." Mother. Avis shuddered slightly, remembering the predictions of the fortune teller. Didn't her utter inability to communicate in baby talk with Pig display a complete absence of maternal instinct?

The crowd around Avis seemed to her to thin slightly as the piglet, now snug in a tall female Roegadyn's bosom, moved the focus of action steadily away from where she still ungainly sat. She pulled back her hood and allowed herself a few more moments of fresher air and clarity of vision before she attempted rising to her feet again. She wasn't hurt, though that issue of thirst and hunger was still, unfortunately, unaddressed, and she still felt its effects in the continued tremor in her fingertips. She grabbed hold of a passing merchant's sleeve. "Thank you, I could use some help in this," Avis told him, and before the highlander could respond, the adventurer had already hoisted up her weight from the ground by latching heavily into his arm. The highlander appeared startled at Avis's liberties with his arm and apparent treatment of it as a public support structure, but never managed to finish throwing a gruff note of concern at her. For she was making her way towards Pig and, presumably, Owner at a nearby wall, albeit unsteadily, without so much as a backward glance. The sight of their... reunion? (why was the creature still struggling?) and the Roegadyn's affections for the portly beast made Avis smile, however else she felt. "I should apologize for the blunt trauma I might have dealt to your purple bundle," Avis said wryly to her. "I assure you, there are more efficient means of butchering, so clearly 'lunch' was meant in jest too. Calm down, little one." This last line was addressed to the creature, of course. Avis leant heavily against the wall. She knew how she must seem like to others - disheveled, tipsy-at-midday - not that it really bothered her. Well, you've truly outdone yourself today, Avis.

A variety of things had conspired to make Avis cross paths with the purple piglet that day - if 'cross paths' was the right term for it, for she'd practically tripped over the creature. The first of these was fatigue - Avis might have lived in the city for more than twenty years, but this was her virgin experience adventuring out in Thanalan's relentless heat for hours. The second of these: an empty bottle. The third: a scheduled post-hunting appointment with an accursed chiromancer who sat, apparently guilelessly, on stairs near the Ruby Road Exchange. Curiosity had gotten the better of Avis, as usual. She was already late. The fledgling adventurer clambered up with leaden feet and a pair of mildly-trembling hands. Ignoring the light-headedness that was beginning to set in Avis had sat down and gotten her palms read. Her hands were shaking more in the fortune teller's ring wizened ones, though that had little to do with dread at the dire fates that apparently awaited her in the lines of her palm. So the afternoon found a hooded Avis muttering into her palms as she left, picked herself up and stumbled, rather, in the general direction of the Quicksand through the crowd - where, it was to be hoped, she would find substantial drink and morsel available with what gil remained after the fortune teller. "Four children? By the gods. Delightful." Inward eye-roll, rinse, repeat. "Not the same as what the other said last time..." Then a commotion. Shouts, sudden movements. Shoulders. Too invested in her palms, and feeling very faint indeed, Avis did not notice the huge one that came her way, knocking her lightly off her feet. She staggered and thudded awkwardly onto the floor, struggling for control of her limbs - then there was a purple flash, a thud against a thigh, and, wonders of wonders, a baby behemoth's wide behind centimetres from her knee, someone nearby attempting to catch hold of it. Avis stared at it and smiled widely, wearily. "I'll have you for lunch then," she said, sighing. "After my four children." [OOC: mild edits to accommodate changes - you two are fast! (;]

Airship. Departed from Ul'dah at twilight Returned to Ul'dah yesterday, clad in a hood despite the heat. (But what did I fear?) The dust on skin, constant chatter, cloying merchant smiles, sweat, sun. Yesterday, after wandering around for a hour, I retreated into the Quicksand to wait for Kokoniku and looked briefly into dozens of faces wholly unfamiliar to me. Have I been away too long, silly, wretched city I have somehow forgiven, if there is anything to forgive? I told myself that the assignments brought me here, but that is probably not the whole truth. In the Quicksand I found myself accosted by a similarly hooded being, a Lalafell by the name of Jigumundo Darkbore who's a researcher of the arcane. We met again earlier today on the stairs near the Gladiators where I earned myself a short series of shrill yells from him for jolting him from his slumber (and, it must be admitted, causing him to perform a little tumble down the steps). Mister Darkbore is interestingly unreserved about his alleged homicidal instinct, and while I don't doubt his powers or intellect, he seems, deep down beneath, to just be a certified grump. So I agreed, on impulse, to be his research assistant. Good timing; my wallet is thinning. My first task is to procure him willing Miqo'tes for him to inspect their ears. I'm not sure how he acquired his racist distaste for members of the Miqo'te race - he simply claims they lack intelligence. Silly. The arcanist guildmaster happens to be one K'rhid Tia, and that's just one case in point. I suppose I will wait for his letters in Limsa Lominsa. See you sometime, Ul'dah.

Thalaos, Oakwood, Upper La Noscea It seems I am upon the seat of myth itself. Or should I say, poised delicately on what remains of its innards consuming morning victuals and watching coeurls, those lovely creatures, swarm like beetles in the pools below. It was a long, hard climb up here, and then the Kobolds to contend with. Not the likeliest place for an escape, though it is beautiful (and there are falls in the distance) - we adventurers and traders are the ones who have come to disrupt its tranquility. But is it not fitting to be in a timeless place on the day of your lover's death anniversary? Today I remember Jasper. (Today, just today, I will acknowledge how alone I have become.)

Oschon's Torch, Lower La Noscea I am a day late for my scheduled return to the new city I love, but I'm sure the powers that be won't begrudge me for bearing witness to a series of changing skies, soft pink in the evening, and a touching sylphan hue seeping in slowly when light approaches... so intent are they on their ruthless chugging through the waters that they never even look up. Well, I will appreciate the Knights' lovely land and their lonely La Noscean residents for them. I run the risk of stereotyping, of course (though what would the world be without it?), but beneath that gruffness of the Roegadyn race - those imposing rock walls - is a strong rook of a heart. In my brief occupancy of the tall grasses of Oschon's Torch, for the purpose of rumination and sky-watching, I have become deeply acquainted with and fond of Rostnzeh, an individual of remarkable sentiment, though he would claim otherwise (to both that remark on his sentiment and my claim of intimacy). I have gathered wild flowers on his behalf and delivered him more than two lunches from the docks; he has, in return, rewarded me with a companionable silence and protection from jackals during a rather unprecedented afternoon nap. In fact, my heart was so much moved that I offered to date the sad and solitary Rostnzeh. Of course this was meant in jest, though that did not prevent the blush from creeping into gray Roegadyn skin. What a dear he is... we will miss each other's company out here where nobody and everything is. There he stands, looking off into the distance, pondering about Ghimthota. I will tell him a final joke or tale before I return to Lominsa.

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I'm new too and Avis Inkwood would enjoy more company as well :3 she might also potentially be in a plotline involving research on felines

"You know, Avis, you're remarkably cheerful for someone all in black for an ex-boyfriend's death anniversary," the merchant Kokoniku Papaniku said, watching his Hyur companion, Ul'dahn exile Avis Inkwood, making tiny noises of glee while running her fingers through a mound of glittering purple. She didn't look up. "I'm not the one who shows up today, of all days, with a girl's favorite dresses from the weavers." Avis lifted the cloth and breathed in its lace. "A girl's favorite dresses, all wrapped and packaged with a bow to boot, as though it's her birthday." It was a cool night at Limsa Lominsa, the breezes strong, but the touch of lamplight from near them was warm and light - the pair sat out in the open but felt the setting curiously cosy, as though the night held them snug. It befit the reunion of two long-estranged best friends well. "I bought them, by the way," Kokoniku grumbled. "Your parents had them selling at the Sapphire for the most bewildering prices. I think they comfort themselves for their loss of you by aspiring to make as much money from it as they possibly can." "That," Avis declared, surprised at how little bitterness she felt towards them after everything that had happened, "comforts me. You see, mourning is wasteful. Learning to smell the roses - and the cesspits - is the only way we do justice to the dead. Or the good as dead." She was beginning to realize that this, this relative contentment, was the magic of Limsa Lominsa: the changing winds, the crash and solemnity of the sea that both anchored and drove; she could move lightly, lightly. "We live on their behalf." She could almost see Kokoniku roll his eyes. "And I was worried about you. I came all the way here because I was worried about you. Anyway, in other more important news, your sister Alexis has come to terms with hair loss and is now sporting an insufferable wig." Avis smiled. If she closed her eyes, did her best, the strains of gruff chatter and clatter from the Drowning Wench, some distance away, could sound like what she was used to and loved at the Quicksand. In an alternate universe, Avis's desires melded into one; he would be here, Jasper, one arm around her waist and a leg up on the ledge, which she would snidely chide off; Jasper, giving a shout of jubilation at his first sight of the sea. Yes, today she would choose to remember and imagine him this way, in his adventure-struck prime, cresting the wind and the waves in his mind - as though he had not really gone under these forces larger than he was. Without warning, Avis pulled the Lalafell into a brief embrace. "Thank you," she told him, "for crossing the skies for me today." Kokoniku gave a squeak, unaccustomed, for Avis was rarely physically affectionate towards her friends. She sensed his embarrassment, saw the faint flush on his face, and felt a deep chuckle of amusement bubbling up from within.