Harika would forever be thankful to her mother’s spirit for giving her the courage to venture to Oba. While she knew that on the islands she had a lifestyle that was more wild and free the girl respected the social boundaries within the city. It allowed her to flourish with her true passion of design and she had already met some interesting characters who surely were helping her along the way. Unfortunately for Harika, instead of being raised in the city she had been born to a pair of travelers who were descendants from those who had ventured far away from the mainland. It kept her apart from those within the city and at one point surely would have kept her away from the world of artisans if not for her mother’s passing. Harika deeply mourned her mother who had enjoyed artisan work more than fishing and exploring like the rest of their family and friends living in the islands. As a youngling Harika had picked up on sewing quickly and found herself designing playful outfits for her own stuffed dolls, her excitement growing whenever she showed off her latest product to her parents who encouraged her work. It was because of that support that Harika was forever thankful to her mother. Her mother’s encouragement at that time had given her the motivation to aspire to greater things and so here she was working her way to a name in the city. While others gathered around family to share meals and show their appreciation, the girl found herself having a simple meal with tea, a sketch of her mother sitting by incense and she prayed her appreciation would find the woman’s spirit. Surely her mother knew how grateful she was for everything. Harika closed her eyes and lowered her head in respect. “I’ll always miss you mother. Thank you for teaching me to follow my heart no matter what.”


She still felt pain whenever she thought about her decision to leave the islands. It had been mostly on her own without any support since her mother had passed away. Unfortunately her father hadn’t stayed true to her mother and eventually remarried. While Harika understood that he was lonely she also despised the woman he had married. As a result of their union, Harika found herself surrounded by step-brothers and sisters who were a bunch of abrasive warriors and hunters. Eventually years passed and while Harika learned to tolerate her new siblings and her prickly stepmother, the girl never quite settled into her new lifestyle and distance grew between her and her father who did not see any issue with things and just urged Harika to try to give them a chance. None of that worked of course and so here she was living alone in Oba. No support, no finances - just her own determination and the coin that she worked hard to save up at the shop. One day she would have her own and for what it was worth the girl was thankful to her mentor who had taken her in. Without the seamstress the girl would probably be wandering about trying to just find her place still! Now she had a room at the shop, a place to work and a way to make money while studying her craft. Truly Harika felt blessed.

She was also thankful for the group of islanders who had opted to return to the mainland. If they hadn’t opened up trade with the mainland then the girl surely would have never found a way to leave the islands. Even though she was constantly caught up in daydreams of big cities where she could set up as an artisan, Harika was stuck without a way to travel. Her father was content with the sailing life and his new wife did not want any of that to change. So of course none of her family would volunteer to venture into dangerous waters for some teen’s silly dreams. It did not take much convincing for Harika to decide to go with the group who wanted to return to Tendaji. Despite their unwillingness to help her, Harika did not despise her father nor hate her new family (well maybe save for her stepmother but still). She just wanted a chance to live the life she had always dreamed of and she could not find that in the islands. So despite all of the hardships Harika could truly say that she was thankful to everyone who had helped her to get to where she was today. If not for them then she would feel lost.

[768]