personality 3 Base Traits: Observant, Aloof, Manipulative
Tavihe is skilled at reading people, and as such their true intentions and feelings are often hidden away behind whatever they feel the person wants to believe and hear. They are calculating and have the capacity to be manipulative. For the most part, they are content to keep to themselves, but if pressed into socialization they have a fae-like tendency to enjoy playing with people around them, even to the point of hurting peoples' feelings or going too far in their observations.
They enjoy decorating themselves with jewelry and pretty things, but prefer to earn those items rather than receive them as gifts or payment.
description: Dark skin with blue eyes, markings, and streaks in their black-blue hair. Hair is short, shaggy pixie cut. Broad shoulders and strong, but not overly muscular body. High cheek bones, broad nose and plush lips. A scar marks from their chin up the left side of their lip. Thick brows.
Clothing: Simple pirate look, raggedy vest, crop top, and trousers. Accessories: Piercings below their lips, in their ears in multiple places. They also wear choke style necklaces and rings.
scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2023 10:17 pm
History
Prentice If Tavihe was born a generation earlier, they would have been a farmer in Iway. It was that simple. Their grandparents were simple people, raised as farmers and likely to die as farmers - that is, until news that the caves had been opened, and contact with their long separated cousins became possible again. Their grandfather, a guide to Tamar, had left one day on a job and never returned - and so his widow took their daughter (Tavihe's mother) and returned to the surface, along with a pilgrimage of other Kawena that included Tavihe's father.
The first generation of Kawena refugees had... difficulties acclimating to life on the surface, but Tavihe's generation didn't have that problem. They scampered around, happy and healthy and more comfortable with the sun on their shoulders.
Perhaps, even then, Tavihe could have become a farmer of a different sort, gathering material for clothes or the like - but even as a youngling, they had a longing for the sea, and so on the cusp of prentice hood they left their home to make their mark, and left the continent of Kahikina, striking out on a ship with Aishans and Kahikina and Earthlings alike to the old world.
Now, they work as a deck hand. Being young, Tavihe doesn't always make the best calls as to 'honest' work, and has gotten swept up into piracy; using their amphibious nature to their advantage, they've made themselves indispensable to their crewmates - or, tried to at least. They now work on The Whispering Witch, a pirate vessel captain'ed by Xenia.
Family Keola (Father): (NPC) As a teen, he left his parents behind and joined a group of Kawena intent on leaving the tunnels they called home. Adventurous, but stubborn and hot-headed, he and Tavihe butt heads and don't get along.
Apikalia (Mother): (NPC) As a child, she and her mother joined a group of Kawena intent on leaving the tunnels. She is a pushover and defers to her husband's word and rules.
Uati (maternal grandfather): (NPC/Deceased) A guide to the lower tunnels, he went missing on a trip and never returned. Tavihe is often compared to him in personality.
Heirani (Grandmother): (NPC/Deceased) She didn't handle her husband's death well, and relied on her daughter over the years. Stories about her husband inspired Tavihe to adventure.
“Hey, caveman!” A leering voice called across the deck. Tavihe snorted and didn’t turn to look as they took a drink from their flask. It was nighttime, and the ship was docked at a small port town where, presumably, the rest of the crew was off drinking, eating, or visiting the local companionship. Tavihe was one of the sorry sacks that drew the short straw and had to remain with the ship. And the others?
Didn’t really like them.
“Hey! Talking to you, big eyes!” A hand grabbed them by the shoulder and wrenched them around, away from the railing of the ship. Tavihe plastered a smile on their face, despite the jolt of annoyance that shot through them. “Oh! Sorry. Lots’ve names you’ve got for me, didn’t realize you were talking to me.”
The Leafman scowled at him, roughly cuffing their shoulder, hard enough to hurt. Then he motioned with his hand for the flask, smirking. “Hand it over, kid. If I’m gonna be stuck on the ship with YOUR creepy face, might as well be drunk for it.”
Tavihe gasped, as if scandalized, letting him wrest the flask from their fingers without a fight, then watched with growing disgust as the earthling sucked it down with greedy slurps. It wasn’t a surprise; this guy (Jakob or something?? They hadn’t bothered to remember) had been on their case ever since they joined the crew of Xenia’s ship. Kahikinans weren’t too prevalent, and those that were were absolutely not Kawena. Not that it probably would’ve mattered in the long run, the earthlings had something to say about any type of em - from wrinkling their noses at Moakai bobs to Menehune whiskers, or flicking the horn that crested on Tavihe’s forehead. The glowing scales and eerie eyes only added another nail to their ‘creepy coffin’.
This particular ruffian had, with a few buddies, used their first shore leave to drag Tavihe aside and test the rumor that Kahikinans could hold their breath longer than earthlings. … It was true, but that didn’t make the resulting experiment any more pleasant for them.
They really, really had hoped he’d mess with them tonight, because it had been months now since joining the crew. Months of harassment, months of Tavihe taking it all with a placid smile and innocently widened eyes. Months until they reached a small enough port that it was just the two of them here, above deck.
Jakob finished drinking with a breathy gasp, wiping a hairy forearm across his mouth as he casually leaned his hip against the railing, squinting in the darkness at Tavihe’s glowing face. “Ugh. Of course, you had the have the most watered down stuff, didn’t you?”
“I would’ve shared earlier if it was good.” Tavihe simpered, fluttering their eyes in a coquettish way that would have been flirtatious, had the earthling not been horrified by them. Predictably, he scowled and kicked at Tavihe until they took a step back, snickering. “No no… but y’know, I heard…” Tavihe’s pupils turned to the side as if looking for eavesdroppers, then leaned in. “I heard the big Oban leaves HIS stash on the deck. And it’s good stuff too.”
“It’d have to be, to get HIM drunk.” Jakob responded, greedy eyes bright and intrigued. “Where?”
Perfect. Tavihe’s eyes glittered as, with a spring in their step, they turned and climbed the nearest stepstool to get to a higher level of the ship. It would make sense for Illapha to leave something up here; he trailed after the captain all the time, and when on the deck she was up here, with the navigator. Arranged in the back were water-collecting barrels and stacks of tarped boxes; it wouldn’t be the first time a crew member hid a small parcel here, and Jakob seemed to agree because he shoved his way past Tavihe to walk towards it, peering among the barrels impatiently.
Tavihe pretended to look alongside him, but kept their eyes on his form. “You better not be lying, caveman.” The leafling huffed, annoyed, as he tugged another tarp up. He was moving closer to one of the full barrels - Tavihe tracked his progress with growing excitement. “Oh- I think maybe it’s back there? A little further?” They moved in closer, standing on the tips of their toes to pretend to peer into the distance. Jakob grunted, tugging his eyes off their face again - but he took the bait, and leaned in further, halfway over the barrel, stretching--
That was when they lunged. Tavihe shot forward and clasped a fistful of the leaf man’s hair - and shoved him downward. He didn’t even have time to let out a shout before his face was submerged in the cold water, flailing. His fingers scrabbled to grab at the edges of the barrels, but he’d leaned so far that only his shoulders and upper arms fit into it - his hands didn’t have the room to bend to properly push himself out. He kicked, but Tavihe’ had draped themselves over his back as a counterweight, arm locked to keep his head forced down.
Their glowing blue eyes crinkled in pleasure as the struggling weakened, white teeth bared in a feral smile of delight. “Not very fun to swim now, is it?” They gasped, breathless. “How long can you earthlings hold your breath, huh?”
The next morning, Tavihe reported with annoyance that the crew mate that was supposed to be watching the ship with them had skipped off to enjoy the port’s pleasures. The fact he hadn’t returned to the ship meant he was probably drunk somewhere, sleeping it off. When the ship left port, the first mate waving off any crew mate that would abandon post so carelessly… Tavihe hid a smile behind their hand, noting the confused, worried looks from Jakob’s friends.
Apparently, earthlings really couldn’t hold their breath nearly long enough.
Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2025 3:24 pm
Class Solo - 333 - Pickpocket
As cool and confident as Tavihe had been when they took the blame for breaking the music box (which wasn't a lie, the accident had just been a collaborative effort), they still dreaded the eventual punishment. And what a punishment it was - for the crime of breaking an expensive item that was, Tavihe thought, rather stupidly stowed away in a closet meant for newcomers- they were subjected to a very public round of flogging for a good bit of the new crew to see.
Afterward, as Illapha delivered a poultice from the captain as some sort of commiseration, he pointed out (as if Tavi was an idiot) that the loot was probably put there as a test of the new crew, to see if they'd steal from the ship, and the punishment was probably harsh because Tavihe had interfered.
Whatever. Sitting in their bunk, finger trailing along the edge of their dagger, Tavihe ignored the throbbing pain on their back and wondered whether or not they should blame the captain for this punishment, or the first mate.
A bead of blood bloomed under their fingertip, at the point of the blade, and Tavihe hissed in annoyance, shoving the dagger back into its sheath without the usual flourish. It didn't matter whose call it was - Tavihe hadn't joined this crew to make friends.
They'd joined to follow the song in their blood that wanted blood and adventure, to shrug off the illusion of civility that people were forced to wear on the shore so that they could embrace what they really were - a criminal. Someone without a shred of remorse over what they did to Jakob. Someone who could take the lashes, because coming forward made them look loyal - taking the blame earned them an ally, and pretending to be cowed make them less predictable.
For now, they were still on Xenia's side thanks to the information from Illapha, and the poultice. But for a up and coming bandit, that loyalty may not last forever.
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