immolatios

[immolatios]

The city ... was on edge . Not that it ever wasn't . The streets still bustled , of course , even with the scent of smoke heavy in the air , but ... there was a sharpness to it all , something even more than the deep red that loomed above each person in its residence . More than anything , it meant more business . The coinmaster was pleased in the misfortune -- at least it bought some form of customer . These nights past , all Caidha could recall with clarity would be sobs of patrons , the heavy ash in her bedspread , the comfort needed.

It suited her better than the alternatives.

Still . The night was young and the brothel was heaving , Caidha's fingers plucking at the lyre in her palms , her voice soothing to a close on a bardsong she'd been taught in passing. Eyes lift , their life returning from habit , as they tilt their head--

" I'm not supposed to take requests, " she begins , voice a soft lilt among the crowded hall , " though I don't think the coinmaster will mind for a copper or two . Unless there's something else you need from me , of course . Say the word . "

[immolatios]

[ marina ruy barbosa, nonbinary, she/her & they/them, 25] we've followed [ CAIDHA ] for awhile now, the [ HALF-ELF ] has been in Novigrad for [ ALL THEIR LIFE ]. they're known to be [ FANCIFUL ] and [ RESILIENT ]. We find it fascinating that after all these years they [ WANT TO BELIEVE IN ] the gods. They often remind us of [ ACHING FOR CONNECTION WHERE IT CANNOT BE HAD & DREAMS OF FREEDOM THAT DISSOLVE WITH DAWN ]. Our thread has already been woven on what their future is looking like, but we're eager to see the [ PROSTITUTE ] experience it.

come now ,lambling . left for the slaughter by the point of your ears . bright eyed , inhuman , heart too large for the cage it is kept in . you were worth a few coppers , same hue as your barely grown in locks , and fed at a stranger's breast .

family is struggle , is clinging to one another in the dawn , is bathing one another and applying ointments . family is a dream out of reach .

Caidha , nothing but a babe , product of an affair that ended in public beheading , was sold for coppers that would be left to her . Bought to a brothel , she was raised within its walls , doted on by those who could , and worked to the bone by those who could not . A life of toil was all there was , dotted with moments of gifted treats and market journeys , the child grew sturdy -- but even more important,

the child grew beautiful .

And suddenly , of age , her hair was tied up to display the point of her ears . She was taught the lyre , prodded to preform . A selling point of the ramshackle brothel , and a high commodity for it . Like this , they finally grasped at the straws that were the realisation of their worth .

From then on, it was work and save , and look to Passiflora with bright , hopeful eyes . On her back , she'd dream , on her feet she'd work extra for tips . Her money slowly , slowly gathered into her little trinket box , with that handful of coppers and some sort of crested brooch she could never quite pinpoint . And when the box was heavy and full , she would don her cloak and carefully follow whispers towards mages , heart full of lifelong dreams of finding the truth to said crest and any blood shared .

----

GENERAL

Name: Caidha.

Nickname(s): n/a

Age: 25.

Physically appears: Early 20s.

Gender: Nonbinary ( demiwoman ).

Pronouns: She/her & they/them.

Orientation: Pansexual , panromantic . A romantic at heart.

Vocation: Prostitute.

Affiliation: None.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Faceclaim: Marina Ruy Barbosa.

Hair color: Copper.

Eyes: A soft pink.

Height: 5'3".

Notable features: The gentle pink of her iris and the point of her ears show her elven blood. She also has no blemishes, marks or freckles on her skin.

Attributes: An overflowing kindness, and an open heart leads her to find the current regime nothing but cruel. She struggles, due to this, with finding love for the gods, and yet she still pushes herself to worship despite it. Her capacity for hope and resillience is second to none. Her body is also very strong, and she is capable of taking extreme amounts of damage and surviving.

Weaknesses: Above all, her kindness and insistent hope is also in part, naivity. Caidha is not the cleverest person in the city , in fact a little far from it , and is insistent on making up for this in kindness and earnestness. She is also prone to mild delusion in other's intent , weaving internal stories to soften the blows of reality.