#octopath malaya

[prince-jelli-fish]

this has been sitting in my drafts for too long

[teryyo]

Hands of the Apothecary

[callaneart]

beloved

[alch-emi]

Good night 🌿

[ophiliaclement]

quick sketch

[viridiave]

Mild spoilers if you read into the flowers too hard

Drew this a while ago! 8path2 NPCs are fun! I love them about as much as Erhardt and Susanna from the first game

Whom I have yet to drown in flowers

Standard flower language too let's go

Ori - Apple Blossom (Healing, Better Things to Come)

Crick - Monkshood (Beware, Chivalry)

Malaya - Sweet Pea (Remember Me, Tender Memory)

[ellibean-icecream]

Like Tears in the Rain

Chapter One - Adrift

“You have the power to save lives. More than any other. That’s why… you have to live. If anyone can create a cure… It’s you… It’s up to you now…”

—

The apothecary’s world rocked around her. Dizziness could be a symptom of any number of afflictions, ranging from the mundane to the severe. There was no need to panic; her first course of action would be to catalog any other symptoms she was experiencing. The more information she had the more accurate her diagnosis would be. Her throat was parched, her lips dry and cracked. Perhaps some combination of sun exposure and dehydration. When was the last time she had had anything to drink? What was she last doing that might have left her so..?

Where was she? Who was she? A torrent of questions filled her mind, a dam bursting before the flood. Why couldn’t she remember anything? The unsteadiness and apparent lack of memory were possibly symptomatic of a concussion.

And just how in the hell did she know all of this?

She heard waves. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the bright light. Far above her, masts stretched up into the sky, sails pulled taut by the wind. She spoke, despite the ache in her throat.

“Am I… on a ship?”

That would mean the unsteadiness she had felt since earlier was nothing but the rocking of the vessel on the waves. The sailor kneeling by her side nodded, his dark skin tanned further by his many hours on the sea. He gently pressed a canteen into her hands, helping her drink it. It was the sweetest thing she had ever tasted. As the last drops fell past her lips, the kind-hearted sailor took the canteen back, standing and stepping away from her. “Finally come to, have you? Feeling better yet?”

This question came from an older looking gentleman, dressed in finer garments than the other sailors in sight. Perhaps the captain of the vessel. He looked down at her fondly, a touch of concern in his eyes.

“You’ve got the luck o’ the tides, y’know.”

The apothecary sat up slowly, measuring her body’s response. She still felt slightly dizzy and doubted if she’d be able to stand on her own. The captain reached down, helping her slowly to her feet. Even this simple action left her throat parched once more.

“Easy now, lass.You’ve had a rough time o’ it. Drink up.”

He handed her another canteen of water. This time she took her time drinking it, feeling better with each passing moment. Dehydration, then. Perhaps her loss of memory was a symptom of something separate then.

“Thank you… for saving me.”

“Couldn’t well leave you to the fishes. How’d you end up on that li’l skiff anyhow?”

“Skiff..?” She’d been on a skiff? How did she get there? Had she been part of a ship wreck? She wracked her brain, trying to find anything. Nothing. Meaningless fragments. A half remembered smile. The sound of a laugh, perhaps? Nothing that could explain how she ended up adrift in the ocean.

“I don’t know. I can’t remember.”

“C’mon now, this isn’t the time for jokes.”

A feeling bubbled in her stomach, and she lowered her head. Why would she lie about this? Why would anyone? She glanced back up at the captain, anger rising slightly before she caught his eyes. He was concerned for her. She didn’t know him, but he was concerned.

“I’m sorry, but I really can’t remember anything. Who I am, where I came from… it’s all a blank.”

His concern grew, his eyes staring piercingly into hers. She glanced away, unable to keep his intense gaze. She recognized the feeling in the pit of her stomach. Helplessness. Once more she was adrift, and once more it was the captain who saved her.

“I know one thing ‘bout you, lass. Your name. It’s Castti.”

Castti’s eyes widened slightly. She didn’t know him, but perhaps he knew her.

“Castti… How… How did you know that?”

“It’s stitched onto your outfit. What’s that uniform o’ yours, anyway?”

Castti glanced down at her attire. She wore a light blue cloak, fraying at the ends from use. Beneath this cloak a simple dress of the same color and a white apron accentuated once more in blue. Her boots and leggings were sturdy, and taken with the cloak suggested a life spent on the road. She shook her head slowly in response to his question.

“...Ah, right. Amnesia. Strange to think a person could forget their own name.”

She had to remember. He had given her her name. It was a start, but she needed more information. The crew had to know more about her arrival, and there was plenty of time before they made port.

—

Most of the crew had seemed happy to provide her with what information she needed. She reminded the captain of his daughter, and anyone he favored was welcomed by the crew. Most of the crew at least. One crewman had paled at the sight of her, and avoided her for the rest of the voyage.

The ship weighed anchor in Canalbrine a few days after she had been found adrift. From what she could piece together from the circumstances of her rescue, she had probably drifted from the continent to the east. How she had figured that out was still a mystery. She had found another clue to her identity. Her bag had been full of apothecary supplies, which explained her knowledge of the body, if not how she could remember it.

The captain had been worried about her setting off by herself, without her memories. He has slipped her a small pouch of leaves, enough for a night at the inn and a couple meals. She stepped down off the gangplank and onto the dock.

Canalbrine bustled like any major port at the arrival of a new ship. Traders and passengers alike stepped down around her as they went about their business, annoyed by her taking a moment to gather herself.

“She’s one of them, isn’t she…”

The whisper passed through the crowd as more eyes turned towards her. People turned to stare at her, before slipping down streets and into buildings. It wasn’t long before she was alone at the end of the docks.

“I… appear to be causing quite a stir.”

—

“Excuse me!”

The two girls who had been chatting by the bridge jumped with a start, eyes widening as they saw the apothecary. Without another word the two quickly fled. Castti’s brows furrowed in frustration. Something was clearly wrong, but no one was willing to tell her what. Perhaps the innkeeper would enlighten her, if they even acknowledged her presence. A young man paused in front of the building before her, eyeing her warily. His breathing seemed oddly shallow, and after another step he dropped to his knees. Castti was by his side in an instant.

“Excuse me! Are you alright?”

The young man struggled, trying to get to his feet again before collapsing down once more. Castti eyed him over, mentally noting each visible symptom. His forehead was damp and his breathing shallow, likely he had some kind of fever.

“What’s going on here? Is something wrong with him?”

Castti stood, turning to face the new arrival. Her breath caught on her answer. The woman before her had long, flowing hair tied up in a ponytail. Her brown skin caught the light of the setting sun. She was beautiful. Castti’s face burned as she realized she was forgetting her patient.

“He’s burning up! We need to get him inside!”

[taoofshigeru]

A Cure for Joy, but Not for Silence (Chapter 3: A Stalwart Ally)

Malaya struggles with communicating, and a helpful suggestion comes from an unlikely place. (Castti Florenz x Malaya)

---

Two days later...

"Malaya, what are we trying to make?" Castti said, a little frustration seeping into her voice. "This is a paralysis cure, no?"

The dark-skinned apothecary pointed at the cluster of orange thistles on the table for the tenth time.

"No, but if we add it now then the mixture might become toxic-"

Malaya shook her head widely from side to side, then slapped her forehead with her palm and walked away. She sat down on her bed, facing away from Castti. Puffy the Octopuff hopped up to Malaya's bed and got a nice hard *Squish*!

The older woman sighed. Ochette, who was on watch duty, look from her mama to her mama's wife, not sure what to say.

When Throné came to switch with the beastling for the watch that night, she immediately noticed something was off. The former thief had a feel for these things, and grabbed the hunter before she left the room.

"What's wrong? Something happen with those two?"

"I dunno." Ochette shrugged, a little nervous. "Mama Castti and mom's wife were working on some medicine, then they got into some kinda argument and it just got louder and louder. I hope things're gonna be okay."

"Hmm..." Throné looked over at Malaya. "She's still not talking, right?"

"'Far as I can tell, yeah." Ochette yawned. "I'm taking my break now, m'kay?"

"Could you do one thing for me, first?" Throné held her hand for a moment longer. "I need a pen and a piece of paper."

(continued...)

[dawning-skye]

memories of rain.

[fulgurbugs]

If OT2 Npcs are OK as well how about Malaya?

Absolutely

[mrpuripurin]

gently offers you castti/malaya🌼🌼 and castti/throne🌼🗡️ sketches… 🥺🤲

[drainbangle]

healer swap expression explorations

[punymarshmallow]

[stripeyworm]

Thank you, Castti. Goodbye, Malaya

Excuse me while I CRY. I finished Castti's final chapter a while ago and it absolutely floored me. Definitely my favourite story of them all. I just had to draw it <3

[sly-s-n0nfusion]

A little thing I hosted on Twitter

[nicandragon]

WIVES !!