Jaybird

“Forget-Me-Shot…? Count me in, I'll take 5 of those-”Jaybird, the drunken wanderer. Nobody knows where exactly they wandered in from, and the funny thing is, they haven't a clue either. Constantly stumbling over themself and their words, the train wreck of a human being is almost a lost soul among the crowd of many living in Interra Gloria.
== Personality and Looks ==
=== Personality ===
When not intoxicated- though they are half the time -Jaybird is rather anxious, even slightly paranoid. They tend to be friendly, though their tone often will have an edge of distrust. 
In general, Jaybird is a sorrowful individual, a pang of sadness always seeming to follow them even if they are smiling. It’s not rare to see them zoning out or staring at their hands or at a wall and mumbling to themself. They’re also constantly exhausted, often resting their head on something wherever they are sitting or standing.
Underneath their sad demeanor, however, is a damaged yet soft heart of gold. Fragile, and needing a shoulder to cry on. When they trust you, they are loyal, funny, and clingy… very clingy; as if they don’t want to lose you.
Whatever happened to them, they drink to forget, and it works, because they barely remember anything and stumble around like a dazed oaf half of the time.
They’ve grown into a habit of shoving problems aside- an issue they have yet to face -preferring to drink away their sorrows rather than nip it in the bud and face it…. At this rate it seems they might be too far gone.
=== Appearance ===
Jaybird stands at about 5'4", often wearing a hoodie with short-cut sleeves over a white button-up, blue jeans and grey sneakers. They normally have bandages wrapped along their forearms and hands, up to the knuckle. In chillier weather they often sport a long tan trench coat overtop their normal garb, with half-gloves on their hands and wooly boots to stay warm. A lot of the time they sport a backpack, which is shaped like a green turtle shell.
Their skin is a pale peach colour, dotted by freckles along their cheeks and shoulders. Their eyes are a greenish hazel, and their short curly hair is a deep auburn colour.
They have many scars on their body, and with most of them hidden by long clothing, the ones on their face are most prominent. There's a slice on their left cheek, a rough tear scar on the right, and a large scar that leads across their forehead and their right eye, which is permanently half-lidded from the damage taken. 
== Skills and Abilities ==
* Talented writer
* Seems to have visions often of things that haven’t happened to them, but they remember happening vividly (Can happen at any time, but especially at night in the form of dreams or nightmares/night terrors. These are memories from their past.)
* Has a good gut sense
* Has particular skill in making a mysterious substance known as Blue
* Enhanced speed and stamina from running and maneuvering away from danger a lot in their youth
* Has a great work ethic, and is willing to work to pay off debts of any kind
* Is good at tanking damage
== Life Events ==
=== At the Start... ===
Jaybird cannot remember much of their early past except for their early, early childhood, if only fragments. When they were about 8-10 years of age, they woke up alone and injured in a forest. They got patched up in a nearby village, but since then they just continued travelling by themself, not really knowing where they were from, or if they had a family. They occasionally befriended a villager or two, but they refused to stop wandering, no matter how much they craved settling down. What’s left are muddled glimpses of people that they barely remember, and places they can’t recall….. A village in the mountains along with a large tavern, a mansion of nether material, a large black dragon…  And red. They hate the colour red, they can't stand it.
=== Bits and Pieces of Recent Past... ===
(The following are events that are canonically not fully remembered in lore.)
Jaybird had narrowly escaped death, not that they knew it, as their mind was completely wiped when they landed in this strange new land. They started at a strange statue, which they soon learned was a waystone, and travelled to a nearby building, known as the Hovel, where they met a variety of people (mostly bunnies).... And a peculiar goat-like Mothman, named Hrothgar.
The two of them hit it off and became friends rather quickly, however the bunnies didn’t take to Hroth as fast and childishly threw him in jail for a few days… and Jaybird followed their new friend so he wouldn’t be alone. After that, the two stayed in The Hovel, however they weren’t far from trouble. One of the rabbits tried to split them apart, and when that didn’t work, stirred up trouble with their friends. Jaybird had an enemy. Despite moving in with Hrothgar and being adopted as the man’s son, the stress of what was happening to their friends stressed them out; They hated fighting. The stress caused them to start drinking… and the taste of liquor on their lips was sweet, like a taste they loved and forgot. They were soon attempting to defend their friends, and this resulted in their kidnapping. Jaybird found themself in a lab, the floors coated in red blood, faced with a monster with a single beady red eye for a face. It was like they were facing certain doom. Rescue came their way, but they were far from safe; the monster was chasing them down. They had to hide in a waterfall just to lose the creature. Hroth and Jaybird did reunite, but it wasn't the last time the red-eyed man encountered them. He appeared in nightmares, and in windows. It made Jaybird afraid; it made them drink more. They had been working at the Hovel to pay off their stay there, and began sleeping behind the bar and drinking at work just to get rid of the shakes. When the winged creature showed up sick and injured at their door, they were appalled to come home to them sleeping on their father’s couch. They were enraged, and wasn't a fan of the person who traumatized their family being under the same roof, even if the man was on the brink of death; they couldn’t care less…. But things grew better. The monster redeemed himself… and basically became Jaybird’s stepdad. That didn’t stop the trouble with their friends continuing, though. 
Jaybird counted one of the bunnies as their best friend… and they were found dead. The grief sent Jaybird into a spiral. They weren’t eating, or sleeping. Their constant supply of blue was always on them, and growing darker and darker. An encounter with their enemy made all the pangs of hunger and drowsiness rush back at once. They were starving… and they ate the first thing they could find; The Blue. What followed was blurry to them, but all they felt was suffocation….. Like they were functioning without breath, pain writhing in their lungs as concerned faces looked at them in despair, concern and worry. The red-eyed man found a way to cure them, but it involved leading them to a place they despised- The nether. No place redder than that. With a panic attack and a potion concocted by the former mad scientist, Jaybird was cured. They could breathe again… they were still hungry, but they could breathe. Things were better; they were home, and happy. And yet, joy must come to an end. 
The red-eyed man had a fiancé before falling in love with Hrothgar. The man learned his fiancé wasn’t doing too well, and upon learning, he and Jaybird and Hroth went to see what was wrong. This is what led to Jaybird watching their stepfather’s life leave his sullen gaze after his ex took his life. Their memory only grows foggy after that, with some memory of being gifted the man’s old armour…. But nothing ever comes to mind past all those events.
=== Present Day ===
==== Welcome Home... ====
Jaybird had been wandering for a long time. Half the time they were almost in a daze, and sometimes their travel was through sleepwalking.
This lack of direction is what led them to the vast lands of Interra Gloria, though they barely knew they had wandered anywhere near civilization. 
Wandering in a daze- obviously intoxicated -they tiredly passed out… unknowingly on Ethamia’s porch. Being brought inside, Eth and her roomate, Hrothgar himself, were very startled at seeing Jaybird again... even if the poor lad couldn't remember either of these people despite the pair seeming to be associated with them somehow. 
They took Jaybird to the Grey Pearl, where he drunkenly began to recite the many dreams and nightmares they've had of the past. That only confirmed Eth and Hrothgar's suspicions... mostly.
==== The Memory Book ====
Over the following days, Jaybird was often asked about what they could and couldn't remember, which they responded to within their best ability. They were slowly starting to realize that these might not be dreams, nightmares or hallucinations... They were memories. Flashbacks from a past they could barely recall. This was rather distressing, but with reassurance from Eth and the suggestion of a memory book, they did calm down slightly.
==== Night Terrors ====
They spend a few days bonding with the pair, going on an adventure raiding dungeons with Hrothgar, and spending time at the Grey Pearl with Eth... But one evening, a bad nightmare shook them up. Going to the tavern with Hrothgar, they talked it over with Eth to try and find out what it meant. Through panicked tears, Jaybird explained their dream about the world ending, seeing death and destruction... and Eth getting hurt. And Hrothgar. Both of them, clear as day. Upon recounting a brunette man within the dreams, a new character entered the fray: Athrun. Seeing this man come in all nonchalant, making jabs at not only Eth, but Hrothgar, made Jaybird really upset. Having to sit aside while Eth and Athrun talked though gave them time to have another flashback. Upon hearing the name "Kano", they saw the dragon they've seen in nightmares one too many times. They were sure to write it in their memory book later.
On the way home from the Grey Pearl, Jaybird and Hrothgar talked about another thing within their dream; A piglin child dying in their arms. Hrothgar told them it was their son, that they had a partner who they adopted the child together. The mothman remembered the two having a fight over the child at one point, but the information about them being a father in the first place sent them reeling. Settling in Hrothgar's speakeasy and nursing a few drinks, they contemplated whether they were a good parent or not, if they were to let this child perish in their arms. Eth later reassured them that they were in fact a good parent, and there was nothing to worry about, which they believed. It didn't take long before Hroth shut up the speakeasy unexpectedly, which lead Jay to follow him after Eth went to talk with Athrun. 
Jaybird found the old mothman drinking by himself in his woes, Jaybird asked him what was wrong, doing their best to comfort the man. They reassured him that they would be ok and that nothing would go wrong, before pulling him into a tight hug. 
They were sure to give Ethamia and Hroth some Blu last night... just to stay safe.
==== An Angel, A Tavernkeep, A King and a Bird ====
Jaybird continued to frequent the Grey Pearl, even when Hroth went out alone on adventures, sticking by Eth. They eventually met the owner of the tavern, Xalos, along with Cypress Von Boreas- the king of Xadia -and an old acquaintance of Eth's, Sephtis Otu. They were quick to befriend the little bird man, drunkenly being friendly despite the short man's anxiety. However, Xalos ended up in a drunken stupor, which caused hallucinations and memory loss that ended in Ethamia getting injured, which has brought Jaybird to growing more protective of their loved ones, Otu now included.
==== Protect Them, Even If It Breaks You ====
After sleeping through the events of Cypress' kidnapping at the party, Jaybird wandered to the tavern upon waking up, as they found no one was home. Meeting Otu outside, they walked in together, chatting for a while as Jaybird began to slug down drinks once more. The news of what they slept through certainly distressed them, along with the sight of Eth's corruption problem seemingly starting to get worse. After pressing a little about the corruption, Eth left, just as two new faces showed, who followed along in Jaybird and Otu's pursuit of Eth. Eth was obviously distressed, due to corruption, and Jaybird, blinded by emotion and panic, tried getting closer; otu and Jaybird were basically going back and forth trying to protect one another, unsure what was wrong with Eth. Though Ethamia was soon back to normal, she needed to rest, so Jaybird, Otu and the two new friends headed back to the tavern; soon learning that these new faces were Echo and Alejandro. 
Stepping behind the bar as a temporary bartender, Jaybird got to know the two a little, and got Echo a little tipsy. More soon entered the bar, that being Kyne and Dagger; noting Otu hiding upon Kyne's entry, Jaybird began to grow defensive immediately, putting on a nice front despite the distrust brewing in the back of their mind. This only grew when Otu and Kyne left to talk upstairs, and Jaybird went to check after Eth's return... only to find the bird man crying. Going into defense mode, they angry threatened Kyne, wondering what they did to cause Otu to cry. They then were told what happened between Otu, Circe and Kyne... and while this did mildly change their view on Kyne, their view on the prisoner sparked a few memories they couldn't place fully, but filled them with seething rage nonetheless. Noticing Otu had snuck away, Kyne and Jaybird went to go find him.
Jaybird was desperate to find their small friend, clambering their way up into the trees to try and spot him; they figured he could've been there cuz he knew that he liked hopping around the tall oaks and pines, just like they did. Spotting him upon hearing Kyne call his name, the still drunken Jaybird tried to catch his attention, and despite their friend's calls of worry (of which they reassured, they stumbled, slipping forward and falling down to the ground, badly breaking their left leg. Ethamia was luckily there to help, setting the bone back in place and healing it with her powers, only leaving a severe- albeit sore -bruise. They spent the rest of their night drinking, listening to music and talking to others, including Jyego and Rome, who showed up not long after they got inside. 
Later that night, Eth figured it was time to head back, helping the drunken Jaybird out to where her horse was, making sure they were holding on tight behind them as they rode back home. Jaybird was- much to their surprise -carried into the house, sleepily leaning on Eth's shoulder as they were taken to their bedroom. In their tired, drunken haze, they remember telling Ethamia that they loved her (platonically) as they were being gently tucked into bed, and that they were so glad that she was their friend, before finally falling asleep.
==== (W.I.P) ====
Jaybird once again woke up home alone. Nursing a mind hangover and a sore leg, they got to their achy feet, going to the kitchenette outside the house and cooking up a stuffed potato with what little cooking skills they had been taught thus far by none other than Ethamia; and that was exactly who this food was made for. After haphazardly putting the meal together they began a rather sore trek over to The Grey Pearl, where they found three new faces to them; Ri Bellamonte, Abraham Lyghtwood and Aris... Seems Eth left to do other things, however, so they decided to temporarily (albeit drunkenly) bartend again in their friend's absence. They once again got to introduce a friend to alcohol, giving Abraham a glass or two of rum and vodka as Aris eventually up and left with Ri, soon being replaced by more familiar faces entering the bar; that being Kyne, Dagger and Echo. Serving them happily, things seemed fine, and chatting seemed to be going well, before Kyne took Dagger and Echo to talk... And it wasn't long before Jaybird grew curious and suspicious, in their drunken state. Snooping behind the gang at a distance, they were soon joined by an unfamiliar wolfman known as Space Bean. As they watched, they witnessed a redhaired, horned figure step forward... Circe. They clapped a hand over their mouth to not make noise, watching the scene play out; Echo getting slashed at, and Kyne running off with Circe. This had their blood absolutely boiling, and as the pair disappeared into the distance, Jaybird stormed forth; their anger and upset showed prominently as they demanded to know what happened, ignoring Dagger and Echo's confusion as to what they were doing here. Their rage only grew as they learned that Otu was kidnapped, and they angrily swung at the ice with the axeblade gifted to them from Ethamia, making cuts in the frozen-over river they stood on. It was soon noticeable though that Echo was injured, and in a panic, the group took xem to Jyego's Forge to try and find help. 
As they reached their destination, Jyego came forwards, looking concerned, but as it brought forth any healing help, Alejandro showed up, and healed Echo with concern in his voice. Explaining the situation to Jyego, it made quick note that they had to find Kyne and Circe, especially if they were conspiring. After this, Jaybird went back to the Grey Pearl with Echo and Dagger, rage still rumbling in their mind. 
* met Ri, Aris and Abraham; kyne and dagger soon show up
* goes to follow Kyne, dagger and Echo, witneses shit with circe; big angy
* helps Echo get healed after circe injures xem
* meets Kyne later and beats him with a hammer int eh crow's nest, demanding explaination about Otu's disappearance
* gets to see Otu, talks with the both of them and convinces them to go somewhere safer than the nether
* nearly has a panic attack leavign the nether.
*learns classified shit
*goes with eth to try and find Hrothgar
==== (W.i.p part 2 electric boogaloo) ====
* hroth comes home, mostly confused about the state Jaybird and Eth are in
* the pair explain the big bad situation to hroth
* to relax they decide to go to the bathhouse in Xadia
* they see the flowers on teh kingdom
* they spend a while relaxing in the bathhouse, before a flower blooms there and they have to run
* jaybird panics, despite Eth's reassurance
* they end up going to their room to drink and try and forget what is going on
==== A Visit of Friends Old and New (w.i.p 3) ====
Jaybird woke up in the morning, tired with a mild hangover; they drank less than normal the night before, so they were at least a little sober... That was rare these days. Heading up the ladder to go get some fresh air, they sang a little tune to themself... only to pause as they heard shuffling from the upstairs bedroom.
* discovers cypress in house, learns he is staying with them until he recovers from injuries
* has a drink with him, and they go outside to take a walk, where they discuss his imprisonment and the anxieties about the plague
* Jaybird swears to protect Cypress, just as Otu shows up; Jaybird embraces Otu
* The three head inside, where Jaybird makes them all leftover dumplings for dinner; they have somber conversation
* As Cypress and Otu go to travel to Jyego's Forge, Jaybird spots a new friendly face on the roof of the house
* The new person introduces minself as Fable, and after inspecting the newcomer for any signs of plague, the group introduces themselves before Cypress and Otu leave
* Jaybird and Fable talk a bit, and Fable offers to make Jaybird a mask, which they agree to, and they give min the proper payment; materials to craft an axe and whittling knife.
* Jaybird brings up alcohol for Fable to try, as min showed curiosity when they mentioned it, so they brought a bit upstairs; this lead to them witnessing Fable consume it in a way obscured from view, having seemingly consumed the glass and proceeding to return it when asked for it back.
* When asked for a design for the mask, Jaybird subconsciously drew up a wooden upper face half-mask, with intricate detailing on it.
* Jaybird lets Fable stay the night, makes them breakfast in teh morning, taked them oin a walk and gerts harassed by a seagull
==== Masked Memories (w.i.p part 4) ====
Jaybird woke up late again, which was a typical habit as of late. As they tiredly whipped up a chicken sandwich for their late-in-the-day breakfast, a sharp rapping at the door startled them lightly. On their way up the ladder, the familiar voice of Fable caught their attention.
* fable comes in, soon followed by Otu
* fable gived jaybird the mask they ordered, which they happily try on; they love it!
* curious of other masks fable owns, they get a little tour of what min carries; this leads to Jaybird spotting a mask rather familiar to them, causing memories
* needing to leave to regain their composure, otu follows to talkt o them about it
* Jaybird reminisces the weak memories they have on teh person who formerly wore the mask: their former (likely deceased) husband, and second father to their son.
* Jaybird is comforted by Otu, and they sob as Otu shields them with his wings
* Otu offers to steal teh mask for JAybird but they decline
* they soon head back once Jaybird is calmer, and out of courtesy Jaybird invites the two in for dinner
* Jaybird makes a lovely roast chicken dinner (for the first time) and it's rather enjoyable
* soon Otu has to go, and Fable does too
* Jaybird goes to hide in their room and write in their memory book, followed by crying and drinking, before passing out.
== Fun Facts/Trivia ==
* Jaybird seems to have quite the tongue for liquor… like they’re drinking to forget something they can barely remember
* Jaybird always carries Blu on them, often in their offhand. It’s like they need it to stay mentally well.
* Jaybird is a sleepwalker, and it’s not rare to see them walking into danger in the middle of the night.
* Jaybird’s favourite flower is cornflowers, and they tend to use them to make Blu, as making them with Lapis Lazuli leaves it with a metallic smell that they despise
* Jaybird is a pacifist; albeit with a few exceptions. They will not back down if someone stands against and threatens to harm those they consider family. That is when they will pick up a weapon and fight.
* They have a grudge on salmon that even they don’t understand… they just don’t like that fish.
* Jaybird loves to eat wild honey, and will specifically look for wild hives, take the honey and run. They say the adrenaline makes it taste better.
* Jaybird cannot stand the colour red, and is in fact terrified of said colour. 
* Every now and again they get a random pang of parental instinct. They are unsure why, and when they try to remember they just end up sad.
* They are very insecure about their looks, which is why they often wear longer clothing. 
* They are a big animal lover, and will get attached to animals fairly easily.
*A lot of the time, their clothes and skin have stains of Blu on it, almost looking like watercolour stains despite the substance being the consistency of slime and paint. It's mildly shimmery.