Poe Beck Dahl

The resident sleepyhead

> *“That's very interesting.”*
>
>

> — Poe
>
>

**Poe** was one of the former Staff in **Moemoea Cafe.**

He was one of the former cashiers, often plagued by anxiousness and insomnia.

## Biography

#### [Childhood]

Poe is originally from Hobak; here he spent his childhood in a quiet area where neighbours lived far off and playmates were few. The majority of his early years went by almost solely in the company of his parents and books they brought him, spiced up with a few rare encounters with neighbouring children also in the activity of discovering the local forest. The family was not particularly affluent, but their peaceful existence in their little house felt in many ways a relief for the pair of adults who had known a different life altogether - they watched the little boy with wonder, sometimes finding it hard to believe that he was truly real. Regardless of how much they wished to provide him more playmates, they were wary of making new acquaintances... and they were unable to produce more children. When the family was finally extended, it was after a long while of contemplation (in which Poe had taken no part) and the surprise was immense when the mother returned after a few days with a child in her arms. Curiousity brought Poe to ask whose child it was, to which the answer was: "It's ours."

The discussion that preceeded the adoption of Sofie had been solely between the parents and had went entirely over Poe's head. The 6 years old boy was, as most single children upon finding their space infridged by another child, apprehensive but curious. Being enriched with a sister was just the first of many changes to Poe's everyday life. The blue-eyed creature was quite attention demanding, she got sick for no apparent reason (and had the nerve to get the rest of them sick in turn, too) and as soon as she was allowed to walk about she began trailing him like a duckling to a duck. She was quite adorable, in her own way, but the additional family member added new responsibilities to the family. It was decided that they couldn't stay like this, secluded and without more friends for their children, a proper school. (Again) Poe was not asked, and neither was his sister.

#### [A wider World]

The move initially felt like a long, strange holiday to Poe - the family travelled further into the country and passed Lanoro, continuing east, and ultimately brought the boy further away from his birthplace than he had ever been. The parents of the little family felt hopeful, seeing their small ones innocently marvel at the changing landscape without the wariness of their olders: their own worries were kept between them along with their hopes that their old contacts in Grania would be able to help them settle well. Since having Poe, his parents had never travelled much, and this was the boy's first experience of a world beyond the little sphere he had grown up in.

It had not occurred to him more than fleetingly that his family might be different from any other. This was a discovery he made only when the family gathered up their things and moved to the lively city of Grania, where people lived right next to you and even though you were inside and closed the window, you could still hear the sound of life from outside. It was an eye-opener in many ways; the city's technology was quite advanced compared to what they had come from, the streets a different place to get lost in than the woods, and the nature of the *people* there was so diverse that it was hard, initially, not to just stop and stare in amazement as others rushed by. The parents found work and the children were put to school, where Sofie immediately fit in but Poe struggled to find a place among these 'peers' who all seemed already so adjusted to the ways of things and so much more knowledgeable about the world. He was forced to adapt to fit in and learned here how to contain yourself and copy those who are successful.

#### [On the Move]

The family tried to stay as long as possible, but finding enough employment was not always easy and when Poe turned 16 they were all moving again. A new pattern began repeating itself: Out of work, one of the parents got an offer in a neighbouring area, and the family uprooted itself to search for their happiness in a new city, a new place. They worried mainly that it was hard on Sofie and tasked the older Poe to look after her, to comfort her. So he did, unwillingly finding himself stuck in a family pattern where he was being tasked with more and more chores without being rewarded in any way. Adolescence felt like being stuck in a cage where his helpless sister and his confused parents were slowly suffocating him, despite their good intentions and wishes for his future. But they were his family and he could not disappoint them... so it became a question of waiting. When he deemed that Sofie was old enough to take care of herself, Poe began searching for employment and a way out of the rootless mess he felt his parents had resorted to.

School had given him an impression of the dynamics which were at play beneath the perceived structures of the society his family so carefully navigated through, but he hadn't really been met with proper distrust and the kind of look-over which some adults rewarded him with upon introduction. Finding a place of his own was not nearly as straight forward as it had seemed when reading about it and planning it, and the rejections hit him much harder than they should have. It was painful and discouraging to a sensible soul to discover that, despite his efforts, things would simply not go his way. He eventually moved further south and did find employment, even if only for shorter amounts of time - a small company (secretary), a restaurant (dishwasher), a printing business (errand runner) - but never a place he could really fit in or feel comfortable with.

#### [Moemoea Café]

It was quite by chance that he happened to be in the town Mers when a strange group of uniformly clad individuals went about handing out flyers. One of these flew righ by his foot and was stuck under his shoe as a stream of said flyers littered the street after a motorcycklist went by. Picking up the paper, turning it over and reading the short message it held, he stopped. *“Moemoea Cafe is looking for new hires! No matter what your race,  we welcome you kindly!”* Those were new words. Poe weighed them in his mind and slowly resumed his walk, slowed down, turned uncertainly... and finally decided. He would at least check it out.

## Trivia

* He will usually refer to his parents simply as 'my parents' and rarely in singular or by their names (which are Cornelius and Mary...)
* He actually cares quite a lot about his appearance and likes to dress up outside of work.
* His hair is in a permanent state of floof and is terrible to brush.
* When he is troubled by thoughts he is unable to sleep and therefore tends to look permanently tired.