ɬąƙɛ ą ƈɧąŋƈɛ

having been raised in the woods, zinrie found herself at tune with nature. her parents taught her the ways of the woods, making sure that they taught her things like what was edible, what was safe to touch, and the dangers that lurked within the trees. one of the other things they taught her was how to use a bow. it was the best way for her to travel through the forest and have a way of taking down dangers without getting into direct danger herself.

the older she got, the more she started to truly lean into the forest and the ways that it exists. she became in tune with the things going on around her, learned how to explore without needing to worry about a guide. and then one day, she was in the midst of a battle and when calling for aid, managed to summon forth a world that took down some of the enemies in front of her, giving her a chance to notch an arrow into her bow and aim it for the last enemy.

from that moment on, the two worked together to travel through the forest together. she learned that nymph ( the name she'd given the creature ) was not of the material plane pretty quickly and that if she disappeared, she could bring her back. it made it easier to travel knowing her companion could never truly die.

born to an elven woman who had fallen in love with a djinn, haze was a miracle to behold and the only lingering presence the woman had to her lover that vanished shortly after their night together that had resulted in their conception. she called them their little miracle and showered them in affection day in and day out to make up for the fact that they only had the one parent.

haze was a little ball of energy as a child, always running here and there and floating around much to their mother's dismay. they were never up to mischief necessarily but rather wanted to explore the world around them, always finding it fascinating. their mother was terrified about letting them wander too far, not wanting them to disappear as their father had. haze tended to do as their mother said, staying close to their home so as to not worry her too much. but one day, there were people passing by talking about a carnival that was coming to town. their excitement was monumental and they begged and begged their mother to let them go. but she refused, not wanting them to get lost in such a crowded place. disappointed, haze found themselves deciding to take go anyway, even if their mother didn't want them to. they'd go and be back before she ever knew they were gone.

the problem was, of course, that haze had not thought about the fact they would need money for a ticket to get into the carnival. and so they waited for the opportunity and snuck inside without paying. it was everything they had hoped it would be as they wandered through, nothing but childlike wonder in their eyes. their smile was wide and bright, a glowing beacon in the darkness of the night.

that smile didn't last as the night went on. they couldn't tell you what had happened but at some point, the smile dimmed and eventually extinguished like a candle at bedtime. no matter how many attempts at smiling they made, it was impossible. their face stayed firmly straight without even a twitch. frightened, they went looking for help, stumbling upon the owners of the carnival who were not helpful at all. they couldn't possibly go home, couldn't possibly face their mother like this. and then they heard it. voices calling out this way and that.

being a young child, they didn't think better of wandering off to follow the voices, of wandering into places they didn't belong. after some wandering, they found themselves within the feywild, though they had no name for the strange place they were looking at. fearful, they tried to backtrack to find their way back to the carnival but found themselves at a loss when they merely circled back to the place they'd started from.

they sit there on the ground, knees pulled to chest for what feels like ages until they hear a noise that sends them running only for them to run into a pair of fairies. the fairies look down at this child and immediately decide to take them in, to protect them from the more gruesome parts of the wilds. as much as haze wants to leave, wants to get back to their mother who will be worried sick by their absence, they decide sticking with these fairies is the better idea than risking whatever had been in the woods.

and that's how things go for a few years. thankfully, his mother had warned them of the fae, had given them a few tips on how to handle them. the two looking after them had taken to calling them 'haze' simply because they refused to ever give up their name ( the first rule their mother had ever taught them ). as the years passed, their real identity was lost to them, their real name slipping from their mind the longer they spent in this place. haze became their identity and they were okay with it. their new fairy parental figures always tried to give them a good life, always wanted to make them feel better about their fate. they always took their no smiling as something that was due to the circumstances they found themselves in but haze themselves knew that the carnival had taken it somehow. it haunted them for a while, but after a few years, they found themselves not worrying about it so much, deciding that this was simply their fate.

after a few years, however, they realized they didn't want to stay within the feywild. they wanted to leave, wanted to get back to the material plane, back to their mother who they could only remember faintly. it was while they were looking for a way to do so that a new fairy they had never seen before appeared. she introduced herself as zybilna and offered a way to get home, to get free. skeptical, haze asked for further clarification, asked for what she got out of things. she simply told them that they would have a partnership and that she would call upon them when needed but that they would have great power bestowed upon them for doing so. feeling like there was no other option, they agreed.

granting them powers, zybilna helped to open a way for them to get home, telling them to walk along a path straight forward and to not stray from it lest they end up trapped again. not wanting to risk being trapped any longer, they give a small thanks and take off down the path set before them. they aren't sure when things change from the feywild to the woods of the material plane again but soon enough they can hear carts moving along a road pulled by horses trotting along. they make their way towards the road and find themselves on the edge of a small town. they find their way there, nothing more than a young teen looking to try and find their way home.

they discover where they have ended up and seek out help to try and find their way back to their hometown, wanting to get back to their mother who would likely have gone crazy looking for them the past few years. it takes some time for them to earn some money doing a few odd jobs for people around town before they're able to get someone to agree to bring them to the town they hail from.

it takes some travel time, but eventually they arrive. they make their way through streets once familiar to them to a home that sits upon a hill. but when they approach, they find a family that does not belong to them living within. they try to ask about their mother, try to describe her, but it's been so long the details are lost to them. they can't even recall her name. they excuse themselves, apologize for bothering the people, and leave as quickly as they arrived.

lost and unsure what to do now, haze finds themselves once more unsure of what to do, of where to go. but as they rest along the rode beneath a tree, zybilna's voice rings in their ear as if she were sitting beside them. they could easily make a name for themself, easily move forward and make a life with their new skills. and so they decide that they will do just that as they learn to once more live within the material plane. they do odd jobs, join up with adventuring parties to help out, do anything they can with their new powers to earn money and make a small name for themself. something that many find odd, however, is that no matter the occasion, haze never smiles. they soon become 'the smile-less one', a nickname they just shrug off. they aren't sure why they don't smile, aren't entirely sure what makes it so hard for them to do so even in situations where it calls for such.

one morning, after being greeted by their nickname, that they feel this sharp pang in their chest of loss. they feel as though the loss of their smile needs to be remedied, needs to be corrected. and it's then they remember the carnival, feel the need to revisit and reclaim what was once taken from them. and so they set out on a hunt of figuring out where the carnival will next be. they ask for guidance from zybilna, ask for help in locating the carnival. but there is no response. unlike the usual quickness of a response they get, there is nothing but silence in return.