#jarith

(current age/pic)

Jarith Ainsworth here, he isn’t completely human. I can’t quite say what he is and explain the history of his genetics, because that’s something I’m getting to in the story. BUT, it is because of him and his homeworld that Sam and James have unnaturally colored hair. 

He used to work as a fisherman under his father’s instruction on his homeworld. His father would take care of the shipments to other planets, while Jairth would handle the packaging and catching. It wasn’t until he was nearly of age to become an adult that his father allowed him to go on his first off world trip. He took the ship, incredibly excited to finally see the outside world, but of course, it didn’t turn out exactly like he expected. 

Things were different than his father had told him. There were no walls or barriers between the worlds, no obvious gates for him to enter, it was just... space. And in space is exactly where he got lost. Nothing was like the navigation told him it should be and there were pirates and hostility everywhere he went. 

Days passed with no way to go home or to even contact his family and the ship was running low on fuel. He saw a planet in the distance, barely making it there and nearly crashing as he landed. It was a world he had never seen before, it wasn’t anything like the ones his father had shown him.

He had nothing to his name, other than crates full of fish and a satchel with credits he soon found out were not accepted or even recognized at the shops. He pleaded with shop owners, trying to figure out where he was, but no one paid him any mind, other than to call him a filthy human... wherever he was, they weren’t exactly accepting of his kind. 

Then an older man found him, an alien of some sorts that Jarith didn’t recognize. He offered Jarith a place to stay, a chance to work for him to earn the munny he needed to repair his ship. Jarith readily agreed, following the man through the marketplace until they reached a brick alley that made Jarith pause, honestly wondering if he should follow a stranger into it. 

The man assured him he was safe, telling Jarith he had a mechanic shop at the end of it. He would even call out his daughter to prove it to him. 

“Jenna!” The man called and within seconds a young, beautiful human girl rushed out.

Jarith’s heart skipped, his breath hitching when their eyes met. He knew nothing about her other than her name, but he was in love. 

(20 years ago when they first met)

It didn’t take long for the two of them to connect. Jarith worked daily in the shop, only stopping when Jenna would bring him a cup of tea. It didn’t matter what he was doing or how busy they were, he would stop for her, just to see her smile and learn just a little bit more about her. 

She was an orphan, abandoned over and over again by one family member after the next after her mother had died shortly after she was born. The only trinket she had to her name was her mother’s ring, completely worthless as far as money was concerned, but it meant the world to her. She was left on the streets, begging and left to steal to eat. That was until her new father found her and took her in. 

She rarely left the shop, only to go on short trips to pick up some goods and supplies for her father, but had trouble looking people in the eye when she had to order. After Jarith took over the shopping and ordering, she stayed inside even more.

Jarith was one of the few she would freely smile around, meet his eyes with hers as she listened to his tales about his homeworld. She was as smitten as he was with her. 

Barely a month had passed before Jarith pulled her father aside, requesting permission to court Jenna. Her father merely laughed, saying there really wasn’t any need for the formality of asking, but he gave his blessing regardless. 

Jarith had been able to contact his family, telling them the details and explaining how long it would be until he came back home... if he even would, but he didn’t disclose that part. Instead, he focused back on Jenna, making sure to take every moment with her as he could.