Her work would have been the cleanest part of digging through dirt for relics.
Initially, archeological research struck her as an upstanding endeavour, if a bit dull. But the clerical position paid well, the manager seemed affable and the tastefully decorated office on Ul'dah's outskirts was especially posh. Chloe accepted their offer without a second thought.
In the weeks that followed as she settled in to her new job, she increasingly felt at home. Meanwhile, Archeological Research Syndicate staff seemed to appreciate her efficiency and professional demeanour. Hard work and grace under fire were paying off.
Finally. Chloe felt she had found a place where she might fit in, could do good work and build financial stability into her life.
Then the dead people started showing up.
The first—she must have imagined it. Two staff she'd never seen before seemed to have carried what looked like a body wrapped in a blood-stained cloth bag through the back entrance. She caught a glimpse as they went past on their way to the research facility's basement.Sleep deprivation. She really must stop staying up so late on work nights, she told herself.
But after the fourth such body bag whisked past her view in as many weeks, Chloe's dismissal of what she'd obviously been seeing had reached its limit.
Bolting up from her desk, blue eyes narrowed and shoulders squared, the unflinching Raen smoothed her jacket and marched into Mr. Edmonton Bishop's office.
An explanation was in order.
"Archeology is a dangerous business," Edmonton explained, shaking his head solemnly. "Accidents happen."
His voice was tender, caring. Edmonton, who had neither married nor fathered children as far as he knew, genuinely liked Chloe. A certain set of paternal instincts he barely understood came forth around her, and he rather enjoyed it. It made him feel...maybe a sense of purpose? He hadn't yet decoded it. But it felt important and correct in a way he hadn't ever thought he'd need to feel.
"Chloe, look..." he began, tossing her an earnest look. "There are things we do at ARS that involve grave dangers, sometimes even dangerous people." He paused. He had to be careful, though instinct bid him to trust her. "What we do is often complex and that part of our work, well... I would like to keep it as far from you as possible. For your own safety."
His gaze moved to some far away place, but only for a moment. "You're a smart girl, Chloe. I would never treat you as if you weren't. But there are some things I just can't explain without putting you in danger."
Her face softened. She felt the conflict that tugged at him within and reasoned there was no point in pressing further. He meant well. And there was something else. Something deep down that made her faintly eager though she couldn't pin it down.
"It's all right, Mr. Bishop. I shouldn't have asked." She chuckled in that way she had, which put people at ease. "No worries, I'll not bring it up again, I promise." She regarded him warmly, her smile reassuring. "And...thank you. Thank you for considering my safety. I'll just get back to my desk—I am almost done with that monthly expense report, you know! I'll bring it in shortly."
Later that night, home and in her pyjamas, snuggled under a blanket and with mind reviewing the day at high speed, it came to her. Leaping out of bed, she squealed with delight. After acknowledging that she was actually exhilarated by the potential danger and lingering mysteries at work—that this was the injection of thrill and purpose in her otherwise banal life that she so desperately needed—how would she ever get to sleep?
Chloe Hathaway is a more often well-dressed, petite, dark-blonde Raen with bronze skin, ice blue eyes, and perhaps subtley dangerous curves. But she has little care about that, as her focus is on intellectual pursuits and ensuring that she meets the expectations of those around her.Plus, nice clothes. Which require financial resources... Ah, a neverending quest.Chloe believes in everyone's right to self-determination. And she has determined herself to be androphilic.Background
Apparently orphaned as an infant, she has no idea how she ended up the adopted daughter of an unmarried Ala Mhigan engineer. He would explain little when asked, though she sensed deep pain when she inquired; and so, her inquiries became infrequent.More importantly, she was adored and well cared for by this devoted father, and became completely acculturated to Ala Mhigan customs and norms. They had a modest but nice home just outside Ala Ghiri. A learned man, her father was a great teacher. Schooled at home, her bright mind absorbed everything he taught like a sponge.Deciding to pursue academics further, Chloe was taking steps to attend a preparatory school when her father suddenly died from an unknown illness. Chloe's broken heart, which had known only 19 summers, was abruptly forced to be more concerned with providing for herself than education.Once she packed up or sold what she could, she left Ala Ghiri and made for La Nocea. A place dedicated to ports and the sea sparked her interest. She imagined sea air would clear her head, and Limsa Lominsa held opportunities for work.Indeed, living near the Rhotano Sea and Limsa's vibrant culture proved to be amenable. She pursued odd jobs and did just well enough to keep herself out of destitution for several summers while studying Summoning there.One day, after seeing a bill posted for a job offering in Ul'dah, she decided it was time to move.She could not have predicted: Once in Ul'dah, her life bloomed like a desert cactus. Brilliant colour and many a pokey thing made for an adventure of a lifetime. Yes, there were dangers, high stakes and mad capers. But destiny had chosen Chloe. She was made for this. Well, that and an ever-expanding wardrobe.
CreditsSoundtrack ~ Todo O Nada, by the Fabio Hager SextetoImages by Gabrielle Chataignier, with additional input by some random AI nonsense.© Seventh Astral Era, Year 1 — All rights reserved.
Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental.
Hopes & Musings on StyleThe director of Chloe's light-hearted tale, which takes this resourceful, lawful-good, well-meaning girl into a shadowy underworld, is primarily looking for other writers.Don't feel you must incorporate your character into Chloe's backstory. This was a simple place to start. It gives her the opportunity to explore loyalties and refine her moral compass; it is possible she won't be so lawful before all is said and done. But because it centres around her job, it's off to the side, allowing her to engage in all sorts of other story arcs along the way. It's like irl, where many have jobs along side of other more meaningful parts of their lives.Open to most roleplay themes (except irreparable mutilation or death); fairly adaptive to varying roleplay styles, as I can generally mirror what I encounter. ERP? Sure, if it is relevant to the overall story. But not for its own sake, which would feel meaningless.What's my innate style? I guess it's more dialogue-driven. I tend to see roleplay as a play more than a novel, but will add enough descriptive colour, where needed.It's a fine line, to be sure. Once we begin to care about describing a scene, it is all too easy to descend into purple prose. While I try to avoid that, I'm not a judgemental person. I don't sit over here eye-rolling and judging others for this, or much else tbh. It's never my intention to be an ass. We're here to write for fun, after all.Not always, but at times I will loosely pre-script a scene with lots of conditional variables to accommodate potential actions of others, to help keep the pace going. I'm a fast keyboardist, but truly juicy literary phrases and colour—they don't always spit out of me at 78 wpm, lol.What attracts me most to roleplay is the impromptu nature of it. The potential for varying outcomes based on what other characters/players in the story do is exciting. It's like rl that way. We bump into things that can move us in unexpected directions in life. To me, that's way more interesting than completely nailing down/scripting everything in advance.All that said, I feel the greater priority is OOC communication among writers. Open communication and understanding expectations beforehand are key in relationships of all kinds; roleplayers should endeavour no less to promote the same.I would love to make friends along the way, but am not looking for real-life connections beyond friendship. We've all said it, but it bears repeating: IC =/= OOC. Please be responsible for maintaining this distinction. I promise—I will, too.Other Irrelevant Deets
I have lived in parts of the world that aren't the U.S., but currently live on its west coast. I am a mostly optimistic, forgiving, empathetic soul (INFJ) who writes everything from poetry to magazine articles to comics; I've been known to draw and play the piano, too, but can barely boil water and live on take-away and enormous tankards of black tea.And because it must be said: I am 21+ and you should be, too.