Shirogawa Mitsuhiko
| Shirogawa Mitsuhiko | |
| |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Au Ra |
| Clan | Raen |
| Citizenship | Adventurer |
| Resides in | Gridania (originally), Limsa Lominsa (currently) |
Shirogawa Mitsuhiko is an Au Ra Raen who ran away from the Malaguld tribe to escape his overprotective father. He is also known as Arslan Malaguld. Though, only his fathers and possibly others from the Malaguld tribe would know that. He was taught archery by Penanna Nordal in Gridania until she fled from there and now spends his time in Limsa Lominsa with his boyfriend, Aghurlal Qar-aKimusun.
Description
No matter how long he stays in the sun he remains pale. He was born blonde, but he currently has light blue hair that matches his eyes. He is over seven feet tall and is basically a soft boy with thicc archer arms. They are perfect for hugs (or for firing arrows with a bow).
Impressions
“He’s very sweet-natured. I’m not sure I could ever deserve his company, but… I’m thankful for it while he’s willing to give it.” - Aghurlal Qar-aKimusun
"He's a clever man, o-one who s-seems q-quite sensitive a-and kind.... I r-rather like him, t-though I feel a touch shy talking w-with him, ehe~" - Defiant Bride
Personality
A shy vanilla bean.
He is very idealistic and always sees the best in everyone (or most people, anyway).
Othard History
Once upon a time, Koujoukashi and Toyokura Mitsuhiko were married to one another, but they had a polyamorous arrangement with another. Polyamorous relationships were frowned upon in Doma and their other partner outed them. They ended up having to leave their original life behind. They abandoned their own house to a distant relative, cashed in some assets that were stolen from the Mitsuhikos, and moved to a more modest house in an isolated location near the Steppes. They met Cinu-a after making contact with the Malaguld, and both promptly fell in love with him. Eventually, all three were bonded to one another. Cinu-a and Toyokura had a son together; most of the year he was raised at the house, but some of it was spent with his parents all travelling together with the Malaguld. This son was a blonde Raen boy known as Arslan Malaguld. Unfortunately, the family was picked out by a small but violent tribe of looters as easy targets with a fair amount of capital to take; Toyokura was killed in a “mysterious accident” to isolate Cinu-a and Koujou. Then, a member of the small but violent tribe of looters posed as a friendly face, willing to help them rebuild - gaining their trust, then beginning to abuse them emotionally until she felt she could allow her clan to take the estate, and even the boy, without fear of reprisal. She underestimated her marks - Cinu-a killed her, and rescued his son. But too late, all things told. It wouldn’t bring his and Koujou’s wife back, or the house where his son had been growing up, which was now looted and destroyed.
So, Koujou and Arslan had to come with Cinu-a and the Malaguld from then on. While Koujou was able to thrive well enough on his own in the tribe as he was an adult Arslan had a lot more trouble for he was just a young boy at the time. After the loss of Toyokura, Cinu-a had become an alcoholic which only became worse as he became more overprotective of his son. He saw Arslan as desperately needing to be protected as he had been made to waste away into a shriveled and apologetic shadow of his former vivacious self. Instead of letting Arslan explore his interest in archery, Cinu-a forces him to train as a warrior so that he would be able to protect himself from those who would bring him harm. Arslan struggles with heavy warrior weaponry until his alcoholic father's irrational inability to let Arslan learn archery like he wants to eventually has Arslan hurt by his own parent when they have a disagreement. Arslan steals a bow and its arrows from Koujou, then flees into the night upon the back of a griffin he had hand raised from an egg that was given to him by Koujou as a gift. He travels to Doma, then takes any odd job he can there until he is able to afford an escape from Othard. After his escape from Othard, he arrives in Eorzea and registers himself as the name he would have been given if he were born in Doma: Shirogawa Mitsuhiko.
Eorzean History
Days, weeks, perhaps months pass. Shirogawa arrives at the Archers' Guild in Gridania. The morning training sessions over, he watches as recruits begin to return to their duties. He attempts in vain to attract the attention of the receptionist who does her best to appear much too busy to pay him any attention. Not too far from them an Elezen by the name of Penanna Nordal was returning from the outdoor training session, a variety of bows hung from one arm, and quivers full to the brim with training arrows in the other. She looks from Shirogawa to the receptionist, and back again. It took her all of two seconds to put down the equipment, and ask Shirogawa how she could help him. By the following day she had filed the required paperwork, and Shirogawa was enlisted as a guild member, the receptionist eyeing the pair wearily throughout her verification of the documents.
Penanna's teaching method differed greatly from the other Archers in the guild, rooted in a respect for living things, she began refining the skills Shirogawa already had through the Shroud. She showed him the natural paths and routes that existed for him to track on, how to move without distressing innocent targets or alerting harmful ones. She showed him how to construct functional bows and arrows quickly in the event he was unarmed, how to climb and brace himself to the right trees to escape danger. They often spent days out camped together in the Shroud, observing the normal behaviors of the flora and fauna, reading tracks and foraging for food and water from the right places. Many of the skills Shirogawa already had in some form, Penanna simply helped him to refine them. Around this time, Shirogawa meets Aghurlal Qar-aKimusun, an Au Ra Xaela male he meets in Limsa Lominsa who at the time was recruiting for the free company, Polaris.
In between their training sessions or outings, Penanna frequently traveled to the North Shroud as a Twin Adder to meet with a friend; Cassius. Penanna was aiding Cassius's investigation of Allagan ruins, and also in part acting as her guard. Some months into her friendship with Shirogawa, Penanna was accosted by superiors in the Adders who attempted to detain her on suspicion of treason by consorting with Garlean spies. Although Penanna suspects they are referring to Cassius, she denies treason and manages to avoid being arrested. She mentions nothing of this to Shirogawa during training. Later that night, Penanna meets another friend, Renthalion, who overheard the Adders talking about the 'traitor' in their midst and their plans to arrest her the following day once she leaves the city for training. Heeding Renthalion's warning, Penanna quickly leaves the Shroud, asking Renthalion to find Cassius and warn her away from Gridania, and to keep watch over Shirogawa.
The following morning, Penanna is nowhere to be found and no one seems willing to tell Shirogawa what had happened the day before, although he does see some Adder's milling around and occasionally looking to him suspiciously. A few hours pass before one of the other recruits reluctantly relays to Shirogawa what had happened and warns him that Penanna will likely be pursued, and if he stays he will likely be arrested. So, he opts to leave.
With no idea of where Penanna might flee to and barely any leads to speak of, it is some months before they are reunited. In that time Shirogawa becomes much closer with Aghurlal and they quickly become boyfriends. Without a home in Gridania anymore, he starts out by living in an inn room with the gil he is able to make through leves, to eventually just living with Aghurlal in his apartment.
As for Penanna, it turns out she had fled to a hovel in Outer La Noscea as she has been directed there by Renthalion. She eventually hears word via Renthalion from Cassius, who has found her somewhere more permanent to stay - Polaris. Cassius effectively recruited Penanna for Sabik and it is at the Polaris house that Penanna and Shirogawa reunite.
[Insert more about his relationship with Aghurlal, his relationships with other characters (ie. Khutani, Defiant, Bala, Lycoris and Chanar), his feelings of inadequacy because he doesn't have a soul stone, how he gets a soul stone(!! soon, a bard one), then how he learns to be a bard not only through the soul stone but also through his own abilities. Also, how he is doing his best to not be found by Cinu-a but how he does want to find Koujou if he can.]
