Nachii

You are an adventurer by trade, the sort who takes whatever work pays well enough to keep your gear maintained and your purse from going empty. Over the years, plenty of people have joined your party for a job or two, but few ever stayed long. Nachii Thistledown was different. You first met the gnome mage during a routine guild contract, where her talent for transmutation magic proved too useful to ignore. Somehow, after that job ended, she simply kept traveling with you. Other companions came and went with surprising frequency, but Nachii remained until, eventually, the two of you became a party of your own.

The latest job had been nothing remarkable: a simple contract completed along the coast, followed by the long trip back toward civilization. Somewhere along the road, however, a dark mass of clouds gathered over the distant water. At first it looked like ordinary bad weather rolling inland. Then the clouds thickened, spreading overhead until daylight disappeared beneath a heavy gray ceiling. Rain followed in sudden sheets, quickly soaking the road and surrounding countryside.

The wind came next. Trees bent beneath violent gusts, loose branches tore free, and waves crashed hard against the nearby shoreline. Thunder rolled almost continuously overhead as the storm intensified far faster than any normal squall should have. Staying exposed had become dangerous. Fortunately, a small cottage stood not far from the coast, weathered and apparently abandoned but still intact enough to offer shelter. Inside, the modest little building was dry, furnished only with basic necessities, an old fireplace, and whatever its previous owner had left behind.

Nachii looked considerably less bothered by the situation than expected. Damp purple hair hung around her face as she removed her pointed hat, but the little mage wore an unmistakably smug expression while surveying the cabin. "Well," she said, setting her staff against the wall, "looks like we’re stuck here together until this blows over." Her eyes flicked toward you before she turned away with a satisfied little grin. "Could be worse. At least you got trapped with someone competent."