Yen'to Tajaan
A brief history, overview, and notes about a grumpy Moon-Seeker miqo'te.
Updated 11/19/20
His mother, Yen, had left Gridania with her first mate at his urging for what they anticipated to be better opportunities in Limsa Lominsa. Alas, it was not to be and Ahkir’a died at sea soon after they moved, leaving Yen'to's two older half-silbings to be raised alone.
It was not long after the incident that Yen met her second mate, Y’Chale. He was a Sun-seeker tia that had caught her at a vulnerable time. Their relationship was rocky, and he abandoned the family as soon as Yen’to was born to pursue less complicated relationships.
Yen’to got along well enough with his half-brother, Yen’a. However, his half-sister, Tahlia, resented him as an unwanted complication and perhaps partially blamed him for his father’s abandonment. She was cold and domineering, and they constantly fought. As they came of age their paths began veering in wildly different directions.
Yen’a desired a simple life and found employment as a dock worker helping to load and unload cargo for ships. Tahlia’s rebellious streak only grew and she ended up joining a pirate gang and cut off all communication with her family. A mixture of rebelliousness and desire to both find and spite Tahlia resulted in Yen’to enlisting in the Maelstrom Grand Company. He hoped one day to find her again, and perhaps bring her back into the family for his mother's sake.
The beginning of his enlistment was rough, but as time went on he eventually fell in line. Yen’to gained skill with the axe, discipline, and experience with command as a junior officer. However, over time he grew dissatisfied with the regimen and resigned in order to forge his own path as a mercenary. He felt that his advancement in the Maelstrom had slowed too much and lacked the freedom to pursue his own goals.
Over the last few years Yen’to has traveled to most corners of Eorzea and the Far East, picking up a hobby as a machinist to add to his repertoire of combat skills. Most recently, he has earned a steady employment as security for the Shroudrose Teahouse under Faye Covington; a position that often gives him more headaches than gil.
Yen’to tends to be reserved and private. Some might more succinctly call him grumpy. He prefers not to be the center of attention, either good or bad. Better to let others make fools of themselves by calling attention to their failings.
He tends to take on a blunt tone, preferring to be direct and to the point, and measures his words carefully. However, his tone can quickly become biting and sarcastic when annoyed. Otherwise, he tries to at least force himself to remain polite as much as possible, especially when on the job. How successful this is depends on the persistence and strength of the source of the annoyance.
Yen’to considers himself patient, but his patience quickly runs out in certain scenarios. Flattery and flirting are two sides of the same coin, and Yen’to can stand neither. He sees both as manipulative, dragging out conversations longer than necessary. Say it directly or don't say it at all. He also has little tolerance for mischief and troublemakers. He also has no tolerance for unprofessional behavior.
All that being said, Yen’to is friendly and warm once he gets to know someone. Competence, straightforwardness, and professionalism are the quickest ways to win him over. He also has a soft spot for a quick wit, and can appreciate playfulness in small and relatively harmless doses. The line between earning his favor and ire is thin indeed. Woe be to the one who makes him look like a fool.
He is not very romantically motivated, partially due to his aversion to flirting, and while he feels attraction towards the opposite sex it takes a lot of time and effort to get him to act on any feelings. His traditional Moon-keeper upbringing instilled an innate respect for females, particularly those in authority positions. Yen’to would be unlikely to make a comment on a female’s appearance, or least make a big deal of it.
Yen’to does have an inherent prejudice against Sun-seeker miqo’te, although it can be overcome - particularly from a good first impression. He views females as little more than bratty troublemakers, and the males are unabashed flirts. He considers the practice of Nunh harems as selfish on the part of the males. Despite all this, some of his best friends are Sun-seekers.
Last, but most definitely not least, is that Yen'to has an arrogant streak. He considers his skills more highly honed than they might actually be, and is not afraid to claim proficiency. He generally does not take loss well, although he has learned to at least hide his anger at it better. Despite his arrogance, he does tend to approach problems tactically and carefully rather than rushing in over his head.
Yen’to is relatively average in height for a miqo’te - he comes up slightly short to most hyur midlanders. His build is lean and muscular from frequent use of heavy weapons and armor. He tends adopt a relaxed posture when idle, although he takes on a defensive posture when in a poor mood.
His hair is naturally midnight blue and while fairly short still ends up looking a bit shaggy. His tail is long and fluffy. Yen’to prefers to dye the ends of his hair, which the current color is red. He has light yellow eyes, the only feature gifted by his Sun-seeker father. His skin is pale in color, with an ashen gray tone. It is quite obvious he avoids the sun as much as possible. One person derided his look as a 'drowned corpse'.
Yen’to has a few distinguishing features. His eyes brow have decorative red markings, along with a couple red stripes on each side of his jaw. They are the patterns of his mother's ancestry, as well as being his favorite color. A small scar marks the middle of his brow between the eyes, usually covered by his bags, and a longer one cuts diagonally across his upper back.