The friendly and caring barista of the Bayshore Café in Old Salixberg. An enigmatic sadness underpins her warm demeanour, however.

The Bayshore Café is a small venue in Old Salixberg that's popular with both locals and tourists alike--operating out of a historic building that was once a fisher's cabin, the cozy atmosphere and spectacular view of the nearby Cascade Beach combine with the quality coffee and friendly staff, resulting in one of the best places you could relax in across all of Alrenia.

One of those friendly staff members is Kau'i Skála, a kohora who works day shifts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; and evening shifts on Tuesdays and Thursdays. As soon as you walk in whenever she's on her shift, you'll feel immediately welcomed by her warm tone of voice and friendly attitude. Assuming things aren't too busy in the café, she might even sit down with you after you've gotten your order and chat with you. Kau'i loves hearing stories, so whether you have any interesting tales of grand adventure, or even just some anecdotes of strange happenings in your part of the neighbourhood, you should not hold back--she'll enjoy every detail.

Yet, for as warm and inviting both she and the Bayshore Café are, when you talk to her, you can get the slightest sense that her life isn't exactly in order--like she's struggling with something.

"Welcome to the Bayshore Café! Please, make yourself at home. What can I get for you?"

~Kau'i

Childhood

When Kau'i was four years old, she was separated from her birth parents in a storm and was knocked unconscious.

She woke up on the shores of a beach, at dusk--the first thing she remembered was crying uncontrollably, until some other people heard her nearby and came to rescue her--a manticore and locequen couple.

They rushed her to hospital, where fortunately she was found to have only sustained minor injuries. She was to be discharged that night, except for one problem... Nobody knew who her parents were, and Kau'i had no idea where they could be.

Faced with no other options, the couple that brought her there decided to take her home. Ultimately, they were completely unable to find her biological parents, and ended up adopting her into their family.

Kau'i's foster family loved her like one of their own, and her upbringing was a very happy one. But a new problem emerged--she began to have recurring nightmares, ones where she would be swept away in a hurricane, or trying to swim away from a monster in the depths. She would always wake up in the dead of night with a shout, to the point where she had to be given separate sleeping quarters from her adoptive sister Ruby.

Her recurring nightmares peaked in her teenage years, playing hell with her sleep schedule and causing her grades in school to falter. She ended up becoming reliant on coffee just to power herself through class projects well enough to get B's and C's.

By the time her high school career was over, she was stuck with mediocre grades that wouldn't have gotten her into any of the local universities. The poor education and employment prospects in Chimaerai resulted in her looking to move out, as much as she was loath to do so.

Ultimately she chose Salixberg, Volantes's largest city; and, after tearful goodbyes to her family, set off from her childhood home to find new opportunities.

She worked odd jobs to afford staying in a studio apartment at first, but within a couple months, found herself a job at the Bayshore Café--she passed the job interview with flying colours, thanks to her knowledge in brewing coffee she gained as a teen, and her exceptionally kind demeanour.

Kau'i is still in contact with her family back in Chimaerai, and on regular occasions she will go to visit them--and vice-versa. While she still has her recurring nightmares, she's found new friends in Salixberg, and feels more at peace with herself than ever before.

Yet, if she had the opportunity to, she would desperately want to find out what happened to her birth parents...

"Even when she was waking me up in the middle of the night because of her nightmares, I just couldn't get mad at her. She's my little sister, and I love her as any big sister should."
~Ruby

Dita Plushie

A plushie--the perfect size for hugging--of the mascot of Pobřeží Fantazie Park, Chimaerai's largest amusement park. It's faded, with stitches and patches holding it together--but it's still Kau'i's most treasured possession.

When she was five, her foster parents took her to Fantazie Park--it was her first time ever going to such a place, and she instantly loved it, with all her heart.

She dragged her parents to take her on every rollercoaster she was tall enough to ride on, got her first taste of concessions like cotton candy and doughnuts, and got photos the various mascots around the park.

But perhaps the most memorable part of her first trip to the park was when she spotted a Dita plushie at a dart-throwing booth, and started begging her parents to get it for her.

Ivona was hesitant at first, but Cain just couldn't say no to her pleading face. He paid up, lined up his throw... And completely missed.

And then he tried. And then he missed again. And again. And again.

Eventually Kau'i burst into tears, fearing that eventually he would run out of money and she wouldn't be able to get the plushie. But Cain refused to give up--he never would for his daughter. And eventually...

*POP*

He finally popped one of the prize balloons, and he got the plushie for Kau'i. To his surprise, she started crying even more, hugging him and apologizing profusely for making him waste so much money.

In response, he calmly hugged her back, and patted her on the head. "For you, Kau'i... It's worth it."

Ivona would of course disagree, but she declined to bring this up--they were having a father-and-daughter moment, and it wasn't her place to interrupt it.

From that night on, Kau'i would go to sleep hugging the plushie every night. Whenever she woke up from a nightmare, it was always there for her. Even to this day it still sits on her bed, and she will clutch it after having a particularly bad nightmare.

"She still sleeps with it? News to me! I guess she thinks it'd be too embarrassing to tell her old man about that. Still, I'm glad she still finds it comforting. Makes every credit I spent on it just that much more worth it."
~Cain

Relationships

Trivia

• Kau'i's parents are still alive, but Kau'i doesn't know this. Conversely, Kau'i's parents assume that she died in that storm.
• These days, Kau'i actually doesn't like drinking coffee unless she really needs the caffeine. When sitting with customers, she'll often have a cup of hot chocolate instead.
• The Bayshore Café is within a couple blocks of the Expeditionary Guild, which explains why quite a few Guild members are regulars of the cafe.
• Kohora and manora usually do not have last names, making Kau'i's particularly unusual.