Saltimbanco's Links
Salty loves her mom and misses her every day - especially on Scudder's birthday, which is the day Salty and her siblings used to throw a super secret surprise party. Now though, she simply spends the day alone. She pops a candle on a cupcake, lights it, sings... and remembers. Her time in the coastal swamp holds a special place in her heart! She fully believes that Scudder was the best mother ever, and that she gave her everything she needed to succeed as an adult: the Swamp Boogie taught her how to be resourceful, how to make her own games, how to appreciate the little things, and how be a truly kind person. To this day Salty retains the ability to make all kinds of little tricks and traps - courtesy of mom! But above all, Scudder taught her how to be patient. You see, as Salty grew older she initially felt the exact same frustration as Corteo. Why couldn't mom understand? Why didn't she still have all the answers...? Salty didn't know about her mother's head injury any more than her siblings did - Scudder never talked about it and her fluffy hair hid her scars well - so as communication broke down, arguements erupted. The teenager could only assume that her mother was being intentionally difficult! But fight after fight, battle after battle, Salty began to see the struggle in Scudder's eyes - to hear the fear and confusion in her voice. So, instead of burying herself in her own problems, Salty grit her teeth, took a step back, and tried to approach the problem from a different angle. Just like the whole thing was one of the games they used to play! Spotting shapes in the clouds, or faces on the trunk of a tree. In so doing, she began to understand that her mother was different. Not really an adult, not really a child, Scudder was instead caught in a frustrating limbo between the two; she couldn't help them because the world they were growing into was totally alien to her. If anything though, this revelation only made Salty love her all the more. Instead of demanding what couldn't be given, Salty began doing her best to be there for Scudder during her outbursts. It could be stressful, yes - trying to manage the larger gator's tantrums and play the adult when you were barely even old enough to be one yourself - but what else was she going to do? Leave Scudder to cry all alone? Yell at her...? Tease her...? Not her childhood best friend. That would have been cruel! And Salty doesn't have a mean bone in her body. Thus the rift between them healed before it had ever fully opened, and Salty found her mother coming to her more and more for guidance concerning her siblings. Things weren't perfect, sure: Salty had to go off into the swamp and scream at the sky more than once just to blow off pent-up stress. But family is family! You do what you can. And when Scudder came to her in secret, desperate that Corteo not rush off blindly into the world... there was no way she could refuse. Salty left the only home she'd ever known with a heavy heart and a clear conscience, knowing she'd return if she ever got the chance.
Salty has always loved her big brother - you're supposed to, right? - though in the beginning, they weren't all that close. She had four other siblings to play with (not to mention her mom!) and so the bossy black gator fell by the wayside. It was only as they all grew older, and she began to realize how lonely Cort really was, that she started making excuses to rope him into their games. And she was so GOOD at it! He never noticed that she was going out of her way. Salty could tell - he thought the ball really DID slip out of her hands and go flying in his direction, or that she really DID bring a raucous game of tag through the middle of his favorite hiding spot by pure chance. Salty has always been smarter than Cort gives her credit for! And that's fine by her! Just so long as he's happy, and never feels alone. After all - it's her JOB to look after him. Momma said so, when they left the cave for that terrifyingly final time... And Cort doesn't know about THAT either. He can't. He'd only take it the wrong way. So Salty sticks to him like glue, loves him with all her heart, and does her best to keep him on his toes. She may be his nutty little sister, but she's got her own agenda.
Salty is a few cards short of a full deck, and Cort has no illusions - she's an erratic, huggy, vamp with violent tendencies. She's also his sister. And while he sometimes wishes that she'd take a chill-pill (or find an apartment of her own), Cort wouldn't trade her for the world! They've worked together since they hit the big city, you see, and at this point one would honestly not know what to do without the other. She's the Yang to his Yin. The Kirk to his Spock. Sure, Cort needs his space from time to time; his idea of a good time is the polar opposite of Salty's, and he sure as heck doesn't want to be involved in her private life! They frequently butt heads over money, food, friends, their act... practically everything. Yet sometimes Salty manages to drag him out of his daily rut and, much to his surprise, Cort finds himself... having FUN. His sister also remains the only person in the whole world who can read him like an open book. When you're not one for small-talk, and aren't good at sharing your feelings, that's really nice. Salty doesn't need him to SAY when he's upset. She just... knows. And Salty being Salty, she's always there for him. He only wishes she wasn't quite so quick to plan murder whenever someone causes him grief... he buries enough bodies at his day-job. No way he's doing it once he clocks out, too! Though if it were SALTY asking.... Cort might make an exception. Once or twice.
An old friend from Saikred High, in which Salty unwillingly enrolled for a semester after coming to the city with her brother. Fiesta's chaotic energy complemented her own perfectly, and she remembers getting up to all sorts of nonsense with the colourful gator! They kept in contact for a while after Salty dropped out, but have drifted apart in recent years now that Fiesta is busy with her own life and responsibilities. Fiesta still occasionally reaches out to Salty, offering her old friend candy to perform in front of her shop. And Salty always happily agrees! The pair seem to share a sweet tooth.
Friend from Saikred High