Generally a rather pleasant person to interact with, Khaidai navigates social situations with the confidence of a seasoned performer that thrives on attention. Having grown up in a nomadic tribe, working together with others comes to him quite naturally, and he doesn’t enjoy spending long periods of time completely on his own — even if he, too, needs some alone time every now and then. While polite small talk is what most of his quick interactions tend to be, the topic of dance and music will instantly ignite a flame of passion that gets him more talkative and invested in the conversation. His love for music and all the ways people interact with it is certainly his most defining characteristic, and he’s very outspoken about his admiration for such arts.

Because of his politeness and manners perceived as mild at best, it may come as a surprise to hear Khaidai used to be rather infamous among the other Xaela of the Azim Steppe: an excellent fighter for someone his size, Khaidai was known for his borderline berserk rage when he entered a battlefield. There is an intense — and sometimes fearsome — drive to him that surfaces when things are dire or he must fight for his life, but since leaving his home, he’s been doing a great job at controlling both his body and mind lest they cloud his better judgement. Khaidai does have a competitive streak to him, but he’s generally conflict avoidant, and tends to leave situations that might bring out the worst of him. Nevertheless, Khaidai is still a proud Steppe warrior: he never says no to a challenge, and there is honour to be had from the scars gained in battles.

HAIR: Lilac with salmon pink highlights, long sides with short and spiky back
EYES: Magenta left eye with purple right eye, bright magenta limbal rings
EYELASHES: Long and dark upper laces
NOSE: Small, slightly curved with a round tip
LIPS: Close to skin color, large lower lip, wide, pointing slightly downwards
HORNS: Two pairs of dark blue horns on the sides of head; one larger and wing-like on sides while the pair above them are small nubs
EARS: None; uses his hollow horns to hear 
SCARS: Long and deep scar going across his stomach (hidden with makeup when performing)
BODY TYPE: Petite, lithe, pear shaped in bone structure 
CONSTITUTION: Nervous, curious, polite
OTHER: Flat chest, sharp fangs (up and down), lean tail with spiked tip

Khaidai doesn’t have human ears and instead hears through the larger set of his horns. They’re hollow inside but extremely sturdy, making it near impossible to break them.

He uses his tail to communicate excitement (fast waving), concentration (slow waving) and fear/anger (very slow waving but with sharper movements). During winter seasons his tail gets slightly thicker as he uses it as his excess fat storage, though compared to other auri tail shapes his thickens the least.

Though he hides the scar on his stomach with makeup, Khaidai is everything but ashamed of it: it’s a reminder of a battle that he had won, both against his opponent and death itself. 

Summary: An Au Ra born in the Qalli tribe, Khaidai struggled feeling comfortable with his singing voice in a tribe known for their melodious way of speaking. He would instead leave his home in pursuit of dancing, finding it the perfect way to still feel connected to music while also feeling comfortable participating in it. Learning dancing from multiple teachers in Hingashi and Thavnair, Khaidai would eventually end up in Eorzea as a result of a misunderstanding. Nevertheless, he has embraced the life of an adventurer and is now searching for new dance moves to learn and an audience to share his joy of music with.

♱ CHILDHOOD♱

Khaidai was born into the Qalli tribe, where its members communicate through song — and thus making him very attuned to music and singing from a young age. He was a much loved child adored by his parents, even if their approach to raising him included a certain emotional distance to prepare Khaidai for independence and self-reliance.

While he didn’t actively think about his gender while growing up, by the time of his puberty he began feeling discomfort with his physical changes — or lack thereof. After coming to terms with his identity, Khaidai tried to learn to speak lower and sound more masculine, but there was little he was able to do with his singing voice without sounding off-key and straining his voice — something his tribe would sternly chastise him for.

Though he was able to get support from his tribe members and developed a natural way of speaking low, the problem with his singing voice persisted and made Khaidai feel miserable in his highly musical tribe. He would try to learn to play instruments in order to compensate for his lack of singing, but after witnessing a Xaela from another tribe dancing at the Reunion he knew this was what he wanted to dedicate his life to. 

♱ LEAVING HIS HOME ♱

Khaidai’s first mentor was a member of his own tribe, an Auri man who had been born outside the Steppe but later seeked to join the tribe of his late mother. He had been residing in Kugane, learning many of the Hingashian traditional dances and would go on to pass them on to young Khaidai. However, he would eventually perish in a fall accident and leave the young Au Ra with no mentor to teach him further. Khaidai knew he would only grow unhappy trying to force himself to sing again, and so he made the difficult decision of leaving his tribe in pursuit of knowledge.

When Khaidai left his tribe he left with the assumption it might very well be the last time he sees his family and the members of his community. As such, he chose the name of his tribe as his surname; a memento of his past and a challenge he had to live up to — whatever he did or said in the outside world, he would do so knowing it affected the reputation and honour of the Qalli. 

♱ THE ART OF DANCE ♱

Khaidai’s first major location was Kugane, the bustling port city acting as a way in and out of Hingashi. The grand architecture and the diversity of people were intimidating to a boy from such a humble home, but Khaidai’s curiosity and polite manners gained him a positive reputation as he was looking for a mentor and places to earn his living in.

His next dancing teacher would be a Hyur woman who had once lived in Doma, and Khaidai was able to pick up his dancing lessons from where they had been left at his own home. He was a fast learner, and his mentor was able to introduce Khaidai to her peers who likewise were dancers, though from different schools of dance. He was able to get by as an assistant to his teacher’s other businesses, and by performing in inns and even salons as his skill level increased.

Years later, after developing a good reputation among the traders who would come to watch his performances, Khaidai was given the opportunity to sail to Thavnair on one of the trading ships. He would spend a few years in Thavnair, this time under a teacher who began introducing him to dancing as a martial art. 

♱ EORZEA ♱

Khaidai’s arrival to Eorzea was a result of a great misunderstanding: thinking he was sailing back from Thavnair to Kugane, the crew had been sailing for days until Khaidai learned he was going to Eorzea instead. Ever the optimist, Khaidai saw it as a sign to enter this new land and find the best dancers there — and to learn from them!

The ship arrived at Limsa Lominsa, and while he found some of the farmlands of La Noscea reminding him of his home, Khaidai didn’t find it in him to remain there for long. He embarked on a mission to travel and learn from the dancers of these foreign countries, and became an Adventurer in order to support himself financially — after all, he had no reputation in Eorzea to speak of, and his profession as a dancer didn’t seem quite as esteemed as it had been in his previous locations. 

♱ CURRENTLY ♱

Wielding his bow and the throwing weapons of a dancer, Khaidai makes his living through adventuring and dancing. He may not be a Warrior of Light, but his kindness and generosity in aiding people in need is — to him — a slowly building reputation he is honoured to have. 

• Dancer by trade, Khaidai has been training for many years under many skilled teachers. Though he still considers himself somewhat new to the style of dancing that’s combined with the art of battle, he’s eager to improve and excited to test his skills.
  
  
• He often combines the various dancing styles with those of the Qalli tribe, paying a tribute to his home and creating something to reflect himself and his history.
  
  
• Though Khaidai has gotten better at accepting his own voice, he’s still hesitant to sing in front of others due to its high pitch. Nevertheless, by virtue of being born into the Qalli tribe, Khaidai is a very skilled singer.
  
  
• Mainly masks off the verbal quirk of his tribe where words are emphasised through melodies, but every so often he slips back to his old habit. If he sees fellow Qalli outside Steppe, he will greet them with a small melody in his tone.
  
  
• Since he’s used a bow for hunting since childhood, Khaidai is quite an adept archer. He’s likewise been taught to fight with a battle axe, but Khaidai prefers to avoid close combat.
  
  
• Became a hobbyist Culinarist after arriving in Limsa Lominsa. He’s still a beginner and fares better with the delicacies he has already learned to make while with his tribe, but nevertheless enjoys cooking and treating his friends with the fruits of his labour.
  
  
• Knows how to play morin khuur, but is not currently in possession of one due to its somewhat inconvenient size for travel. Instead he carries a khel khuur with him, a small jaw harp he’s practising to get better at playing.

• His in-game profile can be found from here. Currently a DNC main doing WHM and BRD on the side. I don’t consider Khaidai to be a WHM canonically.
  
  
• There is little to no in-canon information about the Qalli tribe as I’m writing his profile, so all the things outside of the melodic talking quirk are my own headcanons. His tribe is described as follows: “Also known as the songbirds of the steppe, the Qalli communicate through song, attaching a melody to their words to further add emotion to the meaning.”
  
  
• Because of the way he seems to lose himself in a close combat battle, some of his tribe members would whisper behind his back about how much his rage resembled the Chaghan tribe’s “Will of Karash”. This was not a compliment.
  
  
• Due to his cultural background, Khaidai’s views on death can come across as awfully pragmatic to those outside Azim Steppe: he’s not used to grand funerals or even the idea of mourning the flesh left behind when the soul is long gone from it.
  
  
• Defines his asexuality through his lack of sexual attraction to people. He’s not sex repulsed and has had sexual relationships here and there in his life.