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Airisur Kove (aiɹ̠isøɹ̠ k͡xøβɵ)
DoB 30 Etelba 1725 (27)
Knowing that their family is safe
Looking out to sea or being on the boat
The sound of rain outside and not being out in it
Paitis, a sea-flour and raw fish pastry
Playing skyball
The Old City and anything they associate with it, including naturals
People who enable prostitution
Drug dealers
Trying to cook
Kove initially comes across as prickly and hostile. They are quick to push people away before giving them a chance, due to previous bad experiences. When they do eventually come to trust someone they become very protective. They tend to look for the worst in people and believe bad outcomes are most likely, but think of themelf as a realist.
Previously well-known by various unsavoury folks, Kove is glad of relative anonymity in a new town. They adjusted as well as they could to their new life, but continue to over-work themself in an attempt to earn their keep when there's no need. Despite better economic standing than before, they refuse to spend money on anything except bare necessities, the one exception being their sibling's ballet lessons.
Kove now lives in the Ocean District in the town of Yateti. They were taken in by Takite and Zheviye and started working as an ateke sea eagle handler on Takite's fishing boat. They appreciate the security of their new life as well as living in a city with a mostly apote population, but the best part is living by the sea. When they aren't out on the boat, Kove can often be found sitting on the beach, alone with the ocean.
Another way Kove spends their time is playing skyball on the local team, Ateka sa Yateti. They look back fondly on their time spent playing it as a child and are glad they were able to continue the sport. Kove always has time for their younger sibling, Direke, and is happy to support their ballet in any way they can, having even learnt to play the piano to help with their practice.
Kove believes that dragons and naturals can only get along peacefully if they are completely segregated, and blames naturals for a lot of the problems in society, so holds a lot of contempt towards them. However, they are aware that Direke has natural friends, and this is the main topic on which they don't see eye to eye, so Kove avoids the subject.
Their main goal is unachievable and they know it: to be absolutely sure their family is safe and will continue to be safe. Losing people they care about is their greatest fear. A more realistic goal is to further their skyball career, and they have their heart set on one day making the regional team. Their role-model for this is Darevetsi Kerede, a skyball player who grew up and still lives in Yateti and occasionally goes to Ateka sa Yateti games.
Kove's biggest regret is turning to drugs because while it seemed to help them in the short-term it made things much worse in the long-term. They prefer to keep their addiction secret and have only told Direke and the captain of Ateka sa Yateti, who have both agreed to keep the secret. Their addiction means they can't use strong painkillers, so they worry about being injured.
Kove is somewhat nationalistic. Due to their northern origins, they sometimes feel like they have to prove that they really are Permorsij. They hate the place they were born, The Old City, but fitted in better there as the child of immigrant apota, since most people in Yateti are Aniki Sa and very few are mixed race. They have trouble conecting to any culture because they don't know much about their parents, not even which countries they came from.
Kove is bilingual in Apoki and the Permorsij dialect of Sobakaâ, having grown up speaking both, but has some difficulty reading Apoki and really struggles with Sobakaâ. They also recognise their ma's native language, but don't know any words.
A difficult childhood left Kove underdeveloped and with very limited experience in some areas, including having never had any formal education and not learning to read until they left The Old City. They still struggle to pick up new ideas, but have much more success learning new physical activities. Despite Kove's lacking interpersonal skills, they have learnt to predict people's actions while playing skyball.
Although Kove lacks a sense of the greater good, they are aware of society's morals and aim to obey the law, so long as it's convenient. They aren't beyond violence or other crimes if they think it'll help their family, and they are willing to rationalise wrong-doings by the people they care about. Meisaimur have a smaller personal space bubble than Aniki Sa, so Kove sometimes gets too close without realising.
Despite not knowing much about their ma, Kove did get something of a Meisaimur upbringing, mostly through bedtime stories. One they remember in particular is about a creature which lives in salt marshes. The story is used to deter children from wandering out alone, but no-one has told Kove, so they still believe it's true. Their ma also tried to pass down wisdom about the sea, but Kove was too young to understand most of it. The main thing they remember about their ma was when they would scrape together enough money to make paitis each year, to celebrate the winter solstice. They still celebrate the solstices at home, unlike Aniki Sa, and Direke makes paitis.
Kove may appear to have symptoms of seasonal depression, but it's actually insomnia during the stormy season when they don't go out on the boat. They become restless, agitated and more anxious than usual. Due to improper socialisation when they were younger, they often miss social cues, which often makes interactions with people they don't know well quite difficult. Kove never learnt to count money or tell the time from an analogue clock, but it's unclear whether this is due to an undiagnosed disability or their circumstances. They have always relied on Direke for help and managed to get by.
Due to their small size, Kove is naturally fast and agile in the air. They use this effectively in skyball games. Having rewatched a large quantity of previous skyball matches to study techniques, they know quite a bit of skyball history.
Kove has come to enjoy playing the piano, and although they have difficulty reading sheet music and take a long time learning to play something new, they play well from memory.
Cookery is something Kove will never understand. To them it seems as though people have arbritrarily decided which flavours should go together.
Direke
[Sibling]
Kove and Direke have relied on each other a lot, especially after their ma went missing. They are very close, and Kove would do anything for Direke. They worry a lot about Direke's safety when they aren't together.
Chonise
[Close Friend]
Although they took a long time to bond, Kove and Chonise are now very close, despite their differences. Kove finds Chonise easy to talk to because they won't judge or assume.
Takite
[Parent Figure]
Kove and Takite's mutual interest in all things nautical led to a tentative friendship before Kove was able to trust anyone else. Kove is usually happy to obey Takite's instructions on the boat, when they would disregard anyone else.
Zheviye
[Parent Figure]
Kove is still a little wary of Zheviye, in case they attempt to give Kove cooking lessons. However, Zheviye has never missed one of Kove's skyball matches, and Kove has noticed their efforts.
Sanide
[Friend]
Sanide helped Kove and Direke get off the streets after saving Direke's life, so Kove is forever grateful. They don't see each other very often and their interactions can be a bit awkward, but Kove thinks of Sanide as family.
Sisise
[pet]
Sisise was born about a week after Kove first came to live in Yateti and Kove helped train them. They have been Kove's fishing companion since.
Detse
[Skyball Captain]
Accepting Kove onto the skyball team was a risk, since they hadn't played on any official district teams. Kove is glad Detse gave them a chance. They have a good relationship, but don't see each other outside skyball.
Fener
[Former Close Friend]
Kove and Fener were very close when Kove lived in The Old City, and helped each other through difficult situations. Kove regrets leaving without much of a good-bye.
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