Aether and Nina: A Fated Meeting in Bantia

It was a warm midsummer say in the country of Bantia. The sun sat high in the sky with not a cloud in sight to block its rays. On one of the country’s many small islands, a cottage sat on stilts near the treeline facing the beach. A staircase wound its way along the side of the stilts leading to the first floor, then continued around the back to a second story observatory.

A collection of junk hung from pretty much everywhere, crudely tied to parts of the wooden roof, each housing some sort of plant. Vines growing from a cut open water jug, fruits growing from a suspended hanging planter, there was even a beer bottle with a flower poking out of the neck. It all gave the structure a very ramshackle appearance.

Leaning on one of the stilts next to the stairs, a woman with light purple hair watched the waves lap against the sand. She was just finishing the last of a stew she’d made, and when she was done she kicked off the post and picked up a bag of seeds that had been resting next to her.

A large grey bird landed on one of the windowsills, pecking at a small animal in its talons that was too mangled to identify. After picking over the bones, it gave a satisfied screech and flicked the carcass away. “Ribba…” The woman scolded, tending to a batch of plants growing from a discarded knight helmet. “Everything has its usages. Bone marrow can be valuable.”

The bird fluttered its wings in defiance, but still hopped of the windowsill and collected the bones once again. It returned to its perch after a moment, and the woman continued collecting the leaves of the plant she was tending to.