[TetrisLover225]

*Lien's handwriting is a mess, and she doesn't keep her lines straight when she writes. There's a lot of scribbled out bits and corrections, but this is what the letter says when you take the time to work it out.*



Hey Khanh,


What’s up, stinkbrain? I’m sincerely hoping none of you have died to dusk spawn yet, but I’m also sincerely hoping Tuan at least pissed himself when he first saw one. That’ll teach him for all the boasting. Wait, is he still boasting? If he’s still boasting, tell him the only thing more fragile than him is his self-esteem. Oh, yes, I went there. And tell ma and pa I said hi, too. Then tell them I screamed for seven years straight.

You should also probably tell them that I’m not dead or cursed, and I’m amounting to just plenty without their advice here in Nightveil, which yes, is the creepiest town name like you guys all said, but honestly the town is anything but. I’ve been asking nearly everyone I’ve met, and it seems like no one has seen anything spooky. The town was just built on top of some castle ruins and then was abandoned, but so that’s why those sailors said it was cursed. But people actually live here: some group of settlers, I think maybe half of the group is related somehow. I mean, I’m not sure. If they are, it’s definitely a family dynamic that is way more complicated than ours, and you know… that really says something.

The people are both boring and great. The town Elder is this old lady grandma who’s a war veteran and she is badass, even though she’s maybe eighty years old or something. She has a rat for a pet and shares 100 percent too much of her sex life with her husband. I mean, she only mentioned a little, but even a little is 100 percent too much. It’s like if our grandma started talking to us about that stuff. Awkward. Speaking of grandma, tell her I sang her song to this Elder war veteran, and the Elder liked it. It might cheer her up. I hope she’s doing ok. Let me know if there’s anything I can send you guys to help.

Anyway, who’s in charge where you are? Putting money on a generic guy. His idea of fun is practicing his trade some more and he’s emotionally stunted. Speaking of, I just described almost every man in town. I mean, I can take the emotionally stunted, but boring is a no. The ladies are a little better, but almost everyone agrees that fun is doing your job. How’s the people over there? Maybe I should visit just for the chance to get laid. But I guess I can’t complain since there’s at least one alright guy. I’ll spare you the details.

I also got a house. Yes, that’s right, a mother fucking house. So seriously, if you need anything sent, I’ll do what I can. This town is my paradise. They don’t trade with money here, and in fact, if you just live in the town and have a job, you get free food and a roof over your head. And apparently me dicking around on my lute counts as a job! So yeah, you can tell ma and pa that I’m very accomplished now. The Elder did try to turn me into a barmaid for the tavern, but I just pretended that I tried before and really sucked at it. “Those who can’t do, become bards”. I mean it’s half true, right?

I won’t lie. I sort of regret leaving on such a bad note. I guess I just really needed to get away. Sorry. And I miss you, kind of. I miss pa’s cooking, but I don’t miss being called a latrine queen. And I miss hearing all the new songs everyone’s come up with. Send some over, ok? I have three, but two of them are just about townspeople, and the third… well I haven’t sung it to anyone yet, unless you count me singing it to myself in a tree and then falling out of the tree when someone came along. I don’t know why I haven’t tried it out yet. I guess it’s just more personal than my other songs. Maybe one day. Also, can you send over some hair ribbons? I lost mine somewhere. Yes, I know, I suck. I’m using some scrap fabric for now, but you know. If it’s not satin, it’s bad for your hair. And it’s just not as nice.

Also don’t freak out, but a lot of people I’ve met in this town are Xitians. Including the Elder. And the guy I wanna bang. And this other guy I want to be my housemate. But they’re all alright, I think. At their worst, they’re moody “raining in my soul” types. Nothing has hurt me. Also I saw this garden with giant flowers and a giant baby badger licked my face.


Love,
Lien, Mean Queen of Latrines

P.S.: Yeah if you could not tell ma and pa and especially grandma about that last part, that would be great. Oh and send some paint, too. I need it for reasons.

[TetrisLover225]

Khanh,


You know what sucks? Having to read through a bag of letters from not just ma and pa, but from everyone in the family sans grandma. You know what sucks more? You. What the fuck, man? I told you not to tell them. What happened to sibling solidarity? I said I was fine, and now I’m more of a black sheep than ever? You know how many iterations of “are you insane” I’ve read so far? I could write songs. You’re literally worse than Tuan. Ok, fine, I take that back, but I’m still pissed. I know you’ve jumped onto the “I’m too grown up for that nonsense” wagon over the past few years, but you shouldn’t have listened to your wife. I mean, you shouldn’t listen to Mai ever, she’s a buzzkill, but YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE LISTENED TO HER HERE ESPECIALLY. Fuck. You shouldn’t have told her.

But thanks for not telling grandma, at least. I couldn’t stop wondering how many letters I’d have to read before I found out she disowned me and swallowed her own tongue or something. Also, congratulations on the pregnancy, by the way. I mean Mai’s of course. More importantly, there’s proof that you got some! Ok, ok. I’ll stop. Just let me know when I should send a gift to my little nibling. I need to start working on being the best auntie right away, you know?

Anyway, as I said before to everyone, I am fine and I still haven’t been hurt by anyone, let alone Xitians. I think I’m good to trust them, since the other Mesalians here (and remember, there ARE still other Mesalians here, beautifully unenslaved) trust them just fine. You know me, I go with the flow. And the flow is telling me I’m fine.

Ok, so I let a couple of days pass and in case I wasn’t actually that pissed, but no, I am still pissed. I can take care of myself, dammit. I did it all the time when I used to sneak out, and I’m doing it just fine now. Seriously, a while ago… I elbowed this guy in the crotch. It’s a really complicated story, and I don’t know. I don’t know if I should trust you with it, Khanh. The important thing is that I’m safe and happy and yes, the part with the giant badger licking my face was real. I don’t care if you don’t believe me, but it was.


Love,
Supreme Fiend to your Ratting-Lien-Out Regime

P.S.: No longer need the paint for reasons, but ask pa about lute repairs. I may have broken some of my tuning pegs. Don’t wonder how.

[TetrisLover225]

Dear Khanh,


Thanks for the apology, but I’m still mad. But fine, I’ll tell you everything that happened. Possibly because I’m stuck in a bed. Nothing serious, just hurt my leg and if I walk, I’ll tear out some stitches. More on that later, I guess.
Please, please don’t tell anyone else about this. I’m serious, and you know I don’t ever take anything seriously.

I broke my lute in a fight. The same fight I elbowed that guy in the crotch with. Some group of rough-looking guys came into town looking for this lady. It’s hard to explain, but this lady is Mesalian, late 20’s, and ever since I first heard someone say her name, she’s been shrouded in mystery… in that overrated kind of way. Came to town and went missing for a year. Super worried about “something from her past coming back”. I once mentioned that I knew she had gone missing and she freaked the fuck out on me: one moment she wanted to get drinks with me, the next she wanted me to go away. Complete turn-around. Anyway, the day with the fight was the day “something from her past” came back, and it was those guys.

At first they told the Elder she was a wanted criminal back where she came from, and the Elder in all her badassery said “if she’s any trouble to me, I’ll send her your way”. Slightly stupid because they didn’t yet know she was in town, but still badass. So they went to leave but bumped into the lady as they left and tried to take her by force. And she didn’t have to leave with them, but she was going to, until I said, why spend your life in prison when you can be out here? And then the truth came out. She wasn’t actually a criminal, and the tough guys weren’t guards. She was their slave. And the guys were Mesalian, by the way… which made it more fucked up.

So the Elder, who is actually Xitian-passing Mesalian and was a slave herself pre-Veld, was super pissed and told the town guards to stop the tough guys, even if it meant killing them. So a fight broke out and guess who decided it was a good idea to jump in only with a lute and a glass cup? Yeah. It was stupid. I was stupid. I thought it’d be fun, but it wasn’t. All of those guys are dead now. Someone, whoever, worked out that if we let them live, they might come back and enslave the whole town. So I helped end lives (shit lives, but still lives) because I thought it’d be fun to get into a fight.

I’m doing ok with it now, I guess. I don’t know. Everyone won’t stop calling me brave and a hero and stuff just for jumping in. The lady visited me an hour ago in this bed and she thanked me for standing up for her. It’s true, I guess. I am gutsy, I did good, but it doesn’t change that I went in for the wrong reasons. I tried explaining this to this guy I know, he’s like my pretend dad because he lectures me and stuff, but like our actual pa he didn’t get it. I don’t know, Khanh. I just wish I could talk about it with someone who gets it. Not that writing this letter doesn’t help, but you know. It’s not the same.

But I’m still having fun out here. You know me, you know how I am. I go through some shit, and I decide fun is the best way to get past it. So it’s been the same old. Stupid songs and party planning. Still haven’t performed that one song I wrote to anyone, but I’m working on new stuff and trying to learn some of the stuff you sent over. I really like that one Phi wrote: it almost sounds like something I’d write! Tell her to get her own damn style (just kidding). And why is Loan writing serenade songs again? Business or pleasure? Tell me all the gossip, I need it like I need air.

I also pulled this prank, which went horribly wrong, and that’s why I’m in the clinic. Nothing to do with the fight: I only broke my lute in that one. And once again, do not tell pa how I managed to break mine. Please, Khanh. I’m dealing with enough on my own. Anyway, my friend Zai and me went to get some innocent revenge on this Lucin guy who used his powers to blow up our skirts (the guy is twice our age and has a wife and daughter, completely gross). Nothing serious, we just painted the picture I’m sending with this letter on the side of his house.

And then I got shot by a dusk, and then Zai saved me, but the Lucin guy came out and he was pissed… so the arrow in my leg got driven in further and that’s why you have this letter. Also I tried to fight the guard captain and failed, but that’s another story for another letter. Because this one is super long and I’m already bored with writing.


I’m counting on you to keep this secret so don’t fuck it up,
Lien, your favourite sister.

[TetrisLover225]

Hey, Pa,


Here’s a tip: you know why I only send Khanh letters, so you shouldn’t ask unless you can handle the answer. Sorry. I know that was spiny and bitchy, but it’s how I feel. And you should at least get that.

I’m doing great on my own. Fantastic, even. If you really want to do something for me… let me be. And well, the tavern keeper is interested in some new recipes, so send some over. And I guess I could use some advice on one thing: there’s this Ko’ban in town, and I want to give her a gift to show my appreciation for some stuff. Apparently they take gifts pretty seriously, and it should be something that I personally cherish. And I guess I’ve been having trouble coming up with something. So let me know if you have an idea, I guess.

Send Ma my love.


Love,
The Happiest Deadbeat Loser in The Realm

[TetrisLover225]

Hi, Khanh,


Thanks for keeping a secret this time. And thanks for the advice: I actually feel a lot better about the whole thing. You know, with the guys that were killed. I found some people who finally got it and I guess I just was able to understand how I felt about it once I talked about it properly. I don’t know. What was bothering me was that when I jumped into the fight, I had no idea we were going to kill them. Or that there would even be blood. There was so much blood, Khanh. I will never forget looking up and seeing all that blood. A thousand periods could not match it. Sorry. I can’t help myself: joking is how I’m coping, I guess. That and not jumping into any more fights.

I’m so sorry to hear about Mai. But you should lay off of her, Khanh. You can’t force motherhood onto someone who doesn’t want to be a mother: what do you think trying to make her stay will do for you and the wee baby Thao? She’ll just resent you, or worse, resent her. I know it's not fair. I know raising a kid on your own sounds fucking terrifying, because it is, but you have the whole family to help you. It will work out. And I guess this means I’ll have to visit soon, but I’m not sure when that will be. Not just because of, you know, how stuff went, but because I don’t know. I’ve been out here a while, Khanh, and I think some people here might need me more than they admit.

It’s a long story. Actually, no it isn’t. There’s this girl who has serious abandonment problems and not too many friends outside of her own family. Then there’s this man who… ok, maybe this one’s a long story. He fell in love with this Xitian woman whose pa would only let her marry another Xitian, so he came out here trying to find a way to become an Xitian, but now that love of his died. He’s kind of a mess. Yeah, I know I'm way out of my depth, and it's not my job to get all their shit together. And I know you need me too, it's just that I have to make sure everyone is going to be fine before I'm out. I need to make sure.

As for good news: my leg is better and I finally got laid! I’ll spare you the details again, but I wrote a song about her. It's kind of stupid. Lyrics aren’t my best work, but you know, this one guy I know who knows the girl in question and spends maybe 60% of our conversations talking about this one other girl says it sounds good. Actually, that’s probably not a good sign, is it? Well I’m going to send it over to you, but I don’t think you’ll get it before I perform it. What else has happened… there’s this festival in town. And I got a pet bunny. Their name is Cottonbum, Destroyer of Realms. And that’s pretty much it.

Sorry this is kind of a short letter, but I don’t think you’re up for too much reading with the wee baby Thao and… the Mai situation. I’ll visit when I can, but until then, feel free to send me anything you want if it makes me feel better.


Love and best wishes,
The Wee Baby Thao’s Favorite Auntie

P.S.: Tell me what everyone else got for the wee baby Thao so I can get a better gift.