Hoji

Hoji "Give a dragon a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and you can laugh at him being bad at fishing." xxxxxx Fishing Net Dragonmade Cast your nets wide and who knows what you'll bring in! 34 Battered Shields Trinkets Scavenged and refit multiple times, these shields have yet another new owner. 65 xxxxxx Leather Arm Wraps Apparel Two rolls of leather designed to adorn a dragon's arms, providing support to their wrists and elbows. 800 Armored Greatowl Familiar It is arguable whether the armor makes the owl more or less deadly. Without the armor their flight is nearly silent. 2500

History Hoji grew up in a small clan-village in the great plains of Sunbeam Ruins between the major cities. She had many siblings, mostly male, and grew up in a rough-and-tumble world. Being careful was one thing, especially in a family made up exclusively of guardians and tundras, but truly living always meant some scrapes and bruises along the way. That's what Hoji's mother always said, and Hoji was prepared to tell it to anyone who seemed to be overly cautious in life. She thought she could face any difficulty that might come her way. Unfortunately, she had not dreamed of half of the things that were in store. Her Charge, Zera, was a wonderful dragon to work with: considerate, bright and generally cheerful. Zera's family, on the other hand, were everything that Hoji disliked about pearlcatchers. This might not have mattered if Zera's parents had not actively forbidden Zera from contact with Hoji, leading to months-long strife and eventually culminating in Zera cutting ties with them. A physical bruise would heal in a few weeks, but emotional pain took longer, and seeing one's Charge in pain was heartbreaking. The two were still dealing with the aftermath of this situation when Zera followed Sonna to Brightleaf Ward. Still, life was good. They had each other, and the more they got to know each other, the better it was. They had a stable, loving clan and the support of Hoji's family. And some weird trees.

Information

NICKNAME LIKES DISLIKES STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES FEARS GOALS

(none) laughing, competing authority, reading candid, good memory insensitive being weak make her Charge happy

AGE BODY PHYS ATK PHYS DEF MAGIC SKILL MAGIC POWER SPEED

young small w/ big wings average average decent low good

Occupation: Guardian
Though Hoji is committed to her Charge, she also trusts Zera to take care of herself and is less "hovering" than many guardians with dragon Charges. If Zera travels, Hoji will go with her, but if both are within clan territory and there is no known danger, they can remain apart all day in pursuit of their own interests.

Role in clan: Fisher
She took over the role of fishing after Valour was caught "borrowing" others' fishing spots near the Tsunami Flats. She helped Cass build a dock and equipment on the river, and now she manages the traps there.

Skills and hobbies
She loves mastering physical skills and martial arts. She teaches what she knows to everyone on the defense team, including Tel.

Personality and quirks
Most Light dragons underestimate her because she is uneducated but quite sharp. She also loves a good joke and can often be found bantering with Valour.

She likes to sing on special occasions, but she's tone-deaf.

Clan interactions
Tel
Sonna
Quar

Story One day, Hoji and some of her brothers were doing air stunts in a field about half an hour's flight outside of town while some botanists were studying flowers below them. Like the rest of Sunbeam Ruins' residents, she was accustomed to seeing researchers all over the place. They were pretty easy to spot, carrying packs and holding notebooks, usually staying on the ground once they arrived at their destination. As long as the scholars respected property lines, all was well; she simply ignored them. It might be time to start heading home soon anyway; she was getting oddly itchy, something that didn't usually happen when flying. She hoped she wasn't getting sick. Hoji found that her flight patterns kept taking her closer and closer to the researchers. She tried to keep away for safety's sake and focus on her siblings, but felt almost heavy, pulled toward the ground. When she looked back at this time later, it was completely obvious, but she might not have figured it out for much longer if not for her tundra brother saying "Hey check it out, I'm gonna grab her hat." She was much too far away, but she had to try. Turning on a dime, she flapped her wings as hard as she could to gain height, then swooped to intercept, pulling her brother right out of the air into a bear hug and crashing them both into the ground - far away from those pearlcatchers. Far, far away. "Are you crazy?!" her brother gasped, zapping her in the shoulder with a bright bolt. "I was just gonna take her hat and give it back. Now they're gonna make us leave!" He got up, brushed himself off and took back to the air, muttering, "That hat your Charge or somethin'?" Something stirred in the deep recesses of Hoji's mind. Charge? I haven't even started the Search yet. That's for later, as an adult. I am an adult... later adults. It's for later adults. Right now is for having fun and going home. That's why I'm walking this way. That's the direction home is. Now fly. She did not fly, but walked right up to the pearlcatchers working on the ground. One or two of them were asking her something, but her eyes were on one in particular, with a dull striped coat and brilliant orange wings, wearing a ridiculous pink hat with a flower on it. Hoji was suddenly aware of her own dull colors, but quickly pushed the thought out of her mind. The distance to this dragon was slowly closing, and she would need something to say. Too late - she was there. "Hi-- um, hi. I'm Hoji." "Um. Hello. I'm Zera, nice to meet you." "Yes." Zera seemed confused, and in the pause Hoji could hear her brothers hooting and whistling for some reason. How rude. Maybe they found this girl attractive? Hoji would have to show them some manners later. To Zera she said, "I hope my brothers aren't bothering you. They're just horsin' around, y'know. I can make 'em go away if you want." "That-- I don't think that's necessary." "He was gonna take your hat as a prank. I stopped him." "Thank you. But-- um. Ma'am, you're standing on my flowers." Hoji looked at the foot Zera gestured at and, sure enough, there were flowers crushed underneath it. Aghast, she bent down and tried to raise them up, but they were fairly damaged. "It's all right," said Zera, "I'll get some more. They're all over the field. But is there something I can help you with? You seemed to have something on your mind when you came over here." Hoji thought for a moment, scratching her side with her hind leg. That itch had mostly gone away. What was I doing over here? She looked back down at the pearlcatcher, slender and fragile, and a single word welled up from her soul: Protect. She finally understood. This was not how she imagined it at all, but there was only one thing to do. Standing up as straight as she could, she declared, "Be it known that this dragon before me, Zera, is my Charge! I accept my Charge with pride, and I will defend her with my life." Hoji's brothers whooped again, landing nearby. Some of the pearlcatchers clapped, while others scowled. Hoji turned to Zera, kneeling down to speak privately to her. "I know you weren't expecting this. I'm pretty surprised myself. I can't turn it off or go away, but I want what's good for you, so we'll talk about it and work it out. Okay?" Zera nodded solemnly, looking as if she might cry. To Hoji's surprise, she gave one of the standard responses: "I accept your guardianship with gratitude."

Trivia Her favorite food is wallaby. Every academic she has met has been shocked that she has been able to catch them, but to her it's no big deal; all the cool kids did it back home. Unlike most of the clan, when she discovered the changes to her body from the Grove, she thought it was awesome.

Relationships CHARGE FRIEND

Out-of-universe notes Bought from the auction house. Previous owner: Enouement Most of her children so far have been female. Origin of name: Hojicha is the Japanese word for "roasted tea", so I figure hoji means "roasted". First impressions thread Grab a Guardian thread Insult thread For more information about the world this dragon lives in, see the Brightleaf lore thread and the canon notes. Credits Image next to History section by skyarising Icons to the left of this text by Limanya Inspiration taken from the following templates: The Grass Is Always Greener by Rexcaliburr High Above by Rexcaliburr Verlaine by Toxin