✤ Aika

A hunter of the Hunters Guild and a newcomer born in the distant land of Silkfallow. She keeps a secret that ruined her life - she's a half higher being, half mortal, a demigod who doesn't age. After years of being ostracized and bullied by those who feared or hated the gods, she decided to avoid making acquaintances outside of her work. After cheating in her final challenge, she was transferred to the Hallownest branch of the guild, where she met Hornet. Their rivalry turned into friendship, and then a relationship, later joined by Lace.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Info

Name Pronunciation	/ˈeɪkɑː/
Name Meaning/Origin	Pure, time
Nicknames	"Chasseur" (Lace) "Bow lady" (Asta) "Love song" (Dekka) "Mongrel child" (higher beings)
Personal
Age	65 years old
Sex	Female
Gender	Female
Pronouns	She/her
Orientation	Lesbian
Kin	Hybrid (Adderbolt x Higher being)
Birthplace	Silkfallow
Hometown	Dirtmouth
Occupation	Hunter
Appearance
Eye color	■ Picton blue ■ Aquamarine ■ Pale lime green
Height	1.25m
Weight	26kg
Notable Details	Wind essence mark on left hand
Relationships
Partner	Hornet (mate) Lace (mate)
Parents	†Dekka (mother) Mystral (father)
Extra
Voice Claim	Freja (Overwatch)

Aika is a hunter from Dirtmouth's Hunters Guild, who lives alongside one of her mates, Lace, and her sibling, Phantom following the exchange that freed them from their mother's influence. Born in the distant town of Silkfallow, Aika joined the guild in her teenage years, hoping to become a renowned hunter and make her mother proud. For her entire life, she struggled with the feeling of alienation from her community for being a demigod, and consequently she is a reserved individual who finds it difficult to trust anyone. However, she is a smart, polite bug who, once the initial barrier is passed, is a pleasure to be around.

Name origin

Aika is shortened form of the name Aikaterínē, the original form of Katherine, which means pure. Other meanings of the name Aika include time (Finnish) and love song (Japanese), the latter of which is the in-universe meaning of her name given to her by her mother, who chose the name to show that, despite the painful nature of her birth, Aika is the center of her world.

Table of Contents

Appearance
Background
General characteristics

Special abilities
Gender identity & sexuality
Fears
Quirks & mannerisms
Voice & speech
Hobbies
Work & education

Personality

Likes & dislikes

Relationships

Household
Other family
Previous partners
Friends
Acquaintances
Disliked

Gallery

Appearance

Reference sheet

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Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Background

Early life

Aika was born in Silkfallow, a small village in the land of Barrensands, a dry region found in the southern part of the larger of the two continents. Only her mother was there, with no father to be seen. As she learned when she was older, her mother, Dekka, was still young when she fell in love with a higher being from the neighboring land, a god named Mystral, born of the wind essence. Against better judgement and the warnings of her peers, encouraged by his sweet words, she trusted him, believing that she was in for a relationship unlike any other, where she would be spoiled and treated like his darling. Unfortunately, she was used like an object, a passing obsession that soon enough turned into apathy. She was abandoned and left to herself with a broken heart. A broken heart, and a life growing inside her.

She moved back to her hometown, Silkfallow, but instead of comfort, she was met with disapproval from her family and the others, and blamed for ignoring good advice, which put her in that situation. She was given the basic support she needed to carry the egg to term, but once her pup was born, she was left to herself. The baby, which she named Aika, believing her to be pure from her father's cruelty, was unfortunately marked with a symbol on the palm of her hand, a wind essence mark that would not fade away - a constant reminder of the circumstances of her birth, and an early sign of her demigod nature.

As the rumors spread throughout the town, more and more bugs began turning their backs on Dekka and little Aika. The tiny bug was met with strange looks from the adults, while fellow pups would point at her and call her names. A half blood, a mongrel, a mutt - she heard all of it, and worse. She started covering her hand, in childish hope that hiding the scary symbol will make the other kids like her. Throughout all of it, her mother was her biggest source of comfort, the only bug who kept reminding her that she's loved and valued, and that she can be so much more than what others view her as. However, that sadly did not stop the bullying from the other kids, and one day, after a fight, little Aika tore off the wraps from her hand and started clawing at the wind mark. To her frustration, no matter how deep she dug her claws, the terrible mark would not go away, and she soon gave up and returned home to her mother, eyes full of tears and blood dripping from the palm of her hand. The anger passed and instead she started to feel disgusted with herself, what she just did, and what she was. But her mother was still there for her, and as Dekka cleaned the wound and covered it with a fresh bandage, she softly sang to Aika the song that she knew always calmed her down, the song she sang to her since the day she hatched. That night is one Aika remembers vividly to this very day, and it's a memory that she cherishes as she reminds herself of the promise she made to Dekka later in her life.

All the hatred and rejection she endured in her childhood made Aika despise her father for putting her mother in this situation. He never visited, he never once acknowledged her or Dekka, it's like he simply didn't exist; or perhaps, they didn't exist to him. Moreover, she started hearing stories of other higher beings like him going against their roles as guides, and hurting mortals for their own personal gain or amusement, like Mystral did with her mother. The hatred for her father soon enough spiraled into disdain for all higher beings, and with that, a disgust for the mark on her hand. And as if that wasn't bad enough, she started noticing things that no one else around her seemed to see. Whenever it was windy, she could see the individual gusts of breeze, manifesting in the form of essence flowing through the air. At first, it didn't bother her too much and she chalked it up to just being tired, but with time the visions became more apparent, and more distracting. She avoided going outside during windy weather, cursing her father once again for making her life even more difficult.

New home

Years passed, and after managing to save up to buy a better home for her and her mother, the two ended up moving to the capital city of Barrensands - New Molasses. It was a chance of a new life for both of them, away from the scorn of her birthplace. And for a while, it was. Aika finally attended school, and then some years later even joined the archery school, something she wanted to do ever since she was a pup. During the lessons, for the first time in her life, she met fellow bugs her age who were friendly with her. She wasn't the best at socializing, but she turned out to be a quick learner, and her witty sense of humor made others like her. She got especially close with one of them, a female bug who also attended the archery lessons. She couldn't explain it at first, but her heart would beat faster every time she was around that friend, and after some time the feelings turned romantic. It was then that Aika realized she was into girls, and she was excited to explore that kind of relationship.

Unfortunately, the happiness didn't last. One day, when she felt comfortable around her mate and took off the wraps covering her hand mark, she naively outed herself as a demigod, hoping that she found someone who would accept her. Sadly, she was only met with shock and betrayal, and the rumor began spreading fast. Her friend circle slowly distanced themselves from her, and she decided to quit the archery school to avoid their judgmental gazes. She hoped that things would not get out of control and she could continue living normally if she avoided her colleagues, but things became more difficult after that. She met more bugs who were unaware of her nature, she even attempted hooking up, as she was yearning for intimacy after her failed relationship. But even that was soured for her when one of the bugs she met was secretly aware of her demigod status, and as she later found out, wanted to sleep with her just to cross it off a bucket list. It made Aika feel gross and used, and it broke her heart to realize that even the bugs who didn't hate her refused to treat her like one of their own.

Her disdain for gods slowly became more and more apparent. She hated everything they stood for, and she could feel anger at the mere mention of higher beings. Moreover, the hatred started bleeding into how she viewed others like her, other demigods. Her father was a monster, so were the others of his kind. Could she even trust that their offspring were any better? The fact that she couldn't answer that question haunted her, and it slowly morphed into a hypocritical aversion towards demigods like her. Perhaps in some way it was projection. She felt no love for that part of her being, and it was easy to explore that disdain by thinking of other demigods she'd likely never meet, and imagining scenarios where her assumptions are proven true. There were times she asked herself what she was doing, why she was thinking of them the way others were thinking of her. But the hatred that festered in her heart since her childhood was unfortunately stronger.

She started avoiding unnecessary socialization, and over time, the rumors that made her life worse slowly faded away. She was able to find a job at the butcher's shop, and even earned enough to be able to live a somewhat comfortable life with her mother, who also managed to get a job in the city. She still experienced suspicious or disgusted stares from those who suspected she's "that one demigod they heard rumors about", but she was thankfully able to avoid unpleasant situations. However, something else was starting to concern her. Her 30th birthday passed, and yet she still looked as if she barely reached adulthood. No signs of aging, she was as youthful and full of energy as ever. She mentioned it to her mother, and slowly she reached the unpleasant conclusion that her father's blood did more than just leave a glowing mark on her hand and make her see things. If her suspicions were correct, she was no longer aging, she was immortal. Of course, out of all higher being bastards running around the continent who were able to hide their true nature, she had to be the rare example of an immortal demigod.

Aika held onto the hope that her body was just playing tricks and she was simply aging slower than usual, but with every month and year that became less likely. Moreover, where each year had no effect on her appearance, Dekka's age started to affect her. Then her health suddenly declined, and a visit to one of the city's doctors confirmed a terminal illness without a known cure. Aika was devastated, she couldn't imagine losing the only person in her life who ever loved and supported her. She searched for other doctors, in hopes that their diagnosis would be different, or that they would know of a cure, but with each one she talked to who sadly repeated the same words, she started losing that hope. It drove her mad, she couldn't accept that her mother would leave her so soon, she wasn't ready to be alone. In that emotional turmoil she nearly forgot that she needed to cherish the moments they had left, and with no other options left, she decided to focus on looking after Dekka until the inevitable. It was then that she made her promise. That, no matter what, she would find herself and her own voice, not overshadowed by the hateful words of those who reject her for something beyond her control. And that perhaps one day she would find her own community that will welcome her and see her as one of their own.

The funeral that took place two years later was small and quiet. Dekka made a few friends in the city, and they attended the ceremony, but only one of them approached Aika to offer condolences. She didn't respond, and she simply stood by her mother's grave in silence until she remembered she still had work that day. She was lucky enough to have that job in the first place, her boss tolerated her but it was clear she could be replaced if she caused trouble, and she didn't want to risk it. But when she walked into the shop, all the emotions finally got to her and she broke into tears. Then she simply walked out without a word, returned home, packed her things into a bag and headed to the city's Shell Treader station. She couldn't stomach returning to her empty home day after day, wishing she could hear her mother's voice again. If she was going to stick to her promise, she would have to do it elsewhere.

The giant creature took her to Timberhold and its capital, Timber's Eye. She paid for the ride and then headed to the nearest inn to rent a room for the next few days. The journey allowed her to take the time to think, and she realized she needed a plan. Timberhold was a land covered in woods, and she thought that perhaps she could make a living as a huntress or a gatherer - she still had her archery skills, which could come in handy. Aika asked around town until she learned of the Hunters Guild. Without a second thought, she applied to become a recruit, and after an initial skill test, became a member.

The challenge

Her skills with a bow were impressive, and it wasn't long until she passed a challenge after a challenge, slowly climbing ranks. She was focused on her new responsibilities, hunting for the town and teaching recruits, and throughout all of it, she made sure no one would learn of her demigod nature - she wouldn't make the same mistake she did in New Molasses. She wanted to become one of the lead hunters of the guild and complete her childhood dream, but slowly that motivation turned into an obsession. With no other plan in mind, at some point she decided that this is how she would fulfill her promise to her mother. This would be her voice and make a name for herself, she would become a respected hunter, maybe even the head huntress. If she was high enough in the guild's hierarchy, no one would be able to reject her. This would be her community, whether they liked it or not. And to achieve that goal, she would need to win the final challenge and gain her final badge.

She fixated on the reward, but during the challenge, she made mistakes and lost her focus, which prompted her to do something she knew even then was stupid - she cheated, hoping no one would notice. The kill she presented was not hers, she stole it from an unaffiliated hunter. But the head hunter did find, and the consequences were severe. According to the rules of the guild, she should have been kicked out. However, her skills and determination saved her skin, and instead of being banned from the guild, she was instead demoted and transferred to another Hunters Guild, where she could start over and regain her rank. The neighboring land, found in the Hallowed Mountains north to Timber's Eye, became the youngest branch of the Hunters Guild, with a base located in a little town called Dirtmouth, still rebuilding after the deadly infection that ravaged the kingdom some years ago.

Aika was ashamed and furious at herself. For getting caught, for trying to cheat in the first place, for disappointing everyone and for failing her mother. She lost the chance she worked for throughout the years, and now she was back in the recruit rank, sent to a town in the middle of nowhere, where she would have to once again walk on eggshells to avoid revealing her secret. She begrudgingly packed her things and took a Shell Treader ride to Hallownest. The town of Dirtmouth was small, and the bugs seemed preoccupied with their daily lives, simply acknowledging her arrival with a glance. She found the Hunters Guild base of operations and the hunter rooms, unpacked and focused on her duties, slowly adjusting to the new environment. Aika was still angry, and in that anger she saw the whole place in the most bleak colors, hating that she now had to live in this hole of a town.

Meeting Hornet

A few weeks later, another recruit joined the guild. A female bug, a bit shorter than her, with a constant grumpy expression on her face. Immediately, Aika assumed that they wouldn't get along. The new recruit's name was Hornet, and she wasn't the talkative type. They were assigned to their first job together a few days later, they were supposed to hunt and bring five king Vengeflies to the guild. But instead of working together, they both decided to do their own thing, which quickly turned into a competition. They were able to complete their job, but it was clear there was a rivalry building between them. Hornet was quick to anger, and Aika's sarcastic humor and teasing was the perfect recipe to get on her nerves. The new situation and her annoyance at herself and everything around her made Aika push especially hard, trying to annoy Hornet at every step.

Eventually, the head huntress has had enough of their antics, and to force them to get along, she assigned them a job which required cooperation. They were to track down and put a stop to a hunter named Gurr, an outcast from a distant tribe of Skarr, who has been notoriously breaking the hunting laws of Hallownest. The girls begrudgingly accepted the job, and journeyed deep into Hallownest's caverns, until they reached the outskirts of Deepnes connected to Queen's Gardens. They were able to find Gurr's hideout, and that is when they discovered the gnarly truth of his actual activities - a trophy room displaying the bodies of a Mantis Traitor (who were now serving the White Lady in the gardens), a Stalking Devout, a few Mosskin and, most worringly of all, a fellow hunter Pugna, who vanished during her job a few weeks prior. As it turns out, Gurr wasn't simply breaking hunting laws, he was an actual threat to the bugs of Hallownest. Realizing they might be out of their league, and that the head huntress needed to be warned, they slowly backed out of his hideout.

Unfortunately, on their way out, they accidentally set one of his contraptions, which trapped them in cages made of Garpede bones. The lack of space made it impossible for Hornet to use her needle to break out using brute force, so they were forced to saw through the bone with their knives before Gurr returned to his hideout. By the time Hornet managed to weaken one of the bars enough to break it, it has been hours, and they've been away from Dirtmouth for an entire day. Aika was struggling with her own cage, her knife has seen better days, and she didn't have silk abilities that could help her. For a moment, she saw Hornet hesitate, and immediately a fear passed her thoughts - what if Hornet just left her there? It was obvious that they did not like each other, but would Hornet go as far as to leave her behind? After the brief pause, the spider finally turned to her, and Aika saw her adjust her needle to strike. However, before she could free Aika, she was force to dodge to the side, barely avoiding Gurr's strike. Aika shouted Hornet's name, frustrated that she could not help, and as she watched the fight in front of her, she realized Hornet was outmatched. She focused on her knife and the cage bar, sawing through it in hurry, until finally it was weakened enough for her to shatter it with a kick. She squeezed through the gap and without a second thought grabbed her bow. Just before Gurr could deal a lethal blow to Hornet, who was disarmed and struggling on the ground below him, an arrow pierced his skull. The outcast fell, and Aika ran towards Hornet to help her up.

They returned to Gurr's hideout to get proof of their discovery, settling on Pugna's hunters' badge and her brown bandana - Aika believed that returning the latter to Pugna's family would offer them some comfort, and while Hornet seemed skeptical, she did not argue. Afterwards, they returned to Gurr's body and took his mask as proof of a completed hunt. They returned to Dirtmouth with very little conversation between them, both were exhausted after the ordeal, though the energy between them clearly changed. Aika knew that if they didn't work together at the time, they would meet Pugna's fate and become Gurr's trophies. Every time she glanced at Hornet, she tried to say something, but she couldn't even muster her usual teasing. So they returned home, and after reporting what they found to the head huntress, Aika returned to her guild room, though all the thoughts about the day circling through her mind did not let her get any sleep that night.

The next morning, as she was preparing for the day, she heard a knock on her door. It was Hornet, and she looked as exhausted as Aika. She let her in, and with a very awkward introduction, Hornet thanked Aika for saving her the day prior. Instead of her usual cocky response, Aika simply added that they only made it out because they worked together. Hornet just nodded, and the two left the room to prepare for their daily job. Over the next few days, they started to have more direct conversations about the day, themselves and their lives. Hornet occasionally complained about her family annoying her, and during one of those conversations, she casually revealed that she's older than the head huntress of the guild. Aika couldn't believe that she actually met another demigod in a similar situation to hers. For the first time since her mother's death, she thought that maybe she found someone who would understand her, so she reluctantly revealed her own nature to Hornet. The other huntress was a little surprised, but she took the news with zero issue.

Friends, or something more...?

...

Meeting Lace

She became very curious when Hornet returned from Pharloom one day and talked about her experience there, specifically meeting a mysterious fencer named Lace. There was no implication of anything going on, Hornet seemed more interested in just learning more about her, and Aika shared her curiosity. She didn't think about it too much when Hornet left to visit Pharloom again, nor when Lace ended up visiting Dirtmouth. Only when she noticed them getting closer did she ask Hornet about it, who revealed that she did in fact have feelings for Lace. Aika told her that she doesn't mind if Hornet tries things with Lace; they already talked about this in the past, and she didn't notice Hornet prioritizing Lace over her. But she wanted to meet this Lace herself, properly, not just in passing. If she and Hornet were friends, then she wanted to get to know her too.

It didn't take Aika long to start noticing what Hornet saw in Lace. Her energetic, slightly manic demeanor was contagious, and she could not deny that Lace was beautiful. But there was more than that. Lace understood what it felt like to hold a grudge towards a god, what it was like to feel abandoned by their parent. The experiences that they shared brought them closer, and slowly but surely, they began falling for each other.

But that brought up a question, and the three quickly decided to answer it. They were all already dating each other, and they all felt strong feelings about one another. Each of them cared about the other two, and they all got along great as friends. Why not try being together, as one unit? It took them a while to think about it, but they decided to try. It would be new, but it would be exciting.

Hornet's quest to free Lace from her mother's influence was a stressful period for everyone, but it was the moment they started to really appreciate the decision they made. They were stronger together, they built the kind of trust and love towards one another that they wouldn't otherwise, and that helped them push through those hard times. Hornet was hurt after being a test subject for Grand Mother Silk, but she survived, and Aika ensured that both her and Lace would be safe with her. She loved them so much, and she was so happy that things turned out right in the end, even with the complications coming from Grimm.

Present day

Aika has worked hard at the Hunters' Guild ever since she moved in, and not too long before the present point, she was able to renovate the house she's been living in. Even though she was furious at the uild's decision to send her to Dirtmouth, she wishes she could go back and thank her. For the first time since losing her mother she feels truly happy. She has a new home, a town that has welcomed her, even despite her nature, two wonderful partners who brighten up her day and make her feel loved, and a family from Hornet's side who sees her as their own. There really isn't much else she could ask for, and sometimes, when she lies down in bed, she closes her eyes and pictures her mother, hoping that she's proud of her for finally finding the happiness she promised she would find.