Nulo

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[ HISTORY ]

Since time untold, there has existed a well high in the hills that has never drawn water. It draws those who have a wish they so desperately want fulfilled. Appearing on the night of the full moon, Nulo will emerge from the well, asking those who visit to not be afraid and tell them their wish. They make their wish, and Nulo says that there is no happiness attained without expense, and asks for a token to grant their wish - something on their person that they value, in exchange for their wish to come true. The amount of which the wishes are granted depend on the nature of the wish, the intent behind it, and the token received. Thanking them for their "favour", Nulo returns to the well. They turn the token received into a large harp, and the strings that attach to this harp display the characteristics of the one who made the wish. Playing on the strings provided, the wish is granted. But if the person is doing it for purely selfish reasons, their wish may be fulfilled in an unexpected way. A sort of tame monkey's paw, if you will, for nothing truly ill comes of their wishes. But if someone greedily asked for their crops to outshine their neighbours, the wish might bring their neighbour an oil spill that will absolutely destroy their crops, but will also grant them wealth for their new commodity. So it isn't, "Be careful what you wish for," but, "Be careful of who you are when you wish." Nulo admits they do not have infinite power, they only grant what they are able.

It is one full moon that brings the turning tides into Nulo's life. They rise out of their well to bring the one who arrives their wish. They find a girl, Eyya, who does a whole song and dance before asking for her wish: she asks Nulo how they are doing. At first, Nulo is confused, asking what that wish means. Eyya says she wishes to know of Nulo's wellbeing, to which they respond they are well. Eyya throws a book in Nulo's face, saying her thanks, and runs away. Nulo, confused, retreats to the well, where they read the book: A Scandal in Paradise by Merren Losta. After having enjoyed the book, the attempt to fulfil Eyya's wish, turning the book into a harp. But this one has no strings at all, signifying a wish with no strings attached. Nulo, greatly confused, wonders what can be done to grant Eyya's wish.

Much to Nulo's delight, Eyya returns at the next full moon. Eyya says she wasn't happy with how she left things the last time. Eyya asks what Nulo thought of the book, and they share a moment over the details of the story. Nolu says they loved the tenderness in it, but cuts to the chase shortly after. They ask for what Eyya truly wishes for so that they may grant it. Eyya says she simply wanted to say hi. But Nulo points out that if she found this place twice, she surely must have a wish. At their insistence, she asks for their name. Nulo gives it, and asks for Eyya to pay by giving them her name too. Eyya gives it, but says it isn't a payment. Nulo accepts another trinket from Eyya. Eyya asks if she can come visit Nulo again, in which Nulo answers that she just may.

Full moon after full moon, Eyya is able to visit again and again, learning more and more about Nulo each time. She learns that the trinkets offered disappear after the wish is granted. She says she would have brought something extra, but Nulo assures her that they want for nothing. Eyya threatens playfully to bring an extra gift for Nulo, in which Nulo promises to exact revenge with a gift in return. When she says Nulo has no idea what she likes, Nulo counters that they know she likes the sea, based on certain pages in the book she gave being more worn than others. They promise that sooner or later they will get Eyya's true wish from them. Eyya wishes for them to help her make fried mallard, then. She reaches out to grab their hand only to phase through them. Nolu smiles and tells her they can't, and leaves it at that.

Later on, without the full moon, Eyya finds where the well resides when it isn't awake. In it's stead is a rock with a crack in it. She calls out to Nulo, who responds, surprised that she was able to find them this way. She says she just followed the dramatic poise that Nulo leaves behind. She asks what the deal about it having to be a full moon is all about, but Nulo says they've wondered the same, why they can't feel the sunlight. They ask Eyya about the sun and if it's warm. She asks what the expense is of granting all those wishes. But before Nulo can answer, Eyya has fallen asleep beside the stone, much to Nulo's dismay. Nulo says she is too sweet for this place. They wonder what they would wish for if it were them making the wish, and find themselves wishing to become human and walk with Eyya on the beach in the warm sun. They quickly deny themselves this wish, saying they exist only to make her happy. Quashing their hopes, they resolve to tell Eyya that they need to stop meeting.

The next full moon comes, and Nulo emerges, forlorn, only to find that Eyya is hurt. Immediately concerned, they find out the villagers attacked Eyya because Eyya has magic. Eyya confesses to the real reason she first met Nulo: she wanted to wish for her magic to be gone. But when she saw the dead look in Nulo's eyes, that they saw that Nulo had been used or resented their whole lives, she just couldn't do to them all the things they've been through, and then she wanted to meet them all the time after, loving that she gets to be herself around them. As Nulo is about to console her, one of the villagers comes to tell Nulo to stop seeing Eyya. When Nulo says they can do nothing to assist without a wish, the villager wishes for Nulo to never be able to see Eyya again. The well grants the wish, and Nulo can no longer see or hear Eyya, even though she's right in front of them. Believing Eyya has left, Nulo retreats to the well, becoming defeated in their purpose. Despite this turn of events, Eyya continues to come.

Months later, with no signs of Eyya, Nulo becomes bitter. Another night of a full moon, and this time, multiple people from the village show up, resentful of the karmic outcome of their wishes. Nulo says that Eyya hasn't been here in months, but the villagers call them a liar. They attempt to destroy Nulo's well, only for the hammer to break on it. Nulo moves to leave the villagers only for one of the strings on their neck to be grabbed - the only way to make any kind of of physical contact with them - yanking them back. When Nulo yells out in pain, Eyya rushes up, still unseen by Nulo, and shoves the villager away. Eyya's presence is confirmed by the villagers, and Nulo finally understands what has happened all this time. The villagers threaten to get rid of Eyya, but Nulo says it's their responsibility to make the villagers happy and beg the others to leave Eyya alone. The villager who wished for them to not see Eyya anymore agrees to five minutes for the two to say goodbye, allowing Nulo to be able to see Eyya again.

As Nulo cries in relief, Eyya asks them what they personally want the most, just them and not the well. For the first time, Nulo uses the pronoun "I" instead of "we", saying they wish to be by Eyya's side, how they always wished to see them. With that wish voiced, Nulo promises to sacrifice their happiness for Eyya's safety. As they begin to leave, Eyya stops them, saying she isn't buying her wish with tears. She says that Nulo has given up everything they had for these villagers, but the villagers can find their own happiness, and that Eyya can, too. She didn't keep showing up to wait for a gift. She came for Nulo and nothing else. Nulo says they only exist to grant others wishes, and Eyya asks how long they ignored their own wishes to try and grant hers. She asks to let her grant Nulo's wish, and Nulo agrees. She grabs Nulo's strings and breaks them. The well collapses into itself, taking the form it has without the moon, and Nulo becomes human.

Able to finally touch and hold Eyya, Nulo thanks her for the favour. The villagers, defeated, retreat back to town. Eyya and Nulo leave the forest, hand-in-hand. Nulo asks if Eyya is happy with this decision, and she says she is. She asks how Nulo feels, and they say, "Warm," with a smile.



[ PERSONALITY ]

In general, Nulo has a very accepting personality. They judge not people's wishes nor their personalities. They honour the fact that they are here to satisfy others' wants and needs, and nothing else. They ignore their own feelings, knowing they can never escape their prison, and thus just do their best with what they're given. They have been known to be amused by people's wishes before.

However, sometimes they are hopeful that maybe, just maybe they can feel a glimpse of sunlight on their skin before the night is over. However, the cords always pull them back, restricting them from their one wish. They are quick to stifle their own desires, because they know their purpose and feel that there can't be anything better for them.

When Eyya enters their life, something changes. They begin to feel trust and companionship, and warm up quickly to it. They begin to long to see Eyya, and listen to her stories, living vicariously through her. They reveal a more coy and curious personality, starved for basic affection. There's a more playful nature beneath their calmness. They are more determined to protect her, and show a defiance when it comes to keeping her safe.



[ ABILITIES ]

SUMMONED BY THE FULL MOON - The well disappears when the night of the full moon is over. It is hidden in plain sight, a rock with a crack in it otherwise in the path where it once stood, void of all the ethereal water surrounding it. It is possible for them to be found, but is hardly likely without an untrained perspective. And every full moon, the well resurfaces, only able to be found by those who have a wish or have visited before.

TELL US YOUR WISH - People who find Nulo and the well have a wish. The wish is often granted by circumstantial means, dependant on three things: the depth of the wish they want granted, who they are as a person, and the token they sacrifice for this wish to come true. Nulo's ability to grant the wish itself is extremely limited and mostly impacted by those three factors. Nulo is simply the catalyst for the wish to come to fruition, and karma does the rest. However, the well may be able to pseudo-control the wishes, as there is one point where Nulo doesn't do the required process to grant it, and that is when a villager wishes that Nulo no longer be able to see Eyya ever again. The well may have forced the wish without process, knowing Nulo's internal wish was coming to a head that might cause them to leave their post officially, and thus acting in self-preservation.

SUMMON THE OBJECT - Nulo can pull things towards themself with a telekinetic-like ability. It summons often small items: a trinket, a chair. Nulo seems to need to be able to see these things, as well, in order to call on them. Their reach is also not eternal, and may only apply to objects personally given to them or that they own themself.

TRANSFIGURE THE OBJECT - The tokens given to Nulo in order to grant the wish are often quickly transformed into a large and beautiful, silvery-clear harp, with the internal part of the harp that the strings going over it taking the shape of the one who made the wish's silhouetted side-profile of their head. The strings that cover it are defined by the characteristics of the person, providing limited notes to be played. If one is strongly selfish, they often aren't considerate, so they'll have the selfish thread while lacking consideration, etc. Once the object is transfigured into the harp and the wish is granted, the token disappears forever in a puff.

HARP PLAYING - As per Nulo's process, they must play the harp in order to grant the person their wish. Able to play with even limited notes, Nulo is able to play beautifully and fully to finish the wish one desires.

A GLIMPSE - After the performance, Nulo is able to look in at what the end result will be, though this is without the knowledge of the person who made the wish. Nulo often enjoys seeing the karma play out. This is visually seen through something that is puffed in and out of existence.

OBSERVANT - Nulo can make clever and observant deductions with minimal tidbits of information, able to form a story when a person thinks they are giving nothing away. Such as seeing that the pages with the sea being more worn in a book than the others, they could deduce that Eyya likes the sea itself.

IMMORTALITY - Nulo, so long as they are connected to the well, has essentially an unlimited lifespan. A severance from the well eliminates this.