Maybe there's something to these fancy clothes. At least the ones Hanaoke picks. She gets the importance of lots of pockets and muted colors for blending into the background.
Small, generally quiet, and favoring being one with the background, Maukina spent their early days with the party of Fern, Rhys, and Wren as an observer with sticky fingers, gambling habits, occasional "explosive" episodes, and more-than-occasional episodes of being distracted by shinies that may have led to one or two almost-death traps being triggered. Thankfully everything turned out just fine! Maukina slowly warmed up to the others, and Hanaoke joined the team. Even more shenanigans occurred, a relative was murdered in the name of vengeance, one was able to become the person they always were in soul, and Maukina began to see the others as family.
Then, on an overly hot and sweltering day, while waiting in a port city to head to their next Big Adventure, Maukina's past came to bite them in the ass in a way that was too big to get their new family to brush it off. And so, Maukina opened up to them:
Roughly 20+ years of their life were spent being raised as an Alchemical Artificer to service the Cult of the Dragon.
They were branded with the Cult's symbol as proof of where they belong, and who they owe for decades of room, board, and education (aaaand maybe some property damage from an explosive distraction on their way out).
They eventually managed to leave the cult intentionally and with great effort, and have NO intention of returning to those who turn brilliant dragons into abhorrent dracoliches.
They still miss the fire and explosions.
At least they were able to keep their self-made homunculi friends from their time there, and make more friends (even family) since their time away.
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