ㅤ❝ㅤIt's Z'aliho. Z'aliho Tia.❞ㅤㅤhe states with a cool, relaxed tone, though his brows incline. ❝Any reason you're tryin' to suss me out? I don't take kindly to the overly inquisitive, ya know.❞

z'aliho tia (born ??????) was once a man -- more aptly, a boy -- filled with boundless, relentless wonder. born and brought up in a tight-knit tribe in the outskirts of shaaloani, he'd barely known strife since his birth, 'least not strife that wasn't to be expected outside of the general experience of life. he'd had his mom, his dad, his greater family in his tribe, and the boundless horizon to chase after. there was very little in his mind that he could find himself wanting 'more'.the perspective of children, however, is oft skewed. rose-colored. as he grew into his adolescence, the strife of his tribe had become known to him. not explicitly stated, however -- it was learned through observation, a skill he'd honed since what felt like birth. business at his parents' tavern had slowed down, general tensions within the tribe had grown stronger... not unlike the rest of shaaloani, they'd began falling upon harder times. coin was found few and far between, and the lands around their village weren't necessarily right for harvesting an array of crops... and z'aliho hated seeing it. for his tribe, sure, but specifically his parents. hated the way they'd try to hide it from him even more.it didn't take long for him to try and take matters into his own hands.with monetary struggles came acts of desperation. it didn't take long for banditry to become common happenstance in shaaloani at large, not much longer than it'd taken for a brazen group of bandits to take an interest in z'aliho -- namely his ever-perceptive eye. he'd just begun learning his way around a gun when he'd fallen into their ranks, and he told himself as long as he didn't steal from his tribe, it was fine. just a means of survival. of making their lives easier... and at first, it worked. it did make their lives easier. his parents were a bit confused as to where the flow of money came from, but far be it from them to question it when struggle had been so prevalent...but it fell through. things always fell through, or so he'd come to learn.his group had been tailing a potential target for days, learning his routes, noting when would be the most opportune time to strike ... and they struck. but it was a ruse. a decoy planted by the sheriff, and before they could truly register what was going on, his lackies were closing in on them. so they ran.they ran. but z'aliho kept his feet planted firm, too shocked and scared alike to move... and he was taken in. not arrested properly, not charged -- though he was given a verbal lashing from the men that'd wrangled him, letting him know he was far too young to be getting wrapped up in groups like that... and for a moment, z'aliho thought he'd gotten out scott free -- sure, the money flow would stop, but he could go back to life as it was.no such luck. even if he wasn't charged, there were checks and balances that needed to take place -- and people needed to know. word traveled fast in his village, and before long he'd become something of the talk of the town. his parents gave a similar lashing that the men who'd wrangled him had, though they ultimately understood him. that, while his actions were 'wrong', they came from the 'right' place. all he'd wanted to do was help... but it was too late. talks of exile were already rumbling throughout the community, a means to save face -- and z'aliho knew that if he stayed, his parents would fall with him. even if they weren't roped in with his crimes, they would refuse to sit idly by and let their only son be cast out to fend for himself...so, once more, he took matters into his own hands.he left.in the night -- he wasn't an actual prisoner, even if his tribe had been treating him as if he may as well be -- he fled his village, made way to tuliyollal by sunrise, and hopped on the first charter ship he could climb aboard to get away. his destination was unsure, but he knew one thing: it was anywhere but here.