is a busy city on the lindje, in melissa. it has a long history, with close ties to corcoros and trade ports further abroad. it is the most cosmopolitan city in melissa, and all sorts of people can be seen on its streets.

the valley

i moved here in june 2022 with pine, and lived here for a year. it’s quite noisy.

this was my first place that i really wanted to make feel like my own home. i remember in the beginning, when it was very empty. thinking about then makes me feel strange. the windows were just glass. vast panes of only light.

then it was full. all the space is taken up by bunny stuff or plants or hay. the windows are especially packed. i have filled this space with friends, with myself. it will be hard to leave.

one time gingko asked me why i chose to move here. it was hard to remember, but there were three main reasons. the first is that andrew really really wanted to, and i wanted to make him happy. the second is that there are many many things to look at. having lived here for 9 months, i am fairly familiar with the immediate surroundings but there is still so much to loo at. the third reason is that here is where i am least stared at, in a way. many people look stranger than i do.

there are still a lot of stares.

lately, i’ve also started appreciating the reason why most people come to the valley. on the weekends, the entire island comes here. it really is a wonderful place to meet friends and be happy together. lately, i’ve been becoming alive outside myself again, and i appreciate it more and more. i must admit that andrew is wise sometimes.

the river cottage

i lived here for two years. it’s right on the water, in a bend of the river that not many people come to, so it’s relatively secluded. it’s a very nice open place with windows on both sides so that the air rushes through, onshore and offshore. it’s quite shaded.

it’s big enough to have people over. sometimes plum or azalea will visit, and we make pizza. there’s a frosted glass board mounted on the wall for marker drawing.