Khanah'to Rabntah - Ask Him Anything

Name: Khanah'to Rabntah
Apparent Age/Actual Age: 28
Occupation(s): Mercenary, Bodyguard, and to a lesser-known extent, heist thief
Relationship Status: Single; hookups are okay, but he's romance-averse (terrified of it, really)
Strengths: Perceptive, attentive, driven by self-improvement, even-tempered, witty
Weaknesses: Intensely low self-esteem, self-image issues, flighty, liar (but is bad at it), kind of has an eating disorder
Favorite Food: Refuses to have one
Vices: Sex, gambling, fighting, working out to the point of exhaustion


While this post is Out Of Character, any questions asked will be answered In Character.

Hi Khanah'to! I've got a couple questions, one of them definitely easier than the other:

The easy one first: what's your favorite thing to gamble on? Cards, mahjong, animal races, or something else entirely?

Second, what would you say has been your most memorable (good or bad) job as of late? As a mercenary I'm sure you've got at least a couple wild tales!

TheDeerLord wrote:

Hi Khanah'to! I've got a couple questions, one of them definitely easier than the other:

The easy one first: what's your favorite thing to gamble on? Cards, mahjong, animal races, or something else entirely?

Second, what would you say has been your most memorable (good or bad) job as of late? As a mercenary I'm sure you've got at least a couple wild tales!

The redhead gives a little wry grin at the first question, rolling his head on his shoulders. "That somethin' else entirely category you mentioned. Cards an' Mahjong are real fun, an' I love Doman Mahjong like wild, but bettin' on stuff that doesn't normally merit gambling makes ya think. It makes you think about things you wouldn't ordinarily think about, an' that's when you get to really see into someone's mind." His grin widens, and the tip of one fang peeks out from underneath his top lip.

"A lotta my work involves knowin' things, and you'd be surprised just how much someone will tell ya 'bout themselves without you even needing to ask, if you know how to interact with 'em. A gamble can educate ya on their entire being, if you know what to wager on."

When he shifts focus to the second question, he lets out a little bit of a sigh. "Problem is, as of late, everythin's been too... uneventful. I didn't have much issue with my last few jobs, so it's all been... kinda dull. At least on my last bodyguard venture, I was on a boat for most of it with my charge, and 'er father would be all sorts of pissed if he knew she asked me to teach her how to fight. We spent some three-and-change sennights on that boat, an' I put her through the same training I put myself through each day."

He chuckles, his good eye falling closed as he remembered. "She struggled at first, an' I expected her to give up, but, nah. She'd just take a big drink of water, take a deep breath, and repeat to herself that the only one stoppin' her from achieving her goals was herself, and got right back to work. Tiny li'l Au Ra lass. Raen, with the most pearlescent scales I'd ever had the joy of beholdin'. Gorgeous little thing. She was so proud when she actually managed to connect with a punch during sparring and split the corner of my lip. I was proud, too. I hope she's doin' alright."

Glad to find a fellow Doman mahjong fan, doesn't seem like as many people play these days. I gotta say, I'm intrigued by the by your description of the "something else" category! Do these kinds of gambles usually revolve around tests of skill/strength or purely random events, like the weather? Maybe an example of one of your more notable recent wagers would help me get a better picture of what you mean.

I imagine that you're probably traveling a lot as part of your work, but is there somewhere you call home or prefer to spend your time when you're not on the clock, so to speak?

TheDeerLord wrote:

Glad to find a fellow Doman mahjong fan, doesn't seem like as many people play these days. I gotta say, I'm intrigued by the by your description of the "something else" category! Do these kinds of gambles usually revolve around tests of skill/strength or purely random events, like the weather? Maybe an example of one of your more notable recent wagers would help me get a better picture of what you mean.

I imagine that you're probably traveling a lot as part of your work, but is there somewhere you call home or prefer to spend your time when you're not on the clock, so to speak?

Khanah'to gives a little hum, licking his lips as he mulls over his answer, but before long, he takes a swig from a hip flask, and answers. "Unexpected things. Wagering that a man will get shot down by a woman he's trying to flirt with. That a passing by couerl will choose to jump across a gap, rather than down. Which parent a child will reach for first. I suppose this means that 'purely random event' thing. All things that have some kinda emotional tie to somethin'. That's how I get information out of people, after all. How they interpret that emotional tie."

His head rolls on his shoulders once. He sips from his flask again. "I have an apartment in the Goblet that I might eventually fill out. Maybe. If I bother to keep enough money. It has a really awesome shower in th'bathroom and that's all that really matters. Well, that and a bed, and a loft for all of my random treasure stuff that I keep from my gambles. When I'm not there, I have a little hideaway near the beach at Costa where I prefer to do my personal workouts. Otherwise... sometimes I waste time at th'Gold Saucer. I'm told I dress up nice, even if I hate wearin' clothing."

Everyone has a heist go bad at some point. What happened with yours?

angel_dlatu wrote:

Everyone has a heist go bad at some point. What happened with yours?

(( Placed under a spoiler for mentions of violence, domestic violence. ))

Khanah'to seriously looks like he doesn't want to answer the question, and it takes a good long while before he even considers speaking, but when he does, he clears his throat.

(Click to Read):

Well, since it seems we have a heist gone bad story, what about one that went well? Did it feel so easy that it almost seemed suspicious? What was the heist that felt the easiest or had the largest payoff that felt good?

PaintedScales wrote:

Well, since it seems we have a heist gone bad story, what about one that went well? Did it feel so easy that it almost seemed suspicious? What was the heist that felt the easiest or had the largest payoff that felt good?

Before Khanah'to answers, he reaches up to trace a finger along the scar over his face in memory. There's a pause, and then a low huff of a chuckle. "Well, to give a right proper answer t'that question, I have to explain that money never really means much to me. See, money'll getcha a roof over your head, it'll put food on your table. Might getcha high, might getcha some pleasurable company for the night. But it's never yours. There's never any real meaning behind it. There could be infinite stories 'bout every gil-coin that slips through your fingers, but you're never gonna know what it is, and that always just left a bitter taste in my mouth."

He cants his head to the side, rapidly, and there's an audible pop from his neck. "Stories mean more to me than money. It's why my 'treasure loft' in my apartment has a buncha stuff that wouldn't be worth much of anything to anyone else. I care more about the story, the meaning."

It's here that he smiles again. "So that being the case, the heist I pulled that had what I feel like was the largest payoff was a little rescue mission I was hired to do, real early on in my merc career. I had to infiltrate a pleasure barge to rescue a girl who'd been captured. Her sister had tried to cause a fuss, but since it was an adoptive thing, there was no traction. I'd managed to play the part of one of those smarmy gamblers and managed to win the 'rights' to bring her home." He lifts his hands to make air quotes as he speaks. "To speak real plain, I hadn't expected to get on such a hot streak, and I really didn't expect him to honor the bets. I gave the girl a potion to clean out whatever drugs they'd hopped her up with, the little crystal I use to channel when I hop aetherytes, and told her to leave. Then I went back and carved up the slaver who was responsible for the whole mess. He got in a good slash over my eye."

He shook his head. "Y'might think that I wouldn't consider it a good heist by gettin' injured, but the family I reunited took real good care of me afterwards. They bought me the eyepatch I use. Kept me fed an' housed while I recovered. They insisted on payin' me more, but I couldn't take it. They kinda pampered me for the half-moon I was there. Me bringin' 'er home meant everything to them, and... and I could feel it. I never really had much familial love as a boy, so gettin' to sorta be a part of theirs was... kinda powerful. Meant a lot to me, too. Made me feel alive for once."

Do you like animals? Do you have or would you ever consider having a pet or keeping a mount of some kind?

calico-heart wrote:

Do you like animals? Do you have or would you ever consider having a pet or keeping a mount of some kind?

Khanah'to takes in a breath to speak, but then immediately interrupts himself, instead letting out a slightly awkward laugh, his cheeks going red. "I love animals, actually, but I'm totally awful at anythin' involvin' responsibility around 'em. Like, I would have pets if I weren't constantly traveling all the time. I'd keep a mount if I weren't so irresponsible. I'm th'type what feeds stray couerls and the like around the alleyways. I'm the type what wants to pet your little cute puppy dogs or talk 'bout how cool your lizard is or whatever. Maybe someday when I inevitably get injured an' turn into the grumpy old man who yells at kids to stop makin' noise around his apartment, I'll consider a pet then."