Mae & Kye

Mae and Kye are not your typical sisters. Kye is Mae's clone. When Mae was twelve, she fell ill with the same disease that took her mother. Their father, a skilled but misguided alchemist, couldn't stand the thought of losing another of his family. In his desperate attempts to preserve his daughter, he created a clone of her when she was sixteen, meant to replace her after her death. Only, Mae didn't die. She recovered, suffering permanent spinal damage that allows her to walk but leaves her very frail and physically incapable.

The clone ended up serving as a carer for Mae, bonding closely with her. The clone eventually decided to name herself Kye, a character from one of Mae's books. Kye's quick cloning process left her with brain abnormalities, leading to seizures when malnourished or overexerted. Kye has all the memories of Mae up until she was sixteen, so is still traumatized by remembering Mae's pain. This is where Kye's protective instinct originates from.

Kye's seizures: Kye gets a pre-seizure aura, about ten seconds of flashing lights and loud noises. She uses this time to find a safe place to lay down and roll onto her side. She will lose consciousness while her body locks up and shakes. This persists for 2-5 minutes. When she awakes, she's out of breath, gasping in pain, and typically vomits. She's out of commission for a day, usually, and takes longer to fully recover. They're infrequent enough that she can still survive and do day-to-day tasks, but are considerably more frequent when under hard stress or malnourished.

Mae (19 years old): Physical Description

Hair: Pale grey, long, soft waves that brush past her shoulders. Stray strands often fall over her face, giving her an almost fragile appearance.

Eyes: Stormy grey, contemplative and tender, with a softness that makes her sorrow seem intimate and unspoken.

Height: 162 cm, just a hair shorter than Kye.

Build: Slender and delicate; her spinal injury affects her posture subtly but she moves with intentional grace.

Skin: Fair, faintly cool-toned, with a smattering of freckles across her cheeks.

Clothing: Layered, worn adventurer’s garb in muted earth tones; practical boots; a loose cloak that brushes the ground. Pieces are patched from travel but carefully maintained.

Defining Traits: Gentle presence, deliberate gestures, occasional wince or careful pause from lingering pain.

Psychological Quirks & Voice Cues: Mae is quietly reflective and deeply empathetic. She tends to speak softly, almost as if testing words for gentleness before release. Her humor is understated, often a dry or wry observation. She dislikes imposing herself, yet she is quietly stubborn about maintaining independence.

Added Emotional Notes: Mae carries a faint shadow of the grief from losing her mother, softened over time by her bond with Kye. She can be wistful, looking at the world as both beautiful and fleeting, often noticing details others miss.

Kye (19 years old): Physical Description:

Hair: Pale grey, cut into a tousled bob, slightly messy, often brushing her forehead.

Eyes: Stormy grey, alert and clear, betraying both the intensity of her focus and the fragility beneath.

Height: 165 cm, just taller than Mae.

Build: Slim but sturdier than her sister; movements are precise, almost guarded.

Skin: Fair, with subtle warmth when she exerts herself or becomes emotionally charged.

Clothing: Practical adventurer’s garb, fitted for movement, in muted, slightly worn colors. Ragged edges and small patches reflect a life on the run.

Defining Traits: Neurological abnormalities make her prone to seizures, which she anticipates and manages as best she can. Protective of Mae, she sometimes masks her fear with stubbornness.

Psychological Quirks & Voice Cues: Kye is matter-of-fact, plain-spoken, and quietly determined. Her humor is dry, sometimes wry or sarcastic. She tends to speak in short, clipped sentences, even when worried, though the warmth in her tone slips out around Mae. She harbors anxiety around her seizures but rarely lets it show unless necessary.

Added Emotional Notes: Kye is intensely loyal and takes emotional responsibility for Mae’s well-being seriously, often to the detriment of her own comfort. She struggles with the idea that she exists to replace someone yet wants to be herself, not a shadow or tool.

Circumstances & History:

Their mother fell to illness, leaving the family fractured.

Their father, gripped by grief and guilt, could not bear to lose Mae as well. He created Kye through alchemical means, hoping to preserve what he loved most. He never pursued them after they ran, partly out of remorse, partly out of recognition that they deserved their lives free of his control.

Mae’s illness healed, leaving her with residual spinal complications that require care and awareness. Kye’s accelerated creation left neurological vulnerabilities, including seizures, making her dependent in moments but otherwise active and assertive.

Together, the sisters fled, forming a survival routine that balances Kye’s protective instincts with Mae’s careful independence. They rely on signals, routines, and unspoken trust to navigate a dangerous world.

Their bond is the primary axis of their lives: Mae’s gentleness tempers Kye’s bluntness; Kye’s steadfastness gives Mae courage to act despite pain. Conflicts arise only when either tries to sacrifice themselves for the other, each hating the idea that the other puts herself in harm’s way first.

Appearance Together:

The girls are rarely more than a hair’s breadth apart, standing, sitting, or moving almost as one. Mae’s slight build contrasts with Kye’s more deliberate posture, yet their shared features; stormy grey eyes, pale hair, similar facial bone structure; anchor them as visually inseparable. Ragged, practical clothing marks their life on the run, but their personal differences in clothing style and posture express individuality.

Lifestyle:

Mae and Kye get by however they can. Mae handles the things that need a steady hand, Kye does the heavy lifting, the running, the risky stuff. They move through forests, fields, and empty villages without drawing attention, always watching for trouble. Kye’s seizures make things tricky, so Mae keeps an eye on her, sets up safe spots, and makes sure Kye can signal when she’s about to go down.

They scavenge, trade, sometimes sneak a little. Nothing is fancy. Food is basic, clothes are patched, boots are worn thin. Nights are spent around a fire when they can, sharing quiet jokes or just staring into the flames. They argue sometimes; Mae hates seeing Kye push herself too far, Kye hates being told she can’t do something; but it’s all underlined by trust: neither would leave the other behind. Their lives are messy, exhausting, sometimes painful, but they manage, and they manage together.