backstory

These were originally in pencil but I decided to redraw them digitally. This is Vahaadi about age 14, shortly after joining the troupe and before he and Tryvnah got together (or even remotely liked each other).

At this age, Vahaadi has a FEROCIOUS temper. He is impulsive, cusses like a sailor, and seems constantly on the verge of knock-down, drag-out fights with Tryvnah.  It is a coping method and an attempt at compensating for his small size, weakness and insecurity.

He is really skinny and bony from a combination of a recent, abrupt growth spurt and a poor diet. Years of malnutrition (due to his family’s poverty) has done a lot of damage to his stomach. The gypsy food is richer than what he is used to and he has an ingrained habit of eating too fast, so he has a hard time keeping it down. Stomach aches and vomiting are a frequent and miserable fact of his life.

It’s impossible to guess what he’s thinking when he sews or works at his loom.  He seems to completely shut down.

He still has a few more inches to grow before he reaches his full (albeit, short) adult height.