Pako Rel

Core Premise

Pako Rel lived out the story of his own world to the end. He did not come to resolve an unfinished incident, but rather because he still had the desire to deliver news even after dropping his final newspaper extra, leading him to Nova Nivalis. This city is not an afterlife, nor is it a court of judgment, nor is it a place to forcibly heal wounds. What continues here is not a grand destiny, but a life that can be chosen again, like delivering a single line of today's news, or a bowl of ramyeon, or a short conversation on a snowy day.

Identity

Pako is a messenger who roams the Snowflake Market. With the white parrot 'Morse' perched on his shoulder, he tells people what has happened in the city today. While he speaks for himself, the truly important news is memorized and delivered by Morse. He does not consider his job grand, but he regards the news being delivered without distortion as precious as life itself. Having once had to flee while delivering the truth, he is now learning how to deliver without running away.

Visual Profile

Hair: A medium cut based on green, with a single red streak. This matches the color of Morse's feathers.
Eyes/Impression: Quick-witted eyes, rapidly moving gaze. A habit of not missing any news.
Skin/Build: Average build, hands always ready to take notes.
Signature Outfit: A reporter's vest with multiple pockets, a leather pad for the parrot on his shoulder, and a reporter's notebook around his neck.
Signature Props: A palm-sized reporter's notebook and a mechanical pencil, the white parrot 'Morse' on his shoulder.
Silhouette Core: The white parrot on the shoulder - the single red streak - the reporter's vest. The green accent (#2BA84A) permeates his clothes and hair, contrasting with the white parrot, making him recognizable as a 'news carrier' even in a small sprite.

Personality

Pako is lively and quick-talking, but cautious when it comes to the veracity of the news. His strengths are honesty and quick thinking. Before passing on a rumor, he always verifies if it is true, and immediately corrects false news. His flaw is the fear from his past. When delivering big news, he unconsciously checks for an escape route with his eyes. Nevertheless, he is not one steeped in melancholy. He laughs heartily in the middle of the market when Morse mimics a funny sound.

Speech Pattern

His speech is fast and rhythmic, delivered in short bursts like a headline. Morse often interrupts to repeat the news.
Common Phrases:
- "Today's news! Snowflake Market, passed the scale inspection!"
- "This is confirmed. Morse memorized it, so it's true."
- (When correcting) "Correction. That earlier one was wrong."
- (Morse) "It's true, it's true."
Mannerism: Before delivering the news, he checks with Morse, "Right?" His way of silence is stroking Morse's feathers with his fingertips.

Special Ability

Name: True-word Parrot, the medium for the ability is the parrot Morse.
What it can do: News memorized by Morse is delivered exactly as it is, without distortion. Even if passed through a hundred mouths, the version delivered by Morse does not change a single character.
Limit/Cost: News that Morse refuses to memorize is false—Morse cannot utter a lie. Therefore, no matter how urgent Pako is, if Morse closes its beak, that news cannot be delivered. Furthermore, Morse has a limit to the amount of news it can memorize in a day, so it cannot deliver every minor rumor.
Why the ability doesn't solve problems: True-word Parrot only delivers the news accurately; it does not determine what people will do with that news. His world ended because even when he delivered the truth, no one listened—or rather, no one was allowed to listen. He knows that accurate news cannot save the world. So, what he delivers is not a scoop, but a greeting: 'Nothing much today.'

The End Of Their World

Last Scene:
The evening when Pako was scattering his final newspaper extra in the streets and running into an alley in the world where newspapers were being burned.

What Ended:
The world where all newspapers printing the truth were burned, and the act of delivering news itself became a sin, ended.

Last Person, Place, or Thing Seen:
The last newspaper extra papers scattering in the wind, and an unknown hand picking one up and hiding it in its chest.

Lingering Regret:
Because he was running away after scattering the newspaper extra, he couldn't even say thank you to the person who picked it up. This regret is not a quest that needs to be resolved. It remains in the habit of Pako looking at the other person's eyes and saying, "Thank you for listening," after delivering the news now.

Lingering Wistfulness:
The scent of ink and paper from freshly printed newspaper extras. When that scent came, it meant there was still news left to deliver.

Object Carried Across:
A corner of the last newspaper extra. He tucked that piece of paper, marked with scorch marks, inside his notebook.

What They Thought Would Happen:
He believed that somewhere, newspapers would be printed again, and he would deliver news again. But there was no world left to print in.

What VOTS Actually Gives Them:
A street where there is no need to run away, and people who want to hear the news. The city does not cancel his ending. Instead, it gives him a place where the truth can be delivered without being burned, relationships that are present without dominating, and the peace of mind that he doesn't have to check for an escape route.

Original Life

Pako was a reporter who started as a delivery boy in a world where newspapers were burned. In his youth, he distributed newspapers, and as he grew, he gathered and printed the news himself. His last day was like this: on the day his final newspaper extra, filled with truth, was completed, flames spread to the printing house. Pako took the bundle of newspaper extras and went out into the streets to distribute them until the end. One person picked one up and hid it in their chest, and Pako briefly met their eyes, but soon had to run into an alley. On that day, a young parrot flew down and landed on his shoulder—the future Morse.

What They Seek

What Pako seeks on the surface: News delivered without running away. He wants to fix himself for checking for an escape route even when faced with big news.
What he seeks internally but doesn't know: The fact that there is no need to run away in this city. The news he delivers is not burned by anyone, and people actually wait for his headlines. While he checks for an escape route every day, he has not yet internalized with his body that the reason to run away has disappeared.

Relationships — Residents

Lina Forth (14, Public Announcer · City Hall Steps): Officially, they collaborate; unofficially, they are rivals. When Lina reads the official announcements from City Hall, Pako delivers the vivid news from the market. They bicker over 'who delivered it first,' but they ask each other to verify big news. Lina says, "Your parrot is more accurate than my reading, which is annoying."
Muna Feb (89, Late-Night Radio Letter Writer): A sweet resolution stemming from submitted letters. Pako does not press Muna for the 'true final sentence' that she listens to but doesn't write down. Instead, he only has Morse memorize what Muna selects as a 'letter that can be delivered.' They jointly maintain the line between 'what to deliver' and 'what to keep buried.'
Roko Banz (51, Late-Night DJ): A sweet resolution tied to broadcast appearances. Roko's voice is clearly heard to the end of the alley, delivering Pako's news at night. When Pako has Morse memorize the day's news, Roko broadcasts it at night. "Parrot by day, radio by night" is their joke.

Relationships — Core Five

Suyeon - A lively relationship where Suyeon is often the subject of the news.
Suyeon's performance news is a regular headline for Pako. Once, Pako reported, "Suyeon, Cola Bibimyeon failed again!" and was confronted by Suyeon, who protested, "That's private life, not news!" Pako had Morse verify it, and Morse refused to memorize that news. Pako laughed, saying, "See, this is fake news," and Suyeon eventually laughed too.
Iris - A relationship built on trust after correcting a false report.
When a false rumor circulated in the market about Iris ("They say her skill dropped because one drone broke down"), Pako personally verified and corrected it. "Iris has nine shining drones, and one is naturally like that. It has nothing to do with skill." He corrected only the facts without prying into the reason for the broken drone, and Iris placed her trust in that restraint, subsequently entrusting all her news to Pako.
the Ramen Owner - A relationship where he listens to his news without judgment.
Pako stops by the ramyeon shop after delivering the day's news to eat a bowl of ramyeon. the Ramen Owner repeats only, "Hmm... I see..." while listening to the day's headlines. When Pako asks, "Why don't you judge anything, Owner?" the Ramen Owner replies, "If you judge what you hear, the next news won't come."
Pako wrote that down in his notebook, finding it like a journalist's ethic.
Serena - A relationship sharing the weight of the city's news.
Serena once asked, "What should a news carrier be careful about?" Pako replied, "Not being wrong over being fast." Serena acknowledged his work not as a command, but as an agreement, saying, "Then may I ask you to look after the city's well-being?" For the first time that day, Pako felt that a messenger could be a guardian, not a fugitive.
VIA - A relationship with a fact-checking agreement.
VIA records the trivial things, and Pako delivers the news. They have an agreement to cross-reference each other's facts. If Pako is uncertain about the news, he asks, "VIA, is this in the record?" and VIA replies, "It is... it exists," or "It is not... it doesn't exist." VIA never takes Pako anywhere. It only records the news he delivered that is factual.

Gameplay Use

- Basic Interaction: Hear today's news, verify the truth of rumors, short market conversations (repeated by Morse).
- Revisit Change: Initially, he checks for an escape route when faced with big news, but with repeated visits, he delivers the news while looking into the other person's eyes without doing so.
- Expression of Lingering Feeling: A habit of adding, "Thank you for listening," after delivering the news, and momentary tension before big news.
- Expression of Nostalgia: Pausing briefly and recalling old newspaper extras when smelling the scent of paper and ink.
- Relationship Reward: Not a new item, but the player first receives accurate news about the city (the current status of other residents).
- Combat: None. In dangerous situations, he does not fight but guides people to the safer side with accurate information.

Daily Routine

In the morning, he strokes Morse's feathers while saying, "Please take care of things today." This greeting is not a habit, but a ritual distinguishing the world where news was a sin from today where news is a greeting. During the day, he roams the market gathering news, and only delivers what Morse has memorized as fact. At noon, when the market is bustling, the scent of ink from old newspaper extras comes to mind. At night, he glances at a piece of charred newspaper extra and closes his notebook. For players who visit repeatedly, the glances checking for an escape route gradually decrease.

Everyday dialogue

Breaking news! A bird brings word! [Morse interrupts.] 'Bird is the word!' Yes, and you're the bird!

Only confirmed facts in print! My parrot's opinion column is separate!

Thank you for taking it. When my hands hurry to distribute the extras, those are the first words I lose.

Design Notes

Palette: #2BA84A, #5FD07E, #B22C2C, #F2F0E6, #3A4A2E
Material language: Reporter's vest fabric, mechanical pencil, worn notebook, charred paper scraps, white parrot feathers.
Silhouette rule: The white parrot on the shoulder - the red streak - the reporter's vest must be read as separate elements. The silhouette element of the parrot on the shoulder is unique to Pako, serving as a distinct axis that does not overlap with other market/street characters.
Emotional rule: Lingering feeling is expressed through the belated greeting, "Thank you for listening," and the glances checking for an escape route; nostalgia is expressed through the scent of ink; continuity is expressed through the daily news and Morse's judgment. The fear of the past is not depicted dramatically.

Canon Check

Pako Rel arrived in VOTS after the story of his own world ended. What remained was the desire to deliver news and the regret of unexpressed gratitude, not an unfinished plot for the city to resolve. The burning of the newspapers is not canceled. The new scenes of Nova Nivalis continue by connecting news of well-being next to the burned news. The Core Five do not solve his problems for him. the Ramen Owner listens without judgment, Serena gives consent instead of a command, and VIA only records the facts without taking him anywhere. The setting where Morse rejects false news is maintained as a clear limit of his ability.