Jabari Hei

A well known aritst in Tahwil, Jabari Hei is an almost sixty year old mane who's passion is visualizing memories on a canvas. He was born into a middle class family in Taqatu, and while he now lives on his own, he remains in Taqatu. Despite the skilll he exhibits now, Jabari was not always a painter. In fact, he didn't start until he was around twenty years old. When he was a teenager, his mother had developed a severe form of dementia. It destroyed his father and Jabari when she couldn't remember who they were or even who she was, but there were good days along with the bad days. When his mother had a day where she knew who she was and who they were, Jabari took full advantage of it.
Jabari struggled to imagine the inability to remember something. He had always been able to recall anything perfectly, even things that happened years ago. It felt as if fate had cursed him to remember everything while his mother couldn't remember anything. But Jabari thought of a way to try and help with this. He thought that if his mother had a way to see her memories that she could not recall, it would help her somehow. With this in mind, when his mother had a day where she could recall certain events, Jabari asked her to describe it in detail. She would give Jabari a detailed recollection of a happy memory, and Jabari would visualize it in his head, recreating the scenery and emotions tied to it. Once his mother was finished recounting her memory, she would often be too tired to continue speaking and retire to her room for rest.
When his mother was sleeping, Jabari would go out and buy a new canvas and paint. He would come home and stay awake for hours just trying to paint the memory that his mother had given him. The first memory he painted was the day that his father asked her to marry him. He had invited to for an evening walk along the river, and when the Moon had risen to its peak, he asked her to spend the rest of their lives together. His mother recalled being overjoyed, and that the only time she had been blessed with that level of happiness was when Jabari was born. Jabari interalized these emotions, and painted the memory as best he could. It was his first time doing this, but he knew what he was aiming to make. He closed his eyes and let his hand flow across the canvas as he visualized the memory. When he opened his eyes, he saw the same scene on the canvas that was in his head. He cried at the sight of his parents, and when his mother woke up, he was ready to show her the painting.
As fate would have it, his mother awoke with no recollection of who he was. But Jabari didn't let that get to him. Instead, he asked that she close her eyes while he prepared to show her the painting. She did, and when she opened them, Jabari swears he saw a flicker of who she was before the dementia stole her mind. Tears fell instantly as she beheld the sight, but his mother couldn't figure out why. Jabari was worried that his idea had failed, but before he could take the painting away, his mother stepped closer. She closely observed every detail, and tears continued to flow. She told Jabari that she was happy, even though she didn't really know why. At this, Jabari began to cry as well. He hugged her, and even though there was no recognition in it, she hugged him back. They sat there for a while, and Jabari eventually devcided to go hang the painting up in her room.
Ever since then, Jabari has been painting to help others like his mother. Unfortunately, his parents are both gone now, but he still paints in memory of them. He has a total of twenty-eight paintings that he made for his mother before she passed, and now he keeps them in his room to remember her. When he sets his cart up in Iilaa Markas, he receives several requests to recreate memories of customers. Jabari listens to them tell their story, visualizing it as they do, then recreates it when he is at home. The happiness on their faces when he reveals the painting to them is more than enough to keep Jabari in this business.

Age

59

Pronouns

He/Him

Gender

Male

Eyes

Deep blue

Hair

Long black hair kept in a ponytail