Starry-eyed Keeper of Fortune

Seen on a small newspaper clipping of an interview:"Meia Ly, owner of the Sandglass Cafe tells stories of following her late father's dream, bringing a fusion of Ishgardian and Ul'dahn taste to Grindania."On the surface, Meia looks and acts like any other Ul'dahn craftsmen: appreciative of the crafts, always set to find profit in her work, somewhat charismatic, and a dislike of cold, freezing weather. Those who strive to get closer tend to hit her wall of nice smiles and polite if not shallow comfort. The only times one may lure her out of that invisible fortress may not be through gil but more likely through books and stories.

Exile?

Born to a tribe of miqo'te migrated from Othard to then settle in the Red Labyrinth, Meia was named after Nymeia as a sign of good luck. Growing up she was to keep the way of tradition while staying hidden from the outside world.Meia's parents were separated when her father chose to leave the tribe in pursuit of trades further than permitted, while her mother stayed behind as a priestess. For Meia however, it was during her father's visits that she learns of the outside world and craves its call of sweets, glittering gold, and delicious fishes. All of those stories ended when her father's caravan was attacked by Almalj'aa. Ever since, Meia strived to leave her small, suffocating cave and see the world through her own eyes.A year before the Calamity, at her coming of age ceremony, Meia threw down the scriptures and declared her intention of seeing the world and was marked as an exile by the tribe's ruling. She left for Ul'dah, penniless but full of ideas. Suffice to say the outside world was a lot rougher than the young Keeper's initially thought while being as equally as interesting.

Thief?

Being more of a quick and stealthy kind of fighter instead of strength, her attempt at finding work at the Colisseum was rough, turning her to a different path: to find and dig up treasure and relics. The work was rough, but the pay was sustainable until one day she was caught stealing from the Goldsmith guild.Impressed by her ability to pick their most complicated locks and her attention to details, Meia was to be released only if she agreed to study and work for the Guild. This expands into her desire of following the culinarian path but fare for travel was not something she could afford.Meia snuck herself into a crate, albeit a wrong one, and found herself sniffing not Limsa Lominsa's salted air but Ishgard's biting cold. But it was from there that she gleaned upon Ishgardian cuisine, and picked up the way of the cards as a means to feed herself, proving to be unexpectedly good at it. After few years of enduring the cold unforgiving winters, Meia returns to the Alliance to travel and learn of different cuisine across Eorzea while occasionally picking up treasures in forbidden places to fund her little cafe.

Or Diamond in the Rough?