From the depths I surface with a character that it took me over a week to actually settle on. [list][*][u][b]Name:[/b][/u] Lillia Avemaria [*][u][b]Age:[/b][/u] 14 [*][u][b]Gender:[/b][/u] Female [*][u][b]Appearance:[/b][/u] In some regards, Lillia is quite endowed, certainly to the point that it’s rather hard to ignore… whilst in regards to her height it is quite the opposite: any height difference between her and Arinne can be put down to their shoes. [hider][img]https://i.imgur.com/SgAac9o.png[/img][/hider] [*][u][b]Personality:[/b][/u] As the family heir to one of the Tower’s old noble families, Lillia has been quite spoiled… and thoroughly conditioned to act [i]properly[/i]. She’s unfailingly polite and friendly, though she can be quite upset by bullying or being picked on—not that most people would even consider that to be an option, in her life. She’s also quite bad at reading people’s intentions… unless she’s in danger. In dangerous or messy situations, quite unlike most girls of her age, Lillia tends to remain frighteningly calm. She’s hard to shock. [*][u][b]Abilities:[/b][/u] The generation’s [i]other[/i] magical prodigy, Lillia has a vast pool of high-quality mana, and at her family’s insistence has studiously trained in the basics of various elemental or seemingly generic magic: if you have the magical ability, then one should be quite able to maintain a household in a comfortable state with it (of course, that’s why servants exist, but the point remains). Her true affinity is for Life, something regularly occurring in the Avemaria’s main line—and possibly explaining the rumours that for some generations, all of their servants have been homunculi made at one point or another. Lillia, a prodigy or not, is much too young to have considered entering into the process of trying to… acquire a soul. Instead, she tends to focus on more mundane concerns, like healing, or growing plants, or—in extremis—draining the life from anyone too close… which mostly serves to make people around her increasingly sleepy. With the proper set-up it could be quite more lethal. That her specialisation is [i]Poisons[/i] would come as quite a surprise with her attitude, but she likes how it can be used for some medical effects that healing wouldn’t cover. Or self defence. A touch that makes limbs go numb can be quite useful. [*][u][b]Skills:[/b][/u] Lillia is pretty good at gardening, cutting things carefully, and sewing. Do not ask her about anything created after the industrial revolution, she’ll be quite confused. [*][u][b]Assets:[/b][/u] As the current heir, Lillia has access to vast wealth—provided that she can justify it to her parents, who are fairly permissive about what their daughter might choose to spend money on—obviously, becoming a business magnate is out, but almost any mundane expenses are beneath their notice. Similarly, the family’s large staff of maids and bodyguards who are also maids can be called upon—diverting the butler from their duty would, however, be considered quite improper. One maid, in particular, is assigned specifically for Lillia’s use and protection—[url=https://i.imgur.com/ep5feIa.png]Maria,[/url] a homunculus made with full intent to be extremely proficient with knives and [i]not[/i] to talk back to her master. Accordingly, she’s completely mute. [*][u][b]Brief Backstory:[/b][/u] The Avemaria family has a long history, but it does tend to be accused of having quite unsavoury practices in the past—no matter that most of their contributions to mage society have been through their adeptness at healing, somehow quite competently dealing with injuries that can’t simply be healed away—missing limbs or severely damaged organs, if you’re willing to pay up, then anything can be healed right now… One of the things that lends credence to the negative rumours, however, is that the rumours of a vast mansion and its grounds maintained and staffed by homunculi? True, for at least five generations back: from cradle to grave, five generations have been served by the exact same household. To have that many, they must be getting souls… somehow. Lillia is their latest heir, born into the family and given quite a lot of attention by parents with time to spare, and almost anything she could ask for. But there were no other children her age amongst the family or staff, so what were they to do? Simple: have her associate with the child of one of the few other families of appropriate standing. Perhaps it’s not surprising that when Arinne called upon her contracts, the Avemaria sent Lillia instead of one of the adults. No doubt her parents have reasoned it easier to send someone who would be visiting regularly anyway than go themselves and have Lillia intrude awkwardly.[/list]