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syrinfacet
Galea (Lilac) Age
28 Pronouns
she/her Height
5'6" (with horns) Build
Curvy Sin
Wrath First ImpressionsA curvy woman with draconic traits, sporting fangs, scales, horns, claws and a tail. Despite her lack of real muscle, she is incredibly sturdy and strong, able to lift others with ease and packs a fierce punch as well. She has a sociable veneer while carefully curating the people she can trust, and is much more perceptive than one would think - which may or may not be a good thing, depending on how much she likes you or not. Despite her attempts to hold people at arms length, has a compassionate heart and feels honorbound to protect others. She does not bleed, cutting into her is similar to trying to crack open an amethyst geode. Powers & Abilities✦ Powers: ⟡ Lightning Breath: Taking a deep breath, Galea exhales in a snarl, spewing forth a line of purple colored lightning. Two turn cooldown, can be used three times per scene. ⟡ Amethyst Barrier: Galea slams her hands down, creating a wall of amethyst crystals that can be used as a barrier shield. This only shields from the front and is destroyed in a single hit. ⟡ Dragon Form: Galea assumes her true form - an amethyst dragon with stained glass wings. She loses access to her other abilities (save one, keep reading) but has all the strength and might of a dragon and can fly. Has a 4 turn once she turns back. Upon using her Lightning Breath, she resumes her humanoid form. ⟡ Alchemical Arrows: Galea imbues one of her energy arrows with a debuff - she can hit an enemy with a Snakeroot Arrow (reduces enemy's next damage by 1) or a Chamomile Arrow (gives enemy one less movement/action on its next turn). Upon usage, the arrows have a two turn cooldown and she cannot use the same arrow again once it's back up. (Must alternate.) ✦ Abilities: ⟡ Enhanced speed and strength ⟡ Does not require eating or sleeping (can partake though) ⟡ Minor shape changing (can make hands clawlike, can manifest wings to fly) ⟡ Innate weather/storm affinity ⟡ Innate dragon sense (physical and spiritual) Inventory & Memoria✦ Chamomile and Snakeroot: Cyrus, the faunae alchemist mentor, teaching Lilac of alchemy ✦ The Rose, The Sunflower: Meeting - and bonding - with Carys and Rhodri, two mysterious siblings who appeared in Liatris forest. ✦ The Knight and The Dragon: One starlit night, Mina invites her to stargaze, and puts a name to the feelings she's been trying to deny all along. ✦ A Dragon's Purpose: With peace in Liatris suddenly broken and Carys's life in danger, Lilac reveals herself as a dragon... ✦ Heart of Darkness: Faced with The Whispered who killed her sister Hyacinth, things take a turn when the group sees just who is under The Whispered's mask - and then it only gets worse from there. ✦ The Rose, The Sunflower (Reprise): Carys, Rhodri, and the past they've been desperate to escape finally comes to light. |
Permissions
Date: 2022-04-15 07:24 pm (UTC)Backtagging: of course!
Threadhopping: as long as no one else minds
Fourthwalling: she's an OC, nothing to fourthwall!
Offensive subjects (elaborate): Aside from the typical cws, please warn for in depth discussion of maternal death. If something else requiring warnings comes up, I will discuss privately.
[IC]
Hugging this character: platonically, sure! she might respond in a very confused manner though.
Kissing this character: platonically, and only if we've built it up properly.
Flirting with this character: You can try but she's got a wife she loves a lot.
Fighting with this character: sure!
Injuring this character (include limits and severity): let's talk if it's going to be serious.
Killing this character: same as above!
Using telepathy/mind reading abilities on this character: ask first, but I usually don't have problems with this!
Warnings: Parental death will come up. Though she has not regained said memoria yet, some of Lilac's introspection will eventually deal with her feelings about her adoptive children being emotionally abused. If you need a cw or would like to opt out, please feel free to comment! All comments are screened.
Get your own copy of the IC/OOC Permissions meme!
Memoria
Date: 2022-04-17 08:49 am (UTC)The Rose, The Sunflower (cw: vaguely implied emotional abuse)
Date: 2022-04-17 11:11 am (UTC)Still, something doesn't feel right in the air today. Lilac can sense it - Liatris was her territory, she's quietly in tune with things. The forest and the village had been protected by magic but...
Ah, there it is. Something has breached.
Mina notes the way Lilac's tail sways cautiously. "Are you all right?"
Lilac frowns.]
Something's here.
[ Lilac leads and Mina follows - but what they find is something neither of them expected. Two people, both with a shock of red hair, a young man clutching an unconscious young girl to him, half kneeling as he attempts to fend off a frenzied animal hybrid, half hawk, half bear.
Mina takes off running, sword already drawn, shield swinging to deflect a hit. Lilac is torn between running for the child or aiding the fighting - ]
DUCK!
[ - before realizing she doesn't have to, letting out a snarl as she exhales a lightning charged breath that strikes true, stunning the beast and giving Mina just enough time to finish them off. Air still crackling with electricity, Lilac hurries to the two's side - the older man is injured, bleeding freely, and the young girl is unconscious - but mercifully, not harmed. Lilac opens her bandage kit without a second thought, dressing the wound the best she can, before offering her hand. ]
Come with us. My village isn't far.
[ He takes her hand and she pulls him up. Mina carefully takes the young girl, and together the four of them head back. ]
---
[ Rhodri is the elder of the two. He takes to Liatris immediately, quick to always lend a helping hand whenever necessary, always meeting others with a bright smile, as sunny as the yellow scarf he wears. He's lanky and tall - it conjures images of sunflowers for Lilac.
He's always so happy that it catches her by surprise, the way his tone changes the first time his father comes up. It was more than a mere dislike - it was an acidic hatred. It reminds Lilac of herself, somehow.
"The only thing his magic was good for was it let me change myself."
Lilac blinks, fascinated. As a dragon, she'd chosen her form when she was young enough to do so, and while ■■■■ and ■■■■■■ had told her stories of other dragons whose forms changed as they fancied, she wasn't aware it was something humans could do. ]
You can change yourself?
[ Rhodri blinks, then flushes, seeing the confusion. Delicately, he explains it, being born as someone he realized he didn't align with. How he'd gone into his father's study, learning from his spellbooks, until he found the spell necessary. But the spell had...backlash. Rhodri laughs as he explains how it'd thrown him into a bookshelf, none the less worse for wear.
"I never got to cast the other part though. I'd need a conduit for it." he sighs, producing the scroll. "It's fine, I suppose, but..."
The thought of him suffering because his body wasn't what he wanted it to be gives Lilac pause. Then: ]
I'll help you.
[ A dragon was just magic. Surely her reserves could handle a spell like this. Rhodri stares - and then his eyes well up with tears. ]
A-ah, please don't cry...!
[ He's happy though, she realizes. But something else strikes her - what had their father done to cause this reaction, that simple kindness would move a young man to tears...? ]
---
[ Carys is the younger of the two - and her brother's complete opposite. While Rhodri was bright and cheerful, Carys is quiet and impassive. Her steps are light, and Lilac thinks her mute at first, until she spots the young girl tugging at Rhodri's sleeve, murmuring something softly to him one day, before Rhodri had spoken up, explaining what his sister had wanted.
But Rhodri wasn't around today to be Carys's voice - he and Mina were training in swordsmanship. Lilac is content to let Carys be - it isn't the first time she's dealt with a quiet child - but as she works at brewing an elixir, it's all too clear she has a little shadow. Lilac sighs, then speaks up, an amused smile in her voice. ]
You can come out in the open, you know. I don't bite.
[ There's a slight shuffle of movement - and then, quietly, Carys's head pokes out from where she was hiding in the hallway. Her expression betrays nothing, just as blank as ever - but her shoulders are hunched inward just a bit, like a guilty child caught stealing sweets.
The elven girl just watches for a time as Lilac works, keeping her distance. Honestly, Lilac forgets she's there - up until the moment she realizes she's low on one of the herbs she needs, letting out a soft swear - just as she realizes Carys is listening. She's about to insist Carys not remember that word, but -
"You need more of this?"]
Er, yes, but -
[ Carys closes her eyes for a moment as she takes the herb - and then, out of the floorboards near her, magic coalesces. It's magic Lilac has only read about - the summoning of a familiar - but what catches her off guard is the shape the familiar takes - a hulking contruct figure that becomes an overly large shrub, with uneven stone eyes and blue roses dotting its form - an elemental familiar. But there, also in its shrubbery, are plenty of the same herb Lilac needs. ]
Oh...!
[ "Take what you need. It won't hurt Biscuit."
Lilac does so - and when she's done, Carys closes her eyes again, the magic making the familiar dissipate into sparkles. For a moment, Lilac expects the herbs to disappear as well - but they hold firm, as if freshly grown right then and there. That...wasn't something a familiar could do, but Lilac decides not to dwell on it now. Instead, she walks over to Carys and as she faces her, Lilac can see it - the way Carys tenses ever so slightly, though her expression remains blank.
Lilac pats Carys's head. ] Thank you. [ And even Carys can't hide her surprise at the gesture. Her gaze sinks downward and she whispers something too soft for Lilac to catch.
But the girl doesn't keep herself quite as far as Lilac keeps working, slowly getting closer and closer as the woman works - and when Lilac looks up again, hours later, Carys has fallen asleep at a nearby chair, and Lilac can't help but smile softly and take the young girl to bed. ]
---
[ When the two recover, Lilac finds the two outside her house one morning. There are meager belongings with them, things Rhodri has stockpiled from helping others in town, and as Rhodri begins to thank her for everything, Lilac cuts him off. Honestly, this was ridiculous! ]
What are you talking about? Stay as long as you want - my home may as well be yours as well.
[ The siblings trade a look, both of them wide-eyed - but after a moment, they nod, and follow Lilac back inside once more. ]
The Knight and The Dragon
Date: 2022-04-17 12:11 pm (UTC)Lilac swears she doesn't care, but Rhodri sees right through her. And when even little Carys quietly points out it clearly matters to her, Lilac has no way to defend herself.
So annoying. Why did she let any of these people into her house and her village again?
(Because she cared about them, goddamnit.)
One night, Mina approaches her. "Come with me." she says, matter of factly, and takes Lilac's hand despite Lilac's noise of protest. And sure enough, Mina drags her out of the village and up to a hillside not far from Liatris.
There is a picnic blanket and a basket with various goods. A lantern sits at the edge of the blanket, a small stone inscribed with one of Rhodri's magic runes, letting it glow like firelight.
"I wanted to see the stars with you." Mina smiles softly as they sit together, light catching her face just so, and the sarcastic remark Lilac has about the stars being visible from home dies on her tongue.
(It was Mina's home now too, she realizes. When had that happened?)
"Do you remember it? When ■■■■■■?" ]
Of course I do. You fainted and I had to drag you back inside.
[ But it's not punctuated as harshly as it used to be.
Mina can hear it, the fondness in her voice, and she laughs. Lilac feels herself bristling - not because she's insulted, but because she can tell Mina, too, can see right through her.
"When you told me the truth, I felt so lost. I don't think I found myself until we spoke with ■■■■■■■■. But...maybe it was before that. When I ■■■■■■."
There's something so achingly gentle about the way Mina is speaking. Lilac can't bear to look at her, instead keeping her gaze skyward. But she remembers it, the way it had stirred something inside her. ]
I hadn't expected it to be this way.
[ It's more her speaking her own mind, rather than replying to Mina, but it fit just the same, didn't it? Why would have thought it would be like this? A knight and a dragon coexisting like this?
Mina places a hand over hers. Lilac freezes, as their fingers lace.
Oh. Oh.
"I'm glad I stayed. I'm glad we met."
When? When had this happened? Lilac tries to find it, the moment her heart decided things for her, and she can't. Maybe there wasn't a defining moment. Maybe it's just a myriad of smaller moments, strings that weaved into a tapestry without her realizing it.
■■■■ had told her once that love wasn't like the storybooks.
Lilac forces herself to look at Mina - just in time to see the woman looking at her with such a gentle expression it makes Lilac's heart want to burst. ]
I love you.
[ The moment the words leave her lips, Lilac knows it's the truth - the truth that she couldn't admit to herself. Because she was scared. She'd already lost ■■■■ and ■■■■■■, and even ■■■■■'s death still pained her and -
"I love you too."
Mina says it as a whisper, like she's afraid the moment will end if she speaks too loudly, and something about that makes Lilac's heart ache, because she's never seen Mina be afraid or uncertain of anything, and here she was regarding Lilac like she was the most precious, special thing in the world.
After a moment, Mina lifts their entwined hands, presses a kiss to Lilac's knuckles like a knight kissing the hand of their beloved princess.
"Anywhere you go, I'll follow."
Mina kisses her forehead. Their noses bump against each other's. ]
...just stay. That's all I want.
[ And then they kiss.
Later, when they return home, they do so hand in hand. ]
Chamomile and Snakeroot
Date: 2022-09-25 08:26 pm (UTC)She first meets Cyrus because of Larkspur. He's older, just like her - kindred spirits in that way. If she'd been a little older, maybe she could have understood their bond reached a little deeper - but she had been a child, with all the immaturity that meant.
A wolf faunae, his home smells funny - strong scents that make her wrinkle her nose, various dried herbs and fresh flowers, a mortar and pestle, an alchemical lab and cauldron. Larkspur had dragged her along and Lilac had been petulant about it, not wanting to be dragged along to something boring - but the various plantlife catches her attention. She reaches absently for some pretty white flowers -
"Might not wanna touch that, kiddo."
Lilac immediately jumps, jerking her hand away and bristling, not unlike a cat. ]
I-I didn't do anything!
[ The man who approaches grins with pointed teeth, his wolf tail wagging happily. "Not sayin' y'did! But you don't wanna touch that. Snakeroot can cause problems. S'kinda poisonous."
Lilac immediately avoids his gaze, guilty.
"Useful though. Good for relievin' fevers and the like."
...what? ]
It can't be poisonous and good for you! [ she folds her arms across her chest, looking as intimidating as an 8 year old can. ] That doesn't make sense.
[ He laughs good naturedly. " 's all in how you process it! Chamomile tea makes you sleepy so you can rest well, right? But it can interfere with expectin' parents too. Plants have all kinds of uses!" He scratches his chin, noting her fascinated expression. "You wanna learn more?" ]
Can I?!
[ It's as much an eager question to Cyrus as it is to Larkspur, and after a moment, her sibling laughs and nods. "All right, all right. As long as you promise to listen to what Mr. Cyrus says, all right?" ]
I will! [ And with a hasty bow: ] I-I'm Lilac! It's nice to meet you!
[ "The name's Cyrus. I'll be teaching you about alchemy. Guess you're my assistant now, kiddo.
And as he affectionately ruffles her hair, Lilac absently wonders if this is what it's like to have a father. ]
A Dragon's Purpose
Date: 2022-10-11 05:41 pm (UTC)Liatris is silent, the few in town square murmuring in confusion. And at the fringes of the square, Lilac stares at the intruders, stunned. How had they breached into...?
"Filamina Magnolia!" calls one of the knights, more ornately dressed then the rest. "What is the meaning of this?!"
Mina steps forward, hand at the emerald necklace she wore - and in an instant, her armor appears, one hand already at the hilt of her sword. "Captain Larix!" she calls back with a smile she doesn't feel. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Larix sputters. She was sent to kill a dragon, not to...to faff about in the countryside! And for what, to hide this - this dragon haven?!
Lilac grits her teeth and steps forward. ]
Liatris is under my care. You will leave the others be.
[ Rhodri and Carys approach - and as another knight takes note of them, she whispers something to Larix. His expression changes, a smile curving on his lips.
"Seems like I can clear two birds with one stone."
An arrow fires. The knights charge. There is sound all around her - Mina, screaming as she charges at Larix, Rhodri drawing his wooden sword, runes flaring to life as he charged to meet the knights - only for the red robed mage to snap their fingers, runes lighting up all around Carys's body to pin her in place. Carys, letting out a cry and frantically summoning Biscuit, who swung at the knights to keep her brother safe.
Lilac only hears the sparking of electricity coming from the arrow that had struck her abdomen. A regular arrow wouldn't be able to pierce so deep, but she can see them, runes along the arrowhead.
Something to pierce a dragon's hide.
Around her, Mina is clashing swords with Larix, Rhodri and Biscuit fighting side by side, but a knight slips past, yanking Carys to the ground to physically pin her and the girl yelps in pain and alarm.
"LILAC...!"
Lilac doesn't even feel the second arrow that hits her. Clouds begin to form overhead of Liatris, thunder beginning to rumble ominously. ]
Don't...
[ It comes out guttural, frenzied with rage. ]
Don't touch them.
[ Lightning strikes down as Lilac's form changes, the arrows snapping like twigs as her form gets bigger, draconic, and menacing. Even without sunlight, the facets of her stained glass wings shine across the town square, and as her shapeshifting completes, Lilac roars, the battle coming to a halt as quickly as it started, all stopping in fascination and horror at the sight of an amethyst dragon before them.
When she speaks again, her voice sounds like a storm. ]
I am the guardian of Liatris. This forest, this village, this valley - all are under my domain and you will stand down or I will fucking make you.
Heart of Darkness (cw: emotional abuse, physical abuse)
Date: 2022-10-11 06:33 pm (UTC)The mage tries to deflect it, a warding spell to avoid damage, but it's not enough - Lilac's claws rake across the mask. Not enough to cause serious harm - but just enough to cut the mask clean in two.
It's as if time slows down. One moment, she feels nothing but rage - and the next, horror overcomes her as she realizes this mage has her daughter's face.
The mage's face filled with nothing but tears as she sinks to her knees. “I’m sorry, I deserve it, I - no one else was supposed to get hurt, Father - f-father, he had said…”
Lilac can't bring herself to hurt this girl. Instead she approaches her - she's older than Carys but younger than Rhodri - maybe only 17 or so. ]
Please...try to explain.
[ She holds out her hand, and as Mina chimes in, she holds out her hand as well. The mage reaches out -
And then, just like in Liatris, there's a tear in reality that wasn't there before. A man steps through, white haired with black eyes, dressed in dark robes. Horrible burns cover one side of his face, along with his other eye, onyx scales glittering over the burn wounds.
Not a gemblood. Lilac would have been able to sense if he was. And yet...he wasn't human either.
Not quite.
Not anymore.
Impassively, the man sweeps his gaze across the room, gaze stopping at a shocked Carys - just as Rhodri steps in front of Carys, snarling a name - Jolon. Jolon scoffs in response, sending a magic pulse at Rhodri, only for Rhodri's sword to absorb the magic, just before he charges, magically empowered strike blocked by a shield, just before he fired a blast at Rhodri, making him stagger back, wheezing in pain.
Mina charged, shoulder checking him and slashing with her dagger, scoring a hit to make him bleed - only for Jolon to place a hand to her, dark energy swirling around her form as old wounds opened anew. Weakly, Mina stumbled backward - just as Lilac's arrows sailed at Jolon, each halted in the air - and then the man snapped his fingers, causing a hail of arrows to rain upon Lilac and the mage, causing Lilac to frantically shield her from harm.
“Is that it? Three of you trying to stop me from taking back the daughter that’s rightfully mine?” Jolon sends fire at all three of them, and as they frantically dodge, he simply snaps his fingers again, a second fire exploding beneath them.
Lilac grits her teeth and forces herself to her feet, exhaling a breath of lightning at him. ]
She's not your daughter.
[ Jolon only arcs an eyebrow, remarking on the usefulness of another dragon, then turns his gaze towards the nameless mage, beckoning her to him. "You. Kill the others. Make sure my daughter and the dragon remain alive."
The mage approaches dutifully, but her expression is horrified. “W-what?! Surely death is unnecessary - ”
Jolon reaches out, patting her head. For a single moment, the mage smiles at her father's affectionate gesture - only for her expression to become pained as dark energy crawls around her form.
“F-Father…?!”
Jolon only regards her coldly, his form gaining more liveliness as her life force was sapped away. “Useless sentiment until the end. At least in death you’ll mean more to me than in life.” And when he lets go, she falls like a puppet with its strings cut, regarding her shuddering and gasping for air like a nuisance.
Magic flies as Jolon renews his assault. As the mage lays there, life fading, she thinks of the kind topaz dragon who insisted her life had meaning. If this was it, then...
...then maybe she could still do something. Her form shines and a burst of magic erupts -
- and when it faded, Jolon found himself alone.]
The Rose, The Sunflower (Reprise) (cw: physical abuse, emotional abuse)
Date: 2022-10-11 08:39 pm (UTC)Rhodri takes a deep breath, pushing his glasses up his nose. "There's no easy way to explain this, I guess." he frowns, sighing. "All three of us are artificial creations. If you want to be technical, we're all clones of each other."
The questions on everyone's faces make Rhodri flinch. He feels himself wavering -
"It's not unheard of." Rhielle chimes in, her tail swaying thoughtfully. "I remember hearing about it at Alcea. But something like that..." her cat ears flatten. "It's easy to fall into dark magic like that."
Rhodri sighs, offering the faunae a grateful smile, not noting the way her cheeks immediately flush. "You don't know the half of it. I'm the oldest of them - the completed ones, anyways. I didn't...know it at the time though, when I was born. Growing up, I was like anyone else, just..." he searches for the words. "He was distant at best. It was clear I wasn't...wanted. I kept out of his way. And, well, if I didn't ask to get born his daughter, I figured he had no right in weighing in on whether I got to be his son."
Mina puts a hand on his shoulder. He smiles gratefully again.
"When I was about 11, he told me I had a sister. So I raised her the best I could. He didn't name either of us, so...I guess I named both of us." Rhodri shrugs. "He had told us to keep out of his workspace but..."
"I heard something, one day." Carys speaks up now, but still refuses to look at anyone. "Someone calling for help. I followed it and Rhodri came after me and we - we saw it. A crystalline garden, filled with flowers. It would have been beautiful, but - there were people. Voices in the flowers. They were all crying, saying we would be next, they..." she trails off, shuddering.
"I couldn't hear it. But I saw schematics, he was...making more of them. More of her. So...so we ran. Carys teleported us and...that's how we ended up in the forest." Rhodri finishes.
Phoebe is quiet for a moment. Then: "He calls them The Roots. The ones in the garden. He uses them to fuel his magic."
The others looked sick.
"After Carys's birth, he began experimenting with accelerated growth. The results have stronger magic, but less stable life cycles. Though I appear 17, in truth, I am only 5 years old. I am...uncertain how long we are supposed to live. You have seen them, correct? Those in red robes and those in blue?"
Lilac nods, recalling Liatris. Phoebe herself had been one in a blue robe.
"The red robes are known as The Silent. F - " Phoebe's words stumble for a moment, gaze flicking to Illyrian and back, then: " - he created them mute, so they could never voice their concerns. They live for a singular purpose and then perish. I have never seen one live longer than a week." she shifts uncomfortably. "I was one of those known as The Whispered. A more stable form, we are sent to cause destruction and open up void gates. We are not meant to survive these duties."
Orchid hugs her. Phoebe stiffens in surprise but relaxes, closing her eyes and hugging her back.
Lilac lets it all sink in. Then: ]
We...we have to stop him. This can't keep happening.
[ The others nod in agreement. But as the group parts to plan their next moves, Illyrian lingers, waiting until he and Lilac are alone.
"Miss Lilac." he says, smile present, but one that did not reach the seriousness of his eyes. "I apologize for my brusqueness, but this cannot be left unsaid. How long has your condition been ailing you?"
Lilac grimaces, then sighs. There was no point trying to hide it. ]
...since we fled Liatris. One of those knights, they fired some kind of arrow. The wound refuses to close. Shifting forms or using too much magic has only deepened it.
[ Illyrian frowns. "At your current rate, you will bleed out magic faster than your body can absorb it from our surroundings. It could - " ]
I know.
[ Lilac closes her eyes. ]
...I know.