Name: Lalabell Labell
Race: Dunesfolk Lalafell
Birthday: 12th Sun of the 1st Astral Moon
Patron: Halone
Age: 18
Gender: Female (she/her)
Origin: Ishgard
Ward of House Guimauve
Incoming student at Caelum Academy

Appearance ~

Height: Very short, even by Lalafell standards.
Build: Smaller format of potato.
Hair: Pale pink; Typically worn in two neat braids framing the face with a small topknot tied at the crown.
Eyes: Pale; They appear silver in cooler lighting and golden in warmer lighting. Typical Dunesfolk shimmer.
Skin: Pale; Reflects a life spent in Ishgard’s cold climate.
Fashion: Having grown up wearing practical Ishgardian garments in the red and chestnut colours of House Guimauve as their ward, Lalabell doesn’t seem to have a style of her own. Her meagre luggage contained only a new russet bilaud, new brown gaskins, and a worn gray nightshirt. She wears an earring that belonged to her mother; no other jewelry or accessories. She's simply never owned any. By enrolling in Caelum Academy, she’s traded one uniform for another.

Background ~

Lalabell is the daughter of a Lalafellian woman who immigrated to Ishgard in her youth. She worked as a maid for the young ladies of a minor house, House Guimauve. The children adored her, and she continued working in service even after Lalabell was born. However, she succumbed to an illness when Lalabell was an infant. The house took Lalabell in as a ward, raising her dutifully. There was always a clear distinction between Lalabell and the young masters and mistresses of the house, but she was treated with kindness, never cruelty. She's been encouraged to seek advanced schooling in hopes of the type of better future the house's family knows her mother would have dreamed of for her.

House Guimauve ~

Motto: By Frost, By Faith
Colours: Blood Red & Chestnut Brown
Social Standing: Very Minor
Current Head: Lord Tohmas
Family:
• Lady Meriah (wife of Lord Tohmas)
• Tohmas (eldest son)
• Edmondé (second son)
• Meriah (eldest daughter)
• Julya (youngest daughter)
• Mrs. Norreis (widowed aunt)
All the "children" are now adults, with the daughters closer in age to Lalabell and the sons older.It's been said that this family had ties with the Church at some point, but no current members of the family are part of the Church or government. This House is very small with no political or social influence. They're financially comfortable, but not so wealthy that they can spend extravagantly. They've managed to conduct themselves well enough to avoid any dishonor, but most Ishgardians do not necessarily know that they even exist.

Relationships ~

Family:
• Nonobell Nobell (deceased)
• Father (unnamed, status unknown)

House Guimauve:
• Lord Tohmas - Lalabell respects and is intimidated by Lord Tohmas. He has never been unkind to her, but he is a man of strict principles and expects much from those around him.
• Lady Meriah - Lady Meriah adored Lalabell's mother, who had been her maid until the Lalafell woman's untimely passing. Lady Meriah is herself of a somewhat delicate constitution, and Lalabell often provided companionship and comfort when the lady of the house was indisposed. She was the most sorry to see the pink-haired child leave Guimauve Court.
• Tohmas (eldest son) - Tohmas is the family rebel, but he's never been unkind to Lalabell. He understood quickly that while his sisters enjoyed being teased and poked fun at, their companion did not. He is unruly but generally seems to be on his best behaviour in Lalabell's presence.
• Edmondé (second son) - Edmondé and Lalabell were quite close as children, because he is much gentler than his older brother. As adults, they consider each other trustworthy friends.
• Meriah (eldest daughter) - Both sisters have always found Lalabell a bit dull, but they do love her. Meriah sometimes treats Lalabell more like a maid than a peer, which is further complicated with the interference of Mrs. Norreis to remind everyone that Lalabell is not a peer. She is not, however, unkind.
• Julya (youngest daughter) - Julya is every bit as beautiful, talented, and exuberant as her older sister, so her personality does not mesh easily with Lalabell's. However, she is wise enough to see that her schoolfellow is even-tempered and cautious, and she often relies on Lalabell for advice.
• Mrs. Norreis (widowed aunt) - Mrs. Norreis has an interesting way of expressing her feelings about the child of her beloved maid. As Lady Meriah's sister, Lalabell's mother was also very dear to her. However, she feels very strongly that as both a child without clear parentage, a non-Elezen, and someone without the blood of a noble House, Lalabell should never be held in the same regard as her nieces and nephews. She constantly reminds Lalabell how grateful she ought to be about not being left to starve in the Brume.

Friends:
• TBD

Personality ~

Lalabell is introspective, soft-spoken, and studious. She's not a genius—anything she knows she's gained through long nights of hard study. She always felt like she had to work twice as hard as the young masters and mistresses, who seemed to comprehend new concepts immediately. She likes to keep busy, always looking for something to clean or an errand to run, instead of daydreaming or idling. She has a somewhat dark sense of humor, so she's careful who she tells jokes to. Her outlook on life is generally cautious but positive. She tries very hard to live up to the cheery, caring, loveable personality that everyone has always described of her mother.

Strengths ~

• Hard worker - She never officially worked in service, but she was expected to be occupied in a productive manner practically all waking hours. As a ward who was not high-born, she was not afforded the leisure of the young masters and mistresses of the House that raised her. Rather than being resentful, Lalabell adapted and enjoys the feeling of doing something of value with her time, mind, and hands.
• Excellent focus - Some tutors were stricter with Lalabell than with the actual children of the house. She struggled to simply absorb knowledge or training, so if she wanted to succeed, she had to pay close attention.
• Task completion - She doesn't give up, even on difficult tasks. She relishes a challenge. She can do anything she sets her cap at.
• Compassionate - Although she sometimes worries about not being nearly as amazing as she hears in the stories of her mother, no one could say she doesn't have the same caring heart that longs to help. When someone is unwell or unhappy, she genuinely wants to do something to make it better for them.

Weaknesses ~

• Low self-image - She compares herself to others often and has scored herself as lacking. She holds the young masters and mistresses of the House that raised her in such high regard (which they deserve) that she can't imagine herself as of any value (which is not deserved).
• Easily swayed - She strives to people-please in the sort of way that leads to her backtracking on her own opinion or changing her outlook to align with whatever seems to the "right" answer. She can easily become a "yes man" type in the presence of someone assertive. Being at odds with someone who is more important or influential to her is terrifying.
• Fear-driven - Her life has been lived at the mercy and charity of others, which she knows. She would do anything to avoid being cast off. She has practically no personal pride—she'll bow to authority until it crushes her.
• Isolated from diversity - As someone raised in Ishgard, but especially as a non-dominant race in Ishgard, she has a very confused view of the world at large and greater diversity. She knows it's there but she's seen little of it until recently, and she remembers so much of the push against outsiders, but now that's changed. It makes sense to her, but sometimes she catches herself thinking something unreasonably prejudiced. It's still being ironed out.

Fears ~

• Being abandoned - Specifically, being on her own, homeless and penniless. When Lalabell sees those living in poverty in Ishgard, she knows that could have easily been herself. No one was required to shelter, feed, clothe, and teach her. Seeing what she's seen, she doesn't think she'd make it if it had come to that.
• Failing to honor her mother's legacy - Everyone of House Guimauve adored Lalabell's mother—that was why they raised her daughter. She's been regaled with stories of how kind, how pretty, how cheerful, how sweet, and how loveable her mother was. While these stories have been treasured, and provided much solace to her then and now, it does make her wonder... would her mother have approved of her? What if she's not as good?
• Murky family history - In a place where lineage is valued, Lalabell's lack thereof was mitigated only slightly by her being a non-dominant race. In her youth, one of the young masters once told her that he "didn't mind" that she "was a bastard". No one seems to have known anything about her mother's family or her father. All she heard is that her mother was genuinely happy to be having Lalabell, and doted over her for the short time they spent together. She worries that if she goes digging into who her parents were, she could find something unpleasant. This concern only increased after the events revealing the true origins of the Dragonsong War.

OOC ~

Thank you for taking the time to read about Lalabell! You may have spotted me out and about as other pink-haired Lalafell with "Lala-" in their names... 💖

If you have questions about Caelum Academy, view their excellent website!

Name: Alice♥ (she/her)
Age: 21+
Time Zone: US Central

Hooks ~

TBD

Obviously, other Caelum Academy students and faculty have an assortment of connections. I'm still working on outlining possible hooks, so I appreciate your patience. If you have an idea, please reach out to me!