Tallulah Arabella Anatine

Main article: Yellow Pages

Name: Tallulah Arabella Anatine
Age: Twenty
Race: Galdori
Place of Origin: Qrieth, but she lives in Vienda, now.

Back-story:

Tallulah was born the second child of two to Airtimes Raul Anatine and Marie Elizabeth Anatine, in Qrieth, where her white skin and pink eyes were considered a blessing. Her parents, young by some standards and restless by all, moved to Hox when Tallulah was not even six months old and her brother had just turned two. When Tallulah’s brother, Rowan, turned ten, he was accepted into the University of Frecks, and Tallulah’s family moved again. She wanted to go to his initiation so badly, but wasn’t allowed. So she gave him one of her favorite stuffed animals, a Piikii, named Lila. She never saw her brother, or Lila, again.

Tallulah’s family finally, after several trial-and-error situations, settled in a modest Townhouse in Vienda, Anaxas, where Lu (this is an affectionate term used only by family, and close friends) and her family resided until she was old enough to go to school at Brunnhold.

One of her most vivid memories is the day after she turned ten. The thing that made that day so special for her was her father’s smile; he’d never smiled at her like that before. She was brought to a room, where they waited. And waited. The floors were tiled and a woman in a colorless dress sat in a corner, eyeing them. It was what Lu imagined being a fly would feel like when faced with a spider. She had on her favorite shoes, that day. They were red, and shone in the light like the rubies her mother would sometimes place in her ears. Tallulah had always loved those earrings.

They were lead in to a room, with a large metal thing – later she learned that it was used for scoring – and was asked to read. She read, and read, and read. The air was colder, so much colder, and her stomach felt funny, like when her daddy spun her around too much, but she read anyway. After that, everything was fuzzy, except for her daddy’s smile, and the feel of her mother hugging her so tight, Tallulah thought she would burst – in a good way, though.

She scored a 6.7.

Brunnhold was welcoming to her, and the other children learned early that she was not one to be tried or tested. She was a competitive learner, an avid student, and a rather good artist. Her score placed her among the privileged youth, the kind that seemed to run the school. Despite the apparent popularity, Tallulah was a lonely child, never really wanting the attention, or to be bothered, and found solace in her books and writing. It wasn’t that she was shy – no, could be very clever and beguiling when the mood struck her - she just found her peers to be rather boorish, and too interested in what their next meal would be, or if so-and-so would out wit such-and-such in this-or-that class. She despised the gossip and triviality that seemed to fill in the spots in her dorm mate’s lives.

She continued through school in this way, focusing on mastering in Politics and History as well as her own independent studies in Art. Her mother died in Lu’s fifth year at Brunnhold, and she still misses her quiet praise and steady eyes, and the way she used to run her fingers through Tallulah’s hair. Her father, who had been staying home more frequently, due to her mother’s frailty, virtually disappeared, leaving Tallulah to the good graces of an old wick (her father had a love for everything and everyone, and he thought bringing her in contact with another race would help her develop a sense of compassion for those races normally looked down upon) who, for Lu, was just called ‘Gran.’ Gran was hired help, paid to look after the small home Lu’s father and mother had procured when they first moved to Vienda. Her father, who would’ve normally let go of the house, and sold it once he decided to travel again, couldn’t give it up. It was like if he gave up the house, he’d be giving up her mother. Even though Gran was paid to watch the home, a bond grew between her and Lu. Tallulah would spend her holidays with Gran at the house, where she was comforted by hot food and a warm smile, until Gran passed away, right before Lu’s graduation. This was the snapping point for Lu – she wasn’t able to stand being touched by anyone she didn’t trust, and she hardly ever smiled.

She graduated from Brunnhold with highest honors in both Physical and Perceptive magic (though her favorite was Static – she loved the wind), as well as History and Politics. She had spent all of her life sure that she wanted to be a politician, but now that she’s out, taking a break from everything, and living comfortably in her traveling father’s old Townhouse, she doesn’t know what she wants to do with herself. She constantly remembers Gran’s enthusiasm for art, and her love of the portraits Tallulah would draw for her.

Currently, Lu is satisfied with wandering around the city Vienda with her albino Bander Wolf, Lilly, and her Moa, Chirp. She has also been doing a bet of soul-searching through her art and writing, all in hopes of finding her True Name. She loves to read, and draw, and plays around on her family’s old piano, though she has no proficient musical talent, except for maybe her voice, a clear soprano.

Personality:

She is like a prickly pear – hard and spiny on the outside, but rather soft once you dislodge the spines from your fingers and peel back the rind. She is cold to everyone, except for those who seem intellectually compatible with herself, and hates to be disturbed when reading. Galdori rarely get on her good side, much less humans, wicks, or passives. Her favorite drink would probably be Vulker's Sap on hot days and Balshem's Cream on cold nights. If she’s had a particularly rough day, she’ll have a Magma, and read some sort of terrifying book that she’ll be sure to forget the next day. She loves animals, most probably because they can’t talk, and children because of their unblemished innocence. That’s why she could never get into any type of religious practice – she feels that talking about your own goodness or the righteousness of another defeats the purpose entirely. She is very spiritual, though, and although she has no specific religion, she can’t help but feel connected when looking over the rooftops of Anaxas, the new-day light just beginning to peak over the horizon.

Beware: She does not like being touched. At all. Ever. If she doesn’t know you.

Physical Description:

She is quite tall, with slender hands and relatively small feet. Her pale skin has a slight pinkish tint to it, which only brings out the red of her eyes. Her white hair is waist-length, and is usually in a loose bun or ponytail. She was never one for double buns, even while in Brunnhold. She has a soft face, given to her by her mother, who was not full Gior, but was still albino. She also has rather soft lips that can seem hard when coupled with one of her icy glares. She was once told, by a very drunk man at a very crowded bar, that she had a face that could draw one thousand men, and a glare that could send them running to their mothers. Like I said, he was very drunk. Her eyes and nose are characteristically Gioran, meaning her nose is straight and her eyes slanted. This lends her a strangely exotic look, though not entirely uncommon. Her height is usually accentuated by some kind of elevated footwear, and though she seems delicate enough, she is a fierce fighter, and very cunning.

Inventory –

Clothes:

• Many different formal gowns, worn only when necessary
• Clothes of her own design and cut, usually made to mock the fashionable men’s clothing of the time. She also likes to copy the more tribal aesthetics in her designs.
• Various necklaces and tiaras, rings and bangles, all gifts from her father.
• Several pare of bifocals, to improver her poor eyesight.

Weapons:

• A small dagger that was a gift to her from her father. She has yet to find use for it.

Books:

• Kahirasheba
• The Lone Starwatcher
• The Good Farmer’s Son
• Jenny Wise
• Religious, Feminine, and Feline Figures: Trickery in Algebraic Functions
• Mistress of the Sea; The Exploits of the Pirate Queen Albanaya
• Coruscate, Scintillating Dwarf Astral Bodies; An Examination of the Actuality and Substance of Constellatory Masses Performing their Various Outlying Circumscriptions in their Distinguished, Resplendent, Adamantine Occupation of the Heavens (She just likes the title)

Career

Searching. Her father lived well inside his means, so Tallulah has enough money to keep her supported for quite some time.

Goals

Her True Name is something that she’s been fascinated with for many years, and she is still fixated on finding it. She also wants to eat an entire bowl Fried Hingle and Noodles, in public, and not have to worry one bit about her figure.