Tabitha Gauchey

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Name: Tabitha ‘Tibby’ Tournus nee: Gauchey
Age: 35
Race: galdori
Place of Origin: Brunnhold
Occupation: Prospective Ethics Professor

Backstory:

Brow still sticky with the sweat of labor, when the young new mother Rosamond Gauchey was handed her baby daughter she gave a cry that could most likely be heard from Vienda to the Muluku islands. The newborn blinked at her mother for a short moment before opening her tiny mouth, trying to outdo the silly socialite’s shrieking- unaware that the cause of her mother’s distress was the aggressive, practically disfiguring red birthmark splashed across the baby’s otherwise normal face. The child’s father, Arnam Gauchey, was sent for- halfway through taking a second year history class, much to the disappointment of his students (his classes were notorious for adding an extra dose of gore and violence to the history of Anaxas) and arrived panting at the doorway to a screaming wife and new baby- quite unable to see what all the fuss was about.

Despite her appearance, Tabitha’s childhood was a charmed one within the university walls, meaning that her transition at ten into student life was far less painful than many others- Tibby was always safe in the knowledge that mama and papa were but a stones throw away should she need them. Her mother, in her own odd but caring way, dressed Tibby in fine garments to hopefully distract from the birthmark and let her hair grow long, parted and styled in odd ways to hide her face. However, it was her father that gave her the greatest gift, far far better than any hair ribbon or fancy dress- a thirst for knowledge, a love of reading and something of a dangerously rebellious streak.

Scoring a 7, Tibby was a gifted all round student- though her passion lay more with non monic academic subjects as she showed a love of literature, history (naturally thanks to Arnam’s influence) and ethics, though she hated sports with a passion. Unlike most of the studious members of Tibby’s class, she still had something of a naughty streak- positively encouraged by her father, who was known to clash with other professors over his teaching style and by her best friend- Alfred Wyndam the intelligent but lazy son of wealthy publishers. Tibby was known to sneak into the Stacks into bars, often with the pretty daughters of Anaxas’ richest and most influential and she was even better known for sneaking into the rooms of the precocious daughters of Anaxas’ richest and most influential.

Out of university, Tibby embarked on a career as a tutor- while working on a novel that Tibby imagined would one day be great- teaching young children reading, writing arithmetic and whatever education was necessary in the few years before they entered Brunnhold. After five years, despite a somewhat tumultuous private life and a few dangerous liaisons with some rather pretty socialites Tibby had garnered a good reputation and was lucky enough to work for a wealthy Bastian staying in Vienda and his two young daughters. So popular was Tibby with the girls that she was asked to return to Bastia to continue teaching the girls, which the flighty Tibby was only too happy to oblige.

To Tibby, Bastia was like Anaxas only everything had been dialed up a notch. People were wealthier, dresses were far more flamboyant, parties were far more ostentatious and the young women were far, far more beautiful.

Attending a party of her employer’s and feeling incredibly out of place, Tibby first laid eyes on Cleomenes Tournus- possibly one of the most beautiful creatures that she had ever seen in her life, with wide gold eyes, thick dark hair and lashes, and a beautiful beaming smile. The two spoke for hours at the party and had much in common, though Cleo- a civil servant- was slightly more conservative in her tastes. Tibby imagined that the two would be great friends, though in her heart she knew that she would dream of something more.

Tibby knew she was ugly, had seen her own reflection, heard the taunts of classmates and her mother’s disappointed sighs so it was with a great surprise that Tibby found her feelings towards Cleo were returned, with some enthusiasm. Cleo and Tibby were married after a brief courtship at 29 and 26 respectively, much much too early if you’d have asked Tibby’s father and as Tibby also privately thought. But Cleo and two sets of mother’s were so delighted in picking out twin wedding gowns that Tabitha kept all doubts to herself taking Cleo's name of Tournus.

After taking two years out to travel the two, now rather more cultured ladies moved in together into a home in Mers, a present from Cleo’s wealthy parent’s. Cleo had her job with the Bastian government and Tibby secured a position at the university in Mers teaching Ethics, a subject which had always fascinated her. Life seemed perfect, until the rather untimely death of her beloved father in a carriage accident spurring Tibby to finish her book.

Cleo did not say a word while she read the final draft ‘The tribulations of Dionne’- at that point still untitled- and Tibby chewed her lip nervously. She knew that the subject matter was rather progressive, the sexual explicitness of the book was not something that galdori society was used to, there was violence in it and a wick in a very prominent role, but surely it could not be that bad. Apparently it was and Cleo begged her wife that ‘The tribulations of Dionne’ not be published. Tibby, not about to silence herself or compromise for anyone, not even the woman she married refused this on the spot. It was then that the equally stubborn Cleo issued her wife an ultimatum, Tibby was not to publish her book otherwise Cleo would leave her.

Tibby agreed, as she wasn’t going to publish her book- her friend’s company would, in Vienda where Cleo would not see, under the pseudonym Mr Tucker. Alfred adored the book. Apparently written by the elusive Mr Tucker, the book was published from his company in Vienda and attracted an incredibly large degree of scandal- no golly gentleman could ever envisage such filth, it had to be the work of one of the lower races. Tibby was delighted to learn that a group or two had even taken it upon themselves to burn her books.

On the outside Tabitha, kept on a presentable face as the teacher married to the government worker- part of the thriving Bastian social scene and no golly would ever suspect that this unassuming, though sometimes dangerously charming, talkative woman was the much maligned Mr. Tucker.

However while the jury was still out on whether the tribulations of Dionne was filth for filth’s sake or something more dangerous, the book became something of an underground success- hidden under ladies’ pillows and in gentlemen’s hats and soon became international. It did not take Cleo long to put the pieces together and an angry confrontation took place one cold damp night. Had the argument not turned violent, Ceo likes to think she would have spoken softly to Tibby, stroked her pale cheek and touched her lips softly, had the mona not been called upon she would have taken her wife to bed and kissed away all ills. But as it was, Tabitha left the marital home for her dearest friend in Vienda believing this was the end of her marriage.

Alfred was waiting with a sympathetic ear and a comforting touch, which Tibby accepted all too gratefully. In the morning Tibby tucked a stray strand of auburn hair behind his ear and dressed in silence. The affair continued, as Tibby longed for the warm touch of another body, but she dearly missed her wife- and knew she had to return to Bastia to her students and her life. Tibby resolved to return to Bastia to beg for forgiveness and promise never to publish another book for as long as she lived. Cleo had missed Tibby too and the pair were reunited.

However, their happiness was short-lived and soon Tabitha found that she was pregnant, obviously with Alfred’s child. Knowing that a situation such as this would ruin her relationship both with Cleo and the terminal bachelor Alfred, Tibby did what she thought was best and made plans to abort the unwanted child.

However after the procedure was complete, she was seen by a co-worker of Cleo’s who suspected foul play and the whole messy affair came to a head. Her pride wounded, her heart broken, Cleo endeavored to hurt her unfaithful wife just had she had been hurt. An anonymous letter was sent to the university of Bastia revealing that their ethics teacher was in fact a prolific writer of the degenerate novels that the children had to be protected from. To avoid scandal and terrified that the parents would find out that such a radical person was teaching their precious offspring, Tibby was asked to leave by the university and Tibby returned to Vienda.

Bitter memories of the ghost of a child put a wedge between Alfred and Tibby, and so she couldn’t return to that port of comfort. Instead, Tibby decided to make it on her own, under her maiden name- to return to Brunnhold as a totally new woman, free to be who she wanted, and to teach the next generation.

Personality

In many ways, the old insecurities regarding her looks have persisted- you’ll note that the women in her novels are always stunning, that Tibby is shallow in her own liaisons admiring the most beautiful people- though Tibby tries to do her best to love the way she looks, to feel proud of her differences and to distract from her face by being charming but incredibly hard to pin down, infact Tibby can often be an exhausting person to get along with. Incredibly, incredibly talkative- it's often hard to get Tibby to stop- she delights in arguments, especially within her classes, she flitters between opposing views and constantly asks questions, both to other people and to herself.

In her personal life, Tibby is never quite sure what she wants- though for someone married so long she seems to appreciate freedom a huge amount, freedom of speech, expression and also sexual freedom is something that she cares quite deeply. She also cares incredibly deeply about teaching, and has over the years grown very close to the students she has taught- the greatest regret of leaving her position at the university was leaving her students behind. As her father was a much loved teacher at Brunnhold, by the students though perhaps not by his superiors and Tibby feels she owes it to him to be a great teacher, and often her desperation to be liked contributes to her over enthusiastic nature.

In terms of her feelings towards the lower races, Tabitha lives in an implicitly galdori bubble- well read in many areas but blissfully ignorant of the true nature of galdori oppression. Often delighting in challenging beliefs, Tibby is perfectly happy to play the devil’s advocate against traditional views when it comes to the question of the lower races, though this is more to be seen as radical and interesting then for any altruist notions she sees no need to alter the system- servants are necessary after all and humans and wicks just aren’t as capable of being educated as the galdori, but it is always fun to question the ethical implications of slavery, and the system. To generate discussion, to call to account the status quo is what separates the galdori from humans and animals after all.

Tibby will be the first to admit she has made many mistakes in her life, but is far too headstrong not to make any more. Tibby believes herself to be, above all, a thoroughly modern woman- having lived a life as melodramatic as the racy novels she published she hides a weary spirit behind an over zealous approach to all of her endeavors…and yet, behind the visage there is a tiny stirring of something dangerous, something which sounds remarkably like Cleo…regret, and the thought that maybe she ought to have behaved differently in her 35 years.

Physical Description

The most noticeable part of Tibby’s appearance is obviously the aggressive port wine stain like the splashing of blood across the right side of her face, from under her eye to the hollow of her throat.

Her features, though handsome in their own way, are not quite as delicate as a girl’s ought to be- her cheekbones and jaw perhaps too sharp, her nose too straight. This masculinity is exacerbated by a dangerously short haircut- like a servant’s, loose dark red curls cropped very close to her head, which is both for practical means (Tibby could never bear the way that her mother had insisted on keeping it long throughout her childhood in order to hide her birthmark) and of course for the delight of shocking the fashionable galdori socialites with their over the top elaborate hair.

She is small and sharp with very few curves to speak of and her dress sense, thanks to Cleo’s influence is elegant, though not excessive, and she dresses incredibly professionally for her classes- unlike the shabby academic stereotype that her father had once been.

Inventory

Very large personal library Lots of red outfits An angry ex wife

Career:

Teacher : Experience as a tutor. Speciality in Ethics

Novelist : An almost excessively filthy talent for prose.

Goals

Tibby wishes to teach ethics at Brunnhold university and inspire her students the way that her father once did. Along with this she wishes to finish her next novel, equaling or better yet surpassing her last in terms of scandal. Though still very much in love with Cleo and Alfred, Tibby’s goal is to put that messy element of her past firmly behind her and look towards the future.