Cecily Lo

Basic Information

• Cecily Lo is a 28 year old female Human.
• Cecily Lo was the last of many siblings of the same name. Her eldest brother went by the name Alen Lo, and just beneath him, Jayne Lo (who eventually begun going by Tarwile, after his late wife). Vincent was just younger than Jayne, and the twins, Freya and Garrett, beneath him (Freya being the only other female of the Lo siblings). Cecily took on as the youngest, born a few years after the twins. Cecily was born to Ashtor and Bayata of the house Lo, and she and her siblings were also raised in part by the reproachful Esther Lo, their terrorizing grandmother. As of now, Esther Lo has passed, Cecily is an orphan, and almost all of her siblings have left this world—through a variety of equally reproachful and noble means that vary as much as the children did.
  • Cecily's unofficial, but new family consist of her suitor, Flynn Sinclair, the child the two of them share, Alexander Sinclair, and the two children Flynn has adopted into his home: Shoryu Sinclair and Edward Peacefavor. Cecily has born one other child with Flynn, but he passed months after his birth due to disease.
• Cecily is staying in Flynn Sinclair's tailor shop with her family.
• Cecily is in a state where she's unsure where she wants to proceed. She doesn't know if she wants to be noble, doesn't know if she wants to have a quiet life with Flynn, and doesn't know if she wants to travel the world. It could be assumed that figuring out her life goal, is her life goal.

Visual Information
Body Description

• Having two children has taken its toll on Cecily's once board-like body. While her frame is small and petite, a softness has come to her limbs. Cecily is 5'6" and about 135 lbs. Her body is hardly curvy and her hips, waist, and chest are about the same width. Stretch marks span her stomach and certain amounts of fat settle around her upper arms. She's filled out a little in her legs.
• Freckles lightly dot her fair face. Her skin is pale as porcelain, reminiscent of her family's line. Otherwise, the only bruising she's ever received have healed over time, and any broken bones she's taken have been treated. Minor burn scars may be seen on her hands that have come from glass blowing, but these are hardly relevant. The only scar that comes to the forefront of her mind is a small cut on the side of her body. While it's hardly noticeable, it's a constant reminder of the dangers her family had to undergo—especially when Freya took over as matriarch.
• Cecily regularly shaves the spots that need attention.

Head Description

• Cecily is very baby-faced; large eyes, a flat nose, pronounced cheekbones, and a jawline that curves gently up toward her ears.
• Cecily has milky brown eyes reminiscent of her family line. Her expression is often an intimate one, of strong interest or compassion. While she tries to maintain eye contact with whoever she's speaking to, she's prone to letting her gaze wander about as random people, things, or thoughts take her fancy.
• Cecily wears her hair a bit shorter than most Regalian women. Her hair falls loosely just above her shoulders, falling straight and framing her face like feathers. Her hair is a chestnut brown, commonly found in her family line, and can hardly be found with anything reminiscent of curls or extreme waves.
• Cecily has pierced ears that usually hold jeweled studs or earrings that dangle by her cheeks. Otherwise, Cecily's biggest downfall is her nearsightedness. She finds difficulty reading anything more than ten feet off, and has a tough time seeing things clearly that are over 15-20 feet away.

Clothing and Accessories

• If Cecily isn't wearing the art of one of her close friends or loved ones, she typically adorns herself in modest gowns with very little flair or color. More often than not, she will make a point to dress up in coats or dresses tailored by Salvatore or Flynn, both to flatter the gentlemen, and to show off the talent she's surrounded by.
• Of significance, a sketch book is often found on her, with random notes and thoughts that come to mind, scribbles of various things she sees and studies, and small, sentimental doodles.

Behavior Information
Personality Traits

• Flaky and Flighty: Cecily is notorious for taking on big projects, only to promptly get excited by another exciting new project, and drop the old one without batting an eyelash. On a grander scale, she's been known to pack her bags and disappear without warning, sometimes for months at a time. The worst incident of this occurring was shortly after her parents passed and she fled to Daendroc for about a year, neglecting to tell anybody before she left.
  • Forgetful: As a side-effect of her flightiness, Cecily is incredibly forgetful. Her mind works like a piece of paper with a hundred different thoughts scrawled in random places and wedged in corners, in handwriting that's hardly legible. The worst incident of her forgetfulness occured when she neglected to tell Astrid Kade about her mother's death, too enthralled by the drama and excitement that had circulated her at the time.
• Creative: Cecily thrives the most in arts that require creativity, color, and design. She has an eye for style, and even on a very subconscious level, understands what will pop and what the gaze will glaze over. From a scholarly point of view, she understands when it is and isn't appropriate to use certain elements. From a personal point of view, she still struggles, considering anything outlandish or ridiculous she does as her means of 'artistic expression'.
• Disconnected: Despite how strongly things affect her, she continues to see the world as a stage, and has a tendency to disconnect herself from others when she believes a story is being weaved before her. This is the best way for Cecily to cope with the strong emotions that consistently buffet her. If she can manage to superficially convince herself that this is all a show, it makes it easier for her to handle herself.
• Hypersensitive: The idea that she disconnects herself and sees the world as some sort of show may not go past the surface. Any snide remark, any abrasive behavior, and any brashness is taken to heart. Injustices against her might as well be injustices against her entire world. Furthermore, handling things like criticism become distressing for her, and she has a difficult time keeping control of her emotions.
• Renascence Woman: A Jack of all Trades, but a master of very few, Cecily has dabbled into a plethora of knowledges, arts, and studies in an attempt to flesh herself out.
• Flamboyant: Like a brightly-colored parrot squawks and ruffles her feathers, Cecily has a tendency to hold herself and wear herself in ways that attracts attention. However, this often backlashes, drawing negative attention in her direction instead.
  • Show-off: A side-effect of her flamboyance, Cecily is a bit of a show-off. Eloquent and flowery language is often used to give her a sense of superiority and demonstrate her studies. She isn't shy about showing off her talents, and will jump at any opportunity to show people what she's made of. She wears herself on her sleeve.
    • Talkative: A further side-effect of her flamboyance, as well as a nervous tick of hers, Cecily has a tendency to ramble. When she begins to feel overwhelmed or self-conscious, this habit gets worse.

Likes

• Performing Arts: Dancing, singing, and acting are all things Cecily excels at. These are the main trades in which she's been taught since she was very young, and these are the things she's become specialized in. These are the talents in which she takes the most pride.
• Studying: Studying or reading are often great escapes for the troubled young woman.
  • Libraries: The silence and stillness of a large library is enthralling to Cecily. She finds a sense of peace overcome her when she enters a room full of books, and gravitates toward them. She hates being bothered once she's started delving into her literature.
• Games: Anything to let her inner hedonist further flourish will always appeal to Cecily. She's fond of games that require tact and strategy, to games that allow her to show off her agility. One of her favorite games is chess, and one of her favorite activities is the egg dance (though she's notorious for stopping the dance almost immediately after getting her feet dirty).
• Success: That is, anything that can continue to boost her confidence and anything she can succeed at, she automatically enjoys more than anything she fails at. She has a strong desire to stand out amongst her peers and show how prolific she is, and hates when someone else upstages her in something. There have been times when she's become borderline obsessive in outdoing somebody she either dislikes or fears, in hopes of having the upper hand.
• Anything Foreign: Traveling, exotic foods, exotic people, and anything where she can taste another culture (and show off her own) is a delight to her. Cecily is notorious for spontaneous traveling and maddening scheduling.
• Socializing: People and their stories fascinate her. She jumps at any opportunity to learn more about another person, and loves the chance to share her own stories. Any chance to gain more information is a chance Cecily hardly passes up.

Dislikes

• Messes: It's one thing if there's a cluttered library, or a room so cluttered it becomes difficult to walk. It's another thing if old food is left settled nearby, if a Maiar stands too close, or if a person sneezes on her. She refuses to share food or drink and has a tendency to clean her hands often. Her 'dainty' nature is in part contributed by her germaphobia.
  • Animals: Caused partially by her germaphobia, animals revolt her. This includes bestial races, such as the Thylan or Ur. Even Q'urebo disgust her, to an extent.
• Ithanians: If it weren't for their accents, she wouldn't mind them. Her entire family has always had a bitter spot for Ithanians.
• Deformities: Being raised in an environment that smiled upon physical prowess and perfection, anything that she's always been told is a deformity has turned her rather sour. This includes features that distinctly make a race nonhuman, such as an Elf's ears and the height of Kleinfolk and Dwarves.
• Elders: There's a subconscious, deep-seated dislike of elders that has festered in Cecily's heart since she was very young. She doesn't realize this, but she tends to grow wary and defensive when anyone too old or wrinkled draws too close.
• Being Upstaged: Perhaps more of a fear than a dislike. If Cecily didn't succeed, she was hit. If her siblings failed, they were hit. Yet being the last child in such a large litter can give somebody confidence problems. Especially if she's been put in the role of a child all her life.
• Down-time: She hates being idle. Even before she acquired a baby or two, Cecily was never very good at sleeping a full night. Plagued by constant brainstorming, the need to be active, or even a simple yearning to get out of the house, Cecily rampantly packs her schedule full to the brim, and will spontaneously awaken numerous times in the night to ease her jumpy mind.

Abilities and Disabilities
Strengths

• Analytical: Plotting and writing has given her the foresight to be able to think things through and plot out things in a storyboard-sense.
  • Eye for Design: Perspective and proportion all click in her head. Colors that match appeal to her, and colors that don't do just that. She knows how to put things together and make them fit, and enjoys doing that.
• Physical Awareness: Flexible and agile, Cecily has a strong awareness of her body and the space she takes up. While her pregnancy has made this a bit more difficult, she still has the capability to stop herself from stumbling, avoid colliding with people (or getting hit, in a lot of cases), and invade personal space (whether or not she realizes she's doing it).
• Grabbing Attention: Even if it's not always positive attention, Cecily is fantastic at drawing attention to herself or to something in particular.
• Studious: Random facts and knowledge can come in handy in the strangest scenarios. She's had moments where she's had to do quick first-aid work for an emergency on the spot, had to pull information out of thin air, and been able to do studies on a plethora of topics. She can read between the lines enough to be able to glean information that isn't necessarily written.
• Memory Skills: Cecily has a terrific memory. While she's not adept at recalling who a person is based upon their face, she may recall that Kades typically wear blue or Flynn's friend is a well-dressed drow. She can recall facts and dates, name all the independent states of Regalia, and recite the motto Monty the Jester was notorious for preaching, back in Daendroc. She can pluck facts from a book she read once on a ship, and usually has hardly a difficult time retaining memory she never uses—making her decent in Northerne and Alt-Regalisch, as well as the bagpipes, harp, harpsichord, and recorder.

Weaknesses

• Social Skills: Cecily is rather socially inept. While, from a studious point of view, she understands what is and isn't appropriate, she doesn't fully understand how to apply it to her own life. Instead, she behaves more like an information conduit than a sponge: Prompting and instructing others to succeed, while still being unable to take it to heart.
• Untrained in Combat: Sure, she's dabbled in swordplay from time to time, but she knows far more about stage combat than actual, physical fighting. Combat has hardly held her interest for very long, as she believes she could be doing better things with her time.
• Hypersensitivity: This plays a major part in her life, as it hinders her in so many ways. Fear of failure and poor performance, fear of being transparent, and fear of disappointing those around her, and herself, cause her performance to suffer. If not for that, Cecily would be a prolific actress. Instead, she becomes mediocre with her constant fretting.
• Motherhood: Motherhood has turned her into an incredibly maternal creature. Not only has her son Alexander become a huge weakness (she will stop at nothing to keep him safe), but the rest of her ragtag family (Flynn, Shoryu, Edward, and Astrid) have also pro
• Near-Sighted: Difficulty focusing on faraway objects makes it hard for her to read something beyond her range, and difficulty identifying anything makes it hard to tell who's coming unless they're close enough.
• Unreliable: Cecily finds it difficult to remain devoted to tasks, objects, and people. Her studies have been one of the only things she's remained adamantly focused on. Otherwise, she finds keeping up on tasks, finishing projects, and maintaining relationships, very difficult.

Combat Styles
Cecily doesn't fight. In fact, she actively tries to avoid combat, unless it's rehearsed stage combat. Should she ever find herself in a fight, if she doesn't get hit, she's usually struggling not to get hit. Dodging and avoiding strikes, and using her experience in theatre and dance to maintain nimbleness. Her fighting style is defensive, as she actively avoids it. Chances of her getting hit against a trained individual are very high, but she's more prone to running than remaining actively engaged.

In other words, Cici don't fight.

Weapons of Choice
Cecily does not use weapons. Poi can be considered a Chi'i weapon, but she uses it for performance.

Relationships

Spoiler

◆ Close - ◇ Distant - ❖ Deceased

◆ Flynn Sinclair - @Green_Hood
Social anxiety and fear of other people's standards has plagued Cecily her entire life, but Flynn is one of the few people whose judgement she not only doesn't fear, but actively trusts and seeks out. Flynn is one of the few who's made Cecily feel less like a girl caught in the crossfire of politics, and more like a well-developed woman.

◆ Astrid Kade - @Teddie000
Astrid is like a child and a sister to Cecily. She cares strongly for the girl, and constantly worries and frets over her success. She flaunts Astrid's achievements as if they were her own, and avidly talks about the girl as if she were the best thing to bless Aloria. Even though Astrid isn't her child, she's still her pride and joy.

◆ Shoryu Sinclair - @BuffyCreepSlayer
As Shoryu has been growing up in the Sinclair household, Cecily has taken it upon herself to ensure the girl continues growing in a productive and ladylike manner. This is unfortunate, since Shoryu is quite the opposite.

◆ Salvatore Valenti - @Plecy
Another seemingly like-minded individual, Salvatore strikes Cecily as a man of artistic pursuit and joy. She admires his passion for art and clothing, and the lifestyle he leads is one to be longed for. She loves the way he dotes upon her and despite the short amount of time they've known each other, she considers him one of her closest friends.

◇ Quinn Delaney - Also @Plecy
Not someone she sees as particularly close, Cecily treats Quinn more like a business partner. While she often doesn't divulge what she considers noble knowledge with the man, she will take him aside to plot and plan, always assuring him he'll be paid healthily for his work.

◇ Jared Silverhand - @Jared4242
An odd character, to put it plainly, Cecily both admires his drive and his loyalty to Astrid, and finds his abrasive behavior frustrating. As for now, while she's still a little wary of him, she trusts him to keep helping her through a number of situations, and would be keen on helping him in turn, if it meant the betterment of the realm.

◇ Andrieu Anahera - @Shayin
If ever a living person reminded her of her sister, it's him. Cecily is sickeningly terrified of the man, always tiptoeing around the subject when brought up, and always trying to appeal to him. Her loathing goes even further with the reminder that this man has her niece held captive.

◇ Lucy Fong - @BuffyCreepSlayer
While she hasn't had the pleasure of meeting Lucy in person, she is the one who threw her under the carriage, and there's an air of remorse and regret whenever she's brought up. The Fongs can expect many a muffin basket in the future.

◇ Andrea Anahera - @Shuikenai
Cecily has incredibly mixed feelings about the woman. In one way, she thinks Andrea is her only means to get back into the noble scene. In another way, she worries about her mental stability. The way Andrea speaks both frustrates and awes Cecily, and she'll often go from snapping at the woman, to trying to one-up her to demonstrate her intellect.

◇ Ulric Typhonus - @catcat1305
Ulric is one of the few who hasn't sought out to hurt the girl in the past, and she admires him greatly for his capability with politics and his level head. Cecily struggles to see Ulric as a bad person, and usually dismisses any incriminating behavior with manipulation from outside sources, or simple rumors meant to defame him.

❖ Millie Coen - @Leo345678
How they grew close, Cecily could never say. However, she'd assume it was fate meant to be. Millie was one of the only other noble girls she could relate to, and when a girl of Cecily's countenance only spent her time with her brother, this became worrying. Whether Cecily truly felt connected to Millie, or whether she felt above her and wanted to relish in that fact, is something Cecily would never be able to say. Regardless, Millie had her influence, and it's a disappointment she's passed on.

❖ Freya Lo - @Shuikenai
Cecily still feels uneasy at the mention of her sister. Freya was dead, so why did it feel like she was still hovering over her shoulder. It was almost as if in her passing, Freya's influence stretched further than it ever had. Cecily still lives in the shadow of her sister.

❖ Asher Sinclair:
Asher Sinclair is a ghost of the past. A baby death took from her shortly after she was gifted the life.

❖ Esther Lo:
Perfection was what the bat craved, and perfection was what Cecily, to this day, tries to emulate. Her studies and her lessons, her practice and her prayers, and her adamance to share her knowledge, stem back to Esther and her cane. The sweetest, smartest child, got the fewest bruises.

❖ Jayne Lo - @KraftyKlutz
Growing up was a lonely experience for the youngest Lo, but this was eased by the presence of her brother. Before she grew close to any of the others she holds dear today, Jayne was her life line. Between lessons, she visited him in his workshop. Perhaps his apparent success—not as a Lo or as a noble, but as an artist specializing in his own craft—was what she craved the most, and perhaps this was why she so avidly stayed by his side.

Life Story
"I suppose it's a bit of a story to go in to." She murmured to herself, delicately landing her hands in her lap. Contemplation etched onto her face. She gently sank into her thoughts and memories with a faraway look. The world went dark around the young woman,

The earliest memory she could conjure was a trivial one. If she could recall correctly, all that was clear was the image of her mother standing over her.The faintest of smiles fluttered past her lips, She looked very tired. She recalled the day with strange clarity. Her mother's face offered an ethereal, closed-lipped smile to her youngest daughter, and delicately slipped her into her gown. The garment's material was made of the softest silk, and offered red and white accents and patches to demonstrate how regal the girl was meant to be. After turning the child to a mirror and beginning to part her hair, a necklace pulled itself around her neck, encrusted with a bright ruby that glittered in the candle light.

'Perfect.' Bayata cooed, idly running a hand through her daughter's hair, 'You look like a proper noblewoman.' The toddler beamed, reaching down to swing her skirts with a flourish. A hand snapped out to delicately slap at Cecily's wrist, and she froze in confusion.

'You look foolish.' The woman chided, her voice taking on a harsher tone, 'For the love of the Emperor, act like a proper noblewoman.' Then, like a spell had been cast over her, Bayata's voice softened, and she went back to running her hands through the child's hair, 'A proper noblewoman never feels humiliated.' She noted upon seeing the girl's expression, 'This is because she never does anything to humiliate herself.' The two smiled in unison, 'A proper noblewoman never questions her faith, as her faith is all she has.' She leaned in, resting her chin on Cecily's shoulder and pulling her hands to take her daughter's, 'A proper noblewoman does not do anything that goes against the Emperor's word. Only then will she find true happiness.'

She thought back to the words and the glowing smile returned. Cecily let a hand drift to her stomach, wherein she knew a child was beginning to form. She thought of the baby's father and brother, and an ironic radiance begun to surround her, as if she had bathed in the Emperor's light and soaked in His holy water. How amusing it was, how much her life had changed in the last year or so. The light that surrounded her begun to fade, and a dark snicker escaped her. Why, if you'd have asked her where she thought she'd be this time last year, she certainly wouldn't have said this.

But what did she have to be ashamed of? She knew her son had pointed ears. She knew her love had them. She knew the baby growing within her would have them. Yet all her antagonizers from before had but died off. Freya assisted with her grandmother, and her decline into madness took care of herself. What did Cecily have to fear?

When Cecily was five years old, that was the first time she'd been hit. The crack of the cane and the sudden sting against her arm was a harsh enough reminder about the benefits of being good. Esther had been insistent on keeping her grandchildren in shape. Alen, Jayne, Vincent, Freya, Garrett, and Cecily--all were exposed to the cane in varying degrees. Cecily received the fewest hits, but she had found her own ways to escape it, and continued to impress Esther and her parents with increasing studies. One day, Cecily would teach herself a few ballet combinations. The next, she was able to name every Emperor's wife since 50 AC.

Her education was her everything. She waved the thought along with an emphasized gesture. It was the way she defined herself amongst five other siblings, family and extended family, other children, and other nobles. By the time she was twelve, she'd already known more than most married girls around her age. She offered a light snicker. It must have been around that time, did Freya marry Leopold. Though the memory was foggy to conjure.

Freya married. Jayne married. Alen refused to marry. This left Garrett, Vincent, and Cecily as the stragglers of the children. Freya was the eldest daughter. This made her the most valuable of all the children. She was the one to be married into another family and to create familial ties. Cecily was the geeky straddler who ate up the family's resources and left fingerprints in all the books. But she always understood her place.

Everything was quite dull until she reached the point of her parents' deaths. She leaned forward, bringing a finger to her lips. This act was partially to give her a moment to think, and partially to give her a visually appealing demeanor. Fully a habit as her mind retracted. She'd had come home late one night from a gathering of ladies. She typically didn't go to those, but it was being hosted by her harpsichord instructor, and she simply couldn't miss it. As she returned, she noticed a certain stillness in the home. It had been chilly, she recalled, and the servants were adamantly avoiding eye contact. She asked one of the workers where her family was. She'd feared they were doing an activity without her.

The ascent up the stairs had been one of the most suspenseful things she'd ever done. The oak creaked mournfully beneath her feet as she cautiously approached the bedroom of her parents. She could tell there were people inside, but they were strangely silent. Knuckles rapped delicately upon the door. No response. She let herself in.

Wrapped tightly in each other's arms, the twins didn't even look when she stepped into the room. Alen and Vincent stood side-by-side against the end table. The elder glanced up when she entered, before returning his gaze to the floor. Jayne was absent, having been spending his time with his wife in Daendroc.

'Is anything the matter?' she inquired, knowing full-well something was wrong. She received little response, but couldn't help follow Vincent's gaze as it floated to the door. With tepid steps, she crept her way into the main sleeping quarters for her mother and father, and caught her breath at the sight before her.

She left for Daendroc the next morning, traveling with a few troupes and players for about a year. When that had passed, it was time to return home. When she did, things had... certainly changed. Freya was the matriarch of the home. Gran Gran was gone. Alen had supposedly taken his life. Jaynie hadn't returned. Vincent had left. Garrett, too. It became the two of them. Funny how that worked. Of all the house Lo, it was the two ladies who stayed behind.

It certainly wasn't as cordial or comfortable as one would imagine a large house with two women would be. Her face darkened and her gaze moved to examine a ring on her finger. She gently slid it off and turned it over in her hands, examining the tiny emerald that settled in its metal workings. The two of them had never seen eye to eye.

Shortly after returning to Regalia, she'd met Flynn. She'd found him... entertaining, at best. He was pleasant to have around. He was well-spoken and cordial, and that was why she tolerated him. Her expression seemed to grow more somber by the minute. The sisters weren't getting along. Even seeing her would ruin Cecily's day. When she founded the Sodden Quill, she tucked herself away in the tower for days and refused to come home.

After a certain particularly harsh argument, she begun to need Flynn more. She stifled a shudder at the memory; a warm dress cut by a cold scalpel. Aside from Jayne or Millie, who were never around, she felt like only one person understood her: Flynn. Naturally, she gravitated to the only friendly face she saw. She took a shivering breath, struggling to stifle tears that threatened to well. He was very, very nice. A hand drew across her stomach once more, gently rubbing it in silent assurance. When she found out she was pregnant the first time, she fled. She didn't know what was to be done, so she disappeared to Dorinn for a few months until Asher was born. He only had a name once he returned to Regalia. A weak smile crept onto her lips. She was... mildly revolted by his ears. She hoped they wouldn't get bigger. It wasn't a particularly major deformity, but it most certainly was distinct.

His skin was the color of damp sand—a little lighter than Flynn's, a little darker than hers. His hair was a dark brown that delicately framed a pudgy face. His ears were typical of a child, aside from the delicate points that could be noted at the very top, barely larger than rose thorns. The child's eyes were a distinct color: A pale green that was almost as bright as his father's, if not for the cool blueish tinge that most babies had.

She begun to become absorbed by the thoughts of her family. It occurred to her then how quiet the room was, and how quiet she'd been the entire time. When her eyes rose, the veil broke, and the imaginary nobleman to which she'd opened up faded from her mind. She was left with an empty room, and quietly cursed herself for rehearsing her speech again. If only she could perform so well with actual people. Why was it so different?

She silently reproached herself, withdrawing back into her own imagination. You're like that daft heiress from the Qadir's Quarrel. ...Only you're never going to find the doorway that leads you to an Imperial City, free from the Sultanate. You were already there.

 

@Jared4242
Sorry about the wait!

• Elaborated on disconnected, which will end up being a more prominent trait soon, I imagine.
• Added another weakness.
• Added relationships, going deeper into them, too. Relationships were always so surface to me, but I never thought about how they affect her life or how she places them in relation to her.