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Approved by Teh_Sil

Name: Illabel
Age: 14
Sex: female
Craft: n/a
Rank: servant?

Physical Description: Illable has a round, gentle face with soft brown eyes. Her mouth is small and lovely, prone to smiling small, shy smiles. Her hair is a dark honey color, more brown than blonde, thick with a natural wave in it. She often wears it in a loose braid, with wisps escaping here and there, particularly at her temples. Even so, she never looks untidy. Despite her job, she does her best to stay clean and neat, often with an apron over her clothing to keep mess to a minimum. Her clothing is feminine, often wearing skirts and simple blouses.

Personality: She is a sweet-natured child, often soft spoken. She holds firmly to the beliefs of her family. Do only good to others, what you think and speak comes from the heart, and chastity before marriage. She knows some consider her chosen belief system rather restrictive, but since she instinctively follows it anyway, she finds nothing about it binding or uncomfortable.

Other than that, she is a steady if not speedy worker. She takes time to make sure it is done right, rather than done fast. She is deliberate and meticulous about all she does.

She is a gentle soul as well. She is unobtrustive, which is partly what has allowed her to do so well cleaning the rooms of some of the more important Holdfolk. She is good with the babies as well as the toddlers, and has pondered apprenticing to help with the little ones.

History: Illabel's parents, Bentarro and Gerdwyn, both worked in the Lower Caverns. Bentarro is one of the cooks, preferring soups and vegtable preparation to meats and breads. Gerdwyn was a cleaning servant, plain and, to some eyes, coarse in feature. But together they found love, a deep abiding trust, and contentment. They each felt the other completed them, and anyone could see they were both deleriously happy. When Illabel was born, there was rejoicing in the kitchens, needless to say.

However, when Illabel was very young, she lost her mother. (Unspecified reason, pardon the gap in storyline, just haven't figured out what happened.) Bentarro grieved deeply for her, but treasured his daughter all the more for the loss of her mother.

So little Illabel was raised in the kitchens, petted but not spoiled, for there was too much work to be done to spend overmuch time making a pet out of her. It wasn't long before she began to help out. By instinct she kept her head down and didn't draw notice to herself when more important people were about. The Headwoman noticed, and thought it might be time to set her to work doing tasks within the rooms of those who did not clean for themselves.

Thus it was at twelve, when their Lord Holder brought back firelizard eggs and distributed the few he had been given among those he wished to reward, Illabel saw the pots set upon hearths, the eggs hidden beneath the warm sand. She knew her place, and did not ever dare touch such precious things. This very thing was why she was trusted in their rooms, after all, trust that she knew her place and would not meddle.

However, one of the recipiants was a man who felt his importance dictated teh honor of an egg, though the man didn't seem to care much for the egg or the little life within it. Troubled, Illabel had a quiet word with the Headwoman, who then made sure to tend the egg for him, turning it at the proper intervals as the rest had been told to.

It was Illabels ill fortune to be cleaning up in this man's room when she noted the egg was moving. It had already shaken the sand from around it, and was rocking back and forth. Alarmed, she rushed to inform the man. To her dismay, he brushed her off. He was busy, didn't she see? He couldn't be bothered to chatter with some lowly servant girl, and one so young besides! He told her to go play, or do the tasks she'd been given, but to leave him alone! Frantic, she darted back to check the egg, which now was rocking madly, as if it might split at any second. She heard cries down the hall from a room she knew had one of the other eggs. She darted for the door, but noone paid her any heed.

She helplessly wavered, then ran back to the egg, just in time to see it crack open and tumble out a small, creeling form. It howled lustily for the one and only thing newborns want. Food! Beside herself for this tiny life, she snatched it up and ran back into the room where the man who should have been this flit's master was, eating his lunch and marking forms. She snatched a chunk of meat straight from his bowl of stew and gave it to the tiny thing, which gulped it whole, then creeled for more. The man turned in startlement and anger.

Needless to say, she tried to give it to him, but the firelizard would have none of it. The damage was done, Illabel had impressed the little bronze. The Headwoman arrived in a hurry, bowl of meat in hand, knowing the eggs would hatch at the same time. It was a good thing, for the flit was clawing with buttersoft claws at Illabel, who was in tears, and the man was in a roaring rage. The capable woman shoved the bowl into Illabel's hands, then pushed her into the other room while she had words with the neglectful man.

For Illabel, that was a lifechanging moment. She had always felt dutiful to follow in her mother's footsteps, but never had quite felt as fulfilled as she understood her mother had been. It was good to work hard, to feel the satisfaction of seeing the result of her work. But something was always missing. It had been since before she could remember, since the absence of her mother had created a hollow in her heart.

Little Bertan echoed joyfully in that hollow, but did not quite fill it. She delighted in him, and though he made a pest of himself, swooping in and out of rooms looking for her, or mussing with her hair while she was trying to work. (However, the Headwoman kept her from cleaning his original owner's rooms ever again. Probably a safe idea!) Still, he brought more joy into her life, and helped her be less shy and introverted. Everyone knew who she was now, which she found disconcerting after being nearly invisible. Her peers sought her out for Bertan's sake. She didn't mind that they really wanted him rather than her, but it pleased her that they wanted her company anyway.

It made quite a stir when a Rider came on Search. The entire Hold gathered round, with Illabel at the back while her father and the other kitchen staff scrambled to prepare something to offer the Rider. As a consequence, he never got a chance to tell her how proud he was, nor how it didn't surprise him in the least that she was chosen. Word drifted into the kitchen that someone was going, and that the Rider was sweeping her off. They were gone by the time he was told it was his daughter.

She feels very out of place at the Weyr, however, and is having a bit of culture shock, being amongst the Candidates and in the different atmosphere. Her tale from here on will be of her adjustment, and the friends she makes as she finds her way through this new life.

Pets: Bertan

Other/Talents: When necessary, she has little trouble making savory things to eat on her own in the kitchen. She is understandably adept at tidying things and being unobtrusive.

Will this character be a candidate? Yes

Picture: None