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Name: Keisha Lyon

Nickname: Keesh

Gender/Pronoun: She/her

Age: 17

Birthday: May 1st, 2008

Sign: Taurus

Gemstone: Emerald

Blood Type: (Optional)

Fav. Food: Fruit sorbets and smoothies

Hated Food: Straight black coffee or tea: bitter and acidic

School/Occupation: Meadowview High

Hobbies:

Adventures in the Kitchen
Keesh enjoys cooking, particularly experimenting on classic New Orleans dishes with her dad, though, to a certain extent, all Southern cuisine is on the table. The rich, complex flavors, the variety of ingredients, the challenge of finding the right balance point on a given day of the week...cooking is a lot of fun for her! That said, with the periodic family expeditions to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, she's started branching out into trying other cuisines, as well. She's less experienced with baking yeasted breads, though, and is wary of enriched breads, as those seem more fraught in the nigh subtropical Virginia heat.

Fun in the Pool
Keesh loves swimming. It's cooling in the summer, it's relaxing, it's something she can do without letting the worries stack up in her head, and she has a lot of worries. The idea of being on the swim team for her high school was both exciting and terrifying to her, but her cousin, Khazran, helped her make the team. Her family can't afford a pool, so she will practice sometimes at her cousins' house in their pool. She's probably bigger on swimming than her cousin, and she has permission to bring her cats, who also love swimming. Add in her younger cousin, Yasmeen, whom she and Khaz are teaching how to swim, and it's an absolutely relaxing party in the pool for her.

Dancing Across the Notes
Keesh's mother is a world class jazz pianist, and Keesh found music early on under her mother's guidance. Playing with her mother was a big bonding experience when she was little, and even when her mother was away, Keesh practiced eagerly, reveling in the magic of each note of music. Jazz was her first genre, piano her first instrument, but her interests are broader than such limitations, sparked by the first of several periodic visits to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Her dearest dream is of performing onstage with her mother one day.

Dreaming in Glass
Keesh wound up spending large parts of her childhood when her mother was away either hanging out with her cousins, or in her father's glass shop, fascinated by the interplay of light on and through the panes of glass. As soon as she was old enough to safely participate in the shop, she began to make her own mosaics, preferring the slower, cooler work of clipping small squares of glass and then using them to form elaborate images, to the faster, hotter work of soldering large panes of glass together with hot lead. Keesh does her own projects, helps her father on some mosaic projects that need an extra hand, and helps run classes for mosaics in the summer. She'd love to drain her aunt and uncle's swimming pool so she can create an elaborate mosaic on the walls and floor.

Old Energies
As a result of periodic visits to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Keesh has been developing a long-term interest in forms of music and storytelling that are more off the beaten track, whether this be older or more obscure instruments, or styles of music that are less commonly heard, or interesting stories she's never heard before. She hasn't had the courage to pursue these interests further, but she dreams of trying, among other things, the hurdy-gurdy, or medieval music.

Virtues:

Fair Player
Keesh is an absolute believer in fair play and good sportsmanship. She accepts defeat when it comes, will try to level the playing field when she has to compete against anyone, and feels uncomfortable with cheating on anyone's part. If it's her own teammates, she'll opt out of the scheme, and will try to talk them down. This can make it harder to get along with other people, but her stance is that cheating doesn't only harm the opposition, but also the cheaters, as it's a crutch for their fears and anxieties, and may prevent growth from occurring, something she explains when she tries to talk others out of it. She'll usually also offer to help others get better, so they don't feel as tempted to cheat.

It Takes Time to Grow
Keesh is a pretty patient person. She doesn't rush learning how to do something, works hard, and practices a lot. She also finds fulfillment in watching things come together, whether it's a good gumbo, an intricate mosaic, or a beautiful piece of music she's learning to perform. After all, the best things sometimes take the most time. Though this can lead, sometimes, to fussing a lot to get things "just right"....

A Little Consideration Goes a Long Way
Keesh is, generally, a kind and considerate person. She tries, where possible, to consider how other people view things, as well as what they need, whether it be help, time to do things on their own at their own pace, or space to sort out their feelings. She's generally fairly respectful and polite, even to people who upset her.

Share the Bounty
Free with guidance, free with aid, free with food wherever needed, is how Keesh rolls! She believes in sharing what she has with those in need, whether it be help with getting faster times for swim meets, assistance in completing a homework assignment, or packing a bit of extra food to friends and classmates who are short on cash for lunchtime.

Flaws:

As Many Worries As the Stars
Keesh is a cautious and anxious person. She worries about her loved ones, how people perceive her, and how her actions will impact the people around her. As a result, she's slow to take risks or to try things she fears could harm her or her relationships, she sometimes spends too much time fussing about getting things "just so", and she can sometimes come across as naggy. It comes from a sincere place of caring about other people deeply, she's just not good about expressing her anxieties. Which is why she hasn't told her mother about wanting to expand her musical horizons, she's afraid that her diverging interests will slowly create a rift between her and her mother, and her long-held dream of performing with her mother will come to nothing.

Slow to Open the Castle Gates
Keesh is slow to open up to other people. It's not that she dislikes people, or that she distrusts them, it's more that she doesn't feel comfortable reaching out to other people for the aid she herself offers so freely. She's also a somewhat shy person, cautious about making mistakes or offending people. As a result, she has few particularly close friends, and rather more casual relationships with classmates, teammates, and people who frequent her father's glass shop.

Slow to Forgive
While Keesh will try to help others grow past their perceived inadequacies, and will try to understand their perspective and reasons for doing so, someone who willfully behaves in a harmful manner toward her, her loved ones, or innocents is something she cannot stand for. And she will not easily forgive, no matter how good the reason seems at the time. While collateral damage is something that happens on accident, actual harm is a generally conscious act. Betrayals are even harder for her to forgive. She'll usually try to shut someone out rather than actively ruining their reputation, but, if pushed, she will be honest about her experiences with someone whom she knows has caused harm.

Persistence Hunter
For as open as Keesh can come across, she's also remarkably stubborn. She will keep persistently working at perfecting something, even past the point where it's not good for her to continue, and doesn't like giving up on something entirely, whether it's someone determined to cheat, a mosaic that just isn't coming out right, a dish that refuses to achieve a balanced flavor, or a piece of music that just doesn't sound right.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Wide apple green

Hair: Long, straight golden hair pulled up into a ponytail, with long bangs pulled loosely across her forehead and behind her left ear

Face: Delicate features with a small, full mouth in an oval face

Skin Tone: Dark brown

Body Type: Average height, lithe, long-limbed (swimmer)

Clothes: Comfortable, colorful clothes, often with bold patterns; when performing, usually blacks and whites in very classy cuts, with maybe a splash of color somewhere tasteful

Looks good, have fun!