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NAME Lisette Talico
AGE a lady never reveals her age! it's early-mid twenties, probably
OCCUPATION spinster
FAMILY estranged parents, uncle that spoils her rotten, younger brother; the Talicos are a well-known wealthy family, related to nobles but not themselves titled.

POSITIVES optimistic, open-minded, patient
NEUTRALS clever, observant, bold
NEGATIVE manipulative, demanding, vain

APPEARANCE
Lisette -- Lizzie to her friends -- sees nothing wrong with being vain. She is, after all, quite lovely. Though current fashions are somewhat against her, being more appreciative of smaller chests and slender bodies, Lizzie knows she has a definite appeal. Being tall for a woman makes her lush curves all the more apparent; though her corseted waist will never reach the ideal circumference of eight inches, her corsets nonetheless give her a show-stopping hourglass figure that is hard to ignore.

Lisette is also beyond fair; her hair is an extremely pale white-blonde, her skin equally pale, though she has several large birthmarks that she claims are the cause of her lack of a husband. They are flaws, in short, which she makes a great deal of, perhaps in the hope that she will never be required to wed. It is thought that her paleness is due to a great fright her mother suffered during the pregnancy, and the birthmarks are attributed to dark thoughts or nightmares that somehow influenced the unborn child. Whatever the case may be, Lizzie cites both of these attributes as reasons why she should neither marry or have children of her own.

PERSONALITY
Lisette is a a full figured woman with a full-blown attitude problem .. at least by the standards of her culture and time. She is bold, out-spoken, no-nonsense, and unashamed. She lets no one silence her for any reason, controls her own finances, manages her own household, and frequently employs those that others would find scandalous simply because she thinks them interesting.

Lisette seems to live for her parties -- which are wild, lavish affairs that are generally the talk of the town for weeks before and after. (At one such event she hired an acrobatic troop to perform for an evening ball .. in the rafters of the family's great hall.) Lisette is a dramatic presence on the social scene and quite fond of being the center of attention, maintaining her place at the top of the social hierarchy with tight dresses and a sharp tongue reserved for use on her detractors.

While it can be claimed that Lisette is progressive for her time regarding the rights of those that her society does not generally recognize (women, children, and those not native to Sunderland), she rarely feels strongly for any one person, and has no steady lovers or close friends that know all her secrets. She is demanding of those that serve her and looks down on those individuals who do not make the most of their lives.

SKILLS
Lisette is a true socialite: her skills are centered around organizing parties, making sure the guests have a wonderful time, and also seduction. It is well known that Lisette particularly enjoys her unmarried status, and something of a mystery how she has never managed to become pregnant despite what seems to others to be undisciplined nocturnal activities. She is incredibly up-to-date on all the talk of the day, from the newest rumors about wolves to the latest in which flowers are fashionable to wear on women's hats. She manages her own household, something which is generally left to a housekeeper, and seems to do so very well -- the parties she throws never bankrupt her, perhaps due to her own bargaining skills.

While the Lady Talico claims to have no interest in politics she is quite opinionated about them, and frequently invites persons to her elaborate events specifically to influence them. She is surprisingly for good at this, and her parties are often considered a good place for people to cross party lines and talk privately.

HISTORY
If her life were a more traditional story, the Lady Talico would have been beaten and abused by parents who tried to force her into a loveless marriage, at which point she would have entered a valiant struggle for her freedom and perhaps have been rescued by a charming young man with whom she would have inevitably fallen madly in love.

Lisette does not think much of tradition.

Largely neglected and forgotten by her parents, Lisette was mostly raised by a succession of nannies and played a large part in the raising of her much younger brother. Marriageable age took both her and her parents by surprise, and though some half-hearted attempts were made to get her wedded and bedded, she had already taken care of the latter half and actively sabotaged attempts at the former. When the family received an offer from an extremely wealthy relative -- Lisette's uncle -- to take Lisette in so that she could manage his household in the absence of his deceased wife, it seemed heavensent. Here was a way for her parents to get rid of a troublesome, intractable child with Ideas, and here was a way for Lisette to be rid of her useless, apathetic parents.

Her uncle found Lisette's boldness refreshing and amusing, encouraging her to be strong and outspoken, and placing her in charge of his home with much more autonomy than anyone really expected. Having no political aspirations or opinions of his own, he is content merely to sit back and watch his niece play her little games, proclaiming himself endlessly entertained no matter what Lisette does.

The Choosing

Often Found
Lisette spends most of her time in the occupation she loves best: throwing parties, attending parties, and preparing for parties. She can also be found pursuing the activities common to young ladies of her status; shopping, managing her household, or visiting friends for tea. Her Guardian is often brought with her to tea, and occasionally while she shops, but rarely to the more elaborate parties, such events not being to Moira's tastes.

Opportunities
It should be noted that the set of people of whom Lisette is most fond is young women -- she likes to think of herself as a sort of tutor to the ways of mastering society, and frequently takes young, pretty women under her wing, particularly those of middling status. Those in the lower classes she snatches up and places under her employ, doing her best to encourage them to be as outspoken as herself. Anyone who compliments her Guardian is like to get her attention, and she is drawn particularly to cleverness rather than physical attractiveness.