KIERAN FREY ZONE 3 RESEARCHER
NAME: Kieran Frey AGE: 37 PRONOUNS: She/Her ZONE OF ORIGIN: Zone 3 STATUS: Zone 3 Researcher TRAITS: + Analytical, Curious, Intelligent | – Abrupt, Proud, Sarcastic
BIO
car accident tw / child death tw
Kieran was born in Amstelland to a previously nomadic family who settled into their new lives in a beautiful city.
She grew up a curious child, and though her parents weren’t terribly old when she was born, with a sister 15 years her senior, they weren’t exactly spring chickens either. She was a handful, constantly asking questions, constantly seeking out knowledge.
Kieran was never disobedient for the sake of it, but for the sake of discovery, of learning something new and pushing the limits wherever she could. She was always fascinated by the why of what people did, rather than the how. The reason behind the action. The driving forces behind anything.
As she grew older, it was clear that she had an aptitude for learning and discovery, and these interests and drive had her on an accelerated course of study. She was grateful her sister took center stage, so that she could be more or less free to live her own life, without any expectation.
–
She was 19 when an unplanned pregnancy put her plans to travel to Austria, where her family was from, on hold. But as was the Zone 3 motto – everything had a silver lining and her son James was hers.
Being a single mother wasn’t something that had been in the books but her family helped and she continued on her career path, getting a job at CHQS where she began as a junior researcher, starting with a focus on Zone 3.
Between being a mother and a demanding job, Kieran fell into a pattern of work and home life, her own interests beyond the two put on hold.
She was 25 when her entire world was upended. There was a car accident, a moment of distraction on the part of another driver, that left Kieran in the hospital with all the best care, and her six year old son, six feet under.
Things like this rarely happened in Amstelland. But, at least there was always a silver lining, or so people kept telling her. Grief was alright, but being stuck in it was not. The end of life was a reason to celebrate what was, not mourn what would never be. People kept telling her that her silver lining was that she was alive! That there were new signs and regulations set up where the accident had occurred –- so it would never happen to anyone else again. Everything has a silver lining.
She resisted the thought until she resented it. Until she couldn’t help but look around Amstelland and question what she saw there. It wasn’t natural to move on so easily. To find happiness where there was none. But in a place where her son’s death was met with a party to celebrate his young life, rather than a funeral to mourn it...she didn’t think she could say anything, she was trapped in a world that didn’t want her to vocalize her grief beyond the allotted time they deemed appropriate.
So she swallowed it when she was expected to and for two years did her best to get back into the swing of things, clawing her way back to a sense of normalcy. Needing desperately to feel normal again.
–
She began to do research across Zones, collecting data and studies to help those at Zone 3′s CHQS gain a better understanding of the other Zones. Travel helped her more than she thought possible and she’d spend extended periods of time in other Zones conducting her research. Normal eventually came to her, though it took time.
As the years have gone by, Kieran has returned to herself, rising to become one of Zone 3′s head researchers. She semi-resents the fact that her older sister casts a long shadow and knows that people think her job and any opportunities she’s had are a result of her sister’s position, rather than her own merit.
This pushes her to work harder to show that she can contribute more, not just because of who her sister is.
It’s been almost 20 years since she started with CHQS. Kieran believes in her work, and believes that by understanding other Zones, everyone will be safer and better equipped to go survive during their travels.
HEADCANONS
Always carries a small notebook and pen on her person to scribble notes, observations and reminders she forgets to look at.
She’s an early riser and subsists on coffee and muffins.
She believes there are other Zones out there and has only recently begun to compile additional data to support that theory. Previously, she was working more towards the study of each Zone but after years of conducting said research, she’s interested in a change.
Fascinated by experts in other Zones and often takes time to interview them on seemingly unrelated topics to Zone study but believes everything is tied together.
Wants to travel to Zone 0 for study but knows that would never be allowed.
Food between Zone never ceases to amaze her, and she’s found favorites from each she enjoys when she travels to them. Music between Zones also fascinates her, and how it affects people differently, along with the similarities between the Zones’ genres.
She’s got a tattoo of her son’s birthday on her ribcage. She doesn’t talk about him with anyone, but she still dreams of him, still sometimes wakes with tears in her eyes. Time does heal, however slowly, but the past twelve years since his death have taken her on a journey she wouldn’t wish on anyone.
Despite being very analytical, which can sometimes maker her seem distant, she has a deep sense of compassion, it just takes a while for her to feel comfortable enough to show it.
@chqsintro
