gentleness

laxmi singh. thirty. flight attendant (formerly)

[laxmis]

— lux:

mistrust (open)

Lux had been craving a welcome bonfire for years.

She believed herself to be the best monarch, sprite ― being in all of Concordia to welcome the humans, to take them under her wing and show them the light, both literally and figuratively. As she walked down the beach, she gestured toward the night sky for the stars to come forth and on command, the constellations grew larger and brighter. One human said to another, “Wow! Look at the sky!” And Lux felt her chest swell with pride.

When she spotted a human by their lonesome, she didn’t hesitate to approach them and introduce herself. “Hi, I’m Lux,” she greeted as she sat beside the woman. Then, she mimicked what another human had said to her earlier that night, “You have, like, amazing hair.”

The monarch blinked at the leaves in Laxmi’s outstretched hand. Then, she laughed. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly, though her giggling didn’t cease. “It’s just that we’ve worked all day to prepare food that you may like, and instead you’ve chosen to eat leaves. That’s so cute. Did you always eat leaves?” Sometimes, humans were high-maintenance and demanding and, other times, they were so, so simple. And ungrateful. “Humans always surprise me.” She leaned in close, as though telling a secret, and whispered, “I love it. Can I tell you a secret?” Then, she sat up straight again. “I’m so happy you’re a leaf-eater and not a pirate.”

it’s bizarre how often a person’s name ends up being an accurate descriptor of their character or appearance. it only took laxmi a quick look at lux to realize precisely how full of light she was: her skin seemed to glow from within, her golden hair glistened reflecting the fire. and she had the nerve to compliment her hair? laxmi knew exactly what her bun looked like after a day of salty water and chaotic chores, and it wasn’t pretty. but she appreciated the effort. it seemed to her like these islanders weren’t used to meeting new people, which could explain all the extravaganza displayed for their welcome party.

“it’s so nice to meet you, lux!”, she said, cheerfully. “my name is laxmi. and thank you, but it will look much better once i have the chance to wash all the salt and seaweeds out”, she joked. laxmi had noted there were a few buildings, mostly huts but very well constructed, around the place where the bonfire was, and she knew her and the others were welcome into them. she wasn’t sure what to do that first night, but it felt wrong to even consider occupying one of them. it was better to leave it to those who could need it more than she did; she’d probably sleep on the open beach and figure things out in the morning. she could kill for a hot shower though.

lux’s laugh got her out of her reveries, and laxmi blushed to the root of her hair. she hadn’t realized how rude her behavior would seem to her hosts, and lux was right. “oh, well, i… i like leaves”, she stuttered, embarrassed. “i’m sorry, i didn’t mean to disrespect your work. i just… i wasn’t even hungry, so i picked these up to ease my stomach a bit.” that wasn’t a complete lie: the strong smell of some of the dishes turned her stomach whenever she got a whiff. “i’ll make sure to apologize to the cook and, of course, i will try some of your food tomorrow.” there wasn’t any point in resisting: either she trusted them or she died of starvation.

laxmi jumped slightly when lux leaned towards her, still processing her last words. she’d said humans like she wasn’t one. what was she, then? the brunette took a deep breath and focused on keeping her pulse under control. “oh my, don’t tell me you’ve encountered a lot of pirates here? this seems like a very peaceful island.”

[laxmis]

— blaze:

mistrust (open)

Blaze had embraced Concordia in a way that he didn’t usually see others take to it.  There is always the first layer of caution and in a way, he understands it.  He can still recall the first time he saw the island and it took his brain a little while to catch up.  Each day felt as fuzzy as the next and now, they all blended together into his first few months before he had really chosen which kingdom to join.  He had sampled each one in some way, whether it was time spent with the monarchs or with the few sprites that had been there when he had arrived.  Each were fascinating but, in the end, it was Ardora that he chose.

Still, he never saw the point of the division between everyone.  He easily would have preferred a choice where he could visit all whenever he felt like it.  But, until he figured out a loop hole around that, he had settled for Ardora and the occasional visits elsewhere.  Could’ve been worse, though, he had thought at the time.  He was well on his way to several more prison stints, maybe even a more permanent one since he had joined the mob shortly before his arrival.

That never ended well.  Here, though, he had never felt safer.  A near death combined with an accidental rescue in the form of hospitality was fine by him.  Perhaps he was just bored but, he decidedly chose to return the favor moreover with this particular crowd.  Typically, he hung back in background, far from everyone.  Instead, he soaked it all in, drank and found something to amuse himself until everyone finally retreated back home.  He was usually the last one.

“I think I’m okay but, I appreciate that you’re sharing your leaves with people.  Nice of you.”  There was a hint of humor in his voice as he looked from the leaves back to her.  “We do have fruits and vegetables here, though, grown locally and all that.”  He had no idea why he bothered to explain that to her.  It was rather obvious but, he also couldn’t figure out why she’d chosen to eat mint leaves that were grown here but nothing else.  “You worried we’re gonna poison you?”

laxmi raised an eyebrow at the man who sat next to her. she didn’t appreciate that his first words to her were a mockery, but she could play too. “you sure you’re okay though? that drink of yours smells like it could sanitize a wound.” she had seen him around, enjoying himself and chatting with some of the newcomers. unlike herself, who had chosen to sit alone and not interact, something that wasn’t exactly usual for her.

to his last question, she drew half a smile before answering. “is it that obvious?” before he could answer, laxmi continued, voicing the thoughts she’d been ruminating the whole evening. “i can’t help but find it strange. you people seem to be really happy to have two massive accidents happen on the same day. people have died!” she waved a hand as if to get rid of some unpleasant vision. “and yet here you are, throwing us a huge party, like this is normal or even worthy of celebration. i’m still not certain that this isn’t actually an island slash asylum, full of mentally ill patients that rejoice in the misfortune of others. i’m sure you won’t blame me for being a little suspicious at this much hospitality, considering the circumstances.”

after letting it out, laxmi instantly regretted every part of her outburst. sure, it had been a weird evening, but so far none of the islanders had shown ill intent. she had seen one of them performing some kind of magic trick for the little boys whose mother had died on the accident. it was all in her mind, laxmi thought, all the suspicion. she was ashamed of herself. she buried her face into her palms, dropping the remaining leaves to the ground. the lingering scent of mint helped her cool her mind off. “look, i apologize”, she said, looking up to the man again. “let’s start over, okay? i’m laxmi, and i could use a drink”, she extended a hand.

[laxmis]

— syrah:

mistrust (open)

the sensation felt alien, misplaced, as if a piece of her had vacated and syrah couldn’t recall what that absent part was even with her current sight transfixed upon the humans huddled together in groups of two or more or standing alone with arms wrapped around themselves in their grief due to those lost in the fresh calamity. finding their spots in the graveyard preference to the ongoing celebration, separated only by a few rows of trees, the glance she’d spared to the far yet near glow likened to that of yellow eyes, sizing each and everyone of them up—mouths opening wide and wider still to showcase teeth—whom was she speaking of in this scenario?

fingers gently brushed over the shoulder of one of the other earth sprites that had accompanied her, lent a hand when it came to the careful meticulous task of enshrouding in soil. they had finished already hours earlier yet for some reason each one stuck around for a few moments, thoughts drifting in all sorts of directions that syrah was not privy to from just the eye alone in spite of it being the most naked part of another. without awaiting a response she herself drifted closer and closer to the party.

“ anything can hide behind a kinder flavor, you know. “ following those words her fingers wrapped around the offering, taking a few for her own and after placing one on her tongue with both index and thumb she leaned close. “ say…..care for another explosive taste? I know of a garden that has the best fruits, your taste buds couldn’t desire anything else ever again.“

after hearing what the stranger said, her first impulse was to spit the leaves. she didn’t, out of consideration to her companion, and also because she had already eaten several leaves —if they were poisonous, she was already sentenced to death, she thought worriedly. laxmi had thought the leaves safe, but she hadn’t considered how much of an alien environment this was, one that could conceal something lethal with a familiar appearance or taste. but she relaxed after the stranger took one for herself and let out a long sigh. “don’t play with me like that, please, i’ve already had several close calls for a heart attack today.”

her tone of voice was entrancing to laxmi, there was something about her that she wanted to surrender to. maybe it was the provocativeness of the suggestion or the sweet smell that she perspired that made her feel drowsy, but she knew she couldn’t let go. “i’ll admit that’s a tempting suggestion, but i’m not at all confident in exploring an unknown place when it’s this dark”, she chuckled lightly, unsure of how to proceed.

“besides, that seems a little dangerous, right? this garden of yours reminds me too much of the tales i was told when i was little, of the fae that lured humans into their world and once they ate their magic food, they could never leave.” the woman also reminded laxmi of one of these beautiful, deadly creatures, but she purposedly omitted that. if she didn’t die from poisoning, she’d rather stay alive for a while longer. offending one of the islanders wasn't one way to do so.

[laxmis]

— caspian:

mistrust (open)

Even the most devastating storms come to an end. They woke that morning with waters quelled and peace amongst the four kingdoms restored, in no small part because of their own calming. The island’s magic soon struck down a plane, followed shortly by a boat — the latter of which particularly roused him, as any sea-farers naturally belonged to him. The sky-fliers were a different story. Concordia had only seen them once before, and none chose Aqueus — though he’d reason none of them had been worthy of it anyway.

The humans, lost and confused, needed calm; it made the transition easier, when they could be eased into their new truth. It meant Caspian drawing a deep breath before stepping into the Village for the bonfire, promising himself a night of best behavior and restraint. Swinging past Charlie to pick up his usual cocktail, he trailed towards the bonfire. At some point, he’d emerge from the oceans and announce himself in all his glory to his hopeful new subjects — but first, he’d approach with ease, a gentle wave on the shore before the hurricane hits.

He first spotted her clothing — some sort of crew’s garb, surely signaling her importance amongst the sky-fliers. If they trusted her, she certainly merited a hello. Sitting himself next to her by the fire, he offered a half-smile, widening to a half-chuckle as she extended a handful of leaves. “You know, I’ve lived here forever, and I’ve never thought to give those a try,” he breathed, reaching a hand of his own and snatching a pair of the leaves. He paused. “Condolences about your plane,” he began, feeling the slightest tickle of pride as he remembered the word for plane, having only ever seen one other. “Caspian,” he introduced with a nod. “I’m sure you’re confused. Ask me anything — anything.”

He allowed her a moment, eyes shifting back down towards the leaves in his palm, narrowed with slight suspicion. With a shrug, he slipped them into his mouth, chewing for a moment before washing them down with what remained of his Dark ‘n’ Stormy. “You know, with one of these, they really aren’t that bad,” he suggested, nodding down towards his empty glass. “I can’t get you one? Not even some water?”

any doubts laxmi could have about the stranger's identity dispelled as soon as they opened their mouth. their deep voice distilled authority, she noted, so they must be the leader of these people. or at least someone of importance. in that case, why had they chosen to approach her? surely they must've seen her with the passengers earlier, tending to them, and must've thought she was their equivalent, someone above the others. well, they were wrong. but they seemed polite and attentive, so she gifted them a smile to match theirs. "i'm laxmi. thank you for your condolences", the smile disappeared, replaced by an exhausted grin. "it could've been much, much worse, but it hasn't been easy either", she admitted.

upon their kind offering to answer any questions she may have, laxmi hesitated. there were simply too many strange things to ask about, some of them she didn't even know how to word. "well—", she started, but stopped herself mid-sentence to chuckle at caspian's suspicious face. "oh, they're safe, i promise! or if they're poisonous, at least you'll have time to say goodbye to your beloved ones", she added, a mischievous tone in her voice.

it wasn't until caspian had chewed the leaves and offered laxmi a drink that she realized how rude she was being. a flash of terror crossed her expression. "i forgot to say, thank you. your people have been amazing by letting us stay here", she swept the place with a movement of her arm, where everyone was eating and drinking by the fire. she chose to leave out the part where the islanders had made the plane disappear, partly because she still couldn't believe that it happened. laxmi felt dizzy again and smiled weakly. "i think i'll take that water, please."

it was at that moment when she had a revelation: they had tons of fresh food and beverages on the island, plenty of comforts at the village, which they must get from somewhere else. she knew how it worked; some of her flights had made stopovers to deliver goods in remote places. with excitement, laxmi realized she had just found a way home. "mmh, i was wondering, how do you get these drinks? that didn't smell like homemade rum to me."

[thinfatfit]

instagram.com/lateciat

[overblushed-deactivated20200127]

@caitvi archive mood board ☁️

[laxmis]

mistrust (open)

laxmi had had enough chaos to last a lifetime during the last twenty-four hours. when a ship crashed on the shore just a few hours after her plane did, she thought it couldn't get stranger. she had assumed it was a deserted island, but then the islanders appeared while she was still trying to make some sense of what had happened. everything smelled of smoke and salt, and nothing could be more appealing than a soft bed.

but no, they had announced a bonfire to welcome those who had landed during the day. welcome us to what? what is this place? where am i? some part of her rational brain was thinking maybe she had passed out or died, and this was all a product of her imagination. how else could she explain what she'd seen?

the only certain thing was that she didn't trust them. the islanders made laxmi's hair stand on end, and she felt cold even though the air was warm and fragrant —no trace of the stink of smoke, somehow. it was just a stupid feeling, probably just the adrenaline still running through her veins, yet she could not let herself appear scared. there were more survivors from her flight, some of them mere children, whom she needed to show strength for.

but she wasn't about to simply accept that they were friendly. laxmi sat by the fire and refused every plate or drink she was offered, deciding to chew some leaves she'd found harmless instead. when she heard someone sit next to her, her eyes didn't move away from the bonfire, scared that it might be one of the strange islanders. 'oh, don't be pathetic, they're not going to eat you... or maybe they are?' gathering up all her courage, she gulped loudly and extended her hand, full of leaves, at the stranger. "want one? they taste like mint."

[laxmis]

                                                                     𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝙰𝚂𝙸𝙲𝚂

full name: laxmi singh.

date of birth and age: november 29th, 1990. 30 years old.

nationality: american.

gender and sexual orientation: cis woman, lesbian.

languages spoken: english, hindi, spanish, french, chinese.

occupation: flight attendant.

defining personality traits: compassionate, naïve, secretive, daring, empathic, unattached.

zodiac sign: sagittarius.

mbti type: infp.

                                                                   𝙱𝙸𝙾𝙶𝚁𝙰𝙿𝙷𝚈

should anyone be asked to describe you in a few words, they'd probably say you were like the sun: warm, bright, everpresent. if someone asked you to describe yourself though, the answer would be quite the opposite. for the first years of your life, you were like the moon: everyone saw your bright side, beautiful, composed, but no one cared to look for the dark side. it’s not like you didn’t trust yourself, but you knew the mean things the kids said about those who looked like you. so what made you any different than the other brown or fat kids? how could you be so sure that everyone didn't start talking shit about you the moment you left?

of course, you would never say this out loud because if you voiced all the insecurities, they would become real. you buried them in warm smiles and appropriate comments so no one would notice. it was exhausting, honestly, to live a double life, to be always on the edge, worried about saying the wrong thing —but it certainly did pay off: you were, like the sun, always at the center. you were popular, but not mean; beautiful, but not in that impossible way that makes other pretty girls hateable. you were always at the top of the class, but you never refused help to anyone who needed it. you built a fortress of kindness that could never, ever, be torn down by anyone who could notice how you felt on the inside. luckily for you, that “fake it ‘til you make it” mentality worked out just fine. somehow you understood you didn’t have to pretend anything because you did indeed love the person you’d become. and once that weight was lifted off your shoulders, you realized just how hungry you were. being a popular girl at a small-town high school was no longer interesting to you; you wanted to test yourself, see the world, meet new people, experience life without boundaries.

learning languages had always been easy for you, and by the age of twenty, you could speak perfect french, spanish, and a little bit of chinese, besides your native english and hindi. after you took a couple of gap years to study these languages, your parents expected you to finally go to college and do something useful with that knowledge, such as becoming a translator, but you had other plans. in a spur of rebellion, you moved to a bigger city and enrolled in a flight attendant academy, a career you balanced with working as a waitress every night. it wasn’t great for the first few months, but you were very excited about the prospective job offers you could have. your parents weren’t happy at first, but they finally understood that this was your true calling. also, they were hopeful that you would meet a handsome young man on one of your flights and get married soon, as it was the tradition in your mother’s side of the family. you didn’t dare to disappoint them with the truth.

it didn't take long before you got a job after graduating. you had excelled in the academy the way you had done in school and everything else you'd ever set out to do. thus, a hectic lifestyle became your routine. you were in 3-4 flights every day, which meant that when you had a day off, all you wanted to do was take a hot bath, drink some wine and massage your feet. jet lag destroyed your sleep schedule, so you never really got to see any of the beautiful foreign cities you stayed in before flying again. your co-workers were usually fantastic, but you could never coordinate your schedules and hang out on free days. the passengers were great as well, mostly, but none of them were remarkable or made a real connection with you. on the rare occasions that you dated anyone, you both knew it was a one-time thing.

you were content with this new, flighty life, but the hype didn't last more than a few years. you soon realized you needed something else in your life, some stability —a family. you had your parents, of course, and you loved returning home for any ongoing holiday, but you wanted a home of your own. the prospect is not very optimistic: the only person you've hooked up with more than once is one of your co-workers, whom you manage to fly with as much as you can. while it's nice to have a few nights enjoying the company, that's not a serious relationship. you're thirty now, and you're tired of everything being so shallow and temporary. you're thinking of quitting your job and maybe apply as a teacher in some language academy, but you're not confident in taking the plunge yet.

now, you may never do.

                                      𝙳𝙴𝚂𝙸𝚁𝙴𝙳 𝙿𝙻𝙾𝚃𝚂/𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂

literally anything you can think of!

(sprites) who want to win her over, toy with her, lure her, get along with her, scare her, give her some answers...

(human or sprites) who become friends, rivals, romantic connections, i'm up for anything; laxmi is literally a blank slate right now because she's not acquainted with anyone!