Lilian Lavender Physician's Assistant Future of Wonderland Epidemiology "If I look annoyed, it's just my face. And the fact I don't enjoy most company. Don't take it to heart." Actively involved citizen of Beyond Alice
A devious smile slid on Liliana’s face for a brief moment as she slipped the snatched baked goods into her bag. The kitchens produced too much food for anyone to notice four missing tarts, a loaf of bread, or a couple pieces of fruit. The identity hidden nymph quietly rounded corner after corner in the castle then pushed her way out by using a servant’s entrance. Finally outside, she took a deep breath and smiled again. It had been a couple of days, almost a week even, since Lil had any opportunity of leaving the castle let alone had the chance to see B. She should be fortunate Erik let her sneak off but really she was irked with the entire war situation. People still seem to fear the Sea and the mers that populated the depths, she at least did. What was four mers to the many that still followed the old ones’ word?
Liliana moved swiftly in the wood and all but ran up to Bella’s shop. As she got closer, she started to feel the energy of the thriving plants, sending a happy buzz through her body. Or was it excitement to see Bella? One of two people in this world that know she’s a garden nymph? Her one of few friends, who’s smile also made her heart patter to a new beat.
She knocked twice then pushed the door open. “Bella?” her eyes scanned the short distance in front of her. There was much space to hide, but Lil wasn’t going to let her off. “You know... you make it a bit easy for someone to walk in and steal one or ten of your friends...?”
“Oh no,” Mirabel answered, blinking as she wondered if she had come across that way,” I’m merely enjoying the open air of the day. Nothing wrong with standing and watching the guard train, right?”
“None at all,” Lil lost her neutral kind look with a funny smirk. Her attention fell to the guard, her expression only grew as she internally chuckled. “Do it often enough and you can tell who will make it to higher ranks and who will go home to try a different trade. You know?”
First it was the increased attacks, and then it was the people falling sick. Mirabel didn’t find herself out of the castle much, out of precaution, although she didn’t know much about either outside of rumors from women who were known to exaggerate their gossip. While she didn’t take anything these women said at face value, she wasn’t about to risk anything either.
She had been out in the castle yard, watching the few soldiers training. There was an almost muted feeling to the air, as if everything was dragging and/or waiting for something. She could only assume the air was simply filled with people worried about what was going on.
She became aware of a voice saying something near her and she blinked and looked over at the person,” I’m sorry, were you talking to me?”
Liliana had just finished up a couple of brainless errands Erik had sent her on when she realized it was a good afternoon to pick at the herbs and plants around the gardens. Surreptitiously of course. She didn’t need to answer ten barked questions or be brought in for degrading the gardens.
The assistant padded her collections down in her tote and covered her pickings with some of the goods meant for her boss. Despite already running late, she lingered outside longer, finding herself in the large yard to the palace and looking perplexed at a girl she hadn’t seen much of before.
“Yeah,” she admitted while throwing her bag on her shoulder. “Are you lost? Or...looking for someone?”
Does your character prefer the Moon, the Sun, or the Stars? Why?
Liliana prefers the Sun’s warmth and energy above the calming yet mystical effects of the Moon. While the Moon has a mystery to herself the Lil is fascinated by, the Sun brings comfort, happiness, and life. Her plant friends thrive in the warm rays and are able to feed from the ultraviolets. There is also a clear distinction in Lil’s attitude when the sun is out for at least part of the day as oppose to total cloud coverage.
What song from our world best describes your character’s personality, mindset, or background? Analyze the lyrics for us.
“Growing Pains” :: Maria Mena
But I wanna tell you I got through
The hardest of times on my own
I made some mistakes, I made a few
But I’ve learned that I am strong and
Just because it hurts
Doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it
And even if it stings
It’s just a temporary thing ...
No one prepares you or warns you when love isn’t forever or that a loss of a love one will leave you feeling like there is a giant hole in your chest. After her mother passed, Liliana fell into a pit of depression and slowly stopped caring about what would happen to her, stopped caring about her future. Slowly, the pain started to grow numb and she learned to live through the aches. Her mother is now her biggest source of inspiration to keep going despite her being gone. She has to be strong because she realizes life is a precious thing and that her ancestors gave her a precious gift.
If they lived in our world, what would be your character’s favorite movie of all time? And why?
Liliana would be absolutely captivated by the love stories of Pride and Prejudice. She would love the book and find comfort in being different from norms as she further pursues an occupation in medicine. The movie showcases a brilliant young woman who carries a bit too much pride for her own good but puts her sisters before her happiness in nearly every hard situation or decision. She would feel a strong connection to Jane but also to Elizabeth who desperately wants her love to be returned but is far too afraid of rejection to put herself out there for the man.
Look up the meaning of your character’s first name and tell me how you think that relates to them.
Of the Latin Origin, Liliana means ‘Lily’, as in the flower. The flower is a symbol for purity, innocence, and beauty. (x)
Liliana was given her name after her mothers discovered her in the gardens amongst the flowers, believing she was a gift bestowed upon them. The name became almost ironic as the girl’s abilities began to manifest and she played around with the ‘powers’ of being a garden nymph. Liliana also had a thick cloud of innocence around her before her mother’s death. The child-like gleam and innocent out look on the world was tainted with the passing of her Mama but her inner beauty continued to glow despite her broken heart.
If they somehow stumbled into our world, what piece of technology or culture would most freak out your character? And what would they find the most interesting?
What would potentially freak Lil out the most about Western Culture is how much food ends up thrown out at the end of the day, across the board: restaurants, drive-thrus, supermarkets, etc. She doesn’t see a lot of wasted food and the thought of people starving while produce rots, is tossed, or ignored would make her shudder. She would view it as a complete waste.
Lavender would find the process of online shopping completely wonderful. The thought of having the ability to buy clothes at a low price or view items and check for discounts before purchasing would make her giddy. To also have everything shipped directly to her -- if she had her own home that is -- is mind boggling.
Alyse wasn’t really one to disobey when it comes to rules and laws. She tried her best not to create waves, despite her past. She hadn’t done it intentionally. She was more of the type to coast through life, staying under the radar as best as she could have. “It really does seem to be awful…” She admitted quietly. “I can’t blame them for leaving… No one wants someone else to decide their fate.”
“It’s okay, as long as they’re happy and alive, hopefully this will blow over soon…” The king himself was going against the mers orders. At the very least Wonderland should want to protect them for that shouldn’t they? Those that respected the king at least… then again…
How many was that at this point in his rule?
“Yeah,” Lil quietly agreed with Alyse, keeping her head low as she picked apart her raspberry tart. She shoved half into her mouth and slowly chewed as her thoughts brewed. “I know it’s naive, but I still wish that we could find and live in peace for a couple of years. No fear of the monarch, or...an entire species. No war...” She lazily rolled her eyes and finished her pastry, sitting up straight and unfolding her legs from underneath her torso.
“Oh well.” Realizing that she was probably keeping the librarian from her duties, she offered a warm smile and rose to her feet at slow speed. “I’m sorry,” she spoke sincerely. “You probably have a list of tasks to complete by the day’s end. I just have one other question...” she paused and bit the corner of her lip, waiting only a moment for the woman to prepare for Liliana’s request. “Are there any books on nymphs?”
In the garden, birds sing, bees hum and the flowers and butterflies bewitch me. Every bug and beetle, petal and leaf grants peace to me in the present moment. As I tread upon emerald blades that gently sway below crystal skies, the garden unveils to me the philosophy of life.
Alyse wasn’t really one to disobey when it comes to rules and laws. She tried her best not to create waves, despite her past. She hadn’t done it intentionally. She was more of the type to coast through life, staying under the radar as best as she could have. “It really does seem to be awful…” She admitted quietly. “I can’t blame them for leaving… No one wants someone else to decide their fate.”
“It’s okay, as long as they’re happy and alive, hopefully this will blow over soon…” The king himself was going against the mers orders. At the very least Wonderland should want to protect them for that shouldn’t they? Those that respected the king at least… then again…
How many was that at this point in his rule?
Liliana didn’t fully agree, believing some may find it calming to have their fate decided, predicted, and having it fall perfectly into their laps. They then inherited certainty and could trust in those that decided -- hopefully. That was probably a slim selection amongst lionhearted and daring people of the mer cultures. It was a wonder that these four causes were the first ones she heard of for mers running away from their society. Wouldn’t authors or people with that knowledge and ability to keep journals jot these things down?
She managed a weak grin in response to Alyse’s hope that this dispute would end soon. Reaching into her bag, she brought out the sack of fruit biscuits and reached over towards the other girl and offered her a snack. “I think these are raspberry. If not, it’s orange. Both are delicious, I assure you. I have a cooking friend that stashes some away every other day or so while they’re cooking the day’s treats.”
Loki blinked, “To buy that giant quilt with, it gets chilly at night and that one’s big enough to share. Sure I don’t think its worth three goats but I’ll take what I can get.” Loki responded, before continuing. “Do you know where I can get a third goat?” He proclaimed before tilting his head to listen better, keeping his eyes on person at the stand. “Any particular reason why?” he whispered. “He isn’t going to sacrifice me to a monster is he?”
Liliana let out a soft laugh and shook her head before her brow quirked. “No. Or at least I highly doubt it with so many bystanders here to witness your abduction.” She glanced over to the quilt and fabrics keeper then back to the man before her. “Well, it seems he doesn’t seem that upset to lose your sale...” she trailed off before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small trinket a noble gave to her and Erik after his last visit. He called it a small token of appreciation, but the energy didn’t mix well with her own and cleansing the stone dangling from the chain didn’t seem to help. “Here. I’m sure you’d be able to keep one of your goats. I insist.” She didn’t need it as much as the man with the goats seemed to need a better quality quilt. She turned her hand over, showing the necklace as she offered it to him.
Adalinde listened, she let her parents teach her as they wanted… but she kept her own head. Her own heart. She wasn’t about to just follow blindly like some others did. If being friends with Malinda showed her nothing else, it taught her that you did have to be your own person sometimes. She wasn’t ever going to be as reckless as Malinda… but she wasn’t going to just attack senselessly, or start fights with the Mers. “I’m sure they’re not… Never met an entire race that’s exactly the same…. as far as I know.” She shrugged, almost laughed. She didn’t have a high opinion of mers, but she didn’t hate them. And clearly there were some rebels from their group as well. If Wonderland’s current state of war was anything to judge by. “I suppose, when you’re hunted by multiple races on multiple sides you can’t be too careful… I’ve heard there are lots of fights between the water sorts and pirates.” She gave a little shrug. As if she hadn’t made sure to stay out of sight of the pirate ship she saw occasionally, or swam away quickly if she noticed a humanoid shadow near the water’s edge. She wasn’t afraid she just didn’t want to deal with the impending battle. “Oh, that’s good. I suppose with a job like his you have to be.”
Adalinde brought up a good point. And Lil had to agree that she didn’t believe all of one species was like their neighbor. Many different factors play a role in an upbringing or even how a plant weathers in conditions. No two of anything could pass as twins. She blinked and slowly looked over to Ade, her brows slowly moving towards the other as fighting was brought up. “Really? Still? I thought those were old histories.” She wanted to laugh. It wasn’t just the mers of Song causing chaos in Wonderland. A shadow of a smile crept on her lips as she thought about her work. “Yeah. It would be bad for business if everyone bled out or croaked before seeing the physician.” She chuckled rather dark and reached up to pluck a leaf from a low hanging branch as they walked, her fingers quick to find the veins to the once living leaf.
“I agree.” She smiled happily. She did like the two together. Cilla was happier than she’d seen her in some time. Especially now that she had the paper going. It seemed like life was finally evening out more to suit the rabbit siblings. “Not a lot… but I have read a slight bit on the subject I cannot vouch for how true it is. There are rulers, they’re very strict… They don’t really seem to live by the same rules we do. You don’t leave. At all. It’s… It actually sounds quite awful. Being forced to stay somewhere you may not belong…”
“I don’t think it is, no.” She nodded with a little smile. “We’re just not in constant contact… I don’t talk to him often.” Which wasn’t a lie, admittedly. She didn’t speak to Reed often… nor Cilla recently, but she still spoke to her more frequently.
The thought of constant surveillance and being watched carefully to not step out even an inch from line was unsettling. Mer of Song society sounded absolutely ridiculous. It was a wonder how it stood with strength for this long. It was easy to judge from a window view, and Lil was sure that if she was in their place, living in a strict community like theirs, she wouldn’t leave. The thought of being hunted down, others being slaughtered for her own freedom... it wasn’t worth it. But for those that could leave and never look back, it was courageous. Liliana’s face paled, “it’s a horrible thought,” she choked out.
“It’s probably for the best. If he and his lover want to stay alive, it’s probably best to not pop in for daily visits or send letters often. I’m sorry you don’t see them much though.”
“How about I give you one goat for it? No? Ok how about two goats for it?” Loki wasn’t really sure where he would get another goat, this had been a gift from some patron or something. Though what he would do with said goat other an barter with it he had no idea. Which led to him bartering with it and hopefully finding another random goat. Loki turned to the person behind him and asked, “Hey do you have a goat I can borrow?”
Liliana blinked back at the man with two goats. What the...? Her brow furrowed as she shook her head. “Uh- no. I don’t,” she smirked, trying not to laugh out of nerves. “Why do you need a third goat? The two you have are healthy, clean, young.” She glanced at the person he was bartering with but quickly brought her gaze back to the fellow in front of her. Taking a step closer, she tried to bring her head closer to the side of his to whisper, “start to walk away. I’m serious. Shrug and tell them to have a good day and leave.”
