Post by Liatris Allard on Feb 3, 2014 20:27:12 GMT -6
FC: Eri, Nameless - The One Thing You Must Recall -
Liatris Annabeth Allard
Age: 27-Years-Old
Gender: Female
Orientation: Heterosexual
Profession: Merchant - Established
Occupation: Pokémon Care Provider - Liatris runs a day care facility with services tailored specifically to domestic Pokémon*
Appearance:
Hair as dark as the fur of an Umbreon, experience and convenience both have taught her the benefits of favoring shorter fashions of haircuts. For this reason the wavy locks have not been allowed to reach any further than her shoulders in some years though she is more likely to cut her hair just a few inches shy of that. With her bangs there is a spot more leniency and far less concern; so long as the feathery wisps do not fall into her line of vision they are left as they are. As to her eyes, Liatris' have expressed an amber coloration that are deceivingly vibrant due to the stark contrast of her pale skin and her impossibly dark hair. Though her features are slender from the delicate snub of her nose to the gentle edge of her cheekbones her appearance lacks a certain gracefulness and instead leans more towards the impression of delicateness.
The fragility of her appearances does not lie in her facial features alone. Liatris is a very petite woman lacking in the definition of notable curves and the hardness of well-worn survivors. Her medical condition, moderate hemophilia, prevented her from being allowed to rough house freely with the other children and Pokémon of Mi-aro and there never came a day that she strayed from the eyes of either foster parent to explore their vibrant and untamed home so unlike that of PokéEarth for fear of the injuries she might sustain. As an adult she kept to the settlement and continued to avoid strenuous tasks that might trigger any internal bleeding. The result has produced a figure with a heavier emphasis on her naturally wide hips though her chest and waist are of average size. She has kept active over the years in her own ways and the close eye kept on her diet for medical purposes have assured that she has kept to a healthy percentile for her weight.
Everyday Clothes:
Given her occupation as a care provider to domestic Pokémon, on an average day she is most likely to be found in clothes that can stand the wear and tear that come with the territory of watching after what she affectionately refers to as her "Little Ones". For Liatris this means clothing that won't hinder her movements should she need to chase after a Poochyena attempting to dig his way to freedom. In general she also tends to avoid clothing, such as white, that would stain easily due to her hemophilia. Even a simple paper cut or the accidental swipe of claws against her cheek from a fussing Skitty can lead to an excessive flow of blood not easily stemmed even with the use of her treatments. Taking her age into consideration, it should be known that she tends to a more mature fashion over youthful. What does this mean for the clothes kept then in her wardrobe?
With a tendency to change clothing on a daily basis given that her business does not require of her a uniform, Liatris prefers short-sleeved, baby doll t-shirts of a single, solid color, weather permitting, and skinny jeans trending towards various shades of blue and black. For the more special occasions or casual days planned to be spent in the settlement she has a few tie-neck blouses that she is rather partial to. In colder weather, she can be found in large sweaters of all colors and patterns as well as a beige trench coat made of a thick, insulating material in addition to a long scarf. A bit of a quirk to her is that in months of snow rather than a pair of snow boots she is actually more likely to be found strolling around the settlement in a pair of black riding boots. Otherwise there is nothing particularly eye-catching when it comes to the clothes that she wears.
Formal Garbs:
Liatris does not come from a family of wealth however safely tucked away into a chest of sentimental treasures is a dress gifted to her by her foster mother. A light and creamy brown, the dress is accented by a black sash wound around the waist with an exposed back that ties in at the end of her shoulder blades. Drawn in from each sleeve and down the collar of the dress to the center of the open back is a pink ribbon tapered off into a bow with long sashes designed more with appearance in mind than the task of holding the dress up. The sleeves themselves are a three-set of layered ruffles made of a more gossamer material than the rest of the dress. As to the skirt of the dress, a material that cuts off only a handful of inches above the knees, it is layered for the effect of volume. Each layer is bordered by a darker stripe of brown to make for a total of four. To be accompanied with this dress is a set of black, elbow-length gloves and a pair of black classic ballet flats. Liatris forgoes jewelry in favor of hair accents and prefers stockings that match the color of her skin tone on the few and rare occasions that the dress is needed.
Pack:
As a merchant, Liatris does not often make a habit of straying from the settlement without her messenger bag in hand. Her supplies are common items likely to be found on others that share in her profession: a small and worn leather notebook documenting both the locations of medicinal herbs and short profiles on the Pokémon that pass through her care, several wooden pencils should she need to jot down a quick note, a hunting knife that doubled as a personal form of protection as well, and an often replenished water bottle. More unique to her though is the addition of medical supplies ranging from cotton bandages to a small bottle of experimental pills purposed to keep her blood clots from breaking down should she be injured and typically an extra shirt.
The messenger bag itself is of the canvas style and made of a cotton material. A color similar to a earthen green, the bag has two belts fashioned from leather for the sake of keeping the pack closed and securing items placed vertically over the opening flap of the pack and ending at the bottom seam. In addition to this is a third piece of leather, softened over the years, sewn into the center of the strap to ease some of the strain to her shoulder. A front left and a front right pocket allow for additional space for smaller items that might be otherwise crushed with her larger supplies and an easier redistribution for weight. At the bottom of the right pocket is a small pin fashioned from silver of the emblem of her business: the downy feather of a Rufflet cradled carefully between two hands.
Personality:
Not one to leave a lasting first impression any more significant than that of another, Liatris Allard is a pleasant but average woman. She does not possess any particular aspect to her personality that would give anyone a reason to remember her when compared to the daring brave of the survivors or the callousness of mercenaries or even the experienced merchants whose businesses lead past the settlement. That is not to suggest that she is without her own experiences; simply that hers are of a notably more mundane nature. Liatris is more the woman one could expect to encounter in the every day element of life: the friendly face to wave to in the early mornings, the kind female to stop and chat with for a few minutes when running errands, an acquaintance whose presence would be missed in a more subtle manner simply because she is the one a person would expect to encounter in their usual routine.
Of a kind and gentle nature Liatris takes genuine appreciation in the little things that make life peaceful. She does not thirst for adventure or the excitement of change but is rather content to spend her afternoons caring for the Pokémon entrusted to her. Where one sees an opportunity of daring, she sees the possibility of trouble to come. That is not to say that she does not step out of her comfort zone from time to time so much as it is that there is a difference between dealing with trouble as it comes and actively seeking it out to a woman such as herself. When Liatris found her calling in the prime of her adolescence, she developed and nursed her nurturing instinct. She is firm when called on to be so, but prefers leniency with the understanding that sometimes a bit of mischief provides room to grow.
Despite her attempts to raise and behave with a firm hand as necessary, Liatris does struggle in standing up for herself when the conflict shifts from the behavior of Pokémon to that of her own species. It is only when one falls under the mothering eye of her personality does she assume authority with little trouble. In the case of an equal or someone more domineering though she becomes as docile as a fawn which has, in several cases, led her into troubles she never wish to be implicated to in the first place. For a woman whose childhood was spent obediently listening to each and every word to come from the mouths of her foster parents confrontation does not come easily. Coupled with her minimal social interaction with other children due to her mother's fear that none would know to be gentle enough with her, it is little wonder that she feels more comfort in taking care of Pokémon than she does in bonding with other members of her race.
Though she may gave an eased impression of friendliness and comfort in routine interactions, Liatris is not quite the woman first impressions make her out to be. She is not a cheerful optimist that spends her hours thinking of the best that has yet to come but leans more towards pessimism. Her near constant presence in the settlement has less to do with her feeling perfectly content to spend her years never knowing what lies beyond the walls (though notably it should be known that she is content with her life as it is) and more with her crippling fear of the world beyond. Liatris is trapped in the cage of insecurity and fears that her foster parents instilled in her. Though their intentions were nothing but honest and protective, they raised her into a woman that does not provide herself the room to grow and explore the person that she could have potentially been.
Likes:
Dislikes:
Backstory:
Liatris Annabeth Allard was born to a world before Mi-aro to a faceless couple that she has thought on only rarely. Only two-years-old at the time that she was taken from one land to the next, what memories she does possess of PokéEarth are not her own but rather stories passed down to her from her deceased foster mother. There are vague sensations though that have carried with her through her life of warm hands, of a constant coughing in the background, of a quiet darkness that lingered too long. These moments she likens more to the dazed sensation of a person caught between wakefulness and sleep, but no more. The hemophilia A, a medical condition inherited from her biological mother, is her only true mark of PokéEarth.
Duncan Christopher Allard and his young wife, Christina, were only twenty-years-old themselves when they crossed into Mi-aro with little Liatris. Young enough to still be shaking off the remnants of their own childhood as they struggled into maturity, their inexperience did not deter either from their fierce determination to do right by a child that was not their own. Her basic needs were placed before their own and mistakes, for many were made along the way, learned from. Neither parent was quite prepared for the difficulties of raising a child whose medical condition likened her fragility to that of a small bird, but neither regretted the decision to care for Liatris. There were moments of frustration and anger, but they did the best that they could to raise her in a loving and warm home that taught her to be good and kind in life.
One point that her foster parents argued often on, aside from the best approach to handling her hemophilia, was the subject of her background. Christina, the fiercely protective homemaker, saw little to no point in telling Liatris of the life that had been hers for two years. The child was her own regardless of the fact that her womb had not born her. Duncan, realistic and honest, felt that was only the more reason to explain to their daughter that though she was not her own she was well-loved. She was seven when her foster father put the argument to rest.
As it is told to her, Liatris and her birth parents were neighbors to the Allards. The two families bonded over a mutual struggle for survival for nearly four years prior to her birth. Her biological mother was a beautiful, but fragile woman whose medical condition made it difficult for her to be of use to her husband. She was left to smaller tasks that would not cause internal bleeding to her body and he to be her strength. Her father a man with a deep, booming laugh that always found little ways to bring a smile to her face. According to her foster father the man changed though when her mother passed not but a handful of weeks after her birth to a cause she was never told of. Her mother's death changed her father, and he sunk into a deep depression. It was this man that was then folded into the arms of a cult. As the tale goes, when Arceus came to deliver the last remnants of PokéEarth from their own damnation her father believed him to be a false prophet and refused to leave with the others. Liatris was taken from him, as her foster parents explained, because she was at such a young age that a choice of assured death should not have been made for her.
Only but a child when she learned of this she took some months to understand in detail the exact history of her background. Constant reassurances though that they would each gladly make the choice again and a frightening codependency to her foster parents aided the young Liatris in accepting the tale from which she had been born. She was dearly loved, and grateful to the couple that had taken her from her cult-crazed father to a new and what she could only assume was comfortable life in Mi-aro. All the same, it did not stop the occasional inquiries to the type of man her father, a man that would have placed the love and a chance of well-being for his daughter beneath his religious ideals, had been. She was twelve the very last time she asked after him.
Up until she was five-years-old Liatris' medical condition had been manageable. Her father was a proven and liable blood donor for home replacement therapy, the experimental drugs working, and even in lieu of these things it had been easy enough to swaddle and comfort their daughter in the warmth of their home. A careful eye was always kept on her, and she never once wandered from either parent any further than their background. Five though was a difficult age as it meant exposure to an environment not nearly as controlled or safe in the form of a trainer's school. Liatris wanted nothing more to go, her mother nothing more than for her to stay, and her father for nothing more than the best for his daughter. It was an argument that nearly ended in blows and a divorce as one accusation developed into another, but at its end the decision was made that Liatris would attend the trainer's school with other children.
Liatris enjoyed her time spent at the trainer's school. It developed her necessary social skills, but also provided her with a healthy dose of much needed independence from the Allards. She made friends with several other children, a generation born to PokéEarth but knew only of Mi-aro, and proved to be bright beyond her years. This was due to the fact that a child as young as herself with her specific medical condition was limited to the number of activities she was free to. For this reason she had been taught how to read at the age of four and spent more than a handful of hours lying on a blanket with one of her mother's Pokémon watching over her while she read. Christina's insecurities were laid to rest, Duncan's hope to do right by his daughter fulfilled, and Liatris a happy child. At least, it was so until an incident at the age of seven led to a broken arm and internal bleeding at the elbow during her play with the other children. Christina used this as a grounds to tutor their daughter in-home instead.
Though saddened to be taken from the trainer's school and the friends that she had made, Liatris did not raise even a finger to stop her mother when the woman began work with the lab to teach her the necessary subjects in-home. The long afternoons once spent giggling behind her hands with friends and eagerly following the lead of one girl and the next were soon replaced with countless hours spent under the watchful eye of an overbearing but well-meant mother. Concerned that her daughter would begin to resent her for what she had done, Christina would often take small moments throughout the day to remind her daughter of her medical condition and the fragility that it imposed on her life rather than the viciously protective mother terrified her child would break with the first fall. It was at this point in her life that Liatris' fear of wandering past the settlement truly took root.
Her adolescence was spent isolated from nearly anyone that was not her foster mother and foster father. Out of a fear that the other children wouldn't know to be gentle enough with their daughter, she was rarely allowed out to play with even the friends she had made at trainer's school. Even conversations shared in while her mother ran errands and brought her along were short at best and as the years continued on her first friends tried less and less to keep up contact with the little girl that so easily bled and the mother that was never far from her side. At the age of thirteen Liatris had to take her comforts and her company in her mother's everyday acquaintances and content herself with merely watching other groups of children from a distance.
Liatris found the first hints of her true calling at the age of sixteen. Though her mother was viciously insistent on the limited company that her daughter kept growing up, she was allowed to be kept under the careful eye of her foster parents' Pokémon. They knew to be gentle with the little Liatris and though they belonged to her parents, they spent as nearly much time comforting her as they did travelling with their masters. Each loved her dearly and treated her as one of their own, but none were quite as young as they once were and in the spring her father's Arcanine, a grizzled, old creature that loved her more than any of the others ever could, passed. Not wishing to dwell on death and still in need of a canine-Pokémon to aid him in his work, Duncan set about finding a young Growlithe. It was watching her father raise the little pup with all the gentleness in the world and seeing how fiercely she depended on him that convinced Liatris that she'd like to have something like that in her own life someday.
At the age of eighteen she approached her father on the idea of perhaps starting her own day care center. As far as Liatris was concerned, she lacked the wits and the experience that it would take to be a breeder, but she could not let go of this idea of little ones looking to her for protection and affection, however temporary it was, as compared to how she had spent her life depending on her parents. A day care center, to her, seemed the most reasonable plan: it would allow for trainers to offer Pokémon a chance to be out of their Pokéballs without diverting away from a routine that might be dangerous otherwise, and allow her to feed the quiet impulse to care for someone that wasn't herself. Duncan rather liked the thought, but used it as well as an excuse to convince his wife that it was for the best that Liatris move into a place of her own that would be better-suited to double as both a house and a day care center. He feared for his daughter's dependence on her and after several long, drawn-out arguments he loaned Liatris the money necessary to have a specially tailored home of her own, and put her into contact with several people that could aid in teaching her.
Business for Liatris is quiet, but her life is a happy one. For years she feared the possibility of mistakes, dealt with troubles as they came, and learned from what she did wrong as often as she did from what she did right, but she settled well into her small place of independence. She slowly branched out to form a network of close friends and acquaintances, found herself a routine that suited her needs, and took well to the life that she quickly formed for herself. Though not nearly the same little girl that could not make a comfortable decision without first looking to her foster mother for guidance, she still tends to avoid leaving the settlement whenever possible. Still, life could be far worse for her.
Appearance:
Hair as dark as the fur of an Umbreon, experience and convenience both have taught her the benefits of favoring shorter fashions of haircuts. For this reason the wavy locks have not been allowed to reach any further than her shoulders in some years though she is more likely to cut her hair just a few inches shy of that. With her bangs there is a spot more leniency and far less concern; so long as the feathery wisps do not fall into her line of vision they are left as they are. As to her eyes, Liatris' have expressed an amber coloration that are deceivingly vibrant due to the stark contrast of her pale skin and her impossibly dark hair. Though her features are slender from the delicate snub of her nose to the gentle edge of her cheekbones her appearance lacks a certain gracefulness and instead leans more towards the impression of delicateness.
The fragility of her appearances does not lie in her facial features alone. Liatris is a very petite woman lacking in the definition of notable curves and the hardness of well-worn survivors. Her medical condition, moderate hemophilia, prevented her from being allowed to rough house freely with the other children and Pokémon of Mi-aro and there never came a day that she strayed from the eyes of either foster parent to explore their vibrant and untamed home so unlike that of PokéEarth for fear of the injuries she might sustain. As an adult she kept to the settlement and continued to avoid strenuous tasks that might trigger any internal bleeding. The result has produced a figure with a heavier emphasis on her naturally wide hips though her chest and waist are of average size. She has kept active over the years in her own ways and the close eye kept on her diet for medical purposes have assured that she has kept to a healthy percentile for her weight.
Everyday Clothes:
Given her occupation as a care provider to domestic Pokémon, on an average day she is most likely to be found in clothes that can stand the wear and tear that come with the territory of watching after what she affectionately refers to as her "Little Ones". For Liatris this means clothing that won't hinder her movements should she need to chase after a Poochyena attempting to dig his way to freedom. In general she also tends to avoid clothing, such as white, that would stain easily due to her hemophilia. Even a simple paper cut or the accidental swipe of claws against her cheek from a fussing Skitty can lead to an excessive flow of blood not easily stemmed even with the use of her treatments. Taking her age into consideration, it should be known that she tends to a more mature fashion over youthful. What does this mean for the clothes kept then in her wardrobe?
With a tendency to change clothing on a daily basis given that her business does not require of her a uniform, Liatris prefers short-sleeved, baby doll t-shirts of a single, solid color, weather permitting, and skinny jeans trending towards various shades of blue and black. For the more special occasions or casual days planned to be spent in the settlement she has a few tie-neck blouses that she is rather partial to. In colder weather, she can be found in large sweaters of all colors and patterns as well as a beige trench coat made of a thick, insulating material in addition to a long scarf. A bit of a quirk to her is that in months of snow rather than a pair of snow boots she is actually more likely to be found strolling around the settlement in a pair of black riding boots. Otherwise there is nothing particularly eye-catching when it comes to the clothes that she wears.
Formal Garbs:
Liatris does not come from a family of wealth however safely tucked away into a chest of sentimental treasures is a dress gifted to her by her foster mother. A light and creamy brown, the dress is accented by a black sash wound around the waist with an exposed back that ties in at the end of her shoulder blades. Drawn in from each sleeve and down the collar of the dress to the center of the open back is a pink ribbon tapered off into a bow with long sashes designed more with appearance in mind than the task of holding the dress up. The sleeves themselves are a three-set of layered ruffles made of a more gossamer material than the rest of the dress. As to the skirt of the dress, a material that cuts off only a handful of inches above the knees, it is layered for the effect of volume. Each layer is bordered by a darker stripe of brown to make for a total of four. To be accompanied with this dress is a set of black, elbow-length gloves and a pair of black classic ballet flats. Liatris forgoes jewelry in favor of hair accents and prefers stockings that match the color of her skin tone on the few and rare occasions that the dress is needed.
Pack:
As a merchant, Liatris does not often make a habit of straying from the settlement without her messenger bag in hand. Her supplies are common items likely to be found on others that share in her profession: a small and worn leather notebook documenting both the locations of medicinal herbs and short profiles on the Pokémon that pass through her care, several wooden pencils should she need to jot down a quick note, a hunting knife that doubled as a personal form of protection as well, and an often replenished water bottle. More unique to her though is the addition of medical supplies ranging from cotton bandages to a small bottle of experimental pills purposed to keep her blood clots from breaking down should she be injured and typically an extra shirt.
The messenger bag itself is of the canvas style and made of a cotton material. A color similar to a earthen green, the bag has two belts fashioned from leather for the sake of keeping the pack closed and securing items placed vertically over the opening flap of the pack and ending at the bottom seam. In addition to this is a third piece of leather, softened over the years, sewn into the center of the strap to ease some of the strain to her shoulder. A front left and a front right pocket allow for additional space for smaller items that might be otherwise crushed with her larger supplies and an easier redistribution for weight. At the bottom of the right pocket is a small pin fashioned from silver of the emblem of her business: the downy feather of a Rufflet cradled carefully between two hands.
Personality:
Not one to leave a lasting first impression any more significant than that of another, Liatris Allard is a pleasant but average woman. She does not possess any particular aspect to her personality that would give anyone a reason to remember her when compared to the daring brave of the survivors or the callousness of mercenaries or even the experienced merchants whose businesses lead past the settlement. That is not to suggest that she is without her own experiences; simply that hers are of a notably more mundane nature. Liatris is more the woman one could expect to encounter in the every day element of life: the friendly face to wave to in the early mornings, the kind female to stop and chat with for a few minutes when running errands, an acquaintance whose presence would be missed in a more subtle manner simply because she is the one a person would expect to encounter in their usual routine.
Of a kind and gentle nature Liatris takes genuine appreciation in the little things that make life peaceful. She does not thirst for adventure or the excitement of change but is rather content to spend her afternoons caring for the Pokémon entrusted to her. Where one sees an opportunity of daring, she sees the possibility of trouble to come. That is not to say that she does not step out of her comfort zone from time to time so much as it is that there is a difference between dealing with trouble as it comes and actively seeking it out to a woman such as herself. When Liatris found her calling in the prime of her adolescence, she developed and nursed her nurturing instinct. She is firm when called on to be so, but prefers leniency with the understanding that sometimes a bit of mischief provides room to grow.
Despite her attempts to raise and behave with a firm hand as necessary, Liatris does struggle in standing up for herself when the conflict shifts from the behavior of Pokémon to that of her own species. It is only when one falls under the mothering eye of her personality does she assume authority with little trouble. In the case of an equal or someone more domineering though she becomes as docile as a fawn which has, in several cases, led her into troubles she never wish to be implicated to in the first place. For a woman whose childhood was spent obediently listening to each and every word to come from the mouths of her foster parents confrontation does not come easily. Coupled with her minimal social interaction with other children due to her mother's fear that none would know to be gentle enough with her, it is little wonder that she feels more comfort in taking care of Pokémon than she does in bonding with other members of her race.
Though she may gave an eased impression of friendliness and comfort in routine interactions, Liatris is not quite the woman first impressions make her out to be. She is not a cheerful optimist that spends her hours thinking of the best that has yet to come but leans more towards pessimism. Her near constant presence in the settlement has less to do with her feeling perfectly content to spend her years never knowing what lies beyond the walls (though notably it should be known that she is content with her life as it is) and more with her crippling fear of the world beyond. Liatris is trapped in the cage of insecurity and fears that her foster parents instilled in her. Though their intentions were nothing but honest and protective, they raised her into a woman that does not provide herself the room to grow and explore the person that she could have potentially been.
Likes:
Dislikes:
Backstory:
Liatris Annabeth Allard was born to a world before Mi-aro to a faceless couple that she has thought on only rarely. Only two-years-old at the time that she was taken from one land to the next, what memories she does possess of PokéEarth are not her own but rather stories passed down to her from her deceased foster mother. There are vague sensations though that have carried with her through her life of warm hands, of a constant coughing in the background, of a quiet darkness that lingered too long. These moments she likens more to the dazed sensation of a person caught between wakefulness and sleep, but no more. The hemophilia A, a medical condition inherited from her biological mother, is her only true mark of PokéEarth.
Duncan Christopher Allard and his young wife, Christina, were only twenty-years-old themselves when they crossed into Mi-aro with little Liatris. Young enough to still be shaking off the remnants of their own childhood as they struggled into maturity, their inexperience did not deter either from their fierce determination to do right by a child that was not their own. Her basic needs were placed before their own and mistakes, for many were made along the way, learned from. Neither parent was quite prepared for the difficulties of raising a child whose medical condition likened her fragility to that of a small bird, but neither regretted the decision to care for Liatris. There were moments of frustration and anger, but they did the best that they could to raise her in a loving and warm home that taught her to be good and kind in life.
One point that her foster parents argued often on, aside from the best approach to handling her hemophilia, was the subject of her background. Christina, the fiercely protective homemaker, saw little to no point in telling Liatris of the life that had been hers for two years. The child was her own regardless of the fact that her womb had not born her. Duncan, realistic and honest, felt that was only the more reason to explain to their daughter that though she was not her own she was well-loved. She was seven when her foster father put the argument to rest.
As it is told to her, Liatris and her birth parents were neighbors to the Allards. The two families bonded over a mutual struggle for survival for nearly four years prior to her birth. Her biological mother was a beautiful, but fragile woman whose medical condition made it difficult for her to be of use to her husband. She was left to smaller tasks that would not cause internal bleeding to her body and he to be her strength. Her father a man with a deep, booming laugh that always found little ways to bring a smile to her face. According to her foster father the man changed though when her mother passed not but a handful of weeks after her birth to a cause she was never told of. Her mother's death changed her father, and he sunk into a deep depression. It was this man that was then folded into the arms of a cult. As the tale goes, when Arceus came to deliver the last remnants of PokéEarth from their own damnation her father believed him to be a false prophet and refused to leave with the others. Liatris was taken from him, as her foster parents explained, because she was at such a young age that a choice of assured death should not have been made for her.
Only but a child when she learned of this she took some months to understand in detail the exact history of her background. Constant reassurances though that they would each gladly make the choice again and a frightening codependency to her foster parents aided the young Liatris in accepting the tale from which she had been born. She was dearly loved, and grateful to the couple that had taken her from her cult-crazed father to a new and what she could only assume was comfortable life in Mi-aro. All the same, it did not stop the occasional inquiries to the type of man her father, a man that would have placed the love and a chance of well-being for his daughter beneath his religious ideals, had been. She was twelve the very last time she asked after him.
Up until she was five-years-old Liatris' medical condition had been manageable. Her father was a proven and liable blood donor for home replacement therapy, the experimental drugs working, and even in lieu of these things it had been easy enough to swaddle and comfort their daughter in the warmth of their home. A careful eye was always kept on her, and she never once wandered from either parent any further than their background. Five though was a difficult age as it meant exposure to an environment not nearly as controlled or safe in the form of a trainer's school. Liatris wanted nothing more to go, her mother nothing more than for her to stay, and her father for nothing more than the best for his daughter. It was an argument that nearly ended in blows and a divorce as one accusation developed into another, but at its end the decision was made that Liatris would attend the trainer's school with other children.
Liatris enjoyed her time spent at the trainer's school. It developed her necessary social skills, but also provided her with a healthy dose of much needed independence from the Allards. She made friends with several other children, a generation born to PokéEarth but knew only of Mi-aro, and proved to be bright beyond her years. This was due to the fact that a child as young as herself with her specific medical condition was limited to the number of activities she was free to. For this reason she had been taught how to read at the age of four and spent more than a handful of hours lying on a blanket with one of her mother's Pokémon watching over her while she read. Christina's insecurities were laid to rest, Duncan's hope to do right by his daughter fulfilled, and Liatris a happy child. At least, it was so until an incident at the age of seven led to a broken arm and internal bleeding at the elbow during her play with the other children. Christina used this as a grounds to tutor their daughter in-home instead.
Though saddened to be taken from the trainer's school and the friends that she had made, Liatris did not raise even a finger to stop her mother when the woman began work with the lab to teach her the necessary subjects in-home. The long afternoons once spent giggling behind her hands with friends and eagerly following the lead of one girl and the next were soon replaced with countless hours spent under the watchful eye of an overbearing but well-meant mother. Concerned that her daughter would begin to resent her for what she had done, Christina would often take small moments throughout the day to remind her daughter of her medical condition and the fragility that it imposed on her life rather than the viciously protective mother terrified her child would break with the first fall. It was at this point in her life that Liatris' fear of wandering past the settlement truly took root.
Her adolescence was spent isolated from nearly anyone that was not her foster mother and foster father. Out of a fear that the other children wouldn't know to be gentle enough with their daughter, she was rarely allowed out to play with even the friends she had made at trainer's school. Even conversations shared in while her mother ran errands and brought her along were short at best and as the years continued on her first friends tried less and less to keep up contact with the little girl that so easily bled and the mother that was never far from her side. At the age of thirteen Liatris had to take her comforts and her company in her mother's everyday acquaintances and content herself with merely watching other groups of children from a distance.
Liatris found the first hints of her true calling at the age of sixteen. Though her mother was viciously insistent on the limited company that her daughter kept growing up, she was allowed to be kept under the careful eye of her foster parents' Pokémon. They knew to be gentle with the little Liatris and though they belonged to her parents, they spent as nearly much time comforting her as they did travelling with their masters. Each loved her dearly and treated her as one of their own, but none were quite as young as they once were and in the spring her father's Arcanine, a grizzled, old creature that loved her more than any of the others ever could, passed. Not wishing to dwell on death and still in need of a canine-Pokémon to aid him in his work, Duncan set about finding a young Growlithe. It was watching her father raise the little pup with all the gentleness in the world and seeing how fiercely she depended on him that convinced Liatris that she'd like to have something like that in her own life someday.
At the age of eighteen she approached her father on the idea of perhaps starting her own day care center. As far as Liatris was concerned, she lacked the wits and the experience that it would take to be a breeder, but she could not let go of this idea of little ones looking to her for protection and affection, however temporary it was, as compared to how she had spent her life depending on her parents. A day care center, to her, seemed the most reasonable plan: it would allow for trainers to offer Pokémon a chance to be out of their Pokéballs without diverting away from a routine that might be dangerous otherwise, and allow her to feed the quiet impulse to care for someone that wasn't herself. Duncan rather liked the thought, but used it as well as an excuse to convince his wife that it was for the best that Liatris move into a place of her own that would be better-suited to double as both a house and a day care center. He feared for his daughter's dependence on her and after several long, drawn-out arguments he loaned Liatris the money necessary to have a specially tailored home of her own, and put her into contact with several people that could aid in teaching her.
Business for Liatris is quiet, but her life is a happy one. For years she feared the possibility of mistakes, dealt with troubles as they came, and learned from what she did wrong as often as she did from what she did right, but she settled well into her small place of independence. She slowly branched out to form a network of close friends and acquaintances, found herself a routine that suited her needs, and took well to the life that she quickly formed for herself. Though not nearly the same little girl that could not make a comfortable decision without first looking to her foster mother for guidance, she still tends to avoid leaving the settlement whenever possible. Still, life could be far worse for her.
*A note to be made about her day care services; these services are not similar to what is seen of the Day Care on PokéEarth in which Pokémon were raised and trained by the workers, but rather more like a Pokémon version of a "doggie day care" or a kennel for those seeking out something a little more long-term
