Courisse -Eolyn's Lady in Waiting

:: OOC ::
Moniker:
JQ
How did you hear about us?:
CoFounder


:: Character Information ::
Name:
Courisse /Nickname: Issa or Rissi

Pronunciation:
Cor eese

Title:
Lady/ Headwoman

Honourific:
N/A

Age/ Turn of Birth:
22/ 480 AL (Half a turn older than her Lady Eolyn)

Gender:
Female

Place of Birth:
Igen River Hold

Place of Residence:
Telgar River Hold

Craft:
N/A

Occupation/ Role:
Headwoman of Telgar River Hold

Character Aspirations:
To be of best service to her Lady Eolyn and follow her wherever she goes. She and Eolyn are blood kin but also best friends and she can’t imagine her life without her best friend. She does dream about having a handsome Hold boy to marry one day, but doesn’t feel it’s her place to dream of such thing. Her focus is supposed to be her Lady’s desires, not her own. Mostly, she just wants to have fun and get into minor mischief. She hasn’t thought too terribly much about her own long term future.


Family:
✣Father: Garin, Holder of Igen River Hold (442)
✣Mother: Lucina, Lady Holder of Igen River Hold (448)
✣Siblings: Garet, future Holder of Igen River Hold (475), Kendria (478),  Nathen (482)
✣Children:
✣Other Significant: Her best friend and cousin, Lady Eolyn, (480); Cousin & former lover Zahir, Heir to Igen Hold. He is the father of her son.


Appearance:


✣Face: Abbie Cornish
✣Hair: Pale golden blonde hair measuring to mid-back length is naturally wavy.
✣Eyes: Dusky Cerulean Blue
✣Height: 5’4”
✣Build: Petite frame with just enough extra weight on her to add a little roundness to her hips and make her not seem quite as frail. She is not athletic, but does work to maintain her figure -if not because she accompanies her Lady Eolyn for such things.
✣Other Notable Traits: N/A
✣Style of Dress:Pearl-drop earrings, a pearl necklace and pearl hair pins all with golden settings; single golden ring is worn on one hand.  At the nape of her neck, a length of her hair is left down for spiraling curls to be twisted over her shoulder and atop the crown of her head might either be worn a cute, fashionable hat or perhaps ribbons and feathers where the fanciful pearl hair pins decorate the twists of her golden hair.
Though she shares dresses with Lady Eolyn, she tries to never out-dress her, so she adjusts her attire accordingly depending on the occasion and Eolyn’s mood.
Her own dresses are typically of similar style, fabric and colour as that of Lady Eolyn as a symbol of her status and connection with the Lady.
Her corset is steel boned to create the silhouette of latest fashion. Sheer frilly underpinnings are appropriately donned and lace garters hold white stockings into place at the thigh, tying into place with wide satin ribbons.
✣Possessions usually found on persona:
✣Small dagger either in her purse or tucked under her garter
✣Parasol or decorative hand fan
✣a small tin of Lip rouge
✣a small tin of Wax perfumer
✣Linen handkerchief



History:
✣Born in the splendor of Igen River Hold, Courisse was a middle child of four. Her childhood was without much dram and she lived happily as a Holder's daughter tucked away within the safety of the Hold. She was allowed to spend time outdoors of course, but her love of being outside didn't truly germinate until she grew a little older.


✣488, the turn of her 8th birthday, she was taken from her home in Igen River Hold to be placed in the care of Igen Hold itself. There, Courisse was given to the company of her cousins, but primarily Eolyn. They were to grow up together and Courisse was to become Eolyn’s closest confidant. From this time forward, she would focus more on her Lady’s desires than her own, and she would learn to be a proper Lady worthy of being in the company of Lady Eolyn as she grew older. Similarly, she would learn, like Eolyn, to be a proper Holder’s wife -though she may probably never see a marriage to a Lord Holder like Eolyn might. One could always hope for the best however!

Moving to Igen Hold was an adventure to Courisse and the two young girls got along famously from the start as they began their schooling together. Courisse was so happy with living at Igen; sharing a room with Eolyn and sharing clothes, having pillow fights at night and getting to play the part of Eolyn’s spy at times. Usually, Courisse wanted them to sleep in the same bed because she was more comfortable that way at first, after leaving the comfort of her own home. Gradually, especially after getting her own nice big bed, she slept separately from Eolyn  but to this day, still enjoys cuddling up with her sworn sister.

Though it was hard work, life in Igen Hold was fun for her. Eolyn had also seen to it that Courisse be given the same respects and authority she herself had; after all they were sworn sisters. Through the age of 8-14 the girls began attending special instruction daily to teach them all of the arts proper of a Lady of good breeding. They would study dance and song, reading and writing, healer craft, cook craft and beginning tasks of assisting the Headwoman.


✣ The turn of 495, from the age of 15 on, expectations had been set higher for both the girls. Since they were no longer children anymore, they had to act like it. Maturity was required of them to the fullest of their capacity. This was definitely a stressful period of growing up for both girls though Courisse felt guilty that she hadn’t been kept quite as hectic a schedule as Eolyn. All eyes were on Eolyn -thereby putting Courisse under close watch as well.


✣ When entering the latter stages of her teens, Courisse experienced her own sense of rebelliousness regarding these things as she was developing her own identity as a young adult. Courisse has always possessed some sense about being a proper young lady, but at this time in her life, she was not as restrained about her curiosities, and often made excuses to get out of lessons early or be reassigned to duties that weren’t regular for her in order to allow her a change of pace and a little more freedom in some cases.


✣498 -Courisse had always gotten along fairly well with Eolyn’s brother because he didn’t pick on her as much as he did his sister since Courisse didn’t have the same fearful reactions to him and Zahir and Eolyn’s younger sister did spend quite a bit of time playing together growing up. As they grew older and more adult curiosities entered her mind, those feelings of friendship turned toward feelings of intimate affections that cousins might ought not want to share -nor should a proper Lady awaiting to be wed. When Courisse turned 18, the friendly flirtations and teasing were taken several steps further. For Courisse however, her feelings for Zahir began to go beyond that of lustful ardor; Courisse felt as though she truly loved Zahir and that she was one of few people beside his parents that understood him very well.  Whenever they could -which wasn’t terribly often- they would share intimate relations in private. Courisse has kept the depth of her relationship with her cousin a secret though has divulged that she really adores him.


✣ At the age of 21, Courisse found out that she was pregnant. It was Zahir’s baby. She and the Heir of Igen had been having a secret love affair for some time before the inevitable happened. The Lord Holder was livid with them both, so it was only with the help of her Lady Eolyn and Eolyn’s fiance Riahn, that she escaped the fullness of his wrath.

Courisse fled to Telgar River Hold with her Lady, but was only allowed to travel with them there if she agreed to give her child up to a foster mother once she had the baby. In this way, she would start her life over, and do what was necessary to restore her honour and possibly some sense of marriage eligibility. So it was then, that once the baby was born, the son was given to a healer there at the Hold, so that she could also, from a distance, keep an eye on her son.

In this time, Courisse was also given the position of Headwoman, in order to better asssist Telgar River Hold’s new Lady, Eolyn.




Personality:
✣ Not always optimistic, but at least she’s usually happy. To many she would probably seem a bit care-free.
✣Easy to get along with for the most part, she does try to play the devils advocate to protect her cousin Eolyn at times, but is usually quite happy letting Eolyn have her way no matter what the case.
✣Somewhat talkative, but not so when situation calls for it.
✣Kind toward others of all walks of life in that she does not look down on others simply because of their breeding or their occupation etc. She speaks only kindly of and kindly to Eolyn. She is always appropriate with her words, though she has been known to use a few foul terms with certain individuals to set them straight before; especially if they threaten any sort of indecency to herself and Lady Eolyn. She is not beyond reprimanding others for their shortcomings for Eolyn’s sake.
✣Overall, she’s pretty tough when life calls for it. She’s resilient for a girl.
✣Spunky. Because of this outgoing, spritely spirit, though she typically acts within the bounds of  expectation of her station in life.
✣Dutiful to the last, both because she has a keen sense for her place as a Hold bred woman in life, but also because she loves her cousin immensely.
✣Protective of Lady Eolyn; of her physical self and her honour.
✣Feminine and frilly, cutesy and lady like -for the most part. She embraces her feminine side. Periodically a more rebellious streak shows through that likes to test the boundaries of what is appropriate and inappropriate for girls however.
✣Can be spontaneous & fun loving. Enjoys games and things that add a little mischief and spice to daily life. If her Lady Eolyn is at all shy about taking risks, Corisse is the first one to jump at the opportunity to do something a little daring. She can sometimes be quite the instigator but she is rarely inappropriate about their activities and what she would get Lady Eolyn involved in. It’s always just for fun.
✣Exaggerates in the telling of stories & how things really are-she must have quite a childish imagination!
✣Curious as a cat, she will try sticking her nose into anything until it begins offending her own sense of propriety -though, again, she’s been known to test those boundaries.



Shortcomings:
✣On the rare occasion is known to speak her mind as a lady shouldn’t, which has gotten her in trouble in the past, but she is too much of a free spirit to harness her words too much.
✣Feels little inhibition about not being 100% honest all the time and doesn’t always care the outcome of her half-truths or lies which can be a bit tarnishing of her reputation or harmful to others as well. That said, she is not a compulsive liar either.
✣She might express her niceness, but she’s not a natural, angelic do-gooder all the time, but sometimes she does envy Eolyn’s compassionate spirit. Though she is more than happy to assist when Eolyn decides to go beyond expectations to do good on behalf of others, she herself is not normally inclined to go out of her way to help others. Everyone has their own problems, why take on more than her share? As she grows older, this trait may diminish.


Mannerisms/ Habits:
✣ ”Eehhh!?” -in expression of surprise or disbelief when she’s heard the latest gossip etc. Usually followed by some other expression like, “Is it really true?!”, “Oh! That rascal! I knew he was up to no good!”


Skills/ Likes:
✣[Accessories]: Whimsical things, girly things, silly things, pretty things, shiny things, anything that amuses her and might in some way increase the ‘cuteness’ or ‘femininity’ she possesses.
✣[Stage Plays]:  Like the Drama TV of the Ancients, this is one of her escapes. She really enjoys watching the actings, the costumes, and getting really excited about the stories they have to tell, usually exaggerating the whole thing to outrageous proportion by herself in the re-telling, even if the play itself wasn’t already done in such a way.
✣[Runners]: Riding on the back of a runner gives her a sense of freedom and escape from the expectations and confines of Hold life when she feels too tied down.
✣[Sweets, Food & Drink]: In moderation sweets are good for you, and they’re all delectable! Food must be prepared properly and by those who have a sense of Taste for such things; she herself enjoys being on the receiving end of such talent, no matter what the food is. And Similar to sweets, she enjoys wine on appropriate occasions, and when her Lady allows it, maybe a little in excess. As long as she’s having fun!


Unskilled at/ Dislikes:
✣[Winter]: Winter time is not as long lived in the south but only means that there’s less time to enjoy romping about out of doors; that leaves her in a downtrodden mood feeling miserable having to bundle up and stay indoors more.
✣[Snobs]: As a relative realist, she hates when people act stuck up toward her or others. First of all, she is a Lady and not one to be looked down upon. Secondly, how does anyone have the right to assume they’re better than someone else to give such a snooty attitude? Though Courisse feels this way, it might be said at times that she herself can act a little uppity towards others on occasion.


Fighting Style/ Weapon of Choice:
Small dagger is her weapon, but really she would probably forget she had the thing and end up running for her life.

:: Distinguished Persons' Information ::
Character Views on Thread:
if there are dragons, they must be on Pern for a reason. Holders wouldn’t tithe without good reason either. But... maybe the men folk of the Hold and Weyrleaders know something that they aren’t telling anyone else. What a conspiracy! If that is the case, she must find out!


Character Views on Hold/ Weyr Relationships:
Courisse doesn’t care much if one hold gets along with another -likewise with the Weyrs. She doesn’t see how it affects her much and if the Weyrs never fly thread, they have their fortressed holds to bar themselves into. That’s what they were built for after all. Not to mention, if there was a little more dischord, it would make things all the more exciting and all the more for her to go noseying into.

Experience in Hold Management:
✣Like her Lady Eolyn, Lady Courisse began assisting the Headwoman at a young age with simple tasks which gradually evolved into more involved participation as they grew older. Courisse likes assisting the Headwoman; she feels pretty adept at delegating tasks to others and getting to be a little bossy.

✣Courisse always enjoyed being able to help maintain the Hold living spaces. There were always ancient treasures about, tapestries from another age, strange pictures that the ancients left behind or books falling apart with age that promised to reveal intriguing secrets of the world.

✣Helping to oversee food storage and food supply delegation -including some gardening- was always fun to Courisse. She enjoyed being able to reap the benefits of working in the kitchen areas where all of the delectable treats were prepared -she would always try to be the first one to sneak a bite before mealtime and whenever Eolyn’s parents often refused her any sweets, Courisse snuck them back to their room with her to share with Eolyn later on.

✣Assisting healers was by no means her favourite task. She wasn’t afraid of getting her hands dirty a little, but blood always bothered her and she wouldn’t admit it, but she was sensitive enough towards others feelings, she truly hated to see others in such discomfort; it made her feel sick sometimes. Courisse found assisting the healers a somewhat dreadful task and always disliked having to accompany her Lady Eolyn for it. She knew her duty was to assist Eolyn in all things and to go with her everywhere for the most part, but there were times she did approach the Lady Holder about being able to attend other tasks separately while Eolyn was with the healers.

✣Serving as Telgar River Hold’s Headwoman.