chanteuse

Name: Lila Josephine Turner

Age: 24

Gender: Female

Type: Aspect

Appearance:

Lila's tall, at 5'8", with the slender but strong build of a dancer. She's fair-skinned, with wavy chestnut hair that she keeps long, and big brown eyes framed by thick lashes. She's fine-featured, with prominent cheekbones and something of a pointy chin, but it tends to give her a mischievous, elfin countenance that she uses to good effect. She has full lips and a wide, easy smile that can be both innocent or seductive, depending on the circumstances. She prefers stylish skirts and blouses for everyday wear, though she has a decent collection of burlesque costumes and evening gowns for her performances at the club.

Personality:

Lila's something of a loner by nature; if given the choice between going out with friends or staying home with a good book, she'll choose the book almost every time. That doesn't mean she's unfriendly - she's usually got at least a nod and a smile for any passing acquaintance. When she is in the mood for socialization, she's an engaging conversationalist with a frequently dry sense of humor. A very naive girl, she's not exactly stupid about the way things work in the city's underbelly, but she doesn't truly understand the depths to which it can reach. She tries not to let it affect her - playing by the rules is what's keeping her and her mother alive and fed, and she doesn't exactly favor the idea of following in her father's footsteps. Despite her surface knowledge of her bosses' depravity, her lingering naivete has given her something of a hidden romantic side - she wants love, but isn't all that good at finding it. She tends to fall for all the wrong guys - usually the first ones to show interest, regardless of how their personalities mesh. It means she gets hurt a lot, but she doesn't give up. Her anger is slow-growing and never lasts long - Lila's definitely got some whipping-girl tendencies to her.

Sexuality:

Straight

Constants:

Rapunzel:

Responsible for parental debts - you know how they say children shouldn't be held responsible for the sins of their fathers? Well, in this case they are. Doesn't matter which parent screwed the pooch (in this case, her mother), now it's up to her to fix things and get poor mom out of hot water.

Sequestered - This is a hard person to get to know. Plenty visible from afar, potential acquaintances (or more) will find it tough to get close to her. Whether it's physically, blocked by walls, distance, or security, or mental (as she'd much rather stay closed up at home and keeps to herself), hopeful suitors or even friends will find it hard to get past those walls without her cooperation.

Inspires obsession - perhaps it's because she seems so untouchable, or just because she's a pretty girl singing in a nightclub. Whatever it is, she just can't seem to avoid those creepy stalkers. From the KS boys who just had to have her sing to the random schmoe in the audience who 'just wants to get to know her better', she can't avoid the guys who follow her home or scheme their way into her dressing room.

City History:

If only Lila's mother hadn't had that little drug problem, Lila would've had a pretty happy life. Poorer than a churchmouse, but relatively happy (as happy as one can be in Eidolon City, at least.) She was the only child of James (Jimmy) and Geraldine Turner - James was a dock worker and Geraldine a waitress at a local diner. Neither had gotten around to finishing high school, not when an unexpected pregnancy led to a shotgun wedding and Geraldine kicked out of the house. There was money to be made, and the Turners set out to make some of it.

Lila was born six months after the wedding, a cheerful little girl with a ready smile, and instantly had her parents wrapped around her finger. She was good-natured and rarely fussed, which was good because while her parents were at work Lila was looked after by the kind old woman in the upstairs apartment. James and Geraldine had been doing okay financially before she was born, making just enough to keep themselves afloat with a little put aside for savings. Raising a child ate into the savings after a while though, and while things were manageable, they were also stressful. Until a coworker gave Geraldine her first hit of the white dragon, which ended up being the first step down a slippery slope.

She kept her vice a secret from Jimmy, but she was driving the family deeper and deeper into debt with her habit. When time came to pay her debts, she didn't have the funds, and the whole mess came to light. That was when the Konovich Syndicate made them an offer. They needed another errand boy and occasional muscle - as long as James was a good little boy, they'd keep Geraldine supplied with the drugs she needed and look the other way on the debts owed. Stupid and desperate for an out, James took the offer. So James worked for the KS, doing whatever they told him to do until he was so deep in the business that even if he'd wanted out, he couldn't have done it. Lila wassixteen when the deal was struck.

Life was hard, but not impossible for Lila. She'd stayed with Mildred, the old woman upstairs, until she was old enough to go to school, then came home in the evenings to help her mother cook and clean - when she was sober enough to manage the tasks. More than once, the full job fell to Lila to complete. It was at Mildred's that she first learned to sing and dance - Mildred was a retired cabaret performer, and saw promise in young Lila early on. Lila and Mildred spent their days exploring cabaret, Mildred patiently teaching Lila how to hone and polish the natural talent she'd been given. She made decent grades, enough for a university if she could ever get out of town (unlikely), and took small shifts at the diner where her mother worked whenever she could. Her mother, when not lost in a drugged haze, insisted Lila finish school and get her diploma, unlike her parents. Lila did, however, immediately take full-time work at the diner as soon as she'd graduated.

Lila came to the unfortunate attention of the Konovich Syndicate one evening when James had one of the KS toughs up for dinner; he overheard Lila singing in the kitchen and James, like an idiot, bragged about her talent. Word got back to the higher ups of a performer that was sure to bring in money, and the KS went back to James with a new deal: give them Lila to sing at their clubs and both his debt and obligation to the family would be erased, no sign of him ever having worked for the KS. Jimmy, being the too-trusting moron that he was, agreed to the deal and the Konovich Syndicate erased his obligations by the expedient manner of dumping his body, complete with gunshot wound to the head, off the docks. He knew too much to just be let go; stupid Jimmy failed to consider that little fact. It left Lila and Geraldine in dire straits - they didn't make enough with their diner wages to pay all the bills, and Geraldine was in increasingly hot water at the diner as her drug habit interfered. That was when Lila was approached by a Konovich representative, who offered her a job at a cabaret club. It paid much more than what Lila was currently making - and for someone who was practically down to the last can of beans, it was an offer that couldn't be refused.

A fresh-faced twenty, Lila started off in a smaller club, singing whatever shifts she was given, doing a few burlesque numbers, and ended up a surprise hit. She'd always loved singing and dancing, so to be making enough money to take care of her mother while doing something she enjoyed was a rare opportunity. She eventually worked her way up to performing at The Kitten Club, where the money was better even after the cut that was taken out and she could draw a bigger crowd. Geraldine did her best to kick her habit, and though she's doing a little better, Lila still comes home now and again to find her mother in a drugged stupor. She's always sorry, and Lila always forgives her. Stupidly optimistic, Lila thinks one day she's going to have worked off her family's debt and will be able to leave Eidolon City to seek fortune and fame.

Special Skills and Abilities:

Singing and dancing, that's about it. She's not a bad hand at sewing clothes and costumes and knows her way around a pair of knitting needles, but she's not outstanding at anything but her job.

Weaknesses:

Naive: For someone working for the mob in order to keep food on the table and the occasional drugs in her mother's pocket, Lila's surprisingly naive. She knows who she's working for and why, yet even with her father's disappearance and the threat overhead that it can happen to her and her mother anytime, she still thinks they're going to let her go once her family's debt has been worked off.

Phobia: Lila is absolutely terrified of thunder and lightning. Normal rain? Little showers and drizzle? No problem. But throw in the sound and light show and she's done for. She has near panic attacks, complete with shaking, dizziness, and trouble breathing. And if a storm hits around performance time? Better hope there's a substitute act to take her place. She gets a hit on her paycheck whenever it happens, but not even the financial motivation can get her onstage when she's freaking out.

Gullible: Lila's everyone's favorite sucker. Tell her 'gullible' is written on the ceiling or isn't listed in the dictionary and she'll be a wide-eyed believer until proven otherwise. She's particularly susceptible when it comes to people; combined with her naivete and natural optimism, Lila's always willing to believe the best in people, no matter how many times she's proven wrong. She expects people to behave honorably (at least to her) and can be lied to or coerced into doing something time and time again without even questioning it.

Subject of Obsession: Whether because it's one of the downfalls of having a fairytale aspect or because she's a popular nightclub entertainer (hint: it's both), Lila seems to inspire obsession. Certain people just seem to fixate on her, and more than once she's needed assistance or an escort home to keep a creepy stalker from trying to take liberties (or souvenirs.)

Strengths:

Dependable: If Lila's got anything going for her, it's that she's dependable to a fault. She'll keep secrets, fulfill her obligations, and always be there for friends and family alike.

Optimistic: Lila's of the belief that things will generally work out okay. It's not to say that she's a happy little Mary Sunshine all the time - but for someone in her city, in her circumstances, 'content' is about as good as one can aspire to be. And she's okay with that. As long as she can provide for her mother and they're healthy and able to work, she can usually see the silver lining around the clouds.

Family or Connections:

Works at a club owned by the Konovich Syndicate. Mother: Geraldine Turner.

Residence:

A tiny two-bedroom apartment near St. Peter's.

Career:

Burlesque dancer/singer at The Kitten Club

PB: Katharine McPhee

Other Information:

Lila's handwriting can be downloaded here!

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