Vasque Desmarais

Vasque Desmarais
"The Good Doctor"
Gender	Female
Race	Hyur
Clan	Midlander
Citizenship	Unaffiliated
Place of birth	Ishgard
Age	30
Weight	You'll wanna make her a sandwich.

★Vasque is a physician and surgeon, as well as a traditional conjuror/arcanist-type healer. She studies crystals and aether and their applications in medicine, and is fascinated by the history of medicine, as well as anatomy and physiology. If your character has a similar bent, hit her up! She's always looking for fellow sawbones.

Basic Info

Vasque Desmarais is an intellectual powerhouse wrapped in a small, blonde shell. There is nothing that doesn't interest her, nothing that she doesn't wish to know more of. Her gift manifests itself in an almost profound grasp of language and emotion, one that brings both comfort and strife to her life, and the lives of those around her. Vasque's life has taken her all over the world, and for the most part her experiences, both good and bad, have made her more understanding and kind. Despite that, she most certainly has high expectations of people and does not suffer fools gladly. Her standards for herself are high, and she often doesn't understand why other people are not so demanding on their character.

★You can generally assume any personal character knowledge here is NOT something easily accessible on an IC level! Vasque is very private and keeps her own counsel.

LIKES ■ Rain / Thunderstorms ■ Medicine / Research ■ Cooking ■ Books ■ Taking care of others ■ Redecorating her space ■ Intellectualism

DISLIKES ■ Violence ■ Willful ignorance ■ Snakes ■ Maliciousness ■ Xenophobes

OTHER ■ Vice(s): Lust, workaholism, not taking care of her own health. ■ Food: Alligator Salad [1] ; Cho's teriyaki on ANYTHING. ■ Favorite Drink: Wine

Appearance

Vasque is petite and slim with very pale blonde hair and large, inquisitive hazel eyes. Her body is fit and toned, mainly because she enjoys running and training at skills and jobs she is never likely to use. Full of energy and rarely still, Vasque is constantly on the go. Her metabolism runs at full tilt, and she often has trouble keeping on weight. Coupled with a workaholic personality and some history of serious hunger, food often falls off Vasque's radar, closely followed by her clothes falling off her body.

Her face is very pretty, prettier than she herself realizes, and this gives Vasque a sweet unselfconsciousness that seems to draw in those around her. She's got more than her share of admirers, and finds herself having to "let 'em down easy" more often than she would like. She dresses well, and prefers to wear black, white, pink, and red.

Eyes	Hair	Skin	Body Type	Voice	Clothing	Notable Features
Pale Hazel, almost wheaten	Very pale blonde, almost towhead in spots	Pale, like cream or porcelain	Petite and fit	Educated and lilting, with a hint of Ishgardian accent to it, unnoticeable to most.	She likes to look good. Especially in pink or red.	Two beauty marks on her face, one on her right cheek, and the other under her bottom lip, to the left.

Behavior & Personality

Vasque is bright and quick, and she makes friends easily, but she tends to get lost in her own thoughts. An excellent doctor, she is much in demand for both her medical skills and her professionalism, and sometimes she finds herself overwhelmed by the demands of her busy company. She likes to curl up in her room with her mate, Chokho, or a book, when she needs to unwind.

She is a "pleaser" and often goes out of her way to make others happy, even at her own expense. She has recently been working on saying "no" and making what she herself wants a priority, but she occassionally falls into old habits and says things she cannot ever make good on.

Vasque has a very hard time with willful ignorance and stupidity; she will go out of her way to teach or help someone, but the moment they display any hard-headedness about something that is factually wrong, she practically writes them off, and it is very hard to get back into her good graces once she has done so.

Skills

★Not all Vasque's skills are reflected by her in-game job. She is gifted in magics but is also a surgeon, a researcher, and a scientist. Additionally, an aetherically sensitive individual would find Vasque simply -brimming- with the stuff, like a wellspring of magical capability just waiting for an outlet.

Vasque is a gifted doctor and surgeon. Raised almost entirely by her librarian/researcher father, she has been studying the natural world since she was a very small child. Naturally bright and inquisitive, Vasque turns her considerable knowledge and talent toward any professional problem she encounters, and often will make connections cross-discipline that are astonishing and insightful. Fluent in several languages, including ancient ones, she has spent many years studying history, philosophy, religion, and linguistics. She sometimes reverts to Ishgardian when under extreme duress, it being the language of her earliest years.

Vasque has spent much of her life in the study of anatomy and physiology, and her skills in non-magic healing are formidable. Though she is well-versed in arcanima and conjury, it is often her skills as a surgeon that save lives, especially in situations were her patients are aetherically-sensitive.

Though Vasque tends toward traditional conjury and arcanima, she is gifted aetherically and has developed some of her own procedures in aetheric healing. She pushes the boundaries of what is 'do-able' and never doubts that she can make something happen...with enough practice and determination.

All this focus on intellectual pursuits hides somewhat Vasque's lack of talent as a fighter. She is physically fit and not at all clumsy, but weaponskills do not come easily to her, even when she works at it. Though she did for a time make an attempt to follow her mate's path into shinobi, Vasque now recognizes that her true gifts are in healing, and she has made peace with the fact that she cannot be good at -everything-. She is content to let the talented fighters in her company take charge, and she is more than willing to patch them up when they come home from their battles.

Biography

CHILDHOOD

The Banner of her Homeland

Vasque Elisabeth Desmarais was born the second child to Laurence Desmarais and Elisabeth Binoche in Ishgard. Laurence was a renowned researcher and librarian for the Holy See, and his scholarship in the fields of history, philosphy, and language were both the source of his fame and his reason for eventually fleeing to Coerthas. Vasque's mother was one of the dragoons of legend, and was killed in the Dragonsong wars when Vasque was a very small child. Her older brother, Julien Laurence, died as a boy in Ishgard under circumstances Vasque herself never talks about.

After the death of her mother and brother, Vasque's father become more reckless and outspoken about his scholarship, drawing unwanted attention from the Holy See and the Inquisitors. Worried for his small daughter, he packed little Vasque up, along with a few precious volumes and a family scrapbook, and headed south into Coerthas.

Easily finding work at the Observatorium, Laurence settled in and began once again to work on his scholarship, drawing attention via his masterful publications about astronomy throughout the ages. Vasque was brought everywhere with him, thanks to a paranoia about leaving her anywhere out of his sight, and her father never spoke to her as a child, but always an equal. Vasque thrived under his tutelage, and her every interest was indulged, making her a prodigy in not only the eyes of her father, but his fellow researchers.

Vasque as a young girl

When Vasque was about seven, her father received an offer to become one of the Head Librarians at the prestigious Gridanian Library, and he accepted with gracious excitement. The opportunities for his gifted young daughter were numerous, and soon Vasque was being tutored by some of Gridania's most talented scholars. Vasque was fortunate to land several apprenticeships and her drive and talent won her the respect of her masters. By the time she was fourteen, her focus was almost exclusively on medicine.

YOUNG ADULTHOOD

Vasque continued to study, forging ahead of her peers and indeed her fellow scholars in the fields of anatomy and physiology. Her father's sensitivity to aether made learning alternative medicines a priority for her, and she would often beg, borrow, and even steal bodies upon which to learn. Though her obsession with cadavers disturbed some, Vasque was undeterred and her insistence on this field of scholarship has saved the lives of many.

ADULTHOOD

The Calamity changed Vasque's life forever; her beloved father was killed when a flaming tree collapsed onto their home in the Shroud. His loss is something Vasque never really got over, and she poured all her energy into the recovery effort, working tirelessly to help the wounded. She gave herself over to her scholarship once the dust had settled, locking herself away in the recesses of her mind to try and forget the profound loss.

A turning point came when Vasque one of the victims of a rash of kidnappings by pirates and forced into slavery aboard the ship "Jackdaw." Repeated blows to the head during her abduction rendered her completely without memory when she awoke aboard the ship; all she new was her name, and the only possession she owned was a simple leather collar that had been made for her by someone Vasque no longer remembered.

Fresh off the Boat

Vasque's considerable intellect had little else to focus on while she was slaving away shipboard, and she learned the ins and outs of sailing, navigation, marine life, and more; when she was doing hard labor, all her thoughts were focused on trying to remember who she was.

Eventually, her ship was boarded and sunk off the coast of Limsa Lominsa, and Vasque clung to flotsam and was washed ashore believing herself to be a sailor far younger than she really was. She ran into few people she knew, but one contact, Nazeru Auronas, would prove to be the link to her past that eventually brought Vasque's memory back.

Vasque was taken in by Nazeru and joined her Free Company, Eclipsis, making many new friends there, including Chokho Viqqoh, who would eventually become the most important person in Cho's life. Vasque's journey to remembering was a rocky one, full of tumultuous relationships both personal and workaday, and led to her finally leaving that company to join a more active one that had a need for a talented doctor.

PRESENT DAY

Northern Exposure

Vasque is currently an Officer as well as Head Doctor for the Free Wing Society. Additionally, she visits the Doman refugees and Little Ala Mhigo, offering her services free of charge for those who need them. Much of her attention is turned North, and recently she served as a doctor on the front lines of the Ishgardian conflict, seeing for herself how desperately the Holy See needs help from her sister City-States.

She currently lives in Gridania with her mate, Chokho Viqqoh, and the two of them are happily ensconced in a room in their Free Company estate. Together they are carving out a relationship that is a mixture of both their traditions, and they eagerly anticipate a long and happy life together.

RUMORS

Some of these rumors are untrue or are greatly exaggerated. Please feel free to add your own rumors under PC!

◢ Common Rumors (Easily overheard)

■ "That girl can carry her liquor and sing a shanty, but she's no pirate."

■ "Always seems to have some girl hanging on her every word...she seems clueless, though"

■ "She saved my kid brother in the camps in Ala Mhigo. Good doctor."

◢ Moderate Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear)

■ "Heard she cuts up corpses. No idea where she gets 'em."

■ "She's always with that black miqo'te...strange, both of 'em."

■ "Ishgardian name on a hyur...wonder if she's one of them Inquisitors."

◢ Rare Rumors (Very difficult or rarely overheard)

■ "Be curious to know just how many bodies she's stolen...seen her in the dead of night up around the cemetery at Drybone."

◢ PC Rumors (Rumors from the characters of other players)

■ "She's an amazing doctor, and an all-around smarty-pants. I'm glad I get to have her as a friend." - Cassandra Lachance

(Add your own if you know Vasque!))

RELATIONS

♥ Romantic Interest    ♥ Interest     ● Good Standing     ● Watching

♥ Chokho Viqqoh - Vasque and Chokho met when they were dating other people, and their first encounter started off poorly but quickly improved. Within weeks they were the best of friends, though there was something under the surface that made Vasque wonder. Over time, they became very close, and difficult relationships drew them closer until, finally, they both proclaimed their love. Cho continues to be the most important person in Vasque's life.

● Aldyet Lannis - Aldyet was Vasque's first serious relationship, and she fell very hard for this sweet paladin, eventually accepting her marriage proposal. Poor decisions throughout their relationship drove a wedge between them that eventually could not be ignored, and the two parted ways, though Aldyet remains important to Vasque and will always have a place in her heart.

♥ Ennara Calian - Ennara and Vasque originally met through Nazeru while Vasque's memory was gone, and a one-night-stand left both of them feeling ambivalent. A chance encounter later made them rethink their initial impressions, and Vasque found in Ennara someone who shared her intellectual interests. Soon, time researching and talking drew them closer, and now Vasque considers Ennara one of her closest friends and confidants.

♥ X'raena Tsuhne - Vasque met Raena when she was taking care of a mutual friend, and the two became closer when Vasque developed a medicine to ease Raena's symptoms. On-and-off-again lovers, Vasque is fond of the miqo'te and hopes things work out for her in her own relationship.

● Ciciru Ciru - This wisecracking teenage lalafell got Vasque's attention in Pearl Lane when she was in dire need of medical help; Vasque has been her guardian ever since. Through her learning to read, to her becoming a miqo'te to stave off death by poison, Ciciru is the kid sister Vasque never had.

● Lyuri Felnica - Vasque met Lyuri purely by chance when she saw the woman wandering around looking lost and sad. Their first conversations piqued Vasque's curiosity, and eventually Vasque would be called upon to save Lyuri's life. They remain friends, though Vasque is often unsure of what Lyuri is really thinking.

● Skratti Bowens - Vasque met Skratti after she'd disappeared without a trace, and after handling a significant medical problem, the two became friends. Skratti seems intimidated by Vasque, though, and the two are not much more than acquaintances.

● Nazeru Auronas - Nazeru remains one of Vasque's most difficult and rocky relationships. A lot of strife, pain, and misunderstanding have driven the two of them to separate sides of the world, but a mutual attraction and undeniable affection somehow draw them together like magnets. Vasque keeps an eye on Nazeru, and speaks with her now and then, but she knows they are explosive when they get too close.

● Salem Nuhn - Salem's reveal about his past gave Vasque an unexpected gift, and though she does not see him often, he remains in her heart.

● Xiao Ohmsford - Cho's little sister is one of the most important people to Vasque, and someone she would do anything for; indeed, Vasque has taught Xiao to read and to cook, as well as how to better interpret her enigmatic big sister. She wishes they were closer and that she had more time to spend with the girl.

● Ludivine Goultard - Vasque and Ludi had a brief burst of mutual attraction that they both agreed was best left alone; Ludi remains important to Vasque, and she keeps an eye on her.

● Cassandra Lachance - Vasque knows there is more to this young woman than she lets on, but whatever Vasque herself has discovered, she keeps a lid on.

● X'Kohu Tia - Kohu manages to drive Vasque crazy with his mix of boyish charm and complete disregard for propriety. Recently, Kohu has asked to apprentice under Vasque and so she is currently working on a curricula for him, though she doesn't believe he has the makings of a truly devoted doctor.

● Alexaria Whiteraven - This friend of Cho is a mystery to Vasque, and they became acquainted under less than idea circumstances. Vasque doesn't really -get- Alex, but she knows her importance to Cho and hopes someday to mend the rift between them.

● R'shanah Fehxi - Shanah came to Free Wing during a recent recruitment wave, and within a short time managed to nearly blow her hand off. Vasque saved the hand, and gained a friend in the doing. She fully expects the girl to blow herself up someday, and tries, for now, to at least keep her patched up.

● R'miki Levellen - Mikiki Miki, as she was first known to Vasque, was a strange little lalafell with a penchant for women's undergarments and smutty fiction. Over time, Miki has grown into her own, and Vasque gets a kick out of the spirited woman.

Inspiration

A few of the pieces I like best are showcased below:

I Don't Know - Vasque genuinely loves people and sees the good in everyone around her, even in the little things. She notices much and misses little.

Our Love Is Easy - The anthem of Vasque's love for Cho.

Classical Gas - Vasque's mind never stops working, never hesitates, and this relentless and syncopated piece brings that to mind.

Two of Us - "We're on our way home."

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Template credit goes to Bancroft Gairn... Stolen via Cho. All thanks to them both.