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Blaine Gerard: a history

Blaine Gerard, born Genevieve de Coeur, was raised by a wealthy family of Great Forks. They were to marry her to a godling of power and influence in the region upon the arrival of her menarche, her first blood.

That day came much later than most would have expected, at fifteen years of age. It was as if she had somehow purposefully willed her body to deny the blossoming of womanhood for as long as possible. As her teenage years progressed, her body grew slender and boyish, while her features grew pleasing to the eye: fair and silver-tressed, with eyes of cerulean blue. But in defiance of her femininity, Genevieve took to wearing masculine clothing when she left the house, binding her breasts and braiding her hair back into a boyish tail. Often mistaken for a boy during her escapades, she found this immensely pleasing. For her male persona she took on the name Blaine Gerard, practicing near daily to look and act the part. It became somewhat of an obsession for her, a game, a way to escape from the expectations that she felt creeping upon her.

But a deal was a deal, and only days after her birthday, the godling's servants came for her as she returned to the estate that was her home, accompanied by her expectant parents. She vehemently refused to go; things became progressively more violent. It was then that she made her first grand escape, with the help of an unexpected gift: her Exaltation. But back then, she had no idea what had occured, only that a beautiful, seemingly phantasmal woman-of-arms had emerged fully realized from her body, accompanied by the howl of defiant winds, as cryptic words urged her on with a warning: "Run -- this is not your fate."

In the ensuing chaos, Genevieve did just that. Her body seemed impossibly light as air, her legs nimble and unhindered by fatigue. She ran like the wind itself -- and continued running, long into the night, until she broke free of the city and the people that had owned her. As the adrenaline drained from her body, she collapsed somewhere on the plains beyond, completely and utterly spent.

When she woke, she found herself not sprawled on the wind-swept eastern prairie, but in an unfamiliar bed, looking up into a face she had never in her life seen before. At first she strained to make a struggle, thinking herself caught once again, but the figure spoke soothing, undeniably reassuring words, and she relaxed back down onto the pillow, nearly dazed. A sweet, pungent scent filled the air, indescribable yet pleasant, and she remembered. That voice she had heard before -- it was the very same that addressed her now! And with that same stirring tone, the Haltan beauty in green silks that bent over her spoke enigmatically of her identity: "You are Blaine Gerard, and I will teach you what you have become."

Blaine thereafter shed the name and the trappings of Genevieve de Coeur, choosing to live from then on in the guise of a male persona. His new mentor, Fragrant Camilla, taught him about the nature of his newfound powers, granted to him by Mela, the Elemental Dragon of Air. Her tutelage was particularly combat oriented in nature, and seemingly molded to his preferences, bringing to the forefront a dynamic spear-based fighting style combining both the mobility and raw power of Fire and the light-footed, ethereal nature of his native Air. Supplementing this was the initiation Camilla provided him into the esoteric world of sorcery, as well as a continued cultivation of the social skills he already began to make use of as a teenager.

Camilla spoke very little about the purpose of Blaine's training, but remained for all but the last days of their time together a benevolent and trusted tutor and mother figure. Appearances remained such for years, during which Blaine never clearly recalled meeting another soul besides himself and Camilla, though he often had the vague feeling that others were about. Then came a peculiar day -- perhaps three years later, perhaps five -- a day that dawned with a moment of shocking clarity: nothing was as it seemed. Camilla was nowhere to be found, and the house they had dwelled in was eerily deserted, as if left in sudden haste. At the front of the humble room that had been his dojo, a strange smelling stick of incense had burnt to the quick, the lingering scent of which threatened to lull him into inaction and a general sense of loyalty and love for the woman who had trained him, the memory of whom was already swift fading into disjointed snatches of detail. Green hair... or was it green silks?

The Dragon-Blood realized, then, that it was time to escape -- again, and this time without anyone's help. Departing did not take long, for he discovered he had few belongings of his own, but he made sure to take with him what equipment would aid him on his journey, that which felt most like "his": a surprisingly light dire lance of blue jade, Heaven's Pinion, still fixed with the hearthstone of some unknown Manse; a silver-grey coat reinforced with white and blue jade plates; and a curious blue fedora hat that came to be his trademark. With that, he departed for the first and last time from the dwelling of Fragrant Camilla, determined now to forge his own path, on his own terms.

Blaine was well suited for mercenary work, which preoccupied his time and earned him a living, but his vagabond nature kept him from settling down or staying too long in one place. This is not because he lacks concern for others, or prefers to be alone. In fact, he is a friendly and well-mannered sort of person -- albiet hot-tempered if roused -- and tries to treat others with respect. However, his life experiences thus far have made him more than a little bit wary of trusting others with his back, and the fact that he has spent much of his life shackled to one place of another contributes to his periodic wanderlust. That, and he'd rather Camilla not catch him standing still any time soon!

On the other hand, Blaine has been known to have quite a soft spot for people in need, and will sometimes go out of his way to help those less able to defend themselves, expecting nothing in return. More often than not, those he helps in that manner are left with little more than the impression of a rush of wind, a flash of silver hair, and a distinctive cobalt blue hat as he leaps away from the scene. Once in a while, though, an individual he meets in passing catches his attention, inspires his curiosity and taste of adventure, his thirst for something new, or perhaps -- deep inside -- his desire to find a deeper and more lasting purpose to his life.

Amethyst Brilliance is one of these people. Blaine ran into the lady crafter purely by chance, fleeing a god that had enslaved her, and he found himself acting purely on instinct. With spear and spell he protected her during her clever, if close escape, and has remained by her side ever since. There could be many reasons for this, none of which Blaine has managed to decide on. They had fled similar circumstances, having attracted the attention of powers more mighty than them. They were both women, though Amy would not know that -- maybe not ever. She reminded him, one could say, of the sort of elegant, cultured, proper lady that he had once been bade to become. Did she make him pause and reminisce about the identity, the life she left behind? Did it inspire him to protect and safeguard the femininity he saw in her? Certainly he was interested and deeply impressed by her master craftswork, in her learned wit and her way with people, both professionally and otherwise. He simply could not help but offer his spear in service of her.

But will it last? And why? Circumstances have set Blaine on the run before, from people who would use him for their own whims and ends. He's enjoyed his time with Amethyst thus far, and will continue to guard her so long as the feeling remains mutual, but everyone harbors their secrets, and not all people are as they seem. He, too, is a living falsehood in a way, a born woman masquerading as a man, something that had started as a game and became everything that he was -- or more accurately, everything that protects herself.

Fortunately, Blaine is not one to remain too long on the brooding side of things. He has places to go, things to see, and a lady to keep safe. They are traveling to Gem now, for reasons he is not quite sure of, and it is his first time coming so far south. Whatever may beset them, he will persevere... until the time comes to make the next great escape.