Character Name: Katherine "Kitty" Davis
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Universe: Star Catchers
Canon or Original: Original

Appearance: Whether or not Kitty is actually a full five feet tall (153cm) is hotly-debated among her family. She insists that she is. Her build is skinny, often described as "scrawny", without much of a figure despite the bountiful curves of her sisters and mother. Her chest is flat and her hips are narrow.

She has pale peach-toned skin with a somewhat uneven tone and texture, especially on her hands. Her brothers joke they are "rough as a man's." Kitty is self-conscious about this, but she can't afford to soak them in milk or yogurt as more well-to-do young ladies might. She tries to rub them with bits of beeswax or inedible butter if she gets the chance, in a vain attempt to smooth her damaged skin.

Her large eyes are grayish-blue, looking more one or the other in different settings. Her hair is pale, almost white, with golden citrus tones when the light catches it and at her roots. It's cut short, to her chin, with very short bangs that leave her thick whitish eyebrows completely exposed. She usually wears it pulled back from her face with a few strategically-placed hairpins. It can seem straight or wavy depending on the humidity in the air.

Her wardrobe is utterly unremarkable: a series of hand-me-downs, none of which fit just quite right, and most of which have been repaired many times over. Thankfully she is skilled enough at mending that she avoids looking like a street urchin.

Personality: "Average" is not a word most people like to be described with, but it's always been Kitty's constant. She's lived her life in comparison to her siblings and the entirety of Lorham, and she just doesn't measure up. Her grades are decent, her help on the farm is acceptable, and that same "good enough" applies to everything else she's ever done in life. She's not even memorable—with no features of note, she's easy to overlook. It happens all the time.

She's cheerful enough, but not a ray of sunshine for everyone's lives. She doesn't brood or scowl. When pressed to describe her, most people opt for "quiet". Kitty voices her thoughts only when necessary, although no one considers her a daydreamer. Most people interpret the way that she keeps to herself more in terms of maturity and seriousness. She doesn't think she's any more mature than the average teenager undergoing the Trials, but most of the other kids she knows are from similar families with similar responsibilities. This quietness has kept her isolated from friendships outside of her immediate family.

Another term commonly used is "hard worker". This is something the village as a whole could vigorously nod their heads about. If you need a reliable pair of hands, Kitty is your girl. She'll never be the superstar, but she catches on well enough—especially if it's a arduous manual task. She's nearly considered a "Jill of All Trades, Master of None"—when someone needs an impromptu stand-in for something tough, they see if Kitty is available. She'll take up any challenge, complete it with no whining, and really give it her all even if she's learning it for the first time. For those reasons, her occasional slip-ups have rarely been held against her. She's "good enough", after all.

She's pragmatic, reliable, and good at coming up with solutions. She's modest, more along the lines of self-deprecating, but no one has ever bolstered her self-esteem. After all, she's average. She tries to pretend that being told she's not special doesn't hurt her feelings. Of course, it does, but she's built up enough calluses over the years to keep these comments from stinging like a fresh wound. As a very young child, Kitty wanted to be special and unique. It never happened. She's learned to live with it. No use in crying over things you can't change, after all.

Kitty struggles with honesty, especially as it relates to conflict. She'll tell any lie if it seems likely to smooth things over. This doesn't cause her any kind of moral dissonance. For Kitty, it's more important to avoid stress with other people than it is to be truthful. Although she may seem like she's being open about her feelings, because she usually interacts pleasantly with others, this is far from the case. If something is bothering her, she buries it. If someone asks if something is wrong, she reinforces her smile and deflects. She is so skilled at denial that she often convinces herself of the lies she tells. She has always felt like she is required to be the mediator in her large family, and she sets her own wants and preferences aside to do so.

She loves her family, as most children do, and feels a strong sense of responsibility to them. Hard work is the only valuable skill she has to offer. She feels that she owes it. She rarely offers to contribute it any other way—she's been turned down so many times, given that condescending smile and a pat on the head. She wants to prove that she's a valuable member of society, but she certainly doesn't feel like one. Using her skills to benefit others at least gives her a taste of that feeling.

Most teenagers have dreams, especially those on the cusp of adulthood... but Kitty does not. If she stops to think about it, she feels adrift and almost lost. She doesn't want to think about the hopes she had when she began the Trials—the hope that she might show aptitude for something particular. She's learned that she's just a livestock farmer, not even a particularly good one. That's not a dream. The thought of being a Star Catcher is one she knows is out of her reach. They're special. She isn't. If only she was special...

Any Unique Abilities/Skills:
• Elemental Affinity: Mind - As a child, Kitty hoped that she'd control magic as powerful as that in stories. When such marvels failed to happen, the girl tried to pretend that she wasn't disappointed. She can't read people's thoughts or perform telekinesis. She's not sure she's ever actually using her affinity. The closest she gets sometimes is a vague feeling that she is persuading the farm animals a bit more than with just her physical handling.
• Strength and endurance - Despite her size, Kitty is not a weakling or a wimp. She can't quite haul a full-grown sheep up on her shoulder as her eldest brother could, but she has physical strength that often surprises people. Honestly, it shouldn't. She's been lifting, bending, towing, and more since she was a very young child. Whether it was pushing a reluctant sheep out the barn door or toting her baby brother on her hip, she couldn't rely on others to help her. Similarly, as her Trials have primarily been hard labor, Kitty knows how to conserve her stamina so she can finish a job.
• Mechanical knowledge - Problems that need to be solved with physical action are Kitty's specialty. She has the experience and know-how to estimate the fall of the arc of a hammer or spot the weakness in a cart that pulls roughly. She can make repairs that are "good enough" to last if the proper tools and materials aren't available to her. She has ingenuity if the conundrum relates to some object she can see, touch, or picture in her mind.
• Household aptitude - Kitty is passably good at sewing, cooking, cleaning, first aid, repairs, and other tasks typically needed to keep a home running smoothly. No one would nominate her for an award in any of these areas, but she's proficient enough to be decent.
• Fiber craft wizard - Her hobbies have historically revolved around various fiber crafts: knitting, crochet, weaving, spinning, embroidery, quilting, and the like. She's put in hours of practice—enough to be very good at it—and has sometimes sold her works to earn additional income. Of course, in Lorham these are not "unique" skills. She'd have to vend her wares in a larger city to make it an actual business.
• Team player - Kitty never chafed against her big family. Sharing a room with many people doesn't make her fuss about needing her own space. She compromises frequently, especially if someone else is more passionate about the issue and it doesn't seem dire. She's willing to lead and give direction if no one else will, and she can take direction and follow orders if someone else makes a case for it. She demonstrates enough emotional intelligence to recognize distress or friction and doesn't mind playing mediator when needed.

History: Born in Lorham to a modest shepherd family, Katherine is the third of four daughters, with two brothers older and one younger. Her family primarily raised sheep, although they kept some pigs and chickens as well, contributing to the place's reputation for wool. She was brought up to work hard, not just because of the Trials, but because it was the right thing to do. Her parents always made it clear that they expected willing cooperation. That's how a farm runs smoothly, after all.

Due to the close-knit nature of the town, Kitty had many opportunities for her Trials, although all focused on labor. Butchering, spinning, and weaving could be explored without ever leaving the farm; with those and the like she was already familiar. The local tanner did business with the Davis family when animals were slaughtered, so she spent some time learning his trade. Neighboring crop farmers would never turn down an extra pair of hands, and the girl didn't turn up her nose at a bit of dirt. The sheep, after all, could hardly be considered "clean" on an average day. Other common links included the dairy, churning and cheese-making, and a plasterer, roofer, and thatcher when the family needed upkeep on the smaller barn. Her sister-in-law's family of metalworkers provided training as blacksmith, goldsmith, and armorer. They knew a cooper, arkwright, and coffin-maker. She did not enjoy the last.

As she approached her 17th solstice, Kitty felt a mix of pride and disappointment when it was admitted that she performed her family's work the best. She loved her family and felt fondly towards life on the farm, but once again, she had failed to excel. No matter who she was compared to, she never seemed to measure up.

While the Trials were ongoing—less than a year ago—her youngest sister, Daisy, has become ill. At first they thought it was a cold, but when her coughing and sneezing dragged on for weeks, perhaps it was allergies. Then the symptoms worsened. Her family advised Kitty not to worry about it—she needed to concentrate on her Trials. As a dutiful child, this has been exactly what she has done... but that's been harder as the younger girl's condition worsens. Lorham doesn't have the ability to provide more in-depth care or diagnosis. Even if they did, the Davis family simply doesn't have the money. They're already teetering on the edge with what little they've been able to do for her.

Her family is hoping that Kitty will return from Mount Everlast, start working on the farm, and help them earn what they need to set the family finances to rights again. No one wants to mention whether or not that future will include Daisy in their midst or in their memories.

As a Star Catcher, she could get the resources needed to keep her family cared for—including the best treatment for Daisy.

No one would send her on that mission; her parents and older siblings would consider it a fool's errand. Other townspeople would scoff at it or find it an amusing joke. They know she's not "special". She's average, and she should keep in her place. Why waste all that time and energy?

Maybe, then, she just won't tell them.

Other Noteworthy Facts:
• Hometown: Lorham
• Immediate Family: Mother (Beatrice), Father (Fowke), Brother (Niel, 25 - Married to Geva, daughter Charity age 5, son Dorian age 2), Sister (Sibil, 23 - Married to Johan, son Johan age 3), Sister (Dorothea, 19 - Engaged to Thorold), Brother (Philcox, 18 - Courting Helene), Sister (Margaret "Daisy", 14), Brother (Rickert, 5)
• Relationships:
          ○ Cassandra Bailey - The Bailey farm supplies a good deal of the hay that the Davis family feeds their livestock in the cold months. In such a small town, it was inevitable that the girls would see each other not just in school, but in daily life. It's impossible to be "unknown" in Lorham. The two girls got along well enough, but they never considered themselves "friends" or sought out companionship from each other. This has changed recently... somehow they seemed to find their paths crossing more frequently as the Trials escalated and the Coming-of-Age ceremony neared. Although they've never mentioned Daisy's illness, based on some vague excuse about "relieving stress" or something of that sort, Cassandra lent a book to Kitty—the first non-textbook she had touched. Since that generous gesture, the two have been finding more excuses to spend time together. They know they'll be on the same journey to Mount Everlast, after all. Although Kitty still struggles to open up, she finds that she appreciates Cassandra's presence the more she gets to know the other girl.

Universe Specific Information: Star Catchers - HC Event
Storyline Specific Information:

[HC Event] Star Catchers:

RP Sample: "Now take care, dear!"

The pale-haired girl looked over her shoulder, offering her mother a small, patient smile.

"I will, mother," the soft voice replied. Of course she would. Her family already knew this. After all, they didn't often have to worry about Kitty. It helped that the trip to Mount Everlast wasn't exactly unfamiliar to the Davis family. She remembered what it was like when her brothers and sisters left on the same journey. How many anecdotes and tales had she heard about it, growing up? It was a special trip, but they were quick to remind her that it wasn't the most important day of her life. Just one of many. When she was married and had her own family, she'd get to enjoy her children's Coming-of-Age journeys nearly as much as her own.

At least that's what they always told her.

Tiny, but strong, hands wrapped around her legs. She felt the child's face pressed up against her legs before she even looked down to see the boy. He must have shoved his way through, past the other assembled family members.

"Come back soon, Kitty!" the little boy begged, his words slightly muffled by her skirt.

She reached down to ruffle his already-tousled ginger hair.

"Of course, Rickert," she said.

"Maybe," she thought.

Her eldest brother stepped forward and gently pried the little boy away from her, rejoining the family that stood in the doorway. When she looked up, it was like seeing a family portrait. Mother and father in the back. Neil looking strong besides Geva, with Rickert in his arms while she held little Dorian. Charity hid near her mother's skirts. Sibil held little Johan Junior's hand, although the toddler insisted on standing by himself, and Johan Senior stood near her shoulder. Dorothea and Philcox gave her waves of encouragement. It hadn't been too long since either of them had taken this trip, after all.

To most people, it was a perfect family portrait—perhaps one with too many people pictured. To Kitty, she only saw the hole—the loss:

The place where Daisy should have stood.

"Don't think about it," everyone always told her. "Just focus on what you have to do."

It seemed almost to glow, like a darkish violet miasma settling in across the assembled group.

"I think... I think I know what I have to do."

accepted!! HIS POOR BABY