๐พ ๐๐๐๐ ๐พ'๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐๐พ๐ถ๐, ๐ท๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐น๐พ๐
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๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฝ # ๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
โ ๐ฑ ๐ฐ ๐ฒ ๐บ ๐ถ ๐ ๐พ ๐ ๐ฝ ๐ณ โ
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๐ต๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ . Anippe Nevena La Godine
๐ฐ.๐บ.๐ฐ . "Ipy" got her nickname by accident, when her younger brother couldn't quite pronounce it right as a child. He also kept getting it confused with one of the goddesses from the Egyptian mythology books their mom would read to them before bed. Somehow it stuck. Even her parents began to call her that over her birth name. So she took to introducing herself as Ipy everywhere โ at school, at ballet, at parties. Ipy feels more her name than Anippe ever has. In fact, most of her performance programmes and marquees have listed her as Ipy. She always mused that when she was old or mature enough, she would "grow into" her full name. But, well . . . that day has apparently not yet come. A part of her does love the idea of Anippe, though, especially for how it means daughter of the Nile. Yet she appreciates the homage to the fertility hippopotamus goddess as well. Behind her back, she's known as "Nippy." Whether that be because she's nitpicky or more like a tiny, biting annoyance is hard to say. More fondly, however, she can be called "Ip" or "Ips."๐ฐ๐๐ . Twenty-Four
๐ฑ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข . April 22nd
๐๐๐๐๐๐ . Taurus . Aquarius . Libra๐ฑ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ . Belgrade, Serbia { technically FR Yugoslavia at the time of her birth }
๐ป๐๐๐๐ . Sherouk Farid { Egyptian, Lebanese, and Greek }
โ ๐ต ๐ฐ ๐ผ ๐ธ ๐ป ๐ . ๐ท ๐ธ ๐ ๐ ๐พ ๐ ๐ โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Gavro and Rabiah fell in love when they were twelve years old. He swore it was love at first sight โ love before he knew what that really meant. His father was a visiting professor at Cairo University, where Rabiah's father also worked. They met a few times throughout the two years Gavro stayed there, always at some stuffy, professional function that bored them to tears. They were supposed to be there to support their parents and put on a good show of being a distinguished family. But they had a knack for running off and causing mischief at every opportunity.
When Gavro's father eventually moved them back to Yugoslavia, he thought he would never see Rabiah again. He used to love his home. Though he knew his parents sometimes missed their native Greece, Gavro used to feel more attached to Serbia than anywhere else. Now it paled in comparison to the vibrant life he had in Egypt. Rabiah would forever be โthe one who got away." However, fate was not done with them yet. They both received acceptances at the University of Belgrade . . . one on merit, and one because their father worked there and pulled some strings. Cough, cough.
Truthfully, Gavro didn't want anything to do with school; he was a daredevil through and through. He thought something was only worth doing if it came with an adrenaline high. Everyday life bored him. He would've dropped out that first week, if weren't for the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his economics class. The rest, as they say, is history . . . or at least it would have been, if the world weren't such a chaotic place.
The "settled down" life didn't come naturally to the young couple. Plus, Yugoslavia was facing countless challenges with its finances and tensions in the region. When they found out Rabiah was pregnant, they decided they had to leave. Gavro's Greek passport could give the entire family access to the EU, and they hoped to take refuge in England. That was where Rabiah's sister used to live; it felt only right to follow in her footsteps. Of course, the visas and move were not so seamless as they can appear looking back; bureaucratic hurdles came at them from every side. The La Godine family was not fully settled until Anippe was two. But that chaotic period soon faded as they comfortably adjusted to their new home. Three years later, little baby Sethos came along. With him, their family was complete.
Rabiah found solace in the large Egyptian diaspora, and everyone adored the restaurant that she founded. Though her children had yet to have the chance to go to Egypt, they never lacked the full experience of its wonderful cuisine. Gavro found his place too . . . and that appeared to be anywhere except where his family was. His job as a film stunt double was the exact kind of exhilaration he craved. At first, he only traveled to London and other English locations for it. Maybe one or two weeks a year abroad. However, it quickly got away from him. Rabiah felt like she was running her own business and raising two children alone. In many ways, she was.
When Gavro was around, he got to be the fun parent. He would swoop in with fancy gifts, take them on silly day trips to carnivals, share fantastical tales of lost treasure, and just before he would have to do some real parenting . . . another job would whisk him away. It was Rabiah who shouldered the burden of responsibility, and she began to resent him for it. She, too, was full of adventure and good times. But with so much on her plate to take care of alone, it didn't always seem like that to the children. Mama was always rules, bedtimes, and punishments.
Over the years, Gavro started having a small interest in treasure-hunting. Yes, genuinely. It started off as a half-joke, but it did not take long for it to consume him. Little did Rabiah know, but half of the time that he was "away for work," Gavro was actually burning through their money on expensive and futile trips to discover some lost fortune. Reality only settled in when he returned home not to two children, a loving wife, and a home-cooked meal โ but a house completely empty, save the divorce papers on the cold marble floor.
Rabiah had found out his secret, which was not so easy to hide anymore. Gavroโa antic had eaten through their savings. Their safety nets. Their everything. Just to keep herself and her children afloat, Rabiah had to give up her dream. Her restaurant closed its doors. Their nice house was exchanged for a modest apartment. A part of her knew she could've reached out to her community for help, but she was too ashamed, too heartbroken. Rabiah took the first job she could find, spending her days making fish & chips for tourists. Losing the man she thought she would have forever . . . the business that had been her lifelong dream . . . it destroyed the light that was left in her. Under the shadow of Gavro's abandonment and Rabiah's depression, Ipy and Sathos had to find their own way.
โ ๐ฑ ๐ธ ๐พ ๐ถ ๐ ๐ฐ ๐ฟ ๐ท ๐ โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Ipy merited a ticket to ride only because she happens to be the favorite dancer of Agnello's two mistresses . . . but she doesn't need to know that. All Ipy knows is that Florens Agnello is an admirer of her balletic ability โ her ability before her terrible leg injuries, that is. Sorely in need of a break from her newly bleak existence without performance { as she continues to force herself to the barre in secret and very much against doctors' orders }, Miss La Godine jumped at the opportunity to be among the first to travel on the Grand Behemoth. What a spectacular way to spend a summer, among new scenery and new people โ people who likely don't know her face and who won't give her that look of pity each time she walks into a room. It's like Ipy can't exist anywhere anymore without bringing a cloud of misery along with her โ it's frankly . . . exhausting. She just needs a break from it all. Unfortunately, this little journey won't be the respite Ipy believes it will be.
"You look so much like her."
That phrase haunted Ipy for as long as she could remember. Her, of course, was her Kha'lah, or mother's older sister โ an Aunt Khepri that Ipy never had the chance to meet, the reason that the La Godines had chosen this area of England to move to. She met a tragic end at twenty-four. Though it would be many years before Ipy learned the truth of what happened, she understood what all the whispers and sideways glances meant. Kha'laty Khepri had been cursed.
Rabiah loved sharing her Egyptian culture with her children; it helped her feel connected to her home, no matter how many years it had been since she visited. That was part of the reason she read them ancient mythology books before bed almost every night. She made sure they spoke both Masri and Modern Standard Arabic. And there was never a shortage of kushari or mahshi to share. However, she was less fond of some of the superstitions that they learned from the other Egyptians in the community. Rabiah was a woman of logic; she had a prestigious college education and a good head on her shoulders. She didn't mind if a shoe was overturned in her household or if a pair of scissors was left open. Although the many misfortunes that befell her did not exactly help her case . . .
Being both a dancer and surrounded by these many ideas, Ipy clung to any superstition she could get her hands on. She did not care if it was Egyptian or not. She would only wear a certain pair of her tights for each show. It didn't matter that all three were the same; those were her lucky tights! You could never find her without her evil eye to protect her. And every time Rabiah let her help make molokhiya, she would gasp loudly to ensure it would be good. That was only the tip of the iceberg. Ipy didnโt have any particular faith for herself, and so she took on little bits of all them at once.
Perhaps magic was so alluring because of all those stories read to the La Godines as children. Perhaps a part of Ipy wanted to do anything except be grounded in reality: a place where her father would only come around for a few days a year and her mother was often clouded in a distant melancholy. But Ipy found that the greatest spell was that of the stage. She was incredibly gifted at ballet. The studio became her home. Even though she didn't want to work particularly hard at anything { she was just that good }, Ipy practiced for hours anyway. It was nice to have an excuse to stick around . . .
Still, Ipy didn't realize how much ballet meant to her until she nearly lost it at sixteen. She had just gotten what most would consider terrible news. Her father, ever the treasure hunter, had gone missing. They feared it was genuine this time. No one had heard from him or any of his regular crew in weeks. In any normal situation, a daughter would be devastated. However, Ipy had years of resentment building up in Gavro's direction. A part of her wondered if he hadn't worn his evil eye, since she was sending enough malice his way to run him into oblivion.
Ipy took the news startlingly well. Perhaps too well. She nodded her head and mumbled something about it being unfortunate news but there was nothing she could do. And did she need to pick up anything on her way home from ballet practice? Rabiah could hardly recognize the static, emotionless girl in front of her. But she let her go.
Who's to say if it were stress, sadness, anger, or merely a very unfortunate coincidence? That same day, something went wrong for Ipy during what should have been a regular Grand Adage sequence. When she fell, her ankle went down at an impossible angle. The resulting fracture kept her off the floor for weeks. Ipy would still go to the studio and stare with a deep longing { and intense jealousy } towards the others, yet she took her recovery incredibly seriously. She changed her diet and took all these supplements for โsupporting bone health.โ She did every physical therapy trick in the book. Still, her ankle wasn't healing right. The doctor warned that it would be fine in regular exercise, but the rigorous demands of ballet would strain Ipy for the rest of her life. If she didn't want to deal with a limp, she should give it up completely.
Three months after she was due to being fully recovered, there was still doubt that Ipy should even try ballet. She was in a little brace half the time because her recovery wasnโt keeping up. But Ipy, her mother, and her brother went on vacation for a week. Rabiah said that Ipy just needed to clear her head and think about other things. Ipy said she only wanted a suntan. Either way, she left wearing that brace . . . and came back without it. She never wore it again, and she returned to the studio in full force. It was almost like Ipy never had time off. Her grace was as natural and powerful as ever.
The scare that she would have to live without ballet made Ipy realize just how much it meant to her. There was a small adjustment period for Rabiah; she wanted to see both of her children get a traditional college education. But how could she deny Ipy's talents? Especially when one of the most esteemed companies in the world, The American Ballet Theatre, offered her a spot.
Life there was perfect . . . or at least that's what her messages home would say. Truthfully, Ipy hates everything about living in New York. And, for the first few years, she was miserable in her company. She was rather used to being the top dancer and always getting the roles she wanted. Now, everyone was just as good as her. Some were even better. It has taken a grueling amount of work for her to ascend to a principal dancer โ the honor of which she has only held for a year.
Just as her anniversary in the position was coming up, a kind of incessant pain in her left hip bothered her every day. She ignored it for a short while, but after it began to affect her work, Ipy had no choice but to get the doctor to check it out. The MRI revealed the worst: severe hip impingement. The malady grows over years and years, starting out small and painless. Once it starts to ache, it's often already too late.
So it seems just as she has had a chance to attain her dream, Ipy's entire world is crashing down. Who is she without ballet? Is she willing to accept that future possibility? This matter aboard the Behemoth is a welcome distraction. Ipy is not the type to dwell on sorrows; not when they can be pushed down and ignored. But it was getting impossible to keep a smile on her face with everyone looking at her like she was already dead. More than anything, this trip is a gift. She has realized, too, that on her next birthday, Ipy shall be older than her Kha'laty Khepri ever was. Something about that feels so bittersweet. There is a woman she has heard about so much, yet Ipy knows next to nothing about her. It almost feels like being twenty-four, the same age, has created a new connection with Khepri โ one that will only last nine more months. If she makes it that long . . .
โ ๐ ๐ ๐ฟ ๐ธ ๐ฒ ๐ฐ ๐ป โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
๐ป๐๐๐๐ . The idea of owning a pet { though she has never had a stable enough housing situation to do so }, her perfect pointe, spending hours dancing, velvet, rich chocolate cake, black lilies, spicy foods, trashy romance novels by supermarket checkouts, leaves turning in autumn, small towns where everyone knows each other, lighthouses, anything with a little sparkle, fresh fruit, leaving her room in a mess that only she can navigate, true decadence, shopping, etc.
๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ . Anytime the "La" is left off her surname, all big cities { especially New York, London, and Paris }, thinking about money, debt collectors, when body parts decide to stop functioning properly, crutches, chipped manicures, vanilla ice cream, going to the dentist, the casual misogyny that haunts most interactions, someone saying she is "just a ballerina," any mention of treasure or hunting for it, small airplanes, insects, having to throw out a pair of ballet slippers { she gets rather attached }, really anything to do with her father, constructive criticism, overplucked eyebrows, breaking superstitions, etc.๐ฟ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข . Selfish. Hard-working. Secretly maternal. Ambitious. Superstitious. Adaptable. Stubborn. Meticulous. Pessimistic. Courteous. Sensual. Irresponsible. Hedonistic. Energetic. Sensitive. Sociable. Compulsive.
๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ . Ipy never knows when enough is enough. Whether it be through extra hours of practicing or tequila shots after a successful performance, she can't seem to back down once she begins something. This has driven her to all kinds of success, sure, but it is also part of why her hip injury occurred. And why her personal life is a bit of a mess. Every time an opportunity presents itself, Ipy jumps to say yes. Many times this has led to great adventure. Others, well . . . she is in debt for a reason.
๐ผ๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ ๐ต๐๐๐๐ . Next to the barre, of course!
๐ผ๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐๐๐ . Until recently, Ipy was almost entirely with her company. There wasn't time for building relationships outside of that. She isn't quite sure who to go to in these times, with all of them moping for her or scheming against her. In fact, she feels rather alone.๐ฟ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ . Elegant, extravagant, and daring. Ipy is not afraid to try new trends or stick to timeless classics. She will basically wear anything . . . as long as it's expensive. If it leaves them talking about her later, all the better.
๐๐๐๐๐ . Warming notes of amber, incense, vanilla, and patchouli โ lightened up with layers of romantic notes such as rose, jasmine, and lilac. Colorful, light touches of blood orange and grapefruit. And the occasional burned satin { she takes a flame to her pointe shoes in part of her preparation ritual }
โ ๐ ๐ด ๐ป ๐ฐ ๐ ๐ธ ๐พ ๐ฝ ๐ ๐ท ๐ธ ๐ฟ ๐ โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ๐พ . Finding him generally cute at first glance, Ipy would not be above flirting with Massimo. She hasn't had the chance to flirt in quite some time. Why not now? Upon realizing his marital status, however, Ipy would immediately retreat in embarrassment. Nonetheless, being the heir to the Agnello fortune puts him in a unique position to help Ipy. Perhaps she needs to sway him to her cause, one way or another . . .
๐ฟ๐ด๐๐๐พ๐ฝ๐ด๐ป๐ป๐ด . . . . and what is Perronelle, except this other? Ipy doesn't think of herself as ruthless. She doesn't find joy in manipulating anyone. But she has to do what it takes to survive. With some loan sharks and other unsavories circling in, Perronelle's untapped and unending fortune is like a dessert buffet. Pretending to be the scared lamb's friend wouldn't really hurt anyone, right? It's just a vacation fling, after all.
๐ฐ๐ป๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฝ๐ฐ๐ฝ . I would be all aboard Alainan trying to sacrifice her in some ritual. Lmk if you down to boogie with the darkest pits of hell with me.
๐ณ๐พ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ . In many ways, Dougray reminds Ipy of her mother. She means well in saying that, too. Ipy loves her mother, despite their complicated history. And as Rabiah showed affection through food, that is how Ipy often communicates her love too. She might bother him for access to the kitchens on more than one occasion. Whether he lets her bully him into that submission is an entirely different story.
๐ฝ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ท๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐ . Ipy is a sucker for trashy and graphic romance novels. She started reading them as a bit of a joke a few years back; it was the only thing available in the AirBnB she was using for a holiday. She forgot her own at home! But the habit continued and does encompass Nymphicus' work. Not that she knows, of course. She would absolutely swoon like a gushy fan if she were to discover this, though. As well as give a little side-eye to Florens Agnello. Nymphicus' presence would suddenly make a lot more sense . . . { Ipy's interpretation of this might not reflect him at all. She would just make these assumptions, most likely. }
๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ด๐ป๐ธ๐ฐ . Though Ipy does not yet realize it is Caelia to thank for her time on this train, she is equal parts confused and mesmerized by the woman. She doesn't understand how she fits among the grander scheme of things, and that troubles Ipy. A part of her wants to open up and get to know Caelia. Another part wants to run away from her entirely.
๐๐๐ด๐ด๐๐ท๐ด๐ฐ๐๐ . Unfortunately, Ipy will avoid Sweetheart like the plague. Her own sense of melancholy will likely swell back to the surface in her presence. Ipy swore to herself that she would not fall to the same fate as her mother, letting the bad things in her life overrun her into darkness. Ipy seems to think this means pretending to be happy at all costs. And, around Sweetheart, she has a harder time keeping up the ruse. Ipy isn't ready to face reality, and that is almost what Sweetheart seems like to her. { I think that this is entirely based on the rumors Ipy has heard about what happened to Sweetheart. So we could build an idea jumping off Ipy's initial impression, which can be changed upon actually getting to know her . . . ? }
๐ป๐ด๐๐๐ธ๐ฒ๐ด . Ipy would actually have loved to be featured in some of Lettice's work. A good rumor or two keeps one seeming mysterious and interesting. She enjoys reading the girl's articles, despite rarely believing the content. But that's the whole point, isn't it? It's fine entertainment. At least, Ipy used to think that all press is good press. Yet Lettice, with her partying and gossip in no short supply, now poses a threat. Ipy would take her down before falling prey to her prose. Then again, Letticeโs snooping could be the very key she needs to discovering what happened to her aunt.
๐ป๐ธ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ . A fool of a girl. A devil in disguise. So, in short . . . Ipy's idea of an angel. This is the exact girl she wants to attach herself to. Which is why she knows she shouldn't. How can she get the sheep to trust her if she is seen galivanting with the most renowned wolf? Lilac, however, will remain a very tantalizing temptress. Does Ipy really have enough self-control to resist her shenanigans?
๐๐๐ฝ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ป๐ป . It will likely take some time for Ipy to notice Wyndall. She is a bit of a paper doll pasted in the background, at least in the circles that Ipy frequents. Quiet and shy have been two traits that have baffled her. If Ipy were to suddenly notice her, something terrible must have happened . . . of course, nothing terrible would happen aboard the Behemoth! * insert sultry wink here *
โ ๐ท ๐ด ๐ฐ ๐ณ ๐ฒ ๐ฐ ๐ฝ ๐พ ๐ฝ ๐ โ
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~ Just before Ipy left for New York, she learned that her Aunt Khepri, the woman she apparently looks identical to, took her own life "in a fit of madness." Beyond that, she could not get any more details about what happened. Her mother won't talk about it because it brings her grief. The people who knew Khepri in those final months won't because they think it will bring them bad luck. Ipy doesn't know if she will ever get answers.
~ However, for the longest time, Ipy has been haunted by strange dreams. Most of them descend into nightmares. She has always thought it was herself being tormented amongst the various scenes of strange creatures. Nowadays, though, she wonders if it is not herself but Khepri she sees in these visions . . .
~ A few people in her company in England still speculate over her ankle injury years back. Some rumors circulate about what exactly happened on that vacation she took. A steroid shot. Some kind of voodoo ritual. Ipy, of course, says it was nothing more than a few days relaxing at the beach to cleanse her soul.
~ If that ankle ever does bother her these days like the doctor swore it would, she has never shown or admitted it.
~ The case of her missing father has gone cold. Ipy doesn't like to think about it. Most people donโt even know, assuming theyโre just estranged. Why would she bring it up?
~ Loves the cutthroat yet familial life that comes with the company but absolutely HATES how busy, loud, and hectic other aspects of her life are in New York. She has her friends and enemies amongst the group, of course. And a part of her wishes her injury was something like a busted ankle so that she could blame it on someone else. Ipy will miss those selfish bastards; there are certainly a few that will be glad to have her out of the spotlight. But she's also glad to get away, at least for now. The great Ipy La Godine is sure to make another grand return and recover her position, just like last time, right?
~ Pictures herself living in a rural chateau covered in vines with sprawling gardens and calming ponds and no dreadful whirring or screaming from millions packed closely together.
~ Plays at being incredibly wealthy but is, in fact, drowning in debt to multiple benefactors โ both the legal and the illegal kind. However, Ipy seems completely delusional about the fact that she's in trouble and is slipping further into the clutches of things she cannot repay.
~ Because of an arrangement Ipy made, her mother was recently able to reopen her beloved restaurant . . . though with strict orders to follow from a shadowed benefactor.
~ Until a few weeks ago, Ipy thought she was finally on track. As a coveted principal dancer, her income was finally enough to make a dent in all that thatโs owed. Was she still living above her means? Well, technically, yes, but . . . only barely! She really had things under control this time.
~ Ipy is under strict orders of rest and physical therapy, as she may end up needing hip surgery { and perhaps replacement } if it continues. Of course, ABT has "worker's comp," but it's only a fraction of the salary she would have as a principal dancer. Their insurance is paying for the base of her medical bills as well, thank the stars, but that is hardly Ipy's only expense piling up.
~ Ipyโs pain comes and goes. She is often in the infirmary to do her physical therapy exercises under the supervision of a specialist. And it seems to be helping. She has a lot of good days. But every once in a while, when the pain gets away from her, she is forced to use crutches to get around. She absolutely loathes those and tends to stay in bed all day if she can help it.
~ This trip could not come at a better time; Ipy was getting kicked out of her apartment for not having paid rent five months in a row. By the time this excursion is done, she will definitely have figured out a solution to this rather small problem. With so many wealthy people on board, there has to be something Ipy can do to change her fate once and for all.
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