#prince darian zain

[kathrynalicemc]

• The Empyrean •

1926+ Crew: Captain Julio Aquila, Desiree Lestrange @carewyncromwell, Prince Darian Zain, Kathleen Alton @oneirataxia-girl, Lugh Hopper @thatravenpuffwitch, Felix Witt @sirfluffig, and Iolanthe Arcano

2020+ Crew: Captain Mikael Arcano, Eula Durand @cursed-herbalist, Caspian Aquila (possibly?), and more members hopefully! They are recruiting!

[carewyncromwell]

“I wasn't looking for this, but now you're in my way.”

x~x~x~x

featuring Darian Zain @kathrynalicemc (yes, this is almost entirely for her and me, so sue me 😜) and referencing the crew of the Empyrean @thatravenpuffwitch @sirfluffig @oneirataxia-girl

x~x~x~x

In the 1930′s, the Wizarding World was in turmoil. With the rise of the Dark wizard Grindelwald, many lived in fear of what another Great War -- this time one waged with magic -- could look like. It’s unsurprising, therefore, that many sought an escape from those fears -- and one of those things that provided such an escape were the tales circulated of Jules Aquila, his crew, and their ship, the Empyrean. 

The Empyrean was a ship that British wizard Jules Aquila had stolen from a Muggle museum back in the 1920′s and enchanted to fly, so that he and his associates could take flight across the world. And sure enough, the Empyrean had known its fair share of adventures, questing for the likes of long-lost magical sights like Atlantis and Dolorous Guard. However much the magical governments of the world gave the flying ship a very critical side eye for flirting so frequently with breaking the Statute of Secrecy, most mainstream wizards and witches were enchanted by the rebellion, adventure, and romance encapsulated in the crew’s lifestyle. 

Although Jules Aquila was and would inevitably always be the most famous of the Empyrean’s crew as captain, however, that didn’t mean that other crew members didn’t get their fair share of glory. Aquila’s best mate and quartermaster Kath Alton was purportedly one of the most talented magical engineers on Earth, while his first mate, Desiree Lestrange, had been a well-regarded Cursebreaker for le Banque Decristaux before abandoning her cushy position and lifestyle to set sale with the sky Captain. There were also much more interesting, but less provable rumors circulated -- those of Aquila having recruited a wanted thief to his crew in exchange for keeping him from getting arrested; those of Aquila having stolen his beloved pet occamy from the infamous French magical gangster Claude Macnair; even those of a certain crewmate with large, eagle-like wings sprouting out from his back like some mythical angel. Some stories claimed the winged crewmate was a wanted man, though others still -- even more wild -- claimed he was descended from royalty, or even a Djinn. 

One story Darian Zain hoped would never be passed around him, though, was the time that he flew right into the window of a Muggle airplane. 

The Empyrean had been traveling up the far-eastern coastline of the Americas, on its way up toward Greenland. Desiree had determined that there might be some magical Viking settlements in the area, and Jules was eager to investigate. On the way, though, the crew decided that they’d have to stock up for a journey so far north, not just in the essentials like food and water, but more importantly, of warm blankets and clothing. Most of their crewmembers weren’t used to such cold temperatures, after all -- especially not Darian, who grew up in a much hotter desert climate. So, in preparation, Desiree and Lugh had gone to the wizarding village of Gravesville, right in the heart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, so as to fetch some of the magical supplies needed, while Kath and Felix went into the “Muggle” side of town to pick up the more mundane kind. Once the others had purchased everything they needed, Darian then played “carrier pigeon” and flew it all back to the Empyrean. 

Many people in Darian’s place might’ve been a little resentful of having to play the role of an owl just because he had wings -- but the runaway prince honestly was eager to help. After nearly an entire life of being locked up indoors with nothing to do, it was fun to get out and actually do something. And it was kind of cool, to be needed for once. He’d become rather fond of his crewmates, over the years, and being given any kind of responsibility made Darian feel included in a way he hadn’t really known at home, when his father the King kept him so cloistered away from everyone else. Lugh, Kath, and Felix had taught Darian a lot about weapons, ships, record players, magic tricks, and lockpicks -- heck, even Jules had taught him how to navigate using the stars, if he ever got lost. And even though the ship’s resident taskmaster Desiree always gave him a lot of chores to do, Darian knew that was just because of her own strong work ethic. From what Darian gathered, he’d also reminded Desiree of her younger brother upon first meeting, due to how privileged their upbringings had been...and frankly, after having met the spoiled, pigheaded, self-absorbed blood purist that was Marius Lestrange, Darian hated the thought of ever being the least bit like him. 

At least Desi should have enough to make a good meal, once we’ve all gotten back to the ship, Darian thought to himself with a smile. Maybe she might even make some naan, if I make really good time?

This thought cheered him up significantly. Desiree had first learned how to make naan while they were traveling through Iran, and she’d taken to baking some as a treat sometimes, whenever Darian’s work had impressed her. The fresh bread always made him think of home. 

The satchel on Darian’s back was heavy. He moved to adjust it, only to have to fumble a bit to keep it from opening and its contents from spilling.

“Whoop -- !”

He shifted the satchel around in his arms, latching it back together a bit more tightly as he flew. 

“There we go,” he mumbled with a smile, as he tossed the satchel back over his shoulder. “Now then...back to it -- ”

WHAM.

Because Darian hadn’t been looking where he was flying, he didn’t see the thing whose airspace he was entering until it was far too late. 

His head pounding with pain, Darian tried to orient himself, even as it felt like his world was spinning. 

He’d hit something -- what had he hit? A wall? A wall of glass?

Blinking rapidly even as colorful stars winked in front of his eyes, he could feel the thing he’d collided with shifting downward. There was something moving behind the wall of glass -- was that a person?

Darian flapped his wings, trying to fly back a bit so he could get a better look. Unfortunately when he did, he found his right wing was having trouble straightening out.

“Ow -- ow -- !”

Pain pulsed through his wing as he flapped it. He tried to lean more on the other to support him, but when he did, he could feel the satchel sliding over again. In trying to catch it, he lost his balance, and suddenly he was falling right through the air. 

“WHOA!”

Darian lashed his arms out, securing the satchel of supplies close to his chest so they wouldn’t fall out. He tried to flap his wings, thinking to slow himself down -- but his right wing was throbbing in pain -- he must’ve sprained it --

Blinking rapidly, Darian tried to focus. The ground was coming up fast -- way too fast -- !

He lashed an arm out desperately, his eyes focusing blearily on the ground even as his head pounded with pain. 

“Come on -- ” he choked. “Come on -- stop falling, stop falling -- stop, stop, stop, STOP -- !”

A burst of air abruptly puffed out of his hand. It wasn’t enough to stop Darian from falling, but it did partially counteract the pull of gravity, blasting him ever-so-slightly upward again. As fate would have it, it was just enough to hoist him up onto the wing of the weird, red-painted metal thing that had dived down to try to catch him. 

Darian looked up, startled.

I’ve seen one of these! he realized, recalling a picture in a book he’d read a piece of over Desiree’s shoulder one day. It's one of those...‘aeroplanes!’

Through the hard glass window, Darian could see a pilot dressed in a brown leather hat and coat and thick goggles, who gave him an encouraging smile. 

“Hang on!” the pilot shouted over the sound of the plane’s propeller. His voice was husky and laced with a strong Boston accent, but his lips were upturned in a rather handsome smile. “I’ll go in for a landin’!”

Stunned and still nursing a throbbing headache, Darian did what he was told, clinging onto the edge of the wing for dear life. The plane glided down much more smoothly than he’d expected, and within moments, with a light bump, they’d collided with the ground. The pilot then parked the plane safely on a hanger set up in the open field. 

Darian carefully eased himself up onto the edge of the wing, stretching out his right wing as best he could. 

“Ow...”

He winced, only managing to spread it half the way out before the pain stopped him. Yep -- definitely a sprain. 

The plane window opened upward, and the pilot hoisted himself up and out of the cockpit onto the lower wing just below Darian. 

“Uh...hey!” he called up. “You all right up there?”

Darian straightened up abruptly. 

“Yeah!” he answered at once, almost on impulse. 

I will be, anyway, he thought more sheepishly. Once I can brew myself some Wiggenweld Potion, back on the ship...

Darian’s stomach sank. 

The Empyrean. How was he going to get back up to the ship, if he couldn’t even fly? He hadn’t even thought to bring any healing potions with him, just in case something happened...

The pilot’s handsome smile broadened a bit as he slipped off his goggles. His beetle-black eyes were long-lashed and sparkling. 

“That’s a relief. You hit my window pretty hard...I thought for a minute I might’ve killed you...”

Darian laughed. “And I thought for a minute I was going to die, until you caught me! Thanks for that!”

“No problem,” said the pilot brightly. “I mean, heck -- s’not like I coulda just let you fall, could I?”

He paused. His dark eyes ran over Darian’s face, along his shoulder to up at his right wing. 

“...Are...are those real?” he breathed after a moment. He seemed enchanted. 

Darian blinked. Oh, right -- for a split second, he’d almost forgotten that his wings were anything strange. But hey, was that surprising? His wings were a bit weird to wizards, let alone to a Muggle like this pilot was -- or at least, he figured it must be weird: he’d never talked to a real Muggle before...

This thought was like a two-by-four to Darian’s head.

A Muggle. He’d been seen by a Muggle -- a Muggle was staring right at him, at his wings -- !

“No!” 

Darian choked out the word like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He quickly tried to fold his wings, even as his right one spasmed with pain. 

“No, no, they’re -- uh -- mechanical!” he lied quickly. “Like your aeroplane! Lots of gears and metal, underneath all the feathers!” 

He laughed weakly as he tried once again to fold his wings over his shoulders like a cape, holding his right one in both hands to try to mitigate the pain pulsing through it. 

The pilot blinked slowly at him, his expression becoming much more amused. “...Really?”

“Yeah!” said Darian, his mouth spread into a very nervous smile. “They’re completely normal! Just like me -- normal and Muggle as can be -- ”

Wait -- Muggles don’t call themselves Muggles, do they -- do they use No-Maj -- ?!

“ -- I-I mean...just a normal mug, you know -- that’s me. Heh...”

His voice sounded pathetic in his own ears. He had to sound like a complete idiot! 

Rather than looking suspicious, however, the pilot only seemed to smile broader and more sincerely than ever. He seemed almost charmed. 

“Well...any normal mug I reckon would be a bit shaken, fallin’ outta the air like that,” he said. He extended a gloved hand to Darian. “Here -- lemme help you down.”

Darian blinked, a bit confused. Then, hesitantly, he accepted the hand. It was smaller than his, but the pilot held his hand securely as he helped Darian down onto the lower wing, before they both climbed back down to the ground. The pilot was the exact same height as Darian. 

The embodiment of tall, dark and handsome, the prince thought amusedly, reminded of Kath sarcastically using the same term for him, when the crew of the Empyrean had to go undercover at a masquerade party and a bunch of the ladies had abruptly all started flirting with Darian. 

Once they’d made it back to solid ground, the pilot took off his helmet at last. A wave of beautiful, long black hair swirled out, cascading around the pilot’s face like ocean water.

Darian blinked in slight surprise. Seemed he’d been saved by a tall, dark handsome female pilot. 

Cool. 

Several more planes flew over their heads. The pilot watched them, her dark eyes narrowing a bit. 

“Here,” she said lowly. “Best hide those away, ‘fore anyone else sees...”

She leaned over the edge of her plane and took out a blanket from inside the cockpit, wrapping it quickly around Darian’s folded wings on his shoulders. 

“Oh, uh -- thanks,” said Darian sheepishly. 

The blanket was small enough that he’d have to keep his wings completely folded, to hide them under it. He glanced over his shoulder at the planes soaring overhead.

“...Who are they?”

“The other cadets,” said the pilot as she put down her helmet on the wing and worked to tie up her hair into a messy bun. “They’re all pretty swell, honestly, but that don’t mean they pro’lly wouldn’t flip a bit, seeing your... ‘mechanics.’” She shot another furtive look skyward. “Best be gettin’ on.”

Picking her helmet again and tucking it under her arm, she then gave Darian a smile. 

“Are you hungry?” 

Darian was startled. “Huh?”

“Well, I did knock yeh plum outta the sky,” she said good-naturedly. “Reckon I really should apologize proper for that. My car’s just ‘round the corner from the hanger, we can always drive out and grab a bite. Then maybe I can drop you somewheres, so you can make your way home...”

Darian rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably as she started to walk across the field and he followed along close behind. “Well, uh...that might be a bit hard, I mean...I’m not really from around here...my crew and I are just passing through...”

“Could one of your buddies come and pick you up somewheres?” asked the pilot in concern. 

Darian considered this. Truthfully, all he really needed to get airborne was a healing potion...or just the ingredients for one -- he could more than brew it himself. And even if he obviously couldn’t brew anything in front of his new Muggle friend (this thought made Darian feel a bit giddy despite himself -- he’d made friends with a real-life Muggle!! Not just that, but a fly girl!!), he could probably manage it somewhere a bit more magical...like Gravesville! 

“...Well, there’s a place in Philadelphia...my friends were shopping there, just a little while ago. I could meet them there.” 

Gravesville would have owls, right? Darian thought to himself. 

The pilot smiled. “In Philly? No sweat! That’s just over the river from Camden...I can drop you off there, after we eat.”

Darian’s face lit up. “Great!”

They reached the pilot’s car. Darian for a minute couldn’t help but just walk around it, entranced. It was a bright and shiny ruby red, with a lightweight black roof propped up by metal rods, and it had two spare wheels mounted to either side of its nose, almost like decoration. 

“You like her?” asked the pilot. 

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Darian. “Her, I mean...”

He was reminded of how Jules always called the Empyrean a “she” -- he’d said that all ships were called that. 

I wonder if all vehicles are ‘she’s?’ Darian wondered to himself. 

He beamed at the pilot. “She’s beautiful!” 

The pilot couldn’t bite back a proud smile as she flushed a dark red. 

“Old Apple’s kinda old-fashioned -- I got her second-hand,” she explained bashfully. “But I was able to fix her up some, ‘round my studies.” 

She opened up the passenger door, extending a hand to invite Darian in. Once he sat down inside the car and had put his bulging satchel gently down on the floor, she darted around the other side and began to unfold the car’s top and stow it away. It seemed clunky to do -- the top made a lot of weird noises when it was tamped down, and Raye had to twist and smack parts of it just to compress it, but she did it with such little fuss that it seemed like an inconvenience she was very used to. 

“I just realized -- I haven’t introduced myself!” said the pilot with a sheepish smile. “The name’s Raye -- Raye Davies. Short for Rachel -- but really, just Raye will do.”

Darian beamed. “Pleased to meet you, Raye! Darian Zain -- that’s what most everyone calls me.” 

Raye cocked an eyebrow at him as she smiled. “‘Most everyone?’ Well then, I guess I’ll follow suit.”

Climbing in herself and closing the door, she put the key in the ignition and turned on the car, making it rumble to life under Darian. The noise and movement startled the prince, but only to the extent that it made his tanned face light up with excitement -- a reaction that made Raye’s face seem to glow that bit brighter too. 

“Now, then...hm...” Raye mumbled thoughtfully. “Reckon we can’t be strollin’ on in to any diners: you’d look weird, bein’ all wrapped up in a blanket. And some joints ‘round here can be right rotten to ���out-of-towners’...”

Her black eyes then lit up with a thought. 

“Ever been to the park-in theater, up in Pennsauken Township?” she asked.

Darian blinked. “No.”

Raye's face lit up. “Oh, it’s the berries! They just opened it a couple months ago...but the dames there just come right up to your car, take your order, and then bring it on back to you, so you don’t miss any of the movie...”

Darian racked his brains. He’d heard of movies -- the Empyrean’s ship doctor sometimes talked about one of his friends who made those for a living...what was his name, ‘Fawcett’...?

“Sure, they don’t play anythin’ that great and the sound quality’s kinda bum,” Raye rambled on a bit more awkwardly. “But well, folks don’t really get outta their cars there, so no one’ll pro’lly look at you funny if you’re wrapped up in a blanket. And even if it’s cheap, their food’s still pretty jake. Whaddya say?”

For all of Raye’s insecurity about the place, Darian seemed perfectly undaunted. The idea of such a new experience excited him to no end, so when she asked his opinion, he answered both immediately and brightly. 

“Sounds like fun!” 

Raye beamed, visibly relieved. 

Once she was sure Darian was holding on securely, Raye put the car in drive and stepped on the accelerator, driving off down the road with speed. 

Darian had to grab the blanket around his wings before it flew off with one hand and hold onto the bottom of the car’s window frame with the other, but the speed still made his heart race and his chin-length dark hair flap in the wind. He couldn’t stop himself from giving a loud “WOO!” over the air loudly rattling in his ears. 

~*~

Raye drove Darian up to Pennsauken Township, into the quirky new park-in theater. The vendors there sold lots of candy, popcorn, and chips, alongside all the soda pop, ice cream, and hot dogs. Raye had offered to treat Darian, which turned out to be a big mistake, since Darian immediately went hog-wild and bought absolutely everything available.

“Guess I’ll be havin’ beans for the next week,” Raye muttered to herself as she handed over her hard-won earnings to the vendor.

She found she couldn’t be too upset, though, seeing how excited Darian was when the vendor handed him the full contents of her tray. Even the pretty woman giving Darian a sassy wink only seemed to make Raye smile grow amusedly, particularly when the winged young man brightly accepted the assortment of snacks, completely oblivious to the woman’s overtures. 

“Wow,” Darian said excitedly. “Look at them all! There’s so many...”

Raye’s black eyes sparkled a bit when they squinted. “Yeah, there’s a lot more selection, closer to the bigger cities. Easier to ship and store stuff in bulk here...”

Darian considered this. “...I guess that makes sense...”

He’d had dessert almost every day, when he’d still been at home -- it wasn’t as common that he got to have it on board the Empyrean, since they were so on-the-go. The rareness of it hadn’t really disappointed Darian, though -- if anything, it made those sweet treats that bit more special, not to have them every day. Plus he’d gotten to try a lot of different sweets than he’d never had previously, and most of them were great! Except for meringues -- Darian was still baffled that chalky-tasting stuff was somehow considered edible.

He curiously rifled through the different colorful wrappers, reading them one by one. Babe Ruths, Twizzlers, Twinkies, Fritos, Lay’s Potato Chips, Tootsie Rolls, Goobers, Milk Duds, Ritz crackers...

“I’ve never had anything like this before,” he admitted. 

Candied fruits and dates were much more par the course, where Darian was from. In fact, Jules and Kath had only just given both him and Desiree a crash course in commercial magical sweets like Sugar Quills, though Darian took to them much better than Desiree did. 

Darian looked up at Raye eagerly. “Which one should I try first?”

Raye considered this. 

“...Well, d’you like chocolate?” she asked after a moment. 

“Yeah,” said Darian. “I’ve had Cauldro -- I mean, chocolate cakes before...they’re great!”

If Raye had heard his slip-up, she paid it no mind. Instead she merely smiled.

“Maybe a Tastykake would be good, then!”

She took out a tiny cupcake with chocolate wrapped in plastic, taking it out and handing it to Darian. He took a bite, and was startled when along with the chocolate cake, he tasted a sweet buttercream filling.

“Mmm!” he said. He licked his lips of it quickly so he wouldn’t make a mess and beamed at Raye. “This is delicious!”

Raye grinned seeing how happily Darian devoured the cake. He then proceeded to pick out another similar-looking yellow pastry in a wrapper labeled “Twinkies” and unwrapped it. When he bit into it, he was once again delighted when it was full of creamy filling.

“Mmmm!” 

Raye laughed. “You like it?”

“Mm’yeah!” Darian said with his mouth full. He then quickly swallowed, wiping his mouth bashfully. “I mean, yeah!”

Raye only laughed harder, which made Darian laugh too. 

“Here,” said Raye, her face a bit brighter than before as she reached into Darian’s pile and snagged a small handful of unlabeled wrapped brown candy squares, “try the caramels next -- those are my favorite.”

The caramels were indeed pretty tasty. Darian enjoyed how chewy they and the candies called “Tootsie Rolls” were. He also really liked the Mallocups, Raisinets, potato chips, and popsicles. He was fine with just one bite of the black licorice -- he ended up washing it down with some Coca Cola, which was probably his favorite thing of the entire night. He’d never had anything so bubbly before, nor anything that simultaneously tickled his tongue and nose so much, and when it made him belch more loudly than he ever had in his life, both he and Raye couldn’t stop laughing. It even prompted Raye to -- upon several people in other cars shooting Darian disgusted looks -- gulp down quite a lot of soda herself, just so she could belch just as loudly. It ended up being hilarious accompaniment to the cheesy monster movie playing over their heads on the projector screen. 

When the movie was finally over and they’d had their fill of all the food they’d ordered, it was already night. Raye put on a fedora, wool coat, and gloves for warmth, and then she drove Darian over the Delaware River into Philadelphia. 

Darian directed her to the street corner around which lay the wall that obscured the magical borough of Gravesville and asked her to drop him off there. When Raye parked at the street corner, though, she suddenly looked incredibly unsure. Her shoulders had become very tense. 

“Are...you gonna be all right from here?” she asked hesitantly. 

Darian gave her a reassuring smile. “Oh, sure! I know where I’m going.”

Once he was in a more magical environment, he could heal himself without anyone paying him any mind...

He glanced down at the blanket around his shoulders.

“Oh! Here...”

The exiled prince made as if to take it off, but Raye quickly threw out a hand to grab his and stop him from taking it off.

“Don’t!” she said quickly. 

Darian blinked. Raye flushed a bit as she withdrew her hand.

“It’s just...folks will see you,” she mumbled self-consciously. She glanced around at the various passerby anxiously. 

“Well, yeah,” said Darian with a frown. “But you said it’d look weird, if I was walking around with a blanket on. And you need it back, don’t you?”

“I can get another one,” Raye said very quickly and dismissively. 

She kept looking around, almost shrinking a bit against the steering wheel. It was almost like this neighborhood made her nervous, for some reason...

“Are you all right?” Darian asked, concerned. 

Raye forced a smile. “Well, sure -- just...just don’ come down here that much...”

She tried to brush off her nerves, putting on a slightly braver expression.

“...Just...go ahead and keep covered, ‘til you’re back with your crew. Reckon they’d be able to protect you from anyone who might give you grief for your...mechanics.”

Her eyes flitted down to Darian’s folded wings obscured by the blanket around his shoulders. Darian glanced down at her blanket around his shoulders and then back up at her, offering her a slightly gentler smile. 

“You didn’t give me any grief for them,” he pointed out. He smiled a bit sheepishly. “I thought you might actually -- I’m sure you’ve probably never seen a flying man before...”

Raye smiled self-consciously as her eyes fell down to her steering wheel. 

“I’ve seen weirder,” she said dismissively.

Not letting Darian press her further, she changed the subject, forcing her smile that bit more.

“Well, um...it was nice meetin’ you, Darian Zain,” she said formally. “Best of luck gettin’ back to your crew.”

“...Thank you...”

Darian felt himself deflating a bit despite himself. Guess this really was the end of this weird little adventure, wasn’t it...?

Picking up the satchel up off the car floor, he hoisted it up over his shoulder again and put on a braver, more sincere smile. 

“...Raye? I know I just said it, but...thank you. I haven’t really ever been able to go out and just have fun with people that much, and...well, this day was one of the best I’ve ever had, in my whole life.”

He grinned.

“I had a lot of fun! The ride-in was great, and Apple’s a beautiful car -- and you’re a pretty swell friend. So thank you.”

Raye blinked, taken aback by the winged man’s sincerity. Then her black eyes grew a little smaller, sparkling with a bit more fondness.

“...You’re welcome.”

She paused.

“...Hey, um...if you ever end up ‘round here again, you can always look me up, near Camden Airfield. I’m there most days, and just about all the pilots there know me -- even the ones who don’t think lady-folks should be flyin’ planes,” she added with a wryer smile. Her confidence then faltered a bit as she rambled on, “We could always go for a drive somewhere else...we could go to Newark and visit a brewery -- maybe even go to Steel Pier, if there’s time...”

Darian’s grin spread so wide, it nearly took up his whole face.

“Yeah!” he said, thrilled. “I’d like that!” 

Raye’s face flushed happily as she beamed. 

“Great,” she said, her voice a bit breathy despite herself. Her black eyes crinkled up to make room for the big smile on her face. “Well, um...see you ‘round, Darian.”

His face still bright with his big grin, Darian waved with his hand not holding his satchel. 

“Bye, Raye!” 

And with this, he departed around the corner, right up to the enchanted wall leading to Gravesville. Tapping the three left-most bricks with his knuckles, and then kicking the lowest right with his foot, the wall suddenly became as translucent as mist, and Darian slid right on through. 

~*~

As fate would have it, Desiree and Lugh had gone back to Gravesville to look for Darian, after he didn’t return to the Empyrean. Desiree scolded Darian in both English and French for worrying them, and Darian was very apologetic, not just to Desiree, but to the others when they all returned to the ship. Kath ended chewing Darian out even more than Desiree did, especially after Darian told them about the new friend he’d made.

“You seriously just climbed into a complete stranger’s car and drove away with her?” said Kath, flabbergasted. “It’s a bloody miracle that you haven’t gotten yourself killed, with how blindly trusting you are...”

 “She waz only a Muggle, Mon Ami Alton,” said Desiree lightly. “I doubt she would’ve been able to ‘urt Monsieur Zain zat much, even if she tried...but even zo.”

“Don’t underestimate Muggles, your Worship,” Lugh reminded Desiree. “They can be just as helpful or dangerous as any of us.”

“Well, fortunately, it sounds like this one was helpful!” Jules said optimistically. “So we can be thankful for that, at least...”

He smiled at Darian. “Just be more careful next time, all right? Felix, Kath and Desi were all really worried about you.”

“Don’t put words in my mouth,” Felix and Kath shot back in nearly perfect unison. It made Lugh, Darian, and Jules all burst out laughing and made Desiree fail to bite back a smile. 

“I will,” said Darian, smiling slightly as Jules’s pet occamy Zephyr flew up to nuzzle his shoulder affectionately with his beak. 

Definitely should make sure I have some healing potions on me, when I travel alone, he thought to himself. 

~*~

After Darian had left the street corner, Raye stayed parked off to the side for about a half-hour, just in case he reemerged needing more help. It was just as she was about to head out that she caught sight of a familiar face rounding the corner with several other people -- that of a dashing dark-haired man with a pointed chin and nose and sparkling black eyes, dressed in an unusually flowing suit not unlike robes. 

At the sight of Raye, the man stopped mid-walk, staring at her. His eyes were very critical. Raye met his gaze head-on, but her attitude was not hostile or even confrontational -- on the contrary: her posture seemed to shrink a bit against her steering wheel again, even as she stood her ground and stared at him. 

The people around the man glanced over at where he was looking, curious. Muttering something to them under his breath, the man quickly steered them away, shooting another cold look back at Raye as he went. 

Raye looked down at her own hands on Apple’s steering wheel, sighing quietly through her nose. 

It was so much less uncomfortable when the MACUSA was still back in New York City, rather than in Philadelphia...

 At least Seph showed his face after Darian left, Raye thought to herself uncomfortably. 

She didn’t even want to think of how many questions Darian might have, if he’d figured out she had the same last name as the new Head of the Federal Bureau of Covert Vigilance and No-Maj Obliviation...nor how much grief Joseph would give her, for entertaining a clueless foreign wizard with a set of giant wings he couldn’t even hide from Muggle view...

With a cringe, Raye shifted the gears of her car and, with one last look over in the direction of where she knew Gravesville was hidden, she drove off, back over the Delaware River into Camden, New Jersey. 

[wikitopx]

Finding the perfect name for your newborn baby may take some time and careful consideration, but it can also be very interesting.

In fact, it's one of the first and biggest decisions you have to make as a new parent. Are you looking for a son to speak of a family tradition or celebrate a cultural tradition? Whatever your approach, you'll find lots of great options on the following list of the 1,000 most popular boys, according to Social Security Administration (SSA). Take a look to help you narrow down your favorites list (or inspire new ones) and enjoy the experience of finding your favorite name for your new son.

[toc]

1. Top 1,000 Baby Boy Names

Liam

Noah

William

James

Oliver

Benjamin

Elijah

Lucas

Mason

Logan

Alexander

Ethan

Jacob

Michael

Daniel

Henry

Jackson

Sebastian

Aiden

Matthew

Samuel

David

Joseph

Carter

Owen

Wyatt

John

Jack

Luke

Jayden

Dylan

Grayson

Levi

Isaac

Gabriel

Julian

Mateo

Anthony

Jaxon

Lincoln

Joshua

Christopher

Andrew

Theodore

Caleb

Ryan

Asher

Nathan

Thomas

Leo

Isaiah

Charles

Josiah

Hudson

Christian

Hunter

Connor

Eli

Ezra

Aaron

Landon

Adrian

Jonathan

Nolan

Jeremiah

Easton

Elias

Colton

Cameron

Carson

Robert

Angel

Maverick

Nicholas

Dominic

Jaxson

Greyson

Adam

Ian

Austin

Santiago

Jordan

Cooper

Brayden

Roman

Evan

Ezekiel

Xavier

Jose

Jace

Jameson

Leonardo

Bryson

Axel

Everett

Parker

Kayden

Miles

Sawyer

Jason

Declan

Weston

Micah

Ayden

Wesley

Luca

Vincent

Damian

Zachary

Silas

Gavin

Chase

Kai

Emmett

Harrison

Nathaniel

Kingston

Cole

Tyler

Bennett

Bentley

Ryker

Tristan

Brandon

Kevin

Luis

George

Ashton

Rowan

Braxton

Ryder

Gael

Ivan

Diego

Maxwell

Max

Carlos

Kaiden

Juan

Maddox

Justin

Waylon

Calvin

Giovanni

Jonah

Abel

Jayce

Jesus

Amir

King

Beau

Camden

Alex

Jasper

Malachi

Brody

Jude

Blake

Emmanuel

Eric

Brooks

Elliot

Antonio

Abraham

Timothy

Finn

Rhett

Elliott

Edward

August

Xander

Alan

Dean

Lorenzo

Bryce

Karter

Victor

Milo

Miguel

Hayden

Graham

Grant

Zion

Tucker

Jesse

Zayden

Joel

Richard

Patrick

Emiliano

Avery

Nicolas

Brantley

Dawson

Myles

Matteo

River

Steven

Thiago

Zane

Matias

Judah

Messiah

Jeremy

Preston

Oscar

Kaleb

Alejandro

Marcus

Mark

Peter

Maximus

Barrett

Jax

Andres

Holden

Legend

Charlie

Knox

Kaden

Paxton

Kyrie

Kyle

Griffin

Josue

Kenneth

Beckett

Enzo

Adriel

Arthur

Felix

Bryan

Lukas

Paul

Brian

Colt

Caden

Leon

Archer

Omar

Israel

Aidan

Theo

Javier

Remington

Jaden

Bradley

Emilio

Colin

Riley

Cayden

Phoenix

Clayton

Simon

Ace

Nash

Derek

Rafael

Zander

Brady

Jorge

Jake

Louis

Damien

Karson

Walker

Maximiliano

Amari

Sean

Chance

Walter

Martin

Finley

Andre

Tobias

Cash

Corbin

Arlo

Iker

Erick

Emerson

Gunner

Cody

Stephen

Francisco

Killian

Dallas

Reid

Manuel

Lane

Atlas

Rylan

Jensen

Ronan

Beckham

Daxton

Anderson

Kameron

Raymond

Orion

Cristian

Tanner

Kyler

Jett

Cohen

Ricardo

Spencer

Gideon

Ali

Fernando

Jaiden

Titus

Travis

Bodhi

Eduardo

Dante

Ellis

Prince

Kane

Luka

Kash

Hendrix

Desmond

Donovan

Mario

Atticus

Cruz

Garrett

Hector

Angelo

Jeffrey

Edwin

Cesar

Zayn

Devin

Conor

Warren

Odin

Jayceon

Romeo

Julius

Jaylen

Hayes

Kayson

Muhammad

Jaxton

Joaquin

Caiden

Dakota

Major

Keegan

Sergio

Marshall

Johnny

Kade

Edgar

Leonel

Ismael

Marco

Tyson

Wade

Collin

Troy

Nasir

Conner

Adonis

Jared

Rory

Andy

Jase

Lennox

Shane

Malik

Ari

Reed

Seth

Clark

Erik

Lawson

Trevor

Gage

Nico

Malakai

Quinn

Cade

Johnathan

Sullivan

Solomon

Cyrus

Fabian

Pedro

Frank

Shawn

Malcolm

Khalil

Nehemiah

Dalton

Mathias

Jay

Ibrahim

Peyton

Winston

Kason

Zayne

Noel

Princeton

Matthias

Gregory

Sterling

Dominick

Elian

Grady

Russell

Finnegan

Ruben

Gianni

Porter

Kendrick

Leland

Pablo

Allen

Hugo

Raiden

Kolton

Remy

Ezequiel

Damon

Emanuel

Zaiden

Otto

Bowen

Marcos

Abram

Kasen

Franklin

Royce

Jonas

Sage

Philip

Esteban

Drake

Kashton

Roberto

Harvey

Alexis

Kian

Jamison

Maximilian

Adan

Milan

Phillip

Albert

Dax

Mohamed

Ronin

Kamden

Hank

Memphis

Oakley

Augustus

Drew

Moises

Armani

Rhys

Benson

Jayson

Kyson

Braylen

Corey

Gunnar

Omari

Alonzo

Landen

Armando

Derrick

Dexter

Enrique

Bruce

Nikolai

Francis

Rocco

Kairo

Royal

Zachariah

Arjun

Deacon

Skyler

Eden

Alijah

Rowen

Pierce

Uriel

Ronald

Luciano

Tate

Frederick

Kieran

Lawrence

Moses

Rodrigo

Brycen

Leonidas

Nixon

Keith

Chandler

Case

Davis

Asa

Darius

Isaias

Aden

Jaime

Landyn

Raul

Niko

Trenton

Apollo

Cairo

Izaiah

Scott

Dorian

Julio

Wilder

Santino

Dustin

Donald

Raphael

Saul

Taylor

Ayaan

Duke

Ryland

Tatum

Ahmed

Moshe

Edison

Emmitt

Cannon

Alec

Danny

Keaton

Roy

Conrad

Roland

Quentin

Lewis

Samson

Brock

Kylan

Cason

Ahmad

Jalen

Nikolas

Braylon

Kamari

Dennis

Callum

Justice

Soren

Rayan

Aarav

Gerardo

Ares

Brendan

Jamari

Kaison

Yusuf

Issac

Jasiah

Callen

Forrest

Makai

Crew

Kobe

Bo

Julien

Mathew

Braden

Johan

Marvin

Zaid

Stetson

Casey

Ty

Ariel

Tony

Zain

Callan

Cullen

Sincere

Uriah

Dillon

Kannon

Colby

Axton

Cassius

Quinton

Mekhi

Reece

Alessandro

Jerry

Mauricio

Sam

Trey

Mohammad

Alberto

Gustavo

Arturo

Fletcher

Marcelo

Abdiel

Hamza

Alfredo

Chris

Finnley

Curtis

Kellan

Quincy

Kase

Harry

Kyree

Wilson

Cayson

Hezekiah

Kohen

Neil

Mohammed

Raylan

Kaysen

Lucca

Sylas

Mack

Leonard

Lionel

Ford

Roger

Rex

Alden

Boston

Colson

Briggs

Zeke

Dariel

Kingsley

Valentino

Jamir

Salvador

Vihaan

Mitchell

Lance

Lucian

Darren

Jimmy

Alvin

Amos

Tripp

Zaire

Layton

Reese

Casen

Colten

Brennan

Korbin

Sonny

Bruno

Orlando

Devon

Huxley

Boone

Maurice

Nelson

Douglas

Randy

Gary

Lennon

Titan

Denver

Jaziel

Noe

Jefferson

Ricky

Lochlan

Rayden

Bryant

Langston

Lachlan

Clay

Abdullah

Lee

Baylor

Leandro

Ben

Kareem

Layne

Joe

Crosby

Deandre

Demetrius

Kellen

Carl

Jakob

Ridge

Bronson

Jedidiah

Rohan

Larry

Stanley

Tomas

Shiloh

Thaddeus

Watson

Baker

Vicente

Koda

Jagger

Nathanael

Carmelo

Shepherd

Graysen

Melvin

Ernesto

Jamie

Yosef

Clyde

Eddie

Tristen

Grey

Ray

Tommy

Samir

Ramon

Santana

Kristian

Marcel

Wells

Zyaire

Brecken

Byron

Otis

Reyansh

Axl

Joey

Trace

Morgan

Musa

Harlan

Enoch

Henrik

Kristopher

Talon

Rey

Guillermo

Houston

Jon

Vincenzo

Dane

Terry

Azariah

Castiel

Kye

Augustine

Zechariah

Joziah

Kamryn

Hassan

Jamal

Chaim

Bodie

Emery

Branson

Jaxtyn

Kole

Wayne

Aryan

Alonso

Brixton

Madden

Allan

Flynn

Jaxen

Harley

Magnus

Sutton

Dash

Anders

Westley

Brett

Emory

Felipe

Yousef

Jadiel

Mordechai

Dominik

Junior

Eliseo

Fisher

Harold

Jaxxon

Kamdyn

Maximo

Caspian

Kelvin

Damari

Fox

Trent

Hugh

Briar

Franco

Keanu

Terrance

Yahir

Ameer

Kaiser

Thatcher

Ishaan

Koa

Merrick

Coen

Rodney

Brayan

London

Rudy

Gordon

Bobby

Aron

Marc

Van

Anakin

Canaan

Dario

Reginald

Westin

Darian

Ledger

Leighton

Maxton

Tadeo

Valentin

Aldo

Khalid

Nickolas

Toby

Dayton

Jacoby

Billy

Gatlin

Elisha

Jabari

Jermaine

Alvaro

Marlon

Mayson

Blaze

Jeffery

Kace

Braydon

Achilles

Brysen

Saint

Xzavier

Aydin

Eugene

Adrien

Cain

Kylo

Nova

Onyx

Arian

Bjorn

Jerome

Miller

Alfred

Kenzo

Kyng

Leroy

Maison

Jordy

Stefan

Wallace

Benicio

Kendall

Zayd

Blaine

Tristian

Anson

Gannon

Jeremias

Marley

Ronnie

Dangelo

Kody

Will

Bentlee

Gerald

Salvatore

Turner

Chad

Misael

Mustafa

Konnor

Maxim

Rogelio

Zakai

Cory

Judson

Brentley

Darwin

Louie

Ulises

Dakari

Rocky

Wesson

Alfonso

Payton

Dwayne

Juelz

Duncan

Keagan

Deshawn

Bode

Bridger

Skylar

Brodie

Landry

Avi

Keenan

Reuben

Jaxx

Rene

Yehuda

Imran

Yael

Alexzander

Willie

Cristiano

Heath

Lyric

Davion

Elon

Karsyn

Krew

Jairo

Maddux

Ephraim

Ignacio

Vivaan

Aries

Vance

Boden

Lyle

Ralph

Reign

Camilo

Draven

Terrence

Idris

Ira

Javion

Jericho

Khari

Marcellus

Creed

Shepard

Terrell

Ahmir

Camdyn

Cedric

Howard

Jad

Zahir

Harper

Justus

Forest

Gibson

Zev

Alaric

Decker

Ernest

Jesiah

Torin

Benedict

Bowie

Deangelo

Genesis

Harlem

Kalel

Kylen

Bishop

Immanuel

Lian

Zavier

Archie

Davian

Gus

Kabir

Korbyn

Randall

Benton

Coleman

Markus

2. Top 10 beautiful Middles names for baby Boys

Ace

Abe

Beck

Blake

Dean

Grant

Hugh

James

Charles

George

More ideals for you: Top 1000 baby Girl names

From : https://wikitopx.com/name-meanings/top-1000-baby-boy-names-711929.html

[kathrynalicemc]

Prince Darian Zain + Fashion

For @carewyncromwell ♥️ Himbo Prince Bird Boi has various styles. Of course is first style is that of Arabian/Turkish nobility. I also included the crown and his wings because I wanted to 😌 Then when he goes on the run he changes to just simple rag clothing like tunic shirts. And finally when he becomes a hero on the Empyrean he wears some leather armor.

[kathrynalicemc]

Open Romances Masterpost

Heres a masterpost of all currently open main ocs for all eras! You will note this is just my most used main ones because if I mentioned every oc this would be so long. That being said, if you know about a minor oc in an ocs family tree and have a romance request: Let me know!!! Im always down!

HPFB

Prince Darian Zain

HPHM

Kathryn Alice

Eloise Yaxley

HPMA

Nessi Lucerne

Bonus: I have many other HPMA/next gen kids that are open but they can be found in a separate post!

[kathrynalicemc]

Today is a “Himbo Prince Darian Zain” kinda day

[kathrynalicemc]

Prince Darian Zain was born from an Arabian Kings fateful encounter with a Djinn. Some months later, a baby boy was dropped upon the steps of the castle. The King loved him and Darian grew up pampered and comfortable until one day his father married.

As the boy grew, strange things started to happen and the townspeople began to gossip about the freak King’s Son. Some even claim to have seen him flying high above the city on eagle wings.

Years later, the King died and the new Queen quietly put out a bounty on Darians head. With him gone, the throne would pass to his step mother and step sisters. It was no longer safe to stay in the city, so Darian set off on his own. One day, he has an encounter with a certain Captain of a strange flying skyship called The Empyrean. Darian learns from the Captain and his First Mate as he’s spent his life given anything he wanted. The naive and playful young boy becomes a strong and loyal man. Will he ever return home to reclaim his throne, or will he continue having grand adventures aboard the ship in the sky?

Thanks to @carewyncromwell for helping me build this boy! Can’t wait for him to get into chaos with the rest of the Empyrean gang

[carewyncromwell]

[Fantastic Beasts] Empyrean Crew Playlist

featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda as Julio “Jules” Aquila @kathrynalicemc; Ruth Negga as Desiree Lestrange @carewyncromwell; Tessa Thompson as Kathleen “Kath” Alton @magical-retales; Harrison Ford as Lugh Hopper @thatravenpuffwitch; Charlie Rowe as Felix Witt @sirfluffig​; and Luke Pasqualino as Prince Darian Zain @kathrynalicemc // bottom graphic by @kathrynalicemc​

x~x~x~x~x

“Dark Chest of Wonders” ~ Nightwish

“Counting Stars” ~ OneRepublic

“Miles from Nowhere” ~ Cat Stevens

“Flying” ~ Peter Pan (2003)

“Touch the Sky/Wind in My Hair” ~ Scott and Rycee Jo

“Roam if You Want To” ~ the B-52′s

“Sailing for Adventure” ~ Muppet Treasure Island

“Orinoco Flow (cover)” ~ Celtic Woman

“The Greatest Show (cover)” ~ Panic!at the Disco

“Look Through My Eyes” ~ Phil Collins

“That’s the Way It Is” ~ Celine Dion

“Where You Belong” ~ Kari Kimmel

“Family” ~ James and the Giant Peach

“Immortals (cover)” ~ DCappella

“Sky Sailing” ~ Dark Sarah

“How Far We’ve Come” ~ Matchbox Twenty

“Once Upon a Time with Me” ~ Once Upon a Forest

x~x~x~x~x 

[carewyncromwell]

𝕯𝖊𝖘𝖎𝖗𝖊𝖊 𝕷𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊 // Character Profile

// template inspired by one developed by @thatravenpuffwitch //

BASICS

Full Name: Desiree Anne Luminosa Marie Lestrange

Nickname: Desi (by Jules Aquila and some other crewmates on the Empyrean)

Birthday: 1st May 19xx

Blood Status: Pureblood

Gender: Cisgender Female

Sexuality: Demisexual / demiromantic

Nationality: French

Residence: Lestrange Manor, Paris, France (previously); The Empyrean (current)

Languages: French, English, German, Latin, Greek, Runes, Hieroglyphics; some Spanish 

Quirks: Often wears a pair of gold winged earrings; speaks in a French accent that makes the "s" and "th" sounds sound like a "z", making words like "this" and "so" sound like "zis" and "zo"

PERSONALITY

MBTI: ISTJ (The Logistician)

These people tend to be reserved yet willful, with a rational outlook on life. They compose their actions carefully and carry them out with methodical purpose.

Four Temperaments: Phlegmatic

cautious // quiet // honest // selfless // high-principled // pacifistic 

Strengths: Intelligent, organized, sophisticated, witty, responsible, practical, loyal

Weaknesses: Uptight, stubborn, overly serious, detached, cautious, socially inept, critical

Interests: Languages, archeology, history, puzzles, cursebreaking, traveling, cooking

Dislikes: Untidiness, flakiness, disorganization, cruelty, broken promises

Stance on les Non-Magiques: Desiree is rather ignorant when it comes to the Muggle World due to her very restrictive, blood purist upbringing, but she’s not actively prejudiced. She really admires of some of the technological advancements Muggles have made in lieu of magic, such as ocean liners, but she can sometimes look down on non-magic-users without meaning to, subconsciously treating them as more fragile and/or less capable. This doesn’t mean, however, that she feels any disdain or hostility toward Muggles, let alone people with Muggle ancestry -- she can just come across as a little tone-deaf and insensitive when she railroads through, thinking she knows best and can handle things on her own. 

APPEARANCE

Faceclaim: Ruth Negga

Height: 5’5”

Build: Slender

Hair: Curly black

Eyes: Brown

Skin: Tanned

What do they carry on them?: Her wand, a knife (attached to her boot), a dust brush (attached to the other boot), a Sneakoscope, a Propity Probe, a coin pouch enchanted to hold a modest amount of francs, Deutsche Marks, pounds sterling, and Galleons

Fashion: "Vintage Safari" (when traveling); “Coco Chanel” (formal)

MAGIC

Wand: Cherry, Dragon Heartstring core, 11 inches, slightly yielding

Animagus: N/A

Patronus: Husky (originally); Eagle (after falling in love with Jules Aquila)

Boggart: Being as silent and translucent as a ghost, unable to touch or help anyone

Riddikulus: Being under a Disillusionment Charm and being able to sneak up and jump-scare her friends, which makes them laugh and then subsequently makes her laugh

Amortentia: Lilies, old books, the ocean, faintly worn leather, myrrh

Polyjuice: Like jasmine green tea spiked with cool, cleansing spearmint

Mirror of Erised: Being surrounded by her mother, father, and brother, all of whom look upon her with pride and respect (previously); standing with Jules at her side, holding her shoulder (now)

EDUCATION

School: Beauxbatons Academy of Magic

Best Subject: Defense Against the Dark Arts; Ancient Runes; Ancient Studies

Worst Subject: Astronomy

Honors: Prefect, Head Girl

RELATIONSHIPS

Family: Cyrille Lestrange (father; deceased); Alodie Lestrange (mother; estranged); Marius Lestrange (younger brother; estranged)

Friends: Jules Aquila @kathrynalicemc, Kathleen Alton @magical-retales, Lugh Hopper @thatravenpuffwitch, Felix Witt @sirfluffig​, Prince Darian Zain @kathrynalicemc​

Love Interest: Jules Aquila

Pets: Zephyr the occamy (technically owned by Jules, but this little guy 150% sees Desiree as "Mummy")

Enemies: Jacques Macnair; Claude Macnair; Yves Rosier

FAVORITES

Colors: Blue, violet, white, black, gold, silver

Foods: Croissants; cornish pasties

Drink: White wine; English breakfast tea

Magical Creatures: Abraxan Winged Horses, Sphinxes, Occamies (thanks, Zephyr!)

Flower: Calla Lily

Book: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Season: Autumn

BACKSTORY

Older child and only daughter of the well-regarded and conservative French wizard Cyrille Lestrange, Desiree was raised alongside wealth, but it brought her very little happiness. Happiness was a luxury she somehow couldn’t afford – because from the moment her younger brother, Cyrille’s heir Marius, was born, Desiree was expected to set a good example for her brother and shoulder the burden of watching over him, supporting him, and fixing any of his mistakes. Part of this was because of her family’s patriarchal expectation that women should be dutiful to their family – part of it was favoritism on her parents’ part toward Marius, indulging the boy and spoiling him beyond reason simply because he was the heir they craved – part of it was the twisted logic that Desiree wouldn’t inherit anything from her father upon his death, so she couldn’t rely on it like Marius could – and part of it was a form of neglect that seemed to assume that because Desiree was the responsible one (largely because she was expected to be), she should be the one to shoulder all the family’s responsibilities, rather than it being distributed equally. 

Regardless, Desiree wasn’t really given much room to complain or lament her circumstances – she knew her family needed her to be dutiful and responsible, and so she ended up compartmentalizing any loneliness or isolation she felt and plowing through with targeted precision. On her parents’ direction, she became both Prefect and Head Girl at Beauxbatons and then aimed for a position at France’s largest Wizarding Bank, the Banque Ducristaux, as a Cursebreaker. It was a job that paid very well and was very well-respected in the circles the Lestranges dabbled in, so it was thought that it would help Desiree achieve a worthwhile romantic match before settling down into domestic tranquility. 

What the Lestranges hadn’t counted on was that Cursebreaking also involved a lot of travel – something that Desiree’s intellectual mind rejoiced in, since it let her experience so many wonderful things in person that she’d only ever read about in books – and it was through traveling to different tombs that Desiree collided with sky sailor Jules Aquila. 

After coming across the same tomb, fighting over the artifact in question, and even having to help each other out in escaping some of its traps, the two ended up developing a working rivalry, colliding in several more locations and both bantering and cursebreaking several more times over. Jules found that their rivalry – and more importantly, interacting with the other – made the whole game a lot more fun, and before long, Desiree realized it too. And so, after Jules ended up in France and a bit too over his head, Desiree helped him out of it and then – to everyone’s shock – actually set sail with him, up into the air in his ship, the Empyrean. 

Now Jules Aquila and Desiree Lestrange are almost never seen apart, sailing over the world and going on exciting new adventures everyday…and Desiree finally finds a dream that she can chase for herself, rather than someone else: to be happy alongside the first real friend she’s ever had in her life.

TRIVIA

~Desiree has never had any pets, due to her mother’s allergies and general dislike for animals. The closest she’s ever known is Jules’s familiar, Zephyr, who loves curling up on her shoulders like a stole.  

~Desiree has a lot of trouble letting loose and having fun, but one thing she does end up discovering she really loves doing, whenever she travels somewhere new, is to visit every museum she can find. Learning new things was one of the few things that brought her any joy as a young girl, and she loves being able to learn whatever and as much as she wants whenever she wants. 

~Marius resents the hell out of Jules Aquila for taking his sister away, since after Desiree left, he was forced to confront how much he’d truly relied on her and how little he truly knew how to do on his own -- something that greatly bruised the young man’s ego, given the toxically masculine home he and Desiree were raised in. He has tried to bully and gaslight his sister into returning home, but Desiree has very coldly shut him down every time. 

~Desiree used to be a bit of a hoarder in the sense that whenever the crew of the Empyrean would discover anything of historical significance, she would hold onto it in her cabin, trying to meticulously study and care for each artifact. Over time, she comes to the realization that it isn’t practical to keep so many priceless artifacts on board ship and donates the vast majority of them to museums around the world. 

~Don’t spend a lot of money on Desiree, if you want her to look at you with anything other than disdain. She received a lot of expensive furs and jewelry from Jacques Macnair back in the day while he was courting her, and she finds such things incredibly impractical. Something small, tasteful, and personal to her will make her much happier. 

~Also please, for the love of GOD, don’t take something out of her cabin and then not put it back exactly where you found it. Desiree will go ballistic if she can’t find what she’s looking for because you messed with her stuff. 

~Desiree encourages Jules to learn more Spanish by studying it too so she can help him practice speaking it. She also teaches him some French so that she can have short conversations with him that only they can understand. 

~Out of the Empyrean’s crew, Kath has taught Desiree the most about Muggle technology. Desiree had never even touched a record player, Muggle or magical, before Kath pressured her to help fix theirs. Kath also taught Desiree basic life skills like how to light matches and how to preheat an oven. 

~Kath and Desiree will also occasionally exchange snarky remarks in French under their breath and laugh really hard whenever anyone else on-board ship demands to know what they said. 

~When Desiree first met Lugh Hopper, the two had a lot of trouble seeing eye to eye, with their rather opposite approaches to both life and cursebreaking. Desiree found rough-and-tumble, street-smart Lugh to be reckless and rude, while Lugh found genius stick-in-the-mud Desiree pretentious and bossy. What ended up softening Lugh to Desiree was how this usually quiet, sensible “princess” turns into an absolute nerd when it comes to languages and history. It’s a trait Lugh many years later recognized and similarly grew a fondness for in his honorary second “grandson,” Jacob Cromwell. 

~Lugh and Desiree are both expert wizard duelists, so they serve as the resident “tanks” of the Empyrean’s crew, combat-wise. They also duel for fun frequently on deck, with Felix and Darian often taking bets from the sidelines. 

~In the beginning, Felix Witt was very distrustful of Desiree, given she was both from a wealthy family and WAY more uptight and by-the-book than he was. And although Desiree likewise side-eyed Felix for becoming a thief of all things in the beginning, the two soon found a lot of common ground, both being the children of wealthy blood purist families with less-than-stellar reputations. Desiree finds Felix’s Muggle magic tricks so interesting that she goes out of her way to pick up several books on the subject so she can study them further. 

~Of the members of Empyrean’s crew, Felix seeks out Desiree’s advice the most. Since Desiree speaks German, Felix feels the most comfortable talking out his problems in his native language with someone who’s also a pretty good listening ear. Desiree also helped Felix relearn how to waltz once, before the crew infiltrated a formal event on one of their adventures. 

~Spoiled and naive Darian Zain reminded Desiree unpleasantly of her younger brother Marius from the offset. One would think this would prompt Desiree to coddle him, but nope -- if anything, Desiree puts a good bit of pressure on Darian and tries to encourage a strong work ethic out of him, wanting to make sure he isn’t “useless” the way her brother was. Desiree frequently conscripts Darian to come with her to the market and carry everything for her so she can run around like a busy bee and collect supplies faster. 

~Desiree almost exclusively calls people “Monsieur/Mademoiselle (last name),” though occasionally she’ll dip into calling Jules “Captain.” Most of the crew adopts Jules’s nickname of “Desi” for Desiree, though Lugh will also teasingly call her “Princess” or “Your Worship” when she’s being particularly uptight or fussy. 

~Desiree always had trouble with Astronomy as a girl because she felt like one could just see whatever they wanted, looking at a bunch of a random, unconnected dots in the sky.  Jules’s enthusiasm for the stars rubs off on Desiree slightly while she’s on board the Empyrean, though she ends up taking interest in the study of Muggle astrophysics, since she finds stars interesting more for what they’re made of than the patterns they make up in the sky.

~Being demisexual/demiromantic and never having been allowed to make any real friends before, Desiree has expressed no sexual or romantic interest in anyone prior to Jules Aquila. She has, however, had quite a few admirers over the years for her supposedly “exotic” beauty, magical talent, and quiet subservience to her family. The man her mother selected as her intended was Yves Rosier, the dim-witted and rather unremarkable second son of the Pureblood Rosier family, but Desiree’s most prominent suitor was Yves’s schoolyard “friend” and current boss, Jacques Macnair, who is the only son of the infamous French gangster, Claude Macnair. Jacques even now is a bit territorial of Desiree and is incredibly jealous of and therefore very wrathful and vindictive toward Jules for earning her loyalty and affection.  

ADDITIONAL LINKS

Intro Post/Aesthetic

Character Playlist

Juliree Ship Playlist

Drabble - "I don’t wanna lose you"

Drabble - "let’s go for a nightwalk"

Drabble - "well...this is awkward"

Meet Jules!

Meet Kath!

Meet Felix!

Lugh’s Moodboard

Darian’s Moodboard