Laverne Carier

Laverne and her twin brother, Lucius, were born to a family of espers and EQE-users that expected both of them to grow into capable essence-users, just like their parents were. Laverne, a natural pyro esper, didn't have a significant affinity for essence -- but she still awed Lucius with her powers when they were younger, given that Lucius didn't have any ability to channel essence on his own at all. The two of them were loved and cherished as children, growing up incredibly close to one another even as they entered elementary school. Laverne dreamed of their eighteenth birthday, always wondering whether what element Lucius would end up being. Pyro, to match her? Or Hydra, to be her complement?

At the age of 10, however, both of their parents would contract fatal cases of viscerosis; given that both of them used essence regularly, neither realized that their flu symptoms were more than a particularly bad case of essence poisoning until it was far too late. Laverne watched her parents torn away from her in the blink of an eye, irreversibly transformed into Vessels that neither resembled her former parents or recognized her as their daughter. Abandoned and alone in a matter of days, both Lucius and Laverne were isolated from their former friends and school as they were checked repeatedly for signs of the disease that'd taken their parents. Left in an orphanage with only each other to depend on, their sense of siblingship wouldn't last for much longer.

Even at that age, Laverne could already feel a strange tension developing between herself and her brother. Lucius drew further and further away from her, even as she became more and more fascinated with figuring out why her parents had died -- and how she could work to prevent it in both herself and others. Seeing how painful their passing was, Laverne made a vow to herself: she would, in the future, find some way to alleviate the suffering that viscerosis caused to people even outside of her own family.

Laverne was overjoyed to be adopted by the Carier family -- another family of espers that she hoped would help her develop and train her powers. While her step-sibling, Cameron, initially shied away from her, the two of them became closer than ever as time went by. They quickly lost themselves in a private world of their own: Laverne would write and tell stories of fantastical worlds to Cameron, while Cameron would bring her tales to life through their illustrations. While Laverne reached out to Lucius from time to time, trying to maintain the same relationship that she'd had with him when they were younger, she quickly realized that her advances were futile. Lucius had little interest in her and Cameron's imagination, particularly given the fact that they were both espers. By the time the two of them entered high school, they were nothing more than cordial acquaintances; by the time they entered college, Laverne was a virtual stranger to her own brother.

Throughout her college years, Laverne studied diligently to be a nurse -- sans essence, hoping that her restraint would miraculously convince Lucius to be her brother again. Her drive was partially because of how sickly her parents had become, especially with age; Lucius certainly wasn't willing to help, being almost entirely estranged from the Cariers by the time he graduated and moved out. She and Cameron lived in the Cariers's mansion for several years on their own, developing their stories while taking care of their parents and entertaining the idea of one day writing and illustrating children's books together. Her parents would eventually pass peacefully -- after which the two of them were entirely free to pursue whatever passions they'd had during their school years.

Still holding onto the promise she'd made herself as a child, Laverne would ultimately apply to work for the Virion Project as a nurse in the Containment Division, convincing Cameron to join her as a member of the Research Division. She finally decided that she was ready to broaden her own horizons, moving out of the insulated home that had made up the bulk of her childhood.

Laverne couldn't have joined the Virion Project at a more opportune time: only a few weeks after she'd finished her training, the Outbreak Incident came to pass. Laverne was immediately thrust into some of the busiest hospital work that she'd done in her life -- all four members of the former Investigation Division had been significantly affected by the damage that Vessels and extensive essence use had done to them.

It was in the course of her work here that she would first meet Aaron, Duncan, and Chanto: two members of the Investigation Division, as well as their close friend, who was in the hospital wing every chance she could get to check in on them. While she was also assigned briefly to the other two Investigators, Kay and Clarence, the two of them disappeared into the ether after only a few weeks, much to her chagrin. She knew for a fact that they hadn't recovered enough to be let back to do their normal work, but there was hardly anything she could say if they were out of the hospital.

The PR disaster that the Outbreak Incident caused within the Virion Project caused the Containment Division to shrink significantly as more resources were directed towards finding an immediate cure and treatment for the ravages of viscerosis. Laverne moved with it, joining her sibling in the Research Division as a data analyst. She's happy to know that her work is going towards an actual goal, but she still hasn't been able to entirely give up her nursing career: she alternates shifts between the Research Division and the Containment Division's hospital wing to pick up any extra time that their leanly-staffed medical team might need to fill. It might be awkward for her to brush by Lucius in the hallways, at times, with Lucius acting like Laverne doesn't even exist... but the fact that she's with her only sibling, working towards the goals that she's been dreaming of since she was a child, is enough to overcome any misgivings she might have.