#dr lalinde

Tempo Thalia LaLinde

Age: 21

Birthdate: September 12, 1822

Biography: Originally hailing from the Basque region (between Spain and France), Tempo Thalia LaLinde lived a relatively normal life with her mother, Noelle, and sister, Rhythm, while her father, Ricardo, had unfortunately passed away during a hunting trip gone wrong. She never knew the full details, but apparently, he and his hunting party were attacked by creatures of the night, or so the rumors went.

Despite proclaiming faith in the Catholic Church, the main dominating force of the region, Tempo’s family held ties to ancient Druids that hailed from the Celts of the British Isles. They held the old ways with as much reverence as the new, channeling their ancestors and the Earth to engage in healing and medicine.

Life went on normally, the changing climate allowing for more opportunities for those such as herself and her available family, Rhythm working in beekeeping and flower arranging, while Tempo and her mother worked in searching the earth for minerals, living near an iron mine. While not a blacksmith by trade, she came to learn how to craft her own hammers and tools if need be, learning tricks from her mother and several friends of her sister’s. Tempo herself was more reserved and kept to herself than the rest of her family.

But one night, out of the blue, Ricardo returned. And yet, he was not the same.

Noelle opened the door, and he attacked, biting her throat and forcing her to the ground before either Tempo or Rhythm could stop him. Then the Hunters came, driving a stake through his heart, allowing Noelle’s daughters to get her off the ground and to the washroom, able to patch her up. The Hunters questioned the two young women, neither of them mentioning how their mother was bitten.

The Hunters suspected, but didn’t push, not wishing to further disturb the populace. But they warned that they would keep watch.

At first, Noelle appeared fine, going about her days as usual. But, with time, she began to develop some odd habits: her aversion to sunlight, the paling of her skin, and the development of sharpened canines in her mouth. Still, neither Tempo nor Rhythm said anything, knowing what all this meant, yet neither could agree on what to do.

Then came the night, when Noelle’s hunger could no longer be satiated with merely animal blood or slices on her daughters’ fingers.

She aimed for Rhythm, yet Tempo pushed her out of the way, her mother’s teeth hitting her throat.

Then, her own sister stabbed their mother through the chest with one of their knives, ending her short reign of terror, but a moment too late.

What occurred with Noelle steadily began to happen with Tempo.

Only Tempo didn’t wait to potentially turn on her only remaining family.

Fleeing to Eastern Europe without her sister’s knowledge, leaving only a note telling her not to look for her cursed sibling, Tempo LaLinde eventually settled in a small, desolate church on the outskirts of Raluca Village. Dressing in the attire of an Orthodox nun (despite having grown up Catholic), and only emerging at night, Tempo came to be known as “the lonely nun” who had rumors of her humanity whispered among the townsfolk.

It’s only when a group of cultists made off with her that she reached her limit. She had gone without blood for so long, and she was so thirsty that she was begging for some sort of relief. So, she let them take her, planning to finally satiate her needs and satisfy her hunger with fresh blood of those who no one would miss.

She was brought to a field on the outskirts of an abandoned monastery, where she was about to be a sacrifice to revive Lord Dracula, and the cultists were soon to be a sacrifice for her hunger.

Only, when the time came, she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t subject others to what her mother and father had suffered through. And it seemed that one of the cult members appeared to want to speak up, but before anything could be done, two vampire Hunters barged their way in, interrupting the ceremony and shattering one of the components needed for the ritual: the Crimson Stone.

Upon shattering this great artifact created through alchemy, Tempo and everyone else went unconscious, the young woman waking up to find only a sole member of the cult alive: a redheaded human with eyes shielded by darkened spectacles.

She could have bitten his throat right then and there, but she hesitated long enough for the sun to peak over the horizon, forcing her to flee. Plus, for whatever reason she couldn’t explain, the castle in the distance, the one by Hunedoara, was calling to her.

As if she belonged there.

Nevertheless, it was the only place where there was seemingly an ever-present moon, full and fat in the dark heavens above.

An eternal night…

Perfect for vampires.

Personality: Priding herself as a respectable, diligent, and most of all, grounded woman, Tempo LaLinde found her world completely shattered when her father vanished and her mother was turned into a vampire. She was torn between telling someone, the Hutners, someone from the Chruch, anyone that could potentially help them, or keeping it secret, something Rhythm ultimately encouraged, out of fear that their mother would be killed.

In truth, her death would come at the hands of her own children.

Not wishing to do to Rhythm or anyone else what her parents did, even if she didn’t blame them for their hunger, Tempo fled and eventually settled in Wallachia, in a remote village of Raluca.

Known as “the lonely nun” who only came out at night, she earned both a sense of reverence and suspicion among those who came to see her. Swearing to never feed on humans, she spent her days satiating herself with animal blood or livestock, but over time, this came to not be enough.

When she was captured by the cult, she saw a means to potentially end the maddening hunger.

Still, she found she couldn’t do it when the time came: before the Hunters intervened, before the Crimson Stone was shattered, before she found that one sole member left among those that had vanished, despite the want, the need to satiate her hunger, she couldn’t bring herself to take a life.

Thus, with the sun rising in the distance, Tempo LaLinde fled to Hunedoara, to the Castle, where the night was forever young, and the moon was always available to shine its lesser light.

Still, even with survival at the forefront of her mind, she hoped that here, perhaps, maybe, she’d find a way back. A way back to who she was.

A way back to her humanity.

Weapons: Star flail, hammers, fangs.

Was relistening to Dear Evan Hansen at work and thought of the two of them in relation to the opening number

She hadn’t wanted her daughter to hurt anymore - what parent would? - and couldn’t stand the thought of losing her again. She had thought she was protecting them by removing her Integrated Circuit Chip.

Metal Man: What would you like to eat this evening? We have chicken caprese, sesame grilled salmon, flamin' yon...

Dr Lalinde: Don't you mean filet mignon?