Name: Henry Young Age: 32 DOB: August 15th Positive personality traits: passionate, loyal, protective, charming, friendly, good-natured Negative personality traits: oblivious, promiscuous, soft-hearted, fallible, easily-swayed Occupation: VIP guest @rosewoodhqs​ Family members: TBD (Anyone want to play a little sister that he previously thought was dead?) Kinks: shibari, oral sex (giving and receiving), marking, impact play, anal, roleplaying, CG/l

After the tragic death of his entire family occurred during a break-in gone wrong and he was only a young boy, Henry was taken in by a series of distantly related relatives in the United Kingdom, and ended up being passed around and raised by no less than five different aunties and their various daughters. Because of this, he grew up to be absurdly charming, he was known all throughout his youth for his boyish good looks and his natural way of putting people at ease, he was doted upon and spoiled by each of his caretakers and learned to put his tragic upbringing behind him. It still hurts, of course, especially when he thinks back to witnessing the death of his parents---and the supposed death of his only sister---but he made friends easily as a child, the most notable of which were Lilianna Shu Lei and her young cousin, Arabella Li Liu.

Growing up, Lilianna and Arabella were his best friends, they were thick as thieves and did everything they could together, including attending a ridiculously posh private school in Europe. As they grew older, he developed quite the helpless crush on both girls, he was equally smitten with the two of them and fiercely protective as well. When Arabella was eventually taken away by her cruel and controlling mother, it broke both Henry and Lilianna’s heart, but they were too young to look for her, too young to do anything more than mourn the loss of their greatest friend.

He and Lilianna remained incredibly close, despite their age gap Henry was able to support Lilianna through her education and encouraged her all throughout her studies at Oxford University right as he was finishing his own. His aunts planned for him to take over the family business---a hugely successful tourism corporation focused in Singapore---but everything was put on hold for Henry the day that Lilianna met Adrian Blackwood.

He fuckin hates the dude with everything he has in him, right from the day they were introduced. It wasn’t just that his feelings for Lilianna made it so that he hated seeing her with any man whatsoever, IT WAS THAT ADRIAN WAS A CREEP. Too old, too smooth, and too controlling, Henry disapproved of the arts dealer from the very beginning and made no attempt to hide his blatant disapproval, when Lilianna finally ended things between them after the tragic death of her mother, he was relieved, for the first time in four years, he was able to take a breath. 

Until crazy ass Lilianna decided that her mother had been murdered and was in need of avenging, Henry was flabbergasted but had no choice but to follow the impulsive submissive all the way to Rosewood Estate. He’s quite worried about her truth be told, he understands that she’s still grieving but fears that she’ll do something reckless because of it. Thankfully due to his family’s reputation and wealth, securing a spot at Rosewood as one of their VIP guests was easy peasy, and Henry can’t deny that he’s quite pleased with the luxury accommodations and ... other amenities that he’s been offered so far.

HENRY IS A WHORE. I said this about Raphael, but the thing about Henry is that he’s so kind and so charming and so friendly but also just, like, so incredibly slutty. He dates several women at a time---with the best intentions!---all the while being hung up on Lilianna and even Arabella despite not having seen the latter since they were teenagers. He’s flirtatious without meaning to, just because of how naturally charming he is, and even though he’s only just arrived at Rosewood he’s already chasing the tails of as many women as he sees fit. He means well, I swear!! He’s just a hopeless romantic as well as a very giving, very attentive dom. Inherently protective by nature, the people he cares about are his world, he’ll do anything for them and anything to keep them safe.

That’s it for now! The wanted connection for his baby sister would be HUGE if anyone was interested, please just keep Henry’s ethnicity in mind. I’d also love any and all romantic/smutty connections for him, he can’t keep his dick in his pants and it’s all too natural for him to charm a woman into bed but like ... he’s really sweet about it? Also FRIENDS! Henry is a huge foodie and would bond with anyone over a good meal, he’s used to being stuffed to the gills by aunties and Liliannas’ parents before her mom passed away and so if any of your muses happen to be a chef or a baker and prepare him something tasty ... he’ll love you forever. 

Kink-wise, Henry is KNOWN for his ropework and shibari, and has a keen eye for detail. He’s who you go to if you want to be strung from the ceiling or tied to the bedpost and told that you’re a very good girl, all the while having to be incredibly patient as he perfects every knot, tie, and restraint. 

Lup’s expression softened and she sniggered as he backed away, “Oooookay, you’ve smashed my little heart to mush, broom please.”

Barry chuckled and stepped carefully back out of the mess of glass before retreating to go and fetch the broom from the next room.

As soon as Barry left the room, Lup exhaled slowly; it was a tight and twisted breath that she’d been holding in her chest for the entire time he had been in the room. She tasted the anxiety on her lips as she allowed her body, no, forced her body to relax.

Her clumsy, fawn like body. This fresh flesh form that wasn’t the one she had raised herself. The body she had loved and the body she had hated and the body she had finally come to feel at home in… was no longer her’s. It had been left to rot in a cave.

This new body was a loaner body, it was a fresh and uncomfortable and new form that didn’t belong to her.

It wasn’t so bad, she told herself. The first day she had it back had been rapture– she could feel, she could move, she could touch and hold all those she loved and had missed. It was nothin’ to have a new body. She could let it go. She’d spent years without a body, after all, trapped in a prison of her own design.

Surely she could be okay with this new body, because it was better than not having one, right?

But now this clumsy, weird body that was hers and also wasn’t hers began to feel not quite right. Now she felt like she wore it like a pair of shoes that were just a little too tight. Was it just because she wasn’t used to having flesh on her bones? Would it ever feel truly like home again?

She growled, clenching and unclenching her fingers in frustration at how slow they felt– unnatural, as unnatural a feeling as the burn in her eyes and the taste of her tongue pinched between her teeth– the metallic pang of blood as it rushed to her head and from the sting of pain in her skin.

When Barry entered the room once more, he could immediately sense that there was something very amiss with Lup. She was adept at disguising her feelings of turmoil, that much he knew well enough.

She was the strong, resilient, protective twin, and in the life she and Taako shared, weakness meant your end. Weakness was messy. There was no time for weak.

Cool hands found Lup’s elbows from behind, and she jumped at the sudden contact.

“Hey– c’mere, sit with me for a sec?”

Lup didn’t speak for a moment before finally sighing, “… Sure. Um– but the glas– Oop!”

Barry didn’t miss a beat. As soon as she consented to the idea, he slid his hands from her elbows to around her waist, and heaved her up off of her feet.

“Woah woah—“

“I gotcha!” Barry swooped the both of them to the low, cushiony couch nearby, depositing Lup before sinking into the cushion next to her.

It was a clumsy transfer, but he was relieved to see Lup sniggering a bit under her breath after being deposited.

“Pretty sure I could have gotten myself out of that unscathed—“ she began.

“Nope! Couldn’t risk it!”

It was sweet, Lup couldn’t deny it, but the way that Barry now scrutinized her face, even through his benign smile, she realized that he was seeing through her not-so-clever disguise.

But he wouldn’t pressure her.

Barry never pressured her. He understood her, they understood each other. In quiet nights passed alone together for a hundred years, they learned languages between them that had no words.

Lup sighed, scooting closer to Barry, pulling her knees close as she tucked her face into his shoulder.

“Mm.” Barry hummed under his breath and ran his fingers through her loose hair.   

They sat in silence for a stretch of time before Lup finally lifted her face and looked at Barry, watching the flicker of Candlenights lights in his glasses and the softness of his eyes behind them.

“Okay,” she finally relented, “you win.”

Barry shook his head, “I’m not tryin’ to win anything, Lup… I just know something’s up.”

“I know you do,” Lup slowly admitted, sounding a hint none-too-pleased at the admission.

She felt Barry give her a little squeeze, and she forced herself to relax, to relinquish the tense unease in her bones, “… It’s just… Um, let’s see, a little… harder than I thought, this whole, you know… back in the flesh thing.”

Barry shifted a bit so that he could look at her better, watching her face as she spoke.

“Like, I mean, it’s… not a new thing,” she continued, “I get that. We’ve done this whole body change thing before, but it’s just… different, now. Sort of, um… more of a permanent thing.  Y’know? I know you know. You know.”

“I do know,” Barry leaned back, tracing Lup’s side with his fingers, “What exactly about it is bothering you?”

“Um, most of it. I mean, besides the fact that I’m still a total babe and all that, uh, and… you know, getting to touch you, getting to do the whole touch thing, that’s choice, too. But, other than that… It sort of feels like something’s wrong, something’s off.”

Barry listened patiently for a few minutes before answering, “Because it’s not your body. It is your body, but… it’s not. Scientifically speaking. That’s a fresh one.”

“Right, it’s not like before, it’s not like when we could just throw our bodies away and they’d come right back… this one just… it feels like a loaner body, like a fake, like… you know, that body was kind of important to, like, the whole Lup Story. I wrecked a lot of shit in there and this one just sort of feels like…” She trailed off.

Barry pressed another kiss into her hair, “Lup, you and I, we’ve made a lot of journeys in our bodies… and I know how it feels, y’know, to leave that behind. I’ve, uh… done it more than I care to admit,” he scratched his cheek, “but you, Lup, you haven’t changed. The flesh you’re in, the flesh I’m in, they still show the signs of our efforts to make them home, to make them comfortable. It’s still you. Every memory, every thought, every decision… bodies change and in our case they, um… get crushed by rocks, stabbed, fall from real high up, get incinerated… yeah, but it’s still us in there. Our souls don’t change just because we gotta wear a new meat suit.”

Lup was examining her hands again, clenching and unclenching her fingers meticulously, lips pursed, “Meat suit…”

“Yeah, just a big fleshy ball in some bone in a meat suit.”

“Pfft,” she blew a raspberry, “real scientific.”

“I mean it, really–”

“I know you do.” Lup closed her eyes, curling the hands she’d been fiddling with against her chest, “I know it’s… It’s not, y’know, that big–”

“It is a big deal,” Barry took Lup’s clenched hands into his own, “I’m not tryin’ to minimize your feelings, it’s a big deal. It’s hard… but Lup, your soul, the very culmination of you, is still… it’s you. It’s you, and it’s me, and it’s all of us, and nothing in this world, or a hundred worlds, be it a new body or anything else, is ever gonna diminish the love and passion that you have in your soul, and the love that I, and everyone else, has for you, Lup.”

Lup’s eyes were clenched, her nose wrinkled, and her lip quivered just a touch, “S-stop,” she mumbled, “you’re gonna–” a sniff, “give me those big gross boo-boo tears–”

Barry smiled to himself, squeezing her hands, “C’mon, let the boo-boo tears out, that’s better than the other kind of tears, babe.”

And at first, Lup seemed to hesitate, but when she finally lifted her gaze to meet Barry’s, tears rolled silently down her cheeks, but her lips were curled into a small smile. A meek expression for her normally fiery persona, but Barry met it with the same sort of gentle expression.

In those quiet moments, they simply watched each other, and Barry waited as Lup seemed to come around, as the dismal energy radiating off of her eased.

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and leaned up, pressing a kiss to Barry’s temple, “… Thanks, babe.”

“Yeah, you know it,” Barry winked, “that’s not all, though. Got something else up my sleeve for ya.”

“… Excuse me?” Lup seemed perplexed, but as quickly as her confusion began, it abated at the sound of their front door being unceremoniously thrown open.

“Heard someone could use a little pick me up, huh?” Taako languidly wandered in, a bottle of Grey Goose under one arm, and a treat box in the other, “Operation ‘Lup Finally Cracked’ is underway– Barold, where’s the little cheese crackers at? We talked about the cheese crackers!”

Lup looked between Taako and Barry shrewdly, processing for a moment, “Wait, operation ‘Lup Finally Cracked?’”

Barry lifted his hands defensively, “He called it that! Not me! God, Taako!”

“Well, it’s true, right? Um, sort of statistically speaking, you were bound to– Lup, you were gonna do it eventually, and here it is, can’t really argue with that one, huh?” Taako seemed unbothered by the narrowed eyes of his sister watching him saunter closer, “You put on a big show, like, yeah, I’ve got flesh again, but you’re a big faker and I knew it would get to you eventually, just, you know, the when’s and the where’s are sort of a mystery, right? So I had to wait for old Barold to come in clutch here and hit the proverbial Big Red Button–”

“Big red button?”

“I called him, that’s it!” Barry huffed.

“Big– red– button!” Taako placed a hand on his chest in full dramatics, “and who else to call when shit hits the fan, huh?”

“You’re so fuckin’ full of yourself, you asslord–” Lup got to her feet and flicked her hand toward Taako.

“Woah– Lup–” Barry gasped, reaching after her.

Taako jumped as a mage hand– a strong one– grabbed the front of his shirt and jerked him forward, “Shit–”

And she pulled him directly into her arms, and in those arms she squeezed him, “You’re such a dick… I love you.”

Taako stared over Lup’s shoulder at Barry, who smiled and shrugged.

“Don’t think you’re safe either, mister,” Lup flicked a hand behind her back and a mage hand snatched the front of his shirt as well and hauled him unceremoniously over into the huddle, “get in here.”

“Awh, okay, yeah, I can deal with this–” Barry wrapped his arms around both of them, and gave them a squeeze.

“Oh God,” Taako moaned, “Help me– I– okay, this is well and good, but– that’s enough, enough mush, enough hugging–”

“Nope,” Lup gave him a pointed squeeze, “you pushed the big red button, so this is what you get~”

Lup laughed as Taako audibly groaned on her shoulder, wiggling him back and forth in her arms as he precariously tried to keep hold of the box of goodies and the vodka in his hands.

And Lup felt better. Not perfect, perfect would take a much longer stretch of time, but… right now, holding the two people that she cared about most in the world in her arms– her real, physical arms, the arms of a body that wasn’t quite hers but certainly was hers all the same– she felt a touch more at home in her body.

It wasn’t the body she had started her journey in. It wasn’t the body she had molded to be her own. It wasn’t the body she took through 100 years of struggle and adventure and finding love of all things… but it was her body, and she would learn to love it all the same.

She pulled away, finally, and glanced between Taako’s bedraggled face and Barry’s soft expression, “… Alright, so… Barry, we still have, um, a teensy little problem we need to resolve.”

“… Uh–”

“The broom?”

“Oh, uh, yeah… Got it. I’ll sweep up, you two get comfortable.”

“And get those cheese crackers! Gouda!” Taako snapped as he retreated.

Barry glanced back as he headed to grab the broom from where it leaned in the doorway, watching Taako flop down next to Lup and slap the bottle of alcohol into her lap. She was smiling again, and it wasn’t strained, and that was, well, it was all he could ask for, really.

Barry and Lup are a lot of things- as previously mentioned, the two of them are liches. They are the world’s best couple (that’s not pure audacity- thanks to the day of story and song, many people will agree on this point). But, most importantly, the two of them are optimists. After all, when you’re far away from home, and being pursued by an unending hunger, with only a close couple of friends by your side, optimism is important.

So, the two of them were unwilling to drown in their own angst. They would much rather find not just the silver linings, but the honest-to-gods perks of lichdom.

Number 5. The Aesthetic.

So clearly, aesthetics are important. Denim aside, Barry’s aesthetic falls into the dorky- maybe even mad- scientist side of things. Of course, being a lich definitely enhances that. So, okay, maybe when Barry dies he tends to hover unnervingly near people and communicate mundane sentences in vague terminology akin to riddles.

Lup, of course, was also quite the sucker for the aesthetic. She was an evocation wizard, after all, and even if she wasn’t, fireballs are cool as shit and that’s an undeniable fact. Of course, being a lich with far more magical power than the average wizard makes the aforementioned fireballs far stronger and thus infinitely cooler than a regular fireball.

This is when they first begin thinking, “lichdom may not be so bad.” Lup’s spectral form is a bright and fiery red and Barry is cryptic as all hell when asking about shit like cereal, and in all honesty- it’s fun. Being a lich is fun!

So, when the starblaster is pulling away from the world where they became liches, Lup stands on the edge, turns around, and spreads her arms wide as she falls backwards off the ship. And she absolutely wreaks havoc upon the hunger, giving a red glow to the darkness that has befallen this plane of existence. Taako is out there on the deck, watching with eyes wide, and behind him watching from the window is Barry with the largest grin on his face.

When Lup returns,she’s stitched back together by a silvery thread and absolutely beaming, talking about how close they are, and all Barry can think about is how beautiful she is, and how stunning, and how absolutely amazing. He loves her- it’s not a realization, he’s known for quite some time, but he can’t help but think it as she gushes on.

He loves her.

Number 4. Some good ‘ol goofs.

Death is somewhat normalized within the century they spend, jumping from plane to plane. That doesn’t mean there’s no grieving, but as time goes on, death becomes more of a “Goddamnit, Magnus,” sort of affair.

That being said, the first time one of them dies early on (it’s Barry, as he is far more foolhardy than Lup) it’s… oddly somber. He returns to the group, just a red robe with a hood that reveals no traces of a face and skeletal hands, and there’s a brief moment of silence.

There’s a lot to be said in that moment- Davenport and Lucretia seem either stressed or distressed, it’s hard to tell, while Merle and Taako have their eyes averted. Lup makes a move to stand, to say something, but before she can, Magnus is rushing past her, and suddenly he’s standing right where Barry is, inside of the robe.

“Hey, check out my new duds!” Magnus flexes, and Barry, as quick as he can, moves his arms so the illusion isn’t shattered. And, just like that, the silence and grief is gone, and all seven of them are cracking up.

Later on, Lup asks Barry if he’s alright, and he’s being completely honest when he answers that he’s doing great.

Number 3. No body, no dysphoria, no problem.

Everyone aboard the starblaster is some flavor of queer. This possibly includes Fisher, but that’s really anyone’s guess- the closest to confirmation the crew has gotten on that is Taako putting a note up on the tank saying, “This jellyfish is gay and there’s nothing you can do about it.” It was pretty sufficient evidence, the crew agreed.

Barry and Lup, both being of the trans flavor, were no strangers to dysphoria. In Lup’s case, it wasn’t exactly something she experienced often. Barry felt it slightly more, but, once again, it wasn’t exactly a commonplace occurrence. The two of them were far more familiar with gender euphoria- being surrounded by such a loving and accepting bunch did wonders for them.

Still, the two of them would have their low points where no matter what they did, something just felt just so slightly off with the skin they were in. At times like that, what better fix than to forgo your blood and bone to instead be just a robed figure? The perfect type of androgyny was undead horror, after all.

That being said, being a spector wasn’t all it was cracked up to be at times. Months after the day of story song, both of them were mortal again- they embraced each other, and then everyone else piled into the hug, squeezing the two of them. A body, some dysphoria, but still no problem.

Number 2. Okay, maybe the power hungry liches had a point.

“Okay, maybe the power hungry liches had a point,” is something Barry said as joke when practicing magic in his new spectral form. However, it’s something the two of them quickly realized was true- they were quite a bit more powerful as liches than they had been before. More than that, the power was just incredibly fucking lit.

So, with said power at their fingertips, magic became even more commonplace on a ship made up almost entirely of wizards. They didn’t exactly have to worry about spell slots- not as much as a mortal wizard, anyways- and so, even when it was most definitely unnecessary, the two of them would use magic. If a fireplace needed to be lit, Lup was there. If Merle couldn’t reach a book on the highest shelf, Barry was there (Lup was also there, but more so to tease him than to actually help).

And so, the majority of the casting relied on the pair of liches. When the rest of the wizards got tired, Barry and Lup were always ready to swoop in and save the day. They would face whatever troubles were facing off the starblaster crew in whatever plane of existence they were currently in, grab ahold of each other’s hands, and beam brightly at any foe, no matter how big.

Their confidence was entirely earned, and they would more often than not walk away from a battle, talking amongst themselves with big smiles and inside jokes.

Number 1. So you want to live forever?

Here’s the thing about a romance between an elf and a human that practically everybody knows- there’s a sort of tragedy to it. The difference in lifespan is far greater than most races, so the elven partner will often outlive the human. Of course, Barry and Lup had already broken this rule just by merely existing on the starblaster. They had far more time than most couples would have, and for that the two of them were eternally grateful. However, there was still the looming idea that one day, they would settle into a world, and age and die as normal.

This idea loomed over their heads, until finally, lichdom came and kicked this looming threat straight to the curve.

Here’s the thing about a romance between an elf and human who become liches, the thing that nobody knows- it’s a massive middle finger to the normal tragedy of such a romance. No longer do they have to worry about one day being seperated (they experience it anyways, and it’s hell, but it makes meeting her again all the more satisfying). No longer is death a real barrier.

Barry J. Bluejeans never set out to live forever. He joined the IPRE as a way to satiate his curiosity, he fell in love with Lup quick and spent too much time pretending he wasn’t, and he found a family aboard the starblaster. Life was good enough- he was sure of that. But, the more time he spent with Lup, the less he wanted to settle for enough- he did want to live forever, just for more time with her.

He loved her so much.

And Lup- oh, Lup was also so ecstatic to realize their story wasn’t a tragedy. Hell, it seemed like a tragedy, and others would almost certainly make it out to be one. An elf falling for a human- and, on top of that, being relentlessly pursued by a force that wanted to consume everything.

And of course, the tragedy of lichdom.