#tempered grace

She was born to Ehsaan Shastri and Maan Shastri. Ehsaan worked for the fuel and forest preservationist company run by G.C (Auriga) in Sector 09 and he was a bit of a misogynist, so he didn't really want Maan to be working. Maan had the qualifications to work as a journalist (Caelum). When Maan is pregnant with Aki, Ehsaan falls very very sick, and to get him treatment, Maan is co-coerced into joining a genetic enhancement study, which is how Akira-embryo ends up a specific genetic boost and that’s what gets her her ancient-lost-telepathic-empathy-powers. The study is abruptly closed down, so Maan is just stuck with this powered child.

Ehsaan was a mean drunk and had anger issues. There are multiple situations of mild physical violence against Maan, even after Aki is born. So, she decides to leave him when Aki is five. They move to Aki's maternal grandparents (Jeet and Guru Shastri - yes it was an odd coincidence that her family name on her maternal and paternal side was the same, so no name taking issues, ha and they adore her). Her mother takes a few jobs here and there, which is hard as a single parent. She meanwhile has an... interesting time at school given her powers. Aki is frustrated and distracted and can't fathom why people lie, especially because Maan harps on about being honest, especially to oneself and waters a very strong sense of conscience in Aki. Aki is transferred to an up and coming school called Anjuman, which is run by Daevy Pyxis’ biological sister Noor Kohli

Meanwhile, Maan starts working on writing journal reviews for sustainable products and designs, and gets in touch with Tariq's father - Altair Meissa, who is a set-designer and theatre performer, who makes his own furniture. And... well... they fall in love. Sector 09 is hostile and volatile. So there are periodic riots and mob violence sort of stuff particularly between the two religious group. One of Tariq’s heritage and the other of Aki’s, among others. So, Aki is forced to deal with this romeo-juliet-esque situation that her mom has gotten into, because it is an illicit affair and whether they want it or not, Altair and Maan are representatives of the conflicting groups. Tariq also is transferred to Anjuman. Tariq and Akira run into Eze often, who visits their school from Sector 09 G.C.A (given that its run by his aunt).

Things really head south when Tariq loses his older brother in one of these riots and that puts a whole bunch of strain on the Meissa family and this strain, for Maan, ends up sharply reminding her that her relationship with Altair is amoral. A guilt-stricken ‘I-am-a-homewrecker’ Maan ends up dependent on illicitly obtained prescription pills. While battling depression and suicidal tendencies. Akira is left to deal with this mess through her preteens and a bit of her teens, not knowing how to ask for help without giving up the relationship which feels far more dangerous since it’d drive a wedge through Aki’s family, will it threatens to make them social pariahs and might even be a death sentence given the conflict. Spiralling from the loss of her firstborn son, Jheel eventually gets fatally sick. Aki and T are transferred to Sector 09 G.C.A (where they study with Eze), till their family lives can be stabilized. Eventually, Aki returns to Anjuman but T doesn’t. She sees him largely on some weekends and during vacations. She watches him inch towards a sort of unabashed delinquency. She watches him hang out in Eze’s crowd and succumb to a life of ‘drugs and parties’. Aki, having dealt with her mom, tries to help him through his addiction, at least enough so he can keep his sports and academic performance up. There is a competition for a scholarship to G.C.A sector 0, which both T and Aki take part in and tie. On humanitarian grounds (because Jheel is close to death/ready to succumb) T is given the scholarship. (Aki is certain that there is also the influence of T’s buddiness with Eze. This leaves Aki feeling abandoned and betrayed when T accepts.

Novara Ricci bears the burden of a simple motivation: Save people. From hurt, from pain, from suffering, and even from death. But most crucially, sometimes from themselves.

Novara dedicates copious amounts of time to achieving her goal as literally as she can. Her ability to process information that will aid her in this venture, is off the scales. She’s generally sharp, but her genius is particularly amped when something that she is studying has a potential application in her field. Given the right guidance and resources, she certainly would be a major pioneer as a researcher. On a smaller scale, she already is. Her relationship with her work is devotional and pure. She is not conscious of mistakes or judgement and surrenders to the iterative process towards perfection - And yes, on some levels, she believes perfection is achievable. She is not too picky about where she gains her knowledge from and will never deny it. But given the opportunity she is very picky about how she uses her own. The only thing that distracts her from learning, theorising and experiment, is actively helping other people. She will always put aside her ambitions temporarily if she has the opportunity to help someone through her practice. Her skills and instincts combined make her an excellent and attentive medic. She’s keenly empathetic and takes a great interest in her patients. Though she is warm, she avoids getting too attached, for good reason. She fears attachment will exhaust her - which it will because all her usual tendencies are exacerbated for friends. However, she is rarely cold and clinical. Friendship and other relationships are a very intense bond. She’s invested, involved and loyal to a fault. The process of giving up on her personal goals, becomes more apparent for friends too. Novara will easily make drastic decisions involving her own life if she sees an opportunity to help or save someone she is attached to - Even if this lands her in inconvenient or detrimental situations.

While she’s not totally impulsive, she’s also not someone who will plan extensively. A loose plan of action is enough for her to jump in. This is because she doesn’t care to consider all outcomes. She just believes that there will be a good one... eventually. She has a deep-seated sense of hope. Her ability to continue hoping even through dire circumstances often becomes a pillar of strength.

Novara also believes in the good of people generally. She focuses on the positives of individuals and of groups. She certainly isn’t blind to the bad, but will glaze over it. It takes a lot of blatant evil for her to think someone or a group is irredeemable - and even then, she'll give them a shot more than once. It takes even more for her to hate and it can be easily reversed. If the body can be injured, so can the soul... and both can be repaired. She sees evil action and intention as symptoms of an underlying problem, something that can be fixed… In time, she has gathered that she can’t do it all. She can just try. Fix people and the world one at a time.