I'm just finishing off a new story, when as a result of correspondence, I was asked to write a short description of my central character, Lucy. It struck me I'd never written a consolidated description in one piece and found it a bit of a challenge.

Lucy is a bit of an enigma, even to this author. It's hard to be certain about anything concerning her, and though she's honest she seldom gives a direct answer to my questions.

This much we know. At the youngest encounter (so far) she's about 24, though she hints that there's other tales that go back at least a decade. Originally from northern England, she moved to London sometime in her early twenties, as a result of some kind of incident or to get away from someone. We know she lives with flatmates for a couple of years, and is involved in a series of adventures and self discovery afforded by the city. During this time, she forms at least one stable relationship, but then had to move on again. By her early 30's she's a wanderer, seeking out those whose unspoken desires take them unwittingly towards drifting away... She's last been spotted closer to her old haunts in the industrial north, helping a girl and boy fulfill their dreams.

If you saw her, you'd say she's slim-(ish), and just shy of 5'8, though most folks wouldn't accuse her of being shy at anything. She has dark hair, almost black, which she usually wears shoulder length, hiding slightly elfin features and a thin nose. Her eyes are tawney brown, tempered by some inner storm, and her mouth a slight edge of cruely or regret.

She tends to dress down, functionally, tracksuit or jeans and loose top. She doesn't often bother with make-up. Obviously, she's British, with a faint yorkshire accent, though her speech is indistinguishable from the usual babel of London.

Her personality is domineering, teasing and sarcastic, but seldom directly cruel. She'll steal, when she needs to. But give freely of herself when required. She is unconventional, dangerous, maybe good. She's protective of her friends, intelligent, and highly perceptive; hating insincerity, and lies. She draws other people out of themselves, into acceptng who they are, what they want. Her directness and aggressive sexuality seems to be related somehow to her powers; which she often uses to teach someone a lesson. In this sense, she is a moral agent but also a lathe of desire.

Lucy's talent is...well. How to put this? Strange. It's not magic, at least she doesn't think of it as such. But air is her element; balloons, her tools. She is impulsive and not wholly in control of this gift, and sometimes it gets the better of her.

Through the strange, through Lucy, people get....inflated. Like balloons. She finds herself creating and manipulating gasses, from preternaturally-powerful helium, to denser than air. She usually requires some form of contact for this, but not always. Not when stressed or angry. Usually, this is done to others, often unwillingly, often needfully. Though she can do the same for herself, she doesn't often. Strangely enough, it makes her a little nauseous.

On occasion, she has done other, more exotic things; including changing people partially or wholly into living inflatables, creating fizzy lifting drinks, and making a girl pregnant with helium. This freaked her out nearly as much as it did the victim.

Lucy is always a bit uneasy about her abilities, and their unknown source and limits. She worries that not being completely in control and will get someone hurt, really hurt. That happened once...