Sophie Rickett
“Does she really talk about me that often..? I wonder what she says... We don't know each other that well.”
—Emily Rause
—Emily Rause
A young woman who spent most of her childhood in bed, either sick or asleep. With her health on the rise and her no longer in severe danger of dying, Sophie was sent to the Tillman Institute for Young Women with the hope she'd become a proper young lady, befitting the Ricketts. Unfortunately, her dislike of authority and tendency to act out when things aren't going her way puts these plans into constant peril.
Appearance
Nicknamed "Softie" by Lynn (and for good reason, too), Sophie is a plump young woman with pale skin and reddish, chestnut brown eyes. Her warm brown hair, long enough to fall to her waist, is usually braided into a plait; both of her ears are pierced, and she usually wears smaller earrings in them. Comfort is her top priority, so she doesn't wear any jewelry that might catch on her hair or anything she's resting on.At school, she wears a pale blue cardigan instead of the school-issued jacket in the colder months; this disappears in the warmer months, but in trade, she wears a face mask to help with her allergies. Like Matilda, she likes to roll her skirts up, though she wears black tights underneath, and forgoes the small black ribbon for her uniform collar. Her bag is a leather satchel, though she almost never uses it.
Outside of school, Sophie is fond of loose and floofy, elegant clothing that emphasizes comfort and freedom over fitting shapes. She isn't overly picky about colors either—as long as it isn't tight and might be something she could curl up and nap in, though she prefers things with minimal patterns or none at all. Clothing made of lighter fabrics are her favorites.
Personality
Sophie is a girl with two sides: the teasing, lovesick, devil-may-care one she has at school, and the frustrated, rebellious one she has at home. She sleeps in the Chess Club's assigned room during classes, waving off her teachers' complaints and only attending when she feels like it or when Matilda makes her—yet she never misses a meeting for their club or the society by proxy. She treasures her friends and considers them her top priority, though she can be a little aloof around new people until she gets a good read on them. Meanwhile at home, she's closed off and stubborn, the type to either ignore her parents or tell them to fuck off if they try to push conversation on her. She has her reasons—she hates that she's only become a person to them now that she's in better health—and she's not sorry about the way she acts to them. She's more mildly irritated when it comes to her older brother and doesn't swear at him half as much, though. At the heart of things, Sophie's extremely lonely at home and takes any kind of attention she can at school to make up for it.History
Born sickly and weak, Sophie spent most of her childhood and formative years inside, away from other children; the exception to this was Alice, who acted as her tutor due to their neighborhood closeness. Due to her poor constitution, she was often ignored by her parents outside of what they considered to be necessary contact, leaving her mostly in the care of servants. Her elder brother, Henry, didn't share this view however, and loved to dote on her endlessly, stating that if she truly didn't have a long time to live, he wanted to give her the best time that he could. As her health bettered over the years, her parents began seeing her as more than a sick burden and attempted to reach out to her again, but Sophie couldn't believe their apologies for their behavior while she was growing up; she also finds her brother's actions to be extremely smothering now, especially since he's often away and doesn't often talk to her outside of when he returns home.Flower Motifs & Meanings
Tea Rose
"I'll remember, always."
Azalea
"Temperance, fragile passion."
Relationships
- Family Her relationship with her parents is best described as "estranged" despite the fact they've been living togeher all their life, and she finds her brother's affection to be smothering when he's around. She considers the servants of the house who've taken care of her in place of her parents to be her family more than anything else, and she loves them dearly.
- Emily Rause A girl Sophie met two years ago and fell immediately in love with. Sophie likes hanging off of her a lot, and they often walk home together, usually heading to Emily's place to hang out if neither of them have anything to do. Sophie thinks the world of her, but due to Emily's hesitance to return her feelings, she's left feeling as if she's chasing an unrequited romance.
- Matilda Maddock Sophie's best friend; Matilda's strict but soft and helps keep Sophie in line, while Sophie helps her to loosen up and take it easy every once in a while. They've known each other since their first year of high school, but they've become extremely close thanks to The Blossom Society.
- Lynn Powell Sophie's sort-of-not-really girlfriend; they never officially stated they started going out, but they're plenty affectionate with one another, and they love each other a lot. Both of them have interests in other people though—something the both of them understand very well.
- Alice Windsor A girl Sophie's known from childhood; Alice was her tutor throughout her sicker years and continued to help her out all the way up to the present. Alice often jokes she should charge Sophie interest since being a tutor's now become her actual part-time job, but she never enforces it. They're a lot like family.
- Charlotte Barnsburry A fellow Literature Club member. She discovered Charlotte's second life as the writer Luna Rose, famous for her romantic mysteries, and in trade for not telling anyone about this, Sophie gets to pick the books they read. She's fond of Charlotte though and wouldn't actually expose her, despite her teasing.
Trivia
- She's not part of Emily's fanclub around school and actively dismisses them; she isn't a fan of how much they idolize Emily, though she knows she's somewhat hypocritical in that regard.
- She has an extremely sensitive nose.
- Most of her jackets are stolen from her friends. They eventually return to where they're supposed to be, but Sophie loves the way her friends smell—just like the flowers they cough up.