calliope 'callie' irving
demigirl she/they lesbiancalliope is undoubtedly the more reserved and quiet of the two, and rarely talks unless spoken to. she's very shy, especially to people she doesnt know, and often lets her sister do all the talking since she doesnt know how to hold conversations or talk to anyone. she's very sheltered and unknowing of how the world works, and she's very naive and has trouble saying no. she likes to believe in the good in all things and people, and prefers to think of life and the world around her positively and with optimism. she wants to believe that some day things will get better, even if things seem at their worst right now, and that there's always hope for a brighter tomorrow. she struggles with feelings of inadequacy and inferiority to others, and often smothers her own feelings because she feels they'll drive the people she's managed to become close to away. she doesnt know how to react to people being nice to her and showing her positive affection and attention, and doesnt feel as if she deserves such kindness.
from the beginning, calliope has never truly known her mother. she's heard stories from those who recognized her mother's features in both her and her sister, and occasionally her father would tell her things about her mother, but she never got to meet her. the only answer she's gotten about where her mother had gone to and why she abandoned them on land instead of taking them with her was a series of letters in a small box, addressed to the both of them. their father had never intended to give it to them, she realized, as the letter was supposed to be given to them on their thirteenth birthdays, but he didnt even mention their mother that day.
the letter had said a lot of things, as it had ended up being several pages instead of just one like she'd originally thought, and there were several other letters and papers underneath the first letter on top, but she didnt focus on those other ones, only the first letter she'd found. it said that she was sorry she couldnt be in their lives nor could she take them with her, and that she couldnt take the two of them because they wouldnt be able to breathe underwater and it would be far more dangerous to take them with her to her home under the sea than to leave them on land. it said that some day she might come back one day, to meet them and see how much they've grown and tell them everything she'll want to tell them by that time, but she didnt know when she could. but she thinks, most of all, the most important thing it said was that she loved them both very much, and told them that one day things will get better than how they are.
