History
O'Lahya was born in the year 1551 of the Sixth Astral Era, one daughter among many in her clan. She faced the invasion by Garlemald at six, too young an age to understand war - or the Echo that welled up in her during a bombardment. Her family came through to the other side of the occupation unscathed, but it wasn't long before she and her brother were taken by Garlean scientists when they heard the good news of her fledgling powers.
Lahya was old and hot-headed enough to stubbornly resist attempts at indoctrination while being trained to access their powers, trying to protect their brother from the worst of it by standing in the line of fire with the mistress of the family. Into their teens… it was decided that they were more trouble than they were worth, and ejected from the household to join the conscripted armies. It's where they gained their training as an engineer, rising in the ranks over the years, but alone.
Through the legions' fuck-ups at home and abroad - Ala Mhigo, Werlyt, Yanxia, Bozja - she finally found her chance to escape the army and made the dangerous journey to Eorzea. She'd heard it was safer there, even if it was where the Warriors of Light (nightmares incarnate) originated. It was difficult when she first arrived, trying to be self-sufficient so she couldn't run into trouble. She was lucky to be reunited with her brother who had gotten away from Garlemald himself as well, and was shown that she could be safe as well as supported. She's starting to believe it as well, living with her fiancée of a few months!
Appearance and Attitude
Standing short enough for an uppercut if you try to measure her, Lahya can have a pretty bristly attitude with people she doesn't know. If she checked in with a therapist they would probably say it's a post-traumatic survival tactic, but she's fine just ignoring it and hunkering down in her workshop. She hasn't been harassed by anyone with too much information yet, but yet won't stop her from being prepared. Especially now that Garlemald has calmed down and they're probably recovering defection records.
She doesn't dress like she's expecting a fight - just loose fitting clothes and bronze greaves most days - but the way she holds herself usually speaks loud enough. Unless she's just been sent to freshen up she's probably got messed up hair and dirt or oil staining her cheeks and arms, a nice bonus for keeping people at bay or hiding features. Unluckily for her, her blue/yellow heterochromia and mossy green hair are hard to come by even in a city as large as Ul'dah.
Her work and in part paranoia have kept her in good shape: muscled through the arms and core like she forges her own plates and pieces, through the legs like she runs staircases most days. The way she positions herself to keep people at bay, it's a surprise when she's (rarely) out at the tavern with a small group and smiling and chatting. Probably just the alcohol, as if that explained doting over a couple of the companions.
