Disclaimer: In another life, perhaps I will be hailed as a successful author. In this, I'm afraid not.
Lili Frond was tired of being called a bimbo. So maybe she was gorgeous, rich and a little spoiled. She'll concede that she was used to luxury and wasn't afraid of flaunting the assets she knew she had.
But she wasn't an airhead bimbo.
She passed her examinations! So maybe she gently brushed against the line of passing and failing, and she bribed the examiners a little and mentioned her lineage to boost her results, but she legitimately passed her LEP examinations.
She knew she wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, and indeed not the quickest on her feet, but she deserved better than the treatment she received. She wasn't some docile creature that heeded all the other officers' commands.
She was sick of being swamped with other officers' paperwork every weekend (so maybe she dumps them all on a secretary afterward, they still shouldn't do that), she was sick of fetching coffee for Kelp and his buddies, she was especially sick of Captain Holly Short.
She's known Holly for quite a long while now, considering they'd been in the same school since she could remember. It was easy last time, of course. All the teachers adored Lili and thought she was the best thing that had happened since those goblin twins attracted crowds of reporters to the school.
It all changed when they entered into the same academy, to join the LEP.
Lili had done it out of spite towards her parents, who had flatly told her that her fate was, essentially, to become a trophy wife. Of course, Lili was good at sweet talk- not half a month later, they were telling everyone that would listen how proud they were that Lili was taking a step towards being an independent young elf.
It'd been Holly's ambition since Lili could remember. Every time in class when the teacher inquired as to their ambitions, as per required by the syllabus, Holly's hand would be the first to shoot up.
"I want to be in the LEP, ma'am!" she would shout enthusiastically. "I'll kick all the criminals' butts!"
Lili always lurked silently in the corner during these sessions, willing herself to melt into the shadows and not be in the limelight for once, watching silently as the teacher admonished Holly for her language and subtly imply that she might have trouble entering the LEP (screw their sexist views!).
She had always admired Holly Short for her determination, but what struck her most about the elfin captain at that time was how utterly confident she was of herself. Lili Frond couldn't deny it- she was jealous. Lili was a little lost, and Holly Short was always so sure of what she wanted in life.
Perhaps that was why, that when her parents claimed she had no other purpose in life than to parade around on a rich elf's arm, that she'd stolen Holly's life story and burst out that she wanted to join the LEP academy.
It did not, of course, turn out the way she'd planned.
On the first day of training, Holly had kicked another trainee's butt during their first hand-to-hand combat lesson and earned praise from the teacher. Lili had complained of a broken nail and earned a disapproving glare.
During flight lessons, Vinyáya (Lili is convinced she is biased towards Holly) pushes Holly past her limit but gives her the highest grade possible. When Lili gets her results, she sees a "passable" stamped on top and blows a fuse.
After the practical and theory examinations, even with Lili's boosted results, she is a whole twenty-seven placings behind Holly Short. There were fifty-two freaking fairies that had been accepted into the academy that year!
And so when Captain Holly Short is offered a d'Arvitting promotion to the rank of Major, and turns down the offer, a promotion that Lili has been craving for, she snaps.
Hearing this horrifying piece of news, she storms into the coffee room, screams into her hands and breaks the handle of a coffee mug. A fellow officer stumbles in and upon seeing the ever-docile Lili Frond holding a mug-less handle with a deranged expression on her face, backs away slowly.
A few months later, the same officer asks her out.
Perhaps Lili accepted for selfish reasons, agreed to go out with the officer (then already Commander) because she'd heard of his three failed dates with Holly Short, because she wanted to be better than her at something.
Perhaps their relationship started off on a bad foot, with her ill-managed envy and anger boiling in her heart, but it had turned out pretty well, Lili thought.
Trouble Kelp treated her like she was an intelligent, beautiful woman capable of having her own opinion.
And for once, Lili Frond thought that perhaps she can have a piece of happiness, without bribery and lineage benefits.
Lili! Oh, no doubt she's spoiled and arrogant and whiny, but she doesn't deserve all the hate and discrimination she gets, surely?
On another note, thank you to all my generous readers for your follows and kind reviews!