Hyacinth Lantana

"Socialization is not my division so kindly go away."

- Hyacinth Lantana

Hyacinth Lantana is the fifth and youngest child of Kunzite and Wisteria Lantana. She is a student at Beacon and a member and leader of Team HLTR. Her primary partner is her cousin, Lazuli Lantana.

Her weapon of choice is a Multi-Shooter Defensive Longswords (MSDL) known as Amaranthine Artemis.

Physical
A rather tall teen, Hyacinth sports wavy brown hair reaching down her back and piercing green eyes. Her hair is usually worn in a tight French braid with long bangs framing left and right sides of her face reaching her collarbone. She is noted to have inherited her mother's cheekbones and her father's hair and eyes. Hyacinth's natural Caucasian skin tone has turned tan due to the training she had done in the past few years and several, but unnoticeable, scars litter her body. Her rough, calloused hands look like they were sculpted to fit a violinist, but she rarely picks up any instrument, instead preferring to train, train, and train. Hyacinth is shown to have a rather stiff body posture and having an aura that is considered militaristic.

Regular
Hyacinth's colour scheme is composed of dark colours, such as dark purple and black. Her primary attire is based off of Victorian clothes, with a few tweaks and customization here and there. Hyacinth wears a mainly purple short Victorian dress with an off-shoulder neckline. She wears a black lace, long sleeved bolero over it. The lace of her dress are coloured black. The bodice of the dress is decorated with gothic butterflies embroidered flying from the left side of her chest to the right side of her hips. Her skirt reaches to her mid-thigh, an upside-down v cut on the front revealing a white ruffle-y second layer. She wears dark purple high-heeled Victorian boots.

Hyacinth wears a pale purple choker with a silver butterfly pendant that is shaped like her symbol and is decorated with amethysts. She also wears a pair of small obsidian earrings designed to look like matching halves of a butterfly. On her hands are black fingerless lace gloves. Amaranthine Artemis hangs on a black belt on Hyacinth's waist, akin to a sheathed sword.

Pajamas
Hyacinth's pajamas are a simple pale purple long-sleeved shirt and matching pants with dark purple trimming and a black butterfly embroidered above the left breast. Her hair is released from its usual braid and her earrings and choker are absent.

Personality
Hyacinth is a quiet girl. It's not because she's shy or socially awkward, it's because she really doesn't want to bother with small talk and the like. She doesn't like people who beat around the bush and would really appreciate it if people were more straightforward. She also doesn't like socializing that much but she is willing to put aside that dislike when really needed.

Aside from her quietness, Hyacinth can be really strict and alert. She wants everything and everyone else to be as alert and strict as she is. She loathes people who take the coward's way out and would often call them out on this, but she will recognize if the coward's way out is the better option.

She has learned from her childhood to not bat an eyelash at anyone's opinion of her. Besides, they don't affect her anyway. Who are they to dictate and judge what she does? Although sometimes she does seem pleased when a person seems to fear her. She knows that you can't make people love you or respect you, but you can make them fear you. And that's enough for her.

Despite that, she is no stranger to familial and camaraderie love, she receives a lot from her siblings and her teammates. She admits that while it is annoying, it's a welcome change from the outside world.

Hyacinth is strongly distrustful and wary towards strangers due to the events in her childhood. She takes the saying "Don't judge the book by its cover" quite seriously, she doesn't care if the stranger looks or seems nice, she won't trust them completely unless they prove that they can be trusted. This caused problems in the initial formation of her team.

Speaking of her team, Hyacinth does her best to be a competent leader, recognizing each of her team members' strengths and weaknesses and utilizing them. This is why Hyacinth isn't the primary tactician in her team, she recognizes Tourmaline's more superior tactical skills, Hyacinth only provides the information she needs.

Despite all that, deep inside, Hyacinth still remembers her torment in her childhood and she fears that if she doesn't exude a strong aura and if she fails at being a leader, the torment will return. If one looks close enough, they can see that at times, Hyacinth just tries too hard. She does her best to make her walls stay strong and avoid getting hurt like before.

History
Kunzite and Wisteria Lantana are what you call a 'match made in the battlefield'. They had met when Kunzite was still a low ranking military officer and Wisteria was still a newly-graduated Huntress. They were impressed by each other's skills on the battlefield and eventually got acquainted. Time flew and they went from acquaintances to friends to best friends to lovers to married. They eventually had five kids and were well-off enough to quit their jobs to focus on their kids.

Their youngest child was named Hyacinth. She was a very quiet child compared to the kids her age. She was also very weak, physically and Semblace-wise, and Aura-wise. She could barely run for more than a few couple of meters, much less levitate a lump of dirt for more than a few seconds. Her peers had taken note of this and often taunted her for her weakness. This drove her into a shell that grew stronger and thicker over time.

Hyacinth avoided her peers, instead choosing to spend her time in a glade behind her house. Luckily, it wasn't Grimm-infested and she could interact with the animals safely. It was her own safe haven. The bullying got worse and worse until she couldn't handle it anymore, eventually asking her parents to homeschool her. They asked her why, and, being the honest child she is, Hyacinth revealed everything. Kunzite and Wisteria decided to start training her with her siblings after Hyacinth had convinced them.

Her parents trained her in the art of war, fencing, and analysis. Hyacinth showed promise in these fields and she stuck to her training seriously. The intensive training strengthened the then-weak girl, her skill in her Semblace grew, and she became exceptional with her analysis. Eventually, the tauntings stopped after her peers saw how much she had grown and they began to flock to Hyacinth. But the girl was having none of their rubbish and turned away from them, preferring to be in her own solitary world.

This attitude carried on to her entrance to Beacon Academy. She avoided other people like the plague, save for her cousin Lazuli. Lazuli knew how much she loathed human interaction so he did his best on distracting other people from his cousin, which Hyacinth is grateful for. She was indifferent towards Beacon at first, but she got really irritated with the 'the first person you make eye contact with is your partner' thing. Luckily for her, her partner ended up being Lazuli.

At the end of the initiation, her teammates were Lazuli, a perky girl named Tourmaline, and a silent boy named Russet. It surprised and irritated her that she ended up being the team leader because being a leader meant she had to actually socialize with her teammates. She never actually came to terms with her leader position until their first mission. She recognized Tourmaline's tactical skills, Russet's exceptional at long-range combat, and Lazuli's innate skill in hand-to-hand and went to use it for the team's advantage.

Eventually, she comes to terms with her leader position and her trust on her team grows with every mission they go to.

Wisteria Lantana
Hyacinth's mother. Hyacinth has a deep respect for Wisteria, seeing as the woman has a similar, no-nonsense attitude as Hyacinth and because Wisteria had been an amazing huntress back in her days. Whenever Hyacinth needed advice, she goes to her mother first and foremost. Wisteria knows Hyacinth's secrets and insecurities and would often help her daughter in trying to overcome them.

Kunzite Lantana
Hyacinth's father. He was the one who trained Hyacinth and her siblings in the art of war, having been a military general long ago. Hyacinth holds great respect for him, too, for he was a formidable opponent and a strict, but kind father. He had been the one to first notice of Hyacinth's torment by her peers and the one who told her that other people's opinions don't matter. Hyacinth follows his teachings religiously until now.

Siblings
Hyacinth has a total of four older siblings, namely Argent, Nieves, Duana, and Urdin. She doesn't feel that close to them because of the age gaps but they love their little sister so much. Hyacinth also trusts them enough to go to them for personal advice when her mother is unavailable. They have gotten pretty protective over Hyacinth after finding out about Hyacinth's bully problems.

Lazuli Lantana
Lazuli is Hyacinth's cousin. Seeing as Lazuli was older than Hyacinth by a few months, he thinks that it's his job to look out for Hyacinth at the Academy when her siblings weren't around. Hyacinth trusts Lazuli enough to talk for her whenever she can't be bothered and that trust stretches onto the battlefield. The pair have each others' backs at all times.

Hyacinth was pleased to see that Lazuli had ended up as her partner and eventually teammate.

Tourmaline Kinevart
Tourmaline just so happens to be one of Hyacinth's most hated kind of person; a very sociable social butterfly. At the initial formation of the team, Hyacinth went out of her way to avoid contact with Tourmaline as much as possible, not even on the battlefield. Their relationship remained a very rocky one until Hyacinth noticed Tourmaline's exceptional skill in tactics. Hyacinth started to talk to Tourmaline, much to the other girl's delight, and trusted her with the team's tactics.

This trust skyrocketed when Tourmaline saved Hyacinth from a particularly nasty Grimm. Now, they are pretty good friends, Tourmaline trying, and failing, to respect Hyacinth's personal space. Although Hyacinth doesn't mind much as long as it doesn't break boundaries.

Russet Vanna
Russet and Hyacinth have a very professional relationship. Hyacinth likes the fact that Russet isn't as ridiculous as Lazuli and Tourmaline. Whenever the latter two are up to their shenanigans, it's always Russet and Hyacinth who reins them in. Other people often joked that they seem to be the team parents, but are quickly silenced by the duo's glares.

Weapon, Ability, & Fighting Style
Hyacinth's weapon is Amaranthine Artemis, a Multi-Shooter Defensive Longswords (MSDL), which takes the form of a purple Victorian parasol when sheathed. The fabric of the parasol is extremely durable and can withstand hard attacks. The handle of the parasol has a dial containing the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4, each having different properties listed below:


 * 1 = Normal umbrella/sheathed form
 * 2 = Makes the cover retract into the ribs and stick and the metal rearrange into two longswords
 * 3 = Activates the shield mode of the umbrella
 * 4 = The ferrule turns into a gun barrel and will fire about 500 rounds per minute when Hyacinth twirls the parasol

There is a small chamber on the stick of the parasol which contains vials of dust, mostly Earth dust in case she is in an area where she doesn't have anything to manipulate. The cover actually has a second layer made out of metal, making the parasol quite heavy. It was difficult for Hyacinth to wield it at first but she eventually got used to the weight.


 * Weapons' Restrictions/Limitations


 * 1) Quite heavy, delays movement to a degree
 * 2) Dial turning can delay movement
 * 3) Limited ammunition, needs to be reloaded once every 5 minutes
 * 4) Like a normal umbrella, it can 'catch' lightning/electricity within less than 3-5 feet of it
 * 5) It can only be in one mode at a time i.e she cannot use the shield mode while using the gun mode

Hyacinth has a unique fighting style. She takes into account the abilities and restrictions of her opponent and uses it to her team's advantage. Whenever she is in battle, she immediately goes into her 'Leader Mode', analyzing their opponent and informing her teammates, thus staying true to her job as the analyzer of the team. Ironically, Hyacinth is well-versed in aerial combat, using mounds of earth as boost platforms. She attacks mostly using her weapons and uses her semblance to delay her opponents' attacks.

Semblance & Aura
Hyacinth's Semblance is nicknamed "Gaia". Her Semblance allows her to manipulate the elements derived from earth. She can raise parts of the ground just by stomping her foot on the ground or sandwich enemies between huge mounds of earth by clapping her hands together. Hyacinth is skilled in wielding her Semblance due to years of training and as such, she can now manipulate flora and crystalline materials to a certain degree. She is able to teleport if she's touching the earth in a one mile radius, but she cannot travel any farther than that.


 * Semblance Restrictions/Limitations


 * 1) Her Semblance doesn't cover water manipulation or gravity manipulation.
 * 2) She also cannot control artificial solids such as glass.
 * 3) Weak against Electricity Manipulation.
 * 4) Her Semblance doesn't make her capable of creating earthen elements as she only manipulates the existing elements around her.
 * 5) Her teleportation skill will drain her Aura significantly, about 60% per use

Skills

 * Aerial Combat - This one is especially ironic, seeing as Hyacinth controls the earth but prefers to fight in the air. She is her team's main weapon whenever the fight takes to the skies. She actually doesn't 'fly' per se, she just uses mounds of earth, when available, as platforms she can land on while in the air.
 * Skill Level - 9/10
 * Analysis - Hyacinth's main specialty. She has an innate skill in this field and has proven herself exceptional several times. Her accuracy is 90% most of the time and she is very careful in analyzing because one wrong move and everything could fall apart. Some downsides are that she can't analyze emotions and she can't analyze that well when her target is moving too fast.
 * Skill Level - 9.5/10
 * Intensive knowledge of animal behavior - Hyacinth is quite knowledgeable in the animal kingdom, her personal favourites being snakes. She acquired this skill during her times alone training in the woodlands of Atlas. Her fields of knowledge encompasses grass snakes, mustang horses, and dogs.
 * Skill Level - 8.5/10
 * Swordfighting - Having trained with swords in her childhood, Hyacinth is well-versed in the art of swordfighting. While she does know the proper manners in fencing, she isn't afraid to fight dirty on the battlefield.
 * Skill Level - 8.5/10

Trivia

 * Hyacinth alludes to the Greek hero turned goddess Psyche
 * Her symbol is a butterfly, which symbolizes change, alluding to the drastic change that happened to Hyacinth when she was young
 * Etymology
 * Hyacinth - English form of Hyacinthus, which is the Latinized form of the Greek name ‘Υακινθος (Hyakinthos), which was derived from the name of the hyacinth flower, which is usually in a purple color.
 * Lantana - From Lantana montevidensis, a purple/lavender flower