Aditi Bakshi

Aditi is a Roanoke vampire who was turned by Elliott Smith.

Before

Aditi is a rather unique vampire distinct from the rest of the group in that she was not a colonist at all. Technically, she was in Roanoke as an Ayah¹ to the Smith family. Is an understatement to say it is a little ironic that she was turned by the biggest elitist in town and one of the people she despised the most in the world. Furthermore, Elliott and Ester grew up under the loving care of Aditi's mother Lakshmi, with Aditi as a playmate. Lakshmi cared for the Smith family children and then the grandchildren right up until she was abandoned at an almshouse in London just before the rest of the family boarded the ship for America.

Aditi Bakshi, 1583 by aitubo

Aditi, unaware that her mother was not aboard the ship, did not find out what the Smith family had done until it was too late. Aditi had no choice but to travel with the family to the fledgling nation, she had no power to do or change anything. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, Aditi did not wish to damage her karma in any way. That was not only for herself, she was also afraid of disappointing her mother, or somehow harming hers by acting vengefully on Lakshmi's behalf. Therefore, she did nothing to retaliate against the Smiths, despite the fact that Elliott - strongly encouraged by his father - would continuously taunt her in the cruelest ways possible.

The Change

Aditi's transformation shook her Hindu faith to the core, and despite her desire for self-control (or perhaps due to the parasite that now resides in her brain) her hatred only intensified over time. She did not understand what she could have done in this or any past lives to deserve such a fate - in a country far from home, cut off from her family, and surrounded by people who viewed her as beneath them at best and sub-human at worst. There were two exceptions to that, Rose Davis and Ezekyel Alston.
When the newly formed group of vampires decided to split up, the general consensus was that progeny travel with their makers, but on this Aditi flat refused. It should be noted that with this refusal the myth that vampires must obey their maker is debunked, as Aditi instead traveled to the southeast with Rose and her progeny, Ezekyel and Caleb Fletcher. This enraged Elliott, who considered Aditi to be his property, but in the end it was agreed upon by the group that she should not have to go with him.

Aditi Bakshi, Roanoke Vampire, 1973 by Midjourney

This may have been the first time in Aditi's life that her needs and desires were taken into consideration by anyone other than her mother. While it did nothing to quench the burning hatred she felt for Elliott, it did lessen her resentment towards the others who had always shown such an active disinterest in her as a person. She ultimately decided to travel with Rose and Ezekyel because out of all the people she encountered in Roanoke, they were the only ones who ever treated her with dignity and respect. It is possible the bond between Aditi and Rose was a little stronger due to the fact that Rose herself was often regarded with suspicion and mistrust simply because of her red hair.

Trial of Vengeance

The small band traveled together for some time, exploring the landscape of the United States and basically learning how to be vampires. Upon the founding of Jamestown in 1607, Aditi's desire to go and find her mother peaked and arrangements were made for her to return to England in the company of Ezekyel to try and find her. They did find Lakshmi at the Holy Trinity Almshouse in the Portsoken Ward of London.² She had died the year before, resulting from the mistreatment at the hands of some of the staff.
It was at this point Aditi learned how to compel people. She uncharacteristically, and without warning, attacked the employee who informed her about her mother. The woman immediately started screaming and, annoyed, Aditi shoved her at Ezekyel. As she pushed the woman away, she made a statement along the lines of "I wish she would just shut up," at which point the woman immediately ceased her noise mid-yell. The implications of this were apparent instantaneously to both Aditi and Ezekyel, and they decided to use this to their advantage to see if they could discover the actual individual responsible for Lakshmi's demise.

The fate of the man who killed Lakshmi lasted for eight intensely agonizing hours before the two vengeful vampires tore him limb from limb. Aditi felt the surge of justified vindication for a brief moment, and then the ramifications of her blood lust and rage sunk in and she despaired in the damage she had done to her karma. Not knowing at the time the longevity they would experience, and the sheer heinousness of their crime filled Aditi with dread at the implications for her next life. It was Ezekyel who pulled her back from the brink simply by asking her to explain her faith and what about their actions had her so upset, as he felt they were just and right in their punishment of the crime.

Crime Scene at Holy Trinity Almshouse by Midjourney

On their way back to America to rejoin Rose and Caleb, Aditi had continued conversations with Ezekyel, and realized she really didn't know much about her culture or her religion at all. She needed to return to America and learn more about her new state of existence, but she would have new opportunities to learn more about her history and hopefully repair the damages she inflicted upon herself. Aditi and Ezekyel grew very close during this time, and while they were never lovers, either would willingly die for the other to this very day.

Road to Redemption

From that time on, Aditi decided that it would do her no benefit to dwell in the past over things she had no control to change. She began the process of educating herself intellectually, physically, and spiritually. She became heavily involved first in the civil rights and then also women's movements, although always from behind the scenes. In 1831 she began using her home as a station to help people escape the oppressive yoke of slavery, and it was at this time that she met the love of her life, Abigail.

Aditi and Abigail, 1847 by Midjourney

Abigail and one other named Jahzara were on their way north with their guide when they reached Aditi's station in 1833. As was often the case, the guide was one to take advantage of desperate people in desperate situations, and was also the type to get quite angry when his advances were rebuffed. Needless to say, Abigail and her companion were in pretty poor shape when they arrived at the front door. A fury she had not felt since London fell over her, although by this point she had 245 years of being a vampire under her belt. Generally, the travelers spent a night or two at Aditi's property, so she had the patience and foresight to wait until everyone was asleep in order to better deal with this miscreant.

As she sat waiting for her guests to fall asleep, Aditi heard a commotion from the basement. Rushing down the stairs, she was confronted by the scene of Abigail on the floor, unconscious, blood running from her forehead and her right eye swelling shut. Jahzara was making strangled, gasping noises as she dangled between the hands of the guide by her neck, her hands grasping in vain to try and dislodge his grip. Her dress was torn down the front and blood flowed freely from an obviously broken nose. As Jahzara lost consciousness Aditi had seen enough, and stealth was no longer an option.
Faster than a blink, Aditi was on the guide's back, biting savagely and drinking deeply. Startled, the large man was able to fling her off, thankfully dropping the unconscious girl as well. That was all the time Abigail needed though, and as he was completing his turn to confront her, she was already back up, kicking him back into a chair and commanding him to "SIT AND STAY." Aditi ran to check on Jahzara's condition, and upon finding a pulse, turned to check on Abigail. At this moment she finally realized that Abigail had regained consciousness while subduing the guide and had witnessed the whole thing. Aditi began to sweep her hand out to the room, as if to say "I can explain," when Abigail took the two steps separating them, pulling Aditi to her, and kissed her.
They have been together ever since.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

After compelling the guide to go back home, humiliate himself, and spend every remaining day of his life repenting for the suffering he inflicted, Aditi and Abigail nursed Jahzara back to health. They traveled with her to a safe place themselves, rather than wait on or trust the next dubious guide that may show up. After seeing Jahzara to safety, they then traveled to visit Rose, as they wanted to transform Abigail to vampire and wanted Rose's blessing - despite the fact that Rose was not Aditi's maker.
After Abigail's successful transformation, the couple began traveling together, gravitating towards areas where they felt they could help. Abigail, being more outgoing, is the public face of the couple while Aditi stays behind the scenes and gathers as much information as possible. Although she has since forgiven herself for London, she still strives to repair her karma as much as possible before her time with this life is up. She still, and quite understandably, has not forgiven the Smiths, although she has made no move to do them harm.
Aditi and Abigail have been active in the civil rights movement and the women's rights movement. They were in Stockholm for the first Nobel Prize in 1901, in 1919 for the League of Nations, in 1957 for the launch of Sputnik. In '89 they watched the Berlin Wal fall. Through multiple wars, conflicts, and people being shitty to each other the couple did their best to try and help the people who suffered at the hands of others.

Year of Birth

1572

Eyes

Dark Brown

Hair

Black

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Golden Honey

Height

5'3"

Weight

101 lb

Elliott Smith, Croatoan Vampire by Midjourney

Rose Davis, Croatoan Vampire by Midjourney

Ezekyel Alston, Roanoke Vampire by aitubo

Abigail, Vampire, 1989 by Midjourney

by WorldAnvil