Leander Noakes

Leander Eric Noakes

All plants are fascinating to me - they all have their place. Even the tiny weeds that grow between the cracks in the concrete. They make me think about the resilience of life.

— Leander, Arrangements

A human resident of the Libaran capital city of Oravine, Leander Noakes is currently employed at the Presidential Botanical Gardens. There he teaches the bright young minds of Libara about gardening and plants, and helps to maintain the Garden's Seed Vault, where botanical samples from across the planet are stored against the event of planetwide destruction.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Leander is the third surviving child of Casey and Yasmin Noakes, born in the city of Oravine on the planet of Libara. Though his conception was not planned, he was a very much wanted child, and was doted on by his parents and two older siblings.
When Leander was three, his father Casey was killed in a brutal skirmish against pirates in the Libaran orbit. The only details the family received of his death was that he met his fate at the hands of a Battle Mage. Subsequent to this, Leander was raised with a deep fear of magic, which he is currently struggling to overcome.
Leander's mother remarried when he was eight, and he quickly formed a close bond with his stepfather, Simon Ward. His older siblings were teenagers at this point, and had a much more strained and volatile relationship with their mother. To escape the sometimes stressful environment at home, Simon would take the young Leander to the Presidential Botanical Gardens in the centre of Oravine. Though Simon had only a passing knowledge of plants, the young Leander soaked up everything he said and took it upon himself to learn even more.
Starting when he was fourteen, Leander volunteered at the Botanical Gardens after school and at the weekends. Although he was mainly an extra pair of hands and the job was mostly physical labour, he learnt a lot about the care and cultivation of plants. This coincided with the birth of his mother and stepfather's first child, and getting out of the house and working with plants allowed Leander to work through a lot of his feelings of jealousy of the new baby. When he finished school, he managed to get a part-time job at the Gardens as an assistant gardener. He has been working there ever since, although he has worked his way up the ranks.

Sexuality

Straight

Education

Leander attended one of Oravine's many state schools from the ages of five to sixteen. Whilst there, he studied the basic curriculum taught to all Libaran youths; this curriculum consisted of mathematics, science, Libaran history and geography, as well as two languages - Libaran and Galactic Common.

Employment

Leander currently works as one of the gardeners in the Presidential Botanical Gardens in Oravine. About a year ago, after extensive training, he was approved to work in the seed vault, helping to catalogue and maintain the Garden's collection of rare and vital seeds. His favourite part of his job, however, is conducting educational sessions for children and teenagers, teaching them the basics of botany and the importance of plants to society.

Mental Trauma

When Leander was nineteen, he fell in love with a young woman three years his senior, called Tessa. Their relationship blossomed, and eventually they moved in together. Six years into the relationship, Leander was planning to propose.
Things came crashing down, however, when Leander's older brother, Luke, came to stay whilst recovering from a brief illness. Whilst Leander was cooking dinner, Tessa made a move on Luke. Leander was drawn by angry shouting to the scene of his half-naked girlfriend and furious brother. Tessa, upset by Luke's rejection, informed Leander that she had only dated him to get close to Luke. Whether this was true or not, it shattered his whole world.
Though two years have passed, Leander still struggles to form new relationships and is wary about risking his heart again.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Leander has two primary motivations: his love for his family, and a desire to further the universe's knowledge of botany.
The former manifests in a strong desire to keep the peace, often mediating in familial disputes or acting as a distracting presence when things get tense.
With the latter, his current work at the Botanical Gardens allows him a good space to enhance his own knowledge of the plants on Libara, as well as some more exotic species from other planets in the solar system and beyond. Whilst he loves his job, he can't help but wonder what more there is out in the universe for him to discover.

Social

Family Ties

Leander functions as a bridge in his family, smoothing relationships between old and new.
He has no memories of his biological father, Casey Noakes, who died when he was three. He is close to his mother, Yasmin Ward, as well as his stepfather, Simon Ward, who has been in his life since he was six. His older siblings, Lira and Lucas, fought against accepting their mother's new relationship; Leander, however, quickly grew attached to the man who gave him easy affection where his mother had struggled in her grief.
He has two younger half-brothers, Ethan and Benjamin, who were born when Leander was a teenager. Although he initially struggled with jealousy and a fear of being replaced, he quickly became a loving and protective older brother.
Though he lives on his own, he spends several evenings a week at his parents' house, having dinner and maintaining the close relationships he treasures. Relatively recently, he has managed to persuade Luke to join them occasionally, though his older brother's relationship with their parents is still rather tense. Though he has been out of touch with Lira for over a year, he is hopeful that one day he will be able to reconcile with his wayward older sister.

Hobbies & Pets

Leander enjoys gardening in his free time, and is currently cultivating his own personal garden on the balcony of his apartment. The balcony contains a mixture of some his favourite Libaran plants, and is lit up with strings of lights at night time. If the garden is complimented, however, Leander insists that it is only a work in progress.

Her name is Agatha. She's a dwarf fly trap, and she's very fussy about the types of bugs she eats.

— Leander, Arrangements

Leander's most treasured plant is a dwarf fly trap called Agatha. She was not doing well in her exhibit at the Botanical Gardens, so he brought her home and nursed her back to health.

Known Magic
Agrokinesis (basic)

Species

human

Conditions

• Attuned

Year of Birth

2285 EVT

Birthplace

Libara

Pronouns

he/him

Gender

Male

Eyes

Grey-blue

Hair

Light brown

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Fair

Aligned Organization

Freehold Coalition

Known Languages

Libaran, Galactic Common

Further Reading