I made a promise.

That's how it started.  I made a promise to uphold peace, virtue, light, and truth.  To conduct myself with temperance and honor.  To stand against the darkness as a defender of this world, no matter what might happen.  No matter how things would go wrong.

I didn't think it would be easy, but I promised anyway, and that's something I won't go back on.  Not ever... but I was pretty tempted when everything went wrong right away.  I was supposed to be like them, part of the big-L Light, but I guess even that casts a few shadows?  I was scared of myself, and what I'd been made.  They said that my transformation hadn't gone wrong, that I wasn't a monster... and they don't lie, but they can be pretty careful about how they tell the truth.  And even if I supposedly had the Beacon's light somewhere inside me, I didn't feel like it.  How could I?  The more I reached, the more dark came into my grasp.

So I fought to keep my promise.  Figuratively, of course, and also literally.  Quite a lot literally, actually.  I wanted to prove I could be the girl I wanted to be, the girl they needed.  I wanted to protect the world, because maybe if I did enough I'd deserve it.  I could use the power I'd been given for good, and after all, wounds of the flesh... don't stick around.  Not for me, anyway.  And eventually, a kind of short eventually at that, I got in just a little over my head.  Maybe a lot over my head, I don't really remember.  Not clearly, I wasn't thinking clearly.  I remember the color red, I remember my talons, I remember feeling rage.  What I can remember clearly is making the scene even worse by getting sick when the haze cleared.

They told me I didn't do anything wrong -- not this time at least, but that what happened really was dangerous, and could and probably would happen again.  They didn't have to tell me they were displeased with that.  I don't know if they were going to offer to send me back to how I was before.  I suspect not, that doesn't seem like their way, but I didn't give them the chance.  I said that I made a promise, and that I'd see it through, no matter what.

They like devotion, and they like zeal, and I guess that's why they decided to teach and guide me instead of anything else.  Or maybe it's just their way -- it's what they did so the why I've got to guess.  I'm not really left alone anymore -- there's Branwen, of course, and I'm usually working with other Girls, who do their best to hide that I bother them.  Honestly, I kind of like working with the independents; my real compatriots, who work with the Beacon, can't help but judge a little.  Girls who are just in for a particular mission?  They probably still don't like me but they don't have as much reason.  As for, well, "that"?  It's happened a couple times after the first.  Too much pain, a brush with death, and not even the little meditation tricks they taught me can keep it contained.

It feels like I'm in a fight I can't win, not with the monsters, but with myself.  It feels like I'm just going to keep losing -- if not the "that" happening, which I'm getting better about avoiding, thank you, then to just getting tired of being the Beacon's shadow.  But I made a promise, so I have to keep trying.  Every time, I've got to pick myself back up.  Every day, just go forward, just keep moving on.

If it hurts, I've got to endure.  If it makes me cry, I can cry and do my job at the same time.  One step at a time.  Whatever it takes.  Because I made a promise, and if I break it, I don't know if there's anything else left.

Lenore Gallant
Age: 16
Body type: Average
Specialization: Darkness
Major Power: Regeneration
Patron: The Beacon
Weapon: Lenore carries a tome and a quill in her Magical Girl state; both represent the same weapon, Liber Umbrarum, which functions as a potent spell focus (Mystic)
Outfit: Lenore's outfit as a magical girl is a frilly black Gothic dress, its ruffle-layered skirt cut above the knee in front but trailing almost to her ankles in the back, with a similarly ornate velvet-chiffon-and-ribbons corset-style top.  Her outfit also includes black, knee-length heeled boots, sheer black opera length gloves, and a wide-brimmed, pointed, witch-style hat with a grosgrain band from which protrude several black feathers.  Overall, there's very little color in the outfit -- though Lenore's red hair and blue eyes are fairly striking as a result -- but the ensemble more than makes up for its drab palette with the overly ornate design (Elaborate).
Familiar: Lenore is attended by a familiar, Branwen.  Branwen's normal form is that of a pure-white raven (naturally), but she can also take human form, appearing as a pale, platinum blonde girl a year or two Lenore's junior.
Monstrous Metamorphosis: If sorely pressed, Lenore undergoes a second, horrific transformation: black feathers sprout from her skin, her eyes turn yellow, and her hands twist into claw-like talons.  In such a state she's significantly stronger, faster, and tougher than normal, but while she still seems able to tell friend from foe she doesn't seem capable of higher thought.
Martial Training: Despite being primarily a caster-type Magical Girl, Lenore has undergone extensive martial training.  Perhaps the Beacon hoped the discipline would help her keep her Metamorphosis in check, or perhaps they simply saw the need to hone her so she wouldn't be helpless if the situation called for a physical altercation.
Fated: As much as some of Lenore's fate seems... unfortunate, it also seems like someone or something is looking out for her actual well-being.  She may not feel like she's 'meant for' something, but others seem to get that vibe.
Hammerspace Handbag: Lastly, Lenore doesn't seem to need to carry most small objects in the conventional sense.  She's hardly the only girl with this ability, but it's handy.

Lenore's best trait is her resolve.  She won't break her promises or abandon her tasks, and when the going gets tough she will force herself through inch by inch.  The downside is that she sometimes "puts the blinders on" and will continue on a hard path rather than seeing her way to a better solution.  Her worst trait is her low self-esteem.  No matter what she accomplishes, she always manages to find a fault in herself, a reason to apologize and say she'll do better next time.  This leads to her feeling rather isolated, as she can't help but think she's a burden to others, or they're only putting up with her because of circumstances.  The upside is that this inferiority complex drives her to improve herself constantly, even if she never feels like it's enough.

Stats
Str 6 (+1 Martial Training, +1 Bronze)
Agi 6 (+2 Silver)
Vit 8 (+1 Average, +1 Darkness, +2 Silver)
Mag 16 (+2 Darkness, +1 Mystic, +1 Elaborate, +2 Bronze, +2 Silver, +4 Gold)
Lck 8 (+1 Fated, +1 Bronze, +2 Silver)