Tellme Nolies
 | |
| Tellme Nolies | |
|---|---|
| Biographical Information | |
| Born | 1 January 1952, 66 |
| Current City | London |
| Blood status | Creature |
| Physical Information | |
| Species | House Elf |
| Gender | Non-Binary |
| Height | 3' |
| Eye Colour | Grey |
| Skin Colour | Light |
| Niobe | |
Physical Description: Tellme is three feet tall and stout. Their long, pointed ears sit high on their head, and their nose is long. Their large eyes are a haunting grey. They always dress well in bright colors and rich fabric, head to toe. Sometimes it’s a dapper suit, sometimes layers of capes and skirts, sometimes a chunky sweater over leggings.
Personality: In a way, Tellme doesn’t know who they are. A life defined by one’s household and one’s tasks leaves little to individuality and even now, freed these nine years, everything is a reaction. Thoughts and feelings and livlihood still revolves around the escape. Somewhere inside, Tellme suspects that this will pass. But Tellme is alone in many ways and with no example of How to Be Apart from Humans, it is difficult.
They try to be funny, erring on the side of nasty humor. So much goes into being disagreeable, at least on the surface. Inside, Tellme wants companionship and connection.
Tellme has no patience for wix and considers them all unwelcome. Muggles too, who take up all the space.
History: Tellme began life as one of three house-elves of a wealthy English magical family from Somerset. The family was not particularly cruel to the house-elves, but never questioned their right to servitude. When the family’s eldest son grew up and left for his own life, Tellme was sent along and was the lone house-elf in a large house for many years.
Tellme was inspired by tales of Dobby, the Malfoy’s house-elf who was freed by Harry Potter. At first, it seemed offensive that a house-elf should so delight in being freed and Tellme wondered what horrible offense Dobby’d done to earn such a shaming. But little by little, Tellme began to wonder. Their first inkling was about wanting to nap in a green meadow. Their second inkling was a previously unacknowledged dislike of cooking. And it continued on that way, Tellme realizing more and more that they had their own likes and dislikes, hopes and cares.
The enchantment (or curse, depending who you ask) that bound house-elves to their masters was powerful. To even imagine a plan to free themself wracked them with pain, and explicit disobedience felt impossible. But there were those defiances that skirted the line, that honored the letter of the rules but in truth were subversive to the duties of a house-elf. And that was how Tellme made a friend, a young delivery witch. She came every day, hand-delivering the Daily Prophet. She was called Colly for Columbine.
[TBD how Tellme was freed]
It was upon being freed that they shed the gender and name given to them by their masters and adopted the name Tellme. Tellme Nolies, Tellme Pies, Tellme Astory, Tellme Who, Tellme When, Tellme How. It was a new name, a good name, a travelling desiring name, not like the diminutive toybox names given to house-elves.
It was rough on their own at first. Tellme didn’t know the ways of the world. But they were determined and to Tellme being free was more important than being comfortable. One day Tellme realized two things: house-elves can go places and do things that wix cannot, and where the wealth was. After that it took Tellme no time at all to acquire what they needed for food, clothing, and shelter. Then they acquired more.
Now, Tellme resides in a little house in a green meadow. It’s packed with clutter, clothing, and other treasures. They’re often in London, though, where they have found a close-knit community of Beings living outside of the strictures of humans. Tellme sustains themselves gleefully taking whatever they want from the wealthy, keeping what they need and hawking the rest.
At this point in their life, Tellme feels little affinity for other house-elves and takes no real effort to prevent house-elves being blamed for theft in their households. Tellme’s views may change with time, but for now, they’re out for themself in that earnest effort to seek an identity.
