Lady Zoroaster

Little Belinda Blackbourne grew up in a world no child should have to endure. The girl's mother and father were broke and abusive, often using what little money they had to feed their own habits rather than feed their only child. Making sure she made it to school didn't even register on their priority list, though her mother made sure she never missed a single gymnastic class. The woman had some strange fixation on the idea that her daughter was going to be the next Simone Biles thus solving all their money troubles. As such, Belle more often than not ended up wandering the neighborhood during the day, plotting her eventual escape from 'home.'

Several times she did get up the gumption to officially run away but with no real family or support system and a healthy distrust of authority figures, especially police thanks to her parents illegal recreational activities, she would always end up coming back. Sometimes, when her father was especially drunk and rage filled, she'd sneak out at night as well. Her favorite places to go were movie theaters in order to forget her troubles in the flickering images and a local small time amusement park that always closed early on weekdays, sometimes even sleeping on the rides.

When she was ten years old Belle snuck into a a local night club that was hosting a small time magic show. There, hiding in a corner and sipping on an unknown alcoholic drink that someone had left unattended, she watched The Incomparable Incantress perform (back when she was still doing her act and the criminal thing was just a side business she hadn't fully committed to yet). For someone who had spent her life trying to escape, seeing the sort of trickery Incantress and her admittedly unenthusiastic assistant could pull off seemed to her like the best thing ever. The spectacle, the mystery, the fun, the beauty, the impossibility. She was hooked.

After the show she snuck backstage, determined to meet Incantress. At first the magician was annoyed that the girl hadn't paid, but she was flattered by the child's obvious and enthusiastic adoration and impressed that she had managed to sneak, duck and lie her way through the whole building in order to find her. On top of that, half the show had almost been ruined by her current, clumsy assistant. Making a snap decision, Incantress took the girl on the road with her without even bothering to contact her parents.

Belinda became The Lovely Assistant. Her natural dexterity and flexibility combined with a newly acquired love of theatrics made her the perfect pairing for Incantress's cunning and bravado. Together they pulled off tricks to stun and amaze, but Incantress wanted more than just meager show profits. Soon she was drawing Lovely into her con games, and when their first heist was a roaring success, their path was inexorably set.

As far as their relationship went, Incantress was the brilliant and talented older sister Lovely had always wanted. For her part Lovely was damn near worshipful and eager to learn, and Incantress was happy to teach...at first. As the years passed, however, Incantress changed. With each successful theft, each daring escape, she cared less for the magic and more for the score. Instead of taking pride in Lovely's growth and talent, she grew increasingly frustrated with her assistant's smart mouth and occasional scruples. When Lovely ended up (accidentally) a meta and Incantress didn't, it was the final straw. The night that Incantress left Lovely to rot, Lovely sat in the cage her idol had laid just for her and in front for the hero and his sidekick who had arrived to thwart them, she cried until the sirens could be heard in the distance.