the high cost of living.
full name Delphine E. Chevalier comicverse Death date of birth & age 30 November 1976; 39 birthplace Saint Etienne, FR main residence Boston, MA (USA) occupation Obituary Writer relationship status Le Ciel Dans Une Chambre






Growing up in a commune in rural France, Delphine Chevalier always dreamed of exploring the world, this one, and all the others in existence. The eldest child of a French nationalist and an American ex-pat, the little girl had a vivid imagination and a lust for life that was unparalelled by anyone else in her life. Spending most of her time with her younger brother, David, and her parternal grandmother, Marie, she found her happiness early in life, living quietly in and with the natural world. However, that didn't stop her from dreaming of more. Even as a child, Delphine's dreams were vivid, almost unnaturally so. They haunted her waking, faces and lives that were just familiar enough to stay with her, but not so familiar that she could understand them. Her grandmother claimed she was tapped into something greater - Delphine never did figure out what that meant.

By the age of sixteen, Delphine was ready to consider going to university, having completed her schooling and subsequent exams. The mid-90s were a turbulant time in France, with the appointment of President Jacques Chirac, and the bombings during the summer of 1995. Delphine's father was suspected of being involved in many of the bombings in the greater Parisian area, but no evidence was found. By the next summer, she had moved to London, enrolling in the English programme at City University London. Changing her name to Emilia officially, she began to immediately thrive in London, exploring the ancient city with every opportunity that arose. She made friends fairly easily, and seemed to find her place at school.

In her second year at university, Emilia met Callum Johnston through a group of friends, immediately finding him charming and handsome, in a way her grandmother would call 'rakish', with a wink and knowing smile. The attraction was immediate and something Em couldn't explain. She had never been overly curious of the opposite sex, nor about dating. But he quickly became the exception to the rule. They spent every free moment together, reading poetry, smoking, drinking, getting into mischief, and dancing. Kitchens, alleys, carparks, laundromats, it didn't matter. They danced wherever and whenever the mood struck; they couldn't keep their hands off one another. Young love had struck, and nothing would part them.

The call came in the night, in the middle of a dream Emilia was having about her mother. Callum woke her, saying her grandmother had rung - her mother had some sort of accident at home, and had died. By the time the funeral arrangements had been made, it was clear that Emilia's mother had committed suicide, after several failed attempts. There was no note, no explination. Her mother's obituary was the first Emilia ever wrote, though their relationship had been distant at best. Em attempted to bond with her little brother, but sixteen year old David had become a sullen, dark-tempered teenager. He had little patience, or kind words, for his sister.

After her mother's death, Emilia allowed herself to draw inward, seeking solitude away from her friends and Callum. Her final year of university loomed in the immediate future, and suddenly a year abroad didn't seem like such a bad thing after all. Breaking up with Callum was sudden and a clean break. While wounded, he didn't stop her from leaving him, only asking that she write from time to time. She would remember his parting words like a curse: no one would ever love her like he did. Emilia decided that she was willing to take that chance.

Her final university year was spent in New York and Boston, participating in internships at a few newspapers and magazines. America was everything Emilia had hoped it would be - a fresh start. New friends were made, new loves were had... though her love life seemed to follow a very specific formula. Her lovers and boyfriends always seemed to experience a severe run of bad luck during their relationship - lost jobs, deaths, injury, and, in one instance, incarceraton all seemed to be the reward for dating Emilia Chevalier. Returning to London for her commencement, Em saw Callum for the last time. It wasn't a particularly amicable parting, involving much more shouting than the one previous. At that point, there was nothing Emilia could do but go back to the States.

After bouncing from one newspaper to another, all across the U.S., Emilia finally made her way back to Boston in 2006. There was something about it that felt like home. She enjoyed learning the history of the city, like all the others that came before, settling in to life in New England. She adopted a cat, and began to make friends again, this time deciding not to actively look for romantic entanglements. It was shortly after her move back to Boston, that Emilia received another fateful call from her grandmother. Her little brother had gone missing, and he was presumed dead by the police.

Returning to France felt like going back in time. Her grandmother's farm hadn't changed, nor had most of the residents living there. The service held for David had been simple, but emotional, and Emilia wasn't certain if any of it was real. It certainly hadn't felt real. David didn't feel dead to her. During the reception after the service, she could have sworn she had seen Callum, but she didn't go after him. Some hurts were better left alone, to heal themselves in silence and distance.

Spending the last decade as an obituary writer and columnist, Emilia has explored the lives of dozens of people - from politicians to housewives, and everyone in between. She treats each obit with the same respect and attention to detail that she would any other. And she's good at what she does. Emilia finds the heart of the decedent's personality, humanity, life, and writes beautifully and vividly. It has been said that the decedents come to life on the page. When she isn't steeping herself in the lives and stories of the dead, she spends time with friends, goes on walks, and volunteers her time at several local hospitals' nurseries. Emilia can't get enough of newborn babies. Sometimes, holding a brand new life in your arms is the best way to shake off the teathers of the dead.
death
Younger sister of Destiny, older sister to Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair and Delirium. It is said that everything living thing encounters death twice in their lifetime. Once when they are born, though no one remembers that meeting with her, and once when they die. Death does not guide the soul of the dead into any particular afterlife, she is merely a gateway into what lies beyond. On page she usually appears as a young woman, stylishly dressed wearing a silver ankh, with pale skin, and an eye of Horus tattoo around her eye. Though like the rest of the Endless, she can appear however she wants or needs. When the universe was young Death was more somber, but she has come to love her job and develop her own quirky upbeat personality beyond what the fear living beings have of her. It is known that she keeps two goldfish and has a floppy hat collection. She is Dream's closest friend and confidant, able to shake him out of self-absorption when necessary. She does not seem to have much of relationship with either her elder brother Destiny, nor her younger siblings.

One day in every century, Death lives a day in mortal form, sometimes human, sometimes not, to better understand the creatures over which she has dominion. "I'm not merciful or blessed. I'm just me. I've got a job to do and I do it....When the first living thing existed, I was there. Waiting. When the last living thing dies, my job will be finished. I'll put the chairs on the tables, turn out the lights and lock the universe behind me when I leave."

Death - despite her job description - has always been the perkiest of the Endless. While Destiny - the eldest of them - is very cold and detached, Death is warm and caring and she has taken the role of the mature maternal sister among the siblings. She can be frequently seen throughout the The Sandman series serving as Dream's confidante, giving advice and pointing out his faults or getting angry at the twins Despair and Desire for their "games", which often intervenes with the other Endless' affairs. She is closer to Dream than any other member of the Endless, and he sought her advice on several occasions. She also has shown that her job takes a backseat when it comes to her family, unlike Dream and Destiny, both of whom seem to take their job very seriously.(source)


facts
  • While her given name is Delphine, she prefers to go by her middle name, Emilia. In her opinion, 'Delphine' sounded 'too French' when she moved to London at eighteen. Coincidentally, her name refers to one who comes from Delphi, which was known in the ancient world for its oracle. This ties in to the almost psychic dreams Emilia has of the people she writes about.

  • Doesn't date, as she sees herself as cursed romantically. The few relationships she's had over the years have ended tragically. The only exception being her first love, Callum Johnston, whom she left while they were at university.

  • Is a remarkably upbeat person, despite her career choice. She has no stigma attached to death, but sees it as a natural part of living. Change is inevitable, in her opinion, and there is little use in spending all your time avoiding it, or pretending it doesnt exist.

  • Considers herself an orphan, as her mother is dead, her father has been gone since she was eleven, and her brother is presumed dead. This is the only thing that gets to her sometimes, not having the connection of family. She would like to foster that sort of bond with friends, but Emilia isn't very good at making them.

  • Volunteers at local hospitals on the neonatal floor. She loves newborn babies, and spends hours holding and playing with them in the nursery.

  • Has a black tom cat named Macbeth, as well as a pair of goldfish named Arthur and Lancelot.