Difference between revisions of "Steris Harms"

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'''Steris Harms''' is the daughter of Lord [[Jackstom Harms]] and the half-sister of [[Marasi Colms]], as well as the fiancee and eventual wife of High Lord [[Waxillium Ladrian]]. Steris often states that she does not fit in well with other people, and she makes up for this by relentlessly memorizing social norms and relevant facts about [[Scadrian]] society and by creating exhaustive lists of contingencies for any and every possible occasion. SheThis isled onto being appointed as the autismDisaster Preparations Officer by the governor. She is spectrumautistic.{{wob ref|6841}}{{wob ref|11122}}

AsBecause ashe resultis of her autism spectrum disorder (ASD)autistic, Steris often feels disconnected from those around her. She often describes herself as boring,{{book ref|mb6|12}} and mentions several times that others find it difficult to spend much time with her.{{book ref|mb6|2}} As a member of Wax’s close circle, Steris often feels as though she has nothing to contribute to their heroics. During the hunt for the [[Bands of Mourning]], Steris gives herself a 7/100 usefulness rating.{{book ref|mb6|23}}

Steris was raised in Lord Harms household, with Lord and Lady Harms. Steris’s parents were not emotionally close. Lord Harms remarked that Steris is much like her mother.{{book ref|mb4|4}} Steris was aware of Lord Harms’s extra-marital affairs and views them as normal, to the point where she wrote a clause for affairs into her original marriage contract, though she is not fond of it.{{book ref|mb4|2}}

Wax felt intensely guilty about failing to save Steris, and thus undertook an intense investigation into the Vanishers and their mysterious financial backers. As he finally confronted [[Miles Hundredlives]], the leader of the Vanishers, Wax discovered Steris hidden in a room of Miles’s lair.{{book ref|mb4|19}} He rescued her from the room and used his [[Feruchemical]] and [[Allomantic]] powers to collapse the building, an event which Steris appeared to find exhilarating. He then had Steris run from the scene to fetch the constables. After the fight was over and Miles was arrested Steris was interviewed about her experience by the constabulary, then offered Wax her thanks for his rescue.{{book ref|mb4|20}} She informed him that she “remained pure” after her captivity, and suggested that the pair advance the timeline for their relationship that had been laid out in her contract, an advance that would be facilitated by his dramatic rescue. Steris also informed Wax that she would no longer complain at his hobby of rushing around the city fighting crime, because they could each accept the other for who they were. For the first time, Steris shows a small amount of affection for Wax.

Later, when Steris learns that she, Marasi, Wayne, and Wax are going to stop Suit and recover a spike that was tskentaken from a kandra named ReLuur, Steris accompanies Wax after freaking out about how she needed to do things like make lists.{{book ref|mb6|4}}

They boarded a train to New Seran. During that ride, she was reading a book on human repoductionreproduction, and lied that it was about the history of New Seran. When Wax found out she was lying, she became greatly embarrassed. After hearing Wax tak about why he is a lawman, Steris convinces Wax to help her look for three lost clips by comparing ledgers.{{book ref|mb6|5}} Later, Marasi walks in on Wax finding the last lost clip.{{book ref|mb6|6}}

Then, the train gets attacked by robbers, and Wax tells Steris to stay safe. Later, Steris reveals that she keeps vials of steel flakes in cod-liver oil in case Wax needed them. While Wax is fighting, Steris picks up the shotgun Ranette made for Wax to shoot when his weight is increased and fired it. She managed to hit the robber's arm, but she gets fungflung off of the train.{{book ref|mb6|7}} Wax saves her and brings her back to the train where Marasi and Wax defeat the remaining robbers.{{book ref|mb6|8}} Wax finds Steris doing needlework, and comforts her. They then take a cargo train to New Seran.{{book ref|mb6|9}}

At Lady Kelesina's party, after helping Wax with talking with people she hoped would give Wax the information he needed,{{book ref|mb6|11}}{{book ref|mb6|12}} she deliberately made herself projectile vomit all over her table to give them a believable excuse to leave and to rest, giving Wax a chance to spy on Kelesina.{{book ref|mb6|13}}{{book ref|mb6|14}} After Wax and MeLaan kill the house steward, Steris comes out from behind a bush. Wax then shows Steris his appreciation by showing her the acendants field.{{book ref|mb6|15}} They then gather their things and leave a very worried Aunt Gin. Steris tells Aunt Gin that they had been framed for murder, which was on page thirteenseventeen of the list Steris had given her.

Wax, Wayne, Marasi, MeLaan, and Steris barely escaped New Seran, but only after Wax brought down a gondola line.{{book ref|mb6|16}} They were driving to dulsing because that is where ReLuur's spike was sent to. While Steris and Wax were sleeping, Marasi burned a pinch of cadmium, throwing everything from one time frame to the next, causing a large jolt and waking both Wax and Steris. ShprtlyShortly afterward, they arivedarrived at a large warehouse, and Wax told Steris that she should saystay with the horses, expecting Steris to argue. Instead, she just accepted the fact and waited.{{book ref|mb6|17}}

When they approached the temple, Steris pointed out that someone had to watch for Suit's men and keep a lookout. So Steris, Marasi, and Wayne stayed behind.{{book ref|mb6|23}} While on lookout, Steris showed Marasi a chart of how usefulluseful everyone was on the hunt, with the max score being one hundred. Wax and MeLaan both had a score of one hundred. Wayne was a seventy-five. Marasi was an eighty-three. Steris had given herself a score of seven (originally a four). Steris then told Marasi how she felt about Wax.

A little after Suit and some of his minions entered the temple, Steris watcedwatched Marasi fly away, using the Bands of Mourning, and found it very unexpected because it hadn't made the list or appendix.{{book ref|mb6|28}} Shortly afterward, Steris goes with [[Allik Neverfar|Allik]] to his old crew, and gives them heat medallions as well as rifles, and they attack Suit's men. The Set was defeated shortly afterward.{{book ref|mb6|29}}

After Wax and Steris got off of the airship, they were greeted by Governor Aradel. Wax then brought Steris in front of a priest, and asked her if she wanted to marry him, and not because of a contract. Steris said that she couldn't remember anything else that hadn't been on her list that was so wonderful. sheShe then agreed.{{book ref|mb6|31}}

Wayne is the only person to whom Steris does not speak formally, often calling him an idiot. Wayne also does not treat Steris nicely, to the point that Wax asks him to stop. After several years of this banter, Steris and Wayne begin to accept each other, each realizing the talents of the other.{{expand}}{{cite}}

===Marasi Colms===

Marasi is Steris's illegitimate half sister by Lord Harms. They are not particularly close, with Steris not knowing about Marasi at all until she was a teenager. Their relationship is mostly formal, but they still share occasional sincere moments.{{citebook ref|mb4|9}}{{book ref|mb6|6}}{{book ref|mb6|24}}

* Steris was based on a friend of Brandon's whom he initially found very abrasive. Part of his intention with her was to create a characterscharacter whom readers would dislike before learning more about her and falling in love with her.{{wob ref|11122}}