Nine

* Hair Down
* Hair Up

*"Worry about yourself first. Your happiness and safety are important."*

Nine (also known as **Lav**) is a prisoner in Ten's group at the Facility.

## Appearance

Lav has light blonde hair and amber colored eyes. She has a fairly healthy body with strong limbs, and she is considered one of the tallest and most athletic out of the Numbers. Like all the prisoners, she dons a colored gown—Lavender, in this case.

Lav tends to wear her hair down unless she's going to be doing anything physical, where she will put it up in a ponytail. Later on after being taught how to braid her hair by Pickle, she wears her hair in a braid more.

## Story

### Past

Before the events of the story, Lav is interviewed by Gale Smith after her first dose of the Mnemosyne like the rest of the Numbers. She is told that she'd participated in a drug trial, and is even shown a paper supposedly proving that she participated willingly. Unlike some of her fellow prisoners, Lav doesn't fall for this, especially since she sees Lucius with a gun and is put off by his presence.

She reveals remembering someone important to her, but can't place the name.

It is speculated that Lav was an athlete of sorts previously due to her natural affinity to sports (namely basketball) and her strong build. She is also drawn to the viola but doesn't seem to know or remember how to play.

### The Facility

Due to being the newest Number before Ten, Lav didn't have any connection with any of the prior numbers (aside from the previous Ten and Jade). Lav naturally forms a friendship with Ten due to her kind nature, and as a result, she eventually starts forming friendships with the other numbers after keeping to herself for so long.

Lav is considered one of Ten's closest friends amongst the Numbers, and the two often emotionally support and talk openly with one another. They're even close enough that Lav admits being privy to Ten's recurring troubles along with Cyrus and Eight.

Over time, Lav becomes more and more emotionally involved with Ten that led to attraction. She is one of the people Ten feels closest to.

## Personality

Before Ten's arrival, Lav was described as keeping to herself and unapproachable (due to coming to terms with the abuse at the Facility and being self-sufficient emotionally, where others relied on each other). After their first meeting, Lav starts opening up to Ten and forms a friendship before branching out to interact with the other numbers.

Lav has been shown to be a fairly casual and easygoing, and even a bit of a jokester. However, she is also slightly pushy when it comes to comforting others, as she has a big heart and wants everyone to be as self sufficient as her. Lav is also passionate in her dislike towards the doctors. Mom and Sven had noted that Lav has the tendency to bark back often, but eventually loses herself to their use of her. She is known to be one of the stronger Numbers from the doctor, resulting in rougher doctors like Lilah visiting her.

## Sexuality

It is likely that Lav is a female-leaning bisexual. She never specifies disliking men, merely stating a hesitance toward men due to her only experiences with them being from the doctors, whom she hates. However, she has admitted willingness to be open with the opposite sex as well.

## Relationships

### **Ten**

Ten first met Lav when she found her playing basketball without her gown at the gym. Ever since, Ten is drawn to Lav's confidence and her outward emotional strength. Lav is attracted to Ten early on as seen in Chapter 18, when she teaches Ten the value of self-pleasure and accepting one's body. Due to the abusive nature of the Facility, both prisoners are confused and are slow to come to terms with their feelings for one another. While Lav eventually admits she loves Ten, she does not expect her to make any choices yet and allows Ten to stay her friend for the moment. The two thus share a strong friendship and respect for each other.
Along with Eight and Cyrus, Lav is privy to Ten's conversations regarding the Facility, the Red Valentine, her abuse from Yosuke, among other things. She also later learns of Lucius' existence when Ten expresses having seen him (though Lav does not know his name nor who he is beyond the descriptor "man with a gun") and quickly pieces together that he is the one who contributed to Ten's torture when she was confined.
Regardless of what information Lav does or doesn't have, she is intensely supportive of Ten. She may occasionally react to things a way Ten doesn't like, but Lav will usually try leveling herself out for Ten's sake.
Lav is considered Ten's driving force for becoming stronger, teaching her how to take pleasure for herself, showing her consensual advances, and eventually consensual sex. During Ten's confinement, she had Lav (along with Cyrus) in her thoughts to keep herself afloat, even utilizing both their advice to do so.
When Ten returns from her confinement, Lav is the most relieved, running to hug Ten and cry. She was so shaken by Ten's initial disappearance that she was at a loss, and slept with Cyrus out of grief. Despite the rocky patch, all is forgiven, and the Two Numbers remain close. Lav expresses her affection for Ten very directly Chapter 78 with a brief but meaningful "I love you", but notes that even if she feels a certain way, she does not expect Ten to respond to her declaration until she's ready and stable enough to. Afterwards, she has no problems being openly affectionate with Ten, including holding her or giving her quick kisses.
### **Cyrus**

Lav and Cyrus are likely brought closer together due to Ten's presence . Of the Numbers, they are both fairly emotional mature and have some grounding to them. The two tend to be in agreement when it comes to discussion of the other Number's emotional state and helping Eight become more empathetic. Along with Lav and Eight, Cyrus is a part of Ten's "closer" circle of friends in terms of being privy to some additional details of the Facility, the Red Valentine, her abuse from Yosuke, and more.
Both Lav and Cyrus were so shaken by Ten's initial disappearance that they were both left confused and longing. Despite usually condemning the act of desperation, the two slept together after a bout of grieving turned into sex. While they still care about one another, the act is one they both regret since it was essentially a rash decision made in a moment of vulnerability. However, they both have moved on since then and are still on good terms. Their closeness is slightly less traditionally romantic than that of Cyrus and Ten's or Lav and Ten's, but Lav still loves Cyrus' company and is explicitly open about being close with both people.
### **Eight**

Eight initially had the tendency to push others away and was often irritated in the presence of other Numbers. However, when Lav stumbles upon him playing the violin in Chapter 39, she pushes him to perform for her as she wants to learn about the other Number's interests and wants Eight to drop his stubborn persona enough to let others in. They slowly form a friendship, with Eight humoring the Numbers by joining them for a round of basketball, and even sitting in on the more serious/grim conversations about the doctors and the Facility along with Cyrus and Ten.
Although estranged prior, the two now have a fairly grounded and stable friendship. Eight even reportedly helps Lav attempt to learn the Viola, but with meager success.
### **Blue**

Blue found Lav unapproachable at first because she often went off on her own, but after they first interacted, they mutually realized that they were relatively fun to hang out with. They are often seen chatting together and occasionally watching TV in the rec room. After Ten's confinement, they are close friends.
### **Five and Six**

Lav has consulted them over her feelings for Ten during her confinement, likely due to their experience in a romantic relationship. The three share the common trait of being fairly grounded, so it's easy for Lav to talk with them both because of this, and because they have experience in matters of sapphic love.
### **Sven Engelstad**

Not too much is known specifically about their relationship aside from Lav having a general dislike for him and regularly talking back against him. Sven heavily sexualizes her, and seems to have strict preferences on things like how she wears her hair. He overall feels she was "perfect" for him given the kind of body she has, and regularly he fetishizes and degrades her.
### **Micah Galin**

It is said that Micah visits Lav often, likely due to his dislike for her doctor, Sven. Lav also tends to fall into his taste for prisoners that have some bite to them. Little is known of their relationship otherwise.
### **Mom**

Mom is drawn to the more sweeter female numbers (as she mostly goes for the male numbers) and has found Lav not to her taste. She still treats her the way she treats others, and will still use her babytalk with Lav, but simply doesn't care to visit her.
### **Yosuke Chisaka**

Yosuke may have visited Lav once while he was "soul searching" for a number, he said she wasn't much his type but admits he can see her appeal when he was questioning Ten about her fascination of the girl after Lav's hair tie was left on Ten's wrist and discovered by Yosuke. He does view Lav as a rival (along with Cyrus) in pining for Ten's affections, however he stresses that the other Numbers can't protect Ten the way he can.
### **Tanner**

Lav despises Tanner when he first arrives at the facility due to his upfront, forward, and violent nature. She immediately goes on the offensive whenever he starts to act up, and is defensive even just in his presence. Of the group, Lav is the most proactive and the quickest to respond to Tanner when he misbehaves. Despite her frustration with him, however, she does try to cooperate with him on more than one occasion. It becomes harder for her to do this, however, once he rattles the group's morale with the destruction of the crafts and music rooms and attacks the other Numbers.
Presently, she begrudges his existence, but takes the initiative to keep an eye on him and protect others from his wrathful episodes. Even when Tanner returns to the recreational areas bound and drugged, she still struggles to trust him and expresses a constant expectation of him to act out again.
## Trivia

*Most of these are pulled from asks featured on the author’s tumblr*

* **Fashion Aesthetic:** *Lav would dress casual and sporty most times–lots of fitted clothes and shorts or high cut pants. If she wanted to be a little more formal, she’d prefer to wear anything with pants.*
* Lav's Meyer Briggs type is ESFP

## Gallery

Main hairPonytailBraidLav wearing Two's spare pantsDoctor!Lav drawn for funLav with SvenLav in random clothes (with Blue), drawn for funLav in more random clothesLav with CyrusLav with Cyrus and Ten