Umakotine Simoneaux

Life
Umakotine Durand was born on February 10, 70 in Komkhuleaux, Micholei to Marie and Angel Durand. She was an only child. At age 18, she began attending university to study education. It was here that she met her future husband, Albagane. After her graduation, she moved with Albagane to Umfunatte to help Zoel run the store. Here, she took a job as a schoolteacher in town.

In 92, Esau, their oldest son, was born. After a few years, their daughter Cezelia was born in 96, and their second son Devi in 97. In the year 100, Zelia was discovered to be an umakatha. This was a surprise to them at first, because they were not previously aware of any umakathas in their extended family, but genealogical research indicated later that Kotine's estranged maternal grandmother was an umakatha. Thus, in 101, Zelia began training with the local umakatha named Lakiwe Moreau while also attending primary school in town.

In 114, Zelia announced her desire to go to Kellington and find work as an umakatha there. Both Kotine and her husband were open to the concept, but wanted Zelia to wait to leave until she was a bit older. However, Zelia decided to go anyway and ran away in the middle of the night, much to Albagane's distress. He tried at first to bring her back home by any means necessary, but Kotine and Lakiwe managed to convince him that Zelia needed to learn and grow in the world. Their stress was alleviated even more when Zelia returned home to visit them in early 115, apologizing for running off and introducing them to her new crew. Also in 115, Devi left home for the university in Komkhuleaux to study biology.

In 116, Regia invaded Micholei and the war began. The Simoneaux family managed to stay out of the war for the most part, though Devi did have to leave university early due to the siege of Komkhuleaux. In 118, however, Albagane had to take sole ownership of the bookstore when Zoel found himself unable to work due to the grief of losing his daughter in the war.

After the war's end in 118, Kotine continued working as a schoolteacher for many years. After Albagane's death from a heart attack in 129, she retired from teaching and began working part-time in the bookstore with her son Esau. In 137, she agreed to foster the young Maya Xirigia, per Lakiwe's suggestion, until Zelia agreed to raise the girl. She would die of natural causes shortly after, in the year 140.

Personality
Kotine was a serious, yet loving woman. She cared very deeply for her children, though she was always the one to take the harder stance in discipline.