Post by darkblood_alchemist on Dec 7, 2006 16:57:27 GMT -5
Name: Reiko
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Bender? No
Nation: Earth
Appearance: She is average height, maybe a bit on the tall side, but nothing exceptional. She has perpetually tanned skin and a slim figure that is a little under-developed for her age. Her eyes are a deep brown, with the faintest shadow beneath them that betrays how hard she works. Her hair is the same brown as her eyes, and has a golden shine when seen in the sunlight. It is always worn in a sort of half-up half-down braided style (see picture). Her hair is long, reaching down to her waist. There are always a few strands hanging in her face, and she has a habit of fiddling with those strands when nervous or frightened. Her face is thin, without the chubbiness that is usually seen in the faces of young people.
She wears a thin olive-green wrap tunic with 3/4 sleeves. There are bands of pale green along the edges, and it has a sash of pale green about the waist. Below the sash, the front and back split and hang separately to her mid-thighs. The bottom part of the tunic is also an olive-green with edges of pale green. Her pants are made of a rough brown fabric and hang straight down to the ground without any flares or shaping. They cover her feet, which are clad in woven sandals that are starting to fall apart. She always wears a piece of gold cloth tied around her right wrist. The cloth was part of the ribbon that her parents cut when they opened their tea house, and she wears it to remind herself to work hard. When working in the tea house, she wears a pale green apron, the same color as her shirt. It has a large pocket on the front of it, and ties that are too long and reach all the way to the back of her knees, even after she ties them in a bow.
Personality: She is a happy young woman, who is mainly known for how hard she works. She is usually found working in her parent’s tea shop, The Lotus Bud, and if not she is in the market picking up goods for the shop. She has almost no free time, but she is content and doesn’t mind. She knows merchants from whom she buys regularly and their families. She also knows many of the adults in the community because they visit the tea house a lot. However, she has few real friends, due to the fact that she works so hard and doesn’t have time to spend on building friendships. She is often mocked by her peers when they come to the shop, but she has learned to ignore them. The amount of work that she does makes her feel stressed, but she keeps those feelings to herself in order to keep her parents from worrying. There have been times when it becomes too much and she stays in solitude for days at a time, but those occasions are few and have decreased in occurrence as she matured.
On the outside, she is bright and energetic. She is well-known by the adults in her community and often talks to customers at the tea house until she is called away by another customer. There is always a smile on her face and she rarely gets angry at customers, usually solving their problems with a complementary cup of tea. She is quite intelligent, having been taught her numbers and letters by her father at an early age. Because of her knowledge, she manages the finances of the shop as well as a large amount of the physical work. She does her best to manage the shop without her parents being there 100% of the time, and doesn’t blame them for leaving her alone so often. Naturally, she wished that they were there more often, but she understands that they have things that they need to do even if they don’t want to, and respects them for that.
History: She was born to two peasants from the Earth Kingdom. Her father has always regretted that they didn’t have enough money to live the way they wished, and tries to give her the opportunity for the best future she can have. That is why he taught her to read and write (which he learned from his father, etc, etc), so that one day she can get further in life than he did. For most of her childhood, her parents were waiters in a large, upscale tea house in the center of an Earth Kingdom town. During the year that she turned thirteen years old, her parents had saved up enough money to open up a tea shop of their own. They bought a small space in a quiet part of town and spent three months setting up the arrangements for the shop. Her father continued to work at the large tea house during those months, while she and her mother ordered furniture, tea, and other essentials for their shop. They also began to search for other employees and hired a young man named Shiro, whose job it would be to both help serve/brew tea and to prevent any disagreements between the costumers and themselves. Shino was the son of one of the merchants that they bought their tea from, so they knew him before he applied for the job. They decided to name the shop the Lotus Bud, and had a beautiful sign made with a delicate golden lotus on it.
Finally, the big day came, and her father quit his job at the large tea house. She cut the gold ribbon and officially opened the Lotus Bud. The shop was a popular destination for other community members because it was less expensive than the tea house that her parents had worked at. For a while they were happy. She would work in the shop with her parents and Shino during the day, and at night they would plan on how to make the shop even better. Unfortunately, about a month after the shop opened, her mother received a letter saying that her sister was ill and wished to see her. Her mother and father decided that they would go for a quick visit, and leave her in charge of the shop for the week or so that they would be gone. Shino would help her. She gladly agreed to watch the shop and watched then leave early the next morning. A week passed, and she got a letter from her mother, saying that they would have to stay longer but would be back soon. A month passed and she and Shino learned to manage the shop on their own. It was a small place, so they didn't have too many problems. At first they had some difficulty with splitting the duties of brewing the tea and serving the customers, but they eventually figured out a system where they switched jobs at midday. Her parents returned after another two weeks, and were pleased at how Reiko had taken care of herself and the shop.
They saw how well she had done and decided to tell that they would have to leave again. Her aunt was becoming very ill, and did not have a lot of time left. Her aunt wanted to spend that time with her sister, but her sister did not want to be left alone with only her brother-in-law and her demanding sister. Therefore, they decided that Reiko’s father would stay as well. Reiko was very upset when she heard that they had to leave the shop, but she knew how important the Lotus Bud was to her parents and was determined to stay behind and make it a success. Her parents promised to visit often, but the reality was that she was alone for months on end, with only Shino for company. *
She worked hard, keeping her parents’ shop thriving and would occasionally send them letters telling them what new teas she had bought and other details about the shop. She was lonely, but she worked too hard to have time to make friends other than Shino. So she locked her sadness inside of her and put on a bright face to mask it. She used almost all of the profits from the shop to improve the shop itself and pay Shino, spending none of it on herself. That is why her clothes are rough and her shoes are beginning to fall apart. (not really from poverty, but because she saved all the money or used it for new goods rather than for herself) She is determined to make her parents proud when they finally return. Her parents first got the letter from her aunt three years ago, and their visits have become few and far between. They still write, but not as often and the letters are short. Reiko often wonders what they are doing, but she tries not to dwell on it or wish any ill-will upon her sick aunt.
* [] When Reiko's parents first hired Shino, they made it absolutely clear that she was offlimits. If he tried anything he would be immediatly fired and reported to the local police. Before they left the first time, they had also reminded him that she was his boss, and he was to treat her with respect. They were worried about what might happen, but Reiko had assured them that everything would be fine. After about two days alone with her in the shop, he decided to ignore their orders. Reiko was just starting to pour a cup of tea when he came behind her, and she respnded by dumping the pot of boiling water on his arms and torso. After that, she always kept a knife in her apron in case, but Shino was a quick learner. The next day he came in and began work without a word to her, and they continued in that matter for the rest of the two weeks. When her parents told her about how they would stay with her aunt, they tried to convince her to come with them but she refused, instead choosing to stay with the shop. Shino continued to make half-hearted attempts, but Reiko soon learned to ignore him, and the attempts stopped as Shino lost interest and began to focus on the other young women in the town. Eventually a friendship began to grow between them. (which will grow into other things as I RP with her)
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Bender? No
Nation: Earth
Appearance: She is average height, maybe a bit on the tall side, but nothing exceptional. She has perpetually tanned skin and a slim figure that is a little under-developed for her age. Her eyes are a deep brown, with the faintest shadow beneath them that betrays how hard she works. Her hair is the same brown as her eyes, and has a golden shine when seen in the sunlight. It is always worn in a sort of half-up half-down braided style (see picture). Her hair is long, reaching down to her waist. There are always a few strands hanging in her face, and she has a habit of fiddling with those strands when nervous or frightened. Her face is thin, without the chubbiness that is usually seen in the faces of young people.
She wears a thin olive-green wrap tunic with 3/4 sleeves. There are bands of pale green along the edges, and it has a sash of pale green about the waist. Below the sash, the front and back split and hang separately to her mid-thighs. The bottom part of the tunic is also an olive-green with edges of pale green. Her pants are made of a rough brown fabric and hang straight down to the ground without any flares or shaping. They cover her feet, which are clad in woven sandals that are starting to fall apart. She always wears a piece of gold cloth tied around her right wrist. The cloth was part of the ribbon that her parents cut when they opened their tea house, and she wears it to remind herself to work hard. When working in the tea house, she wears a pale green apron, the same color as her shirt. It has a large pocket on the front of it, and ties that are too long and reach all the way to the back of her knees, even after she ties them in a bow.
Personality: She is a happy young woman, who is mainly known for how hard she works. She is usually found working in her parent’s tea shop, The Lotus Bud, and if not she is in the market picking up goods for the shop. She has almost no free time, but she is content and doesn’t mind. She knows merchants from whom she buys regularly and their families. She also knows many of the adults in the community because they visit the tea house a lot. However, she has few real friends, due to the fact that she works so hard and doesn’t have time to spend on building friendships. She is often mocked by her peers when they come to the shop, but she has learned to ignore them. The amount of work that she does makes her feel stressed, but she keeps those feelings to herself in order to keep her parents from worrying. There have been times when it becomes too much and she stays in solitude for days at a time, but those occasions are few and have decreased in occurrence as she matured.
On the outside, she is bright and energetic. She is well-known by the adults in her community and often talks to customers at the tea house until she is called away by another customer. There is always a smile on her face and she rarely gets angry at customers, usually solving their problems with a complementary cup of tea. She is quite intelligent, having been taught her numbers and letters by her father at an early age. Because of her knowledge, she manages the finances of the shop as well as a large amount of the physical work. She does her best to manage the shop without her parents being there 100% of the time, and doesn’t blame them for leaving her alone so often. Naturally, she wished that they were there more often, but she understands that they have things that they need to do even if they don’t want to, and respects them for that.
History: She was born to two peasants from the Earth Kingdom. Her father has always regretted that they didn’t have enough money to live the way they wished, and tries to give her the opportunity for the best future she can have. That is why he taught her to read and write (which he learned from his father, etc, etc), so that one day she can get further in life than he did. For most of her childhood, her parents were waiters in a large, upscale tea house in the center of an Earth Kingdom town. During the year that she turned thirteen years old, her parents had saved up enough money to open up a tea shop of their own. They bought a small space in a quiet part of town and spent three months setting up the arrangements for the shop. Her father continued to work at the large tea house during those months, while she and her mother ordered furniture, tea, and other essentials for their shop. They also began to search for other employees and hired a young man named Shiro, whose job it would be to both help serve/brew tea and to prevent any disagreements between the costumers and themselves. Shino was the son of one of the merchants that they bought their tea from, so they knew him before he applied for the job. They decided to name the shop the Lotus Bud, and had a beautiful sign made with a delicate golden lotus on it.
Finally, the big day came, and her father quit his job at the large tea house. She cut the gold ribbon and officially opened the Lotus Bud. The shop was a popular destination for other community members because it was less expensive than the tea house that her parents had worked at. For a while they were happy. She would work in the shop with her parents and Shino during the day, and at night they would plan on how to make the shop even better. Unfortunately, about a month after the shop opened, her mother received a letter saying that her sister was ill and wished to see her. Her mother and father decided that they would go for a quick visit, and leave her in charge of the shop for the week or so that they would be gone. Shino would help her. She gladly agreed to watch the shop and watched then leave early the next morning. A week passed, and she got a letter from her mother, saying that they would have to stay longer but would be back soon. A month passed and she and Shino learned to manage the shop on their own. It was a small place, so they didn't have too many problems. At first they had some difficulty with splitting the duties of brewing the tea and serving the customers, but they eventually figured out a system where they switched jobs at midday. Her parents returned after another two weeks, and were pleased at how Reiko had taken care of herself and the shop.
They saw how well she had done and decided to tell that they would have to leave again. Her aunt was becoming very ill, and did not have a lot of time left. Her aunt wanted to spend that time with her sister, but her sister did not want to be left alone with only her brother-in-law and her demanding sister. Therefore, they decided that Reiko’s father would stay as well. Reiko was very upset when she heard that they had to leave the shop, but she knew how important the Lotus Bud was to her parents and was determined to stay behind and make it a success. Her parents promised to visit often, but the reality was that she was alone for months on end, with only Shino for company. *
She worked hard, keeping her parents’ shop thriving and would occasionally send them letters telling them what new teas she had bought and other details about the shop. She was lonely, but she worked too hard to have time to make friends other than Shino. So she locked her sadness inside of her and put on a bright face to mask it. She used almost all of the profits from the shop to improve the shop itself and pay Shino, spending none of it on herself. That is why her clothes are rough and her shoes are beginning to fall apart. (not really from poverty, but because she saved all the money or used it for new goods rather than for herself) She is determined to make her parents proud when they finally return. Her parents first got the letter from her aunt three years ago, and their visits have become few and far between. They still write, but not as often and the letters are short. Reiko often wonders what they are doing, but she tries not to dwell on it or wish any ill-will upon her sick aunt.
* [] When Reiko's parents first hired Shino, they made it absolutely clear that she was offlimits. If he tried anything he would be immediatly fired and reported to the local police. Before they left the first time, they had also reminded him that she was his boss, and he was to treat her with respect. They were worried about what might happen, but Reiko had assured them that everything would be fine. After about two days alone with her in the shop, he decided to ignore their orders. Reiko was just starting to pour a cup of tea when he came behind her, and she respnded by dumping the pot of boiling water on his arms and torso. After that, she always kept a knife in her apron in case, but Shino was a quick learner. The next day he came in and began work without a word to her, and they continued in that matter for the rest of the two weeks. When her parents told her about how they would stay with her aunt, they tried to convince her to come with them but she refused, instead choosing to stay with the shop. Shino continued to make half-hearted attempts, but Reiko soon learned to ignore him, and the attempts stopped as Shino lost interest and began to focus on the other young women in the town. Eventually a friendship began to grow between them. (which will grow into other things as I RP with her)