The Eyes of the East
BASICS
Name: Name? I have no name! I was alive when you were a babe, before you even had a name! You may call me Nin-sama. And nothing more.
Age: I wouldn't tell you even if I could remember. A woman never reveals her true age. She sniff haughtily, offended. That you would even ask such a question...hmph! Nin is six hundred and sixty eight.
Race: What does it look like, numbskull? I'm a mermaid! Not like from those trashy Western stories, though, with their youthful, half-naked whores. I am ningyo.
Faction: I have no need for factions or families. Why would I? So they could beat seeings from me? No, thank you. But I suppose if you had to put me in any one faction, it would be the Wild Dogs. At least there I get some freedom.
Complexion: Seeing the respect elders got from the younger generations of humans and yokai, she retained her aged appearance. As a human, Nin's skin is leathery and wrinkled and pale. But to the touch, her skin is soft and pliable. In her natural form, her skin is thick and rough, and her scales slimy to the touch. Her skin and scales are both a muddy golden-brown.
Body Type: She is a willowy old woman, back slightly bowed; however, she has the flexibility and agility of any youngster. Her small breasts and thin body are all hidden by a proper kimono, that's what. None of this showing off my stomach trash, no one has to see that. And who are you to call my breasts small? ...*ahem* However, in her ningyo body, she is powerful and muscular. She looks the same as any young mermaid, though her scales are a lighter, brighter color. You bet they are. Those stupid ninnies need to live a little longer before they think they can grow as gold as I have. Except she isn't quite gold yet. Hush.
Distinguishing marks: Nin's eyes remain gold in any form she's in, eerie and penetrating and seeing. Covered by her kimono, the creases of her elbows are layered with shiny brown scales. Her ears are finned, and are also covered in scales.
Apparent Temperament: You'll usually see Nin scowling at you. There aren't many people that make her smile. She blinks often, always complaining that her eyes feel dry. She slouches, both sullenly and to make herself seem older. If she feels threatened, however, she will stand up to her full, intimidating five-foot-six stature. Nin is not a creature that backs down.
Hair and eyes: Nin's gold eyes shine from under wiry grey eyebrows, and her white hair is pulled back into a smooth plait. In her natural form, however, her black hair is oily to the touch and thick enough to break if bent hard enough.
Facial features: In either form, her teeth are set out a bit farther than the rest of her face, giving her a monkey-like appearance. Her cheekbones are neither high nor low, and her lips are often pressed firmly together, holding back scorn and predications.
Wardrobe: She often wears a kimono in calm, sea-like blues and greens. They rarely have patterns on them. Of course not! Patterns are for children!
PERSONALITY
Nin is a sour woman, spiteful of the constantly-changing times and ideas. She's an extremely old-fashioned woman, but she'll sometimes surprise you with the modernity of some of her ideals. She loves to talk to whoever will voluntarily listen; she's generally just a crabby old woman who is often ignored except in times of need. Like right now, since she's come ashore. People have been all sorts of freaking out. Yes, there's a war coming! Bah! Calm down and do something about it!
Just like any grandma, she doesn't appreciate being cursed in front of, though she curses to herself when searching for an elusive obi or sugar tin.
She enjoys the flesh of young women, as it lengthens her longevity. It isn't very often that she eats humans, and she's already had her taste of human for this century. However, she really enjoys scaring young airhead women by telling them that they look tasty.
She loves to fall in love. It hurts and heals just right, and helps her remember there's some right in the world. She reads romance novels and fantasy novels, burying herself in the love and adventures of the young. Flatter her just right, and she'll tell you almost anything.
In her old-fashioned way, she loves to serve her guests tea (even if she acts very put-upon by it). She loves having guests at all. People who offer her their friendship are often showered with gifts and good advice, as long as they visit her often.
Speech: She swears like a sailor when she's truly frustrated, but never when she has company. Her voice is low and gravelly, but gets high and reedy when she's agitated. She uses honorifics for everyone. She can't speak in her natural form, but her voice sounds like a skylark's.
Pet Peeves: When people don't use honorifics, when people aren't respectful to those they should be respectful to, when her tea is sweet, when her tea is weak, when people track mud into her house, when people don't say please, when people call her old...etc. So on and so forth. All of the things that make old people really annoyed.
Favorite color: Sea-glass green.
EQUIPMENT
Specialty: Nin is known for her clairvoyance. Her appearance on-land hints at war to come. She can see the strings of fate, but some visions are muddier than others. She's the most accurate fortune-teller you'll meet, but her prices are higher than her shoulders.
Due to her naturally fluty voice, she is an excellent singer. But she's not so well-known for her singing; people rarely hear it.
Fighting Style:Fighting? I don't fight! Fighting is for the children. I have a shotgun to defend my home, but I don't fight.
Preferred Weaponry: Her trusty shotgun that she cleans and shoots regularly. She's a pretty good shot.
Weaknesses: Flame, as it dries out her skin. She's weak to pretty much any weapon or poison, but people want to keep her alive for her soothsaying skills.
Inventory: When she leaves her home, which is rarely, she takes along a purse with a surprisingly modern cell phone; a few thousand yen for drinks or food; and makeup, because a proper woman never wears too much makeup, nor does she go out wearing none at all.
Minor Ability: As mentioned above, she is clairvoyant. This doesn't always mean the immediate future. Her sighting precedes war like a flock of carrion crows to a battle field.
Additional Guise: Some days, she just feels a little rusty. So she'll change into the guise of a beautiful young woman with sleek black hair and porcelain skin. She'll be willowy and graceful, and she'll flirt up the boys. It reminds her that she hasn't yet lost her touch.
LIFE
Hobbies: Brewing tea. It's calming, and it usually means she has company. Books of adventure interest her, and remind her of her days of youth. She'd scale mountains, travel from city to city, fall in love. Adventure has always interested her. She also enjoys talking to the youngsters; those who will listen, anyway. She wants to give them advice to live the fullest life that they can. Most don't listen to her, though.
Likes:
- Talking. She loves to regale any people who will willingly listen about her adventures and the days of old. Going back into the older days makes her feel young again.
- Flirting. When she's able to captivate a boy in her younger guise, she feels powerful and young. And then tired. So she goes home and takes a nap.
- Flattery. Just like any old grandma, Nin loves to be told she looks pretty. It tells her that the effort she puts into her appearance is worth it.
- Saltwater. The sea water is where she belongs, and it never ceases to relax her. It helps her to breathe.
- Bathing. It helps her feel the ocean. Not to mention she likes being clean.
- Listening to the fates. It's basically listening to other people's stories, and she loves doing that. It's like reading a book, and it's fun listening to the adventures of others.
- Salty foods. Yummmm. Just like the sea.
- Sweets. It dries her mouth. To her, anything sweet is sour due to her salty upbringing.
- Rude people. No respect these days!
- When people curse at her. I didn't do anything wrong! Just told him to pull up his pants! Sagging around his ankles like that, he'll trip one of these days...
- Heat. It dries out her skin badly, confining her indoors. If you knock, she won't answer; she's probably in the bath.
Agenda: The intrigue of war. The conflict between the two factions interests her, though she'd rather not get involved herself. And she'll give information to those who need it.
Where they hail from: The sea off the coast of the Osaka prefecture.
Relations: Her mother, who she only remembers faintly from her first century. She had the same hair that Nin had, and her scales were the brightest that Nin had ever heard, Her voice was clear and beautiful, and Nin loved her deeply. Nin was crushed when she died. She never knew her human father, who left her mother after finding out what she was. She's birthed three daughters, all by the same man. She remembers them fondly; one always chewed her nails, which frustrated Nin to no end; another had beautiful blue eyes, which was odd for their race. The last was always smiling, no matter what happened. But they all died in their first century, which nearly killed Nin.
Notable Experiences: She's generally lived with a school of other mermaids; however, during the different times the Queller was alive, she went onto land out of pure curiosity, not out of war. The first time she went, she fell in love with a man. He was an ordinary farmer, but his kind eyes drew her to him. She felt extremely haughty at first, believing him to be just another human; but he brought her down to earth and taught her about love. They courted for such a long time, and Nin eventually couldn't bear to keep her secret from him anymore, so she told him what she was. He loved her anyway, and they got married. He grew old, watching his beautiful wife and daughters live youthfully. After he died, they all went to the sea. Eventually her daughters, not accustomed to living in the ocean, were caught and killed by fishermen. It was another few decades before she had the heart to go back on land; she went in curiosity of the Japanese invasion of Korea. She went back up twice in the Meiji era for the Sino- and Russo-Japanese wars. In all the times, she fell in love; but mainly for fun. She never married again.
But she and many of her sisters came up for the World Wars. It was huge and devastating, and they were all curious of the outcome.
She stayed under after that, uninterested. Until now.
