Izumi Syun, 19, Female; Rigger
{Nickname}
Zumi
{Nickname}
Zumi
{Appearance}
Izumi is a willowy young woman, standing at 5’9 and weighing 115 pounds with a rather flat chest. She’s pretended to be a boy for much of her past, and all five feet of her is corded muscle. Despite her work laden history, she’s still rather pale, with sloping feminine features that barely passed her as a male. Hair short and blonde, Izumi is often described as a mirror image of her brother, a fact that she doesn’t mind. Her eyes are dark shadows but betray a soft side.
She’s usually dressed in tight dark breeches that lead down to her ankles in tight cuffs. Though she owns boots, Izumi usually follows the Rigger custom of going barefoot unless the decks particularly dirty or their on land. She wears a loose black tunic with longer sleeves she rolls up to her elbows when working. She buttons the shirt properly and wears a black vest over, which she buttons in the center button. Now that she can freely state she’s a woman, she often wears coal colored powder to line her eyes, but prefers to keep her hair short.
{Personality}
At first, Izumi seems to be a cocky young man, aloof from the world in a rather self-confident, uncaring manner. She’s put together this front in her years of pretending to be a boy, a spin off copying her brothers personality and her own showing through.
Using this mindset, she can handle herself quite well in haggling, threatening , bluffing and rough talking, without the slightest crack, causing some people to find her ruthless and cold. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Away from the people who would do her harm, Izumi has very strong inter-personal skills, and finds herself in the role of the peacemaker frequently despite her hard shell. Since she makes decisions by using her personal values, she is usually very sympathetic and concerned for other people's well-being. She’s very observant about other people’s feelings and responds warmly with a solution to a practical need. She might not be the best advice-giver in the world, because she dislikes theory and future-planning, but she is great for giving practical care. One of her greatest gifts is her general acceptance of everyone. She’s upbeat and enthusiastic, and genuinely likes almost everybody. Unfailingly warm and generous with her friends, she also generally treats everyone as an equal. However, once crossed, Izumi is likely to make a very strong and stubborn judgment. She’s capable of deep dislike in such a situation.
Towards her brother, Izumi is often annoyed by his over protective habits. However, she still loves him and, in turn, will back him up in a fight with surprising skill. Try to injure Tamaki, her twin brother, and you may find a pistol to your skull.
Izumi is a willowy young woman, standing at 5’9 and weighing 115 pounds with a rather flat chest. She’s pretended to be a boy for much of her past, and all five feet of her is corded muscle. Despite her work laden history, she’s still rather pale, with sloping feminine features that barely passed her as a male. Hair short and blonde, Izumi is often described as a mirror image of her brother, a fact that she doesn’t mind. Her eyes are dark shadows but betray a soft side.
She’s usually dressed in tight dark breeches that lead down to her ankles in tight cuffs. Though she owns boots, Izumi usually follows the Rigger custom of going barefoot unless the decks particularly dirty or their on land. She wears a loose black tunic with longer sleeves she rolls up to her elbows when working. She buttons the shirt properly and wears a black vest over, which she buttons in the center button. Now that she can freely state she’s a woman, she often wears coal colored powder to line her eyes, but prefers to keep her hair short.
{Personality}
At first, Izumi seems to be a cocky young man, aloof from the world in a rather self-confident, uncaring manner. She’s put together this front in her years of pretending to be a boy, a spin off copying her brothers personality and her own showing through.
Using this mindset, she can handle herself quite well in haggling, threatening , bluffing and rough talking, without the slightest crack, causing some people to find her ruthless and cold. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Away from the people who would do her harm, Izumi has very strong inter-personal skills, and finds herself in the role of the peacemaker frequently despite her hard shell. Since she makes decisions by using her personal values, she is usually very sympathetic and concerned for other people's well-being. She’s very observant about other people’s feelings and responds warmly with a solution to a practical need. She might not be the best advice-giver in the world, because she dislikes theory and future-planning, but she is great for giving practical care. One of her greatest gifts is her general acceptance of everyone. She’s upbeat and enthusiastic, and genuinely likes almost everybody. Unfailingly warm and generous with her friends, she also generally treats everyone as an equal. However, once crossed, Izumi is likely to make a very strong and stubborn judgment. She’s capable of deep dislike in such a situation.
Towards her brother, Izumi is often annoyed by his over protective habits. However, she still loves him and, in turn, will back him up in a fight with surprising skill. Try to injure Tamaki, her twin brother, and you may find a pistol to your skull.
{Tools/Weapons}
~Assortment of throwing knives, daggers and dirks. Some are hidden around her body, others in her belongings, and some in various places about the ship only she knows of.
~Flintlock Pistol; Pocket Pistol; and a new Multi-barreled Pistol she recently acquired.
~Regular old cutlass she often doesn’t use, and wears more for show when parading into taverns.
{Abilities}
# Has an uncanny tendency to sneak around and in shadows unseen.
# Impeccable balance; Simply can’t fall. If she ever stumbles, she always lands backs on her feet through some impossible save. Helps when she’s running upon the spars of the ship.
~ Personal Background ~
{Biography}
The second born twin of a poor couple on a better known island, Izumi always knew something of hardships, especially the feeling of guilt. She felt ultimately responsible for her mother’s death, who had died after birthing her older twin brother Tamaki, and then her. Her older brother later convinced her it wasn’t her fault. Growing up he was often the one caring for her which is why she was able to develop much of her happy and carefree personality. Of course their father tried as best he could, but he was busy working to support them most of the time, and they were passed onto an older neighbor who made sure they had their basic needs. When they were seven, Tamaki explained to Izumi they could go to the neighbor anymore, and they both kindly refused, knowing it cost extra money to have them cared for. At that point Tamaki provided most of his and Izumi’s necessities to live. She often ran about the town and played in the bay. After all, she was carefree. Father came home with money and Tamaki made it all work somehow. What had she to worry about?
Then, at the twins age 10, one day, Father didn’t come home. Nor did he the next. Nor the next. Nor did he ever.
The now-family-of-two shared a small one room hut. It wasn’t much, but Tamaki managed to keep him and his sister living comfortably for a while. They worked together to sneak on passing ships- their island was in the middle of some sort of trade route, and ships often stopped to restock. Izumi developed her knack for sneaking and remaining unseen and silent, as Tamaki picked up lock picking. They managed scrape living money off these ships for a few years.
At thirteen, they were caught, by a rather cruel captain too. After learning they were orphans, the man took it upon himself to escort the twins onto his ship and drop them to a small mining island nearby. Though not exactly a work camp, the mine owners operated heavily on a form of slavery, and Tamaki and Izumi were sold into labor.
They suffered in the mines; The work was hard, the air dusty and bad for the lungs. Other ‘workers’ would often try to steal their meager meals, especially Izumi’s, because she was viewed as weaker. About this time, the older twin managed to convince his sister to cut her hair like a boys. They quickly grasped the concepts of fighting and managed to stay somewhat healthy in the mines. Izumi’s carefree attitude hid away under the shell of a ruthless aloof boy, who promised a roughing up to anyone who tried to cross her.
They planned escape for a long two years, pale, thin and muscled from the fights and work. By now the two relied solely on each other, had each other’s backs no matter what. They had heard gossip from the overseers about a ship that had misleadingly stopped hoping for a port to rest in. The overseers were planning on looting the ship while the sailors slept. With Tamaki’s lock picking skills, they managed to escape their chains and sneak out of the mines. They managed to get aboard the ship, where they were caught and brought to the captain. He was a kind man, and once they explained the situation, he graciously had them seated in his chambers while he readied his crew for the ambush.
The mine lords didn’t have to best of weapons. The element of surprise would have been in their favor. Instead, most were slaughtered. The ship spent it’s night then set off in the morning with Tamaki and Izumi on board.
With the superstition of woman being bad luck on the seas, Izumi continued to fake her pretense of a man. They worked as riggers on ship under the boatswain until they were seventeen, and the vessel was looted at a port. The crew split ways looking for new work.
Tamaki and Izumi stayed close to the shipyard, in love with the freedom of sailing. They reverted back to breaking and entering houses, skimming off the top of peoples savings unnoticeably. One day, finally, they happened upon a ship that welcomed then with open sails. Tamaki always inquired casually about the presence of woman on each ship. This boat welcomed woman aboard if they worked their share. They quickly made to join and have been on the boat ever since, working as Riggers, as per their first job.
~Assortment of throwing knives, daggers and dirks. Some are hidden around her body, others in her belongings, and some in various places about the ship only she knows of.
~Flintlock Pistol; Pocket Pistol; and a new Multi-barreled Pistol she recently acquired.
~Regular old cutlass she often doesn’t use, and wears more for show when parading into taverns.
{Abilities}
# Has an uncanny tendency to sneak around and in shadows unseen.
# Impeccable balance; Simply can’t fall. If she ever stumbles, she always lands backs on her feet through some impossible save. Helps when she’s running upon the spars of the ship.
~ Personal Background ~
{Biography}
The second born twin of a poor couple on a better known island, Izumi always knew something of hardships, especially the feeling of guilt. She felt ultimately responsible for her mother’s death, who had died after birthing her older twin brother Tamaki, and then her. Her older brother later convinced her it wasn’t her fault. Growing up he was often the one caring for her which is why she was able to develop much of her happy and carefree personality. Of course their father tried as best he could, but he was busy working to support them most of the time, and they were passed onto an older neighbor who made sure they had their basic needs. When they were seven, Tamaki explained to Izumi they could go to the neighbor anymore, and they both kindly refused, knowing it cost extra money to have them cared for. At that point Tamaki provided most of his and Izumi’s necessities to live. She often ran about the town and played in the bay. After all, she was carefree. Father came home with money and Tamaki made it all work somehow. What had she to worry about?
Then, at the twins age 10, one day, Father didn’t come home. Nor did he the next. Nor the next. Nor did he ever.
The now-family-of-two shared a small one room hut. It wasn’t much, but Tamaki managed to keep him and his sister living comfortably for a while. They worked together to sneak on passing ships- their island was in the middle of some sort of trade route, and ships often stopped to restock. Izumi developed her knack for sneaking and remaining unseen and silent, as Tamaki picked up lock picking. They managed scrape living money off these ships for a few years.
At thirteen, they were caught, by a rather cruel captain too. After learning they were orphans, the man took it upon himself to escort the twins onto his ship and drop them to a small mining island nearby. Though not exactly a work camp, the mine owners operated heavily on a form of slavery, and Tamaki and Izumi were sold into labor.
They suffered in the mines; The work was hard, the air dusty and bad for the lungs. Other ‘workers’ would often try to steal their meager meals, especially Izumi’s, because she was viewed as weaker. About this time, the older twin managed to convince his sister to cut her hair like a boys. They quickly grasped the concepts of fighting and managed to stay somewhat healthy in the mines. Izumi’s carefree attitude hid away under the shell of a ruthless aloof boy, who promised a roughing up to anyone who tried to cross her.
They planned escape for a long two years, pale, thin and muscled from the fights and work. By now the two relied solely on each other, had each other’s backs no matter what. They had heard gossip from the overseers about a ship that had misleadingly stopped hoping for a port to rest in. The overseers were planning on looting the ship while the sailors slept. With Tamaki’s lock picking skills, they managed to escape their chains and sneak out of the mines. They managed to get aboard the ship, where they were caught and brought to the captain. He was a kind man, and once they explained the situation, he graciously had them seated in his chambers while he readied his crew for the ambush.
The mine lords didn’t have to best of weapons. The element of surprise would have been in their favor. Instead, most were slaughtered. The ship spent it’s night then set off in the morning with Tamaki and Izumi on board.
With the superstition of woman being bad luck on the seas, Izumi continued to fake her pretense of a man. They worked as riggers on ship under the boatswain until they were seventeen, and the vessel was looted at a port. The crew split ways looking for new work.
Tamaki and Izumi stayed close to the shipyard, in love with the freedom of sailing. They reverted back to breaking and entering houses, skimming off the top of peoples savings unnoticeably. One day, finally, they happened upon a ship that welcomed then with open sails. Tamaki always inquired casually about the presence of woman on each ship. This boat welcomed woman aboard if they worked their share. They quickly made to join and have been on the boat ever since, working as Riggers, as per their first job.