Nam Rie Bao

Name (Bao, Nam Rie)

Gender: Female

Age: 23

Meister: -

Animal Form: Small birds (mainly the mockingbird)

Love Interest:N/A

Appearance: Upon first look, Rie is a gentle doll to most she meets. The kind of person you could touch and shatter, which is actually quite possible. Her bones are light and thin like a bird's bit not as much as people assume. Though a rough grab could crack a bone, it would take a fairly rough grab to do so. However, heavy lifting is pretty much pout of the question for her as it would likely break her arms and a roundhouse kick would surely shatter her bones if done by a person who has NOT trained in martial arts. Against expert fighters, she has no chance. (Lucky for her, she's a witch)

Her skin is a few shades darker than ebony. Few marks or blemishes are seen, but less is really seen. Rie wears lots of blues and greens with dresses that reach modestly to her ankles. Around her waist sits a looped light blue belt over silver skirt with insignia upon it. Her neck has a golden necklace dangling with small ovals of crystal. She also has matching earrings. In her hair she has a large golden headdress with a golden crescent sticking up like a moon above a flower. From the middle it dangles crystals that sit well-placed between her eyes. She wears black and silver flat shoes and long black and gold gloves that leave her fingers to be seen.

As for her body beneath, she is a rather petite-built woman Her hair is waist-long with two braids. Light auburn touches step out as highlights. Her eyes are a honey-hazel in color. Her legs are formed, but thin and gentle just like any civilian. Essentially, she seems almost like royalty with how she looks, but she does not carry herself in such a way. Instead, she seems more like a motherly or older sisterly nature.

Personality: Rie is a woman of few actions and many words. She speaks in a form of poetry and coaxes enemies away from hostilities with her gentle voice. She gives off a gentleness about herself with unintentional fragility as well. She's a person who doesn't believe 'actions speak louder than words', because just by the tone of voice, a thousand things could be understood if one was truly listening. Now she would never NOT act if it was needed, but in such aspects as fighting, not only is she terrible at it, but she doesn't believe that so much is necessary. This is also why she pursued the job of keeping the clans from knocking heads too much. y be Her Grandfather was the same way and it had become a passion of hers to help ease savage souls and essentially become 'the compromise-maker'.

Rie has the oddest way of showing affection. She tends to pick on people, but in way it seems unintentional. Almost always, she has a grin on her face, just sometimes it is larger than others. Most would think it's a mask, but she, herself doesn't believe so. If it is, it's not to her own realization yet, as she feels relatively happy. Yes, she does get stressed and frustrated easily, but she also gets over it easier. After all, life is too short to hold a grudge.

She lives in the moment. It's easy for Rie to fall to emotions, though she might not show the negative emotions as anger or sadness well, she shows eagerness and surprise with ease. However, she is self aware of this fact and it causes her a lot of second guesses. This leaves Rie as a woman that relies strongly on facts and certainty. She's not one to make leaps of faith and ultimately fears failure. She can trust easily, but never full it seems and the one person she never truly trusts is herself. She hasn't yet forgiven herself for her weakness in the past and often wonders if life would have been better had she done things differently.

Her personal life however, never meets the workplace. Few know her story and fewer care to know. It doesn't bother her, for as much as she relives the memory, she would rather others be spared of it. It's hard to even tell she's a witch.

History: Nam Cai-Li and Nam Zhong were overjoyed when they found out they were with child. Zhong was ecstatic to have a child. As clan leader he knew she was destined to greatness, but that didn't stop him from trying for perfection. He decided to try and experiment on the child- to make her perfect. He wanted the child to be amazing and put tons of research into it. His wife was less than pleased.

Cai-Li begged after the third attempt that they stop trying to manipulate the child and instead have a natural baby. "The baby will be perfect for me, as long as he or she is born!" Zhong felt torn by his wife's pleas and the desperation of being such an OCD perfectionist. Continuing to push the limit would surely ruin their wedlock, so he agreed to one last test and as a consolation to his wife, he made a promise. Their baby was born a female and "Mostly healthy".

Naturally, Zhong was confused and demanded answers. The doctors consoled him and kindly explained that she had a genetic problem that made her bones more fragile than most. It was as if her bones were bird-like. Zhong was outraged and ready to sue, but as soon as Cai-Li held her newborn baby, she was taken. The first sound Rie Bao ever heard was that of her mother's soft, cooing voice. A song hummed a lullaby into her very soul and almost influenced the baby's future aspirations.

As Bao grew, she was isolated from others; secluded and taught separate. IN fact, the few she ever saw were normally her family members and that was it. Some of he family didn't even know. Bao never questioned it, tough. She was a happy child, a loved child. She spent her free hours learning to speak the different languages. Her best friends were books and teddy bears until she was seven.

Eventually all 'good things' come to an end and while Bao was alone in the kitchen, she heard soft noises in the distance. Her eyes looked up and she moved to get a better look. Some children around her age were playing a game outside. She was fascinated and moved closer. One boy hit a ball and it slammed straight through the window and slammed hard into her arm. The hit clean broke Bao's arm. He must have heard the screams, because next thing she knew, a boy was by her side, yelling about something. Bao could barely hear over the seering pain.

Over-protective father came running in, shouting all sorts of things in Chinese. Bao couldn't understand much, and soon she blacked out. When she woke up, she was in her bed and the nurse was staring intently at her. "You really should stay away from window, Rie Bao." She nodded towards the broken arms. "Things like that happen often."

The next couple of days were so boring for Rie. Her normal studies and practices weren't cutting it for her. It was as if she had been asleep a long time and suddenly she was awake. Even singing didn't quite ease the itch in her. The boarded up window in her room was just so.. tempting.

So, one night, she snuck out. Somehow she got out of her room and then through a window. It was kind of awkward moving with one arm, but she managed. A boy sat outside, staring at the stars. His face was familiar and at the sight of her, he looked shocked. "Y-You're that girl!" He stammered with a stupid look. Bao blinked a couple times, pointed to herself then looked around. "Are you mute? WAIT! Your arm! Is it broken bad?" He looked so silly with his wide eyes and panicked face. He stumbled to her and in turn Bao couldn't help but laugh.

Over the next few years, Bao kept slipping out to visit her friend. She learned his name was Zao Lin. He was a bit of a rebel in his family and had an older brother, Zao Zhang. Despite her father's threats(he never did anything, anyways), the two hung out. "They'll hurt you." Her father would always say. "People will only want to hurt you." He didn't mean it to discourage her, but simply he worried. His daughter was a pure gem, he never wanted someone to take her away. Her mother secretly agreed; both were terrified of their daughter flying away or being harmed. It didn't stop the two, so they were allowed to fraternize.

It was around 18 that Lin had basically became another family member to the Nam's family. When Lin and Bao had started dating... neither really knew. Some said it was from the moment he broke her arm, but they were inseparable. Lin even explained he would marry Bao soon, they were engaged. Bao was head over heels and eventually even Zhong accepted that. In honor of it all, they prepped for a major ball to take place a year before the wedding. That made it the next year and everything would be settled when they were both 20.

Unfortunately, the happiness was soon taken away. Bao walked in on her sleeping lover and a man with a blade to his throat. She didn't know who he was, but as Bao opened her mouth, the man was at her side, covering her mouth. An assassin hired by unknown men found Bao by herself and offered his ultimatum. The people whom hired him wanted Lin dead. The reasons were unknown. He told her she had a choice. She could either kill him, or he would do it in the most painful way possible. As if to further influence her decision, he grabbed her arm hard enough that the bones creaked (Which wasn't very hard). A knife was pushed into her hands and Bao was left staring hopelessly for hours. She thought she could fight the man, but she could feel his eyes.

Lin looked so handsome in his suit. His hair was combed cleanly and pulled back into a ponytail. His face was shaven and clean and his eyes showed such a happiness. It was the happiest moment in her life. Her heart skipped a beat as his hand took hers and she was led to the party. Time ticked away into nothing, she wanted the moment to last forever, but the eyes... she could feel them. As Lin walked away for a moment, she pulled out the knife discreetly and stare lifelessly at it.

The knife felt weird in her hands as she rose it towards him. It was almost alien in her palm. The smooth metal that belied the harsh rip that came with tearing flesh. How much would it hurt, she wondered. She knew it would be painful and she knew she didn't want it to be. One precise strike could end it all and he'd be free. He could be away from the pain and to die at her hands seemed the best solution.

The dance went on, but not long enough. Bao's heart was pounding loud and roughly. She wondered briefly if her heart was in her ears with how clear her own heartbeat was. In the crowd she could see him. The devil himself who dared try and harm poor clueless Lin. Her eyes closed and she breathed. The feel of his hand, smell of his breath. She would miss it all.. The curve of his hand fit so well in her own and- and..

The sound of a seering rocket hit her head. That noise- she had to- but! Bao clutched her eyes tightly. Tears trickled down her cheeks. She didn't want to do this- to lose him. The sound of the ticking clock was too distracting. Her hand tightened on the blade and she looked at him, to see his smile fade. His fingers wiped tears from her cheeks. "Smile, beautiful."

Bao felt her heart drop into her stomach and she closed her eyes. The sound erupted once again and she could only cry out "I'm so sorry," in a hushed whisper.

Blood spilled onto the floor. It wasn't hers. She stared through cloudy eyes as her breath managed a shaky "Run." The lights went out and the play was over. No one was sure what had happened. Bao could only tremble when she felt her arm twisted behind her back. "Useless bitch." The man muttered in her ear. "You can't kill him? I'll do it myself."

The sound of shattering hit her ears and pain shot through her body. Her arm was useless at her side as the man shoved her away. Bao could only stare helpless at the fight. Her body was on the ground. At the end Lin and his brother, Zhang, approached her. "Lin." Bao barely muttered through the pain, catching his eyes for a moment. Lin could not smile at her and looked away. "Rie Bao." His voice was dismissive, while his brother turned to kick at the assassin's body. "You are too dangerous woman to be around." So unfeeling, but the words were more sharp than the dagger she dropped to the ground. Now the tears wouldn't stop.

"N-No.. I wanted- I tried to stop him- I"

"You tried to kill me, Bao. I can't trust you. Not now, not ever again."

Bao could feel herself choking on desperation. "No... it's not like that.. please.. Lin.. I love you."

".."

"I love you...!" Her only good arm reached to his pant leg. His movement was hesitant, but he pulled away. Then, they left. Bao was by herself, crying in silent rejection and pain for hours even after the police had come upon the scene.

What didn't kill her made her stronger. Or so her mother reassured. Her father grunted unintelligible angry mutters and ordered to find out more about the assassin. The pain never truly went away. As the days came and passed, Rie found that she couldn't even look at the date. It was the year she was supposed to marry Lin and her heart ached. She couldn't think anymore and soon she regressed back into her shell. She was once more focusing purely on studies and the moments she didn't, were spent singing songs.

She rarely used magic, as that seemed frowned upon and her parents taught her well that witches weren't welcome. It wasn't that she didn't know how to fight, but that she avoided fighting. After all, a voice could soothe a million wars if needed.

Miscellaneous:
→ She is right handed
→ She goes to the ER a lot, enough they know her just looking at her
→ She has a tenancy to hum
→ She can play the harp
→She has a pretty voice, often almost siren-like
→ Her bones are light with bird-like qualities (easily broken) She's not a touch and she breaks fragile, but too much roughhousing can crack something and she definitely IS weaker than most
→ Fears being unable to have children
→ Has a slight fear of cats (freezes when she sees them)
→ Cannot run in high heels
→ Cannot wear high heels (not well anyways)
→ Often knocks herself over when she sneezes
→ Gets annoyed when people see her as a weak little thing (even if she is)
→ Loves her job 8D
→ Often gets scared when a relationship becomes too serious
→ Gets offended if her singing is called 'noise'

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