[k_pop]

UGH, finally! I've been trying to get online all day. >.> Anyway, here goes.


Name: Portia Thrice
Age: 32
Gender: female
Team: Cullen

Class: Mage; air, and some lightning.
As well as creating winds and driving static in the air to spark lightning, she can manipulate currents able to carry small, light-weight items with relative ease. While it would be difficult to carry other people with her wind, she can lift herself for a short period or slow her descent if falling. She can condense or disperse the air around her, and wind whisper –sending the wind to someone with a message (sound comes from the air vibrating in waves after all). With this comes an ability to understand other languages as well, human or Pokemon.

Description:
Standing only about four feet eight inches, Portia never grew very tall at all and still looks rather young for her age. In fact, the first impression of most people is that she is a child until they are up close. She has fair skin, a slender figure, not skinny, with very lean muscles that make her agile. Portia has dark green, almond shaped eyes. Her fiery red hair that falls in waves over her shoulders, is pulled back loosely either in a braid or two low pigtails –which really only accentuates her childish appearance, but she really doesn’t want to be bothered with anything else. Her nose, like the rest of her, is also petite in shape. Her canine teeth though, are rather sharp and very noticeable when she smiles.

Portia’s clothes are generally simple in style, but of good quality and fit her well. She likes the things she wears to be functional. You will usually see her in something like a short, sleeveless dress with a sleeved top and leggings underneath, sandals or soft leather boots on her feet, and a belt, double-wrapped around her hips with several pouches for small things. Portia carries a glaive, the shaft of which extends almost a foot over her head and the broad single-blade is another sixteen inches. The back-edge of the blade is plated by etched copper, but most often hidden by a wide leather strap wrapped around it so that most people think she is only carrying an odd staff. She also wears a long necklace with a heavy silver pendant of a crescent moon.

Personality:
Quick-thinking and cheeky, Portia has a very distinctive attitude. She almost needs it to draw away from her size and would not deny it anyway. Even though she speaks her mind quite often, Portia is always ready to hear what others have to say. Amiable with nearly everyone she meets, including those who are not so friendly, she has an almost irrepressible good humor. When she does get angry, you can bet it is with good reason, though her anger generally does not last long. When things get serious, Portia will generally try to keep things calm, attempting to diffuse the situation before taking action if necessary. She is loyal to the Cullen creed, recognizing and respecting other members of the pack. Seeing most everyone as a possible friend or ally, and never having much good experience with family herself, she appreciates the unity and companionship of the Cullen, however far spread it may be.

Portia is not a genius, but she is intelligent and has a natural ingenuity, making her very good at problem-solving. When caught in a sticky situation, she rarely takes a lot of time to think through it. Weighing her options at a glance, she’ll go with the most acceptable solution at the moment, whether it is risky or not. Her resourcefulness has given her pretty good survival skills. Fairly agile, maybe somewhat clumsy at times, and having practiced combat skills, she is capable of taking care of herself. She is not lacking in confidence, but don’t mistake this for weakness and do not underestimate her, she may surprise you.

History:
Born in Magnasanti, she grew up watching much of the cultural turbulence of Aria. People from many of the city-states would visit and live in the political capital with its embassy, and Portia learned of the different views around the region from being there. Knowing how other people saw the world would be important with the family she was born to. Her father, a high-ranking member of the Circle Knights, was insistently against mages and their power; a fact that seemed to be well-known. Evrard Thrice was married before he joined the Circle Knights and it was decided that his wife was unable to bear children as she was entering her forties. Portia however, came along unexpectedly. He would always be bringing gifts for his daughter, but he was consistently cold to be around and showing any kind of affection outside of these gifts was uncommon. He considered the girl to be frail and sickly because of her size, though she never showed signs of being either. It was unbecoming to the knight that he should have a child who would be unable to follow his steps. Her mother, Era, became sick when Portia was still young and grew worse as she got older. A governess, Mari, was hired to teach and take care of their daughter as her father rarely had time to even be home. There were not many places for children to play in Magnasanti, so the governess would sit outside the house or at the village square while Portia would play nearby. There, she would listen to the visitors from other city-states, hearing their differences and asking questions of her governess when she did not understand something. That was how she learned to view things from other angles.

There were days that Mari would take Portia to the edge of the city to play. One of those days when she was eight, Portia ran into something unusual. A strange Pokemon she had not seen before fell to the ground and into the cover of some bushes. With a long yellow body and green diamond-shaped wings, it looked rather like an insect. It was wounded and one of the wings was tilted at an odd angle. Watching Portia approach, the Pokemon buzzed its good wing defiantly, but as she continued to stand there quietly it realized that the young human was not going to cause more harm. As she saw the wounded creature calm, she cautiously reached out to stroke its head. The Pokemon felt strangely at ease with the young girl. Portia went to find Mari, who carefully carried the wounded Vibrava home. Her mother was wary of the strange Pokemon, believing it must have escaped during a battle somewhere, but allowed the governess to fetch a healer. Era watched her daughter as she tapped her fingers on the tough hide of its back. When she would stop, the Vibrava would nudge her hand to continue. Mari returned with the healer and Evrard. While the healer went to work, Era was attempting to convince the knight into allowing the Pokemon to stay. The Vibrava was obviously tough to have been able to fly as far as it had with an injured wing and it was already growing attached to the young girl. Perhaps they would have less to worry about for their daughter’s protection if she had it nearby. Not entirely convinced, her father finally consented and the Vibrava was allowed to stay. Portia named her Sonora.

It was shortly after this though, that things began to turn upside down. Her mother’s health was failing quickly and after two years, she died. Portia was torn up, but would receive no consoling from her father who was wrecked and angry at losing his wife. Her mother had been kind and despite having spent little time with her being sick, Portia loved her. Only a month following this, Portia had a new governess. Evrard had discovered that Mari was an unknown mage, one who had been in his home for years. Portia was almost interrogated by her father as he asked if the woman had ever done anything that might even resemble magic. After stating several times that she had never seen Mari use magic she was left with her new governess, a woman with hard features and a harder demeanor. As he left, it finally struck the young girl that she would be stuck with her cold father without her mother or Mari. She locked herself in her room, crying out her worries. Outside, thunder rumbled overhead and wind began to rattle the windows of the house. There was no storm though, it had been dry for a time and the sky was not even overcast. A shutter blown loose broke a window and a sudden clap of lightning scared the new governess into running out the door. The roof had been struck and dry, exposed wood started to smolder. Portia looked down at Sonora who was rubbing against her side trying to calm the girl. This was followed by Mari bursting in to get her, the house was on fire. After being through a dry period, fire had caught from the smoldering part of the roof and was spreading across the row of tall connected homes quickly. Instead of going out the front where everyone else was running to, Mari went to the back where the flames were heavier, seeming to push the fire away as they walked through. Mari had been seen at the house and staying would have meant being caught by the Circle Knights or even blamed for the fire. They went several blocks away from the excitement before she stopped to explain to Portia. The wind and lightning had been caused by the young girl. She was a mage and her power was starting to show more. All the times when she was little that gusts would blow past her when she was upset, the nights she would wake from dreams, the fact that rarely happened from the time she was with Sonora, all pointed to her being a mage. Mari had begun to take notice some time ago, but kept quiet until she was sure. Knowing what her father thought of mages, Portia refused to turn back home. Instead, she went with Mari to a small village outside Saffron.

They did not stay there for a long time. Shortly after, they learned that the fire had completely destroyed the row of homes. Portia was believed trapped inside, lost to the flames, and the old governess seen at the home was being blamed. Mari knew a group called the Cullen who would help them to stay under the Circle Knights notice. Working together behind the scenes for the most part, the team would help whenever needed and quietly take care of business where they believed it was required. Portia came to know many members of ‘the pack’ as they affectionately called it. She grew up learning skills from them; how to defend herself, use a weapon, and how to control her own power –she really did not want to delve into magic any further than what she felt necessary. Sonora grew stronger as well and it wasn’t long before she evolved, learning alongside her partner as they assisted each other. The girl never grew much taller, most other people towering over her. But, she learned to use her size as an advantage -both in combat and in counsel, even coming to be happy with it. She had Sonora if she needed height or intimidation anyway. Portia became a part of the Cullen, their creed having long since become part of her. The good sense, as well as good humor she usually shows, earning her experience and a place among the ranks of the team. She knows many of the Cullen members and can usually spot one she has not met. Her last name has practically been dropped. Using a false name or none at all, she does not want to be connected to her father. Only the very few she trusts indefinitely even know her last name anymore. For the most part, she does not linger in any one place, going wherever she is needed or whatever she is driven towards. Probably her biggest worry is not of other mages, but rather of running into her father and the anger that she is something he despises. She hopes for a day when they do not need to fear the Death magic or the songs of the Dead gods, even if the loss of Death magic also means the loss of Life magic she and other mages were born with.

Pokemon: Sonora ;Flygon
Sonora towers over her rather petite partner, but is a great complement to her. She is quite serious most of the time, tough when the situation calls for it. Her gentler side does come out sometimes, mostly when she feels like Portia needs to calm down or the young woman is troubled in sleep by the songs of Dead gods. They work as a team, feeding off one another in skill and power.

Other: The pendant that she wears flips open to show a black opal inside that she can use to communicate with anyone with a similar stone. And the etching on her glaive is a seal that protects the weapon from damage by magic and allows her to drive her own along it. That cool?