LimeyPanda
The Bearer of Bad News
Biographical
Name: Kiku
Age: Nineteen
Sex: Female
Family & Friends:
-Marie Black (Surrogate Mother)
- ??? (Biological Mother) [DEAD]
- ??? (Father) [PRESUMED DEAD]
- Carolyn Antoinette (Friend and, now, Boss.)
- Bob (Retired Friend)
- Jenive (Friend)
Appearance: Kiku is an attractive woman with some hints of Asian heritage. She stands at a low five foot, five and weighs in at just over one-hundred pounds. Her hair is black, and generally kept at a scruffy, medium length. Her eyes are a rather distinct feature, as they resonate a predatory yellow-green colour and have slit, reptilian pupils. Her skin colour, which seems to fluctuate between pale and tan depending on the light, is covered in a number of blemishes: old scars, and burns marring her flesh, especially on her arms. Her face is kept clear though; pretty enough to be alluring, despite the distinct alien-ness she might give off.
Biography:
Kiku's earliest memories are of a homestead, owned by a doting father and a few other independents. She can't much remember what part of the world she lived in at this point: Geography doesn't matter for a story like this. All she knows is that her homestead was attacked and overrun by Raiders, who murdered every man in the homestead, and then abducted the women and the children.
For some time after this, Kiku and her mother were bounced around various Raider facilities. Kiku was forced to work, while her mother was taken away to do whatever it is the Raiders wanted of her behind closed doors. For years and years this continued, and as Kiku grew older, she saw her mother less and less. Eventually, the pair were sold off to a group of Raiders in Chicago, whose leader had a thing for Asian cuisine. When they were shipped off to this Raider-camp, her mother was separated from her permanently.
One night, when she was fourteen, after a particularly brutal day of particularly brutal work, Kiku wished on every fiber of her being that she'd be given the chance to kill the Raider leader who tortured her, and ripped away her freedom. She was barely more than a feral creature in a young woman's form; having been taught so little by the other slaves at the time. She heard the sound of gunshots in the night, and was roused from sleep by the screams of men. The door was left unlocked to the slave pen, and Kiku thought she'd been given an opportunity by some impossible force. She snuck her way through the camp, avoiding the detection of the frantic guard with a supernatural ease. She made her way to the biggest of the converted ruins; the place that the Raider-leader called his lair. She'd been taken there a few times before, although she preferred not to think about it.
When she got there, she smelt something that reeked of rot. It made her want to vomit, but her purpose settled her empty stomach. When she got deeper into the ruin, she made her way straight to the man's bedroom. Before she could make it to the main door though, she heard a muffled groaning sound. What came after that, she refuses to speak of, to this day.
She made her way into the next room with a silent, predatory coldness. She saw the man, fiddling with some weird thing on a table with bright lights and loud clacking buttons. His back was to her as she pushed open the door, and as she grabbed a discarded piece of heavy, jagged glass.
When the Old Guard made their way into the Raider-Leader's room, they found the mutilated corpse of the man on the floor; over Seventy stab wounds littering his heavily bleeding corpse. It was Marie Black who looked to the bed, seeing the curled up ball of a sleeping girl, covered head-to-toe in blood. When the woman shook awake the young girl, she saw the mutant eyes, and asked her for a name. She shrugged, and the Old Guard decided that the best thing for her was to take the girl back to Bunker Chicago; better to keep a potentially dangerous listener at the Bunker, after all. There were no other slaves on the site, most of them having escaped in the chaos, or having been shot down by raiders. One was found in the room next to the Raider-leaders, smothered.
After that, Kiku was taken to Bunker Chicago, where she was taught the basics needed to survive, and she made it clear her intent was to join the Old Guard once she was trained for it. She agreed to undergo some basic therapy and study to bring out her latent Listener capabilities, either unaware of the issues that would cause later; or just uncaring of them.
For some time after this, Kiku and her mother were bounced around various Raider facilities. Kiku was forced to work, while her mother was taken away to do whatever it is the Raiders wanted of her behind closed doors. For years and years this continued, and as Kiku grew older, she saw her mother less and less. Eventually, the pair were sold off to a group of Raiders in Chicago, whose leader had a thing for Asian cuisine. When they were shipped off to this Raider-camp, her mother was separated from her permanently.
One night, when she was fourteen, after a particularly brutal day of particularly brutal work, Kiku wished on every fiber of her being that she'd be given the chance to kill the Raider leader who tortured her, and ripped away her freedom. She was barely more than a feral creature in a young woman's form; having been taught so little by the other slaves at the time. She heard the sound of gunshots in the night, and was roused from sleep by the screams of men. The door was left unlocked to the slave pen, and Kiku thought she'd been given an opportunity by some impossible force. She snuck her way through the camp, avoiding the detection of the frantic guard with a supernatural ease. She made her way to the biggest of the converted ruins; the place that the Raider-leader called his lair. She'd been taken there a few times before, although she preferred not to think about it.
When she got there, she smelt something that reeked of rot. It made her want to vomit, but her purpose settled her empty stomach. When she got deeper into the ruin, she made her way straight to the man's bedroom. Before she could make it to the main door though, she heard a muffled groaning sound. What came after that, she refuses to speak of, to this day.
She made her way into the next room with a silent, predatory coldness. She saw the man, fiddling with some weird thing on a table with bright lights and loud clacking buttons. His back was to her as she pushed open the door, and as she grabbed a discarded piece of heavy, jagged glass.
When the Old Guard made their way into the Raider-Leader's room, they found the mutilated corpse of the man on the floor; over Seventy stab wounds littering his heavily bleeding corpse. It was Marie Black who looked to the bed, seeing the curled up ball of a sleeping girl, covered head-to-toe in blood. When the woman shook awake the young girl, she saw the mutant eyes, and asked her for a name. She shrugged, and the Old Guard decided that the best thing for her was to take the girl back to Bunker Chicago; better to keep a potentially dangerous listener at the Bunker, after all. There were no other slaves on the site, most of them having escaped in the chaos, or having been shot down by raiders. One was found in the room next to the Raider-leaders, smothered.
After that, Kiku was taken to Bunker Chicago, where she was taught the basics needed to survive, and she made it clear her intent was to join the Old Guard once she was trained for it. She agreed to undergo some basic therapy and study to bring out her latent Listener capabilities, either unaware of the issues that would cause later; or just uncaring of them.
Mutagens in DNA?: Yes
Mutagens Active?: Yes
Technical
Grunt: 6
- Trained Shooter - Since her rescue by Marie Black, Kiku has undergone the basics of military training with the fully advertised intent to join the Old Guard's military operations. She is trained with most available weapon types, and has thus far best resonated with Semi-automatic Carbines.
- Trained Shooter level 2, Steady Aim – On her Eighteenth Birthday, Kiku asked for a gift from Marie. She got it in the form of her custom rifle; a High Caliber Carbine Rifle, with the stopping power to make it so that one shot was enough to take down all but the most heavily armoured of targets. Affectionately nicknamed ‘The Bosho Buster’, Kiku’s rifle has one other neat trick: A one-time super-slug that has the chance to blow through everything short of a tank at a short range. The catch? The Super-Slug, apart from being a once-per-mission deal, also has a chance to break the carbine upon use. After all, Carbines are made more fragile by the process of shrinking them.
- Trained Shooter level 3, Superb Fire – After her encounter with the Red Star, Kiku knows where her strengths have to lie. Her talents as a mutant, namely her predatory vision, give her a supreme accuracy the trumps that of mortals and her invisibility makes her a prime scout and ambusher. This has led to a honing of her marksmanship to superhuman levels. Within a decent range, Kiku just doesn’t miss anymore. Such is her accuracy and comfort with her rifle. Accuracy and Stopping power are her two best friends; because if she doesn’t put down an enemy, there’s a decent chance they’ll put her down in retaliation.
- Agile Hunter - While she might have somewhat outgrown the traits of her more feral upbringing, Kiku knows the immense value of being quiet, and having a light step. Kiku's combat style favours ambushes and scouting missions. She is quick, quiet, and is skilled at avoiding detection until it's time to strike.
- Close Quarter Combat – Kiku’s savage upbringing combined with her ferocious need to defend herself has made her into a scrappy and unpredictable fighter. Her use of a knife is top-notch, and she knows the basics of fighting Hand-to-hand from being trained by Marie.
- Close Quarter Combat level 2, Up-Close-and-Personal – Marie’s constant training and some deference to basic literature on the subject has taught Kiku how to fight proficiently in hand-to-hand combat. In the real world, Kiku would be all but a Black-belt martial artist, able to unarm opponents with just her hands by using their own strength or weight against them and applying holds, chokes, and locks to stop them moving or just to start breaking bones.
Primary Weapon: The Bosho Buster – A unique and powerful rifle awarded to her by Marie Black on her eighteenth birthday. Apart from being a Highly powerful semi-automatic rifle, it features a one-shot Super-slug, capable of downing damn-near anything shy of a tank at short range.
Secondary Weapon(s): The Shusher (A silenced pistol) and the Husher (A Combat Knife)
Personal Armour: Light Armour
Additional Gear: N/a
Instinct
Too Quiet: You've survived for ages on the run, sometimes alone. No equipment to help you in this cold, terrible world. So it's all about listening for trouble, or, sometimes, the lackthereof... (Character has a small chance of automatically detecting a character in stealth near them, even if they produce no sight or sound to alert the character. This applies to both hostile and friendly targets.)
Listener: 6
- Chameleon - The most prominent of Kiku's mutations, Kiku has the ever-useful ability to change her skin colour to match that of her surroundings, allowing her to hide in plain sight with near-invisibility. It takes a moment or two to do so, and the ability seems to require her concentration to maintain properly, but the applications are obvious, especially for a soldier.
- Chameleon level 2, Trick of the Light - After some help from the more Scientific minds of the TC's various institutions, it was discovered that Kiku's mutation was less that of skin colour alteration, and more an advanced bending of light. Kiku's ability to hide herself extends beyond just her own body. Kiku can hide herself, her clothing, and anything on her direct person without much strain for extended periods of time. Anything beyond that is currently beyond her skill set, however.
- Chameleon level 3, Bending and Weaving – Having thus far attributed it to stress, Kiku has recorded a few new mutations, including the most exciting addition; the ability to project her strange mutation of bending the light to create a distortion around her. When in combat, Kiku now subconsciously triggers her mutation to vibrate and excite the light around her. What this does is cause what appear to be afterimages to appear near her; making it very difficult to shoot her accurately and lethally.
- Predatory Vision - Kiku's other mutation allows her a greater acuity of vision. At its base, Kiku is granted a longer range of vision, and a greater ability to make out details from far away. If she concentrates for a few moment, Kiku can seemingly 'turn on' her mutation, and she gains a rudimentary sort of thermal-vision. Limitations currently exist though, as her Thermal-vision cannot pierce through dense barriers, such as Metal, or thicker layers of stone. Attempting to use her thermal-vision for any extended period leaves her with a pounding headache.
- Predatory Vision level 2, Ascended Sight – Kiku’s sight-based mutation has also undergone the ‘stress induced’ mutation; having become almost infinitely less stressful and increasing once again in both accuracy and acuity. She can now see further, make out greater details, and can access a greater range of vision types. Her thermal-vision can now pierce Thick layers of stone (but not metal) and she can also see fainter heat signatures from further away.
- Predatory Vision level 3, Scout’s Honour – Kiku’s sight mutation has reached another new zenith, as the ability becomes effortless to maintain and allows for a two new trick. One is the access to perfect Night-vision, and the other is the ability to photographically read anything she can see within a solid mile. Be it reading lips, or reading a note passed between two assholes from across two streets.
Random Mutations
Snake Eyes – Kiku’s eyes are reptilian. They feature slit pupils and bright green-yellow retina which take on a reddish hue when using her mutation. While not red enough to alert someone from a distance; up close it makes her use of her power detectable by those who know what they are looking for.
Shifter’s Skin – Kiku’s skin tone may randomly shift in the middle of conversations on a wide scale of differing colours and tones. While she is more often-than-not a pale, white individual, her skin colour might at any time shift to become tan, bronzed, or dark at any moment for brief periods of time.
Ghosts - In fogs, especially those created by the Children of Eve's mutants, this character can see flickers of the fog moving in unnatural patterns--like someone moved through them, in spite of nobody being there. Yet, they have that nagging feeling that someone is there... Someone is watching, though it is not a life form that you can even properly conceive of. (Mutant detection methods can trigger on nothing in the city ruins Orange Fog.)
Stages of Awakening -
Phase 1: You’ve been touched by Eve, and awakened. As a result, you are now able to shapeshift sufficiently that you can change your appearance, so long as you remain humanoid. You can change sexes as well. You are now sterile or infertile depending on your sex. It takes several rounds of ammunition for you to finally be stopped, and your wounds will rapidly regenerate—preventing blood loss, and often allowing you to get back up. Your blood has an orange hue to it, which will grow more intense over time as the awakened cells continue to do a complete take-over of your body. You are able to telepathically communicate with others like you, and send telepathic messages to any listener within visual range. You can feel hints of each other’s emotions on contact. You can exchange memories on contact with others, or give memories to listeners on contact. The Orange Fog is no longer toxic to you. You are not able to awaken others.
Pilot: 0
Faction
Faction Affiliations
The Old Guard: Allied ("You risked everything for us, and Marie raised you like a daughter. We're proud of you.")
The Coalition: Distrusted ("You have worked against our interests, and betrayed Jenive...")
U-ARM: Distrusted ("Mutants who embrace their talents so much, rather than realize what they are: A danger to all mankind...") (This will never improve.)
Red Star: Neutral ("We don't know you well enough to care one way or the other for you. Though we've engaged in combat, we have no reason to believe you a threat to our operations at this time. Don't make us change our minds.")
Children of Eve: Neutral. ("So wild, so promising, young child... You will yet know the truth of your existence.")
Requisitions
- Carolyn Antoinette (The Old Guard): Carolyn has developed a friendly relationship with Kiku, and owes her for her loyalty on a mission.
- Jenive Rousseau (The Coalition): At this point a relationship borne primarily out of guilt. Though The Coalition distrusts Kiku, she could potentially ply Jenive for aid one time--and only one time.
- Marie Black (The Old Guard): Marie looks on Kiku like a daughter, and will try to help her however it is most appropriate.
- Mouse (No Affiliation): Mouse will help anyone willing to repay him later, but he has taken a particular affection toward the squad of survivors that made it back from the Orange Fog.
Signature: I, LimeyPanda, hereby confirm I have read the rules and am thus promise to: obey StorytellersCircle site-rules; be aware of the inherent possibility of character death, or worse; post weekly/fortnightly; and have fun.
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