Seraphine Reynard || Done

Name: Seraphine Reynard
Alias: Nightshade, Sara
Gender: Female
Birthday: December 17
Age: 17
Sexuality: Asexual (Character development may move her to Heterosexual)
Important Appearance Characteristics: Seraphine has a single burn scar running across her left eye that forks below it. Amazingly, the eye has been left unscathed.

Personality: The moon glows all the more brighter as darkness surrounds it, but it's reflection is so skewed by lakes and seas, it sees nothing of its beauty but a shattered surface.

So it is, Seraphine. A child born into a fate far worse than one could imagine. Betrayed by one she called a friend, perhaps even a lover, she has grown not to trust strangers. No longer wishing to hurt, she closed her heart to the prying eyes of those who sought her for love. She did not, however, lose her passion. A character worth noting for wielding the double-edged sword named Brutal Honesty, she will not be willing to back down if her values have been insulted, but at the same time will not dare to throw the first punch. Though easily temperamental, the creature places her heart in the light known as Freedom.

Her past haunts her present. Her mental stability fights a nightmarish realm every time the sun says its goodbyes. Her heart hurts, and she wants to break down, but how can she look down when she hates the feeling of falling? And so, she picks herself up, brushes the dirt off, and continues to smile and laugh. An elfish nature: mischievous, youthful, wise, timeless. A childish nature that only occurs within souls that possess that rare characteristic of those few who have fallen into the hands of sour destiny, but were not corrupted by its terrifying grip.

She sees nothing but a monster in that pristine silver we call a looking glass. The creature considers herself nothing but a grotesque Beast that was betrayed by Belle. In turn, she tries to give everything, and accepts nothing. A Jean Valjean that must repent, but does not realize she already has. Through every little gesture, her shadow of a human shell deteriorates, not to reveal the beast she thinks she is, but the noble she truly is.

A paladin of words and a guardian of the weak, her profound clairvoyance is her halo, her humility her wings. But alas, these wings are painted black. Her heart bears no love, and she sees only a calm distrust towards alchemy. Trust is proven, not granted. She sees through black-tinted glasses for herself, and gives out the rose-colored shades for others. She slips through cracks, never really one with humanity, but ever wistful of its presence.

Perhaps the beast can turn man if one can teach her to open her eyes.

“When the star dies,
Its eye closes; tired of watching,
It flies back to its first bright dream.”
― Dejan Stojanovic, Circling: 1978-1987

Likes:

• Considerate, tolerant, and friendly people in general. She seems to get along with them more, and appreciates their opinions and company.
  
• Fixing things. As a sort of half breed of a mechanic and engineer, Seraphine not only likes to make new inventions, but fix broken parts as well. It gives her an almost therapeutic feeling.
  
• Drawing. Seraphine always has a sketch pad and pencil with her. Whether it's to create ideas for a new mini-machine or just doodling, one can oftentimes see her with a pencil in her hand.
  
• Children or people with childlike personalities. She finds the innocent, mischievous spirits most refreshing, and prefers to be around them more.
  

Dislikes:

• Entitled individuals. While they look upon her with disdain, she looks upon them with disgust. Their haughty personality makes er feel like she's talking to a literal bag of dirt. She prefers to avoid any communication with these... Things whatsoever.
  
• Alchemists. Although she knows it's wrong to condemn every alchemist in existence for the one she had learned to trust and hurt her, she cannot bring herself to fully accept the circle-drawing, miracle-making people.
  
• Violence. Although she is willing to defend what she believes in, it's hard for her to believe that violence and fighting are the true answers. It's a last resort, one that keeps her grim-faced and pale.
  

Fears:

• Alchemy - At the age of thirteen,  Seraphine was introduced to alchemy in one of the worst ways possible: becoming a main ingredient in transmuting. To this day, she is wary of alchemists and their strange magic, and would rather not have anything to do with the magic at all.
  
• Xenophobia - Even as a merchant, her distinct distrust of people in general keep her away from making new friends. Her past prevents her from trying to connect to others whatsoever.
  
• Betrayal - Fool her once, shame on you. Fool her twice, shame on her. The mechanic is not only scared of making new friends, but once again being hurt by them as well. To her, it just isn't worth it.
  

General Appearance:

(Click to enlarge)

Face-Claim: Seraphine, drawn by Nightshade (Me)
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 123 lbs.
Hair: Seraphine dawns a wild pixie cut that appears to be untamable. No matter how many times she'll wash it or run a comb through it, it stubbornly grows in crazy directions. Fiery auburn locks circle her head in a flame color, exempting a few highlights which stand out as a bright turquoise blue.
Skin Tone: Fair-skinned.
Appearance: A fair-skinned, fragile-looking thing, but that is but a mask for the body. She sits at an average 5'6", but is comprised of lean muscle and dense bone: sturdy and stout. Aside from that, her facial features are sharp and elfish, giving off the impression of a mischievous troublemaker. Her eyes are a brilliant, intense, intelligent silver-gray that can have the tendency to startle the thinner-skinned if looked at too sharply. Her voice can be considered a low alto, not exceedingly feminine, but still holds that angelic tone that all women carry. Her wild pixie cut creates a stand-out look against the common look of Amestris, with its auburn-red base with turquoise accents.

Seraphine's commonly-worn outfit consisted of a  black slim-fitting hooded jacket with open shoulders and sleeves that cover the palm of her hands, but leave holes for her thumbs to remain free. Her feet are covered by worn out tennis shoes, and her legs bear dark wash jeans. She is oftentimes carrying a one-strap dark grey traveler's backpack, carrying her tools and usually anything required  for her decided journey. Adorning the top of her head is a light grey military-styled cap, one that she is quite fond of. Finally, it should be noted that her ears are covered in piercings: two studs each at the bottom and three rings each at the top. he also has an additional stud on her nose.

Her chimera form is a human-sized fox with nine long tails, the base coat  black with turquoise accents. It's eyes are the same brilliant silver, just more menacing and beast-like, with a tinge of emerald-green. It has an intimidating presence, to those who are easily affected by those kinds of things. Then again, it is a mythical creature, it should be expected. When Seraphine shows extreme feelings, you will occasionally see her pupils narrow and the color around them turn a slight green, and her canines will lengthen, causing a rather vampire-like look.

Voice Claim: Persona 4 Naoto Shirogane (Will be editing in voice clips when my seven day time period is up and I am allowed to post external links! STAND BY)

Affiliation:

Current Affiliation: Independant Automail Engineer/Mechanic
Tier: Tier 1

History

History: It seems like a horror story, really. The cliché teenage read about a happy girl growing up in a happy family only to be torn away from all of it. Although not far from the truth, it's not just a story. Part of me wishes it was, so that I could close the book and walk away but it's not as easy as that. It happened, and it's a nightmare. So, I guess I'll begin. If this were a fake read, it would start on a dark and stormy night. But this is real, so I'm going to tell you where it actually started.

It started when a little girl was staring at a pile of dog poo.

No kidding, right? As a child, I was fascinated with the outdoors and all of Mother Nature's creation, including the insects. I wasn't literally staring at a pile of dung, rather, what had become of it. White maggots squirmed and wriggled together like one big mess that really needed to be cleaned up. I was poking at them with a stick when a shadow loomed over my playtime. I looked up to see a boy of about twelve, when I was just eight, grinning down at me like I was some kind of idiot.

"Hey there, Kitten. Whatcha' up to?"

Honestly, I had no idea how to answer that except stammer out, "K-Kitten?!" I mean, who did this guy think he was, calling some random stranger a kitten? He wasn't exactly cute enough to get away with it at the time. Of course, though, like any slick, he just shrugged my outrage off like water on a duck feather. "Yeah, Kitten. Your hair makes you look like a cat, sticking up all over the place. It looks like you have furry ears." He put his fingers up like mini pointed horns to prove the point.

"I am not a kitten," I huffed, "I'm Seraphine. Sara for short. Who're you, Rat-Face?" the feeling of retaliation felt good on my tongue, while his face contorted into a slight strain of anger.

"M'Names Jason. Jason Acker. Now, whatcha doin?"

"Pokin' at maggots..."

Funnily enough, he got a kick out of that.

You could say our friendship blossomed after that. My parents met his parents, they became friends, we became friends... It lasted for a good while. But then everything changed after that. I think the first domino fell when Jason was fourteen, when his parents were found dead when he came home from a play date. The poor souls had been shot by some second-rate burglar. The culprit was caught, but... Jason was never the same after that. He began to close down. Ten year old me watched my best friend fall to pieces, and I was so, so desperate to save him from that abyss of nothingness that began to appear in his gaze, I decided to show him one of my favorite books that I had kept a secret for a long time, because it was expensive and I was afraid of something happening to it. It was a book about mythological creatures across the world. It was quite pretty: A black leather binding and gilded gold pages lettering for a title. He became entranced with it, more so than I ever was.

"Which one's your favorite?" I remember him inquiring.

"Huh? Me? Well, I think my favorite is the nine-tailed fox. The kitsune."

"Really? Doesn't it, like, eat souls or whatever and cause ruin?"

"I think that's only when it's in a bad mood."

"Huh..." He thought for a moment, forcing me to ask him to share what was on his mind. He turned to me, eyes wide with ecstasy. "Sara, I promise, I will find a kitsune just for you and bring it back!"

I never thought he was serious, but two months later he left. For a while, it hurt. He left for three years, only stopping by every now and then. Around that time, I think I began to grow feelings for him, if you can have those kinds of feelings at that age.

I was thirteen when I heard word about his permanent return. I was so excited, relieved, delighted. A torrent of unbearable emotion bore down on my shoulders. I was sweating by the time I reached his house, and like a storybook, he sat outside his house, smiling at me.

Happily ever after, right? That's how the stories usually end.

Wrong. So, so dreadfully wrong. My story's last chapter was ripped out with a fade-to-black scene. The story is over. It's bedtime. The nightmare begins.

"Come inside, Sara," he had cooed so endearingly. I was entranced, so I did. We walked down to his basement. I was immediately hit with a sense of unimaginable pressure on my mind. It caused me to wobble and fall, only for Jason to catch me, whispering in my ear, "It's okay, that's just its aura. It does that to people sometimes."

It? It? What was it? was all that raced through my head. Then I heard the growling as my eyesight finally got used to the blackness. Standing in front of me, caged and bound, was a nine-tailed kitsune, just like in my book.

"Oh... Oh..." was all I had uttered. We stared at it for a few minutes, before I looked up at him excitedly, a warm glow filling my chest. A glow of love. "You did it. You actually did it." He only laughed. "Well, duh, Kitten," he used that nick-name he had first said when we first met. My heart skipped a beat. "I made a promise."

"I can't wait to tell my parents,", I was caught up in the moment. I wanted my parents to know about this angelic moment, "They'll be-"

"NO!"

My sentence stopped short, dying by his outburst. He looked at me oddly. "No, Sara," he had said a lot softer, "I don't think they would approve. They might think it's too dangerous. They'll separate us."

I looked at him skeptically, "What? No they won't. My parents have known you for years. They trust you. Come on! Come with me!" With that, I had dashed up the stairs and out of the house, racing towards my own. Jason screamed at me from behind, his voice catching a funny tone.

It was dark out. I had not realized how long Jason and I had sat watching the demon fox. I had only gotten inside they door and began to call out to my mother and father, who were sitting at the breakfast able right in front of me, when I'm suddenly overwhelmed with a loud screeching of tires. A sharp pain raced up my left eye, and my mother's and father's screams suddenly cut short with two gunshots. You would think someone would hear all of this, but we lived in a rural area. Each house was miles apart. My remaining vision blacked out when a figure calmly walked toward me and bludgeoned my head.

I woke up, unable to move. My hands were tied to a chair. My face still burned as I struggled and tried to recollect my thoughts. A car had crashed into our house. My parents... they were killed - no, murdered. Had I had the time, I would have broken down in grief there, But a familiar growl interrupted me. The kitsune. I warily glanced over next to me, staring into majestic gem-green eyes. They were filled with fear. This gave me the idea to look around.

The room was dimly lit with candles, and an alchemy circle surrounded me and the fox. I knew what an alchemy circle was. I had tried to perform alchemy in my early years, but I never had the knack for it. With a croak, I opened my mouth, choking on half-sobs.

"Jason... Why?"

A figure moved to reveal the very man I called out to. His gaze was... different. Wild, crazy, hungry.

"Sara..." his hand went forward, but I shrank away as best as I could. He lowered it. I don't know what had happened during his travels, but the man had gone insane.

"Seraphine. I.. love you. Don't you realize that? But this world... This world made me realize that without performing selfish acts, I would not be able to have you. Do you see that fox right next to you? I spilled blood for it. I had to be selfish to get what I wanted. For you, or else someone would have had you. I couldn't have that. I thought once I had the kitsune you'd love me... It seems I was mistaken? Do you not love me, Seraphine?!"

All I managed to say was, "You're insane."

He sighed, "So I am... It's okay though. We're together now, and now we will forever be. Once I make you to what you should be."

"What I should be?"

He looked up at me, his eyes filled with awe and sadness. "You are a goddess, Sara, can't you see? You need to be redeemed true power, and then you will love me for what I have given you. We will run away, and you will be by my side as a mythical being."

Yep. The man was insane.

"No... No! Don't do this, Jason! Please!"

He just looked at me affectionately. The affections of a killer, of a kidnapper, of a selfish man.

The next thing I remember was burning agony. It felt as if my body was being incinerated in liquid iron. It wouldn't stop... these seconds of pain seemed like years of torture. I heard the kitsune's dying screams. Jason was silent.

When I came to, there was blood everywhere. At first horrified, I began to check my surroundings. The fox was nonexistent. The circle had faded from it's original glowing color. Jason lay on the floor, unconscious from mental exhaustion. I never knew the kid knew alchemy. The candles had fallen over and a fire began to devour what little furniture there was. I ran. I ran out of his house, leaving  the bastard, my heart filled now only with hatred. I ran out of town, not looking back.

Over time, with library books from town to town, I put two and two together of what he had done to me. The power he claimed to give me was the power of a chimera. A monster. A creature of two unnatural mixes. He made me a beast.

As for the crime scene, an Amestrian newspaper article at the back of the page, hidden in a corner merely stated that it was an open and shut case. My parents, found dead, had been justified. The bullets in them matched those of Jason's personal pistol. His pistol, at their crime scene on the floor, had his fingerprints, and only his, on it.

Jason's body was found charred. My DNA was in the blood samples collected from what little had survived from his house. They had presumed me dead. Case closed.

It was okay. I changed my surname and created a new identity for myself. I never visited my old town until I cut my hair short and dyed it. My burn scar remained.

And that's how I'm here. I am nothing, but a lost beast in a cage known as Life. Forgive me for my existence.

*Bumps this*

Took me a while, but it's done!