Post by Louis de Saint-Just on Dec 2, 2007 3:25:56 GMT -5
Full Name: Zahra-un-Nefer Halim.
But call her Zahra.
Age: Very old…Almost a thousand, since she was born around 1551 BC.
Powers: Shapeshifting (into a cat), with a bit of low-level telepathy in there. It is possible for her to "turn off" her mind, and block all thoughts and emotions that radiate from her. This prevents any other telepaths or empaths in the area from sensing her, or being able to read her mind. Her telepathy is not advanced: she can read surface thoughts as quickly as they pop into a person's mind, but she needs to be physically connected to another being in order to fully read their mind.
Appearance: Zahra is neither tall, nor imposing. She stands at 5'6", which is taller than Jeun, but not most other people. Her weight is around average (if asked she'll say 110, but everyone can tell that it's really 115), but most of it is muscle. Her bones are lighter than a regular human, and if not for her muscle, she would be quite fragile in her human form. She is rather slinky and wiry, much like a cat, and this is the thing that gets her by.
Because she does have the ability to shift into a cat, and has spent much of her time in cat form, she has the shifty, unreadable look about her that a cat might. One that says "I'm in charge, and if you don't let me through, I'll just have to scratch you up a little, how about that?"
Her eyes, skin, and hair are all shades of brown, her eyes and hair gravitating towards the darker scale of things. But her skin maintains the nice, tanned look all year 'round, and she doesn't even have to go into a salon to get it. Her hair is chin-length, in an Egyptian style that would have made Cleopatra proud, if Cleopatra had been able to take care of her own hair.
She has been known to smile, but tends to smile in a cat-like way, a smile that sometimes drives people away in fear. It doesn't quite reach her eyes, and gives one the impression that she is ready to gobble one up.
When she is shocked, she will jump into the air, perhaps, and be almost frightened, like a cat. It takes sudden noises or movements to scare her, and if you dare to laugh at her face…well, there will be dire consequences. She has never fully recovered from the invention of the vacuum cleaner.
She usually wears long, cotton skirts, and cotton shirts, most of them in a style reminiscent of the ancient Egyptians.
Personality: I AM TOO LAZY RIGHT NOW
Likes: Pyramids – they are just so beautiful, and gorgeous, and all of the human slave labour that went into them is just delicious, isn’t it?
Cats, and jackale (not dogs at all).
Books.
Light bulbs – they are very shiny, and bright.
Shiny things in general.
Strengths: Martial arts (she is very agile, as a cat, although she most often chooses to shift shapes, and then flee).
Climbing trees (both as a human, and as a cat).
Reading people (although that is a given, considering her telepathic abilities).
Sitting still for long periods of time.
Weaknesses: Water (she doesn’t much like it, for swimming at least)
Winter, or the cold.
Guns (they scare the hell out of her)
Bears (what kind of sick creature is that, anyways? They certainly don’t have those in Egypt).
Fears: Drowning – a very frightening thing, even though she does not swim, and does know how to swim.
Winter.
Sandstorms.
Dogs.
Vacuum Cleaners.
Mints (ew).
History[/u]
Zahra was born second out of seven children. She discovered her telepathy at age seven (and was thwarted when her younger sister, Kakra, came into telepathy at the age of six, and Jamil came into it two months later than Kakra). As if to console her however, Ptolmey did not receive his telepathy until the twin girls did, by which time he was nine. Zahra picked up shape-shifting quicker than anyone in her family, however, as she had discovered her animal quite easily. It just so happened that her animal was the splitting image of Bastet’s cat form, and Zahra was soon able to shape change instinctively by the age of twenty-five. The closest anyone else in the family got to beating that was Radames-re, the adorable little dumpling, who discovered his animal at the age of twenty-eight. Kakra and Jamil shifted at thirty, and Ptolmey didn’t actually discover that he was a jackal until Idogbe-hu-Heru did, when Idogbe-hu-Heru was thirty-six, and Ptolmey was twenty-nine.
Ptolmey and Zahra got along particularly well out of the six children, perhaps because they were able to learn things and show them to one another as their abilities as both telepaths and shape-shifters progressed. The other children were not ever truly fond of another one (except for Idogbe-hu-Heru, who was constantly on vigil over the entire family, especially after three of their ranks had been eliminated), but Ptolmey and Zahra were truly close. It was because of their age difference, and because they were the most competent out of the group. Jamil and Kakra were more concerned with their looks than Zahra was (although she did spend many an hour in front of a mirror: she is a cat, after all, and to say that her sisters were more concerned said quite a lot), and they rarely practiced anything but their telepathy. Until their mother died, most of the children did not shape-shift whatsoever: they did not feel the need to. Zahra always had had this inevitable feeling of doom, however, and she confessed this to Idogbe-hu-Heru one night, as they were sitting on their rooftop. Idogbe-hu-Heru told Zahra that he had the same feeling, and thus this trio began to hone their abilities. Both as telepaths (they tested their range together, and worked their abilities until they could no more), and as shape-shifters (they would switch forms, practicing their speed, and ensuring that they would be able to do this instinctively), they practiced, for ten long years. Feruku expressed an interest the moment that he was able to shape-shift, and although the three did not have a good feeling about this brother of theirs, they permitted him to practice with them. Radames-re also wished to learn, although the time when he asked to join them was when he was five, and had still not come into his telepathic abilities.
When the lot of them had decidedly reached their physical age (they seemed to grow much slower than the rest of the population: it took five human years for them to gain another year of physical age), they stopped growing, and it was here where the family knit itself together. Often, Radames-re would skulk around the pyramids, frightening away slaves and robbers, and enjoying himself muchly so. Zahra became a temple cat in her spare time, and was accompanied there by Ptolmey, who was a very rare black jackal. His fur had the same sheen to it as Zahra’s did (although it was, of course, not quite as clean: he was a boy, after all), and the two were very pleased with themselves. They found that although eating was certainly a pleasure, and they had much food at the palace, they did not need to eat unless they had shape-shifted too many times in a day, and needed to regain their energy quicker than sleep would have it.
In Zahra’s seventy-sixth summer, day seven of month two, Akhen-aten was murdered. Radames-re was the one to find this out: he had been in beetle guise at the time, sleeping in the rafters of their home, when Feruku entered into the kitchen. The look in his brother’s eyes frightened him, and so he spoke not a word. It was not until after Feruku was gone, leaving both his mother and father dead, that Radames-re dared to leave the house. Khepri was the one he found first (Radames-re nearly got snatched up by his older brother, but narrowly escaped that), and from there, Khepri told Idogbe-hu-Heru, who fetched the lot of them. That night, Feruku died, and did not even warrant a ceremony. Their mother and father though, were mourned for, and after their death, the siblings split up for a little while.
Zahra and Ptolmey remained in the palace, for they were not willing to part. After twenty years, they faked their deaths (and replaced their bodies with a newly deceased cat and jackal), and this was the moment they split up.
Occasionally over the years, they would spend periods of time together, before moving on to a new location, so as not to give away their immortal identities.
However, Shawl, to Zahra seems like a different place. She settled herself into the bookstore with the ever-prickly and weird Jeun, and has been enjoying a leisurely life of annoying Caden and Jeun, and whoever decides to come into the store.
How Zahra fits: She works at the bookstore with Jeun, and wanders the street as a cat.
But call her Zahra.
Age: Very old…Almost a thousand, since she was born around 1551 BC.
Powers: Shapeshifting (into a cat), with a bit of low-level telepathy in there. It is possible for her to "turn off" her mind, and block all thoughts and emotions that radiate from her. This prevents any other telepaths or empaths in the area from sensing her, or being able to read her mind. Her telepathy is not advanced: she can read surface thoughts as quickly as they pop into a person's mind, but she needs to be physically connected to another being in order to fully read their mind.
Appearance: Zahra is neither tall, nor imposing. She stands at 5'6", which is taller than Jeun, but not most other people. Her weight is around average (if asked she'll say 110, but everyone can tell that it's really 115), but most of it is muscle. Her bones are lighter than a regular human, and if not for her muscle, she would be quite fragile in her human form. She is rather slinky and wiry, much like a cat, and this is the thing that gets her by.
Because she does have the ability to shift into a cat, and has spent much of her time in cat form, she has the shifty, unreadable look about her that a cat might. One that says "I'm in charge, and if you don't let me through, I'll just have to scratch you up a little, how about that?"
Her eyes, skin, and hair are all shades of brown, her eyes and hair gravitating towards the darker scale of things. But her skin maintains the nice, tanned look all year 'round, and she doesn't even have to go into a salon to get it. Her hair is chin-length, in an Egyptian style that would have made Cleopatra proud, if Cleopatra had been able to take care of her own hair.
She has been known to smile, but tends to smile in a cat-like way, a smile that sometimes drives people away in fear. It doesn't quite reach her eyes, and gives one the impression that she is ready to gobble one up.
When she is shocked, she will jump into the air, perhaps, and be almost frightened, like a cat. It takes sudden noises or movements to scare her, and if you dare to laugh at her face…well, there will be dire consequences. She has never fully recovered from the invention of the vacuum cleaner.
She usually wears long, cotton skirts, and cotton shirts, most of them in a style reminiscent of the ancient Egyptians.
Personality: I AM TOO LAZY RIGHT NOW
Likes: Pyramids – they are just so beautiful, and gorgeous, and all of the human slave labour that went into them is just delicious, isn’t it?
Cats, and jackale (not dogs at all).
Books.
Light bulbs – they are very shiny, and bright.
Shiny things in general.
Strengths: Martial arts (she is very agile, as a cat, although she most often chooses to shift shapes, and then flee).
Climbing trees (both as a human, and as a cat).
Reading people (although that is a given, considering her telepathic abilities).
Sitting still for long periods of time.
Weaknesses: Water (she doesn’t much like it, for swimming at least)
Winter, or the cold.
Guns (they scare the hell out of her)
Bears (what kind of sick creature is that, anyways? They certainly don’t have those in Egypt).
Fears: Drowning – a very frightening thing, even though she does not swim, and does know how to swim.
Winter.
Sandstorms.
Dogs.
Vacuum Cleaners.
Mints (ew).
History[/u]
Zahra was born second out of seven children. She discovered her telepathy at age seven (and was thwarted when her younger sister, Kakra, came into telepathy at the age of six, and Jamil came into it two months later than Kakra). As if to console her however, Ptolmey did not receive his telepathy until the twin girls did, by which time he was nine. Zahra picked up shape-shifting quicker than anyone in her family, however, as she had discovered her animal quite easily. It just so happened that her animal was the splitting image of Bastet’s cat form, and Zahra was soon able to shape change instinctively by the age of twenty-five. The closest anyone else in the family got to beating that was Radames-re, the adorable little dumpling, who discovered his animal at the age of twenty-eight. Kakra and Jamil shifted at thirty, and Ptolmey didn’t actually discover that he was a jackal until Idogbe-hu-Heru did, when Idogbe-hu-Heru was thirty-six, and Ptolmey was twenty-nine.
Ptolmey and Zahra got along particularly well out of the six children, perhaps because they were able to learn things and show them to one another as their abilities as both telepaths and shape-shifters progressed. The other children were not ever truly fond of another one (except for Idogbe-hu-Heru, who was constantly on vigil over the entire family, especially after three of their ranks had been eliminated), but Ptolmey and Zahra were truly close. It was because of their age difference, and because they were the most competent out of the group. Jamil and Kakra were more concerned with their looks than Zahra was (although she did spend many an hour in front of a mirror: she is a cat, after all, and to say that her sisters were more concerned said quite a lot), and they rarely practiced anything but their telepathy. Until their mother died, most of the children did not shape-shift whatsoever: they did not feel the need to. Zahra always had had this inevitable feeling of doom, however, and she confessed this to Idogbe-hu-Heru one night, as they were sitting on their rooftop. Idogbe-hu-Heru told Zahra that he had the same feeling, and thus this trio began to hone their abilities. Both as telepaths (they tested their range together, and worked their abilities until they could no more), and as shape-shifters (they would switch forms, practicing their speed, and ensuring that they would be able to do this instinctively), they practiced, for ten long years. Feruku expressed an interest the moment that he was able to shape-shift, and although the three did not have a good feeling about this brother of theirs, they permitted him to practice with them. Radames-re also wished to learn, although the time when he asked to join them was when he was five, and had still not come into his telepathic abilities.
When the lot of them had decidedly reached their physical age (they seemed to grow much slower than the rest of the population: it took five human years for them to gain another year of physical age), they stopped growing, and it was here where the family knit itself together. Often, Radames-re would skulk around the pyramids, frightening away slaves and robbers, and enjoying himself muchly so. Zahra became a temple cat in her spare time, and was accompanied there by Ptolmey, who was a very rare black jackal. His fur had the same sheen to it as Zahra’s did (although it was, of course, not quite as clean: he was a boy, after all), and the two were very pleased with themselves. They found that although eating was certainly a pleasure, and they had much food at the palace, they did not need to eat unless they had shape-shifted too many times in a day, and needed to regain their energy quicker than sleep would have it.
In Zahra’s seventy-sixth summer, day seven of month two, Akhen-aten was murdered. Radames-re was the one to find this out: he had been in beetle guise at the time, sleeping in the rafters of their home, when Feruku entered into the kitchen. The look in his brother’s eyes frightened him, and so he spoke not a word. It was not until after Feruku was gone, leaving both his mother and father dead, that Radames-re dared to leave the house. Khepri was the one he found first (Radames-re nearly got snatched up by his older brother, but narrowly escaped that), and from there, Khepri told Idogbe-hu-Heru, who fetched the lot of them. That night, Feruku died, and did not even warrant a ceremony. Their mother and father though, were mourned for, and after their death, the siblings split up for a little while.
Zahra and Ptolmey remained in the palace, for they were not willing to part. After twenty years, they faked their deaths (and replaced their bodies with a newly deceased cat and jackal), and this was the moment they split up.
Occasionally over the years, they would spend periods of time together, before moving on to a new location, so as not to give away their immortal identities.
However, Shawl, to Zahra seems like a different place. She settled herself into the bookstore with the ever-prickly and weird Jeun, and has been enjoying a leisurely life of annoying Caden and Jeun, and whoever decides to come into the store.
How Zahra fits: She works at the bookstore with Jeun, and wanders the street as a cat.