[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/jwekI9w.jpg?1[/img][/center]
[b]Appearance:[/b] 
[hider=Description]Standing at 5'8'', Sylvia is taller than some, but certainly isn't the most imposing figure to approach. Her figure is one of a toned athlete subjected to years of the complacency that comes with a stressful job and the wear and tear that come with age. Resulting in several pounds of fat accumulated over still existent muscle, giving her a slightly 'plump' form. 

Aside from the odd crack of bone or groan upon movement her body is generally free of the wrinkles that begin to appear around her age. Although, with rising of the dead, she has begun to spout a few more silver hairs.

Sylvia has several tattoos on her back, legs and upper arms from her youth, she tends to keep these covered up with the black slacks and suits stereotypical to politicians and business women.[/hider]

[b]Name:[/b] Sylvia Velázquez
[b]Gender:[/b] Female
[b]Age:[/b] 41

[b]Medical Ailments:[/b] N/A

[b]Nationality:[/b] Nicaraguan-American

[b]Occupation prior to apocalypse:[/b] Chicago City Councilwoman, Green Party Representative

[b]Four Week History:[/b] Slyvia doesn't even remember what meeting she had been flying to... or from. She spent the bulk of the last 4 weeks at the airport, trying to help maintain some semblance of order when she wasn't working her way through the alcohol of the airport. While not quite a leader, she was effective enough at recognizing the strengths of others and delegating roles accordingly that she was able to survive the bedlam that erupted as time marched forward. Long enough to make it to the bus with others.

[hider=Extended Bio no one needs to read]Originally conceived in Nicaragua, Sylvia's parents were part of a large group of upper class citizens who fled the country to escape the violence of the the Nicaraguan Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, and came to the US, allowing their daughter to be born into American citizenship. Sylvia only learned of her parent's native country through stories they would occasionally tell to her, and as she grew this would serve as a barrier between her and her parents. She was. quite literally, a child of the revolution.

Her parents spent her childhood working, maintaining their high position in society, leaving a young Sylvia to be raised by the private education system of California, and friends. In her early teens the extra educational opportunities her parents had bought her had thrown her several years ahead of most other students her age allowing her to graduate nearly 3 years before the typical college age. During this time her life took a major turning point as she was introduced to radical philosophies that would eventually become central to the woman she is today.

Sylvia became more and more immersed in Californian youth culture during her hiatus from school, and by the time she did start school, she had already joined up with the Black Panthers and practically lived at a commune. Her parents disapproved of this lifestyle, not wanting to be shamed for having a domestic terrorist as a daughter, and ultimately gave her a choice, between her beliefs and greater schooling. It's a decision Sylvia regrets, as she kept the radicalized beliefs, but she chose to have her parents continue paying for her schooling, at the cost of the meaningful relationships and beliefs in her life.

Politics weren't her first passion, but she figured she could change the world, perhaps at a slower rate than the revolutionary in her would have liked. After Sylvia graduated, she moved as far away from her parents as she could afford-- this happened to have been Illinois-- and there she has remained, moving up in the political world, in the 15ish years since. 

While she quite as openly radicalized as she was in her youth, as an official representative from the Green Party, she's never forgotten the training, trials and experiences from her youth. Part of her was, in fact, entirely overjoyed at the fall of the US government. Of course, that part only got five seconds to vocalize it's ideological victory before fear of the shamblers took over.[/hider]

[b]Items of Interest:[/b] [url=http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=18432971]Large leather messenger bag/purse[/url]-[list][*][i]Food/water:[/i] 1 bottle of wine (re-purposed and filled with water) (0.75 lbs), 1 bottle of absinthe (1 lbs), half eaten box of crackers (0.3 lbs)
[*][i]Misc Supplies (main bag):[/i] 2 changes of clothes (3 lbs), assorted books/records/diaries (1 lbs), pens and pad (0.4 lbs), other personal items (0.6 lbs), several grams of cocaine (-- lbs)
[*][i]Misc Supplies (accessible side pockets):[/i] Accumulated loose ammo (1 lbs), duct tape (0.25 lbs), 1/2 pack of cigarettes and lighter (-- lbs),[/list]

[b]Weapons:[/b][list]
[*][url=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Colt_Detective_Special.jpg]5-Chambered Colt Detective Special[/url]
[*][url=http://images.sodahead.com/polls/000041278/polls_076174645811_2559_494357_answer_5_xlarge.jpeg]Not-quite-sonic Screwdriver[/url]
[*][url=http://www.noze-army.com/img/_vyr_44401ll310.jpg]Pocket Knife (hold out against men)[/url][/list]

[hider=Other][b]Some relevant skills:[/b][list]
[*] Excellent at negotiating between two (or more) hostile parties
[*] Improvisational abilities
[*] Some memory of self-defense, firearm, and explosive training w/ Black Panthers
[*] Above-average long distance runner
[*] Trained in stress management, basic first aid and CPR[/list]

[b]Addition info:[/b][list]
[*] Sylvia exhibits borderline alcoholic tendencies
[*] Sylvia is no stranger to drug use, and may seek out self medication if things get too stressful
[*] Despite being raised in a home with parents native to Nicaragua, Sylvia can only speak so much Spanish. Her parent's reasoning for not teaching her being that she shouldn't have to speak it in a more 'civilized' country, like America.[/list][/hider]