Decided to at the very least make my presence known once more, and post up my WiP.

[hider=Arisawa Sena - The Diminutive Yokai]
[center]Arisawa Sena
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh9lynUFikc]"Moral Support"[/url][/center]

Speech Color: Undecided at the moment, but I'll likely use two forms during IC in order to differentiate between spoken languages.

[b]Character Alignment:[/b] True Neutral

Sena is a free spirit, and not beholden to either side of the hero or villain spectrum, instead tending to look towards her companions and going off their interactions. This leaves her entirely flexible in terms of who she interacts with and lends her minimal talents to. She does tend to lean more towards benevolence as per her religious beliefs, but that does not mean that she would not ally with a villain who befriends her. In fact, it would mean that she would be more prone to helping them especially when as a neutral observer she sees a hero trying to take them down without understanding the pretext.

[b]Character Personality:[/b]

Sena is very little if not honest, having a very particular set of ideals and morals that she holds to regardless of what may be thrown in her face and always keeping an optimistic attitude. That optimism is her defining attribute, an iron-bound will to see the bright side of everything and never let the circumstances tell her she can't do what she sets her mind to. With that confidence her morals of honesty, integrity, altruism and kindness have rarely wavered, even when she has found plenty reason to go against them. Her idealism is as much a flaw as it is her rock, her belief that everyone is good at heart and anyone can be redeemed no matter how far they have fallen may eventually be her downfall. Beyond that, she is an incredibly forward and outgoing individual, thinking nothing of striking up conversation with someone she has just met and offering friendship.

[hider=Appearance]
[b]Appearance:[/b]

Casting a youthful and bright image from first sight, Arisawa Sena is an open book when it comes to her dress and appearance, as well as her mannerisms. Foremost is her selection of kimonos, all of which feature bright and vibrant colors with flowering patterns all across the silk fabric. She is most likely to be found wearing one in particular that remains her favorite, especially in her current circumstances. Made by hand centuries ago by both herself and her mother, the silk fabric bears an ever shifting mural of flowering chrysanthemums towards the bottom of the dress, leading into a flurry of petals that form the night sky and full moon upon her back. The backing of the pattern is a regal purple that fades in hue from bottom to top and is trimmed in silvered filigree stitching a flowering vine pattern along the hem. Of course, since it is silk and weaved through long outdated methods, it is quite delicate and likely to serve very poorly as a defensive measure.

Age: 16
Hair: Waist-length jet-black hair.
Eyes: Distinctly golden in color, with flecks of silver and gold throughout the iris.
Height: 4'6"
Weight: *slap*

At first glance, she seems almost human, with her lithe body and alabaster skin seemingly free of any blemishes and almost pampered. It's only when one gets closer that the silvery sheen begins to be more noticeable, and the elfin ears more prominent.[/hider]

[hider=History]
Born to the main branch of the Arisawa clan during the Heian period, Sena enjoyed life as a noble for many years until the day everything changed for not only herself, but her entire clan. Her early life was relatively easy-going, a childhood full of blissful days with friends and family, nights of stories with her grandmother, and the many lessons from her mother on how to be a proper lady. These years were what shaped her the most, in that she never truly experienced the world beyond the walls of her family's holdings. Defensive training was a game to her, even with how serious her instructor was, but even as conflict became more and more common throughout the region, she never saw it for herself.

The few things she could grasp of the outside world and the people beyond it, were in the few paintings she saw and the visitors that came to pray at her family's shrine. Such times were always her favorites, as she loved taking the time to talk to those who had traveled often enough from across the island, just to pay homage to the deity. More often than not, she would find herself being picked up by her guardian Katsu, and brought back to the family quarters all the while smiling and waving at the confused visitors. Despite being lectured by her mother on the folly of her actions, the young girl never could understand the need for caution when it came to outsiders, as she had only her family and the surrounding village in terms of daily interaction. That was until her teen years, when she had come of age and the elders of the clan had chosen her to be the heir to the clan.

For her entire life up to that point, she had thought that the world ended beyond the horizon, and that everyone was like her and her family. A sheltered life had raised her into a naive woman, ignorant of the perils of the outside world, one that she was to be introduced to quite rapidly as the heir to the Arisawa clan. Before that however, Sena endured a year of rituals and spiritual guidance from the elders, most of which she has no memory of yet intrinsically changed her in ways she couldn't understand. Then at the eve of her sixteenth birthday, her mother Shizune told her of the Eternal Path, and the role she would play for their clan.[/hider]

[hider=Powers and Abilities]
[b]Hero Type:[/b] Mystic

[b]Power Level:[/b]

At this stage of her life she would most likely fall under the street level category, as she is far from capable in terms of combat, and her healing abilities are quite limited. Once the seals on her mind and body are broken however, the upper limits of her abilities are quite beyond that, and could be reaching into world levels. That all depends entirely on how she grows as a person in the interim, and how she attains those powers.

Origin of Powers:

Once just one of many, Sena is the last of a bloodline that lasted a thousand years before being wiped out by a rival clan in order to retain control over the imperial crown. Her family originated from a group of humans living within the forests at the foot of Mt. Yotei, many just simple farmers doing the best they could to work the land and feed their homes, but others devout worshippers of the spirits living atop the mountain. These spirits had long existed in the Hokkaido region, as well as throughout other lands, but that mountain in particular had been a nexus of sorts for them, a place to find their center and freely interact with the mortal realm. The Arisawa clan, as the people who had been living in the region for centuries already, were often those who interacted most with the Yokai.

While the Yokai themselves were a rather broad group of spirits, many rather ambivalent towards mankind if not hostile, those of Yotei in particular enjoyed the company of mortals, so much that it was not uncommon for intermingling. Eventually the practice became common enough that the largest clan among them chose to formalize a union between them and the Arisawa, so long as the humans and their descendants continued to safeguard the mountain. As time went on, the powers of the Yokai became more and more prevalent among their mortal progeny, leading to the clan becoming almost entirely composed of half-humans by the time of the rise of the first Emperor of Japan.

Knowing that other clans in the region were beginning to fear the increasing number of magically gifted individuals among them, Arisawa Sakuya made an appeal to the imperial family. In exchange for yearly tribute to the Emperor, in not only material goods but also spiritual advisors, the Arisawa were granted protected status within the lands under the premise of their supposed connection with the Kami Konohanasakuya-Hime. This accord allowed their clan to continue living in peace under Imperial rule until the mid-Heian period when they vanished without a trace, and nearly all records of their existence lost to the vagaries of time.

[center]- Powers -[/center]

[i][b]The Jade Mantle:[/b][/i]
The most prominent of her powers is the one that is always present and active, the aura that surrounds her and subtly acts on the minds of those around her. Anyone subject to psionic, telepathic or other powers which factor in willpower find themselves inexplicably just a little more pleased with life and optimistic. Her aura literally radiates her own joy for life and suffuses those around her to lift their spirits and push back dark thoughts for as long as she remains in their presence. She is, however, completely unaware of this power, and unable to control it, as it is her subconscious mind tapping into metaphysical energies and exerting force on the world around her. The range of the power is 30 meters under normal circumstances, and effects linger for roughly 24 hours on normal human minds, though those with mental training may see either diminished impact or be completely unaffected altogether. More importantly, it is her attitude that directly affects the power. Should her mood shift, the emotions radiating from her may see a drastic shift in alignment, as well as the strength of the aura.

[i][b]The Shroud of Dreams:[/b][/i]
Perhaps her most powerful gift, is the one that has been passed down her family line from generation to generation to the first born daughter of the main branch. The origins of the Shroud were forgotten even during her time, but it had long been suggested that it was a way to ensure that there was always an heir of the family and a way to keep the bloodline alive. It is a two-part power that both draws passively on the mystical energies of the aether, and in very particular circumstances will directly activate pre-arranged channels for a sudden surge of energy. Passively, it keeps the holder in a state of slightly enhanced regeneration, allowing them to mend their body easier after injury, fight off disease and halt the aging process of cells. It was that latter ability that gave the matriarchs of her clan the moniker of "The Eternal Empress". Actively, the Shroud only comes into play during the most dire circumstances when her life is in immediate danger. When a killing blow is about to be struck, a series of channels within her mind open and allow a surge of aetherial energy to suffuse her body, creating an instantaneous barrier. This barrier however, is not intended to shield her body from the attacker, but rather from intense temporal forces. Before the blow can connect, she is hurled forward in time at significant force to emerge in a completely different era, and possibly even a completely different place. The Shroud is not without significant cost however, for the trauma of being suddenly ripped from normal space and time is great even with a barrier, and will always leave the holder severely exhausted both mentally and physically as well as bodily injured. Once recovered, she must also renew the channels to the aether that were burned out from the force of energy, this done over a short period of time through ritualized prayer to her yokai ancestors and her clan's patron Kami.

[center]- Abilities -[/center]

Strength Level: Subpar
Speed/Reaction Timing Level: Normal Human
Endurance at MAXIMUM Effort: Normal Human
Agility: Normal Human
Intelligence: Slightly above average
Fighting Skill: Minimal defensive training

Resources: Her endless optimism and winning personality.

Weaknesses:

Sena, for all of her abilities and charming personality, is not a fighter in the slightest. Even with self-defense training from her youth, she is simply no match one on one with anyone of decent skill, and the best she can do is delay them until an ally can arrive to assist her. Any kind of offensive skills she has are also locked behind mental barriers and physical seals, requiring unique circumstances to trigger them, and usually leaving her on the sidelines in any real engagement. Her near-uselessness in combat is not her only hindrance, for her personality while endearing to some, can be her most dire weakness. She's incredibly naive to the workings of the modern world, has an idealistic outlook on life and people in general, and all it would really take is for someone to buddy up to her and she would believe them in a heartbeat for their word. In fact, her only flaw worse than that is that she can't speak a word of English.
[/hider][/hider]
[hider=Sample Post]
"What is he like, mother? Is he nice?"

The woman sighed heavily, glancing over at her younger daughter and wondering just how she would fare once in the world beyond.

"I'm sure he is, Sena." Her mother held the same expression she always had when talking about the outside world, the one that foretold a lecture over staying cautious and thinking every action through carefully. She wanted more than that though, indeed she yearned for it, to know of everything the world had to offer and venture out just like her uncle Katsu often did. All her life had been spent behind wood and paper walls, only rarely getting to speak to travelers. Granted, such occasions had almost always been interrupted by Katsu, but she didn't hold anything against him for it, since he often used such times to tell her stories of his latest journey.

Katsu wasn't here tonight however, it was just her and her mother Shizune walking along the deck of the main home in the moonlight. "My dearest daughter, you know the importance of this arrangement as I have striven to teach you as much as I could of the dangers beyond our walls. You are young and unlearned of the evils of mortal man." There was the lecture, just as she had expected. Too many times had she heard her mother talk about how dangerous the travelers were and the people beyond the horizon. She was just as human as they were, it shouldn't matter that their ears looked different, or that her eyes were the color they were. Yet to mother and Katsu, the round-eared people only thought of her clan as below them.

How strange it was that it was her own family that locked her away and kept the outside world hidden while claiming to be protecting her. After all, how could she truly be in danger from something that knew nothing about her. "Sena, please dear pay attention." The woman's fingers snapped in front of her face, bringing her to realize that she had let her mind wander a little too much in that instance. "When Katsu comes back in the morning, you will need to be ready to leave with him. I thought you were eager to see the world beyond our walls? Have you had second thoughts on this arrangement?"

"I am eager, mother, and I already have everything packed into baskets as you instructed. It's just… I didn't really expect this to be the way I would see the lands beyond home." Sena went quiet for a moment, looking up at the moon and to the countryside beyond. "Can't you tell me anything about Lord Ira? I know how important this is for our clan, that the Fujiwara don't like us for some reason and this will work towards bringing us closer together, but what if he doesn't like me?"

It was clearly not the question her mother was expecting, but it was one that was weighing on her quite a bit even though she doubted much about the supposed ways of the outsiders. She knew nothing about Fujiwara Ira, except that in less than a month they were to be married in order to establish ties between the clans. Such an action that she had agreed upon, though with some insistence from her grandmother. There was a very real fear that she would travel all the way to Kyoto only to find that he desired a more learned woman, or one who was taller. Katsu was partially responsible for that latter fear, as he had often lightly mocked her for her stature and spoken of the geisha with their shapely forms. He wasn't here though, so her mother couldn't quite berate him for more irresponsible stories.

"Darling, you are a woman and have been shown how to behave properly as one. All of your lessons over the years have been towards ensuring that one day you would be able to act as matriarch of the clan one day, but also as the ideal wife to the man who would find your side. Do not fret over such things without-"

Shizune's words faltered as a commotion arose on the outskirts of the village and small lights flickered on the horizon. "Mother, what are those lights?" Her question was quickly answered by the unexpected entrance of her guardian Katsu, looking much like he had run all the way from Kyoto in one night. "Both of you, to the shrine. Now." The tone he used shocked them both, and just then both women noticed that his sword was drawn and already bloodied. Danger had come to them, and the fires in the night no longer seemed as distant as they were.[/hider]

I'll work some more on it over the week and as I do some more research on things, but do keep in mind my writing speed is glacial :<