[quote]I'd like to point out that this character is three years old, and somewhat cheesier and, well, not quite up to par as some of the other, more recent, ones.[/quote] [b]Name:[/b] Nishino Tsukasa [b]Age:[/b] 24 [b]Nationality:[/b] Japanese [b]Ethnicity:[/b] Asian [b]Sex:[/b] Female [b]Appearance:[/b] Long, jet black, and wavy hair reaching down to the middle of her back. Often held in a ponytail when working/tinkering. She’s 160 cm (5’2 ft) tall with a slender build, though pear-shaped body; wide hips and posterior, yet a bosom in the lower end of average… or so she wants people to believe. They are, in fact, rather large but are kept it under wraps - literally: Bandages cover her chest and makes them appear much smaller than they actually are. Her eyes are a dark brown, bordering on black, a typical colour for one of her ethnicity. She typically wears a pair of tight fitting jeans and a tank-top that shows off parts of her toned stomach, although she can be seen wearing armour that looks hundreds of years out of date; it’s light and fairly easy to move around with (a smaller and lighter version of the typical Samurai Armour, created by herself). [b]Job:[/b] Tinkerer/gunsmith. She excels in tinkering around with weapons, finding ways to make them better and stronger. This ranges from rifles to melee weapons; if someone wants something, she’ll do it. Or lose her eyebrows trying. [b]Biography:[/b] Nishino Tsukasa was born 6 years after the outbreak, 3006. Her parents were a couple of old constructions workers and had become enamoured with each other while trying to find a place to settle after the world seemingly went to hell. Nishino’s mother, however, became pregnant after the first six years of the outbreak, and soon gave birth to a girl. They had found a relatively safe refuge during their time trying to escape the initial outbreak, and one thing led to another. Her early life was nothing special, if one doesn’t take into accounts the few times that some beast made its way into the compounds. She was somewhat sheltered, something which could be easily explained by just looking at the outside world. Her parents knew how brutal it was outside of the walls. She was a bit spoiled, if anything; being the pride and joy of her parents, after all. When she was around ten, she came across a few books about the age-old japan, the place where she knew her parents came from despite living in the states. She quickly became fascinated with what she learned, especially the Katana and the armour of the age-old Samurai. She studied them extensively, trying to find every small bit of information she could about her homeland for the next five years, be it how to make the swords and armour, the history, of the country, or even the language despite her already having learnt it from her parents. Following her interest in the katanas were the curiosity of other weapons; how did they work? How were they made? That very curiosity drove her to try and tinker with smaller devices herself, from small catapults to fire pebbles with, to a rapid fire slingshot… thing. Her easy life and childlike innocence wasn’t to last, however, as everything came crashing down one day when the refuge fell in 3021. Monster, for there were no other name for them, broke through the meager defences of the refuge and started tearing everything apart. She and her parents were some of the first to escape, taking everything they could carry as they ran. It was a few weeks of tough survival before they found another refuge, a small one that was steadily growing. They got the name from one of the workers; The Refuge. They chose to settle down, her parents choosing the help with the construction of The Refuge, and Nishino continued her studies in weaponsmithing and tinkering, enjoying the peace she now had again after the gruelling few weeks of survival. But even as she had grown accustomed to a somewhat peaceful life again, her world broke apart again only two years later. Only this time it couldn’t be salvaged. She was out and about trying to something to do, perhaps even find some metal scraps that she could try to make a sword -or anything- with. She kept looking for a few hours, at which point she then decided to go home to her parents. What she saw when she entered wasn’t the smiling faces of her mother and father, but the sight of their lifeless eyes staring at nothing as they lay on the floor in a puddle of their own blood. She didn’t even notice the thugs rummaging through their house for whatever food and useful items they had before guards came rushing through the door behind her and apprehended the men. She found out later that her parents’ murderers had been exiled, and that they had broken in to steal food since they had nothing themselves. She didn’t believe it, or rather she simply didn’t care. The two people closest to her in her life had been slaughtered for [i]food[/i]?! That day, the kind and curious girl disappeared, leaving a shell behind that didn’t seem to care about anything but working on weapons and other devices. She continued her studies in weaponsmithing, trying to find as many blueprints for weapons as she could and learn how to make them blindfolded. She became withdrawn and pushed away most of the people that tried to get close to her, letting only a handful of others know how much her loss had wounded her. She reasoned that if she had been there with her parents, she could’ve protected them. She knew how to handle a sword; she could’ve kept the men away. Why was she away when they needed their daughter the most? Weapons, she thought, could protect her. Weapons, she knew, could protect others. She dove into her work, soon becoming one of the best tinkerers and weaponsmiths of the Refuge. [b]Skills and Talents:[/b] Some skills in hand to hand combat. Extensive knowledge of weapons, both melee and ranged, as well as how to pick them apart and put them back together, and how to use them. She has also dabbled in old-school blacksmithing, using modern tools however. A bit of knowledge of electrical engineering, the main purpose being to use it for her weapons. [b]Primary Skill:[/b] Show her a weapon, of any kind, and she’ll have figured out how it works within a few minutes, and possibly even with one or two ideas of how to improve it at the same time. [b]Hobby:[/b] Blacksmithing. As old-school as it can be; hot coal iron, hammer and anvil. She finds herself using modern piston-hammers often, however, since it’s simply much, much easier. Bomb-making. While her focus is on weaponsmithing, she finds some joy in making things that “Go boom”. [b]Talent:[/b] Swordsmanship - Kendo, specifically. Moving quickly and silently - sneaking, Basically. Steady hands. [b]Negative Trait:[/b] - Appears somewhat apathetic, as if she cares more about her own survival rather than that of others. It’s mostly true, but she’s simply withdrawn and difficult to get close to. “If I don’t get attached to anyone, I won’t get hurt when they’re gone.” - Blames herself for her parents’ death. [b]Gear:[/b] - 70 cm Katana - 60 cm Katana - Held in thicker sheath than the other. There is an empty room between the inner and outer “wall” of the sheath which is filled with a highly flammable and long-lasting oil. Small vents inside coats the blade in the oil, and a button on the hilt of the sword ignites a small spark at the base of the blade, igniting the oil and giving her a flaming sword for a minute or two. A safety mechanism makes it so that the button can’t be when the sword is in the sheath. - 25 cm Wakizashi (a short version of the Katana) - Canteen of Slush x 2 - Canned Food x 3 - Toolkit with spareparts for various weapons & few materials for bombs - Enough materials for 3 more bombs, regardless of which type. - 2 x Frag grenades - 3 x Smoke Grenades - 2 x Incendiary Grenades - Small bag attached around her waist for the bombs. - Long-range Sniper rifle. Incredibly accurate but with a lowered fire-power. - 20 armour-piercing bullets - 40 normal bullets - Semi-Automatic Handgun - Medium fire-power, medium accuracy. Magazine size: 12 - 62 bullets/6 full magazines - 3 x Roll of bandages - 500 ml of the oil for her Flaming Katana - Bagpack for carrying her items. - A pair of rarely used safety goggles