Had a little bit of time to tinker with a CS, changes probable, and still need to decide on a compulsion, as well find an image. Still, it's a start... :D [hider=Toby] [hr][hr][center][color=#63B8FF][h1]Toby[/h1][/color] [i]Looking for an image...standby.[/i] [color=#63B8FF][i]From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring.[/i][/color] [color=darkgray][b]— J. R. R. Tolkien[/b][/color][/center] [hr][hr] [color=#63B8FF][b][u]A True Name[/u][/b][/color] [indent]Theresa Howell[/indent] [color=#63B8FF][b][u]A Stage Name[/u][/b][/color] [indent]The Brilliant Blue Blaze[/indent] [color=#63B8FF][b][u]The Date One Joined the Circus[/u][/b][/color] [indent]June 20th, 1837[/indent] [color=#63B8FF][b][u]Act[/u][/b][/color] [indent]Toby is an accomplished [color=#63B8FF]fire performer[/color] and regales the crowds that make their way to the circus with breathtaking displays involving the manipulation of fire. Chiefly, her acts center on object manipulation, using props designed to be lit on fire. She has also taken time to master the so-called 'fakir' skills; fire breathing, fire eating, and body burning.[/indent] [color=#63B8FF][b][u]Mystical Power[/u][/b][/color] [indent]As part of her contract with the Ringmaster, Toby has been gifted with the ability to create and control fire.[/indent] [color=#63B8FF][b][u]Compulsion[/u][/b][/color] [indent][i]Still thinking about this.[/i][/indent] [color=#63B8FF][b][u]Why One Joined the Circus.[/u][/b][/color] [indent]"Why did you join this circus, Toby?" Chloe asked, shivering from the cold despite the thick winter jacket that she wore. "I was cold, I needed some warmth in my life," Toby replied, summoning a small flame that danced in the palm of her hand before fading into the darkness of the night. "Oh, come on, Toby, tell me...I promise, I won't tell the others. It'll be our secret!" The laughter that followed filled Chloe with a sudden warmth and for a moment she almost forgot they were trudging through a forest in the middle of a blizzard. Not that one could tell by looking at the Toby, she still hadn't put on so much as a sweater, and her skirt was far too short for a cold winter night. "I suppose this once, I'll make an exception, just for you, Chloe," Toby finally replied, with a mischievous wink. "Yay! So how'd you end up here!?" "I found him, the Ringmaster that is, I sought him out, he had something I needed." "What? Money? Power? Beauty!?" the young girl asked, excitedly rattling off a long list of potential boons. Toby laughed again, patting Chloe affectionately on the head, "No, nothing so vulgar or vain." "Then what did he give you?" "Answers, Chloe, he gave me answers."[/indent] [color=#63B8FF][b][u]A Biography[/u][/b][/color] [indent]"What do you know about her, Perigot?" "Why, my dear Allan, whomever do you mean?" "Toby." "Ah, Madame Toby, but of course. You've taken a liking to her haven't you, you rascal? I can see the fire in your eyes! Passion can a dangerous thing, Allan." "N-no...I-I was just curious! Why do you always have to be so difficult Perigot? Just tell me what you know, please?" "Not much more than you, my friend," Perigot replied with a small chuckle. "You know how she is. She cultivates an air of mystery about her person, as your Dickens would say. She tells a different story every time she is asked about her past." "Yes, but surely you've heard something, Perigot...you've been here almost as long as she has, haven't you?" "Oui, I have, but that only means I've heard more of her stories than you have, Allan." "Sure, but-" "Ah, Allan, brave, foolish Allan," Perigot began, wrapping an arm gently around the youth's shoulder. "A word of advice to you, my young friend, drop the matter before you are burned."[/indent] [color=#63B8FF][b][u]A Connection[/u][/b][/color] [indent]Will add as soon as there are other player characters.[/indent] [color=#63B8FF][b][u]The Audition[/u][/b][/color] [indent] Monsieur Auguste Perigot was impressed, very impressed. Not for the same reason as the villagers that surrounded him, of course not, but nonetheless he was feeling positively inspired. Indeed, he had taken the liberty of examining the props that the woman was using before the show had started and he had not detected the presence of any chemicals that could act as accelerating agents. He was curious as to how she had done it. Managing to light a bonfire without so much as a piece of tinder was no small feet. A slight of hand seemed the most likely explanation, but Perigot secretly hoped for a more fascinating explanation. Caught in his thoughts, Perigot almost missed the young woman softly, almost lovingly, retrieving an ember from the heart of the burgeoning blaze. He marveled at her self-control, even with the proper protective salves, which he assumed she must have applied to her skin, it would have been a most painful action. She let the ember roll slowly over her arms and across her shoulders as she danced gracefully across the open space in the center of the circus ring. Finally, bending her neck and rolling her head slowly, she let the ember dance through her hair, before snuffing it out with a quick touch of her hand. With a playful bow, she turned to face the audience, approaching the fire in the center of the ring as if approaching a dance partner, bowing low, before jumping into the flame without so much as a moment of hesitation. Shouts of surprise and horror filled the circus tent as the woman vanished into the fearsome inferno that seemed to be reaching for the very ceiling. "Ladies and gentleman! Fear not! All is going according to plan!" the ringmaster calmly said and it was only his powerful voice that that kept the panicking audience in their seats. Minutes, long minutes passed before the woman emerged from the brilliant blaze. Unscathed and untouched by the fire, she was merely covered in a bit of ash. However, Perigot could not help but notice that she was distinctly unclothed. The elegant dress she had worn had fared far worse and appeared to be the sole victim of the fire. Smiling broadly to the still shocked audience the woman bowed as a stagehand came dashing out with a cloak that he wrapped around her, restoring some sense of modesty to the performer. A gasp of collective wonder escaped from the crowd, followed by loud cheers, then applause, and even Perigot could not help but be amazed at what he had just witnessed. Leaving his seat, Perigot idly wondered how he could convince the performer to tell him the nature of her act. He had to know... 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