E-mail: roseyru (at) gmail (it's dot) com
AIM: Pinagal
Website: Um, technically it's www.eiri.net, but, well, there's really nothing there. I really need to fix that at some point.
Character Desired: Sailor Mercury.
Civilian Form
Name: Anika Sini Pakkanen
Anika: Form of 'Hannah', meaning 'grace'
Sini: Finnish, meaning 'blue'
Pakkanen: Finnish for 'frost'
So put together, it's something like "Grace of the blue frost"
Kingdom: Eighth Kingdom.
Age: 18
Birth Date: 26 Snow Moon/Capricorn
Occupation: Formerly, Anika was a seamstress for the family business. Now, she's a full-time traveler, which causes her to run into scrapes on a somewhat regular basis. So she's kind of like the Doctor, but without the blue box and with a stuck-up reindeer for a companion.
Likes:
Warmth: Damn straight. There's nothing quite like warming yourself in front of a fire, or wrapping yourself up in blankets, or doing other warm comfy things to protect yourself from the bitter cold outside. Especially when you come from a place that's classified as bitingly frigid 95.4% of the time. Anika has little fantasies of picking up everything and moving several hundred miles south.
Comfort Foods: Travel foods also fall into this category. We're talking things like rich meat pies, dishes with lots of potatoes, hearty breads, cheese, apples (oh, rare, glorious apples!), and so on. She really likes things that are meant to be filling and satisfying and keep you going for a while, while at the same time putting some fat onto your bones. Not only are they tasty, but they last a while, and she finds them quite useful whilst traveling, especially when she's between villages and food's hard to come by. Cucumber sandwiches are a waste of flour.
The New and the Unusual: It's a big big world out there, and Anika's really only just starting to explore it. Yes, she's on a mission, but that's no reason why she can't enjoy the ride, right? She's fascinated by things like oranges and green forests and all this newfangled technology that's popping up everywhere. Anika'll ask a bajillion questions if something particularly piques her interest, until she feels she's sufficiently learned all she can. She's incredibly curious, and if she gets to see something new or different that she hasn't seen before, then it's been a good day.
Flowers: To Anika, flowers are a rare, beautiful thing, one which she barely saw in the frozen north. The flowers that can bloom in the Eighth Kingdom are few and far between, and usually only seen in the spring, heralding the beginning of a brief reprieve from the endless winter. Always a good thing. And so, they are rather precious to her. As a result, getting the chance to see the wide, varied varieties of blooms that exist outside of the Eighth Kingdom is a great thrill for her. Despite that, her favorites are, still, snowdrops and daffodils, the normal heralds of spring in the Eighth Kingdom. She and Karin made a game out of who could find the first flower of spring.
Scary Stories: There's a limited number of things one can do for fun in the middle of an endless winter. One of them is part of the reason why Anika has so many siblings. Another is having competitions late at night to see who can come up with the most spine-tingly, friend-clutchingly, pants-wettingly scary story imaginable. It was a popular pastime for Anika and her brothers. She has heard (and come up with) some good ones in her time, and relishes pitting her storytelling abilities against others about woodsmen whose disembodied heads moan in the night and children with their mouths sewn shut for talking too much. Her biggest victory was when she made big brother Petri have to sleep on his stomach for a month after telling a story about huge mosquitoes that suck your stomach out through your belly button while you sleep. A good way to get on her good side is challenge her to a storytelling contest, and sufficiently hold your own against her.
Dislikes:
Excessive Warmth: And here's where reality sets in. Much to her chagrin, Anika's incredibly thick-blooded, and if the temperature outside gets much beyond 75, it starts to get a wee bit hot for her. 85, and it's starting to get mighty uncomfortable. Anything more than that? Kill her now, please. She's very intolerant of hot weather, and gets very complainy about it very fast.
Mirrors, Mirrored Surfaces, etc.: For starters, it's not nice to look in a mirror and have it confirmed for you that being on the road doesn't exactly do wonders for your appearance, even if such things aren't high on your priorities list. Secondly, there's something kind of treacherous about reflective surfaces--you can't see what's behind them, if there's anything. Of course, the fact that it was the removal of a reflection and the revealing of what was underneath that led her to hurt someone she was fond of and strike out again into the world has nothing to do with this particular reason. Thirdly, seeing herself in the mirror automatically draws her gaze down to her neck, where the necklaces reside. They automatically remind her that she still hasn't found Karin, and that she doesn't know where she is, which is pretty darned agonizing to be reminded of. While Anika could always just take them off, well, she's stubborn when it comes to such things, and prefers to just not be unexpectedly reminded they're there (besides, she might lose them if she takes them off). When she finds out that it was a couple of pieces of an evil mirror that drew Karin away, that'll be just one more reason not to care for reflective things.
Waiting: When Anika decides to do something, she doesn't want to wait around to get to it. She's a bit of a go-getter, and hates wasting time sitting around twiddling her thumbs, not when she feels (and not necessarily whether or not she actually can) she is able to take care of something *now*. She doesn't exactly have endless patience, and if she has to wait until nightfall because that's the only time to do something, she'll be an antsy, jittery little thing until it's time to go and take care of it, because OMG we can do it let's do it now now now now now we're wasting time why are we not doing it yet?!? When she gets like that, it's a good indicator you need to give her something to do to distract her from the severe lack of DOING.
Etiquette: 90% of it Anika finds to be a waste of time. Issues of etiquette are about the only realm Anika is unfamiliar with that she veers away from. Yes, saying 'please' and 'thank you' are good and all, but do you *really* need to scoop away from you when trying to eat soup? Just eat it, damnit!
Gardens: That is not to say she doesn't like flowers, because, well, she does. However, gardens bring up some painful memories involving forcing herself to leave a place where, she has to admit, she was quite happy. She has a tendency to get melancholy and despondent in kept gardens, and tries to avoid them when possible.
Royalty and Other High and Mighties: Considering that her kingdom is turning into a giant populated popsicle, and Queen Lumiveri hasn't done a gosh darn thing about it, yeah. Anika doesn't hold much love for royalty and other people in positions of power, because it seems to her that they just squander it, and the people suffer for it. As a result, royalty and other such people get a heaping helping of disdain and distrust from her, have to work quite a bit harder to earn her respect.
People Looking Down on the Clueless Backwater Girl (i.e. Her): Thanks to the fact that she's lived just about all of her life largely isolated from the rest of the world, Anika is woefully unaware of the general state of things, the customs each region has developed, even which Kingdom it is exactly where all those beanstalks run amok. She is learning, though, and as such, when somebody looks at her with that sort of "Geez, don't you know *anything*?" look on their face, she gets a little bit irate. She's *trying*, thank you.
Hobbies:
Knitting: Just about everyone in the Eighth Kingdom is taught to knit at an early age, and Anika's no exception. Not only is it a good way to while away the long, cold hours in the middle of winter, but it's incredibly useful for making warm clothing, such as scarves and mittens and the like. While Anika isn't the most skilled knitter in the world, she's fairly decent, and is able to throw at least a couple little decorative flourishes into her work when the urge hits her. Since she used to knit exclusively from wool and other animal fibers, finding yarn made from exotic things, like cotton, fascinates her. While she doesn't get to knit nearly as often anymore, she'll occasionally make little things, like hats, socks, warm woolen mittens, and so on. They're almost always sold to help pay for supplies, to sweeten the deal of a clothes trade, or other such transactions.
Daydreaming: Not much to do on the road, usually, other than think a whole lot. So, Anika's taken to withdrawing in on herself a bit and trying to imagine different things, like what her family's up to, where Karin might be, whether or not it'd be possible to grow a twelve-pound potato, and so on and so forth. Her most favorite thing to think about at the moment is what she plans to do when she finally finds Karin. She's thinking that either she'll chew her out for leaving her and even *thinking* that Anika wasn't going to meet her at the river, or hug and kiss her senseless. More than likely, though, what'll actually happen is that she'll just sob a whole lot.
Singing: The other thing Anika does whilst on the road. She never had any formal training, but her alto voice isn't entirely unpleasant to listen to, soft and possessing a certain degree of richness. When there isn't anyone else around, and she's starting to feel a bit lonesome or down, she'll sing to cheer herself up again, singing songs from home, snatches she's picked up in her travels, and other little ditties. Since Stribog came along, Anika doesn't indulge in it quite as often (especially since Boggie's quite the critic), instead singing when by herself, or humming very, very softly. It's kind of her secret hobby, as she would be embarrassed as all get-out if someone caught her while she was in the middle of a song, and possibly feel the need to do some decking if it was brought up. How dare you suggest she sings. Really.
Window Shopping: Anika is no spendthrift--she can't afford to be. However, that doesn't stop her from wandering marketplaces and shops and the like in the places she passes through. She loves seeing what it is that people usually buy in that particular area, what's new and exciting, and so on and so forth. She's more than happy to listen to the merchants ply their wares, but, well, not buying anything has a tendency to get on the seller's nerves. Luckily, she doesn't hang around long enough to gain a reputation as a bad customer.
Aspirations: First and most importantly on Anika's list, find Karin. After that, she fully intends to settle down with Karin somewhere and just live her life the way she wants to. Preferably somewhere where it doesn't snow 330 days a year.
Friends and Family:
The Important Ones
Karin Haamu - 18 - Anika's bestest friend in the whole wide world. The two originally met via the timely intervention of Anika in the face of Lauri and Petri giving Karin a hard time. They've been closer than peas in a single-room pod ever since. Part of the connection is due to the fact that they balance each other incredibly well. Karin is a very gentle, kind soul, soft-spoken, and with gallons upon gallons of patience. She's also very tactile and affectionate, her words frequently punctuated by gentle, reassuring touches. Before their separation, Karin was the staying force in Anika's life, the person who kept her calm and made sure she didn't go flying off the handle. At the same time, though, she's quite timid, and isn't really prone to standing up for herself. Therefore, Anika takes care of that. She's rather protective of Karin, and anyone who has a beef with her will have to go through Anika first. Furthermore, Anika gets rather defensive when Karin's brought up, changing the subject when she pops up, and getting very apprehensive and upset if the matter is pursued, eventually storming off if people don't relent. Anika's harboring some serious guilt when it comes to Karin--she feels that if she hadn't lingered when going to meet her, maybe everything would've been okay, and she wouldn't have disappeared with that mysterious woman. It really, really bothers her that Karin thinks she abandoned her, and is determined to find her and make amends so they can move on with their life together.
Of course, ever since getting some glass shards in her eye and heart, Karin's personality has changed dramatically. She's much colder, crueler, and impatient, with no love for other people, and speaks almost completely in awful and snapping remarks. Her heart's frozen and she only sees the bad things in life, so, yeah, that's enough to make anyone just a little bit prickly.
Karin's most remarkable feature is the fact that she's, well, rather unremarkable. At an average height of 5'5", with shoulder length, mousy brown hair, soft brown eyes, a very kind face, and gentle curves, she doesn't exactly stand out in a crowd. This not only makes trying to describe what Karin looks like incredibly hard for Anika, but also ends up with a frustratingly large number of false alarms. More than Anika would care to admit, she's been told by someone that they had seen Karin, and it turns out it was somebody who just sorta kinda looked like her. Karin is also noted for being an exceptional knitter and seamstress, her work managing to be delicate and intricate, yet strong.
Stribog - Unknown - Mystical reindeer. Stribog apparently missed the class at animal sidekick school where they taught the lesson on being supportive and chipper. He's, well, a bit of a jackass, to be honest. Arrogant and quite convinced of his own superiority, Boggie is brash and not really a very good example of a friendly woodland creature. He's full of pride, and he gets quite indignant if anyone treats him as less than the regal being he believes himself to be. He's also a horrible critic, and complains quite a bit over everything from the weather to how his left hind hoof bothers him. Despite the fact that, as a Relic, he's supposed to be at Anika's beck and call, he's stubbornly independent, and insists on making his own decisions about what he does when. While he can, and sometimes does, obey commands given by the other guardians, you really need to get on his good side before he'll decide you can order him around (food is a good way to break the ice). Luckily, despite his independence, he does have a bit of common sense. For one thing, he generally avoids talking when around folks that are guardians or are otherwise guardian-approved, unless somebody *really* pisses him off.
The fact of the matter is, though, that aside from the whole talking and being-a-Relic thing, Boggie's just your average reindeer, and any altercations you get into with him can be easily defused by a gift of oats or other tasty reindeer-like food, or by offering to brush his coat. He and Anika spar on a very regular basis, usually over things like which direction to take, or whether or not this is an appropriate time for him to go into statuette form (he believes now is never a good time). But, despite his general crankiness, when push comes to shove, he's incredibly dependable, and more than willing to put his back to the wheel. It should also be noted that Boggie gets very, very anxious around wolves (not that he'd ever let on to that or anything).
Despite the fact that he reminds everyone that he's ANCIENT, and deserves to be treated with RESPECT, Boggie can't remember anything before the first time Anika brought him out of statuette form. However, that doesn't stop him from regularly saying that she's the worst person he's been under the command of. The ones before her did such a better job. She usually flicks his ear for such comments. But in either case, whether or not he actually does remember anything (or if he's just being a jackass) is a point of debate.
There isn't much to say about Stribog's appearance. He's a reindeer. He's a decent-sized reindeer, with an impressive set of antlers, but he has your standard reindeer fur and coloring, with doey brown eyes. He's horribly vain, and insists on being kept neat and spotless, even if Anika doesn't quite follow the same levels of cleanliness. For a specific species, he's most likely a mountain reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus). And sleigh bells. He's got sleigh bells. Sleigh bells on bright red straps come standard for a mystical reindeer.
The Supporting Ones
Hermannii Pakkanen - 47 - Anika's father. He's stoic, quiet, and generally fairly distant from the rest of his family, the difficulties of keeping the family afloat keeping him more than occupied. Generally speaking, he handles the finance side of the family business and the assembling of the really tough clothing articles, like boots and such.
Maarit Pakkanen - 45 - Anika's mother. She runs the joint. Maarit's very sensible, and typically more involved in the affairs of her family than her husband. Not only is she basically head of the business, but she does most of the needlework, helped by Eljas, Timo, and Petri's wives, and by Anika and Karin, before their departure.
Eljas Pakkanen - 26 - Brother #1. While he used to be quite the little hellspawn, feeling that his younger siblings were there only to make his life easier, he's thankfully grown out of that, for the most part (he still occasionally puts Anika in headlocks. Jovially, of course). Now, he's become rather mature, being married and having two children. He helps out with the family business, mainly by trapping animals for their skins.
Timo Pakkanen - 25 - Brother #2. Quite possibly the most levelheaded of the group. In fact, it generally fell to him to help keep his siblings in line when they were younger. Now, he's married with three children of his own.
Petri Pakkanen - 23 - Brother #3. Petri's rather brash and argumentative, frequently feeling the need to boss his siblings around. To him, it's his way or the highway. He recently got married (his siblings think he somehow goaded her into the union), and still helps with the family business, usually by going trapping with Eljas.
Luukas Pakkanen - 20 - Brother #4. Usually, Luukas is pretty quiet. However, when he's crossed, he has a tendency to lash out, becoming horribly argumentative. Underneath this is the fact that Luukas is actually quite intelligent, and he has taken a liking to helping ol' Dad with the family finances.
Lauri Pakkanen - 19 - Brother #5. The most angstiest brother, possibly because his name is very nearly a girl's name (his parents were desperate at this point). Making fun of it is asking for a bloody nose. He and Anika used to fight like cats and dogs (and still do on occasion), though they've mellowed out just a bit. His job in the family is basically to help where it's needed.
Edwin Shiveley - 24 - Spell caster. Since he doesn't want people constantly bugging him while he's trying to practice his magic, he lives in a cottage in the woods in the Eighth Kingdom on a patch of ground he's enchanted to make warm year-round. However, he gets rather lonesome. While generally kind, and actually rather intelligent, his lonesomeness makes him kind of desperate for company more fulfilling than a couple of cats, hence why he tries to keep Anika around when he comes across her face down in the snow and saves her. It ultimately doesn't work.
History:
Anika was born the last child of six in a little village on the edge of the habitable region of the Eighth Kingdom. Her parents, Hermannii and Maarit, had a small business making warm, durable winter clothing, such as strong, snow trompin' boots, fur-lined, waterproofed coats, and so on for the populace. They weren't rich by any stretch of the imagination, or even well off, but they made enough to get by. At the time, her parents rejoiced at finally being given a girl, after bearing five wild boys. As it turned out, though, while Anika had two X chromosomes, that didn't mean she couldn't be as brash and difficult as her brothers. Full of energy and hard to keep still, Maarit started her in on needlework early as a way to keep her hands busy when she was getting too rowdy. In a way, Anika was more difficult than her brothers, as being the youngest (especially being the youngest in a society where people have lapsed into varying degrees of despair and are thus hard to roust) required her to be as dramatic as possible in order to get attention. Top that with the fact that she lived with five brothers who frequently used their fists for conflict resolution, and you have a girl that learned how to run with the big dogs at an early age.
Soon after Anika turned seven, her family decided it was time to leave the village and move further south, as the permanent winter was creeping up on them, driving away the animals they used to help make their livelihood. Due to the remoteness of many of the villages, the occupants typically formed very close relationships with one another, relying on the network they collectively created to survive. As a result, their leaving was marked with a lot of friends and tears and well-wishes. And so, the family moved en masse, eventually landing in another, similar village, far enough away from the habitable edge of the kingdom that it would be several years before they'd have to move again.
It was not long after her family had settled into their new home that Anika met the one person who would have the largest influence on her life. Maarit had dispatched her daughter to fetch some bread when she came across two of her brothers, Lauri and Petri, giving one of the local girls a hard time about how she seemed unable to carry an overly large armful of firewood, pushing her to the verge of tears. Feeling the need to protect her fellow female, Anika intervened, standing up for the girl. After a bit of "conflict resolution", her brothers went back home with some scratches, and Anika was sporting a couple of nice new bruises and a snazzy shiner. The girl thanked her, introduced herself as Karin, and, after Anika helped her to carry her firewood to its destination, promptly felt the need to accompany Anika on her bread-seeking journey and back, despite the fact that Anika insisted that no, it was okay, she was perfectly capable of acquiring bread on her own. However, Karin was persistent, and after leaving that night, appearing on Anika's doorstep soon became a regular thing, one that Anika soon found herself reciprocating. The two became rather fast friends.
As the years went by, Anika and Karin's friendship grew only closer. Anika's mother continued to train her in the way of the seamstress, and when it was discovered that Karin had a certain aptitude with the needle and thread, was allowed to join the family business as a sort of apprentice, providing the girls with even more time together. Possibly one of the most significant events that occurred during this time period happened when the girls were fourteen. A traveling (and rather ambitious, considering the location) peddler from the southernmost end of the kingdom wandered into town, looking to sell some wares. Anika managed to happen by, and whilst looking around, was attracted to some simple gold necklaces with flower pendants. She picked out a daffodil one, using her carefully saved funds to purchase it for Karin's birthday. When it came time to present the gift, Karin smiled widely--in a funny (and incredibly, horribly sappy) coincidence, she had bought an identical necklace for Anika. Thus, they became the singular constant item worn on their individual persons, a sort of a symbol for their friendship.
And so, life went on, turning out to be one of the happiest periods of her life, despite the general bleakness of their surroundings. During the darkest part of winter, Anika and Karin spent their free time visiting each other, knitting near the hearth, talking, and daydreaming of a life where frostbite was only a vicious rumor debated by skeptics. Soon, daydreaming became planning, and as the girls neared an age where they could set out on their own, began to make plans to move to the southernmost edge of the kingdom, where changing seasons were a regular thing and there was a bit more sun. They had it all figured out--they could start a tailor shop, maybe live on the upper floor of the building where it would be, and aspire for that whole Happily Ever After thing. To avoid the pain of saying goodbye and the protests against departure and so on (Anika still remembered the brouhaha that surrounded her family's departure years ago), they decided that the best thing to do would be to just up and leave. They planned to meet by the river that ran near the village after everyone had gone to bed, and from there begin their trip south.
The big night came with Anika all packed and ready to go. Feeling a bit wistful at leaving the family that had been such a huge part of her life for so long, and whom she still cared about deeply, she took a final walk around the house to say a sort of silent goodbye to her family as they slept. That completed, she quietly left, going to their preplanned meeting place. She reached it...only to find Karin decidedly absent. After waiting in the cold for a while, she became quite convinced that Karin had stood her up, prompting much kicking of snow banks and feelings of betrayal, and deciding that she would have words with her in the morning. It quickly turned to despair, however, when, in the midst of her tantrum, she kicked up a familiar gold daffodil necklace out of the snow on the riverbank. Now, Anika's new assumption was that Karin had abandoned her and gone on to the south without her. With an impossibly heavy heart, Anika went home to cry herself into a fitful sleep.
Karin's disappearance was noted by many of the villagers, especially marked by the fact that she wasn't joined to Anika's hip like usual. Someone had spotted her heading towards the river the previous night, causing the people to think that perhaps she had fallen in and drowned, not an uncommon occurrence. The assumption was chillingly logical, even to Anika--in her heart of hearts, she knew Karin wouldn't abandon her like that, and she shared Anika's curiosity. It was entirely possible that she was attracted to something on the riverbank while waiting for Anika, and slipped and fell in, perhaps snagging her necklace on a branch in the process. Now convinced that Karin was dead, Anika went into deep mourning, her despair sinking low even for an Eighth Kingdomer.
She remained in that state for almost a week. Then one day, while walking along the river near where she thought Karin had drowned, a sudden wind caught the bright red scarf she wore, unraveling it and sending it in the direction of the river. Not thinking about the fact that the river was dangerous and difficult to cross, Anika ran after it, determined to get it back--it had been a present Karin had knitted for her, after all. And, as expected, Anika learned quite quickly that the ice wasn't as frozen over as she had thought, and fell through.
As Anika struggled for life under the water, certain that she was going to drown just like Karin did, time slowed down for her, and she had a vision, or at least that's what she decided it was after the fact. A figure appeared to her under the water that she could only assume was a river spirit. He said, in so many words, that Karin was still alive, much to Anika's elation, and that he saw what happened to her. Karin had indeed arrived, and while she was waiting for Anika, happened to glance up towards the moon. In the process, a something, something shiny, flew into her eye, causing her to turn away and bend over in pain. In that vulnerable position, a second shiny something lodged itself in her back in about the right place for her heart to be. When she recovered, her demeanor had changed completely--it was cold, callous, even cruel. After pacing about in a huff, she finally shouted out to herself, in so many words, that she figured Anika would be late, and that she didn't really want to run away with her anyway. Her brash and emotional nature was too much for Karin, and living with her would be like living with an aggravated troll. And so, ripping off her necklace, Karin stormed off along the river. It wasn't long after that that a strange woman in a sleigh came along and spotted Karin, coming around to speak with her. The spirit couldn't hear what they were saying, but the end result was that Karin got into the sleigh with the woman, and rode off.
Anika knew Karin. She knew that something wasn't right--she wouldn't act like that. Something had happened to her, possibly related to those mysterious shiny things, and now she had disappeared. Secretly, she kicked herself over and over again. If she hadn't dawdled at home, perhaps she could have arrived and gotten Karin away from the area before those something shinies could have struck her. The spirit went on--if Anika was intent on finding her, he could help. Eagerly, she agreed. He threw a small object at her, saying that she would need it, and then began to tell her in what direction Karin had gone. However, before the spirit could tell her, hands grasped Anika, pulling her out of the river and to safety. The spirit only had enough time to tell her to not part with the object he had given her before she surfaced, having been saved by Eljas, who saw her fall in and came after her. Dazed and starting to suffer from hypothermia, Anika had barely enough time to register that she was clutching an object in her hand, a small carving of a reindeer, before she passed out.
After her recovery, Anika resolved to begin her search ASAP. Once again, she left without telling anyone, this time not bothering with the silent goodbyes. She had a mission. Carrying a pack with supplies, the reindeer carving safely stowed away, and the matching pendants both around her neck, intent on returning Karin's to her, Anika set out to find her best friend, marching resolutely in the wrong direction.
In the early part of her travels, Anika soon learned that the world is a heck of a lot bigger than she had been perceiving it to be. Almost as soon as she crossed out of the Eighth Kingdom, she became exposed to new cultures, new foods, and the concept of warm temperatures (which weren't as delightful as she had hoped, the further south she went). She quickly learned the ways of the road, determining how to barter, which became particularly important when she realized that she would need warm weather clothing as the seasons changed, how to avoid getting mugged (with only a couple of mishaps), how to earn money, which apparently involved taking just about any brief job offered to her (she did everything except sell herself--that's where she drew the line). Everywhere she went, she asked people if they had seen a young woman matching Karin's description. Unfortunately, she was generic enough, appearance-wise, that *everyone* had seen her at one point or another. This little problem became a point of growing frustration for Anika, as each time she followed a lead on someone that might be Karin, it turned out to only be someone that looked like her.
Finally, in a fit of agitation, she decided to journey northwards again, thinking perhaps that Karin had decided the temperatures were as intolerant as Anika was finding them. However, it was a hard winter that year, and on her way she got caught in a nasty snowstorm with no nearby shelter. Having grown up in such conditions, and as such having been taught early on what to do if caught in a blizzard, she likely would have been fine if she hadn't tripped on a hidden branch and fell, hitting her head on a rock that knocked her unconscious. She probably would have frozen to death had not a young man on his way home hadn't happened across her.
When Anika awoke, she found herself in a nice warm bed, her head wound bandaged, and with little recollection of who she was much beyond her name and that she was from the Eighth Kingdom. The man who found her, upon learning she was awake, introduced himself as Erwin, a practicing spell caster. Anika soon learned that he lived by himself in the woods, which allowed him to research and perform spells with minimal interference from locals. His greatest feat was to create a patch of constant warmth around his house, despite the cold environment, allowing him to grow a small garden, which provided him with food. He didn't get very many visitors, though, so Anika was welcome to stay as long as she wanted.
Thus began the second happiest period in Anika's life. Blissfully unaware of her mission, Anika spent her days helping Erwin, doing chores to repay his kindness, and enjoying the convenience of being able to go outside the bubble of warmth if she got too hot. She stayed at his home for a couple of months, growing progressively fond of Edwin over time. It was entirely possible that she would have stayed there permanently if fate hadn't intervened. One day, while working on making some bread, a puff of flour got into her eyes, causing them to water horribly. Seeking some place to wash them out, she wandered half-blind into the garden, making her way to a still fountain. After washing out her eyes, she looked down into the pool of water, noticing something shiny in the bottom of it, previously hidden by the fact that the water was so flat and reflective, now revealed by the rippling water, allowing light to reflect off the object. Reaching down, she pulled out what turned out to be the two daffodil pendants. More than likely, they had been purposefully tossed in there when Edwin had brought her in, though whether it was due to benign or nefarious purposes, she couldn't be certain, and ultimately, she wouldn't find out.
Finding the pendants triggered something inside her, bringing back her memories from before the snowstorm in a veritable tidal wave. Reeling, she went back to her room and had a good cry, grieving over what she was now remembering, lamenting over missing Karin, wallowing in guilt that she had actually been thinking about *staying*, and royally kicking herself over time lost. She withdrew into her room, insisting on being left alone as she tried to make peace with herself and figure out what to do. Finally, two nights later, she made her decision. She could never abandon Karin, and if she went to Edwin to tell him she was leaving, she felt quite certain that one way or another, he would somehow convince her to stay. And so, feeling that it would be best and be the least messy if she just disappeared, she gathered up her things and abruptly left Edwin's home without nary a goodbye.
And so, Anika resumed her journey, spending the next couple of weeks in a bit of a depression. She was back on her mission, but at the same time, she was certain she had hurt Edwin in the process, and that, in turn, hurt her. It was about this time that her icy exterior really began to form, developed from a need to keep people from getting as close to her as Edwin had done, and deterring her from her mission. A couple of months later, thanks to some bad timing, Anika ran into a crowd of bandits, intent on relieving her of her worldly possessions. Of course, Anika, being Anika, and kinda needing those things, wasn't too keen on the idea, particularly when they noticed the shinies around her neck. When the bandits tried to seize her, she fought back tooth and nail. Her valiant attempts at defense amused the bandits, and, upon the insistence on the singular female of their group, they brought her back to their camp. As it turned out, during the struggle, Anika's reindeer statue had fallen out of her pack, and the girl had picked it up. Apparently, her grandmother, a seer of sorts, had been having visions of a tiny reindeer, and wanted to bring both the statue and Anika to her to find out what the heck she was talking about (and to shut the old biddy up).
The grandmother, a fossil of a woman, was elated to have her visions answered. From the Eighth Kingdom herself, the old woman said to Anika that the statue was a very old, magical object, and, with a bit of research into the depths of her jam-packed wagon, produced a pair of phrases connected to the statue. However, she insisted that Anika not try them out until she was safely away from the camp. Bewildered and skeptical, Anika agreed, though half-expecting that it was just a case of the old woman being off her rocker. However, curiosity eventually got the better of her, and once she was away from the camp, tried one of the two phrases on the statue. When it didn't work, she used the other--and got a rather nasty surprise as the statue leapt out of her hand, growing and stretching into a full-sized reindeer. A full-sized, talking reindeer, that had apparently been in mid-sentence over that he didn't want to go back into statue form, not when he was in the middle of a delightful meal of Fourth Kingdom grass. He was quite irate at having learned that he was no longer where he thought he was. Thus was the first meeting of Anika and Stribog. Actually, it was less of a meeting and more of an argument, but nevertheless.
And so, with Stribog in tow, Anika has continued her search, now covering more ground thanks to the reindeer. She hasn't lost faith that she'll find Karin, and tries to not get too frustrated when she comes to yet another dead-end when following a lead on her. Taking on the mantle of Guardian will likely screw up all her plans.
Personality:
Let's start with the face Anika portrays to most. When interacting with the general populace, Anika is frequently seen as a cold and distant person, with an almost (prepare for pun) icy demeanor and a penchant for scowling. It seems like there's something bugging her, but she won't say what it is. If you manage to get on her nerves, which isn't hard, she trades general terseness for biting remarks. In general, though, with most, she tries to limit her interactions. She doesn't want to know you (because, as seen from her history, she might get attached to you, which will be problematic when she moves on), and she tries to make it so that you don't want to know her. She'll usually be polite, but once she feels that you and her are finished, she'll basically shut down, interaction-wise. No, don't try and press her for more, and don't try to be all chummy; she'll give you the cold shoulder, and will (at least attempt) to continue to do so until you leave her alone. She's rather protective of her feelings, and if at all possible, avoids showing them. She feels she's built herself up a nice little wall, and she doesn't want you chipping into it, thank you.
The problem is, it's awfully easy to get through that wall of hers with a bit of effort, despite her attempts to the contrary. By nature, Anika is a creature of extremes. Now, she does have her moments of more subtle emotions, such as contentment or melancholy, but when she feels a strong emotion, she can't not hold it back. If she's happy, she's not just happy, but ecstatic. When she's sad, she'll cry, with tears and angst and the whole nine yards. She lived her early life the youngest of a big family, in a place where people are generally emotionally numbed from living in an eternal winter. So, in order to get anyone's attention, she instinctively adapted to become rather dramatic with her emotions. However, Anika's not acting it; she really does feel it, from the tips of her toes to the top of her head, and is not afraid to express it, be it surprise, fear, or anger.
Oh yes, anger. Anika has just a little bit of a short fuse. She doesn't tolerate stupidity, either from herself or others, and is known to express it rather vocally. If she feels slighted enough, or if she feels a conflict brewing, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional, she'll put up her dukes, ready for a fight. To her, fists are the natural way of solving most problems. Unfortunately, she might not've turned out this way if she didn't grown up with five rowdy brothers. For them, fighting it out was their form of conflict resolution, and Anika quickly picked up on it to avoid being walked all over. Karin's influence has tempered it to a certain extent, so she may try to resolve things calmly and rationally at first, but she usually very quickly degenerates to her old form of 'negotiation', where the one who comes out on top is the winner of the debate. Yeah, she's just a wee bit pugnacious. While this typically worked well in her family and with the general populace, when she comes across people who are a bit more 'refined' and 'feminine', like the stereotypical princess, she's a little at a loss, largely because they simply won't fight back in her standard style. That usually results in frustration on Anika's part, as she can't exactly work the issue out in the way she's accustomed to, the conclusion usually being her storming off in frustration. In fact, the easiest way to win an argument against her is to be completely and totally refined and nonaggressive. It defuses her, and not exactly being the most subtle and eloquent, it weakens her position severely.
While physically impulsive, living in a harsh environment has taught her to be very careful with things like money and supplies, and to make sure she really needs something before purchasing it. In those regards, she's very easily satisfied--as long as she has clothes on her back and food in her tummy, she considers herself good to go. Keeping up a pristine image with things like makeup and the like is way way *way* down on Anika's list of priorities. She's quite practical, and typically judges things by their usefulness first. While this trait can be helpful when trying to determine if a folding shovel or a large spade would be more useful, don't go to her for fashion tips. The girl will unabashedly wear plaid with stripes if the garments themselves will help keep her from freezing to death.
The face Anika shows to the world is icy. If you break through the barrier, you'll find her dramatic personality. However, if you persist past that, weather her mood swings, and manage to gain her trust and affection, you'll find that ultimately, she has a warm, gooey center. At her core, she's a terrible mushmelon, with gobs of love for the very select few that she feels she can express it to. She can be quite cuddly, and has a tendency to be rather attentive. While for most she doesn't really bother curbing her moods, for those she really cares about, she makes a considerable effort. When she's found someone she really likes, she does her best not to scare them away with her somewhat extreme personality. It doesn't always work, but at least she tries her darndest. You have to appreciate the effort. She also shows herself to be incredibly devoted and impossibly loyal--when you make a friend out of Anika, she'll be your friend for life, enough that she'll travel to the ends of the earth for you (literally and figuratively). In a way, her cold exterior is beneficial in this regard. By limiting the number of people that get close to her, she can devote that much more to each one. Her affection is rarely given out, but when it is, it's given out in spades.
Strangely, despite her normally cranky state, Anika possesses a weird kind of optimism. When she's made a decision on the outcome of something, good or bad, she'll be possessed with this faith that it must come to be. Nothing short of beating it into her will dissuade her from this position, which can be both a blessing and a curse. While on one hand, it can be good for morale to have a pillar saying "It will turn out okay.", at the same time, she can't really be dissuaded, even in the face of the situation quite nearly ready to blow up in her face. And when it does in fact do so, she has a tendency to get scowly and more grouchy than normal, assuming it's a minor thing. If it's a major thing, it can throw her into a sort of depression almost. The fact that things didn't turn out right shakes something deep inside her, and she has to work it through herself before she'll be back to her normal, oh-so-chipper self again.
A large part of the reason why being wrong about things rocks her so hard is that she's an incredibly critical person, both of herself and others. However, overall, it is more pointed inwards towards herself. Considering how much time she spends on the road, Anika has learned, when given the time, how to very slowly, very carefully, think things through, mulling over details, going over any flaws that might have shown themselves in previous actions performed by herself and others. Being very thorough can be helpful, such as when analyzing what might have gone wrong when a plan blows up in her face, but she has a tendency to overthink things. Suddenly, she'll start finding flaws, ones that, ultimately, aren't so important, and begin ballooning them until they're horrible gashes, tragic flaws that have no hope of repair. It's in this way that Anika's faith in that she'll find Karin has slowly, inexorably, begun to crack. There's a part of her, deep down, that's beginning to grow weary of traveling, and that's beginning to think that, because it's taken so long, she won't ever find Karin, either because she doesn't want to be found, she's in a place where she can't be found or, (worst of the worse) she's died since Anika began her quest, and that it would be better if she just gave up and went home. These thoughts are almost completely unconscious, but contribute to how uncomfortable she gets when Karin is brought up in conversation.
Switching gears now, Anika is woefully oblivious to how much of the world works. She's been learning quite a bit whilst on her travels, but when you get right down to it, Anika is naive about many a thing, such as which kingdom you can get the best jewels from, and what cuisine exists in what areas. In fact, much of the time she seems like the unwashed, boorish country girl from East Podonk, particularly when she looks at a local dish and goes, "Okay, so, how exactly do you eat this?", or states that etiquette is a big huge pain in the ass. While she may be pretty green about much of the world, she is more than willing to learn, bravely stepping forward when something new presents itself to her. Anika is a very curious individual, and is always fascinated by learning how things work in a part of the world she's never seen before. She loves seeing new places and gaining new experiences. It makes the endless traveling bearable.
While she enjoys wandering about the world, in the end, she has a task to accomplish. Anika is an incredibly driven individual, and when she is on a mission, she is on a mission. If she feels that she has something she needs to do, she'll try to let as little as possible get in the way of accomplishing it. Of course, life doesn't always agree with her on this point, and that sometimes makes her cranky. In a similar vein, Anika is a very stubborn person. When she has her mind set on something, good luck on changing it (especially since in most cases, she'll eventually put up her fists and fight you for the right to say that she's right and you're wrong). Unfortunately, this tendency has sometimes resulted in her getting into some sticky situations, realizing afterwards that she was, in fact, wrong, and now having to deal with the consequences of it.
And finally, her opinions on this whole Guardian thing. Overall, she is not particularly pleased. Firstly, there's the fact that she's on an aforementioned mission, and can't be distracted with having to protect some miserable popsicle of a kingdom, not when she has a best friend to find. While there's a part of her inside that says, hey, these people might be able to help you find Karin, seeing as having several pairs of eyes and brains is better than one, another part says that they'll only be a hindrance to what she needs to do. Secondly, there's the fact that being a Guardian was never in her Big Plan. She just wants to live her life the way she wants to live it, without having to answer to any fairy godmother or mystical force or anything like that. The Guardian thing throws a big ol' wrench into those plans, and she resents that. Anika may not necessarily resent her companions, but the fact that she's been thrown into the same position they're in makes her just a wee bit cranky. Unconsciously, though, she's starting to think it might be a blessing in disguise.
Strengths - Unafraid of new things, optimistic, stubborn, thoughtful, fearless, affectionate (eventually), loyal, practical
Flaws - Stubborn, overly thoughtful, pugnacious, unrefined, icy, dramatic, critical, aesthetically challenged
Appearance:
Anika would probably look better if she bathed more often. As is, extended time on the road has made her pretty scruffy-looking. Much of the time, she's covered in a nice, uneven layer of dirt and grime. She stands at about 5'7", with a lean, muscular figure, built up from lots and lots of walking, but not one that's particularly graceful or elegant. Her hips are about average, and she is about a medium B-cup. She is, however, in possession of some nice, long legs (excellent for hitting male-types in certain sensitive areas if they won't see her way of thinking), and very nimble fingers. Her feet, contrastingly, are pretty well-calloused. Her skin is a pale honey, fair enough that she's more inclined to burn rather than tan. As a result, she typically tries to avoid traveling during the middle of the day to avoid burning (and to avoid the awful AWFUL heat). While we're on the subject of general body, Anika is hot-blooded not only figuratively, but also literally. Her normal body temperature hovers around a low to medium 99, and subsequently seems to always be running a mild fever. It does, however, make her excellent to cuddle up against if you're cold (and if she'll let you).
Her face has rather angular features, perhaps best described overall as 'triangular'. She has a sort of Roman nose, fairly average sized, rosy pink lips, combined with slightly rosy cheeks. She has wide, highly expressive, bottle green eyes, which are capable of moving hearts when she turns on the waterworks, crowned by pale, rounded eyebrows. Her hair is a sort of butterscotch color, stick straight, without much in the way of bangs. More often than not, thanks to her rather infrequent washing and overall lack of care, it's rather stringy and dull. However, when it's given some TLC, it takes on a softer, shinier texture. Her hair has grown unevenly, some locks reaching down to the bottom of her back, but most are situated somewhere in the realm of her mid-back. She typically keeps it pulled back so that it stays out of her face, frequently pulling it back and then plaiting it into multiple braids. Her hair comes out of whatever 'do she's done with it when she becomes Sailor Mercury, much to her chagrin.
Anika has a migrating clothing style, largely because she prefers to travel light, and in order to do so, trades her clothing when the seasons change. As a result, her clothing is rather piecemeal, and she is highly appreciative of good, strong shoes. Ultimately, she'll take what she can get, and as such, has been known to occasionally wear pants and men's clothing. The one thing that doesn't change, however, is the pair of gold daffodil pendants that remain strung around her neck. They're her most precious possession, and if you try and take them from her, she'll defend them tooth and nail. Rob her blind if you want, but leave the pendants alone. Her carriage is, well, less than graceful. She tromps around and steps heavily, more concerned with getting where she needs to go rather than looking good while doing it. She's an unrefined girl from the north, and she looks the part.
Guardian Form
Guardian Name: Sailor Mercury.
Mercury had no formal training of any sort in the way of 'proper' fighting. However, what she lacks in training she more than makes for in experience and enthusiasm. She is a very offensive fighter, subscribing to the school that says the best defense is a good offense. More often than not, she's the first one out of the gate, rushing almost blindly into battle to inflict the first strike. She is, sadly, Leroy Jenkins. In some situations, such a tendency is useful, such as when your opponent is expecting a calculated attack rather than "CHARGE!!!", but more often, really isn't, particularly when the plan involves lots of sneaking around. Depending on how desperate the situation is, she isn't above fighting dirty--if you've got her pinned down and are about to kill her, you can bet that, if given half a chance, she'll throw sand in your eyes and kick you in the groin.
Elements: Snow, ice, travel.
Fable: The Snow Queen.
Raiment: We're going with the provided design here! The primary color is blue (the specific shade being Bondi blue, Hex #0095B6), and the second color is frosty lavender (Hex #BDBBD7). The fur trim of her raiment is white.
Relic: Reindeer.
Yes, this would be Stribog. He basically exists in two forms: 1.) The stuck-up mystical reindeer we all know. 2.) A small, polished, wooden statue, about 5 inches long, carved out of pine in the form of a leaping reindeer. He can be switched from statue to full reindeer form when Anika says the words, "Tule kavio." To switch him back, she says, "Kadot kavio." He only seems to respond if she says the words, and is basically in stasis whilst in statue form, so no spy missions for him. In fact, if he's switched to statue form while he's in the middle of saying something, he'll pick up right where he left off when he's re-reindeerfied. He finds it to be incredibly offensive if he's cut off in the middle of a sentence (and so Anika does it on a fairly regular basis, just to piss him off. They're fond of each other. Really.).
Aside from the fact that Stribog can be transformed into a compact size for easy storage, and the whole talking thing, he's a standard reindeer. He can carry up to two people on his back, and he's got antlers, teeth, and hooves when he needs to lay some smack down. The thing is, he doesn't really respond to any commands about where or when he should lend his smack-laying services--usually, it's only when the impulse moves him to, or if somebody actively attacks him directly (he gets quite indignant about that). Otherwise, you're on your own. He'll be grazing over here.
Powers:
The Icy Grip of Winter: In order to work, Mercury needs to get ahold of her target. She grips them hard and asks, "Can you feel winter coming?". Upon releasing them, the target is overcome with the feeling that they are standing in the middle of a blizzard in naught but their underoos. As you can imagine, it's incredibly distracting. The horrible freezing feeling lasts for about a minute, and if Mercury got ahold of the target on a clothed area, there are no lasting effects. If she managed to touch bare skin, however, the area will be affected with mild frostbite--inconvenient and uncomfortable, but not life or limb-threatening, by any stretch of the imagination.
Frost's Wrath: To perform this, Mercury says, "Don't underestimate the power of ice!", and thrusts her hand in the direction of the target. A flurry of small blue lights appears, shaping themselves into tiny icicles, about an inch long, hurling themselves towards the target. While tiny, they are sharp, and can do some decent hacking and slashing. However, their size and speed prevents them from doing any serious damage, unless they hit the target juuuuust right. While magically generated, they are still only ice, and their ultimate effectiveness is at least partially determined by the ambient temperature. If she enacts this power somewhere in the Eighth Kingdom, the ice is really hard, and the attack is pretty darn nasty. If performed in the First Kingdom in the middle of summer, well, it's like getting hit with light sleet, and is probably more cooling than terrifying. Also, being a physical attack, the icicles can be dodged if you're quick.
Fairy Gifts:
Poor Little Wandering Waif: Probably the most useful of Anika's gifts. Quite simply, while on the road, Anika emits an aura that makes people more willing to help her out when she needs it. It's not foolproof--she can't make a person give up their bed for her just because she shows up on their doorstep. However, a cranky old man who would've slammed the door shut on her when she asked for shelter might now be willing to let her and her companions sleep in the barn, at least.
Portable Freezer: Hello, Icegirl! If given a small container of water or other liquid and a few minutes to concentrate on it, Anika can freeze it into ice. The ability is highly limited, though. She won't be freezing any lakes, the upper limit being about a small bucket's worth (and that's if she's not too tired and given enough time to work on it). From a useful slant, this ability is good to have around when you need ice for sprains and fevers and the like. From a fun slant, imagine the frozen drinks she could help make.
Skating on Thin Ice: Incredibly helpful in the Eighth Kingdom or during winter in general, but otherwise kinda useless. Traveling across snow or ice is no problem for Anika--whereas other people might slip and slide across ice and have to trudge headlong through huge snow drifts, she can run almost gracefully across it without losing her footing on ice or sinking into the snow, being capable of walking atop it. All but the thinnest of ice will hold her up, though if someone tries to follow her and breaks it, she'll have to struggle to keep from falling through as well as the ice crumbles. Water doesn't give her the same courtesy ice does.
Standing in the Snow: Almost completely decorative. Assuming there's enough vapor in the air, Anika can generate a small snow flurry in her immediate vicinity. However, if it's too warm, she'll just end up with some freezing rain. The amount of snow generated isn't enough to collect on the ground, nor is it really enough to significantly reduce the surrounding temperature, but it looks neat. About the most useful it gets is that if Anika concentrates hard enough, she can cause the snow to form and collect in her hand, creating a small, very weak snowball, which can then be hurled vengefully at unsuspecting people (unsuspecting especially if there's no snow on the ground).