Gadgeteer Mikami
06-21-06, 07:36 AM
Name: Reina Mikami
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Height: 5’ 6”
Weight: 127 lbs.
Hair Color: Raven Black
Eye Color: Deep Brown
Apperance:
Not very much concerned with her looks, the Akashiman girl was content in keeping her shiny black hair just a little above shoulder-lengh and her bangs kept to the right. Her deep brown eyes could stare for hours from under thin, rectangular spectacles made especially for her by a friend of her father. Reina's physique was a humble hourglass shape and not overly showy - she likes to show off her brains more than her body above all else. Reina, to put it lightly, was young and vibrant - a young adult brimming with life and enthusiasm.
A girl by heart and a tinkerer by trade, Reina loves to mix and match her clothes so as to give her the widest range of mobility, finess and control. Her favorite outfit consisted of a dark brown shirt with two pockets on each side where she sometimes keep notes and tools for easy access. With the sleeves rolled up beyond her elbows, the lass wears dark, cut-off gloves to keep her hands safe when dealing with any kind of moving parts. She would often only button up two lowest ones, revealing a soiled white T-shirt underneath with light brown trims. Her pants were as practical as they come in Akashima - a rather loose, dark-green trouser reaching down to the middle of her shin, revealing light skin underneath. On her feet are simple hard-sole moccasins made from tanned leather. The soles are rather thin, but just enough to provide a comfortable feel when walking around steel floors and wooded areas alike.
Even though Reina's trousers already have pockets where she can keep her belongings, the life of a gadgeteer was never content with just pant pockets. Slung diagonally on either side of her hip were two leather boxes, about 3x1x4 (LxWxD) where she kept her tools and other trinkets she fancied bringing along. The coin pouch hung casually on her belt where she could reach easily while keeping the darn thing from falling into the machinery she might be working on.
Personality[/i]
Being one who tinkers with machines, Reina loves intelectual challenges of all kinds and never seemed to lose enthusiasm in discovery. However, the girl was not quite like the others of her age since she was uninterested about her appearance as much as her skills. While the other girls were off shopping for pretty clothes and make-up, Reina browsed the workshop of shipwrights and carpenters. This strange affinity to moving devices and such has garnered her the title of "Gadgeteer" among her friends, though Reina herself had yet to create such a device to be worthy of recognition. In truth, she was just free-spirited and inquisitive.
However, the girl frowned upon any sort of direct physical conflict and try to avoid starting fights with anyone. Her free-spirited and straight-forward demeanor, though, sometimes worked against her and ended up getting into a fight herself.
Very few people know this, but Reina is deeply afraid of dogs - especially the large, ferocious Draves.
[u]Weapon:
Steel Fan: Being a person who frowns upon physical combat, Reian carries with her a simple steel fan as a defensive device. Affectionately named "Nami" after a childhood heroine, the fan's main purpose was mostly used to cool herself off on a long hot day than for fighting at all. Still, Nami is without any other usage besides that...
Nami, in short, is a simple folding fan 6 inches in length and about a quarter inch wide, unfurling to form a nearly-prefect semicircle when in use. Although the two outer spokes were made of steel, the inner ones were simple white oak ones, making Nami quite light-weight and fairly harmless in the hands of unskilled users.
Armor:
Asides from the regular clothing she wears, Reina wouldn't wear any form of armour as the gadgeteer sees them as bulky and uncomfortable.
Traits and Skills:
Machinery Affnity: Having been around many kinds of machines, Reina has basic knowledge of how most simple machines work (flywheels, levers, pulley systems and cranks). She does not have the ability to completely control the said machines unless guided by another person with extensive knowledge on the machine.
Tinker: Being near various machines and gears give Reina a slight knowledge on how the various moving parts work together, provided she was given enough time to concentrate and wrap her mind around the concept. She can only understand a few simple machines as of now and can manipulate the various parts that were easily accessible - that doesn't mean she can fix a broken clock, though.
Hadaj's Breaker: A defensive combat artform utilizing circular movement to channel physical energy around the person, buffering the damage that would be dealt while throwing the attacker off-balanced as well. The Counter Art, as it was known among the populace of Akashima, came from the nature of now each wave rolls into one another, throwing objects around in the sea as if it was nothing. At her current level, Reina is only mildly skilled with this technique and uses nami as a helping instrument. She only knows the simple arm-twisting technique out of all the possible "joint manipulation" technique that a Master of this art would know.
This Counter Art can also be adapted to various other small weapons as well to varying effects. Reina, however, can only use this technique effectively with Nami in her hands.
Bad Eyes: Being a gadgeteer does come with a downside. Her eyesight had worsened from observing mechanical parts with the help of a mere candle while she was a young teen and if it wasn't for the special glasses her father's friend had made, himself a glassblower by trade, she would not be able to see anything clearly more than three feet in front of her.
Misc. Items:
Tools of the Trade:
Plier - A simple iron plier, its jaws are no larger than a grown man's thumb.
Wrench - Reina carries with her a set of iron wrenches - 3/4 inch, 5/8 inch and a 7/12 inch wrench.
File - A flat, iron file about the size of her pinky. The rough surface is ideal for smoothing metal edges.
Time-Keeper "Hajime": Essentially a pocket-watch, meticulously crafted by Uncle Hajime of a small Clockworks workshop. The weathered, iron casing bears the relief of the Akashiman landmark - The Crystal Spires. Because of its deep sentimental value, Reina would rather die than to part with this gift.
History
Akashima, a city within the embrace of Combs Mountains to the north (commonly referred to by the locals as Shirayama Mountains, "The White Mountains") and the Great Sea to the east, was a thriving nation within the continent of Corone. Only until recently had it recontacted the outside world after years of isolation in the aftermath of The Demon War. Still, the name was as unknown today as it was in the past.
A growing agricultural nation, Akashima's economy was supported by the vast majority of farmers and fishermen. Yet from this humble land shall arise a new order of workers - those who do not hold themselves in the bondage of the seasons...
~~~
The chilly Autumn winds swept through the lively street on the outskirts of Capital City, a reminder to the populace of the coming winter around the corner. The breeze swept into a small, homely workshop where an old, grizzled man sat working on a devious device under a large glass lens. The old man stirred, glancing up at the counter directly opposite of the door and his eyes noted a familiar face looking straight back at him.
"Hi, Uncle Hajime!" The sweet voice chimed, smiling happily to see the burly elder still busy at work on his new invention. She leaned against the smooth oak counter and eyed the mechanical pieces move back and forth with each beat of her heart, intrigued by what it could be.
"Well, if it isn't little Reina!" The clocksmith dropped his tweezers and, wiping his hands on an old apron around his waist, walked around the counter to greet his frequent visitor. The two of them embraced and he listened to the enthusiastic words flowing out from his eager apprentice.
"Well, that was certainly intriguing!" He commented when Reina had finished telling him about how the fishermen at Yanbo harbor had used simple pulleys to haul a fifty-kilogram catch onto dry land without breaking a rope. "Looks like the lads at Yanbo did a good job with maintaining their tools since last time I checked." He finished with a hearty laugh.
"Umm... Uncle Hajime," Reina peered over her elder's shoulders, eyeing the device curiously. "What's that you're working on?"
Hajime half-turned, but realized just what she was asking about and chuckled humorously. "Well, little Reina, that's a Time-Keeper. It's like one of my clocks I've made, only smaller."
Her eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't believe something as enormous as the pendulum clocks her Uncle Hajime made could fit into something the size of a cookie. "No way, Uncle Hajime! How are you supposed to fit somethig as large a clock into something like that?! Please, tell me! What is it really?"
The grizzled elder simply smiled and shook his head. Reina could see it in his eyes that he wasn't really ready to give away the secret and ceased her plea. Still, the curiosity continually made her turn to look at the wonderful gadget, a sparkle of amazement twinkled in her chocolate orbs.
That's OK... I'll figure it out soon, Uncle Hajime.
~~~
A few months had passed and Reina had just celebrated her 22nd birthday a couple of days ago. She had grown into a beautiful young woman, yet her spunk and inquisitive nature lent her intrigue among the other young men of her age. Still, her mind was obsessed with the strange object Uncle Hajime had been at work putting together and simply couldn't resist going back to the workshop again and again.
Today, however, was a different story.
Yes! I did it! I finally did it!
A figure cut through the early morning crowd, making a bee-line for the respected clockworker of Capital City. In her hands was a small gadget, a brass spring attached to a gear with a small needle spinning lazily around the gear's axis. The young girl bursted through the door, almost colliding against the counter as she came to a halt with the breeze of early Autumn in her wake.
"Uncle Hajime-" Reina enthusiastically called out to her mentor, only to be greeted by her own voice echoing through the silent workshop. Dumbfounded by the eerie silence, she glanced about the deserted workshop. All the clocks had been taken down, leaving a light shadow where the instrument had been for many years. The entire room was bare and unfurnished. A sure sign that its occupant have moved away.
"...Uncle Hajime?"
Reina slowly placed her newly-created device down on the stark countertop and wandered over to where the old man usually sat working on that strange device, her soft moccasin sending light tap tap sounds across the floor. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw a note weighted by a strange metallic cookie sat serenely on the table.
Dear Reina,
I'm sorry to not have told you this before, but I have to go on a journey to a distant land across the sea. I have received news from an old comrade of mine that a new metal was discovered. The dwarves had to keep the news quiet, as the very rumor of its existence might create a drastic fall in metal price and the economy would be in dire trouble.
I'm sorry, but I must investigate this event myself as well. And, I'm sorry I didn't make it to your birthday party. As a late birthday gift, I leave you the Time-Keeper. It was that device you were so curious about. Now, you are its owner.
I shall be back someday, to this very shop you so eagerly visit every day. Do not worry about me, little Reina. The winds of Kazen and the Wisdom of Hadaj shall guide my path back to our Motherland.
May the Lore, The Sacred Beasts and Lady Akashima guide your path,
Uncle Hajime
Reina read the farewell letter, unaware that her tears had smeared the ink even as her eyes went oer each and every word left behind by her mentor. He's... gone...?
She couldn't believe Uncle Hajime would do such a thing to her, leaving her alone in Akashima while he went on a wild adventure in the outside world. But as she sat down on the cturdy wooden floor, contemplating his words over and over again, she finally understood why Uncle Hajime once said that he hated tearful good-byes.
Let's just say "Until we meet again" instead, shall we?
Until we meet again, Uncle Hajime... The gadgeteer wiped a droplet from the corner of her eye, affectionately picking up the Time-Keeper up and marvelling at the moving clock face inside its iron shell. The lass decided as well that one day she will also head out to find her mentor, no matter where he might be on Althanas. Smiling at the pocketwatch, a marvel of technology left behind by the respected clocksmith, Reina whispered softly to it as if it was an old friend. "And I'm not a little girl anymore, Uncle Hajime."
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Height: 5’ 6”
Weight: 127 lbs.
Hair Color: Raven Black
Eye Color: Deep Brown
Apperance:
Not very much concerned with her looks, the Akashiman girl was content in keeping her shiny black hair just a little above shoulder-lengh and her bangs kept to the right. Her deep brown eyes could stare for hours from under thin, rectangular spectacles made especially for her by a friend of her father. Reina's physique was a humble hourglass shape and not overly showy - she likes to show off her brains more than her body above all else. Reina, to put it lightly, was young and vibrant - a young adult brimming with life and enthusiasm.
A girl by heart and a tinkerer by trade, Reina loves to mix and match her clothes so as to give her the widest range of mobility, finess and control. Her favorite outfit consisted of a dark brown shirt with two pockets on each side where she sometimes keep notes and tools for easy access. With the sleeves rolled up beyond her elbows, the lass wears dark, cut-off gloves to keep her hands safe when dealing with any kind of moving parts. She would often only button up two lowest ones, revealing a soiled white T-shirt underneath with light brown trims. Her pants were as practical as they come in Akashima - a rather loose, dark-green trouser reaching down to the middle of her shin, revealing light skin underneath. On her feet are simple hard-sole moccasins made from tanned leather. The soles are rather thin, but just enough to provide a comfortable feel when walking around steel floors and wooded areas alike.
Even though Reina's trousers already have pockets where she can keep her belongings, the life of a gadgeteer was never content with just pant pockets. Slung diagonally on either side of her hip were two leather boxes, about 3x1x4 (LxWxD) where she kept her tools and other trinkets she fancied bringing along. The coin pouch hung casually on her belt where she could reach easily while keeping the darn thing from falling into the machinery she might be working on.
Personality[/i]
Being one who tinkers with machines, Reina loves intelectual challenges of all kinds and never seemed to lose enthusiasm in discovery. However, the girl was not quite like the others of her age since she was uninterested about her appearance as much as her skills. While the other girls were off shopping for pretty clothes and make-up, Reina browsed the workshop of shipwrights and carpenters. This strange affinity to moving devices and such has garnered her the title of "Gadgeteer" among her friends, though Reina herself had yet to create such a device to be worthy of recognition. In truth, she was just free-spirited and inquisitive.
However, the girl frowned upon any sort of direct physical conflict and try to avoid starting fights with anyone. Her free-spirited and straight-forward demeanor, though, sometimes worked against her and ended up getting into a fight herself.
Very few people know this, but Reina is deeply afraid of dogs - especially the large, ferocious Draves.
[u]Weapon:
Steel Fan: Being a person who frowns upon physical combat, Reian carries with her a simple steel fan as a defensive device. Affectionately named "Nami" after a childhood heroine, the fan's main purpose was mostly used to cool herself off on a long hot day than for fighting at all. Still, Nami is without any other usage besides that...
Nami, in short, is a simple folding fan 6 inches in length and about a quarter inch wide, unfurling to form a nearly-prefect semicircle when in use. Although the two outer spokes were made of steel, the inner ones were simple white oak ones, making Nami quite light-weight and fairly harmless in the hands of unskilled users.
Armor:
Asides from the regular clothing she wears, Reina wouldn't wear any form of armour as the gadgeteer sees them as bulky and uncomfortable.
Traits and Skills:
Machinery Affnity: Having been around many kinds of machines, Reina has basic knowledge of how most simple machines work (flywheels, levers, pulley systems and cranks). She does not have the ability to completely control the said machines unless guided by another person with extensive knowledge on the machine.
Tinker: Being near various machines and gears give Reina a slight knowledge on how the various moving parts work together, provided she was given enough time to concentrate and wrap her mind around the concept. She can only understand a few simple machines as of now and can manipulate the various parts that were easily accessible - that doesn't mean she can fix a broken clock, though.
Hadaj's Breaker: A defensive combat artform utilizing circular movement to channel physical energy around the person, buffering the damage that would be dealt while throwing the attacker off-balanced as well. The Counter Art, as it was known among the populace of Akashima, came from the nature of now each wave rolls into one another, throwing objects around in the sea as if it was nothing. At her current level, Reina is only mildly skilled with this technique and uses nami as a helping instrument. She only knows the simple arm-twisting technique out of all the possible "joint manipulation" technique that a Master of this art would know.
This Counter Art can also be adapted to various other small weapons as well to varying effects. Reina, however, can only use this technique effectively with Nami in her hands.
Bad Eyes: Being a gadgeteer does come with a downside. Her eyesight had worsened from observing mechanical parts with the help of a mere candle while she was a young teen and if it wasn't for the special glasses her father's friend had made, himself a glassblower by trade, she would not be able to see anything clearly more than three feet in front of her.
Misc. Items:
Tools of the Trade:
Plier - A simple iron plier, its jaws are no larger than a grown man's thumb.
Wrench - Reina carries with her a set of iron wrenches - 3/4 inch, 5/8 inch and a 7/12 inch wrench.
File - A flat, iron file about the size of her pinky. The rough surface is ideal for smoothing metal edges.
Time-Keeper "Hajime": Essentially a pocket-watch, meticulously crafted by Uncle Hajime of a small Clockworks workshop. The weathered, iron casing bears the relief of the Akashiman landmark - The Crystal Spires. Because of its deep sentimental value, Reina would rather die than to part with this gift.
History
Akashima, a city within the embrace of Combs Mountains to the north (commonly referred to by the locals as Shirayama Mountains, "The White Mountains") and the Great Sea to the east, was a thriving nation within the continent of Corone. Only until recently had it recontacted the outside world after years of isolation in the aftermath of The Demon War. Still, the name was as unknown today as it was in the past.
A growing agricultural nation, Akashima's economy was supported by the vast majority of farmers and fishermen. Yet from this humble land shall arise a new order of workers - those who do not hold themselves in the bondage of the seasons...
~~~
The chilly Autumn winds swept through the lively street on the outskirts of Capital City, a reminder to the populace of the coming winter around the corner. The breeze swept into a small, homely workshop where an old, grizzled man sat working on a devious device under a large glass lens. The old man stirred, glancing up at the counter directly opposite of the door and his eyes noted a familiar face looking straight back at him.
"Hi, Uncle Hajime!" The sweet voice chimed, smiling happily to see the burly elder still busy at work on his new invention. She leaned against the smooth oak counter and eyed the mechanical pieces move back and forth with each beat of her heart, intrigued by what it could be.
"Well, if it isn't little Reina!" The clocksmith dropped his tweezers and, wiping his hands on an old apron around his waist, walked around the counter to greet his frequent visitor. The two of them embraced and he listened to the enthusiastic words flowing out from his eager apprentice.
"Well, that was certainly intriguing!" He commented when Reina had finished telling him about how the fishermen at Yanbo harbor had used simple pulleys to haul a fifty-kilogram catch onto dry land without breaking a rope. "Looks like the lads at Yanbo did a good job with maintaining their tools since last time I checked." He finished with a hearty laugh.
"Umm... Uncle Hajime," Reina peered over her elder's shoulders, eyeing the device curiously. "What's that you're working on?"
Hajime half-turned, but realized just what she was asking about and chuckled humorously. "Well, little Reina, that's a Time-Keeper. It's like one of my clocks I've made, only smaller."
Her eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't believe something as enormous as the pendulum clocks her Uncle Hajime made could fit into something the size of a cookie. "No way, Uncle Hajime! How are you supposed to fit somethig as large a clock into something like that?! Please, tell me! What is it really?"
The grizzled elder simply smiled and shook his head. Reina could see it in his eyes that he wasn't really ready to give away the secret and ceased her plea. Still, the curiosity continually made her turn to look at the wonderful gadget, a sparkle of amazement twinkled in her chocolate orbs.
That's OK... I'll figure it out soon, Uncle Hajime.
~~~
A few months had passed and Reina had just celebrated her 22nd birthday a couple of days ago. She had grown into a beautiful young woman, yet her spunk and inquisitive nature lent her intrigue among the other young men of her age. Still, her mind was obsessed with the strange object Uncle Hajime had been at work putting together and simply couldn't resist going back to the workshop again and again.
Today, however, was a different story.
Yes! I did it! I finally did it!
A figure cut through the early morning crowd, making a bee-line for the respected clockworker of Capital City. In her hands was a small gadget, a brass spring attached to a gear with a small needle spinning lazily around the gear's axis. The young girl bursted through the door, almost colliding against the counter as she came to a halt with the breeze of early Autumn in her wake.
"Uncle Hajime-" Reina enthusiastically called out to her mentor, only to be greeted by her own voice echoing through the silent workshop. Dumbfounded by the eerie silence, she glanced about the deserted workshop. All the clocks had been taken down, leaving a light shadow where the instrument had been for many years. The entire room was bare and unfurnished. A sure sign that its occupant have moved away.
"...Uncle Hajime?"
Reina slowly placed her newly-created device down on the stark countertop and wandered over to where the old man usually sat working on that strange device, her soft moccasin sending light tap tap sounds across the floor. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw a note weighted by a strange metallic cookie sat serenely on the table.
Dear Reina,
I'm sorry to not have told you this before, but I have to go on a journey to a distant land across the sea. I have received news from an old comrade of mine that a new metal was discovered. The dwarves had to keep the news quiet, as the very rumor of its existence might create a drastic fall in metal price and the economy would be in dire trouble.
I'm sorry, but I must investigate this event myself as well. And, I'm sorry I didn't make it to your birthday party. As a late birthday gift, I leave you the Time-Keeper. It was that device you were so curious about. Now, you are its owner.
I shall be back someday, to this very shop you so eagerly visit every day. Do not worry about me, little Reina. The winds of Kazen and the Wisdom of Hadaj shall guide my path back to our Motherland.
May the Lore, The Sacred Beasts and Lady Akashima guide your path,
Uncle Hajime
Reina read the farewell letter, unaware that her tears had smeared the ink even as her eyes went oer each and every word left behind by her mentor. He's... gone...?
She couldn't believe Uncle Hajime would do such a thing to her, leaving her alone in Akashima while he went on a wild adventure in the outside world. But as she sat down on the cturdy wooden floor, contemplating his words over and over again, she finally understood why Uncle Hajime once said that he hated tearful good-byes.
Let's just say "Until we meet again" instead, shall we?
Until we meet again, Uncle Hajime... The gadgeteer wiped a droplet from the corner of her eye, affectionately picking up the Time-Keeper up and marvelling at the moving clock face inside its iron shell. The lass decided as well that one day she will also head out to find her mentor, no matter where he might be on Althanas. Smiling at the pocketwatch, a marvel of technology left behind by the respected clocksmith, Reina whispered softly to it as if it was an old friend. "And I'm not a little girl anymore, Uncle Hajime."