Post by ryota on Nov 21, 2007 15:04:08 GMT -5
Name: Zhen
Age: Seventy-eight
Gender: Female
Group: Fire Nation Citizens
Nation: Fire Nation
Bender?: Firebender
Physical Appearance: The woman of almost eight decades known as Zhen is decidedly petite, as her small frame rises to only to five feet even at her best posture. Time has taken its toll in many regards, considering the fair skin that once covered her body with youthful ductility now hangs from her body. Her bust, which was fortunately only an average size in the first place, now droops slightly, as one may assume that of an elderly woman would. Underneath her wrinkled exterior, though, lies a lean and flexible quality that rivals those mere fractions of her age due to daily yoga and firebending drills keeping her fit. Past a sagging but otherwise flat midsection lies strong abdominal muscles, but the sinewy features of each arm and leg are far more visible to sight. In all, her curves aren't very defined, but matronly hips do remain from bearing three children in the past. Her sloping shoulders never were very broad, but her limbs - more so her legs - are fairly long when compared to her torso. Only a thin layer of fat distributes itself across her figure to insulate her joints, though minor additional deposits at her thighs and rear stubbornly remain. Perched on the ends of tiny wrists, small hands sport a few bluish veins here and there, but her fingernails are sure to be manicured neatly. Feet and ankles of a similar diminutive size carry her proudly, with a spring in every step.
Stretched loosely over her physique is her wrinkled skin, bisque in color, without a single scar tainting its wizened surface. As can be expected, advanced age has granted a variety of creases all over her body and face, as well as a few tiny,pallid liver spots. Since she has never endured much sunlight exposure, her pale skin remains undamaged to a considerable extent, and still manages to carry an overall soft texture despite the wrinkles.
On her round face is the same issue. What are commonly called 'crow's feet' spread beside the heavy lids of her narrow sienna eyes, frown lines crease from the edges of her mouth, and her cheeks sag almost past the gentle curve of her jaw. A low forehead also bears a few shallow folds and, on the lower reaches, a set of thin eyebrows, while the high bridge of a small nose slopes outward from her features. Her lips are slender with a faint carnation tone that matches a natural blush on her cheeks, though she may accentuate either of these locales with cosmetic powders and juices. Her small ears are ever-so-slightly pointed at the tip, while a wide array of earrings made from many precious materials adorn the lobes. Unflatteringly comparable to that of a turkey-duck, wrinkles reach from her chin and down her neck before fading away at her collarbone. Her elderly countenance conveys plenty of expressions, but always reverts to the same calmness and composure she considers a blessing from the spirits.
Now white like snow as opposed to the former darkness of a coffee-bean brown shade, thick strands of her straight hair fall neatly to her waist. Diligent care has kept her tresses in good condition, though the texture is innately a tad coarse, dull, and dry, leading her to sometimes comb in drops of fragrant oil for sheen and a aroma. The good bulk of her hair is loose, except from her eartips upward, where they are pulled into a topknot shaped like a fan, tied in place with thin black ribbons, sometimes decorated at the base with an ornamental comb either of turtle-duck shell or ebony wood. Tendrils of hair before her ears cascade over her shoulders and end down somewhere around her elbows, while her hairline lacks any sort of shorter bangs. Sometimes though, she tries out a few different hairstyles just to break the monotony.
Clothing/Armor: No matter what the occasion, clean white linen bindings and undergarments cover Zhen where they ought to be, while knee-length white bloomers and a snug, sleeveless white top are worn as the next layer. After that, what she wears depends on the occasion.
Commonly, what's next is a white robe, which folds over itself in front, its sleeves long and flares and its knee-length hem parted at her wide hips immediately after a tie placed at her right hip. Wide-legged amaranth pink pants match (in color, anyway) the hip-length robe she wears over this, the latter lined in glossy gold at a coller that folds over itself and bares part of the robe underneath. Like the robe donned beforehand, this shorter robe has wide sleeves that end a tad before their predecessors, showing an inch or so of the white cuffs before they too end after her wrists. The third and final layer is a deep, red-violet tabard edged in a very thin golden trim all along each outer edge, with a hem that dips past down past the royal purple sash around her waist and ends an roughly an inch past her knees - it shows the white skirted region of her bottommost layer as well. In the front, the tabard's hem stops in a gradual, curving point, while in back it merely ends at the same level in a flat, consistent hem. Her shoes are simple golden leather slippers inlaid with suede, toes curled and pointed.
For formal impressions and affairs, her hanbok would be just the thing. The top, or jeogori is a bistre shade, with long bell sleeves edged in about three different layers resembling the outlines of a fiery wall, colored the same Thulian pink that borders the criss-crossed collar; where the crossing collar ends in the general vicinity of her right breast, a long-tailed Thulian pink bow rests, above the persimmon-red sash right below her bust. A wide crimson skirt starts at this sash and reaches all the way to the ground with volume to spare, hiding the usual pair of shoes or slippers she would wear. Garnishing the skirt, two parallel, horizontal lines each about an inch wide wrap around the bottom perimeter of the skirt, the top colored a gentle buff, and the bottom dark, bistre like her jeogori.
At the dojo, she wears a white robe that buttons down the front in silvery-white rows of knotwork latches and ends slightly above her waistline, where a mulberry-colored skirt-like section continues to her thighs, meanwhile granting some semblance of a ruqun to the outfit. The long, fairly close-fitting sleeves are drawn to the surface of her arms by crimson cloth straps tied around her forearms, and following is a pansy-purple, open-fronted vest over this. The trim along its bottom (which matches the hem of her robe in length) is persimmon-red flame details edged in gold thread, then a sash wound over everything else, at a spot between her waistline and bust completes the outfit. A pair of chocolate brown pants reach to her ankles, below which are lightweight lavender cloth slippers.
Inch-wide silver disc earrings reside at either earlobe, while thin silver bangles can be seen dangling around her wrists. She often carries her fan, which is made of black-painted wood and measures two feet wide when unfolded. Her necklace consists of a scarlet cord suspending a two-inch-wide sphere of white jade down below her collarbone. This orb is engraved with the character for longevity and has a tassel of scarlet thread hanging from its bottom.
Weapons: The impressive firebending abilities she has developed from more than seven decades of training has left her with no need for weapons. Careful to use a variety of techniques, her bending style reflects a careful balance of complexity and power. Though not quite as mobile as she was in her prime, she still executes powerful attacks of any range with ease. Able also to generate lightning, she would happily do such to demonstrate her prowess.
Personality: Zhen is a calm and placid woman who keeps her emotions completely under control. Having inner peace earned from a fulfilling life, she is jovial and friendly. Even if Zhen were flustered, she would return to her normal collected self before long. A strange sense of humor permeates her being, causing her to appear endearingly odd. Her mind and wit are still sharp as a tack, keeping her clever and alert. She holds great appreciation for life and most everything it has to offer, and enjoys cultural events to broaden her horizons. Both gracious and understanding, Zhen is an easy person to get along with and befriend. She is generous and hospitable, apt to be offering guests a smile and a cup of tea. She acts respectful to those who deserve it, all the while insisting people do the same for her.
Somewhat proud and independent, she rarely allows anyone to help her do anything at all. Her obstinate nature is obvious, seeing how she never lets herself be told what to do. Quite determined, she would never abandon a decision, no matter what it may be. While distinctly outspoken, saying whatever she wants, her tone would never be rude and her composure never fading. She never dwells on the negative for long, always aiming to find the best in someone or something. She enjoys living alone and plans to do such for the rest of her life, though she's by no means a hermit or loner. She enjoys being around different sorts of people, thinking variety as the spice of life. She likes to talk to anyone nearby, ready to draw from her vast wisdom to impart a piece of valuable advice. Through meditation, yoga, and regularly paying homage to the spirits, Zhen does not neglect the spiritual aspect of life.
Background: Zhen was born many decades ago to a humble family in the small town of Ronghuan, which was located in the mainland Fire Nation's southwest. Tran Thoy, her father, worked as a glassblower to support his wife Kuanyu and their family, keeping them out of total poverty. The couple had three children before Zhen's birth, their sons Zicheng and Yundi aged eight and five, respectively, while their daughter Hyori was three years old. Zhen was a quiet and complacent baby, but welcome by her parents and siblings nonetheless. An equally welcome arrival came three years later, when Zhen's younger sister Shriya was born.
Family life was humble, as the family had few luxuries. While their father worked, all the children were to help their mother with housework as soon as they were old enough. As each one given their own distinct chores, Zhen herself would help with laundry. At times, the children would fight, but Kuanyu would quickly stop any altercations before they got out of hand. The boys would play outside with their peers during playtime, while the three sisters would more often play together than with the neighborhood girls. For Zhen and the girls, pastimes included games involving their imagination, or playing with dolls their mother made for them. Yundi would also make up stories to tell the two younger girls, fascinating them.
Little more than six months after her third birthday, Zhen helpfully alerted her parents to an important fact by setting the curtains on fire. Their daughter now discovered to be a firebender, Tran Thoy and Kuanyu enrolled her under a local firebending teacher to help their daughter control this dangerous trait. Her father also helped her somewhat in his spare time, as well as Yundi and Hyori, since all three were also able to firebend. A three-year-old who could produce flames was a dangerous thing, so young Zhen was always carefully observed by her siblings in those early years.
With her other siblings, she would eventually attend school in their town, being more or less an average student. She got along with other students, mostly the girls, but she made few friends and still spent her free time with her two sisters. For a few hours after school, Zhen would attend firebending classes under the elderly Master Yem, who was the same trainer who had taught her since the beginning. Firebending fascinated her much more so than academics, mostly due to its beauty and not just for its raw power. Increasingly ambitious with the art and somewhat sycophantic to her teacher, she put forth her best effort in Yem's classes and became one of his most skilled and favored students through the years. There would also be times where, under their father's supervision, the three firebender children in the family would hone their skills together in their own backyard.
A great change came in Zhen's early adolescence, when her firebending master saw great potential in her. Since she was a talented young bender, the top of her small class, Master Yem suggested she go live at a distant shrine to cultivate her skills. Fourteen-year-old Zhen had mixed feelings about the matter, wanting to someday master her art but not quite wanting to leave her family. Her parents, though, eagerly urged the girl to pursue the opportunity, proud of their daugher's aptitude. After weighing the matter as carefully as a young teenager could, she settled on leaving Ronghuan to live at the shrine. The day she left home was a somber one for her and the family, though her unsettled curiosity toward temple living and the future kept her from being totally depressed. Dwelling at the temple was quite a significant change for the girl, though she adapted quickly, thoroughly enjoying it all, and advanced in her skills along the way.
After a few years at the temple, living and training there with few problems, she saw something that would change her prime goal entirely. The temple's grandmaster gathered a good number of the temple's residents into the courtyard and gave an impressive demonstration of a powerful firebending technique, that of generating lightning. Enthralled and enchanted, the bubbly teenager obsessed over the ability and learned what she needed to test it out, despite the more mature and experienced shrine-dwellers warning her of how she lacked the skill and mindset to do so. Still, she tried the technique a week after seeing it performed and failed miserably, forceably blasting herself into the wall behind her. Disappointed in herself, she packed her things and left for home the next morning.
Returning to Ronghuan after three years at the shrine, she explained to her family that she left because she missed her old life - a total lie, but they believed her and welcomed her home. During Zhen's absence, things around town had changed. Her oldest brother had married and borne a child, as had her older sister, while her second-oldest brother had decided to join the Fire Nation's navy. Zhen resumed her training with Master Yem and slowly adapted to village life. Now having little purpose or goals in her life, her once vibrant personality became more subdued.
One day soon after her return, while drawing water from the local well, she caught the eye of a young man who knew her in earlier years. His name was Quang-Thanh, three years her elder, and the two of them seemed to spark. They started dating each other, and did so at a steady pace for months before Tran Thoy was asked for his daughter's hand in marriage. Though hesitant as the wedding date drew near, she figured she would go along with it - after all, it would probably not turn out like a certain firebending fiasco. So within a year of reacquainting with the man at the well, Zhen was wed at the age of nineteen. Theirs was a happy wedding day, though neither party knew Zhen was already a few weeks pregnant...
Their relationship as man and wife had few major problems, even though Zhen was a little bossy. Suddenly one day, her husband came up with a strange notion to move to the big city. Though confused, she strangely did little to challenge it, herself finding appeal with the idea. Wanting their children to prosper, the parents of both Zhen and Quang-Thanh contributed a fair amount of money to help them on their way. The newlyweds soon moved to Yin Rei, where Quang-Thanh opened his own cobbler shop and Zhen began to teach a tiny class of young firebenders at their own home.
The city brought her husband to join what was little more than a Pai Sho club, but terribly secretive. She had no clue what else they were up to, nor did her husband ever reveal a thing. She could respect his choice and leave him alone, until, after a few months of membership, he convinced his wife to join as well. Zhen assumed it was because her husband wanted to share every moment with his beloved wife, but quickly found out the truth after several odd 'initiation' tests inducted her into the club. The Order of the White Lotus was devoted to sharing ancient knowledge and philosophies that transcended national borders, which naturally caused Zhen to peer deeper into the beliefs she once held dear. Discovering many new and unfamiliar things backed up by tangible evidence, her years of indoctrination and enculturation would melt away.
Some things came to a standstill when a certain baby boy named Enlai came into their lives. Three years later came the birth of her daughter Fuan, who preceded the birth of the next son, Yanji, by only one year. Their family life was supported by modest means, but civil, the children being kept in line under Zhen's strict disciplinarian hand. Still, they were treated with kindness and fairness, though they dared not to get in trouble. She also instilled strong morals and values in the three, raising them to be responsible and even to help their father with his cobbling business. Zhen's firebending lessons halted until all her children started going to public school, though she never stopped honing her own skills as the years went by. Of course, sometimes the two would hire a babysitter so they could take a night out on the town.
Her children blossomed into adolescence before she knew it, but she handled the influx of emotional issues well. Offering advice, consoling broken hearts, and dealing with rowdy friends became part of her agenda. Most of her mornings would be taken by teaching little children to firebend, her afternoons occupied by matters of motherhood, and every other evening would be the yoga classes she and her husband would take to relieve stress. Still, through all this, she kept a healthy relationship with her husband and offspring.
Enlai left home and married when he was nineteen years old, which was no problem for either parent, and such was also the case when Fuan married two years later. On the eve of Fuan's wedding, Zhen gave the young lady her blessing, assuring her that following this dream of starting a family with the fine young man she chose would not lead to disappointment. The bride-to-be thanked her mother, though it caused Zhen to remember when she gave up on her own dream early on in life. Now forty years of age, she mulled over the thought of returning to the shrine. Only one thing held her back, this being her husband, but the idea still ran through her mind night and day. One morning over breakfast, she started talking with Quang-Thanh and brought up her desire to go back to the temple in carefully-veiled terms. With a sigh, her husband told her to follow her dream, and the conversation ended promptly. He knew what she wanted all along, and was not about to stop her.
Early the next morning, before either her husband or youngest son had awakened, she left a note explaining her absence beside her sleeping husband, then left with only the clothes on her back for the very shrine where she been years ago. It took her a bit longer than before for her to adjust to the temple and life therein, but the talented bender wound up enjoying herself. Deciding she would try to acheive inner peace, she entered a routine of solitary meditation and fasting that took many months at a time. After almost two years, Zhen felt as though she were one with the universe. She trained for months afterward, finding her firebending capabilities to be much smoother and effective. After being deemed a master of the art by the temple's grandmaster at the time, she tried the technique that had eluded her for so long. Recalling the actions to take, she parted the positive and negative energies around her, then guided the bolt of electricity from her fingers as she caused the forces to meet. She shot lightning a few more times, finding immense joy in the thought of mastering this grand technique, and she started her journey home within the week.
Her family welcomed her back to Yin Rei with open arms, and her new persona soon became quite obvious to them all. Really, she was a changed woman - calmer, more appreciative, and a bit thinner. It took her husband a while to get used to the change, seeing his wife be less domineering than she once was, but he preferred his wife's new attitude. She humbly apologized for her action, realizing it selfish to virtually abandon her husband for so long to follow her dream, but she was forgiven. She also wound up a more spiritual sort, and would let her husband join her in daily yoga and meditation. With her new and improved credentials as a firebending master being made known throughout the city, she would take on larger classes of firebenders twice a week.
And so, life for her and her husband continued to be comfortable for the following years. Though a major change came when Quang-Thanh passed away suddenly in his sleep at the age of fifty-seven. The family seemed to take this loss harder than Zhen, who truly believed that her husband was at peace. Whether in denial or not, she barely mourned her husband's loss, but she vehemently turned away any invitation given by any of her children to live with them. She made it clear that she was perfectly fine living by herself, and more than capable of doing so.
These days, decades later, she still lives peacefully at her house in Yin Rei. Life for her is all but free of stress as she takes each day at her own pace. She still instructs firebending classes twice a week, but has been known to cancel these at any given moment if she feels like it. Zhen still keeps in contact by writing or visiting her family, whether it be her daughter, who lives in the same city, her older son in Hokage, her youngest son all the way in New Ozai, or the rest of her descendants and relatives scattered across the Fire Nation and its colonies.
Sample RP: "Farewell, my students!" exclaimed the aged woman as she watched her pupils departing, going their different ways after class. Her small, wizened hand waving at the group, a smile growing on her small mouth. Small brown eyes gazed through the sunny air, which was crisp and inviting. Placing her arms behind her back, she turned and headed from her courtyard back into her house to relax. Hers was a smooth gait that showed little impairment from aging, her small body still standing strong in her advanced age. Though, as she pondered how rewarding it was to teach others what she held so dear, her thoughts were interrupted by a student calling out her name.
"Sifu Zhen! Sifu Zhen!" called Gongye, a young man and her newest student. The lad had much to learn, and seemed to be a sort who would bite off more than he could chew. His firebending abilities would suffice, but they were far from impressive. She turned back to face the fellow and casually replied, brushing a strand of snowy hair from her face. "Yes? Can I help you?"
Bowing to her once more, probably to polish the proverbial apple, he spoke up, "I would like to take private lessons, please." She blinked, then tilted her head toward the boy. Smiling slightly, she offered her calm and civil reply. "My dear young man, you are not ready. You have much still to learn before I will give you personal training."
His brow dropping in disappointment, he muttered, "But I thought I was pretty good..."
She shook her head in reply, her tone never growing harsh desite her rejection. "I'm sorry, but my answer is no. Run along home now."
Zhen motioned for him to leave, her hand sweeping away as though she were swatting at a swarm of scorpionflies, though much gentler and calmer a motion. As she watched him sulk off in despair, she recalled a time, perhaps in his first or second class, when Gongye asked her to teach him how to bend lightning. Lightning, of all things. Judging by that foolish and presumptuous affair, the boy foreshadowed how the rest of his training would transpire. Sighing and walking toward her house, she wondered for a moment how she could deal with him next time. Still, she never overlooked the fact that she had done essentially the same thing in her past.
Age: Seventy-eight
Gender: Female
Group: Fire Nation Citizens
Nation: Fire Nation
Bender?: Firebender
Physical Appearance: The woman of almost eight decades known as Zhen is decidedly petite, as her small frame rises to only to five feet even at her best posture. Time has taken its toll in many regards, considering the fair skin that once covered her body with youthful ductility now hangs from her body. Her bust, which was fortunately only an average size in the first place, now droops slightly, as one may assume that of an elderly woman would. Underneath her wrinkled exterior, though, lies a lean and flexible quality that rivals those mere fractions of her age due to daily yoga and firebending drills keeping her fit. Past a sagging but otherwise flat midsection lies strong abdominal muscles, but the sinewy features of each arm and leg are far more visible to sight. In all, her curves aren't very defined, but matronly hips do remain from bearing three children in the past. Her sloping shoulders never were very broad, but her limbs - more so her legs - are fairly long when compared to her torso. Only a thin layer of fat distributes itself across her figure to insulate her joints, though minor additional deposits at her thighs and rear stubbornly remain. Perched on the ends of tiny wrists, small hands sport a few bluish veins here and there, but her fingernails are sure to be manicured neatly. Feet and ankles of a similar diminutive size carry her proudly, with a spring in every step.
Stretched loosely over her physique is her wrinkled skin, bisque in color, without a single scar tainting its wizened surface. As can be expected, advanced age has granted a variety of creases all over her body and face, as well as a few tiny,pallid liver spots. Since she has never endured much sunlight exposure, her pale skin remains undamaged to a considerable extent, and still manages to carry an overall soft texture despite the wrinkles.
On her round face is the same issue. What are commonly called 'crow's feet' spread beside the heavy lids of her narrow sienna eyes, frown lines crease from the edges of her mouth, and her cheeks sag almost past the gentle curve of her jaw. A low forehead also bears a few shallow folds and, on the lower reaches, a set of thin eyebrows, while the high bridge of a small nose slopes outward from her features. Her lips are slender with a faint carnation tone that matches a natural blush on her cheeks, though she may accentuate either of these locales with cosmetic powders and juices. Her small ears are ever-so-slightly pointed at the tip, while a wide array of earrings made from many precious materials adorn the lobes. Unflatteringly comparable to that of a turkey-duck, wrinkles reach from her chin and down her neck before fading away at her collarbone. Her elderly countenance conveys plenty of expressions, but always reverts to the same calmness and composure she considers a blessing from the spirits.
Now white like snow as opposed to the former darkness of a coffee-bean brown shade, thick strands of her straight hair fall neatly to her waist. Diligent care has kept her tresses in good condition, though the texture is innately a tad coarse, dull, and dry, leading her to sometimes comb in drops of fragrant oil for sheen and a aroma. The good bulk of her hair is loose, except from her eartips upward, where they are pulled into a topknot shaped like a fan, tied in place with thin black ribbons, sometimes decorated at the base with an ornamental comb either of turtle-duck shell or ebony wood. Tendrils of hair before her ears cascade over her shoulders and end down somewhere around her elbows, while her hairline lacks any sort of shorter bangs. Sometimes though, she tries out a few different hairstyles just to break the monotony.
Clothing/Armor: No matter what the occasion, clean white linen bindings and undergarments cover Zhen where they ought to be, while knee-length white bloomers and a snug, sleeveless white top are worn as the next layer. After that, what she wears depends on the occasion.
Commonly, what's next is a white robe, which folds over itself in front, its sleeves long and flares and its knee-length hem parted at her wide hips immediately after a tie placed at her right hip. Wide-legged amaranth pink pants match (in color, anyway) the hip-length robe she wears over this, the latter lined in glossy gold at a coller that folds over itself and bares part of the robe underneath. Like the robe donned beforehand, this shorter robe has wide sleeves that end a tad before their predecessors, showing an inch or so of the white cuffs before they too end after her wrists. The third and final layer is a deep, red-violet tabard edged in a very thin golden trim all along each outer edge, with a hem that dips past down past the royal purple sash around her waist and ends an roughly an inch past her knees - it shows the white skirted region of her bottommost layer as well. In the front, the tabard's hem stops in a gradual, curving point, while in back it merely ends at the same level in a flat, consistent hem. Her shoes are simple golden leather slippers inlaid with suede, toes curled and pointed.
For formal impressions and affairs, her hanbok would be just the thing. The top, or jeogori is a bistre shade, with long bell sleeves edged in about three different layers resembling the outlines of a fiery wall, colored the same Thulian pink that borders the criss-crossed collar; where the crossing collar ends in the general vicinity of her right breast, a long-tailed Thulian pink bow rests, above the persimmon-red sash right below her bust. A wide crimson skirt starts at this sash and reaches all the way to the ground with volume to spare, hiding the usual pair of shoes or slippers she would wear. Garnishing the skirt, two parallel, horizontal lines each about an inch wide wrap around the bottom perimeter of the skirt, the top colored a gentle buff, and the bottom dark, bistre like her jeogori.
At the dojo, she wears a white robe that buttons down the front in silvery-white rows of knotwork latches and ends slightly above her waistline, where a mulberry-colored skirt-like section continues to her thighs, meanwhile granting some semblance of a ruqun to the outfit. The long, fairly close-fitting sleeves are drawn to the surface of her arms by crimson cloth straps tied around her forearms, and following is a pansy-purple, open-fronted vest over this. The trim along its bottom (which matches the hem of her robe in length) is persimmon-red flame details edged in gold thread, then a sash wound over everything else, at a spot between her waistline and bust completes the outfit. A pair of chocolate brown pants reach to her ankles, below which are lightweight lavender cloth slippers.
Inch-wide silver disc earrings reside at either earlobe, while thin silver bangles can be seen dangling around her wrists. She often carries her fan, which is made of black-painted wood and measures two feet wide when unfolded. Her necklace consists of a scarlet cord suspending a two-inch-wide sphere of white jade down below her collarbone. This orb is engraved with the character for longevity and has a tassel of scarlet thread hanging from its bottom.
Weapons: The impressive firebending abilities she has developed from more than seven decades of training has left her with no need for weapons. Careful to use a variety of techniques, her bending style reflects a careful balance of complexity and power. Though not quite as mobile as she was in her prime, she still executes powerful attacks of any range with ease. Able also to generate lightning, she would happily do such to demonstrate her prowess.
Personality: Zhen is a calm and placid woman who keeps her emotions completely under control. Having inner peace earned from a fulfilling life, she is jovial and friendly. Even if Zhen were flustered, she would return to her normal collected self before long. A strange sense of humor permeates her being, causing her to appear endearingly odd. Her mind and wit are still sharp as a tack, keeping her clever and alert. She holds great appreciation for life and most everything it has to offer, and enjoys cultural events to broaden her horizons. Both gracious and understanding, Zhen is an easy person to get along with and befriend. She is generous and hospitable, apt to be offering guests a smile and a cup of tea. She acts respectful to those who deserve it, all the while insisting people do the same for her.
Somewhat proud and independent, she rarely allows anyone to help her do anything at all. Her obstinate nature is obvious, seeing how she never lets herself be told what to do. Quite determined, she would never abandon a decision, no matter what it may be. While distinctly outspoken, saying whatever she wants, her tone would never be rude and her composure never fading. She never dwells on the negative for long, always aiming to find the best in someone or something. She enjoys living alone and plans to do such for the rest of her life, though she's by no means a hermit or loner. She enjoys being around different sorts of people, thinking variety as the spice of life. She likes to talk to anyone nearby, ready to draw from her vast wisdom to impart a piece of valuable advice. Through meditation, yoga, and regularly paying homage to the spirits, Zhen does not neglect the spiritual aspect of life.
Background: Zhen was born many decades ago to a humble family in the small town of Ronghuan, which was located in the mainland Fire Nation's southwest. Tran Thoy, her father, worked as a glassblower to support his wife Kuanyu and their family, keeping them out of total poverty. The couple had three children before Zhen's birth, their sons Zicheng and Yundi aged eight and five, respectively, while their daughter Hyori was three years old. Zhen was a quiet and complacent baby, but welcome by her parents and siblings nonetheless. An equally welcome arrival came three years later, when Zhen's younger sister Shriya was born.
Family life was humble, as the family had few luxuries. While their father worked, all the children were to help their mother with housework as soon as they were old enough. As each one given their own distinct chores, Zhen herself would help with laundry. At times, the children would fight, but Kuanyu would quickly stop any altercations before they got out of hand. The boys would play outside with their peers during playtime, while the three sisters would more often play together than with the neighborhood girls. For Zhen and the girls, pastimes included games involving their imagination, or playing with dolls their mother made for them. Yundi would also make up stories to tell the two younger girls, fascinating them.
Little more than six months after her third birthday, Zhen helpfully alerted her parents to an important fact by setting the curtains on fire. Their daughter now discovered to be a firebender, Tran Thoy and Kuanyu enrolled her under a local firebending teacher to help their daughter control this dangerous trait. Her father also helped her somewhat in his spare time, as well as Yundi and Hyori, since all three were also able to firebend. A three-year-old who could produce flames was a dangerous thing, so young Zhen was always carefully observed by her siblings in those early years.
With her other siblings, she would eventually attend school in their town, being more or less an average student. She got along with other students, mostly the girls, but she made few friends and still spent her free time with her two sisters. For a few hours after school, Zhen would attend firebending classes under the elderly Master Yem, who was the same trainer who had taught her since the beginning. Firebending fascinated her much more so than academics, mostly due to its beauty and not just for its raw power. Increasingly ambitious with the art and somewhat sycophantic to her teacher, she put forth her best effort in Yem's classes and became one of his most skilled and favored students through the years. There would also be times where, under their father's supervision, the three firebender children in the family would hone their skills together in their own backyard.
A great change came in Zhen's early adolescence, when her firebending master saw great potential in her. Since she was a talented young bender, the top of her small class, Master Yem suggested she go live at a distant shrine to cultivate her skills. Fourteen-year-old Zhen had mixed feelings about the matter, wanting to someday master her art but not quite wanting to leave her family. Her parents, though, eagerly urged the girl to pursue the opportunity, proud of their daugher's aptitude. After weighing the matter as carefully as a young teenager could, she settled on leaving Ronghuan to live at the shrine. The day she left home was a somber one for her and the family, though her unsettled curiosity toward temple living and the future kept her from being totally depressed. Dwelling at the temple was quite a significant change for the girl, though she adapted quickly, thoroughly enjoying it all, and advanced in her skills along the way.
After a few years at the temple, living and training there with few problems, she saw something that would change her prime goal entirely. The temple's grandmaster gathered a good number of the temple's residents into the courtyard and gave an impressive demonstration of a powerful firebending technique, that of generating lightning. Enthralled and enchanted, the bubbly teenager obsessed over the ability and learned what she needed to test it out, despite the more mature and experienced shrine-dwellers warning her of how she lacked the skill and mindset to do so. Still, she tried the technique a week after seeing it performed and failed miserably, forceably blasting herself into the wall behind her. Disappointed in herself, she packed her things and left for home the next morning.
Returning to Ronghuan after three years at the shrine, she explained to her family that she left because she missed her old life - a total lie, but they believed her and welcomed her home. During Zhen's absence, things around town had changed. Her oldest brother had married and borne a child, as had her older sister, while her second-oldest brother had decided to join the Fire Nation's navy. Zhen resumed her training with Master Yem and slowly adapted to village life. Now having little purpose or goals in her life, her once vibrant personality became more subdued.
One day soon after her return, while drawing water from the local well, she caught the eye of a young man who knew her in earlier years. His name was Quang-Thanh, three years her elder, and the two of them seemed to spark. They started dating each other, and did so at a steady pace for months before Tran Thoy was asked for his daughter's hand in marriage. Though hesitant as the wedding date drew near, she figured she would go along with it - after all, it would probably not turn out like a certain firebending fiasco. So within a year of reacquainting with the man at the well, Zhen was wed at the age of nineteen. Theirs was a happy wedding day, though neither party knew Zhen was already a few weeks pregnant...
Their relationship as man and wife had few major problems, even though Zhen was a little bossy. Suddenly one day, her husband came up with a strange notion to move to the big city. Though confused, she strangely did little to challenge it, herself finding appeal with the idea. Wanting their children to prosper, the parents of both Zhen and Quang-Thanh contributed a fair amount of money to help them on their way. The newlyweds soon moved to Yin Rei, where Quang-Thanh opened his own cobbler shop and Zhen began to teach a tiny class of young firebenders at their own home.
The city brought her husband to join what was little more than a Pai Sho club, but terribly secretive. She had no clue what else they were up to, nor did her husband ever reveal a thing. She could respect his choice and leave him alone, until, after a few months of membership, he convinced his wife to join as well. Zhen assumed it was because her husband wanted to share every moment with his beloved wife, but quickly found out the truth after several odd 'initiation' tests inducted her into the club. The Order of the White Lotus was devoted to sharing ancient knowledge and philosophies that transcended national borders, which naturally caused Zhen to peer deeper into the beliefs she once held dear. Discovering many new and unfamiliar things backed up by tangible evidence, her years of indoctrination and enculturation would melt away.
Some things came to a standstill when a certain baby boy named Enlai came into their lives. Three years later came the birth of her daughter Fuan, who preceded the birth of the next son, Yanji, by only one year. Their family life was supported by modest means, but civil, the children being kept in line under Zhen's strict disciplinarian hand. Still, they were treated with kindness and fairness, though they dared not to get in trouble. She also instilled strong morals and values in the three, raising them to be responsible and even to help their father with his cobbling business. Zhen's firebending lessons halted until all her children started going to public school, though she never stopped honing her own skills as the years went by. Of course, sometimes the two would hire a babysitter so they could take a night out on the town.
Her children blossomed into adolescence before she knew it, but she handled the influx of emotional issues well. Offering advice, consoling broken hearts, and dealing with rowdy friends became part of her agenda. Most of her mornings would be taken by teaching little children to firebend, her afternoons occupied by matters of motherhood, and every other evening would be the yoga classes she and her husband would take to relieve stress. Still, through all this, she kept a healthy relationship with her husband and offspring.
Enlai left home and married when he was nineteen years old, which was no problem for either parent, and such was also the case when Fuan married two years later. On the eve of Fuan's wedding, Zhen gave the young lady her blessing, assuring her that following this dream of starting a family with the fine young man she chose would not lead to disappointment. The bride-to-be thanked her mother, though it caused Zhen to remember when she gave up on her own dream early on in life. Now forty years of age, she mulled over the thought of returning to the shrine. Only one thing held her back, this being her husband, but the idea still ran through her mind night and day. One morning over breakfast, she started talking with Quang-Thanh and brought up her desire to go back to the temple in carefully-veiled terms. With a sigh, her husband told her to follow her dream, and the conversation ended promptly. He knew what she wanted all along, and was not about to stop her.
Early the next morning, before either her husband or youngest son had awakened, she left a note explaining her absence beside her sleeping husband, then left with only the clothes on her back for the very shrine where she been years ago. It took her a bit longer than before for her to adjust to the temple and life therein, but the talented bender wound up enjoying herself. Deciding she would try to acheive inner peace, she entered a routine of solitary meditation and fasting that took many months at a time. After almost two years, Zhen felt as though she were one with the universe. She trained for months afterward, finding her firebending capabilities to be much smoother and effective. After being deemed a master of the art by the temple's grandmaster at the time, she tried the technique that had eluded her for so long. Recalling the actions to take, she parted the positive and negative energies around her, then guided the bolt of electricity from her fingers as she caused the forces to meet. She shot lightning a few more times, finding immense joy in the thought of mastering this grand technique, and she started her journey home within the week.
Her family welcomed her back to Yin Rei with open arms, and her new persona soon became quite obvious to them all. Really, she was a changed woman - calmer, more appreciative, and a bit thinner. It took her husband a while to get used to the change, seeing his wife be less domineering than she once was, but he preferred his wife's new attitude. She humbly apologized for her action, realizing it selfish to virtually abandon her husband for so long to follow her dream, but she was forgiven. She also wound up a more spiritual sort, and would let her husband join her in daily yoga and meditation. With her new and improved credentials as a firebending master being made known throughout the city, she would take on larger classes of firebenders twice a week.
And so, life for her and her husband continued to be comfortable for the following years. Though a major change came when Quang-Thanh passed away suddenly in his sleep at the age of fifty-seven. The family seemed to take this loss harder than Zhen, who truly believed that her husband was at peace. Whether in denial or not, she barely mourned her husband's loss, but she vehemently turned away any invitation given by any of her children to live with them. She made it clear that she was perfectly fine living by herself, and more than capable of doing so.
These days, decades later, she still lives peacefully at her house in Yin Rei. Life for her is all but free of stress as she takes each day at her own pace. She still instructs firebending classes twice a week, but has been known to cancel these at any given moment if she feels like it. Zhen still keeps in contact by writing or visiting her family, whether it be her daughter, who lives in the same city, her older son in Hokage, her youngest son all the way in New Ozai, or the rest of her descendants and relatives scattered across the Fire Nation and its colonies.
Sample RP: "Farewell, my students!" exclaimed the aged woman as she watched her pupils departing, going their different ways after class. Her small, wizened hand waving at the group, a smile growing on her small mouth. Small brown eyes gazed through the sunny air, which was crisp and inviting. Placing her arms behind her back, she turned and headed from her courtyard back into her house to relax. Hers was a smooth gait that showed little impairment from aging, her small body still standing strong in her advanced age. Though, as she pondered how rewarding it was to teach others what she held so dear, her thoughts were interrupted by a student calling out her name.
"Sifu Zhen! Sifu Zhen!" called Gongye, a young man and her newest student. The lad had much to learn, and seemed to be a sort who would bite off more than he could chew. His firebending abilities would suffice, but they were far from impressive. She turned back to face the fellow and casually replied, brushing a strand of snowy hair from her face. "Yes? Can I help you?"
Bowing to her once more, probably to polish the proverbial apple, he spoke up, "I would like to take private lessons, please." She blinked, then tilted her head toward the boy. Smiling slightly, she offered her calm and civil reply. "My dear young man, you are not ready. You have much still to learn before I will give you personal training."
His brow dropping in disappointment, he muttered, "But I thought I was pretty good..."
She shook her head in reply, her tone never growing harsh desite her rejection. "I'm sorry, but my answer is no. Run along home now."
Zhen motioned for him to leave, her hand sweeping away as though she were swatting at a swarm of scorpionflies, though much gentler and calmer a motion. As she watched him sulk off in despair, she recalled a time, perhaps in his first or second class, when Gongye asked her to teach him how to bend lightning. Lightning, of all things. Judging by that foolish and presumptuous affair, the boy foreshadowed how the rest of his training would transpire. Sighing and walking toward her house, she wondered for a moment how she could deal with him next time. Still, she never overlooked the fact that she had done essentially the same thing in her past.