(Yet another Aegir creation, hope I've got everything right.)
Name: Midori Gemma
Age:22 (looks a few years younger than she actually is)
Place of Birth: Minnajima, Okinawa (Japan)
Nationality: Chinese - Japanese (mother half Chinese, father Japanese)
Hair Color: Raven Black
Eye Color: Hazel (usually appear as green pending lighting)
Skin Tone: Pale
Pubic Hair: Trimmed into the shape of an inverted pyramid
Distinguishing features: Gaijin appearance.
Height: 5' 7"
Weight: 128 lbs.
Bust: 34B
Waist: 26
Hips: 34
Languages: English, Japanese, Mandarin
Personality: Midori has been through a lot of rough times in her otherwise short life. As a consequence there are few things that can really fluster her. While appearing meek at times she has an indominatable personality knowing that she has endured harsh times allows her to navigate life's obstacles. As she is prone to saying "when you've lived in hell everything else is paradise by comparison". Rather than becoming gruff and resolute, however, Midori has a certain aloofness about her that borders on playfulness. She can come across as bizarre and down right strange often reciting obscure (and not so obscure) movie or television references.
In her youth she had escaped into a fantasy realm
Virgin: Hell no.
Piercings: Both earlobes.
Birthmarks: none
Tattoos: "hit list" inked upon left forearm (see background above for details)
Languages: English; Japanese, Mandarin
Likes: Being inane, Doctor Saladdin (he's so dreamy), fairy tales, gymnastics (observing only, can't compete due to scoliosis), interesting television or movie quotes, science (particularly genetic research and biology).
Dislikes: Country music (especially Kenny Rogers since such music was often played during Kyo's card games), games of chance, physical abuse.
Activities: Collecting and reading fairy tales and folklore from various countries, intellectual pursuits, writing.
Abilities/Quirks:
Alchemy: Working with Doctor Saladdin she has learned much from him in the realms of both science and magic. Blending the two into a form of alchemy Midori has learned the secrets of transmutation. She can alter a substance turning it into something else of a similar nature. While she had just begun to learn how to transmute materials as large as herself the island's inhibitors drastically reduce the effectiveness of her abilities. She can alter nothing larger than the palm of her hand. Even then many creations are now beyond her capabilities of transmuting. Contraband items, dangerous substances and complex items are simply not possible for her. In addition Midori could only transmute an object within the same kingdom/classification. She could not transmute a stick into a serpent for instance though she could transmute a stick into tulip or any other plant; a piece of granite could be transformed into marble, etc. Midori is incapable of transmuting living objects/beings save for non-sapient plants though Armand had begun to teach her how to alter microbes under controlled circumstances she had not yet gotten far in harvesting that talent and thus has no access to it while at Shokushu.
Eidetic Memory: Midori possesses an eidetic memory when it comes to the realm of sciences.
Enhanced Perception: Inherited from her mother, Midori has a rather unusual gift in that she can perceive objects and beings in the ethereal. Dimensions that touch upon her own can be glimpsed into though not interacted with. This second sight of hers also enhances her vision allowing her to perceive other details that normally are hidden from the sight of most beings. For instance she can discern invisible ink and read its contents without applying a heat source to the message to make the words legible. Truly invisible objects cloaked or masked by magic, psionics or illusion are still well outside her perception range, however.
Regression: From time to time Midori hits a stage where she simply zones out. She regresses back to a child behaving as such. Often times she just wants to play while in this state or have fun. Psychologically it is a way for her battered mind to recapture her lost childhood, to experience pleasantries rather than the grim reality that had been thrust upon her. In this fantasy realm she can replace and overwrite past experiences. Normally Midori regresses when experiences duress or when enduring a bout of depression.
Scoliosis: Midori was born with levoscoliosis (curvature of the spine towards the left side). While her case had not been severe enough to warrant surgery it did require her to use a brace for a good portion of her younger years.
Background: "Get the fuck in there or so help me I'll kill you! You're nothing but a little whore like your mother!"
She could smell the stench of liquor on his breath and Midori had learned many years ago that when Kyo Gemma drank he had become a fiend. Grabbed fiercly by her hair she had been dragged through the house to the laughs of some of Kyo's sadistic friends who still sat around the card table playing poker. Not only was her father a bastard and a drunk but he had an excessive gambling habit which would not have been so bad if he were even remotely good at. Evidentally Kyo had lacked any sort of luck in the realm of games of chance.
"KYO!" She cried out, her hair hurting as tears streamed down her cheeks. Midori had stopped calling him dad many years ago, sad but true. Why should she revere him? Idolize him? Especially when he was a murderer. Oh, she knew the truth, knew full well that it was his abusive streak that had killed mom. A smack to her face that had caused her to spiral down two flights of stairs caused Akumi to brake her neck.
She lied for him in court out of fear and intimidation, not out of love for she had been young then. She hadn't realized that if he were locked away that he could not continue the abuse, that he wouldn't be able to. She honestly believed him when he said that if she did not stick to his story, the way they had rehersed it for the authorities that she would be next.
It was a horrible life to live under the tyrranical reign of Kyo. He was a beast beyond words, a horror that she had to endure on a regular basis. Growing up she had learned to be silent, to remain in her room and out of sight delving into her own mind for comfort. Even at a young age she was tackling books that were far above her means and while she may not have understood all the technical manuals she read she slowly worked it out over the years. I mean, there had not been much else she could do without gaining the ire of the thing claiming to be her father, the man she was suppose to be able to trust, to love. The man that was suppose to protect her from people such as himself.
Tossed into the dark room she landed on her hands and knees, glanced over her shoulder at the stream of light from the doorway and had one final look at Kyo before the door slammed shut and locked. Panic seized hold of her chest then, her eyes peeking up as she heard a jingling sound somewhere in front of her. One of her father's friends unfastening his belt with a stark grin upon his face as he unzipped his pants, the look in his eyes had been quit lecherous and full of lust.
Only twelve years of age. Twelve and she had been thrown to the wolves because her father had lost a few hands of cards and would have owed Luther a good deal of money. She had no idea how the conversation fell upon her being in her room trying to make herself invisible as usual. When Kyo came for her she couldn't have suspected that a bargain had been made, a bargain that would get Kyo out of debt at least on this occassion.
Twelve and indoctrined into sex. It had not been the only time though. But something had changed on the following day after she spent the remainder of the night huddled in a corner curled up in a ball crying at both the pain that had forcefully ripped her small fragile body open amongst the humiliation that had burned her to the bone. To make matters worse she was beaten but what was a little more blood loss at this stage, huh? Kyo screaming at her to fucking be quiet so that she didn't disturb the remainder of their game. Fortunately one of the sadistic friends of Kyo Gemma thought enough was enough and called his friend enticing him to return to the game with professions that the 'little bitch isn't worth it' some chivalry.
If matters hadn't been any worse for Midori she had come down with a veneral disease. Nothing that had not been curable, but geez, her embarrassment at having to get treatment, her dad playing up his disgust that his little girl had been a harlot and that he could not control her amongst the older boys of her school since he lost Akumi. He made out that she was rebelling against him and those fucking doctors bought into it. Yeah, they were suspicious to an extent, especially since Midori could do nothing more than sob over the matter but you know what, fuck Kyo. Fuck the doctors. Fuck everyone! A piece of her died each day she was in that house but Midori soon came to the determination that she wasn't going to stand it.
Rather than get crushed by the guilt that was by no means her fault, or the despair, Midori found that there were choices that she could and couldn't make for herself. She spent as much time away from home as possible, getting beaten when she came in too late at times, though Kyo was certain to only leave his marks where no one would look for them, even drunk he wasn't stupid.
Still, if daddy wanted a little whore than he got one. She had no real qualms with who she shared her body with for the only means of getting over the atrocities she endured was to make sex absolutely meaningless. If it didn't matter than all those things couldn't affect her.
16 years of age and she took off, leaving Okinawa she just couldn't bare Kyo any longer. With no money and no contacts Midori had little choice but to do the one thing that men had always come to her for doing what she had for money rather than for free it hadn't been long before she was picked up by the authorities and guess what, dumped back upon Kyo would you believe. Again she ran away ditching class and begging an Arabian visiting a friend in Okinawa to take her with him. Knowing a thing or two about Muslims from her numerous years of hiding out in her room filling her head with what she believed was useless numbers and facts she implored him to lend assistance even going so far to offer herself up as a bride knowing that it was common for Muslim males to take multiple wives.
He turned her away. The story of her friggin' life. Yeah, she knew it, guys were only after one thing. Where had all the white knights gone? Where was her cavalier? It seemed that those fairy tales she heard as a young child never happened or if they had they happened to more deserving individuals.
But long ago Midori stopped caring. She didn't let this eat at her, she certainly wasn't going to let this affect her. So she was a bit forward, a bit wild but it was her way of coping with tragedy. She had even grown to have a real wacky sense of humor. It was that or become a morose prude that never wanted sex seeing it as the ultimate humility. She wasn't surprised that another man rebuffed her but she had been resourceful enough to stow away on a ship and get out of the country.
China. She had lived more or less in seedier regions for years doing odd jobs here and there to survive. It beat having to sell herself (even if it had been for only a couple of days back in Okinawa). Relationships were many, but they were always casual. She simply didn't believe in love for certainly no one had ever displayed it upon her.
For about a year she eeked out a living up until she had been kidnapped by a couple of unsaviory types. Here we go again she thought, figuring that the men were going to take her with force. Thing was she hadn't been worried, she did not even panicked simply going off into her own world. A little prick, some frantic movement and it would be over, no big deal, not to someone that had gone through this countless times already. Sex was meaningless, it didn't mean love or committment though it occassionally equated to fun Midori used sex more like one would use a weapon or tool. Always in need of feeling accepted in some form or another the only way Midori thought she could find a measure of solice had been when she gave another pleasure, made them feel happy for whatever it was worth. Sometimes, sometimes she even got a bit of pleasure out of the act but let's face it most guys were callous lovers. Most guys sought out their own fulfillment not that she had cared really.
But Flinch and Wron hadn't touched her, though they considered it their minds this time around had been more on the money they were being offered. See, a slaver had offered them a bit of money to snatch up a few humans, test subjects harvested illegally Midori had found that she and a few others had been gathered up for some bizarre man's experiment. Thing was, he was looking for volunteers, paying top dollar for projects that were to take place in territories that didn't have any real laws or scrupples about experimentation on sentients. So this young prodigy flipped when he learned the laws had been violated ... a guy not much older than herself had impressed her in that out burst. He could not have been more than 18 years of age, yet had a brillant mind and seemed to have been running an enterprise single handedly.
Needless to say Armand Saladdin did not want the subjects and demanded that they be returned given how they were acquired. The men did not seem to like this but Armand stressed the point with his security detail at his back, arms folded over his chest before sending them away.
That would have been that, had Midori not latched upon the extremely young doctor's hand as he went to move past. Her eyes lifted to him and while she had figured he was just another man that was going to rebuff her she let a single word pass from her lips. "Please ..."
It was love, and while she never quite understood this emotion she was grateful that Armand had let her stick around making the excuse of needing a lab assistant. He was a bit cold, not overly so, but he made it clear that if she didn't pull her weight he'd cast her back into the gutter that he had found her in. Imagine his surprise when a simple secretary knew the complex theories of genetic research as proven by his late great grandfather. Soon enough Midori was proving herself to Armand in so many ways.
The two worked side by side for the next few years having both a professional and casual relationship. She loved him, honestly did for there hadn't been any guy that had bothered to help her causing her to grow up independent and strong. She didn't need a man in her life, but why was this so different?
Sure they didn't mesh all that well. Armand wasn't into the things she was, she wasn't into what he was into unless you counted work. Armand had been a bit boring too, long hours working with little to no play but work to Armand was fun. There was a divide between them that Midori could see. Thing was she knew that she had to let him go eventually, though she held onto him as long as she could not wanting to admit her feelings to herself or him. But at least she had him on a professional level. She repaid his act of kindness with loyal service and so when the time came for them to end their relationship she made no fuss about it. Another man that wanted out of her very life, nothing new there, so she was taken back when Armand kept her in his employ.
That simple act had made the world of difference for her, actually. Someone that wanted her around without necessarily wanting her body. Someone that was after ~gasps~ her mind.
Needless to say she grew even more even if the occassional self doubt or memory encroached into her mind she was damn good at tossing aside such notions now. There had been little that could shake her confidence or resolve. As for her father? Well the dumb fool ended up drinking himself to death eventually forcing her to take some time off from working with Armand and while she had been away for a number of months she had always looked forward to rejoining the team. Yeah, alot had changed since the days that it was essentially just her and Armand in the office but she was still the same old Midori . Mucking around, playful and jovial, this woman that kept those dark clouds at bay anyway that she could.
From Armand, Midori had learned a great many things. Armand being an accomplished scientist primarily in the realm of cloning and genetics passed on many such skills to Midori. He had been pleasantly surprised at her ability to grasp difficult material soon promoting her from secretarial roles to that of a lab assistant. In time he could not do without her constant input and insight into the areas of he delved into. Another region in which Midori had begun to excel was alchemy for Armand blended the technique with the sciences for additional effect.
The young scientist had been working upon bio-organic weapons. Armand produced manufactured monsters. Working primarily upon terminally ill patients, convicts and volunteers Armand developed numerous nightmarish creatures for the governments, dictators and warlords of the world. Always on the look out for new genetic material Armand had discovered that his late grandfather had been upon a board of trustees for a place called Shokushu. Digging a little deeper into this it had not been long before the brillant scientist found that the companies he had inherited from both his father and grandfather still supplied donations to an off planet school. Divesting a good number of resources into matters only uncovered the truth about the place and that was when an idea had struck him.
"NO WAY!" It had been Midori's initial answer, the automatic answer when she had been approached by Armand. Sure she was grateful that the guy helped get her life back on track but to go off world, infiltrate a college under the pretenses of picking up more scientific knowlege while secretly harvesting genetic samples of monstrous entities ... well that was a bit much. Why she had later changed her mind astounded even her. Maybe it was the need to prove herself useful above and beyond the call of duty, maybe it was the fact that she had faced similiar circumstances in the past for not all monsters were hideous perversions of nature as evidenced in her own father. Whatever the case Midori had changed her mind within a few weeks.
There was a catch though. She had to undergo hypnosis to forget what little information Armand had told her about the place. It was for the best if she did not remember these details, that she went in essentially blind rather than consciously knowing what could be in store for her. It would alleviate her initial tensions and help keep her from freaking out too badly. In addition the young doctor took steps to prepare her with a series of subconscious triggers, making certain actions autonomous even if Midori herself did not truly understand what it was she was doing. He also inked a tattoo upon her left forearm containing a hit list of sorts. The names of specimens that Armand wanted samples from. Though the tattoo was only visible under black light Armand knew of Midori's ability to perceive things that most ordinary beings could not experience. The list would further bolster some of the hypnosis directing her in seeking out the very specimens that Armand was after in order to continue his research ...
