Post by Muffinzky on Oct 8, 2018 18:48:00 GMT -5
TW: The following profile includes themes of self-mutilation and coercion. And may contain traces of peanuts.
 Refira Na’zoa Full Name • Refira Na’zoa. Nickname • She goes under the alias of Filtz. Race • Hapan. Birthplace • Hapes, Ta'a Chume'Dan. Age • 28. Gender • Female. Sexuality • Bisexual. Faction • Fringe. Concept • Rank 2 Slaver of the Exchange. Languages • Basic. Fluent in Hapan and Huttese. Assets • Macrobinoculars, lightweight shock gloves, shock whip, a blaster pistol, a stiletto knife and a little bottle with Chloroform. Datapad and comlink. Appearance Face Claim • Ceren Hindistan Height & Weight • 167 cm, 54 kg. Overall Looks • Born from Hapan blood, Refira is a very beautiful young lady. She has been blessed by her genetics and she is 100% aware of this. Yet such an appearance also has a downside and as much as her looks can come her to good use, she sees it as a curse as well: In order to protect herself and keep an anonymous professional distance, Refira keeps her face hidden most of the time behind a veil that covers from mouth to nose, unless she estimates that wearing the veil will give more attention than being without it. It is her experience that it may cause inconveniences in the underground when she doesn’t wear it. Should you by any incident see Refiras face, a few things become very clear: She is not the usual type one would see within the profession in the underground. She looks more like someone suited to be a luxury concubine. Pearly white teeth, rose plump lips and a little straight nose adorn her features. Her skin is smooth and slightly tanned with very few scars besides the usual bruises someone would be expected for a slaver to have. Almost like a porcelain doll, as if she has been carried through life – which to a certain degree isn’t that far from the truth. Her voluminous hair is somewhere between dark brown and black, and the wavy locks reach her elbows. It is collected in a braid when she works. Long dark eyelashes frame icy blue eyes. It is said that if you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. So, can be said about Refiras eyes. Being the only thing that can be seen of her face most of the time, they act as means of expression, and she is known to make very powerful impressions on people, just by sharing a gaze. Either they are the most mesmerising thing you have seen - or contain all hellfire and lightning of the universe when she is angry. Another thing that is hard to miss is her posture. Refira moves with a charisma and pride as if she is queen of Everything™. At Hapes she was taught to walk lady-like and with her back straight since childhood. A trait that is still present even many years after she left the planet. Her figure is slim and curves out in an hourglass shape. She isn’t very strong but has more of an athletic build that enables her with speed and flexibility rather than brute force. Her clothing of choice supports this and is kept practical. She tends to wear darker colours to blend in and avoids loose garments, so they don’t get in the way. A pair of tight leather pants, a small tank top and belt is preferred. Most of her weapons are hidden in a waistcoat. She wears a pair of heavy knee-high boots to keep her grounded and add to momentum in any fight. The weapons she uses are chosen to make up for what she lacks in strength. This includes shock gloves, a whip, a blaster pistol and a stiletto knife that she has hidden on her calf for emergencies. Should Refira, however, choose a more civil look, she doesn’t mind flashing riches, and she dresses her body fashionable in glamourous silks, elegant tunics, gowns with a feminine touch and expensive jewellery (which she probably has stolen somewhere). Personality Profile If someone should describe the Hapan woman by few words it would be: Self-righteous, vainglorious diva with double standards. Refira is an aggressive woman masked behind an angelic voice and it doesn’t take much to remove the little patience she has, when things don’t go as she wishes. Her temper far exceeds the physical limits of her body, and that sometimes makes her forget that she is a little lady and should watch out for who she challenges. Her emotional impulses are hard for her to control and if she sees herself in a situation where she can get away with it, she doesn’t bother to try. Consequently, she is dominating, and it isn’t uncommon for her to bait and hurt the slaves under her command for her own amusement. It’s no wonder that the slaver tends to get herself into trouble, but somehow, she has a divine ability to get away with it. She is affected by the matriarchal hierarchy of Hapes as if a part of her never left the privileged life, and she doesn’t assimilate more than what is necessary. Clinging to the Hapan ways and beliefs, Refira still acts as if she is high ranking and the one to inherit it all after the death of the matriarch. This makes her very egoistic, carrying a confidence greater than for her own good. This becomes visible in several ways: She is blunt and far from submissive or humble to any other than her superiors (which is not even always the case) – Still, if you are likely to break her neck, she can become very amenable all of sudden. Her team player abilities are limited, as she hates being ordered around. But she will more than likely tell you what to do! And love every minute of it. Refira used to be adored by men and women alike, and she still expects the planets to centralise around her. Words such as “no” are not respected, and these rejections usually make her very histrionic, as her world view falls apart yet again and she lands on the ground. Sometimes these forced realizations become too much, when she misses Hapes and her old life. Her saviour in these cases, you may ask? Giggledust! The spice variant is something that she is very addicted to, and she can’t go without it for long. Like the general population of Hapes she has a deep cultural respect for anything beautiful, be it art, nature, the physical appearance of individuals or the expressed core of the soul. But that also means that any sentient species that are of non-humanoid appearance (e.g. wookies) will be viewed as less than her the first time she meets them. And her condescending manner is far from appreciated. Refiras ability as an actress has saved her ass many times. She can be rather persuasive, when she needs to be, as playing dumb with feminine fragility, damsel in distress or using seduction is something she has used many times to get attention (or get away from it). If everything else fails, she can always turn to her everlasting resource of excuses that she uses on regular basis to support her morality and choices. It is much needed as Refira wouldn’t last long without her network (She would rather die than to admit it). At Hapes she had people to do her bidding. In the underground she needs people to act as her “meatshields” if she has any desire to survive. As a noble, Refira is rather talented. It is not a trait that is put to use often in her environment, but the social and academic skills help her on a general basis. She is capable of being very expressive, using both poetic and eloquent language, depending of her target audience. However, it is not something she associates with streets credit or respect and avoids it in exchange for a rougher expression in the underground. She enjoys creative activities: Is a skilled dancer, and back at Hapes she used to sing and play harp. If she had to choose, she would pick luxury over getting her hands dirty (which is why she also likes to take credit for others work), and one would be quick to ask if she would be better fit for the upper class of Hapes. But within Refira rests a deep and everlasting lust for seeking knowledge, adventure and a taste for autonomy. She feels the happiest when she is on the run, exploring the galaxy with no limitations and high on euphoria and adrenaline. The world is her playground and party. She is going to grab ahold of it and clench it. Background Father • Bian Lyu'cor, 47, Aristocrat. Mother • Adela Na’zoa, 50, Aristocrat. Siblings • Gabbi Na’zoa, 25, Aristocrat. Kitty Na’zoa, 25, Aristocrat. Joley Na’zoa, 15, Aristocrat. Harlene Na’zoa, 11, Aristocrat. Other Important Connections • Viseryon Umkesh, 35, politician and Refiras (X)betrothed. Overall History • The Pirates The majestic Lorell Raiders of the Hapes Cluster! Every time they were on a raid they bought back beautiful women and placed them here – “Wooow. That sounds fun” – ultimately resulting in the world we know and love today. Refiras eyes, wide with wonder, stared at the tiny holoprojector as sound emitted from it and mighty pirate starships flew past her eyes. Her smile was growing bigger as she imagined the scenario. How exciting it must have been! Steering the ships into foreign places without fear and living life as it pleased them. The fact that it was against the poor women’s will didn’t cross her mind. She had sought refuge from the duties of a young noblewoman under the dinner table, her face and holoprojector sticking slightly out from underneath the tablecloth, as she breathlessly listened to the story of Hapes foundation. For maybe a 500th time in half a year, or what felt like it. The holoprojector proceeded, and she repeated the words down to every last detail, when the recorded narrator held a (rhetorical) pause. “And then?” Her two twin sisters, 3 years younger, came running into the room in a game of chase, whining and screaming as they circled the table. In the movement they managed to push a decanter of vine over the table’s edge, before they left the room again as fast as they had entered it. The holoprojector didn’t get to finish the sentence, as the red vine spilled down across the surface, causing the system to short-circuit along witch the recorded voice. She was saddened that her fantasy had ended, but it didn’t matter, as she already knew the ending. The vine was almost as an ironic illustration of the fate of the pirates. “Then… The Jedi came”. She looked annoyed, her gaze darkening slightly. The Jedi destroyed her ending! – or actually it was Gabbi and Kitty, but they were not important. And yet, even though she knew how it ended, she loved hearing the story over and over, as if she was looking for a continuation in the history lesson of adventures that never came. The child was yanked back into the reality that waited outside of the tablecloth, with a pull of her leg, as Portio shaked his head despondently. The gray-haired servant was the one that had been in the Na’zoa family the longest time. Yes, conclusively for as long as Refira had lived: 10 years. Wooow. He must have been old for a grown-up. For she had recently learned how to tie her boots herself. That made her feel very grown-up, and he was older than her! “Young lady. You can’t keep running away from the lessons! All of those are important”. As the servant said this, he fished her up over his shoulder and started walking down the hallway with Refira. His large boots clacking against the durasteel floor as he walked. She didn’t struggle. Her holoprojector was broken anyway, and she liked Portio, so why? He was more of a father for her than her biological one was. In fact both of her parents were absent most of the time, due to aristocratic duties. Aaaaand then again… She could always escape later! She laid lazily and looked up at the many lights of the ceiling that passed as she was carried away. “Portio?” The man uttered an affirmative grunt. “You said that I could become and obtain anything that my heart truly desires, right?” -“Yes, I did, young lady”. “Then I want to be – A PIRATE!” Refira shouted with glee. “Or a chocolate bar!” She narrowed her eyes as she considered the nature of the two tough choices. “I like those too”. The servant smiled to her over his shoulder, neither discouraging nor encouraging her. “Oh, I know you do Refira, I know”. As they passed servants and nobles alike, Refira spoke again. “Portio, how come that some people can use the force and some can’t?” She nuzzled up and made herself comfortable by resting her cheek on the scarf around his neck. “That is just the set of rules that the circle of life has assigned us to”. -“But that is not fair! That is cheating. Why is it like that?” He shaked his head. “You are asking a lot of questions, young lady, that even the vast knowledge of old Portio is not able to answer”. “But you have grey hair. So that must mean that you are smart. Old people are smart!” She took some time to think, and there were blessed silence for one minute. Then the lips of Refira moved again. “Is it true that some of them can ‘zap’ things?” “Yes, but only some of them. The bad ones”. -“Bad? Then the Jedi must have been zapping the pirates. That was cruel. Those Jedi were bad”. “Some of them are worse than the others”. This, this was quite the message for Refira – beyond her understanding, and small lines furrowed across her nosebridge. But this was just one of many existential questions Refira would throw at her surroundings since she learned how to speak. “How does one decide what Jedi is bad or not? Maybe they just had crummy day and someone ate their cookies. And the pirates didn’t have any. Maybe people ask the queen-mama to know. And she would answer questions, because she loves all of us. A bit like papa loves mama really much. And mama loves swiss roll”. “Well, I don’t like any of them! They are stupid” she finally declared as she returned to context and pushed the thought away of a question, that maybe was way too mature for a young child. She didn’t understand it and wouldn’t think of something that made her jealous. “And I wanna zap Gabbi and Kitty! They broke my story projector. Maybe if I really concentrate, I would be able to do it?” -“No, you couldn’t”. “Okay. May I throw things at them then? -“No, you shouldn’t”. “But it would make me feel so much better!” -“No, it wouldn’t”. “I don’t care that I can’t use the force. I can do whatever I like! Whatever I want to do. When I grow up, I want to bee… Awesome! Just watch me. And no one is going to stop me, Portio. So why can’t I throw things at my sisters?” Portio exhaled so deeply, one would think his very soul left his body in the same process. “Because you are the oldest. And they look up to you, so you must remain exemplary… At least when others look” he added with a wink. When they had passed the hallways and reached the large door, Portio lifted Refira down from his shoulders and kneeled, so he could look her in the eye. “Young child, please refrain from getting yourself into trouble for now. As your caretaker, old Portio is going to get problems if you do”. “Well, I can try. But trouble always has a way of finding me, even when I just want to be left alone. I mean, look at what happened to my story projector!” -“You’ll grow out of it. You’ll grow out of it” Portio stated. He pushed the button and the huge door slid aside. She stood there a little while and stared at the entrance, where she could see some of the other students attending the lesson. “I’ll grow out of it” Refira repeated, but it sounded more like a question than a statement. Then she entered the room, and Portio walked back down the hallway. The Aristocracy Oh, the noble families of Hapes. Powerful! Loyal supporters of the queen mother to no end. … Yet inbred after many years of selective breeding and limited new resources in the gene pool that was left behind, when the pirates were killed off. And as a result… Beautiful faces beyond belief. But at the expense of a twisted and mad core. So thought Refira, as she slid across the floor, eyeing all the guests. They were all snakes, and she wouldn’t trust any of them wholeheartedly, even if it was a matter of life and death. The long train of the posh dress dragged behind her. She knew most of the faces. If not in person, then by name. Even though she only was 16, she could perfectly wear the required mask in social situations and immerse in anything from politics to economics and art - even if she wanted to run away, screaming on the inside. She was taught so to represent the family name properly and to avoid ending in anything that could destroy their reputation. After all, the whole of the lineage was more important than what a single individual felt and meant. Her chaperone held Refiras arm. They leaned close and whispered together, careful not to be too loud for anyone else to hear. The two girls had known each other since childhood, and the chaperone usually worked as a cover for Refira in every sense. “What about the one over there?” Refira glanced discretely where the chaperone was hinting at. She raised a brow. -“Too frail”. “Aaaand that one?” -“Too boring. His personality is so dry, so I can dehumidify a swamp with him. Are you trying to kill me?” “Refira, if only you cooperated just a little. That would make it much easier for you, so you don’t end up with an entirely random man. Yet you reject so many suitors!” Refira sighed. She closed her eyes. “I am aware that mama is looking out for someone to me. She doesn’t have a son, so I am the one who has to social climb for one. And I’m the oldest and the wittiest, so they naturally go for me. It just doesn’t feel natural”. “It looks like he likes you” the chaperone proceeded. A man in a suit smiled at them from across the room. His gaze had rested upon them for a while now. But the realization sent chills down Refiras spine. And not in a good way. She already knew him. “Too Diatan! Not him. Anyone from Suzevis bloodline are mad. They are combined crisscross in cousin marriages for at least three generations now! And as long as I make it look as if I’m carefully considering my choices, they will let me be… For now”. It was predictable. Refira knew what would happen to her as she grew up. But she never grew out of the urge to bend limits. Refira had learned how to run on autopilot at events, while being absent-minded. She tried to disregard the constant courtship that was greatly encouraged by the matriarch of her lineage. The golden cage that she was living in was boring to her, and her salvation was to travel into the wilderness of Hapes nature, where no praying eyes would watch her every step. A free space, where she would appreciate the unique beauty and practise her firearms. Although seemingly on the surface, it wasn’t because Refira had no interest in men (or women). But lately she had been engorging herself in adrenaline and company of a different kind. Thus, she had no interest in any of the suitors. She was fully aware that she was supposed to keep herself within the lines of her caste, yet she always found more delight in mingling with her servants than the pompous company in the aristocratic midst. There was something enlightening about it that made her feel like she could relax and drop the mask she usually had to wear. She felt welcome. She felt loved. Maybe it was her need to rebel – or maybe – it was the excitement of engaging in something that was considered so taboo, but it still came naturally when Refira started to mature and gained a nascent interest in the opposite gender, that she chose to explore the matter with a few of her favourites: The men she found most handsome with the widest shoulders and as if chiselled in stone. The most faithful of servants that she knew could keep the secret and wouldn’t destroy her reputation. She gave them little benefits for attending to her every need. And as such she developed a healthy appetite and an addiction as she slid her dress down her delicate shoulders, lights dimmed, fingers got entangled in hair, nails engraved in skin, pulses rose as body heat was exchanged between the sheets and breathing became heavy. She knew what she liked, she knew what she wanted, and she would take it. The young lady always managed to arrange for her eye candy to stay close by as personal servants. It was as if she could make her wonderland bubble last forever. That just wasn’t the case… And it popped. The Empty Husk in the Gilded Cage When Refira aged 19, she couldn’t run from the expectations of her family anymore. Nor from the arranged marriage that happened against her will. It wasn’t the fact that she was going to be coupled up and had to spend her the rest of her life with a lower ranking man that bothered her. Neither was it the marriage itself. It was more the way she was being robbed of her independence against her will and ultimately lost her voice in the matter. It was a clear act that marked her as a chess piece in the reign of higher ranking women in her lineage… And if there are one thing the young lady hates, it is the feeling of being insignificant... -"This is what you give me to work with? Well honey, I’ve seen worse". -“Such things take time, Refira. Feelings of closeness can develop over time”. -“Oh, this is all so exciting! And so romantic!” Refira tried in vain to fight of powder puffs that were pressed against her already light complexion, leaving a white sky in the air, while coughing and sneezing uncontrollably. Jewellery and different fabrics were passed up to her hair, compared with her appearance, then exchanged for new. “H-how can any feelings of fondness develop, when all he ever has seen and accepted of me is a play to the gallery!?” She pushed aggressively towards a pair of hands that tried to paint her lips red, only to be sprayed in the face with expensive essential oils from the opposite site. Causing another series of coughing. -“He will love you. In time”. “How can he love me, when in fact he doesn’t know me! I don’t want him”. -“Love! Love is what we read about in stories my dear. It’s the proletarians feast. Marrying for love is a foolish thing to do. He’s from a good family. He will support your decisions… And you can always close your eyes when you need to create the next heir. You don’t have to look at his face, dearie”. -“He’s blinder than a bat, but at least his eyes are blue. You shouldn’t be so ungrateful”. “He is only going to USE ME as an ORNAMENT for his slippery fingers, so he can climb the hierarchy” Refira hissed. She didn’t mind being an ornament. Actually, sometimes she enjoyed being the centre of attention, but she wanted to choose when and how she was one. “I feel trapped! I can’t breathe! And for the stars sake - STOP. Putting blasted FLOWERS in my hair!”. -“You don’t want to dishonour your lineage” the lady at her side said with a pointed finger, before replacing some of the flowers, as Refira started tearing them violently out of her puffy braid. Behind the first chaperone peeked another, while shifting two veils indecisively between her hands. -“Or look like a bantha on your great day. Are you more into cream and gold? Or white and silver?”. -“If any feeling comes in your way, just suppress it!” The voices, the many decisions and the constant sensory overload made Refira roar. She couldn’t hear herself think. “Get. OUT!” Her circlet flew through the air and slammed against the closing door with a hollow clonk, only a few seconds from hitting the women as they hurried out. Then she was left alone in the cold room, with only her razing heartbeat and raising anxiety to accompany her. Her legs slumped together under her, and she fell to her knees. In front of her, in the middle of the room was a large mirror showing her reflection. She felt sick, despising the creature looking back at her. “There are six hours till the end of the world” she concluded. “Six hours till I’m confined here forever… I better make good use of it”. She laid down flat on her back and stared lacklustre into the ceiling. From under her bed she pulled the story projector and placed it on her chest. With the push of a button the familiar words started, and she joined in with a punctured lack of flair, like that of a beached whale. “Bla bla bla of the Hapes Cluster. Every time they bla bla blabbed beautiful women and placed them here… ultimately resulting in the world we know and lurrrveeee”. … She paused. The first female settlers of Hapes were being abducted, because they were beautiful. She sat up. They were being detained against their will and forced to endure life in the Hapes Cluster… Because they were beautiful. Slowly raising up, the soon to-be bride walked to the mirror as if mesmerised. Without concern of hurting her hand, she punched a fist into the glass, and the shattered pieces fell to the floor, shining like chunks of bright jagged stars. Carefully she picked one of the pieces up and turned it slowly in her hand, as for studying it. Feeling the difference between the sleek, bright surface and the sharp edges. The remains of the mirror still reflected her. Then, like a painter caresses the canvas with his brush, Refira lead the sharp glass to her face. First stroking the skin gently with her fingers, appreciating the softness and details of her bone structure. The jagged edge plunged into her cheek. For some reason, she didn’t blink. Only gasped, as she watched a red pearl run down her face, dragging a shiny veil of colour behind. And she didn’t stop. Wet, slimy sounds emitted, as fibrous tissue teared apart. The upper part of her dress started to turn red with the little rivers of blood. Her hand trembled as she looked at the destruction of the creature in the mirror and slowly unveiled another and more bizarre version with each movement of her hand. When she was done, she carefully pulled out in the grooves, making sure that it couldn’t just grow back on its own. She was free. The Hapans considered deformities and disfigurement a fate worse than death. And thus, she was reborn and cut the norms, like she cut the expectations of what a beautiful bride she would be. She reeled into the next room while supporting herself against the wall, painting handprints everywhere she went. As she entered, she spread her arms out in an embrace and exposed the rather nightmarish scenario to the people in the room that was is the middle of the wedding preparations. The wounds burned. They burned as tears mixed into them, her irises shivered, and she gave a wide, strained smile. “Still! Would he still want to marry me?!” Then the bride collapsed against the wall. … From there it was all one blurry chaos of screams, one of her sisters that cried somewhere, people that ran around and the darkness that calmly came to claim Refira in its embrace. Silence. When she opened her eyes again, she could hear water. Bubbles. A cooling sensation of stream against her body was present and her face covered in a mask, as she found herself pickled in a bacta tank. She had no idea how long she had been there. It could be days. Maybe months? But when she was removed for the tank and the mask from her head, she was met by disappointment. The doctors proudly presented that they had managed to save her face. No scars were made. Nothing that showed trace of the grotesque action or the state of her mind. The plan didn’t work. And soon the marriage was arranged again. Refira, however, had none of it, and despite the extra watchful eye, she managed to bribe some of her surroundings. Following in the footsteps of Hapan men that felt trapped by their position in society, Refira ran away to foreign worlds she had only read about in books. The family filed a missing person report and a huge reward is promised to the person who can bring her home safely. The Irony of Fate In the beginning Refira didn’t know what to do, nor what to expect. She found herself at Nar Shaddaa, for she was told that it would be harder to identify and find her there. The money she had bought along quickly disappeared, and she was left hungry, freezing and confused. Never did she plan this far. As a result, she quickly entangled herself in the criminal environment. At first, she got a horrible amount of attention for her appearance, and someone offered her to work in prostitution as a way to manage her debt. But that poor fool was soon to discover that Refira is a very stubborn and demanding woman, with a convenient ability to give people headache, when she becomes angry and high pitches her voice. Ouh, that he dared?! They made the agreement that if she - for heaven’s sake - would shut up, he would let it be. Instead Refira became an assistant until he found other ways she could be useful. She assisted him in minor operations, smuggling things, acting as a decoy, stealing etc. and she quickly got her hands on it. The more she showed to be accommodating, the more responsibility he gave her. In return Refira felt a rush similar to the few situations at home, where she got no strings to hold her down. Just more intense. It excited her and kept her going to see where she ended and how she could turn her new pages. Her contact introduced her to the Exchange, where she got a major upgrade in the workforce. While working in the underground has reinforced certain personality traits of Refira, there are a lot that she has to keep down. Her temper is one of them, and while it works as a motivator for her in many cases, it certainly also is contributing to keeping her from climbing the ladder. Ironically Refira ended up as an active participant in the slave trade, the very feeling she ran away from. In reality it isn’t that much of a change from the system she is used to at Hapes. Except there her servants were willing, or so she thinks. She uses the skills from home and has a good eye when it comes to distributing the slaves, utilising their “full potential” depending on species and abilities, where some species get a better treatment than others. The humanlike they are, the more she relates to them, the more she treats them as such. She says that she is helping them. And the question is if she fully believes it. It is a mantra that she has repeated so many times now, so it may have become her personal truth… Or maybe she doesn’t know any better. In the beginning it may have been a facade to cover any traces of guilty conscience and compassion for betraying her own ideals. At least until the unwanted feeling passes. But the show must go on. Refira has come so far in the fight for her own personal freedom, and the diva won’t let anyone pull her down without a fight. Even if it means that she must trample everyone on her way to the top and happiness. |
