| Emmi |
|
|
| Personal |
| Birthplace |
Shinrai, Southern Kingdom |
| Birthdate |
06/1/09 B.F. |
| Gender |
Female |
| Age |
Nineteen |
| Height |
4'7" |
| Weight |
78 lbs |
| Blood Type |
AB+ |
| Kekkei Genkai |
Ashes of the Dead (presumably) |
| Classification |
Bodyguard and Retainer |
| Areas of Expertise |
Ninjutsu, Necromancy, Taijutsu, Chakra-Taijutsu, Forbidden Techniques |
| Clan |
The Feng Family |
| Affiliation |
Southern Kingdom (previously), Xiang Qi (present) |
| Team |
None |
| Rank |
| Ninja Rank |
Wanderer |
| Genin-Equivalent Age |
Nine |
| Chuunin-Equivalent Age |
Twelve |
| Jounin-Equivalent Age |
Presumed Un-achieved |
| Nature Type |
| Element (Affinity) |
Earth
|
| Element (Secondary) |
Wind
|
| Element (Tertiary) |
Fire
|
| Family |
| Biological Family |
Separated From; Status Unknown |
| Imperial Staff |
Trainers, Friends, Adoptive Family |
| Xiang Qi |
Master (Bodyguard), Friend, Companion |
| Signature Jutsu |
| False-Reincarnation Ash-Puppets |
Lan Feng, also known as Emmi, is a suspiciously short, cute, and fun necromancer from the Southern Kingdoms who served in the Emperor's Court as a retainer and bodyguard for Xiang Qi, daughter of the Emperor. Recently, the two have eloped in order to avoid a rather cruel arranged marriage of Xiang Qi and a minion of the Emperor, and has been staying in Kirigakure since then. Emmi is known primarily for her penchant for bright colors, controlling the dead, and enjoying long walks on the beach.
Background
Lan Feng was born into the harsh lands of the rural south of the Southern Kingdoms, and from there, she grew up, equally harsh. These people, those of her family and neighbors, were known for their resilience, hardiness, and perseverance through even the most arduous of ordeals. Lan Feng was no different, despite her status as a ‘runt’.
She was small, smaller than her brothers and sisters, the smallest of them all. Her parents were concerned that she would get sick and die, but her health stuck and she never had any issues, in fact, her vitality outpaced that of anyone around. She had energy that others lacked, and never gave up at anything, so by the time she was six, she was a vigorous young girl destined for a future as an eager, talented wife. But that would not be her fate – there was more in store for her.
Lan Feng became a pawn in the political scene of the world when she was given up by her family when they could not pay their taxes. She, a lovely young girl, though small as she was, would make a nice slave for someone – at least that was the theory. No one would have assumed, though, that she would be bought by the staff of the royal family to be trained as a servant. Lan Feng’s destiny was shown, then: She would serve the Emperor like all others, but in a more direct capacity. She was introduced to her charge later that year, the daughter of the Emperor himself, Xiang Qi.
The young girl was placed into a plethora of lessons, ranging from academic to martial, and excelled in all of them. It was appropriate for one of the southerners to work so hard, but at the same time, the promise of returning to her family if she achieved success drove the young girl on. However, over time, that promise was no longer there, it was replaced with duty and admiration for Xiang Qi, whom she served. Her desire to improve herself and better protect and serve was what inspired Lan Feng now.
It paid off, for by the time she was sixteen, Lan Feng had learned much, and because of all of her skill and knowledge, she was assigned to be Xiang Qi’s personal servant, to bend to her will, serve her every need, and die in her stead if need-be. However, instead of becoming just some menial servant, Xiang Qi and Lan Feng became friends, good friends – as close as any. Now, Qi even trusts Lan with much of dealings as well as her life.
Among her time of training, Lan Feng became notorious for rather unique techniques. She had rather remarkable control of her Chi, something that many lacked, at least to her degree, and become a student of some of the greatest Chi masters the Empire could manage, those who instructed in the royal palaces! There, she learned to hone and control her abilities, to combine her techniques into dangerous abilities, most notable was her ability to control rather unsavory materials – the ashes of the dead. There were other things she could control, but that was her focus.
She was small, she was unassuming, she was more like a child than the adult she had become, and so she made up for her lack of frightening disposure by using frightening techniques. She used the ashes of the dead to fight and formed them into the beings they once were, erecting hordes of zombies to fight for her, but more notable yet was her ability to directly assume control of one or more with a technique similar to chakra strings that had been learned from the Chi masters of the Empire that may have been learned from puppeteers of the Shinobi World in the past. By doing so, the ‘zombies’ she created become much more deadly, nigh as dangerous as they were when they were alive.
Personality
Personal Theme
(Cello Ascends, Piano Guys)
When the Dead Walk Again
(Blade of Blood)
Ashes Will Flow
(See What I've Become)
Battle Theme One
(Kuvera)
Battle Theme Two
(Vindicator)
Battle Theme Three
(Veni, Vidi, Vici)
Extra One
(Unknown: Trailer Nb1)
Emmi is a fairly straight-forward girl, in that she is everything you expect from a teenage girl. She is silly, strange, hard-to-understand, frustrating, fun, and binges on food occasionally. However, one thing is for certain, she tends to do what she can to bring happiness to other people - somewhat contrary to her nature as a necromancer and bodyguard. She spent a good portion of her early life miserable and in servitude, and does not intend to impose unnecessary feelings of negativity on others.
Emmi occasionally has a seriousness to her that contradicts her otherwise cheerful, bubbly nature, and can seem much more mature than she appears. When engaged in conversation, she often does her best to exude an aura of intelligence, helped by the fact that she speaks at least two languages, understands multiple cultures, and is well-versed in both martial and scientific studies. For a long time, Emmi was a girl who scared easily, but after working with and controlling the dead, her sense of fear has diminished significantly, and any unease she might feel in any revolting or disgusting scenarios is basically gone.
Relationships
Note: List is not conclusive and will be periodically updated… maybe…
| Friends |
| Qi
|
TBA |
| Reina
|
Reina is the leader of Hakumei, a group of 'miscreants' that Emmi was invited to join - which she has made efforts to do. Aside from their shared interest in Hakumei, Reina and Emmi show the signs of a casual friendship, playing jokes on each other from time-to-time, chatting about random things, and meeting up at various times to just sort of hang out. |
| Sarasa
|
Emmi and Sarasa had met on a few occasions, and almost all of them have been centered around a shared appreciation for good food. While Emmi is likely friends with Sarasa because she has few friends to begin with and is likely searching for more, Sarasa seems to have befriended her because of her interest in the Southern Kingdom where Emmi hails from. |
| Taree
|
Emmi's meeting with Taree was entirely by chance. The young girl had been with another Kirigakure shinobi when Emmi came across them, and though the other left, Taree was given the mission of showing Emmi around the village. After a bit of a tour, the two ended up going shopping and have since developed a fairly close, friendly relationship and both share a goal of travelling around the Shinobi World. |
| Acquaintances |
| Akane
|
Emmi's relationship with Akane is mostly indirect and circumstantial. The two have interacted a few times, but more often than not, Akane has been in the company of someone else, or Emmi had already been distracted by someone other than Akane. She does not know much about the mostly blind girl, but Emmi has enough interest in her that that could change fairly easily in the future. |
| Sei
|
Every meeting that Emmi has had with Sei has been short, mostly indirect or in a group setting, or blatantly awkward. In fact, Sei has been talented enough to completely obliterate every conversation Emmi has had that he has wandered in on. A rather impressive skill, she thinks. |
| Tsiro
|
Emmi has not known Tsiro long, maybe for ten minutes, but in those ten minutes he managed to make Emmi feel pretty good about herself, and even seemed to have invited her out on a date and tour of the village. She accepted, of course, because who wouldn't go on a date with a homicidal Kaguya? |
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Appearance
The girl that stands before you is both incredibly small for her age, as well as blatantly foreign. She measures out to a height barely over four and a half feet tall – if that – and weighs a rather appropriate, paltry amount in the range of seventy to eighty pounds that is gathered from her thin, yet athletically toned frame. She has the noticeable appearance of someone who has spent much time physically active, and though she is well-muscled and toned, it is in a soft and gracefully feminine manner.
Her body is very proportional, balanced between torso and limbs. Her arms are long, slender, and end in small, petite hands with long, dexterous fingers. Her legs are similar; descending from a set of narrows hips are a pair of legs, slender enough to give her a nice gap between her thighs and defined enough to be incredibly pleasant on the eyes when visible.
Above her narrow hips is a flat, lightly toned belly and slim waist, that gives even the tiny girl an ‘hourglass’ style figure. Her torso is as small as the rest of her and she proves to be in well enough shape that definition of her muscles shows along her ribs. Upon her chest are small, rounded breasts that sit high and proudly upon her chest – shapely enough to be the envy of many and the objects of attention to those more lascivious in nature.
Her visage bears the attractiveness of someone with nigh-perfect symmetry to her features, and is set upon a head defined by pleasantly angular, yet softly rounded-out attributes. She has high, yet narrow cheekbones, cheeks that blend well and lack any excess fattiness, giving her a defined, mature look. She has a small nose with a pleasantly concave-sloped bridge. Her lips are narrow and curl into a vast array of expressions frequently and with ease and tend to bear a light bit of make-up to make them stand out a bit more than they would.
Her eyes are large and doe-like, yet bear a fierceness to their features and general expression. The red coloration of her cornea contrasts greatly and noticeably with the pure whiteness of her sclera. She has taken the liberty of accenting her eyes with a lighter shade of red eye shadowing, as well as black eyeliner and mascara. Her eyebrows are either of naturally graceful form or shaped into long, narrow lines, slightly more prominent towards the central regions of her forehead and narrowing out to the fineness of a needle at the end.
The foreigner’s hair is long, very long, long enough to reach her knees unless styled in a manner that avoids such things. Bear a distinctly dark, black coloration with a hint of deep-hued purple and a bit of glossiness to their fine, silken strands, her locks do have a bit of uniqueness to them. The cut of her hair is done in a fashion that her bangs are chopped straight across, even with her mouth, and tend to be parted in the center so that they dangle along the edges of her face, framing it. Her fringe hair over her ears and shoulders is lopped off along her belly button or so, and tends to hang over her shoulders and down the front of her body. The rest of her hair is pulled back into a ponytail, tied into place with a large, purple and black bow (Alternate hairstyles will be noted in sets/first poses).
Outfits
Note: Outfits known to be worn by Emmi.
The girl is garbed in a colorful Kimono of fiery colors; various shades and blends of reds, yellows, and oranges make up the palette used in its design. The kimono is sleeves, though she does have sleeves of a detached nature. While the kimono leaves her shoulders and armpits bared, she has her upper arms wrapped with white bandages starting about half way down, and just above her elbow the detached sleeves are secured in place. They billow out and flow down to her fingertips. She wears gloves beneath the sleeves that are made of a soft, white fabric. They cover her palms and secure around her thumb and the bases of her fingers and are backed by a dark red bracer made from leather. The bracers cover the backs of her hands and ascend up under her sleeves.
The Kimono itself is designed with an opened front that is secured in place by a wide obi, however, with the way it is designed and secured, the kimono leaves her collarbones partially bare, and utilizes a deep v-neck to display a small portion of her modest cleavage. Beneath the Kimono, she wears a tighter, white undershirt that contrasts with the darker red fabric of the kimono proper. The obi she wears is a mixture of dark orange and yellow, giving a light complimentary contrast blending to the red of the kimono, and is tied in a fashion that generates a rather flamboyant and large bow against her lower back.
The bottom segment of the kimono has an odd design. The right hip is exceptionally high-cut, rivaling a standard mini-skirt, which leaves her leg bared. The fabric slopes around her other leg, descending to her foot as if it were a full-length garment. This irregular cut-style displays her legs, clad in black thigh-high stockings and thin, dainty kneeboots with a slightly raised heel made of various orange and yellow colors to continue with the theme.
She is garbed in a simple, earthy-brown boatneck sweater that leaves her slender shoulders bare and tends to hang askew to one side or the other, drooping down onto one arm. Its size is large enough that it obscures most of her hands, the tips of her fingers poking out from the cuffs just a tiny bit, and hangs low enough on her body to nearly obscure the skin-tight black booty shorts she wore of which only the bottom-most hem was visible.
Aside from the sweater and the shorts, it is apparent that she wears either a black tanktop with spaghetti style straps or a bra beneath it, as well as a pair of comfortable sandals that wrap onto her feet and ankles with very narrow ties.
The girl has a thin, deep back turtleneck sweater on, one that fits exceptionally snug to her body, defining every nook and cranny of her torso and arms. Along with the turtleneck she has chosen to don a pair of cloth pants that it very tight around her hips, rear, and thighs and flare out more once they reach her knees. Beneath the pants she wears a pair of boots with slightly raised, platform-style heels. Lastly, she has elected to finish the outfit with a dark, forest green cloak with a large, voluminous hood, perfect for hiding in.
The Kimono that the girl has chosen to wear is made primarily of a dark blue fabric and bears no sleeves and is cut short enough to rival many a miniskirt. It is cinched together by a wide, white obi that is further secured by a band of red silk that is tied behind her back with tails that are long enough to dangle to her ankles. With the way that the kimono is worn, it has a semi-opened chest, and if she were bustier than she was it may provide a very appealing sight. To tone things down a tad, she wears a white camisole beneath to add a little modesty.
She is wearing a long-sleeved jacket, though it may be a bit gracious to call it that. It has a swooping, low u-neck that is low enough to almost connect to the bottom hem of the jacket itself which is located just below her bust, leaving her belly completely bare. As far as one can tell, the only other thing beneath the jacket is a similarly revealing tanktop or even a tubetop of some sort that keeps things that shouldn't show in public from showing.
The outfit is made complete by a pair of almost suspiciously tight shorts, and shorts is taken quite literally in this case as they could not get any shorter than they already were. With those shorts, she also wears a pair of high-top boots for practicality, if such is even relevant anymore.
The girl’s outfit consists of a long, billowing trench coat that contrasts in color with the clothes beneath it. While the trench coat is a bright, snowy white, the garb beneath it is a dark black. The top is very minimalistic; a tube top that begin just above her breasts and ends just below it, hugging them tightly enough to accentuate them beautifully. Her pants are similar to hakama, and are belted by a thin white band around her waist. She has then selected a pair of shinobi-style boots to wear on her feet.
Her outfit is fit for someone who enjoys exploration, or at least someone who prefers to look like they enjoy exploring places. A simple dress of white fabric adorns her body. It sports a pair of elbow-length sleeves with a rolled back cuff and its length ends at about her knees. She has a simple utility-style belt holding it in place around her hips, and then has covered the entire ensemble with a similarly colored cloak with a hood trimmed in light blue. She also wears a pair of matching kneeboots secured in place by a brown cord that is wrapped around her calves and tied in place beneath her knees.
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Skills And Abilities
Emmi's Skills
Taijutsu
General Taijutsu
- Block
- Rank: E-rank
- Roll One: Pow+Tai
- Roll Two: None
- Block II
- Rank: D-rank
- Roll One: Pow+Tai
- Roll Two: None
- Dodge
- Rank: E-rank
- Roll One: Spd+Tai
- Roll Two: None
- Dodge II
- Rank: D-rank
- Roll One: Spd+Tai
- Roll Two: None
- Physical
- Rank: E-rank
- Roll One: Spd+Tai
- Roll Two: Pow+Sta
- Physical II
- Rank: D-rank
- Roll One: Spd+Tai
- Roll Two: Pow+Sta
Ninjutsu
General Ninjutsu
- Tree Walking
- Rank: D-rank
- Roll One: None
- Roll Two: None
- Water Walking
- Rank: D-rank
- Roll One: None
- Roll Two: None
Ashes of the Dead
Kugutsu no Jutsu
- Kugutsu no Jutsu I
- Rank: D-rank
- Roll One: None
- Roll Two: None
Genjutsu
General Genjutsu
- Genjutsu Kai
- Rank: C-rank
- Roll One: Gen+Seal
- Roll Two: None
Menagerie of the Dead
Note: Photo not relevant - just cool! =^.^=
Shi Jianqiao was considered the ‘Hand of the Emperor’ up until her demise. Known for her ability to relentlessly hunt down and eliminate her targets with poisons and hidden weapons, she was one of the most prolific assassins of her era. Though she eventually felt her employer outlived his usefulness, her attempt at betrayal back-fired, and she ended up in the hands of Lan Feng only to serve the Emperor again at the hands of his loyal necromancer.
The hallmarks of this shadowy assassin would have been her hair – exceptionally long, wild, and the darkest of blacks tipped in foggy gray. Paired with her hair were the girl’s pretty face, brilliant red eyes, and her equally dazzling red kimono – perfect for hiding blood. She had a habit of using needles and other small, thin blades that were easily concealed in sleeves, accessories, and elsewhere as well as a lovely, skin-eating, muscle atrophying, hallucinogenic toxin that she enjoyed coating them with. The toxin, like her, had a tendency to work as fast and mercilessly as she did – and often left people quite dead.
Vicious, malicious, devious – all of which describe Lin Mingzhu, the blonde-haired demon of the Mingzhu twins – not that she is any better than her outwardly pleasant sister (by comparison). Mingzhu and her sister were prolific illusionists, more than capable of putting up the most baffling of imagery. She was under the employment of the Emperor of the Southern Kingdom when she and her sister perished, along with many others, in a devastating mudslide that suddenly overwhelmed their homes in the middle of the night. After her body was located, it was given over to Lan Feng for usage in her necromancy.
Mingzhu, for all intents and purposes, is identical to her sister, Daiyu, and has a very small, diminutive, and childlike appearance despite her more advanced age, not unlike Lan Feng who now controls her. Sporting blonde hair and a penchant for flamboyant clothing, Mingzhu strikes a more imposing and dramatic figure than her somewhat less overt sister.
Cunning and possessing a wickedly splendorous intelligence paired with a deep wisdom that belies her age, Lin Daiyu was the perfect person to offset Mingzhu’s more aggressive nature. Known for her prowess with illusions, she was the more subtle hand in the mix, often focusing on defensive techniques or precision attacks. Like Mingzhu, she was killed in a sudden mudslide while she slept, a rather unfortunate demise for the promising illusionist. Post-mortem she ended up in the care of Lan Feng to be used at the Emperor’s discretion.
Lin Daiyu is the identical twin sister of Lin Mingzhu, though the two have adopted small differences. In contrast to Mingzhu, Daiyu has snowy-white hair and a calmer disposition, as well as a subtler form of dress when compared to her sister, despite the many similarities. She is quite short, slim, and frail in appearance, very similar to Lan Feng who now controls her.
Liao Renshu, a man from the “other side”, was a famed warrior with a rather punctuated career. Though he wielded a scythe with deadly proficiency and augmented the atypical weapon with powerful Chi-based martial arts, he was cut down in battle when vastly overwhelmed. Having realized the number of soldiers it took to eliminate Liao Renshu, his body was cremated and he was induced into Lan Feng’s menagerie of dead people.
Tall and slim, he does not seem like one who would be a strong martial artist, but his use of chi more than makes up for what he lacked in physical strength. With dark red eyes, sharp and angular features, black hair streaked with white, and a giant scythe, Liao Renshu was more than intimidating and is often re-united with his scythe for combat.
Song Lifen, a young girl, who, at the age of sixteen, met her untimely demise at the hand of the indomitable cancer. It was quick, and she did not suffer, but she did leave behind a rather noteworthy legacy of being a promising, prodigal Chi user with exceptional proficiency in the use of wind channeling. She was the student of several of the most prolific monks who specialized in the arts of wind channeling, and upon her death, they suggested that the she be inducted into the retinue of Lan Feng in order to further serve the Emperor.
Song Lifen is a cute, young girl with amber eyes and long, black hair prone to wearing sundresses and floppy-brimmed hats with flowers and bows scattered across her slim figure. She was always noted as carrying an ornate metal staff made of silver, something that she does not carry any longer, but is still in Emmi’s possession and is typically given to her in combat.
Ruan Guozhi, the Fire-Breathing Demon of Chengdu, was a prolific Chi-user in his early thirties that many presumed to have the blood of a demon coursing through his veins. Ruan Guozhi was often considered neutral in his dealings with the civil wars in the Southern Kingdoms, but most knew that he favored the Emperor, often attributing it to his legitimacy as opposed to any moral decision. Ironically, Ruan was sentenced to death by the Emperor and perished at the hands of Shi Jianqiao, who has since joined him in the ranks of Lan Feng’s collection.
The rumors of Ruan being of demon-blooded decent stemmed from his otherworldly appearance – exceptional beauty for a man, with fair skin, red eyes, snowy white hair, chopped short in the back and left with incredibly long bangs. The most intriguing aspects of his appearances are his slightly pointed ears and a glossy black horn in the center of his forehead – not to mention his penchant for breathing fire. Ruan Guozhi tended to dress in ornate, flowing kimono-style garments, a trait her retains under Lan Feng’s command.
   
Yao Xifeng, a girl who some viewed to be a strange addition to Lan Feng’s arsenal of warriors, was the daughter of the great general of the Third Flag of Banshaou. Prior to being slain in battle, she was known as a rather impressive acrobatic martial artist who wielded chakrams and wore light, yet oddly revealing armor. Despite her prowess in battle, she was filled full of arrows in an unfortunate battle against a number of rebels – something that even the best martial artist cannot prevent. At the insistence of her father, who hoped to see his daughter again, she was given over to Lan Feng, however, she could not fulfill his wish, only utilize her for combat purposes or have her stand around and look pretty.
Pretty she was. Yao Xifeng was known for being rather attractive, and many found it strange that her father allowed her to become a warrioress instead of a bride, but her family had a stronger martial heritage than anything else. In combat, life and death, she wears a set of light, somewhat revealing armor of red, gold, and black. Her hair, like many of her countrymen, is a lovely black and she is quite tall and in exceptional physical shape. Perfect for kicking someone in the teeth.
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Journal Entries
It was… a long time ago. I haven't spoken of it to many, because I have not had any to tell my story to before, but I believe that writing what I have to say will be more than suffice.
I am from Shinrai, a small village along the south-eastern coast of the land known as the Southern Kingdom - somewhat silly to call it that, but it is what people here know it as - and, for the most part, it is a beautiful, wonderful place. Nestled up against the mountains and built into high spots along the floodplains below, our village was known for the production of rice in our paddies as well as harvesting tropical fruits and fishes. However, it was not the idyllic place we dreamed it would be - we were still subjects of the Emperor and we had to pay the price.
The price we paid was generally in the form of taxes, and if we failed at that, goods from our harvests. It was unfortunate, when we were unable to meet the payments because we needed the food to survive, but that was never a problem, not until the year when I turned five. I knew, despite my age, that something was wrong. My parents, as well as the other villagers, were acting very tense. It had been only a few weeks since a massive tsunami rolled in and obliterated many of our homes - but worse, the crops!
We no longer had money, and we did not have tribute, and that meant there was going to be a problem. Since there were only a few days until the Emperor's collectors showed up, there was nothing the village could have done. When they arrived, my mother held me tightly while we lined up to be addressed by the Imperial minions.
Several minutes later, I was being hauled off only to be thrown roughly into the back of a wagon and locked up with several other children that I knew from the village, as well as strangers that were not from around here. My parents and the village had been unable to pay the necessary tribute in money or goods, so they took us children as payment.
I did not understand what was going on, but I remember crying. I was being taken away from my home for the first time in my life - and I would never be able to return, that much I knew.
I found my chance for revenge the next day. Or, what I considered revenge. The guards found us so repulsive by the way we smelled that they went through the trouble of stopping and throwing us, one by one, into a river to clean us up. I could not imagine that I was the only one who harbored thoughts of revenge, a desire for freedom, or a need to seem my family again.
I wasn't, that much was certain.
Before I could even formulate a plan of attack, two boys that were at least a year or two older than me, assailed the guards with rocks, attempting to bludgeon them into submission. As I had been thrown into the river, I had dug for my own rock in an attempt to help. Fishing for one had taken only a moment of my time and attention, but when I looked back to the fight, it had already been over.
They were dead.
Not the guards, but the boys. They had been slain, mercilessly. Cut to ribbons by the massive swords the guards wielded. The rock slipped from my hand as one of their heads rolled down the slope and plopped into the river only to float passed me, bobbing along, turning the water red.
I cried. Who wouldn't? I was scared…
I realized, even as they pulled me from the river, that there was no hope.
I was… alone. I had people I recognized and some that I didn't, but I was still alone. My chest had been twisted into knots and my tears could no longer flow. My parents… I could never see them again, and the Imperials were not hesitant to remind me of that - in fact, it seemed that it was their goal to make me understand that there was nothing left for me - I was merely a possession now.
When we stopped to be fed, we relieved poorly cook gruel that would, by the time we arrived at our destination, have taken the lives of three or four of the children who got ill from undercooked meat or whatever else they decided to put into it, but they didn't care. It made me angry! How could they treat us like this? We had never experienced anything but the love of our families, and now here we were… being treated like animals!
I could do nothing. I was helpless. I was young, weak, and I lacked the ability to form any real complex thoughts that would have helped me generate some sort of escape. No, the only thing I could do was hate, and I did. I hated them with everything I could muster. I would never forgive them, in fact - I would break them - I would destroy them - I would take their lives as they took mine!
We arrived at our destination later the next day. It was a small village, not much larger than Shinrai, but from the way our guards spoke of it, I knew that it could be nothing but a trade center for slaves like us. My heart sunk - I knew my fate, now. My mother had read me a story of a slave girl once who had grown to be a hero, but… there were so many people in that story that were slaves like her, but none became a hero!
Certainly not I… a coward… a weakling…
They drug us, nearly life-less husks, from the back of the cage-wagon that we had been packed into and threw us on the ground. We were forced to line up so that we could be inspected by our new master, a man who would do whatever it took to sell us for the best price he could manage. One after another, he inspected u with a scrutinizing eye that made my skin crawl.
I hate him too. I hate them all!
I had no hope, but I had my hate. It was so intense that it made my skin crawl anytime I saw one of them. And he knew it, he knew I had the ferocity hidden deep inside of me. When it was my turn to be inspected, he crouched down and grabbed me by the face, his fingers digging roughly into my cheeks as he forced me to look at him.
"Your hate is strong. You would make a horrible servant, but I know someone who might take you."
He told me that, but I didn't care. I just spit at him, but all he did was laugh. My rebelliousness was futile. I would not be going anywhere, doing anything, or seeing anyone that he did not want. My life was over, but I had yet to realize it.
I had a new home now, and it was little more than a prison.
