Ashley Lywin
(a.k.a. Ashe)
Ah, the Midwinter Festival. Ten days, ten opportunities to profit. This is the time where I thrive. No time to celebrate. No time to laugh, or find new friends. Now more than ever, I need to focus.-Ashe
Mental
Really? Note to self, never get arrested. Pretty soon, they'll be asking you all about your personal life for your 'files'. Yes, you can write that down. Write this down, too - if you see anything shiny in my eyes, that's not tears, that's the lighting - it's not my fault you've put about a thousand lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Any sniffles, that's just a cold - I don't care how magical us Skydwellers are, it's winter. I don't cry - crying's the sort of thing that wimpy people with tragic backstories do. And I don't have a tragic backstory - you'll see. Ashe grew up in the home of her aunt, uncle, and three younger cousins, almost never seeing her parents due to their almost constant employment as monitors. Her unique birth on the ground and subsequent upbringing also meant that she speaks almost five languages, including English, German, and Spanish. Although her aunt and uncle never explicitly stated it, Ashe always felt like she was a burden on them, and took care to make up for that by keeping the house immaculate, spending as much time out of the house as possible (often eating with her friends or Bond), and keeping her three younger cousins entertained. One of the ways she did this was with her card tricks, and she became so proficient at this 'magic' that she began street performances as a way to earn money. After that, she was almost never at home, and always chose to eat out. She started performing at the Midwinter Festival, and even earned a tiny room at the Coin Vault in exchange for a small fee weekly card performances there.I became (and I say this with all humility) one of the best card performers out there. And while all of my friends were busy learning swordsmanship at the League, I was doing magic tricks at birthday parties and in the streets, making good and honest money for myself.It was this skill that eventually caught the attention of the Deckmasters. When she was approached by one of their leaders, Ashe jumped at the opportuniy to test her skills. She passed their initiation training within the course of a week, subsequently failing to study for her finals. Although she didn't do well on the tests, she quickly rose the ranks through Deckmaster hierarchy, and school became the least of her worries. In fact, it was only because of her Bond that she managed to get into Dawn University. Her Bond, who, for the sake of anonymity, will remain unnamed, chose to pursue atmospheric sciences. Ashe joined her only halfheartedly, and was so busy following through with the most daring heists the Deckmasters had ever seen that she ended up flunking her midterms and getting expelled from the University.-Ashe
Personal
"If you have the skills to take it, then it was obviously meant for you, and that's the honest truth."Ashe's upbringing as the functioning caretaker of three little girls made her proficient at communication, leadership, delegation, time management, and, of course, hair braiding. Her natural skills at discerning the truthfulness of people's words, their emotions, and their motivations gave her an early advantage as a member of the Deckmasters. This enabled the Deckmasters to take on some of the most ambitious jobs in the sky, such as robbing the mansion of Governor Gyrot or releasing all the messenger falcons of the City as a diversion.-Ashe
Also among Ashe's defining characteristics are her good balance, love of card games (especially Wings and Talons), her ability to quickly recover despite her somewhat awful luck (and the habit of good preparation this has given her), her queasiness around spilt blood, and the dark blue hat that she often fiddles with.
Though Ashe started off as an ambassador for the Deckmasters, using her talents as a means of intimidating their more strong-willed clients, Ashe quickly started cobbling her skills together as an initiatory teacher for new members and a heist leader.
"Okay, freshies, this is it. The biggest plot of your lives, and it's all starting now. If you can't prove yourselves, then you're out. If you get caught, then you're out. If you mess this up, then you're out. Any questions?" "Hey, I've got a question - how come a little girl is leading us?" "Because unlike you, I've got a lifetime of experience in this type of thing, friends in the right places, and I won't cost us hundreds of nimbuses in powder funds for our members. Understand? Good. Lets go."A smaller aspect of Ashe's life is her religious belief - though not many believe in the sky deity Cyra anymore, Ashe has pledged a small portion of her beliefs to her. Though Cyra frowns upon theft, she respects those who can use their skills to survive, and certainly appreciates those who respect her. Ashe, when asked about the subject, simply claimed that she had to believe in something and Cyra wasn't the worst she could do.
Social
Ashe never saw fit to tell her family or even her Bond about her membership with the Deckmasters. However, the increased amount of time she spent with them leaves little time to br with family and friends. Her family, who she already had a strained relationship with, barely sees her, and she gradually drew distant from even her closest friends. Even her Bond is barely a part of her life now. Busy as they both are, they barely get any time together."No, I haven't told anyone about the Deckmasters - especially not my Bond. Thieving just isn't for dragons. They're too noble, too great...besides, they don't even have opposable thumbs! Perhaps as a logistics leader or a supplier - we have a few of those. But petty theft is something just made for humans. And telling my Bond would just further complicate our relationship, anyway."If one were to meet Ashe, their first impression would be that of a rather jaded young woman with complete confidence in her abilities and a bit of an egotistical personality. And, for most people, that would be all - and if they stuck afound any longer they might get a glimlsd of her threatening side.-Ashe
Those that Ashe has more extended dealings with will hear her speaking in soft, clipped tones, splicing her dramatic flair with sweeping gestures from her right hand while keeping her left tucked safely in her pocket or swinging lightly at her side, fingers ready for the even the smallest open pocket - she is ambidextrous, after all.
Current Status
On a mission to plunder the wares of a jewelry booth (having just escaped custody)
Current Location
Age
22
Date of Birth
January 7th, 1991
Circumstances of Birth
Born on the ground rather than in the sky due to her mother going into early delivery while serving as a Monitor
Birthplace
Somewhere in London
Family
Children
Current Residence
Somewhere in Bluerain City
Gender
Female
Presentation
Generally shabby clothes, but maintains an effort at being neat
Eyes
Dark Brown
Hair
Sleek black, often worn in a braid
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Light brown - call it copper, officer, or perhaps almond - I don't mind, and you're big on accurate descriptions, aren't you?
Height
5'6
Weight
125lbs
Belief/Deity
Cyra
Other Affiliations
"Ashe. Call me Ashe. Ashley's a nice name if you're a social sparrow, or a hard-working student - and in case you haven't noticed, I'm neither of those things."Named for her grandmother's sister, Ashley prefers to be known as Ashe - it's less "prim and proper", in her own words, and has even been mistaken for a code name by Deckmasters, which suits her just fine. As for the last name Lywin, it was her grandfather's name, and a fairly popular one among Skydwellers - though she finds it ironic, considering that she makes a habit of lying to win. Ashe is also a distant cousin of the Riftans - her grandmother was a member of the prestigious family. But for some reason or other, Grandma Bea was eager to lose the family name, so Ashe grew up never having met her cousins, and harbors no particular love for them, and refuses to acknowledge their family ties.-Ashe
Physical
As might be expected from her occupation, Ashe is in top physical condition, and though she doesn't have much contact with her Bond, they do go on regular flights, almost as often as she takes her daily runs. When she still attended school, she and her Bond were among the best in the Skyball team. Though Ashe's eyes are often obscured by the shadow of her hat (not in a suspicious way - that defeats the whole purpose) she can be recognized by her slightly upturned nose, and if one could see her eyes they might soon observe that her left eye twitches slightly when she's nervous, a tick that she despises but simply cannot get rid of. She makes up for this with a quick tongue that can spin eyes better than a spider, and always has ears pricked for the slightest change in surround sound. But Ashe's pride and joy are the pair of twin daggers that she always carries on her person. Gifted to her by a friend in the Swordsman's League, she never leaves or enters a building without them, and even sleeps with them under her pillow - she has made a few enemies, even in the few years of thieving experience that she has. They're mostly used as a way to surprise others, whether by encouraging bands or threatening stiff-willed clients, they've always served her well. |
Ashe's twin daggers sheathed together
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