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| ~ • ~ | Character Basics | ~ • ~ |

.:Name of Character:. Jade Santeras
.:Nick Name:. Stick, Jay
.:Age:. 23
.:Status:. Peasant

| ~ • ~ | Appearance | ~ • ~ |

.:Physical Appearance:. Being a commoner, Jade's hair is normally a complete rat's nest, tangled and greasy from a lack of bathing and a lack of real care. Not that Jade much cares given that her appearance is not her biggest worry. On the rare occasion that she has bathed and has actually done something with her hair, like brushing it, Jade's hair is dark chestnut that ends just below her shoulder blades, curling slightly at the tips. When working, she will normally tie it back with a tether to keep it out of her eyes or in a braid for the same reason. Every so often, for something important like a wedding or the like, Jade has been known to pull her hair up halfway and weave little white flowers in her hair but that's just for special occasions.

Jade's piercing eyes are the color of deep emerald and seem to speak volumes when she herself has nothing to say. Nothing speaks louder for Jade than her bold eyes that seem to betray any emotion she is feeling at the time. They can easily betray when she is daydreaming due to the distant look in her eyes, a sparkle in her eyes as she saves the Kingdom in her head. When she is a fight, her emeraldine orbs reflect the fire that burns inside her and the thrill of the fight alone with any pain she suffers no matter how she tries to hide it. When she is in a jovial mood, no eyes could be brighter than hers, laughter seems to exude from her eyes even more so than when she laughs aloud. Worse yet, she has the annoying ability to complain with her eyes, one would just look at her and would know that she was complaining despite not a word passing from her lips.

Jade stands at an 5'8 feet and barely looks capable of being able to kill a fly much less give someone a black eye but she is capable of both with some pleasure taken in it as well. Baring a figure much like her mother, Jade is hardly seen as a robust woman, she lacks size in her breasts and hips but she's not seen as unhealthy either. Her mother is constantly at her to put on more weight but given the fighting Jade get herself into and the training she does when she's alone, she has gained an athletic figure. More tone and defined muscles in her arms and legs though it's not too noticeable if one isn't really looking closely. All in all, she looks quite petite and innocent.

Being the little brute that she happens to be, Jade has gained a lot of scars and bruises in all her years of life. Her left cheekbone had been broken by a fist that she hadn't seen coming and she has scars all over from running around the woods and such. most minuscule and hardly worth mentioning, such as scratches from tree branches and scars on her hands from Jagger bushes and such. Of course there are more noticeable ones, such as a thin scar running down from the top of her calf to her ankle. It had been her own stupid fault, she had gotten clumsy with her sword and she had given herself a nice sized scar, of course she lied and said it was from some bastard who had attacked her and she had fended him off. What no one else knew couldn't hurt her.

Given Jade's status, it's easy to see that she has no silk gowns or anything like that and she's fine with that. She has two dresses for different occasions, one being work of course which is a rather simple dress. A simple brown dress with an apron and simple shoes that didn't make her feet hurt, that was her work dress. The next dress was nicer but still quite simplistic, a black dress with a white ribbon around the midsection, that was the dress she wears to tourneys or a festival. She must be careful since she knows the pentalty for dressing above one's station.

Jade has a rather pleasant looking face, pale pink lips that are often pulled back into a smile or a scowl depending on her mood. She has pretty bone structure in her cheeks though it's obvious that at one point, her cheek had been broken and hadn't healed quite right.
.:Height:. 5'8
.:Portrayed by:. Drew Barrymore

| ~ • ~ | Personality | ~ • ~ |

.:Personality:. Jade isn't exactly the easiest person for others to get to know. She has quite a reputation for being outspoken and abrupt with just about everyone she knows and even those she does not know. She speaks her mind and shares her opinions on just about everything, even things that do not concern her and it doesn't matter to her in the least whether or not someone is actually interested in hearing what it is she has to say. For some reason Jade believes that everyone should hear what she has to say and she'll make damn sure she's heard. She is quick to judge others, normally based on first impressions or rumors that tend to swirl around and usually it's hard to change her mind when she makes it up about someone. Some call Jade callous and at times heartless but Jade simply believes that she is being brutally honest, whether anyone wants to hear it or not.

Calling Jade stubborn is quite the understatement, once she gets an idea into her head, wild horses could hardly drag it out of her. If she decided to believe that the sky was purple and pigs flew than no one would be able to convince her otherwise, it was just how she was. She takes after her father, she knows that and is proud of it as well, he's the only person who's just as stubborn as she is and she adores him for it of course. Another thing she inherited from her father is a fiery temper, though she's more explosive than he ever was and probably ever will be. Hell hath no fury like a Jade scorned and she is none too likely to neither forgive nor forget. A combination of a nasty temper and a good memory make for long grudges that can last for years if she wants it to and she will rarely, if ever, apologize first if she was in the wrong. Admitting she is wrong is just not possible for her and she will do what she can to place blame on anyone but herself. Taking blame means she is wrong in some sort of way and she just cannot allow that to fall on her. No she doesn't think she is perfect, she knows her flaws and accepts them but she just finds it hard for others to know that she is wrong in anyway.

As apposed to Jade's quick and hot temper that flares quickly, Jade finds it hard to express feelings of sadness and disappointment. Should someone hurt her feelings, Jade will never allow them to know it. Instead she will play it off that she felt nothing until that person is no longer around and she is alone, only then will she let tears fall. Crying is a sign of weakness as far as she's concerned and if she ever wants to become a Knight, she has to prove that she's strong and doesn't let emotions muddle her thinking. The dream of becoming a Knight may be foolish to most since Jade's not even sure she could ever be one, since she isn't nobility or a man but regardless, she still had hope. Because of that mindset, she comes across as emotionally numb and cold but she is neither, she feels each emotion quite strongly, she just has the fortitude to keep her emotions in check.

Because of her dream of Knighthood, Jade often sneaks off to practice with an old sword that her father owned. It had been given to her as a gift, though neither her father nor she told her mother about it. Despite not having anyone to really spar with, Jade excels in her practice with the rusty blade. Each time she would swing it, she would imagine herself cutting down someone who had foolishly gotten in her way, rescuing damsels in distress and being the heroine of the day. Not that Jade even knew what a damsel even was, a sort of cheese maybe?

Glory and riches.. Two things that Jade had always been told that she wouldn't be capable of achieving and yet that didn't stop her from wanting to do just that. Not just because it was what a lot of peasants wanted, a better life but also because Jade just wanted to prove that she can do it. That is the sort of person Jade is, tell her she can't do something and she will go through hell twice and back to prove that she damn well can and once she's proven it, she will be all too happy to rub it in people's faces. While Jade has a rather sizable ego, she isn't normally egotistical nor delusional about what she is capable of. She knows her talents and even more so than that, she knows her limits but it doesn't stop her from pushing those limits. Jade happens to believe that just because one is born a peasant doesn't mean they have to die one, there was always chances for advancement.

Family is very important to Jade. Fiercely protective of her family and the name Santeras, Jade feels that being the eldest means she has to do everything she can to keep her family safe and secure. Her mother is the world to her and Jade will do just about anything for her mother, except for the one thing her mother wants more than anything, for Jade to settle down with a husband and start a family of her own. Elizabeth was of the mind that to be truly happy in life, one had to find a sturdy husband and than give him children and carry on his name and that was all well and good for Elizabeth but Jade disagreed on that completely. It was really the only thing that she and her mother argued about. Jade's father relates well to his only daughter because of the spirit she has, something he had growing up as well.

When it comes to the subject of love, Jade balks from the very idea of it all, finding the very notion to be very off-putting. Of course her parents are very much in love and that's all well and good for them but Jade feels that marriage is a cage and love is a lock and she cannot be caged. She's too wild to want to be tied down to a man of any kind, so she keeps men at a distance as much as possible. She has no problem with girls her own age but she doesn't have many friends due to the fact that she isn't like other girls and so she finds it hard to relate to them. She's more like a boy and so she seeks out boys as friends though she makes it clear that she will not have anything to do with them past friendship. The thought of being a man's conquest in the bedchamber frightens Jade, she refuses to allow a man to take her virginity as a trophy and therefore guards it carefully. Not a sucker for pretty words and flirtations, Jade would rather spar with a boy than allow him to kiss her. Sure, Jade has been kissed before but being chaste, she never allows it to go further than that.

Friendship doesn't come easily to Jade, she has one or two close friends that she feels she can rely on and through them she has shown that she is very reliable and very good at keeping secrets. No matter the secret, Jade would never betray someone she regarded as a friend, she'd rather take the secret to the grave than give it up. She feels betrayal is one of the worst things someone can do and she will not dirty herself with such an act.

Loyalty is something that Jade feels is to be earned, not born to one of high society. It is because of this belief that Jade feels that her allegiance is not owed to any reigning monarch simply because they wore a crown upon their privileged heads. Of course they are higher up than she was and probably higher up than she ever will be and she acknowledges that but she will not offer her loyalty to someone she feels doesn't deserve it. However, this being said, once her loyalty is given, Jade will be loyal to the end and will never betray those that have earned it. It is hard to say just what will gain Jade's trust and loyalty, different things will gain and lose points with her and she isn't afraid to say as much either.

A strength that Jade holds quite dear is her ability to observe people and figure out their strengths and weaknesses. It is after this sort of observation that Jade is able to know where to hit and how hard to hit in terms of words and actions as well. She knows that it's important for a warrior to study their opponents movement and technique on the field and it's the same with people and how they act off the battlefield. Not that Jade has ever been on the battlefield of course nor did she have any real training, but she knows enough to know that and she puts it to her fighting and also how she deals with people on a regular basis. Knowing a person's weakness makes her words as sharp as the sword she wields in her daydreams as she works, she can hit below the belt in more ways than one and will do so if it gets a point across.

Jade can be very loving despite her cold disposition she has at times but for the most part she prefers to be distant in order to protect herself from others trying to take advantage of her. Outside her family, Jade doesn't trust anyone. It's hard for her to explain, since she really hasn't been given a reason to distrust people as she does but she does just the same. Another thing Jade can't really explain is the phobia she seems to have in regards to large crowds of people. For as long as Jade can remember, she has always felt extremely uncomfortable in large crowds of people and as she grew older, she could see it getting steadily worse. There are moments when she has felt as though she cannot breathe and has broken down into tears due to the stress of being in a crowd, which is a reason why she avoids them as much as possible. Another fear she has, one that she shares with her mother, is a deep fear of snakes. It doesn't matter what sort of snake it happens to be, Jade is terrified of them and will run screaming if she even hears the hiss of a snake much less seeing one.

Given Jade's status as a commoner, she was never given an education therefore she is completely illiterate. This bothers Jade to some small degree for she feels it would be nice to know her letters, at least basic letters but given that a lot of other people around her shared the same situation, it wasn't really that bad for her. She has a quick mind, picking up things quickly but no real thirst for knowledge. She's ignorant and she's alright with it, though she was sure that Knights had to know how to read. Every so often, Jade wonders if perhaps she should seek someone out, perhaps someone that would care enough to help her since she was sure that Knight's have to learn to read as well.

Having been working since she was young, Jade has a very good work ethic, knowing that if one wished to achieve anything in their life, they had to work for it. Of course, Jade still has her flaws in her approach to work. For the most, she does what she's told but she tends to let daydreaming take over a lot and distract her from just about everything else. Jade tends to procrastinate as well, leaving things till the last minute, a curse but she can't help it, it's just the way she's made. Not only that but she is rather clumsy as well, tripping over her feet and chairs way too often. She has broken more dishes than she can count due to her clumsiness and yet oddly enough, she displays no such clumsiness when she has a sword in hand.
.:Strengths:.

[/li][li] Loyal - Jade is a very loyal young woman once she feels her loyalty has been earned.
[/li][li] Quick-wit - Jade has a very quick wit
[/li][li] Doesn't back down easily - Jade is a fighter by nature and would rather die then back down from a fight
.:Weaknesses:.
[/li][li] Impulsive - Jade is very impulsive and this often leads her into trouble
[/li][li] Stubborn - There is very little that can change this girl's mind once she's made it up
[/li][li] Incapable of being wrong - Jade suffers from a lack of being able to own up to her own actions.
.:Special Skills:.
[/li][li] Sword-play - Jade is proficient in the art of swordplay
[/li][li] Brawling - Despite having her butt whooped on various occasions, she is a pretty good brawler and able to hold her own in a fight.
.:Accents:.

| ~ • ~ | History | ~ • ~ |

.:Birthplace:. Mercia
.:Family:.
[/li][li] Mother - Elizabeth Santeras - 47 - Barmaid
[/li][li] Father - James Santeras - 52 - Bartender
[/li][li] Brother - Kiros Santeras - 13 - None
.:Occupation:. Messenger
.:Current Location of Residence:. Mercia
.:History:. [/blockquote]

The story of Jade's life is hardly an interesting one, as mundane as the life she lives even. She was born to Elizabeth and James Santeras on a star-filled night in the Kingdom of Mercia. As with any birth, there was a certain amount of risk to both mother and child the longer it took the infant to be born and even before Jade had taken her first few breaths outside the womb, she had proven how stubborn she was. Keeping her poor mother in labor for twelve hours, the wails of the dark haired infant girl had been the most beautiful music Elizabeth could possibly hear. Never had Elizabeth believed that she would be holding a child in her tired arms, not because she had believed that she would lose the the little infant during the course of her pregnancy or even during childbirth but rather because she believed it wasn't possible for her to have a child.

The little dark haired child grew up quickly, too quickly as far as her mother was concerned and was quite the outspoken child. She had a wild streak to her that could hardly be tamed and it drove both her mother and her father crazy at times. Jade's wild temperaments were enough to make anyone want to pull their hair out, disappearing when she was supposed to be doing chores and causing scraps with other children simply because it seemed to be in her blood to do so. Not only was she prone to starting fights but Jade was known for playing pranks on people as well, never were they dangerous or cruel but if someone found a bucket of mud on the top of their door, they knew were to look.

When Kiros was born, Jade wasn't quite sure what to make of him. She hadn't been allowed in the same room as her mother while she was giving birth, Elizabeth didn't feel it was a sight meant for a child of Jade's age. So Jade paced outside the room, thoroughly panicked as her mother's screams rang through the small room above the Tavern. She didn't like not being there to hold her mother's hand but she respected her mother's wishes...that and they locked the damn door. When they finally opened the door, Jade flew into the room, nearly pushing over the midwife in the process, not stopping until she reached the palette that her mother was rested on, sweat-drenched and exhausted but very much alive. Cradled in her arms, wrapped in a little brown blanket was her new little brother, such a small thing he was too. Hardly the size of a loaf of bread, he had dark hair like she did and he had their mother's eyes, like Jade did.

It was then that Jade felt a need to protect the little loaf of bread, also known as her little brother Kiros. She had no problem being asked to help take care of him, especially since her mother was very weak after giving birth for a second time. She loved her little brother and God forbid someone should make the infant cry, they would feel his elder sister's wrath ten fold. No one made Kiros cry...cept her! Than again, there were times, as with any child of seven years old, that she felt that she wasn't getting enough attention from her beloved mother and it irked her. Because of that, she would act up just to get attention, regardless of whether it was good attention or bad attention, it didn't matter so long as eyes were on her and not Kiros.

As the years passed, Jade continued to remain as she had been as a young child, stubborn and wild, temperamental and protective of her brother who was growing just like she was. She helped teach her brother to walk and talk. Nothing really all that interesting but it was a life that she enjoyed so why complain? All in all, Jade had a rather nice life, especially for that of a commoner.

When Jade turned thirteen years old, she was allowed to work in the Tavern as a barmaid like her mother did. Needless to say, Jade hated it with a right passion, hated the catcalls that came from the drunk men and she hated when men sought to grope her simply because she was passing them. She was a blossoming young woman and men saw that and wished to take advantage of that. Much older men made advances on her, some not even drunk and each time she would turn them down. She didn't want any relations with older men, she was too young for that and it didn't appeal to her in the least. Thankfully after expressing her hatred of the word she did, her father helped her get a job as a messenger.

More years passed Jade and she continued growing and blossoming into a young woman. Though appearances were deceiving because as far as any young man knew, Jade Santeras was capable of handling herself should the situation call for it.

She remained a messenger with a head full of dreams. She had no real aspirations to be royal or even noble, no her thoughts lay with the life of a Knight, how exciting that must have been. To go where you were needed and defend others to weak to defend themselves. It was the life she craved, that of adventure, a life outside the monotony of a peasant with no real future other than to serve others.