NameHeather Claret
AgeSeventeen
RaceHuman
NationalityMistrali
Physical DescriptionHeather is a petite thing standing at 5’2” with a lithe, athletic frame. She has light auburn hair styled in a shoulder length, curly bob and chestnut eyes. Her cheeks are flushed with a natural rose tint. She has a very youthful visage about her and is often mistaken for being a few years younger than she actually is. This is exasperated by her very modest, childish choice of attire. Thigh high white stockings, a proper gray combat skirt hemmed just above the knee and a cream, long sleeved turtle neck embroidered with a small, pink flower along the right breast. She’ll often wear a rose cardigan given the climate. Even her supply satchels, which are fastened to her hip, sport a very dated, conservative design that matches the rest of her attire.
CharacterizationHeather has often been referred to as uptight or even a killjoy by her peers. She’s a serious stickler for the rules and her morals leave no room for any shades of gray. While it wouldn’t be unfair to label her as abrasive and condescending, it should be noted that for the most part her heart is in the right place. It’s no secret that she flourishes best when order is maintained. She’s not one for unprecedented riff raff and you best believe she has little tolerance or sympathy for rulebreakers.
Any rebellious nature or curiosity was knocked out of her when her mother’s crimes were exposed. Her obedience comes from a place of fear. She fears that even the slightest altercation would have her further scrutinized or perhaps removed from the Huntsman program. She doesn’t feel as though she has the wriggle room of her peers where tomfoolery is concerned. What might be seen as harmless fun for others could be a sign of the apple not falling far from the tree for her. Whether or not this is the reality of the situation is irrelevant. Heather’s anxiety over how she is perceived has such a great hold over her that sometimes she’s not even sure if the ‘self’ she presents to others is who she truly is.
BackstoryThe Clarets, while not considered to be a Mistrali clan of much import, were once well known and respected by their peers for their lineage of Huntsmen that spanned back fifteen generations. Heather was born the only child of Blanche Claret and an unknown father, raised by her mother on the ideals of heroism, honor and dignity that had seen her much success in life - both on the battlefield and off. Enamoured with her mother’s profession, as many children of huntsmen were, Heather knew from a ripe young age that she wished to follow in her footsteps. Her fondest memories with her mother involve sitting alongside the fireplace, listening to Blanche recount her exploits of derring do and grace whilst she fought to keep Mistral safe.
But they were only stories; a glamorous fabrication masking a much sinister truth.
Heather was in her first year at Sanctum Academy when the scandalous truth about Blanche Claret came to light. A woman who was regarded as a shining beacon of integrity, loyalty and courage was revealed to be anything but. Among a few others, Blanche’s ties to organised crime and corruption among the Huntsmen of Mistral were unapologetically exposed by a recently incarcerated member of the very same crime family who she had been in cahoots with. It didn’t take much for the authorities to confirm his accusations once the spotlight had been shined on the now scorned Huntress.
Blanche was imprisoned and the Claret name was dragged through the mud. Heather was sent to stay with her aunt Camelia. Though Camelia was a kind-hearted woman with good intentions, the mortification brought upon her by her sister led her to dissuade Heather from completing her training at Sanctum. That perhaps some time away from the limelight would do some good. Daunting as it was to face her peers after the revelation of her mother’s treachery, she persisted with her goal to become a Huntress. No longer would she do so out of adoration for her mother. Instead she sought to become the Huntress she had always envisioned could be real. The kind who truly did fight for justice and were enshrined for their fearless valor and determination. She graduated Sanctum with flying colors.
SemblanceBarrier
Heather’s Semblance allows her to project her own aura as an expansive shield that is able to cover a moderate area. This essentially bolsters the natural defensive capabilities that a Huntsman's aura provides as well protecting her physical body from the trauma of a direct strike. The Barrier is able to sustain heavy damage before shattering, as indicated by the transparent effect gaining an increasingly saturated hue of red before eventually breaking. Heather’s natural defensive aura on her person is lessened whilst the barrier is maintained.
Currently Heather is able to create a decently sized wall with her Barrier as well as protect a single ally with a projected bubble, but she must concentrate to maintain them. In both cases, the barriers will prevent attacks and projectiles from entering but do allow for ranged attacks to pass through from inside them.
Weapon & Fighting StyleCaduceus
A sleek, ornately crafted hooked cane with an eggshell white finish and embellished with rose gold crests. A revolving dust chamber is built into the cane to allow for various types of dust to be utilized on the fly; rotating through by simply holding down a switch on the grip. In its base form, Caduceus acts as a simple casting apparatus for dust based, ranged attacks. Heather can rain down elemental artillery upon her foes from a safe distance. Simple attacks can be utilized at will, but anything resulting in a larger than modest effect will require the dust to first be channeled and shaped before released. This can leave Heather exposed in the heat of battle, meaning she must take great care when choosing to channel a heftier strike.
For close quarter combat Heather is able to draw the hooked grip from Caduceus to reveal a sheathed, hard light whip imbued with the current dust her staff is rotated to. The whip is not the best choice for foes who fight up close and personal, but it is effective at keeping enemies at bay with it’s wide sweeping, elemental attacks. However the dust imbued into the whip is finite and it will need to be sheathed to re-apply an element after a short duration in combat.
The way Heather fights with her whip is similar to a ribbon dancer.
Intangibles✦ Heather possesses a great deal of book smarts but lacks the critical thinking skills to adapt on the fly and make crucial decisions in the heat of the moment.
✦ An adept dust user, Heather is well practiced in the art of weaving and applying dust for combat purposes.
✦ She has quite a nasty competitive streak where academics are concerned. This paired with how high strung she is makes it incredibly easy to wind her up.
