Zheng, Jia [finished]

|BASICS|
Name: Jia Zheng
Age: Twenty-four
Birthplace: Literally born on Ember Island during a performance. Was raised and still has family that stays in Ba Sing Se.
Current Residence: Nowhere, she's a drifter and will stay that way until she's satisfied.
Rank: Non-Bender
Element: Spear, Non-Bender.
Pets: (Optional. Detailed.)
Weapons:

Jia's preferred weapon of choice. A heavy, nearly seven foot tall spear named Tokko, after her late husband. A family heirloom, it's gotten her out of more than a few tackles in her lifetime.


|OPTIONAL|
Birthday: Febuary 29th (or 28th)
Blood type: O
Hobbies: Tea ceremonies, rice wine, rice crackers, food and cooking, calligraphy, music, and theater.
Quirks: Her manner of speaking is refined, suggesting that she is of high status. She also does not care for a person's class and will speak to a royal the same way she would to a peasant.

|APPEARANCE|
Hair: The daughter of a diplomat from Omashu and a dancer/actress from Ember Island, Jia's features do tell a story of her mixed heritage and she does nothing to hide it. Long, dark tresses, that resemble the color of tea that nearly stop at the middle of her back are worn in a variety of styles, but mostly in the form of a long braid or ponytail.

Eyes: Her eyes are a vague, muddied, grey, something she and her father shared, while the rest of her siblings had green or gold colored eyes. Bright, full lips grace her features, again another thing she shares with her father, while her eyes hold the heavy lashes that her mother flaunted in order to get her dad in the first place.

Height: 5 foot 10

Clothes: For the spring and summer, some of that modesty has to be sacrificed for a form-fitting top and baggy pants. A white sash (a wedding gift from her ex-mother in law) is seen wrapped around her waist at all times. To keep, 'that' particular part of her anatomy in check, she wraps a series of bandages, or sarashi, over a small metal plate, around her breasts at all times (except bedtime, for obvious reasons). These also serve as a barrier during a fight, and have saved her life numerous times.

Skin: In the winter months, her skin is a pale peach color, almost paper white, while during the summer and spring, seems to imitate the deep mocha tone that her father's side of the family is graced with.

Body Type: At 5'10 and 155 lbs, there's no denying that Jia is a big girl. Granted that most of her body fat has developed into hard muscle, while the rest has been distributed into more... -ahem- flattering areas. An attribute that has given her some hell in her child and teen years, to protect herself as a woman traveling alone, she's done much to hide that aspect of herself. Baggy robes and capes, usually dyed a deep burgundy or a forest green, drape over her voluptuous form, usually as winter clothes.
Image:



|CHARACTERISTICS|
Personality: Jia is a tough person to describe. On the surface, she is a silent force. Quiet and a bit serious. Complete with a sharp tongue and a pragmatic outlook on life, she's not the easiest to get into. Of course, when a person actually gets to know her, she's actually a fun loving, playful personality. While still mature and humble for her age, she's also known to tell some pretty good jokes and she does love her rice wine.

She's also moralistic and lives on a 'code' that strives on 'fighting fair' and choosing one's battles wisely as it's tenets. A nature lover, she's known to take long, scenic routes to places and has a tea garden back home. An art lover, and the daughter of an actress, Jia is well versed in the knowledge of playwrights and music. Jia loves kids and animals, and has her heart set on teaching if she tires of living on the road.

As a fighter, it's been mentioned that Jia fights fair, and expects her opponents to do the same. She does not pick fights and will only start a fight on the grounds of a client requesting her to do so. Benders, do not delude yourself into thinking that just because this woman is a non-bender, that you can simply blast her with fire/hose her down/throw rocks at her/or create a whirlwind and then the fight will be over. She has fought benders before and she is not afraid of getting hurt. The multitude of scars, burns and scratches on her body can back that up. She also expects benders to fight fair with their abilities, and if not, she merely dismisses them (or hurts them, if they still want to fight).

As a newly made widow, it's been...hard, to the say the least, for her to let go of her husband's death. Tok's unexpected death took a toll on her the most. Her current drifter lifestyle is a way for her to mourn and cope with his passing. It's also one of the reasons why she refuses to look for a new husband, just yet. That, and many of the men she's met so far have only wanted to kill her.

Personal Strengths:
- Sarcastic
- Skilled fighter
- Motherly, has a liking towards children and their play
- Intelligent
- Art
Personal Weaknesses:
- Alcohol; particularly that of the rice wine variety, like soju or sake.
- Her non-bender status
- Romance, she won't admit it.
Personal Hero: Her father.
Dreams and Ambitions: Jia desires to finally discover what she wanted to find and learn from her current experience. If she finds a new husband or settles down, that would be great, but for now, she's want to find herself.

Likes: - Animals
- Children
- Poetry
- Music
- Alcohol

Dislikes: - The lack of funds that she sometimes suffers
- Mouthy clients
- Perverts
- Spoiled wine
- Corrupt officials

Brief History:

The Prelude

Huilang Zheng met the mysterious, Sayuki Oh by chance. On a business trip with a handful of his co-workers they were invited to view a play, written to commemorate a fond relationship between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. As the curtains drew, he was amazed by the dark-haired beauty's performance as the lead of an adaption of a well-known Earth Kingdom fairy tale. Her talent, the way she carried herself, and her voice. Clear, strong, yet beautiful.

Needless to say, the young diplomat developed a crush on her.

After the performance, Huilang requested that he meet Sayuki and have a small chat to get to know her. And she complied. Imagine his shock that, the mysterious vamp on stage was a simple, but still, very pretty country girl with brown hair only made him fall in love with her more.
He was floored by the girl's exuberant personality. Sayuki was a breath of fresh air compared to the stuffiness of many girls he's dated. Unfortunately, there was one problem, they both lived on the opposite side of the world.

Still, he pursued her, and wrote her letters. She did the same and would seek and meet each other over the years until he was finally able to propose to her. Happily, she complied, and married him, where they built two houses in Ba Sing Se and Ember Island, one for both to live in while they both worked their respective jobs. They had their first child, a son, named Shinji, and eventually had six children in all, three boys and three girls. Jia was the youngest, and this is where her story begins.

Speak Like a Child

Jia's birth was a surprisingly easy one. The last two were rough on her mother, the last one, Jia's brother, Zhu-young, nearly killed her because he was so heavy. But Jia was easy. Only two or three hours of pushing, and she didn't cry out or show any visible discomfort. The silent, chubby baby girl surprised the midwife, as well. Almost all of Sayuki's children cried after birth, but this one, she was quiet and only cried for her mother's milk.

Jia grew, and it had been established in the home that she was the more rambunctious child. Running, breaking things, getting herself into trouble, knowing that she shouldn't. Her mother loved her all the same, she just wished she could keep up with her. For Huiling, she was a bit of a daddy's girl, but she seemed to love both of her parents. She also loved to give both of them headaches, as well. Because being a diplomat or an actress meant that you were also extremely busy, Jia and her siblings had maids that helped Sayuki when she needed help. But other than that, Sayuki handled her work in stride, juggling motherhood and a career with an air of ease.

Halfbreed, that's all I ever heard

She was an intelligent girl, but she was also known to mouth off to her teachers and was a bit of an 'elephant's child' and asked almost a billion questions during class. Jia was also highly energetic, and to combat that, her father would soon teach her to fight along with her brothers. It worked, a little too well, he would later remark. Childhood was also a time that she learned that she was, 'different'. There was one instance, where a neighborhood boy (in Ba Sing Se) called her a 'mutt' and insulted her mother's heritage. After that, she proceeded to beat the boy within an inch of his life.

Another instance was on Ember Island, where a little girl asked why did her and siblings look so strange compared to everybody else. The child's mother simply answered, "Because their parents had no shame, dear."

Coping with the reality of being 'different' was hard. It wouldn't be until she was a full adult that she would accept her mixed heritage.



Dont cry, don't close your eyes, it's only teenage wasteland

Jia seemed to sprout like a weed as a teenager, and true to her tomboyish nature, she quickly tried to hide what her mother seemed to bless her with. Her teenage years were very awkward times. Pimples, hormones, stress, teachers, etc. It was a full blown mess. Still, she had her skill with fighting and soon began to enter herself into competitions, much to her mother's dismay and her father's pride. It became a bit of scandal, too. The daughter of a respected diplomat and a beloved diva, a fighter?!

When she caught the eye of an army recruiter that watched her hold her own against an Earthbender, no less, she was immediately contacted and, against her parent's wishes. She complied. Jia Zheng, the diplomat's daughter, would be then known as Lt. Jia Zheng.



The last snowfall

Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, being a soldier for the Earth Kingdom was...boring. Maybe it had something to do with her gender or her status as the daughter of a well-known man, but her service was all but dangerous. It almost seemed she wanted something to happen. She wanted to prove herself to her comrades and she nearly did...

A group of thugs threatened a shop owner's tea house while she was on duty. Being the only soldier there at the time, she jumped in, and seemed to be winning, at first. She fought off most of the attackers, it wasn't until it came to her and the last thug, and after one misstep, one slip up, he was able to plunge a dagger deep into her chest. Even now, she's still surprised she's alive. After that run in, her father forbid her from returning to the service.


After the altercation, everything went black. And when she came to, she awoke to the sight of a pair of soft-green eyes, eyes that just happened to belong to a young doctor in training, Lou Jing. As she healed, he did his job in keeping her company. Playing mah jong and conversing about their personal lives and books. An Omashu native, Lou Jing Tok came down to Ba Sing Se to study medicine. He was an only child to a poor mother with only a small farm to her name. He left to work as a doctor so he could make enough to move his mother closer to the capital and to a bigger farm.

The two immediately grew to be fast friends, and even after she was out of the hospice, they still found some way to meet one another. As Jia studied to be a teacher, during their breaks they would always go to a restaurant or read. It didn't take too long for the two to develop feelings for one another and it became apparent after six months that the two were an item.

A year after that, and Jing-Tok proposed. Both families were over joyed and the ceremony was a simple one, followed by a lavish dinner. While they did want to start a family, they knew that had school to complete and promised that would they have a conceive a child the spring after they graduated. Jia was happy. Tok was happy. Those two years of marital bliss seemed to fly by so fast. The war started, and while they were away from the conflict, they were some people that took advantage of the widespread fear of the townsfolk. Riots sometimes broke out, as well as looting.

Lou Jing was a victim to a looter. As a student, he was trusted with the pharmacy, along with another doctor in training, three men broke in and demanded money. Tok stood his ground, which also cost him life. The day after that was found in alley way, stabbed nearly eight times and barely alive. His co-worker was dead. As he was rushed to a healer, he knew he wouldn't make it. Grabbing onto his wife's hand he told her that she had to live her life and move on. She didn't want to listen to that. She really did believe he could make it and that they could start their family soon. Jia begged him to not leave. But it was too late.

The burial was done quickly, as if it would hurt her and her family less. But when they cremated his body and spread his ashes, she knew that he was finally gone. And she knew, that it was time for a change.


Season's Call

After about a month of moping along in her home, she decided that it would best if she took a 'break'. From her family, her friends, her home, everything. She wrote a formal letter, addressing her loved ones on why she was leaving and how long she would be. She also promised to visit, to keep them from worrying too much. As she walked the earth, she's met a few characters, but she has yet to scratch the surface. Where ever her adventures take her, she hopes for the best.