'''Name:''' Floretta Hatter
'''Age:''' 57
'''Race:''' human
'''Place of Origin:''' Bad Aisling, Anaxas

!!!Backstory

Floretta was raised by her forty-some-odd year old grandparents, a spindly potter man and his plump, worn wife. Frederic, her grandpa, taught Floretta the art of ceramics, doing most of the work for her when she was young and her arms weren’t long or strong enough to handle much. Frederic wasn’t the patient sort and frequently spoke a bit too brashly, but Floretta was obligated to endure it and eventually accomplished simple orders for his shop. She increasingly improved in capability, ultimately contributing quite a bit to her grandpa’s business when her grandma Elaine wasn’t badgering for help in the kitchen.

In this way, some years with naught but mishaps and mounting debts, others with full stomachs and busy work, Floretta grew to be a pretty young lady of 15. On her errand days she caught gossip with the other girls, batting eyelashes at grinning lads and returning their stares. But to Floretta, the stare that mattered most belonged to dashing, golden-haired Peter Brown with the typically handsome smile and twinkling eyes.

And so, a short time later, they married.

Beauty is only skin deep, Floretta soon learned, and Peter—according to the adage—was revolting; Floretta became the sole earner in the “family,” though with the little she saw Peter she had in reality only to provide for herself. In the hours she wasn’t painting pieces at a nearby pottery factory she waited for him, doting when he was home and cringing when he berated her for nagging about how long he would stay. He worried her the days he arrived in a terse mood, fidgeting like a hiding mouse. Her naivety faded quickly when she learned of Peter’s relations outside the home, white-hot rage filling her at the news of his mounting debts and latest trysts with pretty females. She didn’t have an opportunity to speak with him, however, before she found him leaned against their doorstep, beaten and half-dead—wholly dead within the hour. Grandpa and Elaine took her back to their home, where she monotonously resumed pottery work when not laying ill (seemingly ailing from stress, the poor dear). She had no children, as the one child she had carried to term died in its first week.

However, Floretta was soon surprised to realize she was pregnant (apparently, the few times Peter ''had'' come home as of late had been enough). The baby was born healthy and christened Annette. Unfortunately, Grandpa Frederic’s lungs soon failed after years of incessant coughing, leaving Floretta to provide for Grandma Elaine as well as Annette. In short, she failed: her inexperience with managing the kilns caused a fire that burned most of the pottery, forcing Floretta to return to the factories while they lived in the unburned half of their home.

Meanwhile, Gerald Hatter was an old acquaintance of Floretta’s who had moved to Kingsway Market where he ran his prestigious hat shop—“Fine Hats” it was simply called, though the hats and clothing sold were anything but simple. He had driven himself to social oblivion working to earn such a location, but, when the storm of his business pursuit calmed some seven years after its beginning, he realized he still thought of Floretta. He left for Bad Aisling around Clock’s Eve, when his business could be closed for holiday, and couldn’t quite grasp how he ended up returning to Kingsway with Floretta as his wife and her lanky little child in tow.

In the years that followed, Floretta learned to read by Gerald’s teaching and tended to the Fine Hats’ ledgers and records. Annette helped with some of the sewing under their hired seamstress’s charge—this later came to use for Annette when she went tromping off on her restless teenage feet as a seamstress to Old Rose. Gerald had a new beehive-style kiln built for Floretta just off the kitchen so she could continue pottery work. She soon sold pieces daily out of the window of Fine Hats, frequently staying up nights to experiment and expand her glaze palette for more sales.

As for their social life, Gerald occasionally had friends over, though Floretta never mingled with them much. It was obvious to her that his friends were quite odd. For example, there were those who stayed with them for days, never stepping outside— and according to Gerald, Floretta was never to ask them to run errand favors (or require them to leave), for that would be of the utmost rudeness and cause them to feel unwelcome. And then there were those who spoke odd words that never quite made contextual sense. She, like a child, never realized Gerald’s involvement with the resistance: Gerald had never before lied to her, and she never suspected he would. Ironically, because of his influence, many of her values mirror those of the freedom fighters, though she outwardly opposes much of what they do (especially now, and ''especially'' regarding “that ‘Young Buck’ Serro,” as she frequently refers to him).

Over the years, Floretta continued to work with pottery, catering more and more to the extravagant tastes of the galdori. Annette (now Mrs. Jeffery Hart) managed to write Floretta of the birth of Floretta’s granddaughter, Gale Hart. Floretta grew a strong loyalty to this granddaughter she’s never met, perhaps with a bit of desperation, as Gale’s is the only future she feels responsible to live and leave something for.

Gannon Oranos stumbled into Floretta’s life one snowy evening in Ophus and ended up staying for eight years—long enough for Floretta to nigh on claim she gave birth to him. She taught him to read and write, Gannon becoming the first of a long list of pupils thereafter, using clay and a stick as a cheap alternative to paper and ink. He was a huge support to her when Gerald died, especially during the work of transforming Fine Hats into Augustine Pottery.

Vera Augustine became a significant name in Floretta’s widowed life, much to Gannon’s chagrin; Floretta practically revolved around the young galdori socialite. Vera was the new owner of Floretta’s shop, after all (hence the name “Augustine Pottery”), and gave Floretta a free rein as long as Floretta continued to pour money into her demanding coffers. Floretta does a thorough job occasionally falsely accounting for the ledgers while keeping the unaccounted extra in her savings for Gale.

Three years after Gerald died, Gannon left to pursue his own career as a tavern owner. Floretta provided the mugs and plates freely, on the condition that he make them himself; the chuckles it afforded her more than paid for the cost. As for help, she made do with the five painters and two working men Vera had allowed her to hire, though if she could find a few more painters it would be of great benefit.

!!!Floretta’s Home

Located in busy Kingsway Market, Floretta’s home spans a small spot of earth, though it has two levels to compensate for the relatively limited floor space. The first floor is split into three rooms, the first and largest spanning the width of the building and used for displaying wares for sale. The two smaller rooms are located at the back of the house: the kitchen and workroom. The top floor is used primarily for workspace and storage and is stacked ceiling-high with pieces in transition, but there is a room set aside for Floretta to sleep and bathe in. The downstairs workroom has a fireplace, two worn, padded chairs, and several wooden tables for the painters to work at.

!!!Personality

Floretta has a tendency toward relational jealousy, for she cannot stand to love a dear friend more than he or she loves her back. The playful banter she uses to mask it quickly becomes biting if she is not careful to rein in her emotions. She’s only mean because she’s hurt, in such a case.

There are three unwritten expectations Floretta has for the elderly, to which she abides as if they’re law. They are: 1. old people should not bother young people with old people problems; 2. the old days were no better than the new days; and 3. old people can say and do whatever they please and expect to be respected. The first two she made when she was young and observing her grandparents… the third is from her own experience.

There is no person or thing on the planet Vita that matters more to her than Gannon Oranos, save her granddaughter who currently lives in Old Rose. However, if Gannon left for Old Rose she just might hunt him down, and she hasn’t yet done that for Gale…

Floretta’s an odd mix of wisdom and naivety, observing the obscure while overlooking the obvious. She’s a planner—a dreamer, if you will—who is always sorting information into categorical boxes in her mind. Analysis is her forte besides pottery, and she constantly uses it to make new ideas and plans of action, be they sneaky or honest. Unfortunately, she isn’t a strong speaker, as she frequently forgets words and it’s rare that she can formulate a biting retort in time for any significance.

!!!Physical Description

Floretta’s most notable feature is her hair: specifically the color, which in the past had been radiant orange. In the last few years however, grey invaded, leaving her with a silver crown that gradually brightens along the length of her low braid. This is, in theory, temporary—for the orange will eventually grow out and be trimmed off (assuming she lives long enough).
Her build is small but solid with thick and curvy legs, a flat bottom, wide and straight hips, a barely-visible waistline, strong arms, and a sufficient bust. Her delicately pointed chin balances the blunt, square set of her face—now softened by the slight jowl along her jaw. When concentrating, she frequently bites on the corner of her upper lip, pushing her lower lip into a crooked pout (she’s aware that this is no longer useful for mesmerizing young chaps, what with all the wrinkles and such, but it’s a long-established habit nonetheless). She is not pear-shaped; her figure was once quite hour-glass but has filled out to a more compressed, rectangular appearance. Her hands are average in size, though her fingers are a bit long and thick. Her feet are small, with long toes (which she happens to stub frequently). Her grey eyes are large and pretty, despite the fact that the lids sag and the lashes have thinned, and the delicate strawberry brows etched high above them are difficult to see without proper lighting. She has an average, slender, round-tipped nose.

Her taste in clothing is simple, though she prefers to wear quality fabrics to maintain a semblance of elegance in her shop (so she says, but really she’s just picky). She is most comfortable in clothes that allow her to straddle her pottery wheel. She has one truly nice formal dress that was a gift from Gerald, but it seems to have shrunk… (ahem). When walking around her shop, she usually wears her canvas apron, with her shaping tools peaking out of the front pocket for easy access.

She coughs chronically in the dry summer months, caused by overexposure to clay dust that has gradually built up to form scar tissue in her lungs.

!!!Inventory

Clothing:
*Apron
*Winter Coat
*Boots (good for both summer and winter)
*Two pairs of stockings, one heavier for cold months
*A few working dresses
*One “shrunken” fancy dress

Shop:
*Gobs and gobs of clay, including porcelain and some imported varieties and colors
*Pottery wheel
*Kiln
*Clay shaping tools
*Glazes, paints, coloring minerals, etc.
*Augustine Pottery signature stamp

!!!Career

Head Potter
*Accurate muscle memory and knowledge of mixing, kneading, throwing, trimming, firing, casting, painting, hand-building, sgraffito, sculpting, carving, and slab work.
*Large color palette of glazes—a small amount came from her grandpa, the rest through trial and error
*Creative mind
*Strong, steady hands and arms
*Business experience
*Good at painting

!!!Goals

Jokingly, her goal is to get Gannon a good little wife. However, two things keep her from pursuing this whole-heartedly: one, she might maybe perhaps be a tad jealous… and two, Gannon is picky. Nonetheless, she acts quite grave about it, solemnly declaring Gannon will kill himself with his own cooking.

Her serious and long-term goal is stemmed from Gerald’s influence. Floretta knows that, besides the possibility of leaving, an uprising is inevitable. She is eager to obtain a galdori political book and educate the human population on some of the galdori’s more sophisticated methods, hoping that this will help the humans prepare for a revolution. She thinks that spreading the knowledge among the human population will create a massive resistance of its own—one that can be passed down from generation to generation until the time comes to act (rather than what is happening now with “that young buck Serro and his childish pranks with his living pawns”). Until she gets her hands on such a book, the local women quite enjoy learning from the stories of Rex Manblade. But alas, there is a rush to achieve this in her old age.

As for money, she is determined to glean enough from Vera Augustine so that she will have something to leave Gale besides nothing.

Goodness gracious it's long! Let me know if you feel there is anything I can cut... I've spent forever trying to work her out. Thanks for all your patience in waiting.

References to Vera Augustine and Gannon Oranos are used with permission.

Also, I'd like to submit an image later on (I just don't have one ready yet).

Thanks for submitting your sheet! We've been waiting to see it! The mods will discuss and get back to you soon!

AAAAYYYYEEEEEEEEE!!

FINALLY, DADGUMIT!

Thanks! Can't wait to see the results!

Hey darl! Sorry for the delay, as you can understand a lot of us are away for christmassy stuff! However, rest assured we are onto this. Have read through your sheet and will get back to you shortly.

hi! after reviewing sheet, maybe just clarify, when you said "Peter "had" come home" did you mean to write "had" in italics?

secondly, the only thing i have a little interest in is the fire. why did it burn to the ground? did she start it? was it an accident? did it happen when she was out or asleep? just a small extra sentace here and i think we are good!

Thanks! I figured everybody was busy with the holidays.

As for ''had''... I meant to write that in italics.

Oh, and the fire? It was really common in the 1800s and early 1900s for potteries to burn to the ground because of all the work around kilns and stuff. I figured she just left something unattended and it spread from there... but I'll be sure to clarify a little!

Anything else?

sorted mate, your approved!