Mirena Shai

Name: Mirena “call me Mia” Shai
Age: 22
Race: Galdor
Place of Origin: Brunnhold

Backstory:

Mia is the daughter of Mirabella and Jain Shai. Her mother is a teacher and botanical researcher at the University and Mia grew up in Brunnhold, running around the University, exploring the Library and other buildings, the gardens and grounds, and generally getting underfoot, although no one minded much. Her father is a respected and successful landscape designer who helps to maintain the grounds and gardens of the University but whose main interest is in designing landscapes for the homes of other galdori. Because she grew up at the University and remained there after her testing and acceptance into University life as a student, Mia grew up close to her parents and remained close to them throughout her years at the University.

Mia’s time at the University was mostly unremarkable. She was intelligent and driven enough in her studies to be a student of good, if not top, standing. Because of this she managed to avoid most of the bullying and other things to which children and adolescents usually subject one another. She lost several friends during those ten years because she would not put up with their petty nonsense. The only real dark spot in her time there was her parents’ expectations that she would follow in their footprints and take up some career related to the cultivation or study of living things. While talented in the living magics, she had no real ambitions in that direction.

After graduation she moved back into her parents’ house and, for the past two years tried to find some calling. She agreed to apprentice with her mother as a researcher and then with her father as a landscape designer for one year. Both periods left her uninspired and determined to find her own place in life. Mia developed a passion for reading early in childhood and finally, after overhearing a group of sixth year students bemoaning the lack of a neutral place off University grounds to relax and study and enjoy themselves, Mia concocted the idea of opening her own business. The Reading Room, her new dream, will be, hopefully, a cross between a tea and coffee house, a pub, and a study hall and lounge for students and faculty of the University who wish to gather in a more relaxed atmosphere to study, talk, drink, or anything else that does not involve damaged property.

Personality:

Mia is of a generally optimistic nature, sure of her ability to succeed if somewhat unclear about what form that success would take until recently. She is kind-hearted and open-minded but can be unforgiving of betrayal and has a tendency to hold grudges. Her temper is generally stable and difficult to rouse whereas her irritation is frequently incited by inefficiency and rudeness but is just as quickly dismissed and forgotten. Mia is neither terribly outgoing nor shy, but is simply confident. Her biggest flaw is that she is a perfectionist and had a bad tendency to hold others to that same standard. As for her own projects, she will work at something endlessly until it is exactly as she wishes it to be and no less. This tends to lead to conflicts, especially with those who set deadlines… like teachers for instance. Not overly ambitious, Mia does not consider herself a rebel but is determined to do her own thing. She is sympathetic toward humans and wicks although she does not have any clear ideas as to what she can do to help their situation as she is not particularly interested or adept at politics, being rather too outspoken and honest. Some people might say blunt but some people are too sensitive.

Physical Description:

Mia is of slightly more than average height for a galdor female with bright strawberry blonde hair which she keeps as long as it will grow (currently hip-length) to spite the stereotype, and storm blue eyes with a distinct ring of golden yellow around the pupil. Her build is average but with long legs and a short torso. Her face is round, with a warm skin tone and apple cheeks. Her most distinguishing feature, and the one most people describe her by, is her left eyebrow. One of the few incidents of note during her years at the University were the two times she managed to sear her eyebrows off at the Field; the first time as a second year student, the second time as a seventh year student. After the first incident the affected area recovered normally. However, the second time something peculiar happened (she refuses to say what she was working on in that deserted corner of the field) and her left brow grew back rather…oddly. There is a patch in the middle, just at the top of its previous arch that will not grow back, although it is not visibly scarred in the least.

Inventory:

Clothes:

Various outfits, most of them chosen for ease of movement rather than fashion, none of them green. Ever.
Ankle boots with sensible heels

Stuff:

Silver heirloom pocket watch—gift from father who, lacking a son, passed it on to her
Small, book-sized waterproof pouch
Small, reinforced leather pouch filled with coin-sized steel disks—handy for smashing would-be robbers in the face or for throwing away as a decoy

Career:

Working on it.

Interests:

Running own business.
Reading

Skills:

Experience running her father’s business
Some experience running a bar from work during University…of which her parents know nothing so please don’t enlighten them.
Becoming proficient with the short staff
Darts—give her a pointed object and she can put it into any spot on a wall. Handy for winning bets.

Goals:

To build her own business—The Reading Room
To impress her parents with her success.
To find some way to help the humans, wicks and passives she sees being mistreated around her—she has no idea how she can do this yet.