Age: Maara claims she’s thirteen, but she’s really only nine.
Race: Neko
Height: 4’9
Hair: Orange
Eyes: Yellow/Hazelish
Description in kitten form: As a cat, Maara is little more than a orange fluff ball. Trina named her Fluff before finding out she was a neko. A small, orange dart is all one usually sees of ‘Fluff’.
Likes: Crayons, candy, cats, milk, cereal, amusement parks, candy, other nekos, soft things, the sun, candy, when Trina shows her things, Disney movies, stories about ‘the old days’, candy…and candy. .
Dislikes: When people chase her away on purpose, carrots, her tail being stepped on, and the random naps that occur without warning, when people take her hat, losing her hat, having her hat chopped in half, getting her fur trimmed. When Trina has nightmares.
Maara is full of energy anytime she is awake, bouncing rather than walking, orange curls in a constant tangle that even the most expensive perm could not duplicate. Constantly in motion, Maara can ramble off hundreds of words in seconds, much to the utter confusion of Trina, who can’t understand such fast speech. Maara is easily amused and constantly smiling, even if she has to do it through tears. Maara’s best defense against unhappiness is her utter inability to stay that way. When out and about, Maara wears a heavy trench coat and top hat to conceal both ears and tail. Sometimes she wears them in the Muffin as well, especially the hat, as her ears make her self-conscious.
Past: An auburn haired witch once lived with a small time thief, the male neko drawn to her because of her beauty. He promised her marriage and riches beyond her wildest dreams, and for a while, the couple was happy. Until the witch became pregnant. The male neko was excited as well as afraid, sudden responsibilities weighing in on him. Clarissa (the witch) became more and more hostile as her pregnancy wore on, and the male neko felt less and less hopeful for a happy marriage. Finally, sick of all the verbal abuse, the neko confronted the witch with his own slight anger, demanding she straighten up so his child would not be affected. Clarissa’s response was one of rage, evoking spells against the neko, who barely escaped with his life. Left alone with a soon to be born child, Clarissa grew bitter and more angry. Only her baby could be of any worth. But when the child was born, the mother was horrified. Rather than the ‘perfect’ child she had envisioned, the infant had two characteristics that she could no longer stand. Atop the infant’s head were two cat ears, with a tail to match. And so, Maria Alice came into the world.
Maara’s upbringing was not the best. Her mother hired several small time thugs and traveled Gaia with them, the toddler Maria often left behind in random villages. By the time Maria was six years old, she was able to take care of herself, and she changed her name to Maara so her mother couldn’t use command spells against her. This was the first of much defiance. Her mother would often do something awful, such as leaving Maara in a hotel that her mother hadn’t paid for, or pushing the poor cat girl off a second story balcony, before leaving a town. Each time Maara lived okay alone for a month or two after recovering, but her mother would always return for her. It was somewhat of a test, each time earning her another few months of life. Finally, Clarissa took it a step too far. Frustrated after a fruitless week in Barton Town, Clarissa pulled her sleeping daughter from her bag. (Maara often sleeps in her kitty form, as she can be carried that way.) Clarissa ordered one goon to throw the poor sleeping cat into the lake, and with a mighty throw, the orange kitten landed in the lake, far from shore. Seemingly pleased, Clarissa turned and left. ((Here would be that little excerpt, sorta.))
Quote:
Contending with the cold water, Maara struggled to keep her head above the water. She was too panicked to change forms, her attempts to yowl only succeeding to fill her mouth with water. Convinced she was going to drown, Maara kicked her little paws harder, only to slip beneath the surface in a slow descent to the bottom of the lake. Worn out and out of hope, Maara closed her eyes, still holding her breath, though it burned her small cat lungs. The water seemed to be gently pushing her towards something, and Maara wondered if she were imagining things. Two small hands caught her middle, and Maara’s eyes snapped open, only to stare into two dark ones. The strange woman tilted her head slightly at Maara, as if trying to determine something. She had a young, smooth face, innocent looking. Her long black hair fanned out behind her, lips parted slightly as if breathing through her mouth. Maara realized the pretty woman really was breathing. The woman smiled, looking towards the surface as two iridescent wings formed behind her, giving a strong flap and both of them glided upwards. Breaking the surface, Maara ‘kitty coughed’ water, taking in a fresh breath of air. “You are a bad swimmer…” The soft, slightly accented voice said to her, and Maara blinked. As if this were perfectly normal, the dark haired woman held Maara’s soaked body in the crook of her arm, against the leather of her armor. They were getting closer to shore, the woman floating just above the surface of the water. “It’s a good thing I was resting in the water today. Tell me, are you well this night?” The voice said again, and Maara looked up from her perch, wondering why this lady talked to cats. “Hmm…I have not seen your kind before…but you have ears like my friend Tomo. He is very nice. Have you met Tomo?” She asked, and Maara mewed in her throat. “My name is Trina.” She said, looking down at her while stepping onto the sand, picking up a cloak and draping it over her shoulders. Trina set Maara down, sitting down on the forest floor and watching Maara friendlily. “Do you have a name?” Maara looked at this woman as if she had gone crazy. Everyone knew cats didn’t talk! Maara held up her tail and wiggled her ears, trying to demonstrate she was a cat. The woman saw this movement but didn’t seem to comprehend. “Perhaps you are called Mini Tomo?” Maara meowed disdainfully. Trina picked her up, held her beneath the cloak, and began walking again. “I cannot understand your language… Perhaps you should meet him then. It’s not far.” This, was going to be a strange day.
Present: Maara lives in the Demented Muffin for really only one reason; Trina lives there. She likes the people well enough, but Maara’s spent so much time traveling that it makes her somewhat bored when she has to stay in the same place. Never the less, Maara likes to be where Trina is, and the Muffin provides some much needed security. Maara’s new found security was threatened when her mother returned for her yet again, but Trina, with the help of Arlen and Lily, fought the vile woman and her goons off. Since then, Trina has kind of filled in that position, but Maara considers Trina more of a living doll than a mother. Maara is constantly trying to get Trina to do different things while Trina is constantly returning to old habits. Maara sees Trina as a puzzle, one the cat girl is determined to solve. So far, she hasn’t had much luck. Trina doesn’t talk much.
Maara is energetic and rather random, as most things remind her of others, until she’s gone through a whirlwind of topics. She speaks before thinking in most cases.
