Age: A Fresh Eighteen
Background: Life has been a constant hard road for Matilda. She was born into a family of seven children. She had been number four. As close to the middle as someone could get. To make matters worse, the family really didn’t have the means to support that many children. Unfortunately, Matilda’s parents were the kind of people that didn’t really have many qualms of setting their children to work at an early age. Or perhaps it was just need of the few coins they would receive in order to feed them all that drove them to that. What ever it was, the girl was thrown into labor. When she was young she could pass as a boy, and since labor for boys were more readily available Matilda’s parents didn’t force her to change her habits. She was called Mati then. A pet name for a cute little ‘boy’ who had a knack for trouble. It was in this first job, hauling wood and such that she found her first friend, Thomas.
Thomas was a crafty little fellow even at their shared age of eight. He had come from an over populated family as well. One that also sent their children to work to earn their keep. They talked, played sword fighting games with sticks, and other things that little boys did together. They often spoke of leaving their families. Mati was sure that they could make it on their own, Thomas wasn’t so sure. But her friend was confident enough for the both of them. One day they heard that a group of gypsies were close to their town. It was their chance! Run away to the gypsies was Mati’s plan. Then once they had reached another town they could give them the slip and earn an honest living again. Thomas wasn’t so sure about this but didn’t want to lose fate and went along with the planning.
Really, everything went pretty well. Kind of. Well, considering they ran into the arms of gypsies one couldn’t have expected a warm welcome. They were caught up by a couple of young men in the forest around the camp. This wasn’t exactly what Mati had planned but they were taken to the gypsy leader. Thomas had shook in his oversized hand me down boots, while Mati kept her head high poking out of a large coat of one of her brothers as an old woman walked in, flanked by two rather large and rough looking men. The old woman inspected both of them. “He hasn’t the heart to travel with us,” the old woman had announced pointing towards Thomas. “But she,” the old woman practically had cackle, “She will be greater than any one of us.” Mati and Thomas both looked in shock. Thomas wide eyes looking at Mati, “SHE?!” Mati’s dark eyes widened at the elderly woman, “How did you know!?” her voice cracked. Thus she was outed to her only friend and to the group of gypsies around them. Thomas ended up going back to the village, and Mati, well she stayed with the gypsies.
They taught her most of what she knew know. How to move with out a sound. How to lift a purse or some piece of jewelry from a person with out them even noticing. How to contort her body to fit any sort of opening or hiding spot. She was taught to fight for her place with in the camp and the food it brought with it. They were even the ones that had trained her in the art of throwing knives. But even with her the sense of prosperity she had in the camp, Tily or Juni ((Her names with in the camp)) was growing restless. She didn’t like having the rules. Answering to those that were older than she. Luckily or unluckily, fate stepped in a raid on the gypsy encampment one night, sent the people scattering. The girl was now thirteen and was now quite on her own.
The last five years were filled with her just roving from village to village. She stole what she needed to survive. Joining up with gangs, or creating her own as she moved about. The urchin friend collection she seemed to accumulate over the years, she refers to as her “children”. Always stealing something extra expensive to pun off to feed them all well for a week after she left again for the next town. Really, these children are the reason when she heard about these masks that she knew that she had to go after them. Obtaining one of those babies, she could make a pretty penny off selling them. Or perhaps if she had one she could make everything better for them by herself! Power was something Matilda had never really experience on a grand scale. But there was no time like the present, so off she goes trailing after those with more means that are seeking them.
Fears: Being in one place for too long, being caught, dying before she is old, a dark area she doesn’t know.
Loves: A fat purse, cheese and bread (her favorite treat/meal), her ‘children’, the open skies, traveling
Abilities: She is extremely light and quick footed, making most of her movements unheard and unseen thus she is incredibly sneaky, very flexible, has pretty decent aim.
Weapons of Choice: Her weapons of choice are knives. She has a dozen or so hidden on her body. This girl is not above using poisons on her knife tips either. The second weapon would be a sling shot. Its pretty deadly in her hands.
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