REIKO NISHIMURA
"So... Who's up for a game of Shoot First, Ask Questions Later?"
Identity
Name: Reiko Nishimura
Age: 26
Birthday: January 22, 1989
Gender: Female
Premade: The Rebel
Mutation: Time Manipulation « details »
Previous Occupation: Clerk (and stock organizer) at a record store
Nationality: Japanese-born and raised; now an American citizen
Languages: Japanese (Osaka-ben dialect), English
Sexuality
Sexual Preference: bisexual
Marital Status: For three years now, Reiko has been in an open relationship with her best friend, Damon Pascoe. She can be something of a devilish flirt from time to time, but the truth is: she hasn't actually made use of the relationship's openness since the one-year anniversary. And, if she's completely honest with herself, she loves him.
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Physical Traits
Height: 5'3" (five feet, three inches)
Weight: 108 pounds
Appearance: Reiko is a small woman: thin, short, and in some ways fragile. Though she often holds the confidence and demeanor to suggest that she could kick anyone's ass, she's much more likely to get hurt in the process unless given the advantage of weaponry. Naturally, she has jet-black hair that matches nicely with her dark, brown eyes; but she has a fondness for adopting outlandish hair colors and styles. It isn't uncommon for Reiko to decide one day that her hair is too long, grab a knife or razor, and create a new hair style for herself right then and there. Sometimes, it looks great; sometimes it looks exactly like she took a knife to it... while not even looking in the mirror. She wears hats often when her experiments turn out worse than expected.
When it comes to clothing, Reiko's mood is the sole dictator of what she wears. She doesn't limit herself to any one style and can go from moderate to wild in the course of a single day if given the opportunity. Usually, the only aspects of her style that remain uniform are her love for jackets (preferably leather or denim) and her refusal to wear anything that isn't comfortable. Even now when her clothing options are limited to literal steals - if one can really consider it stealing in a post-apocalyptic existence - Reiko tries to make the best out of the options presented.
She has more, but only two of her scars would count as distinguishing features. The first and most easily visible is a long scar which extends diagonally from the far edge of her left eyebrow nearly to the center of her hairline. Though she tries to keep it veiled with her hair whenever possible, there are plenty of situations in which it becomes visible through movement of some sort. The second scar is never purposefully hidden yet often covered by clothing, due to being on her (outer) left thigh - from a spot even with her hip to roughly two inches above her knee. It's faded to nearly her natural skin tone but raised enough to draw attention. The rest of her scars are visible but not overwhelming; they're the results of various accidents and scuffles.
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Possessions
Hover stars (★ and ☆) for extra details.
* Black messenger-style bag, decorated with patches and pins ★
→ Blue camo-print personal journal ☆ ★
→ Several ink pens of various colors ☆ and a silver Sharpie
→ Various (basic) hygeinic items
→ Paperback romance novel of the trashy variety
→ Half-pound, zipper-seal bag of sunflower seeds ★
→ Cell phone ☆ ★ with car charger and electric charger
→ Broken, orange cat collar with bell and tags
→ Multi-channel 'walkie talkie' and electric charger ☆ ★
→ 9mm ammo
→ Small gun-cleaning kit
* Black leather wallet ☆
→ $260 in twenties
→ Driver's license ★
→ Family photos ☆ ★ ☆ ★
→ Photos of (deceased) cat, Aiko ☆ ★
* Cigarettes
* Zippo lighter ☆
* Switchblade pocket knife ★
→ Scuffed and well-worn 'biker boots' with chunky, two-inch heels
* Black leather gun holster ☆
→ 9mm gun ★ ☆ « view gun »
* Two spare clips/magazines for gun, loaded
* Standard camping canteen for water
* Necklace with metal crucifix charm, usually worn ★ ☆
* Motorcycle ★ « view bike »
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Inner Workings
Religious Views: Atheist. She does, however, have a habit of making references to religious terms in casual or sarcastic context.
Personality: In borrowed terms, Reiko is chaotic neutral. She balks against all forms of control exercised against her - sometimes to the point of violence, if needed - but really couldn't care less about the state of others' freedom. If she has to step over (or on) someone else to get where she wants to be in life, then so be it. They should have been paying better attention to their surroundings: that's all she has to say about it. She is neither good nor evil; instead, she acts according to her best interests - whether that means delving into lucrative business that could harm others or helping out someone whose presence is beneficial to her own survival. Reality is relative, and so are Reiko's morals.
By nature, she is flighty and unpredictable, preferring to explore her whims and satiate curiosity in the hopes of preventing boredom. The world is her playground; or, at least, she never did get the memo about not being entitled to whatever she wants whenever she wants it. Though this could easily make anyone else seem bratty, it usually makes Reiko seem cold and perhaps even heartless - especially when coupled with her lack of obvious emotions. She often comes across as not caring enough to respect others' property or emotions instead of having some sense of entitlement, and that's actually not far from the truth. Reiko has long since had her fill of giving a damn and even finds it difficult to express how much she cares about the few people she does value. And becoming her friend? You may as well call it quits if you haven't the patience to deal with the slow and often frustrating process of gaining her trust. (Even then, she may one day decide that cutting her losses and breaking loyalties is the best option.)
Reiko's outer shell and general demeanor show confidence and a 'take no bullshit' attitude. She holds her chin high most of the time, even if she does have a casual sort of posture, and hides her insecurities and deeper emotions as much as possible behind the mostly-accurate 'tough girl' act. She tells it as it is - or perhaps how she sees it - and is completely unapologetic for being herself. She can be humorous and witty, doesn't bother with jealousy or clinginess, but often seems disinterested and aloof. Only the unbearably strong or truly benign emotions shine through without effort, and even then she has a habit of denying anything other than amusement, apathy, and anger.
Strong emotions of any sort just don't come easily for Reiko, and she prefers not to meddle into the confusing realm of expressing them too often. Even when she's angry, it's generally in a twitchy and 'quietly simmer in the background' manner unless or until she finally explodes - usually through violence or sharp words. But she is not broody or even moody by nature. She's somewhat talkative when the topic interests her and more than willing to share her (often inappropriately morbid) sense of humor with anyone who she doesn't completely hate.
She values spontaneity as much as just having fun in life; if she's bored, she'll find a way to fix it - even if that means going on some wild and crazy adventure that puts her life at risk. So long as she dies by her own actions, Reiko couldn't care less about fearing her own death. All that really matters in the long run is that she isn't chained down and gets to do what she wants when she wants. And maybe that she gets to put a few bullet holes through something; she's become rather trigger-happy over the past few years.
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Family
Aunt: Mai Ishizuka (status unknown; last seen in New York City)
Mother: Hoshi Nishimura (status unknown; last seen in Osaka)
Father: Kin Nishimura (status unknown; last seen in Osaka)
Older Brother: Tadao Nishimura (status unknown; last seen in Tokyo)
Best Friend: Damon Pascoe (missing survivor; last seen in Detroit)
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History
Life in the Nishimura family was one of structure, rules, strict discipline, and high expectations. As the second child, the one who wasn't the prized eldest (and only) son, Reiko was treated to even stricter discipline than her older brother, Tadao. She was born ten years after him, which certainly didn't help the matter. Already spread thin with a young boy moving into adolescence, her parents didn't exactly have the proper patience required for a new child. The punishments came frequently, as she was a curious child with a knack for getting into trouble, but she never truly understood.
Her parents seemed to genuinely love and want to protect her, but they also hurt her. They yelled, they spanked, and they told her that she was a disappointment... And for what? Most of the time, she couldn't even remember. Sometimes, she'd not really done anything that was against the rules and had simply annoyed one of her parents. She hated them sometimes, resented them often, yet somehow also felt a sense of familial love. Emotions confused Reiko, and with good reason. Her main model of love came with an unfair dose of disappointment and anger attached.
As she grew older, Reiko became more detached from her emotions to the point that she preferred to remain stoic rather than try to figure out the feelings which swam through her mind. She followed in her brother's footsteps of above-average (even if not by much) academics, but never received the praise to which he'd been treated. It wasn't that her parents weren't proud of her achievements; they were simply too busy picking apart her failings and flaws to let her know. Before she had even made it to the stereotypical rebellious teens, Reiko began to balk against the level of control and discipline. She fought tooth-and-nail, sometimes in a literal sense, whenever she felt that she'd done nothing wrong or the rule she'd broken was an unjust one. Her sense of self was screaming for some sort of freedom, and desperately so.
The rift in the family created by Reiko's rebellion eventually grew so tense that her parents conceded. Or, to be technical, they grew so frustrated that they sent her to live with her mother's sister. Reiko saw it as surrender, however, because Mai Ishizuka was a free-spirited and nonintrusive person. At the age of sixteen, she moved from her home in Osaka to her aunt's home in Tokyo. Distance helped to cure the damage done in the parent-child relationship; separation and lessened contact made all involved parties realize just how stupid the entire ordeal had been. Her parents offered to have her move back in, but Reiko loved living with Mai too much to return to an environment that she couldn't be certain had really changed.
Two years later, Mai decided that a change of scenery was long overdue. She had always wanted to see the United States, so she made the impulse decision to actually move there, surrendering her citizenship in Japan. Reiko was slightly hesitant, but when she called her older brother to discuss the matter he was short and disrespectful. Partly out of spite yet also partly out of genuine curiosity, Reiko made the decision to accompany her aunt. Thus, at the age of eighteen, she became an American citizen and began the delicate process of learning more English (she had some knowledge, but her grammar in particular was awkward). More like college buddies than an aunt and niece, Reiko and Mai settled down in New York City for a while.
Eventually, however, the promise of seeing the entire country tugged at Reiko's overactive sense of curiosity and adventure. She was twenty-two at the time and not quite sure of where else she would go first; so she pulled up an online map of the country, closed her eyes, shuffled the mouse, and clicked. The randomization method led her to Detroit, Michigan. It didn't exactly sound promising, but it seemed like a good adventure if nothing else. She and Mai said their good-byes then she packed up and moved along.
Reiko was slow to find a job that fit her tastes but finally stumbled across a record store in need of employees. They loved her spunk, as it fit the target demographic, and hired her on the spot. Through her job, she came to know a man by the name of Damon Pascoe. He came in one day, looking for an old album by an obscure, British band... only to be completely blown away that Reiko knew the band, their songs, and exactly which aisle held the only stocked copy of the album. Reiko was quietly surprised, as well, and they spent a while talking music. It seemed like a simple encounter, but Damon returned two days later just to ask her if she wanted to go out for coffee after work. She was hesitant, but decided to take the chance. Never had she made a better choice.
The duo eventually became close friends and fell into a strange sort of semi-relationship in which neither would admit their love for the other beyond wanting to be in a 'friends with benefits' sort of relationship. Damon, being the 'starving artist' of a poet that he was, eventually moved in with Reiko, who actually enjoyed living with him. He chipped in with what little money he had and never expected Reiko to do for him what he could easily do for himself. They were perfect for each other yet very much in denial of the simple fact. Damon taught Reiko how to use guns - a skill that she quickly fell in love with as more than just a means of defense - and she bought him a cat in return. It wasn't exactly an equal exchange, but the cat - Aiko - soon became their version of a child.
On the morning of the Downfall, Reiko and Damon were laying in bed talking about how she needed to stop calling in sick so often when she wasn't really ill - nothing special, just mundane conversation. The television wasn't on; the radio wasn't even within reach... Aiko began yowling loudly, almost seeming to make human-like screams. He wouldn't come from his cat bed in the corner as he usually did when called, and the screams soon began to happen even when his mouth was closed. Though he had, indeed, been yowling, there were people in the corridors screaming. They were dying, suffering, transforming in horrifying ways.
Damon and Reiko had no choice but to barricade themselves inside the apartment until the monsters moved along; after Aiko transformed, Damon had to shoot him to save Reiko from the monster's attack. She was bitter over the concept, but that was soon replaced by a realization that something majorly wrong was happening. They had a silent moment of understood forgiveness and a completely sleepless night. Thankfully, with every piece of furniture they could find reinforcing the door, none of the creatures were able to get to them.
On the second day, they packed the necessities and fled, hoping to get out of Detroit. Even on motorcycles, however, the duo didn't make it very far. And the creatures didn't all sleep during the day... Though neither were killed, both were roughed up - Damon more than Reiko. He was in bad shape by day six, incapable of walking without a severe limp or breathing without much effort. But he continued onward, making the situation seem less dire than it really was.
Damon was the one to suggest that they split up for a while so that he could search beyond Detroit and gauge the severity (and span) of the chaos beyond their immediate surroundings. Reiko agreed, ignoring the strange symbolism of him giving her the most important item he owned before leaving, and set about a mostly-passive search for other survivors. If not for the unusual having become the usual, she might have realized that there was no reason not to just follow with him or leave Detroit in another direction. She never once thought that he might have been leaving with the intention of not surviving...
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Time Manipulation
Perhaps the best analogy to explain Reiko's hold on time is to consider it her new pet. She knows it well enough, but hasn't yet learned the little nuances of its metaphorical personality and, while she can exercise some menial amount of control, she still hasn't tamed it.
When the chaos began, Reiko fell into her power completely without even knowing it. Since then, she can accurately determine the current date and time down to the second - a realization that was, to say the least, mind-boggling - and figure out how much time has passed with only a five-second margin of error. (In the future, this may seem like an impressive ability, but for now it's only useful in the here-and-now; the furthest back she can 'calculate' is to the point that her powers manifested.) These are things that even she can't explain, as the knowledge just seems to be there and she has a strange connection with the flow of time. In fact, she can sense any significant alterations in the time flow that happen in her general location... she just hasn't yet been faced with a situation that would allow this ability to be discovered.
Beyond her newfound connection with time itself, Reiko can also manipulate its movement. Though she doesn't yet know how to control her power or even how to activate it (so far, it seems to just happen when she's under duress), she has the ability to slow, quicken, or stop the flow of time. However, while this affects the speed of time itself, those still caught within the normal flow won't realize that anything has changed (unless they're particularly intuitive and/or perceptive) and she can't just run around changing people or objects as she so desires.
When she manipulates the time flow, she exists beyond it and appears to others to have super speed (if she slows time), teleportation skills (if she stops time and moves to a new location before restoring its natural flow), or some strange slow-motion effect upon her (if she speeds time). She can move freely when her power is active, with the exception of being incapable of interacting with anyone or anything else until she steps back into normal time. No opening doors, no riding a motorcycle, no hurting others... Her clothing and any objects on her person (not counting what's supporting her - such as a chair) will travel with her and be usable but incapable of affecting anyone else. (The only exception to the "no interaction with others" would, of course, be that she can have full interaction with anyone who accompanies her in stepping outside time.)
It's like being in an alternate dimension, on some levels. But, unlike with the implied simplicity of stepping outside time, the process drains Reiko both physically and emotionally. The longer she remains outside time, the worse the effects will become. If she spends a short period with her power - such as just the length of time required to duck behind something when attempting to evade a monster - she will only need to catch her breath and deal with a sense of being out of place. If she spends longer or pulls someone else with her, any number of negative effects could happen. In the most extreme, she could black out and/or fly off the handle in a burst of whatever her most recent emotion was. Moderately, she'll be tired and disoriented when re-entering the time stream.
Although her power exists in its ultimate state, she has a long journey of figuring it out and getting used to it before she could make any extensive manipulations. And even then, the physical and emotional toll will never go away; time doesn't like being leashed. She can only use her power for short bursts right now - with a maximum of four minutes within a twelve-hour span - and will have to slowly grow into (and accustomed to) it before obtaining the true maximum of thirty cumulative minutes within a day. Thirty consecutive minutes would practically be suicide, no matter how experienced she becomes; twenty would be highly likely to make her lose consciousness upon releasing the hold on time.
As of day nine, she is incapable of maintaining her hold longer than one minute at a time due to not yet understanding how to use her power.
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houndsofhell) wrote2010-03-30 04:57 am
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downfallrpg behind cut.
