Shizu Ayana

Shizu Ayana
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Gender	Female
Race	Miqo'te
Clan	Seeker / Keeper mix
Citizenship	Limsa Lominsa
Age	23

Character

General

Shizu is a tribe mix – half Seeker, half Keeper. Her birth name was W’shizu Nelhah, her father being from the Wolf clan, and her mother’s family name Nelhah. Both of Shizu’s parents were members of a ship’s crew, so Shizu often spent a majority of her time either alone at home, or out on the boat.

A mixture of a stroke of luck and bad luck left shizu at home during her parents’ last voyage. During a strong storm, something sunk the vessel they worked on. Without any survivors, no one really knows what did it, but it was agreed upon that the storm had sunk the ship (despite the fact that a storm should not have been enough to sink a vessel of the size they were on, especially with such an able crew). Therefore, no one ever investigated the accident.

Shizu was then left alone, without any other real family. However, she was in essence adopted by her parents’ friend’s wife, Ayana Woods, a Midlander Hyur whose husband had died in the same accident. Shizu was 7 years old at the time.

Being raised by Ayana left Shizu to be more like a Hyur than a Miqo’te. Shizu lost most of her Miqo’te personality traits over the next few years while working as a deckhand on several different boats. By the time she was 14, she barely even saw Ayana anymore because she was always out on some ship or another. However, her ship hopping slowed and then stopped by the time she was 16. Ayana was ill, and bedridden, so Shizu offered to stay around and help out any way she could.

Over the next two years, Shizu entirely left boating behind in favor of helping Ayana. When she wasn’t maintaining the house, she was at the library, trying to reacquaint herself with the Miqo’te customs, having become interested in her heritage. It was during this time that she became acquainted with what was going on in the world – the war with the Garlean Empire. She studied the best she could until she was 18.

Ayana was looking better, and Shizu had decided it was time to see the world she had learned about. She left Limsa in 1568, and travelled around Eorzea aimlessly for several years, doing odd jobs and the like. It was during that time she met Jack Swift, Hikaru Takeba and some of the others who would become the Wolves.

In 1571, when the Empire resumed their attacks on Eorzea, Shizu found herself in Gridania. With the word of the new attacks, she decided to head home to Limsa in case anything happened. Once she arrived, sometime later in 1572 (she was sidetracked with odd jobs), she enlisted in the recently revived Grand Company the Maelstrom. When the Grand Company was called away for war, she said her goodbyes to Ayana and left Limsa with the Maelstrom.

While her enlistment wasn’t the most important in the war, she was at many of the big battles, mostly supporting with battle strategies and organization – what she strived at. She was at the last battle with the VIIth Legion when Bahamut broke free of his prison, but Shizu was not whisked away with the other warriors who were sent ahead into the future. Instead, she was left to wander

Now, in A Realm Reborn, Shizu has unofficially changed her name from W’shizu Nelhah to Shizu Ayana, in hopes that if somehow, Ayana had survived, they would eventually be reunited. However, only a few of her close friends know her real name at this point. And soon after the time jump, Shizu, along with Hikaru Takeba and a few others have founded the Hungry Wolf Free Company.

Appearance

Height: 5’1”

Hair: Mostly a red/brown with white fringes. Shizu tends to leave her hair as is, and keeps it back with a headband. She believes the look suits her, as well as being the most practical way to keep it. She also likes to wear the big mage-esque hats.

Eyes: She has the Cat-like pupils of the Sun Seekers, and her eyes differ slightly in color. One is a reddish orange and the other a yellowish orange.

Face: She tends not to bother with any real make-up, as she doesn’t have the time for it usually. She keeps her face well-maintained though, and her skin is beautiful. (And while she’ll never admit to it, she uses just a tad of blush).

Physique: Shizu isn’t built for close combat, per se, so she prefers striking from a distance with magic usually. That said, she isn’t lazy when it comes to exercise, which leaves her with a lean, slightly-muscled build.

Speech: Shizu tends to have a retort or comeback for everything, although she doesn’t use them all the time. She tends to speak a bit more “proper,” however, if she gets excited or otherwise pressured, she can sometimes lapse back into speech patterns from Limsa, her home – and she gets very embarrassed by it sometimes.

Everything else: Shizu’s face is bare of Miqo’te tribal markings because she isn’t quite sure what to put there. Her appearance is often very well organized, as she feels a well put together outfit that is practical is better than something showy.

Personality

Shizu is kind of a strange one. Her personality has three different sides that show up in varying situations. (Although she does tend to be a tad bit erratic sometimes.) First and foremost, her most typical personality is fairly normal. Shizu tends to be a bit short with people, and sometimes even snippy. She tends to have a sarcastic response for absolutely everything, although she doesn’t always respond in such a way.

She can be rather cynical at times, but mostly, she just tends to be involved in whatever she is doing. Sometimes to the point of ignoring people. She tends to be very scholarly and knowledgeable about most things, although she isn’t afraid to admit when she doesn’t know something. She can often be found studying something. Being one of the officers of a Free Company, she also tends to be rather polite in her speech. Usually.

Her second of many faces comes out strong when she’s at a tavern, especially if she’s drinking. She strongly believes that social standing of any form, whether it be seniority, age, rank, or whatever, has no place in a tavern. When people gather to drink and relax, rank should go out the door. Therefore, despite her own rank, she speaks very plainly around a tavern, and expects others to do the same. However, when she drinks, she will sometimes slip into her old Limsa accent, which renders her very embarrassed, if she has enough presence of mind to realize she’s doing it.

Her third personality is Shizu’s work mode. Whenever she is wrapped up in Free Company paperwork and the like, she gets very “in-the-zone” and will often ignore people around her. However, if her work involves others, she can be very pushy about getting the job done. She also has very low tolerance for laziness when there is work to be done.

Shi also has many other eccentricities about her, though the most common to be seen is her butt and tail swinging back and forth when she reads. Everything else, you'll just have to meet her yourself to see.

Combat

General

Shizu has spent years now studying as an Arcanist and now studies as a Scholar. She strives to learn the ins and outs of battle maneuvers, to more easily make use of her Scholar talents in battle. She is quick to learn magic, and has always identified with books...leading to her being a bit of a shut-in after her years gallivanting as a pirate. HAving recently decided that she seems to have a decent mastery in her Scholarly studies and abilities, she has turned to Conjury and Thaumaturgy to attempt to expand her horizons in magic.

Strengths/Weaknesses

Shizu’s strengths and weaknesses when it comes to adventuring trades are…

• …she tends to be quick on her feet so an attack or two is manageable, but with her lean build, she can’t last in close combat.
• …her study in battle tactics have greatly impacted the use of her Scholar skills, as well as positioning during battles.
• …her studies have pushed her down the path of the mage, and she has settled in as a Scholar.
• …her one-track mind leaves her with unshakeable focus in battle – a good strength for those in a magical trade.

Tendencies

Likes

• Reading
• Tea
• History
• Alcohol (occasionally)
• Mage hats
• Her job
• Puzzles
• Rain
• Jack Swift
• Cooking

Dislikes

• Laziness
• Stupidity (when it comes to jobs)
• Arrogance
• Greedy Merchants

Favorites

• Color: Red
• Food: Jerky
• Drink: Classic Mead
• Place: Limsa Lominsa
• Instrument: Flute
• Plant: Wolfsbane

Relationships

Family

Father: W'sahn Nunh (deceased) Mother: Shaya Nelhah (deceased)

Adoptive Mother: Ayana Woods (Unknown)

Friends

Mate:

• Jack Swift

Officers in The Hungry Wolf:

• Hikaru Takeba
• Kagerou Imaizumi
• Phayte Lior

Other Hungry Wolf Members:

• Tally Softpaws
• Rezerb Elburn
• Nyla Nelhah
• Calina Zeraphel
• Aya Foxheart