Post by Xiaobei on Sept 4, 2021 15:55:55 GMT -8
Hollowbreed
Basic Info
~Love is a Battlefield~
~Love is a Battlefield~
Name: Xiaobei [小贝]
Chronological Age: 9
Stage of Evolution: Menos
Physical Info
~Monstrous Power~
~Monstrous Power~
Hair:
Long white quills cascade down Xiaobei's back, a slight curl to their length giving off the image of feathery locks of 'hair'. On closer inspection each strand is made of minuscule quills with barbed tines, each individual shaft capable of fully independent movement, such that her spines function as a barometer for Xiaobei’s moods as well as a protective covering across most of her body. The quills range in diameter and length, going from pencil-sized to as long as a forearm. Laid flat, the quills have a smooth glossy quality but set to rustling the quills become a sea of sharp barbs.
Build:
Fitting of her youthful nature, Xiaobei is a rather tiny Hollow. Similar in size to a full-grown lynx, she weighs quite a bit more than physics should permit. While capable of bipedal movement, Xiaobei prefers bounding around on all fours and has yet to move past the evolutionary stage of exploring her surroundings with her mouth. Her hands, such as they are, do include thumbs as well as squishy toe beans. Like a cat, Xiaobei has sheathed nails that are made to break away, on both her hind and front limbs. Hunched down, she becomes little more than a mound of quills with big tawny eyes. This sight is slightly deceptive as Xiaobei is quite quick when she wishes to be, her dense core the result of thick musculature.
Clothing:
Trinkets are endlessly fascinating to Xiaobei. If she doesn't eat them she has a habit of sticking them on her quills and seeing what stays put. In particular, she has a fixation on ribbons or strips of colored cloth, which she happily wraps around her limbs in a trailing hazard. (That she has yet to trip and break her neck is less a result of her grace than Xiaobei's durability.)
Mask and Hole:
Xiaobei's face is obscured by a thick white bone mask that takes the shape of an animal skull. Largely feline-shaped, the skull comes down over her eyes and opens in a wide jowled snarl, sharp canine incisors framing plump cheeks and the jaw fragment following along Xiaobei's natural jawline. Only her mouth can be seen normally, along with parts of her chin and cheeks, the skin a pale cream. Empty eye sockets reveal the Hollow's bright tawny eyes - black pupils slit much like a cat's - which seem to glow at times, soaking up the light around her in a shimmering reflection. This effect is especially prevalent when the air is rife with thick clouds of reiatsu.
Her hollow hole is prominently displayed, cutting a swath through her right breast at the approximate location of her heart. Being the only vaguely pocket-shaped element to her makeup, other than her mouth, Xiaobei likes to store little found objects in her Hollow hole -- only to great upset when she later realizes whatever it was fell out during her bouts of racing around.
Extras:
The first thing people notice about Xiaobei is her voice. An odd accent is apparent no matter what language she is speaking in, as Xiaobei elongates her vowels and lingers on several consonants such as r's and s's. This gives her speech a rolling sort of musical tone, almost as if she is purring out the words or crooning quietly. Her voice is just as fond of hisses or guttural vocalizations and her inability to remember names means that she is frequently handing out nicknames.
Reiatsu can be sensed in a multitude of ways. A strange quirk to Xiaobei is that given even odds most who take notice of the little Hollow see her reiatsu visually as a thick wave of goldenrod. Her reiatsu itself is denser than most, a heavy, clumsy thing, which prickles upon contact with millions of tiny jabs.
Spiritual Info
~Zealous Hunger~
~Zealous Hunger~
Favored Prey:
Xiaobei has yet to make any connection between her various meals, however, more often than not she finds herself stalking individuals with full hearts. Those who float about through life, buoyed by the presence of love, are the sweetest of all food groups. Age matters little, though children are often capable of the most powerful and uncomplicated flavors of love, the only real prerequisite is that the love must be for a living individual. Another mortal, a pet, oneself, a loved one who has since passed on -- all of these create a piquant bouquet that Xiaobei finds herself instinctively drawn towards. Whether that love is reciprocated, or even a healthy love, (for obsession can be an overpowering shade of love), only serve to add distinct notes to each meal.
Historical Info
~Haunting Void~
~Haunting Void~
The Past:
Xiaobei was someone else first. A little girl with bright red silk shoes embroidered with clouds. That pattern is her only hazy recollection of Before -- not even concrete enough for the Hollow to conceptualize the notion of time.
She was a child dearly beloved by family, who wanted for nothing as there was an eternal source of hugs and sweet snacks in any direction she looked. Her feet barely touched the ground as always a relative was nearby to swoop her up and carry her on their hip. She grew with fingers entangled in a loved one's hair and face pressed cheek to cheek against her wide entourage.
The child that would later become Xiaobei could not understand the events flowing around her -- she was unaware of the familial tensions, how her father lost his job, and thus the ability to take care of everyone under their roof. All she knew was that he rarely had time to dance around the room with her resting on his feet and that the sweets trickled to a halt. She was a happy child and incapable of grasping the depth of his despair.
Such a little thing could mean the end of the world for one family. A man is meant to provide and the shame of his failure crippled the girl's father who one night took an action so drastic he and his loved ones would never recover. At the time he surely thought it was the only way.
He helped her into her red silk shoes and held her hand as they walked outside. He told her to wait as he went to fetch the car. She had just coaxed the neighbor's cat down off the rooftop when she heard the rumble of an engine. The girl turned, saw headlights, and then knew no more.
The oddest part was watching everything afterward, ghostlike and ephemeral. She saw the cat yowl and careen off towards the bamboo gates. Stared at a red silk shoe with the embroidered cloud pattern that lay some feet away from the corpse of a small child. Watched a man sobbing in his car until someone came to investigate the noise.
If there had been anyone to speak with, at that time, the girl would have expressed concern for these people. She trailed them towards the door, never quite able to make it inside, and followed after them the five meters towards the gate. They were always always crying - except for the short bursts of screaming which ended, inevitably, in more tears.
If she had understood what had happened the girl would have forgiven her father. As the treasured only child everyone had waited for so long, she was included on her family's generous life insurance policy -- the last member now that her father had lost his eligibility through work.
Unfortunately, the girl could neither speak nor understand. All that she knew was the gnawing pain, an ache in her heart that grew worse every time one of the people walked by without looking her way.
Some time passed and the pain grew too great. The girl didn't like pain, it was unfamiliar and made her angry. Angrier than the tears that never seemed to cease. In a frenetic fit, she grabbed hold of the chain and tore at the links. It was not an easy process but the girl showed determination until finally something snapped and came loose.
Free now, the ache burrowed deeper, her loss an all-encompassing hunger. The girl consumed her family in a sleepless haze. For a moment she felt sated, but then the hunger swelled, larger than ever. There were no more people here so she had to leave. Her need to eat took her on a short journey through her old neighborhood -- ironically, the region was host to a Shinigami patrol. They had missed the girl as a lowly Plus but eventually took note of the newborn Hollow.
With the chaotic insight of a newborn, she ripped a hole in space and escaped her pursuers into Hueco Mundo. Licking her wounds, the little Hollow resumed her quest for sustenance. She pounced on anything smaller than herself and skirted those who were bigger.
An errant fragment of her earlier life, the Hollow assumed no one would speak to her, and was quite surprised when she wandered into an older Hollow on the edge of the wastelands -- one who rather than eat her asked for her name. Those who meet the Hollow often wonder at this part of the story, if they wait around long enough to hear it, as from that day forth the little Hollow who proudly named herself Xiaobei rarely shut up.
It took her two years to remember how she had bitten her way through space itself, but even now returning to the human world is a risky proposition for a newborn like Xiaobei. She has had to eat all the time, skipping no meals in between, in order to gain the strength to venture forth. While her hunger never ceases, Xiaobei is quite curious about this realm full of soft-fleshed snacks and bright colors.
Snapshot:
Nyaaa! You're not the boss of me!