MEMBER NAME: XlupoldX
CHARACTER NAME: Matilda "Mattie" Smollett
RACE (base animal): Black-capped Capuchin
AGE: 19. . .approximately
GENDER: Female
HAIR: As is typical of all her kin, her hair is obsidian black and naturally cropped close to her scalp. A center ridge that increases in length as it nears her forehead rises into a pointed peak much like the curious hairstyles of the savages of the new colonies.
EYES: A brilliant shade of warm copper that catches the light as would a brand new penny.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Mattie is small, as all her people are. Standing at a positively petite four foot seven, her limbs, in proportion to her height are very long and lithe. Her hands have long and almost mystically dexterous digits and her feet too having a very similar appearance. Her body is immaculately lean, bordering on the skinny side and is covered in a soft, glistening fur of a warm honey tone about her torso and thighs, her shoulders deepening to a burnt cinnamon with the extremities of her hands, feet and tail in the blackest of obsidians. Her face seems filled with a placid mirth, with a gentle mouth that delicately curve upwards at the corners.
Most certainly tomboyish in appearance, Mattie prefers a pair of either high-waist knickerbockers or shorts over the usual feminine apparel of dresses and skirts, allowing her long legs a greater freedom. She always wears a beautifully tailored waistcoat over a modest button-up shirt, with her treasured pocket watch tucked safely into the breast pocket. A pair of brass goggles with interchangeable lenses is frequently perched on her head, framing her delicate features. A thick, brown belt with a chunky, brass buckle and several leather pouches full of things only known to Mattie, sits loosely at slender hips at all times. Shoes are shunned entirely and instead a pair of gators or spats are worn when in public.
DISTINCTIVE MARKS/SCARS/TATOOS: Intricate, circular scars of the palest of pink on her palms.
CHARACTER HISTORY: Mattie has no memory of her life from before the age of, what she suspects, around about five. She grew up as part of a gang of pick pocketing street urchins governed by the ever present and watchful eyes of Madam Pennywell. Mattie's small stature, prehensile tail and feet, as well as the face of innocence incarnate quickly secured her place within Madam Pennywell's top earners, thus making her a highly valued commodity. The talents of her nimble fingers were many: their almost spectral ability to lift a wallet or other valuables with no detection garnered the attentions of her guardian, but it was the pocket and wrist watches that enticed Mattie's attention. A broken pocket watch of tarnished brass was thrown her way, upon the revelation of it no longer moving its hands to count the seconds, minutes and hours. The young monkey became fascinated with the piece, her delicate digits tenderly popped open the case to reveal the tiny movements within. The cogs and bridges, springs and stones, winders and wheels, all the minute parts that would cause any other being frustration seemed to speak out to her in their mechanized order. With great patience and persistence, within a week the watch was working as if it were brand new and was polished to an almost mirror shine. Mattie hid her treasure from the prying eyes of the other children and her guardian, viewing as a trophy and reward for her silence and unquestioning obedience. By the time the young simian had reached the ripe age of nine she had managed to rise the ranks from being a part of the begging/pick pocketing squad to "legitimate" employment in Madam Pennywell's cover business as a chimneysweep. Besides clearing the chimneys of the elite of London of soot, she would also scope the properties for valuables and trinkets that could bring her boss a pretty penny or two in a future break in.
It was on such a job when destiny seemed to come to call on the young monkey. The townhouse in Notting Hill was packed full of unusual items that ticked in whirred in glittering shades of brass and gold, every surface in the building seemed to be occupied by some curiosity, be it collecting dust or housed beneath a great glass dome. The room in which the grand fireplace was situated had dark oak walls lined with shelf upon shelf. In a room of such tempting and sparkling treasures, it was hard for the young capuchin to quell the desire to pocket just one very small item before she reported back to Madam Pennywell of her glorious find. The lure of the shiny trinkets became too much and with the swift agility that comes with the counter weight of a prehensile tail, one such prize quickly found its way into her long and dexterous hands. The object appeared to be some sort of puzzle and within in seconds the object unfurled in her lithe fingers like a blooming flower. The joy of her achievement was short lived as a blinding flash of light stole all consciousness.
Mattie a woke in a foreign place of crisp linen and a veritable bounty of soft, down filled pillows, a far cry from the cot and filthy blanket she was used to at Madam Pennywell's. Professor Cotterill, the owner of the house and the many shiny things that had so bedazzled her and seared the pattern of their workings into her palms, explained to her that she would not be returning to the filth and squalor of Madam Pennywell's on account of her accident and of course upon finding out about the Madam's scam with her chimneysweep business. His silence to the authorities on the Madam's less than legal activities was with paid with Mattie, herself. Professor Cotterill explained to Mattie that she had a gift that she mustn't waste and he explained how he too had a similar gift. The Professor revealed that within in the young monkey was an understanding of things mechanical that could bring her great fortune and fame, but only if she were tutored by someone with a similiar understanding, someone, like him.
After nine years as Professors Cotterill's ward and apprentice, Mattie has grown from a withdrawn street urchin and into an intelligent young woman with an incredible thirst for knowledge in the gift that is housed by her modest form. She acts as Professor Cotterill's errands girl, amongst her other duties and is a familiar face on the streets of London. Her talent with mechanized items has been carefully nurtured by the Professor, who always includes her in his projects as well as setting her, her own tasks to further advance her unusual talent.
PERSONALITY: Despite her rough start in life, Mattie has an unusually calm disposition. Though a genuine smile is a rare sight on her serene features, rarer still is a frown. Curious by nature, she is continuously on the search for knowledge, be it through books or practice, she seems to be making up for the years when her only education was fleecing the public of their valuables. After having lived in absolute poverty , she has become something of a hoarder, it is hard for her to throw anything away, for fear of it becoming useful as soon as she no longer has it. She is generally quiet until either a bond is formed or a topic that sparks her interest is broached. She has a quick wit that is greatly flavoured with sarcasm and self-deprecation, and a betraying naivety through her silence and gentle appearance. Her youth allows a fiery temper when provoked, either through frustration or when threatened and she has no qualms in defending herself in the most physical of ways.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: An affinity with machinery which entails an almost empathetic quality towards all items of a mechanized composition, from the most insignificant of clockwork tin toys to the giant workings of the most advanced airship. The discovery of this talent has also awakened a keen memory that is almost photographic in her ability of recall. Physically, the young simian is incredibly agile and swift moving with an almost supernatural grace, leaning towards stealth. This quickness and of course whisper lightness of her movements is what made her so successful as a pickpocket, her other less than savory skills of lock picking and knife fighting are also blessed by this fluid motion. She has a strong prehensile tail that is often used as a fourth limb, whether it be for grasping things or hoisting her to lofty heights. Her feet are nearly matched to her hands in their dexterity and nimbleness, and she will frequently work between both sets of appendages without a single thought.
WEAPONS OF CHOICE: When pushed into a situation with no other option, Mattie is quick with a blade, whether with her hands or feet. Not only is her close contact blade work impeccable, but she is more than an adept knife thrower. The long canines which are characteristic of all capuchins also serve was an effective weapon when she is without a knife or her fists fail her.
LOVE/LIKES: Professor Cotterill, shiny things, acquiring knowledge, glittery things, clockwork, sparkly things, rum, twinkly things, the quiet, metallic objects, heights and cherries.
HATES/DISLIKES: When others resign things as being broken and useless, filth, noise, being mistaken for a simpleton and Madam Pennywell.
FEARS/PHOBIAS: Nothing seems to really phase the young monkey in terms of fear, but at the very heart of the girl she fears the same as any other, her mortality and that of her loved ones.
DREAMS/IDEALS: Life is pretty ideal for Mattie, she wants for nothing and every day has new challenges and more lessons to learn. Now, if life could only remain exactly as it is. . .