Raina in her formal outfit on a special occasion(the new year, as it happens)
In some families, your ancestors are a huge deal! ... Raina never saw what all the fuss was about, though. What happened in the past stays in the past, right?
As it happens, though, she was wrong. Dead wrong, even. The past always shapes everything from that point forward, until everyone forgets it. All those old family legends? Yeah, it turns out that those were historical accounts that got embellished slightly, or not at all in one or two cases. Came as a rather nasty shock to Raina, in fact, but that's mostly due to how she found out!
Let's back up, though.
Two years ago, Raina was perfectly normal. She was average in most areas, getting decent to good grades(but rarely excellent) and only standing out(and that only a little bit) in gym class. She hadn't come into her figure, or any of her heritage... and, well, someone who was nowhere near as normal as they appeared decided to nip a significant problem in the bud.
The problem with their plan, though, was that Raina was on the cusp of awakening her abilities. All it would take would be a single event with enough need of her power, and she'd be that much harder to stop. And, well, as the yokai made her move, Raina awakened, seeing the Bakeneko for what she was. Her instinctive reaction slammed the cat into a nearby wall with enough force to knock her out, as Raina was left breathless and panting, staring at what she'd done. Then, her grandmother showed up, and put a rather strange necklace on the catwoman, before leading Raina and the cat away.
That night, Raina learned what she was. Who she was, as well. Her family had a long history of tending the local temple and shrines, and dealing with all the supernatural nasties that cropped up. For the most part they were respected, by humans and the supernatural alike, their ancient deeds becoming the stuff of legend and their more recent actions becoming part of a private history, behind the scenes, away from the eyes of pretty much everyone else. Raina's grandmother was the latest in a long line of shrine maidens and priests tending to the temple, and her grandfather had been the one before her, and so on, until you reach the point before recorded history and legend. The pattern is clear, though, skipping a generation almost every time, with most bearers of their powers being female.
It was all a bit much to take in, of course. Raina needed a few weeks, and several long talks with the Bakeneko her grandmother had captured. The Magatama around her neck kept her from even trying to harm Raina, and, while at first she was rather sullen, a few earscritches and treats cheered her right up. The girl freely volunteered information about the spirit world to Raina, who drank it all in without even the option of disbelieving it. After all, here was a two-tailed catgirl who had tried to kill her, who could do all SORTS of amazing things!
Once she'd had time to let everything sink in, though, Raina was excited. She wanted to learn! However, she did NOT want to be quite so bound by tradition... which her grandmother was surprisingly understanding about, actually. She only insisted on the formal Hakama for special occasions and serious business. She did, however, insist that Raina carry her ribbon whip, and bells, with her at all times, and learn to use them.
Two years later, this holds true. Raina is typically clad in typical student attire on many days, and still attending school. Her grades have dipped a bit, and she claims to be tired a bit more often, which confuses her friends, but it's nothing noteworthy, really. After school, or on weekends, she's more likely to be seen in jeans, sandals, and a simple shirt, often wearing sneakers instead of sandals for practical reasons.
The main differences for Raina are obvious, at least to her. She has less free time because she spends more of it chasing delinquent yokai, which have been increasing in number since her grandmother stopped dealing with things as much, passing the responsibility on to Raina. Some of them simply want to test the new Kazaki maiden, while others are just irritable, and think they can get away with things now. They're learning to respect the new girl's abilities, though, slowly but surely.
Standing at five feet six inches tall, with a slender, moderately athletic figure, Raina looks fairly normal, overall. She's almost indistinguishable from any number of other girls... but that's physically. Mentally? You can find out by meeting her. Spiritually, she stands out rather significantly, like a candle in an otherwise dark room(her grandmother is a much brighter candle, but that's years of training and experience for ya). Her spiritual abilities are still blossoming, so she has great potential to grow, but the abilities she already has are not to be sneered at. Channeling her spiritual energy, she can defend herself from harm, empower attacks with her whip, charge her bells so that they can disorient and deafen yokai, and attain otherwise unreachable speeds! And that, according to her grandmother, is just the tip of the iceberg.
For now, though, Raina's still learning, and not facing any significant issues as yet. Watched over by her grandmother and that Bakeneko, formerly an enemy and now a close friend and confidante, she's rapidly learning more about herself and her abilities than she ever dreamed. Barring an unfortunate, unforeseen incident, she might be the best Miko to ever tend the Kazaki temple complex... but we'll just see how long she lasts.
Pending alt by The_Tower. Click picture, receive altlist.
