Shino

Ah! Ah! Sorry! Sorry! I'll leave, please don't hit me!

More often than not, though, they do hit her.

Meet Shino. She's a girl who's... really, not that down on her luck. her luck wasn't that good to begin with. See... she was born... different.

That's putting it nicely, though. She's a mutant, you see, and not one blessed with a purely human appearance, or even nearly so. Even new to the world, she was markedly twisted, and strange, and has only become more so as she's grown older. Mind, this has been out of the sight of her parents, for she was abandoned on that first day, left to die, and found by a poor woman who did her best to raise the girl.

From the beginning, she was twisted, visibly different to anyone who cared to look. She was born with a tail, you see... a little fleshy nub, that over the years has grown to two feet long, and gnarled and twisted at that, looking scarred as well. Mind, you'd never see it now, as it and the rest of her limbs are hidden by a simple, formless brown robe, patched and tattered, leaving only her face and left hand truly visible, most of the time.

And these? These are normal! Mostly, at least. The same pattern of scarring is evident on part of Shino's face, on her left side, twisting its way up to her hairline, and it can be seen on her neck as well. Both of her legs and her right arm are afflicted in the same manner as her tail was, as well, and her eyes are of different shades, the left a bright blue and the right a vivid green. Aside from that, though, she looks mostly normal, at least in her face, and her left arm and hand are normal. Still... the other has been seen enough that everyone knows of her condition.

Shino, despite the efforts of her adoptive mother, has become an outcast. She's one of the many homeless folk of the world, striving to survive, and in her case to overcome her station at the bottom of the rung that is human society. Nevermind her oddly shaped, somewhat elfin ears or her gnarled, scarred body: within that head resides a mind that's sharp and intelligent and eager to learn! Shino scavenges for more than just food and drink, snatching up books when she can, as well. She taught herself to read, and she speaks carefully, with painstaking precision. Indeed, it seems only her body holds her back...

5'3 with long, fluffy-seeming brown hair, Shino isn't terribly imposing. Typically she's a bit grimy, sometimes even filthy, but she tries to take care of herself as best a homeless person can. With the aforementioned defects visible with little inspection, most assume the rest of her is blighted in the same manner, but really only she knows. Quiet, furtive, and nervous, Shino can often be seen in public places, watching people to see if they'll leave food, drink, or books lying about where she can get them. She DOES steal books, even, though carefully and not often, typically to satisfy her insatiable desire for knowledge.

Regarding her deformity... her tail, both legs, and her right arm are all gnarled, scarred, and thicker than they would otherwise be. They are not, however, clawed, save for her arm. She doesn't wear shoes, largely because she can't find any her size, but she doesn't need them. And, there are other little details about her, as well, which are harder to find.