SukiRain - Wanderer (Finished!)

The most noticeable trait about this young woman is that she is rarely noticed. Her presence is so unobtrusive, and her features unremarkable, that few would take note of her unless she spoke outright.

However, if one were to be taking note, they would likely be firstly surprised by just how tall she is. The poised grace of her frame is reminiscent of a woman familiar with the abilities of her body and thoroughly comfortable with it, as well as being intimately acquainted with her surroundings. She stands with shoulders loosely squared and back straightened in a smooth curvature of bone and muscle. This elegance nearly deceives the eye into believing her a much smaller woman than she is, despite this, her stature is nearly 5'11. Limbs and torso are lightly toned as the everyday work of living in the woods would cause, though without the development of one who trains in combat or strenuous occupation.

Her skin is a warm olive, against the dark chestnut coloring of thick hair that hangs in minimally tended curls. A wide, oval face is canvas to a pair of sharp brown eyes, low-angled brows, and a generous mouth that holds a serious set to it. Most often fine crinkles of weariness mar the expanse around her eyes -- adding age to her appearance -- as though sleep did not hold the same rejuvenation for her as others find.

All of this might be observed by the particularly interested, but if you asked most who know her what was most remarkable, they would say her demeanor. Not overly beautiful or charismatic, Sukirain holds peace and stillness around her like a mantle. Slow to speech and slow to action, she is the epitome of the saying 'still waters run deep.' It is exuded in her very appearance, a sense that this is a woman you should not dismiss lightly.

Can a depth of understanding be communicated in unadulterated silence?

In any particular scene or setting you have layers of personality overlapping from one individual to the next. There are those with the vibrancy of word and action that cause them to draw the eye of all around…and there are those whose initially quiet ways blend them into the background, but once noticed, they hold attention. SukiRain is the latter. She is quiet, rarely adding her voice to a discussion or conversation, and even less frequently in a public setting. For this reason, when she does speak out, people tend to stop and listen to her input.

She is not a person quick to wrath or dispute. While she has a firm understanding of how the world should work, and what is necessary to achieve those ends, it takes a great deal to make her angry about something. Many describe her as 'even keeled', like a boat gliding through the water that balances on the surface with such equanimity it is not easily tossed by waves that rise. Her decisions aren't swayed by changes in day to day life.

Most particularly, though, SukiRain is a person whose life is devoted to the betterment of others, sometimes to the detriment of her own. Perhaps this is both her strongest attribute and also her greatest fault. Devoted to the well-being of her tribe, she has put aside dreams of a life outside of their sphere. She ties herself so tightly to this small world they have created, that there is no room for her to grow and develop beyond what is needed to fulfill her duties. Her role is crucial to the tribe, and this responsibility, while unusually heavy, is one that she has accepted. She doesn't allow herself to look back.

Within the pristine depths of Panem's deepest and most secluded forest retreats, there are those who have fled the domination of the Capitol. Unable to fully escape its reach, they lead a life of stealth and nomadic movement. Learning to glean from the land what is necessary to sustain a community of their size, these are people keenly attuned to the ways of the earth and its various inhabitants. None more so than the Healer, who tends to the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of the tribe.

SukiRain was fourteen when she took on this role. A girl barely accustomed to balancing her own emotional needs, and now she was responsible for the well-being of all her fellow tribesmen. It was not an easy journey from adolescence to adulthood for her. One by one, she saw all her dreams laid aside and sacrificed for the good of the tribe. With each loss, she grieved and vented the pent up anger to friendly foxes and squirrels. The kinship she felt with her natural home was a small connection to the foundation she would need to succeed. With each loss she also learned to let go, to submit to the will of Fate and accept what was destined for her.

The dreams began on her seventeenth birthday. Call it intuition, pre-sentience, visions, medicine dreams…SukiRain had no word for it. If it wasn't for her mother's journal, the dreams would have felt like a blind walk into madness. Not relegated to sleeping hours, the dreams would come without provocation or warning. Revealing sometimes inexplicable insight the mind of someone around her. She would know when someone was hurting or wounded, even if they were tens of miles away and no one else in the tribe had such knowledge. She could sense the emotional turmoil within someone suffering from a psychological pain.

Her mother had once also been the tribe's healer, and her journal was all that SukiRain had to learn from. The entries were a candle in the darkness that guided her towards a greater understanding. She was not crazy, her mother also had experienced these same awakenings. They were invaluable in fulfilling her role of Healer, but they brought with them a bitter edge. The tribe revered her words and actions, but they also feared her. None would dare to disrespect or ignore the Healer, yet by that same token, none saw the lonely girl beneath her mantle.

Part of Cass's TRIBE plot