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Powers

Shift: Mirza is able to shift into the form of a sand cat at will.

Blessing of Recognition: Mirza can recognize other Therians no matter what form they are in.

Swiftstep (Wind Brand): Mirza bolsters his allies, giving them a Speed boost equal to the difference between his Speed stat and theirs. 10 ERG - 2 turns.

Smokescreen (Fire Brand): Mirza unleashes a cloud of smoke, obscuring the surrounding area. 10 ERG - 2 turns.

Spellstorm (Wind Brand): Mirza kicks up the wind around his enemies, increasing their incoming damage from Magic by half his Synergy. 10 ERG - 2 turns.

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Health

Always appears well-rested, perhaps due to the many cat naps he sneaks around the circus in his shifted form.

Catches colds easily, his body more adapted to a hotter clime.

Altogether in-shape, thanks to his acts onstage.

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Strengths

Dexterity and balance; Mirza is as nimble as the shifter blood in his veins, treading with the soft, swift and, and agile steps that come with the territory of being a cat. (Talent: Dexterity. Master.)

Those radar ears in his shifted form aren't just for looks; Mirza's senses are dialed to eleven, allowing him to hear, smell, see, and even feel things that would be missed by most others. (Talent: Perception. Expert.)

After a lifetime of dealing with the insincere and deceptive habits of his family, Mirza is always keeping a keen eye out for lies. (Talent: Insight. Beginner.)

Mirza has a simple and secure conviction in what he's willing to put on the line for those he considers family. This is not always a good thing. (See: Weaknesses.)

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Weaknesses

Loyalty, when pushed to its extremes, can be a double-edged blade; and Mirza, when pushed, is loyal to a fault. The Yanutoma Circus took him in and gave him his first true home, showed him what a family was supposed to be. There's nothing he wouldn't do for them, even to his own detriment.

For all that he loathes his birth family and rejects their teachings, he did absorb one unfortunate lesson from them without even realizing; a lack of self worth. Mirza didn't think twice before taking on a second Brand, both to mark himself as belonging to Yanutoma, and to make himself stronger so he could better provide for the circus.

While not blind to the faults of his family in the circus, Mirza is far more forgiving than he ought to be. So long as they don't tread into the sins of his birth family, then he's with them, right or wrong.

yayaya

xxx

Overt: Aloof, Curious, Relaxed

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Aloof

Mirza can be rather hard to get a read on, sometimes even for those who know him best. His poker face is the thing of legend in those rare poker games snatched under lamplight, though there are whispers that he has a certain tell-- none who claim to know it would ever share, however, lest they tip their hand and it get back to him. Regardless of circumstances, little seems to catch him off guard or provoke any sort of surprise from him. Cool and level-headed, some might even be shocked to learn that he isn't completely emotionless. Even so, Mirza tries to keep things at arm's length, and that's easiest when you have no vested interest in the goings-on going on.

Curious

There certainly is a saying that has to do with cats, and Mirza has thankfully avoided hearing it too often thanks to how he conducts himself. While he may demonstrate a certain degree of social questioning, it rarely crosses the line into coming across as actually enticed. Even so, anyone who knows him will notice a pattern in his socializing; that his inquiries are not just an attempt to avoid talking about himself, but rather an inquisitiveness that borders on predatory. Thanks to his previously mentioned poker face, however, very few people ever realize that they were in his proverbial sights. And as for his secretive excursions in search of answers-- well, those swift and soft steps lend themselves well to reconnaissance.

Relaxed

For all of his secrecy, lack of social tact, and resting bitch face, Mirza is an altogether unbothered individual. He wiles away his days with cat naps in the rafters of the circus, traversing the bones of their home among the many textiles that he's contributed from his family's home in Niran. Little to nothing seems to get under his skin, even the many aggravating traits of other members of the circus, if anything seeming to find a certain peace in their many quirks and vexes. Day-to-day, Mirza appears to be one of the members of the circus least likely to find himself in the center of any ruckus, shenanigans, or ordeals otherwise. Although... appearances can be deceiving. Relaxed does not necessarily equate to boring, after all.

Reserved: Playful, Affectionate, Vengeful

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Playful

For those who get to know him a bit more closely, Mirza's resting bitch face betrays an unexpected but readily available side of himself; a certain lightheartedness, seeming to take personal satisfaction in the mischief of others... and, on occasion, his own. For all of the time he spends sleeping, Mirza is rarely one to pass up an invitation from one of his fellow carneys, whether it's out for drinks or down for a jaunt through their current neighboring kingdom. Likewise, there's a certain cunning raillery that will peek out when someone is more familiar with him, typically reserved for those who feel comfortable enough to first send a volley his way for some carefree banter.

Affectionate

Most apparent in his shifted form, Mirza craves and shows affection more than anyone would expect-- either from a cat, or from him in general. Perhaps there's something to be said about his upbringing here, or simply the fact that Yanutoma is a fair bit cooler in temperature than where he grew up. Regardless, Mirza is a silently demonstrative individual, inviting himself upon others without preamble or hesitation whenever the mood takes him, or when he suspects it may be needed by another party. Affection from a cat, of course, comes with a considerable amount of needle-sharp kneading-- and perhaps more than its fair share, when he's amusing himself with their protests.

Vengeful

For all of his devil-may-care attitude, Mirza is not a particularly merciful man. He has a keen memory for those who have wronged him or his family in the Yanutoma circus, and he is dogmatic in his enmity for such people. Where others may forgive, or forget, or even resolve past grievances, Mirza is incapable of erasing the image of the harm that was caused. Typically, however, he isn't one to wait around for a peaceful solution. Preferring action over words, he'll exact his own justice, or at the very least ensure whatever villain was involved never gets another chance to strike again-- or tout their futile apologies.

Hidden: Lonely, Vindictive, ???

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Lonely

Mirza has his family. The Yanutoma circus took him in, and he has found his place among them; an acrobat, a colleague, a friend-- family. Yet nothing has lifted the sense of isolation that plagues him, save for those warm moments stolen in the embrace of another while in his shifted form. Perhaps a culmination of his mother's abandonment, his family's ostracization, and finally the culture shock of relocating to Yanutoma, he seems incapable of shaking this shroud of solitude that cloaks him. He is not friendless, and he is not sad, yet at every turn he is reminded that he is not understood.

Vindictive

Not only does Mirza get even, he holds a grudge. If you've wronged him, retaliation isn't the end; he will remember you forever.

???

...

Born to a longstanding Niran family of textile traders and heron shifters, Mirza was the first of his kind; a child whose heron blood did not dominate. Taking after his mother, he was immediately othered from the rest of his family, with only his mother that looked at him with any sense of normalcy. When she disappeared, he was left with a feeling of abandonment and alienation, and inevitably departed his family once he saw the community within the passing Yanutoma Circus.

I. Bond

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The Taqavi family had a long and cultured history; they were one of Niran's foremost textile traders, as well as one of its oldest bloodlines. While the bennu heron had gone extinct generations ago, it lived on in the family of Therians that continued to pass down their shift from parent to child. While other families began to lose their heron shifts, having children who took after the other parent's shifted form, the Taqavi family's heron blood remained strong.

Until Naouara came along. Karim had fallen for this vagabond passing through his kingdom, and invited her to settle with him. While no commitments were made, a pregnancy kept her in place for the time being. The family was thrilled to have another fledgling on the way, and when Mirza was born, he was the light of his father's eye... up until he first shifted. The feline shape was utterly alien to the Taqavi family that looked on in shock and borderline horror. It was unheard of for a Taqavi to be anything but a heron.

Of course, they blamed Naouara at first. Karim's love was slower to turn, but the pressure of his family's displeasure eventually festered into a deep resentment. His was the first child to take after another bloodline. Did that make him the weak link?

Naouara was blissfully unconcerned with carrying on the bennu heron bloodline. She doted on Mirza, showing him the simple pleasures of feline life and raising him in the place she had called home for the last couple of years. Right up until she felt the call of wanderlust, and she disappeared into the dunes like a mirage.

II. Baggage

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Mirza wasn't an only child for long. Karim's parents hastened to find a proper partner for him, and she was quick to give him three beautiful fledglings in short order. Mirza became worse than a ghost; ignored, looked through, and when they did acknowledge him, it was with disdain and mistrust. Just like his mother, they whispered. Never where they thought he could hear it-- but, they weren't used to living with a cat.

Nothing he ever did was right, or good enough. Nothing would shed him of the shame of his mother's pelt. He internalized this guilt, never understanding what he had done wrong, and simply tried to stay out of their way to begin with. He endured his father's halfhearted attempts at parenting, mostly dictation and commands, chores and errands, anything to keep him from being idle lest he linger in line of sight for too long. His childhood was a blur of hiding away, tucking himself into corners or exploring Niran in his shift to escape the burdens of his human form.

As he grew older, he spent less time at home-- if it could be called that. A sense of independence began to flourish, and along with it came the realization of the injustices of his childhood. Growing bitter, he distanced himself from his family altogether, and to little resistance; if anything, they were glad to be rid of him. It was this revelation, after years of holding out a desperate and idealistic hope that they might come looking for him in the nights that he didn't return, that steeled his heart. They held no love for him. And so he would carry none for them.

III. Found

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Among what he could call friends, Mirza was dragged up to Yanutoma on one of its journeys past Niran. It was his first time seeing the circus, after years of hearing about it and always being rebuffed when he asked his father to take him. He made his own decisions now, and he wanted to see the damn circus. Childish, maybe, but he deserved to indulge; it wasn't like he'd had much of a childhood in the first place.

And among even what he called friends, Mirza felt woefully alone when he saw the Yanutoma circus members. The way they spoke to each other, worked together, played together, whether they were entertaining or simply on break, was like nothing he had ever seen before. What, he would come to learn, a family was truly supposed to be like.

It looked too good to be true. Mirza's heart ached, and he visited the circus every day it was there, sometimes even stealing overnights amongst the bone draperies in his shifted form. He listened to the after-hours conversations, the way everyone was familiar and friendly, and he wondered who he might have been if he'd had even one person like this in his life.

On the day that Yanutoma was to depart, Mirza couldn't bear to board the ship. He felt that his heart might crack if he had to wait who knew how long before being able to experience this again.

IV. Home

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He didn't have to leave.

Someone, someone with such a keen eye, saw the longing in his eyes. And he was invited to stay. Stay?

It hadn't crossed his mind. To leave Niran, perhaps someday, but now? Today? Right this second?

It was the best idea he'd ever heard.

Quick to earn his place, Mirza proved to be a capable acrobatic act. Always ready to lend a hand no matter who was asking, he made himself indispensible, working hard and ensuring no one would think twice about keeping him around. It took time for him to get through his head that things didn't work the same here; years, in fact, for him to realize that they wouldn't kick him out just for being... himself. That was why they wanted him, after all.

Stripes on face, arms, and legs.

Wears various Yanutuman attire, rarely anything in Niran's style.

Toe...beans...

His hair clasps sometimes jingle like a cat's collar <3

i love him