Tifi Deyoke/Argo Carpenter - Missing Shard

Name: Tifi Deyoke (a mangled derivative of Hatian Creole, which literally translates to "girl without a tail").
Given Name: Tifidajan d'Bandemesye (again, Haitian Creole, translates to "silver girl of the banded master")

Age: 13. For the Zandolit, this is considered almost middle aged. Most of them die by the age of 30, with the rare exceptions topping out at 35 years of age.
Birthday: November 18
Astrology Sign: Scorpio (with moon in Virgo)
Blood Type: O
Ship's Position: Carpenter/Engineer

Likes:

Leather: Zandolit leather, to be exact. After the opportunity to leave home, she stumbled upon a market vendor who sold the most exquisite vests, dresses, and slippers in dusky grey. A lover of sarcasm and irony, she bought the collection on the spot, much to the horror of the man selling them. As she has no love for her family and feels no loyalty to her race, she delights in the reaction... and she finds a perverse joy in believing that she might be wearing a dead sibling.
Pajamas: The silky, lacey, enticing, peekaboo kind. The finer the silk and the more transparent the fabric, the more likely that it is part of Tifi's collection. She might be found lounging around in her quarters in such clothing, and doesn't hesitate in answering the door in her bedroom attire.
Outdoor markets: Given her love of clothing, Tifi is a fan of bazaars and similar outdoor markets. She loves the chance to sweet-talk a deal, and her childhood survival tactic of petty theft is always ready for a bit of practice in a crowded street.
New and unusual technologies: Curious about anything with spinning gears and moving parts, she will be incredibly nosy to the point of annoyance. Her first days aboard the Argo were spent in intense observation of the engineering and propulsion components, her fingers itching to take something apart. She isn't shy when it comes to asking questions, and she'll often buy/acquire some new toy for the sole purpose of taking it apart to see how it all works.

Dislikes:

Underwear: It's tight, restrictive, and prevents proper airflow about one's sensitive areas. Since she is rather busty, she uses a long piece of unbleached cotton cloth to wrap about her chest for support. Anything else is generally disregarded as unnecessary.
Being interrupted: Tifi spent the better part of her short childhood being told to shut up and keep quiet. Rather than stay quiet, she would usually only get louder and more obnoxious to prove her points. Now older, she takes being interrupted as the grossest of insults. Those who cut into her sentences or stop her mid-question will be met with the rudest of facial expressions coupled with rather colorful language. As such, she will almost never interrupt a friend or superior; enemies or those on her bad side may never be able to get out more than a few syllables without her cutting in with some caustic remark.
Off-key singers: It hurts! Oh, it hurts... Tifi is of the firm belief that those who cannot sing should not attempt. A song sung a bit sharp or a tad flat will elicit an obnoxious stare. A singer with no talent for staying on key might find themselves threatened with one of the tools from her toolbelt, or an empty bottle, or anything else that might come in handy.
Idling: She simply cannot abide to do nothing. Tifi does not "rest" or "take it easy" unless it is time to eat or sleep. She must always have something to do, something to take apart or repair, or someplace to go. Lack of activity usually prompts wandering and grumbling until she can come up with some way to busy herself.
Slavery: Having been disowned, sold, and traded, Tifi despises the concept that a living being can be another's property. Anyone claiming the opposite will be met with violent debate that might include a fistfight. She has no love for anyone who could embrace such a horrible ideal, no matter how many other endearing qualities that person might possess.

Hobbies:

Drafting: Since her mind never stops coming up with new ideas, Tifi is forever drawing up plans for everything. From a new cupboard in the galley that would better organize ingredients and spices, to calculating the best angle for a gunner's chair, to even the leather outfit she'll commission from her brothers' tanned hides someday, all are contained in a massive leather-bound book that she keeps under her bed. As she is very thorough, one can expect to find notes relating to size, materials, for whom the device/plan is intended, and even time to completion.
Tinkering/Repair/Dismantling: In charge of repairs and maintenance for the Argo, Tifi is constantly fixing things and looking for ways to improve upon different processes. This usually means that she will buy/acquire/trade to get parts in order to create new 'toys' for either herself or other people.
Billiards: She loves playing pool... there's something so delightfully mathematical and precise about it. She particularly enjoys drawing up impossible scenarios and then trying to figure out a way to clear the table with a single shot. At the same time, she likes playing with someone, for both conversation and the randomness it brings to the table.
Basking: She IS reptilian, and needs heat. The only time she might lie still would be in direct sunlight, clad in as little as possible, with a small notebook to keep her ever-working mind in check. She can literally do this for hours, stretched out on the highest perch she can find.

Goals: At this point in her life, Tifi has succeeded in separating herself from 'family' and those who had enslaved her. As far as she's concerned, she's accomplished all that she could have ever hoped for. Everything from this point forward is just icing on the cake. Although... deep down, she would like to actually know that her half-brothers died penniless, their skins cured for a delightful formal ensemble.

Good points: Tifi is detail-oriented and extremely thorough in her tasks. Mechanically inclined, she has a knack for repair and rigging up systems to work until a "real" repair can be made. Dedicated to team and job, Tifi enjoys doing "stuff" for other people and doesn't ask for payback more than just a thank-you once in a while. She is a kinesthetic learner, and she picks up new things extremely quickly.
Flaws: Tifi tends towards snap decisions, having little time to consider more than what is in front of her. She will hold grudges, vengeful to the point that she finds a perverse delight in designing retaliatory schemes. She is a classic workaholic, critical of her own work and that for which she is responsible. She expects nothing less than perfection from herself. She swears like a, well, a sailor and she is prone to shoot off her mouth when provoked. Also, she is cold-blooded, requiring time in the sun or extreme heat to avoid lethargy.

Appearance

Hair: Well, she doesn't have any hair... so bald.
Face: Eyes so dark that pupils melt into the irises, they are rather large and reptilian. A nictating membrane keeps the surface moist and protected during dry spells or while she's working in dirty areas. No eyelashes or eyebrows, but fleshy ridges over her eyes serve the same purpose towards facial expressions. Her nose is flat, a barely noticeable ridge paired with curved slits for nostrils. Her lips are neither full nor thin, and her tongue is little more than six inches long, and indigo... and pierced with a silver bar in the middle. Ears are almost non-existent, hidden behind loose flaps of skin on either side of her face. High cheekbones and a sharply pointed chin complete the reptilian appearance.
Voice: Tifi speaks in an alto tone and rants in soprano. The more enraged the woman, the screechier the tone. Her singing voice is surprisingly smooth and smoky, but few ever hear this. Sure, she's been forced into karaoke night, but she refuses to sing outside of the ship. Her voice could be considered on the nasal side.
Build: Tifi stands at five feet, six inches at a weight of 170 lbs. Powerful arms and muscular thighs provide evidence that she is not one to be considered soft... and the 38E sized chest proves that she's not just muscle, either. She walks with a bit of a swagger, confidence and attitude in each step. Her hands and feet have adhesive pads on the last joint of each digit, providing her with the ability to climb smooth surfaces. On all fours, she is swift and fluid, muscles in her torso rippling as she moves along walls and ceilings. Her skin is a deep indigo such that it is nearly black, scaleless and likened to suede at first touch. Numerous burns and branded symbols run from her neck down her spine and across her shoulder blades. Undulating stripes of palest silver wrap about her eyes, neck, chest, wrists, ankles, and part of a stripe can be seen at the stump of her tail. Tifi lost her tail at the age of 8. Once enviable at a length of five feet, it is now eighteen inches long, cauterized such that it may not regenerate.
Clothing: In her role as carpenter and engineer, Tifi wears an unbleached cotton wrap about her chest, keeping her ample bosom tightly bound and out of the way. Loose-fitting pants in bright colors coupled with a massive toolbelt complete her outfit. She may add an unbleached shirt if she becomes cold, or exchange pants for a long skirt of similar fabric when leaving the ship. And then, her aforementioned pajama fetish... she'll happily indulge herself in silks and satins alone, or she might wear one of her less transparent pieces during more social events onboard.

Personality

Usual Moods:
Tifi plays the part of the bawdy and worldly middle-aged woman to near-perfection. Loud, opinionated, and swimming in sarcasm, she shoots straight from the hip and doesn't mince words... unless it concerns how she herself feels. When it comes to her emotions, Tifi has an inability to adequately verbalize how she feels in a succinct manner. As such, she prefers to keep her emotions to herself, declaring that she's 'fine, nothing's wrong' before changing the subject. Tifi is uncomfortable when it comes to expressing her own more complex emotions, as they tend towards the extreme and she doubts her ability to control them in public. She laughs loudly, sobs dramatically, argues vehemently, and accompanies her conversation with animated hands. The last is highly amusing, as she is prone to gesture with power tools and plumbing wrenches to convey an idea.

Tifi is passionate about everything she does and believes in, and will argue her point until she loses consciousness... figuratively. If unable to win a verbal fight, she will stalk off in a huff to 'go fix something, leave me alone." When it comes to her work and hobbies, Tifi demands ultimate perfection from herself one hundred percent of the time. If the end product or result is not precisely what she envisioned, she will begin from scratch until her specifications and high standards are met. Satisfaction and approval from others is secondary, in most cases. She is a classic workaholic, refusing sleep and food until satisfied with her current project.

Tifi embraces and stands by common sense and practicality. Everything needs a reason, a plan, and an outline, all of which she can readily provide for her own projects and ideas. She is a kinesthetic learner, needing to go through the motions in order to pick up a new task. She is incredibly fussy about minor details, and is very possessive when it comes to her work and ideas. She will readily credit someone for their contributions and be thankful for that person's involvement, but every now and then, she requires some acknowledgement for what she has done. Saying 'thanks' goes a long way with her.

In her younger years, she lived by the 'look out for number one' philosophy as she struggled to survive under the torment of her elder brothers. Having to work alongside her father's slaves in the transport yard, she developed a keen need to help and protect others, a trait that has followed her to the Argo. Older and wiser with more unpleasant memories than most creatures could summon in the same thirteen years, Tifi will answer questions about her past when asked, with as little emotion as possible. Don't ask about the tail, though... she misses it. She'll discuss its disappearance with only the closest of friends, and it makes her rather weepy, which she finds downright embarrassing. It used to be so pretty...

Confident in the rest of her physical appearance, she takes compliments rather well and enjoys wearing clothing that accents her clearly feminine figure. The opposite sex is to be appreciated and flirted with on occasion, but she sees herself as too old for more than the bawdy exchange of words and mental images. Tifi prefers her relationships remain playfully platonic, and nothing more.

Character Interaction:
Having had little interaction with kind people who set themselves as her equals, Tifi is extremely grateful to be among the crew of the Argo. She does her best to keep her volatile temper in check, biting back the more caustic of insults and observations out of respect for the people who kept her from the slave life she'd known. She enjoys doing things for people, making them gadgets to help out in their daily tasks and repairing stuff without being asked. It's not unusual for her to make a sideways comment that she could 'fix that for ya, it's no big deal," even if she has other projects of hers pending.

Tifi makes few deep and lasting connections with people, as events in her life have forced her to keep even the most well-meaning of creatures at a distance. She is wary of new people, relatively polite but always withholding information to keep that personal circle of comfort intact. Once she trusts someone, she is that person's devoted friend for life. Secrets are kept to the grave, life and limb are risked to save them in a dire situation, and birthdays are never forgotten.

Towards the people she knows and loves, Tifi is dedicated and ever concerned about their well-being... in her own brassy way. She lacks finesse in reading emotions, only able to really know and understand what is 'wrong' when it comes to close friends. Rather than badger someone for details, she'll merely pull up a chair and break out her latest project, working in relative silence until she's asked to leave, or some form of conversation begins. Any advice she gives is usually in the form of a personal anecdote, which she attempts to make as lighthearted as possible in order to produce a smile before the story ends. Those looking for a shoulder to cry on might want someone else for sympathy; if it's truth and a comfy bosom upon which to rest a head, look for Tifi. She's not above a bit of coddling, but she doesn't indulge it for too long when the cause seems illogical.

Towards enemies, she is cold and calculated. She can hold a grudge for decades and finds a dark delight in plotting revenge against those who have succeeded in provoking her wrath. She will research an enemy for an inordinate amount of time as she comes up with the appropriate retaliation. Once complete, Tifi can forge ahead without batting an eye... or feeling sympathy.

Alone, she can be seen with her drafting pad in hand, stretched out in a warm patch of sunlight as she jots down ideas for system overhauls and ship modifications. Or, she might be in her room, draped in transparent pajamas as she takes apart a toy to figure out how it works before she reassembles it for a completely different purpose. She prefers people, as she likes a good intellectual conversation (or an intellectually bawdy one... she loves misconstruing the most innocent of sentences and ideas). Given the choice, she'd rather have to work in silence alongside someone than work by herself.

Way of Life:

Tough gal from birth and not about to take crap from anyone not on the Argo, Tifi believes that free rides and free lunch do not exist. Until told otherwise, she looks to prove herself to the captain and crew with her repair skills. Some could call it repayment; in that case, Tifi feels that she could never break even with them for getting her out of that spaceport and giving her freedom. Forever finding ways to improve systems and processes, Tifi seeks logic and practicality in everything but her pajama collection. Now that she answers to someone as a person rather than property, she takes every chance to assert individuality and opinion. Piracy seems like the perfect payback for thirteen years of life where everything was stolen from her; now, it's her turn to steal some of the fun and glory back. If she could just find her brothers and tan their hides for a Zandolit leather dress and matching cape...

History

The daughter of the head of a transport construction yard and one of his concubines, the little girl was given the name Tifidajan d'Bandemesye. The only girl of a brood numbering well over twenty, Tifi bore pale silvery stripes that made her the envy of her male siblings. Her mother relegated to the slave quarters, Tifi spent her first two years in the care of the many female slaves who doted upon her and did their best to keep her from the mean-spirited pranks of her elder half-brothers. Once she turned three years old (possessing the temperament and abilities of a human child between the ages of 8 and 10), Tifi was put to work in the transport yard doing simple assembly for the smaller transport systems. Her status among the slave workers as the daughter of Bandemesye allowed her access to certain areas of the house, including the kitchen and pantries. In the evenings, she would often sneak into the house to pilfer food for the other children in the slave quarters. Caught one day with an armful of fruit and jugs of fresh water, she was hauled before her father by her eldest half-brother. Tifi answered her father's reprimand with the loud and fervent claim that he should feed her friends better and take better care of her mother. Furious, her father ordered her branded as a slave, hot irons leaving marks on the left side of her neck from ear to shoulder to prove that she was the property of the Bandemesye Transport Construction House.

By the age of six (human equivalent of 16 years old), Tifi had taken up repairing transport propulsion systems. A fast learner adept at system modification, she bested many of the older workers in the design and upkeep of the ground transport caravans that her father sold to those engaging in slave trade. Despised by her siblings due to her skill and brassy attitude, she often found herself charged with false crimes on a near-weekly basis. Laziness, forgery, disrespect, and petty theft were the most common, and all were punished by branding symbols along her shoulders and upper back. Rather than hide these supposedly shameful symbols, Tifi would simply wrap her torso in a long white sheet and wear men's trousers to work. Ever defiant, she began to stash tools, clothing, and spare parts beneath the slats of wood underneath her bed. If she ever found a way to leave the Bandemesye yard, she didn't want to leave empty-handed. Her stash discovered when one of the other slaves ratted her out, Tifi endured forty-eight hours of icy water torture at the hands of her brother. After three weeks of pneumonia coupled with another set of brandings along her clavicle, she simply found better places to hide things, her will to survive unbroken so far.

Days before her eighth birthday, one of the foremen cornered her in the unfinished compartment of a transport caravan. Her brothers stationed at the exits, Tifi was unable to do more than run, curse, and attempt to fend off her attacker with a claw hammer left on the floor. The foreman finally overpowered her, beating her into unconsciousness before sexually assaulting her. When Tifi came to consciousness hours later, she found herself before the clan council. With accusations mounting and her criminal record against her, Tifi was swiftly convicted of out of wedlock relations. Minutes later, her father and brothers watched with malevolent glee as the head of the clan council chopped her tail off and cauterized the end, keeping it from ever growing back. Beautiful tail gone and ashamed that she hadn't been able to fend off her attacker, Tifi spent weeks in silent mourning as she went about her daily tasks. Sorrow became want for revenge, and she spent her waking hours in furious activity at the transport yard, her mind buzzing with ideas for the most tortuous of punishments she could enact on each one of her hated siblings.

Bandemesye passed away two years later, and his sons sold the yard for profit. Tifi was sold with the yard, as her skills at repair made her too valuable to kill. Before selling her, they rebranded her as Tifi Deyoke, refusing to give her any blood claim to their father or his work. Less than a year later, the new owner lost her in a game of cards to the foreman of a maintenance yard. Bitter and argumentative but brilliant, Tifi fell into a habit of work and solitude, snarling at everyone but the few yardworkers who saw past the brandings and stubby tail. Sold again to pay a debt, Tifi found herself in the possession of a sleazy drydock owner who found it necessary to further humiliate her with an iron collar and heavy chain. Guarded by dockworkers known as handlers, Tifi soon gave up on the nightly dreams of stowing away on a ship. Impractical, she would remind herself upon waking. Impractical, and they'd just sell you back for profit or reward.

The repair of one ship bearing the name Argo made stowing away unnecessary. A week of mopping up plasma coolant and rerouting the auxiliary machine room exhaust to bypass main propulsion went by rather quickly, as Tifi constantly found herself under the watchful gaze of one of the Argo's crew. A terse reminder that coolant was flammable earned Tifi a lash from her handler and an extinguished cigarette from the observer. Days passed, and the routine would remain the same; no smoking during repairs, crack of a whip, the sharp intake of breath and subsequent growl from Tifi (often accompanied by muttered oaths), and the cigarette butt ground beneath the heel of leather boots. On the eighth day, after an eighteen hour solitary reroute of the main engineering exhaust pipes to completely avoid contamination of weapons spaces, Tifi's handler dragged her before the drydock owner and handed him the chain. With a simpering smile at the already enraged Tifi, he made a great show of handing her leash over to the chain-smoking man who'd watched the repairs. Accepting the leash with a nod, the young man called Kiet led her out of the main office, shutting the door behind them.

Collar and chains removed, Tifi chucked a claw hammer in his general direction to let him know that she wasn't to be trifled with, especially by some offlander. His comment that she had the perfect attitude to be a pirate puzzled her, and she demanded that he tell her what he planned to do. As no one had ever offered her a bath and a decent meal in her life, Tifi found herself caught off guard by this man's kindness. Sheer want to leave won out over suspicion of his motives, so she accepted the offer... bath, food, and the opportunity to be in charge of repair and maintenance for the Argo.

Current Situation

Owned by no one and happily in her element, Tifi spends blissful hours in the dirtiest and most congested of spaces on the ship. Repairs come first, improvements she's devised in her drafting book second, and tinkering is saved for her personal downtime. Rather than learn how to use a real weapon, she has staunchly defended her prowess with her toolbelt and prefers the claw hammer (taken from the rotting wooden door at the drydock) to all other tools of the trade. Free to do as she pleases, Tifi has found a few material pleasures in which she indulges. For the most part, she works on finessing her people skills while she tries to pay back the crew (especially Kiet) for the kindness they've bestowed upon her.

Species

Zandolit, a reptilian species that most closely resembles the common gecko. Zandolit are characterized by powerful arms and legs that end in stubby hands and feet. Hip sockets provide for a wide range of motion to facilitate the vertical (or even upside down) scurry that is accomplished when moving on all fours. Fingers and toes are replete with adhesive pads that allow them to climb nearly any surface. Opposible thumbs are double jointed to allow for better climbing. All are hairless, with skin that comes in varying shades of blues, purples, and greys and is prized by other races as rare leather. Eyes are large and glossy with no visible pupils and a nictating membrane. The tongue is only slightly longer than that of a standard human; however, the membrane attaching it to the bottom of the mouth is set further back, giving the illusion of a longer (and highly acrobatic) tongue. Other features are humanoid, with the exception of a squat muscular tail that is usually as long as the person is tall.

Zandolit are somewhat nocturnal, with their "normal" day beginning past noon. Mornings are spent sleeping in the sun to raise one's body temperature. Cold-blooded, they can slow their body systems down in the most dire of situations (such as a rare long winter). Zandolit society is tribal-based and extremely patriarchal. Emphasis on duty to family and obedience of the tribal code is drummed into children from the time they are born, with severe punishment common for those who disobey their parents or elder male siblings. Branding is the preferred form of punishment, as it provides immediate pain coupled with lifelong shame.

Pirate-Tastic!

Pirate outfit: Remember that Zandolit leather mentioned earlier? It's delightfully piratesque. Tifi sports a tight silver leather bustier that laces up in the back. Purple-grey leather pants that tie off mid-calf hide her stump of a tail and are somewhat loose-fitting. Ankle leather moccasins are optional, and are discarded when she must really run/fight/work. A beautiful grey leather blouse with sleeves that flare at the elbows and provides adequate cleavage viewing is optional, and often worn simply for sexy intimidation. A silver-grey leather piece two feet square ties about her head as a kerchief. Her black toolbelt hangs on her hips at all times, complete with hammers, mallets, screwdrivers, and wrenches. Her beloved claw hammer is on the right side, in ideal "reach and bludgeon" range.

Introduction Phrase: She talks smack, so introductions may vary. Most can be summed up into, "You must be really stupid to piss off a woman who uses power tools." Expect a lot of cursing as well.

Attack:
Name: Venom Grasp
Description: Tifi reaches out and adheres her hand to the target's skin. Willing endorphins to kick in, she allows her body to produce a paralysis toxin that flows through the pads on her fingers.
Effect: The toxin allows for mild paralysis, the effect of a bad muscle cramp. Applied to facial muscles, it can prevent someone's lips from moving or eyes from closing. If ingested, it will cause vomiting for several hours. It takes about thirty minutes for the toxin to wear off completely, with most people able to regain a painful and minimal range of motion after five minutes.
Power Usage and Restrictions: To use this ability, Tifi must be in skin-to-skin contact with the target for five seconds. The toxin is water-soluble (so if someone's skin is wet, it won't absorb) and someone with a high chemical tolerance may not suffer the full effects.

Weapons: Tifi is rather partial to the claw hammer in her toolbox, followed closely by the rubber mallet and the plumber's wrench. She did create a nifty leather strap that she can fit with a garrote wire, but that isn't always handy. Since she keeps her toolbelt on at all times, Tifi is more likely to reach for something that can bludgeon an enemy (or an unwanted advance).