Pearl Sterling

Pearl Sterling was a member of team SRSE and is now protecting The Sterling Family Circus as a full fledged Huntress when it goes through the Outerlands. Also takes on apprentices with her fellow Sterling Family Hunters among the next generation.

## Backstory

Pearl's whole life was the circus. The Sterling Family Circus was her dwelling place, the fifth generation of the family-only entertainment group. As a child, she had her siblings and cousins to play and hang out with, from causing mischief in the camp to exploring whatever town happened to be nearby to learning the mundane subjects like math and reading from one of the elders to games of fantasy and dreaming, imagining fun adventures or just daydreaming about what they would like to be in the circus.

Pearl fell in love with the acrobatic feats, the aerobatics and the stunts performed on the back of the old percheron as it trotted 'round the ring. So when she became old enough to start training, Pearl picked the acrobats as her first choice of apprenticeship. The Circus council and her parents then conferred and examined whether that path would suit her with a ending ruling in her favor.

And her future seemed beautifully certain. Pearl was on her way to the position she had always dreamed of being in and was making excellent progress, when fate changed her course. The circus council wanted to expand their influence and profits by traveling to the peoples outside the kingdoms' borders, surely helping to spread joy in a certainly grim-ful area (and maybe revealing exotic trade goods or something that would be of value back in the kingdoms while finding something the outsiders would see as valuable). But that would require Hunters, which they were not equipped to train and would not probably not ally solely with any small company. They pondered this question further, then decided, as they were by Vale at this time, that they would send a select number of their kids to Signal Academy, the most prestigious combat school there, so they would at least know the rudimentary combat arts and be able to teach future generations. Pearl was one of those selected and, though she would miss the circus life and balancing on Rio, the percheron, she understood that having family members as a least partial Hunters would be for the best and the honor of having been an initial choice for her courage and her calm-headedness. So she accepted.

And found city life definitely not to her taste. She had fond memories of the various shops from her vists with her siblings and cousins (not all at once), but the rest just left a bad taste in her mouth. She found some of the boys' behavior at the school annoying, especially their obvious "so not obvious" flirts and immeadiately started rubbing the wrong way with some of her teachers. But then she noticed how the fully air-headed girls seemed to have an easier time with it, so she started acting like them, letting the flirts go right over her head and being sure to put her comments to the teachers in "nicer" ways. The boy problem disapated, though the teacher problem remained her entire time, though milded down, especailly for her urumi instructor. The blond had chosen the weapon for its outlandishness, something that could be a great show at the circus but also would be useful for defeating Grimm. The urumi instructor therefore got her best behavior since she was the only reason he was there and he might just leave before fully teaching her everything if she wasn't careful. Her semblance's unveiling caused her great surprise, but she found ways to incorporate it into her combat style and was able to learn how to effectively use a dirk from her knife-throwing uncle so she wouldn't just be using it for cutting purposes.

She made her own weapons junior year then and continued to study and learn. At the end of senior year, she surpriesed everybody by being invited to Beacon. She wasn't sure at first, but they all encouraged her to do it. Before she went, her mom gave her a silver necklace with a pearl pendant as a congratualtions. And so, clutching that pendant, she set off in the air car to Beacon, not imagining the adventures that would be her's as part of Team SRSE.

Or how things could change after.

(WIP)

## Personality

Snarky and independent, Pearl thumbs her nose at any authority she doesn't like or thoroughly respect. She'll even go out of her way to be if the leader is too full of himself. The exceptions are her parents, the other family leaders, and Professor Ozpin, who she has a high respect for from what little she's seen and heard about him. She has some girly-girl aspects such as loving shopping for clothes and asscessories, liking her nails and hair done, and loving horses. But she's no fainting violet, there's a fairly tomboyish side that loves the outdoors, doesn't care about getting dirty or cracking a nail, and is quite comfortable with violence when it is needed. She can make herself seem ditzy to strangers, but digging under reveals an inherently pragmatic mind with the imagination to make even the outlandish useful.

Though now as she enters later years, there's a subtle almost mournfulness about her air, a certain sense of regret. Some of it is just the natural sense from seeing how life has so quickly passed by and how many things should have been done better. But another part was occupied by one major "what if", what if an unrequited love had been returned by a certain cocky team leader with a twinkle in his eye.

## Appearance

Aura/Effects: White with Silver Lining/ Pearls fall after her than disapear

Eyes: Light Blue

Skin color: White, almost Alabastar

Face: Skinny oval with an angular chin

Hair: Platinium Blonde, pulled back into a symetrical high ponytail that reaches to the small of her back, lets it down in emergencies, also wears a silver headband studded with pearls

Physique: Skinny, Ballet-Dancer like

Usual Outfit: A white knee length kameez with a flowy skirt, bottom border lined with silver, black nylons on underneath, and white boots embroidered in silver. Silver belt/sash goes from the top of her right side to top of left hip, where her sheath is. Her symbol is embroidered in gold in the right shoulder area.

Notes: Will make more concise later

## Skills and Weapons

### Weapon

Name: Aella (Ancient Greek for Whirlwind)

Wielder: Pearl

Type: UWDA (Urumi With Dust Applications)

Short Description: A Urumi (Whip-like Sword) that through its blades channels Dust inserted through the handle.

Form 1: Urumi (Whip-like Sword)

Holstered/Sheathed Appearance: Handle sheathed at her left side while the rest wraps around her waist

Features/Capabilities:  Inserts Dust into a device in the handle to apply an elemental effect on the various blades (ex. lighting dust will add crackling lighting on whatever she strikes)

Usage: She uses it to fight like a whirlwind. With flicks and twirls, leaps and parkour, she strikes fast, often, anddeadly but then is gone from there and appears somewhere else and attacks again. The Dust just adds more of a sting.

Notes: Also carries around a specially designed dirk for emergency haircuts, specially designed to cut her earth-dusted hair, though it can also be used as a emergency weapon

### Semblance

Name:Growth

User: Pearl

Short Description: Grows and manipulates kertain, hair and nails.

Visual effect: Kertain glows the same color as her aura.

Type: Conversion

Purpose:Utility

Short description: User can manipulate keratin (fingernails and hair) on their body

Visual effect: The keratin glows the same colour as the user's aura

Range: Personal

Other limitations: Cannot grow or harden keratin no longer connected to the user's body, only manipulate it (as in how it moves), Can only manipulate keratin that contains the users dna. Overuse drains nutrients from the user's body to grow the keratin, resulting in malnutrition if used too much.

Passive ability(s): Hair and nails are more resistant to damage and breaking and grow quicker naturally.

Active ability(s): Can manipulate the keratin on their body, growing it and thickening it (and in the case of fingernails, sharpening them). Can control how it moves. Can control which part of them grows at any particular time. When hardened completely, makes a protective shell around the user that allows for rough movements

Dust interaction (Fire and Ice): Infuses the element with the keratin, usually used for claws. Fire consumes the keratin after a short period of time.

Dust interaction (Lightning): Creates a static field around the user, shocking anyone who touches them.

Dust interaction (Earth): Keratin hardens, becoming a natural armour shell tougher than the normal shell, but sacrifices movements to do so.

Notes: Permission given by SpiritedDreamer for this semblance

### Statistics

@) Physical Statistics

* Strength: 3
* Speed: 4
* Agility: 5
* Stamina: 4

&) Aural Statistics

* Aura Reserve: 4
* Aura Manipulation: 4
* Semblance Manipulation: 5
* Dust Manipulation:1

$) Technical Statistics

* Dust use: 3
* Weapon Skill (Primary): 5
* Weapon Skill (Unarmed): 1
* Weapon Skill (Close Combat): 3
* Weapon Skill (Mid Range Combat): 4
* Weapon Skill (Ranged Combat): 2

## Trivia

* Pearl: A white gemstone
* Sterling: Sterling Silver