Curve Ball

# Character Information

### Summary

A small-town girl looking to become a big-town woman with a name to match. Armed with a (minorly) enchanted baseball bat and the ability to aim it properly, she's looking to make some waves in the shadow community as well as the running community. She's also looking to hit a few things out of the park, starting with people's expectations.

### Goals

* Become the bestestest or strongestest baseball player this side of the planet
* ~~Dump her current girlfriend~~ Establish her as a contact and acquire her as one
* Get out of Snohomish and see the world

## Background

Born in Snohomish, raised in Snohomish. Born and christened as Kelly to Clarence Marshal and Martina Antigua-Riviera. Nothing much happened. Lower-income living was a constant truth, but the family made it work. Clarence (Dad) had always been local and liked his sports, Martina (Mom) was from Downtown Seattle, used to the city life. It took a while for her to grow adjusted to the quieter life (so much so that even after 23 years she's *still* trying to acclimate to it all).

Everything before middle school was pretty uneventful. A few days without a lunch to bring to school, some nights wishing for something better in life, many days spent running around with no direction in mind just because it was fun. Her childhood was nothing too special, but it was hers.

During middle school, things really started to pick up; by 7th grade, Kelly's Awakened nature came full circle, granting her the presence and physical capabilities of an Adept. Sports became more fulfilling and more *fun* for her, with baseball taking particularly strong root in her interests, as she finally started playing passably, to the great delight of her dad. She also caught the attention of an ambitious girl in her grade that had never taken any real interest in Kelly up until this point. "Andrea Dole"; oh, the plans she had. Andrea was a girl who enjoyed her fair share of schemes, a happiness that was only amplified by the inclusion of numbers. She took after her uncle in her charlatanic pursuits, but always kept an innocent façade about her. Her and Kelly's involvement with one another would be the beginning of something... odd, to say the least.

Kelly's mom was ex-Catholic, and her father an agnostic from the same creed, so religion had at least always been an idea in the Marshal/Antigua-Riviera household. But with Kelly's Magical advent, she needed to find a more concrete way to focus herself spiritually; a way that she felt she could properly connect with. Thinking back to all the times she'd missed the ball when swinging and all the welts from the tougher training exercises (not to mention the scrapes and cuts from the near-exhausting, mile-long runs and the rougher-playing kids from around the block), she found that the Buddhist path would be the best fit for her. With life always having been what it had been, she could not call her current state 'suffering', yet found that the representations of the concept were not too alien to how she'd lived. Luckily, there were at least a few people who took the path seriously enough and willing enough to show a middle schooler how best to emulate Buddha. One stood out among them: Dukha. Through the eyes of a young girl, it was hard to see the Nartaki as human; his cybernetics showed more than his skin, what little of either he put on modest display. Yet, his soul spoke volumes, and Kelly listened well to what he professed.

The rest of middle school was relatively chill compared to what came next. High school increased the intensity of the studies going on in Kelly's life (now having garnered the nickname "Curve Ball" based on her preferred pitching style). Andrea started helping Kelly out, but only enough to keep her afloat, and even then barely giving any assistance, as she had her own problems and studies to think of. With every studious aspect of her life seemingly crumbling at the edifice, Kelly decided to try and find a way to do what she loved while also making some dosh. Here, once again, Andrea stepped in: gambling! In particular, marketing her skills to best show potential bettors where to put their money when it came time to chance it away. Since Andrea had been learning under her uncle how best to play the part of "bookie" when gambling, she was effectively in control of the payout and distribution of all not-openly-available information on the participants on the field, though she liked subtly giving Curve Ball an edge to entice potential investors.

Through Andrea's betting savviness (her ability to soundly skim money not withstanding) and Kelly's astounding capabilities, they were able to make a reasonable chunk of change, enough even to rent their own place. This accumulated windfall had some pushback, though; Curve Ball stopped focusing as much on her studies, instead opting to pursue a slowly-passing joy of using baseball to make a living. Andrea had quit offering any manner of assistance in the realm of class studies, instead encouraging (strategically enabling) Kelly to prioritize making money. While it had been gradual, Kelly's parents had now reached a tipping point: there had been several nights filled with arguing and mudslinging regarding school performance and partner choice, but the day finally came that her parents could no longer support her, whether financially or emotionally. "Just as well!", began Kelly's last words to her folks. "I don't need you anymore! I can do just fine with what I've got!"

Personal security at an all time low and sources of comfort depleted, a coping mechanism was required. Andrea was there with a lighter and a cheap pack of Arizona BluesTM, and Kelly found herself slowly relaxing in a way she'd all but lost touch with.

A few more months of bet skimming and sketchy living later, and she started to see the errors of her decisions. She'd wasted her last few years of school, and had made a truly terrible series of decisions. Worse than that, she'd almost crippled any further personal growth she could have attained. Reaching out to a couple friends from high school that she hoped knew away out if not a way around, she managed to rekindle a feeble friendship with one Rachel Reyes (going by "Grizzly" for 'runner purposes). Kelly had found a way to start making a name for herself. This time, she wouldn't screw it up. In time, she prayed, she could fix what she'd left shattered.

Through Grizzly's run selection and 'runner coordination, the next few years would offer Kelly a number of smashing jobs (it comes naturally when wielding an implement of blunt destruction). In addition to those, she managed to get more than a couple protection commissions, one being a long-term engagement with an older couple and their bicycle repair shop. Once, she'd even been hired to be part of a job with the main purpose of distracting a particular target long enough for another team to jack the target's car. Luckily enough for everyone involved, the target was big into sports betting and favored baseball above his other vices, so with CB in the mix it was a slam dunk 'run... until she hit a homer and very nearly caved in the skull of one of her 'runner teammates, she found out after the game.

After the protection contract between the older couple and Curve Ball was up, the older couple found some proper security for themselves and their strip mall. However, Curve Ball still wanted to keep on good terms with them, so she wanted to see about acquiring a more efficient form of personal transport, along with some practical skills. One purchase of a good bike, a strong lock and a bike repair kit later, she got some instruction from the couple in maintaining her new ride (properly greasing the chain, which brand of tape to use for punctured tires, etc.). She was thankful for their lessons and visits every now and again for lunch and skill refreshers with Mr. and Mrs. Cremalat.

Now with several runs and some practical skills under her belt, Curve Ball feels ready to go out into the grander world to tackle greater challenges and jobs.

## Narrative Significant Qualities

* ~~**Dimmer Bulb I** *("Wait, so you're telling me Mount Hood isn't the tallest mountain in the world? ... Well, it's the only tall one I really care about anyway, so what's it matter?)*~~
* **School of Hard Knocks** *("The streets are a good teacher... and so are the teachers on the streets... and the teachers on the teach-- y'know, the point really got away from me on this one.")*
* **Emotional Attachment (Club ("Dukha's Lesson"))** *("When I Awakened, coach Tollom was pretty happy. That was until he started seeing how many busted bats I was piling up, along with how much it cost to replace them. The school's funds for the after-school sports dep was pretty small, so we had to find another solution. Luckily, there was a guy who was willing to help. At least, I* think *it's a guy under those robes.")*
* **Dry Addict (Mild) (Cigarettes)** *("Last couple of years of high school were... bland. I needed some spice in my school-adjacent life. I kicked the habit a year or so ago, but... the smell always gets me. Can't afford them most of the time, so I always try to keep myself from wanting them too much. Gets hard some days, though.")*
* **Dependent (Nuisance)** *(Andrea Dole. A wiz programmer and an excellent bookie. Once upon a time both her and Kelly completed each other. Nowadays, the two have begun to drift apart as they each wish to pursue their own interests, finding little overlap beyond their living situation. Kelly doesn't want to feel like she's holding Andrea down anymore, and Andrea wants to give Kelly the space she needs to grow. Which of them will bring it up to the other first? Will the feelings shared be mutual? Can they still remain friends after this? Don't hold your breath, but be sure to clutch those pearls during our next episode of "Will They/Won't They"!)*
* **Common Sense** (*"After getting tossed by a motorbike-turned-mini-mech into a moving monorail, some things just started making more sense."*)

## Run History

~~- Has yet to attend one - Went for one this morning by herself, though - It was pretty nice. The dew was just right on the leaves, the air crisp and clean (as much as you can get in Seattle) - Etc.~~

Loyal Beagle is a Royal Paralegal

I ward you once before

Trick or T~~h~~reat~

Access Denied

Loose Ends, Old Friends

Quite the Bender

Aim to Impress

Kink Shaming

## Affiliations

### Organizations

-Snohomish Junior Baseball League, *ex player and participant*

-"Shelled Stadium" Betting League, *current player and participant*

### Allies

Xolotl (we're friends now :D)

Andrea Dole (I mean, we live together. I think that's an ally, right?)

# In Character Information

I'll be filling this in in a bit. For now, have these bare bones and gaze upon their simple beauty.

## Matrix Search Table

 3
 6+

## Shadow Community Table

 3
 6+
~~"Y'know, it's weird; she's fine with threatening people who she feels deserve a good scare, but she's very against the idea of actually *hurting* anyone. One of these days she'll have a particularly difficult pill to swallow."~~
"She wanted to go into professional baseball, apparently. Seems she was poached for a betting ring, though. The way she talks about it all, she's still holding on to her dreams. Gonked little omae."

## Assensing Table

 2
 3
 4
 5+
Not a technomancer, and no deltaware can be detected or found.

## SINs

```
  **R3** Veronica Cullingsworth, UCAS

```

```
  **R3** Firearms License
  **R3** Adept License
  **R3** Concealed Carry Permit
  **R3** Weapon License

```

```
  **RR(eal)** Kelly Marshal-Antigua, UCAS

```

## Appearance

Sports a head of shoulder-length, straight, dark brown hair. Skin is a sun-touched and freckled. Eyes are brown with a hint of green on the border of the pupils. A nearly faded scar runs up the left cheek, a reminder for safety when it comes to handling jumpy kids with other people's money on their mind.

General physique is clearly athletic when not obscured, but Seattle being Seattle tends to warrant one or two extra layers. Muscled arms, defined back, a fit midsection, and strong running legs.

Depending on how long and well sleep goes, will typically be between 5'10" and 5'11".

### Clothing

Clothes tend to be sports- or comfort-oriented, so lots of baggy grey workout pants and hoodies. For hot days, it's shorts and a shirt, or shorts and a sports tank if it's a truly intensive training regimen. Sports shoes are a go to for almost all days, regardless of fitness-intensive activity; "you can never be too sure when you'll need to run" (someone who's been around the block, circa whenever).

Business casual is about as formal as the wardrobe gets. Jeans (the most unripped pair available at the time) paired with a white button-up that hasn't seen an iron for at least a year. A gag t-shirt "tuxedo" is the absolute last resort for more formal gatherings, but it sees regular use when going *truly* casual.

For serious

### Matrix Persona

An elemental humanoid. From the default settings and the customization allowed through them, a fire elemental has been prioritized as the avatar, with magma and visible rock serving as the base for the form.