IMPEDIO SOCIETY . MILNER, ELISE

FEMALE

BISEXUAL

TWENTY-FIVE. MAYBE.

UNKNOWN

KOREAN AT BIRTH,
ADOPTED INTO U.S.
CITIZENSHIP

ENGLISH, KOREAN, PORTUGUESE, (some) SPANISH

ELLIE, ELLE

0.50
+0.25 (Activation)

Impedio Society

n/a

Carnwennan

12/05/13 - Jess

KNIGHT

JULIETTE DUBOIS
KRISTEN MAYOR
GABRIELLE ALBERTS

NO

AIDA RIKO - KUROKO NO BASUKE

Her family is upper-middle class, with her father working as a doctor and her mother an artifact researcher. Having followed in her mother's footsteps, Elle was sent around the world once her training was completed, and has only recently returned home to LA once again. It would be impossible for Elle to hold down an actual job- not with her constant comings and goings with no offer of an explanation. Instead, she is supported by both the Society and her parents, with enough income to rent a cozy flat in a nice part of the city all to herself (and her dog, Sharkbait). When she's home she usually kills time reading, working out, drawing, or simply catching up on whatever sleep she's definitely lost within the last 48 hours.

artifact hunter - patrician; She's her mother's child through and through, though they're not related by blood. In Elle's eyes, there was no other job for her, though it nearly gave her dad a heart attack when she told him. Her cool head and inability to give up have helped her numerous times in the field, and working in teams has never been an issue for her. It's for these reasons that she has been sent from place to place all around the world, starting from when she was just fresh out of training. She's worked in Europe for a couple of years, though for the most part she spent her time away from home in Brazil. The recent increase in Fate activity in her hometown has resulted in her transfer back to sunny California, though with this move Elle is faced with issues she would rather stay buried six feet under.

Elle doesn't exactly stand out- not that she would want to anyway, but facts are facts. She is often mistaken for some distant friend you met years and years ago in college, or another long forgotten acquaintance who's name is just on the tip of your tongue. These meetings often end with her politely replying that, no, we really haven't ever met before, sorry about that, good bye. It's not like she minds though; she's lived with her features all her life, after all. Slanted brown eyes, short lashes, and a round face complete the picture, though truth be truth, if she actually put in the effort and tried to look nicer she could probably pass as pretty, at the very least. But the keyword here is effort, and Elle just can't be bothered to even try putting any make-up on beyond some chapstick.

Speaking of effort, her brown hair could probably be just as nice as her sister's if she bothered to grow it out, but Elle is one for practicality above all else. Keeping her hair short and out of the way is simply the best way to wear it, given her line of work. It's always kept in a short cut just a little past her earlobes; whenever it grows long enough to start tickling her neck, she knows it's time for a trip to the salon for a trim. Her bangs rarely give her trouble, but if she's feeling irritated she'll jab hair pins in to keep them out of her face. That's usually a sign to leave her alone- approaching her when she's got her hair pinned back is your best bet to be on the receiving end of an outburst.

She often looks tired, but that's hardly a surprise. Dark circles under her eyes are about as common for her as zits on a teenager. She has an interesting habit of painting each of her toe nails a different color if she doesn't get enough sleep- in fact, it's not uncommon for her to fall asleep with the brush in her hands, and to wake up to a mess all over her foot and floor. There are a few scars that litter her hands, picked up from her stint in Brazil, but they're hardly anything to brag about. When asked by anyone outside the Society, she'll simply say she cut them trying to pick up glass, and let others believe she simply made a careless mistake.

What makes her stand out from most is her height; Elle stands at five foot eleven, with an athletic, lithe body frame and toned muscles from years of physical exercise and field work. Her best feature is easily her legs, which she does manage to take some pride in as she's often seen wearing shorts that accentuate their length. Simple is the best way to describe her fashion sense, as she tends to gravitate towards a monochrome wardrobe. She especially loves collared shirts, and often wears them coupled with some sneakers, or a pair of wedge sandals if she feels like it- but her heels never go above two inches, of course. You never know when you're going to have to run, though if it comes to that she'd rather ditch the shoes altogether than be hindered by them at all.

the surface

pleasant; First impressions would lead many to describe Elle as just that: pleasant. At worst, she can come off as cool and distant, but she strives to avoid that as much as possible. After all, she has to maintain appearances, so she'll laugh at your bad jokes and smile when you look at her. She can feign interest in just about anything, even if it bores her to tears. If it comes off as artificial, it's just your imagination; she's been playing this game for years, after all. You could say she's a pro at it by now.

quiet; She can come off as quiet at times, especially around strangers, but that's only because she's sizing you up. She will not deign to share her thoughts and opinions with you until she's decided it's worth the trouble. While she might not be the most vocal in any given group, she will still offer her input when necessary. Around those that she is familiar with, however, she is more likely to drop her guard and open up- she can count the number of people she will drop her guard around on only one hand, though.

curious; While she can feign interest in just about anything, the truth is Elle is genuinely interested in just about everything. She tends to investigate and research whatever's caught her eye so extensively it can be borderline obsessive, but she's just as quick to drop it again once she's bored. She has a cat's curiosity, and while she is, for all intents and purposes, logical and sensible, sometimes she just can't help herself. She would be the girl the audience yells at in a horror movie, who ventures away from safety in favor of seeing just what made that loud, strange noise upstairs.

rational; Elle is as level-headed as they come. Where most would panic, she keeps her wits about her and can asses the situation in seconds. She can set her emotions aside in the face of an emergency, and find the course of action that would yield the best possible results. This extends to dealing with others as well; in a dispute she will try to avoid conflict as much as possible, instead using diplomacy and tact to reach a middle ground. (There are times, however, when you've just got to punch someone in the face to get your point across.)

determined; Once she puts her mind to something, there's very little that can sway her. This contributed greatly to her training as a child; she kept at her studies until she mastered them, simply because she absolutely refused to give up. Just because things get tough doesn't mean she's going to quit. Even just suggesting that maybe she should stop will oftentimes be met with a hostile reply- one of the rare occurrences where she will drop her polite facade.

the core

mischievous; Despite all outward appearances of being cool, calm, and collected, Elle is a bit of a prankster. Okay, not a bit- a lot. She loves nothing more than getting away with a good joke. No one would guess it had been her, either; who would ever suspect quiet, polite Elle of doing something like changing all the computers' wallpapers to a picture of two horses humping? No one with a brain, that's for sure. But sometimes, it's the small things that give her that satisfaction- sometimes it's just sending someone in the wrong direction to the bathroom when it's obvious that they really, really need to go.

sensitive; Her exterior belies a much softer side. She doesn't necessarily wear her heart on her sleeve, but she is far more emotional than what she shows- she just doesn't know how to express it. This can lead to sudden outbursts that will seem out of the blue to anyone who doesn't know better. In recent years she has taken to throwing herself into work, preferring to drown herself in self-imposed stress than deal with whatever she might be thinking or feeling. And if there's no work to be done, she'll find something else productive to do instead; it doesn't matter what, as long as she's busy.

proud; Asking for help is admitting defeat in her eyes. The few times where her rationality wavers is when her abilities are called into question; doubting her is a surefire way of insulting her. It's in this way that she can often be gouded into doing things she ordinarily wouldn't; all you would have to do is make some comment about how you don't think she could do something, and she will do everything in her power to prove you wrong a hundred times over.

self-centered; Because she can be so detached from her emotions at times, Elle doesn't always realize how her actions might effect those who care about her. This is especially true in regards to her sister; where in Elle's eyes she was trying to protect her, to Ani she was only shutting her out. At least she recognizes this about herself, though, and is trying to make some kind of effort to repair the damage she has done. She just for the life of her doesn't know how.

overcritical; She can be exceedingly judgemental of others, to the point where it might seem impossible to impress her. She has lofty standards that few can measure up to, but this is only because she knows there is always room for improvement. If anything, the one she's hardest on is herself. She holds herself to those same standards and finds herself lacking all the time; it just means she has to work harder, until she can finally achieve that unattainable perfection.

In every sense of the phrase, she is her own worst enemy.

She doesn't remember much about their mother,
but she knows she would have kept them if she could.

So-Ra Kim was born in the early hours of the morning in Seoul, Korea, about twenty-five years ago. The first daughter of a rich businessman and a prostitute, So-Ra had been an accident. Her mother hadn't wanted to abort, however, so she went through with the pregnancy without telling the father until after the baby was born. Not wanting to take chances of Su-Min revealing the details of their affair to anyone else (least of all his wife), the father agreed to secretly support the two of them, sending them money each month so Su-Min could take care of So-Ra. And for the next few years, life was good for mother and daughter... until Su-Min discovered she was pregnant again.

She hadn't had to take as many customers since So-Ra's father had started sending them money, so she knew who the father had to be. She just didn't know how to tell him. He had been accepting of So-Ra though, and he was wealthy besides; surely, he could afford to support another child? So once again, Su-Min gave birth to another daughter: Yoon-Na Kim, a little sister for So-Ra. This time, however, when she told their father the news, things didn't go according to plan. Rather than sending them more money, he cut off all ties with mother and daughters completely, swearing that if they contacted him again he'd make their lives hell. And so just like that, Su-Min lost her financial support; being poor and uneducated, she couldn't hire a lawyer, and even if she could there wasn't much she could do. And now with two children to raise, she didn't have the means to take care of herself and her daughters. It was with a heavy heart that Su-Min decided to put up both girls for adoption- at least they would have a better life than whatever she could provide for them.

So-Ra was just a toddler when she met the Milners. Vincent and Alexia had decided to adopt alongside their friends, Damien and Michelle Bailey. The Baileys and the Milners were old friends; they had met through the Society, with Vincent working as a doctor and Alexia a recently retired artifact hunter turned researcher. Alexia was unable to have a child of her own, so adoption was their next option. That was how they found So-Ra; the Baileys mentioned they had found a pair of sisters in South Korea, and after one trip across the Pacific the Milners fell in love instantly. And so the Baileys adopted Yoon-Na, and the Milners So-Ra, so at least the sisters wouldn't be separated from each other.

At first, Elise So-Ra Milner gave her parents problems. She was too young to understand what had happened to her mother- her real mother, not this new woman. She eventually accepted that Alexia was her mother now, and that Vincent was her father, but it took a while for the little girl to come to terms with her situation. At least she soaked up everything she had to learn like a sponge; her parents were delighted by how smart their child was, as she easily picked up English while still retaining her Korean. Alexia eventually began teaching So-Ra Portuguese as well. In exchange, So-Ra taught her mother bits and pieces of Korean, and so the two finally began to bond.

Childhood was a bit of a trial for her regardless, though. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that she was adopted, with her father being white and her mother being Brazilian, which made her different from her classmates. Elle had a hard time ignoring the comments and stares in the beginning; she punched a boy in first grade for some remark he made about her, giving him a bloody nose. Her parents had had to sit her down and explain that, no, she could not punch every rude person in the nose just because she felt like it. Plus, her technique was all wrong if she wanted to do any real damage. So in exchange for not getting into anymore fights with her classmates, Elle was enrolled in Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes. Between that and spending time with her little sister, keeping up with her languages, and play dates with friends, Elle became a much happier child as she went through elementary school and approached middle.

Unlike the Baileys, the Milners told their daughter about the Society at an early age. She was about ten-years-old when her parents first explained to her just what mommy did at her job, and why she did it. She listened to everything she was told, drinking it all in a little apprehensively. There was no way her parents would lie to her, though, so she accepted it as truth that there was another history that wasn't taught in school. It was made clear to her that she didn't have to get involved if she didn't want to, but Elle had already made up her mind. That year, she was pulled out of public school to begin her home schooling- she was going to be an artifact hunter, just like her mother had been.

That was also the year she began to distance herself from Anabel. The visits became less frequent, and slowly Elle drew away from her little sister. Her parents had told her that the Baileys were in the Society as well, which meant that eventually, Ani was probably going to join as well. Alexia had made it no secret of just how dangerous working for the Society could be, even as a researcher, which only heightened Elle's fears for Ani. She was scared to death of her sister getting involved; she didn't want Ani to join at all. In her mind, staying away from Ani would somehow keep her safe. The less contact she had with people in the Society, the better. It was for the best that Ani didn't know what Elle was doing- if she knew, she might want to follow her, and that was completely unacceptable. She absolutely could not lose Ani no matter what.

Of course, all her fears finally came true when Ani was told the truth about the Society. Elle was sixteen when her mother mentioned it to her, saying that Ani wanted to be a hunter too. Her blood had turned cold and her knuckles white, but she could only nod and remark, distantly, "That's nice." She had wanted to storm into the Baileys' house and demand just what in the world they were thinking, letting her little sister get involved in such a dangerous occupation. But she held her tongue and hoped and prayed to anyone who was listening to please, please change her sister's mind- because the thought of losing her was almost too much to bear.

As it would happen, Ani eventually did give up on pursuing a hunter career, much to her sister's relief. Around the same time, Elise was nineteen and no longer in training; she was getting assigned her own jobs now, and was transferred across the world to the European branch. She worked with the UK main headquarters for about a year, then Sweden for another, and then found herself in her mother's home country of Brazil for still longer. Her knowledge in Portuguese proved extremely useful, and it was there that she received the majority of her field experience. Elle enjoyed the work- in fact, she loved it. She liked the excitement and intrigue and accomplishment that came with a job well done. But there was always the lingering feeling that she had left too many things unsaid between her and Ani. The radio silence between the two stretched as far as the miles that separated them from each other. Numerous times when she was on the phone with her mom, she would ask about how her sister was doing- only to be told to call her herself, if she wanted to know so badly. But she didn't even know if Ani wanted her to call- if Ani ever wanted to talk to her again, after the way Elle had treated her...

In the end, the decision was made for her. Due to the sudden increase in Fate activity in Los Angeles, Elle got sent back home again for the first time in almost six years. With her mother relocated to Cairo to work on artifact research and her father going along with her, Elle found herself arriving in LA feeling a lot like the little girl fresh off the plane from Korea once again. She had the means to provide for herself thanks to her parents and the Society, yes, but what did that matter if she didn't have anyone to greet her at the baggage claim? So Elle took a deep breath, steeled herself, and walked out of the terminal with her chin held high and her back ramrod straight.

Because there was no way in hell she was going to lose to her emotions.

Not now.

carnwennan; Her artifact has been passed down through her mother's side of the family for generations. It is a five inch long dagger, with an elegant white hilt that fits easily into the palm of Elle's hand. It has a razor sharp edge on one side, a dull edge on the other. This particular artifact increases the user's speed when in use, but what truly makes it unique is it's power to make the user invisible for a short amount of time. Once activated, this power will only last for up to a minute, so the user has to move quickly and quietly if they want to use that limited amount of time wisely. The shield is not truly invisible however; if someone is paying close attention, they will notice a faint shimmer where the user is standing. Once an outside force has made contact with the user while invisible (ie, bumping into Elle when she turns a corner), the power will immediately shut off, leaving the user vulnerable. After it's power has been activated, whether it's been interrupted or not, the dagger will not make the user invisible again for at least thirty minutes.