Bethany Black
She/Her
21 years old
Typical
50 kg
Personality
Pretty would be best described as a sort of mimic, pretending to be something else that lets her fit in with her environment, but when this mask has been dropped, even momentarily, she's been described as 'chilling', with a cold, dead look behind her eyes.
For so long, Pretty has adapted to fit in, for her survival and personal gain, but since it's all she's known, she lacks much of an outward personality. She's empathy-impaired and struggles to understand emotion in others if it isn't obviously shown, so she relies more on observing patterns in others' behavior. Because of this, she takes a good interest in the amateur studies of psychology, sociology, and general human interactions. She's learnt to better play the part of human, learning what puts most people at ease, and how to adapt to individual behavior on the go. Others may even describe her at face value as helpful, friendly, sociable...
Just because Pretty has a lack of empathy doesn't mean she can't empathize with others on occasion. She also abhors violence without reason, seeing it as a lapse in humanity, and only using it when it's most needed for her survival.
Appearance
Pretty's known name checks out; A conventionally attractive white woman with sunny-blonde hair and icy-blue eyes, which can soften or sharpen with careful adjustment on her part. She's a bit on the taller side, standing at 5'10. She keeps fairly fit, and tends to wear clothing and makeup that accentuate her slender hourglass body shape and classically feminine features. She does have a few faint scars all around her body, though it's hardly noticeable when she flashes that charismatic smile she's practiced so many times.
Background
(CW: Alcoholism, Alluded Child Abuse, Homelessness)
Although her Government name is designated 'Bethany Black', she's been known far longer as 'Pretty'.
Pretty's memories of her childhood are vague or blocked from her mind, though what she could recall was of a regular midwestern family on the surface; She had a mother, whose face she can no longer recall, and a father, whose face she could see all too clearly. A much older brother as well, whom she only saw once in her life before he left their life abruptly.
She was a small child before the outbreak, with scars both physical and mental from the events before. She remembered an abundance of bottles, the strong smell of them, and her father. Blood on his knuckles, and that on her own skin. Broken bones. It comes to her in flashes, and she often finds no use in trying to recall any of it.
She ran from home several times, staying nights at a nearby park or a neighbor's. She remembers far better acts of kindness from a few homeless folk she met on her escape attempts, those who taught her small tricks to survive, and wished her luck on her time alone.
She was usually found and brought back, either by the police or her mother, who she recalled would beg her to come back with tearful pleas.
She was eleven when the outbreak began, during a final stint of her running away and catching a bus to take her further East from, what she had to guess, was formerly South Dakota, but better known as part of The State of Providence. Having never had a proper home to begin with, she was comfortable as a nomad, collecting what she needed to survive from her scavenging or even other wandering folk, and moving on. It became a routine for her to mold herself to anyone she crossed paths with, muster just enough trust to gain something from them, and then move on when it no longer benefited her.
In the most recent months, Pretty began to move towards the Knox Quarantine Zone to find a better place to settle, mostly out of reach of growing cults and bandit raids. From there, she'll have to decide if it's better to keep roaming, or if there is something of greater use out of Know...
