Maxine Halls
She/Her
30 years old
Peaceful
95 kg
Personality
Maxine holds a "confidence is key" motto, something that has stuck with her for most of her life, thanks to her late father. Her biggest flaw? Extreme cowardice towards anything and everything. For this woman, it's a constant tug of war between "Do this", and "Don't do that", a cycling thought process that often muddies her decision making. However, all of that is often hidden behind a smile and a friendly face.
She holds a preference to talking her way out of a situation instead of physical violence, but sometimes? There's no other choice. Even if she finds herself in unavoidable conflict, Maxine will do all she can to minimize damage - including running away altogether.
Though often with a nomadic mindset, Maxine holds each interaction dearly, with every person met out on the road. Some may find her behaviour "odd" - eccentric, even, but it's all meant well. Just don't catch her alone, because all of that bubbly personality disappears - meant only for other people she meets. A tired woman is all that's left. It's just her resting face, the smiles aren't for her, they're for everyone else.
Appearance
Maxine stands at 5’4” with a lean, wiry build. her movements carry a restless energy of someone always in motion. Her face tells more than she’d like, wearing a friendly smile as armor, but her eyes often betray true feelings, sharp and restless, hinting at unease beneath the surface. Copper hair frames her presence, tumbling freely down her back in vivid strands. When practicality demands, she ties it back into a no-nonsense knot or loose tail, keeping it from the wind and world alike. Whether flowing or restrained, her hair can mirror her state of mind.
Background
Born in the year of 1982 during the autumn season, Maxine was born into an American lower-class family, specifically in the state of California. Her mother passed after a long battle with cancer, something that the young girl barely remembers. Even so, throughout the rest of Maxine's years, she longed for a proper mother figure during her early stages of life. The father did all he could, but how could a single, grieving father provide on his own, in an already struggling household? Poor Maxine immediately put herself to work once she reached the minimum age, trying (but still ultimately struggling) to help provide for both herself and her father. Her dreams of becoming a librarian, with her own cushy workspace? Gone ever since. She couldn't think far into the future anyways, with how much they struggled financially. Business, perhaps? Or, maybe, the rising demand for computer specialists? Such thoughts were soon cut short with the rise of the daisies.
In 1998, confusion at first, but confusion did not pay the bills. Maxine continues with her part-time jobs, alongside finishing highschool - her grades were okay. A focus on business to prepare for the college courses. By Spring of 1999, everyone's lives, including Maxine's, turned upside down. The daisies were a concerning problem, altering people's bodies from the inside, including their minds.
Not long after, Maxine and her father were forced to move around the state, just barely managing with survival. Her father did most of the work, the poor girl wouldn't have managed otherwise. It was all too much. One quarantine zone after another, day after day of worrying for the next meal, assuming there would be a meal in the first place.
Then, the QZs fell apart. And it wasn't long before the chaos reached Maxine's zone. Her father didn't make it through the stampeding of boots also trying to escape from the direction of danger. She was the only member of the Halls family left. Eventually, the young woman was forced to leave, drifting off and bouncing between the numerous settlements that scattered the west coast. There was work to be found in the organization of items, counting cans and scrapping devices for what little parts they had left. She didn't stay in one place for long. Before long, she even found herself in the hobby of collecting various little gemstones and crystals, the sweet little things used for spiritual practices like meditation and energy healing. Given enough supplies, she could also turn them into jewelry.. For the ones that still believe in such healing "powers".
Suddenly, there was word of a caravan headed for Knox County. Maxine offered what little items she had left in hopes for a ride there.
