La maison de MulanMulan -> La place de Dorothy
La mémoire musculaire est une chose fascinante. Puissance physique maximale pour un minimum d'effort mental. Actions avant réflexion. En effet, ce phénomène comportemental est d'un grand intérêt pour les gens de toutes les professions, des musiciens aux athlètes. Mais pour Hua Mulan, ce n'était pas le cas. Lorsque quelqu'un est réveillé par le bruit de son propre corps tombant du lit à 3 heures du matin, ils ne veulent généralement pas ouvrir les yeux à la vue d'une épée, celle qui était toujours gardée gainée sur la table de chevet, sans chaleur et tenue pointue dans leurs propres mains. Ils ne veulent certainement pas se retrouver dans une position de combat, un qui avait été battu et intégré dans leurs muscles depuis des années d'entraînement dur dans l'armée, et pointant l'épée susmentionnée à leur garde-robe. Ils ne veulent pas avoir à gémir et forcer leurs yeux fatigués à s'ouvrir à cause des tremblements et des bruits continus de vaisselle se faisant jeter de leurs perchoirs. Malheureusement, Hua Mulan s'est réveillé à tous ces événements. Peu importe. Ce n'était pas comme si elle dormait bien ces dernières années.
Elle s'est essuyée les yeux avec sa main sans épée avant d'enfiler son arme. En dehors d'une tasse qu'elle n'a jamais aimée de toute façon, rien dans sa maison n'a été trop ébranlé. Les tremblements l'ont secouée directement au cœur. Elle a mis une main sur sa poitrine, espérant que cette action cacherait son anticipation. Sans aucun doute, un deuxième cataclysme venait. Et ce type, Merlin, n'a presque rien dit de substantiel à ce sujet. Mulan s'est moqué de l'idée de ce hacker sénile.
Décidant qu'elle n'allait pas beaucoup dormir de toute façon, Mulan s'est scoopée un généreux bol de riz froid de la cuisinière de riz (une des choses rares qu'elle aimait en fait dans ce monde. C'est si pratique!) et cueillis de façon ambiguë alors qu'elle regardait n'importe quelle émission de télévision de sous-par qui a été diffusée à 3 heures du matin. Après son petit déjeuner simple est venu ses exercices du matin. 200 pompes, 100 situps, 100 liftings de jambes et 200 squats. Quelques heures plus tôt que d'habitude, mais ce n'était pas une agitation, pas même quand le courant est sorti à mi-chemin. Elle attendait patiemment que les lumières reviennent. Je ne pouvais pas quitter la maison sans une belle douche chaude, après tout.
Puis l'appel est arrivé. Une autre disparition, probablement liée au cataclysme. Mulan s'est précipité, se douche rapidement et s'habille rapidement. Lancelot ferait son chemin pour Dorothy. Si le soldat chinois faisait sa propre enquête quand elle était censée être sur appel, le "Sheriff" pourrait devenir énervé. Mulan a brièvement envisagé de se rendre à la station comme d'habitude avant de rejeter complètement la pensée. Les mundanes seraient bien avec un autre détective tardé. Ils s'occupaient assez bien de Holmes. Lancelot devrait s'en occuper. En plus, c'était important. Elle n'avait pas parlé avec Merlin depuis un moment. Il serait probablement venu sur le site aussi. Mulan a saisi son essentiel; téléphone, matraque, insigne et veste de police; et est sorti de la porte.
MULAN

"The flower that blooms in adversity... is the most rare and beautiful of them all."

T H E H E R O
 •  N A M E 
Hua Mulan (花木蘭)
 •  S T O R Y 
Ballad of Mulan
 •  B I R T H P L A C E 
China, Easternmost
 •  M A G I C 
No.
 •  A G E 
32
 •  R O M A N T I C I N T E R E S T S 
Since the loss of her homeland, including her family, Mulan has been reluctant to start any meaningful romantic relationship. Her mind is too occupied by other things like her job and fixing the Cataclysm. Though she has the occasional fling here and there, any attempt at something more will be politely rebuked, unless there’s someone out there impressive enough to pique her interest and invested enough to coax her out of her shell.
 •  A T T I R E 

Short side-swept hair that varies between shades of black and brown, depending on if she remembers to re-dye it. A generally cute face with a button nose and cheerful double-lidded eyes, which is a poor indicator for her now brusque personality. Could usually be found with a dozy content smile on her face, though that has been rare ever since the Cataclysm. Now that smile is replaced with an unimpressed-looking stare. Somehow looks androgynous when she ties her hair up, which catches the attention of people of all genders.
Mulan is the proud owner of quite the athletic body, forged during her military service and maintained by her morning routine and weekly visits to the gym. She is noticeably toned, a lot more than a usual woman of her age. Callused hands and several scars can be found on her body, the noticeable of the scars being a large, deep cut on the left side of her torso.
Doesn’t put much effort or money into her appearance but still barely passes as “not unfashionable”. Wears clothes that are easy to move around in, usually light-coloured jeans, sneakers, a simple loose t-shirt and light jacket. Doesn’t own much clothing and has one particular army jacket she seems to prefer. Overall, her fashion sense is slightly masculine.


I N A L A N D F A R F A R A W A Y . . .
 •  H E R O ' S N A T U R E  When examining this legendary warrior, it is important to distinguish between the clumsy, tomboyish teenage girl who entered the war, the disciplined yet gentle soldier who emerged, and the guilt-ridden pessimist who currently resides in Mystvale.
Fundamentally, Mulan is a warm hearted person. Before the conscription, she was outgoing, spoke her mind and helped others whenever she could. Of course, Ancient China wasn’t a sort of society that welcomed these traits in a young woman. Her personality generated some friction between her and her elders, which led to a lot of self doubt and a general awkwardness that was apparent whenever she engaged in conversation with anyone.
Her time in the army changed much of this. Over time her confidence grew and constant exposure to her comrades made her more outgoing. Both these elements evolved as she became more capable, physically and emotionally. By the time her service was over she was an accomplished adult who was admired by her peers. Most of her youthful sheepishness was gone, though occasionally it reappears. A notable trait of her personality that emerged during this era is her fierce loyalty, to her fellow soldiers and her country. From this primary trait also came a new respect for honour and tradition.
Now as a detective in Mystvale, most people view her as antisocial and gruff. Many attribute it to her years in the company of soldiers. In reality, it stems from the lack of progress done to fix the Cataclysm, which has worn through her patience long ago. Mulan exudes an air of tiredness and though her kind nature still lies under the surface, her overall demeanour makes it seem like she has a raging hatred for most people.
 •  R E N O W N E D S K I L L S 
Mulan’s skillset is that of any soldier who has served in an army for 12 years. In terms of combat, she is experienced in Chinese swordsmanship, archery, horse-riding, and unarmed combat. She has also gained limited skills in war tactics and leadership. In recent years, some of these skills have gotten slightly rusty. When working as an officer, Mulan utilises her sword skills with a police baton or heavy torch.
 •  F A T A L F L A W 
Like many heroes, Mulan possesses a strong loyalty to those close to her. Rather than it being a self-sacrificial sort of loyalty, Mulan’s is more of a single-track-mindedness. When faced with a goal she absolutely must achieve, Mulan will do whatever it takes to achieve it and help those close to her. This could lead to the alienation of people trying to help her or even overriding the wishes of those who she is trying to help. Though she has never been pushed so far, her strong sense of honour may also be tested by this flaw.
 •  O N C E U P O N A T I M E 
Mulan was born the eldest to a loving family. Though she served her duties as a daughter faithfully, the others in the village regarded her with distaste. She was at the prime age for marriage, yet Mulan could not devote herself to that particular duty.
With the threat of invasion coming from all around the borders of China, conscription was a common occurrence. The draft poster made it clear. One able-bodied man from every household was the requirement. Her little brother wasn’t anywhere near old enough to be considered a man. Her father, having spent his glory days on the battlefield, was far from able-bodied. Failure to produce a soldier would result in punishment. It took some convincing, but after many lengthy and heated discussions, Mulan was able to convince her parents to let her go. The townsfolk wouldn’t miss her if she left. And she would do anything for her family. She was gifted with enough money to buy a horse and some supplies. And with that, she set off.
Army life was tough at first. She was physically weaker than all the other soldiers. Constant marching and camping and training made her question her life choices almost every night. Muscle pains would be met with more pains the next day. And then there were the wars themselves. Bloodshed, lots of it caused by her own blade. It might have bothered others, the act of taking countless lives. Scratch that, it definitely bothered others. As she lay at night, woken by the screams and sobs of her comrades, Mulan would ask herself if she should be feeling the same. She quickly decided against it. She was doing all this for her family after all. She needed to be strong, stronger than the rest. It got easier as time went on. She learnt well, made friends as well as highly-ranked connections. Mulan entered the fast-track of military life in due time.
The Cataclysm struck five years into her service. By then she had climbed the ranks comfortably, and was sitting on the title of Captain. The army dwindled considerably as men needed to return to their farms and combat the famines. Neighbouring countries grew more desperate as the seas blackened and crops started dying, leading them to try and seize more Chinese territory. Mulan fought hard during these years, gaining her a reputation as a national hero. But the problems only grew worse over time. During the tenth year of her time in the army, the soldier was offered a promotion from the Emperor himself. Instead Mulan humbly requested a horse to ride back on, so that she could help her family during these troubled times.
After reuniting with her loved ones, Mulan did her best to maintain her family’s livelihood. But she was beginning to lose hope. A few months passed and she was suddenly approached by a strange man named Merlin. He offered her a chance to go on another journey, one to find a solution to the Cataclysm in another world. Mulan put on her former armour, packed her things and bid her family farewell, hoping to find a chance to save them in this strange land.
 •  A N E W C H A P T E R 
She didn’t let the marvels of this new world get to her head. She knew what she was looking for, and who would be able to find it for her. Out of all the new inhabitants of Mystvale, Mulan was probably one of Merlin’s frequent visitors and the one who pestered him the most about his progress with the Cataclysm. In the mean time, she took a job with the local police force. As the years went on, she grew most dejected and impatient. She hasn’t lost all her hope yet. She continues to wait as she begrudgingly picks up Holmes’ slack at the station. With rumours of a Second Cataclysm, Mulan is both on edge and excited. Maybe this one will give her the answers she needs. If she manages to live through it.