YOU DANGLE ON A LEASH OF YOUR OWN LONGING, your need grows teeth ( ... ) now you would like to heal that chasm in your side. an original character set in gachiakuta.
the northern ward sits where the refuse winds drift slow and heavy, a settlement raised from the things the world has thrown away. many of its residents arrived the same way her family did: quietly, without ceremony, carrying little more than the clothes on their backs and whatever beliefs they couldn't quite abandon. they were refugees from a cult that once flourished in the lower wards, a congregation that revered trash as something sacred, something worthy of worship. some fled in fear. some fled in shame. some simply ran because they realized devotion had slowly turned into chains. from that settlement, a young woman with a sharp mind and a desire to heal becomes a doctor. ( not the kind trained in grand institutions or blessed with polished tools, but a traveling physician. ) she moves between settlements, answering requests when they came and offering help where she found it needed. it was on one of those journeys that she found a covered transport overturned along a dirt road half swallowed by rusted debris. it's main occupants were long beyond first aid, but their young son lives between their bodies, and she takes him with her to deliver safely to the next town. he stayed with her for the remainder of that journey, then the next. eventually she brought him back to the north ward where the community helped watch him during the months she traveled. ( he became her son before either of them realized it. ) when she left on her trips, they formed a small ritual between them. the boy kept the nut, and she carried the bolt, the very hardware the child had taken off the beast that killed his parents. life settled into something close to peace.
then the sickness came. it spread through the north ward quietly at first. fatigue. dizziness. blood that would not clot. ( by the time word reached her and she returned, the illness had already woven itself through the town like a tightening net. ) her son was among the worst afflicted. his skin had gone pale as paper, his pulse weak beneath her fingers. signs of internal bleeding, but no visible wound. she searched desperately for the source, mind racing through every treatment she knew. and then the object in his hand changed. the nut awakened. when she lifted it to her eye and looked through its hollow center, the world shifted. bone and flesh revealed themselves beneath the skin like a ghostly image ... organs, fractures, hidden injuries all laid bare. an impossible window into the body itself. her vital instrument. ( but even miracles have limits. ) the bleeding had already spread too far through him, deep where she could not reach. knowing the cause did nothing to stop the damage already done. he died before sunrise.
after the burial, the north ward felt smaller than it ever had before. every street held memories. every single doorway reminded her of what was no longer there. so she left. ( this time without the promise of returning. ) she continued traveling as she always had, moving from city to city, treating wounds, easing pain where she could. the bolt remained with her, its metal worn smooth from years in her pocket.
name. rivet. derived from old french ⸻ meaning a small nail or bolt, to fix or secure. it signifies someone who fastens or secures, implying reliability.
( pronounced ... riv-ey. )
appellation. the doctor. she has no real, formal titles, and rarely introduces herself by name. many simply know her as the doctor from the north ward.
species. giver. a human who can manifest energy to transform cherished, inanimate objects into powerful weapons.
( called ... vital instruments, or jinki. )
date of birth. october second. rivet is thirty one, though her storyline may follow her anywhere from age twenty four to age forty.
role. a traveling doctor. rivet travels from compound to compoud, sharing her medical skills with the vast population on the ground.
vital instrument. knurl. a single rusted, worn down hardwear nut that is missing it's fitted bolt. when rivet peers through the nut like a seeing eye glass, her vital instrument acts as a portible radiology machine. while standing farther away, she is able to visualize superficial injuries. skin bruising, muscle tears, lacerations and abbrasions. ( it is purely diagnostic: her ability does not allow her to heal injuries and illnesses, only to diagnose symptoms and treat them appropriately. ) as she moves closer, she can see deeper into the body. this allows for the visualization of broken bones, blood clots lodged in the heart, internal bleeding, organ damage or death. her ability does not allow her to visualize pathogens on a microscopic or cellular level.
appearance. a woman on the smaller side of normal, standing at five feet four and a quarter inches with an added two inches of height when she's wearing her thicker traveling boots. the doctor's complexion is true to someone hailing from the wintery climate of the ground's northern ward: pale and porcelain smooth with a cool undertone. ( the complexion is even and almost luminous, giving her an otherworldly or aristocratic appearance. ) in darker lighting especially, the pallor of her skin makes her seem almost ghostlike against the surrounding shadows. her hair is long and pale, an almost luminous silver white that cascades far past her waist in soft, flowing layers. the texture is thick yet silky, with loose waves that catch the light and give it a fluid, ethereal motion. the front is styled with parted bangs that sweep slightly across her forehead and frame her face in gentle curves. strands fall beside her cheeks and taper into the longer lengths behind her. among the flowing silver-white hair, there are distinct black streaks running through the front section of her bangs, positioned near the center of her hairline. ( see: oak casket of aisno games' path to nowhere. ) her eyes are long and softly almond shaped, framed by dark lashes and slightly heavy lids that give her gaze a languid, half lidded elegance. the most striking feature, however, is their mismatched color. her right eye is a vivid emerald green, the left a softer rose pink. because her eyelids rest naturally low, her expression often appears calm, amused, and quietly knowing.
clothing. her attire blends elegant gothic fashion with clerical or ritualistic elements. rivet is typically seen in a fitted black dress or bodysuit with a deep central opening that reveals part of her chest. the cut is sleek and tailored, emphasizing her slender figure. the sleeves are wide and flowing, resembling ceremonial robes. she wears a long rosary-like necklace with cross-shaped charms draped down the exposed center of her chest. ( at the center is a rusted hardware nut that settles snuggly against her sternum. ) she accessorizes with black gloves that extend past the wrist, a high black collar with a small cross motif, a cloth armband marked with stylized script, layered belts and straps around her waist, and a second rusted nut that sits around her finger like a ring.
behavior. rivet is a quiet woman by nature, though not a cold one. silence comes easily to her: not because she dislikes people, but because she has spent so much of her life alone that conversation often feels unnecessary. years of traveling from place to place have taught her to exist comfortably within her own thoughts, moving through unfamiliar places like a passing shadow. ( solitude has shaped her into someone who appears distant at first glance. ) she keeps to herself, watches more than she speaks, and rarely inserts herself into the lives of others. yet beneath that quiet reserve is a deeply compassionate nature. her work reveals the truth of her character. she helps without asking for recognition, tending to the injured and ill with a calm patience that borders on gentle. kindness, for her, is not loud or performative. it is practical, steady, and often wordless. she struggles with connection, but she is not incapable of it. given time, she slowly adapts to the people around her. the more she learns someone’s rhythms and temperament, the easier it becomes for her to open up in small, careful ways ... an extra moment in conversation, a dry remark, the faintest hint of humor. ( still, she never stays long enough for those bonds to root deeply. ) once her work in a place is finished, she moves on again, slipping quietly out of people’s lives as easily as she entered them. settling down has never felt like something meant for her. in many ways, she has built a shell around herself. not out of bitterness, but out of familiarity with solitude. the road is where she feels most certain, most useful, and perhaps most safe.