Louse

Title:

Street Urchin, Trainee Greenshirt

Played by:

Brev

Description:

A pale, dirty urchin with a tousled head of tow-coloured hair, which has been hacked raggedly off at about shoulder-length. Beneath this, a pair of sharp greenish eyes peer out suspiciously from a rat-like face. The child is on the scrawny side, but might be as old as 13 or 14 - it's always hard to tell with gutter brats. The youngster's speech carries a faint lisp, owing to a gap between crooked front teeth.

This young denizen of Laketown is proudly clad in a green shirt that might once have been large but is now a bit tight across a slowly blossoming chest, belted around the waist by a frayed piece of rope. The material is slowly succumbing to wear: creases and ingrained dirt are visible. Beneath it are worn a pair of practical, well-made trousers, a good fit to the youngster's thin frame and still fairly new-looking (though of course they already show some scuff-marks). Occasionally one might glimpse beneath the ragged sleeve of the green shirt the outline of a bangle. On closer inspection one would find a bracelet made of polished wood with a red sheen to it; carved vines meander around the edge, with flowers bursting from them here and there.

History:

Born in 3044, Liosa, Gudrun's daughter, has spent most of her short life in the Underdecks. After the death of her mother in 3050, she and her younger sibling Grubber (few are sure whether Gudrun's youngest surviving offpsring is girl or boy) more or less fended for themselves, with occasional assistance from the Decks' more kindly disposed residents. Over time the grimy, vermin-ridden child became known simply as 'Louse'.

When Lord Barlin of Karath formed the organization for Decks youths known as the Greenshirts, Louse was one of the first to sign up. Neither teenage nor lad, she nevertheless managed to keep that second fact quiet until the day when she appeared in a dress at Lady Arla Taurdain's wedding, much to the consternation of those assembled. After reviewing the matter, Lord Barlin consented to let her remain within the Greenshirts' ranks. Since then she's cherished a heartfelt ambition to become 'a sodjer'.

The Decks girl isn't short of well-wishers: aside from Lady Arla, Lady Isobel herself seems to have a soft spot for the youngster. The source of this mysterious fondness is anyone's guess. She's also sometimes seen with the rogue Scampre - perhaps she shares information with the fellow who's well-known as Esgaroth's eyes-and-ears?