Rose Emily is a fair girl of European descent, slight build with cascading blonde waves. She didn’t actually have a surname; Rose Emily was just the name that the opera mistress gave her when they took her in as a baby. From a young age, she knew that she was different. She not only didn’t have parents, but she also had the whitest and palest skin with the most shocking sapphire eyes. Those who she passed along the streets, lived with in her dorm, all around her had tan skin, brown eyes, and long black hair as straight as death. She was the fair maiden among a sea of dreary monotone, of people who kept their heads down and bobbled along the dirt roads, among those who hawked their merchandise with loud voices meshing like a cacophonous symphony, among those who were stuck in their own rut so deeply they walked along the same path, at the same pace, at the same time each and every day.
She wore the simple white traditional Chinese dress that the mistress owned when she was younger. It was made of a durable but lightweight cotton, with short sleeves and a hem that stopped right as her knees. The pure white fabric was lined by an aqua trim, harmonizing with the blue pools of expression. Her hair was slightly tied to keep away from her face, but most of it left to tumble down her shoulders and her back, vibrant and lively. Her voice was pure and light, but not skilled. She sang with obligation, allowing her voice to take flight like perhaps a bird with a previously broken wing – she understood she was no swallow in the springtime. Finding that she had no talent in singing, the owner taught her acrobatics, so that she could perform the more physical roles and make herself useful. Mild and slight, she was often bullied by the other girls for her beauty; but she still she stood with her back straight, just her head tilted toward the ground.
When she became older, she was caught the eye of a wealthy European man who had been living in China for only a few years. She was married off to him for a hefty sum for the opera mistress, as the man’s concubine. She lived in moderate wealth and comfort, but under the ever-resentful watch of the first wife. When the family of three moved back to Europe, she became a yoga instructor to keep her busy during the boring days, rather than trying to stay out of the way of the jealous wife that was slowly losing her beauty every day. The small reprieves from her harsh and envious glares were like heaven to Rose.
Meeting with S-‘s Character, Amelia Boneheart:
One day, she was granted a day off from the mistress; apparently some wealthy man had just booked the entire theatre for him and his entourage, a lucrative opportunity. With such profits tucked neatly away in her silk drawstring bag, her tongue sweetened and she treated her girls with much more kindness.
Donning a pair of cloth shoes, she lightly skipped out onto the busy and dusty road. She wandered, drawing open stares wherever she went. “Who is she?” “She looks like some kind of ghost, with that pale skin.” Whispers echoed around her. “Can she speak English?” “It looks like she’s good for nothing, with that slight build of hers.” As if she couldn’t understand them. Just because she looked different didn’t mean that she was deaf or blind – even the most foreign of foreigners could see the distrust in those people’s eyes and the harshness of their whispers.
Feeling annoyed and slightly disappointed that her day out had been rather ruined, she almost walked into this giant wall. Wall? No, it was just someone really, really tall.
“对不起，先生,” she said, bowing low without looking at the face of the person. (A/N: it says, “I’m sorry, sir”)
“Well, sorry little miss,” she heard above her in a foreign language, “I almost ran you over.”
Hearing the deep yet distinctly feminine voice, her head snapped up in confusion. She looked fearfully at the gargantuan woman, with bulging biceps and a mass of curly red hair badly tamed into a ponytail. Even her brown eyes seemed fierce as her smile reminded Rose of the smiles of wolves before they ingested their prey. Standing like a deer caught in headlights, she furiously shook her head signifying that she didn’t understand the huge woman.
“Ah, ni bu dong ying wen?” (A/N: Ah, you don’t understand English?) The woman slowly tried to twist her tongue around the foreign words, succeeding in very little besides butchering them. “Mei guan xi. Wo de ming zi shi Amelia. Amelia Boneheart.” (A/N: No problem. My name is Amelia. Amelia Boneheart.)
A glimmer of a sparkle gave way in Rose Emily’s eyes before she burst out into a little giggles that shook her frail frame. “对不起,” she managed to gasp out before yet again dissolving into another fit of laughter. (A/N: Sorry.)
Amelia was glad that the girl looked less nervous, as she knew that people were often scared of her. But, she supposed that was reasonable when she had the build of a wrestler and killed people for a living. Speaking of which… “Ni zhi dao Zhang xian sheng zhu zai nar li?” she queried. (A/N: Do you know where Mr. Zhang lives?)
“对不起，我很少出来逛街。除了京剧管老板和其他的歌女，我谁都不知道,” She replied apologetically. (A/N: Sorry, I don’t come out much. Besides the opera mistress and the other girls, I don’t really know anyone.) She wished she could go out more, but the mistress prized her fair skin and didn’t let her out into the sun very much. “您为什么找他?” She asked, curious at the workings of the world around her. (A/N: Why are you looking for him?)
Amelia’s lips almost slipped out the truth before she said, “Wo shi ta de peng you de peng you. Yin wei wo zhi lai dao zhong guo bu tai jiu, wo xiang rang ta bang wo zhao ge di fang zhu. Xie xie ni bang zhu wo, ke shi wo dei xian zou le.” (A/N: I’m his friend’s friend. Because I haven’t been in China for that long, I want him to help me find somewhere to live. Thanks for helping me, but I have to leave now.) Amelia made a hasty retreat before she got too attached to this blonde haired blue-eyed girl with such an earnest expression. She almost told her the truth of her profession! That girl had a charismatic power far stronger than she knew, and it only seemed to get stronger the longer you spoke to her.
Rose Emily looked sadly at the retreating figure of the strange woman before continuing down the road and the rest of her day.
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