Don't Test Me

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Catherine is of average height with the soft, curvy frame of one who never went hungry but never overindulged. She is commonly corseted as required of the most current fashions, but is always eager to remove it when the opportunity presents itself. Her brown hair is usually piled and pinned intricately atop her head, though she's careful to keep the tips of her ears covered — especially if she is to be amongst humans. Her gray eyes sometimes appear blue depending on the color palette of her wardrobe, but regardless of their shade, they're bright and searching for the next thing or person of interest. She's aware of her prettiness, and has a deft hand when it comes to accentuating her features with powder, rouge, and lipstick.

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The world exists to only to stave off Catherine's boredom. She flutters from fascination to fascination, becoming obsessed with her newest plaything or hobby, but as quickly as they gain her intense and often overwhelming interest, they can lose it. She's not often intentionally cruel about it, but when she determines it's time to move on, she'll do so without dragging things out needlessly.

She's lively and loud, with a voice and laughter that can be often be picked out in even the most clamorous of crowds. She loves fiercely, mourns deeply, and pouts mightily. Things are felt in their most extreme, and it's a struggle for her to find middle ground when she's reminded to look for it.

Rarely will Catherine accept no for an answer, and she will try a multitude of tactics until she gets what she wants or she grows bored and finds something else that will keep her entertained.

She's a woman who will eagerly remove her corset and tear the skirt of her dress so she can straddle a horse bareback and gallop off into the night if the mood strikes her. Only after she realizes she ruined her favorite dress would she feel any misgivings about her actions, but even then, the joy of riding free would sweep over her again and she'd remind herself she can always buy another dress just like it.

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Born in 1585 to a wealthy merchant family in England, Catherine had every whim indulged, particularly because she was the only daughter in a long line of sons. Although in Catherine's opinion, her youngest brother — who would tear her dresses and pull her hair when no one watched — would've done well to succumb to a disease or great fall.

At the age of five, she was first formally accused of being a bad influence after a friend's birthday party ended in tears and a ruined dress. From that point onward, mothers would whisper warnings of that Catherine girl, and they only increased in frequency as she developed into a comely young woman and became aware of the power she wielded because of it.

Despite her father's inability to tell her no, she was a valuable bargaining chip and a marriage was arranged and trade agreements reached that made both of their families some of the wealthiest in England. Her husband was not an unkind man, at least, and he too found that he could deny her nothing — even when she proved incapable of providing him living children.

She hosted grand balls and parties at their London home while her husband sailed alone to the Colony of Virginia with samples of tobacco he intended to plant and harvest. Scandal surrounded her when reports arrived that the settlement he'd been at had been raided by natives and he'd not survived, but the only black she wore that night was the masquerade mask upon her face.

Catherine, now in command of her husband's wealth and her own life, was in no rush to remarry — again becoming the source of gossip and garnering attention from those interested in her assets. She received and accepted an invitation to the Sauveterre Estate some time after her 24th birthday and her 25th was celebrated in a room carefully masked from the sunlight.

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She alternates between her London and Paris homes, but can also occasionally be found at her apartments at the Sauveterre Estate.

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Even as a human, Catherine was a persuasive individual, but now aided by her unique vampiric talent, she's able to convince all but the strongest willed humans to lower their inhibitions and come play with her (note: she doesn't necessarily mean in the bedroom — sometimes she only seeks a companion to join her on an adventure and doesn't feel like dredging through all the niceties of asking). She's only able to charm one person at a time. The weaker willed the individual, the longer the charm lasts, but she's found that one of two things happen when she uses the ability too often on the same individual: they become dunces or they begin to resist her. Either way, they're no longer of any interest to her.

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She mimics the migratory habits of the Nightjar she can transform into, and has been known to move from one home to the other over the course of weeks in pursuit of the next grand party.[/hr]