Irene 'Red' Elizabeth Dalton

Probably one of the most amazing character sketches I have *ever* done. I saw it worthy to be put up here on this site. She is definitely going to get dibs on a slot for main character in one of my future stories. Nuff said. She's AWESOME!!





Irene Elizabeth
Dalton hated her life. At least, while she remained shackled to her
Victorian lifestyle, with an uptight, straight-laced family residing
in a pruned society. Her little brother Tom was always a sincere
bother, and her parents never seemed to give her much attention.
Living in 1875 as a high-class six year old was not all it was
cracked up to be. So she left. She had always had a fascination for
the circus, and her family would never think to find her there.
Considering as there was a traveling circus in town at the time she
planned to run away, timing could not have been more perfect. It
made running away all the easier, and tracking down the circus
wouldn't be that hard. After making her way in, she got a job as a
fortune teller, and changed her last name to Fortunada. She was well
suited for the job because she could read people very well, just
based on appearances, and she made for quite the young actress. She
could fool anyone if she really wanted to.

Irene was bound to
fit in to the circus very well. She looked every bit like a gypsy
should: Her hair was a deep burnt red, almost black it was so dark.
But when her hair caught in the sunlight, the red was accentuated
like it were the heart of a lit flame. Her hair billowed softly down
to her waist, long and straight. Her eyes were almond shaped, and
shone in a sparkling emerald green. Long black eyelashes framed her
eyes. She had alabaster skin, and full lips. Her prim nose seemed
to complete the fullness of her beauty, even as a mere six year old
of the time. By the time she grew to be sixteen, she grew to be
rather small and frail looking, though she still had a shapely form.
And her face retained its rounded shape, it simply lost its
child-like softness. Her voice was soft and husky, and had a hard
edge to it when she gets irritated.


Being in the gypsy
circus made her a stronger woman. And it was easy to tell: Despite
her frail appearance, she bore this inner strength, a new air of
confidence. This was particularly noticed when she was on the brink
of , or in the midst of being angry. Her eyes would grow dark and
her eyebrows would arch dangerously. She would bite the inside of
her lip, and her nose would flare just the tiniest bit. Her anger
was normally sparked when someone tempts her patience, or challenges
her in any way. She doesn't like being doubted.

Another influence
with being in the circus was of regarding her sense of style: Her
choice of garments became something of a drastically different nature
than the Victorian lifestyle called for. Irene found that she much
preferred to wear assorted clothing. Gypsy robes when special
occasions called for it, and a casual attire that was of a mismatched
ensemble, but it actually looked fashionable. She would adorn
herself with Bangles and jewelry, and have beads be braided into her
hair. She got herself a tattoo that spanned along her shoulder and
collarbone. She loved wearing a corset to over a baggy tunic, tight
leggings, and leather boots that reached her thighs. Most of her
articles of clothing, when she didn't hand make them, she would
steal from tourists, otherwise unaware of their being robbed. It was
the gypsy way. And stealing was just the first step in Irene
integrating herself into a street-smart gypsy. She was a highly
intelligent girl. She knew a good bargain when she saw one, and
could easily outsmart anyone who attempted to take advantage of her
time, money, or experience. She also knew how to handle a weapon
very well, so it'd be best for one to steer of her darker nature, and
just let her have her way.

Throughout her time
in the circus, she learned many new skills, and became quickly adept
at them, her favorite of which, was the cultural dancing. Though she
also learned knife throwing, hand balancing, and taming wild animals.

The people at the
circus really grew fond of Irene, and affectionately nicknamed her
'Red', because of the distinct color of her hair. She adopted that
nickname so well, soon that was all people would call her by.

She had accumulated
many friendships within the circus. Though three of them remain the
closest to her heart.

Tabitha Lake is her
closest friend. She is a blonde, slight woman with crystal blue
eyes, whose occupation in the circus is as a contortionist. Tabitha
is more innocent than Irene is.

Rook is Irene's
sweetheart. He dances with fire, and throws knives. In fact, he's
the one who taught her the knife-throwing skill. He is something of
a rebel, and never minds breaking the rules. He is tall dark and
handsome. He has deep brown eyes, and his black hair is always
tousled and unkempt.


Alaina De Winter is
an acrobat. She has sandy brown hair that has tight, wild curls. She
has a square jawline, which seems to accentuate her boldness and
authoritative persona. Freckles dot across her face, and she is very
tall. Her most surprising attribute (especially given her acrobatic
talent) is that she is also blind. She is the strongest willed
character n Irene's circle of friends, and is more like the leader,
or Queen B, if you will.

All her friends can
attest (probably the most accurately) all of Irene's qualms that she
is subject to: Irene is highly impatient, doesn't trust people
easily. It took awhile before she could put most of her trust in her
friends. She (as mentioned above) has a habit of stealing, which,
among gypsies, isn't exactly frowned upon, and she has a nasty
temper. While her tempers are exceedingly rare, if one provokes her
anger, she can be dangerous. She also has a terrible addiction to
chocolate whenever she is exposed to it. Not that this is really a
bad thing, especially since the appearance of chocolate is such a
rare commodity given her line of work. But she has an affinity for
it.