<div align="center"><strong><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 24pt;">Pen The Wonderful</span></strong></div><div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/36/78/70/3678709ddd488a4374341998ac211354.jpg)<br/>(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/34/25/8a/34258a7ef353c627e8933d3b7ad76ff9.jpg)<br/>(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/66/2b/5f/662b5f079f54908783110167f67faf4a.jpg)</div><br/><strong>Name:</strong>Cassandra Mia Maranzano<br/><strong>Age:</strong>24<br/><strong>Species [Type]:</strong>Liepard [Dark]<br/><strong>Gender:</strong>Female<br/><strong>Orientation:</strong>Heterosexual<br/><br/><strong>Residence:</strong>Unknown, though she had once called the Maranzano Household her home.<br/><strong>Occupation:</strong>Right Hand of Dimitrius and secretly The Phantom Thief of Xernia.<br/><br/><strong>Appearance:</strong>Standing at 5'4 and 110 lbs, Cassandra is not the most powerfully built. She does not throw the hardest punches, nor can she take it. But where she lacks in strength and power, she makes up for in agility and stealth. Cassandra has complete command of her perfectly proportioned and limber body. Her dainty limbs are tight with muscle and capable of performing complex acrobatic moves, providing her with the flexibility to move in fluid, sinuous motions, almost seamless in its succession, but also allow her to bend in half in a single snap. Just watching her walk is almost enough to give you a sense of satisfaction with the ease and near-surreal grace she holds herself to as she floats across the room – like a satin sash caught in the wind - catching one’s attention with ease despite her smaller stature.<br/><br/>Her legs in particular account for most of her height, being long and slender while also toned and with a shapely bubble butt on top. Her body is perfectly sculpted and formed for function; with a tight, tiny waist flaring out into wide, well-balanced hips. Firm, sleek muscles accentuate her curves and generous C-cup breasts. Unlike most Liepards, her eyes are bright mercurial silver, though still possessing the vertical slit that all felines shared. Her long, violet hair falls to her waist and curl in any direction they please, like a bouquet of lavenders framing her heart-shaped face. Her skin is a cool peach colour underneath the sunlight but in the darkness of nightfall, it takes on a cool lilac hue, allowing her to blend into the shadows more easily save for certain parts of her skin which make up her Liepard markings on her back and face.<br/><br/>Her ears stand erect on the top of her head with violet fur and pink inner sides, similar to the pinkish hue of her eyelids. Her tail is long and slender with the signature sickle-like end which helps her retain balance and obtain hard to reach items. Cassandra's claws are deadly weapons that she can extend and retract at will, and she takes great pride in their care. Her fashion sense is rather eclectic, though she always tries to dress her finest. Stylish, chic, and functional describe her wardrobe rather well. She has dresses and coats for a variety of 'professional' encounters as well as leather bodysuits specifically for her 'hobby'. Though she looks her best in silver, Cassie likes to mix up her predominantly dark wardrobe with pops of yellow or gold. However, when she is laying low, she likes to don her favourite deep violet cloak, which has become tattered from the many excursions it has seen over the years. It now has multiple holes and tears on the back, which creates the illusion of a leopard print pattern if she were wearing something yellow underneath.<br/><br/><strong>Personality:</strong>Silent, precise, controlled, and calculated are four words you might use to describe Cassandra. An enigma to perceive and behold, she is a puzzle with blank pieces that befuddles and teases with her reserved, closed off ways. She chooses carefully those to share her secrets with, if at all, but more often than not, her lips are tightly sealed. A lone wolf, she does not work with others, but rather, manipulates others to her will. Everyone and everything are mere tools to her own survival, and never the other way around. However, there are a few exceptions. And for those few, she would gladly risk life and limb without a moment of hesitation, and strive every single day to do right by them.<br/><br/>But, beneath that debonair smile and alluring energy is a cruel and selfish creature with a bitter heart and a grim outlook on life. Her early childhood years have corrupted her, leaving irreversible scars she must carry for the rest of her life. And she has never forgiven the person who had caused it in the first place. She will stop at nothing to get what she wants, no matter how low she must stoop. However, just as she knew cruelty, she also knew kindness, and the positive influences in her life have stopped her from truly going off the deep end doing more heinous acts more often than not. But when those moments come, she is methodical and a perfectionist in her ways; carefully planning one move to the next. She retains a cool head and even temper; a facade that hides a tattered mind and a broken soul, gripped by spite and unbridled pain. She plays her part as a cat burglar to the tee; stealthy, cunning, fluid, and graceful, she resembles a dancing shadow. One moment there, and the next, gone.<br/><br/>At home in the darkness, Cassie prefers to operate in the nighttime, when every corner casts a shadow and every shadow hides a bounty. Some may call her nocturnal, for she is rarely seen in the daytime. But in truth, her eyes seldom find rest in the clutches of insomnia. As darkness avoids the light, Cassie has a strong dislike of fire.<br/><br/>Devastatingly clever, she takes pride in her ability to outwit and out-strategize even the sharpest of knights, relying heavily on her quick thinking, resourcefulness, and creativity. She is tactical, focused, driven and eloquent; a gifted liar with a silver tongue that allows her to talk her way out of any situation, and steal as many hearts as she pleases. Leaving behind a string of broken hearts. However, she is flighty and very easily bored. Despite her facade, she is deeply troubled. She struggles with her demons every waking moment, and as a result, her emotions and interests are fleeting, so she must always chase them. This often leads her to cause or get herself in trouble, but she actively enjoyed that. She loves her thrills, dangerous situations to get her blood pumping, and adrenaline-driven activities to grasp those split-second highs of ephemeral emotion to fill the void within her. Even for a moment. Always moving from one shiny object to another, but once possessing it, leaves it behind. Living from one thrill to the next.<br/><br/><strong>Inherent Abilities:</strong><br/><ul class="bbc_list"><li>Psychic Immunity</li><li>Enhanced Sight, Smelling, &amp; Hearing</li><li>Darkvision</li><li>Umbrakinesis</li><li>Cat-like Reflexes</li><li>Speed and agility boost in dark environments</li></ul><br/><strong>Special Abilities:</strong><br/><ul class="bbc_list"><li><em>Limber:</em> Her limber body protects her Pokémon from paralysis and allows her to squeeze through the tightest spaces.</li><li><em>Sneak Strike:</em> Cassandra has an uncanny ability to sneak up on almost anyone without fail, attacking before they can react.</li><li><em>Disappearing Act:</em> Her kind has been known to vanish and reappear without warning, much like a Ghost. She is especially stealthy at night. Whether it is because of her speed, her ability to suppress movement noise, or other factors is uncertain.</li><li><em>Gift of Silence:</em> With incredible control over her body, Cassandra is able to prevent herself from emitting any kind of noise when she is in stealth, be it from her clothes, her footfalls, breathing, or movement.</li></ul><br/><strong>Egg Move:</strong>Copycat<br/><br/><strong>Strengths:</strong>Cunning, resourceful, charismatic, tactful, perceptive, well-spoken, intelligent, hardworking, controlled, devoted, mature, flirtatious<br/><br/><strong>Weaknesses:</strong>Cruel, vengeful, flighty, heartbreaker, easily bored, mentally unstable, apathetic, manipulative, untrustworthy, competitive, petty, insecure<br/><br/><strong>Likes [Non-Sexual:</strong>Belue Berries, rain, classical or acoustic music, silence, privacy, exploration, adventure, thrill-seeking, getting into trouble, flirting, favours, being right, freedom, stealing things (including hearts)<br/><strong>Dislikes [Non-Sexual]:</strong>Following orders blindly, absolute authority, self-righteous people, fire, failure, loud rock music, upper-class parties (not that she attends them anyway), owing favours, being wrong, commitments and responsibilities (feeling chained down)<br/><br/><strong>Ons &amp; Offs:</strong>See O/Os (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=261306.0)<br/><br/><strong>Backstory:</strong><br/><br/>The story of where Cassandra had come from and why she had ended up on the dangerous streets of Delinquent Town as a 5-year-old Purrloin is one that has seemingly been lost to memory. Should you ask the Liepard herself, she may tell a different tale each time. That she was born from parents of two different types, but that she received the short end of the stick and was abandoned. That her two Liepard parents were on the run from the palace and skipped town, but accidentally left her behind and died in their escape. That she had escaped from a child trafficking ring. No one really knew, and Cassandra seemed content to keep things that way. Though her beginnings are unclear, what is known as fact was that the day she appeared in Delinquent Town, she was more a wild animal than a child. Hissing and attacking anyone who came near her. She couldn't speak, read, or write, but she<em>was</em>very good at evading capture, and thus, she quickly became a new menace in the neighbourhood. But really, she was simply doing her best to survive. She stole food and clothes, the odd blanket and toy, or anything shiny that happened to catch her eye.<br/><br/>As such, she caught the attention of Dimitrius Maranzano, the person in charge of the territory. No doubt he had received endless complaints of peoples' belongings going missing, and had come down to investigate for himself after she eluded so many of his men's capture. Unlike the others, Dimitrius managed to successfully corner and capture Cassandra, and just when she thought she was going to lose her life or face harsh punishment, she was meant with kindness and patience, which was a foreign concept to the Purrloin at the time. Everything she had stolen (that weren't food or any other perishable goods) had been returned to their rightful owners and Dimitrius took her into his home and nursed her back to health. She was incredibly small and malnourished for her age, and it was a miracle how she managed to survive as long as she did. Despite this, she continued to try and escape and exhibited unruly behaviour, not realizing Dimitrius was only trying to help. Eventually, he managed to get through to her (with a lot of food and bribery), and before she knew it, she had been adopted.<br/><br/>She was slow to take to her new life, always paranoid and untrusting and afraid that she was going to be hurt or cast out. She acted out, continuing to steal and getting herself in trouble with various gangs and undoubtedly made Dimitrius' life a lot more complicated than it already was. But Dimitrius' love and patience eventually reached her little heart, and she began to realize that perhaps she had found her forever home. He had fed her, gave her shelter, clothed her, taught her to read, to write, to speak, and more than that, he loved and supported her unconditionally, and their bond only grew stronger as the years passed. Dimitrius was a positive influence on her, staving off some of her darker tendencies and she always does her best to do right by him. She came to see him as a father and even adopted his surname and the name he used to call her before she could learn how to speak to tell him her birth name. She loves him dearly, though it took time to adjust to the other 'strays' Dimitrius would bring in every now and again.<br/><br/>She became determined to never worry or inconvenience him, to the point she learned to conceal her true feelings and put on a facade. Though, that was in part learned from him as well. Despite this, something in her past continued to haunt her, keeping her restless and anxious. She often thought of leaving and living life on her own again, but she couldn't quite understand why. Though perhaps, the answer lied in her long-buried past. Her fear of becoming comfortable and attached. When she was 16 years old, she saw a corrupt knight harass a family that lived down the street from her and Dimitrius' residence. The knights stole the family's money for 'tax' and angered by their actions, she embarked on her first endeavour as The Phantom. That night, she snuck into the knight's post and stole back the family's money, then returned it to them by leaving it on their bedside table through their open window. That was the night that changed her life, the catalyst for her evolution into a Liepard.<br/><br/>Of course, it was inevitable that Dimitrius would catch wind of this, and after a stern talking to about putting herself in harm's way, she had his blessing to continue these covert operations to help disadvantaged families and 'redistributing wealth' from wealthier ones in the upper rings. She even received training from his finest agents to hone her skills further, and she quickly gained a reputation for herself across the kingdom. Either as a petty criminal and a menace to the wealthy and a hero and saviour to the poor Mistypes in Delinquent Town. Cassandra had finally found a purpose. Perhaps, even her calling. Thus, as she turned 18, she finally decided to leave the nest, parting ways with Dimitrius to travel the kingdom and expand her reach as The Phantom Thief. Of course, being a wanted criminal meant that Cassandra could not have a permanent place of residence, often moving around from one tavern to another to avoid detection. Few can identify her as The Phantom Thief of Xernia, as no one has ever seen her in the act. And those who do have closely guarded her secret in respect for her deeds.<br/><br/>It was then, at the age of 20, that she encountered another individual who would become quite dear to her. It was a rather serendipitous meeting, but before she knew it, Cassandra had fallen in love with perhaps the last person she should be considering romance with. Though she has had nearly countless partners over the years - she took after her father in that way - this was different. This was the first time she allowed herself to connect and become attached. It motivated her to better herself. And so, at the age of 22, she returned home to Delinquent Town, reuniting with her adoptive father and deciding to follow in his footsteps to better the lives of the Mistypes in the kingdom. She became his right hand and engaged in further trained for the role. However, she continued to embark on her exploits as The Phantom at the same time.