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Name - Nerissa "Riz" Iaria Katal
Age - 23 years young
Face Claim - Banita Sandhu
Caste - Six
Occupation - Cook
Region - The Indian Ocean
Personality - Optimistic and clever, Riz is a spitfire who can hardly be described in a paragraph of this length. She does not carry much grace or brains, but makes up for it with her street (or should I say current?) smarts and her desire to know more. Rowdy and obnoxious at times, she has a big mouth, and will tend to take charge of a scenario. Nerissa views her life as nothing but opportunity, and will not hesitate when it comes to trying something new. A bit of an airhead, she does not have many roots, and therefor finds herself drifting from place to place, caught up in the fantasy of adventure and exploration. Hot-headed and defensive, it is very hard for her to see another's point of view, and she will argue until the death of her, whether she is right or wrong. This tends to be a bad trait, but what's even worse is her extent of recklessness. Not having many people close to her, she frankly doesn't care if someone's feelings get hurt, or if someone doesn't liker her. Overall, Nerissa definitely has an unforgettable personality.
Likes - Trying new things (food especially), large crowds, having something to do, the color purple (SEE WHAT I DID THERE), spice, dancing, meeting new people, human/avian culture, turtles, stars, and little kids
Dislikes - Public speaking, romantic gestures, her tail and scars, bitter food, confrontation, being emotional, pessimistic people, fresh water, wearing makeup or jewelry (unless it's meaningful), the surface/being close to the surface, and singing in front of others
Fears - the surface, fishing boats, the extinction of turtles and puffer fish
Strengths - Her optimism, adaptability, confidence and current-smarts
Weaknesses - Her fear of the surface, her stubbornness, her sharp tongue and not being able to swim fast.
Tail Color - A cascading orange with streaks of black, and accessory fins on the back and sides.
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Hobbies - Cooking, experimenting with spices, exploring, learning new languages, and dancing
Family - Atlas Conch Katal (Father, age 48) Iaria Ophelia Katal (mother, age 49), Riaj Corli Katal (brother, age 27), Pacifica Starie Katal (sister, age 19) and Armond River Katal (age 16). She is a bit distanced from her family, does not live with them, and has not spoken with them in a while.
Reason for Joining - Nerissa sort of drifted into this whole "selection thing." She had always wanted to visit the Pacific Ocean, especially Atlantis, and joining this gave her the opportunity to.
Backstory - Coming from a small village in the Indian ocean just off the shore of Cochin, India, Riz was born with the desire to explore. She had a somewhat normal and boring upbringing for most of her life, and as a young child would enjoy swimming up to the surface. One night, when she was about 11 years old, Nerissa snuck out with a friend around the same age, Moana, and went with her to go see what humans called shooting stars. Swimming up close to the surface, Nerissa took a bold leap and broke through the water line for the first and only time of her life. Having the time of her life, Riz and Moana basked in the moonlight and swam around all night playing games. Close to dawn, they had been playing near the water bank and close to the human shoreline when the two girls heard voices of fisherman heading down to the docks. Panicked and desperate to flee, both mermaids began to swim back towards deeper water. Not being the strongest swimmer to begin with, Nerissa was swept towards the side due to an incoming tide, and soon found herself trapped between jagged rocks. Crying for help, she was thankfully rescued by Moana, but didn't excape unharmed. The events of that night still haunt Nerissa, and she has the scars to remind her of her recklessness. Never being the same after the accident, Nerissa became very closed-off and hard to read, and as she aged, she began to distance herself from her family.
Other - Riz has a tear in her tail in the bottom fin and a several scars trailing a quarter-way up her tail.
