Characters Name:
Hope Myra Kelly

Gender:
Female

Race:
White (Irish-American)

Age:
20

Physical Description:
Hope is a pretty girl, still young looking despite the strain of war and recent poverty. She had rich, dark brown hair that is laces with auburn highlights. It falls to the middle of her back and is thick with glossy curls. Her eyes are a light blue-green, often changing with her moods. She has a thin scar on the right side of her chin, barely noticable, from a Union horse whip. Her punishment for being impertinent, according to an officer. Her skin is lightly freckled on her nose, due to the fact she no longer has a bonnet but occasionaly spend time outside. Hope always seems to have a knowing smile on her face, her attempt at masking how she truely feels. Of course, when she really feels something strongly, she has no way of hiding her emotions since her face is so expressive.

Hope's clothing, once a healthy sized wardrobe, is now down to three dresses. Two of which are made out of silk-like fabric, dark in color (a navy blue one and a deep emerald one) and she has one simple, light dress with floral print on it. All of her dresses are clean and well taken care of, but still a little frayed and faded from wear.

Weaknesses & Strengths:
Hope grew up having things handed to her, so her recent bout of poverty has been a humbling experience.

She's pretty, which tends to attract unwanted attention for a female traveling alone.

She's headstrong and stubborn, which can work to her advantage but often gets her into trouble.

She day dreams and isn't always aware of whats going on around her. Hope has no real training in anything, so she relies on her wits to make money and sometimes they fail her.

She has a fair voice and plays the piano well.

She's fit and has a hidden strength, which helps her out in sticky situations.

She has some basic medical skills from helping out in the War.

Hope often drives men to their wits end, for she is her own woman and it's hard to tell her anything.

Gear & Weapons:
A family portrait.
A little bit of money, all that is left from her inheritance.
An old derringer, given to her by her mother.
A hunting knife that was her father's.

What Type of Character:
A Down On Her Luck Lady

Assets:
Once well-off, not Hope is teetering on the edge of poverty. She still has some inheritance, but not much left.

Background:
Hope was born into a well-to-do family in south west Missouri. Unlike many girls, she was well educated by her doting mother, who had once been a school marm. Then, when her home schooling was complete, Hope had been sent away to a boarding/finishing school for the rest of her education. There she learned more of society's ways than any actual logical information, but that was what was expected of her. In fact, she expected it of herself, only wishing for a good marriage to an established family.

When Hope finally returned home, due to the fact the school closed because of the War, she was distressed to find her mother was deathly ill. A few months later, she passed on, leaving Hope a derringer for protection, if anything were to happen to the rest of her family. Since both her father and brother joined the Confederate army, the gun would have come in handy, had Hope given it much thought.

Hope ran the family estate, with the help of some loyal servant, until the day the Union army came along and took her home as head quarters. Hope was allowed to stay under their good graces and acted as gracious as she could, but she resented them. Since the Union army had taken hold of the area, no word could come through from the Confederate side. She waited in vain, but never received word of what happened to her brother and father.

When the war ended, Hope still didn't get word of her family. By this point in time, the estate was in shambles and much of the family's money was spent. With no choice but to assume her family dead, she cut her losses. Hope ended up selling her family home for far cheaper than it was worth, then took to the road. She jumped from small town to small town, taking a position as a school teacher when one was available. But, since she had no real training as one, her terms were short and far between. For the most part, she lived cheaply and off her inheritance.

With the West opening up, Hope sees the chance at a new start. So, without much planning, she buys a ticket to what she hopes is her saving grace...

Write a short scenario:
Hope settled into her seat, wiggling a little on the hard bench. There was a time where she would have had her own room on the train, but that time had came and gone. Now, she took what was offered without complaint, even though she did long for the comforts money could by. As the steamer charged up, Hope glanced out the window, silently saying goodbye to her Southern home and safety. This was her big adventure for her life, so she would live it up.

Hope jerked in her seat when the train began its journey. After an hour of discomfort, Hope slipped into a light sleep with her head bowed forward. Her dark curls fell forward, hiding her face from view. Next stop, Two Springs and her new life.