Aesha

Slender and relatively fit, Aesha seems to always be on the move, even after establishing a shop in Haven. Even despite her anxiety-induced activity however, her life's mantra has always been to try and eat well, maintain some level of physical fitness, and live healthily--something that seems to be imparted onto many of the patients she serves who often leave her shop feeling energized and more positive than when they entered.

Thanks to her fair complexion, her freckles show a bit more prominantly, something that took many years during her adolescence to accept as anything beyond being a flaw.

Due to her time travelling with the Bazaar, Aesha has acquired several tattoos throughout the years, a norm within the troupe; seen as abnormal or odd by those on the outside. Tribal designs snake up her forearms, while floral pieces (all medicinal flowers or herbs) are tattooed upon her left shoulder and upper chest.

Preferring loose-fitting clothing, Aesha has what most might consider an eclectic fashion sense. She often wears a loose shirt about her shoulders, patterned shawls, or long floppy skirts that end somewhere around her calves. She typically wears knee-high leather boots, usually because of her daily jaunts into high grassy meadows looking for ingredients. Aesha wears little jewelry, though what she does is slightly mismatched arm bands, bangles, wristlets, and necklaces--mostly made of small polished stones, shells, or other such natural things.   Large thick belts hold pouches and loops for vials and other pieces of equipment for her work as an apothecary.

Born into poverty near Water's Edge, her biological parents--who seemingly could not afford to take care of their child--left her at the threshold to the small town's orphanage. Taken in by its proprietress, she would recieve her name by the kindly old woman, and grew up there at the institution, becoming something like a surrogate daughter to her. Though the old woman cared for the children of the orphanage, another of her duties was as a herbalist for Water's Edge. As such, Aesha would always be around medical herbs and other such things that were growing out in the garden planted aside the oprhanage buildings. Her passion for creating medicines, salves, ointments, and other remedies came about at a young age, and only grew into a more fervant future desire for the budding apothecary and alchemist.   When the old woman fell mortally ill however, and all of Aesha's effort to find a cure failed, she found herself helpless and alone for the first time in her life. After her mother passed, Aesha resolved to become the most skilled apothecary in Flamelle, seeking knowledge wherever she might go, so that she might save those who cannot save themselves. Finally of an age to be on her own, she would travel extensively through the easternmost portions of the country, where she would inevitably come into contact with the famous Travelling Bazaar. Eventually joining the troupe, she would offer her help wherever there path led them, now enjoying the company of others; a far cry to the many months of solo travel along lonely, often times dangerous roads.   As fate would have it, by 1202 ATC, after nearly two years of travel with the bazaar, she came into contact with a band of adventurers crossing through the Sommet Mountains, who would present her an offer she simply couldn't refuse. After all, it's every traveling merchant's dream to eventually settle down in a quiet town or city, officially putting roots down for their business. And so four years later, by 1206, she (with the financial aid of the town) would open her own apothecary shop right in the heart of downtown Haven, the City of Heroes.

Her education, though unorthodox and not formal by any means, is a mix of apprenticship to the old woman that ran the orphanage, who taught her all she knew of natural remedies, and self-teaching while on the road.

Until around the middle of 1203 ATC, Aesha was transient, though self-employed. Once established in Haven, however, though remaining self-employed, her services are so important to the vitality of the town that she recieves subsidy from the local government.

Keen-minded and sharp as a tack, Aesha tends to view life through the lens of someone that deeply analyzes problems that need to be solved. As such, she can be critical to a fault, and her mind wanders often as she ponders whatever questions she may have spinning about in her head. Those not familiar with the way she does things may mistakenly believe her as having her head in the clouds or that she is aloof, but rather she is simply ruminating over a solution to the problem before her.

Aesha's philosophy in relation to helping others is that no matter where one comes from in life, they deserve the full attention and dedication of treatment. All are equal patients to her, regardless of social or economic standing.

Though confident and arguably extroverted, her penchant for sinking into her analytical side, spending long moments pondering things, and moments where she leaves on a whim (much to her apprentices' chagrin) to find rare ingredients or venture to locations off the beaten path to offer her services, often leave others with the total opposite impression; that Aesha is an eccentric aloof curiosity.

Aesha often speaks plainly and without flourish, even when speaking with important or affluent people. Despite her tonality however, she is always polite and kind to others, regardless of how straight-forward she can be.

Aesha keeps a black cat at her apothecary, a feline friend that had started following her back during her Travelling Bazaar days. She named him Dillweed--or "Dill" for short--after the culinary and medicinal herb often found at the side of the road.