Ridl Volsung

"She's a scoundrel, no other word for it. Why she isn't faunus, I'll have no idea."

- Sailor, commenting on Ridl

Appearance


Ridl is somewhat short and lithe, but is by no means weak or timid. Her cat-like yellow eyes burn with curiosity and a constant smirk is present on her face. Her orange hair is cut to chin length and flicks out

wildly. Two hairs spring up from the top of her head. Ridl almost always wears a pair of golden orange goggles atop her head, but rarely wears them. They help aid when seeing at night. Her battle attire consists of a white, collared undershirt, burgundy-brow

n tights and thick leather boots. She wear a dark jacket with orange embroidery and

decorations, which has two tails on either side - a typical sailor's outfit. More often than not, she while wear are small orange necktie, especially in the colder weather. Her scabbard rests on her back.

Personality
Alignment: Chaotic neutral

Social status: Dirt-poor

Ridl is the ultimate trickster - she will do anything for a bit of fun, regardless of the situation. She has an astounding lack of empathy for her peers yet seems to expect that she will be treated like a functioning member of society when she does nothing to deserve it. She has no qualms with working, but will not work for no reward, or if it gets boring, and she hates being tied down to one place.

Ridl watches people frequently, picking up their mannerisms and behaviours, and often copying them, essentially becoming a clone of the people she's seen. While fundamental views don't change, she often finds herself copying others to the point of annoyance, and she can't help it. Ridl is also a fairly impulsive and believable liar, and sometimes will lie just to cause a riot, or to prove that she isn't under the control of anyone but herself.

However, on the occasion that Ridl is serious, which seems very rare, the witty jokes stop and she becomes almost a different person completely. This would only ever happen in a dire situation, when there is no other choice, and when words and quick wit won't get any further.

Background
Ridl has been on the sea for a very long time; in fact, she thinks her parents gave birth to her at some remote dock somewhere. One day, when she was stowing away on a freighter, the boat was attacked by pirates. Sensing adventure and completely unaware of danger, she jumped aboard and hid for a day or two before being discovered. She was welcomed aboard due to her youth and eagerness.

For years she travelled fromm ship to ship, dock to dock, eventually setting out onto the land to tackle the mountains. She said goodbye to her pirate friends and greeted the life ahead of her with open arms.

Not long after she did this, Ridl found herself facing her first land-based Grimm alone: a Beowolf. While not uncommon, it was new to the sailor, but nevertheless she took it down. When she had defeated it, she caught sight of someone moving ahead, and curiosity led her to follow. What she saw was a mysterious woman, who, without second thought, attacked Ridl. Surprised, Ridl was injured, but managed to avoid getting hurt further and attempted to land a blow on the stranger. She missed, and was about to get killed, when yet another stranger saved her life. The new stranger introduced herself as a teacher at Beacon academy, and took Ridl to see Professor Ozpin. He accepted her and the next day, was on board the aircraft to Beacon academy.

Relationships
Ridl would seem like the type to get along well with most, but in actuality, she makes a lot of people quite angry or upset due to her lack of empathy.

Xavia Uther: Ridl sees Xavia as a fun plaything, and a reliable backup in case of an emergency. She loves seeing how Xavia reacts to different things, especially when she sees her deeper personality. Ridl secretly encourages Xavia to be more free to be herself, but wouldn't admit this openly because she hates being sappy. She likes it better when Xavia plays along.

Asami Kusanagi: Ridl thinks there is no better puzzle than Asami, and is determined to figure her out. While she thinks Asami is a bit boring, she does enjoy watching her interact with everyone else and seeing the change in the ninja's attitude. She like Asami's battle style because it is similar to her own - fast, and deadly.

Qing "Blu" Long Dao: Blu gives Ridl hours of entertainment. She thinks his serious and cold demeanour is hilarious and loves poking and prodding every one of his buttons. Over time, she learns when it's too far, and enjoys toeing the line as much as possible. Ridl often ignores his protests and ends up getting yelled at by someone, which results in one of two things: she sulks and stops, or continues pestering Blu. Ridl expects Blu to be a good partner and stay together, and is shocked when he doesn't side with her.

Rans, Cress, and Angon: Ridl thinks it's hilarious how they try and bully people. Unless it gets really bad, with physical violence, she'll be the person placing bets and laughing. She doesn't think they're threatening in the least.

Hank Fletcher: Ridl met Hank a long time ago, once, and the memory of the encounter has stayed with her. Hank was practicing on an archery range at the time, and gave Ridl some advice about life; "You are your own path. Not someone else's." Ridl took this advice to heart and so shows Hank the most kindness, if it could loosely be called that, than the other members of team RCHA.

Fighting style
Ridl's fighting style relies heavily on the element of surprise - attacking first, coming from behind, and not sticking with any one pattern of attack. Her attacks are usually a flurry until she tires, in which case she'll run and recover. She hardly follows strategy unless she really likes it, or unless the group is in grave danger, but luckily she is good at adapting and working with her partners.

Ridl's weapon, strangely enough for her speed, is the huge longsword Gram. It is nearly as long as the full Excalibur but nowhere near as heavy. This sword is exceptionaly strong, if not sharp, and is great at hacking away at an opponent. The blade further splits into two seperate blades - in this case, Gram is actually the larger, hooked broadsword, and the thinner rapier is called Nothung. This is her preferred style as it allows easy blocking and faster attacks, and the hook on the broadsword can be used to disarm. Sometimes, Ridl throws Nothung like a throwing dagger to pin the enemy.

Quotes

 * "Why so serious, Bluey? Heheh." - Ridl's most common phrase.
 * "I like watchin' you. You're interesting. I can tell you're nervous whenever y' speak. What're you worried about?" - Ridl, to Asami.
 * "Oi, Mr Cape, sir, you look like a woman, and you have an ugly face!" - Ridl, to Xavia, despite knowing her gender.

Trivia

 * Ridl Volsung is based on the Volsung saga, more specifically, the story of Sigurd, and Gram, the sword in the tree.
 * Ridl is based off the word riddle, which explains Ridl's quirky and strange behaviour.
 * Ridl's original design was reminiscent of a medieval serf, rather than a steampunk pirate.