Grace "Artic" Take-Ra

Background
Grace Taker is a Faunus woman who owns a small lively house diner in the reforming City of Vale. She raises Duran Raglan in the place of her fallen friend, Sarah Raglan.

Biography ( Work In Progress )
Though born of Atlas, Grace Taker was a huntress of Vale who attended Beacon Academy along with Duran's mother, Sarah. In fact, they were on the same team, Team SAGE. Together, they graduated Beacon two years before the events of Team RWBY.

However, they were there during the Fall of Beacon.

During that time, Grace aided Professor Goodwitch into rebuilding the city, though mostly in the cooking department where she met Chris and later on married him. She was also there during Sarah's wedding.

Grace continued to work at the rising diner when Sarah's husband one day left and never returned. She was hurt when Sarah decided to leave the City of Vale and live on a small island off the coast to raise the young Duran.

But she understood.

Years later, Grace and her daughter, Selena Taker, was working the diner when the phone rang.

Grace could only pick up the phone and sob at the sudden dreadful news.

Her teammate and friend, Sarah Raglan -

Was Dead.

Raising Duran
Refusing to allow the young traumatized boy be put in a orphanage; in the honor of her friend Sarah, Grace brought it upon herself to raise Duran as her own.

It wasn't easy at first.

She wasn't sure what Duran experienced at the night of Sarah's death, but she was harshly treated by him as he claimed she had no right to "take his mother's place". All she could do was guess that the trauma scarred him completely. However, she couldn't allow herself to help him because she herself was in pain with the loss of Sarah.

But Grace stuck through it and continued to raise Duran.

One night, Duran suffered a panic attack that nearly took his life. Grace did all she could to aid him through his sudden seizure, staying with him the whole night with her tail wrapped around him as she gave him the fullest of comfort.

The next day, Grace realized she had almost failed Sarah twice. She loved Sarah, and the thought of failing to raise her son to the point of nearly losing him to his sorrow while she was preoccupied with her own, was devastating to her. The moment Duran woke from his sleep, she could only apologize endlessly to Duran; for not helping him through his sorrow, for not being there for him and Sarah. She then swore to Duran to not take his mother's place, but look out for him.

Since then over time, Duran started to accept Grace as his guardian. Eventually helping out at the Diner.

As the time yet by, Grace started telling Duran about all the things she and his mother had done as Huntresses. She was shocked when Duran asked her to help him become a huntsman. To help him walk his mother's footsteps.

Grace was against the idea at first, but was eventually turned by her husband. So along with her husband, when he was home, trained Duran personally for the huntsmen trade; survival skills, swordplay, weapon management. Though Grace brought it upon herself to teach him swordplay along with Selena.

Grace watched as Duran received the credits necessary to enter the reformed New Beacon Academy. Grace bids Duran farewell on his journey as a huntsman, letting him know that there will always be warm food waiting for him at home in the Diner.

Personality
Grace is known for her happy nature - outgoing, emotional, gentle heart, and very friendly. Grace has a habit of always putting her fullest of heart and soul into everything she does in life into running her Diner and being a mother for Duran. She eventually becomes a mother figure towards Team DARK.

To everyone around her, Grace is seen as someone who always approaches those with open arms and a joyful smile matching her wagging Husky Tail. Grace never judges others at first glance and as a huntress at heart, never turns her back on those in need, often offer sad individuals a shoulder to cry on.

Grace sometimes comes off as a bit air headed, letting the simple things just fly over her head. But there are times she happens to be very intelligent about things.

As the Husky Trait implies, she is very protective towards those she loves and cherishes, always willing to pick up the sword again if needed.

Though not his actually mother, Grace loves Duran completely. She has vowed not to only raise Duran, but love him just as much as her dear friend Sarah did.

Semblance : Stagnation ( Subject to Change )
Grace's semblance, Stagnation, allows her to alter or in simple terms separate one's senses from their surroundings, slowing down their reaction times and movements for only one hour.

This semblance first comes off as bit of an invisible high pitch sound, which Grace fires from her hands or by being fancy about it, from the tip of her sword.

( In truth, it's not actually separating them. What it's actually doing is slowing down one's senses of sight and hearing. Having these two senses unable to keep up with their surroundings and processing powers, it makes it harder for them to react properly. )

This semblance can't been avoided or blocked, however one can escape this semblance's effects through the feeling of sudden intense pain.

Trivia....

 * It was a hard decision into letting her keep either the tail or the ears. But I eventually went with the tail.
 * At her Diner, she has a breakfast combo named after Duran, "The Duran Special".
 * The day Duran called Grace "Mom", she literally closed the Diner to cry.
 * Working on drawing Grace. Be up in a few.