Capucine

A lovely French-tinted alt of Solan.

"Ah... another day, another symphonic sunrise..."

Ask pretty much anyone at her academy about Capucine, and they're almost guaranteed to know her. She's a pretty young thing, a junior in her high school, and quite willing to involve herself in school and after it. In class, if she even thinks she understands the answer, her hand will be right up there among the rest, and if she thinks she or one of her classmates isn't getting what the teacher said, she'll be the first to speak up and ask.

Outside of class, Capucine is highly fond of the arts, and it shows in her tendency to wax poetic about things (she even writes poetry on occasion!). Many of her classmates (though not herself) would regard her skills with a violin as virtuoso, and most any play the Academy puts on will have her at least in a minor role. It's not that she's the best, but her enthusiasm for the arts is endearing, and she only doesn't sign up for a play if she literally doesn't hear about it until after auditions have ended.

The girl herself is a rather pretty sight, hair normally just a tad longer than in the above photograph. Pictured in the photo is her Academy uniform; while outside she tends to wear various trendy European fashions, although unless in costume she has never, EVER been observed wearing pants. Her voice is soft and sweet, a beautiful soprano, and despite her French name and heritage her voice only caries a soft hint of a French accent, just enough to be noticeable but far less pronounced than the average person trying to sound French.

Outside of her interests, Capucine is a fairly introspective (though not introverted) girl, fairly commonly found lost in thought with a book of poetry folded around her finger. She also tends to frequent rooftops, or sit on the sill of an open window with her whole body outside it. As noted, though, this does not mean she's a loner. She's a thespian after all, among other things, and she's more than willing to talk over these musings with her many friends! Just don't be -too- surprised if she trails off mid-conversation and starts staring at the sky.

Capucine does have a bit of a secret, though...







"'old it right zere, villain! If you wish to pursoo your wickaid goals, zen you must oveurcome ze shining might of Pierre d'Mask!"

You know how most magical girls, upon transforming, really just switch their normal outfits for a leotard and a miniskirt, and maybe a new hairstyle? Not much of a disguise, really; they don't even have Clark Kent's magical glasses to hide their face. It's a miracle, really, that somehow nobody connected ditzy schoolgirl Serena to the high-kicking Sailor Moon.

Capucine is well aware of that particular deficiency. So when she developed magical girl powers, she went out of her way to design a transformation that couldn't possibly be traced back to her. In fact, well... It's a trap! Or reverse-trap, as the terminology goes. That dashing young man in the image above is in fact her appearance after transforming... and is actually a woman!

While transformed, Capucine is able to call on her magical abilities to become the hero known to the few who actually believe in such things as "Pierre d'Mask". She keeps her normally fairly noticeable breasts bound and hidden under layers of dapper clothing, and of course her face is hidden behind that rather lovely mask. In addition, her voice deepens to a lovely tenor, and to further disguise her identity she adopts a far thicker and more recognizable French accent. It's actually a bit overblown, to her own chagrin, but it's certainly hard to connect her soft French tones to Pierre's heavy "o ho ho ho!". Her weapon of choice is not a wand, but a fashionable pitch-black cane that conceals a sword. She's never had to use it, though, so she's not exactly a master fencer...

Incidentally, said mask is actually her transformation trigger, much like Serena's prism or Sakura's Clow wand. She keeps it on her at all times, but if it's stolen away from her, then she can't transform. Not that this keeps her from using her attacks, mind, but doing so would blow her cover, so losing the mask effectively disarms her, especially if it's in a public place.

In terms of setting, Capucine is at all times careful of hiding her identity, much like a Western superhero. She's better suited to settings where things like magical girls and energy-stealing monsters are known, or at least believed in, by only a few who've seen it firsthand; battles with the kaiju-of-the-week are not her forte, and don't suit her as well. A magical-themed villain who's just as secretive of her real self as her is perfect, though~

Pierre's magical techniques are all based on various flora. They include, among others...
Tropaeolum Ward: A barrier technique named for the nasturtium plant, often used by farmers for its ability to repel various pests dangerous to crops. While short-acting, it is powerful, negating magic-based attacks and repelling any physical force used on it. It can also shunt close attackers to outside the barrier's radius.
Hedera Bind: One of Pierre's most common techniques, named for the genus name for ivy. Gold-filigree chains slip along beneath the ground and burst free to immobilize a single chosen foe. While somewhat taxing to maintain, these chains are extremely strong despite their frail appearance.
Oleander Dart: A powerful long-ranged technique. Oleander is a plant containing a deadly heart-affecting agent, often used in Africa to poison arrows. While not actually poisonous, Pierre can create a magical bullet that does high damage to the target, fired from the tip of his cane. It is, however, single-target only.
Jimson Thorn: Mid-ranged whip attack. Jimson weed is a commonly used poison that is also the basis of an early anesthetic. As with the previous move, Jimson Thorn emerges from Pierre's cane, slicing across potentially multiple opponents and seriously disorienting them, or possibly even rendering them comatose for a short period of time.



So that's Capucine in a nutshell... talented, arts-oriented, a bit of a poet and romantic... and secretly the true identity of a mysterious masked figure who stalks the demons of night with shining, glorious magic!

"Would you... care to dance~?"