Penelope Smith

Personality
+ Happy-go-lucky|+Resourceful|+Friendly|/Carefree|-Restless|-Impulsive|-Immature|-Impatient

Penny is a generally friendly and social 'mon. For the most part, she has a happy-go-lucky, can-do attitude, and she's always willing to make friends. Growing up without much, she's pretty resourceful, and can make the best of what she's got. Because of her carefree attitude, she often finds it hard to sit still, and because of this restlessness, she can often be found just running around (especially on rooftops) just exploring the city. If she is forced to sit still, she will usually tap her foot or fidget, sometimes annoying the more irritable who may be around her. She's a bit impulsive, often willing to try anything with disregard to the consequences. Offered to smoke something she's never seen? Done. Take 4 shots in 5 minutes? Deal. Jump off the roof into a pool? You got it. Now that she's out on her own, she seems to be going through a bit of a "teenage rebellious phase." While others may find this behavior immature, she just sees it as having a good time. Just, maybe have 911 on speed dial when around her.

History
Penny can't remember anything before her life in the orphanage. She was left there as an infant in what can only be described as a "cliche baby-on-the-doorstep act." Her parents were young, and without the means to support a child, so they made the difficult decision to give their daughter up, in the hopes that she would be adopted into a loving family. In the overcrowded city, however, not many 'mons were looking to adopt, so many children became permanent residents in the home. It wasn't the best childhood a kid could have, but the little Rattata didn't seem to mind much. As far as orphanages go, this one wasn't all that bad. The living conditions were a bit meager and the food was often on the bland side, but the matronly Miltank in charge, Ms. Aldham, and the rest of the caretakers were always kind and caring towards their wards, making sure they were loved and properly cared for. There was little drama between the children, who had formed a sort of camaraderie amongst themselves.

During her early years, she spent much of her time on the orphanage grounds, helping with simple chores, attending her studies, and playing with the other kids in the home's spacious yard. Her best friend was a timid young Chimchar named Chester, and the two spent much of their time together, the social Rattata often trying to convince him to come out of his shell.

By the time she was 10 or so, Penny began joining the older children in their outings into the city. It was during these outings that she learned about making money. Many of the small-business owners would pay the children a few dollars for doing any assortment of odd-jobs. The kids could often be seen shining shoes, making deliveries, sweeping storefronts; any small errand they could to make some pocket change. Penny's favorite task, however, was collecting scrap metal for the friendly Exploud that owned the junkyard. She would often recruit Chester and a few of the other children, and the group would scour the alleyways for any bits of metal they could find, before taking their findings to the Exploud, who would buy it off of them for a few dollars each, and later melt it down for repurposing.

Life went on like this for a while, but as her eighteenth birthday approached, Penny realized her time at the orphanage would soon be running out. Having grown rather fond of the place, the mouse approached Ms. Aldham about the situation, and asked if she could stick around as extra help with the children and cleaning. Knowing that she was approaching her winter years, as well as having a soft spot for the girl after raising her from infancy, the aging Miltank, agreed to let her stay, so long as she provided her own meals. "The younger ones have taken a shining to you, but I can't afford to keep feeding you. You eat like a hippowdon. And Arceus knows where you put it all." she had said, with a teasing smile. So Penny stayed.

In a few years time, she had shared heartfelt goodbyes with many of her friends, including Chester, who chose to leave to try and make lives for themselves in the neighboring cities. In addition to helping at the orphanage, she continued her work for Mr. Henry, the Exploud from the junkyard. With more age and experience under her belt, she had become one of his trusted collectors. She used her agility to scale rooftops, using her vantage point to scope out her findings, and allowing her to bring in bigger and better loads, for which she was paid more handsomely than she was during her days of collecting soup cans and discarded spoons. She used her money to feed herself and to buy a few small luxuries, such as new clothes and a cell phone.

Soon after her 21st birthday, she received an odd message on her phone, talking of some city named Palatia. The idea of moving to a new planet intrigued her, and she showed the email to Ms. Aldham. The Miltank knew that Penny needed to leave the nest, and encouraged her to go, assuring her that she had all the help she needed. After debating the idea for a bit, Penny decided she was right. She packed her few things and said her goodbyes to the children. Leaving one of the other caretakers in charge, the elderly Miltank drove the Rattata to the space station a few cities over. Through their tears, they shared a long hug, before Penny made a promise to keep in touch, bought her ticket, and boarded the ship to Vyse.

Extra Facts

 * She's in the top percentile of Rattata//shot
 * The cuff on her ear contains an everstone.
 * Unknown to her, her mother was a Rattata and her father was a Persian. Not the most conventional couple, but the cat and mouse did love each other.
 * Her ears are gauged, as well as having 3 additional piercings in each.
 * Her teeth don't grow quite as fast as an average Rattata's, so she doesn't need to gnaw nearly as much, but she can sometimes be found with a toothpick in her mouth, a sign that they're getting a bit too long.
 * She's really not that strong and relies more on her speed, but she can be pretty scrappy when she needs to be.
 * She doesn't know her real last name, so she just went by Smith, since it seemed common enough.
 * Fairly certain she's bisexual.