Tabitha Hu

Introductions
Tabitha Hu is destined to be the next villainous "Auntie Tiger", a character featuring in the Taiwanese fairytale/folkstory of the same name. An orphan from a young age due to her mother following her destiny that resulted in her death, Tabitha was raised primarily by distant family members and boarding house/orphanage caretakers. With what inheritance she has left from her mother, she's set out to change her fortune.

Defensive and mistrustful, Tabitha tends to keep her emotions firmly in check, rarely making efforts to make friends with people. This stems from her deep insecurity that someone will try to hurt her as her destiny dictates, though there seems to be a glimmer of vulnerability underneath her carefully structured armour. She has the ability to turn into a great South China Tiger when she pleases, and will usually spend an equal amount of time in both forms.

A firm rebel, Tabitha is desperate to find a way out of her destiny and stay human, without the cost of the lives of two children and her ultimately, her own.

Personality
First and foremost, Tabitha seems exceptionally reserved, if not downright rude. Unwilling to let people get close, she generally seems cold and imperious. Unafraid to tell people precisely what she thinks of them, Tabitha doesn't make friends easily – and she's (apparently) happy to keep it that way. She makes a point of being brutally honest as well, and she'll have no problems telling you that yes, you do look fat in that dress thanks for asking.

However, despite all the lashing out on the surface there's a reward for those who are willing and dedicated enough to mine through her armour. In the face of all her haughty confidence Tabitha is surprisingly agreeable to those she's close to, often becoming somewhat clingy. She has a dry sense of humour and loves to gossip with a close friend during a sleepover; a luxury she never really had in the boarding house. You can tell when she's close to someone when she's in tiger form: she'll rub her head and sides along the person enthusiastically, often purring or chirping. Beware of tiger hair – it gets everywhere.

Looks/Presentation
Tabitha stands at above average height for a woman from China, coming in at 5ft 6" and 118lbs. Graceful and purposeful, she holds herself with a practiced sort of discipline, possibly to give the illusion of someone who had a greater purpose in life. She has bright orange coloured eyes and a long, sleek curtain of jet black hair that's long enough to sit on (she takes great pride in her hair and likes to brush it often, much like a cat would like to groom its fur).

Favoring structured, angular, sleek clothing with modern Chinese fashion influences, she's always seen sporting her signature colours; red, orange, gold and green. Dresses are her staple; whether it be sleek evening gowns or tunic dresses with leggings. She will unabashedly tell you that one of her favourite items of clothing is her only pair of black and red louboutins that she won in a game of checkers.

She can also be seen wearing her black martial arts uniform when training – her hair will always be tied up in a messy half attempt at a bun.

The only clothing item she has left of her mother's is an orange-green jade pendant on a black string, featuring a prowling tiger carved into the front. She will always wear this either on top of or under her clothing.

Hobbies and Interests
Tabitha had a lot of time to spare as a child, often being left alone while her older relatives worked or being left to her own devices in the boarding house once her relatives where no longer keen to look after her. Due to this she spent a lot of time focusing on her favourite past time – Fu Jow Pai, or "Tiger Claw" style of Kung Fu (very fitting). She stumbled upon a run down temple down a back alley from where she would attend school and found out that they offered cheap classes in exchange for work. Happily taking up the distraction to aid her loneliness, Tabitha threw herself into her master's teachings and would offer an hour of cleaning and mopping for an hour of training. Quickly climbing up the ranks, she's just achieved her black belt – something she's very proud of.

She's also a skilled boardgames player – particularly checkers, dominoes and monopoly. She would often ask the caretakers at the boarding house to play with her, and on the off chance that one of them would actually agree she enjoyed herself immensely.

Fairytale
Auntie Tiger is a tale which can only end in sadness, and not just for Tabitha. Destined to become a tinger permanently once she leaves Every After High, the only way she can become human once more is to devour children. Following this however she is fated to fall prey to her own desperate circumstances and end up boiling in a pot of hot oil at the wit of a young girl, but not at the expense of another child's life.

Desperate to find a way out, currently Tabitha has two choices; either follow her path and die for the trouble, or stay a tiger until the end of her days. She's a rebel for this very reason. She doesn't want to end up like her mother, and so that her children don't have to suffer the same consequences.

Friends/Relationships
(TBA)

Powers and Abilities
Able to transform into a tiger and a human as well as various stages in between, Tabitha has mostly hidden her secret from those around her as she grew up. While a few selected relatives knew of her powers and story, they were quick to tell her to cease her transformations. Ever since then she'd be sure and transform only when by herself – however now she's in a safe environment she can be seen as a tiger quite often.

It's been said her tiger form has exceptionally soft fur, and that her roar can be heard for miles; she can and will act like an asshole cat from time to time.

Trivia

 * Tabitha hates seafood – this makes her possibly one of the only big cats that doesn't like fish.
 * She enjoys going to festivals and street parties; the more colour and music the better.
 * She will often burn sage as a personal cleansing ritual – her martial arts master often burned sage for luck and cleanliness, so she likes to keep the tradition going.
 * Tabitha is an excellent swimmer; like most tigers, she enjoys the swimming itself, however she greatly dislikes having to wash and groom herself afterwards.