Esther App
Player Information
» Name: Ardruna
» Date of Birth: 09/30/1984
» Journal:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mirisa_ardruna
» Contact: AIM: Mirisa Erato, email: ardruna@gmail.com
Deity Information
» Pantheon: Judeo-Christian
» Deity: Esther
» Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purim, Book of Esther
» Divine Family: {mother & father} Abihail, mother unknown, both deceased--raised by her cousin Mordecai; {spouse} King Ahasuerus; {siblings} none; {children} none mentioned
» Mythology: Esther was originally a beautiful Jewish orphan girl named Hadassah, who was raised by her cousin Mordecai. When King Cyrus permitted the Jews to return to Jerusalem, Hadassah remained with Mordecai in Persia.
One day, the Persian King Ahasuerus (often identified with Xerxes) decided to hold a feast in the city of Shoushan for 180 days. During that time, he asked his wife, Queen Vashti, to come before him and his guests wearing only her crown in her hair, but no veil. Vashti refused to do so, infuriating her husband. The king asked his advisers what to do about her behavior, and one warned him to denounce Vashti and put her aside, lest other women in the kingdom try to follow her example of impudence and begin to despise and disobey their husbands. Ahasuerus agreed, and promptly began the search for a new bride by decreeing each of his provinces send their fairest young virgins to his harem so that he might choose among them. One of the girls sent was Hadassah.
Upon arriving, Hadassah was given the name Esther, meaning "star," and she began a year-long process of learning to look and behave like a lady of the Persian court. She was told that she would have to take her turn with the other concubines, and when her turn came, she would visit the king in the evening, and return to the harem the next morning, where she would stay unless the king summoned her again by name. Esther pleased Ahasuerus well, for she, among the young women sent, was chosen to be his wife and queen.
Meanwhile, one day while Mordecai was sitting near the king's gates, he overheard two of the royal guards plotting to assassinate the king. He immediately informed Esther of the conspiracy, and she subsequently warned the king, giving Mordecai the credit for the information. The king then swiftly had the would-be assassins arrested and hanged.
Shortly after this, King Ahasuerus granted Haman the Agagite, a wealthy and prominent prince in the realm, special honors and an invitation to be his adviser. In his honor, there was to be a procession through the city, and everyone was to bow down to Haman as he passed by on his horse. Mordecai, however, refused to do so, stating that he would bow to no one but his God. This enraged Haman, who immediately put his new position to work in finding a way to exact revenge upon Mordecai.
With the help of his wife and personal advisers, Haman hatched a plot to get rid of not only Mordecai, but all of the Jews throughout the Persian Empire, exterminating them. He chose the date to carry out the order by drawing lots. When the day came, he laid charges of sedition against all the Jews in the land, and gained Ahasuerus's approval to write a decree calling for the destruction of their race. Haram even offered to pay the king 10,000 silver talents to approve the plan, but Ahasuerus refused to take the bribe.
When Mordecai found out about the decree, he tore his clothes and marked his forehead with ash in mourning for his people. Dismayed by the state of her beloved cousin, Esther tried to send him new, clean clothes, but Mordecai refused to take them, insisting that deliverance for their people would come from some other place. He also warned Esther that she, too, would be killed in this act of genocide unless she could get Ahasuerus to put a stop to it. Esther was frightened, for it could mean her death either way. The king had not summoned her in a month, and she was not permitted to see him unless he had called for her, lest she be killed for her impropriety. However, she was also facing near certain demise at under Haman's decree.
Esther called for her handmaids and all the Jews in Persia to join her in a three-day fast, during which she built up her courage to ask Ahasuerus to put an end to the killing of the Persian Jews. Finally, she went to see the king, and luckily upon her arrival, he held out his scepter toward her, accepting her visit. At that time, asked only for a banquet with just herself, Ahasuerus and Haman. The king agreed, and during the banquet, she requested another one to be held the next day for just her and the king.
After the first banquet, Haman was having a gallows built upon which to hang Mordecai for his refusal to submit to his authority. King Ahasuerus, meanwhile, was not sleeping well, and was resorting to having histories read to him in an effort to help. During these readings, he remembered how Mordecai had tipped them off of the assassination plot, but had never received any reward for himself. Ahasuerus wanted to correct the oversight, but could not decide on what would be appropriate.
Early the next morning, Haman approached the king, intending to ask for permission to execute Mordecai, but before he got a chance to speak, Ahasuerus asked him "What should be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?" Haman misunderstood the question, thinking that the king meant him instead, and so he answered that the man should be dressed in a royal robe and be led on one of the king's horses through the city streets proclaiming before him, "This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!" Ahasuerus thought it a fine idea, and asked Haman to arrange the honors for Mordecai. Haman was shocked and deeply upset, for surely he could not carry out his execution upon a man thusly honored by the king. Even his wife agreed that he would surely come to ruin for it.
That night, during the second banquet, Esther told Ahasuerus about Haman's plan to massacre all of the Jews in Persia, admitting that she herself was Jewish. The king was shocked and initially troubled by Esther's confession, retreating to the royal gardens to think about what she had said. How could he have given such a position to a Jewess, after all? But, he remembered how well she had pleased him, and how dutifully she had warned him of the threat against his life, and realized she had a point. Haman's genocide needed to be stopped. As if that weren't enough to deal with in one night, upon returning from the gardens, he discovered Haman attempting to rape Esther on one of the couches. Enraged, Ahasuerus immediately ordered that Haman be hanged on the very gallows he had built to carry out Mordecai's execution.
Afterward, the king appointed Mordecai as his prime minister in Haman's place, and decreed that the Jews would have the right to defend themselves against their enemies. In a second edict, Ahasuerus declared that the Jews would be permitted to arm themselves, and kill not only their enemies, but also the wives and children of their enemies if they felt the threat warranted it, and partake of any plunder they wished in doing so. The Jews were quick to take advantage of the new laws, and began their fight back on the 13th of Adar, the date the Jews were originally slated to be exterminated. The Jews went on to kill only their would-be executioners, and not their wives and children, altogether eight hundred killed in Susa alone, 75,000 in the rest of the empire. However, they took no plunder.
In remembrance of their deliverance, the Jews, under Mordecai's guidance, established an annual feast, the feast of Purim, which was to be celebrated every 14th of Adar, and marked with readings about Esther's bravery, gifts of food to friends, charity to the poor and disadvantaged, and drinking "on Purim until he can no longer distinguish between the phrases arur Haman ("Cursed is Haman") and baruch Mordechai ("Blessed is Mordecai")." According to traditional rabbinic dating, this took place about fifty-two years after the start of the Babylonian Exile.
As for Esther herself, she was accorded a place of high honor among the king's wives, and never needed fear whether or not she would be summoned again. Even today, Jews in Persia refer to themselves as "Esther's Children," to honor her.
Character Information
» Played By: Cote de Pablo
» Journal:queen_of_purim
» Current Name: Hada Morgenstern
» Birthdate: 03/19/1981
» Height: 5'8"
» Distinguishing Marks: A small star tattooed on her right ankle
» Family: {mother & father} Simon and Edith Morgenstern (both deceased), largely raised by her cousin Michael Morgenstern; {marital status/spouse} single/NA; {siblings} none; {children} none; {pets} A Persian cat named Stella
» Occupation: Lobbyist
» Currently Residing In: Washington D.C.
» Ability: Esther-reborn doesn't have any powers, but she has a silver tongue and can be very persuasive when she needs to be.
UPDATED ABILITIES: Being mortal, the increase only affects her so much, but Esther gains additional sex appeal and a superlative talent in the bedroom. Her existing talent for persuasion becomes even more effective.
SECOND UPDATE: Esther gains additional persuasion. It is virtually impossible for any mortal to disagree with her.
» History: This is Esther's first reincarnation.
She was reborn as Hada Morgenstern shortly after sundown on March 19th, 1981 (coincidentally, the start of Purim that year) in Silver Spring, Maryland. Sadly, she lost both of her parents in an auto accident when she was four. Having only a seventeen-year-old (at the time) cousin named Michael as far as her other living relatives went, young Hada was made a ward of the state and placed in a group home for six years while her cousin worked to gain custody of her, finally winning it just after Hada turned ten.
They didn't have much, but Michael did all he could to try and make ends meet for the two of them. In spite of her adversity, Hada was a well-behaved child, working hard at her schooling and regularly attending synagogue with her cousin. Purim was one of the few times they would let loose, seeing as Hada's birthday often fell on or near it. Her bat mitzvah was an especially special occasion in combining the two.
She started having memories resurface around the time of her bat mitzvah. She'd heard the Purim stories many times, but there was something so very familiar about them... Little by little she came to realize that she was Esther reborn. At first she had difficulty accepting the idea, but then again, Judaism believed in the returns of the prophets, and to some, Esther was among those prophets, so who was to say she wasn't or that it was against her faith to be so?
As soon as she was old enough, having known what it meant to do without, Hada took on after-school jobs and regularly volunteered in her community, participating in food drives and fundraisers. Although very pretty, she didn't date much. Her only boyfriend of any seriousness was her high school class president, but they parted ways when they went off to college.
Hada earned a scholarship to a small, private Jewish college, where she majored in political science. She managed to land an internship in Washington D.C., and after graduating from law school, returned there to become a lobbyist, working for rights and programs designed to assist and benefit the nation's poor.
» Personality: Esther reborn is a champion of soft power. Although she is not afraid to stand up and make her voice heard, she is not pushy or outspoken, preferring to wield subtle influence and charm to get her way instead. Knowing what it was like to be a poor Jewish girl in the cultural and politically & economically weak minority, she has become dedicated to helping improve the lives of those less fortunate, speaking up on their behalf and advocating for their equal rights and benefits. She is unswerving in her conviction, and can show great courage when necessary.
She has a generous spirit, though she is not entirely selfless. She has been known to delay taking action on some very difficult issues, unless her own well-being is in danger. She may have a powerful sense of right and wrong, but she doesn't like to needlessly ruffle feathers. Playing the martyr is something that comes easily to her as well.
She also has a strong sense of decorum, and carefully navigates her way through situations of difficult etiquette. She always prefers to err on the side of being polite than to potentially step on anyone's toes. This can sometimes also delay her taking action on an issue, if there is no way to address it without offending someone. She likes to keep up appearances, is unfailingly cordial to others, and lives by the adage of "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Only those she trusts most ever get to hear her real opinions when it comes to things or people she dislikes.
In tandem with her propriety, she is a big believer in fairness and will always play by the rules. That said, however, her legal training has taught her how to use loopholes to her advantage like a pro. She will seize on opportunities if she can, but is very careful to do so without ever overstepping the rules or her position.
Family and faith are the most important things to her personally, aside from her individual crusades for justice. Having so few people to call family, she is fiercely protective of the people closest to her. She has no problem with calling in favors or using the law against anyone who threatens her kith and kin. And should things end up a little rough and bloody for her enemies because of that, well, she'll turn a blind eye and a deaf ear on that sort of vengeance. Although she wouldn't necessarily call herself pious, she does her best to live her life within the tenets of Judaism. However, she doesn't flaunt her Jewish heritage. While she doesn't feel necessarily compelled to hide it, she's learned it can make things a bit awkward, especially amidst professed Christians, as many politicians are wont to be, so she rarely discusses it openly.
Although she has a sensual side and doesn't see anything inherently wrong with intimacy, love and sex have never been high priorities for her. She is more likely to enter relationships out of convenience or a sense of personal gain than for any romantic ideals. She is certainly not above using her feminine charms to get what she wants, and if that means a little flirting over wine and dinner, then so be it. She does draw the line at actual sexual affairs, though--she won't go to bed with married men or engage in any professionally prohibited relationships.
Having done without for so long, she has a deep appreciation for the finer things in life, and likes to spoil herself periodically--or get someone to do it for her. She loves to luxuriate in beautiful surroundings, gorgeous apparel, and fine food and drink. Few would ever guess at first glance that she came from difficult circumstances, and never has she turned down a gift in her life. This sometimes makes her prone to overindulgence, particularly when it comes to alcohol, and she does often have to keep a close eye on her budgets, but she does her best to balance any largess in her life with charity for the less fortunate.
» Other Notes: She is straight. Although same-sex relationships make her a little uncomfortable on a personal level, she refuses to look down on anyone just because of their orientation.
She knows English, Hebrew and some Latin.
» Sample Journal: I was volunteering at the local soup kitchen the other night, and it is absolutely appalling how busy we were and the condition that some of the people were arriving in. They were crowding in like sardines, their eyes huge, and stomachs desperate for the little cups of hot soup we were able to offer them. It's so difficult to watch this sort of thing in winter, but it's when services to the poor are needed most.
I was talking about it to one of the senators, and I couldn't believe his nerve. He said it was too bad, but there wasn't much he could do. Far be it from me to speak ill of someone I work with, but isn't it his job to serve the well-being of America's citizens? Isn't that how he got elected? I hope his constituents don't hear about such callousness, or else he might not win another term in office.
» Sample Log: "...and that was how I became a legend on that course," the senator was saying, telling one of his boastful golfing stories. Hada smiled and laughed politely.
"So, I was wondering," she said, interrupting him gently as she topped off his wine glass with the merlot they were sharing, "What are your thoughts regarding the bill to extend the length of benefits for the unemployed?"
"Huh?" he said, blinking, caught off-guard by her question, "Oh, that. That bill is just posturing by those bleeding-hearts. They know it won't make it off the floor. Besides, we just can't afford to keep throwing money at drains on society. The United States government is not a charity."
Hada pursed her lips, a gesture she watched the senator's eyes follow.
"You know, I've done some volunteer work among the long-term unemployed. I've talked with them, heard their stories. They aren't out of work by choice, most of them. They want to contribute to their households and to society at large, but they just ca't find the means to do so. They really aren't looking for handouts, but rather a hand up," she said, tracing her finger along the rim of her wine glass. She glanced up with a small smile. "And they would be oh so grateful to the people who gave them that hand up..."
The senator was staring at her intently.
"...grateful, huh?"
Hada licked her lip a tiny bit and her smile broadened.
"Oh, yes. Very grateful. Thousands of grateful voters who would love to demonstrate their appreciation," she said, smoothing a curl of her hair behind her ear and along her shoulder in a slow, soft gesture.
The senator watched her with greedy eyes, and then cleared his throat.
"Well, I... suppose..."
"Just think of all the ways they might want to thank you," she continued in a low voice, her tone taking a sultry edge.
"I..." He couldn't take his eyes off her.
"Does that mean I can count on your vote for it?" she said demurely, "Good! I can't tell you how grateful I'd be if you did."
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» Name: Ardruna
» Date of Birth: 09/30/1984
» Journal:
mirisa_ardruna» Contact: AIM: Mirisa Erato, email: ardruna@gmail.com
Deity Information
» Pantheon: Judeo-Christian
» Deity: Esther
» Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purim, Book of Esther
» Divine Family: {mother & father} Abihail, mother unknown, both deceased--raised by her cousin Mordecai; {spouse} King Ahasuerus; {siblings} none; {children} none mentioned
» Mythology: Esther was originally a beautiful Jewish orphan girl named Hadassah, who was raised by her cousin Mordecai. When King Cyrus permitted the Jews to return to Jerusalem, Hadassah remained with Mordecai in Persia.
One day, the Persian King Ahasuerus (often identified with Xerxes) decided to hold a feast in the city of Shoushan for 180 days. During that time, he asked his wife, Queen Vashti, to come before him and his guests wearing only her crown in her hair, but no veil. Vashti refused to do so, infuriating her husband. The king asked his advisers what to do about her behavior, and one warned him to denounce Vashti and put her aside, lest other women in the kingdom try to follow her example of impudence and begin to despise and disobey their husbands. Ahasuerus agreed, and promptly began the search for a new bride by decreeing each of his provinces send their fairest young virgins to his harem so that he might choose among them. One of the girls sent was Hadassah.
Upon arriving, Hadassah was given the name Esther, meaning "star," and she began a year-long process of learning to look and behave like a lady of the Persian court. She was told that she would have to take her turn with the other concubines, and when her turn came, she would visit the king in the evening, and return to the harem the next morning, where she would stay unless the king summoned her again by name. Esther pleased Ahasuerus well, for she, among the young women sent, was chosen to be his wife and queen.
Meanwhile, one day while Mordecai was sitting near the king's gates, he overheard two of the royal guards plotting to assassinate the king. He immediately informed Esther of the conspiracy, and she subsequently warned the king, giving Mordecai the credit for the information. The king then swiftly had the would-be assassins arrested and hanged.
Shortly after this, King Ahasuerus granted Haman the Agagite, a wealthy and prominent prince in the realm, special honors and an invitation to be his adviser. In his honor, there was to be a procession through the city, and everyone was to bow down to Haman as he passed by on his horse. Mordecai, however, refused to do so, stating that he would bow to no one but his God. This enraged Haman, who immediately put his new position to work in finding a way to exact revenge upon Mordecai.
With the help of his wife and personal advisers, Haman hatched a plot to get rid of not only Mordecai, but all of the Jews throughout the Persian Empire, exterminating them. He chose the date to carry out the order by drawing lots. When the day came, he laid charges of sedition against all the Jews in the land, and gained Ahasuerus's approval to write a decree calling for the destruction of their race. Haram even offered to pay the king 10,000 silver talents to approve the plan, but Ahasuerus refused to take the bribe.
When Mordecai found out about the decree, he tore his clothes and marked his forehead with ash in mourning for his people. Dismayed by the state of her beloved cousin, Esther tried to send him new, clean clothes, but Mordecai refused to take them, insisting that deliverance for their people would come from some other place. He also warned Esther that she, too, would be killed in this act of genocide unless she could get Ahasuerus to put a stop to it. Esther was frightened, for it could mean her death either way. The king had not summoned her in a month, and she was not permitted to see him unless he had called for her, lest she be killed for her impropriety. However, she was also facing near certain demise at under Haman's decree.
Esther called for her handmaids and all the Jews in Persia to join her in a three-day fast, during which she built up her courage to ask Ahasuerus to put an end to the killing of the Persian Jews. Finally, she went to see the king, and luckily upon her arrival, he held out his scepter toward her, accepting her visit. At that time, asked only for a banquet with just herself, Ahasuerus and Haman. The king agreed, and during the banquet, she requested another one to be held the next day for just her and the king.
After the first banquet, Haman was having a gallows built upon which to hang Mordecai for his refusal to submit to his authority. King Ahasuerus, meanwhile, was not sleeping well, and was resorting to having histories read to him in an effort to help. During these readings, he remembered how Mordecai had tipped them off of the assassination plot, but had never received any reward for himself. Ahasuerus wanted to correct the oversight, but could not decide on what would be appropriate.
Early the next morning, Haman approached the king, intending to ask for permission to execute Mordecai, but before he got a chance to speak, Ahasuerus asked him "What should be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?" Haman misunderstood the question, thinking that the king meant him instead, and so he answered that the man should be dressed in a royal robe and be led on one of the king's horses through the city streets proclaiming before him, "This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!" Ahasuerus thought it a fine idea, and asked Haman to arrange the honors for Mordecai. Haman was shocked and deeply upset, for surely he could not carry out his execution upon a man thusly honored by the king. Even his wife agreed that he would surely come to ruin for it.
That night, during the second banquet, Esther told Ahasuerus about Haman's plan to massacre all of the Jews in Persia, admitting that she herself was Jewish. The king was shocked and initially troubled by Esther's confession, retreating to the royal gardens to think about what she had said. How could he have given such a position to a Jewess, after all? But, he remembered how well she had pleased him, and how dutifully she had warned him of the threat against his life, and realized she had a point. Haman's genocide needed to be stopped. As if that weren't enough to deal with in one night, upon returning from the gardens, he discovered Haman attempting to rape Esther on one of the couches. Enraged, Ahasuerus immediately ordered that Haman be hanged on the very gallows he had built to carry out Mordecai's execution.
Afterward, the king appointed Mordecai as his prime minister in Haman's place, and decreed that the Jews would have the right to defend themselves against their enemies. In a second edict, Ahasuerus declared that the Jews would be permitted to arm themselves, and kill not only their enemies, but also the wives and children of their enemies if they felt the threat warranted it, and partake of any plunder they wished in doing so. The Jews were quick to take advantage of the new laws, and began their fight back on the 13th of Adar, the date the Jews were originally slated to be exterminated. The Jews went on to kill only their would-be executioners, and not their wives and children, altogether eight hundred killed in Susa alone, 75,000 in the rest of the empire. However, they took no plunder.
In remembrance of their deliverance, the Jews, under Mordecai's guidance, established an annual feast, the feast of Purim, which was to be celebrated every 14th of Adar, and marked with readings about Esther's bravery, gifts of food to friends, charity to the poor and disadvantaged, and drinking "on Purim until he can no longer distinguish between the phrases arur Haman ("Cursed is Haman") and baruch Mordechai ("Blessed is Mordecai")." According to traditional rabbinic dating, this took place about fifty-two years after the start of the Babylonian Exile.
As for Esther herself, she was accorded a place of high honor among the king's wives, and never needed fear whether or not she would be summoned again. Even today, Jews in Persia refer to themselves as "Esther's Children," to honor her.
Character Information
» Played By: Cote de Pablo
» Journal:
queen_of_purim» Current Name: Hada Morgenstern
» Birthdate: 03/19/1981
» Height: 5'8"
» Distinguishing Marks: A small star tattooed on her right ankle
» Family: {mother & father} Simon and Edith Morgenstern (both deceased), largely raised by her cousin Michael Morgenstern; {marital status/spouse} single/NA; {siblings} none; {children} none; {pets} A Persian cat named Stella
» Occupation: Lobbyist
» Currently Residing In: Washington D.C.
» Ability: Esther-reborn doesn't have any powers, but she has a silver tongue and can be very persuasive when she needs to be.
UPDATED ABILITIES: Being mortal, the increase only affects her so much, but Esther gains additional sex appeal and a superlative talent in the bedroom. Her existing talent for persuasion becomes even more effective.
SECOND UPDATE: Esther gains additional persuasion. It is virtually impossible for any mortal to disagree with her.
» History: This is Esther's first reincarnation.
She was reborn as Hada Morgenstern shortly after sundown on March 19th, 1981 (coincidentally, the start of Purim that year) in Silver Spring, Maryland. Sadly, she lost both of her parents in an auto accident when she was four. Having only a seventeen-year-old (at the time) cousin named Michael as far as her other living relatives went, young Hada was made a ward of the state and placed in a group home for six years while her cousin worked to gain custody of her, finally winning it just after Hada turned ten.
They didn't have much, but Michael did all he could to try and make ends meet for the two of them. In spite of her adversity, Hada was a well-behaved child, working hard at her schooling and regularly attending synagogue with her cousin. Purim was one of the few times they would let loose, seeing as Hada's birthday often fell on or near it. Her bat mitzvah was an especially special occasion in combining the two.
She started having memories resurface around the time of her bat mitzvah. She'd heard the Purim stories many times, but there was something so very familiar about them... Little by little she came to realize that she was Esther reborn. At first she had difficulty accepting the idea, but then again, Judaism believed in the returns of the prophets, and to some, Esther was among those prophets, so who was to say she wasn't or that it was against her faith to be so?
As soon as she was old enough, having known what it meant to do without, Hada took on after-school jobs and regularly volunteered in her community, participating in food drives and fundraisers. Although very pretty, she didn't date much. Her only boyfriend of any seriousness was her high school class president, but they parted ways when they went off to college.
Hada earned a scholarship to a small, private Jewish college, where she majored in political science. She managed to land an internship in Washington D.C., and after graduating from law school, returned there to become a lobbyist, working for rights and programs designed to assist and benefit the nation's poor.
» Personality: Esther reborn is a champion of soft power. Although she is not afraid to stand up and make her voice heard, she is not pushy or outspoken, preferring to wield subtle influence and charm to get her way instead. Knowing what it was like to be a poor Jewish girl in the cultural and politically & economically weak minority, she has become dedicated to helping improve the lives of those less fortunate, speaking up on their behalf and advocating for their equal rights and benefits. She is unswerving in her conviction, and can show great courage when necessary.
She has a generous spirit, though she is not entirely selfless. She has been known to delay taking action on some very difficult issues, unless her own well-being is in danger. She may have a powerful sense of right and wrong, but she doesn't like to needlessly ruffle feathers. Playing the martyr is something that comes easily to her as well.
She also has a strong sense of decorum, and carefully navigates her way through situations of difficult etiquette. She always prefers to err on the side of being polite than to potentially step on anyone's toes. This can sometimes also delay her taking action on an issue, if there is no way to address it without offending someone. She likes to keep up appearances, is unfailingly cordial to others, and lives by the adage of "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Only those she trusts most ever get to hear her real opinions when it comes to things or people she dislikes.
In tandem with her propriety, she is a big believer in fairness and will always play by the rules. That said, however, her legal training has taught her how to use loopholes to her advantage like a pro. She will seize on opportunities if she can, but is very careful to do so without ever overstepping the rules or her position.
Family and faith are the most important things to her personally, aside from her individual crusades for justice. Having so few people to call family, she is fiercely protective of the people closest to her. She has no problem with calling in favors or using the law against anyone who threatens her kith and kin. And should things end up a little rough and bloody for her enemies because of that, well, she'll turn a blind eye and a deaf ear on that sort of vengeance. Although she wouldn't necessarily call herself pious, she does her best to live her life within the tenets of Judaism. However, she doesn't flaunt her Jewish heritage. While she doesn't feel necessarily compelled to hide it, she's learned it can make things a bit awkward, especially amidst professed Christians, as many politicians are wont to be, so she rarely discusses it openly.
Although she has a sensual side and doesn't see anything inherently wrong with intimacy, love and sex have never been high priorities for her. She is more likely to enter relationships out of convenience or a sense of personal gain than for any romantic ideals. She is certainly not above using her feminine charms to get what she wants, and if that means a little flirting over wine and dinner, then so be it. She does draw the line at actual sexual affairs, though--she won't go to bed with married men or engage in any professionally prohibited relationships.
Having done without for so long, she has a deep appreciation for the finer things in life, and likes to spoil herself periodically--or get someone to do it for her. She loves to luxuriate in beautiful surroundings, gorgeous apparel, and fine food and drink. Few would ever guess at first glance that she came from difficult circumstances, and never has she turned down a gift in her life. This sometimes makes her prone to overindulgence, particularly when it comes to alcohol, and she does often have to keep a close eye on her budgets, but she does her best to balance any largess in her life with charity for the less fortunate.
» Other Notes: She is straight. Although same-sex relationships make her a little uncomfortable on a personal level, she refuses to look down on anyone just because of their orientation.
She knows English, Hebrew and some Latin.
» Sample Journal: I was volunteering at the local soup kitchen the other night, and it is absolutely appalling how busy we were and the condition that some of the people were arriving in. They were crowding in like sardines, their eyes huge, and stomachs desperate for the little cups of hot soup we were able to offer them. It's so difficult to watch this sort of thing in winter, but it's when services to the poor are needed most.
I was talking about it to one of the senators, and I couldn't believe his nerve. He said it was too bad, but there wasn't much he could do. Far be it from me to speak ill of someone I work with, but isn't it his job to serve the well-being of America's citizens? Isn't that how he got elected? I hope his constituents don't hear about such callousness, or else he might not win another term in office.
» Sample Log: "...and that was how I became a legend on that course," the senator was saying, telling one of his boastful golfing stories. Hada smiled and laughed politely.
"So, I was wondering," she said, interrupting him gently as she topped off his wine glass with the merlot they were sharing, "What are your thoughts regarding the bill to extend the length of benefits for the unemployed?"
"Huh?" he said, blinking, caught off-guard by her question, "Oh, that. That bill is just posturing by those bleeding-hearts. They know it won't make it off the floor. Besides, we just can't afford to keep throwing money at drains on society. The United States government is not a charity."
Hada pursed her lips, a gesture she watched the senator's eyes follow.
"You know, I've done some volunteer work among the long-term unemployed. I've talked with them, heard their stories. They aren't out of work by choice, most of them. They want to contribute to their households and to society at large, but they just ca't find the means to do so. They really aren't looking for handouts, but rather a hand up," she said, tracing her finger along the rim of her wine glass. She glanced up with a small smile. "And they would be oh so grateful to the people who gave them that hand up..."
The senator was staring at her intently.
"...grateful, huh?"
Hada licked her lip a tiny bit and her smile broadened.
"Oh, yes. Very grateful. Thousands of grateful voters who would love to demonstrate their appreciation," she said, smoothing a curl of her hair behind her ear and along her shoulder in a slow, soft gesture.
The senator watched her with greedy eyes, and then cleared his throat.
"Well, I... suppose..."
"Just think of all the ways they might want to thank you," she continued in a low voice, her tone taking a sultry edge.
"I..." He couldn't take his eyes off her.
"Does that mean I can count on your vote for it?" she said demurely, "Good! I can't tell you how grateful I'd be if you did."
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