woman / weapon

biography (tw sex work): 

riley was crafted two years ago. she is considered one of the most upgraded/updated synths the sander corporation has to offer, especially for her line of business. 

she is a brothel worker at the grind, known exclusively for being one of the cheaper establishments of the sort throughout panorama city/arcadia - for both its overnight fares and its ‘merchandise.’ 

because of this, the grind sees quite a large number of clients. it works around the clock, with faces pouring in and out every hour. it’s not exactly the nicest place to step into, but certainly one full of life and sins. because of this, it is easy for upper class citizens to bleed into the crowd, going through their vices undetected. it is also normal to have criminals/other seedy individuals doing their business on the grounds, having their entertainment, going home and starting their day over again. in summary, all walks of life travel the grind’s doors. 

the funny thing about this most upgraded synth? the one that’s totally not supposed to have emotions? surprise: riley was ‘born’ with them. not necessarily full on force (in fact, it would take awhile for her to fully realize her emotions/the difference between her and her coworkers), but she was relatively conscious of herself. her personality was so well-crafted though that most coders/engineers/etc just thought it a fancy format. and she did too. she didn’t think twice about her mistakes until she saw others punished for the same sort of actions/behavior. 

her ‘flaws’ started as a misplaced giggle in the middle of a client’s fantasy, a roll of her eyes when a passing bystander talked poorly of the place/synths, etc. little things written off without attracting too much attention. all parts of her fun, unique program. 

and she was pretty unique in the brothel. riley is crafted to be the sweet, bubbly, fun-loving, wild, playful, spontaneous type of synth. the one to keep everyone on their toes, spark laughter and smiles and hungry gazes with her flip of a switch work behavior. she can go from the quirky girl next door to whatever role her clients need her to fill in the bedroom: vixen, dominatrix, brat, soft lover, you get the idea. 

while riley actually doesn’t mind her work, she doesn’t necessarily want to be doing it for the rest of her life. she’s sort of torn between doing what she knows/being content, and risking exploring life outside of the grind maybe with someone she loves. sex is fine, but romance? everything to her. she is constantly sneaking cheesy romance flicks, and even a client has gotten in the habit of procuring rare vintage films for her. 

for now, the synth keeps a positive and upbeat outlook on her life. she enjoys some clients, some of her coworkers (particularly the ones with emotions), and some folks she just happens to run into.

details:

riley is pansexual, panromantic (prefers women).

she was crafted to sound like she’s from slovenia/eastern europe. her accent (and somewhat inspiration for her personality) can be found here, here, here, and here!

is the epitome of chaotic good. generally doesn’t hate one anyone because of their professions/etc. but doesn’t go for hurting others that don’t deserve it. but to the people who do? sure. she just doesn’t want to hear the details. would like for everyone to get along, humans and synths alike. 

everyone thinks she’s more innocent because of the way she acts, but she’s definitely got a jealous, temperamental, stubborn, teasing/taunting, sly side. however, it’s less to do with grand scheme and more she doesn’t know what she’s feeling but she’s feeling it. 

she is requested to change her appearance for work with simple mods/accessories/etc. she likes to don a short, blue wig or short, black one. but her normal hair is long and brown. has very light  blue eyes, speckled with violet. 

the government is watching her purely because she’s a new model and because she works at the brothel, which is always a source of drama.

wanted connections:

her fellow coworkers at the brothel: the people she can rely on, the rivals, the ones who are protective of her, the one who might love her. 

her clients (new/former/reoccurring): she treats her work like what it is. but she’s usually up to have fun and enjoy herself and get a kick out of her clients’ requests. she’s beloved by most, and spoiled with gifts/etc because of it. 

the unexpected friend and protector: he wound up being someone she met when she first joined the brothel. the first person to really see that she wasn’t without emotions. that she needed protecting as she gained more conscious thought/feelings. he handles her less than pleasant clients, making them disappear. taken: alexei rezanov. 

biography ( tw death, drugs/alcohol, abuse/neglect, murder ):

sapphira grew up in sunset district with her father, quinsby. her mother had passed away when she was very young, and it set the course for a rocky childhood.

quinsby turned to drugs and alcohol. he started getting more involved with the rampant crime of sunset district, making fast cash to put a ‘fucking roof over their heads.’ a necessity when sapphira’s mother had been paying bills as a nurse.

quinsby eventually landed himself a role in the city’s underbelly. he was a drug dealer and the business was a solid one. little sapphira would sit back and observe. she was wiser than most. an old soul. why? because she had grown up fast. quinsby instilled the belief that ‘the world’s a shitty place and it’ll spit you out if you ain’t big enough for it.’ she wanted to world to chew him up and swallow him whole. 

luckily, when her father wasn’t there any time she cried or got injured or needed a helping hand, there was a synth his group had employed that would be. this particular synth was kind to her, finding food for her to eat, bandaging scraped knees, etc. she saw him like an actual father - a real guardian.

so to say her heart broke the day she found out he was shipped away is an understatement. one minute there and ready to smile, the next simply gone like her mother. sapphira had a feeling quinsby had a hand in shipping him off after his jealousy and pride took root. 

sapphira waited until she was old enough as a teen to get the hell out of her father’s house. she roomed with friends for a time, but money would always be a problem for a girl who wanted more in life. so she turned to what she knew best. she started getting involved with crime. it was easy. she had the connections and skills.

but she worked for an opposite drug dealing group in sunset district. and when they found out about her father, they insisted she give him up to prove herself (and off a few others throughout her time in the group). while sapphira hated the bastard, it was still a hesitant but made decision on her part. by the end of the following week, she was standing at his funeral with a detached gaze.

sapphira worked as a cook at a restaurant in the meantime. a cover to all her shady dealings. it was at said restaurant that she met her would-be synth lover, violet. at first, sapphira thought nothing of violet’s ‘programming.’ the subtle glances over her shoulder, the softer smiles, the closeness to her. a bit of a crush and as time progressed, so did their relationship. it was strange and new and foreign to sapphira, but she fell head over heels and knew she’d have to protect violet from the rest. she couldn’t lose her, too.

in the end, fate is never kind and violet was found out. she was stolen from the restaurant and terminated and sapphira spiraled. 

for a few months, she turned to drugs and alcohol like her father once had. but then she realized she didn’t want to follow in his place. she didn’t want this life. she wanted to get her fucking revenge, and make sure no one would ever feel like she did. 

so she quit the restaurant, quit drug dealing, started looking up. literally. towards the summit, and the sander family in particular. she worked hard to get all the right connections, play all the right parts, and soon enough she was charming her way into mr. sander’s home. becoming his certified ‘trophy wife.’ 

of course, she didn’t settle for the position. she decided to take over citrus, the famous summit restaurant, with some years of handling said business under her belt. and a list of privileges her newfound status/wealth granted her. it’s the back of the restaurant that sees the most business, with sapphira dealing whatever is necessary to synths to gain their freedom/aid their rebellion. 

meanwhile, she plays the perfect wife. has been the past five years. smiling at every sander corporation employee, every synth hunter, every arpd’s ‘finest.’ while considering the best way to rot the belly of the beast from the inside out when war’s on the plate. and dipping her hand in political affairs where she can, without being caught. 

details:

she is demisexual, demiromantic.

is deemed a ‘trophy wife’ and ‘gold digger’ etc by the summit/the upper class. her past was uncovered after a year of being with mr. sander and they branded her as nothing more than a self-satisfied social climber. and sapphira rolls with this. she pretends to be vain and materialistic, because it’s a good enough cover to what she really is. aka why the government no longer looks into her.

the real sapphira is pretty deadly. she’s incredibly adept at combat/martial arts/weaponry. she grew up in the roughest neighborhood in sunset district. she had to survive. she went into crime, she had to be the best. so when she has some time to herself? she’s training. whether her body or skills. thought most think she’s just doing cutesy yoga. 

honestly wanted citrus because 1. got to know the previous owner and they became like friends. 2. she needed a business to cover for her ‘busy days’ and ‘hectic schedule.’ and somewhere she could do business out of without a second glance. 3. the restaurant reminds her of violet, and the good she experienced out of all the bad. she runs it in her memory, which is why she helps the synths from there. 

when she’s doing her shady business, she goes by the alias ‘lady lazarus.’ 

wanted connections:

her guardian synth: the one that was shipped away when she was a little girl. who treated her like his daughter, and tried to protect her from the horrors she faced.

synths she does business with: do they need a fake id card? a place to crash/hide? repairs? surgeries? etc. she’ll have them covered if she can manage it. if they’re killers or people in politics, she’s making sure they have the names or supplies.

people who knew violet: because they knew violet, sapphira regards them fondly. she wants to keep the memory of her alive.