Name- Jiya
Nickname- Often called JiJi by her family
Age- 25 
Gender- Cis female
Species/breed-  Common Przewalski's horse
Coat- Dense and coarse, especially in winter. Typical Przewalski's horse coloration, though the points are a little lighter than usual
Build- Short legs, short mane, short neck, short everything. She is a beast of winter and the steppes by birth
Height-  12 hands
Orientation- Demiromantic Lesbian

Herd Affiliation- Breim
Rank- Apprentice, ceramics
Patron God- Argus
Mate- N/A

Personality

Worrier | Open-minded | Vigilant | Fickle | Studious | Defensive

Worried
Nothing, to Jiya, will stay the way she wants it. She is full of what-ifs and thoughts of betrayal every waking second, and while she tries to ignore them, they always seem to leak back into the front of her mind. Because of this, she seems jumpy, snappish and often very lonely. Trusting someone enough to form a lasting relationship -friendship or marriage- is quite a feat, and even if she somehow does accomplish that, it's bound to be a relationship fraught with trust-issues from Jiya's side. She isn't a vengeful or malicious horse on purpose, she's just a troubled spirit. 

Open-minded
For being part of the Old-Generation, Jiya is fairly open to horses of all sorts of backgrounds. Being a lesbian as well as a species not commonly seen in Nariah has lent to her respect of those different from her own upbringing. Even the New-Generation's desire to see the surface doesn't particularly bother her. Though she thinks it a bit foolish, it's their choice to make, she figures. She's reluctant to accept the kirins, mostly due to her upbringing among those that don't trust Ignacio, but as long as they don't stir up trouble, she will tolerate them. 

Vigilant
Connected to her worried nature, she's constantly scanning her surroundings. Almost nothing gets past her hyper-vigilant radar, and you'll be hard-pressed to sneak up on her. She's terrified of what might happen if she doesn't pay attention, for it could be anything. Because of this, she never looks someone in the eye (not much of a problem in Breim), as her head is too busy swiveling about looking for threats. If asked about what she's looking for, expect to get no answer, or a false one at most. She doesn't like to talk about her trust issues. This doesn't apply to the horses that raised her, just to those that come into her life of their own will.

Humble
Jiya isn't one to brag. In fact, she believes that even if she were a braggart, that she wouldn't find enough material to brag about regardless. She's a typical Breinian, with a few added trust-issues, spiteful exes, and other quirks. Still, she insists that no, her skill is just due to practice, and that she's not more naturally talented than anyone else. You, too, can make beautiful pottery if you practice!

Studious
In spite of her tendency to become distracted, when at work she really shines. She may be particular about her working space- perfectly spotless and away from the street's view- but when it is how she likes it, she will work tirelessly and enthusiastically. She loves to learn and to craft, and while not extremely magically gifted, she has an interest in everything arcane, especially in reference to her pottery. That's what she strives to do with her work: create a self-contained oven in a pot, covered in heat runes in order to cook the food, or perhaps an urn that never breaks. These are only dreams, though. She's not that skilled, yet.

Defensive
While not aggressive, if you back Jiya into a corner, she will bite back. She's in the "fight" spectrum of "fight or flight," and as such, it's unintentional. It applies both physically and verbally, lashing out with both hoof and word. She's well educated, so she has a large vocabulary to pull from when she's shouting at you to leave her alone. 

History

Jiya was born to two outsiders from the rolling plains above. Khoji, her mother, and Aja, her father, moved below-ground of their own accord, curious about the lives of the peculiar horses that resided beneath their hooves and wondering if they could sell their pottery down there. They had visited it multiple times, and found the ideals and behaviors of the horses to be similar to their own. Settling down eventually, they made friends slowly, but when Jiya was born, she had a wealth of neighbors and family friends to support her as she grew up. These are the only horses she trusts. This community also instilled in her a deep reverence for Argus, and she takes the time out of her day to pray to them. 

Her adolescence and early adulthood was fraught with insecurities, like most horses, and though her Keeper parents paid for her future, as is customary, she was worried. Worried she might not live up to her expectations or worried she would become lost in adulthood. She has all the support in the world, but she still felt a twinge of guilt whenever she asked a neighbor for something. There was also the matter of her sexuality. While she knew that Breim was a welcoming herd, she knew she couldn't generalize that way when it came to something so personal. So, despite finding out that she was gay at fifteen, she waited to tell her parents about it after she had settled down in her own house. They took it well, asking a few questions but otherwise leaving her to it. With that weight off her chest, she felt as though she could start dating, perhaps. It didn't end well. 

Her first girlfriend, Thora, was perfect to Jiya at the time. Strong of both body and mind, an exquisite artist, and someone who Jiya could relate to, in the sense that she was a second-generation Breimian too. Jiya scrounged up a gift of flowers (though the majority were dried, as flowers don't grow underground), and presented them to Thora along with her confession, and much to her glee, Thora agreed. That glee soon turned sour as Jiya realized how volatile that Thora would get. It was subtle, to be sure, so nobody would suspect a thing, but there were constant threats of abandonment or worse if Jiya did not do as Thora pleased. The relationship lasted too long, and now Jiya suffers from trust issues. Though she longs for companionship, she worries that it might just be a repeat of what came before.

Along with the strife, she also had some joy in her adult life. She's always had a love for sculpting and working with clay, granted to her by her parent's own business. Her father, especially, was a great sculptor, and his hooves wroking the clay on the wheel are among her first memory, and the pots and cups that lined the stall of her parent's shop were all crafted with care by them. Ceramics was always a comfort to her, something she liked to do in her free time When the ceramics Master started taking apprentices she signed up immediately, and got the spot, and while she may not be the most well-known of apprentices, she is excited to learn and to work every day.