Additional weapon:
Gaea can bend the earth to create a bulky, "rock solid" defensive layer on her body (arms or legs, for example), as a means of protection. For offensive purposes this technique can also be used to enhance her ability to efficiently deal with most opposition by letting the rock engulf her fists or feet/shins. Even the thought of such an uppercut makes one want to rub his jaw. However, focus is essential for this technique to work properly. And the more the heavier. The more rock actively shaped, the level of required concentration will increase. Also, the weight of the rock will hinder Gaea's mobility and speed considerably when applied.
Appearance:
As a young woman, Gaea's height of 5'6" is fairly average. No cause for anyone to quirk a brow. What you'll notice, however, is that she stands out from most girls her age when you glimpse at her figure. She is by no extend of the imagination a skinny girl, nor would anyone accuse her of being chubby. As a result of many years' hard, physical labor, Gaea has developed a slim muscle structure unlike most girls'. Without being very big or bulky, there is still no doubt that when the need arises she's not shy of doing the heavy lifting.
Slightly tanned skin reveals having been exposed not only working underground in the mines. Daily chores, repairs and mining preparations in the outdoors have given her skin complexion a healthy, light brown glow which, personally, she adores. Another very dear thing to Gaea is her hair. Chestnut brown and shoulder long, she usually keeps it hanging loosely over her neck in a sort of "controlled chaos"-manner, but when she's bound for work she ties it in a knot on the back of her head to avoid getting it messed up.
Gaea's face is relatively smooth from what you would expect of an experienced miner. Only a few, minor scars just underneath her hairline witness of the bruises she's endured. Other than that, you would ever guess her line of work from looking at her face. The slim bridge of her round-tipped nose. Her distinctive cheekbones underneath her calm, dark green eyes and the quirky smile upon her lips. All in all it makes a rather nice looking frame for this none too girly girl.
Her choice of clothing tends to be more practical than fancy back home. A black tank-top, usually covered by a loose, sleeveless shirt on the torso, puffy cotton trousers and a pair of sturdy boots. Seeing as Gaea was soon to be off to head city, however, her mother had insisted that she ought to dress herself more like a lady. For this purpose, her mother and some of the other women in the village had found their old sewing kits and had, a month prior to her departure, begun working on a new more lady-like attire.
The result: A long, slim shirt in a bright, natural green and with close to golden trim around the edges. A tall collar, open in the front and with bare shoulders and short sleeve. She carries a broad belt in light leather around her waist, which is held closed by a rather large, copper buckle. Below the waistline, the shirt opens up in both sides and continues down to her knees. Her trousers are soft, black cotton and reach down to her feet, which are comfortable in a pair of leather strap sandals.
Naturally, her outfit would change with the seasons, but for now, this is what it's going to be.
Personality:
Raised in the belief that hard work pays off and that ambition is worth nothing without the will to fulfill it, Gaea is very dedicated to doing her absolute best in the majority of what she does. Despite being a productive soul with potential for getting somewhere grand in life, Gaea might just sometimes find herself to be the victim of her own lack of ambition to match her self-proclaimed obligation to doing everything a hundred and ten percent.
Never having been the boss of anything, this young woman is most comfortable with following rather than leading and she will rarely seek out a conflict as long as it can be avoided without too severe consequences. She would much rather just get along, really. It takes a lot to tick her off, but she has some issues with sexism. Since Gaea has never considered women to be a "weak" gender in any shape or form it really grinds her gears when the stereotype-preaching chauvinists start yapping. Other than that though, you will have a hard time making her go postal.
Brief History:
Born and raised in the humble surroundings of Clayton, a small indifferent village a good 40 miles away from Republic City, Gaea has worked the mining shafts at the foot the mountains nearby for the past 5 years with her father and other earthbenders. Their sole priority here was to make a decent living and thus Gaea has been left with an immense gratitude for most of what she has got and she is not quite the type to ask for more. She never visited Republic City or any other grand cities before. The massive scale of it would be enough to make her dizzy, as the furthest and longest she's ever been away from home was at the Avatar Camp so many years ago.
Upon her return from camp at the age of 6, her parents didn't make too big of a deal out of it all. Seeing as Gaea returned without the status of Avatar there was no reason to further dwell on the matter. There was work to be done, see? The life in Clayton was a busy one, a tough one but also a most rewarding one. Not in the manner of coin or luxury (on the contrary) but in the form of the hard earned self satisfactory that spouts from physical labor.
Her childhood was self-explanatorily based around playing with the other kids. But not so much with the girls as with the boys. They played tirelessly. Games such as brawling, hide and seek, boulder-ball, you name it! The majority of her guy friends, however, grew increasingly violent as their attention was turned to the Pro-Bending matches being broadcasted over the radio. They would all gather to listen to the electrified sound of the roaring crowd, the speakers jumping in their seats out of excitement and place bets on the outcomes. Gaea, none too keen on the fighting part, failed to take an interest in the games. She spent most her time preparing for work, doing chores at home and resting. Bending was meant for practical use, not combat-orientated entertainment. Or so she was brought up to believe, by her father, who often referred to the so-called "sport" as a waste of proper resources.
As the years passed, the young earthbender was more or less excluded by her childhood friends. The other girls had given up on her long ago and now the guys were ticking bombs of testosterone. Neither was really her bowl of soup but she did not despair. She found her peers in the mine and in the town. The hard-working men and women, the fathers and mothers along with her parents' friends. The labor kept her mind off of things and gave her some feeling of comfort. She wasn't the odd one out anymore. She was a contributor. To this date, this has been what keeps Gaea occupied in the village. Chores have become more and more extensive, as her father and mother are getting older and there has even been talk about her taking the motor cycle into town for the first time sometime soon to look for favorable prices on some repair tools for local minig establishment.
Sample Roleplay:
The sunset over the ocean that evening was amazing. It shed a magnificent golden aura over the otherwise dim Avatar Training Camp, partially abandoned at this hour. If ever this unfocused five year old had been able to comprehend such a concept as beauty, even on an unconscious level, this would be the moment of her realization. The training for today had come to an early conclusion and Gaea for one was still filled to the brim with energy.
The ability to shape rocks had come naturally to her during training and so he thought to use it. For nearly half an hour Gaea picked up small pieces of rock and clay from the training grounds. When she had found the right ones she put pressure on the stone with the tip of her index finger, watching in sincere joy as the stone started to bend inwards and curve under her light touch, eventually forming small, crude soldiers of earth who wielded tiny clubs for the epic battle between the two factions.
A few minutes into the act the war ended rather anticlimactically as stone proved more solid than clay when they met in head-on collision.
Just as this playful child was reassembling the soldiers in preparation for the rematch a deep voice spoke calmly from behind her; "Who do you reckon would win this war, young miss Morrits?"
"It's gotta be the stone king!", the kid boasted, swinging her arms in the air, eagerly mimicking a swordfight as she continued, "He's much tougher than the clay champion. Doesn't break as easily, see?"
The old tutor chuckled heartily as he replied; "Which is the strongest element?"
Gaea turned around, meeting the bender's calm gaze with a puzzled expression; "Aren't they all strong?"
"Ohoo, but is earth not the toughest of them all?" the elder kept on going. "Does solid rock not just deflect water, air and fire alike?"
"I.. oh... erhm...", the kid looked confused as ever, pondering this new wisdom, making little more of it than nonsense. "I guess.", she eventually mustered. The elderly shook his head with a grin to differ.
The sun sank into the ocean long before the young pupil and her tutor had finished their one-way conversation/one-way confusion and when time came that Gaea could no longer keep her eyes open, she was carried to her room and tugged in. Waking up back in the village, 13 years later, she has found meaning in the old man's wisdom. Equality and balance amongst the elements... and that rock undeniably is tougher than clay.