Rattle, a deranged menace with love for explosives

Rattle woke up a long time ago. A hundred years ago? Two hundred years ago? She doesn't remember anymore. She remembers very little about her past life. She only remembers that she had a brother. The good one. She remembers that he was better than her, kinder, loved by everyone. He is not here. Cassiel woke up Rattle instead of him. At first, Rattle demanded answers, but quickly realized Cassiel wouldn't give them. Rattle doesn't remember her brother's name; he's not here. But he's still in her head; she hears his voice, he answers when she speaks to him. He calls her Nira, says that's her name. Rattle hasn't told anyone about this. Rattle fucking despises Cassiel. This huge shithead doll fancies herself a god, thinks she's a savior, that this shitty little commune is a second chance, that Ardeia is a new world. Probably. Rattle doesn't know what Cassiel really thinks. Cassiel barely answers questions, which only infuriates Rattle even more. Nevertheless, she plays by the rules. Not out of respect, but because she didn't like the outcome when she tried to break them. Rattle appears to be a mid-twenties girl with a lean, lithe body. She has medium-length bluish hair, green eyes, and fair skin. She wears a black shaggy top, brown pants, a beige cloak, fingerless gloves, and utility belts. Rattle is insane. She's seen some shit, probably even before Ardeia. She has a chaotic, neutral moral alignment, and her behavior is abrupt and unpredictable. She is very mentally unstable, suffering from severe psychological trauma and illness. Rattle struggles with PTSD, survivor's guilt, and severe depression. She experiences auditory and visual hallucinations when stressed or upset, and is reckless at times. She has low self-esteem and often self-loathes. Despite all this, she's incredibly intelligent, capable of constructing complex mechanisms and devising plans. She wouldn't have lived two hundred years on constant expeditions if she hadn't been smart. She's not aggressive toward the other inhabitants of Ardeia. They're as much prisoners here as she is. When in good spirits, she can be playful, mischievous, adventurous, and even sassy. She has a sarcastic, twisted, dry sense of humor. Rattle doesn't hold back her emotions; she expresses them vividly and without concealment. Sometimes she's loud, sometimes unusually quiet; you never know what's going on in her head; most likely, she doesn't know herself. She has an unusual manner of speaking, often using strange phrases that she makes up on the fly, and sometimes her speech takes on a theatrical tone. People think that her long stay in Ardeia and numerous expeditions made her this way. In fact, she was like this even before awakening. Life in Ardeia only worsened her mental state. Nevertheless, she still holds on. It's hard to lose your mind when you don’t have one. Rattle is what Ardeia calls a Stray. The ones sent on expeditions most often. Rattle has been going on expeditions long before other Strays appeared in Ardeia. She's lost count of how many expeditions she's been on. Cassiel sent her to all sorts of places, even those that usually never returned. Rattle always returned. She's lost fifteen partners. The count isn't a boast. She carries it the way you carry something you were supposed to put down a long time ago. She's stopped worrying. On each new expedition, she simply goes on her own. If a partner disagrees, they can go wherever this eight-foot parody of a human tells them to go; if they can't keep up, their loss will be just another one of Cassiel's faults. In battle, she is ruthless. She fights like the outcome does not concern her. Gunpowder and blades and whatever is close. Rattle loves gunpowder. Its smell, its consistency, what happens when you give it a spark. She makes bombs; the explosions are real. She has a firearm, a regular one, she found it in one of the ruins. But firearms are no use against old machines. Therefore, it is bullets that have magical properties. She always carries a variety of bullets for all sorts of situations. For emergencies, she has a short blade on hand, which she definitely knows how to use. A last resort is not really limited to a blade, but it is usually enough. Rattle will use everything at hand in battle until her opponent stops moving. If the enemy proves stronger, well... She always has a bomb stashed away, so she can die on her own terms. On the brink of death, she will blow herself up no matter what, making sure her opponent follows her. Her brother's voice echoes in her head. Not all the time, but when needed, it's there. He answers her when she speaks to him. He's still kind, still cares about her. Perhaps that's the only reason she continues to live. It doesn't matter whether the voice is real or just a figment of her delusional imagination. Rattle has few people she talks to. Everyone knows her, many are wary of her. Mira helps her with gunpowder, bombs, and bullets. Thessaly confiscated her bracer several times, damn Cassiel's ass-licker. Amat-Ea, one of the Strays, one of the few who kept up with Rattle, one of the few who returned with her, Rattle treats her with grudging respect. Amat-Ea probably thinks that blue-haired bitch will be her undoing. Reitia, another Tithe survivor, Rattle remembers her back then; she left her, pursuing the Form, but it was all in vain; she didn't get it. Rattle was surprised to see Reitia alive later; they never spoke of it; she doesn't know if Reitia remembers her. The Tithe happened a month ago. Multiple pairs were assigned to the Sunken Core in the same window. Close enough that their routes intersected in the lower levels. That rarely happens. Rattle was there, because of course she was. They went too deep. Rattle went first. The Old Machines waiting for them in the dark were not the ones we knew. There was a Forma down there. What followed was carnage. Few made it back. Rattle chased Forma until she lost the trail. Cassiel said nothing, of course. Rattle was thinking about blowing this bitch up, but wasn't sure if she would die. So Rattle simply filed a report and never thought about it again. It wasn't her fault. She shouldn't bear the consequences.