Berry Amber

The Blue Dancer

• Zlanka "Berry" Keldan

  • Name: Zlanka Keldan
  • Age: 22
  • Height: 5'9
  • Birthplace: Njovia, Barnicea
  • Occupation: Dancer, Entertainer
  • Affiliation: Crime; International-Organized

• The Club

  

• The Connected Lady

  'Berry' was born to the Keldan family in a rural Barnicean village. Back then, she was Zlanka. Her family managed the small town's largest market. There were no chain supermarkets here, but local farmers and national companies could rent space at large, modern markets.
  
  The family also had ties to construction, making money from government contracts through her uncle's company. It was a tough life for young Zlanka. Her father drank and was a nervous wreck. Shady business partners kept him on pins and needles, realizing the potential consequences for disappointing them.
  
  As she got older, she started looking for work. Farming was looking more and more like the only option. She dreaded the idea, especially since she had a few terrible interactions with local farmers. Modeling was her dream, her way out. She managed a meeting with scouts, who rated her as having 'potential' and 'marketability'.
  
  Her uncle saw a way to capitalize. Not only did he ask for money to let the company know how to contact her. He was also paid to talk her into signing for this company. The problem was that it was a shady company. She could have had a legitimate career, maybe even finding a role in film.
  
  Instead she built ties with people who began to tug her into the nation's under world. She moved to Nissca on the coast to film. Four models shared a 3 bedroom house. The ladies would rotate in and out, the two newest sharing a bedroom. The company paid the bills and filled the fridge, so nobody complained about free living. Gifts and trips were common. It wasn't such a bad gig, but Zlanka grew restless.
  
  She wanted her name in lights, preferably the stars themselves. It's been about a year since she moved overseas. Her agency set her up with an international contact who found her work at a dance club. The contact saw potential in Zlanka, aged 20 at the time. She was featured in 'Clubbers Magazine' and went viral for part of the summer.
  
  Her social media and promo sites got a bunch of hits, but her popularity started to fizzle and level out. Meanwhile, her contact's associates were opening doors to an underground world. Her job was one of the easiest ways to launder money. Some of her clients that "paid" her were actually "connected associates" that were passing money that Zlanka would receive as "tips". These extra donations were usually in addition to the club's cut of dance fees.
  
  Button men would pose as high rollers and tip several thousand dollars at a time. They took care of the clubs as well, buying drinks and tipping the other staff as well. They needed these clubs to succeed. Their eyes also watched over the clubs. The large, well-dressed patrons would pass $600 dollar 'suit shop' gift cards to the bouncers, just to get on their good side.
  
  That money was from sources "off the books". It was the result of crimes ranging from petty theft to international fraud. She could transfer it into a shared account or move it in other ways. Her ties were starting to grow deeper than laundering and fraud.
  
  Her agent was still working to develop her modeling career. It sometimes felt like "Berry" was one phone call away from an acting role. She takes acting classes every Sunday, but knows an acting career is based on connections. Her lust for fame is the downfall that leads her into being exploited. She was making fast money illegally, but she could do just as well without the risk.
  
  Her life to this point made her addicted to the risk. It made her feel alive. She believed that the push of negativity and anxiety was actually just excitement. Zlanka was still mentally strong; a fighter. Anything she did physically was usually on her own terms. Chasing money, power and opportunity lowered her guard against the sharks who looked to exploit her dreams.
  
  A black car dropped her off and picked her up from work every night. For a change in scenery, Berry started dancing at a different club. She was still getting to know her new co-workers.

• The Psychic

  Zlanka practices blue magic in an elemental style tied to the mind. It's mainly a thoughtform process of connecting to nature and spirits and isn't tied too much to ritual. Instead it's about focusing thought and actions. She is clairsentient, meaning she picks up vibrations about each place she visits.
  
  She can sense warnings about nearby danger and even tell if an area has had a tragic past. The gift only comes and goes since she hasn't studied properly. It's all tied to her intuition, which comes and goes.
  
  The little control she does has, she uses to protect her friends and family. Stones help her connect to different spirits and senses. Someone trained in the magic arts might find her a worthy apprentice. She has the ability to connect to the blue arcane.

• StripBlogg.co.vng Review

  Pole Dancing		Private Dancing
  Friendliness		Conversation
  Bubbliness		Bitter Sarcasm

  *1 Dark Block = 1 Rating Point

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• Sparkle

  Emily 'Sparkle'
  
  In a town known for it's party atmosphere, Em is a fan favorite. She dances by the name Sparkle. Over the past year, she has become one of the top earning dancers at the club. Zlanka recruited her to dance at the club. She considers her a good friend. Sparkle and Berry often help each other out by sending customers each other's way.
  
  They have also been known for their tandem dances. The two worked up a routine where they dance on 1 pole. The pair also does lap dances together for an extra fee.
  
  Word of Emily dancing at the club went viral at her college. Many students come to get a dance from her. Berry also takes classes there from time to time.
  
  

• LiLi

  -Susan 'LiLi' Lee
  
  Born in the Tainese Isles, LiLi is Zlanka's closest friend at the club. The pair find ways to keep each other entertained at work, usually by sharing gossip or inside jokes. The two see themselves as opposites but are still pretty similar. Susan knows next to nothing about Zlanka's underworld ties, but has an idea that something is going on. Still, she brushes it aside in favor of focusing on what she does know about Zlanka.
  
  They also share information on who is spending money and who's cheap. Crossing one dancer will get you cut off from the other. The pair have talked about moving in together, but haven't acted on it. Susan is more of a fighter than the strong, but delicate Zlanka. She tries to teach Zlanka a few bits of martial arts, but Berry is a distracted student.
  
  Berry is anxious about LiLi finding out about her underground world, but wishes she didn't have to hide it. One day she'll get her friend into 'the business'.
  
  
  -Painting by Iskolde

• Missy

  -Magdalena 'Missy' Olavsdottir
  
  Missy has never liked Berry. She's from the mainland and sees dancers like Berry as rivals competing for her job. The foreign girls also bring ties to underground business that Maggie, as she's known outside the club, would rather not be tied to. She was just in the job for the money, hoping to save up enough for school.
  
  Her grades are good enough to get into Blue Coast U. But they're not good enough to get her a scholarship. Enter Plan B. Missy made a bad name for herself with some of the dancers when she called the police on 'suspicious activity'. She was new and never repeated the incident. But it would not be forgotten.
  
  Berry and Missy really turned friendly competition into a bitter rivalry, with neither showing signs of slowing things down. Things have degraded to the point of trying to steal customers and tips from one another.
  
  Both dancers would probably take turns trying to win any new dancer over. LiLi is caught in the middle.

  

• Zlanka's Rival

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