Dajan LeDoux was born in Thibodeaux, Louisiana, to Maurice and Marie-Ange LeDoux. She was the first of what would end up seven children. Being poor and black in Louisiana was bad enough, but something in the genes of their parents bred true. Out of seven kids, six had already displayed mutant abilities. Dajan, her brothers Jean-Luc, Claude, and Andre, and her sisters Audrey, and Chantal. Their birth order (just for the sake of being clear) is Dajan, Andre, Audrey, Chantal, Claude, and Jean-Luc. The seventh child is the youngest, little Ray, and so far he has not showed any. Dajan, as the oldest, was set up to be the caretaker, with Andre, only a year behind her, as her right hand. The two were very close since they were close in age. And as such, commisserated most about how difficult it was to wrangle the other kids. They held each other up and backed each other up with the others. But it was still difficult. Their parents had known growing up in the 80s, but their grandparents had known the 60s and instilled into them a deep wariness of other people. When mutants began showing up — and the hatred along with it — that made it worse. Maurice and Marie-Ange told their children in no uncertain terms were they to show off their mutant abilities, no matter how tempting it was. The hatred they got for being black would only increase if it were known they were mutants too. The kids mostly listened, but kids will be kids and Dajan and Andre ended up more often than not having to be on their toes at all times, and finding ways of heading them off at the pass. Dajan's powers manifested early, keeping track of Andre and then Audrey. Just chasing the siblings was a form of training for the powers; and their parents' urgent insistence that they keep their powers undercover was reason enough for them all to spend time in the woods practicing once homework was done. They got a small TV, which allowed them to watch the news, particularly mutant events, so as to drive home how serious it was (they also got to pick one show each — 60 mins for the kids above 12, 30 for the kids below, knowing they'd get more time with proper behavior - doing chores, keeping grades up and the like). They were encouraged to go to the library to study meditation and other disciplines with a view toward all the children getting firm control over their abilities.
The others' powers came in at varying times. There was no predicting. No two kids were the same. Dajan and Andre's came in early, but it was anything but a blessing when the other kids' abilities came in. Except for Audrey, who turned their backyard into a garden and relieved the price of feeding seven; and Claude, who could communicate with animals, and thereby kept the family in wild boar, chicken, and rabbit. The tragedy came though with Jean-Luc. From the time he'd been three he had suffered night terrors. Andre's telepathy helped most of the time, but not always. And one night, Jean-Luc woke screaming from a nightmare — and his power manifested. He opened numerous teleport gates at the same time, the family falling through or getting sucked into them. Unfortunately several of those telport gates sliced open pipes, and a gas explosion followed immediately. While Dajan doesn't know it herself, Andre ended up in Detroit, Michigan with memory loss, so was in the hospital as a John Doe (he only remembers his real first name at present — courtesy of his telepathy), and is now just trying to make his way from there. He's 18, so is able to do so fairly unencumbered because with his telepathy he can pull information from people around him to help him survive. The rest of the children are in various places around the country and have ended up in foster care or orphanages, except Ray, who is in line to get adopted by a family in Connecticut. Audrey and Claude both have useful mutant gifts, and those that can be used offensively to defend themselves if need be; though it remains to be seen whether or not they will break their parents' training if such a situation comes up. Maurice and Marie-Ange did not make it. Maurice was killed in the explosion as it happened before the teleportal had swallowed him, though in a verse like 616MU that may not mean gone for good. Marie-Ange's teleport came out at the other end high up in the air above Lake Michigan. She fell to what would seem to be her death and may not ever be found in the lake, which freezes over in winter. Again, given it's 616MU, that may not be a permanent state of affairs.
Dajan, however, woke up clear across the state, in her night clothes. Uncertain how she got where she was, she hitched home, only to find the house burned to the ground. The news had carried it as a terrible accident. There was some speculation on it being a racially motivated hate crime, though there were the usual platitudes and remarks about how they were such a nice family. Dajan, facing relief at not having to scramble to care for her sisters and brothers, and guilt at that relief, stayed in Thibodeaux long enough for the authorities to confirm her parents had been declared dead and to collect what little inheritance in money there was. There wasn't much, as they had been in debt. She got a bus ticket to New York, out of desire to get as far away from the source of her family tragedy (and southern prejudice) as possible. Her meager savings went quick, and she soon found a job as a waitress at a little greasy spoon in Lower Manhattan.
Patient: Dajan has six younger brothers and sisters whom she has taken care of since she was a little child herself. Between that and her parents' strict upbringing and repeated insistences that mutant abilities were to be kept under wraps, she has cultivated a lot of patience. Coming with the fact that she has to repeatedly put her own desires on hold to look out for the younger kids, she can be patient where many people are ready to scream, yell, and tear out their hair.
Stubborn: Dajan went through tribulations typical to the average teenager, augmented by having mutant brothers and sisters. She had to work out locking horns with her brother who was younger but could read the kids' thoughts where she could not. She had to learn to stick to her guns. She also had to be stubborn to find time for herself when the demands of the family were constant. She isn't a genius by any stretch, but she managed to be a solid B studant, plus or minus, because she had dreams of college, and wanted her parents to be proud of her.
Supportive: You don't have two devoted parents and six younger mutant siblings without being supportive. Her parents instilled in her that family is everything. Now that they're not there anymore, Dajan struggles with relief and guilt, because she no longer has to be the caretaker. But that trait manifests now in her tendency to look out for others who seem to be in circumstances she can do something about to help.
Humble: This is a trait Dajan possesses that she isn't exactly keen on. She was raised in a poor, small town by poor parents, with many, many siblings. She had enough food most of the time (especially once the littler kids' gifts manifested), and she had clothes as the oldest, but they were never new, or the mode of fashion. So while she might like a fancy outfit, a car, new stuff (like girls are supposed to), they're not really a priority to her. She is content with simple things since they're what she knows best. She can cook, but she's no gourmet. She can clean, but any home of hers is going to be more comfortable than showy. Her clothes are always clean and mended (because she grew up hemming her own pants, sewing her own dresses, mending all the kids' clothes, etc).
Tomboy: As the oldest of seven, and a girl, her clothes were of a necessity going to be hand-me-downs to the other kids. With four brothers, she also had to be able to keep up with them, especially Andre, who would always challenge her alpha sibling status. So she can run, and climb. She can ride a bike and roller skate. She can do some basic carpentry and other around-the-house repairs and maintenance tasks, the stuff one would usually expect a boy to do first or better than a girl. She knows this got her teased when she was in school, but doesn't let on that it bothers her.
Cautious: Dajan is a bit of a natural optimist, so she has to work for the slight distrust of others she may behave with from time to time. She knows she's got being southern, being female, being mutant, and being black as things people may look down on her or try to take advantage of her for. This is why she insisted on getting good grades as much as her life would allow. Because her truth is that her parents raised her to be wary, but she can't help seeing the good in people.
Confident: Dajan is the eldest of seven kids, raised by parents who were always working to provide for them. She had to make sure they were fed, that they did their chores and homework. She had to pick them up from school, show up when fights needed fighting for them. She has her insecurities same as anyone else, but when the situation calls for it, she swallows her fear and presents a confident front.
Romantic: Though she doesn't dream of it for herself yet, Dajan is a romantic. Her parents loved each other madly, and showed it even when they were exhausted from their work. They were stern disciplinarians, but even that was done lovingly. The kids got hugs and kisses in the morning even if it was quick in a rush on the way out the door, and they got kisses goodnight, even if it was on their sleeping foreheads late at night. Dajan believes in love, and knows that it is why Marie-Ange and Maurice were willing to do so much for their family, and why they were happy rather than poor. In school, a lot of the rich kids who had the most stuff didn't seem to be in happy, loving relationships.
Observant: Another trait that came as a necessity. Dajan had to watch for when the siblings were lying. When they hadn't done their homework. When they were trying to put one over on her and Andre. When something was upsetting them they didn't want to talk about. She had to be able to spot when they were scared or upset so she could help them talk it out or cry it out. On other practical uses, she had to be sure the kids were not eating junk or making inedible food when they learned to cook. She had to make sure they were dressed warmly enough when the winter eventually came to Louisiana. So she has developed being observant and attentive into an active skill.
Late Bloomer: Dajan didn't get the regular teenage experience by way of dating and such. Movies were rented from Blockbuster if at all (and mayyyyybe the occasional bootleg from New Orleans if it was something all the kids were clamoring to see). She didn't get to date. She is observant, but not necessarily able to read the subleties of body language. So she is a touch socially stunted in some ways and interaction of people her own age can confuse and frustrate her.
Dajan has shapeshifting, but it is mostly uncontrolled. This is due to not having a lot of opportunity to practice, and parents who are very paranoid about a house full of mutant children. Some of them started happening on their own while she was chasing Andre around, and as she realized it was an ability, Dajan became able to do a few basic little stunts with her ability. But most of the things her power does are unintentional and situational, based on the needs of the moment. The ones Dajan can do at will are listed below, and as she finds herself with more opportunities to experiment and practice, her control will develop and the number of stunts she can do will over time increase. The stunts she has currently are all one-at-a-time. She cannot combine any two. She's never been in a situation nor practiced using any of them in conjunction, and would need training in order to be able to do combo stunts.
COOKING: Dajan is a better than average cook. She has been doing it since she was about six, and is the "cook for an army" type, naturally, with a big family. The dishes she makes, she makes well. And she is good enough and fast enough to fill in as short order cook if she needs to at a restaurant.
DRIVING: Dajan has her driver's license. Same as any other teen over the age of sixteen. She's not a specialized driver, so just regular cars and vans. No trucks or jets or anything like that. She knows the rules of the road and is not inclined to break them frivolously.
PEOPLE PERSON: Dajan has the soft skills pretty much down to a science. She can soothe babies, calm fussy toddlers with a story or play, get through to surly adolescents, and schmooze adults to give a good impression of herself. She's not a slicktalker, or a doubletalker, though. She prefers to be forthright and honest when possible, though she sometimes thinks people feel themselves entitled to more information than she feels they need. She is not generally manipulative in personality, though.
BASIC SELF DEFENSE: Dajan is not generally inclined to fight, but she has the sort of skills one would get from gym classes, free classes at the Y, and martial arts for self defense on VHS or DVD.
As of arriving in New York, Dajan has little by way of resources. A dufflebag she got full of donations and hand-me-downs from the people of Thibodeaux. She bought a low end cellphone and a lock for her bag soon as she arrived in the city. She also used the small amount of savings to pay for a boarding house room for a month in advance. And she's managed to get a job at a greasy spoon.
TELEPATHIC DEFENSES: Dajan has minor telepathic defenses because her younger brother Andre is a telepath from a very young age, so she has had to keep him out of her head to have any privacy at all. She is not good enough to stand up to, say, Emma Frost or Jean Grey, but she could probably hold her thoughts to herself against a telepath weaker than Jason Wyngarde. While she has had 14 years of practice with Andre's telepathy, his level of strength has not been measured against other prominent telepaths.
MENTAL COMMUNICATION: Dajan is skilled with telepathic communication thanks to her younger brother Andre being the telepathic switchboard for the whole family (excepting the parents, sometimes) from the time they were 4 and 5. She has dealt with telepathic communication through her brother Andre every day for 14 years (unless they were separated by things like sleepovers or summer camp which would be rare as the family could not afford a luxury like camp for the older kids). So telepathy is not going to be a new or throwing experience for her. She has only the most rudimentary of psionic defenses, though, since every teenage girl wants privacy, especially from a brother who can read minds!
HAUNTED: Dajan is carrying a weight of guilt that she survived the teleport event that looks like it might've killed her entire family. She is relieved that she doesn't have to look out for her six sibs anymore, and she feels terrible that she is relieved. As such she may tend toward depression and the occasional bit of self destructive behavior. If and when she finds out there are members of her family still alive, she will be driven to find them and be sure they are safe and well, dropping her own life when necessary to do so.
TEMPER: Dajan has a temper she tries to keep under wraps due to her strict upbringing, being around children so much, and the fact that she can be much stronger than she looks. Under stress, pressure, and continued application of same, though, she could seethe until she explodes.
STUBBORN: Dajan has developed a stubborn streak since the loss of her family. The being circumspect about being mutants did nothing to keep them safe. So now she is determined to be a little less repressed and live life a little more. People trying to obstruct her from doing so (in her perception) are likely to encounter pushback.
ENERGY NEEDS: Dajan's shapeshifting is fueled by her sleep and caloric intake. Every stunt is going to leave her hungry, tired, or both. Anything fueled by an adrednaline rush and triggered unconsciously may drain her to the point where she falls unconscious once the danger has passed and the adrenaline been burned out of her system. Whether Dajan can subsist on the energy provided by other mutants' abilities has never been tested.
