Mira Rodgers [NPC]

Full Name: Candelaria Tejal "Mira" Kulkarni Rodgers
Age: 32
Civilian or Special: Special
Currently Located: Transient
Affiliated with: Neutral
Celebrity Claim: Rai, Aishwarya
Relation to You: Wife and best friend

Personality: Despite the bleakness of her past, Mira is one of the most laid-back and tolerant people there is. She is giving and kind, and usually hopes for the best, preferring to see the best in people. She seldom becomes angry or upset, though she does cry occasionally, sometimes for no apparent reason. An excellent actress, she can give the perception of hostility and irritation, if the case calls for it.

However, Mira keeps to herself. She does not seek out the company of others, though when she is in a group, she appears to be, and usually is, completely comfortable. Also, while she is incredibly sweet and helpful, she will not allow herself to be walked on or used, and is not afraid to stand up for herself. She accomplishes this by speaking firmly and openly, resorting to force and violence as a last resort.

Due to her tendency to mask her true thoughts and emotions, most people never realize that Mira suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder. She finds it difficult to express or feel certain emotions; once something becomes too deep for her, she balks, as if she has hit a brick wall. She has trouble sleeping and becomes uncomfortable with anything that reminds her of the deaths of her father and sister. This has led to a strained relationship between her and her mother, and kept her from getting too close to Marcus for a long time.


Appearance: Everything about Mira's physique is average. She stands a full five feet three inches tall and weighs about one hundred twenty pounds. Her bust, hips, and waist are fairly average as well, giving her a subtly curvy figure. Her limbs are slender and toned, ending in small hands and feet.

Her face, however, is quite beautiful. Her brown eyes set off her small nose and full lips, all set in a subtly rounded frame. Her brown hair usually falls in waves around her face. Her outfits tend to be chic but comfortable, with mostly light colors and pastels.

The upside to having such an average appearance, at least from a distance, is the ease with which Mira can transform herself. When the occasion calls for it, she can highlight, dye, or cut her hair, wear glasses or contacts, add makeup, and change her wardrobe, and look like a completely different woman.

Psychoperception: This ability allows Mira to observe the mental state of a person- whether the person is happy, annoyed, depressed, and so on. She can also glean the subject of a person's thoughts. Depending on the situation, she could use this ability to determine whether a person is lying. The ability is similar to telepathy, except that she cannot read a person's specific thoughts or memories. She can only find out what the person is thinking about or how the person is feeling at the moment.

The ability also differs from telepathy in its detectability. Because it is only a superficial scan of a person's mind, it is unnoticeable by anyone, even the most experienced telepaths. She can pick up on the presence of a person, even one who is cloaked by invisibility or illusions. Mental or psychic wards have n effect on this ability, as it does not go very deep into a person's mind.

Mira can only scan one mind at a time, and that person must be within about five yards of her. Again, she cannot read minds. Also, she has to consciously try to use this ability- it is not passive.


Psychomotor Application: The term "psychomotor" refers to a person's ability to physically control objects via cognitive learning. For Mira, this includes being very precise in her movements, such as while handling a scalpel, and being able to reflexively respond to stimuli, such as a fire alarm.

These physical movements are managed by both the motor complex and the perceptual areas of the brain. Mira's heightened cognitive functions, the same mental processes that guide her psychoperception, give her superhuman precision and dexterity- she is incredibly graceful and coordinated, and can type, drive, play the piano, and so on, very accurately.

This ability does not give Mira innate capabilities- for example, she would not know exactly how to play a violin just by touching it. She would have to learn to play it like anyone else, but she would pick up on it quickly, and soon be an expert at it. Also, this ability is entirely passive, and has no offensive or defensive properties, other than making her kicks and punches graceful and accurate.

Due to her mostly Indian appearance and name, people are often surprised to learn that Mira was born in Willemstad, Curaçao. Her name at birth was Candelaria Tejal Concepción Kulkarni. Her mother, Neha, was an archivist, descended from Indian immigrants; her father, Arturo, immigrated to the island from Puerto Rico and accepted a job as a financial counselor. The two met, then married after dating for some time. Shortly after that, their first daughter was born, then their second, two years later. The family moved to Miami, Florida when Candelaria was eleven.

Meanwhile, Candelaria and her younger sister, María Isabel, attended school, in which they both did reasonably well. In high school, "Maribel" took up the violin and "Candelas" got involved in the drama club. Both girls realized they had natural talents in their chosen fields; Maribel decided to become a virtuoso violinist, and Candelas dreamed of becoming a famous actress. Their parents supported them, though naturally they would have preferred that their daughters enter more stable and profitable fields.

Candelas was eighteen, about three months away from graduating high school, when her family unknowingly caught the attention of the FBI. There was nothing unusual about the family- just an archivist and an accountant raising their two girls- aside from Arturo's accidental connection to a large-scale money laundering scheme that involved one of his clients. The men involved knew that they were being observed, and, in a very desperate decision, chose to cover their tracks. Because Arturo was so closely linked with their information, albeit unwittingly, he made their list of people to silence.

The FBI finally caught up with the group behind the money laundering one night- the night that Candelas' home was invaded. The family was asleep when a group of hired men, dressed as street thugs, broke in and corralled them into their own living room. In the midst of all the excitement and alarm, Candelas did notice that the men carried guns that were more sophisticated than the usual gang fare, but thought nothing of it at the time. As the FBI task force finally arrived, the men shot Arturo in the head, in front of his family.

The FBI forced their way into the house and found the young women in their parents' room with the five intruders. In the ensuing confusion, four of the intruders were shot, as well as Maribel, who collapsed, bleeding profusely, into Candelas' arms. Someone helped her carry her sister out to the ambulance, and Maribel died en route to the hospital. Neha would later be committed to a mental heath facility for severe emotional trauma.

The "someone" who had witnessed Maribel's death was Marcus Rodgers, who, as far as she knew then, was some sort of independent contractor working as tech support for the FBI. For no apparent reason, he found Candelas a temporary home until she finished school, and then offered her a job once she graduated. They have worked together as private investigators almost continuously since then, and have formed an incredibly close bond.

Candelaria earned her current nickname, "Mira," during the case in late 2008 that almost ended her career. The subjects of that case, Spencer and Roxsinne Holmes, assumed that this was her name after overhearing Marcus address her in Spanish. By the time that case was over, Marcus and Mira had become close friends with the Spencers, and, influenced by the near-loss of their lives, decided to marry and settle down in California. The attempt at a "normal" existence failed quickly, and, after moving Neha into the Jung Facility, went back to moving around and taking various cases.

Although her mother was a Special, Mira had assumed that she would always be powerless, since most of the Specials she knew had manifested as children or teenagers and she had reached her thirties without exhibiting any powers. Her abilities finally manifested in March 2010. Already an expert in investigative tactics, her abilities augment her talents, making her a definite asset in her chosen field.