Breggo13
09-20-2015, 10:00 PM
Name: Aries “Firecracker” Jackson
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Irish/Russian
Looks: About 5’3, she is slim, a bit athletic with slight curves. She has very pale skin that resembles per, an unusual feature on Aerilon where most people have quite tanned, darker skin tones in general. Lips are a bit full and of average size, with a delicate nose and a defined jawline. She has straight, blood-red hair that reaches to the middle of her back but is usually in a braid or a simple half-up style – yet another oddity as most inhabitants have darker features with wavy hair.
Her large eyes are the most defining feature. Huge and expressive, with long lashes, they are a combination of colors, constantly changing between emerald green, sky blue and metallic grey. She barely wears makeup although knows how to apply it and generally prefers more combat styled clothes to dresses. None the less, she can dress as a girl and often does on insistence from her father Aquile.
She has a very beautiful voice though she rarely sings and her motions are all about elegance, agility and feline grace. She is very light on her feet and very quiet, has a very uncanny obsession with climbing and has broken her arm at least twice falling off one tree or another.
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Augmentations: At the moment, she has none. She would never consider metal robotic ones and has yet to get any animal ones.
Weapons: Coming from a poor planet of farmers, she rarely picked up weapons but she always has a sergeant’s knife hidden somewhere on her, the one souvenir she has of her real father. http://images.knifecenter.com/thumb/1500x1500/knifecenter/ontario/images/ONSP1.jpg
Personality: Aries is extremely intelligent and quick-witted. She loves solving mind-puzzles and playing chess, a past time she and her father Aquile engaged in a lot at home. Free spirited, she is won’t take order from anyone and will always do things her way. She is a natural born leader and brought up as one as well, knowing her way around officials and able to negotiate.
Quick-tempered, she easily snaps at people but her anger rarely holds – usually, she asks for forgiveness within an hour of cooling down. However, she won’t deal with dishonesty, betrayal, fakeness and won’t ever forgive people who do her wrong. Although she can excel under pressure, she cannot always keep a cool head and will go with her gut feeling which sometimes lands her into trouble.
Extremely passionate and portraying a very strong persona, inside Aries is always critical of herself and lacks self-confidence. She can be a bit self-centered and is extremely stubborn. She is unable to ever refuse a challenge and loves adventure although her father has kept her in Promethea for most of her life. She doesn’t make friends easily but is loyal to the end, ready to die for them. Not the greatest fighter, she will never back down though and sometimes her forwardness end up with her being covered in bruises and with a few bloody noses.
Background:
Aries Jackson was not supposed to be born. That is just it – Aries is an accidental child, a mix of Aerilon and Sagittaron, an outsider. Her mother, Astrid (http://www.theirishworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/irish-women-hottest-e1385732703799.jpg) hailed from an educated family in Promethea where her father was a professor at the University of Aerilon, located in the largest city yet not the capitol. The city of trade on the planet, Astrid was often around the docks, watching the skies and daydreaming of an adventure although her fate was predetermined – she was to marry Prometheus’ young governor Aquile Johnson (http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02284/Paraic-Casey-chann_2284375f.jpg), a man of much promise that was starting to turn the peaceful, poor planet towards a brighter future.
A few months before their marriage, Astrid finally got her wish – she got an adventure. But it was nothing like what she expected. A ship landed, one of the pirate ships, and like most was welcomed simply because Aerilon had nothing worth stealing. It was a mix of marauders and those fighting against the UTO, a fleet of men that were both terrifying and awe inspiring. Among them was the Russian marauder Oleg Kazmanov (http://beauty-around.com/images/sampledata/Russian_Actors/1.jpg). Astrid felt a strange fascination with the man’s dark past and his history however, everyone told her she was playing with fire. Refusing to listen, Astrid kept trying to find out about Oleg, eventually leading to an unforgettable night, the night before he disappeared forever, the night he raped her.
Astrid was broken – emotionally and physically. Many thought her life was ruined for no man would ever want a wife who had been in contact with pirates and worse, pregnant with their child. All she had as a memory was a knife that Oleg had given her days before leaving. But everyone had underestimated the young governor. Aquile was as tender as ever and even though Astrid was pregnant, he married her anyway, promising to raise the child as his own.
On March 21st, a beautiful baby girl was born and in memory of days long gone, the beginning of the new Astrological year, the planet on which she took her first breathe, she was named Aries. Aquile was overjoyed as was Astrid although joy didn’t last long. 10 days later, the governor’s young wife passed away, her body unable to recuperate after the birth. The man was left alone, with just his step-daughter, to continue ruling Promethea as best as he could while mourning his wife’s passing.
Aries grew up quite a rebellious child. Most of the tutors that her father hired for her couldn’t find a key to make the red-head child cooperate. And although Aquile tried to be harsh with her, he could never restrain a smile when he saw her rush to him, knees scraped, telling him about yet another adventure she had. Giving up, he sought help from Astrid’s father, the elderly professor who suggested the governor higher one of the recent grad students to be the girl’s teacher. That is how Elenor “Ellie” Dresden (http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/files/styles/fullsize/public/images/rewi-alley-portrait.jpg?itok=ku5OSjsm) entered her life.
Elenor Dresden, a young man from a poor family always managed to make the situation work for him. Through unknown means, he was able to afford school and make his way from a small village to Promethea where he was accepted into the University. Graduating with honours, he was the first to find that instead of pushing Aries, it was easier to challenge her and play off her adventurous side. Very quickly, the uncontrollable demon of a child became a hard-working student, progressing through knowledge much faster then expected.
Ellie was like a brother to Aries but when she was 15, it was time for her teacher to move on. Knowing about the success he had with Governor Jackson’s uncontrollable daughter, other rich families requested him as an instructor for their own children. After much discussion with Aquile who became almost an uncle to the young man and his old professor, Ellie left for Gooth to undertake the education of an influential merchant’s triplets. Saddened by his departure and unable to do anything with her frustration, Aries yelled at her father before attempting to run away by climbing out her third floor window. She was caught a few hours later but when she was brought before her father’s eyes, drenched in mud and eyes blazing, he only sighed.
That day was when Aquile finally revealed to Aries her history, the secrets he held and the stories he tried to forget. Some facts were left out but the young teen got the just of it – she was a mistake. Always wondering why she was so different, she finally had answers she so desperately wanted. The rest of the night, she sat in her room thinking, waiting as the sun started to peek from the horizon before coming to a realization – her father was none the less Aquile Jackson, no matter what anyone else thought. This event, a gamble really, brought the two even closer and the only reminder Aries has of the past was the knife that used to be her mother’s. For her, it became a symbol of strength, a silent promise never to be as reckless.
Although not spoiled due to poor economy and her father’s believe that they should not be much more privileged, Aquile gave in to his daughter’s wishes when she was five and bought her a pony. After the pony came her first and after that another two. Every day, Aries would go for an early morning ride into the nearby empty land, not good enough to farm and too steep to be of use for building. Each day, she would ride as fast as her mount could take her, yelling into the wind and becoming free. As she became older, her rides became longer and at points, she would disappear from sunrise to sunset, exploring the land that she called home.
It was on one of those days when she had found a new oasis among the tall trees that she met Kayle Kawalsk (http://www.viktorkee.com/headshotBlckWht.jpg)i, a ship racer who was taking a break from the leagues to enjoy some time with his family. But just like Aries, he loved the peace and quiet of the woods, a sanctuary from his large family of 12. For 16 year old Aries, Kayle was her first love although he didn’t return her feelings, seeing her only as a friend. They reconciled at their meeting place every few days, talking or mostly Kayle talking about the Leagues and the final races of the season happening in Gooth in a few weeks which he wasn’t about to miss. Aries begged to go with him and he agreed to take her if the Governor agreed.
Persuading Aquile was no easy feat as the Governor was against the races but eventually conceded after Aries threatened to run away from home. Their agreement was that she would stay with Ellie in Gooth instead of with the Racers and would behave in a lady-like fashion. This was the first time Aries went on a real adventure. Together with Kayle, they made it to Gooth in a bit over a week just as the final days of competition were coming. Being a decent level racer, Kayle managed to sneak them into the pits with the best view. Aries had never seen so many people from all the planets gathered to see the races, never felt such excitement and energy surge through a crowd nor heard the bewildering, deafening cheer as the favorites were welcomed to the start line.
And when the races started, she could not take her eyes off the skies where white trails were left as the athletes took to the stars. This was the Cross Atmosphere Race qualifier, the last before the final race. Starting from Aerilon, the racers had to circle around Aquaria and come back, the total lap time close to 10 hours. And as the racers set off, the world erupted in excitement. She would have stayed all day at the pits, watching the sky into which the racers disappeared unless Kayle hadn’t dragged her off to a nearby pub, set up with screens and direct transmissions from the cockpits of the racers. Kayle and other racers, not yet Pro and not ready to be in the ICRL Colonial Championship, were discussing each and every one, arguing about strategy and placing bets on who would win.
Aries had never felt so alive, so entranced and bewildered as when the winner came zooming towards the finish, the crowd surging towards him, Aries among them. The young man, Leo as the people around her chanted, didn’t seemed phased. Nor excited. Nor particularly overjoyed at his win. It struck the young girl as odd that such a man wouldn’t even crack a smile. Tossing his helmet to a nearby helper, he stalked off to eat and change as the rest of the competitors came in.
That night, a big party was hosted in Gooth to celebrate the athletes, sponsors and supporters of the ICRL. And of course, most would expect that the champion of the race would be the star of the ball however, few dared approach him as he sat by the bar with a glass of something. He wasn’t mean, exchanging formalities and nodding at the praise he received but he never made an effort to keep up a conversation for long, looking bored even when he talked to his own sponsors. His eyes though seemed to be taking in each and every person, observing them, analysing. She felt his gaze on her skin but when she turned to look, he was already looking at the next person who made his way there, uninterested as before. Aries wasn’t planning to approach – she knew better – but somehow, as she followed Kayle and his friends towards the bar and the racers picked up some cheer, accidentally she was pushed towards Leo, bumping into him and nearly tripping over her own feet.
However, she didn’t fall. Instead, Leo had caught her, pulling her rather closely, the smell of his cologne making her head spin, his eyes looking intently into hers. Before she could get her mind together to figure out how to react, Kayle came stumbling over, demanding the older Racer to “stop trying to seduce his friend.” Leo simply smirked, raising his eyebrow in mockery and raising his hands as Aries finally managed to take in a deep breathe, forcing herself back under control. That was enough to send the younger racer on edge, the alcohol not helping and Aries too slow to stop him from doing something stupid. Growling, Kayle lunged at the older man, his buddies only cheering him on. It wasn’t much of a fight as very quickly, security came and separated the two, kicking all the drunken amateur racers out, Aries not sure of how to react. With a glare that promised much in Leo’s direction, she left after the gang.
Once back in Promethea, the young girl spent most of her time stalking her father’s rather vast library, looking for anything and everything she could find about racers, their ships, CARs and ICRL. At first, Aquile didn’t find it strange – from an early age, if Aries wasn’t out wreaking havoc, she was somewhere in the library, drooling over one novel or another. After realizing what his daughter was so rigorously researching, he decided that the best plan of action was to interest the redhead with something else, buying her one of the genetically modified race horses to train, hoping that the new past time would fulfill her need of adventure and turn her head from the harsh, dangerous world of CARs back to Earth. However, while Aries was overjoyed and loved the filly she received for her 17th birthday, that didn’t stop her hunger for knowledge.
So, Aquile decided to go another way. Instead of banning Aries’ desire for knowledge, he hired a veteran O.U.T. engineering and tactical departments Corporal Margarette Smyke (http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/images/veterans/TetreaultSusanneHU20080523a.jpg) to teach his young daughter not just about the racer ships that so interested her but about the military, strategy and tactics, history and survival. Aries protested but Margarette had a captivating way of teaching and was extremely knowledgeable, willing to answer any question possible. She also forced Aries to challenge herself physically and intellectually, sometimes organizing trips into the nearby wilderness and teaching the girl to survive, other times planning trips to neighbouring small towns, talking about the problems there and forcing Aries to figure out solutions.
It’s not surprising that Margarette was among the first who heard Aries’ crazy plan – she wanted to help Kayle enter the big leagues. She had been around often when he practiced and while the young pilot wasn’t bad, he laced strategy and tactic, sometimes rushing when he should have waited, other times slowing down when there was no need. Her teacher, after a bit of consideration, agreed that it wasn’t a bad idea and so it began. During the day, Aries would spent her mornings in the woods, meeting her friend and discussing the tactics and strategies the two woman came up with the night before. Sometimes, she would go with the racer to see him practice, other times she would come home and continue her studies of the past with Margarette. And when the evening came, she would play chess with her father, trying out certain concepts in a much less dangerous situation.
Atop of strategy and training, Aries also started looking for sponsors, meeting with influential people in Promethea. Because of her position, getting audiences with the rich was easy – persuading them to support a semi-pro racer having issues with tactics and winning as often as loosing was hard. Especially now that the news about Leo Karth were spreading and no one wanted to risk their name supporting the wrong racer. Part of Aries absolutely hated the man for making her life that much harder yet part, much smaller but more true, felt pity, imagining how much he had lost. She could never have parted with her filly Blaze (http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j338/xookini/chestnut_akhal_teke_3_by_venomxbaby-d3gw46k_zps71ae236e.jpg)willingly.
A few months later, success finally smiled upon the trio. Margarette had contacted an old friend who was just starting a new line of racing CAR ships and needed someone to test them. If the ships performed well, he was willing to sign on the young Racer full time, paying for competitions and the like. The race was taking place from Gooth to Canceron, a short track just under 6 hours. For Aries, this was the first time she could see if she was as good as she claimed when it came to strategy and tactic – if she figured out exactly how Kayle should tackle the race and if he won, that would be a success for both. Even Governor Jackson traveled with his daughter to see her nearly two year efforts be tested in the real world.
Kayle placed 3rd but the competition was tough, consisting of many pro athletes and new machines. Although he signed the contract with Zelek, Aries felt disappointed with herself, analysing the game plan and trying to find a different way that it could have went, figuring a new strategy. In the end, at the traditional party after a race, she found herself much like Leo, sitting at the bar, avoiding the world as men tried to come and flirt with the beautiful girl before them. Every single one was shot down with a frown and a roll of her eyes.
Unable to deal with the happiness around her and still frustrated with what she assumed was her poor analysis of the situation, Aries left for some fresh air, ending up alone in a rather empty back ally near the docks of Gooth. This was a mistake – acting purely on need to leave the fakeness of the competition, ignoring the possible danger and forgetting to mention it to anyone, she found herself cornered by a few men in a dead end turn between tall, dark houses with no one around. She tried to talk but the men were foreigners, barely understanding her. She tried to run but the largest caught her arm, painfully twisting it behind her and making her fall to her knees. She tried to fight but a hand slapped painfully across her cheek, making her see black spots in the night.
This could have ended badly – the men pushed her back up, ripping the material of her dress so that it barely hung on her frame as she watched them with desperate, unforgiving eyes – if not that someone passed by and noticed the rather horrid situation. Aries really didn’t know whether she wanted to laugh or cry at the irony that her savior was, as bizarre at it could be, Leo. He didn’t say anything as his eyes observed the situation, didn’t frown as the men yelled at him, didn’t move when all but the one keeping the young girl pressed up against the cold stone wall pulled out knives and turned towards him. Aries and her captor both looked with large eyes as the newcomer, silent and with unexplainable viciousness disarmed and knocked out his four opponents, adding some kicks to the unmoving bodies. As he stopped, his blazing gaze, powerful and full of hate, turned towards the last man, probably the smartest of his companions as he ran off, stumbling into the night, trying to get away.
Aries didn’t know how to react – she wasn’t even certain she could thank him. She was, for the first time in her life, scared of the man before her. Up close, he towered over her small frame, standing almost a foot taller with muscles that seemed to have been made of steel. And she herself looked simply pathetic, her elegant dress barely holding on and her cheek bright red, eyes large and defiant, red hair messy across her shoulders. The silence stretched for a bit until the cool breeze flooded through, chilling Aries to the bone and making her sneeze involuntarily. The image of the girl rubbing her nose in a cat-like manner seemed to have drawn a bare hint of a smile from the man as he slid off his heavy leather jacket and draped it lazily over the shivering body.
When Aries made it back to the hotel, accompanied by a rather silent guard, she quickly made excuses to her father, claiming to have gotten lost and begging forgiveness for the dress. Not the Aquile cared much for it – he was rather happy that she wasn’t hurt. As she locked herself in her room that evening, thinking, she realized she hadn’t said a proper thank you. In all honesty, she hadn’t said anything as they walked back, looking angrily at her feet and blaming herself for being so airheaded than trying to start a conversation. And Leo wasn’t much help either. She hated herself for being too scared to be polite, the thought making her sick to her stomach as she tried to fall asleep. Slowly standing up, she walked over to the chair onto which she had tossed the jacket, gingerly tracing the leather with the tips of her fingers, a silent promise to return it to its owner eventually. That was how she fell asleep that day, hugging the jacket, taking in the lingering hints of cologne, the same one that had made her head spin at their first meeting.
The day Aries turned 18, she left to Lionis with Blaze, explaining to her father that she wanted to participate in a four month long training program offered for race horses, a present that she had begged for. The school she had applied for near Hedon was not the most well-known, being rather small and focusing more on endurance than racing but that suited Aries just fine. Her goal was to find Leo while she was there, something she had been planning since her return from Gooth. Aquile didn’t object, knowing his daughter’s spirit and so it was decided that she would go for the first time, to live on her own in Hedon. For the young girl, it was yet another challenge, an adventure she had been dreaming of and reading about. Over the months before her birthday, she had asked for more favors and bribed more people than she imagined to find the current whereabouts of the old CAR superstar.
Getting to Hedon and settling in the dorms about a twenty minute drive from the city was no problem. Finding a way into the underground bike racing world was a completely different game, one that truly challenged the young girl with her formal Leonese, unsuitable for the back end of the city. None the less, she made it in, head held high and the black leather jacket popped atop her outfit. The look on Leo’s face as he saw her in the crowd wearing his jacket, looking triumphant and confident, her smirk giving his own a run for the money, was priceless.
Initially, Leo was mad at Aries for finding him. He didn’t even take his jacket back but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Slowly, she managed to find him and get him to talk. He had changed since his racing career but something about him made Aries wonder if his past was as simple as everyone though. An uneasy friendship formed as she showed up to all his races, fascinated with his dedication and rigour. In a way, Aries looked up to Leo, trying to capture the same passion and free spirit in her riding, pushing herself and Blaze to be faster, jump higher, tackle bigger courses in less time. She managed to get away home for a short break to visit her father, mostly to persuade him to allow her to take up a job offer as a writer for a new historical fiction show in Hedon. Aquile was against it, believing that Aries was still too young to be safe on her own. Aries was getting frustrated until Leo showed up at her door, unexplained but much needed to stop a fight waiting to break out. Introducing him as a friend from the city, Aries begged her father to let her go, arguing that with friends such as Leo, there was nothing that could harm her. Aquile reluctantly agreed once he hired Leo to become Aries’ bodyguard for a hefty salary.
And so it began. Aries continued to ride and work, some nights coming to see Leo race as he followed her most of the time, more as a companion for few dared approach her with him in at her side. Meeting a dealer of parts on one of the movie sets, Aries slowly started to negotiate for parts of motorcycles, passing them on to Leo. Slowly, she became accustomed to his constant presence, feeling empty when he wasn’t there. He traveled with her to her events, watching as Blaze and Aries competed and won. And sometimes, a bare hint of a smile crossed his lips as the redhead, barely breathing and laughing, would cross the finish line, the horse thundering by in triumph. In the fall, when she was 19, Aries and Leo finally decided to move in together, their relationship becoming a lot more intimate and intricate. They continued their strange existence, Leo protecting her and Aries retrieving parts he needed for his bike, the girl becoming more and more attached and falling in love.
However, much was left unsaid and much hidden. Leo began to be a bit distant in the last few months, disappearing to his workshop more often than before, leaving Aries more time for herself. Knowing something was up, Aries started to investigate, dwelling deeper into the underworld of bike racing, playing a dangerous game. Determined, she had not grown up in the slumps of Hedon and as she asked questions, Leo’s enemies found his weak spot. Unaware to her, she became their target as masterminds waited and planned until….
Anything special: Aries loves books but because she had read so many in her childhood, few actually captivate her mind for long. Instead, she has started to write herself, constantly scribbling something into a battered, thick notebook when she has time. She is also a very talented artist and, between lines of writing, you can find pages of sketches, sometimes done with colored pastels or crayons but usually just pen and hatching stuff.
Being taught to work with her knife first by Maragrette (survival in the wild and disciplined combat) then by Leo (more street smart fighting, "dirty"), she is quite a thief, sneaking a few parts for her guard through her skills of climbing, stealth and smarts.
Okay, gonna take another chance at this (fingers crossed) ^_^
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Appearance: Benjamin is around 6’1, toned with tan skin. He has some lines around his eyes and on his forehead, especially when he frowns. He has dark brown eyes speckled with blue and brown hair that spikes up a bit with some grey in it. He usually sports a visible stubble and has perfect, white teeth. His nose is a bit crooked from being broken and he has a scar on his neck from his first vampire fight.
Usually he wears comfortable jeans and shirt with simple but elegant shoes and a pair of aviator shades. He can dress in suits but usually Benjamin complains about not breathing as easily in a tie.
Name: Benjamin Cooper although, after serving for so long, he responds more readily to Cooper the Ben, Benjamin or Benny
Age / Looks: 27
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Signature Weapon: Benjamin prefers to use his Glock 22 gun as he is most familiar with it out of all firearms. He shoots 0.40 – calibre bullets and usually manages to take down his opponents with one shot. However, when perfection cannot be achieved, Benjamin will shoot until dead. Following a rule that he read from an old book, to confirm that his kill was trully dead, he slices the neck of the victim just in case.
Skills: Cooper has learned to use Glock 22 and Glock 23 guns before adjusting to the standard issued Glock 19 9mm service pistols in New York. He has been a fan of free combat and tends to be quite good in a fight. As a police officer, he nearly forgot his skills of fighting with bandit knifes that he had mastered when he was sixteen. He competed as a swimmer during his university years before joining the forces and is a good driver although has a tendency to speed.
Personality: Benjamin was a very gentle, compassionate and optimistic young man growing up. However, his personality drastically changed in 2012 when his wife and daughter were heartlessly murdered. He became withdrawn, cold, unforgiving and untrusting. He is determined and once he sets his mind to something, he cannot be easily persuaded. He is a loner, preferring to work alone and sometimes not being there to watch his partner’s back. Very intelligent and quick on his feet, he is fearless. He is merciless and relentless when it comes to trying to solve his family’s murder.
Backstory: Benjamin Cooper was born on March 31st, 1987 in Sydney, Australia to American hunter Zane Cooper and Australian hunter Amelie Hilk. The family had a decent income for a while as Zane Cooper worked as a relatively successful mystery writer and Amelie working as an elementary school teacher in a nearby boarding school for girls. Both his parents were devoted to literature and education and constantly pushed Benny to achieve more and strive for constant learning. Learning to read early on and having his father read many books with him before bed, Benjamin has always found time for books and stories, his only salvation.
As soon as Benjamin could walk, Zane started to teach his son the skills he would need as a Hunter. Immediately, he noticed the boy's ability to think outside the box and build complex yet logical sequences. Amelie, although protesting such early introduction to the dangerous world of Hunters and Vampires, joined in assisting with the training although heavily drawing little Benjamin's attention to the beauty of life both of Hunters and Vampires.
In 1991, before Benjamin turned four, Zane passed away in a car accident as he was returning home from a late night party at the publisher’s when a drunken driver in a large SUV collided with the small Toyota that the writer was driving. Benjamin remembers very clearly how there was a knock on their door at 2 in the morning and a very remorseful policeman bearing the New South Wales Police crest on his jacket. Amelie, an emotional woman, managed to keep her tears at a minimum around her four year old son who simply fell in love with the idea of fighting for justice as a member of the police force.
After a hard year when Amelie and Benjamin had to move from their spacious three bedroom apartment in downtown Sydney to a one bedroom place on the outskirts, life started to look up once again. Not used to giving up, Amelie simply started to live again although her smiles never reached her eyes again. Benjamin grew up in a poor part of town without many friends and preferred to have his nose stuck in a mystery novel than to be playing with the neighbourhood kids (although when a game of Cops and Robbers came up, he would always volunteer to be a cop). On sunny afternoons, especially during summer vacation in January, Benjamin and his mother would travel to a big city park in downtown with a picnic and spend afternoons reading and talking with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a tradition Zane had brought with him from the States. All these afternoons made Benjamin extremely close with his mother.
After her husband's death, Amelie continued her son's Hunter education, passing on the skills she had retained from her past. Although now only a human, Amelie taught Benny everything in theory and advised him to find a mentor for practice. Some lessons could be taught by anyone and those she beat into him through laughter, tears and sweat. Learning from his mother, Benjamin also realized that women were not to be assumed helpless under any circumstances for he could only imagine what kind of Hunter his mother was in her prime.
The nearby pool offered relatively cheap swimming classes and Amelie enrolled Benjamin when he was six into the beginner group. The boy seemed to be born in water and very quickly passed all the levels, ending up training with the competitive children in the mornings and afternoons. Every free moment, Benjamin was at the pool and this turned a wispy, unapproachable boy into a beginning athlete. That is where he met his best friend Marcus Jones, a boy his age with curly hair and an impish personality. Somehow the two managed to get along although their personalities were almost opposite one another.
Growing up, at 16, Benjamin was recruited into a small, four person Young Hunter club by Kiki Williams, a seventeen year old Hunter who’s grandfather’s was the group’s mentor and teacher. After many years of theory, Benjamin was finally able to put everything his mother taught him into practice under the guidance of the elderly Hunter. The group became more gang like and their main weapon was a long knife, with simple black leather wrapped handle grips.
A few months after first joining Kiki and the gang, Benjamin made his first kill quite accidentally as he came upon vampire that was attacking some kids. The fight was not as simple as he thought and he was wounded quite badly before finally killing the monster.Benjamin overdid the first dose of Vampire blood and ended up vomiting in the alley although it healed the bleeding op. That is where Georgiana, the other girl in their gang, found him.
Georgiana Leesay was a very gentle girl Hunter who came from a strong bloodline that could be traced back to the first Hunter in the 1700s. She cared for Benjamin and helped him recover. She wasn’t super beautiful, a simple average girl with warm hazel eyes and too many freckles on her face. None the less, Georgiana and Benjamin became friends and then lovers, both finding comfort in each other’s company. With her, Benjamin felt innocent, didn’t need to use an outrages number of words and could become human again. Benjamin continued to learn and improve however he didn't face any other beasts between his first kill and university.
When he turned 18, Benjamin applied to the University of Western Sydney for the Forensic Science program and was easily accepted. Before the first classes began at the end of January, this also marked the end of his training with Kiki's grandfather as the old man suffered from heart failure and died. Georgiana went to the same university, specializing in literature and history within the arts department. During his three years in UWS, Benjamin was on the varsity swimming team, successfully competing across Australia and getting a spot in a competition in New Zealand South Island however he couldn’t go as he was saving his scholarship and pocket money in order to propose to Georgiana. Over the three years, between 2005 and 2008, Benjamin killed around 10 vampires who weren’t behaving properly being very careful with his blood intake and bringing some to Georgiana who refused to accept her calling as a Hunter.
In the winter of 2008 (early June), Benjamin finally proposed to Georgiana after successfully being hired as a Constable into the FSG (Forensic Services Group). Amelie was overjoyed although overworking and predetermined genetics meant that she was now sick with cancer. The young couple had a small wedding within a few months (August) and Georgiana moved in with Amelie and Benjamin, keeping the old woman company while Benjamin was at work.
Georgiana was never meant to be a great Hunter – she was too soft and compassionate and after long debates with Benjamin, she finally revealed that she wanted to pass her skills onto her child. She became pregnant in February of 2009 and on November 5th, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl Hunter whom the couple named Siena Cooper. A few months later, after a hard battle with the disease, on March 13th, Amelie passed away in her sleep at the hospital.
Benjamin quickly progressed through the ranks within the FSG and in 2012, at the age of 25, was the youngest Sergeant in the Sydney FSG department. However, his success came at a price. During a long night of investigating a seemingly dead-end case, he called Georgiana to tell her that he was staying overnight at work. She was disappointed but said that she would see him soon. That was the last time he saw them. At 4:54 am, an explosion destroyed the house where Benjamin and his family lived. Many were killed including Georgiana and the three year old Siena.
Thorough investigation revealed it to be an accidental explosion dealing with the poor utilities in the building however Benjamin, living at Kiki’s house, couldn’t stay in Sydney anymore. Following an almost invisible lead, he resigned with the New South Wales Police Force and flew out to New York City. There, he got enlisted as a private consultant with the New York City Police Department and manages to get by to live in Manhattan. In his spare time, he is looking for leads about his wife’s and daughter’s death but the only thing he realized is that vampires were involved. He has sworn to find the one responsible and carve out that beast’s heart.
Name: Lion
Nickname: Teo
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Animal: White Lion, larger than usual with a thick white mane and creme colored fur
Appearence: https://p.gr-assets.com/540x540/fit/hostedimages/1379800157/664928.jpg
Teo is moderately tall, standing around 5'10. He is broad shouldered and toned, having been training for most of his life. He is usually dressed as is required of his status as a young nobleman however prefers simple, well made clothes of dark shades to the common, bright colored tunics of his equals. He sports tall, over the knee leather boots, black velvet pants and a black tunic atop a simple white shirt. All his tunics are high necked to cover his Fur marks. He has a scar across his right eye, a reminder of a duel that he had lost previously. He has thick hair that he keeps cropped short. His eyes are usually a pale blue however, they change with his emotions to appear dark blue, deep purple or even practically black. He is always wearing a sword and dagger on his belt, throwing knifes in his boots and a black cape. And his hands are always covered in thin, black leather gloves.
Animal appearence: http://cdn.mg.co.za/uploads/2012/04/20/cropped-262.gif
The eyes also reflect Teo's mood and tend to get darker when he becomes angry. The scar across his right eye remains as a sliver of tender pink skin when in animal form. The pads of his paws are black and so are the tips of his ears.
Personality: Like his Fur self, Teo is patient and usually quiet with an air of superiority about him. He doesn't take kindly to people who try to talk to him as his equals and only bows his head to the king. When he speaks, his voice is like ice and forces people to listen. He rarely reacts to mockery or insults but if his honor is jeopardized, he will be merciless.
A daredevil, a leader and the protector of his lands, Teo always will be there to protect his men and subjects. Just, he takes care of his lands in a set way that is fair and inspires devotion from his subjects. However, he guards his heart and has never been in love. Gentle with his adopted sister and eager to please her, spoiling her rotten, reveals a slightly gentler side of his personality.
History: Theodore de a Fere was born to Duke de la Fere and Lady Liliath. However, during his birth, his mother died to unexpected causes as his father realized that the boy was a Fur. Progressive in his ways, Duke de la Fere immediately retired from his post in the King's council and retired to the south to raise his son and give him the best chance of survival. No one but the closest servants of the young boy knew of his curse however, their love for the charming boy made them overlook their superstitions and protect him.
Theodore was taught all the skills any noble needs - combat, swordsmanship, equestrian, hunting, literature, writing, mathematics, foreign languages, etiquette and the rest. Weekly exercises of self control and transformations outside the castle walls in the forest also became a must since without the release of the inner animal, the boy would not be able to control the beast inside. Small challenges also had to be overcome as horses could smell the predator on him and would have to be specially trained to ignore their own fear.
A year before his death, duke de la Fere adopted a young girl of noble blood who was six years younger than the young Teo. Freya, a shy and very proper girl, was instantly welcomed by all members of the duke's home and became Teo's companion. Freya learned a lot from her older brother over the year and they became close enough that around her, Teo feels completely relaxed and safe. Freya, however, doesn't know that he is a Fur.
After his father's death, at the age of 17, Teo became Duke de la Fere and made his first journey to the capital to give his allegiance to the king. That was his first real test of control however he passed it with flying colors, the king not suspecting anything. Begging more time to become adjusted in his new role as Duke, Teo retired back south to Freya where they lived together for a few years. However, the king has grown impatient and once again summoned Teo back to the capital to become part of the royal court. Fearing future ill luck, Teo sent Freya to a convent to continue her studies and tries to visit her often. He is now on his way to the capital with a small group of faithful, devoted men.
Weapons/Equipment: Sword, dagger, throwing knifes, bow, arrows, spear. He rides a beautiful red chestnut stallion that he trained himself (war horses were quite some weapon in medieval times). As a lion, he has white sharp fangs and fearsome claws.
Other: Um....I think I covered everything? I might introduce Freya later as a character...
Name: Freya Lalaith de la Fere (previous last name, Groverisle)
Nickname: Freya although Teo calls her Lalaith, an old name meaning ‘laughter’
Age: Just turned 16
Gender: Female
Animal: None, a simple human….but if she was, she’d be a deer
http://alexandriarhodes.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/934_emma-roberts-jpg-hair-102006239.jpg
Appearance: Freya is a relatively tall girl, standing at 5’7. She is still lanky and not fully formed with a chest that’s a bit too flat and not enough curves. She has smooth skin and soft hands, large expressive eyes and rose lips. She had long, thick locks of wavy of brown that she usually pins up in an elegant yet simple up do. Following Teo’s lead and what she has been taught by the nuns, Freya wears elegant yet simple dresses, usually modestly cut and of pale colors. A true daughter of the south, she finds the capitol cold and usually wears a cloak to protect her from the wind.
Personality: Freya is a very shy and soft-spoken girl. She is a romantic, a dreamer and a bit naive. She easily trusts those who are kind to her which makes Teo tense – her brother believes that she will be hurt eventually. Like Teo, Freya believes in fairness and often helped the poor that lived near the de la Fere residence.
She celebrates life and loves to simply enjoy each day. It doesn’t take much to make her happy and she loves helping her brother relax. However, she is overly emotional and it is also very easy to make her cry or feel insecure. She respects people like her brother – confident and righteous, elegant and well-mannered.
She is mature for her age, been a fan of literature and witnessing the murder of her family. Her shyness is sometimes taken as superiority and many people disdain her. Freya has learned to take responsibility for her actions but does need guidance at points to make the right decision.
Freya “Lalaith” Groverisle was born to Sir Rodrigues Groverisle and Lady Luna. She was a much expected child for it seemed that the Lady Luna was barren until at last, at the age of 34, she gave birth to a charming baby girl. Sir Rodrigues was part of the King’s Guard however, he openly started to oppose the king’s obsession with murdering Furs after witnessing a gruesome murder of a small girl Fur. The king, unwilling to punish a man who was nothing but loyal to him for years, simply sent Rodrigues home to his wife and daughter, in a small town in the south.
However, to gain the King’s favour, some noblemen decided to murder the one who, in their eyes, betrayed their monarch. Being of lesser nobility without much support in court, when Freya was three, her father was murdered in a duel. Lady Luna was left alone with a small child, a haunted estate, a large debt and many enemies. That is when Duke de la Fere, into whose lands the small estate of the Groverisles fell into, took the widow and the girl under his protection.
Freya grew up shy and reserved under her mother’s wing, learning all the proper skills a young lady of noble birth had to know. She spent many hours sewing and painting, learning to play the lyre, sing, dance, proper etiquette and style as well as religion and old literature. However, the girl was an active child and every day, would end up in the Southern garden, a small fenced of area with the colourful flowers of the south, a cool pond in the shade of the large Fern tree and swings that the Duke, on one of his visits, installed as a present to the girl. She would spent hours playing out in the sun with the old dogs that once were her Father’s prized hunting hounds. Her laughter seemed to echo all around the estate and bring joy to Lady Luna who became a somber woman after Rodrigues’ death.
When she was ten, Freya’s world changed once again. After another boring lesson in etiquette and an argument with her mother, she found herself once again in the Southern Garden with an old, forgotten romance. Eventually, she fell asleep among the flowers and because of this, ended up being the only survivor as the house was attacked by the family’s enemies, stopped only by the Duke and his force of men. Everyone in the house was slaughtered and as the Duke carried the shocked girl to his horse, she saw her mother’s body carried out, a gashing wound in her chest. Not shedding a tear, Freya watched and the image of her mother’s dead body was forever burned into her eyes.
Freya was adopted by the Duke and introduced to Teo, the young man who was 6 years her elder. She began to live at the estate, a place much bigger and grander than her home before. Her education continued but now, new disciplines were added to her education such as foreign languages, mathematics, basic self defense with a dagger, equestrian knowledge, and banquet planning. The Duke was very strict when it came to education of both Freya and Teo and since some classes were taken with the same tutors and at the same time, they started to become good friends. Freya simply loved following Teo around like a puppy and learning from him. When he had time, he would play with his new sister. Her laughter seemed to relax her and eventually, he started to call her “Lalaith”.
The Duke died a year after and Teo, seventeen, became the new Duke. Freya’s education continued however, as Teo was required to travel to the Capitol, she was left alone to mourn over the loss of the man who had given her a new life and protection. The few weeks away from Teo made Freya quiet and a bit reserved but this was also when she started to take on a bigger role in her new place as the sister of the Duke. She visited the poor and brought them food, sometimes stopping by their celebrations to congratulate this or that person. In a time when the citizens of the dukedom were trying to adjust to the changes, Freya became a symbol of hope.
With Teo’s return from the capital, Freya rarely saw her brother for he was always busy and thus, along with the old teacher of literature who became her companion, spent a lot of time in the garden of the estate. She helped out at the local orphanage, teaching the kids there to sing and read. In the few days that she could spend with Teo, she entertained him with her stories and laughter at the small presents he gave her. That seemed to help the young man relax when he couldn’t escape into the forest to calm down.
When she turned fifteen, Teo decided to send Freya to a nunnery as he had to return to the capitol and had no idea when he would return. With tears in her eyes, Freya obliged her brother and left to live under the watchful eyes of Head Sister Amalia in the Southern region at the edge of the dukedom. However, after her sixteenth birthday, she decided to join her brother in the Capitol after receiving some offers of marriage from men who she knew Teo would never approve of. When these offers of marriage turned to attempts of sneaking her out of the nunnery, even Amalia agreed with the young girl’s reasoning and helped her make her way to Teo’s estate in the capital along with her old companion, Lady Tremaine.
Weapons/Equipment: Freya always wears an elegant, long dagger with a simple leather hilt and a plain, black sheath on her belt. She takes it off for occasions like banquets and other social events. She has picked up a good ability to throw the dagger but only practiced on apples in the gardens.
Other: Freya has been given a large dowry by both the old Duke de la Fere and by Teo. She has no relatives and if anything happens to Teo, she will become the Duchess de la Fere with her husband.
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Irish/Russian
Looks: About 5’3, she is slim, a bit athletic with slight curves. She has very pale skin that resembles per, an unusual feature on Aerilon where most people have quite tanned, darker skin tones in general. Lips are a bit full and of average size, with a delicate nose and a defined jawline. She has straight, blood-red hair that reaches to the middle of her back but is usually in a braid or a simple half-up style – yet another oddity as most inhabitants have darker features with wavy hair.
Her large eyes are the most defining feature. Huge and expressive, with long lashes, they are a combination of colors, constantly changing between emerald green, sky blue and metallic grey. She barely wears makeup although knows how to apply it and generally prefers more combat styled clothes to dresses. None the less, she can dress as a girl and often does on insistence from her father Aquile.
She has a very beautiful voice though she rarely sings and her motions are all about elegance, agility and feline grace. She is very light on her feet and very quiet, has a very uncanny obsession with climbing and has broken her arm at least twice falling off one tree or another.
http://www.mischiefmaker.biz/images/redHairedGirl.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/a1/82/55/a18255d31ac548efacad9ede51cf9c3e.jpg
Augmentations: At the moment, she has none. She would never consider metal robotic ones and has yet to get any animal ones.
Weapons: Coming from a poor planet of farmers, she rarely picked up weapons but she always has a sergeant’s knife hidden somewhere on her, the one souvenir she has of her real father. http://images.knifecenter.com/thumb/1500x1500/knifecenter/ontario/images/ONSP1.jpg
Personality: Aries is extremely intelligent and quick-witted. She loves solving mind-puzzles and playing chess, a past time she and her father Aquile engaged in a lot at home. Free spirited, she is won’t take order from anyone and will always do things her way. She is a natural born leader and brought up as one as well, knowing her way around officials and able to negotiate.
Quick-tempered, she easily snaps at people but her anger rarely holds – usually, she asks for forgiveness within an hour of cooling down. However, she won’t deal with dishonesty, betrayal, fakeness and won’t ever forgive people who do her wrong. Although she can excel under pressure, she cannot always keep a cool head and will go with her gut feeling which sometimes lands her into trouble.
Extremely passionate and portraying a very strong persona, inside Aries is always critical of herself and lacks self-confidence. She can be a bit self-centered and is extremely stubborn. She is unable to ever refuse a challenge and loves adventure although her father has kept her in Promethea for most of her life. She doesn’t make friends easily but is loyal to the end, ready to die for them. Not the greatest fighter, she will never back down though and sometimes her forwardness end up with her being covered in bruises and with a few bloody noses.
Background:
Aries Jackson was not supposed to be born. That is just it – Aries is an accidental child, a mix of Aerilon and Sagittaron, an outsider. Her mother, Astrid (http://www.theirishworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/irish-women-hottest-e1385732703799.jpg) hailed from an educated family in Promethea where her father was a professor at the University of Aerilon, located in the largest city yet not the capitol. The city of trade on the planet, Astrid was often around the docks, watching the skies and daydreaming of an adventure although her fate was predetermined – she was to marry Prometheus’ young governor Aquile Johnson (http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02284/Paraic-Casey-chann_2284375f.jpg), a man of much promise that was starting to turn the peaceful, poor planet towards a brighter future.
A few months before their marriage, Astrid finally got her wish – she got an adventure. But it was nothing like what she expected. A ship landed, one of the pirate ships, and like most was welcomed simply because Aerilon had nothing worth stealing. It was a mix of marauders and those fighting against the UTO, a fleet of men that were both terrifying and awe inspiring. Among them was the Russian marauder Oleg Kazmanov (http://beauty-around.com/images/sampledata/Russian_Actors/1.jpg). Astrid felt a strange fascination with the man’s dark past and his history however, everyone told her she was playing with fire. Refusing to listen, Astrid kept trying to find out about Oleg, eventually leading to an unforgettable night, the night before he disappeared forever, the night he raped her.
Astrid was broken – emotionally and physically. Many thought her life was ruined for no man would ever want a wife who had been in contact with pirates and worse, pregnant with their child. All she had as a memory was a knife that Oleg had given her days before leaving. But everyone had underestimated the young governor. Aquile was as tender as ever and even though Astrid was pregnant, he married her anyway, promising to raise the child as his own.
On March 21st, a beautiful baby girl was born and in memory of days long gone, the beginning of the new Astrological year, the planet on which she took her first breathe, she was named Aries. Aquile was overjoyed as was Astrid although joy didn’t last long. 10 days later, the governor’s young wife passed away, her body unable to recuperate after the birth. The man was left alone, with just his step-daughter, to continue ruling Promethea as best as he could while mourning his wife’s passing.
Aries grew up quite a rebellious child. Most of the tutors that her father hired for her couldn’t find a key to make the red-head child cooperate. And although Aquile tried to be harsh with her, he could never restrain a smile when he saw her rush to him, knees scraped, telling him about yet another adventure she had. Giving up, he sought help from Astrid’s father, the elderly professor who suggested the governor higher one of the recent grad students to be the girl’s teacher. That is how Elenor “Ellie” Dresden (http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/files/styles/fullsize/public/images/rewi-alley-portrait.jpg?itok=ku5OSjsm) entered her life.
Elenor Dresden, a young man from a poor family always managed to make the situation work for him. Through unknown means, he was able to afford school and make his way from a small village to Promethea where he was accepted into the University. Graduating with honours, he was the first to find that instead of pushing Aries, it was easier to challenge her and play off her adventurous side. Very quickly, the uncontrollable demon of a child became a hard-working student, progressing through knowledge much faster then expected.
Ellie was like a brother to Aries but when she was 15, it was time for her teacher to move on. Knowing about the success he had with Governor Jackson’s uncontrollable daughter, other rich families requested him as an instructor for their own children. After much discussion with Aquile who became almost an uncle to the young man and his old professor, Ellie left for Gooth to undertake the education of an influential merchant’s triplets. Saddened by his departure and unable to do anything with her frustration, Aries yelled at her father before attempting to run away by climbing out her third floor window. She was caught a few hours later but when she was brought before her father’s eyes, drenched in mud and eyes blazing, he only sighed.
That day was when Aquile finally revealed to Aries her history, the secrets he held and the stories he tried to forget. Some facts were left out but the young teen got the just of it – she was a mistake. Always wondering why she was so different, she finally had answers she so desperately wanted. The rest of the night, she sat in her room thinking, waiting as the sun started to peek from the horizon before coming to a realization – her father was none the less Aquile Jackson, no matter what anyone else thought. This event, a gamble really, brought the two even closer and the only reminder Aries has of the past was the knife that used to be her mother’s. For her, it became a symbol of strength, a silent promise never to be as reckless.
Although not spoiled due to poor economy and her father’s believe that they should not be much more privileged, Aquile gave in to his daughter’s wishes when she was five and bought her a pony. After the pony came her first and after that another two. Every day, Aries would go for an early morning ride into the nearby empty land, not good enough to farm and too steep to be of use for building. Each day, she would ride as fast as her mount could take her, yelling into the wind and becoming free. As she became older, her rides became longer and at points, she would disappear from sunrise to sunset, exploring the land that she called home.
It was on one of those days when she had found a new oasis among the tall trees that she met Kayle Kawalsk (http://www.viktorkee.com/headshotBlckWht.jpg)i, a ship racer who was taking a break from the leagues to enjoy some time with his family. But just like Aries, he loved the peace and quiet of the woods, a sanctuary from his large family of 12. For 16 year old Aries, Kayle was her first love although he didn’t return her feelings, seeing her only as a friend. They reconciled at their meeting place every few days, talking or mostly Kayle talking about the Leagues and the final races of the season happening in Gooth in a few weeks which he wasn’t about to miss. Aries begged to go with him and he agreed to take her if the Governor agreed.
Persuading Aquile was no easy feat as the Governor was against the races but eventually conceded after Aries threatened to run away from home. Their agreement was that she would stay with Ellie in Gooth instead of with the Racers and would behave in a lady-like fashion. This was the first time Aries went on a real adventure. Together with Kayle, they made it to Gooth in a bit over a week just as the final days of competition were coming. Being a decent level racer, Kayle managed to sneak them into the pits with the best view. Aries had never seen so many people from all the planets gathered to see the races, never felt such excitement and energy surge through a crowd nor heard the bewildering, deafening cheer as the favorites were welcomed to the start line.
And when the races started, she could not take her eyes off the skies where white trails were left as the athletes took to the stars. This was the Cross Atmosphere Race qualifier, the last before the final race. Starting from Aerilon, the racers had to circle around Aquaria and come back, the total lap time close to 10 hours. And as the racers set off, the world erupted in excitement. She would have stayed all day at the pits, watching the sky into which the racers disappeared unless Kayle hadn’t dragged her off to a nearby pub, set up with screens and direct transmissions from the cockpits of the racers. Kayle and other racers, not yet Pro and not ready to be in the ICRL Colonial Championship, were discussing each and every one, arguing about strategy and placing bets on who would win.
Aries had never felt so alive, so entranced and bewildered as when the winner came zooming towards the finish, the crowd surging towards him, Aries among them. The young man, Leo as the people around her chanted, didn’t seemed phased. Nor excited. Nor particularly overjoyed at his win. It struck the young girl as odd that such a man wouldn’t even crack a smile. Tossing his helmet to a nearby helper, he stalked off to eat and change as the rest of the competitors came in.
That night, a big party was hosted in Gooth to celebrate the athletes, sponsors and supporters of the ICRL. And of course, most would expect that the champion of the race would be the star of the ball however, few dared approach him as he sat by the bar with a glass of something. He wasn’t mean, exchanging formalities and nodding at the praise he received but he never made an effort to keep up a conversation for long, looking bored even when he talked to his own sponsors. His eyes though seemed to be taking in each and every person, observing them, analysing. She felt his gaze on her skin but when she turned to look, he was already looking at the next person who made his way there, uninterested as before. Aries wasn’t planning to approach – she knew better – but somehow, as she followed Kayle and his friends towards the bar and the racers picked up some cheer, accidentally she was pushed towards Leo, bumping into him and nearly tripping over her own feet.
However, she didn’t fall. Instead, Leo had caught her, pulling her rather closely, the smell of his cologne making her head spin, his eyes looking intently into hers. Before she could get her mind together to figure out how to react, Kayle came stumbling over, demanding the older Racer to “stop trying to seduce his friend.” Leo simply smirked, raising his eyebrow in mockery and raising his hands as Aries finally managed to take in a deep breathe, forcing herself back under control. That was enough to send the younger racer on edge, the alcohol not helping and Aries too slow to stop him from doing something stupid. Growling, Kayle lunged at the older man, his buddies only cheering him on. It wasn’t much of a fight as very quickly, security came and separated the two, kicking all the drunken amateur racers out, Aries not sure of how to react. With a glare that promised much in Leo’s direction, she left after the gang.
Once back in Promethea, the young girl spent most of her time stalking her father’s rather vast library, looking for anything and everything she could find about racers, their ships, CARs and ICRL. At first, Aquile didn’t find it strange – from an early age, if Aries wasn’t out wreaking havoc, she was somewhere in the library, drooling over one novel or another. After realizing what his daughter was so rigorously researching, he decided that the best plan of action was to interest the redhead with something else, buying her one of the genetically modified race horses to train, hoping that the new past time would fulfill her need of adventure and turn her head from the harsh, dangerous world of CARs back to Earth. However, while Aries was overjoyed and loved the filly she received for her 17th birthday, that didn’t stop her hunger for knowledge.
So, Aquile decided to go another way. Instead of banning Aries’ desire for knowledge, he hired a veteran O.U.T. engineering and tactical departments Corporal Margarette Smyke (http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/images/veterans/TetreaultSusanneHU20080523a.jpg) to teach his young daughter not just about the racer ships that so interested her but about the military, strategy and tactics, history and survival. Aries protested but Margarette had a captivating way of teaching and was extremely knowledgeable, willing to answer any question possible. She also forced Aries to challenge herself physically and intellectually, sometimes organizing trips into the nearby wilderness and teaching the girl to survive, other times planning trips to neighbouring small towns, talking about the problems there and forcing Aries to figure out solutions.
It’s not surprising that Margarette was among the first who heard Aries’ crazy plan – she wanted to help Kayle enter the big leagues. She had been around often when he practiced and while the young pilot wasn’t bad, he laced strategy and tactic, sometimes rushing when he should have waited, other times slowing down when there was no need. Her teacher, after a bit of consideration, agreed that it wasn’t a bad idea and so it began. During the day, Aries would spent her mornings in the woods, meeting her friend and discussing the tactics and strategies the two woman came up with the night before. Sometimes, she would go with the racer to see him practice, other times she would come home and continue her studies of the past with Margarette. And when the evening came, she would play chess with her father, trying out certain concepts in a much less dangerous situation.
Atop of strategy and training, Aries also started looking for sponsors, meeting with influential people in Promethea. Because of her position, getting audiences with the rich was easy – persuading them to support a semi-pro racer having issues with tactics and winning as often as loosing was hard. Especially now that the news about Leo Karth were spreading and no one wanted to risk their name supporting the wrong racer. Part of Aries absolutely hated the man for making her life that much harder yet part, much smaller but more true, felt pity, imagining how much he had lost. She could never have parted with her filly Blaze (http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j338/xookini/chestnut_akhal_teke_3_by_venomxbaby-d3gw46k_zps71ae236e.jpg)willingly.
A few months later, success finally smiled upon the trio. Margarette had contacted an old friend who was just starting a new line of racing CAR ships and needed someone to test them. If the ships performed well, he was willing to sign on the young Racer full time, paying for competitions and the like. The race was taking place from Gooth to Canceron, a short track just under 6 hours. For Aries, this was the first time she could see if she was as good as she claimed when it came to strategy and tactic – if she figured out exactly how Kayle should tackle the race and if he won, that would be a success for both. Even Governor Jackson traveled with his daughter to see her nearly two year efforts be tested in the real world.
Kayle placed 3rd but the competition was tough, consisting of many pro athletes and new machines. Although he signed the contract with Zelek, Aries felt disappointed with herself, analysing the game plan and trying to find a different way that it could have went, figuring a new strategy. In the end, at the traditional party after a race, she found herself much like Leo, sitting at the bar, avoiding the world as men tried to come and flirt with the beautiful girl before them. Every single one was shot down with a frown and a roll of her eyes.
Unable to deal with the happiness around her and still frustrated with what she assumed was her poor analysis of the situation, Aries left for some fresh air, ending up alone in a rather empty back ally near the docks of Gooth. This was a mistake – acting purely on need to leave the fakeness of the competition, ignoring the possible danger and forgetting to mention it to anyone, she found herself cornered by a few men in a dead end turn between tall, dark houses with no one around. She tried to talk but the men were foreigners, barely understanding her. She tried to run but the largest caught her arm, painfully twisting it behind her and making her fall to her knees. She tried to fight but a hand slapped painfully across her cheek, making her see black spots in the night.
This could have ended badly – the men pushed her back up, ripping the material of her dress so that it barely hung on her frame as she watched them with desperate, unforgiving eyes – if not that someone passed by and noticed the rather horrid situation. Aries really didn’t know whether she wanted to laugh or cry at the irony that her savior was, as bizarre at it could be, Leo. He didn’t say anything as his eyes observed the situation, didn’t frown as the men yelled at him, didn’t move when all but the one keeping the young girl pressed up against the cold stone wall pulled out knives and turned towards him. Aries and her captor both looked with large eyes as the newcomer, silent and with unexplainable viciousness disarmed and knocked out his four opponents, adding some kicks to the unmoving bodies. As he stopped, his blazing gaze, powerful and full of hate, turned towards the last man, probably the smartest of his companions as he ran off, stumbling into the night, trying to get away.
Aries didn’t know how to react – she wasn’t even certain she could thank him. She was, for the first time in her life, scared of the man before her. Up close, he towered over her small frame, standing almost a foot taller with muscles that seemed to have been made of steel. And she herself looked simply pathetic, her elegant dress barely holding on and her cheek bright red, eyes large and defiant, red hair messy across her shoulders. The silence stretched for a bit until the cool breeze flooded through, chilling Aries to the bone and making her sneeze involuntarily. The image of the girl rubbing her nose in a cat-like manner seemed to have drawn a bare hint of a smile from the man as he slid off his heavy leather jacket and draped it lazily over the shivering body.
When Aries made it back to the hotel, accompanied by a rather silent guard, she quickly made excuses to her father, claiming to have gotten lost and begging forgiveness for the dress. Not the Aquile cared much for it – he was rather happy that she wasn’t hurt. As she locked herself in her room that evening, thinking, she realized she hadn’t said a proper thank you. In all honesty, she hadn’t said anything as they walked back, looking angrily at her feet and blaming herself for being so airheaded than trying to start a conversation. And Leo wasn’t much help either. She hated herself for being too scared to be polite, the thought making her sick to her stomach as she tried to fall asleep. Slowly standing up, she walked over to the chair onto which she had tossed the jacket, gingerly tracing the leather with the tips of her fingers, a silent promise to return it to its owner eventually. That was how she fell asleep that day, hugging the jacket, taking in the lingering hints of cologne, the same one that had made her head spin at their first meeting.
The day Aries turned 18, she left to Lionis with Blaze, explaining to her father that she wanted to participate in a four month long training program offered for race horses, a present that she had begged for. The school she had applied for near Hedon was not the most well-known, being rather small and focusing more on endurance than racing but that suited Aries just fine. Her goal was to find Leo while she was there, something she had been planning since her return from Gooth. Aquile didn’t object, knowing his daughter’s spirit and so it was decided that she would go for the first time, to live on her own in Hedon. For the young girl, it was yet another challenge, an adventure she had been dreaming of and reading about. Over the months before her birthday, she had asked for more favors and bribed more people than she imagined to find the current whereabouts of the old CAR superstar.
Getting to Hedon and settling in the dorms about a twenty minute drive from the city was no problem. Finding a way into the underground bike racing world was a completely different game, one that truly challenged the young girl with her formal Leonese, unsuitable for the back end of the city. None the less, she made it in, head held high and the black leather jacket popped atop her outfit. The look on Leo’s face as he saw her in the crowd wearing his jacket, looking triumphant and confident, her smirk giving his own a run for the money, was priceless.
Initially, Leo was mad at Aries for finding him. He didn’t even take his jacket back but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Slowly, she managed to find him and get him to talk. He had changed since his racing career but something about him made Aries wonder if his past was as simple as everyone though. An uneasy friendship formed as she showed up to all his races, fascinated with his dedication and rigour. In a way, Aries looked up to Leo, trying to capture the same passion and free spirit in her riding, pushing herself and Blaze to be faster, jump higher, tackle bigger courses in less time. She managed to get away home for a short break to visit her father, mostly to persuade him to allow her to take up a job offer as a writer for a new historical fiction show in Hedon. Aquile was against it, believing that Aries was still too young to be safe on her own. Aries was getting frustrated until Leo showed up at her door, unexplained but much needed to stop a fight waiting to break out. Introducing him as a friend from the city, Aries begged her father to let her go, arguing that with friends such as Leo, there was nothing that could harm her. Aquile reluctantly agreed once he hired Leo to become Aries’ bodyguard for a hefty salary.
And so it began. Aries continued to ride and work, some nights coming to see Leo race as he followed her most of the time, more as a companion for few dared approach her with him in at her side. Meeting a dealer of parts on one of the movie sets, Aries slowly started to negotiate for parts of motorcycles, passing them on to Leo. Slowly, she became accustomed to his constant presence, feeling empty when he wasn’t there. He traveled with her to her events, watching as Blaze and Aries competed and won. And sometimes, a bare hint of a smile crossed his lips as the redhead, barely breathing and laughing, would cross the finish line, the horse thundering by in triumph. In the fall, when she was 19, Aries and Leo finally decided to move in together, their relationship becoming a lot more intimate and intricate. They continued their strange existence, Leo protecting her and Aries retrieving parts he needed for his bike, the girl becoming more and more attached and falling in love.
However, much was left unsaid and much hidden. Leo began to be a bit distant in the last few months, disappearing to his workshop more often than before, leaving Aries more time for herself. Knowing something was up, Aries started to investigate, dwelling deeper into the underworld of bike racing, playing a dangerous game. Determined, she had not grown up in the slumps of Hedon and as she asked questions, Leo’s enemies found his weak spot. Unaware to her, she became their target as masterminds waited and planned until….
Anything special: Aries loves books but because she had read so many in her childhood, few actually captivate her mind for long. Instead, she has started to write herself, constantly scribbling something into a battered, thick notebook when she has time. She is also a very talented artist and, between lines of writing, you can find pages of sketches, sometimes done with colored pastels or crayons but usually just pen and hatching stuff.
Being taught to work with her knife first by Maragrette (survival in the wild and disciplined combat) then by Leo (more street smart fighting, "dirty"), she is quite a thief, sneaking a few parts for her guard through her skills of climbing, stealth and smarts.
Okay, gonna take another chance at this (fingers crossed) ^_^
http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/portrait-handsome-30-year-old-man-24139137.jpg
Appearance: Benjamin is around 6’1, toned with tan skin. He has some lines around his eyes and on his forehead, especially when he frowns. He has dark brown eyes speckled with blue and brown hair that spikes up a bit with some grey in it. He usually sports a visible stubble and has perfect, white teeth. His nose is a bit crooked from being broken and he has a scar on his neck from his first vampire fight.
Usually he wears comfortable jeans and shirt with simple but elegant shoes and a pair of aviator shades. He can dress in suits but usually Benjamin complains about not breathing as easily in a tie.
Name: Benjamin Cooper although, after serving for so long, he responds more readily to Cooper the Ben, Benjamin or Benny
Age / Looks: 27
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Signature Weapon: Benjamin prefers to use his Glock 22 gun as he is most familiar with it out of all firearms. He shoots 0.40 – calibre bullets and usually manages to take down his opponents with one shot. However, when perfection cannot be achieved, Benjamin will shoot until dead. Following a rule that he read from an old book, to confirm that his kill was trully dead, he slices the neck of the victim just in case.
Skills: Cooper has learned to use Glock 22 and Glock 23 guns before adjusting to the standard issued Glock 19 9mm service pistols in New York. He has been a fan of free combat and tends to be quite good in a fight. As a police officer, he nearly forgot his skills of fighting with bandit knifes that he had mastered when he was sixteen. He competed as a swimmer during his university years before joining the forces and is a good driver although has a tendency to speed.
Personality: Benjamin was a very gentle, compassionate and optimistic young man growing up. However, his personality drastically changed in 2012 when his wife and daughter were heartlessly murdered. He became withdrawn, cold, unforgiving and untrusting. He is determined and once he sets his mind to something, he cannot be easily persuaded. He is a loner, preferring to work alone and sometimes not being there to watch his partner’s back. Very intelligent and quick on his feet, he is fearless. He is merciless and relentless when it comes to trying to solve his family’s murder.
Backstory: Benjamin Cooper was born on March 31st, 1987 in Sydney, Australia to American hunter Zane Cooper and Australian hunter Amelie Hilk. The family had a decent income for a while as Zane Cooper worked as a relatively successful mystery writer and Amelie working as an elementary school teacher in a nearby boarding school for girls. Both his parents were devoted to literature and education and constantly pushed Benny to achieve more and strive for constant learning. Learning to read early on and having his father read many books with him before bed, Benjamin has always found time for books and stories, his only salvation.
As soon as Benjamin could walk, Zane started to teach his son the skills he would need as a Hunter. Immediately, he noticed the boy's ability to think outside the box and build complex yet logical sequences. Amelie, although protesting such early introduction to the dangerous world of Hunters and Vampires, joined in assisting with the training although heavily drawing little Benjamin's attention to the beauty of life both of Hunters and Vampires.
In 1991, before Benjamin turned four, Zane passed away in a car accident as he was returning home from a late night party at the publisher’s when a drunken driver in a large SUV collided with the small Toyota that the writer was driving. Benjamin remembers very clearly how there was a knock on their door at 2 in the morning and a very remorseful policeman bearing the New South Wales Police crest on his jacket. Amelie, an emotional woman, managed to keep her tears at a minimum around her four year old son who simply fell in love with the idea of fighting for justice as a member of the police force.
After a hard year when Amelie and Benjamin had to move from their spacious three bedroom apartment in downtown Sydney to a one bedroom place on the outskirts, life started to look up once again. Not used to giving up, Amelie simply started to live again although her smiles never reached her eyes again. Benjamin grew up in a poor part of town without many friends and preferred to have his nose stuck in a mystery novel than to be playing with the neighbourhood kids (although when a game of Cops and Robbers came up, he would always volunteer to be a cop). On sunny afternoons, especially during summer vacation in January, Benjamin and his mother would travel to a big city park in downtown with a picnic and spend afternoons reading and talking with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a tradition Zane had brought with him from the States. All these afternoons made Benjamin extremely close with his mother.
After her husband's death, Amelie continued her son's Hunter education, passing on the skills she had retained from her past. Although now only a human, Amelie taught Benny everything in theory and advised him to find a mentor for practice. Some lessons could be taught by anyone and those she beat into him through laughter, tears and sweat. Learning from his mother, Benjamin also realized that women were not to be assumed helpless under any circumstances for he could only imagine what kind of Hunter his mother was in her prime.
The nearby pool offered relatively cheap swimming classes and Amelie enrolled Benjamin when he was six into the beginner group. The boy seemed to be born in water and very quickly passed all the levels, ending up training with the competitive children in the mornings and afternoons. Every free moment, Benjamin was at the pool and this turned a wispy, unapproachable boy into a beginning athlete. That is where he met his best friend Marcus Jones, a boy his age with curly hair and an impish personality. Somehow the two managed to get along although their personalities were almost opposite one another.
Growing up, at 16, Benjamin was recruited into a small, four person Young Hunter club by Kiki Williams, a seventeen year old Hunter who’s grandfather’s was the group’s mentor and teacher. After many years of theory, Benjamin was finally able to put everything his mother taught him into practice under the guidance of the elderly Hunter. The group became more gang like and their main weapon was a long knife, with simple black leather wrapped handle grips.
A few months after first joining Kiki and the gang, Benjamin made his first kill quite accidentally as he came upon vampire that was attacking some kids. The fight was not as simple as he thought and he was wounded quite badly before finally killing the monster.Benjamin overdid the first dose of Vampire blood and ended up vomiting in the alley although it healed the bleeding op. That is where Georgiana, the other girl in their gang, found him.
Georgiana Leesay was a very gentle girl Hunter who came from a strong bloodline that could be traced back to the first Hunter in the 1700s. She cared for Benjamin and helped him recover. She wasn’t super beautiful, a simple average girl with warm hazel eyes and too many freckles on her face. None the less, Georgiana and Benjamin became friends and then lovers, both finding comfort in each other’s company. With her, Benjamin felt innocent, didn’t need to use an outrages number of words and could become human again. Benjamin continued to learn and improve however he didn't face any other beasts between his first kill and university.
When he turned 18, Benjamin applied to the University of Western Sydney for the Forensic Science program and was easily accepted. Before the first classes began at the end of January, this also marked the end of his training with Kiki's grandfather as the old man suffered from heart failure and died. Georgiana went to the same university, specializing in literature and history within the arts department. During his three years in UWS, Benjamin was on the varsity swimming team, successfully competing across Australia and getting a spot in a competition in New Zealand South Island however he couldn’t go as he was saving his scholarship and pocket money in order to propose to Georgiana. Over the three years, between 2005 and 2008, Benjamin killed around 10 vampires who weren’t behaving properly being very careful with his blood intake and bringing some to Georgiana who refused to accept her calling as a Hunter.
In the winter of 2008 (early June), Benjamin finally proposed to Georgiana after successfully being hired as a Constable into the FSG (Forensic Services Group). Amelie was overjoyed although overworking and predetermined genetics meant that she was now sick with cancer. The young couple had a small wedding within a few months (August) and Georgiana moved in with Amelie and Benjamin, keeping the old woman company while Benjamin was at work.
Georgiana was never meant to be a great Hunter – she was too soft and compassionate and after long debates with Benjamin, she finally revealed that she wanted to pass her skills onto her child. She became pregnant in February of 2009 and on November 5th, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl Hunter whom the couple named Siena Cooper. A few months later, after a hard battle with the disease, on March 13th, Amelie passed away in her sleep at the hospital.
Benjamin quickly progressed through the ranks within the FSG and in 2012, at the age of 25, was the youngest Sergeant in the Sydney FSG department. However, his success came at a price. During a long night of investigating a seemingly dead-end case, he called Georgiana to tell her that he was staying overnight at work. She was disappointed but said that she would see him soon. That was the last time he saw them. At 4:54 am, an explosion destroyed the house where Benjamin and his family lived. Many were killed including Georgiana and the three year old Siena.
Thorough investigation revealed it to be an accidental explosion dealing with the poor utilities in the building however Benjamin, living at Kiki’s house, couldn’t stay in Sydney anymore. Following an almost invisible lead, he resigned with the New South Wales Police Force and flew out to New York City. There, he got enlisted as a private consultant with the New York City Police Department and manages to get by to live in Manhattan. In his spare time, he is looking for leads about his wife’s and daughter’s death but the only thing he realized is that vampires were involved. He has sworn to find the one responsible and carve out that beast’s heart.
Name: Lion
Nickname: Teo
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Animal: White Lion, larger than usual with a thick white mane and creme colored fur
Appearence: https://p.gr-assets.com/540x540/fit/hostedimages/1379800157/664928.jpg
Teo is moderately tall, standing around 5'10. He is broad shouldered and toned, having been training for most of his life. He is usually dressed as is required of his status as a young nobleman however prefers simple, well made clothes of dark shades to the common, bright colored tunics of his equals. He sports tall, over the knee leather boots, black velvet pants and a black tunic atop a simple white shirt. All his tunics are high necked to cover his Fur marks. He has a scar across his right eye, a reminder of a duel that he had lost previously. He has thick hair that he keeps cropped short. His eyes are usually a pale blue however, they change with his emotions to appear dark blue, deep purple or even practically black. He is always wearing a sword and dagger on his belt, throwing knifes in his boots and a black cape. And his hands are always covered in thin, black leather gloves.
Animal appearence: http://cdn.mg.co.za/uploads/2012/04/20/cropped-262.gif
The eyes also reflect Teo's mood and tend to get darker when he becomes angry. The scar across his right eye remains as a sliver of tender pink skin when in animal form. The pads of his paws are black and so are the tips of his ears.
Personality: Like his Fur self, Teo is patient and usually quiet with an air of superiority about him. He doesn't take kindly to people who try to talk to him as his equals and only bows his head to the king. When he speaks, his voice is like ice and forces people to listen. He rarely reacts to mockery or insults but if his honor is jeopardized, he will be merciless.
A daredevil, a leader and the protector of his lands, Teo always will be there to protect his men and subjects. Just, he takes care of his lands in a set way that is fair and inspires devotion from his subjects. However, he guards his heart and has never been in love. Gentle with his adopted sister and eager to please her, spoiling her rotten, reveals a slightly gentler side of his personality.
History: Theodore de a Fere was born to Duke de la Fere and Lady Liliath. However, during his birth, his mother died to unexpected causes as his father realized that the boy was a Fur. Progressive in his ways, Duke de la Fere immediately retired from his post in the King's council and retired to the south to raise his son and give him the best chance of survival. No one but the closest servants of the young boy knew of his curse however, their love for the charming boy made them overlook their superstitions and protect him.
Theodore was taught all the skills any noble needs - combat, swordsmanship, equestrian, hunting, literature, writing, mathematics, foreign languages, etiquette and the rest. Weekly exercises of self control and transformations outside the castle walls in the forest also became a must since without the release of the inner animal, the boy would not be able to control the beast inside. Small challenges also had to be overcome as horses could smell the predator on him and would have to be specially trained to ignore their own fear.
A year before his death, duke de la Fere adopted a young girl of noble blood who was six years younger than the young Teo. Freya, a shy and very proper girl, was instantly welcomed by all members of the duke's home and became Teo's companion. Freya learned a lot from her older brother over the year and they became close enough that around her, Teo feels completely relaxed and safe. Freya, however, doesn't know that he is a Fur.
After his father's death, at the age of 17, Teo became Duke de la Fere and made his first journey to the capital to give his allegiance to the king. That was his first real test of control however he passed it with flying colors, the king not suspecting anything. Begging more time to become adjusted in his new role as Duke, Teo retired back south to Freya where they lived together for a few years. However, the king has grown impatient and once again summoned Teo back to the capital to become part of the royal court. Fearing future ill luck, Teo sent Freya to a convent to continue her studies and tries to visit her often. He is now on his way to the capital with a small group of faithful, devoted men.
Weapons/Equipment: Sword, dagger, throwing knifes, bow, arrows, spear. He rides a beautiful red chestnut stallion that he trained himself (war horses were quite some weapon in medieval times). As a lion, he has white sharp fangs and fearsome claws.
Other: Um....I think I covered everything? I might introduce Freya later as a character...
Name: Freya Lalaith de la Fere (previous last name, Groverisle)
Nickname: Freya although Teo calls her Lalaith, an old name meaning ‘laughter’
Age: Just turned 16
Gender: Female
Animal: None, a simple human….but if she was, she’d be a deer
http://alexandriarhodes.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/934_emma-roberts-jpg-hair-102006239.jpg
Appearance: Freya is a relatively tall girl, standing at 5’7. She is still lanky and not fully formed with a chest that’s a bit too flat and not enough curves. She has smooth skin and soft hands, large expressive eyes and rose lips. She had long, thick locks of wavy of brown that she usually pins up in an elegant yet simple up do. Following Teo’s lead and what she has been taught by the nuns, Freya wears elegant yet simple dresses, usually modestly cut and of pale colors. A true daughter of the south, she finds the capitol cold and usually wears a cloak to protect her from the wind.
Personality: Freya is a very shy and soft-spoken girl. She is a romantic, a dreamer and a bit naive. She easily trusts those who are kind to her which makes Teo tense – her brother believes that she will be hurt eventually. Like Teo, Freya believes in fairness and often helped the poor that lived near the de la Fere residence.
She celebrates life and loves to simply enjoy each day. It doesn’t take much to make her happy and she loves helping her brother relax. However, she is overly emotional and it is also very easy to make her cry or feel insecure. She respects people like her brother – confident and righteous, elegant and well-mannered.
She is mature for her age, been a fan of literature and witnessing the murder of her family. Her shyness is sometimes taken as superiority and many people disdain her. Freya has learned to take responsibility for her actions but does need guidance at points to make the right decision.
Freya “Lalaith” Groverisle was born to Sir Rodrigues Groverisle and Lady Luna. She was a much expected child for it seemed that the Lady Luna was barren until at last, at the age of 34, she gave birth to a charming baby girl. Sir Rodrigues was part of the King’s Guard however, he openly started to oppose the king’s obsession with murdering Furs after witnessing a gruesome murder of a small girl Fur. The king, unwilling to punish a man who was nothing but loyal to him for years, simply sent Rodrigues home to his wife and daughter, in a small town in the south.
However, to gain the King’s favour, some noblemen decided to murder the one who, in their eyes, betrayed their monarch. Being of lesser nobility without much support in court, when Freya was three, her father was murdered in a duel. Lady Luna was left alone with a small child, a haunted estate, a large debt and many enemies. That is when Duke de la Fere, into whose lands the small estate of the Groverisles fell into, took the widow and the girl under his protection.
Freya grew up shy and reserved under her mother’s wing, learning all the proper skills a young lady of noble birth had to know. She spent many hours sewing and painting, learning to play the lyre, sing, dance, proper etiquette and style as well as religion and old literature. However, the girl was an active child and every day, would end up in the Southern garden, a small fenced of area with the colourful flowers of the south, a cool pond in the shade of the large Fern tree and swings that the Duke, on one of his visits, installed as a present to the girl. She would spent hours playing out in the sun with the old dogs that once were her Father’s prized hunting hounds. Her laughter seemed to echo all around the estate and bring joy to Lady Luna who became a somber woman after Rodrigues’ death.
When she was ten, Freya’s world changed once again. After another boring lesson in etiquette and an argument with her mother, she found herself once again in the Southern Garden with an old, forgotten romance. Eventually, she fell asleep among the flowers and because of this, ended up being the only survivor as the house was attacked by the family’s enemies, stopped only by the Duke and his force of men. Everyone in the house was slaughtered and as the Duke carried the shocked girl to his horse, she saw her mother’s body carried out, a gashing wound in her chest. Not shedding a tear, Freya watched and the image of her mother’s dead body was forever burned into her eyes.
Freya was adopted by the Duke and introduced to Teo, the young man who was 6 years her elder. She began to live at the estate, a place much bigger and grander than her home before. Her education continued but now, new disciplines were added to her education such as foreign languages, mathematics, basic self defense with a dagger, equestrian knowledge, and banquet planning. The Duke was very strict when it came to education of both Freya and Teo and since some classes were taken with the same tutors and at the same time, they started to become good friends. Freya simply loved following Teo around like a puppy and learning from him. When he had time, he would play with his new sister. Her laughter seemed to relax her and eventually, he started to call her “Lalaith”.
The Duke died a year after and Teo, seventeen, became the new Duke. Freya’s education continued however, as Teo was required to travel to the Capitol, she was left alone to mourn over the loss of the man who had given her a new life and protection. The few weeks away from Teo made Freya quiet and a bit reserved but this was also when she started to take on a bigger role in her new place as the sister of the Duke. She visited the poor and brought them food, sometimes stopping by their celebrations to congratulate this or that person. In a time when the citizens of the dukedom were trying to adjust to the changes, Freya became a symbol of hope.
With Teo’s return from the capital, Freya rarely saw her brother for he was always busy and thus, along with the old teacher of literature who became her companion, spent a lot of time in the garden of the estate. She helped out at the local orphanage, teaching the kids there to sing and read. In the few days that she could spend with Teo, she entertained him with her stories and laughter at the small presents he gave her. That seemed to help the young man relax when he couldn’t escape into the forest to calm down.
When she turned fifteen, Teo decided to send Freya to a nunnery as he had to return to the capitol and had no idea when he would return. With tears in her eyes, Freya obliged her brother and left to live under the watchful eyes of Head Sister Amalia in the Southern region at the edge of the dukedom. However, after her sixteenth birthday, she decided to join her brother in the Capitol after receiving some offers of marriage from men who she knew Teo would never approve of. When these offers of marriage turned to attempts of sneaking her out of the nunnery, even Amalia agreed with the young girl’s reasoning and helped her make her way to Teo’s estate in the capital along with her old companion, Lady Tremaine.
Weapons/Equipment: Freya always wears an elegant, long dagger with a simple leather hilt and a plain, black sheath on her belt. She takes it off for occasions like banquets and other social events. She has picked up a good ability to throw the dagger but only practiced on apples in the gardens.
Other: Freya has been given a large dowry by both the old Duke de la Fere and by Teo. She has no relatives and if anything happens to Teo, she will become the Duchess de la Fere with her husband.