by Kayleigh Sky
Other significant friends: The Orla sisters. Because they are frivolous and fun-loving. They want nothing from him but sex and good times. They don’t challenge him in any way, and they take him out of himself. In contrast, Anin reflects the best that he came be.
Enemies: He has no personal enemies. Any that he might have would be because of his family or something he has seen.
How are they perceived by?:
Strangers in the street? Cheerful, fun, entertaining, handsome
The opposite sex? Attractive, fun to be with
Extended family? Useful, charming, harmless
How would they fill out an online dating profile for themselves?: Pan, fun, no strings. Looking for a good time. No pressure. Must like to laugh. High energy is a plus.
Role in a group dynamic: Joker
Who do they depend on for:
Practical advice? No one
Mentoring? No one anymore
A wingman? The Orla sisters
Emotional support? No one
Moral support? No one
What do they want from a relationship?: He doesn’t think he wants a relationship, but he does. He wants to feel safe, indulged, respected, and loved. He wants somebody who knows he is at heart an honorable man. Somebody who likes sex and fun and will force him into seriousness when the occasion calls for it.
Ideal partner?: Anin
How many people would attend their funeral?: A few dozen
What do they do on rainy days?: Play games and cards, dance with friends, give readings, make love
Are they:
Street-smart or book-smart: Both
An optimist or pessimist: Pessimist
Introverted or Extroverted: Extroverted
Favorite sound: A crowd of people having fun
Favorite place in the world: Anywhere there’s a party
What secrets do they keep?: That the treasure is real
Greatest desire: Love and security
Biggest flaw: Indifference
Biggest strength: They always step in for the underdog
Biggest fear: Being left to his own devices
Biggest accomplishment: His reputation as a powerful witch
Idea of perfect happiness: To be surrounded by his lover, friends, his remaining family in a house with luxuries, plenty of food and drink, music and games to play
Do they want to be remembered?: Yes. As being an honorable witch
How do they approach:
Power: Cautiously
Ambition: Derisively
Love: Fearfully
Change: Bring it on
What is the one object or possession that they would rescue from their burning home?: The cards he got from Abadi
What (or who) bores them?: Boring people
What makes them angry?: Injustice
Qualities they look for in a person: A good sense of humor
How strong is their moral compass?: He’s pretty flexible with his morals as long as nobody’s getting hurt.
Best compliment that someone ever paid them: You’re the funnest reprobate I’ve ever met.
In an elevator, do they push the elevator button more than once?: No
What would they want their tombstone to say?: I saw it coming.
Name: Clara
Age: 26
Place of birth: Glendale
Nationality: American
Education: College
Occupation: Personal Assistant
Income: Fair
Eye color: Blue
Hair style: Loose, just over the shoulders
Build: Thin
Any distinguishing features: She has an extra front tooth that pushes her lip out.
Preferred outfit: Dresses and skirts. Loose clothes.
Glasses: Yes.
Any accessories ALWAYS associated with them: A toe ring.
Level of grooming: Untidy but clean
Any distinguishing “tics” and mannerisms: Bites her lower lip a lot.
Health: Health is good, but she’s somewhat frail. It’s mostly a learned thing. She’s anxious.
Handwriting: Neat and careful
Walk: Distracted, eyes on the ground
Talk: Rapid as though afraid somebody’s going to interrupt them. Or halting if very afraid.
Speech: Educated but hesitant
Posture: Stiff and pulled in
Gestures: Only when agitated or eager
Eye contact: She keeps eyes down.
Preferred curse word: Sonofabitch. It’s the one weird thing about her.
Catchphrase: I can try.
Any speech impediments: A bit of a lisp because of her tooth.
What's their laugh like: It sounds to Mal like bubbles. Light and airy and genuine even though she’s painfully shy.
Smile: It’s slow and wide and lights up her whole face.
How emotive are they?: Very emotional and very transparent.
They have a resting scared face.
Hometown: Glendale
Childhood: Normal, though she came from a working class family, which is why she never had the operation for her tooth.
Education: It was spotty at first, but when the vampire took her in, he made sure she was properly educated
Dream job as a child: I think she wanted to be a singer, but she was only six when the Upheaval occurred.
Role models growing up: The professor who took care of her. Obviously, her parents first, but then they were gone.
Greatest regret: The damage and unhappiness in the world. She didn’t cause it, of course, but it saddens her just the same.
Hobbies growing up: She didn’t really have any. She studied. But she does like gardens, so I think this will further endear her to Mal because it will remind Mal of Jessa.
Earliest memory: Singing with her mother while waiting in the car for her father to finish up with an appointment.
Saddest memory: Waking up and finding out her parents were gone. It was more than sad, it was terrifying.
Happiest memory: Singing at a school event. She got a standing ovation. She was in first grade.
Clearest memory: It was right before the Upheaval. She was at the beach and they saw a starfish. It was salmon colored and pebbly.
If they could change one thing from their past, what would it be?: She’d change everything she had no power to change, but nothing that she had the power to change, but that ultimately led her to the professor who took care of her, and she loved him.
Major turning points or “life beats” in childhood: Singing for people. The Upheaval. Being in a camp and playing with the other children. Then they were taken away and put into different homes. She can barely remember the adults because she rarely saw them. The bigger kids stole whatever she had and threatened her.
Three adjectives to describe them as a child: Cheerful. Positive. Fearful.
What advice would they give to their younger self?: None. She believes she did the best she could.
Father – Sold windows
Relationship with your character: Interested in her. Willing to play when she was home. Kind and affectionate.
Mother – Nurse
Relationship with your character: Involved. Affectionate. Helpful. Dependable. Secure.
Closest friends: The professor. He was older, calm, gentle, and intellectual. He allowed her to work at the university but keep her distance. She was exposed to art and history, and he was unfailingly kind to her.
How are they perceived by:
Strangers in the street: Shy. Mousy.
Acquaintances at a work function: The same.
Colleagues in the office: A bit weird.
Authority figures: Respectful. Demure.
The opposite sex: Very pretty, but prickly.
How would they fill out an online dating profile for themselves?: They wouldn’t put themselves out there like that. She’d love for a brave woman to sweep her off her feet. Somebody out of a fairytale or a vampire. She feels safe with vampires be
cause she and the professor studied so much about them.
Role in a group dynamic: Follower and helper.
Who do they depend on for:
Practical advice: The professor
Mentoring: The professor
A wingman: No one
Emotional support: The professor
Moral support: The professor
What do they want from a relationship?: Safety. Acceptance. Playfulness. Passion.
Ideal partner?: A vampire. A woman. Somebody brave and confident and patient enough to let her come out of her shell.
Significant other: No one, but it will be Mal.
How many people would attend their funeral: Currently, no one. Later, many.
What do they do on rainy days?: Read, work, study, or if the rain is light, take a walk in the woods.
Are they:
Street-smart or book-smart: book
An optimist or pessimist: Neither
Introverted or Extroverted: Introvert
Favorite sound: Music
Favorite place in the world: The professor’s office at the university. It looks out on a lawn with mature trees and a fountain.
Greatest desire: Love and security
Biggest flaw: Timidity
Biggest strength: Courage
Biggest fear: A violent death
Biggest accomplishment: She survived
Idea of perfect happiness: Love with somebody she can trust whole-heartedly
Do they want to be remembered?: Only by the people she loved and who loved her.
How do they approach:
Power: Quietly with respect
Ambition: Slightly fearfully
Love: With abandon
Change: Doesn’t like it
What is the one object or possession that they would rescue from their burning home?: It would probably be something special that belonged to somebody else.
What (or who) bores them?: Nobody
What makes them angry?: People who talk over other people
What do they look for in a person?: Kindness and patience
How strong is their moral compass? When, specifically, are they willing to compromise their morals?: Very strong and never.
Best compliment that someone ever paid them: You have a beautiful voice.
In an elevator, do they push the elevator button more than once?: No.
What would they want their tombstone to say?: She helped people.
* * *
What is their story goal: She barely has a goal. She was happy enough in her life, but she wants to make sure that her mentor’s death wasn’t for nothing, so she wants to help find the treasure.
* * *
Story motivation: To make sure the murderers don’t get away from it and to be near Mal.
Name: Isaac Hart
Age: 23
Place of birth: Comity
Current location: Dinallah Manor
Nationality: American
Education: Sketchy; some public school
Occupation: Cook
Income: He gets room and board and a stipend, much more than he’s ever made anywhere else
Eye color: Green
Hair style: Tousled, but shorter than it used to be
Build: Lanky
Any distinguishing features: No
Preferred outfit: Jeans and T-shirt.
Level of grooming: Isaac is clean, almost fastidious, but he never looks put together. He dresses and holds himself in a way calculated not to attract attention.
Any distinguishing “tics” and mannerisms: He’s twitchy. Bounces his foot. Bites his thumb.
Health: Good.
Handwriting: Careful. He hasn’t had much opportunity to use it.
Walk: Quickly and carefully. He tends to look over his shoulder a lot.
Talk: It depends. If he’s nervous and thinks he’s in trouble, he’ll babble and offer more information than anybody asked for. If he isn’t sure what’s going on, he’s very quiet and has a soft voice, answering questions only when asked. If he’s comfortable and feels safe, his voice is happy and lyrical.
Speech: Common.
Posture: Slouches
Eye contact: Can be shifty if it’s somebody in authority or he feels threatened. Otherwise direct.
Preferred curse word: Shit.
Laugh: Quick. Spontaneous and cheerful.
Tends to find funny: Irony.
Smile: Slow and sweet.
How emotive is he?: More than he realizes. He tries to hide it, but it always comes out in his eyes.
Does he wear his emotions on his sleeve?: In a way.
How easily can others to read him?: Pretty easily.
He has a resting bitch face.
Hometown: Comity
Childhood: Difficult. His parents died when he was only two. He was shuttled from refugee center to refugee center, briefly staying in foster care, but running away when he was fourteen when he was assaulted. Then he lived as a blood whore until he got a job as a donor in Comity House. He was withdrawn and unfriendly, but still popular because of his looks. He’s never told Jessa this, but he credits him with saving him, because he only began to come out of his shell with Jessa. Jessa made him feel important, and he was so unfailingly kind and positive, no matter how awful his experiences, that Isaac began to feel stronger. Jessa leaned on him and he began to see how his experiences had prepared him to help others. He feels alive when he is giving to others.
Dream job as a child: He never had this. Options weren’t possible for kids like him.
Role models growing up: He had no role models until Jessa.
Greatest regret: That his parents died. That he didn’t know his family.
Hobbies growing up: Reading.
Favorite place to be as a child: In a closet with a book.
Earliest memory: A soldier taking him out of the house where he was living because it was being condemned. The soldier told him not cry because he was a big boy.
Saddest memory: Leaving Jessa. Almost all his memories of being young were dreary, so none stood out as most sad.
Happiest memory: Being with Jessa. Accepting the books Jessa brought him even though he could afford his own. It made Jessa happy and so it made him happy.
Clearest memory: When he was seven, a year before the war ended, an older boy was taking him to a supply center. On their way they were attacked by a vampire. The older boy pushed him and told him to run and Isaac did, but before he ran he saw the vampire’s fangs. It was the first time he’d seen a vampire up close and he remembered how long and white and beautiful the fangs were.
Skeletons in the closet: Isaac is vaguely ashamed of his past. He knows it wasn’t really his fault. He had no other way to survive. But he hides in his quiet personality, so that the doesn’t have to risk talking about his past and feeling that he gave in too easily.
If he could change one thing from their past, what would it be?: That he didn’t start selling himself, but he honestly can’t think of another way he could have survived.
Major turning points or “life beats” in childhood: One was the vampire attack. One was another boy trying to rape him. One was his first client, which was also his first sexual experience. Another was meeting Mateo and sticking together so they could watch each other’s backs and getting the jobs at Comity House. One was meeting Jessa, which scared him because Jessa was a prince, and the other was realizing that whoever was hiding in the fog was his fated love.
Three adjectives to describe his as a child: Scared, lonely, resourceful.
What advice would he give to his younger self?: Be kind to yourself and treat yourself better.
Father: Unknown
Mother: Unknown
Siblings: Unknown
Closest friends: Jessa, Asa, and Marcus.
Other significant friends: His co-workers.
Enemies: None that he knows of. Maybe Pan, because Pan probably holds him responsible for getting Nalith fired. And though he doesn’t re
alize it, the Wrythin family just because he’s an easy way to get at Zev. And Qudim because it’s the surest way to get at Rune.
How is he perceived by:
Strangers in the street: He’s ignored mostly because he tries to be. If anybody does notice him, it’s because he’s appealing and shy looking.
Authority figures: Good, reliable, obedient.
Friends in his friend circles: Generous, cute, fun to tease, a good sport, and a good friend.
Children: They’d be curious because there’s something childlike about him. Plus he’s emotionally honest.
The opposite sex: Comfortable, definitely in the friend zone. He’s extremely pretty, so he attracts girls, but he’s open about his sexuality.
How would he fill out an online dating profile for himself?: Introvert. Likes cooking, books, and puzzles. Shy but warms up after a while. Looking for someone who likes to stay at home. Maybe go out dancing once in a while. Honest and open. No drama.
Role in a group dynamic: Buddy
Who does he depend on for:
Practical advice: Marcus
Mentoring: Marcus
A wingman: Asa
Emotional support: Jessa
Moral support: Jessa
What does he want from a relationship?: Support, passion, safety, stability, comfort, friendship, fun
Ideal partner?: Rune
Significant other: Rune. Sees him as a strong, brave leader.
How many people would attend his funeral: About fifteen.
What does he do on rainy days?: Read in his room or cook.
Are they?:
Street-smart or book-smart: Mostly street
An optimist or pessimist: Optimist
Introverted or Extroverted: Introverted
Favorite sound: Laughter
Favorite place in the world: Anywhere his friends are
What secrets does he keep? What is he most afraid of people finding out?: The identity of his fated love. He’s afraid of people finding out that he’s not as tough as he sometimes pretends to be.
Greatest desire: Love and friends
Biggest flaw: Short-changing himself
Biggest strength: Putting others first
Biggest fear: Being alone