[b]11. CLARENCE EUGENE ROBERTS[/B]

(originally in Painting the Town (Small RP))

RP: http://smallroleplay.freeforums.net/thread/51/painting-town

[hider=The Peacemaker]

[b]Role:[/b] The Peacemaker
[b]Name: [/b]Clarence Eugene Roberts
[b]Age:[/b] 34
[b]Gender:[/b] Male
[b]Sexuality:[/b] Bisexual
[b]Appearance:[/b] [img]http://68.media.tumblr.com/c6fa39f2cce6822ca3c3a1f09e1d974e/tumblr_mtfafqfiWw1s8q3iko1_500.jpg[/img]
(David Dawson)

Clarence is by no means an intimidating man. He has a slight figure, though he boasts a bit of lean, lanky muscle on his arms and legs. His face is rather mousy. This is further enhanced by the little spectacles that he wears. He keeps his face relatively clean-shaven (he really, [i]really[/i] doesn't like facial hair) and his short brown hair cut in the most unassuming way. He wears solemn, simple clothing, usually in subdued hues. Clarence's eyes, like his hair, are a nondescript medium-brown color. His peachy complexion is fairly average-not overly pale, but not overly tan, either. In short, everything about Clarence's outer appearance is utterly forgettable.

[b]Occupation: [/b]Clarence is officially the accountant and record-keeper of the Spiders, but he also serves as the unofficial "head" of their dockside black market. In addition, he is quite the negotiator, capable of extracting compromises from even the most stubborn of men and women in his own quiet way

[b]Likes: [/b]clean clothes, clean spectacles, cleanliness in general, sharp pencils, tidy rooms, the smell of coffee, organized accounts, being polite to others, math, numbers and figures, going about on his way unnoticed, being underestimated by those outside of the Spiders, being prepared for [i]everything[/i], elegant solutions, profit, daffodils and daisies, subtle earth tones (namely greens and browns and beiges), everything being resolved in a peaceful manner, efficiency, the smell of the sea

[b]Dislikes:[/b] facial hair, inappropriately loud people, rumpled clothing, bloodstains, ineffectiveness, disorganized messes, chaos, incompetent people, being unprepared, messiness, drunkards, bar fights, fighting in general, obnoxious displays of force, being underestimated by the Spiders, people outside of the Spiders realizing how capable he truly is, alcohol (he'll take it in moderation, but not enough to get drunk)

[b]Skills:[/b] remembering small details, manipulating the situation in his favor, drawing up compromises, balancing the checkbook, good with numbers and figures, good with complex mathematics to a certain degree (more on the economics side than on, say, the calculus side), quick and nimble in a fight and half-decent with a gun/knife (Clarence draws upon his agile cunning and element of surprise more than his physical strength when he is engaged in any sort of physical altercation), makes a mean roast chicken

[b]Weaknesses: [/b]his lack of brute strength puts him at a disadvantage in certain situations, tends to be a bit passive and go-with-the-flow, not very intimidating or assertive (and as such, he would not be a great leader), singing and playing instruments (Clarence is the opposite of "musically inclined")

[b]Personality: [/b]Clarence is an exceedingly mild-mannered man. He is quiet and reserved and shows very little emotion, no matter if he approves or disapproves of something. Calm and collected, even in times of crisis, Clarence is as steadfast and as unmoving as a rock. Dependable and practical, Clarence always makes sure that whatever has to be done is done-in fact, he makes sure that it is done [i]well[/i]. He carries all his tasks through with the utmost efficiency, and he values organized financial accounts over everything else. Clarence has a quick, analytical mind-he is always two, three steps ahead of everyone else. He prefers to examine all sides of an issue and take every variable into account before passing judgement, and he has a knack for coming up with elegant solutions that all parties can agree upon. 

Clarence tends to keep his thoughts to himself, and he prefers to sit back and observe than get involved in the fray. He always feels slightly uncomfortable in large crowds of people, though he is not easily intimidated (something that others usually miss, considering his outward appearance). Clarence carries out orders very well, even if he isn't the one issuing them. Polite and respectful, it is too easy to mistake Clarence's deference for submissiveness. Clarence doesn't mind-it makes him seem perfectly harmless and not threatening in the least. He does this on purpose, knowing all too well that if someone were to unearth some of the things he's done in the past, he would be in big, big trouble, because behind those inoffensive little round spectacles and meek expression, Clarence is just as cunning and manipulative as the worst of them.

[b]Biography: [/b]Clarence was born and raised in New Cordova. His father was a middle-class accounting clerk, and his mother was a bank teller. Clarence got his love of numbers and finance from both of his parents. He has an older brother named Andrew and a younger sister named Katherine. Andrew is three years older, while Katherine is five years younger.

All three children were enrolled in school for a good deal of their early lives. The Roberts were fortunate enough to be able to afford it, though the school that Clarence, Andrew, and Katherine attended was by no means the best school in the city. It was a run-down schoolhouse located on the border of Pisswater Alley and Whisperwind Wharf, and although the surroundings were bleak, Clarence grew to love going to school everyday. He excelled in mathematics and had excellent penmanship. The various teachers they went through were all fond of Clarence, because unlike his older brother, who instigated a fight in the schoolyard almost every day, Clarence was never one to throw fists at the slightest insult or injury. In fact, he was known to be a mediator in between the combatants at times. He tried to get them to stop and work it out peacefully. It was at that schoolhouse where he first met Miss Jacqueline Reynolds, though he was only her student for a couple of years before he graduated and went on to study finance, economics, and accounting in the city's public university.

Clarence and his brother both fought in the war. Andrew enlisted voluntarily, because he was bloodthirsty and eager for a fight, while Clarence went along reluctantly. He abhorred fighting. Luckily, a couple months after he shipped out to Europe, he was sent back home due to a gunshot wound in the rear end-a "million dollar wound", so to speak. 

Once he came back to New Cordova, Clarence realized he had no money and no way of making money in a legitimate way, because who wanted to hire a newly-graduated accountant who'd just come back from the war? So instead, he sought out less savory employers. He eventually managed to land himself a job as a record-keeper and accountant for one of the leaders of the Silk Skulls, Earl Jones. The work itself was easy enough, so long as he didn't ask questions, but it was the...[i]other[/i] services required of him that made Clarence grow to despise Mr. Jones. 

Long story short, Mr. Jones was drunk more frequently than not, and when he was drunk, he was prone to aggressive bouts of violence. Clarence bore the brunt of this, since he was always around Mr. Jones due to the nature of his job. Mr. Jones also had [i]different[/i] tastes in lovers: he preferred men over women in almost every instance. Clarence bore the brunt of Mr. Jones's preferences in these matters as well.

Clarence considered leaving the Silk Skulls many times throughout his time with them, but Earl Jones was paranoid because Clarence knew too much, so he threatened to kill Clarence's family if he left. With no other options in place, Clarence decided that the best way to be rid of Mr. Jones and his abusive treatment was to eliminate the Silk Skulls altogether. At that time, the Golden Bulls had just started to grow restless. Clarence intentionally fueled that restlessness by subtly suggesting to Mr. Jones that the Skulls brutally crack down on the Bulls. This only made the Bulls angrier, which had been Clarence's purpose all along. Rising tensions in the seedier side of town led to the Silver Rats siding with the Golden Bulls-again, partially due to Clarence's maneuvering-and the Spiders' participation was sealed with a backroom deal he made with their leader.

The Spiders were, and still are, led by an indomitable spinster who valued efficiency over personal loyalty. Clarence met with her, and both agreed that the Skulls were on the brink of imploding on themselves. Clarence offered to tell the Spiders everything he knew about the Skulls in exchange for a position within their ranks after the gang war was over. 

With a promise of a job after the Skulls were gone, and the Spiders siding with the Bulls and the Rats,  Clarence allowed himself to sit back and watch the puzzle pieces fall in place. The final stage of his plan was somehow removing Maria Moretti from the scene-she always, [i]always[/i] found out about [i]everything[/i]. So, he tipped off the police on one of Alessandro Rossini's-a member of the Silk Skulls and Maria's father and employer-illegal activities, then convinced Earl Jones to convince Alessandro Rossini to frame Maria for the crime. Once Maria had been jailed, the Skulls were all but defeated.

After the fall of the Skulls, Clarence personally ascertained that Mr. Jones was murdered in his sleep, then pinned it as suicide, because who could believe that the quiet man busily scribbling in his notebook was capable of [i]killing[/i] someone? Clarence took on his position with the Spiders as promised, and he has quickly risen through the ranks due to his efficiency and organization. He now manages the finances for the gang and oversees the dockside black markets and all its shipments.

[b]Power(s) and how they got it:[/b] Clarence has no "powers" to speak of-unless both a photographic and an eidetic memory count as powers. He was born with a photographic memory, though his eidetic memory naturally developed as he grew older

[b]Other:[/b] Clarence is very close with his sister, Katherine, though less so with Andrew. He mostly works in order to send money back to his family. Andrew is showing disturbing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, and Clarence isn't sure how to help him, which is worrying. Katherine's husband died four years ago from pneumonia, which has also been on Clarence's mind. His parents and sister are blissfully ignorant of Clarence's involvement in illegal activities and gang politics, but he knows that Andrew has probably guessed what Clarence has been up to for the last few years.

[b]Extras:[/b] 
Quote-"There are snakes lurking in the grass." ~Virgil [/hider]