Name: Jacob “Drake” Addens
Age: Seventeen - 17
Appearance:
Jacob’s clothing tends to be dusty and a bit unkempt, much like most of his appearance. He is about 5’11” tall and usually doesn’t wear sleeves if he can prevent it; he simply has never felt comfortable covering his arms unless it was cold. The tattoo on his right arm was less a choice than a rite of passage. He joined a gang in the poor district of Dome 4 in his early youth and they simply told him he needed it. His shoes used to be ratty and old, but after joining the couriers, he was refitted with a shiny new pair that only made him better at what he did, adorned in red and black.
Personality: Jacob wants nothing more than to be a part of something. His youth was so disheveled that he never truly learned where to fit and he missed any chance to learn the difference between dangerous and friendly people. He was smart enough, yes, but he had been given absolutely no sense of safety. With that, he lost the ability to socially interact in an acceptable manner. He used to be able to mimic sincerity and actions in order to feel included, but the influences around him have become so confusing that he shuts them all off and remains in a state of absolute stoicism. When people feel, he has no concept of it and he doesn’t quite know how to tell his true emotion from fake. He simply chose to not feel and to avoid the confusion of it. He understands simple things, like handshakes and basic pleasantries, but doesn’t understand why people make pointless gestures or conversation when there is nothing to discuss. Many would find his personality as cold or uninviting, but in reality it’s a simple state of ignorance. If somebody flirted with or yelled at him, he would simply be confused. This has led to a rather strange quirk when fused with his tactlessness – he’ll simply ask people why they do things or act a certain way. He tends to ask if he should do it too or really ask any other blunt question to better comprehend behavior.
Brief biography: Jacob was first born in the middle district of Dome Four. His father worked in an office, though he never knew which or what he did there, and they lived rather comfortably. He does not greatly remember the middle district, as he has very few real memories of it and the most powerful one is full of heat and a blaze. He tends to simply not think about the fire and loss of his first house which caused his family to move to the poor district. His father seemed to almost fade away into depression and left the house wobbling one day. He didn’t come back and days later, on the dangerous walk to school, Jacob saw him in an alley, unconscious. When he was taken to a doctor, he was in a coma. The family went further into debt and eventually lost him.
After this, though, Jacob and his mother became closer. They were all they had left, after all. He was ten when she got sick and the woman, to her credit, clung to life until he was twelve. He did the only thing he knew how to do: he ran away. He didn’t wait to be taken to some home full of other children he didn’t know and he couldn’t focus in school, so he left home. There was nothing left there for him, he figured. He ended up finding a home in the Apocalyptic Dragons of Four gang, named rather poorly after the Dome’s number. When he was old enough, they gave him his red dragon tattoo. However, changes placed into effect by the new head of security for the Dome lead to their disbandment after a devastating raid. Again, Jacob could do nothing but run away… What else was he to do?
He had to be more careful from then on and resorted to petty thievery and sleight of hand. His thousand-yard stare, he found, was an astounding way to distract people with his gaze as he was stealing from them. He could get as close as a small trading route between the rich and middle districts, where the lower-end riches and higher-end middles would do business. He could steal watches, rings, and even bracelets and would be forgotten before they even noticed he had them. If he was caught in the act, escaping was at a level that the guards couldn’t hope to catch him. One day, however, he knocked over a stall and kicked off another person’s shoulder to get leverage for the escape and somebody was able to capture an image of his face. He isn’t able to go within a hundred feet of the market without being spotted and recognized because his face was posted all over. That is, if he stays to pick pockets. Running through is easy and very often done; it’s made easier when he takes to the roves to pass by. The couriers found him during that rather spectacular escape and recruited him as one of their runners in training.
Extras:
+He doesn’t understand social cues and can be excessively awkward
+His ability with sleight of hand is incredulous - he doesn’t do it as a party-trick, so few witness it often
+A fairly skilled knife-fighter due to the dexterity in his hands and his experience in a gang
+A talent for throwing things accurately
+He can draw, but isn't one to share it - he keeps a notebook hidden under the mattress of his bunk
Name: Mara “Red” Schwann
Age: Eighteen - 18
Appearance:
Mara tries to present herself in the most dignified way she can whenever she has the opportunity. Her grandmother gave her a cloak for her birthday several years ago which was slightly too large for her to wear to formal events and to keep her warm. Despite the bad blood between her grandparents and her, the cloak is one of her most prized possessions along with a golden wing-shaped hair clip that she almost always wears. They were the last gift she received from her father – for her twelfth birthday. Her wardrobe has become less elegant than it once was since she and her mother moved, but she does well making do with what she has. Long gone are the days of dress shoes and pearl necklaces; most of her nicest articles of clothing are gifts from long ago which she has had mended or altered to keep fitting. She’s approximately 5’6” tall and has a tendency to wear red and her boots give her a rather surprising amount of traction and flexibility, with an almost hybrid-like running shoe/boot build to them.
Personality: Mara is bubbly and always happy. She is arguably one of the most optimistic people you could ever meet. Her attitude is not only friendly, but very trusting and kind, making her quite gullible and easily manipulated. Despite her positive demeanor, Mara is not one that you want to test; she is extremely competitive, even in areas where she simply lacks talent. Failure is not an option to her in anything, even the most innocent of ordeals. It’s rather embarrassing, really, but it’s how she has always been, her entire being shifting to one of focus and seriousness for the smallest of contests. If she wasn’t so upbeat or friendly otherwise, she would likely never make a friend. Her biggest problem in training as a courier is any form of defense – while she is a skilled escapist, she has little ability when it comes to even the simplest combat. In fact, this is in part due to her complete rejection of it; there should be no reason to hurt other people… ever.
Brief biography: Mara was born in the wealthier district of Dome Four to the head of the Dome’s security force. Her father was never a strict or a hateful man; in fact, it was because of him that Mara strove to be the best without being arrogant outside of competing. The Dome was rather peaceful, or as much so as it could be, while he was head of security. However, several years ago, he was convicted of treason and executed shortly after even though there was no solid evidence against him. Or at least, none that the courts could bring forward without also incriminating themselves. He had found information that was promptly erased with his death which could lead to a full-blown revolution rather than a small insurgency. Mara’s family spiraled out of control as her grandparents disowned her mother and her, their status was stripped by the government, and they seemed to drop off the face of the earth. Her mother turned to drinking as she was left with no options but the textile plant, where she can barely maintain her job. Her daughter, in pure shame, spends little time at home. One of their friends, in secret, helped them get a good deal in the middle districts of the Dome, to keep them out of the danger of the poorest districts. In school, Mara is one of the best athletes in her school, and it wasn’t until she really blossomed that it was noticed. Her speed and dexterity were astounding and it was taken to notice by the couriers, who began to train her with her environment and true freerunning. Her shame pushed her as far from her mother as she could get as she began to work with the rebel-friendly group of messengers, finding a set of morals similar to her father’s within their ranks.
Extras:
+Pacifist
+Extremely good reflexes
+Flexible
+Plays the violin
