MiddleEarthRoze

Salem Witches' Institute {Harry Potter}

Unless it's been snatched up already, could my char be the Head Girl of Tituba house?

Salem Witches' Institute {Harry Potter}

Reserving Amandla Stenberg!

The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)

@Dervish

Eyy, that's affordable. For us English-ers that'll be around £5.00 to £8.00.

The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)

@Dervish

Sounds wonderful, but it also depends on the price! Nice idea otherwise guys. :)

The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)

Following the announcement of the missions by Ashav, Roze departed from Sevine's side to find Sebastian - having been picked for the sea mission, they would have to leave one another on the morn; and likely not see each other for a good long while. When awaking by his side in the early hours of the morning, Roze found herself in surprisingly high spirits - their last journey by sea had not gone fabulously, after all. Perhaps it was just the prospect of moving onto another adventure?

"I seem to have grown accustomed to his kind of life." The thought was not a particularly bad one; not right now in her life, that was. While thievery was a lucrative - and mostly - enjoyable occupation, there wasn't much life-changing about it. In this company, Roze was finding she was actually working towards something bigger than herself, finding a family in what had once been a group of complete strangers. And that was a refreshing thought for the young Breton.

As per her promise to Sevine, Roze kept a quiet eye on Leif during the voyage - which once again, was a very enjoyable one for her. After staying at the stern until Dawnstar - and the lone figure of a waving Sebastian - blinked out of sight, Roze found herself mingling with the crew and the company. Mainly sharing exploits to the sailors with Sagax, and their daring suicide job on the Kamal warship. Naturally, as stories tend to go, embellishments were added, either for humour or extravagance; wrestling one-on-one with an Ice Demon in the water, and helping to take down the dozens of vampires and werewolves that had swarmed the docks all of a sudden. While most went unbelieved or were met with roars of laughter from their ever growing crowd of listeners, Sagax and Roze could back up what had really happened with their scars; some still looking fresh with an angry crimson hue. The quiet presence of Do'Karth was noted by Roze, along with the equally quiet presence of Leif - never at the same time, naturally. With his help on the ship and entertainment of the crew with songs, Leif seemed to be keeping busy and was far better than last she had seen him... but Roze wasn't entirely convinced. As the ship neared it's Dwemer destination, Roze made a mental promise to talk with Leif after they had dealt with whatever was inside. Although being perhaps over-the-top in his anger, it wouldn't seem that way to him; and the heart-broken could always use some comforting words.

However, as the events unfolded in the Dwarven ruin, she felt a great fear that such a conversation would never happen; they were attacked almost instantaneously, and poor Leif - plus another comrade - fell rather quickly to the mechanical beasts. Seeing them in action, Roze found a new sense of amazement that her Father had been able to retrieve this bow from a Dwemer ruin decades ago; the fact that only he had made it out alive from his group had never really stuck with Roze until now... these places were dangerous.

So, naturally, her company decided to kick the dust up in the place, maybe have a picnic too. Typical.

Freezing momentarily in horror at seeing Leif cry for aid, Roze desperately wanted to help. Despite everything that had gone in with Leif and Sevine this past week or so, Roze knew more than enough that her friend would be heartbroken if Leif were to perish; in fact, she herself would be grief stricken. While conversations between herself and the lovetorn Nord had been somewhat minimal, the last thing she desired was to see him hurt... or dead, as the case could be in their current situation.

And while everything within her screamed to save him, she instead turned to their other fallen comrade. Guilt instantly flooded her as she sprinted towards Elmera and the Dwarven sphere, but she knew she had a far better chance of saving the Dunmer than getting to Leif in time to aid him. There were others to help Leif. Or, so she hoped - but first things first.

Knocking an an arrow as she approached the injured Elmera, Roze let out a swift breath of air before loosing - the arrow slammed straight into the back of the sphere. It jolted to a stop, spinning around to look at her for another well-placed arrow to land directly between it's...eyes? Did it even have eyes, or were they just decorations? Whatever they were, they weren't seeing anymore; knocking another arrow, Roze aimed once more for the chest area of the machine - the impact puncturing the metal and knocking it to the ground, where several of it's pieces fell off at the collision.

"Huh. And here I thought they'd be sturdier than that." Roze muttered to herself before crouching by Elmera, giving her leg a cursory glance. The bolt was nicely set in the meat of her thigh, but it didn't appear to be life-threatening. "Just stay down for now, I'll keep them off you. Then we'll maybe do something about your leg - oh, and a head's up; Pulling it out is going to hurt like a bitch." She said with a light chuckle to the injured Dunmer. This was her first conversation with the woman; may as well keep it light while everyone was alive. Probably... all alive.

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As Rhasha'Dar quickly found out, his relief of being given this mission was poorly-placed. When being told he would be joining Daelin in regards to wildfires of some sort, the Khajiit had felt a weight fall from his shoulders. No water; no fear of drowning. He could certainly get his fur singed in the forests, but it was a preferable fate to becoming a bloated corpse left to the horkers.

However, what awaited the group and himself in the forest all of a sudden made a ship and the waves far more appealing - spriggans, and wolves. Now, Rhasha'Dar had run into a lone spriggan now and again when foraging in woods. Never more than one, and he either left it alone or killed it with some difficulty. Now there were five... and with them beasts that he held no particular love for. He had always disliked wolves in the wild (as most sane people would, unless they enjoyed having limbs torn off by a hungry pack), but since the incident with the Werewolf all of those years ago, Rhasha had found a new sense of apprehension instilled in him around the beasts; even as far as mistrusting docile, domesticated dogs. His fear spiked when two of the scrawny beasts launched themselves at Sevine, bringing her to the ground all too quickly. Readying his aim, Rhasha flung his spear towards the wolf biting Sevine's leg... only for a swarm of bees to knock it off course; burying itself in the ground several feet away from the Sevine and her canine assailants.

As the spriggans closed in, Rhasha'Dar took his war axes in hand, and launched himself at the closest one with an animalistic snarl; beginning to hack away at the wooden body of the angry creature. Bellowing it's own strange, echoing screech, the spriggan lashed out with its branch like claws - although throwing an arm up to take the majority of the blow, its claws caught his neck and lower jaw. While his axe dropped from his hand from the force of the blow, Rhasha swiped the other in a vicious, upward motion with a hiss. The head snapped back, barely hanging on by a thread as he slammed his axe right into the neck while it remained motionless in shock, completely severing the head and landing a good bit away from the fallen body.

Examining his wound quickly while reclaiming his weapon, Rhasha winced as blood wept from the slices and stained his golden fur - the cuts on his arm were far deeper than those on his face and neck; but there'd be no way of telling if the wounds were poisoned or not. He knew of the spriggan's tricky poison and venoms - but that would have to wait until after the battle. There were more to kill, and people to save. Wiping the blood from his jaw and cheek with his good arm, Rhasha'Dar moved onto another foe with a determined glare.

SoS: Semblance of Suburbia

@Universorum

Zoey Clarke

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.:| Zo | 15 (Nearly 16) | Single | Bisexual | Female |:.

.:| A P P E A R A N C E |:.

Zoey is a total short-stop next to her Dad, standing at only 5'3 with a slim stature – she doesn't come across as particularly intimidating. Upon closer inspection you can see that her body is toned after years of physically demanding sport and activities – the palms of her hands and soles of her feet are usually calloused to some degree, and various scrapes or bruises can be seen dotted around her body most of the time; either from her varied physical activities, or sheer clumsiness. Further physical attributes left over from either her clumsiness or sports include two sunken knuckles on her right hand after having broken them (Kayaking; 8 years old); a small bump on the left side of her collarbone after having broken that (Jiu Jitsu; 13 years old); and a somewhat straight scar about 4 inches long on her right forearm, from an open fracture wound (Clumsiness – 8 months ago). More bumps and bruises are likely to follow Zoey and her cloddish ways.

Her long brown hair – almost as dark as her father's – has a natural wave to it, and can usually be seen hanging loose, or just slung into some form of messy ponytail; she's not one to put much effort into it. Make-up is also a rarity, what with her skin being quite clear and eyelashes being long and dark enough naturally. Clothing is not something she particularly fusses over either, wearing whatever looks good and is suitable for the necessary climate.

After having lived in America for so long, she has lost a lot of her native Australian accent; but with constant visits and her Dad's influence, one can still hear that familiar Aussie drawl hidden in her words.

.:| P E R S O N A L I T Y |:.

Zoey tends to be far more deadpan and calm than her Dad; although she certainly shares his bluntness. Although reigning it in to avoid insulting most people, she can be as blunt as she wants when it comes to her family – it's not uncommon for her to share jibes and cheeky insults with her Dad; truthful and harsh, but never taken as such, instead with a joking smile and sarcastic look. With this kind of behaviour, it's rare for them to fall out; indeed, Zoey rarely falls out with many a person. This could be that she has simply attracted friends in the past who understood that kind of tactless humour, certainly, but it would be fair to say the girl exhibits a playfulness that many could find refreshing.

Beyond her humour, Zoey has an inquisitive and even intuitive nature – having lived with just her Dad, she's learnt to pick up on small things that shows whenever he's having a bad day. While she can't exactly do this perfectly with strangers, she's quick to notice the furrowing of a brow, or a tightening of a fist. From this, she has developed a talent of being a "Good listener". She'll lend a shoulder to lean on for most, should they need it during their troubles – although reluctant to give advice on the possibility it makes things worse, Zoey will be more than happy to just sit and let them talk.

It should also be noted that for a girl who can ride a board as smooth as anything without such much as a wobble, it's astounding how clumsy she can be when just walking about; tripping over her own feet, stubbing her toes, smacking her limbs off walls or corners – she broke her nose once by falling over nothing in particular, and bouncing her head off a table. If you're in the same room with her for a long time, expect to hear some form of thud, followed by a profanity or 3.

.:| H I S T O R Y |:.

Zoey is aware that her father feels somewhat guilty for not being there a lot in her early years; but she doesn't hold it against him. Honestly, she can barely remember things – any strong emotions she does recall from her life as a baby are always attributed with happiness; spending time with her grandparents, and seeing her parents when they came back from a tour. She doesn't recall sadness; she doesn't recall missing her mum and dad – the one thing she does recall is her leaving Australia.

Although at the age of 5, it was hard to forget the strange look on her Mum's face; the odd feeling when she refused to give her a cuddle or a kiss like she used to when she got back from work. Even worse, when Zoey went with her Dad and never went back home. As the years passed, she grew to understand her father's decision for emigrating; and with that came a strong feeling of dislike and anger towards her mother. Although never so strong as to take over her life, it was a buried feeling that never really went away.

However, regardless of this, Zoey's life was pretty good – average, but good. She went to an okay school in California, made plenty of friends; even getting to visit her grandparents and other extended family during the holidays when she and her dad visited Australia. The last thing she expected was to suddenly become a millionaire.

Well... daughter of one, anyway.

She understood why they had to move (inner-city California was not the place to be for the suddenly rich; not the area they were staying in anyway); but it was somewhat difficult, leaving her old friends behind. From what she'd gathered from various forms of media, the teenagers in this rich, gated community, were not going to be the type she usually hung around with. Her Dad says to give it a chance, so she'll come at it with an open-mind... however, her reservations about her new community remain intact. At least Uncle Jay is nearby.

.:| O C C U P A T I O N |:.

Just a student, but wouldn't mind a part time job.

.:| H O B B I E S |:.

• Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu - She got into the sport at around the age of 5, while still in Australia. Although not competing until far older, she took to the martial art very well, thoroughly enjoying it and wanting to progress through the stages as quickly as possible; her instructors in America appreciated her enthusiasm, and very recently she received her blue belt in the discipline.
• Surfing & Kayaking - More sports she enjoys; this time with her Dad. These are entirely recreational – Zoey reckons she'd lose interest if she went into competitions for them.
• Road Trips - Ah, nothing better than the open road, some rock music, and good company. Although she can easily get those last two things at home, there's something exciting about driving nowhere in particular.
• Spoopy Scary Skeletons - Well, maybe not the song, but scary stuff. Halloween, horror movies, the paranormal – anything with an air of mystery or danger always thrills Zoey and her superstitious ways. Also, who is she kidding, the song is awesome.

.:| R E L A T I O N S H I P S |:.

Gabriel Clarke – Father – Her Dad means the world to her; she knows the shit he's been through in his life, and she loves him all the more for putting it aside to raise her by himself. Now and then she's annoyed at some of the rules he lays out, but that's generally the case for any healthy father-daughter relationship. Regardless of that, she'll love till the day she dies.

Charity Black – Estranged Mother – The less said about this one, the better. Zoey feels far more animosity and bitterness towards her mother than Gabriel does; she can't see herself forgiving Charity for the way she treated herself and her Dad.

Jameson Jones - Family Friend - She knows her Dad's ex-army bud by Uncle Jay, as she has done since a young child. He's spent enough time with herself and her Dad to pretty much be a part of the family.

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The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)

In that case, I'll have Roze give Elmera a hand. Hopefully get a Rhasha post up too.

Unless, @Scout would like to post for Elmera first?

The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)

A collaboration with @MacabreFox

Rozalia met Sevine's smiling face with one of her own - embracing the larger woman fondly. It felt like they hadn't talked properly for a good long while, and regardless of the juicy gossip she wanted to pull out from Sevine, it would be nice to have a chat. There weren't many women in the group, after all.

"Never mind myself and Sagax - I don't want to get you into a bad, worried temper just yet! Because... I've been hearing things about you." She began, waggling her eyebrows up and down in a conspiratorial type of manner. "You and a certain Khajiit; acting in a somewhat intimate way. But surely, you wouldn't embark on such a wild, romantic journey without telling your dear little - wicked - Breton friend?" Now, her tone was teasing,indeed showing a friendly glint of wickedness in her eye. There was some excitement, in the hopes that this information was true - in the eyes of Roze, Sevine deserved happiness. She was a good woman, an even better friend, and some love in her life would hopefully do some some good.

A rosy hue bloomed in the apples of her cheeks at the words of her friend. So, word had spread already like wildfire through the company, either witnessed themselves during the faire, or wagging tongues from Dawnstar's citizens. "Ah! So you've learned already?" She put a hand to the back of her head and gave a nervous chuckle, "I won't deny anything that you've heard! Yes, Do'Karth and I have entered into a courtship. I feel silly saying it, but come walk with me now." Sevine prompted, snagging Roze by the elbow of her arm and leading her away from the circle by the crook of her own elbow.

"Roze, I never thought I would find myself in love, or much more poignant, even the idea of having any attraction for anyone else. Though, now let me beg the question from you... I have heard from loose tongues that Leif is in a foul mood for whatever he may witnessed or heard from last night. Tell me this, have you heard with your own two ears of what he may have done, or said?" She asked, her brows sinking low to match the concerned frown on her lips.

Ah, so the rumours were true! Roze felt like jumping up and down on the spot in her excitement - unlike some (or, many, as the case may be) in Skyrim, she bore no ill will towards the beast kind, and thought relationships with them were wonderful; a step forward in wider acceptance of the races. Even better for Sevine for her to have found a good one in Do'Karth. Roze still had not forgotten his kindness to her when they first came to Dawnstar.

"Oh, it's not silly - but you should be as silly as you want! Love makes us feel that kind of giddiness, after all." Roze laughed - although her smile dimmed slightly as the pair walked. Sagax and herself had spent half the day and most of the night drinking in the inn - it had been a pleasant experience, but even in her somewhat bleary stupor, Roze had found it hard to ignore Leif.

"Ah... well. I believe it's safe to say he hasn't taken the news of your courtship very well." She began hesitantly; according to some gossip overheard last night by an unpleasant looking pair in the inn, some drunkard had been wanting to start a fight outside - over some sort of lost love. By the looks of Leif when he had staggered in with Jorwen, and the rumours that Roze herself had already heard, it didn't take much to connect the dots. "Sevine - from what I know of Leif, he's a passionate man. Passionate in his love, and his losses. He may be very emotional now, but in time, I'm sure he'll understand that you and he were never meant for one another. Not in the sense he currently lusts for, anyway." At least, that was what Roze hoped for. It would be a shame for such a friendship to be lost over a broken heart; one which could mend itself, if the individual chose to overcome their feelings. "If I were you, I wouldn't worry over it. Enjoy yourself, and your new love. Leif is all grown-up, and should be able to handle his emotions himself. And should he accost yourself or Do'Karth, I'll give him a stern talking to myself." This last sentence had an air of comedy about it; there was nothing particularly stern about the young rogue.

Upon first hearing Roze speak truth of Leif's actions and words, all blood drained away from her face, extinguishing the once present blush on her cheeks. Yet, as she spoke, Roze provided insight on how to effectively handle her current situation, one she found that she knew the answer too, even as her friend advised her to do so. A chuckle escaped from her lips in light of Roze's jest, lifting her spirits again. "Whatever may come, will be, and there is nothing I can do in the meantime to change that course. I can only pray that Leif will not act so ignobly if that time ever comes. Now speaking of love..." Therein her eyes, a mischievous glint appeared.

"What of that fellow from the College? Sebastian, is that his name? You seemed particularly overjoyed to see him." For once, it felt good to simply shoot the breeze without having to worry about the immediate future.

Roze couldn't help but laugh in the change of subject; for any other friend, she'd be concerned they were simply taking the attention away from a problem that needed said attention - but for Sevine, that was doubtful. As said by both women, the issue with Leif was one that they couldn't - or indeed, shouldn't - have to get involved with. It was his feelings, and his own ego to overcome.

"Ah... Sebastian Vorell. I was very pleased to see him, especially as I thought of the possibility of his death. We met many years ago - when I was still living in Riften, at the age of 14. From there, we established a fond connection." Roze confessed and then paused, meeting Sevine's mischievous gaze. "I wouldn't say we're in love. If I were to love him, it would be as a friend. We just... get physical now and again, if nothing else has caught our fancy." She paused once more, frowning slightly. "I think perhaps I'm not explaining it well enough. You see, we've always had wild adventures together. Most come down to mischief brought on by alcohol, and one of us egging the other along. All fun and games, but not for a prolonged sense of time. If we stayed together for very long, I'm afraid we'd end up jailed... or worse. We'd be terrible lifetime partners for one another - unlike yourself and Do'Karth." She finished with a chuckle. It was a shame, really - Roze did truly enjoy Sebastian's company, as he enjoyed hers. But every time they spent more than a fortnight together, trouble would follow them.

Imagining what could be worse, a Roze and Sebastian duo or a Roze and Sagax duo made her stomach turn, the Divines help her if all three were to end up together! Perhaps she had hoped to hear more of a romantic tale, but it appeared that Roze's relationship with Sebastian was not as she had first believed. Then again, as Roze had expressed, perhaps it was for the better that they had not entered into a partnership.

"Sounds like another Sagax to me, though I hope he doesn't have enough courage to take a gander at riding chaurus' for fun." Here she let loose a relaxed chuckle. "Ah, now while we're on the topic of love, so to speak, I can't seem to recall mentioning this to anyone, but I have thoughts of other matters that occupy my mind... I have a sister, Liliana, that entered into a union with her husband. She recently revealed to me that I am to be an aunt. Being so far from her in her condition, I find that I am worried over her well-being. I mention this solely for the sake of my nerves, and I wondered, Roze, do you have any siblings?" Sevine asked.

Ah, more good news for Sevine! Roze could see her friend being a fantastic Aunt; she had plenty of motherly qualities, certainly. Herself and Sagax had found that out the hard way after their little bombing run back in Windhelm.

"Ahah... well, I don't think there's anyone quite like Sagax. Chaurus-riding or otherwise." She chuckled; the thought of Sebastian doing so was an amusing one. He'd attempted to jump on a mammoth's back once when they had been particularly young and foolish. A few miles of running and broken bones later, it was decided that neither of them would attempt it again.

"As for your sister, pass along my congratulations when you come to write to her again! I hope she has an easy time with carrying and birthing the child; according to my Mother, I was quite the handful even before I stepped out of the womb." It was only natural for Sevine to worry; pregnancy could be a worrisome prospect even during calm times in Skyrim, but with everything else suddenly happening, it made the situation more dire. Roze only prayed nothing bad happened - Sevine needed more happiness in her life.

"I always begged my parents for siblings as a child; alas, it was not meant to be. The closest things I had to siblings were my friends in Riften. I think I had some distant cousins, but neither of my parents were on good terms with their own brothers or sisters. So, I never met them." She wasn't really lying here; although there were no children her own age in the guild, she was still friendly with the older thieves. However, Sevine didn't need to know of her membership there. Petty thievery was a far different thing to be judged for as opposed to being a member of such an influential group, after all. "How about you, Sevine? Ever thought of having your own little cubs one day?" Although unlikely she could have any with Do'Karth, there were more than a few orphans about Skyrim who would benefit from the love of such a strong, kind woman.

Sevine found to her surprise that in fact, Roze was an only child, perhaps for the better of society, yet she pitied the younger woman, for she wished that her friend had had the chance to know the pleasure of having siblings. At her inquiry for having children of her own, Sevine came to realize that she had not thought more on the matter. Her passion for protecting the innocent was strong, that much she knew. But producing children from her own loins? The haunting memory of her mother's last moments alive came rushing back to her, snippets of a time long forgotten.

Sweat covered Gudrun's smooth brow, blonde hair clung to her temples as she screamed in agony, desperately trying to birth Liliana. The midwife, Haelga, knelt between the legs of her mother, her thinning grey brows pinched together in concern while eight year-old Sevine lingered by her mother's side. With one final heave, Gudrun relaxed onto the hide skins beneath her as the room filled with a sudden cry, a cry of a newborn babe.

"Take the child, little one. I must tend to your mother." Haelga said as she passed the mewling babe into her tiny arms. As instructed beforehand, Sevine began to wipe away the blood from the baby's skin with the fresh linen. Yet, as she looked up to show her mother, she witnessed a horror unlike any other. A large swath of blood soaked through the skins and began to pool beneath her, coming from her loins where she had moments before birthed her child.

Unsure of how long she had been lost in thought with that grisly memory, she uttered a tense sigh. "Perhaps not from my own loins, no. Child bearing is a dangerous matter, and during the war, I came to know that there are many children left as orphans from the war that still need a good family. But I will, pass along your blessings in my next letter to her, I have mentioned you once to her when we first met. Perhaps one day, when this is all over, you could have the chance to meet her. And what of yourself, Roze? Any plans for children of your own?"

Roze's curious smile had faltered slightly as Sevine zoned out for a moment or so; a somewhat haunted look settling deep in her pine eyes. Roze had been about to shake her friend before she suddenly snapped out of it, continuing the conversation and echoing Roze's own thoughts. The moment of worry was lost with pride; there was something pleasant about being mentioned in another's letter to a loved one. Well... if the mention wasn't one of a negative nature in regards to some odd prank involving sheep dung and mead. That had been a fun one to explain to her parents as a 7 year old.

"I'd very much like to meet her - I'd love to hear stories about you as a wild youth." She said with a teasing grin; she couldn't imagine the child version of Sevine to be any less intimidating or motherly than the adult one - but surely there'd be a lot more mischief. "As for my own children... perhaps one day, when I've found the right man and settled down. The life I'm living now wouldn't be all too accommodating for a child, I think. Nor pregnancy." A sudden comical thought set off a peal of laughter from her. "Can you imagine it? Everyone launching into battle against Falmer or something, and there's me waddling behind - wide as I am tall and puffing along with my bow!"

"Aye! That I could, what a sight to see that would be!" Sevine bent with laughter, slapped her knee with one hand while the other clenched her stomach as it tightened with a heart-felt chuckle. Indeed, the sight would be an amusing one, especially considering how in a condition like that, Roze would have the energy to tag along. Thank the Divines that neither of them were heavy with child.

"Ah, Roze..." She straightened up, and wipe away a tear that had formed in the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, then gave a low sigh. "I am glad that we are friends. Come, let us leave, I believe Ashav has another mission for us to be announced."

The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)

Will get the collab and perhaps a Rhasha post done later today when all my lectures are finished.

SoS: Semblance of Suburbia

@Universorum

Here's character number 2! Now just... another... two... to go.... _*sobs*

Gabriel Clarke

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.:| Gabe, Doc | 42 | Single | Pansexual | Male |:.

.:| A P P E A R A N C E |:.

Gabriel's 6'2, broad shouldered frame is a fit one; liking to keep on top of his health with various physical activities, it would be safe to call his body a toned, if muscular one. His skin has a weathered, tanned look; what with having spent most of his life in hot, sunny countries. Small raised scars are scattered along the right side of his legs, body, neck and arm; remnants of the humvee attack in Afghanistan. The white scar tissue is all the more evident the more tanned he gets, but he doesn't complain; they're not particularly disfiguring, and he lucky to have only been injured by shattered glass in that incident. In addition to this he has a few tattoos here and there; his daughter's name on his calf, and the "rising sun" emblem of the Australian army on the inside of his ankle, to name a few.

Gabriel's face has so far remained unmarred in terms of major scarring or tattoos; although having usually been clean shaven in his younger years, he'll occasionally let his beard grow out before getting sick of it after a few weeks and shaving it all off; said beard is the same dark brown colour as his hair, which itself is kept styled to a certain degree, and never too long.

He has retained his Australian accent far more than his daughter, but it's not particularly a strong one. He has on occasion used Aussie slang that had confused people in the past though.

.:| P E R S O N A L I T Y |:.

After a lifetime of being surrounded by the sickly, dying, or even dead, Gabriel tries to make the most of life as possible. Going on various and random adventures, it'll be rare for him to shy away from something new. He may not like it when there, but at least he gave it a go. In addition to this, he likes to surround himself with energy; liveliness, passion, enjoyment. Everything that can light up a room; and this applies to people too. More often than not he'll find people who emanate that kind of energy; although he does have friends that are a bit slower and older, others are generally younger than him... especially when it comes to matters of the loving kind. His partners - be they one night stands or something more meaningful - are rarely above the age of 30. It would have to take a special kind of someone for him to overlook something like that.

Face to face, he can generally be found to have a somewhat cynical outlook on life; although he does his best to enjoy every bit of it, he understands life is often a bitch. Bluntness and a lack of tact is also a trait of his that's he's quite happy to keep, despite his daughter's complaints. There's a reason he became a surgeon rather than a general physician; people don't talk while they're sedated. Well, unless it's brain surgery or something – and he doesn't do brains, he does hearts.

However... all of this aside, Gabriel is quite the pleasant individual. If he's particularly upset someone with his blunt words, he will apologise – and try to do something to make it better. Because he hates seeing sadness in people; and this often brings out a gentle kindness in him that one wouldn't assume was there.

.:| H I S T O R Y |:.

Born in Perth, Australia, Gabriel's career had always been clear to him. He enjoyed helping people, and with a Father as an Army nurse, the medical track was something he had reached for since a child. So much so that while other children were reading books about pirates and animals, he'd be poring over a biology book – at that age he didn't understand a lot of the words, but the pictures always interested him.

As the years went on, he slowly but surely achieved his goal; following in his father's path, he joined the army at 16, then training to become a doctor through the military by the age of 18. It was here he met Charity – a cheeky young Private, going down the Officers route. They struck up a friendship after more than a few visits to his office (Charity was rather clumsy for a prospect soldier), and this then developed into romance, and then into love. Although never marrying, they were lucky enough to have a beautiful daughter by the time he'd hit 26.

The year the followed, and several after, changed Gabriel, and also changed Charity. In 2001, the towers fell, and the war in Afghanistan started. Neither of them had seen real live combat before; not in this scale, anyway. Although they were able to find childcare for their baby daughter with grandparents and the like, it was still hard to leave her; especially both of them.

While Charity remained with the artillery, Gabriel became both a surgeon and a field Doctor; when there was a lack for various reasons, he was pulled out onto the front lines to aid his fallen comrades. The best way he could describe those years would be hell – the only reprieve he had was when he got to go home and visit his family.

After nearly 4 years of coming out of fights unscathed, Gabriel finally came under fire; a convoy, and a few IED's hidden in the road. A flash of light; the truck going up in the air, screams... and then darkness

When he awoke, he was back at the military compound; his group had been surprisingly lucky – no-one had died, lost limbs, or received any serious injuries. Including Gabriel... and yet, he could not stop the shaking in his hands for weeks. Not the best trait for a surgeon.

After pegging it down to a psychological issue, Gabriel was able to get an honourable discharge under medical grounds, and began therapy back home in Australia. While talking through it helped, he likes to believe it was his home and family that really made the difference. His daughter would no longer be growing up trying to remember what he looked like; and his parents wouldn't be worrying day and night as to whether or not he had died in action. Things were looking up... that is, until Charity came home.

Something had changed in her too. Although having not been on the front lines (As the law had dictated for women at the time), she had clearly seen the same horrors he had; her spark of youthfulness had drained from her, and she seemed to have lost her love for him – and their daughter. At first, he'd put it down to stress; negative effects of a warzone. Until that is, she threw a curveball into the mix. Charity's reason for coming home so soon had been down to pregnancy – and it certainly wasn't Gabriel's child, as he hadn't seen her for a good few months.

This changed things; with a Doctor-ship and an honourable discharge tucked neatly into his files, Gabriel decided it was time for a change; partly to get away from his cheating girlfriend. He could forgive falling out of love with him – Hell, he could forgive the cheating – but the way she brushed their own daughter aside so effortlessly was not something easily forgotten. And so, the now single father and his 5 year old daughter moved to America; a promising job already waiting, and that pesky shaking of the hands dealt with.

The years went by, and his daughter grew up happy; he had a steady job - specialising in cardiovascular surgery and becoming outstanding in his field - and after taking a chance with a few small businesses, even had a small pocket of money from stocks to make things comfortable. However, out of the five businesses he bought stocks from, 4 were doing particularly well for themselves. In no time at all they were getting into the news more and more, and by the time his daughter reached the age of 15, Gabriel had amassed nearly £3 billion in his shares across the 4 separate companies.

It was a shock, but a pleasant one. After hearing good things about Lakewood from his older friend James, Gabe decided to move from inner city California to the rich, gated community; also cutting his hours at the hospital for a more relaxed lifestyle. He had plenty of money for it, along with trying to make his daughter happy – without spoiling her.

.:| O C C U P A T I O N |:.

Gabriel still works as a surgeon, although certainly not as much as he used to. However, if his particular talents are needed for a tricky operation, he'll usually be happy to drop whatever he's doing to go and help.

.:| H O B B I E S |:.

• Kayaking - Gabriel's always enjoyed water, and has been a strong swimmer since a child. Kayaking is one of the several water-based sports he's enjoyed for years; his daughter joins in too sometimes, although prefers surfing.
• Surfing - Another favourite sport of his; both Australia and California are famous for it's waves, and for good reason. He and his daughter can spend an entire day out in the ocean surfing.
• Barbecues - He probably had a barbecue party every week, because he just loves it so much. The food, the booze, the atmosphere; fun for all the family, plus, you can get pissed as much as you want in your own back garden and nobody's going to complain. Maybe he should throw a house-warming one, get to know the neighbours?
• Documentaries - Gabriel loves documentaries; be they medical, geographic, or about animals. As such, he's amassed an astounding amount of trivia about random topics, and will happily chat away about any of them.
• Vices - He likes to think he doesn't have sex enough for it to be classed as a hobby, but with the amount of time's he's had one-night stands with strangers and been called a man-whore by his teenage daughter, Gabriel's begun to think otherwise. As for the smoking and drinking, well... if he's feeling down, they help bring him up. And if he's feeling up, they make him feel even better.
• Bones - What? No, not like skeleton bones. It's the name of his dog. Well... therapy dog is the full term, but Gabriel likes to think he doesn't need Bones for therapy any more; he's just a big daft mess of fluff, and that does it for him. Anyway, spending time with Bones, walking him, playing games, etc. Good hobbies.
• Baking - He likes to think his daughter is extra lucky, because Gabriel bakes a lot. When he's bored, when he wants to give a present to someone, or when he's stressed. So, he bakes a lot. Also, baking goes well with barbecues; everyone loves pie.

.:| R E L A T I O N S H I P S |:.

Daughter - WIP – Daughter – With her Mum out of the picture, Gabriel tried exceptionally hard to do well for his daughter. It seems to have paid off, and the two have a close, loving relationship. They're quite easy-going and free with one another, but he knows enough about parenthood on where to draw the line and put his foot down; she knows that too, but thankfully has enough respect for him to not cross it. Yet...

Jameson Jones - Old friend - They first met during one of his tours in Afghanistan, and formed a fast friendship from there. Gabe wasn't particularly religious, but he enjoyed talking with James about various things. Following his discharge, he also took part in therapy with James, finding the companionship add some ease in the transition back to regular life - he's happy to be neighbours with him now.

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