Most people tend to have an impression of Enrico as a severe young man, cold and distant like a northern wind. This is not without good reason. He is the hardest working member of his class, perhaps even the entire city, and seems to never leave a single moment wasted with all the extracurricular activities he involves himself in. His work ethic is something to aspire to, but the life he lives is undoubtedly a strict one, with no time for friends or fun. The sharp-eyed, imperturbable expression on his face, his phlegmatic disposition and poor attitude are merely a testament to the weight of his endeavors. At least that's what his actions would suggest.

Contrary to popular belief, Enrico does not often play the part of the harsh, overly serious-type or the stop-having-fun asshole. In fact, he's actually a quite a flippant young man who'd really rather not deal with that kind of thing. Though he does indeed lack friends, possess a major case of resting bitch face, and have a tongue far sharper and more foul than it ought to be, he doesn't actively avoid socialization or look down on everyone else. This, like many other social woes that beset him, tends to come from his inability to read the mood and overly blunt tone. His genuine criticism and "obvious" questions can easily be seen as attempts to insult or goad another, and even his attempts at apologies tend to come off as insincere based solely on the ease he has pointing out others' faults. The last thing he wants is to legitimately upset others and he genuinely enjoys the company of others, but being socially dense, he doesn't realize why people tend to shy away from him and thus usually just accepts it for what it is. Worth noting is that his bedside manner isn't nearly as bad as his normal interaction; in fact, one might call it tender -- assuming you haven't already recovered from your injuries, of course.

Regardless, while outwardly he may seem rather stoic, his subdued demeanor belies the intensity that dwells within, alluded to only be the fervency by which he pursues his ambitions. Enrico is no man of half-measures, and as a rule, his emotions are binary in nature; without personal stake in a situation, one can count on him acting mildly and apathetically, but otherwise he proves to be surprisingly hotblooded. When he feels, he always feels intensely: his rage must shake the heavens, his tears must be as waterfalls, and the laughter and smiles that convey his joy must be well-intentioned because they are certainly very menacing. So naturally, when he decides that something is worth doing, he'll see it through with best of his ability. Before anything else Enrico is undeniably a man of conviction, with an inexorable determination and an unmatched will to succeed. But although he is abounding in diligence, it can't be said he is abounding in the prudence required to best make use of it. For good or for ill, once he has chosen to act, attempting to force him to stop is a fool's errand nine times out of ten.

That said, getting him to act is much easier, even if Enrico is undeniably much more passive than he is proactive when it comes to acting in the service of things outside his sphere of interest. He doesn't actually care about things that don't directly concern him and thus doesn't care to exert energy on them. He is, however, largely motivated by self-interest and the exchange of services. If you require his assistance, all you need is a good enough offer -- whatever that would entail at the time of asking. He's very obviously a selfish person in that respect, but that does not necessarily make him an immoral person. He's rarely unreasonable with his requests, and doesn't put any effort towards scamming others. As someone who was born wanting, he understands that others cherish and protect what they have; similarly, he does the same for what he considers his own, whether that be objects or people. Unsurprisingly, he's also quite a frugal young man who strives to give thanks and repay debts as soon as he can.

Of course, all of these traits are merely symptomatic of the foundation that lays at the heart of Enrico's being: an overwhelming sense of responsibility ingrained by his parents' teachings and his experiences during his formative years. From a young age, the weight of duty has always burdened him, and so the currency of promises has become an intrinsic part of his identity. Unsurprisingly, he make promises lightly or very often; those he does make are always kept without exception, regardless of how much trouble they're liable to cause him. He takes not only his own commitments but also others' very seriously, rarely lies for personal gain, and considers oathbreakers and traitors to be the worst of trash. While he may seem an honorable man based solely on this trait, Enrico is far from a proper combatant. His philosophy is that, in the absence of agreed-upon rules, an honorable fight, or really any endeavor worth doing, is one where everything goes, and that the use of dirty tricks and unorthodox tactics is a sign great respect. That said, he's not the type to involve children or bystanders, keep hurt someone who's clearly given up, or other needlessly cruel actions; so he's still a step away from being completely ruthless with his pragmatism.

On a more mundane note, Enrico's enjoys reading books at the park and watching movies when he isn't studying late into the night. Worth noting is that both are activities that he can do without the company of others. His favorite films are horror movies and westerns, and his least favorites are poorly choreographed fantasy and historical fiction films. While he doesn't hate them per se, watching romantic and buddy comedies leave a strange and uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. Contrasting this, his favorite literature genre is fantasy and his least favorite is lit fic. He is very much the kind of person who would call someone out for thinking the film is the same experience as the book and vice versa. He operates a review blog which is notable for having long, in-depth and completely merciless assessments of media.

While Enrico claims to have gotten over his aspirations to the title of Sword Emperor, that is untrue. Suggesting he wouldn't enjoy testing his sword arm against powerful opponents or demonstrating his prowess to the world is also untrue. It's as the saying goes: you can take the dog out of the fight, but you can't take the fight out of the dog.

Seventeen year old Enrico Modena was born in the city of Siena, the capital of the Italian province of Tuscany, to an aspiring musician and a young professional with her whole life ahead of her. Four years after his own birth, his thirteen year old sister Sofia was born and from that point, family's fortune was overturned. Enrico's mother was struck by severe illness and postpartum complications shortly after Sofia's birth, leaving her bedridden and ultimately fired from the job that was responsible for supporting the family up to that point. As a result, his largely unqualified father was forced to abandon his dreams as an artist and take on multiple jobs to support his family of four, rarely getting to see them in the process.

Despite the complications affecting his family during his upbringing, Enrico does not consider his childhood a particularly terrible one nor does he see their family relation as being particularly damaged by it. While that assessment might be because of his surprisingly pure view of the world, it wouldn't be a lie to say that his father never wavered in his duty and showered affection on the family despite his infrequent appearances. Likewise, his mother remained steadfast and lively despite her diminished condition. Despite their best efforts however, Enrico's formative years were largely defined by a lack of parental guidance and the burden of a duty suited for someone much more mature than he. With his parents largely out of commission, it was on Enrico to get groceries, take care of his mother, be his sister's keeper, and otherwise pull far more than his own weight around the house. Growing up with knowledge of his father's burdens and the experiences of his own struggle to live up to the demands of his station caused the precepts of duty to take root in his psyche, contributing to the development of good habits and strange personality traits alike.

This isn't to say Enrico's childhood was all work and no play, however. As one of the things his mother could still do often despite her state, his free time would be spent among books, either being read to or reading to himself and others. Incidentally, these very same stories would lay the groundwork for Enrico's passion as a swordsman.

Once he grew older and even more independent, Enrico would spend even more of his free time romping around town, often going to the library for books and their various youth reading programs, or to hang out in the nearby park with his sister. Of course, even a safer city like Siena is still a dangerous place for a child to be left alone. As a result, his father arranged for him to take self-defense lessons from a friend of his that ran a fitness center a few bus stops from his school. It was there that Enrico would learn to protect himself, but more importantly, it was there that he had his first experience with the world of swordsmanship.

One day, on the way to another self-defense class, Enrico spotted a peculiar sight in one of the rooms: a group of people flailing about in heavy armor. So instead of training, he sat in the room rented out by the Siena HEMA Society, watching them go at it with blades and polearms and shields like something out of one of his stories. When he was finally found by his father, he had his heart set. And once that happened, it was only a matter of time until he found out about The Sword Emperor.

And thus, Enrico found his raison d'etre. With the renown he would get from the title came money, and the young boy decided that that would be how he would support his family. Soon merely watching became actively participating, and though they wouldn't teach him anything advanced, the basics they taught him served him well as a natural swordsman.

Fortunately or unfortunately, now that Enrico was equipped with the means and desire to fight, it was the only thing he had on his mind. So when prompted with an excuse to test himself -- a bully picking on some kids at a park he and his sister frequented -- he got into a fight. And another after that, and another and another, until he had amassed a sort of reputation as his town's resident bully hunter. As a "dangerous person", few people desired to be his friend, but they did enjoy the fruits of his actions. For a time, the schoolchildren of Siena lived in tenuous, ruthlessly enforced peace. Although his teachers tried to convince him to stop acting so aggressively, this behavior wouldn't stop until he moved to Trespiano. After all, it becomes hard to stop a habit when that habit seeks you out.

At the age of twelve, Enrico's mother was finally claimed by her illness. Then, with his mother dead and his father was constantly away - even moreso now that he had gotten a decent job overseas - he and his sister were sent to live under the custody of their grandmother in Trespiano, where they have been for the past five years. With his father only visiting on major holidays, Enrico has spent most of his teen years with his sister and grandmother, who runs and lives in a century-old apartment above a small, old Italian restaurant located along the waterfront. It is notable for being old even to old people and for using ingredients primarily gathered from local sources. However, it is no longer doing as well as it used to in comparison to equivalent "modern" restaurants for that same reason. It still beats them when it comes to antipasto, caffe, and fish dishes. Enrico works here part time, as does his sister. It should be noted that the latter is illegal under Italian law, but nobody cares.

The most notable change from then and now is the marked difference between the Enrico's temperament in Trespiano and how it was back in Siena. The young swordsman has very obviously mellowed out after coming to Trespiano, mostly due to the presence of an actual authority figure in his life to put him on the right path. Yet as much of a help Enrico's grandmother was in setting this impetuous youth straight, her guidance was not without its flaws. While well-intentioned, the fact of the matter is that she is the reason Enrico has all but hung up his sword permanently.

Just after entering upper secondary school, fourteen year old Enrico was told by his grandmother to "grow up": to stop confusing passion with profession like his father, to set aside his dreams as professional swordsman, to take his studies seriously, and to support the family respectably. And Enrico could only let this order come to pass; it was his obligation to the debt he owed to his family. But though he understood where her sentiments came from, he could not come to accept it. He liked it, he was good at it, and there was potential to turn their situation around within it. Stewing in feelings he's been unable to do anything about, it isn't a surprise that Enrico still carries resentments over the incident. To his credit however, he has adhered to her wishes for the past three years, even if he one day wishes to take up the blade once more.

Overall, Enrico has made himself out as a relatively normal but hardworking (some might say too hardworking -- he's completely sacrificed his involvement in the historical European martial arts club after all) young man in his five years in Trespiano. Notably, he sits at the top of the class and is heavily involved in the community at large through volunteer work and his grandmother's restaurant -- an ideal young professional, essentially.

Also he still has no friends.

As far as any one else is concerned, Enrico's primary ambition in life is to become a doctor. Of course, this is incorrect; he wants to become a master swordsman among master swordsmen; in that respect, medicine is his back up plan. However, Enrico has contributed no small degree of effort into achieving the grades, knowledge and experience required to excel in the field. On his off time, he serves as both a sports med volunteer for his high school and a health services volunteer at the hospital. Likewise, he makes a point of renewing his first aid and CPR certifications every year. As a result, his practical and theoretical knowledge is quite high for someone of his age. Because of the amount of work towards what's supposedly a secondary focus, one might look at it as wasted effort, but Enrico still works towards it regardless. After all, he had made a promise to his family, and he is intent on keeping it to the best of his ability.

When he was younger and more impetuous, Enrico would often talk at length about his aspiration to the title of the world's greatest swordsman, the Sword Emperor. While he claims to have put that goal behind him, he still retains his physical condition and his natural talent for swordplay. Yet despite this talent, labeling Enrico a swordsman is not entirely correct. Without clear sword style, it's obvious that he's relying on a combination of ability, cunning and force of personality to carry the day rather than advanced bladework. Subsequently, this puts him at a disadvantage against the truly skilled opponents who can see through his tactics. In terms of how he fights, Enrico's swordsmanship is more in line with the contents of medieval swordsmanship manuals than modern fencing - a reflection of his primary source of blade education. While this has granted him a wide foundation of basic stances in the traditional types of Italian swordsmanship and a cerebral knowledge of the craft, it is only just so. He favors the use of a single hand-and-a-half sword, which allows him to better incorporate close-combat techniques such as grapples, kicks and punches, and retains the blade's versatility. Worth noting is his poor vision - compensated for by his glasses rather than combat experience or other senses - which is a deadly weakness for a proper swordsman, but one that he hasn't encountered trouble with yet. Whether this is a testament to his own talent or the quality of his past opponents remains to be seen.

It is said that the role of the Vongola Guardian of Sun is to destroy the misfortune that targets the Family with their body. While past examples have traditionally been those with skill in close combat, the nuance of this duty lies beyond simply "using one's body in combat" -- it is to defend the Family regardless of the cost to oneself. It is not Enrico's martial prowess, but the fortress of his resolve that serves as his qualification as the Eleventh Vongola Guardian of Sun. Thus, beyond even the strength of his sword arm or his proficiency at healing, the most vital of all tools in Enrico's arsenal is the sheer, unbridled tenacity that lurks beneath his placid exterior. Regardless of how insignificant the task is, if Enrico has set his mind on something, he will set out to accomplish it regardless of what the obstacles in the way of his objective are, be it harm to his body, assaults against his mind, or ploys against his emotions. Yet his greatest strength is also a great weakness; the flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long, after all.

Always prepared to practice his (other) craft, Enrico carries around a first-aid kit with a few personal additions to its contents. Generally speaking, it's well equipped to deal with typical first aid situations, as well as more intensive cuts, bruising, and more exotic athletic injuries. In other words, he's altered it to fit his needs as a swordsman.

Enrico doesn't own one of these.

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He's trying his best, okay?

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