[hider=Nate]
Name: Naoya 'Nathaniel' Tanaka
Nickname: Nate
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Occupation: Owner of the Sunny Side Cafe/Side Car Bar on Isla Zafrio/Barista/Batender

Appearance: Nate is of Asian descent, standing at about 6 feet tall, with a athletic build. Dark of hair, he has blue eyes that comes from the European side of his family. During the day, Nate can be seen behind the bar at the Sunny Side Cafe, making coffee, pulling espressos and chatting with the patrons. Typically, he wears a blue suit with a white shirt and an apron while at work. When not at work, his sense of dress is more relaxed, opting for linen slacks, light dress shirts and pairs of loafers to match. He does have some tattoos, mostly covered during work by the sleeves of his usual attire, except for the ones on his forearms when he has he sleeves rolled up.
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[img]https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a3d02ee9-9026-451c-b618-7e2c241844c6/dhzabv0-893ea27d-2631-4fee-9779-a5915152ffa8.jpg/v1/fill/w_894,h_894,q_70,strp/japanese_italian_male_in_his_late_20s_to_early_30s_by_rchen58_dhzabv0-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTAyNCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2EzZDAyZWU5LTkwMjYtNDUxYy1iNjE4LTdlMmMyNDE4NDRjNlwvZGh6YWJ2MC04OTNlYTI3ZC0yNjMxLTRmZWUtOTc3OS1hNTkxNTE1MmZmYTguanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEwMjQifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.Xm1Yj16G3kXcMug2dyfFjUVQZ9aziS3quUJNH7LX700[/img]
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Character Concept: Nate was not born in Islas Azul. He moved to the islands after finishing his education in Japan. On the surface, he is just the friendly neighborhood cafe owner that likes to chat with the patrons and makes a killer cup of joe in the morning. He is also quite the accomplished bartender when his cafe transfers into a sort of a speakeasy that bucks the trend of the typical tourist pub. That is not to say his establishment does not welcome tourists. In reality, his establishment is mainly geared towards the ones that visit the islands but do not want to go where everyone seemingly is already going. Every other club is blasting loud music, doing two-for-one specials, trying to attract visitors that are looking for a cheap thrill. His establishment, he decided, would turn that trend on it's head. He did away with the flashy neon lights, and the massive queue right in the front of the bar. Instead, he would occasionally slip a card to random patrons throughout the morning, letting them know that there is a bar behind the counter, through what appeared to be a standard storage room, and down a couple of flights of stairs.

Character History:  Nate was born, and grew up in Japan, to a strict family. Dad worked and supported the family, Mom stayed home and raised the kids. That's the way a family is structured, or so Nate was taught. Nate was not given many opportunities to explore his own hobbies and passions. His father thought of those things as unnecessary wastes of time. His only job, his father would often say, is to get good grades in school, and land a lucrative job. Getting married and having children were also expected of him. His life was not his own, as his father had a hand in everything and interfered whenever Nate tried to do something that did not fit his father's plan.

At home, Nate had to walk on eggshells. One misstep, and his father's wrath would be felt by not only himself, but his mother as well. His father would blame any mistake that Nate had as a misdoing by his mother as well. Punishment were usually verbal, but at times it had been physical as well. In any case, this made Nate hyper-aware of his surroundings and the moods of the people around him. He learned to observe quietly, and to put up a jovial facade in order to keep himself out of the path of his father.

While at school, he picked up the habit of visiting a small bar near his college. He got to know the owner of the establishment, Mr. Ueno. Through their frequent conversations, Nate learned that Mr. Ueno used to be a world-class bartender, having won prestigious competitions both domestically and abroad. This only served to pique Nate's interest in bartending and mixology as a whole. 

Of course, his father did not support this habit. His father drank, frequently. But, his thoughts about drinking stopped at "Men should drink either whisky, or beer." nothing else. The idea of Nate making a living as a bartender simply did not make sense to his father. "Ah, that's shit. What? You're going to stand behind the bar and shake a metal cup for some other man? Are you a sissy? Nonsense. I forbid it." Nate vividly remembered his father saying to him.

Undeterred, Nate continued to visit Mr. Ueno whenever he can. Step by step, Nate learned the subtle art of asking poignant questions, observing the body language and visual ques his patrons may give him. This continued on for weeks, and then months. He technically did not lie to his father. He told him that he had extracurricular activities after school and that he would be coming home late sometimes. He would make his way to Mr. Ueno's bar as soon as his classes were finished, sometimes during prep time for the pub. 

Eventually, Mr. Ueno asked about why Nate was spending so much time at the pub, sometimes even during off-hours. Nate would answer truthfully. That he wanted to be a bartender after school. Mr. Ueno simply nodded and carried on with his own prep work. This back and forth would go on to evolve into Mr. Ueno asking, more so telling in actuality, Nate to complete some of the prep work for him. His excuse would always be something along the lines of "I'm an old man, you young'ns should do more to help us older folks." or "You're just paying for the food I'm going to give you later on. Go on, get to work!"

Slowly, Mr. Ueno would ask Nate to mix him a drink or two before the pub opened. It started with simple drinks like whisky highball, gimlet or Aperol spritz. Of course, he would lace constructive criticism into actual insults. "This glass isn't cold enough! You need to ice the cup longer, at least another 30 seconds!", "Too much simple syrup! I can hardly taste the gin at this point. Find the balance! The balance!", "Ah this shit is just plain bad, why are you wasting my product? Go remake me another one! This time, get it right!" were some common criticism Mr. Ueno would throw at Nate.

This continued for the majority of the last few years of Nate's college education. Unpaid training with Mr. Ueno, and unrelenting pressure at home to stay on top of his school work and land a good corporate job so he can start building his future. On the day of his graduation, the first words from his father were not congratulatory in nature. "Ok. Now that you're done with school, and I'm done paying for it, where are you going to work? The local financial advisory firm? Or are you going into medicine? Perhaps you're starting at a law firm?" This simply goes to show how much attention his father paid him while he was in school. He listed off the three typical fields Asian parents want their kids to work in. Finance, medical, and law. How original.

"Well, dad, if you paid any attention, you would know what I did not study medicine, or law. Yes, I studied finance, but I am not going into that shit field that work their people to the bones and then work them some more. No. Mr. Ueno offered me a job as a bartender at his pub. Thats where I'm going."

His father found those words both incredulous and amusing. Never has Nate talk back to him this way. "Nonsense. No son of mine will work in some dingy bar, shaking drinks for tips. No. You're joining the local financial firm. I don't care if you start by sweeping their floors. As long as you work in the building, you can tell others that you work for them." Nate took in a deep breath, gave a filial bow to his mother. "I am moving out. I don't want anything to do with you. I've already packed my bags. Mom has known for a while now. Yes, she did not tell you about it. No, I will not change my mind. Good bye father, mother. Thank you for everything. I would say that I will visit, but I don't assume you'd want me to." He said. His father was incensed. He wanted to yell at Nate. However, realizing that they were in public, and he has his image to uphold, all he said was "This is your fault. You did not raise this boy well. I gave you two everything you needed, and then some. Look at what has happened." in a rage-filled, but hushed, voice. His mother paid her husband no mind and simply walked up to Nate, giving him a hug. "Best of luck son. You're always welcome at home. I will miss you. I will come visit you." His father turned to face his wife, stunned. "Nonsense. He is not welcome under my roof. You will not visit him anywhere." in the same hushed voice as before. "I will visit him where and when I choose. You no longer control me. I will not divorce you. Nor will I accept a divorce proposal from you. Not because I love you. But because I do not want you to remarry and ruin another woman."

From then on, Nate stayed at the pub, building a small nook for himself in one of the back rooms. Mr. Ueno had learned about the family dynamic of Nate's family through their numerous conversations. He does not charge Nate rent, "As long as you don't make bad drinks and lose all of my customers. That's good enough for me." he would say. For a while, Mr. Ueno took on an advisory/mentor role, as Nate took over the bartending duties. This continued on until Mr. Ueno decided to retire and simply let Nate continue running the business as if it was his own. Nate understands how much of a boost this was to his career. Nate made sure he continued to make payments to Mr. Ueno all the way until he passed away, 5 years after he retired. 

Nate never thought himself to be the sentimental type. But, after Mr. Ueno's passing, he found it rather difficult to keep working at a place that reminded him so much of all that had happened. Nor did it feel right to keep using Mr. Ueno's namesake to make a living. Throughout the years of simply living at where he worked and not having to pay rent, Nate was able to save a decent amount of money. The business also did well, while Nate was running it. Comes to find out, Mr. Ueno had no children, or heirs. Unbeknownst to Nate, Mr. Ueno had actually gifted the deed to the storefront in which the pub originally occupied to Nate. All Mr. Ueno left, along with the deed, was a simply handwritten letter that read "Fly, son. Fly." written in traditional Kanji on oldschool parchment paper with a calligraphy brush.  Nate chuckled, as he folded the letter back how it was originally folded. This was just like Mr. Ueno. No fuss, and straight to the point.

Nate sold the storefront. Local developers have wanted to buy the location for years and Mr. Ueno never agreed. Fetching a fantastic price, Nate took the deal, and made a sizeable contribution to a charity that Mr. Ueno often talked about and kept the rest. Going home, Nate realized that he hadn't been home in years. Of course his father and mother still lived in the same house, but are essentially separated at this point. Nate greeted his mother with a bow, then a hug. "Mom, I'm leaving. Mr. Ueno had passed away and I've saved up enough money to start my own business." His mother simply nodded. "Of course son. I know you will shine. You're my son after all." she said, smiling. His father came down the stairs at this time, seeing Nate and scoffed. "Oh. Come begging for us to help you, is it?" "No dad. I'm leaving. I'm starting my own business. Here. This is yours. I don't owe you anything anymore." Nate handed him a large envelop, full of cash. The actual amount was about two times what his father had paid for in all of Nate's education, starting from kindergarten. "Mother. This is for you. Please enjoy retirement. You're always welcome to visit me. Just give me a call and I'll book you a first class flight." His mother smiled, and rejected the money. "No, son. You need this for your business." "Mother, please. I have enough for the business. This is yours I insist that you keep it." After some back and forth, his mother reluctantly accepted and Nate took his leave.

Arriving on Isla Azul, Nate first found a job at a local cafe, that served hearty breakfast and decent coffee to locals and visitors alike. Nate treated this as a opportunity to get acclimated to his new home, learn a different skill and scope out the potential patrons for his bar as well. The owner was getting up there in age and have talked about walking away and retiring. Nate took this opportunity to take over the business, using nearly half of his remaining funds what he brought over from Japan to buy the business outright from the previous owner. Keeping the name and daytime business going, Nate shifted himself away from front line operations at the cafe to a more managerial role, allowing the more tenured team members to take on elevated roles at the cafe while Nate planned to transfer part of the cafe into his ideal bar.

Knowing that he has to embrace the tourists, as they are a major source of income for many businesses on the island, Nate decided to go with a speakeasy concept. Renovations began about 2 years after he arrived on Isla Azul, and took over the Sunny Side Cafe. He was very hands-on during that process, designing the interior of the small bar room just like the old school speakeasys that he has always liked. As of the name of his establishment, Sidecar was the last drink Mr. Ueno told Nate to make for him, and it was this last drink that Nate earned a genuine praise from the old man. "This. This is gold, kid. This will take you places." 

Taking a paint brush, and taking some black paint, Nate painted several [i]Enso[/i] around the cafe, all used as a path to lead would be patrons to a unassuming storage area in the cafe. Of course, this area is closed to the public during the daytime hours. However, as the cafe closes and the sun sets, the lights specifically aimed to point at the unassuming symbols would make them glow a faint blue, leading to a now unblocked door with yet another faint blue symbol painted directly at the center of the door.

"Find enlightenment through Enso" would be the only phrase on the cards Nate would hand to random patrons at the cafe. His bar staff are told to only let patrons in that present them with the card that also glowed faint blue under the UV lights.


Enlightenment and elegance as a state of mind.

Likes:
[list]
[*] Himself
[*] Money
[*] People watching
[/list]
Dislikes:
[list]
[*] Rules
[*] A poorly made drink, be it alcoholic or caffeinated
[*] His childhood
[/list]

Special Talent:
[list]
[*] Bartending
[*] Coffee making
[*] Cooking
[/list]

Supporting Information: [list]
[*] He lives in a one-bedroom apartment near his cafe on Isla Zafrio
[*] He drives a small Japanese Kei Truck with the truck bed covered by what looks like a pine box with two window cut outs. In reality, he had modified the truck into a small camper, with simple gear that he can take with him if he wanted to do some car camping
[/list]
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