Apollo Nils
General Info
Name: Apollo Nils
Birth Date: Summer 23rd
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Relationship Status: Single
Profession:Innkeeper at the Feather Song Inn
A welcome sight to the traveler and longer term tenant alike, Apollo runs a clean, comfortable and accommodating establishment, from the welcoming and lavish lobby, to the generous upstairs guest quarters. Residents can expect him to work around the clock to make their stay a special one.
Physical Info
Appearance:Apollo is often very disciplined in the way he carries himself, a manner that's even apparent when he isn't caring for his duties, meaning he doesn't tend to slouch very often if at all. He has short, yet somewhat unwieldy dirty blonde hair and soft emerald eyes. He stands approximately 5'7 with a healthy and partially muscular build. Unbeknownst to nearly everyone except his two younger brothers, Apollos still carries scars from old bullet wounds from when he was younger, the lingering and faded marks of various levels of severity strewn across his body, predominantly around his upper torso and arms. He makes it a point to hide them at all costs.
Attire/Style:Due to the aforementioned scars, along with his own personal taste, Apollo very much always wears clothes or combinations of clothes that cover his body, especially in public, with shorts and tee shirts being just the start of a sizable line of articles he's unlikely to be seen wearing. Actually, over the years he's taken to wearing mid to finer apparel as opposed to more casual wear. He doesn't consider himself as being very fashion forward, there being clear favorites of his that strike a nice balance between practicality, style, comfort and even sentimentality that he'll wear in a pinch. But should he think it a reasonable personal expense and under the right circumstances (a good sale for instance), he'll willingly add another piece to his collection.
Mental Info
Personality:Apollo is a man possessing a tireless work ethic, taking his responsibilities towards managing the Feather Song Inn and taking care of his younger brothers Roland and Marcus very seriously. These he carries out in a calm and collected manner, his immediate emotions rarely reaching the surface and not usually being the driving force behind most things he does. Hardly if ever relying on his gut or on unwarranted assumptions, Apollo instead prefers to analyze the evidence available to him and arrive at a reasonable course of action. Patience is a virtue that he's adopted over the years, but nothing tries it like indecisiveness, and once he's set on a course of action, he'll devote himself entirely to that option and tends to expect anyone who may be working with or under him to do the same or to follow his lead with very little question. But should they have justifiable cause, he'll listen, eager to accomplish what he views as his personal commitment.
In his occupation as Innkeeper, Apollo has found the job of manager to greatly satisfy his draw towards self reliance and order. What is more, as resident of Hope Valley and with his brothers safe and happy, he has found a new sense of purpose, safety and stability that he would never dare threaten or take for granted. It is partly because of this determination that he's apt to keep to himself, believing a wrong move on his part might ruin that which he had long dreamed for his family. He's found that a simple smile goes a long way towards being a pleasing host, but apart from his position and family, he can come off as aloof and distant. He is reluctant to really feel at home here, mindful that things change and commonly not for the better. His family and work come first, but anyone who comes to him will be hard pressed to find anyone more reliable or devoted.
Likes:Sunlight
Honesty
Figs
Salmon
Peace
His brothers
Organization
Dislikes:Inclement Weather
Laziness
Swimming
Firearms
Irresolution
Birds
Unfinished Business
History:“I can’t believe this is my life now...”
Those are the words that secretly occur to Apollo time and again, soon after the post awakened daze wears off and he remembers what he’d taken for granted the day before. It strikes him again when he is making breakfast for his guests and later when he’s tidying up the dining area. Two months as the sole proprietor of this inn and he still has difficulty believing his life would turn out this way, this being a significant change from what it was years ago.
His youngest brother Roland, who’s also staying with him, typically goes all the way to school on his own now while their mutual sibling Marcus lives with a kindly older couple in another county and goes to school in the area, things that just wouldn’t happen in any respect in the decrepit and crime riddled city where they were born into, a city that saw their parents murdered, casualties of a shootout they weren’t a part of. The three children, as stipulated in the will, were left to a friend of the family, a businessman of great status and influence named Raffaello Lazzari.
The man welcomed the brothers into his opulent mansion with open arms, his hospitality knowing very little limits and soon they felt as part of the family alongside Lazzari’s only daughter, Caterina. It was decided among Apollo and his brothers that they would graciously help with chores around the manor, Marcus and Roland cleaning and Apollo eventually taking on more responsibilities as Caterina’s personal butler, Raffaello believing she might coax the rather reclusive boy out his shell.
Years past and the new family only seemed to grow closer, Apollo himself proving to be a judicious and capable caretaker, his laborious tasks never feeling so in Caterina’s presence, her wide eyed charm always brightening up his day. It is under her tutelage that he learned to play the piano, the form and structure involved resonating well with him, though he was less than ecstatic when she encouraged him to play with more “feeling”, pleasure rather than perfection as being the major objective. Their time together is precious to him, moments he’ll always remember for as long as he’ll live, and some of which are brought to mind every time he looks upon the medium grand piano, which stands prominently at the inn’s lobby.
Yes, he would have done anything for that household back then. It was even during a celebratory gathering of Raffaello’s business associates and their loved ones that the then older teenage Apollo daringly thwarted a gunman who attempted to shoot Mr. Lazzari in the hallway. For years since, Apollo was gradually let in on the various enterprises that sustained the tenuous security and well being of the populous, organized association of cooperative individuals and the need for people willing to do what was necessary to maintain that security.
Therefore, in addition to the disciplines necessary for being Caterina’s personal chauffeur and bodyguard, Apollo would receive additional training in support of a skillset that would better enable her complete protection, should anyone wish harm towards the head of the syndicate’s daughter. His numerous scars lasts as a visual testament to how vital that skillset was. But through it all, the young man never took another’s life, no matter how dire the situation seemed. But there’s one instance that he’d look back on and partially wish he’d rethought that stance.
In a time of increasing federal interference, the balance of power would suffer further strain as competitors in opposition to Meridian (as the syndicate was then known as) would desperately pool their resources together in a last ditch bid for control of the city. With external pressures never greater, some ambitious members within the organization itself began to secretly collaborate with these parties, their numbers and initiative increasing even greater upon the regrettable news that Mr. Raffaello had fallen ill. Distraught at the thought of losing another family, Apollo felt as though he would do whatever it took to end the conflict.
It was widely known that without the support of the Maddock crime family, the insurgent union would be dealt a massive blow as it was their son Jason that held the most influence by far. Should he be taken out of the picture, his family likely wouldn’t decide to continue sinking their assets into the city in time before Meridian could regain control, making a renewed commitment on their part foolish. Many attempts were made and eventually Apollo took it upon himself to join an operation to take him down.
Bitter rain bombarded an urban battlefield, the ferocious flashes of fearsome firearms downing even the daringest of deadeyes on both sides. By the end of it, Apollo had scored a hit on Jason’s shooting arm and cornered him inside a warehouse. It came down to one last bullet to end it all and his target struggled helplessly before him on the ground. He could still remember gripping that pistol as if electricity was running through his arm. This was his only chance to save his loved ones as he never could before and with Jason’s men approaching, he would need to do it quickly.
He had gone this far and so, after subtly begging for his loved ones’ forgiveness, he fired, the slug landing an inch from Jason’s head. Apollo retreated feeling as though he had betrayed his family, even to Caterina’s assurance to the contrary, the next few days seeming to confirm his fears as Meridian was slowly being dismantled piece by piece.
Apollo can recall everything about his brothers’ and his last day at the mansion. How sickly their adoptive father looked in his bed. How the old man’s eyes beamed with happiness when he told them how proud he was to have been their father. He gave all three of them a kiss on the forehead before asking to be left alone with Caterina. Neither Apollo nor his brothers would know exactly what they discussed, but eventually had a pretty good idea about at least one thing, because it was at the end of that day that each of them were chloroformed and secretly driven away from the city to live with an elderly couple in another county.
Thereafter, although they knew why this was done, the brothers would never be the same again, Apollo being the most profoundly affected. The voice beckoning him to Hope Valley alone wasn’t enough to spur him to action, the young man all but giving up. But it was a revelation, courtesy of the old couple, that mistress Caterina used to love visiting the very town when she was little, the inn in particular sharing a special place in her heart. It was also said that she had left her dearest treasure there.
And so, as illogical as it felt, Apollo traveled with Roland to Hope Valley, Marcus staying behind to give their cherished older friends and supporters company and help around the home and them caring exclusively for him in turn. Apollo would make sure to send a generous portion of money back their way every month.
He may never express it overtly or say it explicitly, but every good day feels like another debt he’s unable to pay to the people who gave him so much and every bad day feels like he’s a step away from his world falling apart around him as it had a few times before. It is on those days especially that when he looks at the grand piano in the lobby, he remembers the only woman he’d ever loved, now lost to him, and how his music can no longer bring him joy.
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