MiddleEarthRoze

For Queen and Country

STEFANI ROCHE

_{Interacting With: Aoife @Write}

"This has got to be the best summer ever." The thought kept drifting through Stef's mind in an equally content and excited manner. There hadn't been a summer like it before. Sunning amongst gorgeous ancient Greek ruins, the deep blue of the Mediterranean glittering in the setting sun before her, and the rich scents of local cuisine wafting her way. Turning as she heard a raucous laugh behind her, Stef joined in as she saw Caleb messing about on the scattered stones behind them. Jumping about, doing ridiculous headstands and just generally showing off for his younger siblings. It was pretty standard behaviour for her eldest cousin, but she couldn't help but laugh herself. Head turning as her Aunt, Uncle and parents joined the group, her gaze held for a moment on a shadowy figure in the distance, before her head whipped to her parents all of a sudden, frowning. Something felt wrong.

"Everything alright, love?" Her father asked as he took a seat to her right, Mother on the other side. He was wearing a ridiculous holiday shirt covered in the garish patterns he always liked, and had a sunburn on the back of his neck.

"I... I thought-" Stef faltered, trying to remember. Everything around her seemed hazy. Looking up again, the silhouette of the distant man had disappeared, and it was then that she recalled. "You're not supposed to be here. You... you and mum, you had to work!" Both of them looked confused and concerned as she jumped to her feet, now feeling panicked. Something was going to happen, but she couldn't remember what.

"What are you on about? We've been here for a week!" Mum said with a placating smile. In the distance, Stef could hear an alarm begin to blare.

"Come and have a sit down. Think the sun's got to you, Margot." The man was behind them now, and instead of a shadowy black, he was blood red. A flash of lightning, and her parents lay dead. Next, her aunt and uncle. Caleb and the rest of her cousins were still messing about in the background as Stef witnessed the massacre, unknowing of what was happening. The alarm grew louder.

Another flash, and her cousins were lying on the floor, motionless and bleeding out. As the stranger turned to her, fangs glinting in the setting sun, the alarm grew deafening, and she awoke with a start.

---

---

Despite the quantity and severity of the nightmares she'd been suffering from for the past year or so, Stef still couldn't get used to how real they still felt. Turning over and burying her head into her pillow with a tired groan, the young vampire tried to mentally shake off the last few images she had seen. It was nearly always the same design; starts off great, see's a man in the distance, and then everything becomes not so great. The people sometimes changed. A lot of the time she saw Aoife in place of her parents, or some of the other friends she'd made dying. It always cycled back to her family though. Dying, bleeding out, the dream so realistic she could even smell the coppery scent of their blood.

Blood...

Stef jolted upright, realisation flooding over her. Blood! The last thing she could remember was smelling blood, and now here she was... but it was the void in her memory that concerned her the most. She couldn't remember going to bed, calming down, anything after seeing the cut Aoife had made.

"Oh my Go-AOIFE!" Jumping to her feet and promptly falling over in her tangled mess of blankets, Stef barely even saw the mess she had made in her room as she flung open her door, only to see a strangely tidy living room. There was no blood, no corpse, not really much sign of the usual carnage she wreaked when she lost it.

Not calmed in the least by the lack of mess, Stef paced from room to room, calling out for her guardian as she did. Her senses told her that the angel wasn't even present, but with the panicked blood rushing in her ears, Stef couldn't even think straight. What if she had killed her, and then started cleaning up after herself in her bloodlust? It was weird, and didn't really make sense, but ever since she'd been turned the world was full of weird. As she circled back to the kitchen, she was about to call out for Aoife yet again before clapping her eyes on the note.

“Hey girl,
Just running to the store to buy some breakfast supplies!

Stay Hungry,
Aoife <3”

"'Stay Hungry'? Really, Aoife?" Trust her to make a likely accidental joke about what had happened last night. Staying hungry was exactly Stef's problem. Grasping the note and holding it close to her body, Stef walked back to her room, feeling quite numb. Aoife was clearly alive, and clearly okay to clean up and go out, but that didn't stop the worry. It never would, not until she saw her safe and sound. On top of the worry was guilt, as usual. Going through on of her "episodes", as they were now known, always brought back memories of the time when she had actually killed someone. An innocent man, just trying to help her out. It didn't really matter how many times she tried to tell herself that it wasn't her fault, and she had no control, the guilt still ate away at her. Stef couldn't even imagine how some vampires could walk around quite happily, knowing the full extent of the deaths they'd caused over the years. And then there was the thought that she considered some of those vampires not just friends but family now, which was a confusing mess of feelings too. In short, emotions sucked, but life without them would be even worse.

By the time Stef heard the jangle of keys in the front door, she'd made a half-hearted attempt at cleaning up her room. It had looked as though a tornado went through it, but after throwing her duvet over her crumpled bedsheets and blankets, re-stacking her bookshelves haphazardly and throwing her dressing gown over the ever-growing heap of clothes sat on her desk chair to hide it, it just looked like a fairly mild storm had blown through. She'd been dithering about maybe alphabetising her books out of lack of both energy and something to do when her angel returned.

"Aoife! Are you okay?" Sprinting from her room, Stef was ready to practically bear hug her before coming to an awkward halt a few feet away, giving her a scrutinising once-over. No bruises, no cuts, and no smell of blood. It seemed as though they'd both been lucky, but after such a close call, Stef felt far too concerned about her self-control to hug Aoife.

The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 2 (Completed)

Eyyy lmao, gotta bring back Roze and Rhasha to the party!

For Queen and Country

ZOEY ALSTON

Interacting with DS Black, & Olivia @Nallore

Despite how much Dr. Alston loved her job and the very interesting aspects of it, the last thing she expected to be doing this early in the morning was dragging herself to the human equivalent of a rat’s nest to investigate a three-day-old body found nestled in the rubbish there. But with Professor Carlisle on a study trip to Munich that didn’t finish for another 48 hours, Zoey was the next sucker in line to examine the body in its environment, and then perform the autopsy some three hours later.

By the time she made it back to the cutting room with her disgruntled Detective and rotting cadaver in tow, she’d perked up a bit with the help of some tea and a sneaky red bull. Detective Black was still looking as sour as the corpse, but that wouldn’t deter Zoey from a throwing about a bit of morgue humour throughout the autopsy. Had to keep things light somewhere, even for someone as empathetic as she was.

“Body is that of a middle aged Caucasian male, probably between 55 and 65, entering the second stage of decomposition. Abdomen is distended, but whether this is due to a buildup of gases or trauma related to death is unclear until we open him up.” By now, enough morgue techs had been called in early for them to help out in performing preliminary blood tests, taking fingerprints, and examining x-rays of the bones and teeth to aid in finding an identity for their John Doe – unless the police got there first, that was. The external examination was always the quickest bit to do, unless she was looking for something in particular. Just by searching, she could draw conclusions about this man’s life. For one, he was a drug user. Track marks in the crooks of his elbows, his groin, and inbetween his toes were still visible on his mottled, discoloured skin. Another note was that he was overweight, with a sizeable beer gut. She could make bets now to say he was – or should be – taking aspirin, but by the state of what he looked like and where he was found, over the counter blood thinners probably weren’t all that high on his list of preferred drugs. ”Hehe… high.”

“He was beaten before he died?”

The question from Detective Black quickly stopped her private inner monologue of jokes. She looked up at him from where he stood in the viewing room connected to the autopsy room, his gravelly voice sounding even deeper as it came through the intercom.

“What makes you say that?”

“He’s got two massive shiners. Don’t tell me he tripped and hit both of his eyes on something at the same time.”

“Stranger things have happened.” She retorted with a smile, before going to examine the man’s face. Even after three days the bruises were quite swollen, though again, decomposition could have something to say about that. “But I’d say a skull fracture is more likely. The trauma from something like a skull fracture can cause blood to seep into the spare space around the eyes, causing it to pool there. No beating necessary for a bump on the head.”

“You have to wallop someone to cause damage like that, surely?”

“Oh, come on Nick. You’ve been in the game long enough to know how fragile humans can be. I’ve had bodies in here who’ve bumped their heads going down some stairs on a double decker and dying a day later with no symptoms.”

“Who says he’s human?” Although said gruffly, she could hear the hint of a joke in Nick’s voice. Still, he made a valid point. As far as she was aware, there weren’t really many tests out there for her to test whether someone was human or not. Did a werewolf show up as human while in their human forms? What about the rest of the supernatural? Witches like her, or the various others walking about?

Deciding to ignore Nick and continue with her work, Zoey had her techs take photographs of all the noticeable and possibly relevant signs on Mr. Doe’s body. Contusions scattered around the body, old and new track marks, his twin black eyes, and some pink-ish dried froth in the corners of his mouth. Could be drool from his last night asleep, but she’d done this enough times to know nothing could be taken lightly.

An hour later Nick had disappeared and reappeared twice now, each time with a fresh cup of coffee and having finished an exasperating phone call. As Zoey peeled back the corpse’s scalp and left it folded over his face, she held back on the oscillating saw as Nick began to speak.

“Apparently he had a roommate. Came back to the scene, fled like a rabbit when he saw all the coppers there.”

“Do you think he has motive?”

“Does a faerie shit in the woods? They’re druggies, Doctor. It doesn’t take much for one to bludgeon the other to death for their last bit of heroin."

“Oh, you have such a sweet outlook on life, don’t you?”

“I’m as sweet as my coffee.” If most were to look at Nick, they’d think he’d be one of those miserable bastards who always had coffee black and strong. Well, he was still a miserable bastard, but he liked good coffee. Plenty of cream, plenty of sugar, and usually trying whatever sweet caffeine filled treat that Starbucks had whipped up this time. Except he didn’t like Starbucks and their prices, so he went to the local coffee shops and tried their own cheaper knock-offs instead. Whatever the case, he drank too much of the stuff.

“What is that, your seventh coffee this morning? You can overdose on caffeine as well as heroin, y’know.”

“Listen, I got dragged out of bed at 3 AM to investigate this dead arsehole who may or may not have been murdered by his shitey friend. If I don’t keep the coffee flowing, I’m passing out on your damned floor.”

“Well don’t do that! We might get you confused for one of ours and stick you on the slab.” Zoey darted Nick a grin, and before he could retort, he was leaving the viewing room to answer his phone yet again. Now she could refocus without listening to Officer Grumps, no matter how entertaining he was.

As she came to discover, the fellow’s black eyes weren’t from a skull fracture or brain hemorrhage. His brain was in quite nice shape actually, considering it was three days dead. From there she moved on to the main body, planning to examine each organ until she found her answer. A heart attack wouldn’t be surprising considering the state of the guy. However, she didn’t have to go very far to find her answer.

“Ahh… pulmonary edema.” Hefting the heavy, fluid filled lungs from the man’s chest cavity, Zoey placed them into the scales nearby. “There’s our cause of death… now how did you get it?” There were countless causes of pulmonary edema – or excess fluids in the lungs – some were natural, and some could be evidence for potential murder. Taking into account the guy’s lifestyle and general health, it could be either.

“Have we got our prelim bloods done?” Turning to one of her techs as Zoey moved to the heart, aiming to look for symptoms of CAD. Looking through the various test tubes, the tech nodded. The prelim’s would let her run specific tests for chemicals present in the blood, but not the amounts of them. For now, she’d had them run tests for the usual suspects – heroin, cocaine, meth – and even threw aspirin in there are well. Just to see if she was right.

“Positive results for heroin and aspirin.” Well, her hunch was correct, but it still wasn’t a solid lead. Nick would have to wait and see for this fellow.

When Nick returned in the next hour, John Doe’s body had been taken apart and put back together again, and his Y-incision was being sewn shut and Zoey leaving the room as he re-entered it.
Catching up with her as she headed towards the locker room, Nick switched his phone off as it rang yet again. “Have you got a diagnosis, doc?”

“He died from a pulmonary edema, but until I get toxicology back, I can’t say for sure what caused it.”

“You can’t even give me a hunch?”

“If it helps, I went through the checklist of things that’ll cause it, and I couldn’t find much to assign it to a natural death. There were no signs of CAD, I highly doubt he went mountain climbing recently, there was no evidence of drowning, and his lungs were lacking trauma, clots and toxins that can all cause it. It could have been caused by pneumonia, but a heroin overdose seems more likely. But as I said, I need to wait-“

“-for toxicology, got it. If it is heroin, can you prove if he was given it forcefully?”

“Nope. There’s no bruising or signs of a struggle that would indicate he didn’t give it himself, or allowed someone else to do it."

"What about the black eyes?"

"It probably wasn't caused by a major fight. He took aspirin, which thinned his blood and made the bruising more prevalent. I wouldn't put it down to an assault. More likely a fall. So, if you want someone for murder, it’ll be down to you now, Detective.” Offering a sympathetic smile to the sleep-deprived copper, Zoey shooed him from the room so that she could get showered and changed in peace. With how rushed she had been this morning, a shower had been out of the question. She just hoped she hadn't woken poor Jack up.

Keeping the shower short but sweet, by the time Zoey had replaced her scrubs for her clothes, dried her hair off and made her way to her desk, Nick had left the building and Olivia had entered it.

"Morning Liv." Smiling at her younger co-worker, Zoey leant back in her chair and stretched, groaning as she thought about the day ahead. There were tests to chase up, police to deal with, and of course, a brand new John Doe report to write out.

"You wouldn't make us a cuppa, would you?" She asked the American, digging through her bag for her phone as it dinged. Scrolling through her local news app, a frown began to build on Zoey's face. A hijacking of a small time radio station didn't seem all that important, but with the current anti-Other climate going around, this was worrying.

"Oh, if I get a vision because of these arseholes I'm going to hex them so bad."

For Queen and Country

ZOEY

𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘
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Doctor Zoey Alston

𝗔𝗚𝗘
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32

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘
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• The first aspects of Zoey's face that pop out before anything else are her ice blue eyes and sharp cheekbones. Her Dad often jokes that the latter were almost as a sharp as her tongue.
• Eyebags and dark shadows are common for Zoey, who doesn't get as much sleep as she really should. Between her visions, her work, and her own personal demons, she finds it hard to find peace some nights.
• Thanks to her prone clumsiness, it's not strange to see some form of bruise, cut or sizeable graze on the woman. She's a sport-loving maladroit, but her common injuries will never stop her from getting on the board again.

𝗢𝗖𝗖𝗨𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
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After several years of hard training, Zoey has been a licensed Forensic Pathologist for the past two and a half years now at Edgetoun's Coroner's Court. In her spare time she makes her own investigations into the bodies that come through her door. She can't explain her visions to the police without receiving a witch hunt, so she follows her psychic leads by herself.

𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
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After the true discovery of her powers at the age of 15, Zoey was taken under the wing of her Aunt who introduced her to the Mutandum Coven. Zoey appreciates the help they give, but tries not to get involved in the witch politics going on. She also has no desire to branch out into other areas of magic, much to the ire of her Aunt.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬
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Ever since her power manifested itself all those years ago, Zoey has grown far more compassionate about the world around her. Seeing and feeling those people die and not doing anything to help has taken it's toll on the woman's empathy, and is a large part of why she's chosen her career, and does her private investigations on the side. However, some of that can definitely be a direct cause of her curiosity, or perhaps even nosiness, depending on who you ask. She's always loved a good mystery, and embroiling herself into ones involving the supernatural of Edgetoun is piquing her interest every day.

While she's fully aware of the dangers of doing what she does - not just the possibility of perverting the cause of justice in the eyes of police, or even pissing off the wrong Vampire or Demon, but that she could be outed as a supernatural creature herself - Zoey has always been a careless soul. Personal safety isn't always high on her list, and after a lifetime of clumsiness and adventure sports, she isn't about to give up the thrill of the chase now, especially when she relies on her sharp tongue and wit to get her out of trouble so much. Although stubborn as a mule when it comes to herself, she may hold herself back if the safety of others comes into concern. Her protective nature prevents her from harming other people, even by omission. Her patients may be dead, but she still has a Hippocratic Oath to uphold as a Doctor.

𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬
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Mr and Mrs Alston knew that their daughter was quite strange ever since she was a toddler. Even before she could talk properly, it was like she knew things would happen. Having temper tantrums on the pavement right before her parents were to cross with her pram, causing them to stop and a car running a red light hurtling right past where they would have been otherwise. Somehow toddling off and reaching a fire alarm in a busy shopping center to pull it and cause an evacuation, only for an investigation to discover a dangerous gas leak. Even something as simple as her pulling a face and knocking a carton of fruit to the floor, for a venomous spider to scuttle away from inside of it and be shooed out of the house by her mother and a broom. Little things, but when all added up, very strange. However, her parents didn't know what to make of it, and simply chose to accept each occasion as it came. Even as they readied themselves to move homes from Australia to Britain for work, they eyed her daily, wondering if the then 10 year old girl would suddenly have a premonition of a downed flight or destruction of London. Nothing came, and so they made their move, taking their children with them quite happily, and never truly talking about these occurrences with their daughter. Still, it wasn't as if she hadn't eventually noticed herself.

Zoey had always been aware of her strange predictions coming true, but had never chalked it up to anything serious. They were odd little subconscious feelings, things she couldn't control or define beyond her gut telling her something. It was a strange little party trick of hers that she quite liked... until her first true vision, that is - and it wasn't a pleasant experience. A splitting headache paired with flitting, unclear images that seemed to last forever. By the time it was over she was pale and shaking, head still pounding away, and she had no idea what had really happened. The rational side of her explained it away as a migraine, brought on by the stress of GCSE exams. But she couldn't shake the images she had witnessed, nor the excruciating pain that had come with it. Her best friend Darrell - walking the seemingly quiet streets at night only for her to be hit by a car, thrown several feet before coming to a dead stop on the tarmac. But it was just a dream, and not wanting to freak her friend out, Zoey tried to forget about it, not contacting Darrell. The next morning, she had almost forgotten about her vision, until her pale-faced mother broke the news as gently as possible: Darrell had died last night, after being a victim of a hit and run accident. Zoey was dumbstruck, but anyone around her simply explained it away with grief. But she had felt the pain Darrell had felt with her vision; the impact of the car, her head cracking against the windshield and the absolute terror of the whole incident before hitting the ground with a crunch and the world turning black. Zoey had both seen and felt Darrell's death, but didn't do a thing to stop it, even though she could have with a simple phone call. From there, a deep guilt set in her heart, blaming herself for not having done something for poor Darrell. The only thing she could do was go to a payphone and put in an anonymous call to the police, giving them the type and number-plate of the car that had committed the offence, as the image was burned into her mind. The police caught the guy, and he was sent away for a long time - but Zoey decided that next time she had a vision, she wouldn't be so inactive.

To her surprise, a family member would make things a lot easier for her in terms of her visions. Her Mother's Sister, Aunt Helena, came to visit one day when the rest of Zoey's family was out. It turned out that this was no accident - Helena somehow knew of Zoey's visions, and was there to explain to her the family history. Lots of witches and magic, sometimes skips a generation, you've got great power and potential, blah blah blah. Although she was generally a sceptical person, Zoey hadn't been able to explain her visions. Nor could explain her Aunt's demonstration of magic powers in the living room when she set the sofa on fire, only for it to disappear and be good as new afterwards. It was here that Zoey was first introduced to the Mutandum Coven, in order to better understand and control her visions. However, this part of her life wasn't about to stop her from doing what she truly wanted to do in order to help others.

At first, she had hoped to be a Doctor for the living. One who could save lives on the operating table, and make up for the lives lost in her past. But she quickly discovered that there were some people who just couldn't be saved, no matter how hard the Doctor worked. The dead would pile up in her mind, so she turned to a profession where the dead couldn't weigh on her guilty conscience. Not when they came to her as a cadaver, and not as a patient. While still studying her preliminary degree in medicine, she made a beeline for Forensic Pathology as early as she could. Although those who died in her presence as a resident still hurt, she knew she had something to look forward to. Saving lives retroactively, by investigating corpses and ensuring that whatever killed them didn't do it again. As she came to quickly realise upon the very first touch of a dead body, the visions that had plagued her for so long could aid her in this job. Accidentally brushing her bare wrist against the cold skin of a recently deceased patient, she experienced yet another vision. In a room full of Doctors and nurses, she blamed her collapse on hypotension in order to keep them satisfied - but she had seen something. Not the future, but the patient's past. Only glimpses, but she realised that if she could see their last moments, then she could solve crimes even if the police couldn't in the future.

Since then, that has been Zoey's main goal. Acquiring a fellowship and then acing the board exam of Pathology, she was now able to get a job as a fully practising Forensic Pathologist. Of course, this meant working under those who would do the actual autopsies for a while before she even got close to doing the work herself, but she could still sneak touches of their flesh to help find what ailed them. Sometimes it was suicide, sometimes just a mysterious death caused by a strange illness. But there were murders too, some of them not even human ones. Now the lead Doctor at Edgetoun Coroner's Court, Zoey undertakes investigations from the police, alongside private inquiries in regards to life insurance claims, families refusing to believe their loved died from whatever was first ruled, and those few mysterious "animal mauling" victims that never quite recovered. Bodies ripped apart, drained of blood, or simply just dying for absolutely no medical reason... Zoey knew about the world of the supernatural long before Nick Bloodfang, and it's never stopped her in her need to help her "patients".

𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗦
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Edgetoun Coroner's Court
While the nearby hospital has a licensed autopsy room for interest autopsies, those suspicious deaths involving the CPS have to be located elsewhere. This is where Zoey has her bodies transported for her to probe, aiming to find cause of death and other forensic evidence for police investigations. She and her co-workers call it "The Cutting Room" when speaking unprofessionally.

Ace of Spades
When chasing down a lead on one of her investigations, Zoey often finds herself here. Either to connect the dots to another place, or to find an individual inside willing to give her tips of information. She understands her busy-body nature might get her into trouble at such a Vampire-heavy place, but despite her better judgement, she enjoys the atmosphere and drinks here.

Edgetoun University
After having studied for her MD here, Zoey often comes back to chat with old Professors, visit the library, or even give talks to medical students about Forensic Pathology to see if they'd be interested in going down that avenue. She's recently been thinking about pursuing a Professorship, though she has a while before she get far enough to achieve that.

𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 & 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬
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Mother: Cassandra Kitchener
Father: Henry Alston
Brother: Joel Alston
Aunt: Helena Kitchener
Lead Pathologist & Mentor: Professor Jaime Carlisle

For Queen and Country

THEO

𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘
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Theodor "Theo" Minea

𝗔𝗚𝗘
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35 (1026)

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘
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• Having always been a firm believer in sophistication, Theo is nearly always dressed tastefully in suit and tie, regardless of how casual the occasion is.
• After several centuries of learning new languages while travelling the world, Theo has lost his original Romanian-sounding accent. Now it is a hard to place mish-mash of RP, with hints of European and even American influences as he speaks. Regardless of his accent, his tone has a pleasant depth for one to listen to.
• He is missing part of his right ring finger - everything from the second knuckle up is gone. When people ask how he lost it, he enjoys fabricating a new story every time, each response ranging from possible to utterly ludicrous. To date, his favourite story was telling a young, gullible vampire in the 1800's that he'd lost it fighting hand-to-hand with a bright pink dragon.

𝗢𝗖𝗖𝗨𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
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As time has gone by, Theo has kept his fingers in many different pies under his self-made company "Master of None". The owner of several small, but lucrative businesses that are founded in Edgetoun, he exports various goods across the country. His most prolific one currently has been the production and selling of wine. Although many of the bulk exports are newly made, he keeps a few "collector editions" for private consumption and sales. While he's outlived all of his wines, some of them have a hefty date on them.

𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
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Methuselah Court
Theo wasn't in Britain for very long before he heard the whispers of this group amongst the other Vampires in town. At first he had no intention to join them, after having just relinquished himself from his sire and having a preference to remain Independent. However, as time ticked on, Theo realised that perhaps they were useful - and powerful - allies to have. He approached them at some point in the early 1900's, and once his date of birth was authenticated, was welcomed among their folds. As of now he holds no important position amongst them, but he's also no longer a pawn. It'll be interesting to see which path the Court takes, and Theo wonders if it's a path he'll have to wander from eventually.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬
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As the years ticked by, Theo developed from a fairly common peasant-come-soldier to a rather sophisticated being; one who had learnt from many lessons over the centuries, and intends to apply such knowledge in the present. For one, he has truly learnt the value of the phrase "Patience is a Virtue". He'd never been patient as a human, but after being stuck at the side of his needy Sire for so very long, Theo has learnt how to wait and bide his time in order to get what he wants. His intelligence has also grown from when he was human who couldn't even read. While he has amassed plenty of knowledge over the years, his true skill lies in his decision making. Calculating and cunning, Theo knows how to find people's strings in order to pull them at just the right time. While such actions can come under the guise of charm and charisma, more often than not he'll go down the ruthless route. Intimidation works quicker than wooing.

On the other hand, there are certain aspects of his personality that are his downfall. No matter how rational and suave he appears to be, Theo has great problems in trusting others. A very self-serving individual, he will not give out his allegiance or loyalty very quickly, and is hesitant to offer promises to others. While he may join a cause or group and do their bidding for a time, he has no interest in losing anything because of their actions. He's never found a cause to fight for, even when he still alive. Although he likes to pin his loneliness over the past few centuries on achieving independence from his sire, his self-serving attitude is a far more likely suspect to blame. In addition to this, he is a very unforgiving person. He is known for holding grudges, despite his better judgement and how that may affect his business or his personal life. If somebody wrongs him, he'll never forget it.

𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Born to Vlach peasants in 994, in the region that would come to be known as Romania, Theodor lived a fairly standard life for the time. Losing several family members to illnesses that are completely curable with modern medicine, and working the fields as a young lad until he was tall and strong enough to be pushed in the army. He never quite developed the glory or pride of fighting for one's country - he simply followed the order of whoever paid his wage along with his fellows and tried not to die. Another man could have usurped his ruler and he would not have known, or cared. All that mattered was survival.

And so he did - long enough in fact to marry a woman to bear him children. While he cannot recall now as to whether he loved her or not, there were plenty of fond memories in their modest household. His survival in the army had brought with it ascension through the ranks, which meant he could afford a better house for his growing brood. Unfortunately for Theo, this domestic bliss didn't last forever, and was torn away with his untimely death. Much to his embarrassment, his death and subsequent resurrection as a vampire didn't come with a glorious death on the battlefield, nor even succumbing to injuries after saving his brethren. One night at the local tavern with his fellow soldiers ended in an ugly manner, after he looked the wrong way at the wrong group of men. A fistfight eventually broke out and spilled onto the streets, but rather than each side walking away to lick their wounds, one of Theo's men drew out a dagger and plunged it into the throat of his assailant. From thereon, it was a bloodbath.

It was a stupid mistake that cost him the lives of his friends, and would have cost him his as well were it not for the beautiful stranger who appeared that night. Slaughtering his attackers, she fed him her blood and turned him there and then. He may have survived despite his injuries, but it would seem she had taken a liking to the man. Having followed him home from one of his battles, she watched from afar, and waited for the right moment to pluck him for herself.

From there he was forced to abandon his family, leaving his wife and children behind out of fear that his sire would grow jealous of his bond with them. Over the centuries he has looked in on his descendants from time to time, pulling them out of stupid scenarios that he himself fell into so long ago, and saving their lives from various accidents. It came to become something of a legend in his family, that a guardian angel watched over them. While he hardly considers himself an angel, he would have no harm come to those of his bloodline.

Having left his sire behind somewhere in Spain in the 1700's, Theo has spent the last two centuries reconstituting himself in Britain; building and managing various companies to ensure that he could live comfortably without having too much of his time taken up by his endeavours. Although living a a financially secure lifestyle, Theo is always on the lookout for more. More power, more friends... perhaps even another family. Despite his over-bearing sire finally leaving him alone these past 300 years, he still has yet to formulate close relationships with others.

𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗦
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Ace of Spades
Although the club is louder and more bustling than he would prefer, Theo can usually find a more secluded spot of the vampire-friendly drinking establishment to enjoy a few with his friends. However, he has yet to quite understand the charm behind the music of the youth these days.

The Crypt Cafe
Ever since discovering his first taste of coffee in the last 18th century, Theo has developed a craving for the stuff. He has come to enjoy the atmosphere of this particular cafe, and can usually be found here having his morning (or afternoon) espresso with a book or newspaper.

Master of None
His business headquarters for the past two centuries, this is usually where Theo manages his company. On the ground floor one can find a public bar of the same name, selling most forms of alcohol but particularly pushing his own wine brand. It also serves as a function room for parties, meetings, or wine tastings, and after some advice from a particularly perky young waitress he employs, now provides "student discounts".

𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 & 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Sire: Rowena
Most Recent Descendent: Mathias Bouchard

For Queen and Country

NICK

𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Nicolas Black

𝗔𝗚𝗘
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

39

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

• After his run in with the wolf that turned him, Nick has been left with scars littered over his skin. Long stretches of claw marks in group of twos and threes, on his torso, back, arms and legs, some even stretching up to his neck and visible beneath the collar of his shirts. The most noticeable is the bite mark - several jagged marks surrounding his right forearm.
• A lifetime of smoking and drinking have left him with a husky, gravelly voice, that sometimes sounds quite hoarse. He figures with the werewolf gene he probably won't get cancer now, so has made no efforts to stop in his nicotine or alcohol addictions.
• His rough voice is paired with a Scottish accent - strong, but not indecipherable.
• It's not unusual for him to show up to work unshaven, unshowered, and generally quite messy. He can look good when he puts effort in, but doesn't see much point these days when he can throw on some deodorant and just leave the house.

𝗢𝗖𝗖𝗨𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Detective Inspector with Edgetoun Police.

𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Nick was only running solo for a few weeks before Zephyrus Accord found him and invited him to join them. He's been running with the pack for a good ten years now, and has risen to the rank of Beta.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Before his change, Nick was an easy-going individual. Although still quite irritable, he retained good humour, an active social life, and plenty of positivity about the future. However, post-biting, he became a far darker individual. Nick lost his empathy for many, the small amount he retains goes towards the victims he deals with in his work... and even then, it’s not all that obvious at times. It’s easier for him to block off his emotions and act cynically or callously towards everything, rather than actually risk his feelings by caring too much about someone. Being emotionally distant is easier sometimes, even if it hurts other people's feelings. However, his trust in others hasn't completely dissolved, nor has his hope for the future. Among friends he becomes far more warm, and although his humour remains dark and his outlook pessimistic, he'll still stand by as a loyal and steadfast friend. Perhaps a side-effect of his pack mentality, but even within the Accord he only fully trusts a scant few.

Another side effect of his biting has been that of his temper. He had always been a bit short-tempered, but now when he loses it, his animalistic side will make itself known. As far as he knows he's never hurt anyone thanks to his temper or werewolf side yet, but it's a constant worry for the man. Especially when it comes to keeping his condition secret.

𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Even when he was just a young lad growing up in Scotland, Nick had been seen as an idealist. Someone who had bright hopes for the future, no matter how ridiculous or fat-fetched it seemed. In the fairly deprived area he grew up in, his family and friends scoffed at the idea of him becoming a copper and turning their neighbourhood around single-handedly. Of course, they were quite correct - he couldn't even find a job in his hometown once graduating University, let alone become their policing champion. Still, he wasn't deterred, instead finding a posting down south in London, close to where he'd studied for his degree. The area was crime ridden, and could use all the help it could get. Edgetoun seemed perfect. So perfect in fact, that he met the love of his life there.

Saoirse had lived in Edgetoun just a few years more than he had, and when they met for the first time, it didn't take long for them to start dating. Even more time after that, Nick popped the question and she accepted. His brother said that he was rushing things, but Nick was completely head over heels for the girl. He didn't even question that she vanished once a month either, but of course, this was long before the days of Nick Bloodfang. He has nothing to suspect, not even when she hurriedly plucked him out of work one day for a "surprise holiday". She looked frazzled, as if someone were chasing her, but Nick put it down to nerves over her work or something. He was totally oblivious, just happy to spend a few days at the Cornish beaches with his love.

The night after they arrived was a full moon, but Saoirse hadn't been caught unawares. She was a lone wolf, who had bright ideas of forming her own pack one day. Edgetoun was just the worst place possible to do so, with Bisclavret running around. Skipping town with who she intended to be her very first member and Beta wolf. All she had to do was bite him... but she hadn't been a Werewolf for very long herself, and had not learnt how to fully control herself in her wolf form. Nick watched her shift at their modest camp perched atop a cliffside, but didn't get very far before she descended upon him, unable to control the thrill of the hunt running through her veins and barely holding back. Whether she finally got a hold of herself or was scared off by somebody else, Nick didn't know. He just awoke in the nearest hospital some days later, littered in deep claw marks and bites and police searching for "missing" fiance.

He had discharged himself earlier than was healthy for him, but the Doctor's couldn't persuade him to remain any longer. Not with Saoirse out there, and the familiar ground of Edgetoun that he would feel so much safer in beckoning. It turns out that this was the entirely right move - it didn't take very long after his very first change under a full moon for a group to approach him. Other Werewolves like himself, only this time, they were a pack. Some could shift whenever they wanted, and others could control themselves in their wolf form. But more than anything, they were good people, hopeful for a cure for the disease that affected them all. The actions of his fiance had shaken Nick's trust in others completely, but seeing no other choice, he accepted their help and joined the Zephyrus Accord.

That was ten years ago now, and Nick hasn't really changed all that much. The benefits of being in a pack - especially now, as a Beta - far outweigh the negatives, but the constant skirmishes with Bisclavret are equal parts tiresome as they are frightening. His trust in others is still shaky, barring the few friends he is loyal too, and he's lost the happy-go-lucky idealism that affected him so much as a kid. There's been no sign of Saoirse in the past decade, and he considers her good riddance. For now, Nick does as his Alpha tells him in the pack, and keeps his head down and does his job as a DC; trying to help out "in-the-closet" Supes he may encounter in the line of duty because he knows the desire to remain hidden from humans. Over the years he's learnt how to shift into wolf form without the aid of a full moon, and retain his free-will because of it. Unfortunately, when the moon does come around, it has retained full control over him. Until he learns control, Nick locks himself up in an abandoned hospital a few miles outside of Edgetoun every full moon, ensuring that he isn't around any innocents to harm.

𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗦
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Edgetoun Police Station
Even when not clocked in, Nick can often be found in his office here, poring over open cases and doing various errands for the others in the building. It gets the work done, and beats going home alone every night.

The Slye Fox
Although a bit busier than he'd like, it seems to have been designated the local drinking hole for the Police in Edgetoun, so he tags along with the others.

The Watering Hole
Although known for it's depressing atmosphere, Nick prefers it to the other, more bustling pubs in town. Most of the time his foul mood matches up with the other people drinking there, but he generally keeps himself to himself.

Rosemary Heights Sanitorium
A dilapidated and well abandoned building now, Rosemary Heights was once home to many several decades ago during the outbreak of Consumption. Nowadays it is known for being haunted, but the ghosts don't bother Nick, if they're really present. The isolated basements in the abandoned hospital work well to keep him locked up and safe while turning on a Full Moon. He also practices his turning here, and it's where he developed the ability to turn whenever he pleases. Thrill-Seekers and those interested in the macabre may tread here also, hoping to catch a glimpse of the past in it's rotting halls.

𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 & 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Brother: Robert Black
Epsilon Friend from Zephyrus Accord: Aidan

For Queen and Country

STEF

𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Stefani Roche
_{Previously Margot Whitewood}

𝗔𝗚𝗘
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

16½ (17½)

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

• In an attempt to mask the smell of cigarettes often clinging to her clothes, Stef will wear a sweet, fruity perfume most of the time. Those supernatural entities with sharp noses will not be fooled, though the parfum is a pleasant one to smell.
• Her taste in clothes have always been very feminine, enjoying dresses, skirts, and bright or pastel colours. While she won't allow her current condition to turn her into a stereotype, Stef does wear more dark colours these days in order not to stand out too much.
• With vampirism halting any further development of her body, Stef has taken to dressing more maturely to counteract her short stature and baby face. Make-up, less childish clothing and heeled shoes are common items of clothing for her.

𝗢𝗖𝗖𝗨𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Stef is currently being paid under the table by Nicodem for work at The Slye Fox. Whether it's washing dishes, cleaning workstations or helping prep food, Stef is kept out of the way in the kitchen, and she appreciates it that way.

𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

After meeting Nicodem, Stef gained entry into The Collective. She understands the membership is more out of pity and learning control than anything else, but she's not complaining. Stef will take all the help she can get.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Despite the many changes that have undergone Stef's body and mind, she was very pleased to discover that some things stayed the same. For one, her natural creativity. With a wild imagination and tendency to day-dream, Stef works out her creative mind by way of art. Having always been a budding artist from the day she could hold and scribble with crayons, she spends whatever spare change she has (after household and clothes) on art supplies. Although she's more practised in watercolours than anything else, she's a fan of the bold, vibrant colours often found in chalk, oil pastels and oil paints. Painting has always been a nice distraction for her, though these days it's more necessary than usual. Nightmares of the attack and her own monstrous acts often plague her sleep, and so she often looking to her sketchpad or easel in an attempt to distract herself from thinking about it. However it leaves her tired, and with an already hot temper, she tends to be irritable throughout the day, snapping at people when they bother her. Other days, she'll just be quiet, too anxious or just too exhausted to speak to many people. Despite this, Stef does have good days where she'll be pleasant to speak to, and her childishness begins to show.

Amongst her need to both look older and seem more adult, Stef attempts to act mature at most times in her day-to-day activities. However, her natural childish playfulness always seems to shine through via immature pranks and jokes, giggling scandalously at indecent or black humour, and revelling in the most teenage behaviour of breaking the rules of society, having the occasional temper tantrum, and holing up in one of her hiding places to avoid others and making sure nobody sees her vulnerability.

𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

The life of Stefani - or Margot, as she was known - was quite unassuming up until her transition into vampirehood. Belonging to a modest home in Edgetoun, she didn't really do much to stand out amongst other girls in her neighbourhood. This mundane life suited her just fine, with the most exciting prospects of her life involving travelling to Scotland to spend some quality family time with her Aunt Christiana, Uncle Will, and brood of cousins. Being an only child, it was amazing for her to be thrown into the hectic life of her extended family every summer. Four cousins of varying age and gender made for plenty of entertainment, even in the isolated town they lived in - but the summer of 2018 was more exciting for Margot than usual. Thanks to a generous bonus in her Aunt's wage packet, the entire family was treated to a trip to Europe. While her parents couldn't get the time off, Margot was more than welcome to go along anyway, only happy to both spend more time with her cousins, and of course, get to bask in the sun and ancient wonders of Greece. For the most part, it was a glorious holiday for the family. But as the second week came around, this peace was shattered.

Walking down the cramped, darkened streets to get to various destinations never cowed the Whitewood's, even in the darkness of late evening. They believed in safety in numbers, but as they soon found out, even the largest of human company meant nothing against a creature of the night. The attack was over quite quickly, from what Margot could remember. Julianne was the first to be jumped, her shrieks prompting an attempted rescue from her twin, only for Maria to be struck down too. Will and Christiana told the remaining children to scatter while they ran to the aid of their daughters, but Margot didn't make it very far before the screams behind her died out. After a brief flash of pain, Margot died too.

It didn't take long after waking up in the dead of night to realise several things in quick succession: One, her family was dead. Their corpses were either strewn across the street with hers, or were missing completely. Two, her attacker had not been human. With the strength and speed required to take down eight people in seconds, they had to have been something otherwordly. Three: Her attacker was a vampire. How did she know this? Because now she was one as well. Tanned skin now pallid and cold, dull teeth now sharp enough to tear flesh like butter, and a whole new world that was once silence now unleashed on all five of her senses. With these realisations, Margot came to a decision. She couldn't go to the authorities, not like this. By dawn's first light she had retreated back to the family hotel room, cleaning herself up and scavenging whatever money she could find. By the next evening, she had made her way to the nearest dock, deciding that a boat would be easier to sneak onto than a plane. She had to get back to London somehow, without avoiding questions. Her parents would understand, and they'd keep her in hiding, for sure.

As she stumbled across a lone stowaway, hoping to get to London like her, Margot discovered the news from him. Not all of her family had died. He recounted the story that the three youngest cousins had fled to safety, and Julianne was revived at the scene once police had been notified. However, her Uncle was still dead, and four were classed as missing - her aunt, the two eldest cousins, and Margot. It was wonderful news to hear some of her family had escaped her fate, but she couldn't risk going to the authorities yet, not with what she was. She instead remained with the stowaway, who promised he'd help her get to London as it was her first time "catching a ride", as he called it. Finding a cargo ship bound for Britain, the pair snuck into the cramped lower decks, and began their ten day journey. It seemed like it would be easy, but as the days ticked by, a gnawing hunger grew in Margot's stomach. No amount of food could sate it, and she found herself laying awake at night, trying to ignore the thumping heartbeat of the man who helped her. By day four it became too much to bare. Day ten the cargo ship arrived at it's destination, Margot fleeing the ship before it docked, and leaving behind the torn apart corpse of the stowaway.

She had hoped to slip away in the darkness and make her way home, but as she fled through London and neared the familiar boroughs of Edgetoun, she realised she was being followed. Not by humans, but by things like her. Her mind was a mess of panic and fear, and as she found herself blocked off in an alleyway, wondered if now she was truly going to die. When the even scarier Russian guy showed up, she was ready to meet her maker, only for him to tell the other two to scram and actually being nice to her. Before she knew it she'd been given clean clothes, a place to work, an introduction to a collection of vampires who could help her out, and even a comfy sofa for her to sleep on until she got on her own feet by Nicodem. Things definitely back to look up after this chance encounter with the ancient vampire - she met her "guardian angel" Aoife who welcomed her into her home so she didn't have to sofa-surf all the time, and a few months after that she discovered in the news that her parents had adopted the now orphaned cousins in her family and moved away to America for a fresh start. She could begin to shake off the remnants of her old shattered life, and even took up a new name - Stefani - in order to move on. All that's left now is to remake herself, starting with controlling her bloodlust. After that, maybe finding out who exactly did this to her, and what their motives were in murdering a child.

𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗦
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

The Slye Fox
After Nicodem kindly let her have a job here, Stef spends quite a lot of time working in the kitchens. It's a safe, human-free place for her to relax, keep her mind occupied, and even earn some money to help out at home. She also likes to hang around in the front too, She also likes to hang around in the front too, when the bar is shut or just opening. It's kinda fun, being amongst all different kinds of creatures.

Edgetoun Museum of Art
When not painting herself, Stef likes to browse other people's art, either to admire and or examine the work to see if they've used an interesting technique that she'd like to try out as well. There are also variants of art styles found at the local museum, and after having spent so much time on landscapes, Stef is looking to branch out and looks for inspiration.

Prospect Park
It's generally abandoned, and is a nice place for to walk or run when she has pent up energy or just wants some time to herself without risking the harm of anyone. While she's getting better, slowly but surely, at controlling her bloodlust, sometimes Stef just needs some fresh air without holding herself back around others.

𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 & 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Mother: Alicia Whitewood.
Father: Michael Whitewood.
Uncle: William Whitewood. Dead.
Aunt: Christiana Whitewood. Missing, presumed dead.

Cousins:
Caleb Whitewood: Male. 21. Missing, presumed dead.
Julianne Whitewood: Female. 19. Alive.
Maria Whitewood: Female. 19. Missing, presumed dead.
Zachary Whitewood: Male. 16. Alive.
Leah Whitewood: Female. 14. Alive.
Darren Whitewood: Male. 12. Alive.

For Queen and Country

STEF

𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Stefani Roche
_{Previously Margot Whitewood}

𝗔𝗚𝗘
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

16½ (17½)

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

• In an attempt to mask the smell of cigarettes often clinging to her clothes, Stef will wear a sweet, fruity perfume most of the time. Those supernatural entities with sharp noses will not be fooled, though the parfum is a pleasant one to smell.
• Her taste in clothes have always been very feminine, enjoying dresses, skirts, and bright or pastel colours. While she won't allow her current condition to turn her into a stereotype, Stef does wear more dark colours these days in order not to stand out too much.
• With vampirism halting any further development of her body, Stef has taken to dressing more maturely to counteract her short stature and baby face. Make-up, less childish clothing and heeled shoes are common items of clothing for her.

𝗢𝗖𝗖𝗨𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Stef is currently being paid under the table by Nicodem for work at The Slye Fox. Whether it's washing dishes, cleaning workstations or helping prep food, Stef is kept out of the way in the kitchen, and she appreciates it that way.

𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

After meeting Nicodem, Stef gained entry into The Collective. She understands the membership is more out of pity and learning control than anything else, but she's not complaining. Stef will take all the help she can get.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Despite the many changes that have undergone Stef's body and mind, she was very pleased to discover that some things stayed the same. For one, her natural creativity. With a wild imagination and tendency to day-dream, Stef works out her creative mind by way of art. Having always been a budding artist from the day she could hold and scribble with crayons, she spends whatever spare change she has (after household and clothes) on art supplies. Although she's more practised in watercolours than anything else, she's a fan of the bold, vibrant colours often found in chalk, oil pastels and oil paints. Painting has always been a nice distraction for her, though these days it's more necessary than usual. Nightmares of the attack and her own monstrous acts often plague her sleep, and so she often looking to her sketchpad or easel in an attempt to distract herself from thinking about it. However it leaves her tired, and with an already hot temper, she tends to be irritable throughout the day, snapping at people when they bother her. Other days, she'll just be quiet, too anxious or just too exhausted to speak to many people. Despite this, Stef does have good days where she'll be pleasant to speak to, and her childishness begins to show.

Amongst her need to both look older and seem more adult, Stef attempts to act mature at most times in her day-to-day activities. However, her natural childish playfulness always seems to shine through via immature pranks and jokes, giggling scandalously at indecent or black humour, and revelling in the most teenage behaviour of breaking the rules of society, having the occasional temper tantrum, and holing up in one of her hiding places to avoid others and making sure nobody sees her vulnerability.

𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

The life of Stefani - or Margot, as she was known - was quite unassuming up until her transition into vampirehood. Belonging to a modest home in Edgetoun, she didn't really do much to stand out amongst other girls in her neighbourhood. This mundane life suited her just fine, with the most exciting prospects of her life involving travelling to Scotland to spend some quality family time with her Aunt Christiana, Uncle Will, and brood of cousins. Being an only child, it was amazing for her to be thrown into the hectic life of her extended family every summer. Four cousins of varying age and gender made for plenty of entertainment, even in the isolated town they lived in - but the summer of 2018 was more exciting for Margot than usual. Thanks to a generous bonus in her Aunt's wage packet, the entire family was treated to a trip to Europe. While her parents couldn't get the time off, Margot was more than welcome to go along anyway, only happy to both spend more time with her cousins, and of course, get to bask in the sun and ancient wonders of Greece. For the most part, it was a glorious holiday for the family. But as the second week came around, this peace was shattered.

Walking down the cramped, darkened streets to get to various destinations never cowed the Whitewood's, even in the darkness of late evening. They believed in safety in numbers, but as they soon found out, even the largest of human company meant nothing against a creature of the night. The attack was over quite quickly, from what Margot could remember. Julianne was the first to be jumped, her shrieks prompting an attempted rescue from her twin, only for Maria to be struck down too. Will and Christiana told the remaining children to scatter while they ran to the aid of their daughters, but Margot didn't make it very far before the screams behind her died out. After a brief flash of pain, Margot died too.

It didn't take long after waking up in the dead of night to realise several things in quick succession: One, her family was dead. Their corpses were either strewn across the street with hers, or were missing completely. Two, her attacker had not been human. With the strength and speed required to take down eight people in seconds, they had to have been something otherwordly. Three: Her attacker was a vampire. How did she know this? Because now she was one as well. Tanned skin now pallid and cold, dull teeth now sharp enough to tear flesh like butter, and a whole new world that was once silence now unleashed on all five of her senses. With these realisations, Margot came to a decision. She couldn't go to the authorities, not like this. By dawn's first light she had retreated back to the family hotel room, cleaning herself up and scavenging whatever money she could find. By the next evening, she had made her way to the nearest dock, deciding that a boat would be easier to sneak onto than a plane. She had to get back to London somehow, without avoiding questions. Her parents would understand, and they'd keep her in hiding, for sure.

As she stumbled across a lone stowaway, hoping to get to London like her, Margot discovered the news from him. Not all of her family had died. He recounted the story that the three youngest cousins had fled to safety, and Julianne was revived at the scene once police had been notified. However, her Uncle was still dead, and four were classed as missing - her aunt, the two eldest cousins, and Margot. It was wonderful news to hear some of her family had escaped her fate, but she couldn't risk going to the authorities yet, not with what she was. She instead remained with the stowaway, who promised he'd help her get to London as it was her first time "catching a ride", as he called it. Finding a cargo ship bound for Britain, the pair snuck into the cramped lower decks, and began their ten day journey. It seemed like it would be easy, but as the days ticked by, a gnawing hunger grew in Margot's stomach. No amount of food could sate it, and she found herself laying awake at night, trying to ignore the thumping heartbeat of the man who helped her. By day four it became too much to bare. Day ten the cargo ship arrived at it's destination, Margot fleeing the ship before it docked, and leaving behind the torn apart corpse of the stowaway.

She had hoped to slip away in the darkness and make her way home, but as she fled through London and neared the familiar boroughs of Edgetoun, she realised she was being followed. Not by humans, but by things like her. Her mind was a mess of panic and fear, and as she found herself blocked off in an alleyway, wondered if now she was truly going to die. When the even scarier Russian guy showed up, she was ready to meet her maker, only for him to tell the other two to scram and actually being nice to her. Before she knew it she'd been given clean clothes, a place to work, an introduction to a collection of vampires who could help her out, and even a comfy sofa for her to sleep on until she got on her own feet by Nicodem. Things definitely back to look up after this chance encounter with the ancient vampire - she met her "guardian angel" Aoife who welcomed her into her home so she didn't have to sofa-surf all the time, and a few months after that she discovered in the news that her parents had adopted the now orphaned cousins in her family and moved away to America for a fresh start. She could begin to shake off the remnants of her old shattered life, and even took up a new name - Stefani - in order to move on. All that's left now is to remake herself, starting with controlling her bloodlust. After that, maybe finding out who exactly did this to her, and what their motives were in murdering a child.

𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗦
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The Slye Fox
After Nicodem kindly let her have a job here, Stef spends quite a lot of time working in the kitchens. It's a safe, human-free place for her to relax, keep her mind occupied, and even earn some money to help out at home. She also likes to hang around in the front too, especially at nighttime when there are less humans about. It's kinda fun, being amongst all different kinds of creatures.

Edgetoun Museum of Art
When not painting herself, Stef likes to browse other people's art, either to admire and or examine the work to see if they've used an interesting technique that she'd like to try out as well. There are also variants of art styles found at the local museum, and after having spent so much time on landscapes, Stef is looking to branch out and looks for inspiration.

Prospect Park
It's generally abandoned, and is a nice place for to walk or run when she has pent up energy or just wants some time to herself without risking the harm of anyone. While she's getting better, slowly but surely, at controlling her bloodlust, sometimes Stef just needs some fresh air without holding herself back around others.

𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 & 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬
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Mother: Alicia Whitewood.
Father: Michael Whitewood.
Uncle: William Whitewood. Dead.
Aunt: Christiana Whitewood. Missing, presumed dead.

Cousins:
Caleb Whitewood: Male. 21. Missing, presumed dead.
Julianne Whitewood: Female. 19. Alive.
Maria Whitewood: Female. 19. Missing, presumed dead.
Zachary Whitewood: Male. 16. Alive.
Leah Whitewood: Female. 14. Alive.
Darren Whitewood: Male. 12. Alive.

NICK

𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Nicolas Black

𝗔𝗚𝗘
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39

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘
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• After his run in with the wolf that turned him, Nick has been left with scars littered over his skin. Long stretches of claw marks in group of twos and threes, on his torso, back, arms and legs, some even stretching up to his neck and visible beneath the collar of his shirts. The most noticeable is the bite mark - several jagged marks surrounding his right forearm.
• A lifetime of smoking and drinking have left him with a husky, gravelly voice, that sometimes sounds quite hoarse. He figures with the werewolf gene he probably won't get cancer now, so has made no efforts to stop in his nicotine or alcohol addictions.
• His rough voice is paired with a Scottish accent - strong, but not indecipherable.
• It's not unusual for him to show up to work unshaven, unshowered, and generally quite messy. He can look good when he puts effort in, but doesn't see much point these days when he can throw on some deodorant and just leave the house.

𝗢𝗖𝗖𝗨𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
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Detective Inspector with Edgetoun Police.

𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
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Nick was only running solo for a few weeks before Zephyrus Accord found him and invited him to join them. He's been running with the pack for a good ten years now, and has risen to the rank of Beta.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬
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Before his change, Nick was an easy-going individual. Although still quite irritable, he retained good humour, an active social life, and plenty of positivity about the future. However, post-biting, he became a far darker individual. Nick lost his empathy for many, the small amount he retains goes towards the victims he deals with in his work... and even then, it’s not all that obvious at times. It’s easier for him to block off his emotions and act cynically or callously towards everything, rather than actually risk his feelings by caring too much about someone. Being emotionally distant is easier sometimes, even if it hurts other people's feelings. However, his trust in others hasn't completely dissolved, nor has his hope for the future. Among friends he becomes far more warm, and although his humour remains dark and his outlook pessimistic, he'll still stand by as a loyal and steadfast friend. Perhaps a side-effect of his pack mentality, but even within the Accord he only fully trusts a scant few.

Another side effect of his biting has been that of his temper. He had always been a bit short-tempered, but now when he loses it, his animalistic side will make itself known. As far as he knows he's never hurt anyone thanks to his temper or werewolf side yet, but it's a constant worry for the man. Especially when it comes to keeping his condition secret.

𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬
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Even when he was just a young lad growing up in Scotland, Nick had been seen as an idealist. Someone who had bright hopes for the future, no matter how ridiculous or fat-fetched it seemed. In the fairly deprived area he grew up in, his family and friends scoffed at the idea of him becoming a copper and turning their neighbourhood around single-handedly. Of course, they were quite correct - he couldn't even find a job in his hometown once graduating University, let alone become their policing champion. Still, he wasn't deterred, instead finding a posting down south in London, close to where he'd studied for his degree. The area was crime ridden, and could use all the help it could get. Edgetoun seemed perfect. So perfect in fact, that he met the love of his life there.

Saoirse had lived in Edgetoun just a few years more than he had, and when they met for the first time, it didn't take long for them to start dating. Even more time after that, Nick popped the question and she accepted. His brother said that he was rushing things, but Nick was completely head over heels for the girl. He didn't even question that she vanished once a month either, but of course, this was long before the days of Nick Bloodfang. He has nothing to suspect, not even when she hurriedly plucked him out of work one day for a "surprise holiday". She looked frazzled, as if someone were chasing her, but Nick put it down to nerves over her work or something. He was totally oblivious, just happy to spend a few days at the Cornish beaches with his love.

The night after they arrived was a full moon, but Saoirse hadn't been caught unawares. She was a lone wolf, who had bright ideas of forming her own pack one day. Edgetoun was just the worst place possible to do so, with Bisclavret running around. Skipping town with who she intended to be her very first member and Beta wolf. All she had to do was bite him... but she hadn't been a Werewolf for very long herself, and had not learnt how to fully control herself in her wolf form. Nick watched her shift at their modest camp perched atop a cliffside, but didn't get very far before she descended upon him, unable to control the thrill of the hunt running through her veins and barely holding back. Whether she finally got a hold of herself or was scared off by somebody else, Nick didn't know. He just awoke in the nearest hospital some days later, littered in deep claw marks and bites and police searching for "missing" fiance.

He had discharged himself earlier than was healthy for him, but the Doctor's couldn't persuade him to remain any longer. Not with Saoirse out there, and the familiar ground of Edgetoun that he would feel so much safer in beckoning. It turns out that this was the entirely right move - it didn't take very long after his very first change under a full moon for a group to approach him. Other Werewolves like himself, only this time, they were a pack. Some could shift whenever they wanted, and others could control themselves in their wolf form. But more than anything, they were good people, hopeful for a cure for the disease that affected them all. The actions of his fiance had shaken Nick's trust in others completely, but seeing no other choice, he accepted their help and joined the Zephyrus Accord.

That was ten years ago now, and Nick hasn't really changed all that much. The benefits of being in a pack - especially now, as a Beta - far outweigh the negatives, but the constant skirmishes with Bisclavret are equal parts tiresome as they are frightening. His trust in others is still shaky, barring the few friends he is loyal too, and he's lost the happy-go-lucky idealism that affected him so much as a kid. There's been no sign of Saoirse in the past decade, and he considers her good riddance. For now, Nick does as his Alpha tells him in the pack, and keeps his head down and does his job as a DC; trying to help out "in-the-closet" Supes he may encounter in the line of duty because he knows the desire to remain hidden from humans. Over the years he's learnt how to shift into wolf form without the aid of a full moon, and retain his free-will because of it. Unfortunately, when the moon does come around, it has retained full control over him. Until he learns control, Nick locks himself up in an abandoned hospital a few miles outside of Edgetoun every full moon, ensuring that he isn't around any innocents to harm.

𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗦
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Edgetoun Police Station
Even when not clocked in, Nick can often be found in his office here, poring over open cases and doing various errands for the others in the building. It gets the work done, and beats going home alone every night.

The Watering Hole
Although known for it's depressing atmosphere, Nick prefers it to the other, more bustling pubs in town. Most of the time his foul mood matches up with the other people drinking there, but he generally keeps himself to himself.

Rosemary Heights Sanitorium
A dilapidated and well abandoned building now, Rosemary Heights was once home to many several decades ago during the outbreak of Consumption. Nowadays it is known for being haunted, but the ghosts don't bother Nick, if they're really present. The isolated basements in the abandoned hospital work well to keep him locked up and safe while turning on a Full Moon. He also practices his turning here, and it's where he developed the ability to turn whenever he pleases. Thrill-Seekers and those interested in the macabre may tread here also, hoping to catch a glimpse of the past in it's rotting halls.

𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 & 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬
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Brother: Robert Black
Epsilon Friend from Zephyrus Accord: Aidan

THEO

𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘
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Theodor "Theo" Minea

𝗔𝗚𝗘
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35 (1026)

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘
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• Having always been a firm believer in sophistication, Theo is nearly always dressed tastefully in suit and tie, regardless of how casual the occasion is.
• After several centuries of learning new languages while travelling the world, Theo has lost his original Romanian-sounding accent. Now it is a hard to place mish-mash of RP, with hints of European and even American influences as he speaks. Regardless of his accent, his tone has a pleasant depth for one to listen to.
• He is missing part of his right ring finger - everything from the second knuckle up is gone. When people ask how he lost it, he enjoys fabricating a new story every time, each response ranging from possible to utterly ludicrous. To date, his favourite story was telling a young, gullible vampire in the 1800's that he'd lost it fighting hand-to-hand with a bright pink dragon.

𝗢𝗖𝗖𝗨𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
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As time has gone by, Theo has kept his fingers in many different pies under his self-made company "Master of None". The owner of several small, but lucrative businesses that are founded in Edgetoun, he exports various goods across the country. His most prolific one currently has been the production and selling of wine. Although many of the bulk exports are newly made, he keeps a few "collector editions" for private consumption and sales. While he's outlived all of his wines, some of them have a hefty date on them.

𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
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Methuselah Court
Theo wasn't in Britain for very long before he heard the whispers of this group amongst the other Vampires in town. At first he had no intention to join them, after having just relinquished himself from his sire and having a preference to remain Independent. However, as time ticked on, Theo realised that perhaps they were useful - and powerful - allies to have. He approached them at some point in the early 1900's, and once his date of birth was authenticated, was welcomed among their folds. As of now he holds no important position amongst them, but he's also no longer a pawn. It'll be interesting to see which path the Court takes, and Theo wonders if it's a path he'll have to wander from eventually.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬
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As the years ticked by, Theo developed from a fairly common peasant-come-soldier to a rather sophisticated being; one who had learnt from many lessons over the centuries, and intends to apply such knowledge in the present. For one, he has truly learnt the value of the phrase "Patience is a Virtue". He'd never been patient as a human, but after being stuck at the side of his needy Sire for so very long, Theo has learnt how to wait and bide his time in order to get what he wants. His intelligence has also grown from when he was human who couldn't even read. While he has amassed plenty of knowledge over the years, his true skill lies in his decision making. Calculating and cunning, Theo knows how to find people's strings in order to pull them at just the right time. While such actions can come under the guise of charm and charisma, more often than not he'll go down the ruthless route. Intimidation works quicker than wooing.

On the other hand, there are certain aspects of his personality that are his downfall. No matter how rational and suave he appears to be, Theo has great problems in trusting others. A very self-serving individual, he will not give out his allegiance or loyalty very quickly, and is hesitant to offer promises to others. While he may join a cause or group and do their bidding for a time, he has no interest in losing anything because of their actions. He's never found a cause to fight for, even when he still alive. Although he likes to pin his loneliness over the past few centuries on achieving independence from his sire, his self-serving attitude is a far more likely suspect to blame. In addition to this, he is a very unforgiving person. He is known for holding grudges, despite his better judgement and how that may affect his business or his personal life. If somebody wrongs him, he'll never forget it.

𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬
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Born to Vlach peasants in 994, in the region that would come to be known as Romania, Theodor lived a fairly standard life for the time. Losing several family members to illnesses that are completely curable with modern medicine, and working the fields as a young lad until he was tall and strong enough to be pushed in the army. He never quite developed the glory or pride of fighting for one's country - he simply followed the order of whoever paid his wage along with his fellows and tried not to die. Another man could have usurped his ruler and he would not have known, or cared. All that mattered was survival.

And so he did - long enough in fact to marry a woman to bear him children. While he cannot recall now as to whether he loved her or not, there were plenty of fond memories in their modest household. His survival in the army had brought with it ascension through the ranks, which meant he could afford a better house for his growing brood. Unfortunately for Theo, this domestic bliss didn't last forever, and was torn away with his untimely death. Much to his embarrassment, his death and subsequent resurrection as a vampire didn't come with a glorious death on the battlefield, nor even succumbing to injuries after saving his brethren. One night at the local tavern with his fellow soldiers ended in an ugly manner, after he looked the wrong way at the wrong group of men. A fistfight eventually broke out and spilled onto the streets, but rather than each side walking away to lick their wounds, one of Theo's men drew out a dagger and plunged it into the throat of his assailant. From thereon, it was a bloodbath.

It was a stupid mistake that cost him the lives of his friends, and would have cost him his as well were it not for the beautiful stranger who appeared that night. Slaughtering his attackers, she fed him her blood and turned him there and then. He may have survived despite his injuries, but it would seem she had taken a liking to the man. Having followed him home from one of his battles, she watched from afar, and waited for the right moment to pluck him for herself.

From there he was forced to abandon his family, leaving his wife and children behind out of fear that his sire would grow jealous of his bond with them. Over the centuries he has looked in on his descendants from time to time, pulling them out of stupid scenarios that he himself fell into so long ago, and saving their lives from various accidents. It came to become something of a legend in his family, that a guardian angel watched over them. While he hardly considers himself an angel, he would have no harm come to those of his bloodline.

Having left his sire behind somewhere in Spain in the 1700's, Theo has spent the last two centuries reconstituting himself in Britain; building and managing various companies to ensure that he could live comfortably without having too much of his time taken up by his endeavours. Although living a a financially secure lifestyle, Theo is always on the lookout for more. More power, more friends... perhaps even another family. Despite his over-bearing sire finally leaving him alone these past 300 years, he still has yet to formulate close relationships with others.

𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗦
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The Slye Fox
There's something charming about the old English pub, alongside those that inhabit it. Theo has always preferred the peace of such places over the constant cacophony found in the clubs that his brethren so often visit. He's not beyond setting foot into such establishments, but finds solace in The Slye Fox whenever it is needed.

The Crypt Cafe
Ever since discovering his first taste of coffee in the last 18th century, Theo has developed a craving for the stuff. He has come to enjoy the atmosphere of this particular cafe, and can usually be found here having his morning (or afternoon) espresso with a book or newspaper.

Master of None
His business headquarters for the past two centuries, this is usually where Theo manages his company. On the ground floor one can find a public bar; quite high class, and known for hosting lavish parties and wine tastings. It's typically popular amongst vampires, though he'll welcome any creature through his doors, as long as they can afford it.

𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 & 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Sire: Rowena
Most Recent Descendent: Mathias Bouchard

ZOEY

𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘
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Doctor Zoey Alston

𝗔𝗚𝗘
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32

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘
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• The first aspects of Zoey's face that pop out before anything else are her ice blue eyes and sharp cheekbones. Her Dad often jokes that the latter were almost as a sharp as her tongue.
• Eyebags and dark shadows are common for Zoey, who doesn't get as much sleep as she really should. Between her visions, her work, and her own personal demons, she finds it hard to find peace some nights.
• Thanks to her prone clumsiness, it's not strange to see some form of bruise, cut or sizeable graze on the woman. She's a sport-loving maladroit, but her common injuries will never stop her from getting on the board again.

𝗢𝗖𝗖𝗨𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

After several years of hard training, Zoey has been a licensed Forensic Pathologist for the past two and a half years now at Edgetoun's Coroner's Court. In her spare time she makes her own investigations into the bodies that come through her door. She can't explain her visions to the police without receiving a witch hunt, so she follows her psychic leads by herself.

𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
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After the true discovery of her powers at the age of 15, Zoey was taken under the wing of her Aunt who introduced her to the Mutandum Coven. Zoey appreciates the help they give, but tries not to get involved in the witch politics going on. She also has no desire to branch out into other areas of magic, much to the ire of her Aunt.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Ever since her power manifested itself all those years ago, Zoey has grown far more compassionate about the world around her. Seeing and feeling those people die and not doing anything to help has taken it's toll on the woman's empathy, and is a large part of why she's chosen her career, and does her private investigations on the side. However, some of that can definitely be a direct cause of her curiosity, or perhaps even nosiness, depending on who you ask. She's always loved a good mystery, and embroiling herself into ones involving the supernatural of Edgetoun is piquing her interest every day.

While she's fully aware of the dangers of doing what she does - not just the possibility of perverting the cause of justice in the eyes of police, or even pissing off the wrong Vampire or Demon, but that she could be outed as a supernatural creature herself - Zoey has always been a careless soul. Personal safety isn't always high on her list, and after a lifetime of clumsiness and adventure sports, she isn't about to give up the thrill of the chase now, especially when she relies on her sharp tongue and wit to get her out of trouble so much. Although stubborn as a mule when it comes to herself, she may hold herself back if the safety of others comes into concern. Her protective nature prevents her from harming other people, even by omission. Her patients may be dead, but she still has a Hippocratic Oath to uphold as a Doctor.

𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬
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Mr and Mrs Alston knew that their daughter was quite strange ever since she was a toddler. Even before she could talk properly, it was like she knew things would happen. Having temper tantrums on the pavement right before her parents were to cross with her pram, causing them to stop and a car running a red light hurtling right past where they would have been otherwise. Somehow toddling off and reaching a fire alarm in a busy shopping center to pull it and cause an evacuation, only for an investigation to discover a dangerous gas leak. Even something as simple as her pulling a face and knocking a carton of fruit to the floor, for a venomous spider to scuttle away from inside of it and be shooed out of the house by her mother and a broom. Little things, but when all added up, very strange. However, her parents didn't know what to make of it, and simply chose to accept each occasion as it came. Even as they readied themselves to move homes from Australia to Britain for work, they eyed her daily, wondering if the then 10 year old girl would suddenly have a premonition of a downed flight or destruction of London. Nothing came, and so they made their move, taking their children with them quite happily, and never truly talking about these occurrences with their daughter. Still, it wasn't as if she hadn't eventually noticed herself.

Zoey had always been aware of her strange predictions coming true, but had never chalked it up to anything serious. They were odd little subconscious feelings, things she couldn't control or define beyond her gut telling her something. It was a strange little party trick of hers that she quite liked... until her first true vision, that is - and it wasn't a pleasant experience. A splitting headache paired with flitting, unclear images that seemed to last forever. By the time it was over she was pale and shaking, head still pounding away, and she had no idea what had really happened. The rational side of her explained it away as a migraine, brought on by the stress of GCSE exams. But she couldn't shake the images she had witnessed, nor the excruciating pain that had come with it. Her best friend Darrell - walking the seemingly quiet streets at night only for her to be hit by a car, thrown several feet before coming to a dead stop on the tarmac. But it was just a dream, and not wanting to freak her friend out, Zoey tried to forget about it, not contacting Darrell. The next morning, she had almost forgotten about her vision, until her pale-faced mother broke the news as gently as possible: Darrell had died last night, after being a victim of a hit and run accident. Zoey was dumbstruck, but anyone around her simply explained it away with grief. But she had felt the pain Darrell had felt with her vision; the impact of the car, her head cracking against the windshield and the absolute terror of the whole incident before hitting the ground with a crunch and the world turning black. Zoey had both seen and felt Darrell's death, but didn't do a thing to stop it, even though she could have with a simple phone call. From there, a deep guilt set in her heart, blaming herself for not having done something for poor Darrell. The only thing she could do was go to a payphone and put in an anonymous call to the police, giving them the type and number-plate of the car that had committed the offence, as the image was burned into her mind. The police caught the guy, and he was sent away for a long time - but Zoey decided that next time she had a vision, she wouldn't be so inactive.

To her surprise, a family member would make things a lot easier for her in terms of her visions. Her Mother's Sister, Aunt Helena, came to visit one day when the rest of Zoey's family was out. It turned out that this was no accident - Helena somehow knew of Zoey's visions, and was there to explain to her the family history. Lots of witches and magic, sometimes skips a generation, you've got great power and potential, blah blah blah. Although she was generally a sceptical person, Zoey hadn't been able to explain her visions. Nor could explain her Aunt's demonstration of magic powers in the living room when she set the sofa on fire, only for it to disappear and be good as new afterwards. It was here that Zoey was first introduced to the Mutandum Coven, in order to better understand and control her visions. However, this part of her life wasn't about to stop her from doing what she truly wanted to do in order to help others.

At first, she had hoped to be a Doctor for the living. One who could save lives on the operating table, and make up for the lives lost in her past. But she quickly discovered that there were some people who just couldn't be saved, no matter how hard the Doctor worked. The dead would pile up in her mind, so she turned to a profession where the dead couldn't weigh on her guilty conscience. Not when they came to her as a cadaver, and not as a patient. While still studying her preliminary degree in medicine, she made a beeline for Forensic Pathology as early as she could. Although those who died in her presence as a resident still hurt, she knew she had something to look forward to. Saving lives retroactively, by investigating corpses and ensuring that whatever killed them didn't do it again. As she came to quickly realise upon the very first touch of a dead body, the visions that had plagued her for so long could aid her in this job. Accidentally brushing her bare wrist against the cold skin of a recently deceased patient, she experienced yet another vision. In a room full of Doctors and nurses, she blamed her collapse on hypotension in order to keep them satisfied - but she had seen something. Not the future, but the patient's past. Only glimpses, but she realised that if she could see their last moments, then she could solve crimes even if the police couldn't in the future.

Since then, that has been Zoey's main goal. Acquiring a fellowship and then acing the board exam of Pathology, she was now able to get a job as a fully practising Forensic Pathologist. Of course, this meant working under those who would do the actual autopsies for a while before she even got close to doing the work herself, but she could still sneak touches of their flesh to help find what ailed them. Sometimes it was suicide, sometimes just a mysterious death caused by a strange illness. But there were murders too, some of them not even human ones. Now the lead Doctor at Edgetoun Coroner's Court, Zoey undertakes investigations from the police, alongside private inquiries in regards to life insurance claims, families refusing to believe their loved died from whatever was first ruled, and those few mysterious "animal mauling" victims that never quite recovered. Bodies ripped apart, drained of blood, or simply just dying for absolutely no medical reason... Zoey knew about the world of the supernatural long before Nick Bloodfang, and it's never stopped her in her need to help her "patients".

𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗦
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Edgetoun Coroner's Court
While the nearby hospital has a licensed autopsy room for interest autopsies, those suspicious deaths involving the CPS have to be located elsewhere. This is where Zoey has her bodies transported for her to probe, aiming to find cause of death and other forensic evidence for police investigations. She and her co-workers call it "The Cutting Room" when speaking unprofessionally.

Ace of Spades
When chasing down a lead on one of her investigations, Zoey often finds herself here. Either to connect the dots to another place, or to find an individual inside willing to give her tips of information. She understands her busy-body nature might get her into trouble at such a Vampire-heavy place, but despite her better judgement, she enjoys the atmosphere and drinks here.

Edgetoun University
After having studied for her MD here, Zoey often comes back to chat with old Professors, visit the library, or even give talks to medical students about Forensic Pathology to see if they'd be interested in going down that avenue. She's recently been thinking about pursuing a Professorship, though she has a while before she get far enough to achieve that.

𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 & 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬
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Mother: Cassandra Kitchener
Father: Henry Alston
Brother: Joel Alston
Aunt: Helena Kitchener
Lead Pathologist & Mentor: Professor Jaime Carlisle

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

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The Elder Scrolls: Vengeance of the Deep

Finally done Sol's rumours! They were hard to come up with, haha. XD

1. Masqueraded as a Vampire in order to infiltrate and wipe out a coven. He succeeded, but was also forced to put down several villagers who mistook him for one of the monsters and attacked him.

2. While guarding a Khajiit caravan in Skyrim, was paid a decent amount of money by some Nords to chase them out of the hold. He did so, and when returning to the Nords, killed them when they refused to pay up.

3. Aided a group of refugees consisting mainly of the elderly and children cross a river when the bridge had broken, and the detour crossed dangerous lands; he was strong and tall enough to withstand the height and power of the water, so carried each one across for free.

4. Has never had sex, or even kissed another before.

5. After discovering a number of attackers over the years had been assassins sent by his sister, Sol now has a routine when another one appears. After killing them, he removes a part of their body, places it in a rather nice looking box, and has it shipped back to his childhood home in Alinor where his sister still dwells; a note is always attached to the body part, requesting that "she ceases in sending him any more toy soldiers, as they keep breaking."