Name: Nicolai "Whisper" Sapienti
Gender: Male
Occupation: Capo and overseer of several gambling brackets and bootlegging operations
Age: 29
Appearance:
Not a physically intimidating individual, Nicolai stands no more than 5'5" and possesses a slim build. His white skin is further paled by thick, inky black hair that is worn well-oiled and laid neatly back against his head, save for a small arc that curves against his pale brow. Blue eyes are offset by dark eyelashes and effeminate features give him a young, almost innocent, appearance. A thin scar marks the front of his throat, faded with age but still noticeable at a close distance. Typically seen in well-tailored suits, Nicolai generally opts for plain black and a white button down, finding little use for elaborate attire. He often wears scarves to cover his throat.
Biography:
Having lost his parents at a young age, Nicolai was taken in by his aunt and uncle. Marcello treated the boy as another son, and set about ensuring he would receive a strong education and respect for the Family business. Nicolai was eleven when the Sapienti Family moved to Chicago, and he took a strengthened interest in the business of the Family with each passing year in the new city. Intellectually gifted and graced with luck at the dice and draw, Nicolai was a fast favourite to begin working the gambling brackets. Some of the Family members, thinking it in good fun, began calling Nicolai "Lady Luck" referring to his feminine features and skill at the game. Nicolai found little humour in this and developed a rather aloof nature, often avoiding those who teased him.
Despite this, his continued success in the brackets had made him a favoured candidate for capo. Though well-liked by many, some Family members harboured a growing dislike of the youngster, feeling Marcello was only favouring him because of his closeness to the boy.
Impervious to this, Nicolai continued his work and readily accepted the assignment given to him for complete initiation as a capo: he was to kill a high-ranking member of a rival gang, responsible for a disruption in a gambling bracket. Two disgruntled soldiers arranged to have Nicolai killed during his hit. Fortunately, the Family had received a tip-off about the attack in to come to his aide.
The hit was completed, but barely; moments after he'd killed his target, Nicolai was ambushed and his throat slit. The job was messy; the blade struck true to its mark, but did not cut deep enough to sever any arteries. Saved by Francisco and two others Nicolai miraculously survived the attack, though he sustained permanent damage to his vocal chords. This quickly earned him the nickname "Whisper" which he bears with a sense of pride. His survival and unwavering allegiance to the Family has since earned him deep respect, while the ruthless torture and murder of those who'd organized his attack has earned him fear as a Sapienti.
Personality:
Due to his inability to speak in little more than a whisper, he generally delegates the task of issuing orders to Francisco, and demands that his men bear the same amount of respect for him as they would for Nicolai himself. When dealing with rivals or adversaries, Nicolai is resolute and without remorse. He is wholly merciless and unrelenting in his methods to gain information or confessions; he is known to favour knives and blades in his practices -- should brute force fail to yield desirable results.
Nicolai is fiercely loyal to his Family and will go to any lengths to uphold its honour. Equally loyal to his friends, once his trust and respect is earned it is not something to be taken lightly. Unlike many higher-ranking members, Nicolai prefers to handle things personally should the need arise, feeling it gives a better sense of respect and connection between his soldiers and associates. Much like his uncle, Nicolai is praised for his kindness to friends and family, though his humour can be dry and rather coarse.
Despite being "talented" when it comes to cards and dice Nicolai isn't an avid gambler. Rather, he prefers to spend a majority of his leisure time reading.
He suffers from an addiction to laudanum, which he often requires in order to sleep. Few know about this, however, as he does not like to advertise the fact.
Weapon(s) of Choice: Knives, pistol