Member
CitrusArms
Crimson Flame
BayRat
BunniesOfDoom
McNephelim
stone
Kuro
Lemons
Master EffeX
Zadkiel "Lance" Bennett
20 | 5'11'' (180cm) | O+
"Just Zak is fine. No, really, I insist."
A P P E A R A N C E
Lance had always been a skinny kid growing up, but once being initiated into WARDEN he bulked up as much as possible. His physique is something he can take pride in, so despite the nicks and scars carved into it, he keeps himself as fit as possible. In fact he's on a strict "diet:" intake, intake, intake then burn all the bad off. His clean look extends to all areas of his body and even his household, but that's another story.
As far as personal style, Lance enjoys adding little unique flairs to his WARDEN uniforms. He was never one to be ashamed about things like taste, and some of his fashion choices might clash or inspire second-hand embarrassment. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and the things that catch his eye are the ones he ends up donning himself in, no matter if it's flashy or just comfortable.
As far as personal style, Lance enjoys adding little unique flairs to his WARDEN uniforms. He was never one to be ashamed about things like taste, and some of his fashion choices might clash or inspire second-hand embarrassment. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and the things that catch his eye are the ones he ends up donning himself in, no matter if it's flashy or just comfortable.
P E R S O N A L I T Y
Loyalty, that's the basis of Lance's personality. He was raised believing how important it was to obey one's parents, their superiors, and their God. The thought of betraying someone's trust doesn't even cross his mind, and on the rare chance he does it the guilt eats away at him until he usually ends up confessing. Because of this, Lance makes for a good friend and is very easy to get along with. He's always willing to lend a hand, hear someone out, or join in on a fun time. Lance isn't a touchy guy in general, shrugging off casual touches, but when he grows fond of someone he can get a little clingy with checking in on them. Outside of that he's a guy that will do anything for a friend.
There are times when Lance grows intense or introspective though. He worked very hard through the years to keep up with his WARDEN training, and he never misses a day of it even through sickness. He travels to one of the Citadel's cathedrals once a week, head down and quietly talking with himself. These are routines he takes very seriously. Sometimes he struggles with his own identity, although this is a side of himself he would be mortified to let anyone else in on. When he isn't following orders and his laid back personality slips, it can lead to hesitation in his personal life as he thinks "is this something I would want to do or █████ would want to do?" Unfortunately this aspect of his personality is often considered airheadedness, but he doesn't bother to convince people that's not the case. After all, his battle prowess when all his attention is focused speaks for itself.
Lance tries not to let anything bother him, keeping strong both for himself and others, but of course that isn't always possible. He doesn't often talk about his family, and jabs about his less than stellar performance in the program upset him. Still, when he can he looks on the bright side of things. He's quick with a smile or joke, and his emotions are pretty easy to read on his face. When he's in a good mood he loves to share it, but when he's feeling down or conflicted, he deflects. His calm demeanor is a comfort to some, but really, he's been long resigned to whatever fate may come.
There are times when Lance grows intense or introspective though. He worked very hard through the years to keep up with his WARDEN training, and he never misses a day of it even through sickness. He travels to one of the Citadel's cathedrals once a week, head down and quietly talking with himself. These are routines he takes very seriously. Sometimes he struggles with his own identity, although this is a side of himself he would be mortified to let anyone else in on. When he isn't following orders and his laid back personality slips, it can lead to hesitation in his personal life as he thinks "is this something I would want to do or █████ would want to do?" Unfortunately this aspect of his personality is often considered airheadedness, but he doesn't bother to convince people that's not the case. After all, his battle prowess when all his attention is focused speaks for itself.
Lance tries not to let anything bother him, keeping strong both for himself and others, but of course that isn't always possible. He doesn't often talk about his family, and jabs about his less than stellar performance in the program upset him. Still, when he can he looks on the bright side of things. He's quick with a smile or joke, and his emotions are pretty easy to read on his face. When he's in a good mood he loves to share it, but when he's feeling down or conflicted, he deflects. His calm demeanor is a comfort to some, but really, he's been long resigned to whatever fate may come.
B A C K G R O U N D
As the middle son of the Bennett family, Zak's early childhood was... simple. The family patriarch was a proud inquisitor from a long line of inquisitors, and to say his wife was devout would be an understatement. The couple settled in the pretty fishing village of Sheldock where they purchased a large amount of land, on which they raised their four sons. The eldest son Michael was put on a high pedestal, groomed to be the next Bennett inquisitor before he could even talk. The second son Lance was sure to be scooped up by the WARDENs as soon as he was of age to be tested given his innate talent. The youngest son Laramie was coddled and doted on not only by his parents, but every man, woman, and child in the village, with a sense for magic unlike any other... and Zadkiel? The epitome of a middle child. He inherited none of the prestige of the family name, nor the attention of his father or the raw mist affinity of his mother. His brothers, all superior in one way or another, outshone him in every aspect of his life. Zak wasn't neglected or abandoned, just overshadowed. Most of his younger days were spent helping his brothers prepare for the grand lives they would surely lead, running errands for the household, trying to stand out before ultimately learning he never would, and growing content with his situation.
A few weeks after Lance's tenth birthday, he was selected to join WARDEN just as many predicted. In celebration, the boy's father let the eldest three brothers take their boat out for some quality time together before they split up - as Michael would be traveling to Fazra soon to complete his initiation into the Order. Lunches and fishing poles packed, the day was a blur of warmth and happiness. It was on their way back that tragedy struck. As dusk was settling over the water, one of the boys rocked the boat a little too hard, or shoved each other just a little too roughly, and Lance was thrown overboard. Given that the family was well accustomed to the water, the remaining brothers waited for Lance to come back up. He never did. Frantically, Michael and Zadkiel dove in to try and find him, but the waters were dark by now. It was late into the night when they gave up, unable to locate their brother. Explaining what happened to their father was most frightening thing the boys had ever done.
Rather than admit that Lance, the WARDEN hopeful, had most likely died on his watch, Jophiel Bennett hatched a plan. No, he wouldn't face the shame and disappoint from his family and society. One of his sons had died that day, but it wasn't Lance. Of course it couldn't have been Lance, that boy had promise, he was going to be a WARDEN. It was his third son, Zadkiel, that drowned. At least, that's what he convinced his family and neighbors of. Lance and Zadkiel were close in age, they both had the same red hair and tanned skin - they might have even been confused for each other if one wasn't treated so much more handsomely than the other. The only people that knew the truth were himself and Michael, and his eldest was being shipped off to serve the Order soon anyway. The Bennett family mourned "Zadkiel" for a little while, and prepared "Lance" to be sent to the Citadel. Before the WARDENs came to collect him, Zadkiel was doubting whether he was "himself" or not...
But he wasn't Lance. He was Zak.
Training to be a WARDEN was grueling, especially for the mostly talent-less Zak. Not only was he keeping on top of his martial and magical training, but the Bennett boy was also focused on maintaining a lie - that he was "Lance." Early on the suspicious drop in his abilities was explained away with tales about still grieving for his brother... which was true, in a sense. Over time it got harder and harder to make up excuses, so the only thing Zak could do was train harder and harder. He gained a reputation as a workhorse, and though he was consistently in the lowest percentile of his class, he managed to remain "WARDEN material." The most difficult thing to fudge was his aptitude for magic. It was many long days and nights before he had a breakthrough. Instead of branching out, trying to control the multitude of spells his peers could use, Zak focused his energy into refining one type of magic until he was an expert at it. This being spells related to fire. Mistburn was common for him while perfecting his techniques, and is still common to this day. It was around this time though that Zadkiel not only realized that he couldn't really be Lance, but that he didn't want to be either.
After confiding in some of his trusted superiors, Zadkiel was ready to be expelled and become the single stain on the Bennett family name. It was a surprise that they kept everything hushed and let Zak remain in WARDEN. For all intents and purpose, he remained "Lance," but he'd managed to convince some people to call him by his real name by telling them that "Zak" was a middle name he preferred to go by. As graduation got closer, Zak started to express himself more, trying to get more people to call him by his "middle name." To his relief the people he got along with best didn't mind calling him by his new nickname one bit. Most didn't even realize there had ever been four Bennett brothers, fooling themselves into believing there had only ever been Zadkiel Lance Bennett - or rather, Lance Zadkiel Bennett. For everyone besides his immediate family, Zak and Lance were the same person: a WARDEN who worked his ass off, always followed orders, and was really good at fire magic.
After graduating, Zak planned to come clean about everything and get his WARDEN records changed to his real name, so that he'd at least be able to die as his own man. One last hurrah with his closest classmates to find out just who that man actually was seemed to be a great idea, and with no hesitation for once he called driver - or at least shotgun.
"Boys, come!" their father shouted. He waited by the back door, arm bracing it open and letting the light of the backyard seep into the house. It was early morning, and the sweet smell of spring was finding it's way through every nook and cranny of their home. The sound of feet moving about upstairs quickly made it's way down the steps, and three bright faced boys appeared. They rushed toward the open door, cheery and excited, but a sudden hand stopped one of them with a firm touch on the shoulder. Jophiel followed the other two out, and the door swung shut behind him. Zadkiel looked at the hand clutching him and his gaze followed up his mother's arms to her face. She smiled sweet and tired at him.
"Zadkiel, you know you shouldn't bother your father when he's training your brothers. Help me get lunch ready instead."
"Yes, mother," the child replied, trying to keep the disappointment from his voice. He knew he shouldn't interfere, but he'd been working so hard lately... Zak watched his mother move into the family room and return with an infant on her hip. She nodded toward the kitchen and he followed her in.
"You boys are growing up fast," the woman chatted, watching over her son as he cut a stalk of celery, "you're still so thin though Zadkiel, make sure you're eating - oh, son, clean that up quick. Wash your hands again too."
Zak nodded absentmindedly as his mother went on, following her instructions as he went. He chanced a peek out of the kitchen window at his brothers. They were sat on the grass before their father. Based on the way he moved his arms and the wobble of his steps, the man was likely regaling them with stories of his time with the Order of the Dawn or giving them advice on the best way to drive off an enemy. Lance looked over and spotted Zak through the open window and waved to him, and Zadkiel waved back. His mother shut the shade.
"Focus Zadkiel."
"Yes, mother."
A few weeks after Lance's tenth birthday, he was selected to join WARDEN just as many predicted. In celebration, the boy's father let the eldest three brothers take their boat out for some quality time together before they split up - as Michael would be traveling to Fazra soon to complete his initiation into the Order. Lunches and fishing poles packed, the day was a blur of warmth and happiness. It was on their way back that tragedy struck. As dusk was settling over the water, one of the boys rocked the boat a little too hard, or shoved each other just a little too roughly, and Lance was thrown overboard. Given that the family was well accustomed to the water, the remaining brothers waited for Lance to come back up. He never did. Frantically, Michael and Zadkiel dove in to try and find him, but the waters were dark by now. It was late into the night when they gave up, unable to locate their brother. Explaining what happened to their father was most frightening thing the boys had ever done.
They stood on the edge of the yard cold, wet and shaking. At sixteen, Michael was much taller than his brother beside him, but both boys felt impossibly small standing in front of their father at that moment. His face was shadowed in the dark, but his breathing was hard and it betrayed his unseen expression.
"You let my son die?" he whispered, disbelief and tempered rage tinting his tone. The boys couldn't look him in the eye, their gazes fixed on the ground and their shoulders tense. When no one spoke for several moments, Jophiel moved forward with surprising speed and seized the younger boy by his arms.
"You killed my son??" he questioned again, voice a dangerous hiss.
"N-no, I - "
"Father, it was an - an accident!" Michael said quickly. Zadkiel and Michael were never very close, but in that moment there was no one in the world Zak appreciated more than his brother, scared and quivering, hesitantly placing his hand over their father's. "Lance just - he, he fell off the boat. We..."
"We looked for him," Zak sobbed, no longer able to hold back tears in his father's bruising hold, "h-he was gone, we couldn-couldn't f-find him, I - I'm sorry, Father, I'm sorry, I'm sorry - "
The sound of his child's cries shocked Jophiel back to his senses and he released the boy, watching him crumple to the ground in tears. His oldest sniffled and covered his face with his arm. Water gathered in the man's own eyes and he rambled to himself, "no, no, no..."
He crouched down to Zadkiel's level and took the boy's face in his hands, wiping the tear stains away with his thumbs. Zadkiel looked so much like his older brother. Was Lance really gone? It couldn't be true. It turned out that Jophiel wasn't quite back to his senses yet. Lance and Zadkiel, an accident, a death, no -
Rather than admit that Lance, the WARDEN hopeful, had most likely died on his watch, Jophiel Bennett hatched a plan. No, he wouldn't face the shame and disappoint from his family and society. One of his sons had died that day, but it wasn't Lance. Of course it couldn't have been Lance, that boy had promise, he was going to be a WARDEN. It was his third son, Zadkiel, that drowned. At least, that's what he convinced his family and neighbors of. Lance and Zadkiel were close in age, they both had the same red hair and tanned skin - they might have even been confused for each other if one wasn't treated so much more handsomely than the other. The only people that knew the truth were himself and Michael, and his eldest was being shipped off to serve the Order soon anyway. The Bennett family mourned "Zadkiel" for a little while, and prepared "Lance" to be sent to the Citadel. Before the WARDENs came to collect him, Zadkiel was doubting whether he was "himself" or not...
But he wasn't Lance. He was Zak.
"You're losing it," his brother growled, trapping Zak in the stone alleyway outside of the WARDEN training grounds. It wasn't often that Zak got visits from his family, even less so Michael, what with how busy he was with the Order. It was nice, sometimes. Now wasn't one of those times.
It'd been almost four years since Zadkiel assumed his late brother's name and entered the ranks of the WARDEN recruits. In a word, it'd been hell, but he stuck with it. He was doing his best. Apparently, it wasn't enough.
"You try being a WARDEN! I bet it's a lot harder than standing around Fazra waiting for - "
"Shut up," Michael snapped, holding Zadkiel's eyes with a dangerous stare. "If rumors about how much you suck reached all the way to me in Fazra, you know it's bad. What's Father going to think if he hears it too? Lance, you - "
Zadkiel's nostrils flared and his eyes flashed. He shoved Michael away from him, and the young man hit the brick wall behind him hard.
"Don't you dare," he warned, his hands curled into fists, "not you."
"...Zak," Michael corrected. He stepped back into his brother's space, his tone softer than before. "Sorry, Zak. I know it must be hard. But you have to work harder."
"..."
"...you learned some magic, right? That's awesome. You proved you can do it, now just take it farther."
Zak looked up at his older brother. After a moment he sighed and his shoulders sagged. He nodded, and when Michael reached out to ruffle his hair Zak dodged away.
"Cut it out, I'm not a kid."
"You're thirteen."
"And a HALF! And a WARDEN," Zak huffed, his face slipping into a smile. He leaned back against the alley's wall and soon enough his brother joined him there too.
"Yeah, you're our family's pride and joy," Michael stated, but they both knew that wasn't completely true.
Training to be a WARDEN was grueling, especially for the mostly talent-less Zak. Not only was he keeping on top of his martial and magical training, but the Bennett boy was also focused on maintaining a lie - that he was "Lance." Early on the suspicious drop in his abilities was explained away with tales about still grieving for his brother... which was true, in a sense. Over time it got harder and harder to make up excuses, so the only thing Zak could do was train harder and harder. He gained a reputation as a workhorse, and though he was consistently in the lowest percentile of his class, he managed to remain "WARDEN material." The most difficult thing to fudge was his aptitude for magic. It was many long days and nights before he had a breakthrough. Instead of branching out, trying to control the multitude of spells his peers could use, Zak focused his energy into refining one type of magic until he was an expert at it. This being spells related to fire. Mistburn was common for him while perfecting his techniques, and is still common to this day. It was around this time though that Zadkiel not only realized that he couldn't really be Lance, but that he didn't want to be either.
Zak stood silently in the small quarters, posture straight and hands clasped behind his back. He focused only on the sound of shuffling papers. His eyes were focused there too, and it wasn't a joke when the aged man at the desk laughed and said, "son, you're burning a hole in my paperwork."
"Oh, sorry," Zak said. He snapped his eyes shut instead of simply looking away and the man laughed again. He shook the tiny embers off the forms he was holding before setting them down and rising out of his seat. The elder WARDEN was a head shorter than Zak, gray haired and stocky, with a scar running down the length of his face - but it didn't stop him from looking friendly. Instructor Geraint was Zadkiel's favorite superior, so it only made sense to confess the lie to him first... but, now that'd he'd done it, Zak stood by confused as the man didn't seem to care at all.
Geraint approached and stopped just in front of Zadkiel. The young man was two years from graduation, and he'd dropped a relative bombshell. However -
"Zadka- Zad, was it?"
"Zak."
"Zak," Geraint rumbled, and the sound of his name being called after all this time brought an unfamiliar warmth to Zak's chest. "To be honest Zak, I don't see what you're so worried about."
Zadkiel opened his eyes, his puzzled expression meeting his instructor's pleasant one.
"I lied to the WARDENs, to you, to - to everyone."
"...and?"
Zak narrowed his eyes, glancing around the room slightly. At this point, to say he was confused was an understatement.
"...and... lying is bad...? You trained the wrong guy all this time."
Geraint sighed and put a comforting hand on Zak's shoulder. "Son, we didn't train the wrong man. If you weren't cut out for WARDEN, we would have dropped you a long time ago. In the last few years your test scores have improved, your control over the mist has gotten so much better, and hey - I've personally seen to it that your strength is at the top of your class!
What I'm saying is, you're a WARDEN. You, Zak Bennett. ...Er, Bennett is still your last name, right?"
Zak fought off the urge to tear up at the man's words, and he barked out a laugh at the question. "Yeah, still a Bennett," he chuckled. After a few moments to process the instructor's words, Zak awkwardly shoved his hand forward for a shake.
"...thank you, sir. I mean it."
With a smile, Geraint took it.
After confiding in some of his trusted superiors, Zadkiel was ready to be expelled and become the single stain on the Bennett family name. It was a surprise that they kept everything hushed and let Zak remain in WARDEN. For all intents and purpose, he remained "Lance," but he'd managed to convince some people to call him by his real name by telling them that "Zak" was a middle name he preferred to go by. As graduation got closer, Zak started to express himself more, trying to get more people to call him by his "middle name." To his relief the people he got along with best didn't mind calling him by his new nickname one bit. Most didn't even realize there had ever been four Bennett brothers, fooling themselves into believing there had only ever been Zadkiel Lance Bennett - or rather, Lance Zadkiel Bennett. For everyone besides his immediate family, Zak and Lance were the same person: a WARDEN who worked his ass off, always followed orders, and was really good at fire magic.
After graduating, Zak planned to come clean about everything and get his WARDEN records changed to his real name, so that he'd at least be able to die as his own man. One last hurrah with his closest classmates to find out just who that man actually was seemed to be a great idea, and with no hesitation for once he called driver - or at least shotgun.
C O M B A T
Lance relies on his raw strength the most, having honed his body since induction into WARDEN for the specific task of using it as a human-spear to drive wedges between enemy formations. He does his best work on the front lines in direct combat with the enemy. Trained with both pistols and rifles, Lance keeps firearms on his person, but he prefers bladed weapons like swords and pikes not only because he is just better at handling them, but because the sight of a man felling dozens of foes with a sword often inspires fear (or at the very least, second guesses) in the ranks of opposing forces. One particular weapon he's come to like very much is something called a gunlance: a long blade capable of shelling from it's tip, sometimes paired with a small shield. It's a little heavy, but extremely effective - and yes, he's aware of the name thing. Ha ha, Lance using a lance.
Over his WARDEN uniform, he wears a light armor once meant for his brother, modeled after the likes of the Order of the Dawn's inquisitors but bearing the Bennett family crest. It's imbued with blessings, and it isn't hard to move around in. It gives him a little more protection when he's out on the frontlines. At one point he hated the armor, but after several cuts and scratches and a friendly paint job, he came to really like it.
Magic was never Lance's strong suite, but after years of refining his craft he'd become an adept caster of fire magic. Because his affinity is low and he often suffers from mistburn, he always keeps a stock of burn-relieving drugs on his person. Lance's control over fire is so complete that he can even change it's color or choose not to burn people with it so long as he stays focused. His "signature" spell is the halo of flames, a ring of fire summoned above or around him that flings deadly embers outward from it.
Over his WARDEN uniform, he wears a light armor once meant for his brother, modeled after the likes of the Order of the Dawn's inquisitors but bearing the Bennett family crest. It's imbued with blessings, and it isn't hard to move around in. It gives him a little more protection when he's out on the frontlines. At one point he hated the armor, but after several cuts and scratches and a friendly paint job, he came to really like it.
Magic was never Lance's strong suite, but after years of refining his craft he'd become an adept caster of fire magic. Because his affinity is low and he often suffers from mistburn, he always keeps a stock of burn-relieving drugs on his person. Lance's control over fire is so complete that he can even change it's color or choose not to burn people with it so long as he stays focused. His "signature" spell is the halo of flames, a ring of fire summoned above or around him that flings deadly embers outward from it.
N O T E S
- Father: Jophiel Bennett (58)
- Retired from service as a Dawn Inquisitor after suffering a leg injury. Very concerned with family image.
- Mother: Miranda Bennett (44)
- Married young and never looked back. Spends half of her day in prayer and the other half looking after the home.
- Older Brother: Michael Bennett (27)
- A talented inquisitor like his father, and his father before him, and so on. Strained relationship with family.
- Older Brother: Lance Bennett
- Allegedly drowned when he was 10 years old. Would be 21 now.
- Younger Brother: Laramie Bennett (14)
- Gifted youth in his fourth year of WARDEN training. On track to graduate as a Second Class WARDEN and mage.
B A R G H E S T - S Q U A D
- Galahad
- "Didn't like him much at first to be honest. When we got put in the same squad I figured they were pairing a genius like him with an idiot like me to make the team balanced, so you can see why I wasn't really thrilled to be working with him... but after getting to know him, Galahad isn't a bad guy at all. He gets the whole group motivated in his own way and he doesn't mind giving advice - just try not to take offense at the way he gives it."
- Asa
- "We met a few years ago at a party when she kicked me in the dick after I tried hitting on her. Really hurt, but I don't regret it 'cause we've been good friends ever since. She's upbeat and fun to hang out with - plus she gets all kinds of cool stuff from her gramps. I could stay up talking with her all night."
- Samdihier
- "Love this guy! He seems like he's got his own things going on, but no matter what he keeps his smile on. He's a good influence on everyone, including me. If someone's feeling bad he'll cheer them right up. I think he pushes people to do their best just by believing in them. Always a good time with him around."
- Sorin
- "Not that talkative, but when she comes out of her shell she's pretty funny. When I see how hard she works, it makes me want to work harder too. After a few months she actually let me jog with her in the mornings. She's smart and reliable, a great person to have at your back, plus look at these!" (He holds up a pair of orange mittens)
- Ray
- "You couldn't know a better man than Ray. It's really funny, whenever he kicks my ass in judo training he always apologizes after helping me up. Like, every time. He looks after people, he's like a... a papa bear. I'm not really a 'hug' guy but for Ray I'll make an exception. He's so thoughtful it even extends to his fighting style. Shields and stuff. I know, right?"
- Betelgeuse
- "A wild one for sure. For a while I didn't think she'd come around but now she's just a normal part of the group. Though she can still be pretty standoffish. She shows she cares in her own ways, just have to know how to see them... I think. Pretty sure. If giving you extra bruises during spars count."
