__________________QUICK STATSName Padca Heis
Age 23
Gender Male
Species Human
Ethnicity Serenian
Height 5'10"
Occupation Scholar/Translator
Residence Moonspear, Serendipity
__________________IN-DEPTH STUFFPhysical Description His hair is blunt cut and yellow-blond, just barely brushing his ears, and he doesn't do much so far as styling so it just lays where it falls. His eyes are a silver-blue color, and probably the most striking thing about him, once you get past the resting bitch face - too many hours spent reading tiny text in the dark have made the squinting near-permanent, and his mouth is always pressed firmly into a small frown as though he were perpetually disappointed at everything around him. His skin is light brown, and he has very few scars (some on his knees, one on his left elbow, and a knife wound on his lower right back). He is toned, but somewhat on the slender side, as he does not put forth a lot of time into working out (that bookworm life). He always covers up when in public, all the way from his neck to his toes. He wears a cloak that slips over his head (sort of poncho-like) and it has belled out sleeves. Under this he wears a long sleeved shirt that has a high collar, with gold clasps down the front. His pants are form fitting but not tight, the ends of which bell out a bit and fall over his boots. He also wears a pair of gloves at all times, unless necessity dictates he must remove them. All of this is white with gold around the edges/hems, and is very finely made - a testament to his relatively high social standing.
Personality Padca is polite, but generally cold to people when he meets them. He is not fond of handshakes or physical touch of any kind, and actively avoids it, going so far as to ask people not to do it. He is usually pretty soft spoken, and between his education and chosen field he has a rather deep vocabulary and, at times, obscure manner of speech. He will keep up the polite veneer for as long as he is able, even in the face of extreme frustration and irritation, but eventually he will prove to have a temper. Luckily his anger is a bit like a firecracker, explosive and abrupt but lasting only a brief moment. His mind is too full of other things to bother with petty grudges, and frankly he just doesn't like holding onto anger - he'd rather forgive and forget (less forgive, more forget) and move on from it.
Something of a homebody, Padca much prefers to remain indoors where he can study and read in peace. He enjoys puzzles and problem solving, making him an asset to his colleagues, even if he is not the best conversation partner. He's an insomniac as well, so he is often up at odd hours of the night, and his lack of sleep can sometimes make him more irritable than normal (and his eyebags worse).
Many of his problems (read - all of them) are due to certain dark events in his past which dwell deep in his psyche. He has a fear of people and their touch, though he cannot remember the reason why. Somewhere in him he longs to have normal human contact and relationships, but he can't seem to get over the terror and disgust it brings in order to reach that goal.
Magic/AbilitiesLanguage Savvy - Padca has the uncanny ability to pick up new languages. Though speaking the languages takes much longer, he can easily learn how to read and write them in just a matter of days. This has led to his main job as a translator of old and magical scripts.
Swordsmanship - Surprisingly enough, Padca is quite skilled with a blade, and it is probably his only real sport/exercise regiment. Like with languages, he has an active role in learning as many different styles as he can, though obviously mastering them in a practical setting takes a lot of time and dedication he doesn't really have to give. If he's not working or taking a ride, he can most often be found practicing.
Horsemanship - Perhaps more of a hobby than anything, Padca is a competent rider when he fancies taking a horse out for a gallop. He mostly does it because he enjoys the sensation of moving quickly, and thus the faster the horse, the better he likes it.
Imagination/Magic Item - Padca has in his possession a very unique comb that appears to be made out of some white material similar to polished bone. It has an inscription that looks as though it was burned into it, but the inscription changes frequently and without warning, into a variety of languages. One must be able to read the inscription in order to activate the odd comb - once done, the comb will transform into anything one can imagine, though that mental visual must be very lush and detailed, and it seems to be mass-locked to nothing bigger than a large horse or smaller than a pea. Luckily Padca has the skill necessary in both areas to use this object effectively, though he generally keeps its existence a secret in case others should try and take it (as they have in the past).
Relationships Currently he tries to keep everyone at arm's length, and prefers to keep all relationships professional if he must have them at all.
His fellow librarians, and anyone working with translation work are a given! Anyone who may want to hire him would also work well, and while his social strata is fairly high, it's purely due to his efforts in his field so he lacks the sense of entitlement of higher-born folk. Unsurprisingly, this means he does not get along well with nobility and high-born folk when occasionally forced to attend social functions - his lowborn status is not exactly a secret.
People from his past in the orphanage are also welcome! (well, by me, maybe not by him)
Lovers and the like have an obvious hurtle to overcome due to his past, and the healing will be rocky. He has not allowed himself to ponder his own inclinations much, but he is attracted to men & masculine-presenting folk.
History Padca grew up in a rather large orphanage, and remembers nothing of his parents. (TW: childhood SA)
Spoiler
While growing up, he was regularly molested by a worker there, who often climbed into his bed at night and forced him to be silent while he was violated
- this is the main reason for his insomnia, which is an innate fear of sleep, to say nothing of the nightmares he still suffers. Speaking of nightmares, they tend to be the only way in which his mind can access these memories, as they have become deeply repressed. Though repressed, the ordeal has affected him even in his waking moments, such as in his loathing of being touched by others - it absolutely makes his skin crawl.
As he got older, he worked various odd jobs in an attempt to get a footing in the world without a family - luckily his ability to learn quickly and savant-level language skills helped him immensely, and eventually he found himself working for an old scholar who would later name him a formal apprentice. This in turn led to his recommendation to a large library, and from there his intense studying simply landed him positions at bigger and more renowned schools and libraries. Now he works in the largest library Serendipity has to offer, and he is thriving in his career, if not in his social life.
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