Vanitas Aristide

The Human

• Basic Information

  Full Name: Vanitas Aristide
  Nicknames: Van / Vani / Mr. Aris
  Alias: Chevalier ( Secret )
  
  Age: 28 years old.
  Orientation: Homosexual ( Openly )
  Status: Attached, but not in a relationship.
  
  
  Occupation: Personal Butler / Bodyguard
  
  Roleplay Type: Primarily Romance. Fantasy; Drama; Mystery.
  Roleplay Setting: Sci-fi / Steampunk / Victorian

• Appearance

  Mossy green hair billows around V's shoulders, pulled into a neat ponytail; only his thick bangs hanging loose to hide one side of his face. A single molten gold eye peeks out from the mane. His skin is lightly darkened with a tan; marred only by the scars of his right eye. The eye is still there, shining with a cursed red and lightly glazed over; the skin around having been heavily burned. Vanitas wears his bangs down to cover this up, although he has an eye patch on under them. It's not that he's ashamed of the mutilation; he accepted it long ago, but he knows it will bothers others. His daily dress is simple and on the formal side, much like you would expect a butler to wear. He also wears a loose leather choker, hidden carefully behind his shirt collar.

  

• Personality

  V keeps his real self meticulously locked away, saved for when he can become Chevalier; for normal daily life he dons a 'mask.' Ironic: without his real mask he must start pretending, and only with it can he be himself.
  
  Said facade is not altogether false. Vanitas takes perfect care of his Prince, the boy's needs unerringly put before his own in any situation. V is the ever stone-calm presence a few steps behind, stern when needed, undoubtedly loyal and ready to comfort with action, if not words, and generally good-natured otherwise. He’s the type of person you can easily trust with anything, whether it’s a last minute emergency or a deadly secret.
  
  It's become a habit to be the stricter influence in his Princes' life, (since this is the reason he was hired in the first place,) despite what his natural instincts want; so he tries to keep himself a stoic distance away, staying fairly reserved about anything involving himself, Chevalier, or subjects outside of his work. It’s his job to make sure things get done, after all. This might make him seem like a boring butler, in the eyes of those who don't take a closer look at his actions. The little things he gets away with under his mask, hidden behind diplomatic expressions and swift fingers - extra pillows when his prince is sore from climbing the castle walls, perhaps, even after a scathing lecture of how unsafe and foolish that was. A little more sugar or sweets laid out on the table, a small comfort through long hours of tutoring. Maybe even an encouraging note here or there, written deliberately in a different hand/script.

• Background

  Silverbridge Needleworkers slipped, slowly but surely, into bankruptcy a few decades ago. It was the main source of income for the tailoring family of Aristide, who struggled to maintain their middle-class status even when the company was fully operational. The company was shut down for a short time due to recently deceased grandparents and then an extended hiatus for a re-brand and re-build; Vanitas to this day wonders whether his kin left the living realm by choice. A new and improved establishment was born. The Silverbridge Coffeehouse and Garden; the oldtime equivalent to a café parlor. With it, and the extendable inheritance funds, came a raise in class for the Aristides. Desperate to fit in with the noble wealth crowd, Vanitas' parents dedicated time and new money into a multitude of tutors for their children. High class mannerisms and etiquette, histories and literatures, poetry and penmanship, etc, etc. To mold four children into models of sophistication and grace is a trying feat for any, especially when two of them are old enough to remember the "old ways."
  
  Vanitas? Vanitas is a lover of learning and absorber of knowledge. Mr. and Mrs. Aristide did not hold high expectations of their second son, with his troublemaker tendencies; there was no need with their heir in perfect health, a beautiful daughter to flaunt at society, and a flourishing company to pass on to the next generation. At home, Vanitas adapted a mask to please his parents. This became tiring quickly. The idea of independence intrigued his adventurous mind. So, he left a note and his belongings, except for his cat, Maladroit. (French; clumsy.)
  
  After few months doing odd jobs on the streets, an abandoned factory came to his attention. Finally, he realized the yearning that pulled him away from the comfort of wealth. He put his hands to the building, reforming piece by gradual piece. Life wasn't always breezy. Sometimes it was; through the holes in the roof. During the years of collecting supplies and rebuilding the place, he would slip into shops and factories under different pretenses and acts, learning skills from more experienced people, making contacts. On the side he collected (stole) books, and other items to sell, and created artwork to bid off. Vani thrived under the conditions. Adored the lifestyle. Adored the reality of it, the difficulties, the days without food, huddled in a corner with Maladroit. Enter an incident involving pastries, art, and chasing bullies down an ally. Enter the inspiration of Voleur de Nuit; the Night Thief.