IN THE LAND OF GODS & MONSTERS, I WAS AN ANGEL. INTRODUCING ALLEGRA MCQUEEN, ANDROCLES’ LIONESS.
THIRTY-SEVEN
CONSIGLIERE & ASSASSIN
KILLER ANGELS; SERAPH
ZOE SALDANA
❝ If you have been broken, stand up. If you have been broken, abandoned, alone. If you have been starving, a creature of bone. If you live in a tower, a dungeon, a throne. If you weep for wanting, to be held, to be known. Come stand by me. ❞
She glances up at the sound of his voice, cold and emotionless, leaving no room for doubt or fallacy. Her ribs ache and she can feel the blood rushing to the wound as she sits up, wincing, to meet the unwavering, scarred gaze. Her own voice won’t come, it abandoned her at some point between the parking lot and this ethereal high rise, so she simply nods, eyes flicking away, shying away from the man before her.
He laughs, a wheezing, quiet laugh and she can see that his hands are as scarred and knotted as hers are.
“Don’t worry, I won’t kill him until you’re ready. And I suspect that by then, I won’t be the one lifting a finger. ”
She had never imagined that she would be anything more than ordinary, anything richer than poor, anything greater than insignificant. She was born to feel oppressed, convinced that the world was against her and she was a termite struggling to get out before it all collapsed upon her head. Her father had looked upon his daughter with a sad tenderness and named her something unique, thinking that it would be the only spark of color that would ever touch her: Allegra Gutierrez — such an ambitious name for such a small existence. And so it was. From a young age, Allegra understood that America, despite all its claims, held true freedom for only the powerful. The white males and their picturesque homes, the beautiful pale-skinned models pinned on billboards, eyes smoky with their guaranteed fortune. And for people like her, a first generation minority, it was either make it or b r e a k .
She was determined to make it. Chiquita, her mother would say, do not push yourself so hard. But she knew that her parents wanted the opposite: they wanted her to find a good life, a wonderful life, and the only way she would obtain it was through hard work, sweat and blood and pain. She wasn’t good at math. She had trouble reading. It was difficult to write in her second language. None of that mattered. In her book, there were no excuses, so she forced herself to do problems over and over again, read books until her head hurt, formed a callus on her middle finger from gripping the pencil so tight. Gritting her teeth and tunneling through even when it hurt was something that defined her, an inner fire that was only strengthened when met with doubt. She did not believe in the impossible, because nothing was impossible.
Graduating high school, she dove into the world at age eighteen, a woman disciplined and controlled, with a strong mind and a stronger vision for the future. She knew what work felt like, the scratches on her hands and the aches in her neck proved her worth. Having worked minimum wage jobs since age sixteen, this bridge she had crossed only meant that the hours were longer, her burden greater; and rather than pitying herself or weakening, she only met the challenge head-on, always alert, always searching for a loop to jump through, an opportunity to grasp — that legendary boost which would change her life. And maybe it was her youth, or her dark, fatigued childhood, but the first time she thought she saw a glimmer of that opportunity was when she met Jason. It wasn’t a spectacular romance, but it held promise, which was all that she had ever wanted. He was her boss at the diner, a well-off son to a successful name, and at first, when the pay raises and promotions came through, she adored him, she worshiped him: how could she not have? He was putting the food on her table, the clothes on her back, supporting her family. For months, they were happy; ecstatic even, and she began to believe that she was in love with this man and his generosity, the solid presence he had occupied in her life.
It’s always easy to love men when they don’t hit you.
The first time was on her nineteenth birthday, when she refused to sleep with him in his drunken stupor. One thing led to another, and she was pushing, shoving, screaming at him to stop — and there it was, a blow across the jaw. She was scrambling backwards and out the door, running to the bus station to get to madre and padre’s apartment, but once she was there, she didn’t say a word. Always optimistic. Calculating and intelligent, but o p t i m i s t i c even when she was at the yawning entrance to the downward spiral. She was used to dealing with things alone, self-sufficient and in her own way, prideful and stubborn. Returning to Jason, he was nothing but apologetic, promising that it would never happen again: it was the drink, it was all the drink’s doing. It was an excuse that he would make over and over again, compensating with twenty dollar bills tucked into her purse and flowers sent to her parents, buying her forgiveness with money as her cheeks bloomed dark and bruised. Allegra knew that she was being abused, she wasn’t disillusioned to the truth, but she endured the ups and downs — she grit her teeth and took the pain and the suffering without a word, because of her pride, because of her idea that what didn’t kill you made you stronger. But had she ever imagined her life truly in danger?
For over a year, the vicious cycle continued. She took his money and his apologies with grace, applied heavy foundation to cover the nicks and cuts on her face and arms from the roughness he handled her delicate bones with — she didn’t love him anymore, but she knew that her position as manager of the diner was the best she could get in Alhambra — and besides, Jason was holding something much more important over her head than just her salary. She was twenty-one, and everything became a routine, something unspeakable and horrific attacked her every night; the screaming, the arguing, the pleads and the reasoning; the wall against her back as she was cornered like a wild animal, spitting and fighting the man she had grown to hate, but always always subdued into obeisance by the threats. Bitch, whore, skank, he called her - I’ll send your parents back to Mexico or wherever the hell they’ve come from. And she gazed at him with narrowed, hate-filled eyes, and held her tongue and her anger to protect the secrets of her family that Jason had dug out of the past. It would get better someday, she vowed to herself. She planned her revenge every morning and dreamt it every night. Getting him back for the welts on her hips, the scars on her hands, the inability to see her parents for fear of them seeing her like this. Seeing her w e a k .
The first time she was hospitalized for her injuries was on New Years of 2000, and laying there utterly helpless, face beaten beyond recognition, half unconscious as her mother cried at her bedside, Allegra realized that her bet had been an empty one, that Jason was nothing to her but ruination. She broke it off with him in that sparse white room, firm but afraid of what he would do in retribution: and oh, he retaliated with more spite and cruelty than ever. Firing her the moment he left the hospital, Allegra prayed that he wouldn’t go through with his ultimate threat, but of course he did — he turned her parents in as illegal immigrant workers, and when they were torn away from her side in her moments of greatest need, she hated herself, but more than that, she hated him for the monster that he was. Her parents deported a day before she was allowed to leave the facility, Allegra wept for the wasted years, the wasted suffering, the wasted life. It was the last time she would cry in years. From that moment on, Jason made her life a nightmare, spreading vicious rumors about her to all employers in the area, forbidding her to return to their shared apartment. But it was only the beginning. Stalking her, shadowing her, leaving ominous hints and notes at every turn; and when she tried to run, chasing her as if it was a game, her existence. He taunted her, blacklisting her name at all the hotels in the Los Angeles area, inventing crimes and submitting them to local police stations, making her into a criminal for his own sick entertainment, when she had never so much as lifted a finger against his abuse.
The streets weren’t safe — there was a new drug operation in town, but Allegra took her chances, finding ways around Jason’s grasp, disguising herself and staying in low key motels, searching for work and a place to stay, always looking over her shoulder. It worked for a while, and she found quiet job indoors, away from customers and prying eyes: but if anything, Jason was determined to make his mark upon her, to punish her for her dawning. It was 3 am on a Tuesday night when the doorknob clicked, and there he was. Standing in the entrance to her motel room, a knife in hanh; Jason, drunken and upped on cocaine, there to make his last statement. Defenseless and unprepared, she ran out into the parking lot with a stab wound in her side, screaming for help, frantic for a place to hide…and with a screech of tires, a man pulled her into his car, speeding away as she bled out on the beautiful leather of his seats, promising that he would help her. That man was Luca Montenegro. Her savior, the angel who had lifted her out of certain death — the one who would make her great.
She owed him her life, but more than that. He gave her a new name, a new purpose, a new identity. She was no longer Allegra Gutierrez, running from the past, but Allegra McQueen, a member of the Killer Angels…no, a queen. He made her fearless, unafraid, put the power in her hands. Beneath him, Allegra grew into a dangerous killer, fierce and untouchable, protected by his name and their empire. She had come to him vunerable and wounded, a lioness shamed — but Luca was a man who saw talent and made it infamous. For the first time, she was not powerless, struggling to rise beneath the pressing weight of society and its bias, the oppressed minority who depended on those higher up to give her ability. She was power itself, and she sought to impress him, give him reason to trust her; and so he did. In 2005, after she had hunted down and killed the monster who had taken so much from her (as her first ‘assassination’, Luca would chuckle), she was made consigliere to the greatest mob to touch the West Coast. By that time, she had already fallen half in love with him, the man who believed in her more than she believed in herself and gave her the ability to choose her own destiny. Gone were the days of unsurety and discomfort; she was serving a king and the whole world was their domain.
Luca never returned her affections. But then again, she kept them hidden. Serving him, offering that careful, calculated advice from young eyes, she was disciplined and stiff in his presence, carrying out his orders with precision and foresight. Allegra hated disappointing him, hated seeing him at a loss; so she won and won and w o n for him, killed for him, tainted her soul and her hands for him. Her first seeds of loyalty for the family itself began through her debt to Luca, but as the years passed, Allegra came to love the mob which had welcomed her when she had no other home. Taking younger recruits under her wing, acting the mother to those who had none, teaching them to be strong. The past was past, this was a new regime, and they were the worlds’ conquerors. Though perceived as severe and unforgiving, fierce and terrifying; she treated her beloved with every tenderness, rearing them as her cubs. Teaching them to roar, and always, always looking towards the one lion who was oblivious to her passion.
She would have died for him. That night, or any night.
When she heard the news, it was like being stabbed all over again. She was the first to the hospital, scrambling, flying to his side, before Katerina, before Alfonso. She was at his side before any of them, whispering into his ear, taking in his instructions with tears in her eyes. And when he died, a piece of her fell apart, but she was far past being delicate. Her job had been made clear, and even if her king had been laid to rest, his daughter still remained. Allegra knows the importance of her position, and she knows how dangerous it is. Caught in between Alfonso and his poisonous ambition, and Katerina with her inexperience; she is the buffer, but more importantly, a vessel through which Luca will live on. Carrying his legacy, his secrets, knowing the details of plans never disclosed to any other soul, her responsibility is to keep his empire burning bright and strong. Guiding new recruits, acting as adviser to the new Doness, keeping Alfonso’s daggers at bay. An unearthly calm has come over her, a clarity of mind. She will help build the Killer Angels to impossible heights - but then again, nothing is impossible, is it?
She never repaid her debt to Luca Montenegro. And until the last of his beautiful dreams of violence come to fruition, she will. not. rest.
LUCA ⇢ “Yes…I understand. They’ll all be here in a bit. Shh, close your eyes and rest, preserve your energy. I’ll look after her even if you’re gone. I promise.” The man who saved her life, Allegra owes everything to him: her current life, her strength, her purpose. Within the mob, she was his closest. His advisor, his admirer…a woman who loved a king who may not have had a heart. In light of his recent passing, she has vowed not revenge (though she will take it if it comes), but acceptance. She knows of Luca’s last plans, and no matter what happens, she will make them come true. [Note: All information regarding the Tempest will be revealed to Allegra’s player in due time, and it will be their job to relay this in turn to other characters in-game.]
KATERINA ⇢ “Hey. Hey, listen to me. I’ve always been here for you, and I always will be. You can do this. Your father believed in you, and so do I — and I promise that we’ll get you through this and make you a queen.” Allegra loves Katerina like a younger sister, or maybe a daughter. When she first joined the mob, Katerina was only twelve years old, and consequently they’ve grown together, laughed together…and now, they will endure together. Part of Allegra’s last promise to Luca was to help Katerina become great, and that’s exactly what she intends to do. [Insight: Allegra will have to provide council and be Katerina’s guide in many matters, and at times, she will forget that the other woman is not her father, not in everything.]
ALFONSO ⇢ “Don’t you dare, Alfonso. You might think yourself savvy, but I know who you are and what you want. If you want to touch her, you’ll be going through me first.” Allegra’s always had her suspicions, but Luca’s last words confirmed them: the underboss is not to be trusted. Alfonso’s supporters make her uneasy, as does his status as the mob’s figurehead leader. [Future: Alfonso is every bit as shrewd as she thinks he is…and more. She will have to expend every tactic she has to keep up with his game and protect her promise.]
LEONA ⇢ ”…” Though she has never spoken to the other woman, she knows what Luca knew: that Leona is a member of the LAPD squad which was hot on the Killer Angels’ trail at the time of his murder. Allegra is definitely wary, and perhaps a little spiteful as well of the relationship that the vixen had with the Don. With the murkiness surrounding his death, she can’t help but wonder if Luca might have slipped…or perhaps, Leona is more dangerous than any of them every imagined.
FEDERICO ⇢ “Trust. No. One.” The second party that Luca decided to impart his plans to, Allegra is a little skeptical of his purpose. Can he keep his mouth shut, or will the devil’s advocate disappear into thin air, leaving them hanging by threads? In the end, she’s decided to trust Luca’s last judgment, and has made it her responsibility to ensure that Federico delivers his part and fulfills his loyalty.
PIPER ⇢ “Of course you will, girl! What, do you think that I’d let this operation run down to the ground? Not on my watch. Don’t worry Pipes, your wallet and everything in it is safe. You can still treat me out to coffee, no problem.” Allegra absolutely adores Piper, treats her like a little sister. She knows how much the younger girl has been through, and though she has never pushed for the whole story, she senses that Piper has suffered more than any of them in her lifetime. The only thing that Allegra doesn’t agree with is Piper’s views on the shift of power…and though she’s pulled her protegee towards the Seraphs, she can’t help but worry, particularly with the girl’s seeming affections for Jasper Gray.
URIAH ⇢ “Listen. You need to take it easy on Kateri - okay, take it easy on Kitty, for a bit. Move the filming dates back a few weeks, give her time to breathe.” Though he doesn’t know it, Uriah King and his production plays a crucial part in the Tempest, and Allegra needs to make sure that everything lines up with the mob’s agenda. Katerina needs time to get ready, and she’s been petitioning to get it.
THIS CHARACTER IS OPEN, WITH A NONFLEXIBLE FACECLAIM.
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