astrid had signed up for the date auction mostly for charity ââ the other half because the hostess of the event dragged her right into it without taking no for an answer. was she expecting to help earn over twenty dollars? not at all. was she expecting a bidding war on herself? not at all either. the whole ordeal was a lot more awkward than she expected, noticing that one specific man kept trying to bid on her. she didnât take xavier for one being interested and honestly? she wasnât sure if she liked that he was. but at least she knew him. astrid couldnât even remember seeing the man that ended up winning her before that night, making her wonder.
oh well. it was all for charity, right?
while her style didnât exactly lead into the world of dressing formally, she managed to put together the best outfit she could. something that could at least somewhat pass as a date night outfit. the woman walked to the saloon, heart racing, and wondering if she should just leave. at least she kept her tazer on her, just in case anything happened. âah ââ hi. iâm astrid,â she said, reaching out to shake the bidderâs hand. âthanks for your donation to the animals.â
Ryder didnât make a habit of donating to charity. He could care less about helping an animal shelter, but anyone who knew him had know he had ulterior motives. One - he couldnât very well reveal to everyone his ill intentions. He had to have some sort of image within town, donating some money to some charity always impressed locals. Two - Astrid. While there wasnât anything in particular that drew him to her, other than her being human. He had to find some way to entertain himself in this small town.
He met her outside of the Saloon. âWelcome Astrid. My name is Ryder,â he greeted, taking her hand He tried not to grimace when she thanked him for helping the animals. He had to keep an act up, at least for now. So instead he smiled. âOf course. How could I say no to helping those poor animals. Please come inside,â he said, opening the door to the bar to allow her inside. He had closed down the whole bar so they had privacy, a table put together in the mind with candles and wine glasses already set on it.
  âand was it life i should have given? that i had the right to give? absolutely not.â emeline found herself tensed, fight or flight kicking in. but where could she flee to? this was her home. it was supposed to be her safe place. âiâd be a better hostess if my guest didnât break into my home. what do you want me to do here? accept you with loving arms?â
âYet you did,â he replied, finding her argument pointless. âBe honest with yourself. You must have enjoyed having that power over death.â He grinned at her. âIâve missed you getting all rattled up like this. It is all the welcoming I needed, though if you have any urge to use those loving arms of yours I would not stop you.â
Ryder had made several witch friends in his life. If you could call them friends. Witches were essential in his line of work; while he might be able to do his job without them, having magic in his arsenal made it easier and was something he had always pursued. Stefan Reyes was one such witch â while the boy was still young they had worked together in the past before, and when Ryderâs sun ring had been destroyed he made him a new one. Now that Ryder was back in town for about a week now, he figured it was time for a visit.
He waited until Stefan was the only one in Ambrosia Apothecary. âI heard you came back to this backwater town,â he greeted as he walked in, his eyes wandering around the shop. âIâm surprised, your New York life was so much more... exciting.â ( @stefanreyesâ â closed starter for Stefan Reyes. )
  âyou know, i donât believe that one bit. and iâm not your creator.â emeline always grew bristled at the idea of being referred to as a creator, especially when she was so heavily religious herself. âhave you changed your ways? i donât want you in my house.â
Once upon a time, Ryder had been a religious man himself, but those days were gone, replaced with a belief in nothing. If there was a God or higher power, he was nowhere close to him. âAre you not? You gave me life when I was on the verge of death,â he reminded her. It wasnât the first time they had this kind of conversation â part of him only worded it that way to get under her skin, but the other half truly saw her that way. He let out another soft laugh at her question. âAnd here I thought you would be such a gracious host. Really, you should know by now darling that my way is better. It would get so boring otherwise.â
it was entirely uncharacteristic of elise to seek refuge in a bar. intoxication was a mortal trial that she often missed, but the taste of whisky reminded her what it was like to be human. if she didnât think too hard, she could almost feel it warm her. it was even rarer for her to strike up conversation at a bar â alas, itâd been an unusually long day. âall i hear is horror stories about this place,â she spoke up, a small grin on her features. âthought iâd size it up myself. what do you think? you come here often?â elise hardly registered the accidental flirtation, too enthralled with the concept of having a conversation with another adult.
It was entirely characteristic for Ryder to seek hospitality in a bar. Ignoring the fact that he owned one of the said bars in town, he often found his moments late at night amoung the patrons, either to people watch, gather the gossip around town, or perhaps catch an unsuspecting victim to become one of his meals. Luckily tonight, he wasnât hungry, opting to remain hidden within the crowd as he sipped on his whiskey at the bar. That was until Elise spoke. âBelieve nothing you hear, and only one half that you see,â he responded. âThe establishment is not so bad, depending on the company.â He smiled.
  when emeline got off of her graveyard, she was expecting a relaxing morning. a morning without any worry or stress, but that stress was planted right in her own apartment. it would be a lie to say that she wasnât scared of ryder, despite her having the years and likely strength on him. he was a monster in her mind, but there wasnât much she could do to reverse that ââ as much as she wanted to. she thought she was doing him a favor by turning him, she thought she was saving his life. but⌠she created a much larger problem.
her figure remained rigid, finally shutting the door behind her. âwhat are you doing here?â the vampire asked, placing her keys on the hook beside the door.Â
Emelineâs response to him was expected, Ryder even smiled a little bit at it. He got up from his seat, wandering over to a nearby surface to play with one of the decorations on it. âWould you believe me if I said that I missed my creator?â he asked, placing the item back on the table to turn back to her, taking a few steps towards her.
He hadnât been in Marion for years. Ryder always floated between cities, never staying in one place for too long. It was part of the job â get into town, do his business and leave. Sometimes it took months at a time, other times just a day. He held no sentimental value towards Marion, but there was something that always pulled him back to the small town in Louisana. He took it upon himself to visit his sire first; it was, afterall, common courtsey to say hello to the women who gave him a new life.
âHello, darling,â he greeted as Emeline walked into her own place, where he had already made himself comfortable. ( @gccdcompanyâ â closed starter for Emeline )
                      Darling, youâre already in my veins.
[ BEN BARNES / CIS MALE ] â RYDER â This THREE HUNDRED AND ONE ( APPEARS THIRTY-EIGHT ) YEAR OLD SUPERNATURAL ( VAMPIRE ) is AGAINST the humans. HE has lived in Marion for ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-TWO YEARS in the EDGEWATER ORCHARD neighbourhood, working as a BOUNTY HUNTER / OWNER OF THE SALOON BAR. There are no winners in this war, and HE is AT RISK of losing the supernatural war.
âł BASICS.
FULL NAME: âžâžâžâžâžâž.
AGE: 301, appears 38.
NICKNAME: Ryder.
GENDER & SEXUALITY: Cis male. Pansexual.
HEIGHT & WEIGHT: 6â˛1. 172 lbs.
SPECIES: Vampire.
PERSONALITY: When he was human, Ryder allowed his heart to guide his actions and thoughts. He was an emotional man easily affected by the ones around him, so when he turned into a vampire, it only heightened the strong emotions he felt. Now, with his humanity turned off, Ryderâs emotions are completely shut off, making him carefree and remorseless with his actions.
HOMETOWN: âžâžâžâžâž, Texas.
OCCUPATION: Bounty Hunter / âFixerâ / Owner of The Saloon.
PARENTS: Samuel (father, deceased) & Elizabeth (mother, deceased).
SIBLINGS: Caroline (younger sister, deceased), Mary (younger sister, deceased) & Isaac (younger brother, deceased), Olivia (younger sister, deceased).
WIFE: Evelyn (deceased).
CHILDREN: Ava (eldest daughter, deceased) & Isabella (daughter, deceased).
LEGACY: A human linage from his sistersâ children and their children. He does not keep in contact with them, though he knows of their whereabouts for the most part.
âł ABOUT.
(violence tw, death tw). The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies. This was a lesson that Ryder had learned too late in life. He lived on a farm down in the south of Texas to loving parents plus four younger siblings. He idolized his father Samuel, who was the mayor of the town. He learned everything from his father - how to lead, how to inspire, how to defend, and how to be a good man in the eyes of God. When he became a man, he trained to be part of the police force until he climbed up the ladder to become the Sheriff of the town. Alongside his father, he brought order and stability to their family, friends and neighbours, and eventually settled down into his own family, marrying a wonderful woman and had two beautiful daughters.
But his orderly life came to an end one fateful evening. His younger brother Isaac, the second oldest, grew jealous of Ryder and resentful towards their father for having favourited him. He wanted the power for himself so he plotted against them. Isaac had discovered a werewolf pack that had been travelling through the area. Through his cunning ways, Isaac was able to convince the pack to turn him into one of their own and use them to attack the village. His plan was to kill Samuel and Ryder so that he could take their place and run the town, but through the frenzy and unable to control his new monstrous instincts, him and the other wolves massacred the whole town, including all of  Rydersâ family â his mother, his siblings, his wife and his children. Unbeknownst to Isaac, Ryder had managed to survive the attack. Ryder himself doesnât know how he did, but if it hadnât been for a vampire who found him and turned him to save his life, he would be dead too. Perhaps it would have been better that way.
He used his newfound vampirism to get justice. It took him years to track them down, but one-by-one he found every single werewolf that had come upon them that night, leaving his brother Isaac for last. Revenge consumed his soul from the inside out and destroyed Ryder over time. He found a gang of vampires who were sworn to fight against the werewolves. He joined them, using it as a distraction from his grief and found that he was surprisingly good at it. He grew respected amoung the ranks and many counted on him for his skills and abilities, always able to deliver on his missions and promises. He stayed in their company for two centuries as it gave him an outlet.
Unable to handle the guilt of his actions over the years, Ryder made the decision to shut off his emotions. With his humanity gone, he was able to carry out his orders without a second thought or remorse. He made a name for himself within the supernatural community, selling his services as a âfixerâ â whatever you needed, he was the man for the job â tracking someone on down, cleaning up a mess, hiding the evidence, killing people, you name it. He has his principals, but he doesnât tend to be too picky with his work. But everything comes with a price, he makes deals with his clients as payment â money, items, spells, potions or favours that he will one day come and collect. Those who fail to pay⌠well, you donât want to know what happens to them.
He has been in and out of town over the years, coming for jobs to those who called him but had never settled down there himself. Now, he has decided to stay in town, buying out a local dive bar and revamping it â The Saloon, a front where he conducts his business in the back room. Those who have run into him in the past know that he has a hidden agenda up his sleeve.
âł VIEWS
WEREWOLVES: Despises them. Though it has been years since his brotherâs betrayal, werewolves remind him of everything that had been taken by him, and he has hunted many wolves in the past just for sport.
HUNTERS: Respects them, in a way. He finds it entertaining to see feeble humans fight species stronger than them. He has killed his fair share of hunters in the past, while also working with some of them.
VAMPIRES: Indifferent, just because he is one of them doesnât mean he instantly has a connection to them; however, if he had to choose a species to keep company with, it would be his own kind.
WITCHES: A means to an end. He often contracts witches to help him with his work.
HUMANS: Thinks very little towards human life. He believes supernaturals to be superior.
âł HEADCANONS.
He is a very secretive man, only referring to himself as Ryder - no real first name or last name, to keep his real identity hidden. Only his sire knows his true name.
With his humanity off, he is unaffected to the guilt he has caused over the years, allowing him to be a calculating killer for his job and survival. As he is getting older, he is beginning to have less control of his emotions, his sadness and anger threatening to spill over and take over. Is his humanity really off or is it just an excuse to not face who he truly has become?
He would be well known to some supernaturals, especially the older ones, as he has made a name for himself in his trade.
He owns The Saloon dive bar â an ordinary western-style bar in the front, with an office in the backroom where he does his dealings.
Fluent in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Romanian & Mandarin.
He doesnât like technology. He doesnât own a smart phone, laptop, etc. He usually has the people who work from him use them.
He can play the piano.
Think of him as your resident âRumpelstiltskinâ â do you dare make a deal with the devil?
âł CONNECTIONS.
I am the monster you created [ EMELINE VAN DAALEN 1/1 ] â his sire, she turned him to save him.
the immortality of the soul [ OPEN VAMPIRES 0/? ] â people he has turned into vampires over the last 250 years. It can be against their will or they asked him to.
this medicine is screaming let us in [ ASTRID SALOIS, OPEN 1/3 ] â he prefers to drink from the source, he has a few regular people he uses as his blood bags.
sell your soul [ OPEN 0/? ] â people who have made a deal with him in the past. They either still owe him for the favour or have already paid.
thrice around the circle, all evil sinks in [ MARA FONTAINE, STEFAN REYES, OPEN WITCHES 2/4 ] â witches he has hired in the past to help him with jobs. most likely would have done illegal things.
a light in the dark [ OPEN 0/? ] â help him flip the humanity switch back on.
paint me with black wings [ OPEN VAMPIRE 0/1 ] â he uses to be part of a vampire gang that hunted supernaturals that got in their way (especially werewolves). this person was either part of the gang or had a run-in with them.
can the puppet see their strings [ OPEN HUMAN 0/1 ] â a mundane he is going to mess with. they either already know about the supernatural or maybe he reveals it to them. who knows but itâll be fun.
Feel free to message me, always open to new ideas!
