#closedl

[nyc-blacklist]

Some people say that Alexa looks a lot like MEGAN FOX. She is an original character and is therefore UNAVAILABLE.

Los Angeles, to the untrained eye, seems like a California dream. Celebrities, bright lights, entertainment galore. This is the image that the city of angels portrays on screen instead of the grungy, dangerous, underbelly of the real thing. Amongst all the dirt and grime, however, there is a magic there. The smell of delicious Mexican food, beautiful music coming out of every nook and cranny, and the lingering hopes and dreams of those still chasing them after being beat down for so long. That was the Los Angeles that Alexa Caldwell grew up loving.

Growing up with a single mother in a one bedroom apartment off Silverlake, Alexa never had much but she had her mother and the city of Los Angeles to raise her. It raised her tough and she learned early on that the world was cruel but there was still beauty to be found in it. She learned that while she didn’t have as much as her friends at school, she still had so much love and it never really bothered her. She had dreams of becoming a famous dancer, having been a dancer ever since she could walk. Alexa’s mother wanted her daughter to have as much opportunity as the other kids so she worked two jobs just so she could put Alexa through dance classes. She would drive her to every audition and help her to get to where she wanted to be.

By the time Alexa graduated high school, she had managed to get into NYU on a scholarship to study dance and four months into her freshmen year, she booked her first Broadway show as a dancer. It was her dream come true and everything she could have asked for. That was until her dreams came crashing down on top of her. At the time, she had started dating a senior acting major who was everything she wanted in a partner. He was tall, handsome, talented, and intense. He made her feel beautiful and pushed her to be better in everyway he could. They dated and soon, his career started taking off. Alexa was living the high life; going to high profile parties and getting chased by paparazzi all because her boyfriend was the newest, up and coming star of the New York film scene.

Just as quickly as things took off, that was how fast they came crashing down. She and her boyfriend were in a horrible car accident and only Alexa got out unscathed. The car crash killed her boyfriend instantly and soon, it became another story of a young actor with so much potential that was taken too soon. Alexa, unfortunately, never quite recovered, having severely dislocated her hip, making dancing too painful to continue. And just like that, her career ended and she was left to figure out what she could do.

There was nothing she could think to do but go back to school but instead, she opted for a community college. She decided to major in floral art, a hobby her grandmother had shared with her growing up and found that she had a knack for it. It was peaceful and it was something she became passionate about. Once she graduated and got her degree, by the age of 28, she set out to open her own florist shop. Her designs started gaining traction and soon, her shop became overrun with orders. Her business was booming but part of her missed the life she used to have. Now she has a successful business of her own, making art for anyone that orders from her whether it be a small corsage for a high school homecoming or several arrangements for a large wedding.

[ageofwrathrpg]

Name: Josette Proulx Age:  32 Ability: Regenerative Healing Faction:  LESYAS as an ASSASSIN Faceclaim:  Lyndsy Fonseca Availability:  TAKEN

THE STORY || TW: Death, Violence, Child Trafficking

Josette was born into a lavish life to a French lawyer and her husband. For the first years of her life, her parents raised her with loving hands that pushed her through the most advanced école primaire education that money could buy. They were an idyllic family, complete with white picket fences and a cat named Fluffy. They should have lived a long, happy life, but only one week before Josette’s twelfth birthday, her mother became involved in the most dangerous case of her life. Her client’s name was Raphael le Blanc, a Rostek charged with at least 20 separate cases of murder. As a closeted Vila herself, the case was already uncomfortably personal. On the third day of her involvement, Josette was torn from her bedroom in the wake of night by several of the Rostek’s allies. A note was left on her pillow that detailed the only way that Josette would be returned: if Mrs. Proulx could fabricate a story of her client’s innocence convincing enough to deceive the judge. If she failed, she would never see Josette again.

For four weeks, Mrs. Proulx fought for her daughter’s life by fighting for her client’s freedom. For five weeks, Josette rotted in a German base where her captors referred to her as “Hure” and she grew accustomed to moldy bread. On week six, Josette was blindfolded and scheduled to leave for Moscow, where the Rosteks had a shortage of soldiers. She was shoved into a crowded truck for 17 hours before being intercepted by a band of Lesyas. There was kicking, screaming, but Josette was too tired – too malnourished – to react, even when the driver pulled her from her seat and pressed a knife into her neck. She crumpled limply when he was killed with a gunshot. The Lesyas were ready to leave her for dead when her wound closed and she stirred on the ground. They took her with them to nurse, and then to train.

The Lesyas fed her hearty soups and dressed her in warm clothes. When she was brave enough to speak again, she asked to be reunited with her family. A thorough search, however, resulted in the discovery that her parents had perished in a horrible fire. Days after Le Blanc was released free of charges, a furious sister of one of his victims burned the Proulx’s home to the ground.  Josette was devastated, and then she was angry. The Lesyas helped her channel her rage into her training and found that she was quick to learn. She became a thief, and then an assassin. Her serious resolve frightened many, but as she grew more comfortable, her mein shifted. The Lesyas’ fear of Josette faded and was replaced with infatuation. She loved them like family, and proved to only intimidate those she wanted dead.

THE CHARACTER

Misfortune has plagued her life; she knows that. She knows how close she was to living one of winsome joy, with a clear path to an expensive university and high-ranking profession. She knows that it was by the hands of Rosteks that this path crumbled before her feet. Josette has all of the ingredients to be a creature of malevolence, but she got her patience from her father and her bravery from her mother. She isn’t willing to let the parts of them that make her a Proulx die. When the situation allows it, Josette is charismatic and lovely. The Lesyas that know of her past know better than to raise the subject. Those who don’t, know better than to ask.

CONNECTIONS

Kostya Chen - When Josette was first taken in by the Lesyas, Kostya would periodically visit her bedside to talk to her. Josette couldn’t understand a word of her Russian and was too afraid to speak even if she could, but Kostya could feel her effect on Josette (verbal reciprocation be damned) and it was enough to know that she was lifting her spirits. Kostya became Josette’s first friend and was the first person to see her smile.

Luka Viktorovich Ikashev - He’s too goddamn uptight, always sucking on a cigarette and glaring off into space. She’s taken to leaving wrapped chocolates outside his bedroom in hopes that that they’ll help with his severe broodiness. She has no idea if it’s been working, but they’re always gone by the next day, so she’s optimistic.

Eugene ‘Shifr’ Yosefich Tolmachev - She doesn’t know much about him except that he’s ridiculously rich. There are millionaire drug lords, and then there’s Shifr. On a particularly bad day of assassin’s work, he plucked her unconscious body from where he found it bloodied behind a dumpster. By the time they arrived at his stupidly luxurious manor, she was unscathed and conscious. He hadn’t known that she was a Vila and had to apologize to his doctor for waking her at such an atrocious hour.

Gavriil 'Moose' Moiseyevich Mussorgsky - Two years after her recruitment, Gavrill stepped into the manor. She followed him from a distance, watching curiously as he toured around her home. He knew that she was shy, and left chocolates by her bedroom to coax her bravery out of her. Needless to say, it worked. They became close friends and sparring partners.

Mikhail Borisovich Kadyrov - If not for him, Josette would have struggled with Russian for much longer than she did. It was a monumental relief to be able to speak French and to be understood. He was her first partner in crime, and informal tutor. He showed her the ropes of thievery and assassination. Many of her most dangerous missions were only successful because of his casual tips.

[[ More Connections ]]

ETC

She misses her parents. She does. Every year, on her mother’s birthday, father’s birthday, the anniversary of their wedding, and the anniversary of their death, she returns to France and visits their tombstones.

When she is given information about child trafficking, she drops the task at hand and obsesses over the system until she is certain of its destruction. Once, her Lesya superiors confronted her about this ‘unprofessional tendency.’ She threatened to leave the cause, and they shut up after that.

When she's upset, she trains. She locks herself in the gymnasium and doesn't rest until her muscles are overtired and she's completely annihilated the punching bags.

She has a pitbull named Anubis. 

The fact that her ability gives her a remarkably high alcohol tolerance is quite possibly the best thing in the history of ever.

[nyc-blacklist]

Some people say that Callie looks a lot like DOVE CAMERON. Her faceclaim is negotiable, although she is currently UNAVAILABLE.

Born and raised in the small town of Beaufort, South Carolina, Callie is the epitome of a southern sweetheart. She’s a bubbly, go-getter by nature, and her parents raised her to be polite, hardworking, charmingly innocent, and intensely family oriented. Nobody dare ever question her southern roots; her southern twang is unmissable and she’s regularly pulling out her sweet tea recipe or her trusty cowboy boots at a moment’s notice. There’s so much to love about Callie, and she’s got a lot of love to give in return.

Callie is good with kids – like, exceptionally good with kids. Growing up with three younger brothers and in a neighborhood chock full of other families with young kids equates to a lot of babysitting gigs and a ton of experience with all different kinds of families. There’s no boo-boo or owie she can’t fix, no monster she can’t sweep from under the bed, and no stain she can’t remove. She’s exceptionally organized, exceptionally prepared, and you can count on her to always have an extra band aid or juice box on hand.

Fortunately for her, if there’s one thing New York will always need more of, it’s nannies. It was a nearly impossible decision to leave Beaufort and her brothers behind, but her first heartbreak on top an intensifying case of cabin fever in her quiet hometown left her desperate for a fresh start. When she finally made the decision to leave, she packed up what she could in a matter of hours, took all of her money out of savings, and bought the first plane ticket out of South Carolina. She ended up in New York four hours later and charmed her way into a live-in nannying position within her first two days in the city.

Despite the reasons for her move, her rash decision to leave could not have worked out better for her. Her new boss – a lovely, successful businessman and single father of three – provided Callie with a private room in his townhouse and a stipend in exchange for caring for his well-behaved, though exceptionally busy and involved, young children. Living with three children feels almost like home and she’s spent nearly four years with this family now – cooking, cleaning, getting them to school and their extracurriculars on time – and in return she has a safe place to stay and the comfort and support of a family unit.

Callie spends the extra money she gets from her stipend on supplies for her very, very small private catering endeavor. It’s a good way to earn herself some extra cash – she knows she’ll have to leave her nannying job eventually, figures it’s best to be prepared – and a good way to squash her homesickness. Everything she cooks comes straight from her grandmother’s southern recipe box, and all of her new clients come exclusively from word-of-mouth referrals from her other clients. It certainly keeps her busy on top of her nannying job, but it’s a welcomed distraction from her thoughts and the mess she left back home.

Relationships

Alexander Taurus - Callie and Alex are familiar with each other after meeting a few times during their school run. One of her employer’s children attends the same school as Alex’s youngest sibling and they often find themselves chatting with each-other on the playground.

[nyc-blacklist]

Some people say that Betrice looks a lot like NATALIE DORMER. She’s an original character and is therefore UNAVAILABLE.

Where Archibald was the ‘planned’ and golden gift to the Maycroft bloodline, Betrice Eloise Augusta Maycroft was the black sheep. While her older brother pursued a life of his own, soaring to unparalleled heights, Betrice was ever cast in his shadows and furthered shackled there by their mother’s neglect. Starved for approval, it was her early years that saw her instead seek to outshine dear sweet Archie no matter the cost. While her brother scaled the heights in the fashion world, she sought to dominate that of ballroom dancing and fencing very nearly eclipsing him in her youth. Yet despite her bitter jealousy, there was no one she loved more than Archie. Betrice sought to assume the mantle of heir apparent to their father’s legacy, putting herself through college until she carried a master’s degree in business and a certainty it would allow her brother the freedom he so desperately craved.

In her youth, Betrice remembers only how small her hands filled her father’s palm. She can still recall Archie’s laughter, the soft words shared with their mother. There is no fondness for the woman, only an ache of wishing she knew the kindness her brother often speaks of with quiet affection. No, her world was her brother and their cousin, Matthew Henry. Still Betrice recalls the seemingly endless summers of just the three of them visiting art galleries, museums, and exploring what the world had to offer. And always she had Archie, he was the unshakable protector. Betrice still recalls arguments between her uncle and her father, the words muddled but the weight of them lingering. Betrice wouldn’t see Matthew again for a long long time. It was the only time their mother comforted her, brushing her fingers with foreign tenderness and speaking oh so softly to her brother. In a series of firsts it was also the only moment Betrice recalls Archie raising his voice, shouting, at their mother. Things were never the same between them and often she would catch the hateful glances her mother spared her before closing the door upon her. Betrice’s childhood was a flurry of nannies, ever changing faces, and a growing absence of her brother.

Things only became truly bleak when Archie finally departed home in the summer. Betrice only recalls that it was muggy then, the air sticking to your skin. Yet it was that same summer they would gather then to bury their mother. Betrice does not remember the woman that replaced her only that she didn’t last long either much to their grandfather’s dismay. But she does recall the sting of the woman’s fingers across her skin. Still a child, she was forced to follow the whims of her father and grandfather alike as scandal after scandal followed their family like a hound nipping their heels. Betrice wound up with another parent, a new father, and finally after the scandal settled it seemed the Maycroft name was salvaged. But the damage was done.

Betrice spiraled hard, seeking out Archie but never truly reaching out for fear of her father’s disapproval and her grandfather’s lingering touch. Yet even after a narrow miss with pills, a failed career and future, it seemed she could only prove her grandfather’s words true; Maycrofts weren’t weak. In the wake of rehab, Betrice seemed to thrive upon the scandal and delighted instead upon crushing tabloid after tabloid under her heel. Soon after Archie was named heir to the Maycroft empire and the death of their grandfather, she eclipsed all of it by spontaneously marrying a wealthy rancher from Texas effectively wiping any mention of her father or grandfather from the papers. It was all the retaliation she needed for the time, Betrice doing what she could to shelter her brother now she was old enough to protect his reputation from harm.

It really wasn’t a surprise when Archie’s biggest scandal was covered up, effectively buried by Matthew and Betrice together creating noise of their own. Her husband was found dead, half-eaten at sea with no clear suspects and Betrice left the sole inheritor to all his estate. Armed to the proverbial teeth, she swore never again to let anyone have the power to hurt her. After all, she was her brother’s dearest busy Bee, why shouldn’t she aspired to the name?

Relationships

Matthew Henry - During her adolescence, her world was her brother and their cousin, Matthew. Betrice still recalls arguments between her uncle and her father, the words muddled but the weight of them lingering. Betrice wouldn’t see Matthew again for a long long time after that, but the two siblings reconnected with their cousin again in their adulthood.