LUMIÉRE ▶ LEON BERNARD ( OWNER OF THE RABBIT HOLE ● 37 ● RYAN GOSLING ● OPEN )
Leon was born to Violet and Allen Bernard in Denver and when he was almost two, his parents divorced. A year later, his dad remarried Rose and a year later Cameron was born. Having a brother was great, and growing up in a blended family even more so. His mom was still in the picture and their family was larger and more blended than most, with everyone living in close proximity to each other. But growing up in a large family meant having to work harder to stand out and Leon certainly did that.
He was always a bit of a showman, even from a young age – often enlisting Cameron and their cousin Sophia into his antics. They often played his stagehands for magic tricks, his supporting cast for musical performances and his business partners for lemonade stands. He was always dreaming big, always trying something new and he became known as the idea guy of the family.
These big ideas served him well, getting him into Stanford’s business program and while academics weren’t exactly his strong suit, he managed to get by with some elbow grease and the help of Cameron who followed in his footsteps a year later. Academics weren’t his focus either, so much as charming professors, RA’s and other members of administration. He’s responsible for planning the most successful festivals the school had seen and for being the person everyone wanted to hang out with. Calling him charismatic would’ve been an understatement. He was magnetic.
Post-graduation he decided to open a club in downtown LA, with the help of Cameron, of course, and it was good for a while, pretty successful and vibrant until, five years ago, Leon reneged on a deal he made with someone when he realized they were taking a larger cut than agreed upon. He didn’t know they had ties to a local gang who responded by setting the club on fire one night, with Leon still inside closing up.
It’s a miracle he even survived, with only severe burns on his one arm and torso. It took several months and skin grafts to heal. During his time in the hospital, his family came around him, but none more so than Cameron. His brother got him back on his feet and encouraged him to seek another venture, promising to be with him the entire time. So when Leon found a real estate listing for a shoddy run down place in a town called Grimmbrook, he got an idea and they moved to make that idea a reality. The Rabbit Hole opened three years ago and has been thriving since.
CONNECTIONS ▶
CAMERON BERNARD: Cameron and Leon are half brothers but no one would ever guess that beyond their looks being slightly different. From the time Cameron was born, the two boys were attached at the hip. Leon was always the one dragging his little brother along on his adventures and antics and Cameron joined, mostly to make sure Leon didn’t get himself killed. Their entire lives went this way, Leon leading and Cameron protecting, even if Leon didn’t think he needed protection. They work together like yin and yang and if anyone were to ever hurt or cross Leon’s brother, there’d be hell to pay.
SOPHIA BERNARD-LEWIS: Sophia made Leon and Cameron’s duo into a trio. Leon was responsible for getting her nose out of books every now and then, the only one who could really convince her to play outside and get muddy. She’s like a little sister and the three of them together are inseparable. Sophia’s ex-fiance is on the top of his shitlist for hurting his cousin and he’s made sure to let Sophia know that if she needs anything, just to ask him. Already, he and Cameron agreed to help Sophia cover some of her tuition at Grimmbrook University – it’s just what family does.
SIMON CHURCH: If there’s anything that Leon learned from how his club in LA went, it’s not to mess with the wrong people. But learning a lesson and applying it to real life are two different things. He knows that Simon’s got his own strip club and while they serve different clients for different purposes, Fairy Tails is The Rabbit Hole’s main competition, which makes Simon Leon’s main competition. He’s heard about what the guy can do and doesn’t want to poke the bear but he can’t resist the challenge of doing better than the established strip club.
TYLER DECKER: He’s a riot and the exact type of customer that Leon wants to draw into the club. He sees Tyler as the person who couldn’t give a flying fuck what anyone else thinks about him having a good time and appreciates that. Whenever Tyler’s there, the party is taken to another level, for better or worse.
MICHELLE MIU: Three years ago he saw a property listing and contacted the printed number. Michelle Miu picked up and thus began their dealings. The property he saw would become The Rabbit Hole but before it was a fixer upper. He did a deal with Michelle to get the property at a steal in return for a small percentage of the club’s earnings the first three years. He was happy to pay it at first but is a little less happy now that her cut isn’t so small because of how well the club is doing. They’ve got half a year left in their contract but he’s trying to figure out a way to cut her out sooner than that.