[ monica barbaro, cis woman, she/her ] - was that NICK WILDE i saw around town today? nope, turns out it was NICOLE MERCER, the 34-year old BARTENDER @ THE PIT who has lived in town for THREE & A HALF YEARS. i heard they have a reputation of being QUICK-WITTED & DETACHED. letâs hope the killer doesnât go after them next while being here in grimmvale.
SNAPSHOT
name: nicole mercer (formerly lucia isabella ferraro and elena morales) ; birthday: january 11, 1992 ; birthplace: somewhere in california ; pronouns: she/her ; gender: cis woman ; orientation: heterosexual ; time in town: 3.5 years ; occupation: bartender @ the pit and assistant coach for grimmvale high's girls varsity basketball team (formerly organizational strategist) ; character inspo: nick wilde from zootopia
HISTORY
was born elena morales in san diego, california to a single mother. her childhood was modest but filled with love. she learned kindness, curiosity, compassion and resilience. as a child she was naturally inquisitive and loved books, puzzles, and old movies. she had a keen ability to read people and was quite the empath at the time.
her mother unexpectedly grew sick when she was eight. at age ten, her mother passed, and elena had entered the foster system, lived in several homes, and had to learn survival instincts. she never stayed anywhere long, never got attached, became extremely observant and learned the true reality of human psyche in real time. eventually she ran away at age thirteen, living off the streets and her instincts.
the ferraros, of oakland, found her and took her in at fourteen. she saw her self as a runway who could pick pockets, manipulate conversations, swiftly disappear into crowds and keep herself safe in the midst of identified threats. they saw potential and were impressed by her nature, renaming her lucia ferraro. for a girl who seemingly had lost everything, they provided her a home, education, stability, family, and purpose all wrapped up in a lofty price. thankfully, basketball was her one piece of normalcy where she could be a kid in the midst of this crime family and organization.
by her twenties, she became the family strategist. she oversaw negotiations, information gathering, managed conflict, analyzed opponents and mastered the art of manipulating situations without the need for violence. she was respected because she could end conflict before it even started. yet, some good things must come to an end. at thirty, the organization collapsed with a coordinated assassination that made the family obsolete. lucia survived, escaped, because she noticed the impending signs.
abandoning her name, money, connections, influence and power, she spent months erasing the identity of lucia ferraro. she created a new one. nicole mercer. no history, no family, no legacy, no expectations. she moved across county and ended up in grimmvalle. a small community, where who didn't impose about her past, where she got to help teens on and off the court, and befriend faces at the bar into family.
still she can't help but protect the innocent around her, so she falls in space of a quiet netizen with an online presence known as the fox. one who exposes criminals, gathers evidence, helps victims, and anonymously helps investigations. since she can't seek revenge on those who disrupted her past, she can seek prevention for herself and others.
HEADCANONS
always sits with her back to a wall with a clear view of every entrance and exit. not even a conscious decision for her anymore, just innate.
secretly a romantic but refuses to admit it. will watch romcoms on the weekends she's not working or coaching with a bottle of wine, ice cream, and pepperoni pizza.
keeps snacks everywhere. granola bars in her bags, cracker and water in her car, fresh fruit in the staff fridge. comes from a lack rooted in her childhood.
uncanny ability to tell when someone is lying, but she doesn't call them out on it unless it serves her. prefers to fish and figure out why they're lying versus lie itself.
makes homemade pasta, bread, and pastries when she's stressed. learned from the ferraro's personal chef when she sixteen. you may end up with a random pie.
incredibly difficult to buys gifts for because she rarely wants anything. if you're gonna give her something make it handmade or deeply personal. likes gag gifts!
loves old book stores and collecting secondhand books. appreciates finding annotations from someone else's perspective.
WANTED CONNECTIONS
the foster sibling. someone from before the ferraros! the only person who knows her as elena and would most likely recongize her immediately in grimmvale. (0/1)
the bar regulars. people who become some of her first genuine friendships in town. no favors, no obligations. show up as you are and we love you all the same. (0/4)
the criminal recruiter. can be either from the MC or the syndicate. someone can see there is more than she is letting on. they attempt to pull her back into the world she escaped completely three years ago. (0/1)
