Derrick

Deryni

Name: Derrick Fletcher

Age: 17 (m06/d08)

Position: Herald Trainee - 1st year

Gifts: Strong Fetching, Moderate Thoughtsensing that becomes ‘attuned’ to people he’s close to

Appearance: A boy still growing into his body, Derrick is tall for his age, although slightly underweight. He moves with natural grace, apparently either far enough through puberty that awkwardness and clumsiness have faded, or just quick to adjust to the state. All his movements are quick and darting, and he speaks with abortive gestures. His heritage is hard to pin down, with dirty blond hair tied back in a ponytail, light blue eyes, angular (almost haughty) features, and a sharply tilted nose. His complexion is light, with a faint sprinkling of freckles. He dresses plainly, making certain to not wear anything of particular note, and would prefer to be able to disappear into a crowd, except that his new height makes that a difficult task. Muscle is apparent, although light and more in the manner of an athlete than a fighter at this time. A couple white scars on his arms denote knife fights in his past, along with a nasty line down his cheek, dangerously close to his right eye. An unpleasant burn on his left shoulder is present when Chosen, and will probably leave a permanent scar that causes pain whenever he lifts his left arm too high or strains the shoulder.

Personality: Far friendlier than his ‘sister’ Valla, Derrick is out to make friends and allies wherever her can, knowing it’ll serve him well, and simply because he prefers to avoid hostility. Equipped with seemingly unending source of good humor, responding to even the most unfriendly responses and situations with a smile and a laugh, shrugging it off easily. Without really thinking about it, he automatically assesses every person he encounters, determining threat and wealth with a combination of observation and ‘hunches’ that he claims he gets – which is actually the unprotected thoughts that he picks up without realizing. He has a strong protective streak when it comes to family, grouping close friends into the family category. He trusts nearly as quickly as he makes friends, usually following a policy of trusting until betrayed, and rarely (if ever) forgiving that betrayal. This, however, does not apply when he has a bad feeling about a person or situation – he won’t have anything to do with something or someone that triggers that ‘feeling’ (which is also the thought-sensing in action). Unfortunately, he doesn't have as much patience as he should, and tends to get a bit snappy when he's bored. He also doesn’t refer to himself as a thief, feeling that although he has the skills and the history, he’s simply doing what he needs to do until he can find a proper job that’ll pay the rent. Derrick’s always had the sense that something was missing, and he wouldn’t be able to settle down until he found out what it was.

Short Life Story: Born to a lamplighter and a seamstress, Derrick spent most of his childhood in poverty – he didn’t realize for a long time, as his parents went to great lengths to keep him from knowing that the reason they moved regularly was because work was paying less and less. With an extra (and unexpected) mouth to feed, they had difficulties paying for necessary things, and slowly migrated from a decent middle-income neighborhood to a low-income slum. By the time he was ten, Derrick had learned enough from watching the neighborhood children to start doing some stealing of his own. He took to pickpocketing, purse-cutting, and other minor thievery like a fish to water, the items almost seeming to jump into his hands, and soon was even at the roof-trade with the same ease.

At twelve, he met Valla. Although not certain what she was doing, he knew that no one would ever catch him if she was distracting them – and at the same time, he had a sense that she desperately needed help. As a compromise, he took her back home with him, and has treated her as a little sister ever since – to the point that she’s the main beneficiary of his protective streak. The two worked well together, skills and personalities meshing perfectly. He’s spent the last four years trying to make enough money to pay the rent as his mother became ill and his father struggled to make ends meet. Even with Valla’s help, it wasn’t enough, and the two moved into the better parts of the city with the hopes that the takings would be better. They were – but then it all went wrong. Valla didn’t signal him, and although he abruptly knew that the Guards were coming, it wasn’t enough. They split up, and she got caught. He kept running, hoping she’d lie her way out of trouble.

For the four days after that, he kept seeing a Companion, spotting it at the very last moment. Knowing that the Herald couldn’t be far away, he’d run – using every trick he knew, from the maze of alleys, to ducking into shops, to downright scrambling up a wall and using the rooftops to get away. However, it seemed like every time he thought he’d gotten away, he’d catch a glimpse of pure white, and would bolt for it again.

Evilene was beginning to become quite frustrated with her soon-to-be Chosen.

Companion: Evilene, mare. Derrick calls her Evvy.
Description: Built in the manner of an Arabian, Evilene has a delicate-seeming form, and hidden reserves of speed along with endurance. Although capable of doing some fighting, she, like her Chosen, prefers to avoid it. She has an arched neck, small head, and is a bit on the vain side – something that Derrick indulges by grooming her and cosseting her anytime she wishes. Aside from the vanity, Evvy is generally easy to get along with – she has a large playful side, a scheming streak a mile wide, a healthy dose of practicality when needed, and is usually more patient than he is. The notable exception being her rising irritation about being unable to catch him long enough to Choose him!

Family: Father – lamplighter
Mother – Mavra - seamstress (ill)
‘Sister’ – Valla – troublemaker

Last Updated: 06/15/2008