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[varmint]

OOC INFORMATION
Player: kristen
Age: 21
Personal Journal: calabash
Contact Info: plurk! trillain: jikaku


IC INFORMATION
Characters Name: Elijah Elkwood, also known by his alias as "Mr. Gabriel"
Age: 25
Canon: Todd Allison and the Petunia Violet
Canon Point: ---.
Species: Human.
Gender: Male.


History:  Since there is no wiki for it yet, here’s the comic source! The setting of our story is 1920’s Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. Yes, you got your flappers, your crooks, your “rotten bastards” and a handful of charismatic characters. The city is currently under a tense stand-still due to an array of five unforeseen bombings within the chain of government buildings. The only suspect so far is a mysterious arsonist named only Violet- and the government has set up a specific team of specialists to bring her to justice. The story closely revolves around these events and the links between them and the characters that are introduced into each setting, one by one. Elijah plays a very imperative role to this plot, but let’s rewind a bit, back to the place of Elijah Elkwood’s childhood...


PREAMBLE.
As of yet, not much is known of Elijah’s birthplace, although we do know he was raised near the famed Alice Springs, where he stayed until his family moved to Perth many years later. Elijah and his family are all Australian Aborigines. He lived with his Mother, his little sister: Petunia, and his foster brother, Meredith near the Springs as a child. Elijah’s childhood, from what we can tell from flashbacks and side stories, were abundant in pleasant, happy memories and fond stories of sibling affection. Elijah also lived close to his only known relatives: cousins and several aunts from his mother’s side who seemed to take delight in tormenting him with “witchcraft”. His mother would often find them threatening to take one of his fingers for a spell or showing him a shiny knife, much to her anger and dismay. This most likely explains his fear of women now in present time, although he keeps himself composed on the outside, he’s actually freaking out on the inside. 

As a boy Elijah was a known for being a bit of a trouble maker- messing up lawns and creating fictional stories, as well as making scary masks to frighten poor Petunia. But he was also a quick thinker and knew his way with words, and eventually some began to see him as a mediator and advice-giver, although depending on if that advice was GOOD advice was entirely up to him. Elijah was a sociable child with several no-good friends who shared a love of cigarettes and stories. Later on the comic reveals that Elijah had something of a best friend named Dylan, who he was always getting into trouble with and seemed to irritate to no end. Despite the obvious tensions between his friend Dylan and Meredith (due to a “disagreement” when Meredith first joined the Elkwoods), Elijah saw both boys as playmates and audiences who would listen to his stories for hours on. Elijah consequently leaves Dylan behind when he and his family move to Perth with the promise that he’d come back someday.

In later chapters Petunia tells of Elijah’s courage and bravery when they were children, and of his intelligence and ability to prove himself as a encouraging older brother. He “stood up against things he thought were wrong.”, and according to Petunia: “Nothing could stop him.” Elijah, smart and confident, was said to be a great conversationalist. The artist Nozmo once briefly summarized Elijah in his early teens (15 years old), as a bookworm who always knew what to say or do in a sticky situation. He gave great advice and was always up for a all or nothing deal. Elijah’s old love of reading is definitely brought into light in the present setting of the story- namely, his clever use of words and phrasing. As a teen Elijah experienced many things, one of them being his first love. The specifics of this relationship are still very much shrouded in speculation, but what we do know is it ended very badly, according to Meredith: “It’s a bad story. A girl used him, you could say. He was upset for a very long time.” How the relationship ended, we don’t know yet, although we know it greatly affected Elijah to the point of possibly traumatizing him, which also contributed to his irrational fear of the opposite sex.


BUILD.
Years past, and Elijah and Meredith mature into adulthood. It’s during this stage in their lives do we find the most mystery and unsettlement. Elijah tells Petunia one day that he and Meredith are leaving for Melbourne, and that she isn’t going with them. Despite her anger and obvious hurt, Elijah makes it crystal clear that they won’t be taking her, and they set off the next day to begin a difficult life in the big city. Shortly after this Elijah runs into Dylan for the first time since he moved away to Perth, and the two reacquaint themselves along with Dylan’s friends Marcus and Roland. Dylan confronts Elijah about his disappearance all these years, since Elijah had promised to visit him after he had moved.

The whole encounter becomes an emotional mess on each end, but it’s Elijah who breaks down in tears and admits that he believed everyone back home had forgotten about him. It becomes very evident then to Dylan that something happened in Perth, and he urges Elijah to tell him so that he could possibly help. However, Elijah becomes subdued and dodges the question, leaving the rest of us wondering exactly what did happen in Perth, and why was Elijah so shaken up about it. It’s still a mystery, as is the mark on his wrist that seemed bloody and fresh when he ran into Dylan that day.


PRESENT.
In present time Elijah and Meredith have both situated themselves in Melbourne’s prestigious Parliament House. Elijah works in the Internal Affairs department, presumably still some kind of novice since we see him being taught by another colleague in the comic- although it becomes obvious to the reader that Elijah is merely pretending to be slow. Gossip from the Violet Investigation Team reveals that the only reason Elijah was able to gain a position in the department was because of a sponsor, although the identity of that sponsor is still unknown. What we know is Elijah is a diligent worker and often stays late at Parliament getting things done and writing down statements.

True to how he was when he was younger, he’s well known in Parliament and has even been featured on the city newspaper once. If Elijah is affiliated with a political party, it is still up to the reader to decide which. Elijah seems to share a decent relationship with the Internal Affairs Minister: Mr. Brampton, as we see him visiting his office several times in the comic. The nature of this relationship is unclear, and we’ve yet to see Mr. Brampton in comic despite being mentioned several times. Ch. 13 shows Elijah tentatively visiting an office which may be Mr. Brampton’s office, but its still up to debate, as the person who is inside the office refers to Elijah very casually: “Elijah? Is that you?”

One can portray from Elijah’s lifestyle that he and Meredith live comfortably and have several luxuries accessible to them (in a stark contrast to their upbringing). Compared to Petunia, they seem to be doing rather well- although it’s commonly assumed that they don’t know the state of Petunia’s current living condition, which is anything but comfortable.

Once the comic established Elijah and Meredith’s occupations in Melbourne, the story eventually tells of Elijah’s darker inhibitions, as well as his sharpened mindset and secret involvement with the unknown woman known as Violet. It begins by Elijah hiring a hitman/assassin, one we know as Cyril. He and Meredith meet with Cyril and present the hitman with one job: Kidnap someone from the Violet Investigation Unit and kill them (“slowly, as they bleed to death,” Elijah emphasizes). We know Cyril is an excellent killer, and does his job exceedingly well for someone living underground- and he does his job a little too well, as he actually ends up kidnapping the one and only Todd Allison. Upon realizing who Cyril has kidnapped (after Petunia is discovered snooping by Cyril and tells Elijah this), Elijah immediately calls off the job. Cyril then has no other choice but to kill off the remaining men who had helped him with the job, and it eventually dissolves from there.

Elijah and Meredith are scarce after these events, although we do see Elijah looking up Todd Allison’s records in the beginning of the next chapter. And while it is not canonly confirmed, its highly likely that it is Elijah who types up a front page story about the kidnapping and sends it to the Morning Star, Melbourne’s main newspaper station. This theory is later suggested further when Meredith contacts the Morning Star via telephone and exchanges information with them. The story of the kidnapping quickly spreads and sends rumors and speculations throughout Parliament, which was possibly Elijah’s objective to begin with. Soon everyone is in an uproar over the kidnappings, the bombs and Violet, leaving any promising trails of suspects in disarray.

Elijah clearly has some use of Todd Allison, and the theories range from using his biochemical intelligence for terrorism or perhaps finding a way through Todd and into the Institute of Science of Industry. Whatever the reason, Elijah needs to keep Todd Allison alive, and as far as he’s concerned Todd Allison is still a valuable piece in this game.


-SPOILERS AHEAD-


But Elijah isn’t completely sure of his own motives, and like any sensible person (although that can be questioned) he has his doubts. Elijah fears the unknown, although he accepts it- much like he accepts the death he’s planned for himself. In the beginning of Love and Libel, Elijah is out of sorts and seems shaken up by the progress of his plans. Meredith is obviously very worried for him, but Elijah assures him that he’s alright and reminds Meredith then of their unforgotten promise. The promise that, when all this is over, Meredith must kill him. How or why they came to such a pact hasn’t been explained yet, though we can defer from this that Elijah plans something very terrible indeed if he believes his only option afterwards is certain death.This is the last we see of them in the present time (excluding flashbacks), and their interactions portray the notion that things are going to get very heavy very soon- and Elijah will have much to do with it.

From Elijah’s behaviors, mannerisms and charisma, the reader can easily tell that Elijah harbors a great deal of animosity and regret towards Melbourne itself, since he wishes for it to burn to the ground- but he is also filled with affection towards his family and all things simple. He’s a complex character thrust into a dangerous situation, one that actually suits him pretty well.



Personality:
From the complex mind of Elijah himself, a multitude of personalities reside both in secret and in face. He has learned to keep his emotions in balance between the world he has stepped into and the one he ultimately left behind.

DEFAULT SUAVE JERK MODE.
Perhaps Elijah’s most common display of character- his keen, smooth-talking persona. Throughout the comic Elijah glides in and out of this state, and it is as natural to him as fitting on a glove. He retains a more level-headed piece of mind, and tends to come off almost as arrogant. Whether it’s making a deal with a slightly worrisome mercenary or having someone crash into him in the hall, Elijah maintains his perfected mask, although it will often slip at the tell-tale sign of a joke or a shock. Elijah knows when to “turn on the charm” so to speak, even if it is for something as diminutive as making small talk. Elijah has been known to use his sly demeanor to pull information from others, or change the odds in a certain situation. He isn’t easily intimidated when in this phase, although it’s safe to say Elijah’s overall atmosphere makes it very difficult to try and intimidate.

THE JOKER.
So really, Elijah isn’t always a venomous, grinning, otherwise intelligent business stick in the mind. With his own erratic plans conducted in his mind, come the triggers that release a very inappropriate sense of humor. Elijah finds things funny, both in a cynical and obvious way, depending on how he sees it. He had to hold back laughter after he and Meredith were blatantly hit on by one Mr. Cyril, and he could barely contain himself when poor Meredith had honestly and openly admitted that he was “romantic, in that old, funny sort of way.” (He actually COULDN’T contain himself and ended up in a laughing fit either way). Elijah is almost more light-hearted in this sense, as he often finds ways to amuse himself whilst trudging through work and evil schemes (whatever THOSE may be). While Elijah really has no problem taking jabs at other people, it doesn’t mean he won’t go out of his way to make others laugh. With Meredith, it was in the form of apology (although he would never admit it.) Making stupid faces until Meredith laughed was a confirmation that almost all was in fact, forgiven. It would be an overstatement to assume Elijah was something of a prankster, as he has never actually tried to prank anyone or spend most of his time finding things humorous- but it is something to take note of. The fact that Elijah, under the speculated layers of his skin, actually has a sense of humor (and bad taste, at that) is something all in itself.

THE BIG BROTHER.
Elijah’s world is centered perfectly on its axis, and it’s towering pillars are made up of his motives, his job, and the people he loves more than anything. Dark and daunting he may be, Elijah holds a firm grip on his affections towards his siblings. His love ranges from silly pet names to overprotective murderous mode: “What did he do?! I’ll fucking cut that son of a bitch!!” When it comes to his little sister Petunia, Elijah drops all inhibition and turns into a complete, slobbery big brother mess. He showers her with compliments, endearments, and fawns over her a great deal. To Elijah, Petunia is simply the “smartest, cutest, prettiest, everything about her is RADIANT,” and more. During their childhood, the author explains Elijah was the one who doted over her the most, although it was quite clear he and Meredith loved Petunia equally and without fail. It is rather uncommon of a villain to show such honest love and attachment to a (still living) sibling, but it is actually a grave reminder of how human Elijah actually is. His unconditional love for them only further proves the complexity of his own emotions. Elijah’s love does not only come in affections, however. When Petunia becomes upset because of Elijah and Meredith’s decision to move to Melbourne, Elijah promptly and seethingly stops her in her tracks and makes his intentions known, no questions asked. It was obvious that Petunia wanted to follow Elijah and Meredith into the big city, but Elijah knew- he could not place her in such a world. A world in which, even despite Elijah’s decision, found its way into Petunia’s life forever. After she left home on her own, she faced discrimination, segregation, and hardship. It was clear then, that Elijah wanted to protect her from what he knew he would eventually face.

And then there is Meredith, whom perhaps is the only other person who knows Elijah better than Elijah knows himself. Elijah and Meredith share a history reaching back to their childhood, when Meredith first came into the Elkwood family and was introduced to who would be his first and only best friend. As much as he dotes on his petite baby sister, Elijah also shares the same admiration for Meredith. When Meredith loses yet another game of chess and refuses to play again, Elijah pinches his cheeks and calls him “an adorable baby”. Clearly, Elijah labels himself as the older, playful big brother who would indeed do anything for his siblings, as well as do everything in his power to embarrass them. Meredith is not so easy to pester, however, and therein lies many of the problems he and Elijah face not only as foster brothers, but as a team. Elijah is openly honest with Meredith, almost to a fault. He exposes perhaps the few questions he has only ever asked himself in secret to Meredith, such as the one line that sums up many of his actions: “Meredith, am I a villain?” In the comic, we see that Meredith agreed that he was, but it was only when situations became worse did his expression show he was actually beginning to believe it. Elijah knows when to apologize to Meredith, although he doesn’t do it as well as he should. He feels guilt, especially when it has affected Meredith in some way.

THE VILLAIN.
Petunia once said, “Even now, Elijah is still the same, except sometimes when I look into his eyes, something in them is burning.” This sentence sums up perhaps Elijah’s most complex personality of them all. Aside from the mysterious entity known as Violet, Elijah seems to have made himself into the main villain of the story. Not only by action, but also by reflection of his own character, and of his own doing. It’s easy to see Elijah knows he does terrible things (kidnapping government officials, leaving your younger sister in the hands of a killer, indulging in torture and pain...) and it is true, that he knows the difference between right and wrong. Being the intelligent man that he is, Elijah can detect when others are affected by him. He labels himself a villain, and one must wonder if it is purely out of self-pity for himself that he does, or if it is perhaps a self-acknowledgement that he understands is long overdue. Instead of enlightenment, he feels hopelessness, or even an obligation to his new found identity. If Elijah truly has changed as his sister said, then he’s incredibly aware of it. Elijah often takes on a darker image that does not reflect his default, mischievous exterior- in fact, it overlaps it. What Petunia describes as a “burning” is perhaps Elijah’s own intent showing through from his heart. Just as his passion strives for the familiarity of his siblings, so does his passions for making sure his own plans and wishes all come true. As mentioned above in his motivation, it is most likely that something affected him during his early adulthood- something that changed him, or meant to change him all together. Whatever it was, it seemed to have done the trick, and has shaped Elijah into a dead on, one-track mind.



Appearance:


Elijah carries the dark complexion of the aboriginals of western Australia. His skin is fairly clear, and he has no visible markings on his face. However, he does have a mark on his right wrist which is constantly hidden by a bandage. At one point in the comic the bandages are bloody and stained, which leads us to believe it is actually wound he is hiding, or perhaps even some kind of engraving or tattoo on his skin. His hair is short, and everywhere! Well, sort of. It's just wavy, and tends to stick out in ends from all sides- that is if he hasn't pulled a comb through it (and even then one little strand always manages to stick up.) His hair is a unique shade of naturally light purple- his sister Petunia also shares a bright hair color like him. His eyes are a light blue color.

Abilites: Nothing really here, except for Elijah's play of words and his way around a gun.
Other: n/a!

SAMPLES
First Person: This way!

Third Person: It's 2am, and Elijah is in the kitchen.

On the small side table, to be specific- with a good few stacks of documents settled on one side, and newspapers on the other. It would've been a usual sight to see, him eyeing his work with a hand on his chin and the other balancing a pen between his fingers. But fortunately, for him, he wasn't dressed down to the nail- in fact his simple dress shirt was looked a little worn.

Elijah glances at his watch, then back to his papers. Something is in the oven- warm, and sweet. It smells pretty good...a more rural lifestyle wouldn't be so much of a dramatic change for him, really. But it had been some time- since he could properly place the emotion that was a domestic familiarity to the world.

No, nothing of marriage, or children, or valued legitimate jobs. That is, not until now...