. G I V E . IN . TO . A . M O M E N T .
and we are become one.

.FORMALITIES.
it's all about you.

- My name is lex, I am better than you and you can reach me via sweet rave parties.
- I'm in the tea coloured english time zone and will probably post as many times per week as I like. It's my board and I make the rules... when M lets me.
- I already play Thane, Fiona, the Fiddle and the Harmonica... all at the same time..

.ON TO BASICS.
a first glance at your character.
. NAME .

"It's Amadeo Paulo Nicci, has been since the day I was born and will be until the day the oceans take us all."

. AGE .

"1916 I came crashin' into this world, but there's not been much to celebrate since. I was born in the March so I guess that makes me Ninety-Two and some five months already."

. SPECIES .

"Siren, some human, but the majority I'd always say was Siren."

. OCCUPATION .

"These days I would class myself as a Handler; as in, you bring something to my door you need to be taken care of, and I'll handle it. Whether it's a bet no one else'll take or some nosey somebody takin' too much interest in your business."

. CANON/ORIGINAL .

"Original as they come, my associates like to joke that that's because they shouldn't even o' made one of me to begin with."

. GROUP .

"Court, once upon a time. But we got sick of each other's shit and went our own ways. Used to be I'd check in, catch up, but since Anne got taken out, and that hell bent bitch got the crown, I keep to myself."

. PLAYBY .

"Few folks have told me I look like that Joaquin Phoenix from the movies."

.SCRATCHING THE SURFACE.
superficial as it is... we love it.
. APPARENT AGE .

"I look about mid forties I'd guess, but it's not as though I mind it; people don't trust a face that hasn't got creases, they don't think you're worth salt if they can't see the experience for themselves. When I use it though, my way with storms, I must get some kind of a boost out of it that I don't see at the time. But I come away... rejuvinated; the lines iron out a bit, same thing happens when I feed, well, depending who I feed on."

. NICKNAMES .

"I heard them start callin' me the Bookie long before I actually was one, amongst other things, and that's because, 'any money, I bet you Nicci can sort it out.' And then there's those that are bold or stupid enough to call me Deo to my face. My mother called me Amadeo, not Deo, Day, D, Adam or Ama, so that's what you call me. Pretty women are the only exception, and even then I'm hard pressed to take anything other than Nicci."

. STYLE .

"I like crisp lines and an image so sharp it'd cut you. Not flashy though, flashy looks tacky so I keep it simple and ironed. I'll wear a suit jacket and matching pants - never jeans, and only sometimes corduroy - but avoid pinstripes and other patterns, if I wanna splash a bit of colour it'll be the shirt I wear underneath. Eighties through to the mid-Nineties I used to wear Hawaiian or bowling shirts but .. to be honest, that was because I'd let myself get out of shape. These days it's something light with not too stark a contrast going on, faded floral patterns or even just a plain crinkle shirt. Hmm.. I like those shirts that have a different colour on the lapels, collar and cuffs too, they're not so bad. I guess the 60's were a golden time for me, huh?

. PERCEPTION .

The impression you take away with you regarding Mr Nicci depends heavily on just which arena you are meeting him in. In the pub for example, more than likely you're there for sociable reasons. Meet him there and you'll be in the company of a raucous man's man with an eye on every lady; he'll tell tasteless jokes, buy in rounds and be the first to organize the bidding when a game of darts or pool gets good - that last one goes without saying. He seems like a man who wants to get involved but not because he's afraid of missing out - he just gets a big kick out of enjoying himself.

That's when he's letting his hair down and turning off from his 'job'. The rest of the time he can be quite disconcerting. With his piercing gaze he could nail you to the wall and likes to do so on first encounters when money might be involved. That trademark deadly look of his is a tailored and honed skill, informing his intended victim that he knows their kind... and eats their limbs while they watch in horror. It doesn't help that there's often a faint smile on his face.
Small talk doesn't get a look in, neither does surprise. You could come to him with the most alarming situation imaginable, you yourself covered in blood, and he'll give you the look whilst remaining deadpan. He'll proceed to hear you out and then tell you the price to get it cleared up. You're left imaging yourself as a gnat in God's orbit, and him as the world's greatest poker player.

. MARKS .

"Hard to leave a mark on the ocean son, but I got a few little sights to see. Mark above my lip's been there since I was born, parents would tell me it's the spot right where the lightening struck me when I came into this world. Got a collection of moles and so forth, beauty marks we'll call them, but no scars to mention; I hold my own as well as I hold everyone else's. Never been a man or woman been able or willin' to try and leave something on me but me, and my knuckles are pretty scarred up where they've split open who knows how many times."

.TATTOOS.

"Don't really care for them on myself but they're ok on others. I can take a punch and don't mind my shots if they're really necess'ry, but other than that there's no way I'd get ink or metal shoved through my skin. Appreciate what you got, I say."

.MAN WITHOUT SKIN.
put your insides on display.
. PERSONALITY .

"Sincerity, believe it or not, is one of the biggest traits in my personality. I do what I do and do it with feelin', couldn't ever accuse me of not having a passion behind me. Unfortunately for other people, it's the things I'm sincere about that causes issues. A 'for instance' would be how sincerely I say "Fuck You", and the way I really mean it when I go 'round and punch a guy. First timers learn quick that when I tell em "I'll break a finger for every day my money is overdue".. well, I'm being sincere then too. I don't bullshit or use euphemisms, I was brought up to be clear about my intentions, sometimes I'm painfully clear.

"That isn't to say I wear my heart on my sleeve, my self I keep a closely guarded secret. Don't give too much away and there's no room for people to take too much. I make a point of keeping even my closest friends on their toes. My game hasn't suffered for it either, poker is a mug's game when you get your reactions in check, make your emotions invisible. I don't have any tells that I'm aware of, they were all tucked out of sight a while ago. I guess, in that case, it's my own fault for being without a bird in my life, too difficult to get cosy with someone who doesn't let you get deeper than the surface.
When I'm out and about, having a good time and getting foot loose, I'll indulge in small talk, reveal what teams I like or the jockeys I follow, but, other than my laugh, there's nothing I give away freely. People around me have a good time, they remember my jokes and things I did, but ask 'em and they couldn't tell you where I was born or when, who my mother was, how I got where I am today. Everyone knows me, they just won't ever know me.

"Sometimes when I get to thinking, I consider that there's part of me that just might enjoy being on the outside of everyone else. I get to distance myself and be an observer, it makes it even easier that most of my cohorts are a different species, I can laugh at their expense because I know it'd never happen to me. Wouldn't let it. Hell, a few times I've gone out of my way to set someone else up just to amuse myself. People think of me as being cruel, removed; they're not wrong. A big thing about not sharing yourself means you've got no sounding board, no one to analyze your actions but you, and I'm fine with me, I've made my peace with being a bastard sometimes.

"I've grown up independent; left home, worked my way up and killed once or twice to stay there. Only morals I ever needed had currency attached, whether what I was doing was right or wrong.. I judged that by how much was in the envelope when the job was done. So my morals are a little skewered, I've been livin' in the gray area for so long that lines and boundaries don't even exist to me any more, so I don't care about it. There's a roof over my head these days and no body asks too many questions- I'm just gonna keep on doing it my way. That's fine though, I trust my judgement and experience and so far it's done me a world of good.

"Alright, I'll admit that no man is an island, there have been a few rare occasions where I've shown what humanity I do have. My downfall is that it's always girls that get to see it and plenty of them are as manipulative as any Siren you wanna mention. I know how to treat a woman, how to be romantic, I just keep to myself how much I like do that for a girl. The younger ones can't stand how 'emotionally unavailable' I am, the older ones try to play mind games to get a rise out of me, in the end it all goes the same way. They lack my patience and throw in the towel, and ... and mostly I don't care, but one or two managed to get to me."

. SKILLS .

Networking.
"I'm not just a pair of hands for hire these days, I'm above all the grunt work and I got there by using my ears and knowing when to use my mouth. Whoever you need to get an 'in' with, the quickest root is almost always going to be through me first, it'll cost you and not always just cold cash, but you'll never imagine the time and effort you'll save."

Intimidation.
"Silk tongued is how I'd like to think of myself but sometimes that's only worth a damn with the ladies. Lucky for me that I've built up a helluva reputation and I don't really look like a pussycat, do I?"

Numbers.
"At first I thought it was just something I picked up, being aware of the money I was earning and what was actually arriving in my hands, but then when me an' the working lads started getting hooked on the betting shops, I got good with lots of money and odds and that sort of deal."

DIY.
"No need to go putting that one about, but I slaved as a grafter many a year and even these electric wossnames they've got now don't phase me for long - mostly it's stubbornness, I'm no spendthrift and damned if I'll pay someone for something I can get done myself."

. ABILITIES .

"I hold a little sway when the weather ain't it's best, pull in the clouds overhead, draw lightening down aroun' me, call up a decent gust, theatrics mostly but that's all you need in the right situation. I can't pull a storm out of my ass though, much as that'd be helpful I got my suspicions that it'd give me a worse migraine than the ones I get just doing my little parlor tricks."

I found out a while ago that if I stand in the sea when the thunder's rumblin', I get quite a kick outta it. I'm energized as hell for a week and my wrinkles seem to come undone. Not too shabby y'ask me."

. WEAKNESSES .

"Never could learn to turn down a bet, not as bad as I could have been, doing as I do, but keeping myself from teetering over the edge is the only way I was ever gonna stand a chance of surviving the underworld I'm such a part of. That said, straight up challenge me, try to put my mettle to the test and you're going to get an answer.

"Blondes I've always had a soft spot for. Might be because most Siren broads are sharp witted, dark creatures, but I like what I like and if she's got curves it never hurts either. I'm not talkin' dolly birds here but I've got a penchant for dramatic looks, I'm an Ocean devil myself, before you forget.

"We are all slaves to a wage and when there's enough money on the table, even if I'm not sure I can fill the request easily, I'll give it a damn good try before conceding a defeat. Naturally, I'll know someone else who could get it done, but getting a tiny percentage of what you already thought of as being yours.. it stings."

. HABITS .

"I already told you I keep my junk hidden, I have no quirks that you'd ever get to be witness to but, if you could count it, I do have a thing about ironing creases. Straight ones I mean, ones that ought to be there, I think it's the finishing touch on making you look like a professional. Hmm.. and keeping with appearances, I have to shower every morning, and that's not just something us water babies have in common. Need it or not, it's like baptism, a fresh start every day to blow away the cobwebs."

. LIKES .

Bananas. Almost flat soft drinks. Lots of vinegar on his chips. Salsa. Pesto. The smell of a house after a thorough cleaning. The phrase: 'in the same vein'. What he is. Standing shin deep in the shallows. Biographies. Talk radio. Pub quiz nights. Johnny Cash. Causing bodily harm.

. DISLIKES .

Potted plants. Stir fry. Autobiographies. Hard boiled eggs. Queen Summer. Common thugs. Growing fond of things/people. Rumors. The way women whisper to each other. Long grass. Court Politics.

.I AM WHAT I AM.
and here's the reason why.
. FAMILY .

Kathrine&&Antoni Nicci - Farmers - Deceased.
The Niccis may have raised Amadeo together, but that was only because they knew no better and even if they had, because of the times and because of their strict Catholic beliefs, the Nicci's would have raised him as their own all the same. Amadeo's real parents will forever be unknown. During a high storm, both had gone out to round up their livestock, and had wound up chasing the sheep down by the shore. In a powerful gust of wind, Kathrine was tossed into the surf and subsequently nearly lost her life, pulled out by Antoni and the farm hands just as the last of her breath was leaving her. What they did not know, and what would remain hidden from Amadeo until half a man's life time later, is that by the time Kathrine had come to a demon seed had been planted deeply within her. It would be Amadeo, the surrogate son, that would grow within her over the coming months.

. ROMANCE .

Adrianna Campagio.
The first girl he kissed but most certainly not the last one, she was older than him by about five years and taught him a few little things that eventually went further than kissing. He was ten, and even then he was a charmer.

Eva Fabricci
The only woman he would ever admit to having loved, mostly to remind himself of how painful it could be, and secondly to forewarn others who tell him they've found that 'special woman'. She was a lounge singer that strung him along, kept him coming back for more, pawned her engagement ring, cheated on him countless times and then tried to have him killed. She met an untimely end at the pier during a heated debate...

Golide Alexandroff
A one night stand and a decades long crush. Amadeo is utter head over for this radiant gangster's moll and he is loathe to admit it. Yes, he knows she is almost exactly like Eva in all ways apart from the constantly malicious nature - not that Goldie's incapable of it in the right moments. Without fail she manages to drive him to distraction and she is the worst kind of woman to get involved with. A tireless thrill seeker and a known gold digger, she's so wrong and yet so perfect for the type of man Amadeo is.

. SPAWN .

He has a couple of children, not that he's aware of them, and you might notice a few new Sirens cropping up here and there just lately...

. AND THE REST .

Amadeo grew up in a small rural community on the coast, consisting mostly of fishermen families and farmers. He went to the local school, got caught with the local girls - and, once, the local teacher when he was 16. He would pitch in around the farm as it was what was expected of him, as it was every child, and he did his duty out of respect, but not out of loyalty. From a young age his Mother had always called him her little water baby, always waking up before everyone else to go and stand in the shallows and watch the sunrise. Amadeo was too big for his town by the time his late teens crept over him and, when the war started, he thought was more than ready to go out into the world.


It was an awful awakening to what worlds existed outside of his quiet little fishing village, he was never shot or had anything blown off of him, but those horrors linger in his deepest of dreams. More to the point, the excitement, thrill and vivacity he felt in himself will never leave him. The end of that war could not have come quick enough and, in later years, when his mind idled, he would consider it to be part of the reason he was not so affected by violence and why he continued to keep human beings at a distance. After the war he was a changed man, being surrounded by bodies and blood might have desensitized the boy - hastening his transition into brutal manhood - but it had given rise to an as yet untapped facet of his being; the Siren.


Returning home, the disregard he had shown for people as a youngster and the lack of connection with his family was amplified. More terrifying than the blood he had seen was the trill of lust it had sent through him. Amadeo Nicci was not his mother's son, he felt alienated and as though he had had no idea of his real self for the rest of the time since his birth. Life on the farm felt hollow and unsatisfying, a waste of time that could be better put to use discovering his true identity; Amadeo wanted to feel like he belonged and eventually he had no choice but to set out with his stiff goodbyes and disappear from his family's life forever.


For a long time there after, Amadeo found it a necessity to sleep rough, taking menial jobs where he wouldn't be pressed too hard for his papers and wouldn't be expected to keep much thinking room aside for the work at hand. In that way, earning money and working his way - always along or at least close to the coast - Nicci had plenty of time to devote to his personal ails with limited distraction. Around this time, out on his own, he began to notice unusual quirks in himself that were absent from the humans around him. His moods would swing in turbulent weather and, if he concentrated, it was almost like his sheer force of will caused lightening to strike.. or at the very least he could predict when it would shatter open the skies. It started like that, in small ways, but pretty soon he noticed different kinds of people, picked up the thrum that echoed through himself too. Developed into a man, Amadeo was used to people being drawn to him, but the more people he was exposed to, the more he grew to recognize a greater human element in some rather than others.


The world was ever changing after the War, people learned to live by hard means that often involved being unlawful. Factory work was all Amadeo seemed to be able to find with any amount of ease, but the pittance earned was not even half enough to keep his destination-lacking pilgrimage going. Naturally it wasn't hard to fall in with the wrong crowd, the fishbait at the bottom of the food chain, but to Amadeo's credit he had learned to get along with people, how to gel with them without ruffling feathers or raising suspicion. He had [i]charisma and once he had a couple of counts of grunt work under his belt he had his foot through the door. He became the first port of call if they needed a job doing off the records and the money was so good - more than he could have ever hoped for if he'd gone home - he stuck it out.


At that time Amadeo had been living in Germany and had just about gotten as far up the chain as he could go. He discovered he had a knack for keeping track of numbers - and the people they matched up to - once he managed to curb his own gambling habits. Enjoying a slightly more comfortable than average lifestyle, there was still a void in Amadeo's heart and part of him was increasingly concerned that his missing piece was his soul. He had killed people and not thought twice about it, had mugged and beaten debtors who were family men, if at any given moment Amadeo were to have died, if his Catholic upbringing was anything to judge by, he would go straight to hell. Just as he thought there was to be no cure for the numbness he felt, he met Eva.


Keeping company with movers, shakers, hucksters and heisters, it was no small wonder that he would eventually run across a woman who would be much worse for him than he could give her credit for. He met her the same night he ran into a member of the Court for the first time; fittingly the thought of either leaves a bad taste in his mouth these days. She was a singer, well known for the region and she was insatiable when it came to being adored. Reflecting on her these days, the hell she put Amadeo through might have been all about jealousy (she worked hard to be loved and interesting and talked about, 'Deo just had to open his mouth). Eva put him through the ringer, would fight with him in public, back talk, shmooze with his enemies, steal from him, cheat on him and he would come back for more. She would push him too far eventually, even knowing what he was capable of, pawning off a ring he had agonized over for some months, everything came to boil and Eva came to be past. She vanished like so many other problems Amadeo had seen to over the years.


As for that member of the Court? They approached Amadeo, promised him answers should he ever come to England, suggested that Bournemouth might hold significant interest for him. At the time it had been brushed off as nothing, perhaps a bizarre threat of some kind, but the conversation would be recalled once the business with Eva tainted Germany for him. It had been a long time since Ama had been traveling, but not quite so long since he began to notice how very young he looked, given he was already 45. This he had passed off as a genetic defect to his associates, had tried to believe the lie himself, but the questions were mounting and, in the face of everything, he decided it was time to take his coat down off the rack and see just what Britain had in store for him.


He had figured that finding his way to his answer-man would be easier once he had established himself among the criminals of the area - a long time at peace with his life style. However, once he crossed the Channel he ran head first into the Court, pulled in to meet with their Queen Ann within an hour of checking in to his bed and breakfast. They were thirsty for blood and brutal in their dealings - as he too had become in the years since leaving Italy, and it was a natural fit that he would join their ranks once it was revealed that he and their Matriarch shared something of a distant blood tie. Amadeo had, in their presence, felt at home at once, the blood deep connection flooding in to fill the space that had been vacant since he was born. Even when he learned of his ability to draw upon another's blood, and then of his other preternatural powers, it was so natural to him that he wasn't phased for a moment.

As it transpired, Amadeo found out from Ann that they were related. Amadeo's birth mother was a surrogate to Ama's real Father's seed, Ann's Uncle. So he settled in, he had found his true family - after a fashion - and did not think twice about doing what he did best. Using the Court as a stable base of operations, aged only 50 at the time -and still wearing the face of a man half his age- Amadeo got ready to stretch his legs.


Equipped with an insiders knowledge of betting shops, Amadeo got on with getting to know where to find the people who would have need of him his local area - and how to make himself bigger - and knew how to pierce someone through and through with just a look. It took a handful of months before he was a known presence, a short while further for him to earn the rank of Duke in the Court and only a matter of weeks before he had out grown even that and went it alone. He took what he needed, that sense of belonging, from the Court and just knowing they exist satiated his once incurable need to search for them. In true Nicci style, he distanced himself but for the connections necessary for 'just in case' situations, his primary concern was himself.


Now he's the man to look to if you don't want any medical records casting suspicion with their impossible birth dates, or if you need it to look like you died when you didn't. He lives in a nice little beach house with a private strip all his own and he still likes to get hands on.. how very unfortunate for you.
[/i]

.LOOSE ENDS.
and little thereafter.
.OTHER .

.

. TITLE .

p. l a c e / YER / b. e t s

. INPUT .

Your mum is still your dad.

. SAMPLE.

. C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S .
guess that means they like you

You've made the ranks as a siren, love, very well done indeed.
So what're you waiting for? Get to the good stuff already and go rip
some throats out!

.. or post your plot page if you're into that kind of thing.