Nine

“Use a goddamn coaster.”

Nine
Alternate Names	Alexandre Viron
Pronouns	He/Him
Species	Human
Division	Contingency (Formerly Outerworld)
Role	Housekeeping
Height	5’5” / 165cm
Age	42
Birth Date	Flourish 4, 1188
Zodiac	Impulsive Wyvern
Aspect	Light (born) / Law (corrupted)

Nine is a human currently working in the Contingency Division. As part of housekeeping staff, he may no longer be participating in regular expeditions or excursions, but he still takes his work very seriously.

Appearance

Nine is a human male on the shorter than average side, somewhat stocky with toned muscles from his years of doing more intensive physical work with the Outerworld Division. He is missing his left ring finger, which is the meaning behind his pseudonym. Due to Law corruption, Nine is blind in his right eye and part of his hair has lost its pigmentation. He has olive toned skin, brown eyes (although one is now hazy) and black hair that is beginning to turn gray in places besides the patch of white. Other important features include a widow’s peak, a hooked nose, and a scar through his left eyebrow. Nine is typically clean shaven unless he has overworked himself to the point of neglecting his facial hair.

In terms of dress, Nine is almost always seen in long sleeves in order to hide the various scars along his arms. While working, he often wears an apron tied around his waist, and depending on the job, may also wear gloves and a mask. He is very particular about stains and imperfections in one’s clothing, even having been known to excuse himself and others from many a situation in order to address a perceived flaw.

Personality

In his youth, Nine was considered to be brash, reckless, and impulsive, often finding himself involved in fights and other unscrupulous activities. After leaving the Outerworld Division, however, he considers himself to have given up most of his “bad habits.” Whether it is cooking, cleaning, or maintenance, Nine is studious and takes pride in his work — sometimes to the point of perfectionism — and does not handle criticism well. To the uninitiated, he appears harsh and aloof; should one find themselves in his good graces, they are likely to be treated to small kindnesses like an extra slice of bread with their meal or a pair of knitted socks on a special occasion. Still, he is not one to seek out companionship or readily share personal information, and will feign ignorance should any of these favors be addressed.

Biography

Trauma

Abilities

Nine specifically trained in the use of blades, growing attached to a particular hunting knife he keeps strapped to his thigh and calls “Ten.” It has been quite some time since this weapon was wielded in battle, however, and is now the bane of even the hardiest kitchen vegetable.

Born with a Light aspect yet no one throughout his youth to instruct him on properly harnessing the power, Nine is rather reluctant to use magic after one too many mishaps over the years. He prefers settling matters with physical strength.

Nine possesses many practical domestic skills, including but not limited to: sewing, knitting, cooking, gardening, weapon maintenance, and basic first aid. While he can technically also bake, his confections unfortunately come out of the oven a different flavor or texture than intended.

If a task involves extensive reading or numbers, this is the only time Nine will most likely pass the work on to someone else. His penmanship is notorious for being nearly illegible.

Relationships

Odin

For a brief period, Nine and Odin were part of the same squadron within the Outerworld Division, even coming to learn they both shared roots in the same neighborhood. Not long after the incident that led to their Law corruption, he applied to be reassigned to the Contingency Division, but the two remained friendly despite no longer working together. This makes Odin one of the few people who he has allowed to remain close to him, and thus she is more clearly able to notice the contrast in his behavior before and after his “retirement.” He feels responsible for not better protecting the younger girl since she sustained more intensive corruption injuries than he did.

Freyja

Nine is wary of both Freyja and her work, particularly due to his past issues with substance abuse and his resulting distrust of medicine. He finds her knowing gaze unnerving, to the point of occasionally growing paranoid she may know more about him than he has admitted. However, her medical knowledge is undeniable, and for a man with seemingly no fear, Nine is in fact afraid of what may happen to him should he leave his Law corruption unchecked.

Ogrymnnir

Nine and Ogrym can regularly be found sharing a table in the corner of The Hearth’s tavern when on break from their regular duties. They are never seen speaking to one another, yet regard each other highly. There seems to be a silent bond of brotherly respect between them.

Felicity

Nine’s estranged lover and mother to his son. When they first met, Nine had been part of the guild for some years and was still a bit of a rogue agent, but it was this “bad boy” persona that initially drew her interest. Their passionate affair was cut short by the pregnancy, which began to drive the untamable man further from the young woman rather than closer. During this time, the lovers became silent at the best of their meetings and quarreled at their worst. Approximately three years later, Nine was involved in the accident that led to his corruption; it was this point where he ceased all contact with Felicity, letting her believe he had been killed in action.

Trivia

• No one in the guild knows his real name except upper level administration, and only then are they granted this knowledge for clerical reasons. To everyone else, he is merely known as Nine.
• His finger was lost when he was a teenager, after attempting to steal a ring from a particularly wealthy traveler who happened to have a vindictive side. Now, when asked for details concerning the incident, he vaguely responds, “Debt.” Missing the ring finger is also intended to allude to his poor luck in terms of romantic relationships.
• Since giving up smoking after his division transfer, Nine has adopted a new pastime: painting ceramic miniatures. He has a shelf of finely detailed animals in his room, practically the only personal possessions to signify his pristine quarters are even in use.
• The physical manifestation of Nine’s corruption is loosely based on Waardenburg syndrome. After sustaining corruption, not only did he lose sight in his right eye, but he also lost most of his sense of smell.