Seyton

Personality
Filled with melancholy and hate, Veronica is not one you can easily see eye to eye with. Her obstinate mindset adds unnecessary conflicts when dealing with others. She’s a hypocritical cynic who doesn’t know how to have fun because of her disinterest in life and the people around her. Although she is young, Veronica is afraid of commitment and has absolutely no adherence for others. Veronica rarely treats anyone with the respect they deserve and often disregards the authority of others. However, she makes an exception for her employees. Despite her dangerous lifestyle and profession, Veronica spends her days avoiding risks and playing it safe. She does this because she values the protection of herself and her employees. And due to her line of work, Veronica must hide her weak side and pretend to be an abrasive, hostile woman to those who threaten or annoy her.

Veronica is a pessimist and will never see life any other way. She believes life is meaningless and hopeless. When given the opportunity Veronica will gladly share her negative opinions on absolutely anything. She constantly feels sad, isolated and powerless. When left alone with the people she trusts (or perhaps wants to fool) Veronica will begin to cry, bawl, wail and she just can’t bring herself to stop. She never smiles, grins or laughs out of joy and it’s all because she’s so miserable. Her inability to control her emotions causes her to slowly descend into the madness that made her the woman and villain she is today. Veronica’s pusillanimous attitude conflicts with her status as a villain, however, it’s also the perfect disguise. For when Veronica let’s go and takes time to enjoy life, she goes a little crazy.

Buried under one and a half fake personalities is a hysterical, rage-filled woman with a lust to kill. She’s angry and protective and will find a way to hurt, scare or kill anyone or anything that she believes deserves to. It’s not her fault she’s like this but she can’t help it. Recently she hasn’t shown this side, it takes time for her to fully lose it, plus she’s learned how to repress it. But it’s still there, deep down and well hidden.

Backstory
Two years ago.

''The room was silent and Veronica sat in front of a woman. The woman had no discernible personality; she looked boring, spoke boring words and asked boring questions. Veronica didn’t care about what the woman was saying, in fact, she couldn’t actually care less. She’s only here because- because she was almost about to do something that would get her in trouble. Keeping secrets to yourself is hard, so Veronica learned to shove them to the back of her mind, and they stayed there- but it’s only temporary. It’s always temporary.''

''The sound of a door slamming shut startled her and she quickly turned her head to where the noise came from. A tall man in a dark suit walked towards the other woman in the room. He took her seat and she left the room in a hurry.''

''At first, the man didn’t speak, he just watched Veronica. His eyes pierced like daggers and his aura was- well Veronica can’t read auras so I guess we’ll never know. Veronica was starting to get uncomfortable. Why was this man here? What did he want?''

“Who are you?” ''she asked. It was a simple question, not hard to answer, but the man stayed quiet. This made Veronica nervous. She was already pushing her limits and this man was making it worse. So, the two just stared at each other for what seemed like hours, until, he finally spoke.''

”Please, tell me everything that happened to you.”

''Veronica’s hands started to tremble, her lips quivering at the man’s deep and assertive voice. It sounded familiar, though, she’d never met him before. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It’d been a while since she was on edge like this. She’s usually better at controlling the urges, the instability. But in this moment, she felt as if she was going to break. What was wrong with her? She’d been so strong but this man’s simple words were causing her to lose it! She needed to resort to her usual defense mechanism. After a short pause, she began to speak. At first, she was defensive. Telling the man off, throwing harsh insults and threats. Making fun of any flaw she could find. But the man did not budge. She panicked and resorted to defense mechanism number two: pity, sadness and a lot of vulnerability. In order to really shake him, she needed to do as he asked.''

“I was thirteen and I had just discovered my power. It was a dream come true. It was all I’d ever wanted. But that day, the day where I finally felt complete, the day where I was over the moon- things weren’t so good that day... I was sent somewhere and I never saw home again. To this day actually.”

''Veronica bit her thumb and lightly shook her leg up and down. The man noticed this, took note of it. Veronica noticed this and immediately stopped. She re-positioned herself in her chair and looked down at her feet. She didn’t speak, instead she began to cry. Perhaps she was faking it, or maybe she really was upset.''

“My dad was happy for me, too happy. I never really understood it. We were a well off, religious and liked family in our neighbourhood. So, I don’t know why he did it. I assumed he was mad… it runs in the family.”

''Veronica’s words were slurred by her sobs. And although she kept rubbing her eyes and wiping away her tears, the man still didn’t budge, instead he said,''

”How does that make you feel?”

Veronica scoffed, her sadness slowly shifting into anger. “Oh I don’t know! How you do think it makes me feel? I’m slowly going insane!” She sighed and slumped down in her chair. “No one understands what it’s like to go through that. No matter who I see or talk to it’s all the same because no one gets it.”

”What did you go through?”

''She couldn’t tell him. There’s no way he could comprehend the troubles of her childhood no matter who he was. Veronica couldn’t believe the audacity this man had for even thinking she was going to tell him what happened. Wait- she had already started. She’s been holding it in for so long that it just started pouring out of her. At first, it was a plan but now she needed to let it all out.''

“My father saw an opportunity. You see, when I finally got my power, he put me up for sale. What hurts is that he knew that I’d be too weak to do anything about it. My vulnerability was perfect for his plan. If he even had one-"

“And how does that make you feel?”

“I’ve already told you how it made me goddamn feel! If you ask that question one more time you’re head will be nailed to that door.” ''Once again the man did not budge. Who the hell was Veronica dealing with? Did he not have a soul? A conscience? Her sanity was slowly fading away and all her protective layers were peeling off. Soon she was going to lose control.''

But not yet.

She took another deep breath and continued. “After a couple of hours on the market, I was sold and went to someone who was just looking for a kid. A kid to fuck.”

The man leaned in closer, his expression not changing despite Veronica’s blunt words.

“When they were done with me I went somewhere else, and then when they were done I went to another place. This cycle repeated for six years until someone found me and brought me home. Well, I was told it’d be my home- it didn’t really feel like one. At least I now got paid.”

”Are you saying you were a…”

“Yes, and I killed a guy too. The pimp to be exact.”

''The man laughed, almost as if he was mocking her. Like he didn’t believe her. And that- that was all she needed to finally let go. Let go of the personalities, the hate, the worry… Now it was time to do something she’d been trying to suppress for so long.''

“Oh! Do you think it’s funny? Do you find it amusing when I tell you I’ve killed disgusting pigs? You have to understand sir, it was brutal, violent… No, no it was beautiful actually. It was a statement- a movement!” ''Veronica got out of her seat and slowly circled around the man, after a turn or two she stood in front of him and grabbed his chin. She devilishly chuckled and whispered the following in his ear''. “I could always do it again you know. Kill.”

The man tried to get out of her grasp but failed. “I mean why do you think I’m here? Take a guess.” ''Veronica squeezed his cheeks with her index finger and thumb while still holding his chin. “Give up?” she paused and grinned.'' “I came here because I wanted to kill again. You see this man- this man tried to get away with not paying one of my employees. I’ll have you know I treat my employees with the respect they deserve. I’ve been in their shoes and I can sympathize with them. Plus I only have employees who like to do what they do. So if someone is being an absolute prick you bet I’m gonna do something about it.” she paused again. “But I didn’t. And that’s why I’m a little on edge. You see, dealing with it, helps me calm down and feel at ease.”

''The man was now starting to show fear, the fear Veronica wanted. She squeezed just a little tighter, making the man squirm in his seat.''

“I constantly try to cover up my madness with hate, and I do a damn good job of it. However, sometimes I can’t hold it in anymore. And that’s when things get bad.” ''Veronica looked the man in the eyes, the same way he’d done to her when he first came in. She finally let go of the man and he tried to speak but Veronica quickly placed her hand over his gaped mouth.''

“And well- right now we have a little problem. You see, you’ve been a great listener but- you know too much.” Veronica pulled out one of her kris daggers that was hidden in her stockings and brought it to the man’s neck. “Pretty isn’t it? I like the antique aesthetic. Though, it’s not too bad as a weapon either.” She let out a dramatic sigh.

“[Life] Creeps in this petty pace from day to day

To the last syllable of recorded time,

And all our yesterdays have lighted fools

The way to dusty death”

“Oh, how I wish I lived in his time! I would be his Queen and we could’ve been mad... together.”

...

''Veronica’s serenity returned and she blissfully made her way to the door. She felt good, re-born, cleansed. Who would’ve known therapy actually worked! She put her stained dagger back in her stocking and shut the door behind her. Once again, Veronica shoved her secrets to the back of her mind and now all she had to do was wait. Wait for them to come back, because, it’s always temporary.''

Origin of Powers
Inherited from birth but only discovered by the time she was thirteen.

Powers
The Cross.

The user has the ability to create, transfer, manipulate and manifest violet flames to certain extents (meaning they can’t manipulate any other type of fire, only the violet one they emit). The flames can do the same type of damage that a ‘regular’ fire would when it gets in contact with human flesh, paper, different types of metal, etc. They have a temperature of 1000C. However, the user can only access their power when they are near a cross (it's totally psychological). The cross is only allowed to be five meters away from the user or closer. If it is too far they will not be able to use their power at all. Whichever cross the user is using for power will have a violet glow.

The power is separated into The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit and The Devil. Each has different capabilities and gives the user certain upgrades and drawbacks.

The Father: The user can highlight a certain part of their body in flames. They can highlight one body part at a time and the flames will last for three turns before going out. This is followed by a two turn cooldown. The user cannot light their whole arm of fire, it must be specific (i.e hand, forearm, knee, foot, etc.).

The more the user uses the flames on the same body part the more chances they have of getting serious burn marks and scars. The first time it’s used the user will get a first degree burn. If they use it on the same spot the burn will increase into a second-degree burn and so forth. Luckily, the user is numb to the pain while using the ability. So while their hand is on fire they will not feel their skin burning, however, when the flames go out the user will begin to feel the damage and the pain up until the flames are produced again.

The Son: The user can shoot “fireballs” from their palms. The fireballs are compacted fire with a width of 2 cm (0.78 inches) or 4 cm (1.57 inches). These balls can be shot at any target, though it isn’t certain they will always hit the users target. The fire from the fireballs cannot spread further than the original object or target it touched. Therefore if it were to hit a tree, it could spread throughout the one tree but not to anything else.

The 2 cm fireballs: The user can create four of these small fireballs (two per palm). If the fireballs hit something flammable or skin they will create a small fire about the size of a lighter or leave a small burn mark that would sting upon contact. After using all the fireballs the user has a cooldown of three turns until they can use all four balls again.

The 4 cm fireballs: The user can create two of these medium sized fireballs (one per palm). If the fireballs hit something flammable or skin they will create a medium fire about the size of a campfire or leave a medium sized burn mark and a first-degree burn. After using all the fireballs the user has a cooldown of four turns until they can use both balls again.

The Holy Spirit: The user can create a wall of fire that circulates around them. It has a radius of 2 meters and the flames can reach a height of 1 ½ meters. When the wall is first formed it will be around ½ a meter. After one turn it will reach 1 meter and after the second turn it will reach its full height. The barrier will last for two turns after it’s reached its full potential. Although it cannot protect the user from attacks, whatever crosses it would have to be fireproof. The wall also does not fully cover the user's body so they are still an “open target.” Once the wall disappears the user has a five turn cooldown before being able to use it again.

The Devil: The user can hold an item and transfer their fire into it. The user must be touching the object for two turns and once the flames are within the object it will emit a violet glow. If the object is broken on purpose or by accident it will trigger an explosion and affect everything 30 meters within the breaking point. The fire can be transferred to one object and the user must have a six turn cooldown before transferring to another object.

Weaknesses
If the user is not near a cross they have no powers and if the cross they’d been getting their powers from is broken in front of them they will feel as if they have just been lit on fire except ten times worse, but no burning marks or flames will physically appear on their body. Also, the user's flames can be put out by water, a fire extinguisher, etc.

Examples
Incorporated in power descriptions.

Equipment
1. A book filled with empty pages. It’s titled: Happy

2. A necklace with a cross.

Weaponry
1. Three Kris Daggers. They deal a force of 10 kN and are light enough to be used as throwing knives.

2. A Spear Baton. On the outside it looks like a regular metal baton, dealing a force of 8 kN. When the baton is swung downwards the blade of a spear will come out of it capable of stabbing and piercing at a force of 10 kN.

Key Skills
1. Can quote/recite Shakespeare and his plays from memory.

2. Great with business and finance.

3. Possess the ability to fake cry and actually cry for hours non-stop.

4. Good at close contact fighting, especially when wielding weapons such as knives and bats.

Residence
The Red Light District