OOC - Application
[ Character's Name ] Matthew
[ Character's Age ] : Late teens, early twenties?
[ Series ] : Fire Emblem 7: Rekka no Ken
[ Canon Point ] : Not long after they reach the Dread Isle for the first time and find Leila’s body
[ History ] :
Matthew, as far as we know, has served the Ostia house for a very long time as a spy. We know that he is close enough to Lord Hector to be able to tease him. Also, sometime during his work as a spy, he met his fellow spy Leila and fell in love with her.
The first time we meet him is during Lyn’s story; as she attempts to get into the Araphen castle, he watches the conflict to see what shall be most profitable for him; he is, after all, an Ostian spy, and therefore wishes to bring the best information back to his Lords. However, after a chance meeting with Lyn, he weighs the options and decides that he best choice will be to join her and help her, while, of course, looting Araphen castle of all of its valuables.
He assists Lyn in reuniting with her grandfather in Caelin, most notably through the collection of information and typical thief-like aspects of pick-locking and stealing. And then he disappears before any of them can think to look for him.
It is most likely that he then returned to Ostia to report his findings to Lord Hector and Lord Uther.
For the next year, he probably simply worked as a spy for Ostia, until finally, he was dragged into the fiasco that the entire game is based upon, with the Black Fang assassins and Nergal. He assists Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood throughout the game, (in one notable instance recruiting Guy to their cause) but his next major appearance is not until they reach the Dread Isle. There they find the body of Leila, the woman he loves, left there for them to discover. This is, of course, a crushing blow to Matthew, but aside from requesting some time to bury her, he does his best to not seem outwardly affected, saying that Leila wouldn’t want him to give up.
Not long after, he arrives in Vatheon.
[ Personality ] :
First and foremost, Matthew is cheerful, snarky and smug. Nothing seems to bother him or get him down, and he always seems to be wearing a grin. He’s fond of teasing people especially Guy and he loves to play jokes or pranks to get reactions out of people. He thinks that smiling is much better than wearing a frown, no matter the circumstances, and so that is what he does.
This isn’t to say he always smiles. He has his serious moments, and he is, in fact, far more serious underneath his smile than one would expect. Matthew can be philosophical and a bit of a deep thinker, as revealed through his final support conversation with Guy, and he is very intelligent. While he tries to hide this intelligence behind his grin and sarcasm, he really is quite smart; unsurprising considering his line of work.
What also needs to be taken in consideration because he is a spy is his need to act. He’s a very talented actor, but it goes beyond liking to act for Matthew. Used to living in a world of shadows where a wrong step could cost him his life, it seems that he simply acts all of the time, which makes him rather unpredictable. He might be serious, cheerful, joking or sharp at any given time, depending on the person he is speaking with, how much he trusts them, and how much of a threat he thinks they are.
He is a spy, and he acts like it, namely by not acting in a predictable manner at all. He is a realist, despite what seems to be a sunny, optimistic demeanor. Matthew holds no pretences about honor or chivalry; his first goal is always to stay alive, and this survival instinct is what prompts him to, for instance, attack Guy in his sleep, as opposed to a fair fight.
He is also far stronger, mentally and emotionally, than his rather small frame suggests, and he certainly makes use of any underestimation. He is able to put aside his emotions to get done what needs to be done; even after the death of the woman he loves, Matthew was able to continue to fight. He does not get overly emotional in anything, for showing these emotions is something he would consider dangerous. So generally, all he shows are grins and smirks.
Even his more serious side, while not hidden, is not overly noticeable at first. He doesn’t hide it, but he does tend to covers it up with amusement and smirking sarcasm, especially around people he doesn’t trust. In other words, nearly everyone, for Matthew does not give his trust easily. The side he most often shows is that of a carefree young man that acts on a whim and when he wants. He plays jokes on everyone-but generally only when he knows he’ll get away with it-and he sees no problem with avoiding questions or a topic he doesn’t want to talk about by simply disappearing or running away.
Matthew might very well do that anyway; if there’s one thing he tries to avoid, it’s being predictable. In that same vein, he’s rather manipulative.
So Matthew is cheerful, generally, often snarky and sarcastic, and, when it suits his purposes, serious and intelligent as well.
He is a spy. It is his job to act, after all.
[ Strengths/Weaknesses ] :
Strengths:
Matthew is fast, agile and good at avoiding things, whether it be attacks, people or extra work. He is quite skilled with a dagger, or with hiding in dark places and generally being sneaky-all of the things that fit with his role of thief. In addition, information collecting through various means is almost second nature to him. He’s clever and witty and manipulative, and also very good and judging people’s emotions and reactions.
He is also, in fact, good at picking locks. ;D
Weaknesses:
He’s thin and lithe, and therefore not very strong. Matthew depends on his agility to avoid enemy attacks, because, well, he bruises easily. Truly, while he is skilled with a dagger, he is not built for melee combat, and he will do his best to avoid it. He strikes from the shadows, after all.
[ Other Important Facts ] :
* He finds Serra really obnoxious, generally.
* He has pledged himself to Lord Hector, and he was actually serious about it.
* He loves to steal things, even when it’s unnecessary. He just finds it fun and amusing and often his proper payment.
[ Sample ] :
When Matthew stirred, the first thing he noticed was that he was very, very wet. He coughed, sitting up and tugging at his sodden red cloak, closer to maroon now that it was wet.
This was not the Dread Isle. Which was really quite strange, as Matthew was certain he had just been there-
Had he been kidnapped?
Matthew looked around warily. Nobody around…
He looked up (people rarely looked up, which he himself often made use of while hiding, so Matthew always made sure to do so) and blinked.
“Okay. Not kidnapped,” he muttered to himself. Not unless the Black Fang was suddenly able to cart people to an underwater city now.
Which he doubted. Mostly, anyway.
Well, first thing was first. The last thing he remembered was…burying Leila, then the fighting on the Dread Isle-he pushed away the flash of pain that came with his thoughts of her. Now was not the time. He could almost hear her now, laughingly lecturing him on the duties of a spy.
Matthew stood fluidly, flicking his still-soaked cloak over his shoulder-the movement was far less satisfying when it was wet, as the cold cloth simply slapped heavily into his back. Then he began to walk.
And he paused, froze, glancing quickly in the direction of the movement that had caught his eye.
Matthew blinked, baffled again, at the red fairy that floated there, glowing softly. Then he arched an eyebrow.
“What are you?”
No answer. Not that that was so surprising, really.
Matthew shook his head. Back to the basics.
Information gathering.
“Come on, little glowing thing. Let’s find some answers,” he said over his shoulder with a bit of a grin.
He had nothing else to go on, and so he set out to find someone that knew something, hands in pockets, strolling forward as if without a care. It certainly was a priority to meet up with Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood again, but…Well, they were strong, and so Matthew’s first priority was himself. He was the one wet and in an unknown place, after all.
He wasn’t too concerned, though.
These things had a way of working themselves out. With, perhaps, a little of his assistance.