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[series]: The Caliban Leandros Series
[character]: Promise Nottinger
[character history / background]:
Promise is a vampire, approximately 700 years old (possibly with around a thousand-year lifespan). Her earliest years are mostly a mystery--about where she was born (and presumably spent at least some of her many formative years), we're told only that her past doesn't mirror her present: her roots are of the dirty, smelly, mostly-barefoot sort. Any kind of birthplace that makes a greasy spoon restaurant look like a palace of the highest order has got to have been pretty rank.
We know that at one point, she was a nurse during a time of war--but she heads off the question of what war with the counter that asking a lady her age isn't done. We also know that she had to be in England at the turn of the century, or at least in 1903, so she could serve as the model for John William Waterhouse's Windflowers. That's about the extent to which Promise's past has been made clear; on the rest, she's close-mouthed, to say the least.
Her more recent past is better known, as much of it was spent in the scrutinizing eye of high society, and the rest, within the sight of the novels' narrator. Promise (Nottinger-Granville-Schoenstein-Parsons-Depry) is a widow five times over, and each of the late, lucky gentlemen has been both ancient and moneyed--and, it should be noted, the victim of entirely natural causes of death. To quote the book Legally Blonde, "That's honest work, hard work: keeping a rich man happy. Anyone who marries for money ends up earning it." And in Promise's case, one thing can be certain about her, despite her reluctance to kiss and tell: She earned her inheritances. Every one of them.
Promise remains a minor persona in the narrative of Nightlife. She appears just long enough to have her species revealed (by the crazy great-nephew of her last husband, who shows up to try and stake her while Niko and Cal are playing her bodyguards for the evening), have a little UST moment with Niko, and offer her help in saving Cal from the creature that has possessed him. Within Moonshine, though, she has become partner to the Leandros boys in their new venture: a supernatural detective agency. Her role expands significantly from bit part and background player to Major Supporting Character. She's a viable source of information and help, a fellow ass-kicker...not to mention that the unresolved sexual tension? Resolved. She continues to play a large role in Madhouse, where her many and varied acquaintances (not to mention her mad fighting skills) are of great use.
[character abilities]:
Vampires in this world are born, not made--a very distant cousin of the human, perhaps--and suffer a species-wide weakness akin to the disease porphyria. The big similarities, of course, are the sensitivity to light and the unavoidable craving for blood. Unlike in the myths, vampires don't turn to ashy death if they go out in the daylight hours; they just acquire incredibly painful burns (and incredibly quickly, too). Promise tends to avoid broad daylight for these reasons, and has a myriad of elegant cloaks and SPF God-Knows-How-High sunscreen for when it's necessary. As far as the blood-drinking goes, it hasn't been the popular meal choice for the past century, when supplements, made mostly of insanely high doses of iron, became readily available. Promise doesn't take part in draining hapless humans these days, though she presumably did before the advent of the iron pill.
Being a vampire's not all bad, though. The perks include stronger-than-human senses, quick healing, general toughness (she takes two bullets and still manages to snap a person's neck afterward), being able to jump ludicrous heights without a running start, zooming along superfast when a running start is deemed necessary, wall-clinging, and the ability to bypass ordinary walking in favour of gliding along with the grace of a spectre.
Her less supernatural powers are likewise impressive. Before knowing about her vampiric state, Cal describes her as a "professional succubus," and it's on occasion true. Promise can more than flirt--she can be so seductive as to render the books' narration incapable of describing it. Someone's not giving you what you want? Put Promise on the job and she can probably charm it off of or out of your proverbial roadblock. However, this is a skill that's used sparingly at best.
She's also ace with a crossbow (picked up back when they were the weapon of choice for every stylin' vampire hunter--ah, sweet irony) and handy with a sword. In sum, a far better fighter than her demure wardrobe and retiring nature would suggest.
Finally, she's an amazing networker. Longevity and good people skills have set her up with a wide array of contacts, within both mortal and paranormal society. The latter group provides, in both Moonshine and Madhouse, the catalysts for the main plots of the novels in the forms of beings needing the detective agency's services.
[character personality]:
Promise is, above all things, reserved. Restrained in words and actions is what Merriam-Webster has to say about it, and while that's certainly true of her, she's also reserved in the sense that she reserves herself--she purposely and consciously holds herself back, saves herself for those she deems close enough to reveal herself more fully.
The public, especially in her adopted social class, sees a Ms. Nottinger who's elegant, poised, quiet, but more than able to say small and necessary things when required. Among strangers, she inevitably remains distant--and generally polite, save when the situation at hand calls for more intensity. Promise can be commanding as hell and sexier than one of Robin Goodfellow's orgies when she needs to be.
Friends get a Promise who still thinks her words over before saying them, but is more free with what she says. She's still polished and polite, generally, but she allows herself a freer rein with the emotions behind the words. She's warmer, even familial--calls Cal "little brother" and gives him a kiss hello--and quicker to bring the snark to the yard. She's capable of bickering and making it clear when she's annoyed, worried, insert not-so-tranquil emotion here--but aside from the verbal contending, it's always a subtle thing. When she's less than pleased, any signal of her feeling is almost invariably described as a small change from her usual demeanor--a tightening of the mouth here, a sliver of worry in the eyes there.
Because of the limited point of view within the series so far (namely, from the younger brother of the pseudo-ninja she's dating), there's a limit on exactly how much of Promise the reader is able to know. When she's alone with Niko, the neo-ninja in question, she presumably opens up even further--but seeing that has thus far been an impossibility within the confines of the series. Conjectures can (and will) be made, though, and what seems most likely (based off both what's known about her and what Cal suggests in the narrative) is that, while she still considers more than comments, she's less enigmatic about herself and how she feels. And even beneath that, there's the Promise nobody else will ever see, the one who's seen seven hundred years of hardships and joys.
All things being said, after reserved, the best word to sum up Promise is probably adaptable. Whatever the situation, whomever the company, she can make a place for herself.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]:
After Madhouse.
[journal post]:
Could somebody please tell me where it is I am?
I don't believe I am quite where I should be.
[third person / log sample]:
Promise had seen many cities in her lifetime, but none were quite like the one that had suddenly sprung up around her as she exited her apartment building--if for no other reason than the fact that it had appeared so abruptly. Swathed in a dove grey cloak, she had given the doorman a courteous nod and stepped out...only to find that the street before her was decidedly not a part of the Upper East Side. A swift look over her shoulder revealed that the view behind her was equally unfamiliar: shops where her home had stood only moments before.
Though her expression remained placid, her body tensed, hand reaching for a concealed blade. This place, wherever it was, looked fairly innocuous (or at least on the same standard of "threatening" as New York City) on first glance, but her experiences with sudden changes of scenery hadn't tended to be positive. While this was hardly a gateway to Tumulus, it was still quite suspicious.
...There was no immediate threat that she could sense (indeed, the only detail of any particular note was a ticking sound like a persistent clock, coming from somewhere nearby), and she allowed her muscles to relax. Her grip on her weapon, however, remained at the ready, hidden beneath the folds of her cloak.
A few people passed by her, entirely absorbed in their own conversations. Signs glinted neon, and down the street to her right, a carousel turned lazily in the center of what looked like a city square. And Promise had a choice. Remain rooted to the spot, poised for the possibility of either action or a return to her usual surroundings, or find an appropriate person and make inquiries.
She chose to move, slipping past the occasional groups of night strollers with an otherworldly grace that left not even a whisper of fabric in her wake.
[additional third person / log sample]:
"Mrs. Granville."
Promise glanced over to the origin of the voice, a gravelly intonation belonging to an older gentleman in a tuxedo. They weren't uncommon at these functions, tonight's in particular being a charity gala for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Despite an array of ages, from a few girls young enough for debutante balls to Promise's own centuries of living, most present were humans heading toward the ends of their lives. The very occasional vampire or valkyrie notwithstanding, of course.
She gave the man before her a closed-mouth smile. Only the tiniest curve of the lips, naturally, but her heather-coloured eyes held a warm expression. Offering a hand sheathed in black silk, she replied, "I don't believe we've been introduced."
"Nottinger is the name." He raised her hand to his lips momentarily. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise." They made eye contact, Promise from behind long, dark eyelashes. Having made each others' acquaintance, it was time for small-talk, filled with meaningless questions and answers sporadically punctuated with minute sips from champagne flutes. "What brings you here this evening, Mr. Nottinger?"
"Supporting the arts, naturally." His voice took on the low tone of a confidant as he leaned in slightly. "I'm funding one of the special exhibitions for the next year. Something about medieval weaponry. Anonymously...but you'll keep a secret, right?" Returning to a more conversational volume, he asked, "What're you interested in, in the Met?"
"I am fond of the Pre-Raphaelites." Mr. Nottinger basked in the glow of another enigmatic smile, not quite meant for him, and their chat continued on subjects of little importance. Promise listened more than she spoke, her eyes never wandering from her conversational partner. Her expression remained tranquil but interested, and when she did speak, it was more often to encourage his talking than to take control of the conversation.
"Would you care to dance?" he asked, finally, and she accepted with a smooth, graceful assent.
As they approached the dance floor, Promise considered. It had been some time since she ceased to wear her last wedding ring, and for several months more than that, she had been a widow. Mr. Nottinger had, like the four men who had come before him, seemed entirely taken with her, in the short period during which they had spoken. From the moment he had asked for her attention, she hadn't noticed his gaze straying from her.
And even in his advanced age, he danced adequately; Granville, despite his various good qualities, occasionally had missed the floor in favour of his wife's feet. It would be a shame not to pursue the possibility of romantic attachment.
[miscellanea]
Promise's LJ name, sleepsinpearls, comes from a line in Nightlife--it was the sentence that really sold me on the girl: "Pearls, she slept in pearls." That detail's the point where I really began to sit up and take notice of her, and who can argue with inspiration like that?
So, yeah. She sleeps in pearls. At least on occasion.
She takes eensy little bites of her food.
She loves calla lilies, all shades.
She doesn't tend to wear lipstick.
She misses the stars.
Her PB is Lonneke Engel, and her icons were gathered from here, here, here, and here. Promise technically has been wearing her hair with blonde stripes amid the mink brown as of late, but you try finding lots of pictures of a chick rocking the tiger-striped hair and purple eyes sometime. All credit for the PB's fabulosity goes to covet, who found her in the first place.
Credit to her profile layout goes to pitseleh_smith, who laboured in amongst codes for ages whilst I cheered half-coherently. ♥
And when I asked her about her past...I received quick snapshots. The Great Plague of London in the 1600s. How blood was hard to come by then. It was the only time she'd ever mentioned feeding. How you drank to survive and tried not to kill. 'Dead cows don't give milk, do they?' she'd said with a sadly bleak smile. Yes, you tried not to kill, but trying wasn't always succeeding.
[...]
She told me how she had come to America following the Civil War, how vampires blended into the larger cities. Her parents were long dead, or so she'd heard. Vampires didn't stay together long in large groups. They didn't crave the contact of their own kind the way humans do. Nature's way of keeping the predators from outbreeding their food source. She didn't talk much of her lovers. The hundreds of years she'd lived, I didn't expect to hear of every one. She hadn't mentioned Seamus.
She did tell stories of her five human husbands. Elderly and wealthy, but she'd been fond of each one. She'd lived through the Great Plague. I didn't blame her for wanting to be surrounded by beauty and life after that. I could understand her wanting to feel safe no matter what might arise. And if it took millions for her to feel that way, I didn't judge.(118-119)
And her explanation...
"I should have but..." She took a deep breath. "You, Niko. You raised a good man. Despite all he had against him, you did that with Cal. I raised a thief, one who has little care for anyone but herself. I raised a predator who was reluctant to give up drinking when the rest of us did. I raised a liar, who would say anything to get what she wanted. [...] She's also charming and bright and loves me...I hope." Her eyes clouded. "I didn't do well. It shames me. I keep hoping she'll mature. She was loved, and yet right and wrong are only words to her. My failure, and it's hard to live with, much less tell." (119-120)
These pages are important in general.
Promise Nottinger
[character]: Promise Nottinger
[character history / background]:
Promise is a vampire, approximately 700 years old (possibly with around a thousand-year lifespan). Her earliest years are mostly a mystery--about where she was born (and presumably spent at least some of her many formative years), we're told only that her past doesn't mirror her present: her roots are of the dirty, smelly, mostly-barefoot sort. Any kind of birthplace that makes a greasy spoon restaurant look like a palace of the highest order has got to have been pretty rank.
We know that at one point, she was a nurse during a time of war--but she heads off the question of what war with the counter that asking a lady her age isn't done. We also know that she had to be in England at the turn of the century, or at least in 1903, so she could serve as the model for John William Waterhouse's Windflowers. That's about the extent to which Promise's past has been made clear; on the rest, she's close-mouthed, to say the least.
Her more recent past is better known, as much of it was spent in the scrutinizing eye of high society, and the rest, within the sight of the novels' narrator. Promise (Nottinger-Granville-Schoenstein-Parsons-Depry) is a widow five times over, and each of the late, lucky gentlemen has been both ancient and moneyed--and, it should be noted, the victim of entirely natural causes of death. To quote the book Legally Blonde, "That's honest work, hard work: keeping a rich man happy. Anyone who marries for money ends up earning it." And in Promise's case, one thing can be certain about her, despite her reluctance to kiss and tell: She earned her inheritances. Every one of them.
Promise remains a minor persona in the narrative of Nightlife. She appears just long enough to have her species revealed (by the crazy great-nephew of her last husband, who shows up to try and stake her while Niko and Cal are playing her bodyguards for the evening), have a little UST moment with Niko, and offer her help in saving Cal from the creature that has possessed him. Within Moonshine, though, she has become partner to the Leandros boys in their new venture: a supernatural detective agency. Her role expands significantly from bit part and background player to Major Supporting Character. She's a viable source of information and help, a fellow ass-kicker...not to mention that the unresolved sexual tension? Resolved. She continues to play a large role in Madhouse, where her many and varied acquaintances (not to mention her mad fighting skills) are of great use.
[character abilities]:
Vampires in this world are born, not made--a very distant cousin of the human, perhaps--and suffer a species-wide weakness akin to the disease porphyria. The big similarities, of course, are the sensitivity to light and the unavoidable craving for blood. Unlike in the myths, vampires don't turn to ashy death if they go out in the daylight hours; they just acquire incredibly painful burns (and incredibly quickly, too). Promise tends to avoid broad daylight for these reasons, and has a myriad of elegant cloaks and SPF God-Knows-How-High sunscreen for when it's necessary. As far as the blood-drinking goes, it hasn't been the popular meal choice for the past century, when supplements, made mostly of insanely high doses of iron, became readily available. Promise doesn't take part in draining hapless humans these days, though she presumably did before the advent of the iron pill.
Being a vampire's not all bad, though. The perks include stronger-than-human senses, quick healing, general toughness (she takes two bullets and still manages to snap a person's neck afterward), being able to jump ludicrous heights without a running start, zooming along superfast when a running start is deemed necessary, wall-clinging, and the ability to bypass ordinary walking in favour of gliding along with the grace of a spectre.
Her less supernatural powers are likewise impressive. Before knowing about her vampiric state, Cal describes her as a "professional succubus," and it's on occasion true. Promise can more than flirt--she can be so seductive as to render the books' narration incapable of describing it. Someone's not giving you what you want? Put Promise on the job and she can probably charm it off of or out of your proverbial roadblock. However, this is a skill that's used sparingly at best.
She's also ace with a crossbow (picked up back when they were the weapon of choice for every stylin' vampire hunter--ah, sweet irony) and handy with a sword. In sum, a far better fighter than her demure wardrobe and retiring nature would suggest.
Finally, she's an amazing networker. Longevity and good people skills have set her up with a wide array of contacts, within both mortal and paranormal society. The latter group provides, in both Moonshine and Madhouse, the catalysts for the main plots of the novels in the forms of beings needing the detective agency's services.
[character personality]:
Promise is, above all things, reserved. Restrained in words and actions is what Merriam-Webster has to say about it, and while that's certainly true of her, she's also reserved in the sense that she reserves herself--she purposely and consciously holds herself back, saves herself for those she deems close enough to reveal herself more fully.
The public, especially in her adopted social class, sees a Ms. Nottinger who's elegant, poised, quiet, but more than able to say small and necessary things when required. Among strangers, she inevitably remains distant--and generally polite, save when the situation at hand calls for more intensity. Promise can be commanding as hell and sexier than one of Robin Goodfellow's orgies when she needs to be.
Friends get a Promise who still thinks her words over before saying them, but is more free with what she says. She's still polished and polite, generally, but she allows herself a freer rein with the emotions behind the words. She's warmer, even familial--calls Cal "little brother" and gives him a kiss hello--and quicker to bring the snark to the yard. She's capable of bickering and making it clear when she's annoyed, worried, insert not-so-tranquil emotion here--but aside from the verbal contending, it's always a subtle thing. When she's less than pleased, any signal of her feeling is almost invariably described as a small change from her usual demeanor--a tightening of the mouth here, a sliver of worry in the eyes there.
Because of the limited point of view within the series so far (namely, from the younger brother of the pseudo-ninja she's dating), there's a limit on exactly how much of Promise the reader is able to know. When she's alone with Niko, the neo-ninja in question, she presumably opens up even further--but seeing that has thus far been an impossibility within the confines of the series. Conjectures can (and will) be made, though, and what seems most likely (based off both what's known about her and what Cal suggests in the narrative) is that, while she still considers more than comments, she's less enigmatic about herself and how she feels. And even beneath that, there's the Promise nobody else will ever see, the one who's seen seven hundred years of hardships and joys.
All things being said, after reserved, the best word to sum up Promise is probably adaptable. Whatever the situation, whomever the company, she can make a place for herself.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]:
After Madhouse.
[journal post]:
Could somebody please tell me where it is I am?
I don't believe I am quite where I should be.
[third person / log sample]:
Promise had seen many cities in her lifetime, but none were quite like the one that had suddenly sprung up around her as she exited her apartment building--if for no other reason than the fact that it had appeared so abruptly. Swathed in a dove grey cloak, she had given the doorman a courteous nod and stepped out...only to find that the street before her was decidedly not a part of the Upper East Side. A swift look over her shoulder revealed that the view behind her was equally unfamiliar: shops where her home had stood only moments before.
Though her expression remained placid, her body tensed, hand reaching for a concealed blade. This place, wherever it was, looked fairly innocuous (or at least on the same standard of "threatening" as New York City) on first glance, but her experiences with sudden changes of scenery hadn't tended to be positive. While this was hardly a gateway to Tumulus, it was still quite suspicious.
...There was no immediate threat that she could sense (indeed, the only detail of any particular note was a ticking sound like a persistent clock, coming from somewhere nearby), and she allowed her muscles to relax. Her grip on her weapon, however, remained at the ready, hidden beneath the folds of her cloak.
A few people passed by her, entirely absorbed in their own conversations. Signs glinted neon, and down the street to her right, a carousel turned lazily in the center of what looked like a city square. And Promise had a choice. Remain rooted to the spot, poised for the possibility of either action or a return to her usual surroundings, or find an appropriate person and make inquiries.
She chose to move, slipping past the occasional groups of night strollers with an otherworldly grace that left not even a whisper of fabric in her wake.
[additional third person / log sample]:
"Mrs. Granville."
Promise glanced over to the origin of the voice, a gravelly intonation belonging to an older gentleman in a tuxedo. They weren't uncommon at these functions, tonight's in particular being a charity gala for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Despite an array of ages, from a few girls young enough for debutante balls to Promise's own centuries of living, most present were humans heading toward the ends of their lives. The very occasional vampire or valkyrie notwithstanding, of course.
She gave the man before her a closed-mouth smile. Only the tiniest curve of the lips, naturally, but her heather-coloured eyes held a warm expression. Offering a hand sheathed in black silk, she replied, "I don't believe we've been introduced."
"Nottinger is the name." He raised her hand to his lips momentarily. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise." They made eye contact, Promise from behind long, dark eyelashes. Having made each others' acquaintance, it was time for small-talk, filled with meaningless questions and answers sporadically punctuated with minute sips from champagne flutes. "What brings you here this evening, Mr. Nottinger?"
"Supporting the arts, naturally." His voice took on the low tone of a confidant as he leaned in slightly. "I'm funding one of the special exhibitions for the next year. Something about medieval weaponry. Anonymously...but you'll keep a secret, right?" Returning to a more conversational volume, he asked, "What're you interested in, in the Met?"
"I am fond of the Pre-Raphaelites." Mr. Nottinger basked in the glow of another enigmatic smile, not quite meant for him, and their chat continued on subjects of little importance. Promise listened more than she spoke, her eyes never wandering from her conversational partner. Her expression remained tranquil but interested, and when she did speak, it was more often to encourage his talking than to take control of the conversation.
"Would you care to dance?" he asked, finally, and she accepted with a smooth, graceful assent.
As they approached the dance floor, Promise considered. It had been some time since she ceased to wear her last wedding ring, and for several months more than that, she had been a widow. Mr. Nottinger had, like the four men who had come before him, seemed entirely taken with her, in the short period during which they had spoken. From the moment he had asked for her attention, she hadn't noticed his gaze straying from her.
And even in his advanced age, he danced adequately; Granville, despite his various good qualities, occasionally had missed the floor in favour of his wife's feet. It would be a shame not to pursue the possibility of romantic attachment.
[miscellanea]
Promise's LJ name, sleepsinpearls, comes from a line in Nightlife--it was the sentence that really sold me on the girl: "Pearls, she slept in pearls." That detail's the point where I really began to sit up and take notice of her, and who can argue with inspiration like that?
So, yeah. She sleeps in pearls. At least on occasion.
She takes eensy little bites of her food.
She loves calla lilies, all shades.
She doesn't tend to wear lipstick.
She misses the stars.
Her PB is Lonneke Engel, and her icons were gathered from here, here, here, and here. Promise technically has been wearing her hair with blonde stripes amid the mink brown as of late, but you try finding lots of pictures of a chick rocking the tiger-striped hair and purple eyes sometime. All credit for the PB's fabulosity goes to covet, who found her in the first place.
Credit to her profile layout goes to pitseleh_smith, who laboured in amongst codes for ages whilst I cheered half-coherently. ♥
And when I asked her about her past...I received quick snapshots. The Great Plague of London in the 1600s. How blood was hard to come by then. It was the only time she'd ever mentioned feeding. How you drank to survive and tried not to kill. 'Dead cows don't give milk, do they?' she'd said with a sadly bleak smile. Yes, you tried not to kill, but trying wasn't always succeeding.
[...]
She told me how she had come to America following the Civil War, how vampires blended into the larger cities. Her parents were long dead, or so she'd heard. Vampires didn't stay together long in large groups. They didn't crave the contact of their own kind the way humans do. Nature's way of keeping the predators from outbreeding their food source. She didn't talk much of her lovers. The hundreds of years she'd lived, I didn't expect to hear of every one. She hadn't mentioned Seamus.
She did tell stories of her five human husbands. Elderly and wealthy, but she'd been fond of each one. She'd lived through the Great Plague. I didn't blame her for wanting to be surrounded by beauty and life after that. I could understand her wanting to feel safe no matter what might arise. And if it took millions for her to feel that way, I didn't judge.(118-119)
And her explanation...
"I should have but..." She took a deep breath. "You, Niko. You raised a good man. Despite all he had against him, you did that with Cal. I raised a thief, one who has little care for anyone but herself. I raised a predator who was reluctant to give up drinking when the rest of us did. I raised a liar, who would say anything to get what she wanted. [...] She's also charming and bright and loves me...I hope." Her eyes clouded. "I didn't do well. It shames me. I keep hoping she'll mature. She was loved, and yet right and wrong are only words to her. My failure, and it's hard to live with, much less tell." (119-120)
These pages are important in general.
Promise Nottinger