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[speaksdaggers]

Application:

[ PLAYER INFORMATION ]

Player Name: Becci
Age: 21
Timezone: GMT
Personal Journal: fizzyopolis
Contact Information:
Instant Messenger: fizzyopolis (both AIM and plurk)
Email: fizzyopolis@hotmail.com
Current Characters: Shizuo Heiwajima | Minako Arisato | Chane Laforet
Activity Checks: July | August

[ CHARACTER INFORMATION ]

Name: Nezumi
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Fandom: No. 6
Timeline: After Episode 5 of the anime.
History:

On the 7th September 2013, following a rather special emotional outburst during a typhoon, a 12 year old boy named Shion leaves a window open to his rather high class home in the elite residential district of Chronos in No. 6 and a 12 year old fugitive known as “Nezumi” sneaks in out of the storm. Rather than having the whole thing turn into a dangerous hostage situation, Shion houses Nezumi overnight without his mother knowing, despite later learning that the police are hunting him down. He feeds, clothes, and treats the gunshot wound on Nezumi's arm and the two boys strike up a rather odd connection that apparently ends when Shion awakens in the morning and Nezumi has left.

Except it wouldn't be much of a story if that were the case. Fast forward four years, and Shion - now 16 -- has had his privileges as a member of elite society revoked for his part in aiding Nezumi, and is now living in an area of No. 6 known as “Lost Town”, working maintenance at the city park to earn enough money to continue his education. Things only get worse, as Shion is soon finds himself detained on suspicion of a double murder... or to be more accurate, he finds himself framed as the culprit of two suspicious deaths due to the fact he is now considered to be an unstable element in the city by the government. Luckily for him though, someone else had already picked up on how suspicious his rather lenient punishment for housing a fugitive was ready for something like this happening. In order to repay the debt he feels he owes Shion from four years ago, Nezumi infiltrates No. 6, rescues Shion from the government officials and together the two of them flee into the West District - an area outside of No. 6 known for housing the correctional facility that all criminals are housed in. This is the “real world”. An area full of people who refused, or were deemed too rebellious to fit into the all-controlling, all-providing, totalitarian rule of No. 6.

Not long after their escape, Shion falls victim to the same symptoms that killed his co-worker and an innocent man in the park; a small 'blister' like lesion appearing on the back of his neck, eventually leading to a strange dark rash begins to spread across his arms. Nezumi saves Shion by doing as he asks and cutting whatever was in the mark on his neck out before it can completely ravage his body, and in turn learns of the 'plague' slowly infecting and spreading through the citizens of No. 6. This 'rapid aging' plague is spread by a parasitic bee that lays an egg within the skin of a human, which remains there until it hatches, whereupon it drains the host of all energy and life in one quick process before emerging from the skin of their neck. Here begins something of a rift between the two boys - Shion is horrified at the idea of a plague wiping out all humans in No. 6 and wants to help them, while Nezumi... is delighted. They have front row seats for the collapse of a city he hates more than anything, and he refuses to do anything to help. The bees don't affect anyone outside of No. 6, so why should they run around trying to save a city that just swept anyone who didn't fit into their mould of a perfect and obedient citizen under the rug?

And thus the story is set; Nezumi, who wants to cut out the core the corrupted 'infection' within the city he hates more than anything and watch it burn; Shion who wants to save the people of the city from this unknown plague that's threatening them, and the odd, yet strong friendship that forms between two polar opposite boys who owe each other their lives all because of a chance meeting and a bit of unexpected kindness four years ago.

I know there isn't really a lot of Nezumi's direct history in this History section, but that's mostly because we don't know a lot about it. We know he was already branded a criminal when he was 12, and that he was being brought into No. 6 from the Western District and we know that he's got the attitude of someone who's lived in the Western District for a long time. He briefly mentions a mother and father in the first chapters of the novel, but aside from that he doesn't tell anyone anything, especially not Shion. We don't even know his real name. Luckily, any information that is revealed as the novel chapters are translated, and the anime episodes released will be easy enough to incorporate without having to rely on canon updates or anything. Nezumi keeps everything inside, meaning what the audience knows from the series won't have any effect on the characters in game until he himself tells them something... which he won't be doing, even long after we learn about his background from the show (if we do at all!).

SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 8... as I add background info:

Nezumi lived with his family - mother and father, unknown if he had any siblings - in an area of forest controlled and run by a being known as Elyuria. Neither he, nor any of the other inhabitants of the forest apparently knew of Elyuria's existence, but as she was essentially part of the forest (we assume) she was something akin to an unknown protector, of sorts. Unknowingly alongside her, they lived peacefully and quietly.

While the people of this forest didn't know about her, research given to No. 6 by one of its creators meant that No. 6 was well aware of her existence. It was their greed to possess her power that led to an army from No. 6 storming the forest and torching it to the ground, along with all the people living there at the time. Nezumi's entire family, and the entire population living in the forest were murdered in the attack, leaving Nezumi the sole survivor of Elyuria's forest, marked with the burn scars on his back. Because of his connection to Elyuria's forest, he is affected by her song when he hears it - in Episode 8 when he is asked to sing the song he hears, it causes the water in the area to glow and the air to shimmer. Presumably the song is somehow connected to Elyuria's power and his previous relation to the forest.

So, understandably, Nezumi hates the fuck out of No. 6 for killing his friends, and family and destroying his home just for power. It was presumably then that he was captured by No.6, although this is just me speculating.

... Also I need to double check that it's Elyuria, but it's late and I want to sleep. I will check tomorrow o/

Character Personality:

Nezumi has very distinct sides to his personality. Very distinct sides that are beginning to break down and become a little less separate with every chapter of the novel or episode of the anime.

When he was twelve years old, he was a branded fugitive, running through the sewer systems of No. 6 from government officials wielding guns who were perfectly willing to fire them at him. It goes without saying that Nezumi has trust issues and a view on the world that's far more cynical and jaded than any sixteen year old has any right to be. It's obvious from the way he reacts to Shion when he shelters him that he's willing to harm, kill and flee within a split second if he has to - his initial reaciton is violence; holding Shion by the throat until he has some kind of confirmation that Shion won't notify the authorities, and when Shion reveals he knows of Nezumi's status as a 'VC' (somebody implanted with a 'Violence Chip') he's already preparing himself to disarm the boy and run, until Shion throws him for a loop. This distrust and cynical view of people and the world around him never goes away, even four years on he lives by treating the world around him as a threat. He has to live in it, and he has the skills to survive through it, but he's far more likely to assume that someone offering him food on the street has poisoned it, and that the hand coming to pat him on the back is wielding a knife. It's not necessarily paranoia, it's just the world he's grown up in. Show any weaknesses, and people will be all over them, exploiting them and using them to their advantage to bring you down and destroy you.

Nezumi is smart in many different ways. He doesn't have the education that someone like Shion does, but that doesn't make him stupid. On the contrary, in the Western District he possesses all the right sorts of intelligence. He is incredibly and dangerously street smart - all the things he protects himself against are the same things he knows just how to do to other people. He's also more “world” smart; he's experienced more of the world than what life inside of No. 6 allows, and in some ways is very mature for his age. He's not dumb about sexual experience - hell, he apparently kisses so well he can make a prostitute blush - and is unperturbed by people propositioning him, or suggesting he's suited to working them streets himself. But his knowledge extends past just literaly skills. He is incredibly well read in terms of literature. His main line of work is as an actor, performing under the name 'Eve', which is the name it seems he is more commonly known by in the Western District. His job means he has to have knowledge of plays and playwrights, but he reads them for pleasure and fun as well, and can quote lines and paragraphs from them at the drop of a hat. He's intelligent, but he's not an academic. Everything he's learned is because he's needed to - street skills, world skills, acting skills - it just happens that he loves some of his skills over the others. His artistic abilities extend from acting, to singing, dancing and presumably playing the piano given that he has one lying around his home.

This intelligence transfers into the way he addresses and talks to people. To be frank, Nezumi is a bit of a dick. He throws both veiled and blunt insults around in conversation like they're confetti and he uses sarcasm like a weapon. No one is really safe from it - he insults strangers, he insults Shion and he does it all for his own reasons. He can even insult you without you realising it. It's something like a defence mechanism - as previously mentioned, Nezumi is used to assuming that the people around him are dangerous, and he keeps his own creed that people who have something to protect are the losers in life. Of course, by the time the series gets rolling he's found himself in exactly the position that he wanted to avoid - he's got something to keep safe, and he can't get rid of it. He doesn't really want to, because he feels like he owes it something.

Nezumi is an actor, and he's good at his job. So it's reasonable to assume that the Nezumi known to the Western District is something of an act and a cover up as well. Not a lie, because his skills and abilities are all real, but he is not a emotionless, heartless man. Around Shion, we see a lot of softer sides to Nezumi. He never compromises who he is to protect Shion or his feelings - sometimes, Shion genuinely annoys him.

No, scratch that, Shion genuinely annoys him quite a bit. Nezumi is a private person, so questions and attempts to pry into his past and his life piss him off and Shion is notorious for asking hundreds and questions whether or not Nezumi wants to answer them. He goads Shion for being a spoil and pampered ex-resident of No. 6, mocks him for his bleeding heart and verbally gives up on him for never being able to protect himself with plain old common sense. What he wants though, is for Shion to get a clue and harden up. He tells him to get rid of memories from No. 6 not because he hates No. 6, but because he probably knows that carrying around the past in a new, far more dangerous life, is only going to drag him down. He insults No. 6, and out-rightly states he can't wait to see it burn under the force of this new plague... then comforts and apologises to Shion when he sees he's upset. He gets easily irritated around him because Shion is so very different to what he's used to - he tries to see himself as more experienced, and more capable than Shion, but often finds himself thrown off balance by how different he is, and the fact they might be more equal than he wants to think. He's not used to seeing genuine care and kindness, so he berates Shion for it, despite the fact he respects it in a way. It was that kindness that saved him when he was twelve, and it's because of that kindness that he rescued Shion and brought him to the Western District in the first place.

In the anime, following a scene where Nezumi drags Shion off to dance in celebration of the fact the plague might attack No. 6 earlier than they expect and also to make a point that, even if he's just been ill, his reflexes and stamina are better than Shion's, so he should worry about himself, not Nezumi or others, he's immediately thrown off balance by the fact that Shion moves quickly enough to put a hand on one of his pressure points. Again, in the novels, there's a scene where Nezumi punches Shion for going off and not planning on returning, and is immediately thrown off balance again when Shion proceeds to smack him one for keeping information from him. Nezumi isn't used to being an equal with someone, or sharing himself and his life with someone the way he's suddenly found himself doing, so his reaction is to continually insist that the two of them are no better than strangers, despite the fact he keeps an eye out for Shion without coddling him. Nezumi's been so closed off for such a long time that he couldn't let another person in at the drop of a hat, unless they were special in some way and particularly stubborn about it. Luckily, or unluckily for Nezumi, Shion is both, and because of it we see more of Nezumi's natural reactions, thoughts and feelings begin to filter through into his everyday personality.

Character Abilities:

Nezumi can fight incredibly well, especially when you remember that he's only sixteen years old. He's skilled with both blades and fist fighting - he's seen carrying and using a knife in West District, mostly as a form of self defence and probably because of the distinctly more violent nature of the area, but he can hold his own and then some in a fist fight. He takes out four government employees without so much as pulling out a weapon. His reflexes are well honed as well - he's fast, and his skill in hand-to-hand combat, as well as his survival in West District relies on him having the reflexes and awareness of his surroundings to avoid a punch, a knife to the back, or a gunshot.

He's also an actor by nature and trade, well versed in the arts from acting and singing, to dancing as well - his home is filled to the brim with books, including the works of Shakespeare, Hesse, Racine, Oscar Wilde and Goethe. It's highly implied he's read all of them, possibly even multiple times given the ease he can quote from them when he feels like it, and he also mentions other stories, such as Aztec mythology. As an actor, he's able to hide his emotions when around people he doesn't know or trust, play people at their own game and even when he's insulting he does have a certain air of charisma about him... even if he is essentially a charismatic arse.

He can also cook. Apparently quite well, as Shion seems to enjoy the soup he made quite a lot. He's something of a picky eater - things like an overly salted broth can put him in a bad mood, (not that it takes much to do that anyway) - and given the apparent lack of freely available fresh food in the Western district, we can assume there isn't a lot of variety to the meals he can make... but... hey, if you want some soup or stew, he's apparently the man to go to.

Aside from being well read in terms of literature, Nezumi is apparently very good with the intricacies of machines. He is able to rig a government issue car to explode once he and Shion have escaped it; he knows that the Walker robot will explode when it reaches the outskirts of the city and uses that to his advantage, and most notably, he created the three small mouse robots that are present in the series. At first, Shion doesn't even realise they're robots, but he eventually names them Tsukiyo, Hamlet and Cravate, much to Nezumi's annoyance. ALTHOUGH! It should be noted the series is really inconsistent about whether or not the mice are real or not. They're definitely Nezumi's, and they're definitely trained by him, but Shion expresses amazement at mechanical mice being so realistic and then a couple of novel volumes later notes that a new, unnamed mouse doesn't share the same signs of 'life' the other three do, implying they're alive and... not robotic... … … yup. Good ol' consistency.

Character Weaknesses:

Nezumi's biggest weakness is Shion. I'm not even kidding when I say this - Inukashi notes that the Nezumi she sees during the series is different to the Nezumi she's seen beforehand. Nezumi never showed what he was thinking, never let on any emotions that could imply he had any weaknesses and wouldn't hesitate to slit someone's throat if they attacked him with murder in mind. After Shion arrived though, he changed - he is openly animated and irritated in front of Inukashi, but cuts himself off abruptly when he realises she's watching.

Later in the same episode, she confronts him about the insult he threw at her 'mother' earlier and after telling him he acted essentially out of jealousy towards her she goes on to prove he's losing his edge by the fact he hesitates in killing her when he wouldn't have before. As she says, “the one who has something to protect always loses”, which is something that was Nezumi's own creed for many years. Nezumi has lived with a number of walls around himself, and having Shion around is breaking them all down one by one. At the same time though, he can't just get rid of him. He may complain and insult Shion's naivety and inability to get rid of his bleeding heart, but he'll always comfort him when he's genuinely sad and try to keep him safe without completely coddling him to the point he doesn't learn to adapt.

Nezumi's determination to cling onto his detached and guarded personality leads to difficulties in gained friends, or allies. He insists multiple times that he and Shion are just strangers, despite the fact they're obviously closer than that. When it comes to other people, Nezumi is stubborn and unwilling to share anything about himself with anyone. Sure, he'll probably be able to make what other people may class as friends, given enough time, but he would just as quickly turn around and end their lives without a second thought if they ended up becoming his enemy. Most emotional attachments mean very little to him.

He's also very abrasive in person. He can be kind, and he can be genuinely nice from time to time but it'd normally be snowing in June before he displayed either of these traits in public. He's quick to point out flaws and insult you for them, even if it is to show you what an idiot you're being and to help you sort yourself out, and he's sarcastic far more than he's not. Unless you have the patience of a saint, Nezumi will inevitably rub you up the wrong way at least once, even if he genuinely likes you to some extent.

[ SOUL CAMPAIGN SECTION ]

What are the abilities that your character will retain in Soul Campaign?

Nezumi's abilities are all within reason, as far as I can see. He's strong and has good reflexes, but he's not superman. He's well read, but he's not a certifiable genius, and he's good with machines but he'd have to work to learn how to manipulate and use ones he's not used to.

What are the weaknesses that your character will lose or gain in Soul Campaign?

Nezumi is very distrusting of controlled societies - like No. 6, with their ID cards, tracking devices and “ideal lifestyle”, so we can imagine how he'll take to Death City. His biggest weakness will be coming to trust a world he can't escape from - with the communicators acting as IDs he can't bring himself to use and trust them easily, yet how is he supposed to communicate or do anything without making use of it? In order to get information, and exist in Death City, he'll have to learn to adapt himself without completely shutting out everything he would normally avoid in a place so similar to No. 6. There will be a number of issues he'll need to deal with, and a lot to work through it order to come to trust - truly or begrudgingly - that Shibusen had no control over bringing him here, and that the only way out is to bite the bullet and try to deal with being a part of the sort of lifestyle and system he despises above anything else.

Keeping the game’s premise in mind, please give us a brief explanation of your plans for your character in Soul Campaign.

I want to see how he deals with being stuck in the sort of thing he hates. He'll rebel to it at first, sure as hell, and probably cause some trouble trying to get out. But I want to see how he changes, whether he truly will or not, and where he will end up in the war effort.

[ MEISTER ONLY SECTION ]

Why your character should be a Meister: I know that saying 'my character doesn't like to be controlled' isn't good enough, but it's partially true in this case. However, it's more a case that he wouldn't be able to trust somebody enough to let them use him if he were a weapon. Control issues aren't the problem so much as a distinct lack of trust in giving himself over completely to another person. As a meister, he still retains a semblance of self-control. Sure, he's going to have to learn to trust people in order to achieve resonation, but he will do so with a knowledge that he will be the one calling the shots in a fight.

Other than than, Nezumi is fit, strong, active, and his survival skills are second to none. He's not the type to protect others unless it's a special case, but put him in a team with people he's got some connection too and he'll do his damn hardest to make sure they all fight to make it out alive whether subconsciously, or not. If he were a weapon, his drive to survive and his fighting skills would be lost somewhat if he were playing the role of an object in a fight. He can also make tough decisions fairly easily - if an ally turned enemy, he would adjust himself quickly and not hesitate to attack them with the intent to incapacitate. Maybe.

Meister Ability:

Soul Cloak

[ SOUL INFORMATION ]

Soul Description: Cynical, sarcastic, artistic, witty, irritable and hypocritical.

Soul Appearance: Nezumi's soul is dark grey in colour, with lighter, silvery grey eyes. Most of the time the soul looks expressionless, and very guarded, but if Nezumi is angry or irritated, the soul's expression changes and looks more grumpy. It's framed by a similar hairstyle to Nezumi's own, even down to the little ponytail at the back.

[ SAMPLES ]

First Person:

[The communicator flickers to life, but instead of the expected sight of a face on the other end of the screen, the network is treated to a very clear and unblemished view of an apartment ceiling. Whoever turned on the communicator obviously didn't stick around long enough to be caught on screen.

There's silence for a few moments, before someone mumbles something off screen. The voice is lighter, and softer than the next voice than speaks - a lot clearer and nearer to the communicator. This is probably the voice of the person that activated the communicator in the first place.]

No, I'm not picking it up and talking to it. [There's a little more undistinguishable talking from the other person, before the louder voice snorts.] If you're so bothered about networking, do it yourself your majesty. Ids and video calls are your speciality, aren't they? Besides, if they put a voice and face together who knows how long it'll take them to track us down. [The voice turns slightly amused.] Couple of malcontents running around the place. Can't have that, can they?

[There's a rustling sound, before something flips the communicator over rather inelegantly. Now the network is treated to a beautiful view of the apartment floor. There's a few foot steps, followed by more silence, before voices sound again.]

Shut up, I can't hear myself think with all your questions. No, I can't see a tracking chip. Did you ever see one just sitting around on the outside of your ID card? It'll be inside the damn thing.

[The communicator is flipped over again, but this time the person talking and throwing the device around like a rag doll doesn't move off screen as quickly. The speaker is fairly tall, with dark hair long enough to pull back into a small ponytail, and pale grey eyes that are fixing the communicator with a very intense look of suspicion and dislike. He's only visible for a few moments, before he turns and walks out of the communicator's sight with one last parting word to the other, still unseen, person in the room.]

If you're so bothered by it, you deal with it. I don't have the time to be wasting on tracking devices and that 'big brother' mentality this damn place has.

Third Person: Nezumi had left home early that day. Normally, by the time he left for work, Shion was awake and wandering around, pelting him with incessant, never ending streams of questions, or curled up in a corner with one of the mice - named after one of Shakespeare's plays, but that was as much as he cared to remember. They were robots, not pets, so why name them? - reading through one of the many books he owned.

He just wanted to get out there for a while. The previous night had been a confusing mix of elation, and harrowing shock when looking back at it from the light of a new day. The news that No. 6 could reach its gruesome and highly deserved end earlier than either of them expected had him clenching his fists and clenching his jaw to hold back the bubbling swell of sheer, utter joy that threatened to escape. He couldn't let it - he made no secret of how excited he was for this plague on that corrupted 'paradise' from Shion, but letting all that glee out in front of him would just be more trouble than he wanted to deal with. And letting it out in public in front of strangers?

Ha.

That alone wasn't enough to get him leaving early on purpose though. He was still thinking over the later events of the previous night. Absently, he raised a hand and places it over the left side of his neck. Shion had no survival skills. He'd known that since he was twelve years old and the naïve idiot had let him come a centimetre away from disabling him using a spoon, so how the hell had he gotten close enough to get direct access to one of Nezumi's pressure points without him reacting in time to stop him? Whether that was a sign that there might be something more to Shion than either of them realised, or whether it was just an indication he was losing his touch and becoming soft, he couldn't say. All he did know was that it was disturbing, and somewhat unsettling to consider the skills that had kept you alive for years might be slipping.

With a irritated snort, Nezumi lowered his hand and slipped it into his jacket pocket, turning on his heel and walking down the corridor of identical metal doors until he reached the stairs that would take him up and into the Western District. He could deal with this later. Going out with his head tangled up thinking of something else other than his surroundings would just make him a walking target for some opportunist brat out there. Ascending the stairs, he raised his arm to shield his eyes from the inevitable harsh daylight after hours of darkness lit only by candles... only it never came. The world stayed dark.

Nezumi froze, his hand shooting for his knife, only to end up scrabbling in material without finding what he was looking for. He never went anywhere without his knife, so why wasn't it here now? He tensed, eyes scanning the area slowly as he took in the change of scenery. This sure as hell wasn't the Western District. If he was quick enough, maybe he could get back down the stairs and back to his room without alerting anyone to his presence. More importantly, he could get a replacement for his missing knife and not be left out in foreign territory without a weapon like a sitting duck. Spinning on his heel, he took off running, heading for the stairs he knew were behind him--

Only they were gone. Feet kicking up dust from the ground, he skidded to a halt, neck craning back towards the pillars wound with chains as three screens flickered into life in the air around him. Shit. Slowly, and as cautiously as he could, he stepped backwards, away from the screens and the chains and into the semi-darkness in the corners of the room. If he didn't draw attention to himself - he certainly wasn't naïve enough to think he could get away without being spotted right now - he might be able to blind side some of the people running this place and get a chance to escape. Because he had to escape. Maybe there'd be some ridiculous miracle and Shion would suddenly develop the common sense to survive on his own for a bit, or maybe he'd go back to an empty room and everything back to the way it was before, but it didn't matter.

Right now, at the forefront of his mind, all he could think about was escaping.