STATISTICS

Name: Tenteki Adalard.

Meaning: Tenteki can mean either "natural enemy" or "raindrops," and Adalard means "brave."

Nicknames: His name is usually shortened to "Teki" by people too lazy to say the whole thing. (You'd better be a close friend before you call him that to his face, though.) His brother is the only person who can call him Tent and get away with it.

Species: Human.

Gender: Very, very male. Rrar.

Age: Thirty-five.

Birthdate: November 9.

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio. He is definitely introverted, determined and bold when he has to be. He can also be incredibly moody and pessimistic at times.

Hometown: Lydda, Actavia. He's never lived anywhere else.

Likes: Being in the middle of large crowds (or rather, being able to pass through them unnoticed), managing people below him, people-watching at restaurants (clearly he enjoys being an outside observer), strategizing (he loves a good game of chess), organizing, keeping up with modern scientific debates, jacuzzis, fine wine, heights and the view from the top of very tall buildings, long hot showers, tea (evenings) and coffee (mornings and all through the day, really), the joys of capitalism, business luncheons, control (though not too much - he enjoys directing, but he also delights in being surprised. He's more concerned with staying on top than being the best, necessarily), surprises (even bad ones, at times - it's good to stay on one's toes) and being surprised (it's such a rarity in his life), beautiful and intricate things (especially if they're hand-made - working in a world of mass-production and assembly lines, it's nice to have something you can call unique), most animals, perfect Windsor knots, rooms with lots of windows and light.

Dislikes: People who waste his time, dramatic entrances, any form of whining/self-pitying/angst in public, melodrama, people who blow their own horns, baths (ew, stewing in your own filth), dirty or messy homes (take some pride in the place you call home, for god's sake. noo, he's not OC..), overseeing the Sabazius program, impatience, being alone for long periods of time, total silence (rather unnerving), unhappy shareholders, weak people who constantly need help and support, people who expect to be rewarded for doing nothing, any travel over water, muggy or humid weather, long boardroom meetings, when subordinates aren't prepared, people who always play the victim (damsels in distress? ugh. give him Xena any day), Leo's current dragon delusions, spiders and most insects (he's not afraid of them, he just dislikes them a lot), those people whose desks look like an atom bomb just exploded in their inbox (but they swear they know where everything is!), being rushed through a meal, people who beg on the street (especially the younger ones), when others interfere in his business (do not touch his files).

Quirks: Tenteki is one of those rare people who can go to bed at midnight and get up at five and be fine. He is both a morning bird and a night owl - he's wide awake as soon as he's woken up and ready to go, but he can also get a lot done at night. It's the middle of the afternoon that drags for him. He has a "sleep on the go" philosophy that means that he will take a nap whenever the opportunity presents itself so that he does not get sleep deprived and have to catch up on weekends. (So you can occassionally catch him napping in his office.) He enjoys lounging in bed as much as the next guy but denies himself the luxury when he has "things" to accomplish.

Hobbies: Though work comes first, Tenteki manages to find time for both a social life and staying in shape. His free time is taken up largely in the company of women. He also goes jogging at least once a day, twice if he has something on his mind, and manages to hit the gym around once a week. He's not determined to be musclebound, but he hangs around with enough flabby fortysomethings to want to stay in shape. Things he enjoys doing but does rather infrequently include: reading rather technical sci-fi or crime novels (along the lines of Tom Clancy or Michael Chrichton), playing chess, and playing card games.

Strengths: Tenteki is an excellent strategist. He has very good judgment and is good at thinking several moves ahead, trying to always keep ahead of his opponent. He is also quick to take action where it is needed but is very patient and will willingly wait a very long time for something he wants if that is the best way to get it. He is good at figuring out how to do things most efficiently and with as little damage as possible. He is also very disciplined and determined, and is not one to back down once he has established a goal. This means he's not opposed to compromise, if it works towards his ends, and will try anything to get what he wants. He's very much a follower of the "The ends justify the means" philosophy. By nature, he will always attempt to get what he wants rather than daydreaming about it. He is definitely not a dreamer.

Weaknesses: Tenteki has a tendency to be too serious and never really lets go and just has fun. He is not a spontaneous sort of person - he muchly prefers plans and schedules - and is so dedicated to his goals that he often forgets himself. He can also be overly harsh with himself. On the flip side, he tends to be somewhat overconfident and simplify his problems, but if he is proven wrong he will learn from the mistake and adjust his calculations accordingly rather than freak or refuse to admit his wrong. Of course, he will berate himself for the error later but always in private. Being seen as strong, confident, and unerring is extremely important to him.

Fears: Although the only fears he will admit to are of dying (he says only fools and liars claim not to be afraid of this) and of snakes (don't ask), privately Tenteki is always afraid that he will appear weak and someone will try to take advantage of that weakness. He works very hard to create the image of a totally calm, cold, and reliable businessman. He also gets very uncomfortable when he is alone and not doing anything, especially at night. He needs to keep himself busy or he starts feeling anxious. He also has a fear of being submerged in water by surprise - hardly a conscious fear, or one he'd name, but a very strong one. This is one that's not likely to ever come to pass, unless someone pushes him into a pool or pushes him under while he's in one. He does enjoy swimming, but is always on guard around poolsides and prefers people keep their distance where water's involved. (So I suppose "drowning" would be his other strongest fear.)

Aspirations: To succeed at what he does, clearly. He wouldn't mind being the one running Empire once old Leo's out of the picture, though given the old man's current feelings towards him, that may be difficult. Thankfully, Tenteki has an excellent rapport with the shareholders and most of the members of the Board of Trustees. His primary loyalty, if you couldn't guess, is to the company and not to Leo himself. He's extremely ambitious and has been very aggressive in getting where he is now, which is clearly evidenced by the fact that he is a good ten years younger than the next youngest senior executive at Empire (and he is higher-ranking than him). He singlemindedly pursues both promotions for himself and dribing up the companies profits through whatever means necessary, as both increase his sense of success in life. His short-term ambition is to get himself off this silly assignment Leo's stuck him with, as frankly it's not worth his time (not to mention that he thinks the whole thing is a giant waste of money). As for frivolous desires, he would really like to get a dog but doesn't want the hairs everywhere and doesn't have time to take care of it anyway.

Occupation: Tenteki is, as mentioned, a very high-ranking senior executive with Empire Corp, who hopes one day to be its president. He's only a few steps from vice president, as a matter of fact.

Favourite Food: Tenteki must reluctantly admit that, through his mother's influence, he really likes Oriental foods. He is particularly fond of dumplings and holds lots of "business lunches" in sushi bars. He also actually enjoys those really elaborate "bourgousie" dishes most people would squeal "Gross!" at and he has very expensive tastes in general, often ordering the most expensive steak or fish on the menu.

Hated Food: Although he will readily eat squid, shark, and many other weird things, Tenteki refuses to eat veal or venison and claims to be allergic to oysters, although he isn't. He is also not very fond of fast food and tries to avoid it if he can. This means if he goes to a fast-food restaurant with you, he likely will just watch you eat and have an iced tea or something to drink.

Bedroom: Tenteki's bedroom is actually designed with a theme and such. The furniture is all mahogany or metal or both, with a black and white yin-yang feel to the sheets and curtains and such. It's a very modern looking room. It is usually immaculate, although occassionally his bed will be unmade or a tie will be hanging over the back of his desk chair. The are very, very few mementos, trinkets, or other personal possessions just lying around. The walls are decorated with expensive pieces of art - mostly modern, bold pieces - and the place, though it has character - feels utterly impersonal, as though he picked the whole place from a magazine (though, in fact, he chose each element himself).

Favourite Belonging: This is very hard to say. Although he can be considered a bit materialistic, he is really more concerned with buying things to acquire status more than for the sake of having them. He is not an overly sentimental person and does not really have any "keepsakes" or the like as he does not see the point of them. Therefore he does not really have any possessions that he would be unable to replace if he lost them. As for the possession that gives him the most pleasure or that he is most proud of, I would have to say that is his car. He drives a very distinctive silver sports car, top of the line, and is very proud of it.

 APPEARANCE

Face: He has an oval-shaped face that points slightly at the chin, with a straight nose and nice lips (not exactly heartthrob Tobey Maguire lips, but we can't all be that sexy) that attract attention without being too full. They are a rather dark, muted pink in colour rather than being rosy or pale. His features also look ever so slightly Asian, in that the corners of his eyes are slightly slanted. He has a habit of looking at people very intensely without meaning to when he makes eye contact, and can be quite intimidating, especially as he usually seems very cold and removed.

Eyes: Tenteki's eyes are his best feature. He has oval shaped cats-eyes, pointed ever so slightly at the corners, and his irises are a lovely, deep violet that make him seem quite mysterious and reflect light very well. His eyes are dark and often look broody, and although they seem very expressive they rarely reflect his true emotions. He is also a bit farsighted and requires the use of reading glasses when.. er... well, reading, or when working on a computer. His glasses have small black rectangular frames and suit him very nicely.

Hair: Tenteki's hair is black, although when in the sun one could easily argue that it is in fact a very dark grey. It is of medium thickness and is kept rather short, so that his bangs would fall just past his eyebrows if he let them. He wears it all brushed back, however, save for an errant strand which is constantly in his face. He's been blessed with his mother's hair texture, so the strands always fall smoothly and silkenly into place and it's rather difficult to mess up his hair.

Skin: Tenteki's skin is always clean and clear, and usually smells nice too. It is rather pale as he does not spend much time outside and contrasts quite nicely with his dark features. Luckily for him he does not look sickly without a tan. Thanks to his mother's heritage, his skin is more yellow than pink in tone. (In Prismacolour terms, he would be more an eggshell than a light peach.)

Body: Tenteki is of average but firm build, and although he may not have rippling pecs of steel he is still well-muscled, lean, and fit. He is not so muscle-bound as to be confused with a professional wrestler and, thanks to his broad shoulders, he can still look quite stunning in a tux, however. He stands at six feet three inches tall, which he feels is a very good height to be. His hands are not really noteworthy except for the fact that his nails are well-manicured and he has obviously not had to do much manual labour in his life. (He moisturizes. You can tell.)

Identifying Marks: Tenteki is a very lucky boy and has not a single scar to marr his skin. He also does not have any tattoos, piercings, or so much as a freckle. So I guess you could say his greatest identifying feature is his complete lack of identifying features.

Usual Attire: Most of the cast wll be familiar with him only in a very expensive, cleanly pressed suit, as he wears one every day to work. As mentioned, Tenteki looks brilliant in a tux and really suits classy clothes, but as those are a bit much for sitting around the house in you can normally find him in slacks or khakis with a button-up shirt on. If you pester him for a bit you could get him into a t-shirt. Maybe. He looks best in simple black and whites but will occassionally spice up his wardrobe with a dash of purple or crimson which looks very nice on him. (Even more rarely, you could catch him in something light blue, which usually looks lovely on him.) Like everything else about him, he is very conscious of outward appearances and makes an effort to look his best.

Carriage: Tenteki always walks straight with a smooth gait that says he is completely confident and in charge of his own situation. He is not overly commanding, however, and can slip in and out of a crowd or room without much notice. He has a habit of slipping one hand into his pants pocket while just standing around and will lean against something (wall, tree, whatever) if it is available, although he is fine with standing on his own. He has a tendency to pace when he is stressed but will usually try to avoid doing it in public. He will also never slouch.

Voice: According to Sally, his voice is a baritone but I know nothing about voice ranges so I could not tell you. It is in the middle-to-low range and is quite smooth, however. He normally makes it sound very silky and can almost purr when he is trying to convince someone of something, although it is not quite so sweet as a purr. He has a very pleasing voice and as such does not have much trouble getting people to listen to him. He can't sing, however, and generally limits himself to humming a bar or two in the shower.

 PERSONALITY

To say Tenteki naturally commands respect would be an understatement. He is going places, he has everything planned out, he seems to have it all together. He is well-admired and is the type other employees would ask for advice. He is a smooth-talking businessman, knowing what to say, how and when to say it, and who to say it to. He is well-mannered but forceful, reserved but with a certain self-assured benevolence that make people inclined to trust him, to talk to him. He can go almost completely unnoticed until you're introduced to him, and then you wonder why you didn't notice him sooner. In a nutshell, Tenteki is the perfect gentleman, a successful businessman, and a respectable human being. Of course, we don't all live in nutshells.

He really is the perfect businessman. He has no close familial ties and no wife, allowing him to work as much as he likes. He felt when he started out that he had nowhere to fall to, and so was completely unfraid to strike out aggressively and unapologetically. He is a man who Gets Things Done. He is ruthless in business, often playing hardball with competitors and reaching his goals forcefully through any means necessary. He does not tiptoe, pussyfoot, or court his seniors – he is extremely straight-forward, to the point, and considered lethal in the corporate world. He pursues his goals with a single-minded determination that can be extremely intimidating to those who work with him, and has seen a number of seemingly impossible tasks to their completion. He is known as something of a miracle worker in this regard, though he also has quite a snake-like reputation for being cold, calculating, and unmoved. He may seem jovial, sociable, and earnest when there's no deal on the table, but those who do business with him feel as soon as the office doors are closed the real shark emerges.

As you have gathered from the stats, he can be a rather strategic thinker. He tends to think things out in advance and is the type of guy who wakes up and mentally lists off all the things he has to do that day. This can be quite an irritating trait but thankfully Tenteki does not do it out of an obsessive-compulsive need to do so; while he prefers order, he does enjoy the occassional bit of spontaneity and can adapt quickly to a changing situation specifically because he is adept at thinking in advance. He is not, however, generally an analytical thinker; he can pretty much size up the situation and form a basic plan, while leaving the details up to someone else. This, combined with his motivation and idealistic style of thinking, makes him perfect for a management position ("Here is the problem. Here is my solution to this problem. I don't care how you achieve this solution, but it will be achieved."), though his groundbreaking solutions sometimes leave the employees under him who have to actually execute them in hysterics. He is also a very patient individual, which means he is able to wait quietly until everything is ready before he acts. His proficiency at chess is a result of both of these traits, and also a result of his above average observation skills. That's not to say that he'll pick up any little detail; as mentioned, he is more of a "big picture" thinker. However, he does have an unusual ability to read people that comes from years of quietly observing them from "outside." This means he would likely be a good poker player, although he's never tried it. He is very good at guessing what people want - not to the point where it seems that he's reading their minds, but he can usually tell through body language and facial expressions how a person is feeling at any given time. He used to amuse himself and the occassional friend in college by watching couples chat from a distance int he park and guessing from their reactions what they were saying to each other.

Tenteki is also very ambitious, if you haven't picked that up already. He is determined to obtain a position of power and is continually striving and pushing himself to new heights. He is a goal-setter, and once he achieves a goal he immediately sets a new one. This is the way that he functions. He is also willing to take just about any measures necessary to achieve these goals. He is a firm believer in the theory that "the ends justify the means." This does not necessarily mean he would resort to cheating or killing off a rival or something of that nature, but he's willing to go pretty far. He is a moral person, but only to a certain point. If you told him he could have the cure for cancer if he let you kill a little kid, he would probably take the opportunity. And the horrible part is, despite the fact that he may tell himself it is, it would not entirely be a case of "the greater good" and would also be for his own personal benefit - he'd be the man who cured cancer. Since he hasn't been in any real position as of yet to abuse his position or ambitions, the lengths to which he'll go are not known.

This overwhelming drive to succeed is fueled largely by an overwhelming fear of failure. Tenteki is terrified of the idea that someone could perceive him as being weak, and as such he is almost obsessive about how he presents himself to the world. He is extremely self-conscious, although he exudes an air of self-confidence so great most people fail to see through it. Quite a lot of what he does is calculated to make himself look better. After all, the higher your status, the more power you have, the more successful you must be, right? As such he lives in an apartment much nicer and larger than he needs, drives a flashy car he has little need for, and buys expensive watches and ties and the like the make himself seem more reknowned.

Along with this comes one of his nastier habits. Tenteki will generally only go out with women for one of two reasons: either he is getting something from the relationship (ie, she works for a rival company, or for someone he's trying to sell to, etc) or because she would increase his "status" (which pretty much means the girl must be gorgeous, rich, and as successful as him) - which is the same as him getting something. His relationships can be anywhere from a one-night deal to a six-month long arrangement, but they generally amount to little more than affairs. He prefers not to get emotionally tied down in a relationship and, happily enough, he tends to be more attracted to women who are more like him than just in status; they should also share his belief that a relationship is just something you get something out of and/or get great sex from. He generally sticks to confident women he does not have to worry about being hurt or upset by his lack of romantic interest, although he can be quite romantic if he feels the need.

As you can tell, it is very difficult to become intimate with him and see his actual self, as he is so paranoid about being seen as weak that he keeps it well-hidden and, although he can smile and seem friendly, he generally has a somewhat reserved or aloof air to him and always measures what he says, despite how natural it seems. It is hard to find someone he can relax around. He prefers to stay disciplined and on-guard as he believe this makes him look much more professional and polished. On that note, it must be mentioned that Tenteki has absolutely perfect manners and always seems to know the appropriate (whether it is right or not is debatable) comment for every awkward social situation. He's also rather tactful in his handling of people, although he still manages to get his point across. He is, as though I have not expressed it enough, quite talented at dealing with people in general. He's the type of guy who can not only defuse an irate check-out guy but get a discount, too. He is also a firm believer in not "burning your bridges" and tries to part with everyone, be it an ex or a supermarker employee, on good terms. He firmly believes these "positive contacts" come in handy and has been proved right on more than one occassion.

 HISTORY

Tenteki has had a relatively normal life. It was not overly wrought with trauma or disaster, but wasn't quite a walk through the park, either. To begin with, he was born the second child of a native of Lydda, Olin Adalard, and his wife, formerly known as Rebecca Sato. Rebecca's grandparents on both sides (save her mother's father, who was an Aristean) were from a small nation across the water - across the world, really - called Kyuara (which you can read all about here), and she spent most of her life moping over how unfortunate she was to have been born in Aristes, so far away from her "home country." Actually, she rather hated being Kyuaran (it certainly makes you stand out a bit and get picked on in school) up until she hit her late teens and realised how "cool" it was and is now actively one of those people who goes to desperate lengths to "get in touch" with their heritage. She gave both her children Kyuaran names, naming her first born Yuhi and her second Tenteki, and tried for a brief while to learn the language but doesn't really have a knack for picking it up and is severely lacking in the discipline department so she promptly gave it up.

In contrast to his wife's flakiness, Olin was a realistic man who worked a bit more than was necessary and was more concerned with his sons' grades and performance in sports than anything else. He worked very hard for his money and expected everyone else to do the same. He also tolerated his wife's flighty whims quite a bit more than he perhaps should have, but that is neither here nor there. Growing up, Tenteki was constantly in the shadow of his older, sportier, and more outgoing brother, who was into soccer and football and all sorts of wonderful things. Yuhi was a bit of a "wild child" and seemed totally unconcerned about the results of his actions, and was oblivious to any and all attempts to get him to settle down. He did what he wanted and was one of the more popular boys in his class. Tenteki, on the other hand, generally hung about by himself playing with blocks with one or two other kids. At home, Tenteki was encouraged by his father to be more outgoing like Yuhi, while at the same time Yuhi was being told to be more well-behaved like Tenteki. This type of talk created a strange strain on the brother's relationship, as it does with most siblings caught in a similar situation, and Yuhi began to delight in teasing his little brother and trying his darnedest to get him to act up. He was forever playing tricks on his little brother which got more and more complicated the older he got.

Now we will backtrack a bit so I can explain one of these incidents that had a rather unforeseen effect on Tenteki's development. When he was about seven, Yuhi's "pranks" took a rather nasty turn. The two of them had just watched a movie in which one of the characters had to retreive a treasure chest at the bottom of the ocean and Yuhi was bragging that he could have held his breath longer than the character in the film. Tenteki foolishly disgreed, saying he had held it for a really long time, but Yuhi challenged Tenteki to a breath-holding contest and took him out back to the pool. He said Tenteki had to go first and Tenteki, suddenly suspicious that his brother might have an ulterior motive (like throwing him into the pool) tried to back out. Yuhi grabbed him and, caught up in the "game" and not really aware that he was doing something wrong, forced Tenteki to kneel by the pool's edge and shoved his head under. Tenteki (quite understandably) was thrashing about and screaming his head off at the time, so he wasn't exactly prepared for the "contest." Yuhi managed to hold his head under for quite a while (it is surpising how long someone can go without air when forced) before their mother, who had been on the phone but heard Tenteki's screaming and semi-interestedly came to investigate, peered out the window to check on her two sons and saw her eldest apparently trying to drown the younger. She panicked and rushed outside, grabbing Yuhi quite roughly and dragging a coughing, choking, sobbing, and VERY traumatized Tenteki out of the pool by the back of his shirt. She was screaming her head off too by this point and asking if Tenteki was okay and pretty much bawling her head off at Yuhi ("What the hell did you think you were doing?!") and so it took her quite some time to calm HERSELF down enough to calm Tenteki down. He had been acting relatively normal (for someone who had just almost been drowned) so she was so busy being relieved that he appeared to be fine that she almost didn't notice that he wasn't answering any of her questions, just sobbing his head off. She shook him a little and tried to get him to respond and quickly discovered, much to his absolute horror, that he could not hear a word that she said.

A brief explanation for this phenomenon is as follows: There is a fairly rare condition known as Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL) which is pretty much sudden deafness in one or both ears and can be caused by quite a lot of things - disease, poison, sudden head trauma, etc. In some cases it goes away on its own in a few days or weeks, in some cases the person is deaf for the rest of their life, in other medical treatment with steroids or carbogen will help it. Researchers think it is caused by important parts of the inner ear not getting enough oxygen (as in drowning) but they're not sure. Full or partial recovery is pretty much expected in most cases. All of this was explained to Tenteki's frantic mother (and his now very scared and ashen-faced brother) in the emergency room while poor Tenteki bawled his eyes out some more and tried to figure out what everyone was saying to him. He would be given medication that would hopefully help, but that was about all they could do for him and he was sent home. His mother tried to pamper him a bit and his brother was very shaken up by it and tried to make it up to him, but the attention wore off quite quickly as neither was known for their long attention span and he was pretty much left to his own devices. He stayed home from school with his mother, who often left him on his own while she chatted to friends on the phone, watched TV, or worked on her latest project (she constantly had some artsy thing to work on; writing her memoirs, she said it was). Thus little 'Teki was left alone for hours on end in total silence. After a little while of this he would generally become very freaked out and upset and search all over the house for his mother and try and get her to sit with him, but she lacked the patience to deal with a deaf child and usually just found him something to do and left him again. The long periods he spent on his own in total silence scarred him a little, in that he now becomes rather uncomfortable in a quiet room by himself often to the point where he has to leave and go somewhere where there are other people around. (This has already been explained in personality so I won't repeat myself, but now you know the reason.) His hearing gradually returned over the course of two weeks or so, and he eventually got over the incident and has now pushed it to the furthermost reaches of his mind.

And as for Yuhi? Well, let's say that his father was Less Than Pleased that he had (seemingly) tried to drown his own brother, even in jest, and that he was immediately taken out of the private school his father had been paying for and eventually graduated military academy at 18. (Ouch.) Tenteki continued on through nice private schools, generally being a geeky sort of overacheiver who was respected and generally well-liked even though he didn't seem to have any close friends. He worked very hard through school, perhaps subconsciously trying to get his father's attention through his grades, and would graduate valedictorian of his class. However, he paid the penalty for this and had the social life of a hibernating squirrel. To most people his life seemed perfect, and he thought he had it all together. He had been accepted to a very good local business school on a half scholarship, and his father was going to pay the rest.

Of course something had to happen. Near the end of his senior year, his father's company was bought over by a competitor and many of its high-ranking executives - including Tenteki's father - were sacked. This caused quite a bit of trouble in the family as Tenteki's father came very close to telling him he couldn't attend college unless he paid for it himself, because his father had had quite a lot of his money tied up in company stocks and was steadily falling down the economic ladder. The night of his graduation from high school he and his father had a huge argument about this which ended with him storming out of their apartment with nowhere to go and no way to get there. He ended up staying at a friend's house for a few nights before returning home, sullen but determined. He had decided that he was going to have to work even harder than before because he was going to take out loans and pay for the rest of his tuition himself, and he was going to become a businessman infinitely better than his father and rise to the top of whichever company he worked for. He would not just be a middleman to get thrown aside as his father had been; he would be the head man, and he'd be the one who bought out or crushed his competition.

His parents - his mother especially - were happy to have him home but his father, still feeling resentful about their argument from the day before, refused to make eye contact and said nothing when his son gravely declared that he would be paying for his education himself. Tenteki spent the whole summer working to raise money for the things he'd need for school, least of all a computer, and finally went off to college in September. He had reluctantly decided to live at home for the first year or two as it would take off quite a bit of what he had to pay, and did his best to avoid his father at all costs. His father had meanwhile gotten a slightly lower-paying job at another firm and was just beginning to get back on his feet, although it would be awhile before he was as well off as he was before.

Tenteki went on to graduate in the four years alotted him with degree in international business and a minor in computer science. He almost immediately got a job with a very large firm we're all terribly familiar with, Empire Corporation, and as he had spent his last three years of college interning at various other firms he got a rather high entry-level position and was promoted very quickly. He thrived in the fast-paced work environment, impressing both his superiors and those under his command with his calm, authoritative air. He only had to ask once, and his will was law - and it seemed he was full of good ideas. Those above him were amazed by his prowess and efficiency - he was rewiring entire divisions of the company, piece by piece, making decisions that could make even the most experienced executive cry without so much as batting an eyelid. This kid was gold. And it was only a matter of time before Tenteki Adalard, at the tender age of 25, was given the title of senior executive and a cushy office on the twenty-first floor. He slowly gained the trust of the head honcho himself, old Leopold Kingsley, and it seemed he was well on his way to the top.

Things were going swimmingly up to about 18 months ago, actually, when something happened between him and the old man that soured their relationship. It was around this time that Kingsley's family was all over the news as he had one disaster after another, even losing a son, so people naturally assumed the old man was stressed. Whatever it was that Tenteki had done to piss the old man off, it took him quite some time to get over - Tenteki was deliberately passed over for promotions, twice, and has managed to hold his own only with the overwhelming support of the Board of Trustees.

When, several months ago, Leo called Tenteki into his office to announce he had a new project for him, Tenteki was sensible enough not to hope too desperately that he was back on the man's good side. When Leo explained his assignment, his initial suspicions were confirmed – in his eyes, overseeing the Sabazius Program is a major demotion. Leo, he believes, could have handed it off to anyone else. Of course, Leo had his reasons – though Tenteki at times underestimates his ability to talk people into doing whatever it is he has in mind, Leo knew he would be perfect for catering to the candidates' vanities. Nevermind that Tenteki was, Leo admitted freely, highly competenent and a self-driven perfectionist; he trusted no one else to make sure that what was to him such an important program would succeed.

From Tenteki's perspective, of course, his current preoccupation is an insult. Babysit a bunch of hotheaded pilots? Brilliant. In Tenteki's mind, his talents and time are being squandered, not to mention an unhappily large amount of Empir'es profits. He doesn't even sympathise with Leo's goal - if some of his warehouses are being threatened, alert the local authorities or the national guard and wash your hands of it. Truth be told, Tenteki's not even convinced all this dragon nonsense is the truth. Never having seen a dragon and having no reason up until this point to even suspect that they truly exist, this tale of jungle rebels riding them in large-scale attacks against his company - his company - seems preposterous. And anyway, if dragons did exist, they're just animals, right?

Privately, Tenteki suspects that Leo's retirement may be coming a little sooner than the old man realises, and he's started to plan accordingly. You can't have a nutjob with lizards on the brain running such an important corporation, after all. And Tenteki can think of a few people suitable to take his place, if indeed he has gone mad. Until that is seen, however, he's stuck planning and organizing this ridiculously undignified affair.

 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Special Abilities: Tenteki's ability to sweet-talk seems unnaturally good, and that's because it is. He figured out at a young age that he has an almost magical ability to get whatever he wanted; that is, his voice seems to have some subtle supernatural quality to it that makes people believe whatever he tells them. (No, it's not a coincidence that he's the youngest executive at Empire Corporation - he is, in effect, cheating his way to the top, though he wouldn't see it that way. Using your natural abilities is fair game, after all.) This almost borders on deception; not only can he make people believe what he says, but he can do so to the extent where they'll do something that would be totally uncharacteristic of them. For example, he could conceivably convince someone that her teammates were taking advantage of her and that she should abandon or even turn against them. Of course, as soon as she got away from him she would come back to her senses and wonder how on earth she could believe the crap he was spouting. The less confident you are and the less conviction you have in your beliefs, the easier it is for him to toy with you. This requires, of course, that he be able to talk to you and generally it is easier when you're alone so your friends are not yelling "He's full of crap!" in the background. Tenteki can also plant suggestions, even something like "Go jump off that bridge," and the person will be liable to start doing whatever he said to do until someone else snaps them out of it. This isn't like super strong mind control - it depends entirely upon how gullible or susceptible the other person is, but with some people it can work to an amazing degree. Were he in our world, he might refer to it jokingly as his "Jedi mind trick." Also, as mentioned he can make people believe he's telling the truth and this ability to lie fluently has come in handy more than once.

Magic Abilities: Save the unusual ability outlined above, Tenteki can not use any magic.

Fighting Style: Tenteki took some various martial arts when he was younger so, though he's hardly a master of them, he can definitely swing a nice punch and manage a few fancy kicks. More importantly, he knows a variety of moves designed to block and subdue rather than attack, including disarming an opponent. (Think of this as a sort of Aikido training.) He's not big on using weapons, but he'll improvise if the need arises. (He prefers not to fight at all, actually, as that would involve getting his hands dirty, but he's always felt it smart to know how to defend oneself.)

Strong Against: Tenteki can certainly hold his own in a physical fight. He is also generally too focused to be caught by mind-tricks.

Weak against: He's got no defense against magic attacks, and is more likely to try to get away than fight in public as he detests making a scene.

SABRINA: Tenteki's personal assistant/secretary is actually a computer program named Sabrina. She's programmed with over 20,000 different responses and phrases, although she's generations behind the Slave system in terms of interractibility. She merely listens for keywords and certain phrases in order to respond and perform simple tasks. She answers the phone (if she doesn't understand your request, she will relay this information along with a recording of what you just said), handles Tenteki's appointments and meetings, and manages his electronic filing system. She's also used for dictation and other such tasks, though she's not always perfect. She also can't perform physical tasks such as sorting Tenteki's mail, or managing his paper files. She's fairly advanced, however - personal assistants like her have yet to be released to the general public. Her mainframe exists in Tenteki's office (where her screen takes up most of an entire wall), but she can also be accessed via a portable computer or, more usually, via Tenteki's small handheld personal organizer. She has a very pleasant voice and many callers do not even realise she's not human, as most of her conversations go along the lines of "Good afternoon, Empire Corporation, you have reached the desk of Tenteki Adalard." "Can I speak to Mr. Adalard, please? It's Jim." "One moment please." At which point she alerts Tenteki that he has a call from "Jim" and follows his instructions.

While Sabrina is very helpful, Tenteki is sure not to use her for any serious personal matters (dates are one thing), as she is connected directly to and owned by the Empire Corporation, and Tenteki is wary of what he makes available to her.