STATISTICS

Name: Tiei Miguel D'Artuno.

Meaning: Tiei has no meaning that I can discern, and Miguel means "Gift from God." D'Artuno initially meant "from the village of Artuno," a small town (that has grown into a midsized city) in Cappadocia.

Nicknames: Very close friends and family call him "Tee" if Tiei is too much of a mouthful. As a teenager, he took the 'streetname' of "Nine," a moniker which has stuck with him throughout his life. It's not uncommon for people who recognize him on the street to refer to him that way, since many people "back in the day" knew him by reputation rather than name. [Nine was initially a reference to the expression "Floating on Cloud 9," something which Tiei was known to do quite often.]

Species: Human.

Gender: Male, as far as anyone can tell.

Age: Twenty five.

Birthdate: August 19.

Zodiac Sign: Leo. In his youth, he was showy, loud, and materialistic. He's matured somewhat and now fulfills the "generous to a fault" description of his sign as well.

Hometown: Tiei was born and raised in Lydda, Actavia's "capital" city. His parents, however, hailed from a small town in Cappadocia.

Likes: Dragons and serpents in general (he had a snake in high school), food (he is one of those people who is genuinely passionate about eating), cars/motorcycles (the faster, the better), touching/being touched (he will definitely violate your bubble. Get used to an arm being around your shoulder or him leaning on you all the time), hockey, rollerblading/iceskating, high speeds (don't let him drive you anywhere), snow (though he rarely sees it), clubbing (he hasn't been in awhile, obviously, and sometimes it's hard to forget old habits, so he tries to avoid this), flying (wheee!), rodents (even when he has to feed them to other critters), the sounds/smells associated with cooking, big family get togethers, being in a big crowd, dancing (rave style yo), this "medieval" style living thing (it's cute! though the lack of modern conveniences is annoying), torn-up clothes that look like they've been in a fight, comic books.

Dislikes: Storms (and other malevolent acts of nature), men hitting on his baby sister, any references to or questions about his mother, guns (though he sees them as a necessary evil at times), water deeper than his chest (can't swim), big dogs (they make him nervous), little dogs (do they ever shut up?), skateboarding (poseur sport. No, it has nothing to do with the fact that he sucks at it), horses (big and scary ;_; what do you mean, so's his dragon?), kids who refuse to listen to autho-ri-tay (he knows how they're going to end up, and it makes him sigh), people who can't just shut up and listen, knives/daggers/pointy things, know-it-alls, spoiled rich kids, expensive restaurants (give him a home-cooked meal any day) and the people who dine there, astrology and all that "mumbo jumbo," trying to understand people with funny accents (ohmygod, he's a cyberhick), people who try to tell others what to believe (this includes priests, though Tiei is himself semi-religious).

Quirks: Tiei has a small collection of model motorbikes at home. He enjoys building models, since they're so structured - you just follow the directions, and that's it. He's pretty good with his hands and enjoys anything that involves assembling little pieces (except puzzles, which he's found are generally rather unsatisfying). Although he doesn't seem like a clingy or touchy-feely person, he seems to be constantly touching people in little, casual ways. Whether this is a result of the fact that he has no concept of the three-feet-rule or because he needs some sort of reassurance or something is unclear. He also has absolutely no stomach for blood or gore. He's fine with movies since he knows it's fake, but if you try to get him to watch Discovery Health with you, he'll be covering his eyes or dashing to the bathroom. He does not handle watching other people's injuries well. This is also somewhat puzzling, since he's used to feeding snakes and such, but he really can't handle large amounts of blood. It just makes him feel ill.

Hobbies: Besides flying with Pen and training, Tiei enjoys reading car/bike magazines, playing hockey, exploring new places, making model motorcycles, watching racing on tv (oh, how he misses television), cooking, doing odd jobs around town (he'll be glad to help with any carpentry repairs, but he most likes hanging around the blacksmith's and the baker's), going skating (kind of hard to do with no paved roads), and raiding the fridge.

Strengths: Flexible, street smart, active, self-confident, friendly, knows how to have a good time and get what he wants, often takes the role of a co-leader in a group, genuinely enjoys life, knows a lot about repairing things (he worked at an automotive place as a teenager), tenacious (stubborn?), do-or-die (indecisiveness is not a problem with him), laid back, good at calming others down, pretty strong runner.

Weaknesses: Can be impulsive, easily persuaded to shirk responsibilites (especially if the shirking involves doing something fun, like going to a bar), not a very deep thinker/tends to take things at face value (somewhat gullible), not a creative bone in his body, not what one would call "booksmart" (he was quite a slacker in high school), tends to act first and think later, has a lot of bad habits, never knows when to quit.

Fears: Needles, fire (any flame larger than a match's), any harm coming to his family, heights (this took some amount of effort to overcome, but he's still uncomfortable being up high anywhere other than on Pen's back), deep water, tornadoes (when he was little, he was also scared of thunder storms, but he claims he is over that), big dogs, horses, gunfights (he's afraid of shooting someone and being shot), ghosts and creepy voodoo occult things, and probably half a dozen other silly things. No, he's not really a scaredy cat, but it seems that way, doesn't it? XD;

Aspirations: Tiei doesn't think far enough in advance to have any aspirations. He hasn't thought much about his future - he's pretty happy in his now. He hasn't even thought seriously about settling down and raising a family or any of that.

Love Life: Tiei's had his share of on-again, off-again relationships. As described in personality, he has some commitment issues, so he's definitely not looking to settle down. He generally ends up in short, intense relationships that start with a spark and go out with a bang, normally of a door being slammed in his face. He's definitely been thrown out of a shared apartment before. He's currently unattached, and isn't opposed to chatting up any pretty lady who strikes his fancy, though he's generally pretty polite about it and doesn't come on too strongly. He's not desperate – he's quite comfortable being single. As far as sexuality goes, he classes himself as bi, though he definitely has a female bias as he's infinitely more likely to actually end up in a relationship with a girl. In fact, some of his friends in high school maintain that the "bi" assertion was merely a facade adopted for whatever pathetic shock value Tiei thought it carried. In any case, evidence of this alleged bisexuality has yet to turn up. (As a random piece of additional information, Tiei has a definite thing for hispanic girls. He's a sucker for dark hair and eyes, dusky skin, and a fiery demeanour.)

Occupation: Police officer. Yes, makes no sense, does it? But he is. Lydda Police Department. He's got the hat and the badge to prove it. As far as the department knows, he is away on an excused leave helping quell a border skirmish between Aristes and Montigan, which is of course utter nonsense. He is instead involved in an undercover operation to expose Empire Corp's more illegal endeavours. He checks in with his Chief from time to time, but an absent patrolman isn't a major concern when there's so much crime to contend with on Lydda's streets.

Favourite Foods: Anything from his parents' homeland of Cappadocia. The cuisine – and much of the culture – is very similar to Italian. Think calzones, lasagna, etc. Hearty food with lots of pastas and vegetables and cheese. He also really likes the Oriental foods available in Lydda.

Hated Foods: Anything pre-processed, frozen, and microwavable. TV-dinners are his sworn enemy. He's also not a big fan of spicy things.

 APPEARANCE

Face: Tiei has an oval-shaped, mutely pointed face with a long, straight nose and rather unremarkable lips. He's fairly attractive, though not drop dead gorgeous. His mouth is normally turned up in a placid or vaguely smirking smile.

Eyes: He has almond-shaped cat's eyes, with round fuschia irises and coal black pupils, which can have the potential to look very effeminate thanks to his full lashes. When he was a teenager, he used to accent this with very dark eyeliners, but thankfully he's gotten over that kick and is now generally make-up free.

Hair: Another feature which has changed greatly since his "wild" teenage days, Tiei was finally forced to get a haircut when he signed up for the cadets. The shock of losing his very long hair and jumping straight to a buzz cut was a considerable hurdle to get over, but he took it in stride and accepted it as evidence that it was finally time to grow up. Nowadays, he keeps his sky blue hair rather short, and generally just throws some gel in and brushes it back so it has some body and doesn't lay flat. It's a very plain boy's cut, a bit messier than a "serious" adult's, though the unusual colour generally draws some attention anyway.

Skin: Tiei has a very healthy olive complexion, which tends to be very lightly tanned in the summer since he's outside a lot. His skin is mostly free of any blemishes, and he's lucky enough that he doesn't really need moisturizers or specialty products since they're a bit hard to get out in the middle of nowhere.

Body: He's rather tall (6'1") and most of his height is in his legs. He has rather shapely arms and legs since he has to stay fit to stay on the force, and it's obvious he's athletic. He's naturally broad-chested, though he has the overall lean build of a swimmer. His features are naturally long and slender, and it's taken him a lot of work to get some muscle on his bones, so he's more than happy to show it off. His nails are always tidy and well-kept - he hates ragged nails and, rather vainly, is sure to make sure his are always presentable.

Identifying Marks: It would be pretty easy to identify Tiei's body, sadly. He has a myriad of small scars: for starters, he has very faint scars above and below his right eyebrow (left as you look at him), which he used to have pierced twice. It's also apparent that his left ear has been pierced, once in the lobe, once halfway up, and one in the top cartiladge, though all three are now empty and not noticeable unless you were studying him. He also has a small scar under his chin from a hockey accident when he was young, and another scar on his knee from falling off a boat as a kid (which is one of the reasons he hates water). His most noticeable identifying mark is a tattoo in the center of his chest, just below his collarbone, of a blue and black dragonfly. He got it several years before he even suspected dragons might really exist, so the similar etymology is little more than a coincidence.

Usual Attire: Tiei dresses fairly casually off-duty; though he's made some effort to tidy up his wardrobe, he's still a typical boy and that means a lot of t-shirts and jeans. If he's dressing to impress, he might produce a pair of slacks, but beyond that and his police uniforms, he's rather lacking in acceptable clothing. He's got quite a few collared shirts for work, but doesn't really like wearing them in his free-time. A staple of his wardrobe are the many fleece and knit sweaters he owns, which are normally solid coloured or else have a banded design across the chest. If not in a sweater, expect him in a rather worn old denim jacket or a vintage military jacket he picked up in a thrift store downtown. He prefers pale colours for his sweaters, but also owns a lot of blacks and greys so he can mix and match things. He's always found wearing his ID tags - yes, much like the military - around his neck, usually hidden under his clothes. He's also sure to keep his badge on him at all times.

Carriage: Tiei is naturally not prone to drawing attention to himself by his body language. He tends to stroll amiably when he walks, and is often found reclining comfortably against the nearest wall/car/dragon/whatever when in a stationary position. He is a natural loiterer, and does not have a nervous or excited need to fuss about with his clothing or constantly be on the move. He's quite happy to keep still. He's generally got a very relaxed, confident air about him, as though he's at peace with the world and nothing could phase him. Additionally, if his hands are anywhere they're in his pockets - very rarely will he cross them in front of himself or display any other "Stay away" behaviours. His mannerisms show him to be a fairly laid-back fellow.

Voice: Tiei doesn't have a terribly deep voice, but it's one in the middle ranges which matches most people's expectations of him perfectly. He doesn't talk particularly quickly or slowly, and he generally sounds patient and calm. His voice does have a slight edge to it, some would claim from smoking for many years, and gets rather rough if he lowers it to a whisper. His singing voice is unremarkable; it won't make you run screaming from the room, but he's no Actavian Idol. He sounds more like a very typical bloke singing in a pub than anything - hardly offensive, but no one's going to be requesting a ballad any time soon. Additionally, note that Tiei has a slight but distinct accent, which instantly identifies him as being from Lydda's south end. It's a somewhat abrasive accent, which is most closely identified as being Brooklyn-esque. It generally carries a rather "low-class" connotation, as it tends to conjure images of street punks and "tough guys."

 PERSONALITY

Tiei is, as has been suggested, a very relaxed person. He doesn't sweat the small stuff; half the time, it's suspect as to whether or not he sweats the big stuff. He's generally very stable even when things go wrong, though there's a significant exception to this I'll get into in a moment. Also, don't confuse "calm" with "rational," "patient," or anything resembling "thinks before he acts." Tiei can be quite impulsive, and it's gotten him in trouble a number of times. Additionally, he tends to be fairly sensitive to the way other people treat him and will respond in kind - if he suspects someone is angry with him, he's more likely than not to get angry with them in return, which only exacerbates and at times escalates the situation. If he thinks someone expects certain behaviour of him, he's more than happy to oblige and make sure those expectations are met. For instance, if someone looks at him and expects him to cop a huge attitude, he's rather likely to do so. He likes to give people what they expect. Sometimes this means keeping cool when someone else gets riled – he really seems to enjoy irritating people he dislikes. When it comes down to it, however, he enjoys even more surprising people, though it generally requires more self-restraint on his part, and he's rather fond of responding to a startled glance when someone learns he's a cop, or sees him behave admirably, with a smirk and a tip of his hat.

Tiei is also very "all or nothing." If he doesn't see something as worth his time, or he expects he'll fail at it, he won't even bother. However, once he's committed himself to a course of action, he'll follow it through to the end no matter what. The same goes for people or anything else in his life. He hates feeling like he's made the wrong decision, so if he decides to attempt something it damn well better succeed. If it doesn't, it will generally confirm his suspicions that he shouldn't have tried to begin with, and make him even less likely to attempt the thing again in the future. He can be very stubborn, and very easily frustrated. He's not a good loser - though he may not display a temper tantrum, failing at anything really irritates him. He's mellowed out somewhat since his youth, but he still finds himself very frustrated when a criminal gets away or a case has to be left unsolved.

Though Tiei has matured a lot since high school, he can still be rather aggravating and it can be very difficult to form a real or lasting friendship with him. That is, it's hard to get into his "inner circle," which is the way that he views life - you're either in his group or family, as it were, or you're just Somebody Else. He'll be perfectly friendly to someone outside his "pack," but he's not really one for having a big, loose circle of friends. He generally refuses to talk about himself or his home life to people outside his "circle" and is almost unusually secretive about this, as he is a firm believer in the concept of not telling people any more than they need to know. (This was instilled in him largely by his uncle, who is discussed in more detail in the history section.) He's notoriously difficult to get a commitment or promise out of – just try inviting him to a party and getting him to agree on the time he'll show, and you'll see what I mean. Once he is committed, he can be fiercely attached and protective, but he tries to avoid getting roped down and doesn't like feeling obliged or attached to things, even something as simple as an obligation to show up at a certain place and time. For him to swear himself to someone or something, then, is huge, and Tiei takes all his major commitments seriously; in his mind, these are his family, the police, and the Knights (yes, in that order).

Though Tiei is not exactly a cold person, he tends to have a detached view of the world and can be rather unsympathetic towards people outside his group. Being a cop, he may make comments that seem inappropriate or even heartless, but he doesn't mean anything by them – it's not a good idea to get too attached to the people you meet in his line of work, and humour makes the, er, short end of the stick seem more manageable. Thouh he would never call himself a pessimist or even a cynic (he believes he's a realist who'd like to be an optimist), Tiei really believes most people wouldn't go out of their way to save someone else, especially if the act were to their own detriment, and that people in general want what's best for themselves and can't be entirely trusted. He doesn't see this as a reason to be antisocial or anything, he just views it as a "fact of life" and in his line of duty you have to take everything you hear with a grain of salt. As such, he's not really prone to mass hysteria or even panicking, which explains why it's so difficult to get him to "freak out."

The one exception to this that I reference earlier is if any of the people he cares about are in trouble. Not to make him into a super valiant prince - he ain't - but he can go quite quickly to panic mode if he hears or even suspects something's not right with one of his family members, close friends, or with his dragon, Pen. He is also likely to get very angry if someone has hurt one of his "in" folks, and he did get in major trouble at school once for clocking a guy who was just joking about having sex with his (Tiei's) sister. (As a side note, he definitely plays the part of the over-protective brother quite well.) He firmly believes in the rather Sicilian idea of revenge, though he tries very hard to remember that he's supposed to be serving on the side of the law, and not breaking it.

As mentioned, Tiei tends to clam up with personal details around people he doesn't know well. He doesn't mind chatting if the other person seems friendly enough (especially if the "other person" is a she), but generally he's pretty quiet around strangers, which contrasts completely with the way he is around friends. Most people who know him well choose "loudmouth" as one of the first adjectives used in describing him, and he will not hesitate to let everyone know if he feels some injustice has been inflicted on his person. However, with people he doesn't know he usually just comes across as a fairly polite officer (assuming he meets them on friendly terms), though there's something vaguely cocky about his smile and body language.

As much as he will deny it, Tiei is somewhat vain and likes to keep up a certain "image." He would be fairly embarassed if the other cops knew he loves cooking or his favourite person ever is his little sister. Part of the reason he refuses to open up to people he doesn't trust completely is that he hates to show signs of weakness or unmanliness. All of this is a direct result of his upbringing, which will be delved into momentarily. It does make him a little pretentious, however – while he's generally pretty lax about his appearance (god knows you have to be, sleeping in that "barn," as he calls it), his image is something else entirely and he doesn't like people seeing any parts of him he doesn't want them to see, if that makes sense. He was quite a poseur in high school and no one but his closest friends even came close to catching a glimpse at the "real" him – he was too busy reveling in his image as a "no-good punk." He's mostly gotten over this, but he still rather likes feeling "cool" and won't miss an opportunity to look badass if he can manage it.

As all of this suggests, Tiei can be rather sensitive to certain aspects of his life, and is quick to pick a fight if any of these elements are triggered. This is mostly because he was rather ashamed of his family situation growing up, and just a mention of his mother is enough to set him on edge. If someone were so dumb as to make any comment about her, even in jest, he's liable to respond with something far harsher than would be necessary for the situation. Additionally, he's naturally somewhat biased against spoiled rich kids, and tends to be toughest on them – he delights in catching them doing anything remotely illegal and busting their "spoiled asses." This is, obviously, due to some lingering resentment and jealousy he feels towards them – he hates that money buys people better opportunities and protects them when they've done something wrong.

As a final note, Tiei is patient in one regard, and that is that he's a very willing listener. He usually doesn't have much helpful advice to give, but he's certainly listened to more than enough people sob their hearts out to him about all of life's woes. This is very helpful in his line of work, since witnesses and victims a like seem to favour opening up to him – likely because he's so young and doesn't tend to talk much, himself. Regardless of how he feels, he doesn't act awkward in these types of situations, and just lets the other person get it all out without interrupting, which is something most people seem to be looking for. This also means more than once he has been stuck with an upset girl friend for hours while he misses whatever he had planned, but he puts up with it. He's weak to damsels, what can we say? Of course, it should be noted that if he believes you're the one in the wrong, you will receive absolutely no sympathy from him and he's likely going to treat you as harshly as he would any other criminal, regardless of how many tears you spill. He generally makes these decisions soon after meeting people, and though there have been occassions where he's "come around" or changed his mind, generally with him it really is the first impression that's the most important.

 HISTORY

Tiei was born and raised in Lydda, capital of both Aristes and Actavia. He grew up in the city's south end, a seedier section of the city with a lot of dirty alleyways and shady characters. His father, Alexander D'Artuno (called Zander by his relations) was a responsible boy from a good family, a bit jaded around the edges, but overall optimistic and very individualistic as a result of his upbringing. His father, you see, was involved in some extremely underhanded and dubious business dealings, though not directly, and eventually Zander's older brother Ross would get rather heavily involved in the mess left by their late father. Zander, however, strongly disapproved, though (or perhaps because) his father instilled in him a very strong moral code - honour amongst thieves, or something like it. The family was very reputable, however, and was extremely generous and well-liked in their community. D'Artuno Senior believed his shady associates harmed only the government and entities large enough to survive relatively minor losses - he saw his position more as that of Robin Hood than that of a common criminal. The government taxed and restricted, poor families struggled to get by, and as a result of the activities those in D'artuno Senior's "ring," the little guy wasn't at such a disadvantage. Though he may sound like he was an optimist, D'Artuno Senior was a self-declared realist, and saw cheating as the only way to get ahead in life.

As mentioned, Zander disapproved, a fact which made his father like him even more. He got a job in construction after dropping out of school at age 16, and worked his way up the ladder until he was the guy overseeing everyone else on-site. When he decided he had saved up enough to support a family, he proposed to a girl he'd been madly in love with practically since they met, one of his older brother's friends from high school. Her name was Marcia. They were married soon thereafter and moved into their own place in a relatively nice part of town. They had two children, Tiei and, almost seven years later, little Nicolette, and things seemed to be fine for the happy couple. Tiei grew up a typical street punk, trying to be a tough guy at school but acting sweet as anything at home, thanks largely to the guidance of his (rather stern) father. Unfortunately, when Tiei was around ten years old, his father suffered an accident at work and, although it wasn't life-threatening, he was injured severely enough that the doctors wrote off any possibility of him going back into construction. As he had no formal education, suddenly he was out of work and couldn't find another way to bring in money. His company was legally required to compensate him, of course, but those checks didn't amount to much. Eventually, after a large amount of debate and reluctance on Zander's part, he took a job his brother, Ross, had managed to secure for him - still in construction, but something where he he didn't have to get involved physically, just oversee other guys and do paperwork. Zander hated it at first, largely because it made him feel rather useless and he didn't like ordering other guys about and not doing a thing himself. More than that, he hated the fact that his brother had gotten the position through his "connections;" and even more than THAT, he hated that the job required he uproot his family and move them back to his old neighbourhood - closer to his brother and all those negative influences.

Zander wasn't the only one who disliked the situation - Marcia was not happy with the step down the social ladder, and wasn't afraid to let her malcontent be known. She had always been an impatient, demanding, flighty woman, and the two had numerous fights about money, the neighbourhood, Zander's family, and anything else that sprang to her mind. It wasn't surprising, then, when she left - Tiei was 12, Nica was almost 5, and Zander was completely heartbroken. She didn't just walk out - she took off, with a young man she met at one of her dance classes, and never looked back. It was apparent her "maternal instinct" was a little damaged, but the full extent of it was revealed later. For the first few years after her untimely departure, she called from time to time and sent postcards for Christmas and the kids' birthdays. Zander was forgiving enough to write her back long letters about how the kids were doing, but as Tiei entered his teens and realised the "disgustingness" of what his mother had done, he started throwing the postcards away as soon as they arrived and Zander was forced to politely ask Marcia to stop sending them, although he still makes sure to send her a letter about the kid's welfare (even if he's no longer sure she reads them). Likewise, Tiei began refusing his mother's calls, so she soon stopped bothering to make them - though she still communicates with Nica from time to time, who is much less stubborn than her brother.

The end result of all this was that Tiei developed something of an abandonment complex - he had initially blamed himself for Marcia's flight, as little kids tend to do, but Zander managed to convince him it was all HIS (Zander's) fault. Tiei had an understandably hard time swallowing this as he saw (and still sees) his father as an immensely noble man who can Do No Wrong, so eventually Tiei was forced to come to the only conclusion that made sense: It was Marcia's fault. She was selfish and uncaring and obviously preferred long walks on the beach and sipping martinis to being with her own children. As time passed Tiei developed an incredibly sour impression of his mother, and was quick to shut her out of his life completely. This is indicative of his behaviour in relationships in general - if you hurt him, or make like you no longer care about him, he'll be quick to make the first move and dump you first, as it were. Trying to "save" a relationship is not in his nature, unless the other person makes the first move.

In any case, he became that much more overprotective towards his remaining family, subconsciously trying to prove his worth to them and clinging tightly out of a fear they would leave him, too. His sister and father are the most important people in the world to him, and he will fiercely defend them against anyone, including and especially his mother.

Ahem. After Marcia left, Zander found himself once again in trouble, and it was Ross again who came to his rescue. Tiei, in middle school and a boy, was old enough to come home by himself after school, but little Nica obviously needed someone to look after her. Ross' wife, Daniella, became like a surrogate mother to the family, picking Nica up from school and taking her to her own house to spend the afternoon there. As Daniella couldn't have children of her own, she was more than delighted to take care of a precocious five-year old. Tiei, for his part, was more than a little jealous of Nica's "special treatment," but he despised the other member of Ross' household - Daniella's elderly aunt, Claudia - so he was adamant that he could take care of himself. He didn't need a babysitter, thank you.

As a result of this arrangement, Tiei found himself at home a lot by himself with nothing to do. He started going outside and hanging around witht he neighbourhood boys, playing street hockey and generally being a nuisance. He absolutely adored hockey. He liked it so much, in fact, that he joined a local sports club so he could learn ice skating - thankfully, it was a charity-driven organization helping out "poor" kids in the area, so he didn't have to pay to join. He didn't even have to sign up, actually; he just turned up one day out of the blue asking if he could skate. With practice, he became rather good at it, and was quite the little speed demon around the rink. At that age, there wasn't a terrible difference between him and the other boys, so he was able to slam and body check with the rest of them. When he entered high school, he quickly signed up for the school team and had a merry old time of it.

Kids grow, however, and soon the neighborhood boys that Tiei had hung out with since they moved to this neighbourhood stopped playing street hockey so much and started hanging out more at the corner convenience store, loitering and smoking and getting into trouble. Tiei was first introduced to cigarettes at an encounter like this and, as all of his friends were treating it casually and he'd even seen his father have a cigar on occassion, he thought nothing of trying it. He soon began smoking with his friends, and he was actually smart enough not to run and tell his father what he was up to. He felt a bit guilty at the secrecy, but somehow feels that his father would be disappointed in him if he knew. In that vein, his mischievous friends eventually became "rebellious" teenagers, and he along with them. When they started going to late-night parties in empty warehouses, there was little question of whether or not he would go with them. By this point, it had become established that Tiei usually went along with the things that his friends did, unless they were totally against his morals, and never really said no.

Unfortunately, between the cigarettes and the late nights hanging with his friends, Tiei soon found he wasn't quite up to his old level of performance at hockey. He realised that he would have to choose between hockey and smoking and reluctantly chose the latter, thanks largely to the urging of his friends and his own failed attempts at quitting. It's a decision he's not very proud of, and still looks on regretfully and with shame. Another aspect of his changing crowd was even more negative; the boy who made A's and B's with the occassional C in middle school was now making C's and D's with the not-so-occassional F. His father had a bit too much to worry about with bills and his job to spend a lot of time finding out the cause of his son's sudden slip in grades; he encouraged Tiei to try harder but really spent more time condoling him with speeches on how grades weren't everything. When he realised mid-way through Tiei's senior year that his grades weren't going to let him graduate, however, he suddenly became much more energetic in the campaign to get Tiei to care about school. Tiei felt immensely guilty about the whole situation, but there wasn't much he could do - it was too little, too late, and he flunked his senior year with flying colours. With his father's look of disappointment burned into his mind, he set himself to redo his senior year and get back to the level of "academic performance" he'd been maintaining before partying took over his life.

Easier said than done, of course, when you're completely lacking in anything resembling will power. It was this lack of any desire or ability to break from his old habits and old friends that almost cost him his future. The short version is that he got busted. The slightly longer version is that he was at one of the many "special parties" that he and his friends frequented, at which there were any number of illegal acts and substances present or being committed at any one time. Tiei was himself not privy to any of them at the time of the raid, though that's not to say that he never partook, only that he had the fortune of being mostly sober and not doing anything particularly illegal at the time in question (though, as we will see, he wasn't exactly on his best behaviour). Unfortunately, the reason for sobriety was that one of his close friends, Marco, was having a particularly bad spell, as he'd been feeling rather ill and shaky most of the day before. (Marco being what we would instantly recognise as an "addict.") There were a few impediments to his feeling better, however - for one, the barman was trying to charge Tiei a fiver for a glass of water, and there were several onlookers leering, which between the two meant they were making enough of a fuss to attract the attention of security. Through a rather muddied series of events that were never satisfactorily explained in the police report, Tiei ended up in rather ungraceful fight with one of the bouncers, which was cut short when the two were dragged apart by police officers very few people had been clear-minded enough to hear coming.

The upshot of all this? Tiei ended up in handcuffs, brusied and spitting mad, and Marco ended up in hospital for two days. A handful of their other friends also got slammed, though quite a few had turned tail and made a break for it when the cops arrived (brilliant friends, he's got). Marco, luckily, turned out fine, though he was ordered to attend mandatory rehab and counselling, as well as fulfill some community service. Tiei was up on a different set of charges - they didn't have anything drug-related they could pin on him, but the bouncer was claiming assault and, not being the brightest of bulbs, Tiei'd also managed to accumulate charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and a slew of others tacked on to everyone's rap sheets merely by their presence at the "party."

The judge was, fortunately for Tiei, one who believed more strongly in rehabilitation than punishment, and he was sympathetic to the "emotional duress" caused by his friend's illness (and didn't believe a word out of the bouncer's mouth, especially given the lightness of his injuries as compared to Tiei's), though he stated firmly that this 'duress' was brought upon by himself. He also felt strongly that Tiei was in need of some serious correction. He sentenced him to 40 hours of community service, which he was to serve in an experimental new program that matched teenaged offenders with a patrolman and had them assist him in his daily patrols. The idea was to see what cops have to go through to keep you safe, and see what happens to criminals, etc. Tiei thought the idea sounded miserable but had little choice but to go along with it. He's well aware of how lightly he got off, and how much more badly it could have turned out.

So he had to accompany a cop. Yay. To his immense surprise, however, not only did he really like the officer he was assigned to, but he enjoyed riding with him and seeing what he did. He started to think maybe being a cop was actually.. sort of cool. When his service was almost up, he finally got up the nerve to mention the idea in passing to Marco, who (also to his immense surprise) was fully supportive and encouraged him to ask the officer what it took to be a cop. On his last day, he did so, and almost bolted from the car when the officer started laughing - but he also thought it sounded like a plan, though he warned Tiei it wouldn't be easy getting there from where he was now.

Determined, Tiei talked it over with his father (who reserved his comments, though it was obvious he was skeptical - and also very pleased with Tiei's intent, after the utter misery of having to bail his son out of jail), and they determined that it basically came down to a choice between two years of community college and two years in the military (you had to have one of the two in order to apply to the police academy). Tiei didn't fancy the sound of either, but with no money for an investment like college, he reckoned he could manage a two-year committment to, say, the Aristean Legions on Reserve (the ALR), which would give him time to work, as well. (He had a part-time job at a car repair shop, which soon turned into full-time.)

Boot camp was not exactly a picnic - his hair, which he'd kept long for as long as he could remember, was the first thing gone, and he learned very quickly that no one in the army is sympathetic to a smoker going through withdrawal. He somehow managed his way through, however, and his father seemed almost ready to cry when he returned. He completed his monthly duties with the ALR without complaint, and managed to avoid the urge to get back into his old habits. Many of his old friends he avoided completely, save the few who'd managed to turn themselves around since high school - he was determined not to end up some drug-starved bum leeching off his father's meager earnings.

And so two years passed. A few months before his service was due to be up he began attending prep sessions for the police entrance exam, paid for from his saved earnings. He'd always been a fairly average student, not particularly bright but hard-working enough to keep his grades afloat. He threw himself into his studies with the same sort of single-minded determination, and managed to pass high enough above the cutoff that he was able to argue his case to a committee and explain his record. The officer he'd ridden with showed up, and his boss and commander both wrote persuasive letters of recommendation.

The committee deliberated for two anxious days before he was notified - he was in. This was followed by 6 intensive months of police training, at the end of which he was awarded his badge and gun and officially named one of the youngest officers on the force at the age of 21. He was assigned a partner and dumped on the streets without much fanfare at all, issuing parking tickets and condoling little old ladies whose purses had been nabbed.

Tiei's only been on the force a few years, but he's rather enjoying it. He's seen plenty of action in his short time as an officer - one thing Lydda could never be accused of being is boring. Though he's not exceptionally well-known or the like, he has something of a reputation for jumping straight into trouble and has been to the infirmary more times than several of the seasoned officers he knows. He's even been shot, though he was wearing his vest at the time. Though he's nowhere near the level of a detective, he took it upon himself to do some minor snooping into Leopold Kingsley's background, for which he was lightly reprimanded and warned to keep his head down and not try to operate above his station.

It was this snooping, however, which caught the attention of a rather shady individual. Soon after Tiei's reprimand, he started to notice someone tailing him, and along with other odd indicators he quickly began to suspect that he was being stalked.Convinced it was some henchman from Empire Corp sent to shut him up, he finally managed to corner and confront the mysterious figure, in typical thoughtless Tiei fashion. Luckily for him, it turned out not to be one of Leo's (alleged) hitmen, but a young woman calling herself Acacia, who said she herself had been involved in an investigation into Empire's more criminal dealings, and had been ignored and then threatened when she attempted to reveal her findings. Now, she said, she was involved in a covert operation to blow the lid off Empire's corrupt and nefarious business practices.

To say Tiei had his doubts would be an understatement - not only did he not rush to sign up, but he almost arrested her on the spot for harrassment (and he would have, had he been able to hold her long enough to get her handcuffed). Before vanishing again, she told him to think about it, and advised him that were he to head over to the south pier in two hours, he might uncover some information he'd find interesting. He was skeptical, but curiosity triumphed and he did as she'd said. He was shocked to witness a meeting between an Empire Corp executive and a member of the mayor's office, during which several envelopes were exchanged. Killing himself for not having any recording equipment on hand, he instead scribbled out a few notes on his own arm. He followed some clues dropped in the conversation to find sealed court records (which he obtained through the help of a friend who worked at the court), indicating the Empire Corporation's involvement in scores of highly suspect activities, as well as a police report on the death of Kingsley's son, which had been reported in the news several years prior as under suspicious circumstances. Despite his previous failure, he went immediately to his chief with his findings.

As Acacia had warned, his chief was not pleased with the information. He was told again to drop it; the documents were confiscated and, despite his shocked protests, destroyed. To round off the lecture, his boss showed him a list of all the officers who had either died or disappeared during past investigations in which the Empire Corporation was under police scrutiny. Undeterred, Tiei announced that he had no intention of letting Leopold Kingsley get away with extortion, bribery, kidnapping, or any other charges he suspected were true, and the chief, in frustration, said something to the effect of "Fine! Go and get yourself killed!" which Tiei was more than happy to take as a sign of approval. He submitted a formal request to further the investigation a week later and the chief, who by this point had a million other things to be worried about (and was beginning to resent the patrolman's hard-headedness), signed it without even giving the thing a full read-through.

Two days later. Tiei began to notice someone following him again, and a week after that, he was pushed roughly out of the way of a "stray" bullet by a familiar cloaked figure. Acacia was not pleased with his blatant stupidity, but admired his determination - and besides, she commented cryptically, a man in his position could come in handy. She once again asked him to join her, and pointed out that being missing could come in quite handy to his investigation. She also pointed out one utterly obvious thing he had overlooked - that if Empire knew he was on their tail, his family could be threatened to get him to drop the case. This turned out to be the one element needed to spur Tiei to action - defeated, he asked her what he should do, promising to follow her suggestions as long as they seemed reasonable. She led him to an unusually empty part of the city, a neighbourhood of broken warehouses and dirty apartments, and showed him something that finally convinced him to see things her way.

The next day, Tiei went back to his chief and told him he wanted off the case. The chief was immensely relieved, all the way up to Tiei's next announcement. Fortunately for our dear boy, some minor scuffling had broken out along the border of Aristes and Montigan, and, he claimed, they were calling up trained members of the ALR to help still the waters. His chief, unaware that his obligations to the Aristean army had long since expired, had little choice but to let him go, especially since he didn't give him much time for a rebuttal.

And so it was that Tiei managed to weasel his way out of work and leave Lydda for the first time in his life. Lying to his father and his sister was a little harder, but he didn't want them to know what he was up to for their own good – instead, he told them he was going to a special police training camp, and he'd be sure to keep in touch and come back as soon as he was done, and no, he wasn't sure when that would be. He then joined Acacia on a week-long journey to the tiny village of Ayrton, during which he had plenty of time to acquaint himself with the creature she'd introduced him to in the alleyway – a three-month old dragon with no name and no owner.

Tiei, who had up until that very moment in his life never even dreamed that such a thing as a dragon really existed, was understandably nervous around the beast at first, but he quickly began to realise she wasn't much different from any other animal, though a little wilder than he would have liked. Acacia encouraged him to talk to the beast, and explained that she had hatched prematurely, and Acacia had been looking for someone to raise her for quite some time. The dragon, it seems, had rather liked the looks (or smell, or sound) of Tiei, and had been the deciding factor in Acacia's "choosing" him. Acacia explained as much as she felt he needed to know – that his case was a little odd, as normally she would have dumped an egg on him and left him to fend for himself, but these were special circumstances. She informed him that he was now the dragon's mother and keeper, and he ought to chose a name for it before it begins to take offense.

Tiei found all of this quite absurd. He was supposed to – was she serious? – ride a dragon into battle, or something that sounded an awful lot like it. When they finally arrived at Ayrton, he lasted a grand total of three days before he was desperately ready to go home. Unfortunately for him, the unnamed dragon would have none of it, and was continually henpecking and pestering him. He began training her, after a stern reprimand from Acacia upon witnessing the dragon head-butt him when he turned his back on her. He also began "training" with Acacia and some of the locals, trying to learn new fighting techniques and strengthen his proficiency with his weapon. It wasn't long before the dragon - who he had by this time named Penthesilea - was large enough to ride on, and he began his first shaky flying lessons. These he did on his own, as Acacia had disappeared on another "errand," to recruit someone else, he suspected. When she returned, with others in tow, she did not seem impressed with his considerable improvements, or his handling of Pen while in the air. Nonetheless, to his surprise she performed a short ceremony a few days after his arrival, formally inducting him into "The Order" and awarding him two gifts - his medallion, marking him as a knight, and his shortsword. She recommended he have the local smithy craft him some armour, and he began to realise she was serious with this whole affair. Still, he half-suspected she was completely balmy, but he figured he would stick around for the ride, anyway.

(Tiei was one of the first Knights, though not the first. He has been in Ayrton for a grand total of seven months. His history will be adjusted in accordance with the histories of the other knights, since it's rather hard to fashion the chronology out of one account. Currently, he does odd jobs around town to keep Acacia off his back about being a lazy bum, and spends considerably more time in the pub than doing any sort of training. He has been on one "mission" with Acacia, the details of which will be worked out when other "older" members are in place. Apologies for the vagueness of this end of his history.)

* Everything in blue above is due to be scrapped/rewritten in compliance with the new recruitment procedures and timeline.

 KNIGHT OF ACACIA

strength	••••
defense	•••
magic
magic resistance	•••
dexterity	••
evade	••
endurance	•

Armour: Tiei had some special lightweight armour built for him by Ayrton's smithy. It's basically a breastplate and shoulder pieces, but the design is like that of the Lorica Segmentate (segmented armour) the Romans used – it's actually a bunch of small pieces fastened together. (Example) It's a very lightweight but strong metal, the colour of iron, with brass trappings and leather lacing up the front and back, keeping the whole thing together. He has a matching set of shinguards, which tie over his boots with the same leather straps.

In additional to all this he typically wears a short sleeved tunic, some generic pants, and the sturdiest boots he can get his hands on. He's also sure to wear a belt, from which he typically has hanging at the least a "holster" or "sheath" for his baton, a whistle with which to get Pen's attention if she strays (it's of a rather high frequency, like a dog whistle, and is barely audible to humans), a pair of handcuffs, and a special, flat sheath in the back for his dagger.

Weapon: Modified expandable police baton. His is one of a kind, and was custom designed based on the standard issue one he wears with his uniform. Standard issue batons come in sizes of 16" (fully extended), 21", or 26". Tiei's measures exactly three feet, though it can be extended only halfway to be used as a regular baton. He uses his almost like a staff, and (thanks to plenty of practice) is able to twirl it around and make a show of it. (He hasn't had that much practice, however, so he's liable to drop it if attempting a really fancy trick, or even just trying to show off.) Closed, the piece measures an unbelievably compact 9". His baton is really a product of engineering ingenuity, as it tapers almost imperceptibly and looks like one solid piece of tubing when extended. This is partly because it extends from each end rather than just one side, meaning it's just a little thicker in the center, though it can be held in the middle or at an end with no discomfort to the handler. Without examining it closely, the slight tapering isn't really even noticeable. It's made of a very thin but heavy material, and is weighted to carry an additional punch. It's excellent for defense and can't be broken by your average sword, though it can also inflict some serious damage of its own. It's a traditional black in colour, and is undecorated.

As a sort of "backup," Tiei also carries a dagger which Acacia gave him as part of his initiation ceremony, which he can not use to save his life. Well, he can, but he's really not proficient at all with it and really dislikes the idea of using pointy things in general. It's a standard Roman Pugio, a dagger with an hourglass or leaf-shaped blade about 6" long and 2" wide. (Link) The dagger hangs in a special sheath from the back of his belt, which is not very easy to get to but he never really uses it, anyway. It's mostly there to look cool and occassionally core apples. Tiei also owns and can operate a standard issue revolver, though he (usually) never carries it out of uniform.

Special Abilities: Though Tiei didn't fully understand he even had it until he met Acacia, he has the unique ability to generate (or absorb, he recently discovered) kinetic energy. That is, he can take a given object – say, a tennis ball – and, without any fancy lightshow, give it n times more kinetic energy than would be possible given its potential energy. So if this tennis ball, thrown as hard as you possible could, would break a plate glass window, it would now hit with n times the force and could feasibly smash through a brick wall or something instead, assuming he charged it enough. This proves extremely handy in a fight, as he can "charge" any weapon or even his own fists or feet to make the impact that much more severe. (And note that he has to physically be in contact with the thing for this to work – he can't throw something and then try to increase its energy once it's already in the air.)

Likewise, he can reduce the amount of energy something has, so he can soften a punch by catching or blocking it, without even really meaning to. This half is something completely new he's just started trying to use on purpose, so he's still a little shaky. He's trying to use it against thrown objects with fair success, but once you start getting to something with as much energy as, say, a bullet, he maxes out and whatever he does has minimal effect. So he can't stop a wall falling on him, or even soften the impact enough to make any difference – as it stands, this trick only works with fairly small things that aren't (comparatively) going that fast.

And of course, doing this takes some out of him, adding moreso than taking away (which is largely just absorbing). In most instances, this trick is on a very small scale so its effect on him is hardly noticeable, but were he to get into a serious fight with an opponent far faster or stronger than him, where the attacks were constant, it would definitely come into play. The more attacks he "absorbs," the more extra energy he has to throw back at you – so really, the more you attack, the stronger his retaliatory strike is going to be (assuming he manages to block). Of course, doing all this energy conversion is what's really taxing, so while he would be able to avoid heavy injury at first he would tire much more quickly than a normal person under assault, which would leave him open for damage sooner. So in that instance, the whole thing sort of balances itself out. In general, though, it's a small but very handy tool that's helped him in many a street scuffle.

Magic Abilities: When Acacia first recruited Tiei, she assumed the abilities described above were an indication of greater things to come. Unfortunately for her, Tiei's magical intuition hovers somewhere around zero. He doesn't have it. Not a spell, not a single magical tremor in so much as a toe. Sucks to be him.

Fighting Style: Tiei's definitely keen on keeping the fight short. Get in, take care of business, get out. This doesn't mean he's a "jump in, attack, fall back and wait" type – he wants to get the whole thing over at once, and he knows better than to rely on any imagined agility or dodging skills (which he's average at at best). Rather, he prefers if he must fight to get straight into the heart of things, throw all his effort in at once, and hope to hell it's over and he can go home now. He's not much one for strategy – he leaves that up to others. Charge in, kick and punch and bash as much as possible, step back and observe your handiwork. Or get the snot beaten out of you, whichever works.

Tiei's primary fighting experiences have come from street fights and his training as a cop, so he's not exactly well schooled on technique. (He doesn't mind things getting messy, as long as the job gets done.) He mostly uses a variety of kickboxing-style moves taught to him by various acquaintances – the jab, hook, uppercut, and some fairly impressive kicks. He knows how to throw a punch, but he's definitely missing a lot of form. He's clearly not into this for the aesthetics.

His primary defense is blocking with whatever's available, generally a forearm or his baton, while his offense centers around getting up close and basically either punching or whacking with his trusty baton. He's not sensitive about fighting and will not hesitate to go for the head or face to bring someone down. First rule of street fighting: Whatever works.

Strong Against: He generally excels against fighters who prefer to "warm up" and ease into a fight, as he gives it his all at the getgo and could catch such individuals unprepared. He normally holds his own pretty well in any sort of informal fightfight or the like, moreso if it involves a lot of scuffling and beating each other up than if it's like a formal boxing match. He's also surprisingly strong against weak magic attacks, since it seems he can absorb the brunt of their damage as easily as if they were a physical blow.

Weak against: Though he quit smoking several years ago, he can still get winded pretty quickly if the action gets heavy. In other words, his endurance is limited. He will push himself as much as possible if in pursuit of a suspect or in the middle of a serious fight, but he's liable to find himself gasping for breath and practically passing out if things get strenuous. He tries, but he just tires fast. As far as speed is concerned, he's a fair sprinter but as suggested previously he's definitely not a long distance runner. The moral: Persistence is the key to beating him. He's also not incredibly well-protected against any mental attacks, as he's not exactly Captain High IQ.

 DRAGON INFORMATION

Name: Penthesilea. This is the name of a fierce female warrior who helped the Cappadocians in one of many wars the nation had with its neighbour, Montigan, in ancient times. Tiei vaguely recalled hearing stories of her as a kid, and found the name at the library. He normally calls her "Pen" for convenience's sake, but they both prefer if other people use her full name, as it's more respectful. [In our world, Penthesilea was an Amazon Queen who fought for Troy in the Trojan War, because she owed Priam a favour. She was killed by Achilles, who fell in love with her a he fought her and regretted winning the fight.]

Description: Pen is built more like a great dane than a dragon, though she would certainly be classified by our standards as a Western; four legs, a body that's more mammalian than reptilian in shape, two wings, long neck, long tail. She has a wedge-shaped head and a rather long snout, and large, folded ears like a horse's. Long spines extend from her cheeks and she has a rather threatening pair of long, black horns angled back from her forehead. Her eyes are sharp, golden yellow, with a snakeslit pupil, and she has a pointed, though still distinctly muscular, tongue. (In other words, think of the raptors in Jurassic Park, rather than a snake.) Her nostrils protrude like a horse's. Her teeth are the most noticeable feature to her enemies – sharp and built for snapping and crunching bones. Her dental plan is like that of a dog's – she doesn't feature row after row of pointy canines – but her jaws can snap shut with more power than a hyena's, and her mouth is one of her primary methods of defense. It's also quite handy when killing prey – one bite will break even the strongest buck's neck.

Her features are rather long, and has a rather dog-like gait to her walk, rather than a crawl. She's also fond of sitting up like a dog when resting, rather than squatting as many dragons are portrayed doing in picture-books. She will crouch in times of uncertainty, when she wants to remain alert and unseen. She also has a tendency to sprawl out on her back, often knocking over any innocent bystanders in the process, and to roll over, especially if someone she dislikes attempts to mount her. She has a rather slim build, with a full chest, narrow hips, and long, thin tail (which helps balance her slightly stockier front end, as her neck is not as long as one would expect); she's hardly the lumbering creature of myth, and is fairly fast both on her feet and in the air. She's not quite so agile as one would think, but she hardly suffers for it.

Her wings more strongly resemble those of pterosaurs than bats – an important distinction, since it enables her to glide and fly more gracefully, rather than with the incessant up-and-down motion bats must perform to stay air-borne. (Like larger birds, she uses a few powerful strokes and then relies primarily on gliding to stay airborne.) Her feet have five digits each - four stretch forward in a crude hand, while the fifth is a smaller "dew claw" closer to her wrist. While she can grasp things in her talons, her lack of opposable thumbs mean she doesn't instinctively use her hands for much more than ground transportation, though she can carry things in flight - such as her prey - if she so desired. (A large deer would be about as much as she could carry, however, and she wouldn't even manage that much with someone on her back.) Her claws are sharp but not as lethal as they look – she's more of a biter than a scratcher, and while she would slash at someone, her mouth would be what she would use to inflict real damage. Of course, she could also tackle you, trying to knock you over and crush you, or could topple you with her tail. Her tail is very long, almost half of her body length, and while it's hardly prehensile it can be used as a sort of whip in self-defense. She can't wrap it around your ankles and grab you or something, but believe me, if you get hit with that thing, you'll feel it.

With all of that out of the way, the most noticeable feature of all is Pen's colouration. Her scales are a high contrast of black and white, which has encouraged many to dub her "Cow" (a nickname neither she nor her rider appreciates). Black envelops her head and carries down the back of her neck like a hood, though she has a white muzzle and a white "blaze" running down the top of her snout to her forehead. Her body is a mess of large black and white splotches, which is extremely bovine. Her feet are all black. Her wings are pure white on the undersides, with slightly more "patterned" and less random black markings on their tops. Also extremely noticeable is her tail - the splotches give way at her rear to somewhat shaky black and white rings, which proceed all the way to the tip, making the tail seem even longer than it already is.

As a final note, Pen has extremely smooth scales, like a snake, and is completely, absolutely hairless. She is also warm-blooded, thank you, and quite happily a carnivore.

Temperament: Pen can be somewhat temperamental; she's generally fairly placid, though she can be offended quite easily if she is treated rudely (especially if you refer to her as a cow 8D). She is as stubborn as a mule when she decides to do something, and generally will not take orders - or even polite requests - from anyone, including Tiei. It's quite apparent she understands what's being said to her when you tell her to move so you can get the cozy spot by the fire, but she will deliberately ignore you. It's clear she enjoys testing her "pack status" with new people she meets. In general, she acts like.. well, she would hate me for saying it, but an old sow. She's quite motherly and fussy and will snort and kick up a fuss if Tiei's misbehaving or doing something stupid. She's also fiercely protective of Tiei, and may the gods have mercy on you if you do anything nasty to him in her presence. Despite her begrudging attitude and deliberate disobedience, she can sense very quickly when Tiei is serious, upset, or panicked, and will do as told immediately.

Pen is not a very picky dragon - she will never turn her nose up at food offered to her, and seems to find it amusing when she sees other animals act like royalty. She sees her place in the food chain as being at the top, but there's no reason to be all froo-froo about it. Were she human, she'd likely be that busty, matronly woman in an apron with hard, worn hands, who's more than willing to work hard and scold others when they're out of line. She does expect people to treat her with the respect her species deserves, and she also expects to be rewarded for a job well done, even if it's with something as simple as a pat and a "That'll do, Pen." Unfortunately, Tiei initially tried to train her by offering her food as a reward, which is a habit he's found difficult to break her of - she still expects to be tossed a mouse or biscuit or other munchie if she feels she's done something clever. (Yes, he was training her with mice for awhile, but once he ran out it proved a bit difficult to obtain more, so he switched to human food and table scraps.)

Abilities: As mentioned above, Pen has extremely powerful jaws and teeth designed to snap and crunch rather than, say, slice or nibble; her claws are present but not her primary weapons, and her tail is quite handy for flattening people or delivering a stinging reminder to mind one's P's and Q's. Like her owner, she seems to pack much more punch than a compact creature like her should manage, though she certainly outperforms him in terms of endurance. Though she is not big on magic attacks, Pen is a very strong physical fighter, and will not hesitate to just attack something head on and use her powerful jaws and claws to their full advantage.

Though she can not breath fire, spending her early development in a city did give her one peculiar ability: She blows smoke in abundance. Wispy tendrils when she's annoyed or contemplative, and big flumes of it when she's angry. The smoke she breathes out is like the thickest, blackest stuff a fire can produce, tinged with a touch of toxicity. To say it's choking would be an understatement. It's quite handy for blinding or confusing enemies, human or animal, and with a big enough huff and puff can also be used fairly effectively to cover an escape.

Additionally, unlike many dragons Pen is as comfortable in a busy city street as she would be in a forest. Loud noises, pollution, moving mechanical things, "people-stink" and other trademarks of the city don't phase her in the slightest. In this way, she's quite lucky, as she's less likely to be startled or put off by the appearance or scent of a Sabazian. (She more than likely thinks they're big funny-looking cars.)

In other areas, her eyesight is fairly good – she has slightly better visibility than a human in darkness (though not total, obviously), but makes up for this with poorer colour vision. Though she does rely on scent to an extent, her eyesight and sharp hearing are more important senses to her. Her hearing is actually quite good, and she can detect voices or movement from rather farther off than Tiei could ever possibly manage.

Armour: Pen doesn't wear any special armour; just the harness and "saddle" that allow Tiei to ride her more comfortably, and she barely tolerates that much. However, it's been made pretty clear that riding bareback is a recipe for disaster (there's not exactly a lot to hang on to, and she's rather slick), so she manages to put up with these little indignities.

 IMAGE GALLERY

A bunch of little doodles of Penthesilea. They're on post-its because I drew them during my break at work. 8D

 SOUNDTRACK

Track 01: "Violet" - Savage Garden
Track 02: "My Way Or The Highway" - Limp Bizkit
Track 03: "Hokis" - Eve 6
Track 04: "Baby's Got A New Revelation" - The Exies

 THOUGHTS ON...

Acacia: It's clear Tiei has an enormous amount of respect for her, as he will actually (usually) do what she says. He also enjoys teasing her about her l33t mysteerious-ness, and especially hitting on her, though it's pretty obvious he's not serious. Behind closed doors, however, the two've been known to have some pretty intense arguments, which normally end in him stomping out and slamming doors or her throwing him out. He's extremely uncomfortable with the concept of breaking eggs to make omelettes, and is concerned about innocent civilians getting hurt. He's also somewhat concerned about the concept of doing something illegal in order to combat other illegal activity, though he hasn't drawn a line yet. He does like to remind Acacia, however, that he would be more than happy to be the one who arrests her if she goes too far.

The Knights: Tiei's just kind of along for the ride, here. He thinks the concept's quite cute, but doesn't take it fully seriously. He seems a lot of the time to be humouring Acacia when she gets on her moral high horse. He figures this circus has to be going somewhere, however, and he's keen to solve this mystery and see the guilty parties brought to justice. As such, he's fairly loyal to The Order, though it's third in his list of life priorities, after his duty to his family and his duties as an officer of the law.

Empire Corporation: Boo, hiss. Tiei, with his family background of shady dealings and "Don't trust anyone beyond the family!", is naturally inclined to be suspicious of large faceless entities, and of companies who appear to be running the government. He strongly believes that Empire's corrupt all the way at the tippy top, and he hates the idea of enforocing laws created to suit ol' King Leo. As such, he's willing to help Acacia on her little crusade, though he's more interested in an investigation that leads to arrests than in a revolution.

Penthesilea: Tiei likes Pen, in the manner of one who reluctantly finds himself bonding with a particularly stubborn child. He finds her trying at times, but he's grown fairly attached to her, and now considers her part of his "inner circle." As such, he's quick to defend her, whether against physical attacks or cow jokes.

Nol: . . . . . .

Salix: Ah, Salix. The stuffy, startling backwards botanical genius. Tiei thouroughly enjoys annoying and being annoyed by him, which they seem to do every time they're put in a room together. Though Tiei doesn't fully trust all this "magic hooey," having a medic around is rather nice. He respects Salix for his chosen profession, though he is not impressed at his comments that he had the job thrust upon him. Tiei thinks Salix needs to spend a little less time talking to trees and a little more time talking to women, but apart from that, he thinks he's a decent sort of fellow. He's certainly quirky, and delightly easy to irk.