Absit Omen RPG
General => Members A to M => Members => Absit Omen Characters => Ames => Topic started by: Rufus Delacroix on December 09, 2010, 05:19:29 PM
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Your Nickname: Ames!
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: Yes
How did you find us and decide to write with us? Other
If you have written other characters here: Yes
If Yes, list them all: Primaries are Gabrielle Murray-Harker, Adelia Delacroix & Malcolm Blake. Secondaries are Elias Nanopoulos & Moaning Myrtle (canon).
Is this a Primary or Secondary Character?: Primary
Full Character Name: Rufus Uriah Paganell Delacroix (Uriah & Paganell are middle names)
Character Birthday & Age: October 31, 1978; 30 from last October.
City & Country of Birth: Douglas, Isle of Man, UK
Blood Purity: Halfblood
Alma Mater: Hogwarts, Slytherin House
Job/Position: Shop Owner.
Wand: 11", left handed, Yew.
Kelpie Mane core; seems rigid for the inexperienced user, but Rufus has learned how to master it. It is a decorated handle with his mother's initials at the very bottom with rose vines all over the handle.
Physical Description: Standing at a firm 6’3” and muscular to rival his cousin’s fathers, Rufus has exceeded expectations in the “once a runt” category as he was once a scrawny, slightly short little fellow in his Hogwarts days. Rufus pushes to maintain this build and image, refusing to remember the torment he often felt within (and sometimes outside pressure) from looking this way. Needless to say, Rufus can also eat a four course meal and burn it off in no time while appearing that he eats only bread and water. There are also some scars across his hands and back from the wear and tear from his Quidditch career.
Aside from the muscles, he has unmistakable appearance as he has inherited his great grandfather’s looks: Dark hair and tanned skin, which is really from him sunbathing but it’s really a shocker as everyone else in his family (aside from a few others) have the pallor that’s typical of an English individual with that heritage (his own is Spainard, French & Irish).
Personality Description: There are many levels to Rufus ( kinda like an onion, he has layers ;) ), some of them sweet, some of them not so much. Many will see the first layer, which always seems to have a smirk and a pair of smooth lips that could either get a boy or girl to smile or smack him. He likes to cause a little blush around the cheeks since he knows full well what the right words will do to a person and for that reason, Rufus pushes to do just that. The next layer would find that he’s got a bit of a rebel streak in him – it’s helped him on the Quidditch pitch and currently in making a name for himself in opening his pubs in Muggle London & Diagon Alley (with the hopes to open a small joint in Hogsmeade). This rebellious nature has also caused alarm in the Delacroix clan, including with his father, who in even in the best attempts to settle him down, fails to do so. It seems the good die young in this sense because the rebel doesn’t want to die, not when it drives Rufus to move forward to forget the past. Okay, so we have the rebel and the smooth talker, so what comes next in Rufus is the lover and fighter. When you’re in his good, loving (or just good) embraces, he is a fierce protector, willing to be there for you to Hell and back; naturally, it isn’t everyone he’s given these feelings to so if you’ve felt them, you’re the lucky ones. It’s not to say he’s willing to be friendly or have friends, but there’s those select few he feels the closest to. The last layer Rufus has that so very few has seen is that he is very vulnerable, especially when it comes to recalling the bad times in his life, which was in many regards, his childhood. The loss of his mother is something that if one wasn’t close to him (namely family), would be wise to not bring it up, as a mixture of anger and sorrow results in a blind fury which might involve a few jinxes and curses. This vulnerability that he’s lived with all these years typically don’t surface as Rufus has fought to make sure that he never shows this weak spot as well as working on Occlumency from his post Hogwarts days to now. It is not to say, though, that he has let it slipped, especially when striving to keep her memory alive.
Now that the sappy parts are over, we’ll move onto the nastier, uglier bits. Ever since his mother’s death when he was nine, Rufus’s temper developed into a horrid one as he often found that being nasty made him feel less vulnerable and more empowered to bully people into getting what he wanted. True, it did get him into trouble in his school days as well as in his Quidditch career, but in a way, it did make him into the man he is today. He keeps this attitude on the back burner, prepared to bring it in when someone crosses him the wrong way or pushes his buttons one too many times. As was mentioned before in physical description, Rufus has a constant desire (borderline obsession) to maintain a proper appearance to avoid falling back into a state of unhappiness and unrest when he feels he looks a little chubby or his muscles are toned like they should be. His appearance is not the only obsession as another is that Rufus has worked to always remember his mother in the littlest (even as they blend in with his surroundings) of ways, of which include a vase filled with the brightest red poppies (as his mother was a Pisces) even lighting a candle on her birthday which is only lit on that day alone. Aside from obsessing what cannot always be helped and with anger issues, Rufus’s rebellious streak matches well with a driven energy (often misguided if he should push it down a darker path) to “go, go go.” This is the reason for his desire to open his pubs as a way to show his defiance towards his father, who would have much rather seen his son go into the Ministry or at least find something else to do than to open a pub. Along with the idealisms of what many would know that belongs with the elitists who have their opinions of muggles, muggleborns and the like is something that deep down, Rufus believes partially in amidst being a halfblood. True, he wouldn’t spit in someone’s face and call them a ‘Mudblood’ but it seems that this little dirty secret is something he only in his family’s background shares with his great grandparents. With all these attributes, it’s safe to say there are many levels to be had in Rufus Delacroix.
History: Born into the pureblooded family of Delacroix and the halfblood, Paganell, Rufus Delacroix was the sole child to Roderick & Rowena, who were ill-fated but madly smitten Ministry workers. The match had not gone over too well with Roderick’s parents when they found Muggle lineage in the works, believing that the offspring of their marriage would be a halfblood. Luckily for Roderick & Rowena, his parents died ever before he was born, so by the time Rufus rolled along, he would not know the tainted silver spoon of pureblood elitism. Rufus was the pride and joy for his parents, rarely fussy but loyal as well as clutched to his mother’s side. Rowena filled his mind on fantastical stories, many from her own Irish heritage, while Roderick brought his son up like a proper gentleman as his own father had been at such a young age. All seemed wonderful as a young Rufus believed that times like these could easily be obtained and not just to be found in fairy tales – his beliefs were soon to be crushed when he turned nine. Roderick and Rowena had known a year before that Rowena was ill often and so, trusting both magical and man’s medicines was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Many physicians and healers, including Roderick’s brother, Maurice, tried many different therapies, but the treatments could not slow the process down and so, four months before his ninth birthday, Rufus found out. His world came crashing down, often resulting in tempers flaring (and meltdowns), blaming everyone, including his father for not willing to stop this from happening. His everything could never die, but Rowena’s death in August of 1987 forever changed Rufus – his bright, cheery spirit was replaced by a dark, brooding, sulking life-force who began to resent Roderick. His father tried earnestly to help out Rufus but found himself so grief stricken himself that to even mention Rowena brought him into a sobbing fit.
Luckily for them both, Hogwarts came soon and with it, Roderick’s hopes were that Rufus would find solace in the school to help ease the pain. Rufus was excited to get away from all his troubles and believed that Hogwarts would provide a way to not remember how terrible he so often felt. He was sorted into Slytherin and even as a halfblood, Rufus found that not many were willing to push him around but in fact, found support by some older students (including a few not in his house) and settled in just fine. Rufus had a driven aptitude in his studies which reflected very well in his grades; he soon was also on the Quidditch team as Chaser, providing a deadly asset in the game. He was little caring when Harry Potter and the whole debacle about him arrived into Hogwarts as his ambition to get into the Ministry or some other high position was more important were pushed when he wrote his papers. His Quidditch career was chosen to be on the reserves and as a coordinating strategist instead of actually playing. Rufus also found that he was willing to fall in love and dated a few girls here and there, including Tryna Morestay, a fellow Slytherin who happened to be a few years younger than him. Though he was all right with dating girls (as well as developing emotional feelings towards boys but kept these thoughts to himself), Rufus had long since had his eyes also on Aileen Reid, a femme fetal in Slytherin House, who perhaps was his inspiration in becoming self-aware on his appearance, which led to working out to get rid of the idea that he was scrawny looking so she would perhaps date him. All he was ever able to get from her was a smile or two and perhaps a stare, so even to this day, Rufus has the deep down desire to hopefully get her attention to pass his way.
Graduation came and instead of following in the Ministry steps of his parents, Rufus decided instead to jump into the Quidditch field and landed a position for the Falmouth Falcons. Roderick was not very well pleased as he believed what his son was doing was throwing his life away, but Rufus saw it as opportunity to move away from his father and become his own man in charge without having to be constantly nagged. The second wizarding war put a damp on the Quidditch playing for the Falcons, even after the war when Dominik Wiedman came to play for them. Rufus welcomed him like a brother (after getting used to him), which no doubt caused a bit of drama for him and his teammates. The Falcons won many victories, however, Rufus began to feel that it was time for him to move onto another team in early 2002 and found a home in Eastern Europe when the Vrasta Vultures welcomed him in as their Captain and Chaser. A few love interests, including finding Tryna back in his life for a short while and a model named Lucia Dobre, whilst leading Vrasta back to a glory status and making a name for himself in the households of the wizarding world gave a deep satisfaction for Rufus as it seemed finally that he had found peace of mind. He had found happiness truly but he found that he still wanted to settle down in a securer job, so these desires took over in 2007 as he left Vrasta on good terms and returned back to the Isle of Man. His father was still irate but still glad nonetheless to find his son home; Rufus found that home actually felt more so than what it had but spent no time in telling his father a few things: his tastes in relationships, his stances on elitism (much to his father’s dismay) and that he was going to open a pub or two. Roderick grudgingly gave his support, even as he told his son that there was more to it than just earning a Galleon or two, but gave his blessings as well as funding the first pub, Rover’s Fancy, which was put up in Diagon Alley. Rufus found that the business swelled quite well with especially those of Irish descent and well, he formed a co-ownership with Pádraig Cormac, a former Hogwarts student who happened to be looking for a job himself. The combined profits as well as funding that Pádraig and Rufus were receiving allowed them to open another pub in Muggle London on St. Patrick’s Day in 2008 (Pigs Can’t Fly), in which Rufus put Pádraig in charge of while he kept himself manager of Rover’s Fancy. Currently, both pubs are doing quite well, employing thirty individuals at both locations and well, as for the boy who lost it all, seemed to regain everything for himself.
Describe your job duties and how you go about them: As an owner of two Irish pubs, Rufus is in charge of anything and everything that is demanded of him as he is the head honcho. If it means hiring/firing, washing dishes, throwing out a bum, pouring a fine Guinness, booking a Céilidh or Irish punk rock group, that’s what Rufus does. Naturally, Rufus doesn’t do this all by himself as he has Pádraig Cormac, one of his closest associates and co-owner, to aid him. True, there are moments that Rufus wonders what he has done by choosing this profession, but he loves every moment he can spend at his workplace, ensuring the happiness for those looking for a pint or two.
Elaborate on your expertise in your field: Before Rufus opened his pubs, he had not a lick of experience in managing, let alone, running a business. However, being a leader with a driving spirit is something that he knows firsthand, from both in his Hogwarts days as well as being a pro Quidditch star. These past three years have made him a suitable businessman, handling his finances very well (as he isn’t stingy but he is not one to splurge on the latest thing for his business) and making sure who work for him are well suited or they’re gone.
Writing Sample: (-see an Ames post-)
Sum up your character in one paragraph: If anything could be said of Rufus Delacroix is that is the example of the little engine that could as he's proven over time that he can climb the tallest mountains and go repelling off one jump.