Post by 'Ace' Julia Dale on May 11, 2011 0:09:17 GMT -8
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Name: Julia Bathsheba Dale, though is called 'Ace'
Age: 17 years
Sex: Female
Occupation: Student
Powers and Descriptions:
Manipulate Probability
Ace can manipulate the odds of an event or outcome occurring by chance. However, she can never make it 100% accurate, as her powers aren't that strong. She can, however, get as high as 90% when she applies herself. This power is often used to gamble, but can also be used in a tight situation to ensure failure for an enemy, and success for herself.
Personality:
She hates to be comforted or complimented by others, and immediately will react by pushing said person away if they attempt to do so. She is very distrustful of others and refused to allow anyone to get truly close to her.
She is very courageous and often dangerously ballsy. Rarely does she think of the consequences of her actions, and will jump head-first into a dangerous situation if she feels she has a chance at success, though, with her power it is often the case that she indeed does.
Her lack of thought for the future implications of her actions also shows in how she speaks to others, casually disregarding their emotions and saying what she thinks in a forthright and often rude way. Her company, although shocked by her behavior at first, can find it useful that she will not beat around the bush about a question, and tells it how it is. Though many an enemy is made by saying the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time.
Julia is easily enraged, and in this way, also easy to manipulate, though she can become violent when angry. She can be very sensitive about her personal history, and rarely speaks on the subject, lashing out at anyone who comments on her background. She hates to be underestimated and will go out of her way to prove otherwise to the naysayer. When unprovoked however, Ace tends to be very casual and relaxed.
Appearance:
Julia has dark blonde hair which she rarely brushes. It curls about her shoulders when not tied up or placed under a cap. Her eyes are grey-blue and have an air of deep emotion. Her face is a pleasant slim shape, with a straight nose and a wide mouth. Her eyebrows are usually slightly furrowed, in either agitation or concentration.
Her skin is smooth and pale, but not overly so. She smells like cigarettes and Mcdonald's, the rich aroma of a quick fix. She has an attractive figure, but covers this with dark baggy hoodies and boy-jeans. She dresses in the epitome of indifference, without ever wearing jewelry or accessories. She hasn't any make-up, and finds it a waste of time. Her voice is a little bit hoarse at times, but in general she's articulate and sounds smooth.
History:Conception
It was a dark, cold night in September, and Lucas Luftman was having a great time. He had, after all, just won the Great Company Raffle, and got a bonus. What a reason to drink! After one or five too many, he decided to call in a hooker for the King of the one-man party. As a fat, balding 40 year-old, with a drinking habit and a chauvinistic frame of mind, he could hardly get laid for free, after all.
She was stunning, with a sad look to her eyes. She seemed to disconnect her mind from her actions, but her face and body were worth the cash he splashed out on her.
Two months after getting his bonus, Lucas lost his job due to complaints about his conduct. The unemployment benefit money was used to drink first, pay bills for his shitty apartment second. Then, in June, he heard his rusted door-bell give a pitiful twinkle. When he opened his door, there on the floor was a cardboard box filled with a pack of pampers, a box of formula, a few blue towels, and, central to it all, a newborn baby.
Lucas had only one thought enter his groggy greasy head at that chaotic time. That thought was "For fucks sake, I have no time for this thing." The 'thing' came with a note that read in simple cursive 'To Lucas Luftman. Her name is Julia Bathsheba Dale. She's your daughter.' Though, that hardly made the situation any better for Lucas, did it.
After a few days of crying and shitting and drinking formula, Lucas figured he'd better take care of the kid. He tried to look after her for two years, and gave being a father a run. After the two years of turmoil, he ran out of patience and energy and couldn't take it any more. He decided he'd send her to a daycare for as long as they'd take her when she was 3.
He was a bit short of cash, so he decided he'd better get some somehow to stay in his place. As a result of this search for prospects, he fell into the black-market, selling stolen goods and fake handbags out of his trunk. His unusual operating hours meant that he was only getting started when the daycare was closing. Give the toddler some keys and a step-up and she'll be fine, he figured. Have them take care of it, they'll hardly let her sleep there, and if so... less whining on his side!
Care
[/center][/size]Meanwhile, on the Daycare side of things, Julia was a messy, loud, attention-seeking child, like most. The workers there were more her parents than her father was, having taught her how to look after herself and even how to talk, as she was a late learner, and they actually bothered. They were the ones to see her first walk, not that her father really mind.
The daycare people were very concerned for her. Rarely did her father ever pick her up, and when they personally went to drop the child off, They saw the conditions she lived in. They had spoken to Lucas, but he always brushed the matter off. They sent a social worker to the house after a few months.
Lucas had been caught off guard, but happily let them in, made minimal chat, and showed them the kid. "Ya, she's there. Noisy stinky brat, aren't you?" He said to Julia in a baby voice, trying to make a joke with the social worker. The toddler shook her head, "Noo! I'm a good girl." She told him. She felt that the social worker was coming to confront her, as if she herself had done something wrong. "He lying~" She sang, playing with old sock puppets on the concrete floor. Lucas gave her a dirty look, and the social worker wrote something down on a clipboard. He asked to speak to Lucas outside, and with a grunt it was agreed.
She was picked up in a pretty black car a week later. Julia thought it smelled really nice like a grocery store. She didn't know where she was going, and asked the stranger in the front. "To your new home! You'll love it there!" The man said cheerily. Julia didn't know what to think about that, and wondered if her daddy knew they were moving.
Her foster home was a modern home, and she made 4 new siblings, though none of them stayed for too long. She felt certain her father would take her back. In her mind, she felt that this was the perfect opportunity for him to realize what life was like without her! He'll miss her and say to himself 'I really loved her,' and come take her home again. Months passed without word from him. Surely, he was just nervous about seeing her.
She asked her foster parents to take her back home, and see her dad again. They looked at one another uncertainly and told her some other time. She knew that they were just saying that. They weren't gonna let her see him ever again, the 5 year old girl thought. So, she got a little rugsack and packed it up, and went outside.
She didn't know how far away her house was, but she guessed at every turn. "It's this way! I'm sure!" She'd say, without recognizing any landmarks at all. Julia, by chance alone, managed to find her way to her father's house. She was really tired by then, having taken a gazillion roads on a long-cut, but she pushed herself and ran up the stairs to ring on the doorbell. That pitiful twinkle.
Julia's heart beat quickly with excitement. In her mind she could envisage her father's face turning into a smile, picking her up, giving her a hug, asking for her forgiveness...
"...What are you doing here?... Ugh. I thought I got rid of you."
The reality of the situation hit her hard.
"I... I'm home now..."
"Jesus... Look kid. I don't want some runt getting in my way constantly like you."
"But I-"
"Shoo! Get! Go back! They'll be looking for you."
Tears began to well in the girl's eyes, and she took a step back.
"I thought... they took me away..."
He nodded, "Yes, they did. I can live perfectly well without you, you know. In fact, better than ever." He leaned in, "You were too expensive a pet. Bye now kid, have a nice life."
Lucas closed the door, and Julia began to sob. She walked slowly down the stairs, looking back to see if he would come out again, apologize, take it back. Then she sat on the curb, wiping her eyes on her grimy arm and making them sore. Eventually the Cops arrived.
Cops and Robbers
[/center][/size]"You're parents have been looking for you, hop in." The kind policeman said, "I'll take you home." "I... was home..." Julia whimpered quietly, trying to keep her illusion alive. But this wasn't her home, and it never was. She didn't feel a part of the foster family either.
"One moment, kiddo, I'm just gonna fill up here, I'll be two minutes." He smiled back towards her, before hopping out of the car, taking the keys with him. Julia watched out of the window as he bumped into a stranger, excusing himself. The stranger grinned out of the corner of his mouth. The stranger approached the police car. He took the keys out of his pocket and Julia crawled onto the floor to hid behind the seats. The engine started, and Julia could hear shouting from the store as the policeman watched his car being hijacked.
The stranger was about 19, with scruffy brown hair and that big grin. Julia spied on him as he drove with big curious eyes, silent as a mouse. He spoke into an earpiece, telling people where he was heading. That he needed a distraction to get there.
"I'm gonna turn at 34th so I need someone to pull the porkers up the 1....5..." His eyes caught hers in the rear-veiw mirror and his jaw dropped. "I'll... call you back...... JUST DO IT." he hung up.
He glanced back in the car repeatedly as he drove. "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?" he shouted at her. Julia gave a small smile, "I'm Julia..." She introduced. He looked dumbfounded.
"What are you arrested for at, what, FIVE?" Julia shook her head, "No no! I'm a good girl, I just wanted to go home, but... then... " She started to cry again, and the poor guy got really freaked out, as one could imagine.
"Look kid, just... don't cry... Oh SHIT. This is complicated..." He tried to keep his eyes on the road. "Look! We're playing a.. a game! Yea, and... It's cops and robbers." His grin returned. "We're robbers, got it? So, you can be on my team, and it'll be great fun, or... You can be the cop. That would leave you... in the dirt kid, you don't want to be a cop." He reasoned with her. It seemed obvious that he really didn't want to do anything to harm her, a little kid.
She nodded, "Okay... I like games and... I'll be a robber, because you're funny!" He gave a little chuckle at that. "Good thinking. It'll be.. fun!" He nodded, "Now be quiet for a sec Julia." He began talking back into his earpiece after that.
Eventually they reached their destination. Julia could hear sirens in the distance. It was such an elaborate game! There were so many numbers and codes and things, Julia couldn't keep up! But it was really exciting, and she had to hide in the car when they gave the grinning guy a bag full of stuff. He walked briskly to the car and got in.
Julia automatically shouted "We win!" "No, not yet... we gotta get back to base... Then I'll give you a ride home. I'm hardly gonna get you home in a cop-car." He laughed at the ridiculousness of this idea.
Chance
On the road towards the 'base', the sirens got louder. The grinning guy cursed repeatedly, so much that Julia had to block her own ears. They started to go really fast. Julia saw that there was a car ahead that was going really slow. They kept passing other people. It felt like a roller coaster! Why wasn't the car ahead moving?
Her driver swerved. The cop-car rolled off the other car, and flipped into the air.
Julia felt her short life flash before her eyes. She felt like she was in a coin, tossing in the air.
Heads or tails.
Life or Death.
Julia chose life, heads up.
The car landed on it's wheels as if by some miracle, and the car still worked. The police following them got tangled up in the collision. On a whim, Mr. Robber kept driving and got away. Neither of them said anything for a while. After a while, her accomplice told her, "My name's William..."
Turns out William was a superstitious lad. He believed that Julia's presence had ensured that the heist was successful. And the crash. How could they have survived that AND escaped arrest without some outer force? William didn't believe in any religion. He believed in powers. Though, it was only suspicion at this stage.
They arrived at a small dirty house on the other side of town with three ratty cars out front. He showed her the old mustang. "Now, It was... quite an adventure little lady, but you're parents will be looking for you, and I'm not that horrible..." He opened the car door, but Julia refused.
"Nuh-uh. If you take me home I'm gonna tell on you so you gotta let me stay with you! We can have all sorts of fun and play lots of games, and I'll try to be good!" She told him in her serious voice.
"Oh no no no no" He said, pulling her towards the car.
"I'll tell! I mean it! I saw you take a bag, and I know your mustangs number now! aand you got people in a car really hurt and ran away like a big coward! And I can tell on you~ But I won't! Because you're gonna look after me. I'm not that expensive! I promise!!"
William considered how it would look for a five year old to say she was abducted by a guy who stole a car, sold drugs, and hit and ran all in the same two hours. Unbelieveable until you have the evidence... like numbers and times, and that she really was missing... and that the cop saw him drive off... Oh shit.
"This is getting really complicated..." He said, rubbing his forehead. "Okay. Okay.... " He threw his arms to the sky, "How am I gonna explain this to the guys!"
Home
[/center][/size]Eventually, life with William, wherever they ended up, was home. She was introduced slowly to his social circles, him, awkwardly explaining what she was doing with him in a way that didn't make him seem like a pedophile. She was shy at first, but it didn't take long to feel comfortable around people. Some of the friends of Will had kids themselves, and they got to play together. Although William tried to get her to go to school, he soon realized that he had no information to even enroll her, and tried to teach her some basic education himself, but he had dropped out, so wasn't the greatest help.
Some of Will's friends had powers, and one identified her as a manipulator of probability. Will seemed very proud whenever he talked about it, as he had called it years ago, but couldn't tell for certain. As part of the gang, she even got a little code-name, and that made her very happy. She used it everywhere, calling herself 'Ace'. A new name, and she felt like she was a new person too! William and her were like family, and she was trusted.
Before going to sleep at night, William would tell her a story and make sure she was warm. Julia was the happiest she had ever been in her whole life.
"I love you Will." She called to him as he walked out of the room.
"Love you too, kid." He grinned.
And everything was perfect. Years flew by.
Guns
[/center][/size]When Ace was 10, her and will's friend's kids were hanging out, and she had been working with her power. The group of them were like a mini-gang, causing mischief and shoplifting. They were real careful never to get caught though and were quite successful. They were, after all, the daughters and sons of criminals.
One of her friends, Rags, ran up to them with a black bag. "Look at the shit I got off dad!" He said. Ace looked in the bag. Real guns. "Wow!" She had said. "No way, he didn't give them to you!" She accused. He shrugged, and it was obvious he nicked them. "Try holding one! It's so cool." He offered one to everyone in the group. She was amazed how many his father must have had. She never asked Will about his, but became curious. She thought the gun in her hand was really heavy, but was still exciting.
When she got home, she did ask Will how many he had, telling him that Rags had a few. William stopped what he was doing to talk to her about this. "Rags has guns?"
"Ya, he showed them to us today."
William, like a true gangster, didn't really trust his fellow gangsters. He was wary of the fact, and felt that Ace might be in danger, but he didn't tell this to her.
"Here. I'll keep you popular." He said with a half-grin, reaching into a hidden compartment in a cabinet Ace hadn't noticed before. It was a pistol. "I'll teach you how to use it and everything." he looked at the gun, "More valuable than education, I tell you now..." He didn't give her bullets until she knew how to use the thing properly.
Guns weren't the only thing her friends introduced her to. Next were cigarettes and drink, and occasionally weed.
At 11, Ace may have been considered a 'bad kid' to most people, but she felt pretty happy. She had a family. she had friends, and she had fun. How things have changed, she thought to herself...
And her mind brought her back to the one thing that she wasn't happy with. Her real father. He was out there. She told herself that she didn't care.. but she did. A lot had changed. His life must be totally different. Ace tried to convince herself that this was crazy, that he really didn't care, he never would.. but she couldn't make herself believe that.
One day, she told William she was going to see her friend, but she caught a bus instead. It was dangerous to be on this side of town, though she doubted anyone would recognise her after all this time.
She didn't bother ringing the doorbell this time. She picked the lock for a surprise. Ace wanted to see the inside again. It was a bright day, and Ace thought that must be a good sign, right? She looked around at the house, thinking that it might be empty. Then she reached the couch.
He was there alright. She could see his bald head and his obese body from the other side of the room. She stood there, just looking at him, but he sensed her presence, and turned around.
"HOLY SH-" He jumped out of his chair frantically.
"Dude, calm the hell down." She said with the same half-grin as Will.
"Who are you! Get out of my house!" He said, pointing his finger at her dramatically.
She raised an eyebrow. "I'm Ac-- Julia. I'm Julia. Your daughter, 'member me?"
His eyebrows furrowed, "Oh." He said, and sat back down on the sofa.
That was unexpected. "That's all? 'Oh' is all you have to say? ... You haven't seen me for 6 years!"
"Has it really been that long? Time flies when you're having fun." He laughed. "So what are you here for? If you want money I don't have any."
"Nothing... I don't 'want' anything from you, I just... wanted.. to know..."
"Know what? What your old man is up to? Take a look at my palace! Now that you've seen it, you've had enough." He swung a bottle of beer in the air to motion to the place.
Ace shook her head, "No... That's not..."
Lucas turned and laughed, slowly at first but with growing intensity. "Are you fucking serious? Is that what you're here for?" He wiped his eyes with his wrist, "You came to see if I've changed?"
Ace held her breath, and looked at him, trying to make herself deny the truth.
"Jesus..." He said, "You must be a complete moron if you believe for one second I'm gonna wake up in the morning and care."
Ace looked him dead in the eyes as he spoke. She saw his contempt for her on his face, and his annoyance blatantly showing in his eyes.
"I am not gonna toss and turn at night 'Oh is my baby alright'~ I've told you before and I'll tell you again, I. do. not. give. one. damn. about you. Got it?"
Ace felt her face go red. "I thought I might let you know that-"
"Don't want to hear it. Get out of my house, you fucking accident. Why don't you stop thinking about me and get a job or something to occupy your time? Ha! Prostitution might suit you, you have your mother's face."
Anger swelled within Ace, and she pulled out the gun she from her bag, lifting it up and cocking it in one fluid motion.
"Shut up." She told him, her nostrils flaring in rage. She was becoming blinded by her fury, though it could have been tears filling her eyes. She can't quite recall.
"Hahaha! What are you going to do? I bet it's as fake as your mom's tits. Ooh did I hit a sore spot there? Haha, You think you're so tough Julia, you think you're great, but you're kidding yourself. You've grown up, though, gotta say. You were a noisy stinky brat before, but now you're a moronic obsessive cunt."
BANG.
[/b]She had walked up to her father's body and fell to her knees, beating on his chest with her fists, blood soaking into the knees of her jeans. "apologize... ..apologize... APOLOGIZE" She screamed at his corpse, but her blubbered words were barely distinguishable between her sobs. A fountain of hot tears and snot streamed her face. Eventually she stopped screaming and just sat there, shaking, until she heard the sound of sirens in the distance, and recalled that she had indeed just shot someone. Slowly, she rose herself and went out the fire-escape, taking one final look at her father before she left.
High
She couldn't tell Will what she'd done, even though he realized something was wrong. Julia stayed at her close friend Rags house lots, smoking weed to chill her out. It didn't take long for Rags to introduce her to solvent use. He'd fill an empty chips bag with white-out, and got her one too. When she was high, Ace wouldn't worry about her future, or about the murder. She told Rags about what had happened during a high one day, and he just nodded. All Ace thought was 'so cool, so understanding'. Really, they just looked like fools.
William sat her down one day when she was 12 and needed to talk to her. He said he was joining a new gang, but needed to know if she was alright. She had been hanging out with Rags too much, he thought. She waved his comments off, her attitude had changed.
"Look, Ace... You've been acting really weird lately... look at me, are you sure you're okay?"
"I've just been doing some minor stuff, it's no big deal."
Will looked serious. "Julia... Don't get too far into that shit okay? I deal in the business I know what it does to people..."
Ace laughed aloud. "What a coward, I don't see you warning your customers, do I?" She smirked. Will gave her a look and left her alone about it.
"It's not really my problem, is it. You've always ran the show here." He muttered.
H is for 'Help Me'
Not long after, Will had introduced her to his new friends from Claudia's gang, and she felt welcome. She always wished the heist for the best possible outcome with her power to help them out. She was still too young to be directly involved, though when she had met Claudia, she realized they were around the same age.
Claudia had creeped her out. She seemed so serious and so together, Ace couldn't help but feel a bit towered over in her presence. But, If Will trusted her and thought she had what it took, Ace did the same.
Rags kept doing weed and solvents, but the more Ace took them, the less she could forget. She wanted something stronger. Rags was nervous at first about her urgency for harder drugs, but was willing to supply them.
"H strong enough for you?"
"Seems about right." She'd said, looking at the bag with greedy eyes.
He brought out tin-foil and lighters, and the dragon she did chase. After a rush of euphoria, she felt like she was awake and dreaming at the same time, though her brain was slowly decaying. She would be doing this again. and again. and again.
She gradually fell into addiction, and Rags said he couldn't keep giving it to her like that, she had to start buying it. She began gambling using her probability manipulation, managing to sneak into casinos when they were really busy. She'd leave the place with enough money for a few days worth of heroin. She began injecting it so to get a quicker fix.
Will's time began to become consumed with the activities of Claudia's gang, and didn't realize she was so far gone. Ace was, by the age of 14, a complete junkie. She no longer thought about having killed her father, or his words. She was too concerned with her habit. She lost a lot of weight from her diminished appetite, and dark rings appeared under her eyes- not from sleeplessness, but from over-sleep.
When William saw her he could only say, "Jesus christ, Julia...." He turned her around and looked her over. "What have you done..." But Ace didn't feel like being patronized, and reacted to him with hostility. He grabbed her wrist and saw the ugly purple needle-pricks on her arm. He started to yell at her, but Ace wouldn't have any of it. She ran into her room and locked the door. She knew how to make his yelling go away, not effect her. She shot up... a little too much. Will had to break down the door and bring her to the hospital as she had overdosed.
All her friends thought she was going to die. Rags brought her flowers. Julia was having her second near-death experience. The first when she met Will, the second, when she would lose him. After a few days in hospital, she was released, and when they offered her rehab, she refused. WIll knew that she would, and so Rag's car was outside to pick her up.
Will had decided to intervene. He'd sent for Rag's dad to rent out a room in a hotel. It was time for forced Rehab.
Vacation
[/center][/size]Her first week of rehab was unbearable.
She shook with fear and pain, throwing up until there was nothing left, crying, sweating. She felt as though she was dying. Julia begged again and again for just a little, just a taste of it. Papa rags didn't listen. He was a big man, and her gun was taken from her for the time being. His job was to guard the door, and make sure she didn't hurt herself as she kicked and screamed at the pain. There were good and bad days.
Then, one morning, she woke up... and she didn't hurt. All she wanted to do those next days was sleep, because whenever she opened her eyes, the desire would torture her. Eventually she didn't even want to do that, because she would dream about it.
She talked to rags dad. Eventually he persuaded her to try to give it up herself, because it was up to her to lose the mental dependency. She told him about her father, but it felt different, more real, saying it without being high. She was still allowed to smoke however, to ease the nerves, and not but a couple a day. She stayed in that hotel for 3 months.
After that, they went on holiday to mexico to a private villa in the middle of nowhere where Ace might deal with herself. She had no idea Will was rolling in that kind of money, but he often surprised her. During her stay there, she wondered what he was doing, and if he missed her. Remembering her father, she put that idea off. It didn't matter. If he wasn't contacting her, he doesn't care, she thought. She wasn't going to go looking for Will. She missed him a lot, but felt bittersweet about the whole thing. He must feel so embarassed and ashamed of her, she figured. She stayed at the villa for a year and a half, spending most of her time alone.
"William left state. The gang's heist fell apart, but Claudia bailed them out." Papa rags told her while she was packing. Although the fact that he left her there hurt her, she had already made up her mind about him.
"I don't give a shit..." She said in a tired voice, lying.
"What are you gonna do now?"
Ace thought for a moment. She honestly didn't know. Then, Claudia's face flashed in her mind, and she remembered. Will had looked up to her, looked to her for some unknown answer. In terms of superiority, she was the boss of bosses for Ace. Even if she didn't have a game-plan, even if she was on the street right now begging, at least it gave Ace a goal, if only temporarily. After that... Who knew?
"Tracking Claudia." She said, giving a famous half-grin as she zipped her bag. "You?"
"Going back... I think my son needs some help next..."
"Give him a kiss for me, and then smack him for being a little dipshit." She laughed.
For the better part of a year Ace went where she thought was right, saying 'I bet it's this way' to find her way to Claudia. She heard wind of her from town to town, and eventually found her way to Solstice.
~*~
Code Words: Fantasy Reference
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