Character Avatar: Burn Gorman
Character Name: Gervais Bisette
Age: 43
Height: 5'9"
Rank/Title: Commoner/Owner of Pride's Fall
Race: D'Angeline
Country/Province: Terre d'Ange/City of Elua
Business Request: Pride's Fall
Player: Merle
Appearance/Personality: Gervais is a fairly unremarkable looking man by D'Angeline standards, his features sharp, but not particularly striking. Being of average height, with hair and eyes a common dark brown, the man is not one to turn heads. That isn't to say that he is without notable aspects. His bone structure - cheekbones, jaw, chin - is fairly prominent, almost harshly so, his mouth thin and wide... and surprisingly expressive with the smallest motions (from the flat line of his disdain to a slight curve of amusement or approval), though he isn't generally all that emotive.
They say that it is hard for brown eyes to be cold, but his manage it without effort. More than that, his entire demeanor is frosty and taciturn. This emotional distance has given him a reputation for being arrogant and condescending, but while that is not entirely inaccurate, more often than not the truth is that Gervais has little regard for most people and is simply indifferent... to their plights, their opinions, to their very existence... to the point that it is not at all unusual for him to not acknowledge someone who is right in front of him, either through evasion or even dehumanization.
There is one very notable exception to his detached nature. His wife, Josephine. When it comes to her, the difference in his disposition is marked. Gervais loves her deeply, and in her presence that chilly shell thaws somewhat and he becomes more inclined to laughter, smiles. Displays of affection. For her, he is warm, passionate, doting. Though he is definitely the more reserved of the pair, and one should not expect that more pleasant attitude to extend anywhere beyond the woman he is bound to.
History: The Valerian adept, Gilles, had a patron. Not one that he had seen before, but she was not a stranger to the House. Older than the young Gilles by a fair amount, the woman was still comely enough. He didn't know it, but she was common born, though not so impoverished that she could not afford an occasional trip to the Night Court. She was also married and had several children, one nigh the age of her adept that evening. By all rights, an unremarkable assignation.
Or would have been, had she not ended up pregnant.
The baby was not wanted. His conception was unsanctioned, undesired, and entirely unexpected. The woman had thought herself beyond the age of having another child, and simply did not want to raise another. Particularly not one fathered by someone other than her husband. Oh, she was not so devoted to him, and he knew it, but his rank was above hers... and certainly above that of a whore. No matter how glorified. She had no desire to risk her marriage, her future, or that of her previous children, on a babe that should never have been.
Still, she could not bring herself to end the pregnancy as some women do, and in due time she gave birth to a brown-eyed boy. Much to the annoyance of her blue-eyed husband. It had been fairly clear that the child was not his far before its birth, but that the babe was so clearly not of his blood rankled. Before the boy was even crawling, the pair came up with what was in their minds the perfect solution to their 'problem', and decided to foist him onto his unwitting father.
With only a note, addressed to Gilles and revealing his paternity, the woman left her baby at Valerian to whatever fate awaited him there and never looked back. The letter was short and blunt. It held no hint as to her identity, or that of her husband, but merely stated the child's name as Gervais and that she would no longer take responsibility for him. Gilles was utterly shocked and bewildered, though he accepted it readily enough. His marque had not yet been made, and he was still beholden to his House, so even if he had wanted to, Gilles could not leave Valerian to raise the boy. He considered it, but he lacked the confidence, and had no other skills to ply in trade in any case, so Gervais ended up in the nursery among the other adepts' children.
It was clear by the time he was ten that Gervais would never be an adept of the Night Court. They did not welcome any child off the street into their ranks, only the exceptional ones. And he was not that. It couldn't be said that he was a homely child, but he simply did not fit the rigid physical standards held by the Court of Night Blooming Flowers. However, given that his father was one of their own, and he had no where else to go, he was allowed to remain there to foster.
He was a quiet child, serious and studious. It concerned Gilles that he had so few friends, but it was not for the lack of the other children trying. Gervais had little interest in playing with the others, and when he did it was with cruel games that would see him in hot water. He never complained of his punishments, though. Never cried, never begged, only accepted it without fear or regret. It was quite obvious, that had he been suitable for the Night Court, it would not have been Valerian to hold his marque.
Some figured him for a Mandrake, but his skill with numbers had others wagering on Bryony... of course, that was a bet with no pay offs. Though the Night Court would not take him, Gervais was assured time and again, that he was free to devote himself to Naamah independently if he felt called to Her service. He was interested in sex, no doubt, and in the money to be made, certainly, but was never particularly inclined to follow in his father's footsteps. The young man had other ideas as to how to capitalize on Naamah's business.
When Gervais reached his majority, he left Valerian behind, though he retained contact through family and a few friends. Finding work as a bookkeeper, among other things, he patiently amassed his funds and made plans. Eventually, after a couple failed ventures, his luck turned with a chance meeting. The sultry, beautiful daughter of an innkeeper. Josephine. She got under his skin as no other had, and he found himself in that inn far more than he had need to be there. The young woman was exuberant, ambitious, and had a good head for business. Everything he wanted in a partner, though Gervais had not even been aware he was looking for one.
He had never before been inclined to share his plans with anyone else, but in short order, he not only found himself sharing them, but changing them, molding them. Making new ones with Josephine. Including their eventual marriage, though by mutual agreement, she never lit her candle. They never held one another to any sort of monogamy, and were focused on other aspirations besides building a family. Like their first joint venture.
Saving up again and working out the details together, after some time the Bisettes purchased their own salon. Called Pride's Fall, it catered to those with less than common proclivities. Pain, shame, voyeur- and exhibitionism. It was more openly social and accessible than the Night Court Houses that provided for such things, but still promised a certain level of discretion. The salon swiftly grew surprisingly lucrative considering the niche clientele, likely due to Gervais' connection to Valerian. They and their Mandrake counterparts were soon bringing patrons there when they wished for more... public sport, but a more predictable environment. That was only the beginning, though, and the notoriety and client base of Pride's fall only continued to grow.
