frankly

Name: Frank Giacomo

Age: 48

Gender: Male

Type: Select One

Appearance:

Frank's first impression that most people get is usually 'worn down'. He looks like his skin is made of old leather that's been left in the sun too long; weathered, lined, and faded. Frank is a physically impressive man, broad-shouldered and fairly well muscled, but the resignation he carries himself with robs much of the intimidation he might have otherwise and mixes with his complexion to add five years to his looks. He keeps his brown hair just long enough to slick back, which is the most work that seems to go into Frank's appearance. Any day he's been working at the garage he can always be found in dirty overalls, and the days when he can't? Old flannels and patched slacks make up the rest of Frank's attire. His expression is most commonly a pained sort of cynicism, a sorrow lurking in his eyes that's natural with the rumble and hesitance with which he speaks.

Personality:

Unless he's been drinking, Frank is a man of few words. He's insular to a fault, edgy around unknown faces, and prone to edge all of his stories with a cynical outlook. He has a look that suggests a propensity for violence, but Frank works hard to resist any such temptations. Really, despite his slovenly appearance and lonely routine, he comes off as a man who is constantly mindful of his own actions, though he never says why. There's a bitter, short-worded sense of humor in the man, and if he's asked he's been known to constantly change the reason why he's known as Frank.

City History:

The Giacomo family had never been a prominent one within Eidolon City's organized crime, but sixteen years ago, Frank had been poised to change that. Raised with a basic assumption that he would follow his father and brothers as a numbers runner and soldier for the local crime family, Frank shocked his kin when he managed a marriage to a distant niece of the don. It was a real chance at elevation within the city's hierarchy, and with his successful career thusfar and his knowledge of automotives, it was just a matter of proving himself once more to his superiors who commanded the city.

The job was a hit, though it wasn't Frank's first. It should've been simple; kill his target, burn the man's laundromat to the ground. But when Frank had gotten there and pinned his target down, he got a glimpse at what his own future might entail. The man had family. Frank, married a few short years and with a three year old daughter, couldn't do what he saw as the worst thing that anyone could do to him. For the sake of his target's family, he let the man live. That was a decision that would come back to haunt him very quickly. It was the same night when Frank found the tables turned; his former target decided to return the favor.

They came for Frank and his family, overpowering the man and bringing him and his family out to Fontaine Park. With a gun to his face and a knife to his daughter's throat to ensure his obedience, Frank could only watch as his wife was doused in gasoline and burned alive. But his enemies should've chosen somewhere more private to torment him; it was time to watch his daughter's murder next when members of Frank's mob tracked the wreckage from his home, saving both Frank and his daughter, Emily. Wracked with grief, he was never even given time to grieve over his loss before he was dragged in front of the family heads and told of his penance.

He would be kept alive, he would be given a shop to run that would mostly front the less legal activities of the family, he wouldn't have to take on their dirty work personally any more. It sounded good until the last addendum. They were taking his daughter. She was his guarantee of good behavior, and it was made plain and clear to Frank what would happen to her if he ever tried to rescue her or tell her the truth. If he played along, he'd get glimpses at their discretion. If he didn't, she would die.

Frank is still the owner and chief mechanic of Occam Automotive, and while it does its' fair share of business, the majority is mob-owned vehicles that are just as often there to have 'cargo' removed as they are for legitimate repairs. For sixteen years, he's waited, watching his daughter grow up in another life entirely and drinking his own away down at One More Round. His patience is running out.

Special Skills and Abilities:

If there's anything at all wrong with your car, Frank is the man to talk to. He's become a general handyman over time as well, branching out from just vehicles. It's been some time since Frank has actually used one, but he remembers how to belt and fire a tommygun, as well as smaller firearms. Frank has set up a small but efficient gin distillery in his autoshop, and his chief client is One More Round.

Weaknesses:

Frank has lived with paranoia for so long that he can't imagine life without it. He knows he's always being watched in some capacity; whether it's to make sure he's not stealing from the merchandise he stores, trying to get too close to his daughter, or simply trying to find a way to leave the city behind. He's never tried the last one, but in his worse moments of paranoia he's dreamed of it.

He's never managed to shed the penitent guilt that's been on his shoulders since the night of his wife's death. If he'd chosen a different career, if he'd tried being one of their money launderers, she would still be alive. His daughter would be with him. His long-dead hits would be alive and well, and maybe the entire structure of power in the city would be different. Whether the guilt is accurate or justified, Frank spends his nights trying to drink it away.

There's still a callous edge to the man, a hyper-focusing of his worldview where it's damned hard for other people to really matter to Frank. He'll talk and listen with the best members of humanity, but almost all of his real emotion is invested in the child who doesn't know he exists.

His largest vulnerability, really a glaring weakness to those who know it exists, is his daughter. If Frank is uninterested in what he's being told, all that's needed is a mention of her name. If he goes out to eat or goes to see a movie, it's because he has a route that takes him past her home. Everything he does is in some way tethered to the hope that he'll catch a glimpse of her, even if he knows he'll be a total stranger.

Strengths:

While it really comes from his profession and tendency to get a little banged up, Frank likes to think his high tolerance for pain actually stems from the inner torment he's dealt with for so long. He's grit his teeth against it for sixteen long years, and after so long it just takes something vicious to really make him flinch.

Likewise, Frank is nearly fearless, unafraid of any threat that isn't aimed at his child. He doesn't think the mafia stands to gain anything by killing him, and really? Aside from the uncertainty of what would happen to his child, they'd be doing him a favor.

Family or Connections:

Emily - daughter

Residence:

Frank lives on the fourth floor of a four story walkup half a block from Occam Auto. It's a rough neighborhood, and a flophouse apartment building, but he has roof access and few visitors. Plus it's only a block or two from One More Round, close enough that he can stagger either way when drunk.

Career:

Mechanic, bootlegger, former mafia soldier

PB: to be chosen