and counting

Name: Gideon Kenneth Maier

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Type: Dreamer

Appearance:

Gideon isn’t what would be normally described as an attractive guy. Maybe, at best, he’d get a sympathetic ‘cute’, but only if someone was really trying to be nice. He looks very much like he’s been put together from spare parts that don’t really fit properly.

He tries to make up for this, though, with grooming. He knows his hair starts to curl and get uncontrollable when it grows longer, so he keeps it short. At times, he slicks it back, which makes the naturally dark blonde locks look a much darker colour which he thinks appears more sophisticated (unfortunately, even on his best day, such a style only works until midmorning, when his hair rebels back to its usual ‘style’). He’s trying to improve his wardrobe - mostly, he can’t afford much, but he’s saving what he can. Money that should actually go into the family income pot is being squirrelled away into the Gideon suit fund. He justifies this by the fact that it’ll help his family in the long run, appearance matters for that promotion, and there’s enough for food on the table (it just means MaryJo has to have second hand shoes again this year).

Personality:

Gideon can be sweet when he wants to be. Growing up, he was a quiet, studious boy and, outwardly, that hasn’t really changed. He’s done what his family asked of him, needed him to do. Whilst he was internally devastated to have his dreams shattered when he was pulled out of school, he was uncomplaining about it. He took on the mantel of breadwinner for his family equally without outward complaint.

But he is a young man with far too much responsibility lumped on his shoulders. He is overworked and underpaid. Sure, his pay would easily support a young man. Maybe even a young couple - but he is working to support his mother and four sisters. There simply isn’t enough to go around and it’s down to him to make it all work.

Gideon can be focused when he needs to be, he can be the man with a plan. he is highly logical, and can set emotion to one side in order to make the choices which need to be made. In addition to this, his moral compass is highly flexible, bowing to the pressure of the reality of the world.

City History:

The eldest child of Harvey and Grace, they were always hopeful for his future. The family didn’t have a whole lot of money, but Harvey had a decent job which brought in enough to pay the bills and support the five children. Gideon was always a bright child, right from the start and once he got to school, he was permanently top of the class. A bright future was seen for Gideon and his parents hoped that their only son and eldest child would be the first in their family to go away to college - there were scholarships out there to allow that to happen.

Then Harvey contracted lung cancer which developed aggressively. The family went from comfortable and positive to falling apart in less than six months. Harvey had been the family’s only bread winner, and when he got sick, that income dried up, meaning the family had no income, never mind paying off the seemingly endless hospital bills. The family’s meagre savings disappeared in no time at all, and any dreams of the future went with them. The eldest two children, Gideon and Hannah, were pulled out of school - Gideon to find a job to bring in some income and Hannah to look after the three youngest girls whilst Grace cared for her dying husband - and then grieved for him when he inevitably passed.

After a few false starts and menial jobs, Gideon landed a position working in the post room at Hagel and Hagel Accountants. Over the next few years, Gideon managed to catch the attention of the partners and worked his way up to the position of clerk. During this time he worked only on the legitimate side of the business. Slowly, though, as he became more and more involved with the firm, Gideon noticed irregularities, things that weren’t quite right. But, he kept his head down, his eyes open and, most importantly, his mouth shut.

He knows now that the Hagels are far from squeaky clean, and he’s worked out what’s going on. That the secret to their success is their mafia affiliation. And Gideon wants some of that success. He’s seventeen years old. He supports his mother and four sisters in a shitty rundown apartment. He wants to live like the other half live, and if the way he has to do that is by fiddling the books, then that’s how it needs to be done.

But he’s also aware of the way of the world. The Hagels and their associates - they’re all about family. That’s where the inner circle is. And Gideon isn’t family. He’s about as far from being family as he can be. Oh, he’s a trusted employee. He’s a good clerk, and he’s appreciated as an accountant - he hopes to have all his certifications in the next couple of years. He has a bright future ahead of him - on the legitimate side of the business. That would keep him comfortable. But Gideon doesn’t want ‘comfortable’. He wants ‘rich’. He wants ‘successful’. He wants everything that was taken away from him with his father’s death - with interest. The world owes him, and he’s going to collect. Whatever it takes.

And he knows that what it will take is to become family. Which means marrying in - either to the Hagels, or to the organisation in general. He’s still picking out the clues as to exactly who is eligible. Which family names are on that list. Some he’s sure of, others are more hazy. Top of his list, of course, is the youngest Hagel daughter - but she currently thinks he’s a joke, if she ever thinks about him at all. But Gideon is working on changing. He’s taking himself up market, even if it means taking some of the money out of the family pot. After all, when his sisters are out on the town all dressed in silk, they’ll thank him, they’ll understand why they had to go without so he could get the suits and accouterments to get him where he needed to be. To catch the eye of the woman who would secure their future: whoever she may be.

Special Skills and Abilities:

Gideon has a gift with numbers. He is also highly intelligent with a mind for strategy.

Weaknesses:

Socially inept/unattractive - there was no charm school for Gideon, and he’s not been blessed with natural grace and favour. There’s a sweetness about him for anyone who actually takes the time to get to know him, but he’s not the sort to wow on a first meeting. he is somewhat of a geek.

Outsider - Gideon is trying to make it in another world, and he knows it. he doesn’t fit in and he wasn’t brought up according to their rules. What’s more, he’s determined to marry in. It’s a mountain and he has to climb it. He just doesn’t fit.

Shattered dreams - Gideon had dreams. He was going to go somewhere, be someone. He was going to be the first of his family to go to college. He would get his degree, he would be respected. His father’s illness ruined all of that and his dreams came crashing down. It has left Gideon bitter and feeling cheated. He still wants respect - he’s just willing to look at less legitimate ways of obtaining it.

There is a lingering bitterness about Gideon that he works not to show. The loss of his education hurts him, but that manifests by a hunger for learning wherever he can get it. On the flipside of that, he has a chip on his shoulder - Gideon is naturally prejudiced against anyone who is well educated, though he knows better to show it to the faces of those who are rich and powerful as a result. His fate has left him with a concealed bitterness, as well as a singleminded selfishness. He has had to give up everything for his family, and now he can see a way to ensure they are comfortable. He can see a way out of the poverty they are in. But the way out for all of them is through him bettering himself - which means that in the meantime, they have to go without. He’s not shared the game plan with them though - he knows they may not approve. Part of him is scared about what he is doing, yet at the same time, highly excited about the possibilities for the future.

Strengths:

Gideon has a determination to succeed that sees he through a lot of dark days. He can put up with taunts and insults, hanging on through the worse of times, focusing on the light at the end of the tunnel.

Family or Connections:

Mother: Grace; Sisters: Hannah (15), MaryJo (10), Abigail (7), Martha (5)

Residence:

Gideon and his family live in an old house near the edge of Grey Market. Clearly once a quality property, it has long since seen better days and now pots are scattered around the interior to catch the drips when it rains.

Career:

Clerk/trainee accountant with Hagel & Hagel

PB: Michael Cera