Post by murasaki181 on Jan 8, 2011 15:06:43 GMT -8
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★ AGE: 47
★ GENDER: Male
★ SEXUAL PREFERENCE: Heterosexual
★ HEIGHT: 5’9”
★ WEIGHT: 182lbs
★ JOB: Paranormal investigator
★ RACE: Human - Medium
★ FACTION: Chiaroscuro
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Your ★ Beauty,
Appearance,
Crow’s feet spread out from each blue eye complimenting the deep set wrinkles in his forehead all the while displaying his age. Not being able to grow more than a few inches every year, hair is just a bothersome add-on in his older age. Who needs it? Bernard keeps his scalp free of the nuisance as well as his face. I suppose if we had to choose a hair color the only visible shade would be the brown covering the ridges of his eyebrows which are dotted with gray strands here and there.
Being from Caucasian descend Bernard is as white as they come. He burns easily over long periods in the sun which he avoids mostly anyway. I don’t think he’d be caught dead wearing a pair of shorts. All his teeth are definitely still his and closer to white then most. He has a fear of bad breath and can’t stand when other peoples smell like their lunch. Travel sized toothbrushes is Gods greatest invention. Bernard visits the gym when he can. He’s always on call with his job but tries to lead a fit lifestyle leaving him slightly muscled here and there.[/ul]
LIKES +
★ Working alone, People just get in the way unless they can handle themselves.
★ Kids. They’re more complex than most realize. Besides, when we’re gone who’s going to take over?
★ Collecting porcelain dolls. From a deep seated issue.
★ Helping others. Luckily his line of work does just that.
★ Doing the right thing. It should be easy but since when was anything easy?
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DISLIKES -
★ Bullies. Whether it’s mental or physical everyone should want to feel safe.
★ Bad Oral hygiene. Seriously it should be outlawed.
★ Feeling powerless. Everyone likes to have a strong sense of self.
★ Bright sunny days. Hey nothing against the sun it just makes his job harder.
★ Hospitals. The one place he prefers to keep his distance with. Do you know how many people die in hospitals?
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POSITIVE TRAITS +
★ Relaxed
★ Careful
★ Gentle
★ Respectful
★ Grateful (Most of the time)
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NEGATIVE TRAITS -
★ Stubborn
★ Sorrowful
★ Unpredictable
★ Bitter
★ insecure
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OVERALL PERSONALITY
On the outside Bernard is definitely a respectful person towards others. Everyone has feelings and they’re always deeper than they seem. Any situation needs to be handled with care or the consequences could be dangerous. However his stubborn outlook could be the leading cause of disaster. Bernard can sometimes be marred with spite and revenge when it’s personal but you wouldn’t know it on the outside. He’s not likely to tell you about it. He’s not that old but he’s certainly seen a few things in his life time worth remembering and not saying out loud.
His unpredictability can be very sweet. He uses it mostly at times of affection and love. He’s gentle to your feelings when he can be yet he can also be too relaxed at the wrong time when he should be panicking. This can come in handy you can imagine. His calming visage has defused more than one situation. However he has panicked at the wrong times as well, barely making it out okay.
Bernard angry is a scary Bernard. Okay anyone is scary when they’re angry. He’s most likely to throttle you if you let him get him get close enough. My advice is to run and lock yourself behind a closed door so he can calm down without injuring you or himself. Sometimes people just need to freak out. Don’t worry though he’s hard to make super mad. He can be a big teddy bear too.
Bernard happy, like completely delighted, is rare. He keeps up a kind smile in most company. However when you see dead people for a living, it wears on you overtime. He’s helped souls deal with remorse, bitterness, anger, confusion, grief, etc. He’s dealt with his own grief. The list goes on. It’s not a healthy environment for your outlook on life but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. [/ul]
Background ★ Info,
History,
The baby was quickly put up for adoption after no one came to claim the infant. A happy couple who were having problems conceiving a baby of their own was more than thrilled to be the proud parents of the new baby boy. Bernard’s adoptive parents came from strong French and German backgrounds. His father had a German last name so his mother wanted a strong French first name for her son. After much debate the baby was christened Bernard Remi Kaufman.
Young Kaufman could always see spirits. Well since he could see properly. As a baby he would watch them in all their eeriness while they walked past his crib from time to time. When he was three he offered his toy to one. It was his favorite and this spirit had been watching him for some time so Bernard had grown fond of the ghost and tried to share. The ghost outstretched her hand to try and take the tot’s toy but it merely fell through her fingers as she grasped for it. The toy clattered to the ground and when Bernard looked up to see why she let it fall, she had disappeared. Caught up in taking the toy she hadn’t realized that he could see her. She had a sudden longing to wrap her arms around him. To feel the warmth of a child, to feel loved like she had once long ago. She was the first Bernard helped move on to where ever it is spirits go when they’re no longer a part of this world. For she came back soon after and encased her arms around the toddler, who was so surprised at the cold touch, he shuddered. He said nothing as he looked up at the pale blue lady, mouth hanging open, and she bent down and kissed his forehead. “Sweet child, thank you for your kindness.” When spirits move on it’s quite the light show. Bernard’s mother rushed into the room thinking a light had flickered and burnt out. But it was broad daylight, why would the lights be on?
Bernard never confided in his parents while growing up that he could see ghosts… It was his secret. They just aren’t that type of people anyhow. They’re very down to earth and have solid believes. So when Bernard was sent home of with a letter of concern from his 5th grade teacher saying he spent a lot of his time talking to himself when he thought no one else was around, it was a problem. When confronted, he denied this wanting to keep his transparent friend who hanged out in the school yard a secret.
Halfway through the school year Louis Elementary got a new transfer student who Bernard quickly befriended and just as quickly and forgot about his ghost of a friend. His parents were delighted. The boys became close and spent most of their time together. After a few dinners over at Garrets house Bernard decided he could trust his friend and confided his secret to him. “Seriously Garret I wouldn’t say so if I was lying. We’re friends! My parents don’t know so don’t tell okay?” Garret looked a little confused but promised all the same. He wouldn’t tell. The ghost Bernard so readily abandoned didn’t like being suddenly ignored so much and started following Bernard all around the school. Badgering him sometimes during classes and following him around. Bernard’s grades dropped and often couldn’t hear the teacher over the verbal battery. When he was with Garret however it was a good distraction from the abuse and he could ignore the spirit all together.
This was bad news for Garret. The youth stayed late after school to use the bathroom one afternoon but he wasn’t alone like he had thought. As he was washing his hands the cubicle door directly behind him bashed open knocking him forward into the mirror. Garret whirled around looking for the culprit but no was there. Then a fist cold as ice made contact with his jaw and the boy fell to the floor. Bernard who usually walked home with Garret waited impatiently in front of the school for his friend. As the minutes stretched on he walked back in to the school to search for Garret. He heard yells coming from the boy’s bathroom down the hall and dashed inside. To his horror the ghost boy was straddling Garrets chest as he continually threw punches into his face. Some of them simply went through his friend, like walking through walls, but some also made contact. Garret at this point was already sporting a bloody nose. His friend frantically tore at the air, trying to get up, but his hands could grasp nothing.
Bernard screamed at the ghost “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? THAT’S MY FRIEND!!!! GET OFF!!!!!!” and he charged the pale spirit in a rage making instant contact. The two toppled over onto the tiled floor and Bernard was throwing the punches now hitting every square inch of the spirit he could. The transparent boy fought tooth and nail to get Bernard off him but the living boy had the upper hand. It wasn’t long before the ghost screamed for him to stop. “Only if you leave us alone now! Never come back! EVER! LEAVE NOW!" The spirit scrambled up, finally free, and ran headlong into the wall, disappearing all together, and away from them.
Bernard then turned to Garret as his chest rose and fell rapidly all the while his heart beating in a frantic patter. Garret only grinned at him. “Thanks dude. You saved me. Was that… a ghost?”
“Uhh yea” He had expected Garret to run from the bathroom and call him a freak but it was mark of friendship that he stayed with him. It was a pleasant surprise. The two bloodied boys left the school, happy the other was around when they were.
The boys went onto Junior High and High school together without many events to report. Sure Bernard sees spirits everyday but none bothered him since the bathroom incident for they had no occasion to bother him since he didn’t talk to them or acknowledge them anymore. He didn’t want a repeat of the bathroom incident. But his obvious talents and gifts couldn’t go unused for long.
Learning to drive was something every kid looked forward to in those days and Bernard was certainly one of them. His Parents surprised him on his 18th birthday with a car of his own for they had refused to let him be behind the wheel of their BMW. Elated the teen quickly got his license and was cruising in no time. Aside from the eerie pearly blue light emanating from spirits as he drove by, driving was definitely enjoyable. One thing he learned though was he couldn’t drive at night. Not easily anyway. Ghosts because of their transparent appearance are always easier for Bernard to see in the dark. But that also makes them much brighter at night and a distraction from the road when they weren’t on it. It didn’t help that Bernard could make physical contact without meaning too. Oh sure the car will go through the bodies but he collided with them.
It was getting late and Bernard had to leave Garret’s soon since, of course, he was driving. Plus there had been a wolf rumor going around and no one should be alone outside for long. Most people were skeptical about this. Since when were wolves common around here anyway? Better safe than sorry. It was hard enough to dodge ghosts when you were driving. Bernard walked down the drive way as the sun was setting. Damn it was later then he thought it was. There wasn’t much of a crowd out there so driving would be easy. As his attention turned to his car he caught a flicker of face sitting in the passenger side looking at him. But as soon as he blinked it was gone. He paused on the pavement as worry formed in his thoughts. He hadn’t seen that face in 10 years… Maybe he was just hallucinating. He could always see ghosts. No way could it have moved that fast without him seeing. Shrugging it off, he got into the driver’s side. He felt uneasy but convinced himself it was nothing, he would see if anything was there.
As he drove down the road he approached a stop sign. As he slid his foot over the brake and he found it wouldn’t go down. Instantly panicking he felt as an unseen force push his foot back and apply it further on the gas pedal. It was so fast he didn’t have time to think. A truck was halfway through the intersection when Bernard’s car t-boned the pickup at a good 65mph. Just before Bernard’s head slammed right into the steering wheel knocking him out and giving his neck whiplash he heard a distant yet familiar snicker.
Never in his life, aside from being born here, had Bernard ever been to the hospital. He instantly decided he hated it when he woke up. Bed bound, he couldn’t get up. Not for lack of trying though. The moment he needed the washroom and sat up, he almost passed out again and was instantly nauseous. Turns out the crash had fractured his skull. He had a tube tucked neatly behind his ear that helped the built up blood in his brain drain out of his noggin. What had happened? Why could he brake? It hurt too much to think about it but as he lay back down to close his eyes he remembered that snicker. It seemed to linger in the back of his head. Suddenly his eyes flashed open in panic. It was the boy. The ghost boy, who beat on Garret, in elementary school. But he couldn’t see him! He thought he could see them no matter what. What was going on? Was he losing his gift? He wasn’t sure since every time the nurse walked in a ghost nurse followed her every move. It was weird. Pale faces sometimes came halfway through the walls too to have a peak into the room then withdrawal just as fast. Also there was a pale blue glow outside his door every night. Ghosts were walking down the hall. How many were in this place? No wonder he was cold half the time. At least he wasn’t allowed to sleep for long periods of time. The constant wake ups were better than snapping awake from some nightmare.
Before he could go searching for answers… Who would he go to anyway? Someone came searching for him. It was all very smoothly done too. The man came when no one was in Bernard’s hospital room, a feat in its self since his mother practically lived there with him, and sat down beside his bed. Bernard couldn’t remember ever seeing this man before and asked if he knew him somehow. The man said nothing and shook his head. “No kid I don’t know you, I’m strictly here on business about your case though.” Bernard raised his eyebrows. His case? He knew he didn’t crash his car on purpose. Everyone else assumed he fell asleep at the wheel or something of the like and he would let them believe it. “Your friend contacted me. Told me you had a gift.” Bernard raised his eyebrows further then winced from the bruise on his forehead. Garret was not allowed to share his secret why would he now? The man brushed off the look of surprise. "Son we believe that this was an attempt murder.” Murder? Could the dead be charged with murder? “Now this is very serious. Have you ever made any enemies over your life?” Bernard shook his head automatically and regretted it as he did so. He turned an instant shade of green. The man leaned in closer and made sure he had Bernard’s eyes locked onto his. “What about… With the dead?” The man was fast and had a bucket underneath Bernard’s chin right when he “tossed his cookies.”
When Bernard could breathe again, was a normal color, and had thoroughly brushed his teeth, he launched into a quick version of what happened in 5th grade in the bathroom. The man took notes and nodded. Asked for descriptions of the ghost boy like this was a normal everyday suspect. “Okay well that’s everything I need then. If you see or hear anything of this boy again contact me right away” He handed Bernard a card. It said George Pultsing, Paranormal investigator. He looked back up at the man “In the mean time we’re going to look into this and see if we can’t track him down before he tries something again. I’m leaving my assistant outside your room for your protection. It’s not often we have a case this severe.”
Was that supposed to make him feel better? It didn’t. “Hey uhh…” He glanced quickly at the card again “George… Don’t mention this to my folks okay? They wouldn’t understand.”
When Garret came for a visit next, Bernard confronted him. “Garret… Why did you tell I could see ghosts? You could have given me a warning or something. How do you even know he’s legit?”
Garret apologized profusely but expressed his concern “Because dude. You’re like one of the most responsible kids I know. I know you didn’t crash that car by “Accident”. I think you had help in the matter. And honestly it I was scared for you. I didn’t know what to do or when you were going to wake up. I think this is bigger than what we could handle. You need help with this Bernard.”
Bernard smiled at his friend fondly and sighed “Yea your right man….. This is way bigger than what I can handle for sure.” Also it would take a few years for him to get behind the wheel again because of this fear.
The investigator that visited Bernard came back a week later with good news. The ghost wouldn’t be bothering him any longer because he had gone on. Bernard asked how. “Kid it’s what I do. You have a rare gift… Even amongst my colleagues. I’ve never heard anything like it… A full out fist fight with a ghost.” He shook his head.
“Sir what exactly are you?” He had to know.
“I’m what they call a paranormal investigator son… Like it says on the card I gave you.” He winked at him and turned to leave.
“Wait!”
George paused and turned back.
“I…” He was bursting to talk about it. Sure he could vent to Garret but he didn’t really understand. He wanted someone who actually knew what he meant. Maybe this guy had some answers. “I can see ghosts.”
George nodded.
“I gathered that. Did you have a question?” it was written all over his face that he was dying to say something.
“Well… I see them all the time, everywhere. I see them night and in the middle of the day. It doesn’t matter. Just… Everywhere. But when my car crashed I couldn’t see the ghost who did it to me even though I’ve seen him before… It was like he was invisible. Why?”
George pulled up a seat and looked at Bernard. This kid was such a rare find in his field of work. He would be invaluable for the company he worked for. But there was more out there than just ghosts. He shuddered at the thought. Could he rightfully expose the underlying secrets of Saint Calais on this boy? Maybe Bernard would come to him on his own and he wouldn’t have to feel guilty. Oh right the question. “Not every spirit chooses to show its self. Some don’t realize they can be seen by people who have gifts like you. Those that do realize, somehow develop their translucency over time becoming invisible all together. The ghost you were dealing with was a couple hundred years old. When you attacked him in the bathroom I think you took him by surprise. I’m sure he could be invisible whenever he wanted at that point since he obviously was in control of this skill during his attempt at your life.”
Once he was free to go home, Bernard thought a lot about the conversation he had in the hospital with George Pultsing. He never thought he could make money for seeing and interacting with ghosts. It seemed just so obvious that that should be his life, to be a paranormal investigator, or whatever. He had the raw talent. Making up his mind he found the card Mr. Pultsing gave him and dialed the number given.
“Chiaroscuro Agency, how may I help you?”
“Hi my Name is Bernard Kaufman. Are you hiring?”
Bernard trained on and off the field for a couple years with George, learning the tricks of the trade, learning how to load their super natural weaponry, and learning how to use it. He was fascinated that he could enchant, for lack of a better word, an object for non-mediums to use as needed against ghosts. This was extremely taxing on his energy though. The first time he tried it he nearly passed out. Bernard doesn’t make them often because of it; it takes a few days to recover. Another part of his training involved spending a lot of time inside working with a psychiatrist to better understand how to deal with different ghost tragedies and remorse’s they might have, so he could help them “move on” when needed. He did not become, in any way, a psychiatrist himself. More like a ghost counselor really. Knowing how to kick ass in the spirit world was a definite plus in defending himself. The job however comes with a price. He never really considered himself depressed until after working with Chiaroscuro for a period of time. Every story is sad. Everyone has a misfortune. That’s just life though. Or death I suppose too.
What was really fascinating about his job at first was learning that there are more than just humans and ghosts out there. He had met a Lycanthrope once. An experience he never wanted to have again. The man was crude and was a poor representation to his race. However when dealing with the supernatural you always come across more than you were hoping for.
Many worries, troubles, and sorrows melted away shortly after he turned 24. She had creamy skin, deep red hair, and freckles that smattered across her nose and cheekbones. Bernard was instantly smitten when her chocolate eyes met his azure ones. George had found her much like he had found him and had actually brought her in. Victoria… That was the angel’s name. She was a clairvoyant and the loveliest creature he had ever seen. Bernard was beside himself when he learned he would be helping her out. They clicked right away. He was a Capricorn and she was a Virgo, it was meant to be.
The young couple was happily married a few years later and was well on the way to success. After a year of acting husband and wife, they mortgaged a house to make room for the new baby growing in her belly. It was all too good to be true of course. The misfortune bestowed here was cliché and typical. You hear this story all the time when you work with mostly grief. She died from childbirth. So did the child. Or a better assessment would be they died from the pregnancy. The baby was not growing in her uterus as most babies do, but outside. The placenta had attached to her organs instead of the uterine wall, growing in her abdomen instead. They had no idea.
Since the due date was just 2 months away the small family decided to take a road trip to visit Victoria’s parents. They owned a few acres of land just 4 hours north of Saint Calais. The trip took a dangerous turn though after roughly 2 hours of drive time through the countryside. As Bernard was admiring the clear blue sky he nearly drove the car into the ditch when Victoria let out an ear splitting scream.
Bernard violently pulled over to the side of the road “Victoria!? VICTORIA?!?!?!?!?!?” he looked at her, afraid. She was deathly pale, like the color of light ash, and had blacked out.
Grabbing the water bottle next to the driver’s seat Bernard tried to wake her up by pouring a small amount on her face. He tried tapping her and poking her cheeks. He got no response. Hastily he grabbed her shirt and lifted it over the baby bump. It seemed the same, nothing wrong. He unbuckled himself and leaned over to have a look on the other side and to his horror a reddish bruise was forming there. At least she was still breathing. Panicking further, he started the car and raced back to Saint Calais, but he was 2 hours away already… Making it back in just over an hour, ignoring the speed limit on the way, the hospital did a quick assessment of his wife. She had expired during the drive. Going into the emergency OR, they quickly removed the baby who was also pronounced dead. The baby died for lack of oxygen since the placenta had detached. This had caused the internal bleeding in Victoria’s abdomen.
Bernard was not allowed to return to work until he completed all of his grief counseling. When he did return he received the few “I’m sorry”s from those that worked there and continued his line of practice. One question always burned in his mind though. Did she move on? Or does she linger in this world still, a transparent beauty wandering the road where she died? It was strictly against company policy to work with the spirit of a loved one. He never went to that road again.
The next 18 years passed without much to report. He and Garret went for drinks every now and then. Bernard took to collecting porcelain dolls soon after the death of his small family while his hair gave up growing more than an inch every year. He promptly keeps his head bald to this day.
★Circumstances of Transformation/Discovery: Please refer to history.
★Circumstances of Faction Initiation: Please refer to history.
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The ★ Puppeteer,
★ WHAT SHOULD WE CALL YOU? Jenna
★ HOW TO CONTACT YOU? jodonnell181@hotmail.com
★ HOW DID YOU FIND US? Kai! <3
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FACE CLAIM
★ WILLIS, BRUCE,
The ★ Copyright,
Rosen Nocturne Kai & Kiare.♥
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I'm glad you enjoyed it.
