Nezumi | ネズミ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
superfiber) wrote2015-05-31 08:31 pm
superfiber) wrote2015-05-31 08:31 pm
INUGAMI - APPLICATION
Player Information
Name: Aster
Player Journal:103221
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
asterisks
Timezone: Central
HMD: X
Already In-game: no
Character Information
Name: Nezumi (real name unknown)
Fandom: No.6
Canonpoint: No.6 Beyond (Six months post-novel)
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Physical Description:
History: No.6 Wiki
Personality: "He's the most selfish, dangerous, and beautiful person in the world. That's Nezumi."
Blunt, sarcastic, cranky, elegant and mean are all words that can accurately describe Nezumi. Androgynous and beautiful, he is many things on the outside. However, he has layers upon layers of character that don't show through on the surface no matter how close you look. He’s extremely secretive, and likes to push people away, and it’s pretty rare for someone to see his inner self. Nezumi quite literally can't handle letting people close. He’s cold, smart, manipulative, deceptive, and loves to tease, but deep down, he does have something of a warm side, if you squint. And despite his frigid exterior, he is actually very emotional. Why don’t we start on the outside and move inwards?
At first glance, one would just see Nezumi as a simple (although gorgeous) man, not much to say and nothing really to offer, simply a pretty boy with a charming voice. As you might get to know him, however, one would swiftly notice his sharp and vulgar language. He's hard to get along with and any sort of misconceptions that you might have had about him being a kind and gentle person would immediately be dashed the moment he starts talking. He's not afraid to speak his mind in the slightest, which leads to him sounding very full of himself, high and mighty, and rude. Sarcasm is his first language, and he's not afraid to use it freely. On top of all of this, there is a very high chance that he's lying to you. Being someone who can speak in twenty-two different voices, he is very capable of seeming like someone that he isn't.
All of the above is due to his adversity towards everyone. He doesn't want anyone to like or care about him, so he isn't afraid to make his true nature known. However, as an actor back home and someone who profits from the affections of others, he also isn't afraid to manipulate and seduce others into believing that he might be pleasant. Actually, he finds it pretty entertaining. Though most of the time he uses it to gather information. The moment that someone gets too close though, he won't hesitate to push them away or make his true self known. There is always room for fun, but as stated, Nezumi doesn't like getting close to people.
His one exception of course, has always been, and always will be Shion. When he was around ten years old, he was taken by the city and thrown into the Correction Facility, a horrific place where no one has ever escaped. And until he was twelve, he had been staying with a group of people who had formed a small society underneath the facility. He had finally left, vowing never to return, so that he could take down No.6, the city that had caused him and many others so much pain. On the day he escaped, the city chased him. He was shot at, he almost died. He almost gave up. And that was when he met Shion. Shion, at the time was living in Chronos, an upper class area of No.6 because he was a genius and received the highest privilege of the city. However despite that, he was stifled, which lead him to open his window on the day of a typhoon, and scream. Shion says it's because some sort of fate that Nezumi had been below his window that night, but Nezumi calls it a miracle. He crawled into that open window and instead of Shion calling the authorities, he let him inside, he made him cocoa, and even treated his wounds. It was only for a few hours that he knew him before he escaped into the city once more, but Nezumi never forgot that night, or the boy that had offered him kindness for the first time.
At that time, Nezumi learned that humans can help other humans, and that even within the city, not everyone was evil. It was his most important lesson, and he's forever indebted to Shion for teaching it to him. Because of that, four years after the stormy night that both of their lives changed forever, Nezumi went back into No.6 to save him when the city was framing him for the murder of two people. He saved him from that ordeal, and then took him out of the city entirely and to the West Block, which is a tiny chaotic area outside of No.6. He took him into his underground library of a home, and let him stay there indefinitely. It was the first time that he had ever allowed someone into his life so intimately, and although he regrets it now that he cares for him so deeply, he wouldn't give Shion up for the world. Other than himself, Shion is the person he wants to protect the most. And despite the fact that he's already saved Shion's life, he still considers himself indebted to him. He believes that he'll never be able to repay that debt, so he's decided to just stick close to him.
Nezumi's favorite hobbies include reading and acting. Even though the playhouse he normally worked in hardly ever had enough money for good costumes or a real set, it was a good way to pass the time. Perhaps because of his natural manipulative and charming nature, Nezumi is very good at acting. He was very well known back home, and had quite a few fans. Most of the money that went into the playhouse was probably because of him, being the star. He had a way of captivating the crowd that managed to get a lot of attention. Most of his roles on the stage are female, but he's also capable of playing men, being as versatile as he is. His love for acting and being on stage of course stemmed from his love for books, and most notably; his love for Shakespeare. He'll spend hours on stage acting it out, and then he'll go home and spend hours reading it as well. He knows a lot of his works by heart, having read them so many times in his life.
Nezumi has a very feminine face, and he uses that to his advantage without any shame. His voice is described as sounding neither male nor female, and he can easily dip down to sound more masculine, or up in order to take on feminine qualities. He is also very frequently described as graceful and lithe, most often by his pet roommate, Shion. On the stage, he is known as "Eve" and plays a very convincing dainty, graceful lady. He's been known to use his more feminine voice to manipulate, tease or seduce women as well as men, and sometimes just to have fun. He has also been seen using his skill to get himself out of trouble by making himself seem girly and vulnerable, when in fact that he is neither of those things in the slightest. He'd rather run away from a confrontation that he can easily talk his way out of.
It wouldn't be necessarily accurate to say that Nezumi loves money, but he likes to have as much as he can get. As a popular actor in the West Block, he just so happens to have a surplus of it. He uses this money for basic survival, and to gather information about the West Block, and mostly No.6. His main source is Inukashi, who he has a habit of using ruthlessly. Inukashi, having been raised by them, is very attached to the dogs in the hotel they work at, so when Inukashi's mother (a dog) was dying and Nezumi was asked to sing for her so that she may pass on peacefully, he took nearly all of Inukashi's money for the task, to the point that Inukashi nearly starved afterwards. However, since then he's sung to many of Inukashi's dogs at no charge. This is just one example, but Nezumi will use anyone's weaknesses against them if he discovers them and needs to use them for something. He is not afraid to blackmail and cheat to get what he wants. However, this is the first example of his personality that, strangely enough, he's afraid to show to Shion. He might make it known to anyone else, but when it comes to Shion, he keeps him in the dark.
Much more than being a manipulative actor, Nezumi is actually quite serious in nature, and if you know him for any amount of time, this will become obvious. He is often caught with a contemplative frown on his face and almost never takes things lightly, no matter how mundane or ridiculous. He is also very straightforward about his opinions and what he thinks. He sees things in black and white, yes or no, good or bad, and doesn't often show interest in a third option, or anything in between. It just wastes time. For this reason, optimistic and idealistic people like Shion infuriate him. He doesn't understand how someone could possibly take the time to try and come up with a "maybe". By the end of the series, however, Nezumi starts to change this way of thinking, and even encourages idealistic Shion to stay just the way he is. Basically, Nezumi hates to see the "maybe", or the hope in something, because he's been through far too much to believe in something like that. He doesn't want that hope to destroy him in the end.
Nezumi doesn’t quickly let on to what he likes, but there are definitely things that he does enjoy. He likes salty things, for example, though he would likely eat anything that you put on a plate, he loves piping hot well-salted stew and meat. He loves books. Novels, plays, epics, you name it. He will memorize passages and read them off passionately as often as he can, during any situation. Aside from food, stories, and acting, Nezumi likes...well, Shion. It’s impossible to get around that fact. Despite how much he yells at Shion and acts like he doesn't care, it wouldn't be inaccurate to say that Nezumi loves Shion. Enough that he was willing to sacrifice his life for him, even though he has a deep, pathological fear of dying. He truly does care for Shion, even though he doesn't want to. More than anything, he doesn't want to get close to people, but despite that, he finds himself close to Shion. Inevitably, Shion is the one he trusts and cares for the most. And it goes well beyond physical or emotional attachment. It's something deep within himself that he can't explain just yet.
Aside from Shion, the only living things he actively cares for are his mice. Tsukiyo, Cravat, and Hamlet--lovingly named by Shion. They're the last descendants of the mice that lived in the forest that No.6 destroyed, and he's had them since he was very young. He has quite a few other mice that do whatever he tells them to do, as well a surplus of robotic mice that function as his eyes and ears around the West Block. He made them himself, and he's rather proud of them. Other than the mice, Nezumi has been caught giving a shit about the children that live near his underground home, as well as the innocent children of No.6, who are too young to know better quite yet.
Just like Nezumi has things that he likes, he has things that he dislikes as well. These things are less hidden, however. He hates things like cold food, sea food, and just cold in general, preferring the warmth that piping hot soup or another’s body can offer him. He hates getting close to others and letting them get to know him, and he also has a deep hatred of being controlled or confined. These dislikes can be connected to his hared of No.6, and the short amount of time that he was in their hands. Nezumi thoroughly believes that keeping emotions and memories from the past is useless and even considers it deadly. He hates things that hold him back, things that could potentially kill him and things that otherwise shackle him to one spot. In other words, he pretty much hates his own mentality, since that's exactly what he's doing in regards to No.6. He loathes the idea of anyone, including himself, giving up on life, and constantly obsesses with keeping himself and Shion alive. He hates getting close to people, and even by the end of the series and into Beyond, he is still resistant towards letting anyone near, except for basically Shion, who he's given up on thinking of as not dear.
The thing that Nezumi hates the most, however, is most certainly the city No.6. Like a parasite, the city-state drains all of the resources around it, and casts away everything it doesn't need. When the city was still being built, members destroyed the forest that he and his clan (named Mao by No.6) lived in. He and an old lady were the only survivors of the massacre. The old lady took the child Nezumi (about three years old at the time) and raised him. For his life, she raised him to hate and be wary of No.6, and he developed a deep seated hatred at that time. It was when the old lady was killed, though, that he gained his deep seated desire to get revenge on the city. Although he thought it was impossible, there was nothing more that he wanted than to destroy it like it destroyed everything he held dear. He even decided that he would not leave the West Block (the literal garbage dump of No.6, where people lived a horrible life) until No.6 was gone, despite the fact that traveling is what he wanted to do more than anything.
Once he and Shion were able to infiltrate and destroy the inner workings of No.6, his desire to destroy it completely faded. It was replaced with a yearning to see what Shion could do to change the city he once hated with all of his might. He believes that Shion will be able to make the city into something great, unlike the monster that ruined so many people's lives. He believes that No.6 will be better, because he believes in Shion more than anyone. After everything that's happened in his life, he trusts Shion as much as a person can trust another human being. So because of that, he's leaves the city's fate into Shion's hands and goes off to travel the world, promising to return one day to see what Shion has made of it.
These likes and dislikes are things that he prefers to keep to himself, as they often make it hard for people to see him as anything but a stranger. He doesn’t like people knowing that he actually has wants and needs, and that he genuinely cares. He doesn’t like seeing people around him dying, and doesn’t like when people he cares about (namely Shion) are upset or may be upset in the future, or, far worse than that; perish. When Safu had been taken to correctional facility and Nezumi was given the choice of either throwing that information away or handing it off to Shion, the reason that he didn’t tell Shion was because, more than anything, he didn’t want to see Shion die. And although he inevitably went into the correctional facility as an attempt to take down No.6, he also went for Shion's sake. He couldn't stand the idea of watching Shion run off and getting himself killed, and being the one who survived once more. As the last survivor of the Mao people, the idea of being the last to be alive again would kill him more than anything.
Nezumi's lifestyle as well as everything he fears stems directly from the old lady who saved him from the Mao massacre. He doesn't know if she had any familial relation to him, but nonetheless, she was the person who took care of him when there was nothing else. It can be presumed that a lot of his personality likely comes from the way that she raised him. She was always telling him to never let anyone in, and not to trust anybody. While she told him stories about his people, she also related to him the treacheries of humans. After she was killed, this is all he had left of her. Her death was his final lesson. Although he was only around the age of ten, he learned what it was like to lose someone who was close to you. He learned the feeling of surviving while the person you held dear is no longer alive. He never wanted to experience that again, so he lived on with her lessons always on his mind. He couldn't forget it no matter how much he tried. "Never sigh, it lets demons in. Never allow anyone in."
It isn’t easy to put into words what Nezumi fears. His fears and worries tie directly into his personality in a way that makes it hard to explain. However, the main ones are his fear of getting close to anyone, dying or giving up, and Shion, basically.
His fear of getting close to someone stems from the tragedy in his life. First his family and everyone he knew were slaughtered by No. 6 when he was very young, and he got close to an old woman from the forest who taught him much of what he knows today. This woman also died by the hands of No. 6. She was the last person he ever allowed himself to become attached to, for fear of going through the agony of losing them again. She was the last, that is, until he met Shion. Nezumi quite reluctantly got very close to Shion, so much that another fear stemmed from it; fear of losing Shion, or anyone else, really. He can’t stand the thought.
Nezumi, as mentioned several times, is a survivalist. More than anything, he wishes to survive, he wishes to move on. He doesn’t ever want to stand still, and he will always push forward, no matter what. He hates being unable to continue, he hates having to give up. So, as much as everything else, he is terrified of confinement. He doesn’t like being in a place or situation where he can’t escape or get out of it, for fear of having no other choice but to quietly accept it. He likes to be free.
“Fear of Shion” is something that comes up a lot in the story, because there are many aspects of Shion that terrifies him. First of all, his ability to be so carefree, how straightforward he is, how he never knows what he’s going to say or do next... Nezumi finds these three things annoying, unnerving and endearing. The next level would be how Shion is able to become to close to him, even by the end of the series, this fear doesn’t fade. He’s usually able to cut people off, but never Shion. He wormed his way under Nezumi’s skin and that scares him a lot. Above all, he can’t handle the idea of losing him. Shion is like a treasure to him, even though he doesn't like to admit it.
If someone were to get close enough to Nezumi for him to show some sort of romantic interest, it probably wouldn’t be that deep. Unless you are someone he already cherishes deeply, such as Shion, he wouldn’t be a very kind or faithful lover. Romance and sex have never been very connected with him. Although he knows that it’s like that for most people, it's just never been something he's thought about. Nezumi has neither been in love nor gone "all the way" with anyone, but if he were, he wouldn't have sex with them out of love. So even if he were to get to the point where he’s kissing someone, or going to bed with them, he is just as likely to cast them aside the very next day as he is to tossing out a toy that he’s become bored of. However, for someone that he treasures, namely Shion, it is a far different story. He would be far more tender with them, though not exactly a gentleman. He would try to keep in mind what they like and try to make them happy. (Though no promises.) All in all, he would actually try for someone that he really cared about. And just like he can have sex without showing any romantic interest in the person, he can likewise show romantic interest without having sex with the person. Though he certainly isn’t adverse to the idea, far from it actually, sex is rarely something that comes immediately to mind with him, because he never connected the two together. He is content with teasing, hand-holding and kissing, at least in the very beginning before he realizes that you can definitely have sex with the person that you love, it’s actually a thing. One more thing in relation to romance, is that Nezumi would likely rarely, if not never say the words “I love you.” Not only does he hate throwing words like that around, but he has trouble keeping his feelings into those three words alone. He prefers to show it, rather than say it, much like the rest of his quirks and personality-aspects.
In conclusion, Nezumi is a stingy, self-centered, cranky jerk. Despite this, however, he does have a caring side, deep down as it may be. He’s an actor, a singer and a player by trade, and he isn’t afraid to use these things to his advantage. He’s a survivalist right down to the core, fearing death and doing all he can to avoid it. He’s serious and blunt, no matter how far down you get into his being. And if you’re someone he considered precious, namely Shion, he is a tender and actually a somewhat overprotective person. In the end, he's overly complicated, while simultaneously not complicated at all. He's just not someone that's fun to know.
Abilities: Being human, Nezumi can’t fly or breathe under water or throw lightning bolts at you, but he is rather quick on his feet, and good with a knife. He’s a survivalist right to the core. Any skill that one needs to survive, he probably has it. If you were to throw him into a barren wasteland, he would probably figure out a way to survive it. He doesn’t give up, and that’s an ability all in itself.
His knife skills, while not superhuman, are remarkable. He's able to wield a knife like it's an extension of his hand, and can take down three fully grown, trained men in a matter of seconds. Although his first choice of weapon is a knife, he's also skilled with a gun.
He has a heightened sense of danger. It’s unknown as to why he has this ability, but he gets a “feeling” right before something dangerous happens. He often describes it as a sort of smell, but sometimes a simple gut feeling. He also has the ability to sense the presence of others as well as see in the dark. If someone were to try and sneak up on him, they would fail. The only one who has been known to catch him off guard is Shion, who is likely the one and only exception to this case.
Nezumi is also descended from a group of people that could speak to Elyurias, which would best be described as a deity from the forest his people hailed from, both worshiped and feared. They could placate her with their singing. So Nezumi, as one of these singers, has a beautiful voice that is often compared to the wind. He can easily calm someone down, no matter how much they're panicking. He's been known to use it to relax someone who's dying, and send their soul away peacefully.
Other than that, he cannot do anything remarkable or superhuman. He’s a good actor and has a knack for memorizing passages in books and poems, and he also makes a mean stew, but nothing spectacular.
Samples
First Person Sample:
Well isn't this interesting. [His voice is lighthearted, but there's a trace of a sneer in it. It's impossible to tell if he's happy or angry about being here.] Seeing as we're stuck here for a while... Are any of you familiar with Shakespeare?
[This is as good a conversation starter as any, he figures. He clears his throat, and his voice changes. While he clearly sounded like a man just seconds before, his voice now is low and husky, the voice of a woman.]
Infirm of purpose!
Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead
Are but as pictures; 'tis the eye of childhood
That fears a painted devil.
[Every word drips with emotion, and for just a moment it is as if he's become that character. It's clear that he is well practiced at acting, and seeing as he isn't looking at anything as he says it, he has it completely memorized as well. When he's done, he takes a breath and smirks, taking on his normal tone once more. His eyes are playful and derisive as he goes on.]
Words from a woman driven mad by the promise of power... [He flashes a grin.] You all know where it's from, correct? Anyone who's ever picked up a book should know this one.
["Impress me" is what his cold, sharp eyes seems to be asking.]
Third Person Sample: When his long black eyelashes fluttered open to reveal steely grey eyes, Nezumi was already entirely aware that something was wrong.
First of all, the room was so bright that it was almost nauseating to be conscious. Although it had been over half a year since he left his old dark underground home behind, he still wasn't fond of sleeping in bright places. He hated the light. In the light, it was easy for him to be spotted in a second. And when it was dark, it was much easier to hide from whatever it is that might want to hurt him. Usually, it didn't bother him so much if the sun were out, but this was... This was unnatural light. He knows he hadn't fallen asleep anywhere that would emit natural light, so what was this? His muscles tensed.
The second thing he noticed was that the clothes he had fallen asleep in were missing. They were missing entirely, and replaced with a strange new outfit. It was made from a flimsy material that would never keep him alive in the winter, and it seemed to be somewhat form-fitting and formal. He quickly loosened the tie around his neck as he glanced around the lukewarm room, highly aware of the thirty or so other presences in the room. His thin lips formed a tight line as his jaw set.
Finally, his eyes settled on the windows. The unnatural light seemed to not only be coming from above, but also from those windows, but that wasn't what was deeply disturbing him. No, it was the red leaved trees that stood eerily still outside of the window. No, it wasn't even that. It was something else. It was... Nezumi swallowed hard.
Was that blood? Blood staining the windows in the form of hands. It wasn't a tree at all. It could also be some sort of paint, he reasoned, but he was eerily sure that it had to be blood. He took a few deep breaths before he turned towards the other people sitting at desks around him. They were all staring at him, snickering. They all looked the same.
Despite all the evidence stacked against him, Nezumi was decidedly sure that he wasn't dreaming. But none of this seemed at all possible either. The letter that was balled into a crinkled mass of paper in his fist went entirely ignored, and was actually dropped to the floor in favor of slamming his palm down on the wooden desk.
"What is this?" These were the first words that shot from his mouth as he stood. He looked around at all the teenagers who looked exactly the same, and listened to the droning teacher who made absolutely no sense. He wanted to escape. Was there a door nearby? If he tried to run, would these non-people stop him? Did they have weapons? Nezumi knew for a fact that was his knife was missing. Could he even get out of this alive? "Shut up!"
Although the droning teacher was speaking nonsense, he could tell that he was irritated by Nezumi's behavior. But that didn't matter. He made a run for it to the door closest to him. None of the students tried to stop him, but that did little to soothe his anxiety. Escape from that room was too easy. He had to have been brought here for some reason, and if they let him escape so easily, that must mean that the prison was much bigger than a simple classroom.
"Damn it. Shit." An even longer string of curses spilled from his lips, and he could hear the nonsensical whispering of the creepy kids in the classroom. They seemed to be laughing at him, and some seemed to be annoyed by the way he was acting. Was this for real? He knew that this wasn't a dream. He knew that his life before now hadn't been a dream either. But as he stands outside of his homeroom, Nezumi starts to question his sanity. "I'm getting out of here."
He talked to himself just to remind himself of his own voice, his own existence, then started down the hall, leaving the droning, nonsensical snickering behind him. Ahead of him was just a normal hallway. Or was it? It didn't seem like the hallway ended. So was it true? Was he truly in some sort of strange prison? But then he blinked, and the hallway was normal again. He choked back a gasp as he paused his steps.
For the third time, Nezumi questioned his sanity. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a breath, then opened them again. But what was in front of him was still there. This was his reality now, but he couldn't wrap his brain around it for a single second.
Nezumi was going to be sick.
"Where the hell am I?"
Name: Aster
Player Journal:
103221Contact:
Timezone: Central
HMD: X
Already In-game: no
Character Information
Name: Nezumi (real name unknown)
Fandom: No.6
Canonpoint: No.6 Beyond (Six months post-novel)
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Physical Description:
History: No.6 Wiki
Personality: "He's the most selfish, dangerous, and beautiful person in the world. That's Nezumi."
Blunt, sarcastic, cranky, elegant and mean are all words that can accurately describe Nezumi. Androgynous and beautiful, he is many things on the outside. However, he has layers upon layers of character that don't show through on the surface no matter how close you look. He’s extremely secretive, and likes to push people away, and it’s pretty rare for someone to see his inner self. Nezumi quite literally can't handle letting people close. He’s cold, smart, manipulative, deceptive, and loves to tease, but deep down, he does have something of a warm side, if you squint. And despite his frigid exterior, he is actually very emotional. Why don’t we start on the outside and move inwards?
At first glance, one would just see Nezumi as a simple (although gorgeous) man, not much to say and nothing really to offer, simply a pretty boy with a charming voice. As you might get to know him, however, one would swiftly notice his sharp and vulgar language. He's hard to get along with and any sort of misconceptions that you might have had about him being a kind and gentle person would immediately be dashed the moment he starts talking. He's not afraid to speak his mind in the slightest, which leads to him sounding very full of himself, high and mighty, and rude. Sarcasm is his first language, and he's not afraid to use it freely. On top of all of this, there is a very high chance that he's lying to you. Being someone who can speak in twenty-two different voices, he is very capable of seeming like someone that he isn't.
All of the above is due to his adversity towards everyone. He doesn't want anyone to like or care about him, so he isn't afraid to make his true nature known. However, as an actor back home and someone who profits from the affections of others, he also isn't afraid to manipulate and seduce others into believing that he might be pleasant. Actually, he finds it pretty entertaining. Though most of the time he uses it to gather information. The moment that someone gets too close though, he won't hesitate to push them away or make his true self known. There is always room for fun, but as stated, Nezumi doesn't like getting close to people.
His one exception of course, has always been, and always will be Shion. When he was around ten years old, he was taken by the city and thrown into the Correction Facility, a horrific place where no one has ever escaped. And until he was twelve, he had been staying with a group of people who had formed a small society underneath the facility. He had finally left, vowing never to return, so that he could take down No.6, the city that had caused him and many others so much pain. On the day he escaped, the city chased him. He was shot at, he almost died. He almost gave up. And that was when he met Shion. Shion, at the time was living in Chronos, an upper class area of No.6 because he was a genius and received the highest privilege of the city. However despite that, he was stifled, which lead him to open his window on the day of a typhoon, and scream. Shion says it's because some sort of fate that Nezumi had been below his window that night, but Nezumi calls it a miracle. He crawled into that open window and instead of Shion calling the authorities, he let him inside, he made him cocoa, and even treated his wounds. It was only for a few hours that he knew him before he escaped into the city once more, but Nezumi never forgot that night, or the boy that had offered him kindness for the first time.
At that time, Nezumi learned that humans can help other humans, and that even within the city, not everyone was evil. It was his most important lesson, and he's forever indebted to Shion for teaching it to him. Because of that, four years after the stormy night that both of their lives changed forever, Nezumi went back into No.6 to save him when the city was framing him for the murder of two people. He saved him from that ordeal, and then took him out of the city entirely and to the West Block, which is a tiny chaotic area outside of No.6. He took him into his underground library of a home, and let him stay there indefinitely. It was the first time that he had ever allowed someone into his life so intimately, and although he regrets it now that he cares for him so deeply, he wouldn't give Shion up for the world. Other than himself, Shion is the person he wants to protect the most. And despite the fact that he's already saved Shion's life, he still considers himself indebted to him. He believes that he'll never be able to repay that debt, so he's decided to just stick close to him.
Nezumi's favorite hobbies include reading and acting. Even though the playhouse he normally worked in hardly ever had enough money for good costumes or a real set, it was a good way to pass the time. Perhaps because of his natural manipulative and charming nature, Nezumi is very good at acting. He was very well known back home, and had quite a few fans. Most of the money that went into the playhouse was probably because of him, being the star. He had a way of captivating the crowd that managed to get a lot of attention. Most of his roles on the stage are female, but he's also capable of playing men, being as versatile as he is. His love for acting and being on stage of course stemmed from his love for books, and most notably; his love for Shakespeare. He'll spend hours on stage acting it out, and then he'll go home and spend hours reading it as well. He knows a lot of his works by heart, having read them so many times in his life.
Nezumi has a very feminine face, and he uses that to his advantage without any shame. His voice is described as sounding neither male nor female, and he can easily dip down to sound more masculine, or up in order to take on feminine qualities. He is also very frequently described as graceful and lithe, most often by his pet roommate, Shion. On the stage, he is known as "Eve" and plays a very convincing dainty, graceful lady. He's been known to use his more feminine voice to manipulate, tease or seduce women as well as men, and sometimes just to have fun. He has also been seen using his skill to get himself out of trouble by making himself seem girly and vulnerable, when in fact that he is neither of those things in the slightest. He'd rather run away from a confrontation that he can easily talk his way out of.
It wouldn't be necessarily accurate to say that Nezumi loves money, but he likes to have as much as he can get. As a popular actor in the West Block, he just so happens to have a surplus of it. He uses this money for basic survival, and to gather information about the West Block, and mostly No.6. His main source is Inukashi, who he has a habit of using ruthlessly. Inukashi, having been raised by them, is very attached to the dogs in the hotel they work at, so when Inukashi's mother (a dog) was dying and Nezumi was asked to sing for her so that she may pass on peacefully, he took nearly all of Inukashi's money for the task, to the point that Inukashi nearly starved afterwards. However, since then he's sung to many of Inukashi's dogs at no charge. This is just one example, but Nezumi will use anyone's weaknesses against them if he discovers them and needs to use them for something. He is not afraid to blackmail and cheat to get what he wants. However, this is the first example of his personality that, strangely enough, he's afraid to show to Shion. He might make it known to anyone else, but when it comes to Shion, he keeps him in the dark.
Much more than being a manipulative actor, Nezumi is actually quite serious in nature, and if you know him for any amount of time, this will become obvious. He is often caught with a contemplative frown on his face and almost never takes things lightly, no matter how mundane or ridiculous. He is also very straightforward about his opinions and what he thinks. He sees things in black and white, yes or no, good or bad, and doesn't often show interest in a third option, or anything in between. It just wastes time. For this reason, optimistic and idealistic people like Shion infuriate him. He doesn't understand how someone could possibly take the time to try and come up with a "maybe". By the end of the series, however, Nezumi starts to change this way of thinking, and even encourages idealistic Shion to stay just the way he is. Basically, Nezumi hates to see the "maybe", or the hope in something, because he's been through far too much to believe in something like that. He doesn't want that hope to destroy him in the end.
Nezumi doesn’t quickly let on to what he likes, but there are definitely things that he does enjoy. He likes salty things, for example, though he would likely eat anything that you put on a plate, he loves piping hot well-salted stew and meat. He loves books. Novels, plays, epics, you name it. He will memorize passages and read them off passionately as often as he can, during any situation. Aside from food, stories, and acting, Nezumi likes...well, Shion. It’s impossible to get around that fact. Despite how much he yells at Shion and acts like he doesn't care, it wouldn't be inaccurate to say that Nezumi loves Shion. Enough that he was willing to sacrifice his life for him, even though he has a deep, pathological fear of dying. He truly does care for Shion, even though he doesn't want to. More than anything, he doesn't want to get close to people, but despite that, he finds himself close to Shion. Inevitably, Shion is the one he trusts and cares for the most. And it goes well beyond physical or emotional attachment. It's something deep within himself that he can't explain just yet.
Aside from Shion, the only living things he actively cares for are his mice. Tsukiyo, Cravat, and Hamlet--lovingly named by Shion. They're the last descendants of the mice that lived in the forest that No.6 destroyed, and he's had them since he was very young. He has quite a few other mice that do whatever he tells them to do, as well a surplus of robotic mice that function as his eyes and ears around the West Block. He made them himself, and he's rather proud of them. Other than the mice, Nezumi has been caught giving a shit about the children that live near his underground home, as well as the innocent children of No.6, who are too young to know better quite yet.
Just like Nezumi has things that he likes, he has things that he dislikes as well. These things are less hidden, however. He hates things like cold food, sea food, and just cold in general, preferring the warmth that piping hot soup or another’s body can offer him. He hates getting close to others and letting them get to know him, and he also has a deep hatred of being controlled or confined. These dislikes can be connected to his hared of No.6, and the short amount of time that he was in their hands. Nezumi thoroughly believes that keeping emotions and memories from the past is useless and even considers it deadly. He hates things that hold him back, things that could potentially kill him and things that otherwise shackle him to one spot. In other words, he pretty much hates his own mentality, since that's exactly what he's doing in regards to No.6. He loathes the idea of anyone, including himself, giving up on life, and constantly obsesses with keeping himself and Shion alive. He hates getting close to people, and even by the end of the series and into Beyond, he is still resistant towards letting anyone near, except for basically Shion, who he's given up on thinking of as not dear.
The thing that Nezumi hates the most, however, is most certainly the city No.6. Like a parasite, the city-state drains all of the resources around it, and casts away everything it doesn't need. When the city was still being built, members destroyed the forest that he and his clan (named Mao by No.6) lived in. He and an old lady were the only survivors of the massacre. The old lady took the child Nezumi (about three years old at the time) and raised him. For his life, she raised him to hate and be wary of No.6, and he developed a deep seated hatred at that time. It was when the old lady was killed, though, that he gained his deep seated desire to get revenge on the city. Although he thought it was impossible, there was nothing more that he wanted than to destroy it like it destroyed everything he held dear. He even decided that he would not leave the West Block (the literal garbage dump of No.6, where people lived a horrible life) until No.6 was gone, despite the fact that traveling is what he wanted to do more than anything.
Once he and Shion were able to infiltrate and destroy the inner workings of No.6, his desire to destroy it completely faded. It was replaced with a yearning to see what Shion could do to change the city he once hated with all of his might. He believes that Shion will be able to make the city into something great, unlike the monster that ruined so many people's lives. He believes that No.6 will be better, because he believes in Shion more than anyone. After everything that's happened in his life, he trusts Shion as much as a person can trust another human being. So because of that, he's leaves the city's fate into Shion's hands and goes off to travel the world, promising to return one day to see what Shion has made of it.
These likes and dislikes are things that he prefers to keep to himself, as they often make it hard for people to see him as anything but a stranger. He doesn’t like people knowing that he actually has wants and needs, and that he genuinely cares. He doesn’t like seeing people around him dying, and doesn’t like when people he cares about (namely Shion) are upset or may be upset in the future, or, far worse than that; perish. When Safu had been taken to correctional facility and Nezumi was given the choice of either throwing that information away or handing it off to Shion, the reason that he didn’t tell Shion was because, more than anything, he didn’t want to see Shion die. And although he inevitably went into the correctional facility as an attempt to take down No.6, he also went for Shion's sake. He couldn't stand the idea of watching Shion run off and getting himself killed, and being the one who survived once more. As the last survivor of the Mao people, the idea of being the last to be alive again would kill him more than anything.
Nezumi's lifestyle as well as everything he fears stems directly from the old lady who saved him from the Mao massacre. He doesn't know if she had any familial relation to him, but nonetheless, she was the person who took care of him when there was nothing else. It can be presumed that a lot of his personality likely comes from the way that she raised him. She was always telling him to never let anyone in, and not to trust anybody. While she told him stories about his people, she also related to him the treacheries of humans. After she was killed, this is all he had left of her. Her death was his final lesson. Although he was only around the age of ten, he learned what it was like to lose someone who was close to you. He learned the feeling of surviving while the person you held dear is no longer alive. He never wanted to experience that again, so he lived on with her lessons always on his mind. He couldn't forget it no matter how much he tried. "Never sigh, it lets demons in. Never allow anyone in."
It isn’t easy to put into words what Nezumi fears. His fears and worries tie directly into his personality in a way that makes it hard to explain. However, the main ones are his fear of getting close to anyone, dying or giving up, and Shion, basically.
His fear of getting close to someone stems from the tragedy in his life. First his family and everyone he knew were slaughtered by No. 6 when he was very young, and he got close to an old woman from the forest who taught him much of what he knows today. This woman also died by the hands of No. 6. She was the last person he ever allowed himself to become attached to, for fear of going through the agony of losing them again. She was the last, that is, until he met Shion. Nezumi quite reluctantly got very close to Shion, so much that another fear stemmed from it; fear of losing Shion, or anyone else, really. He can’t stand the thought.
Nezumi, as mentioned several times, is a survivalist. More than anything, he wishes to survive, he wishes to move on. He doesn’t ever want to stand still, and he will always push forward, no matter what. He hates being unable to continue, he hates having to give up. So, as much as everything else, he is terrified of confinement. He doesn’t like being in a place or situation where he can’t escape or get out of it, for fear of having no other choice but to quietly accept it. He likes to be free.
“Fear of Shion” is something that comes up a lot in the story, because there are many aspects of Shion that terrifies him. First of all, his ability to be so carefree, how straightforward he is, how he never knows what he’s going to say or do next... Nezumi finds these three things annoying, unnerving and endearing. The next level would be how Shion is able to become to close to him, even by the end of the series, this fear doesn’t fade. He’s usually able to cut people off, but never Shion. He wormed his way under Nezumi’s skin and that scares him a lot. Above all, he can’t handle the idea of losing him. Shion is like a treasure to him, even though he doesn't like to admit it.
If someone were to get close enough to Nezumi for him to show some sort of romantic interest, it probably wouldn’t be that deep. Unless you are someone he already cherishes deeply, such as Shion, he wouldn’t be a very kind or faithful lover. Romance and sex have never been very connected with him. Although he knows that it’s like that for most people, it's just never been something he's thought about. Nezumi has neither been in love nor gone "all the way" with anyone, but if he were, he wouldn't have sex with them out of love. So even if he were to get to the point where he’s kissing someone, or going to bed with them, he is just as likely to cast them aside the very next day as he is to tossing out a toy that he’s become bored of. However, for someone that he treasures, namely Shion, it is a far different story. He would be far more tender with them, though not exactly a gentleman. He would try to keep in mind what they like and try to make them happy. (Though no promises.) All in all, he would actually try for someone that he really cared about. And just like he can have sex without showing any romantic interest in the person, he can likewise show romantic interest without having sex with the person. Though he certainly isn’t adverse to the idea, far from it actually, sex is rarely something that comes immediately to mind with him, because he never connected the two together. He is content with teasing, hand-holding and kissing, at least in the very beginning before he realizes that you can definitely have sex with the person that you love, it’s actually a thing. One more thing in relation to romance, is that Nezumi would likely rarely, if not never say the words “I love you.” Not only does he hate throwing words like that around, but he has trouble keeping his feelings into those three words alone. He prefers to show it, rather than say it, much like the rest of his quirks and personality-aspects.
In conclusion, Nezumi is a stingy, self-centered, cranky jerk. Despite this, however, he does have a caring side, deep down as it may be. He’s an actor, a singer and a player by trade, and he isn’t afraid to use these things to his advantage. He’s a survivalist right down to the core, fearing death and doing all he can to avoid it. He’s serious and blunt, no matter how far down you get into his being. And if you’re someone he considered precious, namely Shion, he is a tender and actually a somewhat overprotective person. In the end, he's overly complicated, while simultaneously not complicated at all. He's just not someone that's fun to know.
Abilities: Being human, Nezumi can’t fly or breathe under water or throw lightning bolts at you, but he is rather quick on his feet, and good with a knife. He’s a survivalist right to the core. Any skill that one needs to survive, he probably has it. If you were to throw him into a barren wasteland, he would probably figure out a way to survive it. He doesn’t give up, and that’s an ability all in itself.
His knife skills, while not superhuman, are remarkable. He's able to wield a knife like it's an extension of his hand, and can take down three fully grown, trained men in a matter of seconds. Although his first choice of weapon is a knife, he's also skilled with a gun.
He has a heightened sense of danger. It’s unknown as to why he has this ability, but he gets a “feeling” right before something dangerous happens. He often describes it as a sort of smell, but sometimes a simple gut feeling. He also has the ability to sense the presence of others as well as see in the dark. If someone were to try and sneak up on him, they would fail. The only one who has been known to catch him off guard is Shion, who is likely the one and only exception to this case.
Nezumi is also descended from a group of people that could speak to Elyurias, which would best be described as a deity from the forest his people hailed from, both worshiped and feared. They could placate her with their singing. So Nezumi, as one of these singers, has a beautiful voice that is often compared to the wind. He can easily calm someone down, no matter how much they're panicking. He's been known to use it to relax someone who's dying, and send their soul away peacefully.
Other than that, he cannot do anything remarkable or superhuman. He’s a good actor and has a knack for memorizing passages in books and poems, and he also makes a mean stew, but nothing spectacular.
Samples
First Person Sample:
Well isn't this interesting. [His voice is lighthearted, but there's a trace of a sneer in it. It's impossible to tell if he's happy or angry about being here.] Seeing as we're stuck here for a while... Are any of you familiar with Shakespeare?
[This is as good a conversation starter as any, he figures. He clears his throat, and his voice changes. While he clearly sounded like a man just seconds before, his voice now is low and husky, the voice of a woman.]
Infirm of purpose!
Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead
Are but as pictures; 'tis the eye of childhood
That fears a painted devil.
[Every word drips with emotion, and for just a moment it is as if he's become that character. It's clear that he is well practiced at acting, and seeing as he isn't looking at anything as he says it, he has it completely memorized as well. When he's done, he takes a breath and smirks, taking on his normal tone once more. His eyes are playful and derisive as he goes on.]
Words from a woman driven mad by the promise of power... [He flashes a grin.] You all know where it's from, correct? Anyone who's ever picked up a book should know this one.
["Impress me" is what his cold, sharp eyes seems to be asking.]
Third Person Sample: When his long black eyelashes fluttered open to reveal steely grey eyes, Nezumi was already entirely aware that something was wrong.
First of all, the room was so bright that it was almost nauseating to be conscious. Although it had been over half a year since he left his old dark underground home behind, he still wasn't fond of sleeping in bright places. He hated the light. In the light, it was easy for him to be spotted in a second. And when it was dark, it was much easier to hide from whatever it is that might want to hurt him. Usually, it didn't bother him so much if the sun were out, but this was... This was unnatural light. He knows he hadn't fallen asleep anywhere that would emit natural light, so what was this? His muscles tensed.
The second thing he noticed was that the clothes he had fallen asleep in were missing. They were missing entirely, and replaced with a strange new outfit. It was made from a flimsy material that would never keep him alive in the winter, and it seemed to be somewhat form-fitting and formal. He quickly loosened the tie around his neck as he glanced around the lukewarm room, highly aware of the thirty or so other presences in the room. His thin lips formed a tight line as his jaw set.
Finally, his eyes settled on the windows. The unnatural light seemed to not only be coming from above, but also from those windows, but that wasn't what was deeply disturbing him. No, it was the red leaved trees that stood eerily still outside of the window. No, it wasn't even that. It was something else. It was... Nezumi swallowed hard.
Was that blood? Blood staining the windows in the form of hands. It wasn't a tree at all. It could also be some sort of paint, he reasoned, but he was eerily sure that it had to be blood. He took a few deep breaths before he turned towards the other people sitting at desks around him. They were all staring at him, snickering. They all looked the same.
Despite all the evidence stacked against him, Nezumi was decidedly sure that he wasn't dreaming. But none of this seemed at all possible either. The letter that was balled into a crinkled mass of paper in his fist went entirely ignored, and was actually dropped to the floor in favor of slamming his palm down on the wooden desk.
"What is this?" These were the first words that shot from his mouth as he stood. He looked around at all the teenagers who looked exactly the same, and listened to the droning teacher who made absolutely no sense. He wanted to escape. Was there a door nearby? If he tried to run, would these non-people stop him? Did they have weapons? Nezumi knew for a fact that was his knife was missing. Could he even get out of this alive? "Shut up!"
Although the droning teacher was speaking nonsense, he could tell that he was irritated by Nezumi's behavior. But that didn't matter. He made a run for it to the door closest to him. None of the students tried to stop him, but that did little to soothe his anxiety. Escape from that room was too easy. He had to have been brought here for some reason, and if they let him escape so easily, that must mean that the prison was much bigger than a simple classroom.
"Damn it. Shit." An even longer string of curses spilled from his lips, and he could hear the nonsensical whispering of the creepy kids in the classroom. They seemed to be laughing at him, and some seemed to be annoyed by the way he was acting. Was this for real? He knew that this wasn't a dream. He knew that his life before now hadn't been a dream either. But as he stands outside of his homeroom, Nezumi starts to question his sanity. "I'm getting out of here."
He talked to himself just to remind himself of his own voice, his own existence, then started down the hall, leaving the droning, nonsensical snickering behind him. Ahead of him was just a normal hallway. Or was it? It didn't seem like the hallway ended. So was it true? Was he truly in some sort of strange prison? But then he blinked, and the hallway was normal again. He choked back a gasp as he paused his steps.
For the third time, Nezumi questioned his sanity. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a breath, then opened them again. But what was in front of him was still there. This was his reality now, but he couldn't wrap his brain around it for a single second.
Nezumi was going to be sick.
"Where the hell am I?"