Donovan "Van" James Talbain- Tess
Gender: Male
Age: 32 Nature: Wolf Birthdate: May 22, 1985 Occupation: Assassin. Cover profession: restoration of high-end and vintage automobiles. Appearance: Donovan is one of those men who look ten years younger than they are, or ten years older, depending on how he dresses and carries himself. He has straight dark brown hair and blue eyes, hair color and texture subject to change for work purposes. He's heavier than he appears as he is almost all lean weight in functional musculature. |
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Donovan has attractive, but rather nondescript features, which he considers a major plus in his line of work. At 5' 10", he is taller than average but not of remarkable height.
He can blend into any city in the world with a Caucasian tourist population, without attracting attention. He can wear anything from couture Armani to a wino's rags with natural ease, but when he's dressing to suit himself, he tends to favor dark-wash Levis and expensive but subtle solid-color tees, shirts or sweaters, with a well-fitted jacket of some sort, weather permitting.
Donovan has no tattoos or piercings, though before his shift he had an old, shiny burn scar splattered across his left abdomen and around his side to his back, as if he'd been dashed with burning fluid as a small child. He never talked about it freely, and rarely allowed anyone except a physician to see him with his shirt off.
Shifted appearance: Donovan is a well-built black wolf. His undercoat is reddish, however, so this gives him a rusty tinge as his fur moves. His eyes are darker than most wolves', being a deep reddish orange.
Personality: Donovan is a consummate actor. He can be outgoing, quiet, boisterous, studious, depraved, or saintly; whatever will get him what he wants, or will ingratiate himself to a marked target. He's played so many roles for so many years; he has difficulty sometimes becoming himself once more. This tendency has only been exacerbated since his infection.
When he is being Donovan Talbain, he is a quiet man who observes those about him with sardonic humor and a sharp sense of playing situations to his advantage. He can be charming and outgoing when it suits him, even if he intends to snap your neck within the next minute and a half. When he does trust someone enough to consider them a friend, he's loyal- his own brand of the virtue, at least- and kind. Donovan's not amoral, but his moral code is entirely one of his own devising.
History: Before coming to Stone Mountain, Donovan had never spoken of how he got his burn scar, nor about his identical twin brother Jamie (James Donovan), so much more badly injured and comatose. Donovan has always felt guilty for Jamie's injuries and from their accident the age of six, the twins forged a unique psychic link to allow both of them to live their lives, despite the fact that Jamie has never roused from a vegetative state since that fateful day. Jamie now lies in a private luxury long-term care facility in Ireland, unable to move, speak, or see. But, he is very much alert and aware.
To keep his brother from going completely mad, and to give Jamie at least somewhat of a life worth living, Van turns over control over his own body to his brother on more or less frequent intervals. Jamie then drives ‘the meat-bus’ as they call their shared body, until Van either takes back control or Jamie lets go of the wheel. During these times, Van’s basically in a dark nothingness, dimly aware of his brother’s activities. It’s not always a peaceful cohabitation, by any means. They’ve always fought, ever since they bashed each other over the head with toy trucks as toddlers. The struggle for the wheel has almost totaled their shared meat-bus, more than once.
The worst time was when Van came to full sensory awareness again to find himself naked, splashed with blood, in a cheap Thai hotel room, with a tiny, battered, dead young prostitute at his feet. Jamie steadfastly refused to say what happened, beyond that the **** deserved worse than she got. Since then, Van has pretty much locked the meat-bus except for the bare minimum time necessary to keep his brother from going catatonic. Even then, he ‘listens’ more carefully and boots Jamie out of the driver’s seat if the situation threatens to go sideways.
As for his own homicidal tendencies, Donovan is well aware that he was carefully groomed to be what he is. Murder-for-hire is one of the few remaining true apprenticeship professions and Gabriel Lael was at the top of the game while he raised Donovan as carefully as a beloved son, and trained him as a valued protégé. Donovan made his first kill-shot before he had his first shave.
When Lael retired, Donovan was able to easily step into his mentor's role, having earned the trust of Lael's network, who realized that the pupil had surpassed his teacher. Donovan doesn't ask questions about who he's paid to "fix," only the price; with two caveats-- no fire and no children on the scene.
He's added no Heads of State to his resume, yet, but a few slightly lower officials, Mob bosses and CEOs who have died unexpectedly or disappeared suddenly, could be marked up as his handiwork. His last job took him to the Ukraine. He returned from the assignment with a hefty addition to his Swiss bank account, the mother of all head colds, and a simmering case of lycanthropy.
Unaware of what's happening to him, Donovan headed for Miami. It's warm, it's seething with enough tourists and drifters to disappear into, there are plenty of luxury vehicles if he gets bored and wants to do some legal work for a change, but best of all, he hasn't been there for years, so there will be no inconvenient recognitions or suspicions to trouble him. Good plan A. Too bad it all went to pieces on an unscheduled emergency stop in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Although even plan Z wouldn't have included the manifestation of lycanthropy.
Abilities: Donovan has very good mechanical skills, is an expert marksman with both handguns and long-guns and is wicked in hand-to-hand, mostly Spetsnaz with an admixture of anything he considers useful.
Donovan can hold his own in a knife fight, but he prefers other weapons. He is not a clean fighter, and will utilize anything to get the job done or the threat neutralized.
He's fluent and literate in Italian (standard,) Spanish (Jalisco accent,) French (Parisian,) German (standard) and Russian (faint Vladivostok accent.) His birth languages are Irish and English (American, region-free.)
As a shifter, he has exceptional control of his alter, his beast, right from the start. This is because he doesn't consider his "beast" as an entity separate from himself. The Wolf is the man, and the man is the Wolf. He has always been a predator, and has always been considered a monster, so he doesn't sweat which form he takes. Lycanthropy makes him a better predator, and frankly, he considers the condition a blessing rather than a curse. Despite all he's seen, done, and may do yet, Donovan sleeps very soundly at night, thank you very much.
Weaknesses: As for weaknesses, he's got his share. He has an unshakable phobia of fire. He doesn't even like to light a match. He may quite happily shoot you, cut your throat, or hold your face down in your soup till you drown, but there's not enough money in the world to convince him to be an arsonist.
And yes, he spent a lot of money on a couple of very discreet (for they're still breathing,) very expensive shrinks, but all he got for it was the ability to actually light aforementioned match without his hands shaking. Much.
Physically, he tends to favor his right knee, as he over-stretched the ligaments badly a few years ago, and senses that it's a weak spot that's never fully regained its original stability. Even in shifted form, he carries this slight limp over, whether from actual retained weakness, or psychosomatic mental quirk isn’t clear. It’s most likely the latter, considering how lycanthropy heals all wounds, but so far no one’s dared suggest he may need psychiatric help for that particular bit of neurosis.
As a Wolf, he'll have a difficult time tucking tail for anyone. He is an alpha-male as a human and that won't change because he now goes furry. He also has difficulty in dealing with people, especially female people, on a personal basis. He can fake polite social behavior with precision, but he's never formed attachments before, so all the lupine touchy-feely stuff, physical and mental, is a huge adjustment.
He is more vulnerable to silver than most shifters. A brief contact with the metal will cause a reddening and blistering of his skin, which heals a bit more slowly than a heat-caused injury of the same severity.
Quirks: He was a vegetarian before Infection. He even feels a bit guilty about wearing leather, and for him, guilt is a rare emotion indeed. Now that he's dealing with the realities of lycanthropy, he may not feel a twinge over tearing someone's throat out, but eating them (while a new and nifty way of disposing of the body) will give him the willies and have him hitting the mouthwash for days.
Character song: Just A Job To Do, Genesis
Weapons: Donovan carries a Semmerling LM4 .45 hold-out pistol like most men carry a pen knife. For serious intent, he carries a Glock 22 .40 and/or a Sig-Sauer P22. But at all times and in all places, this boy has a weapon of some sort unless he's been thoroughly frisked, then stripped naked and cavity-searched. Lycanthropy hasn't changed that. Teeth and claws are fine for hunting game and for Pack business, but for reaching out and popping someone at a distance? Nothing beats a firearm.
Family:
Jamie D. Talbain: Brother
Emily Talbain: Daughter (from a pre-infection casual liason)
Vehicle: Whatever runs fast and handles well.
Home: The Pack House
Character image portrayed by: Jeffrey Donovan
He can blend into any city in the world with a Caucasian tourist population, without attracting attention. He can wear anything from couture Armani to a wino's rags with natural ease, but when he's dressing to suit himself, he tends to favor dark-wash Levis and expensive but subtle solid-color tees, shirts or sweaters, with a well-fitted jacket of some sort, weather permitting.
Donovan has no tattoos or piercings, though before his shift he had an old, shiny burn scar splattered across his left abdomen and around his side to his back, as if he'd been dashed with burning fluid as a small child. He never talked about it freely, and rarely allowed anyone except a physician to see him with his shirt off.
Shifted appearance: Donovan is a well-built black wolf. His undercoat is reddish, however, so this gives him a rusty tinge as his fur moves. His eyes are darker than most wolves', being a deep reddish orange.
Personality: Donovan is a consummate actor. He can be outgoing, quiet, boisterous, studious, depraved, or saintly; whatever will get him what he wants, or will ingratiate himself to a marked target. He's played so many roles for so many years; he has difficulty sometimes becoming himself once more. This tendency has only been exacerbated since his infection.
When he is being Donovan Talbain, he is a quiet man who observes those about him with sardonic humor and a sharp sense of playing situations to his advantage. He can be charming and outgoing when it suits him, even if he intends to snap your neck within the next minute and a half. When he does trust someone enough to consider them a friend, he's loyal- his own brand of the virtue, at least- and kind. Donovan's not amoral, but his moral code is entirely one of his own devising.
History: Before coming to Stone Mountain, Donovan had never spoken of how he got his burn scar, nor about his identical twin brother Jamie (James Donovan), so much more badly injured and comatose. Donovan has always felt guilty for Jamie's injuries and from their accident the age of six, the twins forged a unique psychic link to allow both of them to live their lives, despite the fact that Jamie has never roused from a vegetative state since that fateful day. Jamie now lies in a private luxury long-term care facility in Ireland, unable to move, speak, or see. But, he is very much alert and aware.
To keep his brother from going completely mad, and to give Jamie at least somewhat of a life worth living, Van turns over control over his own body to his brother on more or less frequent intervals. Jamie then drives ‘the meat-bus’ as they call their shared body, until Van either takes back control or Jamie lets go of the wheel. During these times, Van’s basically in a dark nothingness, dimly aware of his brother’s activities. It’s not always a peaceful cohabitation, by any means. They’ve always fought, ever since they bashed each other over the head with toy trucks as toddlers. The struggle for the wheel has almost totaled their shared meat-bus, more than once.
The worst time was when Van came to full sensory awareness again to find himself naked, splashed with blood, in a cheap Thai hotel room, with a tiny, battered, dead young prostitute at his feet. Jamie steadfastly refused to say what happened, beyond that the **** deserved worse than she got. Since then, Van has pretty much locked the meat-bus except for the bare minimum time necessary to keep his brother from going catatonic. Even then, he ‘listens’ more carefully and boots Jamie out of the driver’s seat if the situation threatens to go sideways.
As for his own homicidal tendencies, Donovan is well aware that he was carefully groomed to be what he is. Murder-for-hire is one of the few remaining true apprenticeship professions and Gabriel Lael was at the top of the game while he raised Donovan as carefully as a beloved son, and trained him as a valued protégé. Donovan made his first kill-shot before he had his first shave.
When Lael retired, Donovan was able to easily step into his mentor's role, having earned the trust of Lael's network, who realized that the pupil had surpassed his teacher. Donovan doesn't ask questions about who he's paid to "fix," only the price; with two caveats-- no fire and no children on the scene.
He's added no Heads of State to his resume, yet, but a few slightly lower officials, Mob bosses and CEOs who have died unexpectedly or disappeared suddenly, could be marked up as his handiwork. His last job took him to the Ukraine. He returned from the assignment with a hefty addition to his Swiss bank account, the mother of all head colds, and a simmering case of lycanthropy.
Unaware of what's happening to him, Donovan headed for Miami. It's warm, it's seething with enough tourists and drifters to disappear into, there are plenty of luxury vehicles if he gets bored and wants to do some legal work for a change, but best of all, he hasn't been there for years, so there will be no inconvenient recognitions or suspicions to trouble him. Good plan A. Too bad it all went to pieces on an unscheduled emergency stop in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Although even plan Z wouldn't have included the manifestation of lycanthropy.
Abilities: Donovan has very good mechanical skills, is an expert marksman with both handguns and long-guns and is wicked in hand-to-hand, mostly Spetsnaz with an admixture of anything he considers useful.
Donovan can hold his own in a knife fight, but he prefers other weapons. He is not a clean fighter, and will utilize anything to get the job done or the threat neutralized.
He's fluent and literate in Italian (standard,) Spanish (Jalisco accent,) French (Parisian,) German (standard) and Russian (faint Vladivostok accent.) His birth languages are Irish and English (American, region-free.)
As a shifter, he has exceptional control of his alter, his beast, right from the start. This is because he doesn't consider his "beast" as an entity separate from himself. The Wolf is the man, and the man is the Wolf. He has always been a predator, and has always been considered a monster, so he doesn't sweat which form he takes. Lycanthropy makes him a better predator, and frankly, he considers the condition a blessing rather than a curse. Despite all he's seen, done, and may do yet, Donovan sleeps very soundly at night, thank you very much.
Weaknesses: As for weaknesses, he's got his share. He has an unshakable phobia of fire. He doesn't even like to light a match. He may quite happily shoot you, cut your throat, or hold your face down in your soup till you drown, but there's not enough money in the world to convince him to be an arsonist.
And yes, he spent a lot of money on a couple of very discreet (for they're still breathing,) very expensive shrinks, but all he got for it was the ability to actually light aforementioned match without his hands shaking. Much.
Physically, he tends to favor his right knee, as he over-stretched the ligaments badly a few years ago, and senses that it's a weak spot that's never fully regained its original stability. Even in shifted form, he carries this slight limp over, whether from actual retained weakness, or psychosomatic mental quirk isn’t clear. It’s most likely the latter, considering how lycanthropy heals all wounds, but so far no one’s dared suggest he may need psychiatric help for that particular bit of neurosis.
As a Wolf, he'll have a difficult time tucking tail for anyone. He is an alpha-male as a human and that won't change because he now goes furry. He also has difficulty in dealing with people, especially female people, on a personal basis. He can fake polite social behavior with precision, but he's never formed attachments before, so all the lupine touchy-feely stuff, physical and mental, is a huge adjustment.
He is more vulnerable to silver than most shifters. A brief contact with the metal will cause a reddening and blistering of his skin, which heals a bit more slowly than a heat-caused injury of the same severity.
Quirks: He was a vegetarian before Infection. He even feels a bit guilty about wearing leather, and for him, guilt is a rare emotion indeed. Now that he's dealing with the realities of lycanthropy, he may not feel a twinge over tearing someone's throat out, but eating them (while a new and nifty way of disposing of the body) will give him the willies and have him hitting the mouthwash for days.
Character song: Just A Job To Do, Genesis
Weapons: Donovan carries a Semmerling LM4 .45 hold-out pistol like most men carry a pen knife. For serious intent, he carries a Glock 22 .40 and/or a Sig-Sauer P22. But at all times and in all places, this boy has a weapon of some sort unless he's been thoroughly frisked, then stripped naked and cavity-searched. Lycanthropy hasn't changed that. Teeth and claws are fine for hunting game and for Pack business, but for reaching out and popping someone at a distance? Nothing beats a firearm.
Family:
Jamie D. Talbain: Brother
Emily Talbain: Daughter (from a pre-infection casual liason)
Vehicle: Whatever runs fast and handles well.
Home: The Pack House
Character image portrayed by: Jeffrey Donovan