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Name: Gilbert Hennessy

Age: 27

Birthday: January 1. It does kind of suck a bit, yeah.

Sign: Capricorn

Gemstone: Amethyst

Blood Type: A

Fav. Food: Chinese take-out; specifically, honey glazed shrimp, general tso's chicken, and pork fried rice. Gil doesn't necessarily hate to cook for himself, he just can't replicate his favorite recipes, so he orders take-out at least once a week.

Hated Food: Most fish, as he doesn't like the texture and the taste lingers too long.

Current Occupation: Homicide detective

Hobbies:

Bar Hopping - Being an eligible young man who just moved to Destiny City and doesn't have a lot of friends, Gil finds himself bar hopping most nights. He tends to not drink much when he has to work the next day, as he mostly goes for the atmosphere and the opportunity to socialize and pick up chicks. (It's dangerous to pick up chicks with your beer goggles on. This is another reason why he doesn't get pissed drunk all that often.) However, once in a while work really gets him down, and when he has a stretch of two days off -- well, you'll probably find him at the bar trying to dance on the bar. He rarely overindulges to the point of getting well and truly drunk, but when he does, his party animal comes out.

Bowling - Another activity that he indulges in largely because he is single and doesn't know people. Well, that, and he's good at it -- Gil's developed something of a love for bowling, and is considering joining up with a league if he can find one that's not full of boring, stodgy old men. The women he meets while bowling are not always, uhm, interested in him, but every once in a while there's a cute girl working the counter or something to flirt with. Regardless of whether or not there's a romantic conquest to be made, he's still pretty good at bowling and has a good time on Friday nights when he's not out drinking.

Movies - Gil's cousin works at the theater, so when he wants to see a movie he pretty much just needs to say so and he'll get in one way or another. Since he lives with the guy, it's easy enough to get the scoop on what's coming out and what's worthwhile to see, so he's a fairly regular face at the theater. He likes the horror flicks and the psychological thrillers, but you'll never willingly find him watching a romcom. Those things make him sick to his stomach, as that kind of bullshit never happens in real life.

Virtues:

Patient -- Gil understands that good things come to those who wait -- eventually. He looks at the world in the long-term and plans ahead, generally allowing for a bit more time than is really necessary for all of the pieces to fall together. He doesn't particularly enjoy waiting, but he knows that the value of a task accomplished or a job well done is just as strong if you don't rush it. Though it is sometimes frustrating for him to wait to be recognized, this is a trait of his that he has cultivated over years of careful, deliberate exercise -- hot-headed cops do not, contrary to what the movies indicate, actually really get very far. He will put up with a lot of setbacks and account for several diversions in his course, doggedly keeping on, as long as he eventually gets where he is going.

Tireless -- He's a goddamn workhorse and don't you forget it. You don't get to be a homicide detective by sitting around on your hands, and Gil definitely put in the hours. Back home, he had virtually no social life because he was constantly taking overtime and going that extra mile to prove to his superiors that he could handle the pressure and the stress. He will constantly take on more work than is expected of him, and he seems to function pretty well despite his heavy workload; Gil's philosophy is that someone's got to get the work done, and it might as well be him because he can handle it.

Ambitious -- Gilbert Hennessy was not going to sit around and be that lowly beat cop that worked the patrol his whole life. He's the guy who did the running start program and got his associate's degree while he was still in high school. He graduated with honors with a BA in Criminal Justice, and he was in the top ten of his class at the Academy. He put in three good years going above and beyond the call of duty, being everyone's whipping boy and kissing a** the entire way up, all with his eye on the prize: a promotion to detective. Of course, getting into homicide is no easy task, so he initially set his sights lower, earning himself a promotion to detective in the narcotics department where he spent another three years, and has just been freshly transferred to Destiny City as the newest addition to the homicide department. The moral of the story is, Gilbert aims high and he is not afraid of the toil, drudgery, and general bullshit that goes along with getting where he's going: this man has dreams and ambitions, and by God, he is going to get where he is going.

His ambition is, largely, why he is all right with basically starting over at every tier. He graduates from college at the top, he becomes a lowly beat cop. He gets a promotion to a detective, becomes the rookie all over again. He finally gets transferred to homicide... and he's the lowest of the low, again. Gil's well aware that he's going to have to work hard to be taken seriously, but he's all right with that because he knows it's necessary and that, eventually, it's all going to pay off.

Affable -- Gilbert would basically be friendless if he wasn't so damn pleasant and easy-going in his personal life. He tries very hard not to let things get to him on an emotional level, generally letting slights and insults roll off his back like water off a duck. He is personable and easy to talk to, relating well to most people on a superficial level and keeping his neck above the chopping block because he tries to keep things mellow and buddy up to people rather than viciously go at their throats in a bid for power.

Flaws:

Self-serving -- No one really gets far in the world by sincerely looking out for other people's interests above their own. Sure, if it will benefit him in the long run, he's all for forming an alliance and working on a team and sharing the credit in the short term. Gilbert understands that it's important to shine as part of a team before you make it to the big leagues. However, if there's no personal benefit involved for him, you can bet your buttons that he's going to either find a way to gain something out of the situation, or he's going to leave you high and dry. He doesn't believe in selflessness, thinks altruism is ridiculous, and knows that no one is going to hand him the life he wants, so his philosophy is that he needs to take it.

This doesn't exactly endear him to people, as they tend to have a long memory when it comes to Gilbert having shafted them in the past, and more than once he's found himself in a situation where he has to work harder than he would have because he burned bridges in the past. He gets through it, but at the end of the day, only looking out for yourself gives you very few allies.

Manipulative -- Sure, he's friendly and harmless and somehow always manages to be in just the right place to do a favor for the chief... coincidence, right? Wrong. Gil is the kind of devious, underhanded manipulative where he plays himself off to be totally harmless and innocent and all the while is quietly usurping you from beneath. He is genuinely a pretty friendly guy, but he's always looking out for number one and if he can twist a situation to his advantage, he will. He just knows that no one likes an outright brown-noser, so he's as subtle and sneaky as he can be about it.

Unscrupulous -- Not the best trait for a cop to have, but who doesn't abuse their position of power just a little? Gil will make sure to drop names when he gets pulled over for speeding, flash his badge when he wants preferential treatment... he was that patrol officer who turned on his lights so that he could cut you off and get through town a little faster once in a while. These kinds of things, he feels, are harmless, and everyone does it from time to time so he doesn't feel bad about it. The key here is to find a balance, and he's careful not to go overboard and take advantage of his status in really big ways, but small ways? Oh yeah. He's worked hard for his position and he's going to enjoy the perks. People might consider him an a*****e for it, but as long as the higher-ups don't find out, he'll keep on keepin' on.

Morally Ambiguous -- Gil could recite the exact definition of "necessary force" as learned verbatim in police academy, but that doesn't mean that he strictly sticks to it. He is not an evil person or even a bad person -- he just has an idea of justice and operates on the understanding that the law is not always just. Sometimes the bad guys get away, and sometimes the good guys get punished -- and he doesn't think that's right. Sometimes he takes justice in to his own hands, and if he's a little rougher than he needs to be with that drug dealer in the alley, who will really blame him? If he intimidates a closed-mouth, possibly somewhat traumatized witness into spilling information, are people going to stand around complaining about his tactics? Gil believes in the greater good, and that sometimes you have to get your hands dirty to accomplish what's necessary.

Meta RP

[Bat] Where the World Ends ORP C
[Reg] On the Pathway to Innocence ORP C
[Reg] Just checking Up (Gilbert/Felicia)
[Reg] As if We'll Be Sleeping (Gilbert/Menthe)
[Reg] Hello Again, Friend of a Friend (Gilbert/Marienrode) C
[Reg] Dead-Ends (Gilbert/Harmony)
[Reg] How Can I Help? (Gilbert/Grant)
[Reg] Manly Guys Doing Manly Things (Gilbert/Josh) C
[Reg] Eat, Drink, and Be Merry! ORP** C
[Reg] The Mirror Maze ORP** C
[Bat] Breach ORP C

Civilian RP

[Reg] Two Beds and a Coffee Machine (Gilbert/Michael)

It was just shy of six in the morning by the time Gilbert made his way back to his apartment. Most reasonable people were asleep; his neighbors all certainly seemed to be, including the little house across the way that he knew Marienrode lived in. Maybe she was up, though? He considered it, gray gaze roving over the face of the building, checking the windows for light. Was she even alive and back here, like him? He didn't know. He'd check on her later, certainly, if later was something that existed -- and he still wasn't sure that this wasn't actually some elaborate scheme his brain had concocted for him seconds before he died -- but another quick glance at his watch reassured him that his attentions would be unwelcome at this hour. Good thing, too, as he was more than a little tired.

One drink tended to lead to another, after all, and the stunned joy of actually being home had crept on him slowly, but not slowly enough to make him cautious. The blonde had become a brunette somewhere along the line of the night, and he'd decided <******** all to his responsibilities. There were a few regulars in the bar who knew him, who were surprised to see him, but if they'd been aware he was missing for over a month they didn't say; he passed by acquaintances, greeting and dismissing them in turn, and enjoyed himself. He got drunk. He got well and truly drunk.

Fortunately, the pretty little brunette at his side had gotten drunk too. She was in more control of her capacities than he was, probably, given the relative states of their weave as they left the bar, but they were both feeling liberated and recklessly attracted enough to make a night of it. Her place, of course, because Gilbert didn't bring women back to his place -- too messy, too personal, too... long term -- and she had a nice place. A little apartment, some flowers out front, tidy rooms and some nice-smelling candles lit. He remembered telling her that she needed to be more careful about the candles, but that had probably been the last thing he'd mentioned before they'd tumbled into the bed.

He had a splitting headache the next morning, which was annoying but also somehow thrilling. The fact that a next morning came at all was a wonder and a blessing to Gilbert, enough so that as he crept around gathering his clothing, he had a smile on his face despite the pounding behind his eyes. He didn't leave a note, didn't bother to wake her, as he crept through her apartment and slowly re-dressed himself. What was the point? He didn't remember her name, if he'd ever gotten it at all, and he certainly wasn't going to make it a habit of revisiting... whoever she was.

He might have considered it, except he saw a toybox tucked up against the wall in the living room. Kids? No thank you.

So he eased outside, and he pulled up his contact list in his cell phone, scrolled until he got to a cab service. He'd made small talk with the cabbie, finger-combing his hair all the while just in case he ran into someone on his way into his apartment. And then he'd been home, and it was exactly the same as it ever was, except he'd been gone for weeks.

Fishing in his pocket, he pulled out his keys, gazing at them blearily a moment before letting himself into the building. His footsteps were light, and that was partially so he didn't disturb anyone, but mostly so that he didn't disturb James. His cousin wasn't particularly a morning person, probably because of the shifts he worked at the theater, and he didn't want to deal with hysterics + irritation on a hangover.

So when he let himself into the apartment, he was mildly disturbed by the fact that the living room light was on. He was more disturbed by the fact that he could hear something -- someone -- someones? -- as he walked in, and he froze.

Noise and activity from across the apartment froze, too. Gilbert, who hadn't even entertained the idea that his cousin might have, um, company, froze.

"James?" He called out, an uncertain note to his voice. Please, God, just let him be watching a movie.

There was another pause, and then a thumping noise. Several thumping noises. Like perhaps someone had fallen out of bed? If James was just watching porn Gilbert would forgive him, really he would -- he cast his eyes to the ceiling as he considered this, hands coming up in almost a prayer -- when his cousin came flying out of the bedroom.

"Gilbert!" He screamed, giving his cousin only enough time to look over and realize that yes, he was buck-a** naked, before throwing himself on him.

"Don't hug me!" Gilbert staggered back, head pounding threefold from the intensity of the scream as well as the sudden linebacker tackle, and he batted uselessly at his naked cousin. "You're naked! Jesus ********, James!"

"You're alive!" The blond man half-sobbed it, arms locked tight around Gilbert, shoulders shaking with the force of his emotion. "Oh my God, oh my God, you're alive, oh my God--"

"Alive and really uncomfortable," he returned, trying to pry the other man off him. When it proved impossible Gilbert just gave up, circling his arms gingerly around his cousin so he could pat his back. "James, seriously, you're naked. There's no one else here, is there?"

But his cousin was too incoherently happy for Gilbert to get a straight answer out of him. So he settled for just patting him on the back, promising himself a handful of aspirin and a gigantic cup of coffee, when a young man with a sheet of dark hair slipped out of the bedroom, looking as dignified as he did embarrassed.

Gilbert and the man stared at each other a moment, and then Gilbert cleared his throat awkwardly. He knew that man. He worked with that man. "Hello, Collins."

A flush spread across Huian Collins' fineboned face, crawling over his cheeks as he tipped his chin up and returned, "Good morning, Hennessy."

Could his life get any more awkward?

"Oh good," James managed, finally drawing back to smile brilliantly at his cousin. "I'm so glad you're back, Gilbert. And I'm so glad you and Huian are friends. W-we've been seeing each other for a while."

... yep.

Yes, his life certainly could.