Username : Mriae
Time Zone : CST
Journal Type : [I-J]
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Character Info
Name : Azrael Cohen
Age : 15
Gender : Male
Appearance :
Before his adoption into the Cohen family, Azrael was like any other street kid in the desert countries of Otalin - poor and homeless. This was reflected in the clothing that he wore, which was always torn, raggedy and dirty. His shirt might have been a nice shirt whenever it was first bought, but now it was sleeveless and quite comfortable. His rough cotton pants, dark in color, are also ragged from being worn so much. Not to mention, scuffed up with dirt. He holds his pants up (since they are a bit too big for him) with a strip of long orange cloth that he snagged from a street vender. He almost lost his arm during this business transaction, but hey - a kid needs to keep his pants up! Azrael has thick black hair which he keeps hidden under a burgandy bandana. The last thing you want out in the desert is your head to get sunburnt, so some sort of headgear is essential. His skin is naturally tan, but gets even more dark from being out in the sun all day. His eyes, they are a warm chocolate brown. As for distinguishing features, the boy has a slash mark on the right side of his face. He obtained this scar, or battle wound as he likes to call it, in a fight with a kid from a neighboring street gang.
After the Cohens took him into their home, it seemed Azrael's fashion sense changed drastically. Gone were the cheap and grungy clothes he had worn in Otalin, only to be replaced with fine Eurlakian fashions. It has taken him a bit him a bit to get used to it all (and in some respects, he still isn't used to it). Azrael finds this style of clothing to be less comfortable, and it makes for more difficult movement when he wants to go out exploring. Before he could do whatever he wanted without a care in the world, when now he has to worry about scuffing his shoes and accidentally wrinkling his shirt. Now his outfits consist of nice pin-stripped pants, long sleeve shirts and dashing vests to match. His shoes (which still surprise him every time he looks at them) are the shineist he has ever had, and certainly the most expensive. He isn't without a few simple luxuries, either. As a homecoming gift, Rabbi Cohen gave to Azrael a wonderful gold pocket watch, which he wears on him at all times. The Cohens also took him to the optometrist and had him fitted for glasses due to his poor eyesight. In the deserts back home, he had never been able to afford such a thing, and had to make due without. Yet, now that he had moved, his new family could afford to buy him a pair, and Azrael not only relishes, but appreciates the fact he is able to see well.
Personality :
The first thing that is noticed after looking at Azrael is that he is a natural leader. After he met his friends and they decided to stick together, all of them unaimously appointed him the leader of their little group. He is fair toward everyone, and willing to take charge in order to take care of a situation and get the job done. He also has the best interests of his friends or family at heart.
He is a brave boy. Then again, when you grow up on the streets, one has to be. Life can be rough, and it can throw some hard stuff at you. One has to be ready, otherwise you'll crumple, too afraid to go out there and do anything. Luckily, Az has never really had to inhibit himself. Whenever he faces something that might frighten him, he usually toughens up and goes at it with courage. With friends looking up to him, one of them had to be the brave one, and he naturally fit that role.
With the influence of the vendors in the markets of Otalin, the boy grew up to be a suave, smooth-talking teenager. This often comes in handy with his adoptive mother, Esther Cohen, or the other girls he meets around the city. The ladies find him charming, and Azrael by no means has any problem with that. Actually, he rather enjoys the attention. His smooth-talking also has enabled him to get out of some sticky situations in the past! It's a very helpful trait to have.
Overall, he really is balanced when it comes to personality. He can be charming, yet to someone who gets on his bad side, he could be a complete jerk. With his parents he is polite and respectable, and around his friends he is rowdy and carefree. It all just depends on who he is with and the situation at hand.
Keywords [5 Max]: Balanced, Smooth-Talking, Suave, Brave & Pioneering
History :
Growing up for Azrael had been far from easy.
Ever since he could remember he had been on the streets. Homeless and poor, he had no family. His mother had given him due to her lack of motivation to take care of him. She never wanted a baby, and she never wanted to be a mother. Hell, she still had the rest of her life to live, and she definitely wasn't going to have some crying brat put a stop to that! So, she did the only thing she could think of (which seemed to be the best idea at the time): she abandoned him on a dusty street corner. It was dark, luckily for her. No one had been able to witness the young mother in the act. If it hadn't been then someone might have noticed what Azrael's mother was doing, and then perhaps he would have had a chance at a better childhood. But alas, the world was a harsh place, especially in the desert countries of Otalin.
The streets were all he knew.
His first few years of life were a blur to him. Azrael can't even really recall what happened during those times. As a toddler, he got by due to the pity or charity of adults. How could one walk pass a starving and homeless child and not feel inclined to help at least a little bit? That was how he earned his food, and fortunately people were willing to help. Azrael probably wouldn't have survived if they didn't. The loud shouts and the rapid fire smooth-talking of the local street vendors proved beneficial to the child as well. It was the various men in the market places and local shops that helped him learn to speak.
Despite having no family of his own, the boy was far from alone. At age five, he managed to meet up with four other kids his age. Their names were Amir, Raphael, Jeb and Jamal. Like him, they too lived on the streets. All of them shared the same things in common: no parents and no home. That was easily remedied. The children - all five of them - decided to stick together. Now they would never be alone; they had a family in each other with Azrael as the leader.
By the time the boys turned eight, they were picked up by Majed, the gangster of their part of town.
Truth be told, this part in Azrael's life with his friends wasn't all that bad. Majed gave them all food and a roof over their heads. All of it, however, came with a price. The boys began to work for Majed, performing various jobs for him around the city. Mostly, they just stole, picking pockets and swiping wares from vendors while they were busy with customers. Azrael didn't mind doing any of it: one, he didn't know any better, and two, it kept Majed happy. So long as Majed was content, nothing else mattered.
One event would always stick out in his mind, and even if he didn't want to, the boy would always have a scar as a constant reminder.
It was a scorching afternoon. Majed had asked both Azrael and Jeb to perform a job for him: go over into the neighboring slum and get back some money the gangster had gotten stolen. Since they were asked personally, the boys had no chance but to comply. Going over into neighboring areas, however, was dangerous. Everyone knew that! Other gangs lived there, and they would jump at the opportunity to attack the boys the first chance they got. As expected, they were. Three boys their age from a rival gang approached them, and a fight broke out. When it was all over, they were able to return with Majed's money, but not without the scars to prove it. Azrael received a nice slash mark across the right side of his face in the scuffle. Regardless of the injuries, the gangster was pleased with the boys' work. They had done a good job.
But the good times were not to last.
Shortly after his thirteenth birthday, Azrael got into trouble. Somehow, while he was on a job for Majed, he had managed to get caught. The authorities had found him and brought him in right away. There was nothing his friends could do. The boy they appointed as the leader of their family all those years ago was gone. And where had they taken him? Straight to the orphanage!
Azrael remained in the orphanage until shortly after his fifteenth birthday. Two days after it had passed, a middle-aged rabbi and his wife, Esther, decided to stop by. The two of them had come all the way from Eurlak to visit some relatives, and before going back they had decided they were going to adopt a child. For years, they had tried, but then Rabbi Cohen's wife found out that she would be unable to have her own children physically. Adoption was the next best thing. It was this stop that would change the boy's life forever.
The Cohen's fell in love with Azrael in an instant. His story, which had been told to them by the attendants at the orphanage, touched their hearts.
Now, most would think this would be a wonderful experience. Finally, Azrael would have a home and a family to call his own! But the boy didn't see it that way. In fact, he was reluctant about going with them in the first place. Opportunities like this, however, didn't come that often, he decided. So it was either go with the Cohens and learn to be a part of a family, or stay stuck in the crowded old orphanage. He went with the former.
Adjusting wasn't easy. In all honesty, it was rather traumatic, as culture shocks often are. He had to face it. Leaving the deserts of Otalin for a busy and bustling city like Eurlak...it had to be overwhelming. There was so much going on - so much more than where he used to live. The clothes were different, the city was different, even the people were different!
After arriving in Eurlak, Azrael was introduced to his new home. The Cohens also gave him a room of his very own, and a brand new wardrobe. It was all too much. He could never remember been given anything. If he wanted something, he had to take it. And yet here were these two people, giving him all of this stuff for nothing. But those things weren't the only things he received. At his very first doctor's appointment, it was determined that Azrael suffered from myopia, nearsightedness, and that he would need glasses. He was fitted for a pair shortly after that, and now never goes anywhere without them. His final gift, as a welcome home gift from the rabbi, was a gold pocket watch. The watch, Rabbi told him, was an heirloom in his family that was passed down from generation to generation. By far, this was the best gift he had ever been given, and now Azrael wears it wherever he goes.
Despite all these things that should make him happy, Azrael is still unsure of his position in his new family. He has been living in Eurlak for a few months now, but he still hasn't fully adjusted. It will take him a while to become comfortable with his new surroundings, but once he does the world will be his for the taking!
