Lovino Vargas - South Italy

[Lovino Vargas]

Name: Lovino Guiseppe Vargas
Nicknames: Lovi, Vino, Lovi-Dovi
Age: 22
Date of Birth: March 17th
Gender: Male
Occupation: Wandering Journeyman
Heritage: Caracal Caracal algira - "Desert Lynx"
Seed Rank: Light Seed
Birthplace: Rome, Italy

Appearance:
Standing at average with a mere height of 5’7”, Lovino Vargas is a small man in many ways. He is narrow-shouldered, slim waisted, and has limbs that seem to go on for miles despite the short stature. His build seems almost delicate, but beneath richly tanned skin are lean muscles that can handle more than first impression. Despite not being very large or overly muscled, though, Lovino is by no means feminine in appearance. His jawline is a soft curve that is distinctly feline and a sign of good genetics. The bright green eyes that peek out from thick strands of chestnut-brown hair are decidedly rounder than the Italian would prefer them to be. This is something he tries to alleviate with his constantly scowling expression and narrowed eyes. That almost coarse brown hair is cut short, covering only the tops of his ears and the nape of his neck. The strands tend to curl up and out at the ends as well, one curl in particular defying gravity by swooping out and up from his part.

While his build tells of almost aristocratic breeding from a distinguished family, Lovino’s hands and feet are laden with thick, heavy callouses that tell of hard work and dedication. His already olive-toned skin is heavily tanned from excessive time spent outside in the blazing Italian sun, even during the hottest times of day. His clothes are generally a bit baggy on his slim frame, often held up by thick, durable belts or knots in the fabric. Usually he wears old, worn jeans and shirts of any color but always at least a size too big. They look well-loved and well-worn, but a bit shabby. Lovino prefers the looser fit and the ability to hide things in them. Plus he likes to fiddle with the ends, when they sway around. When he’s distracted he likes to bat at them.

Looped twice around his left wrist is a wooden child’s rosary. The beads are worn; whatever elegant paint previously coating the wooden spheres is now faded and chipped away by time and constant use. The rosary is wrapped so tightly around his wrist that often the beads dig into skin, giving away the fact that the Italian would rather not lose the accessory--other than bathing, he doesn't take it off at all. On the pinkie of his left hand is a small silver ring covered in scuffs and smudges, battered so because he refuses to take it off even for work.

Distinguishing Features:
There aren't many things that make this Italian stand out in a crowd, but once you get up-close and personal, there's a whole range of things to notice about him. Just a simple glance to his hand could have you wondering what this man's done with his life--not only are his palms heavy with callouses, but they're littered with scars of various size and color. Those thin scars, focused moreso upon his left hand than his right, travel with lessening frequency up his skin until they're nothing more than thin nicks that vanish beneath the sleeves of his shirts. Upon his hand, the webbing between his left thumb and pointer finger specifically, is a small tomato tattoo, barely larger than a penny. Despite the small size, though, it is very detailed and quite vibrant in color.

Four thin, pale scars stretch from the corner of Lovino's cheekbone up past his eyebrow, cutting across his right eye in the process. That right eye itself is a slightly paler color than its pair due to faint scarring clouding over the cornea, mildly blurring his sight. A second set of scars, normally hidden by a shirt and bandanna, covers a circle from just above his shoulder blade to a few centimeters below his collarbone, where there's a slightly sunken-in expanse of skin. This set is a collection of pearly white, circular scars where a larger creature had bitten him--a few of those marks are dangerously close to his jugular. Due to the rich tan on his skin, the old injuries stand out easily to the naked eye. In attempts to attract attention away from those scars on his face, his curly brown hair is usually in his face and he rarely goes without a bandanna of sorts.

There are also two barbell piercings in his left eyebrow and it's common to see either silver ear-cuffs or a set of ear-shield cartilage barbells wrapped around the shell of his ears. The Italian also has a tall curl that sweeps up from the left side of his face and completely defies gravity. It is extremely sensitive to touch and one of his erogenous zones.

Sexual Orientation:
Bisexual. Lovino can appreciate beauty in either gender, but he also hates people so he doesn't often show his appreciation.

Likes:

• Tomatoes: Best. Fruit. Ever. Enough said.
  
• Gardening: While fresh prey is obviously the best prey on the planet, Lovino's fallen in love with growing his own food, as well. There's just something about nurturing a plant from a seed until it's finally bearing fruit that makes the Italian happy. The plants also give him something to talk to when he feels like he needs a conversation.
  
• Food/Cooking: While this Felidae prefers his meat a bit rarer than the average human, Lovino eats more than just the prizes he hunts for himself. He enjoys taking whatever ingredients he can get his hands on and turning them into something that would make even the pickiest palate's mouth water. He doesn't really have the opportunity to cook for anyone anymore, though
  
• Catnip: Have you ever seen your pet cat once it gets a hold of a leaf of catnip? Not only do most felines, both big and small, have a strong reaction to catnip, so do Felidae. This drug is potent, and Lovino absolutely loves the effects it gives him. Unfortunately, it's still a drug, and Lovino won't admit that he has a bit of a problem.
  
• Sneaking/Hunting: Lovino is a skittish guy by nature, and more than irritable when he's caught off guard and startled, but boy does he love being able to sneak up on someone else to scare them. Plus he gets an intense feeling of pride when he can catch some game for himself and anyone he might be feeding that night. Not that he ever needs to hunt for anyone but himself
  
• Wine: What kind of Italian doesn't enjoy a decent bottle of wine while eating dinner? And by decent he means Italian home-and-grown--that shit the French create isn't worth the bottles it's poured into. German cherry wine isn't terrible, though you couldn't ever get him to admit that
  
• The Sun/Being Warm: Being born and bred in Italy, and with a Tunisian father to boot, Lovino is by no means a stranger to the sun. In fact, he loves it, if you couldn't tell by the leather suit he wears and calls skin. Half of that love comes from the Italian's need to keep warm. He's used to a very warm, borderline oppressive environment, and he hates to stray from it too much. The rest of that love is simply due to the fact that, if there was no sun, there would be no life. Why not enjoy the giant ball of burning helium if it keeps you warm and it keeps you alive?
  
• Nighttime: As much as Lovino loves the sun, though, his soul feels more comfortable under the cover of darkness. Not only due to his spirit form, which is a more nocturnal creature, but also because of the tranquility that the moon offers once it rises. The people who emerge once the sun sets are more his types of personalities, less oppressive than those who putter around during the day. He doesn't feel as suffocated at night--there's a freedom to the air that makes him feel comfortable in his own skin.
  
• Sculptable materials/Making things: Be it clay or mud, stone or wood, Lovino loves the feeling that he gets once he gets his hands on something that he can actually work with. He's not the best with two-dimensional types of art; as clumsy as his hands used to be and still are, this Italian has always felt most comfortable with something he can actually build up or carve down into the shapes he imagines. This has nothing to do with the fact that his brothers excel in most types of painting and printmaking, understand? Nothing to do with it at all!
  
• Work: Despite his supposedly lazy nature, Lovino absolutely despises sitting still and has a very strong work ethic. He loves being useful in his own way, and the rush of accomplishment he gets from a job well done especially when it earns him praise puts him in a mood generous enough to deal with even some of the idiots of the world.
  
• Water: While most Felidae tend to avoid water as if it were the Plague, Lovino is rather in love with it. He enjoys taking daily swims or at least he used to, before he started his "tour" around Europe and even in his spirit-form isn't bothered by getting soaked to the bone. Granted, he probably would never go swimming once the temperatures dropped too low, but growing up in a place as warm as Italy, the sea was your friend, not an enemy.

Dislikes:

• Potatoes: Most disgusting, tasteless, sickening vegetable on the face of the Earth. It's not even just potatoes--he gets squicky over beets and even carrots earn a wary look before he eats them. The texture horrifies him, and he can't help but shudder at the mere thought of the dirty spud. It didn't help that, as a child, he'd once been in charge of peeling potatoes and stumbled over one with the blight. That incident left the Italian scarred for life.
  
• Germans: This might just be a trait he'd adopted from much of Italy's population, but Lovino hates Germany as a whole. There really isn't much basis for his hatred, other than having visited the country during some of the colder months. That trip had him fleeing for Southern Europe before winter struck. There's always the influx of pale-ass German tourists that come down during the holidays and summer, which always pissed him off and terrified him because those people are gigantic as a whole and the a lot of the women don't even look like women!
  
• Pain: One thing you have to realize is, despite his penchant for getting injured in ridiculous ways, Lovino is by no means a masochist. He hates pain--not only physical pain but mental and emotional as well. Unless he is riled up and his temper is unleashed, the Felidae will flee from most signs of danger.
  
• Being Ignored: Even worse than feeling pain, Lovino hates to be ignored. That's often what gets him into his troubles in the first place; He left his home to make something of himself, not so that he could be treated like he wasn't even worth someone's attention. In fact, he'd rather be yelled at, hit, anything but be ignored.
  
• Laziness: Lovino is the kind of guy who thinks that there's a time to be busy and work, and a time to relax and enjoy the day. He also has a slight problem with sitting still--he's too twitchy--so the Italian is usually up and doing something. Granted, if he feels he's earned a good, long rest, he'll go break out the catnip and make himself exceedingly comfortable. What he can’t stand, though, when others are content with lying around for hours at a time and doing absolutely nothing, without having "earned" themselves a break. It drives him insane.
  
• People: Despite Lovino's supposed "need for attention", he despises people as a collective whole. The stupidity most people, even Zumans, conduct themselves with rubs Lovino in all the wrong ways. His naturally surly disposition makes it difficult for him to interact with others, because he feels he shouldn't have to change just so that people would be "friendlier" around him. Therefore he usually earns himself annoyance at best, derision and violence at the worst. Why deal with something you can't gain anything positive from?
  
• Cats: Lovino doesn't care much for other Felidae--don't ask him why, because he won't explain it. He's more of a solitary nature, so it could simply be instinct telling him to keep potential threats away. It has nothing to do with the Felidae family he was scorned by and later left behind
  
• Cold: Growing up in a warm, sunny Mediterranean climate makes it hard for someone to enjoy anything but the warmth of the sun and sea. His body is built for hot temperatures and sweltering sunny days that you have to sleep through; he doesn't care for the chill that seems to suck the life from his very bones.
  
• Picture Taken: No, Lovino doesn't buy into the fear that cameras have the ability to steal your soul. He simply doesn't care for having his image preserved in a photograph, especially if that picture is going to a place where others can see it. He doesn't find himself any more attractive than the Average Joe, so he doesn't see the point in flaunting images himself. Not to mention, the Italian is on the run from his family. A ill-timed photo could lead them right to him.
  
• Being Used/Taken Advantage Of: Lovino isn't a particularly friendly person; he doesn't trust easily, nor does he go out of his way to help others. He's tried pulling the friendly act, and he was trampled over like a welcome mat, treated poorly without any consideration for his own feelings.
  
• Daytime: As much as he loves the sun, the Italian knows that daytime means being awake. Which means that the idiots of the world were out and about. Everyone was out and about during the day, and the roiling masses annoyed the hell out of him.
  
• Being Mistaken/Compared to His Brothers: When they were children, Lovino was often pushed to one side in favor of his younger brother, Feliciano, and later on for Marcello* as well. No child likes being set aside, no matter the situation, and Lovino is no exception. In fact, some people would complain that he should be more like his brother, even though strangers often couldn't tell the two apart at first glance. It was infuriating. It wasn't much better when he was much more uptight than either brother, so plenty of people said he should be more laid back, like Marcello*. But now that most people don't know he even has brothers, things are fine. The very thought that he might be judged harshly just because he's "not Feliciano" pisses him off more now than it ever did when he was a child, and if it happens Lovino will be showing his ire. With his claws

Interests/Hobbies:

• Gardening: Now that Lovino's finally settled down at least semi-permanently, he's had the time to grow a proper garden. He has almost any vegetable you can think of, and he spends several hours every day checking up upon his plants. Due to this unwavering attention and care, most of his plants flourish. He has a natural green thumb, and he loves to use it. Unfortunately, he has a slight problem of naming the plants he’s not intending to use.
  
• Sculpting/Carving/Carpentry: Lovino has a love for building things; not that he's the best or the most skilled, but he can make a sturdy chair or a decent table, and that small playhouse he made for one of his neighbors' kids a few years back is still standing. He can also mold a pretty vase or carve a decent figurine. He enjoys working with his hands, and these skills don't necessarily require him to sit in one spot for hours on end. Plus it's easier to see how you improve with these mediums than with two-dimensional artwork, anyway, and Lovino is a man who likes to know that the effort he puts into something is worth it.
  
• Cooking: This is another field of "art" where improvement is easily visible. Plus, as an Italian, food is life. Food is almost everything--he's been dabbling with cooking since he was old enough to reach the top of the stove.
  
• Naps: Naps are another important part of an Italian lifestyle, and Lovino has spent the past two decades perfecting the art of taking a nap. Even though now the weather doesn't get hot enough for a "true" siesta, he certainly sleeps like there is one.
  
• Catnip: It's really just a hobby, something to help him de-stress after a particularly difficult day, or a particularly stressful situation. He likes to roll around in it and enjoy the sense of peace it gives him. When he's just partaking for fun, though, he usually either smokes it or eats it.

Aspirations:

• Make Art: One day, Lovino wants to be considered a master in his chosen field of work. He also wants people to consider his "dabblings" true works of art, ones that they would buy as more than little nick-knacks.
  
• Finding a Place He Can Call Home: Lovino has chosen a house to semi-permanently settle in, but as of right now he doesn't consider it as anything more than his "permanent address". A place he can list when he applies for a decent job. He fully intends to continue his nomadic tendencies once he's settled, but one day he hopes to find somewhere that he can actually consider staying for the rest of his life.
  
• Rebuild His House: The first thing Lovino needs to do to make his house more than a house is to rebuild the damn thing--he didn't have near enough money to get a morgage on a decent house, though he was able to buy essentially a shack with a lot of land for cheap. Unfortunately, it's falling apart--but that just gives Lovi a plethora of projects to work on once he got the plumbing and electricity fixed by someone who actually knows what they're doing. One day he hopes that he can either stay there forever, or at least turn the property over for a lot more than he's originally bought it for.
  
• See His Brothers Again: Despite having fled his family for a number of reasons, Lovino felt like absolute shit for all but abandoning his brothers like he had. Even now he's both jealous and resentful against both siblings, but he's trying his best to get over that. He's old enough now to know he shouldn't blame them for the shit-stunts that their mother and grandfather pulled. Once he's matured enough, he wants to meet up with his siblings again. Lovino just doesn't know when that would be. Though apparently his siblings are coming to him, since stupid Feliciano moved into his house without even a word of warning

Fears:

• Cats: It’s an odd, irrational fear, considering that Lovino is a cat, but any large cat terrifies the bejeezus out of him. He has no fear of large dogs, snakes, birds, bears; simply just other cats, especially the big ones. He hates dealing with them, he’s scared of dealing with them, and just prefers avoiding them at all costs. It's nothing to do with the beast his grandfather could turn into, nor the fact that he'd gotten attacked and nearly died trying to meet his father's family
  
• Being Sent Back to His Family: Lovino despises his mother and the idea of being sent back home for any reason, despite the fact that he’s technically old enough to be living on his own, is terrifying. He had done his best to avoid messengers from his mother and grandfather both, and if he has any choice in the matter he never wants to see either of them again. He's torn on how to feel about seeing his brothers, though.
  
• Commitment: Due to Lovino's fear of being hurt, along with his penchant for disliking people and them disliking him in return, he is very adverse to being committed to one person. There's also his wandering nature to consider--as much as he hates things changing against his wishes, being able to go wherever he wants, whenever he wants, it a freedom he's gained a true thirst for. The reason he only settled in France at all was because he needed a permanent address to get a decent job, and now he doesn't have enough money to leave. The idea of tying himself down to someone, not only physically but emotionally, is terrifying.
  
• Snow: He was never actually seen snow before--he's traveled to some of the more northern European countries in the past few years, but he's never stayed there long enough to be encountered with the white, icy particles. He's not fond of the cold, though, and he's heard horror stories of people freezing to death. Hence the fear.
  
• Being Forgotten: While Lovino doesn't particularly mind being away from most of society, since people in large groups tends to put him on edge, being forgotten entirely is terrifying. As much as he wanted to get away from his family, Lovino had made sure to take keepsakes from both of his brothers; the idea that his siblings would just forget about him is chilling. If he's not remembered, then what sign is there that he is even alive?
  
• Being Squished: Lovino is slightly claustrophobic: He doesn't mind small spaces, but put him in a large crowd of people he can't work his way out of, or he's hugged too much, the Italian'll freak out. Badly. His family and some strange, idiotic people he knows have the bad habit of crushing him in big, over-affectionate hugs. The tight grip leaves various bruises on his skin and make him feel like his insides are going to rupture, the idea of which kinda terrifies him.

Personality:
The first thing that people usually notice about Lovino Vargas is that he is extremely surly and hard to approach. He lets out this feeling of "do not touch" that even some of the friendliest people in the world would avoid him like the plague. He's extremely violent as well, which doesn't help that first impression get any better. His way of speaking is harsh, filled with more insults than the average thug can manage to pepper between words; the way he emphasizes those shouts and angry snarls is filled with staccato hand gestures and sharp swipes of his hands. His control over his temper is minuscule at best, often leading him to snap at others even if he doesn't mean to, or hit someone who may or may not deserve a good headbutt to the face. When he does hurt someone he didn't intend to, though, he's often too prideful to admit that he did something wrong. There are people who would say that he's simply introverted; unsocial due to a distrustful nature, and socially stunted. Those who are less kind in their words would say he's just selfish, shallow, very hypocritical, judgmental, cold, harsh, insulting, and incapable of understanding. If you would ask Lovino, he wouldn't agree with the "antisocial, introverted, distrustful kid" label. Everything those bastards say is true: When Lovino is dealing with people he has no reason to like, he is as cruel, snarky, and rude as a person can get. According to Lovino, that’s his general personality, and there's nothing anyone can do about it; that if people don't like it, they should just leave him the fuck alone. The Italian is also unafraid of sharing his opinion with people. If you piss him off, he’ll hit you. If you’re creepy and/or terrifying he’ll tell you so whilst avoiding proximity as if he were dealing with a leper or a Plague-carrier. If you’re an idiot he will tell you as often as it takes for you to you either burst into tears, like his younger brother, or the entire conversation breaks down into a fight.

Something else that is immediately noticed about Lovino is his stark pessimism. More often than not, he sees the worst in people, the worst in the situation, and doesn't expect much good to come out of anything. It might be his personality, or just a sort of "coping mechanism" that makes the good things more unexpected and thus easier to enjoy; no one really knows which, not even himself. This pessimism dictates most of his thought-processes, though. Some might call it cowardice, though, expecting the worst to happen and bringing himself to terms with it. Funny thing about that is the fact that Lovino is a coward. He hates putting himself in situations that could hurt him emotionally, but physical and mental pain are terrifying certainties of life. So even if he tries to flee when he has the chance, more often than not the brunette resigns himself to his fate, so to speak. He'll fight back his absolute hardest, but he won't complain too badly about the results he's dealt. After all, he deserves it.

Once you get past the initial irritable-ness, the pessimistic cowardice, you will notice little discrepancies hidden between the lines. Lovino has a penchant for fussing over people--not that he shows it as "fussing". When someone he cares about is upset, he'll be a bit cold and tell them to suck it up and stop being such a goddamn baby, but the harsh words are usually coupled with either a hand on the shoulder or even an awkward hug. Then he makes sure to threaten to maim whoever it was that made the other upset in the first place--while he means the threat, most people see it as his way of showing he cares. He also tends to get louder and angrier once he hears about someone doing something stupid--not just because he's angry at their idiocy, but also because it's dangerous to be stupid and the best way to remove a trait like that is to scare it out of someone. The Italian is also easily prone to guilt, and will often attempt to help someone or something if he honestly feels he's done more than the other person deserved. When he's genuinely upset, the swearing will momentarily grow even worse, then die out altogether. He's exceedingly sensitive and easily prone to tears. In efforts to keep from being seen as weak, the Italian usually flees once he's actually hurt by something, and his characteristic loudness quiets down to near silence as he hunts down somewhere to hide. If you manage to find him, you will see him at his most "vulnerable", so expect some lashing out, like the wounded animal he is. When offering comfort, don't let yourself back down or else you'll just be shoved away--he can't persevere against a genuine attempt to help and he'll cave eventually. If you continue to antagonize him though, beware; when Lovino feels like he's being cornered, he will attack. So, even if he’s not quite as mean as he likes to believe he is, he’s still not as ‘nice’ and ‘sweet’ as some particularly optimistic people make him out to be.

One thing that stands out about Lovino Vargas though, beyond the anger and the rudeness and the hidden ‘consideration’, is his possessive nature. Lovino is not only extremely territorial, but also tends to keep objects close once he deems them "his". He rarely adheres to the territorial placements that other people set down for places, despite knowing that the spot under the third oak tree from his house might belong to someone else. If he’s tired and it’s comfortable, he’ll stay, if it’s not then he won’t. It’s as simple as that--especially if the spot in particular isn't "marked" as someone else's. But dare someone walk into his territory without his permission, even worse try to take some of his land for himself, he will go rabid. Lovino loves to travel, so he tends to collect small territories all over the continent. Objects and people are similar stories. ‘His’ objects and items can range from the rosary around his wrist to the well-worn books in his bookshelves to the tomatoes and everything in between. Even if a person doesn’t know that the object belongs to him, if he sees someone handling what is ‘his’ the brunette will sink down into hisses, venomous words, and if they don’t back down fast enough even a bite/scratch or two. Unless he gives permission, of course. Then he'll just stare with a surly pout-scowl on his face before he reminds himself that he trusts the other enough to let them in.

It’s even worse with people. Even standing in close contact with one of ‘his people’ will earn a vicious tongue-lashing. People are often adopted into this little mental category without their knowledge, and often without their permission. They can end up there for different reasons. One excuse might be because the person was nice to Lovino, another might be because they've helped one of ‘his people’ in a situation when the Italian could not. Sometimes it might even be as simple as the person being a good cook. One thing he doesn’t usually realize about this habit is that when he calls a person ‘his’, generally people assume that the person in question is his mate. That is not how it works. They are simply ‘his’, part of his ‘group’, in a sense. An optimistic person might call this as an acceptance into his ‘family’, though he denies that with a passion. Lovino is by no means a pack-person, nor would he ever actually create a pack from a ragtag group of people he decided might be decent enough in one way or another to not hate. He honestly can't ever see himself even settling down with a mate, let alone a pack.

An interesting thing about this childish streak is that Lovino is even possessive of his enemies. Or, rather, enemies that he actually has strong, specific dislikes/hates for. His family is a good example of this. He hates his mother, his grandfather, and most of the rest of that large family deeply, honestly, and almost unconditionally. His brothers are another story entirely But if the Italian were to hear someone bad-mouthing them for superfluous reasons as them being ‘too rich’ or ‘too powerful’, or because of some small mishaps between them, he will lash out. ‘Only family can hurt family’, he says. ‘Only family insults family, only family can truly hate family. And if you’re not family then you can just shut the fuck up before I make you eat your tongue!’ Whether that's just the residual mindset of protecting your family against the world that every Italian is raised on, Lovino isn't sure--he refuses to think he could ever want to keep his family from being insulted or badmouthed, but he does lash out against those who think they have the right to say something.

But there are still some redeeming qualities for Lovino Vargas. When he’s in a genuine good mood(as rare as that is)he almost never swears, and he might even start purring a little bit. He’s also very energetic, playful, and even a bit mischievous. And despite his sour nature, it’s relatively easy to put Lovino in a good mood. If you’re spirit form is a Felidae you will have to triple--no, quadruple your efforts to get him in a good mood, let alone like you. Simple, little things are all you need to make Lovino a happy kitty, like catnip, tomatoes, giving him attention, a good book, petting him if he’s in that particular mood and he’s allowing you to actually touch him…Little things like this are really all Lovino needs to be happy. He’s a simple guy like that.

He’s a quirky guy too. Despite not liking it when people touch him, he’s a very touchy-feely person himself. Mostly he has the issue of people touching him when he doesn't want to be. But when he's in the mood for it, cuddling and physical contact are things he practically craves. He often leans against people, as if he can't support himself, or he'll grab their hand... He even likes snuggles. He especially loves to drape himself across people, though he feels most comfortable with his chin on someone’s shoulder. Being pet it something he really enjoys too, and sometimes just rubbing his shoulder or back will get him to start purring. But should anyone ask, mention, or otherwise bring this tendency up he gets, again, flustered and irritable. Another quirky thing about Lovino is that he has this...thing about broad shoulders. Not that he has an odd fetish nor does he find every broad-shouldered person attractive. He can't really explain it, it's just something that he's always noticed and approved of. If he's scared he'll hide his face behind/against someone's shoulder, he rests his chin on them when cuddling, he just has a thing that he's a bit embarrassed about and refuses to verbally acknowledge under any circumstance. He also, despite being a cat, adores water. It might be because of his Italian blood and spending so much time on the Mediterranean, or maybe he has a little fish-blood in him. No one really knows, even in his spirit form he’s quite commonly found jumping into a body of water and splashing around. Because of this and the fact that he’d just as happily eat a fruit or vegetable as most felids would chow down on a hunk of meat, Lovino doesn’t really consider himself on the same level as most ‘cats’, as he calls all other Felidae. He also loves to bat at dangly things when he’s in a good mood, such as hair, ribbons from clothes, baggy sleeves, string, curtains, etc.

The brunette is also far too curious for his own good and doesn’t seem to possess any logical sense of fear; if he got pissed at a Heavy-Weight he’d gladly show his displeasure, even if he got his ass kicked because of it. Things make him nervous, and sometimes he gets exceedingly worried, but rarely does Lovino actually get scared enough to renix statements, deny his actions, or anything like that. Though it might be due to the fact that he is more prideful than he is cowardly. He's moreso terrified of being put down, of opening himself up and having his trust stomped on.

Another quirk about Lovino is his sense of shame; it seems to operate on a faulty switch. He could easily strut around clad in only the barest of coverings(or nothing at all), smother someone with less than innocent affection(if he were in that sort of mood), and is generally comfortable and a bit vocal about his…raunchier escapades. But having people lavishing him with attention flusters him, he can barely handle a cuddle-session, and even something like casual necking makes him bothered enough to start losing control of his spirit-form.


It's doubtful that anyone can make actual sense of Lovino, since he seems to have problems understanding himself half the time. But that really shouldn't matter, should it? Lovino is a kind of person that you either take as is or ignore, and that is how he feels about people. If there is enough of there for him to like, then he'll like you regardless of the shitty aspects of yourself. So really, it's only expected for him to think that people would regard him the same way.

Family:

• Romulus Vargas [Grandfather] - Ancient Rome
  
• Carmela Vargas [Mother] - NCP
  
• Serge Mellouli [Father] - NCP
  
• Feliciano Vargas [Half-Brother] - Italia Veneziano
  
• Marcello Vargas* [Half-Brother] - Seborgia

Brief History:
When Lovino was conceived, the idea of breeding nor marriage was on either of his parents' minds--Carmela Vargas was studying abroad in America for a semester during her junior year of college, when she first met Serge Mellouli. Even if it was only a fling and Carmela had not particularly wanted a child at the time, she was eager to continue on her father's legacy. Instead, Lovino inherited much of his looks from the attractive man from Tunisia. One thing in particular the brunette had "done" was, rather than being a Heavy Seed like his mother and granfather, Lovino had taken after Serge as a Light Seed caracal caracal algira. Carmela was particularly disappointed.

Lovino didn't particularly care, though--even if he didn't get much attention from his mother, since she still had her studies to finish, her father was tickled pink to have a grandbaby to spoil. The child was the apple of his grandfather's eye, and he still has vague memories of playing hide and seek and other fun games with the aging man. The family head wasn't around as often as any child would like, of course, but Lovino wasn't quite old enough to voice his complaints yet.

Things were fine until Feliciano was born. Lovino was initially excited to have a little brother, even if he didn't understand that the man that followed Carmela around wasn't the "Serge" the three year old had heard about so much. But when his third birthday was cut very short by his mother being taken away because something in her belly broke, Lovino wasn't pleased. Not at all. He wasn't a particularly bubbly, cheerful child, even at that young age somewhat reserved and shy around strangers, and the "present" his mother gave to him on that fateful day certainly didn't help bring him out of his shell.

At first things were alright, though. Lovino adored his cute little brother, who was sweet and adorable. Feliciano was just a baby, anyway--babies don't know what they're doing. All the Italian had to do was ignore the adults who enjoyed comparing the easily-content newborn to trying to take care of a fussy Lovino when he was the same age. Soon, though, adoration soon turned to resentment as attention turned from him to the younger boy in an instant whenever the two children were in the same room. What little time that Lovino had with both his mother and his grandfather was suddenly being shared with a small, wide-eyed infant that everyone constantly ooh-ed and aw-ed over. It was more than being ignored, though; suddenly Lovino was getting into trouble for little things he’d never been punished for before, and things he hadn’t even done. If Feliciano were to stumble into a table and knock over a vase while Lovino was with the nannies watching over him, Lovino would be blamed, since he was the one that Feliciano listened to the most. If the servants’ undergarments were found strewn about in the garden, the small Italian would be punished for ‘acting out for attention’, even if it was some mean-spirited prank pulled by another servant. What hurt the most was that Lovino had been almost immediately replaced by Feliciano as the apple of his grandfather’s eye.

That was what his life became. As both Lovino and Feliciano grew older, more attention was settled on the younger of the two. No matter what Lovino did, he simply couldn't draw out that proud look both Carmela and their grandfather had when talking about Feliciano. When trying to paint only ended with having the family and family friends judging Feliciano's work against his own and the latter being found wanting, the young Italian turned to sculpture and wood-carving. Even the small figurines he made were only glanced at before set aside as meaningless nick-knacks, kept only to appease the child's viciously souring temperament. Apparently Lovino had inherited more than Serge's looks--even the explosive temper the child was saddled with came from the Tunisian man. That just made it more difficult for adults to deal with the child. And Lovino just exacerbated the situation, becoming harder and harder to deal with as the years went by. The ostracism, partially self-induced, only grew more pronounced until not even the other servants’ children could be bothered to play with ‘black sheep’ Lovino Vargas. The birth of his second younger brother, Marcello, only seemed to make things worse.

It came to the point that Lovino was picking up hobbies and interests that directly opposed anything that his brothers enjoyed. Woodcarving and clay against painting. Cooking instead of playing football outside. Purposefully ruining the clothes he was tailored into, and buying his own so that he wouldn't up matching the rest of the family. The brunette even begged to go to school with normal humans and the servants' children instead of being home-schooled with his brothers. When that fell through, Lovino simply stopped studying altogether--ignoring any threats his mother made and staying outside, working, at all hours of the day and even late into the night.

By the time Lovino was thirteen, Carmela began to realize that there was something wrong with her eldest. While Feliciano enjoyed spending time with friends, and socialized a great deal during the parties that their mother would throw, Lovino wouldn't be seen for hours, and trying to get a civil conversation out of him was like de-clawing a cat without giving it anesthesia. He had become a very introverted person and couldn’t handle any sort of attention without lashing out, especially at the mother he didn’t care for and only recognized by name. In efforts to rectify this, the woman began to pay more attention to her son’s social life. Maybe it was just because he was young, she thought--give him some people his age that he could interact with, and he'd be fine. She attempted to find arranged mates for her son, seeing that the promise of Vargas blood would help sell the boy beyond his sour disposition, and hopefully find someone who could handle him better than Carmela could. Every chance he could, Lovino would ruin the meetings before the deal could be made. Nearly a year of this repeated trial and error occurred, but try and try as he might, finally someone had decided he was worth the effort, even if it was as nothing more than a child-maker. Not that Lovino would be sent off until he was out of high school, of course, but it was nice to make plans for someone you couldn't predict.

Viciously rejecting the idea of being sold off to someone he didn’t know and thus had no connection to, Lovino knew that he had no reason to stay in a home that he hated, with people that he could barely tolerate, and riches he didn’t have any need nor want for. So he packed up what things he wanted and could carry, stole Feliciano’s favorite rosary, an old ring from Seborgia's room, took the rest of his possessions to his personal garden, and burnt it all to the ground. After withdrawing what money he could in cash, Lovino ran, never looking back.

For the next four years, Lovino lived life wandering around the European continent, earning money by doing odd jobs for people or using his small stature and cute appearance to beg and steal what he couldn't earn. He tried going further north, knowing that most of the Mediterranean was within his mother's realm of influence, but the weather was too fucking cold for him to handle. Munich hadn't been awful, he guessed, but after that horrible week in Berlin, the Italian never went further north than Switzerland again. In fact, when he was sixteen, Lovino had traveled to Africa. That trip hadn't ended well, his attempt to learn more about his father's family as well as his animal form ending with him getting sent to the hospital for a few months. Fortunately, the incident was kept very quiet, so no one had to hear about how he'd been found with his eye nearly gouged out, with a chunk missing from his left shoulder. Once he was able to move again, though, he had bolted--it's not like they had his name on record or anything. After that incident, Lovino never strayed from Europe, nor did he settle into a place for longer than a few months. Partially because because he couldn't stomach the idea of staying still now that he had the freedom to go wherever he wished, but also because he was avoiding those who were looking for him.

Every once in a while, though, Lovino would see something that reminded him of the brothers he'd left behind. In a fit of guilt, the young man would send them each a package of sweets and a small figurine of some sort he'd carved. He never left his name on the package, and honestly he doesn't know if the money he spent shipping it home was worth it. He still doesn't know if the gifts ever reached his siblings. When he wasn't doing that, Lovino was carefully saving up his hard-earned cash until he could buy a place of his own. He often got into fights with other Zumans over trespassing into unmarked territory, but other than the random scar or broken bone, he remained relatively unscathed. There were only a few serious, rather dangerous situations resulting in short hospital stays. Other than those few incidents and some problems with the police for loitering and pick-pocketing, his journeys were relatively carefree.

Just after his eighteenth birthday, Lovino had managed to save up enough money to rent, and later buy, a very small, very worn-down house a few miles out of town. It wasn't much, and the mortgage payments he had to pay were much higher than he felt the property was worth, but it was his, and that's all that mattered. Immediately after coercing the local carpenter to take him on as an apprentice, Lovino worked to make sure that everyone knew that property was his; he built a crooked fence with leftover lumber and locking the place down as if it were hiding priceless treasures. Then he would take short trips so he could gather all belongings he’d stashed all over the continent in his travels and bringing them back to ‘the main base’. Once that was all taken care of, he planted his gardens. The entire process took nearly three years before Lovino felt comfortable enough to calm down and semi-permanently settle in. Now that he's twenty-two and at least mildly content, he's begun to explore the area as more than just a night-walker.

OOC

Name/Alias: Reed
Age: 21
Favorite Pairings: Germano, Prumano, Framano, Spamano, BBT+Lovi, Itacest, Turkmano, TurkIta, PruIta, FraIta, GerIta, ItaSpamano, Frain, Prain, PruFra, FraRus
Do you want to be Cbox, Thread, or Both? Both
Did you read the rules?
I always will remember everything
If we could start again,
Would that have changed the end?
We remember everything, everything.

Oh thank Dio almighty for busy marketplaces. Lovino leaned against the wall next to a fruit-vendor, one hand pressed over his racing heart and the other pulling his hood down to hide his face. After running around for nearly half an hour after leaving the Castle's main gates, his limbs were trembling with exertion and his shoulders were aching from shouldering past people and their cargo. But the guards who had tried keeping him in the castle were gone, lost amidst the crowds and looking for their bishop wearing his traditional grey robes, trimmed with silver and very ostentatious when compared to the traditional earth-toned clothes around him. But after ducking into a pub and hiding behind the bar to change, the spry brunette was now mingling in the crowd with light sand-coloured pants and a moss-green tunic. The weather was fair, for Medius, with the sun shining thinly through a slight layer of grey clouds, so for now he only wore a thin brown cloak.

After he finally managed to get his breath back and slow his heart to a more manageable level, Lovino pushed himself back to his feet. A neutral frown upon his face and his bag settled firmly across his chest, he turned and fell back into the chattering crowd. He had some groceries to fetch for himself, some tea and other small necessities he felt he needed. Plus, as he drew his cigarettes from an inside pocket and slipped one between his lips, he needed the break from the insanity of the Castle walls. Slim fingers drew a match across a small stone and then lifted the flame to light the roll of tobacco and paper, and lungs gladly inhaled the nicotine-enriched smoke. Only then, as Lovino exhaled, did the slightest smile come to his lips and he set out. Nothing quite like a short break to reinvigorate the mind and calm the nerves. Now, if this trip could stay peacefully uninterrupted, it would be worth the hassle he was sure to receive upon returning.

"I still can't believe I have to be escorted to go get some tea and a new cloak... Honestly, what's the Kingdom coming to?" He wondered to himself, shaking his head and heading out to hunt down the tailor's. Granted, normally he went to the Royal seamstress, but she was so busy attempting to get the Pawn's uniforms fixed that Lovino had to hunt down other means to an end. But, thinking of the seamstress actually brought another train of thought. It's been a few months since he'd seen his brother; perhaps it was just as busy in Penuria for the apprentice as it was here in Medius..? Not that the brunette complained, goodness no. He was glad for the reprieve of "ve"s and other such nonsense, but going a few months without his presence did send a slight worry against all odds. "If he'd stayed in Medius like I told him to, this wouldn't be a damn cause of worry, stupid bastard..." Shaking his head again and taking another drag, he dodged around a group of children and then began to look over a few rolls of fabric. "Now...do I want a brown cloak, or a green one..."

[Carr]