SA | Micah | Aodh | Courtesan

Name: Micah
Age: 26
Gender: Male, stallion
    Orientation: Pansexual (has a preference for females)
Love interest(s): None


Breed: Common horse, Akhal-Teke x Arabian
Height: 16.1 hands
    Build: Slender but strong, delicate but not fragile, with chiseled features and sharp, angular muscles.
Coat Color: Grullo Tovero
    Genotype: Ee/aa/DD/nT/nO
    Eye Color: Ice blue


Herd Affiliation: Aodh
Rank: Courtesan, commoner
    Client(s): TBD
    Slave(s): TBD


Accessories: 
    Bridle: Thin silver-blue chains held together by blue diamond stones, and decorated with sapphires to commemorate Igancio.


Personality:
Micah is a social chameleon—there are very few individuals who truly get to know him, and fewer who actually realize it. He is suave and charming, able to transform his character given the circumstance, whether it be to please a client, or to get something that he wants. He is conniving and manipulative, often playing on other’s desires or insecurities to achieve his final goal. He will not hesitate to use someone else as a pawn to do his dirty work for him. Micah is always looking out for himself—he is a proud and ostentatious man, wanting to be seen, envied, and recognized for his natural charisma. Consequently, he prefers to work with the upper classes when it comes to his line of work (though he has been known to lower his standards in desperate times, or when the price is too good to pass up). Also, while not racist towards other species such as Unicorns or Hippocampi, Micah does envy the way they are inherently more ‘flashy.’

Secretly, he is a dreamer. He fantasizes about the day when he will become part of the upper classes himself, accepted into nobility and praised for his own magnificence. Because of this, Micah craves knowledge; he likes to appear educated and civilized, and is deeply ashamed of himself when he is anything less. Furthermore, he sometimes dreams of what his life would be like if his mother had never been executed—but these are not blissful fantasies, and he usually berates himself when he gets caught up in the past. Despite being something of a dreamer, Micah is far from a romantic. He believes that love, while undoubtedly real, is a poisonous and horrifying thing that turns wise men into fools, and can only lead to one’s demise. As such, he is largely noncommittal, both in word and action.

Additionally, Micah considers himself to be deeply religious—a fact that might take some by surprise. Ever since his youth, he has been wholeheartedly devoted to his patron god, Ignacio, and perhaps even views the magnificent deity as a paternal figure, even more so than his actual father. Like many of those within the Aodh herd, sex is likened to a spiritual experience for Micah, which is a large part of why he enjoys his chosen career. However, in contrast to a numerous part of Eithne, he does not particularly enjoy partaking in drugs, and prefers only the finest alcohols at celebratory occasions. He claims that it is because he wants to keep his mental state pure and open to the guidance of Ignacio, although it is probably more attributed to the way he saw how alcohol had made his father a monster. To become anything like his father is one of his worst fears, even if he won’t acknowledge it.


History:
    Early Life
Micah’s mother, Charlotte, was a dainty young woman when she gave birth to her only child. She was alone with the midwife—a dear friend of hers—when the time came, tucked away within their home while her husband was completing his nightly patrol as a Chevalier. Since Charlotte was the newest of his father’s three wives, and having sired a number of foals previously, Micah’s birth was hardly special to the brutish stallion—though Charlotte soon realized that her husband’s absence would be a blessing for her son. Much to her horror, her beautiful boy was born alongside a twin—a stillborn girl, nearly mirroring her brother. Well aware of how this information would curse her precious son’s life in Ethinian culture, Charlotte and the midwife agreed that they needed to protect him. So, hiding the body of the dead girl, the midwife discarded of it far away from their home, thus keeping Charlotte’s husband in the dark, for fear that he would condemn the boy.

    Adolescence
Years passed as Micah grew, ignorant to the misfortune that should have haunted him. He rarely spent time with his father, and when he did, it was often far less than pleasant—despite whatever excuses his mother made for the man she so foolishly loved. Even so, despite her follies, Micah adored his mother. Charlotte wanted to provide the best for her son; being a merchant, she understood the wealth of knowledge, and so made sure to send Micah off to school when he was old enough. Initially, he sought to someday become a well-respected Flamen. Fascinated by the history and power of Ignacio, he revered his patron god even from a young age. During his Upper Secondary school years, he focused on the Classics, with a particular interest in philosophy and literature. Much to his excitement, and with the help of his doting mother, Micah was able to become an apprentice for a local Sanctum Attendant at the age of fourteen. For two years he soaked in the teachings of the religious elders, before life as he knew it went to hell.

It began when his father, while off duty and horribly drunk, had tried to sell his second wife into slavery. She had talked back to him earlier that day, and with his principals lowered by cheap alcohol and his pride stung by her words, he wanted to be rid of her for a pretty penny. When rumors of this reached his fellow Chevaliers, they approached him at their home—Micah was there, eavesdropping. His skepticism suddenly raged into horror when his mother interjected, protecting the husband she blindly loved and claiming that she was the one guilty of the crime, that she had tried to sell the other wife due to her jealousy. Micah protested, but his father struck him to the ground, silencing his objections. Charlotte was sentenced to execution the following day. When the time came, Micah was there alone, outside the city walls, and watched as his beloved mother was chained to the stake and consumed by flames. He cried silently. Many hours later, he carefully collected her ashes, and made the long journey to Aodh’s hallowed Oriel; there he poured what remained of his mother into the molten summit, accepting it to be the only proper resting place, and believing that Ignacio would know the truth, and would protect his mother’s spirit from consequences that were not meant for her. After that, Micah returned home only once to collect his belongings, before beginning a life of his own in the streets of Valore as a scoundrel.

    Adulthood
From the ages of 16 to 18, Micah survived by thievery, wit, and manipulation. It was only when an older courtesan noticed the young man that his life began to change once more—he was too pretty to be wasted on the streets, and so the older woman took him back to the Pearl with promises of good fortune. That is when Micah began his own career as a courtesan. He quickly discovered that he enjoyed this new line of work. Not only was he able to collect a number of valuable secrets from his customers, but sex also brought him to a spiritual place that he hadn’t experienced since his days as an apprentice.

He eventually left the brothel more frequently, free lancing on his own as he came to focus on his wealthier clients, fascinated by their grandeur and prestige. He had dreams of one day becoming nobility himself, and would often study their mannerisms and etiquette when they came to him, perhaps seeking to rid himself of his lowly upbringing. And then there was this particular woman. She was a noble lady—beautiful and elegant—and although she only came to him a handful of times, there was a part of him that could not forget her. Micah fought these feelings, but when he could deny them no longer, he was sick with himself. Love was poisonous, and he would have none of it (he had seen what it had done to his mother). Consequently, he pushed her away, throwing himself more vigorously into his work whenever sweet memories of her would haunt him. He has dedicated himself to his reputation as a respectable courtesan, and would not jeopardize himself and his esteem for anyone.


Headcanons:
    ‌• Generally avoids the Valiant District, due to his father being a Chevalier, and it being the place he grew up.
        — Additionally, he has a natural skepticism for Chaveliers, also due to his father.
    ‌• Has frequent dreams where he kills his father.
    ‌• Is slightly masochistic, depending on his current mood and partner. Can also be a very gentle lover.
    ‌• Has a little thing for virgins. He lost his virginity on the night of his 18th birthday, to a woman several years older than him.
    ‌• Has created an unlikely (and generally volatile) friendship with the Pearl’s resident bouncer, Sinead.
    ‌• Doesn’t want to have kids.
    ‌• Likes to keep himself impeccably clean; his hair is always well groomed and his skin is soft and neat.
    ‌• Often visits Oriel to pray privately to Ignacio.
    ‌• Frequently spins lies about his past—very rarely tells the whole truth.

Both linearts by CrystalUniicorn