EXIII Ref - Hayden

--BASICS--
Name: Hayden
Age: given the way time turns in the Underworld and given the fact that demons don’t age traditionally Hayden has not kept track of how many years he’s lived. For all intents and purposes, he seems to fall ambiguously between ten and twelve human years.
Sex: male
Race: demon; purebred—not the corrupted soul of an ex-human


--APPEARANCE--
Height: 4’10”
Weight:  91 lbs.
Build: almost alarmingly thin and gangly, all limbs despite being so small.
Skin: pale and ghoulish, as if he’s never seen real sunlight—which he hasn’t.
Hair: a shocking mess of bright, fire-engine red that falls around his ears and face and in his eyes in untended waves. While it isn’t dirty, it doesn’t appear to be familiar with the feel of a comb.
Eyes: round and wide and dark green. They’re slightly sunken behind tired, purple circles.
Other defining features: a long, thin, hairless black tail with a heart-shaped tip and matching horns on his forehead barely long enough to poke out past the top of his hair. Subtly pointed ears and slightly too-sharp teeth.
Clothing: Hayden tries to dress his nicest, due to being employed by Satan (who takes appearances very personally), but can’t afford very fine clothes. He’s found a compromise in well-worn, drab vests and button-downs. His fashion sense could be comparable to Oliver Twist.


--PERSONALITY--
Overview: Hayden is an anomaly. Despite having spent a majority of his life in Hell and against all odds he's managed to somehow maintain a pure heart. Although his cowardice rules him and he’s never been particularly bright, his belief in a brighter future has never been stronger. His hopes keep him going and his optimism gets him through each and every hard day that comes his way. He is, perhaps, the only devout demon that can be found residing in Nothing, if not the entire Underworld. Although most things scare him, Hayden isn’t picky about who he’ll affiliate with. Partly because he’s incredibly gullible, Hayden’s happy to befriend anyone who will give him the time of day. All in all, he wears his big, simple heart on his sleeve so it’s always completely clear what he’s feeling at any given moment. Usually he’s stuck somewhere between being scared and being excited, but these two widely different agitations often blur together.
Loves:  his name (he thought of it himself!), compliments, colors, smiles, the idea of friendship, doing a good job, the cathedral in Nothing, violin music, and storybooks with lots of pictures.
Hates: getting in trouble, intolerance, being treated unkindly because of his status as a demon or because he isn’t demon enough, cynical attitudes, bitter foods, rudeness, getting blamed for things that he didn’t do.
Fears: messing up, pain, getting sent back to Hell, anything significantly bigger than him (inanimate or otherwise), raised voices, making decisions, losing his hope.
Strengths: polite, friendly, optimistic, hard-working, considerate of the feelings of others, trustworthy, doesn’t (intentionally) break promises.
Weaknesses: clumsy, inarticulate, barely literate, forgetful, rarely thinks before he acts, cowardly to an almost crippling extent, gullible, easy to read.
Pick one of the SEVEN DEADLY SINS that your character relates to, and one that your character does not relate to:  Relates to envy, does not relate to sloth.
Pick one of the SEVEN HOLY VIRTUES that your character relates to, and one that your character does not relate to: Relates to most of the virtues but most predominantly toward diligence. Does not relate to temperance.
Quirks:
1. When he’s especially frightened his tail curls around his leg.
2. Apologizes frequently, unnecessarily, and sometimes inappropriately.
3. Almost unable to stand completely still or remain completely quiet for any period of time.


--HISTORY--
Setting:  born and raised in Hell, currently residing in Nothing.
Family/Friends: Satan (boss), Death (not really his boss but might as well be)
Background:  Hayden doesn’t really like to dwell on his past. It’s pretty boring and also makes him sad. He was born in Hell along with several other demons—and demons, not being particularly familial creatures, left them all to fend for themselves. For a while Hayden, being an exceptionally cowardly and gentle demon, managed to find solace in the shadow of one of his tougher sisters. That sanctuary vanished when she found a place working under demon nobility. Hayden, being embarrassing, was left high and dry.

Most of his years thereafter were spent alone. He lived as best he could, remained positive, and tried not to take it personally when some of the other demons his age pushed him around or made fun of him for not aging faster or not getting a real job. Eventually, stumbling literally headfirst into the only stroke of luck he’s ever had, Hayden landed himself a job as Satan’s assistant. The term “assistant” is, of course, being used generously here. For the most part he’s been running messages and delivering coffees for the better part of a couple centuries. He’s been kept so busy that he hasn’t had the chance to grow—both literally and figuratively.

When Hayden’s not too occupied running errands for his boss, he generally spends his time helping out at the cathedral, where the faith of Something is practiced. He’s become an active believer in something, using it as a way to keep his head up high and hopeful through the tough, long years in the Underworld. It’s his hope that someday, if he’s really truly good and kind, God will overlook the fact that he’s a demon and let him into Heaven where he can live with the angels—or maybe, somehow, become an angel himself. This isn’t how it works, of course, but he has yet to face that fact.



--SKILLS--
Physical Attributes:  nothing noteworthy. Hayden’s a complete weakling and he’s completely aware of it. He bruises like a peach and if he couldn’t teleport, he wouldn’t even be very good at running, either. The only thing he can boast is a cute, charming face—but in the Underworld this rarely does much for him.
Unusual Abilities: can create portals and manipulate dark energy; has poor control over both of these abilities, mostly due to a lack of practice. Unlike most demons, Hayden can create portals to worlds and times that should be beyond his reach. Not really knowing this, he generally just uses his portals as a means to jump across Nothing. It’s a big city, after all. He’s pretty good at doing that much, but is also terrible at navigating and almost always seems to end up either running into someone (or something) or putting himself in the completely wrong place.


--TOURNAMENT: CHARACTER--
How does your character feel about you?: I simultaneously make Hayden very nervous but very excited. He thinks mortality is super cool! He also thinks I’m really colorful and wants to know everything about me and what it’s like up on the surface. He wants to help, but he also doesn’t know how and doesn’t want to get in trouble.
How does your character feel about your other characters?: Hayden thinks that Rella is really pretty but also really scary. She reminds him a lot of his boss, Satan, so he immediately feels like he should do everything she says unless he wants to get himself in trouble. He doesn’t think she’s a bad person, even if she doesn’t seem to take him very seriously.
How do you feel about your character?: I love him dearly. I feel guilty knowing that I set him up to desire things that are constantly beyond his reach and now that I know how badly he’s suffering I want to be able to just make it all go away. I want to help him without admitting that I’m responsible for the things he’s gone through. Besides this, I feel comfortable around him because he’s so friendly and cute. I also admire his blind optimism.
Other: N/A


--LAST WORDS--
List the three most important things about your character.
1.  Works for Satan, generally doing simple errands as he’s too clumsy to be trusted for much more than that.
2.  Has been able to retain a pure heart despite his demonic origins and the pressures that surround them.
3. Can create strong and diverse portals that most demons cannot but has no real control over this power.