Odette Bertrand

Name: Odette Marie Bertrand
Sex: Female
Age: 19
Height/Weight: 5' 5"/115 lbs.
Faction: Squares
Occupation: Go-go dancer at Sapphire Lounge; aspiring professional ballerina.
Playlist: On Grooveshark
==History==
The Bertrands came to Step City in X084, months before the island was cut off from the rest of the world. Mr. and Mrs. were newly retired professional ballet dancers coming to this strange new place with their two year old daughter in tow. Odette has no memory of life before Step City or of Manhattan, the other island her family called home. She also has no idea what drew her parents here or what life they had hoped to build for themselves and their young daughter.
Following V-Day, the elder Bertrands developed vibes and in the years after fell in with the people and families who would eventually form the Funk Mafia. These early connections helped them keep the home they had established and even afforded them a sort of affluence. Odette, four at the time, began taking dance lessons; despite her young age and strange environment (or perhaps because of it) she proved to be an adept pupil. By the time the Mafia officially formed she was performing on stage; once she began learning to dance en pointe her fate as highly acclaimed professional dancer seemed to be sealed. By X099 she was dancing lead roles in many of the shows playing on Mafia-owned stages. Her last performance was that of Giselle in the same-named ballet.
After the War of X099 Odette had nothing. Both of her parents had been killed and, as far as she was concerned, their money and power and connections hadn't done anything to help in the end. She turned her back on the Funk Mafia, determined to never involve herself in faction business again, and became a Square. Whatever was left of her parents' fortune had disappeared, forcing the somewhat pampered and sheltered young girl to get to work. She fell in with the dancers at The Sapphire Lounge and has been there ever since. It's not what she wants to be doing for the rest of her (dancing) life, but it earns her the money to keep an apartment and continue pursuing her dream of reclaiming the ballet stage.
==Personality==
Sweet and kind, Odette is fairly easy to get along with or, at least, to have a pleasant conversation with. She's incredibly driven, too, though and often has a one-track mind so determined is she to see her dreams come true. This has earned her a reputation as a snob and an ice queen among the other Sapphire dancers. She has very few friends and trust is a slow thing for her; people generally have one chance and if that trust is broken there is nothing that can be done to fix it.
There is a silly side to her, too, that very rarely comes to light.
She avoids speaksing of her family and never talks about her life before X099. She's still grieving the loss of her parents and is trying to deal with the hurt that comes of being left behind.
==Dance/Vibes==
Odette is trained in the Balanchine method of ballet, a technique she learned from her mother. Her style of go-go is more fluid and graceful than most, with displays of great flexibility and reach.
She rarely uses her vibes as she's determined to make it on talent and drive as opposed to powers and connections. Her ability to entrace an audience has been used, with objection, to keep patrons' attentions away from a brewing fight or a shady deal or another dancer who needs to be escorted out. It only lasts as long as she's dancing with the hypnotic effect wearing off as soon as she stops moving. She discovered her secondary vibe, the ability to leap great distances, during the War of X099; she was attempting to get her dying mother to safety.
==Etc., etc.==
Odette has two momentos from her parents: a pair of her mother's pointe shoes and an NYC snowglobe from her father. The shoes are tucked away in her closet; the globe is on her dresser.
She has quite the crush on Sigurd despite the fact that he's nearly twice her age. He's just so handsome! And charming! And sophisticated! Which makes him the opposite of the two other boyfriends she's had.
She's struck up a friendship with Roller Bandito Dexy. The two share a love of sweets and 80s synthpop and, truthfully, Odette is glad to have someone she can talk to. She also, rather secretly, enjoys holding hands with the girl.
She has a connection to another Roller Bandito: She and Dean Harper used to date. Though it didn't last very long, the relationship was an intense one. He's the only man she's ever slept with. They remain friendly, if distant as their respective jobs take up quite a bit of their time. Still she knows she can count him as a friend and has called him a time or two to help take care of especially troublesome patrons at the Lounge.
Odette's rather domestic even though she's rarely at home. She keeps a clean apartment, can cook and sews. She's been repairing her pointe shoes since she was twelve and has made most of her go-go costumes herself.
Category:Squares
Category:Characters