Andreas Moretti

## **Personality**

Andreás is the equivalent of a "lonewolf", and he knows how to be invisible; after moving out on his own at 17, he is far more used to being by himself than being around other people--especially people for prolonged periods of time. Because of that, sometimes his mannerisms come across as a little too serious or more gruff than originally intended. It isn't that he doesn't care or is apathetic of what goes on around him all the time; he's just awkward and doesn't know how to deal with people in certain situations. In truth, his awkwardness of dealing with people might go hand-in-hand with the fact that he has a hard time trusting others. It takes him quite a while to completely open up with someone...even longer to develop a bond with them. However, once he does, he is responsible in making sure they are safe and no further harm befalls them.

Needless to say, though, he is very well-mannered, having grown up in a household that still prided treating some civillians decently—even if sometimes his manners are a little outdated or old-fashioned. For instance, he often treats women a tad more respectably than men, and holds the idea that it isn't right to raise a hand against a lady or children for that matter. Though his morals on the conception of death are a little wonky, he does know the difference of right and wrong in other cases. That being said, he is not ego-centered either and can be very modest—he takes confidence in his skills but doesn't shove such pride down others' throats. Praise beyond a 'job well done' can fluster him and leave him unsure as to how to respond other than a simple 'thank you'.

Andy is a quick thinker, shown best when under pressure. He generally knows how to keep his anger in check...or at least from getting particularly nasty. However, he does have a habit of being impetuous—the 'shoot-first-ask-questions-later' kind of guy. In turn, this habit of being impulsive makes him especially aggressive. If someone sneaks on him, he doesn't hesitate to pin them down or give them a very literal shock. Even when it seems he isn't paying attention, he generally is; he is quite observant and pays very close attention to details, both in people and in scenery.

[☻ruthless, ☻awkward, ☻gruff, ☻impetuous, =silent, =resilient, =down-to-earth, =attentive, ☺well-mannered, ☺witty, ☺skillful, ☺patient]

## **History**

The first 4 years of his life are a distant blur. The only crisp image of his early childhood he can conjure up is being pulled from the wreckage of a car by an ambulance team. His father had been proclaimed dead on-site while he and his mother were taken to the hospital and placed on breathing ventilation systems. And, while both remained unconscious for some time, it was his mother who passed away a day later.

Car accidents were always common in his home town; the roads always became too slick during the rainy season, and he wasn't the first to befall the circumstances of such a situation.

Once Andreás regained consciousness a few days after, he found himself entrusted in the care of a couple of close family friends—a Typhlosion and a Zoroark named Shannon and Allen Durbin, respectively. These two became his sole caretakers, and though they lacked the innate paternal bond, they were no less loving or strict.

Shannon Durbin was—as one could say in simpler terms—a literal firecracker; an edgy, risk-taker that served as a bar maid in the city's pub. The ownership befell under the careful watch of her serious husband. Though, for Allen, the job of a pub-owner was just a cover-up. His real professional line of work was...clean-up, so to speak. When someone needed someone else 'taken care of', they slipped a piece of paper in their empty mug once they'd finished their drink. Andy knew because he often had to deliver the mugs, with their pieces of paper, to Allen whenever he saw them.

"What is this, Al?"

For a while, it remained just that to Andy: a mystery. Allen never spoke of what his 'profession' consisted of, and the only answer he would willingly give to the child was "clean-up". He would often tell Andy that he was too younger to fully understand it now and would tell him when he grew older. For now, he would just dutifully bring him the pieces of paper and try not to ask so many questions aloud where others could hear. Allen prided secrecy.

A few years passed, and Andy's life carried on as any normal child's would; he went to school, made friends, got in trouble from time to time...kid-stuff. However, it was around the time Andy was seven years old when his pseudo-father returned home dead in the night, clothes drenched in red stains. Blood. And, from what the young Electrike could smell, not completely of /Allen's/ own. The child was persistent to understand what happened, and it had taken quite a good deal of pestering until Allen relented.

A hitman, he told him—hired as needed. Allen explained it was a job that someone had to do, and considering the corruption in politics, big-businesses, and criminals was plentiful, so were jobs. As Allen told him at the time, there was always some "son of a bitch" who deserved to die—just not everyone was capable of making that decision on their own and were willing to pay a hefty sum to those that could. Tumbling around with this idea as an impressionable child, Andy didn't at first know what to make of Allen's words. From school, he knew that it was often considered wrong to kill people...but were there people who legitimately deserved to die?

Allen explained to him that the world was, very much so, still painted in blacks and whites; there were evil people and there were good people. Sometimes there were people in the gray area but you would have to be the judge of that. It was a concept he had learned through his own family, and one day hoped to explain to his own son. There were many categories in his 'profession'—hitmen, mafia, assassins. Some were long-term jobs like protection that only those of their caste could provide, others were quick jobs. Freelance. However, he told him, there was always a danger involved...and an adversion to getting caught by those who frowned upon such methods.

Andy reserved this information to the back of his mind and didn't touch on it again...until he was due to be enrolled into high school. Often during that time, he would watch the news and ponder, and a couple months after he had turned 14, something clicked. He stayed up to wait until Allen returned home late one night and proclaimed what he wanted to do.

He wanted to assist him.

It took Allen a few days of thought before he decided to take the young Electrike under his wing and pass along what he knew. His rigorous training consisted of preservation, stealth, attack and defense skills; knowing how to wiggle out of certain situations, how to leave no trail behind, where vital points were, how to handle a gun, a switchblade, etc. Unfortunately for the pup, he didn't have the capability of transforming himself into different identities like Allen did with his Illusion ability. However, the Zoroark taught him the move Substitute, which worked just as well. Allen's knowledge of such extensive topics kindled a respect in Andy, but traveling back and forth with his teacher took a lot of his focus. As a result, he struggled in school. Come the middle of freshman year, Allen took him out of the system to be home-schooled under his wife and a friend, and in doing so, Andy became more physically withdrawn from common people.

No sooner after did Andreás adopt his new 'business' name: Sparkx, and it was what he would be known as in his home-planet for a long while.

Blunders were a common mishap for him, and Allen constantly pounded into his head that he could not afford to make mistakes by rushing head-first or deciding on a mission without reading the rest of the facts. He'd nearly got his tail seen by the government authorities during a manhunt for an 'escaped' convict--even if it had been a cop to have hired Allen and him in the first place. To say the least, Sparkx wasn't trusted on his own until he was bordering on 17, and even still did he have a habit of rushing in to get things done as smoothly, and quickly, as possible. Though the perception of his age hindered him from accepting more than a few missions, it didn't stop the slow rapport and reputation he was building.

If there was one thing he was known for, it was Sparkx' aggression. He made a habit of being efficient so long as he was paid upfront, and though he had many standards for the jobs he accepted, he took no greater satisfaction in axing off the sick fucks. Though, overtime, the more jobs he took—the easier the line of right and wrong became blurred.

Sparkx was about 20 when his protection had been enlisted by a man named Nicholas Lovett. A politician, which wasn't a first time and was often the most common of jobs. Watch the guy's back, spy on others that seemed to raise suspicion—the same routine. And, though long-term, that certainly didn't stop him from taking other jobs on the side when his presence wasn't requested. However, there was one peculiar thing about the Lovett household...and that was the day-to-day appearance of their young daughter. He knew her not by name—only by face—but she was a tiny little thing who seemed to be shooed up faster to her room than allowed to linger downstairs. It was until she was around 5 years old did she decidedly approach him. She wanted to watch a movie and without much else to do, he agreed.

From thence, it became common.

He didn't mind the little miss but sometimes a week or two or three would pass where Sparkx would not come in contact with the young miss because of her father's 'business'. On those instances he did see her, he began to notice something odd. She seemed to have bruises about her arms, shoulders, legs, neck—and with her life style, he doubted they were from rough-housing. He would gently prod her into talking about them, and eventually she had felt she could trust him enough to say that the bruises were caused by none-other-than his employer. It did surprise him, but what surprised him more was her question of asking what he though she should do about the situation. His answer came simply: fight back.

While not the wisest piece of advice (considering the consequences later suffered), Sparkx felt that a child didn't deserve that—there was nothing she had done to pardon such abuse. If anything, her father deserved it, and he was certain Allen would have expressed the same. However, having told her such, it seemed to instill more bravery into her, and as time went on, the idea of leaving seemed more and more pleasing--to the point where she requested of him to help her "disappear". At first, he was opposed to the idea for its implications, but as he pondered, he realized that he would be able to pull a few strings... All she had to do was trust him. Faking a death was tricky and risky but not impossible.

He told her only what she needed to know—after all, if she knew too much her 'death' wouldn't be as believable.

To this day, Sparkx will never give the full details of how he accomplished such a feat. To do it, however, he needed to use one of her father's tasks to his advantage, the cover-up of a 'horrible' car accident, Substitute and Allen's Illusion. It was a huge scandal, especially when Nicholas Lovett's dirty laundry was aired for the entire city to witness. But at the price of assisting the young miss in her death, Sparkx' name and professional dealings had been aired as well. They needed to leave—assume new identities and get away.

So, under the names Jordan and Andreás Moretti, they escaped to Vyse.

## **Extra Facts**

* ♦Is of Italian heritage but understands/speaks the language on a 5-year-old level.♦
* ♦Eats both practically (only what he needs to be satisfied) and nutritionally.♦
* ♦He does have refined tastes, surprisingly enough; with the amount of money he's gotten from his missions, he doesn't bat an eye at a higher pricetag.♦
* ♦The scars along his cheek and neck are indeed from the car accident that never properly healed.♦
* ♦Can hold his Substitute in place for up to 30 minutes.♦
* It disappears, however, if hit.-
* ♦Never really celebrates holidays.♦
* ♦Is an infrequent smoker.♦
* ♦Sometimes, he still struggles with the notion of who deserves to die and who may not.♦
* He can't always articulate a morally-sound reason for the choices that he makes.-
* ♦Very observant of sounds & smells.♦
* ♦While not overly paternal, he does have a softspot for women, children and animals.♦
* ♦He enjoys working with clay.♦
* ♦His tattoos have no special meaning so don't ask.♦
* He also has a back tattoo that covers another scar.-
* ♦His favorite berry flavor would be Sweet. He likes sweet foods.♦
* ♦Voiced by Avi Kaplan♦