Lou Ebbert

*"Lou's been Alex's best friend since high school. While they often have their hands full with their seven children and their job as a receptionist, they still make time for drinks at the Haen with him every now and then, and can always be counted on in times of need. Or when you're looking to watch a horrible movie."* - Lou Ebbert's character profile

**Lou Ebbert** is a character in Glory Hounds. They work as a receptionist at Brevard Enterprises, and have been Alex's close friend since high school.

## Appearance

Lou is a hairless Sphynx cat with a slim, lithe build. Their skin is mostly light gray, with darker patches around their eyes and on their shoulders and arms. They have green eyes and piercings in both ears. Lou has prominent front fangs that protrude from the corners of their mouth.

Lou wears a yellow tank top and jeans, with a red checkered flannel tied around their waist. When working, they dress professionally in a white dress shirt and purple pantsuit.

## Personality

Lou has a reputation as an excellent multitasker, and despite balancing many responsibilities at work and at home they seem to excel at remaining poised and organized. They are also very observant, and take a keen interest in the well-being of their friends. Lou is quite intuitive, and can remain calm and brave even in the face of danger.

Lou is very invested in social media, and enjoys staying well-informed about news and gossip. They are frustrated when others leave them out of the loop or keep things from them and dislike surprises, though they tend to be astute enough to work things out on their own. Lou is said to have a distinguished taste in fashion and art, as well as an appreciation for movies (especially musicals) that are widely seen as bad.

## Story

### Prior to Glory Hounds

Lou first met Alex during high school, where the two became friends. This friendship continued on through college and into adulthood, with the two frequently meeting up at De Halve Haen and befriending Willem, its proprietor. At some point, Lou found a partner and became the parent to seven young children. Lou and their partner eventually separated but they remain on very friendly terms, and raise their children cooperatively.

They seem to have worked at Brevard Enterprises for roughly as long as Alex, or about ten years. Lou currently serves as a receptionist for the building and seems to have some influence within the company, as a result of their long tenure and savvy observations of the various comings and goings of the office.

### Issue #1

Alex begins a flashback to how he became Dusk Hound on a Friday evening spent with Lou at De Halve Haen. While also stirring their tea, Lou briefly turns their attention away from their phone to help Alex with a crossword puzzle, and Alex remarks on their impressive multitasking skills.

Willem invites Lou and Alex to a celebration honoring the twenty-fifth anniversary of his business. Lou is thrilled and eagerly volunteers to help with decorating, but Alex cannot attend the party because of work. Lou suggests switching roles to join them in the reception department so the two can work together, but Alex declines. Unsatisfied with only seeing him infrequently during workdays, Lou invites Alex to the movies sometime so they can catch up again soon.

Lou later reads online that after leaving the bar, Alex helped stop a late-night robbery at a corner store. Alex fails to show up to work the next morning and won't answer any calls, so Lou tries to stall for time with Alex's supervisor for him. When Alex finally arrives two hours late, Lou berates him for not communicating, but also expresses concern and sympathy for his stressful night.

Upon learning that Alex has been fired, Lou is apologetic and offers to help him look for a new job. To cheer him up, they plan to take Alex to the movies that night as promised, and say they will call him later. Alex then asks if Lou has seen a 'handsome Rottweiler' around the office, and Lou is incredulous at the possibility that Raoul Brevard himself might have sought Alex out.

### Issue #2

Offscreen, Lou and Alex go to the movies together as planned, and Lou later hails "That Fish Ain't My Mother" as a cult classic.

Days later, Alex sets out on a discrete reconnaissance mission at Opgedoekt after the gallery becomes the target of a robbery by the Saltwater Syndicate, and invites Lou along as a means of further blending in. They answer from the Haen, where they are helping Willem prepare for the bar's anniversary party, and quickly agree to come check out the gallery. While en route to Opgedoekt, Lou makes conversation with Alex about how he came by the tickets and apologizes for not checking in on him after his abrupt dismissal from work. Upon hearing that he has a new occupation, they congratulate Alex and encourage him not to be embarrassed by his newfound position as a "cleaner."

Lou is immediately impressed by Opgedoekt's collection, though they initially mistake a blank canvas for an avant garde art piece. They are then introduced to Fenna by Alex and ask to see the van Houwelinck painting on display, only to discover that it has been taken off exhibit, much to their chagrin. They then go to browse the sculptures and statues on view while Fenna has a private word with Alex.

While alone, Lou takes note of the multitude of "janitors" around the gallery, and they share this suspicious observation with Alex upon his return. Afterward, Alex recognizes Ishmael in disguise and realizes that the "janitors" are actually the Saltwater Syndicate already in place for their heist, and leads Lou to hide in the Politicians Through the Ages exhibit. Lou is upset when Alex leaves them behind in the exhibit, seemingly to confront the villains on his own. Rather than remaining idle however, Lou eventually calls to inform Alex that Fenna has likely been captured and that they are going to try and rescue her.

Lou is successfully able to avoid the Syndicate for a short while, but is eventually apprehended by Khameau and brought before Ahab. They are unintimidated by the villains and demand to be let go, only for Dusk and Dawn Hound to arrive. Lou immediately recognizes Alex through his disguise and is baffled by his costume. Despite this, they listen to his request to duck and are quickly freed when Khameau is hit in the face by Alex's new grappling hook. Though baffled, Lou realizes it is best to conceal their knowledge Alex's secret identity, only to watch as Ahab makes sound work of the heroes and escapes with the valuable Money Talks gown.

Lou rescues Fenna from the broom closet and, after being joined by Milo, they wait for Alex and Dawn Hound to regain consciousness. Putting aside their confusion over the company Alex has made and their annoyance at being left out of the loop, they explain what the pair missed while they were knocked out, then escort Fenna to the Haen so they can decompress from their experience while helping Willem with further party preparations. Alex notes that Lou will surely question him about the day's events later, when things have settled down.

When Alex later calls Lou following the resolution of the situation with the Saltwater Syndicate, they answer immediately and begin to angrily interrogate him. Although worried about the danger posed to Alex by his new role as a superhero, Lou agrees to meet him, Milo, and Raoul at the Haen's anniversary party the following day, so that things can be explained to them more in-depth. Lou also begrudgingly swears not to post anything online about the situation, respecting Alex's request for secrecy. Out of gratitude, Alex promises Lou that he will babysit as much as they want.

## Relationships

### Alex

Lou and Alex start the story as old friends and coworkers, although they seem to spend less time together than they used to due to their respective responsibilities. Lou looks out for Alex, including doing their best to smooth things over with his supervisor when he is late to work and promising to help him rebound after he is fired. Lou somewhat frequently employs Alex as a babysitter for their various children, particularly when he owes them a favor.

Lou immediately recognizes Dusk Hound as Alex, and though surprised and extremely worried by his new career, they agree to keep his identity a secret from the world at large. They also agree to hear him out by meeting with Milo and Dawn Hound at the Haen's anniversary party.

### Willem

Willem is the proprietor of De Halve Haen, a bar frequented by Lou and Alex, and is a friend to them both. Lou seems to enjoy playfully teasing Willem and affectionately refers to him as "Willie."

## Trivia

* Lou is pansexual.
* Lou is the first Echo Project character to be introduced as nonbinary.

## Gallery

Lou in their work attire.Promo art featuring Lou illustrated by Shtar.
### Communicator Mini-icons

*Drawn by Tiago*.

NeutralTalkingUpsetYelling
## References

1. ↑ Redd's CuriousCat
2. ↑ Redd's Twitter
3. ↑ Redd's CuriousCat