Cicero Alesandro Price

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## Personality

Cicero once thought himself a learned man. Since joining the Parable’s crew, he has realized he knows absolutely nothing--and he hates it. There is nothing he despises more than being out of his depth. He thrives in structure, in conversations with clearly planned scripts, clear-cut things with no possible margin of error. He finds comfort in detail and planning and learning, and especially taking things at his own pace. He is habitual, practiced, and doesn’t often choose to try something he has not done before. He surrounds himself by the familiar when possible and is achingly tentative whenever something new crosses his path. And when it does…

When he finds himself in a scrape, big or small, Cicero has no idea how to get out of it. Having everything done for you from birth does not exactly facilitate independence. He tends to turn to other people for advice when making decisions, and then take ages to make them. He has little faith in himself and his own faculties; he much prefers to let other people guide him. When that is unavailable, he retreats into himself. Cicero loathes to face things head-on, especially when he thinks he cannot handle them. He would rather close himself to the issue, tie it up neatly in his mind (after admitting his apologies, of course, if need be), and set it aside. Further discussion with him about it will not be fruitful unless he is pushed.

On top of that, Cicero can be incredibly hardheaded. His closeminded Cardengate upbringing combined with his discomfort with anything unfamiliar creates a tendency to skip around things he doesn’t like, or that frighten him--which is a lot. When he is startled, he will do his best to make a hasty escape; he hates to be examined or discussed. Cicero prefers to keep his troubles private; he will not willingly bring such things to other people, at least not in simple words. He speaks in metaphors when he doesn’t want to address something head-on, which suits him just fine (and which other people find infuriating). He struggles, however, to manage his ails. His limited understanding of the world and his difficulty or unwillingness to relate to others means he has a very hard time comprehending his own emotions. One might liken his emotional management to that of a sixteen-year-old boy’s.The rigidity with which he treats himself is often shocking to others.

Cicero often finds himself stumbling over his words and struggling to navigate simple conversations. However, given a clear purpose and intention, Cicero comes alive. Beneath all the twitching and inadvertent social sabotage, he is clever; he performs excellently when the task is neat, clean-cut, and accomplishable. He values praise above anything, especially from his superiors. He can be intensely dedicated when something captures his interest, a dedication that can occasionally bleed into obsession. He immerses himself in what he finds fascinating and hardly comes up for air. His attention, once captured, is intense and unbreaking. He has lofty expectations for himself and expects to work hard to accomplish them.

Yes, once you have Cicero’s attention, it is unlikely you will lose it. The naive perspective he has on the world and the nature of his character means Cicero is easily enamored. He doesn’t know much about life, so when he comes across something interesting or unique, it is all he sees. He often lets feelings overwhelm him; Cicero is very easily swayed by his own emotions, even if he doesn’t sense it; while he tries to be objective, there is so much subconscious feeling that he does not even recognize when he’s clearly acting on his emotions. He is eager to please and despises the idea of being disliked or ridiculed--so he’s easily injured and hates coming to terms with others’ perceptions of his character. He sees life through hopeful eyes and likes to believe everyone has potential. There is nothing more disappointing to him than the idea of a wasted life.

## Biography

#### Childhood

Cicero was born to a wealthy family. His father, a doctor-turned-politician, left most of the initial child-rearing to his wife, Cicero’s mother. As the firstborn son, he was indeed *reared.* The boy grew up in a traditional household, to say the least. His bustling, religiously inclined Mama drilled every rule of etiquette that had ever existed into young Cicero’s brain. That (useless) information sat up there with all the language, mathematics, and philosophy his father encouraged him to learn at the very same time.

It was no secret that Cicero preferred his father’s pursuits. Thanks to his mother’s tutelage, he grew up a polite, if a little smug, young man, but it was Constantine who opened the doors to the world. He introduced his son to his personal study when he was eight and there was no going back. Cicero devoured book by book, completely enraptured by the world of learning. It became difficult for Mary Anne to drag him out of the damn library.

The only real taste of the outside world young Cicero was ever privy to was the presence of his cousin Diana, on Mary Anne’s side. She scared the shit out of him.

His adolescence passed in nothing short of comfort. Their family was extraordinarily well-off and Cicero enjoyed the fine dinners, exciting pastimes, and rich opportunities that greeted him at every turn. He was well-suited to the silver spoon in his mouth. He aspired to science or politics, just like his father, whom he held in high regard. He did not want for company: genial and generous, he attracted peers like any other young man would. He even played sports in secondary school (something that greatly pleased Mary Anne), but his sights were always set upon many years of higher education and a long, illustrious career among the elite of the Eastern Reach.

#### Young Adulthood

Cicero never planned to be a Fisher. It was the last thing on his mind when he went to college and picked his courses. He thought the fishers too raucous and disorderly (not to mention his hesitancy to explore anything beyond his own shiny little world). But his roommates were more adventurous than he. Several of them aspired to the profession, despite their family’s misgivings. They entertained him with stories of the glory of the job (secondhand and embellished, of course). One in particular, Leo, a redhead with more exciting tales than he had freckles, wheedled Cicero into joining him after they graduated.

It wasn’t long before Cicero was hooked on the idea, to his and everyone else’s surprise. He dreamed of bringing his upper-class perspective to the Fishers. His outlook might not have been completely accurate, but his newfound passion for the mystery and the gleam of the fishers and their duty enthralled him. He threw himself headfirst into studying alongside Leo and passed the Fisher Exam, of course. The first people he told were his parents. Upon hearing of his son’s choice, Constantine roared with laughter, wondering aloud how long he would last but wishing him well all the same. Mary Anne just fretted.

A few weeks before they were set to finish their schooling, Leo disappeared. This only made Cicero even more determined: to fulfill his friend’s dream was the only way he knew to honor his memory. Plus, he had promised.

The night he graduated, Cicero made a beeline for the Fisher HQ, elaborate visions filling his head. He was certain this was right for him. He felt ready to take on the world, completely prepared to offer his skills and resources to the rough-and-tumble Fishers.

However, he *hadn’t* expected Captain Cordelia Sommers to intercept him on his way out the door. He felt three things as she described her predicament: invincibility, pity, and an opportunity. Cicero agreed without hesitance. He could already see his *new* illustrious career panning out before him.

What a silly, silly man he is.

## Trivia

* Fiddles with his hands
* Eats copious amounts of bread and lettuce
* He can play piano!
* Card player
* Likes fencing, isn’t spectacular at it but still enjoys it
* Avoids physical touch when possible, will likely flinch or move away
* Farsighted; refuses to get glasses, but if something is within a foot of his eyes it’s blurry
* Speaks passable French, Latin