Christian Vogal

Esme de Leveque (Aunt, deceased)

Christian is a professor, the leader of Mercia Fortress’ Science Department, and Cog’s unofficial guardian.

 Bio

Originally from Arcadia, Christian relocated to Mercia at the age of 22. While Christian’s specialization as a chemist is not funded particularly well by the fortress, he makes up for those fall-backs with his own extensive research, and with his copious amounts of spare time partakes in “revolutionary” experiments. They may or may not have burned holes through desks. And floors.

## History

As a child, Christian was, to quote the author, "a huge fuckin' nerd." He started out as a quiet child, especially in school, as he was incredibly smart and got repeatedly pulled out of class until the school spoke with his parents and eventually had him skip a year. This landed him in the same class as Esther, and the two became close friends very quickly. Christian would always try to motivate Esther to do better in school, as she was extremely anti-social outside of him and was dealing with a lot of bitterness and depression, and to bring Alexander out of his shell as well, as Alexander was also anti-social and bitter when he was younger; generally, he was a helpful, happy kid. He became a part-time professor for a time after graduating.

Then, all around the same time, Esther left to return to Mercia, Alexander suddenly became a recluse, and Christian's father died, sending him into an extreme downward spiral.

## Relationships

**Cog** - Christian is Cog's unofficial guardian, who looks after him and makes sure he has enough money to live (by deliberately destroying his own pocket watch so he can pay Cog to fix it), and has since the day Cog arrived at the fortress.

**Esther** - Christian and Esther have been close friends since they were teenagers in Arcadia, and Christian has been in love with her for nearly as long but has never been able to tell her. It was Esther who offered Christian a new start in Mercia, thereby pulling him out of the depression he had fallen into.

**Boris** - Besides Cog and Esther, Christian is probably closest to Boris. Christian has been unofficially deemed Boris’s babysitter by the Emperor (at Esther's suggestion). While it looks like all they do is spat, Boris is very protective of Christian and appreciates the role he plays in his life. Christian would like to positively influence Boris before he becomes emperor, so Mercia’s relationship with Arcadia doesn’t get even worse.

## Trivia

* His birthday is Valentine's Day (February 14), and his zodiac sign is Aquarius.
* He is bisexual.
* His surname Vogal means "bird" and originated as a nickname for someone cheerful.
* He is most proud of his ability to help people, medically as well as emotionally.
* His biggest insecurity is his feelings for Esther and his perpetual inability to tell her how he feels.
* His greatest fear is not being able to help someone.
* His vision isn't too bad without his glasses; he’s short sighted, so he only has trouble seeing things that are far away without them. He’s just so used to wearing them that sometimes he’ll even sleep with them on, or get in the bath with them on by accident.
* He is very skilled at using guns, though he isn’t particularly proud of it. Esther taught him to use firearms when they were young, at Alexander's request.
* Esther first bleached the streaks in his hair when they were drunk once; Christian liked it, and has maintained the look ever since.
* He likes food being made for him, and he likes his hair being stroked when he’s not well.
* He often goes out late at night to watch owls. They’re his favourite animal and he finds it incredibly therapeutic.
* His favourite food is toasted sandwiches and soup. Toasted sandwiches are his comfort food, and he loves making soup and crusty bread because he can share it with other people. He dislikes cheese.