Markus Stern

> *“Change your thoughts and you change your world.”*
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> — Norman Vincent Peale
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**Markus Stern** is a Barista in **Moemoea Cafe.**

After graduating from high school, Markus came to Mers to get a job at the Moemoea Cafe. He resides in a small house near the cafe where he is working. Though shy and a bit awkward, if you're friendly towards him he'll be friendly towards you.

## Personality

Though he is a very friendly person when approached, his timid and awkward personality makes him clumsy with his words around people. He prefers to stay on the sidelines and not say anything rather than get into discussions with other people. He's good at thinking outside the box and staying focused on his job, however. He embodies the saying "work smarter, not harder". Markus is also a pretty emotional person. Though it's hard to get him angry, it's not hard to hurt his feelings. He's very bad at hiding his emotions from others, so he's pretty transparent about how he's feeling. He doesn't stand up for himself often, instead letting people walk all over him as they please and is pretty naive about other people's intentions.

## Biography

Markus grew up in a small town where it mainly consisted of Talaens. Markus never got to meet his mother since she died after giving birth to him. He was instead raised by his father, a Talaen. The traditional views of the town scorned Markus's father for having a child with a Mortal, but Markus's father refused to leave the town. As Markus grew into a young boy, he was commonly mocked for being the son of a Mortal and a Talaen as well as for his timidness. He never had many friends, if any, and spent much of his time alone. This was when he began to take up writing stories and playing violin. Both were an escape from his dreary life for him and a comfort. Due to his lack of friends, Markus spent most of his time cooped up inside the house with his father as he told his son stories of his adventures as a boy or his mother, reading books with him, or playing violin together. The knowledge that he gained from his father made Markus into quite the problem solver, as well as the valedictorian of his grade in high school for four years straight. After graduating from high school, Markus was unsure what to do with himself. He hadn't thought of a career path or any college to go to so he of course went to his father for guidance. His father suggested working in a cafe a little ways away from town that allowed all races to relax there as well as work there. His father warned, however that he wouldn't be able to stay at home if he worked there. So, Markus decided to work his tail off at the super market in town until he had enough money to move out of his father's home. After four long years, Markus finally had enough to buy a small house of his own. He quickly moved in and applied for a job at the cafe. Before he knew it, he was a barista at the cafe and now had to settle into his new life.

Despite having worked at Moemoea Cafe for awhile now, Markus still hasn't gotten himself very integrated into the social aspects of his job. He has promised himself to try and be a bit more social from now on, however.

## Relationships

##### Poppy Hopkins

*“She's such a sweet person... I really like her.”*

After being paired together for the cafe's test of courage, Markus and Poppy hit it off pretty fast. She's the first friend that he's made since working at the cafe.

## Trivia

* He has a very soft voice.
* He has a habit of biting his nails.
* Enjoys working but he hates mornings.
* His favorite color is yellow, though you'd never know it due to his fashion choices.
* He has a garden in the back of his house that is actually quite impressive.
* He's a natural nightowl.