Trivia "Neopolitan" Vanille

**Trivia Vanille**, also known as "Neopolitan" or "Neo", is the partner-in-crime of one Roman Torchwick. Born to a wealthy family that desired normalcy than anyone else, Trivia's childhood would be rife with conflict with her parents due to her heterochromia, inability to speak, and overall defiant nature. Theft, fooling criminal groups, and allying her herself with Roman has honed her into quite a formidable trickster. Not only with her Illusion magic or deadly parasol, but her roguish nature.

## Background

Trivia was born in France as part of the Vanille family. A wealthy upper-class family with her father also being Mayor. This may have led to her living a life of privilege where she wouldn’t have to do much at all other than not run family businesses into the ground once she was old enough to inherit. There was only one problem with this, in a family that greatly valued normality she was not very normal at all.

Trivia had been born mute and with heterochromia, making one eye a standard brown and the other one an unusual pink. Most parents could of course work with this, they could learn sign language and would even see the heterochromia as something interesting. Jimmy and Carmel Vanille, however, were aggressively normal individuals, especially her father who refused to admit that she was incapable of speech and often tried to make her talk with her voice. This desire for normalcy would reach abusive levels such as locking Trivia in her room when they went out or had guests over so they could keep pretending they have a normal daughter, avoiding looking at her when they spoke so they wouldn’t have to acknowledge her eyes, and her father, while he never went so far as to beat her, was also physically abusive.

Living like this started to drive her away from her parents, even her mother who didn’t care as much about her irregularities still seemed to treat her as a part of the family legacy rather than as a daughter. Not being able to form any friendships either due to her parents’ desire to keep her hidden from the public, she ended up making an imaginary friend named Neopolitan. Unlike most people with imaginary friends, Trivia happened to have the capacity for magic and an essence that just so happened to be perfect for projecting imagination into reality. As a result by the time she was 5, Neopolitan could fully manifest as a separate being whenever they felt like playing, appearing almost like a twin sister but with pink hair and eyes in contrast to Trivia’s brown hair and the brown-colored contacts her mother made her wear to cover her own pink eye.

Although she didn’t realize it at the name, Neopolitan was not truly a separate individual or split personality but rather a representation of Trivia’s desire to rebel against her parents and lash out against their emotional neglect. On her 8th birthday for example, Trivia and Neo were playing a game that Neo directed into a room that Trivia was forbidden to go into where she perhaps not entirely accidentally broke a vase which enraged her father who grabbed and shook her by the ankles while demanding she speak and tell them what happened, of course she could not but managed to use a communication board to blame Neo who had disappeared at this point. Her mother managed to get her father to back off and tried sympathizing with Trivia to get her to leave Neo behind but also left her to clean up the mess once Trivia “refused” to speak in response. Trivia was about to get started on cleaning up the broken vase when Neo reappeared and encouraged her to leave the mess for someone else.

These incidents continued throughout her childhood and adolescence. One time Neo encouraged her to sneak out, broke a bully’s nose, and helped her ruin her parents’ party when they got back. Another time they drugged Trivia’s tutor so that they could sneak out in one of the family’s cars and go shoplifting for colorful clothes that were the opposite of the more formal and proper clothes provided by her parents. That time her father had to pay off all the stores to avoid them pressing charges and once again tried to use this as an opportunity to make Trivia use her non-existent voice to speak, stating he would forgive her if she verbally spoke anything at all to him. To this Trivia responded by hurling a parasol she had stolen like a javelin, leaving a cut on her father’s face.

This eventually reached a bit of a head when Trivia was eighteen. Her parents had again locked her in her room while they were out and this new lock was a bit much for her to pick. At Neo’s suggestion she made a makeshift flamethrower to weaken or destroy the lock but failed to consider her wooden door and other flammable objects in the room. With the room still locked and on fire she had to resort to jumping out the window where Neo was able to briefly catch her, softening her landing. When the Vanilles got home her mother did actually show concern for Trivia's safety as her daughter but her father was just concerned about the attention this could bring, unusually so even by his standards.

When her parents ask what happened, Trivia once again points to Neo. With both of her parents angry and fed up with the influence Neo has had on their daughter, Carmel struck the imaginary girl which caused her to shatter like glass. Trivia was briefly reduced to tears by this, worried she’d never see her friend again, but soon heard Neopolitan’s voice within her and for the first time felt like she was complete, like she was finally herself. Trivia started to sass her father even without the use of words when he starts demanding that Neo never appear again. This eventually reaches the point where Carmel has to stop him from striking Trivia but even Carmel felt angry and they ended up sending Trivia to a boarding school where someone else could help teach Trivia to be a proper lady.

Trivia was brought to Lady Browning’s Prepratory Academy for Girls which her mother had also attended and continued to donate to. While she was at first willing to ignore her misgivings due to the headmistress's demeanor and her own excitement at being away from her family she soon found her first impression of the school was right, a miserable place where everyone had to conform to fit in, walking the halls with no overt emotions and sticking to the proper but drab uniform. Additionally, due to being surrounded by people who thought the same way as her parents, it was impossible to make friends. Trivia spent most of her meal times alone listening to other conversations which often were gossip about her. It didn't help that Melanie and Militia, twins and the popular girls, had chosen her as a target. At one point they stole and destroyed her uniform which led to her sewing together the pieces into an outfit she liked, along with deciding to use her illusions to make half her hair pink.

Later that night she noticed the two girls sneaking out somewhere, eager for the chance to get some payback and report their rule-breaking she began to follow them. Eventually, this led to her seeing them enter a club and she was surprised when shortly afterward a red-haired man was thrown through the window of said club. The man was soon to be surrounded by the twins along with a dozen or so men and she decided to help out, using an illusion that made it look like she was the man they were looking for then fleeing and dispelling the illusion, leaving them to look for a target who had seemingly disappeared.

The next day she attended class with her new look and ignored the strange looks she got while looking up things about the events that happened the day before while she waited for someone to actually confront her about it. It happened about halfway through the day when she was called to the headmistress's office. Headmistress Beatrix asked her why they have their dress code. Trivia suggested it was to discourage individuality but the headmistress responded that it was the opposite. In life one must find ways to bend the rules rather than break them, like Trivia who had technically worn the uniform while modifying it to her tastes. Beatrix then made an offer to give Trivia a better room and the kind of lessons she'd be interested in if she helps find one Roman Torchwick, the man she had come across yesterday. Trivia accepted and found her experience with the school to improve as she began to learn martial arts, manipulation, the art of escape, etc. Her education starting to look more like the training of some kind of secret agent or super spy.

Her spirit reinvigorated she went out on another shoplifting spree where by coincidence she came across Roman Torchwick. Both had decided to look for the other and as if by fate came across each other by chance. Roman asked what her name is and, figuring she shouldn't give her real name incase things go sideways, introduced herself as "Neopolitan" for the first time, something that she found she liked. They ended up heading to a tea shop to continue their conversation. Roman recognized the school pin Neo was wearing and figured that along with her abilities she's someone to be allied with and so to help foster trust began explaining his story. When Neopolitan reciprocated, mostly talking about her desire to expand her horizons than her actual past, he offers to act as her mentor. However at this point she was still pretty content with Beatrix which Roman was understanding of. Before she left though she took out one of the items she had shoplifted, a nice hat, and gave it to Roman.

Over the next few months they would continue to meet and form a bond with each other. Neo also spent much of her time looking into the criminal group that Roman had deserted to set out on his own from. He gave her the modified umbrella that still acts as her weapon to this day and she continued to influence his fashion. This bond eventually culminated in the two performing a heist where Neo saved Roman from a magic-using do-gooder who had attempted to stop them. At the same time her relationship with lady Beatrix had begun to somewhat sour as Neo "failed" to find any signs of Roman. So she chose to break into a secluded chamber that Beatrix spent much of her time in when she was certain Beatrix would be out. Using her magic to trick facial recognition tech she learned that the pins all students wear are actually cameras, a camera she had been wearing every time she visited Roman's base of operations. She took out the hard drive and texted a warning to Roman then began to make her way to him only to be confronted by Melanie and Militia who she learns are the daughters of Miss Malachite, Roman's old boss. Here to help kill the deserter and establish a foot hold in the local crime scene. She managed to escape them and resolves to help her new partner-in-crime.

When she arrives at Roman’s apartment she realizes she had acted just a little too late and he’s nowhere to be found. Deciding to start by reporting a kidnapping to the police she finds that there actually happens to be a pair nearby who offer to take her to the police station when they realize who she is only for them to instead drop her off at a club with connections to the local crime scene. Here she meets Hei Xiong, the local crime boss, from who she learns that her father is in a partnership with him and had become increasingly unreliable. He intended to essentially use her as a hostage. Realizing this was a good opportunity to either escape or pit the two crime groups against each other, she played the part of the clueless rich girl who had stumbled on something big and revealed Malachite’s plans to take over his territory, also implying that Roman had the drive that Neo in fact had on her own person. This has the desired effect, Hei Xiong orders all available men to stop this scheme. Now alone with him, Neo knocked him out and then used magic to disguise herself as him. Approaching the vehicle his subordinates had prepared and then dealing with them as well once she learned where they suspected Roman to be.

Hei Xiong’s men had found what seemed to be like a convoy and Neo confirmed it, using the vehicle Xiong’s guys were preparing to intercept the convoy and get Roman out. Once they had gotten away and Neo had explained the situation via text, Roman asked where they could go while they find a way to use the data on the drive. Neo thought about it and then drove them somewhere she hadn’t been for half a year, her home. She was nervous about confronting her parents but Roman reassured her. At first they did not recognize her but when they did her mother hugged her and welcomed them in. Neo and Roman waited for her parents while discussing the attempt at covering up anything not normal in this house. Eventually, her parents served them tea and then stated that they’d let them stay a day but then Roman must leave due to his nature as a criminal. To this Roman responded by smashing his cup while Neo just laughed it off and revealed she knew about her father’s criminal connections. However, as her father reacted unusually calmly to this and Roman arguing with him she realizes something is wrong. Too late however as she succumbed to the paralyzing substance the tea had been spiked with.

After that she was dragged to her room by her father as he unconvincingly ranted about how everything he had ever done was for family. Her room had been completely restored to its original state, save for the door which now had a heavy blast door only able to be opened by her father’s fingerprint and the similarly fortified windows. She was locked in here where she gradually regained movement, looking out the window when she heard gunfire and saw that her plan to pit the two criminal groups against each other had worked as both had come for Roman and the drive she had stolen. Neo examined the door, finding it to be truly secure. When it opened suddenly she lunged through with her weapon out, aiming to stab first and ask questions later. Surprisingly the person on the other side of the door was Roman who managed to evade her still somewhat clumsy movements. He had only pretended to drink the tea, not trusting anything her parents gave them, and had dragged her father back to the door to get her out.

Neo and Roman agreed that the only way to get the heat off of them would be to use the data on the drive to get the police after both groups gunning for them. She led him to her father’s office so he could use the computer and remembered something when they got there. The odd way her father had reacted when her room was set on fire, the security on her room that had been installed while no one was even occupying it. She immediately headed back to her room where she found her father opening a false floor and taking out magical materials. Rather valuable and volatile materials that could have easily been set off by, say, a fire. He had been stealing them discreetly from his partnership with Xiong and hiding them in his daughter’s room, the last place one would look for such materials. He tried to justify it but she just used her magic to throw a fake match at the materials and close the door. That would keep him from interfering anymore seeing as the only person who can unlock the door is now stuck behind it.

After that she decided to buy Roman time, taking on his appearance and “accidentally” being seen multiple times around the house while he worked on revealing the criminals coming after them. Eventually they met up and ran out the house only to be faced with miss Malachite who had brought some serious firepower to finish off Roman. Thinking quickly, Neo gave them the appearance of her parents while making it look like her and Roman were still inside of the house which Malachite promptly blew up, detonating the materials her father had been gathering and leveling the entire structure. The explosion had of course also killed her parents, Roman tried to reassure her to which she responded that this had just freed her from the Vanille family, however he then pointed out that she had subconsciously added three white streaks in her hair. Before they could discuss it further though they heard sirens, emergency responders finally arriving after all this chaos, and made their exit. They confirmed they would continue to work together and the two have continued to do as they please across the continent.

## Personality

Neopolitan can be a very self-centered individual, perhaps a result of her spoiled yet negligent childhood both allowing and making her think of herself. She cares little for the damage done by her and Roman's thefts but would be furious to have anything taken from her. Despite this sense of self-centeredness she has no particular ambition outside of continuing her partnership with Roman.

Additionally she can also be a cruel and sadistic individual. Taking great joy in dominating opponents for example. So long as a battle is going her way she can be see sporting a smug smile, even as she goes for the kill. This can sometimes lead to her drawing out fights more than she should and as a result giving her opponents more chances than she should to reverse the situation.

This demeanor tends to go away when she's only interacting with Roman. They've been working together for years and have perfect synergy both in combat and out. To Roman she devotes all of her sweetness, loving, and loyalty, even if she does sometimes playfully call him a dum-dum in response to his more outrageous schemes. Although there's nothing official for now the two of them can sometimes display a very flirtatious side of their relationship.

Neo in general has a very sassy and sarcastic personality that she somehow manages to get through even without the usage of words or sign language. This is sometimes displayed playfully with Roman and more maliciously with others. Liking to wordlessly mock them or just roll her eyes.

Neo posseses a desire for validation and equality from anyone she works with which is another reason she's so dedicated to Roman. He always provides compliments for a job well done and treats her as a partner rather than just another subordinate. She will always be primarily loyal to Roman but can work decently with others if they treat her with respect and don't downplay her desires or accomplishments.

## Abilities

### Magic

Neopolitan is a very specialized magus, a master of illusions. Her most favored way to use this is to make herself look like someone else or make an opponent think she's somewhere she's not but she is also skilled at other usages such as making illusory structures or making copies of other people. She could use this magic to give herself a voice but chooses not to even when in disguise. Perhaps in part due to her essence which has a good compatibility with her magic her illusions are strong enough that to a certain extent they can fool reality itself, this gives them a small amount of actual physical presence but nowhere near the object they're trying to imitate. So she could climb up an illusory staircase but having a copy of herself punch someone would only inflict minor damage. This comes with the drawback that her illusions can be targeted by physical attacks, shattering like glass at moderate impacts. It is possible that with more experience she can make her illusions more durable but for now she mainly just continues to use them to great effect for misdirection and deception as illusions are meant for.

### Martial arts

Part of what Neopolitan learned at the academy and continued to expand on is how to fight, whether it be to defend herself, reach an objective, or even kill. While she can still throw a punch well enough she is more versed in subversive styles of fighting. Some of the martial arts she's studied are wing chun, non-sport canne de combat, fencing, savate, taekwondo, and zipota. This, along with acrobatic and dancing lessons, has all combined into something of a unique style of her own with few punches, mostly using her parasol and kicks instead. It's a largely defensive yet aggravating style, evading and deflecting her opponent’s blows with an air of absolute ease, only hitting back when an opportunity to do so arises. Recklessly attacking only plays to her advantage but one cannot simply ignore her or wait her out either as she can quickly cover distance as soon as her opponent tries to disengage and can use illusions to misdirect opponents who give her too much time to work with. The fighting style also makes full use of her flexibility and acrobatics, being able to do things like jumping off the wall to get unconventional attack angles, effortlessly recover from throws, and perform a full split with ease to evade a high attack before simultaneously getting up and counter attacking.

### Espionage

Thanks to her rebellious youth, her current escapades, and the special lessons she received at the academy, she is an expert in skills that are suitable of a spy, thief, or assassin. Lockpicking, stealth, manipulating others, etc.

### Equipment

#### Hush

Neo's favored weapon gifted to her years ago by her partner-in-crime. It is a pink parasol with enchantments related to defense and movement. Closed the parasol can act as an effective club or cane, being able to stand up to blows from other weapons and having a hooked handle useful for catching enemy attacks or manipulating their limbs. When opened the parasol can act as a shield able to block offensive spells, allow her to glide as she pleases, bounce off the ground, or be used to toss a charging opponent over her. Inside the umbrella is a blade that can extend out of the tip or connect to the handle and be drawn like a sword. She usually only uses this as a means to finish off opponents or to catch them by surprise but she is capable of fighting with the blade as well, often fighting like a fencer in such occasions with the non-bladed portion of the parasol being used as a parrying tool.