CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: Victor Scarborough
Gender: Male
Age: Thirty-Seven
Education:
Hogwarts '53. Ravenclaw.
Community Applying To:
Diagon Alley
Do you wish to be approved as a group with any other characters? If so who and for what IC reason?
No.
Do you plan to have a connection to a particular existing place (example St Mungo's, Children's Home, the Ministry, Shrieking Shack) or to take over an existing shop in need of new management?
No.
Special Phrase: Tibbles beard of power
Biography: (300 words minimum.)
In school Victor had always been the quiet boy that would only be approached if someone else needed him for something. Help with Charms? Go see Victor. Need to find a book for Potions? Go see Victor. Need someone to write your paper for Muggles Studies? To make a cheat sheet for you? To just all around annoy? Victor. Victor. Victor.
It was only obvious what had happened next.
Victor snapped and it lead to him almost being expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Thankfully he had only been landed with suspension, since it was ruled that he hadn't done anything outlandish enough to warrant expulsion. When he returned to school, however, people were slightly wary of him. So using his new found reputation of being "crazy", Victor coasted by the rest of his time at Hogwarts moderately undisturbed.
After graduation, the former Ravenclaw had attempted to work in various places to gain experience, but he had never found the right place and ended up moving all around the world. In his travels, Victor stumbled across various tomes that he holds precious to this day and decided that he'd open up a bookstore. Not any bookstore though. No. Victor opened a secondhand bookstore, since nothing is better than the smell of old tomes and the feel of the aged binding to the man. He had hoped others felt the same.
In time, Victor had finally met the woman of his dreams and eventually married her, but good things never seemed to last for the man. Five years after they had wed, Victor's beloved had passed away because of cancer. The loss of his wife had affected him greatly, causing the man to become cold and a recluse for a few years. His store had been closed down and only had reopened when he had all but finished grieving for his late wife. He is also gradually becoming less of a bitter old man and slowly allowing his heart to open again.
ROLEPLAY
Reply as your character to the following:
It was impossible for Dianne to stay out of trouble. It wasn't that she was looking for trouble, it's just that trouble always managed to find her. Today she wished she could find something equally familiar but more comforting.
The five-year old girl hugged her puffskein closer to her and brushed her face in its soft fur for comfort. She had named him herself and he was always her special pet. No she was certain she had never gone down this side street before. Her anxiety increased every second as darkness fell as she walked down the road. A loud noise came to her left and she buried her face in her pet's fur completely. The scared girl bolted the opposite way slamming the both of them into the wall of the nearest building. Tottering back a few steps she found a door a few feet to her right and ran to open it. What light there was inside spilled out into the darkness and she spilled into the room.
Once in, she was caught between the impulse to curl her cloak up more tightly around her and loosen her grip on it. She wasn't alone anymore but she was now among strangers instead, which was nearly as terrifying. Her puffskein had recovered from the shock of the wall and now was purring contentedly as the girl hugged it, causing a mildly calming effect on the girl. Gathering her courage, she marched up to the nearest person, pulled on the nearest clothing hem and blurted out in a loud voice:
"I'm lost and it's dark and I wanted to know where I am but I'm not scared but I am worried that Sambundeakin is scared because he's little and needs something to eat and wants to go home."
She paused to draw a breath in her nearly never-ending sentence, "He misses my and his mommy."
To explain the scared girl held up the custard-colored puffskein. Sambundeakin the puffskein, however simply purred as if nothing on earth was wrong in the world.
Roleplay Response:
Victor was having a less than pleasant day. His old injuries were acting up again and today people seemed fit on stepping on everything he loved. Literally. It had been that time of year again when fresh new faces would be entering Hogwarts and the last minute shoppers had flooded his shop in search of books at bargain prices. And when people looked for cheap books, what better place was there than a secondhand bookstore? Scarborough's was packed today with parents and their children, some of who didn't appreciate the appeal of old books.
"Hey! Watch where you are walking! And no running in my shop!" Victor growled when one of those aforementioned children had ran straight into a bookshelf, causing it to wobble dangerously and made a few of the tomes fall off the shelves and onto the ground. In the confusion, Victor hadn't heard the bell to his shop chime which signaled a new customer. He was going to go over to fix the books, but the intruder had caught him by hem of his coat and began to demand his attention.
It took everything he had not to growl because of annoyance, but the frightened face had stopped the sound dead in his throat. He swallowed it down and refrained from grimacing, while attempting to soften his expression instead. Her words had came out so fast that the aged man had almost missed some of them, but he had gotten the gist of it. The little girl was frightened and claimed that her pet was too, but with the way Sambundeakin the Puffskein looked, Victor assumed that she was the only one that was scared.
Victor offered her the warmest smile (Which was probably still not that great coming from him) and kneeled down slowly as not to spoke the girl. "This is a bookstore and I'm the owner, Victor," he explained in a calm tone, "How about we find you a chair to sit down in and possibly a picture book you can look at until you calm down? Then you can tell me what happened and I can help you find your mommy."
Next he had slowly extended his hand to her and waited for her to take it or not before leading her to find a chair to sit in. He would gesture for one of his employees to assist in helping look over the shop, but the frightened little girl took priority.
SHOPKEEPER QUESTIONS
Answer these questions only if you are applying to be a shopkeeper as well.
Shop name: Scarborough's Secondhand Books.
Shop Description (200 words minimum):
Scarborough's Secondhand Books is located on the corner of Diagon Alley. It looks to be a small shop from the outside, but actually feels bigger on the inside. This is because of how far back it stretches and, of course, a little magic.
The shop is made of stone on the outside, while the inside is more of wood paneling and carpeted floors with a large wooden door that leads to the shop, while both letters printed on the glass of his shop and a small double sided sign above the door (Hanging so that you can see it while you walk down the street) displays the name of his shop. A bell greets you when you enter and allows the man and his employees know of your entrance.
There are low rows of shelves stacked with books of all kinds, but majority of them are older books that have already been owned; Either by Victor himself, purchased from other stores or donated to the store over the time he has run the shop. Victor does stock newer books of course, but not very many. Mainly since he finds the appeal of older, more weathered and aged books to be more appealing.
In the front end of the shop is where most of the store's activity can be seen. Victor has small groupings of furniture for customers to lounge in if they so wish it, but he frowns on people lingering too long since other customers might wish to do so as well. This part of the store is usually more well lit than the rest, since it is easier on the patron's eyes to read in better lighting.
What purpose will this shop serve other than selling things and being the home of your character? Why would people want to RP there just for fun?
As mentioned, it would probably be a good place for students and adults alike to visit if they have a love for books and felt like browsing or even reading in peace. The chairs in the front of the store offer a relaxing and comfortable place to sit without too much pressure from Victor to either buy something or get kicked out. It would also be a nice change of pace for busy shoppers to come in and unwind for a bit, however, food and drinks would not be allowed unless they wanted a grumpy old man breathing down their necks.
