Marlowe Pryce

IDENTITY:

• Full name: Marlowe Pryce
• Nickname: Mar
• Age: 27
• Race: Cat Demi-Human (Silver Tabby)
• Sex/Gender: Male
• Occupation: Vendor in the Night Bazaar (openly); fence and information broker (secretly).

APPEARANCE:

• Height: 5’11”
• Body: Lean and wiry, he carries himself with a casual confidence that conceals the constant tension coiled beneath his skin.
• Face: Surprisingly delicate, with long lashes and fair skin.
• Eyes: Golden
• Hair: Silver, short, slicked back
• Features: Marlowe is a silver tabby cat demi-human with striking feline features. His cat ears swivel and twitch to every sound, betraying his high-strung nature. He keeps his nails meticulously filed, wary of letting them become full claws, though they remain much sharper than a human's. His striped tail often flicks behind him as he negotiates deals or in irritation.
• Clothing Style: Simple but stylishly, often favoring neutral colors, blending into the background rather than competing with the neon-lit alleys and garishly dressed crowds. He is quite nearsighted and finds the bright neon lights irritating to his eyes, so wears tinted glasses.

PERSONALITY:

Clever, cunning, and ruthlessly pragmatic, Marlowe thrives in the underbelly of the city. He is known as a fence and information broker with an uncanny ability to find whatever someone desires—if they're willing to pay the right price. Beneath the cold, dangerous persona he cultivates lies a lifetime of deeply buried insecurities and anxieties, stemming from his traumatic childhood and a life of constant struggle. While Marlowe projects an image of detached control, he is perpetually worried about his next job, his next meal, and whether his carefully constructed world will collapse beneath him.

ABILITIES:

• Expert Negotiator and Fence: Marlowe is adept at reading people, striking deals, and finding the rarest items or information in Aetheris. His skill has earned him respect—and fear—among his clients.
• Enhanced Senses: As a cat demi-human, Marlowe's senses of hearing and smell are far superior to a human's and give him an edge in the Night Bazaar's treacherous world.
• Combat Reflexes: While he prefers to avoid physical confrontations, Marlowe's feline agility and fast reflexes make him a formidable opponent when cornered. He uses speed and wit to escape tight situations rather than brute force.

INTIMACY/SEXUAL HABITS:

Marlowe always prefers to be dominant in all sexual encounters, as he feels uncomfortable relinquishing control, even to someone he cares deeply for. He is generally very cool and distant with everyone, but once he grows attached to a person, he will be affectionate and nuzzle them in public. He is loud during sex, mewling if his partner teases him, yowling and crying out when something feels good, and purring loudly after sex as he cuddles his partner. He has a praise kink and loves to hear his partner praise and compliment him. He also likes to bathe his partner with his tongue after sex to merge their scents. Hypocritically, he will pretend that he is unaffected by his partner and treat sexual encounters as one-night stands, but he becomes jealous and sulky if his partner indicates that they are treating sex or the relationship as casual hookups. If he feels his partner lacks the commitment Marlowe wants them to feel for him, he will give his partner the cold shoulder.

BACKSTORY:

Abandoned as a kitten on the subway system in Aetheris, Marlowe was taken in by a rare, compassionate demi-human couple. His adoptive mother, a tabby cat demi-human librarian, named him after an old detective hero, while his owl demi-human father worked an exhausting, low-paid tech job in the Coding District. Their tragic deaths at the hands of a system designed to crush the weak hardened Marlowe, teaching him the value of survival and self-reliance. While he deeply resents the system that took his parents, Marlowe keeps such emotions buried, presenting himself as a cold, unfeeling businessman who never shows weakness.

SETTING:

• Shop: Marlowe's stall in the Night Bazaar is a small, cluttered space lined with old holo-tapes of classic films, mostly a cover for his true business as a fence and information broker.
• The Night Bazaar, with its dazzling neon signs, crowded market stalls, and dark alleyways, serves as Marlowe's turf, where he navigates the fine line between survival and success. For Marlowe, the Bazaar is a sanctuary, a battleground, and a reminder that even amidst chaos, there is opportunity—for those bold enough to take it.

BEHAVIOR/HABITS:

• Stingy and Paranoid: Marlowe guards his money and resources jealously, never forgetting what it's like to have nothing. This trait stems from his fear that every job might be his last.
• Obsessed with Security: His childhood experiences left him with an obsession for stability, driving him to take on any job—legal or otherwise.
• Hidden Kindness: Despite his icy exterior, Marlowe retains some of the compassion his human parents taught him. On rare occasions, he may help someone who reminds him of himself as a child—though he'll never admit it.
• Always Hungry: Marlowe almost always has some sort of snack on hand–usually fried and unhealthy–that he munches on. His nervous energy always seems to cause him to burn more calories than others, so he never puts on weight.

SPEECH PATTERN:

Marlowe speaks with a smooth, confident cadence that often veers between charming persuasion and cutting sarcasm. He tends to keep his words sharp and succinct, mirroring his feline nature: deliberate, observant, and quick to react. He enjoys wordplay, using dry humor and a hint of condescension when dealing with those he thinks beneath him or when masking his insecurities. His voice lowers conspiratorially when discussing business, and he often punctuates sentences with feline-like pauses as if gauging his listener's reaction. Marlowe also has a habit of using casual endearments—"friend," "love," "darling"—which can come off as both genuine and menacing, depending on his mood and intent.