THE EMPATH

Herd Affiliation: Aodh
Rank: Courtesan
Patron god: Ignacio

Talents:  locked
Blessing: locked

Familiar: Ball Python
Mojave pied morph male, Louis
Philo purchased Louis for a companion animal. He is lazy and friendly, and loves to curl around in warm places or wrap himself around horses who will stand still long enough.

Appearance key points:

Deferential - courteous, regardful, dutiful, obedient
Tolerant - inclined or disposed to tolerate; showing tolerance; forbearing
Decorous - characterized by dignified propriety in conduct, manners, appearance, character
Sagacious - having or showing acute mental discernment and keen practical sense; shrewd

Pious - having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for god or an earnest wish to fulfill religious obligations
Amenable - ready or willing to answer, act, agree, or yield; open to influence, persuasion, or advice; agreeable; submissive; tractable
Keen - characterized by strength and distinctness of perception; extremely sensitive or responsive
Covert - concealed; secret; disguised

Chary - cautious or careful; wary
Frail - having delicate health; not robust; weak
Precarious - dependent on circumstances beyond one's control; uncertain; unstable; insecure
Restless - unable to stay still or quiet; worried; anxious; uneasy

Philo is ever changing to accommodate the whims of his customers and acquaintances, changing his colors like a chameleon to fit the situations. He is cautious with his words and actions, trying to be as polite and proper as possible. In a sense Philo isn’t anything, and at the same time he can be anything you want him to be. He is all about the glittering and pretty surface much like his surroundings, concealing his true emotions and thoughts so deep within himself he sometimes forgets they are there.
It is difficult to rile Philo up, as he seems rather apathetic to the actions of others - at least on the outside. In reality, he is insecure and anxious, but more inclined to just give in to the wants and wishes of others than bring up his own emotions. In direct conflict he tends to get paralyzed, and not able to do much at all.

Being devoted to Ignacio is a big part of who Philo really is, much like a key to a lock. Within himself he harbors many sensitive and vivid emotions, unable to really deal with them and unwilling to expose them to the outside. If the outer layer is ripped out, a certain deep sadness is revealed - a lost boy. All his hopes, dreams and other emotions are hidden even deeper into the dark.
When it comes to etiquette and general daily life, Philo is witty and alert. He is good at listening while revealing very little about himself, and knows how to make a good companion to both private and public events. It is his livelihood to make others feel good, and he is exceptionally good at just that. His own needs and desires have always been secondary, and are a frighteningly unexplored territory. It is something that Philo finds difficult, so it tends to get pushed aside and replaced with a fresh mask for the day.

Instead of a hard-shelled creature Philo is actually very soft, easily manipulated by the emotions of others. He has fine-tuned himself to understand others, and has very hard time setting any kind of boundaries or uttering a simple ‘no’. He has a weird love-hate relationship with his body, as it is his means to make money - thus needs to be taken care of, but also something entirely sold over and over - as in doesn’t feel like it even belongs to him anymore. There is a certain level of body dysphoria he doesn’t seem to be able to shake.
Deep, deep, deep down Philo is actually a pretty well-humored guy, sweet and kind.  He enjoys pretty basic things - a warm bed, a nice book, good wine, and so forth. To him calm and quiet are luxuries, and he greatly enjoys peaceful moments. Due to his often high-strung state of mind, however, he is prone to looking for artificial feelings of calm, in both drugs and alcohol. He gets easily addicted to things - be it consumables, attention, money… He is aware of his shortcomings, and gets himself in check eventually after relapsing - until something new comes along. His low image of self-worth is a big trigger for many issues, and it is both made simultaneously better and worse by the attention he receives at his job.

History:

Philo attended public school in New Valore, and was a decent student at that, welcoming the pause from his chaotic home life. When at home, however, school work often had to come secondary, and in that his education suffered quite a bit. He was often still sick as well, having to fight to catch up with the others. After the Lower Secondary, his mother informed him that he was more needed at home, and wanting to be a good and responsible child, Philo didn’t protest. He did have dreams bigger than this measly life they had, but his mother knew just what to say to keep him around. With no close friends or safe adults he trusted, his mother was the only thing he had, and leaving her entirely behind was a terrifying thought. Not to mention they didn’t have the funds for higher pursuits or education, so Philo was left in the mess, further molded by it.

He didn’t much differ from a Scoundrel growing up, but turning 18 did open another door. Philo didn’t come from money, have higher education or much needed contacts for many things, so he turned to a brothel establishment to become a Courtesan. His mother didn’t originally agree with not freelancing it and keeping all the pay - surely a pretty boy like Philo could get customers regardless. It was, however, probably the first thing Philo actually put his feet down about. He didn’t particularly enjoy the thought of becoming a sex worker, but it was a paying job and not quite as hazardous as the stunts his mother was pulling at times, so it would do. Philo was well received, and after working a while he switched from a smaller, shadier establishment to the Pearl. Having his foothold in adult life Philo had started to grow more distant to his mother and had moved out, but did give part of his profits to his mother from time to time for years to come when she’d suddenly appear on his door.

Philo learned the ropes of being a sex worker fast, and already had the personality for it so pleasing customers wasn’t particularly hard. It did push him to become even more moldable, and in time he learned how to take on whatever personality it was that best suited his customers. He was bad at setting boundaries, and there wasn’t a request he wouldn’t at least try to fulfill, which he was rewarded by being paid well in return - even furthering the cycle. Better pay also made him better able to care for his health, even if he still remained somewhat more fragile than average.
Philo soon learned that just money couldn’t make him happy, and he felt rather lost. He didn’t see a viable way out of his rank, especially since he was good at it, and it did pay well enough to be comfortable. At least until he started spending his shards on opium and similar drugs just to not feel after the work was over, which was another slippery slope for him. His working suffered quite a bit eventually, and he was told by the Mistress to clean his act and get his pretty butt back in the game, or get out. This was enough to shake Philo up, and instead, he turned to the Sanctums.

Philo had always respected the gods, especially Ignacio, but religion hadn’t paid a big part on his life so far. At first, he visited Fernos - it was an impressive sight, and the huge effigy of Ignacio made a lasting impression. For a moment, in the heavily incense scented air he could forget all his worries - he felt so small, almost detached from everything. A while he visited Fernos during his free time, but switched to Vatros eventually, feeling it was less crowded. Being devoted to Ignacio became something that was a big part of him, something removed from his job - something that couldn’t be sold or bought. From time to time he would ask to have a bit of the sacred ash, and spread it around his home to feel better.
In general Philo was usually too tired to socialize much after work, as it required even further acting on his part. He had been in a few disfunctional and emotionally abusive relationships, and had somewhat given up free social interactions when those came crashing down. Originally, he had been afraid to be alone with his thoughts and fears, so it was a new world to be actually independent. In Vatros, he found a generally fairly different crowd, and the whole atmosphere was in a way soothing. Eventually he became acquainted with the Flamen Ulysses, at first because he was asked if he needed aid for some bruising, but it became friendly words here and there. Even if it wasn’t exactly all that much - Philo wouldn’t have gone as far as to call it a friendship, but it still was something he found truly refreshing, and kept coming back.

At the same time in his work, he was trying to appeal to rich equines - nobles, the upper class, rich commoners, the like. He spent his savings on a fancy bridle and some neat accessories, and was happy to note that he was having to work a little less for the same amount of money as the same individuals kept requesting him for longer escorting periods. He still didn’t want to become a freelancer, as he was - and still is, keen on the certain safety the Pearl brings with it. It of course means he couldn’t pick his customers, but at least he was looking the part to appeal to the “better” tastes.
Wanting to look flawless didn’t bring all joy though, as Philo found that year by year he was having to work harder to keep himself in a petite, yet toned frame. Dietary issues and opium usage reared their heads once more, not the least due to the scary events in Aodh recently, all adding to the stress. It has all been kept on a thin balance by seeking solace in the Vatros, and the ever-warming flame of Ignacio. 

Trivia:

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