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◇ Agents @nixke & @ikxros — The more we run, the more we burn ◇

Namgyu can't say he's been looking forward to this night, but it's been on his mind for days thanks to open files upon his desk and neglected tabs on his laptop. He's run through scenarios he knows nothing about because he's never lived them like the field agents do. Vivid, torturous mental images that contain glimpses of gossiping lips, swaying silhouettes, and pearls like buckled collars around rich throats. It's too easy to believe that, through the luxurious glow of a gala, there's room for disaster to happen. He's learned, unfortunately through enough discussions with his colleagues, that sometimes a wrong move is as simple as drinking from an unwatched cup or standing at an angle where no one notices the perfectly poised weapon aimed at an individual's vitals.

He's seen and read through his fair share of horror stories laced intricately into city-living, tucked neath white-collared business negotiations—it wasn't the possibility of these scenarios happening that kept him awake at night, rather it was who they could happen to. At any time, the familiar faces in his life could become no more than titles scribbled on plaques, left to collect dust in their halls. Fallen heroes, he thinks, are just fallen after a certain period of time; whatever they did to be considered heroic never outweighs the fact that "fallen" is a fancy word for dead.

He's stomached six years of this uncertainty well, all things considered. He left the abundant creature comforts of just being some starched suit in a courthouse, some fattened cat lapping at the desperation of the accused; Namgyu knows he signed up for this in the name of justice or some sense of the greater-good, in a way, knows every person he passes in the halls has made that very same sacrifice and it still never gets easier trying to understand that they're bound to lose something eventually. Logically, it's all risk management, factoring in those losses. When there's a lull in activity, a feeling of stagnancy and safety, he's conditioned to think about how it isn't meant to last. So when his office door swings open and he's half way across the room before even registering how he managed to dodge the obstacle of his desk, he realizes maybe he's more nervous about that something being a someone more than he'd like to admit.

"I didn't realize a masquerade gala would require so much prep work. I've been waiting for," he says while lifting his sleeve, taking a moment to stare at the face of his watch. In the glass, he reads the hours under his eyes in the form of darkened circles and it's too late to try and hide it, "at least twenty minutes past the time I expected you both."

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◇ Agent @leavenomess — Check Please. ◇

There's a food tent conveniently located a few blocks from the Obsidian Lounge and a short walk from the local criminal court he has to show his face at from time to time to remind the voices over his multi-line phone that he's a real person. At night, the tent is an inviting vision of neon blue tarps barely containing the cocktail of steam and smoke from the pots of boiling broth or grilling meats underneath it. The older woman running the place recognizes him, calls him 'honey' enough to at least give the impression she does, and he's never had his mouth empty in time to ever question whether it was from the news in his early years or from the frequency in which he sits down in one of her unfolded metal chairs. It's a blur of nylon yellow gloves beyond that point and tired glances across a table where silence has always been welcome.

Agent Ghost—Soyeon, when they're alone like this— never forces him to speak over their food and he's grateful for her for a multitude of reasons but sometimes the quiet she provides after a long day of talking ends up being the loudest act of kindness he can digest over shots of soju drowned in weak beer, and pickled side-dishes. "Kimchi jjigae or Doenjang jjigae?," Namgyu offers half-heartedly over a laminated menu he doesn't really need to look at anymore to know what's orderable but has a habit of worrying over in his palms anyway; it's a curse to feel burdened by a lack of activity. Down time ushers in restlessness even subtly so, knee bouncing under the plastic table. A month ago, he recalls asking her something similar and choosing neither of the options he suggested because her food came out first and quickly changed his cravings. Reaching over her direction after putting down the menu, he refills her shot glass with the last contents of their second bottle, just shy of spilling over if not for surface tension. Namgyu notes the warmth blooming around his ears. "What are you ordering? I think I'm just too hungry to figure out what I want. I could eat pickles until my insides turn into vinegar, you know?"

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◇ Agent @ikxros — Bruised & Bookmarked ◇

The clock on the far wall drones a dismal pattern of clicking, staccato, hour twenty-hundred-something. Somewhere, outside of the thick walls of the labyrinthine organization that he called his home now, Namgyu imagined the sky peeling back into indigo and sherbet over the Han River. If it had been raining that day, not that he would know for sure, the streets would be shimmered with rouge stoplights and littered with umbrella wielding weekenders. His Saturdays were a lot like his Mondays and his Wednesdays and it's been that way for some time now, headache pulled taught just behind his eyelids, kept at bay with ibuprofen and too many espresso shots. Today, he was drowning in debriefing, cup empty, mouth sour after talking too much and forgetting to hydrate. Tomorrow, he dared to look forward to a morning with an iced americano before likely following the same itinerary.

He clicks open a new document, white page staring back at leaden eyes. Following his usual procedures provides him minuscule distraction; with enough redirection he knew he could override exhaustion completely, tap into the energy reserves he used to keep for all-nighters spent studying for his exams, reading through his notes too many times to keep count, piecing together arguments he may not even use. Namgyu reminds himself that this life isn't as different from his old one even with an agent title tacked over his legal name, covering up the civilian in him. People still knock on his door too hard or don't bother knocking at all so he's trained to the sound of footsteps, certain gaits for certain people acting like a chain reaction that hints to how he has to conduct himself once his office is occupied by their presence.

Agent Ikaros was polished shoes on some days, clicking confidently upon linoleum, sneakers on others that comedically squeaked on a specific section of the polished hallway just before his door.

With that recognition usually came in tow the quick notice of change. The expected footsteps of the lounge owner sounded slower than usual this evening but familiar nonetheless, lagging in a way he could only describe as hindered and dragging. He finds himself newly distracted with how it ices his spine into the leather chair beneath him, swiveling to a still. Namgyu clears his throat, loud enough that the lining of books along his walls couldn't swallow up the reverb fast enough. "It's unlocked," he states rather plainly towards the source of sound, the curiosity for whatever he was about to encounter, thinly veiled in his rehearsed professionalism.

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Hello everybody I'm Cayo (they/them) and it's my pleasure to bring you Lim Namgyu AKA Agent Figaro ( originally skeleton ADVOCATE ) He is the dependable but cranky man that cleans up the legal aftermath of missions and that makes sure your character sees another day without prison bars blocking their view! It's grueling work and he's one headache away from losing it, but he's pretty damn good at what he does. I'm looking forward to plotting and chatting with everyone very soon—my discord is my preferred point of contact and will be available upon request, but I can use IMs as well if it's more convenient for you.

Below is a quick summary, along with some wanted connections to get the ball rolling! Race you to the end xoxo.

Origin Overview —

-Lim Namgyu is the son of two previously powerful lawyers that spent more time dedicated to their jobs than they spent raising him. Early on, he has to foster a sense of independence, surviving on the echoes of two nearly imperceivable people who were supposed to love him. He lives a financially stable life, but it's a lonely one that hardly opens up the windows for entertaining luxuries even if they could technically afford them.

-Late in his childhood, both parents are convicted for unjust law practices favoring some of South Korea's most notorious crime syndicates and while the realization of their wrongdoings stuns him, he can't find it in himself to grieve for people who were hardly there to begin with. He is taken in by his paternal aunt and his elderly grandmother shortly after. They show more interest and care for him in the span of his first year with them than he thinks he's ever experienced in his whole time living under his parents' roof, if that were to be considered truly living at all.

-That care is what pushes his aunt to heavily discourage Namgyu from following in his parents' footsteps. But when he gives in to his natural inclination for studying law in part to years of exposure to the lifestyle, the book of his future already begins to write itself. He exceeds the benchmarks his mother and father set when he enrolls in the same law school they attended, graduating and quickly being swept up into some of the biggest civil cases Seoul has to offer at the time. This garners him plenty of attention, even more so when the court rules in his favor.

-Because of this publicity, a senior agent from Aegis approaches him in the bustle of an emptying court room, under the guise of paying him for his time and dedication to an embezzlement case while the dust still settles around them. With the check that gets tucked into his suit, is a business card. With the exchange, memorable words that stay with Namgyu to this day:

"You want to do something actually good in this city, kid? Give me a call."

-It only takes a week for him to mull over dialing the number and over a drink shared at the Obsidian Lounge, Lim Namgyu is recruited into Aegis as their primary legal consultant and crisis manager. In present time, he is going on his sixth year with the organization.

Character overview —

-He's usually never a friendly face to happen upon in the halls of Aegis International, mostly because he's exhausted but also because he can't seem to ever separate his personal life from his business matters; making sense of and justifying some of the more convoluted happenings in the agency has left him in a seemingly perpetual state of cold indifference. Though, some would say he loosens up over a dirty martini from time to time or that he might crack a smile if given praise over coffee. These allegations, however, could be entirely false, and just a way to make Agent Figaro feel less like a heavy gavel to the temple and more like a colleague that cares. It would entirely be up to a curious individual to find out for themselves.

-Don't ask questions you don't want factual answers to, devoid of empathy. Hypotheticals leave too much space for Namgyu to interject with legal jargon—he's not fun at parties and that is precisely why he normally never gets an invite.

-Caffeine and spite fuels him through his days of paperwork, discussing and debriefing whatever the agency needs him to oversee and sitting through hours long discovery sessions with Seoul's most prestigious defense attorneys. Yes your call is going to voicemail so either send it in an email or say whatever you need to say to his face.

-He has a sweet tooth and a poor habit of leaving the evidence all over his desk. If you have a problem with clutter he will simply ask you to just avert your eyes since it's his space you're intruding anyway. He's too busy to use the trashcan at the other end of his study.

-Namgyu is normally holed up in his office most days or harrassing other intelligence and analysis operatives on others in order to help fill out holes in his documents. No stone left unturned heavily applies to his line of work, specifically if those details could mean keeping his colleagues out of hot water.

-He leaves little to be desired in terms of self defense but he does thankfully know how to use a firearm if he absolutely has to. Normally, Agent Figaro will tow a field operative with him if his business requires him to leave the confines of headquarters to ensure he has the manpower to overcome any threats that may follow being a man in his position.

-Don't bring up his parents' fall from grace and he won't bring up the theoretical criminal record that he's managed to protect you from strangling your career with.

-While he was initially raised well to do, he was not given many opportunities as a child to actually realize it. This made transitioning to live with his single-income aunt easy to do and has translated to a quiet appreciation for the finer things in these years that he's been able to afford them. One point of pride specifically would be a thick, golden watch on his left wrist.

Wanted Connections !

I've been more partial to brainstorming lately as I think it brings out equally interesting and unique aspects to all characters involved, but for now I'm itching for the following and this list is subject to change (likely further elaboration when I have a better idea of how Namgyu functions)—

◇ You both existed frequently in the same spaces before being recruited into Aegis International. This would be applicable to characters that were either constantly in need of legal consultation because of how involved they were in local crime within his district or characters who were active in Law Enforcement. If it's the latter, and you took your job seriously than he likely has a positive view of you! If it's the former than it might be more of a complicated relationship.

◇ Late Nights, No stars in the concrete jungle. Smoke breaks feet away from the Obsidian lounge bouncer to feel human again. You both don't often say much when you're together but there's something in the way your eyes mirror each other that doesn't need words. Perhaps one day you're not in your usual prowling area or vice versa and they have to actually find each other to initiate their quiet rituals. Are we going to talk about how we've made a habit of each other?

◇ He wont leave you alone because you're a walking legal disaster that keeps things too close to your chest, hardly wiping the blood off of your shoes when you walk past his office. Namgyu knows you don't like him, but unlucky for you he also doesn't care.

◇You're often the first person called upon to accompany him on his legal outings and because of that you either loathe him and wish desperately that he would learn how to better defend himself so you didn't have to be subject to awkwardly trailing after him all day, or you've grown fond of the peaceful silence he offers in the hustle of your normal schedule.

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"Tired" by Langston Hughes.