Crosstitch

Name: Tobias "Toby" Surge

Alias: Crossstich

Age: 16

Pronouns: They/Them

History: Tobias was born in a small Delaware town as the third of five children. A quiet child, Toby busied themselves with crafts and books instead of the games their boisterous siblings played. Tragedy struck when Toby was nine; while playing with friends a terrible fire burned down half of their neighborhood and killed their mother and younger siblings. Toby's father was T-boned by a truck trying to rush to the scene, thus Toby and their two older siblings were sent to an orphanage. The system tried to keep the siblings together, but soon the eldest aged out and the other was adopted. Toby was left alone, but slowly gained friends within the orphanage through the toys they made. They also grew close to Kathryn Bates, the middle-aged owner. 

The orphanage came under new management when Toby was twelve- a man by the name of Eugene Rutledge. Funds began to dwindle over the course of two years, to the point where the children's things were being sold to make ends meet. Many were sent to other orphanages, leaving Toby nearly alone. While they were hand mending clothes, Toby heard Eugene on the phone mention his plan to drain the orphanage dry, then burn it down to claim the insurance. They refused to lose another home, and began planning a way to stop him. Plan after plan was made and tossed, until a few days later when they found Kathryn with a black eye in her office. When Toby learned she had taken the hit for a child, cold fury solidified their plan. After finding his address, and scouting it for a few nights, Toby snuck into Eugene's house in the middle of the night. They laced Eugene's water glass with rat poison, and watched hidden from a closet as he choked to death. Before they left, they stitched his mouth shut and glued buttons to his eyes; their first kill as Crosstich.

Toby fled town that same night and made their way north, intending to cross the peninsula to Gotham city. They caught a ride with a small circus, offering their mending services to pay their way. There they learned acrobatics, and befriended Roman, the animal tamer. He taught Toby about life on the road, and was like a second father to them. When they came close to the border, the circus heading to Pennsylvania, Toby decided to leave despite Roman's arguments. Unaware of how young they really were, Roman gave Toby money, supplies, and a young squirrel monkey Toby named Shoelace. With a fake ID and funds, Toby fell seamlessly into the petty crime of Gotham. After a few months they caught wind of a local business owner accused of sexual assault, mainly against minors. They took up Crosstitch once more, this time with a disguise, and killed him after a close struggle. Realizing how much corruption existed in the city, Toby melded with Crosstich for good, and vowed to make anyone who dared abuse children suffer.

Personality: