Profile
Anatole is a magically animated doll, created by the witch Edel Aglais to serve as her workshop assistant. They lived with her for many decades, following her instructions and completing the tasks she set them and doing little else, all things consisdered. But the day came when his mistress suddenly and unexpectedly passed away, leaving Anatole without any further instruction on how to proceed from here.
He was taken in by Edel's old friend Lilith, who employed him as a secretary and archivist at her office - as well as a babysitter for her young daughter Ginger. Lilith tried to give Anatole the freedom to do as they pleased, but the idea of having wants and whims was foreign to them. With Edel gone, they struggled to understand why they existed, or what sort of life they should be living. Now that there wasn't anybody to give them answers, it was all they could do to try to learn how to be a person, but they couldn't help but question whether personhood is something attainable to them in the first place.
Being with people and living on their own terms still doesn't come naturally to Anatole, but they have made progress. With the help of Lilith and Ginger, who he earnestly came to treasure as his family as best as he can understand the concept, and the friends that he's made at the office, he's always learning more about what it means to connect with others. Through that, he hopes that he'll eventually learn how to connect with themself. Is that what Edel wanted for him, perhaps?
- Carries themself with an airy elegance
- Unexpressive and difficult to read
- Speaks bluntly, to the point of rudeness
- Unexpectedly sarcastic
- Full of self doubt beneath the surface
- Reading books
- Keeping tidy
- Yellow flowers
- Butterflies
- Being around people
Despite being an artificial creation, Anatole possesses a magic core like a human.
His core magic is Hundred Needles. Anatole summons a ring of large needles, ten at a time, that materialise behind his back, and he can manipulate them freely using magical threads. The needles are numbered, with each number being associated with a different effect - for example, one type of needle can be wielded as a bladed weapon, while another can be embedded in another party to immobilise them, another can allow him to take control of living things or objects, and another still can be used to mend others' wounds. Although his ability is incredibly versatile and useful in most any situation, he dislikes confrontation, and so he isn't often deployed on the field to use it.
Anatole doesn't know why or how they are able to have a core magic. Was their core artificially created? Was it taken from a human? Does it function the same way a human's does? Unfortunately, now that his mistress is gone, he has nowhere to seek answers to these questions.
Lilith Dusk
adoptive mother
Lilith was an old friend of Anatole's mistress, and took it upon herself to look after him when she died. He knew little of how to interact with others at the time, but Lilith has always been patient with him, gently encouraging him to speak and act on his own free will while keeping enough distance for him to be comfortable. They have a quiet, understated relationship, but Anatole appreciates her very much, and confides in her on occasion. He still feels that he'll never be able to call her his mother, though - somehow, the word carries a heavy weight for him, as if those shoes were already filled.
Ginger Hummel
little sister
Anatole has been with Ginger since she was a little girl. One way or another, they grew to be very close. Her cheerful and nonjudgemental presence played a big role in helping Anatole to grow more comfortable being around people when they were new to the household, and she was the first person they were ever able to really connect with as a result. She taught them a lot of what they know about how to interact with the world, and through her he was able to become a part of a family. He has a clear soft spot for her now, and she is by far the most likely person to tempt a smile out of him.
Dren Avalon
good friend
Anatole works the most closely with Dren out of everyone at the office, what with effectively being Dren's supervisor. They've developed a friendly relationship - Anatole finds Dren easier to talk to than most, as Dren has perfected the balance between being gently encouraging and not pushing too hard into his personal space. Anatole is able to confide in them sometimes, and Dren always has thoughtful advice to give.
Esca Lumine
good friend
Esca is a good friend of Anatole's at the office. They're both a little off the wall in how they communicate with others, and share serious and plain-speaking dispositions, so they click with each other well. Anatole finds that Esca always has interesting things to say, although he's not above poking fun at them a little when their common sense gets away from them.
Calypso Insomne
friend
Anatole has known Calypso for a long time now. She used to bother them a lot when they first came to live with Lilith, but since then the both of them have got more used to each other. Now, she'll try to mess with him and make him laugh - which never, ever works - and he'll be bitingly sarcastic towards her, but it's a state they've both settled into and are comfortable in. In Anatole's eyes, she's definitely annoying, but he does trust her and values the work that she does.
Cyra Renata
friend
As with Calypso, Anatole has known Cyra for a long time. In their case, they kept their distance from each other for a long time, but they have sort of learned to get along. Anatole thinks that she needs to work on her manners and that she's prone to foolish behaviour, but he enjoys her presence - they can sit in comfortable silence a lot of the time, or he can bother her a little. He does enjoy bothering her a little.
Leonis Roth
friend
Leonis holds respect for Anatole, and is somewhat curious about him, but Anatole largely finds her noisy and irritating. He tends to shoo them off whenever they're making an attempt to talk to him, but Leonis is more persistent than he would like. Although he'd say he dislikes her, they can find themselves in strange little back and forths where nobody else can understand what they're talking about - from the outside, they sometimes look like some kind of comedy duo.
Njall Grimnir
friend
Anatole and Njall get along well, but there's somewhat of a distance between them. Njall in some ways respects Anatole's space a bit too much and gives them a wide breadth as a result, and Anatole is absolutely not one to bridge the gap themself. Although Njall is the most sensible one at the office from Anatole's point of view and they often agree more with his perspective on things than anybody else's, they feel that he's the one they understand the least - they don't understand what he does all this for, or why he seems so unhappy.
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