Simon Paulson

Personality: Simon is a two-faced opportunist. He adapts to people in order to get what he wants from them, which is usually money. He’s a quick thinking con man who feels little to no guilt in exploiting others or a situation. He'll lie for his own benefit, or just lie for the sake of lying. He tends not to do anything that isn’t his own idea, unless it benefits him in some way. People who know him on a more personal level will find that he’s, unsurprisingly, very self-centered, outspoken and rude. But he does look out for people he’s close to even if it’s usually in small ways. Because he’s caught himself in a long con he’s also very dependant on the help of other people. While Simon isn’t actually blind he behaves as if he is in public, and because of that he often relies heavily on others to get by. One could consider it extreme method acting, breaking ‘character’ risks destroying a very good set up for him. He's the kind of guy who will ask for your help and then rob you of everything you own as thanks. You can trust him about as far as you can throw him.

Background: Simon’s family moved to Japan when he was very young in hopes of a job opportunity for his father in the automotive industry. Unfortunately the job did not last his father long, and he instead had to work a minimum wage job while supporting a wife and two kids. Needless to say it did not go very well. Simon had a pretty rough childhood, and ended up going down a less than favorable path to say the least.

He never finished high school, being more interested in other pursuits than preparing for a 9 to 5. After running a few clever scams on people he caught the attention of an older more experienced con, a woman who went by the name of ‘Agata’. They hit it off immediately, becoming partners in crime. Agata had the knowledge and experience, while Simon added in his own ingenuity to the mix. They worked together for years, and by the end were quite close, and lived well together on ill gotten gains.

But all good things come to an end, they had a falling out in a con gone wrong. As soon as they heard police sirens Agata fled, but Simon was unable to in time. When the police arrived on the scene Simon was arrested. The con-man was incarcerated for a week before the police came to the conclusion they couldn’t hold a case against him. It turned out that it was a slip up on Agata’s part that had tipped off the cops, but she refused to admit her mistake. After all, she was the better con, and was unable to see through her arrogance that she was at fault, blaming Simon instead. But he was unrelenting, Simon still wanted to work with her, but he wasn’t about to work with someone who would not acknowledge and learn from their mistakes. Agata never budged on her opinion, and eventually left.

The BetaV incident happened several months later. Simon had lost all contact with his former partner, but she was one of the few people he was ever really close to, and so he went out to look for her; if only to make sure she was okay.

He found out that after Agata left their partnership she became engaged wealthy businessman, and was living with the man in metroplex. Simon, still bitter over their falling out, assumed she was only with the other man for his money. He revealed to her soon to be husband their past crimes as revenge for her using him as a fall guy. Unfortunately the engagement wasn’t a con, Agata genuinely loved the man. So, needless to say she was not happy when her lover told her he could not marry a liar and a crook. She paid Simon back by beating him senseless, punching him to the point that her own knuckles bled.

Simon stumbled back to his home as soon as he was able. He went on with his life as best he could afterwards. But the prior events made him had left him a bit of a wreck, and he made a very bad deal with some crooks from Gomibako. When he was unable to hold up his half of the bargain they didn't take it too kindly. They were about to kill him, and would have, if his ability hadn’t kicked in. Simon retaliated with a strong electromagnetic pulse, knocking out his attackers and the power in a five block radius. He made it out of Gomibako just in time to collapse in a convenience store trying to buy bandages.

Simon woke up in the hospital a few days later. The rebound from using his powers was bad enough that he completely lost his sense of sight. The doctors declared him blind, but wouldn't explain to him why. He arrived home in a depression, adjusting to being unable to see and recovering from his injuries. But over the course of the next few weeks his sight gradually began to return. The doctors had already set him for therapy sessions to help him deal with his ‘impairment’ along with a disability check, and not being one to miss an opportunity, Simon continued behave as if he were blind in order to cash in.

He used this ruse to not only trick the government, but other people as well. He also soon realized he had a 'gift', and worked hard to make it useful. Through trial and error he learned not only his limits, but other uses as well.