$5

Scout's greatest asset is his quick mind. He knows in his soul that, when it comes to this world, he was given the short end of the stick. Being as small and unathletic as he is, he stands no chance in physical labor-- he gets out of breath if his short legs have to carry him up the smallest hill. Instead of making it with his strength or any kind of physical skill, his mind was his best tool. So far, it hasn't failed him yet. He is not book-smart but there are few out there who can talk as smoothly as he can. He isn't a liar, at least not much of one. He doesn't like to craft tales to serve his own benefit, and often struggles to come up with convincing lies. Instead, he is great at convincing others of his ideas or offering them trades. He can barter with anyone. This is especially good for his work as a merchant-- he could sell a firewood to a forester or corn to a corn farmer. He is quick-witted and able to deal with a changing situation with ease and confidence. This has led him to be quite bold. What is there to fear when he can talk his way out of anything? He would put himself against anyone, certain of his own abilities to the point of cockiness.

Scout is so much of a flirt he doesn't even realize what he's doing anymore. He'll flirt with most anyone, using smooth words and smart compliments to win the heart of anyone he meets. He is very open-minded and truly down for anything with anyone, and always seems to have some fling going on with someone. He paints himself as a respectable and noble merchant; and though this isn't quite the case, he is still very well liked. What little duplicity he might use is rarely caught on to, and many in the towns welcome his arrivals, enjoying the energy he brings. He talks quickly and, if given the option, endlessly. He always has a tale to spin, some grand story of his adventures that's only about ten percent made up. He is not as good of a listener as he is a talker, but he is quick enough to make up for it and rarely be caught on to. He can be materialistic, loving his wares and the trades he makes, but is generally more interested in flirting than in his own profit.

Scout is sentimental about his family and about his life. He enjoys hoarding small things as tokens of the good times he has has, keeping these memories close to his heart. He gets highly emotionally invested in things, even the short little flings that he has, and likes to have some way to remember the people he has met and things he has seen by. As a salesman, he is very effective; never selling anything that is truly junk, though like every merchant he has a habit of making things sounds grander than they really are. He loves to convince people of things and takes great joy in each little success he has. He is very positive and tends to move with a skip in his short step. One of his biggest pet peeves is being looked down upon-- both physically and metaphorically. He often stands on objects to give him some extra height and allow him to look his buyers in the eyes. Dare condescend to him and meet a true flurry of words. He dislikes being demeaned and has a great amount of pride in his items and what he has accomplished. He hates comments about his height the most.

Scout has always used his sharp tongue and quick thinking to get himself out of things-- danger, trouble, and most days, responsibilities. He learned from a young age that, if he were just a bit wittier than his peers, then he tended to be able to get what he wanted. This very soon became the strategy he would run his life by. When he was a child, going to school with others his age, he was always the child to get out of classroom chores by talking someone else into doing them for them or offering some trade-- that was, until a teacher caught on and made sure he did his fair share. He was the sort of child that would never get in trouble. Not because he never broke the rules, of course; Scout had very little regard for the rules and has always been more interested in the possibly gains. No, he never got in trouble because he could talk himself out of anything. He would claim the punishment was too much, or that he was sorry, come up with some excuse or exception as to why he should have been allowed to act as he did. In general, this would work, and he would get away without any trouble at all.

When he was young, Scout was very close to his mother; something that other children tended to tease him for. He was very much his mother's son and would spend much of his time helping her or following her as she ran errands, and he'd often carry around a small stuffed dog that she sewed for him. That was, until a particularly bad bought of bullying hit for carrying around a toy. He was too old to carry a stuffed toy, the bullies said. In order to defend himself, Scout threw out the small toy, claiming that he was only carrying it around for his mothers sake and that he had no interest in it at all. Later, when the bullies left him alone and returned to find the toy, it was gone.

The loss of the toy, though such a small thing, hurt Scout more than he could say. He was distraught that such an important item from his mother was gone, just like that. His mother tried to sooth him, making him a new one, but it was never enough. To this day, Scout's mission is to find that toy. He is certain that it was picked up by some child and, at some point, traded away. As a merchant, he feels he is in a unique position to find it. He took up life as a merchant after his father who taught his son everything he knew, and Scout has been on the road ever since. He is determined to find his lost toy one day during his travels.