Profile
https://skire.club/character/OFFICIAL-CROOK-282
I've sorted out a few more bits of her story, and so far I think I want her former Protection to have been based solely on the aspect of survival as opposed to tight-knit bonds. Given how harsh the Alter World was, the Protection operated under a ranking system- a Crook earned their place in the Protection by proving their worth. Everyone was expected to contribute to the Protection, though rankings usually determined the specific role a Crook played. The lowest of the low were gatherers, they were expected to source food and materials alike. Then, you'd have stronger Crooks who were the fighters, they would defend the Protection with tooth and claw, and were expected to go down fighting if they could not win. Unfortunately, weakness wasn't very well tolerated, and those deemed cowardly, or too wounded, were usually cast out as they could no longer make a contribution and seen as more of a burden. That being said, it was rare for the Protection to form bonds with one another, as it made their strict ways of living difficult- they operated with logic, suppressing feelings as they were too complex in a world where each day was a looming threat against them. Janus would have climbed the ranks and operated as a second in command, I think- she was morphed into her rigid persona that she is today as a result of the Protection's ways. I imagine that she was once, like many, a newly formed Crook, terrified and intimidated by the world around her, and she may have experienced a loss so deep she no longer wanted to form any connection with another- which would have made her perfect for the Protection in question.
Though, as the banished era came to a close, and Crooks were freed, I can imagine the corrupted leader wanted to keep hold of his power and brainwashed much of them, or at least most were too afraid to retaliate, and the Protection remained the same. He would convince them that survival was still their main goal, but he truly just didn't want to let go of his grasp over all of them. I want Janus to have formed a bond with someone, as the new world around them granted so many freedoms and different temptations, so she would in turn be deemed a traitor and cast out.
Janus is still very much closed off, and seems to have a general disliking towards Crooks who have never experienced the banishment- feeling they won't ever truly be able to understand their own kin on a personal level. Truthfully, she's jealous that they never had to experience such horrors, and projects this in a crude manner.
