"You are a falsehood, detective, a perpetrator of your own downfall awaiting trial. Absolutely everything about you is a lie. I intend to see through that guise to the truth, no matter how deeply you bury it; you cannot hide forever."
— Vendetta to Lusa
Vivienne Lupita Scarborough
Vendetta
The Violet Ripper
Agent 94
She/Her
Lesbian
Mid-30s
French/Spanish
Killer/Vigilante
Chaotic Neutral
Antihero/Antagonist
The Magician
Violet & Vanilla
Scorpio
The Violet Ripper, Agent 94, Lady Serpent... no matter what name one whispers in the dark alleyways she stalks, she is, above all things, Vendetta (and a Scarborough at that). Unlike others with the gift— or curse, more likely— of that family name, Vendetta acts on her own violent terms, the need for vengeance burning brightly within her and spreading like a wildfire. A former assassin of defunct organization Hydra, her unusual skills are as sure as the mark emblazoned on her chest, but her motivations are tipped to the side of justice; after ensuring the destruction of Hydra, like a mortal Heracles, Vendetta became something of a people's champion herself, though her work is ever conducted in shadow. She became a vigilante, protecting from and ultimately ridding the innocent of their persecutors, and stopping other aspiring violent criminals from carrying out their sinister plans. She does not leave her targets to the whims of the legal system, which she sees as petty and corrupt, but instead enacts her own brand of justice; like a deranged juror, she mercilessly delivers them to their diviners, the only judges in high enough a court for her to serve with complete satisfaction.
She, along with close associate Mara Liger (and later, Simon Frosst), pioneered Polar Dove, which currently operates under the guise of a consulting firm. They gain clients through word-of-mouth, people who come to Polar Dove seeking an end to their abusers' tyranny. These clients never see Vendetta, but she ensures that her associates ask the necessary questions before she takes on a case. She never accepts monetary payment; her services are paid for in blood.
6' 1" (185.42 cm)
Slender
Tattoed on her chest is Hydra's symbol, a silver sword with her agent number (94) on its blade, encircled by a two-headed snake with a spiked tail; one head is red and the other, black, both with yellow eyes and overextended fangs. The sword has a blue eye on its crossguard.
Vendetta's body is littered with scars. Prominent among them include the following:
- Knife attack scars on her left shoulder and upper arm.
- Scarred-over severe burns on her left elbow and the bottom/side of her right foot.
- Scars from restraints around her ankles and wrists.
- Large scar from a blade running up her inner left thigh.
- Bullet wound scar on her stomach.
- Scars of indeterminable origin on her knees.
Are they dyed, or is this a universe where people have natural crazy hair colors? Who knows!! Looks cool!
Both of Vendetta's hands are missing their fingernails. There are no points given to those who correctly guess what caused their disappearance.
Vendetta is a cunning ally and a lethal enemy. She is extraordinarily smart and is a jack of many trades, having learned a plethora of odd skills from her time as an assassin under Hydra. Charismatic, genteel, and witty, she can smooth over any social embarassment and easily deflect jabs back at their weilders. It is a supreme challenge to catch her off her guard (and even more so to make her show her astonishment); the only individuals privy to her lapses in confidence are her half-brother Armand, her beloved adversary Lusa, and occasionally, Simon and Mara, her business associates (and close confidants). There is a constant airy smile on her face that persists through every emotion and action, especially when eliminating a target; her smile is simultaneously her most disarming and most haunting feature, for it is that of a predator who is soon to feed.
Her capacity for kindness is a matter of perspective, and one of her most baffling qualities. To her enemies, she is exacting and often sadistic, traits which sometimes follow her into casual interactions. Her violent nature is difficult to separate from the rest of her life, and she rarely shies away from putting it on full display to make a point, even to those who pose no threat to her. Most people, however, find her to be relatively affable and polite; if nothing else about her is genuine (and very little is), she does sincerely care about the people in the lives of her many identities, and she never forgets a face or the person it belongs to.
It is almost impossible to measure Vendetta's sanity accurately; she accepts that her actions are often atrocious, but considers them a necessary service, and has learned to enjoy the brutality. Her history has taught her not to believe in rehabilitation, and so, she bloodies her hands on behalf of the innocent with an overexerted sense of duty, which is a flip of the script from her past as an assassin, where she was often made to target the innocent instead. In many cases, Vendetta is ridding victims (and the world) of truly evil, violent criminals who will continue to evade traditional means of punishment and reoffend as desired; in other cases, however, she acts more in her own self-interests than in those of her clients, employing a skewed moral code and exercising unnecessary cruelty when dispensing judgement. Due to her polarity, her actions can be interpreted any number of ways, but they are, without a doubt, extreme.
She is enamored with the detective, and endlessly pines for her despite their unconventional dynamic.
Oolong and black teas (either plain or with a dizzying amount of milk and sugar, there is no in-between) are her favorite. They help to center her and clear her mind.
Code for the messy part of her job. When life gives you lemons and strawberries... etc. etc.
Vendetta plays a multitude of characters. Every identity of hers is lovingly crafted and mantained.
...which is a pain for someone who remembers every face and every name. Even dead and gone, they live on in that way.
She strives to anticipate every little detail of a case; unless Lusa is the one surprising her, Vendetta hates deviations from the masterpiece her mind paints.
Vendetta deeply resents her days as an agent of Hydra, but what came before that is dark and forbidden territory; attempting to explore it is a surefire means of transporation to an early grave.
A patron of all things artistic and alternative, no one ever said Vendetta's crimes were uninspired; her morbid medium of choice, however, is where the criticism stems from.
Elegance in both appearance and speech are essential in Vendetta's line, and her tongue is as silver as they come.
She has a sharpness of psyche that is present in all her identities. Her intentions may be unhinged, but her attentiveness is sure and unwavering, even in the face of disaster.
It is simultaneously her greatest asset and the root of all her faults. A saint could never do what she does, but a tormentor of her caliber cannot hope for a peaceful end.
All her careful planning aside, Vendetta is undeniably reckless, especially when plans change. She is as unpredictable as a force of nature and will act on her own terms.
Vendetta convincingly imitates the apogee of control, but in the velvet black of night, some desires cannot be subdued.
Vendetta is a polyglot who collects languages like one might collect baseball cards or snowglobes. She loves to travel to different countries and engage with the locals in their language. The more obscure, the better. (She even knows Esperanto!)
Vendetta is trained in several different types of martial arts; her fighting style is a mixture of all of them, as there is no sense in sticking to just one.
Vendetta has extensive knowledge of plants... especially those of the toxic variety. (By now, it should be clear that very few of her interests were acquired with savory intentions in mind.) Her houses are usually full of them, kept like houseplants or an innocent herb garden; one never knows when they might need a sprig of atropa belladonna or nerium oleander for a very special stew, after all!
Vendetta can convincingly mimic the voices and accents of others, even those she has only heard once or twice before. She can also masculinize her voice at will, allowing her to imitate men as well as women (or sound androgynous). Her natural voice is very soft and distinctly feminine.
Much more than just protection from the sun; its material, though lightweight, can stop a good several rounds of bullets before breaking. (You can guess what the spears at either end are for.)
She could hardly be called a master of disguise if she let her violet bangs show all the time. She has wigs in numerous styles at the ready so she can convincingly play any number of characters, male and female.
She has an arsenal of weapons on her at all times. She prefers knives over guns, as she finds the latter to be too impersonal, but you never can be too careful, and bullets make for quicker work.
For those impromptu trips to Turkey or Japan, as one does.
A remnant of the past, and an example of the aforementioned "forbidden territory."
If Vendetta were a plant from
Plants vs. Zombies, she would be a
Doom-shroom.
Vendetta's scars still hurt sometimes, especially the ones around her wrists.
Simon and Vendetta tried a relationship, but Vendetta could only be intimate with him if she imagined he was a woman; although she loved him deeply, their romance was limited to a single flame that quickly petered out. It ended amicably, but a part of Simon never stopped wanting her, and though he respected her decision, he secretly hoped that she might return his affections someday.
If Vendetta were a character in
Avatar: The Last Airbender, she would be a waterbender with the capability to bloodbend (outside of the full moon).
Vendetta's perfume smells like vanilla with notes of violet (flower). The floral properties are not particularly strong, so the scent as a whole is very reminiscent of a candy store or cake icing.
She has a primarily British accent, as she lived in England up until she turned 12, when she and her father moved to the United States.
Adopts a black female cat down the line, who she names Merlin.
mad tsai
Valerie Broussard
Weathers
The Unlikely Candidates
Daughtry
Nico Collins
Set It Off
Molly Ofgeography
Jake Daniels
Young Heretics
Adversary/Soulmate
Lusa despised Vendetta to start, or pretended to, but Vendetta never really saw her as an enemy. She found Lusa fascinating and willingly embraced her gravity. When mutual attraction eventually blossomed between them, Vendetta accepted it far more readily than Lusa, and resolved to wait for her to sort out her feelings, no matter how long it took.
Business Associate/Close Friend
Vendetta scooped Simon up out of the police force while Polar Dove was still just a concept. His ability to lie so convingingly that even polygraphs couldn't pin him down made him a valuable grifter, and his sharp eye and smart fingers made him an even better thief in her eyes. The two briefly dated, but Vendetta broke it off upon realizing she could never be with a man. She still loves him dearly as a friend, however, even if that will never be enough for him.
Business Associate/Close Friend
A longtime friend of Vendetta's hailing from her Hydra days. Mara was never officially initiated into Hydra, and it was her outside perspective and hacking expertise that expedited the criminal organization's downfall upon teaming up with Vendetta. They have been inseperable friends ever since, and Mara now works for Polar Dove as the team's resident computer expert and gadget-eer.
Older Half-Brother
Vendetta's slippery fraudster of a half-brother is the only blood-related family member she keeps in regular communication with. He took care of her after she ran away from home, and tried his damndest to keep her out of Hydra's tentacles, which ultimately failed when he was incarcerated. Even after all this time, they still love each other fiercely as ever, and when Vendetta needs advice and cannot rely on Simon or Mara provide without bias, she goes to him.
Close Confidant & Eventual Lover
Ferris appears in a turbulent period of Vendetta's life. Bereft of a wife, friends, and purpose, Ferris rights her world by restoring the love of her life to her, and secures her spot as an indespensible part of Vendetta's family.
Treasured Friend
Vendetta never forgot a face in all her years of killing, but Esther's turned out to be the most unforgettable of them all. Their association began, as many things did, in Hydra, where Esther was little more than a scared intern, the youngest of the monster's hatchlings. Vendetta had been against the testing performed upon the girl from the start, but the decision was not hers, and the ripper's own plans took priority. She encountered Esther, still in a coma from her ordeal, amidst the dismantling of Hydra, and believing her to be dead, left her to the inevitable. What Vendetta did not realize was that they would meet again years later, when Esther, now Mockingbird, hungered for answers. Recognizing her talents and vigilantism, Vendetta spared her once more and then some, guiding her to the answers she sought. Now, the two only occasionally meet, too often in turbulent times for one or the other, but occasionally in peaceful moments, also. Esther only ever warmed Vendetta's bed once, but that is far from their minds, as they enjoy a sort of unconventional (yet surprisingly affectionate) friendship that only a thief and killer could.
Enemy & Former Boss
The deranged mastermind behind Hydra. Vendetta obeyed his every whim, eventually replacing Lena as his second-in-command in the organization; the trust he placed in her would be his— and his nine-headed creation's— downfall.
Enemy & Former Lover
Lena was bad news and she made Vendetta the headline article. Their relationship has always been complicated on multiple levels, but it was never healthy, and Lena was an obsessive, poisonous mess of a person to the bitter end. Vendetta spared her when she destroyed Hydra, partly out of pity and partly as a final act of love. But Lena refused to let the curtain fall.
Enemy
The vile monster who hurt the person Vendetta loved most, and a cracked mirror reflecting back at Vendetta her own image.
A Memory
She'll make it up to her if it's the last thing she does. It cannot all have been for nothing.
"
People are easy. Dress appropriately, and look confident enough in what you are doing, and no one will think to question you until it's too late."
—Vendetta to Simon on social engineering
Lusa: "
I can see why men are drawn to you."
Vendetta: "
Are you implying that you're drawn to me too, gatita?"
—Vendetta and Lusa discussing their sexualities (referencing a scene from Beastars)
