Kendall James McNeil

Antisocial / Quiet / Hard-Working / Candid / Abrasive / Brash / Withdrawn / Sarcastic / Proud 

When you first approach him, Kenny is quiet, and has a habit of pretending he's busy to avoid social interactions. If you push him to talk, he snaps, and you'll learn early on in the conversation that he doesn't have the best social skills. He avoids small talk when he can and prefers only to discuss business with the people he knows. That being said, there is a part of him that opens up once he's gotten to know you. His main problem is that he's abbrasive, and hates apologizing enough to avoid talking altogether. It's not just that he's too proud to admit when he's wrong; he's also incapable of being emotionally open without cringing. It's unbearably awkward for him to show emotions, so he sticks to what he knows; being cranky and unapproachable.

He can also be rather antagonistic when he wants to be left alone, or this quality can be mirrored in a more affectionate and playful context. He's dramatic by nature, and exaggerates in conversations with people he's comfortable with. For example, it's not unusual for him to use insults to show endearment or to pretend to be annoyed in a sarcastic manner. He messes with people who he knows won't take it the wrong way, but has enough emotional intelligence to know when it's inappropriate. He can also try to be comforting when someone needs him there, but feels guilty when he can't do more to help emotionally. He's better at offering distractions than being an emotional crutch, but at least he's a good listener. 

Kenny is tall and muscular, with narrow hips and broad shoulders. He's strong enough to handle most of the heavy lifting around the barn, but isn't concerned about his appearance and avoids any intentional exercise. This carelessness helps him deal with the inevitable question of what happened to his face. It comes up every time he meets someone new, and he's grown tired of telling the story. He was attacked by a bear as a teenager, while trying to chase it away from his cattle. The pale streak in his hair also raises questions, but he doesn't have the patience to explain. The aforementioned trait is of an unknown origin, but it's most likely genetic, as his mother has a similar feature.

backstory .
Kenny's mother was involved in a scandalous affair, which ended with a political figure's public apology, resignation, and the demand that Kenny's birth never be spoken of. Instead, Kenny's mother went off at the press, and refused to censor anything she said. This created mountains of legal work for her lawyers, which soon left her bankrupt raising her newborn son. Throughout his life, Kenny was taught to speak with the same candor, and never saw the need to hide his opinions. His mother worked hard so that he could have what he needed, and some extra, even if they couldn't always afford it. 

The two of them lived on a small farm, which was just enough for a horse, a small herd of cattle, and some pigs that they would sell to the local butcher. Kenny learned from a young age how to tend to livestock by helping his neighbors in exchange for food and other necessities his mother couldn't afford on her own. He would keep this set of skills with him his entire life; eventually becoming the barn manager of a prestigious stable, CBEC. 

As a teenager, he was the unfortunate victim of an attack carried out by his neighbor's pet bear. Having never seen one before, he assumed the creature was passive and would leave his cattle alone if he spooked it enough. To his credit, the bear didn't harm any livestock, but lashed out at Kenny enough to leave him minorly disfigured. He needed several surgeries to reconstruct his nose, and countless stitches to heal the defensive wounds on his arms. All things considered, he recovered well, but decided to drop out of high school for the work he had missed. After regaining his strength, he begun working for CBEC as a stable groom under Mr. Kent, Katrina's second-cousin. When Katrina came into ownership of the stables, she promoted him to barn manager, which is a position he's held ever since. 

education .
He dropped out of high school, but doesn't mention it out of embarrassment. A part of him wants to pursue his diploma still, but he doesn't see the need for it when he's able to support himself without one. It would be for the sake of his pride if he ever went for it. 

occupation .
He's the barn manager of CBEC and oversees all horse-related care at the stables. 

residence .
Ever since he was hired by Mr. Kent, he's lived on the stable grounds in the guest house.