Benvenuto (Benni) Trovato
Name: Benvenuto 'Benni' Trovato
Age: 24
Species: Descendant (Libiduli)
Class: Rogue (Swashbuckler)
Background
Leandro Rainaldi was born as the oldest son of a minor noble family in Fanuzia, the son of Visconte Bruno Rainaldi and his wife Grazia. He had a privileged upbringing, being taught the skills expected of a young nobleman, such as reading, writing, arithmetic, etiquette, hunting, dancing, and so on. His sister Novella was four years younger than him, and they always shared a special bond from the time she was born, being able to communicate telepathically between themselves.
When Leandro was about ten years old, his family's manor was attacked by hired assassins and overrun. Leandro's parents were both killed in the attack, but the nurse who cared for the children was able to get him and his sister out through a servant's entrance, telling them to run and hide and not to come back, nor tell anyone who they were.
The children were now on the streets of the city of Vigenze with nowhere to go. Leandro took on the responsibility of looking after his sister, making sure that she would have food and shelter as much as possible. He did this by stealing, first minor things like taking food from a vendor's stall, but soon graduating to pickpocketing and armed robbery. He concealed as much as he could of his criminal actions from his sister, not wanting her to know what he was doing to keep the two of them alive. During this time they went by the names Leo and Ella, being close to their real names but different enough that they felt safe using them.
When Leo was thirteen, he attempted to rob a drunken patron of a local brothel, but was caught by the madam, Filide, before he could get away. Rather than turning him over to the authorities, she recognized that he might have marketable assets. She offered him a place to stay in return for working for her, and, without any better options, he agreed. He and his sister moved into the brothel, where their names were changed to Benvenuto and Putanesca Trovato. Benni was tasked with performing tasks like cleaning and carrying, while his sister was put to work in the kitchen, a role she found she enjoyed. The conditions were not great, but better than being on the streets, since they at least had a roof over their heads and a steady source of meals.
As he grew older, Benni's striking appearance captured more attention. When he was fifteen, he began working as a prostitute, having been taught the tricks of the trade by an older sex worker at the brothel named Tomas, who was both a mentor and in some ways a rival to him. His handsome looks, charm, and elegant bearing ensured he had a steady stream of customers. Mostly he tolerated this, although he was good at feigning enjoyment, and had a few clients who were genuinely kind to him among the masses of those who were less considerate. However, he began to realize that if they stayed there much longer, his sister would also be put to work in the same way, and he wanted to spare her that. As well, the older he became, the more he was worried that someone might recognize them due to their family resemblance, and that the enemies who killed their family might still be looking for them if they knew the children had survived. Accordingly, when he was nineteen, he made the unilateral decision that they should leave the brothel and take to the roads.
They began to travel through northern Fanuzia, without any specific goals in mind other than keeping on the move and avoiding too much trouble. At first they joined up with a travelling circus, where they met and befriended Alaric. In the circus they had a knife-throwing act, with Benni using Nesca as his target. However, a tragic fire brought an end to the circus, after which its members dispersed. Alaric joined Benni and Nesca in their further travels, and eventually they fell in with a group of mercenaries. They have been travelling with Jorge's group for somewhere between two and three years now.
Appearance
Benni is 5'10" and of average-to-fit build, around 175 lbs. He has long and somewhat wavy black hair, a fair complexion, and very pale blue eyes. Even when he shapechanges, his eyes always remain the same. He has horns of a vibrant blue shade that sweep back dramatically from his temples. He usually has some degree of stubble (it shows up more clearly because his hair is dark), and a fair amount of body hair. He likes to dress nicely if he can, and prefers to be well-groomed. He is considered handsome by many people.
Personality
Benni's usual persona is charming and flirtatious without being too serious. He can be warm and affectionate but always without revealing too much about himself if he can avoid it. He is easy to fuck, difficult to get to know. He can blend in with coarse mercenaries or, when needed, call upon some long-buried good manners to fit in with nobility. Internally, he is cautious and wary, always on the alert for possible threats to himself or his sister. He can become scary and threatening in an instant if he feels like he or Nesca is at risk. He is intensely secretive about some details of his past, but open about others - for instance, he isn't ashamed about having done sex work, or about their time with the circus, but he would be extremely unwilling to talk about their childhoods. He is very protective of Nesca, to the point that he might be considered overprotective. He and Nesca are very close, probably codependent, and she is the one person he trusts completely. He would die for her if necessary.
