Cecilio Valentino
Name Meaning:
Cecilio- "blind," Latin
Valentino- "valiant," Latin
Birthdate and Age / Zodiacal Sign: October 20 / 28 / You'd think that the avatar of Justice would be a Libra. Well, he is, but he doesn't follow all the characteristics of a Libra. For a guy whose sign is supposed to bring about people who are sensitive, procrastinating followers, Cecilio seems to be quite the maverick...
Physical Details:
The most succinct way to describe Cecilio's look is "slacker action hero." He's got the well-muscled build that generally results from a life of running, jumping, and climbing, with the beginnings of a slight softening around the edges. Stretched over this is tanned, olive skin. When out of uniform, his clothing is loose jeans and casual shirts with a jacket or- in the warmer months- a Hawaiian shirt.
Cecilio's face is lean, with chiselled features and a slightly heavy bone structure that lends him jutting cheekbones, a prominent Roman nose, and a chin that could serve as a bludgeon. Framing all this is a head of wavy black hair, normally wrangled into a ponytail tapering to between his shoulder blades. Then there are his eyes, dark brown and almond-shaped, and set in a perpetual squint. His jaw seems cursed with a growth of stubble.
Bloodtype: O+, with particular emphasis on the "workaholic" aspect of that type.
Gemstone: Grey Jade
Likes:
The thrill of the Chase- Cecilio is at his best when his blood content is about 50% adrenaline, there's a stitch in his side, and he's just thisclose to apprehending a criminal.
Having dinner with his family- Food and family are two of Cecilio's biggest pleasures in life, and his hours often make this a rare pleasure for him.
Westerns- What better genre for the vigilante cop? Cecilio loves the idea of men (and women) who've taken it on themselves to dispense justice in a lawless land.
Rome- It's his home, and, as a cop, he considers it as much a part of him as he is of it. Of course, he'll complain about parts of it- particularly the traffic- but deep down, he feels that Rome is the best city in the world.
Dislikes:
Italian traffic- NOBODY obeys the traffic laws, and it tends to make it difficult to chase down criminals.
Blind traditionalism- Although he's all about following rules, Cecilio prefers to follow the spirit of a rule. He's not above breaking a rule he sees as pointless or irrelevant if the situation calls for it. This tends to get him into trouble at work, but he usually gets by. Of course, he can't stand people who rigidly obey rules or- even worse- those who use the law to get away with murder, figuratively AND literally.
Paperwork- The bane of policemen everywhere.
Skinny girls- Cecilio prefers his women with some meat on their bones. Of course, he'll constantly be informing his teammates that they need to eat.
Lawyers- Contrary to what one might think, Justitia's avatar thoroughly despises most lawyers. Most of them seem more concerned with getting a criminal off the hook or getting a convenient scapegoat into prison than with serving justice, and they use the laws to get away with it.
Fast food- "It's an insult to real cooking to call this 'food!'"
Hobbies:
Cecilio really considers his job to be his hobby, more or less. It's pretty much the driving force in his life. When he's not on the job, he's generally at home with his wife and son.
Personality:
Cecilio is a very passionate man, devoting all his energy to things he cares deeply about. Because of this, he's ended up living two lives- half of the time, he's a maverick policeman concerned with bringing criminals to justice and serving the public good; the other half, he's a fiercely devoted and caring family man. So much energy is devoted to both that it's almost as if he's two different people.
On the job, Officer Valentino tends to be reasonably friendly, in a no-nonsense sort of way: he wants to get to the bottom of things and have them straightened out as quickly as possible. This can sometimes make him appear somewhat brusque- he's not interested in anything unrelated to his job. However, he has enough good humor to mitigate this effect.
This interest in getting things done does not apply to his paperwork. While he conscientiously files reports in, his desk is piled with memos and other papers that he hasn't bothered with. It's possible to tell how long he's been working by excavating the morass, although few have the guts to even consider doing that.
To say that Cecilio goes off-duty isn't quite right: even when he's not wearing his uniform and signed in, he's still a cop. The only real break time he has is when he enters the door of his flat. Then, he goes from Officer Valentino to Cecilio, husband and father. His home life is a good deal less exciting than his job time- a good thing, all things considered- but just as important in Cecilio's eyes. After a long day of trying to enforce the law, there's no better way to wind down than to sit down to a wonderful dinner with a loving wife and son, then spend quality time before bed. The Cecilio at home is still very active in getting his job done, and will jump at any chance to make his family happy.
Somehow, despite burning his candle at both ends, Cecilio just doesn't run out of energy. Although this can be annoying- particularly when he's around non-morning people on early shift- but his energy level is also rather contagious. Cecilio is the first person to jump on a task (well... on a task he cares about), and the last person to give up. This stubborn optimism can be both a benefit and a drawback- it keeps him going through problematic times, but it also keeps him going on hopeless chases. Cecilio just can't give up unless someone else convinces him to.
Cecilio's most prominent flaws are quite disparate: On the one hand, in action he's impulsive, tending to throw himself into a situation without considering the consequences. On the other, in situations that aren't life-or-death he's completely unable to make up his mind about something. The same man who would run across a firefight because he thought a child was in danger would be paralyzed trying to decide what he wanted for dinner. He relies on his wife to make all the major decisions in the family, and other people when she's not available. On the rare times when he does deign to eat at a restaurant, he tends to ask the waiter to surprise him.
History:
Oddly enough, Justitia went against popular god practice and actually chose a native of Italy (GASP!) as her avatar. Yes, Cecilio was born and raised in Rome, Italy, and, except for brief vacations and a honeymoon, has never left.
The Valentino family was well-known for its members' enthusiasm- they each tended to find some hobby or job that they would throw themselves into, often riding roughshod over everyone else until they managed to take over. Father Angelo was the head of a successful restaurant, "Il Calice Gremite," mother Ottavia ruled the PTA of St. Tarcisius with an iron fist, oldest brother Ettore had already secured his place in politics as the president of the High School student council, oldest sister Letizia was closing in fast on captain for several girls' sports teams, and Guillemina, the other sister, was already plotting to out-cook her dear papa. Into this world of cutthroat competition, Cecilio was born.
The youngest Valentino showed an interest early on in enforcing the rules- from mediating family disputes to securing the post of Hall Monitor- and the family expected him to go into law. Perhaps he might have, had his family not gotten involved in a lawsuit involving his father's restaurant. The plaintiff alleged that one of the dishes served was stolen from his own restaurant. Young Cecilio observed as the battle proceeded, and although a settlement was reached, he was appalled at the conduct of the system: rather than actually deciding who was right and who was wrong, everyone just fought! At that point, Cecilio began what would become a lifelong prejudice against lawyers.
After the lawsuit, things settled back to their usual routines. Ettore graduated and went into politics. Letizia married, but kept up her passion by coaching several teams. Guillemina balanced an education with working in Il Calice under her father. Cecilio made a name for himself in school by taking the rules into his own hands.
Things got interesting for Cecilio in High School when he met a young lady from Romulous High School at a sports game. Their first conversation was during halftime, when they had a rather vicious argument over whether one of the teams had deserved the score it got. This, of course, led to a more broad argument questioning the merits of boys who went to the "rich kids" school, which led to an arm wrestling challenge after the game- loser would take the winner to dinner wearing the team shirt of the winner's school. In the end, Cecilio had to swallow his pride and treat Alonza Fiorello to dinner. Obviously, in the classic tradition of "meet cutes" everywhere, the two soon ended up as sweethearts.
Upon graduation, while his now fiancee attended John Cabot University, Cecilio joined the local law enforcement agency, much to his family's chagrin. At first, they tried to convince him to find a better job, but Cecilio's determination was impervious even to his mother's wheedling. Cecilio worked, Alonza eventually graduated and got a job in business, and the two immediately got married. Once they were certain they had decently stable finances, they went the procreation route. They were soon blessed with a son, and life became a lot more difficult, but a lot more fun for both.
NPCs:
Angelo Valentino (Father)
A man in his mid-sixties, Angelo is a rather jolly fellow who splits his time between running things at Il Calice and enjoying his family. Physically, Angelo is a man of medium height and more than medium weight, with a dark face creased with laugh lines. His graying hair is always neat, if often dusted with flour.
Ottavia Valentino (Mother)
"Matron" is a good word to describe Ottavia. She'd probably run her children's lives for them if they hadn't inherited her strong will. Ottavia is an expansive woman, in terms of personality and stature, and tends to add to this by wearing showy clothing. Her hair is usually pulled into a tight bun, which decreases the amount of wrinkles on her face somewhat.
Letizia Renzo (Sister)
An active lifestyle seems to have kept Letizia's aging at bay- the 40-year-old looks about a decade younger than she is. Unlike her mother, she's rather thin, with muscles taking the place of fat, although middle age is starting to creep up on her hips. A small horde of athletic children constantly swarms around her- some her own. Letizia looks like an athlete, dressing in loose clothing, and keeping her hair pulled in a bouncy ponytail.
Guillemina Valentino (Sister)
Heir-to-be of Il Calice, Guillemina constantly strives to prepare a meal that will surpass her father's skill. She's gotten close a few times. Her mother worries about her- the girl hasn't shown any interest in marriage- but 'Mina simply finds cooking more interesting than families. Although she still lives with her parents, she's possibly the most independent of the Valentino children. Mina is a plumper version of Letizia, although she keeps her hair in a chic bob.
Ettore Valentino (Brother)
Ettore is currently working in a high-up political office, and keeps in touch with his family by phone when he has the time. He's a slicker copy of his father, thanks to a staff of stylists.
Alonza Valentino (Wife)
Much like her husband, Alonza is a determined spitfire. While Ottavia has succeeded in intimidating the various spouses of her other children, she hasn't yet been able to get to Alonza. In fact, it almost seems like Cecilio's wife is a member of the family. She manages to project the image of a traditional, demure girl, but under the soft image is a woman with cutthroat business sense, an adamantine will, and a black belt in aikido. The third asset has come in especially handy when Cecilio went "on duty" during outings.
Alonza's tough interior is masked by a surprisingly plush figure- she's not quite the fertility goddess her mother-in-law is, but a few decades may elevate her to that status. Her dark hair is pulled into a braid that reaches the middle of her back, and her form is often wrapped in very feminine business clothing.
Dante Valentino (Son)
All that can be said about Dante is that he's a fairly typical bambino of one year. His hobbies include being disgustingly cute, banging on things, and playing with blocks.
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