heralded as a king before i had a birthday

[stabber]

Mun
Name/Nickname: Xander
Age: 20
Dreamwidth Username: syrup
Contact: aim: teapotcannon / skype: rosebrides / plurk: walpurgisnacht
Current Characters in Game: n/a

Character
Character Name: Cyril. He likely has a birth name, but Nozmo's already said "names are a dime a dozen for him".
Canon: Todd Allison and the Petunia Violet
Age: As of the present point in canon, this is unknown. Going off his demeanor, physical appearance, and the rest of the cast's ages, he's probably around 25.
Appearance:

Cyril is the tallest character of the cast, tall, dark and handsome. He's taller than Petunia by about a full head and shoulders, he's taller than Todd by a slightly smaller margin, which admittedly isn't much of an accomplishment since Todd seems to be a bit below average. My point is, he's pretty decently sized, and I'd peg him as being over six feet tall, or just at it. In addition to his height, he's pretty well built, which is likely a side-effect of his job. He isn't built like a body builder, but he has a strong physique. He doesn't seem to have any scars or anything of the sort -- well, none in places you can see. He's also the palest character in the cast, to the point Nozmo has joked he's a vampire. It's a pretty sharp contrast to his dark hair, which is (stupid) fashionably messy and frames his square face. It is, depending on your view, long, but it thins out quite a bit at the ends. It's so messy, but just in that perfect way that accentuates his face. His eyes are sharp, and a shade of brown so dark they look black. He's regarded as very handsome in his canon, and this is noted by a character. He's pretty aware of it himself and likes to use it to his advantage.

So, in conclusion, this.

Canon Point: Post chapter 13, after receiving payment from Elijah.
How will your character react to the initial night period?:

Danger isn't a new experience for Cyril. Fending for his life isn't new, either. As a mercenary, he's gotten himself in dangerous situations, and he himself has said that if he worried about dying, he wouldn't be able to do anything. With this in mind, it's easy to say Cyril would be able to survive in the hotel, and maybe even work his way up (so to speak) quickly. He's shown to be able to patch himself up, is a wicked shot with a gun, is capable of being sneaky, conniving and is willing to switch sides if the pay is good enough. I imagine he would handle it well, after the initial shock of a murderous hotel staff passes.

History:

Todd Allison and the Petunia Violet takes place in Australia. Specifically, it takes place in Melbourne, Victoria. It's set in the 1920's, and that's about as much as we know about Cyril's past at the moment. We know he's an adult male who lives at The Eighth Lagoon, and we know he has two jobs. His day job is pretty harmless on the whole, he works as a tram conductor. When the day's over with on the tracks, however, Cyril begins his job as a mercenary. At present, it is not known how he came to work in this line of work, and he has 'rules' in place to keep people at a distance. Cyril is an enigma, he's currently shrouded in mystery. Not much is known about him prior to his appearance in chapter two, but here's what is known:

Cyril's really good at his job. He's so good, that Elijah feels fine with contacting him with work. Cyril is contacted and they have a drink as they discuss business. This isn't the best drink with a client that Cyril has ever had -- actually, it leaves a rather bad taste in his mouth. Still, he takes the job. It's a hate experiment, Elijah says, and Cyril's like "well, whatever the fuck gets you to pay me," so he sets up this dude he sorta knows. Todd Allison. Cyril is aware that Todd works for the government and that's the job-- set up someone from the Violet Investigative Unit with people who hate the government. Really, it's pretty simple, he gives Todd a map that leads him straight to them. Todd falls for it because Cyril just seems like "your friendly neighborhood conductor."

Things get weird when Cyril's goes to make sure Todd's been caught.

Cyril discovers Petunia Elkwood, and hauls her off to Elijah. He has no idea what exactly is about to happen, but you know, he kind of likes Petunia Elkwood. Petunia is a bit different but she's kind of fun and she's pretty so Cyril doesn't have anything against her. It's up to Elijah, what happens to Petunia, but Elijah doesn't do anything to Petunia. Not really. There's no way an older brother would actually hurt his little sister. I mean, that just doesn't happen, right?

Well, Petunia spills the beans. The guy Cyril got is Todd Allison. Fortunately for Todd Allison, Elijah can't have Todd dying just yet, so after their short reunion, Elijah makes Cyril fix things. Cyril doesn't like it, but he has to go save Todd Allison and he has to take Petunia along with him. Of course, he does give Petunia a bit of protection -- he asks her if she can shoot a pistol. After she confirms she can, he gives her one.

So then the duo were off to save Todd Allison. It's a weird team, with Petunia shouting things like "Aren't they your friends?" when Cyril kills someone and Cyril fighting off laughter because she's just... so funny. They do the job, though, with a minor hiccup. Petunia runs out and makes herself known after Cyril quickly guns down four men on his own. This is a problem, of course, because Cyril wanted to do this simple and quick, but now he has to go down there and stab these guys himself. Thing is, Cyril isn't in the best mood, and what Elijah said is still pestering him.


"Isn't it better to watch them slowly bleed to death?"

That's not how Cyril does things, though.

So after that little debacle, short-lived and bloody as it were, Elijah and Meredith arrive on the scene. Petunia's run off to where Todd Allison is, and the problem is: There's someone else in that room. Someone with a gun. When Cyril says that, he also says he gave Petunia a pistol, and that he was hoping to see what happened. Spoiler: Petunia and Todd live. They get out scot-free and Cyril's pretty pleased with this, except Todd recognizes Cyril instantly. He's the guy who conducts the tram that Petunia and Todd take, so while Petunia didn't recognize him at first, now that she can place his face in the uniform... well.


The morning after is nowhere near as hectic. Cyril gets up, goes to work, but something is bothering him, so he goes over to Todd Allison's place of work and drags him and Petunia out behind the cafe. He invites them to his home because, in his own words, he doesn't like leaving things unfinished. Todd being alive is... well, not what the job was, originally, so it bothers him and he wants to conclude things.

Of course--that means Todd Allison and Petunia Elkwood visit Cyril's home, The Eighth Lagoon. It's underground and hidden behind a secret passage. Totally Cyril's obnoxious style. They enter and Cyril isn't there yet, so Petunia decides to take a pee break. Totally normal stuff so far.

But then Petunia's walking down the hall, making her way back from the bathroom. She notices a door is open and even though it's Cyril's house, and she's scared of him, she looks. Curiosity gets the better of her, and it isn't as thought Petunia isn't fearless to begin with. She opens the door, looks inside, and sees a photo. "...That's Cy--" And then she takes a step back, and bumps into Cyril.

Most people would be angry, finding someone in their personal space, but Cyril cracks a grin and calls Petunia a bad girl instead. It's probably enough she's already scared. He does chide her for snooping but it's nothing really terrible, since he's got things he wants to do.

So then, Cyril and Todd get to business.

Drinking business, that is.

They have a drink and start getting drunk. Well, Todd does, Cyril just kind of provokes him for a time, until Todd says something that stuns everyone in the room: "Work for me, Mr. Cyril."

Of course, Todd's drunk. This isn't any kind of serious discussion, so Cyril gets (understandably) angry. He tells Todd off and yells in his face. They fight for a time, and are interrupted with the phone rings. Landons pulls a string and a phone pops out, which Cyril answers. He gets called out for a job. Just before leaving, he approaches Todd, placing his hand on the table, and leans in.

"My job is not joke," he says, "so you better be fucking serious."

Then he leaves, pulling Petunia's hat down over her face on his way out. We don't see Cyril for a few more chapters, which translates to around two days in canon timeline. In chapter 9, Todd gives Petunia her hair clip back, and Petunia agonizes over this in her apartment. She decides to go to Todd's apartment, next door, and talk to him about it...

Except Todd Allison doesn't answer the door-- Cyril does. Cyril, having not finished his business with Todd Allison, has broken into Todd's apartment. After threatening Petunia, he makes her make him some tea and they talk in Petunia's apartment. Some wacky hijinks ensue, and we find out Cyril hasn't eaten for two days, after he gets sick off tea, of all things.

Todd returns from work and joins the two of them. Now back in Todd's apartment, they get to business. Cyril asks Todd a very simple, but serious, question: "If you meant what you said, I want to hear about it." Todd confirms he was serious about hiring Cyril and after a bit of back and forth, Cyril tells Todd that after he confirms other things with other clients, he'll let Todd know whether or not he's taking the job.

Todd then does something very simple that results in a big thing: He grabs Cyril's shoulder. Cyril reacts strongly, as though he's in pain, and Petunia says, "You know, he's been acting strange all day!," which prompts Todd Allison to open Cyril's shirt and inspect the damage.... which is pretty brutal. Cyril is bruised, badly, all across his chest, black and purple and painful.

Cyril gets upset, stands up and buttons and reties his tie as he announces his leave. Cyril is angry, but confirms he'll take "the fucking job" to shut Todd up. Of course, he calms himself down and teases Todd a bit, by gripping his hand to let him know he saw that Todd had slipped a small piece of paper under his wrist watch.

Cyril's most recent appearance is chapter 13, which focuses mostly on Elijah and Meredith. It takes place directly after the day Cyril breaks into Todd's apartment. Cyril appears to finish up his loose ends with Elijah, namely, the fee for the job. Cyril, in his usual flair, hops onto the building from a vantage point and meets Elijah on the rooftop. Elijah pays Cyril, giving him a little extra for his trouble ("Is this your way of apologizing, you little shit?"), and then Cyril gets up to go on his merry way.

Elijah, however, asks him to stay and talk, offering Cyril a cigarette. Cyril considers for a moment, not looking entirely convinced, but ultimately, he sits next to Elijah on the ground, and smokes with him. Elijah then asks Cyril a decidedly personal question, "Do you worry about dying?"

Cyril's reaction is, of course, "fuck no", paraphrased. Considering his job as a mercenary, he explains that he wouldn't be able to do anything if he worried about dying. He then asks Elijah if he's worried about dying, to which the other man says, "I thought I didn't care, but sometimes..." Cyril pauses, considers, and then expands on his statement.

"What a stupid thing to be worried about. Everyone dies."

Cyril believes that the things people place hope in, family, friends, money -- none of them are that important. "You can't take any of that to your grave," he says, a wicked smile on his face, "we're all just skin, bones and meat! We'll all bleed and we'll all rot!" Elijah disagrees with him, even as Cyril continues, "Why worry about it? Do whatever the fuck you want!"

Elijah doesn't agree, at all, and apologizes for asking Cyril the question in the first place. Elijah then does something that pisses Cyril off to no end-- he says, with a smirk, "I didn't think it was such a personal question for you." One of Cyril's rules is that the relationship is strictly business, nothing less and nothing more.

Cyril, clearly agitated, spits his cigarette out and bids Elijah good night.

Personality:

Cyril's profile on the cast page on smackjeeves, the original host for the webcomic, reads as such, "A friendly tram conductor by day but at night, Cyril is your man for any variety of odd jobs. He can kill people for you, beat them up, throw them into ditches and steal their automobiles." It is who Cyril presents as, for the most part, but it isn't all of Cyril, of course.

Picture this: It's a bright, sunny day. Not too hot, not too cool, just the right temperature. Also, you're in 1920's Australia for some reason. Because it is 1920's Australia, you have to take the tram to get somewhere, if you don't want to walk. You run into a conductor, a very handsome conductor, and he's pretty nice, for the most part. Except he tells you to speed it on up so he can get the tram going, but that's pretty normal isn't it? He's polite, maybe he even helps you get onto the tram. He does his job well, drives well, and all in all it's a pleasant enough experience. You thank him and go about your day, not really thinking much of that tram conductor.

For the most part, that's what people think of Cyril. He's just Mr. Conductor, maybe a bit too friendly at times, but not exactly someone they're afraid of. Sure, he might call you "dollface" or "honey" or something like that, but if you'll pay attention, he uses pet names for everyone. Everyone gets a term of endearment, whether you're an attractive lady traveling alone, or a young man falling asleep in your seat. Or if you're Todd, you're Pumpkin, or if you're Petunia, Lady Petunia. My point is, you wouldn't think too much of Cyril on most days.

However, that is most days. Todd probably didn't think much of him, either, until Cyril duped him into walking right into certain death. But that's another story.

Let's just say you get to, for example, work with Cyril. Not too intimate, but you still get to know him pretty well. Your impression probably won't be too deep. Unless you work with Cyril -- directly with him, that is -- you'll still see him as the guy who's pretty friendly. He likes to talk and he's pretty relaxed. He's got no problem introducing himself and telling you about himself (or rather, his numerous girlfriends) and your impression is pretty good. He might be a womanizer, but when he's around, things aren't boring, and it's not like he's put a gun to your head or anything. Maybe he's an annoyance, but really. He's kind of got a shit-eating grin on his face all the time, too, but hey, who cares? He doesn't really have a problem with covering your shift and sometimes he does weird shit like fall asleep in the bathroom. It's entertaining and he pulls his weight. You can't complain, he's pretty professional with the customers, too. All in all, he's a pretty okay dude.

Let's make the hole a little deeper. Let's say you work directly with Cyril. You work the same shifts and are, more or less, partners at your little crappy transportation job. Then you'll know he's a little... too friendly. He likes to lean in, he likes to pick on you, he likes to flirt with everyone. And he likes to punish people a little bit too much -- for example, once he insisted you should buy him a drink as compensation for something and after you refused, he demanded a kiss. Regardless of your gender. Look, the point is, you'll soon figure out he's ... formidable. Formidably friendly.

Oh, but that's for another time. What's likely going to stick out to you, about Cyril, is his flirty nature. He likes to talk about his girls, he likes to hit on people, and he uses pet names like "dollface" or "dolly" or "love", and he doesn't necessarily use them ironically. Cyril is pretty aware he's attractive, and he likes to have fun with it. He's a narcissist, and even a conversation with him in it will likely turn into him talking about himself. But I digress -- again, what tends to stick out about Cyril is he's pretty fond of flirting. In fact, one of his appearances in chapter two is him jokingly saying, to his current employers, upon being spotted just... creepily staring at them as they conversed: "I was just taken aback by such... beautiful people." And while not a canon example, the author, Nozmo, draws quite a few extras on her blog. One of them was an office au, which was requested by someone who said Cyril would be that weird employee who played awful music instead of doing his job. Nozmo opted to draw him flirting with someone on the line, instead. While not canon, it's a pretty good example of how people expect Cyril to be and how he's... actually quite flirtatious, rather than silly.

That canon example, however, he follows it up with, "Just joking, fuckers!". That's Cyril for you. In fact, a lot of things are like that with him: he's pretty sarcastic. He laughs at Petunia's odd behavior, for example. When she refuses to look at him while he's looking at her, he bursts into maniacal laughter and states he'd hate to shoot her (But, it's not his choice to make, so, yanno, nothing personal.). He tends to take things rather good-naturedly... usually. Well, if it's not related to his job, that is. He likes to joke around, even if he's doing something serious like looking for Todd and Petunia so he can finish up business with Todd. He'll flirt with the waitress, goof off a bit and revel in the attention, even if it's negative. Even on the job, when he gets some free time with someone, he makes them pull up a seat so he can tell him about one of his numerous girlfriends. Cyril loves the attention he gets and it shows.

But let's cut the crap and get right to it: Cyril might be a tram conductor in the daytime but when the last pretty lady's made her way off the tram, he's on his other shift.

It's pretty much a fact that no one knows what Cyril is thinking at any time; chapter 3 is the best example of this. He displays a surprising amount of professionalism when he catches Petunia, especially when you remember in chapter ten, he has no problem attempting to kiss his co-worker in front of a customer. That doesn't keep him from flirting with her, saying he'd hate to shoot a "sweet little girl" like her, calling her "dollface" and threatening to blow her "pretty little face" to pieces. He bursts into laughter at her antics, too, asking her what the hell she's doing as she tries to avoid looking at him while he's looking at her. Their relationship, in truth, is a lot like that, she keeps trying to avoid him because he scares her and he keeps laughing in her face. Cyril brings Petunia directly to Elijah, though, and says he has no idea how he usually handles these "kinds of things" but he'll be right over there if you need him. He's professional and to the point, he doesn't bother beating around the bush. If something needs to be done, he'll do it. Then, he's left alone with Meredith, and he goes on and on about girls he'd been with. He tells Meredith about that one time he dated The Little Mermaid and Meredith isn't too into it but you know, as long as Cyril can hear his own voice he probably doesn't care. When Elijah comes back, he pouts and says, "Aw, they're back." He's then promptly right back to being professional, as though he didn't just recount a love affair to someone he doesn't even know moments ago, and had been about to tell them about the next girl he dated.

Considering how capricious Cyril seems to be, it might be a bit to surprising to know how how seriously he takes work. It's important to remember he is, in essence, a serial murderer for hire, who does robbery and blackmail for money, as well. Cyril himself isn't necessarily serious all the time, but he's also not silly all the time. It's more accurate and true to his personality to say he's someone who's looking for enjoy life for as long as he can, and considering his job occupation, that might not be very long at all. He notes as such in chapter thirteen, during his discussion with Elijah.

It is also noted on the author's blog that Cyril sleeps restlessly and when he does gets free time, he tries to sleep. She also notes that the cause of Cyril's restlessness is nightmares, which he deals with every time he dreams. They don't bother him anymore because he's used to them, having adjusted to them along time ago. Cyril seems to have adjusted to his way of life well, he sleeps through nightmares, carries out his job well, handles another well, and supposedly is capable of having a (temporary) romantic relationship at the same time. He does seem to crack, though, just a bit, in chapter five. Elijah, during their business discussion, had said that there was no fun in simply killing someone; you should torture them, too. Cyril's features sharpen, his eyes narrow, he stares Elijah down. He's clearly thinking about this, what he's saying, and it sticks with him, until he blindly begins stabbing that man in the aforementioned chapter five. "Slowly bleed to death.... isn't how I do things!," indeed.

Cyril keeps his life and work distinctly separate, and this is shown with his relationship with Landon. He lives with Landon, who lives in the Eighth Lagoon in return for housework. However, Landon doesn't really know much about Cyril. He keeps life and work separate even at home. Landon's just there to keep after The Eighth Lagoon, though he's seen Cyril coming back from work, of course. It's likely rarely a pretty sight, since people tend to fight back when someone is trying to kill them. Landon doesn't seem too bothered by it, but he does call Cyril an honest, hard-working man. How much of that is a joke seems to be up to us. In a word, Cyril's relationship with Landon is business, though they are shown, in extras on Nozmo's blog, to get along well. Of course, it's hard not to get along with Cyril, despite how abrasive he can be, he is very friendly and very much a people person.

It should be noted that Cyril even has a set of rules, that he explains to Elijah and Meredith in chapter three. "Rule number one: you don't know me. So don't try to know me, which leads to rule two. I'm not your mate nor do I ever want to be one so don't make any assumptions. I don't care what sort of shit happens outside of the job. And rule three, don't waste my fucking time. Capisci?" Cyril's pretty up front about those rules, the third one especially. More than that, though, he hates unfinished business. Elijah orders him to save Todd Allison, and Cyril does so, but it entails having to kill all the men he gathered for the purpose of killing Todd Allison. He picks them off pretty quickly, showing off just how efficient he is at his night job. Petunia, though, is pretty disturbed by this and asks Cyril why he had to kill them. Up until now, he's dodged or laughed at her questions, but this time: Cyril shrugs and says, "I hate unfinished business." This line comes into play again in chapters six and seven: his annoyance with Todd.

Cyril was hired to kill Todd Allison, but Todd Allison is alive so this is unfinished business. In order to fix this, Cyril invited Todd and Petunia over to his place. They have a few drinks, argue, get drunk and in general it's a pretty awful time because Todd and Cyril are abrasive in their own unique ways. However, Cyril is just that committed to his job. This leads up to Todd pissing Cyril off royally. He yells at Todd that there's "a fucking process" when it comes to hiring him.

During their fight, we witness a technique Cyril uses to calm himself when he's angry. It shows up again in chapter twelve, when Todd Allison infuriates Cyril again (he seems to be very good at this). Cyril takes a deep breath, cheeks flushed with anger, and inhales slow and deep. Cue pink background and sparkles as he smiles handsomely and/or laughs.

Cyril is also deeply conniving and that is, of course, not unexpected of a professional blackmailer. In chapter six, Cyril wants Todd Allison to visit the Eighth Lagoon so they can work out their unfinished business, but Todd tells Cyril he isn't coming and he doesn't trust him. Cyril's also dragged Petunia out back, so he takes advantage of her presence and corners Petunia into agreeing to come visit Cyril, alone, at the Eighth Lagoon. Todd recalls his co-worker, Hana, saying that Cyril is the kind of man who will "break any woman's heart" and out of concern for Petunia, he agrees to visit the Eighth Lagoon. Cyril then threatens the both of them should they not show up.

He is, in a few words, a menacing man with a friendly disposition. Cyril likes to enjoy himself, partakes in alcohol often, likes talking about his girlfriends and hits on everyone he can. However, not everything about Cyril is that simple; in addition to being secretive, genuinely unpleasant, and an all around awful person, Cyril has a deeply mysterious past and questionable morals.

During chapter thirteen, Cyril has a conversation his previous employer, Elijah Elkwood, about life and death. Cyril's view of death is morbid, and his view on life is equally morbid. Cyril believes that the things people think can save them -- money, friends, family -- are, in the end, useless. Death is all encompassing, and every dies. In the end, what's the point of any of those things? "We're all just skin, bones and meat. We'll bleed and we'll all rot!" Cyril follows it up with a cheeky grin and a rather hedonistic statement, "Why worry about it? Do whatever the fuck you want!", which also sums him up very well. Cyril is a womanizer, a hard drinker, a mercenary, and he lives in the moment. In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to say Cyril's just trying to make the most of his life as it is. Why he made it the way it is, is unknown, but it is clearly his choice. Cyril's a lot darker than he lets on in casual conversation.

Cyril has a conversation with Petunia, just before they go out to save Todd. During this conversation, he clues in on Petunia not trusting him, and he leans in on her with a rather nasty expression and says, "I don't trust myself, either!" Cyril's wildly unpredictable, despite all this, so it isn't sure what the meaning of his words were. It could be very simple: He was messing with Petunia. Cyril's fond of getting reactions out of people, joking around, making them uncomfortable. He is also shown to have a keen interest in Petunia. However, it's entirely possible Cyril was being honest -- his nightly dream terrors implies he finds some horror in his day to day life, he sees the problem and he knows what he is, he knows that he is a terrible person. Perhaps Cyril really doesn't trust himself.

Cyril's past is, as previously noted, relatively unknown, but there's been implications and roads laid down for explaining it so far. More specifically, there is a scene in chapter seven, where Petunia enter's Cyril's room. On his otherwise empty dresser table is a picture. Cyril's room is glimpsed to be very bare, and the only bed he has in it is only big enough for himself. The fact he has kept a picture placed so it's the first thing he sees when he comes into his room, and is right there for him to see when he wakes up, makes an implication that the picture itself is important to Cyril.

You would think Cyril, a man who is a complete enigma, would do more than drag Petunia out and throw her into Todd Allison while chiding her for being a snoop, but Cyril's reaction was just that. In fact, he seemed angrier with Elijah for how he wanted the job done: slowly killing someone instead of doing it quickly. It says something that despite Petunia prying into his privacy, Cyril was content with dragging her away and tossing her into Todd after calling her a "bad girl".

He shouts easily and generally has a lot of energy, despite his sleeping schedule. The times we see Cyril genuinely angry are memorable because his anger always seems to come out when the topic is his job. Considering how Cyril seems to, in a word, sober up when he is working his night job, it does make sense. For example, he is genuinely angry when Elijah changes the job, cancelling it and instead of instructs Cyril to save Todd Allison. That same night, his anger and annoyance with Elijah shows more, when he stabs that man in chapter 5, right after he calls Cyril a rat. Then again, when Todd makes light of his job while drunk. Another instance of Cyril reacting in an angered manner would be chapter twelve, when he snaps at Todd for trying to help him. There is also chapter thirteen, where Elijah points out that Cyril answered a question in a personal tone, and Cyril removes himself from the conversation. Each of these happenings are instances in which Cyril was questioned, or felt his job was being questioned. On the other hand, in a flashback, when Todd insults him for how he does his day job, he merely cocks his head to the side and watches him walk away with a semi-intrigued expression. There are plenty of instances where Cyril was annoyed or frustrated, but genuine anger seems to be a bit rarer for him.

Cyril is self-preserving, someone who is only concerned with himself and has little concern for himself. How much of that is out of necessity, considering his job, has yet to be seen. He seems to be genuinely interested in Petunia, and has no reason to continuously play around with her, but he enjoys her presence all the same, still. Landon has inferred Cyril really likes Petunia, and he picks up calling her 'Lady Petunia' from Cyril. However, Cyril doesn't seem interested in being with Petunia, as he refers to Todd Allison as her 'pumpkin-headed boyfriend' and even jokingly calls Todd her 'beloved Todd Allison'.

In addition to being self-preserving, as he must be for his job, Cyril is incredibly efficient... for the most part. Cyril is capable of just about any kind of hitman behavior -- he can steal cars, he can rob people, he can beat them up, kill them or blackmail them all while stealing hearts easily... but he can't cook. In fact, Nozmo noted that his cooking skills are on par with Petunia's, who once tried to make oatmeal. Todd Allison thought she was burning her apartment down.

Abilities:

Cyril is actually a mercenary in his canon, so the danger present in game and fighting for his life would be nothing new to him. Killing for money is mostly what he does, though he also does robbery and blackmail. He actually describes himself as a Jack-of-all-trades. His job has affected his abilities fairly well, and for good reason. Due to his line of work, he's a very skilled fighter, and he manages to take out a whole crowd of men on his own. I'll explain a little more on that later, but Cyril is, in general, strong enough to do his job. That in itself is note-worthy.

Cyril's a mercenary, and this is very important to remember because once you find out about his secret double life, you will see Cyril in a very, very different light. Cyril is adept at all of the things he's listed, which means he's capable of, in addition to murder, blackmailing and stealing. He is well-worked and rarely has time to sleep, which implies word of him has traveled far, and he is in high demand. The fact he is still alive despite this also implies he's very good at hiding. Cyril is so good at all the aforementioned things that he is comfortable demanding extra payment if he finds the job boring, which he probably isn't above doing often. The man is a sleaze, someone who you can't trust, unless you're the highest bidder, and he can afford to be that way. He backs up his terrible personality with, in addition to genuine professionalism, terrifying skills. He's a handsome devil and he'll prove it by stealing your stuff and killing you afterwards.

On the note of weapons, Cyril seems to favor guns to do the deed. In chapter five, Cyril takes out a group of four men on his own, at long distance, with a shotgun, or a modded rifle. He works without a scope, which implies good eyesight and one hell of a shot. He's quick, a sharp-eye in the scene and not a single man knows what hit him, even if he saw the guy next to him get shot. Cyril quickly fires off just four rounds, killing each man before he has a chance to retaliate. It is worth noting that the shotgun is not the most accurate gun in long range in Cyril's point of time, and Cyril likely had access to guns that would allow for more accuracy at this range. The only other weapon he picks up is a knife, so this says something about his comfort with using a shotgun at long range. It says volumes about what a sharp eye he is, too, if he's capable of taking down four men in mere seconds with a shotgun.

When he's cornered and attacked from behind, he easily turns it around with a hunting knife. Cyril handles being attacked well, and merely stands down the man while remembering what Elijah. In fact, that's what prompts him to stab him around eight times. Cyril is less concerned with being attacked, and more concerned with something someone said to him a few days earlier, which implies more that Cyril never felt he was in any kind of danger.

However, despite how capable he is, Cyril prefers to do things quick and easily.

And while it likely doesn't count for much, he's probably got one hell of a liver. Cyril is a heavy drinker. Not an alcoholic, no, but he enjoys a good whiskey.

Samples
First Person:

[ Cyril's eating a bowl of cereal. How he came across a bowl of cereal is presently known, but he picked what he did because the colors reminded him of a certain spicy redhead ^(TM). It's not unusual to see him eating because eating seems to be the only other thing he does in addition to complaining and hitting on people. He seems to prod at it for a moment, considering it, but then he looks up, and addresses the network. ] All right. Two things. [ He pauses, letting his deep, Australian-accented voice hang in the air. He holds up his index and middle finger. ] One. [ Middle finger down. ] What's a guy gotta do around here to get some decent clothes? The pants are ugly, and I know damn well that what I like is still in fashion to some extent because I see it around. All I want's a pair of good dress pants and a good, sturdy waistcoat. I make anything look good, but even this is hard to wear.

Two. [ Index finger down. ] It's been pretty boring lately. I'm so bored. [ He actually sounds a bit whiny, like a teenager complaining about his video games being taken away for not doing his homework. There's a pause as he inspects the cereal again, looking uncertain. He's seen oatmeal and this looks similar, at least. ] After a few times the night shift loses it's charm. It's still a pain, but... It's not fun. It never was. I need some good, ol' fashioned entertainment. How about you lot? Anyone up for a game night? I'm thinkin' a game of cards... Who's got what to bet and is eager to lose? I'm pretty good at poker, so I was thinkin' that... But hey! [ He's smirking as he places his arm on the table and cradles his chin in his hand. ] I'm not opposed to strip poker, either.

[ And then the moment of truth! Still wearing that smirk, he takes a bite of the cereal -- and he makes a horrified expression. He really doesn't like Apple Jacks, it turns out. The feed cuts out. ]

Third Person:

For all that it was worth, Cyril never found the need to cheat at card games. He had, once or twice, but that was because it was apart of the job. It had all felt so high class at the time, betting so much money and wearing his best duds, drinking cocktails while attractive women surrounded him as he won. It was all rigged, of course, he was hired to get the casino's money back from a highballer, or beat the guy to death and steal his money. He preferred the guy's company. He was witty and attractive, whereas the person who hired him was.... decidedly nowhere near as entertaining.

It was easy enough getting everything rigged, but the game had still ended up close. Cyril had to hand it to the guy, even as he landed a punch square in his face and knocked his teeth out, he was good at cards. Too bad he couldn't read the atmosphere and figure out what the job was.

He still played cards regularly, and he knew everyone's names and a few key details of their lives. There was John, whose wife would go ballistic when he'd come home, night after night, after 3am. There was David, who had more hats than Cyril thought was right to have. He always seemed to have a different hat on when he came for the night's game, and he always stashed his last wad of betting money in his hat. Terrance was from England, come to work as a doctor in Australia because they did sort of need his sort around. Terrance still worked as a doctor, but he had a gambling addiction. Cyril had met and invited him to join them at a bar, when Terrance was racking up a big win. Cyril preferred a little bit of a challenge when it came to games, so they weren't so boring.

Even though he still played regularly, his game mates seemed to change often. No one really came as often as he liked, but he couldn't blame them. No one wanted to get fucked and stuck outside their room at night, because who knew what could happen? Cyril was willing to take his chance if it meant some enjoyment. He took to one of the bars, because it was easiest in that case. He could get drinks and smokes there as he pleased and it wasn't letting someone he didn't know into his room. His usual scotch on rocks was ordered and he lit up a cigar -- the ambiance of the room and the burning taste of smoke and alcohol in the back of his throat was enough to get him in the mood for a game.

Poker was fun for the added sense of danger. The possibility of losing money, or making money, was exciting, and he found a familiar sense of normality within it. He could bring back a little bit of his old life in this dingy fuckin' bar out on this shitty resort and he could find some kind of enjoyment from that. Some nights, when his the corners of his eyes got a little too red and he told stories a little too loudly, it was almost like he was back in Melbourne. Now if he could find a pretty lady to make him think about Melbourne more often...

He crossed his legs, pushing his glasses deeper into the center of the table with a smirk. He felt like he was in his element here, with the gamblers and drinkers and folks who were willing to make a few bets. It seemed like such a small thing at the time, but sitting at a round table with people who shared a few common interests really did bring a sense of relaxation out of him. He could appreciate that much, even if not all of them had read Jane Eyre. (He made sure not to stab them for that, this time.)

"Gentlemen," he said with an inclination of his head, and he gripped the deck of old playing cards in his hands. "Minimum bet tonight is two hundred, take it or leave it." There were a few scoffs, but of course, as they always did, everyone put their bet in, and just like always, Cyril shuffled, cut, and dealt the deck with a smirk.