EfetoboΒ βEfeβ Umukoro - 35 - Human
HELLO HERO
This biography covers Efe's life up to his return to Lunar Cove two years ago. Click below for more!
TW: Fire; Arson; Memory Loss/Amnesia; Death
I. Basics
Name: EfetoboΒ βEfeβ Umukoro Gender/Pronouns: Cisgender Male (He/Him/His) Birthday & Age: January 22, 1989 (35) Place of Birth:Β Lunar Cove, RI Species:Β Human Current residence: Celestial Hills Occupation: FirefighterΒ Faceclaim:Β Okieriete Onaodowan Sexuality: Bisexual
II. Stats
Height: 6β²0β³ Eyes: Brown Hair: Black MBTI:Β ESFJ Alignment: Lawful Good Affiliations: Coalition Member
III. Background
The oldest of four children and the only brother to three younger sisters, EfeΒ Umukoro was born to two mortal doctors: a surgeon and an emergency physician employed at Shadow Lake Hospital, both of whom came to town as if pulled there to fill a need for skilled medical personnel. The Doctors Umukoro were active, public, and well-regarded members of the Coalition of Non-Supernaturals, and Efe grew up under their watchful gazes.
In truth, he was an all-aroundΒ βgood kid,β a young man who did well in school, enjoyed popularity among his peers, and excelled at sports. From a young age, he demonstrated a fiercely protective streak, inherited from his father, a quirk of his personality that made him stand up to bullies and rescue small animals from danger. In school, he was often chosen to play liaison and role model to new arrivals and kids in need of a friend.
A shift occurred when Efe entered high school. Along with the regular perils of teenage life, his classmates were, for the first time, growing into themselves. Witches were discovering their inherent abilities. The Fae were testing the limits of their supernatural speed. And one particular werewolf, with whom Efe himself had once been rather close, accidentally and tragically triggered his latent gene. As terrible as the stench of death was, though, the boy soon took advantage of his increased stamina and strength andΒ βstoleβ Efeβs spot on the wrestling team. And for the first time, Efe felt that he was struggling to keep up with the people among whom he had grown up.
Although he never let bitterness or genuine disdain for his humanity take root in his heart, Efe nevertheless did tend to struggle in this transitional period. He still played football, although he tended to suffer the bench in favor of more magical teammates. He took up bowling and was really quite good at it. But his grades, for the first time, began to slip, and while he never failed, his parents did begin to tighten their already strong grip on him.
As he neared the end of high school, Efe, under their suggestion, began volunteering at the hospital. This whole endeavor was largely an effort to get him to truly consider premed programs during the college admission period, but Efe himself was not entirely keen on the thought of following in his mother and fatherβs footsteps.
On the walk home one night, he watched the local fire brigade extinguish a burning abandoned building, and the taste of the eveningβs adrenaline would guide Efeβs future. He was rejected from his fatherβs alma mater and thus decided to take a year off school to refocus himself. It was then that he joined the volunteer fire department of Lunar Cove.
On the job, Efe came into contact with the witch Reese Hawthorne, whom he caught in the act of starting one of the small blazes plaguing Shadow Lake. He was not believed when he reported it, his parents less than keen on crossing the coven and his colleagues more interested in the action the mystery arsonist was providing.
This began a strange, passionate dance, however, where Efe showed up, like clockwork, to quell Reeseβs flames. Mutual flirting blossomed into something more and eventually a genuine relationship. Efe was attracted to the allure of danger, to Reeseβs strength, to this opportunity to finally let down his guard and throw away the rules.Β
And to that end, the pair were married within a year, with the initial disapproval of Efeβs parents. Still, like proper newlyweds, the couple moved into a house of their own and raised up a puppy named Badger. But Efe was perhaps under the impression that, now that all the fireworks were out of their systems, they would properly settle down. They had never actually discussed children, and this sticking point led to their divorce, amicable as it could be, a few years later.Β
Efe left Lunar Cove, not out of anger, but perhaps sadness or regret, a wish that he had been less young and less foolish. Upon passing through the mirage, he forgot the true nature of his hometown and went on to build a mortal life in Chicago.
As a career firefighter, with a proper apartment in the city and a new relationship, he recently earned an award for bravery, a well-publicized event. His family, however, refused to visit Illinois to attend the ceremony.Β
Irritated, Efe has returned home for the first time in many years to confront them. Passing through the border again, everything has returned, and he is starkly aware of the choice he must make about which of his two lives to keep leading.Β
