With me...it's the eyes

Trust created unnecessary ties; an interference with his line of work. No good would come from warming up to those he was assigned with because of the possibility of being betrayed -- if they were stupid enough to try. Emotional detachment came with the job; they were easier to dispatch of when things turned awry. Past partners were wise enough to realise that they were never going to be regarded as anything more than colleagues by Lee. A person who - unfortunately - was chosen by The Network to pair up with him. No amount of persuasion by the organisation could force the hitman to trust their selection, and they were resigned to accept that. His skills were exemplary; they needed him. It was a known fact. And so he could get away with refusing to behave. He was his own person; who he chose to trust was entirely up to him. But taking a liking to somebody -- now, that was allowed in his rulebook. He may not trust them, but there was no stopping him from showing up inside their house uninvited for an impromptu conversation. A lovely natter. They had no choice in the matter when he did, but it was certainly better than being on his bad side.

New day, new hit. A simple case of money owed.

"Is that right?" There was a deep frown of concentration on his face as he studied himself in the floor-length mirror, scrutinising his appearance. His back was to Alfred, seemingly disregarding him entirely. Ever since becoming partially paralysed - his left arm a dead weight against his side - Lee had given up on looking his best. There was only so much he could do before losing the motivation to try. His yellow suit was slightly wrinkled and tie askew, but an attempt was made; it was passable given his disposition. Using his working arm to reposition the paralysed one, he settled it further down his body by pushing hard until it rested comfortably against his ribs. Fuck it -- that would do. Who was he trying to impress? "Not me you have to convince, matey." Now his reflection stared over at the other man, eyes settling directly on him. There was a glimmer of amusement in them. "But it helps." Stay on his good side and everything would be dandy.

"I think we should see how he's doing, don't you?" A quick change of topic. It was a rhetorical question as he picked up his lime-coloured duffel bag, the sound of metal inside clinking together as he did so. A satisfying sound, but even more were the sounds that were produced by using them. His knives were already stained maroon - and he resented placing them inside the leather holder without cleaning them thoroughly - but leaving his tools in front of his target was an amateur mistake. The most desperate person was willing to break their wrists to escape binds and grab the nearest weapon; he had seen it before. But they could only crawl so far with broken kneecaps. They associated his disability with slowness, but were quite surprised to be proven otherwise. It only made him stronger after adapting, forced to work harder. Quick as a whippet, he was capable of incapacitating them before they could even react.

The first sound they heard within the basement was heavy breathing, followed by wheezing courtesy of a broken nose. Well - altogether, a broken face. His features were indistinguishable; a new man entirely. But he still managed a sharp intake of breath as he heard Lee approach. Bloodied fingers gripped onto the arms of the chair he was tied to, the skin torn and nails removed. The duffel bag was placed on top of a metal trolley - unzipped - and his variety of tools removed once more. As he unrolled the leather holder, it revealed different sized knives and various surgical equipment. From scalpels to bone saws, they were well-looked after. They were an extension of him; it only made sense for him to care about them. Taking out a fresh pair of latex gloves, he discarded one and placed the other on with the help of his teeth before picking up a scalpel. Standing in front of the gentleman, Lee hummed as he casually studied what was left behind from before. Not much.

"It would have been easier for you to pay back the money you owe. But now I had to visit you." His voice was soft, gentle almost; a complete contrast to how he acted. "You're becoming a household name. And they're getting a bit upset with you, so we need to fix that." It was as though he was offering the man advice. A chance to work together to resolve the issue. "What do you think?" A pained groan was given in response. "Okay, good-" His words were cut off by the sound of his mobile ringing, the cheerful tone breaking the tense situation. With an apologetic smile, Lee removed his glove and retrieved the still-ringing mobile. Unknown number. "Sorry, I have to take this. I won't be a moment." Pressing accept, he placed it against his ear and listened carefully. His expression was still, giving nothing away as he spoke only to affirm. It lasted a few minutes, before he hung up and placed it back inside his blazer pocket. Turning to face Alfred, a bright smile was given. Unnerving to most, it had an air of unpredictability to it.

Note: some things are my interpretations only.

FULL NAME: Lee (no known middle or surname) 

GENDER & SEXUALITY:  Male. Homosexual. 

ETHNICITY & SPECIES: White British. Human. 

BIRTHPLACE & BIRTHDATE: (?), England. No known age.

GUILTY PLEASURES: Having a sit down with tea and biscuits (whenever he drops by unexpected at whoever’s home that day). He also enjoys the TV show, Midsomer Murders, way too much.

PHOBIAS: Not a phobia, exactly, but more of a fear. He fears reaching an old age. He doesn’t want to have a cosy future, retired, and spending his remaining days comfortably. Rather, he would like to die early. His job as a hitman for The Network isn’t mandatory, but as a casual hobby; he does it for the exhilaration and something to do. That’s not to say that he wants to die, but he really wouldn’t fear being killed; he welcomes it, in fact. He only hopes that his death is interesting, at least.

WHAT THEY WOULD BE INFAMOUS FOR: The spoon in his hand. For such a small implement, it’s well-known by those who were on the receiving end of his torture. That, and his happy chappy attitude. Serving murder up with a too-kind smile and unnerving reassurance.

WHAT HAVE THEY/WOULD THEY HAVE GOTTEN ARRESTED FOR: If he was caught: everything. Mostly murder, though. But it would take some serious miracle to uncover Lee’s involvement with anything The Network has done. Any file they have on him would definitely disappear.

CHARACTER YOU SHIP THEM WITH: Anyone who could handle being with him, honestly. Example; ‘He incriminated my neighbour for murder, but he left me flowers in return.’

CHARACTER MOST LIKELY TO MURDER THEM: [Laughter track]

FAVORITE BOOK GENRE: He likes a good mystery novel, but he often settles for magazines. His favourite magazines are Chat and Take A Break for the gory stories and the ‘agony aunt’ sections.

LEAST FAVORITE BOOK CLICHÉ: Main character was a renowned expert. Bad experience forces them to retire to a cottage. Filler about their spouse being murdered years before. High ranking person/organisation comes along: “But we need your help!”. Main character: “But those days are over!”. Still does it. Saves the day. Big (’totally unexpected’) reveal/twist about their dead spouse thrown in somewhere. Lee finds this book cliché very repetitive and boring.

TALENTS OR POWERS: Leaving without a trace could be classed as a talent. The Network can cause an individual’s life to suddenly fall apart, or pile up criminal charges on that individual’s record that weren’t there before. This is what Lee does; he leaves behind incriminating evidence against an individual, whether they wronged The Network or not, and nothing is tied back to him or the organisation. He’s extremely good at his job, frighteningly so. Other talents, to him, would be torture; it comes second nature to him, and since his partial paralysis, this has only grown stronger. He adapted quickly, and for somebody to still be able to torture an individual with only one working arm, it’s definitely a talent.

WHY SOMEONE MIGHT LOVE THEM: If somebody was to love him, it would be for his ability to keep the conversation going – and it would never get boring. Maybe if another killer loved him, they would enjoy the numerous stories he has about his job as a hitman; he has plenty to tell over the years, that’s for sure. Additionally, his spontaneous attitude would definitely be a lovable attribute, because a day would never be boring with Lee. Even hitmen go home at the end of the day, and he often spends it watching Midsomer Murders (or other crime shows), so they would love his ‘tamer’ side; movie nights and staying up past midnight to binge watch some awful 80s shows.

WHY SOMEONE MIGHT HATE THEM: Oh boy. He’s very manipulative through kindness, so an individual wouldn’t realise his plan until it was too late. The false way in which he gives security to an individual is unsettling. Not to mention his bluntness, which is very unnerving and confusing at the same time. Usually ‘villains’ can be cryptic in their plans (building up until the big reveal), but Lee would straight-up tell the individual that he’s going to kill them, and how he’s going to do so in vivid detail – but he wouldn’t tell them when, so they’re constantly on edge. Lee also has the habit of dropping by unexpectedly and talking to the person as though they’d been friends for years, which can get extremely annoying for those involved (but Lee doesn’t care. Lee’s got things to do, people to see, and days to ruin).

He’s also very sarcastic and entertains himself by provoking an individual; Wilson Wilson was his favourite person to get a reaction out of. Similarly in provoking, his music taste is…questionable. For having such a dangerous reputation, his partners get a surprise when Lady Gaga or P!nk fills the car. Lee can be very judgemental, as well. He will question an individual’s life choices, or say just the right things to have them doubt their own decisions (Example: ’I wouldn’t do that, matey’, followed by silence and no explanation.)

HOW THEY CHANGE: Lee doesn’t let events shape him, but his partial paralysis was the only time where he fully changed his attitude. He retained his behaviour as before (sarcastic, happy chappy hitman), but he also lost his ability to follow; he may work for The Network, but he no longer worries about disappointing them. With every change, Lee becomes less flexible and more stiff, adding even more weight to his unpredictable behaviour. He’s gotten to the point where caring isn’t apart of his vocabulary, which is a very dangerous state to be in.