David Barry Hartwood
(Formerly Rutilated Quartz)
[Art in progress]
Name: David Barry Hartwood
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Hair: Dirty Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Weight: 189lbs
Height: 6’
Occupation: Auditor for the IRS
Ethnicity: Scandinavian and French
Residence: Pittsburgh
Family: None to speak of
Scent Profile: Base scent Earth, fresh grass, cedarwood, and incense.
Abilities:
Venomous and Poisonous - Secreted in his saliva and through his claw-like retractable nails is a fast-acting toxin. This toxin does several things. In small doses, it makes you dizzy, nauseous, and sleepy. In larger doses, it starts to break down tissue, particularly skin and muscle. If left untreated and uncleaned, the venom will eventually begin to putrefy. It’s easy enough to disinfect, and it only stays in the system for a limited amount of time. Small doses will be processed within two hours, and larger doses can take as long as a day to process. If allowed to rot, the healing time can be difficult to place, as it functions very similarly to a Komodo dragon’s. Of course, if you have a heightened metabolism, the effects can vary.
Enhanced Senses - Being reptilian in nature, David has several heightened and unusual senses. His sense of smell is heightened, and while he can’t track people like a bloodhound, he can smell when other people are nearby and identify them based on scents. He also possesses extreme sensitivity to heat, and can find people based on body heat. His vision is also unusual, with the ability to see bright colors even in darkness.
Dexterity and Reflexes - David’s body is enhanced, but not in a traditional sense. Instead of the more typical strength, David can move. He is flexible and can bend his body in unusual ways. While he isn’t the fastest man alive, his reflexes are incredible. He can’t run faster than others, but he can certainly move out of the way of punches with more efficiency.
Tough Skin - Across his body in patches are scales. They serve minimal purpose other than light body armor. There are patches across his back, chest, and along his arms and upper legs.
Cold Blooded - Unfortunately, David is almost incapable of producing his own body heat unless heavily exercising. He’s consistently stuck in perpetual cold. Due to this, he tends to dress as though it’s the dead of winter year-round, and can often be found sitting outside on sunny days while he tries to absorb any sunlight he can.
David was former Slate. In his previous life, he had been Rutilated Quartz, or Rut. He had been in management, as an assistant director at the NYC location. He had served under Garnet. Garnet, who had left him behind in a fight and caused him to have his collarbone and several ribs broken. Garnet, who had been unapologetic when he’d been in the hospital with a punctured lung. Garnet, who had refused to acknowledge she had left him behind.
But he didn’t know what else he expected after Sel had died.
Except now, as David sat in the bar watching the news broadcast, he knew that Sel wasn’t dead. There she was, on the TV screen, an oni mask on her face. While David had left rather loudly, Sel had found a different way out. She had faked her death. God, he wished he had thought of that. Maybe then he wouldn’t be dodging the Slate operatives that had been following him the last week since the bank robbery.
After all, David and Sel had been friends.
But just because they were friends in their previous life didn’t mean they were friends in this one. He certainly hadn’t heard from her since her disappearance. If he had, he still wouldn’t have told the agents that kept coming after him. He was an auditor now for the IRS. He was good at it, too. He’d always had a head for numbers and dates and timesheets. If only he could get them to leave him the fuck alone, everything would be fine, like it had been the last few years.
In the last three years since he had left the organization, no one had reached out to him. No one had sent him word, not one of his friends had tried to talk to him. And now he’d shaken three tails in less than a week. There was no way it was unconnected to Sel’s dramatic reentrance onto the scene with the Resonants. Especially not when the same footage showed blurry footage of a man covered in shadows fighting them.
Obsidian knew they were in town, and he was not pleased.
David sighed into his whiskey as he downed what was left of the double he had ordered. He knew immediately he’d need it when the door behind him opened and the very distinct smell of black pepper wafted through the room. He was a cold spot in David’s senses, not nearly as cold as David himself, but cold enough to be noticeable. The man walked up to sit next to him at the bar and ordered a bourbon in a smooth voice.
“Well, Rut, you’re looking good. I imagine you know why I’m here.”
David smiled wistfully and set his empty glass back on the bar. The bartender brought over Obsidian’s bourbon and placed it in front of the man with a respectful nod. Only then did David look up at his company. It was his first time seeing the man’s face unobscured. He wouldn’t have expected the messy orange curls and the sharp golden eyes. But the rest of him, that predatory sharpness and angular features? That was expected.
“Of course I know why you’re here. Sorry to tell you, but I have nothing that will help you. Sel hasn’t spoken to me since she disappeared five years ago.”
“Not even once, huh? Not a peep between such good friends?”
Unwanted. David had always been unwanted. Unwanted by family, unwanted by lovers, unwanted by friends. Even now, he only served the purpose of finding someone else. Obsidian didn’t want him back, but he cared enough about Sel to use him to track her down. Fuck if he was going to help with that. Fuck if he was going to be the unwanted one anymore.
“Not one. Clearly we weren’t as good of friends as everyone thought. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go to work in the morning. My ride is just about here.”
A gloved hand darted out to grab his wrist and David reflexively spun his arm around and pinned the hand to the bar. He held it there for a moment, flexing his hand over it before pulling away slowly. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding in and looked at Obsidian, who was watching him with a raised eyebrow.
“I have nothing for you, sir. Nor would I even if I knew anything. I’m leaving now. Don’t try to stop me again.” David turned and started toward the door, straightening out his heavy coat over his sweater, making sure they were pulled tight around his already frigid body. He hadn’t even stepped out into the snow yet, but removing himself from under the heater vent had an immediate effect.
From behind him, he heard a soft chuckle and then Obsidian’s melodic voice calling out in an almost singsong manner, “I’ll be seeing you, Rut. Best take care now.”
And with that, David disappeared out the door and into the night.