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Finch Windsor Onslow
![](https://i.imgur.com/DGmNuQe.png)
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46yo | 1.7. | m | homosexual | ?[break]
accountant | Saint Denis / LE
Appearances often fool people, and such is the case with this charming older gentleman. Finch might seem to fit into the social elite of Saint Denis with ease, yet looking a little closer one might notice that his clothes aren’t exactly made from the finest silks, or follow the latest trends in fashion. These flaws are easy to overlook as Finch’s charming personality tends to steal the show. The words spoken in a posh London accent are eloquent, delivered calmly, yet with captivating determination and care. Even Finch’s body language is collected, especially thanks to his right hand being always occupied with the cane he relies on. The trusty, ornamental, yet worn cane supports Finch as he walks with a limp in his left leg. Sometimes the limp is heavier, other times a bit lighter, yet it is always noticeable. [break][break]
Despite Finch’s clothes not meeting the standards of Saint Denis’ elite, he takes good care of his appearance. He always looks well-groomed, with his hair slicked back, beard groomed, and clothes clean. His physique falls on the heavier side of average, which is quite telling of Finch’s current situation—he hasn’t experienced hunger in years, even though he doesn’t have a fortune to spend frivolously. His average economic standing is evident by the older suits Finch wears, strangely conflicting the ease in which Finch slips into the high society of Saint Denis, thanks to his posh accent and deep knowledge of etiquette.
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— red hair - blue eyes - average build - 185cm —
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Personality
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I wouldn't know where to start
Fancy words and a polite demeanor can carry one far in life, as long as you know which strings to pull. This was a lesson taught to Finch when he was a young man, pretty words morphing into tools at his disposal early on in his life. These days lies are like a second nature to Finch, effortlessly convincing, comforting companions. They can be used to get people right where Finch wants them, often gaining something valuable from them in the process—be it material, or immaterial. Finch is well aware of the true value of knowledge, gathering capital and keeping it stashed away until the opportunity to cash in the reward shows itself. Lies and deception, and particularly when to use them and when to hold true to his word have carried Finch far in his past criminal career. In fact, playing with people has yielded Finch better rewards than the poker table ever did. [break][break]
Despite being a talented liar and sly as a fox, Finch isn’t exactly a heartless, compassionless monster. In fact, Finch has gained compassion for people from many walks of life, as he, too, has gone through a lot throughout the years. Especially the poor and unfortunate in life have gained Finch’s sympathies, as he was in that spot once in his life. Despite his situation being a lot better these days, Finch hasn’t forgotten the depths he dwelled at one point in his life. That is why Finch has always focused on using people fortunate enough to be lightyears ahead of everyone else to his advantage. He has rarely, only in extreme circumstances relied on people’s desperation to gain an upper hand in situations. This is a standard Finch still holds himself to, even after leaving scamming behind. [break][break]
Despite not being exactly the most trustworthy person thanks to all the lies Finch keeps spewing, he isn’t exactly without any kinds of morals either, especially when it comes to the people he holds dear. He would never take advantage of the ones close to him, and would go to unimaginable lengths to protect them. He would exhaust all of his resources and talents in order to benefit someone he loves, often without even telling the person he would help. After all, despite using relationships to his advantage—or perhaps exactly because of it—Finch rarely wishes to put his loved ones in a spot where they’d feel indebted to him. Besides, caring in such a way could be seen as a weakness, so perhaps concealing the lengths he would go to his loved ones is in equal measures to protect himself, as well as the people he loves. [break][break]
The path to Finch’s favor is a long one, as the man has learned to keep people at an arm’s length in order to protect himself. After spending years in less than trustworthy company, it is a lesson Finch has learned the hard way. Yet gaining Finch’s affection isn’t exactly an impossible task. Perhaps hypocritically, Finch appreciates honesty and trustworthiness, and once proven reliable, Finch has an easier time trusting someone. Though Finch often keeps his guard up even with people he knows—only few can enjoy the man’s undying loyalty, and getting to that point quite often requires years of building a relationship, or perhaps multiple extraordinarily vulnerable moments shared between them. [break][break]
Speaking of vulnerabilities, Finch’s sexuality has always been one to the man. He has been exploring his sexuality since his university years, yet being attracted to men has always been a source of shame and pain for him. Not even all the wonderful experiences he has shared with other men have made Finch feel any different about his preferences. Yet he finds comfort in the secrecy of the Paladin’s basement, rarely actually having relations, but enjoying talking and drinking with other people society has deemed damned.
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— extroverted - suave - loyal - talented liar —
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Past
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I think it's too late to figure this out
Perhaps the grandeur of a mansion in London seems like an unlikely cradle for the life of a con man like Finch, yet the high society of Kensington truly did claim him once. Hailing from a family with noble roots, his original family name hasn’t left Finch’s lips since he fled his home country. Yet before the fateful events that led to Finch’s shameful disappearance from England, he lived a life of luxury and indulgence. The third child, and the youngest son of five children, Finch never felt alone in the grand mansion he called home. Finch effortlessly adopted the strict expectations of the etiquette placed on him and his siblings, and from a young age Finch charmed others with his politeness and natural charisma—traits which have carried Finch through his life.[break][break]
Despite sticking to the expectations set upon him throughout his childhood and teen years, Finch started to depart from them when he entered his university years. Temptations were laid on a silver platter in front of him now that he was away from home, ending up in the wrong crowd. Finch started drinking, slacking on his studies, and as a cherry on top he began exploring his sexuality for the first time with another young man. Yet none of the vices Finch indulged in had such an impact on the course of Finch’s life as gambling.[break][break]
Spending a lot of time carelessly throwing away money in their secret poker rings, Finch found himself wasting most of the money his family sent him. Eventually news of Finch’s inappropriate behavior reached his parents, more specifically about his gambling habit. His parents thought this behavior unacceptable, and cut Finch off financially. They still paid his tuition, as well as accommodation, yet the monthly parcel of money Finch used to get was history. This, however, didn’t extinguish the flame Finch held out for gambling. The thought of getting money in any way possible teased Finch night and day, yet the most obvious solution—getting a job and working for his money—wasn't the one Finch settled on. Instead the prospect of using his charisma to his advantage proved the most appealing. Scamming people seemed like the fastest and most effortless way to make money.[break][break]
It didn’t take too long for Finch’s swindling endeavor to grow out of hand, and come to light. Knowing his family would disown him for his crimes, Finch gathered everything he had, and paid an astronomical sum for discrete passage from England to the United States. Penniless in a completely new country, Finch’s life had turned upside down. Opulence turned into squalor, as the soft-handed englishman with no experience of the real world wasn’t exactly a sought-after employee.[break][break]
In his new life Finch turned to what he knew best—using his words to his advantage. His little endeavor of scamming people continued in the States as well, and in order to support himself he turned to pickpocketing as well. His fingers light and instincts sharp, Finch turned out to be a passable pickpocket, however, the new direction to his life didn’t come without any hitches. He got caught a couple of times, yet evaded harsher punishment. The people who Finch ran into rather tended to hand out justice by their own hand, rather than through the legal system. Once Finch fell down a flight of stairs, the fall shattering his ankle, and ever since that day he has been in pain due to this poorly healed fracture. Yet the tale he tells about his limp is never the actual truth—Finch often spins all kinds of tales about his poor leg, making the injury sound more exciting than it is in reality. [break][break]
Despite the rough start in a new country, Finch managed to make it work for himself. He found like-minded individuals who desired to earn their living through less than savory means, and has had all kinds of partners throughout his career. He fell out with most of them due to various reasons ranging from disagreements to diverging paths, yet Finch has made only a few enemies in his life. Most of the people Finch fell out with don’t harbor any hostility towards the man, and neither does Finch towards them. More accurately Finch has made a lot of useful friends throughout his years in the United States. Handing out favors is not a problem to Finch, though he always collects his dues in the shape of a favor returned to him. That is why Finch has turned out to be quite the influential man behind the scenes in Saint Denis. He isn’t necessarily well-known or wealthy, but he knows which strings to pull, and is familiar with the inner workings of the powerful underside of Saint Denis. [break][break]
Among his adventures in Saint Denisian society, Finch has run into quite a lot of hidden sides to the city. Not least of which is the Paladin saloon, a spot Finch tends to frequent. A man of his tastes can appreciate the hidden part of the establishment, and for the past decade or so Finch has done just that. He isn’t exactly one for strings of casual relations, though committed relationships haven’t really been his thing either. Instead the thing Finch enjoys the most about the Paladin is the relaxed atmosphere in which he can flirt with men if he pleases, make friends with interesting women, and everything in between. That is not to say that Finch has been entirely devoid of the more carnal pleasures of life, but he tends to do so only rarely, whenever a man interesting enough catches his attention.[break][break]
The Paladin has turned out to be an important place to forge useful and important connections as well, as Finch met one of his closest friends, Maeve Whitlock in the basement of the establishment. A successful businesswoman caught Finch’s attention, a polar opposite to the con man he was, yet the two are not quite so different after all. Time after time Finch kept running into her at the Paladin, and the pair grew closer. Finch couldn’t have expected this relationship to build past what he initially saw it as—just another useful connection—yet to his surprise the two built a genuine friendship between them. Perhaps it is unsurprising that thanks to Maeve, Finch left the life of a scammer finally behind him, and is currently using his impressive set of skills to help Maeve conceal the secretive business she conducts behind the scenes.
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Misc
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- walks with a heavy limp in his left leg