Hibiscus Aurum

"We enter with honor... And exit with glory"

Team: HMLK (Pronounced “Hemlock”)

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 164lbs

Hair: Brown that borders on Bronze

Eyes: Muted Green

Appearance:
Hibiscus is generally very unassuming in his outward appearance, particularly for a Huntsman Academy. In general, it would be difficult to pick him out of a crowd. He’s tall, enough for a little extra reach in a fight, but doesn’t tower over those of regular height. His figure, like most other aspiring Hunters, is strong and toned, but not chiseled or particularly “buff”. These however all describe him from a distance. When engaging in conversation, one will find he has a bright slime, though rarely used, and the soft but not rounded features of his face naturally seem to draw people in. In certain lights, particularly the last glimmer of twilight, his hair transforms from flat brown to glistening bronze. He has a scar of medium size on his upper left arm. He stands and sits with a slight slouch, but will quickly straighten up in when the situation calls for it. In general, his appearance radiates casual friendliness and warm.

In his standard civilian dress Hibiscus is incredibly décontracté. His style of dress is simple, functional, and comfortable. Normally, he sports a t-shirt, often with some obscure reference to his favorite show or an obvious and often tasteless pun. Above that he wears a plain flannel shirt. He attempts to make the colors match, but more often than not the clash ever so slightly. He wears cargo pants, almost always a flat beige. Despite their failure as a fashion statement Hibiscus simply can’t turn away their utility. The large pockets are stuffed with anything and everything. They’re even the perfect size to fit a nice book. On his feet are a pair of sneakers, well worn, comfortable, and poorly laced. Much like his regular clothes, Hibiscus wears his Haven uniform loosely with plenty of room to move around, even if it means a dress code violation or two.

In combat, Hibiscus prefers armor modeled after the classic Roman Legionnaire. An undershirt and loose trousers of flaming red are covered over gilded breastplate and shoulder guards. His helmet too sports a bright red plume and his high boots are laced in the same color. For formal occasions he will add a scarlet cape, but it will be quickly removed once combat begins as not to interfere with his fighting.

Personality:
Hibiscus is first and foremost a leader. He does his best to lead democratically, and if he believes another is more qualified to lead than himself he will step down. His amiable personality makes people naturally gravitate towards him. He does his best to be friends to everyone and will make the effort to talk to someone even if he doesn’t like them. He likes to avoid making people feel left out and when picking team will often pick a weaker player just so they don’t have to be last. Just because he is willing to start at a disadvantage doesn’t mean he’s willing to give up on victory. He believes everyone is capable of victory within their own right and just needs to work themselves a little harder. His personal moral compass is strong, but he won’t attempt to force his morals onto others. He believes that at least an attempt should be made to understand any character and negotiation is always his first tactic. Just because he’s lenient however doesn’t mean there aren’t lines to be crossed.

While always attempting to be fair Hibiscus is also an incredibly stubborn character. His nickname back home was even Murus, or “The Wall”. He is willing to debate a subject for hours on end, but insists that all debates be carried on calmly and intellectually. He is an avid reader, particularly of fantasy. He is known to carry a book with him almost anywhere he goes. Lastly, his great passion is history. He has read almost every book available on the Great War and has extensively studied the fallen kingdoms of the past. He someday hopes that upon graduation he can travel in search of ruins long forgotten and long overrun by the creatures of Grimm.

Weapons and Abilities:
Hibiscus is what would normally be categorized as a “tank” class fighter. He primarily relies on withstanding an attack rather than dodging or deflecting it. His primary means of doing this is with his large rectangular Legionnaire’s shield. The shield can collapse into the boss for easier transportation. It is made primarily of a superlight alloy. This also makes the shield weak, a problem Hibiscus has long since developed a solution for. His primary armament is a Roman Gladius that can transform into a semi-automatic 12 gauge shotgun. In addition to arm straps, the shield has a small notch to accommodate the gun. This allows him to fire and remain covered simultaneously. The shotgun is loaded primarily with solid slugs but buckshot may be used in rare instances. He rarely to never uses Dust.

Hibiscus’s aura is a shimmering gold and gives him strong defense and stamina, but little speed. His semblance manifests as ''Metalli Densitas.'' This unique ability allows him to exclusively affect metals. In essence, it allows him to control a metal’s density without changing the volume. He can act on any metal in which he is currently in contact with or a single piece of metal he has made physical contact with in the last 5 minutes although the length often depends on the metal. When affecting a metal he is not in contact with he is unable to affect any other metals. He will most often use this semblance in one of three ways. One, he most often uses it on his own shield. While it will significantly increasing the weight it will also greatly increase its strength. He will often briefly spike the density when taking a particularly strong hit head on. Two, he will often affect his or his teammates’ weapons in the moment before a strike to give particularly strong impact. Lastly, he will often allow his opponent to hit him once or twice to allow him eventual effect on their weapon. By varying the weight of his opponent’s weapon he can throw their balance or make their weapon simply impossible to lift. The longer the time since contact the more effort it will require to change a metals density. For reasons unknown he is unable to affect precious metals.

Backstory:
Hibiscus was born and raised in a town in the Kingdom of Mistral. His family was kind and loving and raised him to be much like themselves. They lived well within their means and were fortunate enough to go their lives without significant tragedy.

His true inspiration for becoming a hunter arose from his grandfather. His grandfather was a young boy at the resolution of the Great War and was one of the first classes to graduate from Haven. In his time as a Hunter he traveled the four kingdoms battling Grimm and collecting stories as payment. He recorded many all the stories he heard and took it upon himself to copy rare manuscripts when he found them. He brought these works back to Haven where he served briefly as chief librarian. When he retired he brought a very large collection of books home with him. Hibiscus grew up to be an avid reader because of his grandfather. He finished nearly every book in the collection and came away with a thirst for knowledge and adventure. His combat gear was also heavily inspired by his grandfather. He is further set to inherit his grandfather’s collection upon his passing.

Hibiscus’s favorite childhood pastime, after reading, was going into the woods near the village to explore. This was of course done at the protest of his parents as there were occasional Grimm sightings in the area. Hibiscus found the remains of a crumbling stone bastion in the woods were he would often play or hide in times of emotional distress. When he was 11 he had a brief falling out with his parents and attempted to run away from home as almost all children consider at one point in their lives. After fleeing to the woods he had the misfortune of attracting an Ursa in his distress. The Ursa is the cause of the scar on his upper arm. Fortunately, his grandfather was told of Hibiscus’s attempt to run away and went searching for him. He was able to battle of the Ursa before Hibiscus could sustain any more harm. In the fight however Hibiscus’s grandfather took a hit to the leg which continues to plague him today. For this Hibiscus blames himself and determined he would become strong in his grandfather’s place. After a few years of rigorous self-training he was admitted into Sanctum. To this day he bears (budum tsss) his scar and a slight fear of Ursa.

After graduating Sanctum with high marks and having discover his semblance, Hibiscus went straight to Haven. To his great misfortune, Hibiscus was partnered with Malacus Thuelban, an undoubtedly shady character of mysterious origins. To further this problem, Hibiscus found his partner to harbor some mischievous, malignant, and sometimes criminal tendencies. He took it upon himself to put his partner on a straight path and keep him in check. Despite their moral differences, the two bonded well over their love of literature and intellect.