CHARACTER NAME: Jade (Balfour) Curtiss
FANDOM: Tales of the Abyss
AGE: 35
GENDER: Male
HEIGHT: 6'1
WEIGHT: 163 lbs
APPEARANCE:
OCCUPATION: Colonel of the 3rd Division Malkuth Imperial Forces
FAMILY: Viscount Nephry Osbourn (Sister)
Count Osbourn (Brother-In-Law)
Jade Curtiss has been described many times as an enigma or a puzzle; a man with many secrets and a closet full of skeletons. It is true, and Jade guards his secrets closely. Hiding behind a mask of smiles and sarcasm, Jade is not always easy to get along with. This sometimes earns him ire from others, but to his credit he is hardly bothered by trifles such as dislike. A man who was once- and sometimes still is- famed as 'The Necromancer' is used to being hated.
Because of his ever-smiling face, Jade is well-known for being near impossible to read. His thoughts and emotions are always hidden, keeping both enemies and friends on their toes. Despite his smile, Jade always seems to have very little empathy for others. He prefers to use logic above all else in any decision or dispute, sometimes ruling out emotion entirely. Referring to himself as a cold man, and one that is hard to befriend at that, many are surprised if and when Jade refers to them as 'friends'.
With Jade's logic comes a vast understanding and an easy intuition when it comes to interaction with someone or something new. When presented with an obstacle, Jade is usually the one to turn to for answers or a way past. He is subtly curious in new situations and quick to explore new areas, picking up hints and keys quicker than others. He also presents a keen boldness in anything he does, for good or bad. Whether it is courage or something else entirely, not many men have threatened a king and gotten away with it on a bluff. However, Jade has done this and more and has proven himself time and time again as a loyal, powerful asset.
Underneath Jade's smiling and sometimes charming facade lies a powerful, militaristic mind. Calculating and sometimes cruel, Jade oftentimes sacrifices popular opinion and social graces for getting a point across. Wanting to kill a defenseless enemy (Halted by another party member) or slapping a distraught princess on a battlefield are only two of the more poignant examples of avoiding future issues with either. However, Jade listens to others, even against his better judgment at times.
Despite this more straight-forward and sometimes ugly side of Jade, he has shown multiple times to be a joking, sarcastic person. At many points, jade openly teases and mocks the rest of the party, making some vague and some poignantly clear remarks about intelligence, stature, or, in some cases, romance (or lack thereof). Jade seems to always find a witty remark, even in the most inopportune situations; on the battlefield, or simply in passing. No matter the subject, Jade always seems to find what annoys a person most and tease them for it, a trait he uses for other purposes as well.
Whether it comes to just bluntly asking or slowly getting to it, Jade has a tendency to get under people's skin to get his answers. However, he has been shown to not mind resorting to violence as Dist the Reaper can tell you. Sometimes it is simply his presence that causes people to talk. Many times, Anise or Luke comment on how scary or creepy Jade can be just by acting a certain way or using a certain tone of voice. Unfortunately for others, the same cannot be said about getting information from him.
Being evasive to the point of anger or sometimes downright refusing to be forthcoming, it is hard to get information from Jade. He has many secrets and keeps them well. Jade also has a habit of not sharing information that he is not 100 percent sure about, much to the chagrin of others. Many times through their journey, Jade refused to share sometimes key information with the others simply because he was not all the way sure he had all the information.
In many conversations, Jade refers to himself as selfish and sometimes ignorant, arrogant or stupid when it comes to his past. Regretting many of his actions as a child and later on in his research, Jade seems to wish for repentance for what he did. When talking to Luke, Jade mentions that if he did still wish to revive the Professor, it would be only to ask for forgiveness.
While it isn't entirely negative, Jade falls back on his age frequently and complains about his "aching joints" to get out of most physical labor. While it does work a lot of the time, Jade's years in the military have left him strong and agile. This generally means that he is capable of many of the tasks he pushes off on others.
Because of his years of experience and his knowledge of many subjects (Though he'll tell you he's no expert in any), Jade seems to know what's going on in most situations before others can blink. Despite this, he sees only fit to tell people when he is absolutely sure of something. Again, this earns the ire of his comrades, as Jade often knows the answer to a problem before it has begun. Jade frequently sees fit to let others figure problems out, rather than telling them outright. Likely, it is because Jade, at one point, admits that he loathes teaching and 'imparting knowledge' (Not to mention refusing his dogged wannabe “apprentice” Casim multiple times). It also seems to be that Jade despises explaining and admits to the group that he is terrible at it anyways. Thus, he pushes off this particular responsibility to Guy Cecil often.
For the most part, Jade's motivations seem to be self-centered or they run with the general needs and wants of the party. Although, Jade's actions are powered by commands either directly or indirectly from Emperor Peony IX. While he can be sarcastic, he will always follow the orders given by the Emperor. He doesn't seem to take orders from others and prefers to give them when it comes to battle or making a plan. To him, taking up the lead on any given task himself will guarantee it is done the way he thinks is best. However, Jade is vaguely respectful of others' opinions and knows when to keep his mouth shut or his opinions to himself.
Another driving factor is repentance. Much of who he is was influenced by a teacher named Gelda Nebilim. She showed him a humanity he did not readily possess as a child. Because of her teachings and her affinity for a power he could not control, Jade became attached to her. However, Jade caused her death accidentally after he attempted to harness that power.
After her death, Jade was driven to bring her back using replication. After many failed attempts and almost at the cost of his own life, Jade ceased and put a ban on replication. However, despite the years that have passed, Jade still cannot let her memory go and what he did in her name still haunts him. Because of those feelings, Jade comments at one point that all he wants is forgiveness. He even goes so far as to mention to Luke that he regrets a lot of the lives he's taken and the death he's caused for his selfishness.
Jade himself does not understand death. He admits to Guy privately that it is not so much the physical or mental part of death, but the emotional part: grieving. He himself cannot properly explain his issue, admitting to becoming upset at this inability. He does, however, explain that he cannot grieve. At Professor Nebilim's death, Jade realizes his did not feel for her, just expressing determination to bring her back. In the end, when Luke sacrifices himself to rid the world of Van and the Score, Jade seems to understand grieving for another's death. Not losing his own self, however, Jade still seems more logical and cold at Luke's death than the others. He shows more concern for the living than the dead.
Jade is an enigma, and a difficult one at that. He tends to makes things interesting, though sometimes infuriating. A sly, sometimes 'two-faced' old man, Jade is not always one to trifle with. However, that doesn't stop many from doing so anyway.
NAME: Colonel
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