Name

Calixte Bonnaire

Nicknames

Many people refer to him as Cal in informal situations, and he usually asks that people call him by his nickname even on formal occasions. If people insist on referring to him by his surname, he prefers Monsieur Bonnaire but will also go by Mr. Bonnaire.

Age

26

Gender

Male

Sexuality

Unknown

Although it would seem safe to assume that Cal is straight due to him being married, if he were anything but straight he wouldn’t be likely to tell anyone.

Role

Ancient Linguistics Translator

Appearance

Calixte is a lithe sort of person, but far from skinny. He’s very toned, but has yet to quite reach the point where he can be called muscular. It’s obvious he doesn’t regularly exercise quite as much as more avid explorers. He’s not very tanned, but does have naturally tan-colored skin - though not very dark at all. It’s a bit rough and oily, not the best skin. It is, however, free of most blemishes. He has no scars, nor does he have any skin conditions or pimples. He’s a fairly tall person, about 5’7” or 5’8”, and has sturdy legs and rather long arms. His hands feature rather soft palms and neatly clipped, very clean fingernails. He has some hair on his arms, legs, and chest. His knuckles are a bit bruised up, perhaps indicating a recent fight. His feet are normal-sized but a bit narrow, and even his toenails are clipped short. He has an inverted triangle build when it comes to his upper half, with broad shoulders and a smaller waistline. His neck is thick and neither long nor short. He also has a broad chest and wide upper back. He’s a very sturdily built person, and he’s obviously in very good shape as well.

Cal has a pretty noticeable bone structure, with very prominent cheekbones and a strong, ovular face. He has a squared jaw and a fairly high forehead. His ears are a bit large, but not so much that they stick out. His eyes are a bit small and a normal almond shape, not very tilted towards the center and with dark but not prominent eyelids. The pupils are dark, his eyes a deep brown that resembles dark coffee or chocolate. His eyebrows are set rather low about his eyes, a bit messy but rather small. They’re a dark blonde color. They give him a sort of standoffish look, especially when he’s not smiling. His nose is normal-sized, smooth and rather short. His mouth is cupid’s-bow shaped with lips a shade darker than the rest of his skin. It’s not very large. When he smiles, the corners of his eyes crinkle up and his mouth stretches horizontally. He has a few semi-visible cavities: he obviously doesn’t take great care of his teeth. He also has the beginnings of a beard and mustache growing in, a bit darker than his eyebrows. He obviously shaves because it’s not too rugged. His hair is almost always covered up in a hat, but on the rare occasion that he takes it off a flash of dark blonde can be seen. It’s soft and clumpy but is also rather oily and obviously isn’t his first priority.

Cal is mostly seen wearing suits in various shades of brown, though of course he won’t be wearing one for this adventure. He’s also always seen wearing a hat which completely covers up his hair. His preferred hat is a dark brown flat cap. He seems perfectly willing to wear any other kind of hat, though, and also seems to like panama hats. He has no other accessories, no markings, no jewelry (not even a wedding ring), no tattoos, nothing really to distinguish him. In fact, he’s mostly unremarkable looking, and most people couldn’t point him out in a crowd. One item that he always has on him, though, is his wallet, which contains pictures of his wife and kid. He also always seems to have a smoking pipe, tobacco, and a light.

Personality

Cal is generally a very nice person. The word “amiable” wouldn’t quite describe him, but he makes an effort to get along with people and he’s very good at making conversation. From what people know of him so far, he’s far more interested in talking about other people than in talking about himself. He can be a tad bit judgemental, but not to the extent where it becomes a chore to talk to him. He’ll talk about pretty much anything, and if he doesn’t understand what’s being discussed he asks questions. He shows a keen interest in learning about new things. He himself, when forced to choose a subject, will usually discuss one of three things. The first is ancient languages and archeology, something which he knows everyone is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about. The second is science fiction. He’s a huge fan of science fiction, and especially the idea of science fiction intertwined with archeology. Although he’s quite rational about his work and the likely sources of ancient wonders, there’s a part of him that likes to imagine aliens or advanced technology creating ancient history. He says he knows it’s not true, but he thinks it would be something wonderful if it were. The last thing he talks about is family. He likes to hear about people’s families, and he loves showing pictures of his wife and two-year-old son. He can joke and laugh quite easily, and is usually able to smooth things over when conversations start getting awkward. Cal is, in general, an optimist. He’s not exactly chipper, but he tends to make an effort not to complain and to find solutions rather than laying blame. This is one of the reasons that he’s so good at working in a group, and why he’s one of the best people for a frustrating job like ancient linguistics.

Despite this favorable description, however, there are quite a few things about Cal that people are bound not to like. The foremost in this is his rather needless aggression. Although Cal easily converses with others, he also tends to overreact when he feels that people are being threatened. This can be him or others, and ranges from half-assed insults to actual life-threatening situations. For somebody who barely knows anyone, he certainly does seem to take it personally when anyone is less than civil. He’s easily offended when people question his handiwork and when they express doubt about the way he’s going about things. He tends to butt into other people’s problems and may make things worse when he comes to their defense. If a fight starts, he’ll be the first to get involved and the last to back down. He doesn’t seem to have the sense in his head to back down from a fight he knows he can’t win, nor to take the easier path when a more dangerous one is before him. It’s strange, in a way, because he’s not reckless in other aspects of his life, and he’s a very careful archeologist. And he seems to be a very loyal person, so it’s not clear whether, given the choice, he would choose to save his teammate or his pride. He insists that everyone get a say, even those who don’t really feel like contributing their opinions. He will not, however, under any circumstances disobey authority, though he doesn’t seem overly-fond of it. The thing that people are sure to be taken aback by is his adamant insistence that people who are rude or mean give the person they wronged a formal apology. It can hold things up and is a pretty awkward experience for everyone involved. He can also get a bit too involved in people’s personal problems, wanting to help but generally intruding more than aiding people.

Cal can be a bit strict, but especially when it comes to archeology. He’s already expressed concerns about the idea of tomb raiders, and although he hasn’t said it, something in his tone indicates that he suspects any one of them could be in this to steal artefacts. For such a friendly person, he certainly is very rigid. He doesn’t nag people or reprimand them, nor does he tattletale to the leader of the expedition. But he does have that judgemental look he gives those who are misbehaving. He’s a very open, talkative person, but all the same he shares very little about himself. He’s perfectly willing to detail every fact about his life and history, but shares none of his personal life or own emotional reactions to his life. Perhaps if somebody really tried to get to know him, this might change. It’s unclear whether he’s keeping something secret or just disinterested in discussing his own life. He does, however, have a keen interest in discussing morals with other people. He likes to get people’s opinion on these matters, and tends to be more accepting of different kinds of morals than most people. He could probably be easily convinced to join any side of an argument, and is the kind of person who doesn’t cling too fervently to his opinions if he hears a good argument for the opposite opinion.

Despite his resistance towards sharing with others, particularly his resources, he is particularly susceptible to the art of guilt tripping. He may get angry, but if you can find a reason to make him feel guilty for it you can bet he’ll be at your mercy. He always makes it up to somebody he’s wronged, and is very gullible when it comes to lies about one’s tragic past or the reason they are the way they are. He tends to feel bad for people, particularly those who have struggled through political and economic hardships. He will, however, hold a grudge to his grave if he finds out somebody is using this against him. Although the group has just started to see this about him, they’ve already begun to figure out that guilt trips are the way to get him out from under their feet as long as they’re done properly and not too much. He’s also the kind of person who will sympathize with any stories of past struggle, though he may try to help find solutions if you give him the chance.

Specialized Skills

Cal’s best language is Proto-Germanic, but he’s very fluent in many dead and ancient languages - or, anyway, as fluent as he can be. He also speaks French, German, and English.

Strengths

Physical Strength

Because Cal hasn’t been on a big expedition like this before, he got himself very prepared. He’s in pretty good shape, and is a pretty good fighter as well. He doesn’t know how to fight with weapons, but is good enough at hand-to-hand and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He doesn’t want to be the one who can’t pull his own weight, and since his usefulness may be limited depending on what they find, he’s also willing to help out with carrying equipment and the like.

Friendliness

Cal generally gets along pretty well with everyone else, despite his detrimental temper. He’s easy to talk to and makes friends without trouble. He’s always willing to start a conversation and sticks up for people even when he doesn’t know them well.

His Job

As you’d hope, Cal is extremely good at his job. He has the patience and presence of mind to be able to decipher near-indecipherable runes and texts. He’s fairly fluent in most of these languages, but particularly in European ones.

Problem-Solving

Cal is generally very good at figuring out solutions to problems (though not so much with personal problems). He never loses his head, never lays blame, and never gets angry when there’s work to be done and a practical solution can be found.

Weaknesses

Temper

Cal can have quite a big temper, and is especially overly defensive of his teammates. He doesn’t stand for any kind of rudeness or insults. He tends to get into fights and won’t stop until the other person apologizes.

Exploring

Cal’s been on one expedition before, and it was much safer than this one. He knows nothing about wilderness survival or taking care of himself in nature. He’s never been anywhere in South America and has never travelled to deep caves where food and water weren’t readily available.

Danger Draw

He’s very stupid when it comes to brave acts, and will do things just to show he can. This is really not much of a good trait, since it becomes a detriment and major inconvenience more often than it actually helps people.

Sharing

Cal doesn’t share anything. He’s very secretive, and he generally keeps to himself. He prefers not to share what he knows until he’s pretty sure he’s right. And he doesn’t share in a more literal sense. He hoards food and won’t share his supplies with anyone else. He’s not very generous.

Likes

Socializing

Cal is really a social creature, and loves to talk. He never really shuts up, and will talk about pretty much anything. He makes a huge effort to get to know his teammates: their motivations, their past, and their present.

Manners

Cal is really quite pleased by people who mind their manners. He understands that different cultures have different systems for this, and is accepting of it, but he thinks the idea of common courtesy is universal. He values manners much more highly than a lot of people.

Other

There are a lot of other things that Cal is interested in. He loves science fiction, and took an interest in Hitchcock fairly recently. He reads science fiction novels and stories of all kinds. He’s also a big fan of The Adventures of Tintin and he loves ice cream, especially strawberry. He’s also pretty fond of smoking.

Dislikes

Being Insulted

Cal reacts quite strongly to snarky or sarcastic people. He’s very sensitive, and gets up in arms about the smallest things. He’s very easy to rile up and won’t back down once he’s started a fight about something. He also defends others who are insulted.

Archeological Thieves

Whether it be robbers, lying archeologists, or scholars who take credit for others’ work, Cal is always on the lookout for those who would take advantage of a good anthropologist. He’s very protective of his work and often tries to involve himself in its usage and presentation where possible.

Being Manipulated

Though easy to manipulate, Cal doesn’t forgive easily if he figures it out. He can hold a grudge for quite a long time, and will never trust a person once they’ve proven themselves untrustworthy. He’s not much for second chances with matters like this.

Fears

I can send you more information on each, Renegades, but I didn’t want to reveal too much to the others so early in the RP.

Being a Coward

Being Used

Authority

Drowning

Affiliations and/or Thoughts on the Team

Calixte seems almost afraid of June, and has interacted with her only to obey her orders. He does everything she says without complaint, but also seems to avoid her in social situations.

Cal has gotten along very well indeed with Victoria. He's had a few chats with her and they talk easily and without any arguments.

Dimitri is another person that Cal gets along with very well. Although Dimitri is harder to talk to than some people, Cal seems to enjoy trying to get him out of his shell.

Cal has talked with Elena quite a bit and had no problems. He seems more protective of her than the others when it comes to bullying behavior, perhaps because she's the youngest there but likely because of her innocent demeanor.

Samael is the anti-Calixte. It's like they took eveything Cal hates and turned them into a person. So far they've already gotten into several arguments, and Calixte has a particularly venemous attitude towards Sam for too many reasons to list.

Cal doesn't hate Alexis as much as he hates Sam, but he certainly isn't friendly towards them. They seem to teeter-totter between uneasy peace and near-riots. Alexis's tendency towards the insultingly blunt rubs Cal the wrong way.

Love Interests

Cal has shown most everyone here pictures of his wife, Anaïs. It’s not clear how long they’ve been married or where they met, but their son Donat is currently two.

Backstory

Here’s what Calixte has shared so far:

He was born in a small town near Chimay in Belgium, fairly close to France. Son of Lazare and Doriane Bonnaire, he was interested in anthropology from a young age due to his father’s work in the museum. His family moved around a lot. He went to school in Belgium. But when Germany occupied Belgium in 1940, he and his mother were some of the first ones to flee to France. It was here that Cal studied ancient languages and eventually graduated, all while living with his mother. His father, who stayed behind in Belgium, was killed for political dissent. Cal, meanwhile, took his first job in Germany, where government funding for archeological work was booming. He did not return to Belgium after they freed themselves of German rule and the war ended, but rather stayed in Germany and continued his work. At the age of twenty he finally did return to Belgium, but was quick to take on another job, this one in America. He spent two years there and went on one expedition. He must have met his wife before this, because around here was when she got pregnant and gave birth to their son, Donat. Calixte has been performing small jobs in Belgium since his son’s birth, but is now embarking on this adventure. How it goes, we shall see.

Other

None