Kiryl Deane Scythe | D10

Deane is well built for his district. With the sun-soaked skin of a rancher, Deane is emerging from that "ugly" phase and beginning to turn heads as he finally settles into his looks. His hazel eyes are piercing though; in some lights, they're steely blue, while in others they reflect the grey of an overcast sky. His hair is cropped short by his younger brother, Thatcher, but often takes on a messy look. His physique matches its uses: working in the field and rearing the horses.

When it comes to fashion, leather chaps, a big old straw hat, a leather vest and plaid shirt, and well worn trousers are suitable enough for Deane. From years of watching the Games and seeing the ridiculous fashion styles from persons in the Capitol, Deane is more than comfortable dressing in his station, regardless of what his more fashion savvy younger brother might have to say. He's a work horse and his looks tell that story well enough.

Blunt; straight-forward; careless of sentimentality: Deane possesses the traits he needs to survive the daily grind. He values truth in everything, so when asked for his opinion (usually from the district's more prissy/privileged ladies) he's abrasively blunt with them, never shying away from telling things as they are. He doesn't like telling stories where the truth will suffice, but he is painfully aware of how others avoid him when they can. If being blunt is a flaw, Deane knows he's very flawed in that regard. It doesn't quell him from carrying on, though. Being straight-forward with his community is crucial. It's more about one's actions than one's words; bluntness can be spoken, but straight-forward action is invaluable. It's loyalty at its highest degree of expression. Finally, Deane is pretty careless about the sentimentality of others. He's not into the "drama" of the lifestyles of the privileged; the things that bother them enough to chatter non-stop mean so little to him, Deane can't help but be sarcastic to them. And it comes off mean most of the time, but that's simply because their fickleness releases his fiendish side.

Silently powerful; strong; independent: Deane uses these traits to maintain order. Having purchased more tesserae than almost anyone in his district and yet somehow avoiding selection at the annual reaping, Deane has built up a deep underlying power about him that demands (not suggests) respect for him and those around him. In this way Thatcher has been allowed to grow up with less toil and trouble than his older brother (thankfully), living ever under the defensive protection Deane provides him. When and where this power comes from, no one knows but Deane---and he isn't sharing his secrets. All anyone knows is the facts, and those are that when they couldn't be supported any longer, Deane and Thatcher were abandoned in the fields for the Fates to do with them as they pleased. When they emerged some years later, Deane was in control and anyone wishing to threaten that role (Peacekeepers included) had something else coming to them. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Deane is physically strong, but his strength of spirit is oft on the lips of his brother. He's always optimistic (which is laughable considering how he acts in public), always encouraging (also tough to believe) and always very affectionate with Thatcher (which is possibly the most difficult to believe of them all). Though Thatcher is beginning to understand how much of a disadvantage this puts him at, he's never truly wanted for anything with Deane, who he best describes as being his father, brother and best friend. Finally, and for seemingly no reason at all, Deane's independence has excluded all the women of District 10. When asked about it, Thatcher can only smile wryly and shrug. No one knows if not Thatcher. Rumours always circulate about Deane's sexual orientation, but even these are hard to explain away Deane's stubborn independence. It is just a mystery that the District has to live with.

Deane is his own man, valuing the company of those who are willing and able to keep up with him. The most unflinching and unforgiving among District 10 might catch a glimpse of who Deane is really but most only see as far into him as the eyes can pierce his skin. Thatcher is the only person yet known to District 10 who knows Deane, but even he can't put into words what makes his older brother so unfailingly enigmatic. It's just something about him, both attractive and repulsive, and his personality, both fierce and frightened, that keeps the district on its toes.

Birth:

Slasher Scythe and Sive Quarrynan never properly wed before giving birth to their son Kiryl. Sive was freshly 20-something and Slasher was rounding the corner on his latter 20s when their son came. Unable to choose a name that suited the ranch or field, they settled on the bastardisation of a foreign mythological name: Cyril, in hopes that like its ancestor (the founder of the Cyrillic alphabet), their son would go on to do great things. When their second son came, however, Slasher and Sive faced grave decisions. Thatcher wasn't supposed to be born; they'd taken the precautionary measures to assure the fetus died. So when he was born, when Deane was not yet old enough to care for himself but old enough to know something was wrong, Slasher went into hysterics and lost his job on the ranch. Sive was too weak from the birth and that which came before it to do any work, and the already poor family struck even poorer.

Abandonment:

On Thatcher's fifth birthday, Slasher invited his sons out into the fields beyond their hovel. Catching snakes at midnight was one of their favourite pasttimes, and Slasher was blithe to partake in it on this evening. After several hours of fashioning little knives of reeds and sharpened stones, both Thatcher and Deane began the hunt for snakes. There was a big one in the thicket some metres from their starting spot, and while Deane was aware something was amiss, he tagged along with his gleeful younger brother on the chase. Just before the snake could slip under the electric fence on the perimeter of the district, Thatcher speared it and cut its head off. When they returned to where their father had left them, Slasher was gone. At their hovel, Deane found the shack empty, all signs of life snuffed out save for an arrowhead. He took Thatcher deep into the reeds and raised them both for nearly a decade, sending Thatcher to school when he needed to be there and showing up in the stables for a little money.

Tesserae and the Reapings:

As soon as he was able to, Deane signed for tesserae. Being unskilled in trapping and mediocre at spear-hunting, he knew his brother would starve to death without something to eat. Chewing on reeds took away the mental desire for food, but the physical need began to take its tool. People generally didn't notice them when they appeared for the annual Reapings outside the Justice Building, and as Deane's name was never called, no one noticed when they disappeared again. Even the ranchers were unaware of their new stable boy; the teachers rarely noted Thatcher other than when his shoes became too ratty to wear and Deane sent him to school with a pair fashioned from the reeds. It wasn't until their reed-hut was discovered at the extreme end of the district that legends began to surface, putting them at the centre of attention. When Thatcher's name was entered for the first time into the damnable balls at the annual Reaping, the Scythe brothers appeared for good.

Another new life:

Deane was sixteen then, almost through his period of eligibility, but he had already entered his name more than 30 times. Odds were not in his favour. Yet the final two reapings of his eligibility never yielded his name, and so a new chapter began in Deane's life. He still had to endure the possibility of Thatcher's name being called, but considering the pain of survival that he'd had to endure since that horrible night years earlier, Deane was prepared for anything. He'd begun trying to get Thatcher mentally ready for the chance he'd be in the Games, but most of those attempts had been futile. So instead Deane got busy getting work as a rancher, saving up money to move them into a cottage and doing his best not to increase Thatcher's chances of going to the Games.