Hephaestus Bast--District Eight :)

Name: ]Hephaestus Bast
Age: Fourteen
Gender: Male
District/Area: District 8
Appearance:

The first thing most people notice about Hephaestus is that he is missing his left leg from just below the knee down. In its place is a silver and black metal prosthetic that is shaped like a human tibia and fibula that he made himself. The foot at the end of the leg is also skeletal in appearance with small tongues of flame painted onto the toes. The entire leg is rigid, which makes it kind of hard for Hephaestus to run or move silently. Hephaestus is proud of his handiwork so he often wears shorts so that people can see his metal limb.

Hephaestus has short black hair and bushy eyebrows. His close set eyes are grey and seem to almost never blink. Hephaestus’s nose is long and crooked, ending in a sharp point. Hephaestus often looks younger than he really is because of his smile. He is quick to flash a toothy grin that makes him seem more trustworthy. He has big ears that stick out from his head. His funny ears also help him look younger.

Hephaestus is about six feet tall and he is rather muscular. He has always had to prove that he is not a weakling ever since he had to have his leg removed, so he works out with his free time. He has calloused hands and multiple burns on his arms from his time over the forge. He wears mainly red or orange clothing and a light jacket.

Personality:

Hephaestus doesn’t really say much, but the gears in his mind are constantly spinning. He likes that analogy. Anything that makes him seem more like a machine than a human sounds good to him. His favorite thing about himself is his homemade prosthetic leg because it shows his fine craftsmanship, the one thing that he is really proud of, and it gives him a way to be separate from the cruel beings called humans. Ever since his accident, he witnessed the evil that others can do. He forced himself to be stronger than the others and perfect his craft so that he would have a way to defend and provide for himself instead of being the vulnerable and crippled kid who couldn’t help himself.

Curiosity killed the cat. Hephaestus doesn’t like this one quite so much. He is extremely curious and simply must figure out the inner workings of anything, be it a mechanical device, a person’s mind, or an interesting organization. Only by knowing everything can one truly not rely on others, so the closer to that he becomes, the better he feels about himself. He also hates the idea of cats dying. He loves cats and has lately been keeping a few in his house in district eight. The cats find that he is actually quite talkative, but that is just because when he says so little to people and learns so much, he finds it hard not to tell someone and the cats are good listeners.

If you play with fire, you will get burned. Ain’t that the truth?! That is how young Mr. Bast lost his leg in the first place. But he does not learn from his mistakes. Still fascinated with fire, Hephaestus still sees looking at the flames at the forge or working hot metal for hours as great fun. He has even been known (or less known) for starting a few fires in the district. He was nearby during the recent burnings of a rather brutal peacekeeper’s house, a local tavern, and a really old abandoned shed looking at the red hot scene with sadistic glee. He isn’t a bad person, but he just loves to watch the flickering tongues of flame and feel the heat on his face. Besides, nobody will miss any of the buildings anyway, so it’s all fine and dandy.

History:

Like most District Eight people, Hephaestus's mother works in the textile industry. She knits socks and scarves, and hats, and sweaters, as well as whatever knit things they want in the Capitol. His mother is always immersed in her work. She knits at the kitchen table, as she talks to people, through public events. Hephaestus is hard pressed to remember a time when she wasn’t holding yarn and knitting needles. His dad too is dedicated to his work. But that is really where the similarities between his parents end. Mr. Bast is a strong man who spends most of his time bent over a forge crafting the iron parts for the clothing mills or tools needed for domestic survival like pans and shovels. Hephaestus has been his dad’s apprentice for years and he shares his dad’s devotion to metalwork. He even used to go work in the middle of the night to surprise his dad with his handiwork.

That is why he is missing a leg. On one of these secret ventures, Hephaestus purposely built the fire to big so that he could watch it spark and feel its radiant heat. After the tired young blacksmith had been working for a while, he started to smell burning cloth. He dismissed the smell until it turned to the smell of burning flesh and his leg was ablaze. His father’s morning surprise was not a nice kettle or some spare parts, but to see his son covered in serious burns. Most of the burns caused scaring over the majority of his body, but the worst was where he first caught fire, his left leg. The muscle was burned off the bone in places and the District apothecary said that he could never use it again. It was Hephaestus's choice to lob off the leg and make a metal one from scratch, a decision which he is pleased with today.

The aftermath of his accident caused major social problems for Hephaestus. He was no longer able to run away or fight the cruel people at school who started to treat him like a one legged punching bag. After training himself to regain strength, Hephaestus was strong enough to hold his own physically. After all, it only takes one metal kick to the head to get someone to leave him alone. But the emotional scars of his experiences are yet to wear off. This accounts for his severe trust issues. And his basic dislike of people in general.

Codeword: <img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/16h2ibt.png">
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