Bobby Rochester [D2]

Bobby Rochester

District 2

17

Bobby Rochester had a fucked up childhood. He'll be the first to come out and say it. His Dad had never fulfilled his dream of being a tribute for District 2, and then when Bobby's mom died in a house fire when he was four years old, Bobby's father was sent into a dark and violent addiction to alcohol and became obsessed with his son becoming a victor.

Bobby often wonders how life would've gone if his mom had never died. The few memories he has of her are hazy but wonderful. She has soft curly blonde hair and the kindest smile anyone has ever seen. She loved Bobby with all her heart, and she made Bobby's father a better person. He was almost good with her, but when their house burned to the ground, taking Bobby's mother with it, he became so hell-bent on making her death have meaning, on making Bobby's life have meaning that he turned into a monster.

From the time he could properly hold a knife, Bobby's dad had him doing career training more hardcore than most any other child. His father employed tactics of training that bordered on torture. At age 5 he started full-on combat training with both weapons and hands, matched against his father. At age 9 he was buried alive seven times, until he managed to break the coffin and dig his way out on his own. The harsh treatment, paired with the constant verbal abuse doled out when his father was drunk, Bobby developed a very damaged sense of self worth. He puts little to no value in his own life and has a very difficult time making friends because he assumes they hate him as much as he hates himself.

A year ago, when Bobby was 16 his father disappeared. Bobby doesn't know whether he left or drank himself to death in some back alley. Whatever the case, his disappearance filled Bobby with a horrible mix of relief and devastation, because despite knowing that his father was a disgusting human being and an even worse father, everything about Bobby is striving to earn his father's approval, from the way he dresses to the music he listens to, to the slang he uses when speaking.

Due to his training, Bobby is a ruthless killer when attacked, and is deadly with nearly any weapon he can get his hands on. The abuse from his father also made Bobby short-tempered, mistrusting and stoic.

Bobby's father didn't completely manage to destroy all the good inside Bobby, he is still very kind, sarcastically funny, generous, and genuinely wants to make the world a better place and keep people safe. Not that he would ever admit it, but Bobby loves kids and secretly hopes to have a happy family, his father's cruelty long forgotten.

Bobby is very brave, though he considers himself cowardly, the two things that genuinely terrify him are his father and dogs. The first Hunger Games he watched with Hellhounds gave him nightmares so fierce that he woke his father in the next room. His bravery is of the completely selfless variety, there is nothing he wouldn't do to protect those he cares about.

Bobby's natural charm, and trust issues make him a bit of a womanizer. It's not that he means to lead on women, it's just that he enjoys physical intimacy but can't open up emotionally. So women tend to think he's an ass and leave him before he could possibly start to trust them. After a while of being dumped, Bobby learned his lesson and started walking out before they woke up, to save himself the dull throb of heartache.

Bobby sometimes appears dumb, because of his sarcastic and inverted nature, and many assume that because he isn't good a maths or sciences, he must be an idiot in every way. On the few opportunities that he has to reveal his intelligence, Bobby shows that he is a genius strategist, extremely literate, a mechanical prodigy and a rather good cook.

Bobby is what his mother called 'classically good looking', with his wide, charming smile and puppy dog hazel eyes. He has wide dimples that make his smile seem almost infectious, and a strong but pointed chin.

His face is thin and long, with an equally thin and long nose, all accentuated by his more almond shaped eyes and light coloured eyebrows. His lips are very pink and very thin, and his ears are slightly misrounded at the top, giving them an odd look.

His hair is a dusty auburn colour, turning more light brown in the sun, and is always kept short and neat. His teeth are white and (thankfully) very straight.

His body is lean and muscular, with an almost oddly proportionate length to his limbs. His legs are horribly bowlegged, giving him an almost pirate-like swagger when he walks. His hands are very large, but move deftly enough to quickly disassemble and reassemble weaponry.

Tattooed across his muscular shoulders is a set of inky black wings, slightly faded over time, that represent his mother, who always said that angels are watching over you baby.

Bobby dresses exactly like his father did, flannel shirts, leather jackets, lots of denim and lots of plaid. He is often mistaken for a mine worker when he goes to the District shops. He always wears his mother's gold wedding band on his right ring finger, and often twists it when he gets nervous.

His good looks and easy smile make Bobby seem like a cookie-cutter career tribute, with an ego and an addiction to the spotlight, and he perpetuates that stereotype because is is easier than showing people the truth of himself.