Elliot Hanover

Ever-enthused and wearing a bright, confident smile it is hard to believe that Elliot has grown up in the slums of Zhadrah. After spending an extended period of time with her, however, it becomes apparent that something is not quite right inside of Elliot’s mind: she behaves as a child,a symptom of the childhood that was ripped away from her. Meanwhile, Elliot’s peppy attitude is merely a coping mechanism for all that she has seen.

Elliot is loyal to her sisters, her bosses, the women whom she adores and respects in equal measurements and she would never ever ever consider betraying them. They have looked out for her since she was a shy child with scabby knees, even Eileen (to a degree) though she really didn’t have to, which Elliot truly appreciates. She recognises that she is caught in a disconnect from the rest of Zhadrah and that she does not have what it would take to survive on her own. Where many children grow up strong, Elliot hasn’t truly managed to grow up at all. The true strength of her will is hidden behind a woman, perhaps more accurately a girl, who is a pushover, lacking the motivation to hurt others. Something of a pushover, Elliot struggles to assert herself and oftentimes fails to stand up for or defend herself because she has never had to. There has always been someone there to protect her. She does not realize it herself, but if anyone were to threaten someone she cared dearly for, then Elliot would be pushed into action. It would not be a relished experience and would likely end with hot tears on her cheeks, but Elliot could fight, albeit clumsily, on behalf of someone that she loved.

It is a difficult thing for Elliot to keep who she is secret, though it has been explained to her many a time why she must. She collects information for Gigas and thus it is necessary to remain publically separated from her sisters. If it was ever found out by someone that detested Gigas or her sisters who Elliot is or which gang she associates with, then it would prove dangerous. What’s more, is that keeping her identity a secret from the majority of Gigas members, Elliot is better able to monitor their loyalties. Lying is simple enough for Elliot but being unable to show just how much she loves her sisters and not being able to babble away to them when others are around? It hurts, making moments she does have with her siblings all the more dear.

Generally speaking, Elliot is an affectionate and kind sort. Though she finds some people to be “mean”, she is quick to forgive. Those that befriend her or are close to her are treated very well, although they are also likely to witness her temper at some point or another. Elliot is prone to tantrums should anything go wrong, whatever has gone wrong, and she seeks solace in the company of those that she likes -- usually in the form of needing someone to listen to her shouting and dry her tears. Elliot’s temper, then, can be a corrosive thing for relationships with those that do not have the patience to deal with her infantile behaviour. Although Elliot does try to be kind at times when she is frustrated or upset, she can struggle to see the bigger picture, as it were. other peoples' feelings can momentarily become unimportant as she worries only about her own concerns.

Some people are serious faced and find little joy in the world. Elliot is not one of these people. She likes to play and laugh and tease, as often as she can. Fun is poked at anything silly that happens, because Elliot understands that such amusements are few and far between. Well well-humoured flirtations are common where the woman is involved. Little of what she says is serious and those that Elliot knows are aware of this, but it certainly makes her happy. It is important not to take the world too seriously and to remember to enjoy your life, because sometimes things can be tough; it is then that you need happy memories and thoughts to get you by.

Elliot is a cheerful sort and she tends to stand out due to her eccentric manner of dressing but these things have yet to hinder her. In her desire to be useful to her family and to show her big sisters just how much she loves them, she has been collecting information for them since she was a little girl: who had food, who had weapons, who would hit and maim and kill if you stole from them, who knew who. It started out as a simple necessity but as time has gone on, the role she plays has become more complex. Elliot has been sent to find out particular things before, and she has gotten men and women alike talking about things Helen wants to know. Elliot has learned that people like to be told certain things, that they like to be complimented and made to feel confident. Others may like to be comforted and reassured: it all depends on the person that she is dealing with. Elliot has batted her eyelashes and gone along with idle flirtation to find things out. She has lied and cheated at games, claiming seemingly idle information as her prize. In short, anything in her power to make her sisters proud.

So good has Elliot become at this little game -- for that is what she feels it is -- that she now manages a motley network of spies in secret: orphaned children are taken on by her in what is seemingly a failing, a weakness of her heart. After they have been brought to her she slowly works on convincing them that working for Gigas is good and that everything will be alright in the end. She teaches them loyalty and puts them to work, listening for information all around Zhadrah. What do they get in return? Elliot’s love and compassion, food and clothes. Elliot always rewards the good work that they do.

The younger of the Hanover twins has forever been in her sisters’ shadows.

As a girl Elliot was shy, almost painfully so, and ever so quiet, following behind her sisters wherever they went, clutching all the while at a dirty and ear-less teddy bear. Elliot knew just as well as them what the burn of poverty felt like, the sickening, stomach turning nature of absolute hunger which faded away into numbness if you pushed it down and thought of happier things and smiling faces (something only to be dreamed of in the slums of Zhadrah). Where Eileen was quick on the uptake, sharp and capable of violence, Elliot was gentle and possessed a certain kindness about her. She would thieve food only to share it with an orphan she passed, returning to her sisters with a still empty belly. Compassion was her affliction and the symptoms began to show in her ribs and skinny limbs, at which point her sisters put a stop to Elliot’s charity. It was quite literally killing her. Home was no better than the places that Elliot followed her sisters to. at home, mother dearest drank down alcohol that clung to her breath and with hands that should have given affection, Mariah lashed out at her precious girls. Elliot felt her mother's hand against her cheek many times before she had even turned seven.

there comes a time when children must be told 'no', that some thing is too risky for them to be involved in, or that it is simply better for them to stay out of it. though eileen and elliot are twins, the differences between them quickly became apparent. eileen quickly came to stand side by side with bea and helen, showing she had a strength that was surprising for someone her age. Yet Elliot was mild and gentle and so when it was required for the hanover girls to go before the dead dogs, elliot was told to remain back. feeling bold and rebellious, she followed her siblings anyway, clutching onto Helen determinedly and holding her stuffed toy in her other arm tightly. as Helen saw off any potential violence with violence of her own, Elliot watched on with fearful and curious eyes. at the time she did not know that this world of dog eat dog was to become a big part of her life as she grew older.

a year later and the girls were making friends. Elliot stuck close to her siblings, her protectors, much of the time yet during others she felt a surge of confidence. She wanted to please her sisters so very much and so whilst bea met vagrants and helen met drunks, elliot was talking to pickpockets and the children of gang members, all her own age. She was learning names and places and things that she hoped might be useful for her siblings. It was the best that she could do for them and, for the most part, was something to occupy her time so that she kept out of trouble.

the day that Elliot's siblings first spilled blood, she was so very close to being oblivious of it; at the time she did not know what they had done. kept far out of any violence, her only clue that anything may have happened were stains on Eileen's hands -- peppy questions were diverted away or ignored all together and Elliot accepted this. admittedly it was accepted with a sulky, begrudging look --- which was soon to pass -- and Elliot would not find out the truth until later.

By the time that Elliot turned into a teenager, if she could be called that with her still ever-so-innocent expressions and generally childish mannerisms, she was becoming far more obedient towards her siblings, in particular Helen. though far more aware of the situation in Zhadrah, she remained optimistic, as she has done to this day, for future. Every new day was looked upon with the same vigor as the last. Elliot's attention was focused more and more each day on who had weapons and how it might be possible for her siblings to obtain them. the very thought of what they might do with them was worrying but -- but Elliot hoped that their purpose was benevolent and continued with her gathering of information.

the year that elliot turned fifteen, she learned of the relationship between mariah and Helen. Never before had she taken notice but it happened that she walked in on Helen changing and spotted some strange marks upon her body. Elliot in her concern for Helen persisted in asking her questions, wanting to help, for what could have caused such things? the truth was...unpleasant. And it is something that Elliot has kept to herself since, Helen's secret is something that she protects carefully.

The plotting and planning that her siblings did over the years that followed was as much a mystery to Elliot as to anyone else. She was more fragile than her siblings, more liable to object when things became violent. through the years they had kept her far away from any conflict and this pattern was to continue. Elliot was told what information she needed to find, and she found it and along the way? Well, there were relationships that could have been more and friendships that she regretted breaking. so loyal had she become to her sisters, her would-be-leaders, that she did not question what use the information had. Elliot was just happy to be involved at last, rather than being left out of the games that her sisters involved themselves in. not once did she vocalise her curiousity at why helen had such an interest in so many guns.

her bubble had to burst however, and it burst in a painful motion that left Elliot gasping for breath and feeling painfully betrayed. helen's masterpiece of planning, the absolute crushing of ground-bound and dead dogs came alongside something all the more painful for Elliot. Mother was dead, murdered in fact, so coldly and for several months Elliot wanted little to do with her sisters. mother was bad and mean at times, but she was still mother and Elliot continued to love her despite how she had treated her children.  How could Helen take mother away? It wasn't fair! So Elliot took time to grieve, and she was furious, more angry than she had ever been, shaking so much in her fury. Beloved Helen was shoved away the day that Elliot heard the news and it was not until Elliot had had chance to deal with her emotions that she apologised for her rash behaviour. Helen and Bea and EIleen did what they had to for the family and Elliot was just going to have to accept it. Besides, she loved them too much to stay mad.

shortly after coming to terms with Mariah's death, Elliot was back working for her siblings, under the name of Elliot baze. her true identity remains a secret to much of gigas. The wall separating zhadrah from the outside world has come down in recent times and Elliot can only wonder at what this will mean for her family. is it possible that their lives shall continue much the same as ever? Elliot does not know and so views the occurrence with a tentative curiousity. There is a big, wide world out there and it could be an exciting place! Oh, but it could also be scary like something from a nightmare and so Elliot will follow her siblings' examples in how to behave in light of what Tamesis has done. She will continue to follow them loyally whatever may happen.