Daxu Posted August 8, 2020 Report Posted August 8, 2020 (edited) Chapter One: Birth, and Then Some (1998 - 2015) Born 16 February 1996 in Lyon, Nicholas is an imaginative child who always wants to talk and is always eager to listen. His father, Jacques Ponte, works as a pastry chef at "Ponte's Patisserie" in Southern Lyon. His mother Camille handles the back end of their shop, filing orders and processing the financials. They are a loving couple who meet and marry in their twenties. They have Nicholas at thirty years old. In the following years he develops a friend group, and while they keep their antics to themselves in school, it usually ends with a trip to the principal’s office. Despite being a good student, Nicholas frequently finds himself being scolded for questioning the authority of his instructors. He simply cannot stand individuals abusing their power. Jacques and Camille instill a strong work-ethic and sense of respect in Nicholas by employing him at the shop during summers. ((more to add)) When he is seventeen, the family goes on a trip to Paris in hopes of finding a university for Nicholas to attend. Communication is his choice of study due to his vast skill with words. They have a lovely weekend enjoying some street music, going to dinner, they even visit the Eiffel Tower to pose like Americans. On their last full day, Nicholas takes a tour of the Paris College of Art. Jacques and Camille look to him after he finishes speaking with some professors, administration, and fellow students. Their eyes light up when he expresses how much he loves the school; they decide to take an application and fill it out at home. The morning of their return, Jacques arrives at the hotel's valet, where their vehicle is retrieved, and bags are packed into the trunk. He calls down to Camille and the family departs from Paris with Nicholas in the back seat. With 500km between the cities, he decides to listen to some music and drift off. On Route E15 right outside of Belleville, Nicholas looks up from his nap and is immediately thrown into a state of shock. They are struck by an oncoming vehicle. Once the screeching of tires stops, he pulls his headphones off and tries helping his parents. In a panicked response he pulls them from vehicle onto the hot pavement, and as the sun falls upon their cold faces he falls to the ground in tears. There are no other cars in view, and as Nicholas rushes over to the other vehicle, the semi-conscious driver pleads for help with a near-empty bottle of cognac in his lap. Though usually a peaceful person, Nicholas grips the greasy hair through the window and repeatedly throws himself to the left, crushing the man’s trachea against the steering wheel. He continues until realizing the slices in his arm from the broken glass, and the blood dripping from his nose from the crash. Unable to find his phone, Nicholas falls back and waits for help. Nicholas realizes the extent of his own injuries in the ambulance. His foot is severely broken, and cuts from the shattered glass stain his sweatshirt sleeves in blood. He knows everyone else is dead and that the only life to save is his own. Driven to the hospital where they treat his wounds, a nurse informs him that his parents had finally died in the ambulance. They were already gone in his mind, but there was a string of hope that he held on to. Nicholas begins screaming for them, screaming that he had killed the driver, screaming that he was sorry. The nurses try calming him down, eventually administering some medication before informing the police. After being discharged he is taken for questioning. During court proceedings the other driver is revealed to be Henri Royal, a career criminal. He had no license to drive a vehicle or carry a firearm, yet the police report indicated Henri holding a pistol in his right hand. Nicholas’s actions were ruled self-defense. He moves in with his uncle Etienne and cousin Taillefer the summer before university. They provide the guidance and camaraderie needed to begin, as he was accepted to Le PCA. No one from Henri’s family contacts Nicholas, and he does not reach out to them, as he thinks the guilt would overwhelm him in the moment, though he is not sorry for what he did. Nicholas’s childhood friends slowly fade from his life as university approaches closer, both due to the physical distance, and the news coverage on the accident. He understands and does not take it to heart but looks forward to leaving Lyon for good. Once settled into the dormitories, Nicholas decides to seek therapy, an offer he declined months before. The emptiness has the potential to ruin his secondary education, something he was not willing to let happen, as his parents would want him to continue, blossoming in a new environment. Nicholas writes his parents letters every month, hand delivering to a box set upon their grave. The headstone reads Fluctuat nec mergitur as an homage to an old saying Camille had- “It is tossed by the waves, but it does not sink.” Chapter Two: Moving On (2015-2017) In university Nicholas is a bookworm. He spends his time studying day and night, not making many interpersonal connections. These studies consume Nicholas and by his third year (2016) he has enough credits to graduate. He is presented with a life changing opportunity and signs up to study abroad. Nicholas finishes his university in Liberty City through an internship with Detective Lou Morris of the LCPD. The two acquaint nicely and Lou takes him under his wing, teaching Nicholas the ways of American Culture. Taillefer (now Tanner) follows him, and they rent an apartment together. ((more to add)) Chapter Three: Welcome to Liberty City (2017-2018) On a cloudy morning after a homicide call, Nicholas reveals the full story of his parents to Lou, who gives him a hug after processing everything. The two work together in the office, studying cases and gathering evidence. Morris teaches Nicholas the ways of the legal system, how its corruption is instilled deep within its roots. Chief Barlow of the LCPD disapproves of Lou's lessons with Nicholas, as he feels Morris is biased against the institution to which he belongs. The lessons continue however, and by Nicholas's graduation he produces a paper researching media's impression on the American perception and culture around law enforcement. Lou is moved after reading and denounces the LCPD. He offers to begin a private firm with Nicholas, where they can provide real investigative work without the regulations. The two enjoy life in Liberty City- getting up every morning for coffee and a jog. ((more to add)) Unbeknownst to Lou, Nicholas takes a private contract from the LCPD and begins looking into a man by the name of Tony Prince, as he is suspected of trafficking drugs into the city. Nicholas trails one of his men for a few weeks and is eventually led to an old warehouse just east of the Carraways. Nicholas grabs his camera and attempts to capture some photos of them working with pallets when he is spotted through the window. He falls from the vantage point and begins sprinting to his car. Nicholas knows they saw his face, his clothing, and his vehicle. He knows that he is in danger. Nicholas tells Lou about the situation and is instructed to drop the car off at Tino's, toss his clothes, and catch a plane out of town. Not wanting to expose Tanner to any danger, Nicholas leaves a series of cryptic notes in their apartment for Tanner to piece together what had happened and where he is going. The night before he leaves, Nicholas calls Tanner and leaves a voicemail saying “I cannot tell you where I am going. I cannot tell you when to come and find me. I can tell you that I will never return to Liberty. I hope you stay Safe.” Weeks later, Lou greets Tanner at the apartment with a duffel bag and briefcase, revealing that Nicholas had sent him. Tanner gets in Lou’s car and is driven to the old office of M&P Investigations, where he reveals the truth behind Nicholas’s disappearance. Tanner opens the duffel and finds $10,000 USD in twenty-dollar denominations. Lou informs him that it is Nick’s payout from an old department contract. Tanner Colletti orders a passport, a plane ticket, a few new sets of clothes, and arrives in Los Santos with $7,000. Chapter Four: A New Beginning (2018-2019) Nicholas James Ponte enters Los Santos a figuratively new man. He reaches out to Tanner, who introduces him to Vera Winchester, CEO of Weazel News. Nicholas lands a job as a Writer with hopes of becoming a News Editor. At Weazel, the daily in and out is fun and exciting, Nicholas takes advertisement calls and writes his weekly articles alongside coworkers Tanner “DJ Sultane” Coletti, Dalton “The Big T” Vane, John Permuy, Tristian “Timmy” Scott, and Scotty “Scoob” Turf. A few months in, Vera offers Nick and Tanner promotions to the video team, and then Public Relations/Human Resources a few months after that. They work together for hiring campaigns, press releases, and contracts between other companies within Los Santos. Life is starting to feel safe again for Nick. ((more to add)) Chapter Five: Fuck (2019-2020) Nick struggles to cope with the recession at Weazel. He leaves his job and lives in his car for months, doing odd jobs while looking to start a new career. After some soul searching and forgiveness, he applies for a position at Los Santos Customs as a mechanic, hoping to heal from his past. After being hired, Nick borrows a loan from former Weazel coworker Jake Ryan to buy an apartment in Del Perro. Jake Ryan gets deported and Nick regrets ever paying him money. ((more to add about time at LSC)) One day at work Nick takes a catalytic converter to the dome and heads out of Los Santos for a while to recover. Chapter 6: What Now? (2024) Nick returns. Edited July 24, 2024 by daxu 3 Quote
