ELSWOOD, Connor Alan

[Connor Alan Elswood]

CONNOR ALAN ELSWOOD

FULL NAME: Connor Alan Elswood
NICKNAMES: None really
AGE: twenty-eight
GENDER: male
SEXUALITY: Straight.
STATUS: Single
GROUP: Citizen.
GRADE: N/A.
MAJOR: N/A.
JOB OCCUPATION: Trauma Surgeon.

HAIR: shorter on the sides than the top, dark brown and usually messy in a "I've spent hours perfecting this casual mess" sort of way though he really has just run his hands through it and run out the door.
EYES: blue.
SCARS/BIRTHMARKS: surprisingly, no.
TATTOOS: Family Coat of Arms, tribal cuff around his left bicep, more tribal style work down and around his right elbow.
PIERCINGS: none
PLAY-BY: Andrew Stetson!

LIKES: cooking, action films, traveling, snowboarding, white sand beaches, helping people, surfing, sushi, hitting the gym, his job, strong coffee, jogging through the park
DISLIKES: paperwork, red tape, bad news, losing a patient, scripted "reality" television, black coffee, warm beer, missing a workout, falling asleep with the TV on, repeat customers, cats
FEARS: finding Elara on his table, losing his License, anything bad at all happening to his sister.
SECRETS: aside from those who already know, Connor's service remains a mystery. He doesn't want special treatment for doing his civil duty. Besides, he ran to a war zone to get over a broken heart.
PERSONALITY: Once upon a time Connor would have considered himself a fairly laidback and relaxed. While he's still a fairly relaxed man in his off time, he's lost that laidback demeanor of just letting things slide. He has always had an exceptional work ethic, fought for every grade he'd ever made because he was nowhere near as brilliant as his sister. He is by no means brave nor does he feel like he should be applauded for doing his civil duty because he hadn't run to join the fight for bravery or duty; he'd done it out of a broken heart. He did consider himself a bit of a romantic at one point but his heart was broken by the only girl he'd ever truly loved and he's a bit jaded now, thinking love is foolish. He is now hesitant to really give his heart to anyone these days, preferring to just be alone than to search out some female company.

MOTHER: Margaret Elswood & sixty.
FATHER: Harvey Elswood & sixty-two.
SIBLINGS: Suzette Catherine Elswood & thirty.
OTHERS: Elara Nicole Gillespie , twenty-five, Love of his life/breaker of his heart.
PETS: Roscoe & French Bully!
HOMETOWN: Manhattan, New York, New York.
HISTORY: Connor was part of the elite, the upper crust, the prestigious, the boring, dull and ridiculous. He genuinely hated the attention, disliked most of the people and wished he could be just about anywhere else in the world whenever he was forced to attend a party; which was just about every weekend. He couldn't understand how he and his sister were so completely different from their parents, who were snotty and rude and unbelievably stingy when it came to paying their employees. They spent ridiculous amounts of money on their clothes, their home decor, their children, making sure they had designer labels, overpriced private schools and the best of the best sports equipment. They spend too much money on private gyms, specialty trainers, three of which he knew for a fact his mother was sleeping with because he's not an idiot. They thought they were God's gift and that everyone should look up at them with awe. What Connor saw was a bunch of hypocritical idiots. He'd thought as much since he'd been a young kid and watched as his father treated the people coming in and out of their house, cleaning staff, repairmen and the like so unbelievably poorly. He couldn't understand why he was so rude when he had the means to help these people. The nanny he and his sister had when they'd been younger was the only one he thought was treated differently and even in retrospect, it really wasn't by much at all.
 
All of this meant that Connor was a much nicer boy than he'd been raised to be. He smiled a lot more, he helped people in need, he took care of those few he called friends and he kept in mind that people were people, no matter their circumstances. His sister saw the same thing in people and they spoke often about what they wanted to be when they grew up so they could help all these people. Middle class careers were frowned upon but that really never stopped either of them from believing they would grow up to become people who helped others. Connor had always known that he would like to be in the medical field. He always thought he could do some good being a doctor or a nurse or even a paramedic. Each of them had their pros and cons, he just hadn't decided which path he'd wanted to take. School life for Connor wasn't anything special and mostly forgettable. No, the things he remembers most about his childhood and formative years all involved trips or Elara. The family took ridiculous vacations because of course, they had to be at all the best places before their so-called friends. Connor didn't mind this as much as the rest because he liked the beach and snowboarding and believed himself to be a bit of a foodie before that was even a term.
 
Connor was eleven when he first met Elara. He'd been home sick and basically had the run of the house because the nanny was busy and neither of his parents were home. As anyone could imagine, Connor was bored and decided his bed was no longer the best place to get better. He moved restlessly around the house before believing the outdoors was where he would get the most rest; at least that was the story he'd prepared for his parents if they decided to care. Reality was, he was bored and wanted out. They lived close enough to a park that he could have run off to play for a little while. He didn't make it beyond the front steps of his house however, because a strange girl was sitting on his front steps, drawing. Her artwork was very pretty and he sat down beside her to tell her as much and to ask what she was doing. It was quickly explained that she was there with her father, the man that had been doing work around the house for quite some time. Connor liked her father a lot actually. He was funny and taught him little things whenever he asked him questions. From there, they became friends, close friends. She would draw him and he would get her to ask him questions so he could study at the same time from little study cards he'd made up.
 
Connor loved Elara's work and wanted her to go as far as she possibly could with it but he also knew she would never even attempt to apply to art schools on her own. So over the course of a few months, he asked randomly for pieces she'd done and put them together himself, then he filled out all the paperwork and applied to a few schools in the city for a scholarship. He was not at all surprised when she showed up on his doorstep one day, telling him she'd gotten in but hadn't applied. Her work was incredible and he'd known he and her family couldn't be the only ones to ever see it. Connor knew his parents were not fond of him being friends with Elara but he really didn't care. They frowned but neither Connor nor his sister paid much attention to their thoughts on matters. Neither of them were pleased when Suzette told them she was off to Columbia for school, with hopes of eventually attending Harvard Law. That much was a bit pleasing, until she explained that she wasn't going into corporate law but instead family law. She had hated how she and her brother had grown up and she want to be a part of the process that helped people sort out their drama.
 
All of Suzette's drama meant that Connor had gotten away with a lot more because his parents were more worried about their daughter than what their son was getting up to. That was just fine with him. He wanted to spend his time with Elara. It wouldn't have been a lie to say he'd developed a crush on her. He made a point of studying her when she was drawing him and had, over time, figured out how to read her. It hadn't been all that obvious at first but over time, since she'd started at the art school, he'd noticed a difference. One weekend, while his parents were away and Suzette was home and in charge, Connor finally asked her what was going on. He was almost finished high school himself, soon to meet his sister in college and wanted to get as much time in with Elara that he could before he was off and busier than ever. Connor didn't like what Elara had to say about what was going on at school and took her sketchbook away from her. It was still full of the most incredible work but none of that mattered. He had wanted to comfort her, had every intention of doing only that but he found himself kissing her, the sketchbook and pencils scattered and forgotten on the floor between them. It was almost inevitable but in the best way possible.
 
Connor didn't care what his parents thought, he adored Elara and wanted her in his life. But he also knew that they needed to keep their love a secret until they were a bit older, a little wiser and he was out from under his parent's thumbs. Unfortunately for them, it didn't last nearly as long as he would have liked. One afternoon, after having slipped Elara into the house, they lost all track of time painting and just being together that when he tried to sneak her back out again, they ran right into his father and his business associates. Connor knew he was in the biggest trouble imaginable but he didn't care. He loved Elara and was more than ready for his parents to know that. They'd normally been so good at cleaning up and Elara being back home long before Connor's parents were around. It was just dumb luck that they'd been having just a little too much fun and got carried away. Connor fought with his father, stood up to the man that believed he was father of the year. In the end, Connor felt like he might have made some progress.
 
He had been so wrong in that thinking. It was a bit of time before Elara's father was asked back for more work but Connor was relieved that they weren't taking out the so-called mistakes out on Stefan. Connor had never expected his parents to pull some over dramatic lie about Stefan stealing from them. He was a good man who took care with the work he did and was always good for a joke. Connor loved the man like he was his uncle and looked up to him as someone he'd like to be when he grew up. He wasn't stupid, he knew that this was about his relationship with Elara and proving to them all that power, authority and money could win every time. Connor lost all respect for his family after what they'd done to a good man. It killed Connor to be unable to comfort Elara through it all but they'd been forced to keep their distance and were reduced to stolen glances and text messages during the proceedings. Connor's word hadn't meant anything because he supposedly hadn't been home and to be honest, he couldn't remember if he had been or not. He was well on his way to becoming a doctor and most days couldn't figure out what the actual day was. There were times when he spent a full twenty-four hours in the library studying until his brain melted.
 
Connor didn't quite know what to expect when the text message came through after Elara's father lost his case and was sent to jail all because Connor loved the other man's daughter. He had hoped to comfort Elara, tell her everything would be alright and that he would be there for her, whatever she needed. He hadn't expected her to break up with him. The doctor-to-be felt like Elara ripped his heart from his chest when she broke up with him that night. He had wanted to reassure her and promise her that he hadn't known what his father was up to. If he'd known before everything happened, he would have righted it immediately. He adored Stefan, liked that he was a good man with a good joke at the ready. He was a good worker and had been constantly teaching Connor things about what he was doing and why he needed to do it whenever they were together. Connor might have loved Elara with his whole being but she wasn't the only one he looked forward to seeing. He was a dull shell of himself after that night. He moved out of the house he'd grown up in and into an apartment with his college buddies, deciding it was time he needed to get away from all that toxicity. His sister went to Boston for school so she wasn't home though they spoke often about how cruel their parents were. She would have returned for the trial and all the hearings but they hadn't needed her and Law school was a tough game to play at; and she really wanted to win it with top honours.
 
He tried to get back in the game after some time, though it wasn't entirely his choice. In the end, his roommates had ganged up on him and demanded he try his hand with a night out. They were worried about him, so he tried. He quickly replaced studying almost non-stop with women, attempting to forget Elara that way; though it was a futile attempt. Connor was not a man who did well with one-night stands or even short term flings. It was a shock to everyone when Connor admitted that he'd enlisted in the army. They were in need of doctors and he was certified to go over. Through his few years of service, he gained more than enough experience, and collected more than enough nightmares to last a few lifetimes, however, he was more than qualified to be a trauma surgeon at the end of it all. The only thing that got him through it all was the mere thought of Elara. He was still madly in love with her and wanted her in his life, despite how long they'd been apart. Fate was a cruel one though and Connor stuck to his combat boots and fatigues for a while longer. Eventually, it all just became too much for him and when he was asked to sign up for another round, he declined, knowing he'd reached his limit of it all.
 
Returning stateside was a bit of a transition. Suzette had become a big time lawyer in New York and because Connor refused to even acknowledge their parents, he'd shown up on her doorstep around dinner time to surprise her. It was a good feeling to be home but he couldn't quite settle into civilian life and made quick work of getting out there and trying to find himself something to do with his life. He had a few interviews at hospitals around and after a few interviews found himself at the hospital he'd been hoping to work at before he'd shipped off to save the soldiers. Not many were interested in trauma surgery, it wasn't something people really wanted to think about but Connor actually thrived on the surprise of it. Most people thought gunshot wounds or stab wounds when they thought of trauma and though they were right, there was so much more as well. Now at twenty-eight, Connor is just trying to get through a single day without thinking about Elara; so far, it hasn't happened.

YOUR ALIAS: Cali
RULE WORDS: I've got these covered.
WHERE YOU FOUND US: Curiosity killed the cat.
SAMPLE:

I refuse!