Full Name: Elijah Dwayne Bentley
Referred to: Elijah, 'Lijah
Age: 22
Height: 5'11
Weight: 168
Eye Color: Red-Brown
Hair Color: White
Favorite Colors: Brown, earth tones
Species: Bat-eared fox
Friends: Amanda, Shane, Incubus, Camille, Kilbourne, Jack, Tozier, Bo
GF Status: Available
Kin: Henry Bentley--father, deceased; Hyacinth Cord-Bentley--mother, deceased
Brief History:Elijah Bentley was one of the very few individuals on the Planet to have been born into high society and great wealth. He was groomed from the very start to become a man of high standing in the aristocratic society. However, he wasn’t very fond of some of the things the rich people he lived around were like; snobby, selfish, rude, high-and-mighty. Each time he saw a display of any of that, he felt as though he could hurt them, should hurt them, and put them in their places. But he would always maintain a modicum of control of himself, and simply ignore the lot that would be that way so blatantly.
But even though he chose to keep himself somewhat removed from them, it did not keep him from making friends, like any other well-to-do boy would.
Perhaps it was the best luck for maintaining his sanity around such snooty people that he met kids his own age that felt the same way he had about their wealthy kinsmen. He first met Austin VanDerVelt during one of the classy parties the Lockheed family held. Elijah knew the VanDerVelt’s were among the richer families of the rich, but it didn’t intimidate him in the slightest. And though Austin, a bit older than Elijah, had begun to grow the personality of a stuffy high-class person, he wasn’t so far gone as to assosciate with someone who held the prospect of being a friend. They got along for a week or so before Elijah met Austins younger sisters, Isabelle and Chloë. Chloë, the youngest of the brood, was a bit irritating and annoying in the opinion of both Elijah and her own elder siblings. Isabelle, on the other hand, was rather sweet and caring, and gentle. Elijah found himself liking her a bit more than her elder brother. Austin didn’t really care either way. He had a good opinion of Elijah.
That good opinion still held strong when Isabelle and Elijah started to date each other. Austin, though rather protective of Isabelle, allowed it all. This was probably furthered by the fact Austin was pursuing his own romantic interest at the time--his own longtime and childhood friend Starbane Lockheed, who also happened to be the very best friend of Isabelle. Elijah’s opinion of Starbane was that of mild indifference; he respected her, but didn’t really go out of his way to be the best of friends with her. All that mattered to him was Isabelle. He was sure he was in love with her, and she him. His father was rather happy for that, as well, for she was a VanDerVelt, and they were among the elite. He saw it as a sort of gain. He supported the two of them fervently, almost to the point where it was smothering them with support. The pressure, whether Elijah chose to accept it as a reality, was on.
For years Isabelle and Elijah were together, and got even more serious over those years, much to the pleasure of his parents. But as fate would have it, such bliss wouldn’t last for too very long. Isabelle, at the young age of 16, almost 17, was pregnant with Elijah’s child. And she couldn’t keep it secret, for she was no fool. She knew she would need help. But when she told her parents, the word spread quickly. Before a day went by, Austin, Cloë, Starbane, and Elijah’s parents knew about it. And there wasn’t a single one among them who didn’t act old fashioned about it. They lashed out at Elijah and sheltered Isabelle away from him. That resulted in Isabelle’s emotional state to go on a wild spiral downward, and Elijah also in a panic. He didn’t want to be apart from her; he wanted to aid her in her time of need and to be the best support he could possibly be. He was prepared to marry her. The fact that she was pregnant with his child made no difference. He had been planning to ask her for some time, but wanted to wait til they were both older. He even told it to his and the VanDerVelt family, but they would have none of it. In their eyes, he was a horrid being for doing what he had done, and that he should be punished for it. Elijah had felt that being seperated from Isabelle was the worst punishment he could have ever received, but his parents, and Austin, felt otherwise. They never went easy on him for it.
Austin picked fights with Elijah almost constantly after the news of his sister’s condition reached him. They both were taught how to fight when they were younger, and they were putting their skills (though fairly limited) to use on each other. Often times, despite his smaller stature, Elijah would come out the victor, but Austin never would leave him be for “what he did to Isabelle”. During one of these fist fights, the news of Isabelle’s disappearance reached them. It hit them both like a rock, and Elijah opted to remain seperated from the rest of the world in his room, sulking over his love’s sudden disappearance. He stayed there for better than a week, before his mother came in and told him that they believed Isabelle was dead. All evidence had pointed to it, as well as a tearful and deeply distressed Starbane revealing that Isabelle had confided in her that she was going to take her own life, just to spare Elijah, Austin, and both families involved from suffering any more discrepancies. This news enraged all parties involved to such an extent that the VanDerVelt’s threatened to banish the Bentley’s from all the exclusive and posh events and clubs that they both sponsored and held. Fearing such rebuke, the Bentley’s felt they had no real choice but to disinheiret their son.
Elijah was put out to fend for himself on the streets, penniless, and not really willing to go on living any way. Without Isabelle, he didn’t think there was any real reason to.
He fell into a bad part of town, among brash, dirty, and very competitive individuals that would fight for money. Elijah took it as good fortune that he discovered this thing called “street fighting”, for that was one thing Elijah was still very confident in: His kickboxing ability.
For months at a time, Elijah would roam around to different rings, fighting for money and eventually, recognition. At one point, his victory over his opposition was so well publicized in the street fighter’s underground that he began to get offers. Offers to do much more than just fight bums and hobos for chump change. Offers to put his skills to much better uses.
Offers to hunt down men and/or women, bring them back dead or alive, for quite a bit more money.
The prospect of becoming a bounty hunter didn’t sit well with Elijah in the least. He didn’t want to kill people, nor did he like the idea of hunting them down like dogs. But the fact of the matter was that he didn’t want to live out the rest of his life in squallar fighting malnourished beggars for small amounts of money that were barely enough to live on. Weighing in his options, he decided that it didn’t really matter in the end. He took his first job, and succeeded in retrieving the quarry for his employer, and got paid quite handsomely for it. That job led to another. And another. And still many others after that, each one a resounding success. Elijah didn’t fail in any of the assignments he was given.
Then of course, the war had begun, and all of a sudden, bounty hunters were both rare and in greater demand. They were given ranks as to their usefulness. The ranks were bestowed according to success rate and ability. Guilds were formed for it. Whatever rank someone was, they belonged to that particular guild. Everyone knew who was in their guild and who was in another. If their rank increased, then they changed guilds. And being a bounty hunter, Elijah hadn’t much choice but to join. Given his success before the war began, he was immediately placed in the First Class Rank Guild. In the beginning, there was many in First Rank, many more in Second, and a higher number still in Third. But before too long, their numbers decreased a great amount, to the point where there were a decent number in Third, a few in Second, and a select few in First. Elijah was fortunate enough to survive for so long, and still remained in the elite First Class. His only equals in Rank were the LesMercy triplets, Hope, Faith, and Soul. No others had the qualifications necessary to acheive First Rank.
Elijah had become proud of his new social standing in the world, one he earned on his own, instead of being born with that particular silver spoon in hand. The pride he felt, however, didn’t mean quite so much. He started to view himself as something of a cold machine, made only to do his job. Nothing more, nothing less.
Yet somehow, some way, he found himself on the lines of the S-side. He didn’t understand completely why he decided to sympathize with them. Perhaps he did simply because of a need to belong, and a need to remain seperated from everything. He thought that no one on the S-side would care about him, or where he came from, or whatever he did. He thought simply that they would only call upon him and his skills when necessary, and allow him the space he needed. No such luck.
He was spoken to all the time, by people who recognized him as an ally and therefore friend. But he was less than affable to them. He kept himself detached. He refused friendship. Until his behavior was dealt with by the “top dog” of the S-side herself. Her method of “befriending” didn’t go over well with Elijah, but she had none of it. In the end, she broke his exterior and his wall, and he admitted to what his life was before becoming a street fighter, what happened. Maybe neither were aware at the time, but it was the start of a longstanding friendship. Elijah began to believe that perhaps he could finally leave his past behind, and start out a new life altogether.
Referred to: Elijah, 'Lijah
Age: 22
Height: 5'11
Weight: 168
Eye Color: Red-Brown
Hair Color: White
Favorite Colors: Brown, earth tones
Species: Bat-eared fox
Friends: Amanda, Shane, Incubus, Camille, Kilbourne, Jack, Tozier, Bo
GF Status: Available
Kin: Henry Bentley--father, deceased; Hyacinth Cord-Bentley--mother, deceased
Brief History:Elijah Bentley was one of the very few individuals on the Planet to have been born into high society and great wealth. He was groomed from the very start to become a man of high standing in the aristocratic society. However, he wasn’t very fond of some of the things the rich people he lived around were like; snobby, selfish, rude, high-and-mighty. Each time he saw a display of any of that, he felt as though he could hurt them, should hurt them, and put them in their places. But he would always maintain a modicum of control of himself, and simply ignore the lot that would be that way so blatantly.
But even though he chose to keep himself somewhat removed from them, it did not keep him from making friends, like any other well-to-do boy would.
Perhaps it was the best luck for maintaining his sanity around such snooty people that he met kids his own age that felt the same way he had about their wealthy kinsmen. He first met Austin VanDerVelt during one of the classy parties the Lockheed family held. Elijah knew the VanDerVelt’s were among the richer families of the rich, but it didn’t intimidate him in the slightest. And though Austin, a bit older than Elijah, had begun to grow the personality of a stuffy high-class person, he wasn’t so far gone as to assosciate with someone who held the prospect of being a friend. They got along for a week or so before Elijah met Austins younger sisters, Isabelle and Chloë. Chloë, the youngest of the brood, was a bit irritating and annoying in the opinion of both Elijah and her own elder siblings. Isabelle, on the other hand, was rather sweet and caring, and gentle. Elijah found himself liking her a bit more than her elder brother. Austin didn’t really care either way. He had a good opinion of Elijah.
That good opinion still held strong when Isabelle and Elijah started to date each other. Austin, though rather protective of Isabelle, allowed it all. This was probably furthered by the fact Austin was pursuing his own romantic interest at the time--his own longtime and childhood friend Starbane Lockheed, who also happened to be the very best friend of Isabelle. Elijah’s opinion of Starbane was that of mild indifference; he respected her, but didn’t really go out of his way to be the best of friends with her. All that mattered to him was Isabelle. He was sure he was in love with her, and she him. His father was rather happy for that, as well, for she was a VanDerVelt, and they were among the elite. He saw it as a sort of gain. He supported the two of them fervently, almost to the point where it was smothering them with support. The pressure, whether Elijah chose to accept it as a reality, was on.
For years Isabelle and Elijah were together, and got even more serious over those years, much to the pleasure of his parents. But as fate would have it, such bliss wouldn’t last for too very long. Isabelle, at the young age of 16, almost 17, was pregnant with Elijah’s child. And she couldn’t keep it secret, for she was no fool. She knew she would need help. But when she told her parents, the word spread quickly. Before a day went by, Austin, Cloë, Starbane, and Elijah’s parents knew about it. And there wasn’t a single one among them who didn’t act old fashioned about it. They lashed out at Elijah and sheltered Isabelle away from him. That resulted in Isabelle’s emotional state to go on a wild spiral downward, and Elijah also in a panic. He didn’t want to be apart from her; he wanted to aid her in her time of need and to be the best support he could possibly be. He was prepared to marry her. The fact that she was pregnant with his child made no difference. He had been planning to ask her for some time, but wanted to wait til they were both older. He even told it to his and the VanDerVelt family, but they would have none of it. In their eyes, he was a horrid being for doing what he had done, and that he should be punished for it. Elijah had felt that being seperated from Isabelle was the worst punishment he could have ever received, but his parents, and Austin, felt otherwise. They never went easy on him for it.
Austin picked fights with Elijah almost constantly after the news of his sister’s condition reached him. They both were taught how to fight when they were younger, and they were putting their skills (though fairly limited) to use on each other. Often times, despite his smaller stature, Elijah would come out the victor, but Austin never would leave him be for “what he did to Isabelle”. During one of these fist fights, the news of Isabelle’s disappearance reached them. It hit them both like a rock, and Elijah opted to remain seperated from the rest of the world in his room, sulking over his love’s sudden disappearance. He stayed there for better than a week, before his mother came in and told him that they believed Isabelle was dead. All evidence had pointed to it, as well as a tearful and deeply distressed Starbane revealing that Isabelle had confided in her that she was going to take her own life, just to spare Elijah, Austin, and both families involved from suffering any more discrepancies. This news enraged all parties involved to such an extent that the VanDerVelt’s threatened to banish the Bentley’s from all the exclusive and posh events and clubs that they both sponsored and held. Fearing such rebuke, the Bentley’s felt they had no real choice but to disinheiret their son.
Elijah was put out to fend for himself on the streets, penniless, and not really willing to go on living any way. Without Isabelle, he didn’t think there was any real reason to.
He fell into a bad part of town, among brash, dirty, and very competitive individuals that would fight for money. Elijah took it as good fortune that he discovered this thing called “street fighting”, for that was one thing Elijah was still very confident in: His kickboxing ability.
For months at a time, Elijah would roam around to different rings, fighting for money and eventually, recognition. At one point, his victory over his opposition was so well publicized in the street fighter’s underground that he began to get offers. Offers to do much more than just fight bums and hobos for chump change. Offers to put his skills to much better uses.
Offers to hunt down men and/or women, bring them back dead or alive, for quite a bit more money.
The prospect of becoming a bounty hunter didn’t sit well with Elijah in the least. He didn’t want to kill people, nor did he like the idea of hunting them down like dogs. But the fact of the matter was that he didn’t want to live out the rest of his life in squallar fighting malnourished beggars for small amounts of money that were barely enough to live on. Weighing in his options, he decided that it didn’t really matter in the end. He took his first job, and succeeded in retrieving the quarry for his employer, and got paid quite handsomely for it. That job led to another. And another. And still many others after that, each one a resounding success. Elijah didn’t fail in any of the assignments he was given.
Then of course, the war had begun, and all of a sudden, bounty hunters were both rare and in greater demand. They were given ranks as to their usefulness. The ranks were bestowed according to success rate and ability. Guilds were formed for it. Whatever rank someone was, they belonged to that particular guild. Everyone knew who was in their guild and who was in another. If their rank increased, then they changed guilds. And being a bounty hunter, Elijah hadn’t much choice but to join. Given his success before the war began, he was immediately placed in the First Class Rank Guild. In the beginning, there was many in First Rank, many more in Second, and a higher number still in Third. But before too long, their numbers decreased a great amount, to the point where there were a decent number in Third, a few in Second, and a select few in First. Elijah was fortunate enough to survive for so long, and still remained in the elite First Class. His only equals in Rank were the LesMercy triplets, Hope, Faith, and Soul. No others had the qualifications necessary to acheive First Rank.
Elijah had become proud of his new social standing in the world, one he earned on his own, instead of being born with that particular silver spoon in hand. The pride he felt, however, didn’t mean quite so much. He started to view himself as something of a cold machine, made only to do his job. Nothing more, nothing less.
Yet somehow, some way, he found himself on the lines of the S-side. He didn’t understand completely why he decided to sympathize with them. Perhaps he did simply because of a need to belong, and a need to remain seperated from everything. He thought that no one on the S-side would care about him, or where he came from, or whatever he did. He thought simply that they would only call upon him and his skills when necessary, and allow him the space he needed. No such luck.
He was spoken to all the time, by people who recognized him as an ally and therefore friend. But he was less than affable to them. He kept himself detached. He refused friendship. Until his behavior was dealt with by the “top dog” of the S-side herself. Her method of “befriending” didn’t go over well with Elijah, but she had none of it. In the end, she broke his exterior and his wall, and he admitted to what his life was before becoming a street fighter, what happened. Maybe neither were aware at the time, but it was the start of a longstanding friendship. Elijah began to believe that perhaps he could finally leave his past behind, and start out a new life altogether.
That may have happened, if Elijah’s past didn’t come back to haunt him...
Habits: Mild alcoholic
Date of Birth: January 25, 1931
Place of Birth: Clarksdale, Kingdom of Mercya
Background Nationality: English, Irish, Persian, Cheyenne Indian(very slight English accent)
Name Meaning: "Jehova is God"
DOC: December '98
Character © Amanda Payne. Do NOT copy or use without permission.