Nicolae
Nicolae Marko Lakatos
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Portrayed By Steven Strait
Gender Male
Species Human
Date of Birth April 30th, 1980
Age 21
Zodiac Sign Taurus
Aliases Nic, Nicu
Place of Birth Hungary
Current Location Los Angeles, CA
Occupation Demon Hunter, Bodyguard, Bouncer
Known Relatives Lakatos clan
Significant Other Ava Khalderash
Special Powers Brooding
First Appearance Prelude To An Evening

History

Among the Roma, the existence of the supernatural is accepted as fact. As often as not, the 'gypsy' peoples have ample firsthand experience with the sorts of things their mundane neighbors tend to dismiss as lunacy no matter how much proof is waved in their faces. Some are content with simple acceptance, some immerse themselves in magic, and some choose to make it their life's work to kick the dark powers of the world in the teeth. Foremost among the latter faction are the Lakatos clan, or more specifically the dwindling remnants of a warrior sect whose traditions are maintained in the present day when most of their own kin regard them as stubborn, delusional hardcases.

A Hungarian-born Roma, Nicolae Marko Lakatos has had an upbringing that can safely be described as 'twisted'. When he was discovered as the sole survivor of a demon attack by a team of hunters tracking the beasts who'd done the deed, the infant Nicolae became the ward of the entire clan. This, coupled with his lack of memories of his birth parents, have reduced childhood tragedy to 'just one of those things, no?' Lacking an immediate family, he was seen as raw potential and it was determined that he would not go to waste.

Once he was old enough to use a sippy-cup, Nicolae was adopted by the Old Men, those too aged or crippled to carry on the clan's self-appointed duties. Those who can't do, after all, teach. In this case, their lessons were influenced by alcohol and senility and the zeal of the armchair general. Nicolae's impressionable mind was in the worst imaginable hands. From the moment he could understand their instructions (no mean feat given the shortage of teeth among that lot) he was tasked with making himself strong and availing himself to whatever odd jobs the tired old men could think up under the pretense of 'character building'. He was also given his first lessons in the occult, usually when the camp was suffering from a prolonged bout of sobriety. This is not to say that he was not well-instructed in his prospective craft. However, there wasn't room for much else. By the time he was old enough to begin his training he was ready to take on the shadows armed with a garden hose and a rubber mallet. In the good old days, they left out the mallet. Nicolae knew exactly how good he had it.

To this day Nicolae has no recollection of meaningful contact with anyone who was not male or under the age of thirty (or fully sane) prior to his thirteenth birthday.
At that time he was deemed ready to become a true hunter in the Lakatos tradition, and given over to the clan proper to put into practice all the paranoid theories (and bits of practical lore) he'd had drilled into him on a daily basis. He was given very little in the way of an objective view of the world, even by isolationist Roma standards. Attempts were made to send him to school, but he rarely managed an entire month at a stretch. His few friends were miscreants from whom he picked up tricks that did unfortunate things to reinforce the 'gypsy' stereotype and further alienated him. Stubbornly, he considered it more training. The 'job' didn't come with a salary after all, and some monsters understand the merits of a good alarm system and a deadbolt.

The trend toward making the most of Nicolae's unenlightened zeal persisted into his teenaged years. It was partly his own fault, for cleaving to his convictions no matter how overwhelming the evidence was that might have contradicted them. He had his mind made up about what his life would be like, and his instructors obligingly held him to high, exacting standards without ever giving him cause to think that what they expected of him was difficult. They put him through far more rigorous training than other boys in the clan because there was no one to stop them. The other boys had parents and siblings and objectivity. Nicolae had a bullish stubbornness and a tendency to sing his way through grueling combat drills.

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The end result was a teen in dire need of a splash of normalcy and one of the old warrior clan's best hunters, whom they describe as 'fairly adequate' when he's in earshot.

For two years he worked with a pack of his fellow hunters, distinguishing himself among his comrades. Even turned loose on the world at large he only haltingly managed to pick up anything resembling a clue. As he had not been given any basis for comparison he didn't know the difference beyond an intellectual understanding that other people did things besides sharpen knives to kill a Friday evening.

Perhaps it was this facet of his personality, as much as his prowess, that earned him the attention of the Khalderash clan. It was discovered that one of their own, an American-born Roma girl with a gift for sorcery, was being guided by potent visions. Concern for her safety inspired them to seek the services of the temperamental and hardheaded Lakatos hunters, in order to acquire protection for the girl.

Sympathetic to the humorless, misguided young man whose untapped potential would likely bleed out in a dark back alley in the next few years, the clan's elders selected him for the task. Objections were raised and summarily quelled. It didn't hurt that the hunters are a superstitious bunch mired in old ways they can't clearly recall. Runes were cast to affect a pretense, and it didn't hurt his case that Nicolae seemed more favored by fortune than most other candidates, but the decision had been made before the proposition was ever made to the Lakatos. In short order, Nicolae found himself bound for America to play bodyguard and, unbeknownst to him, get a life.

Initially, his stubborn dedication to duty and social ineptitude served the cause quite well. He was the girl's brooding shadow, not really managing to endear himself to anyone. Over time, separation from everything he'd become familiar with and immersion in a decldedly healthier, normal routine began to erode his stony exterior. He and his charge became friends and allies, and inevitably fell prey to the fact that each of them was a rather pretty young individual and they were pretty much stuck with each other anyway. By the time they graduated, any pretense of emotional distance had long since eroded away. Physical distance was inevitably, likewise, dispensed with once the pair had run off to Los Angeles to be away from the kumpania.

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In the past three years, Nicolae has found work in a wide range of fields without broadening his skill set much. Mostly he works as a bouncer to keep a roof over Ava's head (his own comfort being a secondary concern at best), but his true callings, both as a bodyguard and a demon hunter, have not had to gather the least bit of dust. L.A. provides ample opportunities for both. Recently he and Ava have made the acquaintance of a fellow hunter, Charles Gunn, and have aided his crew in their effort to clear the taint of supernatural evil from their home ground. Nicolae does not entertain any notion of being successful, but only because no part of his upbringing made allowances for what life was to be like without demons to hunt.

Personality

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Nicolae is very nearly a caricature, a stereotypical brooding, laconic foreigner who doesn't really know much English and fills in the gaps by scowling like an agitated bull. While this impression does not truly reflect the sum of his personality, very little of it is affectation This misleading exterior conceals a sharp wit and a tendency to favor observation over interaction. He is secretive and stoic, finding little use for extraneous words.

Despite having lived in America for five years he continues to pretend to be fresh off the boat because he's found the deception to be advantageous on too many occasions in the past and regards it as another weapon in his arsenal. This attitude typifies his approach to most everything. He regards himself as a warrior fighting in service to a cause, under siege by enemies on every front. His outlook is beatifically fatalistic. Having resigned himself to the likelihood of a horrible death he has very little fear left in him, regarding everything short of his last breath as just one more thing.

The only thing that reins in his recklessness is his devotion to Ava. What began as unquestioning adherence to duty turned, predictably and inevitably, into romantic attachment that has only reinforced his protective streak while wrapping him even more completely around her little finger.

Skills

Relationships

Timeline

Quotes

Snippets from way, way back in the day.

  • When Nicolae met Ava
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"I am Nicolae Lakatos, I am here to protect you."

"What What are you going to protect me from? Math quizzes? Overstock falling on me over at work? I don't need protection." (pause) "I carry a crucifix."

"Everything. Vampires, demons, opportunistic gaje. Whatever would harm you for your gifts, or for any other reason. I have been sent by your clan to do this thing."

"Oh, god. You're going to follow me around at school. And at work. And….Whatever. We'll establish the ground rules later. There are totally going to be some, or you'll embarrass me to death. I am so not having that."

"I am here to protect you, That is the only important thing."

"No, my life not being completely miserable because you're stalking me is important, too."

"No it isn't."

  • Ava & Nicolae reach an accord

"I am here to protect you." (sense a trend?)

"You are. But everyone's still entitled to their own lives. You'll just have to put up with me trying to drag you, kicking and screaming, into living yours."

"If you promise not to stop, I will promise to keep the kicking and screaming to a minimum."

Trivia

What's in a name?

  • 'Nicolae' is the Romanian form of Nicholas, meaning "victory of the people."
  • 'Marko Ukrainian form of Marcus, meaning "warlike."
  • The inspiration for the name of Nicolae's family came from a quick wiki search that yielded this link on 'the devil's fiddler' Roby Lakatos. This also inspired Nicolae's musical streak—that, and the vague notion that he should be good at something besides beating things up.
  • 'Nicu' is Ava's nickname for him. Nobody else gets to use it.

Playlist

#1 Crush - Garbage
Q - Evans Blue
Your Guardian Angel - Red Jumpsuit Appartus
Run To The Water - Live
Wicked Garden - Stone Temple Pilots
(Anything by Stone Temple Pilots, Nicolae's favorite band.)

Gallery

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