HASTINGS, Alice

To start off saying Alice’s personality is a rather large conundrum, would a gross understatement. All reasoning, expert opinion, and even the knowledge of other Vampires, dictates that Alice should be bloodthirsty, burning villages, and become the beast and stalks nightmares and ignites fear...but the truth is Alice couldn’t ignite fear in a fly. The only thing she thirsts for is an occasional sip from the local deer population, and the only thing this vampire has ever burnt or destroyed is the rare cupcake at her cafe. So what then makes Alice so different? By definition she is supposed to be an evil spirit, reanimating her body and becoming an empty broken shell of what she used to be, due to her humanity, but it seems this doesn’t work out for a very select few. Alice Hastings isn’t filled with dark and evil, no, in fact she has enough love and joy to light up and the world, and often tries. She’s a beacon for the weary and lost, protects the broken and small, and very much like the human she once was.

But, what exactly keeps her on such a path? What makes it so this blonde haired, blue eyed, angel of a Vampire, does not have one bad bone in her body? To know that, one would have to know the traits she posses.

Innocent - The first, and most important to her overall self, is Alice’s innocence. Not to be confused with gullibility, by any means, or being ditzy due to her hair color. Alice definitely sees the world through rose colored glasses, the glass half full, and always expects the best in the people. Not for a second would she believe someone could be out there to harm her, or harm anyone else, because she simply doesn’t see anyone like that. No matter how many times a person kills, or hurts even her own feelings, it is impossible for her to shun them forever. Eventually she will cave and go back to expecting, and hoping for, the best they have to offer. This also extends to any sort of flirting or advances, both of which she will just see as offers of friendship. Alice will look past lewd, crude, behavior and do whatever she can to keep it on a safe friendly level.

Selfless - Alice may not be the physically strongest, or still rather young compared to most vampires, that won’t stop her from acting as a person’s shield, no matter the species. On countless occasions, Alice has put herself between sobbing humans and the ferocious Mad Hatter without batting an eyelash, and plans to do so for many years to come. This isn’t because she doesn’t value her own life, because she does of course, but she just happens to value others lives before her own. This but of her personality is most easily seen when Alice donates to the poor, or when homeless people come into her cafe with no money...yet she never backs away from offering food, drink, and any spare blankets, or sometimes, even her own jacket and clothing. The only downfall to being so selfless and self-sacrificing, is the situations it can land Alice in, which are not always the easiest to get out of.

Peacefull: If there was ever a true hippie advocate for peace...it would be Alice. Even in her human years she was against violence of any sort, and after becoming a vampire this was only amplified. If there’s a fight going on, Alice won’t hesitate from jumping in the middle or trying to break it up, and it isn’t uncommon for a particularly violent act to bring her to tears...even now. She abhors death and thus trained herself to be a vegetarian, living only on animal blood, while also heavily encouraging others to do so. But, even try as she might, violence and volatile emotions, are just something one cannot escape from. So, it is a fairly common sight to see Alice jogging, doing yoga, or swimming someone isolated, to keep her own mind clear and calm.
It should be noted that the only exception to her anti-violence rule, would have to be Jefferson. He could slaughter a large elementary school, and Alice would still be stuck at his side to help clean up the mess, never once judging or shying away.

Protective: It would be easier to catch a diamond unicorn then to catch a glimpse at the temper of Alice Hastings, but occasionally it does appear. The easiest, and mote sure fired way, that it will appear, is when her protective instincts flare up, but even then, it’s hard to spot those. Of course if a human, shifter, werewolf, were being picked on and harmed, she would step in as a shield and fight back...but that’s just her being selfless. Protective? Something much, much different. The number of people that belong to this category are extremely small, and rare, but if harm or anything negative happens to them...Alice wouldn’t be afraid to use her fangs and the predatory skills that gift her species. She would feel extremely depressed and guilty afterwards, but I wouldn’t put it past her to critically hurt someone who ostracized Jefferson, the March Hare, or any others in her small group. Then again, Alice’s temper is akin to a pissed of mewing kitten, but, never forget that kittens often have the sharpest claws.

Affectionate: By now, it’s been mentioned several times that Alice is joyful, happy, filled with love, sunshine, and all that good stuff...but how does it manifest? Easy. Hands on, touchy, affection. Alice loves giving hugs, holding hands, cuddling up to whoever is nearby, she simply loves...touch. It makes her feel warm, secure, and most of all loved. What if the person is a stranger? Doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t be strange at all to see Alice holding to the crook of someones arm, while being totally engrossed in whatever story or past experience they are re-telling. All of that being said, this behavior, isn’t an invitation for sexual encounters or even flirting (except for one person), though it is very commonly mistaken for it. It’s not rare for a person to be attracted to her personality, and assume her affectionate nature is Alice returning the attracted feeling, but...I promise you...it’s not.

Some say a person’s fate is inescapable, that were are doomed to fail or blessed to succeed and there is not a thing that one can do it. Clearly, those people have never met Alice. Born in 1938 in a camp on a grass field just outside of Atlanta Georgia, she was unwanted from the very start. Times were tough and people did unspeakable things for just a loaf of bread, and it seemed Francesca Hastings was no different. Nine months ago the raven haired once-beauty had slept around with an out of business car salesman for half a loaf of bread and some watered down soup, it wasn’t till a few weeks later that her mistake came to light. Francesca tried her hardest to get rid of the unborn baby, taking whatever herbal remedy and alcohol she could possibly scrounge up, but somehow, Alice fought on and was eventually born with the coloring of a fair haired angel...it’s even said, by other members of the shack camp...the young baby girl didn’t even cry. No. She simply smiled and waved her arms for a mother that was gone as soon as she pushed the baby out. Even as she grew older, and infant memories become replaced with more concrete ones, the subconscious desire for touch and love never ended.

How an infant survived those first few years on the kindness of poor strangers, living in poor excuses for shacks with nothing but rice water for a baby, is beyond knowing. Some call it a miracle, a fluke, or sheer dumb luck, but nonetheless, it happened. It wasn’t until Alice turned twelve, in 1950, that she struck out on her own for Atlanta. She was tired of living in metal shack, flea ridden, and always hungry...not to mention the world was beginning to recover from the Great Depression, creating a time filled with hope and yearning. People were hungry for everything they lost, but wary of taking risks, but luckily Alice was not. Within a few months, of no luck, Alice finally won over a local bakery owner who adored her smile and tenacity. All the young girl wanted was a roof over her head, a bed, some food, and to learn a trade...something that could help people. It wasn’t long before she, and the baker, discovered she had a natural talent, which she was rewarded for. The baker allowed Alice to live with him, as his own wife had died giving birth to a son, and soon Alice not only became well looked after...but she truly had a family figure who looked after her. She returned to a healthy weight, had clean clothing, and was quick to become a favorite in a now prospering Atlanta. Every shopkeeper loved her and didn’t shy away from giving her a free sweet, and even taught her to read and write. Well. Not 100%, but the important words that were needed for selling, haggling, and setting prices.

The admiration only grew as Alice blossomed into a beautiful young, modest, woman. She went to town dances, walks at night, family parties, anything that was asked of her...but no boy ever got farther than that. Alice was a prude they said, even a tease, but it was all false lies. She had never been told the story about her mother, but it wasn’t hard to guess she had been born out of wedlock...and Alice never wanted to repeat her mother’s mistakes, no, she wanted to wait till marriage. Not to mention it was what her religion preached, and at the time, she was fairly religious, as most Southern women were. It wasn’t until Alice was twenty-three, that she thought all of that was going to change. She had met a boy that loved her, and even been courting her for several months, the proposal was inevitable. It had happened of course, after the boy got her adopted father’s, whom everyone now affectionately called The Baker, permission. There was a small engagement party, with a small group of friends turning out to congratulate a weeping Alice and wish the couple well. From then on, everything was smooth sailing. Everyone in Atlanta knew of Alice’s generosity and kind smiles, and they wanted to repay her with whatever they could...needless to say, any and all wedding plans were for free. It wasn’t until three nights before the wedding that Alice’s life ended.

She had been working late at the bakery, her dreams of owning her own still unfulfilled, for she wanted to make her own cake and pastries for the wedding. It was around 11 o'clock that she forced herself to clean up shop and head on home and start on packing. Maybe it was due to her exhaustion, over busied mind, or the fact that the monster stalking her was bred to be a monster...either way...the man, thing, had grabbed Alice by her hair and dragged into the nearby alley, a hand over her mouth to prevent screaming. It only took a few seconds for Alice’s clothes to be ripped off, her already bruising body to be pinned against a brick wall, and her neck to be savagely ripped open and drained, while he took away the one thing Alice had been saving for her fiancee. By the time her spirit and body were broken, stubbornly hanging onto life by the skin of her teeth, the male vampire had opened his own wrist and held it up to her mouth. Forcing her to become what he was. Why he was so vicious, so sadistic, and chose not to use compulsion was something Alice didn’t find out for quite some time...but that’s a story for another day. For now, all that’s important is shortly after changing Alice, he left her laying in the alley for her to find her own way. Once more.

So what happened next? It’s sad really, but every Vampire knows this tale. The newly created fledgling woke up, distraught, hungry, yet stronger and more clear headed than she had ever been before. The world was different, she was different, yet at the same time Alice knew what she was...with clarity. It was the next night Alice had her first contact with human blood, when she went home to her fiance and bit down into his neck, and drained him dry. Alice had sunk into a dark depression after that and fled Georgia, travelling into the deep dark woods of Yellowstone National Park. There, from watching wolf packs, learned how to pick elderly or sick animals, separate them from the pack, and survive on their blood. Alice still craves human blood, specifically if she goes too long without feeding from an animal, but she never gives into it. It wasn’t until she could handle herself around a bleeding a human, that she left Yellowstone and made her way to one heavily wooded area to another, eventually landing in Bad Rock Montana, and coming across Jefferson and their merry little bunch.

So what is Alice up to now? Becoming Bad Rock’s little town favorite of course. Over the last 75 years she taught herself to read and write, even got a degree for business, and recently opened her own Alice and Wonderland themed cafe, all thanks to Jeffersons immense imagination. She openly promotes peace amongst werewolves and vampires, protects shifters, and often serves the best coffee in Montana to the police department. Currently she lives in her own little apartment, though she has aspirations for creating a safe house or lair for everyone who happens to double as a character in Jefferson’s mind, because once again, unlike most vampires, Alice loves being social and being in a close knit group. On her off days she’s been known to volunteer at homeless shelters and even the Elementary School, with everyone human believing she is one of them. To this day Alice doesn’t discuss her upbringing, her Maker, or the one time she’s had human blood...nor does she plan too.

Jefferson: I figured this deserved a special spot on the application, since he does hold a special spot in Alice’s heart. She is, one hundred percent, head over heels completely in love with this man. Has she said it? No, of course not...but it’s true. Everything he does, she loves and supports, and is always there to pull him back when he goes off the rails. The only reason she hasn’t confessed how she feels, is because she fully believes he doesn’t feel anything back. In her mind she tags along and he tolerates it, and maybe even values her as a friend, but nothing more. It is because of this that Alice has resolved herself to spend the rest of her supernatural life as his companion, protector, and caretaker, secretly loving him from the sidelines. As for his insanity and imaginary world, Alice loves it. She absolutely loves every second of it, and isn’t afraid to admit that she has the Alice in Wonderland dress in her closet (The simply one from the Cartoon...not the slutty Halloween ones). In truth, she can’t wait for Jefferson to label more real life people as his characters, because to her, they all become family.

Curiouser and Curiouser Cafe - Also affectionately known as the C&C, is Alice’s privately owned cafe. All pastries are made by her, as is the tea, coffee, and other more substantial foods. It is Alice in Wonderland themed, and was originally created to impress Jefferson, but soon became it’s own lucrative business. All leftover food is donated to the local homeless shelter, and is often spot where many different species congregate. OOC wise, this cafe is based off of the Manchester Alice in Wonderland Tea Room ( 2.bp.blogspot.com/-vro6wb2GxTI/T4P46qNXg8I/AAAAAAAAAFI/yCy7OFvncic/s1600/Richmond_Street_Tea_Rooms.jpg and www.weekendnotes.com/im/006/08/tearoom-tea-coffee-cake-richmond-tearooms-alice-in1.JPG). I also plan or filling out one of those add location forms, once this application is accepted.