Ashley Sheffield

[Carthrat†]

Name: Ashley "Ash" Sheffield
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Grade: 12th
School: Bayview Secondary
Hobbies and Interests: Games, Gambling, Mystery Novels, Stage Magic

Appearance: Of medium build, Ash is of indeterminable caucasian ancestry, and is about 5'9" and weighs around 70kg. He's not muscular, but nor is he a weed; determining his true physique, however, is impossible behind the chequered shirts he usually wears, which are slightly big for his size.

His skin tone is fair and generally free of blemishes or freckles, aside from a shapeless blob of a birthmark on his right thigh. Dark-brown hair is combed and gelled straight back, the length just crossing his neck (he used to wear a ponytail, but got rid of it once he turned eighteen for a more professional look.)

A rounded, slightly chubby face would normally seem childlike, but narrow green eyes and a perpetual smirk make him seem a little devious- a look that is rarely broken by anything but a coughing fit. He often wears dark, wrap-around sunglasses to conceal his features. His facial hair grows very slowly, and he prefers to remain clean-shaven in any case.

He dresses neatly but casually, favouring large shirts, dark jeans, and comfortable sneakers. He always doing something with his hands, whether it be playing with his phone, checking his wallet, or endlessly shuffling a deck of cards.

Biography: His real mother died in a car accident when he was only six years old- just old enough to understand what happened, but not quite old enough to deal with it in a mature fashion. What he remembered from the incident was an offhand remark. Exactly who said it, he can't recall.

"If she'd just worn her seatbelt, she probably would have survived. Selfish of her, taking a pointless risk..."

It stuck with Ashley, this idea of avoiding needless danger. It made him a cautious fellow. He wasn't amongst the troublemakers in junior high, nor did he do such trivial things like cross the road improperly. It didn't save him from developing asthma, that devil of an illness that springs from seemingly nowhere, but at least he wasn't the sort of kid who drops his inhaler or forgets his medicine.

It made him avoid sport, as well. Soccer and football may be popular, but he kept thinking of getting hurt, of compounding his asthma. It made him seem like a coward to some of the other kids in elementary school, and he was alternatively picked on or left alone, with very few friends to speak of, and none lasting too long. He withdrew behind a polite facade, saying the right things but rarely expressing himself.

Then his father remarried, and Lara Clarke-Sheffield became his stepmother. Throughout his childhood his father had been distant, often absorbed in his work as a public defender. Rarely could he find time to do more than the basics for his son (and exactly where he found the time to woo and remarry Lara remains a mystery to this day.)

Determined to integrate into the family, Lara found every opportunity she could to talk and engage with Ash. It was perhaps too late for her to really be a mother to him, so she became his friend instead. Afternoons were sometimes spent over a deck of cards or a game of chess, and she started taking him out- to concerts, movies, shows- things that his busy father rarely had time for.

Thanks to his stepmother, Ash started developing wider interests. The games he played were his first- he liked the mental challenge behind them, which he felt was a far cry from the purely physical demands of sport. But he took a particular shine to the games with a random element- games based on dice or cards. A childhood of avoiding risk made the idea of bluffing, of acceptable danger and chance almost addicting.

On the other hand, however, he also enjoyed going to magic shows, whether hosted by small-time comedians or big-named illusionists. It was fun to be awed by the tricks and special effects, such as escaping from a water-filled prism or sawing a woman in half, but what he really liked was working out how the tricks were done in the first place. He even started trying out some of his own, albeit on the scale of card tricks- you use what you have handy, after all.

The idea of 'figuring out the trick' also spurned an interest in mystery and horror fiction, where often the reader is challenged to find out a solution before the erstwhile detective or heroine. He tried writing a few of his own stories, but gave up shortly- he just wasn't as imaginative as he was analytical.

By the time he reached the later years of high school, he'd become somewhat less introverted. He joined chess clubs and faired quite well in local competitions, but he often had more fun playing cards in the library during recess and lunch, where the random element gave that little extra thrill. Plenty of students also liked a game every now and then, but few played as often (or as well) as Ash.

As most groups include at least a couple of people who like to play games, he often found himself just on the edge of most social circles. While he's friendly, he's also rather quiet, and his demeanour often makes it seem to people that he's sizing them up or studying them instead of engaging with them. Ash's comfort zone is playing a game; outside of it, he's actually rather shy. In particular, he has yet to summon up the courage to ask one of his crushes out- and instead gets stuck watching as each of them get snapped up by another, bolder guy.

When he turned eighteen, he took perhaps his biggest risk and started playing games with real money. He still hasn't let his parents know that he takes trips to a casino on his days off school, since he suspects they would be apoplectic with anxiety if they discovered what he spent his savings and allowance on. Years of playing such games casually helped. He quickly learned to suppress many of his remaining nervous ticks, and his natural caution had long been tempered with competetive spirit, helping him to avoid foolish mistakes at the poker table.

Although he hasn't told his parents, he's considering a future career as a professional gambler, even now. He does worry that persuing such a course could make it hard to return to college or a 'real' job in the future, and is putting off this decision for as long as possible. Not a poor student by any standards, he's thinking he'll make his decision depending on what colleges he gets accepted to. Even so, he has no idea what he might major in- except, perhaps, math, with a major in probability.


Advantages: Ashley's good at keeping a poker face and hiding his feelings and intentions when under pressure. A careful thinker, he's good at spotting potential risks. He's also good with his hands, and literally capable of hiding things up his sleeve.
Disadvantages: He always seems a little untrustworthy, and is in truth rather shy, preferring to keep most people at distance (particularly women.) Hounded by asthma, he has frequent attacks and runs short of breath after hard exertion, and requires his inhaler to recover quickly. Neither weak nor strong, he nonetheless lacks stamina. He has virtually no useful experience in fighting or weapons.