Full Name: Véronique Josette Bellamy
Nickname/Alias: Nick, Nicki
Age: 30
Age apparent: Mid-twenties
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Heterosexual, but curious on occasion
Occupation: Pastry chef
Languages: English, French, Quebecois
Species: Lycanthrope - Leopard
Powers: Acute Senses, Fast Healing, Physical Prowess, Silver Vulnerability, Aura of Power, Feel the City, Hybrid Form, Pass as Human, Resist Master's Call, Awareness of Vampire Powers, Healing (by Blood), Slashing Aura

Overall Appearance: Véronique is your quintessential girl-next-door; she exudes a vague sense of innocence and a raw, unassuming sexuality. Perhaps it is the sense of innocence that makes her so unaware of her attractive qualities. She is tall and toned, though she bears the soft, generous curves of a woman. Her sable hair is worn long in loose, natural waves with layers that frame her face, though it is usually pulled back in a ponytail.

Her features are unmarred and beautiful, and while they are by no means plain, they are a bit ordinary: a sculpted nose, full lips, high cheekbones, and delicately arched brows. It is the complete picture that makes her so attractive and…her eyes. Her wide eyes are a luminous shade of green, not so bright as to be considered emerald, nor so dark as to be considered pine. The shade is a delicate balance of the outdoors, of water and grass and sunlight. They are distinctive, and in the right light, they flare up golden just like any other cat's eyes would.

Nicki is light and sweetness. Her smile lights up her entire face, and she is rarely without it. Graceful in her own way, she lacks the distinct prowl of the predator that lies beneath until compelled. There is something particularly seductive to her walk though; it contains a slink that only someone quite familiar with the movements of cats could achieve.

She is usually dressed in jeans and tank tops, and her color palette is broad, utilizing pastels, jewel tones, and everything in between. Throw an apron on top and she's ready for work: baking, waitressing, cashiering, or whatever is needed during the day. For evening, a flirty little dress with a little frill here or there is key for the occasional date, not that she's dating much these days. Make-up has always been optional for this seemingly "All-American" girl, and when she wears it, it's always minimal and usually meant to play up her eyes.

Height: 5'9"
Weight: 118 lbs.
Eye Color: Green
Hair color: Chestnut
Hair Style: Long, loose waves with long layers framing the face
Complexion: Alabaster
Body shape: Athletic - Tall and toned, slim and stacked
Clothing: Mostly jeans, tanks, and sensible shoes
Character Model: Kim Smith

Basic Personality: Véronique lives somewhere between a world of concrete needs and abstract desires. She's always been a bit of a dreamer, so while she lives in the present, she is also constantly looking toward the future and learning from the past. Self-confident and relaxed, she lacks the overt aggressiveness of many others of her kind until pushed. Don't let her sweet and laid-back nature fool you though; beneath the exterior lies one badass motherfucker. She hasn't fought her way to safety with sunshine and butterflies or rainbows and unicorns. Véronique is the type of woman who knows when to throw down; she just also knows when listening to others is the smarter (i.e. safer) option.

Nicki enjoys interacting with others and having fun, and she is generally infinitely relaxed in such social situations, lacking any rigidity. She has been known to make others loosen up with her fun, flirty nature as well, and in the past, to take men back home quite quickly once they've gotten loose. To deny that she loves getting physical would be complete blasphemy, and up until recently those needs were fulfilled quite frequently. Aside from sexual escapades, her energy goes into the things she finds value in: her pard, her career, her relationships. Above all, she is caring, conscientious, and dependable.

Véronique has many traits that would make her an excellent leader, or…at least the wife of one such leader. She values competency and efficiency in those she works with and associates with. She takes the time to garner the input and the opinions that others might not. She practices patience and encourages others to do the same. While some are talented at devising systems and plans of action, Nicki is excellent at seeing them through to completion or offering innovative ideas and new ways of accomplishing the same goals. Understanding of the foibles that sometimes face people, she is less judgmental than her peers, though no less demanding. Straight-forwardness and honesty are high on her list of priorities. Traditional and lawful, she knows her place within her pard and the city, or at least she used to…

Sexual Likes: Switch
Sexual Dislikes: Toilet play, extreme pain (no breaking allowed), extreme asphyxia (no passing out), extreme BDSM (ask first, and ask nicely)
Sexual Strengths: Creative, flexible, willing to experiment
Sexual Weaknesses: Constant sexual cravings, constant need for intimacy, the wrong men

Merits: Patient, caring, loyal, and honest

Flaws: Evasive and territorial

Character Motivations/Goals: Nicki dearly wants to remain hidden from Pelletier Pard, and she would like her connection to them to remain a secret. She will do whatever it takes to remain safe and secure.

Player Motivations/Goals: To write a great story within a great universe with excellent writers, and to learn more about the Anita Blake 'verse as I play while continuing to read through the books.

History: Born to a crack-whore and a pimp, somehow Véronique survived in the brutal underworld of Montréal until she was "old enough" to roam the dark, dirty streets alone, begging for food and the substance that she was addicted to. Always dirty and hungry with a glassy sheen to her eyes, she never knew that she had caught someone's eye until it was far too late.

There was a young man in the Pelletier Pard by the name of Jean Boucher who had been recently changed at the age of 17. He was full of misconceptions and lofty ideas, and he took them to the extremes in his early time with the Pard. Having seen Nicki on his streets, he knew her to be as addicted as he had been. When the change worked toward curing him of his addiction, he thought he was being a good Samaritan by doing the same to the four-year-old girl.

The story would have made the news if the girl had ever been found in such a state, but once he realized how ripped, torn, and bloody she was, he went straight to the Pard. The Pard took Nicki in, detoxed her, healed her, and adopted her into the Fornier family; her crack-whore mother never missed her, but to say that little girl never missed crack would be a gross understatement. Too young to shift, Nicki struggled with her detox, developing a habit of licking and biting her lips when nervous or stressed. With the support of the Pard though, one addiction was carefully exchanged for another: physical affection.

When the worst was over, Jean was confronted about how he found her by the Lion Passant, and he lied through his teeth. It was so easy; he had grown up lying, and Montréal was Quebec's biggest city. It helped that it was also a city that held more than one Pard. Jean claimed that he had witnessed an unfamiliar leopard maul the girl. Tensions were already on the rise between Pelletier Pard and Bonheur Pard. Conclusions were jumped to, and Bonheur Pard was shouldered with the blame for the attack on little Nicki in quick order, thus starting a feud.

While the change had given her a new family to support her through the worst of shaking her addiction, Véronique also had a new way of life to get used to, to understand. Despite the strange circumstances that had brought her to the Forniers, she ended up having a happy childhood, practically forgetting where she had come from and what she had done. She grew in strength and power daily both as a young woman and as a leopard. As she grew, so did her admires, the list of which certainly included her "savior" Jean Boucher.

Véronique had always felt uneasy around Jean for some reason, though she could never exactly put her finger on why. Generally, she avoided him whenever possible, which is one of the reasons why she went off to culinary school. While she was away though, that's when her various suitors within the Pard decided to strike. The Forniers felt indebted to Jean for saving Nicki's life and bringing them a child when they were unable to have one of their own, so while there were plenty better candidates, the Forniers long ago agreed to give the man what he wanted: Nicki was intended to be his mate.

While this was happening, Nicki was enjoying herself at culinary school, putting herself on the path to becoming a renowned pastry chef. While she adored her classes, something bothered her; something that had been niggling at her for years. In the end, Nicki couldn't hold off her curiosity. She had often asked at home about the feud between Pellitier Pard and Bonheur Pard, but she had never been able to get a straightforward answer. In her second year of culinary school, she managed to track down a member of Bonheur Pard, meet with their leader, and ask the questions that she had always wanted answered.

The Bonheur Leopard Leonine recounted all that he could recall of the feud and how it had begun. How a man named Jean had turned this small child, much too young for him, and yet twisted things so that he was promised to her as a mate - contrary to nature itself. How he and his Pard had objected to such a thing, that she was far too young and he too old for her, and they'd found the truth in that he'd turned her in order to claim her. Their ultimate objection set the Pards at odds with one another. One looking out for a young woman's best interests, and the other refusing to believe it had been duped, obviously loathing the other Pard's interference.

Swallowing, Nicki told him of how she became a member of her Pard. Had he been a Nimir-Raj, he would have vowed his help and protection. Alas, true Nimirs are rare, and while he objected to Nicki's treatment, he had to do what was best for his Pard. After a phone call home to confirm that she had been promised to Jean, Véronique never went home again, and she didn't look back either. Before the year was out, she transferred schools and fled south to the United States, changing her last name to evade those who would follow.

After completing culinary school, she moved often, never staying too long in one place. A pastry chef on the run, she managed to move up the ranks quickly, which facilitated her constant movement. Without leaving too much of a paper trail, a job opportunity finally landed her in Marquette, Michigan in June of 2010. Falling in love with the excellent little confectionary she had earned her place in, she gave herself a week to make up her mind on the city and its lycanthropy population. The Master of the City was ready to confront her, but Hariraj requested that Marius stay his hand for the week, knowing of the runaway leopard from both Montréal Pards' perspectives. If she did not pay tribute by the end of the week, he vowed to his Master that would take care of her personally, but until then, she was under his protection.

Nicki never knew that Hariraj had taken an interest in her for any reason. Fellow lycanthropes would stop by the confectionary out of curiosity; they spoke to her, but they did not confront her or challenge her. She wasn't so naïve to think them simply friendly; she realized that someone must have been protecting her. Despite the possible reasons for the protection extended to her, by the end of the week she decided to settle in Marquette and paid tribute to the Nimir-Raj. Not having much to offer Hariraj, she gave him the last remembrance she had of her adoptive mother, Chantal Fornier: an antique silver locket set with tiny chips of precious stones.

Little did Véronique know that pictures of that locket had been circulated years ago when she first fled South; it confirmed her identity to Hariraj. The Nimir-Raj was intrigued by the young female leopard who had evaded not one, but two Pards and managed to succeed at evasive tactics all across the country. He watched her closely as she integrated herself into the Clowder, never exactly recalling his protection of her. For a long time, Nicki remained on the outskirts of the Clowder, quiet and keeping to herself. The safer she felt, the more difficult it was to remain aloof, especially with her need for physical affection. Slowly she began to open up at meetings, never seen with the same male more than once in most instances for a variety of reasons.

On one such occasion the wrong reason just happened to be that the male she was with was already attached to someone. It was Nicki's first formal challenge within the Clowder, and Hariraj just sat back to watch. In all honesty, it wasn't much of a battle. Not only was Nicki more powerful than expected, but she had trained to evade and win at any cost. The dominant female left with her male that evening, but Nicki left with a higher rank within the Clowder and the lingering gaze of the Nimir-Raj.

Not long after, Hariraj began to spend more time in the little confectionary Nicki worked at, often hosting bits of business there over coffee during the day. The Nimir and the runaway got to know each other through small talk, and it wasn't long before they began sleeping together. Somewhere along the line sex and small talk turned into love. Only a little over a year ago the pair became engaged to be married, hoping to start a family of their own if possible.

For a few years, things were looking up for Nicki; she had a Clowder, protection, safety, security, and a man to love for the rest of her life… And then all hell broke loose when the her Hariraj and the Marius were both murdered. Now she's in it for herself, her own survival and her safety.

Living or Dead Family: The crack-whore is dead, and the pimp is in jail.
Jaques Fornier - Adoptive Father, Alive
Chantal Fornier - Adoptive Mother, Alive
Hariraj - Former fiancée, Deceased