Benjamin Haring



benjamin HARING and pocket all the hurt, just stay.

and when the sky is falling, don't look outside the window.

step back and hear i'm calling. give up, don't take the fastroad.

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 * Name: Benjamin Robert Haring.
 * Nickname(s): Ben, Bennie, Benji, Rob, Robbie, Benny-Bob.
 * Location: Budapest, Hungary.
 * Date of Birth: 1 June 2034.
 * Age: 21.
 * Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual.
 * Height: 1.78m (5'8".)
 * Weight: 61kg (135lbs.)
 * Hair Colour: Brown.
 * Eye Colour: Blue.
 * Spoken Language(s): English (Native), French (Fluent), Hungarian (Conversational).
 * Image Song(s): Change Your Mind by The All-American Rejects.

personality
The simplest way to describe Benjamin is to say that he is your typical boy next door. Having been born as the only boy in a house full of girls all older than himself, it's not hard to imagine Ben as being very understanding and compassionate, if not a little bit easy to walk on. In spite of how intelligent he is, Ben is sometimes at a loss for what to say, thus making him quite the socially awkward kid. He has almost no experience talking to girls he hasn't known since he was in diapers, and so it's unsurprising that the poor boy has never had even so much as a date.

While he might be awkward and sometimes too tense, Ben does indeed know how to have fun. He is capable of being humourous and witty, although he never has fun at someone else's expense. He's got a good heart, though he sometimes doesn't know how to use it, and doesn't always listen to his better senses. Being that he is only human, Ben has his selfish impulses that he sometimes gives into, even if he doesn't realise it.

abilities

 * ENHANCED COMPREHENSION — This allows him to absorb and interpret greater quantities of information more than the average human within a short period of time. However, he must already possess basic knowledge of whatever it is he's studying for this to work properly.

background
When one takes a glance at Benjamin's early life, there's nothing of great importance to be noted about it. In a hospital in St. John's, Canada, Benjamin arrived as the last Haring child born post-War, and the only boy with siblings made up entirely of seven girls – all of whom were older than him. Quite possibly the only thing worth noting is that Benjamin was born mere weeks after his father, Robert Haring, was killed by raiders who attempted to take over the family's quaint shop and so leaving the young boy to become the only male in the Haring household.

The first years of Ben's life were rather uneventful. He was raised by his siblings and mother alike, and he never really had any father figures to look up to. All he had were the men on the old television his mother had managed to salvage from The War, and the movies she would occasionally bring out the DVD player to watch on. From a young age, Ben had always looked up to the geniuses who were behind the good guy's world-saving feats, and sometimes even the ones who were hell-bent on destroying the hero and the world. It was in his youth that Ben began to study as much as possible, taking in as many subjects as he could get his hands on. He seemed like a natural at anything and everything he touched; from social studies to modern science, Ben showed an exceptional amount of smarts in all areas.

By the time Ben had reached the age of fourteen, he had already skipped two grades and was promptly placed into several high school classes. Although he impressed his professors and caught the eye of several World Government scientists in St. John's, he noticed that his inability to make decent conversation with his peers was making him feel more isolated than he generally liked. Quite possibly one of the very few friends he had was a girl he'd known all his life named Alison Granger, but she had her own social circle that he knew was impossible to penetrate. She was the smartest girl in their school, very attractic and popular to boot. All things that plain Benjamin Haring couldn't live up to, but tried desperately to ignore. It was at his own request that he remained in the same grade as Alison, not wanting to show her up or make her feel as if he thought he was better than her in any way.

So Ben waited to graduate with the rest of his classmates, despite his mother's pleas that he stop putting others before himself just this once. When the day came that he finally graduated, both he and Alison were asked to make a speech on behalf of their class year. It was at this time that he and Alison became closer, and Ben felt that this had been the time to admit his feelings for her. He never got the chance, however, seeing as they were so wrapped up in trying to make their individual speeches, and the fact that she had many friends to celebrate with. Needless to say, he put his confession on hold and decided that he would wait for "the perfect moment."

That perfect moment seemed to have taken its time in arriving, as not even a full week after their graduation Ben received an invitation to meet with some representatives of the World Government Research Facility in St. John's. There he was told that many government officials had been interested in his genius for sometime, even considered him something of a prodigy in the science field and they offered him a job. He eagerly accepted, but he had one condition: they would look into hiring Alison Granger as well, considering that some of his best projects were only possible because of her. Though this was only half-true, and though they knew that, he seemed headstrong in only working for them if Alison was, too, and could not afford to turn down his offer. Both Benjamin and Alison became the youngest scientists to grace the Scientific Research Facility in St. John's.

Within a year, the two of them had made so much progress that their predecessors had not, and had taken great leaps in the government's research. The amnesiac drug was near-perfect by the time he and Alison were done with it, and they had even begun research on how to help people hone their enhanced abilities. They were told of their great contributions to the World Government, and that their hard work had opened new gateways into science. The two of them were promoted and sent to the world's leading research facilities in Budapest, Hungary, where they would continue their work.

Yet there seemed to be something bothering Alison a month after they arrived in Budapest. Something was wrong, she had explained, about what they were doing. While Ben himself didn't quite understand what it was she meant by "wrong," he did what he could to ease her discomfort. Nothing he seemed to do would help, though, and she soon began sending requests to their superiors that she return home to St. John's. When it was finally granted, she denied Ben's offer to return with her, saying that this is what he loved to do and she just needed some time to think about what she loved. Ben had no idea that he would never see her again after she boarded to plane.

For the last year and a half that she has been missing, Ben has been working diligently for the World Government, and keeping contacts within the Black Suits and other such branches of the government. He has put much of his time and money into discovering the whereabouts of Alison, as well as the sisters that had gone missing within the last few months.

family

 * Robert Haring — Father. Deceased.
 * Amelia Haring — Mother. Alive, living in St. John's.
 * Melissa Haring — Older Sister. Alive, living in London.
 * Camille Haring — Older Sister. Alive, living in St. John's.
 * Elizabeth Haring — Older Sister. Deceased.
 * Mary Haring — Older Sister. Missing.
 * Noelle Haring — Older Sister. Alive, living in Paris. Noelle is one of the siblings that he was closer to due to the little gap in age between them. He's tried to make it habit to visit her since he arrived in Europe, and he does all he can to keep up with her news stories and the like. Benjamin worries about her job position, however, and he knows the dangers of what telling the public what the government might not want them to hear. As such, he avoids any conversation about his job, fearful that he may let something slip and she may relate it to the world...
 * Joanne Haring — Older Sister. Missing.
 * Vanessa Haring — Older Sister. Missing.
 * Alexander Bristow — Uncle Aley, who received this wonderful nickname when Benjamin was just an itty bitty and couldn't pronounce his name right. He's quite possibly the best uncle in the world, and Benjamin is not above telling everyone about how great and awesome he is. As a child, it was Alexander who exposed the kid to much of the science gadgetry he is now very well acquainted with.

And a whole lot of nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.

friends

 * Alison Granger — Love Interest, Missing. She was the first girl (outside of his family) that he met, and it wasn't long before he fell head over heels in love with her at the tender age of ten. Ever since they were children, Benjamin has had nothing but genuine feelings for her, and he did what he could to help her out whenever she needed it. When she went to Budapest to become a scientist in the Budapest Research Facility, he followed. However, she felt as if something were wrong with what she was doing, and attempted to return home. The last time Benjamin saw her was seeing her off at the airport, and she reportedly never got off the plane when it arrived in St. John's.
 * Daisy Notara — Best Friend. Soon after meeting Alison, Benjamin became acquainted with a spunky and hard-spoken young girl who would soon become his very best friend. While others may find her tough love a little too tough, Benjamin recognises it as a sign that she cares and she's not willing to lie to his face. He appreciates her blunt, sometimes cruel honesty and verbal lashes, and is even inspired from them to become less of a "wimp." He's not really sure what he would do without her around to tell him when he's being stupid.
 * Kilian Tröger — Friend. Before they were friends, Benjamin was a huge fan of Kilian's speeches and was part of the reason both he and Alison sought careers in the World Government. The first time Benjamin came face-to-face with Kilian, he accidentally dropped a graduated cylinder on the floor and ruined the Voice of Europe's shoes. Although Benjamin was as mortified as his co-workers, the incident didn't seem to bother Kilian much. Afterward, Benjamin continued to apologise profusely until Kilian pulled off his shoe and insisted it wasn't a big deal. Since then, Benjamin has considered Kilian something of a friend, and confides in him from time to time as his only contact in Europe.


 * Dmitri Medvene — A fellow Budapestian that Benjamin managed to befriend, Dmitri's attitude appeals to him because they both seem similar in many ways. As one of his only male friends and one that he can actually see in person, Benjamin appreciates Dmitri's company and he makes sure that he knows that.

personal

 * He has a secret love for old comic books that his mother managed to hang onto.
 * Ben has no real religion of his own. His life is all about science, and religion contradicts that for him.
 * His favourite meal consists of brocolli, pasta, and chicken. Sometimes together in one bowl.
 * Ben is a damn good chef, but he rarely has time to cook for himself.
 * He hates the smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol – especially together.
 * He is, in fact, a virgin. He doesn't mind it at all.

familial

 * The Harings were a part of the Mormon church prior to Robert's death, but discontinued practising by the time Ben was born.
 * Ben was close to all of his sisters, especially Vanessa, who was the closest to his age.
 * His mother makes the best apple pies ever.