OUT OF CHARACTER:



Name/Handle:
Contact: Tseil; ifoundamuffin on Discord
Other characters: Madoka Takatori
Reserve: N/A

IN-CHARACTER:

Character name: Shikeo
Character journal: lostwithinatrace
Series name: Trace:perfume
Canon notes: Please note where in the canon they are coming from. If they are an AU, please describe what the AU is. If they are a CRAU (not from Drift Fleet), please explain the game they are coming from.
Species: Trace (human with supernatural ability)
Age: 18

Arrival Condition: At this time there is no hospital/medical treatment available. Please state here if your character will be uninjured or what injuries or diseases they may have. Serious/life-threatening injuries/diseases are allowed with an explanation of how you will take care of said condition.

History: Shikeo grew up being hated by his father, who divorced his mother and takes his sister, Dambi, with him. He thus grew up not knowing his sister, either. Dambi was always told to treat Shikeo like a stranger if they should meet. He lived alone with his mother in a house surrounded by flowers to mask the seductive scent that they both gave off. When he was young, his mother gave both him and Dambi an hourglass necklace, but Dambi was told to keep hers a secret from Shikeo. The mother told Shikeo that she values only him and this necklace, and asks him to take good care of it.

Shikeo’s mother and father hid that his scent was a Trace power from him. Dambi knew however, and overheard their mother tell their father that she hoped that Dambi would become a Trace too so they could all live together again. When Dambi found she was, indeed, a Trace, she ran to find Shikeo and their mother again. However, Shikeo and his mother had up and moved without telling anyone at all about it. They moved to a house in a forest where they lived secluded from the rest of the world. Shikeo grew up only knowing his mother and became all alone when she passed away.

As it turns out, Timber is Shikeo and Dambi’s half-brother, with Hyungnim being Timber’s father. Timber and Nunim are her first children and she was very happy with Hyungnim. Unfortunately, she was also a heavy drug addict. In a moment of relapse, she grabbed a young Timber and ran off without any explanation. However, she abandoned him at an orphanage later one, with the promise to return. Years later, she sent a request to the organization that Hyungnim runs, that Timber had also joined, asking for her death. Timber was the one to kill her.

Not long after, Timber ran away from the organization, finding an unconscious Shikeo in the alley that he dropped down into. Shikeo is wearing dirty clothes, covered in bruises and cuts. When Timber pulls back Shikeo’s hood to check on his wellbeing, he instantly becomes allured by Shikeo’s scent. He describes it as feeling familiar and nostalgic, but manages to neutralize the effect by smoking a cigarette. He chooses to carry the lightweight Shikeo back to his apartment, even washing his clothes and tending to his wounds. He finds an hourglass necklace on Shikeo and wonders if he could convince him to sell it for finances. However, Shikeo wakes up with a loud yell, throwing things at Timber and demanding his clothes back while he calls Timber a pervert and accuses him of doing unsavory things to him while he was unconscious.

Timber explains that he’s innocent and what really happened while he was unconscious, including how others lusted after Shikeo as he carried him, but none of them remembered afterwards. Timber ends up explaining what a Trace is, revealing that he’s one himself. Shikeo introduces himself and explains his living circumstances up to that point, saying he only came to the city for the first time just yesterday, as well as important the hourglass necklace was to him. Timber mentally notes that Shikeo looks like his mother.

Shikeo and Timber part ways and Shikeo comes to live in an orphanage. There, he meets Dambi, who is also an orphan as their father died because of a Trouble. A timber also attacks the orphanage they’re staying at, and Timber comes to save them. Because of this, Shikeo is reunited with Timber, and Timber takes in both Dambi and Shikeo from that point forward, making their living in busking to keep their heads above water. They move to a city that doesn't show on the map, doesn't have many Troubles, and that the government doesn't bother to watch over to live as peacefully as they can.

Mere months later, Shikeo is resting on a bench in the park as he waits on Timber to return with Dambi. One of the townspeople walks by and ask if they’re going busking today. Shikeo says that right now they aren’t because Dambi ran off and Timber went to go find her. Soon after, another person, a man, approaches Shikeo asking to hear the song they did yesterday, but Shikeo says it isn’t finished yet so he can’t. The man starts sniffing around, asking if Shikeo is wearing a cologne since he smells so nice. Shikeo tries to tell him to stay back, but unfortunately has to hit the man to get him off.

Timber happens to walk in just as Shikeo slams the man into a pile of garbage. He explains that he couldn’t find Dambi, but moves in on the man to blow a large mouthful of cigarette smoke into his face to overwhelm the man’s senses so he can no longer smell Shikeo; also called the Impounding Method. Timber then helps the man up and sends him on his way, then reassures Shikeo that it’ll be okay since the man won’t remember anyway. He even mentions offhand how Shikeo’s ability is a little envious, but also unfortunate since Shikeo can’t control it.

Just then, Dambi appears and tugs on Shikeo's coat. Timber instantly rages when he sees her, and Shikeo stands between them, telling Timber to calm down. Timber scolds Dambi for running off without telling anyone and the fact that she's let her foxlike ears and tail out for everyone to see. Dambi ignores this and says that she followed Shikeo's scent, noticing that Trouble was coming for him and points behind him to the Trouble. Timber huffs and tells Shikeo to stop attracting Trouble. Shikeo just whines, saying that he wishes he could, but he can't help it. Timber then jokingly tells Shikeo to wear a spacesuit, and Shikeo agrees that it would at least be warm, much to Timber’s chagrin.

The Trouble attacks, and Timber defends Shikeo and Dambi as they can't really defend themselves against a Trouble. After Timber defeats it, he comments that it looks like the exact same Trouble that came after them last time and not a copy. Shikeo asks why Timber let it go last time. Timber tentatively offers that he hates red things, only confusing Shikeo, but changes the subject rapidly to complain about the flavour of lollipops before he can inquire about it further. Shikeo tells him to suck on lollipops instead of cigarettes wen Dambi is around, as it must clearly be child abuse. Surprised, Timber asks how old Shikeo thinks Dambi is. Shikeo says about twelve or thirteen, which upsets Dambi greatly. She screams at him, calling him an idiot and says that she's sixteen, and pokes him violently with a lollipop stick. Shikeo tries very hard to calm her down, extremely apologetic for his error.


In Dambi's fury, she moves to kill the unconscious Trouble, but Timber stops her, calming her down. She then turns to Shikeo, who is afraid she'll stab him instead, but she hugs him. He gives Timber a confused glance, but Timber tells him to figure it out because he doesn't know either. Dambi sneezes and Shikeo offers his coat, but Timber scolds him, offering his own jacket, and tells Shikeo his scent will be even more strong without his coat on. As Shikeo tries to apologise, Timber says not to worry about it, since they're both his responsibility as he practically adopted both of them.

Later on, they're back at home. Timber lights the kerosene heater to keep them warm and says that it also hides Shikeo's smell so they can sleep safely. Shikeo asks about the government taking all of the Traces and wonders why they aren't coming for them. Timber explains the government doesn't know about them yet, and that's why he brought them to the countryside. He also comments that Shikeo causes them a lot of trouble, but that the people who smell him deserve what they get.

Shikeo tells Timber to come sleep next to him to keep him warm, but Timber declines, saying his muscle will keep him warm. Shikeo comments that a lot of women must like that he has nice muscles, but Timber tells Shikeo that he envies him, because all he has to do is use his scent to get whoever he wants, and that he should use it that way instead of seducing Troubles and other men all of the time. He smilingly adds that if Shikeo succeeds at getting someone nice, then he should introduce Timber to a nice young woman. Dambi overhears all of this and internally rages that Shikeo's innocence is being dirtied because of Timber, but doesn’t say anything.

Inevitably, Timber catches a cold that morning. Shikeo takes it upon himself to grab Timber's guitar and says that he'll do the busking for today. He covers himself with more clothes, including a blanket used as a scarf and Timber's hat, to cover up his scent. However, he gets stopped by a small group of girls who wish to give him a scarf because he 'always looks so cold'. Shikeo blushes and thanks them. He worries that he needs to leave before they can smell him as they're so close, so he asks what song they would like to hear, and ends up telling them that Timber doesn't feel well so he’s the only one working that day. Because of this, a girl in a suit and sunglasses approaches and gives Shikeo an envelope of money. The growing crowd also pitches in to help, giving him groceries that include meat and medicine to help them take care. Shikeo returns home with these and tells Shikeo to rest. He gives the scarf to Dambi, saying he thought of her when the girls told him about the cold. Timber quietly worries of the jealousy of those women and thinks Shikeo is being a bit inconsiderate about their feelings.

The next day, Timber talks to the doctor who offers them a place to stay. He apologizes for worrying him, but promises that he'll bring Dambi and Shikeo to his care some of the time. He then proceeds buys toiletries and candy from a store. The suited woman who gave Shikeo money earlier approaches him and he recognizes her as Nunim, his older sister. She says she's come to take him back to Hyungnim and the organization.

Back at home, Shikeo bathes from a tap and heats the water up. He then wakes up Dambi to bathe, but Dambi retaliates a bit. Shikeo helps Dambi tie up her hair, despite her protests of being able to do it herself. When something in a pouch falls from Dambi's pocket and hits the floor, Shikeo asks if it's made of glass as he goes to pick it up, but Dambi panics saying he absolutely can't touch it. She shoves him aside and grabs it, and Shikeo apologises before trying to steer her outside to bathe. As Dambi continues to complain, Shikeo freezes, noticing the Trouble nearby. He tells Dambi to run towards town without looking back on the count of three. He makes himself the bait so she can escape, throwing his jacket on her, and runs off with the Trouble chasing him. Dambi runs to the town and finds Timber talking to Nunim. She tells him what happened, and Timber runs off to save Shikeo without any hesitation. Nunim takes this time to tell Dambi that she plans to take Timber away.

He finds Shikeo, beaten and bloodied, in the massive Trouble's grip. He becomes furious and charges at the Trouble, destroying it. Timber tries to get Shikeo to wake up, but panics when he sees the blood. He rushes him to the hospital where he is treated. Timber stays at Shikeo’s bedside, and the doctor asks for Timber to rest until Shikeo is fully healed, even offering for him and Dambi to have dinner with him. Timber apologises to Dambi, blaming himself that Shikeo got hurt. Timber then steps outside to cool his head and ends up talking with Nunim. She explains that his old boss, Hyungnim, is looking for him, making the town they’ve chosen to live in in danger, and the same goes for Shikeo and Dambi. Timber says he wants to continue to look after them and will talk to Hyungnim personally about it. Nunim agrees, saying she's looking forward to the outcome.

Shikeo awakens later, having dreamed of his mother, and finds Dambi looming over him. She explains that Timber brought him to the hospital, then proceeds to call him stupid for trying to do that on his own. Satisfied at her outburst, she gives him his necklace and asks about it, and Shikeo explains how it was a gift from his mother, how he was all alone after her death, and how he doesn't feel lonely at all with Timber and Dambi. She lays on him and asks if Timber left, what would become of them.

The doctor comes out to tells Timber that Shikeo has woken up. Timber rushes inside to see him only to walk in on Shikeo yelling at Dambi about how it's too dangerous to stay with him. He tells her since she can control her trace, she can live peacefully with the townspeople, but he promises to visit her sometimes. Dambi screams at him in return, saying she doesn't care anymore if he ever remembers again, and throws her pouch on the ground, shattering its contents. She runs out of the room and Timber heads in, asking what happened. Shikeo stares at the ground, staring at what fell out of Dambi's pouch: an hourglass like the one Shikeo wears.

While Shikeo carefully picks up the pieces and puts them back in the pouch, Timber goes to talk to Dambi. He finds out how she's connected to Shikeo, that their father died because of a Trouble, and how she met Shikeo again in the orphanage. As he hears Dambi out, he promises her that he will never leave them, and that they aren't bothering him at all. Timber then makes the call to Hyungnim, which doesn’t go as well as he hoped. Afterwards, he asks Dambi to do him a favour. He says he needs go somewhere for a few days, and that if he doesn't come back, it's okay to think he's dead. She returns to Shikeo's hospital room and says that she hasn't seen Timber and that he's just gone. Shikeo is confused at first, but then remembers the hourglass and asks Dambi to explain why she has it. She says she'll explain it over time.

Later on, Shikeo says he wants to go home to see if Timber is there, and that the hospital isn't safe since his scent is coming back. Dambi tells him that the hospital is fine and she's watching over everyone for him already. Shikeo frowns as he realises that he'll have to try to find Timber without Dambi's knowledge, because he thinks she'll stop him. He finds a paper in his coat, and it turns out to be a note from Timber, saying not to look for him behind Dambi's back and that he plans to return in seven days.

Shikeo begins writing a list and tells Dambi to do some shopping for him. He asks about Timber's disappearance, too, asking if Dambi is pretending everything is okay because of him. As Dambi leaves without explaining, Shikeo gets ready to go look for Timber. He finds Timber collapsed in the snow. Shikeo panics and drags Timber home to warm him up. He promises to take Timber to the hospital after he warms up a little, getting him some warm water to drink. At the hospital, the doctor becomes distressed, demanding to know how they keep getting hurt like this. Dambi has returned and she asks Shikeo about his recovery as Timber gets his checkup. Shikeo promises he's fine.

When Timber is back with Shikeo and Dambi, he says they’re going to run away, to always keep moving together. He tells them about how the corporation he was once a part of are going to keep looking for him, and that puts the others in danger. He explains his past. After listening, Shikeo tells them they should all run then, gather the things they need and come back to the hospital for departure. Shikeo says he feels guilty for the townspeople, but Timber comes first, that they should go as far away as they can. They’re to gather stock for three days of travel, taking only what they need.

On his way out, Timber gets prodded by Nunim and Hyungnim approaches, saying he has sent his men to recover both Dambi and Shikeo. Hyungnim, carrying an unconscious Trouble under his arm, says he's interested to find out how much those children mean to Timber. Shikeo notices Hyungnim’s men outside the store they’re in and asks for the back door to the store. As he comes out, one of the men thanks them for taking care of Timber, then asks for them to accompany him. But when Shikeo protests, another one comes up behind him and knocks him unconscious, taking him. After some time, Dambi notices that Shikeo is missing and heads outside to use her Trace powers to sniff him out. She recognizes that he isn't with Timber by the scent of cigarettes from one of the men. When she catches up them, she screams out that they're kidnappers at the top of her lungs.

Her call brings a large amount of townspeople that recognize her voice and they chase after the men, who run away with Shikeo in their arms. They run Hyungnim, townspeople in tow. The Trouble Hyungnim’s holding jolts awake, and Timber tells the men to hide Shikeo immediately as he launches forward to take care of the Trouble. He explains about Shikeo's Trace ability and tells the man holding him not to put his cigarette out. After the Trouble is defeated, Hyungnim says that Timber passes and they're going to leave. Nunim explains that they were never going to take Timber away, coming only to test him and see if the town was suitable for Timber to live in. Nunim says she'll erase the memories of all of the townspeople of the entire event, to Timber about a person who had a similar power to Shikeo's – his mother. She also says that the organization is going to stop accepting assassination requests, since their organization was built only to find Timber and his mother anyway.

Their memories erased, the townspeople give lots of things to the Shikeo, Timber, and Dambi for them to take better care of themselves. Timber asks if Shikeo likes his ability and asks if resents not being able to control it. Shikeo says it would definitely be a lot more comfortable if he could, since he wouldn't have to hurt anyone and would be able to use it to his advantage, but he certainly doesn't hate that he can't control his ability. He says it's because of his scent that he was able to meet Timber and Dambi and thinks he would be greedy to hope for more than that. He says he's sufficiently happy with the way things are. True to the organizations promise, they are left to live in peace.

Personality:
Shikeo seems to be relatively unassuming and easygoing. He gets along easily in conversation with others and is even polite by default. He seems to be relatively popular due to his singing voice and thus attracts attention quite a bit of the time. He continues to show how much he cares for others, especially for Timber and Dambi, by the way he goes out of his way to help them out. Because of him being so innocent, Timber says that he is mentally defenseless.

Shikeo is aware that his scent seduces people and tries to act accordingly around others. He often wears several layers to try and mask some of the scent, for example, or tries to steer people away from him when necessary. However, he can get prickly real quick when he knows he's about to be in a bit of a mess. He gets angry and tries to warn others to stay back when they are becoming drawn in by his scent. If people don’t listen, he is quick to get violent with unwanted attention. He’s called people perverts and thrown many punches and objects to defend himself.

Shikeo is protective and will put his life on the line for others, especially for Dambi. Such as when a Trouble snuck up on them bathing, he immediately told Dambi to run and he lured the Trouble away so she could escape, despite knowing his life was in danger. He used his scent to lure it away. However, his being protective can mean shoving people away when he knows he can't protect them, such as when he told Dambi to not stay with him if Timber leaves, because she'll be in danger, despite how she felt about it. He tries to assert what he feels is for the best regarding the dangers of his scent being present, even if others disagree.

Shikeo can also be a doting parent type of person. He's shown to fawn over Dambi when getting her up for a shower and ties her hair back and takes her to help her bathe, despite even after finding out she's sixteen. He's firm but gentle, and even says, "Maybe I won't heat the water for you if you're going to get up so late." When he finds an injured Timber, though he panics, his first thought is to get him warmed up before getting him to the hospital for care, and even subsides his questions to get him through. He comments that having Timber and Dambi's company means he doesn't feel lonely anymore.

He tends to be a little jumpy when others are angry, especially if he doesn’t know what they will do, and is quick to apologise when he is wrong. He also acknowledges his faults easily when they are pointed out to him. Because he doesn't always think his actions through, he forgets to pay attention to what he's doing that attracts problems when he’s trying to help others.

Shikeo has mixed responses to taking orders. He accepts a fair amount of orders, especially if he knows he’s crossed a boundary. But if he feels it’s for the better good, he'll override the order to fulfill his own ends. He shows this when Timber up and disappears, even though a note from Timber tells him not to look for him behind Dambi's back, he chooses to do so anyway so that she won’t stop him and to hear Timber's explanation. Fortunately, it turned out to be a good thing he did, as Timber was badly injured. However, he does admit he feels guilty for having to deceive people to do these kinds of things.

Shikeo tends to live in the moment and makes decisions in a spur of the moment in the best way he knows how. Thinking of the future is limited, as he just is looking to survive and help Dambi and Timber do the same. Making plans or solving a problem long-term seems to be out of his reach, and he will make judgements with the information he has right there, finding little time for speculation. He does this with others' best interests at heart. This can be especially seen when Timber explains that they need to run, he jumps fully on board because 'Timber comes first'. He has no hesitation, even though he says he feels bad and wants to apologise later to the townspeople.

Despite being mostly defenseless, he prefers to deal with problems head on instead of running away if he’s able to. If he notices someone tailing him that isn't a Trouble, he will try to talk to them and will be very direct, asking what they want and why. As long as his personal bubble isn’t invaded, he would rather talk things out. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to realise that this opens him up to a world of dangerous possibilities. He manages to get kidnapped because of this, as a matter of fact.

Overall, Shikeo prefers to be a civil, compassionate person. He listens to his conscience, even if it means putting himself in danger. He prefers not to be alone and cares very much for those close to him. He opts to take care of others, behaving like a parent sometimes. He simply wants what is best for everyone involved and his actions reflect that.

Abilities:

• Trace: Shikeo gives off a very enticing scent, a pheromone, that tends to seduce people. He has no control over this ability, so he ends up in more precarious predicaments than he would like to. The effects of the scent also cause people to lose their memory of the time they were seduced by the smell. They don't remember their own actions or how Shikeo defended himself. The only ones who can keep their memory after the effects of the scent wear off are other Traces. They are still prone to being seduced, though. His smell diminishes when he's severely injured.


• Physical: Shikeo can defend himself to some degree and has beaten up many who come onto him due to his scent. He can throw and kick back people quite a distance, and leave a good number of bruises on anyone who rubs him the wrong way. He gets his own fair share of bruises in return, though, and is almost completely defenseless against Troubles as they're too strong for him.


• Singing: Shikeo is said to have an incredible and enticing singing voice, that everyone wants to keep hearing it and look forward to each performance. He isn't good at playing instruments, though.


• Cooking: Shikeo is skilled at cooking and can cook good and satisfying meals.

Personal Item: Hourglass necklace

Sample: Please provide one of the following:
• A top-level from one of our Test Drive Memes that has at least five responses from your character
• A top-level from one of our Test Drive Memes with less than five responses from your character AND two other TDM threads that have at least three replies from your character
• A top-level from one of our Test Drive Memes with less than five responses from your character AND a writing sample from another game, musebox, meme, PSL, etc. that has five or more responses from your character.

Player Information

Name: Tseil
Age: 32
Contact details: Tseil
Other characters: Daia | Daia Game

Character Information

Name: Shikeo
Canon: Trace: Perfume
Canon Point: Chaptre 9, after Dambi shatters her hourglass and Timber leaves to talk to Hyungnim.
OU/AU/CRAU/OC: OU
Age: 18

World Information: Set in a modern setting, quite possibly modern South Korea, they live in a small city practically off the map. A small town in an otherwise well-developed world and society, they have all that they need from modern medicine to small-time work. Busking, or street performing, is the way Shikeo, Dambi, and Timber make their living, though they barely can afford an apartment. Traces are a subspecies of people that have special abilities that tend to follow into a single category per person that possesses a Trace ability. For example: Shikeo has a seduction scent; Dambi has desert fox attributes and can follow scents; Timber can summon blades out of his arms/body at will. The government actively seeks out Traces, quite probably for their own devices.

Along with the government seeking them out, Traces also have to worry about Troubles - a species that can reach monstrous levels or appear nigh-human that seek to destroy Traces. They take down anything in their way, and many family members of Traces are known to become deceased due to them. Some Traces have the ability to fight back and destroy these Troubles. With that in mind, the trio just try to live their lives in peace without the community finding out about their powers, choosing the small town as they believe the government will overlook it and there will less Troubles to fight.

Personal History:
Shikeo grew up being hated by his father, who divorced his mother and takes his sister, Dambi, with him. He thus grew up not knowing his sister, either. Dambi was always told to treat Shikeo like a stranger if they should meet. He lived alone with his mother in a house surrounded by flowers to mask the seductive scent that they both gave off. When he was young, his mother gave both him and Dambi an hourglass necklace, but Dambi was told to keep hers a secret from Shikeo. The mother told Shikeo that she values only him and this necklace, and asks him to take good care of it.

Shikeo’s mother and father hid that his scent was a Trace power from him. Dambi knew however, and overheard their mother tell their father that she hoped that Dambi would become a Trace too so they could all live together again. When Dambi found she was, indeed, a Trace, she ran to find Shikeo and their mother again. However, Shikeo and his mother had up and moved without telling anyone at all about it. They moved to a house in a forest where they lived secluded from the rest of the world. Shikeo grew up only knowing his mother and became all alone when she passed away.

As it turns out, Timber is Shikeo and Dambi’s half-brother, with Hyungnim being Timber’s father. Timber and Nunim are her first children and she was very happy with Hyungnim. Unfortunately, she was also a heavy drug addict. In a moment of relapse, she grabbed a young Timber and ran off without any explanation. However, she abandoned him at an orphanage later one, with the promise to return. Years later, she sent a request to the organization that Hyungnim runs, that Timber had also joined, asking for her death. Timber was the one to kill her.

Not long after, Timber ran away from the organization, finding an unconscious Shikeo in the alley that he dropped down into. Shikeo is wearing dirty clothes, covered in bruises and cuts. When Timber pulls back Shikeo’s hood to check on his wellbeing, he instantly becomes allured by Shikeo’s scent. He describes it as feeling familiar and nostalgic, but manages to neutralize the effect by smoking a cigarette. He chooses to carry the lightweight Shikeo back to his apartment, even washing his clothes and tending to his wounds. He finds an hourglass necklace on Shikeo and wonders if he could convince him to sell it for finances. However, Shikeo wakes up with a loud yell, throwing things at Timber and demanding his clothes back while he calls Timber a pervert and accuses him of doing unsavory things to him while he was unconscious.

Timber explains that he’s innocent and what really happened while he was unconscious, including how others lusted after Shikeo as he carried him, but none of them remembered afterwards. Timber ends up explaining what a Trace is, revealing that he’s one himself. Shikeo introduces himself and explains his living circumstances up to that point, saying he only came to the city for the first time just yesterday, as well as important the hourglass necklace was to him. Timber mentally notes that Shikeo looks like his mother.

Shikeo and Timber part ways and Shikeo comes to live in an orphanage. There, he meets Dambi, who is also an orphan as their father died because of a Trouble. A timber also attacks the orphanage they’re staying at, and Timber comes to save them. Because of this, Shikeo is reunited with Timber, and Timber takes in both Dambi and Shikeo from that point forward, making their living in busking to keep their heads above water. They move to a city that doesn't show on the map, doesn't have many Troubles, and that the government doesn't bother to watch over to live as peacefully as they can.

Mere months later, Shikeo is resting on a bench in the park as he waits on Timber to return with Dambi. One of the townspeople walks by and ask if they’re going busking today. Shikeo says that right now they aren’t because Dambi ran off and Timber went to go find her. Soon after, another person, a man, approaches Shikeo asking to hear the song they did yesterday, but Shikeo says it isn’t finished yet so he can’t. The man starts sniffing around, asking if Shikeo is wearing a cologne since he smells so nice. Shikeo tries to tell him to stay back, but unfortunately has to hit the man to get him off.

Timber happens to walk in just as Shikeo slams the man into a pile of garbage. He explains that he couldn’t find Dambi, but moves in on the man to blow a large mouthful of cigarette smoke into his face to overwhelm the man’s senses so he can no longer smell Shikeo; also called the Impounding Method. Timber then helps the man up and sends him on his way, then reassures Shikeo that it’ll be okay since the man won’t remember anyway. He even mentions offhand how Shikeo’s ability is a little envious, but also unfortunate since Shikeo can’t control it.

Just then, Dambi appears and tugs on Shikeo's coat. Timber instantly rages when he sees her, and Shikeo stands between them, telling Timber to calm down. Timber scolds Dambi for running off without telling anyone and the fact that she's let her foxlike ears and tail out for everyone to see. Dambi ignores this and says that she followed Shikeo's scent, noticing that Trouble was coming for him and points behind him to the Trouble. Timber huffs and tells Shikeo to stop attracting Trouble. Shikeo just whines, saying that he wishes he could, but he can't help it. Timber then jokingly tells Shikeo to wear a spacesuit, and Shikeo agrees that it would at least be warm, much to Timber’s chagrin.

The Trouble attacks, and Timber defends Shikeo and Dambi as they can't really defend themselves against a Trouble. After Timber defeats it, he comments that it looks like the exact same Trouble that came after them last time and not a copy. Shikeo asks why Timber let it go last time. Timber tentatively offers that he hates red things, only confusing Shikeo, but changes the subject rapidly to complain about the flavour of lollipops before he can inquire about it further. Shikeo tells him to suck on lollipops instead of cigarettes wen Dambi is around, as it must clearly be child abuse. Surprised, Timber asks how old Shikeo thinks Dambi is. Shikeo says about twelve or thirteen, which upsets Dambi greatly. She screams at him, calling him an idiot and says that she's sixteen, and pokes him violently with a lollipop stick. Shikeo tries very hard to calm her down, extremely apologetic for his error.


In Dambi's fury, she moves to kill the unconscious Trouble, but Timber stops her, calming her down. She then turns to Shikeo, who is afraid she'll stab him instead, but she hugs him. He gives Timber a confused glance, but Timber tells him to figure it out because he doesn't know either. Dambi sneezes and Shikeo offers his coat, but Timber scolds him, offering his own jacket, and tells Shikeo his scent will be even more strong without his coat on. As Shikeo tries to apologise, Timber says not to worry about it, since they're both his responsibility as he practically adopted both of them.

Later on, they're back at home. Timber lights the kerosene heater to keep them warm and says that it also hides Shikeo's smell so they can sleep safely. Shikeo asks about the government taking all of the Traces and wonders why they aren't coming for them. Timber explains the government doesn't know about them yet, and that's why he brought them to the countryside. He also comments that Shikeo causes them a lot of trouble, but that the people who smell him deserve what they get.

Shikeo tells Timber to come sleep next to him to keep him warm, but Timber declines, saying his muscle will keep him warm. Shikeo comments that a lot of women must like that he has nice muscles, but Timber tells Shikeo that he envies him, because all he has to do is use his scent to get whoever he wants, and that he should use it that way instead of seducing Troubles and other men all of the time. He smilingly adds that if Shikeo succeeds at getting someone nice, then he should introduce Timber to a nice young woman. Dambi overhears all of this and internally rages that Shikeo's innocence is being dirtied because of Timber, but doesn’t say anything.

Inevitably, Timber catches a cold that morning. Shikeo takes it upon himself to grab Timber's guitar and says that he'll do the busking for today. He covers himself with more clothes, including a blanket used as a scarf and Timber's hat, to cover up his scent. However, he gets stopped by a small group of girls who wish to give him a scarf because he 'always looks so cold'. Shikeo blushes and thanks them. He worries that he needs to leave before they can smell him as they're so close, so he asks what song they would like to hear, and ends up telling them that Timber doesn't feel well so he’s the only one working that day. Because of this, a girl in a suit and sunglasses approaches and gives Shikeo an envelope of money. The growing crowd also pitches in to help, giving him groceries that include meat and medicine to help them take care. Shikeo returns home with these and tells Shikeo to rest. He gives the scarf to Dambi, saying he thought of her when the girls told him about the cold. Timber quietly worries of the jealousy of those women and thinks Shikeo is being a bit inconsiderate about their feelings.

The next day, Timber talks to the doctor who offers them a place to stay. He apologizes for worrying him, but promises that he'll bring Dambi and Shikeo to his care some of the time. He then proceeds buys toiletries and candy from a store. The suited woman who gave Shikeo money earlier approaches him and he recognizes her as Nunim, his older sister. She says she's come to take him back to Hyungnim and the organization.

Back at home, Shikeo bathes from a tap and heats the water up. He then wakes up Dambi to bathe, but Dambi retaliates a bit. Shikeo helps Dambi tie up her hair, despite her protests of being able to do it herself. When something in a pouch falls from Dambi's pocket and hits the floor, Shikeo asks if it's made of glass as he goes to pick it up, but Dambi panics saying he absolutely can't touch it. She shoves him aside and grabs it, and Shikeo apologises before trying to steer her outside to bathe. As Dambi continues to complain, Shikeo freezes, noticing the Trouble nearby. He tells Dambi to run towards town without looking back on the count of three. He makes himself the bait so she can escape, throwing his jacket on her, and runs off with the Trouble chasing him. Dambi runs to the town and finds Timber talking to Nunim. She tells him what happened, and Timber runs off to save Shikeo without any hesitation. Nunim takes this time to tell Dambi that she plans to take Timber away.

He finds Shikeo, beaten and bloodied, in the massive Trouble's grip. He becomes furious and charges at the Trouble, destroying it. Timber tries to get Shikeo to wake up, but panics when he sees the blood. He rushes him to the hospital where he is treated. Timber stays at Shikeo’s bedside, and the doctor asks for Timber to rest until Shikeo is fully healed, even offering for him and Dambi to have dinner with him. Timber apologises to Dambi, blaming himself that Shikeo got hurt. Timber then steps outside to cool his head and ends up talking with Nunim. She explains that his old boss, Hyungnim, is looking for him, making the town they’ve chosen to live in in danger, and the same goes for Shikeo and Dambi. Timber says he wants to continue to look after them and will talk to Hyungnim personally about it. Nunim agrees, saying she's looking forward to the outcome.

Shikeo awakens later, having dreamed of his mother, and finds Dambi looming over him. She explains that Timber brought him to the hospital, then proceeds to call him stupid for trying to do that on his own. Satisfied at her outburst, she gives him his necklace and asks about it, and Shikeo explains how it was a gift from his mother, how he was all alone after her death, and how he doesn't feel lonely at all with Timber and Dambi. She lays on him and asks if Timber left, what would become of them.

The doctor comes out to tells Timber that Shikeo has woken up. Timber rushes inside to see him only to walk in on Shikeo yelling at Dambi about how it's too dangerous to stay with him. He tells her since she can control her trace, she can live peacefully with the townspeople, but he promises to visit her sometimes. Dambi screams at him in return, saying she doesn't care anymore if he ever remembers again, and throws her pouch on the ground, shattering its contents. She runs out of the room and Timber heads in, asking what happened. Shikeo stares at the ground, staring at what fell out of Dambi's pouch: an hourglass like the one Shikeo wears.

While Shikeo carefully picks up the pieces and puts them back in the pouch, Timber goes to talk to Dambi. He finds out how she's connected to Shikeo, that their father died because of a Trouble, and how she met Shikeo again in the orphanage. As he hears Dambi out, he promises her that he will never leave them, and that they aren't bothering him at all. Timber then makes the call to Hyungnim, which doesn’t go as well as he hoped. Afterwards, he asks Dambi to do him a favour. He says he needs go somewhere for a few days, and that if he doesn't come back, it's okay to think he's dead. She returns to Shikeo's hospital room and says that she hasn't seen Timber and that he's just gone. Shikeo is confused at first, but then remembers the hourglass and asks Dambi to explain why she has it. She says she'll explain it over time.

Later on, Shikeo says he wants to go home to see if Timber is there, and that the hospital isn't safe since his scent is coming back. Dambi tells him that the hospital is fine and she's watching over everyone for him already. Shikeo frowns as he realises that he'll have to try to find Timber without Dambi's knowledge, because he thinks she'll stop him. He finds a paper in his coat, and it turns out to be a note from Timber, saying not to look for him behind Dambi's back and that he plans to return in seven days.

Shikeo begins writing a list and tells Dambi to do some shopping for him. He asks about Timber's disappearance, too, asking if Dambi is pretending everything is okay because of him. As Dambi leaves without explaining, Shikeo gets ready to go look for Timber. He finds Timber collapsed in the snow. Shikeo panics and drags Timber home to warm him up. He promises to take Timber to the hospital after he warms up a little, getting him some warm water to drink. At the hospital, the doctor becomes distressed, demanding to know how they keep getting hurt like this. Dambi has returned and she asks Shikeo about his recovery as Timber gets his checkup. Shikeo promises he's fine.

When Timber is back with Shikeo and Dambi, he says they’re going to run away, to always keep moving together. He tells them about how the corporation he was once a part of are going to keep looking for him, and that puts the others in danger. He explains his past. After listening, Shikeo tells them they should all run then, gather the things they need and come back to the hospital for departure. Shikeo says he feels guilty for the townspeople, but Timber comes first, that they should go as far away as they can. They’re to gather stock for three days of travel, taking only what they need.

On his way out, Timber gets prodded by Nunim and Hyungnim approaches, saying he has sent his men to recover both Dambi and Shikeo. Hyungnim, carrying an unconscious Trouble under his arm, says he's interested to find out how much those children mean to Timber. Shikeo notices Hyungnim’s men outside the store they’re in and asks for the back door to the store. As he comes out, one of the men thanks them for taking care of Timber, then asks for them to accompany him. But when Shikeo protests, another one comes up behind him and knocks him unconscious, taking him. After some time, Dambi notices that Shikeo is missing and heads outside to use her Trace powers to sniff him out. She recognizes that he isn't with Timber by the scent of cigarettes from one of the men. When she catches up them, she screams out that they're kidnappers at the top of her lungs.

Her call brings a large amount of townspeople that recognize her voice and they chase after the men, who run away with Shikeo in their arms. They run Hyungnim, townspeople in tow. The Trouble Hyungnim’s holding jolts awake, and Timber tells the men to hide Shikeo immediately as he launches forward to take care of the Trouble. He explains about Shikeo's Trace ability and tells the man holding him not to put his cigarette out. After the Trouble is defeated, Hyungnim says that Timber passes and they're going to leave. Nunim explains that they were never going to take Timber away, coming only to test him and see if the town was suitable for Timber to live in. Nunim says she'll erase the memories of all of the townspeople of the entire event, to Timber about a person who had a similar power to Shikeo's – his mother. She also says that the organization is going to stop accepting assassination requests, since their organization was built only to find Timber and his mother anyway.


Their memories erased, the townspeople give lots of things to the Shikeo, Timber, and Dambi for them to take better care of themselves. Timber asks if Shikeo likes his ability and asks if resents not being able to control it. Shikeo says it would definitely be a lot more comfortable if he could, since he wouldn't have to hurt anyone and would be able to use it to his advantage, but he certainly doesn't hate that he can't control his ability. He says it's because of his scent that he was able to meet Timber and Dambi and thinks he would be greedy to hope for more than that. He says he's sufficiently happy with the way things are. True to the organizations promise, they are left to live in peace.

Personality:
Shikeo seems to be relatively unassuming and easygoing. He gets along easily in conversation with others and is even polite by default. He seems to be relatively popular due to his singing voice and thus attracts attention quite a bit of the time. He continues to show how much he cares for others, especially for Timber and Dambi, by the way he goes out of his way to help them out. Because of him being so innocent, Timber says that he is mentally defenseless.

Shikeo is aware that his scent seduces people and tries to act accordingly around others. He often wears several layers to try and mask some of the scent, for example, or tries to steer people away from him when necessary. However, he can get prickly real quick when he knows he's about to be in a bit of a mess. He gets angry and tries to warn others to stay back when they are becoming drawn in by his scent. If people don’t listen, he is quick to get violent with unwanted attention. He’s called people perverts and thrown many punches and objects to defend himself.

Shikeo is protective and will put his life on the line for others, especially for Dambi. Such as when a Trouble snuck up on them bathing, he immediately told Dambi to run and he lured the Trouble away so she could escape, despite knowing his life was in danger. He used his scent to lure it away. However, his being protective can mean shoving people away when he knows he can't protect them, such as when he told Dambi to not stay with him if Timber leaves, because she'll be in danger, despite how she felt about it. He tries to assert what he feels is for the best regarding the dangers of his scent being present, even if others disagree.

Shikeo can also be a doting parent type of person. He's shown to fawn over Dambi when getting her up for a shower and ties her hair back and takes her to help her bathe, despite even after finding out she's sixteen. He's firm but gentle, and even says, "Maybe I won't heat the water for you if you're going to get up so late." When he finds an injured Timber, though he panics, his first thought is to get him warmed up before getting him to the hospital for care, and even subsides his questions to get him through. He comments that having Timber and Dambi's company means he doesn't feel lonely anymore.

He tends to be a little jumpy when others are angry, especially if he doesn’t know what they will do, and is quick to apologise when he is wrong. He also acknowledges his faults easily when they are pointed out to him. Because he doesn't always think his actions through, he forgets to pay attention to what he's doing that attracts problems when he’s trying to help others.

Shikeo has mixed responses to taking orders. He accepts a fair amount of orders, especially if he knows he’s crossed a boundary. But if he feels it’s for the better good, he'll override the order to fulfill his own ends. He shows this when Timber up and disappears, even though a note from Timber tells him not to look for him behind Dambi's back, he chooses to do so anyway so that she won’t stop him and to hear Timber's explanation. Fortunately, it turned out to be a good thing he did, as Timber was badly injured. However, he does admit he feels guilty for having to deceive people to do these kinds of things.


Shikeo tends to live in the moment and makes decisions in a spur of the moment in the best way he knows how. Thinking of the future is limited, as he just is looking to survive and help Dambi and Timber do the same. Making plans or solving a problem long-term seems to be out of his reach, and he will make judgements with the information he has right there, finding little time for speculation. He does this with others' best interests at heart. This can be especially seen when Timber explains that they need to run, he jumps fully on board because 'Timber comes first'. He has no hesitation, even though he says he feels bad and wants to apologise later to the townspeople.

Despite being mostly defenseless, he prefers to deal with problems head on instead of running away if he’s able to. If he notices someone tailing him that isn't a Trouble, he will try to talk to them and will be very direct, asking what they want and why. As long as his personal bubble isn’t invaded, he would rather talk things out. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to realise that this opens him up to a world of dangerous possibilities. He manages to get kidnapped because of this, as a matter of fact.

Overall, Shikeo prefers to be a civil, compassionate person. He listens to his conscience, even if it means putting himself in danger. He prefers not to be alone and cares very much for those close to him. He opts to take care of others, behaving like a parent sometimes. He simply wants what is best for everyone involved and his actions reflect that.

Key themes:
Familial bonds

Main Motivation:
To be with Timber and Dambi.

Skills:

• Trace: Shikeo gives off a very enticing scent, a pheromone, that tends to seduce people. He has no control over this ability, so he ends up in more precarious predicaments than he would like to. The effects of the scent also cause people to lose their memory of the time they were seduced by the smell. They don't remember their own actions or how Shikeo defended himself. The only ones who can keep their memory after the effects of the scent wear off are other Traces. They are still prone to being seduced, though. His smell diminishes when he's severely injured.


• Physical: Shikeo can defend himself to some degree and has beaten up many who come onto him due to his scent. He can throw and kick back people quite a distance, and leave a good number of bruises on anyone who rubs him the wrong way. He gets his own fair share of bruises in return, though, and is almost completely defenseless against Troubles as they're too strong for him.


• Singing: Shikeo is said to have an incredible and enticing singing voice, that everyone wants to keep hearing it and look forward to each performance. He isn't good at playing instruments, though.

Item: Hourglass Necklace

Sample:
TDM 1
TDM 2
TDM 3


Notes: The cabin he stays in may need to be isolated or have an overpowering smell to hide his scent. Either/or is fine, but otherwise, this child will find a way to make his room have a smell to cover his up, be it good or bad so that his bunkmates don't end up enticed by his scent. I heard that the dressing car has a scent, so maybe something similar can happen? Or maybe he can just keep dirty laundry or shop for smells otherwise. I'm honestly not picky here, just want that heads up.