divinity is the color of gold.

character introduction

divinity is the color of gold, or so they say in ul'dah—and what is true beneath the heat of the scorching thanalan sun is just as true in its shadows.leonnaux altoix claims to have carved this axiom into his bones. he is a man who claims to follow the traders, but watch him long enough and you'll see that it is greed and ambition guide his steps far more than faith in a higher power ever has. he comes armed with nimble fingers and a cocksure smile: a flash of teeth that lures men into mischief just as surely as a siren's song leads sailors to their demise.he will promise anything, for the right price—and make no mistake.everything has a price.

At 6 fulms and 3 ilms, Leonnaux is on the shorter side for an Elezen. In terms of build, he’s a lithe, willowy man who finds it easy to pass in a number of different roles and presentations. Although he defaults to presenting himself as masculine, he is just as comfortable with androgynous or even feminine presentations (and terms of address).Leonnaux intentionally dresses himself in such a way as to cut a distinctive silhouette, accentuating hard lines and sharp angles. The core of his wardrobe is comprised of simple items—button-down shirts, vests, suit jackets, and slacks, mostly in dark or neutral colors—and complemented with bright or patterned accent pieces and jewelry. While he is not incapable of dressing down when the situation calls for it, he will generally strive to look his best on any social occasion.

Leonnaux is a man of many masks, perhaps fitting of a man whose primary skillset lends itself well to deception. He maintains an affable façade, presenting himself as friendly and personable—for the most part. Ambitious, avant-garde, and too clever by half, Leonnaux equally thrives in spotlights and in shadows, comfortable both as the center of attention and as a passive observer, and this occasionally leads him to getting involved in mischief—either by accident or by design.Like many who have an affinity for the realm’s shadows, Leonnaux could rightly be described as self-interested, vindictive, and manipulative—but he is careful not to let his worst qualities (or the qualities demanded of him by Eorzea’s criminal underworld) wholly define him.His personal motto is “Noblesse Oblige”. Leonnaux takes care to maintain his empathy for the downtrodden even as the distance between his former station and his current one grows. He conceptualizes himself as a fundamentally decent man and holds himself to the idea of leading by example. He may be a criminal, but he endeavors not to intentionally prey on those who have no way of defending themselves and strives to lead by example. He loathes physical violence and other such “crude” methods of intimidation will avoid it whenever possible… But has no issue with things such as blackmail or extortion.

Quick Stats

these stats are only meant to be taken as a rough guideline, hence the use of a five-star rating rather than concrete numbers.

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While it can easily appear that Leonnaux’s primary trade is that of a bartender, he actually moonlights as an independent private investigator… Or so he claims. Even this, though, is only enough to lend plausible deniability to his income stream and current status.Once one starts digging further into what these activities as an “independent private investigator” entail, it would become clear that it would be far more accurate to liken him to an information broker, confidence artist, or even a thief. Over the years, he’s accumulated enough wealth this way to begin growing it through “investments,” occasionally lending money at interest rates that most would describe as just on this side of extortion and enjoying repayments with interest.Like his work, his hobbies can also veer into illicit activity. While he’s set aside a portion of his accumulated wealth for “investing,” Leonnaux likewise enjoys activities such as gambling, with a marked preference for games of “skill” such as poker and blackjack. His interest in alchemy and mixology and his work as a bartender have likewise led to an interest in mead-making and moonshining.

Living and working in or around Ul’dah, Leonnaux spends the majority of his time within the comfortable confines of the city-state, leaving its walls only when work or fancy draws him to another city for a brief trip. Ul’dah being where he’s made his nest, though, means it is the city that he will always return to, spends most of his time in, and has the most affection for.Regardless of where he’s landed for the time being, though, he tends to gravitate toward either quiet corners of the city or bustling night life hubs with very little in-between. One is just as likely find Leonnaux comfortably settled at a bookstore, café, or antique shop as they are at an underground casino, dive bar, or fight club; he’ll “slum it” in a rowdy dive just as often as he’ll enjoy cocktails at an upscale lounge; and he’ll grab something from a street food cart just as often as he’ll sit down to eat at a fine restaurant.

Observations & Rumors

RP Hooks

A COMMON RUMOR ⸻ Leonnaux insists upon being a self-made man, though his success as such has made him the subject of speculation in the same socialite circles he brushes shoulders with in the course of his work. Among other things, one of the most commonly-circulated rumors about him is the idea that he is the bastard child of some Ishgardian noble or another, sent to Ul’dah to keep him out of sight and out of mind, and is (of course) receiving a handsome stipend to keep him afloat. Leonnaux himself seems happy to let people assume what they will about the matter of his heritage, referring to himself simply as “a man of Ul’dah.”

THE CLOSER YOU LOOK… ⸻ Leonnaux has a fondness for magic tricks and, as a result, has acquired light fingers. Adoring the spotlight, he is more than happy to show off his skill with sleight-of-hand, showing off with cardistry and other similar parlor tricks for small audiences. A master of misdirection and a man whose movements are often entirely deliberate even when they are full of flourishes, it may serve well to check your pockets after an encounter with him…

A MAN OF UL’DAH ⸻ Others who call Ul’dah home might find a kindred spirit in him; most notably, Leonnaux maintains and professes faith in the Traders, actively observing facets of the faith including paying tithes to the Order of Nald’thal. Naturally, as someone who has lived in the Jewel of the Desert for his entire life the past ten years, he also has a significant amount of investment in goings-on around the city and keeps up-to-date with the local newspapers.

THE MYTHRIL EYE ⸻ Prior to his employment at the Cloak & Dagger, Leonnaux worked for the Mythril Eye, an Ul’dahn news journal. He was primarily tasked with doing groundwork for the columnists, pursuing leads for stories and gathering information so that they would have more time to write… And fetching coffee to help them meet their strict deadlines, of course. Leonnaux maintains some casual workplace relationships with journalists he worked under, which he occasionally leverages for access to their information networks or print archives. He is always happy to make himself acquainted with journalists for the Eye or similar publications, and considers himself a friend of Eorzea’s press.

PERSONA NON GRATA ⸻ Despite the Elezen’s amicable demeanor, it is rumored that he’s gotten banned from several gambling establishments around the city. This has not exactly stopped him from getting in anyway in some cases, owing either to his good relationship with the circles that frequent such places or an ability to fly under the radar when needed. All of the bans he’s been subjected to around the city have been overturned in recent years—except for the one from the Platinum Mirage, which was apparently for life.

… THE LESS YOU’LL SEE ⸻ For characters active in Ul’dah’s underworld.
Leonnaux’s penchant for illusions extends past parlor tricks; his penchant for supplementing his sleight-of-hand with arcane illusions and a dose of alchemy fleshes out his skillset into that of a formidable confidence artist. He primarily utilizes these skills in the course of his work as a “independent private investigator” (as he describes it in polite circles), and after everything is said and done he’s quite proud of his skill in drawing secrets out of people. When he’s not behind the bar, he can often be found around town scraping for secrets to tell or actively investigating some matter or another for his clients.

BENEATH THE GILDED VENEER ⸻ For characters who frequent or reside in Ul’dah’s shadier/red light districts or who are active in Ul’dah’s underworld.
Leonnaux got his start in the city not on the Exchanges, but in the districts of the city that house those who are only marginally better-off than those who live in Stonesthrow: the poor, the transient, the day-laborers, and more. At the tender age of eighteen summers, he fell in with a gang where he learned the ropes of the streets. Though he’s come a long way and is more typically caught in the company of the city’s socialites, he will occasionally return to his old stomping grounds to visit dive bars, run street hustles such as Three Card Monte for kicks, and otherwise stir up trouble in parts of the city where even Brass Blades tend to patrol using the buddy system when he feels like ‘slumming it.’

ARCANA ESOTERICA ⸻ For Alchemists, Mages, characters hailing from the Deep Shroud, and characters of Gelmorran descent.
While Leonnaux is not shy of declaring himself to be a mage of some skill, the particular magicks that he practices bear little resemblance to schools of magic that most city-goers would be familiar with. In fact, it bears a closer resemblance to what Ul’dahns would recognize as alchemy than anything else. The spells are grounded heavily in material components, which he predominantly uses to weave illusions, wards, and simple enchantments. Those who come from the depths of the Black Shroud more specifically might recognize the arts as being derived from those used by Duskwights to craft their pomanders, adapted through much trial and error to utilize reagents more accessible in the course of city life.

For characters in search of truth.
THE ART OF DIVINATION ⸻ Leonnaux’s spellcraft also extends into the art of divination. Though it requires extremely specific and difficult-to-source reagents, foci, and something substantial of the target, such an art can—and occasionally, has—been used to find leads on the past or present circumstance of a subject where all other efforts have failed.
NOTE: Leonnaux’s divination skills are limited and will never me used without explicit permission from relevant players; the target also decides the nature and volume of information that Leonnaux is able to glean.

For characters from the Deep Shroud or whom are of Gelmorran descent.
THE RECORD-KEEPERS ⸻ Leonnaux was born into a clan of record-keepers which prides itself on being able to trace the lineages of many of its members all the way back to the founding of Gelmorra. Tasked with keeping civil and legal records before the fall of Gelmorra and settling in various scattered communities deep within the Black Shroud following it, the Vauclaire Clan now primarily concerns itself with the preservation of Duskwight history and culture, which leads to its members to frequently butt heads with Gridanian authorities.

Ten years ago, a Vauclaire child went missing in Gridania following an altercation with a local apothecary, but was never found; it would be well within the realm of belief that, should the child have gone on to live ten years, his description might closely match Leonnaux’s present appearance…

SKILL BUILDING ⸻ Does your character know how to do something that Leonnaux doesn’t?
Leonnaux is almost always looking to expand his horizons, both in his personal life and his professional life. There are some things that he never had the time or opportunity to learn how to do, such as learning how to hold his own in a fight. He has been advised in particular that he should learn how to use something easy-to-conceal, such as knives and daggers. Likewise, being otherwise preoccupied, he has never had the time or opportunity to learn a foreign language such as Hingan or Xaelic—though he’s always been interested in doing so.

CULTURAL HERITAGE ⸻ Does your character have a complicated relationship with their heritage or culture?
Leonnaux’s heritage as a Duskwight has been a point of pain for him both in the past and in the present, but it is not something he can run from forever. However, please note that would take quite a bit of prodding to get him out of his comfort zone in this regard and quite a bit of closeness to get him to open up about his own experiences. Characters who do operate along similar lines (be it because of personal experiences with oppression, being part of a diaspora community, or having more personal hang-ups) may find a kindred spirit in Leonnaux.

The Makings of a Man

Character Backstory

Picture this:The secluded depths of the Black Shroud, where clans of Duskwight Elezen and Keeper of the Moon Miqo’te retreated in an effort to preserve the ways of life that they’d adhered to for hundreds of years before the founding of Gridania and the establishment of its restrictive laws. Regarded as an outlaw settlement to be ‘dealt with’ accordingly, however, those who called the depths of the Black Shroud home often had to defend themselves against raids by the Wailers and the Godsbow, sent from the city to curtail ‘bandit and poacher activity’ before their ‘crimes’ could incite the wrath of the Elementals.Disappearances were not uncommon—be it thanks to the occasional skirmish with the authorities… Or thanks to a crime that the Elementals could not allow to go unpunished. Though everyone pretended not to notice for the sake of the community’s children, the absences were always keenly felt. But what could be done? To most, it was simply the risk they ran and the price that they paid to pursue a life far from the interference of Gridania’s agents and laws.

It was here that young Leonnaux was born and raised.

He was the latest addition to the proud Vauclaire clan, once: a clan of seers and record-keepers who prided themselves on the ability to trace their history all the way back to the founding of old Gelmorra. Contact with the extended family tended to be scarce, scattered as clan members were in their work—but certainly made up for by a doting mother and an older brother to watch over him.(He remembers little of his father, Vaicean—but what little he does recall, he holds close to his heart.) A member of a Duskwight separatist group known as the Lone Adders, he would be stricken from the Vauclaire record after botching an assassination attempt on a Wood Wailer Captain and being forced into exile in an effort to protect the rest of the clan from blowback. His name would never be spoken again, his absence from his sons’ lives conveniently ignored and Leonnaux’s earnest inquiries deflected.Literacy was a rare gift in the depths of the Black Shroud, but belonging to a clan of record-keepers ensured that both of the boys were taught their letters and simple maths. This was primarily to facilitate an extensive education in histories both written and oral: the history of the clan, the history of the Duskwights, and the history of Gelmorra.A reverence for Althyk, the Keeper, was instilled in them—and with it the importance of their work. Much had already been lost to time and decay or willful destruction, and the Vauclaire clan felt it was the least that they could do to preserve what fragments were left. Along with their religious education came teachings of Duskwight pomander-craft for ceremonial use: an art which Leonnaux took to readily, but his older brother struggled with.Where the clan taught tradition, though, the community around him focused on “more practical concerns,” his mother included. Once he was old enough to assist with her apothecary work, she taught Leonnaux not only how to turn the wealth of plant-life that the Shroud had to offer into medicines and salves but how to apply his knowledge of ceremonial pomanders to more simple, every-day tasks. Likewise, he picked up the very basics of spellcraft from the mages responsible for maintaining the wards around their little slice of the Shroud—while his older brother picked up archery from the Keeper huntresses who kept their bellies fed.

But, those idyllic days were never destined to last.

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The fire was set in the small hours of a dry summer night—a sight and sound that Leonnaux wouldn’t soon forget. It devoured everything in its wake, reducing the settlement’s homes to ash. Mages and hunters bought those who could not help fight the fire time to flee… While a contingent of Wailers, Godsbow, and Hearers closed in on the settlement, where everything Leonnaux had ever known went up in flames.

Leonnaux would not soon forget those first few days in Gridania.

Ultimately, no one was arrested in connection to the fire, and the official conclusion from the investigation was that it was ‘an accident:’ improperly tended embers of a cookfire, or perhaps smoldering ashes from a cigar. Despite this, the Wailers brought every resident of the settlement that they could get their hands on in for questioning—including the children.This would become young Leonnaux’s first brush with the law. Barred from leaving the city limits while the investigation was ongoing, each and every Duskwight forced to stay in the city was treated as a criminal even after the Wailers had officially cleared them of suspicion, and this disparate treatment drove a wedge between the adults and some of the older children. Some asserted that the Wailers had admitted to setting the fire themselves in order to flush them out of hiding and force them to submit to Gridania’s laws, though the adults were quick to remind the youth that no one would believe them—in Gridania, their word was worth little more than that of a bandit’s, even if they had not personally done anything wrong.By the time the investigation concluded, many of those who had been forced to stay had decided they’d had their fill of the city. They left the city as soon as they were able, and this included many members of the Vauclaire clan who had been caught in the sweep. Leonnaux’s mother, however, opted to stay in the city with her sons; forced to choose between the stability of city life and the autonomy offered by the prospect of following the scattering record-keepers back into the depths of the woods to rebuild their community from the ground up, she decided that the city would be a safer place for her to raise her family, especially after she had been offered little in the way of tangible support after her husband had disappeared.They settled in a neighborhood that was dominated by Duskwights and Keepers. Though far from ideal, Leonnaux’s mother’s skill as an apothecary enabled the family to quickly become a facet of the community, treating illnesses and tending wounds that Fane conjurers, Hearers, and other more well-respected practitioners would not. The boys helped her with her business for a small allowance, entrusted with tasks such as purchasing supplies and making deliveries.It was about as peaceful as life in the city could be. Within reach of the Wailers, harassment was an unfortunately common occurrence. It became a rule for the boys never to leave the neighborhood without the company of each other or a friend, and they given strict instructions to keep their heads down and always treat Wailers with the polite deference that they were ‘due’ thanks to their station.

Leonnaux hated it.

It felt like submission. He knew that they deserved better than how the city was willing to treat them, be it because of their blood as Duskwights or because they had moved in from a settlement long known to exist on the other side of the city-dwellers’ laws. Prone to chafing against the expectations of the city-dwellers and his mother, Leonnaux quickly took to finding ways to circumvent his mother’s instructions.At first, Leonnaux started small, the same way that one might test the water with a toe in order to decide whether they want to take the plunge or not. He’d tell his brother to lag behind him when they were sent to help with shopping, and Leonnaux would notice how merchants would treat him more amicably when he was alone than when his brother was beside him. Rather than digging their heels in with profane upcharges, Leonnaux could occasionally haggle for a more reasonable price. As the boys grew older and their responsibilities diverged, they naturally began to be allowed to run errands around the city alone—and by the time Leonnaux had reached sixteen summers, he had finished experimenting and was ready to see what he could get way with.In an effort to pad his family’s pockets, he began looking for simple work around the city, and soon found it as a Wildwood apothecary’s errand-boy. At the time, Leonnaux had regarded it as the greatest opportunity that the city could offer him: he’d learned what he felt was all he possibly could about Duskwight arts and practices, so he coveted the opportunity to look over the shoulder of another apothecary to see how they might do things differently. These secrets he resolved to slip to his mother once he was finished with his work so that they could establish her practice more properly in the city.Over the year or so that Leonnaux spent working for this man, he learned a few things about the man proper: he was the son of a Wailer and his daughter was training to join the Gods’ Quiver. Just as Leonnaux himself had been proud of his ability to help his friends and family before they’d been forced to move into Gridania, the apothecary was likewise proud of his service to his community. While perhaps Leonnaux saw something of a kindred spirit in the man for that, he also knew that he was treading a thin line; whenever Wailers came in with injuries from dealing with highwaymen and poachers, he would often commiserate alongside them about having to keep ‘those Greys’ in line.Leonnaux’s brother, meanwhile, was likewise pursuing his own fancies. Thankful for the extra coin that Leonnaux brought in at first because it enabled him to set some aside to purchase a nice bow, some arrows, and a target to practice with. Having set his sights on contributing to the city that ‘welcomed’ them after their childhood home burned to the ground, he also began training in an effort to join the Gods’ Quiver. It was over the course of training with other hopefuls—including the daughter of Leonnaux’s employer and mentor—that he learned of the source Leonnaux’s income.He told their mother immediately, who then sat Leonnaux down for a talk. She warned Leonnaux that he was walking on thin ice with the game that he was playing, lying about who he was for the sake of securing work, and that if he was caught, it could very well jeopardize the entire family’s safety and open them up to targeted harassment from the neighborhood Wailers. They were close to being able to afford a proper home in the city, where they wouldn’t all have to pile into a wooden cottage that was by no means large enough to accommodate the needs of a mother, her two teenaged sons, and her business.Leonnaux argued adamantly against this, but a few days later, the atmosphere at his employer’s apothecary shifted substantially. If Leonnaux wouldn’t hear it from his mother, he would certainly hear it from the Wildwood; almost as soon as Leonnaux reported in for work, he was summarily fired for his deception and subjected to derision. No effort to explain himself or his situation was of any use, and Leonnaux only stood down after coming to blows with the man.When he arrived home, his mother diligently tended to his bruises and scrapes. She likewise scolded Leonnaux for taking such a stupid risk instead of listening to her advice, coming clean, and quitting of his own accord; while it was unlikely to have averted all of the trouble Leonnaux had encountered, it would have at least saved him a black eye and—undoubtedly—being reported to the Wailers. She impressed upon him the gravity of what he’d done, given that Duskwights were so loathed by city-dwellers for their reputation for resorting to lies and banditry.

It was the greatest opportunity that Leonnaux had ever been offered. How could he have refused?

And perhaps, in a way, it had.The experience had taught Leonnaux in no uncertain terms that to be a Duskwight in Gridania was to have the deck stacked against you at every turn. In overt terms, it was to be denied work and to be charged higher prices for the same goods; in subtler ones, it was to be regarded with suspicion whether he was out shopping at the market stalls or out for a walk while the fireflies danced over the water out by Apkallu Falls. It was being treated as if you were guilty until proven innocent, the assumption made that you were little better than a bandit by default—instead of being treated with the dignity that a person was rightfully due.So Leonnaux left. He packed up what belongings he could carry and marched through the city gates in the dead of night, while his mother and brother were fast asleep. He didn’t even bother to leave a note.What he did do was find his way to the then-head record-keeper of the Vauclaire clan, who had settled nearby and—over the years—had checked in from time to time. The sister of Leonnaux’s missing father, she had always had a fondness for the boys, and it was because of this fondness that Leonnaux thought to ask her for a favor: to strike his name from the clan’s records.His aunt protested, of course; having one’s name stricken was tantamount to being declared dead, and had only been voluntarily been invoked a handful of times in the past. The rest of the cases of names being stricken had been in retaliation for a grave crime or betrayal: upon the founding of Gridania, for example, entire branch families had been stricken for siding with the Hyur and the Elezen who would become known as the Wildwood. Unable to dissuade Leonnaux from his decision, she assured him that “it would be taken care of,” and then changed the subject… Offering to see Leonnaux safely to his next destination.

This kindness, he reluctantly accepted.

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While the Black Shroud was everything that Leonnaux had ever known, it was equally true that he had spent his entire life since his family had moved into the city chafing against the expectations he was held to in order to “earn” even a baseline level of respect. Alongside his aunt and a clan escort, Leonnaux stole through the Shroud under the cover of night. When they reached the border, his aunt left him with one final good-bye and left the escort with instructions to see Leonnaux at least to Camp Drybone, and then pay the rest of his way to the city.They’d made it to Camp Drybone just as the first tendrils of dawn were beginning to peek over the horizon. Leonnaux was able to stop and enjoy his first sunrise away from the Shroud for only a short time before the exhaustion started to set in. His escort paid for an inn room so that he could rest and set about securing passage for Leonnaux the rest of the way to the city. Ultimately paying a merchant caravan to allow Leonnaux to stow away on the back of one of their wagons, they parted ways once Leonnaux was on his way to his true destination: the city-state of Ul’dah, beloved of the Traders and a land of opportunity.More importantly:

A place where no one would know Leonnaux's name or face; a place where Leonnaux could reinvent himself freely.

The boy known as Leonnaux Vauclaire could disappear here—and disappear he did, but not in the manner that he’d hoped when he set out initially.Ul’dah was not the golden city that Leonnaux had imagine, its veneer being a trick of the sunlight glinting off sandstone and the gil in the hands of the traders who lined the rows and Exchanges. While it was certainly true that prejudice based on race was less pronounced than it had been in the Shroud, it was equally true that Leonnaux had stepped foot in the Jewel of the Desert with little to his name. In a city where your worth was defined by your wealth and connections, Leonnaux had little coin and knew no one. With those first tentative days being marked by hunger and grime, Leonnaux was soon forced to resort to petty thievery to stay afloat—though, being quite lacking in that department, it wasn’t long until his luck ran out.When he was finally caught, it wasn’t by an itinerant Brass Blade, but by woman by the name of Jackdaw.To turn a blind eye to his mischief would have been to jeopardize her reputation as a steadfast leader and call into question how trustworthy she was when it came to doing business… But, having once been an outsider to the city herself, she opted to take him under her wing. Ever striving to lead by example, Jackdaw was content with a simple, albeit self-sufficient lifestyle where she served as a cornerstone of her community, keeping the peace between the various criminals that prowled the shadows, the Brass Blades, and the residents of her streets and alleys that would be caught in the crossfire if anything came to disturb that delicate balance.Jackdaw was not shy in impressing upon Leonnaux her ideals. She believed, in short:

“Before a boy becomes a man, he must learn three things: how to pick a pocket, how to smoke a cigarette, and how to throw a good punch.”

On the matter of pickpocketing, she had Leonnaux working with other rookie members of her gang to pinch coin and valuables off of merchants, tourists, and customers in the densely-packed transient marketplaces of the city, where stalls were more commonly seen than permanent storefronts and you could purchase just about anything—for the right price. Pickpocketing graduated to simple street-hustles such as Three Card Monte, and those hustles to more complex schemes as Leonnaux became more integrated with the gang.Likewise, as Leonnaux became more integrated, he forged deeper bonds with those who lived and worked under Jackdaw. They often broke bread together; with them, Leonnaux had his first drink and his first cigarette, neither of which he recalls fondly on account of them being home-brewed moonshine and cheap tobacco, respectively. Their connections became his connections and, once he was acquainted with the lay of the land well enough for Jackdaw to consider entrusting him with his own jobs, they collectively brainstormed where he ought to be ‘placed’ in the city. Skilled in deception and gathering information, they ultimately schemed to land him an internship with the Mythril Eye, where he could hone his skills further and position himself—ideally—to help the gang keep a finger on the pulse of the city.However, by this time, Leonnaux's ambitions were rapidly out-stripping those of the gang—where he craved recognition, they craved stability. Where he wanted to make something of himself and brush shoulders with the well-to-do of the city, they were content living in the shadows and could barely fathom why Leonnaux would want to be anything else.This chafing tension would build over time, culminating on the eve of Leonnaux’s twenty-first nameday, when Jackdaw learned of a plan that Leonnaux had hatched with two close confidants whom had joined the gang at roughly the same time that he had: a plot to rob a small jewelry store just off the Sapphire Exchange—far from Jackdaw’s territory… And far from her ability to protect them if things were to go awry.While she successfully talked the other two would-be thieves out of their course of action, Leonnaux opted to walk. He could not put his plan into motion without the cooperation of his confidants, but neither would he suffer one more moment in the company of those who, in his opinion, never dared to dream of anything better. While he respected Jackdaw for leading by example and supporting the community that her gang had grown from, he could not abide by her ‘complacency.’He took his unceremonious leave from Jackdaw’s fold and pivoted into solo work. He fostered his connections at work with the Eye and utilized his skills and position to pivot into solo information brokering, offering information, secrets, and on-the-ground investigations to the highest bidder. This, combined with machinations rooted in hustling—both on the street and working odd jobs in the city—and, later, ‘investing,’ led him to make a true name for himself…Not as Leonnaux Vauclaire, but as Leonnaux Altoix: a ‘private investigator’ and soon-to-be “manager” of the Cloak & Dagger.