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- "... at least you're quite liked, amongst the people in town." --Nazareth
- "Perhaps, but I am dishonest to all of them." --Bellmont
Bellmont Juzan is a reforming businessman who now studies as an Acolyte at the Chocolatier Chapel. Following his marriage for wealth and power collapsing and losing him custody of his daughter, Bellmont has sought to repent and better himself under the guidance and service of the Harvest Goddess in the quiet pace and atmosphere of Toffee Town.
Gifts[]
Loved[]
"For me? Truly? ... Thank you, I will treasure this always."
Gold jewelry, coins, gold ore, gemstones
Liked[]
"Is this for me? You're too kind."
Relax tea, daisies, lotuses, lotions, books
Disliked[]
"Eugh, that's--ahem. Thank you, but..."
Wild plants, raw vegetables, most sweets
Hated[]
"I'd rather you didn't."
Tools, spices
Being a man of great vanity, Bellmont is easily swayed by anything of monetary value, especially when it comes to jewelry. When he was a young man embracing his admission into the world of the old money, he fell hard and fast in love with gold, a love he still has trouble shaking today (as he still doesn't exactly wish to). But there are simpler things he enjoys, too; things that help him relax or improve himself will catch his fancy, especially flowers, which he loves to be among.
But anything wild and raw otherwise are less desirable, and food with strong flavors (especially sweetness or spiciness) will turn him off right away as a man of bland palate.
Personality[]
A greedy, condescending businessman by nature, Bellmont struggles to be a good person as he tries to amend his ways. He does his best to be kind and compassionate towards those that he meets, but his natural instincts tug at him and try to persuade him of other motives; looking for any opportunity for personal gain at the cost of others, many of whom he tends to see as insignificant in his aged arrogance. As a result of this, he is constantly correcting his behavior and speech, forcing himself be kinder, more honest, and humble--though his success levels vary.
Though trying to learn patience and calmness of mind, he is easily frustrated and bored by the mundane and the routine. If he can’t will himself to respect his work, he’ll feign interest in it in trying to convince himself that he is. He prefers to force himself into ignorant bliss instead of recognizing his real feelings; a mindset he carries through many aspects of life in the false hope that his problems will merely disappear by ignoring them. He acknowledges that changing oneself is a difficult and gradual process, though he is often too lenient with his slip-ups--giving him occasional doubts if what he's doing is what he truly wants.
Irvin has the right idea...
Regardless of where his heart may lie, his outward mannerisms are very light, and his attitude is always positive (even if not always in the most ethically correct way). He enjoys conversation, regardless of company, and tends to be overly polite, even with those that he's close to. His way of speaking is very formal, with slow, careful words, often accompanied by a tendency for large hand gestures and colorful facial expressions. Even if his words may not be the easiest to read, his body language is very telltale of how he's feeling.
Since Arriving[]
In his years in Toffee Town thus far, he's learned patience and has settled into a far more laid-back approach to his lifestyle. He still holds a great deal of conflict as to whether the mundane is something welcomed or something terribly dull, and though he moves through his days calmly and his extroverted businesslike approaches toward people have faded, his judging tendencies have only receded inward as he's turned to watching and studying the people around him more closely and shifted the approach of his tactics. Despite this, he's grown more aware of his actions and how he presents himself, and the kind of person he is at his core; while it still may not align with what he believes he'd ought to be, he is still working toward becoming a more honest version of himself, as expressing his feelings remains a tremendous obstacle--even if he's come to understand them better.
History[]
Early Life[]
The only child born to a couple in their later years, Bellmont grew up middle class; his parents were elderly by the time he was fully grown, having spent their whole lives working hard, and were retired by the time he was was married. As he aged, they were careful to teach him skills that would allow him to succeed in life the way they hadn't, passing down all of their knowledge of business, profit, power, and social skills, all from his youth. Their emphasis had been so heavy, however, that these were the important traits he carried with him into adulthood in the place of proper morals; that life was about succeeding, about gaining power. He attended private schooling, attempting to infiltrate the social circles of the upper crust, learning how to behave among them, the kinds of traits and skills they valued and respected.
He had his first job at seventeen, and his first full-time position by twenty, having been hired into a trading company and working diligently to impress his superiors and secure promotion. He was praised for his sharp wit and his eye for judging and improving efficiency, which turned his implementations into profits. After two years, he was even recognized by the company's wealthy owner, who had decided to keep a close eye on him and his progress. In this meeting, he'd also been introduced to the man's daughter, Rosalind--a delicate, fair-skinned beauty close to his age that Bellmont saw not as a love at first sight, but as an opportunity.
Bellmont and Rosalind in their mid-20s
It wasn't difficult to tell himself he could fall in love with her. She had wonderful looks, and a soft temperament that made it almost effortless for him to sweep her into his pace, asking her on dates, pacing them carefully between his work, treating her with all the brilliance of a gentleman in the hopes of winning her heart--and, even more valuable, her father's approval and attention.
It took years, but he succeeded, not only in gaining that approval and permission to marry her, but also an apprenticeship directly beneath the owner, with the promise of a promotion to follow as a senior associate within the company. He felt as if the stars had aligned for him; that he would achieve success--and therefore, happiness. Their wedding was full of bright and happy moments as they danced and laughed and promised each other the world, toasting to their long future. His family was phenomenally proud.
A few years after, their daughter followed; a beautiful little girl they called Pia. Bellmont still cites the moment he first held her in his hands as the happiest moment of his life; he adored her at first sight. And even beyond his love, she was a solidification of his place within their family. Everything was perfect.
Pia, around age 10
It all came crashing down upon him just after he turned twenty nine; he had been working as a senior associate for a few years, settling very comfortably into the lifestyle of the wealthy, and had been able to secure positions around him with people he had befriended in his youth who largely knew of his true character and his motives. One of them let slip those motives in idle conversation, teasing and joking, but word made its way around quickly, and ultimately back to Rosalind. That he had married her for her money, her power, because of her father. That the love he showed her was loopholed, after he'd spent so many years persuading her that he married her for love.Things spiraled downward fast, especially as word reached his father-in-law.
The divorce was merciless. The owner's power and guise of fear over Bellmont's allies left him defenseless, unable to find help at any turn. No one was willing to risk everything for him. The attorneys stripped him of everything, forcing him to settle for very lengthy costs--including forfeiting custody of Pia.
His perfect world, his perfect life, his success, had all shattered before his eyes.
Transitional Period[]
The next five years were a blur. He worked halfheartedly as a consultant for a sea-based trading firm two cities away, evaluating deals and providing his input on negotiation strategies, ships to buy, offers to make. He saw Pia only once a year, traveling hours at a time to see her, to be received coldly.
He thought about a lot of things, openly distanced in his work as he considered his actions, his mistakes--realizing the depth of those mistakes. He wondered if he had ever really loved Rosalind as a person, beyond all of the benefits she wrought, and how terribly he had deceived her. What he even thought he would do with that power that came with his title and position. What happiness he gained from it, if at all. Was that truly happiness? How had his life been enriched, simply by holding wealth and title? What was the true depth of what he'd lost, apart from all of the superficial value he'd been learned to place upon it? Did he know himself, outside of the life he'd carefully crafted to succeed with?
Bellmont questioned every aspect of that lifestyle, of how it had all played out, of what he'd really meant to gain from it, and where he'd been left then. Eventually, he sought the wisdom of the Harvest Goddess, turning to her for her blessing in the form of a bounty of knowledge and the ability to reform.
But change was not something that came easily, especially when so much of that early time was attempting to identify in himself what all of the issues he had were; a damaged moral compass was not one so easily repaired, and it took him time and careful study.
The winds of change that lived in a sea trading city breathed upon him, though, landing a flyer in his hands, advertising a small town far from home, seeking acolytes for their chapel to the Goddess in a land close with her energy and wisdom.
He booked a seat.
Toffee Town[]
The transition into Toffee Town was difficult--the lifestyle was painfully simple and mundane; his duties were quiet and thoughtful, the opposite of his previous fast-paced, constantly-changing environments; he had to live communally at the Seasonal House for a season; the goods and services he had access to were scarce at best; and, most agonizingly, he was on a full communications blackout until the Post Office opened. It felt like he had gone cold turkey from his former life, blindsided by this new environment.
It was maddening, and he struggled through each day restless and constantly tempted to slip back into the ease of his old ways, simply out of the desperate crave for something familiar. But he stuck through it, especially as he began to rely on the people that he met and befriended to help break up the day to day doldrum and managed to purchase a small house for himself.
By his first winter, he felt himself finally able to breathe. He'd adapted, beginning to understand the meaning of his work, and making a friend that he could be openly himself with--which, contrary to his original thought, did not feel like cheating on his efforts of reform. Rather, it felt honest.
The Harvest Festival, a previous favorite, felt strangely empty the second year.
Spring felt hopeful, as a result, but that friend had vanished in its midst, leading summer to feel hollow,
forcing him into solitude that only left room for self-reflection. He reevaluated his interactions with the rest of the people he met and spoke to on a daily basis, realizing his own dishonesty as he gave them all face simply for the sake of getting them to like him. It wasn't even a conscious effort, but an instinct he couldn't shake, and when another relationship crumbled when his companion came to recognize his fraud interest in their friendship, he was left shaken and betrayed at himself--that even now, maybe he still hadn't changed at all.
Bellmont found himself gravitating away from things that he'd previously sought as happiness, which he still has yet to realize were the things he placed value on in his former life, and that this and his fear of lack of change were, in fact, change itself. One thing that did become clear to him, though, is a new value he places on genuine friendships--one rekindled and bloomed at the return of Tanith to town at the end of fall.
Perhaps he has had progress, after all.
Home[]
Bellmont outside his home
SIZE: Level 2
UPGRADES: Bathroom Lv1, Balcony
Bellmont keeps his home humble and organized; possessions are tucked away in cabinets and dressers and storage, art hangs tastefully on the walls, and floor rugs are spread across the hardwood. He strives for a clean and easy to digest environment to take in, even if his things are just out of view; ornate teapots and saucers and cups, jewelry and clothes and accessories and coats, stationary and inks and photos and letters.
His bathroom carries the opposite impression, however, as it stands a blatant and prideful beacon of his vanity; packed full, decadent, and wonderfully-scented, every available surface is packed full of bottles, products, lotions, scrubs, soaps, bath bombs, loofahs, brushes, towels, and more; it's clear to any guests that visit and use it that he spends a great deal of time enjoying caring for his appearance, and that soaking in the bath is of great importance to him.
Additional Info[]
- Wears a monocle with gallery for his left eye; only requires it for reading. It’s fitted to stay on with most expressions, though exaggerated eyebrow movement will cause it to fall.
- Wears socks with everything. At least he doesn't wear sandals.
- He dresses in layers, often to try and make himself look bigger than he is, as he's actually of frail and bony stature.
- His contact with Rosalind is very limited; he sends letters almost weekly, but replies to them are infrequent at best.
- His contact with Pia is strictly via Rosalind, and he has not received anything directly from Pia since he last saw her years ago. He misses her terribly, and has been trying repeatedly to convince Rosalind to let him see her.
- Attempts to live humbly, but misinterprets it as “have a few things, but make them very expensive things.”
- Hates the heat; always elects to keeping in the shade when it’s sunny, and will complain until the sun sets.
- Exceptionally bland palate; likes plain food without a lot of flavor.
- Cannot and does not cook; he can make a few basic things, and though he has a good knowledge of food and preparation, he has little interest (read: skill) in actually making it.
- Always wearing jewelry of some kind; never seen without his head/hand plates, though he's been gradually cutting back on everything else. He visits the jewelers regularly to have it cleaned and polished.
- Very busy hands; always has to be doing something with them, and they're extremely revealing of his thoughts. He usually wears at least one ring, so that he can spin or rub it to keep his fingers occupied.
- Brews a pot of tea every afternoon, though can also be found getting drinks at the lounge a few nights a week.
Gallery[]
