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Student or Teacher: Neither, Private Detective

Gender: Male

Age: 41

Nicknames: "Just Howe," he insists. Only Maureen and Albert call him by his first name regularly.

Face Claim: Kenneth Branagh

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Height: 6'2

Weight: 180 lbs

Build: Muscled, but not excessively. Age is catching up to him quickly, however.

Hair Colour: Gray (formerly light brown)

Eye Colour: Dark blue

Markings: Many scars on his knuckles. Also has a surgical scar on his left shoulder, and buckshot scars on his right leg.

Brief written description: Howe generally appears worn out, though how much of this appearance is cultivated is unknown. He is expert at shaping his facial hair to alter his features slightly, which makes him unexpectedly good at disguising himself. However, trapped as he soon will be, this will be useless to him.

Clothing preference: Howe prefers a button-down shirt in one of several patterns over a gray undershirt, with a vest over that and a navy-blue coat on top, both for weather and for concealing his pistol. Not that it's useful here, what with having to leave it behind with his bike (and carbine) to go on school grounds. He also has a black motorcycle helmet, though he leaves that with the bike (a Kawasaki KLX 250S dual-purpose).

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Skills: Interrogation, Deduction, Pugilism, Infiltration (getting places)

Quirks: Distinctive Brooklyn accent, has a habit of remembering things as he leaves a room

Likes: Albert Howe, Maureen Harding, his motorcycle, target shooting

Dislikes: Pride, Ostentatiousness, Spite, Pettiness

Fears: Failing himself, his family, or his friends.

Theme Song: Epitaph - King Crimson

Written description: Howe is rather unassuming much of the time, and nobody is quite sure if he is shy or hiding something. He has a way of evading people's focus and making himself unmemorable. However, when the chips are down he does display a razor-sharp mind, biting sarcasm, and a talent for deduction that has made him a popular private detective.

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Relationship Status: In a Relationship

Family: Howe's parents have both passed away from illness, and he was not terribly close to them after his childhood. He also has a younger brother, Albert George Howe, a lawyer.

History: Richard Howe was born in Brooklyn in 1962, and grew up on those same streets. He a was always the knight paladin of the street, standing up for principles of altruism and decency (partly rooted in his Catholic upbringing) even when it was pointless. Though he slipped in and out of his faith through high school and lef it altogether by the time he was college-age, he never lost that sense of principle. He took it with him to college at George Washington University, where he studied Criminal Justice and earned his Bachelor's in that. Immediately after, he sought out the police force, eager to try and bring the world back into balance. Alas, he was rejected from both the NYPD and the DC police. He decided to try working as a snoop with a small firm, and found he liked detective work, much more so than anything involving the boring parts of police work. After about five years, he quit the firm and struck out on his own, and has worked in several cities as a private detective, making a terrific living at that. While in the business, he first met Maureen Harding, another investigator, and the two became close friends and friendly rivals for many years. Only recently did their feelings change, and after much thought and a few long talks, they decided to try a relationship, uncertain though they were of its potential viability. So far, so good, as he says.

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Secret Word: Masochism