Zeke
"There are emotions in art, ya know? I reckon we all put a bit of ourselves in whatever we make."—Zeke Davis
Description:
Most people wouldn't look twice at Zeke, which is odd because he really should stand out more than he does. He's 5'10"—"too much height than you know what to do with" his Nana would always say. He's big too; broad shoulders, strong arms, and large hands that his mother swore he'd grow into someday. His curly black hair grows way too fast, much to the chagrin of his straight-laced Paw; he typically styles his hair into a packed, neat, and low fro...it's grown a bit unruly during Zeke's time on the road though, so he's definitely due for a trim and an edge up. Zeke's mother used to say that Zeke's eyes were brighter than all the stars in the sky and almost as large; they're light hazel eyes, lighter than his handsome brown skin, and steady and observant. Now that he's been at Xavier's School for a bit, he's realizing that it was just baseline humans who didn't seem to notice him; Mutants seem to notice his height, his size, and his handsome features just fine—at least until he uses his Mutant Powers.
Personality: If "yes ma'am", "no sir", and "how can I help y'all" were personality traits, they'd be Zeke's. Zeke Davis is as sweet as Southern sweet tea and as pleasant as a June day. He's got the gift of gab and can talk an ear off when given the chance. His favorite subject to talk about is art—"Oil paintings are my favorite, but I work with other mediums too. Let me show you my charcoal drawings." Zeke isn't one for breaking rules and he tends to follow authority figures without fail. He becomes very rigid around teachers, police, coaches, and any other authority figures despite how close he may be to said person.
Reputation: None as of now. Any adults who have spent time around Zeke probably notice that he's respectful and a bit on edge. Zeke's peers might know him as a playful artistic type. Aside from that Zeke is an unknown student—he's only been at Xavier's School for a week after all.
History: "Uh, testin' one-two. Okay, I guess we're recordin'. My name is Ezekiel Davis, but uh most everyone calls me Zeke. I'm 16 years old, but I'm turnin' 17 in a few months. I just enrolled in a new school for..for people like me. The Professor suggested that I record a bit about myself—he even lent me this tape recorder and a list of questions to get me started. Okay, first one up...where was I born? New York City, but Mama and I moved to her hometown in Alabama right after I was born. It was a bit too difficult for her to raise a baby by herself so far away from family. We moved into a house a few streets away from my grandparents and we lived there until...well until I was 12; I went to go live with my grandparents after that. Uh, I've never met my dad, but I came to the city to change that. Mama dated him for a few months while she finished up Med School here in New York; they broke up right after I was born though. Mama said that he wasn't the best guy, but I mean she let him sign my birth certificate and she even gave me his last name so I guess he couldn't be THAT bad. Um, my Pawpaw is a Pastor; his church is the biggest Baptist church in our town. Being a Pastor's grandkid is interestin'; everyone expects a lot from me, but they always seem kinda eager to watch me mess up. That got even worse during the past 4 years. I moved in with my grandparents after...after Mama died. It was a Mutant accident. The police said it was a terrorist attack, but I'm not so sure. A man came into the hospital where Mama worked and he just kind of blew up. I'm not sayin' that he was for sure innocent, I'm just sayin' that Mutant abilities don't come with an instruction manual. If they did come with an instruction manual then I probably wouldn't have gotten kicked out of my grandparents' house last year. I didn't mean for my...condition to flare up in church, but it happened, and after so many people witnessed that there was no denying what I was anymore. I swear when it came out what I was my Nana, who had always been kind to me, looked at me like I was a monster. That night Paw gave me 30 minutes to pack and leave. After that, I started walking North. Once I reached New York it wasn't too long before the Professor sent a welcome party to invite me to their school. The Professor said that he could have sent a party for me sooner, but he could tell I was determined to make it to New York on my own; I like the Professor for that. I'm hopin' the teachers here can help me control my abilities. Maybe the Professor could even help me find my dad. It be nice to be around family. I wonder if I have any cousins..."
Powers: Put simply, Zeke's powers make him imperceptible to all living creatures. By holding his breath Zeke prevents all senses, including magical and psionic senses, from perceiving him. On top of that, with his powers active Zeke fades from the memories of all living creatures. While cameras and robots CAN perceive Zeke, living creatures watching live video footage cannot perceive Zeke on camera. Recently Zeke discovered that he "leaves no trace" when his abilities are active; that means that he doesn't leave footprints or fingerprints or any other DNA markers behind. If cameras record Zeke while his powers are active, then living creatures will never be able to perceive him on the recorded footage. Zeke's abilities can activate unconsciously when he's in a state of distress, but he can only consciously activate his powers by holding his breath. With practice, Zeke will be able to trigger his powers without the breath-holding condition. Currently, Zeke can bring two additional living creatures with him into his state of non-existence, but with time he should be able to bring as many people as he wants, as long as they maintain physical contact with him during the ability's activation.
Skills: Zeke is a skilled multimedia fine artist. His current specialty is oil painting. And though Zeke isn't a fan of guns, he's a darn good shot—his grandfather used to take him hunting. Zeke is skilled with hunting rifles and compact bows, but his specialty is the slingshot. Zeke's grandfather bought him a deluxe hunting slingshot and a case of aerodynamic ball bearing for his 16th birthday, and Zeke carries it pretty much everywhere. While on campus Zeke leaves his slingshot locked away in his room, but he'd like to get permission to practice somewhere on campus sometime soon.
Connections: None on campus...or anywhere in New York for that matter. Zeke left his closest living relatives in Alabama, though it wasn't his choice to leave. Zeke is a very social guy, so at a school as accepting and diverse as Xavier's, he'll be sure to make friends soon.
