Meet Ophir Ophir is played by Arnold, a stay at home dad who waits tables at night.
My name is Ophir. I am 19 with lightning reflexes and keen perception. I am very charismatic and pretty bright but wisdom is not my strong suit. I have attitude... I dress in purple embroidered with gold and i strut rather than walk (i think i'm all that, most folks roll their eyes). Ophir is always pretending he's got it and always believing he truly will have it.Ophir is a name i chose after seeing it on a road sign along Highway 101. It is a small town in Placer county. I liked it because it looked arabic and yet when pronounced 0-fer it conjured up the image of repeatedly striking out. As a dreamer and schemer (all hat and no horse) i liked the loser undertone. I googled it. Ophir is a legendary biblical port known for its opulence and wealth. Every three years they sent tribute of treasure and exotic goods to King Solomon. I was overjoyed - names do have power, and the one i so casually chose bodes well for the future. Here then is Ophir's story:
I am a garbage man, as were my father & grandfather before, but whereas they were dutiful and uninspired men, i inherited my mothers cleverness. When i was 7 accompanying my father on his route i found a glass marble in the trash, i pocketed it and said nothing. I later traded the marble to a boy from school whose parents were bakers. I traded it for a fancy desert pie which he stole from his folks shop. Brought the pie home to a delighted family. They were convinced i had stolen it, but excited to have it just the same (treats are rare when you are poor, sometimes you look the other way) and i never told the truth. So started my reputation as being someone who could always get things.
I am a bit of a suck up and very reliable so i have worked my way to a position where i collect garbage in upper caste neighborhoods. This means i occasionally find things discarded by the higher castes that are still valuable trade goods among the lower castes. I also hear things i am not supposed to on occasion.
I am not a thief (and resent the implication), i am a legitimate businessman, and a fast talking barterer. I will frequently go through a series of elaborate trades to get from what i have to what i need. I pride myself in knowing what people need and want, and how much they are willing to part with to get it.
I talk a good game and like to boast and brag (how else do you get a reputation if you don't tell people how impressive you are?), but when push comes to shove i am a coward. My big mouth does tend to get me into trouble, but when a secret needs to be kept i can be trusted completely. I am not above taking a cheap shot at someone from a concealed location, but i scrupulously avoid a fair fight. Despite what you might think looking at some of my less than wholesome associates, i have a strong moral compass and when my sense of justice is offended i can be formidable (so formidable it surprises even me).I hate the caste system and feel that any law or rule that places one person above or beneath another is offensive (skill and cunning should differentiate people, not arbitrary social status).
Very few people know this, but my true friends have seen me at weaker moments when my deepest held secrets get aired. As an adolescent i was very close with a young girl from dirt caste. we grew up together, schooled together, played together and were nearly inseparable, Neither of our families approved. When i was 13, she was sold into slavery to pay her families water debt (her mothers long illness had put a strain on family finances). Her brothers were less valuable as slaves and too valuable to the family as laborers so the family sacrificed her. We were too young to know and it wasn't until several years later that i realized we had been in love. I am still angry. Angry at the water caste for dealing in slaves. Angry at her father for not sacrificing himself (in truth this would have collapsed the family and ended them all in slavery - and i know this - i'm still angry). Angry at her brothers for allowing their father this choice. Just plain angry. I have never loved again.
I once acquired an alabaster comb and mirror for a young lad to romance a woman above his status. It worked so well that they are engaged to be wed. Perhaps there is something you are in need of? Or maybe you have something you would like to find a buyer for? For a modest commission, i can connect your goods with a buyer and get you the absolute best price to be had. Why hassle with selling yourself, trust a professional who knows the marketplace.
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