charismatic · chaotic · liar · messiah complex · anti-authority · sharp tongue · natural leader · suit and suspenders · morally gray · unpredictable
Manhattan’s winter wind slices through the evening, turning fingers to ice. A thief dangles a stolen watch, distracting a portly gentleman long enough to slip a leather billfold from his inner coat pocket. As the mark shuffles off, scolded by his wife, the thief allows himself a tight, triumphant smile. But from across the gaslit street, a pair of eyes has seen it all. Jack Kelly, propped against a lamppost, slips a few dollars from a passing woman's purse and pushes off into a light jog. He taps the thief’s shoulder—the thief spins to find empty air. Jack has already circled, planting himself squarely in the escape route, a newspaper held out like a challenge. "Care for a pape?" he asks, his grin sharp enough to draw blood.