Alex was born into a wealthy family in the remains of America's New York, specifically to English immigrants Randolph and Courtney Finch, though her mother died due to complications shortly after childbirth. Prior to the girl's birth, both had been prevalent among the city's well-known slavers and hunters, and Randolph continued to be so afterward. Baron Randolph Finch was an infamous game hunter, most interested in hunts of shifters in their natural—more dangerous, more sporting, more fun—habitat.
Alexis wouldn't be introduced to this in her early years, however, as the events surrounding her birth led Randolph Finch to settle himself back into the city, in the interest of providing some direct care to his daughter. The majority of Alexis's early-childhood fathering, however, came from her elder brother, Edward, who doted on her all but constantly. Even at a young age, the girl was not oblivious to the animosity between her father and brother, nor was she fool enough to believe that their bickering was the norm. As her brother was the more present and caring in most aspects of her life, however, her favor tended to fall on the younger man's side—quite frankly, Edward was an excellent older brother, while Randolph was barely a step above being a poor father.
At first, the girl was afforded a private tutor. She had little interest for the given lessons, however; Alexis greatly preferred reading fairy tales, climbing trees, and generally being an unruly child. Often Edward would indulge her in these games and pastimes, leaving the tutor frustrated and ineffectual. Eventually, the tutor simply quit, claiming no salary was worth such a waste of his time. Randolph never bothered to find her another, and so most of the girl's education came from storybooks, games of pretend, trial and error in falls and scuffles, and childish observation of the people of the household.
For Alexis, the world turned upside-down when she was eight. Confrontations between her brother and father—fueled by the death of one of Edward's Therian friends by Randolph's hunting party—culminated in fisticuffs. After seriously injuring his father, Edward took a bag and went on his own way, leaving Alexis fighting the grip of the family steward on the stoop of the home, crying and calling for Ed to take her with him. This was an impossible request, however, and the girl was reduced to spending the next several weeks badgering her father, wanting to know "when Eddie's coming home." Fits of crying and severe tantrums accompanied many of these inquiries, until Randolph finally demanded that she stop asking because her brother wasn't coming home as long as Randolph had any say in the matter. This decisiveness shocked and horrified Alexis; she spent more than a month avoiding her father completely.
During this time, Alex spent a lot of time out of doors, teaching herself, among other things, to knock sparrows from trees with the use of a sturdy rock. This was both a vent of her frustrations and an homage to the tales she'd heard of her father and brother's once-upon-a-time hunting forays into the wilds of the earth. She was at the age of nine close to ten when a horrified maid told her father of the girl's violent pastime in the back properties of the family estate. Despite the tension and distance growing between them, her father was delighted at his younger child's apparent predisposition for the hunt. He had previously had no intention of taking the girl on hunts, but her early promise soon began to change his mind. Upon further consideration as, over the next year or so, Alex graduated herself to slingshot, he insisted that his child learn what 'real hunting' was all about, and so, at age eleven, Alex began being taken along with her father as he resumed his various hunting expeditions.
At first, Randolph attempted to teach Alexis the best (and only) hunting method of which he knew: big-game hunting with a firearm. As it turned out, Alexis was unfortunately useless with a firearm. This was not for lack of trying; her aim with firearms was simply laughable. This extended to rifles and handguns alike, as well as bows and crossbows of varying styles. The only ranged weapons she had any degree of skill with were stones, slings and slingshots, and throwing blades. As these were fairly useless in most big-game hunting, Randolph was at something of a loss of what to do with his daughter. In Africa, he left the girl with friends in a small village while hunting with other skilled marksmen. It was here that the girl began to learn the ways of the blade and staff, taught varying forms of close combat by the village's hunters. She found this to be much more to her tastes, and much easier to pick up. She experimented with any type of melee weapon she could get her hands on in the village, and, thanks to her skill, most of the hunters and warriors who owned them were more than willing to teach her.
After nearly two months, Randolph returned from his hunt to tales of his daughter's prowess with close-range weapons. He was simultaneously impressed and unnerved: though her skills were obvious, he worried for her safety in the conditions of melee battle. To this end, he endeavored to keep a closer eye upon her, taking her along on hunts, but only allowing her to finish wounded kills, for her own safety. This was not exactly to Alexis's liking, but it was better than being left to herself—as she still was, whenever Randolph's party went through a known all-Trueblood village on their journeys.
It was during one of these stays in a small settlement that Alexis met her first romantic interest, a half-American, half-African young man by the name of Shomari Roger Geerling. Despite being early into his twenties, Shomari was respected as one of the most skilled fighters in the community. His knowledge of weapons was immense, as he'd been training from an incredibly young age. He took Alexis, now fourteen, under his wing without hesitation. It was he who introduced her to the use of the whip, which Alexis discovered an almost instantaneous affinity for.
Alexis remained in this settlement for over a year while her father traveled, and soon began to grow incredibly attached to Shomari. He returned this friendly affection, though, over time, it developed beyond friendly. Alexis's fifteenth birthday found her in bed with the man—an experience that would define a large portion of her life. It was not long after the pair's attachment became physically romantic that Shomari divulged his greatest secret to the girl: a violet patch on the inside of his wrist, something he kept constantly covered by a weave-and-bead bracelet. The man was a leopard shifter, though none in his village knew it. This revelation terrified Alexis—not because of any personal morality, but due to fear of her father's wrath. She avoided Shomari for over a week, though he eventually cornered her and forced her to listen to him. If she had told no one in the village—which, due entirely to fear, she hadn't—then there was nothing to fear. No one but the two of them knew of Shomari's "affliction," and so, there was no one to tell her father. Alexis could not fault the logic in this, and it was not long before the two were involved together once more.
It happened, however, that someone in the village was indeed aware of the presence of a Touched. One of the elder warriors, the middle-aged Yasini, had always been suspicious of Shomari, not only for his unusual battle prowess, but also due to the fact that Shomari was a half-breed in terms of parentage. His suspicions unfortunately culminated on the same evening as Alexis's curiosity. While alone with Shomari in his home, she asked him to change in front of her. Shomari both trusted and cared for Alexis, and shifted to his leopard form—just as Yasini entered the hut. Within seconds the older man had taken off; Shomari made to give chase, but Alexis convinced him to stay and change back while she chased the man down herself. She caught him up halfway to the home of the village leader. Attempts to appeal to his better nature failed. She tried begging, bargaining, bribing, and, eventually, blocking him. He was bigger. Her efforts rose into a serious fight, though he tried to hold her off. Eventually, he struck her. Alexis promptly pulled a knife and killed him. It had been a gut-instinct reaction, and it was to Alexis's slight surprise that she found she had no regret for what she'd done. She went immediately to the leader of the settlement herself, claiming that Yasini had tried to rape her, and she had killed him out of self-defense. The leader was appalled, skeptical, but as there was no one to refute this claim, had no choice but to accept the explanation. Shomari apologized over and over to Alexis for forcing her to become a killer, despite her repeated reassurances that she had no qualms about the murder. Eventually she calmed him by explaining that it was its own form of self-defense: she defended Shomari, rather than Shomari defending her. He would have done the same thing had she been the Therian, after all.
It was only a few short weeks after this incident that Randolph Finch finally returned to the village. The lie of attempted rape and self-defense was met with horror on his part, and he promptly packed his things and his daughter and returned to New York, promising her that she would never have to return to that place again. He did not receive the gratitude he expected. In fact, Alex was absolutely enraged at this turn, and spent days on into weeks begging him to let her return with him on his next expedition. When he finally left again for Africa, leaving her behind, Alexis spent several hours after his departure storming about the house, smashing expensive vases and slashing at expensive fabrics with a pair of shears. One maid and one maid only attempted to placate her, as this woman ended up missing three fingers at the wrong end of Alex's shears.
Upon finally calming down from her rage, Alex collected herself and endeavored to "make the best of" her time at home. To Alex, this consisted of coming up with the most vindictive thing she could think of in retaliation to her father's "punishment." Her first action was to simply be as publicly unladylike as possible, hanging out in seedy dives, starting brawls, using foul language and blatantly resisting all forces attempting to stop her. The local law enforcement returned her home with her hands behind her back on more than one occasion, causing great stress to the family steward. Her father was written with word of her misdeeds; the only reply was that Alex was being a "willful teenager" and that the steward merely pay any fines and leave her be. This, more than anything, shocked the girl from her tirade, and she was quiet within the house for well over a month. The steward and maids counted their blessings, though they were worried on Alex's becoming something of a recluse during this time. In actuality, she was spending her time going through her father's libraries, eventually breaking into his desk and reading over his journals in attempt to figure out what actually would set him off in anger. The only things he seemed to denounce were Touched-lovers (Therian sympathizers especially) and anti-slavery movements, something that only soured her opinion of the man. It would be difficult to take up with such people and not earn Randolph's wrath in the form of her eviction from the home, though, so Alexis continued to search for a somewhat "tamer" rebellion. Eventually, she came across a few entries vehemently denouncing the Entertainment section of New York, once writing its members off as a set of "tactless floozies with no respect for real class or human sanctity." She figured this was made in reference to the area's apparent indifference to one's Touched status even more than to the open sexual nature of a large portion of its people, and of course set immediately out to immerse herself in their company.
The help in House Finch was not happy with Alexis's new choice of company, but this time kept it to themselves. Their hope was that Alex would abandon this new "stage" before her father's return, thereby avoiding the Baron's wrath on all parts. Alex, however, found herself greatly enjoying her sort of honorary membership in the area, as well as the company of her new consorts, and wondering what on earth her father found so wrong with them. They certainly had a much more diverse set of backgrounds and viewpoints than the conservative, stuffy aristocracy, as well as talents wide and colorful in range. One particular entertainer complimented her on her beauty, and asked if her honorary membership was due to her desire to "use this beauty to its fullest." In fact, Alex had had no intention of actually joining the Entertainers, and had especially given no thought to the occupation to which this new entertainer was alluding. Upon consideration, however, she grew more and more fond of the idea. Even since her relationship with Shomari, she had had few qualms about the subject of sex: one of her rebellions against her father had been to bed the son of Randolph's hunting rival. It was not long before she took prostitute as her official vocation, immersing herself even more deeply among the pleasure district of the settlement.
Upon his return, Randolph was outraged, more at his having been left out of the loop than at Alex's choice of vocation. Her father demanded she come on the next hunt with him and leave this "silly business" behind her. This, of course, was exactly what Alexis wanted—up until the point of her father's use of the word "silly" to describe her vocation. In Randolph's absence, she had gained a great respect for her own job and her fellows in the district, and took the man's insult to heart. Just to spite him, she refused, choosing instead to stay home and continue her newfound work. This was seen by not only her father and the open-minded Entertainers but also by those among the hunting and slaving communities as a turn against the anti-Touched ideals. Mortified and somewhat disgusted, Randolph left for his next venture almost immediately, leaving Alexis feeling extremely pleased with herself.
In time, however, as her father's next expedition drew on, Alex found herself growing restless. Her part as a whore was fulfilling in its own right, both as a sustainable job and as a continuing rebellion against Randolph Finch, but she felt something was missing. She honestly missed Shomari, but knew there was little chance of seeing him again. Though she had previously limited her clientele to Truebloods and those Touched that could effectively disguised themselves, she began to expand her "business" to include both Therians and other Touched. She remained selective to her own whims and desires, but even Abominations were not turned away based solely on blood.
Alexis's vocation opened her arms to more than varied business, however. It was no secret that her father was a wealthy man, and it wasn't long after she began servicing a broader spectrum of individuals—sometime during her seventeenth year—that she found herself with a client who was after more than the pleasure of her "company." The man insisted that they retire to his own "home," though it was clear upon her entry of the sub-basement flat that it was not exactly intended for long-term living in. Argus Madison, as he gave his name to be, was a member of the local thieves' guild, and intended to hold Alexis for ransom. The girl calmly, and in fact with some modicum of boredom, explained that her father was away, and would not be back for quite some time. Contacting him would take longer than she was sure either herself or Madison would prefer to spend in this dingy place; perhaps he should let her go and try again when it would be more convenient for them both. Madison laughed at her. Alexis tried several times, always in the same bored tone, to reason with the man. Eventually, he told her to shut up, threatening her with a blade. Within seconds, Madison found his wrist twisted and his own dagger in his gut. Alexis left him to bleed to death without a moment's hesitation.
Less than a week had passed when Alexis found herself approached by another man of unsavory intentions. This time, however, it was not Alexis's money or bodily harm that was the goal. This man, a Simon Abervale, turned out to be the leader of the thieving band that had put the original ransom bounty upon her. It was still in place, he informed her very casually, and the price had gone up since she had killed his man. But, after all, she had killed his man. The bounty could easily be removed—should she offer her services to their guild. Alexis laughed at him. There was no need: she could handle herself against whomever Abervale saw fit to send upon her. Abervale increased his offer: one hundred and fifty percent salary for whichever jobs she would take, full immunity to being placed under ransom by members of his guild—and the freedom to tell whomever she pleased, or not, of her involvement in the group. The wording of this last offer caught her attention, as she considered her father's reaction should she ever tell him. She accepted the offer.
Alexis was set an initial assassination as a test, and returned within two days with the task complete—an accomplishment, as her target had been one of the more untouchable members of the aristocracy's upper crust. She was inducted, though for stealth's sake the thieves' guild knew and referred to her (outside guild walls) only by the name Absinthe, a reference to her 'bitterness and complexity,' as Abervale once told her. Soon enough she was receiving further weapon training from her fellow guild members, several of whom were even more skilled than her original tutors from Africa. As part of her induction, Absinthe was free as though one of the upper guild members to choose which jobs she would take—and she undertook only assassination missions. She gained a swift reputation among guild members, though not all of this reputation was positive. A few members harbored jealousy at her swift rise to favor, though with her father abroad, there was little revenge they could take short of an attempt on her life. Such an attempt would be foolhardy on the parts of these grunts, so they chose instead to bide their time.
Alex was nineteen when her father next returned from his hunts abroad. Randolph seemed to have cooled down considerably in regards to his daughter's work in the pleasure business, and in fact offered apologies for his previous brashness. Alexis accepted this, at least to her father's face. She said nothing of her guild involvement, and took care not to mention her other work at home if she could help it.
Her lack of mention did her no good. Before long a note arrived at House Finch, containing a plethora of photographs, all of Alexis. None of them were in any way sexual, though it was clear the girl was working while the film captures were taken: all of them showed the girl flirting, walking hand-in-hand, entering a private room or building—and always with a known Therian, an infamous Touched, or an Abomination.
Randolph was livid. He confronted his daughter with the photos, and the resulting shouting match was of the kind that had not been heard in the house for eleven years. Alexis pointed out that she had, in fact, done her best to keep these things from her father: as per her argument, for the purpose of not upsetting him. Her body, decisions and opinions were her own, and none of Randolph's concern or business. The man would not back down. He demanded she stop these "ungodly shenanigans," and when she refused, he gave her an ultimatum: give in or get out. The following day, she moved into an apartment of her own. The men who had taken the photographs, the man who had sent them, and all of their immediate connections who in any way knew of the "plot" were found dead over the following two months. Abervale confronted Absinthe on this; she told the truth. Grinning, he told her he "admired her drive," and she went entirely unpunished. No further attempts were made from within the guild on any aspect of her life or reputation.
When she was twenty-three, Alexis received a summons from her father. The man had become frazzled of late; he had begun an exporting business two years earlier in an attempt to keep himself busy now that both of his children were "gone from the house," but things were going poorly, to say the least. The girl had half a mind to let him suffer, but she missed the house and the help, so it was more for her own sake than Randolph's that she agreed to move back home and "keep him company."
Alexis lived for four years in relative normalcy at home, continuing her work as both a prostitute and assassin while making passive attempts to keep her father sane about his new business. At twenty-nine, however, she received a note from a friend in the thieves' guild. The friend had overheard a discussion between Abervale and an anonymous client: her father had a long-standing bounty out on the head of a man named Edward Finch, paying more for the return of a corpse than the capture of the man. This bounty had been in place, under Alexis's nose, for more than two years.
Rage was the girl's immediate reaction. She went immediately to Abervale and paid nearly double the price of the bounty to have it lifted immediately. Abervale was both curious and amused, but agreed to take the guild off the job and spread the word. That night, Randolph died in his study. He was found on his back near his overturned chair, foamy spittle trailing from one corner of his mouth.
About a month later, Alexis wrapped up her affairs in the city, closed down her father's exporting business, and removed herself from the thieves' guild—on Abervale's permission. She kept the staff on pay, leaving the house to their care. With most of her own money and a significant portion of her inheritance, she packed up and moved to England, settling in new London. The last she'd heard of her brother, he had been headed there, and she used that one tie as a starting point. She now lives in a small townhouse in The Garden, where she has been for several months. Alexis easily resumed her trade of prostitute, though she has yet to make any endeavor in joining London's guild of thieves.
