The oddest odd-couple PI buddy team.

Ted Watkins and Justine Marchand are a pair of private investigators–real, no-fooling PIs with licenses and all that–with a taste for the weird.

They first met about three years ago through mutual friends. Ted wanted to solve mysteries. Justine wanted to travel and have adventures. Somehow forming a detective agency seemed like a good way to pursue both their interests, so they went ahead and did it. Ted’s the cautious one and does the headwork; Justine’s the impulsive one and does the legwork.

They live together in a smallish but comfortable apartment in a moderately nice part of town; this also serves as their office. Despite their living arrangements, they aren’t romantically involved with each other and probably never will be. Ted is picky and wants an intellectual partner he can talk to about abstract ideas. Justine just doesn’t have the temperament for long-term, committed relationships.

Most of the team’s casework is the usual boring private dick stuff, but they’ve been using the money to investigate the weird on their own time. After a couple of run-ins with the real deal, the word got out and now people are coming to them, which is even better.

Ted’s frustrated about the sheer amount of mundane dreck work they get, and Justine wishes she’d get a chance to use that neat grappling hook she bought, but otherwise it’s working out okay.

TED WATKINS

SUMMARY

Ted Watkins fancies himself a detective and a scholar. He grew up reading Encyclopedia Brown and watching Mystery! When he got bored with those, he turned to true-crime books (John Douglas is his favorite) and real-life stories of the unexplained. It all clicked with him, and when he was a teenager he decided that one day he was going to investigate “the paranormal”–the biggest mystery of ’em all–and furthermore get paid for it.

Unfortunately, the FBI wasn’t taking applications for their X-Files division, so he had to take another route.

He’s a very smart guy, maybe even a genius, but when he went to school he only wanted to learn what he wanted to learn, and had no patience for anything outside his interests and people who told him he wasn’t living up to his potential. Nowadays he takes random college courses, but is not in search of any kind of degree.

PERSONALITY

(Virgo) Sherlock Holmes meets Dana Scully by way of Doctor Who: analytical, brilliant, egotistical and distrustful of authority. Ted applies genuine scientific principles to his research and investigations; he’s not some fringe crackpot with more cognitive dissonance than brains.
Obsession: Finding out the truth about the “unnatural”, “unexplained”, and “weird.” The real, scientific truth–not these half-baked conspiracy theories.
Rage Stimulus: Indoctrination and propaganda–nobody’s going to tell him what to think.
Fear Stimulus: (Helplessness) Paralysis and other conditions that leave his mind intact but his body unwilling to follow basic commands.
Noble Stimulus: The truth shall set you free.

STATS

Body 40 (A portly fellow): General Athletics 15%; Hold His Liquor 30%; Struggle 15%
Speed 40 (Klutz): Dodge 15%; Drive 25%; Initiative 20%
Mind 80 (Smarter than you): Conceal 15%; Consumer Electronics and Software 40%; Information Research and Organization 40%; Notice 65%; Self-Educated (General Education) 30%; Solve Mysteries and Puzzles 70%; Weirdness Lore 35%
Soul 55 (Driven): Cute in a Geeky Sort of Way 30%; Interview 40%; Lie 30%; Weirdness Rep 30%

Consumer Electronics and Software: It doesn’t take him long to figure out how to use some new computer program or gadget. He couldn’t care less about the inner workings of such things, though.

Weirdness Lore: Assorted factoids relating to the occult, paranormal, supernatural, and such. He’s smart enough to realize that most of it’s just plain nonsense, but hangs on to it anyway. Might just come in handy someday.

Weirdness Rep: Known to conspiracy theorists, paranormal investigators, two-bit occultists, and so on. Strictly on a professional basis.

MADNESS METER

Violence 0 Hard/0 Fail; Unnatural 0 Hard/1 Fail; Helplessness 0 Hard/0 Fail; Isolation 2 Hard/0 Fail; Self 0 Hard/1 Fail

JUSTINE MARCHAND

SUMMARY

Justine wants to be Indiana Jones when she grows up, without having to muck around with all that boring archaeology. She’s not stupid, but she’s reckless, has a short attention span and does whatever feels good at any given time.

She participates in “extreme” sports and is a good skateboarder and mountain biker. At one time she wanted to hit one of the pro circuits, but she doesn’t have the focus to become great at such sports. Over time, though, she developed a knack for random athletic feats, and that’s her main thing now.

She doesn’t have much interest in this whole “paranormal investigator” thing; she’s more in it because she thought it would involve more sneaking around, danger, and excitement. But it looks like that might be about to change.

PERSONALITY

(Sagittarius) A cross between Lara Croft and Amelie Poulain: charming, impulsive and almost suicidally adventurous.
Obsession: Adventure!
Rage Stimulus: Can handle being given assignments and working within deadlines, but otherwise hates to be told what to do.
Fear Stimulus: (Violence) Just plain scared of guns.
Noble Stimulus: Lust for life.

STATS

Body 55 (Fit): General Athletics 45%; Struggle 35%; Swim 25%
Speed 75 (Frisky like a kitten): Athletic Stunts 55%; Dodge 45%; Drive Like A Maniac 25%; Freakishly Limber 40%; Initiative 50%; Play Atari 2600 20%
Mind 40 (Short attention span): Conceal 40%; General Education 15%; Notice 35%; Youth Culture Savvy 25%
Soul 50 (Wheeee!): Bright-Eyed and Bushy-Tailed 45%; Lie 15%; Youth Culture Rep 35%

Athletic Stunts: All these years of extreme sports practice has made her very good at performing all sorts of random stuntwork: sliding down fire escapes, climbing the sides of buildings, stuff like that. This is all within reasonable limits, of course; Justine isn’t Neo, she’s just a very physically fit and active young woman.

Freakishly Limber: See Lawyers, Guns, and Money, p.83.

Youth Culture Savvy/Rep: As pertains to skate-punks, stoners, club kids, and such.

MADNESS METER

Violence 0 Hard/1 Fail; Unnatural 0 Hard/0 Fail; Helplessness 2 Hard/0 Fail; Isolation 0 Hard/0 Fail; Self 1 Hard/0 Fail