lenzpolzin | APPLICATION

BASICS

name
Lorenz Marcel Polzin

alias
Lenz

division
Security

occupation
Gate Guard/Surveillance Officer
Detainment Officer

Lenz spends most of his professional life meeting people at the Station's front gate or observing surveillance cameras/monitoring the security system. It's pretty dull work but it requires an attentive eye and he's got that. When a Liminal threat gets through the force field or a situation among residents escalates to dangerous levels, he's also called in to contain the threat.

age & dob
33 34 & July 23rd (Leo)

pronouns
He/Him

family
Wendel Polzin (father)
Teresa Polzin (mother)
Erika Polzin (older sister: 35)
Thorsten Polzin (older brother: 34)
Lukas Polzin (younger brother: 32)
Lucia Polzin (younger sister: 30)
Josef Polzin (younger brother: 28)
Klara Polzin (younger sister: 27)
Gabriel Polzin (younger brother: 25)

CONCEPT

Reformed(?) petty criminal and teleporter could go anywhere, somehow got stuck here.

POWERS

portal teleportation.
Lenz has the ability to generate portals which can instantly transport anyone or anything that passes through them from one location to another. These portals appear as areas of pitch darkness that are nearly invisible in low light.

While there seem to be no limitations in terms of distance when it comes to generating these portals, Lenz can only create portals in areas that he can see directly or that he has been to before, which does prevent him from going wherever he wants whenever he wants. Much to his chagrin. Generally, these portals only appear for a few seconds and are no more than five feet in diameter, though he can increase their longevity and their dimensions with a maintained effort. While creating these portals comes to him naturally, it requires focus and so it's difficult for him to use his powers when he's mentally fatigued or impaired.

living portal + pocket dimension.
Lenz can also infuse his body (in whole or in part) with the substance that makes up his portals. When he does so, anything that passes through this living portal version of himself will be transported into a pocket dimension. This inter-dimensional space fluctuates in size and is dimly lit by floating motes of light. The space itself seems to be nothing but darkness and doesn't adhere to natural laws. There's no gravity, leaving everything within it to float aimlessly, and sounds seem to be echoed in flickers from the drifting lights. Whether this environment is relaxing or unsettling is a matter of opinion.

While Lenz has no idea of how this space exists or became connected to him, he doesn't care much. It's useful. He can escape into it whenever he chooses, he can keep things in it, and he can even (occasionally) drop someone into it if they need a timeout. So who's he to question a good thing? While in this altered state, Lenz is difficult to harm physically, as most things will simply pass through him and into his pocket dimension.

Occasionally, this infusion begins to happen without his conscious effort and small areas of black proto-portal rise on his skin in peculiar patterns. But it's easy to dismiss once he's noticed it's happening, so who really cares?

PERSONALITY

Lenz grew up pushing back against everything in his life and has never quite unlearned that approach. He moves through the world like everyone and everything he encounters is a potential obstacle he'll have to either outmaneuver or break his way through. That isn't to say that he keeps his distance from others or even that he's bad company, just that he's cynical and slow to trust or form relationships that aren't just shallow fun. He's clever, impulsive, curious, and carries himself with an unearned confidence in most situations, giving off the impression that he thinks he can handle anything. And he does, right up until things go sideways. Despite his many flaws, he's deeply loyal to the people he cares about and seeks to take care of them however he can. So he's not a total shit heel. He's rarely fully satisfied with anything -- himself included -- and has an underlying restlessness that pushes him to improve (or at least change) and find new experiences.

🌀 Confident. Devil-may-care. Loud. Brash. Impulsive. Brave until he's not. Gets in over his head.
🌀 Independent. Contrary. Defiant. Resents being told what to do, even when it doesn't matter. Stubborn. Capricious.
🌀 Curious. Observant. Keen to improve. Clever. Mischievous. Seeks out new experiences. Full of wanderlust. Never fulfilled.
🌀 Outgoing. Glib. Likes to talk. Likes to listen. Intrusive. Direct.
🌀 (Over)Protective. Loyal to his people. Tries to control people to keep them safe. Distrustful. Cynical.

likes. Independence. Acting on impulse. Going new places. Trying new things. Getting away with anything. Challenges. Schemes. Secrets. Being in the know. His powers. Late nights. Stargazing. Cats. Cigarettes. Pocketing small shit for no reason. Games of all sorts. Motorcycles. Kitschy vintage junk.

dislikes. Being controlled. Being monitored. Feeling stuck. Confined spaces. Feeling bored. Quiet. Awkward silences. Organized religion. Black-and-white perspectives. Pointless rules. Paperwork and red tape. Speed limits. Rich assholes.

APPEARANCE

Lenz is tall (6'1"), lean, and pale with blonde hair that's brushed back and hangs just above his shoulders. His wardrobe leans into a careless rockabilly aesthetic with button-up shirts (of the loud and rarely fully buttoned variety), dark jackets, slim cuffed jeans, and boots. He has a number of old scars scattered across his body, but nothing to write home about. He also has black markings that periodically appear on his skin as the energy of his portals seeps out and fuses into him; these markings tend to appear in inexplicable patterns rather than random splotches and can be easily dismissed once he notices they're there. He has complete control over his powers. What are you even on about?

It's not unusual to see Lenz smoking. He knows he should quit but so many people have told him to that he never will.

HISTORY

Lenz grew up in rural Minnesota and was one of eight children in a strict, fundamentalist Christian household. Obedience, faith, and hard-work were the foundations of his upbringing but he never had the disposition for any of that. He was a wild kid, impulsive and curious and headstrong, from a young age, which constantly put him on the wrong side of his parents. He got scolded and punished constantly. He got knocked around a little when his father was in a particularly foul mood. He resented his parents as a result but became protective of his siblings, often causing a bigger ruckus or taking the blame for their shortcomings so he'd get their wrath instead. There was always another punishment around the corner anyway. As he got older, he thought about running away, but he could never quite do it. His siblings needed him. Especially Lucia. She'd never been good at keeping in line either.

He was thirteen when the rifts appeared. There was one almost directly above his small town. His family and their religious community reacted with talk of end times and the devil and how the rifts were demons' eyes opening to look down on humanity; they went even further off the deep end and pulled their kids out of school, taking away one of their few places of respite. This went on until Lucia developed Liminal powers when Lenz was sixteen and she was only thirteen. Terrified, she confided in him. Not knowing how their parents would respond but knowing that it would be bad, he convinced her that they needed to run away and keep off the radar until she was eighteen so nobody (not their parents and not IRIS) could decide her fate for her. A few nights later, they did.

For two years, Lenz and Lucia drifted around the country. In each town or city they ended up in, he'd find work and get enough cash to get them to the next place. Sometimes they traveled by bus. Sometimes they hitchhiked. Occasionally they ran into a bit of trouble, but with Lenz's resourcefulness and Lucia's powers, it always worked out. Even when it was hard, the freedom was invigorating to Lenz. During this time, he dabbled in shoplifting and the occasional bit of vandalism, but it was no big deal and sometimes it made all the difference for them. Eventually, though, Lucia's powers were observed and reported by a 'concerned citizen', bringing IRIS to their door. Lenz was eighteen at the time and couldn't be sent back home, but Lucia was only fifteen and was taken into IRIS custody. He couldn't do anything about it and that was hard to take.

Reluctantly, Lenz looked for somewhere to put down roots. There was no more reason to run and having a permanent address would make it easier to keep in touch with his sister. Maybe he could even build up a little nest egg for them once she was out of that fucking school. He was in Nevada at the time and so did the obvious thing: he went to Las Vegas. He worked in a few hotels before getting a job in a casino when he was twenty-one. He first worked as a server, then as a dealer, and finally as a security officer/surveillance officer after he proved to have an eye for picking out cons and bullshitters at the table. It was good work and he was good at it. During this time, Lenz texted and called his sister frequently and the two remained close. However, the longer she was there, the more Lucia told him that she liked the school and she felt safe there. He found this hard to believe and the two occasionally argued about it. He didn't trust IRIS to take care of her; he was the one that was supposed to take care of her. When Lucia was eighteen, she apologetically told him that she didn't want to come live with him after graduation and that she'd made plans to go to school and complete an internship with IRIS. She also urged him not to worry about her and to do what he wanted for himself instead. To Lenz, this felt like a betrayal and a rejection. The two argued again and he lost his temper, cutting off contact with her, though he immediately regretted it.

Lenz continued working in the casinos until he was twenty-four and his own Liminal powers emerged. After a panicked day of being stuck in his own pocket dimension (look, it could happen to anyone!), he thought about calling Lucia. But he didn't. His pride wouldn't let him and she was affiliated with IRIS now; she would just report him and force him to get registered. He wasn't interested in being under anyone's control. Instead, he made the most of it, experimenting with his new powers and seeing what he was capable of. What he could get away with. He started getting into places he wasn't supposed to be, taking things he wasn't supposed to take, and indulging in petty lawlessness. Stealing from rich assholes in the hotels he used to work at and around the casino was a victimless crime as far as he was concerned. He only told his closest friends about any of this and assumed that his secrets would be safe. Eventually, though, a friend with some questionable connections slipped up in front of the wrong people.

Soon there were real underworld types at Lenz's door, making demands of him. They wanted him to hide things where they'd never see the light of day and to help them maneuver around the authorities. They wanted him there whenever they needed him for a reasonable fee and no questions asked. Otherwise, they'd rat him out to IRIS. Maybe visit that sister of his too. Lenz was stunned and furious and cornered, which was a feeling he'd thought he'd escaped forever with his powers. But here he was again. He did as he was instructed for six months, but it just got worse and worse as time went on. This shit felt dirty. Begrudgingly, he reached out to his sister for help. She was distraught about the mess he'd found himself in but still agreed to help. She had contacts now. In the end, he was given probation (along with a monitoring device that tracked his location), a lot of people went to jail, and he was allowed to get work at Enodia Station when it first opened. By then, he was twenty-eight.

While Lenz still distrusts IRIS, resents being registered, and complains openly about the situation...he likes working at Enodia Station most of the time. At least it isn't boring. And it's allowed him to start repairing the relationship with his sister. He was there for the unexplained event -- the blip -- at the Station a few months ago and, like many, lost control of his powers. He ended up snapping through dozens of locations he'd never seen -- in his memory, some of them didn't even seem like part of this world -- before fainting. He woke up somewhere in Socotra a day later. So that was a ride. He's still trying to piece it together.

During the three months the Station was closed, Lenz was backpacking through Europe and Asia. Might as well build up the old repertoire of teleportation destinations now that he had the time and the money, right? Plus...he was feeling restless after everything.

NOTES

🌀 Lenz has a mangy black cat named (Old) Scratch that he found while in transit to the Station. This cat comes and goes from his apartment as he pleases and is notorious for seeming to appear out of nowhere. Clearly, they're kindred spirits. Scratch has huge yellow eyes that stare right into your soul and a raspy meow, but is actually quite sweet.

🌀 After years working in a casino, Lenz is exceptional at card games, counting cards, and fancy shuffling. He's also exceptional at picking up tells and catching would-be cheaters. Less impressively, he's good at card tricks. Look, he knows no one wants to see them but sometimes you just pick stuff up, okay?

🌀 Always looking for something new to stave off boredom, Lenz spends a surprising amount of time in the Recreation Center trying out...everything. If there's a class being taught there, he's probably taken it or is planning to take it. Is he any good at the majority of the things that he tries? Not at all. Does he care? Not at all.

🌀 Lenz speaks German. His family has been in the United States for many generations, but the town and the religious community he grew up in were rooted in German ancestry and the language has simply stuck around in his family. If their names didn't give that away. It's whatever. Anyone want to go to Berlin?

🌀 He has a vintage motorcycle that he purchased and a former partner restored for him. He knows enough to take care of it but not enough to actually fix it when something inevitably breaks.

OOC

Kasey (he/him) . CST . Rhys Wakefield . Dropbox

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