Background

Coco grew up in an abusive household with three brothers and sister as a middle child. And was expected to do well in school, find an unremarkable job to get by and marry for stability. She performed poorly in class, and became a juvenile delinquent who'd skip class, smoke and steal as a teenage rebel to escape her domestic situation. Fed up with her behaviour, her father threw her out of the house to live on the street. Camilla was happy to do just that.

She found the homeless life to be demeaning, but still preferable to physical and emotional abuse. After she caught the eye of one of her neighbourhood's wiseguys and confided in him her childhood dream of becoming a singer, he promised he could get her a gig at one of the clubs. But only if she'd return the favour. Though she found him unattractive, she nonetheless put out for him in order to make enough money to get away from the dangerous life of living as a hobo.

The venue turned out to be a speakeasy, and the owners were affiliated with the mob. Undeterred, Camilla chose the stage name "Coco" to sound more exotic, in reference to her brown hair. She was able to make a generous amount of money for such a small audience, and she understood the unspoken agreement to keep the names and business of the place's clientele confidential. There were high society types who could have afforded to attend better, legal establishments. And the reason they weren't was likely owed to the shady character of her spot, and uncomfirmed rumours of those patrons.

She started networking with some of her audience who had connections in the music scene to move up in the world. At the same time making sure it was okay with her "boyfriend" and she wasn't breaking any code of silence. He was beginning to become disinterested with her, while still treating her as his kept woman. The price of being allowed on a longer leash was information on some of the high profile individuals she'd meet. Especially in law enforcement and the justice system. She was to obtain blackmail material, keep tabs on persons of interest, and exchange favours with suitably compromised people.

She felt this meant it was safe to start seeing other people who were a lot handsomer than him. That continued for a few years without incident, her career starting to take off as she graduated to more respectable clubs and bars all whilst learning the "who's who" of the underworld. Until she heard news that one of her former flings had been sent to the hospital after a brutal beatdom from her "mob husband". She learned, much to her relief, that the other gangsters considered it "foolishness" and a simple outburst of cropped-up jealousy towards a male rival for her affections that led to his arrest. And that she hadn't inadvertently done something to put her own life at risk.

Even so, she took the opportunity to sever ties for good, and started to leak a great deal of confidential information that could have come only from her, or him, to the investigators looking into her ex's connections. Making it look as if he was beginning to turn state witness on his mob buddies to get himself off the hook. At the same time using her guile to make the victim of the assault drop the charges and putting pressure on the right people at the court to ensure he'd walk. Thereby completing the picture that he'd broken the code of silence, and earn him the suspicion of his organization.

As a back-up, Coco got in touch with the RIS and explained her situation, and offered her services in exchange for both legal and possibly personal protection. Having been required to hang out with shamuses in the past, her new affiliations have enough plausibility for her to join the office. The double-agent act provides her sufficient cover, though it still means she's sometimes kept out of the loop. As long as the people who could make her life difficult keep disappearing behind bars, that's a fair price in her opinion.

Appearance

Coco is a tall and shapely squirrel in her mid 20's. She has sleek brown hair and dark blue eyes, and a sultry singing voice. She's commonly seen out in public in an evening dress for her stage performances, and has an extensive wardrobe for more casual civilian guises. Having become addicted at a young age, she's also seen smoking on occasion.

Personality

Flirty and troublesome, Coco is used to manipulating men into giving her what she wants. Because of her past experience with her family and mobster partner, she considers familial ties to be like chains keeping her in place and is unwilling to commit to any long term relationships. Preferring to remain independent. Having to rely on others is a vulnerability she intends to avoid.

Despite her past crimes and willingness to cross boundaries to get what she wants, Coco draws the line at violence. Persons who use force as a first resort disturb her. While she acknowledges that is hypocritical from someone who demonstrated no scruples about providing information to the mob in the past while knowing they'd use it for assault and murder, she has worked to correct her mistake. To say she is a bit of a coward when confronted with physical force wouldn't be inaccurate, however.

Abilities

Coco has a good memory for people she's met and what secrets they shared. And has had a career in getting them to let loosen some of those secrets. As a moderately famous singer, she revels being the centre of attention with her captivating voice and good looks. Which she has both used to seduce various people in order to make connections within the world of celebrity and official circles.

Though she has begun to carry a snubnose revolver around somewhere hidden on her person at all times, she isn't very proficient beyond point blank range. It is more in case of self defence should one of her former mob associates ever figure her out and threaten her.

Quotes from the old combined character page:

<Jelle> She goes by the civilian name Camilla Pinebarren, a name that just screams "9 to 5 coffee lady at the office". With the stage name "Coco", which just screams nazi collaborator.
 <Jelle> A squirrel who grew up in a bad household, she was thrown out on the streets for juvenile delinquency.
 <Jelle> She caught the eye of a local wiseguy, who promised to fulfill her dream of becoming a singer if she'd return the favour.
 <Jelle> She ended up at a place with some famous clientele who'd only have been at that place if they had shady business.
 <Jelle> Coco got paid rather handsomely for her implied silence and discretion, but eventually wanted to move away from a place run by the mob.

<Jelle> She was required to provide them information on people in higher cirlces in exchange for letting her off the leash, but was scared straight when her ex beat up one of her new associates out of jealousy.

<Jelle> To arrange for her exit from the mob, she conspired to make it look like he'd turned state witness by leaking information to investigators while simultaneously getting him off the hook for assault charges, to make the impression he'd ratted more plausible.

<Jelle> She joined the RIS to help them put more of the mobsters out to pasture, just in case her personal situation needs greater distance from her criminal past.