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Who's Who in London Hooligans - Bradford "Wormtongue" Dourif
Brad is a heavy and pimp at the Theater Ian McKellan runs. His job is to take care of patrons who get too rowdy and to make sure the prostitutes and rentboys plying their trade in and around the theater don't get into too much trouble. (IE - warn them when there's a cop about, keep the particularly nasty patrons away, warn the boys and ladies about their prospective customers, etc.) He's cynical, slimy, persuasive, rather oddly well-educated for his station in life. Very concenred about keeping the rentboys safe... for personal reasons. As a bit of a pimp, he will take a little off the top of one of "his" boys' earnings... or take them to his own bed. That decision is generally up to the boy.
The reason for Brad's protectiveness is deep. He was a rentboy for a long time... and the man who "looked out for him" often sold him out to a high-class gent with very sadistic tastes. In other words, young Brad was hurt very badly both physically and emotionally. However, thanks to his discreet manner and observance, he knows the underbelly of London inside out and backwards. He knows every seedy bar and brothel, knows nearly every buyers' tastes and quirks. He's well-acquainted with both upper and lower class society and the ticks of each. If you need to know how to find someone or where to go for something, he's your man.
Brad has several "homes" around London depending on where he needs to be and where the coppers are sniffing around at any given time. Though generally if you need him, he'll just happen to show up. Almost precognitive that way.
Nearly everyone calls him either Brad or the more descriptive "Wormtongue". No one really knows what his real surname is, we're not even sure *he* does. He tends to make people listen to him by verbal persuasion and rather snake-like hypnotic eyes.
Brad's history with the other boys in the story is simple. He knows they need to sell themselves on occasion to make ends meet and he's more than happy to help them out with finding a relatively safe customer. He's also not above seeking them out if he's got a customer who he thinks would properly enjoy one of the gang boys. ((IE - That Wilde chap has a thing for tall, pretty boys who can pretend to be innocents... oh, Orlando, cherub...)) He rather playfully keeps suggesting to certain boys that they should work for him full-time... but he does not really expect them to.
Slimy bastrad with a heart of gold... who knew?
