Clarence has always been easy to underestimate. As a child, he was frail and bookish, a stark contrast to the two strapping brothers who followed him. His father expected little and his mother even less. When his father died, he dared to hope that the world–or at least the rest of his own family–might start to take him seriously. Instead, his younger brother stepped into the role of man of the house without so much as a word of discussion, and Clarence settled into the kind of resentment that either poisons a man from within…or sets him free. Whatever his private truth might have been, he refused to box himself up small to fit the old container designed by his family. He left them back east and headed out west, where a man could supposedly make his own destiny.
Several decades (and deviances) later, he’s become one of Never’s most well-established residents. The demon that heeds his commands is a double-edged sword, but even his detractors can’t ignore the political, financial and social influence that she’s given him.
Clarence Barron
Seth Breakenridge
Ostensibly, Seth works at the Pearl to keep a divinely-sanctioned eye on the demon calling herself Augusta Packer. In practice, the two of them have reached an uneasy detente in their tug-of-war for Clarence Barton’s soul. Seth isn’t a neophyte; he knows he’s being manipulated. He minds less than he should, because the alternative is a return to Heaven and its perpetual tedium. Despite his immortality, he’s never done well with boredom, and the end of the pitched battles between the heavenly host and the armies of Satan has thwarted his soldierly ambitions. Baiting his demonic counterpart at every opportunity adds at least a little spice to waiting around for the Rapture.
Jim Plunket
Jim Plunket is a mountain of a man, tall and broad-shouldered, with a presence that commands respect the moment he steps into a room. As the bouncer at the Pearl, Never’s upscale gambling hall and brothel, he is known for his unshakable calm and steady demeanor. His patience is legendary: Whether it’s breaking up a brawl or quietly escorting an unruly drunk out into the night, Jim always handles things with a measured hand. His deep voice is as soothing as it is firm, and he’s earned a reputation for keeping the peace with little more than a raised eyebrow and a well-timed word.
But beneath Jim’s calm exterior lies a past he’s worked hard to bury. Before Never, he was once part of a notorious outlaw gang, skilled in violence and strategy. His life with them ended in a brutal ambush that left him the sole survivor, carrying the weight of betrayal and regret. He walked away from that life, seeking peace in the Pearl, but his past still haunts him, and he is quietly waiting for the day it catches up.