Mordecai Heller .◞⊹ ˖┊🍵

Name: Mordecai Heller
Alias: Elijah Metzger
Killer Joe (by Ruby)

Gender: Male
Age: 28 (1927)
Height: 5'9"-5'10"
Nationality: American; of German/Ashkenazi Jewish descent.
Date of birth: March 28, 1899
Place of birth: New York City, New York

Relatives:
Isaac † (father)
Zipporah (mother)
Esther (younger sister)
Rosa (younger sister)
Ana † (younger sister)

Affiliation(s): Lackadaisy (formerly)
Marigold Gang

Occupation(s): Smuggler
Gunman
Bookmaker (formerly)

Mordecai is an anthropomorphic feline with tuxedo-colored fur and olive-green eyes. He has short fur on the top of his head that falls downwards, and a circular patch of white fur around his mouth that extends to below his nose. He also has white fur under his eyes, complemented by thick, white eyebrows.

Serafine forcibly carved a voodoo protection glyph into Mordecai's chest when he refused to join Master Carrefour's cult. Because of this, he has a bloodstain in that area.

Mordecai's eyebrows are styled in such a way that he always looks angry.

Clothes:
He usually wears the Marigold uniform with a red tie, but sometimes he wears a long black coat with a beige fedora hat or a white collared shirt with suspenders.

His uniform consists of a three-button black suit, a white shirt, and a marigold in his breast pocket.

Mordecai is reserved and professional, but also neurodivergent, with a compulsive attitude toward cleanliness and order. He has an aversion to physical contact, even the smallest friendly gesture, unless initiated by himself. He strives to maintain an intimidating, gunslinger-like image, though he feels uneasy if things don't go his way. Mordecai is a perfectionist, seeking symmetry and sipping his Earl Grey tea for a specific amount of time.

Mordecai was born on March 28, 1899, in New York City, the son of German Jewish immigrants. Before beginning his studies, he suffered from congenital myopia and had to wear glasses. After his father, Isaac, died of a stroke, Mordecai became very protective of his family when they moved to East Manhattan, where they lived in squalid conditions. He only completed his elementary education.

At 13, Mordecai began working as an accountant and bookmaker for con artists, loan sharks, and illegal gambling dens. At 17, desperate for money, he extorted a low-level member of the criminal underworld, murdering him to take his place, and managed to embezzle funds from higher-ranking individuals, though he was later apprehended.

Panicked, Mordecai boards an escape train bound for Chicago or Detroit, leaving all his money behind for his family. However, as he finishes a letter to his mother explaining the situation, he notices two thugs in the car watching him and realizes they're after him. As Mordecai asks for a stamp, the train enters a tunnel, and Atlas emerges from the shadows, sitting on the other side. He and Mordecai exchange a brief glance before Atlas gets up to leave, leaving a revolver inside the newspaper he was carrying. Mordecai takes the revolver and uses it to defend himself and escape his pursuers.

Atlas helps Mordecai overcome his past problems, and Mordecai decides to join Lackadaisy as a sniper. However, after Atlas's death in 1926, Mordecai gets into a fight with Viktor and ends up shooting him in the knee. Later, in early 1927, Asa Sweet hires him as Marigold's hitman.

Atlas May:
Atlas, a calm feline with an expressive brow, possesses the experience to recognize a young man in need of help and the skill to offer it without a word. With a simple glance, a heartbeat, and a weapon concealed in a discarded newspaper, Atlas May provided Mordecai with the tool he needed to break free from fate and take control of his life.

There is little information about the four years between their first meeting on a train in 1916 and the opening of the Lackadaisy Speakeasy. Before becoming a bootlegger, Atlas was known as a restaurateur; he already owned the Little Daisy Cafe, located above the caves that would eventually conceal the true nature of his business when Prohibition came into effect in 1920.

Regardless of the merchandise in question or the task apparently required, Mordecai remained loyal to his service until Atlas's untimely death in 1926.

For Mordecai, a young man in a new city and emancipated from his family for his protection, Atlas May became a fundamental pillar of support. It's possible that Mordecai even adopted Atlas's indifferent and monotonous tone, as well as his permanent frown, in his professional demeanor.

It is evident that Mordecai had a close relationship with Atlas, probably seeing him as a role model or as his teacher; evidence of this is that Mitzi describes Mordecai as Atlas's "rebellious golden boy," which demonstrates an equally deep connection on Atlas's part.

Even after leaving Lackadaisy in search of better opportunities, Mordecai actively conducts private investigations while working for the Maribel Hotel, even going so far as to hide a intended target, Asa Sweet, in order to interrogate him further.

During these inquiries, Mordecai is seen in his most vulnerable state; his vest and jacket are missing, his shirt is stained with blood from the chest wound, and he looks disheveled. This difference from his usual appearance could indicate a desperation to uncover the truth about Atlas's death. He is even willing to let his target escape in exchange for information, implying that he values ​​his investigation into Atlas's death more than loyalty to his new organization. Furthermore, he agrees with the idea that his new position might involve tying up loose ends in Atlas's death, and he is clearly deeply concerned that this might be the case.

Mitzi May:
Mordecai seems to feel little more than contempt for Mitzi. He claims to hold her partly responsible for Atlas's death, adding that she brought her current troubles upon herself and can only bring misfortune to Lackadaisy.

It is established that both Mordecai and Mitzi possess information about Atlas's death that they have not shared with anyone. Additionally, there is a flashback showing them exchanging a gun, though it remains unclear whether this is related to Atlas's death. When interrogating his prisoner, Mr. Grombach, Mordecai emphatically states that, while he has "little interest in defending her," Mitzi did not shoot Atlas, as Grombach has heard through rumors.

Nico and Serafine Savoy:
Mordecai is currently working with Nico and Serafine. They seem to enjoy taking advantage of his difficulties with humor. He asks Asa how he found the siblings, noting that he has trouble understanding them but wants to know more about them if he's going to continue working with "that pair."

Rocky Rickaby:
Mordecai has known Rocky since before he left Lackadaisy. Due to Rocky's immature and childish personality, Mordecai seems to keep a certain distance from him these days.

Rocky offers Mordecai a respectful handshake, calling him "Serious Face." In response, Mordecai calls Rocky ridiculous.

Rocky asks Mitzi if he should confront Mordecai after realizing that their conversation made her cry, but Mitzi tells him to keep his distance.

Viktor Vasko:
Before parting ways with Lackadaisy, they both worked together as hitmen for Atlas.

They fought effectively together, eliminating the opposition and disposing of the bodies. At work, they exchanged jokes (albeit somewhat one-sided) and, in less serious situations, were able to chat informally. There seemed to be respect between them. However, their relationship clearly deteriorated greatly after their separation, when Mordecai shot Viktor in the knee. Since then, they haven't had any contact.

It is implied that Mordecai shot Viktor in the knees as part of an attempt to convince him to retire, shortly before he left Lackadaisy.

• Mordecai is asexual.
• Mordecai is the son of German Jewish immigrants.
• During his childhood, Mordecai's parents made sure that English was the predominant language, although Yiddish and some German were also frequently spoken.
• Regarding his voice, it's from New York, but he tries hard to disguise the accent and generally maintains a combination of formality and inexpressiveness. The only exception would be during one of his intermittent episodes of pure irritation: a hint of his New York accent might surface if he loses his composure.
• The surname of his alias means "butcher" in German, which corresponds well with his profession as a gunman.
• Regarding his appearance, Mordecai wears a tie like a red wound, which further contrasts with his lack of color, both in his clothing and in other aspects.
• As for Mordecai's reading habits, what he reads is undoubtedly profound but dry; Bertrand Russell-esque stuff. There probably aren't many romance novels on his shelf, or fiction of any kind for that matter.
• Atlas found Mordecai while the latter was making a "hasty departure" from New York, and joined Lackadaisy in 1920-1921.
• Mordecai doesn't smoke, and he dislikes the smell of tobacco.
He suffers from congenital myopia, and glasses became necessary when he started school. Mordecai experiences sporadic double vision, and his uncorrected vision is between 20/60 and 20/80 on the Snellen chart.
• Mordecai dislikes rats, pigeons, mice, cockroaches and other vermin... and asymmetry.
• In his teens, he was in love with someone, but it didn't go beyond that.
• Mordecai completed his elementary education and, in terms of cognitive intelligence, is the smartest in his group.

• She prefers to cook her own food, in which the main ingredients are separated or easily identifiable, kosher, and do not contain anything that smells suspiciously like mayonnaise.
Mordecai is usually working even when he's not officially employed. There's almost always something to prepare, and when there isn't, he practices his marksmanship, buys and sells stocks, manages money between accounts, sends mail, reads (more for knowledge than pleasure, according to him), cleans, takes walks, and drinks tea. He also has a talent for mathematics.
• His preferred weapon is an M1911 (a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol manufactured by Colt).
• Mordecai began keeping accounts for con artists, loan sharks, and other criminals of various kinds when he was a preteen.
• It's pretty obvious that Mordecai doesn't enjoy working for Marigold.
• He is not exactly the most socially adept person; when others don't immediately believe the cold, killer persona he wears like a rigid business suit, he doesn't quite know what to do about it.
• Mordecai is an order freak because disorder/lack of hygiene makes him uneasy and reminds him of his past in poverty.
• His favorite drink is Earl Grey tea, infused for 4 minutes and not a moment longer.
• Mordecai's zodiac sign is Aries.

Base of operations: Marigold Room / Hotel Maribel
Leader(s): Unknown senior officials
Asa Sweet
Ally(s): Pig Farmers (subcontractors)
Enemy(ies): Lackadaisy Crew (rivals and competitors)

The Marigold Gang is a crime syndicate based in St. Louis, Missouri, that runs the Marigold Room and the Maribel Hotel, and are the main rivals and competitors of the Lackadaisy gang in the speakeasy business.

Clothes:
His uniform consists of a three-button black suit with a red tie, a white shirt, and a marigold in the breast pocket, although only Mordecai and Serafine bother to wear it.

Leaders:
Asa Sweet: A high-ranking member of the Marigold gang who runs the Marigold Room and works as the night manager at the Maribel Hotel. He was an old friend and business partner of Atlas before his death, and now he wants to ruin Lackadaisy's business. He also has Mordecai, Nicodeme, and Serafine working for him.

Asa's team:
Mordecai Heller: He frequently accompanies Asa and probably isn't afraid to do the dirty work. It's hard to tell, as he always appears completely impassive. He works as a hitman.
The Savoys: A duo of brothers who are Cajun hitmen in the service of Asa.
Nicodeme Savoy: He's a highly skilled feline in hand-to-hand combat, as evidenced by a boxing award. Asa encountered the brothers after they stole shipments of alcohol from him. He decided the cost of trying to eliminate them, both in money and lives, would be too high, so he set out to acquire them for himself, working as a kidnapper.
Serafine Savoy: A feline who owns an automatic rifle she affectionately calls Boudreaux. She doesn't hesitate to use it.

Base of operations: Lackadaisy Speakeasy / Little Daisy Café

Leader(s): Mitzi May
Founder(s): Atlas May (former leader/boss)
Ally(s): Arbogastos (suppliers)
Enemy(ies): Marigold (rivals and competitors)

The Lackadaisy crew, or Lackadaisy gang, is a crime syndicate based in St. Louis, Missouri, that manages and operates both Little Daisy Café and its namesake Lackadaisy Speakeasy.

Mitzi May:
Mitzi May is the current leader of Lackadaisy Crew, owner and manager of the Little Daisy Café and the Lackadaisy Speakeasy since the death of her husband Atlas May in 1926. Before his passing, she was the lead vocalist of the resident band at the Lackadaisy Speakeasy.

Viktor Vasko:
Viktor Vasko is the current bartender at the Lackadaisy Speakeasy; he used to be a gunman, but his knees were seriously injured during a confrontation with his former partner, Mordecai Heller, which prevented him from returning to that profession.

Dorian "Zib" Zibowski:
Zib is the leader of the resident band at the Lackadaisy Speakeasy, which performs regularly at the venue despite the decline following the death of Atlas May.

Rocky Rickaby:
He was originally a member of the Lackadaisy Speakeasy's house band, where he played violin. However, after Atlas May's death and Viktor Vasko's incapacitation, Rocky became the Speakeasy's main rum supplier and a gofer for Mitzi May.

Calvin "Freckle" Allen McMurray:
Calvin McMurray, or Freckle, is Rocky's younger cousin and companion. Before accidentally becoming a rum smuggler for the speakeasy Lackadaisy, Freckle was training at the police academy from which he was expelled after some kind of incident.

Ivy Pepper:
Ivy Pepper is the daughter of Ruby Pepper and goddaughter of Atlas May, having known the original band since she was a kitten. She's studying at Saint Louis University while primarily working as the head cashier at the Little Daisy Café, a front for the Lackadaisy speakeasy; she also occasionally helps with bootlegging alongside Rocky and Freckle as Lackadaisy's "New Troop."

Members of the Lackadaisy Speakeasy band:
Dorian "Zib" Zibowski
Ben
Mozzie Alonzo
Sy
JJ
Walter
Rocky Rickaby (formerly)
Mitzi May (formerly)

Atlas May:
Atlas May was the original owner and operator of the Little Daisy Café and the Lackadaisy Speakeasy, which he founded in St. Louis in 1920. In 1926, Atlas was violently murdered under unknown circumstances; his wife, Mitzi May, who was the lead vocalist of the Lackadaisy Speakeasy's resident band, succeeded him as the owner of the establishment.

Mordecai Heller:
Modercai Heller works as a smuggler and hitman for the Marigolds, despite having been a member of the Lackadaisy gang.