Caroline Workmaster
The ex-wife of Walter Workmaster is the human and younger sister of the incarnated Gabriel Purallee and the mother of the incarnated Michael. In Angelic terms, she is a very special person chosen to carry one or more Angels back to their incarnated form. Did she knew about it? She had no clue at all. She had no conception that her son, brother and uncle are Archangels until she stumbles upon an Angelic meeting led by Raphael at his AA club in the middle of the night. Like her husband, humans have no ideas that Angels are walking among them and looking after them and Earth. It is a secret which is revealed to her as her uncle facing the hard choice of either erasing the memory of her niece or letting that human know about the presence of Angels in the world, chose the latter risk. Brain washing Caroline is out of the question for him, purely and simply because the Archangel has a soft spot for the human he helped raising but he also has respect for her original individuality, which reminds him of his own self.
When the human parents of Gabriel and Caroline passed away in a car crash, Raphael took them on. Gabriel was fourteen while Caro was just under ten. If the little girl hardly spoke of her childhood, or parents, Gabriel mourns in complete silence in his bedroom for days on end. Their uncle reacted to their loss by providing for them to the brim. He spoilt them. With an army of bodyguards newly appointed nannies to attend to his niece and nephew, Raphael lavished on them. One reason was that the Archangel did not allow himself to have children of his own. More than a niece, he considers Caroline has a daughter, a human he loves watching over or after from afar or close.
Spoilt brat Caroline in his home, took an unusual turn for the better or the worst. She resented having been decorated like a doll by her mother, been put on a mantle piece with the order to stay put and pretty. Caroline, in Raphael’s large clubs, apartments where one can get lost, breaths again. She is rapidly her boisterous self which escapes her appointed ‘nannies’ with an alarming regularity to just enjoy herself. The rejection of her early years, as a child totally dependant on others will, which wanted her to only sit pretty and silent, had all her wishes being fulfilled in Raphael’s guardianship. He freed her personality and let her express herself. She went all tomboy at his at first, wearing dungarees and shirts, with her hair cut short. It then developed into a daring do teenage-hood which Raphael remembers with some fondness: Expect the unexpected and you will have a Caroline standing at the end of it.
Watching over a very human Caroline was like watching over the world for the Archangel, he didn’t know where it will end, where he will have to pick her up next, from a drunken spree in Glastonbury or a police station for taking part in an illegal race car rally with no licence whatsoever and winning it.
Only Gabriel bestowed that calming influence on his sister, only he was daring enough to tell her right off. The growing Gabriel saw Caroline as being too indulged like a danger will happen to her. His good old advice did not blame her for one bit, he just encourage her to make something of herself. He understood the big display she made during her teenage years and where it came from. He channelled her energies to help her concentrate on being her true self, not the negative of someone else wishes upon her. He managed to get her to some sort of studying mode making sure she would go to university.
Wild Caroline met Walter Workmaster at university. He was a charismatic law student who led the others and challenged the old establishment wherever it failed to address current issues. She had had a string of boyfriends prior to him but none quite met what she was after and she split with them very rapidly. She never presented anyone to her fearsome uncle, although he was aware of every single one of them because of his appointed nanny/bodyguards following Caro everywhere. However by then, Caroline, disliking too much scrutiny which prevented the potential for her to be naughty, had developed to an art form ways of escaping their attention and escaping. When his niece finally presented him one of her conquests, Raphael just knew that Caroline was very serious with that particular one. Despite disliking Walter Workmaster who was not afraid to contradict him on any point at first sight, Raphael could only admit that the young man, however humble his backgrounds were, had a positive influence on his niece. Not only was she following the student in his fight for human rights wherever it took him, she was following his advice on many thing such as stopping using recreational drug.
Experimental Caroline cleaned up her act overnight for the blue eyes of Workmaster. He was her perfect match, the man that could captivate her attention for hours on end without boring the life out of her. With Walter she didn’t know what to expect: taking a train to protest by the white house or revising for her exams while he wrote articles fighting for human rights over a picnic sitting on the grass. If her uncle didn’t seem too keen on Walter, all too serious Gabriel befriended the young man. She had no idea that her brother was in fact appointed by her very Archangelic uncle to do so.
Caroline is a bright and vivacious character. She has energy in abundance. Like Walter, she is headstrong and it is hard to stop her if she has decided to fight for something. No one could stop her marrying Workmaster, even if his fortune did not match hers.
The marriage to Walter was an happy one. However her bubble burst dramatically when she saw him break down in front of her eyes. The horrendous death of Wendy devastated the man to a point close to insanity. Caroline felt totally out of her depth and unable to control the situation. Reaching out to Walter was impossible and she saw him almost slipping away from her life as he tried to take his. The prompt intervention of Gabriel rescued the man. But it was a breaking point for the young couple.
Caroline took the tough decision to split from Walter in order to protect her son from seeing his father like that. This made the matter worst rather than better. But the upset Caro is a character that will take clear cut choices without thinking of the consequences or the hurt she may cause. She will engage in a large scale tit for tat. If Workmaster did not consider her and her son in his grief and intention to kill himself, she will hold that grudge against him and just walk off instead of being comprehensive. For her offended, saddened and frightened self, her heart could have screamed to her husband: how dare you wanting to leave us like that. You are ready to depart, me too, watch me and my son walk out of this door.
However Caroline is a character far from proud to have taken that bold step away from broken down Walter. She is laden with regrets. Despite having stepped aside, she keeps tabs upon the welfare of Workmaster. She is desperately worried for him and gets involved with his recovery by making sure the man understands that he will always be able to see his son and keep in contact with him.
At the start of the saga we meet a couple with a past. They are separated but put them in a room together and they have that affection for each other that just transpires from them in millions of subtle ways. Caroline would probably indulge in teasing the downtrodden Walter, but she will also be protective of him verbally.
Caroline has put a stamp on that man for the better or the worse: he maybe an ‘arsehole’ sometimes (the other nickname she has for her Blondie Bear) but he is ‘her arsehole’, the only one allowed to get on her tits in a big way. Forgive my language, this is to give you the feel of plain and straight talking Caro, tomboy at heart that will not take any shit lightly.
I have not many female characters in this saga, however whenever you meet one she will be fighting her own corner. The birth of Caroline in my head was like having a hand full of cards, with the difficult choice to do to chose which one would I lay on the table that can match or just meet Walter Workmaster on a certain level. In the game of cards theme, ‘Caro’ is ‘carreau’ in French: the diamond. She is Walter’s queen of hearts and the treasure of her uncle. Her first name is influenced by MC Solar’s song ‘Caroline’. I had to create my Caroline.
She is a tough cookie girl that can take a right bite and make you crumble. As for visualisation she parades in my mind as a look a like Halle Berry with short hair. No wonder Walter fell for her, she is a stunner.
Let’s meet Caro in quotes:
-Caro, it’s me. The exasperated voice stated,
-I know it’s you, Walter, there’s only one arsehole that can possibly wake me up in the middle of the night! Twelve fifteen, are you drunk out of your mind again?
His lips grinned slightly as he tried to smooth the temper of his ex-wife,
-Caroline, it’s an emergency. I need you at your clinic Asap.
The voice snapped,
-Go to the ER! I haven’t the Au-pair girl tonight. I can’t leave Micky on his own. As you are still talking, I am sure you will survive.
-It’s not for me, Caro. Hunting trip gone bad. ER is a no go. DIY job required, non-disclosure. Take Micky with you.
-I will be there in half an hour. What can I expect?
Walter smiled knowingly, the caring Caroline was now on the line, listening attentively. Somehow he knew he could always count on her.
(verse 3: Calling Earth.)
Caroline pushed her plate in front of her, and looked in desperation at the three men. Then, with almost begging eyes, she pleaded her case directly to Azryel Mortimer, and Raphael, -I only said the truth as I lived it at my door. You can’t frighten people the way that you do without consequences. I am a weak fucking woman and I fucking fainted. And if I had my normal day, my normal night, a smaller shift, less adrenaline, fear and anxiety, a little more food earlier, I would have been my stronger self who would have shown you my two fingers in a rude fashion. Correct me if you will for being honest but what would be the purpose? Teaching me to lie, and be nice when I feel that I am being stepped on, and trampled upon regardless of any feelings I may harbour. You can’t possibly put the constant threat of torture upon my mind, and expect me to say great, I am very happy about that my dear uncle, let’s get on with it! You must be joking. That’s wrong! Honestly, how do you want me not to speak my mind about it at some point?
(verse 22: Eat It All.)
Caroline pulled her legs back against her, feeling a little insecure, and swore, -Blimey! I wish I was not so asthmatic right now, I would ask for a cigarillo and join you in a seen it all, cynical smoke. I am speaking to Death at what, four in the morning, about Angels, Archangels, demons and carriers. Let alone seeing an Antichrist yesterday, at about the same time, and I can only swear like my Walt, in his usual way, ‘that’s a fucked up bloody mess, baby, but don’t worry, we will work it out, eventually.
(verse 23: The Angelic Anonymous Apostasy.)
