Daphne

Daphne Rousseau
Portrayed By	Caroline Dhavernas
Gender	Female
Date of Birth	20 November 1982
Age	25
Zodiac Sign	Scorpio
Aliases	Daph, Animal Planet
Place of Birth	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Current Location	New York City, NY, USA
Occupation	Animal Handler
Known Relatives	Mom. Dad.
Significant Other	None
Known Abilities	Animal Telepathy
First Appearance	Happy Singles' Awareness Day

History

Daphne's History! (Part One)

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Daphne was born in Quebec, Canada, to two loving parents who were fairly well-off. She was still very young when her family picked up and moved to the United States, so she doesn't remember her so-called 'Homeland' at all, and considers herself a New Yorker at heart, unable to really see herself anywhere else. In any case, her younger years weren't really very exciting. She went to school like any other kid, dealt with the stress of being a young adult just like every other teen, and still managed to hold decent grades. She didn't graduate at the top of her high school class, but she was closer to the top than the middle.

Even when she was younger, she liked animals, though most girls her age thought kittens and puppies were absolutely adorable. Her parents only allowed her a pet hamster, though, since they liked to maintain a clean apartment. That was okay with her, and she and her succession of small rodent companions got along quite well.

Daphne moved out of her parents' high-rise at the age of 19, with their blessing and some of their money. She was able to afford a modest house for herself with what they gave her, though they made it clear that she'd have to earn a living through her own hard work. The Bronx Zoo was about the /last/ place she considered, honestly, and actually worked for a year at a temp agency before she started looking for other work. During that interim, she got herself a cat and a Westie terrier, and over time, added a few more animals to the household.

It wasn't until she got a job cleaning up animal poo at the zoo that she realised that she seemed to understand animals more than she should be able to. At first, it was like hearing whispered conversations that were just out of her range, but eventually, there was more to it than that. Her cat was the one who first caused her to come to the conclusion that animals were actually talking to her when it asked for food several times in a row— it also caused her to realise that most animals are bad conversationalists and have one-track minds.

Daphne's History! (Part Two)

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Daphne was, of course, totally freaked out at first, though she hesitated on a trip to the doctor for fear of being diagosed with the Crazy. The poor girl was at wit's end before she figured out that not only could animals talk to her, but she could talk to them, as well. Again, it was her cat that really helped her there. She imagined it leaving her alone, which caused it to walk away. Thinking it was a fluke, Daphne pictured it jumping up on the counter, which it did.

In time, she learned to 'speak' to animals in more than just visual cues, though the commands had to remain simple - and even simpler for animals with little intelligence. Given her repertoire with the zoo's creatures, it wasn't long before she moved from picking up their waste to running bird shows with the raptors. It wasn't her first choice, since birds of prey can be notoriously headstrong, but she gets along with them fairly well.

Daphne enjoyed her job, and because of her talent and her current place of employment, decided to start going to school for specialised veterinary medicine. Sure, she thought her ability was weird, and she still thought she must be somehow crazy to be able to do it, but the truth was, it wasn't something she could just ignore. It was perfect, too… She could work at the zoo during the day, and take classes at night. It was a slow process, but Daphne wasn't in a hurry.

The zoo needed press, and with the outdated pamplets they already had, they eventually hired a photographer to help them update and make themselves more modern. The photographer's name was Laurel Halifax, whom Daphne met on a tour through the raptor area. They had enough in common that they became friends not too long after that, least of all because their names happened to mean just about the same thing - coincidence, really. In any case, it was nice to have a good friend, though Daphne still hesitated to tell anyone about her ability - again, because people didn't just develop things like that out of the blue, and it was /insane./

Timeline

(Click for February - April)

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• Daphne and Laurel meet at a park in the zoo. Laurel freaks out and makes a shield, Daphne freaks out at the shield, they both freak out together, and then Daphne admits she can talk to animals. Everyone's crazy. (Happy Singles' Awareness Day)
• Laurel shows Daphne some pictures with the weird helix symbol on them. The two women decide they must not be alone in having weird abilities, after Daphne sees pictures of a woman throwing fire. Laurel then spends the nght over at Daphne's house. (Alien Genes, Daphne's Little Zoo)
• While trying to figure out what's going on with herself and her best friend, she meets other people who kind of weird her out. (Birds without Bees, A Bum with a Theory)
• Finally, Daphne acquires a copy of Activating Evolution! (Pigs Don't Fly)
• Seriously, she talks to animals. Seriously. (Keep Mama Dog with her Pack)
• She just went to the pet store to get supplies for her own animals. But Daphne ends up leaving with a very sick rabbit, discovered at the same time as some guy named Peter. (Save the Bunny, Save the World)
• Finally cornering Jane, Daphne learns that not all people with abilities are good, and recieves an additional warning about some guy named Gabriel Gray. (Yeah, I Have Friends)
• Since talking to Jane, Daphne's been a little paranoid about 'bad people,' and takes it out on a zoo visitor. (Wrong Answer)
• Lachlan and Daphne find each other at the zoo again, and the former asks about the welfare of the painted dogs. Lach challenges Daphne's ability to take care of animals, and she's understandably upset. (It's Raining Camel Spit)

May - July

• The rabbit that Daphne rescued with Peter is finally out of the hospital, and, thusly wrapped in a green ribbon, she's taken to the apartment of one Laurel Halifax for safekeeping. (Lucky Rabbit Foot)
• Daphne heads to a bar after work, with a little stowaway who scares the other patrons. (Happy Birthday to... Someone)
• Daphne meets Lachlan's sister, Megan, at Starbucks. Her parrot is a pain in the ass. (Aliens in Starbucks)
• Yeah, this is where Daph learns not to torment geeks, for they shall inherit the earth. Or something. Daphne, now with 100% more Australian. (Sudden Attack of Australian)
• Right after Natalie changed her accent, Daphne runs to Laurel for a little support. Laurel is the best friend ever. (Ice Cream and Dogs and Sandler)
• Lach comes to check on the puppies and gets bad news. And a surprise. (What Time is it When an Elephant Sits on your Lachlan?)
• Daphne digs herself deeper. (The First Rule of Holes)
• And Deeper. (Don't Dig Yourself Deeper)
• Finally, she tracks Natalie down, and ends up in the hospital. (Bad Words)
• And Laurel comes for a visit! (Hospitals Make Laurel Paranoid)
• Wherein Laurel's rabbit dies. Twice. (DEAD PINK BUNNIES!)
• Naked Mole Rats + Jaden = LoL! (Dial S for Stoppable)
• A zoo benefit and an escaped rhino. The first time Daphne could really help out, she's knocked out cold. (Curse you, PETA)
• Never heard of Songbirds!? (Passeriformes)
• The log title explains itself. (COVERED IN BEEEEEEES)
• Rudyard Kipling returns for his ARTHROPOD VENGEANCE or something. (OMG HAI)

Relationships

Friends

• Laurel Halifax is Daphne's best friend. They met when Laur was shooting photos for a new zoo brochure, and became really close friends after that. Laurel was also the first person Daphne told about her ability. Where Daphne is the outgoing one, Laurel is more reserved.

Acquaintances

• Daphne met Jane Forrest on the streets of New York one day, and the pigeons told her that she had some sort of ability. Later, Daphne spotted the woman leaving the same apartment complex that Laurel had just moved into, and the two got to talking about what they could do. Jane also warned her about Sylar.
• Lachlan Deatley is a guy from Scotland who can also speak to animals. They met at the zoo, and Daphne still isn't sure what to think of him. He can be a little brash… Then again, so can she.

Enemies

• Natalie Foster is Daphne's adversary at the moment, even though neither of them actually know the other's name. Daphne decided to taunt the nerd and push her just a little bit too far, and found herself slapped with an Australian accent. SHE IS NOT AMUSED.

Quotes

• "Come on, Steve Irwin was awesome. And there's plenty of guys here with accents. Actually, there's one guy here that only speaks Russian, I think, but he cleans up the elephant poo, so I don't see him much."
• "I just want to know if we, like, walked through slime like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 'Cuz I think I'd remember if we did."
• "…And there's an octopus at the zoo who's really smart, and it's actually good for a conversation. Weirdest thing…"

Trivia

• Daphne's best friend is Laurel Halifax.
• Lately, a small parrotlet in Daphne's possession - named Velociraptor - has taken to stowing away with her whenever she leaves the house. She talks all the time, and since Daphne has been communicating with her, she's developed a personality, often using phrases like 'LOL' or 'BRB' or the like.