Marissa "Honey" Haverford (born 14 August 2069) is the madam of the brothel running out of Barnum's Bazaar.

Early life and family

Honey Haverford is a lifelong resident of Rivertown, being born and raised in the Benson neighborhood just a few short blocks north of her current location in Concord. She was the youngest of four children of a happy family, all of whom are either dead or moved away years ago and are unaccounted for in the wake of the superflu.

She attended Harmony University in Rivertown on a full scholarship to study music. She loved literature and participating in community theater. After graduating college, she took two years off and hitchhiked the length of South America alone, making many friends along the way. Upon returning to Rivertown, she managed a co-op grocery store and participated in many community events, both paid and as a volunteer. In the days of the plague and social unrest, she cared for the sick in their dying hours as she herself happened to possess a natural immunity to both strains of the disease. Nearly all of those she tended to left her their worldly possessions. In the worst years she would give scavengers passing through with small children shelter for a night, though this practice ended after she narrowly escaped a harrowing assault by slashing her attacker across the face with a kitchen knife. In the months that followed she failed in a half-hearted suicide attempt.

In 2096 she caught wind of Barnum and his small Bazaar operating in her neighborhood and she moved into the abandoned apartment next door. Barnum helped her move her many small inheritances to this location and Haverford; she gave him a percentage of the goods in form of payment, which added a new dimension to the Bazaar's offerings and helped it take off. She and Barnum have a very close relationship but were never lovers. By 2103, Concord was a settlement with walls and the Bazaar was enjoying regular and repeat visitors. It was at this time she opened her brothel in Bazaar, with Barnum's permission.

Disposition and traits

Haverford is a quick-witted intellectual who loves laughter and is fascinated and depressed by the human race and its capacity for great love and great evil. She has a voracious appetite for books and enjoys dropping quotes and literary allusions that are lost on almost everyone. She also has a bookshelf full of word games and puzzles that occupy her during the slow hours.

Haverford is also prone to deep bouts of depression that are only alleviated by human interaction. Sitting quietly alongside Barnum helps her tremendously, as does the companionship of other women in Concord. She enjoys her work as a madam and prostitute as she places no moral or ethical value on sexual relations; rather, she sees herself as providing a valuable service of providing comfort for those in need in a harsh world.

Goals and motivations

Haverford is deeply committed to the community of Concord and wants to see its citizens happy, healthy, and thriving. She cares deeply for each of the women working with her (for she sees her role as madam as a purely administrative function) and, with Barnum's approval, deals harshly with anyone who attempts to abuse her girls or attempts to dominate them behind closed doors.

Though she loves Concord and its residents, the philsophical part of her wrestles with the fact that their community is underwritten by violence and prostitution. Unlike Barnum who sees this as purely a means to an end, from time to time it can plunge her into depression.

Primary residence

Haverford lives in Concord, spending some nights in the company of strangers at the Bazaar, and others in her own apartment in the building next door.

Attributes and Abilities

Haverford is a charmer and a sweetheart, but also extremely intelligent with a strong sense of self-preservation. She knows a number of self-defense maneuvers and has literally dozens of weapons stashed around the Bazaar that are always within reach and she knows how to use them. While Haverford is not a trained fighter and could be quickly defeated by a stronger foe, in most cases she could hold her own until she could summon reinforcements. However her real strength is how she makes others feel, and she has many repeat customers who bring her lavish gifts.