Theresa Cassidy

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This page is about the Phase 2 incarnation of the character. For other uses, see Theresa Cassidy (disambiguation).

PHASE 2

Theresa Cassidy
Portrayed by Holland Roden
Codename:	Banshee
Affiliations:
Birthdate:
Journal:	xp_banshee
Player:	Cai

Quote

Blurb covering where your character is now. Very short, no more than three or four lines.

Details

Character Journal: xp_banshee

Real Name: Theresa Maeve Cassidy-Rourke

Codename: Banshee

Aliases: Terry, Terry-Mae, Reese, Teresa/Tracy Rourke, Mae, Cass

First Appearance: December 8, 2018

Date of Birth: October 7, 1986

Place of Birth: Cassidy Keep in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Citizenship: Irish/UK

Relatives: Sean Cassidy (biological father), Maeve Cassidy (nee Rourke) (mother, deceased), Thomas "Black Tom" Cassidy (paternal uncle, "adoptive father"), Patrick Rourke (maternal grandfather).

Education: Graduated from Loreto Grammar School in Omagh, County Tyrone in 2004. Attended Oxford University, earning her BA in Philosophy, Politics, & Economics before going on to earn an MPhil, followed by a DPhil, in International Relations (also from Oxford).

Relationship Status: Dating Kyle Gibney.

Occupation: Former fundraiser for Médecins Sans Frontières, currently fundraising for the Muir Island Research Facility and the Xavier Institute. On the D/L, she forwards money and other items of interest (food, clothing, other basic necessities) to the Underground in New York State.

Team Affiliation: n/a

Biography

Childhood

Shortly after her conception, Terry's father Sean was sent on an undercover, anti-terrorism mission by Interpol, its duration unknown. Terry was born in October of 1986, but her father was still undercover. Her paternal uncle Tom stepped in and helped her mother to maintain the family home. Unbeknownst to Maeve, Tom was heavily involved in the PIRA (Provisional Irish Republican Army) and had been working with them on a few 'special projects.' Unbeknownst to the PIRA, Tom was working on a few very 'special projects' of his own.

On November 8, 1987, just a month after Terry's first birthday, a bomb went off at Enniskillen's Remembrance Sunday ceremony. Tom had helped to plan the explosion targeting the British soldiers parading toward the ceremony — instead, the bomb went off near the town's war memorial, killing eleven civilians, amongst them Terry's mother, and one police officer. Tom, who'd vied with his brother Sean for Maeve's affections before she married Sean, tried to save her and Terry when he realized what had happened. Maeve had taken the brunt of the blast, shielding Terry with her own body, and she succumbed to her injuries shortly after Tom found them.

Tom knew that there was a good chance that Terry would be a mutant, given what he knew about his own family's penchant for powers, and he hoped he'd be able to utilize his niece's potential abilities at some point in the future. So, also knowing that he would be hunted by the PIRA, the loyalists, and the British because of the mistake that'd been made with the bomb's timer, Tom fled to County Mayo with Terry. There, he settled in Coolaba, just outside the Tullaghan Bay & Bog, and raised his niece — calling her his daughter — by himself until her maternal grandfather tracked them down in 1995.

Patrick Rourke was the last of his family in Enniskillen after his wife passed, and he'd heard through several different information pipelines that Tom Cassidy was up to no good in County Mayo with a young, redheaded girl that everyone knew as his daughter. The child apparently bore a striking resemblance to Patrick's daughter, Maeve, which piqued his interest — and his suspicions.

He and his wife had assumed that their granddaughter died at the war memorial with her mother, even though no body was found — she was small, at the time, and very close to the epicenter of the blast. Sean didn't return home from his undercover mission until nearly two years after it began, meaning that Maeve and Terry were already gone when he got back in 1988. Rather than add to Sean's grief by telling him of the daughter he'd never known and lost along with his beloved wife, the Rourkes kept the knowledge of Terry's birth and alleged death to themselves.

Strong words were had between Tom and Patrick, as well as threats of legal intervention and a final ultimatum: Tom would let Patrick leave with Terry — unchallenged — or Patrick would tell Sean Cassidy where his brother had run off to and who he'd taken with him. Tom folded quickly, knowing that any further prying into his business in Coolaba would reveal his network of criminal connections, as well as his involvement in the Remembrance Day bombing. At nine years old, Terry was scared by the angry discussions she overheard, unsure who this old man was and why he was there. She was even more frightened when her 'da' told her that she was going to have to go with the old man she didn't know to a place she'd never been — and that he wasn't actually her da. Patrick Rourke took his granddaughter back to Enniskillen during the winter of 1995, arriving home just in time for a Christmas reunion with her biological father. Needless to say, the holiday was filled with tension and disappointment, anger and frustration. Sean was upset with Patrick for not telling him of his daughter earlier, Patrick was tired of repeating his reasons for keeping Terry' existence a secret, Terry was hurt and traumatized after being so unceremoniously taken from the only family she'd ever known and finding out that the man she'd thought to be her da had been lying to her for her whole life. A new father couldn't take her da's place — not even when her da was a morally grey kidnapper and liar. All the presents on Christmas morning couldn't make up for the fact that she wasn't at home, where she wanted to be. A refurbished room in Cassidy Keep would never hold a candle to the one she'd grown up in and would never see again.

It wasn't until several months into 1996 that Terry began to open up to her new family members. Her relationship with Sean remained strained, mostly because she looked like a young Maeve, but also because she was wary of him. He still worked for Interpol, so he was often out of the country, putting further stress on their tenuous connection. She became closer to her grandfather, though, especially enjoying looking through photo albums and learning about the mother she couldn't remember. Patrick enrolled Terry in the Loreto Grammar School in Omagh, County Tyrone when she turned 11. The school was about a 40 minute drive from their home in Enniskillen, which gave her and her grandfather a bit more bonding time, as he insisted on driving her to and from school himself each day. The private, Catholic school was the best in the area, scoring high across the board for academics, and Patrick wanted her to get the best possible education she could. Attending an all-girl school wound up giving Terry a chance to really come into her own. She gained confidence in herself, made solid friendships, and excelled in her classes.

Manifestation

When Terry was 14, Sean returned to Cassidy Keep unexpectedly after a mission gone wrong. He was injured, but refused to let anyone help him. Given his regular absences during her time at the Keep, Terry still hadn't developed much of a relationship with him, which ultimately led to an argument. She didn't feel she could trust him, and he didn't believe she was making the right decisions while not in school. The argument quickly escalated, only to end abruptly when Terry opened her mouth and a scream came out instead of the words she'd intended. Luckily, Sean was more than proficient with his own powers and managed to shield himself from the sonic blast Terry had unintentionally unleashed. The blast ricocheted off of Sean's sonic shield and left a sizable impact crater in the ancient keep's stone wall. Needless to say, Terry was horrified of what she'd done. In tears, she ran away from Sean, holing up in her room and refusing to open the door, no matter who knocked or what they said. A full two days passed before Sean used his abilities to unlock the door and get into her room. He brought food, which Terry appreciated even though she refused to admit it, and they had a tentative conversation about mutations. Terry was still in shock over what she'd nearly done, the pure violence of it, but Sean explained that he believed, based on what she'd done, that they had a similar powerset. He told her about using sonic vibrations to gently tweak the lock on her bedroom door, then demonstrated with the latch on her window so that she could see her abilities weren't inherently destructive — she just needed to learn control.

Luckily, Sean was more than proficient with his own powers and managed to shield himself from the sonic blast Terry had unintentionally unleashed. The blast ricocheted off of Sean's sonic shield and left a sizable impact crater in the ancient keep's stone wall. Needless to say, Terry was horrified of what she'd done. In tears, she ran away from Sean, holing up in her room and refusing to open the door, no matter who knocked or what they said. A full two days passed before Sean used his abilities to unlock the door and get into her room.

He brought food, which Terry appreciated even though she refused to admit it, and they had a tentative conversation about mutations. Terry was still in shock over what she'd nearly done, the pure violence of it, but Sean explained that he believed, based on what she'd done, that they had a similar powerset. He told her about using sonic vibrations to gently tweak the lock on her bedroom door, then demonstrated with the latch on her window so that she could see her abilities weren't inherently destructive — she just needed to learn control.

Sean offered to teach her.

That summer, Terry and Sean actually managed to work through some of their issues, bonding over their powers and the things that they could do with them. They enjoyed their time together, such as it was, but around the time Terry was set to return to Loreto Grammar School, Sean got a new assignment and left. His departure didn't completely ruin the progress he'd made with Terry, but it certainly set them back a ways.

The Underground

She'd managed to learn enough control to prevent any further incidents, at least, and when she accidentally shattered a tree while practicing on the Keep's grounds, her granda decided to seek out some additional assistance. Patrick revealed that he'd been a part of an organization meant to protect visible and potentially dangerous mutants for decades, ever since his brother-in-law was killed for having a visible mutation. The organization called itself the Underground and had been operating in various capacities since the Cold War. Though it was still bare bones in spots, Ireland's branch worked closely with the Muir Island Research Facility to place visible mutants in safe houses, enclaves, or solitary homes, depending on what the mutants wanted and/or needed.

These connections gave Patrick — and therefore Terry — access to a variety of people who could help with sorting out mutations safely when Sean was away. Terry became heavily involved with the Underground when she turned 16, no longer simply learning from those who actually took part in the organization's operations. She began actively helping to coordinate travel plans for mutants being relocated throughout Europe during the summer before she turned seventeen.

Sean wasn't entirely thrilled with her involvement in the semi-legal organization, but considering the good she was helping with — and feeling that he didn't actually have much of a right to attempt to direct her life or choices, since he was rarely at home and when he was they only really discussed powers training and development — he didn't attempt to stop her. Instead, when he could, he offered what information he had on international issues that might concern the Underground or help to prevent problems for their transportation/shipping routes.

Education & Career

After leaving Loreto Grammar School with top marks and an acceptance letter to Oxford University in her pocket, Terry prepared for furthering her education in the hopes of contributing more to the Underground and the world in general. She picked a Philosophy, Politics, and Economics BA because she felt it would give her the most advantageous starting point from which to plan the rest of her education and career.

She continued working with the Underground through her undergraduate and graduate studies, doing most of her active participation with them over holidays and breaks, focusing mostly on helping to map out travel routes and secure safe houses while at school.

After leaving Oxford with top marks and her Doctorate of Philosophy in International Relations, Terry managed to get a job right away. Médecins Sans Frontières hired her for an entry-level position in fundraising, which allowed her to get her foot one rung up on the career ladder. It's a ladder which she quickly climbed, using a combination of her education and a natural charm. Utilizing connections she made at Médecins Sans Frontières, she continued to work with the Underground.

In fact, thanks to friends from school and university, as well as those mutants she'd managed to place throughout Europe, Terry worked to bolster funding for the Underground specifically, always off to the side and anonymously.

It didn't take long for Terry to become one of the top fundraisers for Médecins Sans Frontières, a position which she enjoyed for a variety of reasons. It let her continue to network, which only benefited those she cared about and wanted to help, while also furthering a legitimately good cause. She was passionate about her job, often going above and beyond to help plan and execute parties, adding personal touches to make potential donors/guests feel welcome.

The Mansion

In the summer of 2018, shortly before her 32nd birthday, Terry wound up sitting down with her grandda and the Underground's UK organizer. The Irish and UK branches was well settled, but they all knew that several of their American chapters were suffering from an overflow of runaways and asylum seekers as their access to funding and safe houses deteriorated. The crackdown by local and state governments on mutants and those who supported them had begun to negatively impact their pipelines — those who'd long offered shelter to mutants on their way elsewhere, or financial assistance for things like clothing and food, began to back away from the Underground, afraid of what might happen to them and their families, should they be caught.

That fear of reprisal and legal consequences quickly began to stifle (and even destroy) the Underground in areas where it had once been successful. The Irish & UK Undergrounds' top coordinators agreed to divert what resources they could to their American counterparts, but they wanted someone specifically familiar with their methods to oversee the transfer of resources and to make sure they were being allocated appropriately.

They asked Terry to take on that job.

Because of the sensitive nature of the work she would be doing and the way the resources would need to be transferred, Terry needed to leave her position with Médecins Sans Frontières and take up a similar job in New York State. The decision was an easy one for Terry to make, though it left her feeling saddened. She did truly enjoy her work with Médecins Sans Frontières, and would miss the friends and colleagues she'd made there.

Luckily, a longtime associate of Terry's granda, Dr. Moira MacTaggart, recommended she look at an open position with the Xavier Institute. It became readily apparent that the Institute was an organization whose principles and tenants aligned with her own. With the job secured, she didn't hesitate to make her way to Westchester that fall — only to find upon her arrival at the location listed as the Institute's main address, that it was very much not what she had expected. Despite the surprise, she felt more than ready to tackle the challenges that would surely come her way.

Physical Characteristics

Height: 5'3"

Weight: 120lbs

Eyes: Hazel-green

Hair: Red

Powers

Preferably more than one line. Describe how their power works, the limits, the applications.

Trivia

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External Links

xp_communication posts

xp_journal posts

xp_logs posts

Plots

2018

The Danger Room Paradox

2021

A Fistful of Nanites

Potomac Calls to Chesapeake

Monster Mash

Meta

Player: Cai

Player Icon Base: Holland Roden

Meta Trivia

Cai picked up Terry as a P2 version in December 2018, using the traditionally female code name of Banshee. She played her until January 2020 when she became a Player Emeritus due to RL demands. She returned to pick up Terry again in March 2021.