‎‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎His father, Marius Barnabé Darmon was from a very wealthy land owners family in Provence, and his mother, Estelle Benduran, was a singer from Alsace.
Marius was initially destined to an arranged marriage but he fell in love with Estelle when he was invited to a rendition of La Traviata by her traveling troupe of singers. He decided to go against his family's wishes and married Estelle. This caused an irreversible break between him and the rest of the Darmon family.
The two lovebirds decided to run away and bought a small farm in a remote village in Provence, where they made an honest if quite modest living growing crops and handling cattle.

Even before becoming a widower, Marius had always been known for his unexpected mood swings. One of Lip's earliest memories was a particular episode of his father having drunk himself to a near-stupor and being berated by his mother for it, proceeding to push her out the door, forcing her to sleep outside for the night. He could turn violent in the blink of an eye. This made Lip develop a reflex of flinching and covering his face when tones get heated around him, a habit he has yet to grow out of to this day.
Marius' justification for his violent and often unjustified outbursts towards his spouse and child was a chilling one: "beat them even if you don't know why - they'll know".

Due to his skittish nature, he would spend most of his time actively avoiding people. When he wasn't hiding on the roofs and watching people walk in the streets below, he'd pick pockets, steal from the general store, or beg for money to survive.
The roof above the gun store was his prefered sleeping place.

The life of a petty criminal wasn't for Lip.
A devout catholic, he was torn between his need to survive and his will to follow his faith. This conundrum would make him develop a tendency for self-deprecation and a complete lack of confidence.

This is when he first met Jacco Vinke. The two first came across each other in an alley. Lip, seeing a lot of himself in the freshly arrived dutchman and always chasing the promise of a tip, took it upon himself to show him around the city. Jacco would take advantage of Lip's naiveté and try to rob him at gunpoint. An unlikely friendship stemmed from that situation and the two remain very close to this day.
The two men would sometimes frequent The Four Horsemen Saloon, then owned by Cosmo Kray as he was named at that time. This is where Lip got his fortune read by Kincaid Faraway (the rabbit, the trail, the horseshoe, and the wolf were the cards he drew), an event that he brings up often to this day.

One day, completely out of the blue - Lip would later learn impulsivity was a very defining trait of his -, Cosmo offered Lip a ride to Valentine and back (as Lip didn't own a horse due to his fear of them back then) and a long conversation along the way, accompanied with Wyatt Connington. This would offer Lip very precious insight into the way people interacted in New Alexandria. A day-long adventure across the entire state ensued where Lip was shown how to shoot, taught how to deal with medical emergencies, introduced to most members of The Krays - some of which were very wary of him at first -, and finally offered a full time job as bartender. He hastily accepted and became Cosmo's employee.

‎‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎Working as a bartender for a gang-run saloon made Lip's life incredibly dangerous. Despite Cosmo constantly trying to push him away, he would always refuse to leave and pledge his allegiance once more to the man and his family, along with most other employees of the saloon at the time. This included Jacco Vinke who would join the saloon employees' ranks as a coach driver for Aiden Kray, and Tod Jones who would work as security.
Due to The Krays' various conflicts, the Four Horsemen employees would have to leave the city and go into hiding on a regular basis. No matter how often this happened Lip would never get used to it and would always be plagued by huge bouts of anxiety and fear.

As he was getting more and more acquainted with the Krays and their dealings - no matter how much he was kept in the dark or would actively avoid conversation, he was bound to pick up information unwillingly - three of their members decided they had to put his loyalty and courage to the test. This happened in the form of a staged kidnapping as they impersonated a rival gang of the Krays, picking Lip up at the apple orchard and bringing him to a remote location during a particularly foggy night.
They threatened him with firearms, attempting to push him into giving out names of the Krays. In this ordeal, Lip managed to only give out information that was already widely known in an attempt to prove his good will - he would turn out to be actually really good at lying despite his faith forbidding him to do so - and didn't buckle under the pressure even as he was convinced he was going to die.
This event would turn out to be quite traumatic for the frenchman as he had never been held at gunpoint before and the test being staged to appear as real of a threat to his life as possible. The words of his would-be executioner, "if you're no use to me, why would I let you live", would leave a deep mark on him.

He goes over some of the consequences of this event on his psyche in journal entry "à l'istint" (dated october 7th 1901).

As a result of this traumatic event, Lip would develop a form of anxiety tremors syndrome, or shaky hands, that still plagues him to this day.

Working the counter of the Four Horsemen made Lip meet lots of different, interesting people - at this particular point notably a man introducing himself as Jim Davis, a travelling merchant of health tonics. Davis was in fact a con man looking for his next mark. After a little back and forth with Lip, he decided the frenchman would be perfect as an accessory for his next grift - being so incredibly gullible and inspiring sympathy.

He attempted to manipulate Lip into joining him in his travels across state but Cosmo Kray suspected him of being part of the Brotherhood. He interrogated him with the help of Aiden Kray. This put Jim Davis in a precarious position, on top of being confronted by Apollo Alovich about his so called strength tonics and their compositions. Apollo saw right through the snake oil merchant and warned Lip to stay away from him.

Enough time passed for Lip to lower his guard when Davis struck next. On the opening day for the Summerhouse, he manipulated Lip into giving him a ride on his mule to Lagras to lure him away from the city and the protection of the family. Then, he threatened him with a weapon and made him take them to a remote location. They met several people along the way, including Silas Winchester and Fred Foster, but Davis had warned Lip that he would kill him if he opened his mouth, so no one was aware that a kidnapping was happening right under their nose.
Davis then locked himself and Lip in an isolated house and started a soliloquy aimed at manipulating Lip to leave the Krays and join him to travel the country to sell his elixir. His ego had pushed him to try and perfect the composition to make an actual strength elixir but his very limited knowledge of medicine and herbs had him brew various kinds of poisons, going around state, snatching people up, having them try it, and leaving them on the side of the road when they would inevitably get sick or die.
Lip initially refused but Davis' insistence pushed him to drink from the foul vial. The frenchman obviously passed out, succumbing to a coughing fit, unable to vomit - a medical oddity of his - which pushed the con artist into a panic. Davis grabbed Lip's almost-lifeless body and dropped him on a roadside, as was his regular MO.

Lip was picked up by a local doctor and very superficially treated at the Rhodes medical tent where he regained consciousness and escaped, spurred on by the fear of having people worry about him. Now without memory of the events leading up to him being poisoned, he happened to meet Silas Winchester again at the telegram station. The man offered to treat him, gave him charcoal - effectively saving his life on the spot. He then offered to bring him to Saint Denis.

A comprehensive telling of events directly following this ordeal can be read in journal entry "à l'embruni" (dated september 27th 1901).

Tragedy struck when Aiden Kray passed away in an extremely violent and unexpected manner. This event would push Cosmo Kray onto a path of mental instability that made it hard for Lip to keep up. Despite this, the frenchman kept dutifully by Cosmo's side as much as he could. The passing of Aiden Kray and the manner of which it happened made Lip reconsider his own relationship with his father. Right before Aiden's funeral, he visited his own father's grave for the first time, as a way to finally put a complex relationship and old grudges to rest.
To this day, he is sometimes seen visiting Marius' grave in the Saint Denis cemetery when he needs some time for himself, to think, or when he feels too overwhelmed.

Unexpectedly, Cosmo quietly made his way back into Lip's life at the beginning of the year 1902.

He was very reluctant to get involved in the Four Horsemen at first, but on Lip's gentle insistence (in the form of being told that he is always welcome and part of the Horsemen ad nauseam), he slowly became more acquainted with the saloon and its unique ecosystem again.

Things became oddly familiar after this. Cosmo would often visit, staying out of the way due to being easily overwhelmed by crowds and sounds. This unexpected return made Lip incredibly happy and inspired him to expand his work.

One of Lip's defining traits being always wanting to help, when a desperate, just out-of-Sisika Billy Chaucer knocked on his door, he felt compelled to move mountains to assist the man in rebuilding himself. First he hired him as a bartender at the saloon. The artist's thirst for performative arts but lack of funds was quickly picked up on by Lip - he naturally decided to help him start his own project of a theatre company. Lip didn't consider himself much of an artist so he left the artistic side to Billy, focussing on helping him financially and with networking as well as offering his support in person during all of Billy's performances he could attend.
A natural friendship stemmed from this situation between the two.

Completely unexpectedly, the relationship between Echo and Lip suddenly took a very serious turn. Up until then, Lip being completely clueless when it came to romance if it wasn't sung in italian with a full orchestra, their relationship was a very platonic romantic one not unlike those of courteous love from medieval times whose poetry Lip is so fond of. He was faithful to Echo without ever having kissed him. They would however often profess their feelings for one another.
Lip's tender feelings for Cosmo were difficult on Echo, no matter how romantic (or lack thereof) they would turn out to be. Indeed after Cosmo's second departure, Lip vowed to stop entertaining any sort of romantic feelings towards Cosmo - a maneuver that would turn out to be much trickier than anticipated, but denial being another defining trait of Lip he would probably never even recognize his lingering feelings for Cosmo (or lack thereof ?) if they pointed a gun at his face.
Echo's way of coping with it included drinking - a very sore subject for Lip due to his alcoholic father's tendency to beat him senseless and Cosmo's emotional abuse while under the influence. Feeling incredibly responsible for Echo's suffering and the bottle-involving symptoms they caused, Lip unconsciously put some amount of distance with Echo - wether he was trying to protect Echo or himself is anyone's guess.
Seemingly out of the blue - the truth being that Lip is just extremely bad at picking up on things even if they're plainly explained - Echo asked for Lip's hand in marriage in early february. This took the frenchman completely off guard and induced a downward spiral of inner conflict. He was terrified of trapping Echo in a relationship that caused him so much anguish he had resorted to alcohol.
Lip turned down Echo's proposal and vowed to stay as far away from anything romantic for the rest of his life for fear of causing more distress in partners.

Things were becoming tense and dangerous for the frenchman around Saint Denis. After a very long discussion under the governor's mansion gazebo, Lip was assured by Sonny that if things devolved any further he would be taken to safety.
After closing the saloon on a monday night, Sonny took Lip out of Saint Denis under the excuse of visiting Gale Harper in the coma ward of Blackwater. After they were done with the visit however, Sonny continued on towards the west.
Lip didn't realise at this point but he was effectively being kidnapped.
His access to telegrams and letters was almost entirely restricted. Sonny constantly kept an eye on him for his protection. They were only going to remote locations, keeping to themselves. This had a big impact on Lip, far away from civilization and judgement he allowed himself much more leeway. He goes over this experience in his journal entry "La Bello Estello" dated july 1902.
This experience changed Lip's outlook on his relationship with Sonny fundamentally. From a deep kinship, it evolved into fascination, bordering on unhealthy obsession. It didn't help that this obsession was mirrored tenfold in Sonny.
After a few days in isolation, Sonny finally relented and they made their way back to Saint Denis. Their bond would only deepen after that.

‎‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Without ever being a member of the Krays, Lip has always pledged a fierce loyalty to them, especially Cosmo and Aiden Kray.
Being of a very gentle, righteous nature, he never had quite what it takes to become a criminal - his worst crimes being petty theft to survive back in his street rat days and he still feels guilty about those to this day. This meant that he was always kept in the dark when it came to the Krays dealings and intrigues, being relegated to strictly employed at the saloon. Even with this divide in business and his almost complete ignorance of their occupations, Lip still considers the family as close friends and remains unwavering in his loyalty even to this day.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ The Syndicate of Spirits is a project first imagined by Timothy O'Boyle.
After Timmy's departure from the State, the project was entrusted to Lip who organized its first event in the month of March 1902.

✎ Writing is incredibly sloppy due to the fact that he is a "shifted sinistral" or thwarted left-hander - born left-handed but forced to use his right hand when he was taught to write by a priest. On top of this his nervous nature will make him grasp the paper too hard and cause creases or to press several keys at once on the typewriter; the act of writing taking such a huge effort from him, he won't start over even if the page is barely readable. On top of all this his spelling of the English language is abysmal.

✎ Will almost always end his telegrams with "thank" even though he'll never make that grammar mistake when he speaks out loud.

✎ Will almost always spell names the way they would be spelled in French (e.g. "Macouelle" for Macwell, "Ouayatte" for Wyatt, "Cosmeau" for Cosmo, etc). This, on top of everything else, makes written correspondence with him quite difficult.

✙ Gets incredibly uncomfortable and tends to blush when in the presence of people showing skin (shirtless, etc), especially men. He will often hide his eyes in such occasions and justify this by : "this is Satan tempting me, I cannot sin" or something to that effect.

✙ Suffers from severe anxiety tremors syndrome (extremely shaky hands) whenever he's under pressure or his life is threatened.

✙ Very mild form of alcoholic neuropathy due to his mother's consumption of alcohol during pregnancy: after drinking a certain amount he will lose all feelings in his extremities.

✙ Physically unable to vomit.

✙ (currently being diagnosed) Suffers from a very slow progressing nerve disease caused by his mother's alcoholism during pregnancy and his own rampant - if functional - alcoholism. There is no cure.

Houpetta la Bella, the francophile
‎‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Houpetta la Bella is a young, intelligent mule. Lip considers her one of his closest friends.
The two have developped a very strong bond, Lip being the mule's first handler, and Houpetta being his first mount. Lip took up the habit of singing silly french songs to calm his nerves while learning to ride which in turn has made the mule very receptive to music - and, some would say, French.
Houpetta is an extremely intelligent animal with a strong personality; the two found a compromise in their relationship with Lip never using the bridle or kicking the animal's side - instead telling her where to go in French, she will proceed at her own pace, choosing her own path. The only way she will go anywhere unfamiliar is by accepting to follow another horse that she actually likes. This makes riding anywhere outside of Saint Denis with her extremely difficult. Whether she actually understand French or learned to recognize Lip's tone with certain words would be difficult to determine - the frenchman just decided to believe the mule turned out to be a francophile.
Their entire relationship is based on compromise which makes Houpetta less of a vehicle and more of a companion.
She is now the guardian of all of the Four Horsemen Saloon stock: Alcohol, food, tools, and weapons.
Her name comes from a silly popular french song that tells the story of a young smuggler woman who would go up and down the mountain on her donkey carrying contraband tobacco and singing to herself.

Icare, the brave
‎‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Icare, french for "Icarus", is Lip's second mount, a gentle and patient appaloosa.
When Lip first visited the New Alexandria Marketplace, he happened to meet a man who owned a ranch that specialized in Appaloosas. A conversation ensued about the breed which piqued the frenchman's interest. He would later bring up the subject with the other Four Horsemen Saloon employees and Cosmo Kray would then bring him to Rhodes where he acquired the horse with his help.
Icare is an affectionate and brave animal. His courage makes him a great companion for expeditions outside of the city, whether it was first to hide from enemies of the Krays or now for hunting and fishing trips.
Naturally more of a solitary animal, Icare will tend to get more nervous when surrounded with other horses.
His name was chosen due to Cosmo Kray's involvement in acquiring the animal.

Max, the bully
‎‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Max was a tall black horse given to Lip by Cosmo Kray along with the ownership of the Four Horsemen Saloon. He was the first guardian of the saloon's stock.
Previously owned by Cosmo's former adoptive father, Max had a strong personality and would take advantage of Lip's gentle nature to bully him. He would try to kick him often and would take a bite at his bright red hair every time it got in his reach.
Terrified of Max's temperament, Lip would pass his ownership on to Evaline Sanderson who would no doubt have the required strong personality to handle the animal better than the frenchman.
To this day, Lip still has nightmares about his four-legged bully.

Doba, the giant
‎‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Doba, whose name translates to "no war" in Navajo, was a gift from Echo Wolfe who wanted a horse for Lip that would be "as red as possible", poking fun at the frenchman's tendency to blush extensively when given compliments or gifts.
Echo chose the name due to Doba being of the Ardennes breed, or a war horse.
Doba can be described as a gentle giant. He's a very patient and very tall and large horse. Even with his extremely large size, he has been observed to pace his movements down when around the frenchman, as if to make sure he wouldn't spook him.
When Lip sits on the saddle, the frenchman looks comically tiny - their jarring silhouettes always earning them a few chuckles along the way.
He is the guardian of the Four Horsemen Saloon's extra stock, to be used for special events.

Pom Pomme, "Christmas is saved"
‎‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Pom Pomme was a beautiful red chestnut arabian. Her name roughly translates to "apple-y apple" in French.
Due to a misunderstanding between Timothy O'Boyle and Nora Croft, the latter came to believe that the irishman would not only give her an arabian horse but would actually pay her to take the animal off his hands. Timmy would later actually sell the horse, much to Nora's dismay.
Lip learned of this quiproquo in the winter of 1901 and took it upon himself to find a replacement horse in order to "save Nora's Christmas". The horse being unavailable for purchase at state stables at the time, it took a few weeks of research until someone finally reached out.
Pom Pomme's previous owner, Evangelyne Dubois, explained her choice of name: "she looks like an apple".
The beautiful arabian was then offered to Nora Croft for Christmas 1901, much to her delight.
This is to date one of Lip's proudest achievements.

Jam, the memory
‎‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Jam is a gorgeous black arabian horse. His first owner was Cosmo Kray.
The sight of Jam around the Four Horsemen Saloon was a very common one back in the Kray days, as Cosmo used to ride him around often. Wary at first, Lip ended up forming a sort of bond based on mutual respect with the animal whose temper could be really bad back then.
Jam was given by Cosmo to Lars, who put him up for auction at the Four Horsemen auctionhouse during its first event. Lip couldn't resist and bought him on a whim for $270, one of the only purchases he ever made with his salary at the Four Horsemen.
Now much more mellow, Jam is enjoying a quiet life with Lip. Who could have known that keeping away from stressful situations would change a horse's temper for the better ?
Due to his past trauma as a gang horse however, Jam will refuse to cross large bodies of water without being led. He’ll also immediately buck his rider off at the sound of gunshots, wolves, snakes, bears, cougars, and any other dangerous animals.

La Grenouille Rouge, the other half
‎‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎Rouge is a beautiful red Arabian mare. She came in a set of two beautiful Arabians, the other one “le Gros Loup”, having gone to Sonny. She was a gift from Bram Donners.
After a lengthy expedition out west with Bram Donners, Lip and Sonny accompanied him all the way to Tumbleweed where he discovered a passion for a gorgeous champagne coloured horse. The man was so starstruck, Sonny and Lip managed to convince him to buy the horse on the spot, pooling their money together for it. He named it “butter” due to its cream colour.
After Sonny survived a lengthy coma, Bram decided to organise another expedition with the two small men. He brought them all across state to get them these two arabian horses in a set. “La Grenouille Rouge” means “the Red Frog”, and “le Gros Loup” means “the Big Wolf”.