Description 

Ace of Hearts
Zadie Holt was born in 1884 in the Oklahoma Territory to a struggling ranching family. Her mother died when she was very young, and her father spent long stretches away on cattle drives, leaving Zadie to learn how to take care of herself from an early age. Growing up in the harsh frontier, she became clever and resourceful, picking up small cons, livestock thefts, and smuggling jobs while still a teenager. By the age of 20, Zadie had already built a reputation for being daring, quick-witted, and unafraid to take risks to survive in a world where only the clever and the tough thrived.

Physically, Zadie has pale skin dotted with freckles and light ginger hair that she usually keeps tied back for practicality. Her light brown eyes are sharp and calculating, constantly observing the world around her. Lean and athletic, she dresses in practical, rugged frontier clothing that allows her to move freely, reflecting her upbringing under the harsh sun and her life on the move.

In addition to her natural cunning, Zadie possesses a bold and independent spirit. She thrives on risk and enjoys outsmarting those who underestimate her, yet she is loyal to the few people she truly trusts. Though she can be charming and persuasive when necessary, there is always a hint of danger in her presence, a reminder that she has survived by her wits and skill in a world where kindness often comes at a cost. Zadie is resourceful, clever, and adaptable, with a sharp mind that has allowed her to carve out a life for herself despite the odds stacked against her.

Early Life 

The loving outlaw
Zadie Holt was born in 1884 in the Oklahoma Territory to Naomi and Jasper Holt. Her childhood was marked early by tragedy when her mother, Naomi, passed away from tuberculosis while Zadie was still just a little girl. After her mother’s death, it was only her and her father, Jasper, but he spent much of his time away on long cattle drives, leaving Zadie to learn independence from a young age.

Growing up alone on the ranch, Zadie quickly became self-reliant, tending to the animals, mending what needed fixing, and scraping by however she could. By the time she was a teenager, she had grown restless of the hard ranch life and began dabbling in trouble, running cons, sneaking stolen goods, and rustling cattle whenever the opportunity arose. It wasn’t long before she realized she had a knack for it: bold, quick-witted, and able to talk her way out of situations that might have landed someone else in the noose.

By the age of twenty, Zadie had drifted far from the life of a ranch girl. With her father still somewhere on the trails of Oklahoma and no family left to hold her in place, she chose her own path, one where wit, nerve, and a bit of danger kept her alive. So Zadie grabbed her few belongings and got on a train to New Alexandria, leaving her father in Oklahoma.

Present Life 

Dealing new cards, 1904
Zadie arrived in New Alexandria right at the end of August, she started of by learning the layout of the town, finding hidden spots, places to sleep and trick people with her card games without the law finding her. She started sending out anonymous public telegrams that she'd find information for those who asked for it. And it wasn't long until someone reached out wanting information. So Zadie got to work finding it.

She decided to settle down in Valentine after traveling all over New Alexandria, Zadie came to the conclusion that staying central would fit her best. Sadly she ended up doing something she's never done before. Zadie has never had any formal training so when she got into a scuffle with a man on the road outside Armadillo, she went straight for his throat. She didn't mean to kill him, she just couldn't take her hands off his throat. After staring at the dead body for a while she pulled out her knife, her breath shaking in her chest. At first, she only meant to mark something nearby, a tree, a fence post, the way she always had when leaving her alias behind. But the stillness of the man, the silence pressing in on her, pushed her hand elsewhere. Almost without thinking, she pressed the blade to his chest and carved out a neat piece of skin in the shape of a heart.

She didn’t know why she did it. Maybe it was shock, maybe anger, maybe the desperate need to turn the chaos into something she could control. But when she held that grisly little heart in her hand, she felt something shift inside her. “Heart” wasn’t just a name scrawled on wood and stone anymore. It was hers. It was real. And now, it was feared. Something had shifted inside her, and it wouldn’t shift back. The first heart carved had been born from shock, but afterward, the memory of it gnawed at her. She told herself it was just a way of leaving her mark, the same way she always had, but now wood and stone weren’t enough. When she closed her eyes, she saw the shape cut into flesh, raw and undeniable. It wasn’t just a sign anymore. It was proof.

Killing had unsettled her, left her unsteady, but the carving… the carving gave her control. For once, she hadn’t been clever enough to out talk or outsmart her way out of trouble. For once, her instincts had ruled her, and it terrified her. Yet the heart she left behind turned that terror into something else. Pride. Power. A symbol that what happened wasn’t random, that it meant something.

And so, the next time she spilled blood, whether by intent or by accident, her knife followed the same path. A heart, neat and deliberate. It became a ritual, a way to claim her survival, a way to remind herself and the world: Zadie Holt lived, and others did not.

At the end of September Zadie decided to move up to Colter, staying up there meant solitude. Nobody she could murder without realizing. She could stay there and drown in her own thoughts. Only traveling down to Valentine whenever she needs to purchase anything.

Affiliations 

N/A (N/A)
N/A

Quotes 

“Don’t mistake kindness for weakness.”
“Keep your friends close, but your secrets closer.”
“Trust is earned, not given, and I don’t hand it out easily.”
“I’ve learned the hard way, the world doesn’t care about fair.”
“I take what I need, not what I’m told I can have.”
“Money, luck, and skill, I’ve got at least two of those.”
“Some people dream of freedom, I live it.”
“I don’t cry over spilled whiskey.”
“Some call it chaos, I call it opportunity knocking.”
“I may be young, but I’ve got more charm than your whole town.”
“I run with Heart, but I rarely let it beat too slow.”
“I may look harmless, but I’ve got more tricks than a card deck.”
“Flirt with me, or fear me, your choice.”
“I like my whiskey neat and my crimes messy.”
“I don’t chase trouble… trouble usually comes running to me.”
“I don’t play fair… I play smart.”
“I steal more than hearts, but that’s a story for another time.”

Trivia 

Zadie bites her nails when she’s nervous, even though she denies it.

She always keeps a small piece of red fabric tied somewhere on her, for “luck.”

Zadie gets motion sick on boats and avoids water travel whenever possible.

She likes playing cards but cheats whenever she thinks she can get away with it.

Zadie's alias is Heart, though she often jokes she “ain’t got one.”

She’s quick to laugh at her own jokes, even if no one else does.

Zadie always keeps at least one hidden knife on her, even if she looks unarmed.

She doesn’t trust mirrors, often turning them around if they’re in a room she’s staying in.

Zadie is stubborn about not asking for help, even when she needs it.

She secretly likes flowers, though she pretends they’re silly, she sometimes presses them between notebook pages.

Zadie can’t resist eavesdropping if she hears whispering nearby.

She has a habit of spitting to the side before making a bet, claiming it “seals the luck.”

Zadie chews on pieces of straw or matchsticks when she’s thinking.

She has a knack for finding hiding spots in any building she enters.

Zadie doesn’t like being touched unexpectedly and tends to flinch.

She has a habit of muttering people’s names after meeting them, like she’s testing how they sound.

Zadie can pick locks with hairpins, but she’s impatient and sometimes breaks them.

She has an oddly precise way of shuffling cards that others find mesmerizing.

Zadie has a diary she writes in.

Spoiler: Aliases

"Heart"
Zadie's "criminal" nickname that she goes by.

Spoiler: Zadie's Previous Horses

"N/A" N/A

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