Van & Barry Goldfitch

Van Goldfitch is a tall, slender middle-aged elf with short dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and a perpetual sly smirk. He takes great pride in (and goes to great lengths to) not looking his age, and is considered one of the most handsome rakes in a district full of them. His age is a subject of hot debate, which is exactly how he prefers it. He always dresses with a studied casual elegance, eschewing business jackets and ties in favor of silk shirts, smart slacks, and casual loafers that cost more than a mid-size used car.
  Barry is a human in his late 30’s - he’s younger than his husband, but looks older, a standard that Van goes to great lengths to maintain. He is a former Gatewarden, and has the scars and physical presence to prove it. At 5’8”, he’s three inches shorter than his 6’ husband, but definitely has broader shoulders and more muscle. He tends to dress casually, usually wearing clothes that display his arms, chest, or abs. He has wild blond hair, and a striking set of heterochromatic eyes, one blue, one green.
  The couple complements each other well - they’re both intelligent and charismatic, and with Van’s sly perceptiveness and skill at manipulation, and Barry’s ability to inspire and rally people to a cause, they are a force to be reckoned with. They are known for their ability to stare intently at the same person at the same time - people call it the ‘3-and-1 glare,’ with Van’s two blue eyes and Barry’s blue and green ones.

Barry and Van go to great lengths to foster their image, as a no-nonsense, man-of-the-people tough guy that can handle anything, and a cool, dangerously calm social shark, respectively, but their relationship is infamous in Dionysus for being…tempestuous.
  When they are united, they work excellently as partners, presenting a united and organized front in negotiations, each instinctively grasping the other’s intention, and adapting their plans on the fly without discussion while remaining in lockstep the whole time.
  However, when things are not going well, their relationship can best be described as ‘loud.’ Their fights tend to be messy and public, and the two are infamous for pulling in anyone, friends, employees, lawyers, therapists, or even perfect strangers. It’s become such a public secret, sometimes the Goldfitch’s competitors have been known to send twinks into their clubs to flirt with one or other of the married couple, trying to stoke jealousy.
  Their most recent public marital warfare, the one everyone believed was going to be the end of ‘Varry,’ as they’re sometimes called, was two years ago and went on for four months. It’s rumored they had been sending heavies to each other’s house or private offices to break items or vandalize the place, and the only reason they stopped was one of the ‘thugs’ got annoyed and locked the two of them in a room for two days, and told them they wouldn’t be let out until one or both of them were dead, they had agreed to the terms of a divorce, or they fucked and made up. As it turns out, they chose the third option, even holding a vow renewal that they asked the heavy to serve as each of their best man. Two years later, their relationship is stronger than it’s ever been, but all their employees, investors, and competitors are waiting with baited breath for the next fight to start.

They’ve also been known for a number of socially progressive movements, albeit usually in unconventional ways to increase their profits. They actually encourage unions and offer excellent workplace benefits and environments (which has been said to be tools for seducing the best and most talented staff to come work for them, but it’s hard to argue with results. ) They have even built childcare facilities for what, at first, was just their employees of their businesses, but now has expanded to its own separate business that has a number of branches throughout the Dionysus district. Intended to provide child care for entertainment workers that are known to work odd or late hours, Little Stars Child Care is now one of the most popular childcare facilities in the district. (The Goldfitches, never ones to overlook a business opportunity, even created an open-air biergarten and pub across the street from the Little Stars in the area of the city with the largest number of strip and sex clubs. Dropoff and pickup times for the childcare facility are, almost certainly by coincidence, the busiest times for this bar.)

The two businessmen are something of enterprising pioneers, each going from a fourth child of an elven councilman and a street kid from Hades, to two of the biggest influences in the entire entertainment district. Barry had built a security firm when he left the Gatewardens, and Van drained the entirety of a small trust fund to start his own nightclub, when the two met, fell in love, and decided to join forces. Now, they own two bars, four nightclubs, and two strip clubs, as well as a catering service, a private security firm, and an armored transport service.
  They have also stepped into venture capitalism, always looking for promising new businesses to invest in and help grow. They’ve even sponsored some Ark expeditions, arranged through the University and perfectly legal (cough mostly cough cough.)