Cèdre Sterling
Bungou Stray dogs | Hunting Dog
The Moonlit Road is the ability of Cèdre Sterling, inherited from their father Ambrose Bierce upon his suicide.The Moonlit Road allows Cèdre to trigger a crippling mental breakdown in up to three people as the victims are overwhelmed with their deepest-seated guilt.The ability can only be activated at night and Cèdre must be able to see their targets, but speech is not required.Once activated, the ability can be nullified either by Cèdre themself or through Dazai's ability.No immunities have been observed.
| backstory |
Cèdre Sterling (born as Day Bierce) is the eldest progeny of Ambrose Bierce and Mary Ellen Bierce. Their early years were spent being homeschooled while moving all over the United States due to their father’s military background granting him a prominent government position. Home life was tense, however; Cèdre’s father was a pacifist and despised his job as a result, meanwhile Cèdre’s mother was caught having an affair. Many of their early memories are of confrontations between their parents, as they tried to shield their younger brothers from the fighting as best they could.Cèdre was ten when their parents’ divorce was finalized, and their mother took them away; however, Cèdre’s brothers stayed with their father. Mary Ellen relocated the pair of them to France, trying to refine the child she’d been able to keep into a fine lady of society in the hopes that Cèdre would attract the attention of a wealthy man. Cèdre, however, cared little for their mother’s attempts - a small part of them wanted to believe they’d someday find true love, but the louder majority of their mind had decided there was no such thing. It was also not long after coming to France that Cèdre took on a new name, as did their mother, in order to avoid any contact from their relatives in the United States.At the age of thirteen, their ability - The Moonlit Road - awakened; unbeknownst to them, this was due to their father committing suicide and the ability passing on to them. Said ability rapidly caught the attention of the French government as a viable interrogation tactic. Cèdre at first considered it an honor to help their country, but they were already beginning to show signs of mental trauma before the Great War broke out. They began to be monitored by a handler to ensure that they wouldn't flee; Cèdre's mother was rather neutral on what was happening, as she had begun avoiding the teenager once the ability had manifested.At sixteen, they were enlisted by the government as part of France’s ability user forces sent out in the Great War. They were shifted from regiment to regiment, dependent on where torture/interrogation was expected to be needed for their time of serving in the war. They happened to be with Mimic when the Great War ended, and as a result they were also driven out of Europe by the Order of the Clock Tower. Cèdre drifted aimlessly with Mimic until the group was smuggled into Yokohama.They were twenty-six as they tried to find a place for themself, free of their commander's suicide mission. Unfortunately for them, they were captured and interrogated by members of the Special Division for Unusual Powers. Cèdre was kept under custody for an extensive period of time, only earning their freedom by agreeing to help the government with the issue of their leader's powerful ability. To Taneda's exasperation, Cèdre only confirmed his concern that the government had no ability user suited to fight
André Gide. Left with little choice, Taneda agrees to move forward with meeting Mori and accepting the Port Mafia's services in eliminating Mimic.Before leaving for the meeting, Taneda gives Cèdre a choice as thanks for their cooperation: they may either accept being sent back to France to be tried for their part in the war crimes committed by Mimic or be granted amnesty in exchange for shifting their service to the Japanese military. Cèdre's fear of returning to the country where their mother lived was stronger than fear of whatever they'd have to do serving another country, and they accepted a meeting with some high ranking individuals in the Japanese military.Cèdre was determined to be a good fit for the Hunting Dogs project, and they underwent years of training as well as the required surgeries to become an established member of the organization. As a means of coping with what was necessary for their survival, they yielded immediately to the authority of the other members and tried to make themself believe that they'd made the right choice.
| hunting dogs dynamic |
Michizō Tachihara and Cèdre interact very little as he infiltrates the Port Mafia not long after Cèdre begins their Hunting Dog training. Cèdre can never shake the feeling that he isn't loyal to them afterwards, so things are tense between them during check-ins.Ōchi Fukuchi is the leader of the Hunting Dogs and Cèdre tries to latch on to him as a replacement for Andrè Gide, but the two don't click well as Cèdre isn't independent enough for his preferences. He appreciates their skill and ability, but he is not their mentor.Saigiku Jōno makes Cèdre uncomfortable, as his sadistic tendencies are not something that Cèdre enjoys entertaining, even though their ability is a delight to Jōno. Cèdre tends to keep their distance from him, keeping interactions distant and professional.Tetchō Suehiro is Cèdre's closest friend within the Hunting Dogs and also the one that drives them most insane. Cèdre is usually calm and composed, until Tetchō is "ruining that perfectly good snack I made" - this greatly amuses the other Hunting Dogs. The pair work well together due to their shared moral philosophy of trying to achieve the desired results through communication and sympathy.Teruko Ōkura is admired by Cèdre for the younger girl's determination and selfless nature; Cèdre rather quickly accepts the boasting as a quirk rather than a personality flaw. It is largely due to their interactions that Cèdre comes to strive to be a hero too, like the other Hunting Dogs are seen to be.
| Name | What they call Cèdre | What Cèdre calls them |
|---|---|---|
| Cèdre (self) | 私/わたし Watashi | あなた Anata |
| Michizō Tachihara | Cèdre-san | Tachihara-san |
| Ōchi Fukuchi | Cèdre | Captain, Sir |
| Saigiku Jōno | Cèdre-san | Jōno-san |
| Teruko Ōkura | Cèdre-chan | Vice-Captain |
| Tetchō Suehiro | Cèdre-kun | Tetchō-san |