Blazion

Riverswell University; Sanctuary and Learning Center for Demi-Gods and Hybrids

Slowly but surely the ball of anxiety – not to mention nerves and a certain fluster Alena was refusing to acknowledge – lessened as the minutes past in the company of her new roommates. Though by no means very large yet the calm of growing familiarity was making it easier, even in only the few moments they had together. Alena blamed fashion choices on starting off so uneven footed.

Though, she was still a bit uncertain as Ebbo took the bottle she offered. Nonetheless the redhead padded after him to the connected open space kitchen, unable to help but tilt her head as she spotted the glasses her retrieved. Stylish. Idly she wondered if that was a sign of who sired him, realizing her male roommate hadn’t said who he was the son of. Alena supposed it didn’t matter, just vague curiosity.

“I am sure Cheshire will be no problems. I will keep my door closed when I am not present, so he will not danger himself with my equipment – just in case he wanders.” Alena took the shot glass offered with a small nod of her head, though her brow did quirk as she added on in what was an attempted teasing tone. “And I know I was the one who offered the gift, but I hope you do not plan on getting us too drunk this early in the day. I have not even unpacked.” A lopsided grin accompanied her words to take any sting out before she raised the onyx shot to her two roommates.

“To getting to know one another,” Alena toasted, before her head tilted back and she took the high quality shot like a champion. A quick shake of her head and she was fine, taking in the reactions of her two peers. There was a little worry, after all, since from Devi’s words and Ebbo’s brush off Alena had a feeling she was condoning underage drinking. Then again, considering who a lot of students’ parents were she doubted it was a huge issue.

Riverswell University; Sanctuary and Learning Center for Demi-Gods and Hybrids

“What shame my mother would feel if she saw this,” The thought came unbidden to the demigod’s mind as she gazed down upon her apparent new roommate, intrusive and unbidden. It must be the new scenario and sudden changes, since normally – well, before her voice started attracting stares – Alena tried very hard not to think about her mother. It wasn’t a malicious attack on the girl in front of her either, considering Alena knew very well it was directed at herself. Daughter of Aphrodite, red as her own hair and honeyed tongue floundering for words. What shame, indeed.

Personally, Alena thought she was actually recovering fairly well. Despite the state of dress of her roommate – or lack of – she managed to rip her eyes up to focus politely on the woman’s own exotic purple ones at the mention of her name, odd as it was rolling from her lips. She could sympathize with that at least, her own accent was rather gruff. The redhead’s lips parted to finally muster up a response only for her train of thought to crash and burn at her roommate’s – Devi, apparently – words and roaming eyes. Alena’s gut twisted even as her mouth opened and closed. The amount of times she was called beautiful since this... divine puberty had increased substantially. The realization it was probably the same cause of the compliment had ice going down her back, cold and startling enough to tear her gaze away. It was a nice compliment none the less, but she’d take it with a grain of salt; at least for now. One of her large hands rose to rub nervously at the back of her neck in a nervous tick, only to start realizing she was being rather rude and quickly dropping said hand to take Devi’s.

“Alena Rurik, I am – ah, that is, my strength does notcome from my mother, she is Aphrodite.” Despite her resolve Alena’s words still fumbled slightly, though the quality of them made it sound as though she had a silver tongue in any case. Dear god she hoped this school let her fix that. Another voice cut through the conversation and Alena was almost relieved hearing a male’s deeper tone, even if she could still feel the embarassing heat across the bridge of her nose.

“Ebbo,” Alena paused briefly as the name rolled from her lips, awkward and a bit rough before she managed to muster up a smile. Almost reluctantly despite her earlier resolve the redhead withdrew her hand from Devi to offer their third roommate, her grin becoming wider as she looked upon the fluffy creature held in Ebbo’s arms. “And Cheshire. I am Alena Rurik, I come – oh! I have brought a gift!” Abruptly dropping her hand before he could even take it Alena retreated to the open door of her room, promptly beginning to throw things rather haphazardly out of her bag. Exercise mat, some clothes, protein powder, and her blender – ahah.

“I did not know I have two roommates – so it is not much, but I brought a gift – I will get another, for Cheshire.” Withdrawing from her bag Alena turned to the other two, eagerly brandishing the frosted bottle at them. “From my country, some of the best drink you could-” The redhead abruptly paused, eyeing her two roommates – and trying very, very hard not to turn red again.

“... You two, you are old enough to drink, yes?”

The Island

--

Riverswell University; Sanctuary and Learning Center for Demi-Gods and Hybrids

Really, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that Riverswell looked so ... divine. And to think, this was only the gate.

Yet, here at only the entrance Alena was frozen, standing in front of the thick iron bars that marked the next passage in her life. The demigod lingered there, before the towering iron already thrown open in welcome with her grey-blue gaze roaming along the intricate ivy almost woven with the metal. Occasionally someone passed her, but Alena had no eyes for them. Not yet. Standing before the archway, path weaving into the forest of trees that would lead to her new home with the sky dreary and clouded, made her feel somehow... small.

Perhaps the feeling of not belonging would go away with time.

A deep exhale escaped her lips before Alena squared her shoulders and straightened out, eyes narrowing in determination. It was a school, one that she didn’t particularly want to go to and full of people with fantastic abilities, but a school none the less! As far as universities go, she could’ve done worse. Nodding as though to confirm the thoughts the redhead finally steeled her resolve and adjusted her bags before starting her trek, a red duffle bag hanging off her hip and an extraordinarily large camping pack snug against her shoulders. The latter was large enough she could’ve brought the entire kitchen sink, but of course that was ridiculous; Alena only brought a blender.

It took only a few minutes to find the giant stone building that served as the dormitories, majestic in its own right. Not to mention the people shuffling towards it was a dead give away, thank God – was that appropriate here? Shaking the thought off with a quick glance at her palm, or more specifically the rather neat scribble of a number in black ink on it confirmed her destination and set Alena’s mind back on track. Room 417, that had to be fourth floor right? It was quick work to find the stairs just passed the large wooden doors guarding the entrance. She did pause briefly at the third floor landing seeing a congregation of people at one of the nearby rooms, wondering if the owner had a similar problem to her own oral obstacles and needed help. She lingered only long enough to overhear something about roommates and determine there wasn’t an issue before moving on.

Fourth floor, seventeenth room. Her new home for the foreseeable future. Alena took a moment outside the door to bounce on the balls of her feet, psyching herself up with muttered words.

“It is not that bad, you have this,” The redhead told herself, pointedly ignoring the way the imperfect English slid off her tongue like honey and flowers. Emboldened and filled with partially artificial bravery Alena finally opened the door, only to stop short,eyes widening.

“Look at the view!” Unable to help herself Alena moved to the large glass doors leading onto the balcony, not moving outside but drinking in the scenery. It was nothing like back home. Maybe it really wouldn’t be so bad if everything was like this. Despite being completely distracted from her earlier overcast mood matching the weather outside, the demigod wasn’t so ignorant she couldn’t hear movements in the apartment. It was faint as no doubt the walls in such a luxurious home were thick, but moving in always had its own cacophony of noise. Tearing her gaze away Alena went to investigate only to pause hearing the squeak of her running shoes on the hardwood floor.

Oops.

Now holding her runners in one hand Alena poked her head into the hall to the left of the entrance, noticing a bathroom and laundry room just passed the kitchen, with sounds further down the hall of someone else. Looks like someone else had already started moving in – well, two someones. She really should’ve paid more attention to the papers sitting crumpled in her bag. Oh well, she should set her own bags down first.

“Hey, just letting you be aware I am here – I will be unpacking!” The polite warning given, called down the hallway to the room set apart from the others – just to be safe before she tested her roommates’ reaction to her words - Alena retreated to the opposite hallway, seeing only two doors. The noises indicated someone else in the left one, so she turned her gaze to the only room left, and immediately let out a disappointed sigh. At least the living area had the giant windows, since her room had none. That’s what she gets for loitering.

A shrug of her shoulder had the dufflebag on the ground, the large pack following a moment later with a rather loud thud. Alena winced at the noise, almost feeling the floorboards rattle beneath her socks. There were a nice set of weights inside, on the bottom, but luckily the floor didn’t scuff. It was when Alena was taking her fur-lined jacket off to hang on a small hook on the back of her bedroom door that she first got a glance at the roommate opposite her.

Alena, daughter of Aphrodite, promptly froze with red rapidly appearing across the bridge of her nose as she gazed upon the expanse of skin on show.

Well, at least despite not getting a window in her room it appeared she still had a view.

Riverswell University; Sanctuary and Learning Center for Demi-Gods and Hybrids

I have no idea if you guys play Overwatch, but...

This is how I'm imagining Jackie and Siobhán right now.

Riverswell University; Sanctuary and Learning Center for Demi-Gods and Hybrids

There's obvious wizardry afoot here.

On a different note, my first posts always take forever so don't be surprised if I don't get one up until tomorrow night.

The Island

--

Riverswell University; Sanctuary and Learning Center for Demi-Gods and Hybrids

Alena Rurik

First Name: Alena

Surname: Rurik

Nickname: N/A

Gender: Female

Age: 23

Species: Daughter of Aphrodite

Appearance: Ever since she was a girl Alena was always the tallest amongst her peers, and while puberty should’ve averaged this instead she hit the king of growth spurts that placed her taller than nearly every woman – and many men. Alena presently stands at a towering six foot three inches, and despite her athleticism Alena’s tall frame gives her a certain awkward, lean look that would probably appear unhealthy were it not for the toned muscle packed onto her body. Further she appears rather pale for such an active girl, though not in a ghostly white fashion, due solely to the fact Alena has the tendency to burn rather than tan. Marked on this light skin are freckles speckled across the bridge of her nose and cheeks, a hint of them on her arms.

Personality: Most people who meet Alena would describe her as a giant puppy; all big paws and sparkling eyes with a toothy grin that radiates excitement. She’s the type of person to roll out of bed in the morning bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to face the day, and greet every bleary eyed passerby along the way. In truth when she was younger it used to be easy to be nearly grating with her enthusiasm, but as she passed puberty it seems people were more often soothed by her than anything. It’s disconcerting to the demi-god, and lately she’s found herself focusing more on her own training in an attempt to brush off the new developments. Of course, that has danger in itself since Alena can also be ... oblivious. Nothing ruins your day like a couple hundred pounds of muscle absently plowing into you while jogging. More than that? She’s found herself being jealous of others. What Alena has worked so hard for, her strength, is amazing as a mortal; as a demi-god, compared to those with actual godly strength inherited without having to ever work out in their life? It’s nothing, and has become a dark spot on her otherwise astonishingly open person.

Hobbies: Although it’s probably more than just a hobby at this point, Alena is highly vested in weightlifting – with a focus on dead lifts. It’s what she’s best at, though it’s not unusual to find her doing other athletic activities as well; pick up games of numerous sports, running in the morning, and she has a fondness for swimming. Alena also used to be able to play the piano, but is rather rusty at it by now.

Abilities: Unlike her many half-siblings Alena does not possess otherwordly beauty, nor even traditional beauty from her mother’s blood. What she did inherit was the ability to entice, charm, and even seduce others, but rather than a combination of looks and disarming manner Alena’s seems to be related to her tongue. Like her mother Alena can melt the defenses of men and women alike with words that seem to drip with honey, even though they may not be as polished as the Goddess’. Once the mental walls are open it’s almost easy to convince someone if she so desires it, or more benevolently to empathize with them. While it was much harder on those with high willpower, since joining Riverswell she’s found it’s also not as easy to do unintentionally with the children of other gods and goddesses compared to mortals, which is a small relief at least.

Extra: Unlike many other demi-gods she takes after her human parent in most aspects that aren’t otherwordly, from her build to her mannerisms. The latter could be due to having absolutely no memories of her mother, though she has met one of her half-siblings – a model, go figure, who at first wasn’t convinced she had the right person. That happens a lot. Her English can be awkward at times due to not being her first langauge, and lastly she’s also so far in the closet she’s visiting Narnia.

Rodeo Colton

First Name: Rodeo [the fifth]

Surname: Colton

Nickname: Colt

Gender: Male

Species: Naga

Appearance: Colt is built solidly, perhaps not as defined as some of his more athletic peers but having solid tanned muscle from daily hard work and handling animals. His hands are calloused and rough, hair a dirty blonde that’s slightly darker along his jaw, and has russet brown eyes. His nose is just slightly crooked from being broken twice, but it’s not glaring. Especially considering his most eye-catching feature is that he’s half snake. Colt’s entire lower body, from just below his abdomen, is a very large snake tail, long enough to coil underneath him to rest on. His ‘snake species’ appears to be a mix, having the pale underbelly and vivid dark blue of a blue racer, but the black diamond pattern along his spine akin to a diamondback rattlesnake. His tail is the thick constrictor build of the former, but at the very end of his tail the underside of some of the scales appears to be hollow and makes the distinctive rattling sound when shook – which he does often. His two canine fangs are elongated and hollow similar to needles, sticking out passed his bottom lip a good inch and a half, and his tongue is thick like a human’s but forked at the very tip. Lastly the diamond pattern of black scales along his tail doesn’t just cover his tail, but the scales continue up the human portion of his spine right to the nape of his neck and cover his eyes in the same ‘mask’ pattern as a blue racer, with blue scales splattered along his shoulders, back, and where his torso starts to change to tail.

Personality: The most consistent thing about Colt is that he’s quiet, but not for any reason related to being shy. More than anything Colt is a fellow that prefers observing, a talent grown from watching over animals most of his life where a raised voice can easily startle them, and partially from his species’ feral tendencies to pick out the small movements of rodents and songbirds. However just because he’s quiet doesn’t translate to Colt being a pushover. He’d buckle down and do a job no one else wants out of a sense of duty, but trying to force him to do something is a lost cause for the stubborn naga. Pushing too hard is often what gets him more vocal – usually swearing. It’s not uncommon for him to linger on arguments because of how hard it is to anger him, and often long after it’s done Colt can be found slithering around his room muttering to himself and tail rattling. Good luck getting him to forget that argument, or grudge. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Colt is very good at caring for others, be they animal or human. In truth though while Colt doesn’t prefer the company of animals over humans, he finds them a lot less complicated at the very least.

Hobbies: Horseback riding [on only the absolute largest of horses now that he’s grown, and only from his family's horses]. Blacksmithing [primarily horseshoes or repairing, but dabbles in making custom gear/pieces needed for his riding]. Swimming. Basking in the sun.

Abilities: Aside from being half snake as a naga he has abilities relating both to being a snake and the more mythical aspect of his species. His fangs are elongated, hollow, and produce venom – said venom is fairly potent. A fighting bite from him would start causing dizziness and weakness within five minutes, with increasing symptons of numbness, vomiting, and difficulty breathing until it would kill an adult within three and a half hours absolute maximum. Oddly enough his venom when made into an anti-venom blankets a wide range of snake venom it can counter, not just rattlesnakes. Colt is stronger than an average human by a decent amount, and when his tail coils around an object he can constrict and crush many things easily. Meanwhile on the naga side of his heritage he can hold his breath for an extended period of time due to being a creature of water, up to four minutes, and has mild shapeshifting. Mild due to the fact he can only shapeshift the scales on his upper body and his fangs invisible, and his tail into human legs – however Colton also has absolutely no idea how to handle human legs due to usually slithering, and as a such has a wheelchair for use if he needs to interact with humans.

Extra: Carries a small vial of his own anti-venom on a chain around his neck, and always keeps a few spare vials refrigerated at home. Always requests a ground room due to his trouble with stairs. One horse in particular on his family’s ranch is his – he was young when he named the mare ‘Sunshine Smiles’. Secretly likes Brokeback Mountain but doesn’t mention it since people always make jokes due to his family’s profession.

Riverswell University; Sanctuary and Learning Center for Demi-Gods and Hybrids

@Avanhelsing Meanwhile, on the other team, Alena:

The Island

Just letting you know I am working on a CS, just doing real life work today so it probably won't be until later. And giving the topic a small bump. ;)