Blazion

The Coven of Briarwood Community College

Val has approximate knowledge of many names.

The Coven of Briarwood Community College

Valeria Silaov

As everyone settled and began the walk to Poor Yorick's, the vibration coming from Val's phone had her fishing it out of her cargo pants to glance at. The shared appointment had her swiping the notification for the details, and despite the fact that he was now wrapped up in a conversation with Rowan she nonetheless flashed a grin at the back of Caleb's head. She would have to thank him later for the time slot with the gym's massage therapist. After all, the day after she stumbled across the flipped car on her early morning jog, on that remote little street, she hadn't even been able to lift her arms all the way. If Val hadn't been in turmoil over what had happened, she might've even made an appointment for help herself.

So yes, she would have to thank Caleb when he wasn't making friends!

The phone was replaced in Val's pocket so as not to be rude as they continued on their little journey. She deliberately shortened her stride, her best friend's words echoing in the back of her mind of being far too fast of a walker. That left the guys in front, girls in the back. Val cast her walking companion a customary bright smile, focusing in on her to be a good conversationalist. The other woman seemed... nervous, maybe? Reading others was never Valeria's forte.

Plus, her smile quickly turned sheepish at the question, and she reflexively attempted to smooth over her own inadequacies.

"Some things were a little confusing, yes, but I think I have the gist of it." Here Val flicked her dark eyes forward, noting that one of the guys had headphones on and the other two were still engaged in conversation. Deeming it safe, she dipped her head and lowered her voice to speak. "Men are idiots."

She laughed at her own joke, straightening up. "I kid, I kid! More important though, you have me at disadvantage. You remember my name, but I am not sure I remember yours. Is it Kamala? Forgive me, sixty names are a lot to remember at once!"

The sudden honking of a horn had Val's eyes cutting forward once more, her lips tugging down into a slight frown. The driver of a nearby vehicle seemed agitated, getting outside of it aggressively and moving towards them. She put a foot forward to move between the group and him, only for a different savior to appear.

"Is that... a rat?" The puzzlement in her voice was clear, the confusion delaying any helpful actions. Thankfully Caleb was on the ball and intervened with the man, who was no doubt having a very bad day between his actions and unfortunate accidents. She gave him what she considered a subtle thumbs up when he returned.

Still, the odd adventure to the Poverty Man's cafe was not quite done. Val couldn't help but raise a hand to rub the back of her neck, a nervous tick, before finally stepping up beside the bent over man as well. She patted him on the back comfortingly.

"It is ... Ken, yes? Ken! You do not have to worry, we would not let anyone assault you. That man, he seemed quite deranged." A pause, before Valeria added on softer, "I learned that word from Word A Day calendar. Very useful."

The Coven of Briarwood Community College

Whoops, I didn't realize I had just been permanently changed to be after Double E. I'll whip something up before I head to sleep!

The Coven of Briarwood Community College

Another gift idea if you wanted it to focus on art instead of voice: She can make anything she draws come to life. Draw a bunny? Little hoppy friend. Draw a pitcher? You can pull that bad boy right out and use it. If she's nefarious, draw money and go commit some fraud. Maybe with the drawback that it can't be used for food (everything tastes like ink/paint/etc), and that the creations will dissolve in water.

The Coven of Briarwood Community College

@Laser Kiwi The purple is a little hard to read on my computer, but not on my phone. Same with Val's crimson - not the best on computer, fine on my phone. On a different note, I realized today that since you're New Zealand time I should clarify I can't post on Tuesdays Pacific, which is Wednesdays NZ.

@EurmalEye I also meant to mention, I think Val and Caleb could be kind of like... casual friends. Work out buddies, maybe chill in classes they share together. Drinking if he's into that. She's oblivious so any wingman attempts would likely crash and burn lmao.

The Coven of Briarwood Community College

Valeria Silaov

Despite the fact that the class was now over, the scratch of Valeria's pen continued across her paper as she painstakingly finished off her notes, the tip of her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth. The scrawl was unusual for a college class, not just for being written in Cyrillic script but for not being typed up on the more typical laptop she had shoved to one side.

Val wouldn't delude anyone though, she needed all the help she could get. Despite being immersed in the English language for over half a decade now, she still found it easier at times to fall back on the crutch of her native tongue - especially keeping up with lecture notes-, a sprawl of various English words scribbled in the margins for when she converted the notes to digital.

Finally satisfied with her work and pointedly not admitting she was lost on at least one topic, the last trails of ink from the cheap ballpoint smudged as the brunette promptly shoved everything into her bag with little regard for organization. That was a problem for future Val. Or sleepless Val, who was becoming increasingly unsettled for the past two weeks since her nights became unnerving and restless.

Sleep was important, and this would not stand!

... At least, if there was a solution that didn't make her sound crazy.

Exhaling sharply through her nose, Valeria threw her bag over her shoulder and finally left the lecture hall. Some people politely shifted aside as her long gait passed them, though if it was manners or learning that the brick wall of a woman would sometimes just walk into people if lost in thought was another matter altogether. In the Central Courtyard she had already begun taking the path back to her apartment, when the call of a classmate behind her caught Val's attention. Twisting to glance over her shoulder, the brunette's eyes brightened as she noticed a small group gathering, something tugging just in her chest.

Salvation!

"A study group!" It took only a few strides to back track towards the group, promptly throwing an arm around both the familiar man as well as the nearest person on Val's other side - the girl that had called out. Kamala? Maybe? That had to be close. "At the cafe with the strange name. Good choice." Making a point to meet her eyes with the other two men of the group, the older man and the one with the coat that looked far too hot for this weather, Val flashed them a friendly grin before turning to the one at her right.

"And Caleb! It is good to see you again. I overworked my arms, had to take a small break from the gym. We will catch up!" Even now the faded hint of a bruise was visible along Val's biceps, the last trace of the damage done to them after certain... incidents. That she was pointedly trying not to think about during daytime hours, thank you very much brain!

The Coven of Briarwood Community College

I'm glad to hear you like her! Normally I would post now before sleeping, but I'm exhausted, and as such I shall post once I wake up from a solid eight hours of unconsciousness as I'll be up earlier than normal anyway.

EDIT: Might change Val's color code, it seems a bit hard to read.

The Coven of Briarwood Community College

@EurmalEye I was actually thinking the same thing as I read through Caleb's CS, but I didn't want to make any presumptions about other people's characters! I can see them having met before at the very least!

The Coven of Briarwood Community College

Sorry for taking so long, I always find myself fiddling with CSes for days. Hope everything looks alright, I was really struggling with a gift but I think I settled on something decent, if a bit non-traditional for a witch lol.

See anything I need to fix let me know, I am flexible and just want to mesh well. As an aside, if everything is OK the only problem I'd have with a posting order is I usually can't post on Tuesdays.

/Finger guns

The Coven of Briarwood Community College

Valeria Siloav

Valeria Silaov {19F}

Enthusiastic ☀ Brave ☀ Dedicated

Lesbian ☀ Freshman General Studies ☀ Student Athlete

The most apt description for Val is that of a giant puppy; all big paws and sparking 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. Excitable and warm, she's a good friend to have that would drop anything for another person - if she knew they needed it. After all, trying to get this oblivious girl to take a hint is like throwing eggs at a brickwall. Pointless.

Val takes her training very seriously, and is an absolute powerhouse of a person since it focuses on weightlifting. She's actually been catching the eye of a few trainers after winning various competitions, and now has her own eye on beating the Women's Deadlifting world record. The problem is despite having this lofty goal the fact of the matter is, much to Val's chagrin, she fits the dumb jock stereotype more than she'd like to admit. Still, she's pleased to have at least been accepted into BCC, since while she works hard her grades don't seem to reflect it.

The Coven is a new experience that, for once, will leave Val flat flooted. Concerned that these special abilities make her own efforts worth little, she's trying to hide her growing self-doubt behind a worry for the others caught up in this mess.

Relationships

{NPC} Stravos Silaov: Father. Being a bit of a Daddy's girl, Val adores her father, and when they're together you can see where she gets her beastly proportions from. Of course, he cares for his daughter just as much, enough to uproot his family's life for her.

{NPC} Nadia Siloav: Mother. Nadia is the reason her family could afford a rather abrupt immigration, as well as keep them afloat. She is a well known violinist and composer, and wishes Valeria would show a bit more interest in her craft.

History

The Siloav family originally hails from Russia, Valeria being born in the port city of Yakutsk. From seemingly the day she was born, she was a Daddy's girl, content to shadow her father in everything he did. Stravos doted on his daughter in turn, and as such when his little girl begged to join him on his morning runs in the cold of dawn, all he could do was bundle her up and carry her back home when her little legs got tired. As the years past, soon she was keeping up with him, and then he was the one trying to keep up with her. Stravos, after all, was a former Olympic strongman, and just like her father before her Valeria was soon taking to anything physical like a fish in water.

Of course considering where she ended up, Valeria didn't end up staying in Yakutsk forever. It was when she was thirteen that Val let it slip she had her first kiss. With a female classmate. Her parents initially hoped it was just a phase, that it would pass. Val told them honestly it wasn't. So they accepted her, despite all their worries of her being persecuted in a country that still saw it was something to be ashamed of. It was this worry, this love for their only child, that led to the Siloav parents to make a very large decision with their lives, and move away from Yakutsk to somewhere their entire family could be happy.

It wasn't easy immigrating to America, and at first Val was just considered an awkward, towering foreigner to her classmates. It took time to find her place fitting in with others, but she was friendly and sincere and quite frankly a good friend to have. Even if she never stopped towering over classmates - even current day she's over six feet tall. Eventually though she made friends, even a best friend, and happily spent her high school years continuing to scrape by with mediocre grades and a focus on entering (and even winning!) as many junior dead lift competitions as she could.

Despite her terrible grades, Valeria was accepted to BCC with an athletic scholarship in hand. Not yet fully committed to a degree, she's focused on truly earning that scholarship and is determined to finally get her name in the record books.

Well, not so much recently. Ever since giving a helping hand in the car accident that first spawned three sets of strange glowing arms, Val has been wrestling with what the hell is going on with her. Despite being mildly panicked by them, she is still tentatively using this ability when alone and especially when getting ready has used a second set of arms to her advantage.

Magic

Knack: Keeping in line with Val being a very physical person, her knack has always been extraordinary muscle memory. She can embed any type of task involving muscle memory to heart with only a handful of times doing it, and can get far more benefit than a normal person just from watching another. This is most obvious with her athletic prowess, as can be evident in her strength training and nearly any sport. However, her fine motor skills are also affected, and ever since her mother taught her how she can play a violin no problem, even years out of practice. That being said, don't expect any masterpiece compositions.

Gift: Valeria's gift is very simple, in that she can create extra limbs made up of a faintly glowing yellow energy. This is most commonly shown as extra arms, but she would also be able to make very awkward wings, as an example. The drawback is that despite these limbs being made of energy, it's as though using her own muscles. After the incident that she first spawned extra arms, her actual arms were like dead weights the next day, and bruised for a week after.