𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 / 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴

ᵃˡˡ'ˢ 𝓯𝓪𝓲𝓻 ⁱⁿ 𝐿𝒪𝒱𝐸 & 𝖜𝖆𝖗 — 𝒹𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝒻 𝒶𝓅𝒽𝓇𝑜𝒹𝒾𝓉𝑒

[eusalej]

                                                    ᵃˡˡ'ˢ 𝓯𝓪𝓲𝓻 ⁱⁿ                                                    𝐿𝒪𝒱𝐸 & 𝖜𝖆𝖗

𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆:

⟨ IVANA BAQUERO. CIS FEMALE. SHE / HER. ⟩ though the mist might prevent some from seeing it, 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐀 ‘𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐉’ 𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐑𝐎 is actually a descendent of 𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐄. it’s still a question of whether or not the 24 year old 𝐁𝐄𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐒𝐘𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘 from 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐀, 𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐍has taken after their godly parent completely, but the demigod is still known to be quite 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓 & 𝐀𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄.

𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒:

          a wanderer at heart, nomadic to the core ( a mercenary ) who dislikes lingering in one place, perhaps why she’s filtered in and out of the university like a specter for the past five years ; a daughter of aphrodite who wants nothing more than to shirk that title and does her best to ; frequently misidentified as a daughter of ares for her ruthless and often cold demeanor ; uses her amokinesis to sense feelings in people and uses that knowledge to her advantage, but adamantly refuses to use it to manipulate ( and lacks charmspeak ) ; a lover of physical combat, typically simultaneously wielding a mismatched celestial bronze short sword and dagger ; yet also a non-believer in love, seeing it only as a weakness.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘:

— mariana guerrero was a strict woman with a kind heart somewhere deep inside her, endlessly focused on climbing the ranks within the spanish armed forces and shattering that glass ceiling. with a surname name like that, perhaps it was a bit of an inevitability. what she did not think was inevitable was falling in love. with a tough exterior few seldom cracked it was perhaps more like an impossibility, that is until she caught the eye of a certain goddess of love. 

— alejandra guerrero was born on an insignificant day in july, sweltering hot and the kind people say is only good for lying around to try not to get too sticky. unfortunately for her mother, she never made anything easy.

— alej was raised in her mother’s image : the model of firm but fair and tough love, fiercely independent and strong. but her mother was often absent at most times of her life due to her service, leaving her to be raised by her grandparents in barcelona.

— she was quite young when her first power manifested : AMOKINESIS. but it was less a matter of control and more a matter of simple observation in her mind and one she simply used to her advantage, viciously teasing her classmates about their crushes. she was rarely wrong, something that put most of her classmates off so sure she was betraying secrets when in fact it was just the beginning of her power manifesting. she wasn’t exactly a bully, but she wasn’t the sweet little girl her face suggested.

— as she grew older, alej was aware she had this odd sixth sense, even if it never seemed to do any good. she did learn to use it more wisely, though — there’s a lot people will do for you just to keep the object of their desire oblivious : a stupid logic if you asked her, but hey, she may as well profit from it.

— she was average in school, but where she excelled was in the study of people, learning what made them tick and how she could use that to her advantage — things that were not so easily taught.

— at twelve, her mother finally disclosed the secret about her identity and in the summer, she began going to a camp in spain. to say the least, alej loved going to camp, or rather she loved learning how to fight. she had little interest in learning to hon her powers to be used as they should be, instead gravitating to all things physical and strategic warfare, hellbent on not being seen as the sweet little aphrodite girl that many still saw her as. perhaps this was her mother’s ideology at work, but somewhere along the road it became her own.

— then began her drive to go on as many quests as she possibly could and as many as the camp would let her on. though she maintained she worked better alone, questing was something she enjoyed greatly in spite of the company of the two other demigods and the danger. she couldn’t have cared less about the actual things they were doing for the gods — it was all about honing her skills and testing her abilities in the real world.

— at fourteen, she began to stay at camp full-time and at seventeen after graduating from bachillerato ( because in spite of her attitude, she ceded education was of critical importance if she ever decided to go to college ), she left to roam europe.

— it was in these years that she picked up some freelance work, hunting down monsters that plagued demigod and mundane establishment sometimes for money, sometimes just because she was bored and felt like it. she was a mercenary in some ways, going where the trouble was and profiting immensely from it ( think almost… a witcher ?? ). this lifestyle suited her nomadic preferences, allowing her to go where she wanted and no one telling her what to do and afforded her enough money to survive.

— people’s perception of her was usually positive, so long as they didn’t have to interact with her awfully long in person. alej could be sweet when she wanted to, and people often wanted so desperately to like her, finding something alluring about her unavailability and callous attitude ( so sure that they would be the one to finally break through ) but if alej didn’t want to like them, then so be it.

— alej’s attitude and arrogance finally got the best of her not long after her twentieth birthday, seeing her get critically injured after dispatching of a trio of monsters that’d been sniffing around the outskirts of athens. luckily, a pair of demigods found her and brought her back to the apollo infirmary at eonia university where she was nursed back to health after a few days.

— the accident did have alej rethinking her ways in that weeks that followed, the two years of travelling with little reprieve finally catching up to her. she eventually decided to stay once the fall semester started. and thus began a slightly new chapter of her life, taking classes at the university until she inevitably became trapped by the boarders that protected her and some danger called to her from beyond them.

— since then she’s nearly always alternated semesters at eonia, slowly chipping away at some degree of a sort ( though she almost always just picked classes that looked interest to her with no specific path in mind ). sometimes she finishes a semester, sometimes she disappears halfway through only to show up two months later. it’s anyone’s guess really.

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐂:

— her main weapons are a short and light celestial bronze sword and a dagger that was a gift from apollo upon completion of a quest ( though it is sadly just a dagger ) ; obviously they don’t match but she typically wields them simultaneously, finding their mismatched nature allows her for flexibility within fights. she can wield either in either hand with ease as well. they don’t have any other additional magical properties besides the fact they never lose their shine, but they don’t need to because they’re always holstered at her waist and she doesn’t go anywhere without them.

— her fighting style has evolved over the years and often changes depending on who ( or what ) she’s facing. but one thing that always remains is that she never tries to overpower with pure brute forcing, knowing she typically does not inherently outmatch her opponent pound for pound, but with her skill and slippery way of fighting, she is more than a match.

— ambidextrous : it’s not something that came naturally to her at first, but she trained herself  relentlessly at from even a young age until it was because she thought it would be cool. as she got older, she realized just how much benefit that’s given her.

— she’s currently declared as a behavioral psychology major, which is something that she does find interesting, but it’s mostly just because eventually the university said she had to declare and that just happened to be what she had the most credits in. she often loads up on combat classes too, and can be frequently found in the gym or sparring rings. as it stands now, in the four and a half years since she first “started” at eonia, she has about three semesters worth of credits. at the same times, she is in no hurry to finish up.

— alej is quite smart, quick to think on her feet and enjoys a good challenge. it’s one of the reasons she volunteered to so many quests and then transitioned to mercenary work as she got older. however, in spite of her strategic skill, she’s prone to recklessness and jumping before she looks. she’s not against making half a plan and figuring out the rest as she goes ; she thinks she’s smart enough to get away with it, and many times she does ( until she doesn’t ).

— she doesn’t own much : able to pack her entire life down into a backpack with ease. she doesn’t keep much in her room in the aphrodite house, either — mostly items she’s deemed unimportant ( mostly things gifted to her ). her space often has the look of being unlived in even when she is there. alej always had a tendency to leave impressions in people’s minds, not physical spaces.

— she enjoys climbing things and being in high places, especially when they offer her a vantage of large swathes of land. it makes her feel like a bird for a moment ( and means she’s slightly jealous of hypnos kids that can shapeshift into birds — she’s not in the habit of yearning for what can’t be, but it’s really the only godly power she wishes she could possess )

— her languages are spanish, english, greek ( as a demigod ), french ( as aphrodite’s daughter ), and conversational german.

— alej has met aphrodite once. i think she tried to stab her. aphrodite probably laughed and then blessed alej’s weapons to never dull, rust, or lose their shine which she thought was dumb at the time but begrudgingly has since recognized that it’s a useful property since it means she never has to clean her weapons.

— “looks like she could kill you, could actually kill you” on the cinnamon roll spectrum

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘:

— “ all’s fair in love and war.” certainly words alej loves to live by. she has a temper she doesn’t bother to reign in when it shows up, often acting on whims and with a certain reckless abandon that doesn’t take her safety ( and often other’s safety ) into account. alej can be emotionally cruel at times, very love is a battlefield and shit.

— she’s fiercely independent, something that expresses itself as both a positive and negative, often leading her to refuse help even when she desperately does need it. she has few friends. people have to earn her respect to earn her friendship and that’s not an easy thing to do with alej. her few friends are often ones who can spar with her, physically or mentally, and challenge her to ceaselessly be better. earning her trust and friendship is difficult, but once you do you have a friend for life. ( at times, she envies those who are effortlessly kind, but on most days rolls her eyes at them and moves on ).

— that being said alej is an incredibly hard worker. her image is ironically very important to her, and she doesn’t take days off on that. she strives to not be seen as “a daughter of aphrodite,” which she views as a sort of weakness. a more level-headed approach would be to use that underestimation to her advantage, but alej loathes to be seen as weak and incapable in any light, and even more to actually feel that way. because of that, she hates to lose and fears failure. she’s been asked if she feels like she’s overcompensating ; no one ever asks that twice. it’s not uncommon for people unfamiliar with her to assume she’s a daughter of ares, given her brutal, reckless, and trends toward violence — she likes when people do ; to her that means it’s all paying off.

— a staunch non-believer in love : she knows firsthand just how easy it is to manipulate, and even sensing it in other causes her to roll her eyes. she equates loving to weakness, not because of any tragic past or great heartbreak, simply because that’s what she believes. passion, desire, and lust are all more fun in her books, but again still weakness, things that can be easily exploited — something she goes out of her way to do. she hates being seen as a daughter of aphrodite and goes to great lengths to not be perceived as such, from her brutality to her callous demeanor. for the most part, she’s successful in this and many of the people who refer to her as such don’t make the mistake of doing it again.

— she’s not exactly a bully. though no one is safe from her attitude at least once, she won’t often go after the same person twice unless she’s sure they can take it and rarely without cause ( though granted, that “cause” doesn’t have to be much ) — like any fight, it’s the most fun when someone pushes back. some people are so pitiful that they’re not even worth her attention. in general, her mannerisms and attitude are less due to true malice or a desire to harm others, and more due to a blunt and abrasive nature, a cynical worldview, and a low tolerance for bullshit.

𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒:

AMOKINESIS —

        it’s less of a thing alej really exercises total control over and more a single side-effect of it she abuses to no end. after all, the most potent effects of amokinesis are merely results of blossoming of seeds that are already there. alej doesn’t dabble much in the blossoming or generating feelings, simply in being able to detect the emotions, no matter how small or buried, in people and ( if people are in the right place and right proximity to each other ) just who they’re for. just the knowledge alone is enough for her to twist to her own needs without need for dabbling further — at least with her power. knowledge is power, after all, and if she’s learned anything in this world, it’s that a lot of people like to keep their romantic feelings close to their chest, making it an effective motivator ( not even to mention the number of loveless relationships out there ). there are endless destructive possibilities for her without even having to influence a single emotion.

        this aspect of amokinesis is something she’s honed relentlessly since she first discovered it within herself to the point where it’s practically reflexive to her. it’s more effort for her not to sense the respective emotions than it is for her to register them. there are a select few that she makes an effort not to read, but it’s a very select few — there’s not many people she respects enough to do that. she doesn’t dabble much in manipulation, save occasionally to suppress other’s feelings for her if they come to annoy her too much. she can manipulate emotions adequately, but this is more a result of her required amokinesis classes than anything.

        being the offspring of aphrodite is also useful in that her siblings’ powers have no effect on her, be it amokinesis or charmspeak ; this is something she is begrudgingly thankful for. the idea of being forced to develop feelings for someone or being forced to do anything against her will are both things of a nightmare in her mind. on the flipside, it means it’s a lot harder for her to get a read on her siblings’ feelings.

ENHANCED BEAUTY —

        one trait alej shares with her siblings is her undeniable vain streak. it doesn’t present itself in the need for makeup and frilly dresses, more in the way a wolf can still be beautiful after tearing into a caribou carcass. it’s more of a wild beauty, not one she controls but she never looks like shit no matter what she’s been through, a sparring session or a crawl through a dump truck. she enjoys turning heads of all kinds, and enjoys it even more because she fancies herself completely out of their league.

MISC —

        alej notably lacks the ability of charmspeak, though it’s unclear if she simply doesn’t have it or if it’s so weakly developed in her that it goes unnoticed. she still has a way with words and the way she holds herself that she can still get what she wants, the same way any beautiful woman could get what she wants if she puts her mind to it.

        she considers herself a daughter of aphrodite only on technicality, not in practice and that includes not actively using any of the powers she gains from being her daughter. that’s why she doesn’t participate much in the control or influencing aspects of her amokinesis ; if she’s going to get something, she’s going to earn it under her own devices and because she deserves it. it’s far more satisfying to her that way ( though some may argue her looks and persuasion skills are also traits from her goldly mother, alej stanchly does not see it that way ). 

          her time and energy is more channeled towards other things, like physical training — and it’s paid off : her hand-to-hand combat skills are near unparalleled. given her large swath of real life experience, alej is quite talented in the art of fighting and strategy — however, without surprise, her teamwork and ability to work with others is severely lacking.

𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄:

— 5′4″. built like a long-distance runner and extremely agile.

— alej often has a dishonest look about her and a predatory and observant gaze, not unlike that of a wolf. her leave me alone vibes are impressive despite her small stature.

— honestly… just ivana baquero as eretria in shannara chronicles bc it’s such a Look™

— in general she sticks to natural colors : earth tones and forest greens, and clothing that is form-fitting but not so much that it hampers her movement in any way. she doesn’t wear overly baggy clothing, more because it can get caught on things than any real desire to show off her figure ( though it is a perk ). she typically wears light boots of some kind, ones that fit impeccably and have been molded to her feet with time. she hates poorly made shoes and also expensive shoes that are uncomfortable as hell. alej always has an air that she might run off at any second, and tends to dress like it too.

— she doesn’t go anywhere without her weapons, often holstered in her belt. there is also a small silver pen knife sheathed in one of her brown combat boots in case of encounters with werewolves.

— jewelry: black leather bracelets on both wrists ( right is a band about a centimeter wide, the left is a leather string wrapped around several times ) ; three black stud earrings in her left cartilage

— scars: several small scars all over her body related to typical demigod shenanigans, one long scar across her left palm from an accident when she was first learning to use her daggers

—  PINTEREST BOARD HERE

𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒:

🎵i wanna ~𝘷𝘪𝘣𝘦~ with somebody🎵 🎵feel the ᶜʰᵉᵐ with someboᵈʸʸʸʸʸʸ🎵

— okay but one plot i do want is someone who genuinely did like her / have a crush on her for…. whatever reason alsdkfj. and alej manipulated their feelings and buried them. cld be angsty yknow.

— she’s also frequented / passed through most of the european camps at some point due to her travelling / wandering. so… y’know potential point of connection.

𝐎𝐎𝐂:

         hello… i am still ollie and i am back with alej 2 electric boogaloo… she has a real bio now and i have a much better idea of who she is so i think this time will go much better.

[eusalej]

eusamson​:

          𝐍𝐎𝐖  𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆  :  𝐑𝐔𝐍  𝐅𝐎𝐑  𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑  𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄  /  𝐊.𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐘.   it’s  a  slow  day  in  the  infirmary,  beds  empty  save  for  one  demigod  being  kept  for  observation  who  had  fallen  foul  of  an  ares  kid’s  scream  during  the  latest  capture  the  flag  meet  (  despite  the  rules  “accidents”  tended  to  happen  when  competition  was  fierce  ),  his  hearing  yet  to  return.   medicinal  stock  replenished,  notes  in  order,  samson  was  passing  the  time  by  playing  tug  of  war  with  the  tabby  cat  at  his  feet,  claws  attacking  the  end  of  a  partially  unrolled  bandage  with  increased  vigour.

          then  the  door  opens,  and  —  distracted  —  he  looks  up  to  see  who  it  is,  which  is  when  the  animal  strikes  at  exposed  skin,  eliciting  a  curse  and  a  sharp  hiss  of  pain,    ❛   ow,  freddie           !   ❜   standing,  he  shakes  maimed  hand  while  pulling  the  bandage  out  of  reach  with  the  other,  a  groan  surfacing  when  he  sees  exactly  who  he’s  faced  with,   ❛   you  have  perfect  timing,   ❜   eyes  dart  to  bloodied  clothing,  automatically  moving  to  swap  out  his  makeshift  cat  toy  with  disposable  gloves,   ❛   aaaand  a  knack  for  turning  up  to  campus  injured.   what  happened  ?   ❜

                                                                             [   𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑   :   @eusalej​  *   ]

         it's LATE by the time she makes it to eonia island and blissfully within the SAFETY of the campus' highly protected borders ( severely beefed up if her intel is any good ). she's almost disappointed that she hadn't been around to maybe have her turn at some powerful tartarus spawn, but sadly she'd been busy in poland hunting down some dracaena for very good money. and there she might've happily stayed if she hadn't gotten bored. there's a trail of vaporized monsters in her wake back to eonia, until the last one — vaporized, but not before managed to get to her first.

         her entry to the apollo infirmary isn't all that quiet, her usual stealth forsaking her as the blood loss and what might be some poison or shit doing it's thing.     " sun boy !! "     she sounds almost cheery though the smile on her face is a little closer to a grimace, even by her normal standards.     " how're you doing ?? 's been a while, yeah ?? "     her hand is still clasp over her makeshift bandage on her shoulder ; her jacket is sadly definitely a lost cause.      " might've ran into a little TROUBLE on my way back. "

[eusalej]

eurafi​:

𝐇𝐈𝐒  𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐍  𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒  𝐅𝐈𝐗𝐄𝐃  𝐈𝐍  𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄,  and  rafi  leans  casually  against  a  nearby  wall  as  she  speaks,  ignoring  the  ring  of  her  blade  as  it’s  replaced  in  its  sheath  in  a  way  that  speaks  of  their  prior  history,  uncaring  of  alej’s  reputation  and  the  intimidation  that  came  with  it. 

          ❛   not  quite,  no,   ❜   he  shrugs  nonchalantly,  choosing  his  next  words  carefully  ;  rafi’s  respect  for  his  former  questmate  extended  to  the  lies  he  wove,  in  the  manipulated  details  of  truth  that  would  allow  him  to  speak  on  a  topic  he’d  otherwise  avoid  with  anyone  else  —  truth,  but  on  his  own  terms,   ❛   managed  to  travel  to  the  underworld,  saw  my  dad,  he  gave  me  a  free  pass  and  here  i  am  six  months  later.   stuck  here  until  i  finish  this  hades-forsaken  course.   ❜   a  beat,  offering  a  subject  change  as  a  way  to  divert  attention  away  from  the  tender  subject  of  his  near-death,   ❛   please  tell  me  you’ve  been  doing  something  more  interesting.   ❜

         they are STARTLINGLY similar — something that alej sees as a point of pride, though not everyone likes to see it that way ( and perhaps, she shouldn't either, not after the first and only test of their SIMILARITIES almost resulted in them both almost dead ). but mistakes aren't something alej likes to dwell on — and clearly, they're both still here so how bad could it have been ?? her own devious smile stretches across her face, a well-tanned shoulder rising in a half-shrug.     " oh, you know, this and THAT — sounds like YOU had fun though. "     there is more there to that story, perhaps, but it's none of her business — and if alej understands anything well, it's keeping cards close to your chest.

         her hand has long left the hilt of her sword, her posture almost genuinely relaxed now, perhaps the greatest testament to the man before her considering it's a near impossible feat to get her to do so. and yet there is a near unparalleled respect for rafi that might be as misplaced as his is in her.     " if you ever get too COOPED UP, though — i have a growing list of errands to do. would hate for you to end up dying of boredom after all THAT. "

[eusalej]

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑: @eulohani​ 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐀: somewhere lol

          " if you were going to make me hang out with you, you could've at least brought an apple. "     alej isn't even hungry, but it's like the whole principle of it and maybe giving her hands something to do. she doesn't really think that noor would put nair in her shampoo, but there's a non-zero chance that it's NOT an empty threat, so here alej is, ready to do gods know what. besides noor is a hard person to say no too, even for alej who might as well have a black belt in that. ( she'll never admit it, but it's not nearly as bad as she makes it out to be — she wouldn't be here if she REALLY didn't want to ). dark eyes survey their surrounds, arms rising to cross over her chest.     " what are we even doing here ?? "

-

[eusalej]

𝙞𝙈𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙚 > dite 1

noor: didn't you say that you were my friend

noor: i'm done w stream and if i don't leave this house i will burn it down

alej: [read 18:24]

[olxwxa]

all i want for christmas is for renfri to be resurrected.

[eusalej]

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑: @euadeline​ 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐀: ‘dite housing, their shared room

          alej’s side of the room has a habit of looking UNINHABITED even when she is present on campus and living in the aphrodite house — part of the UPSIDE to owning so little. her return is unannounced as USUAL, without warning or preamble, her duffle bag placed beside her bed the only other sign of her presence besides her presence itself. she’s lying on her own bed ( a rather comfortable piece of furniture, she has to begrudgingly admit ), a book the object of her attention though that changes when her beloved ( sarcasm ) HALF-sister enters.     “ glad to see you didn’t TAKE OVER while i was gone, ”     she says thanklessly, skipping over the pleasantries of ‘ hi, adeline. i’m back. so nice to see you. ’ she should know not to expect such things from her anyway.      “ you can keep the extra closet space i’m sure you’ve taken over — i won’t be needing it. ”

-

[eusalej]

lyraeu​:

        lyra can resign herself to his company a few moments longer until alej comes swooping in, a delighted smirk welcoming her to the table once it’s just the two of them seated. for as irritating as the math department incels have proven to be, there’s an element of entertainment she’s learned to adopt around them, seeing the wimpier ones as playthings more than threats or even significant nuisances. but witnessing the effects of alej’s imposing figure on anyone unfortunate enough to cross her path —something lyra wholly can’t relate to with a squirtle keychain on her backpack and a ( mostly ) sunny disposition often reflected in her face — is one of the most satisfying experiences she’s had the privilege of being front row to, so she’ll play up her discomfort just for kicks.  “  honesty, i’m a little worried that my face might be too round to make it work,  ”  lyra motions, poking at her cheek for good measure.  “  like, it’s easy for you because you’ve got these killer cheekbones. granted, you also have a knife, but i really think it’s the cheekbones.  ” 

-

          alej frows at her, though it lacks any true malice — those that have been on the receiving end of her glare would know ( so a fair number of campus ). it's a MYSTERY to her what is it that makes her so sympathetic to lyra's largely pathetic and otherwise unassuming presence ; perhaps it's simply because she's got an odd brand of INDEPENDENCE alej can admire ( even if she thinks it’s solely misdirected ) and is too pretty to go to WASTE ( and that is a simple factual observation uninformed by other matters ). she bites into a slice of apple with a satisfying crunch, gaze no less CRITICAL than it had been moments earlier.     " it's neither — anyone can be intimidating. "     well, the knife probably also helps, but alej isn't going to cede that fact either. she chews her fruit in an almost thoughtful manner, gaze a sort of piercing people usually don't equate to brown eyes until they met HER.     " if you tried you could do it — "     in spite of the context of the words, they're delivered in a careless way, as if alej has no real interest in if lyra decides to take them to heart or not — such is MOST of the advice alej delivers, often unprompted and considered advice only if you take it relative to her typical attitude.     " — you can't rely on that useless hockey hunk forever. "

-

[eusalej]

eurafi​:

          𝐇𝐄'𝐃  𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐃  𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒,  alej’s  name  dropping  from  lips  either  in  quiet  admiration  or  open  disdain  at  her  sudden  reappearance  on  campus  ;  an  answer  to  a  question  that  had  curdled,  sour  in  the  pit  of  his  stomach  after  his  father’s  refusal  to  respond  when  asked  if  she  had  made  it  out  alive.   an  answer  that  —  rafi’s  surprised  to  find  —  lifts  a  weight  off  his  shoulders  he  hadn’t  realised  he’d  been  carrying  with  him  since.

          so  when  he  finally  spots  her  in  the  distance  he’s  almost  giddy  with  excitement,  a  lightness  he  plays  off  at  the  fact  his  —  frankly  heroic  —  gamble  paid  off.   rafi  doesn’t  think  twice,  shadow  travelling  an  extension  of  his  very  being  ;  three  strides  and  a  familiar  pressing  darkness  later  and  he’s  re-appeared  by  her  side,  smile  effortlessly  bright  as  he  speaks,   ❛   so  you’re  not  dead  then           !   ❜

                                                                              [   𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑   :   @eusalej​  *   ]

         fifteen centimeters of celestial bronze glint in the afternoon sunlight, the result of battle honed reflexes as the man suddenly materializes at her side and shocks alej into half unsheathing her sword. her mind catches up to her muscles after a moment, brown eyes taking in a familiar face as he stands cloaked in the shadows of an academic hall. her expression slips in that moment, a mixed cocktail of surprise and a hint of what could be categorized as happiness — by alej's standards anyway.

          it’s barely a second later that her sword drops back into it's sheath with a whisper of metal, her own usual mask of careless haughtiness with it.  it's not a face she had expected to see again, not after their less than ideal frantic parting on the knife edge of life and DEATH — what do you say to someone so fleetingly met and then disappeared in exchange for her own safety ??    " i suppose not — "     she says, but there's still something in her eyes, though : a certain touch of lightness that betrays her own relief. her own gaze sweeps him from head to toe critically.      " neither are YOU from the looks of it. "     in fact, he looks rather good for someone she'd thought DEAD.

-

[eusalej]

euandres​:

      the meetings on his schedule for today have finally wrapped up, and andrés is relieved from his duty of listening to people fight over the brand of toilet paper they should use to stock the campus bathrooms. normally he didn’t mind, but today he was glad to finally be done with it, go back to the hermes house and make himself some comfort food before digging into his evening work. he’s on his way back when he spots alej, doing a double-take at first considering it’s been a while since he’d last seen her around. of course, he makes a detour to say hello, and alej greets him ( bold wording ) before he has a chance to say anything. “ yes, i do have an education to complete, surprisingly. ” he teases with a laugh, eyes moving to her hand where it touches faded skin. “ that is a wicked scar. hope they gave you a doctor’s note for that –- might help if you’re going to appeal the results from last semester. ”

         alej’s arms cross over her chest as he speaks, face already drawn down into what could be a scowl. what is it exactly about andrés that ticks her off so much ?? — the feeling brewing in the back of her mind like the beginning of a painful headache. she itches for a moment to reach for her dagger, just to give her hands something to do, a distraction, but refrains ( only just ).     " it won't scar, "     she says bluntly instead. the apollo infirmary is too talented for that ( read SAMSON, is too talented for that ), though alej might not mind if it DID — it's a toss up really, between looking badass and having a mark of failure permanently on her body.     " and i'm not appealing last semester — there's no point. ”     besides, she’s used to the collateral damage to her academic career due to more interesting and dangerous things popping up on her radar — and a nice pretty penny too.     “ my FAVORITE ta wouldn't even put in a good word. "     sarcasm thickly laces her words, the truth lying far from favorite.

-

[eusalej]

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑: @lyraeu​ 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐀: the dining hall, lunch time

         much to her satisfaction, the incel who'd been talking lyra can't seem to scurry away quickly enough when alej makes her presence known, sliding into the spot next to him and across from her intended company. intended may be a bit of a stretch, but it's crowded in the dining hall and she guesses two birds with one stone isn't such bad odds, even if it puts her in lyra's path — consider lyra's benefit from her presence an unintended consequence, not the goal ; that's what she'll say anyway.      " you need to work on your glare — "     she says in way of greeting, busying herself with the apple she has in hand, knife carving off a piece. easy for alej to say, it’s hard to place a day when she hasn’t appeared INTIMIDATING.     " — your face would hold it well, and then you would have less problems. "

-

[eusalej]

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑: @euiker​ 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐀: somewhere in dite house. a few days after they’ve come back from rome.

         " i fail to see how that's my problem. "     alej turns another page in the book open in her lap, though the motion is more for SHOW than any true current interest of what's on the page. she'd been toying with the idea of a change of pace only a minute ago ( the gym perhaps or even just a quick run by the sparring rings ) but now that iker's in the room, this book is the most fascinating thing in her life. her position has hardly changed since he entered, legs thrown over one arm of the comfy chair she's in, back settled back against the other — somehow, her sword remains sheathed at her waist, angled comfortably so it's out of the way but still REACHABLE. ( does she need to be armed in her own house ?? she thinks so, yes ). it's a position of EASE and yet there's a certain tenseness about her, somehow also prepared to strike at the slightest provocation.     " go bother someone else. "

-

[eusalej]

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑: @euandres​ 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐀: a few days after most of campus returns from rome

          the eonia grounds are as familiar to alej as the back of her hand, something that always brings a sense of comfort when she finally arrives back on them and eventually morphs into a smothering cage ; for now though, she is content to rely on the safety their boarders hold. a set of formerly deep scratches curving over the cap of her shoulder is well on its way to healing courtesy of the apollo infirmary, her thumb brushing over the paler stripes of new flesh as she examines them until she’s so rudely interrupted. that’s a categorization more on principle than any actual action on andrés’ part — but he never did have to do anything besides exist around her to be a nuisance ; perhaps that’s what was so irritating about it. she senses him before she even lays eyes on his figure, the annoying prickling in her gut as familiar as it is unwanted.     “ — you’re still around then. ”     it’s an unimpressed statement, tone and posture as haughty as ever as she deigns to raise her gaze at him.

-

[princessroverdaily]

[anneboleyns]

[eusalej]

eusamson​:

        𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 : 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐄𝐒 / 𝐁𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐘 𝐂𝐋𝐘𝐑𝐎.   music  swelling  beneath  cushions  of  headphones,  steps  are  taken  quickly  through  the  chaos  of  training  centre  floor  ;  destination  in  mind,  he’s  keen  to  escape  the  oppressive  atmosphere,  never  willingly  spending  more  time  in  the  room  dedicated  to  sparring  than  it  takes  to  reach  the  stairs  upward. 

          he’s  halfway  across  when  a  familiar  face  draws  his  attention,  knife  wielded  like  an  extension  of  her  being  at  some  poor  demigod  kid  who  looks  thoroughly  out  of  his  depth.   perhaps  a  kinder  person  would  have  stepped  in   (   that  famed  apollo  disposition  always  misread   ),  but  a  bigger  more  selfish  part  of  him  wants  nothing  more  than  to  make  it  to  the  dance  studio  in  peace.

          suddenly  incredibly  interested  in  the  worn  material  of  punching  bag  he’s  swiftly  stepped  behind,  his  hope  at  avoiding  notice  is  short  lived,  hiding  place  pushed  aside  in  favour  of  blunt  greeting  that  forces  headphones  to  hang  wilted  around  his  neck,  accompanied  by  an  imperceptible  sigh,   ❛   alej             !   i  didn’t  see  you  there.   ❜

          her  words  draw  forth  a  bemused  upturn  of  the  lips  ;  eyes  catch  sight  of  her  previous  partner  hastily  gathering  his  things  in  the  background,  and  samson’s  smile  grows  more  genuine,  arms  crossing  loosely  over  his  chest,   ❛   i  don’t  remember  ever  signing  up  to  be  a  human  punching  bag                    and  neither  did  that  kid,  by  the  look  of  things.   ❜   a  huff  of  amusement,  tracking  his  progress,   ❛              i’ve  never  seen  anyone  move  so  fast   !   ❜

         alej's gaze turns back behind her at samson's commentary, narrowing slightly at the boy she'd very explicitly to stay put doing the very opposite. she mulls over the knife she has in hand — it'd be a very easy shot for her ( aimed to SCARE not to maim, don't worry ), but then she'd have to go all the way back over there to retrieve it because her stupid godly mother had only charmed her weapons to be PRETTY, not fucking useful. an annoyed sigh pushes its way from between her lips before the knife in hand is shoved back into its holster. the weapon out of the way she crosses her arms, attention returned to the son of apollo as a sly smile paints itself across lush lips,     " — good thing i have new entertainment then. "

         dark eyes flick up and down samson's frame, unimpressed.     " i didn't HAVE to ask — i was being nice, "     she scoffs — as if being nice meant asking someone before you beat them up ; in alej's book that might even be true, it was hard to tell sometimes. though really, samson is in no immediate danger of being injured by her — he’s sadly too good at his job of healing, even if it involves a lot more singing than she would prefer.    " and for the record, he asked for it. "     again, a statement that should be taken with a grain of salt : alej always did have a nasty habit of shirking responsibility for things and believing she was ALWAYS in the right.    " it's not MY fault i was the first one who volunteered to spar with him. "

-

[denisvileneuve]