I would bleed the colors of the evening stars

The Sphinx is the riddle, not the riddler. 2nd year biochem & anthro student, traveler, curious about life, the universe and everything. RP account for Westeros University (if you're here from b&g you're actually looking for this)

[sarellainthesand]

Beaudelaire & Neruda | Open | Sept 7th

It had been a week since Sarella had regained her place in the library staff and it felt like home. Surrounded by tall shelves, the top of which only people as tall as her could reach, spires and columns reaching upwards from the floor to grasp the ceiling, above which stood a second similar floor. She realized that she’d actually missed heading down there and lending a helping hand to those who really seemed incredibly lost. She didn’t quite miss the tedious job that was categorisation and clean-up, though.

As far as jobs went, though, it was one of the better ones Sarella had had, a relaxed atmosphere and no real rush. On top of that, she’d always liked libraries because of how quiet they are, which is a nice contrast to her usual boisterous personality and lifestyle. Sometimes, she reasoned, variety is nice.

As she wandered through the labyrinth of bookshelves, she noticed the different people looking for something specific, at which point she'd approach them with a pleasant smile and a greeting of "Hi, can I help you with something?". Some people eagerly and thankfully confessed they were looking for this or that book, but a few shook their head and remained silent, prefering to look for themselves. Sarella also took notice of those doing much the same thing she did, moving around the library with something approaching wonder in their eyes, clearly not here for a book, but more for the sense of being in a library.

Sarella definitely loved her job here, it was an aspect of life at Westeros U she'd missed over summer.

[lezbianeyecandy]

[engineerbull]

Back to the Grind | Open

[engineerbull]

-

Gendry scratched the back of his neck, done with his lunch but not particularly pressed to get back to work. He’d enjoyed talking to this girl, but this was the point in conversation where things started to get awkward. From this point it tended to branch off in one of three possible and equally uncomfortable directions: he either spoke too little and unnerved people, or spoke too much and unnerved people, or spoke just the right amount but said something so atrociously out of place and uncomfortable that everyone, himself included, was unnerved.

[sarellainthesand]

Sarella nodded, deciding now to actually do things they way they were supposed to be done with regards to computers, instead of however they came to her and then hoping for the best.

She could sense Gendry's discomfort when the man scratched his neck, so she took the opportunity to speak up and ask about something that had been nagging at her for a bit. "I never actually caught your name by the way, I'm Sarella. Weird to think we've gotten this far into a conversation without an introduction." She laughed, with the intention of making light of a somewhat awkward situation.

"Oh, are you going to Professor Baratheon's party later today?" She was struck by the sudden curiosity, realizing she didn't actually know who wold be going, since she'd only heard of it recently from a friend who wasn't sure they'd make it.

[yourfavoritefuckingvice-blog]

Gorgeous

[tymartell-blog]

Summer Days ✘ Sarella & Tyene ✘ August 28th

[tymartell-blog]

-

She leaned back, taking a sip from her coffee and smirking. “How was the trip?” Her red cheeks and farmer’s tan gave away that she, at least, had somewhat enjoyed herself, but she figured she would let her sister tell her the rest.

[sarellainthesand]

Sarella sat back down after hugging her sister, gripping her cup of coffee in her hand and taking a sip, any thought of what might have been a funny smell completely disintegrating.

"Well camping around the Greenblood was really cool, the stars you see there are absolutely stunning. The water is freezing though! Not that that's a bad thing, I mean, you know how summer gets. I had a lot of fun but it was really exhausting so going home to Sunspear was very relaxing."

Sarella put her cup down, trying to recall a few details. "You were sorely missed though! It's really not the same without all of us, Arianne in particular was bummed about you not being able to come. I didn't see the little snakes much though, since they spent most of the summer at the Water Gardens. Everybody told me to pass on a hello to you, by the way. And I do mean everyone. So, how was your summer? You were vague on the details last time we talked, so tell me everything!"

[engineerbull]

Back to the Grind | Open

[engineerbull]

-

He turned the computer back towards her. “Once this program’s done running, what was salvaged will be in a shortcut file on your desktop. I also opened up a few tabs in your browser for good external hard drives, because it’s better to back up your stuff permanently than to rely on flash drives. Other than that, make sure you actually eject your flash drives before you take them out and stuff.” He smiled across the table at her.

[sarellainthesand]

"Oh, I was in scouts too. I really liked it but mostly for the camping and community feeling, I wasn't so hot on the 'mystic' part of it, honestly."

Sarella had actually been her patrole's guide for two years back when she was 14. "I had to leave them too though, because I just didn't have the time any more, which was a bummer. How long were you in scout?"

When Gendry turned the computer at her she grinned at her screen and then looked up at him with a sincere, thankful smile. "Thank you so much! I thought they'd be lost forever. I really owe you one, man, just whatever you need, hit me up." She laughed. "Yeah, I know you're supposed to do that but I never had a bad experience with flash drives before this so I figured losing your files was just a far-fetched possibility that only ever happened to old people who confuse their USBs with toothbrushes."

[sarellainthesand]

Sarella's party outfit, Sept 7th

[sarellainthesand]

On the Count of Three | Dacey & Sarella | Sept 7th

[aswimmingbear-blog]

-

"Alright, here are the choices.  What do you think?"

[sarellainthesand]

As Dacey slid away away to her room energetically, Sarella buzzed around the kitchen, already having made up her mind as to what drink she would be making. Something that would pack a punch and keep them awake and lively during the entire night, a fun drink to match their energy.

From the liquor cabinet, she fished out some brandy, port and coffee liqueur, then skittered over to the fridge, where she grabbed a couple of eggs and some dark cocoa cream. Sarella had first had this drink, which, if she recalled correctly, was called The Translations, when she'd been to Astapor, at a dingy pub called The Harpy's Nest, and though the place wasn't exactly hospitable, their drinks had been pretty good.

Sarella shook it dry first, for a long time and with force, then with ice. Finally, she poured it on a class she grabbed from a cabinet. She was pretty sure she hadn't made this drink for Dacey before, but Sarella knew she'd like it; Dacey wasn't picky, and she seemed to really like energizing drinks in the past, so this really was a logical choice

When Dacey stepped back into the kitchen, Sarella handed her the drink. "Here you go, Dace!" She examined the clothes layed out in front of her, bringing a finger to her lip. Dacey had such a good fashion sense that in the end, all her clothes were gorgeous and perfectly matched, so it was hard to advise. The blue skirt caught Sarella's eye the most. "Ooh, that's a really nice skirt, I'd go with that. And it's just the right weather for it too."

[fckyeahantm]

AzMarie | Cycle 18

Photo: Tarrice Love

[sarellainthesand]

On the Count of Three | Dacey & Sarella | Sept 7th

[aswimmingbear-blog]

-

She galloped to the door and flung it open, greeting Sarella with an exhuberant

"Let’s get drunk!"

[sarellainthesand]

Sarella answered Dacey's proclamation by way of a wild a grin of agreement. "It's like you read my mind!"

The dornish girl laughed and stepped inside and made her way to the living room in the familiar apartment she'd so often visited, in so many different contexts (she's seen the table covered in both books and vomit). Without much ceremony, she dropped her bag down on the floor, though she herself remained standing, leaning over to kiss Dacey's cheek in greeting.

"So, what have you got for me today?" she asked playfully.

Sarella knew Dacey didn't often drink, and had actually been to parties with the swimmer where she hadn't seen her so much as touch alcohol, but she also knew that her roommates liked to keep a variety of drinks in store (unlike Sarella, who had the bare essentials at home, if even that much, because she always forgot to go shopping, and even when she remembered, she forgot to buy specific things she needed).

[sarellainthesand]

On the Count of Three | Dacey & Sarella | Sept 7th

A party to kick off the year and wave goodbye to vacation? Well, she certainly wasn't going to say no to that. Sarella had heard of the by-now famous party at Professor Baratheon's place a few days ago and texted a some friends about it. A few conversations later, she'd agreed to get ready and pre-game with Dacey. Sarella grabbed her bag and crossed it across her chest from from shoulder as she slammed the door shut.

She headed out into the still-warm breeze of King's Landing, walking with purpose and yet a relaxed stride over to Dacey's place. From what she knew, everyone on campus was apparently going to show up at Renly's place so, whatever might happen, the party was going to be eventful.

A few turns and street-crossings later, she found herself nearing the building where Dacey lived. Sarella entered and greeted the concierge with a friendly smile, then stepped into the elevator, to arrive a few seconds later at Dacey's door.

[engineerbull]

Back to the Grind | Open

[sarellainthesand]

Sarella was going to have to think of a way to thank him later. Maybe he took tips or something.

[engineerbull]

Gendry shrugged good-naturedly. “Nah, this is what just what I do.” He took a few over-large bites of fried rice and greasy chicken before continuing. “I can’t really do much else.”

He shoveled in a few more bites. “Sounds like you’re really into photography!” he said, trying to start a conversation. It did seem like a neat hobby to have, but he didn’t want to sound over-eager. “Pass me your laptop once the stuff is open, and I’ll show you how to fix it.”

[sarellainthesand]

"Here, it's all open." Sarella turned the laptop on the table so it was facing the boy.

"Photography's just kind of an extension of other hobbies for me really. I like camping and seeing new places, so the pictures I take are an extension of my memory. Actually you'll probably see lots of variation on the quality of the photos because of that! You know, how there's a a differnce between the pictures you take of your friends when you're goofing off skinny dipping in a lake at three am and the ones you take of insects and trees. Are you into photography or something?" she asked, as he ate and clicked away on her keyboard.

[midfielderloras]

Dazed and Confused | Loras and Sarella | September 6th

[midfielderloras]

-

 Staring down the hallway toward Science A, he sighed slightly, deciding he ought to go find the room. “Thanks for your help,” he said, turning back to her, smiling. “I really mean it— thank you.”

[sarellainthesand]

"Yep, fencing," Sarella said, nodding. "I've never done it myself, but it looks really fun and there's definitely gotta be an appeal in poking people with swords. I'm sure that when they're trying out for members you'll see flyers all over the place. Some school pride ought to do you some good, no?"

Truth be told, he hasn't the only disillusioned freshman she'd met. Sure, the reasons were different (they wanted to go to some other school, they felt like they were being forced into a career, they'd imagined something completely different), but in the end, the symptoms were the same. Sarella had noticed that, in general, their mood got a lot better if they joined a team or a club.

She laughed a bit, then smiled sincerely when he thanked her. "You're welcome, I'm glad I was helpful. If you need help reading the school's shitty maps again, feel free to ask, I've got a whole year of experience in this labyrinth."

[midfielderloras]

Dazed and Confused | Loras and Sarella | September 6th

[midfielderloras]

-

 ”What other teams do you have here? I’ve heard Westeros is big into their sports teams but I haven’t much bothered to look to see what they have.” He supposed he didn’t want to be disappointed when he realized he wouldn’t be able to do any of the things he liked, and would therefore be destine to watch like some little boy peering in the window of a candy store he couldn’t go inside.

[sarellainthesand]

Sarella noticed Loras zoning out for a moment so she puffed her cheeks and stuck out her tongue. Nope, no reaction, he was definitely lost in thought. He'd been really detached this whole time actually, which wasn't all that shocking. She had no doubt that university had never been his first choice life path. She waved a hand in front of his face.

"Yeah, we have, well, a track team, a footie team, a crew team, a tennis team, a cross country team, a swim team, a gymnastics team, an equestrian team and a cheerleading team. Go Shadowcats! And then we've also got some intramural ultimate, rugby, volleyball and fencing, which are more relaxed but just as fun," she answered.

Sarella knew most of the members of each team, having met them at various matches or parties. Actually, what she loved most about being an athlete at this school was the social atmosphere it created. Yeah, she was closest to her own team members, but she'd made some good friends just by watching matches or the occasional joint practice of cross country and track, or rugby and football.

[engineerbull]

Back to the Grind | Open

[engineerbull]

-

It didn’t take him long to find her, and he set his food down on the slightly sticky table. “You can go ahead and open that stuff after you download it. What are your pictures of, if you don’t mind my asking?”

[sarellainthesand]

Sarella grabbed the note and walked over to a table in the food court, where she placed her computer and followed the boy's instructions. He was right, it wasn't hard to navigate the site, and in a couple minutes she'd started the download for the applications he'd written down. She leaned back on her chair, waiting for the downloads to finish.

Sarella looked around the crowd and found him grabbing some napkins and scanning the food court, presumably looking for her. She waved her arms in the air until she saw he'd spotted her and started walking over.

"They're just pictures I took over break. I was out camping for a while, so there are some really pretty shots in here, in addition to silly pictures of friends, family, etcetera," she answered after he'd sat down. The programs quickly finished downloading, so she opened them. "By the way, thanks so much for the extra help! I didn't mean to inconvenience you."

Sarella was going to have to think of a way to thank him later. Maybe he took tips or something.

[engineerbull]

Back to the Grind | Open

[engineerbull]

-

She was the last in line for the moment, so he told his boss he was taking lunch.

[sarellainthesand]

Sarella sighed in frustration when she heard that the University wouldn't let the guy help because policy or whatever. Great, so she lost all her files? She hadn't checked the ones that weren't pictures yet, what if those were gone too? Ugh, modern technology was such a pain in the-

Oh. Sarella blinked, surprised by his kind offer, and smiled brightly. "Wow, thanks!"

She took the pamphlet he handed to her and backed away from the desk so it wouldn't look too suspicious, leaning against a wall in wait while he asked his boss about an early lunch.

[engineerbull]

Back to the Grind | Open

-

Gendry walked with all his mail back to his apartment and set it on his shitty kitchen table, with the invitation on top. He’d been to a few of Renly’s parties before. They were all in his first year, when Renly was his Comparitive Politics TA, in what he was sure was a breach of a hundred different school bylaws. They tended to be the kind of parties that only seemed to happen in movies, only at Renly’s, they were real. Gendry had avoided all parties last year, but if he was looking for this year to be any better (and he was), he’d probably want to go. He grabbed his keys and slipped his phone and his wallet in his back pocket, then locked up his house and walked towards his bus stop. He’d make a decision about the party later. 

[sarellainthesand]

Sarella had been sitting at her desk earlier, smashing her fingers on her laptop's keyboard while listening to music. She was just writing some emails to family members as well as taking care of her travelling blog - business as usual, really.

She reached down into her bag and pulled out a thin, sleek USB from an inside pocket. This is where she'd stored the pictures she'd taken over break, the trusty companion that held all her memories. She stuck it in the computer's USB drive and immediately a window popped up on her screen. She clicked on the folder labelled DCM_0312 and a list of at least a hundred file names was displayed on the window. Smiling, she clicked on the very first.

"The image is corrupt and cannot be opened."

That was weird. She clicked on the next.

"The image is corrupt and cannot be opened."

Again? She had clicked on a dozen more and got the same message a dozen times.

And that was how Sarella found herself, computer bag slung across her shoulder and USB gripped in her hand, leaning over the University Computer Help Desk, waiting for someone to show up.