alessavias

[alessavias]

ofblade‌:

A smile pulled at his lips as she spoke, eyes narrowing slightly as he took in her threat. His reputation was sure to perceive him, however, he knew very few people would recognize his face. It was a tactic, of course, to hide in the shadows and observe others and he was desperate to know why he hadn’t truly seen her before. Yes, there was an inkling of familiarity that caused him to paused and wrack his brain for some type of answer, though when none came he knew why. He knew that despite his best efforts and ignoring the tugging feeling that always drew him back odd locations he wouldn’t be able to avoid the truth when it was staring him in his face. Azriel could feel her studying him and while he was trying his best to avoid her gaze once they locked together his stomach rolled in a pool of heat. “I have a habit of finding myself attracted to unhealthy things.” He replied, eyes still trained on her. “I find it to be most interesting.”

Once her eyes found a home on his face it was impossible to pull away -- with the set of his build, the confidence in step and well-cared for equipment, he’s danger enough, but then there’s the wings, and the voice. She hums a thoughtful note, quiet, distracting herself long enough to relax her stance; her torso melts comfortably back into stone, hooking her hands on the scuffed leather belt that houses her little hand-and-a-half daggers and the decoy purse. It takes a second for her to respond, and when she does she crosses one leg over the other and rolls her shoulders, her eyes still fixed on him to the exclusion of all else. She’s aware that if Marcos passed her by just then, it’d be difficult to notice, and she’ll be angry with herself for allowing a distraction later-- but in the moment something feels important about this, so she lets herself look at him.  “Lucky I don’t work for you, I suppose,”  Alessa finally says, quirking an eyebrow, and flicking stray hair out of her face.  “Bet that’d be trouble.”

[alessavias]

ofblade‌:

Market days were by far her favorite time of the week. Eden absolutely adored all the vendors and the rare treasures they would often hold; many knew well enough to put them on display when they saw her floating around. While she had plenty of jewels, and often preferred other artifacts, she found herself heading to the stall towards the middle of the crowd. She couldn’t be too sure where her sibling had gone, but she didn’t quite care in that moment. Many residents bowed their head as she passed and she flashed them a dazzling smile as she continued on. Many of them wouldn’t glace twice at you if it wasn’t for your title, she thought, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. It was in that moment that she felt a small burst of wind as the young woman before her nearly missed colliding into her. At her words she glanced down at the pearls, “they’re marvelous!” She cheered softly, “I think they’ll go very well with your eyes.”

      Alessa smiled, twinkling and golden-haired, drawing the string of pearls across her slender fingers.  “Thank you,”  she said, quietly, rather proud of her latest acquisition.  “I don’t think I can wear them, though,”  she confided, curling her fingers closed around the strand and flashing the other woman a mischievous smile; in a second they disappeared into one of the hidden places she kept her large coins sewn into her clothes, nimble pick-pocket fingers returning to fiddle with her braid now, for lack of something to do.  “In my part of town I’ll get my throat cut if I go around flashing baubles like those. It’ll have to be good enough to know I own something that pretty.”  

[alessavias]

ofblade‌:

Yet another miserable meeting had come to an end and the Right-Hand of the Night Court desperately wanted to return home. While he knew the Imperial Court was the most dangerous for him to visit, what with so many mortals resenting his kind, he found himself lost in thought. After the first war Azriel could practically taste when another was on the horizon and while he couldn’t be sure where the first move would be made he could almost see it coming. However, when his path was blocked in an abrupt movement he found himself tuning back in. Any words that he had died away instantly, eyes locking on the female before him as things seemed to slow. His wings were now tense at his back and it wasn’t until she spoke once more than found his voice. “No need to apologize.” His tone was smooth, nothing like the uneven beating of his heart. “I’m sorry I’m not the one you were looking for.”

      It wasn’t unusual for her to strike up conversations with strangers, but it was odd to her that she’d be possessed to do so while on an errand. Here she was, though, tilting her head from her perch against the wall and unfolding her arms, drumming her fingers against the rough stone. Alessa was unsure what to think: there’s something familiar, itching and itching at the back of her mind like it’s long-forgotten and urgent, and yet her hackles were up high, a decade’s worth of warnings about creatures like him ringing in her ears. Her mouth made the decision for her, the words tumbling out without realizing it,  “don’t be,”  she said, finally, feeling her gaze return for the third or forth time to the man’s face. So far she’d managed to avoid staring too openly at the wings, or the breadth of his shoulders, or directly at his eyes, all things that called her attention somehow —— “one does not often want stand between a businesswoman and her earned pay, I would think. It tends to be... unhealthy.”

[alessavias]

     She found herself watching the display for another reason entirely; other than her dislike for the often undeserved ego of men, the only thing she was focused on as he spoke and spoke and earned the ego of the crowd was that crown.  Alessavia’d only seen dragon bone in person once before, one of her mothers was horrifyingly picky about her armor and was possessing of a dragon bone awl. It was prized, carefully cleaned and maintained. It had a heaviness to it that human bone didn’t, and she was curious enough about the crown to feign interest; she’d considered piracy upon one point in her life -- it seemed perfect for an orphan swept off of the streets with no memory earlier than thirteen, no one to care if she lived or perished by the sun and surf. Yet here she was now, having long finished making the rounds in the pub with her slender fingers in and out of purses, approaching a man solely for curiosity’s sake. Alessavia approached and tilted her head to the side, a girlish smile lighting up her face, and then flagged down a serving girl, eyes drifting towards the hat.  “Then you’ve coin enough to buy me a drink,”  she said, amused  “and you can try to pitch your crew to me, ser, although I cannot promise you’d win me away with empty promises of gold and glory. I am not the type to desire one half of those things.”  

Asgrier had spent the better part of the past few years exploring the hundreds of small islands that surrounded Oddovion; it was the latest way for pirates of the continent to seek their wealth. He had discovered that all of these islands were no longer inhabited by living people, but that many of them housed ancient ruins left behind from long lost civilizations that had once called them home. Extremely dangerous though these ruins were, they were abundant with riches, housing some truly glorious forgotten treasures; one of which, the pirate captain had found on his latest expedition. As he steered his ship into port, Asgrier wore a smug grin of triumph on his face, and a crown on his head; a crown that appeared to made almost entirely of dragon bones. As he stepped off of his ship, his crew following closely behind, he did not fail to notice many heads turning to look at him with curiosity, and he took advantage of the attention, never one to miss an opportunity to put on a bit of a performance to show the joys and glories that could come with being a pirate; it had, after all, been this very tactic that had inspired a number of men and women to join his crew in the past. “You lads know what I always say: ‘There are no Kings at Sea; Only Captains.’ But we’re not at sea right now, now are we?” he said loud enough for everyone in the area to hear, his crew responding with laughs and whoops. “So, I think that everyone here should bow; bow before The Pirate King!” He added with a grin, his crew responding with even louder cheers and laughs than before, making haste to bow. Laughing, Asgrier plucked the crown from his head, replacing it with the feathered tricorn he typically wore. “You know it’s a shame I can’t keep this thing.” he lifted the crown in his hand in indication. “I’m rather fond of it. Just not as fond as I am of the pile of gold I suspect it will fetch me, nor the barrels of rum that I’ll be able to buy with that gold!” Asgrier roared, fetching the loudest cheers from his crew yet. As someone approached him, Asgrier smiled. “Ah now, have you come to join my crew?” He asked. “Hoping to find adventure and riches of your own perhaps? If so, you’ve come to the right place, and the right man. Captain Asgrier of The Ice Pick can make those dreams come true.”

[alessavias]

     Alessa took a deep breath, and before she could change her mind, she thrust the handful of coins across the stall’s surface and snatched away the string of pearls as soon as the vendor withdrew it from his case. She could have stolen from him, she’s sure she had before, but there was something special about buying things for herself, and finally making enough surplus coin to save for a frivolous spend.  She turned to walk away with her prize, winding the delicate cord around her fingers, feeling the smooth surfaces and marvelling at their shine; then, in her distraction, she nearly avoided collision with another person.   “Oh—!”  she stepped back, graceful and quick on her feet,  “...were you looking too?”  She clutched the pearls, feeling silly, like a little girl, and suddenly caught with the urge to explain herself; she’d never owned any pretty things.  “I’ve been eyeing them for nearly a fortnight. They’re so small and luminescent——”

[alessavias]

CLOSED STARTER. ♖  —  ﹙@ofblade﹚

      Back pressed to a fat stone column just outside of the large, official-looking building she’s waiting for a client outside of, Alessa’d always known her flourish for the dramatic would be what gets her in trouble.  When she heard purposeful footsteps approaching, she rolled her shoulders and stepped into their path.  Arms crossed, one delicate eyebrow raised, the set of her mouth no-nonsense,  “you have to pay me, marcos——”  she began, and then cut off.  The person standing in front of her wasn’t a desperate politician looking for a leg up over an opponent; he was familiar in a bones-deep way, and yet a complete stranger, and her mouth set into a thin line.  She stepped to the side to let him through, returning to her place leaning against the cold stone,  “my apologies, ser.”

[alessavias]

Schönbrunn Palace

[alessavias]

      alessavia was quietly digging through a drawstring velvet purse, perched carefully on a stone pillar just hidden by the corner of a building and a wall, deft fingers sorting through the coins and the single string of pearls within. upon hearing that all-too-familiar voice, alessa paused and withdrew her fingers from the bag, and in one fluid motion had it closed and tucked away under her shirt like it’d never existed. she left one leg dangling, but she drew the other knee up to her chest and set her chin on it, gold hair dripping out of its braid around her shoulder.   “adventure, my dove?”  she queried, teasing, raising a delicate brow,  “the lucrative kind, i assume? —— well, give me details, then, though you already know i’m going to agree.”

@alessavias

Celaena appeared from out of the darkness, bathed in silver moonlight basking in the beauty of the night. Things were quiet but she knew were to find a girl she considered a friend and ally of hers since they were younger. “Alessa - fancy an adventure? It’s been a while since we’ve had an opportunity to have a job together and I think you’ll find this particular one to your liking. ”

[alessavias]

ALESSAVIA NORTH. 

﹙a human member of the thieves guild,  alessa currently lives in the  IMPERIAL COURT.  she’s twenty four, and notably quite quick-witted, bullheaded, irresolute and ambitious. she can often be seen snacking on fruit or climbing trees with a stolen book to read. ﹚

statistics

name —  alessavia north  ( born phoibe aretino )

nicknames —  alessa. rarely & with only her favorite people, she goes by allie.

age, d.o.b —  twenty four.  she doesn’t know her birthday, but she celebrates it whenever she feels she needs it most

sexuality — bisexual, no preference between similar / other genders

birthplace —  undiscovered / unknown ( imperial city )

physicality —  long dirty blonde hair often braided with a spiked strap. wide hazel eyes. five feet and a few inches tall, and athletically built. not quite slender. 

family —  two adoptive mothers, arcadia & edda, members of the thieves guild. both human.

basics / backstory

then unknowing of her own name, she seemed to appear out of nowhere in muck-soaked cesspool at age thirteen, feverish and shivering, in relatively well-made clothes, and with fingers free of calluses. 

picked up by two lovers members of the thieves guild on a late-night stroll, she’d come to call those women her mothers. 

they nursed her out of the delirious fever they’d found her in and named her. then they taught her to foist and to pick locks and to walk on the very balls of her feet in a way that didn’t stir even the dust around her

the mysteries of her circumstance grew as she did-- first it was found that she somehow knew she could read. and then that no one seemed to be looking for her, though she hadn’t been dressed like the starving orphan child one might expect to find in a cesspool

although she found a new family to be a part of, life is hardly easy in poverty, let alone as a child of criminals living in constant transience and fear of discovery. 

eventually alessa gave up on finding the truth about herself and threw herself into her career in the thieves guild, following her mothers’ footsteps and wishes. though she’s often-times a stubborn child with too much lip in her, her loyalty is unquestionable and she doesn’t flinch at an order

her size, skill and determination made her a perfect candidate to train for the shills and heists that took place in gaudy manor homes. later, when she began to branch out and find jobs for herself, she started to work in the business of creating, learning and selling secrets

it’s lucrative and enjoyable. it gets her past locked doors and introduces her to the strangest of people — and it’s a kind of sabotage that leaves little trace and makes her clients very happy.

though she still steals and plants goods on others for the chaos of it, ( mostly out of a desire for fun ) her currency these days is secrets and sabotage. she’s taken down entire merchant families by making contracts disappear, changing numbers in ledgers, and by giving their rivals the perfect blackmail material.  

as a member of a guild, she’s determined to be one to watch. she wants to find herself a step away from the guild master someday — though she doesn’t want the pressure of leading, she wants to prove her loyalty to her people and bring the thieves guild power like it’s never had.

as a human looking forward to war, her feelings are a bit more complicated: both of her mothers have tightly-held prejudices towards immortals and especially high lords. 

while alessavia’s never been able to find out what happened to instill hatred and distrust that deep, she’s a loyal creature, and she owes everything she has and everything she could be to her mothers. 

often times her beliefs fall along a similar line -- that under no circumstances can she trust an immortal. the treaty means very little to her. raised to believe the worst of far-away enemies, she believes it is neither a force of good, nor much more than a piece of paper. she believes that when the time comes, war will.

personality / misc

character inspiration:  leliana (dragon age), vex (skyrim), koramin ingensra, beka cooper (tortallverse)

she’s very much a chameleon. as her job requires some form of finesse, both in her official rank  ( infiltrator )  and in the side projects she’s nursing to life,  ( spywork )  often times her persona changes many times depending on who is looking

in one of her favorite roles, she likes to use the girlish, sad-eyed face to get what she wants and play a helpless street urchin grown. she also loves to play a spoiled merchant’s youngest brat on occasion

those closest to her know her as a playful, albeit high-strung young woman. she’s got a mouth on her, and often finds the darkest humor in situations she shouldn’t.  

she’s got this mean, icy, “excuse me? i’ll wait” thousand-yard stare she’s perfected over years and years of being somewhat of a people person. it’s usually enough to shut someone up mid-sentence and she’s lowkey known for it among her friends because it’s intimidating

she’s been through a lot, raised from amnesia onto the streets, and it’s taught her to be wary of who knows her complete story. she’s often lying and it’s not difficult to catch her in them — the truth is that what little she DOES know about herself is precious to her, and she fears her missing past more than anything.

DISLIKES:  people who harm children, large chunks of meat in her food, stale bread, slavery / indentured servitude, immortals / especially those with superiority complexes, thick ales, being cold, sickness, skinned knees

LIKES:  fruit, fresh bread, the underdog, pretty things & pearls, fortune tellers, tavern music, large and soft shawls, cats, children, swimming, rain, sleeping in

alright, pHEW. i typed most of this out with a raging migraine so if there’s a ton of typos i’mma be real they might not get fixed xD but i’m so freaking excited to be here!! i’m e, i’m also in the discord, and i love my girl so far. she’s gonna be really fun : ‘ )

i’m gonna put some feelers out before i type up a list of ideas for connections, but PLEASE come plot! i’m so excited to get to know everyone and their characters, you can’t even believe. i’m open to anything plots-wise, literally hit me with the wildest shit and i’m down. 

[alessavias]

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Rose and Blue 1913 {details} | William McGregor Paxton

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…you’re like an angel, nothing touches you.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov (via theliteraryjournals)

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CHORUS: And the grace of the gods (I’m pretty sure) is a grace that comes by violence.

Aeschylus, Agamemnon (tr. Anne Carson)

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Willa Fitzgerald as Meg in the first episode of Little Women

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[alessavias]

tags // alessavia

ᴀʟᴇssᴀᴠɪᴀ  ♖﹙ft. name﹚