#oraia: thread

[dhampiravidi]

see the other side (me & you)*

Being Heaven's manservant was Oraia's least favorite job, out of all that she'd had for the many millennia she'd been extant. But at least she got to take breaks when she wanted to (sort of). She'd wrangled a rogue angel--yes, wrangled, because those above didn't trust her with an angel blade, so she just had to wrestle them into an angel's trap & leave them for pickup. That had gone easier than expected, so the goddess was in a good mood. She hightailed it to the nearest bar, thinking she'd treat herself to a spa day the next evening.

Oraia had freshened up (just in case, like she always did), wearing a lacy top that allowed her midriff a little peek, plus some comfy jeans & simple jacket. Her hair was always like rolling waves, so there wasn't much to do there, thankfully. She brought $40 in her little purse, which was just for show since she usually summoned whatever she needed. That being said, Oraia happily entered the cheap bar, glad for some normalcy & a chance to wind down. Maybe she'd even find someone to fuck...

She sidled up to the counter, ordering a Paloma with tequila & extra grapefruit juice. The bartender did a double take when he saw her & she simply smiled, knowing how that kind of thing usually went. If they struck up a conversation, she'd go for him.

@drownindenial

*yes, I named this RP after a Fall Out Boy song & a Sleep Token song

[dhampiravidi]

She watched as the Grisha attacked who were essentially their prey. Oraia did not envy the slavers, given her own experience fighting against Grisha, but she did not feel bad for them either. She knew that there was evil in capturing people, even if she was not human herself. She'd heard whispers among pirates, of those who wished to capture a Serdtse for their own. When she was little, she used to have nightmares about being trapped in 1 of their nets & dragged to shore.

Oraia didn't let go of the ship until the fighting had ended. Then she slunk back into the water, staying just on the surface.

"I hope this will not encourage you to ask for my people's help in your war. We will not choose a side...but I am glad that those taken have been freed. Until next time, Morozova. Perhaps if you survive the next year, we can visit Ulla together." She wasn't fond of Aleksander, but no part of her hated him, either.

They were quick to follow, the Darkling having received the intelligence that told him where the enemy ships were heading. He was not about to see more Grisha sentenced to such a fate just for the blood in their veins, the power they held.

Ships sailed into sight, cresting the water and Aleksander's gaze caught on the way Oraia held the enemy in her grip. It wouldn't be able to break free; Aleksander knew that without any doubt. The Grisha soldiers he had with him had their own orders to find their companions on board the other ship, and to take no prisoners.

He was not in a very... forgiving mood.

It didn't take long, either, for his Grisha to take care of the otkazat'sya enemies. Many of those who'd been captured were not in the best of shape, which only angered the Darkling more, the shadows twisting, thickening. Like he wanted to lash them against those that had been slain--if only to Cut them all down again and again and again.

❝ Your assistance was appreciated in this. They are alive and will be able to return to their families because of your help. ❞

[dhampiravidi]

from here ("I can take it from here," ask; Oraia to Moon Knight):

Oraia sighed, crossing her arms. "I'm not here to hurt anyone, Moon Knight. There's a thief hiding in these streets who is in possession of a cursed object. That object will kill its owner & the people around it until it's exorcised." She smiled slightly. "Luckily for you, I happen to know a good exorcist. So please, stand aside. Yes, I know that you have some kind of magic. No, I don't want to fight you."

She really didn't. As a goddess, she could sense any supernatural being within a certain radius, not to mention how strong it was, but she wasn't able to tell what exactly that thing was. Oraia hated that, given her shaky relationship with two pantheons' worth of deities.

@maximummuses

[dhampiravidi]

continued from here:

Oraia preferred visiting supernatural havens at night. That way, it was harder for people to get pictures of her, as her alter ego of Artemisia Stavros still existed among humans. Still, she already put the work in herself to make sure she couldn’t be followed. She’d portaled close to the bar, for one thing.

Immediately the ambiance of the bar put her at ease. She could sense the different magical beings within, some more powerful than others. What she didn’t like was that an exceptionally powerful one was coming up from behind her. Oraia quickly reached into her purse, summoning her magical knife just in case. She never knew when a member of the Netjer or the Theoi would be around & she didn’t recognize the woman who’d come up to her.

"I’m Oraia Levantinis. It’s my 1st time here,” she explained, trying to start things off on the right foot. Still, she was apprehensive. She was used to supernatural bars filled with witches & less powerful fey.

@never-surrender

[dhampiravidi]

girl talk

Oraia had just put some new findings in her cave. She didn't go in there often, except to say hello to the small creatures who lived there & to put what interesting things she salvaged from shipwrecks somewhere safe (since the waves tended to wash things away from the beach). She'd hardly started towards the sand when she sensed something. It was a presence, stronger than the nymphs. Most importantly, it was different. Curious, she hurried out into the sunlight. She saw a young woman, one who stood on two legs & hadn't come from a boat!

Excited, Oraia sprinted over. "Hello!" she cried, beaming. @etdraconis

[dhampiravidi]

Oraia was in a spa in Japan when she heard John's voice in her head. She smiled--1st, because she was looking forward to seeing him again, & 2nd, because he didn't sound like he was in any particularly life-threatening situation. He didn't strike her as the type who would use her card for a booty call, but...well, yoga could wait. The goddess excused herself from her session (not like her instructor would complain, since she'd paid for it in full, in advance) & casually collected her belongings (just her purse, which was mostly for show). Then she walked to a point where there were no cameras & portaled to where John was.

She got some stares, a few surprised & a few irritated. Oraia quickly closed her portal, understanding; the Oblivion Bar was a haven of sorts for supernaturals, especially those who couldn't pass for human like she could. The entrance itself was completely (magically, of course) hidden from those who knew nothing of the "other" world. Most didn't just teleport in the way she did. That, & they usually weren't coming in looking like a Fabletics model. Still, once her portal closed, everyone went back to their drinks.

Oraia spotted John easily, thanks to his trenchcoat. She walked over wearing her usual smile.

"So, where's the trouble? Good to see you again."

Although Constantine certainly harbored his fair share of intrigue concerning Oraia ( who would find a divine being naked on the floor as a sacrifice to an eldritch entity and not have fucking questions? ), his propensity for circumspection demanded that he never take anyone solely at their word — goddess or not. Perhaps some might label it a flaw, yet he had never been sorry for it. Hell, other people should really trust him less; historically, it proved the wise route to take. You had nothing but trouble coming to you otherwise, or worse if your mortal coil was tethered to a human body. Death would become you in the most unfortunate of ways, just like it had with Beeman. Just like Hennessy.

Stop. If Constantine started down the list of friends who had sacrificed their lives to help him, he wouldn't get the fuck out of here until next Tuesday.

As it was, he would conduct his own research into Oraia Levantinis, and see how her answers eventually stacked up with what he uncovered. Should they diverge, he would find a manner by which to discern the truth; that was always a fun little game. For now, however, he was inclined to believe whatever information she offered. At least, as much as Constantine was apt to believe anybody. Oraia didn't appear to harbor any reason to deceive him. Very much the opposite. The brief view of her fangs as she smiled didn't faze him ( not when his most recent fling had sported a demon tail as one of her features ), and instead prompted a slight raise of his eyebrow.

Then, a corner of Constantine's mouth lifted in tandem when she took his hand, her lips pressing briefly against his knuckles. Oraia possessed inhuman beauty and charm to match, that was for damn sure. He gave her a nod as she disappeared through the portal, not glancing away until it had closed completely behind her. Even if he hadn't resolved to look into her, she wouldn't flee his memory his any time soon. As it turned out, it wasn't long before Constantine utilized the gift from Oraia to call in a favor of his own.

Seated at the Oblivion Bar a few days later, a whiskey already in front of him, he withdrew her card from inside his jacket. Just hold the symbol and think of her true name. Easy. Pressing his thumb down on the mark etched beneath the printed words, he cleared his mind and allowed the name to hover there: Oraia Levantinis.

[dhampiravidi]

tide keeps bringing me back

[because we deserve nice things]

Oraia hated the shiver that ran through her body when she smelled petrichor. It meant that a storm was coming, possibly one caused by her father or one of his other children. He’d stationed her on the island of Polyaigos, with the job of calming any sea-based storms & rescuing any sailors caught in the middle. She’d always put 100% into her duty, but sometimes the sailors died. She felt them die, because of her mother’s domain. So storms never made her very happy.

The storm began within the hour. Oraia knew she’d have to let it completely form before she tried to stop it, because if it was god-sent, she wouldn’t be strong enough to overpower it anyway. But once it kicked in, she dove into the water, cutting through it like a knife to air as she looked for any boats in trouble. She didn’t see any, so she went back to the beach, sat & focused her energies on calming the storm.

@etdraconis

[dhampiravidi]

him & I

Oraia, sometimes called Levantinis for the sea where she was born, was a princess of Aegae, the part of the oceans commonly said to be Poseidon's capital. She was one of her father's youngest immortal children--the kindest & the most eager to explore. So when the war happened between Wilusa & Achaea, Oraia was the child of Poseidon who was the most affected. She entered the camp of the Achaeans from the sea, walking straight out of the ocean to meet the shocked soldiers. They fell on their knees & she simply smiled, eager to speak to actual humans. She enjoyed herself until she saw them die.

Gods didn't dream, or even sleep, often, but when they did, it was vivid. Oraia knew she'd have nightmares about that war until the sun burnt out. She was used to calming storms & rescuing sailors. She'd seen some sailors die, but they were quiet. The soldiers died screaming, with horrible gashes leaking blood & gore. & she sobbed for them, on her knees in the soft dirt. They all cursed at her when she tried to tug them off the field, so she resigned herself to calling on Zeus, hoping he'd end the war early. Once it was over, she felt old & tired.

When her father called her into his throne room & told her she was to put on her best clothes, she was surprised. She hardly wore anything most of the time, but she obeyed, wearing a dress with slits at her thighs & small shells in her hair. Then Poseidon told her to wait on the shore of Polyaigos, where her husband would be waiting. Excited, she went there, sitting cross-legged in the sand.

@etdraconis

[dhampiravidi]

all that glitters...

She'd been called to appraise a couple of items. The business in question wasn't high-class, but it was owned by a friend of a friend, and she was already a billionaire. Besides, Oraia liked helping people, and she sought out the bittersweet feeling that came with looking at things from decades and centuries past. She had just began to pout at a mutilated fragment of The Iliad, all the way from the 2nd century AD (or AUD, or CE, or whatever you preferred) when she felt it--a divine spark, a strong aura that meant something with immense magical ability had entered the store. The goddess gulped. She had no way of knowing which pantheon they were apart of, assuming they even were a god (she'd spent quite a while in Avalon with the fey a while back). And yet, if they had come to steal something, she'd have to step in. She couldn't just hide in the back of the shop.

Oraia summoned her mystical knife and held it behind her back as she went to the counter, where the completely oblivious human Artie Fletcher was talking to the strong presence: a dapper, rather lithe male with bright red hair. She told herself to keep calm and nodded to him politely.

"This is Artemisia Stavros, my consultant for appraisal. She's visiting," Artie said kindly. Oraia forced a smile.

@existentialflirt

[dhampiravidi]

“Loki. I imagine Heimdall helped you find me.” She came up to him, dressed in a lacy top & some simple shorts. “Please keep your voice down—most humans know me as Artemisia Stavros, if they know me at all.” Then she smiled. “It’s good to see you. How are you? What brings you to Earth? I doubt you're here to swim.” They were on Malta, a small archipelago of a nation in between Sicily & North Africa. She had a home there.

Oraia had 1st met Loki at a feast on Asgard, in passing. The goddess Artemis, a long-time friend of hers, had introduced her to the goddess Freya, who had invited her to the feast. Oraia hardly ever said no to a party, so of course she attended. It was her 1st time visiting a new realm. She'd seen Prince Loki from afar, & found him to be attractive, but they'd only spoken for a few moments.

random starter for @dhampiravidi

Asgard could be just as boring as it was lonesome, sometimes a god simply needed more external stimulation. He wandered the realms, spinning and weaving different trails throughout them before landing on his brothers seemingly favorite of them all. It wasn't that earth was boring or lonesome, but it could be a bit confining just the same. But humans were curious creatures and he knew of other gods and goddesses who frequented the unique realm. Most specifically, Oraia.

He didn't set out with her in mind, but he had hope that she'd be wandering Migard's realm anyway. What more could he ask for... other than a willing victim of his trickery. He wandered the shoreline of a small seaside town, searching the crowds for any sight of her familiar face. "Oraia... I know you're around here... where are you hiding?" he spoke to no one in particular, just hopeful she'd find a way to sense his seeking.

[dhampiravidi]

continued from here:

The woman with the sea-green eyes that constantly darkened & brightened simply smiled. She disliked how close the Avengers were to the American government (well, really, any government at all), but she had nothing against the team.

"So you're an angel after all?" she asked, "Or are you a mutant?" Long ago, when she'd met her first, Oraia had thought that the term "mutant" was a cruel thing to use for a person. But now, centuries later at the inaugural Hellfire Gala, she knew that the word was just the identity that some chose to claim. "Excuse me for being so blunt." She held out a delicate-looking hand, smiling slightly. "I'm Oraia Levantinis, Grey Queen of the Hellfire Club, New York Chapter."

@wonder-winged

[dhampiravidi]

deployment disco dalliance

It was bad enough that James had been drafted right when she realized she was in love with him. They’d had almost a whole year of dancing, laughing, not-dates and sex. Their arrangement had been to just have fun, nothing more. Oraia really should’ve left it at that, because when he got drafted, she was heartbroken. She’d been a nurse for the soldiers in The Great War, so…once he left, she had nightmares about him dying all the time. His letters reassured her…until Steve was the one writing, telling her that James was dead. Right after the first few tears, she reached out to James, calling, looking, screaming—

Her mother had to explain how James’s religion kept her from him. He was one of a handful of people she’d be forever separated from.

About thirty years later, Oraia found herself in Central Mexico, holding a small, warm jar. After dodging a couple dozen energy blasts and using some uneasy gestures, she’d secured Xiuhcoatl. It was an aspect of the Mexica god Xiatechutli…long story short, some descendants of the Mexica who happened to be mages had asked her to retrieve it. Apparently Xiuhcoatl had some kind of lightning thing, so it’d been hiding in an abandoned place with power lines. Then Oraia came and convinced them to jump in the magic jar, which could only be opened by the owner after a certain time.

She was just reaching forward, about to open a portal, when she thought she heard something or someone coming. Curious, she abandoned portal-making and turned toward the sound.

@grimmusings

[dhampiravidi]

if I cannot move heaven…

She was in Oakland, California when the bombs struck, visiting an old friend. Oraia knew she’d heard something, so she went to the window to take a look.

What she saw was horrifying. She’d seen a wave of force tearing through San Francisco, headed for the house she was in, so she tried to go shield her friend. The word “nuke” didn’t come to mind until she woke up surrounded by ashes five minutes later. The next week reminded her of how it used to be when she kept trying to save sailors from the storms her father’s family caused. There was constant panic, death & disappointment.

The only home of hers that had survived was the one in Malta. Hardly any of the major cities still existed & the radiation (not to mention the mass starvation) that resulted from the tragedy was still killing people. Her mother’s people had retreated into the Duat long ago & none of them would speak to her, while her father’s people…Hermes & Dionysus couldn’t be reached.

She tried to help those she could when she found the strength to. Some survivors were staying in her house, while she kept moving, only stopping one day to collapse in a beach town in Italy.

@talesfromahs

[dhampiravidi]

Every now & then, Oraia went & looked around in thrift shops. Sometimes there were valuable items collecting dust & if it was a magical artifact, she wanted to keep it out of other people's hands (humans tended to either end up cursed or use the magic for something horrible, in her experience). It helped that she was over 5000 years old; in her civilian job, she often found herself dating objects for museum displays when she wasn't helping antique dealers authenticate or repatriate things. So, she had spent about 20 minutes browsing when she heard tiny footsteps. Curious, Oraia looked down to see a beautiful little girl staring at the jewelry she'd also been viewing. She wanted to buy something for her, but it was more important that she knew where the girl had come from.

"Hi. I'm Oraia. Did your parents bring you here?"

& then they were walking back to the front of the store, to where Eri's "Shota" was. Oraia took in his appearance: if she'd paid attention to his face alone, she might think he was homeless, or something similar. But his clothes were decent enough & Eri showed no signs of malnutrition or illness. Oraia smiled.

"There's no need. Kids deserve to be safe. But if you had questions about anything in the store, I can probably help; I work as a curator & repatriator."

"& her name's Oraia," Eri added, looking at the floor with guilty eyes.

[normallyxstrange]

@rpwithjayn​ sent:  “That’s...a lot of blood.” [Oraia to Dylan]

     He stared at her blankly for a long minute, before he actually understood. Then he glanced down at his soiled shirt, with its somewhat fresh blood stains and torn fabric. “Ah. That. Almost forgot ‘bout that.” A grin spread across before he could stop it.

      “Unfortunate side-effect of bein’ killed, love. Ruin more shirts that way.”

[dhampiravidi]

the water caught fire

Oraia sighed. Perhaps she was forgetting how to control her superhuman senses and tune down unpleasant sounds...regardless, the trio who had been hogging half the bar since they'd arrived were grating on her nerves. Actually, judging by the look of things, they grated on everyone's nerves, but they had enough on their tab that the bartender wouldn't kick them out. They were boorish in every way: loud, unable to chew with their mouths closed, and apparently dumb enough to be rude to a large tiefling woman. Oraia's wild side, the chaotic force inside that came from her biological parents, was looking forward to a short fight...

But the tiefling merely tried to ignore the trio, fists clenched tightly. She said something to the bartender, probably trying to order, and Oraia could read the pub owner's lips: "We don't serve your kind here."

That got the lesser goddess to her feet. She stormed over, stepping in between the tiefling and the trio. Oraia slapped one so hard he lost a tooth, and punched another in the gut. When the third faced her, she lit a small, strong flame in the palm of her hand. That convinced the trio to move.

"And you--" Oraia turned on the bartender, frowning. "I am paying for her order. You've already served me once, you can do it again." With that, she took a barstool seat for her own.

@baldurmade