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 Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 1:53 pm
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 1:54 pm
The Hedge Witch  Valintina (Val) Descoteaux
Meaning: Her first name means “strong, vigorous, healthy”. Her surname means “from the hills”. Both are French.
Nicknames: Val, Valintin
Proper Address: M. (or Mlle.) Descoteaux
Gender: Female (who often cross-dresses as a male)
Age: mid-twenties
Appearance: Regardless of which gender Val is professing to be at any given moment, there remain a few constants. Her light, orange-brown hair remains cut just above-the-shoulder. Her skin has only the faintest of tans. Her eyes are a curious, almost turquoise shade somewhere between green and blue and grey. Her feature are soft, her lips are full, and her height is average. Perhaps her most distinguishing feature, however, is the faint scar that marks a path from the outer corner of her right eye down her cheek.
Designation: Hedge Witch
Specialty: Val's specialty is illusion. She is able to cast and maintain subtle illusions to alter the perceptions of anyone who looks at her. When necessary, she uses her power to reinforce the impression of her altered appearance.
Familiar: Nephele
Companion(s): n/a
Origin: Born in the slums of France, Val came to Sunderland with her sister to find a better life.
Station: Stage magician and illusionist by day, assassin by night; Val is a woman of many talents.
Spouse: None
Likes: ???
Dislikes: ???
History:
Born to a woman of ill repute in the slums of France, Valintina did not have an easy childhood. Indeed, one could say that she did not have a childhood at all. In order to escape her mother's fate and carve out a better life for herself and her younger sister, Val took to a life of crime. At first it was little things - a stolen coin here, the acquisition of a forgotten jewel there. However, she soon learned to cut purses and lift rings right off of a man's hand. Of course, even the most skilled thieves run out of luck sooner or later. For Valintina, it was much sooner than later.
The girl was perhaps eight years old when she had the misfortune of targeting one Joel Rodrigue, master assassin. Try though she might to escape his grasp, Valintina was utterly outmatched. She was, after all, only a small child in the hands of a killer. That day, her fortunes changed. Whatever he saw in her, Rodrigue decided to spare the girl's life. In exchange, he took her on as his apprentice and taught her everything he knew about the quiet, deadly arts. Under his tutelage, she flourished.
It was at Rodrigue's suggestion that Valintina found a second master and learned the art of stage illusion. After all, she had a predisposition for such things, and a good assassin was one who could not be found so easily. What better way of hiding one's true profession than with another that allowed free travel without suspicion? To further hide herself in the restrictive, male-dominated society of the day, Valintina learned to hide her very gender. She became Valintin, Master Illusionist, a traveling stage performer with a flare for dramatics and a talent for the most realistic sleight of hand that anyone could boast. Of course, few know that her illusions are, in fact, quite real. A hedge witch does not flaunt her talent.
Together with her sister, Val left the country of her birth and made her way to Sunderland, intent on a fresh start and a new life - one paid for with blood and illusion.
About:
As a stage magician, Valintin is a brooding, moody, and oddly flamboyant individual. Aside from his sister, he does not allow anyone to get close to him in any real sense. He may spend time in the company of others, but though it might not be apparent while they enjoy each others' company, they will have come away from the encounter without having learned much of anything about the man.
As an assassin, Valintina is quiet, sharp, and lethal. She enjoys her work, but not so much that she becomes unprofessional. Indeed, she often seems to be all about business. A job is a job and she will see it through to the end, no questions asked. Morality, simply put, is not an issue. Of course, crossing her is not recommended. Attempting to cheat her out of the agreed-upon coin has been known to result in untimely death.
Between the magician and the assassin, it is difficult to say where the real Val lies. Perhaps because of her dual-life, she spends much of her time wearing a facade. She has been wearing masks for so long that it is very possible that even Val herself does not know who she is any longer. Even if that is the case, she does not seem to worry herself about it overly much. The important thing is that she and her sister have risen above their mother's way of life. They are free.
Important People:
• Narcisse Descoteaux: Her younger sister.
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 1:55 pm
The Familiar  Nephele
Meaning: It is a Greek name meaning "cloudy".
Nicknames: Nee
Gender: Female
Age: Adult
Appearance: Her body is steel grey with circular, darker grey markings at the base of her wings. Her under-tail, legs and beak are near-black. Her eyes are yellow.
Hedge Witch: Valintina Descoteaux
Mate: n/a
Obtained: Winter Solstice Meta-RP Redemption, 2012-13.
History:
There is little to be said about the time before Nephele met her hedge witch. She lived a quiet life in the Wood, doing the sorts of things that fairy wrens are wont to do when they have no other worries or cares to attend to, and generally avoiding humanity. Eventually, of course, she felt compelled to seek out one human in particular, but that is another story.
About:
Nephele is a quiet bird who keeps much to herself and is quite good at hiding. If one looks hard enough, however, one is liable to find her not so very far from her hedge witch, wherever Val may be. It is difficult to say whether Nee is shy, though that does not necessarily seem to be the case. Rather, it seems more likely that she simply prefers to keep to herself, and is perhaps aware of how delicate she is in comparison to other creatures that inhabit the world. Regardless, this little wren is always there when her hedge witch has need of her.
Dreaming:
Forthcoming
Important People:
•
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 1:55 pm
The Meeting
It was a cool night, as nights were wont to be in late autumn, but this was not enough to deter her. Val had a job, after all, and her reputation demanded that she see it through. For the past hour, she had been shadowing her target. He was a slick man with carefully oiled hair and a sly smile. She supposed that some might consider him handsome, in a sharp sort of way. For herself, Val remained unimpressed.
The man also happened to be dealing in unsavory trades. His death would be no loss for the world. She watched his movements with a clinical eye, just as she scanned the surroundings for any sign of thugs that he might have on his payroll or other, third-person parties that might be lingering about.
Oh, if need be, she could have dispatched him any number of times already and been long gone. However, Rodrigue had taught her to be thorough and methodical. Sloppiness was not to be tolerated. It lead to mistakes. Mistakes were inexcusable. So, she watched and she waited.
In another half-hour, Val was prepared to make her move. There were limits to how long one could reasonably remain concealed and waiting, though her limits were admittedly longer than most - a side benefit of her skills as a hedge witch. It would not be terribly difficult for Valintina to remain unnoticed in the middle of the Queen's own throne room.
So, she prepared to make her move. However, just as she was poised to leap from the roof, a shadowed, fluttering form appeared before her, blocking her way. Startled, Val slipped back into the shadowed seclusion of the rooftop, nearly tripping over he own feet. A scowl crossed her lips when she realized that it was just a little bird.
"What are you even doing up this time of night?" she hissed furiously at the tiny creature, though she did not expect a reply. Instead, she dismissed it from her thoughts and peered over the ledge, only to shrink back into the shadows once more. Two men had come out of nowhere and were speaking with her target. Had she made her attack as planned, they would have gotten caught up in it. Things would have gotten complicated. It would have been messy.
Val took a second look at the curious little wren. Perhaps it was inadvertent, but the little thing had saved her a great deal of trouble - and perhaps even her life. The little thing peered at her with brilliant yellow eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight and Val reached out a finger to gently stroke the bird's downy breast. Perhaps there was more to this creature than first met the eye.
Even as she thought it, Valintina felt a curious stirring in her mind, as though she were not quite alone in her own head. Yes, this little bird might be worth keeping around, after all.
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 1:56 pm
The Stories
Color: darkgreyLooking for:
Just about anything.
Log:
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