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Avernus Tarasova

Avernus Tarasova is the daughter of Arkham Lykoi and the late Aleksei Tarasova, born in Sonnerie. She is currently in the custody of Isolde Sawtooth in Anathema, after a failed attempt to survive on her own.

Appearance

Ave is delicate and feminine, her prominent Saluki build paying homage to her sighthound mother in a more petite package. Her curly pelt is mostly white with pale tan accents and a patch of silver brindle over her shoulders. However, her soulful eyes are a dark red, betraying her Lykoi-Tears lineage along with the coppery blaze up her muzzle. She is probably the smallest of her siblings.

She prefers her Optime form. Her white and tan-streaked mane is very long and wispy, flowing down her back to her knees when loose, and normally drawn up by her headband to be somewhat shorter. If she needs to travel quickly or is otherwise restricted by her mane, Ave has been known to tie her hair into a big messy bun with the aid of her headband.

She wears several outfits, including a sheer grey silk overcoat that reaches her thighs, and a white hooded gown with a dark red skirt and sleeves. She typically wears a small garnet set in the center of her outfit hems so that it rests on her breastbone. The garnet is a gemstone believed to have properties of healing, purification, and protection from negative energy -- it also matches her eyes in hue.

Forms

Gallery

by Kiri

by Kiri

by Nat

by Miyu

by Miyu

by Miyu

by Miyu

Personality

Ave is gentle and pacific, shies away from conflict, and is very much a follower. This is largely due to her empathetic nature -- she is extremely sensitive to the moods of others, and ugly emotions like anger make her feel physically ill. She endeavors to hide this, as she has a strong tendency to sacrifice her own needs in order to keep the peace.

While she is submissive, she is not weak-willed or timid. Ave can be stubborn on the issues she cares about, and has a great deal of internal passion. She simply prefers to keep her opinions to herself if she feels they will create conflict, but she will speak her mind and assert herself calmly should the need arise. She has never shown much of a temper, and has instead been known to wear herself into exhaustion in an effort to stay optimistic. She falls prey to sicknesses on a frequent basis, and must rely on others to take care of her, particularly her older half-brother Domovoi Tarasova, or the possessive Isolde Sawtooth.

She has something of a martyr complex, in which Ave willingly accepts her own discomfort for the sake of her loved ones, and never complains. She loves all of her siblings dearly, and is hopeful that their family can be reunited someday. For most of her young life she felt honor-bound to remain with Dom specifically because she felt his pain and loneliness too clearly. She has a calming effect on him and others, much like their mother used to, and easily falls into the role of mediator. Later she came to the sad realization that she was harming more than helping, specifically because of her resemblance, and chose to remove herself from his company.

Ave enjoys casual conversation and socialization and will actively seek friendships. Either through naivety or purposeful ignorance, she is very trusting of strangers and assumes everyone will treat her with the kindness she extends to them. She has yet to show any inclination toward romantic love, brimming instead with platonic affection toward all living things. She is naturally drawn to creative personalities such as musicians or artists, thanks to her upbringing with gypsies. Ave also has an innate love for companion animals, and functions on a low-protein diet to minimize the need for hunting.

Demeanor

Outlook Optimistic, forces herself to look on the bright side & remain positive. Extroverted, enjoys socializing, is chafed without conversation. Submissive, content to let others lead her. Withdrawn on her own.

Behavior Fears: TBD/unknown Motivations: love, family, companionship, empathy Traits: pacific, empathetic, soft-spoken, sweet, follower, fragile Alignment: Neutral Good "Will support their family even if it means personal discomfort." "Believes everyone should be treated fairly and kindly." "Does not seek positions of authority over others." "Fits in with their society. Will keep their word."

Ideals

Interests Keeping the peace Helping others Companion animals Pretty objects like gemstones Socializing Biases Species: As a hybrid, open to all species. Non-Luperci: Ignorant that they exist. Gender: No inherent bias. Color: No inherent bias. Sexuality: Open-minded toward all orientations, as she is aware of her brother's bisexuality. Age: Likes children more than complicated adults.

Sexuality Unknown as of yet. Has been entirely focused on her family, and has not expressed any interest in romantic relationships. Possibly asexual, or she is simply repressing her own needs in order to devote herself to others. Substances Has shown no interest in trying them for herself; worries for her alcoholic brother have turned her against liquors, which she views as destructive. Spirituality Believes in some simple superstitions, such as gemstones having powers or good deeds leading to good karma. Prescribes to the notion of "all things happen for a reason", though if pressed, she could not explain why; does not worship any specific deity. Loves stories about pure beings such as angels, and in a time of crisis, reaches out to them for help. Time in Anathema has exposed her to Wicca, the positive rituals and "white magic" highly appealing to her.

Abilities

Strengths Emotional Empath: Ave is intuitive and highly sensitive to moods around her. Often she reacts to unspoken cues, and has a knack for calming those who are upset, since she instinctively knows what needs to be said. Pacifism: Ave does not believe in violence for any reason. She is a neutral party who wishes for peace and will not compromise her principles. Even hunting is upsetting to her, and she prefers to eat eggs and fish for protein.

Weaknesses Sensitivity: Her gift of empathy is a double-edged sword. She is exhausted by negative emotions, and becomes ill around violent anger, reacting with queasiness and headaches. Sometimes she has to be left alone just to "decompress". Frailty: Ave is somewhat weak and fragile. She catches colds and is prone to injury if left to her own devices. She has no way to defend herself, as she is a true pacifist.

Relationships

Key Relations Domovoi: Has always understood him on a spiritual level, and now fears he has destroyed himself on his current path. She knows she reminds him of their mother, and that her being around him only reminded him of his pain and loneliness; she chose to separate from his company in the hopes that his heart would heal. Neraka: The brother who stayed with her and Dom, and therefore she feels closest too. Trusts him implicitly, and quietly envies his strength of will. Did not want to burden him with her choice, and thus left without telling him. Isolde: A mixture between caregiver and captor, Isolde saved Ave's life when she could not fend for herself. Ave bears no ill will toward her distant relative, even though an outsider would view the relationship as servitude (especially when Ave is referred to as a "pet").

Family: Lykoi, Asylum, Tarasova Mother: Aleksei Tarasova Father: Arkham Lykoi Siblings: Avaiki Asylum, Neraka Tarasova, Gehenna Asylum Half-Siblings (Arkham): Myrika Tears, Cassandra Asylum Half-Siblings (Aleksei): Domovoi Tarasova Extended: Nieces and nephews are Vicira Tears, Kyrios Lykoi, Maeriia Asylum, Liuva Tarasova, Amorette Aston, Olivia Tarasova. Does not yet understand the vastness of her Lykoi connections, and fears her family is dwindling.

Minor Relations Gehenna: Hasn't seen her brother much since the incident. They share an easy-going passive nature and an interest in gemstones, and she misses spending time with him. Avaiki: The sister that left with their father. Wants to reconnect with her, as she always admired her sister's proud and noble nature. Kharma: Her true father; wanted him to stay so that she could get to know him. Believes that he is sad and lonely, and would benefit from a loving family environment. She knows she has to hide her curiosity from Dom, however, and regrets not spending much time with Kharma.

Former Relations Aleksei: Her late mother, whom she idolized. Since her unexpected passing, Ave had been subtly trying to adopt her mother's mannerisms in an attempt to keep her memory alive.

History

Avernus was born 12 October 2012 in a pack of gypsy sighthound dogs called Sonnerie in Ontario, Canada. She and her littermates were raised by her mother Aleksei, and her older half-brother Dom, since her father was traveling abroad and did not know about the pregnancy. Avernus is gentle and sweet, not unlike Aleksei, and gets along well with all of her littermates. From the beginning, Ave maintained a close relationship with Dom, and has always understood him on a spiritual level. It is January when Kharma Asylum returns to the gypsies and finds that Aleksei bore his children, and Avernus meets her real father for the first time. She and her siblings know nothing about their sire, but his reappearance causes immediate friction in their family dynamic - Kharma and Dom are like oil and water. Ave desires her family to remain together and work out their differences, but her loyalty to Dom causes her to hide these feelings and act indifferent.

Dom never liked the coyote and is protective of his mother and siblings, so he vehemently tries to drive Kharma off for good. Aleksei interrupts the fight to tend to Kharma's wounds, and Dom smolders with rage. As soon as they are alone, he assaults Kharma again, and just like last time Aleksei overhears them and tries to intervene. This time, however, Dom shoves his mother aside and accidentally throws her against a fallen table, fatally snapping her neck. Dom and Kharma are both enraged and attempt to fight to the death, Dom sustaining a grave knife wound near his heart and Kharma losing an eye to a garden hoe. Gehenna tries to break up the fight and receives a scarring injury on his face. Finally the rest of the pack manages to tear the combatants apart and keep them separated.

In the wake of Aleksei's death, the combatants slowly recover from their wounds, and Avernus and her siblings are forced to take sides. Gehenna and Avaiki are interested in the other half of their heritage, and blame their half-brother for the death of their mother, so they decide to follow Kharma when he departs. Neraka ultimately chooses to stay with what is familiar. For Avernus, the choice is obvious; she feels honorbound to remain with her big brother because she feels his pain and loneliness too clearly. She knows she reminds him of their mother, and that her leaving would push him past the point of no return. She tries to calm him and steer him in a more healthy direction, but was unable to influence him away from the binge drinking that followed.

When his siblings still have not returned to Sonnerie, Dom finally uproots Neraka and Avernus and drags them along to hunt down Kharma (not telling them, of course, that he intends to execute the coywolf). Ave needs frequent rests for her health, and significantly slows their travel. She continues to hope that Dom will forgive himself and move on from the vendetta, but so far these hopes are in vain.

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