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Background
Eva is the younger of Baron Artos t'Acuto's twin daughters. A tiny thing, her small stature and angelic visage give her a look of fragility. This coupled with her somewhat distant and guarded demeanor gives her an unapproachable air. A courtier at the Rovilon Court and at one time, a member of the Dowager Queen Cynthia's Songbirds, Eva is as cruel as she is beautiful. Over the years, she has developed some fame for her graceful moves on the ballroom floor.
On a cool summer evening in the year 1845, the Sealight was blessed with the birth of a pair of delightful infant girls — the twins, Marie and Eva t'Acuto. Eva, the younger of the twins, was a beautiful child and a tiny, delicate thing; something which she has grown to use to her advantage. She was also a force to be reckoned with even at such a young age. Ever since she learned how to speak, she began lecturing and scolding her siblings for any misdeeds; even going as far as tattling on them if either of them were up to no good. Not that her siblings were wicked creatures, but young Eva had her own entitled sense of what was proper and rarely a day goes by when she wasn't wagging a small disciplinary finger at someone. At times, Eva seemed as if she were hard to please, her lips constantly set into a petulant pout. In truth, her standards were lofty ones and though she may be hard on those around her, she strived for perfection within herself first and foremost.
Perhaps it is this strife within herself that made Eva quietly competitive at an early age, namely against her sister, Marie. There was something about Eva's sister that sparked a touch of envy within the girl's heart. In Eva's mind, for whatever reason, her father seemed to dote on Marie more. Perhaps this was due to his older daughter's kinder nature or that they shared similar goals in life. Of course, this could all simply be in Eva's mind alone. It didn't matter whether Marie realized that Eva was always trying to outdo her or not.
While her father was often times distant and gruff and in many instances absent, Artos had always provided for his family and ensured that they received the proper education and were wanting for nothing. Eva's mother, however, took a much closer interest in her children, her daughter's especially. When the girls were twelve, Lucia personally escorted them to the Court of Rovilon. Though she loved Garfana very much, Eva was enthralled by the splendor of the Aveyron Palace and all of the people within. It was here, with her mother's introduction, that Eva met up with Alina lSaigner, her cousin and her mother's niece. The young ladies seemed to hit it off well enough, sharing some common interests, especially when it came to fashion and gossip. Shortly after this meeting, Eva was invited to join the Songbirds and her court life quickly excelled from there.
Eva took to the life of a courtier with a passion, fitting in rather well with the courtly intrigue found at Rovilon. She was of sharp mind and wit and though she may not be the most outgoing of personalities, giving her this ever guarded air, the young girl did have her charm and her beauty. It was here, under the guidance of Queen Cynthia, alongside the other Songbirds in their lessons, where Eva's gift of dance began to take flight. She had always been a brilliant dancer in her youth, but now, she was exposed to a wider audience, gaining her the attention and prestige which she craved.
Later, that same year of her court debut, Eva attended the Rovilon Tourney Championship Ball. It was an exciting time for her and even moreso at the fact that Queen Cynthia and the princesses were wearing outfits of Alina's design. Eva was terribly impressed by her cousin's sense of fashion, especially as Eva, herself, had been styling her own attire after that of the royal family's. The evening was lovely, the music, wonderful and Eva had just stepped off the dance floor when some little twit bumped into her and spilled red wine all over her new gown. The twit in question was Mariel of House tRynelle and as far as Eva was concerned, Mariel was a nobody, with poor fashion sense who lived in a filthy swamp. Convinced that this was no accident and that Mariel had purposefully, out of jealousy, decided to ruin her beautiful, expensive gown, Eva held back her simmering anger behind a friendly-enough smile as the poor girl apologized profusely for her clumsiness. This would be the beginning of one of Eva's games; a game which would span several years, as she quickly begins to cultivate a long-lasting 'friendship' with Mariel, only to quietly plot to ruin the girl in the end. Eva isn't the sort to take slights lightly, real or imagined ones.
Since her first year at court, Eva has been traveling back and forth between the Sealight and the Aveyron Palace. In Garfana, her mother instructed her in the art of espionage, for any good courtier had the means of searching out and digging up any amount of valuable information to be kept and then used at the right moment. While her dimunitive height had not always been a blessing in Eva's eyes, it did help her to move to and fro undetected, for the most part. This is also the time where Eva realized the depths of her mother's knowledge and experience, some of which Lucia tended to downplay or kept hidden, even from her family. The art of diplomacy was also something that her mother wished to instill upon her daughter. Though Eva may not always be the most rational of people, Lucia knew that her daughter was still able to keep her emotions schooled, while putting on a charming demeanor even in some of the worst of times.
Besides being with her family and the comfort which the fortress walls of the Sealight brings her, Eva's return home was always made more delightful when she had the time to spend within the family's extensive library. Ever since she was a little girl, she cherished that library and read everything which she could get her little hands on. She had a thirst for knowledge and experiences and enjoyed burying her nose within a book.
Back at the Rovilon Court, Eva continued to serve Queen Cynthia as a Songbird, taking great pride in her position. She spent much of her days mingling with the rest of the court, keeping a finger on the pulse of activity and gossip that spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom. Eva also spent as much time as she could with Mariel, though usually attending smaller events, as the larger ones of import were spent in the company of the coterie, keeping her friendship, false or not, with Mariel a more quiet affair. Not that Mariel was special enough to be a part of the coterie to begin with.
In the summer of 1862, a fellow Songbird, Lady Serena t'Figgi, acquired permission to use the family's grand library and Eva, being friendly enough with those in her 'sisterhood', took it upon herself to give their visitor a guided tour of Sealight. This is when she noticed a lovely, and very expensive looking bracelet upon Jessa's wrist; one which looked rather familiar to her. With Eva's interest in anything fashionable, she is quick to figure out that this particular bracelet was worn by one of the Princesses at the winter ball last year. Deciding not to point this out so soon and to see if there was more that she could learn about Serena, Eva cultivated a closer friendship with her, even allowing the young woman into her own private chambers to see whether any of her own belongings would go missing. It so happens that once Serena had left, one of Eva's prized emerald tiaras suddenly disappeared.
Serena was intelligent enough to never wear certain… acquired pieces at locations where they may be more easily recognized, as she would never wear her royal bracelet while at the Rovilon court and such. Eva, however, was all the more attentive to everything which Serena adorned herself with. If it was something gaudy, the piece was most likely Serena's own, however something more fashionable must have belonged to a lady with far more fashion sense! After half a year's surveillance and taking note of jewelry which with her meticulous attention to fashionable details, she was able to discern as belonging to this or that lady and at which past event it was worn to, Eva believed that she had all that she needed to bring this to the attention of Queen Cynthia, herself. In the end, several bracelets, earrings, rings, girdles and tiaras, all belonging to various other women and at least a couple belonging to royalty were found in Serena's quarters back in Greenleaf. It didn't matter what happened to Serena then, for all Eva knew and cared about was that she did her duty as a Songbird.
All was going well for Eva. That is, until the announcement of Mariel tRynelle's betrothal to a member of House tResseux; and while the man Mariel would marry was no heir, she would still be entering a family whose rank and station outweighed her own family's. That would not do at all. Over the years, Eva had learned many things about Mariel as she feigned friendship with the other and one of these little tidbits is the fact that Mariel tRynelle was madly in love with one of her liege lords, a Lord Darman t'Corbeau. In fact, Mariel would beg Eva to come with her to watch Darman train with the other young men at the Circle's training grounds. Not that Eva, herself never had a run-in with the t'Corbeau lord. Like many men within the Circle, t'Corbeau attempted to flirt with her on several occasions, only to find her unattainable, yet polite distance to be all the more amusing. So amusing that he once sent her a teasing letter, one which she had kept, for such things could very well come to good use.
And this very letter was one which Eva went back to, so that she may study every little intricacy of the young Lord's handwriting and copy it exactly in a letter of her own making. Having read many books within the library and even scribing some of them, Eva had developed a knack for forgery, even copying their signatures beautifully. The letter, itself, was a passionate love letter, written by Darman to the unsuspecting Mariel, expressing his love for her and that he was disappointed that she would soon be married off. Poor Mariel was thrilled when she received the message and though she was shy and afraid to speak out to her liege lord in the past, with his confession of love, she began to open up finally and blossom. Mariel had then approached Darman with the letter in hand and though he knows that he did not write the letter, he did enjoy the attention given him as Mariel began throwing herself at him so boldly. After a few blissful moments, the t'Rynelle girl was ready and willing to elope with her true love and soul mate, believing that now that she knew he loved her, she was willing to make a try for happiness even if it meant breaking off her prior betrothal in the process. All of this was more or less what Eva had expected would happen, including the idea that Darman would have no qualms bedding the pathetic girl.
Of course, Darman didn't share the same feelings with Mariel and soon grew tired of her clinginess and the fact that she was speaking of marriage! By then, Mariel had become obssessed with her lover and tried to get her parents to allow her to marry him. Over time, she grew all the more desparate, having had a taste of paradise, only to have it ripped so cruelly away. People said she was mad and her behavior made her look like a crazed stalker, all for her true love. Darman, of course, denied all of this and as she foolishly gave him the letter, there was no evidence that he had any intentions of marrying her or that he loved her. Or of anything. In the end, House t'Resseux saw Mariel's behavior as disgraceful and the marriage contract was ended. Humiliated and having fallen into a deep bout of depression, Mariel returned home to Lacora and has yet to make a reappearance at the Rovilon Court.
Eva was more than a little content with this outcome, knowing full well that her diligence and cunning patience finally bore fruit. Though, she did have to wonder how it felt to be so much in love the way Mariel was. It must have been nice. Of course, the game isn't over until Eva says it is over; her vindictiveness lasting long after even her enemy's disgrace. So, to keep up her charade, she continues to write letters of support to poor Mariel. Perhaps someday, her revenge will finally be complete.
No event in Eva's life had been as exciting or as terrifying as when Cardinal Ramius' Guard held Rovilon under their control. It all started in Pacitta when King Maris was poisoned at the wedding of Princess Ariane to Lord Thaddeus and Prince Jean-Paul went missing. Eva worked diligently alongside the other Songbirds to assist Queen Cynthia as best she could, to be her eyes and ears. Once the Cardinal's Guards had arrived to Rovilon, things became all the more tense. Eva felt that something was amiss, yet she was able to retain her composure throughout the entire ordeal, even as many in Rovilon became nervous and frightened as the true intentions of the Cardinal became all the more clear.
When the forces loyal to the Queen began their own invasion on Rovilon, to free its people from the clutches of the Cardinal, Eva was among those who aided Queen Cynthia, Prince Silvio and the princesses in their attempt at escape. The Cardinal's men eventually find the royal contingent and amidst the fighting and the chaos, Queen Cynthia is captured by Cardinal Ramius. By the blessing of The One God and by the might of King Maris himself, the good Queen is freed and safe, but not without Eva realizing just how helpless she felt, unable to protect Queen Cynthia in such dire times.
In the aftermath of the Cardinal's Gambit, Eva accompanied Queen Cynthia and Princess Eliza as part of Couviere's diplomatic mission to Sanctum and Sunreach. As a diplomat in training herself, Eva was thrilled for this opportunity to both learn from the experience and to finally see what Sunreach has to offer.
On the Grid
This can be a cover, lyrics or anything that encompasses your character.
Petite and rather doll-like in appearance, Eva t'Acuto stands at approximately five feet in height. This fact alone makes her appear almost vulnerable to some, as if she were a young lady who were in need of protection. Despite her small stature, she moves with an innate grace, her every step and every gesture performed in a soft, fluid motion. Red copper curls frame her pale face, the hue of her locks enhance the brightness of her blue-green eyes. Her features are lovely, though are often times marred by the petulant pout that forms so naturally upon her lips.
Her small stature and angelic features help to grace Eva with the appearance of this delicate sweetness, especially when she smiles, which tends to be a rare occasion, for she always seems displeased about something or other. However, as the saying may go, beauty is only skin deep. Despite her wide-eyed innocent visage, Eva can hardly be called sweet. Not that she's unnecessarily cruel or anything of that sort, well, that all depends on the company in which she finds herself in. To those she deems as her enemies and to her lessers or simply some unfortunate soul who happened to have caught her attention in whichever negative way, Eva can come off as callous and somewhat cruel. This cruelty is kept primarily in the ways of social warfare, anything more physical is simply beneath her, not wishing to get her hands dirty in any of that business. An unapologetic snob with a frighteningly good memory, that she never forgets a slight, Eva possesses quite the haughty attitude and being chosen as one of Queen Cynthia's Songbirds did nothing to humble her. As a young woman with many enemies, real or imagined, Eva has learned the intricacies of maneuvering through courtly life, having her eyes and ears open at all times. She truly does love the gossip, especially those of a more scandalous nature, for every bit of information may potentially be that can be used.
Her adherence to a strict sense of propriety may sometimes make Eva the killjoy even among her closest of friends. If there were anyone who would lecture or wave a scolding finger at her friends or her siblings, that person would be Eva! That has hardly changed as she's grown up, so she may be far more reserved to do anything that others may simply consider adventurous or even fun. Festivals, balls and even being all catty in gossip is what she considers fun, but not sneaking off into who knows where to do who knows what, less there be a very good reason to do so. And sometimes there is a very good reason.
Gossip and fashion aside, Eva had always considered herself blessed to have access to her family's brilliant and wonderful library. From a very early age, between her lessons, she would spend most of her hours going through tome after tome within the royal library — reading everything from politics to military history, anything she could get her hands on, she would try to absorb. Her favorite subjects have always been poetry and love stories, which may seem odd for those who know her well enough, being as cold as she may be. She also enjoys reading memoirs and journals, to get a sense first hand of the emotions and tensions felt by the writer in any given situation. Her family especially know just how obsessed Eva can be with her reading and she has begged her father countless times to allow her to take a few books up to her room so that she may finish reading them there. It's almost as if she were searching for something within these texts.
As for her relationships, Eva is a loyal enough friend to those in her closest of circles; mainly her cousin, Alina's coterie. She is always eager to share any juicy tidbits which she may have learned of, always expecting her friends to do the same. Aside from the dance floor, this is where Eva is her most vibrant, in the company of like-minded young ladies, gossiping about or criticizing various individuals who were unlucky enough to gain the ladies' attention. Her rivalry with her twin sister aside, she is rather loyal to her family, as a whole, and strives to bring prestige to them in any way that she can. Though she loves both of her parents dearly, perhaps due to her father's absence in her youth, Eva has come to idolize Artos, believing that the right husband for her would have to be similar in attitude and beliefs as her father.
Quirks
Cunning:
Dignified:
Gifted: Dancing:
Rival: Marie t'Acuto:
Shrewd:
Schemer
Well-Connected:
Logs and Sundry
This can be a cover, lyrics or anything that encompasses your character.
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(aidric alysande broderick clara elrick emilia eva evelyn event gabriel gawain jaren joffrey justin leander lillian log michael nadine raimond rashad rosana thaddeus tiadora tristan)
(adrienne aidric clara clarke darman elrick emilia eva event gawain log michael raelyn)
(aidric alina artos darman dawn elrick emilia eva gawain log michael paege raelyn social stephen tristan)
(alina broderick clara corvin darman elaida elrick eva gabriel jordan justin log raelyn samwell social stephen thaddeus tristan)
(adrienne aidric alina alysande ania artos bartolo bella broderick clara darman dawn destrian elaida elrick emilia eva event gabriel gawain ghazi giorgio graham gwendolyn hashim jaren jean-paul joffrey johanna jordan kabede leander log louisa marcel martyn michael quentyn raelyn raimond rashad rosana samuel samwell stephen thaddeus tristan)
Relationships
Couviere
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Artos t'Acuto : Father |
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Lucia t'Acuto (nee l'Saigner) : Mother |
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Jordan t'Acuto : Brother |
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Marie t'Acuto : Twin sister and rival |
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Alina l'Saigner : Cousin and close friend |
