svnblinds

[svnblinds]

oh, it is silly to be a grown woman in her thirties and still be this pleased when she receives praise — to grasp a concept she's sure many others mastered during their school years. savina allows satisfaction to curl in her bones anyway, mouth slipping into a pleased smile. she's come a long way after years of gwen's patient explanations, teasing out threads in a way that makes sense in savina's mind, pushing her to think outside the narrow cynefinian mindset. "which do you prefer?" she asks, genuinely curious. "the logical, scientific explanation, or the story version?" she knows many people think cynefin is old fashioned, backwards even for the way they cling to their beliefs about gods and primordial beings, but when the day comes that the sea decides she has been patient long enough and comes to claim what is owed, they'll wish they had never doubted.

she nods, thoughtful. savina chews her bitten-down nail and gwen thinks of the stories behind the folklore of the sea. how the terrors of itself emerged in the voices of its winds. how there was always something to be knitted from its foam. but those tangible things which lurked beneath were part of those stories. the tangible and the intangible always have a similar dance-pattern across the floor, in gwen's mind. "an apt comparison. outsiders and locals, with their explanations differing about the same concept. both are attempts to make it make sense." there were some things that were not intended to make sense. at least, that was how gwen comforted herself with not knowing an answer. "but yes. and therefore, in that way, both are true. but it takes time and patience to see where the roots stand in facts."

[svnblinds]

intangible concepts are not and have never been savina’s friend, which is ironic given her affinity for the most abstract of khemia. she isn’t like gwen, with a mind that whirrs and connects dots like a puzzle even without a reference picture. it’s what she admires most about the respected librarian, but also what infuriates savina the most. this is why savina prefers plants. gwen’s patient explanation makes sense, she supposes, chewing an already bitten-down nail in reluctant contemplation. “i suppose it is like how my mother explains brutal storms as the wrath of the sea, punishing us for some misdeed or another while outsiders —,” a disdainful curl of her lip, “ — with their doubts and influence of the capital, have their own stories to explain it. arguably both stories cannot be true, but one is true to me and the other is true to them, no?”

gwen removes her spectacles and allows them to drape. gold chains, a delicate wrap against both ears. savina somehow manifests the time continuum that is found in stories, but still doesn't wrap her head around the concept. it would take a great amount of time to explain the nuances which would arise. "the truth is what we make of these pieces." gold-tipped nails splay across the pages of her own book, as it remains open without pressure. "we can only know what we know. what we believe. it is our divine right as humans. and we find community, or otherwise, in agreeing or disagreeing." a shrug with one shoulder. "that is the nature of a story."

[svnblinds]

Location: Verum Academy library Status: Closed starter for @cynefinisms

“So there’s the story, right?” Savina flops into the coziest armchair in the library, snapping closed her book and placing it off to the side. “Then there’s the real story, then there’s the story of how the story came to be told,” she continues, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “Then there’s what you leave out of the story. Which is part of the story too. Stories within stories within stories, how are we ever supposed to find the truth?"

[svnblinds]

&. svnblinds ; a dependent blog for verumfm — penned by liza (she/her, 28, GMT +10).

i. savina masoe. cynefin local and ambitious lab assistant ( she/her 31 ) — intro. tag.

[svnblinds]

( davika hoorne , cis female , she/her ) — amongst the faces lining the staff portrait wall, you recognize SAVINA MASOE, the thirty one year old lab assistant within the school. having spent two years as a member of the verum staff, students say that they’re reminiscent of white light passed through a glass prism, a fractured reflection in the looking glass, blooming plants in a thriving greenhouse, a dream forever just beyond reach and eyes so bright they see right through you. their perceptive and inquisitive temperament brings color to these halls, but be warned, you may also find them to be competitive and single-minded. regardless, hopefully, they’ll remain when it’s time for verum to open its doors again.

&. BASICS.

full name: savina masoe

age: 31

birthday: february 16

birthplace: unknown, but raised in cynefin

gender & pronouns: cis female | she/her

orientation: *gestures vaguely* 

residence: verum academy staff residence, often returns to their family home over the weekends or term holidays.

&. DETAILS.

education: graduate of verum academy, anima major. 

magic: khemia, anima. 

occupation: lab assistant, aspiring professor or researcher of some capacity. assists with the family textile business in the little free time she has. 

relationship status: single 

piercings: both earlobes, helix on the left ear 

tattoos: n/a

&. PERSONALITY.

zodiac sign: aquarius

mbti: INTP

likes: cool soil on bare feet; blooming plants in the spring; a new mystery to unravel; experimenting in the lab; long days in the greenhouse with her father; rolling green hills and sea salted air; people watching; the smell of freshly baked pastries; lists. 

dislikes: being away from home for too long; black coffee; losing; cheating; early mornings; big cities; accounting; conflict; places with no windows or gardens; mess, disorganisation. 

habits: chewing on the ends of her pen; dog earing pages; sleeping with a window open; sleeping through her alarm.

(+) inquisitive, perceptive, kind, sociable, ambitious, loyal, outdoorsy, empathetic, family orientated. (-) nosy, single minded, competitive, stubborn, self-indulgent, petty. 

&. BACKGROUND.

adopted as a baby, the masoes — a wealthy merchant family — are the only parents savina has ever known and ever cares to know. she loves them both dearly, though she is closer to her father due to their shared affinity for khemia than her mother. 

savina spent her childhood exploring the rolling hills of her parents property with her beloved little brother, finding all the nooks and crannies and secrets the land had to offer. as far as childhoods go, it was almost idyllic. 

growing up, savina always knew her place would be to one day take over the family’s textile business. founded by her grandparents decades ago, it’s through the ambition and hard work of her parents that the business thrives as it does now and they want to see their legacy carried on. many days were spent learning everything from managing the finances to the ideal growing conditions needed to produce the highest quality fabrics. while competent, savina never did fall in love with numbers the way her mother hoped, always preferring to be in the greenhouse.

discovering her magic changed that plan. savina followed in her father’s footsteps, studying anima at the academy and falling in love with the way she could make flowers bloom instead.  

savina travelled for a year after graduating the academy and loved every minute of it, but homesickness and duty eventually brought her home. the salty air of cynefin runs in her blood and as intriguing as the wider world is, no where else could ever be home. the crushing crowds of the city cannot hold the candle to the unforgiving fills of cynefin.

in any case, savina missed her brother, and her parents needed her. she returned to take up a position as a lab assistant at the academy with the hopes of one day making professor while also assisting with the family business on the side.

the mudslide has hit their family hard. unable to export their products any longer, they rely on the business of the academy and local townsfolk to keep them afloat. the pressure is on for savina to return home where she belongs.

guilt gnaws at her the longer she avoids making a decision — her parents are getting on, and there isn’t much time left. her brother certainly doesn’t want to assume the mantle of heir, and savina would never be so selfish as to foist that burden on him. but she doesn’t want it for herself, either. she feels like she’s letting them all down by not being who they want her to be and savina doesn’t know to reconcile her love for her family with her unwillingness to follow in their footsteps. 

TLDR; generally friendly, has an unfortunate habit of hearing the things you don’t say a little too well, can be very single minded when she’s found a new interest or theory to prove/disprove - especially if she wants to prove someone wrong. savina feels pulled in several directions and a little lost/torn on where to go. she has tendency to adopt the habits/mannerisms of people around her and honestly, she doesn't really know who she is anymore. there is tension between her and her parents over taking over the business versus her own career plans (the person she thinks they want her to be versus the person she thinks she is).

&. CONNECTIONS.

docs link template credit