"Closer" by Nine Inch Nails
✢ Height: 6' or 183cm
✢ Appearance: The mirror loved him and he loved the mirror. Orpheus ran his pianist worthy fingers through his strawberry blonde hair, their shoulder-length strands lifting to reveal two pools of mesmerising azure. A braid travelled from the left side of his head to form a half ponytail, revealing an obsidian stud in his left ear. His skin was flawless, void of a single blemish.
Orpheus curled his lips into a smirk as he admired his lithe but muscular body, he was a perfect shade of tan meets pale. He rubbed his strong jaw, as a Fey, he lacked such things as facial hair, something he was grateful for. Those hideous moustaches the humans kept were unnerving, to say the least.
He knew he was the epitome of perfection by human standards - a hundred out of ten, if you will - but he was even abnormally handsome by Fey standards, something he was not ashamed to admit. Ah, shame, did such an emotion even exist within him? He only knew of what it was through his powers to taste the every change in flavour of others.
Orpheus continued to admire his reflexion, chasing away the tedious, mundane thoughts in favour of what was tangible. His broad shoulders met his narrow waist to the distinct V-line that showed from the towel he'd wrapped around his waist. He was beyond fashionable, walking and looking as if he were a high end model, which he could be, if he so wished. He beamed at his own reflection, revealing perfectly straight teeth so white, it was near blinding. He lifted his thick rimmed spectacles from his dresser drawer, dangling them at the end of his finger. He didn't need them but he wore them, sometimes. Orpheus found himself bored of the mundane perfection his Fey heritage had given him, at times, and the unnecessary accessory gave him a little extra when he wanted it.
But God, he was hot.
✢ True Form: "My Queen," he said, his voice like pure honey. Orpheus knelt before her, his long and pale blonde hair falling over his perfect face - perfect, like all the rest of her children but somehow more so. She'd given him more beauty than most, something she didn't quite care about, seeing as appearances held no weight in the Faerie Realms, where beauty was mundane.
"Rise," she commanded, her voice sounding to be that of a million.
Orpheus lifted his head, rising with a grace only her children were blessed with. A garland woven from an ancient tree that seemed to be more metal than wood sat upon his head, a jewel in a colour that could only be found in the Faerie Realms set in its centre. There were multiple rings pierced through his elf-like ears, a chain connecting those on his earlobes to his cartilage. Orpheus' emerald eyes were careful not to look his Queen directly in the eyes, for fear of losing his fragile hold on his dignity, as so many had before him in the presence of Order.
His armour was forest green, each sleeve and cuff carved with intricate designs. His gloves were made of a rare material and looked almost draconic. From his back were a pair of emerald and obsidian wings, unlike most Fey wings, his were not translucent but entirely solid. No light seeped through and it seemed to cary darkness forged from his father, although this was scattered by the emerald inlay that he'd inherited from his mother.
✢ Gender: Male
✢ Sexuality: Pansexual
✢Age: Ageless
✢ Species: Spring Fey
✢ Court: Unaligned, although he was once a part of both
✢ Role: Unaligned Spring Fey
✢ Powers: As a Spring Faerie, he is capable of bringing life to the plants around him; animals are drawn to him as bees are to nectar. He can heal as Spring Fey can, and manipulate the emotions of others, although the latter not to the extent Praxis can. He can merely nudge emotions in the direction they were already leaning towards and know what others are feeling. His strength in matters pertaining to Spring is in making potions and things of that sort. He has an affinity with all plants, knowing the properties of all and what they will create when combined. His potions and medicines can fix any ailment, although the darker side to that are his poisons. The poison he creates is unique and as such, few if any have immunity to them. He often uses the aid of various herbs and certain concoction by the name of The Flying Oracle that sends him into a trance and allows him easier access to the realm of the dead. Although, generally, he does not need much help in contacting the dead. In fact, he needs more help keeping them away. He also has a potion for that, of course. Although, after eternities dealing with the dead, he's learned how to control what he sees and who stays away.
His strongest power is that of which he was given as the Oracle of Darkness, as Judgement. He can traverse between the living and the dead; he sees things that few others can. To him, it is a curse, to many, it is a gift. The Queen was well aware of the burden she was placing upon him when she gave Orpheus the power of sight, but it was very much necessary. He carries with him a pocket watch. This pocket watch can only be used by him, can only be open by him and its face, only seen by him. It can be used as a clock or timer, of sorts, whereby if he concentrates hard enough on an individual or is close enough to an individual, he can see when they will die. This can be changed, as present events determine who will enter the realm of the dead, or rather, Raena determines it. By holding the watch in his fist and then letting it hang, he can see the worth of a person and what they deserve. Should it first swing to the left, it means they are destined for Heaven and should it swing to the right, it means they are destined for Hell. Of course, there are multiple levels to Heaven and Hell, some are crueller than most and some are lovelier. Orpheus is able to enter the minds of the dead to see the events and thoughts of their lives to further determine where it is they should go, although the watch does that quite successfully through him.
In essence, he is the watch, except it is much more objective than him, taking his powers and projecting it unto himself. Many people die each day, and he not only judges dead Fey but dead everything - including dead Earthlings - and as such, he requires the watch to do a quicker job. Using the pendulum, he can also hypnotise people to a certain degree.
There is something else he is capable of, however, and that is the ability to harness the dead. When he judges a wraith, he can decide whether to send them to their eternities in afterlife or to keep them as creatures he can summon to do his bidding. He rarely does this, although he has before, but not often. Perhaps not surprisingly, he does not wish for dead people to cling onto him for eternity. He can let these creatures he keeps go, of course. Apart from Heaven and Hell, he can send people to a place known as the 'Limbo,' for 'further review.' In the Limbo, Angels further analyse the worth of a person and they can choose to send them for rebirth or as some call it, reincarnation.
Then, it is not surprising that Orpheus has contact with the Gods and whatnot, although he rarely speaks with them unless he must. They are not quite happy with Light and Darkness choosing to create creatures and worlds of their own.
✢ Abilities: Orpheus is skilled in not only hand-to-hand combat but in the usage of most weapons, human and otherwise. Archery is his strongest ability. He doesn't use his body to fight much, however. Actually, he hardly fights at all. At least, not before he came to Earth. Now he finds himself a participant in bar fights in particular more often than not. Drink makes one reckless.
He's a skilled guitarist and a competent singer - well, competent compared to the Queen. He's charismatic, if that can be considered a skill.
✢ Preferred Weapons: Hispocket watch is obviously a 'preferred weapon' of his. Apart from that, he quite likes guns, they're very useful and quick. In the Faerie Realms, he was often seen with a bow and arrows strapped to his back.
Orpheus strolled to the bar, sitting on a stool and leaning his elbows against the counter. He was confident, to say the least. Some might call him narcissistic but he liked to think he was merely self-assured. "Patron Anejo, please," he said easily, capturing the bartender with his emerald eyes.
"One Patron Anejo coming right up," the bartender said a little breathlessly, turning reluctantly away. He threw Orpheus a glance over his shoulder, to find him grinning. Humans were fun to play with, they were easily susceptible to Orpheus' good looks, something he didn't mind in the least.
Looks were deceiving, a phrase humans never seemed to take to heart. Orpheus swirled the remainder of the Tequila, drawing his eyebrows together to form an expression humans had termed 'worried' and 'apologetic.' "I'm so sorry but I appear to have lost my wallet," Orpheus said, sprinkling his words with the right amount of fear.
"Oh, oh no, it's fine. It's on the house," the bartender said quickly. Orpheus smiled, giving the bartender a wink as he pushed away from the bar to mingle in the dance floor. He was also very deceptive.
After hours of flirting, he found himself thrusting and moving his hips on the dance floor, his hands in the back of someone's pocket as the music found itself through his alcohol system. The lights of the club flashed relentlessly, mingling with his drunk consciousness. He laughed against wavy raven hair, his laughter as uplifting and mesmerising as the rest of him. Eyes watched him hungrily as the woman he was dancing with pressed closer against him. This was where he liked to be, here. In a place where he felt no guilt for not caring, for being who he was - someone who was selfish and only wished for fun. Orpheus did not wish to think of the complicated, serious struggles of the Fey courts, that was why he'd left. He was on his own side, his own King and he said to get drunk and have sex.
His sleepy eyes took in the figures as the woman tangled her fingers in his hair. He wondered whom he could play with tonight, who would entertain him through the night and who would be victim to his tricks. He cared as much for these mortals and well, in the case of Vampires, immortals, as he did most of the Fey - he didn't. He lived for himself and others were there for his entertainment. But not them. Not Rae, not Aerunia.
"I need another drink," he whispered, untangling himself from the woman as he headed for the bar. He didn't wish to think of them tonight, or the next. He would not let the guilt seep in, he would chase it away the only way he knew how. He would drown the guilt in alcohol. Emotions were a cruel thing and despite all of his power as a Spring Fey, he could not take away his own miseries. Orpheus ran his fingers through his hair, leaning over his glass of champagne and clutching it between his hands as if within it were the answers to all his questions. Unrequited love could be a devil, and he was foolish to wish for someone like her to be only his own. The Fey were not built for monogamy, as he proved every day, every time he slept with a new stranger. He would do anything for her, but he couldn't. He promised her and himself once, long ago, that he would protect her at all cost but she'd not chosen him, although he'd watched from the shadows, but what did it matter now? She was gone. She was far from his reach, from anyone's, and of that, he was certain. Or maybe he merely wished to convince himself of the hopelessness of the Fey, to hide the truth that he cared for nothing but fun, sex and games, Fey affairs were none of those things.
Orpheus tilted his head back, draining the last of the liquid in a feeble attempt to wash her from his mind - and the ghosts, the corpses. Her voice echoed in his head, chastising him as the alcohol burned down his throat to settle in his stomach. A memory came unbidden to his mind, when he knelled before her throne and kissed the back of her hand. He was a gentleman, when he wished and needed to be. Orpheus lacked the fear so many held for the Monarchs, something that was both a strength and a weakness. He would meddle in the business of everyone else to avoid his own and plaster the smile everyone saw upon his face. He'd be careless, comedic and optimistic; if he took nothing seriously, perhaps nothing would be. Besides, he was lazy, and there was nothing anyone could make him do if he did not wish to do it.
And right now he felt like dancing.
✢ Quirks: Unlike the rest of the Fey, he is not Vegetarian. When he arrived on Earth, he tasted meat for the very first time and decided he very much enjoyed it. That is most shocking as he is a Spring Fey and they love animals more than the rest of the Fey, which is saying something. He loves animals just as much as he ever did - a lot - but he also loves a good steak. He has a habit of running his fingers through his hair and loosening his clothing - tie, buttons, collars and cuffs. Unlike the rest of the Fey, he's taken to human gestures and expressions such as raising a single brow. He even speaks as the humans do, with their shortening of words and unusual phrases like "L.M.F.A.O."
✢ Likes: He is - or rather was - very fond of his Queen. Raena, or Rae, as he liked to call her in the privacy of her bedroom, was more than just his Creator, she was his lover, or so he liked to think. She had her faults, however perfect she made herself to be, and he would admit he loved her faults more than he did her flawless perfections. Her emotions, that she'd asked Praxis to take from her, were what attracted him to her. He cared not for the emotionless Order she'd become, or tried to, anyway.
The last of his favourite people is Aerunia. Cute, sweet, cruel and merciless Aerunia. "My feisty firecracker," was what Orpheus loved to call her, that and "Spawn of Death" when he wasn't feeling particularly accommodating. He thinks of Aerunia as a little girl with a crush on him - because who wouldn't? Aerunia grew to be more beautiful with each passing day and unlike the rest of the Fey, he had a deep appreciation for beauty. Something that set him apart amongst a million other things, of course. He'd grown fond of Aerunia over the millenniums, and surprisingly, would protect her at... The cost of anyone but himself and perhaps his Queen, although the latter was no longer.
Autumn Fey. This is rather surprising seeing as Spring Fey normally despise those of Autumn, but not Orpheus, he found them rather... Refreshing. They were brute, honest, and did not bother to sweeten and soften truths, and he could relate to them and their connections to death. Honestly, he felt more attached to Autumn than he did Spring, they were lazy, like him, uncaring, like him, he should've been made an Autumn Fey. No, it was not his place to question his Creators. But yes, he loved Autumn.
Being the charmer and lover of love he is, it comes at no surprise that he's fond of the Summer girls of the Seelie court. Ah, the Summer girls - so innocent, so infatuated with him, so beautiful. He's had a taste of one too many Summer girls, perhaps, but his favourite of all is Tiggy. Of all the Summer girls, she resisted him the most, and who was he if not a man who loved a challenge? Still, he was certain of her deep, hidden love for him. Who wouldn't be drawn by a Fey such as himself? The Summer girls satisfied his needs when others were unavailable. He had other Earthling boys and girls to play with, but none were as... Exciting as the Summer girls, that was, excluding the Queen. One could mess up her hair and bring out the chaos in her if one had experience.
Since coming to Earth, he's developed a love for human music, rock and metal, in particular. He found his intoxicating voice was even sexier when he was singing and who knew electric guitars were so easy to play? Human instruments were nothing compared to the Fey instruments the Queen insisted he learn. He loved the way human music was so... Emotional. It was music that made your heart pound with every beating of the drum, shaking your nerves and the alcohol that filled your blood.
Men, women and everything in between, he loved them all. Sex was a celebration and that combined with endless shots drove him wild and ecstatic. He loved clubs and all the other places people wandered about. Vampire, Were, Shifter, human, Fey, he loved the taste of them all, the mad way sweat mingled with skin, the way distance ceased to exist and ghosts no longer were as he lived so fully.
✢ Dislikes: Despite the King having made him with his Queen, Orpheus disliked him, to say the least. There was no one reason he could pinpoint as to why, perhaps it was that he posed a threat to his relationship with the Queen or because he simply didn't like him. That was not to say he would not share the King's bed, merely that he wouldn't sit down and drink cups of tea with Frost unless he had to.
More than anything else, Orpheus despised raisins. They were like old grapes and he could not see why anyone would make themselves eat the wretched things. Orpheus would sooner eat his own thumb than put a raisin on his tongue.
He hated responsibility, loved the Queen but hated to curse she'd placed upon him. He did not like the dead and did not wish to care for them or decide their fate. It was boring and boredom was one thing he hated above all else. He wanted to be free, to do as he wished and be what he wanted. There were better things than speaking with ghosts that he could be doing. He wanted no part in this world of seriousness; Orpheus only wanted to have fun and live his life with his shirt open and his pants somewhere else, far, far away. He didn't want to wear his big boy jeans and face the world and its expectations.
It is difficult to say if Praxis should be within his category of dislikes, as sometimes Orpheus felt he very much liked his... Twin brother, of sorts. Yet, he was envious of him. Time and time again, others had chosen Praxis over him and time and time again, he had not and could not see why. Praxis was unexciting, boring and not particularly dashing. He had a competitive relationship with Praxis, something the Queen's second might or might not have noticed. For the entirety of Orpheus' life he'd only hoped to be chosen before Praxis, he'd only strived to not live in his shadow.
A life as the Oracle of Darkness was a lonely one indeed, and one with little joy, but Orpheus was not as most would expect. All he saw was death and so, the littlest things brought him joy, and his love for his Queen would become impenetrable, although not so much so as Praxis' unyielding loyalty. When Praxis took the pain of the Queen away - an ability Orpheus had not been given - his beloved Raena turned from him in favour of Praxis. Well, not quite. The Queen found comfort in Orpheus and his lack of care for the world and love for proximity, Orpheus was given invitation to her bed and he accepted. And so they would fill their eternities with the pleasure they found in one another, Orpheus was the replace - if you will - for the King who'd gone, something he did not mind.
Orpheus bedded many, from the Summer Girls to the beautiful men of Autumn, the fierce and demanding women of Winter to the innocent no more boys of Spring. That was, when he was not busy with the realm of the dead, for the dead did not merely exist in the Faerie Realms, but in the Earth they were presently in. The dead were countless and only grew in times of war, famine and diseases. The Unseelie and Seelie courts fought relentlessly, their deaths ever-piling. It was his duty, for the Queen, to maintain the Order of these lost souls, but it was a duty he despised.
Not long - at least, not in the time of the Fey - after the making of Aerunia the Reverie, the High Queen commanded that he be a part of the Unseelie Fey to watch over the Summer Faerie and see that she was not alone. He grew fond of Praxis' reverie, but as it had always been so, Aerunia loved Praxis more than she would ever love him. Still, he watched over Aerunia until she began to bore him. Orpheus grew weary of the responsibilities and chose to leave the Unseelie court, without returning to the Seelie. From then on, he would be "on his own side."
When the Fey were ripped from their home and left in Earth, Orpheus discovered the magical liquid that was alcohol. Somewhere along the partying and drinking, he'd become a world famous celebrity. He could not remember how he came to become the lead singer and guitarist of the band, Sacrilegious, merely that he is, apparently, and that he has and is still receiving a lot of this Earth currency. He could not remember half the people he slept with, much less how he ended up famous but he doesn't have to do much to be able to buy whatever he wants with the multitude of dollar bills he has. Orpheus has an agent he doesn't remember hiring and bandmates he doesn't remember recruiting - or maybe he was recruited. Either way, it doesn't matter. He can buy what he wants and do what he wants as long as he shows up for concerts, interviews and photo shoots every now and again.
He believes the Queen to be dead as she would not leave the world to decay if she were not, and has spent the past six months drunk. He has people looking for his beloved Rae but he does not expect them to find her.
✢ Other: