Valentina Emerson
I think youāre staring too hard. My clothes are burning off.
Nicknames
Lena
Role
Queen
Which Masks do they possess?
Galatea Vanderbilt
Age
20
Gender
Female
Physical Description
Lenaās only just emerged from her teens, but sheās already got a killer figure reminiscent of the likes of Marilyn Monroe. Tiny waist? Check. Busty? Very much so. Wide hips that sway tantalizingly when she walks and long legs that seem to go on forever? All systems go. She looks to be somewhere in her mid-twenties, and maintains her shiny black hair past her waist and down to her upper thighs. Her eyes are a beautiful shade of blue, almost violet in certain lights, and sheās got full red lips and wide eyes above the finest cheekbones. Her smile lights up her face in a puppy-esque manner, but has enough mischief in it to remain seductive.
Thereās no denying Lenaās desirability, and the way she carries herself only adds to her appeal. She walks with poise that puts runway models to shame, causing many heads to turn in her direction when she walks into a room. She dresses in designer clothes that show off her figure, revealing only enough to taunt the imagination but not enough to qualify as overtly sexy. She often wears a small smile to seem more approachable (although sheās still quite intimidating thanks to her looks), but dramatic make-up negates any approachability a smile might bring. She emanates a colorful, vibrant presence that captivates most peopleās hearts. Children, especially, find her very engaging, so itās not uncommon to see her in the park surrounded by children and reading a story or two to them.
Personality
God, look at her, striding through the room and stealing all the boysā hearts as she walks by. No doubt about it, that girl definitely adores her fun and revels in the attention her looks grant her.
Lena is responsible. She really is. She tucks away a bit of money every week, cares for other peopleās feelings, and ā oh who is she kidding? Lena does try to be responsible, but sheās a cherry bomb through and through. She canāt help it ā itās not that she doesnāt want to be trustworthy or responsible; she just finds serious matters tedious and prefers lively company. Sheās given up on growing up and has reverted to wild child who came to Throme two years ago. Politics? Sheās got an opinion or two, all well-thought out (looks arenāt enough to buy you a position as a mistress), and could hold a conversation about it, but sooner or later sheād try to steer the conversation into how a certain celebrity is pregnant with a judgeās illegitimate child or break the monotony by playfully teasing someone. Most things just donāt interest her. Sheās hardly ever acts proper and is flakier than a flapper in the roaring 20ās.
Her immaturity lends itself to a very expressive, extroverted personality. Brave and brazen, Lena doesnāt distinguish friends from acquaintances from people she just met on the street ā sheāll take their arm and talk to them as she would an old friend, and itās not uncommon for her to worm her way into the coldest hearts thanks to the refreshing doses of sincerity and affection she provides. People may get exasperated with her, yes, but sheās akin to a puppy ā warm and occasionally annoying, but ultimately loveable due to sheer simplicity. With Lena, thereās only one route from point A to point B ā the route she wants to take. Sheās as shrewdly manipulative as one could get, but is as contented playing hide-and-seek in the mall as she is when shopping in high-end stores.
As expected given her love of attention, Lena is terribly overdramatic. Itās a flaw of hers, and one sheās aware of. That doesnāt mean she doesnāt revel in it, though. She knows what she is, and exploits it just to tease people. [Example: Sheād deliberately look a man in the eye while enjoying a lollipop, or stretch out luxuriously on the sofa of an acquaintance.] In Lenaās mind, the world is a story, and sheās obviously the heroine of it. Sheās not averse to using her looks or charm to get what she wants. Self-centered as she is, she does take everything with a good sense of humor and playfulness.
Despite all that, Lena is a good girl at heart. Sheās no femme fatale - all she wants is some good, old-fashioned fun, be it in the form of danger or romance, never mind that sheās technically got a boyfriend. Lena is charitable and helps people out [especially children and the poor ā she has a very soft spot for children, given as she wants her own but canāt have any because of her position in society], but sometimes she accidentally [or accidentally-on-purpose] hurts peopleās feelings, or offends their sensibilities. This leads to some society butterflies to call her names, and it doesnāt help that she doesnāt originally come from Throme and is, in some ways, still a newcomer. Lena actually doesnāt mind ā at least theyāre thinking about her.
Lenaās game for everything ā the kind of girl you call when you want to have a senseless night of pure [or perverted] fun, not the one you call to confide in [sheād either spill the secret or forget what youāre talking about halfway through the conversation]. Romanticism is rooted in her, and she doesnāt really think things through thoroughly before plunging into them, leading to a certain brand of unpredictability unique to her.
Skill(s)/Abilities
Sweet-talking ā Lena is very good at this, and is an excellent conversationalist who can get people to agree with her before they even know what theyāre doing.
Seduction - ā¦Does it count? Lena thinks it does. She moves specifically to enhance her desirability, and wraps boys around her fingers and wears them the way she does rings.
Dancing ā Lena is a great dancer, and adores it. Not particularly useful, but does help her attract attention.
Nobody Knows Me At All ā Lena is great at blending into a crowd and disguises/pretending to be someone else and hiding, although she doesnāt particularly enjoy it. Itās one of the skills she learned as a mistress.
Self-Defense ā Lena knows how to fight, although sheās got no formal training whatsoever. Itās something she learned from her male cousins back home ā her dancing skills actually translate well into this, and when Lenaās evading attacks, it looks much like sheās dancing.
Snooping ā Lena canāt help it. Call it natural curiosity, but sheās quite good at peeking at confidential files while waiting for Zee in his office without getting caught, or convincing police officers to let her have just one look at their notes and memorizing them at once. Her memoryās often used for remembering what dresses in magazines she particularly adored and where they can be bought, though.
History
Valentina grew up in a small town far, far away from Throme. Her mother had always told her she was beautiful enough to find a better life than the one in her almost-empty hometown, as long as she behaved herself and married well. Thus, Teresa Emerson did her best to shelter her daughter and keep her from boys, going as far as dropping her off and picking her up from school every day.
It worked about as well as one would expect. Lena eventually grew up close to a few girls with whom she got into a lot of trouble in her tumultuous teenage years, giving their teachers and the rest of the small town a giant headache. Theyād do things for the fun of it ā skinny dipping with men more than twice their age, sweet-talking their ways into the bar and free drinks, skipping school to drive as fast and far out of town as they could before dark, deliberately getting caught breaking into stores so policemen wound up chasing bikini-clad teenagers, and similar shenanigans. Teresa eventually feared her daughter would get pregnant before finishing school and sent her away to Throme. This proved to be a mistake.
While waiting to board the plane to Throme, an already-stunning sixteen-year-old Lena met a wealthy, attractive thirty-year-old Ezekiel Mathers, who had connections to Itex.
Innocent flirting evolved into an invitation to ride on a private plane.
A ride on a private plane led to weekly hush-hush meetings at a posh hotel and expensive gifts.
Six months later, an offer from a smitten businessman came. Would Lena please live in the penthouse of a condominium closer to the heart of Throme, so meetings could be easier and more frequent?
Anything she wanted, he said.
Anything she wanted, she agreed. Lena dropped out of school and dove headfirst into the lifestyle and social-climbing she wanted so much to do all her life. Her ambition and ability to charm the socks off people quickly spiraled into a soul-consuming need to become more famous, higher in the social ranks, and get more expensive things. Eventually, she wanted the businessman to marry her. Being a mistress wasnāt good enough anymore. She wanted a legal share.
An older society lady gifted her a beautiful mask on the Christmas of Lenaās 18th year, together with an invitation to a masquerade ball. Lena was going through an endlessly discontented patch at that point in time, and was on the verge of losing her lifeline ā Ezekiel Mathers. It was a rocky time in their relationship, and she had multiple short flings with men just to make Zee jealous. Galatea's contented nature and her existence was nothing short of godsend for Lena.
The maskās personality convinced Zee to give it one more shot, but eventually the pair took a break. Zee cut off all Lenaās credit cards and left her practically desolate. She had to crash at Eleonoreās house (the woman who gifted her the mask). This troubled time gave Lena time to think about what sheād become, and she eventually got over her pride and apologized to Zee, whom she does love, to some extent.
The two reconnected and Lena is now back in her usual spot at the penthouse. Sheās wizened up, however, and has begun to secretly stash money and invest in a portfolio so she could survive on her own should anything happen to the relationship sheās still trying to rebuild. Sheās found out about Itex by occasionally peeking at Zeeās files while heās not looking, and, curious humbug that she is, snooped for more information.
Eventually sheād become concerned about Zee and his dealings with such a shady corporation, and was interested ā and thrilled ā by this dramatic development in her life. Unfortunately, being thrilled didn't come with information. Much as she tried, information on Itex was scarce, and it wasn't as if any heroine worth her salt would go around screaming Itex's name.
Lena alternated between Galatea's personality and her own to try and seduce or coax Zee into giving her more information without ever really using the word "Itex". Not really an easy task, but she eventually got a name out of him, although she didn't realize it was the name she was looking for at first. It was a mumbled, half-asleep thank you to Lena, for always being there after a stressful day of dealing with the trouble Torrings causes.
Torrings - a man working to bring down something so large as Itex - romantic, isn't he? Lena fell in love with the idea of Arthur Torrings before she even met the man, and searched for him as zealously as she could. Destined to be together? Lena thought so. She painted a picture of him in her head and burned his image into her heart, and would not be shaken from her idealized version of him. When she finally met the man, it would have been a disappointment if she hadn't deluded herself into thinking he's more amazing than he really is. (If you ask her to tell the story, it'll change every time.)
Torrings must have seen something in her, because he invited her to join his cause. Whether or not he knows Lena's connection to Itex is doubtful, as she presented herself as someone more or less in love with him and his cause rather than someone doing it for the sake of someone she loves. Over time, Lena's crush has faltered in its intensity, and she's moved on to other more attainable men, but she's always going to have a very soft spot for the man who set her down the path to becoming an actual heroine.
Attitudes
What does your character think about the others?
Other
Anything else?