- Owlmom is not dead. The general consensus of those brainwashing Milieu was that, without some sort of overt reason to hate the rebels, she would eventually go back to them. Also, it would be difficult to convince someone that they have done nothing wrong if they know their lusus is off doing hard time. The decision to make Milieu believe her mother is dead solved both issues nicely... and they get to keep a free lusus doing hard labor! Win-win.
--- Personality
Listening and being a matchmaker is a coping system and a defense mechanism, due to being mute. Or it was to begin with. Dearest Owl-mom thought that taking on the ashen quadrant, which so few understood, would lead Milieu to feel wanted and secure her survival from the birth-defect. It was a smart idea. Slowly, she learned her trade and has since been known very well for her skills. As a rebellious child, Milieu wanted to put those of the opposite hemospectrums together, and thought that a relationship such as that could work. It was thanks to Owl-mom's gentle correcting and then the final loss of said lusus by the hands of the nefarious rebels that truly cemented the hemospectrum and its worth to Milieu.
Thanks to extended reading and that first hand experience, Milieu is a staunch believer in the hemospectrum caste system. Those of the lower castes need to be protected by the higher castes. Lower castes are often weaker and need more protecting, their lives are frequently shorter, and their life not as good. Upper castes need help understanding the lower castes, are long lived and live luxurious lives. How could two opposites ever hope to see eye to eye and pity or hate one another? It is foolish to think so. The caste system was created by nature, and while troll society has grown to a point where out-of-caste relationships are plausible, nature does not lie. Therefore, Milieu is careful with how she handles each person, and relies heavily on the stereotypes that pervade the castes. If there are exceptions, that makes her belief in the stereotypes stronger. It is the exception, after all, that makes the rule.
Milieu herself is a typical teal blood. Quick and perceptive. After years of studying the life and habits of other trolls, both through books and in person, she is adept at reading social clues. She also has the usual high blood knack of enjoying violence. Owl-mom was very stubborn and wanted her charge to learn that escaping a fight was for lower bloods. High bloods must fight in order to protect others and enjoying a battle is all part of her nature. Her adept skills in battle are thanks to her dearest departed mother
Due to this joy, she is quite the frequenter of the Battle Coliseum. She often attends matches and mingles with other high bloods, and if you can't find Milieu at her home in Civisect city, then she is mostly in the Four Fronds Coliseum enjoying a rousing battle and betting tokens. If not there, she might be visiting friends or living up the high life at parties and social gatherings where she offers her services and fair beauty to the other coolblood trolls.
Alone, in her hive, Milieu keeps all the lights on. She has for some time had a crippling fear of the dark, most likely because those damnable rebels snuck in and killed her lusus on a dark night. Really, they're such cads. That's for another discussion, as now we should focus on hobbies! Milieu has fine penmanship and calligraphy. As a hobby and to earn spare beetles, she makes cards and signs. She practices drawing too, but isn't that good... It seems practice isn't helping her any.
She loves to read books! Oh goodness, does she have lots and lots, usually romances of all blood colors. She's particularly fond of a yellowblood one, and keeps it next to her nightstand. Sometimes she will go to the Civisect library, but finds it a little lonely there. Mili is not fond of being alone, and so her schedule is usually chock full of meetings with uppercrust elite or being at the Coliseum. After all, no relationships yet, and no lusus.... Who wouldn't get lonely?
Now, for friends, they are cherished and few. They might call Milieu patient, kind, and doting. She adores showering gifts and kind words on her loved ones, and is particularly fond of making simple meals. Certainly, if a friend were in danger, you can except that she would be more than willing, eager in fact, to protect them with her might.
She is a tad on the jealous and possessive side. After all, having so few treasures who meet her standards, and in a world where craziness like rebels busting into your home and killing your mother can occur, she is rightfully worried about who her friends spend time with, as well as their safety. And also, maybe she gets a little lonely and jealous of others taking their time. That's normal, isn't it?
Repressing her desires is not common. Milieu is very vocal about her thoughts and feelings, though she is careful to sugar coat the more thorny sentences. It isn't like a properly raised lady to harm another carelessly. Just because she is quiet does not mean she is a wallflower. On contraire, Milieu tries to make herself known in parties and situations, and strikes out for conversations and attention confidently.
One fact most trolls know is that Milieu has fine penmanship! She usually writes notes on a fancy whiteboard she carries with her, or sometimes quickly on pieces of paper. A little lesser known fact is that Milieu is learning/has learned Alternian Sign Language! Due to the fact many do not know it, Milieu tends to stick closely to using her whiteboard for communication.
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Strengths: ++ Good Listener: Mili is very, very good at listening and offering advice. Trolls know that she is always up for a good feelings jam. She is always available for a chat and devotes her whole attention to helping trolls through their issues. Listening began as a coping mechanism, and largely is one still, but there are times when offering advice and listening is enjoyable.
Speaking less (or at all) and listening more has made her ears extremely sharp. She's able to detect trolls who might attempt to sneak up on her, and mumbled confessions during feeling jams never escape her.
++ Intelligent Listening more than speaking, reading and writing from an early age, and interacting with trolls in complex manners has made Mili quite the intelligent young troll. She is mostly book smarts, given her voracious appetite to books, and her lack of experiences on the street. She has some street smarts, mostly inferred from conversations with others, but not nearly enough to be considered and 'intelligence'.
++ Intuitive Body language and words said (and not said) tell this troll quite a bit! Hiding things from Mili is pretty tough. She picks up on hidden meanings easily. Often times she can tell when to avoid topics or even avoid certain streets when walking. This strength is good when a Troll has a hard time explaining themselves or their issues.
++ Confident
Milieu has gone through much in her life, and as such, she understands the world a little better! She is confident in her abilities and her mind. Making conversations, offering advice, matchmaking... Mili has an attitude of confidence born of hard work (and maybe a little superiority complex, but shh she's a highblood that's allowed).
Flaws:-- Casteist Ah well... How to describe this lightly. Milieu believes very strongly in the Hemospectrum. She believes it was created from nature, prior to troll society's creation, and it is in the best interests of ALL trolls that it remain. While just that alone might not make it a flaw, it is how Milieu sees other nameless trolls in day to day that makes this an issue. Stereotypes of all blood colors are her first assumption when seeing a new troll, and then if they are low bloods, she tends to think they are dirty, unintelligent, and inherently in need of protection. She expects that they will follow her orders without fail. If they do not, depending on the situation, she might just retrain them to remember where they belong in the pecking order.
-- Needy/Possessive Mili despises being alone or having to deal with loneliness. Most of her time is spent with others or in the company of others. Those that are her friends are HER friends. She dislikes having to share those nearest and dearest to her, and would be hard pressed to let them go even in the face of the queen herself. To someone of a lower caste? Oh goodness, she would be very displeased. If it was the friend who requested it, well, she might back off after some persuading, but she'll be pouty and unhappy until you talk and make it right with her.
-- Bitter/Jealous A world made for those who can converse freely produced a girl with a lot of thoughts and limited modes to express them. She is quiet by default and it angers her. How do those of a lower blood caste have the ability of speech and she does not? They don't deserve such good fortune! Seeing her friends happy with trolls other than herself makes her very displeased. After all, they're her friends first and foremost. She's usually able to keep these feelings in check, but sometimes she just has to let them out.
-- Phobic
Her rude behaviors and casteism towards lower castes stems from her fear of the low blood colors. After all, those are the ones that make up the rebels, yet another faction of society that Milieu despises and fears. The rebels were also the ones who made her fear the dark. Can you believe that? A troll who FEARS the dark! It is one of her best kept secrets. Her house is well lit, but the lighting has been done stylishly to look nice and muted. The streets of civisect are typically lit well, so it's never too much of an issue. These phobias, when triggered, are crippling. Being encased in darkness causes Milieu to breakdown into a weeping mess. Meeting up with rebels, oh gog, would cause her to becoming a weeping VIOLENT mess. Finally, the low bloods are usually fine, but if they exhibit.... unnatural tendencies then she is prone to fearing them and trying to run away (and if escape is not available, to straighten them out with a little violence).
