Misc. Info Magic Powers: The ability to breathe underwater. Alexei has never really pushed the limits of his ability and therefore doesn't know whether it has any kind of time constraints. The longest he has remained submerged is seven and a half minutes, and he felt no adverse effects upon breaking the water's surface.

Skills: Flexibility and finesse in movement. Strong swimmer (duh). Dancing (typically classical styles but he has a passing interest in modern styles too). Linguistic proficiency in Russian, English, Ukranian, ASL and Russian SL. High alcoholic tolerance. A keen eye and curiosity for pretty and unusual things. Amateur photography.

Resources/Financial: Alexei has never been a spendthrift individual, having been taught the value of money in relation to his needs and living well within his means. He has saved the majority of every paycheck he's ever earned, building up quite a little nest egg for himself. All of the money he has currently saved has come from his own hard work, with the small sum his family had set aside for him having been spent on college.

Goals: Further enhance his skills and hone his craft. Discover just how long his ability allows him to remain underwater.

Story Hooks: Fellow humans to explore this strange new world together and be awed with at all of the scary, amazing supernatural hijinx. Bendy, flexible co-workers to train with and share performance ideas. Extroverted and/or friendly people to pull him out of his reserved shell. Others from far afield who may occasionaly feel the pangs of homesickness to commiserate with.

The First Thing You Notice

A strong, stoic, yet unremarkable young man who seems to be straddling the line between cute adolescence and handsome maturity.

Personal Style

Casual and comfy, but surprisingly fashionable and put-together. Alexei tends to favour workout clothes a lot of the time, in part because he's always ready to train and is always on the go, but also because he values feeling comfortable. A lot of the time, he wears named brands such as Nike and Under Armour (for both aesthetic purposes and longevity). He likes to make positive impressions with his clothing, as that's typically what people see first, so he dislikes looking dishevelled or mismatched even in casual situations. His sleeves are typically rolled up to the elbow, no matter the season, and he's a big fan of tying shirts and sweaters around his waist despite rarely wearing them as intended. You never know when someone might need a spare.

Distinguishing Features

• Biiiiiig, warm, puppy-like brown eyes the colour of melted chocolate.
• Ridiculously full lips that are typically set in a slight smile, leading to him always looking like he knows something you don't.
• Dimples!
• Short-sighted; wears contacts 95% of the time but sometimes wears glasses.
• Tattoo around his left wrist ("Smile, and the world smiles with you.").

General Overview

A quiet sense of determination is perhaps the most prominent of Alexei's traits, something that even those who don't know him seem able to pick up on. Hard-working and dedicated to a fault, he's the type of person who, upon beginning something, will always strive to see it to its end no matter the outcome. A decisive and steadfast individual, Alexei has a strong sense of self which allows him to be utterly secure in himself with very little self-doubt. Not that he's the type to brag. He's actually fairly modest, even with things he excels at, preferring to let his actions speak for themselves rather than talk himself up. Unsurprisingly, his pensive nature also makes him a good listener and a sage giver of advice, presented without judgement and always with the best intentions.

There's a palpable stoicism to Alexei that can be a little offputting when first meeting him. He seems like the strong, silent type and that tends to give off an air of unapproachability that he's always found difficult to overcome. He's an observer, preferring to remain passive and suss out a situation thoroughly before engaging, which can be a little intimidating at times. Alexei also has the habit of trying to shoulder any and all burdens by himself; he's the type to keep quiet about it and insist on fixing his issues alone, leading to unneeded stress that could be alleviated if he were capable of sharing the load. Perhaps surprisingly, Alexei can be overly sensitive at times too. Rather than cause a scene, however, he tends to bottle up his feelings and dwell upon them privately until he figures out a solution or the heat of his negative emotions fade over time.

Although he's an open, friendly individual, it can take Alexei a little time to warm to people. While not outwardly hostile, he tends to be reserved around those he doesn't know or like. Once he feels at ease with a person, however, he seems to come alive. In having always been too busy to collect friends, Alexei treats those he does consider more than casual acquaintances with the utmost loyalty and tends to become clouded by his feelings in regards to them. He prides himself on being a good judge of character, largely due to his observant nature, and tends to be cautious with any connections he makes...especially now, given that he's found a home amongst creatures that could easily snap him in half should they wish it.

By all accounts, Alexei’s birth was underwhelming. The youngest of four siblings, he was the only son of Grigori Petrovich and Yuliya Vladimirovna, born three weeks prematurely while the family were enjoying a relaxing break at the beach. With the passing years, Alexei often wondered whether it was the location of his birth—for he was delivered in the surf, no time for his mother to reach the hospital—that bestowed upon him the gift of being able to breathe underwater. He first discovered the ability at the age of five, visiting the same beach where he had been born, when his leg tangled in kelp and his panicked thrashing pulled him under for several agonisingly slow minutes until he calmed down enough to realise he wasn’t drowning.

Alexei never felt uneasy in the water again.

Not every part of his life growing up was as simple. As the only boy, his father attempted to instil within Alexei traditional (and toxic) traits of masculinity in order for him to grow into what Grigori called a "real" man. Rather than spend his time playing soccer and hockey like other boys his age, Alexei instead followed in the footsteps of his older sisters; he became enthralled with dance. His mother, who had once trained and performed with the prestigious Mariinsky Ballet, was delighted by the prospect of all her children appreciating the craft. His father, on the other hand, was far from impressed. When Alexei was eight, he forbade his son to pursue such acts of folly and instead enlisted Alexei in the local swimming team, which took up a large enough chunk of his free time that Grigori assumed would leave him no time to continue dancing. On the contrary, it just made Alexei work harder. His (still secret) gift allowed him to excel in ways that nobody had anticipated at the pool, which kept his father happy, and he stole any chance he could to continue learning from his mother in secret.

While he knew that training part-time would never amount to him becoming a professional dancer like two of his older sisters, Oksana and Lilya, Alexei didn’t ease up on seeking his mother or sisters’ tutelage as he grew older. If anything, it inspired him. He joined a gymnastics club at the local gym when he entered secondary education and, while it was a struggle to juggle that, along with schooling, the swim team, and private dance lessons with his sisters, Alexei worked tirelessly. Thoughts of giving any of his activities up didn’t cross his mind, though he silently resented the teasing from his schoolmates regarding his lack of social life. He had a small number of friends who seemed resilient to his busy schedule, the majority of his family supporting him, and a seemingly unshakeable drive to succeed. That was all he needed.

By some miracle, Grigori didn’t discover his son’s relentless pursuits until he had moved away from home, to study English at Saint Petersburg State University. At that point, Alexei was free to do whatever he wanted. He came out of his shell a little, finding other interests along with new friends, and finally began to grow into himself now that he was out from under the oppressive expectations of his father. It was during his final year of schooling that he opted to participate in a study abroad program. It had always been a dream plan to see more of the world and to study along with it, to find better opportunities and broaden his scope, and so he headed stateside to the University of Boston, where he added a Dance minor to his English major.

After only a few short weeks, Alexei knew that he would struggle to return to his homeland, having tasted a certain sense of freedom that had long been denied to him. He didn't feel pressured or judged in his new, temporary home. If anything, moving away allowed him to further flourish into the person he felt he was always supposed to be.

It was during a trip to New Orleans for spring break that Alexei first stumbled upon the mysterious Cirque Nocturne. A city already famous for strange sights, Alexei was unable to describe the strange pull he felt towards the gates as he and his friends explored the lively streets. Once inside, he somehow lost his companions but was intercepted by an intimidating man who guided him towards an extravagant manor house. It was there, through the appearance of a contract in a lavish office, that Alexei discovered the true nature of the circus. As loath as he was to turn such an offer down, he had a long-standing plan that not even the thrall of the supernatural could shake, and so he left the grounds that night with every intention of returning when the stars aligned (read: he graduated and was a free agent once more).

Under the guise of further travel and exploration, Alexei returned to New Orleans in the summer of 2018, shortly after graduation. Relieved to find the circus still operating, he didn't hesitate to sign the contract that was presented to him a second time. He’d had enough time to consider what he was getting into and he found that he'd wanted it more and more with each passing day.

Life at the Cirque took some getting used to for Alexei, who discovered new things that warped his world view on a daily basis. Vampires, shifters, faeries…everything from the tales he’d been told as a child were real. It made his own gift pale in comparison but he didn’t much mind; for the first time, he didn’t feel like he was carrying the weight of a secret all by himself. For the first time in a long while, perhaps ever, he felt as though he’d found his place.