Link to Invite Thread: Click Here (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=69644.0)<br/>Link to OOC Thread: Click Here (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=69647.0)<br/><br/>-------------------------<br/><br/>Four stories high and built like a Victorian palace, from above Westfall College resembled that of a blocky red and white bracket, enveloping a field of green, trees and a single large white, marble, fountain. It was here the Blackwood family studied, worked and even where many of them lived. And it was here where they were expected to excel, like so many Blackwoods before them. It put a lot of pressure on the family members but that's why a certain mother always tried to keep a hand in their lives, no matter how annoying.<br/><br/>Sitting cross legged and hunched over the side of her desk, with both arms folded lazily over one knee, Valen Blackwood puffed intermittently at the cigarette she had scissored loosely between her fingers. Tired from the day, the professor  was dressed in an expensive, black, pencil skirt and pair of t-strap heels, with a contrasting, bright white, V-neck blouse. And yet, despite the business-like attire, the jaded teacher looked like she'd just stepped out from a quick rendezvous in the college supply closet; her short black hair ruffled and cuffs unbuttoned and rolled up her arms. All that was missing was the pleasant look of an afterglow, replaced instead by a tired green gaze; one which made her look decidedly closer to her actual age. Time had been good to Valen however, the mother of more-kids-than-she-ever-wanted still buxom and pseudo-young enough to turn a couple of heads; a fact which knew she knew and even flaunted if she was feeling mischievous enough.<br/><br/>After taking another long drag from her cig', she rolled her shoulders and once again stared disinterestedly into the empty office. No matter how one looked at it, the space seemed to scream "shrink", with the calming cream coloured walls, intricate wooden furnishings, twin brown leather seats before the desk and the similarly made couch against the far wall simply epitomizing this view. She'd often contemplate changing it but the slightest thought of the time and effort the procedure would take was always enough to sway her into simply accepting it as it was. If anything, it certainly appeared professional, something you wouldn't really expect for someone who specialized in the more artsy world.<br/><br/>Exhaling a cloud of smoke she continued to wait for her family, having called them all in for a regular check up on their current state, grades, etc. It was a nice enough excuse, covering up the real reason of her just wanting to see and chat with them for a short time as well as make sure they weren't taking the whole Blackwood tradition too seriously. It was unfortunate but even she felt the weight of a line of ancestors weighing down on her when she first attended the college, with everyone around the younger Valen expecting the unprepared teen to excel and overcome the Blackwoods before her. Just the thought of it brought a crack of a smile to the corner of the now older woman's lips, especially as she remembered the paths she'd taken in an attempt to cope; from emo, to goth, to disco. The last of the three still haunted her to this very day as she continued to run into pictures of her old self wearing the most gaudy and ridiculous of clothes; only for each to be subsequently burned upon discovery.<br/><br/>With a sigh and another breath of smoke, she glanced at her watch and to the door, growing slightly impatient at the wait. Not that they were late, she was just unfortunately always like this, in a rush to get things done so she could fight for that perpetually out-of-reach Valen-time. And, especially as of late, that just seemed more and more like an impossible task.