Veria Ferrera

"I've spent too many years of my life in pain to spend the rest of them wallowing in it. I'm going to be happy, and nothing's gonna stop me!' -Veria, to Taerlyn"Veria is the youngest of the founding members of the pack, and is Maia's rifle trainer.

Biography
Veria was born in the United States, but at some point early in her childhood was sold into human trafficking. When she was nine years old she shot and killed a man who was trying to assault her and was found by a Facility member, who offered to kill the other people responsible for her current situation if she agreed to come with them. She agreed and was taken to the Facility, where she became a willing test experiment for them.

Three years into her stay, any gratefulness she felt towards the Facility had faded into resent and hatred. When Arusa freed the other test subjects, Veria took the chance to kill several guards before following the older woman. She was protected from a flare-up of the fire by Maqi, who shielded her with his own body, and she personally carried him out of the wreckage.

The survivors of the Facility trudged into the woods, hiding in small caves or hills while nursing infected burns. They were eventually found and brought back to Nmon Lau, where they were hospitalized for several months due to injury, and later on intense mental instability. As they recovered, the eight banded together and formed an informal group called the Pack, each picking a new name for themselves after Arusa, who had chosen her name shortly after being brought in by the Facility. Veria chose her name from a book of ancient Ursisan warriors.

Veria was placed in a school for children with intense trauma but failed to find a place for herself outside her immediate Pack. It was the persistence of one girl by the name of Yulza that she eventually began to open up and make friends in the school. She is currently working her way through her course studies, though she also earns extra coin as a shooting instructor, which is where she met Maia.

Personality
Veria is a very gentle and compassionate person, a stark contrast to who she was before and during her days in the Facility. She enjoys simple pleasures like sweet buns and playing arcade games, and on more than one occasion has stopped whatever she's doing to bask in the sun or dance in the rain. She's a very forgiving person, often brushing off things that would make other characters lash out, but she is by no means a pushover- deliberate nastiness is met with cold anger, and any attempts to harm the people she loves are met with admirable violent gusto.

Despite being one of the youngest members of the pack, she's also one of the most observant and emotionally intelligent, able to see through the facades that her family throw up and cut right to the heart of the issue. While Veria is intelligent and empathetic enough to suss out the problems her friends are facing, she knows better than to try and solve the problems herself, after her therapist helped impart on her that all she can is be a pillar of support and that she has to take care of herself first.

Veria enjoys video games and sweets and has a passive interest in coding, but her real passion lies in textiles. Along with being a skilled knitter and crocheter, Veria has a loom in her apartment in the June Building, where she makes fabrics for various projects. She enjoys historical reenactments, and on more than one occasion has drafted both friends and family into helping her with designing and sewing an outfit. About half of her wardrobe is handmade, and nearly everyone she knows has been given a few articles of clothing as a token of affection.

The Pack
Veria is very close with the other members of the pack, though she is mildly annoyed with their dismissal and patronizing of her as "the baby" due to her age.

Jaga
Of all the Pack members, Veria is closest with her brother. The two often eat their meals together despite being in separate classes, and their guardians have given up trying to stop them. Veria is intensely protective of him, and was initially hostile towards his boyfriend until she was satisfied that he meant Jaga no harm.

Maia
Despite being younger than Maia, Veria treats the woman as a subordinate, being liberal with both criticism and praise for her form. Due to Maia deliberately seeking out the Pack to join rather than being casually incorperated, Veria has much higher expectations for her in terms of survival and battle skills. Despite this, Veria still has a bit of affection for the older woman, and will defend her from those who deride her choices.

Yulza
Veria's first real friend, Yulza holds a special place in her heart. Veria currently holds a candle for Yulza, but has no intention to act on it due to believing it to be a simple crush.

Trivia

 * Veria was originally a much more vulgar and ditzy character; however, several friends of the author pointed out that such a portrayal placed on the only African-American woman in the cast had extremely negative connotations, and as such Veria was adjusted to a more playful, peaceful disposition, along with being emotionally intelligent enough to recognize when she needed lifestyle changes and when she needed medication.
 * Veria is one of two characters to dye their hair in the series, with the other being Senari.
 * Veria dyes her hair pink partly because it's her favorite color, and partly as a method of control over her life after the Facility.
 * Veria's favorite color is bubblegum pink, her favorite book is The Thirteenth Tale, and her favorite food is sticky pork buns.