Name: VeraAge: 34
Sex: Female
Sexual Orientation: Redacted
Weyr: High Reaches
Previous Rank/Craft: Harper/Wingrider
Rank: Wingleader/Journeyman
Location: High Reaches
Physical Description: Short, with a compact, slightly stocky build that carries weight well, Vera is not a classical beauty, but she is striking. Her features are pronounced, high cheekbones and a pointed jaw lending her a sort of sharp appearance, but not one which is particularly mannish. With the combination of jet black hair and piercing steel-gray eyes, and square shoulders, she cuts an imposing (if petite) figure. Her hair is almost perfectly straight, and reasonably long, with a pronounced cowlick in the back. She battles that particular annoyance by simply keeping it in a braided bun around her head most of the time, which also has the added bonus of keeping it out of her face while she plays. Her complexion is naturally olive.
Personality: Determined, ambitious, driven. Vera has been working since she was old enough to make marks for her family, and she's developed a shrewd business sense over the Turns. She is bright, keenly intelligent, and rather intense. She has a sharp and clever tongue, and is not afraid to use it. For the most part, her ambition is largely confined to a need to excel in whatever situation she finds herself in. As a result, she can be very impatient when patience is called for. Although she does know how to work a crowd, she has not fully learned how to well suffer fools, and is currently attempting to grow in that department.
Moreover, she's... tired. A little bit jaded from having to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders, and not necessarily having anyone to take up some of the burden. She wants desperately badly to have close friends as she once did, but is struggling a little to reach out to others. It's all well and fine when it's within the sphere of her work, but some of the social elements are lacking. She craves affection, but she largely receives that only from her dragon. She's old enough to want to settle down a little, but really doesn't know how. Climbing has been all she's known for so long, and the habit is hard to get out of, not to mention difficult to manage to begin with.
Positive Trait List: Quick, persistent, wry
Negative Trait List: Demanding, workaholic, impatient
History: Vera does not have much to say about her early history. It was largely unremarkable - she had parents, like most people do, and she grew up running around with a pack of children for whom she was ringleader. Her wry, easy humor stood her in good stead with them at the time, and she was almost oblivious as a child to the poverty that was around her. Although her mother and father scrimped and saved to make ends meet, she was never let to see the suffering that they endured.
That meant that she survived childhood largely unscathed, however much tightening of belts occurred. However, as she entered her teenage Turns, times grew harder. A freak accident at the shop where her father worked led to a loss of almost all of the goods, and unfortunately found her father out of a job. To combat this unfortunate circumstance, Vera took what resourcefulness she had gained in her childhood games, and began to busk on the streets.
Thankfully they had a place to stay, as her mother worked in the stables, and even if it meant sleeping with herdbeasts, they hardly minded having a safe place to bundle up for the night. When playing music on street corners turned out to be a reasonably lucrative path, Vera moved on to playing her little harp in taverns and dining halls. It was in one of those taverns that she was discovered - for indeed, her mellow voice and deft hands were found to have a place in the Harper Hall!
With promises to send back every mark she could scrape together to her parents, the young woman headed off on what would prove to be a whirlwind adventure. She actually only spent a couple of Turns a the Harper Hall, however, as she was found on a Search for the then latest clutch laid at then defunct Fort Weyr. This would prove to be fortuitous, as she Impressed the single Gold dragonet on the Sands.
However, that was where things got a little dicey. The training at Fort Weyr was... deplorable. Although like many other Weyrs the Hatching Sands was used for Queens traveling through the area, there was little emphasis placed on preparing the resultant dragonets for the world. Vera and Serenath learned exactly enough to keep them from betweening into solid rock, but no more. Frustrated and unsatisfied with that result, the proud young woman hied up to High Reaches, passing Benden Weyr on the way without a single backward glance.
All throughout her life, Vera had striven to excel at everything she put her hands to, and this was no exception. Being basically told that the sloppy standards of Forth Weyr should be enough for her was not okay in her book. Presenting herself and Gold Serenath to the High Reaches Weyrleadership, she asked to be given the training that her dragon deserved. She was more than willing to do the hard work required of her, and wanted to do something more with her life than 'eh, good enough.'
Not to mention that she had family to help support, and no idea of how to proceed with her new charge. Serenath had barely been six months old at that time, and was nowhere near finished growing. There were solid reasons that she would want to be attached to a functioning Weyr, and why she'd choose High Reaches in particular. Prepared to argue her way into the Weyr if need be, she was surprised to discover that they were more than happy to take her in.
Since that time, she has brought her family to the Weyr, where they work in the kitchens and the pens, respectively. Her climb to the post of Wingleader really only made sense, in the grand scheme of things. She was, and is, quite capable, and in her case the title is almost in name only. However, working herself so hard for so long has left her with few personal ties... a lack that she means to remedy in due course.
Nearly two Turns ago Vera welcomed a daughter into her life and named her Vedra, as she was not entirely sure of the child's paternity. However, as the little girl has grown, it is impossible not to notice a marked resemblance to a certain Bronzerider. Her parents have taken great join in assisting her with raising their grandchild, whom they prize above any jewel. Although she might spend some time in the creche, little Vedra is well loved by mother and grandparents both.
Other: As a harper, Vera specialized in instrument making and performance. She still enjoys making instruments in her (rare) free time.
DRAGON
Name: Serenath
Age: 15
Color: Gold
Size: 40’
Physical Description: Serenath is a stately queen dragon of quite petite size. She does not have the bulk of some of the larger bronzes, or her own peers, relying instead upon lean musculature and expansive wings to carry her high into the air. Her coloring is largely rose gold, with slightly darker wingsails and some striping along her back, neck, and tail. Her muzzle is a paler shade, closer to white gold.
Personality: A delicate Gold who came very close to simply not hatching at all, Serenath all the same possesses a powerful will to thrive. She is very close to her fellows, enjoying a deep friendship with Fianth, whom she admires greatly. Although she was hatched at a foreign Weyr, the Gold adores the companionship to be found at High Reaches, and appreciates the power that a lady like herself can command in such a situation. She is of a calm quiet demeanor, preferring by far to listen to those who might speak, and give feedback only when it might best suit. While she can be wise, she is also a bit of a silly girl in her hearts of hearts, and would love nothing more than to meet her Prince Charming, although her rider does not believe such a Bronze or Brown exists. Her pride is understated, but ever-present. In every situation, she is aware of the impact that her behavior might have on the reputation of her fine Weyr.
That is not to say that Serenath is without flaws. On the contrary, she finds it quite difficult to let go of old grudges when they might crop up, and feels a certain envy for the ladies who seem to have no end of suitors available to them. She struggles to find her place in a Weyr full of great potential. Perhaps her faint light might have shone somewhat more brightly somewhere else, yet she loves her home too much to give her allegiance elsewhere. She wants, painfully, to make her own mark on the world, but there are roadblocks. After the trauma of losing nearly all of her rider’s family, and almost all of her own clutchmates, she has retreated a little into herself, relying more heavily on her bonds with her fellows, while at the same time burying herself further into her duties.
Dragon Art or Proof of Obtainment:
