Rider
Name: Zoya
Age: 24
Gender: Female
At what age did they Impress?21
History:
Early childhood:
Zoya was an inquisitive child born and raised on one of the home islands. Her father was a transferred dragonhealer and a rider himself ; her mother a contented homemaker and Zoya's primary teacher. Curious about everything Zoya spent a lot of time asking questions outside of her lessons. While her parents were subject to frequent random interrogations it was her father's infinitely patient blue Albath who suffered these sessions most often. What was he doing, what did wherry blood taste like, did he like flying in the rain the time he chased that green? Zoya was aware that Albath was not a pet but the dragon seemed content to humour her inquisitiveness most of the time. Small and not particularly strong even for a child, Zoya found the massive dragon's patience and refusal to ridicule her regardless of mistakes comforting.
Around nine turns old Zoya started occasionally following her father when he went out healing. She had grown curious about actually seeings normally only described to her. Torn wingsails, strains from hatching, cuts and burns from firestone practice were fascinating in a slightly morbid way to the young girl. Injured dragons were unfortunately not spared the Zoya's curiosity but she didn't actually expect them to answer her questions most of the time. She already knew the insides of dragons were grey because they had green blood unlike people but it was very different thing to see that up close. Especially when it was bared muscle from a deep wound and not just the inside of a dragon mouth while they were eating. Not nearly old or wise enough to touch an injured dragon herself Zoya was mostly content to watch and listen during these trips.
Teenage years (13-20)
Zoya spent most of her adolescence with her father having decided to properly follow in his footsteps. Given the way the islands ran it was simpler and more logical for her to just shadow and help him then seek out a regular healer or beastcrafter to apprentice under first.
Making tinctures of redwort, keeping tools clean and changing bandages were not glamorous chores but they were things Zoya learned to do along the way. Dragon anatomy was much more complex than she ever imagined and Zoya thrived on the vast array of new things to learn. It was a slow, time consuming process though and several turns passed before Zoya was permitted to do more than watch and perform the most basic tasks. She might not have to go through the lengthier learning process her father had but she wasn't truly being fast tracked either. When she committed herself to this path Zoya did so under the understanding that she would have to work and study hard to make up for her unusual apprenticeship.
Over time it became obvious which types of dragons Zoya was best suited to help treat and she did not accompany her father when she knew her presence will be a hindrance.
Outside of her informal apprenticeship Zoya's spare time was spent hanging out with the other island children, talking, helping with the odd chore and generally getting to know them better. She was still a wee thing which lead to some teasing but Zoya had found a bit of a backbone by then. Not everyone was brave enough to go near injured dragons after all! Zoya tended to gravitate to other intellectuals and while she liked to talk she preferred it to be about something more substantial than who was now sleeping with who and what guard was claiming he didn't get a prisoner pregnant.
Many potential friendships were missed and several grudges began at this age as Zoya's tendency to be judgmental combined with her shortsightedness grew stronger.
Zoya was fifteen when Gilurith was the only clutching dragon left. Her parents, having now taken opposite sides of the colour argument, separated rather than truly fight. Zoya opted to remain with her father for practical reasons though she visited her mother regularly. She was firmly for the new colours being accepted and did her best to champion them amongst her peers.
Towards the end of adolescence Zoya noted she'd developed a fondness for treating dragonets, especially those who'd injured themselves or been injured during their hatching. Despite this she refused to stand and risk her already abnormal education being cut short. For should she become a rider she;d have nearly two full turns as a busy weyrling with no time for outside study.
Impression:
At twenty one Zoya was an adult and with eight years of apprenticeship under her belt essentially a journeyman dragonhealer. The young woman still lived with her father; she cared for him as he aged and continued to learn from him as she sought to make a name for herself within the community.
Given that as far as she knew twenty-one was the oldest one could be when standing Zoya decided to give it at least one shot now that she had her initial training sorted out. If she impressed time could be devoted to being a full time weyrling and she'd have close access to a whole new clutch of dragons to potentially work with when she graduated. If she failed to impress there would still be no shortage of work or dragons to be around.
During the hatching it went against her nature and training to ignore the dragonets' cries as they stumbled about, tripped on their own wings and generally created the sort of frantic happy chaos that was a hatching. In fact Zoya was so focused on making note of which hatchlings would need tending to that she completely missed the gold egg tip over and roll towards her.
A nearby loud crack caught her attention though and Zoya turned in time to see the gold egg split apart and a shiny wet queen barrel toward her. She expected to be savaged when she failed to get out of the dragonet's way fast enough. What she did not expect was Zoyamine! Your Grath is here now, don't move! One moment the young woman was busy being more healer than proper candidate; the next a newborn queen that already came up to her hips had encircled her and rubbed the damp remains of her egg's yolk all over Zoya's robes.
Post impression: The last three years have been hectic for Zoya though she's tried to take them in stride. Grath is clingy and needy which has hampered her ability to get things done at times. As the only goldrider now Zoya was expected to focus more on that than anything although she made use of her dragonhealing skills when she had the time. Raising Grath and learning the ins and outs of just what power she did and did not have and more importantly how people expect her to use it has been interesting to say the least. Politics requires a subtle hand and the kind of foresight that is not exactly Zoya's specialty. She is adapting, as is her nature, but it will be a long road before Zoya truly feels comfortable.
When Grath was left to watch Fenfenth’s eggs while the black was in isolation Zoya did her best to examine them without touching them, trying to figure out which eggs would likely hatch which colours and if any were likely to be duds. While Zoya would never follow the example of Rossen, the idea of being able to set white eggs a few feet away from the others for the white candidates to surround was tempting amongst other things.
Zoya's acceptance of the new dragons and desire to see them flourish had her try to control Grath's first flight with little success as the gold was caught by a bronze in the end. Nevertheless she is incredibly excited for this clutch and hopes the hatching goes well for both their sakes.
Zoya is currently uninterested in being romantically involved with anyone, having grown up with most of the children around her age and dismissed all she knows as incompatible at one point or another. Grath's flights will likely be the only times she engages in any sexual contact with another person as flings do not appeal to her either.
Appearance:
Much to her displeasure Zoya did not inherit her father's height and she stands a measly five feet tall. She's of average weight for her tiny frame and her strongest muscles are in her legs; developed from a combination of copious amounts of walking and rider training. Her hair is a dull matte black she keeps cut to her shoulders, it is tied back when she is working however. Small dark eyes peer out from a narrow face and the most interesting thing about Zoya is her dark skin. It seems set at the rich brown of fresh baked bread and never darkens no matter how much sun she takes in.
Given her lack of height and plain looks Zoya strives to stand out physically in other ways. She holds her head high, takes measured steps when she walks and is a very animated talker. Zoya believes that how she presents herself can be just as important to people as how she actually looks.
Personality:
Zoya is a well adapted and confidant young woman who is always seeking out new things to learn. She lacks foresight however and lets her strong opinions colour her judgements more often than is good for her.
Zoya has spent her whole life being challenged by her height and learned to work around it as best she can. This finding a way to deal with obstacles or changing situations around effects most other areas of her life as well. Zoya adapts well to change and does her best to perform well under less than ideal circumstances when they come at her.There is always an improvised tool to be made, an alternate route or some such thing if she just puts her mind to finding it. Be it a suddenly broken family or treating a friend's mysteriously sick flit in the middle of the night Zoya finds the inner strength and wits to pull through most of the time.
Though she prides herself on being able to adapt to most situations quickly and efficiently there are times when Zoya remains firmly rooted. She's got opinions on a lot of things, from who people really are, how the new colours should be treated and what her actual role on the island should be. Oh Zoya will listen to your arguments, especially if she respects you, but she tends not to revise her stance much. She is also prone to judging people based on how smart they seem and is less inclined to try and cultivate friendships with people she doesn't see as an intellectual equal. In short Zoya is much better at adapting to difficult situations and staying calm in a crisis than she is at changing her personal views on things.
Being opinionated tends to effect Zoya in one other major way. She is notoriously shortsighted and it often comes back to haunt her. While focusing on small details and what's happening at that moment may work for her most of the time it means she is missing the big picture and can make choices that hurt her later on. Friendships never fostered, bridges burned and controversial statements made publicly are all things Zoya has come to regret over time. Zoya is never aware of when she is examining a situation too narrowly and failing to see the paths she is closing off for herself or the trouble she is beckoning. Zoya might be good at managing to deal with some of the fallout when it occurs but she wouldn't have to if she could just see the broader implications of all her actions.
Zoya's great strength is her capacity and eagerness to learn. She absorbs information like a sponge and is always seeking out more. Knowledge is power and there is little that Zoya will let stand between her and discovering something new. She talks to anyone who seems smart, asks them questions, asks them to tell their life stories. Anything that gives so much as a single useful fact is appreciated by her. If Zoya could interrogate the prisoners to learn about their lives before prison and the outside world she would.
Zoya doesn't just store this information though, she uses it, experiments with it and applies it in her own life wherever she can. The vast amount of stuff she's learned is part of why Zoya is as adaptable as she is. Her versatile nature allows her to remain calm and search for a way to make things work while what she know supplies the young woman with a myriad of plausible options and alternatives to turn a situation in her favor.
strengths: adaptable, eager to learn, confident
weaknesses: shortsighted ( focuses on small details, burns bridges, doesn't revise stance often) , judgmental/opinionated
What is their opinion on the new dragons? Zoya is fascinated by the new dragons and would have been perfectly happy to impress one before Grath came along. They seem physically fine and similar to their original colour counterparts for the most point so Zoya sees no reason for them not to be allowed to flourish and show what they really can do. The older blended dragons are seen as interesting but Zoya thinks that it's probably best they don't show up anymore.
Admittedly she finds herself wary of whites and their feralness; to have no real mind seems like a horrible thing and Zoya wishes something could be done for them. Something that doesn't directly involve her going near them mind you. She does have plans though...
The rest of the colours, even the ultimately doomed blacks have Zoya's utmost support and she does not fear approaching any of them.
Though she's not sure how well it will work Zoya does plan to try and make sure Grath is flown by a red every so often in order to see the new colours continue as there is no guarantee Emiristh will live long enough to clutch.
Anything else? Zoya is ambidextrous. Though she does not abuse her power as a goldrider Zoya is not above asking Grath to calm or control seriously injured dragons, so she or another dragonhealer can work on them when she deems it necessary.
Dragon
Name: Grath
Personality: Grath is an odd gold, plagued with confidence and dependency issues. Still, she does her best to present herself as a smart and reliable individual and strives to live up to the expectations the islanders have of a queen dragon.
Grath is pretty much every clingy dragon ever in a pretty gold wrapper. She wants to be with Hers all the time, wants to know exactly what Zoya doing and oh by the way can she help? A combination of insecurity and nosiness fuels much of this behaviour and Grath sees it as a punishment or personal attack when she is not included in plans or events.
The insecurity tends to affect her rider most since it means Grath becomes distressed or sulky when denied the ability to be with Zoya . Distracting Zoya with mental questions about what she is doing and when will be she be done and does she know Grath misses her is something the gold has never grown out of. Given her massive size there are plenty of places Grath simply cannot go anymore that Zoya must and it irks the dragon to no end.
At times when her rider can't be with her you're most likely to find Grath hunkered down besides the nearest dragon she can find regardless of temperament or colour, prodding at them for attention. She hates to be alone and will seek out company where she can, hoping for approval and camaraderie.
The nosier side of her clinginess applies to everyone, Grath wants to be involved in things and if she sees you doing something interesting she has to know what it is. People and dragons can expect the queen to lumber over their way and stick her nose in the situation at hand until her curiosity is satisfied. Of course regular checkups on the progress of this project or what have you will have to be done so you might as well get used to seeing her. Trying to keep secrets from Grath makes her both frustrated and nervous, she is a queen why don’t you trust her!?
If there’s one thing you can count on with Grath it’s that you can count on her. She is a dragon of her word and never fails to complete tasks she is assigned. Grath may not always like having to do certain duties, reign in certain dragons or speak to specific people but if she has pledged to do something she will and to her utmost ability at that. Things get done on time with no excuses when Grath is assigned directly to or put in charge of them. Grath enjoys feeling accomplished and it eases her worries a little when she knows she’d worked hard and done her best. Grath keeps her promises be they related or more personal. She might not like secrets being kept from her but she'd go between[/i ]before breaking someone's confidence in her.
Liars and those who attempt to shirk their duties frustrate the gold to no end as everyone, human or dragon, is someone Grath wants to be able to trust. Things need to get done and slackers only hold everyone back and make them suffer. Those who lie are judged even worse as they can no longer be trusted.
On occasion it is easier to convince Zoya to do something by simply getting Grath to accept the task or challenge first as she will then make certain it is seen through to the end.
While she doesn't like having expectations piled on her Grath does her best to try and meet them and hopes people do not judge her results too harshly.
For all that she's a gold Grath doesn't think a whole lot of herself. Her own harshest critic she thinks she sees flaws in everything about her and believes herself to be less smart, weaker and slower than other dragons she knows. There's nothing truly wrong with her as far as she can tell she's just a little less than others and it eats away at her. Part of Grath's problem stems from the fact that there were high expectations placed upon her from the moment people suspected her egg contained a gold. During the touching for her clutch the unborn queen was subjected to many minds reaching out to her and projecting their wants, desires and expectations at her. Grath felt less like herself and more like a vessel to harbor everyone's hopes and ambitions.
This expectation driven low self esteem drives some of Grath's clingliness, causing a focused dependance on holding the attention of those who value her for who she is. It also makes the gold uncomfortable to be around other dragons who are currently boasting about their prowess at something for she feels she has nothing to be really proud of. Grath, in her mind, is simply average and that just will not do.
Though she may not think herself particularly smart, Grath has a knack for thinking outside the box. She unconsciously looks for solutions to problems beyond the obvious and often finds unique answers. For a dragon who sees herself so very plainly Grath has a much more 'big picture' view of the world and utilizes it to her advantage. Just because something or someone is presumed to be one way does not mean Grath is content to believe it is only that. She doesn't throw tradition out the window but labels and old expectations of things get close scrutiny from Grath. She thinks there is surely more hidden behind the labeled person or object than what it's title implies.
Zoya is required to tolerate being a sounding board and prop when Grath is in creative mode. She will get talked to constantly and be used to write and draw things out so that Grath can better explain what she is seeing to others. Grath is not always right and does not always have the best solution to a problem but she continues to examine the world from different angles regardless. There are too many things left undone or untried because conventional wisdom says they are the only option as far as she is concerned.
Flights are going to be nerve wracking for Grath. Too many people put too much stock in the outcomes for her to fully enjoy herself. Still, they will be chances for her to prove herself and perhaps gain genuine confidence in herself when she uses what agility she has and ingenuity in flight patterns to lead the males on some interesting chases.
Grath does her best to lead, so much as a gold really does on the islands, by example. She is not the bravest or most confident leader but she is dependable and unafraid to try or accept new things while encouraging her fellow dragons to be similarly reliable and open minded.
Why this rider?
Zoya when asked this will jokingly say she was simply the first person Grath saw.
In truth Grath responded to Zoya because of her lack of expectations. So many during the touching wanted her or something from her and Zoya simply wished her good health. That the brief touch also relayed a sense of an underlying curiosity and creativity that mirrored her own only served to strengthen Grath's desire to have this girl as her bonded. Someone who simply wanted what was best for her and had a matching creative spark was just what Grath wanted.
The pair functions well together with their strengths and weaknesses not completely covering each other's but doing a decent job of it. Zoya's adaptability allows her to deal with Grath's clinging and on occasion put it to good use rather than just getting frustrated all the time. Grath appreciates never being asked more of than she can give and prods her rider to look beyond what she thinks she sees in people. Together they have the creative power to come up with some pretty strange but interesting things.
They are good for each other in the most important of ways and while no partnership is perfect Zoya and Grath are perfectly content with each other.
What is their opinion on the new dragons? Grath thinks the new dragons are really neat and she kinda maybe wishes she was one just a little. Then she'd be a different sort of special then with less people wanting things from her.
Reds are nice and Grath's not against one flying her someday despite all the fuss these things apparently cause.
Purples are pretty though she's not quite sure what they are for as they have no obvious advantage over blues.
Whites Grath doesn't really understand but she's determined to come up with a plan to help them. She's solved other hard puzzles before so in her mind anything is possible and there has to be more to them than that feralness.
Blacks are a bit of a sticky point for Grath. She doesn't dislike them but they make her feel awkward. She had been told what they do to Theirs and the very idea of it is distressing. Grath will still talk to the only current black, Emiristh, but she is the one dragon Grath does not go to for comfort when suffering separation anxiety. For the moment black dragons are a puzzle Grath is not yet prepared to try and solve.
Anything else?
Over time Grath has come to distrust and dislike firelizards and tolerates their presence only when she has to.
Grath is very nervous for her first clutch. She hopes few dragonets go between, that few people are injured, for no candidates to die and that the islanders will be content with whatever comes from this clutch.
Gaia's kaleido stage: Behind the scenes.
