Age: 14
Gender: Male
Sexual Preference: heterosexual
Craft/Hall/Rank: apprentice beast healer
Physical Description: Topher is on the shorter side, but he is lean and solid, well-built for a boy his age. His hair is naturally a pale, honey colored brown, but all his work outdoors has had the effect of bleaching it out so that parts of it show up as a pale blond. The sun has left its mark on his skin as well, and as a result he is darkly tanned. Topher's eyes, a pale blue, stand out in his face as a striking contrast to his dark complexion. His typical expression when he is dealing with other people tends to be a scowl. In fact, the only time his face seems to relax into a semblance of happiness or pleasure is when he is working with animals. Topher prefers neutrally colored simple clothing - things that wear well, take hard use, and can take a lot of abuse. He certainly sees no point in putting extra effort into fancy shmancy tunics or shiny shoes. They'll just be getting dirty anyways.
Personality: What can you say about a boy whose best friend is a caprine? Topher takes his craft very seriously - he throws his whole being into beastcraft and he worked hard to get where he is - apprenticed to a beast healer. Animals are this boy's passion. Who needs big old dragons? People forget the little things in life, like the downy fluff of a newly hatched wherry or the sweet smell of a baby ovine. Most folks just see these creatures as food or beasts of burden and nothing more, but not Topher. Topher knows better.
Though he is not very old, he is experienced enough in life to be thoroughly jaded by the majority of the human race. Topher is accustomed to having people look down on him because he devotes his life to "lesser creatures". While most people recognize the utilitarian purpose of herdbeasts and other creatures, they fail to give Topher the respect that he feels he deserves. Topher especially has a bit of resentment towards the residents of the Weyr. It's one thing to live on a farm where people understand you. It's another thing to come to this big community where you are absolutely lost in the shuffle of things. So he has become a defensive young man, apt to argue and snap when approached.
Topher works very hard on maintaining an outer shell of angsty defiance. He doesn't like most people because he assumes they want to do nothing but criticize him and boss him around and he just doesn't want to hear it. He doesn't often give people a chance to get to know him well and when he is being civil, it is pretty obvious that he is only doing it out of duress and not because he really likes you or is interested in the conversation. Underneath that cranky exterior is a sensitive butterball of softness, and all it takes to discover that is to observe him working with animals. His entire demeanor changes, his face softens and he can be caught smiling. His hands, often clenched into fists of frustration, are gentle and tender when he is handling an animal. The only humans that seem able to garner a similar response for him are young children and babies. Topher is a sucker for little ones, and will grant them more time and patience than he would his peers or his elders. He gets along acceptably well with most farmers and other beast crafters, and he adores his Master and would do nearly anything for the man.
Topher's perspective on the dragons is a little complicated, even he is not entirely sure how he feels about them. What he would like people to think is that he believes dragons are big, over-indulged bullies and not really worth the time of day at all. They get far too much attention, but really they just serve a basic purpose like any other beast and certainly don't deserve the special treatment that they get. On some level, he really does feel this way. He is frustrated that there is so much attention put on the dragons because he believes that there are other things that deserve some of that attention as well. At the same time, it's hard to live in Pern and not on some level dream about flying on the back of a dragon, wonder what that psychic link and complete melding of souls feels like. He would never admit that he sometimes thinks about these things, though. Not for anything.
History: Topher was raised by beast-crafters who were raised by beast-crafters. Its in his blood, and its something that he's exceedingly proud of. Topher's parents specialize in animal husbandry, and they noticed that at a very young age Topher exhibited an unusual touch with the animals. They grow calm when he is around, and things seem to go more smoothly. He was always extremely interested when the animals were giving birth, and he was helping with deliveries as soon as his motor skills would allow. His parents were absolutely delighted by their youngest son's aptitude and passion, and they began reaching out, looking for a Master to apprentice him to. They found one in Colbert Swain, who was a Master beast-healer who had been to their property a number of times to consult with them regarding breeding.
As soon as he was eleven turns, Topher went to apprentice with Colbert - who was rather eccentric for a Master beast-healer. He liked to get out in the field, to travel to different farms, to be as hands-on as possible. Topher gained excellent experience from the start, but he also encountered a wide variety of people and not all of them were nice or respectful. Especially to a lowly apprentice, no matter what his natural talents might be. The bad experiences had a way of sticking with Topher while he forgot the positive ones. He began to slowly grow surly with people who "didn't understand", defensive about his chosen craft.
After two years of apprenticeship, it was announced that the Weyr needed a Master beast-healer and Colbert volunteered himself and his apprentice. So to the Weyr they went, and the rest is history.
Talents: Topher is literate. He can read, but he can't write.
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