RIDER
Name: Lamira
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Rank: Senior Weyrling of Benden Weyr / Apprentice Harper
Appearance: Lamira is a tall young woman with an athletic build and a heart-shaped face that many could find rather pretty but which is sharpened by a strong aquiline nose. Her black hair is arrow straight and falls to near her hips; it's usually worn back in a practical plait. Having spent her life on the road Lamira's deep brown cool-toned skin is rather roughened especially on her hands but having such a deep complexion means that she has avoided the windburned ruddy look that paler folk might suffer from.
Most of the time - in her own time - Lamira dressed practically in trousers, boots with a tough tunic, jerkin, or jacket over a shirt but given the opportunity she liked to wear dresses and skirts. The clothing options in the 6th Pass may take a little while for her to adjust to, but at least people around HR Weyr won't think it's scandalous to see her in hose... when she works out how to wear the things that is.
Personality: Lamira enjoys is an explorer by nature and by habit; she loves traveling, learning, and discovering new things and finds it quite hard to live in one place all the time. Whenever there's a chance to get out of the Weyr and do something different somewhere different you can bet she'll pounce on it. When she's on her own she's independent, practical and more than capable of looking after herself and making decisions but in a group she defers to legitimate authority. She will offer her opinion if she feels she has something to contribute in an area she knows a lot about but if she's rebuffed will still defer to authority... unless it's obviously going to get people killed for example, in which case she'll get Regulith to be defiant on her behalf. If there is a lack of legitimate authority she will tend of follow strong personalities but not if they're gits, she has a dislike of gits and tries her best to avoid them and not to attract their attention.
Having spent her whole life up until Impression traveling around the Holds of Pern she's good with strangers and used to melding into new situations quickly. She's also quick to adopt new ideas and ways of thinking about things if the new way seems better than the old way, she's far from set in her ways and not too precious or sentimental about hanging onto how she used to do things. Part of fitting in of course is sounding like everyone else; Lamira is good at picking up accents and turns of phrase, which will have her talking like a 6th Passer on no time!
Lamira doesn't deal too well with people she doesn't like. She really hates confrontation and so she tends towards the passive aggressive, in fact does it like a champ and isn't above spreading muck on people she doesn't like. She won't do it if she's completely sure it's a lie but unfounded rumor she will pass on. Actually making Lamira dislike you however is relatively difficult; as she's so open minded she can get on with most people but she despises cruelty. She rather misses the irony of the fact that she herself can be very cruel to those she has taken against.
In general Lamira is a sociable girl who loves to be around people be it in small groups or in a big crowd but she has a notable need for some alone time every day as well, a quirk probably stemming from her childhood of flying around on a dragon with plenty of time with just her own thoughts. If she doesn't get this time to isolate herself she gets antsy pretty quickly and has rather struggled with the lack of privacy that has come with being a Weyrling.
History: Lamira's father was a Harper who traveled with a trade caravan from Fort to Southern Boll and back again over the course of the year; her mother was one of the traders. The pair met when Lamor joined the caravan aged twenty, having just walked the tables, and they quickly fell into a relationship. Simira's family were rather pleased with the match; she was already 22 and they had been beginning to worry she wouldn't find a husband, that she managed to land a journeyman no less was very pleasing indeed. They were married within the turn.
Slightly later in the turn the group stopped off at Fort Weyr having heard that there was a clutch soon to hatch, which always attracted noble visitors and instilled a festive air conducive to Weyrfolk spending money. The clutch held a healthy number of eggs for the time in the Interval and each on hatched to reveal a healthy hatchling including a bronze... which Impressed to Lamor. Lamor was stunned to say the least but Himath wasn't about to take 'sorry what?' for an answer. This left Lamor and Simira with a bit of a conundrum; eventually Simira resolved to stay at the Weyr with her beau until he was able to leave. There was never any doubt that he would be doing that and in the days before riders policed the world, and with Threadfall decades away, L'mor was able to depart the Weyr soon after he graduated with a promise of loyalty to the Weyr and that he would pass by every so often and deliver useful news to Fort. Himath's reluctance to between may or may not have been a factor in the relative ease with which L'mor was able to leave.
So the couple and the dragon traveled on together with no need of a caravan (though they did visit Simira's family at times); L'mor taught and performed in the holds they passed through and Simira picked out goods to trade on in other places. Though they did not between often it was many turns before Simira fell pregnant, in fact she was thirty six when Lamira was born. The little family carried on together for three more turns but one summer Simira came down with a fever and though L'mor took her to healer hall for treatment she could not be saved. Though he grieved deeply for the woman he had loved so much L'mor continued on and found happiness in raising their daughter, and of course in his dragon. Without Simira's trading acumen times were a little tougher than they had been before but through offering a courier service as well as occasional heavy labor L'mor and Himath were able to keep themselves and their little girl fed and clothed.
Lamira grew up with only the vaguest memories of her mother but didn't feel the loss too much for she was doted on by a good man and a good dragon, and what other girl could claim to spend her days flying around on a dragon? She grew used to adapting quickly to new situations, peoples and customs, and also grew used to plenty of time with her own private thoughts as they flew from one hold to the next. She lacked deep friendships with people her own age - coming to the same hold a few times a turn isn't really enough to form close bonds - but she had friends all over Pern, which she considered by turns just fine or inadequate but what young person is truly happy with every aspect of their life?
When Lamira turned fourteen L'mor had already been plotting to get her a dragon of her own for some turns, after all he wouldn't be around forever and though he had been training her as his apprentice so she would be able to support herself with or without a husband he felt that it would be hard for her to adapt to a life without dragon wings once he was gone. So it was that he took to attending hatchings with her at all the Weyrs around Pern... other than Fort. They would leave Himath some way from the Weyr and approach on foot, often joining up with other people headed to the Weyrs to witness hatchings. This continued until Lamira attended a hatching in Benden Weyr aged eighteen. The golden queen had laid a large clutch for the Thread was due to return within months, a fact that worried Lamira a little - would they really let her leave if she did Impress? - but her father seemed unconcerned and so she said nothing, and after all it was Benden and they didn't really like female rider right? As the hatching progressed however these worries kept buzzing through her head, right up until the moment a voice entered her mind and brushed aside all other considerations.
Lamira bolted from her father's side, scrambling down through the stands to greet the handsome bronze who awaited her on the hot sand. In her elation she was unaware of the muttering in the crowd and the glares many of the candidates - all male - gave her as she greeted her bondmate, but savvy to the moods of a crowd as she was it didn't take her long to pick up on it and when she did she began to worry again. It was very soon made abundantly clear to Lamira firstly that Benden was not pleased that she had impressed a man's dragon, especially a precious bronze, and secondly that she would not be leaving the Weyr any time soon. With the return of the Thread imminent Benden needed every dragon in the sky, even one with a woman on its back. Lamira and L'mor were horrified and Lamira was left to wonder why her father hadn't thought even for a moment that this might happen, she had always considered him infallible until then. Weighed down by guilt L'mor summoned Himath to the Weyr and volunteered his services; if he couldn't get his daughter out then the least he could do was stand beside her. A new bronze was welcome enough but his attitude to betweening was not and L'mor and Himath were quickly put into intensive training. Between that and the busy schedule of a new weyrling L'mor and Lamira saw little of one another for the next several months but Lamira did manage to make friends with several of her fellow weyrlings which made the ordeal easier to bear; for the first time in her life she had stable bonds with people her own age.
When the Thread failed to return Lamira was relived, if there was no Thread then the Weyr didn't need to keep her after all right? She and L'mor, by then able to see a bit more of one another, began to make plans for what they would do when she graduated and both Lamira and Regulith started getting rather excited about the idea of traveling around Pern together.
Then of course the massacre occurred. Lamira managed to get out of the Weyr along with a few of her classmates - amongst others - and up into the sky. The inexperienced pair took the coordinates provided to them and after an agonizingly long time between they appeared in the 6th Pass. Lamira was treated for some minor wounds and proceeded to curl up in shock.
DRAGON
Name: Regulith
Age: 12.5 months
Colour: Bronze
Feel of voice: The sound of trumpets, warm sun on your back, a sense of anticipation
Appearance: Regulith is a rich, warm, almost buttery coloured bronze with darker markings running down his back, flanks, and on his head. He's of average length for a bronze of his time but rather short-limbed very stocky with a tendency to carry a bit of extra weight on him which gives him a kind of smooth, soft appearance despite his great bulk. (Based on a Butter Enchi Pinstripe ball python)
Personality: He's loud! He's lovely! He's here! Oh and you are lovely too random citizen, but most of the lovely rests with him and his dear rider.
Regulith has a larger than life personality along with a very loud voice and enough curiosity about the world and people around him to fill three or four 6th Pass golds. If something is going on Regulith wants to be a part of it, if something he hasn't experienced is being discussed then he wants to do it or see it. As well as being very curious (or nosy) he's very sociable and very confident; never afraid to say hello to new people, happy to speak to humans other than his rider, and quick to butt into conversations that didn't involve him. The latter of course be rather annoying but annoyance bounces off Regulith like water off a duck's arse, as does criticism in general; he's fine with being corrected and trying things again, it just doesn't bother him. Regulith truly has an ego clad in titanium. If he has reason to believe that he's right about something somebody is trying to correct him on however he will argue the point no matter how minor long past the point where it's worthwhile; he's just as stubborn as he is confident.
If there's one thing Regulith can't stand it's people trying to push him, his rider, or his friends around, or people weaker/in a lesser position of power in general. He can be a bit of a white knight in such situations, once again shoving his big snout right in where it might not be wanted and might in fact make things worse. Letting such things lie however just isn't an option so far as he is concerned, he simply can't see any excuse for being unkind to people like that!
One thing Regulith is not is especially bright but he takes direction well, from his rider or from legitimate superiors. If there are no legitimate superiors around however he will try to take charge; he has a loud voice and plenty of drive, courage and enthusiasm which can get people motivated... but he needs somebody whispering in his ear to keep him pointed in the right direction whether that be his rider or a smarter but shyer friend of his.
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