Approved by Tawny
Name: A'ri
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Rank: Wingrider (4th2)
Appearance:
Tall and lean, A'ri's build is that of an ectomorph – wiry, lithe, and agile. Narrow sloped shoulders and a general lack of curves gives her a rather androgenous silhouette. From afar, she simply looks like a slight man, especially when wearing her riding helmet. Androgeny, really, is the ideal word to describe A'ri over all. The one typical feminine trait she has is her long mane of dark brown hair, smooth and thick, she's never cut it and takes pride in pulling it up into a sharp, severe ponytail or hiring a more aesthetics oriented individual to put it up into ridiculous, beautiful updos. Her eyes are blue and her mouth is frequently quirked into an impish grin.
Personality:
A'ri is a complex individual, ascribing very strongly to her personal motto of 'work hard, play harder', a mantra that developed from her experience growing up during the thick of the plague and surrounded by unrest, fear, and poor morale. She is an adaptable and flexible thinker, never stuck to a single approach to a goal and will often, and willingly, change tracks to achieve said goal in response to changing circumstance. In that sense, she is invaluable as a first responder with her decisive and sometimes ingenious reactions providing valuable support and time. Her reverence of life and dedication to relieving suffering have crafted her in an earnest and devoted individual. Even when things turn sour, or lives are lost, she is resilient, able to cope better than most when faced with tragedy.
That said, A'ri isn't a squeaky clean saviour by any means. While she reveres other's lives, she is all too willing to endanger her own to save others. Part of this is true selflessness but a good portion of it is also a thrill seeking streak a dragonlength wide – impossible odds, dire circumstances, and complex puzzle where lives are at stake are the sort of things that get A'ri riled up. She'll be among the first to volunteer in disaster relief missions, especially after prolonged periods of peace time.
During said peaceful stretches, her restlesness is channeled into athletic endeavours and/or mischief. She runs laps around the Weyrbowl to warm up and spars casually with anyone willing, believing a sound body and a sound mind are the best tools for her line of work. A crass and blunt individual, with the stereotypical pride of any bronzerider, makes this unrepentant woman an easy target for wagers and dares. She loves being 'one of the guys' and values being amongst the people more than 'being a cut above' (though she'll freely admit, though some would say boast, that given a bit of prep she could go toe-to-toe with any of the first of second tier wingriders) and her guttermouth attests to her common-man approach to socializing. Drink, cards, good jokes, and a sprinkling of dares with coin attached are her idea of a fantastic evening, perhaps even with a tasty morsel of a partner for the night too. Her honour, also, keeps her from backing down from a direct challenge to her or her dragon – she'll throw her gloves to the ground and tussle with anyone if they start something. A'ri doesn't like starting stuff, but she sure does like finishing them, and her mean right hook has finished its fair share of fights in her youth. Things usually don't come to such blows anymore, thankfully.
Finally, A'ri is HORRENDOUS at managing her finances. She's spends as quickly as she earns most of the time and if it weren't for the standard support of the Weyr's services, she'd be a broke rag lady on the side of the road with an equally broke bronze dragon at her back.
History: Born in 178 of the Interval to a Weyr-bred woman and a brown rider, A'ri spent the early years of her childhood being taught the importance of the food on her plate and being grateful for the security of the Weyr as the famine that grips the continent eases. Too young to really recall stronger feelings that 'be happy you have food!', it remains a period of time A'ri is curious about, and a source of inspiration for her current endeavours. Her rambunctious years were spent running about while political tensions strained to the breaking point over Ruatha's demand for water. Her mother suffered from depression when her sister, married off to a Holder, is killed in the skirmishes during 184-5, and fell ill a few year later, giving A'ri into the care of Weyr itself.
From the point on, she was insulated from the general political maneouvering in the fall out from Ruatha's aggression, at least until the plague hit in 193. She was well into training as a Candidate by the time the plague hit and at 15 years old, she was aware enough to understand the dire situation sweeping the world as dragons all around her fell sick and died, followed swiftly by their riders. Her own father's brown succumbed, though the man continues to live on – barely. She proved her strength during the years of the plague, determined to care for and ease the suffering of those afflicted or traumatized through humour, adaptability, and help. She learned basic triage techniques from the healers, too distracted by the death and suffering around her to pay much attention to chaos of the Civil War outside the Weyr.
When the plague finally abated, and A'ri emerged from her world of care giving to take stock, she is faced with a nearly empty Weyr and demoralized riders. Her Candidate training of the last four years revealed talent in scouting, hunting, and investigation... she is quick to learn and quick to adapt, traits her teachers attribute to her resiliency during the Plague. Five turns go by, her peers Impressing or turning to the Crafthalls for their future, and she begins to doubt her reasons for Standing. It's clear the Weyr needs as many riders as it can muster, and she believes her experience during the dragon plague to be useful, but many clutches pass with not a single glance her way.
When Gold Evmeth produces her first clutch in 196, A'ri meets her match in a large, gregarious bronze keen on being the leader in times of strife who shares an equal appreciation of life. At 18, A'ri is estatic to have finally Impressed Raynoth and their adventure begins. It is clear from early indications that the two are well suited to the second wing, their energy and zest combining A'ri's prediliction for investigation and appreciation of life with Raynoth's genial ambition and deep hatred of lawbreakers in surprisingly effective manner.
When Raynoth reaches adulthood, they are faced with a choice – join the Second Wing, where her gender would make the road difficult, or select the Fourth Wing with its focus on Disaster Relief, a topic close to A'ri's heart. It was a difficult decision but in the end her heart won out and the pair declined the invitation from Second Wing to choose the fourth tier wing. This caused some to murmur, but she holds her head high and takes great pride in the work she does for the people of Pern. After the Civil War and the Plague, Pern needs to know that the riders are on their side. Of course, that doesn't mean she doesn't indulge when disaster relief requires more... aggressive support.
The next seven Turns were spent preparing for Threadfall, engaging in Atache programmes, and tending to natural disasters with a sort of wild abandon one might attribute to an inspired artist and less an Emergency Response Team. With the promotion of O'ail to Weyrleader (an event A'ri greatly and vociferously supports) and the call to assess Wingseconds, A'ri (and Raynoth) believes it may be time to step up their game once more.
Name: Raynoth
Age: 9 (Born Turn 196 Of the Previous Interval, to Gold Evmeth's maiden clutch)
Colour: Bronze
Feel of voice: Youthful and smooth, generally with a sense of a smile. Hissing and vicious when upset.
Appearance: Burnish bronze with a blanket of darker bronze over his shoulders, back and over his wings. Large for a bronze, strong, and solid. Wings are broad and good for long flights or lifting but not terribly maneuverable as a result. Long neck and pronounced eye ridges, expressive mouth. Longer than average tail.
Personality:
Raynoth lives by the motto of 'work hard, play harder' and found his exact match in A'ri. That's not to say he's without a sense of duty or responsibility – he very much is! - but he also believes very much one needs to unwind and enjoy the quiet moments in life to the upmost of one's ability. As a result, he's a very active, talkative dragon with a penchant for showing off and getting in trouble. Ninety percent of the time he'll eagerly go along with whatever scheme his rider has during time off.
When he's at work though, Raynoth is a work horse, with enough endurance and determination to get the job done, whatever the job is. His size and thrill seeking tendency means he's well suited to being the 'heavy lifter' in poor conditions, often able to withstand wind, rain, and loads smaller dragons are not capable of. He takes great pride in his work, desiring to rise to the best of the best in his field. This competitive nature is, thankfully, independant of the prestige associated with the higher tiers of Wings – he couldn't care less what the First or Second Wings think of a Bronze choosing the Fourth tier, he's good at what he does and he's a valued member of the wing. His practical nature shines at work where he helps balance A'ri's enthusiasm.
He also reveres life almost as much as A'ri does and the sense of accomplishment he gets when saving lives and livelihoods is a true rush for him. Of course, he has to be careful because this rush can lead to bouts of a god complex that balloons his pride and arrogance. He loves Attache Programs because of the sense of awe his presence inspires, and quite frankly, Pern needs more riders... if his presence inspires youth to persue becoming a rider he's done a good thing. His social tact helps this and his willingness to directly address people other than his rider makes it easy for him to develop friends among the humans.
Other:
Nothing I can think of.
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