Rider
Name: Natai
Age: Very recently 33.
Gender: Female
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Rank: Assistant Weyrlingmaster/Goldrider
History: Natai was born the middle child of seven children. The older ones were Naat, Tai, and Ronni, the younger three being Dinna, Rodine, and Nana. Each were born two years apart save for little Nana; she came around when Natai was twelve (but that is further down in the story).
Her mother came from a long line of butchers and her father farm crafters, both families well established in the moderately sized Hold town. Her father left his family’s farm to live in town with her when they wed, taking over the household and various animals they owned. Her family, like the rest of their hold, felt content with their lot in life and expected their children to feel the same. For the most part, they were correct; Naat, Tai, and Rondi loved working on the far even by the time Natai came around, apprenticing to smiths and farmers. Tai developed quite the talent for weaving. Not so much with Natai.
By the time their mother became pregnant with Dinna, Natai's favorite past time came in the form of the question 'why?' She constantly asked questions about the world around her, from the books to the grass with the bugs. When she was nine, it got to the point where she had to start learning something outside of basic reading and math. Her attention wandered from the surrounding natural world to the people around her; they had certain tics, little tells that showed what they were thinking or how they were going to ask about. She did her best to copy them when a temper tantrum turned to parental disapproval, preferring praise to punishment. It soon became clear to her parents that Natai excelled more in the mind than the body. Despite her mother the butcher and her father the farmer, she grew up slim and physically… not buff. Luckily for her, they were the awesome sort of parents who encouraged their children and so they threw her at the Harper in the hold town and the gardens.
She learned books and number, how to do the inventory and balance profit vs. loss. She knew how much meat a herd beast gave and thus its value. Her father taught her weeds and how to grow things. Natai liked being useful. She learned and practiced what she knew. By thirteen, Mother put her in full control of the family’s personal garden and the book-keeping (no one else liked doing it anyway).
Twice a year, she took stock of the animals by the house and the amount they’d put through the shop, accounted the money, and with her parents she helped allot the leftover money for the upcoming half turn. She helped watch Nana when the girl was young and stayed far out of the kitchen; for all her talents, Natai failed at cooking, sewing, and washing windows. Things burned, turned out spoiled, were sewn in crooked lines, and streaks were left. Her parents (and the rest of her family) were content to leave the bookkeeping to her. When Natai was twelve, Mother had her seventh and final child, Nana. Natai took over helping with the young girl despite one or two misgivings, most notably how one managed to tame a child without holding it up by its foot or some such.
Natai took to the babysitting like a duck to water. She found Nana to be quick and without judgment about the world, happy to be around and smiling. She adored Nana. With Nana in tow, the two scampered about the Hold doing odd jobs for their mother, taking in the rest of the town and meeting people. Through Nana Natai learned how to barter and put her entire life into motion.
One day the little girl scampered off while they were supposed to be taking care of the family garden. A bright hot day filled with flittering bugs and wide-brimmed hats with no shoes. Newly-fifteen Natai took it upon herself to clear the entire plot of root vegetables of weeds and asked dirt-streaked three year old Nana to go and get her some water. No answer from the usually chatty toddler. Natai looked up from the weeds and saw no messy, sticky handed sister. She panicked and headed off to find her without changing or putting on proper shoes, though she did her best to keep the fear hidden away inside.
It didn't take too long to find the little girl. The world is a very large place and she tired easily once away from her busy job in the plot of dirt. Natai found Nana eyeing up a merchants wares on the edge of the traders row, her pigtails lopsided from thoughtful pulling and eyes wide. The trader had toys and candies, along with a seventeen year old son talking to the little girl in a kind voice. Natai snatched her up and started to scold the girl. It somehow ended up in her bartering for a rather nice doll.
Manan laughed and called it a courting present. Natai turned him down cold. He brought her some food that late afternoon anyway and, through a mish mash jumble of odd jokes and talks about their lives, Manan and Natai became friends over the course of that first seven day. A friendship bloomed with the slightest hint of one day becoming romantic though both of them concentrated more on the friend aspect of it. He acted differently than most of the town, laughed a bit more freely and spoke with an inflection she'd not heard before outside of the traders they had drifting in and out.
At the end of his little trip, he gave her a wooden puzzle box, said he would be back in half a turn - two seasons - and she should have it finished by the time he got back to the Hold. She kissed him on the cheek.
Life continued. Natai started to court, some more serious than others, and she eventually realized they were incredibly boring. Not to say they weren't lovely men with good heads on their shoulders or that they didn't have muscles the size of her head. They were, they did. They were simply the same old thing, the boys she grew up with and didn't really see as husband material. All of them felt more like brothers and old friends. She couldn't really like any of them.
Half a turn later, she finished the puzzle box and Manan returned. He brought new treats to barter with and tales of where he and his father had gone off to. Natai fell in love with the stories instead of the man, though he was very nice too. The young trader was more than happy to tell her what he knew of the outside world, trading books for food and gossip on what her neighbors were really looking for, how much they were probably willing to spend.
He left again after two seven days, telling her a riddle this time. She kissed his cheek again.
Two more visits over the next turn, a visit each four to six months. They spent most of the visits together when they weren't working in the respective family businesses. He made her laugh and restless all at the same time, twitchy and wanting to see the things he told her about. Then he gave her a riddle or a puzzle and she kissed him on the cheek. After the fifth visit, he failed to return. The puzzle sat on her dresser, gathering dust, and finally his father reappeared with new things to barter and tales of the places and-- Natai interrupted him while being as politely as she knew how to. Where was Manan?
His father laughed and said in a voice much too amused, "He got a woman pregnant at another Hold and her father was most displeased with an attempt to leave."
Natai could only blink at him and walk away. She'd never been so rude in his life but he'd just punched her in the chest with his words. They'd only been friends, never discussed anything more, and she didn't feel all gooey-lovely towards him like she saw her other friends doing to other boys. But... they'd been friends. Manan lived as a way to experience new things and his visits were something she always looked forward to. It hurt.
She stayed to her home and the butcher shop for a week straight and then bucked up, put her chin in the air, and went back to her life as before. She started seeing a local boy rather seriously and thought him to propose when Manan returned, a young child in his arms and bags under his eyes. His wife became sick and passed away shortly after the child’s birth and... and could she suggest someone to help?
They struck a deal: she would take care of the child for a turn while Manan returned to trading to rebuild his accounts and at the end of the turn, there would be a wedding. He agreed to bring her with him on his travels (rather enthusiastically, the road could be boring) although she wanted to return home should she ever become pregnant herself. He left her with the baby and she kissed his cheek.
She'd not counted on adoring that silly baby. He screamed and wailed for the first few months without his father, already about six months old himself, little fists in the air and face red and purple each night. Natai did not really adore him at that point in time. Mother taught her things and, eventually, life turned to something along the lines of normal.
Wake up before dawn, feed baby, bathe baby, dress baby. Strap baby to back, work outside under a little umbrella. Feed, bathe, change. Play with baby. Feed, bathe, put to sleep. Wake up in the middle of the night for another feeding. She liked it. She liked him. And eventually he started to call her his mother.
That brings us to the wedding. Manan returned and received a kiss on the lips. He traded in town, she stayed in her mother’s home, and on their wedding morning, a cart rolled into town.
Iachixth and her accidental Impression brought... Change, to use a gentle word for it. Rather than a wedding, Natai ended up in the middle of a power struggle with Benden, Trine, and Keller. She'd been named the Rogue Gold once she refused to join either faction, a title she now rejects with a ferocity unlike her usual self, and stood firm on her ideals to stay away from the brewing war. Violence permeated the world, a simmering cold rage on all sides, and Natai knew that eventually the anger would turn to a clashing war from three different points.
When Iachixth grew old enough to fly, the goldpair explored the uninhabited parts of her continent for a suitable place to make a home. A once close friend S'dekai suggested a Weyrhold -- small enough to be of little threat and easily manageable but a Weyr in name to home other dragons, riders, and traders. She made maps, drew up accounts, planned for anything she could before eventually finding the perfect location.
That's about the time when Benden, Trine, and Keller's people descended. Several people were injured on the outskirts of Natai's Hold including several people she called friend. A non-combatant stood little chance of not being kidnapped or hurt in that situation and the bonded pair panicked. Natai and Iachixth fled with nothing more than the clothes on Natai's back and the plans in her arms with the use of Iachixth's first attempt at a Gold Command.
They built Euclid Weyrhold.
Natai didn't live very well on her own, more or less the sort of person who'd die within ten seconds outside of her Hold. Somehow she managed until company came to join her to very slowly build up the Weyrhold.
All in all it lasted nearly eight years. Considering the pressure and resistance she received slowly ground Natai into a silent depression and near constant state of paranoia, she was pretty proud of it surviving so long.
In those eight years, Natai and those with her built. They formed a functioning government with elected bodies, fostered a late-coming clutch from Iachixth - brown sired, they planted fields and raised animals, created a Craft trade that flourished, however briefly. They stayed as neutral as possible during the Wherwars, though Natai hide refuges from either side so long as they agreed to the non-violent way of Euclid. Being a small place with a six year old gold that hadn't Flown a single time meant they were, for the most part, left alone. A turn prior to the Fall of the Golds, Natai had a little girl with amber eyes and warm brown skin she named Nedais.
Oddly enough, Nedais helped to soften the pressure Natai felt on her at all times. A baby is a large responsibility (and she'd cut anyone trying to take Nedais from her) but at least she knew how to. Running a Weyrhold had been a learning experience borne off quick thinking and excruciating attention to detail she both loved and dreaded. In that last turn of Euclid Weyrhold, Natai genuinely smiled for the first time in a handful of turns. She told no one the identity of Nedais' father and it's doubtful she ever will.
The Golds fell from power.
Natai breathed.
'To be the last with a Weyrwoman isn't progress,' she said. 'Euclid was formed to stay away from the stuggle of powers. Those powers are now gone.' And she had grown weary of the constant displeasure from those around her at what little power a Goldrider had at Euclid. Natai refused to be set aside just as much as she would not hear of trying to put Traditionalist values onto those at Euclid. So many people had said 'We don't need a Weyrwoman for a deciding vote', 'Why do you need a title?', 'Why do you need a title?', 'Isn't building this enough'? Just as many frowned in displeasure, silent and just as condemning.
Eventually she gathered enough support and they left Euclid.
... Trine didn't provide the warmest welcome. But so many things had happened in the past several turns that the Euclid people and their Bonded were integrated and became members of society once more. Natai found solace in combining the resources they brought with them with those of Trines, adding her logs of foods and beasts, riders and Crafters to the lists of Trines. The war did so many things and with so many dragons lost to the Fall, she found plenty of work. At twenty nine years of age, Natai requested to be allowed to become a Weyrling in order to complete what she hadn't when Iachixth was young and to earn her place in the Weyr same as anyone else. Seeing the former Weyrwoman of Euclid take stride next to the rawest of younglings may have helped soothe a few ruffled feathers. She fostered Nedais in the creche while she went through the training, visiting her as often as possible.
On graduating, Natai took her daughter back from the creche, Dragonrider or not. Even though newly minted herself, it took a season for Natai to come to terms with the fact that being in a position of power would never be something she wanted: she wanted to be useful, needed, and not treated as if she were disposable. She simply assume that it would require being something 'big' or showy because of Iachixth. In the end she applied for Assistant Weyrlingmaster for small baby dragons and being important to the younger generation without needing to lead a Weyr or worry about people thinking she wanted to do that.
Natai relaxed in the following turn and a half. She is forever busy with Weyrlings, daughter, and corresponding paperwork with one or both of those. Though she has few friends and trusts even less, Natai is... happy. She smiles more.
It's a good life.
Description:Despite being 5'11", Natai still can be called a 'thin wisp of a woman' and have it be believable. She is all arms and legs, long and slim, with delicate artists fingers. Natai has the dip of a waist, the slightest swell of the hips, and -- well, if people are looking for a busty goldrider, they ought to look elsewhere. Childbirth did nothing to add much permanent weight to her.
Let's call her statuesque.
Natais cheeks are apple-round and high, her face is oval with full lips that lights up her face when she smiles, her nose flat that rounds to a button tip, and a strong curve to her jaw. Natai keeps her head shaved save for the barest of stubble. Her skin is a rich deep brown with eyes to match.
She prefers skirts to pants and loose shirts to tunics. They are often bright splashes of orange and red with the occasional dress of blue and green. She likes to think that since she is not a loud person that her clothing ought to be. Shoes range from sandals to sensible boots, depending on the chore, but she gravitates towards loose lace sandals for comforts sake.
Personality: At first glance Natai is a kind, soft spoken, and well mannered woman who thinks before she opens her mouth and, for the most part, this is true. She speaks in measured tones, having not yelled in several years. Each word is carefully chosen for maximum effect: Natai clams up when rushed to speak, preferring to appear rude rather than stumbling over her words. Her mother taught her manners that Natai uses with little failure and she honestly does her best to be kind (and gets rather disgruntled when she has to bite back a sharp remark).
That said: one must learn to be sneaky, to be smarter than the others, and damn subtle about it. She'd not define herself as manipulative, really, but she always has a mask on for the public at large, keeping her true feelings and reactions behind a smile. She followed that way of thinking and the disbanding of Euclid only made her resolve stronger. Having been a Weyrwoman for a small, brand new Weyrhold in a time of turmoil, murder, and plot would be overwhelming for many (and indeed, sent her into several quiet panics when in private). Natai... had a difficult time adjusting to being a Weyrwoman and a just as difficult time adjusting seven years later when moving to Trine Weyr.
After that, it’s much easier than to let things get to her and bottling up her emotions helps her get through her day. She found happiness being in Trine even after Turns of keeping her emotions in check and aces in her sleeve held close. Being sweet and gentle and kind comes naturally for some but Natai was never one of them and as an adult, she's come to terms with this. Even while her head bristles, logic generally prevails for the good of herself and others.
Her mask comes down for her dragon and her family members, Nedais especially. While a few close friends in the past were able to relax her, to get a sharp, catty quip about something, those times have been long past. Natai is reserved with even the oldest of friends, unintentionally so, and constantly struggles to get past that. She brightens up around adolescents and children, going out of her way to entertain them or make them feel comfortable. She likes to make up little rhymes and puzzles, twisting words and changing direction with adults and children alike to placate and keep her out of hot water. Around her five year old, Natai is exactly the warm, kind, sweet woman she does her best to be at all times. Although she has no training as a Harper (nor does she really want any) Natai can come up with simple little songs without any real structure (and slightly off key). It entertains the kiddies, okay?
Compartmentalizing can be an issue; it allows Natai to put aside her personal feelings and handle business as an adult and ultimately a dragon rider but it also means she needs to bury away her feelings in favor of making sure she has a place in the world. She likes to think she regrets nothing but… even for the moves a person makes in their life for the better can still leave a bittersweet ‘what if’ thought in the back of their mind. Her decisions stem from her own sort of logic in an attempt to be like a Vulcan. She falls short of her goal as mortals are wont to do but in the end strides to keep with logic and what is for the best rather than throw herself face first into emotions. She's quite sure one day that it'll destroy her. She's also quite sure that when that time comes, she will be okay with it.
For Natai the ends usually justify the means. ‘Usually’ is the key word there. Natai will change the world to be what she needs it to be, but she won’t go around murdering for it. It’s not difficult to see the bigger picture as she is a ‘long term’ girl herself. Being able to plan for a life beyond the immediate is a sign of higher intelligence. All of it makes sense: planning for the future and executing it to the best of one’s ability. It’s awesome, it’s foresight. Really, though, blood and guts? She has her own plans and none of them involve murder. Some people can’t do anything without their fists but Natai vastly prefers her own cleverness to anything else. She uses it to try and make sure she comes out as unscathed as possible.
Her life was supposed to be marrying a trader, raising his child, having more, being useful to their craft. It's more than a vague desire to be useful; for Natai, it is a near pathalogical need to not be easily shuffled aside. She's clever and booksmart, has a good head on her shoulders, she can do things. Half the reason she donned the title Weyrwoman was to show some form of stability -- the other half was so she wouldn't be so easily brushed aside. Even at the Fall of the Golds, when Natai stepped down and led Euclid to Trine, she made sure to not be pushed aside or dismissed. As a skilled person, with or without a title, she couldn't be smashed down as just another silly angry goldrider. She refused to be. She still refuses to be. Natai needs to be needed. She is nothing when she has no value.
For a long time, Natai thought that in order to be valued she had to fit the mold of a Goldrider with wanting power, to lead, to take control. It was difficult for her to put away this thinking and come to terms with the fact she never wanted to lead, she only wanted to be safe, and that she found joy in guiding and in children more than anything she ever did at Euclid. Ten years of being told what you should be and should do isn't easy to erase, even if you didn't always live up to it to begin with.
Oh, and don't mess with her kid. No, really. Natai loves her daughter fiercely and will show that the minute someone tries to hurt her.
Flaws: Manipulative (though she means well), stoic/emotionally unavailable, compartmentalizes, needs to be valued.
Virtues: Sees the big picture, opportunistic, practical, steady, loyal (until you backstab).
Other: Natai is a non-combatant. She does not physically fight and does not advocating fighting outside of protecting yourself and those you love. Even then, if blood can be avoided, she would do so. As such, screaming and violence gets nothing but a smile or her withdrawing from the situation. She doesn't know how to fight and will easily be overpowered if someone gets their hands on her.
She also comes with a daughter, Nedais, who I will be writing up. biggrin
Dragon
Name: Iachixth
Age: 13 years
Colour: Gold
Description: (Link image, and request desired size and build if custom)
Personality: Iachixth is unceasingly curious, always wanting to get into everything and find out what's there, what it is and what it does. As a weyrling this means she's likely to squeeze into places it probably shouldn't be, and stick it's nose in everyone's business. Rebuffs and even punishments don't deter her for long; there's just so much out there to see, and she wants to see everything! When it grows older and getting into places becomes impossible, it'll have to find out about things another way. This means it still sticks its nose in everyone's business, but mostly by asking everyone questions about everything instead. This dragon is persistent about pursuing something it thinks could be interesting, and ferrets out information by wearing people down until they satisfy it or drive it away somehow. However, it can be easily distracted at times, since there are always so many interesting things everywhere. If it gets into something it shouldn't, pointing it at something else that could capture its attention might be a way to send it away.
It always seems to be moving, and can never sit still for long. When directed to constructive activities, this means it can work for a long time without getting tired, though it may get bored. If not given constructive activities, it will find some other outlet for its energy, which will likely involve getting into things it shouldn't. The only time it seems to be still is when it's asleep, and even then it has a tendency to twitch and shift position.
It's a very playful dragon, willing to make a game out of anything it finds and overflowing with ideas on how to do so. It's always happy to have others join in it's games, and will sometimes try to draw people in whether they want to or not. But it can be territorial with the things it considers as belonging to it, whether it be a place, item or person. Its usual cheerful manner can become bristling and aggressively defensive the moment it thinks its thing is threatened. Once the threat is gone however, it quickly resumes its usual demeanor, and rarely holds a grudge.
Other:
Why Me? Natai needs a stabilizing component, Iachixth needs someone to keep her in check without stifling her curiosity or creativity. Natai adores children and is good with things like aforementioned creativity and having unending patience for things she loves. Her intelligence will help entertain Iachixth and keep the ferret from getting into too many problems and causing havoc. She's stable, nurturing, and won't let them be taken advantage of. Iachixth provides Natai with a purpose and a gateway to being her own person rather than falling into place with what she thinks life is about. Neither is opposed to new things or compromises and both of them love knowledge.
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