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Name: L'an (previously Laflan)
Age: 45 turns
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual
Weyr: Western Weyr
Rider Rank: Wingrider
Previous Rank/Craft: Fishercraft, apprentice
Physical Description: Just about everything about L'an comes across as 'sandy'. Strapping even as he's swiftly crested the hill of life, not quite over the hill yet, but nearing his peak or teetering and about to topple; he's got his share of cuts turned scars, and calloused hands with thick fingers. Tan from a life of outdoor activity, his skin has a somewhat gritty texture to it—and he's hairy to boot. From tip to toes, he's covered in thick swatches of brown hair--several shades lighter than the honey-gold locks he sports above. His hair is kept short—not cropped, but several months' worth of growing away from being long enough to tie back. Robust sideburns come close to linking it with a similarly regal goatee that is almost long enough to count as a real beard.
His clothes are utilitarian and plain; rough garments made of sturdy material suited for constant wear and tear, easily replaced and cheap to make. Through the gap of a half-open tunic, beneath the thick weave of chest hair, his tan skin is crossed and creased with tattoos in golden ink to match his hair. They range from stripes to jagged swirls, and don't seem to depict anything particular so much as simply provide an interesting distraction from the otherwise plain (though not at all unenjoyable) lines of his chest and abdomen.
His constant demeanor is one of nonplussed indifference; his lips form up into a thin frown-like line and his leaf-green eyes often are darkened by their half-lidded state (not to mention the shade cast from his bushy, creased brows.) His chin juts a bit—the lingering effect of a minor under bite.
Personality: L'an is an overall less than interested person. No, not less than interesting. Less than interested. He has his interests (sailing, dragons, good food, politics) but beyond devoting most of his free time to them, he shows no passion for them or any other endeavors. He gives his time freely and willingly, and will do a task to completion and well enough to do it right...but he seems to make no emotional connection, neither good nor bad, towards what works he does. He is aware of consequences, aware of the value others place on things he seems unimpressed by, and he has the tact to not offend with his disinterest, but it still seems to give him a slightly strange vibe. Vapid to some, cold to others, or even simply aloof.
Out of that indifference comes both some of his best and worst aspects. He understands fully (on an intellectual level) the drive in others to perfect a craft or skill, and gives his complete support to anyone, especially his dragon, when they express their desire to do so. At the same time, he offers that support regardless of the motive or means others might have. He will stand by, silent, uninterested, but there for whomever, regardless of if they are teaching children to read or training firelizards to attack the faces of someone's enemy.
Of course, that permissive nature often comes back to bite him in the arse, and he's got no trouble apologizing (though the deadpan delivery and lack of genuine regret he backs it with tends to leave people feeling rather shafted.)
Despite his faults, he is a genuine asset in the sky. As close to a Pernese militant as can be found, he will follow orders to the letter, and do his duty at any cost—through danger, injury, and beyond. That's not to say he makes a big deal of it—he approaches wing drills and target practice with the same lackadaisical sense of disinterest as everything else he puts his hand to. But should he do a maneuver wrong, or miss his shot, he'll still be there, doing it over and over to perfection, with the same blasé expression, long after everyone else's tucked in for dinner and called it a day.
Pros: Supportive, disciplined, patient, unflappable.
Cons: Permissive, dispassionate, unambitious.
History: Born to a seafaring family of four in a seafaring hold on the eastern fringes of the northern half of the world, he spent his early life mending nets and gutting fish. As soon as he reached double digits of age, his father scooped him up from his mother's arms and deposited him on the deck of a ship. He learned to sail, to fish, to haul lines and read the sea and sky for direction. He grew tall and strong in no time at all, and felt sure that one day he would follow along with his father and crew one of the hold's ships under a captain. He would provide the hold, Pern, with food and wares sent by sea.
Of course, the searchriders of Benden had otherwise to say. His parents all but offered him up on a platter to the green that came calling one day—not out of dislike for their child, but rather out of a rare and old-fashioned sense of awe for the great beasts of the sky. Never one to argue, young Laflan went along with it. That Benden had more than her fair share of good wines to be sipped in secret did much to ease any longing he had for the sea.
After a turn or two, clutches rare and few and far between, he found himself staring into rainbow-swirled eyes with many facets, and a weyrling. It was a surprise, but one he accepted. To give up one life he'd loved for a singularly important and precious partner, dripping with egg-goo and speckled with sand, and staring at him with all the love in the world? What could he do but accept it?
He passed his training with flying, if unremarkable colors. He became a wingrider, and more or less just hung around for turns after. A handful of turns more after, when he could count twelve winters spent at Benden, a late-turn storm stole away his family off the coast; father and brother lost at sea, and his mother had withered and died of grief shortly after. The following morning the weyrleader received his request for a transfer. With no reason to keep him—no thread in the sky, more dragons than they could find messages or deliveries or people to transport, L'an's move was approved.
Seven turns he passed at Ista, before transferring again. No record followed him of duties skimped or fights with others. There was no reason for either weyr to be rid of him, but with peace on Pern and naught to do but eke out some semblance of importance with the less and less interested holds, there was similarly no reason to demand he stay.
His third weyr was Western, and there he remained for many turns before thread came to make his world a bit more interesting.
Other: He used to sail on a crew before he was searched, and has helped out occasionally after he impressed. He can rig up sails in his sleep to this day.
DRAGON
Name: Alcherath
Age: 27 turns
Color: Green
Size: 20'
Physical Description: Alcherath is a bit on the small side for a green, though by no means the tiniest dragon around. Her wispy nature seems to come through in her build as well—she's slender and reedy and looks like she could blow away on a stiff breeze, though that'd actually suit her just fine. Her snout is a bit shorter than usual, giving her the draconic equivalent of a cherubic baby face.
Personality: Introspective, easy-going and a little on the private side, this dragon is a dreamer. Whether with a group of other dragons or alone with her rider, Alcherath is perfectly content. She tends to be a little on the quiet side, not because she is shy, but more because she feels that most of the time nothing needs to be said. She seems a little distant at times, sometimes taking a few minutes to reply to some statement directed at her, and even then seems that she didn’t put as much thought as those few minutes warranted.
In other words, Alcherath is kind of an airhead. She’s a little on the forgetful side, even for a dragon, needing to be reminded several times occasionally, whether it be to be down in the Weyrbowl in a few so that her rider can give her a bath or relay a message from another rider via mindspeak. Or perhaps she just ignores them, more entertained by her own light, distant thoughts than the prospect of a bath. For whatever reason, things tend to be overlooked when it comes to Alcherath.
That being said, Alcherath loves the prospect of flying, especially the concept of flying through clouds. Something about being in the air seems romantic to her. What she doesn’t understand is that clouds are water, and therefore if she flies through clouds, she will probably make her rider a little wet. This thought doesn’t really occur to her, only adding to the concept that she may, in fact, be a little thoughtless at times.
It wouldn’t be far off to say that Alcherath could be a romantic, in a sense, and never seems to worry, or for that matter think about, things that may not be as pleasant as swimming or flying. She sees the world not necessarily through a pair of unique, multi-faced rose-colored glasses.
Pros: Positive, romantic, friendly, a dreamer.
Cons: Absent-minded, naive, lacks focus.
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