Post by maggie on Apr 22, 2011 22:23:05 GMT -5
K'dan
Name: K'dan, formerly Kaydian
Age: 19, possibly 20, he's not 100% sure
Gender: Male
Prisoner: Yes
Crime: Theft, possible dust possession
Craft/Rank: Weyrling
Appearance:
Kaydian could be a big man, however undernourishment and a desire to escape notice have foiled nature's plans for his body. Although he is tall, a little past 6' already, he still has the gangly appearance of a teenager who hasn't quite grown into his limbs and his constant stooping and slouching make him appear a lot smaller than he actually is. A few weeks of good food would do him some good since one can almost count his ribs when he has his shirt off. His brown hair has been hacked at any which way and is a little longer than it should be, always getting in his eyes. He is very often seen with a worried expression on his face and his brown eyes rarely focus on one thing, flitting about neurotically as if trying to take in the whole room at once. He has recently started to gain some confidence, standing up tall every now and then, which surprises people when he looms over them.
Personality: Anxious would be the best word to describe Kaydian. Neurotic would be another good adjective. Kaydian has always had a somewhat obsessive personality and this shows in his surroundings. Whenever he is left in a room for too long, he leaves it a lot neater. He is also socially awkward, never knowing quite what to say to people and often saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. These two traits got him teasing more often than not so he has become rather quiet and eager to please, but put together, the anxiety accentuates his need for everything to be neat. The more stressed he is, the more likely he is to start tidying a room obsessively. He is very obedient, willing to do almost anything he's asked to in order to make people like him and, hopefully, make them stop teasing him. This has put him into some rather bad situations that ultimately led to his imprisonment.
Since becoming a prisoner, he has relaxed somewhat. The fact that he has a routine and that food is served to him regularly is very comforting to him. He prefers to keep to himself, since the other prisoners sometimes unnerve him and he's afraid of angering them. Still, he loves his chores and throws himself into accomplishing them perfectly and with cheer, trying to prove to the guards that he's good. He's very aware of the fact that he's not physically strong and does his best to keep out of the way of anyone who has the potential to physically harm him. Whenever he can, he tries to make friends with someone who can protect them, using any means necessary to make them like him and keep their affection. Which is yet another reason he is trying so hard to please the guards.
When he's not terrified, Kaydian is a thoughtful, rather naive young man. One would think, given his history, that he would be a little more wary of people and what they say, but no, he chooses to believe almost everything that is said to him. He has a great respect for authority and very little ambition to become someone who's in charge of everything. He's happiest, in fact, when he's given structure and rules from someone who is commanding him. He is not someone who will rock the boat, preferring to shut up and hide than to stand up and fight for his rights.
History: Kaydian's mother was a journeywoman Weaver when he was born. She never even bothered to inform the harper she had had an affair with that she was pregnant, considering that he wouldn't be a wonderful father. The pregnancy was difficult and Kayana suffered from bad depression after the baby was born. After an accident, which she denied was a suicide attempt despite some skepticism from those around her, she turned to Dust to help deal with her physical and emotional pain. She left her craft, fleeing to less savoury parts of Pern to continue to get her fix.
Despite his mother's addiction, Kaydian was a happy child. When his mother was neither suffering from withdrawal or too high to care, she doted on her only son and he remembers her fondly. Despite her problems, he never felt unloved. He grew up learning quickly how to take care of himself and of his mother first by learning how to keep wherever they were living nice and tidy, then, as Kayana sunk further into her addiction, he learned ways of keeping food on the table. Since his mother took him away from Hold and Hall, he had never truly learned a craft or useful skill to make a living. He started hiring out doing odd jobs anyone could do, but since few would hire a child for anything, he began stealing to be able to feed both himself and his mother. He stole food, at first, but quickly graduated to taking pretty much anything that wasn't nailed down. That included Dust, now and then, to please his mother.
The year he was 17, or 18, his tallying of time is a bit fuzzy, his mother died of an overdose, leaving her son alone in the world. Nearly adult with no marketable skills, no permanent home and no one to take him in, Kaydian continued doing what he usually did. He made friends with a local Dust producer who had been supplying with Kayana before she died. He mostly did housework, there, and kept the house clean without even being asked. Kayana's death sent his anxiety into overdrive, to the point that he started even organising the merchants' displays that he was trying to steal from. It was because of this that he got caught stealing and was convicted of theft. When the watch tried to find someone who knew him to speak for him, since the crime was not a severe one, they found the Dust producer he had been living with and arrested the man, as well as lengthening Kaydian's sentence. He proved to be sober and there was no Dust in his personal possessions, but he had been living with a producer without denouncing him and was found guilty by association.
His first Turn as a prisoner was very difficult, since the new surroundings and his new situation did nothing to help his anxiety. Soon, however, the soothing comfort of a strict routine where he was encouraged to keep everything nice and neat and was even occasionally rewarded for his organisational skills allowed him to relax and he's almost happy in his new home. If it wasn't for the fact that some of the people he was locked up with were downright frightening, he could live at warden forever. In fact, he has made it a goal to be released to be able to work as a drudge or in whatever capacity they would have him at the weyr, to be able to spend the rest of his life there. He wants to learn to read and write, and has been looking for someone to teach him.
Pets
From the "Someone Please Take This" Egg, comes the "Son, I am Disappoint" brown
Name: Log
Species: Flit
Color: Brown.
Appearance: This reddish-brown firelizard is big. Seriously, even as a hatchling, he's pretty big. With a short neck and unusually broad face, he's not exactly the pinnacle of lizard beauty, but when he gets older he's going to bulk up and be one of the most muscular firelizards in the weyr. All the better to win flights and father dozens of eggs.
Personality: Stern, serious, demanding, possessive, responsible. Log is Disapoint.
From the Brine Egg, comes the "Kosher Dill Pickle" green
Name: Moss
Species: Flit
Color: Green
Appearance: Moss's snout is slightly bent, as though being cramped inside her egg somehow caused it to grow strangely. It curves downwards into a bit of a hook, giving her a somewhat 'old crone'-like appearance. Her color is, for lack of a better word, pickle green, with a glossy sheen to it that while not the shine of a gold or a bronze certainly makes her stand out amongst drabber greens. She looks as though she's just stepped out of an oil bath at all times, which makes up for the odd bumpy quality her hide has.
Personality: If Steak and Potatoes is the 'father' of the clutch, then Kosher Dill is the mother. The overbearing mother that will never leave you alone. Moss has opinions and boy, will she make them known: you're not eating enough, your hair looks too scruffy, your clothes are a disgrace, and oh, her poor little baby, what would you do without her there to guide you? She's a snappy girl by nature and tends to switch emotions quickly, generally between periods of overcritical disappointment and unconditional but despairing love. You're not quite up to snuff, but you're hers -- what's a girl to do?
Empirith
Name: Empirith
Color: Pink
Age: Hatchling
Art Type: Ottoman Mosaic
Appearance: Empirith is quite small for a pink, putting him about on par with a small brown. In appearance, the word 'tidy' seems to suit. He's extremely proportionate all limbs and wings in order, with nothing too short or too long. He's got a slightly square face and a generally angular look, though not so angular as to look awkward. In the air, he's a perfect average, not spectacular at anything, but with no failings, either.
His hide is a soft, dusky pink. The color is quite soothing, giving one a sense of gentleness and ease that aren't entirely off base. Yet, if the color is lovely, it doesn't hide the fact that Empirith is quite plain. His hide uniform, that same soft color from nose to tail. There's no fancy markings, no odd color variation. Just dusky, comfortably pink.
Personality:
A place for everything and everything in its place. When it comes to how things should be, how things must be, it's best to just let Empirith have his way. He will, regardless. This pink is a dragon of rules, of order, of 'this is how we do things because this is how things are done'. Arguing with him on such subjects is about as productive as running repeatedly into a brick wall. He won't debate. He won't consider. He certainly won't justify himself. He'll just wait. He knows that when push comes to shove, he's heavy.
Yet, if Empirith is bound by particular and specific rules (oil tail to nose, straps on from the left, never wear blue in the winter) those peculiarities do little to lessen his charm, or, for that matter, his obvious brilliance. Because Empirith is a very smart dragon. Perhaps the most banal manifestation of his skills is his excellent mind is his memory for names and faces. He knows every dragon, their rider and often their pets. Oh, and he's likely to greet just about every familiar face. Hello Faeth, how is L'vey? And Kin, is she well? Fussy, yes, but Empirith believes in being a gentleman, it's one of those rules he follows. More unusually, Empirith has a fantastic mind for numbers. He can generally count large groups at a glance, judge great distances within a few feet, and by the time he's grown he'll have worked out algebra and use it regularly in his problem solving.
Empirith is social by nature. While other dragons, with their messy habits and inattention to the rules might get under his hide, he still desires the company. His mind is at its best when its engaged in conversation and among his peers, Uyoth stands to become a particular friend. He leans more toward science than philosophy, but he enjoys the company of anyone who can make him think. In conversation, he's always polite, even prim. He's not one to lose his temper, if a conversation gets heated, he's much more likely to shut down until everyone's ready to be calm again.
Empirith's quick, orderly mind allows him to excel in lessons. He's particularly excellent in formation, his memory for details allowing him to remember both his place and everyone elses. As such, he stands to be an asset to any squad he joins. He'd even do well leading one, though his sense of order requires a certain amount of deference to those dragons larger than himself. A squad-second might be a more ideal position for such a dragon. While he isn't exactly ambitious, Empirith does believe there's a right way to do things, and if that means he has to see to them himself.
Why Me?
There could never be anyone but Kaydian. There's the obvious of course, both Kaydian and Empirith are obsessed with rules. Yet, where Kaydian allows his obsession to drive him to anxiety, Empirith is capable of using his rules to create order, without allowing them to order him. He'll create structure that will allow Kaydian a feeling of safety, without adding to the boy's anxieties. He'll also gently, patiently, but unavoidably draw Kaydian out and forward, leading him to new friendships and new experiences. Yes, he, like Kaydian is a creature of structure. But Empirith is also a dragon of the world, and he'll bring that world to his rider.
