C'ross and blue Nimith

Name: C’ross
Age: 52
Orientation: Closeted bisexual
Gender: Male

Occupation: Wingleader
Squad: Savage
Lodgings: Barracks

Appearance: Twenty turns ago or so, when he was in his prime, C'ross was six foot two and two hundred twenty pounds of pure, solid muscle. And he looked every inch the Weyr-loyal soldier, with military-crisp posture and the discipline to back up that raw strength. These days, he's still an imposing figure... but he carries the weight of the world a little more heavily in the cant of his shoulders, and some of that muscle has converted to softness around the middle. He simply can't keep up the pace that he once demanded from himself, and time inevitably takes its toll.

His once-dark hair is iron gray now with the occasional bit of silver shot through. He keeps it cut short, scruffy, and frequently paired with a few days' worth of stubble. He shaves when he cares enough to keep up the crisp military image he once presented at all times; he still endeavors to live up to the wingleader’s knots on his shoulder, but doesn’t always quite make it. He has a strong profile with an aquiline nose, probably broken once or twice long ago, and a fair but weathered complexion broken up by a startling network of thin white scars across one side of his face. His eyes are green, but if you’re up close enough to notice that, then he’s probably about to forcibly eject you anyway.

C'ross doesn't really let anyone into his personal space or his weyr enough to see the extent of the damage he's taken over the years... but if he did, this is what you'd see. A multitude of faint marks, old and fading, mostly too many to count. A few stand out. A burn across his left shoulder from a too-close burst of a flamethrower - very nearly friendly fire in its most literal form. The massive, ghastly double-crescent of a wher's bite mark across his back and right side, with further claw-scars on his ribs and right hip. And the brace on his right knee that the healers rigged up for him; the mark from where the crossbow bolt hit him is less dramatic, perhaps, but no less debilitating. He is too proud to use a cane, but C'ross literally cannot run anymore. His top speed is an ungainly, lopsided hustle, a fact that rankles on a man who once prided himself on his devastating speed. Don't make the mistake of thinking he's gone soft everywhere - he can still throw a punch that will knock you into next week. But he's not the soldier he used to be.

Personality:

History:

Family:




Name: Nimith
Orientation: Bisexual, but largely uninterested
Age: 36

Length:
Color: Blue
Hex Code: #000042

Appearance: Nimith is lovely, but not by the standard that most dragons are. There's none of that weird serpentine sharpness to him. Rather, Nimith gives the impression of a particularly-well-bred attack dog, with a sharp muzzle, thin, backswept heaknobs, and a narrow profile with deep-set triangular eyes. His neck is short but graceful, entire form sleek and gleaming with muscle. He's not lanky, though. Broad-shouldered, with thick legs and a massive, muscular chest, he cuts a prim figure and moves crisply, with deliberate motions. If a dragon could salute, he would - and his presence tends to inspire that very motion in humans. His wings are narrow and pointed, like a falcon's, and he is capable of an astonishing turn of speed in dives. He's not built for stamina, but for the chase and the catch - and killing blow.

His hide is deep, deep midnight blue, nearly black but patterned subtly in steely blue-grey in such a way that he appears to ripple in sunlight. Those subtle markings are unbroken except by a pair of striking bars of cobalt across his shoulders and a streak of the same over each eye. They give him a surprisingly fierce, warlike appearance.

Personality: Grave. Deliberate. Thoughtful. And fiercely, unyieldingly devoted to doing what he believes is the right thing. Nimith is a dragon who is committed to his cause, and will defend it to the last breath in his body.

He's a dragon of few words, preferring actions and saving his speech for when he really needs it. He's not cold, though. Nimith will be polite and courteous to other dragons and even occasionally to humans, and he's always ready to listen and offer input when asked, but he's no good at small talk and in general tries to avoid it. Silence is not an uncomfortable thing for Nimith, who is perfectly content to let his rider do the talking for the most part. He bespeaks other riders only rarely, and generally with the permission of their dragons. Courtesy is important to him, as is all decorum. Rank matters to Nimith, who will always take care to be respectful to those in positions both above and below him. You cannot work without the men below you, and alienating your superiors is a good way to cripple yourself forever, C'ross. Please remember this.

That's not to say he's blindly obedient. Nim is nothing of the sort. He takes orders well, of course, but he also maintains a rigid code of honor. Nim is lawful good, with an even more robust moral compass than his own rider, and he would rather gut himself than take an order that goes against his conscience. The good of the many always comes before the good of the one, insofar as Nimith and his rider are the one - and Nim would rather get himself killed than allow harm to come to another. He reins it in for his rider's emotional sake, of course - no need to be reckless and kill himself only to leave his rider dragonless - but Nim is perfectly all right with refusing any order he considers improper. This isn't to say he doesn't see the occasional grim necessity. Nim would let a hundred people die if it meant saving the lives of a thousand - but he would not let a hundred people die to save the life of one. Not even his rider. This is C'ross's burden upon Impressing Nim, and it's something his dragon will make explicitly clear as soon as possible. Nimith would die for C'ross immediately, but he also expects C'ross to be ready to die for what's right.

His relationship with his rider is a bit more professional than might be expected. Nimith has no illusions about the military nature of dragonriders, and understands that in order to function the most efficiently with the least emotional damage, the riderpair ought not to be completely dependent on one another any more than they have to be. Rider and dragon are two parts of a whole, but for maximum efficiency, they ought to be able to think and move independently. Nimith regards C'ross with unending affection, of course, and tolerates him in a sort of good-natured big brother way even when C'ross is being stupid, but he speaks to him like an equal. He will always be "C'ross," to Nimith, or whatever his honorific would be, should he choose one. He will never be "mine" or "my love" or "ridermine." Diminutives have no place in a relationship between equals. He expects the same professionality from C'ross, though he would consent to being referred to as "Nim," should it become absolutely necessary.

He does have a fun side, though it's not much of one. Nimith enjoys games of strategy, and he also enjoys games of chance. Dragonpoker is the best of both worlds, and Nim is the kind of dragon who will encourage C'ross to get out every now and again and play the odds. He approves of drinking and merriment, even partakes in it himself. Music in particular is one of Nim's greatest loves, and he will always have a soft spot for Harpers (though he would never have Impressed one. What would he do with a wandering mind like that?). He's also mildly invested in C'ross's personal life, largely because sexual frustration detracts from working capacity. Sailors need their shore leave. Nim chases regularly, often females whose riders C'ross does not object to, but just as often he simply picks a female he considers exemplary. C'ross is an adult, he can find his own mate should he not like the one that's provided for him.

Nimith is an exceptionally hardworking and reliable wingleader. He and C'ross made an amazing team once, but these days it's pretty much all his rider can do to hold on for the duration of the ride, and Nim doesn't believe in making C'ross feel worse about that than he already does. Fortunately, the blue is a very practical creature, and both focused and experienced enough that he can pretty much handle the role himself. C'ross is a useful tactical mind and a good spare set of eyes watching the skies, but Nimith is the one making the snap decisions and pulling most of the weight.





Name: Useless
Age: 28

Color: Green

Appearance:

Personality: SURFACE LEEZARD