Character Type: Dragonrider
Rank: Wingrider
Age: 36
Gender: Female
Sexual Preference: Bisexual
Appearance
Liles is an attractive enough woman, standing 5'8” with an undeniably feminine form toned to athletic fitness. Her thick black hair falls about to the base of her shoulder-blades, and she keeps it pulled back into a tail for all but the most formal occasions. She's green-eyed and fair-skinned but is accustomed to spending a lot of time outdoors; unfortunately, “a lot of time outdoors” at High Reaches is probably only about half of what “a lot of time outdoors” means at Ista, and at High Reaches they stay covered for more of the turn. She's definitely a cold-weather person, miserable in the heat, and stripping down to cope with the temperature and humidity she isn't used to is likely to lead to some unexpected sunburn until she adapts. She's always had the habit of keeping her shirt-sleeves rolled up when working anyway, showing off rather fine biceps for a woman. Like most women who ride dragons, she's most frequently found in breeches and boots, but now that she's had reason to take up the habit and found it suitable, it's unlikely that she'd go back to skirts even if she could.
Personality
Why shouldn't Liles live life as she sees fit now that she can? She knows what it's like to go without. She spent her childhood working and scraping and never getting enough to eat while the dragonriders sat fat upon the hill, gorging themselves on her family's tithes even though Thread wasn't falling and hadn't for over four-hundred turns. She's never going hungry again, oh no. You'd think such an experience might give her more sympathy for holdfolk, but that's not how Liles' mind works – to her mind, she's paid her dues, Nirrawth chose her because she was a cut above the rest, and now her work and sacrifice entitle her to all the privileges that dragonriders take for granted. Sorry, people down below, sucks to be you. She has absolutely no qualms about stepping on other people to get what she wants, because that's the only way to take care of yourself. Nobody else is going to take care of you or give a handout – after all, no one ever did when she needed it – so you pull yourself up by the bootstraps and slit a few (figurative) throats if that's what it takes, or you can sit at home and wait for help to fall from the sky. Your choice.
Unsurprisingly, given her attitude, Liles enjoys being a dragonrider for purely selfish reasons. She's not in it to be a hero (though she doesn't mind helping people, precisely, and certainly enjoys being lauded and respected). There's no real sense of duty to her Weyr there, other than a loose sort of camaraderie with the wingmates she gets closest to, which are few and far between because she tends to be as wary of other people as they should be of her. She's a hedonist, and greedily helps herself to all the pleasures she can get her hands on. She loves being well-fed and clothed and sheltered, and perhaps appreciates it more than some. She loves the freedom of being able to go where she wants instantly. She loves being able to play the middle, gender-wise – being able to drink and smoke a pipe and wear breeches and kick her feet up like a man, and being able to sleep around like one with hardly any negative consequence at all, and yet still be a woman, a strong woman who feels utterly beautiful and in-control of her own destiny and sexuality. She loves the adrenaline rush of being a fighter, and the fulfillment of skillfully destroying a mindless enemy. She loves having the marks to buy whatever she wants, and often hires herself and Nirrawth out for transport so she can keep her mark-purse fat enough to pick up any little thing that catches her eye on gather day. She's a bit of a hoarder in that respect; her weyr is always well-outfitted and full of nick-knacks that she loves dearly but doesn't actually need, and anyone who criticizes it (or worse, tries to take something from her) is likely to get a fist to the jaw.
Above all, she loves the power. She knows full well that holdfolk don't really understand dragonriders, particularly female riders, and she knows what they probably say about her behind her back, but she loves that they're still expected to be deferent and respectful to her face whether they like it or not. She enjoys making them uncomfortable by acting particularly mannish around them, or flaunting her sexuality by seducing vulnerable young men (and women!) right away from the gather-table… whatever seems amusing at the time. There are certain liberties that dragonriders are permitted to take with craft goods, as well, and she takes full advantage of those.
Her official disciplinary record is full of minor infractions that involve taking advantage of civilians in various ways, “conduct unbecoming a dragonrider” (which is more or less code for “Liles was a rude bitch to someone important AGAIN”), and insubordination. There are a few more weighty marks, too, mostly for brawling or making threats – because Liles will not hesitate to physically defend what's hers if she thinks she, her dragon, or her possessions are being threatened. Alcohol raises her aggressiveness (and minor inherent paranoia about her stuff) enormously, and there's a note in her file warning her new leaders about that, too.
People who get invited to her weyr for a tumble are often surprised to find, scattered amongst her great many possessions, the evidence of an artistic side. As a child she never had the time or means to take up a hobby, and she greatly appreciates the chance to do so now. She crochets, cross-stitches, paints, and finds them all very soothing activities. She also has a bit of a thing for avians, and those are the most frequent subjects of the carvings, paintings, tapestries, and other assorted decorations she hoards in her weyr.
History
Birthplace: A cothold in Nabol Hold territory, 8.417.7.21
Liles grew up dirt-poor on a little farmcot in Nabol Hold territory, the rocky, unforgiving ground all her father managed to inherit as the youngest son of a large family without much to give. Her brother was two turns older, and her younger sister died during a particularly harsh winter when sickness was rampant and food was scarce. Her parents were not particularly loving or demonstrative, perhaps too busy and too hungry, or too afraid to get too attached lest they lose another child; she and her brother did have some affection for one another, but it was more his big-brotherly concern for his only remaining baby sister than the reverse – even then, Liles was not exactly a bundle of cuddles.
Her Impression was entirely an accident, though she'll never call it such herself (after all, Nirrawth chose her, it was clearly meant to be, and what did it matter where she happened to be sitting at the time?). Her brother had been Searched, and Liles was there with her proud parents in the Stands, a bubbling cauldron of mixed feelings about the whole affair. On the one hand, the chance to actually see a hatching was a great stroke of luck that most poor kids would never know; on the other, she couldn't help but be bitterly jealous of her brother's good fortune and all the attention he was getting. It wasn't so much that she was sure she wanted a dragon of her own, just that he was getting a chance to do something different with himself, to live the good life, and then she'd be left alone to suffer with her parents with no bright side other than having one less mouth around to feed… all because some stupid dragon apparently though he was better than she was.
When all the other dragons had hatched and chosen, though, one green still remained, by this point thoroughly dismissive of the remaining candidates and trying to climb her way up into the Stands. The High Reaches Weyrleader and Weyrlingmaster were quick thinkers, though, urging the candidate-aged youngsters in that section of the Stands to come down so that the little green didn't hurt herself. Half of them were too shocked and frightened to comply; Liles was not one of those who hesitated, and before she had even gotten halfway down, the green spied her and her choice was clear to anyone watching.
If Liles had been bitter about the prospect of being left behind by her brother, she didn't hesitate to do the same now that the shoe was on the other foot. Her brother had not Impressed, but stayed on at the Weyr and later finally did get a dragon of his own; she didn't pay him any mind when she could avoid him, and never once wrote or visited her parents when she was released from training and had the freedom to do so. She had Nirrawth now, and all the security she could wish for, and she never looked back.
As time went on, things really only got better for dragonriders. Even the non-believers were getting more wary as the Red Star loomed again, and they were more willing to grant favors to dragonriders who were very obviously drilling with real conviction above every day. Liles learned how to best take advantage of people to get what she wanted, enjoying the full extent of dragonrider privilege with no guilt. That, and a long list of other infractions, kept her in trouble with the leadership at High Reaches, who discovered there wasn't much that any official punishment could do to deter her behavior – water rations made her irritable but they couldn't exactly starve her, she treated watch duty and short-term incarceration as vacations, and heavy labor or latrine duty were just treated as a challenge (“Oh you think that bothers me? WATCH HOW MUCH SHIT I SHOVEL.”). If her wingleader discovered dung in his boots later, well, he was never actually able to prove that Liles had anything to do with it. The best they've been able to do is cut off her wine rations and gather privileges, which leaves her sullen and cranky but generally obedient for a while.
When the first 'Fall of the Pass decimated Ista Weyr and they put out the desperate but grudging call for help, Liles was one of the first riders that High Reaches put on the list to send. She was, to put it mildly, furious. It wasn't so much that she was attached to High Reaches as that it was an insult to force her to go somewhere that she didn't expressly want to go. She had never expected they would actually get rid of her. Nobody would accept a record like hers as a transfer, after all, and she and Nirrawth were a damn good fighting pair – surely too valuable to lose with the Pass upon them. But Ista's need made it impossible for them to say no, and thanks to her behavior she had no one to call on for favors.
Since coming to Ista, she has managed to get herself into several feuds and even a couple of outright brawls, first with Bluerider Jahk and later with her own wingmates Ephena and P'chian. She "borrows" a great deal of things from any neighbors stupid or submissive enough to let her do it — notably H'dwain — and yet has also somehow managed to strike up a bizarre sort of friendship (if you can call it that) with the young Istan bronzerider and former Weyrleader, L'rori.
After over two turns of combing beaches both with and without L'rori's help, Liles finally managed to stumble across a firelizard clutch… just as Tayva and T'vren (then still a candidate) stumbled across it, too. In the ensuing argument, Liles managed to come away with four firelizard eggs, while the candidates got only two… though she was later infuriated to find out that those two eggs hatched a gold and a bronze, while hers only held a brown, a blue, and green. The fourth egg disappeared mysteriously from her weyr before the eggs hatched. She doesn't have proof, but the fact that her old Reaches nemesis V'rignac showed up with a baby green soon afterwards is all the proof she needs.
Relationships
Family
Father: Laroban, cotholder
Mother: Illis, cotholder's wife
Brother: High Reaches dragonrider (adoptable!)
"Friends"
L'rori, rider of bronze Rowlieth
Lovers
Whoever looks fun
Enemies
Ephena, rider of green Belagoth
Jahk, rider of blue Riddyth
V'lada, rider of green Plawinth
P'chian, rider of green Sulith
the entire eastern seaboard
LILES' DRAGON: GREEN NIRRAWTH
Dragon Name: Nirrawth
Color: Green
Age: 21
Weyr of Origin: High Reaches
Wing: Windraiders
Appearance
Nirrawth is a fighting-fit green, average in size and perfectly-muscled and conformed for a good balance of speed, agility, and stamina. Her muzzle is long and angular, her headknobs straight and perfectly-angled with the slope of her forehead so that her head is almost a perfect wedge, sharp and arrow-like when viewed from above. Her hide is a dark olive green, with no variation at all from tip to tail save for a collection of dark blackish-green spots and jots on the side of both shoulders, and a single line straight down her nose. It looks almost as if a child got into some paint and attempted to paint… something.
Personality
Nirrawth is a rather serious dragon, a devoted fighter who is absolutely dependable in all things. It isn't that she frowns on fun, it's more that she doesn't really understand it. Everything is a duty to her – a duty gladly borne, because what else is there to life but duty? — and if she can't see a legitimate reason for doing something, she won't do it. Fighting Thread is her duty, one she takes very seriously, and everything that comes as an outgrowth of that – drilling, gearing up, obeying her superiors – is regarded just as highly. She is excessively, unfailingly polite, almost downright formal, except when she's fighting and her tightly-controlled emotions run a little wild with adrenaline. Despite the fact that she's actually quite intelligent, she's not hard to fool simply because she takes everything literally and doesn't understand teasing or sarcasm.
It's probably a testament to her inherent confidence and stability that she's able to remain attached to someone like Liles, who is almost her polar opposite morals-wise, without turning into a giant dragonic bundle of neuroses. If anyone were to actually get to know them both as individuals, Nirrawth's choice of rider might make a little more sense: they share a particular sort of intelligence, focus, and drive that makes them a superb team in the air. On the ground, though, there is no question who the weaker half of the partnership is.
PETS
Bruiser
Pet Type: Firelizard
Color: Brown
Appearance
Despite what his name may imply, Bruiser is merely an average-sized brown firelizard, albeit a bit — just a bit — on the muscular side. If they had s’mores on Pern he might call one to mind, with his chocolate hide blending smoothly into dark chocolate on his headknobs, forearms, and around his eyes, then giving way to a lighter cream color down the top of his muzzle, under his jaw and down his throat, and across his fingers and toes.
Personality
Again, despite what his name may imply, Bruiser is a good-natured firelizard. He’s bold, active, and curious, which can occasionally get him into trouble, but he’s friendly and very social not only with other firelizards, but also with people and dragons for as long as they’ll tolerate his presence. Being raised by Liles has taught him to be a bit territorial, unfortunately, and he’s far more wary and guarded if approached in his home than he ever behaves when he’s out and about in the Weyr; luckily it only seems to extend to the weyr he lives in and the possessions contained in it. It’s probably for the best that, while he’s a smart firelizard, he’s also very easygoing and doesn’t seem to suffer much from his owner’s occasionally harsh treatment.
Fang
Appearance
Fang is a lean, strong young firelizard, a bit on the large side for his color, with a dark midnight blue hide. The darkness of his hide contrasts sharply with his markings, making them stand out even though they are few: from the corners of his mouth to the tip of his nose, his muzzle fades to pale misty blue, and bands of the same lighter blue encircle his back feet and freckle a few spots on each flank and shoulder.
Personality
Fang is undoubtedly the alpha among Liles’ small fair, bullying the other two, chasing them away until after he’s eaten his fill, and taking all the best roosting and sleeping spots, and this natural tendency — encouraged by Liles through praise and reward — was easily shaped into territorial, aggressive behavior in general. He isn’t obedient, per se — his interests just align with those of his mistress more often than not, and while he won’t carry a message or follow commands he doesn’t feel like following, he’s more than happy to guard the treasures in their weyr and take a swoop and a nip at people that Liles doesn’t like.
When he isn’t with Liles swaggering about the Weyr looking dangerous, he’s usually hiding in the weyr, alert for any intruders. And when he isn’t there, he’s probably lurking somewhere guarding things that aren’t his as if they somehow are.
Dagger
Appearance
An average-sized young green in build, Dagger tends to be just a tad underweight because of her submissive tendency to eat last. She’s a bright, vibrant young-grass green on top, and soft, pale green on her underside, from her chin, down her throat, down her belly and legs, and all the way to the bottom side of the tip of her tail.
Personality
Dagger was hatched last, and seems destined to spend her entire life being last. Intensely submissive by nature (a trait worsened, perhaps, by being raised alongside her aggressive brother, Fang), she’s frequently anxious, fearful of new situations, and unwilling to squabble with other firelizards for things that should probably be hers by rights. She crouches and crawls and, when it comes time to feed, defers to Fang and even Bruiser, who luckily doesn’t nip at her (though he does take advantage of her lack of challenge, naturally). She is thoroughly Impressed to Liles and only wants to please her, but Liles rarely has the patience to spare for the needy green, who tends to cling and burrow and snuggle to the point of annoyance. In fact, despite the green’s fearful nature, she has taken to snatching small objects that her admittedly-not-terribly-advanced mind recognizes as “pretty” — waiting until the owner is thoroughly occupied, then skittering in and snatching the item in a panicked rush, all so she can hurry back to Liles in hopes of gaining a moment of approval and affection.
Fortunately — or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it — it works.