Shairi

Character type: Dragonrider
Rank: Wingrider
Age: 30
Gender: Female

Appearance

Shairi has long dark hair that is cut in layers until it hangs down to the middle of her back. The wing often catches the ends of it and it often escapes from its braid by the end of Threadfall but Shairi doesn't mind. Her hair is her glory, and probably the only thing she is vain about. Her pale olive skin refuses to hold a tan, no matter how many times it burns, but it matches nicely with her honey brown eyes that are framed by thick lashes. Shairi doesn't like to wear makeup, but most people say she doesn't need to either. She is lithe from dragonriding and running, with muscles where she needs them, and she tops out at about 5'8. Her voice is usually a rich, low alto, and while she is usually soft spoken, she can easily make her voice heard. Shairi wears a dozen thin leather bracelets of various browns and blues on her left wrist.

Personality

There are not a lot of frills to Shairi, in fact there is very little about her that isn’t completely practical. She’s a dragonrider, the daughter of wingriders, it’s her duty, her purpose. She’s not some little bit of fluff to gad about and use the benefits of being a rider for her own selfish ends, and frankly she resents anyone who /does/ do that. She thinks most of the younger bronzeriders are cocky little shits, and she thinks the female riders that flit about, preening and flirting with their dragons hormones are letting her gender down. Shairi knows she’s as good as any man and she bitterly resents being mislabeled because other women just can’t control themselves. She knows it’s not all of her fellow female riders…but it’s enough of them to make her want to knock them off their dragons with a big stick.

That’s not to say she doesn’t have fun, in fact she quite likes sitting down at the end of the day with a glass of wine and relaxing with friends or other riders. You can’t work all the time after all, and some relaxation and social time is necessary for healthy riders, so she does unwind and relax.

She’s not a one to make friends cavalierly, or to stick her neck out for just anyone, but she’s incredibly loyal to her friends, her wing, her Weyr. Her friends are her support, she relaxes with them, enjoys herself in their company, and her wingmates are her comrades. She knows when she flies with them that they have her back, and she knows she will do the same for them. It’s a camaraderie that she wishes were so easy to duplicate outside of the Wing. And as for Weyr…well she used to be loyal wholeheartedly to Benden, but they sent her away for being a great rider…so she’s not sure how she feels now. About Benden or Ista.

Recent History

Born and raised at Benden Weyr, Shairi vehemently opposed anything she considered girly or too feminine. Dresses were out of the question. She hunted tunnel snakes with the boys, climbed trees, and bested half the weyrbrats at foot races. Sewing was boring but tanning or riding runners was acceptable. Shairi's fostermother used to say that if Shairi came home dirty, it meant she had fun. And that's how most of her childhood went.

As she got older, Shairi took responsibility sooner than others her age. She taught the correct way to do chores to younger weyrbrats and took it upon herself to reprimand, lightly, those who did it wrong, saving them the harsher reprimand from the Headwoman later. Shairi was determined to lead, and not to let her gender hold her back. She was proud to be of Benden, which she considered the best Weyr on Pern, and strived towards every goal she set.

Shairi didn't choose a craft to work on when she wasn't standing for Impression but that didn't mean her days were uneventful. She studied history and Wing formations in preparation. Before she Impressed Jurinth at eighteen, she could name every Fall formation, its tactics and the strengths and weaknesses of each color dragon against those formations. And Impressing Jurinth only confirmed to Shairi that she was going to be good at what she did. Blues were the hardest working dragons of the Weyr, right? Shairi and Jurinth set out to confirm it.

In the eight Turns after Impressing, Shairi and Jurinth proved themselves adept at competently flying Fall, remaining injury-free, and coaching others on fighting. She was promoted to Wingsecond and showed that she was a good leader as well, though some people in the Wing still resented being bossed around by a woman-riding blue. Shairi worked hard to either win those people over, or busting their balls for giving her hell. If someone didn't think she'd knock them to the ground, Shairi was quick to prove that she wasn't just a pretty face.

So it came as a supreme shock to Shairi when the Weyrleaders ‘asked’ her to go to Ista, especially since it wasn't so much asking as an order. She was one of their best, they said, one of their most talented, which was why they had promoted her to Wingsecond. But…Ista needed riders, and Benden weren't exactly sending the best of the crop to them. So they needed some quality to even it out, and they’d chosen her. No amount of arguing would dissuade them and she was given her transfer orders and sent to Ista Weyr…seething.

Relationships

Family

Father: Sh'len, rider of blue Jetolth at Benden Weyr;
Mother: Aira, rider of green Izzyith at Benden Weyr;
Sister Shaila, rider of green Ienth at Benden Weyr

Less-than-friends

S'dren, rider of bronze Oriniath, prancing peacock bronzerider

Shairi's Dragon: Blue Jurinth

Dragon Name: Jurinth
Colour: Blue
Age: 12
Weyr of Origin: Benden Weyr

Appearance

There is something very proud and sleek about Jurinth. It's in his midnight blue hide that gleams when oiled, the intense way he looks at whoever is speaking, sharp and intent, and it's in his long, streamlined build. He's a natural flier, built for speed and for maneuverability, which is what he believes a blue should be good at. His headknobs are low, almost going flat against his skull when he is at top speed and he has wings that are long and thin, perfect for speed and sharp changes in direction. He's a blue you look at and remember, that's for sure.

Personality

That intensity and focus in his gaze, that's not just there for show. Jurinth is an intense dragon, driven almost to the point of obsession, and it's an excellent thing for him that he chose a strong willed rider. In the wrong hands he could have been a dreadfully destructive dragon, but with Shairi he is a force to be reckoned with. He's a powerful flier, and excellent flamer. This desire to do well stems from a deep competitiveness. He can't stand the idea of anyone beating him, and other dragons being better means they are beating him so he sets out to be the very best. This doesn't just pertain to threadfighting. It comes out at mealtimes, at sunning spots and also very often when it comes to chasing greens. He won't be an insatiable chaser, some greens he thinks are not worth the chase, but the greens he forms attachments to…well…if he doesn't win those flights its messy.

When he isn't driven by his need to be number one, Jurinth can actually be a great friend. He forms bonds with other dragons, and with humans that he approaches with the same intensity he does to everything else. He wants them to be happy, and he will MAKE that happen. He's the ultimate wingman, the complete bro…unless you try to take something he views as his.

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