Character Name: Lux Character Age: 20 (born 3/25/81) Physical Description: Lux is of a medium height, probably about 5' 6" or so, and weighing in around 130 lb. She has dark brown hair that falls to mid back in thick waves with occasional curls here and there. When she's not flying, Lux enjoys wearing her hair loose and unimpeded. For flying, however, she has to layer about ten hairnets onto the thick braids she makes in order to hold them down and flatten them sufficiently to get it all under her helmet. Sometimes she thinks it isn't worth it. Her skin is slightly tanned, as with her dark coloring, it's easier for her to tan. Her eyes are also a dark, sienna brown, framed with thick, dark lashes. Her eyes are very deep, liquid and expressive. Her breasts are full, as are her hips, and she's a little bit thick all around, however, it's all proportionate and one would never imagine her as being thick when simply looking at her. Personality: Lux is a gentle, sweet sort of person, if fairly detached. She's quite a romantic, though she'd probably never admit it. She's a dreamer, too, and secretly optimistic, though she tries to affect a stern, commanding exterior around the rest of the world. She's always trying to live up to what she thinks are the standards of goldriders. She's still a bit hesitant about her position, especially as Cayath has only risen once. She's very sweet and supportive, and as loyal as they come, though she feels a certain sense of separation from the rest of Pern and tends to avoid people unless they approach her. She's very patient and understanding--a good listener and always one to help those that need it, when it won't compromise her image of a fierce goldrider. She's always fearful of her authority being undermined or disregarded, mostly because she has little confidence in it. She's slowly gaining confidence in herself, though it's taking a long time and won't come easily. History: Father: Dorinade, cotholder, Boll Hold; Mother: Marieke, dragonless goldrider from Fort Weyr/cotholder's lady, Boll Hold; Daughter: Larie, 4 turns; No siblings, as Marieke was damaged irrepairably by Lux's birth, and was unable to have any more children. Lux was named fondly in the memory of Marieke's gold Luxith, though Marieke didn't have the audacity to name Lux fully as Luxith as some other dragonriders had been known to do.  Lux didn't have a happy childhood, though she learned to pull herself through, as she was a resilient, intelligent child, just as her mother had sworn her daughter would be. Marieke's queen Luxith died in an accident of trying to catch another scored dragon. Marieke, tragically, survived. When a cotholder by the name of Dorinade met her, he was able to easily seduce the depressed woman. However, out of obligation and kindness, when he learned Marieke was pregnant, he married her.  It was a dreadful mistake.  It was a very unhappy marriage from the start. Dorinade needed a happy wife, and although Marieke was beautiful and intelligent and kind to him, she was nonetheless depressed and upset. She at first didn't even want the baby, however, as she drew closer to her time, she became accepting of the idea. Unfortunately, when she gave birth, the little girl's birthing was hard and damaged Marieke's internal organs to the point where she could never conceive, let alone give birth, again. Marieke was angered at her new daughter for this loss of her procreational tools, as she had warmed to Dorinade lately and thought she would raise them a small little army of children to brighten her days.  The little girl went without a name for the first six months of her life, until Marieke noticed the girl's fair-haired, fair colored, golden appearance. She thought sadly of Luxith and chose to name her daughter Lux. Dorinade was angry at his daughter as well, having wanted Marieke to bring him a son, so he often sneered at Marieke that it figured she would chose an ugly name for such an ugly child.  Maternally, Marieke was protective of Lux and kept her safe from her father's rages, as Dorinade slowly lapsed into alcoholism. Dorinade slowly became more and more angry with his ex-goldrider wife, taking to beating her and verbally and physically abusing her through Lux's childhood. Lux soon learned to hide, and found a lot of good hiding places and whatnot.  However, when Lux was 14, she learned a simple trick of survival--get the guys to like you. Around 12 and 13, Lux had tended to flirt a lot, and try to get guys to look at her. However, when she was 14, she began doing more than just flirting. By the time she was 15, she had slept with three boys. During the middle of her 15th year, Lux stopped having her moon bloods. She panicked, especially when she started getting morning sickness and her stomach started swelling.  Marieke immediately suspected what was going on. She was angry with Lux, yet strangely sympathetic, so she helped her daughter along with uncommon tenderness. Dorinade was not nearly as calm or kindly with Lux, however. He sneered at her and was angry. Lux became, likewise, an outcast not only in her family, but from the people of the Hold. Girls and boys she had once called friends spat at her feet and mocked her when she passed. She was ignored and scorned. She was placed for social ridicule and it was accepted.  She fled to Fort after her daughter's birth, claiming her name was Marieke when she arrived. She claimed she was 18 and married less than a turn ago. Her child was conceived on her wedding night, but her husband died not long ago and she came to Fort for shelter. She named her daughter Larie, a combination of her name and her mother's name.  At Fort Hold, Lux was respected decently enough, as there was suspected a young widow, not an even younger unmarried girl. However, not long after her arrival, and before she had a chance to make friends, Lux, or "Marieke", was Searched to Fort Weyr. There, she received many strange glanced for calling herself Marieke. Lux had completely forgotten that her mother, the true Marieke, had been a goldrider there. She was allowed to keep charge of Larie, unless she Impressed. She stood for one Hatching and did not Impress. However, the next Hatching, there was a queen egg. Lux had been sleeping around, though, and no one expected that she would Impress any more than a green. So when Cayath hatched and demanded that the 17 year old Lux be her rider, there was shock all around. (Especially at the fact that Cayath called her Lux, not Marieke.)  Lux was forced to admit everything to the Weyrwoman. Larie was fostered to a Lower Caverns woman and Lux began weyrling training. She was quiet and withdrawan, having no friends among the weyrlings. She did well through training though, her hidden intelligence shining through to the eyes of the Weyrling Master. The rest of her class, however, ignored her. Lux still had no self confidence, as she still had no love except that of Cayath after her difficult childhood and ordeal with Larie and fleeing to Fort Hold. Upon her graduation, Lux returned to her habit of sleeping around. It was often remarked--not too discretely, either--that Lux was simply a greenrider masquerading as a goldrider. As Cayath began to grow golder as her first time drew near, Lux realized she could not continue this behavior, especially when people starting sneering that a mere blue could easily catch Cayath if she was as lusty as her rider.  Lux was ashamed, and angered that anyone would speak of Cayath like that. She began ceasing her traipsing from bed to bed and began becoming more commanding and imposing. She began to wear her rank cords and treat people as one of superior rank should. She started, at last, more than two turns after Impressing, to become a goldrider. Cayath rose, and was in fact caught by a bronze. Although her clutch yielded no queen egg, Fort didn't need another queen and it was a strong, large, healthy clutch. Lux, however, dispelled the bronzerider from her Weyr. She hasn't slept with a man besides during Cayath's rising since a few months after her graduation. She still has very little confidence, but she's grown better at hiding it and she's becoming much better at wearing her rank.  When a call was put in for queenriders, the Fortian Weyrwoman suggested that Lux transfer. It was decided, however, that Lux was both too young and not ready for the rank of Weyrwoman yet, so she was instead made Weyrwoman Second. She and Larie transferred immediately, glad for a chance to start anew away from their image at Fort Weyr and the surrounding area. Rank: Weyrwoman Second Dragon Color: Gold Dragon Name: Cayath Physical Description: Cayath is a small queen, very, very small. It was almost rumored that the queen egg wouldn't hatch, so everyone was shocked when Cayath did in fact hatch and Impress Lux. She's a very pale gold, dappled faintly with a darker, glimmering gold. Her tail is dipped in what can only be described as "gold jewelry gold"--the sort of gold that's so brilliantly gold that you can't call it anything else. Her wing tips and ear knobs are also tipped in that shade, as well as she has a matching dorsal stripe. Her underside is so pale that it seems almost whiteish, as are her wingsails. Her muzzle has a slightly rose gold tinge. Her eyes are slightly angled, giving her a fairly coquette-ish appearance.