Username: Faewynd
Character Name: FarrahAge: 14
Personality: Farrah is innocent to the ways of the wider world and lacks general education in subjects that most people find essential, such as reading and writing. But she is a clever girl with a keen mind, and she has a large base of practical knowledge. She knows her jobs around the farm inside and out, as well as everybody else's jobs, even if she's too small to do them. She has a love of nature and is always exploring and making discoveries that are new to her, often embarking in pseudo-scientific research about subjects such as the lifecycle of a caterpillar or a tadpole. Because she is a fairly ignorant girl regarding politics and social schemes, Farrah is extremely trusting of others, having never been given a reason not to be. She has grown up safe and secure and has no reason to think that danger could possibly come in the guise of a human.
Devoted to her family, Farrah has a lot of responsibilities and she takes them seriously. She never goes out to play before her work is done, and when she does go play, she always drags along her younger siblings who dote on her. Farrah believes in taking responsibility because she knows that if even one person drops the ball, the entire farm could come to a screeching halt. She appears to have an infinite level of patience for her siblings and will show them how to do something as many times as it takes until they understand and can do the task on their own.
Farrah has an independent spirit, she makes decisions quickly and doesn't usually look back in regret once she has decided on something. She lives without a lot of parental oversight - she is a trustworthy girl and her parents rely on her to be where she needs to be and do what she needs to do. She doesn't require prodding or lecturing or scolding, and she doesn't respond well to these tactics at all. Rather like a donkey, if you try to force her in one direction she will reflexively try to move the opposite way. She blossoms under praise and trust and withers under scorn and criticism.
Not the loudest, most brazen girl in the world, Farrah prefers to observe before speaking. This can make people believe her to be somewhat dim. But she has quite a bit to say once she gets to know you and once she's had a chance to formulate her thoughts properly. She takes to her adventures and explorations the same way - she is up for anything at least once, but she wants to have a plan of attack in place before she makes a go of it. You'll never find her without water or rope or glows or whatever else might be necessary for the task at hand.
Farrah doesn't get a chance to interact a lot with other children her age. As the oldest, she spends the bulk of her time with the animals or with her little brothers and sisters. So she really loves to go to the market with her father, where they sell live and pre-butchered wherries and also show their runnerbeasts for potential buyers. The closest market takes place in a hold town that is only an hour ride from the farm, and there Farrah has the chance to gossip with other girls, make doe-eyes at the boys and pester every merchant for a look at whatever exotic goods they might have found. She is open and friendly with everyone, and is therefore well liked among her peers.
She absolutely adores Gathers and will sometimes even play Gather-day at home with her brothers and sisters. They will bang on pots as makeshift drums and blow on pipes that Farrah has made using reeds from the watering hole. The children will get into wild dances and the whole thing usually ends with a bonfire and a wherry roast.
Why Me? For one thing, it probably had something to do with the fact that Farrah was in posession of a quantity of raw meat. But more than that, Farrah's sense of adventure matches Iachixth's, but her desire to plan ahead will help keep the gold from getting into situations that she can't get out of. Her longstanding patience gives her the perfect temperment to field any number of questions that Iachixth might throw at her, and her own inquisitive nature will make her want to seek out any answers she doesn't know. Farrah has a soothing effect on Iachixth, she shares many of the same characteristics but in a more muted and less exciteable way. She would never, ever tell Iachixth that they couldn't attempt something, but she will always make sure that they are as ready as they can be beforehand. Farrah is a loving and devoted girl and she responds well to love and devotion when it's returned to her. Iachixth will give her that loving, positive encouragement that she needs to thrive. Iachixth will also drive Farrah to become more spontaneous in her words and deeds,
History: Farrah has lived her entire life on her family's small farm. Her parents are both herders, they specialize in fowl but also raise runnerbeasts. She is the oldest of six, and one of her main duties at home is taking care of her younger siblings. Living so far out from any major holds, Farrah has never received any kind of formal education. While she is very clever, she has no skills in reading or writing or any of the other basic things that most children learn during their childhood. Instead, Farrah knows how to breed wherries for the juciest meat and runnerbeasts for the swiftest gait. She knows how to butcher an animal deftly to make use of all of it's parts. She knows when to plant carrots in the kitchen garden and when to plant kale. She knows how to cook and clean and run a small household.
Farrah has been left largely to her own devices. Her parents are busy people who ascribe to the school of thought that children should be allowed to make mistakes so they can learn from them. While her days are always filled with the tasks required for running a small farm, she is not without free time. With her little siblings in tow, Farrah runs wild through the fields and forests, exploring trees and caves and streams with joyful abandon. She is a born naturalist, and everything is a fascinating revelation for the girl. She taught her little siblings how to fish with a stick and some string and an old wire, and then was delighted when they discovered a tiny fish in the belly of the bigger fish they managed to catch. She has been known to bring home insects so she can watch their behaviors and has, on occasion, taken longer than necessary gutting a wherry because she wanted to see how everything fit on the inside.
The family is aware of the shifting political climate in Pern, but the matter of rebels and revolutionaries holds little personal concern for them. Dragonmen never stop at the farm and Farrah, in all of her life, has only seen a dragon in person once, and that from a distance. There are no real political leanings in either direction. So long as they are left in peace to get on with their lives, what does it matter that the dragons are warring with one another? Were someone to attempt to explain to Farrah or her parents the reason of the feud they would be met with blank-eyed stares and snorts.
Farrah's relationship with her family is strong and healthy. Her parents, though busy, are always kind and loving. They always have a moment or two to pause and give one of their children a pat on the head or a gentle correction. Dinners are always a loud and racuous event filled with shouting and laughter. While they aren't wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, and would be considered extremely poor by folk from the weyrs and larger holds, they are perfectly content with hearth and home.
Prompt ResponseIt was a good day. In fact, it was a great day! Farrah didn't get to go to the market with her father often, that was usually her mother's job while Farrah stayed home and watched the little ones. But today, her mother was ill and unable to help run their little meat stall. So it was with a lot of excitement that the young girl had helped prepare the meat, pack the wagon and ride with her father to the nearest hold town where they would set up their usual stall and sell their goods. It made for a long day, but by the time Farrah and her father Davros arrived in town her yawns had been replaced with a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed eagerness. The tanner's daugthers would be there to catch her up on all the townie gossip, and the baker's apprentice would be there to flirt with. She might even wrangle enough marks out of her father to buy herself something pretty, like a new hair ribbon. It wasn't often she got such special treats, but today felt different. Lucky, somehow.
Her first duty when they got to town and had claimed their stall, tethering their runnerbeasts in back with feedbags, was to hang the smoked wherries. Her family was somewhat famous (at least locally) for their smoked wherries, which they sold whole, hanging them upside down by their feet to display. There was something about the technique that Davros used which imparted an especially fragrant, savory flavor into the meat, and the wherry flesh lasted for a long time once it had been smoked. These, Farrah knew, would be the first thing they would sell out of. It happened every time. Her next task was to stack the crates of live wherries that would be sold for breeding or home butchering. She was just beginning to stack the crates in nice, neat rows when there was a huge commotion.
Into the market square barreled a wagon. Nevermind that none of stalls were open or that there was the beginning of a crowd of early shoppers milling around waiting. The driver barely seemed to notice anyone, he was in such a hurry. "Whoa, whoa!" He called to the two large runnerbeasts who, Farrah could tell, had been overworked and were lathered. They were not built for speed, but the driver didn't seem to care about that either. The market square was exactly that - a square. There was nowhere for such a large wagon to go except back where it had come from. There were too many stalls, they blocked most of the roads, leaving only space for foot traffic between them. The driver looked around in panic. "There's no time!" He shouted, his skin pale.
That was when Farrah noticed the two other figures crouched low in the bed of the wagon, their arms wrapped around a huge bundle that was covered in furs. The bundle, it was... shaking? Farrah blinked, wondering what on earth they could have under all that covering. "Dad?" She asked, tugging Davros' sleeve. "Dad, whats going on?"
The big farmer didn't answer his daughter at first, he was gazing with narrowed eyes at the wagon. Finally, "I don't know. But it can't be good. Look at them, they're terrified."
Yes, Farrah could read fear and concern in the faces of the driver and the two passengers. They had nowhere to go, it seemed. A group was starting to form in a large circle around the wagon, trapping them even further. Curious eyes raked over the strangers and their bundle. Curious voices called out questions, not always in the kindest of tones. The bundle's shaking grew more violent until the two passengers had to step away from it, shooting each other unreadable glances. Her father had been right, Farrah decided. Whatever was happening here was probably not good. As the crowd gathered she climbed up onto the counter of their stall, standing so she could get a better view of what was happening within the wagon. The bundle rocked and rocked and the furs began to slide down, revealing underneath a hint of gold here, a gleaming expanse there. All at once, the golden thing underneath the blankets cracked with a resounding sound that caused the entire crowd to gasp their way into silence.
Farrah stared, eyes wide. This couldn't be... but it was! It was! It was a dragon's egg, and it was hatching! "Dad! Dad, do you see it?" She shouted in excitement, bouncing up and down a little. "It's a dragon, dad!" This was the closest the young girl had ever been to a dragon, and she had no idea what would happen next. Dragons were mystical and mysterious creatures that Farrah and her like never really got close to. Their habits and behaviors had always interested her, but there was not a lot of information available to her. What a glorious opportunity! To observe a hatching! How her siblings would love this story!
A golden, shimmering snout pressed its way out of the egg, sniffing the air before the rest of the head emerged, followed by a front foot, and then the rest of the dragon tumbled out into the bed of the wagon. The creature gleamed and glittered in the sunlight, eliciting a whole new series of gasps from the crowd and a delighted squeak from Farrah. It was golden! She might not have a lot of knowledge on the subject, but she knew that the gold dragons were special somehow, queens of their race! But how could it have gotten here? What was it doing in the back of the wagon? There was little time for thought, however. The little gold dragon had gotten to her feet and was shaking off the egg-goo, splattering the nearest onlookers with the sticky mess. Once the worst of it had been divested from her delicate figure, the little queen looked around the crowd and gave a querelous chirp.
Farrah thought it seemed as if the golden dragon was asking the crowd, "where am I? Why am I here? Who are all of you?" Of course, no one responded to her, they merely stared and stared and stared. The dragon, receiving no answers, let out an indignant bugle and leapt down from the wagon, her wings outstretched for balance, her newborn legs wobbly as she landed and stumbled. This didn't seem to bother the hatchling, however. She straightened herself up and began to walk the circle that had gathered around her, poking someone with a wing here, nipping playfully at the buttons on someone's jacket there. At one point, she paused in front of the tanner's daughters, crouching down in the front with her back-end raised and wiggling, rather like a young puppy getting ready to pounce. The girls gave little squeals and backed up, leaving the little gold without the playmates she had believed she had found. The resulted in a huffy little snort and the lashing of her tail. How dare those girls not play with her?
Farrah found herself grinning at the dragon's antics. She really was a charming thing, and so pretty! As if the hatchling had heard her thoughts, the golden head spun in Farrah's direction, her long neck stretching upwards to get a better view. Farrah and the dragon locked eyes from across the crowd, and in that moment Farrah was hit with a deep, undeniable realization. She belonged to this dragon. She would live and die for this dragon.
~Yes, Farrah! You are Mine and I am Yours! Forever and ever! Now feed me, Mine! Your Iachixth is hungry and has many questions!~It took Farrah a moment to realize she was the only one who had heard the words the dragon had spoken, words that would forever be embedded in her soul. The crowd parted as the slim gold made her way to the stall where Farrah stood. Immediately Farrah jumped down from her perch and ran to meet Iachixth, throwing her arms around her dragon's neck. Yes! Her dragon! She was part of that great mystery, now.
"Come, beautiful Iachixth." Farrah said, finding a new grace and posture now that she stood beside the beautiful golden dragon. The two made their way back to Farrah's stall, where her father was standing, mouth agape. "Iachixth, this is my father. Father," Farrah said, unable to keep from grinning like a lunatic. "This is my Iachixth. I belong to her now. Can we feed her please?"
Davros blinked at his daughter, and then at the shining golden dragon. Oh, Farrah's mother would probably rake him up one side and down the other for this! But both the girl and the dragon were looking at him with such big eyes, he could do nothing but sigh and gesture towards the stall. "Don't let her choke on it." He said in an effort to be cautionary. He was still struggling to grasp what had just happened. His daughter. Had she really just impressed the golden dragon? Had this really, truly, happened to a member of his beloved family? It was just too much to swallow all at once.
~I approve of the one you call Father.~ Iachixth informed Hers as they settled down to feed. The newly bonded pair were well on their way to eating the entire stand full of wherries when the wagon driver approached. His attitude seemed quite deferential and he clutched his hat in his hands. Davros watched the man warily from where he had taken up post, as if guarding his daughter and her new friend.
"I would speak to the girl, please." The rider said, sounding fairly humble. There was something suspect about him, Davros felt, but nothing that he could really pinpoint. Grudgingly, Davros stepped back just enough to allow the man to come close enough to address Farrah.
The newly bonded rider didn't even notice the approach. Her world consisted of Iachixth and only Iachixth. Feeding the dragon, answering her questions, telling her about all the grand adventures they would have with her little siblings... When the wagon driver cleared his throat for the first time, the blissful pair finally looked up at him. Iachixth bristled a little, deciding that something felt off about the man. She didn't want him near Hers, oh no she didn't! A low, posessive rumble emanated from the gold's throat.
The driver paled visibly, but he stood his ground. "Congratulations on impressing, miss." He said deferentially. "We will need to be going back to the weyr now, though. As soon as your dragon has finished eating."
"The weyr?" Farrah asked, her eyes blank. "What weyr? Why would I go anywhere with you? I don't even know you." Her words were matter of fact, there was no panic or even really any confusion. She was merely telling this stranger the way things were.
"You've got to go to the weyr." He said. "Thats where the dragons live. Your dragon needs to be with others, you both need to train under proper supervision." His tone was mildly condescending, as if he was talking to a dimglow or a small child. Farrah and Iachixth both bristled at that.
"What do you think, Iachixth? Do we need to go to the weyr? Do you want to be with the other dragons?"
~I don't want to go anywhere.~ The gold responded.
~First I want to eat. And then I want to go home with you, Farrahmine. I want to learn how to fish and I want to explore the old mining caves you were telling me about. There are so many things to do here! I don't want to leave yet. We can go and be with the others later, after you have shown Yours these exciting things.~That decided it. "We aren't going anywhere with you." Farrah said politely though firmly.
The wagon driver opened his mouth to respond, until he noticed Davros had crept closer, his arms crossed over his chest. And he wasn't the only one... Many of the merchants who were present had also closed in around the driver, casting him menacing glances. Farrah belonged to Them. She was a good girl, and well loved, and after they had born witness to the hatching of Iachixth and her subsequent impression to Farrah, it seemed that the holders had decided that, to some extent, the newly bonded pair was Theirs. And they would protect Theirs, whatever the cost. The little hold town had never witnessed such excitement or had the opportunity to hold so much pride, and they would NOT let go of that. The wagon driver, seeming to sense this, backed away, his hands held up in a gesture of surrender.
"Okay, okay..." He said, making his way back to the wagon and the two disgruntled looking passengers. Keller would not be pleased at this development. But, thought the driver, neither would those blasted Traditionalists either. And there was still a chance... The girl and the dragon were both young, and being so far out in the middle of nowhere could work to the revolution's advantage. He wouldn't be the last person to try and persuade the girl to join them at Malvren or Benden. And there were those far more suited for persuasion than he.
NOTES: My intention is for Iachixth and Farrah to remain at the farm initially, so that ambassadors from both the resistance and the revolution can court them. Iachixth and Farrah will soon see that they will have to choose a side, but they will insist on first spending some time at both Trine and Malvren weyrs before coming to a decision. I don't have any pre-selected side for them, so I'd like to determine their path through roleplay, whether that be joining the resistance, the revolutionaries, or attempting not to take sides at all and form a commune of pacifist dragons. This will also give a lot of people who may not be as high up on the totem pole to have an opportunity to meet, befriend and attempt to influence the pair.
