Tonight we light the fires
We call our ships to port
Tonight we walk on water
And tomorrow we'll be gone
(Covenant, Call the Ships to Port)
BASICS
NAME: Xena
GENDER: Feminine
PRONOUNS: Feminine (she/her/hers)
ORIENTATION: Questioning, but not really a priority for her
BIRTHDATE: Early Spring 2760
AGE: 16 as of 2776
LOCATION: Semaca Weyr
OCCUPATION: Candidate
WING: N/A
APPEARANCE
EYES: Brown
HAIR: Black
HEIGHT AND BUILD: 6' 3"
PLAY-BY: Picrew
EXPY SOURCE: N/A
FULL APPEARANCE:
Much like her mother, Xena is tall and eye-catching, standing at an impressive 6' 3" tall. Unfortunately, most of her grace was lost in 2775, in wake of an attack by spotties that left her injured, a bad break and muscle damage in her left leg that hasn't healed quite right. Ever since, she wears a sturdy brace from her knee down to help support her, though she still has a notable awkward gait. From her mother, Xena inherits her dark skin and wavy black hair, but her eyes are lighter, more a warm chocolate in color. Dressed for practicality, she wears a nice blouse, good breeches, and sturdy boots.
PERSONALITY
"And her youngest? Naxen named her Xena, for all her sister protested, and she was beautiful and kind and brave."
(Arcane)
PERSONALITY:
Xena is quite like her mother in numerous ways. Unless extreme circumstances stay her hand, she's incredibly kind and thoughtful, gentle and considerate. Seeing others happy leads to her being happy, meaning she'll go above and beyond to see that happen. Being a brave young woman who puts a strong focus on duty, she'll stop at nothing to ensure her loved ones are safe and cared for. Once she has a goal in mind, she stops at nothing to see it to fruition, a dogged determination in her bones driving her to carry on until she succeeds; failing isn't an option, not again. Being raised within Weyrs all her life, Xena has a strong love of dragons that would be expected for someone of her upbringing, bleeding into her passion for study and self-improvement.
In wake of her injury, though she's recovered as much as she will physically, Xena has grown more quiet and pensive, withdrawn and contemplative, her confidence wavering. On some unspoken level, she blames herself for her injury, she sees it as a defeat, that she failed in her training and suffered for her negligence. As a result, she's somewhat afraid to be a Candidate again, feeling that she's unworthy and wouldn't make a good dragonrider, though she's been officially cleared to Stand again. But she doesn't let others see her struggles and she rarely shares her thoughts; it's her battle to fight and she would ask help of no one, including her family. In these moments of insecurity and uncertainty, she can be increasingly frustrating to engage, her manner crotchety and peevish as she struggles to understand that not everyone is trying to discover and highlight her flaws. Asking her what has her so upset often results in heated denials and rebuttals, often seeing her struggle to forge and maintain connections to others.
As she puts heavy emphasis on seeing things done right, Xena doesn't always realize that others can be as competent or more so than her in seeing duties through. It isn't unusual for her to step in and give others help she thinks they clearly need, rarely accepting no for an answer, feeling she can do it correctly. Trying to deny her often brings up a hostility unusual for her, her response often rude and sometimes mean, her manner blunt and coarse. In truth, Xena wants nothing more than to do her utmost in everything she does, but doesn't realize that she sometimes pushes herself and others too far or sets herself to impossible standards. In her mind, she can always improve and do better than she did previously, to succeed astoundingly and do it all again. What she wants most in life is to make her loved ones proud, which means she will Stand, Impress, and fight Thread alongside them, no matter what.
HISTORY
FAMILY:
Petravyn - Apprentice Harper - father - deceased (climbing accident, 2767)
Naxen of Blue Anitoth - dragonrider/Candidatemaster - mother - living [+28]
Siblings/Half-Siblings - Petraxen [+5], Naxavyn [+3]
Xe'e - dragonless - aunt - living [+25]
SIGNIFICANT OTHER: N/A
BIRTHPLACE: Fort Weyr
HISTORY: TW: death/loss, injury
Xena was born in Fort Weyr to Harper Petravyn and dragonrider Naxen, third of three children between them. Though her mother was often busy as a dragonrider, which meant her father was her primary caretaker, her family was still quite close, including her aunt, Xe'e. Once she discovered that she was named for her, Xena wanted to know why, but something in those haunted eyes told her not to ask, childish impulsivity and all. Later, she found that both her father and aunt had been close to dragons, though her father had chosen to be a Harper rather than a dragonrider, while Xe'e had been a dragonrider, but lost her Laith. Upon learning that fact, she decided not to ask questions that would inflict renewed trauma. But ever since, she wanted to live up to her name and see her family proud, especially Xe'e. So for as long as she can remember, she's been studying everything she can about what it meant to be a dragonrider, believing following in her loved ones' footsteps was how to accomplish that.
But upon her father's death in 2767, in a terrible climbing accident, everything changed. Though her young heart hurt as she struggled to understand that her father wasn't away for a while, but that he had died and she wouldn't see him again, Xena didn't blame Petraxen at all for what happened; how could she do that to her eldest sibling while they too grieved? In fact, it was almost like Petraxen had died too, in how they shut down. Sleeping close to Anitoth and neglecting to care for themselves were two chief indicators of how they struggled. Little Xena wouldn't let them suffer, keeping them company every chance she could insist on doing so and bringing treats from her own rations to try to ply them into eating. Petraxen didn't need to know she wasn't eating her desserts. But on occasions where Xe'e would visit them, Xena always made sure to give them space; those conversations weren't hers to share. But Petraxen seemed to emerge from grieving, for which Xena was eternally grateful to Xe'e for bringing about. It wasn't long after losing Petravyn that Naxen moved them all down to Semaca Weyr, a place that was always warm and spelled new beginnings for her struggling family. Xena adapted quickly and made herself at home, seeing to her studies again as a way to manage her own grief.
Turns went by, but not all was peaceful. Semaca's resident queen, Nebulaeth, chose a mutation, Cabadath, as her mate for her maiden flight, but her clutch was healthy. It was but a Turn later that severe floods rocked Semaca, leading to Turns spent rebuilding, but traders appeared and set up shop...who were actually pirates. It was 2770 that spotties first attacked in Xena's memory, a couple of dragonriders unfortunate enough to fall victim, though she had no idea what that meant for her Turns later. 2771 saw spotties attack again, choosing to target Nebulaeth's latest weyrlings, a wonderful clutch containing multiple twins. Not much later, pirates were allowed to Stand as Candidate, so long as they were eligible within Weyr guidelines. Fall 2772 was Semaca's first Dragon Day, an event Xena welcomed and celebrated. But 2773 saw Nebulaeth give Semaca a great gift: a gold daughter, Xialath, who Impressed to a man, a more recent revelation. Semaca was growing stronger every Turn, a Weyr she was proud to call home. 2774 saw dragonriders from all across time appear throughout Pern, including Semaca, who were permitted to stay, adapting...well enough, in most cases.
But it was 2775 that Xena fell prey to Semaca's beauty. Into today, she blames herself for what happened; she got too comfortable, she let her guard down. As soon as she was eligible, she applied to Stand as a Candidate, proud to stand in front of her mother and pass evaluation. But during Threadfall later that season, spotties attacked, bursting through Semaca's defenses while dragonriders and wherhandlers was busy facing Thread. Xena was among those who were injured, though she was lucky to've survived; others certainly weren't so fortunate. It was a horrible break in her left leg, critical muscles slashed beyond repair by feline claws. Xena was devastated, her confidence fracturing in wake of what she perceived as a failing on her part. While she recovered in Semaca's Infirmary, she had a lot of time to think, during which she didn't talk much about what had happened...or talk much at all. Much of her time from that point on was spent rehabilitating her damaged leg and learning how to walk again. On one of her brief excursions from her bed, she found herself in view of some firelizard eggs being given to willing owners. Petraxen and Naxavyn were present and were going to accept, so Xena followed suit, Impressing a little brown she called Driftwood. Seeing as Petraxen's gold Honeysuckle was a nervous sort, they asked both her and Naxavyn for help in sewing a teddy bear for her to cuddle while they were away, filling some of Xena's last sevendays of recovery in a wonderful way.
Xena was deemed fit to resume normal activities early that following Turn, accustomed to her new life wearing a brace to support her off leg. It was an adjustment she's made as seamlessly as she can, not permitting her error defeat her. But she didn't immediately present herself as a Candidate again. Something was stopping her from doing so, but what? Was she afraid? Impossible. But part of her realized that she had no time to stop and question her decision. That doing so would break her resolve. So once she had recovered, Xena approached her Candidatemaster, her own mother, and reapplied to Stand.
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