Doll by Elequinoa, Fairytale Duet

Name: Pafen (P'fen)

Gender: Male, he/him, straight

Age: 21

Origin: Hold born, low ranking family

Family: Mother Pailen, father Foldos; born first out of 6 with 4 brothers and 1 sister

Height: 5'10"

Build: stocky, healthy

Skin: pasty white, blushes with drink and laughter

Hair: violet-brown, rich like the velvet that he and his family are known for, heavy hair that is wavy and grows quickly, and though he keeps it to his shoulders it often needs to be cut; has meager facial hair, but it seems to suit his smile and personality

Eyes: blue-green, large and merry, with expressive thick brows

Personality: carefree and curious, but just a touch squeamish if things get physical; enjoys good friends, good ale, and half-finished duties, there's much more to look at than just housework and studies; reasonably polite and understands the strata of society well enough to manage both street-level discussions with friends in a bar, and holders conversing about the woes of 'their servants goofing off' equally well; he does tend to drift a bit when he's supposed to be doing some specific task but still it gets done regardless, at some point; he is a little on the selfish side, preferring to make things for other people only for payment, a strategy that he learned from being on the 'lower end' of the Holders scale - how else will they get to be 'higher' status if they don't have enough money?

Skills: Artistry, fashion, business management; highly literate, with good penmanship skills

Knowledge of the Horrors: well, there's always something out there. Always. Like eyes on you, like a nightmare that flutters into ash the moment you awaken in a shout. And he has done that, sat upright with his eyes dry and wide open from a nightmare, but it's a fear not of the dragons that still sometimes fly overhead, it's what else is there, driving them...

Standing At: Shigan Weyr

History: They thought he would be the one to inherit the meager Holdings that his mother's family established generations before, but no - that task will definitely fall to the second-born, his brother Olof is far more responsible and enjoys the daily meetings and pulling rank. Pafen on the other hand is a designer, style creator, he took to the loom and even the drawing table to design things with flair even as a young child.

He enjoys tailoring though not as much as the design process. He can assess the shapes needed, the right fabric types, the colors... All with a glance at the intended body to cover. Pafen lived a reasonably carefree life once he and his next younger two brothers were old enough to be schooled - while Pafen is clearly smart and able to comprehend their studies, he usually lets his mind drift and Pailen was willing to just pull him aside to keep 'for her training' rather than forcing him to study or recite ballads. (She privately admits that she hated learning them too...)

Pafen's claim to fame was at a party, one which might have had him paired off to a higher ranking family's daughter. Not the one that was chosen for him, but endearing him to those attending. With a spilled wine goblet hopelessly spoiling Grenelda's yellow dress, and with other families watching this play out, Pafen expertly draped one of his own sashes around her shoulders that almost matched the wine's deep red, suddenly she had a heart-shaped frame around her neck, and a smile on her pretty face.

Grenelda's older sister didn't scoff at losing 'her' betrothed - this flirty boy wasn't her style either... but his younger brother... It's a win-win situation for them all, really.

Until he was Searched. Thankfully it wasn't at a scheduled event, the green dragon and her rider dropped onto the Hold's terraced field and only a few people came to see, which seemed to disappoint the dragon. And with hesitation, Grenelda stuck around to watch. As a moth fluttering toward a glow basket, the young tailor put one foot in front of the other toward the dragon and rider. Eyes fixed on that dragon, mostly, Pafen loosely bowed to the rider who chuckled a little.

"She says you have what it takes," that rider suggested, and added a moment later, "as does your friend over there, but I don't think she's quite ready yet..."

Grenelda heard that, bit her lip, but didn't vanish as anyone else might have. She'd be ready the next time they came through. But for now, Shida asked, "you should prepare yourself for a Weyr, you look old enough to make your own decisions."

She was correct, at that time he was twenty turns, his brother was doing the busy work for their shop. When Pafen told his parents, his mother wept - but she was also the source of his inspiration, his confidence, and ... his vision of a safer Pern. His father gruffly grumbled about it, but offered to 'keep the hold open for him' should he duck out of this madness. Neither of his parents and none of his siblings wanted to come see the green (again she was pouty) but they did help him pack what gear he was allowed to bring.

That gear would include sketching and pattern supplies, some amount of cloth and leather - these things made him who he was, and they were also what caught the Weyr's attention. Pafen's studies about dragons and riding them showed him to be a good candidate indeed, he would ask questions and ponder the responses. His mind drifted if it went into history or other subjects, but one thing he seemed to excel at was designing riding gear or protective goods for the riders! That skill would certainly carry through after impression, should he bond!

He just hopes that his family won't write him off as 'lost', he'd love to show off any dragon that might choose him. Grenelda would wait for her own family to come to terms with her Search, but would join him at a later moment...