Name: Rufus Townsend

Gender: Male, Straight

Age/DOB: 22@Events/1984

Origin: Repurposed Earth, Detroit Michigan

Family: Deceased, but will likely establish a family himself some day, as he was not within a City when the suppression fields went up.

Other: If Eli Vance is considered 'everyone's adopted dad', Rufus is 'the weird uncle that wants you to get that polyp looked at'. Everyone likes him, until he gets That Look In His Eye and makes you go to the clinic for a checkup.

Height: 5'9", about 5'11 with the hair...

Weight: 150, average frame, and slightly less toned than he was when in the military

Hair: Black, done in loose dreds as shown, rarely longer than shoulder length but will tie them back if they get in the way of any medical process. He might hide things in it.

Eyes: Reddish brown, tired

Appearance: Medium to dark brown skin, with small acne scars and a reasonable number of moles and blemishes. Wide nose, full lips, with a vandyke goatee and stubble almost always present. Wears eithe a lab coat and scrubs, or combat medic armor as shown, depending on the needs at the time

Genetic Abilities: None, but shows strong empathy toward humans and Vorts alike

Icarus Processing: None, would not enhance anything particularly at his age

Image Credits: Valve / tektek

Skills or Profession: Medical training from university and field medic experience from military service. Is quite confident with triage skills as well as basic emergency needs. Has a good but firm bedside manner, when he does get "That look" he means business and he will not take 'I don't wanna' for an excuse. He has experience with emergency surgery, but prefers preventative care. Can set bones, stitch skin injuries, treat burns, and knows how to determine what treatment regimen is needed for any post-op care. Where Chris does most of the childbirth and family care in the Rookery as well as other instances of Black Mesa, Rufus is more in the field even though his skills could warrant him remaining full time as a physician. He also has weapons training, is able to use pistols, rifles, and picked-up Combine equipment reasonably well, though he prefers not to have to. Rufus is adept at following orders, getting clarification, and relaying information in a concise format to people who might not otherwise understand it. In other words: he is the kinder-gentler drill Sergeant that anyone really wanted in boot camp.
Personality: Rufus prefers not to be the center of attention, and likes people to focus on their own work rather than gawking at him while he does his. That said, he's a nice guy, fun at parties, and yes, he does party pretty hard when he's able. When needed, he's completely professional and no-nonsense. In the emergency room, clinic, or in the field doing any medical work, you follow his orders or you get kicked out of the area until he's done. He can be quite specific about his orders, though, and has a way with remembering who can do what, so he doesn't start ordering around inexperienced kids or expecting too much from someone who is unable. He very much has two phases to his demeanor, the happy rasta-inspired goofball with a massive joint in his hand, or the keen-eyed and firm-handed medic.
Events or History: As a kid in Detroit, Rufus got to know the ins and outs of street culture, and knew that it would come back to haunt him if he fell too deeply into a gang or turf wars. So he knuckled down in school, kept his head out of trouble - sure he enjoyed (and still enjoys) his vices, but they were never at the expense of either his health or his security. He was barely an intern at a local medical school when the Events happened in 2006, and rather abruptly, he was drafted into the military. Thankfully he was placed among the right folks - he learned quickly that they needed people like himself with any amount of medical training, and that kept him from seeing active duty for a while, however he served two tours of active duty around the Middle East, and then was sent home. He was not able to get back into medical school - the school itself had been leveled during a Portal Storm - but he did find a clinic in need, and remained with them for numerous years until the Combine came.
After the Combine, however, he realized that things were going to go downhill very quickly, so he and a number of other refugees made their way from place to place, avoiding the Cities and keeping to the outlands. Even with the dangers that they faced, he helped lead the group south to Alabama, where they were eventually found by the Pantheon. He has never been too distressed by the weird things that the Pantheon group does, in fact he relishes it because at least they get that spotlight he's not fond of. He's in awe of Sandy and her ability to heal, but equally with Chris and his calm and trustworthy demeanor. He likes to think that he's somewhere between them, in terms of raw medical skills - Sandy does what she does without really having too much professional-level knowledge, and Chris puts his downloaded skills to use remarkably well. Rufus has a hands-on approach like Sandy, with a steady and strong background in school.
Once the Rookery is established, he was among the group selected (somehow, he remembered a fictional bit of a book... why was it no longer fiction? All he has to do is look around for that, there are literal alien lifeforms living next to him in their dorm, after all!) to stand by as a set of eggs hatched. When Qyvneth's mind touched his for the first time, he had no idea what to do, except obey her hunger and return her love. They make a terrific team, and he relies on the dragon for both companionship and defense.

Dragon

Name: Qyvneth (kiv neth), "Kivvy"
Gender: Female
Size/Shoulder/Length: Small (*very small Pernese Green) 6' shoulder / 22' l / 34' ws
Colors: Teal Variation, tricolor, sea blue, shamrock green wingsails, mottled and 'drippy' teal, aqua, sea blue-green on body
Features: Pernese (Paniyan variation) type, four legs, two wings, tail with spade; hide needing oiling, sheds occasionally; heavy claws on 5 fingered forelimbs (with thumb), 3 claws on hind (high 4th not visible); pointed face with headknobs, sweeping crest along head and neck only; 4-fingered wings with visible tines, long wrist thumb with heavy claw; faceted eyes with color change by mood; offspring name will end in TH provided the right mate; dragon is fertile and will go into heat once per year as an adult, but at her diminutive size she must have a small partner
Powers: Winged Flight, Qyvneth is adept at flight, though since she isn't tremendously large she doesn't have a lot of endurance for long flights. However she can lift quite well, and at her size she can still carry up to three people or a good pack of supplies for short distances. Also she recovers quickly, so even a long and tiring flight will be something she can do at least twice a day.
Teleportation, she can send herself between places, but only short distances, generally within line of sight. If she cannot see a spot, she doesn't trust herself to relocate, and only with Rufus to command her to do it, would she ever attempt a blind teleport. She does not like to teleport with more than just him on her back, as well, since the first time she did so they nearly lost a patient. Of course Rufus didn't expect it either, so now he knows to stabilize a patient before relocating them on dragonback.
Firebreath, naturally occurring and does not need chemical or mineral additives to produce a fair amount of flame. She doesn't use this ability very often, as she sees how dangerous it can be when there is so much to burn. She can aim a steady blast around 30 meters at most, but also can 'spit goo', without igniting the substance herself, allowing others to choose whether to shoot at or ignite it when it's where they want it to burn.
Telepathy, Qyvneth is able to communicate unerringly with her bond, other dragons, and other telepathic or empathic people/creatures within a several mile radius. She never loses contact with Rufus, no matter how distant she flies, though. Her mental voice is, in a word, 'cushy', feeling quite plush and enjoyable to listen to.
Parentage: Purple-Fuchsia Juzth (F, Cwerty x Kewerth) and Yellow Iuth (M, Eriol backwards Green-gold Pwyllith (Demona's) x Bronze Tamairth) cousins on CK side; full siblings Zianazuth and Jaizath, Irjith
Origin: Post-Nexus customs for deviantart adoptables, untaken; lineart by Falora of Talor Cliff Weyr
Other Info: Qyvneth is among the few dragons brought to the Rookery as eggs, a disparate group of unrelated or random eggs warmed by the Rookery's natural desert heat. Rufus and some few others were quite pleased with the results of the impromptu hatching, he'd recalled reading fantasy books about such things. As practical as he is, having a small dragon is a godsend for a medic. They can squeeze into ruins together, rather than separate and hope that he can drag an injured person back out to his mount. Also she's more than strong enough to shoulder the occasional wall or doorframe that may collapse. Her wings are very sturdy.