Name: Korea

Gender/Age: female, 15

Rank/Craft: Apprentice Dragon Healer, Apprentice Healer

Location: Dawnlight Hold/Blackstone Weyr

Relatives/Family: parents alive, two sisters, one brother, all younger

Physical Description: 5'3", 110, very curvy and busty, short legs. Dark brown skin, black hair that is kept in small braids with beads on the ends, to her shoulders, very large green-hazel eyes. She has a sharp, pleasant face, with full lips and nose. Her voice is steady, deep and soothing, working on both Dragon kind and Human. She loves wearing dresses, but often adds things like sashes or wraps around them too. She prefers to have her hair up, and likes collecting little beads for it.

Emotional/Mental Description: compassionate and loving, to anyone in need. She balances this with a knowledge of healing that is growing every day. She reaches out first, emotionally connecting with either human or dragon. There are very few people whom she would wish harm to, though she has been known to do so. She will not suffer abuse, and she will not allow it to go on while she is watching, fiercly intervening on the injured partys behalf. She is strict on herself, always putting to work the skills she has.

Skills: as for Healer and Dragon Healer. She has some close up experience with both, and rarely can be torn away from a patient, once she is allowed near. She works with more flesh type wounds, than with the longer term fevers or body aches, and has little experience with herbal remedies. She does know how to bandage up nearly any body part, be it on dragon or human. She is keenly skilled in recognizing emotional and physical abuse, as well, and as mentioned above she immediately takes action.

History: though Hold born, she was shown to have strong emotional stability and empathy, and was brought to the Weyr to learn dragon healing. She struck out with the human healers as well, when a Threadscored rider and his dragon came down, she helped treat both. She is a natural candidate for a dragon, she does not hear them all, but she can feel any of them individually when they are nearby.

Notes and Special Information: any children of Korea's will either be openly telepathic, or so strongly empathic they will probably Impress too young.

Pets/Hobbies/Posessions: she has one fire lizard named Wackie, a Blue who usually carries her bandage supply case. Her hobbies include wandering through the Hold looking for people to help. She owns a whole box of hair products, and some very pretty accessories for her clothing.

"I do not want you to think that I'm trying to hinder your performance," Korea told the rider, "but you're going to have to lay down and rest."

"Thread is falling!" he called out, "and I must be there!"

"Your dragon thinks so too, but she is hurt. Badly. And you are as well. So now, hush."

She pushed a drink laden with fellis at the man, and he finally drank it. Aware through his dragon of the threadscore they'd both suffered. At least he could knock himself out and not feel it for a while. The dragon's score was worse... The green writhed about, making it very hard for the three dragonhealers nearby to work on her wing.

"You must calm yourself, dear Ethreth. Your wounds will heal, but only if you let us help!" Korea said, in a calming voice. Her mind sought out the distress of the dragon. She couldn't help but feel it, and some of the pain too. She took that pain, along with the anger, fear and anguish at being separated from her rider.

He is hurt! We -- we will go between! I must -- oh it hurts so badly...

"You will do nothing of the sort," Korea said, flatly putting her foot down and making a stronger mental push at the dragon. She finally got the dragon to calm down a bit, enough at least to let her put her wing down and allow the healers to begin stitching it.

That feels better, the dragon bespoke to Korea. My wing does not hurt as much. What did they do?

**They put numbweed on it, silly girl. It's what we wanted to do in the first place! You mustn't think things like going between because of this. You and your rider are much too valuable to the Weyr and wing for you to give up so easily. And look at you! You're the one who braved the threadfall for so long! You were out too long with this scoring, weren't you? **

Korea got the story from the dim memory of the dragon, that they'd been scored but it took more than five minutes out in the air to really catch on. It was more than scoring that had damaged the wing, it was the fact that she'd kept flying on when she should have come right into the infirmary. But Korea complimented the dragon mentally, praising her, until the dragon was asleep like her rider in the other part of the room.

Exhausted, then, Korea found a bench and slid onto it. She played with her hair until the familiar cheeping of Wackie came to her ears, and he then played with the beads for her. The clicking of them and his happy urgling and noises calmed her almost to sleep.

A voice came to Korea's ears. "Hello? Are you all right?"

She stirred, rousing from her half-sleep. "May I help you? Are you injured?" She asked, suddenly on the move and on the job again. It took her many moments to realize that the infirmary was dimly lit, and the activity was almost stopped. It was long after the Fall, and she'd slept through the last part! With half relief and half consternation, then, she looked back at the rider. They were casually leaning against the wall near her, helmet dangling in their hand.

"No, I've only come here because you helped out one of our riders. Ethreth was pretty bad off. How did you get her to relax?"

"It was something I can do... I suppose I have that effect on dragons. And sometimes people." She flashed a tired, but pleased smile.

"Yes..." The rider said, looking off into the distance -- speaking with their dragon. "My dragon says that you'd make a great candidate. You ought to stand on the sands sometime, and see."

"Well... I'm much needed here," she replied, looking around. There were some six or seven riders laying soundly in fellis-assisted sleep, and beyond in the larger dragon weyr there were about half a dozen injured dragons. "Well, not right *now* you understand..." She giggled. "I'm so very tired, if you wouldn't mind, would you assist me to my weyr?"

She was helped into her nearby weyr, almost melting into the rider's arms. A strong sense of thankfulness came from her, to the rider.

"Harana weyr has eggs on the sands, dragonhealer, and I'm sure that you'd impress well. Besides, a dragon healer on dragonback is always best. You seem aware of the dragons around you already, but you don't know quite what it is to be impressed..."

Their voice drifted away, as Korea nodded off. "I'll go... just give me a minute to tidy up and pack..." She curled onto her cot and the rider helped put a blanket over her, with Wackie's assistance. Apparently, this was something he'd learned to do, and was thankful for the help!

Korea and the other candidates were glad that the eggs finally hatched. It was almost excrutiating waiting. Korea would visit the eggs often, it seemed that the queen who had laid them permitted this only on occasion. That was to the distress of the weyrling master, of course, who was trying to get the candidates to understand their situation more fully.

The eggs finally began to shake, and the green which hatched first tumbled along until she impressed. A blue hatched, so pretty. Korea watched with happy eyes as the dragons proceeded from their shells. There were no injuries, and that was good. Her feet were hot, though, and she was quite distracted. She watched the next, a brown and another green, impress. Then another green, smaller than the other. Ahh, it would be so fine to Impress, Korea thought. The blue that impressed next chose a man who had a limp -- Korea had asked him about it, but he offered little in answer. His dragon certainly didn't care! A bronze dragon waited for attention, impressing at last. Korea watched them with a smile on her face, while another egg hatched.

The large egg exploded, but while Korea watched the bronze walk away with his new rider, she played with the beads in her hair. Wackie cheeped a bit, and brought the dark skinned girl's attention onto the hatchling before her. A beautiful gold, sitting looking at her waiting.

I'm hungry, and my name is Kalareth.

With tears in her eyes, Korea hugged her new beautiful dragon and her heart nearly exploded with pride -- she had impressed the GOLD! A dragon healer on a golden beauty! The most wonderful dragon in the whole world!

Who is hungry!

"She looks so thoughtful," someone said, of the beautiful Kalareth as she rested on her ledge.

"She is, actually," Korea smirked. "She's trying to think up ways to get me to bathe her for the second time this week. It is not happening, my sweet golden beauty."

But if you do not, I will become dull and dry and I will itch!

"You haven't been nearly as itchy as you were as a hatchling, and I know better. I have asked the weyrling master, and I know from experience."

The gold lolled her head around, and gave off a beaming dragon grin.

But you bathe every day! I want to as well!

"You argue well, but you will learn to do it yourself with some flitters and those eager weyrbrats, won't you?"

I only want you touching me, Korea. You are the only one who knows where the itches are!

"Don't I know it..." Korea muttered and got back to mixing her latest salve.

It wasn't an itch. It was something much deeper, that drove Korea to watch her dragon more carefully. The other senior weyrlings had gone off to fight Thread, but her golden Kalareth had been held behind. Usually, that was because Korea was needed more in the infirmary than on her dragon to fight Thread.

But this time... It was because Kalareth was acting oddly. The weyrling master took time to explain to the girls in the candidates classes about the responsibilities of a queen -- or a fertile green -- dragon, and her rider.

So now those lessons came back to Korea's mind clearly. Kalareth was getting into her adult phase, truly. She would never be a huge gold, but she was a respectable notch bigger than all the others in her clutch.

Kalareth's mind clung on to Korea's. There are some fine bronzes out there. They're so brave. And clean.

"Don't go there," Korea laughed. "But you're going to be flying soon."

I fly all the time. Watch me?!

"No... The other kind. Flying with a F. As in, mating."

The gold's head swung gently around and her eyes looked ajitated. You are serious. I am sorry. Does this distress you?

"No... just ... choose well, my love. Choose well. I don't want to be stuck with some arrogant creepy bronze rider or some wishy washy brown rider when you do fly."

I will be very picky. Very very picky...

She was indeed very picky. For when Kalareth finally did rise, she did so with the stunning Weyrleader's bronze Synesth , making Korea ... A bit nervous.

Their clutch has yet to hatch. However everyone knows it's special...

Pedigree:

Dam - Gold Elysith

Sire - Bronze Nerith (page down)

Mate - Bronze Synesth

Offspring - Unhatched