Ophi

"And you're sure you haven't got the wrong girl?"

Name:
 Ophi (full name Ophiuchus Hayes)
Residence:
 Starfall Dragonry
Sex:
 Female
Species:
 Human
Age:
 19
Height:
 5'6"
Hair:
 Brown with gold undertones
Eyes:
 Hazel
Skin:
 Fair, freckled; burns easily
Occupation:
 Librarian's Assistant
Family:
 Nathaniel and Ophelia Hayes (parents); Sagittarius Hayes (younger brother)
Personality/Info:
 Ophi is bookish and introverted, preferring to spend her time by herself than in social situations and thus sometimes coming off as slightly rude. In spite of her dislike of interacting with others, she is extremely intelligent and possesses an extensive knowledge of a great deal of Starfall Dragonry's library materials (mostly due to having read great numbers of books in her lifetime!). While at work, Ophi will never turn down someone seeking help, and tries to put forward a cheerful face for others even when on the inside she's anxiously squirming to get out of a conversation.

Her parents are astronomers and immigrated to the dragonry from Earth, who named Ophi and her brother after constellations. Ophi never goes by her full name, preferring the shortened (and more feminine) version. She is close to her parents in spite of their using possibly the strangest constellation names out there for their children, and is very silently protective of her brother Tarius. While responsible and dedicated to the things she does, Ophi rarely believes that she is the best-suited for anything and often subverts her abilities to those of others. She is prone to anxieties over her own capabilities, and needs encouragement from others outside of her family to assure her that compliments are not simply broken-record repetitions.
Dragon:
 Green-Blue Echdenith
Bonded at:
 Sedona Weyr

"And you're sure you haven't got the wrong girl?" she pressed, still disbelieving.

"He's never been wrong before," the dragonrider said, motioning towards the blue dragon behind him. Dragons were a common sight where Ophi lived, but her shock at seeing this one looking for her of all people was comparable to having seen one for the first time.

"Well... maybe I'm the first one," she replied, the words slipping from her tongue now, feeling like foreign speech. "I'm... flattered, really -- but a dragonrider, me, I'm not a dragonrider! I'm a bookworm, is all I am."

The girl was clutching her book to her chest, knuckles white with tension, shifting her weight back and forth uncomfortably between her feet.

"Listen -- Ophi, was it? -- Ophi, you're not the first nervous one. We've Searched a lot of planets and foreign places in our time. And I can assure you, he knows when he sees someone special."

"But I'm not," she said quietly, the sincerity apparent in her voice. "My brother, Tarius, maybe you want him. He's wanted to be a dragonrider all his life, he goes to the hatching dens for every clutch to see if there's a bond for him there, it's not fair to take me--"

"Oph, chill," came a voice from behind her. Ophi spun around, startled, and was met with the tall figure of her little brother (when did he get so tall?) smiling down at her short-statured self.

"Tarius, what are you doing here? I thought you were helping Mom with the star-charts!"

"They told me I should probably come and find you. What with the dragon and everything. She said you wouldn't believe him when he said you'd been Searched."

"You have to tell him he's got the wrong -- wait. You knew?"

Tarius smiled knowingly. "That dragon knows you, Oph. They came to us first, thought it might be a good idea for me to come and convince you he knows what he's talking about. Since you're more likely to believe me than some random guy on a dragon."

"Tarius, I can't leave you here. It's not fair to you. You want this so badly, and you know I'm happy with the library and my books and everything..."

"Oph, go with him. I'll be fine! There are some new clutches here. I'll go see them, and you know it'll be an adventure off-world."

Ophi opened her mouth to retaliate, but found herself unable to speak. Her mouth dry, she turned again to the dragon and his rider. Both were smiling (the dragon in his own strange draconic way). She turned back to her brother, still finding herself shocked at this sequence of events, but moreso at how much her younger brother had grown since the first time he'd tried for an Asana dragon bond.

After a long silence, she handed her book to the dragonrider and threw her arms around Tarius without bothering to pause beforehand. Her brother had always hated hugs or any expression of affection from her. Instead of pulling away, though, he wordlessly returned her gesture.

"Good luck," she said.

"You too," he replied, releasing himself from her grasp and giving her a gentle shove towards the dragon and his rider. "Now get going! The dragons on that planet don't wait, I hear."

Ophi smiled at her brother as the dragonrider handed her back the book. Maybe this dragon was right about her. And maybe while she was gone, her brother would find his own dragon, too.

Starfall Dragonry is owned by Molly (a.k.a. Starburst).
Rainbow link script provided by Rainbow Arch.