Jules' Cavalier Chevalier-Brown Veluth
Velvet Painting Egg
Black, blacker, blackest — well, except for that hazy, champagne
blonde suggestion made brighter by contrast — but not any clearer: a
figure with outstretched arms? A yellowfruit tree? A wherry? Nebulous
and enigmatic, the soft, matte darkness whispers sweet nothings to the
images within, melting its edges like butter in a pan.
Velvet Painting Egg crackles — cracks — its nebulous yellow falling away
from the blackness as if it were but butter browning into a dragonet.
Cavalier Chevalier-Brown Dragonet
What a cavalier dragonet is he, what with his easy — high-handed —
assurance and not a little flair, compactly housed in tawny hide. That
suede-soft brown's given but a wash of cream about his underbelly to
emphasize the line of flanks, and a shot of deeper whiskey to warm the
muscular stretch of wings; too expressive for his own good, they are,
with fingersails oft-threatened by the dicey zeal of dark-taloned paws.
Whether it's a slow stretch or a mantling roll of those wings, every
leonine movement promises drama and adventure.
Does the sand grate? Is it dry against your ankles, always slipping
underfoot, threatening to throw you for a fall? Oh — oh! — but that
tawny dragonet's eyes are seeking yours, anxious red becoming buoyant
blue; he looks at you; he looks /into/ you. Knows you. Recognition; and
don't you know him, come to think of it, those thoughts so cushiony-plush?
There; there; and then again, whispering a secret into your innermost
ears:
- Why this egg? See below — velvet! We liked what you liked about it,
the mystery.
- Why this name? /Veluth/. It alludes to "Jules," lightly; it has rhythm.
It is also a medieval Latin derivative, one of the parents of the
word "velvet." It means "covered with soft, silky hairs." And if it
sounds a little like "valued," … well, well, well. :) You are.
- Why this art? Mmm, pre-Raphaelite J.W. Waterhouse just seems to have
the myth and detail in one. Tristam and Isolde? Apollo and Daphne? La
Belle Dame Sans Merci… just take a peek at the expression on that
knight's face; like Impression, it is, but you two will fly over the hill
and not get stuck beneath.
Intro
Veluth is at once a gallant gentleman and the very soul of the rogue.
He'll take you through the most complex dance and make you feel as if
you've always known the steps. He'll dress you in the very best brocades,
the finest velvets, the softest sisals. He'll burst into your world like
a fencer, the ultimate sparring partner— well, except he's always
fighting for you, and never against you— or is he?
Physical Description
Neither large nor small Veluth is Just Right as browns go, — which of
course means he's largish as dragons go, and well, they're /all/ larger
than you, eh? But he's compactly built, no limbs trailing into infinity.
Admittedly that doesn't rule out stepping on or being stepped on… or
both, all by himself… but it's a whole lot easier to wash! (Not that
he's so fond of water… at least, until he's thoroughly dunked, at which
point the problem becomes getting him /out/.) This also means he'll find a
scrambling sort of togetherness much sooner than his more sprawling
siblings. His dark talons do grow quickly, so he'll need to sharpen them
on the stone often or feel vaguely, wrigglingly uncomfortable.
As for coloration, he's mostly a tawny, leonine brown that suits his
form. He's nearly all over that way, with but a few subtle
variations: paler, creamy along his underbelly, and deeper whiskey about
his wings — nothing outrageous like Sissy's Klimth… no, that's all
saved for Veluth's personality. All over, though, his hide's that
suede-soft, plush, velvety, cozy. Comfy. What a /good/ dragon to curl up
with, and just pull a wing over you like a cape or a blanket. Sure, it'll
take some extra oiling, not to mention talking him into the lake, but
isn't he worth it?
Veluth's a prowler, who enjoys roaming the Weyr bowl — the Rim — the
Star Stones — the sky; whether in flight or on the ground, his wings are
ever so expressive, be it large-scale or small. (This could be a problem
if, say, you're in flight and someone bursts out of ::between:: right
ahead of you, and his wings swing up in startlement…) While he won't be
hugely fast, he'll have a good amount of endurance as well as
maneuverability, and if you two work together, you'll learn to use the
most of what you have. He might be a smidge earlier to mature than some
of the dragons, which may lead to some confusion when he's ready — for
something, even if he isn't quite sure what it is — and they aren't.
While sexual interest in female dragons requires their being proddy, if
he catches in a flight, he'll probably retain a certain amount of
instinct-deep affection for them, and try to hang out with them more than
other males might, perhaps a sevenday or two. In short, he's not a love
'em and leave 'em type, … even if /she/ is. O-:)
Personality:
What's he like? First and foremost, he's utterly loyal to you, his fair
lady, and he never, ever wavers in his loyalty— unless, well, there's
something really important going on. Veluth is a passionate soul, after
all. He has Causes. Flying, Drama, Wings, You, they're all on the list.
That everyday stuff, boot-polishing, oiling, bathing, even, to tell the
truth, /eating/, is far less important to him than his latest Passion
(Which itself could be boot-polishing, etc.). And although his Passions
are strong, they are (well, usually) not overwhelming. Still, if he's
passionate about it, shouldn't everyone else be? It's not so much that he
is persuasive as he cannot imagine why anyone would ever disagree with
him. Like, of /course/ you should now dress in the deep, rich colors he
loves, in the brocades and velvets he admires.
Did we mention he was a matchmaker? Well, it's not so much that he wants
to pair you up with this one or that one— it's more that he loves it
when you're the center of attention. This is one place where your harper
skills really come into play: to entertain everyone, and most of all, to
entertain /him/ with stories and the occasional palm-drummed rhythm.
He'll enjoy your keeping up with those skills, and once he's grown, even
your popping by Harper now and again to sit in on the occasional lesson
(especially if it's outside or by a window where he can see!). When all
eyes are on you, he is proud, he preens, he revels— he, well, takes
credit. /My/ rider. He loves you to dance, to be admired. And what do you
mean, you want to dance with that skinny redheaded fellow? The darker,
taller one goes so much better with your coloring. When he's young, it'll
be like that, you'd look so much better with this one or that one. Later
on, he'll internalize ideas about how a lady ought to be treated and
attempt to set you up with people who'll treat you well. (» Not him; he
feels… funny. « ) And it won't ever be a question of his trying to set
you up with the rider of the green that's got his tail flip-flopping
lately; it wouldn't ever occur to him that setting you up with her rider
might help his chances for romance. As for Veluth's own romantic ideas,
he's none too shabby with the ladies himself. He isn't single-minded
about flights (well, no more single-minded than he is about anything
else!), but he /is/ interested. He's not Casanova, but he can't resist a
glowing lady, especially if he thinks she can't resist him either. What,
were you two on sweep? Oh. Well. It'll wait. (» Besides, you'll like it.
«)
And oh, the causes! One sevenday it will be the plight of the cavern
drudges, the next it will be the devastatingly large number of homeless
felines that just wander around the bowl, poor things— couldn't they
stay with /you/? Is it small? Is it helpless? Is it downtrodden? He
cannot resist it. Look at all those little firelizards, so cute, so
sweet, so small. Poor things, they must get so /tired/ with their tiny
little wings. And, and, and— where do the herdbeasts in the feeding pens
/come/ from? Nobody /hurts/ them, do they? And blooding (at least, when
/he's/ not involved). It's so…barbaric, so wasteful. Does someone come
around and eat the beasts after the dragons blood them? And what about
that little girl who just wandered into the Weyr from somewhere? How come
she is working in the kitchens? Couldn't she stay with /us/? Careful,
you'll have a zoo in your weyr if you don't resist him sometimes. From
time to time he'll choose a charitable project for both of you: » We
just have to help R'der and Dragonth find eternal happiness. « Beware:
this is a dangerous hobby.
Veluth loves to be surrounded with beautiful, soft, plush things. He'll
want blankets and pillows as a young dragon, tapestries in the weyr and
soft backing on his straps as he grows older, all in those rich, deep
colors he loves: cobalt blues, forest greens, deep, deep crimsons, and
browns the color of rich soil. His taste is his own, and he doesn't care
if /other/ people like it, as long as it's soft and deep and feels good
to him. Well, and you. But if there's any question about your tastes not
mentioning in this regard, you'll need to be the one to point it out!
Voice:
His mental signature is dark, deep, and plush, all cushion and velveteen.
Smooth and mellifluous is his mindvoice and physical voice as well, like
a French horn: muted, tenor, and always expressive. Of course, it'll
brighten as he gets excited, horn turning tinny — to a pennywhistle,
perhaps — but everything passes, and he'll linger back into deeper,
arpeggiated murmurings, that whispered commentary (» Oh, look at that…
and /that/… « ) that always and ever shares your ear.
—
Credits:
Egg: Gr'ym
Dragonet: Arien, Fiona, Kh'rys
