Galina

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Name: Galina (Gal, Galya, Alina, Lina)
Age: 19
Birthdate: 1st month, 13th day
Gender: Female
Hair: Black
Eye: Gray
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 120 lbs
Position: Weyrling to Vidyazath @ FOW
Craft: Healer
Rank: Journeyman
Specialty: Surgery
Mentor: Grigoriy
Birthplace: Ogren Hold
Current Home: Fort Weyr
Dragon: Gold Vidyazath
Firelizard(s): Blue Cyanosis, Bronze Elixir, Green Numbweed, Bronze Panacea, Brown Redwort

Model: Alexandra Agoston

Description

A diminutive young woman, Galina barely looks her age — which can roughly be gauged at 19 turns old. Her hair is a thick fall of black that's generally twisted up in a braided bun and pinned in place at the back of her head. Pale gray eyes observe the world with a clinical coolness, set beneath mildly arched brows; overall, she is a very severe and angular sort of figure, which, when coupled with her too-pale skin, grants the impression that she might well have been carved of cold marble. The sense of frailty is only skin-deep; there is a wiry sort of strength in her, a strength that suggests she's not entirely helpless.

For now, her clothing consists of a dark brown, short-sleeved work-shirt with a white thermal underneath; the thermal's sleeves are often rolled up to her elbows, leaving her forearms plainly visible. The shirts are coupled with a black pair of trousers made of heavy fabric, though the extra fabric is tucked into the tops of her boots. A broad leather belt, equipped with a plethora of leather pouches buckled to it, keeps the trousers in place and serves to keep a few tools of her former trade easily at hand. The addition of gloves — oft-tucked into her belt if not worn — a cloth or two tucked in a back pocket, and dark, multi-buckled boots that end at mid-shin completes the ensemble. She can usually be spotted with a large leather satchel, the strap running crosswise over her person, emblazoned with the healer's emblem on the front flap. Her knot is that of a weyrling at Fort Weyr, a thread of gold denoting the hue of her lifemate.

>> Travel Desc

A diminutive young woman, Galina barely looks her age — which can roughly be gauged at 17 turns old. Her hair is a thick fall of black that's generally twisted up in a braided bun and pinned in place at the back of her head. Pale gray eyes observe the world with a clinical coolness, set beneath mildly arched brows; overall, she is a very severe and angular sort of figure, which, when coupled with her too-pale skin, grants the impression that she might well have been carved of cold marble. The sense of frailty is only skin-deep; there is a wiry sort of strength in her, a strength that suggests she's not entirely helpless.

Her clothing leans naturally toward black or white with no variation between; her clothing for the day consists of an austere white blouse, high-necked and long-sleeved and a pair of black, wide-legged trousers that terminate just above the toes of well-kept black boots. Over her hips are a pair of belts, each adorned with a number of leather pouches containing a variety of items. She can generally be seen with a satchel of some sort on her person at all times, as well. Her knot is that of a Hall-bound Senior Apprentice Healer, beholden to no Weyr or Hold.

>> Original Desc

A diminutive young woman, Galina barely looks her age — which can roughly be gauged at 17 turns old. Her hair is a thick fall of black that's generally twisted up in a braided bun and pinned in place at the back of her head. Pale gray eyes observe the world with a clinical coolness, set beneath mildly arched brows; overall, she is a very severe and angular sort of figure, which, when coupled with her too-pale skin, grants the impression that she might well have been carved of cold marble. The sense of frailty is only skin-deep; there is a wiry sort of strength in her, the sort of strength that suggests she's not entirely helpless.

Her clothing tends toward pale or dark, with no variation or shades of gray (or much color at all, for that matter) between; today, it's an austere white blouse with long sleeves rolled up to her elbows and a long black skirt that swirls at her ankles. A black belt keeps the skirt cinched in place. Perhaps in a nod to her status as a relatively new Istan, what might have been black shoes have been replaced with dark brown leather sandals. Her knot indicates that she's residing at Ista Weyr as a Healer.

Background

Galina is the third child of Katenka and Arkady, preceded by her eldest sister Lilya and eldest brother Makari. Her younger brother, Ippolit, was born two turns later. Since her youth, she's always been fascinated by medicine and the art of healing; it fit well with her clinical nature and her need to analyze everything to figure out the problem and the correct solution to it.

At the age of twelve, she was sent to the Healer's Hall for proper training beyond what little the resident Journeyman of her home, Ogren Hold, felt comfortable teaching her. She caught on quickly enough and delved into her studies, where her perfectionist nature rapidly developed and bloomed. Tending to keep her distance from other Apprentices and students, she preferred, instead, to spend her time sitting with the Journeymen and Masters when she could to further her education.

Shortly after turning sixteen, she was sent with a few other Healer's Apprentices to Ista Weyr to assist and further their collective education. She is still not yet certain whether she cares much for the warm weather and the humidity; indeed, the very climate is at odds with her cold and distant personality in a way that she did not fully anticipate. Being Holdbred, the very nature of the Weyr is a peculiar thing and, while she's willing to stay for the sake of her education, she's often puzzled or downright disturbed by Weyrlife as a whole.

With her elders, she is exceedingly respectful; others are viewed as a strange species of alien that only makes sense when they are sick or hurt. Humor is lost on her and attempts to engage her in conversation are due to take peculiar turns. At the least, she's willing to make an effort to be sociable; she just utterly fails at it in spectacular ways.

2685.10.25: Galina was Searched for Zuhth and Taozyuth's clutch at Fort by Ely and green Maglinoth.

2686.01.17: Galina Impressed Dare to be Different Gold Vidyazath.

>> Extended Background

At the age of sixteen, Galina was posted to Ista Weyr. While she had visited one other Weyr before — High Reaches, where Lyuba was posted — it was a whole new experience for her that was eased only slightly by the fact that her greenrider guardian had opted to follow her.

It was during her post to Ista that she first met Tenebrous and visited Stormhaven, both of which remained bright points to contrast the otherwise troubling and dark times she endured there. There was much about Ista that Lyuba liked, but there was far more for Galina to dislike and, thus, the stay was destined to be a short one for both of them.

After having been posted to Ista Weyr for some time, Galina was recalled to the Hall after requesting the chance to take surgery as her specialty. She was soon apprenticed to Grigoriy, a wandering surgeon who handled all of the smaller holds that didn't have a proper healer or those in need of a surgeon to handle particularly tricky cases.

While she traveled with him, she learned much of what it was to 'rough it', because he wasn't the type to use dragons unless absolutely necessary. They traveled a-runnerback more often than not, resulting in his purchase of Yuri — a grulla gelding with an unpredictable personality.

However, Grigoriy found himself stuck at Fort Weyr for an extended period of time following a series of injuries that exacerbated an old knee injury. Galina, thus, was similarly stranded for some time.

It was in the early part of her tenure with Grigoriy that she was involved in a mindhealer-related incident, in which some papers were forged by her hand in an effort to ensure that Tenebrous would not be subjected to further mindhealer meddlings. While this did, ultimately, have the desired effect, it would also result in some rather unusual events later on.

But, in the intervening time, she made a wide range of acquaintances, met a few sorts she has no intention of dealing with again, and discovered she has a bizarre knack for playing pool. Lyuba managed to extract a promise from her that she'd stand just once for a clutch if searched by another dragon … and Galina, being herself, agreed with the belief that no dragon would do such a thing.

It was some time after Zuhth's flight that Galina was bequeathed her Journeyman's knot … but with the condition that she was, effectively, owned by Fraille. This agreement was acceptable and she settled into those tasks without batting an eye.

But, Lyuba insisted on dragging her to the clutching, which proved to be a peculiar quirk of fate as it was Ely's Maglinoth that insisted she stand — making her the first candidate of the group.

Fraille was Not Pleased and only grudgingly permitted her to stand after some discussion and extracting an assurance from Galina that she would not make another promise again.

Galina endured candidacy grimly, punctuated as it was with increasing sleeplessness and nightmares.

Hatching day came.

The first candidate to be searched was the last to Impress, though it was certainly not in her plan at all. Least of all to Impress gold. Even the best laid plans can be shattered to pieces in a moment … and that was precisely what was done.

And, now, she and Vidyazath are muddling through weyrlinghood together on a quest to defy gravity.

>> The Rest Of The Story

The rest of the story …

The reality is markedly more painful than the story as told by herself and others. There is no need for outsiders to know of her broken past and, thus, this side of things is purely reserved for those who have earned the right to know.

Katenka and Arkady bore two children together before Katenka began to be drawn into the advances of a posted harper named Gavriil. Gavriil, a man who was already married, couldn't contain his attentions to his wife — and the insecure, attention-greedy Katenka was the perfect prey for his attentions.

Thus began a whirlwind affair that ended approximately when he found out she was pregnant with a child that was most likely his. He fled, leaving his father — a master healer named Rodion — to deal with a shattered and shrieking Katenka. Unfortunately, the pregnancy was discovered too late for herbal abortifacients to work — though she tried — and too few riders made the trip to Ogren to be begged to handle a long trek Between. Lyuba refused on principle — and partially out of spite, as Arkady was once one of her lovers and, now, had been betrayed by the woman he had left Lu for.

Galina was born on the 13th day of the 1st month … during the middle of a blizzard. Sickly at birth, she was kept under intensive care for the first few months before her mother was allowed to see to her. Katenka, afflicted with a mind-bending combination of guilt and post-partum depression, immediately begged Rodion for some way to "fix the little mistake" she'd made. He gave her a packet of something and instructions on how to use it and the promise that he'd supply fellis for her if she ever found she couldn't sleep.

As the turns continued, she found she couldn't sleep an awful lot — and, addicted as she was, she was willing to do whatever Rodion asked to ensure she could get it.

Six turns passed. Galina was doomed to be bed-ridden and violently sick for the entirety of it. Her mother would feed her and poison her, thus ensuring that she had a constant source of attention from the others that fretted over her daughter … and the assurance from Rodion that the next dose really would be the fatal one to end the mistake in suitable fashion. The man had his own goals in mind, not the least of which included studying the effects of the herb for future use, but the ultimate death of the girl was not one he was personally looking forward to. It would have served his son well — in hiding his greatest indiscretion — and Katenka — for the same reasons — but his study subject would be useless once expired.

Lyuba, friends as she was with Agnessa, Ilari, and even Arkady despite his behaviors, was dubious of the nature of the girl's illness. She did her best to acquaint herself with the sickly youth, going so far as to encourage her green Allochkath to commune with her from time to time. Reading, writing, all of those things were taught by the greenrider to the girl.

It was Lyuba who saved her from death. And it was Lyuba who ensured that no further physical harm could come to her. But, with her duties being at the 'Reaches rather than Ogren, she was never around to see everything else that happened in the girl's life.

She was set to be the 'fixer' of things. Clothing, dolls, all manner of broken things were immediately tasked to her to repair — even if it was Ippolit merely being clumsy or Lilya deliberately tearing something up just so Galina would work on it. Lilya took to calling Galina "Galya" in a juvenile effort to bring the two of them together … but such attempts were doomed from the start.

Arkady was indifferent. Katenka remained a fellis addict. when Rodion transferred, she managed to finagle favors with the posted senior journeyman instead.

Galina learned to cook in the kitchens under the watchful and doting eye of Agnessa; she learned to appreciate tea from Ilari, the resident tea-master (so he called himself). Childhood, for her, was a mixture of a considerable amount of work, of reading children's stories, and enjoying those moments when she could be left alone.

Physical contact filled her with vitriol and tension and she was not above biting — as one harper who tried to teach her to dance was quick to discover. Like a feral feline that was poorly socialized, she simply didn't understand why people did what they did and based initial reactions on what her gut told her to do. Logic and reason would come in later and she clung to them.

At twelve, Galina discovered her mother's journals — journals deliberately left out for the girl to find, no less. While she knew of her mother's disdain for her, knew of how different she was from her half-siblings … none of that prepared her for everything else.

Predictably, she snapped.

Katenka was spared only when Lyuba intervened and stated, in no uncertain terms, that she would be taking Galina to the Healer Hall.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Skills/Talents

• She has an eidetic memory, which is exceptionally helpful when study-time comes around
• She has a natural knack for healing, even if her bedside manner could use some work
• She enjoys baking and is rapidly growing a broad repertoire of recipes from all over Pern
• She likes to garden and will eventually do as Lyuba does to make her own herbal toiletry items as well as medicines

Quirks/Oddities

• Does not speak with contractions, generally (except where her typist suffers from 'teh dum')
• Nearly all of her clothes are black or white; she prefers dresses or skirts
• Drinks only water or tea with rare forays into juice; tends to eat very little
• Is a tea connoisseur and has a rather large selection of teas made by Ilari, as well as flavored syrups and so forth
• Repairs and collects stuffed animals. Current collection: black and white wolf-dog Sasha, green firelizard Oksana, bovine Ludmilla, porcine Klava, tunnelsnake Nastya, feline Raisa
• Owns a grulla gelding named Yuri that was purchased by Grigoriy for her use while they travel
• Enjoys children's books, particularly those with illustrations or particularly fancy handwriting; similarly, she enjoys works of fiction, fantasy, and action as well as romance (such a guilty pleasure, that)
• Every turn, on her birthday, Galina gets the same gifts: Ilari sends a plethora of teas (old blends and new), Agnessa sends a variety of pastries and a new recipe, and Lyuba prepares several toiletry items of various scents
• Her preferred scent is vanilla. Additional aromas: rose, citrus, almond, vanilla spice, and orchid
• Enjoys baking and making: raspberry thumbprints, scones, shortbread cookies, gingerbread cookies, oatmeal cookies, bubbly pies. She's experimenting with: banana bread, pineapple upside-down cake, and baklava.

Social

Friends and Acquaintances

• Tenebrous - "He makes me happy. In the end, that is all anyone can ever hope for." - After a swimming lesson went awry, he's rapidly become the only person she could consider calling 'friend', if only that word weren't wholly inadequate for what he means to her.
• Cenlia - "An alcoholic. She needs help, but is unable to acknowledge that she has a problem." - Every encounter with Cenlia's involved alcohol and that's not something that sits right with Galina at all. The fact that the gardener was also involved in the accidental inebriation of Galina during Miraneith's flight has a fair bit to do with it.
• Nimen - "His behavior and lack of assertiveness speak clearly on their own." - After the incident at the Saucy Wench, her respect level for the Senior Journeyman has eroded to nothing. While it has no effect on their professional, working relationship (such as it is), it is something that will not be forgotten.
• Shorynia - "She will be a good mother." - Galina made the initial diagnosis of Shorynia (with the usual caveats and encouragement to seek a Journeyman for confirmation) and she has only a professional interest in occasionally checking up on her to ensure all's well.
• Pralius - "Well-meaning." - There's not much to be said for him, since Galina's … not one to say much of anyone. But, he's dedicated to his craft and that is something that she can respect in her abstract way.
• R'oc - "Insane." - The quote says enough.
• Edrosayen - "Fascinating." - An interesting person all around, he simultaneously baffles and amuses the young healer.
• Anaky - "He is a good person." - One of a rare few that she might consider friends eventually, she enjoys the time spent with him … whether it's cooking shish kebabs or wandering aimlessly in the woods.

Family

• Mother: Katenka
• Father: Arkady
• Siblings: Lilya (sister, +2 turns), Makari (brother, +1 turn), Ippolit (brother, -2 turns)
• Other: Vadik (nephew by Lilya; -17 turns, -2 months)

NPCs

• Grigoriy, Wandering Senior Journeyman Healer and Mentor
• Lyuba, rider to Echoes Of Adoration Green Allochkath at Ista Weyr
• Bogdan, an apprentice healer and conveniently comedic foil
• Alyona, Senior Journeyman Healer at Ista Weyr
• Agnessa, Head Cook at Ogren Hold
• Ilari, self-proclaimed Tea-master and botanist at Ogren Hold
• Rodion, Master Healer formerly of Ogren Hold

Quotes

• "I will not hypothesize on what level of enjoyment may be had from this venture."

Songs

Listed in no particular order, just songs that are affiliated with Galina in some way. In the future, I will try to get the lyrics here and bold the sections that most 'click' for her. ;)

>> Show List

Title	Band	Video	Lyrics	Log(s)	Why?
Seasons to Cycle	10 Years	Link
Through Glass	Stone Sour	Link
Broken	Reamonn	Link
Faces	The Bravery	Link
Believe	The Bravery	Link
Time Won't Let Me Go	The Bravery	Link
Room of Angel	Akira Yamaoka	Link
Thoughtless	KoRn	Link
No One's There	KoRn	Link
B.B.K.	KoRn	Link
Hollow Life	KoRn	Link
Stare	Memento	Link
Sometimes	Reamonn	Link
The Unknown	Crossfade	Link
So Far Away	Crossfade	Link
Starless	Crossfade	Link
Colors	Crossfade	Link
The Warmth	Incubus	Link
Nowhere Fast	Incubus	Link
Pendulous Threads	Incubus	Link
Out From Under	Incubus	Link
She Will Be Loved	Maroon 5	Link
Freak On A Leash	KoRn	Link
Coming Undone	KoRn	Link
Alone I Break	KoRn	Link
Hurt	Nine Inch Nails	Link
Stare At The Sun	Thrice	Link
Sympathetic	Seether	Link
Lamp Halo	Zeromancer	Link
Famous Last Words	Zeromancer	Link
Schism	Tool	Link
Bonnie Brae	The Twilight Singers	Link
Enigma	Trapt	Link
Lost Realist	Trapt	Link
New Beginning	Trapt	Link
Bleed Like Me	Trapt	Link
Easier To Run	Linkin Park	Link
Faint	Linkin Park	Link
Numb	Linkin Park	Link
Behind Blue Eyes	Limp Bizkit	Link
Crawling	Linkin Park	Link
Trying	Lifehouse	Link
Simon	Lifehouse	Link
Unknown	Lifehouse	Link
Somewhere I Belong	Linkin Park	Link
Papercut	Linkin Park	Link
In The End	Linkin Park	Link
Place For My Head	Linkin Park	Link
Veins of Glass	Lacuna Coil	Link
To Myself I turned	Lacuna Coil	Link
Circle	Lacuna Coil	Link
Stand My Ground	Within Temptation	Link
Pale	Within Temptation	Link
Amaranth	Nightwish	Link
Follow Me Into The Darkness	Fightstar	Link
Open Your Eyes	Fightstar	Link
Talk	Coldplay	Link
X&Y	Coldplay	Link
Waste A Moment	Fightstar	Link
Palahniuk's Laughter	Fightstar	Link
Iris	Goo Goo Dolls	Link		Echoes Of An Epiphany	Two verses fit best — "And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming // Or the moment of truth in your lies // When everything seems like the movies // Yeah you bleed just to know your alive" and "And I don't want the world to see me // Cause I don't think that they'd understand // When everything's made to be broken // I just want you to know who I am"
The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning	Smashing Pumpkins	Link

Logs

July - 2010

07-20-10-2 - 2685.13.01: Hunting In The South

07-20-10 - 2685.13.01: Fix It, Crack It

07-19-10 - 2685.12.25: Cold Weather Safety

07-18-10-3 - 2685.12.21: Late Night Wanderings

07-18-10-2 - 2685.12.21: Bathtime Bizarreness

07-18-10 - 2685.12.21: Odd Interlude

07-07-10-2 - 2685.11.05: Dinner Delivery

07-07-10 - 2685.11.01: The Dark Path

07-06-10-2 - 2685.11.01: Fruit Fest

07-06-10 - 2685.10.25: The Path Forks

07-05-10-2 - 2685.10.25: Unpleasant Discovery

07-05-10 - 2685.10.25: A Tide Of Eggs

07-03-10 - 2685.10.17: Organized Chaos

07-02-10 - 2685.10.13: Bruises And Pride

07-01-10 - 2685.10.09: Smithy Errands

June - 2010

06-14-10 - 2685.07.25: The Man Is Mad

06-12-10 - 2685.07.13: Everything Is Clinical

May - 2010

05-29-10 - 2685.05.13: When Is A Runner Not A Runner?

05-22-10 - 2685.04.17: The Grand Masquerade

05-20-10 - 2685.04.09: Frosted At Flaming

05-19-10 - 2685.04.05: Romped At Relay

05-18-10 - 2685.04.01: Bruised At Broomball

05-16-10-2 - 2685.03.21: First Aid For Weyrlings

05-16-10 - 2685.03.21: Blank Canvas

05-02-10 - 2685.01.21: Feeling Conversational

05-01-10 - 2685.01.17: Weaver Woes

April - 2010

04-29-10-2 - 2685.01.09: Scrub A Dub

04-29-10 - 2685.01.09: On The Ice

04-26-10-2 - 2684.13.25: Trundlebug Soup?

04-26-10 - 2684.13.25: Scorching Skewers

04-25-10 - 2684.13.21: Odds And Ends

04-24-10 - 2684.13.17: Fabric Fumble

04-17-10 - 2684.12.17: A Dance With Danger

March - 2010

03-28-10 - 2684.09.21: Berry Bonanza

03-25-10 - 2684.09.05: Choking Hazards

03-24-10 - 2684.09.01: Stone Wall

03-01-10 - 2684.05.21: Assumptions Make Asses

February - 2010

02-27-10-2 - 2684.05.13: Unruly Appendix

02-27-10 - 2684.05.13: Finders Keepers, Crawlers Creepers

02-26-10 - 2684.05.09: All Thumbs And Cookies

02-25-10 - 2684.05.05: Inept Inconveniences

02-20-10 - 2684.04.13: Healers In The Living Cavern

02-08-10 - 2684.2.21: The Aloe Experiment

02-04-10 - 2684.02.05: Study Break

January - 2010

01-30-10-4 - 2684.01.13: Dance It Out

01-30-10-3 - 2684.01.13: Briefly Blizzard-Bound

01-29-10-2 - 2684.01.09: Arriving At Fort

01-24-10 - 2683.13.02: Fire, Fall, And Howl

01-23-10 - 2683.13.02: Onward To Ogren

01-22-10 - 2683.13.09: Quizzical Conversation

01-20-10 - 2683.13.01: Meddling With MindHealers

01-16-10-4 - 2683.10.27: Of Baths And Braids

01-12-10 - 2683.10.27: Good Work, Good Pain

01-06-10-3 - 2683.10.26: Tea Time And Talk

01-05-10 - 2683.10.25: First Aid With Fraille

01-04-10 - 2683.10.21: Inglourious At Ista

All - 2009

12-31-09 - Ladies' Night Debauchery

12-29-09 - 2683.09.25: Matters Of The Mind And Heart

12-27-09 - Unexpected Visitation

12-26-09-2 - Distraction Duty

12-26-09 - Trade Gone Awry

12-22-09-2 - Something In The Water ...

12-20-09 - Understanding

12-16-09 - Birch And Oak

12-15-09 - Healing Touch

12-13-09 - Echoes Of An Epiphany

12-12-09-2 - Talk To The Wall

12-12-09 - Quirky Conversation

12-07-09-2 - An Odd Visitor

12-07-09 - Diagnosis: Spawn

12-05-09-2 - Booze? Never Again

11-26-09-2 - Wild Weyrbrat Bites

11-24-09-2 - Awkward. With a Capital A.

11-24-09 - A-Gathering We Will Go

11-21-09-2 - I See Naked People

11-21-09 - Dinner, Interrupted

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Journal Entries/Vignettes

Vignettes - 2010

01-23-10 - 2683.13.01: Vignette: Aftermath

Journals - 2010

Vignettes - 2009

12-06-09 - 2683.06.13: Vignette: Troubled

11-26-09 - 2683.05.05: Vignette: Thoughtless

Journals - 2009

12-10-09 - 2683.07.10: Journal: Redwort

11-19-09 - 2683.04.07: Journal: Cyanosis

Letters & Memories

Memories - 2010

Memory: Rage

Memory: Sustained

Letters - 2010

Letter: The Trails

Letter: The Red

Gallery

Polyvore Fashion Gallery

Miscellany

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