Character Profiles: Brynn and Duncan
I had planned on spending today organizing the nursery and taking pictures of some things to share, but last night I had to make a trip to the doctor because my hands, feet and face were swelling. My vital signs are fine and baby looks healthy, but I've been put on 24 hours of strict rest to reduce the swelling. I'm not allowed on my feet for more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time, and since I need all that precious time to do some much-needed laundry, the baby stuff has to wait. :( So instead of a baby post you guys get some more character profiles. Brynn and Duncan are fairly minor characters in the grand scheme of things, but I think they're some of my favorites anyway.
Brynn
Age and birthday: About 19, exact birthdate unknown. She celebrates on October 1st.
Favorite color: Blue
Favorite food: Milk tea with lemon madelines
What she won't eat: Salt pork and beef jerky
Usual profession: Earlier in life she was practically a slave, functioning as a maid in a wealthy household. Now she is a lower priestess (which is much like a nun).
Hobbies: Reading, collecting dried flowers, and needlepoint- although she's a beginner.
Sore spots: She takes most everything in stride, although she is sometimes sensitive about being a klutz.
Points of pride: She is a very humble person, to the point of fault. She feels she has nothing to be proud of and will blush or falter at the slightest compliment.
First impressions: She comes across very honestly, as her shy and quiet self. Some people think she is stupid because she speaks so little.
Manners: Brynn has impeccable manners, to the point of being submissive. Sometimes, though, it is hard to tell if she is being polite or just acquiescing.
Childhood: Orphaned or abandoned at birth, Brynn spent a couple of years in a group home. The first family to take her in treated her as little more than a slave, making her clean and maintain the house for nothing more than token wages, most of which they took back from her under one pretense or another. She was about six when the family handed her over to the Sect, thinking that she would be a servant in the temples, but one of the priests decided that her submissive nature would make her a very useful (read: easily influenced) priestess. She never got the chance to be just a child.
Life philosophy: She truly but naively believes that everyone should be honest and kind 100% of the time. Many times in the past she has been crushed when the reality of life hits her.
Thoughts on marriage/relationships: As a priestess Brynn is forbidden from relationships of any kind, and she just thinks this is normal for her. She doesn't seem to miss what she has never had.
Thoughts on sex: On the rare occasion she has thought past her celibacy, she doesn't know why people would have sex other than to make babies. Then again, she doesn't really know much about it.
Duncan
Age and birthday: 27, January 3rd
Favorite color: Green
Favorite food: Fresh-baked bread and soft goat cheese
What he won't eat: Very spicy foods, or anything with too much garlic. He prefers plainer things.
Usual profession: Raised and trained as a shepherd, he dedicated himself as a priest for the Sect at the age of 15. He is still considered young but is already a respected teacher, admired by many of his students.
Hobbies: As a child and teenager he loved games and sports, but the lifestyle of a priest has mostly restricted him to reading and music now.
Sore spots: Duncan is often homesick, but he has never admitted it to anyone but Brynn. Despite his success he often questions his career choice.
Points of pride: He is very proud of his simple heritage and the legacy of students he is building. Other than this he is a humble man.
First impressions: He does come off a little distant at first, but that is just a priestly demeanor he puts on. If you spend any amount of time with him it becomes clear that he is a warm and welcoming person.
Manners: Naturally he has learned strict manners as part of his priestly training. If he is given the chance to be in a casual setting he sometimes reverts back to his rough-around-the-edges farmboy self.
Childhood: He grew up roaming freely across his family's lands, tending their large flock of sheep and goats with his younger brother and sister usually tagging along behind. It was practically an idyllic life, and almost all of his memories of home are good ones. He was the middle child in a family with five children and his grandmother lived with them, so he was never lonely and never lacking in love.
Life philosophy: He believes that everyone should live their life trying to teach and promote goodness. In fact, this is why he became a priest, though recent events have him thinking twice.
Thoughts on marriage/relationships: He thinks that marriage is one of life's most honoroable institutions, and struggles with the idea that priests shouldn't marry. He does look down on casual relationships, and thinks they are corrupting young people's ideas of love and marriage. If he could pursue a relationship, he wouldn't, unless he intended to marry the girl someday.
Thoughts on sex: He strongly opposes sex outside of marriage, but doesn't think that sex itself is evil, which sometimes puts him at odds with the older priests.