Post by Ráhel Sárközi on Sept 27, 2015 19:51:49 GMT -8
RÁHEL-SÁRKÖZI
<<Played by Stern>>
Full Name>> Ráhel Sárközi (Western formulation) (Rael ˈʃaːrkœzi {Shar-koe-zi})
Nicknames>> N/A
Age>> February 4, 1981; 34
Staff or Student>> Staff; Geography and Chemistry
House>> N/A
Gender>> Female
Sexuality>> Heterosexual
Face Claim>> Lili Gesler
Personality>> Almost immediately upon meeting Ráhel, you'll notice one thing about her. She's a very self-expressive person. Ask her how she's doing, and you'll get a list of the complaints, rather than the typical American 'fine'. But then, if things are going well, you'll get information on those too, because she tries to stay optimistic. She's very straightforward, in everything from pleasantries in conversation to actual issues that need to be brought up. She'll call it as she sees it, and if that's a bit rude, well, that's not her problem. Her blunt way can turn some people away, but those that stick around find her to be a loyal friend, someone who will always stick to her word. She's always up to discuss everything (and I do mean everything), from love lives to horses.
In formal settings, she'd the perfect professional. Of course, it was a habit she learned from birth, with her parents. However, anywhere else, and she's actually relatively easygoing! She's very extroverted, striking up conversations with whomever she comes across, and if there's no one, chatting to her horses or her dog, or in extreme cases, herself. Silence just does nothing but unsettle her! She's very passionate about the things she loves, be it riding or chemistry, and that passion seeps through into any conversation.
Around people, Ráhel often comes across as if she's not very perceptive of feelings. However, she is actually relatively empathetic. She just tends to hide it in the blunt manner of her personality. But minute body language hints, or tonalities, let her know when she's treading close to a subject dear to another's heart. If she'll regard them is another story.
Likes>>
*Punctuality
*Cross-country, endurance, and trail riding
*Horticulture
*Sighthounds
*Cycling
Dislikes>>
*Inappropriate clothing
*Slang
*Pickles
*Cats
*Extreme wind
Fears>>
*Being hit by a branch knocked down by wind (form of anemophobia)
*Commitment
Hopes>>
*Compete in (and complete) the Tevis Cup, while she's in the States.
*Learn to keep cacti alive
Secrets>>
*She left her fiancé at the alter, which resulted in her returning to her education and eventually to teaching.
Appearance>> When people come across a 17.2 hand gelding, huge and snorting, they tend to imagine that he's ridden by someone tall, imposing. They are often surprised by the 5'5" form of Ráhel approaching him, almost at the edge of being described as waif-like. Her prominent cheekbones and chin give her face a strong angularity, but it fits her. Pale blue eyes peer out of the pale, clear skin, very expressive as to their owner's mood. Brown, very wavy hair tops that same face, often half-up, although sometimes Ráhel can't be bothered with even that, and leaves it down to hang loose. Her preferred attire is business casual for work, and whatever's comfortable for the barn.
Markings>> Minor scars, ears pierced once through the lobe.
Medical History>> Nothing major
Criminal History>> Occasional speeding ticket, nothing else.
Full History>>
All the way back in 1981, in Budapest, Hungary, there was a little girl born, a girl whom her parents named Ráhel. A miracle after rounds and rounds of fertility treatments and the notice that they would never have children, the beautiful daughter was all that her parents could have wished for. Healthy, happy, and never to want for anything. The daughter of business executives and granddaughter of equestrians, there was a world full of opportunities ahead.
And opportunities there were. There wasn't a weekend where Ráhel wasn't out on her grandparent's training farm, first thrown up onto the old geriatric horses, and then progressing to smarter and more challenging mounts. She started attending a few local shows, and then progressively widening her circle to further afield. When she was just starting to catch the eye of bigger-name trainers, life changed for Ráhel.
Her grandfather's death hit the whole family hard. Her grandmother sold the farm on to a young up-and-coming trainer, with the agreement that Ráhel would continue to be able to board and ride indefinitely. However, indefinitely was only a year, after which her parents and grandmother made the executive decision to move to Washington, in the United States. As a quite decent source of taxes, their Visas weren't long in coming, and just after Ráhel's twelfth birthday, they sold everything and flew off to their new lives. Green cards weren't long in coming, for the entire family, and soon after that, Ráhel's parents had naturalized, and Ráhel herself was the proud owner of two passports, and a dual citizenship.
And so Ráhel entered the American school system, working her way up to the Washington State University, where she majored in Biochemistry, with a focus on the merging of biochemistry and biophysics, along with a minor in Environmental and Ecosystem Sciences (i.e. environments and their interactions with biological systems). From there, she hoped to go on into working in the biochemistry word. However, for some reason, there was no luck in the job market for her. Her grandmother, noticing her struggle to find a job, contacted the young man who had bought her stables. It came out that the yard had passed into the hands of his younger brother, but yes, Szemere would take on a working student, especially if Ráhel had retained any of her talent on horseback.
So, she was back to her homeland soon after graduation, and welcomed back to what had once been her home away from home. She was introduced to the ins and outs of the yard, and then, the day after her arrival, thrown onto a young mare and shown the ring, and asked to show what she had. She passed the exam well enough, and her trial period was extended into a full job offer. She started by exercising the horses and then moved her way up to actually training and being trained herself, being groomed for competition. In her free time, Ráhel was beginning to find herself loving the training rides much more if they didn't include jumps on the cross country course, and began looking into the sport of endurance, to dabble on the side.
While Ráhel's show career was blossoming, however, something else was too. She and Szemere were starting to see a lot of each other, even outside of the yard's normal business. At first, they attempted to hide it, but finally, they could no longer. However, rather than letting embarrassment change who they were, they proudly made their relationship public. And when, after some time, Szemere finally presented the then 26-year-old Ráhel with a ring (right next to the stall of a newborn foal, who would be in training for her next mount), it was no surprise to anyone. Neither was Ráhel's response, a resounding 'yes'!
They postponed their wedding for nearly four years, continuing to work together, although Ráhel slowly faded out of the public eye in shows. She continued to ride and compete, but her heart was calling her back to the subjects she'd originally studied. Horses and riding had been a nice break, but it wasn't where she could see her entire life's plan. However, those feelings she suppressed until that fateful day, the thirtieth of April. The white dress was ready, her hair had been coiffed to perfection, and she was being primped before putting on the dress. Something made her pause, a word, a thought, she couldn't remember after the moment. But the fact that she didn't want to spend her life stuck to the yard, and that was what her husband would expect.
She froze up. She froze, and then she turned to her father, her eyes streaming with tears. Without ever confronting Szemere again, Ráhel fled, back to Washington. Her father remained only long enough to secure the transport of her little gelding and her dog, before assuaging the man's anger with a hefty sponsorship. Only then did he return to Washington to berate his daughter, but found her changed, older but also warier of herself. After a year, where the woman threw herself into her gelding's training, as well as her newest purchase, an Arabian for endurance rides, she had made up her mind. If there were no jobs for her with a bachelor, she would simply have to go up to a master's degree.
And so, she went back to school, this time to the University of Washington. Her master's degree took three years, but she completed it, with a final focus on organic chemistry. After graduation, she sent her resume everywhere that even slightly applied to her course of study. However, when the interview with Blue Ridge went well, she knew that it was the perfect melding of her hobbies with her actual profession... Without muddying the two.
And so, the dog was thrown into the car, the horse transport was organized, and off they went!
Pet Name>> Csendes Virágos
Registered Name>> Csende
Age>> 6 years
Gender>> Female
Species>> Canine
Breed>> Magyar Agár (Hungarian Gazehound)
Registry>> MATOE, 'Single Registration' with NAMAA
Personality>> Csende really is like most of her breed, at least in temperament. She's relatively reserved, preferring to hang back and watch what's going on before she approaches someone, without being shy. She's very intelligent, although that doesn't mean she knows lots of tricks! She knows enough for what's necessary, but anything silly, not so much. She will learn what trails to take, the signals of an incoming rest, and such, but begging? That's for other dogs. When she's in her domain, she's watchful and protective without actual aggression. She's a watchdog, not a guard, and there's a difference. When out running, her stamina truly shines through, and the tough part of her breed, as she lopes along for endless miles, asking only 'when can we keep going?' if stopped.
History>> Where else would you get a Hungarian gazehound than from Hungary? Well, California, for one, but Csende is actually from Hungary, born and raised there. She was picked up by Ráhel at twelve weeks of age and brought to the yard, where she grew up around the horses, always underfoot, quickly learning when to disappear. As she grew older and her joints more stable, she started accompanying Ráhel on training rides, at first only loping parts. When Ráhel left Hungary, there was no discussion, her dog would be following her. And so the two-year-old traveled to the states, joining back up with her owner and continuing to grow, ever lankier. Finally, she could run alongside for the entirety of the training rides, and still ask for more at the end! When Ráhel made her way to Blue Ridge, Csende was her driving companion for the trip, because of course the dog would be coming along.
Appearance>> Red Brindle [Piebald] | 67 cm, 60 lbs
