Rubex

Rubex is an imposing figure. This is not just because of his towering size, being easily one of the biggest dragons in the clan due to his being an Imperial, but also because of the way he looks, both in facial expression and body language. He carries himself in the way a proud dragon would, as if he were a prince, groomed since birth to eventually grow to take claim to the throne as king. His expression follows suit; his mouth is almost always set on a straight line, his eyes set with an expression that makes him look like a stern dragon. In this, he and Vita are alike.

But when you make the time to spark up a conversation with him, you'll find that he is a far less serious dragon. He is a kindly soul; Rubex is always ready to lend an ear to anyone who wishes to speak to him, and gives advice freely, especially to those who seek it. Rubex is known for giving sound counsel, and even Vita, despite her being older than him, goes to him every one in a while for advice. Not only this, but he is popular for his ability to keep any kind of secret, big or small. This, combined with his willingness to offer comfort to anyone that needs it, he's begun to act as the clan's psychologist, and has recently accepted to take the official title of Clan Counselor. To be fair, though, he took it on more as a formality than anything; you don't need a title to have more than half of the clan's trust.

Rubex is also one of the clan's strongest warriors, if not the strongest, right beside Vita. Because of this, he is usually there to train other dragons who are called to the service to their patron god. He has proven himself to be a patient mentor, and is always there to cool Vita down whenever she loses her patience with someone.

However, these aren't Rubex's only jobs; he also holds a third position, just as important as the other two; he is the clan's caretaker. Now, if he performs his other jobs great, this is the job he performs to the best of his ability, and the one he enjoys the most. Rubex loves hatchlings; he loves spending time with them and playing with them. He will treat all the hatchlings under his care as if they were his own, and he's usually the one to take the orphans under his wing. There are many dragons in the clan that can call him "Father," even Scylla. He does his best to form a good relationship with the children, and always takes them seriously when they come to him to divulge a secret, no matter how silly the secret is, and if they come to him for a serious matter, he is always looking for ways to help them. If Rubex has failed to form a healthy relationship with a hatchling, it wouldn't be for lack of trying on his part. The performance of this job has reached the point where he is a parent's first choice as caretaker, and some hatchlings take to sulking when he's too busy to take care of them.

Rubex is quite the perfectionist when it comes to his jobs, and pretty much in anything else he does, but there is one exception to the rule. His love life is a mess, having had a few different mates (though not nearly as much as Vita). It actually started out promising, with Rubex taking on Kaya, Vita's first daughter, as his mate. It had been working out well, they seemed to be compatible, there were little fights, and Rubex was nothing but a gentleman towards her. It all went downwards when they had their first hatchlings. Clay and Gregor had hatched too early, and by consequence, they were sickly and weak. While they did everything they could, the children still died barely three days after they hatched. Both parents were devastated, but Rubex felt the loss harder than she. He had been anticipating these hatchlings with the excitement of a new father, and to lose them so soon nearly broke his spirit. Then Kaya began to grow closer to Iris, her best friend, and eventually mated with him, and left Rubex.

It took a long time for his heart to mend, but when it did, Rubex had sworn not to look at another dragonelle again. He ended up eating his words when he began to grow closer to Hyacinth and the two soon mated, and produced three healthy hatchlings. Things seemed happy for Rubex. Then he committed what he believes to be his biggest mistake. He had a fling with Rayna.

Rayna had been part of Kaya's last clutch before she and Iris had to be called to service by the Shadowbinder the very same day of their hatching. Rubex had taken in the two hatchlings as if they were his own, not only because it was his duty, but because he wanted to help Kaya one last time. While all three parties were close, Rubex and Rayna were the closest of the two, even though Rayna took after her father, and had only her mother's eyes. Rubex had never meant it to develop further than a father-daughter relationship, but Rayna quickly found herself developing a crush towards her surrogate father. Rubex found himself going along with her.

The affair was brief, it only lasted for a summer, and they met in secret, taking only stolen moments from their day. It would have stayed secret had Scarlet and Draco not been conceived. However, even when they hatched, no one needed to know that Rubex was their father; they looked almost nothing like him, and Rayna was never obligated to mention who sired them. Somehow, though, the secret got out almost as soon as they hatched, and Rubex, once the information went public, admitted to having sired Rayna's children. The effect was instantaneous; almost everyone disapproved of it, and looked to the hatchlings with varying degrees of contempt. Even Vita, who normally did her best to stay out of other dragons' affairs, disapproved of Rubex's affair, though she held no ill-will towards the hatchlings and defended them almost as fiercely as a mother would. They were her kin, after all.

While it was bad enough for Rayna to have an affair with her adoptive father, it wrecked Rubex's relationship with Hyacinth. Hyacinth, gentle in nature and usually calm and even tempered, nearly flew into a rage when she heard the news. Distraught and sobbing, she cursed Rubex's name and broke off the relationship. It took nearly a year for her heart to mend, and a few more months before she could bring herself to so much as look in Rubex's direction. In was slow going, but they managed to repair their broken bond, but they could never be together as mates again. The damage was done, and irreparable to Hyacinth. She would never be able to truly trust Rubex again, at least in that sense.

Since this incident, Rubex hasn't quite been able to trust himself with another amorous relation, and has kept his feelings towards dragonelles in check and has taken to dedicating himself more to his clan and to his friend and leader, Vita, to the care of the hatchlings, training young dragons and, most importantly, being part of the glue that holds the clan together.