Bernard

Hailing from a remote northern village with no shortage of permafrost, Bernard was raised in a culture where might makes right. A skilled hunter was the one to call the shots; the harsh climate made a tough sense of self and community necessary, although by some standards that region's hunters were considered excessively aggro. But it was a place among that class that Bernard has always craved more than anything else.

Aiming to be the first in his family to attain Guild recognition, he put his heart into training from a surprisingly early age. By the age of twelve or so he carried an encyclopaedic knowledge of wyvern lore, studying any book or notes that found its way to the village and paying rapt attention to the amused hunters who let him linger at the table. Too small to yet wield a weapon, he settled for cleaning and maintaining them in exchange for a story or the occasional trophy. And every time he would beg the hunters to let him tag along, keen to see the action firsthand.

As it turned out, the action would come to him. Word reached the village of a rathian flying north, no doubt seeking the last of the summer prey to be had in the mountain meadows before winter's grip began to tighten again. But when its path suddenly veered towards the village, there were few hunters home in time to stop it. The unlucky timing saw the beast setting fire to the outskirts, prompting residents desperate to protect their winter stockpiles to take up arms against the beast; and that was how the young Bernard ended up in its path, thrown aside by a sweep of its spiked tail and knocked into a darkness he would be trapped in for many days.

When he came to, the beast was dead. The sale of rathian parts would have to make up for the precious supplies lost; the village would survive, surely, but it would be a very lean winter. Bernard, for his part, found himself laid up in bed for most of it. The toxins from the rathian's venomous tail had caught him along the back of the neck, seeping into his spine. The local doctor couldn't promise he'd ever walk again, let alone live up to his dreams. But rather than sink into the despair that called to him, Bernard took it as a challenge. It took weeks of strenuous physical therapy until he could finally stagger to his feet. From there it was a long but fruitful process of regaining his balance and coordination, and eventually muscle. It was a stark contrast to the doctor's bleak outlook, and it brought Bernard great pride.

The only problem was that his coordination was never the same. He could run, jump, and so on; but it was difficult to maintain precise movements, and it showed in the little details, such as his once-immaculate handwriting becoming a scrawl, or the way he'd drop a knife where he used to twirl it with ease. And as he came of age, this barrier would prove too much. The preliminary testing for Guild recognition was impossible if you couldn't reliably use a weapon. Assigning him a hunt would be sending him to his death. With his application soundly rejected, it seemed like Bernard would finally be stopped .... and he was, for a time. It was the first time he'd ever simply given up, languishing in bed of his own will this time, moody and bitter and cold as the winter's claws. But one day he seemed to simply make up his mind:

If he wasn't going to be a hunter, then he'd get as close to them as he could get.

Becoming a palico wasn't an option, so the next best thing in his eyes was handler work. Despite his now-messy handwriting, he'd passed the rest of the handler testing with flying colours, and rocketed himself into Guild life at long last. Leaving his village hardly took a second thought as he set off for assignment; but while his competitive streak would keep him working hard, it also didn't make him many friends in the Guild. Determined to prove himself the best, he got catty and aggressive with his fellow handlers, and the pressure on his assigned hunter to perform was enormous. Despite his seemingly perfect stats he was shifted from post to post as his colleagues grew tired of him. And when he showed interest in joining the Fifth Fleet to cross over to the New World, Bernard's superiors were all too willing to sign the papers and send him on his way.

Bernard would not make things much easier for himself on the voyage out. Not realizing what they'd brought with them among their handlers, the leads of the Fifth struggled to place him as he chafed with his peers; there was some debate if he should just be shifted to the Research division, since anyone who wasn't a hunter or handler he seemed capable of treating normally. But then an idea struck: simply pair their problem handler with their problem hunter. Surely two wrongs would make a right?

Bernard would prove a fine fit for the hunter Vyvian, purely on the basis that he was too gung-ho to die. If Vyvian wasn't going to be a team player then Bernard would do it for the both of them. The two are opposites in many ways; but so long as late-riser, low-maintenance, single-mission Vyvian keeps the A-Lister reputation alive, then early-riser, home-keeper, task-manager Bernard will be the fuel for that fire. If only he could get some proper appreciation around here!

• He keeps several pairs of backup glasses, but for the most part the chain does a good job of keeping things in check.
• An unusual amount of effort goes into keeping his face blemish-free. Somehow that's not surprising to anyone.
• He absolutely refuses to go out in an uncoordinated outfit, citing how unprofessional it'll look.
• Although he can't keep himself from competing with hunters and handlers, he's perfectly capable of a (mostly) normal conversation with R&D staff.
• His main outfit is primarily paolumu fur.

VYVIAN❈

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If Bernard is going to live his hunter dreams vicariously through Vyvian, then this relationship is about to get super high pressure. But despite his annoyances with his teammate's poor collaboration efforts, he still takes his handler duties extremely seriously and makes it a point to excel. Getting a proper 'thank you' is a high he can't stop chasing.

RHUBARB❦

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Palicoes seem to overhear all the juicy bits, so Bernard enjoys a good round of gossip with Rhubarb. She's integral to his future planning as well, and they make pretty good teammates.