Pavel Rusten

**Pavel Rusten** is a passenger of The Midnight Valiant. A scientist who studies plants and herbalism.

### Bio

Before arriving on the Midnight Valiant, Pavel was a very cold individual. He had been brewing in his failures and shortcomings and was desperate to return to the only people he felt like actually cared about him. The crew has made him re-examine his beliefs about others. Perhaps not everyone is out to crush others on their path to success. He is hardworking, he has been the sole supporter of his family for a long time so it comes with the territory.

It sometimes can be hard for him to relax. The lines blur between hobbies and work. He has always put others before himself, whether it was his family, Ilkay, or now the crew. Pavel desperately tries to take care of others sometimes to his own detriment. His dream is to attain a position with one of the two major academic institutions either as a researcher or a professor of some sort, but he lacks a valid identification.

### Appearance

Pavel is built lean with broad shoulders, feminine hips and muscular legs. While Pavel presents himself as the bookish type, he is actually quite athletic. It has been a few years since he last used his talents, but the years of training don't automatically disappear. His build is very toned, his legs more so than anything else. Freckles scattered across his shoulders and cheeks. He tends to tie his hair up to keep it from distracting him. Its long but shorn on the sides and back. He won't admit it but he's still very self conscious about his chest. While he has gone through most of his transition, his chest is bigger than he'd like it to be.

Pavel smells of the worn leather from his favourite coat, a hint of Patchouli in his clothes from home, petrichor, a strong chai tea.

Pavel generally wears long skirts with plenty of pockets, a white undershirt, and a black velvet vest. His favourite undershirt has maroon embroidery along the collar that his Baba crafted for him. As for jewelry he wears pearls, one necklace includes the head of a spoon from home. At night he likes to wear just a long night shirt that hangs to about knee length.

### Background

Pavel grew up in a small village in the Carpathians. While his family was small, it never felt small. There was always another villager a shout away. Most of Pavel's time was spent crafting with his Baba or climbing trees in the forest. Everyone helped the Rusten-Popovich family, especially the church. Pavel spent much of his time there, singing in the choir and listening to sermons.

During his teenage years he found his mother crying. His father had never been home much during his childhood, but they found out he wouldn't be returning. The role of support was thrust upon Pavel, and unfortunately he felt like he didn't have many options.

Through destiny or misfortune, Pavel ended up becoming a performer in the Bazaar Myriad at age 16. He was one of the youngest in the troupe. It was there that he met his first and only serious romantic partner Ilkay.

Ilkay became Pavel's guide to circus life, helped Pavel explore his gender and sexuality, and later on introduced him to an additional line of work. It was supposed to be good easy work, a supplemental income.

By 23 Pavel decided he couldn't keep up. The realization that he could be a man opened up worlds he had never dreamed were within his grasp. He wanted to study. Maybe he could get a proper job. He asked Ilkay to leave with him, but Ilkay rejected the idea. The circus was their home.

Heartbroken, Pavel set out with his life savings to the America's. He spent about 5 years studying and applying for every position he could find. The only issue was that he didn't have a valid ID. Not one with the name Pavel Rusten.

Unwilling to share his birthname and circus history with the academic community, quickly running out of savings, and needing to support his family, Pavel decided it was time to return home.