Evelyn Jones

Basics
Name: Evelyn Jones

Age: 28

Occupation: Dog Psychologist/Trainer (Dog Whisperer)

Physical Appearance
Lyn is described as compact and curvy, with blond hair just long enough for a ponytail and a delicate, peaches-and-cream complexion. She has an impressive bust-line and looks fantastic in grey. She offsets her diminutive and hyper-feminine stature with a military bearing, precisely tailored clothing, and sheer force of will. She exercises enough that she can hold a seventy-five pound dog in her arms for several minutes, though with some difficulty.

Personality Traits
Lyn radiates energy and charisma, and is described as being courageous, compassionate, and determined. She has a stubborn, almost contrary, streak a mile wide - the legacy of growing up with a step-father who's approval she desperately wanted but could never earn. Her experience with the military has prepared her to enter any negotiation with them like a bulldozer, lest she be ignored or trampled. She is open to new experiences like rappelling or skydiving, but hates being treated like a mushroom and will absolutely refuse to move without an explanation - though that explanation can be given in full later in the event of an emergency. She gets her moral compass from her biological father and struggles a bit with the more violent aspects of military dog training. In general she prefers dogs to people, and will talk to them in private like someone else might to a therapist. She describes herself as having trust issues.

Biography
Lyn's parents divorced when she was a baby, and her mother remarried Captain Francis Jones when Lyn was three. Lyn loved her biological father, who she credits for her own moral compass, but he died when she was very young. Captain Jones adopted her formally and gave her his last name, but otherwise offered her only the trappings of care - never the real thing. Lyn worked tirelessly through high school trying to prove herself to him and earn his respect, but her overachieving seemed to have no impression upon him. He finally sat her down and told her that their relationship involved the obligations of family and nothing more.

Lyn left home for college the moment she was accepted and didn't go back. She spent five years in New York, rehabilitating abused animals, and four more years as a private trainer for difficult personalities on the West Coast, primarily in Seattle, Portland, and several cities in California.

In Extreme Honor, Lyn saw an article in the paper about Atlas and knew she wanted to be the one to help rehabilitate the veteran dog. She reluctantly reached out to her step-father to gain his backing, only to find herself required to report to him not just on the progress of the dog, but also on the movements of David Cruz. After much excitement and skullduggery, Lyn elected to take Cruz up on his invitation and move in with him, though she still maintains her business and flies quite a lot to keep up with her clients. Her presence has drawn an increasing number of civilian clients to Hope's Crossing Kennels.

Relationships
Lyn doesn't appear to have many close relationships prior to coming to Hope's Crossing Kennels. Once there, however, she is quickly adopted by Sophie Kim, who keeps the kennel's books in order and its humans well supplied with baked goods. She is also friends with Elisa Hall, who assumes the position of Administrative Assistant to the kennels in Ultimate Courage. She shares a special bond with Atlas, breaking through his grief after his handler Calhoun dies and later adopting him jointly with Cruz. Lyn and Cruz are a couple and have remodeled Cruz's cabin to add a soaking tub and an office for Lyn. Lyn and her step-father, Captain Jones, have a generally antagonistic relationship, though Lyn seems to feel more hostility than he does. Lyn and her mother are on good terms, and Lyn has expressed a desire to introduce her to Cruz.

Trivia
Lyn...
 * isn't a morning person.
 * bites her lower lip when she's nervous.
 * refuses to call Captain Jones "Father."
 * has a small, sensitive bladder, and carefully times her bathroom trips on flights accordingly.
 * was both the one to tell Cruz she wanted to keep things professional the first time he tried to kiss her, and the one who eventually dragged him into bed with her.
 * had never had a real Philly Cheese Steak from Pennsylvania before coming to Hope's Crossing Kennels.

Quotes
"She'd always thought of honor as a word on a plaque or written under a crest. David was teaching her about the meaning of it."

"I like dogs better than I like people."

"I am done waiting for my choices to feel like mine."

"We did not bring pants."