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Julien chuckled at that, handing Chath larger sticks as he did. "Actually, yes," he agreed. "But Mir already knew that I wasn't like humans, so we got used to it together, she and I. Set these on top of the others, and spread them around a bit, so that you can see the smaller ones through," he directed, sitting down on the sand and folding his arms over his knees.

"I think it's probably better if you find ways to show your guardian that you're not a baby without scaring him, don't you?" he added gently. "There are lots of ways to show you can handle yourself, after all."

A few more sticks in place, and the Jules reached for the longest of them, holding it out to Chath. "Hold one end, and use the lighter to light the other," he said, his voice a touch distant as he considered Chath's question.

"Maybe the best place to start is with small things. If you can show how mature you are with things that he expects you to do, then he'll start expanding your limits. Keep your room clean, and maybe help out some with things that he needs help with." He paused, then added, "If you like to cook, rather than trying to do things all on your own, ask him if he'd like to help you with it. He'll feel better about things, and you can show him how well you can handle yourself."

Julien smiled quietly. "There are times when I think Mir still sees the little boy she knew any time she looks at me. But she's been entrusted with ensuring my safety and guiding me," he added, watching Chath work at the stick patiently. "It's much the same with yours, I think." And then, in a voice that suggested he was betraying a great confidence, he softly added, "Part of growing up is learning to be patient with the changes you want to happen."

Smile firmly in place as Chath finally got the stick lit, he nodded to the pile. "Okay, take that and slip it between the larger pieces, so that you can light the small twigs on fire. The larger sticks will feed the fire that grows from the twigs."

Julien smiled at Chath, considering the boy for a moment before nodding his head. "Fire is very beautiful," he said softly, eyes distant for a moment. "But it can hurt very badly if you reach out to touch it. Never try to touch fire. Only look." He leaned back a little, certain within himself that if Chath did ignore his warning, he could do something about it. All that practice had, at the very least, made him more confident in his abilities.

"Well, a fire like this is still too small to do very much with, but I do want to show you a safe way to put it out, so that you know how to make sure the fire's dead. If you leave a fire without putting it out, you chance it going out of control and hurting someone," Julien said, smiling quietly. Really, Chath was a very good listener, he was discovering.

"I like to cook," Julien said, smiling. "And some food is just... best if cooked outside, over a wood fire like this one. Only... one that's better built, with proper fuel for it. So when my guardian found out that I wanted to try it, she taught me what I needed to know to keep us all safe." He paused, then leaned back on his hands, stretching a little.

"And actually, sand and dirt is better than water. With fire, water makes steam and can boil and splash, both of which can hurt you. But dirt and sand, instead, cut the fire off from the air it needs, without splashing around or making steam. So the best thing to do is smother the fire with dirt or sand, if you've got it handy. If you don't, water will definitely work. But you want to be careful pouring it on."

Julien smiled at that, letting Chath handle it on his own. Even so, he kept a sharp eye out in case the boy hurt himself in the process. "I like making new friends, and keeping them safe," he said simply. "It's... what I do..." As he spoke the last words, his voice trailed off, eyes growing distant as he considered what he'd just said silently. There was meaning there - more than he'd meant to speak.