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Nandeli waved off Okassis's initial words with her hand. Clearly he had come for a reason. The former Trader most certainly did not wear a grin like that unless he knew something. It appeared her forwardness had been rewarded, as he moved onto something absolutely juicy. The Nose listened with rapt attention, taking in every word he said. A little Weyrgirl trying to find her father the important Wingleader? And Okassis hooked them up? Oh why hadn't she found him earlier?! Shards! But at least he had come to tell her what he knew, and so she would have to make sure to reward him for that.

"A little Weyrgirl looking for her father? With eyes like a very important Wingleader?" She tapped her chin, looking thoughtful for a moment. If it was a Wingleader, her father must be a bronzerider, but that didn't exactly narrow it down much. There were lots of bronzerider who could have fathered children, as per the bronzerider trap. How old the girl was would give her a better idea who. Nandeli batted her eyelashes at Okassis, and asked, "Can you at least give me the age of the little girl? Otherwise I shall be forced to bore you with a list of all the Weyr's bronzes..." She gazed at him expectantly.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on S'kagi's opinion of the matter), Kagiya was not especially arrogant. Entitled, perhaps, but not arrogant. Her mother had gone out of her way to instill a sense of equality between her two daughters, and it had certainly taken root. She might have the occasional airs, but she was at that impressionable age where her character was still being shaped quite a bit, and Katya was determined to shape it appropriately. "Yes..." she said, reluctant at first to speak. Daddy did not seem very confident in their relationship. Was he going to send her home to eat? Or was there the smallest chance that Giya was going to get to remain at the Gather? Glancing up anxiously at the man that she had now unequivocally latched onto as her father, she waited to see what he would do. If he was anything at all like her mother, his next course of action would be to hurry her along to the Weyr, probably by the ear. Mama did not approve of little girls who misbehaved.

Seven Turns... Nandeli scrunched up her nose as she attempted to do the mental arithmetic. That meant she was probably a child of the newer bronzeriders then, though the older ones could be out there procreating. The fact that she had just come looking for her now, however, suggested her mother was either young enough to think her daughter could roam free or old enough not to care. This whole thing really was quite puzzling.

With further information, she was left to puzzle at it again. If her mother was a Healer then... well, that didn't really mean anything. Healers were almost as popular at the Weyr as Harpers, so there was a good chance her mother was a Healer at the Weyr. Whether or not she had been a Candidate (and thus falling into the bronzerider trap) was still up in the air. Wait... bronzerider trap? And a Healer? Wasn't... Oh my.

It couldn't hurt to guess, and so Nandeli pulled a pigtail loose and hung her curls over one eye. "Her dad wouldn't happen to wear his hair just so, would he?"

A look of unequivocal delight grew over Okassis's face as Nan let down her hair. Despite the overwhelming laughter threatening to bubble up inside him, however, he managed a very plain smile as he mildly answered, "You'd really think that a Wingleader would have the decency to cut his hair. But I suppose that if he was wild enough back in the day to saddle himself with a daughter of seven Turns, a few wild strands falling in his face shouldn't mean so much, should they?"

He owed her a drink now, for sure. Grinning, Okassis tapped on the table and shoved off into the crowd, going to take a look at what was available in the ways of foodstuffs (other than spidercakes).

"Oh!" Kagiya said, sounding quite as though S'kagi had revealed a deep truth instead of just dodging her 'manners lesson'. "Can they? Can I talk with my mouth full, Daddy?" Years of training, liable to be undone in the space of a moment if S'kagi wasn't careful. And when Katya discovered the source of those words of wisdom... well, it wasn't wise to irritate a Healer. Clasping her hands before her, she tilted her head slightly to the side, still waiting for him to send her packing. "Yes, Daddy?" She certainly liked that word, didn't she?

Kagiya wrinkled her brow, trying very hard to speak with her mind. Sadly, it was not to be. "I don't think I can, Daddy," she said regretfully, deciding that she would one day master the technique. If he could do it, she could do it. His dragon could, anyway. Hmm. Concentrating like that was hard! She made a face, and put the matter aside, doing a little twirl in place. "Does they eat a lot?" she asked, somewhat curious. She'd only ever seen the baby dragons feed, and babies ate more than big ones, right? Maybe big dragons didn't eat much! But they were so huge, how could they eat anything and be full? She didn't think there was anything big enough to be like a bubbly pie for them. Was there? Maybe wherries were big, but they sure didn't taste like pie!

In short order, Okassis had landed himself a massive piece of Benden-style baklava (at Inaari's expense, of course!) Taking his first bite, the trader chewed slowly, picking up on the complexities of the sticky-sweet mess. It wasn't bad, he decided after a few more nibbles; almost as good as Benden, and maybe even sweeter! S'van would probably get a kick out of it - but of course, the seaholder wasn't here to enjoy it with him. Ah well. Okassis would just have to savor it for the both of them, and tantalize his friend with an in-depth description of exactly how good it was once he was back at the Weyr.

Soon, Okassis was polishing off the last bite and licking his fingers clean - catching a disgusted glare from some upper-crust Craftmaster's wife that had come out to mingle with the commoners, he gave a sticky smile in the woman's direction. It was a Gather, he reasoned, table manners were hardly a prerequisite! He watched her storm off, highly entertained. These holdfolk, no common sense in them at all....

He heard a barking laugh from down the way. It was distinctive; one of those sounds that had voice and soul and smile all wrapped up in them, and instantly conjured the memory of a face to Okassis's mind. His face with flat with surprise, and he straightened out - craning his head, trying to get a look around an especially tall man in the crowd, he sought to connect the memory with reality. It hadn't been his imagination, he felt certain....

"Hey, Inaari, I've got something to see to," he told the girl suddenly, putting his hand on her shoulder even as he continued trying to get a look around the crowd. There, a bright blue headband wrapped around a head of dark braided hair - that was him, wasn't it?! Okassis's face light up. "Catch up with you later!" he promised the Cotholder girl, breaking suddenly from her company and shoving off into the crowd....

"Oil them and wash them, it takes a fair amount of time, but they like to swim. Coriath loves the ocean, so that makes it easier." He explained, fighting an inward sigh. The large bronze was of course, an fair distance from the actual gather, taking the time to relax and unwind while S'kagi enjoyed the Gather, or tried to. "Having a dragon is a lot of work, even when the thread isn't falling."