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((Private RP thing.. in progress ))

The Gather had started off ... eh... uneventful wasn't quite the word he was looking for, but the young smith figured it would do for now. Uneventful, at least, in that he hadn't suffered an personal injury or lost a great deal of coin in a game of chance. He had heard, of course, about the fight, and to an extent that worried him, but he hadn't been there. The clothing he had ordered fit him well enough (now that he had it) and he thought that he cut a rather nice figure in his varying shades of red and burgundy. He had even purchased a new belt knife, which he was now twirling around his fingers.

It was a nice piece, and he had recognized the stamp of the maker, but it wasn't really a part of him yet. A tool was ever a tool until it was yours, then it was you... at least that is what he had been taught by his foster mother. He suspected she had merely been trying to convince him that he shouldn't use the shovels as playthings, but he had taken her literally back then, and treasured what tools he had now. As it was, his drafting instruments were still packed away but he didn't expect to have the free time to sketch anything during daylight hours, so he left them safely in his pack. The Weyr certainly provided ample panoramas just begging to be sketched, but all of those spots would be taken after nightfall, and Faranth knew he was busy enough during the day.

His first week here had been busy, first meeting Ennrik and Conomor, then finding out how much he was expected to work for his food and room. The romantic naive part of him had been quite thoroughly shown the door, especially when he had made the biggest sharding mistake of his young life. He certainly should have known better, but he had forgotten what it was like to be in a busy place and not have his Master with him to get to the front of food lines. Likewise, he hadn't waited like he was supposed too, and had just gone into the kitchen area when he was hungry and picked up a plate.. intending to fill it... only to have his hands unceremoniously thwacked by the biggest wooden spoon he'd ever seen. Naturally, he dropped the plate and it shattered in a million pieces, earning him a glare from every cook and worker in the area, starting with the monstrous she-man that had wacked him in the first place.

Shivering on his bed, Ghilani put the knife down and rolled over, tugging his bedfurs tighter around his body at the mere memory of his first day with the woman. She had towered over him (and apparently everyone else) and bellowed something along the lines of 'wherryheaded fool,' but at that point Ghilani had't been paying attention to what she was saying since he was trying so hard not to run away and shame himself further. In the end, he had earned himself three sevendays of kitchen work, and was made to recite the rules of the candidate barracks several dozens times. Kids stuff, but when he had turned up for his first day of kitchen duty, he definitely felt like a very young kid again.

Finally, though, he had managed to earn some semblance of respect back; due in part to his constant smile and extremely polite deference to the Behemoth even when she was bellowing at him. That, and he was genuinely in awe of the work the staff did in a day. The women and men of the Lower Caverns certainly had their work cut out for them supplying both the Dragonriders and the Weyrfolk and Crafters that lived here. He hadn't ever seen the Headwoman or the Headcook, but the Behemoth was certainly a force to be reckoned with enough as it was.. and she was just an assistant! He'd done dishwashing and he'd tried his hand at cooking, he'd minded canines and done a bit of butchering and scaling, he'd baked and he'd stirred until he felt his hands might come off, but every day he worked his hardest, and at the end of the day, the result was a plate of the very food he had attempted to filch and a pat on the back or a curt nod (if the Assistant happened to be the Behemoth.)

Certainly his domestic skills were improved, and he had gathered a greater understanding of the workings behind the Weyr. This week he had actually volunteered to help in the kitchens again, but now he had an ulterior motive.

Turning over, he peered over the edge of his bed at the little clay jar warming itself by the hearth in his small room. Thankfully his roommate, a Journeyman Healer named Florian, didn't mind the intrusion.. but then again the older boy did have a firelizard of his own... and frankly.... Ghilani would need his help once this little one hatched.

Thinking back, he wondered what exactly had possessed him to purchase the little creamy mottled egg from that merchant at the Gather. He didn't exactly need a firelizard, nor had he exactly wanted one, but at the man's desperate call with the ridiculously low price, Ghilani had found himself wandering over. That had been it of course, since his eyes had immediately fallen to one of the smallest orbs in the bunch, and before he knew it he had bought it and was trekking back to the Weyr with the rest of his purchases.

By the First Egg, it was a good thing he had learned something of dragonlore, and had thought well enough ahead to persuade the man to part with an insulated carry sack for egg, which he had then placed in his own sack. For sand, well, once he ad gotten back to the Weyr he just sneaked into the Hatching Sands themselves and pilfered a small pot's worth. It had seemed appropriate, and Ghilani paid careful attention to stay far far away from the brooding queens. Sneaking out had proven a bit more difficult, but he had managed well enough, and had seen to it that the kitchen staff and the candidate handlers knew he had the egg afterward.

As he watched it though, the egg appeared to be rustling beneath the sand. Blinking, Ghilani could only stare stupidly at it for a moment before he threw himself bodily off his cot and out the door, pelting down the corridor it scant more then his breeches. He had told the Behemoth about the egg of course, and he surprised himself by hoping she would be minding the kitchens at this late hour. She wouldn't waste any of his time now, even if she would likely drill him on the specifics later. He needed fresh meat now, that much he had learned about the little critters during his buyer's remorse period.

Skidding into the back entrance to the kitchens, he nearly ran full into the Behemoth's awesome girth. Thankfully, she caught him by the shoulders and steadied him, taking one look at his face before half turning and bellowing an order at one of the women slicing meat for stew. Within moments (where he hadn't even had to utter a word) he had a bowl of freshly cut herdbeast fillets, and the Behemoth calmly took him by the shoulders again and shoved him back out the door.

Bewildered for a moment, Ghilani turned back to thank her, but she just waved him off before lumbering back to her table, where she presumably been reviewing a recipe.


Finally reaching his room, Ghilani headed straight for the hearth, noting with slight panic that Florian wasn't around to talk him through this little fiasco. Heaving a deep breath, he turned his eyes to the shifting pot, and with shaking hands he carefully brushed aside a light layer of sand to expose the egg, turning it as he did towards the fire so the hatchling inside would know where to focus it's efforts. Florian hadn't specifically told him that, but watching the egg now, it seemed like a good idea... and gave him something to do while the hatchling frantically pushed and scraped it's way free.

At length, when the scratching had grown a little weak, Ghilani unsheathed his new belt knife, cutting himself as he did, and chiseled a bit at the shell. Bizarre as it was, he definitely felt drawn to this small struggling creature, and he was heartened to hear the clawing and scratching renew itself at the point he was chipping at. Finally, with a great shudder, the egg parted to reveal a dark green snout, ringed with a light green that continued to extend the length of the hatchlings head as the small female finally pulled herself free from the shell, creeling piteously.

Reaching blindly at his side, Ghilani pulled the bowl closer to him and without waiting for the dainty green to fully clear the shell, he started to feed her bite sized chunks, cutting them down to size with his knife as need be. He managed to knick himself a few more times with the unfamiliar instrument, but within the hour, the small green was sated and resting in the crook of his arm with a notably distended belly.

No small wonder he hadn't realized how badly he had scratched himself, the adrenaline of feeding the green had even propelled him well into the next morning (though dawn was a few hours off) and he was both tired and in dire need of some bandages.

Morning announced itself awkwardly with the muffled creeling of two hungry firelizards, one deeper and definitely begging, the second higher and very hungry. Florian had been up for awhile, which would account for his brown's tone, and he just rolled his eyes as he rolled out of bed. Roco followed him to the edge of the cot, and watched him intently as the journeyman meandered none-too-quietly towards his chest where he kept some dried meat for just this purpose. The incident with M'zaji had taught him to feed Roco before the lizard went ANYWHERE outside the rooms, so Florian kept his room stocked with tidbits here and there. Ghilani looked to be barely out of the dregs of sleep himself, though he was doing an admirable job of stuffing the little green's face. Taking a moment to actually look at the smith, Florian had to stifle a laugh.

The younger boy's hair was plastered to one side of his skull, with a few locks curling up at an unusual angle to closely resembled the raised tail of a runnerbeast. Between the hair and the groggy expression, it was impossible for anyone looking at him to keep a straight face, and Florian was no exception.

Glaring at his roommate, Ghilani pointedly ignored him with a huff, unconsciously taking his free hand to run through his hair. As he encountered the... extra appendage.. he snorted and smoothed it, though the characteristic grin was ghosting at the corners of his mouth when he realized what Florian had been laughing at. "Shards Florian, you could have just told me I had a tail growing." he said chuckling. The little grin trilled her appreciation of the sound, and both Florian and Ghilani looked at her in surprise. She was apparently done eating (for now ) and was looking up at her new person with bright whirling eyes.

"Did she just chuckle too?" Florian asked, quirking a brow.

At a loss, Ghilani just shrugged and scratched her eye ridges. "I have no idea, but what should I call her?" The caress was gentle, and he smiled softly when she leaned into his touch. Thinking back to his earlier doubts, he almost laughed again at how silly he had been. Of course firelizards were the best companions! "I just keep calling her 'My Little Green' in my head... and that just wouldn't be right." He continued with a laugh, which earned him both a smile from Florian and another delighted chuckle-trill from the dainty green. "Best watch out Ghil, she's skillfully wrapping you about her little claws... soon you won't have a mind to think with!" Florian noted with another grin, though he wasn't sure what one could call such a personable little critter. Roco had been easy, the name had quite literally jumped up at him while he was drinking a sweetened klah-type drink the ancients had called 'hot coco.' His brown had still been young at the time, only five days hatched, so the name stuck fairly easily.

Studying Ghilani's green, and how Ghilani acted with her, he suspected the little female and her owner were going to be right little heartbreakers once things got going. The lad was quite smitten with her charms, and the green was positively feasting on the adoration. Sighing, Florian glanced over at Roco, who was watching the little green curiously, but for the most part kept his distance. "Sickly sweet, don't you think Roco?" the Healer rumbled, laughing when Ghilani's head snapped around and glared at him. "Defensive too, oh dear whatever will we do?" Florian continued dramatically, pleased to actually be teasing Ghil this way. Roco was staring at him with surprise, but obviously either caught on, or liked his mood, because the brown took to the hair and coiled around his neck chirping. "Yes yes, I agree. Best leave the lovebirds alone." He finished with a flourish, rising to his feet with Roco chittering happily.

Ghilani could only sputter at him between laughing at the healer's behavior and outrage. Looking at Ghil' from beneath arched brows, Florian affected a look of profound contempt and sniffed.. just as Ghilani wrapped his free had around a pillow and lobbed it at him. With a squawk, Roco launched himself as Florian took the pillow assault square in the face, which he then let fall to the ground with a imperious shake of his head. " Well then. Come Roco, they really need to have some alone time." The tall journeyman said to his brown, whose eyes were whirling a bright blue with amusement as they swept out the door.

Laughing outright now, Ghilani adjusted his little girl's perch and carefully pulled himself to his feet. It certainly was refreshing to have Florian joking with him, even if the older boy was sometimes a little heavy handed with the teasing. Obviously trying to be helpful, the delicate green fanned her wings to better balance herself as she carefully attempted to climb her way up the front of his tunic to reach his shoulder.

Mindful of those fragile wings, Ghilani put a hand along her dorsal ridge to help her pull herself up as he walked over to his bed. Once she was in place, he went about making the bed and straightening the room, ending with finally dislodging the lizard long enough to get changed. He took his eyes off her long enough to clean himself up a bit, and when he turned back around, he chuckled when he found her snuggling up against his pillows, purring.

"Silly creature. Well, time for breakfast for me, want to come along?" The was a rhetorical question, of course she was coming along, but she appeared to like the sound of his voice so he kept talking to her all the way to the kitchens.