Welcome to Gaia! ::

T'rus, focused on inhaling his own meal as quickly as politely possible, so that he could get back to Akerth, barely glanced up when Sharkal took the seat across from him. It wasn't until he'd stuffed the next fingerroll in his mouth that he glanced up a second time, brain processing and presenting him with details about his new dinning companion.

That information alone might have been good for little more than a smile and a polite hello. Instead, it was the gold firelizard that commanded his further attention. She was a pretty thing, and that was worthy enough of note, but more to the point, it meant that Sharkal knew about the things. More than T'rus did anyway. And that made him, dragonless though he was, useful.

And anyway. T'rus had impressed after numerous standings. There was nothing to say Sharkal wouldn't do the same. Building and maintaining alliances early, that was the ticket.

"Sharkal, good to see you." And, judging purely by T'rus's tone and expression, one would think that Sharkal was exactly the person that he'd been looking for. Indeed, that he'd been sitting, waiting and hoping that said candidate would show up. "It's been awhile. Since the hatching? Akerth keeps me busy."

He eyed the firelizard, smiling with what was probably true admiration, "She's a pretty one."

There, then. Sharkal's compliment to T'rus was his chance to play down the whole impression thing, to make some sort of gently insulting toward Akerth and generally play down his new status and play up his relationship with Sharkal as a fellow weyrbrat. But it was still so fresh and bright, when he tried to find the words to dismiss it, to dismiss Akerth they just wouldn't come. He managed to repress the goofy smile thinking of the dragon usually summoned, but that was all he could do. "Akerth is-- healthy. And learning well. He has some difficulty with his siblings, but we're working on it."

There. At least he hadn't gushed. Gushing was bad. Gushing was always bad. Trying to push Akerth out of his mind, which was difficult, as the dragon was part of his mind, he let his gaze fall on the firelizard again. Right. His current concern and the subject that made Sharkal of particular use at the moment. The egg. As if he had time! Shards.

"It's good to see you've trained her out of those bad habits. Too many flits beg and cause trouble as they please." He gave the gold an approving little smile and returned his gaze back to Sharkal. He had a level, settled way of looking at people. There was no sense of distraction or boredom about it. His smile though, was ever so slightly lazy, to calm and easy to indicate anything like real excitement. "You got her as an egg?"

"Oh, the group is alright I guess." T'rus's tone indicated that in fact, he was less than pleased but inclined to be forgiving. "I'd have liked to see more of our sort impress. We've got a stands impression bronze who I don't think's ever seen a dragon before. Two women with greens and one of them wants to think she's a man. Dragon's so lazy it probably didn't bother to check."

Now, if T'rus was speaking to one of said female green riders or outsiders he'd have been all about equality. But with Sharkal, what he wanted was to emphasize the similarities between the two of them. Besides, as far as the damn bronze riders went, his statements probably came dangerously close to his true opinion on the matter. Generally, he liked to keep those to himself, but the bronzes were under his skin and he'd not yet figured out a way to dismiss that anger.

"But nevermind. I'm sure they'll shape up." He waved a hand in a quick gesture of dismissal. "Akerth'll see to that."

"I got a firelizard egg myself recently. I've got to admit, I know nothing about the things. You sure seem to, though." He certainly wasn't going to go as far as to ask for help, but hopefully, Sharkal was not so socially dense as to miss the cue he was being given.

T'rus allowed Sharkal's comment about male gold riders to pass without comment, as seemed best. There were just some things that one musn't be overheard saying, and the table they shared was a crowded one. He did however give one of those smirking nods that usually indicates that one agrees with you even if they don't actively state said feelings of agreement. It might be enough to at least prevent Sharkal from assuming any disapproval.

"Would you? I've got Akerth and I don't think he'd appreciate a poorly behaved firelizard badgering him. But something more like your Shimmer, he'd find useful, I think." A wry smile there, a bit of fondness leaking through the more casual exterior. "Anything I should worry about until it hatches? I don't have a lot of time but I don't want to kill the thing."

As Shimmer approached, roll in tow, T'rus chuckled, extending a hand toward the elegant little creature. "Is that for me?" He asked, approval mingling with laughter in his tone. If the firelizard was more or less a pretext for their original conversation, T'rus was beginning to find that he really did like the little gold. Now, if only people were so quick to be befriended.

Not wanting to be seen as the sort that rejected the gift, T'rus obediently took a few thoughtful bites of the roll that Shimmer had brought him. It seemed that she was getting rewarded for her good behavior, so at least they'd both benefited from the exchange. Finishing off the roll, he said, "Sorry to steal your meal."

Despite Sharkal's constant attempts to avoid meeting his eye, T'rus kept his gaze firmly on his dining companion. He wasn't offended, but he wasn't about to give up, either. If it made Sharkal uncomfortable to have T'rus's full attention at least he would leave the meal remembering that he had had it. Perhaps he'd forget the unease and only remember the attention.

"I will take the advice in hand then, and try not to kill the sharding thing. Never had a flit before, but if I can get one like yours, I suppose it will be worth it." He was just about done with his meal, but content to remain and talk to Sharkal awhile longer. "You sure you don't mind me finding you for advice when it hatches?"

It was at that point that Akerth woke up, and it was something that T'rus could feel, almost experience. As if he was waking as well, something coming alive in his head.

Food soon, T'rus. I am waiting. Nothing urgent or whiny or fierce, just that firm, tone. Words like rocks. Words to build a world on.

"Coming." He said it outloud, then, with a foolish grin. Coming. I am with an ally, I'll be there in a moment.

He stood then, favoring Shen with a gesture between a nod and a bow. "That's the boss. I've got to run. I'll introduce him to you next time you talk. And hey, if you ever need anything, you know where to find me." He sounded so sincere when he said it. So reliable. As reliable as Akerth did. As reliable as a mountainside.