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+---- Thread: Making a Good Impression [Solo] (/showthread.php?tid=1072)
Making a Good Impression [Solo] - T'lian - 24.Nov.12
"Okay, little friend," Talian said in a hushed voice, eyeing the items strewn across his desk and arranging them with the utmost care. His new blue fire lizard poked his snout nervously from the front of Talian's shirt, yellow eyes filled with worry. What was Daddy doing? What were all those things? They smelled funny. Why did they smell funny?
Tal gently extracted the creature from his shirt. "I need to wash you," Talian said explained, holding the creature close to his face and silently pleading for him to stay calm. The poor little thing was just so nervous all the time!
It had been horribly the first few days. Talian had stayed up rather anxiously with the little creature, aggravated at how swiftly he became attached and terrified that it might die on him. He carefully tended to the little beast's every need, from feeding him every few hours to holding him when he got scared. Tal continued with his normal duties during the day, his new passenger invariably tucking himself in his clothes, and spent his nights reading every book he could find on dragon care. of course, he'd received an excellent crash course from Valerian on the first day. That had been a tremendous advantage, he figured, and he took care to remember every word.
Now, at six days old, the fire lizard seemed stronger and was no longer in a perpetual state of terror, though he remained preciously skittish. It had developed a willingness to crawl around on Tal's desk or occasionally flutter around the room, and its initially-worrisome habit of flashing between when frightened no longer gave Talian a miniature heart attack. The fire lizard knew how to safely take itself between, it would seem, and always found his way back home within a few minutes.
Tal had constructed a little nest for the fire lizard, mostly to end the creature's habit of trying to get under the covers with him. The nest consisted of one of Tal's old shirts, specifically the one he'd been wearing when he was first snatched by B'jin. It was too worn to really wear anymore, and it held too much sentimental value to be thrown away. Giving it to his new friend to sleep in seemed a logical choice. The fire lizard loved it, for it was warm and smelled like Daddy, so thankfully he soon took to using it.
Talian had successfully bathed the creature several times now, but today he would try out the first batch of oil he'd made on his own. He'd borrowed oil from Valerian at first, knowing without research that dragons' skin cracked uncomfortably and produced ugly scarring if the poor things weren't oiled. Tal had quickly set about learning how to make his own, though, and it was time to test it out. It was the second batch he'd attempted to make, the first having smelled foul and been discarded. This one looked better, and Tal had even managed to scent it with cinnamon.
Brewing things came naturally to Talian, who spent a lot of time working with medicinal plants anyhow. This was just another medication, and after reviewing his notes he was certain it was perfect. His confidence reassured the fire lizard, who relaxed and squeaked questioningly as he was placed on the table.
"Hold still, little guy," Talian said gently as he coated the tip of one finger in oil and began to gently massage it into the fire lizard's skin. It squeaked in gratitude, itchy hide soothed by the viscous mixture. Talian smiled, his heart warmed by the little thing's projection of love. He truly was fond of the little beast now, and now that it appeared so strong, he was certain that he'd cared for it correctly and that it would stay with him and grow strong.
"I guess it's okay to get attached to you know," Talian said lightly as he worked. The fire lizard crooned and rolled onto it's back, imploring Talian to oil its belly next. The healer quickly complied, smiling as the creature crooned in pleasure. "I was going to name you after my baby," Talian said aloud. He knew it wasn't intelligent enough to understand his words, but it was intelligent enough that taking to it made him feel better."But I don't think I want to do that. That stuff doesn't even seem real to me anymore."
The fire lizard cheeped, concerned at the sudden pangs of loss that coursed through Daddy. Tal shushed, poking the creature's snout and trying to concentrate on something happy. "No, no! Please don't be upset. Did I scare you? Or are you..." He paused, trying to concentrate on the emotions he could feel trickling from the tiny thing. He frowned as he came to a sudden understanding. "Aw. You're worried about me!" he realized aloud.
"Well, don't you worry. You didn't do anything wrong," he said, scratching the creature under it's chin and watching as it purred. The oiling didn't take long, for the fire lizard was still tiny, in spite of having already grown since birth. Tal scooped it up, pulling it to his chest and allowing it to climb onto his shoulder.
"You're so sweet. It's really pretty amazing," Talian conceded, turning his head to watch as the fire lizard cuddled against his neck. He could feel the little things emotions. Sometimes, he even thought he could see them! If this was a mere fire lizard, what must a dragon be like? Tal had heard all the stories about the overwhelming bond, but he found them hard to believe when he had nothing to compare it to. If this was any indication, then no wonder the dragonriders acted the way they did! It certainly made it easier to trust the dragons themselves, even if the riders were still crooked.
"I need to name you," Talian said. He leaned back in his chair, trying to think. He wasn't particularly creative and had no idea what sort of names were appropriate for pets. "Hmm. Well, you're blue..."
He looked around his office for ideas. He didn't have much; herbs, tools, a few personal effects. Nothing really reminded him of his new friend, though. Numbweed? It had negative connotations thanks to B'jin's horrible allergy. Thymus? Thymus led to public breakdowns, thank you very much.
Fellis. Calming and addictive.
Tal laughed a little bit. "I should call you Fellis," he joked, but as soon as he spoke, he realized that had to be its name. It was perfect.
The healer smiled lightly. "Fellis," he said. The fire lizard purred.
Tal was actually looking forward to the next day's lesson.