Habits

Gilan had always had the nervous habit of biting his nails. When he was troubled, anxious, on edge, or anything similar to it, his first natural response to it was to chew his fingernails. He did it unconsciously, nibbling them until they were short and worn and ragged. He tried to control himself, but it was so instinctive that he often didn't realize he was doing it until the damage was already done.

It bothered Halt to no end. He, like any good parental figure would, tried his best to stop it. He constantly reminded his student to cease if he caught him at it, and always pulled Gilan's hand away if he was next to him and Gilan made a move to gnaw at his nails.

Gilan improved... slightly. While he did learn to limit himself, the habit was always there, and Gilan, no matter how much older he got, still chewed them if he was anxious enough. However, Halt never stopped trying.


I think that this could actually be canon, because, as I've studied the books more (especially in book two), Gilan seems to gnaw on his thumbnail a lot, such as when he's trying to figure out a plan on what to do when his mission isn't going to plan (I think that Gilan was pretty stressed out all of book two, no matter how cheery he might seem!)

-TrustTheCloak