Look, guys, I actually met my deadline! I know, you must be so proud. Let's just hope I can keep up with it.

So, I really don't know what the hell I'm doing with this story sometimes, but tell me what YOU think, and then maybe I can figure it out. Like, after you read this, tell me what you think I should do with poor Skipper...


CHAPTER EIGHT

Skipper had to admit that he was impressed with the Gather, even if he wouldn't come out and say it to anyone else. Somebody, he assumed the servants of the Hold, had set up tents and pavilions in the Hold's main courtyard. Every tent was occupied by stall holders selling a myriad of goods, and each pavilion had been commandeered by one powerful group or another.

His fingers were just itching to get spending. Usually he wasn't one to throw away money, but he figured he could get some good buys here. However, first things first, and that meant reporting to Master Cheryl. Skipper was not particularly desirous to be saddled to one of the Master's for the duration of the Gather.

After he'd checked in and promised to have a "blast", he met up with the group. Skipper quickly discovered that there was a conflict of interest, however. The girls, naturally, were interested in perusing the tents that contained jewelry, clothes, and the like, whereas the boys were more concerned with the various sporting implements that could be found only at Gather's.

It was quickly decided that they needed to split up, promising to meet at the pavilion that was painted gaudily in red, yellow, orange, and blue stripes, for lunch.

Skipper didn't particularly care for sporting goods, either, but he lacked the will to go wander off on his own. So, he trailed along behind the bickering boys, eating up the stalls with his eyes. There was so much to see!

He found that he was continuously lagging behind, and finally gave up on catching up. So what if he was by himself? He'd find them at lunch.

His eye had been particularly drawn to a blue tent with white stars speckled across it. When he arrived, he was not disappointed with its wares. The man in the tent was selling beautifully crafted coin purses, pouches, belts, and the like.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Skipper was startled to hear a voice claim right in his ear. He turned to meet the grinning face of N'tal.

"Oh," he stammered, "ah, yes, they are. Kind of expensive, though." He'd been dubious as to the price of the woven goods. It wasn't his craft, so he couldn't honestly judge, but it seemed just this side of expensive.

N'tal laughed good-naturedly. "I would have to agree with you. The man that runs this booth is a miserly bastard, but his goods are worth the price he demands." He began rummaging through the bins with Skipper, selecting coin purses in particular.

"My old coin purse got, ah, lost," he said over his shoulder, grimacing as he did so.

"By 'lost' he means 'paid' to the winner of our last game of cards. He'd run out of marks, so he threw in the damn purse." Another boy had come and joined them in the stall. He was, presumably, another dragon rider. Judging by the colors he was wearing, and his apparent age, he was likely a wing member of N'tal's.

"Well, maybe if you would have cut me some damn slack, I wouldn't have had to throw the thing in," N'tal growled with a scowl. It only caused the gangly boy to laugh.

"Our N'tal is notorious for his card playing 'skills'...he loses every time," that earned the boy a punch from the dragonrider. "I honestly don't know why he doesn't just give up," he choked out through his laughter.

Still scowling, N'tal turned to continue looking through the bins, leaving Skipper to introduce himself. "My name's Skipper," he said, adding his most charming smile to go with it. This was more his element. Getting to know new people. "I'd have to say that I'm not surprised N'tal loses at cards so often; his face is about as transparent as glass," he commented, grinning as he did so.

That earned him a generous laugh from the other boy, who held out his hand and introduced himself as T'lan, agreeing whole heartedly with Skipper's assessment of N'tal."He can't keep a straight face for nothing. I guess it's a good thing he's so honest. Otherwise he sure as hell would be getting regular beatings from the weyr leaders." They both had a good laugh over that as N'tal continued to ignore them.

"Well, I was just dropping in to say hi, I've got to go meet Layla," and with that he was off, moonstruck smile plastered to his face and everything.

Skipper gravitated towards N'tal, hoping that he wasn't truly angry. He was relieved to see that the other boy was grinning. "I really am awful at cards, but T'lan is ruthless, so it's hardly fair."

"I'll play you in cards sometime," Skipper offered, "I'm absolutely terrible, I'm sure you'd be able to beat me."

N'tal laughed delightedly, "Yes, and what an accomplishment that'd be! I sure could go bragging to my wing mates about it!" They both grinned and selected their final purchases.

"Lemme see what you've got," N'tal asked, holding out his hand as he did so. Skipper placed his coin purse in N'tal's hand, watching as the blonde boy scrutinized it. "Not bad," he said approvingly. He then turned towards the back end of the booth. "Dennis, you old quack! I know you're right there watching! Now get out here and take care of your customers."

Sure enough, a shriveled old man emerged from the cloth wall at the back of the tent, grumbling as he did so. "Dunno who you think you are, demanding I come at your beck and call," he said with a growl.

N'tal grinned good naturedly, "I believe I would be your most adoring grandson, and admirably loyal customer. Now hurry up, I've got places to go, people to see."

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled, though Skipper could see he was smiling as well. "This it, then?" N'tal nodded and handed over the two coin purses before Skipper could say anything. "Good choices," the man said absently. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, excuse my manners," N'tal said, blushing slightly, "this is Harper Skipper, we've only just met."

"Ah," Dennis murmured, looking at Skipper as he did so, before dismissing him with a grunt and handing N'tal the goods. "Tell your parents I said hello, and that they'd better get their asses up here to see me."

N'tal agreed, laughing as he did so. "See you for lunch Grandpa."

N'tal handed Skipper his coin purse once they were out of the tent, ignoring Skipper's protests about having bought it. "By the egg, man, I'm a dragonrider! What do I need the marks for? Take the gift and be glad of it." What else could Skipper do but comply?

Everyone had been sitting under the eccentrically painted pavilion for quite a few minutes now, and there was still no sign of Skipper. Finally giving in to the inevitable, Rosa rolled her eyes and stood up. "I guess I'll go and find him."

She hadn't even made it out of the pavilion before Ellie trotted up beside her. "Ugh, my boob itches," the blonde grumbled, taking advantage of the fact that they were no longer around the boys, and indulging herself with a good scratch.

Rosa laughed, hooking arms with Ellie as they made their way through the stalls and tents. "Honestly, it's only Skip that would inconvenience us like this," Rosa growled.

"Ugh, I know, and it's so hot! Where is he?" Ellie moaned, craning her neck around as she did so.

They'd been looking for about 15 minutes when she spotted him. "There he is," Rosa said, pointing as she did so. The object of their annoyance was sitting under a shady tree playing cards with someone who appeared to be a dragonrider.

"Whoa," Ellie breathed out, "that guy is totally gorgeous!" Rosa couldn't disagree. Blonde hair, charming smile, perfectly sculpted body, and a dragonrider to boot. Basically every girl's dream.

Too bad the only thing he had eyes for was Skipper. His laugh was constant, and richly delicious. The blonde was using every excuse he had to brush his hands against Skipper's, and he seemed to have a permanent blush painted on his cheeks. That was Skipper for you, Rosa thought indulgently, charming the hell out of anything he came into contact with.

"D'you see what I see?" Rosa questioned Ellie.

"Uh, perfection? Kind of hard to miss."

"No," Rosa sighed, apparently Ellie was just as oblivious as Skipper appeared to be, "doesn't that dragonrider seem a little over-friendly?"

"What? Oh," Ellie exclaimed, giggling as she did so.

"Exactly," Rosa agreed. It didn't really matter to her, though, and with a shrug she beckoned Ellie to follow her over.

She came up behind Skipper, wrapping her arms around him as she did so. "Skip, did you forget about something?" she purred into his ear, watching the other boy out of the corner of her eye as she did so.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry Rosa," Skipper said, neither acknowledging her embrace or pushing her away, something that seemed to reassure the other boy. "N'tal, this is - what're you, a monkey? Get off me - Rosa, a fellow Harper." Rosa disentangled herself, grinning hugely at N'tal as she did so.

He didn't seem to be the jealous type, at least. Rosa reckoned in her head that Skipper must be well past his fourteenth birthday by now, having entered the Hall towards the end of his thirteenth. This boy seemed about sixteen...but she still couldn't help but to think that was just a bit too old.

She didn't want her darling Skipper getting his ass charmed off and then taken advantage of. Even if he was totally unaware of what was going on. Rosa knew that N'tal knew that she knew, and was planning on keeping it that way.

N'tal stood up, holding his hand our first to Rosa, and then to Ellie, who introduced herself. He was smiling in a well-mannered, polite kind of way, but it was clear that he was uncomfortable. Rosa hadn't exactly made it easy for him.

Taking pity on the other boy, Rosa asked him to join them for lunch. She was just her normal, good-natured self about it. He really didn't seem all that threatening.

He sighed, as if truly regretting that he was about to decline. "I can't, I've got to go meet my grandpa and my parents for lunch." He grinned, placing the cards back in their box as he did so. "I can't upset the folks, they supply the marks," he said, patting his coin purse as he did so.

Skipper laughed, as if there was some private joke involved. "Let your grandpa know that the coin purse is wonderful, and I expect I'll be back next Gather." Rosa felt her eyebrows go up. So, he'd already been introduced to family members? How long had Skipper known this boy?

"Sure thing, Skip. I'll catch up with you later, alright?" He was smiling, and looked perfectly at ease and laid back, but Rosa knew the question was causing him some anxiety.

"Sure," Skipper said, grinning as well, "how about you meet us for dinner? We have to start getting ready for the performance after lunch, so I won't be able to see you until then," he said, resting his hand on N'tal's shoulder that totally belied his clueless-ness. Rosa felt an eyebrow go up. Maybe Skipper really did know what was going on...or maybe he really was that naive. With a blush, N'tal agreed.

They said their goodbyes, promising again to meet for dinner under the same tent as Skipper and his friends were meeting for lunch, and then each headed off to eat.

"So, you like N'tal, huh?" Rosa said casually, while they headed off towards 'their' tent.

"Oh, sure, he's a great guy. He even said he'd let me ride his dragon sometime." Rosa told herself that she was not going to laugh at that, until Ellie burst out laughing on the other side.

"What?" Skipper said, totally bewildered.

"Oh, nothing, darling," Rosa gasped out, "lets just go eat."