As Hiccup leaves his house, Toothless follows closely behind, intrigued as to where he is off to at this time.
Already the sun is beginning to set as they wonder through town towards Gobber's smithy, casting dark shadows through the streets.
By the time the slight glow of the forge is in sight, they could also hear what could almost be described as singing.
Gobber's raucous shanty stopped when he saw them approach as he sat in front of the forge's fire on a low burn.
"Heylo Dragon Master!" Gobber slurs lightly, swinging his peg leg back and forth on the large wooden box he is perched.
"Evening Gobber. Can you.." He begins to ask before realising that in his current state, asking Gobber would be beyond pointless. "Can I use the forge for a bit?" I only need to make a few bits."
"It's fine, I can do it for ye!" Gobber declares. But before he can get off the wooden crate on his own, Toothless blasts the forge firepit, flaring it back up immediately.
Taken by surprise, Gobber falls backwards off his makeshift seat, making a pile of Viking and replaced body parts sticking out at various angles.
As The Dragon Master lays out the plans he brought with him, Toothless pushes over a bucket of scrap metal odds and ends.
Gobber dusts himself off as he gets up, "Didn't see your Night Fury there!"
"It's not that dark yet Gobber" he chuckles, sorting through the Bucket for useable pieces.
He settles on choosing a chunky steel bar and two small misformed billets.
He sets all 3 up in various long-handled tongs in the fire and waited for them to heat up enough. Fortunately, Toothless' fire was slightly hotter than the furnace regularly got so was mildly faster.
After only having stood in front of the fire, The Dragon Master soon realised he was gonna have to take off his top. Fortunately he wasn't wearing his full one-piece leather flightsuit, and instead was wearing a black woollen jersey and brown trousers.
He glanced over at Gobber, who had lain own on top of the box he fell off of. This time however he had relocated it back at a more comfortable distance to where it wasn't too hot.
Acting quickly before Gobber sees him, Hiccup removes his helmet and top, grabbing one of the spare aprons hung up on a side. He is just tugging his helmet back on when Gobber clears his throat, causing him to stop in alarm, what if he'd been recognised again?
But Gobber is still lying flat on his back, and instead just mutters something.
"Pardon?" The shirtless Dragon Master asks.
"Y'know, I need myself a dragon. Not one that needs flying about all too much, but one to keep the forge going would be handy." Gobber says to half to himself.
The Dragon Master laughs, "I'll let you know when I find a dragon like that, I might get one for myself."
While Toothless turns around to get himself comfortable, he takes the opportunity to hit The Dragon Master on the back of the head with his tail for the comment.
Now free to get working, The Dragon Master takes one of the billets from the fire and starts drawing it out with a hammer.
Beat after beat, sparks showering his apron he works, knocking through the tiring work with surprising speed.
As he finishes the last bar and quenches it, he feels Gobber looking over at him.
"Y'know your work is astoundingly similar to the chief's lost son's. He was a good apprentice. Not the best *Viking* maybe, but a good smith all the same."
The Dragon Master freezes mid way through wiping the sweat off his forearms with a small cloth, stifling a gasp.
A few moments of silence pass before Gobber breaks the tension he unknowingly created, "So, where'd you learn how to do metalwork like that?"
Breathing a sigh of relief, the Dragon Master welcomed the progression onto another subject.
"The Blacksmith from my Village apprenticed me, he taught me well." Hiccup answered slowly, but truthfully.
"Not in a sharing mood are ye?" Gobber laughs, "That's all fine, maybe you can come by again and tell me more. Now I think I need.." He hiccups, "I think I need my beauty sleep."
Before Hiccup can reply, Gobber is out cold, laying on the box and still in the warmth of the furnace.
"Come on bud" The Dragon Master chuckles, taking the apron off and wrapping the metal components up in his top to take back. Toothless yawns as he gets up, but trundles along beside him eagerly.
"I might have to tell the whole village at some point soon bud. Won't be long till they all start figuring it out." He confides in his dragon as they walk along towards their house.
Still with his helmet on in case they encounter any other villager along the way, The Dragon Master looks out across the island below him while the sun is finally fully creeping over the horizon.
A cool breeze blows over his bare chest and he sighs deeply. "I really am back. Back home."