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Qibli only found out the date of Thorn’s hatching day when it was three days away. He had been with her for almost a year, and was already entirely devoted to her and the Outclaws. The only reason he even found out was because Six-Claws mentioned it, and Thorn instructed him not to make a big deal.
In a slight panic, Qibli asked her for the day off, which she instantly gave him, with only a slight quizzical look. He ran to his tent, grabbed the small pouch of gold coins out of his small wooden chest, and hurried into the streets of the Scorpion Den, trying desperately to think of something to get Thorn.
The main problem was Thorn rarely bought things for herself, so Qibli wasn’t sure what she would like. His first stop was a courier’s shop, where he purchased a pack of sky blue and gold marbled paper. He already had writing supplies back in his tent, so the paper was all he needed to make her a card.
Exiting the shop, he stared up and down the street, looking for inspiration. A carver’s stall caught his eye, and he wandered over to it, purposefully pretending he wasn’t interested.
“Cactus kebabs!” cried another vender, “Two for three scales!”
Glancing towards the kebab seller, Qibli strolled closer to the carver’s booth, watching it from the corner of his eye. The owner of the shop was crouched over in back, working on something Qibli couldn’t see. Deciding to abandon pretense, he walked up to the stall, and tapped lightly on one of the polls supporting the canvas roof. The dragon turned around, and Qibli could see she had been working on a wood carving of a dragon, standing proudly with its wings spread out.
“Sorry I didn’t see you,” said the shop owner, “but welcome to shop! My name is Mirage.”
“Thank you,” Qibli said, smiling shyly, “I’m looking for a gift for my – my friend.”
“What do you think they would like?” she asked, gesturing towards the display table with a wing. There were statues of dragons and animals, practical things like knifes and chests, and things that were a mix of both.
“I’m not really sure; she doesn’t buy things for herself,” Qibli explained. Mirage nodded in understanding, and said “Well, then, take your time. Just call if you need anything.”
Qibli nodded, saying “Thank you,” and she returned to her small work table.
A few things caught his eye as he looked over the items displayed. There was a letter opener/knife with an intricately carved map of Pyrrhia on the handle, a pair of large earrings carved from dark wood that were designed to look like succulent plants, and the statue that Mirage was currently working on.
“How much would these earrings be?” Qibli asked, pointing to them.
Mirage came back to the front of the shop, and looked at the earrings in question. “Twelve scales,” she said.
Qibli carefully opened his money pouch, resigned to the fact that he would have to spend most of his money on Thorn’s gift.
Obviously noticing his dismayed look, Mirage added “But since you’re buying them for your friend, they’re only ten scales.”
Qibli smiled, thankful, and handed her the gold. She packaged the succulent earrings into a small fabric pouch, and handed it to him. Qibli thanked her, and continued down the street. He still had six scales left, so he would keep watch on his way back to the Outclaw oasis in case he saw anything else for Thorn.
When he was almost there, he spotted a secondhand seller with his wares spread out on a blanket. He was positioned next to a food vender, so Qibli bought a small pair of cymbals and a bag of dried crickets.
That used up all of his gold, but Qibli was happy; he had managed to find gifts Thorn would like.
Returning to the oasis, Qibli hurried to his tent and tucked Thorn’s gift into his chest. He took out a sheet of marbled blue paper and set it on his desk, staring at it and trying to figure out what to write.
After the drum circle, Qibli approached Thorn. It was her hatching day, and he wanted to give her the gifts he had picked out.
“Thorn,” Qibli asked quietly, “can you come here for a moment?”
She nodded, and he lead her over to his tent. While she sat down on the floor and watched him, he took her gifts and card out of his chest.
“Here you go,” he said, handing them to her, “for your hatching day.”
“Oh, Qibli, you didn’t have too,” Thorn said, but she was smiling. She opened the gifts first, gushing over each one, and then she read her card.
“That’s very nice,” she said, “I think I can officially say that this is my favorite hatching day yet.”