Name: Dirak
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Height: 6'1"
Build: Muscular
Skin Tone: Peachy
Hair Length: To the middle of his back
Hair Color: Auburn
Eyes: Medium brown
Occupation: Smith
Parents: Grew up with his aunt and uncle
Siblings: 2 much older cousins
Origin: Large Hold
Pets: None
Sweat began to bead on Dirak's brow as he concentrated on the project at hand. It was a ring that would eventually hold some gem or other and adorn the hand of some wealthy lady, but all that mattered to Dirak were the metal workings and artistry of the piece. Every tine had to be perfectly in place. Otherwise, the gem wouldn't fit properly. Each side had to be as perfectly symmetrical as possible, or the beauty of the art would be lost. He carefully began to bend the last of the tines that would hold the stone in place when a knock on the door shattered his concentration and the fragile tine snapped off the ring completely.
A scream of frustration erupted from Dirak as he threw the remains of the ring, the tongs he'd been using, and his gloves across his workroom. "What is it," he bellowed at the door as he whipped around to face it, sending his auburn ponytail flying. This had better be good.
Dirak took a moment to collect himself so that he didn't murder the person on the other side of the door on the spot. He'd grown up with his aunt and uncle in a quiet home. His two older cousins were much older than him, so most of his childhood had been spent alone in quiet solitude. He now treasured those quiet moments. They provided him with the clarity of mind he needed to concentrate on his projects, and they allowed him mental space for his creativity to ferment.
He took one last deep breath before flinging the door open. "What is it," he growled at the young apprentice that stood before him.
The apprentice opened and closed his mouth repeatedly like a fish out of water. He'd been warned about Dirak's temper, but it's not like he could have refused Master Hurik. "Master...H...H...Hurik has asked to see you immediately," he finally stammered out before bolting for his life.
Dirak rolled his eyes. The apprentices acted like he was going to eat them alive. He knew he was difficult to deal with at times, but their reactions to him were rather exaggerated. He shook his head as he closed the door. He knew Master Hurik wouldn't have interrupted him without good reason. He knew Dirak well enough to know how he would react to being interrupted while working.
Dirak sighed as he picked up his tools and the remeains of the ring he'd been working on. It was fixable, of course. He could reattach the tine that had broken off, but it would never be as strong as the others were. That fact bothered him, and he knew he would have to start over. His pride in his work and his tendency towards perfection simply wouldn't allow him to sell something that wasn't as perfect as it could be. It would put him behind schedule to start over, but it would be worth it in the long run.
He quickly put his tools away and threw the remains of the ring into a scrap metal pile. He then removed his apron and hung it on a peg by the door before exiting his workroom and quickly making his way towards Master Hurik's office.
While Dirak's workroom was located in an out of the way corner of the smith hall, Master Hurik's office was centrally located to make it easier to deal with his administrative duties. So, it didn't take too long for Dirak to reach it. When he did, he rapped his knuckles smartly on the door and waited for an answer before entering.
"Ah, there you are, Dirak," Master Hurin stated in his gravelly voice as Dirak entered the room. "I'm sorry I had to interrupt you while you were working. I know how much it bothers you, but these two gentlemen," he said indicating the two other men in the room, "need to speak to you. And, I knew if I let you continue working, it might be several candlemarks before they got the chance."
Dirak nodded. "That is indeed quite possible," he acknowledged before turning to the two waiting men with a bow. A quick glance had already told him all he needed to know. "Well, Riders, what can I help you with?"
"Well, I can see you don't miss much," the taller of the two said with a laugh. "I'm S'ren from Sedona Weyr, and E'mil and I have come here on a two fold purpose. We're here to comission a piece from the hall, and we're also here on Search," he said indicating the quiet dark man beside him who merely nodded.
"I wish you luck on your Search," Dirak stated sincerely before moving on, "but I imagine I was called here to help you with the first purpose you mentioned," he finished with a questioning glance at Master Hurik who nodded.
"These riders would like us to make a special ornate buckle for them that would not interfere with the function of their riding straps. Considering the project, I thought that you might be the best person for the job," the master explained as he folded his hands together in front of him. "If you're willing, I'm sure the riders will further explain the details," he finished as he stood and opened the door for them.
Dirak took his cue. "If you'll please follow me, we can discuss the details further," he declared as he allowed the riders to leave the office first. He quickly followed and heard the door close behind him. "I apologize that I don't have my own office yet," he began as he led the riders back toward his workroom. "However, if you'll allow me just a moment to pick up a few things from my workroom, we can discuss things outside since the weather is fine. That is if neither of you have any objections."
S'ren shook his head. "Not at all. It's a very pleasant day outside, and we'll be able to see things better out there anyway. It's a bit dim in the hall after all," he replied with a smile.
Dirak quickly thanked the tall red-head before turning the conversation to their second purpose at the hall. "So, how is your Search going thus far," he asked conversationally as they approached his little corner of the hall.
"We haven't found anyone so far," S'ren replied with a shrug, "but you never know who might turn up. Some of the most unpredictable people can wind up as candidates, so we have to keep an open mind about it."
Dirak nodded his agreement as they reached his workroom. "If you'll just wait here for a moment, I'll be right back," he stated before disappearing into the room. He quickly gathered several samples along with writing material. That way he could do sketches for them if necessary. Once he had everything he needed, he quickly rejoined the two men. "Now, if you'll just follow me outside, there's a nice quiet spot where we can talk further about this project."
The three men quickly made their way to a bench that sat beneath the shady branches of a tree. "Okay, now please tell me more about this buckle," Dirak said as he took charcoal in hand, ready to sketch or take notes as necessary.
S'ren did his best to describe the type of buckle he needed with little success, and his companion wasn't much help either as he said little to begin with. Finally Dirak held up his hand. "Is there any way I could see the current buckle you have? That way I could actually get an accurate sense of the size it will need to be as well as the functionality of the piece," he explained with pursed lips as he tapped his fingers against his knee. He was beginning to lose his patience, but it was best not to let the riders know that.
S'ren's face lit up. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that before? We can go see Hagieth right now," he declared standing up. "I've already told Hagieth we're coming, so just follow me," he finished as he led the way away from the hall.
Dirak shrugged and followed the tall red-head and his dark friend. It only took a few moments before he could see two blue dragons waiting for them in a large field. Within another few moments, he was standing directly in front of the blue dragon.
"Hagieth, this is Dirak. He's going to be making our new buckle for us, so he just needs to look at the current one," S'ren said aloud for Dirak's benefit.
Dirak nodded his head in respect for the blue and received a nod from the dragon in return. Only then did he approach. He began studying the size of the buckle, how the straps moved through it, etc, and he made meticulous notes about his finds. After half a candlemark, he finally stepped back. "Okay, I think I have all the information I need now," he declared with a satisfied nod as he turned to the other two men who had been talking amongst themselves.
S'ren shook his head. "Well, that took longer than I thought it would. I had no idea you would need that much information," he finished with a laugh.
"Well, it's better to have too much information than too little," Dirak replied with a shrug, "especially when you're dealing with a new kind of piece. If you don't mind waiting another candlemark or so, I can have a detailed design for you. Otherwise, I can just give you a rough sketch, which will only take a few moments."
"We'll just take the rough sketch," S'ren stated after a quick glance to E'mil. "We need to get back to our Search after all."
"Very well," Dirak answered before beginning to quickly sketch. Within a few moments, he had finished the drawing and handed it over to S'ren. "So, it will look something like that," he stated before explaining the finer details of the piece. "Will that work?"
"That will be perfect," S'ren exclaimed pleasantly surprised by Dirak's skill and quick understanding of how the straps and buckles needed to work together. "How long will it take to complete?"
Dirak thought for a moment about the other projects he had lined up ahead of this one. "It should be ready in a sevenday," he finally answered. "Is that convenient for you?"
S'ren remained silent for a moment as he thought about upcoming events. He then conferred with E'mil briefly. "We should be able to return in a sevenday," he finally stated. "Now about our other purpose," he went on quickly before Dirak could vanish. "Have you ever thought about becoming a dragonrider yourself?"
Dirak blinked in surprise and remained speechless for several moments. "Well...no, I haven't given it any thought at all," he admitted once he had recovered. What did S'ren mean by bringing something like that up? He couldn't possibly be talking about him standing for a clutch!
"Well, both E'mil and I and our dragons think that you would make a good candidate, and we have a clutch at Sedona that is getting ready to hatch. So, if you would like to give it some thought, I think we can give you a sevenday to think about it. Then, when we come to pick up our finished piece we can just pick you up as well if you decide to come," S'ren explained with a grin.
"So, I would be a candidate to become a dragonrider," Dirak asked still slightly shocked by the whole situation. When S'ren answered him in the affirmative, he shook his head to clear his mind. "I think I will definitely need the next sevenday to think about this. So, thank you for allowing me that time while I work on this piece for you."
"Okay then, we'll be back in a sevenday for the buckle and hopefully for you, too," S'ren declared as he began to climb up onto Hagieth's back. "We'll see you soon," he called one last time before both dragons launched into the air and disappeared between.
Dirak slowly made his way back to his workroom. His mind was in a jumble. He'd never considered being a dragonrider. He was happy doing his metal work. Did he want to give that up? He thought back to his time spent with Hagieth earlier. What a magnificent creature he was! Could he pass up the chance that so many other people coveted? He didn't think he could, but he was still glad that he would have time to really sort through things first before making his final decision.
