Flaunting the Unlaid Eggs

[Administrator]

((In an effort to keep up with the timeline of having the queen calendar match up with the normal calendar, here we have Aslath, two months into clutch carrying... *needs to get this ironed out* Hokai, so queens have their eggs for 3 months, and there are three weeks between the Flight and the Clutch, so this is month two. o.o;; Anyone have any suggestions for improving this system without throwing things outta whack?))

Aslath stretched out lazily in the sun, flaunting off her swollen belly. Already she was pleased to note that she was the size of Fath in her last days of being with egg, and her eggs weren't even completely finished being made! About this time, her trips between had ceased, not wanting to bring harm to her clutch. Shmee was learning to accept the life of being Weyr-bound, at least for another few months. Shmee didn't really go to too many places anyway.

She had not a clue where Salenth was at this moment, but she supposed she owed him privacy every now and then. She had been toting him around like a trophy since the Flight, telling anyone who would listen- or who didn't want to listen- that he was the one who Caught her, the one who had helped her create such a fine clutch. Not that it had been laid yet. But she was fitter and stronger than Fath ever was. These eggs would be far nicer, especially since Morsrath hadn't tainted them.

Sprawling out along the beach, she welcomed the sun onto her massive belly, letting the light reflect off of her stretched, golden hide. Aslath liked flaunting off her clutch. Perhaps it would excite the candidates. Only a month left before they would get to see the egg of what could be their future loves. Half-closing her eyes, Aslath dipped her golden tail into the ocean, flicking it lazily. Maybe someone would stop by, man or dragon. She welcomed any sort of company, especially something that would admire her large, unborn clutch.

[Tashe]

The water was unsurprisingly pleasant as it's azul waves quietly lapped against the young woman's skin, unfortunately the water itself wasn't what had drawn the girl out of the candidate barracks. Her royal blue flit had disappeared with the Bronze one that the Jr. Weyrwoman had asked her to babysit, although Zor wasn't making her job any easier. Somehow the little manipulative blue had convinced Azaran to go on a flirting spree, which always ended up with a furious Saraina baring down on them. Each time that happened the two males had disappeared 'between' before she could get a chance to wring their uncooperative necks. Snarling slightly as she kicked at her reflection in the water, the raven headed candidate grudgingly continued to wade through the small stream that eventually lead to the ocean.

At least the girl had been five percent smarter than those beasts she had been pursuing. Sara had snatched her rucksack that had been filled with pastels, charcoals, extra sketch paper and even a small canvas for art on the go. Not knowing why she had grabbed her pack at first, the candidate simply forgot she had it on her person, that was until she got tired and frustrated with the annoying flitts that she had been chasing. Now that she had nothing to do Saraina contemplated whether to travel further down stream for a scenery sketch, or back up to the waterfall so she could practice drawing moving objects. It was only until a flash of gold struck her, did she debate on what she was going to do.

Quickly sloshing her way to the peaceful looking Queen that lay sunning herself along the bank, the Candidate eventually migrated onto the grass and sand covered slope herself. A few moments passed before she was able to draw her body to a respectable distance of Aslath, her fingers itching to reach back and swing her pack and its items into use. Deciding that talking to the Queen first might be a better idea, Saraina bowed slightly before speaking. "Good Morn Queen Alsath."

[Administrator]

Spying a little person not too far away, Aslath looked over curiously. Her poor memory didn't remember this girl, but she assumed that, since no dragon tagged along with her, that she was possibly a candidate. Shifting to her side further, she showed off her expanse of golden hide, and the unevenness of it that was where eggs were forming within her. One of these could be the girl's. This youngling should acknowledge that fact. Soon, these eggs would be out, but the girl was capable of seeing this before that, one of the closest glimpses of the eggs anyone had gotten to yet.

She was not about to bespeak the girl, but she thudded her tail against the ground once, leisurely and proudly. After a short pause, she flicked her tail in her own direction, beckoning the girl closer. Aslath couldn't resist. Perhaps the girl would like to feel the eggs underneath her golden hide, or scratch her eye ridges. Not many girls got the chance to touch her, she thought, pleased. Shmee hadn't gotten a chance to provide this attention to her lately, either- her rider had worries of her own, attempting to juggle planning spies, ousting C'leon, and now trying to get over an irritating sickness the woman had just caught. No matter. She could get attention from this youngling.

Crooning slightly at how peaceful she was with life right now, she stretched her forelimbs before replacing her head back on them. Her eyes whirled a calm blue-green, inadvertantly informing the girl that she was not moody at the moment, and perfectly approachable. Unaware that she had given away this information, she half-closed her eyes and snorted, soaking up as much sun as there was hide on her body to accept such lovely energy.

[Tashe]

Having lived and worked with dragons for a good part of her life, thanks to that damned F'rah, Saraina watched the Queen motion for her to come closer if she wished. For the young artist Bespeaking wasn't needed for conversations to happen, as long as she interpreted the movements of the dragon she was interacting with correctly. Practicing good and long with Styth had helped her, although she occasionally did admit to interpreting something wrong and having to be told exactly what the dragon had meant.

Letting a small smile creep slowly across her face as the Queen took a pose that exposed her belly, Saraina remembered that Aslath had to be close to laying the eggs that rested in her whom. They spelled another chance at receiving a life bond for the girl, and she was sure that the Queen wasn't going to let her forget she had a chance at impressing as long as she stayed with her. Taking a few steps forward and drawing herself up next to the large, golden Aslath, Sara smiled once more before speaking again. A little flattery never hurt, especially when the person doing the falttering wanted something.

"Why Queen Aslath. You seem to be coming along fine, and beautifully, with your clutch. I'm honored to be able to stand on the sands with your strong and healthy eggs when the time comes."

Extending a hand slightly toward the Sr. Queen's glittering belly, the young woman waited for a sign that she would be allowed to stroke the female's side. The auburn rucksack rustled slightly with the movement, almost as if it had taken a life of its own and was reminding her of her objective. Yes, she would ask the Queen if she could draw her lovely form... her growing sides had been the object of her sudden inspiration.

[Administrator]

Aslath crooned at the compliment. Especially with her extreme moods, compliments were very much appreciated by the queen. Puffing up her golden chest in pride, she grunted in pleasure. Yes, her children would be marvelous. With one side coming from herself, the other from Salenth, what could be better? These children would be strong and mighty. There would be no deformities on her perfect children. If they were from Morsrath, they would be frail little things. But these would be so much better! Benden would probably give up half their dragons for just one egg from this clutch! Not that she would give it to them, of course. These were her little ones, her darlings that she would love even after they hatched.

However, she snorted in irritation as the girl didn't touch her. Of course she was allowed to touch her soft hide! She was offering it to her, wasn't she? Letting her eyes close all the way, she awaited the girl's touch on her hide, eager for attention. She knew that Shmee was guilty for not pampering her, but, like she knew, Shmee was busy in her own affairs.

I'll bathe you tonight, pet, she heard Shmee promise. Satisfied with that, Aslath looked back at the girl curiously. The little rucksuck intrigued her. With her large head, she prodded it, the inquisitivity of a child shining through the queen's motherly feelings. Grunting in question, she tilted her head to one side. What was in it? Was it something for her? Unconsciously thinking Pern revolved around her, she attempted to remove the sack from the girl, wanting to spill the contents on the ground and see if they were for her.

[Tashe]

Quickly -yet gently- placing her hand onto the stretched hide of the Queen, Saraina drew her hand down aways before returning her hand to its original position and repeating. The feel of a dragon's hide was one of the few things that the candidate enjoyed openly, and only when the Queen start toying with her art pack did she turn her attention back to reality. "Ah I see you have found my pack Queen Aslath. Would you like me to show you what is in it?" Twirling to her right so the strap on her left shoulder slipped off, Saraina walked to the gold's head so that the female could see well what she had in it.

Kneeling on a knee so that she could rest the pack on the soft ground, the female candidate unbuckled the main strap and flipped the top open. Carefully tipping its contents out, Saraina spoke again. "They are things for drawing. Making beautiful pictures of things... say. How would you like me to draw you? Capture this moment and feeling for a long time." There is was, her chance at getting the Queen to let her sketch a portrait of herself. It was one step closer to getting all of the Weyrwomen and their Queens to pose for a painting...

[Administrator]

Aslath let out a loud croon as the girl stroked her hide. Yes, she enjoyed this! Her wings draped to her side in relaxation, and her tail lazily relaxed on the ground. The croon sounding interestingly similar to a purr, the queen stretched out leisurely. She liked this feeling. She knew her hide was nice and soft, even when it was stretched out with eggs. This girl simply couldn't resist the temptation to stroke the queen-hide. It may not look as gleaming as it did when she was not clutching, but that couldn't be helped. She supposed all queens got a bit darker as they clutched. Fath certainly did.

The queen snorted at the supplies. A picture? The girl wanted to draw her? Well, she wasn't surprised. This would just be more proof that an egg-heavy Aslath was more gracious than any queen would ever hope to be even without eggs. Grunting in affirmation, Aslath gingerly spread herself out almost as if it a pose, making sure her swollen sides were very visible. All the other queens would wish they could clutch like this! she thought proudly, her blue-green eyes containing the faintest hint of gold.

She was very excited. Just about a month left and she'd be bound to the sands, protecting her clutch carefully. Salenth would be the only dragon welcome on the sands, for they were his children as much as hers. She would have many bronze sons, of course. She estimated perhaps seven of her large clutch. She hadn't even begun to think of all the green-daughters she would have! If she laid the fifty eggs she wanted, and over half the clutch was green, there would be at least twenty five greens! Shmee had often chuckled at these hopeful thoughts, but Aslath couldn't help it. This would be the best clutch ever laid on Pern!

[Tashe]

Skillfully gathering and sorting her supplies, Saraina took a few steps backward so she could see most of the Queen's body. Shifting her position multiple times so that the golden hues of Aslath's body shone at the right angle, the young artist plopped herself down before selecting a pitch colored charcoal from her bag. First came the black outlines, those were the guidelines to everything including color and shading, they could always be smudged and colored away if need be. Starting with the Queen's angled head, Saraina began to stroke the canvas with the very tip of the charcoal, watching as faint lines began to appear.

"Beautiful Queen. You are very healthy and strong, your outline is very bold and smooth."

Moving from the head to the eloquent elongated neck, the candidate frequently looked up from the canvas to Aslath. The Queen wasn't the only one harboring excited feelings about her laying the clutch, although the emotions that were usually hidden had been brought up by the sketching. When the neck of the Queen was done, Sara slid the charcoal down the muslin to form the arch of Aslath's back and the outline of her Lub.

"Has Weyrwoman Shmee been busy lately? She seems to be a bit distracted."

[Administrator]

Aslath crooned at yet another compliment. Even if they were bold ones, she couldn't help but love the attention. She liked this girl, taking note of every possible nice thing that could be said about the queen... Even taking time to draw her at her most magnificent! Staying down, perfectly still, her large eyes followed the movement of the charcoal, and Aslath found her self analogous to an impatient weyrbrat, wanting to see everything that was being drawn as she was drawing it.

At the question, the queen flicked her tail. Hers was fine for the most part- mildly ill, mildly stressed, but generally happy. Both were happy with their positions. Aslath had herself a great bronze, and Shmee had a weyrmate that she could admit she loved. It was peculiar that this girl found Shmee distracted, but that could be owed to the stress and illness.

Too impatient now, Aslath craned her neck slightly, eager for a good look at the picture. Could she see it? Had the human girl finished her drawing? Aslath was unaware that such things took time, and all she knew was that she was excited to see herself on paper, with a rotund belly that showed the size of her clutch. Was she as big as she thought she was? She hoped so. The bigger, the better!

I am being drawn, Mine! Aslath crooned to Shmee. You should see. I want to see it. Come over. I am on the beach.[/color]

Shmee sighed, standing up from where she lay resting in her weyr next to the Hatching Ground. She had recently moved in, knowing Aslath would be clutching soon and wanting to be prepared. Her stomach wasn't feeling too horrible today, and there were no noxious smells to trigger her nausea. Deciding it couldn't hurt, Shmee strode over to the beach, curious. Someone was drawing Aslath? Who had she bullied into doing that? Aslath honestly was a little bit egotistical once she saw how large her stomach was growing.

Looking out over the posed dragon and the concentrating girl, she read the rank knots. Ah, a candidate. Raising a dark eyebrow with mild amusement, she called out to the girl, "How'd she convince you to do this?"[/size]

[Tashe]

Happy with the Queen enjoying her compliments, Sara was able to glance up in time to see Aslath's answer to her question. So-so but happy? Interesting... but nevertheless she needed to continue the drawing. The gold was certainly an impatient one, but being a dragon she mustn't know that painting or drawing takes a fair amount of time, especially if you were coloring it.

"Ah patience my wonderful Inspiration. You are almost done, I need to round out your gorgeous stomach before I add the hues that shine off of your soft hide."

What Saraina spoke was true, she had gotten most of the outline done, all but the Queen's stomach. But that, out of the whole scene, was the one part that posed a small problem. The Artist wanted the stomach to match Aslath's perfectly, and for that she needed the Golden Queen to become perfectly still. Waiting quietly while the pregnant female shifted around for a moment before quieting down, Sara let her trained eyes calculate exactly were the sides of the belly hit her bent joints.

Only when she moved to switch the charcoal for a light yellow pastel was the candidate broken out of her trance by the words that were being spoken to her. Carefully craning her head back to view the woman who spoke, Sara almost tipped over in surprise. It was the Weyrwoman. When did she arrive and how was it that the girl wasn't alerted? None of that mattered right now really, only finishing the sketching did. Raising the hand with the blackened fingers, the young woman responded to the Weyrwoman.

"T'was not she who convinced me... rather I, Her. It is almost done, if you be wishing to see it Weyrwoman Shmee."

Motioning to the sketch, Sara returned to coloring the inside of the sketch. First came the lightest tones, they were the base coat of the colors, then came the warmer yellows and light orange. Carefully rubbing the colors together with the side of her smallest finger, the female candidate drew nearer to the end of her sketch.