Scrambled Eggs [Shock, open]

[Ruby]

"Oh, no you don't!" Yes, yes, tasty tasty eggs! Half for me, half for tasty Gold-things! Narmony or Menial or... those. Yes. Half for lady-fire-golds. "No!" Piden snapped, doing his best to wrest the firelizard egg out of Shells' claws. The Mandyr frilled and bit, screaming obscenities. Piden roared, disengaging the beast as he shouted, "Pidesk! Can you do something about this?" The Bronze wher yawned, strongly projecting a calming presence. Shells, momentarily distracted, yawned and relaxed long enough for Piden to snatch the firelizard egg away from the Bronze. That, of course, made Shells scream again, NO! EAT! I EAT!

Piden tossed the Bronze at the bed, sliding out the door and slamming it before Shells could escape. Behind the door, the bronze wailed NOOOOOOOO! but Piden ignored him. Looking down at the egg in his hand, he sighed... then his eyes went wide as something in it shifted. "Ohhhh, no. No, you are not hatching on me. The last thing I need is another crazy thing in my mind, and Shells'd eat you alive. Shards no." But where could he find someone to take a stray egg at this hour? He'd just woken up, but it was after dark for most of the Weyr's residents. The dining hall maybe?

Emerging from the apartments with the egg in tow, he scanned the cliffs above the Weyr, looking for someone, anyone. Just his luck - there was a figure, a woman it looked like, walking along the cliffs, between the hatching sands and the apartments. Probably going to or from dinner, Piden didn't care. Cradling the egg in two hands, he hustled her direction from the drumheights, rapidly descending the small rise that would take him down to her level. "Hey! Hey, you! Want a firelizard!"

[Aftershock]

Lilu hated moments like this. As she walked along the cliffs on her way to the kitchens to do chores, her lack of distraction left her mind free to think about things... and she hated when she had time to think. As her mind wandered along idly, her thoughts inevitably turned to her memory, and what was missing from it... and with that, her great (yet mysterious) sadness came surging back to the forefront. Lilu found her feet wandering closer and closer to the cliff's edge, like a magnet drawing her towards the drop-off, as the deep-seated sadness bloomed out into her mind.

As she heard Piden run up from behind her, calling out to her, she turned towards him slightly and responded with a dull, "Huh?" Even as she acknowledged him, her body seemed to be on autopilot, and kept carrying her closer and closer to the edge of the cliff, which she was only a couple feet from at this point, her bare feet disturbing small pebbles that skittered over the sheer edge and fell the hundreds of feet to the surging river below.

[Ruby]

Had she not heard him? Piden was vaguely annoyed at being mostly ignored; that didn't happen often. Especially not when he was waving a firelizard egg around like a nut. Generally, people either went 'Ooo, cool, mini-dragon pets!' or went 'Ugh, get that away from me!' Either one, however, would be better than 'Huh?' If she didn't want it, that was fine, he'd go find someone else... but he needed to know now. He was not about to let this thing hatch and impress to him; flits weren't picky like dragons were. They generally took whoever was closest unless they had a large variety of choices.

He was about to dismiss her and head for he dining hall, except there was something odd about the way she was walking towards the cliff like she wasn't even thinking about it (and she was hot, never let it be said that Piden let a hot one escape his attention when he had a great opening like a firelizard egg). So, with just the hint of a covered-up sigh, the redheaded wherhandler strode towards the girl at the edge of the cliff. "What'd'ya mean, huh?" he started, cutting in between her and the cliff's edge with just a hint of teasing in his tone. "I certainly think I'm worth a little more than that, not to mention that I'm trying to pawn and awesome, free, almost-hatching firelizard egg off on you. It's not every day a hot guy tries to give you a firelizard egg, I hope." Humility, thy name is Piden.

[Aftershock]

Considering how close she was to the edge already, when Piden intercepted Lilu to block her from walking off the cliff, there was very little room for reaction time, especially for someone whose perceptions were mostly buried inside her own mind. As Piden stopped before her and began speaking, she actually ended up walking right into him, and in an attempt to prevent her from smashing the firelizard egg between them, Piden accidentally knocked Lilu off-balance, sending her falling onto her bottom right at the very edge of the cliff. As she shook her head slightly and her eyes regained focus, she noticed that her hip was mere inches from a drop-off of hundreds of feet, and screeched in terror, crabbing backwards away from the cliff's edge desperately.

As she sat and caught her breath, she seemed to actually notice Piden consciously for the first time, and blushed slightly as she made sure her legs were demurely shut beneath her light green mid-thigh skirt, and brushed some dust off her tight, sleeveless seafoam blouse and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear as she looked up at Piden with a demure smile and half-closed eyes, saying, "Oh, I'm sorry. Somehow I didn't notice you. I must have been in my own little world." Noticing the egg, and seeming to not have heard his explanation, she asked, "Oooh, is that a firelizard egg? What are you doing with it? May I see it?"

[Ruby]

Raising his eyebrows when the girl ran right in to him and promptly fell over, Piden stepped sideways to clear her personal space (and to maneuver towards an angle where he could snatch a look down her shirt, if he was careful), debating between offering her a hand up and being generally bemused. He settled for both, transferring the egg to one hand while he reached out the other for her to use to pull herself upright, if she wanted. She didn't seem in any hurry to get off the dirt, but Piden was fine with it. Good view.

"I'm Piden, nice to meet you too," he quipped when she was immediately distracted by the firelizard egg. It was a good-natured quip, though, complete with the sort of smile Piden was famous for, the kind that said she was absolutely forgiven as long as she'd put up with a touch of flirting. She did seem quite prepared for that, so Piden went right on, his voice settling into it's familiar purr. "It is indeed a firelizard egg, and..." He was about to tell her he was giving it away again, but she obviously hadn't heard him the first time, and as far as Piden was concerned she owed him for ignoring him like that. Piden was rarely ignored or passed over, and he didn't take it especially well. "And I was looking to sell it to someone before it hatches. One of the other Wherhandlers had her green clutch in the apartments, and she promised me an egg, but I really can't have another pet. Three salamandyrs is more than enough."

Looking Lilu over - pointedly and appreciatively this time, not sneakily - he smiled, making sure he looked just generically hot instead of like he was trying to eat her (an important distinction when it came to Piden's smiles). "I was looking for about five marks, but if you don't have that on you I'm sure we can work something out?" Five marks, of course, was what flit eggs went for at gathers - the kind of thing a Candidate would need to save months to afford. Yeah.

[Aftershock]

Lilu accepted the helping hand, making sure to keep her knees closed as she heaved herself to her feet with Piden's help. Brushing the dust off her bottom, making sure to point said bottom in Piden's direction while doing so "accidentally", she thought on his name, and realized where she recognized it from... stories from many of the women of the Weyr about a truly whorish bronzehandler named Piden, who gladly went after almost anything with a pulse. She knew another flirt when she met one, and he was quite experienced at it... but she knew exactly what he wanted, and knew he sure wasn't gonna get it from her. Obviously, it was time for some flirt-on-flirt combat.

Smiling back at Piden with her most winning grin, she replied, "I'm Lilu. Thank you for helping me up. You certainly do have some... powerful arms," she added, sidling up close to Piden and running a fingertip lightly from his shoulder down to his bicep, giving Piden a half-lidded look and twisting her smile from friendly to sultry. Putting a finger to her mouth in fake concern when Piden mentioned how much he planned to sell the egg for, she pouted and said, "Well, I don't have any marks on me at all right now... as you can see, I don't have any pockets to carry them in." As she spoke, she moved one hand across her body in a gesture to show off her lack of pockets... as well as her tightly-clad body. Moving her hand from Piden's arm to gently rest her hand on top of the egg, she batted her eyes and added, "I sure would like this egg, though. Whatever could I do to convince you to let me pay you back later?"

[Ruby]

"Well well well," Piden said, stepping back away from Lilu and the ledge (no harm in moving away from that precipice) and spreading his hands, egg and all. "A woman that knows what she wants, I like it." He looked her over again, but some of the seduction dropped out of his voice as the flit inside the egg shifted again. This was not a great time for a drawn-out moment of comparing equipment, so to speak. "Powerful arms?" he asked, in a mock-innocent but slightly more casual tone, "If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were trying to charm the egg from me." Remaining out of her reach (unless she chose to close the distance herself, of course), Piden glanced down at the little, nondescript egg and cupped his hands over it, then smiled back up at Lilu from under his brows. "Oh wait. I don't know you better."

He'd heard her name too, although he didn't let on; a tease, a flirt, and not one to give it up without a fight (assuming she gave it up at all). What could he say, frustrated men talked. Boring... unless he could change that. Careful to meet and hold Lilu's eyes for a moment, he let the tension grow for a second before speaking again, wicked smile on his face. "Well, I'm sure we can think of something." Wondering idly how much she'd sell herself for - every woman had a price, after all, just like every man - Piden continued, "But I know you candidates hardly make anything in the way of marks, I wouldn't feel right making me pay you back. Especially since it was a gift to me in the first place. Maybe... you can owe me a favor? Unless you have a better idea of how we could settle this tonight."

That was as far as Piden got in his negotiations, though. He felt something under his hand shift and crack, and he wasn't about to let it hatch on him. Holding it out carefully, he said, "Here, take it. We'll work something out once the baby's out of shell, it wants out."

[Aftershock]

Lilu advanced on Piden as he retreated, doing her best to keep him between herself and the cliff's edge. Having a multi-story drop behind your partner always did make negotiations easier. Eyes still half-closed seductively, she ran a petite finger down Piden's chest slowly, purring, "Oh, I'm sure there's something we can think of. An even trade, of sorts?" The handler was cute enough, and she would certainly have some fun with him... but he wouldn't get what he was obviously maneuvering for. No man was yet worth her giving that up, so he would get some of her time, and be happy with it.

She raised one eyebrow as Piden's expression and demeanor suddenly changed, and grunted slightly as the egg was shoved unceremoniously into her chest, and she grasped it automatically. Looking down at the egg (which, as she was now holding it, she could feel shifting inside), she lost some of her own control and looked up at Piden pleadingly, asking, "I've never had a firelizard egg before. What do I do? It's moving around!"

[Ruby]

Well well, wasn't Lilu the evil little minx. Honestly, in Piden's estimation, leading someone on was right up there with forcing intimate relations on someone who wasn't interested - just plain cruel, with the partial exception of things done in run- or flight-lust. If she was going to come on this strong, she might as well deliver. In Piden's experience, the best thing to do with teases was ignore their advances. If you could get them frustrated enough, sometimes they'd overstep their silly, self-imposed limits. None of this made Piden like Lilu any less, of course; with the exception of Yoalla, the Apartments were pretty much empty of anyone who would put up with his flirting and give as good as they got, so even if she was an insufferable tease he couldn't help but like her. Ah well.

So he smiled harmlessly in her direction, glancing down to watch her finger with just a hint of confusion. All a show, but she had no reason to know that. Luckily, he had the egg to distract her, and distract her it did. Chuckling slightly at her obviously confused face, he reached out to uncurl one of her hands, then the other, so the egg was cradled between them instead of Lilu actually holding on to the shell. "Hold your hands cupped like this... the warmth of them should be enough to hatch it, since it's almost out already. Let it move a bit, but obviously don't let it roll out of your hands. Actually..." Grasping her elbow, he guided her gently back to the ground, where he knelt across from Lilu, watching as the egg jumped and twitched. "Just in case. When it hatches, you'll want to project love, and make sure it looks at you, not me. Here, here's a bit of jerky, so you can feed it once it hatches. You'll have to tear it up into small pieces but firelizards can handle solid food right away." Handing the dried meat over, Piden sat back on his heels, watching intently as a blindingly green leg burst through one side of the shell. "See, here she comes!"

[Aftershock]

Lilu let herself be guided back to sitting on the ground, so distracted by the shaking, cracking egg in her hands she didn't even realize she was sitting cross-legged, giving Piden (if he chose to take advantage of it) a clear and present view up her skirt. She held the egg carefully, as if frightened the hatchling inside might shatter along with the egg if she held it wrong, and then jumped as the bright green leg burst from the shell, squeaking in shock.

[Ruby]

The tiny firelizard didn't waste any more time breaking shell - once her leg was freed, the whole egg seemed to explode outwards, pelting both humans with tiny little shell shards. Luckily, firelizard eggs weren't near as dangerous as dragon eggs, and weren't likely to even superficially scratch unless Lilu was silly enough not to close her eyes when shell flew at her face. When the shells were done flying, a baby firelizard sat in Lilu's hands, covered in egg goop. She was thick, and big even for a baby green, and Piden immediately had to squint and look away. That firelizard's hide was bright. Screaming defiance, she flared her wings at the Wherhandler, backing up against Lilu's palms before turning whirling rainbow eyes on the girl. She wanted THIS one, and the man could not stop her!

Piden chuckled as soon as the Green looked up at Lilu. "Guess I had nothing to worry about, she didn't want me anyway. Congratulations... and might I suggest a pair of tinted goggles? She's bright." Settling more comfortably on his heels, Piden gave Lilu a moment, mentally checking on his on salamandyrs (all of whom had become restless at the idea of a brand-new lesser mind so close to theirs) - Shells and Three were easy to calm, but Red less so. Piden's oldest green salamandyr stuck her head out of his collar, got one look at the new green firelizard, and immediately retched (Piden thanked Faranth he hadn't fed Red yet tonight). Much, she grumbled, which Piden was vaguely thankful for. At least she wasn't shouting sex this time. SEX. Ah. There it was. "Shut up, Red."

[Aftershock]

Lilu recoiled as the shell exploded outwards, unable to cover her face with her hands occupied with the flitter egg... now a baby flitter covered in egg goop. "Oh!" she squeaked excitedly as she opened her eyes and saw the bright green firelizard that was now rearing away from Piden, and screeching in her direction, flaring it's wings and spraying out egg goop and small bits of shell in the process. As the green flit looked at Lilu's face, her tiny eyes swirling in the rainbow of Impression, Lilu suddenly had a pain in her head, and her head fell forward to nestle against the sticky flitter. Images flowed through her mind... training with men dressed in the Northern style, a hatching, flying with a flight of dragonriders, falling from the sky on the back of a brown dragon... and a name... Fellsareth...

Just like that, though, the images were gone, but she felt... better. Like a bandage had been placed on the wound in her soul. Looking up at the bright green flitter... her flitter, it grumbled a bit and heaved her head up off itself with it's tiny, yet powerful, arms. "I think I'll call you... Tselitel," she said, smiling happily.

[Ruby]

Piden looked briefly concerned when Lilu's head dropped, but quickly got over it. Everyone reacted to Impression differently; Lilu, apparently, felt the need to nuzzle her new goo-covered pet. Fine with Piden, especially since her head lifted a moment later, and she was smiling. "Settle... tel?" he tried when she'd given the green thing it's name, grimacing as his tongue stumbled over unfamiliar syllables. "Tsel-little? Whatever." He actually stuck his tongue out when he gave up, half teasing. "Congratulations on your little beast, whatever her name is. Is it northern? I think she's pretty regardless, although it's kind of hard to look at her."

Instead of trying to focus on the neon-bright lizard, Piden looked up at Lilu instead, then laughed. "You've got egg in your hair. Hang on." Leaning forward across the gap between them (just a touch more than necessary), he plucked a bit of eggshell out of the hair hanging next to her face, then flicked it away before brushing the stray hair back behind her ear. Piden was nothing if not twitchy about clean hair - he'd checked his own as soon as shell bits stopped flying. He took a bit longer than necessary, though, letting fingertips brush along her cheekbone as he brushed the hair back, waiting to see how she'd react to that.

[Aftershock]

Lilu showed a complete lack of reaction to Piden's fingers stroking across her cheek as he removed the bit of eggshell from her hair, simply muttering a distracted, "Thank you," as he did so. All her attention was on her new flit, who was doing her best to remove the bits of sticky shell that remained on her bright hide. After being satisfied that all her hide was as clean as possible, Tselitel's newborn mind seemed to finally remember that she was hungry, and she turned to Hers, sending a wave of hunger from her own belly into Lilu's.

Putting a delicate hand on her stomach, Lilu's brow furrowed in confusion as the hunger pangs filled her stomach, despite the fact that she was just heading back to the Candidate Barracks from eating dinner when Piden had intercepted her. Looking down at her new mindmate, she noticed Tselitel's muscular paw rubbing at her own stomach, and realized it was her flit's hunger, not her own, gnawing at her stomach, and giggled. "I can feel that she's hungry. How odd!" she commented, before remembering that Piden had handed her some jerky earlier. Remembering that he had told her to tear it up, she did so, then handed a small piece to Tselitel... who grabbed the piece and wolfed it down, followed by the next piece. Soon, the jerky was all gone, and the phantom hunger pangs in Lilu's stomach faded.

With the Impression settling in, and the phantom hunger pangs from Tselitel gone, Lilu finally had time to realize what her sitting position was showing off, and blushing a bit pink, she quickly heaved herself to her feet, Tselitel taking off and then landing on Hers' shoulder once Lilu was standing. Brushing dirt off her bottom carefully, Lilu looked up at the sky, and said, "Oh, dear, it's nearly curfew, I need to get back to the Candidate Barracks. Thank you for the egg, Piden!" With that, she turned to leave, the "payment" for the egg either forgotten in the madness of the hatching... or "forgotten" as a convenience by the wily young woman.