when will the flames at last consume us (hatching)

[absinthe]

R’wign’s words drew the candidate’s attention from the gold to the healer she looked to and he realized he hadn’t even introduced himself. “I’m sorry. My name is Junaes. I’m a candidate.” He paused, wondering if that would suffice or if there was something else he was expected to say. Well if there was he was sure that the brown rider would mention it and so he settled back but kept an eye on… well, just about everything. There was so much vying for his attention that it was like trying to do five different tasks with just one pair of hands. However it seemed that R’wign was distracted with his… weyrmate. And that alone was a distraction to Junaes. He’d never even seen a heterosexual couple (aside from his parents, once or twice) so… intimate with each other in public, let alone a same-sex couple. It was… fascinating, for sure, but he doubted they’d appreciate his fascination so he lowered his head to look down at the clutch, taking in all the unique colors and patterns on the shells. This was the first time he’d ever seen a firelizard clutch.

Amelie was so wrapped up in the kitten that R’wign’s words barely registered. “Hm? Oh!” She laughed at herself before hugging the little animal close. Oh how adorable. Finally managing to tear her eyes away from him for a brief moment, she glanced up at the brownrider and beamed, not seeming to notice how testy he was. Or maybe she just didn’t care… she didn’t realize that R’wign was one of her superiors and as a result it didn’t matter to her if he was testy or not. Yet. “Thank you! I’m Amelie, by the way. I just transferred here.” He didn’t seem to interested in the details right now though so she left it at that. She became distracted again anyway, scratching the cub’s ears and cooing at him. He needed a name, hm. She turned and left the blanket but only went a few steps so as not to block anyone’s view of the clutch. In fact she actually sat down and cradled the feline in her lap. She’d never seen a firelizard clutch hatch before so she planned on staying just for the experience, although she didn’t intend to try and Impress one.

Not so for a certain candidate sitting nearby. As soon as the bronze hatchling broke shell, Junaes gathered a few scraps of meat from one of the bowls, prepared in case the creature came his way. As he watched, a green hatched out next and he couldn’t help but smile at the antics of the two. They were absolutely precious and even Amelie looked up from the feline to grin at the hatchlings in amusement. Junaes watched them carefully, noting various details about each one and ready to offer the scraps of meat of either turned his way. He’d never done this before so he didn’t really have a method. He’d heard that firelizards simply Impressed to the first person who stuffed food down their gullets, but surely there was more to it than just that. Surely they would have a preference? He just didn’t know, and it was a little too late to ask. So Junaes simply waited to find out. He didn’t bias toward a specific color; any of the little beauties would make him happy.

[glamourie]

He likes being distracting, Checkoth admitted with just a touch of remorse, as though embarrassed; why R’wign was so prone to flouncing around mostly-naked for his own amusement was beyond Checkoth but he wasn’t sure he liked it all the time. Chaoth earned a light nudge from Checkoth, who pleasantly flicked his wings. We will teach you to fly better than everyone else in your class, even better than the Jingth-queen. You’ll see. I like to fly, but I have to fly strangely because I have two tails. It took me a long time to learn. R’wignmine screams very loud when he’s scared. His voice gets higher too. He rumbled his amusement at his rider’s expense. It wasn’t that long ago when he was throwing himself off weyrledges and making R’wign screech in horror. He didn’t scream anymore though – he was used to the brown’s antics, at long last. It was still amusing to remember though (which was likely why Checkoth hadn’t forgotten – he latched onto things that he found funny to remember).

In the clutch, the Phantom of the Opera Bronze gave a low flute before hopping to his feet. When Charming chirped, he chirped back – at the exact same pitch. The Point of No Return Green was totally forgotten – Charming was far more interesting. He mimicked Charming’s movements flawlessly as well, but his eyes whirled silent laughter. Very interesting, this one was – he could do all of that and better. See, see?

“I wasn’t talking to you just so you know,” R’wign said pleasantly to Junaes and Amelie; it wasn’t meant to be insulting. “You’re not the ones who walked up and just started petting without speaking – I’m going to sic my firelizards on you if you don’t answer my question.” He was speaking, very clearly, to F’lix. There were six of them so it really was a valid threat although the worst they’d do was screech – R’wign didn’t permit them to bite and most of his fair wasn’t the sort to do that anyway. Still, enough screeching and squawking could be highly annoying. “These felines are practically my family, and I really don’t favor the idea of a stranger coming up and pawing them without at least giving me a name. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”

His gaze shifted to the two who did speak and he offered them a curt nod of greeting; the girl had just transferred, had she? Looked familiar, tch. He couldn’t recall why, though. The felines were more interesting to him. The little male in Amelie’s arms squirmed about before trying to gnaw on her fingers, as though they were the tastiest things in the world. He was obviously very playful. The one in Llannu’s arms just laid there like a lump, flopped over in his hands and staring at the eggs in boredom. It was the one that F’lix held, though, that really was the most animated. She jerked away from his fingers instantly and flattened her ears back before hesitantly leaning forward to sniff at his fingertips. She didn’t hiss nor did she waste time growling, instead flicking her tail in agitation as she tried to decide what she thought of this one who dared to touch her. One paw went up to smack between F’lix’s index finger and thumb, as though to hold his hand still, and she inched forward anxiously.

The Point of No Return Green gave another twitch before scolding loudly, which the Phantom of the Opera Bronze repeated in a decidedly mocking ‘voice.’ Frustrated, the green took to wing, emphasizing the explanation that yes, firelizards could fly only moments after hatching. She glided across the blanket chattering indignantly before something piqued her curiosity: a structure! An edible delicious structure of much structury goodness! Excited, the green flew over and positively collided with the meat piles being built by Emiliah. Snatching up a bite, she rolled over and chirped to the girl before her eyes whirled rainbows with love. Hers, hers. Feed her, please, and keep that nasty boy away!

Glancing up at the clutch, R’wign smirked slightly; the bronze’s antics clearly amused him. However, he didn’t say anything as M’ta’s proximity was distracting enough. He wound his arms around the other brownrider’s midsection and rested his chin on M’ta’s shoulder, still giving a one-eyed glower to F’lix. His hand came up to push at the sopping wet eyepatch testily. “PMS loves the cub,” he repeated, eyeing the cubs again; they were more important to watch for him as Ellie could manage her hatchlings just fine. The one that was eying the person he didn’t know was most interesting – she was the only female. The males were much more subdued in personality, usually…

Pleasantly chirping to Charming, Ellie flew to the side of the basket and watched the Phantom of the Opera Bronze and the brown curiously. Their interaction had her cocking her head to the side, almost as though interested, but it lasted only a second before not one, but two eggs started cracking vividly: the Angel of Music Egg and the Prima Donna Egg respectively, both of which were showing green hides from within the cracks. The All I Ask Of You Egg had also begun to shudder quite violently…

---

01. Think of Me Egg
02. Angel of Music Egg cracked; showing green hide
03. Phantom of the Opera Egg hatched: bronze - mimicking Charming
04. Music of the Night Egg
05. Stranger Than You Dreamt It Egg
06. Prima Donna Egg cracked; showing green hide
07. All I Ask Of You Egg
08. Masquerade Egg
09. Poor Fool Egg
10. Point of No Return Egg Impressed: Green ? to Emiliah
11. Down Once More Egg

[glamourie]

Point of No Return Green
Name:
Color: Green #09C300
Gender: Female
Age: Hatchling
Based off of: Alice
Looks to: Emiliah
Appearance: This green is slightly smaller than average for her color, though it’s not enough to make people think of her as “tiny” or anything out of the ordinary. In fact, ‘ordinary’ is a pretty good way to describe her, all things considered. She’s got average length limbs that are complimented by a perfectly proportioned tail, making her look like a firelizard sculpted from fine stone – everything that her species ought to be, the perfect representation of firelizard-kind. Her ridges are small and rounded off, making them distinctly feminine, and her wings seem to be more ‘round’ near the edges than coming to sharp points. Her face is perhaps the only unique feature that she possesses in terms of build, for its more round and her eyes are more pronounced than the average firelizard’s, giving her a very young appearance – wide-eyed and innocent. Complimented by the angular line of her snout, there’s no denying that her face is ‘pretty’ in a child-like way; even in adulthood, she’ll have an appearance of naiveté that can strike others as extremely bizarre to look at. Her head knob is somewhat small for a firelizard, so if Hers wishes to spoil her, they’ll have to rub her entire body. Thanks to being well proportioned, her flying is average – nothing extraordinary, or embarrassing, to behold.

Leafy green covers her entire body, winding around her slender form like a network of foliage stitched together by invisible hands. She has lighter shades of greens like streaks coming from the back of her head and spreading down the line of her back ridges, messy markings that in many ways could be described as exotic. Similarly, she has what appears to be an almost-white ‘apron’ down her front, accenting her stomach. The top of her head has a lime green smudge that almost appears to be shaped like a bow, and only the blind would miss the obvious resemblance. The only thing that makes her coloring even more interesting than the different shades of green is the highlights that show up when she’s caught by sunlight: vivid emerald and almost metallic, she’s like staring at the inner fire of a gemstone, flawless beauty and elegance to behold and be remembered. She’s certainly not something that anyone who sees her will be in a hurry to forget.

Personality: Curiosity is this firelizard’s most dominant trait. Anything going on around her, she has to be into – which can be very detrimental to this firelizard, since she doesn’t usually learn from her mistakes. Straight into a pot of hot stew she’ll go solely because it looks interesting and unfortunately, she will probably get stuck in things on a regular basis. Like jars, crevices, and trunks. The idea of going between to free herself also doesn’t occur to this very-nosy firelizard, who will instead sit and squall until she’s rescued by someone or something else – anything to get out of the horrible predicaments that she regularly lands herself in. She’s very likely to need rescuing at least once a day. She also doesn’t take hints well, so keeping her away from dangerous places (like the clutch of one of the dragon queens, for instance) will be a constant project for Hers. She’s also independent and likes to fly off on her own constantly, to explore, adventure and get into things. It’s rare for her to stay put and if Hers wants her attention, well, it’ll require finding her; she very much likes to be in motion constantly, always exploring, always looking for anything to keep her attention. She especially likes music, though, so any time there’s singing being done, she’ll be there.

One thing that’s notable, though, is that this firelizard also… likes things that make no sense. For instance, she’ll be happy to send very vivid, detailed pictures to Hers – but they’ll usually be obscured by something inexplicable, rather than genuine. She’s not a liar, she just favors nonsense. People and creatures who are unpredictable will have her attention constantly and it won’t be unusual for her to flit around checking out anything new or exciting. She hates work, chores and responsibility and will go out of her way to avoid them; when Hers is doing any kind of chores, it won’t be unusual for her to fly off on her own, just to get away from the icky work. She loves to listen to stories, and the crèche is one of her favorite places to be, sitting to perch and listen to any kind of tales being told by the drudges to the babies. So fun.

Though she’s intelligent, this firelizard doesn’t listen well. Asking her to do things is pointless because she just won’t most of the time. She doesn’t see a point in following instructions – if Hers needs something from the kitchen why doesn’t she get it herself? It’s not her job. She also doesn’t remember very well, so trying to scold her is usually very pointless. Her best asset is that she’s entirely energetic and very enthusiastic about everything – it’s hard to be mad at her for getting stuck in a crevice when she’s squealing in delight about the new shiny that she found!

[jaq]

She was warned about the public announcement method but it still startled her. Only having been at the Weyr for nearly a sevendays, she was still getting used to living with people let alone something speaking directly to her mind. Dyudahlii didn't want to be late so she had to hurry. She knew she couldn't bring Bawnii and Klaiid with her so she had to tie them up. She didn't like leaving them behind, they were her constant companions for the past seven turns and they have never been tied up before, she hoped they would behave.

What was that about feline cubs though? The only felines she knew about were the kind that killed her parents, surely they wouldn't have those. But these were kittens and she had never seen kittens before so she made a mental note to herself to check out the kittens after the hatching.

Even though she heard that there will be meat there, she still wanted to bring her own. It was a particular thing to her, when offering food to something, she had to know its quality and where it came from. Anyway, she usually had a fresh catch on her, she couldn't stop her normal habits of trapping, it was her life...that is until she came here.

When she got to the top of the cliff, she knew she was late, it must have taken her too long to tie her canines up. Many people were already there, and a few dragons. This was still very difficult for her, so many people. Dyudahlii headed up to the group of sitting around the basket of eggs. Even though she was slightly uncomfortable here, she had never seen a hatching before, her curiosity would not let her stay way. So she looked around at everyone and decided it was best to pick a seat near the girl stacking meat. She seemed to be ignoring the others so appeared relatively harmless to Dyudahlii.

She then allowed herself to look at what lay inside the basket. Dyudahlii was indeed late, it seemed as though two had already hatched, but she could only see one fire lizard actually in the basket. Where was the other one? She looked around a bit more and noticed it was outside the basket, it looked like it just plopped onto the ground. Then she went back to looking at the rest of the eggs.

They were so interesting to her, like gazing into a fire, always something new and interesting to see if you looked hard enough. And the little hatchling itself, so beautiful, she wanted to touch it but knew better. Her parents always taught her to respect animals and nature and that when meeting a new animal, always let it make the first move towards you. She hope the fire lizard that fell to the ground would move around more soon, she wanted to get a better look at it too.

[rii]

Hn. F'lix head canted faintly to one side, a subtle curve to his lips. He didn't understand why people got so bent out of shape when he opted to keep his silence. Perhaps their reactions to being ignored amused him to an extent. Honestly, any name would serve, a nicknames did just as well. He kept his hand moderately still, lowering it more and uncurling his fingers a bit so the demanding kitten would have an easier time at.. whatever she wanted.

Meanwhile those golden eyes lazily roved over the fire lizards. "That would be inconvenient." He replied in his soft tone, no infliction of emotion on the words. Apathy. He didn't care much to answer the question still, but the idea of having the firelizards chorus their squawks at him did strike him as annoying. The various salamandyrs of the Weyr already seemed to frill and throw a string of pretty insults his direction–probably wiser to not add the firelizards into that whole ordeal. Pests, every last one of them.

Lilitu pressed herself into F'lix's dark hair, a continuous hiss coming out low as she wrapped her tail tightly around her body. She couldn't fight off all the firelizards at once. Stupid babies. Wherryfaced pathetic cock su— Her string of curses was cut off by F'lix's free hand sweeping through his short hair, scooping her up in his palm. He tighten the fist just enough to make a point to her. Be quiet. Her little claws dug into his palm, but F'lix made no show of this, merely keeping a level gaze on the one-eyed healer. "F'lix."

His gaze dropped back down to the kitten, arching a brow at her. Was she done yet? Because he wanted to leave without getting scratched. Shoo kitten, F'lix mentally willed her away. The longer she stayed, the more fond he grew of the furry pest. A frown marred his blank expression as he watched her.

[Lotty]

There were two good reasons to be at the firelizard hatching. First of all it was important in the expansion of K'sel's 'lizard army. Well army might be the incorrect term even if Eyesore was one of the best little commandos a boy could ask for. He stayed quiet, was sneaky as could be, and never put up with any type of shenanigans...unfortunately that included today's little excursion. The brightly hued blue scolded his person with accusatory squawks. All the while the weyrling imagined what those flitter noises would translate to if only the creature could properly talk. A replacement!? How dare you replace me! I will leave you! Just the thought made K'sel smirk.

He had to reassure the winged creature that this simply wasn't the case. He could never, would never, replace Eyesore, and in his own jerkish way he went about reassuring the blue flit of this. He put one finger up to the firelizard's snout to silence the chittering as they made their way to the big ground encircling the eggs, "Now you see Eyesore, I wouldn't replace you. You are the best," there was no lie or exaggeration when he said this. Everything about the firelizard's looks and personality just appealed to him, and the chances he could have a repeat success was slim to none. Here he was trying anyway, "But what I am proposing to do is get you some trainees... You can take the hatchlings and make them as awesome as you. Then in return they can catch food for you...bring you presents...I'm just keeping you in mind..." With another squall the blue accused him of being a liar and turned his head away. At the back of his mind the boy just said, He'll come around eventually.

The second and much, much, more important reason he had show up was because he suspected a certain someone would be there. This certain someone tended to have a giant sign on the back of her that screamed, come and pester me K'sel! Well, for a moment he suspected he might have been psychic because lo and behold there she was with Misfit and Charming. How cute. Interestingly enough though, he refused to pounce on her right away. No, these hatchings took a while to be completed and as tradition dictated, he was going to be last to Impress if at all. Thus was the way with Pettahth and Eyesore both...so biding one's time was a priority.

He tried to tip toe his way through the crowd - passing by the eggs only to catch a glimpse - before settling in somewhere in the mob and taking a look at the fellow standees. Last time he got stuck in the audience and he didn't like that at all...why on Pern did he think this would be a good idea again? Just wait until the boredom set in...he'd be the same moaning and groaning kid as before.

[glamourie]

Chirp, chirp. The Phantom of the Opera Bronze gave a pleasant flute once more before finally losing interest in Charming. Rather than continue mocking the brown (although he was interesting), the bronze leapt up out of the basket and onto the side of it, his dark bronze wings (seemingly striped – how peculiar) flaring to ‘dry out’ as it were. His head cocked to the side before silent laughter flared through his eyes – obviously amused by his surroundings. His gaze fell on the crowd and the whirl became more insistent as he… watched. Yes, intensely watched. Leaning down, the bronze totally ignored the adult firelizards nearby before flinging himself into the air with a cha-cha-chatter that could only be laughter. High above the heads of individuals he glided, darting down right by everyone’s heads as though to bait – look, see, he was picking them except.. no, not really. Ha, fooled ‘em. Chirruping to himself, he came to land very elegantly right next to Eyesore on K’sel’s shoulder. His head cocked to the side and then the Phantom of the Opera Bronze straightened up and mimicked Eyesore’s posture quite exaggeratedly, twitching his wings in the process.

So uptight. His tail curled around animatedly for a moment before the hatchling, in devilish glee, leaned down to nip the very end of Eyesore’s tail… and then he jumped, quickly enough to be out of reach, to K’sel’s other shoulder. Rainbow shades flew through his eyes; oh yes, he’d enjoy picking on that one. Wouldn’t it be fun? And K’selHis could help. Oh yes. It would be great, great fun…

Scratching his ear, R’wign eyed the man speaking testily. However, he did offer his name – which was all that R’wign wanted in the long run anyway – and the healer offered a curt nod in response. Good enough for him. The feline (who was still sniffing F’lix anxiously) earned his gaze and he watched her slowly sit down, still eying F’lix’s hand testily. She didn’t back away but she also didn’t move to rub all over him, still not quite sure what she thought of this person who touched her without permission. Her tail thumped agitatedly on the ground. Unlike the boy kittens, she was much more testy on who handled her (actually she was the only one of the litter to be so easily agitated – the others did not take after their mother so much). Her blue eyes lifted to stare straight at F’lix’s face before she mrrowled inquiringly. It was a high pitched and decidedly feminine sound.

All at once three different eggs broke shell. Two of them – the Prima Donna Egg and the Angel of Music Egg – spilled forth greens who tumbled together, a mixture of legs and tails, curled into tight little balls with musical squeaking and chirruping that could only be camaraderie. The last one, however, was the All I Ask Of You Egg and from it came a particularly small blue who leapt from the clutch and fluttered his wings anxiously. His eyes whirled and he looked up at Ellie as though for guidance. What was he to do, what was he do to? He didn’t know! His wings shuddered and Ellie bounced to him before gently nudging the blue firelizard off the side of the basket. She gave him an encouraging flute, and he puffed up, preening neatly. Okay! Find his, he could do that. Whoooo, though?

Anxiously turning around, the All I Ask Of You Blue examined the people lined up around the clutch before weakly taking to wing. He was anything but graceful as he ascended into the air and over the heads of the people assembled on the blankets. Wobbling around, he glided as far as he could before snapping his wings in at just the right moment… to go splat at Miguel’s feet. Squawking, the blue climbed up onto his legs and wings before looking up at Miguel with an encouraging flute. Feed him, please, please? He was so hungry….

---

01. Think of Me Egg
02. Angel of Music Egg hatched: Green; playing with Prima Donna Green
03. Phantom of the Opera Egg Impressed: Bronze ? to K'sel
04. Music of the Night Egg
05. Stranger Than You Dreamt It Egg
06. Prima Donna Egg hatched: Green; playing with Angel of Music Green
07. All I Ask Of You Egg Impressed: Blue ? to Miguel
08. Masquerade Egg
09. Poor Fool Egg
10. Point of No Return Egg Impressed: Green ? to Emiliah
11. Down Once More Egg

[glamourie]

Phantom of the Opera Bronze
Name:
Color: Bronze #383700
Gender: Male
Age: Hatchling
Based off of: The Cheshire Cat
Written by: Avu
Looks to: K'sel
Physical Appearance: A very large creature, this bronze firelizard will very easily match, if not surpass, the smaller golds, in length, not including his tail – though his tail would definitely clinch the matter, if his long body had not before, for his tail is almost ridiculously long and can serve almost as a prehensile limb, capable of curling quite easily around things. On any other firelizard, his tail might have looked rather ridiculous due to its length, but this bronze’s body seems to somehow fit the length of his tail: Along with being long, he has a very slender, sinuous body; very distinctly feline-like is his body, with muscles rippling just under his hide, without making him look bulky in the least, and a distinctly predatory way of moving, his body twisting with each step to show off every muscle. His strength is emphasized by very long, wide wings that will carry him with incredible ease, and even allow him complicated aerial maneuvers usually limited to smaller firelizards.

Very, very dark is his hide, to the point of being easily mistaken for black, though the bronze highlights to his hide, along with his size and musculature, make it clear that he is a bronze. The highlights along his hide are not limited to a particular shade of bronze; rather, it seems as if a rainbow of bronzes was overlaid with black, for red, orange, and a mossy color, as well as a bronze so light as to appear gold, and a flash that looks more brown than bronze, are all visible on his hide from the right angles. It would have been incredibly easy for this bronze to all but disappear in the shadows – had it not been for the stripes: streaks of a golden-bronze, dark, but not nearly dark enough to blend with the rest of his hide, sprawl over his wing membranes, looking very much like the stripes of a tabby feline: Fortunately for him (whenever he wants to hide, that is) these can be more or less hidden when he completely furls his wings.

Personality: No firelizard should have the right to be as intelligent as this bronze very clearly is – he seems to understand concepts that most firelizards wouldn’t have even a chance of grasping, and his image-work is as sharp as any dragon’s – though whether or not it is entirely accurate will often be questioned, for this bronze, very much aware of his superior intelligence, seems to like to be deliberately confusing just to make his Bonded flail, and might tweak his images, leaving out the most important detail, to please himself. Further, his Bonded should be very, very careful in how he utters commands to this bronze; there’s no doubting that he could probably complete anything that His asks – or at least, understand it without trouble – but that doesn’t mean he will, and he takes pride in being able to perform exactly what His has said – wrong. Somehow, he’ll twist the meaning into something else entirely; pauses for breath may be taken for a full stop, which might entirely change the command; he might ‘mishear’ a stammer; any way he can ‘accidentally’ discomfit his Bonded will amuse him highly.

He is, however, in no way malicious; he’s simply a playful firelizard, though he does have a penchant for mocking people – whether be it by imitating their speech in twitters or mimicking somebody’s strutting behind their back – and other firelizards; it’s likely that being around this bronze will earn laughter aplenty – as long as it is not you on the receiving end of this bronze’s…talents. He may be also mistaken as arrogant, for he seems to like perching up as high as he can, be it on the top of a wardrobe or on a tree branch, which means he almost invariably looks down on the people below him. It isn’t actually because he’s arrogant that he does this; he simply likes high places, and will go out of his way to find somewhere high up that he can comfortably perch, and all the better if he can look down and see everybody below him and observe everything going on…

---

All I Ask Of You Blue
Name:
Color: Blue #000E55
Gender: Male
Age: Hatchling
Based off of: The King of Hearts
Looks to: Miguel
Physical Appearance: Definitely on the small side, this blue will barely be the length of a large green when he reaches adulthood. That in and of itself wouldn’t be that unusual, but unfortunately, that’s not his only fault. Another major defining trait of his appearance is that he has small, wide wings that look bizarre when spread, like gazing at a bat as opposed to a firelizard. He also has an extraordinarily long tail that is quite possibly twice too long for his body (it easily exceeds his body length), which makes him resemble a salamandyr more than his own species. His most redeeming feature is that his face is very small, with stunningly large eyes – this firelizard will always look young and innocent as a result. His body is thin so he has no need to worry about ever getting chubby, though His might be wise to poke extra food in him; he’s pretty clearly the clutch runt. He has short, stumpy legs so that when he stands he’s absolutely tiny but – hey, he can fly really well, just so long as no gusts of wind hit him. (Unfortunately, when the wind blows around him this firelizard is likely to be carried off on a breeze if he isn’t careful since his wings are way too wide for his body.) Since he’s on the small side, he’s usually very easy to hold and he’s also very good at climbing. His lack of body weight means he fits into the smallest crevices ever, and he’s very likely to be mistaken for anything but what he is – he doesn’t much look like a firelizard at first glance, after all.

Rich, elegant navy blues swirl over this firelizard’s body, wrapping around him like thousands of ribbons, complete with shadows and highlights giving his color a ‘layered’ appearance. Down his back is a shade of blue so dark as to appear black and it distinctly resembles a cape, complete with a thin strand of midnight around his collar as though to secure it. Similarly, he has a light blue ring around his head that is clearly a “crown”, albeit tipped ever-so-slightly to one side; though this can appear comical, it also accents the almost royal appearance that this firelizard has. He has similar small rings around his ‘wrists’ in the same light shade of blue, though in their case it’s a lot less prominent due to location. Interestingly, the backs of his wings when he flares them seem to have the same midnight blue as his ‘cape’ as though to make it appear larger, more prominent, as though the ‘cape’ is blown on wind; it can be very unusual to behold, but nevertheless quite pretty. All and all, he looks like a child wearing a king costume, complete with the innocent face that seems as though he’s incapable of any kind of wrong-doing.

Personality: Meek. Shy. Skittish. These are words that describe this firelizard to a tee. He’s extremely easy to frighten and it won’t be unusual at all for him to duck behind other firelizards to avoid anyone noticing him. Places with corners that he can peek around just in case always make him happy. He likes to hide and observe. One of his favorite things to do is perch on His’s shoulder and hide in hair, peeking out for a look without anyone knowing that he’s watching – sneaky, sneaky is this firelizard! They won’t ever stop to think to look in someone’s hair for a firelizard, those scary strangers! He’s always worried people will notice him and be annoyed or offended by his presence. Comically, this leads to all of his vocal sounds being on the high pitched side and, to put it gently, squeaky. No matter how masculine and impressive he tries to be for any reason, his voice betrays him by sounding like a canine toy, and he can’t make it sound any more threatening even if he wants to. Not that most of the time he wants to. Submissive is a word that describes this firelizard accurately as well – he’s usually pretty happy to let other creatures around him make all the decisions, which means that if he ever takes a mate, it’s likely that he’ll just be arm decoration than anything equal in decision making…

And unfortunately, being such a doormat, he won’t be all that great for His to rely on for reassurance. Most firelizards can be counted on by their mindmates to comfort when someone is upset but this little guy – well, he’s not too great at that. He listens okay, but the moods of his mindmate influence him strongly and thus the more upset his chosen is, the more likely he is to launch into a full-blown squeaking panic in response. His is the best, why can’t others see that? Why why why? Oh no, do they hate him? Cue freakout.

While in some cases the modest, meek appearance is a front for a more confident inner personality… this firelizard is not one such case. In fact, he’s so submissive, so meek, that he’s liable to be overlooked, even by His, unless he’s bonded to a particularly observant individual. Given a choice he will sit and watch, following the example of more dominant personalities – even into bad situations. Odds are, he’ll end up being bossed around by salamandyrs and firelizards alike and act as the fall guy for the less-than-savory types that float around Selenitas. It will be up to his chosen to keep him out of trouble and make him understand who the good influences are because otherwise… well, without guidance he’s definitely going to get into trouble, poor little guy! At least he’s cute.

[Kisha-Ra]

Groan. Flail.

Not discouraged in the least Lao hopped backwards, away from the hand that emerged from under the furs to flail and grab at him and fluted quietly, and insistently. His egg was hatching and he wanted his to come and see it. Was that so much to ask? No it wasn’t really, was it, and he was being nice about waking her up. As if to prove this idea to himself, or maybe to her, the bronze firelizard rubbed his head insistently against Yoalla’s face.

‘What do you want?’ Yoalla hissed, glaring balefully at the firelizard, remembering at the last moment to keep her voice down, having a roommate was really so annoying sometimes, like when you wanted to yell and try to strangle your pet. Lao, naturally, just sat and chirped quietly. His egg.

Yoalla groaned again, maybe she’d strangle that queen firelizard instead. There was a firelizard with an odd sense of humour, first mate with the confused bronzeling, then reinforce his delusion that he ‘s a green by telling him that one of the eggs is his. Under other circumstances Yoalla might have found this slightly amusing but Lao had been so upset after he caught the gold that she really wasn’t seeing the funny side. Maybe Lao had forgotten that but Yoalla hadn’t, there was something about having a quaking firelizard clinging to her chest for hours that she couldn’t forget.

‘What about it?’ she eventually asked in response to an image of Lao’s egg, or the one he was convinced was his at any rate. Lao fluted again and hummed for a few moments. Haaaatchiiiiing! The bronze hopped up and down urgently and added shaking and cracks to his egg image. Hurry up or it was going to hatch without them. Oh and Ellie’s eggs were hatching too, for some reason. But they weren’t as important as his egg were they? No, and his bonded should come, she should.

Yoalla sighed and slipped out of bed, wondering as she did so how long it had been since she got in there, not long enough she distinctly felt. She shoved on the first set of clothes that came to hand, they’d spent a day on the floor but they’d do. Now that she was awake Lao’s urgency was starting to get to her.

Yoalla arrived at a lope, preceded by a very smug bronze firelizard. Blinking she looked around, firelizards, kittens, meat scraps, children, guy in bathrobe, lots of people’s backs. In other words, total chaos and disaster just waiting to happen.

Indifferent to the thoughts of his bonded, it didn’t matter what she thought now she’d love his baby once it hatched, everyone would, Lao swooped over heads to land on the edge of the basket with care. Ellie got a curious look and a grateful croon, was his egg hatching yet? Was it alright? Ellie was the best queen babysitter ever!

[Rei]

Attention, attention! Gold firelizard Elegance’s clutch is hatching on the top of the cliffs. If you want a baby, make sure you come. We already have meat. Also, there are three feline cubs here for anyone who wants them. Hurry, hurry – the babies will be hatching soon!

Pandorath’s mental prodding was very strong now as F’lyn finished rocking Terilyn. If his didn’t go NOW he would miss the entire hatching. He wanted to see the pretty new babies even if it was just through his bonded. He always watched the whole hatchling. No harm would come to Terilyn in their weyr anyway. If his didn’t go he would miss the whole thing certainly. Please? Oh please? He liked the hatchings he did. So very much. It wasn’t fair if he missed this one. Did he ever ask for anything….

F’lyn took a deep breath and lay Terilyn down in her crib before turning to the impatient blue. Ok. I get it. I’ll go. You keep an eye on her. If she wakes up you better tell me. Pandorath almost crooned in happiness but caught himself. Instead what escaped was a rather odd huffing noise. F’lyn chuckled and shook his head. He left the weyr quietly and set off at a walk for the cliffs. Immediately came the prodding. He was walking? Couldn’t his go faster please? The hatchlings wouldn’t wait and he had probably already missed quite a few hatching. Oh please, please, please?

Groaning at his bonded’s ceaseless parade of images and emotions F’lyn started to jog briskly. Moments later he pulled up at the scene of the hatching. What a scene it was, the owner of the gold decked out in a bathrobe and person after person crowding to see what looked like a group of feline cubs. Feline cubs where not what he came for however and F’lyn casually made his way closer to the basket. Smiling he declined any meat offered to him. The blue rider hadn’t come with intention of impressing, (even if it was a hazard he ran by showing up) he came for the pleasure his blue got from watching the hatching. Pandorath loved the little flits. Couldn’t get enough and he would be distraught if he missed any of the hatchings.

Suddenly he felt the blue fill his mind. Oh some of them had already impressed but weren’t those greens darling? Oh and the blue had impressed! Did his see that? How exciting! F’lyn smiled and sent a wave of reassurance back to the blue. Yes I saw him impress. Good choice to. For all his groaning F’lyn did like to watch the hatchings to. They could be amusing at times. Very much so.

-----

Crystoph arrived as soon as the greens broke shell. Damn it. He was late. Figured that was the last time he ferried someone across the river just to flirt. She wasn’t as pretty up close as she had been from a distance anyway. Making a face, the red head stooped down to grab a bowl of meat only then turning to take in the scenery. Two men in a bathrobe snuggling with each other? Shuddering slightly, the candidate turned to instead examine the females of the crowd.

The wild girl Dyudahlii was there, The one who just impressed the green wasn’t bad to look at, Meridian the female brown rider. A couple other who wore candidate knots that he was unfamiliar with, hmm. He would have to remedy that when he got a chance. Crystoph reluctantly turned his eyes from the females to examine the crowd for anyone he knew. A part of him was saddened that he didn’t see anyone he recognized (save the Weyrleader), and a part of him was glad for that very same thing. Snorting dryly the candidate returned his attention to the basket. Who would the lovely greens choose?

[Ember]

Charming was of the opinion that the bronze was almost like a living mirror. What he did, the bronze copied. Charming was most entertained by the new baby's behaviour. So it was with a slightly disappointed chirp that he bid the bronze farewell, for the time being. He'd probably run into the bronze again somewhere. Like oh..whenever his human interacted with Eyesore's. The brown watched his blue friend with amusement before the newly hatched ones caught his attention and he fluted appreciatively.

The brown watched the blue find his person rather quickly (in comparison to his clutchmates) and turned to flirt with Ellie animatedly until a bronze arrived and he chirped curiously. Was this his clutch? It was a lovely clutch! But he was a bit late, wasn't he? Look, look. Three gone already. A green, a blue, and a very amusing bronze. He cheeped ruefully at Ellie. No browns shown yet! Soon enough, soon enough. No clutch was complete without a couple browns, right?

Nephele appreciated the show the hatchlings were putting on. Really, that bronze was adorable. She felt a bit bad for the green he'd chased away, but at least it looked like she had found her way to the meat pyramid. That meant she was the slightly odd girl's green, right? She felt a little uncomfortable about congratulating the girl. It wasn't like she knew the girl either. In the end, Nephele kept her silence and watched the bronze hatchling. Oh, it got bored with Charming? She watched him fly, ducking her head slightly as he passed over her. The person he landed on made her blink in surprise.

K'sel. She quickly averted her gaze. The bronze held interest for her but not while he was perching on that guy. She felt a bit bad for Eyesore though. Charming could handle the bronze's personality but could the blue? A distraction came in the form of a newly hatched firelizard. Nephele was amused by how quickly he left his playing green siblings to fly over to a little boy. Aww, how cute. As much to get away from anywhere near K'sel and because she liked kids well enough, the girl stood and snagged a bowl of meat. Miguel couldn't feed his new firelizard without food.

She walked over and offered the bowl. "He's a cute one. I'm guessing he's pretty hungry?" Her smile was a bit awkward but meant to reassure the boy. Luckily for him, the greenweyrlingrider actually didn't recognise him as the weyrleader's relative. She knew the weyr gossip (drudges knew all) but she'd never actually seen S'rei's young charges. Leaving the center of the action didn't bother her either. It was away from K'sel, and if a firelizard wanted her it could easily come over like Miguel's blue had done. The crowd was getting a bit stifling too.

[Rowana]

Merridan shook her head as she turned her attention to the basket of eggs. Why were so many people more interested in the felines? True, they were cute and fluffy, even she could admit that, but fire lizards were so much better in her opinion. A little green had already impressed, and a bronze and blue followed after. Mer smiled to watch them. They were such handsome creatures. Ellie should be proud. Two greens were playing together, it would be interesting who got that pair, or perhaps which two people.

Chaoth crooned happily at Behruth and Checkoth. I would love to fly with you. he agreed readily. Mine would too. She likes to fly. She does not scare easily. Which wasn't to say she never got scared. The plague had probably scared her more than a sky full of thread and enemy riders. Here was a foe she could just face down or fight. But they had lived, and Checkoth and Behruth too, so all was well.

[Sheari]

Three more pieces, just three more pieces! Emiliah was about to place one of the remaining cubes of meat when the green hatchling snatched one up. "You little shrew!" she exclaimed, looking up from her pyramid. The whirling rainbows that were the fire lizard's eyes distracted her from her sudden outburst. The green chirped and Emi chirped back, holding out a cube of meat. Reaching over, Emi picked up the green and set her on her shoulder. Mouse wouldn't mind it if she sat there for a little while. She was only a baby after all!

"Shrew," Emiliah said. That was the little thing's name, wasn't it? That was what Mouse had done. She had said something and he had come and... She's cute.[/b] Dib's voice was there. "She is cute!" Emiliah said, offering another piece of meat. Shrew chirped and ate it, almost catching Emi's fingers. Yes, she was cute! The green chirped back at Emi, most intrigued. This chirping was nice, not like the bronze one did mocking her!

Emiliah was apparently moving too slow as Shrew climbed down to the stacked meat and began helping herself. She began taking large bites that threatened to choke her. Emi just sat there, not entirely sure what to do. Gently pulling Shrew away and replacing her on her shoulder, the girl began to quickly sift through the pile for the smallest pieces and giving them to the green. She couldn't let her choke!

[rii]

So friendly, mine.
Don't want to give off the wrong impression.[/b]
Yes, because you are so unpleasant.
Indeed I am.

Saboth huffed, wiggling his wings in agitation, but it was a passing feeling. All too soon he was shifting his attention to the little flyers, rumbling with amusement as their individual personalities came out. His eyes whirled thoughtfully as he observed them. Hatchings were always fun to watch, and Saboth had been a bit disappointed when his had gone to the Salamandyr one without him. Although there had not been much room for viewing, or so his said. And the two he brought home were nuisances–the green more than the blue. She had a big mouth, and the blue was just.. odd.. crawling over him and babbling affections. After crooning encouragingly at the darters, Saboth mentally prodded his grumpy rider a second time.

Just take one already, or I am going to urge a flyer on you.

F'lix's brows rose, paying little mind to Saboth's comment since the female kitten had spoken. "Mm?" Much more pleasant to have a conversation with something that didn't talk back–at least in anything remotely understandable. Yes, could have a delightful one-sided conversation with the cub. Or silence. Silent companions were good. F'lix thought this firmly, just so that his trio of mindmates would hear it. "It's all up to you." He said softly to the inquiring kit, wiggling his fingers where they remained poised in front of her. "I warn you, I'll likely spoil you."

Simper love too~ The blue mandyr added helpfully–or so he assumed, not comprehending that the kitten would not be able to understand him.

[Requiem]

M'el and Laurie's son, the spitting image of the father he'd never met, edged nervously along the outskirts of the crowd, trying to keep Shei in sight. He wished she'd just come away. There were so many people, and Daddy would be upset if she got lost. The little firelizards kept distracting him, though - they were unbelievably adorable, even if the bronze didn't seem very nice at all. Making fun of the other firelizards. Shei's little red head kept bouncing in and out of view as she moved to get in better positions.

The boy was worrying his lip between his teeth, still not liking this very much, when a small creature caught his attention. It looked for all the world like a bat. He blinked, thoroughly distracted by the odd sight, when he realized that this was one of the little firelizard hatchlings. And a pretty one, two, if somewhat oddly formed. Miguel took a step forward, his boyish curiosity getting the better of him. The creature fell at his feet, drawing a dismayed look from the five-turn-old, who immediately crouched down, poking at the little blue lightly. Was he okay? The firelizard's tail curled around as much of his hand as it could reach. Yes, yes, but he was hungry and tired and he'd much rather not be on the ground. Wouldn't His feed him please?

Miguel responded to the inquiring chirps in silence, scooping up the small creature and cradling him in both hands, close to his chest. As he moved to stand, he found himself face-to-face with Shei. Her nose wrinkled, the girl peering disdainfully down at the blue firelizard. "What is that? It looks like a bug," she declared haughtily. The hatchling squeaked, curling into a ball and hiding behind his wings while Miguel's fingers half-closed in a clearly protective gesture. Sniffing, the girl turned on a heel and flounced back to the blanket's edge. If Miguel had Impressed the pathetic one, she was certain there was a gold in her future. It only stood to reason.

Despite his definite dislike of Shei - she was scary - the blue uncoiled the moment the food bowl neared him. (Obviously His had gotten the other to come, so the other must be okay.) Good, good Mine. Best mine. He fluted pleasantly, falling on the food with obvious hunger the moment the bowl changed hands. "What should I call you?" Miguel asked the firelizard in quiet undertones. The blue squeaked something unhelpful. "Lord. You wear a cape like a Lordholder," he commented, running a finger down the firelizard's back. Lord crooned, rubbing up against the touch. More food?

Miguel offered the weyrlingrider a sheepish little smile. He didn't talk a lot - hardly ever, really - but he knew it was rude not to say anything to her. "Thank you." A flicker of unease passed over his face. "Daddy won't be happy." Lord was so adorable, now practically rolling in the bowl of meat (Miguel couldn't decide if he was trying to hide in it or just playing) and Miguel wanted him. Of course he did. But Daddy didn't like firelizards at all, and they'd come here on their own...Miguel was very, very nervous. "Who are you?" he asked, still cradling the bowl, complete with hatchling resident, to his small chest.

---

That more or less answered that question, didn't it? He rested a hand on one of R'wign's arms, leaning forward just enough to get the boots from around his neck and out of the way. They fell in a heap beside the two brownriders, M'ta stretching out his legs, playing his toes along the blanket. He settled back against R'wign contentedly. There was no point fighting him on this, after all, especially when he liked the contact. (Besides which, it helped allay the possessiveness. Only an idiot, seeing them, could think the healer belonged to anyone but M'ta.)

The brownrider watched F'lix with faint amusement out of the corner of his eye. Fascinated by the kittens, wasn't he? M'ta didn't know him well, but they could be called...friendly almost? The bluerider was good for a silent game to pass the time, at any rate.

Noting that R'wign wasn't really watching the hatching itself, M'ta began narrating softly, knowing the healer would probably be interested a little. They were Ellie's, after all. "The mocking bronze has Impressed," he commented, amused. "Just Hatched and he's already playing mindgames. Have to feel a little bad for K'sel's blue, though." He shifted slightly to watch the blue Impress. "And it looks like Miguel got the blue...he's a good kid." A little young, but...not too young, really, in M'ta's opinion.

"And there are two greens playing right now." He couldn't see much of them, though, as he was short and the people kept milling.

Maybe Mine will come, too. He does not do the squeaky scream, though. Actually, Behruth couldn't remember ShortyHis ever screaming. Not that he remembered much that far back, anyway. He remembered his Hatching, he remembered the dark fever dreams...and much in between was forgotten.