set this ballroom aglow [mandyr/flit hatching]

[Avu]

“Riaren, dear, that’s not something you want to be eating…Mimic, didn’t you want to bring it to Doppelganger? Take it, please, I don’t want Riaren inhaling dirt.”
Dirt shiny so sparkly, give eggmine, yes. Please?
And exactly how does a rock look at all appetizing?
Yummy shiny, yes yes~
“Baahhhh.”

“Exactly.” Meira wasn’t quite sure what she’d just agreed to (what did ‘baahhhh’ mean in baby-speak?) but her agreement made Riaren split into a wide smile and that was good enough for her. The baby was sprawled on his stomach on top of Jingth’s side, the gold lying flat across the ground, half-asleep and drowsing in the sun. Of course, her agreeing to Riaren’s less than coherent statement drew some confusion from both Mimic and Jingth. Neither actively questioned it, though; Mimic was content to gnaw on the same rock that had been pulled out from Riaren’s mouth so short a time ago, a white pebble washed smooth by constant movement of water over it that he’d found on the beach a few days ago. Not really dirty, but still not clean.

The baby is quite strange, MyLove… The gold clearly wasn’t paying much attention, though, eyes half-closed drowsily. The sun felt so nice, after all; why on Pern would she want to pay attention to a baby? MeiraHers would make sure Riaren wasn’t hurt; hers was just an idle curiosity as to why a baby would want to stick a rock salvaged from a Salamandyr into his mouth. No sense. None at all. Her tail swished from side to side in the dirt, sending glittering dust rising before, purely by chance, her tail-tip caught a small stone and sent it, dazzling, sparkling, glittering, flying. And Mimic perked up instantly, one thought in mind.

Doppelganger would just /love/ that shiny.

Yes, a lot of the Salamandyr’s energy went into making his brother happy. It made him happy when Doppelganger was happy. Leaping off of Jingth, Mimic darted as fast as his legs would carry him across the ground, leaping over a particularly annoying tree root that jutted out of the ground – and straight into a very upset gold firelizard whose screech was cut off as, with a flurry of wings pale enough to pass for white, she blinked between under Mimic’s unintentional assault, leaving the Salamandyr coiled unhappily around the stone he’d been Chasing, cringing in panic. He’d made a pretty go away. It was a bad going away, too, she’d been so unhappy and – and red. He saw red. Why did he see red?

Riaren was squirming unhappily, clumsy hands cupping over his ears to demonstrate his upset at the loudness of the screaming going on, as Meira picked him up off of Jingth to allow the gold to roll onto her stomach with a snort of disapproval. Where did firelizards get off, screeching like that?! So impolite, huff huff. But Mimic’s sudden excited squeal interrupted her irritation.

Babies! Baby eggs babies goldy pretty babies!
MeiraMyLove, I understand that he’s upset about the firelizard, but you don’t suppose he could be crazy? Jingth suggested weakly, as Meira hugged Riaren to her, frowning in confusion as she carried the baby over to peer at what Mimic was so excited about – and then she recoiled so sharply that Jingth leaned forward, butting her head against Hers to stop her from actually tripping over the gnarled roots above the ground. Eggs. Small eggs, which, on second glance, were actually twitching. One of them had a humming, excited Mimic draped over it carefully, the Salamandyr looking up at His with undeniable glee printed across his face.

Babies love love baby pretty babies love –
MyLove?
“I don’t want Riaren anywhere near those!”

Riaren gurgled anxiously at the sound of panic in his mother’s voice, dark green eyes flicking in confusion from her face to Mimic, who was still humming. Jingth crooned audibly, tongue flicking out to dart along Riaren’s foot gently. So we’ll call the Weyr to come Impress the firelizards; then they won’t come near your hatchling. Would you like me to…? At Meira’s nod, Jingth crooned again, reassuring, before she tilted her head, broadcasting. There are wild firelizard eggs Hatching three dragonlengths downriver from the Main Hall. Those who wish to Impress, come immediately and bring meat. Checkoth, Mine wants Yours to come rescue the hatchling from the eggs.

01. Candlelight Egg – Brown firelizard Sneak, Impressed to M’ta
02. Red Rose Egg – Green Salamandyr The Devil, Impressed to Yoalla
03. Red Wine Egg – Gold Salamandyr Dementia, Impressed to Dmitri
04. Black Dress Egg – Green Salamandyr Vex, Impressed to R’wign
05. Hidden Fire Egg – Blue firelizard Tizzy, Impressed to Nautic
06. Kisses Egg – Green firelizard Reina, Impressed to M’kai
07. Nighttime Egg – Brown Salamandyr Jiggles, Impressed to Cr’oph
08. Slowdance Egg – Green firelizard Bonnie, Impressed to R’ven
09. Silk and Velvet Egg – Blue Salamandyr Leo, Impressed to Erilena
10. Eternal Love Egg – Bronze firelizard Mother, Impressed to Nephele
11. Proposal Egg – Blue Salamandyr Sky, Impressed to S’kor

[Avu]

The Romance Clutch

Settled snugly in between the protective roots of a large tree on the edge of the River, these eggs are padded by a liberal collection of feathers and scraps of fabric. A light dusting of leaves cover it as well, and among said leaves is a hollow where the mother undoubtedly sleeps. Considering the bright colors that make up these eggs, it’s a surprise that nobody else had stumbled across the clutch sooner. Closer inspection will find a second little hollow beneath the leaves, a good deal smaller, but right next to the clutch itself. What it once held is unknown; it’s certainly no longer there…

01. CANDLELIGHT Egg
The second largest of the eggs in the clutch, the Candlelight Egg is settled a few inches away from the Nighttime Egg – almost right smack in the front. Now, if only its clutchsibling weren’t there…but regardless, this egg certainly will draw quite a few interested looks. The mother of the clutch has turned it most carefully so that the side presented to those gathered ‘round will be the most attractive. Pitch black edges on the sides, looking as if it would actually dominate the entire shell, had it not been for the brightly-colored smear in the center. Red at the center, it’s irregular in shape and turns into a yellow, before a line splits the color and the ‘glow’ that it appears to cast, which brightens the shell around it – or so it appears, anyway. From the bottom of this splotch is a long, thick red line that falls into the blackness around the edges. The only light is that of the candle…

02. RED ROSE Egg
The small Red Rose Egg is settled right behind the Red Wine Egg, a good deal smaller than its sibling, but possibly even more beautiful. Pure, bright red covers almost the entire egg, bold in color. Dark green wraps securely around the bottom of the shell, almost protectively, and looks very much like leaves have been propped up against the shell – but no, it’s actually the design. From the side, it looks rather plain – just green and red. When viewed from above, however, this small egg becomes breathtaking. With careful precision, it looks as though layers of red are peeling away from the very tip of the egg without actually folding over. Each ‘layer’ is edged with a red of a slightly darker shade, and at the very top of the egg, the layers are extremely close together, as if the egg has not entirely unfolded in all of its glory quite yet. But of course, it hasn’t, for the creature it contains is, is it not, the true glory…?

03. RED WINE Egg
Small though it is, the Red Wine Egg is seated smack in the center of the clutter of eggs. To a casual observer, this might be dismissed as simply odd, but a closer observer might notice that, though it is indeed in the center, not a single egg happens to be touching it. The better to see it with, though – due to the distance, it’s possible to see the entirety of the Red Wine Egg. A very deep scarlet-red swirls across the surface, and indeed it looks as if the color swirls with the most subtle of shades and tints etched across the surface, while a rush of golden, transparent circles drifts towards the top of the egg. It honestly looks as if the egg has been plunged into some type of liquid…

04. BLACK DRESS Egg
Settled snugly among the other eggs, the tiny Black Dress Egg is not one that instantly springs to view – mostly because the colors on it are surprisingly neutral in comparison to the splashes of vivid red and violet prominently noted among the other eggs. To a casual observer, it’s simply a stark black egg with four splashes of pale brown: One at the top, one on either side, and one large one at the bottom of the shell, with no variations to the color or, indeed, anything to catch interest in the least. Because, at a glance, that’s what it is – it’s when one takes the time to actually stare at the egg and inspect it a little more carefully (albeit at a distance if one likes their nose the shape it is), they’ll notice that the black isn’t pure – it has several glossy highlights that give it hills and valleys.

05. HIDDEN FIRE Egg
Seated snugly at the back and with a leaf draped over it, as some kind of ridiculous hat, the Hidden Fire Egg is not one that instantly draws the eye. The dark shades that are smudged across the surface – and yes, ‘smudged’ is a most accurate description – are far from appealing as most of the other brightly painted shells are, but once the eyes linger upon the Hidden Fire Egg, the true beauty of it is revealed. Those dark smudges? They’re not just shades of brown; red and violet are interwoven so subtly to stream across the surface of the shell that they go generally unnoticed by any but those who look the closest. A dark, smoky transparent layer seems to cover the reds and purples that swirl and twist in intricate patterns to make them seem faded, almost invisible.

06. KISSES Egg
The Kisses Egg is bold in its simplicity. This egg, medium in size compared to most of the clutch, is settled slightly back, to one side, and displays a surface of pale tan, very close to that of someone’s skin. Pinks and reds of various shades, ranging from the palest, softest baby pink to the deepest of crimsons, swirl across the surface. The swirls are not particularly intricate on their own, and if they had formed any kind of rhythm it might have been very pretty, but as it is they just ribbon around the shell without any pattern to make sense of them. However, squarely in the middle of one side of the egg – the side that has been presented to those gathered, conveniently enough – is a bright red splotch in the shape of lips, as if some giant had leaned down and left a lipstick mark on the side of the Kisses Egg.

07. NIGHTTIME Egg
The Nighttime Egg certainly isn’t the largest in the clutch, but it’s displayed very proudly, in a front-and-center setting with no leaves to obscure it. And a lovely creation it certainly is, even given what it lacks in size. Pure, inky black settles over the surface of the shell, not gleaming, just black – matte black, so dark that it’s hard to see where highlights begin and shadows end on the surface. Pinpoints of light, reminiscent of stars in a night sky, speckle the surface of the shell, however, silvery-gold dots spread unevenly, clustered in some areas and almost nonexistent in others, but spanning the entire shell nonetheless. Also smudged across the surface, occasionally overlaying the gold-silver dots and making them look darker, muddier, are smears of dark, dark gray, dark enough to almost blend entirely into the shell.

08. SLOWDANCE Egg
Perching indiscreetly to one side of the clutch, the Slowdance Egg is not one that instantly catches attention or springs immediately to the ‘Most Beautiful’ listing – indeed, the shades that swirl across it are very subtle. On one half of the shell, the egg is pure black. The other half is a bright red, swirling partly into the black in a kind of imperfect triangle. Downward strokes of a darker red add motion to the picture, but there’s no real, discernable picture. The “motion” indicated, however, is gentle and smooth enough to be decidedly soothing, slow, comfortable. The shell exudes a faintly silver shine, but the silver is not a cold color, though neither is it warm. Sparkles of gold that appear to be actually part of the egg, reminiscent of sparkles in granite, are scattered across the surface, too, giving it a particular appeal to those who care to look closely enough to spot them, and adding warmth that the silver does not.

09. SILK AND VELVET Egg
This small egg is curled protectively near the back of the clutch – though whether it’s because the clutchmother actually likes it, or simply decided that it very badly needs to be taken care of is debatable. It looks – odd, not quite the perfect egg shape that the rest of the clutch proudly sports. More spherical, but with a few odd lumps and bulges in its sides, as if the creature within jabbed at it while the shell was still soft. Or it’s just…an oddity. Nevertheless, in color it’s quite an appealing creation (just ignore the shape. Clearly it’s not important). Deep violet settles over it, and the ‘wrinkles’ that appear on the surface look as though someone has dropped a handkerchief over it and tucked in the edges to make it conform to the egg’s shape. It glistens in the light, and looks soft to the touch – whether it is or not, though, is known only to the queen herself.

10. ETERNAL LOVE Egg
The Eternal Love Egg is definitely the largest in the clutch, settled snugly in the safest of all places: Under a knot of wood and half-hidden by a leaf at the very back of the clutch for safety measures. However, even that amount of protection cannot hide the beauty of the egg. A deep red settles across the surface of the egg, and darker crimson swirls upwards across the surface, which has none of the matte quality of most eggs but instead seems to gleam faintly, almost exuding light. Silver speckles have been thrown across the surface as well, a spray so fine as to be fairly invisible when seen from a distance, lightening the color of the egg overall. However, instead of a silver gleam as might be expected, the sheen that emerges from this egg is decidedly gold. A very lovely egg indeed…

11. PROPOSAL Egg
This tiny egg looks honestly like a miniaturized version of a dragon’s queen egg. Proudly displayed in the front of the clutch, but a little off to one side to make room for the mother’s other favorites, the Proposal Egg sparkles in vibrant shades of gold. And this is no bronze gold or yellow gold, but true gold, gold bright enough and shiny enough to be seen from quite a distance. No leaves are draped over the surface of this shell – that would ruin its tiny, glittery perfection! At the very top of the egg, however, a translucent shape is formed. The gold beneath is still clearly visible, but it looks as though a semi-transparent something has been set on top of it. Something clear, something with many facets…but what, exactly, is uncertain, for it has a decidedly iridescent look to it depending on the angle. Green – blue – red – even violet – shine at the tip of the Proposal Egg. So many sides of it…

[Ember]

It was an odd occurence that during her off time Nephele wasn't actually at the river or the coast. Instead she was at the creche, or rather she had been called there. She picked the creche often enough for the chores that she had been getting on good terms with quite a few of the kids. One of the girls who was fond of her was evidentally throwing a fit and wouldn't do anything asked of her. As Nephele knelt next to her and touched her shoulder the little girl turned around and showed her tears.

"What's wrong Miane?" She asked with a worried frown. The girl didn't often cry at all, or throw fits for that matter. "Gecilidan took my kitty! But no one believes me. They all say it was his and I took it from him." Ah, creche bullying. What would life be without it? Peaceful. She smoothed the girl's hair and opened her mouth to say something when an announcement ran through her mind. Oh a hatching. What could it hurt to go? Stil lshe had to fix this problem first.

She wandered over to the little boy in question and smiled disarmingly at him. He knew what she wanted and she was determined to get it. Flatter him or ashame him? "Gecil...what you did was awfully mean. You took a girl's toy and made her cry. That's no way for a man to act, now is it? You're going to tell the adults the truth and give back the toy like a man right?" That sufficed to set things in motion and she left the creche with a wink at the head crechewoman. They weren't unintelligent. They knew the boy had been lying but they could hardly call him out on it. She could because she was only a temporary worker. Once she graduated she doubted she'd visit overly often.

Nephele then made her way to the kitchens and snagged some meat before meeting Nuoth outside the main hall. "I didn't disturb you too much, did I?" she asked dryly. Of course she hadn't. The green had only been sunning herself as she waited for Nephele to return to the weyr so they could go to one of their favourite places. The girl climbed up and let Nuoth take her to the place. When she arrived she blinked. So it had been Meira who found the clutch. The greenweyrling waved slightly to her fellow classmate as Nuoth greeted her gold clutchsister. Now to see who else would come. And dismount...but she was comfortable where she was for the moment.

[rii]

Sprawled out on a rock near the river, Trilaranth raised his head as the broadcast reached him. He crooned softly to himself, wings stretching as his tail flicked at the water. A peaceful demeanor, for once, and the brown was more than content to just laze there with a recently filled stomach and drift off to sleep. Jingth says there are firelizard hatching downriver from the Main Hall. You like the little flyers.

"Mm.." Rulven turned from where he stood calf-deep in the shallows, a flattened skipping stone in his hand. He gave the fawn colored brown a curious look before wading onto the shore and slipping into his sandals. There was a strange series of withheld thoughts circling in the fawn brown's mind that were less than proper about what the hatching could.. provide. Well, he had yet to see a small scale hatching since coming to Selenitas. The last flitter hatched when he had been too far away to participate..

Loathed to move, Trilaranth did so anyway, easing on to his claws and moving along side his bonded. At least it wouldn't be a far walk. And, one never to let his appearance be marred, Trilaranth lifted his head and kept his tail from dragging over the rocks. The brown picked up speed when the gold dragon was in sight. He claimed a spot of dry grass next to the queen, fanning his wings out to go back to his previous task of sunning. Curiously he eyed the tiny brown salamandyr. Is that your slave, Jingth?

"Meira," Rulven said softly in greeting to the young mother. He spared her a Riaren a smile before nodding politely to the present green and .. a girl he didn't know.. then looking beyond at the colorful, twitching eggs. "We were downstream, didn't bring any meat.. I'm sure someone will bring some from the Weyr."

[Rei]

There are wild firelizard eggs Hatching three dragonlengths downriver from the Main Hall. Those who wish to Impress, come immediately and bring meat.

Hurry mine or we will miss our shot at the little slaves. “Damn it Mave. Slow down!” But the bronze wasn’t slowing down. In fact if anything he was only increasing his speed. Clumsy as all hatchlings where, Mavenath still seemed to posses an unnatural grace as his stride ate up the ground. His bonded eventually gave up on the over eager bronze and slowed to a more sedate jog. As the bronze approached the hatching site the young dragon caught a flash of gold hide. That must be the gold that called them all here. Slowing to a stop the bronze circled once before lowering himself ungracefully to the ground. Neck arched he crooned softly to Meira and Jingth eyes whirling happy blues.

Striding toward his lump of bronze dragon Cr’oph smacked him square on the snout. “You idiot see none have even hatched. Plus I told you hatchling’s don’t like me. I got unlucky with you.” Snorting Mavenath shook his head and eyed his reproachfully. You do not know unless you try. Plus a firelizard could come in handy….. Whatever. Cr’oph gingerly took a dried strip of jerky from his pocket. It would have to do for food, he had nothing better. Doubtful they would want him anyway.

~~~

Terilyn giggled as Pandorath swung low over the river. Allowing his wingtips to just barely touch the water the blue succeeded in sending up small bits of spray. F’lyn kept a tight hold on the baby as his blue gently touched his mind. To fast? No she is happy and I have a good grip. Go ahead my friend, you can speed up. Giving a loud bugle the blue quickened his pace, only to immediately slow down and start a hum. The bluerider touched his mute blue’s mind with a query and was answered with a image of hatching firelizards and Jingth. The image was quickly followed by a deep wistful hopefulness which translated into one thing, please? Chuckling F’lyn readjusted Terilyn and gave an affirmative. Why not? Piper wasn’t so bad and perhaps they might get one that Terilyn would be able to squeeze? With a mental laugh the blue quickly swung around and headed for the coordinates given.

Back winging, Pandorath landed on the riverbank with plenty of room for others to land. Quickly he crouched to allow his rider and their precious cargo an easy dismount. F’lyn swung down and readjusted Terilyn who balled her fist in his shirt and stuck the other one immediately in her mouth. Wide hazel eyes scanned the scene before her before settling on Mavenath. Giving a squeal she reached her slobbery hand towards the bronze. Chuckling F’lyn nodded at Cr’oph who raised an eyebrow and hastily turned away. Undeterred Terilyn began to fuss, still reaching for the small bronze. She wanted it. Hers. To placate her the bluerider moved towards the hatchling bronze, watching the weyrling for any sign of discontent. Mavenath crooned before reaching his nose towards the baby to sniff her.

Is this a human hatchling? I have never seen one. Cr’oph snorted before answering mentally. Yes and don’t get too attached. They whine and smell and are generally annoying. Really? This one does not smell bad although she does make odd noises. Happily Terilyn clung to the bronze’s snout and gurgled. Shiny! F’lyn smiled and looked toward Cr’oph. “Thank you for your patience with us.” The bronze weyrling shrugged before silently turning toward the rocking eggs. Eww human babies. He would rather take his chance with the flits.

~~~

Feyrianth bounced happily down the path. Hurry Erimine! The flitterbys are hatching. Don’t you want one? Erilena laughed as she fell in stride beside her green. "Of course I do that’s why we made the pit stop for some meat. Just like you did they hatch really hungry and will have to eat." The four winged green crooned. Do you think one will like us? Erilena reached down to caress her green’s neck. "I hope so." If we get one can I name it? The weyrling could only imagine the kinds of names her little dragon would produce. "We will see darling, we have to get one first remember?"

Suddenly they came upon the hatching scene and the green crooned ecstatically. However it was not the hatching eggs she was concerned with. It was the large gold hovering nearby. Trotting happily up to Jingth, Feyrianth flopped down right next to her and proceeded to try and snuggle against her side. The four winged green began to speak her tones excited and wondering.Hello! I am Feyrianth and you are oh so very beautiful! We can be friends yes? You are gold like clutchmothermine! I think you are so very shiny. I am not shiny but we can still be friends right? Erilena fought the urge to rescue her dragon and instead shot an apologetic glance in Meira’s direction. All she could hope for was that the gold was in a good mood. Shifting her bowl of procured meat the girl worried her lower lip. Oh dear.

[tarra]

Katar & Company

The bluerider had been lounging by the river with her two furballs on leashes when the summons came. Sonarth, settled beside the drifting waters with his head high and watchful, turned in the general direction of the gold weyrling as she spoke. Not half a dragonlength away, little squeals erupted as the pair found a small darter dozing in the shade of the ferns. Sereina was the first to pounce, with Skittles a half-second behind her, but the darter was faster yet. It flicked through the bushes, leaving only leaves in its wake for the felines' paws, and was gone in a flurry of irridescent wings. Katar chuckled as she pulled her disgruntled kittens back out one by one, taking care not to put too much pressure on their collars with the leash. The blue snorted, watching them, then reached for his rider's mind.

Hatching firelizards? she looked up at him, one kitten in each hand, I've never seen one before. Let's have a look.

And use these two for meat as well, I suppose?

No, of course not. I don't want one, I just want to see - we never got to see one back at Fort, she frowned back at him and then started down the river at a slow walk, trying not to jostle her felines. Sonarth rose with an exhalation of disgust and followed, his tail flicking behind him. They had been here less than two months, but already there were changes in the bluerider's outward demeanour: she was cooler, calmer, less likely to jump at an insult and more curious of everything in general. Beneath the veneer she remain cautious, wary; but she was finding more and more that she liked ths place, with its easier atmosphere and its general lack of animosity towards female riders. Not that Selenitas had no prejudices against female riders - just less of it. And the Weyr did have its challenges too, such as the open suspicion she still faced from some of her Wing mates as a recent arrival from Fort. It was a small price to pay, however, for one so accustomed to hostility that she found it strange to have less of it in her life.

The place was not far nor hard to find. A small crowd had already assembled, most of them holding shreds and strips of meat. The scent of fresh blood and flesh brought Sereina up short. She sniffed eagerly with her eyes on the crowd with all the good smells around them, while Skittles scrambled in Katar's arm squeaking for an early meal. With a sigh their handler set them down and kept a firm hold as they strained at the edge of their tethers. It would not be prudent to get any closer to the group.

An excellent idea, echoed Sonarth, curling up on a nearby rock from which he could view all that was happening. He glanced at the other dragons present, was pleased to see that a certain blue weyrling was not amongst them, and broadcasted his thoughts to all at large, My greetings, everyone.

***************************************

S'kor and Morreliath

The rider of Morreliath came behind most of the crowd, taking his time to cover the paths from the Main Hall to the site that Jingth had indicated. His mindmate had not been too receptive of the idea - the River had been a place of death and desolation just weeks before, and the memory of how he had come to touching the tainted water was still fresh in the bronze dragon's mind. Besides, why would S'kor be interested in those little squeaking things, with their silliness and ridiculous habits. The big bronze grumbled as he rumbled on behind the man, trailing further with every step.

I just want to get involved, Morry - half the Weyr would be here, and it's a good time to get familiar with them.

Half is an overstatement, and you know that. Only those interested in getting one of those things will be here.

Then I'll learn who wants one of them, he replied patiently, skirting an outcrop of rock protruding from the River into the grassy sward. Morreliath, still grumbling, stepped over it. He was tall enough that he could see the flash of gold that was Jingth now, and the people thronging the area not far from her. Sidling to a halt, he sent out a greeting for the metallic weyrling only; anything less than bronze rarely merited his attention.

My greetings, Jingth. And you too, Mavenath, he yawned as he settled by the River, Are you both here to attend to this hatching?

S'kor slipped gently through the crowd for a glimpse of the eggs, his hazy eyes brightening as he caught sight of them. So small, yet so well-made. The bronzerider had been witness to countless dragon hatchings in his time, but each one was a pleasure in itself, seeing the new-shelled dragonets slip from their eggs to see the world for the first time. It was like watching a herbeast or runner birthing; it never failed to bring a thrill to his soul. Standing himself to one side of the crowd, he took a quick census of those present, noting that the number seemed to be made up mostly of weyrlings. Well, that was interesting. Pandorath's rider was here too, and S'kor could not suppress a grin as he sighted him. Seeing as he was staying well out of the way this time, he rather doubted the bluerider would feel he was hazing him - again.

[Avu]

Panic. Yes, she was nervous because of firelizard eggs, not least because she didn’t want to Impress. She didn’t want Riaren to Impress either. Meira shifted the baby onto one hip nervously, stepping back until she was level with Jingth. Hide behind the gold dragon. Yes. Because that would work. At least people had started coming now. Nephele’s wave earned only a nervous nod from Meira as acknowledgment, but Riaren had caught the gesture and waved back, smiling cheerfully at the greenweyrling and her dragon both. No, he didn’t know her, but she’d waved and that meant she was nice, right? And then came a lot of people. Meira edged closer to R’ven, glancing towards the eggs that Mimic was still crooning over enthusiastically. “People always bring extra,” she agreed softly, gaze flicking around the others that had come. Seeing F’lyn had brought Terilyn was extraordinarily reassuring. Riaren wasn’t the only one, then…

Jingth, meanwhile, found herself a gathering point. The gold crooned politely at Nuoth, but Trilaranth (her pet brown!) received a low rumble of greeting. His question made her tilt her head, glancing over at Mimic. To disown him or not to disown him, hmm…That is correct, he is. I would introduce you but I’m afraid he’s too deliriously happy to be coherent. Silly excitable creature. And – and – a green was rubbing on her. Blink. Blink. Well, at least she’d called her beautiful. Jingth crooned quietly, bemused. Thank you – I’m afraid I don’t know your name – but I’m sure we can be. Friends, slave – same thing, right? And a bronze-voice that did not belong to the young one nosing at the hatchling. Jingth turned her head curiously. Fair skies, she returned, pleasantly. She liked being surrounded and the center of attention. Or close to the center, anyway. MyLove is less than interested in Impressing, but she does want to make sure they Hatch safely.

And then the first egg cracked and Meira actively slid behind R’ven, pressing her lips nervously against Riaren’s forehead.

The Slowdance Egg shivered visibly, as if it was cold. Another shudder, the egg teetering on its rounded base, but not quite falling. Mimic leaned forward from his sprawled position on the Red Rose Egg, curiously, just as the Slowdance Egg jumped, cracking from the bottom and sending spiderwebs darting upwards, and landed square in front of his nose. The Salamandyr squawked, startled, as a green head poked out of the shell. The Slowdance Green Firelizard turned to inspect her audience briefly before her attention returned to Mimic and she crooned sweetly at him.

Hello hello, baby, the Salamandyr offered pleasantly. The Slowdance Green’s response was another coquettish chirping sound – a sound drowned out by that of a loud crack from another egg. Or, to be precise, two other eggs: The Black Dress Egg and the Proposal Egg. The latter split cleanly in half, exposing a curled blue…

Salamandyr.

Greetings me, the blue stated, nose sticking up into the air arrogantly. He was graceful. He was proud. He was the perfect Salamandyr. In his dreams. The Proposal Blue Salamandyr uncoiled and – promptly fell right out of his shell, faceplanting onto the floor and flopping onto his back, blinking at the sky. The sound of giggling – from Riaren – brought the Proposal Blue back onto his feet, though; he spat furiously. ME! It was clearly an insult, possibly because he knew no other words.

Pretty you? Mimic offered curiously around the Slowdance Green.

Prettiest. And he glared at everyone. For it was their fault that they were not as pretty as he.

01. Candlelight Egg
02. Red Rose Egg – has Mimic draped over it
03. Red Wine Egg
04. Black Dress Egg
05. Hidden Fire Egg
06. Kisses Egg
07. Nighttime Egg
08. Slowdance Egg – Green firelizard, flirting with Mimic
09. Silk and Velvet Egg
10. Eternal Love Egg
11. Proposal Egg – Blue Salamandyr, glaring

[glamourie]

]R’wignmine, Jingth’s wants you to rescue the Riarenhatchling from eggs.

The oh-so-helpful explanation made R’wign blink from his spot in one of the infirmary isolation rooms, near the sinks. Turning his head, the healer brought one hand up to his face, his confusion evident, even as his colorful entourage disappeared. He silently inquired of Checkoth what he meant before leaning over to rinse his hair. The water ran odd shades of diluted pink and blue, remedies from the herb-and-floral dye that R’wign had spent days putting together. Once it ran completely clear, he lifted his head and folded a fluffy white towel around it, covering his still-sopping hair from view. He smoothed the towel onto his head before removing his apron and tossing it aside. Right. He had to ‘rescue’ Riaren from… eggs. What eggs? Ellie hadn’t clutched and neither Brat nor Dael had Run, and Rose was still too young. That eliminated pet eggs, and none of the gold dragons had. What could it have been? His question was very helpfully answered a moment later.

I believe that they are wild flitter eggs hatching, R’wignmine. Jingth says they are downriver from the main hall. I will take you to them; I want to see the hatchling.

“M’ta will be thrilled with Meira. I’m going to have to sit on him at this rate. Why does she do this? I’m getting tired of having to convince him that she has a name other than ‘Babymama’ when he’s mad at her,” R’wign grumbled before turning to yell over his shoulder at the apprentices and other healers on shift, “I’ll be back later. Apparently I have to rescue my child from firelizards… and his mother from M’ta because she’s a dunce.” He didn’t elaborate on why, though. R’wign also didn’t wait for a response, instead heading off to the weyrledge where Checkoth was perched. Always perching there when not playing with Phremath. He stopped in front of the brown to pat his snout, earning a light butt in return. “Why was Meira out there to begin with?”

I do not know, Checkoth answered, leaning down for R’wign to mount. At least you will get to see what the hatchling thinks of your hair. And everyone else. Once he was sure that his rider wouldn’t be dislodged by his movements, the brown literally threw himself off the ledge – earning a slight hiss from R’wign who never liked that. Ignoring the protests, Checkoth beat his wings to gain air and swept along the line of the river. He circled overhead for a moment, crooning down toward Meira and Jingth, before coming to land far enough away from the clutch to avoid scaring the new babies. Once there, he settled down and leaned toward the ground to make dismounting easier, tacking on, You need to stop panicking when I take off. You sound like a female when you scream.

“Sass. I’m being sassed by my dragon. I do not sound like a girl. Nor did I scream, and that isn’t even taking off, that’s just random moments of suicidal glee,” R’wign complained with a note of affection in his voice that left nothing to doubt: he very much adored the two-tailed brute, even if he was apparently fond of being evil.

Truthfully, a firelizard hatching was the absolute last thing that R’wign ever wanted to attend. He had a magnetism for them. He just looked at hatching eggs and suddenly firelizards latched onto him. But for Riaren, he’d take the risk. The healer dismounted, one hand coming up to towel-dry his hair further before he unwove it and tossed the fluffy white towel onto his dragon. The locks that fell free were dark pink with blue streaks – obviously freshly colored. The appearance was nothing short of ridiculous, but R’wign didn’t appear to notice it at all as his gaze searched the crowd of people for Meira. It was difficult to locate her at first, until he spied her hair; why was she hiding behind some big guy he didn’t know? Beh. Crinkling his nose, the healer sifted through the massing crowd of people to stand behind Meira with a light tap to her shoulder.

“One of these days, Jingth is going to learn to just tell me things directly, instead of going through extra channels,” he said dryly, as if he didn’t have bright pink hair.

Above him, settling in the branches of the trees, were R’wign’s pets – all but Grouch. The firelizards were humming loudly, obviously interested in the clutch. Grouch, on the other hand, had appeared, looked around… and then disappeared to find M’ta, eager to tattle on Meira for being by the river without him there. (And maybe he wanted to harass M’ta. Maybe.)

[rii]

The faintest trace of an amused smile crossed R'ven's features as Meira used him as a barrier between herself and.. the eggs? He mentally shrugged, not at all bothered by the action and merely setting his focus on the hatching. Anticipation rose as the Slowdance Egg cracked to reveal –!

A salamandyr.

R'ven's expression soured, but he was quick to put on a light smile and turn to speak to Meira. "I thought they were going to be fire liz–" Pink hair. The vibrant sight of pink and blue effectively silenced the smith. It kept him from even recognizing the one-eyed healer. He glanced between Meira and R'wign, blinked, then turned his gaze back to the little salamandyrs. Women, yes, they were odd and confusing at times – but; ah.. well. R'ven quieted his own thoughts. If you have nothing nice to say...

Trilaranth peered more intently at Jingth's slave. Indeed small, not as tiny as the hatching worms, but still equally dismissible. Little things did have a use though–if what His told him could be believed. R'venhis had tried to explain something about nuts and bolts keeping a large structure standing tall. It did not make much sense to him. He didn't have any little pieces keeping him together.

Those do not look like the flyers in the kitchen.
They're not. These are salamandyrs.
So like Jingth's slave. Maybe we could have one too. Would be nice to figure out how they can be of any real use.
I'd rather not.

Ah, his clutchsiblings. Trilaranth crooned greetings to both Mavenath and Feyrianth – the warmer tone to the green. Feysistermine, have you and yours come to obtain– Don't use that word. –a little one?[/i]

[Kisha-Ra]

Babies mine! My babies get, hurry scurry. Fastfastfast FASTER! if there was anyone in the main hall who missed Jingth’s announcement for some reason Imp would be sure to let them know as he dashed by, little more than a bronze blur. His babies (yes, in Imp’s mind any wild firelizard clutch was obviously his, how could you think otherwise?) were hatching, right now! And to think, he hadn’t even known they were there until Jingth told him.

Darya was fairly sure the wild clutch was not Imp’s, but she wasn’t arguing with him, she was saving her breath for catching up to the little git for long enough to grab him and keep him away from, well she wasn’t totally sure but it was bound to be a fate worse than death with Imp at a firelizard hatching. Bit was being deliberately obstructive by orbiting Darya’s head at high speed and generally getting in the way. Darya wasn’t even going to guess at what Bit thought she was doing.

TOO SLOW! Imp very clearly chided everyone for six or seven feet in every direction at his top volume, apparently the weyrlings weren’t the only ones learning from their lessons, Imp was gaining a whole new vocabulary, none of which was helpful in the slightest.

‘Just wait until I catch you, I’ll show you too slow you little bugger.’ Darya hissed, bounding down stairs and outside, ignoring the fact that she had as much chance of catching her salamandyr as winning a spitting contest with a thunderstorm.

Sure enough Imp reached the firelizard nest a good half miniute before Darya, and promptly scuttled in, curled his tail around an egg and gave Mimic a curious look, what was the brown doing in his nest? Ah, Jingth must have asked him to guard it. She was nice, for a giant queen. Thanks giantbigger shinything. Get babies mine.

‘Imp, those are not your eggs stupid.’ Darya arrived walking, and trying to look like she hadn’t been involved in a futile chase after her pet less than a minute ago. Then she stopped and frowned down at the two hatchlings, green firelizard and blue… salamandyr… ‘Or at least I didn’t think so until a few moments ago…’ she added more quietly, frowning.



Yoalla stifled a yawn, and wondered how she could be wandering around at this hour of the day, it felt like only an hour or so had passed since she tumbled into bed, and although the sun said it was longer Yoalla was in no mood to listen to what a ball of light had to say.

‘Why couldn’t they just be for sale? I’d pay for them if it meant I could stay in bed a while longer.’ She grumbled to Lao (Zai had been left behind with Yosk because of her terror of avians, and her stubborn refusal to wake up), who only fluted sweetly at her and licked her jaw in a gesture that was probably supposed to be affectionate. ‘Ew, flit lick.’ Yoalla wiped her face with her hand and made a face at Lao.

The hatching wasn’t hard to spot; there was quite some gathering of humans and dragons near the river, but naturally Yoalla had come from exactly the wrong direction and all she could see was dragons. oh joy…

[Tashe]

He was crazy. And if his Wher could talk to him, she would have agreed. Absinthe on the other hand could, and did voice her opinion. Although strangely it was a mix of insults and approval... she had just been falling under her usual poison. Taking a quick detour, Nautic collected some meat from the kitchen, charming it out of one of his friends. He hadn't been looking for a new pet, but today felt different. It was just so nice outside, plus he had just woken up from his first round of snoozing and had been given the 'day' off from the creche. So in all, he was feeling more chipper than normal. Hopping onto the sand, the Wherling stretched before trotting happily down the beach in the direction of the hatching.

"Honor those the dragons heed, In thought and favor, word and deed. Worlds are lost or worlds are saved, From those dangers dragon-braved." He wasn't the best singer that graced Pern but he didn't care, although he did sing quietly quietly as he ran. "Dragonman, avoid excess, Greed will bring the Weyr distress, To the ancient Laws adhere, Prospers thus the Dragonweyr." Fortunately, he ended the song before the group of gathered people appeared on sands. Slowing down from a jog to a more natural walk Nautic sidled up to the hatching with a smile, bobbing his head in greeting at different people. He glanced at the clutch, but almost immediately wished he hadn't. Hadn't the announcement been for a firelizard hatching? He stepped back to hide behind one of the other people. Impressing a salamandyr was not on his list of things to make his day even better. Oh posh! This wasn't good.

And then something caught his eye, something so interesting that he was shocked he had missed it at first. Was... was that Brownrider R'wign? Nautic stood staring for a moment, before breaking out in a redicuously large smile. He had toyed around with the idea of dyes and hair but never thought it would actually work or even turn out well if it did. But this! This was simply amazing. He would have to intercept the Healer later and get the secrets and ingredients behind the dying. Dying hair! Gosh, now he'd have a wonderland of styles to play around with. Of course it all came down to R'wigns willingness to spill the beans. It was so... entrancing, he momentarily forgot all about the clutch.

[Ember]

Nephele gave Nuoth a quick pat before climbing down. The goldweyrling seemed as shy as ever, though the baby was absolutely adorable. She knew of the baby of course but she'd never actually learned its name or anything. She had little interest in the people in her weyrling class, really. She hadn't known any of them before the hatching so why should their dragons being from the same clutch change anything?

She spotted Erilena in the crowd and smiled slightly. The girl had Impressed to a rather unique green and she had yet to congratulate her. Nephele made her way to Erilena as Nuoth moved closer before stopping. She could clearly see the eggs and Hers from her chosen position. Also she could see many of the littlest dragons. Had she really been that small once? She crooned pleasantly to them and the other dragons as the arrived.

"Congratulations," Nephele told Erilena when she got to her. "You didn't have long to wait before Impressing. What's her name?" She'd bring up the whole four-winged thing later. It made the dragonet even cuter, in her opinion, than some other mutated dragons she had seen. Extra wings was a new one to her, despite having been at Benden where the mutations had originally started.

As the first eggs broke Nephele glanced at them. The first one spilled out a firelizard as expected but the second brought a slightly horrified expression to her face. Salamandyr. It was a wild clutch so there shouldn't have been any salamandyrs right? Then again where did the first one come from? She checked the expressions of other people and wondered whether or not she ought to leave. She was a firelizard person, not a 'mandyr person.

[Avu]

Oh, Salamandyr. That was bad. Not good at all. Staring at the blue Salamandyr as it rolled to its feet and threw up its head, arrogantly, Meira clutched Riaren a little tighter, nervously. No hatchlings near her baby. None. At all. Fortunately, the Proposal Blue seemed less than interested in Impressing, and neither did the Slowdance Green. The former was more interested in preening, the latter still cooing at Mimic, who looked bemused and delighted at the same time. The tap on her shoulder distracted her from the Hatching, Meira turning and – blinking. R’wign, she’d been expecting, but his hair was not…wasn’t exactly…uhhh. His words went almost completely ignored, though the slight nod she offered did acknowledge them. “Did you dye – ?”

She was interrupted by Riaren’s excited squeal, the baby smiling widely up at his daddy and reaching for his face. Pink. It was bright, so bright, and Riaren liked bright. It didn’t strike him as odd at all – that much was clear – he liked it. Pretty pretty, his daddy was. So bright. “Dadadada,” he remarked, and that sound made Meira blink twice, remembering exactly why she’d asked Jingth to call Checkoth. R’wign’s firelizard magnetism wasn’t exactly something she was unaware of, after all, and she didn’t imagine he’d thank her if he Impressed another.

Do humans often turn their head coverings funny colors, or is Checkoth’s just special? Jingth inquired privately of Meira, sounding extremely amused. Imp’s words received only a polite, pleasant croon from the gold; she didn’t know what he was talking about, exactly. His eggs? Well, maybe, but then, maybe not. Still, she made no move to stop the bronze from approaching the clutch, rumbling quietly as the Slowdance Green Firelizard immediately turned her attention to Imp and twittered at him, all flirtatiousness; the female tilted her head, crooning sweetly at the bronze Salamandyr. Shameless, yes, yes she was.

Prettiest? Pretty greenling baby. Mimic commented pleasantly to the Proposal Blue, who merely threw him an uninterested look. And then, just as Mimic disentangled himself from the Red Rose Egg, the Black Dress Egg finally cracked cleanly in half, exposing yet another Salamandyr. The dark green female uncurled from the remnants of her shell, eyes narrowing as her tongue slipped out to lick her muzzle. Egg goo still clung to her hide and the slender wings she splayed open, but it didn’t seem to bother her as she turned her head curiously to look around her, at her clutchsiblings and at the crowd of people and dragons watching. Her claws scraped against the eggshells as she stepped out delicately, and turned towards Mimic and the Proposal Blue Salamandyr, ignoring Imp and the Slowdance Green Firelizard.

Prettiest fool flit? she inquired pleasantly, sending a sly glance towards the female firelizard. Mimic blinked at her, evidently not grasping that her words had been an insult to the Slowdance Firelizard, but she’d already slid to her feet and darted through the crowd with surprising speed and grace. The Black Dress Green knew exactly who she wanted, she did, she just had to get there first…

“Um.” She was still confused about his hair, but that could wait, she supposed. “I wanted to know, if you didn’t want to stick around for the Hatching, could you take Riaren…?” Meira was trying not to stare at R’wign’s hair. Was she succeeding? Probably not entirely. But she was trying. “I don’t want him anywhere near Hatching firelizards or Salama – er.” Blink. Blink.

Love, purred the Black Dress Green as she coiled around R’wign’s foot, tail wrapping around his ankle possessively. Am Yours or are Mine? It was clear from her tone, though, that either answer would suffice: They were one and the same. Either way, she had Chosen.


01. Candlelight Egg
02. Red Rose Egg
03. Red Wine Egg
04. Black Dress Egg – Green Salamandyr ???, Impressed to R’wign
05. Hidden Fire Egg
06. Kisses Egg
07. Nighttime Egg
08. Slowdance Egg – Green firelizard, flirting with Imp
09. Silk and Velvet Egg
10. Eternal Love Egg
11. Proposal Egg – Blue Salamandyr, preening

~*~*~

Black Dress Green
Name-
Species- Salamandyr
Color- Green (#226100)
Age- Hatchling
Looks to- R’wign (salamandyrpwned!)
Appearance- This green is a large one. She’ll easily be the length of many a blue Salamandyr, with her tail being half again as long as her body. Her entire body is very serpentine, long and slender without a hint of excess weight – or, indeed, muscle. Feminine is an apt description, for she’s very sinuous and has a habit of coiling around fingers and wrists like a snake. Her wings are long, but extremely slender, incapable of carrying her very far, though they certainly can extend her leaps by a good length. Actually gliding, or flying, though, will evade this Salamandyr, but that’s no problem; her legs are just right in proportion and strong enough to carry her with startling speed across the ground should she wish it, and very elegantly too – this female certainly won’t be clumsy in any sense of the word. Even her frill is very much proportionate to her, not too large but certainly big enough to make an impression when it’s flared, framing a delicate, slightly concave muzzle and large, slightly slanted eyes that offers a sly touch to this female.

A fairly dark shade of forest green covers her hide. The color is certainly lovely on her, for, while it doesn’t actually gleam, it has an odd shimmering quality when she moves. The highlights, oddly, that ripple across her hide seem to be pure black as opposed to being lighter. Wing membranes have been dyed a few shades darker than her hide. Her muzzle fades into pure black at the tip, but it’s erratically faded, not quite perfect, as if someone used their thumb to smudge the black above the green. Her back lacks the spots that are typical of green, blue, and brown Salamandyrs, but a shade of green just slightly darker than the rest of her runs down the length of her spine, continuing onto her tail to make up for their absence. While this green certainly won’t be the darkest creature around, she certainly will be unique, and lovely enough to turn quite a few heads.

Personality- The first thing many people notice about this green is that she likes to confuse. Be it a person, a Salamandyr, a dragon, or even a feline, this green takes an unholy amount of joy in confusing, tricking, and puzzling them. She’s extremely eloquent, and usually her words can seem straightforward enough as long as one doesn’t actively think on them – in which case they’ll become veritable mazes in which to get lost. Intelligent and manipulative, if any creature could make a perfectly intelligent human actually consider the idea that they’ve sprouted a second head, it would be this Salamandyr. This female is also incredibly fond of guessing games; if she wants something, or wants to make a point, she’ll go in circles around it, insisting that one actively has to think in order to figure out what she means. The more frustrated and confused her “victim” becomes, the more amused this green will become, and the more she’ll insist on confusing them in the future. Those who ignore her are not spared either; she knows not the meaning of ‘giving up’ – only those who can guess almost instantly what she’s after will be let alone. It’s not fun anymore.

This tiny female also happens to be extremely arrogant, and the more people that get frustrated with her, the more her ego will grow. Her intelligence isn’t debatable: It’s fact. She has the ability to remember surprisingly long phrases and a startling amount of words, and her ingenuity when it comes to problem-solving is incredible. Not, of course, that she’ll give up her solutions easily, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have them. She also has a penchant for making trouble by stirring doubts, twisting the truth, and dealing in secrets that should never have been found. You’re sure that so-and-so really is a good friend? Well, you know, she did hear them say that they’d much rather spend time around that other human…or did you have a crush on someone? Well, there’s a pity; seems that they’d been spotted kissing so-and-so a few days ago…so appropriately sympathetic and sweet-tongued is this Salamandyr that most people, given the reputation of being incredible spies attributed to Salamandyrs, won’t think twice about believing her, and the consequential drama will be watched, her ego will grow, and she will bask in the light of others’ misfortunes. That’s how these things work, after all.

[Requiem]

A Hatching, Mine, Behruth repeated. "Uh huh." He had a knife clutched between his teeth, squinting at the newest toy he was in the process of carving for his 'nephew.' None of the Golds have Clutched... M'ta shrugged, though he did reach over to scratch behind Behruth's headknobs. The dragon had been subtley - and sometimes not so subtley - pushing for him to try for a firelizard. Why not ask Checkoth's for an egg, even? Neither he nor the Elliegold were likely to mind. But M'ta wasn't interested. It wasn't even an active annoyance at Behruth for the suggestion or the continued pressure. He simply wasn't.

Though the blue that popped out of Between might well help to explain why. Why did M'ta need to Impress any of his own when most of R'wign's had adopted him? Or at least took pleasure out of tormenting him. He eyed Grouch narrowly as the flit landed on his shoulder. Sharding little traitorous spy, that one. His ear was not a chewtoy, either.

The brownrider blinked at the image. Catching Grouch firmly but gently, he proceeded to thoroughly lavish the firelizard with affection, even as Behruth clamped down on the back of his shirt. I'm sure she's got a good reason, Mine...don't kill her. "Kill her? Murder would be the better word," he hissed to Behruth, whispering to Grouch, "That's a good firelizard. You'll keep an eye on her for me more often, won't you? Shardblasted woman." The brown didn't release him, and his head turned to level a glare at him. "Let go, Ruth. This has happened one too many times." Checkoth's will not be so happy if she is dead. M'ta rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, because you really believe I meant that literally."

But he was already out of his shirt and moving. Behruth elected not to intervene any further. For his own safety.

Grouch was putting up quite a fuss at the attention, but...despite the squirms and chirps, M'ta was familiar with fussing for the sake of fussing. He - and Grouch, apparently - could vie for the king of such behavior. Well, then, if it would encourage the blue to spy on Meira more often, he'd cuddle him the rest of the day. That and it would keep him from slapping her. Hands full.

Only when he came upon the people and eggs did it click that Jingth had announced this clutch (he'd been absorbed in his work). He bypassed all the foolish hopefuls, making a beeline for Meira, when...pink hair on a weyrmate and was that a salamandyr coiled around his foot? It caused him to pause for a second. Just a second, though, because the irritation - fury might be a better word - couldn't be thrust aside so easily.

Upon seeing her, the anger had blossomed into a fine rage, and it was only the firelizard and the mass of people who kept him even moderately grounded. As it was, he couldn't seem to form a sentence properly. "You. Alone. By the river. Poisonings! Disappearances. T'rid. Ka'rys. Are you crazy?" At least the conclusion was easily understood, and he'd actually paled in his fury, his brows drawn into a most unhappy 'v.'

---

It was an unlikely figure, to say the least. Covered from head to toe. Gloves, big floppy hat that looked like it was the prop of some halfbit traveling troupe. A garish red feather half again the length of the hat swept out over the brim and curled down toward his shoulder. A long, lightweight scarf had been wound around the brim and partially tucked under the hat, swathing the face loosely so that only the eyes were showing. Some might not have recognized him immediately, either, given he'd literally tumbled out of bed and, lacking the time to braid it, Dmitri had just stuffed all his hair up into the hat.

Come because of the hatching? Hardly. Oh, he'd entertained the notion of finding himself a firelizard, of course. They were wonderful harmonizers, normally, and as such he did want one. However, it certainly wasn't worth venturing forth into the light at this time of day. No, his appearance had to do with a certain blue who, despite projecting himself as entirely removed from any and all with the possible exception of His, had ever so drolly pointed out - after gnawing on Dmitri's fingers to get his attention - that Nautsk's had been gone longer than normal. Then Yoalla had ghosted by, and the blue was apparently convinced that an illness had swept through the wherhandlers, starting with the greens. They were acting weird.

So Dmitri was here, guarded against the evil light and none too happy, but this was preferable to losing fingers to wher gnawings, so...And of course it wasn't that big a deal. People went crazy over hatchings, even going so far as to wander around in broad daylight. Tch. Not feeling at all sociable, he crossed his arms over his chest and glowered. (Not that anyone could see his expression.)

His attention suddenly shifted to one of the girls...Erilena? The glower faded a little. Still not feeling sociable, he at least admitted to himself that it wasn't necessarily the worst thing in the world. He was here. Might as well stay...though salamandyrs. Didn't really want one of those. He didn't hate them as some did, but he couldn't see what purpose one might serve, unless it was to torment people. Hm. That held some merit though, now didn't it?

[glamourie]

“No, I didn’t die,” R’wign pleasantly replied, deliberately misinterpreting what he knew to be a question about his hair. Meira’s response very likely would’ve made him smirk and start laughing at her, had Riaren not chosen that moment to inject himself into the conversation. The squeal made R’wign smile and he turned back to what was obviously a very happy Riaren, one hand coming down to tug on the baby’s gently. “Do you like the hair then? I dyed it for you and the other weyrbrats who come to the infirmary, so that everyone’s got something to smile about instead of being sad or scared,” he explained, as if he honestly thought the baby understood what he was saying. He could tell though that Riaren did very much like the hair. He seemed so happy – it made R’wign feel immediately better. Oh, sure, when he got older he’d think it ridiculous, but for the moment, R’wign was inordinately pleased that not only did his son recognize him (likely by voice, but still) but also really liked the change in his appearance. Riaren was probably the one creature on Pern that could, without fail, make him feel like everything was right in the world. Sentimental though that was, he did feel at his happiest when the baby was around.

And the next string of incoherent responses made R’wign’s eye go wide enough to resemble a saucer before he jerked his head up to look at Meira (neatly ignoring everyone around them) disbelieving. “Did he just say ‘dada’ at me? Tell me you heard that too. That’s what it sounded like he said – Meira did he say that?” His excitement was evident. Intellectually he knew that Riaren was too young to understand who mommy and daddy were – or was he? Maybe he did understand on some level; he was old enough to be recognizing people, at any rate, and it made R’wign feel like flying, so he didn’t bother to try to logically think it through. He was too happy to pop his own bubble. “Aww, Riaren, you are by far the most intelligent baby to ever be born on Pern, you’re just the best, I love you~” He crouched down slightly, in order to get closer, and cooed pleasantly to his son. Modesty was an unknown entity to the healer. He was too busy being really, really happy.

He likely would’ve responded to Meira’s question, if not for a sudden wave of smugness filling him that was decidedly foreboding. That was Grouch, which meant only one thing: he was up to no good. R’wign glanced up toward his firelizards curiously, but the loud scream from Roxie distracted him enough that he dropped his gaze to his foot… and his face blanched to an interesting shade of chalk-white. Instinct took over and R’wign immediately wiggled his foot to try and get the little monster off of him, despite the burst of affection that was decidedly not his own washing over him and the words that followed. No, no, and no. He did not want a salamandyr. He had six firelizards. Salamandyrs were bad. They hated firelizards. Why was it perching on him? He didn’t like salamandyrs. R’wign waved his foot frantically to try and dislodge the green, nearly launching into a full-blown panic. Grouch’s smugness was forgotten and M’ta’s arrival wasn’t noticed. He had a crisis to deal with. There was a salamandyr on him.

Preciousmine stooooop. Sick, will make. Please stop. That comment was projected privately to R’wign and he flailed even more down at her, though the little green did not appear to notice. Not until fingers clasped around her as R’wign crouched down to peel the salamandyr off his foot, and then she went limp save for licking his fingertips in blatant affection. Roxie’s hysterical screeching was ignored. Not worth her attention. Love you, I do. Love you much. Hungry. Feed please. Yes? She was just plucking the words from R’wign’s mind instantly – a very quick learner, she was. Being nice to Hers would get her further than picking at him… but she did turn a critical eye to Meira, the wheels in her head turning. Plotting.

It’s a forest shiny! Checkoth proclaimed – for it had to be a shiny, since Behruth had a shiny. Ruthclutchbrothermine, look, Mine has a forest shiny. He doesn’t like it at all though. He’s upset, but she seems nice? Pretty forest-shiny!

“You don’t want me. You want – you want – him.” Turning to R’ven, R’wign proceeded to try and peel the salamandyr from his hand and onto the other brownrider, earning a very anxious squirm and more adamant clinging to his hand. “Go, go – he doesn’t have an army of firelizards and a feline to eat you, I don’t think, so go to him – see, salamandyrs hate firelizards, you hate firelizards, I have six, you don’t want me –” Was he panicking? Just a tad. M’ta and Meira were still ignored as the healer frantically peeled one little leg off of his hand, only to have the hatchling cling more defiantly. “I don’t even have any meat to feed you, don’t you want someone you won’t have to share?”

Am Yours. Mine is. Love very much. No want him! Silly mine, please love. Her upset colored her mindvoice enough that it projected to everything around her – didn’t he want her, couldn’t he see that she only wanted him…? She’d known from the moment she hatched who she wanted. Didn’t he know? Silly Hers. Maybe the Flyers could make him understand? Do not hate. What hate? Flyers okay. Love youuuu…