no remorse and no shame. [ellie's hatching]

[glamourie]

It was early evening, so evidenced by the crowded nature of the main hall; most of the Weyr had crammed inside to partake in dinner. While some would eat in their Weyrs, and others would wait until the place had cleared out some, there could be no denying that the majority of the population was present. Considering the smell wafting from the kitchens all around, R’wign couldn’t blame them -- herd beast stew was in preparation, he was positive, and the scent was delectable. If not for the fact that he was ‘busy’, he probably would’ve stopped to inhale at least a bowlful. As it was, he was a man with a mission, as evidenced by the length of his stride and his head tilted upward. But he was being careful, too, to not make a single peep, or draw any attention to himself. He did not want anyone noticing him. Fortunately, the usual chatter of dinner discussions kept anyone from being able to hear his approach. Emphasis on hear.

Rather than be flamboyantly dressed as R’wign often was, he’d adorned himself in little more than a pair of simple black pants and a dark green shirt. His appearance was, simply put, plain -- for R’wign. The sound coming from around him though was steady humming, for all of his fire lizards were clinging to his clothing and staring at the object in his hands: a large wicker basket filled with flowers and covered with blankets. Woven over the top of the basket were flowers, making it altogether quite a pretty sight. R’wign carried it by the handle and as he reached the center of the dining hall, he set it down on a table occupied primarily by people too busy eating to notice his presence. His gold flit Ellie leapt from his shoulder, perched on the top of the basket, and twittered pleasantly. The rest of the colorful fair leapt down and continued humming to themselves, and R’wign backed away.

And then he speed-walked toward the door. If anyone noticed the basket, they might question its presence, particularly with him nearby. R’wign had no intentions of staying. His appetite was ‘miraculously’ gone. Fire lizard eggs had that effect on him.

Mrrrow?

Hot at his heels was a cream-colored kitten with dark brown markings on her face and tail. She followed R’wign to the doorway and twisted about his legs, purring animatedly the whole time. He primarily ignored her, one hand coming up to the door frame. Plenty of people present. Plenty of food around. Plenty of distractions from him. He was not going to Impress anything today. He’d make sure of that. Seven fire lizards really was enough. Too many, in his opinion. The things seemed to be drawn to him like vtol bugs to flames -- terribly annoying. But he’d come up with a solution upon noticing the wobbling eggs, and Ellie couldn’t have timed it better even if she’d wanted to. Such a good, sweet fire lizard, conveniently clutching in an easily moved location…

“HATCHING FIRELIZARDS ON THE TABLE! HAVE FUN!” R’wign bellowed over the noise, as Ellie glided down to push the blankets over, uncovering her eggs. Like a dutiful mother, she fussed, turning each one and flickering her wings agitatedly. Some were already beginning to shake.

Rather than wait for the response his words garnered, R’wign positively flung himself out the door of the main hall -- and straight into an unfortunate person clearly trying to get inside. Oh well.

---

The Façade Clutch
01. Lost in the Darkness Egg Impressed: Blue ? to K'sel
02. Letting Go Egg Impressed: Blue Arrogance to Raylin
03. Pursue the Truth Egg Impressed: Green ? to Danica
04. Take Me As I Am Egg Impressed: Blue Auran to Merridan
05. Sympathy, Tenderness Egg Impressed: Green Grace to I'fael
06. Good 'n' Evil Egg Impressed: Brown Stew to K'roi
07. Prologue Egg Impressed: Green Child to C'ryl
08. Dangerous Game Egg Impressed: Brown Charming to Nephele
09. This is the Moment Egg Impressed: Bronze Panties to C'vin

[glamourie]

Gold Elegance and Bronze Hero are proud to present...
The Façade Clutch

The fire lizard eggs are placed neatly into a woven wicker basket on top of several small blankets in shades of white and cream. The blankets spill over the edges of the basket, framing the magnificent array of colors within. Around the top of the basket itself is a handle with which it can be carried, and several brightly colored flowers have been added to the wicker, braided together like a group of vines; each flower is a different color and all are real and fresh in bloom.

All-in-all, this is a pretty clutch to behold, made more so by the arrangements of all the eggs right next to one another - clustered in as if the basket were made just for them. Several large flowers lay on top of the eggs and in between them for accent, perhaps having fallen off the basket's handle at some point or another. Petals finish the look, resting all around the exterior - an explosion of color no one is likely to miss.

01. Lost in the Darkness Egg
Plastered a melancholy hue, this egg is downright... depressing to look at. Lacking in the vibrancy that most firelizard eggs possess, the color is more stormy, gray with blue undertones. No real pattern can be deduced on the Lost in the Darkness Egg's shell with any ease, though if one were to stare, it could be said that the egg looks as if it were woven from mist; the color is certainly familiar. Curiously, it almost seems as if shadows dance over this egg; darker pitches here and there, like the shell is blocking out something else entirely - and not just the firelizard within. The gray tones have a definite soft look, as if the shell could be brushed away with a slight swat from eager fingers; it possesses a unique fragility in its look that might make some pity it... and others unnerved; no egg shell should ever look so much like it would blow away on the slightest wind.

02. Letting Go Egg
Silvery moonlight spills over this egg, coloring it a dazzlingly bright hue. Pale blue undertones accentuate the very elegant appearance this egg possesses, giving it an undeniably cold feel. Tendrils of black loop around the center of the egg at odd angles, like ribbons overlapping. The black is textured, somehow, and distinctly resembles velvet, but it isn't unbroken; in fact, tiny needle points of silver poke out all along the darkness, glittering like the stars. The silver, on the other hand, vaguely looks frosted in comparison, like glass - certainly this egg looks as if it would shatter on the merest whim, yet the wintery texture is all the more emphasized by slightly darkened spots in the pale coloration. From a glance, it almost looks as if touching this egg would be like brushing a glacier -- smooth, cold and hollowed out on the inside. Yet... somehow full of life at once; for the darker touches of silver on the shell beneath and around the black center almost seem to move. A trick of the eyes, or something more?

03. Pursue the Truth Egg
A very busy egg is this one. Made up of extreme colors, vibrant and daring, there's no doubting that this shell will catch attention. The backwash of color is actually true black, but do not be deceived: black is only one of the many shades featured. Splashes of poisonous green splatter up along the side of the egg, like paint slung by uncaring hands. Smaller splotches of electric yellow are interspersed with the green, creating an almost citrusy look. Complimenting these are tiny red spots few and far between, all along the shell, which glitter when hit by light just right. The finishing touches on this egg, however, come in the form of a lace-like pattern in vivid sky blue that covers the whole egg, giving it a textured appearance. Even though it's on the small side, there's no doubting that the Pursue the Truth Egg is one of the more interesting ones in this clutch.

04. Take Me As I Am Egg
Cool shades of purple wrap elegantly around the shell of this egg. Hints of red-violet splash up over the base of the shell, wrapping up unevenly to add accent. As contrast, the top has blue-violet tones that spill down from the very top, like a waterfall. All three shades blend together at uneven angles, forming a gradient that can undeniably be described as dreamy. This appearance is accentuated even more so by a gray layer overlaying the bright shades, muting some of the hues; it almost looks as if a thin veil of mist has been sprayed over the shell, hiding it just slightly from view. Casually onlookers might have to squint to really identify the three different colors. However, the 'veil' of gray shades is smudged across the front in four uneven lines, allowing a glimpse of the purple hues beneath; the best description of this part of the shell is that it looks like someone stroked their fingers over a fogged up window... and finally, finally people can look inside.

05. Sympathy, Tenderness Egg
A pale gold makes up the shell of this egg. Not true gold, no; definitely not to be mistaken for a queen's egg (it is much too small for that). The color is more like a brush of wheat, somewhere between brown and yellow without any hint of a metallic gleam, and anything but dark; pastel would be a good way to describe the basic coloration. Slightly darker shades of brown like brush strokes sweep up from the bottom of the egg, weaving at angles, diagonal rather than perfectly up and down; some of the strokes overlap, and the exact color varies ever so slightly. From a distance the Sympathy, Tenderness Egg looks very much like a summer field, with grass turning to brown, and that appearance is emphasized by white, blurry spots scattered amidst each of the brown strokes - tiny enough to be unobtrusive, while prominent enough to be noticed.

06. Good 'n' Evil Egg
Ominous. Yes, ominous, that is the most accurate description of this egg. A back wash of velvety black with a lacy texture, there's no denying that this one is elegant and sophisticated in terms of appearance.. But the black is only one of the two very dynamic shades that make up the shell. The second can only be described as crimson. Rather than splotch unevenly all over the egg like the colors of most of the clutch, the red hues on this shell are defined prominently. Three parallel lines wrap from the top of the egg down to the bottom at an angle, spinning around numerous times along the way. Then, going from the bottom to the top are two equally red 'ribbons' that criss-cross with the original three, creating a network of scarlet amidst the black. The pattern looks checkered, but not at all uneven; in fact, there's a definite grace to this shell. Flawlessly aggressive is its color, and propped up between the Left in the Darkness Egg and the Take Me As I Am Egg, it is eye-shockingly noticeable.

07. Prologue Egg
Eerily blue is this egg; not dark, nor light, but instead a shade of gray-blue not quite describable. Traces of darker gray swirl up from the bottom of the shell, twisting around to wrap like layers of fabric. However, the gray and blue shades are broken up by an almost glowing yellow that spills down from the top of the shell, fading as it draws closer to the base. Smaller motes of golden-yellow swirl around the shell, barely noticeable, so few in number are they; each looks to be a glow, odd and yet pretty all at once. Curiously, the Prologue Egg seems to have a black streak near the middle with a three-dimensional effect; it almost resembles a road trailing off to the center of the egg, and is visible from every angle the egg is viewed at... like a street leading to the horizon; metaphors aside, it can be headache inducing when stared at for long periods of time, though fortunately, this small egg is hidden behind its clutchmates to prevent such from happening.

08. Dangerous Game Egg
One of the larger eggs in the clutch, the Dangerous Game Egg is definitely eye-catching. The shell is a storm of color; beginning with pale peach shades, it bleeds into vibrant orange that is interrupted by nothing short of goldenrod. Ribbons of scarlet dance from the top of the egg toward the bottom, looping unevenly for a chaotic effect as though the shell itself is exploding into flames. Tiny speckles of gold, like diminutive fireflies, chase up the bottom of the shell and twist around in uneven patterns; these spots are few and far between, but glitter just enough to accent the egg and make it most definitely noticeable. Finishing off the already spectacular coloration is sparks of red-orange at the base of the shell, burning away anything resembling a pattern. Chaotic. Passionate. And on fire. Definitely not one to be forgotten with any ease.

09. This is the Moment Egg
Every single color on this egg is pastel, and varying in hues like staring into a dream. Optimistic shades of pale yellow make up the majority of this shell, giving it a decidedly soft look, smoothly brushing from top to bottom. Overlying the yellow are traces of a pale green forming into squiggly lines few and far between, like crayon marks added by a child's hand. Brushing over that are shades of violet, barely distinguishable from white, forming into patterns that very distinctly resemble flowers. Pink hues also wrap around the shell, like vines along the top and the bottom, giving the impression of this egg being a quilt or blanket with many intricate patterns. The most defining of the colors, though, is the blue, which forms into little crescents with a startling resemblance to the moon - perfectly pretty to look at, even from afar.

[Rowana]

T'ke was suddenly very very glad he always sat near the back at dinner. After a brief moment of shocked staring at R'wign, T'ke was up and bolting for the door. No way was he letting one of those terrors impress to him! Akyo was bad enough! T'ke ran like there was thread on his rear was being hounded by thread. Unfortunately, this meant he could not stop when he saw that R'wign had encountered an obstacle. T'ke's arms flailed and his legs entangled themselves as he crashed into R'wign and the unfortunate soul beyond him. It was turning into quite the mess at the Hall entrance, making it hard for anyone to escape.

G'tor watched the scene and burst out laughing. Such panic over fire lizards! Sadly, Star had helpfully eaten any scrap of leftover food in front of the brownrider. He wasn't going to be tempting any over unless he went to get more. And it didn't look like there would be tine. G'tor sipped a glass of juice and leaned back to watch the show.

Merridan's eyes lit up. Fire lizards! After caring for Jabari and meeting R'wign's she had decided she wanted one. They could be useful and, though she would never admit it, they were kind of cute. And these were Ellie's babies, making them all the better. Mer got up and moved so she could sit closer to the basket, armed with a heaping plate of meat cuts.

Farryl watched the chaos with surprise and then her face fell. Hobbs nuzzled her cheek worriedly. Baby fire lizards made her think of Tille. Poor sweet Tille. She had been so adorable and playful. Farryl sighed. She had thought she had put that behind her, but this just reopened the wound. Farryl glanced to the door, but it didn't look like she was getting away. She was several tables over from the basket though, maybe none of them would come near and she could leave at the first opportunity.

[Rei]

Hero fluttered after R’wign a loud hum emerging from his throat. Perching on the basket’s handle above his gold, he flared his wings, a large flower clutched in his talons. A warning glare was sent to anyone who got to close. They where not allowed to pick. The babies would decide. A pleasant chirp was given to Ellie’s fair. He had gotten to know them in the time he had spent with the gold and he considered them as much family as he did Elegance.

Sel’n groaned as Vanity started up. Babies nobabiesuglybabiedonotnowantnowantbabiesmine. The middle of the dining hall was R’wign insane? It was dinnertime the brat had obviously planned this. The Weyrlingmaster stood and made a show of pushing his plate away. None of the little demons would come for him anyway, not with Vanity displaying on his shoulder angry as a mother hornet. Miiiinnnnne! She shrieked to everyone in the room. She would NOT share. The little ugly wings better STAY AWAY. If they knew what was good for them they would. Kaaoloth rumbled from his position outside and then moved to block the exit. Did he just trap his inside? Whoops?

D’nar looked over at Hero and gave a whistle. “Nice job buddy! I am sure they are all lovely. Who wouldn’t want one of Ellie’s offspring?” The bronze weyrling glared around the feasting hall daring anyone to speak up. Olanreth was snoring away in the barracks oblivious to the goings on.

Malara looked up from her food and leaned forward to see the basket better. How many where there? She couldn’t see from this angle very well. Picking a few chunks of meat from her soup bowl she leaned forward. Then it hit her. Where was Onyx? Biting her lip she looked under the table just in time to see the brown scamper up the table leg. Onyx flattened himself against the table cloth as he inched toward the basket. Yum. Egg. Yum. Onyx yum. Malara opened her mouth to yell but she was drowned out by Hero’s shriek. The bronze leapt of his perch and grasped Onyx with his back talons. Ugly wing leggo! Nononono!

Hero blinked between and the mandyr’s calls where cut off. Reappearing above the river Hero dropped Onyx with a splash and then blinked back to resume his position on the basket. Malara chuckled and sent Mask to go fetch her bonded. Served him right the little demon. Babies where precious.

Raylin sank down in her chair, flitters? Nope not doing it. Inching towards the doorway she eyed the exit which was currently blocked by brown hide. Shard it all. Where to next? The kitchens perhaps? Ebolath lounged outside and although she watched Kaaoloth move she didn’t react. The green gave a yawn and flicked her tail against her haunches. Relax mine you are broadcasting that you don’t want them. Continue to do so and they will ignore you. Either that or borrow Freckle. No flit in it’s right mind would want to be around that creature.

[Avu]

Early evening: Breakfast time for wherhandlers. Meisk sloped along at Meira’s heels as the wherhandler in question made her way from the temporary-Apartments (they were nearly built by now, though the most attention was going into finishing the Infirmary, now no longer carved into a tree), the blue making a happy noise in his throat as he flicked his tail, positively frolicking along the river, bouncing like a pale, overgrown ghost hatchling. Zesa was clinging to his back, the firelizard standing out sharply against the wher’s paleness, looking very pleased with the ride she was receiving from the all-too-willing wher. Meira occasionally glanced at her two companions, but her primary focus went in kicking a stone along in front of her, almost in a childish fashion – and then Zesa abruptly blinked between, and Meira blinked questioningly at Meisk, who…simply chirruped, clearly as startled (and rather more dismayed) as she was; he’d liked giving her a ride…didn’t she like it…?

“It’s okay,” Meira assured the wher; probably the gold had gone ahead of her to the Main Hall, though why she’d gone so abruptly the wherhandler did not know. Meisk made a slightly huffy noise in his throat, and, as Meira ascended the steps to the Dining Hall, the wher slunk into the shadows, one scarred wing membrane rising to cover his eyes – if he couldn’t see them, nobody could see him, right? – as he curled into a huddle, patiently flicking his tail; Meira ate relatively fast, so it should be no long wait, and maybe his firelizard queen would come back while he was waiting – yes; that would be good. Meisk squirmed, and then fell into an almost statue-like stillness as Meira glanced back at him once more before she entered the hallway leading into the Dining Hall –

And – someone was yelling.

Very, very loudly. Hesitatingly, Meira touched Zesa’s mind, and found the queen not in the least abashed or scared by the yelling, so the wherhandler kept going, still questioning the gold firelizard – she received no direct answer, only a humming – a steady humming – and then, as she started to turn into the Dining Room, R’wign came flying out; he was positively leaping. There was no way to avoid a headlong collision, and a headlong collision was exactly what happened; his weight far surpassed Meira’s and she staggered backwards and fell, instinctively grabbing at R’wign in a desperate attempt to steady herself – Zesa, who had been perched on one of the tables, humming, broke off the sound to flare her wings, gliding towards them and twittering her agitation as Meira half-sat up, blinking in shock, and opened her mouth to ask what exactly was going on –

When another person literally fell on top of both of them – and wouldn’t you know that she was on the bottom of the pile? Meira tilted her head to stare at R’wign and the other someone – she didn’t recognize him – before she exhaled wearily, rolling her eyes up to stare at Zesa, who had hopped over to peer at her face upside-down, the gold still humming a tribute to the Hatching even as she peeped in the same breath at R’wign curiously; what was he doing? And why was there somebody else on top of him, too? Silly people – they were blocking up the entrance – what if people wanted to go in and see Ellie’s eggs? (She was deliberately ignoring the fact that most people did not look at all pleased that there were Hatching firelizards; she couldn’t see why they shouldn’t be very, very happy!) The images of the eggs made Meira stiffen, and she tilted her head downwards at R’wign.

“Firelizard eggs really shouldn’t cause this much…chaos,” she observed dryly, and then, louder, to both R’wign and T’ke, “Can you…get off…please?” They were heavy and she couldn’t push them off…

[nightingale]

The lively conversation floating about the diner table was a pleasant distraction from most of the things that had been bothering him lately, but Kei couldn’t help but notice when his flitter began vibrating against his neck. He touched her mind and received a wave of pleasure and excitement, but before she could clarify there was already an abrupt shift in the conversation. “What he say?” “Sounded like he said there are firelizards hatching.” “Really? Fire lizards?! Can we go see Mom?” “Hold on Arune, wipe your face first. Kei, those things are safe, right?” “Yeah, they’re safe. Want me to take them up for a look?” “Please? Thank you.” Taking a younger cousin’s hand in each of his own, the bronzerider carefully pressed his way through the crowd toward the table Lamb indicated to him.

Bad notlove babies bad bad BAAAAD! Freckle growled, glaring daggers at Baby as he made an attempt to mimic the hum that so many flitters had already taken up. “Are you sure I’m allowed to be here?” Amone asked hesitantly, turning to regard his sister with anxious green eyes. Saeo gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze, and blew on the salamandyr perched on top of his head to try and get him to be quiet. “Of course you are. R’wign is just dying to get rid of these things. Now remember, if one comes your way just stay calm and let it get a look at you. If you impress, you’ll know right away.”

“Shards, what is this? A midget bar fight?” Danica had been one of the unfortunates seated almost directly next to R’wign’s basket of hidden wonders, and she was not appreciative of the fact that everyone in the dining room suddenly felt the need to crowd around her to peer inside what looked to be nothing more than a decorated picnic basket. Danisk brushed his handler’s mind to second her displeasure. So little order! And so RUDE these people were! His ought to give them a stern talking to. She accepted his words with vague affirmation, and tried to get comfortable. She had a feeling that she was going to be stuck sitting on the front lines for a while.

[hseru]

He still took dinner with the majority of the Weyr, even if that was really the only meal he ate in public. It was a good time for people to approach him if they needed to, and it would forestall any untoward rumors about what he was doing or if something had happened, etc. K'roi had been surprised in the past how quickly people were inclined to make up horrible things just because a person wasn't seen often enough. They died, they were injured, they were meeting with the enemy, they were laying abed with a lover (who wasn't their usual lay, and you didn't hear it from me), they'd eaten bad wherry and gotten sick... the list went on, from the fantastical to the outright disturbing. It was easiest just to forestall any of the ridiculous speculatings by showing up once a day and acting all proper for the crowds.

The herdbeast stew tonight was surprisingly good, and the Weyrleader was on his second helping, following a good haranguing from Gareth about getting fat and lazy of course. He was sure that the bronze got some horrible sense of enjoyment out of tormenting a good soul while it ate delectable dinner, and suggested that he torment someone who deserved it. To which the bronze replied. There's just no one more deserving than you that I'd talk to. Which had K'roi snorting before he went for his soup with a vengeance. He dunked a few warm rolls in the broth, and got yet another as if to show the bronze he could eat whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. He felt the bronze's distant laughter, and Gareth's amusement transferred to him with little trouble. He munched with a smile.

So immersed in the experience of dinner, he neither saw R'wign enter or leave, nor would he have made any connection to it if the brown weyrling hadn't shouted to the world just what he was doing there, before scampering away as if his life depended on it. Flitters! His thoughts took a dive towards darker things. He thought back to his half-hearted attempts at finding a wild nest, and sighed. K'roi almost got up to leave before the chaos really started, but reneged against it. He was at the head table, no flitter would actually make it past all that food to reach him. He could watch though, no harm in that. He liked watching hatchings.

As if to accent the thought, the sounds of the humming flitters suddenly reached him over the suddenly louder tumult of the dining hall as everyone got excited or attempted to escape from the hatching clutch. He was a bit surprised at the amount of people who were trying to leave. Weren't flitters better liked than that? Well, not everyone had the patience for it he supposed.

[Kisha-Ra]

Imp raised his frill proudly, that nice man had brought the eggs down for him to see. What a nice human! Imp had looked all over the infirmary, where eggs normally appeared, but hadn’t found his queen’s clutch. How was he supposed to help her guard it if he couldn’t find it? Obviously the nice man had known how much Imp wanted to admire his love’s eggs. Oh but he wasn’t her mate was he? No, he went splosh. Well, she was nice; she might let him have a quick look. Imp scampered hopefully across the table, only to be snatched up by Darya.

Darya reached out and snatched her salamandyr up before he got eaten by firelizards, the fool beastie seemed to think those were his eggs or something, useless bronze. ‘Look with your eyes, not your claws.’ She told him firmly, there was no getting away from the hatching, not since Darya was sitting right at that table, she could only hope that Imp and Bit, who was daintily helping herself to Darya’s stew, would discourage any flitters from Impressing her.


R’fuin wandered over to the basket laden table curiously, he noticed that that it was decorated with flowers for some reason and wandered if it were R’wign’s doing or that of his firelizards. Come to think of it why had he dumped the hatching clutch here anyway? There were always more people hoping for a firelizard than eggs at any hatching. Even the salamandyrs hadn’t stopped that, probably because most of them were highly obnoxious. But not Trick, R’fuin mentally added, he had one of the nicest salamandyrs, even if his brown was a bit odd.

Well today there seemed to be a bit of a rush for the exit, not least of those running was R’wign himself. R’fuin chuckled t himself, how many firelizards did that guy have now? Six or seven? R’fuin wouldn’t want that many pets himself, Well he was happy with just Trick but it didn’t look like he was going to be able to leave quietly. R’fuin snagged an empty seat a ways back from the basket of eggs and settled down to watch.


Scorch that brownrider! Shard him also! R’aro frowned at the fading voice and repeated mental curses to himself. He didn’t want any more firelizards so soon after two of his three greens had been killed, and judging by the crush at the door there were a few other people who didn’t want firelizards either. Sharding obnoxious R’wign, he done this on total and complete purpose. Well R’aro hoped all the hatchlings homed in on the guy and Impress him. Every last one. Yes indeed.

[glamourie]

Ow. Ow. R’wign blinked twice, lifted his head and then smiled playfully at the form underneath him -- only to find… Meira? … That position felt familiar. Awkward. Cocking his head to the side, R’wign lifted one hand to prop himself up slightly and blew up toward his hair. The strands fell back around his face, and brushed over Meira’s nose/lips. He started to open his mouth (to apologize; he hadn’t meant to make a wherhandler pancake out of her, really) when another weight impacted him and pushed him down hard against the top of Meira. His face pressed against hers in the process in an awkward position and R’wign squirmed slightly to try and not totally crush the girl beneath him. Not that there was much he could do about it because someone was on top of him - someone he couldn’t see. Someone who wasn’t female. So not his dream sandwich. At least the bottom half was the right gender but -- no, no. He needed to get far away.

“Are you okay?” he asked Meira, then tried to push himself up again. To little use, unfortunately. His good eye narrowed and R’wign turned to his right before barking over his shoulder, “My wherhandler cushion, get your own!” Turning his gaze back to Meira (or rather, her boobs, since that was right where his face was -- how convenient), R’wign lifted an eyebrow and smiled suggestively. His mind had completely derailed what she said -- but fortunately he had tact enough not to tease Meira about it. She was the only person on Pern he wouldn’t give static for making such an open-ended comment. The girl was already shy enough as it was, he didn’t want to add to it by making her uncomfortable. Plus he had no idea who the person on his back was (but he knew they weren’t welcome - what in Faranth’s name was the boy doing?). “I have every right to be vacating the premises. Every time I’m near fire lizards, they come latch onto me. I don’t want to be nearby. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

One of the eggs - the Letting Go Egg - gave a violent shudder. It did not start to hatch, however. Instead, it rocked over and bumped into one of the other shells before going perfectly still, as if trying to taunt those nearest to it.

Ellie, perched on the handle of the basket, looked around and then fluted to Hero. Her wonderful mate had saved their babies from the evil no flyer! (She was ignoring all the other salamandyrs and their tantrums - did fire lizards throw fits at their hatchings? No! So why were they being so rude?) Flicking her tail, she leaned down to nudge and tap the Letting Go Egg repeatedly, and then she glided down to perch on the edge of the basket. One claw lifted and she tapped, again, before leaning over to listen. D’nar’s comment made her turn and chirrup happily to him. He was a good boy, he knew how magnificent her eggs were, and that made him worth her attention - temporarily. But fussy as she was, even Hero didn’t get more than a split second of focus before she turned her eggs animatedly and took the time to tap on each one. Come out, beauties, come out, come out~

SILENCE! Showoff had a gift for being loud when he wanted to, and he took advantage of it by broadcasting that message to everyone in the main hall. The salamandyr, perched on K’lir’s head (and thus virtually invisible), flared his frill and then did a flying leap onto the table top. Scurrying forward, he bounced off the end of the table to the next one, and scampered right up onto the top of Saeo’s head. Ugly baby flyers hatch YOU QUIET. Showoff didn’t like fire lizards. He’d never made any secret of that. However, R’wign was his, which meant Ellie by proxy was, too… besides, they were better than fire lizards, he and his babies. All of them throwing tantrums made him very angry. They no noisy when you hatch! Quiet quiet I DESTROY. Grabbing two strands of Saeo’s hair to make a point, Showoff displayed more animatedly. No making noise. Not like they couldn’t just eat any of the babies if they wanted theirs to begin with, sheesh!

Twittering a polite thank you to the annoying non-flyer, Ellie turned and tapped at her eggs again. She leaned her head close, gave a quiet peep and then jumped back as the Letting Go Egg split down the side. Then the egg broke open and from within crawled a blue fire lizard that could only be described as resembling pie - right down to the whipped cream on his back. He spread his wings defiantly and flapped them twice to dry them off, while Ellie peeped to him - undeniably welcoming her first baby into the world~!

---

The Façade Clutch
01. Lost in the Darkness Egg
02. Letting Go Egg Hatched: Blue
03. Pursue the Truth Egg
04. Take Me As I Am Egg
05. Sympathy, Tenderness Egg
06. Good 'n' Evil Egg
07. Prologue Egg
08. Dangerous Game Egg
09. This is the Moment Egg

[ladybug]

Cadil was eating breakfast, getting ready for an evening of wherling training. He was dressed in a plain tunic again and he really missed his Gather dress. He was pondering a new design for a dress, twirling a strand of pasta absently around his fork as he thought, when someone yelled something about hatching firelizards. Cadil looked up, his expression brightening. Baby flitts were so cute! He laughed as half the room fled and the other half made a beeline for the basket.

If this really was a free-for-all, Cadil thought he would have a go. At the Hold, flitt eggs had been reserved for family and high-ranking people, but maybe he would have a chance to Impress one now. He picked up a plate of roast herdbeast that had been abandoned by someone running out and made his way over to the crowd. He reached out to Cadisk, wondering what she thought of this, and received approval in return. She would like a little friend to play with!

He smiled and managed to push his way past the people in the back to get a better look at the eggs. Cadil quickly counted nine. It wasn't many, but he was holding food and he wasn't accompanied by any other critters, so maybe he stood a chance.

L'rel laughed as he watched R'wign run out of the room. The young brownrider had a small fair already, and L'rel could imagine that he wouldn't want yet another. He shook his head as chaos erupted in the dining hall. So much for a quiet evening. He took a sip of his wine and glanced down at his still mostly full bowl of herdbeast stew. Despite living in the Weyr for his entire life, L'rel had never Impressed a flitt or 'mandyr. It wasn't that he disliked the creatures--well, at least not flitts, but he never went out of his way to try and Impress a pet. Maybe it was about time. They could clearly be useful.

He raised an eyebrow when the bronze 'nmandyr known as Showoff yelled for everyone to be quiet. See? Useful. L'rel was sitting close enough to the basket, and he didn't bother to move. Maybe one of the hatchlings would come his way.

[Sheari]

C'ryl had remained blissfully unaware of the pile of people that lay in the hallway around the bend ahead of him. He was bolting down the weyr's halls, determined to reach the dining hall before the food ran out. He hadn't eaten much in the past few days and the smell of whatever was wafting from the room ahead of him had caused him to muster up everything and make a break for it.

The grip on his boots was good enough the make the corner a clean turn without slipping. C'ryl's concentration on keeping his feet from flying out from under him and breathing so he didn't crap too badly clouded his mind for a moment. By the time he registered the group of bodies on the floor ahead of him it was too late. The grip failed and he tripped over the nearest to him.

The floor had never moved so close to him so quickly and before he knew it, the brownrider landed on his chest. The air whooshed from his lungs and he was left gasping on the floor.

Finally getting his bearings, C'ryl sat up. Just then realizing just how close his nose had come to being bloodied, if not broken. "Sorry," he said, knowing he had probably kicked someone. Why was there a pile of people in the hallway just outside the dining hall anyway? "What's going on?"

[Lotty]

K'sel was a little preoccupied with his stew...well barely. With every bite he gave a shifty glance across the dining hall, keeping some of his crueler comments to himself. For someone who had grown up in the weyr, he had never quite taken the time to mingle or associate with anybody outside of his already defined social circle. This was not aided much by his impression to Pettahth, who had begun to suck up more and more of his time, but in exchange, K'sel was slowly cultivating relationships with the other weyrlings. Of course he used the term relationship loosely, he could in fact recognize them and name them and say hello, but he still had yet to know exactly what made them tick. From the looks of it though, one could say he wasn't really trying.

Shifting uncomfortably in his place - there was suddenly all this ruckus distracting him from his daily brooding - he found that he could no longer revel in the peace that came along with eating during his brown dragonet's ritual napping. He twisted his body around, head craned over his shoulder to see the abandoned basket of eggs and the small gaggle of people who were starting to crowd around it. Ugh. He knew his curiosity was going to get the best of him. But he would resist, he defiantly swung around to look back at his stew. But of course the thought of people having fun all around him ticked at the back of his brain until....shard it all. He left behind his food to draw himself up closer to the eggs to see what the big fuss was about.

Unfortunately he overheard that D'nar boy's challenge. Who wouldn't want one of those eggs? Certainly not K'sel, he had no food to offer one of those flying stomachs and as usual, he was just standing around to be contrary. Pettahth was right...he was such a surly boy, and made good on that statement when he waved his hand and said to the fellow weyrling, "Obviously not too many people, since those eggs were sorta dumped here..." He didn't really mean to equate the eggs to trash, but K'sel had such a great way with people and all....

[Rowana]

T'ke yelped in panic and struggled to untangle his limbs. "I'm sorry!" he choked out. R'wign sounded mad. Well, T'ke had just fallen on top of him. T'ke's efforts to get free were hampered by a random foot that connected with his injured shoulder. T'ke bit back a cry of pain and rolled off R'wign and Meira. Even after this long, the wound still wasn't completely healed and was quite tender. T'ke lay on his side, clutching his shoulder and breathing hard. Shards! That hurt! So much for escaping. If anything, he was now even more stuck. And with his luck, more people would probably step on him now. What a wonderful way to end the day. He hadn't even eaten dinner yet.

[Avu]

Very, very awkward, it was; Meira didn’t need to be told in order to know that they probably looked hilarious, but that didn’t make her feel particularly happy with her present position. R’wign weighed enough as it was – and the impact of a second body had not been at all pleasant. She kept trying to place him, blinking, but she simply didn’t know him. Hmm. Managing – if just barely – not to squirm until she freed herself, since it would be more or less useless, seeing as she was…completely pinned, as it were, Meira crinkled her nose slightly at R’wign’s question. Was she okay…? She hurt, but she was pretty sure that was because of the sudden impact with the ground and then being sandwiched between said ground and R’wign, not because she’d actually been injured in any way. “As soon as I can stand, I’ll be fine, I think…” she answered weakly, freeing one hand to gently nudge Zesa away. The gold firelizard obediently moved backwards a step, eyes whirling in rapid amusement as her tail flicked; she was still confused by the proceedings – she hadn’t known it was such fun to pile up on top of each other – but it looked funny, anyway, and a passing Drudge was snickering, and Hers was not hurt, so…

R’wign’s comment, barked at the currently nameless boy on top of both of them, made Meira blink, and then turn her head sideways, cheek pressing against the floor awkwardly, trying to see exactly why the boy was struggling so much. It wasn’t really achieving much, she noted, and – Zesa hissed in warning, the gold rapidly taking to wing and vanishing from Meira’s line of sight. Disconcerted, and suddenly rather wary that some firelizard hatchling would abruptly flounce up and Impress to R’wign, or something equally dramatic, Meira did squirm despite the knowledge that it was useless, turning her head the other way. Her eyes widened – and then the man with brownrider’s knots tripped over the nameless boy on top of R’wign, sprawling over the floor as said nameless boy rolled off of them.

How easy was that? Couldn’t he have done it sooner?

His fetal, curled position, however, alarmed Meira slightly; had he been hurt very badly? “You didn’t,” she responded to R’wign, deciding that now was not the best time to point out that he ought to be present for his gold’s first Hatching. Just because she didn’t like being at Zesa’s clutches when they Hatched didn’t mean she’d avoid them…but then, she didn’t have six – or was it seven now? – firelizards. Hmm. “Could I – could I please get up now…?” On the upside, at least she hadn’t hit her head on the ground, right? (Yes, she was trying to be optimistic, something that was rather difficult.) C’ryl’s question went unanswered; she didn’t know what he was asking – what was going on as in why he’d just tripped over an apparently hurt boy or why there was a brown dragon blocking the doorway or what, because there certainly was a lot of why’s that required answering; firelizard Hatching certainly didn't cover it adequately.

Zesa, meanwhile, had circled down to land neatly next to T’ke. The boy was hurt, he was – because of the brownrider that was not Ellie’s. Bad brownrider. The queen spared C’ryl a single scolding chirp before she hopped towards T’ke and reached out to nuzzle the boy’s cheek lightly, reassuringly crooning at him; images of the Infirmary were sent to the boy; did he have to go there? It was a good place – people came in hurt and left feeling better because of Hers and many others…the gold twittered quietly, and then glanced at R’wign and Hers in slight amusement. What were they doing now, hadn’t he already been on top of Hers enough…?

[topaz]

C'vin ambled into the kitchen, entranced by the savory smells that had begun wafting throughout the Weyr. Heardbest stew was his favorite dinner. Hunks of meat, rich, fatty broth, and lots of tubers, carrots and other greens that C'vin had little interest in, but nonetheless made the concoction as a whole taste marvelous! He licked his lips as he wandered near the stewing pots, but was quickly shooed off by the drudge who was tending to it.

Instead of hanging around, C'vin grabbed a small roll of bread out of a nearby basket and walked out into the dining hall. The large room was a buzz with chatter and the clang of utensils against plates, as C'vin laid his eyes upon what looked like the entire Weyr. However, through the noise, one voice rang out clearly . .

“HATCHING FIRELIZARDS ON THE TABLE! HAVE FUN!”

C'vin turned to locate the source of the voice, but it seemed the man had already left the hall. Strange, he thought, but C'vin was quickly consumed in searching for said firelizard eggs. The basket was not hard to spot, with all the flowers and flitters surrounding it, but instead of heading for it, C'vin hurried back into the kitchen to grab some meatrolls left over from lunch. A flitter wouldn't pick him if he was offering it bread! No. The little lizards needed meat, and lots of it.

Finally heading back into the dining hall, C'vin happily made his way over to the flower adorned basket, already being surrounded by some familiar faces.

What are you doing Mine? C'vin's excitement had quickly leaked into Mallowth's consciousness, and the blue was curious to hear what had made His so immediately joyful. C'vin grinned at the question as he took an open place around the table. I'm going to try and Impress us a flitter, Mal. The happy feelings now radiated from both sides of the mindlink. Really Mine?! Oh I'd really like one! They're so pretty and little . . C'vin gave a silent mental nod to his blue and then trained his eyes on the eggs.

Suddenly, the Letting Go Egg split right down the middle to reveal a marvelous little blue. C'vin stared at it for a few moments before realizing what it reminded him of. Pie! A delicious pie flitter. How cute! The bluerider's eyes were wide as he waited patiently for the blue to choose.