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

[weaving]

He’d been eating dinner when it started. The herd beast stew truly was excellent, and I’fael was never one to miss a meal. If it weren’t for the constant work of teaching lessons and dragonriding in general, he’d probably have quite a bit of pudge on him. Thankfully though, that hadn’t happened yet, and he hoped that it never would, though if he lived long enough to be too old to be of much use, he supposed that he could let himself go a bit then. But not until then. He very much enjoyed being in shape and would hate to lose his figure. Not that he was vain, but he did take some amount of pride in his looks, knowing that he wasn’t bad looking at all, especially for his age.

He’d been so focused on his food that, like most everyone else in the hall, he had failed to notice R’wign’s entrance until the young man had yelled his message. By the time he’d looked up to locate the weyrling, R’wign was gone, though he easily spotted the basket of eggs. People seemed to be either of three minds, he noticed with amusement. Either they were running away as quickly as possible, ignoring the entire thing, or flocking toward the basket in hopes of impressing one of them. And why not? They were simply firelizards and therefore far less annoying and troublesome than salamandyrs and they could even be useful. When he was younger he’d avoided the hatchings due to a lack of time, but now with Morendoth permanently grounded, well, why not? He wouldn’t mind a bit of extra company.

By the time he’d reached the basket, three of the critters had already hatched and impressed, leaving six left. Well, it didn’t seem as though the odds were in his favor, especially with so many other people there, but he didn’t think that there was much harm in trying. His bowl of stew was still in his hands and hopefully one of the hungry hatchlings would be attracted to its smell, if nothing else. They did all appear to be ravenous. At least R’wign had been smart about where he’d left this basket of eggs. Even if they went wild, none of them would be going hungry.

[Kisha-Ra]

Apparently the newly hatched green was not that interested in Impressing, she seemed to be far more interested in trying to eat the flowers that adorned the basket. Darya was amused but she didn’t relax her grip on Imp. He was just staying in her hand until the hatching was safely over.

The green sounded quite indignant about something or another, Confined as the egg were to their decorated basket it was hard for even those as close as Darya was to see what was going on. The green perched on something, more than likely one of the other eggs, to preen and flutter her wings about. Darya had to smile in sspite of the fact there was an unattached green firelizard that close to her. That little hatchling was cast in the same sort of mould as Bit, being as she was a very odd shape indeed and a mixture of dull green shades, though the hatchling lacked any marking as bright as Bit’s tail spots. Abruptly the green took her expected tumble as the egg beneath her crumbled but Darya failed to notice much more as she was shooing Bit out of away from someone else’s abandoned bowl that the firelizard had decided to investigate while everyone was busy.


There was some scuffling and complaining from the basket and then a green appeared, preened a little and dropped again. She must have perched on one of her unhatched clutchmates. Then the green’s head appeared again, along with a blue’s. Both hopped up onto the basket’s edge, giving R’fuin a better look at them. They were both certainly unusually coloured but it seemed the blue had the better of the bargain. He was all bright shades that bled into one another nicely; the poor green was a myriad of plainer shades that along with her strange build made her look like several greens had been smashed together to make her.

The blue also seemed to know who he wanted right away, the girl whom Showoff was currently perched on. And wasn’t he most put out that Showoff was there. R’fuin has to laugh at the salamandyr’s almost comical reaction to a baby firelizard challenging him. It had to be the first time R’fuin had ever seen the bronze not displaying, and he seemed too surprised to speak as well. Most amusing. While R’fuin had his eye on the blue the green had tumbled from basket to table, and from table to floor. From there she took a wobbly flight and practically crashed into a rider R’fuin couldn’t honestly say he knew. Well this was certainly a lively hatching so far.


Was someone killing their sharding salamandyr? R’aro wondered how so many people could ignore them; to his mind they were like very high pitched nonsensical dragon voices. Could people get used to that, was it actually possible?

Judging from the noise another firelizard or two had managed to hatch, though R’aro was far enough back that he couldn’t actually see more than other people’s heads and shoulders now. Maybe he should stand up, it wouldn’t hurt to look, he thought his curiosity getting the batter of him.

Apparently there was nothing to see at the moment, though the sounds indicated there was at least one hatchling in there, maybe two. To little heads popped over the side of the basket and the queen hopped back. The green climbed up onto the basket’s edge, then the blue. R’aro hoped not too many other hatchlings tried that, the eggs might make good ballast but their number was diminishing. The blue flew off to challenge one of the salamandyrs for his person. The green however was comically tumbled off the edge of the basket by her mother. She seemed upset by the fall, but not hurt, since she got right up and jumped off the table, straight onto the floor. Oh dear, oh dear. But she made it into the air with a proud flute, and if her course was erratic and her landing far from perfect, well she seemed happy enough with who she’d found.

[Sheari]

The green's antics had C'ryl amused. Since none of the other eggs had hatched she was the only one to watch. Though when she began to eat one of the flowers he was tempted to just reach in and give her a piece of meat from someone's abandoned bowl. Didn't she know that she wasn't supposed to eat the flowers?

The cracking of another egg caught his attention and he turned his gaze to it. As it continued to crack the green chose to perch on it. The shuffling of her wings and the preening of egg goo off of her obviously stressed the egg even more The cracks got larger and larger until the egg broke and both the green and the top of the egg fell into the basket. The heads that popped up were blue and green and the first thing she did was squeak. Squeak probably at the blue but eventually she took up being perched next to the gold on the edge of the basket.

The blue, however, seemed to shy away before perching himself on the edge of the basket. Though it was clear that the green was in no hurry to bond to anyone the blue spread his wings and flew to someone. Uninterested in whom the blue had chosen C'ryl looked back to the green. The gold nudged and chirped her daughter right off of the basket. The green flopped out and sprawled on the table. After flicking her wings C'ryl watched her jump from the table. He'd seen the blue fly off so he was certain she would have something similar in talent. The soft thump proved otherwise and as he pushed past a couple more people to get a better view she flew back to the table.

And then she flew at him. Caught off guard the poor man looked frantically around for something to feed her. As he reached for a bowl someone had forgotten the green closed her wings, squawked and grappled for his shirt. Her claws gripped the cloth but she slid anyway, tearing it a bit on her way down. "Child!' He yelled, startled. "Eat this!" C'ryl popped the chunk of meat into it's mouth.

Well, she had a name now too, he guessed.

[Ember]

From what little Nephele could see from the back of the crowd amused her. The little green was obviously having some trouble flying and the little golden flit was in a hurry to see her off. She paid no mind to the blue hatchling which had also broken shell. It wasn't half as amusing. The green finally found her wings and launched herself at a man and she struggled to surpress a giggle. What came out was a quiet snort that she hoped no one noticed.

What a landing too! She managed to glimpse the green hanging onto the rider's shirt. The man's surprise was all too evident as he yelled. She couldn't see exactly what he was doing but given what he'd said she assumed he was feeding his new little companion. Considering the lack of anything else happening she wondered jsut ho many eggs there were.

During the relative lull in activity she searched for something she could possibly feed a flitter, assuming one bonded to her. She spotted an abandoned bowl off to one side and quietly shuffled over to it. She glanced at the contents and hoped it had enough meat for the mini dragons. Nephele picked it up and wandered back to the general area of the basket, looking as she did to see if anyone noticed her little thievery.

[Rei]

Hero chirped an assent and glided over to Merridan, Perching on her shoulder he chirped up at Showoff. Could he please leave his new baby alone. It was obviously silly for yelling at him when he was only trying to help, but it was still a silly baby. It didn’t know any better yet. Flaring his wings he chattered.

Raylin smoothed her hair back and tried to ignore the chattering annoyance on her shoulder that was busy posturing at the new arrivals. “Don’t worry no one else wants me. Must be your lucky day.” The blue turned and pinned her with a severe look before turning to hiss at Freckle. Nasty creature she was to call him such names. She would pay. Oh yes she would. Raylin sighed before reaching up to gingerly stroke her new mind mate. Surprisingly he didn’t object, instead he leaned into the touch for a minute and then pulled away. Looping his tail as far around her neck far as he could he continued to stare down Freckle.

Sel’n watched as the next two picked their mind mates. Vanity frilled and hopped once before glaring at Chatti. Stupid green thought she deserved attention. Puffing once Vanity turned her attention back to the basket.

Malara frowned as the next two chose. No matter there where more flitters that had yet to choose. Surely one of them would find her acceptable.

[dragon]

She couldn't see anything past all the milling, excited bodies. Something was going on. The flitters were excited, the salamandyrs were definitely excited. People were calling, crying, yelling, talking ... it was all such a lot of noise! There were even dragons in the area, getting in on the excitement. What in Faranth's name was going on??

Being half a asleep and attempting a breakfast didn't help any, either, in discerning what was going on. Crevenaire sighed and frowned at her meal, and then yelped as someone backed into the table. She grabbed for her cup, but missed, and the dark juice inside it spilled all into her porridge. Great. Just great. She sighed at her breakfast again. Juice porridge. Who ever heard of that? Not to mention it was no longer hot, how, and the half melted slab of butter in the middle wasn't going to finish melting.

Crevy had never attended a flitter hatching before - she could never afford something like a flitter egg. Nor had she ever attended one at a Weyr. And so she couldn't even draw from experience to know what was going on. It was just, plain and simple, too much noise for this early in the day! Well ... her day, anyway.

And her breakfast was ruined. Flitters were going in all directions, flitters and mandyrs screaming at each other, brilliant displays. Shards. What was going on??! No longer interested in her breakfast at all, Crevy shoved back in her seat, and clambered out of it. Picking up her skirts, she stepped up into the chair, and then onto the table, to be able to see past everyone else crowding around. Milling, either trying to get away or get closer, either one.

What was that, on that table? A floral arrangement? Why were there so many flitters around and about it, then? Did it hold the flitter equivalent of catnip?

[glamourie]

Just his shoulder…? R’wign glanced from Meira to T’ke again and tilted his head before looking up at the boy. “You’re the one that got stabbed, right?” He hadn’t treated him - so he didn’t know the severity of the wounds. After the attack, R’wign hadn’t treated all that many patients, though; he was too busy coughing up blood on his own, a fact which was highly embarrassing in retrospect. Nevertheless, there was no way to fix it now. R’wign wanted very badly to tug the boy’s shirt off and start examining the wound - if there was even a wound left (though from the way he was cradling it, it seemed likely that there was). Most people took having their clothing suddenly removed from their person quite offensively though, particularly in public. It would probably not earn him a fan in the … boy… who’s name he couldn’t recall… he looked like one of the other weyrlings not from his class… familiar, too, so probably not from Millieth’s latest clutch. Shard it, what was he called?!

“Who was the healer in charge for him, Mei?” The ‘nickname’ came without him even thinking about it. Meira’s name was too close to ‘Marra’ and he’d been mentally calling her ‘Mei’ ever since the Gather to distinguish. It made it easier talking to the wherhandler without missing his deceased weyrmate. Turning back to T’ke, he gestured to his shirt. “Or you can tell me. I don’t mind looking it over if you want me to -- you should definitely get it checked, you’re cradling it pretty badly and shoulder injuries can be really painful if you’re not careful.” Says the healer in an eye patch. R’wign cocked his head to the side and then blinked, noticing their other companion had left for the first time. Well then! “How rude,” he said with a distinct sniff. “I hope Roxie bites him - running off without even checking to see if you’re all right. Who was that guy anyway?”

Perching on the edge of her basket, Ellie watched Hero glide off and fluted to him approvingly. If he could keep the red thing in line, then all would be well. She fluttered her wings, then dove into the basket, careful to avoid the shell fragments. Casually, she leaned forward and tapped on the Pursue the Truth Egg before moving to the This is the Moment Egg. After her little claws made impact on the shells, the gold cocked her head, listened, and then squawked in surprise as one of the other eggs rolled over and shattered: the Good ‘n’ Evil Egg. The baby within tumbled to her feet and Ellie leaned down to nudge her hatchling up encouragingly. Her eyes whirled in affection.

Shyly, the Good ‘n’ Evil Brown rose to his feet and flapped his wings. His head cocked to the side and he looked around for a moment, before turning to flute casually to Ellie - inquisitive. That one sound was short, resolute. For all appearances, the brown was a dainty, delicate creature, and he literally looked like his hide was molded from chocolate-on-chocolate cake. Tasty and delicious. He nervously edged closer to his dam, a little uncomfortable with all of the people turning their gaze to the basket, and his head ducked down until he was entirely invisible behind the semi-large gold. Or at least, he fancied himself invisible. His backside was sticking out, but he didn’t know or register that.

Ellie nudged her baby curiously, trying to encourage him. Her attention so focused on the young brown, she did not notice as the Sympathy, Tenderness Egg started to crack. Only when it broke enough for a very bright green to tumble free did she register that another baby had hatched. Jumping, Ellie turned to flute and nudge the new baby, while the Good ‘n’ Evil Brown turned and sniffed at the female. He flared one wing and --

And she squeaked. Literally squeaked. There was a slight edge to the noise that the green made - almost like an accent - and then she leapt up onto the edge of the basket. Actually shaking in fright, she watched the Good ‘n’ Evil Brown nervously. He edged closer and cocked his head to the side, confused; why was she trying to escape from him? Surely she knew he wouldn’t hurt her? He didn’t hurt anyone. He wasn’t the type to do that…

Why it dumb? Showoff totally ignored Mer (she wasn’t worth his notice beyond being a perch) and turned his attention to Hero. His wings flared in agitation but - perhaps miraculously, he made no effort to attack the very irritating baby fire lizard. He had some tact. It was a baby. They were all dumb, yes, but babies got a little more lenience from him. He wouldn’t hurt the baby just because it didn’t recognize his magnificence. I no hurt ugly baby, silly silly. Is baby. Baby no know better. Flaring his frill, he finally seemed to acknowledge the candidate beneath him by cocking his head and looking down at her. What ugly NotMine name new flying dummy? He clearly didn’t register the insults as that -- it was simply his way of talking. Nothing personal.

As the brown approached, the Sympathy, Tenderness Green gave another startled cheep, and then she dove away. He was scary, he was. She flicked her wings nervously and then managed to rise into the air on them. All at once, she bolted away and literally dove down I’fael’s shirt, clinging to him for dear life. Her entire body shook as she made herself comfortable, and she crawled up just enough to peek back at her clutch brother anxiously. He wouldn’t… wouldn’t let anyone hurt her, would he? She was afraid of the brown one -- please, please, wouldn’t her new beloved keep her safe? Her eyes whirled affectionately and she licked I’fael’s collarbone, before squirming up onto his shoulder. He’d feed her, right…? And protect her…? She’d love him, she would, if he could do that for her~

The Good ‘n’ Evil Brown cheeped inquisitively and cocked his head to the side. He didn’t think he’d done anything so odd. A curious look toward Ellie reassured him, and the gold nudged his side to comfort. Happily, the Good ‘n’ Evil Brown hopped up to the space previously occupied by his sister and then darted into the air. He glided with a level of ease that his frail, almost dainty body belied, and with a quick circle, he passed over many, many tables of food. They were tempting, they were, but -- he didn’t want just anyone. Most of them were so loud, and being so messy… he wanted -- he wanted him. He wasn’t being loud at all, or messy, or making a lot of a scene. In fact, he was… hiding? How silly. Didn’t His know that he would find him?

And find him he did, as the Good ‘n’ Evil Brown flew over to land with a light *plop* right in K’roi’s stew. Yummy.

Once her baby was gone, Ellie turned and fluted sharply to Hero. The screaming salamandyr needed to be removed. If it wouldn’t listen to the red thing, she didn’t want it near her babies, you see -- it was so loud, so unpleasant, make it stop, please? Make it stop the screaming…?

---

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

[glamourie]

Sympathy, Tenderness Green

Name:
Color: Green #3AFF25 #13CD00 #021700 #7EFF00
Gender: Female
Age: Hatchling
Looks To: I'fael

Physical Appearance: Awkward ankles make this firelizard a very strange sight to behold. Her tail is exceedingly long for her body and is one of her most noticeable features; whippy and almost entirely independent of the rest of her, it twists around and generally resembles a whip swinging back and forth. Her legs are also long for her body, giving her the appearance of being tall when she walks along the ground, almost comically so, but the sizes are disproportionate to one another, leading her to bunny-hop more gracelessly than the average flit; she looks positively hysterical on the ground bouncing to-and-fro. Like her limbs, her neck is also long and slender, but this is a more feminine appearance, adding a subtle grace to her otherwise entertainingly bizarre appearance. Long wings finish off her look, spreading out impressively around her - in terms of length, at least. Width-wise, she's lacking in any real wing sails, so she'll be excellent at twirling and 'dancing' in the air while long, drawn out flights are better left to firelizards bigger than she happens to be. For a green, she's roughly of average size, though one wouldn't realize it given the awkward nature of her build. She definitely looks larger than she really is.

Curiously, her color seems to be a melding of greens and almost black hues, or at least a shade somewhere between the two. A very bright wash of green covers her entire body, blindingly obvious and doubtlessly able to be seen even in the dark. This shade drips down over her entire hide, and is brought to prominence by green just two shades darker that bends over her 'edges'. The bones of her wings, her ridges, around her eyes and over her claws, these particular places are more of a lime shade, but unmistakably green. What isn't the standard shade of green is the spots she has -- and she most definitely has them, not unlike her salamandyr cousins. A green only a shade off of black, several tiny speckles surround where her wings connect to her body, each one oval and tiny; at first glance, it almost appears as if she's dirty because of them. The same dark shades circle around the end of her tail, and coupled with the nearly-yellow sheen that her hide possesses in light, this female looks like she's wet at all times... or perhaps juicy would be a more accurate word; she definitely resembles a kiwi.

Personality: Exceedingly shy, this is one green that will prefer to hide rather than be in the spotlight. Ducking into her bonded's clothing is one of her frequent habits, as is hiding in their hair; anywhere where she can be close to her chosen without everyone seeing her. When she's forced out into the open, she's quietly polite, elegant chirps and chittering being the only noises that she makes, and never very loud. Scolding and shrieking is beneath her. She's more the type to suffer in silence when something she doesn't like is going on around her and even then, if she has the option, she'll leave; it's not that she's cowardly, she simply doesn't like conflict or anything extremely stressful. The more tense an area is, the more likely she is to avoid it if she can help it; she's a peaceful creature, and it takes something mind-blowing to sway her away from that. Even defending herself is limited; she's content enough to ignore insults and attacks so long as they're not physical. As a result, she'll probably be the bane of salamandyrs everywhere, simply because she cannot be provoked into a drawn-out argument. She's more reserved and doesn't waste her energy if it can be helped. This quiet nature will doubtlessly endear her to many dragons - after all, she's unobtrusive and generally doesn't bother anyone... although the few noises she makes are entertaining to listen to. Whether she realizes it or not, her chirping has a definite squeaky edge, almost like the firelizard version of an accent; she has to make conscious efforts to disguise this, otherwise the noises she makes can be highly amusing to those around her, and it is entirely unintentional on her part.

With those she trusts (typically only her bonded and a select few other creatures she spends a lot of time around), this meek female is very flighty in emotions - jumping from happy to confused to frightened to calm all in the time it takes someone to inhale. She's very prone to mood swings, but she doesn't typically have a temper on her. This quick switch in feelings can make it exceedingly difficult for her chosen to manage her, because the constant shifting of emotions can be overwhelming - especially when in close physical proximity. She'll be difficult to train, too, due to an intense fear of males (no matter what species -- dragon, wher, firelizard, salamandyr, even humans), although with some effort that can be managed; it will require constant watching and teaching on her bonded's part. Fortunately, she's very patient and willing to try if nothing else. She's a hard-worker when it comes to the things that matters, and she's always willing to put forth effort to make her bonded happy. A happy mindmate is a happy her!

---

Good 'n' Evil Brown

Name:
Color: Brown #35220A #1F1202 #854E07 #140B00
Gender: Male
Age: Hatchling
Looks To: K'roi

Physical Appearance: The look this brown has is distinctly delicate. He looks as if he'll break at the drop of a hat, or a pin. He's definitely not muscular in any way. As far as size goes, he's about average, leaning closer to small, but the fragile look his body possesses (even feminine by many standards) makes him appear much smaller than he truly is. He has a long, slender neck, with very small, almost bumpy ridges that are hardly defined at all, adding to the distinctly 'pretty' look as opposed to 'handsome.' Each of his limbs is thin and his legs end in tiny, razor-sharp claws that are slightly longer than the average firelizard's, emphasizing how dangerous they truly are. His wings are extremely long, and his wing bones look almost brittle as opposed to strong. The sails are extremely thin, which will make him adept at quick turns, but painfully low in stamina and if he's not careful, he will break bones. His bonded will have to take great care to keep him from becoming harmed. Complimenting this delicate look though is a very long, elegant tail which is thin, whippy and excellent for curling around things. Altogether when he perches on something, he almost looks like a female firelizard - just an extremely large one.

His color, though, is definitely not feminine or resembling that of any other firelizard color. He's definitely a brown. Deep, rich brown hues color his entire body, varying in exact hues by one or two shades. The coloration seems to 'crumble' over his whole body, darker and lighter in places, never the same exact shade twice. Darker shades of brown 'drizzle' down his back, dripping over his sides toward his stomach like some kind of syrup. As a direct contrast, his wing sails and rings around his eyes are a much lighter shade of brown, adding emphasis to those few places. Finishing off his look is an oddly 'frosted' appearance, starting from the top of his head and spanning down over his back, down his ridges and the line of his tail along the top to the very tip. The frosting is an almost black shade of brown, giving him a chocolate-on-chocolate look, not unlike a cake.

Personality: As far as firelizards go, this little male is bizarrely quiet. Almost alarmingly so, actually. Much of the time, he sits on an out of the way perch or on his bonded and listens, head cocked to the side as if everything spoken to or around him is the most interesting tale he's ever heard. Occasionally he'll pipe up with little chirps to show he's listening but most of the time, he's quiet. He prefers to save his chirping and chattering for the opportune moment when it will make the most difference, and it could be said that this firelizard is most definitely the sort to make a point; he 'says' what he means, and thus, most of the time, any answers he offers are easily understood one direction or the other. For example, his bonded will usually be able to translate from firelizard-speak to anyone who this little male is talking so, so clear is he. Not that he has a lot to say, but it makes quite a difference, since the messages he does try to get across are often good ones. Wise would be a good word to describe this little guy - at least, most of the time. He's very, very intelligent for a firelizard.

He's also extremely laid back, one of the most noticeable things about him. While other flits get upset and fussy easily, this little guy doesn't. He's got the patience of a saint and will sit and tolerate things that the majority of his kind go into fits over. However, it is possible to embarrass him; being around bigger males often makes him feel insecure and he is prone to hiding rather than shows of pride and puffing up. In particular, he's extremely shy around other browns that are larger than he is, or more impressive in coloration. It takes quite a bit of effort for other firelizards to earn his 'friendship' as a result, and he's more of a loner than most browns happen to be. The few who get close to him and get to know him will find him an excellent companion and friend - but getting there is difficult, as he's more likely to listen and then move on than try to be truly friendly. He's just not good at expressing his own feelings with anyone but his bonded and to his chosen, he's endlessly loyal and faithful. Others... well, he's not sure how he should feel most of the time, but with some effort, he makes a good friend!

[Ember]

Nephele was on tiptoes, trying to peer over taller people's shoulders, but still couldn't see the new Hatchlings that had some people gasping or muttering about. She sighed in exasperation and crossed her arms (having put her bowl of stew on the table edge next to her). There was no way to get through the mob to see the little darlings properly. A noise from the basket made her blink in surprise. What was going on? She caught sight of the little green through the various limbs in the way and ahhed silently. Her squeak then...

Another lapse in being able to see anything...Then she thought she saw a green streak headed to someone. Then the brown rose above everyone's heads and into view and she took a good long look at it. Well it really was quite a charming young thing. Smaller than Emoyan's, but then again this one was just a baby. She watched it circle overhead and then wing its way towards...someone? That made four? She didn't know for sure though. Again she cursed her position so far from the basket.

[Rei]

Hero chirped pleasantly to Showoff and fluted back to Ellie before launching off Mer and making a beeline for Freckle. The bronze swooped and grabbed her in mid insult. Chirping once to Ellie he blinked between to the Creche. Hovering above a cradle Hero dropped her in the midst of some fluffy blankets before landing on the edge of the crib. Looking down at her he chattered and projected a picture of a human hatchling. The message was clear if she wanted to scream like and infant she could be one. Giving a final snort Hero launched into the air and blinked back to the main hall. Circling the basket once, he back winged to land beside Elegance. Crooning softly he nuzzled her. Was there anything else?

Raylin sighed as her little blue snorted. The bronze had taken his enemy between. Hopefully he dropped her off in dung pile. That was where she belonged with the trash. Preening his wings he glanced at his. Shouldn’t she be naming him? He needed a name, it had better be a good one to. He couldn’t very well stay nameless. The green rider stared at her new pet. “You really are a arrogant little snot. I think I’ll call you Arrogance but I’m nicknaming you snot.”
The newly named Arrogance tilted his head as if considering and gave a chirp. That would work he supposed, but she better not expect him to come running every time she called. Yawning he turned his attention to the basket. His brothers and sisters had better hurry up. Didn’t they know he had a nap to take. He couldn’t very well sleep with them being horribly obnoxious and loud.

Sel’n watched the Freckle napping and Vanity hissed before she scampered down him to hide in his sling. She made not a peep. No way some stupid flyer was taking her for a ride. Peeking her head out of the sling she watched the basket. How many uglie babies left?

Malara tapped her foot impatiently and leaned over with the meat scraps. There would always be more hatchings but this was the second flit hatching she had attended. Maybe they didn’t like her?

[nightingale]

Freckle let out a harsh squawk of resentment as she suddenly found herself airborne. Her bonded barely had time to register what was going on before the room was suddenly bathed in silence. “Thank goodness. I was going to snap herself my neck sometime soon.” Amone sighed, running his finger down the length of Baby’s spine. The little blue hadn’t stopped humming since the hatching had begun, and now he perched with his frill spread and his wings flared for maximum dramatic effect. Having lost Ellie’s flight didn’t seem to dissuade the mandyr from adoring the queen and her children in the least.

Saeo was furious. She knew very well that Freckle was loud, obnoxious and downright irritating, but that did not mean that she would tolerate anyone snatching her from her shoulder and whisking her off to who-knows-where. Cherilith, I need you to track down Danar right now. She told her blue sharply, muttering audibly that she would be right back before shoving her way toward the doors of the main hall. Get to him through Olanreth. That vicious little beast of his has gone way to far! Mine do not be so angry. Freckle is safe, is she not? Perhaps her anger and your bleeding is clouding your judgment somewhat. Danar. NOW. Yes my Saeo.

Far away from the hatching, the infuriated creels of a green salamandyr mixed with the cries of several dozen babies who had only just begun to fall asleep.

[glamourie]

Such a good, good mate she had! Ellie chirruped adoringly to Hero when he returned and leaned over to lick his back and nuzzle him in an undeniable show of affection. He was so good. Her eyes whirled happily. He kept the bad loud ones from distracting or hurting her babies without hurting them and that made him very good indeed. Her wings flapped happily and she fluted in the direction of her two newest hatchlings before hopping around the edge of the basket. The eggs inside wobbled some more, and she flicked her tail back and forth restlessly. One of the eggs closest to her, the This Is The Moment Egg, gave a violent shudder, and Ellie hopped closer and leaned her head to one side to listen. But then the egg went perfectly still, and the entire clutch seemed to freeze momentarily --

Before the egg completely exploded in a shower of fragments that had Ellie tumbling off the side of the basket with a startled peep. The baby within leapt up onto the handle of the wicker basket, and hung upside down from it, his bronze hide glittering from the egg goop. He looked for all the world to be a very handsome bronze… except for one notable feature that would doubtlessly draw the attention of every set of eyes watching the clutch: around his head was a mossy-bronze marking that very distinctly resembled a pair of women’s under garments. He did not appear to notice his funny ‘hat’, though, and preened very distinctly before climbing up onto the top of the handle. His little wings flared and he puffed up, showing off for everyone to see. Wasn’t he lovely…? He thought he was pretty, he did!

Unfortunately, he didn’t get much time to show off before the most vividly colored egg in the clutch began to split noticeable. Turning, he hissed and spat animatedly to the Dangerous Game Egg before sitting up proper. What exactly did it think it was doing, trying to steal his limelight? How dare that egg! He was a bronze! A bronze! Why he oughta--

Flinging himself forward, the This Is The Moment Bronze slammed headfirst into the Dangerous Game Egg and spat ferociously. At that exact moment, Ellie climbed back onto the side of the basket (looking decidedly frazzled) and let loose with a startled creel. Nonono, babies mustn’t fight! She flapped her wings in distress, looking all but ready to panic as the Dangerous Game Egg toppled to the side and ceased to move. Her baby! Her baby! Oh, her baby wasn’t hurt, was it? Half-keening, Ellie flung herself into the nest and nudged the This Is The Moment Bronze away from the Dangerous Game Egg with a definitely irritable peep. Bad baby. What did he think he was doing, trying to hurt that egg? Looking more than a little irritable, she fluttered her wings and squawked.

And the This Is The Moment Bronze recoiled as if slapped. His eyes whirled pitifully and he flung himself up onto the rim of the basket, his wings brushing the sides as he watched Ellie. Apologetic, he chattered to her, trying to earn her forgiveness. The gold gave another low snort, obviously not impressed, and tapped the remaining egg. Visibly deflated (and looking quite pitiful as a result), the This Is The Moment Bronze keened for all to hear. He hadn’t meant to hurt it, just to make it stop trying to steal his spotlight, you see, you see? He didn’t mean it any harm, he hadn’t -- Now the pretty gold was mad at him and he didn’t know what to do. Wouldn’t soooomeone help him? Creeling, in hunger and distress, the bronze flung himself into the air, whirled in an awkward barrel roll that would have been graceful except for its ending, and whined. His body collided headfirst into C’vin’s chest and he cheeped more piteously, obviously genuinely upset.

But it was really for no reason, for right as he landed, the Dangerous Game Egg sprouted wings - literally. Two large wings shattered out the sides as the egg wobbled, still laying sideways on the bottom of the basket. Dark brown edges made up the wings, with significantly lighter sails, leaving no question to what the egg contained -- though, whether or not the baby within would hatch with any success was another matter entirely…

---

The Façade Clutch
01. Lost in the Darkness Egg
02. Letting Go Egg Impressed: Blue Arrogance to Raylin
03. Pursue the Truth Egg
04. Take Me As I Am Egg Impressed: Blue Auran to Merridan
05. Sympathy, Tenderness Egg Impressed: Green ? 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 Hatching: Brown Wings showing
09. This is the Moment Egg Impressed: Bronze ? to C'vin

[glamourie]

This is the Moment Bronze

Name:
Color: Bronze #A64414 #C1AB67 #945C20 #959127
Gender: Male
Age: Hatchling
Looks To: C'vin

Physical Appearance: Large is this bronze, and it is easily his most notably feature. In no way does he come across as diminutive or delicate. His body is heavily muscular and very strong, even from the moment of breaking shell, and he is the picture of power for his species. The smooth muscle toning lines down his legs and sides, so he isn't exactly bulky but there's no denying his strength. His legs are somewhat short for his body, leading to him having a very torpedo-like appearance that will make him very, very fast. His tail on the other hand is actually quite bizarre to look at; while the majority of it is sinuous, the end looks to have a knot in it, right before where it breaks into the traditional forked tip. This 'knot' is a character-feature and does not in any way hinder him from flying, though it can be a little odd to look at and will stop him from creeping into crevices of any kind, simply because... he'd get stuck. His wings are large enough to carry him smoothly through the air, and just slightly longer than average; he will be adept at quick barrel rolls sure to impress greens and even some queens. When folded, the ends come to just at where his tail connects to his body, and when spread out, the very tips seem to drape the ground, like an elegant cape of sorts. The only thing not impressive about his build is his ridges... which, basically, don't exist at all. Only on close examination can anyone make out the slight bumps on his back, and even then it's up for debate whether they could be called ridges at all. They're far from impressive.

As far as coloring goes, this male is pretty traditional. Rather than the mossy tones most bronzes possess, he is a deep coppery shade from the end of his snout down to the tip of his tail, making him look considerably darker than many of his color. His wing sails are a much paler shade of bronze, almost mistakable for brown except for the decidedly metallic sheen they possess. Rich, almost golden highlights ripple down his body when he's presented to the sunlight, making him an undeniably pretty specimen to behold, like gazing into flames. However, one very distinct feature stands out about this male that takes away from all seriousness his color and physique may create. Around his head is a marking that can only be described as resembling a woman's under garments, placed up and over so that his eyes stick out the leg holes. The markings are colored in a traditional mossy-bronze, making it impossible to miss -- and likely gaining him a few hysterical laughs along the way. Such a distinct birthmark is nearly impossible to ignore, after all.

Personality: Leader? Errr... not so much. Actually, this bronze is pretty much influenced by anyone and everyone he comes in contact with and not always to his benefit -- he follows a mob mentality very well. Therefore, one can expect that if a group around him starts scolding someone or something, he'll join in, regardless of whether or not he really understands what the scolding is about. Similarly, he's liable to adopt the mindset of the creatures he spends the most time with, which might lead to him being either a sweetheart or a troublemaker, depending on his external influences. His bonded would do well to convince him to spend his time with a very good influence, someone or something that is well-behaved, in order to cause him to be equally so. This will be a difficult task and he's naturally drawn to those of less-than-stellar temperament -- firelizards known for being particularly loud and bossy will be among his favored mates, while he'll totally ignore the less obnoxious and eye-catching. Part of this is obliviousness, as he definitely overlooks anything that doesn't smack him in the face with how obvious it is, but most of it is desire for attention... and bad attention is just as good as good attention most of the time. If left to his own devices, he can and will pick on smaller flits to try and assert his dominance. However, he's not too clever, and will often lose them if they try to fly off. Not that this stops him, mind.

Extremely vain, this is one bronze that likes to sit in front of reflective surfaces and preen. He also likes compliments and will do just about anything to be told how amazing and wonderful and pretty he is and oh isn't he the best? The more flattering someone is to him, the more likely he is to respond positively to them. And he falls for the same trick more than once. In other words, bribing him to do something by compliments will always be an effective tactic. He doesn't really follow instructions well, though, so they have to be simple in order for him to understand; he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, and definitely not the smartest bronze to ever hatch. However, what he lacks in intelligence, he makes up for in brute strength: carrying things around, to and from places, will be one of the few things he's very good at, provided his bonded manages to figure out the best way to convince him. But he's not complicated or expressly difficult to figure out, so it's unlikely this vain little critter will remain a mystery for long.

[topaz]

The bemusement C'vin had previously had with the Letting Go Blue was quickly shot to between as the vicious little lizard nearly attacked one of it's unhatched clutchmates, then promptly hissed and spat at a flower before dropping it in someone's soup. Luckily the little monster soon chose Raylin - the poor girl - and continued it's loud, obnoxious streak by flipping out at Showoff. Egh. All the flitters couldn't be that bad, right?

Unfortunately, C'vin was proven wrong as the next few minutes dissolved into a complete chaos. Flits and 'mandyrs alike screeched and chattered from all around the group; a candidate even began insulting Showoff back! What?! Amidst all of this yelling, C'vin looked around rather confused, a less than subtle look of disbelief on his face. And he had thought he wanted one of these things. Quickly realizing that he had a plateful of meat in his hands, C'vin began eating. Maybe if he only had a little bit of food, he'd get a nice, small green. That Sympathy and Tenderness Green seemed very nice. And quiet. With a mouthful of meat roll, C'vin looked on with trepidation, praying that the next few hatchlings would be kinder then their slightly older siblings, so he could Impress one for Mallowth. The sweet blue really had always wanted a flitter, ever since he met Ke'rin's green Lamb on the river bank that day.

Pulled back from his thoughts suddenly, C'vin watched as Ellie was startled off of her perch by the shattering of a new egg. The hatchling speedily shot up to the handle of the basket it was in, and hung from it upside down. As it preened C'vin couldn't help but stare. It was with all certainty a bronze, and a gorgeous one at that. C'vin quickly swallowed the last bit of meat that was in his mouth and watched the bronze with interest. Bronzes were known to be arrogant and prideful, even unruly, so what would this one be like when so many of his other siblings had already far exceeded C'vin's expectations for disruptiveness?

First off, as the flitter baby climbed right side up onto the basket handle, a distinct marking of mossy green could be seen marring the canon bronze coloration on top of the flitter's head. A pity, C'vin thought at first not yet recognizing the odd shape of the birthmark, that such an otherwise beautifully colored bronze would have such a strange blemish. The mark was quickly forgotten however, as the bronze then pounced vindictively on the Dangerous Game Egg as it began to crack open. Luckily, golden Ellie had regained her balance, and her control over her clutch, swiftly shuffling the brutish bronze out of the way.

One would expect that such a bloodthirsty hatching wouldn't think twice about his dam's intrusion and go off to choose his bonded like the little brat he seemed to be, but no. Not this bronze. Utterly stunned by Ellie's reprimand, the This is the Moment Bronze quickly began to creel and whine as if he had been struck by Thread. What?! The snotty little bronze was asking his mother - and apparently the rest of the dining hall - for forgiveness. Did bronzes even do that? As the keening continued, C'vin almost wanted to snap the flitter's tiny mouth shut, but then all of a sudden the critter twisted itself up into the air, and rolled right into C'vin's chest, landing haphazardly in his plate of meat rolls.

C'vin was stunned - also slightly horrified and disgusted that the flitter hand landed right on top of his food - as the bronze continued to wail for all to hear. But then the blueweyrling began to feel some sympathy for the pitiful thing on his plate. Sympathy? Why was he fee- Oh! The answer to C'vin's question was in the whirling rainbow eyes of his new bronze flit. The creature's emotions knocked into C'vin like a battering ram; hunger, embarrassment, guilt. A thousand times guilt. The poor flit really was sorry. C'vin smiled down at his new charge, his expression amused with a hint of pity. "Alright, alright. Quiet already!" He whispered harshly to the bronze. "Everyone knows you're sorry. I assure you. Everyone. And I'm sure they couldn't possibly think any less of you for it." The subtle insult passed right over the bronze's little head as he peered up at his new bonded. C'vin grinned. And here he was thinking bronzes had to be all intelligent and witty! This one certainly broke right through that stereotype.

Shuffling backwards away from the basket and the rest of the crowd, C'vin began to feed his bronze, who had finally gotten over his guilt and remembered that he was soo hungry. As the large flitter ate, C'vin got the chance to look him over more thoroughly, and his eye was quickly drawn to that oddly shaped blotch on the flitter's head. For a moment, the blueweyrling thought that his eyes were playing tricks on him, but the more he looked, the more the green splotch began to resemble . . Interrupting the bronze's meal - which earned an indignant squawk from said firelizard - C'vin grabbed the lizard's snout and turned it's head towards him so as to have the perfect view of the marking.

It . . . it looked like . . "You have panties on your head?" It was half a question and half a statement, as C'vin knew the little beast had not actually seen himself yet. C'vin looked around at a few other people nearby suspiciously. Had they noticed it to? It really looked like it, didn't it? Looking back down at the bronze, fingers still clamped around his muzzle, C'vin stared for another moment or two. "Panties . . ." At that whisper, a muffled chirp was heard coming from the bronze, and his wide whirling eyes were a happy bright blue. C'vin was then struck with a curious question; What did His want? "Oh . . . no. No, no. I'm not naming you Panties. That's ridiculous. You're a bronze for Faranth's sake." But just as the word escaped C'vin's lips, the bronze gave a still muffled croon and an anxious flutter of his wings. Why was His holding him? He was hungry, he wanted to eat! C'vin gave the bronze a strange look before shaking his head and sighing quietly. "Alright. Panties it is then." Finally the blueweyrling let free the bronze's jaw, and within an instant the flitter was tearing straight through another meat roll beneath him.

[Rei]

As Ellie licked him Hero chattered happily, his eyes whirling in intense blues. His gold was so sweet she was, and their new babies where all so beautiful and perfect. Life couldn’t get any better. The bronze watched as his mate bounced around the basket adoration in his whirling eyes. When she took her tumble he chirped in alarm and hopped over to her. Crooning softly he watched as she creeled and proceeded to remove their bronze son gently. Hero jumped onto the edge of the basket and watched as the This Is The Moment Bronze chose. Good baby. Turning back to Ellie and the winged egg Hero began to hum loudly, trying and spur their baby on. He could do it he could!

Sel’n leaned back in his chair and continued his dinner. Most of the baby flits had impressed already anyway. Vanity clambered out of the sling then to perch on her bondeds shoulder. She kept silent but glared at the flits. No one but her could have hers.

Malara watched the impressions and sighed. How many where left? An awful lot had impressed already.