you've got a friend in me

[weaving]

Brat’s eggs were getting hard which meant that sooner or later they’d be hatching which meant that Lennae had taken to spending the majority of her day down in the kitchens. It wasn’t that she cared about the eggs; on the contrary, she’d originally hoped that Brat would have accidentally eaten the eggs as soon as she laid them. However, it had quickly become clear that that hadn’t happened at all, which had meant spending the next few days searching the weyr for the gold’s clutch. It had been cleverly hidden, though when she’d discovered that Brat had put them in the egg container, her first thought had been that perhaps the cooks might accidentally use them one morning which wouldn’t bother her in the slightest. Unfortunately, Brat had proven herself a rather adequate mother, fiercely protecting her as yet unborn babies tooth and claw. Which was why she was here. The kitchen staff had begun complaining, and she’d been called down to see if she could talk some sense into the gold. That hadn’t happened of course, but her presence seemed to somewhat reassure Brat, and so the staff had settled for that.

That particular morning she wasn’t quite awake yet, for she’d had yet to make it through her first cup of klah when suddenly a commotion broke out.

YOU BROKE YOU BROKE! I BITE I KILL YOU GO BOOM! YOU BROKE YOU DIE!

Lennae looked up in time to see Brat leap straight for one of the drudge’s faces, latching on tightly to his nose and refusing to let go despite his desperate tuggings in one hand. In the other was one of Brat’s eggs and the source of all the noise. With a sigh, Lennae stood, walking over calmly to the drudge and plucking the egg from his grasp, placing it back where it belonged gently enough. He must have been new and unaware of the fact that Brat had chosen that spot for her clutch. Everyone else had been sufficiently warned long ago to prevent something like that from happening.

“Brat, everything is fine now. I put your egg back and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.” Her voice was weary as she spoke, but Brat had already let go and returned to check on her precious clutch, murmuring under her breath as she inspected the entire egg before deemig it okay. Lennae knew better than to try and get the gold to apologize for her behavior; it would only lead to another fit and she’d rather not be the cause of some poor drudge attempting to request a transfer. Sometimes she wished that she could strangle the tiny creature.

Is break is break! Babies hatch is good! Make babywanters come now! Babies come! Thankfully the creature was no longer making death threats, though Lennae found that announcement to be far more dreadful than any possible death threats that Brat could ever make. A salamandyr hatching. And she had to be right next to it. There was no escape. Quickly, she had Amith send out a call for anyone interested in a salamandyr. The sooner they arrived, the less of a chance she had to get stuck with one of them.

The Things That Go Bump In The Night Clutch
1. Vampire Egg
2. Monster Egg
3. Boogeyman Egg – shaking
4. Ghost Egg
5. Zombie Egg
6. Frankenstein Egg – cracked
7. Werewolf Egg
8. Chupacabra Egg
9. Spider Egg
10. Reaper Egg
11. Poltergeist Egg
12. Witches Egg

[weaving]

...Gold Brat and Brown Hazard are proud to present...

The Things That Go Bump In The Night Clutch

If one bothered to open the egg container in the kitchen, they might be surprised to find a dozen salamandyr eggs nestled neatly in the slots where avian eggs should be. It's a wonder that they haven't been used for cooking by accident, the the rather large and upset looking gold clutch mother may be the reason why. Surrounding her are the remains of many different kinds of food, and some of these scraps have even been used as extra padding for the eggs to make sure that they are properly safe.

[/center][/font]

Vampire Egg – All the way at the back of the clutch, this egg is mostly hidden by the shadows of the makeshift nest of food and clothing. It seems isolated by its clutchmates, with the eggs nearest it leaning away as if they want nothing to do with whatever is growing inside. The egg itself is pitch black, small and round. Two splashes of ivory, triangular in shape, dot the upper part of its shell, standing out noticeably from the shadows like eyes…or fangs. A dark red only a few shades lighter than the base color of the shell seems to be slowly dripping down from the top, though the egg itself is dry to the touch.

Monster Egg - On the small side, the majority of this egg is a reddish brown, though muddy splashes of other colors can be seen as well. Many of the patterns on its shell seem to have been stolen from the shells of other eggs. There are a few patches where the shell appears to be furry just as there are other places where it has more of a scaly texture to it. Several black slashes cut across the shell violently while in other spots a dark red color appears to be dripping down like fresh human blood. With such an odd mix of patterns and colors this egg is clearly the most repulsive and disgusting of the clutch.

Boogeyman Egg – The second largest of the clutch, this egg seems to be lurking behind its fellow clutch mates. The shell itself is dark, with no discernable shapes or colors. Rarely is the entire egg seen preferring to hide behind the rest of the clutch, laying in wait to strike fear into the hearts of unsuspecting victims. The shadows cast upon the shell seem to be constantly shifting form and those that see this egg are reminded vaguely of the terror they felt as young children when they were told tales of monsters lurking under the bed. Despite its seemingly malevolent intent, its presence goes unnoticed by the rest of the eggs, which it seems content with. It will strike when they least expect it.

Ghost Egg – By far the smallest egg of the clutch, this egg is also the plainest, being an even off white color with no variation at all. It sits in the middle of the clutch, though it is mostly ignored, even by Brat, who constantly looks the egg over by accident. Even its siblings are seemingly unaware of its presence, with several of them crowding the smaller egg and even hiding it from view. Occasionally when Brat is tending her clutch she’ll attempt to bring this little egg back into view but it isn’t long before it’s obscured once more.

Zombie Egg - This egg is on the smaller side though it is by no means the smallest of the clutch. In coloration it is off-white, with faint lines going around the shell horizontally, almost as though someone completely wrapped it in bandages. It is easily the most normal egg in the clutch with no odd roundness to it or any abnormal coloration to its shell. If Brat were to let any near her clutch, they would notice that this egg feels slow, almost as if the hatchling within were very sleepy, or hardly alive at all.

Frankenstein Egg – The first thing one notices about this egg is not its size (though it is rather small) or its color. Rather it is the shape of the egg itself. It looks as though it were attempting the shape of a normal egg, but in several places it looks as though the egg was pushed outward, causing several large protrusions in the shell as though the creature within was attempting to force its way out too early. Many might worry that the hatchling within is deformed or even dead, though Brat gives it no special attention nor does she ignore it. In coloration it is a bright leaf green with several jagged black lines slashed across its shell angrily.

Werewolf Egg – The largest in the clutch (though not by much, the Boogeyman Egg is a close second), this egg demands attention. It sits proudly to one side upon a mound of blankets and bread, which is clearly the best place to view its magnificence. A mix of browns, greys and reds mingle together on this shell, with a faint pattern of fur barely detectable. It seems as though it would be thick and furry but alas it is the hard and leathery texture of a normal egg.

Chupacabra Egg[/font] - The shell of this egg has a scaly, leathery, pattern to it and looks as though it would be soft to the touch, but it is indeed as hard as its clutch siblings. Its coloring is a dark bluish-grey which on its own is rather boring. However, along one side of the egg is a slight ridge or protrusion running vertically from egg-tip to egg-bottom. Along that ridge, the pattern changes. Instead of scales, sharp lines come to points looking quite similar to quills or spikes. Opposite this ridge are two red dots that seem to glow slightly and look eerily like eyes. Despite the odd shape of the shell, Brat gives no indication that anything is wrong with the creature within.

Spider Egg - The coloration of this egg is difficult to determine. For the most part it seems to be a misty grey, though faint glimmering lines can be seen running across it in all directions, like a spiderweb that has caught some of the morning dew. It looks quite delicate to touch, as though the slightest of breezes might cause it to fall apart, but in actuality it is just as tough as the rest of the clutch. It is, oddly enough, the exact same size as the Witches Egg, and rests nearest to it. Along one side of its shell is a black mark with eight lines coming off of it, causing it to look eerily like a spider is taken a short rest on the shell of this egg.

Reaper Egg - Of midling size, being somewhere between the Boogeyman Egg and the Chupacabra Egg, the base of this egg is pure black, with no variation in color throughout. Ivory spots can be found, and when looked at closely enough, those spots appear to resemble the shape of different bones. Indeed if one looks at the entire eggshell, they might notice that these bone-like shapes are placed in such away that when looked at just right, one might be able to see the shape of a human skeleton, though the pattern can easily be lost by looking away. The egg itself gives off absolutely no emotion at all when it is touched, an oddity, though Brat insists that the egg is just fine.

Poltergeist Egg - The shell of this egg is just as thick as it should be, though those who see this egg have to wonder if it truly is. There isn't anything odd about the coloration of this egg, nor the shape. It's simply...see-through. Well, not completely, for one can only make out the distinct shadowy figure of the hatchling inside moving about. Still, it is enough to freak out many of the people see the clutch for the first time as that is just not something that is supposed to be seen. If it weren't for that oddity, the egg would be nearly impossible to see, for it's opaque shell makes it blend in with it's surroundings quite easily. Those who work up the nerve to actually touch the egg say they feel a mischievous air about it, as though it were up to something.

Witches Egg - This egg is a curious swirl of blacks, greens, and greys, all melding and moving apart from eachother along the shell in what looks to be constantly changing patterns. Of course, it's simply a trick of the light, but a rather good one at that and many a person has gotten caught up in watching the shell of that egg for a good chunk of time. It's quite mesmerizing to watch, almost soothing in a way, though there is nothing soothing about the vibes that this egg gives off. It is decidedly unpleasant, though no one is quite able to figure out exactly why that is so, causing this egg to leave more than a few weyrfolk feeling very confused.

[glamourie]

“If I Impress anything, I’m taking it out on your hide.”
“I’m sure you’ll do that anyway, Junior Weyrleader.”
“Use the title again and you can defend yourself against your beloved greenrider, hot stuff.”

R’wign twitched. Ka’rys smirked.

The younger of the pair toddled toward the kitchens with an uncomfortable look on his face. All of his fire lizards, save for Hazard, were gone. The brown was flying loop-de-loops happily, leading R’wign right to where his baaaabies were about to hatch, and humming loud enough to be staggering… for Hazard. The reason for R’wign’s discomfort was twofold: salamandyrs and fire lizards, when breeding together, produced mixed clutches. He couldn’t walk near hatching eggs without at least one baby attaching itself to him and he’d resigned himself to the knowledge that he’d probably walk away with another little monster from the hatching -- all out of loyalty to Hazard, who was a very proud papa indeed. He couldn’t crush his little pet by not coming. The rest, though? Not a one of them wanted to be near salamandyr babies, so the group had split up between fawning over Meira and bothering D’nar - with Ellie leading the group back to her mate.

The second reason for his reluctance was the greenrider in question. He hadn’t spoken to Lennae since the… incident… and he was pretty sure, from rumors, that she had a life with his name on it. How convenient that the kitchen was stocked with them. He’d brought Ka’rys for a reason: the bronze rider promised not to let him get stabbed. He’d seemed genuinely concerned… or maybe he was just indulging R’wign’s worry; whatever it was, he was glad for Ka’rys’s presence. He was also cursing that his fire lizards had abandoned him in his time of need. Salamandyrs didn’t like fire lizards, so a pack of them around him would almost certainly deter any from coming. Even Ophelie was gone (though Ka’rys probably could call her back). He was most unhappy as he stepped into the kitchens and lurked as far from Lennae as humanly possible… and hoped to Faranth that she did not see him.

Ka’rys glanced at his companion, and then lounged against the door with his arms folding over his chest. The bronze rider rolled his eyes at the healer’s nervousness. He really wouldn’t let Lennae kill him. Just… rough him up a bit, and R’wign had that coming. Not that he’d shared that with R’wign; the brown rider believed he’d protect him unfailingly, and who was Ka’rys to deny him? His other reason for coming to the kitchens though was to retrieve a snack of some kind for Savitri, who seemed determined to send him on errands for her while she was pregnant. He wasn’t bitter, but he was agitated. He hated salamandyrs. Especially green salamandyrs. Especially green salamandyrs who looked to S’rei. They were all evil little monsters. All of them. And coming to a hatching of them just promised bad news.

Hazard was much less antsy than the two humans, even going so far as to fly around and flute pleasantly to Brat. He zipped across the counters, snatching a bit of meat, and then flew back to drop it down for the gold before perching on the edge of the counter a few paces from the eggs. His eyes whirled happy shades and he leaned forward, humming so loud as to completely vibrate. Their babies were hatching! Hatching! Babies! He was extremely proud, and excited at that. Soon. Soon.

The next person to arrive was a candidate - someone who probably should not have been there at all.

As a voice he didn’t recognize echoed through his mind, Anz froze, his hands going still. He was actually in the dining hall, eating a bowl of stew. Had she said salamandyrs? Those things Emoyan was so nervous about? Cocking his head to the side, the blond boy leapt to his feet, taking his bowl with him, and scurried over to the kitchens for a better look. He’d told Zan that he wanted one, especially after Emoyan’s temper tantrum, but it wasn’t in hopes of getting one that he came through the door. He just wanted to peek at them. He’d stay near the door, but he’d never seen more than just Nautic’s pet. Wasn’t he justified in wanting to get to see them hatch? Lurking by the doorframe, Anz brought a bite of his stew up to his lips, brushed his hands over his bright red pants and shirt set, and then ate a bite of his snack.

No harm ever came from lurking near a doorway~

[Sheari]

She was enjoying her breakfast, she truly was. It was a plain meal of eggs, bread and klah and no one was around to disturb her. She had no creatures to attend to and that was just fine with her. When a ruckus rose up from the kitchen Anusha ignored it, stuffing another piece of egg into her mouth and washing it down with klah. This morning was having a boring start and she contemplated about what to do for the rest of the day. She could continue on with her assigned chores. Or maybe she could proceed to find someone to hang out with.

She looked up at Anz and acknowledged to herself that he was in the room. Then she heard the broadcast about a salamandyr clutch hatching.

The notion that candidates weren't allowed to Impress them from Emoyan rang through her mind. No, she would not Impress a salamandyr. At least, she wouldn't try to.

Though, as long as she remained away from the kitchens where the noise had come from she presumed herself safe. She doubted a little baby thing would come bounding out of the kitchens and across the Dining Hall just to creel at her and beg her to feed it until she did. If she got curious enough she would go stand next to Anz in the doorway. That didn't mean she was safe but it would give her a chance to get to possibly know him better, even if he didn't like her.

[Avu]

Little voice in his head. Okay. Grammar wasn’t good enough for a dragon, so…Salamandyr. And…so, what? Babies…baby Salamandyrs? Rusa had the sense to keep hold of his broom; he was in the middle of doing chores, sweeping the kitchens (a rather suicidal chore, in his opinion, considering the number of people bustling to and fro) and rapidly made his way towards the voice – snagging a meatroll on the way. He wanted one – the little things were fascinating, and Nautic had one; why couldn’t he…? Someone had mentioned its being a mixed clutch, but that was okay, too; Rusa liked firelizards just fine. His path took him facing Anz, with the eggs in the middle; still clasping his broom (so that he could begin to sweep industriously when Emoyan came in, or whack him upside the head if said Candidatemaster tried to drag them away) in one hand, the meatroll was held loosely in the other, Rusa edged towards him. He could claim the meatroll was for him, but really? Bait. He wanted one of the little things, and surely having food would help…?

“Is that the sire?” he asked softly, upon settling himself next to the other Candidate in the doorway, nodding at Hazard. It seemed odd, the firelizard being so much larger than Brat was…hmm. And then, a bit more slyly, “Do you want to Impress one…?”

He did. A lot. Emoyan’s lecturing them had achieved absolutely nothing; they were cute and if Nautic was allowed to have one and not get kicked out, then why couldn’t they? Even if he hadn’t known the rule when he’d gotten his, hadn’t the Candidatemaster been going off about “Not knowing the rules is no excuse for breaking them”? Prime example. Rusahre fidgeted slightly; Lennae went more or less completely ignored, as did both R’wign and Ka’rys; he didn’t notice his likeness to the former – his eyes were all for the eggs, which he could just barely see over the tops of people’s heads. He’d always thought that Salamandyr eggs would be…very plain. Apparently not…? These certainly weren’t plain, whatever way you looked at it. Not necessarily pretty, but kind of nice…

If he did Impress one, Rusa did still want Candidacy, though. He’d just – he’d have to make the Salamandyr hide, then. In his shirt, his pocket – anywhere – at the sight of Emoyan, and…hmm. Or he could just say it was somebody else’s. Somebody like…his gaze flicked around the room and landed on R’wign. Like his. He’d gotten the blame for R’wign’s misdeed before; he’d just say the Salamandyr belonged to him. Rusa flicked the broom absently at the ground just in case Emoyan would decide to walk up or something, head tilted slightly to one side. “Are they…Hatching, or is it a false alarm…?” he added, slightly impatient; he wanted to see the babies…

[topaz]

Venus munched, almost happily, on a berry filled muffin she had plucked from one of the offered baskets. Muffins were delicious. It was very late for her, she should have been passed out in her cot candlemarks ago, but hearing that the kitchens were making the berry filled muffins that morning, she was determined to stay up. This was actually her second serving, and she was contemplating getting a third on her way back to her room when Brat's screaming caught her attention.

Apparently something was broken, and she was not happy about it? Whatever the case, it was of no concern to Venus. She hadn't broken anything. As she plopped the last piece of the warm muffin into her mouth, the handler sighed. They were soo good. She'd have to get another.

Getting up from her table, Venus was suddenly hit by another broadcasted message, this time from a dragon. Oh, so that's what it was about. Did the slamandyr not know broken from hatching? Silly thing. Wandering into the kitchen - both to get a fresh baked muffin, and to maybe catch a glimpse of the hatching eggs - Venus noticed the small crowd of people that had already assembled around . . the egg carton? Well, that was a dangerous place to lay a clutch. Good thing Venus did not like eggs herself; she might have very well eaten one of the gold's babies. Musing over what a poached salamandyr egg might actually taste like, the wherling ambled over to the nearest oven, on top of which a batch of freshly baked muffins were set to cool. Venus smirked, taking one of the hot cakes gingerly in her hands, and then turned back to the gold salamandyr and her clutch.

There was a brown firelizard very close to the gold and the eggs, which Venus thought was very strange, since usually salamandyrs and firelizards don't get along; as far as she knew. Oh, but wait . . could that be the clutch sire? Firelizards and 'mandrys could procreate, right? She was certain she'd heard that somewhere. Well then, maybe there would be flitters in those eggs as well, no doubt the larger ones. Maybe she could Impress something. Something a bit more . . friendly, than Neon. Not that Neon wasn't lovely, but the little green was just, very . . uninterested with everything and anything around her; aside from food and the occasional scratch from Hers. Yes. Another thing wouldn't be too bad. Maybe it would make friends with the green, and bring her out of her little world. So Venus stood there, towards the back of the loose circle around the eggs, and waited, munching on her third muffin.

[ravenmane]

K'iel was quickly beginning to suspect that someone hated him. For the second time in a row, he was in the Main Hall eating when a clutch started Hatching. Mushu was enough not including the Weyrling's three cats, Koulko, Enku, and Gojii, and he especially didn't need another salamandyr or fire-lizard. No want. Mushu agreed with hispet and glared darkly at Brat.

She was evil yes she was, wanting for one of her uglyflier babies to take his K'ielpet. Bad Ugly Fat Brat. Do not worry, K'iel, if you are project unhappy thoughts, they will most likely avoid you. Qualuth spoke innocently and the boy knew just how his Blue felt. The traitor wanted another flying pet around. They were apparently fun to play with too.

No, I do not want another one, Qua. Got that? I understand. No want ugly flier babies. Hate Asshat ugly Bratfat. Mushu declared to everyone close by. K'iel hid his face in his hands and wished he could disappear. Something streaked towards him and the weyrling was surprised to see Koulko staring up at him. "Go away, boy, or the salamandyrs might eat you." Not very good at listening to anyone, the black feline leaped into his person's lap and curled up for a nap. Great. Now he had to worry about a crazy feline too.

[serenitychick]

There was little danger of Sasheen starving to death while living at the Weyr, though she might lose her mind from inactivity. Still not used to having others around to do things like cook and clean, she still woke up at the first crack of dawn (thankfully Southern time now, not Nerat’s) and felt like she needed to be doing something. Back at home with her brothers it was wake up before dawn, feed the four men breakfast, pack lunch and start a slow boiling meat stew, clean up the cave and head out into the forests for the day. Lunch was eaten during a short break and then dinner was always ready when they arrived back, having just enough energy to eat, rest for a while and pass out. Here at the Weyr, Sasheen’s schedule was much lighter and though she was getting used to it, it was strange.

Meatrolls, fruit and klah were her choice for the meal of this morning and as she sat chatting with a few of the other candidates she’d gotten to know over the past few days, she was startled by a sudden broadcasted message. Of course, Sasheen had never heard a broadcast before and choked a little on a bite of meatroll as a result. Someone explained what it was and her head turned towards the kitchen in interest, eyes wide to the possibility of watching a hatching.

Yes, she knew she wasn’t supposed to Impress. But just watching wasn’t going to get her in any trouble, was it? Simply standing there didn’t guarantee her chances… She’d heard plenty of sob stories about how people stood for hatching after hatching and just never Impressed. Confident in the fact that she’d be safe, as long as she kept to the back of the group and as long as she didn’t have any food on her Sasheen finished her breakfast and refilled her klah mug before wandering over to the gathering of people. She wrapped her hands around the warm mug and occasionally sipped on it, eyes watching not only the eggs starting to move and crack but the creatures and people she stood with.

Someone whispered in her ear that the brown flit flying above the clutch was the sire and that a mixture of Firelizards and Salamandyrs would come out of this hatching. Quickly, she counted the eggs.. Ten, eleven… Twelve. Would it be an even mixture of the two? Curious, Sasheen’s mind was made up. She wasn’t going anywhere for a while. This she had to see.

[Kisha-Ra]

“Come on, you’ll enjoy it really. There’ll be people you can make fun of.”
“I don’t want to. R’fuin you let me go or I’ll castrate you.”
“You wouldn’t do that Darya. Then there’d be one less person for you to molest under the influence of flightlust”
“You wait until Trick decides to Run R’fuin I’ll be right there to mock you.”

R’fuin laughed carelessly and tugged on Darya’s right arm, mercilessly hauling her along to kitchen. Though he was quite willing to admit that he no longer desired her since the attack by Benden, their friendship lasted far longer than their passion.

Yes. Come on. Babies hatch you enjoy. I watch. Imp was quick to put in his two marks worth as the bronze salamandyr darted across Darya’s shoulders time and again, as if his movements would hurry his human along somehow. He didn’t like the baby queenlet but he did like hatchlings. They were very cute. ‘Oh fine. But if I end up with another annoying pet I’ll take it out of your hide R’fuin.’ Darya submitted with bad grace, infected by Imp’s impatience. The only part of salamandyr hatchings she rally enjoyed was seeing people make runnerbeasts asses of themselves. She still smirked every time she thought about S’rei and his green.

‘We get to win lads.’R’fuin cheerfully told Imp and Trick, though R’fuin’s brown salamandyr was more interested in standing on his hind legs and balancing on his human’s shoulder than the prospect of a hatching. ‘And you won’t Impress any salamandyrs with Imp and Bit in tow. Er, where is Bit?’ he asked, realising the green firelizard wasn’t trailing Darya. Darya shrugged, and R;fuin hauled her into the kitchen.

Imp chattered in his high pitched voice to gain Hazard’s attention. He wasn’t mad anymore, he didn’t really want the baby queen, she was alright but she was no prettylove. Thank you briber. Much like you have queenlet baby. Congratulations. The salamandyr expressed his happiness in his own unique way, by thanking Hazard for winning Brat’s run through bribery.

Gratlations. Good eggs. Tricks? Trick was more than happy to give his opinion.

[dragon]

Knowing that there was going to be a flitter and mandyr hatching, Emoyan knew darn good and well that certain Candidates were going to show up. Considering it was a mixed clutch, he really couldn't ban them from attending ... but maybe he could talk them out of being there. After all, they were taking a serious risk by just being there. They could impress a mandyr, after all... and regardless of the penalty, that was against the rules.

So when he heard through his two flitters that the hatching was starting? Emoyan made it double time over there. Hopefully he could get some of the candidates out of there before they impressed. The problem was? Emoyan also knew sharding well that some of the candidates were there expressly because it could be against the rules ... some youngsters were just ... that way. Frustrating as that was.

It didn't take the Harper long to get there ... he was still a considerably fit individual, and probably wasn't going to let that slide away any time soon. So, it was before the eggs actually hatched that he arrived ... and sure enough.

Candidates. Clustered in the doorway. Like that was going to keep them on the right side of the rules? He walked in that direction, rather hoping he could get in and out without snagging another creature, himself... he already had two flitters, and that was plenty enough. He came to a stop behind the cluster of youngsters, and looked them over, before shaking his head. "If you can see them, they can see you. If they can see you, there is a chance they will go your way. And just being here is putting you in danger of breaking rules." Emoyan warned, even though he knew most - if not all - of them knew that. "While I can understand wanting a pet, if you want to be sure of a fair shot at a dragon, you'd be well advised to walk out now." He warned - his tone simple and informative, without any accusation at all - before nodding a greeting in Ka'rys' direction.

Odd, to see him there, too.

[Rei]

Malara yawned. Yet another hatching. She wanted another pet. Figuring she had better luck with mandyrs than she did with flits she made her way over to the lose grouping. Onyx was napping quite happily in her pocket. With the brown asleep maybe one would attach itself to her?

That blue rider ,what's her name, had two and she was a idiot. Pulling up a chair she sat and made herself comfortable as she waited. Placing a bowl of scraps directly in front of her she fixed her gaze on the first rocking egg. Come on little one. A sleepy question from Mask had the wherhandler explaining carefully. At first the wher was annoyed but he quickly settled. The blue had gotten used to Onyx. He wouldn't mind another as long as it obeyed. Besides it was nice to have help in protecting his perfect. Onyx served well enough when the wher could not be there himself.

((Short but Mal doesn't like anyone present xP))

[Ruby]

Piden stifled a yawn, fluffy tan bathrobe and matching slippers over unwrinkled pajama pants proclaiming that, unlike pretty much everyone else here, the Bronzehandler had, in fact, not been to bed yet. He was up much later than usual, and Pidesk had been asleep for several candlemarks already, snoring away in the Wherhandler's Apartments. Piden had been moments away from sleep when he realized that Red had vomited on his pillow again. The green 'mandyr had always had a weak stomach, and while Piden would have cursed her for it just after her impression, he'd grown to love not only the odd little beast but her weak stomach as well. It had actally saved him many times in the past two years, when people had wondered what a man and a Wher were doing sleeping on their property and Red had awoken him in time to deal with the situation.

Now, though, he was out of pillowcases, and the Headwoman had banned him from fresh supplies for at least the rest of the month. He had scrubbed the vomit off as best he could, and now was looking for a dish towel or something that he could use to cover the pillow while it dried so that he could sleep. Red, having gorged herself again and promptly passed out, was not in her usual place under his collar, and Pidesk was out of mental contact, so when a creature's voice brushed his mind, he jumped and dropped the towel he was attempting to pilfer from a cabinet. A Salamandyr clutch? He loved Red, but wasn't sure he could handle another creature as difficult as she. Pidesk, though, would be somewhat miffed if Piden had had a chance to Impress something else green and missed it, so the Handler retrieved the towel (despite questioning stares from surrounding drudges), stifled a yawn, grabbed a meatroll off a passing plate, and headed over to where people seemed to be gathering.

Piden drifted vaguely in the direction of a woman he recognized from the Handler's Apartments, although she hadn't been in his Wherling class and he didn't know her name. Maybe Pidesk had been right, and they should have come back sooner, but there was no use crying over cracked eggs. Piden still didn't feel like introducing himself while he was in his robe and jammies, though, so he didn't drift too close, just close enough that he didn't feel like he was standing alone. He began picking the meatroll apart halfheartedly, unsure if he truly wanted another creature, but not wanting to face Pidesk's dissapointment either. It didn't even register to Piden in his sleep-deprived state that the clutchparents didn't appear to be of the same species.

[weaving]

Oh good, people were showing up, which meant that she was far less likely to get chosen by one of the monsters. Salamandyrs didn’t generally chose people who were bonded to salamandyrs already unless there was absolutely no one else, and it looked as though there were plenty of people arriving without one of the little monsters clinging to them. It was generally impossible to hide the horrible creatures, for they always had to give their own opinions about every matter and loudly. Awful, wretched things. Apparently those gathering hadn’t been properly warned about their nature, but she wasn’t about to do so now, not if it meant that she might lose a few of them. Besides, there were probably a fair amount of firelizards in those eggs, so at least a few of them would walk away lucky. Though even they weren’t much better. Honestly, she was happiest without a pet, though that wasn’t possible now.

Oh, look, R’wign! She smiled slightly to herself, though it was less than pleasant and had a decidedly mischievous look to it. He’d been doing a good job of hiding from her since Brat’s Run, but that had simply given her more time to devise the perfect way to get him back. The look on his face would be absolutely perfect when he heard her bit of news, and her smile only widened as she began making her way toward the brownrider. She tipped her head in greeting to Ka’rys, but her focus was clearly on the taller man hiding behind him and it was quite obvious that R’wign should be worried. Whatever it was that she had planned hardly boded well for the healer.

“Why, I’ve been looking all over for you! I have the most important news to share with you and, well, now’s as good a time as any and what with Brat’s hatching and all, I suppose it’s fitting. I wasn’t sure at first, so I had Amith fly me over to Blossom to see if the Dolphineers could tell me anything, straight flight off course, no /between/, and they just confirmed my suspicions for me. R’wign, we’re going to have a baby!” The long spiel finally ended with her announcement and she reached out to hug him tightly, perhaps a bit too tightly, as the pressure she exerted was probably more painful than not, completely ignoring the hatching of the first eggs.

Though the Frankenstein Egg had been the first to crack, it was the Boogyman Egg that shattered first, revealing a very large and very muscular brown salamandyr. Rather than immediately latch on to anyone, he climbed up onto the top of the egg container, pausing to rest there for a few minutes, though it was clear that his true intent was to give everyone present a moment to admire him. He even puffed out his frill a few times, hoping to draw attention to its beauty, for he was obviously the best thing ever shelled and all eyes should be admiring his perfection.

As the Boogeyman Brown stood preening, the Zombie Egg cracked neatly in two. At first, all that could be seen was a long blue tail dangling out of the container, though the hatchling righted himself quickly enough and it wasn’t long before a blue head, distinctly salamandyr was poking out. Seemingly content with where he currently rested, the hatchling retracted his head and curled up amongst the other eggs, quickly falling asleep.

What was wrong with her babies?! They should be impressing, not sleeping or preening in front of everyone! Brat looked up from the food that Hazard had brought to eye the Boogeyman Brown in irritation. He had about one more minute to preen like a wherryhead before she chased him off. She simply needed to finish her snack first. Then she would take care of her clearly broken children.

At least one of her children seemed to be working properly. The Werewolf Egg burst apart, revealing a blue firelizard, who, creeling loudly, promptly leapt out and away from his clutchmates, landing on the first person to catch his eye, Venus. He was hungry, he was, and he’d spent quite a bit of energy hatching which was a very difficult thing! It had been very difficult to do that and now he was very hungry. So hungry that he might have to eat an entire herdbeast! Or maybe even a dragon! Surely, she could help him fix that, couldn’t she? Couldn’t she?

The Things That Go Bump In The Night Clutch
1. Vampire Egg
2. Monster Egg
3. Boogeyman Egg – hatched, brown salamandyr
4. Ghost Egg
5. Zombie Egg – hatched, blue salamandyr
6. Frankenstein Egg – cracked
7. Werewolf Egg – Blue Firelizard ????, Impressed to Venus
8. Chupacabra Egg
9. Spider Egg
10. Reaper Egg
11. Poltergeist Egg
12. Witches Egg

[weaving]

Werewolf Blue
Species: Firelizard
Color: Blue(00009C)
Looks To: Venus

Appearance: This firelizard is positively normal looking by all standards, or at least he would be if his nose wasn’t so long. Everything else about him is absolutely perfect. In fact, he could be a text book model. His wings are neither too long or too small, and his body is sleek and streamlined, perfectly built for agility and grace in the air. Even his tail is of perfect length and nothing of his build would suggest that his dam was a salamandyr, let alone one as fat or grotesque looking as Brat. At least until one takes a look at his face. While his eyes are perfectly set and his forehead has the perfect slope, there is no denying that there is something horribly wrong with his head. His snot has been horribly enlongated to the point that when he is a hatchling, some might worry that he’ll have problems chewing his food, though that’ll never be the case. So ashamed of it is he that he’ll constantly be hiding it beneath his wing or under his bonded’s hair, and while the rest of him has a lovely shape, he’ll never really flaunt it about for fear that someone will ridicule him for his odd face.

If wood could be blue, that is what this firelizard would look like. His hide is for the most part a deep, rich blue with a polished shine as though someone went over him with glossy paint. In several places there are markings that closely resemble the knots found in wood planks in an even deeper midnight blue. His wingsails keep the same dark base color as the rest of his hide, making them appear thicker than normal, though upon feeling them it is clear that they are indeed of normal thickness. He looks lovely and he knows it, so don’t be surprised if he is constantly freshly oiled. His bonded will be able to get away with no less.

Personality: If ever there was a compulsive liar firelizard, this is it. It is absolutely impossible to get him to tell the truth about anything even as simple as who his bonded is, especially when he’s caught doing something he isn’t supposed to be doing, which is often. When questioned, he’ll send elaborate images that are clearly made up, though he’ll insist that they are the truth and no one, not even his own bonded, will be able to get him to say otherwise. Of course, he is wise enough to never get his own bonded in trouble, and if asked who he’ll belonged to, he’ll easily lie about that as well, instead giving the image of the first face that comes to mind. While this keeps his out of trouble for the short term, it won’t be long before he has a swarm of folk chasing after him for being improperly blamed for a creature that isn’t even theirs. Not that he cares, for he’ll easily lie to them about something else, and nothing seems to stop him from doing so.

It’s impossible however, to stay mad at him for long, because this blue always means well. Why was he caught in the storerooms stealing food? Some poor weyrbrat was crying because he was hungry. The few times that he does deign to tell the truth, it is easy to see that this firelizard’s heart is in the right place. He simply isn’t very good about doing it. He doesn’t see anything wrong with telling lies either. He’ll do anything to keep his own tail and those he cares about out of trouble and lying (even if it isn’t good lying) comes easily to him. On top of that, it’s impossible to keep him away from those who he might potentially want to “help” due to his love of the spotlight. He absolutely loves being the center of attention, even if it’s for something that he’s done wrong. There is absolutely no stopping this firelizard from his helping ways.

[glamourie]

Rusa’s question made Anzalorin turn to look at him, mid bite of his stew. He shrugged slightly and then looked from the clutch and then back to his fellow candidate. Really, he knew nothing about the little creatures aside from Emoyan distinctly saying they needn’t come to the hatchings of them. As far as he knew, though, there was no other male preening proudly about the clutch, so it seemed a logical deduction. That in mind, he nodded; he would have spoken (for Anz was a talkative boy) but he had a mouthful of very delicious stew and spraying Rusahre across the face with beef broth was unlikely to be well-received, no matter how good his intentions were. After he swallowed, he licked his lips and held the bowl out toward the other boy in offering.

“Think that is, yeah. I wasn’t planning on trying to Impress one of them - I mean, not really. I just want to see what all the fuss is. You know how the candidate master made such a big deal about it. I don’t see how they’re harmful though, I mean they’re bitty. They talk though. I bet he’s trying to keep us from getting one because they talk, and he doesn’t want them to talk in lessons. He doesn’t even want us to talk in lessons,” Anz whispered conspiratorially to his companion, obviously far from a fan of Emoyan’s teaching method. Seeing as he loved to babble, being denied the right to talk was an extreme offense in his opinion. He was convinced that Emoyan was just a bitter old grouch.

That belief was reinforced when the evil buzz kill showed up in the doorway, and anger actually painted its way across his face. Whirling around, Anz pointed his spoon daringly at the candidate master and he snorted.

“No harm ever came from lurking in a doorway. There’s more people closer to the clutch. I think you’re paranoid and just don’t want us to even see the little creatures,” he said with a slight glare. “I find it extremely unfair that Nautic is allowed to have one and we’re not even allowed to look at them from afar. That’s ridiculous and you know it. If they’re that dangerous, why is he still allowed to be a candidate? The same risks apply to him as to us, and you know, after you spent so much time talking to us like we were fools, I looked it up -- and plenty of people have Impressed salamandyrs as weyrlings, according to records, and candidates too. Junior Weyrwoman Savitri, for example, and isn’t her gold the clutch mother? How is this fair?”

“Savitri’s salamandyr is a white,” Ka’rys answered from his position in front of the hiding brown rider. Apparently the mere mention of his weyrmate’s name drew his attention, for he turned to back up Emoyan’s statement with a raised eyebrow and a look that could have been deemed more than a little unpleasant; at the very least, it was not nice. Savitri was hardly the best example. “White salamandyrs don’t Rise or Chase. They’re an exception. You’re right though -- plenty of people had them, and were fine. And then Saeo ruined it for everyone by causing utter and complete chaos here at Selenitas, nearly traumatizing her blue in the process. If you want to take the rules up with anyone, I’d suggest complaining to her for ruining your fun. Stand further back and get rid of the stew, if you’re really just watching. Same with the meat roll your friend’s carrying.”

A low, menacing growl settled in the back of Hazard’s throat as he eyed Imp testily. His wings fluttered and he eyed the bronze, but - since he wasn’t threatening the clutch in any way, the brown fire lizard settled down. He offered a quiet, scolding note to the salamandyr, no doubt berating him for implying Brat was anything less than the most desirable queen on Pern. To Hazard, she was. He was very pleased with his gold. Just look at the magnificent clutch she’d brought onto Pern! He fluted down to Brat pleasantly, and then chattered encouragingly to the babies who hatched, no doubt trying to convince them of the need to Impress. Why was the brown just showing off? Yes, yes, he was magnificent - now go find his, yes? Go find his and get yummies. Hazard chattered suggestively, his wings flaring. Please, oh please? His siblings needed sufficient admiration too~ Yes they did!

Oblivious to the hatching eggs, R’wign backed away from Lennae as she approached. He kept his face guarded, but her closer movements had him worried, as did the look on her face. He’d heard about her little attack and he was not eager to be on the receiving end of a stab. But - she didn’t appear to be holding any kind of stabbing weapon. That was a small relief, though he suspected it only occurred because Ka’rys was between them. She’d have to go through the scary bronze rider to get at him and he was betting on Ka’rys over Lennae solely because Ka’rys was born two turns before rocks. He posed himself, ready to run, when Lennae started to speak and his eyes went wide. What - what -- a baby -- his head felt light, and he had to bite back the urge to wobble over and faint. The only thing that stopped him was what happened next.

“Really?” The voice that answered wasn’t R’wign. It belonged to K’lir, who had sauntered up somewhere behind Anzalorin and Rusahre just in time to hear the debate about salamandyrs. “My congratulations, Lennae. Rene would be a nice name if it’s a girl. I assume the dolphins told you.” Whether or not he believed her was hard to say from his tone, but the greenrider looked for all the world to be sincere with his son resting on his hip and his head cocked to the side. He didn’t wait for an answer before whirling on Ka’rys and Emoyan though. “I also Impressed as a weyrling. That rule was stupid. Stupid to ever be implemented, stupid to even have been considered. Just because Saeo is an incompetent doesn’t mean salamandyr babies should ever suffer for it. That much aside,” and there was a definite note of poison in his voice, “since the rule does exist, instead of booting out of candidacy, it’d probably be more intelligent to teach people how to manage their salamandyrs instead. But that’s what happens when you let T’rid make a rule, even if Kalierre did suggest it. Personally I think she’s still just steamed that she had sex in a public location, but that may just be me.”

And then R’wign turned, leaning around Ka’rys, and promptly vomited… all over Lennae’s front. Everything he’d eaten for the whole day in one fell swoop. Anxiety was killer, and the same thing had happened the last time someone dropped a pregnancy bomb on him. At least this time it wasn’t on Ka’rys.