Not Again... [[Dael's Clutch]]

[neeuqtar]

It was warm… so warm. And dark! So very dark! There was no better place to sleep than above the ovens, in the oh-so-high cabinet where the bothersome squeaky-people didn’t stick their fat fingers or slam the doors. The little creature purred softly to herself as she nuzzled through her pile which she had put together all by herself (with only a little help, but he was her slave so it was alright). She scratched around carefully before settling herself down atop a particularly nice shiny.

So shiny… a beauty, just like her! Well, not just like, but close. She chirruped softly and flattened herself out, relaxing and sprawling across her hoard and letting the sounds of the kitchen drift up to her.

“Hoi, Mennu, where’s that soufflé dish?” a loud voice called, sending vibrations up the cabinet wall. Its inhabitant clicked, annoyed, as a higher, piercing voice responded.

“I donno, Cook!”

“Well, check all the cubbards then, y’lazy slob!” the cook yelled back. The sound of ancient, rusty hinges being yanked open and forced closed again sent the sleepy inhabitant of the cupboard into a rage. She flared her frill and hissed softly, head waving as she took battle-stance over her hoard, infuriated that the normal drowsy hum of the kitchen, though punctuated by angry yells and the yip of annoying barking-things, had been so rudely interrupted.

Quite suddenly, blinding light flashed into her cavern. Entirely without thinking, the angry inhabitant sank her sharp fangs into the intruder’s hand. The girl shrieked and yanked her hand backwards while the gold salamandyr straddled her hoard, hissing almost silently, blood dripping from her sharp teeth.

“Well?” called the strident voice.

“Um… Um…”

“Get out with it!” the cook yelled.

“Um… I found the soufflé dish,” the girl replied honestly.

“Well, bring it ‘ere,” the cook said, exasperated.

“There’s… um… there’s an angry lizard in it on a big pile of shinies.” The cook blinked as a nearby young man leapt from his seat in the kitchen.

“WHAT??” he yelled as his stool flipped over and fell to the ground with a resounding clatter. “Dael?” Uu’n crammed the last of his food into his mouth and dashed over to the cupboard, entirely ignoring the girl who’s finger was bleeding. He held out a hand to the cupboard and Daeluunya leapt lightly off and skittered around his body before jumping back onto her glinting pile. The bluerider leaned forward before grabbing the stool the girl had used and hopping up to peer down into the cupboard. Sure enough, there in a weird pan was a pile of clearly stolen jewelry. But buried among them…?

Shinies! Shiny beauty eggs!

Dael, you sneak, Uu’n replied, admiring them. What a naughty girl you are.

Naughty beauty girl, the salamandyr corrected her Mine with a thrum of pleasure. Get my Showoff-slave? And others, she added quickly. Egglings soon! Even as she spoke, one of the eggs in its glimmering bed shivered.

If Adith with oblige, Uu’n replied with a quirk of his lips.

Adith bad barking bug, Dael confided secretly to Uu’n, though she had an odd affection for the blue, and he her.

I’ll oblige. I refuse to deal with more of her, the dragon replied, surprisingly chipper. Ho the Weyr! The Clutch of gold salamandyr Daeluunya Hatches in the kitchens! At a bit of prompting, Adith added grumpily, There’s a gold’s egg, as well. Another monster, he added privately to Uu’n.

Yep, he sent back. And by the heart of stone, she will not be mine!

[glamourie]

Babies! Showoff was disgustingly pleased with himself as he heard Adith's call, and he snatched the shiny he'd stolen in his mouth. Silvery and rectangular, it was clearly a belt buckle most effectively removed from the belt itself. How the tiny salamandyr managed to lug it around was anybody's guess, but Showoff managed to run forward with it dangling in his mouth from the center prong with surprising speed, his frill flared for all to see whenever a second glance was cast his way. It was his shiny, soon to be Dael's shiny, and he would not share. No, no, he would not. If they tried to take it from him he would bite them and make them hurt and make the funny noises and say the funny things that his StupidMine often said. With any luck he would also learn a new word or two. He was fond of remembering insults, particularly exotic ones, and his pet was a veritable plethora of them. Good, StupidMine. Very good.

Into the kitchens went the salamandyr, scattering along the floor as little more than a metallic glint, silver meeting bronze. He was followed by K'lir, at a leisurely pace; the greenrider was more than used to Showoff's antics and had finally accepted that when Dael was close to Running or Clutching, that Showoff would steal whatever he could. Anything with a shiny, pretty surface was snatched up and gifted unto the gold, and K'lir had resigned himself to being poor thanks to his salamandyr's habits; so it was that he did not chase him down speedily in any way, instead lurking near the back of the kitchens with a curt nod in Uu'n's general direction. Half-friendly, mostly tired. He brought with him his bowl of stew because shard it, he was not about to stop eating just because Dael's clutch decided it was a good time to hatch. He'd have missed the hatching entirely if he thought Showoff wouldn't be angry with him for months to come. Alas, it was not to be.

Scampering up the side of one of the stoves (to the bemused fright of one of the cooks), Showoff climbed up into the top most cupboard and daintily set down his stolen prize for Dael to see before scurrying around, to the side of the cupboard - ready to bite anyone who dared to try putting their fingers near the clutch. Guard salamandyr, hoy!

Pretty pretty, Daelmine babies. Pretty pretty. No hurt babies. I kill stupids.

Showoff flared his frill more prominently, daring anyone to accept his challenge. He would, indeed, kill the stupids who dared to hurt his and Dael's babies. He may not have been as big as the stupids but he could bite and make them scream. He'd made StupidHis scream more than once.

Raising an eyebrow, K'lir took another bite of his stew and then took excessive time to lick the spoon clean, almost obsessively. His eyes, though, were on Showoff, as though he was fascinated by the little bronze's behavior. What a weirdo. Did he really think anyone would so much as dare to look at their clutch wrong...? After how Uu'n had escorted the last person to disrespect Dael that way out of the hatching, K'lir very much doubted anyone would have that much guts. It would be stupid. If Uu'n didn't handle it, he would. He could just feed them to Calistoth.

---

01. Eventide Egg Impressed: Green Toxicity to Nyskelu
02. Nightfall Egg Impressed: Brown Stupid to T'rid
03. Evening Egg Impressed: Blue Nuisance to E'rro
04. Dusk Egg Impressed: Green (?) to Rilyer
05. Sundown Egg Impressed: Green Novi to Virast
06. Sunset Egg Impressed: Blue Lazy-Bum to Taelir
07. Darken Egg Impressed: Brown Reality to Celeyn
08. Gloaming Egg Impressed: Green Red to Piden
09. Darkness Egg Impressed: Brown Trick to R'fuin
10. Midnight Egg Impressed: Gold (?) to Zolten
11. Fading Egg Impressed: Green Worm to S'rei
12. Lullaby Egg Impressed; Bronze (?) to Jermayan
13. Bedtime Egg Impressed: Blue Valient to Dorava
14. Dream Egg Impressed: Blue Sloth to Ferneth

[glamourie]

Introducing...
The Twilight Clutch
Proudly brought to you by Gold Dael & Bronze Showoff

01. The Eventide Egg would perhaps look more at home in a lake somewhere than sitting amid its clutchmates. This watery-themed egg is predominately deep blue and teal in color, deepening to almost black at the very ends of the egg. Although it’s not easy to see from a distance, there are faint little rings of very pale gray-green that radiate out from either end of the egg, fading out the closer the rings come to the center of the egg, like ripples in a pond. Looking down at the egg from the very top, the dark centers ringed in pale color look very much like an eclipse. This egg is warm and smooth, but gently rolling to the touch, as though it were the surface of a body of water made solid.

02. The Nightfall Egg is certainly an individual among the others, having blue-violet opaque swirling taking over the majority of the egg, with blue and gray speckles like sand clearly visible beneath. The colors tend to be more intense around the top, fading down in the paler shades around the bottom of the egg. Curious and lovely about this egg, is the scattering of shimmery flecks in silver and shimmery pale blue overlaid in counter-swirls overtop everything else. The sight is rather spectacular in the light. This particular egg is fairly warm and the shell slightly grainy to the touch, as though one was running their fingers over beach sand just after nightfall.

03. The Evening Egg sits a little ways off from the other two. It possesses intensely practical bands of misty indigo blue and violet color, which fade into medium blue around the middle of the egg, and finally into sky blue at the bottom of the egg. It may be a simple theme, but it certainly gets the job done. Iridescent, feathery patches of pearly white appear unassumingly over the entirety of the egg, like lazy evening clouds. This egg is slightly cooler to the touch than some of the others and the texture is very smooth, save for the white patches, which instead have a very soft and velvety feel.

04. The Dusk Egg is among the precious few of the clutch to possess warm-toned colors, quite the contrast to the mostly cool-hued colors of the others. The coloration of this egg is a gradual matter, soft blendings of pale red, orange and yellow taking over most of the egg, before melting up into pale cream and tan tones. All over, there are amber and gold speckles fanning out like freckles, just a shade brighter than the soft melding of colors that predominate the egg. There is a faint gold sheen to the egg as a whole, adding just the right touch of class. This particular egg is warm to the touch and slightly textured, as though the spots are raised just a hint.

05. The Sundown Egg joins the ranks of "the warm-toned few", sporting an unusual blend of bumpy spotches of color underneath fine, diagonal lines, mimicking that of a cracked rock. For the most part, medium shades of yellow, orange and red rule this egg’s color scheme, slowly moving to darker shades of brown and umber towards the bottom end of the egg. Unlike some of the others, which tend to have shimmery or sparkly sheens to them, the Sundown Egg seems to have no use for such things, quite content with its earthy shades. There is quite a bit of warmth coming from this egg and course bumps cover it, feeling similar to petting a rock.

06. The Sunset Egg seems to possess the best of both worlds, mixing up its cool tones with warmer ones. Its base color is composed of a pearlescent light violet, while red and yellow spots splatter chaotically in messy little shapes all over the shell. Looking at this unique egg, one can’t help but be reminded of carelessly dripped dye, staining and bleeding all over whatever surfaces it might come into contact with. The spots grow in size as they move toward the bottom, though also fade in intensity. This eccentrically colored egg is rather warm to the touch and smooth, as well.

07. The Darken Egg has its greatest advantage from a distance, giving the illusion of infinite depth from afar; although, once one gets up close, it becomes obvious that this is all in the clever coloration. You can’t blame an egglette for trying. Pale blue-violets swirl toward the ends of the egg, gradually and seamlessly growing darker and darker toward the center of the shell. The middle seems blacker than pitch, drawing in eyes and piquing curiosities. Feathery, translucent strokes of shimmering white circle the egg here and there, barely visible except when the light touches just the right spots. This egg is deceptively warm and silky smooth under adventuring fingertips.

08. The Gloaming Egg seems off in its own little world, its color scheme far overpowered by the others. Not to worry, however. There’s more to an egg than vibrant coloration. There is certainly something to be said for subtlety. Deep gray-blue is the predominate color on this shell, lacking the multitude of colors that some of the others have. But overtop this dull shade, there are tiny spirals of some shimmering hue or other, which swirl all over this egg, so faint as to barely be seen. The spirals range in color from a see-through silver-white, to sparkling black. The egg is cool to the touch and the texture of the shell is smooth, though all over are those same spirals, giving the egg the feel of a giant thumbprint left in glass.

09. The Darkness Egg has a color pallette most odd. The ends are not a true black, being more composed of very dark shades of blue, violet and green, before deepening into disconcerting blackness around the center. At first glance, it doesn’t appear that there are any markings on the egg at all, but such is not the case. Persistence is what pays off with this egg. Upon closer inspection, one may be able to detect the faintest hint of rust-red flecks, spiraling around the mid-section. No light shines from this egg, seeming more to absorb the other colors around it, rather than reflect them. It is certainly an egg which will make you look twice. Warm to the touch and soft, this egg feels like supple leather.

10. The Midnight Egg is blue-black in color and is so relatively plain it might actually be lost in the brilliance of the other eggs, save for one small detail. In the very center of the egg, there is a feathery, cobalt-blue spot, the shape reminiscent of a brilliant midnight star. It isn’t iridescent and it doesn’t sparkle, but it’s still striking, nonetheless. This egg is warm to the touch with a delightfully smooth texture that makes it hard to take your hand away from.

11. The Fading Egg, like the Midnight Egg, is another rather plain little egg, possessing but a single striking trait. Pale purple-gray in color, this egg’s mark is a white crescent "moon" in the very center of the egg, in the same fashion as Midnight’s "star". Like its contrasting clutchmate, this egg is a handsome one for its simplicity. This egg is smooth and cool to the touch ... almost too much so. Is this thing still alive...?

12. The Lullaby Egg has refreshingly playful colors of light blue, pink and purple in perfect stripes of varying size running the length of the egg, each color divided by much thinner stripes of sparkling lime green. It shimmers, it shines and will likely attract the attention of anyone with a charmingly short attention span. Come to think of it, this one looks almost more like a weaver’s thread basket than an egg... Very warm to the touch, the shell of this one possesses an irregular "lumpy and bumpy" texture that makes it fun to feel.

13. The Bedtime Egg has a soft, gentle color theme, with faint blues and purples seeming to outline what could only be described as fluffy-cloud-shapes over the entirety of the egg. Some of these shapes have darker or lighter shadows than others, adding to the sense of soft, pillowy depth. Some of these fluffy shapes are silver-lined and shine prettily when the light catches them just right. Is it nap time yet? Snuggly warm to the touch, this egg is very soft, with an almost cuddly texture.

14. The Dream Egg is perhaps the most visually confusing egg of the clutch, leaving you never quite certain as to what it is you’re looking at. Very smokey colors of gray-blue, silver sheen and gray-green compose the base tone, spiraling in and around one another like smoke over turbulent water. Overtop that, more misty spirals are to be had, along with darker shades of the base tones that twirl themselves carefully into the mix, switching directions at odd places or making almost sharp contrasts in color, so that it’s difficult to actually make out what is going on with this egg. In places, you could almost swear there was something misty moving just below the surface, but it’s just the coloration playing tricks on the eyes. Buried among the misty shapes and oddish blobs, there are the occasional opalescent glimmers of shine where the light catches them. This egg is cool to the touch and has such an odd texture that it defies logical explanation ... like something out of a dream.

[dragon]

Hearing Adith's call about the hatching, Dorava dropped her flightstraps back onto her bed, carefully putting aside the needle and beads she'd had in her hands. In a breif moment of idleness while Aonith was sleeping, Dorava had been moved to do something with the only possession she could rightly call hers ... Aonith's straps. She had been sewing a complex beaded pattern onto it, making it sparkle just a tiny bit in some spots. That, and with the beads being stone, it was liable to deflect any thread that might happen to hit it...

But, that was not what was important at the moment! She had decided to try for one of those salamandyr things, and to do that, she needed to be at the hatching! Untangling herself, she extracted herself from her sleeping place, and practically ran all the way to the river. Taking a boat across, she tethered it securely before scrambling up the stairs into the Main Hall, and into the kitchens.

All things considered, she wasn't overly winded when she got there. And a hopeful look sparkling in her eye, though she did not actually openly smile. She loved hatchings ... no matter what of. They were always happy. But this was her first ever 'mandyr hatching!

"Hello." She greeted, to everyone already there, before she turned her gaze up to where Showoff was displaying so prominently. "And to you, too." she greeted, before looking about for Dael. The queen had to be there, somewhere ... and she guessed nearby where Showoff was perched. After a moment, she managed to catch a glimpse of Dael, and she actually smiled, then.

Dael was a pretty little thing!

[reqqy]

Some little thieving thing had taken it, he was sure. S'rei may not be entirely on top of things as of late, but he was fairly certain he'd notice if his belt buckle just randomly decided to fall off and clatter around for a bit. Fairly certain. At least, he doubted he'd been walking around without it, as his pants refused to stay up otherwise (he'd discovered that this morning when attempting to do without the belt) and S'rei knew nothing like that had happened without him noticing. Whatever. There was little he could do about it, aside from braving his weyr - which he rarely did without good reason - in the hopes that Shmee wasn't there and he could locate one of his other belts.

So that left him with taking the ends and tying it off that way, something he probably wouldn't have been able to do just a month ago. Salenth found the whole thing greatly amusing. Typical. Rubbing at his stubbled face, he found himself quite randomly in the Main Hall, having completely forgot what it was he was doing here. I think you were hungry. I was? You should be, anyway. Ummm, I guess. There hardly seemed to be any other reason for him to be here. Strangely, though, he didn't feel altogether hungry. Stop overanalyzing it. If you just ate a little more, you wouldn't need a belt at all. You're here. Just do it. Nagging crechemother... Brat. Now get on with it.

That's when he caught sight of the scurrying little pest with something silvery gleaming in his mouth. S'rei blinked. What the-? His belt buckle! That slimey little worm had stolen it! The bronzerider growled at the creature, but it didn't seem to notice, hurrying off toward wherever it put all its contraband. ReiMine, this may not be the best - But the wingleader had already started striding after the salamandyr, breaking into a jog. "Hey! You! I need that!" Well, that was true enough, although most people probably wouldn't bother to chase a salamandyr for a belt buckle. S'rei normally wouldn't, but he would rather look like a fool scurrying after a stupid bronze worm than have to deal with Shmee again anytime soon.

- idea, Salenth finished, exasperated. Much, much too late, as S'rei picked up speed and swept after the 'mandyr and into the kitchen. That thing was fast. It didn't really register who was in the kitchens. The bronzerider caught his knee on the edge of a chair, cursing softly and hopping a little to one side. He hadn't noticed the knot on the belt coming loose. At all. And the hopping did it. S'rei was moving forward again, when the trousers slid off his hips, bunching at his knees and causing the man to crash to the ground with a sharp cry. As he became aware that he was effectively bare-assed, the man felt the blood rushing to his face. Oh, shardit! That little salamandyr was going to pay!

S'rei scrambled up, tugging at his much too loose pants and glaring at the salamandyr, his face brighter than even his hair was in the brightest sunlight. Salenth's draconic laughter wasn't improving his mood at all. Shut up! That was when Adith's words finally penetrated his fogged up brain. "Shells!" He scrambled backwards, tripping over the same sharding chair and landing flat on his arse. A salamandyr hatching! Shells, no. Flitters were bad enough, but he wasn't going to be sticking around for this!

[Tashe]

Literally choking on his food as Adith's voice entered his head, the Brownrider clawed at his throat, coughing until the man who was sitting next to him thumped his back. Regurgitating the potato that had been lodged into his napkin, E'rro waved the man away, giving him a brief nod of gratitude. The tears that had formed in the corners of his eyes fell before he could wipe them away, causing a streak of wetness to mar his already marred, placid face. /I think you should try and impress one./ Shards no Ismaroth! I don't need a damned emotional twit sitting around my Weyr making me feel what I don't want to feel! /... Come on. It won't hurt anyone./ Except me! Farnath, Ismar, I think you're trying to kill me or something. /If I wanted to kill you, I'd have helped you escape Selenitas and return to Benden./ Glaring in no direction in particular, E'rro hissed to himself, startling the man beside him. I despise you right now. /Would you at least watch it happening? I have only seen Salamandyrs once before, you know very well they are rare up in the North./ Fine! Fine I'll watch for you. But you will leave me alone about getting pets later on. /Fine. Dael./ Wow. You're /so/ witty.

The expression the man beside him wore was of utter confusion, gaining him a all to mocking smirk from E'rro as he tapped his shoulder knots. Swinging his leg around to the other side of the bench, the ex-Benden rider unwillingly trudged his way over to the kitchen door, kicking it gently open. This action earned him a look from a kitchen staff, but he merely shrugged it off, his face habitually expressionless. "I came to watch for my Dragon... so sue me." Moving toward a less busy section, E'rro lifted himself onto a clean counter that was in sight of the clutch, which was oddly situated in a dinning plate. Although he felt as if he had no business here, the Brownrider's eyes flickered between the different eggs, lingering on the Dream and Fading eggs. They were, to him, the most entertaining to look at.

[Ruby]

Piden
It was NOT awaketime for Piden. Fortunately for Pidesk but unfortunately for now, the boy was used to adjusting his sleep schedule at a moment's notice, and was quite good at it. It had only taken him about two days to adjust from getting up at dawn- farm schedule- to getting up at dusk- Pidesk's schedule. But that meant that Adith woke him up with his invitation to the Hatching... and that meant Piden was cranky. Normally he would have just skipped it in favor of more rest, but it really hadn't been long since Neisk's Clutch, and Piden couldn't get back to sleep.

Great. So now he was cranky and couldn't sleep. What better than a hatching of obnoxious little creatures?

The Bronzehandler yawned and pulled on a shirt, not bothering to change out of the pants he slept in (when he slept in pants, which was rare). Boots were ignored in favor of sandals, and Piden's idea of making his hair acceptable was running his fingers through it once. Sloppy, but somehow Piden managed to make it look decent. Pidesk roused himself as Piden was heading for the door, sending questions at his handler, and causing him to pause in the doorway. "I'll be back soon, Pidesk. I might bring a friend. Go back to sleep- I'll be back before you know it, promise," Piden assured his Wher. Good enough- time to go.

The scene in the kitchen was already getting a bit hectic, at least for Piden's tastes. He could see what must be the Bronze father high up on a shelf, and glints of gold behind- must be Dael, the mother. Too bad she'd picked such an inconvenient place for her hatching... although if Piden thought about it, he could see her reasoning. Dark, warm, isolated, and safe; definately all good things for your unborn children. The Rider perched on a counter seemed to have the right idea, though, so Piden took the other end of the counter. He figured that speaking wasn't a good plan right now, so he just inclined his head to the two men who seemed to be the owners of the clutch parents. If that wasn't good enough... eh, Piden would live.

[Ember]

Ferneth heard the call just as he was sitting down for a break from chores. He remembered his talk with Meira about salamandyrs and pondered going to look, just look since he doubted after his failed firelizard hatching that he'd get one of the little critters. He was curious to see them for himself though. He'd seen glimpses of the tiny things with others but not up close or fully. So when Adith's call reached him the candidate left his chores - he was taking a break after all - and headed for the kitchens. There would be plenty of food there if he actually Impressed a 'mandyr.

When he arrived he noticed several others there already. He waited for the first ones to hatch with a quiet curiosity, looking at Dael and Showoff. They were odd looking creatures he had to admit. They were cute in a strange way though. Apparently they talk back too.

Another blue rider arrived too, Musinth oddly insisting that she go and try to get a hatchling for both his and her own benefit. The silly dragon loved young things of any species. Just as he adored Keyon, the baby often falling asleep curled up with Nyskelu and Musinth. So she found herself in the kitchen with others waiting to see if they could get one of the little lizards. She examined the other people, the majority bonded to either a dragon or wher.

With a smile she greeted the room in general. "Greetings," was her simple and quiet hello, but it should suffice for the purposes of the hatching. She was there solely to obtain a pet. Whether it was for her or for Musinth she didn't really know but having one would most likely benefit her. Or not. Salamandyrs had a bit of a bad reputation. The thought made her grin. What was it like to have a lizard screaming strange insults at you?

Ceryl also arrived, sleepily rubbing her eyes. She was grumpy. Grumpy because Adith had awoken her while she was sleeping. Did people have no consideration for the wherhandlers who had to sleep during the day to be up with their bondmates at night? She sighed, the annoyed sound turning into a yawn. Both Cerysk and Heir were asleep at this hour and so should she be. When she entered the kitchens though, she noticed Piden and waved a bit. She wasn't sure if he'd see her but it was worth trying.

She wondered what had brought him to the hatching. He could have easily gone back to sleep. She was there simply because she was curious and, if she did snag one, she wanted to see how Cerysk reacted with one. So far the green wher had yet to find something she disliked, which was honestly a nice feeling to have in the back of your mind. She would be very surprised if her green friend disliked salamandyrs.

[glamourie]

Glancing at Dorava as she arrived, K'lir offered her a curt nod. He was immediately uncomfortable with her being there, and really, who could blame him? After the state of Aonith, he doubted many who saw the green would be entirely happy with Dorava wanting another pet. But - there was no justice in throwing someone out based on one mistake, and he didn't feel like making a scene. Salamandyrs knew what they were doing. So he raised an eyebrow, smiled, and did not respond - other than to extensively lick his spoon, in what could only be described as a suggestive motion. It was more habit than anything else... although he couldn't help flicking a glance toward Uu'n. Yes, the show was for him for the most part. However, the greenrider spoke to Showoff...? He flinched, knowing that was not a good idea. Hadn't she learned anything about him from the time they first met?

Showoff displayed more vividly at Dorava and hissed - loud enough to be heard. STUPID! Get back stupid! You no touch babies!

"If you're hoping to Impress," said K'lir quietly, his gaze lingering on the older greenrider with a critical eye, "I would suggest getting some meat from one of these nice drudges and staying away from the clutch itself. Showoff is not above biting people if they upset Dael or the hatchlings. You'll have better luck giving them a respectable distance. Take a seat?"

The first of the eggs gave a vivid shudder - it was the Bedtime Egg. Rocking slightly, the egg wobbled, a network of tiny cracks bursting over the surface without actually shattering the shell. The quick wobbling subsided after a moment, as if the baby inside was exhausted, tired from his or her efforts at trying to break through the shell. The Eventide Egg took from its clutchsibling's example, and started shaking as well, but unlike the nearly-invisible cracks, it wobbled twice with loud cracking sounds, three very big gashes forming in the shell for all to see. Since it was near the front of the clutch, it would also probably be the first to catch anyone's attention --

-- Or, it would, under normal circumstances. However, a bronzerider coming into the kitchens, falling flat on his face and giving everyone that happened to be there an eyeful of his naked backside was a lot more interesting, at least to K'lir. The greenrider smirked slightly and tilted his head, letting his eyes linger over S'rei's fallen form for a moment before drifting back toward the bronzerider's face. His amusement was only half his own, though; Showoff, the bronze salamandyr, gave a delighted squawk and bounced twice in his spot, apparently taking considerable delight in S'rei's misfortune.

Funny stupid! Funny stupid! You stay! Funny stupid.

"Thank you, Wingleader, for the show," K'lir said quietly; he couldn't keep from needling him. After all, how often was it that he got the chance to see his wingleader faceplant? And then flash his backside for all to see? It was a nice butt, too. He considered himself quite an expert. Not as nice as, say, Uu'n (cough), but nice enough. As an after thought, he added very quietly, as though he wasn't sure whether or not the question would be welcome (it probably wouldn't), "Dare I ask if you're all right?" He did not notice the new arrivals; he was quite distracted talking to S'rei - or rather, trying not to burst into hysterical laughter. Could anyone really blame him?

CRACK. The Eventide Egg shattered completely, scattering shell fragments around it, and the hatchling from inside rolled out into the surface of the pan where the clutch had been laid. So small was the hatchling that it was quite easy to miss her amidst the shiny trinkets that had been collected. Or perhaps it was the fact that her hide was eye-shockingly yellow-green. However, she let loose with a loud shriek that left no doubt that she was not about to be ignored, and promptly climbed out of the pan and into the cabinet itself. Scrambling forward, the little green looked around with a critical eye, then leaped onto Showoff's back, earning an indignant shriek from the bronze salamandyr, which made her shriek right back. But no insults came - instead, the little green threw herself forward and off the shelf, in what most definitely resembled a suicide leap - only to find that she landed on Dorava's back.

Not! The salamandyr proclaimed (broadcasting loudly for everyone in the kitchens to hear), then scrambled down Dorava's side as she made her way toward the person who she had picked. One thing was for certain, she was definitely not shy. What she was, was tiny, and it would have been hard for anyone to keep track of her on the ground.

Especially not with other eggs hatching. The Bedtime Egg started shaking again, before splitting down the side to reveal nothing short of glistening blue hide... except for its tail end, which was remarkably white. The blue salamandyr perked his head up and looked around slowly, as he backed up toward the clutch and bumped the Evening Egg. That one touch was all it took, and the egg shattered on top of him to reveal another blue who bit him in protest to being hatched as he was. Agitated, the Evening Blue ran off ahead of the Bedtime Blue, who shuddered and squirmed back against the eggs in fear. He was remarkably light on his feet, and the little blue scrambled down the side of the counter, onto one of the stoves, before throwing himself onto E'rro's sleeve. When he spoke, it was with a word he'd picked up from E'rro himself, when he first arrived - which coincided with the blue's hatching, ironically enough:

Sue! Sue!

The Evening Blue happily scrambled up E'rro's arm, to his neck, before nibbling on the end of his arm. He was so hungry.

Back on the floor, the Eventide Green walked up to each person's feet individually, before blurting out NOT! for all to hear. She stopped to look at S'rei for a moment, contemplatively, as though he was the most interesting thing in the world, and then displayed at him before scrambling over to Nyskelu's feet - the closest person not in a funny position. NotNotNotNotNot! she exclaimed, still broadcasting - evidently she had no problem with everyone and their mother hearing her. Oh, but she was starved. NOTnotNotNot?


---

01. Eventide Egg Impressed: Green (?) to Nyskelu
02. Nightfall Egg
03. Evening Egg Impressed: Blue (?) to E'rro
04. Dusk Egg
05. Sundown Egg
06. Sunset Egg
07. Darken Egg
08. Gloaming Egg
09. Darkness Egg
10. Midnight Egg
11. Fading Egg
12. Lullaby Egg
13. Bedtime Egg Hatched; blue
14. Dream Egg

[glamourie]

Eventide Green - Looks to Nyskelu

Species: Salamandyr
Color: Green - #D2FF00
Gender: Female

Appearance: Built small and slender, this salamandyr will be one that people are likely to overlook. Everything about her is dainty; no other word to describe her. From the slender curve of her neck to her thin and whippy tail, she is by far one of the smallest of her kind. Her most defining physical feature is her eyes, which are abnormally large and seem to be almost buggy in appearance, though not unattractive; this makes her appear more young than she actually is. Her coloring is a startling yellow-green, quite blinding when she's close to a run; no one is likely to ever forget who this little 'mandyr is. Her frill, when extended, is nothing short of yellow - no way around it - and is edged in what can only be described as scarlet. Similarly, there are several blob-like spots on either side of her back in the same shade of scarlet, mirror images on either side, giving her an oddly colorful appearance.

Personality: Like her appearance, this salamandyr is most definitely a memorable one: she's extremely loud which is the most defined trait anyone will notice about her. From the sounds she makes - the scattered chirping and chattering - to the words she picks up (which unfortunately will usually be negative; she is remarkably drawn to 'bad words'), nothing about her is quiet. She has no problem chattering to every one and thing she meets and every time she enters a room, everyone will know it; no discretion for this little female! She is also ridiculously stubborn and hard to convince of anything; once she's made up her mind she's stuck, and Hers will just have to get used to it. She's quick to form opinions, too, which makes this a very detrimental trait. If she likes someone, Hers had better, too, because she'll insist they see that someone a lot. If she dislikes someone, same concept, and she judges on her own opinions, not that of her humanthing. Unfortunately, she's very drawn to negative people and things -- the more of a troublemaker something or someone is, the more inclined to spend time around them this little salamandyr happens to be. Scandals and misbehavior are some of her favorite things... and everyone who meets her will know that immediately. She's very outspoken... and, as before stated, loud.

---


Evening Blue - Looks to E'rro

Species: Salamandyr
Color: Blue #002146
Gender: Male

Appearance: Long and slender is this salamandyr, except for his tail, which is oddly thick and crooked at the very end, making it easily his most recognizable trait. If one ignores his strange-looking tail, this little fellow could be described as handsome in build -- and some people may even fancy the oddity that makes him one of the most unique salamandyrs around. His hide is a startlingly dark shade of blue, with ripping spots of lighter, almost white, along the line of his back, forming in perfect harmony. The majority of his hide, aside from those spots, is the same almost liquid midnight blue, unbroken and flawless. The only differences in shade come at the bottoms of his legs, around his feet, which are the same lighter shade of blue as his spots, as well as the inside of his frill; this gives him the vague appearance of wearing boots or socks at all times. His frill, so light in appearance, makes him stand out in poorly lit areas, and frequently that and his spots are the only part of him that can be seen - this makes it easy for this little blue to sneak up on others, if he so chooses... and he will often choose to do so, considering that he moves with soundless grace to make others of his species envious!

Personality: Sneaky, sneaky is this blue - fond of creeping in the shadows, hiding under rugs, in crevices, behind jars, and possibly even in His's boots. Keeping track of his location will be a chore, particularly given that this little fellow likes to skulk in the dark. A favorite pastime of his will be sneaking up on people to nudge them with his slightly chubby tail, then running away before they can spot him, and given his dark coloration and otherwise soundless movements, he'll be hard to keep track of. Mischievous, this little salamandyr will also be prone to causing trouble, particularly by picking on firelizards by biting their tails or wing edges. Some might even go so far as to describe him as malicious, as his habits for stealing / sneaking / otherwise causing trouble will definitely be irksome to most of the general public. For a blue he is also surprisingly gifted at getting his point across, be it by words or biting. Even his bonded will have trouble keeping him from biting when he's angry or annoyed, and this little salamandyr's biggest quirk will be his habit of chewing on anything that comes into sight. Perhaps his only redeeming trait, though, is that he'll always bring the things he likes to steal back to his pet-thing -- would you like a present?

[reqqy]

The bronzerider sprawled in a tangle of chair legs and limbs, his temper flaring very swiftly. It didn't help that one of the kitchen staff had taken to glaring at him for clearly having broken this chair. Frankly, though, he felt no remorse whatsoever for demolishing the offending piece of furniture, and he returned the glare unwaveringly. Definitely wasn't a good time for K'lir to start piping up, though. Certainly not. Snatching up one of the broken chair legs, he twisted and launched it at the greenrider, and with a decent amount of force, too, despite the fact that he was on his butt and his frame was almost stick thin at the moment.

He pointed at Showoff. "You. Worm. Don't think you've won. When I catch you-" That was when the flying salamandyr caught his attention, the man having somehow forgotten about the hatching in the space of a few seconds. No, no, no! The man was definitely not sticking around for one of these evil little slugs to decide that he should join the rest of the weyr in torturing S'rei. Aw. It's not so bad, is it? A worm - Salenth put a little sarcastic emphasis on ReiMine's knew name for all salamandyrs - would distract you from other annoyances. The thing just caused me to moon a good score of people, at least. How the shells do you think you'll convince me to try to get one of my own?

Indeed, one had already Impressed, and the other was now right in front of him in his sprawled state. He glared back at the creature, curling his lip. Apparently it was enough to make her reconsider. A green, of all things! She displayed at him, and he muttered, "The sentiment is mutual. That's right. Go to her." He swiftly tied off his belt (the thought of the pants falling down on him again was enough to make his face flare up with embarrassment) and stood, growling at K'lir, "I'm fine." His tone was sharp enough, but the blood rushed right to his head and the room spun sickeningly for a painfully long moment. When things finally righted themselves, he found himself clinging to the table as if he were on a storm-tossed boat at sea.

I told you to eat, but did you listen? his bronze commented, oh so very amused. Although I imagine cracking your skull against the floor didn't help any. At least there's not a lot in there to scramble. SHUT UP! In a foul mood, S'rei was embarrassed, feeling nauseous, and nearly overcome with the urge to flee, although his pride wouldn't quite allow him to make a headlong dash for the door - even if his legs could carry him there without mishap, which was beginning to become doubtful. So he settled for clutching at the table, his skin pale and bright red in blotches.

All right. Another breath or two, wait till things are more steady, and he'd just walk out with as much dignity as he could manage. Aside from it maybe saving his pride that tiny bit, it should prevent any more run-ins with chairs or dizzy spells. Right? This is going to be fun. S'rei ignored Salenth.

[neeuqtar]

Uu'n ignored the others in the area as he, very carefully reached up into the cupboard, expecting at any moment to have the extremely sharp fangs of Daeluunya sink into his fingers. She chirrupped nervously as Uu'n grabbed the handle of the souffle pan holding the Clutch and a hoard of stolen shinies and lifted it down, carefully balancing it so nothing fell. He completely missed out on S'rei's spill--good thing, too, for he might have died laughing and broken the Clutch to boot--but noticed the Weyrleader clutching a table. Ooh, a table. With Dael squawking worriedly, Uu'n slowly pivoted and set the pan down on the table, so that the hatchlings wouldn't have to do any of the insane leaps of the green who was screaming at them all.

You're fine, Dael, he told the gold as she touched all of her eggs and took the belt buckle from Showoff, carefully setting it so that it framed the Gloaming Egg. The gold huffed.

Bad... Worm? Worm-bug? Uu'n sighed.

"Thanks a lot, Weyrleader," he said sarcatically. "You just taught my little monster another insult." But with a sigh, Uu'n stepped around the table to allow the quickly growing swarm to get to the eggs. Raising his voice, he addressed them all. "Touch her Clutch and by Faranth I will throw you out of this room and take no responsibility for your unfleshed fingers!" He quieted his voice and unbuckled his own belt, yanking it out of the beltloops. It was really just for show, after all; the pants he favored were tight enough to not dare to fall down.

"Here. I'll see if I can get yours back once she's not being hyper-protective," he muttered to the Weyrleader, proffering the dark leather belt with its dark-stained bone buckle.

Showoff-slave, so beauty this mine! Dael said to her mate, happy for the belt buckle. Uu'n shot a dark look at her. He loved her to bits, but the girl could be extremely annoying. Particularly when she had a Clutch. Or a Run. The tiniest flash of heat touched Uu'n's cheeks as he thought about K'lir... and about that. He wasn't sure he liked it... but he wasn't sure he didn't. Dael's affection for Showoff--though she called him a slave, she clearly adored him--bled over into K'lir. Uu'n couldn't help but like the greenrider, but he wasn't entirely sure that he liked K'lir for anything else.

You could always spend more time with him, Adith suggested with a laugh.

I don't think so, Uu'n replied, flushing a tad darker.

Mm.

[Avu]

Mir has just informed me that he is very hungry, and he wishes you to get him some meat from the kitchens. There was an excited, eager sound to Corinth’s words. In a less sleepy mood, T’rid would have been suspicious. As it was, seeing as he’d decided to take a nap for lack of anything better to do and was just awakening, T’rid blinked sleepily at the blue fire lizard, who stared solemnly at him. “Hungry?” He reached absently for the bowl of meat at his bedside, but Corinth cut him off swiftly. The Drudges took it away. Go down and get some new ones, yes? “New…? Um, yes. New meat.” T’rid yawned, fetching his tunic and pulling it on—he had slept in his trousers and shoes—and trotted down the stairs. Mir accompanied him to the door of the Weyr before veering around abruptly and landing again, staring in confusion at Corinth, who had evidently called him back.

The bronze crooned reassuringly. Wait and see what he brings back, little one. The blue responded with a gabble of speech that roughly evened out to, But I’m not hungry. Corinth hushed him firmly.

T’rid had just entered the Main Hall when, quite clearly, he heard S’rei shouting at a…hmm. Clearly shouting at a ‘mandyr was not normal, which was partially why it astounded T’rid so much. S’rei was not the crazy type…not much. He too broke into a jog, following at a discreet distance. This would be worth watching. It took him into the kitchens, his eyes still focused on S’rei and “his” ‘mandyr. He all but sat down in surprise when S’rei…lost his pants. That was the few seconds before he started laughing, sagging against the wall in his attempt to stay upright. Faranth, this was hilarious. And then he got up and promptly tripped again, which only made T’rid laugh all the harder.

And then…

Oh, dear. The laughter stopped abruptly as a little Salamandyr Hatched. Followed by another. And another. Oh, oh. YOU SENT ME TO A SALAMANDYR HATCHING? he all but screamed at Corinth, who was chuckling at S’rei’s predicament himself. Oh, oops, Corinth responded in laughter-choked tones that failed to ring true. Oh well. Now S’rei was throwing a chair—broken, but still a chair—at K’lir. Oh, this was amazing. So what if he was in a Salamandyr Hatching? It was worth it to be able to see this. Choking back his laughter and rubbing the tears of mirth from his eyes, T’rid picked his way carefully towards S’rei, quite sure that he could dodge any oncoming chairs. “So, Laurie wasn’t kidding, was she? Need help, Wingleader?” he asked solemnly, his hazel eyes sparkling in amusement. He would forever remember this moment.

I hope you get whacked, Corinth sighed.

[weaving]

There was voice in his mind. Something about a clutch hatching and a gold. It didn’t matter though because at this point in time, there was nothing that Jermayan would rather do than sleep. He rolled over, tugging the furs tighter around him and burying his head into his pillow as though to block anymore voices. Not that it would stop a dragon from calling, but in his mostly asleep state it made perfect sense. Of course, just because he was perfectly willing to ignore the call, others were not.

Jermaysk was awake, having heard Adith’s call as well. The brown was still slightly saddened that Jermayan had returned from the firelizard hatching empty-handed, and while he hadn’t been moping about, he had been sending His many hopeful images of the young man attending another hatching. Now that one was happening, His was simply laying there, ignoring the call. That simply wouldn’t do.

When a mental nudge had no affect on Jermayan whatsoever, the brown hefted himself to his feet, padding over to the young man’s bed. He lifted his two forelegs up, placing them on the bad. Snuffling, Jermaysk nosed at his handler, nudging at him with his snout as well in an attempt to move him. When that failed, the brown resorted to more drastic means.

Grabbing the furs in his jaws, the brown stepped back and began to pull. Though Jermayan clung to the furs as best he could, he was no match for the brown, and his warmth was quickly gone. The sudden chill was enough to make him shiver and he bolted upright in protest of his blankets being stolen. Looking at the brown, he sighed, noting how smug Jermaysk appeared.

“Alright alright, fine. But this is it. No more after this. I’m not going to keep waking in the middle of the day so that you can have another playmate, okay?” He listed the terms for the brown in as strong a tone he could manage, though it came out rather cracked instead. Feelings of agreement flowed from his bond with the brown, and Jermayan nodded, finally standing, resigned to this.

He would have taken more time to get ready if Jermaysk hadn’t been nosing him out the door. As it was, he didn’t even have time to grab a shirt, and his hair remained uncombed. At least Jermaysk had allowed him the time to put on pants, though as soon as the belt was buckled, the brown was behind him, shoving him toward the door. Jermayan stumbled outside, shrinking away from the sudden glare of the sun. At least the kitchens were inside.

Hurrying toward his destination, Jermayan kept his head down to avoid most of the glare from the sun. At least the kitchens weren’t terribly far, and so he arrived there after a few minutes of a brisk walk. Once inside, he allowed himself to look around, though his eyes still protested at the amount of light being shed. Ah well, he wouldn’t be here long enough for it to matter too much, and then he would never have to do this again.

A few of the eggs had hatched already, for he noticed two people holding and feeding the tiny creatures. Glancing toward the clutch, he moved closer, joining the majority of the crowd. A quick glance around told him that he wasn’t the only wherhandler there. Well, at least he wouldn’t be the only one suffering from interrupted sleep tonight.

[ravenmane]

When Sk'ler entered the Kitchens, he was totally unaware of the ongoing Hatching, but as soon as he heard T'rid howling with laughter, the Brownrider knew something was wrong. His face turned bright red as he noticed his Wingleader's..........little problem and then all color drained from his face as he saw the clutch of salamandyr eggs sitting proudly on a nearby table. "Oh no..." Sk'ler whispered as he quickly plopped down in a chair that was nearby. He did not want a new pet just as he was coming to terms with Bolli's death, but the rider also did not want to invoke the wrath of Dael, her mate, and the Bondeds of the proud 'mandyr parents. So Sk'ler stayed seated, but he also pretended to ignore what was happening.