Xanadu Weyr - Observation Level
Dark blue seats form a semi-circle around the sands below, the lowest row separating from the sands themselves by merely a railing. The seats climb upwards, each row a bit higher then the previous, and they are broken up into sections by 3 sets of staircases. Lights are evenly spaced along the outer wall, lighting the seats and the sands easily, though they tend to be dimmed unless a major event is taking place. A large balcony looms overhead, darkening some of the seats, providing a place for observers of the draconic kind to watch without obstructing the view for others.
When one looks over the railing, the oddly hued sand below can be seen easily, the circle-shaped area of the sands spread out to the far walls, the sand itself a unique mixture of red and white grains.
From the sands, Mellonath appears on the sands from the bronze doors.
M'ric is seated near the edge of the observation area already, reclining comfortably, and looking out over the sands. His gaze seems to be focussed on Ethne.
Harleanne makes her way along the middle seats, bypassing a lazy sitter or two with casual grace. None of the faces in the seats seem to register, as she merely takes herself a seat as close to center as she can manage without so much as a nod or a wave.
R'sul wanders in with several books in hand, seemingly ready for a long wait. The seat he takes is near ot eh rear of the galleries and while he waves to M'ric as he passes, he seems in no hurry to make conversation with anyone.
M'ric waves to R'sul, grinning at the other rider. He too seems well settled for a long wait.
From the sands, And some the time has come as Mellonath once more enters the hatching facility to grace the sands of Xanadu Weyr with her latest clutch of eggs. The Queen looks moody at best and uncomfortable as Ethne tries to calm her a bit. N'hil and Quiath though give Ethne and Mellonath their space especially after Mellonath gives a bit of a hiss towards the bronze. The maternal instincts are full in force as she wastes very little time inspecting the sands and finding the right spot. Anyone that has known much about the past clutches would have known they were very small and this time, she looks considerably heavier. Bigger eggs or just more of them? She positions herself after making a mound and deposits the first egg of the clutch and gently moves the sand around the egg keeping it for now just barely hidden from view.
| Tri Triangle Egg |
| A vision of splendor and power is wrapped around the middle of this egg. Three golden triangles snuggle the belly of this egg. The first triangle is hovering near the top, while the other two triangles rest just underneath, their tops touching the edges, just enough so that all three triangles are touching. It almost as if the triangles themselves are glowing on the egg's surface. |
Harleanne is no sooner seated than the festivities begin, it would seem. She quirks an eyebrow at the speed of it and finds herself leaning quite a bit forward in her seat, as if to get a closer look.
Alaye quickly makes her way in and picks out a seat near the center of the observation level, carrying the usual dusty old sketchbook. She starts to thumb through the book, but her attention is immediately diverted to the sands when Mellonath arrives and the first egg is laid.
Esher is sprawled out on a seat with his laptop warm on his legs, watching the two dragons and their riders on the sands distinterestedly. He's not even really focused on whatever it is he's doing on the laptop, his fingers tapping away of their own accord while his eyes stare off into space.
Nicca's looking for Niva, no doubt, walking primly along a line of seats right along the front of the galleries. A beam breaks out over her features as Mellonath appears and promptly lays the first egg, leading the weyrbrat to plop down unceremoniously somewhere in the second row, near the center.
From the sands, Ethne shakes her head as she says softly towards Mellonath. "You know you can let people see them. I know you want to take care of them but can't hurt to let them not be fully hidden." She smiles. Mellonath gives a bit of a rumble towards Ethne as she seems to just dismiss her rider for now as she starts to dig around two mounds, one by one she lays and egg in each and covers them with a bit of a snort as she doesn't even seem to let Quiath help. Obviously someone thinks the other half has done more than his share and is relieved of duties.
| Oh Noes, the Oxen! Egg |
| A scene that might dark and angst-ridden if looked in a much darker light, is actually rather hilarious and amusing. A sole caravan can be seen trudging across the egg's surface, pulled by two herdbeasts. One of the herdbeasts looks to be incredibly sick, having a broken leg that is covered in blood. The people trudging along with the caravan don't look exactly well, either. One is limping on crutches, the other is being dragged behind by the caravan on a harness, he's bundled up rather tightly and a cold cloth pressed against his forehead, perhaps to subdue flu. Yet another person is driving the oxen, she too, looks deathly ill. She's covered in sweat, perhaps due to the immense heat. She looks rather thin from lack of food. And just peeking out of the back of the caravan looks to be a coffin, presumably for a dead person. They seem to be heading towards their death across the desert, for what? A deep wide river that can be seen in the distance, a challenge to meet when the caravan does finally reach it, if they reach it alive. |
Moyrel, the Masterharper of Pern, arrives and makes her way toward the front, and looks down over the railing at the commotion on the sands.
| Spinning Through the Skies Egg |
| A scenic blend of earth and sky meet on the shell of this very round egg, creating the impression of an image that is at once serene and exhilarating. Soft, verdant greens cover the lower portion of the egg, broken here and there by uneven patches of craggy gray and moss. These patches, most prominent nearer the egg's base, fade gradually into the background as they approach the middle of the sphere. Here, silent monuments of stone rise proudly against a perfectly blue sky, following the course of uneven hills dotting the landscape. In the midst of it all soars a single being, royal and cerulean blue quills glistening as he leaps over the land with arms outstretched, aiming for a line of shimmering golden circles in the distance. |
Harleanne lacks the accessories that seem to be so commonplace amongst the other watchers. Because she lacks her own, she's taken to peeking at others'; Alaye seems to be the nearest, so Harley subtly leans over to see the sketchbook without saying a word. Of course, most of her attention is on the sands, and she stops to make an, "Oooh," at the Spinning Through the Skies Egg.
From the sands, Ethne gives a shake of her head as she walks over to stand near Quiath and N'hil as she apologizes quietly for Mellonath's behavior while Mellonath scrutinizes the sands almost trying to determine which spots are worthy of sheltering her offspring within. She digs and almost scoops away the sand as she is meticulate and gentle as she strains looking uncomfortable as she lays yet another egg. She doesn't moves the sand about it.
| In Frenzied Pursuit of an Egg |
| It's impossible to determine how large or small this egg may be at first glance, as it's half-buried in the sands. The part that is visible sports an unusual combination of colors and designs. Smooth, matte black covers the shell, interrupted by bright, white dots that trail over and around the surface in a labyrinthine pattern. Blobs of orange, red, pink, and a garish blue appear to have been randomly placed somewhere amongst the white dots, in hot pursuit of a bright, yellow splotch that's near one side of the shell. A slice of darkness at the edge of the splotch provides the illusion of a gaping mouth, of sorts, that strains toward the next closest egg, as though seeking to devour the next thing in its path. To top it all off, bright blue lines fashion a border for the peculiar patterns, as though attempting to confine everything to the surface of this single ovoid. |
M'ric grins as he watches, leaning forward, and examining the eggs curiously.
Alaye seems to have forgotten the sketchbook for the moment, for her eyes are fixed intently on the newly-laid eggs below. "They're all beautiful, aren't they?" she asks, glancing over at Harleanne with a smile.
From the sands, Ethne shakes her head as she looks towards the eggs. Several minutes go by of Mellonath pacing fixing around the mounds already there… Ethne looks over towards Mellonath as she sighs. Another small clutch? The pacing does worry her a little but when Mellonath heads to a new area to dig up another few mounds, she gives a bit of a sigh of relief. "Thank shards…" She whispers.
Harleanne shrugs a little disinterestedly, though the act isn't going to last very long when compared to the riveted attention she gives each movement on the sand. "Most of them are. A few of them are a little odd, though," she replies, motioning pointedly toward Oh Noes, the Oxen! Egg.
From the sands, Mellonath goes between two of the mounds, carefully laying one egg in each and then pushes sand up around each of them, some of them left to be more visible than others.
| All Fall Down Egg |
| A random jumble of colour coats the base of this egg, though each coloured block appears to be perfectly aligned to the next. Purple squares, yellow lines, blue l-shapes all vie for dominance as the mass of interlocking colour rises higher, but around halfway up the shell an uneven edge signals the end of the brightness and the beginning of an empty whiteness that rises to the very tip. Empty, that is, except for the bright green T that graces the point. |
| Central Cavern Egg |
| Deep ebony enshrouds this egg providing a simple backdrop for a rather odd patterning. Red lines cross the shell at different heights creating a set of platforms that appear to lead to a blue key-shaped blob at the tip. One of the higher lines looks thin, as if it would crumble if anything touched it, not boding well for an almost human shape that appears to be approaching it. It is the base of the shell, however, that has the oddest piece of colouration — at the end of a long and rather thick red line a yellow grid takes pride of place, and appears to flash when the light hits it just right. |
Nicca's nose wrinkles a little as she peers down at the eggs. The first one has most of her attention, although she spares the newest arrivals a brief glance, a close-lipped appraisal.
Harleanne raises an eyebrow at the last egg to be laid into the sands. "Well, see, that's an example of an egg that is pretty, but a little on the odd side. Not exactly sure I'd paint my walls like that, you know?" She doesn't seem to be speaking to Alaye so much as just speaking.
From the sands, Another couple of mounds are careful carved out of the sand as the honey golden Queen fusses over them before laying an egg in each and covers them up slowly. Ethne appears relieved and smiles though she definitely can empathize at the discomfort of the clutching. Having two children of her own wasn't comfortable either.
| Gotta Catch Them All Egg |
| Perfectly spherical in shape, this egg is divided into two distinct hemispheres. The upper hemisphere is a solid cherry red that appears to have a bright sheen to its surface almost metallic in appearance. While one can look at it they'd note the lower hemisphere has a much duller texture of solid egg white in coloring. A thin band of black separates the upper and lower halves of this egg. The center of this band towards the front is a ring of black with an inner white almost button like circle almost begging to be pressed. Perhaps if one could push the button, would it open to reveal what's inside? |
| Plumb Crazy Turtles Egg |
| This egg has been crisscrossed with all manner of crazy designs. Crowning the top is a red marking, round and floppy with a white spot, almost like a hat. But beneath that is a zany burst and crisscross of color. Blue yellow and red seem to predominate, star, mushroom, flower and mark shaped bits, teeny tiny like confetti, snow across its surface. Flashes of green and white and red and wing conflict with fireballs, feathers, splats of water and beams from Rukbat itself. |
Brie pops in from /between/ as she looks for somewhere to perch. She flies over towards M'ric and gives a bit of a chirr landing nearby.
Rioko stares down at the sands, her eyes wide with awe. She has a feeling, no matter how many times she sees this, it'll never get old.
From the sands, Quiath and N'hil stand well to the side politely to allow the young queen plenty of room for her work. Quiath seems very attentive, watching each arrival with a certain amount of pride but his rider seems less so. In fact, N'hil is leaning back against the bronze's leg with his eyes closed and seems to be muttering to himself. Occasionally one hand will twitch as if emphasizing some point.
From the sands, Mellonath lets out a bit of a rumble as she looks up at the onlookers in the galleries. How dare they try to sneak a peek at her clutch? Ethne though shakes her head as she says softly. "Mellonath, just relax love, they won't harm your eggs, least of all from that distance nor would they want to. They're wonderful." She smiles at the Queen who frets a little pushing some more sand onto one of the eggs before she is quite satisfied and heads to dig three more mounds almost in a triangle pattern within the whole entire egg mound. Each has an indentation that she feels suitable and heads over to deposit an egg with a grunt into the first of the mounds.
| Orbs of the Elements Egg |
| Rounded and rather squashed, much more like a sphere than an ovoid, this egg seems rather innocent enough. Hazy blue dusts the majority of the surface, giving everything an odd hint of color, as if peering through a poor quality lens. Set amongst the surface is a pile of old stones - grayish hues turned by the blue dust - sturdy through the ages like a castle, unaffected by the swirling elements of earth, fire, wind, and water as they break free from their hold, each tinting the blue slightly - brown, red, white and green. |
From the sands, A minute or so passes as Mellonath deposits a second egg in the triangle of mounds looking to be somewhat more calm. Perhaps she's near the end of her clutching.
Harleanne's lips twitch a little when she spies Rioko and her delight. One look at her expression would let Rioko know just how long that fascination lasts — Harley's already looking a little bored. Mellonath's rumble draws Harley's eyes immediately back to the sands, which is just good enough to allow her to watch the appearance of the next egg. "That one's kind of interesting looking. Not exactly 'pretty,' though, you know? I guess one's entitled to their own opinions."
| Domes in Space Egg |
| Deepest ebony provides the smooth base for this rather squatty egg, sweeping around it like the night sky to a distant horizon, speckled with the smallest of pale golden freckles, twinkling stars high above. Yet, despite the overall bleakness, there are seven patches of brighter ground laid out over the surface. While blues and greens make of the majority, the distribution changes with each spot, and a single golden spot sits centered on the side. Of the others, one is solid green, only the shade changing over its section, and another is almost totally blue, with just little bits of green here or there, while the rest are a balance of each, like little lakes set against the landscape. |
Rioko cocks her head at Harleanne and her apathetic expression. Amazed by close to everything, herself, she finds it hard to be displeased or even bored by the clutching. Rioko continues to cock her head as she listens to the woman's nonchalant words, then turns to the egg indicated. She was right. The egg was interesting, with its speckles and tints, but not exactly attractive. Still, it held life inside, which seemed more than Rioko could say for… well, anyway. "Yeah, it is… interesting."
Sael has disconnected.
From the sands, Ethne shakes her head as she says quietly over towards N'hil. "I'd have to say congratulations to Quiath… this is the largest clutch Mellonath has ever had. Was so worried that it'd be another small one… most she's ever had is about six eggs" Mellonath though is nearing the end of her clutching looking exhausted from the effort as she moves over to deposit the final egg in the mound and covers it up. Eleven total eggs and one tired Queen. For sure, she must have surprised a few this clutching and likely to stir up the bets as well. Once the final egg is settled, she positions herself nearby to curl up and closes one set of eye lids keeping one open to keep an eye on the clutch as she relaxes into her duty that will last for several weeks.
| Shifting Sands of Time Egg |
| Rather unremarkable tans and khakis are speckled together like a pile of sand over the surface of this egg, the outcome being a rather solid lump upon the Sands of the arena. While hues of grey are speckled throughout, adding some contrast, the golden browns dominate the shell. Yet, with enough attention, thin tendrils of a pale blue are wrapped around, like a net holding the contents all together. |
Harleanne watches Rioko's reaction to her and shrugs a little bit as if in apology to her seeming lack of enthusiasm. "They're all pretty after a fashion, it's just it feels weird calling them all so, you know? I guess I shouldn't be so apathetic about it right now, since I'm sure it's hard enough for Mellonath," she concedes, pointing at the tiring gold. "I can't imagine birthing my babies in front of a crowd. And then to hear them called ugly or something?"
From the sands, N'hil snaps to attention as his own lifemate gives a rumbling croon to the tired Mellonath. "Could be just her age? I thought I'd heard their clutchs get bigger after the first few and then small again late in life?" N'hil shrugs as if not sure of this information. "But she's really done Xanadu proud. It's a nice looking group you've got here." Quiath obviously agrees as he gives a quick trumpet.
Rioko finally straightens her neck and grins at Harleanne. That's better. Now Rioko likes the attitude this woman gives off, and she tilts her head a bit toward her. "Precisely. Don't worry about it, I'm sure if Mellonath took offense, you wouldn't be alive long enough to know it. Name's Rioko."
"They're gorgeous, " Nicca declares loudly, waving excitedly toward the sands. Some parts of it, perhaps, get old, but the wondering and possibilities never do. Not for her. A greenrider behind her shakes his head slightly, affording the clutch a small smile. "Mellonath's certainly outdone herself."
M'ric smiles as he watches. "She sure has… I'm glad I got word it was happening."
Alaye nods and sits up again as Mellonath lays her final egg. "I think it's a very impressive clutch," she comments to no one in particular. "a lot of unusual-looking eggs, but most of them are beautiful."
Harleanne shakes herself a little, looking nervously around her. Apparently her attitude isn't a very popular one. Still, with her concessions made, she offers a bit of a smile to Rioko, nodding at the name. "I'm Harley. And I do agree, it's a very impressive clutch." Alaye's commentary still gets more of a shrug than agreement, but at least the gardener's learned enough not to voice her opinion this time.
Rioko beams and turns back to the sands. She pounds her hands together in applause. "Wonderful, Queen Mellonath!"
From the sands, Ethne looks over towards N'hil as she says quietly. "She's not that old, she is just over 10 turns old. Already had 3 clutches before this." She says. "Just happy that she has done well by Quiath."
Rioko grins at Harleanne. "Nice too meetcha, Harley. I do hope to see you around, but I have duties to attend to." With this, Rioko waves to Harleanne and those around her, then goes home.
From the sands, Quiath preens at proof of his abilities which just causes his rider to roll his eyes. "I'm never going to get him back to Ierne." the bronzerider mutters, before heading over to stand next to Ethne. "We won't be much in your way, but Quiath is feeling vested in keeping an eye on these eggs, so I expect we'll be visiting often."
Nicca heads foyer-ward as Mellonath finishes, flushed and excited. On her way out, she runs into a small group of weyrbrats on their way in, causing much chatter to filter back behind them as they head for the bowl.
Harleanne frowns a little at Rioko as she disappears, perhaps because of the implication, but she shrugs and turns back to the eggs and the proud and preening parents on the sands below. "I'll get back to my duties when I get a good look at this. Not like the gardens are going anywhere."
