Avaeth's Clutching, May 9th, 2009
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Xanadu Weyr - Hatching Sands

The large circular "stage" is surrounded on one half by a towering wall, thin slit windows high overhead letting in some light without truly endangering the objects on the sands, though plenty of lights are spaced at human-level all the way around. The other half is ringed by the dark blue seats of the observation level, rising upwards towards the back wall. The circle itself is filled with a mix of red and white sands, deep enough to cover the largest of dragon eggs with ease. To one side, a small door is visible, hidden away behind a platform meant to provide a place for the clutch parent's lifemates to stand during the on goings.


Observation Level> A'ven arrives with a small contingent of others from Western Weyr. He finds himself a seat with a good view and settles in. Some of the younger ones in his group lean on him, trying to see better. "Don't worry, there will be plenty to see in just a few more minutes…"

Avaeth moves out into the sands, Zevida behind her with a scowl on his face. "Is he coming?" The woman asks softly, though, likely those in the observation level can hear. It's after Avaeth turns, eyes whirling red towards the watchers. "Leave 'em be. They're not doing anything but watching." A faint grumble from Zevia as she moves along towards the side while Avaeth goes about looking for her spot. "Shells, Avaeth.. Go and tell people then expect them not to see anything.."

Dragon> Avaeth bespoke Zevida with « I do not think he comes.. No. I do not want them to see /my/ eggs. »

Observation Level> Morlanol is leaned against the far wall, watching avidly. This will be the first time he's even seen a dragon egg and the excitement is clear in his eyes.

After a moment, Avaeth finds a spot. A small sandstorm rages as she applies herself to the task of creating a spot for the first egg. A ruffle of wings and a soft rumble of content in which the egg is pushed into its very own mini-canyon and buried to await re-discovery. Only the briefest of glimpses is given off the egg.

Cliff Aerie Egg
Remote, lofty, abandoned, a small city of stone sleeps upon the surface of this egg. Still as a sepulcher, these walls have borne silent witness to ancient anguish. Blocks of crumbling adobe curve across the upper half of the oval shell, an encircling kiva in which the precious content of this egg lies dreaming. Pale chert, warmed by Rukbat's everlasting rays adds baked texture while infrequent rains crackle the surface, lending a weathered and timeless quality. Enshadowed by ochre cliffs, the lower half dwells in stark contrast to the other; darkened in cool shade, moist rimrock's soothing sanctuary, no invader dares pass.

Observation Level> A clatter of feet follow as two boys appear at the entrance, one behind the other. The taller of the two nudges Rogawani in the side, and then waves a hand at a girl already sitting. "Yeah yeah, go sit by your girlfriend. I see how it is." Ro' teases, and then waves off his fellow messenger, turning to find a seat of his own. Glancing down towards the sands just once, he takes a few deep breaths, steadying himself after the run. Finally, though, he lets his rear end drop into a seat just in time to watch the first egg find it's way onto the sands. "Gah, too quick." He pulls a scrap of hide hastily from his pocket and starts to make notes in a scrawling hand.

Zevida glowers at Avaeth as she covers the egg, frowning. "Let 'em see them, Avaeth. Can't always cover them like that.." There's a glare towards her lifemate. "Don't ignore me."

Observation Level> Thadrus, a young boy of about 11 Turns spots Morlanol's excitement, turning from his seat next to A'ven. "First time?", he asks with a bright grin. "I haven't seen a clutching in a while either — been stuck in the Healer Hall. A few of us are well enough to go home… so A'ven brought us here for a little outing… fresh air, you know." "Sure is better than the Infirmary!" He grins and turns his attention back to the arriving eggs.

Observation Level> Thea climbs the stairs to the Observation Level, arriving with a group of chattering folks from the Caverns. She moves towards an empty seat, sinks into one near Cenlia and Rogawani. Noting the group from Western Weyr, she calls over to A'ven and those near him, "Greetings to Western. May her Queens prosper." Avaeth claims her attenttion then.

Observation Level> Cenlia has wandered into the observation level, just in time to see the first egg make its appearance - and apparent disappearance. She was following those who were arriving, apparently having just come from the garden, judging by the dirt smears on her clothing and hand shovel tucked into her belt.

Observation Level> Avaeth bespoke Zevida with « Why should I let them see? »

Observation Level> Morlanol gasps as the first eggs disappears into the sands, then turns to the boy who'd just spoken to him, "Yeah… 's my firs'"

Observation Level> A'ven replies brightly, "Thank you!" "Western is doing pretty well as far as I know.", he says jovially. "Good to be here on this happy occasion."

It's a mystery to those watching just what color egg Avaeth lays next, as she keeps her body between the onlookers and the spot she's made in the sands. The second egg comes forth and a hindleg comes to cover the egg quickly, another brief look for the watchers.

The Missing Egg
An abyss of pure black is the foundation of the egg, making up most of the coloring on the egg. In fact, there is no color beyond a spot of white towards the middle of the egg. The spot of white is made into the shape of a figure should one stare at it long enough, alone in the darkness with no distinctive indication of man or woman. Trapped in the cage that is the egg, a small one at that and there's no way out from the darkness.

Observation Level> Riyontali is, well. She's kind of dragged. Dolios is determined though, and he's flapping on ahead of the girl without any real irritation, just urgency. "Dol — Dol, /behave/! Come on, now!" She's gone a little squeaky — but it's soon apparent /why/ her little bronze is being a prat. "Oh! Shells!" And there are /people/ up here too. She smells a little of the stables, but it's not too strong, as she slinks along behind Cenlia. "There're lots of people here." She mutters to the girl with a strained grin, flopping down stiffly somewhere nearby several others. "I — can't…see them? Is that normal? Dol, they're gonna kill me, and if I followed you for nothing…" But the firelizard looks perfectly cheerful, settling onto her shoulder.

Zevida grumbles softly, "Avaeth, just /listen/." She snaps, arms folding across her chest and Avaeth replies with a soft croon.

Dragon> Avaeth bespoke Zevida with « Fine. »

Avaeth moves from the first two eggs, giving them room but keeping in her own area of sand and giving her clutchmother more respect than any other sand partner. There's another hole dug, a shift and with a bit of strain the next egg comes. This one, she does not cover right away with a pause to rest for a moment.

The Ocean's Deception Egg
Sunken deep in darkened waters is the make of this little, round shell— ripples of yellow and foamy white across the surface of light and dark blue. From the rounded top, the foam fades from light sky blue to a royal blue, glimmers of red and green shot through like finger fish swimming about. As the the bulk of the shell itself sits above the hatching sands, a dark gray can barely be made out in the navy blue. A few pieces of gray have broken off from the main bulk, but for the most part the water logged gray remains intact. Silvery lines attach the gray to a brown bulk that fades into the blue, though one side looks unhinged as if smashed. Just above where the egg sinks securely into the welcoming heat of the sands, the navy blue finally fades to a pure black, giving a sense of depth between top and bottom of the shell.

Observation Level> Still scribbling notes on the first egg, Rogawani only looks up when he hears voices nearby. "Huh?" He glances towards the unfamiliar group, catching by their knots and by Thea's voice that they are from Western. "Western, for a clutching?" He asks himself, seeming curious before placing pen to paper again. The movement of the gold on the sands, however, draws his attention back. "Shards." He curses under his breath, only able to write down that the second egg was mostly black before it disappears. "She doesn't like us seeing them, does she?" He mutters to himself. "How am I going to get the holders to bet on eggs if I can't -see- them." With a sigh of relief, he's able to make a few notes about the third, surprised at how fast the eggs are coming.

Observation Level> A'ven nods, pointing out to one of the other Westerners that arrived with him the Missing egg. He wears an intrigued and pleased expression. "Interesting."

Observation Level> From the sands, Zevida looks pleased as the third egg comes, nodding her head. "That's better." A glance towards those three, though only one can be seen. "Think you've got a few more?" Lips press tightly. "Hopefully more than two?"

Zevida looks pleased as the third egg comes, nodding her head. "That's better." A glance towards those three, though only one can be seen. "Think you've got a few more?" Lips press tightly. "Hopefully more than two?"

Dragon> Avaeth bespoke Zevida with « I am /not/ done. Be patient. It is tiring.. Be patient. »

Observation Level> Thylandra, one of the children, somewhat older by her look, that is with A'ven crosses her arms, "Do we have to go back to the Infirmary after this, sir?", she asks looking defiant. A'ven turns to reassure her, "No, I'm taking you home… this is just a fun stop along the way. Try to enjoy yourself.", he smiles.

Observation Level> Cenlia grins at Riyontali and her firelizard, "Looks like we're just in time." The gardener girl tilts her head curiously to peer over at what Rogawani is writing and comments wryly, "Figure she dun care too much about holder's bets," indicating the gold currently clutching. Cenlia chuckles, though, adding, "Could have 'em guess the number an' color of eggs too?"

Observation Level> Among the crowd starting to gather comes the bobbing blond head of F'yr of Ista, a scowl set on her face. "Stop stomping on my foot, you idiot!" she says loudly to one rider in particular who stays in her way, and the short girl shoves the Xanadu man aside roughly so that she can squeeze her way towards the front with a concerned look on her face. Of course, there's nothing unusal about the clutching, and she breaths a sigh of relief, leaning heavily along the railing.

After the break is over, she rises with and stretches out slowly. Not venturing too far from the previous egg as she makes another indent in the sand. Wings spread and she lets out a soft grumble of frustration and then, the next egg is produced. She pauses again, resting beside the egg and slightly covering the egg but not obscuring it from view.

Brass Bound Egg
The rich brown of old leather wraps this egg from its steady base on through its broad tip. Barely sloping, its sides tend more to roundness than the typical oval curve of most and it seems very solidly settled in its hollow of sand. A line of bronzed dots studs its way around the egg's crown, just above a shadowed dark line that presents the optical illusion of a crack, where none yet flaws that smooth leathery surface. Overlapping this line, lyric curving shapes touched with the sheen of aged brass curl downward, like the clasps of an old trunk, holding fast whatever treasure lies within.

Observation Level> Riyontali watches the dragon with half-narrowed eyes, curious, but wary all the same — broody mothers are scary things, yanno! "Really?" Cenlia's words brighten her, and she grins happily. "Oh. Good." Then here's a glance over at Ro, and a sympathetic look. "Maybe she'll uncover 'em soon?" After a moment of watching the resting dragon with a sympathetic wince, she casts a quick glance around, waving to those around them tentatively. But then her attention is back on the eggs. "Oooh. Whoa."

Observation Level> A'ven chuckles, shifting his head just slightly towards Cenlia as he hears her wagering comment, "I'm guessing 14… and at least two browns.", he says, enjoying himself. "That brass egg there is a good candidate for a brown, see?", he says, pointing it out. He nods too to Riyontali who watches with Cenlia.

Observation Level> Thea just chuckles softly at Avaeth's behavior with a shake of her head. "She does seem a little tempermental, doesn't she, Rogawani?" Cenlia speaks and Thea looks her way. "Haven't see nyou in awhile, Cen. How's it going?" From the easy way she speaks, it's likely that Cenlia hasn't been on er list of 'Promblems To Fix' lately. Her gaze drifts over Ryontali on the way back to the Sands and she gives the girl a smile and a wave.

Observation Level> Looking up once more, letting his pencil tap small dots onto the page, Rogawani smirks towards Cenlia. "She may not care, but it's how I make a few extra marks per turn, so -I- care." The smirk softens a bit into a smile, "I have your towel and book, by the way. You left them on the beach." He points the dull end of the pencil at her before shrugging and casting his eyes back to the sands just as another egg comes into view. "Some are already betting on the number of eggs. I just keep those bets to myself though, sometimes it offends the queens." He makes a motion as if zipping his lips and tossing away the key. Then, his hand comes down to make some notes about the brown egg that remains only partially covered.

Observation Level> From the sands, Zevida is glancing back at those observers, chuckling softly before she glances towards Avaeth with a grin. "Doing okay? Got quite a few left?" Hopefully. Avaeth just croons towards Zevida before returning focus to the sands, examining.

Zevida is glancing back at those observers, chuckling softly before she glances towards Avaeth with a grin. "Doing okay? Got quite a few left?" Hopefully. Avaeth just croons towards Zevida before returning focus to the sands, examining.

Dragon> Avaeth bespoke Zevida with « Still more.. I am okay. »

The pause is over and Avaeth rises, moving to the next spot and carefully making a cushion for the next egg. Taking her time with it as if carefully calculating its position with the rest. A glance towards the observers before the next egg comes out and is covered just as carefully as she made the spot for the egg.

Eleven Worldly Wonders Egg
Chaos reigns supreme over the surface of this rather squat egg, manifesting in the form of a clashing array of patterns. Filtered light cascades in a shimmering stream from the apex like some mystical sun fixed immobilized to the heights, sending a dazzling mixture of dapples across the encroaching darkness below. The scene itself is one of eleven mishmashed shapes all vying for a place of prominence over one another. Towering edifices of stone grey and massive sand brown pyramids jostle for position around a large, central mass that sits in a pool of light where it can't be missed. The stately vision rises like a sacred shrine from the depths, rising over all with marble white pillars and a misshapen granite-colored blob that rests safely within the confines of the structure. Writhing shapes of darkness seethe upwards towards the protected peak, boiling together in a cascading mass of dark red and black bodies that look almost like an invading force of creatures intent on destruction.

Observation Level> Morlanol makes the appropriate sounds of surprise and wonder with each new egg the queen leaves on the sands.

Observation Level> Riyontali's eyebrows crease faintly as she listens, but makes no comment — no bets from her, yet! "I'm thinking." Just in case somebody's listening, though for sure it doesn't make too much sense. "Oooh, that ones — weird!" The girl giggles, leaning forward to watch cheerfully. Dolios chirps, watching from his perch, content to behave himself — for now.

Observation Level> A low, appreciative whistle finds it's way from Rogawani's lips as he catches only the most fleeting look at the most recent egg to be covered. "Shells, I wish she wouldn't cover them so fast." He squints, tilting slightly out of his seat in an attempt to see if any part of the egg remains uncovered. After a moment of wiggling around, the messenger seems to give up, and just jots a small quip about the egg, not having been able to catch much of the myriad shapes before the sand covered it. "That's five so far. Matches her biggest clutch." He taps the pencil on the side of his face, thoughtfully.

Observation Level> Cenlia leans forward a bit to peer at the egg A'ven points out, the gardener girl nodding thoughtfully. She nods again at Riyontali's comment about the dragon possibly uncovering the eggs sometime, saying, "Hope so. Dragon eggs're pretty." There's shrug at Thea and a, "Been busy. Helping B'miel move his weyrmate in," before Cenlia is glancing back at Rogawani and saying sheepishly, "Ah, sorry I ran off like that. Trouble saw somebody with a picnic and was pestering 'em, and then he went and stole some guy's underpants." The girl makes a face, adding, "Hope they didn't end up on top of the greenhouse again." Yes, again. Cenlia's midnight-dark Rogue and bronze Charmer are on her shoulders, and blue Mizzle is settled on a seat back nearby, but the girl's troublesome brown is nowhere in sight at the moment. Charmer chirps a greeting at Dolios, the flit apparently still behaving himself. Cenlia grins at Rogawani and says, "Well, good luck makin' them marks."

Dragon> Avaeth bespoke Zevida with « Not done.. Not yet. »

The next spot is made close towards the others, carefully placed with enough space to walk betweem the other eggs. Avaeth grows tense and there is a ripple of the muscles in her hide from the strain. There's a pause of silence from both Avaeth and Zevida before the gold heaves a breath and the egg is on the sands after a bit of a struggle.

Quite a Large Mess Egg
At first glance, the shell of this egg just seems to be a haphazard pile of wood and stone in a field. A closer look reveals glimpses of furniture shapes tucked in under the rubble, as though it was a building that collapsed for some reason. Taking a higher angle to peer at the egg, the field surrounding the ruin has a sort of pattern to it, a flattened footprint in the grass, with the wreckage at the center of it.

Observation Level> Thea's lips repeat 'B'miel' soundlessly and her eyes rolls just a bit, but she's smiling. She turns back to the Sands. "Hmm, interesting." Borwn shep is curled about her shoulders and humming to beat the band, but Ruin is not here. Far too much joy in the Hatching Arena to suit him.

Observation Level> Barely containing a chuckle at the idea of a firelizard stealing underpants, Rogawnai covers his mouth and snorts as he chokes back laughter. "Well, I can see how that could be… troublesome." His nose twitches in reserved humor, nodding his head. "I'll drop them off to you later, though. No worries." He turns his pencil in a circle, doodling a design on the corner of the scrap of parchment. He shoots a small smile towrads Riyontali's description of the one egg, his eyes still following the gold dragon's movements. "Six." He murmurs under his breath, mostly to himself, eyes showing a hint of concern as the clutching queen seems to be struggling. "Wonder if we're getting close to the end." He only writes one small sentence about the newest egg, not seeming to respond to the comment about making marks.

Observation Level> One of the little ones with A'ven leans on his shoulder and falls asleep, looking peaceful.

Avaeth looks towards the small grouping before making another spot near them. A tilt of her head towards her lifemate along with a gentle croon before another egg is placed on the sands. A moment for viewing pleasure before she's covering this egg completely with a haughty look from the gold as she struts away proudly.

Ancient Forgotten Temple Egg
Dank dark green coils and crawls along the base of this egg, twisting together into a tight tangle of weed-like protrusions that sinuously curve up along every single side of the shell. A monolithic pyramid of ashen grey struggles free of the encroaching greenery, its towering peak silhouetted against a backdrop of peachy orange that diffuses over the entire apex as though a mighty sun is glowing from within. Slashes of charcoal march in line up each side of the structure, coming to a halt near the top like some mockery of ancient stairs leading skywards to the heavens. Winding trails of ivy green cling to the edges of the stone, attempting to gain further hold on it with its deathly strangling grip. A deep black hole in the very heights of the central building peeks out from beneath overhanging streaks of vine green, looking extremely mysterious and foreboding at the same time. Tiny winged black shapes spew forth from it, twisting and writhing as they scatter across the plain of sunset orange, nearly masking the picturesque scene in a cloud of flying bodies.

Zevida glares at Avaeth straight out. "What're you doing?" She snaps as Avaeth rumbles with amusement at the anger of her lifemate. "Supposed to let them /see/ it."

Observation Level> Riyontali watches closely, fingers tapping on a knee in a faint rhythm. "Hmmm." She mutters to herself. "It's a lot less — uh — weird. Than I thought it'd be. Clutching dragons. She's very pretty." A cheerful observation from the girl, even as Avaeth moves to lay another egg. And, another! The excitement brings about a cheerful mood in Tali, usually not so good in crowds. "Wow!" She exclaims happily, grinning at those around her. "Did you /see/ that one?" Well. You know. For all of a few seconds. However, rather than irritation, the girl giggles. "Does she look /proud/ of herself for being that way to /you/ guys?"

Dragon> Avaeth bespoke Zevida with « They /saw/ it. You didn't say how /long/. I don't want them staring at my eggs. »

Observation Level> A'ven does a quick count, "Seven? No… there's more than that… maybe."

Observation Level> "A first-timer, huh?" The question comes easily from Rogawani as he glances towrads Tali, tilting his head at her curiously. Hs eyes seem relaxed, amused, even if the gold on the sands is making his note taking a bit frustrating. His hand moves down to scratch out a longer line about the egg, but he cuts off mid-sentence and just stares towards the mound of sand, pursing his lips. "Uh…" His hand moves to erase out part of the line that he doesn't seem sure about before looking up again at the girl. "Some queens are like that, very protective. I wonder what she'll be like with the candidates." He muses to himself, lifting the pencil to scratch at the side of his face, leaving a small dark mark there.

With her rumbles of amusement, Avaeth curls another spot out then lets out a loving croon toward her rider again. A shift and a ruffle of wings leads the the next egg coming to the sands and covered lightly enough so that everyone can still see it despite the sand.

Forgotten Yellow Egg
Large splotches of a pale, washed-out yellow coat the outer surface of this egg, working upwards from the centerline, sweeping around it. Here and there, its as if the yellow is peeling away, revealing a dusty brown underneath, while the top of the egg is wearing a cap of maroon. Overgrown green sprouts up to engulf the bottom portion of the egg - light and dark, patches like a variety of leaves overlapping, and hiding the mysterious yellow hue away, relegating it to memory alone.

Cools> Cenlia peers down at the latest egg, nodding in agreement to Riyontali and saying, "That one's neat." She nods to Rogawani, and then tilts her head to look back down at the eggs, glancing at A'ven and saying, "Yeah, think there's seven." Though she doesn't that sure, and gives the sands a second, more speculative look.

Cools> From the sands, Zevida grumbles softly, "brat." But there's a loving smile at that and a nod of approval as Avaeth lets this egg be seen. An appreciative glance over before she looks toward her lifemate to check her progress.

Zevida grumbles softly, "brat." But there's a loving smile at that and a nod of approval as Avaeth lets this egg be seen. An appreciative glance over before she looks toward her lifemate to check her progress.

Dragon> Avaeth bespoke Zevida with « I am almost finished.. »

Observation Level> Riyontali glances back at A'ven with a sheepish grin. "I've no idea." She murmurs, then turns back to watching Avaeth, curiously. "Yep." Then to Ro, her nose wrinkling faintly. "How many've you seen?" A curious cant of her head messenger-ways, held for a moment — but inevitably her eyes are drawn back to the sands, as Avaeth seems to be on the trail of laying yet another egg. "Oh my. I — don't think I envy 'em. The candidates." Shake-shake-shake goes her head, vehemently. The next egg gets a long look, as it's mostly visible, and a little smile. "Aye." She agrees with Cenlia, cheerfully.

Observation Level> "Eight." Rogawani corrects calmly, counting the tickmarks on his page rather than the lumps on the sand. "Including that one." His fingers move quickly as he jots a note or two, and then something speculative off to the side of the page before looking up again. "Me? Quite a few, I've lost count." He shrugs his shoulders, and then raises his eyebrows, seeming a little confused by the expression on Riyontali's face. Even so, he tries to offer a smile, "I was too young when I saw my first one to really remember. I live vicariously through others." He winks, and then props his chin up with his other hand, still tapping at the page now and again as his nervous energy sneaks through the calm mask.

Wings stretch out, and then the gold is settling down for a moment's rest. A quick check of all her eggs and then she's rising again and expelling the egg onto the sands and covering it lightly with sand.

Of Colored Clay Egg
The egg is molded into what appears to be a figure of perfection for an egg. Scales of glitter green are painted along the shell of this egg, while wispy blues twine themselves along with the greens for a playful dance. But all is not serene for there are dark likes along the top of the egg, giving the illusion that this egg has already cracked with the heat of the sand like a clay figure that's been left in the kiln a little too long.

Observation Level> A'ven smiles, "Oh good, I'm glad someone is keeping count." He looks over the eggs, "Not very easy to see all of them is it? Someone said it before and I think they got it right — she's being kind of protective and secretive about the eggs, looks like."

Observation Level> "Feel sorry for the candidates," Cenlia says, "Wouldn't wanna get near eggs if their ma was that big. 'Specially if she was grumpy about it." The girl grins though, adding, "Ain't nobody ever got eaten, though." She does glance briefly at Rogawani and A'ven, to be sure.

Observation Level> Morlanol waves to Enkavir, "We're at 9 so far."

Observation Level> Riyontali blinks. "So, nine now? Shells — that seems like a lot! How many do they normally lay?" Her eyebrows crease faintly, before she flashes a grin back at Ro. "Whoa, really? That's cool." Her frizzy hair bobs as she nods happily, extending it to A'ven with a nod and sheepish grin. "Seems like it." Agreed, as she peers at the newest wistfully. "That one's sure pretty. Greeney-blue. Ooh." Cenlia gets a quick look, and a wince. "…right?" Cue startled look at the riders and weyrfolk all around them.

Observation Level> "Maybe she'll eat my brother." Rogawani comments, more to himself than to answer Cenlia's questioning gaze. With a snort of laughter, he shakes his head and then looks sideways at her, shaking his head. "No one's ever been eaten as far as I know. Although there's a first time for everything." He teases, offering the gardener a bemused and obviously joking smirk. His pencil scratches out another line, but then he's out of room and has to flip the page over. By the time Ro' manages to do so, the egg is out of sight below the sand. His lips press together, but he doens't say anything, pencil pressing a little too hard, leaving an indent in the page. "Usually anywhere from four to fourteen. This is the biggest clutch Avaeth has ever had, though."

And finally, Avaeth lets out a groan and final eggs are produced onto the sands. Once done, it's covered gently and she settles beside the grouping of eggs with a soft croon. Head down, and ever watchful of the eggs. Her work is done.

The Hand of Greed Egg
Black tendrils, smooth and leathery that appear solid almost bulging forth as an odd malformation of the egg. To the touch, it's smooth as it snakes downwards from the top of this large egg. The tendrils curve down to the very bottom of the egg; a hand reaching into the depths, stealing the undeserved treasure. In the palm of this black hand of tendrils; the prize is an off green-gold colored object, now trapped in the grasp of the black tendriled hand. A close look reveals outlines a face colored in soft green, within the grasp of the greedy fingers.
Best Laid Plans Egg
Like a crumpled piece of paper this egg seems to be covered with tiny dips and and ridges that give variation of shading to its single hued backdrop. 'X's are sprinkled across one side of the shell, 'O's across the other - variegated shade of grey akin to pencil lead. The cryptic symbols weave in and out of the pseudo folds and from within one of those imagined creases a third spills forth as handful of 'Z' shapes. Ragged lines of that same hard, leaded grey lead cross the surface from some of these strange marks, just where they lead not so clear. But there, hidden near the bottom, where shell meets sand, sits one lone 'M'.
Oddities of Theft Egg
The egg itself looks flimy and weak, quite ready to break with too hard of a a gentle prod. Gold is the color of this egg, pale gold like a soft metal. But, most of the gold is obscured with red, like locks of hair, spanning downwards and splaying out with it's slight waves of curls. Beneath the red weaves of hair, one can fainly see letterings along the gold most of it hidden beneat the hair. One will see the letters of 'P' and 'I' etched gently in the gold, seperated by illegible letters.

Dragon> Avaeth bespoke Zevida with « Twelve. »

Zevida smiles faintly at her lifemate, nodding her head pleasantly. "Well done." A glance back towards the observers. "Twelve!" She calls out, then with a smile towards Avaeth, she walks from the sands.

Observation Level> A'ven stands with the rest of his group. "Ah! What a good time."

Observation Level> Morlanol stands and stretches, "well, back to work…"

Observation Level> Cenlia giggles at Riyontali's startled expression and then listens to Rogawani with something of a grin, saying eventually, "Wish I could feed /my/ brother to a dragon. Too bad Sir Kinseth didn't eat him when he got stuck in X'hil's loft." The gardener girl smirks a bit, and then turns back to watch the last egg on the sands, saying absently, "That's a lotta eggs." She seems about to say something else when booze-brown Trouble pops out of *between* above her head and chitters at her before disappearing again. Cenlia blinks and then groans, muttering, "Shards, what's he gone and done now," as she gets up and heads outside.

Observation Level> Riyontali glances back at Ro with a startled laugh, eyes widening just a little. "Uh," She giggles, apparently only half-convinced that he's joking. "Right." But then there is distraction, and she squints, tilting her head. "Ooh. Okay." And there, it seems, is the last of them — Tali gives it a long look, then glances sharply at the entrance. "See you guys later." She murmurs, then stands and all but flees. Somebody's excitable about being late back to work. Sheesh.

Observation Level> "Yeah, me too." Rogawani comments with a low, somewhat devilish expression as he folds the scrap of hide across the center, nodding once. "Looks like that's the end of it, though." He eyes the golden dragon's posture, and then nods once more as if re-affirming his thoughts. Slowly, he pushes himself up and stretches out, glancing for his fellow messenger. "Ugh." With a scowl, the boy spots him necking with his girlfriend. "Well, so much for getting some dinner. Guess I'll go on my own." He shoves the scrap of paper and the pencil into his pocket, wincing as the sharp tip scratches his leg on accident. "Bah." With one more dismissive sound, he walks towards the exit, casting only one look back over his shoulder at the sands.

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