A Clutch for the taking

[strawberrylush]

It was so nice for one of the young Artists to lend her a small brush and ink pot so she could put names on the flitt eggs. She had decided on first come first serve when little Tashi had come to the sands to lay her eggs. No sense in having anyone fighting over the eggs afterall. Some had already approached her in the halls about the eggs while others had merely given Tashi a disdainful look. Most of her fellow Northerners wouldn't ask for a flitt, they were a sign of laziness of everything that was hated in the Southerners.Tashi cooed to her person as she rolled an egg over. It was her first clutch and she'd done very well. It seemed all the eggs were viable.

(There are still eggs unclaimed. Post here to recieve your egg. Zi will PM you what color/when your egg hatches)

---

Pineapple Egg-Cresce
Banana Egg- Manna
Squash Egg-Levona
Kiwi Egg-B'oone
Fig Egg-Levona
Grape Egg-Cresce
Blueberry Egg-Levona
Raspberry Egg-Kalley
Blackberry Egg- Kalley
Cranberry Egg- Noeln
Apple Egg-
Apricot Egg-Ph'in
Tomato Egg-
Mango Egg-Ille
Lime Egg- R'nor

[saidaltam]

Kalley had fallen back into the routine of candidacy: brief periods of light chores, and then hours of dormancy as he did nothing at all. It was the dormancy that bothered him. He'd never done so little for so long. He was restless and impatient. Glancing at the sun, he pursed his lips, estimating the time. If he hurried, he might be able to see the Weyrlings walking back from bathing their dragons, maybe get a look at Cresce or his sister. He missed talking to them.

Rising, he made his way swiftly toward the sands. They were a nice, centralized location near the edge of the bowl. Just about anyone passing through the bowl would pass them.

The walk took less time than Kalley had anticipated, which surprised him, but there was no real indication that the Weyrlings had come through, yet, so he leaned against the entry to the sands to wait. As he waited, he glanced in. That was when he noticed the firelizard and her owner. Peering in curiously, he took sight of the eggs. Flitter eggs? Really? Well! That was odd, wasn't it? Curious, he wandered in, stopping a little ways away to look the clutch over thoughtfully. Kir's brown was sort of cute. Maybe if they had a spare egg, he might be able to have one. That might be nice, mightn't it?

[virenn]

Levona had taken to life at the Weyr quickly enough. In just a few short days, she went from cothold living to life as a Candidate. Chores were simple enough, leaving her with enough free time to do what she wished, which left her doing only one thing: wandering the Weyr.

During her time “exploring”, Levona picked up a few things. First, Weyrlings were stuck with enough chores and duties to, in her own opinion, get their own head spinning. Second, there was, supposedly, a clutch of fire lizards out on the sands; she had to find that out by being nosy, walking slowly past a group of Northerners who were complaining about the uselessness of flitters in order to figure it out. Hey, if they didn’t want one, that just left one more to go around, didn’t it? Flitters were cute, and if she could get one… well, wouldn’t that be lucky? She backtracked, attempting to unwind her mental map in order to figure out just exactly where she was. Shards, she needed to get used to the place. Getting lost was not exactly an option, after all.

Though it had taken her a little longer than expected, she finally managed to find her way around, though it had taken seeing someone else disappear into the Hatching Grounds in order to find it. Following him, she took her first step out onto the sands, somewhat annoyed as the wave of heat hit her. Looking around, the first person she spotted was the boy she followed in. But could he be called a ‘boy’? He was huge! Looking down at herself, she wondered how she looked in comparison.

Walking further into the Hatching Grounds, though still quite a ways behind Kalley, she looked past him in order to spot the gold flitter, her owner, and the clutch. How were the eggs going to be distributed? She didn’t know and she could only hope that she would be able to get one of her own.

[strawberrylush]

Yelra glanced over to two strangers at Tashi's chirp. "Ah hello there", she waved them over to the clutch. "Are you wanting an egg or two?", she asked nudging towards the clutch of plain lightly browned eggs on the sands. "I'm planning on reserving eggs on a first come first served basis and one at a time", she explainig, gently rolling a small egg over. "So pick an egg out and write your name on it and in a few days", she smiled warmly. In a few days they would see what they saw. "Go ahead, Tashi won't mind since you aren't taking the eggs anywhere". The little gold chirped to Levona and rolled an egg towards her, offering the egg in an attempt to be helpful. "Oh Tashi, she may not want that one", Yelra admonished the flitt.

[saidaltam]

Kalley smiled. "That's... very generous," he replied brightly, then turned to look at Levona. "Why don't pick, first?" he suggested mildly, before turning back to look the eggs over. If he was really going to get one... well, that'd be a delight, wouldn't it? And the little queen was being so helpful. What a generous creature.

He considered the clutch pensively as he waited for Levona to make her choice. There were one or two of them whose lightly mottled shells seemed to have patterns that Kalley found generally pleasant. Maybe he'd take one of those. Or maybe one of the larger ones. A little firelizard might look a bit silly on his shoulder. Then again, he'd always had a bit of a weakness for small, fragile things. Something in him just... really liked feeling like he was protecting something precious, like he was needed. Maybe he should pick a little one.

Or, with as helpful as the little queen was being, maybe he should ask her to help him pick. That might be his best option. Well. After Levona chose hers, anyhow.

[virenn]

Levona glanced up at Kalley, and at his suggestion, she nodded although he had beaten her there and he should have been the one to select first. But, since he seemed okay with it, she gave him a small “thanks” as she looked over the clutch.

As Tashi rolled an egg in her direction, she automatically knew that was the one she wanted. “This one is perfect,” Levona said excitedly. “I’m actually very grateful that your flitter would even consider letting me have one of her eggs. It’s really nice how helpful she’s being about it!” She sent a smile to both Tashi and Yelra as she gently turned the egg over to read the name on it.

Reaching out to the brush and the ink, she slowly and carefully wrote her name on it in small, curvy script, and leaned backwards to look at her handiwork. Satisfied that her name was on the egg that Tashi had rolled to her, she placed the egg back down on the sands. “Thank you,” she added as she stood up, lightly patting her trousers to get the sand off of them. “I always wanted a flitter.”

She took one more look at the egg that she wrote her name on, and wondered just what exactly would hatch out of it. Well, whatever it would be, she knew that she was going to love it.

[maiwolf]

"Do you mean it?" cried a child's voice. There was no doubt about the fact that someone had brought with them a child. Overhead, a small green flitter chirped and wove between the stalactites and whatever else was on the ceiling. The laughter that ensued the green flitter's antics was high pitched. Then the threesome rounded the corner. One might have been slightly confused that the Weyrleader had a daughter, but people who knew him well enough knew he loved Manna a lot.

"I do mean it, Manna. I brought you here so you could pick out a fire-lizard egg."

The small girl grinned up at her father then raced to the small clutch B'oone, following at a much slower pace, called after her, "what did I tell you?"

Manna stopped and then stood stock straight. She was scared she'd hurt the eggs, so the girl orally recited what her father had told her. "Bow to the queen." She giggled, finding it funny that she had to bow to a fire lizard queen, and then bowed to the little gold, "Then ask the queen to see her eggs!"

The girl stepped forward and, a grin exploding onto her face, she asked, "Litle gold, little gold, may I touch your eggs?"

B'oone grimes, crossed his arms, and shook his head. "You could have asked without trying to impress her." but the girl, like most times, didn't listen.

[saidaltam]

Kalley had been about to ask the mother to help him select an egg when the child squealed, and he felt the muscles in his back tensing up. He didn't particularly like children. Most of them were badly taught and obnoxious. This one didn't particularly sound better. However, it wouldn't do to be intolerably rude and stop the child from selecting an egg just to ask the queen which one she thought he ought to take, so he stepped to the side to let the squealing blonde girl through, catching himself before he sighed.

Well. There were plenty of eggs. It wasn't as though he wouldn't be able to get one by letting the girl take one. Hooking his hands behind his back, he patiently waited his turn. Maybe the responsibility would ease her off the screaming. She might be cute, if that happened.

[strawberrylush]

Once Levona picked up her egg and wrote her name on it, setting it back down, Tashi crawled all over it to make sure it was still viable and then heaped a pile off sand on it. Then the little girl came in. Now Tashi had never around children, having been brought up in the kitchen herself, so when the little girl bowed to her and began to sing about touching the eggs she scurried for Yelra, wrapping herself around her person's leg. "Oh I'm sorry dear she's never been around children", the cook said, frowning inwardly since this was the Weyrleader's own daughter.

"Please go ahead and pick an egg though and I'll put your name on it. And in a few days you can come back and get it and watch it hatch", Yelra promised her as a crowd began to grow on the sands. A few people wouldn't want a flitt and were just around to watch others make fools of themselves. And some were just here to see if a fight would break out. "Weyrleader are you here for one?", she asked.

[maiwolf]

Manna held in her over-zealous squeal, for she had obviously scared the poor little gold. She didn't like to scare fire-lizards (though humans were fine), and the only ones she had ever been around were Target and Arrow. Manna's little brows furrowed, and then she crouched down and stared at the eggs severely. It seemed as if the girl actually knew what was in the eggs, but really she didn't. Finally, she gave a small squeal, and nodded, "Alright, I would like that one!"

The egg she had chosen was the Banana Egg, an egg that she had only chosen out of an eenie-meenie-minie-mo match between it and the Kiwi Egg. She smiled up at the cook, "Can you write my name on it? It's Manna--M-A-N-N-A."

That gained another shaking of the head for B'oone, his eyes dancing with laughter. But when the cook turned to him and asked him if he'd want one, B'oone blinked. "Oh, I don't know. Would you want me to have one? I may wait until most of the eggs are taken."

[virenn]

Levona held back a snort of amusement as she noticed the boy’s back tense at the sound of a child’s excited scream. Oh, she knew the feeling, and would have made a quick escape if the other had not been so, well, nice to her. Had he just taken an egg before offering to let her have a grab at one first, he would have been away from the child, with an egg to call his own.

Walking up and standing next to him, which made her cringe, since he was just so tall and she was so short, she all but mimicked his pose, standing straighter than she normally would and holding her hands behind her back. “Thank you,” she told him, “for letting me choose first. I mean, you could have been far away from here if you took one first.”

Turning towards him slightly, she looked up at him. “I’m Levona—a new Candidate for a currently invisible clutch.”

[saidaltam]

"Currently invisible," Kalley explained with a dry smile, "because the last one just hatched. It'll probably be a bit, yet, before Astoth clutches again." With a careful show of effort, he kept most of the still-aching sense of failure out of his voice as he explained that. "I'm Kalley. I stood at the last clutch, and I'll be here waiting for the next. Got a few turns yet before I age out, and I figure I may as well try for them."

Pausing mid-sentence, he bowed his head respectfully toward B'oone. "Good morning, Weyrleader," he acknowledged politely, before returning to Levona. "And it's nothing to thank me for," he continued. "She clearly wanted you to have that one, and who am I to question the judgment of a mother? Besides, there are plenty of eggs here. If she considers it acceptable, I'm sure I can manage to get my name on one."

[virenn]

Levona nodded as Kalley spoke. She had heard about the last Hatching—how three had gone between due to a lack of suitable Candidates. She hoped that when she stood, whenever that would be since apparently it would be a while before the Senior Queen would have another clutch, that she would be found suitable enough for a hatchling. But while the thought of being left Standing did not really sit well with her, she figured that it would have been a lot better than not Impressing at all.

“I’m sure that you’ll find your dragon one day. And I bet it’ll be a fine one, at that.” Then again, she really didn’t know. What if he Impressed and found his dragon to be the most annoying thing on this side of Pern? That would suck, wouldn’t it?

At Kalley’s words (particularly when she heard him say “Weyrleader”), Levona jumped. Of course that would have to be the Weyrleader and his kid, right? She repeated Kalley’s greeting, though in a much softer, and quieter, voice. Shards, hopefully that wouldn’t happen if she ran into the Weyrwoman like that.

She stayed quiet for another moment, once again listening to Kalley. “I suppose you’re right.” She smiled, “I trust the little flitter’s judgment.” She was sure that the egg selected for her was going to be a great one—a great little flitt with a personality to boot.

Or, at least, she hoped so.

Taking a chance to count over the eggs, and looking back at the crowd, she said, "I'm sure you'll be able to get your name on at least one. I mean, you're next in line!"

[strawberrylush]

Yelra did just that, even showing the girl the egg before setting it back down with the rest of the clutch. "Oh yes Weyrleader, there are plenty to choose from, some fifteen in all if you want another one", she explained waiting politely for someone else to choose an egg. Now that Manna was more interested in anything not her, Tashi crawled from her person towards the young male that was standing on her sands.

She chirped up at him from the ground and then buffeted him with her wings incestantly before gliding towards the clutch. She dug around in the sand around the eggs until she dug up a rather large egg, she gave it a goofy lick before chirping again and going off to find her other eggs, seemingly having forgotten where she buried them.

[saidaltam]

Kalley had been about to reply to Levona when the flitter mother buffetted his leg, and, blinking, he looked down at her. "Oh! Hello, there, pretty lady," he said brightly, which was no mean feat, in his deeper baritone. When she fluttered over to dig up her egg, he watched curiously, then smiled. "That one? Alright. Thank you, your pretty majesty." Walking the short distance over, he knelt down, picking up the rather large blackberry egg very gently, then addressed Yelra mildly. "Your pretty lady suggested I ask for this one. May I?" he asked.

[Femisis]

In all honesty, R'nor hadn't the slightest idea why he wanted to try for a flitter egg. He had little patience with babies, Meryl included, and was kept rather far from them. Then again, a flitter wasn't THAT big, really and weren't that difficult to keep up with. Besides, Meryl wouldn't mind having a little playmate around and he wanted a little pet of sorts to keep him company when Meryl was otherwise occupied and he didn't want anything to do with people. There would be a lot of people there, he knew, but that was alright. He didn't have to TALK to them or anything.

He nodded respectfully to the Weyrleader as he entered, eyes moving directly to the clutch and the little Gold flitter. He held in a laugh at the sight, a miniature Queen with a miniature clutch. He doubted that it would be anything like a real dragon hatching, but it was still an amusing thought all the same. He glanced respectfully at Yelra before crouching down to address the little Queen. "Would you be willing to part with one egg?" He asked her, wondering why he was talking to a flitter. The ringing laugh in his mind told him that Meryl though it hilarious, so he wasn't TOO embarassed.

---

Having just finished scrubbing Basteth down and oiling her hide, Crescentia was on her way back to the candidate's barracks with her contented hatchling in tow. She was walking with Kirnin, though the silence between them was thick enough to cut with a knife. She was still rather shaken up by the map on the wall, but she was finding it hard to be angry with the other girl. She felt more awkward than anything, but anger was farthest from her mind. How could she be angry about something like that?

Mine, there is a flitter clutch. Would you like to get one?[/i] Basteth finally asked, trying to clear the odd thoughts from Her's mind. Meryldeth told me.[/i] She added proudly as though being spoken to by an older dragon was something important.

Flitter eggs? Cresce remembered Illarya mentioning something about a Flight a while ago, but hadn't thought too much about it since. With all the care Basteth took, how could she keep up? "I'm going to get a flitt egg, want to come?" She asked Kirnin quietly as she turned a corner to head where Basteth had directed her.

It's a little me![/i] Basteth cried in amusement as she lay down to watch the flitter Queen. Hers was forgetting about that silly web now which was good. She was taking everything to the extreme instead of letting it go as she should have. Silly Hers.

Rolling her eyes, Cresce turned Yelra. "Are there any left?" She asked, looking at the clutch. There were a few claimed so far from what she could see, but maybe there were still more.

[saidaltam]

Kirnin, surprised (and pleased) to be addressed (for once) by someone she was hoping to salvage a friendship with, awkwardness (mostly Cresce's) aside, smiled brightly. "I'd be glad to," she said.

:Flitt egg?:[/color] Similath asked curiously, tilting her little head toward Kirnin curiously.

Looking down at the green with an affectionate smile, she explianed, "What Little Baby came from. Cresce wants to get a Little Baby of her own for Basteth to play with, so we're going to go with them to look at the eggs so that she can pick one."

Similath considered this for a moment as they walked, then finally seemed to acquiesce. :Can I have a Little Baby, too?:[/color]

"You have one," Kirnin explained. "His name is Little Baby, and he's napping on your couch."

Similath whuffed. :He's yours.:[/color]

Amused by the hatchling's comment, Kirnin chuckled and walked up beside Cresce to look down at the eggs with a small smile. She remembered when Little Baby had hatched rather clearly, and looking at the eggs was a pleasant reminder.

((Kir was used in Kanpa's post with my permission.))

[strawberrylush]

Yelra nodded to the Candidate as she handed over the brush and ink. "By all means. The more that go to homes, the less I'll have to try and Impress", she explained with a warm smile. The cook was a large woman with an ample waistline from her many turns of cooking and tasting while she cooked. As R'nor knelt down to her, Tashi glanced at him, eyes narrowed as she shrewdly studied him. A second later she had grabbed hold of his ear as was tugging on it. Finding she couldn't move him she went to the Lime egg instead and nudged it. "I think she's just gonna give her clutch out", Yelra shook her head. Flitts didn't usually act this way but then Tashi had always been a little, well, off.

Yelra turned in time to see the new weyrwoman and have her address the cook. "Any left? Why half the clutch is left. You can choose one of your own or let Tashi pick for you, she seems to have taken the task upon herself", she replied as Cresce was joined by another weyrling. "Please pick one as well", she said to Kirnin.

[maiwolf]

Manna hurried back to her father, and clutched onto his leg. "Daddy, I chose an egg!" To which he replied happily, "Yes you did. Which one did you choose?"

Manna pointed to the bright yellow-ish egg that now had Manna's name scribbled on it. "Lookee, that one!" B'oone knelt down to hug her while peering at the eggs. "You choose nicely, little Manna."

Then, upon closer inspection, one egg caught his eye. He smiled, and pointed to the Kiwi Egg. "Hey, Yelra, is it?" B'oone asked, looking up. He made it his duty to know everyone in the Weyr. "May I claim the Kiwi Egg?"

[strawberrylush]

Yelra nodded to the Weyrleader in affirmative as a few other stragglers came winging in, including a very tan, very fit Ille. "Flitt rider?", Yelra offered the greenrider. Ille frowned thoughtfully and then nodded, "Yeah let me have the Mango egg", she said. Yelra dotted a brush and wrote Ille's name across the shell. "Alrighty then. How's it going in Igen?", Yelra asked. "So far so good", she replied with a shrug as she leaned against the wall. "Time is passing slowly but it's passing". "What about Southern?", the cook asked. Ille frowned, "Well their gold is gone and my brother says she went between", the greenrider replied with a shrug. "Not sure what that is all about".