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E Is Even More Big Eggs Than You Had Seen Before


Date:  December 22, 1995
Place:  Benden Weyr's Hatching Galleries
Game:  PernMUSH
Copyright Info:  The World of Pern is copyright(c) to Anne McCaffrey 
l967. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright.

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Kassi's Note:  Day two of the clutching!  Dyinath has more eggs to 
lay, and Kassi has yet again managed to hitch a ride to Benden somehow
to see it.  For some reason, many of the eggs are missing and this 
log begins in the middle of the action; I believe I pure and simply
forgot to log, and back then I didn't have any way of grabbing a back-
log.  I post this mostly because it matches the log just before it, 
and because this is an especially pertinent clutch; still, there are
some RP tidbits that are interesting in retrospect, such as Taylar 
flirting with Kassi and whatnot.

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The Log:

From the hatching sands, Dyinath hollows out a depression next to a green
egg, digging it deeper and deeper.

From the hatching sands, Dyinath positions herself to lay another egg,
careful not to step on the egg that's already there.


From the hatching sands, Nestled warmly in a hollow of sand, this little
pearl-white egg appears to be wrapped in a piece of brown fur, leaving
onlly its narrow rounded end peeping out over the top. Did someone think it
wasn't warm enough on the sands and wrap it up?...But wait, upon closer
scrutiny it can be seen that what looks like fur is actually just oddly
textured brown-pigmented shell, although the illusion of animal hair is so
strong that one feels drawn to reach out and touch its softness. However,
that might be a bad idea...


Rickon says "19...and heh. That one's cute!"

N'fan grins and murmurs quietly, "..looks fuzzy.."

You say "What an interesting egg! Looks kind of furry. Hmmmm. I'd be
hard-pressed to say what's in it--a brown, maybe. That makes nineteen,
too--just eleven to twenty-one to go!"

Rickon says "Looks like the fur pouch I saw somebody carrying a 'lizard egg
around in."

P'tran leans lightly on the railing and nods. "It does at that. One thing
that always amazes me with each clutch is how much variation there is.
You'd think you'd see some repetition sometimes ..."

Kassima grins. "Don't let the queen hear you comparing her eggs with
fire-lizard eggs," she advises.

N'ren continues to watch quietly, scratching the bronze's eyeridges, and
remaining in the darkened section.

From the hatching sands, Dyinath seems to like this egg. She builds a mound
for it and spends some time rolling up to the top, to display it well. Then
she sweeps warm sand all around it.

You say "Don't queen eggs look pretty much alike? All of them are gold."

A smith lad pipes up, "Someone oughta peel away that stuff so we can see
the egg!" His mates elbow him to shush up, as the queen might hear him!

P'tran grins at Kassima. "Well, not exactly ... the size and shape of the
egg is not always the same. There's some variation in the shade of gold as
well."

You say "Really? So some of them might be smaller and brownish-gold, and
others might be huge and yellow-gold?"

P'tran nods at Kassima. "Exactly. No two gold eggs are ever *quite* alike"

Alyssa adds, "Like no two dragons, sir?"

Taylar comes in from the bowl.

P'tran chuckles softly. "Perhaps that's the reason."

Taylar nods and waves as he enters.

Kassima looks surprised. "That's news to me," she admits. "Of course, I've
never actually *seen* a queen egg. I've only heard them described in
Teaching Sagas and Ballads--and then, they're always just described as gold."

P'tran nods to Taylar. "Evening."

Kassima waves to Taylar as she sees him come in.

Taylar says "What did I miss?"

From the hatching sands, Dyinath decides the next egg should almost
diametrically across the sands from the last one. She moves to the new area
carefully.

You say "About three eggs, I think. No, wait, that's four."

Taylar smiles at Kassima and salutes P'tran.

Kassima counts on her fingers--sea-colored egg, evil-looking egg, pastelish
egg, and furry egg--yep, four.

From the hatching sands, Dyinath begins to pat down a mound slowly, until
it is almost flat.


From the hatching sands, A monochrome egg, with a faintly blue cast, this
small dragon-casting sits by itself, away from the warm groupings of the
rest of the clutch. Its blue tinted greys and darker greys have a twist of
cynicism, striations and small ridges creating and abstract image of bars,
seeking to hold back the chill winter seas.


P'tran grins wryly at Taylar. "No need to salute me, Taylar."

Taylar says "Sorry, P'tran. I guess it was all the salutes flying around
last night."

You say "Oh! That's a nice one, sort of. Hmmm. Think there's a blue inside,
or is that too obvious? Well, whatever it is, that makes twenty eggs."

P'tran nods and chuckles.

N'fan murmurs, "Like that one too.." But he still likes the other one
better. :)

Taylar moves over toward Kassima. "Mind if I watch with you?"

Kassima gestures to a seat beside her. "No, go ahead."

From the hatching sands, Dyinath eyes the egg questioningly, then decides
it's perfect the way it is. She turns around and carefully moves back to
the spot where she came from.

Taylar says "Thanks." He sits. "These are very unusual looking eggs, but
since they are only the second batch of eggs I've ever seen, I'm no expert.""

Rickon says "20."

Kassima suddenly grins. "This is the first clutch I've ever seen. It's
fascinating!" She points to a few of the more interesting eggs. "Such
variety--and some are downright... well... odd."

Alyssa murmurs to herelf, "Unique."

Taylar says "I was able to go to the hatching at Ista." He smiles at the
memory. "It was something wonderful."

Kassima quickly adds, "They're beautiful--well, except for that one; I
can't honestly say it's beautiful. They're just... themselves, I guess you
could say."

Rickon says "Hatchings are rather spectacular."

You say "What was it like?"

P'tran grins at Kassima and a rider close to the Weyrleader whispers to
him, "She hasn't been at Benden long, eh?"

From the hatching sands, Dyinath lifts her head to survey the stands again,
making sure no one is coming anywhere near her eggs.

P'tran smirks and chuckles briefly, responding with something about Benden
itself being just plain odd ...

Kassima wonders who would be crazy enough to go near Dyinath's eggs.

Taylar says "The dragons were humming. The crowd was tense and cheering on
their different favorites." His face takes on a look of intense excitement.
"You couldn't predict which candidate a dragon would impress. Just when you
thought you had it figured out, bam, the hatchling would go for someone else."

Kassima turns to Taylar. "Why do you think queens are so protective of
their eggs?" she asks. "Except for one instance I can think of, back in the
Ninth Pass, there's never been anything to disturb the eggs. Maybe it's
instinct."

You say "In other words, not something you'd want to make wagers on?"

Rickon speaks as if reciting something he's memorized. "Nobody knows what
Impresses a dragon." Then, in a different tone, he adds. "They're worse
than girls."

Taylar snickers. "One girl even told a hatchling that it needed to go find
it's lifemate. She had obviously Impressed the thing and didn't realize it."

Kassima raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that, Rickon?" she asks,
curious.

Taylar hears Rickon's comments and laughs heartily.

Kassima laughs. "How could someone not realize something like that?"

From the hatching sands, Dyinath abruptly croons, and drops another egg.

Alyssa turns around and gives Rickon a level gaze, quite deliberately
sticks out her tongue at him, then looks back at the sands feeling very
satisfied.


From the hatching sands, As pink and pale as a woman's skin, this egg rests
softly in its silky bed of sand, undisturbed by anything around it. The
only spots marring the perfect pink of its shell are two tiny red marks at
its somewhat elongated narrow end, which seem to trickle down the side to
pool unseen beneath the egg in its sandy bed.


Rickon grins. "Well, what _does_ impress you?" he directs at all the
females in the area. Then he adds, incongruously, "21."

Alyssa sighs. "Oh, now that is beautiful..." Hearing Rickon's remark, she
looks over her shoulder and says, smiling, "Men who don't try to impress
impress me."

You say "That one's interesting. Those two red marks look kind of like
blood, though. I think it's either a green or a bronze."

Taylar returns to reciting what he remembers of the hatching. "The last to
Impress, a brown, pulled on the ponytail of the boy he wanted. It was funny
and touching."

Taylar says "I guess I have a headstart on that, Alyssa."

You say "Oh! But--wouldn't that hurt?"

Another rider leans over and whispers to P'tran. This time he sighs and
responds, "What, now?" To which the rider responds, "You wanted to be
informed when the patrol had returned." The Weyrleader nods and dismisses him.

Alyssa smiles and winks at Taylar.

Taylar preens visibly.

P'tran pauses a moment and then sayd, "I have some duties to attend to. If
I don't get a chance to see the rest of the clutching this evening, good
night all."

Kassima looks at her own length of blue-black hair, and tries to think of
something of the size and weight a dragon hatchling must surely be pulling
on it. She winces.

Taylar says "What, Kass?" He pulls his attention back. "No, he didn't pull
hard."

From the hatching sands, Dyinath seems a bit surprised at the suddenness of
this egg, and spends extra time padding it with sand.

Rickon hehs. "Dragons are funny sometimes.

Taylar says "Bye, P'tran."

Nivek walks out to the bowl.

Kassima nods a respectful farewell to the Weyrleader before turning her
attention back to the Sands and her companions.

Alyssa nods and gives P'tran a warm smile. "Good night, sir, if you can't
return."

P'tran nods and heads out

P'tran walks out to the bowl.

Taylar settles back to watch and inspect the eggs. He glances over at
Alyssa and notices she's sitting with F'nar.

Kassima grins. "I suspect that even if that hatchling had ripped him bald,
he wouldn't care. He'd be too wrapped up in Impression!"

Taylar says "Yeah. The funny thing was, he didn't know the dragonet was
back there until he started pulling. The guy was very surprised."

From the hatching sands, Dyinath notices a mound within the curve of her
tail that seems to be crying out to her for an egg.


From the hatching sands, A mixed-up jumble of patches, mostly shades of
grey ranging from black to white, balled up and thrown carelessly onto the
sands? Who would do such a... no, wait, there's something about that
shape... It's an egg! Somewhat lumpy and large, but nonetheless, it's
definitely an egg. It almost looks as though it were haphazardly sewn
together out of remnants of other eggs... there are even fine black lines
resembling stitches along the edge of each "patch." Well, surely the baby
dragon inside will emergemade from one piece.


From the hatching sands, Asfala blinks at the egg, and just shakes her head.

Rickon hides a chuckle. "That one's funny."

You say "Wow. Now, that's... um... unique. Looks kind of like a quilt! I
think that's a blue."

Taylar says "But I bet the dragon will be anything but lumpy."

Kassima grins. "It'll probably be the most graceful and beautiful hatchling
to ever grace the Sands."

Rickon says "Nah. Green."

Rickon adds. "22."

Tepp bursts into the air from *between*, chittering loudly.

Taylar says "Still guessing them, huh, Kass?" He smiles at her. "I gave up
last night after the fifth egg. I realized I wouldn't remember my
predictions anyway."

Assorted warbles welcome the arriving firelizard from around Rickon.

You say "Green? Hmmmm. Nope, it's a blue."

Tepp chitters.

Kassima grins. "Aren't I always?" She points to the mock-gold egg. "What do
you think that one is? I'm positive it's a green. And somehow, I doubt
anyone would be able to forget that one!" She points to the evil-looking
egg similarly.

N'fan doesn't think it looks evil. He finds it quite mesmerizing.

Tepp cocks his head to one side and croons.

Kyril chirps to the elder blue, offering him greetings. The rest of
Kassima's faire do likewise.

From the hatching sands, Dyinath digs a deep depression in the sands,
cocking her head this way to look at it. She then pats the sides with her
nose to get it into the right shape for an egg.

Jarryl comes in from the bowl.

Rickon looks over the clutch. "What a mixture," he comments idly.

Taylar glances over at Alyssa and F'nar again. Are they holding hands?

Rickon shrugs. "Dunno. Riders just seem to impress girls, I guess." The pun
elicits a groan from a young black-haired girl further back in the galleries.

You say "Certainly a lot of variety! I'm not sure why Martigan thought he
needed to sketch it before--they're certainly memorable enough without a
picture."

Jarryl quietly enters, carrying a tray with mugs of klah and glasses of
Benden White, bringing it over to the riders.

From the hatching sands, Dyinath isn't quite satisfied with this depression
and digs out more sand, seemingly trying to get the slightly oblong shape
just right.

Tepp yammers.

Alyssa says quietly to Rickon, "A dragon does not make a man impressive,
Rickon."

Taylar looks over at Jarryl. "Are those just for riders or can we poor
little nobodies have some. Please?"

Kassima grins. "No," she says, equally quietly. "A dragon just makes a man
Impressed!"

Rickon says "Then what _does_, Alyssa?"

Jarryl gives Taylar a shy smile and nods.

Kassima admits it, she's not very good with puns. Sigh.

The black-haired girl chuckles. "Rickon, if you want to impress me, you'll
have to cut the puns."

Rickon looks up. "You don't count, Kalyn."

From the hatching sands, Dyinath finally preps the depression to her
liking, and positions herself to lay another egg.

Jarryl serves wine and Klah to whoever wants some, and smiles shyly at Rickon.

Alyssa looks pensively at Rickon, thinking for a long moment before saying,
"Being yourself is the best thing. Being content with who you are and
liking a woman for what she is. That's impressive. If you're happy with
yourself, others will be happy too."

Rickon sighs. "I'm nobody, Alyssa. I can't even make a decision to save my
life."

Taylar says "Rickon. I think women like considerate, kind and emotionally
strong men. They also like the ones who are tall, brawny, and good looking
which leaves us out."

Kassima thanks Jarryl, smiling as she claims a glass of wine.

Kassima laughs at Taylar's comment.

Taylar takes an ale. "Thanks, Jarryl."

Alyssa turns around to look at the two young men. "I think you both are
very nice, attractive, funny, and interesting fellows. I don's see what the
problem is."

Jarryl says "You aren't nobody, Rickon. You're my friend."

From the hatching sands, Dyinath drops and egg, and then, as if she
couldn't control it, another egg plops out onto the first. The softness of
their shells are evident as they deform a bit against each other.


From the hatching sands, The soft cream of this shell would be perfect and
unmarred except for the mass of scribbling lines all over it. Groups of
snaky tendrils, in blacks, reds, and blues, almost form sketches of
half-imagined scenes and stanzas of blurred poems. In a few places,
thicker, darker lines of forest green seem to form letters across the egg:
a 'd' here, an 'e' there, an 'i' on the end. All together, the egg has the
appearance of generations of graffiti, newer additions obscuring the old.


From the hatching sands, This medium-sized egg sits off to one side of the
sands, slightly obscured by two other, larger eggs. It appears to be a
burnished gold in color, with oddly-shaped splotches scattered across the
shell. A close look at the splotches reveals a world of shapes out to your
eye, not unlike when you look up at the sky and make shapes out of the
clouds. One splotch is a black, zig-zag shape, and another a red smear
that, with a little imagination, looks like a pair of lips. A third looks
like a lady's shoe with an odd rectangular protuberance attached to the
heel, and a fourth is merely a patch of darker gold that covers one end
with a faint net-like pattern. You wonder what other images are there,
buried in the sand, but you soon forget as the light shifts slightly and
brings another buried treasure to the surface.


Trilla springs into the air and goes *between*.

Rickon says "23."

Taylar looks at Alyssa and then at F'nar. "Well, from where I sit, he's the
problem." He smiles at F'nar. "No offense, rider."

Rickon says "No. 24. And that last one's gorgeous."

You say "Whoa, two at once! Twenty-three and twenty-four!"

Alyssa gasps as two eggs arrive one after the other. "I didn't know that
could happen!!"

Taylar starts. "Oh, thank goodness, they're soft."

F'nar blinkblinks.. "Why am I the problem, Taylar?"

You say "Oh, I like that first one! And that second is beautiful! Is
that--is that a queen egg? It certainly looks golden...."

Taylar says "Well, you're the one she's with and I'm not." He puts an arm
around Kass. "But, heh, that's ok."

From the hatching sands, Dyinath rumbles worriedly and rolls the second off
the first one, into a nearby depression. She then spends time with each,
making sure they are round and warm.

Alyssa is gazing at the eggs and only half-listening to Taylar and not sure
what he means about F'nar.

Kassima smiles, but says nothing, turning back to survey the eggs. "The one
with the words--well, almost words--okay, okay, squiggles that look vaguely
word-like--I bet it contains a blue. The second... well, if it's a queen
egg, it's a gold, of course. If it's not, I'd say a bronze."

Since Kassima doesn't seem to mind, Taylar leaves his arm around her and
snuggles a bit closer.

Rickon sighs at all the 'cute' couples, illiciting a mock-glare from Kalyn.

Kassima turns her head to Taylar. "Want to venture a guess?" she asks with
a grin. "Is that scribbly one a blue, or something else?"

From the hatching sands, Dyinath pats each egg with her nose and,
satisfied, moves to another clear area to create a mound to receive the
next egg.

Jarryl looks at Kalyn... looks at Rickon... and sighs herself.

Taylar smiles warmly at Kassima. "I think that it will be a blue." He leans
over a whispers in her ear.

[Editor's Note:  The whisper convo to follow has been cut out, because I 
did not realize that whisper was used for IC purposes at the time, so it 
quickly became OOC.]

Taylar oows as one of Kassima's flits takes exception to his being so close.

From the hatching sands, Dyinath creates a mound of sand slowly with her
claw. It's a tedious process, and the mound has slight swirls circling it.

Taylar mutters to Kassima, "... would... you have residency?"

You say "Oh, sorry about that! Kyril is pretty protective of his space."

Jarryl looks at Rickon. "I... um... may be going away soon."

Alyssa takes a deep breath and releases it, watching the sands carefully
for the next egg and beginning, now, to doubt her original estimation of eggs.

From the hatching sands, Dyinath carefully creates a conical mound with her
claw, then stamps it flat with a sudden step of her foot. There, perfect.
Now for the egg.


From the hatching sands, Perched precariously atop a lopsided mound of
sand, this brightly colored egg looks as though at any moment it might roll
away down the little hill and crash unceremoniously into several of its
unsuspecting mates below. Oval-shaped polka-dots adorn its sturdy shell,
each one a different color and glowing brightly as if lit somehow from
within. Radiant red competes with glowing green, luminescent yellow,
brilliant blue, and gleaming white, all shining so brightly that the sand
around this medium-sized egg seems to reflect the various colors back to it.


Rickon looks at Jarryl, and blinks, as if wondering what brought that on.
"Why?" Then. "25."

You say "I was almost right when I guessed green with pink polka-dots that
one time! Well, this one's very interesting. I say it's a green."

Taylar nods at Kassima's whispered words.

A five or six Turn old wanders up to Rickon, and tugs on his pants leg. She
shrieks, "I can count too! See! 1! 2! 3!"

Jarryl says "Selenay is sponsering me to healer hall... She sent a letter
to the craftsmaster asking them to accept me..."

"4! 5! 6! 7!" continues the little girl.

Kassima hides a grin beneath her hand as the child shows off her skills to
Rickon.

From the hatching sands, Dyinath seems pleased with this egg and finds a
better place for it. She rolls it up a nearby mound and leaves it there,
turning back to the old spot to lay another egg when she feels it's right.

Alyssa smiles brightly at Jarryl. "That's wonderful. Congratulations."

Tepp chitters at the child.

Rickon blinks. "Good luck...I guess." Then he looks down at the kid and
quietly disentangles her fingers from his trousers. "Can you count to 25?"
he asks.

Jarryl smiles at Alyssa shyly.

"9! 10! 8! 11! 12! 13!"

"'course I can! Just like you!"

Alyssa mutters to F'nar, "... you... right,..."

From the hatching sands, Dyinath is distracted by the loud counting coming
from the stands. She peers quizically in the direction of Rickon and the
girl, though she does not seem to be upset.

Taylar decides that Kassima's shoulders are really high and switches his
arm to her waist.

From the hatching sands, Asfala looks in that direction also, wondering
what is going on.

The little girl waves down at the Queen, "Hihihihihihihihihihihihi!"

Kassima raises one eyebrow at this, but says nothing, instead continuing to
watch the scene between Rickon and the girl-child. She smothers a chuckle
as the girl greets Dyinath.

Taylar laughs at the little girl. "Careful, honey. She's a bit busy.

Tepp croons encouragingly at Dyinath.

Guest1 smiles at Jarryl

From the hatching sands, Dyinath just stares, rather confused about the
behavior of the humanchild. She swings her head to peer at her rider for a
moment. Asfala just shrugs and grins. The dragon decides to let out quite a
loud bugle in the direction of the girl, and returns to what she was doing...

From the hatching sands, Valenth emits a low rumble, the draconic
equivalent of a chuckle.

"Eeeek!" the girl cries, as she falls backwards, onto her posterior. "Loud!
I can be loud too!"

Jarryl slips out quietly, leaving the tray.

Taylar smiles at the pretty young lady next to him. "Don't worry. I can be
discreet." He looks horrified when he realizes he said that out loud.

Jarryl walks out to the bowl.

Kassima smothers another laugh at the exchange between the girl and the
queen, disguising it as a coughing fit.

Rahmee suddenly appears from /between/.

Rahmee steps out of the Weavercraft tent.

The little girl gets back up, waves to the Queen, and downright shrieks in
laughter.

From the hatching sands, Dyinath doesn't pay much attention to the girl as
she deposits another egg on the sand.

Kassima sighs. Yep, discretion is Taylar's middle name, all right. But she
grins anyway.

From the hatching sands, This egg sits off by itself, a splash of color
amidst a dark area of sand. It's a swirled mass of pastel purple and pink,
with regions of light red shading all the way into orange. The surface of
the egg is extremely glossy, and every now and then, as you shift your
point of view, bursts of white light reflect across the egg and wash out
the colors briefly. Here and there, standing out against the pastels,
bright slashes of red almost glow, streaking from one end of the egg to the
other.

Rickon chuckles at the scene.

Rickon says "26."

You say "Beautiful! Now there's a green!"

Taylar sighs and sips his ales. Since he hasn't moved in a while, he shifts
closer to Kassima.

Kassima sips her wine. "Maybe it's not a green," she says, doubtfully. No
one is arguing with her, and she takes that as a bad sign. "Maybe it's a
brown."

From the hatching sands, Dyinath seems rather uncomfortable, and moves as
quickly as a 40-meter dragon can among fragile eggs to find a clear spot to
deposit another egg.


From the hatching sands, Just looking at this egg causes a disturbance deep
inside you. The coloration is rather normal: a creamy yellow of very light
cheese with spots and streaks of a dark brown. It's the arrangement of the
spots that is disturbing. Thin lines radiate up from the narrow end, over
about one-fourth of the egg. Above that, the spots are set in such a way as
to image a gaunt face, mouth open and eyes almost shut, like a person in
the final, tortured moments of death. If you close your eyes, you can
almost hear him moaning...


You whisper "Oh, you're probably right. Because of holidays, they'd have to
lengthen it some." to Taylar.

Alyssa shudders and looks away from that egg.

You say "Ugh! That egg looks... disturbed."

Kassima says slowly, obviously unsure of herself, "Maybe it's a bronze."

From the hatching sands, Dyinath pads the egg with sand, crooning lovingly.

Rickon yicks, and looks away from that egg. "I feel sick." From the
background, Kalyn laughs.

N'fan murmurs, "Like that one too.." It's hard for him to decide now
between that one and the "evil" one.

From the hatching sands, Valenth warbles proudly to his mate, reaching his
muzzle out to nudge her.

You say "Some of these eggs are almost frightening. I hope that doesn't
bode ill for their occupants.... Still, none is as scary as that
psychadelic egg."

Taylar leans over and whispers close to Kassima's ear.

Rickon says "Nope. That last one is worse than the psychewotsit one. Much
worse."

From the hatching sands, Dyinath turns around to nuzzle Valenth happily.
She then notices a good spot for an egg, under Valenth's tail. She noses
his tail out of the way.

Taylar laughs.

You say "None of them are exactly bad. They're intriguing, certainly. But
I'd have to say that psychadelic egg disturbes me in a way no other egg has
matched yet...."

Taylar says "I like you, Kassima. You have a great sense of humor" He
smirks. "Not to mention you are really pretty."

Rickon chuckles at Dyinath's 'antics'. "I think she's doing that just to
make him move."

From the hatching sands, Valenth pulls his tail out of the way, then steps
off to the side, giving his Queen all the room she might need.

Kassima blushes, and then grins. "Well, aren't we complimentary! I thank
you for the sweet words, Taylar."

From the hatching sands, Dyinath moves into the vacated spot with the air
that she owns the place (and she does!). She settles in to lay another egg.

From the hatching sands, This egg is a bit malformed, broad and wide at one
end, and tapering gradually almost to a point on the other. It is
bluish-green in color, swirled to emphasize its roundess, but the colors
are almost fluorescent, shining against the sand. If it had a base under
the tapered end, it might be a crystal goblet, calling to you like a beacon.

Rickon blinks. "Man...that is way out!"

Kassima looks in awe at the new egg. "That one--that's one gorgeous egg!"
she breathes. "It's a blue."

Rickon says "No. Such a splendid egg has to have a bronze in it."

Taylar smiles and blushes. "I'm not really that good with girls so I tend
to be a bit blunt."

You say "Who says the prettiest eggs have to have bronzes in them? I think
that tortured-looking one has a bronze, to tell the truth."

Kassima shrugs. "Bluntness isn't a bad thing," she comments. "Now, what do
you think is in that crystal-like egg?"

Rickon is still staring at the 'glass' egg. "It's the most beautiful egg
I've ever seen..."

Taylar says "I don't know, Kass. Green I think."

From the hatching sands, Dyinath is pleased with the egg, but turns back to
the creamy one with the brown spots to lavish a little more affection on
it, before choosing another spot to lay an egg.

From the hatching sands, Dyinath tamps down some sand with her foot, until
a two-meter region is perfectly flat. She positions herself over it to lay
another egg there.


From the hatching sands, This egg sits askew on the hot sands, as if it's
about to take a tumble. Blues and greys shimmer across the iridescent
shell, like shadows of shadows, and if you stare at them too long, you get
the queasy feeling you might be falling into their vortex. Just a casual
glance, however, leaves you with the unlikely impression of softness, the
egg's image resting in your memory like a vision half-seen or a whisper
half-heard. On one side, a pale sweep of blue-on-blue reminds you of the
shape of a dragon's wings silhouetted against the sky.


You say "You know, it could be a green. But I still think it's a blue. Call
it a hunch... oh, that's lovely. It looks like a hypnotic pillow. Blue?
Maybe, but probably brown. Or bronze."

Alyssa stifles a yawn and without thinking leans her head lightly on
F'nar's shoulder.

Taylar hmmms. "I really can't tell. I know there's a dragon in there, but
even that is hard to believe. Dragons are so big and the eggs are so small.

F'nar smiles, letting her rest there.

You say "It's not that small."

Taylar says "Compared to Dyinath it is."

Rickon says "They grow pretty fast."

Kassima laughs. "Well, sure! They'd have to be! If I were a dragon, I'd
certainly hate to have to lay eggs as big as I was! Or even half that size."

From the hatching sands, Dyinath chooses a spot among a number of other
eggs. She rolls the others away a small distance to make room for a new egg.

Taylar shakes his head. "I don't see how she has all of those and more in
her."

Kassima grins. "Dragons are amazing creatures. Female dragons are all the
more so. Not to disparage the males, of course," she adds hastily.

Taylar says "Ric? Aren't you a weyrbrat?"

Alyssa starts to explain it to Taylar, rather clinically, then shakes her
head and watches the sands with eyes half-closed. She leans a bit more
heavily on F'nar, yawning again.

Taylar says "We do have our uses, Kass."

Kassima watches anxiously, waiting for the thirtieth egg. If there is one,
but less than eleven after it, her victory is assured!

Rickon says "Some people call me that."

Taylar says "I mean, did you grow up in the Weyr? How fast do dragonets grow?"

From the hatching sands, Dyinath positions herself over the spot, very
careful not to disturb the other eggs, and deposits an egg.


From the hatching sands, This egg is a kaleidoscope of color:  greens,
reds, browns, and blues rushing across its surface like the sweep of the
landscape under a dragon's wings. On one side, strange designs of animals
and people dancing seem to be etched into a brown spot; on the other, red
and beige swirls that resemble two lovers embraced; near the top, a melange
of blues and whites like a cloudy summer sky; sloping towards its fat
bottom, a spackling of colors that sparkle like the insides of your eyelids
when you squeeze them shut. All in all, an improbable egg, probably holding
a unique draconic personality.

Kassima chuckles. "True enough, at times."

You say "My stars! That's an amazing egg!"

Rickon laughs. "Another funny one. I think Dyinath is determined to
entertain us."

You say "Now there's a brown."

Taylar chuckles. "Are you keeping tabs on your predictions? I'd love to see
if any come true.

Kassima wrinkles her nose. "Would you go through all this to entertain a
bunch of humans?" she asks, grinning. "Besides, some of these eggs have
been in no way entertaining. That tortured-looking face comes to mind."

Alyssa murmurs to Taylar, "They grow very, very fast...I read it takes up
to a turn and a half for the full growth to occur...wow..that is quite an
egg!"

From the hatching sands, Dyinath croons, first to her rider, then to her
mate. She slowly makes her way to the back of the cavern and settles down,
her tail curling around a group of eggs. She keeps a vigilant eye on the
humans.

You say "No, but I can recall them just by looking at the eggs. I'll have
to try and find a way to get to the Hatching, so I can see if any do come
true! Do you think she's done laying?"

Taylar says "Only a year and a half to go from something small enough to
fit in that to full dragon? That's fast."

Rickon says "Well, you've seen how fast 'lizards grow."

From the hatching sands, Asfala blinks, rising unconsciously from her seat.
"Dyinath?"

Taylar says "Heh, is she finished?"

Alyssa nods to Taylar. "That's why the weyrlingmasters are so careful not
to overwork the dragons when they are growing...they have to develop at the
right speed. Hmmm...looks like she might be finished."

Taylar leans foward watching.

Taylar says "True. I've watched Loki and others grow, but the difference in
size is not so great."

Rickon says "Only 30?"


You look over the sands and see a clutch of 30 eggs.

1) Crimson Defiance Egg 
2) Bell-shaped Egg 
3) Slate Egg 
4) Dichotomy Egg 
5) Aquarius Egg 
6) Tropical Egg 
7) Bright Patched Egg 
8) Stormy Seas Egg 
9) Deep Black Egg 
10) Swamplike Tri-marked Egg 
11) Deep Fog Egg 
12) Cloudy Evening Egg 
13) Golden Mimic Egg 
14) Illusion Egg 
15) Oil Slick Egg 
16) Swirling Sea Egg 
17) Malevolent Egg 
18) New Spring Egg 
19) Fur Egg 
20) Winter Storm Egg 
21) Long-necked Egg 
22) Patchwork Egg 
23) Graffiti Egg 
24) Zig-zag Net Egg 
25) Illuminated Egg 
26) Nebulous Egg 
27) Death Mask Egg 
28) Green Crystal Egg 
29) Askew Egg 
30) Fat-Bottomed Egg


From the hatching sands, Dyinath warbles to her rider, as if it is just all
too plain, so why is she asking?

You say "Thirty is enough to win me my marks--though only by a hair! Too
bad there wasn't a queen egg."

N'ren can be heard snickering ever so quietly.

Celie comes in from the bowl.

N'ren scratches the bronze on his shoulder.

Celie waves quietly to those gathered, heading toward a quiet seat.

From the hatching sands, Asfala carefully picks her way among the eggs to
reach her lifemate. She throws her arms around the great beast's neck. "Oh,
Dyinath! They're all so wonderful!"

Taylar says "Great clutch." He calls down to the sands."

Mireldeyn warbles proudly, then croons to N'ren.

Rickon looks kinda annoyed. "Only 30? I thought Dyinath would do better
than that!"

From the hatching sands, Valenth's eyes whirl a proud blue, and he lets out
a strident bugle!

Kassima raises her wine glass in a toast. "To the clutch, the queen, the
weyr, the hatchlings--and the marks wagered and won! Speaking of which,
Rickon, did your various wagers fill your purse, or empty it?"

Alyssa nods to Kassima, though she comments quietly, "Dyinath is still a
young queen. She has plenty of clutches in her future." Yawning again, she
stretches slowly before calling to the sands, "Well done, Dyinath! Well
done, Valenth! You have done Benden and Ista proud."

Kassima raises an eyebrow at Rickon. "Thirty is a respectable clutch," she
says.

Tepp squawks angrily at Rickon.

Ronald chitters, finally moving from his patient perch to stretch out his
wings.

Rickon says "Yes, but Ista's last one was forty!"

M'kla comes in from the bowl.

Rickon stalks out, looking almost offended.

Rickon walks out to the bowl.

N'ren chuckles, then /stares/ at Rickon. "You thought /Dyinath/ would do
better. Try Valenth. She had around 40 with Notreth."

Taylar waves to M'kla.

Kassima snorts. "So Ista's last one was forty. What does that have to do
with this clutching?" She says this to no one in particular, since Rickon
has already left.

Taylar shrugs. "He must have lost.

N'ren snorts. "Poor baby."

Alyssa admits quietly, "I thought the clutch would be bigger too...but the
thirty are all healthy, strong-looking eggs. So we should be happy with the
ones we have."

Kassima nods. "Last I heard, he'd wagered on thirty-nine eggs."

M'kla raises an eyebrow, obviously just back from sweeps, and blinks at the
conversation.

N'ren says "You bet, you lose."

M'kla chuckles, "No one listens. I said not more than two and a half
dozen...she wasn't that round."

Celie rests her chin on her hand, quietly glancing over the eggs.

Taylar stands and bows to M'kla's superior wisdom.

N'fan stands up and steps outside without a word to anyone.

N'fan walks out to the bowl.

M'kla smirks at Taylar, "Stop that, I'm no lord holder...."

Taylar smiles broadly at M'kla. "I know, but I thought it fit the comment.

Alyssa lets out a heavy sigh and gets reluctantly to her feet, stretching
as she yawns. "Shells, I am sleepy."

M'kla chuckles and sits down, "Thirty...that's twice as big as the clutch I
was Impressed at...and we don't really need that many dragons at the
moment...we'll have an overabudance."

Taylar says "Wow. How late is it? I got really early chores tomorrow."

N'ren nods. "Still. That is downright insulting."

F'nar looks at Alyssa, next to him. "May I walk you out, then?"

Alyssa nods gratefully to F'nar, slipping her arm through his. "Please."

N'ren wanders over to M'kla, gives her a hug, then heads out to the bowl.

N'ren walks out to the bowl.

Taylar smiles over at Kassima. "Thanks for letting me sit with you. Maybe
we can do something like this again soom?"

F'nar walks out to the bowl.

Alyssa walks out to the bowl.

You say "Well, perhaps. After all, these eggs will hatch eventually! I'm
eager to see whether any of my predictions come true, truth be told."

Taylar smiles. He raises one of her hands to his lips gently. "Good night,
sweet lady. Til next time."

M'kla shakes her head, and sits down, pulling out some paper sheets and
some colored chalk.

Celie gets up quietly and departs.

Celie walks out to the bowl.

Kassima grins. "Till next we meet, then. Where are you headed from here?"

Taylar says "To bed. Got to get an early start in the morning. The
headwoman likes to give the worst chores to the late ones."

Kassima groans. "Dishes, again?"

Taylar laughs. "Or gather numbweed like I did today."

Kassima wrinkles her nose. "Could be worse--you could have to boil the stuff!"

Taylar says "You got a ride or a bunk for the night?"

You say "Oh, I'll manage somehow. I always do."

Taylar grimaces and gags. "I hate the smell but love the result."

M'kla quietly begins to sketch the eggs, with a graceful, accurate hand.

You say "I've never had a chance to test the results, for which I thank my
lucky stars individually and by name!"

Taylar says "We have extra bunks in the dorm or B'fus would give you a
ride, I'm sure."

Taylar says "I've used numbweed for scrapped shins from scampering after
tunnelsnakes. Great stuff."

You say "Fortunately, the tunnelsnakes that would invade our rooms were
usually half-starved--not even they would go after my mother's cooking--and
pretty easy to catch as a result, so I never bothered."

Taylar says "I've learned to let Loki do the honors. Well, gotta go. Sleep
well. Clear skies."

Ronald leaps into the air and glides /just/ over a few peoples' heads down
to the railing, backwinging to perch there and get a curious, closer look
at the eggs.

You say "Fare well, clear skies, and all that. Sweet dreams!"

Taylar smiles. Turning to the Galleries in general, he calls, "Night, all"

Taylar says "Or just M'kla as the case may be."

Taylar walks out to the bowl.

M'kla nods idly, sketching the eggs.

Tepp emits an eager chirrup, and blinks away into *between*.

Kassima waves as she exits.

You walk out to the bowl.