hexarchate_rpg | Chapter 2.6: Hatchlings!

Entry tags:

Chapter 2.6: Hatchlings!

[First, some housekeeping: I'm going to be at Worldcon in Dublin and therefore out of the country, with limited time for email, from August 14 to 19. Please bear with me if responses are slow during that time.]

The Cantata is continuing on its way to Autumn Pyre.

Anyone monitoring Jedao will find that he has been tensing and untensing his muscles, and making slow stretching motions, without making overt attempts to escape, so he doesn't stiffen up while he's bound. He says to the room, "A glass of water would be appreciated if anyone's listening."

In the middle of the night (ship's time), there are EXTREMELY loud distress calls from Fluffy's enclosure, and shortly thereafter, multiple very loud chirrups from within the nest. Gerae appears to be sound asleep and unresponsive.

[Anyone who wants a baby pseudo-dragon of their own should report in!]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Sasha's awake, trying to figure out how in the Prophet's name she's going to deliver a collection of banking information to Flute without alerting Spider or Firecracker that she had fucked station surveillance up, down, and sideways. Civilians are stupid. She just has to lean on that fact.

As soon as she hears chirping, she heads to the galley and turns on the lights.

[Is Fluffy in the nest, or elsewhere? Can baby pseudo-dragons be handled, or does that interfere with their development or bonding with their parent?]

Before entering Jedao's room, Reshad finds Seyli. She doesn't want to keep Jedao waiting longer than necessary, but an attempt to mitigate harm counts, in her mind, as necessary.

"Can we discuss tactics a moment?" The soundproofing of the door is paramount, here; she checks it.

"I think he's likely to try to feel out your responses. I want to avoid that conflict if at all possible." She looks helpful and earnest, disguising a very real worry.

[Sorry! I've been in a flurry of prep for convention season and one of two talks is now done.]

Edited 2019-08-10 15:52 (UTC)

"Of course," Seyli says, inclining their head toward Reshad. They hold themselves tense, alert, especially this close to Jedao. It doesn't take a trained fox to see how uncomfortable they still are about this entire situation. They're also, curiously perhaps, still in Kel uniform when they have not been dressed as such before.

"You mean bait me," they say, voice flat. "And you don't want me to rise to the bait."

Virmad, normally a heavy sleeper, is up late reading Teo’s annotated poetry book, as he does from time to time, and hears Fluffy’s sounds — and then Fluffy’s hatchlings’ sounds!

“Oh, fuck,” he says aloud to no-one. “It finally happened.”

He tucks a pen into the poetry book to mark his page, then opens his door and pokes his head out. “Grid, where’s Gerae?”

"Gerae is in his room sleeping," the grid informs Virmad.

[Further inquiry will reveal that Gerae was up half the night, ironically, and just fell asleep one hour ago.]

"I do mean bait you, and I want to reduce the attack surface as much as possible." Reshad suppresses the urge to bait, herself; she needs Seyli calm and thinking. Finding out here and now whether she can provoke them isn't productive.

"Why the Kel uniform?" It's asked in tones of curiosity.

"Why not the Kel uniform?" They shrug. "It's what he's always seen me in and I have no desire to confirm or deny my status as Kel/unKel to him." They're not...totally lying. Someone well versed in detecting lies would be able to pick up on the fact there is a good deal of truth to the comment.

Fluffy is desperately ferrying even more snacks in between the tray that Sasha provided (and that someone else appears to have replenished during the night--asking the grid will reveal that Gerae did this) and her nest. Sasha knows from her study of baby pseudo-dragons that they are RAVENOUS for the first week or so after they hatch, and normally it would be the work of all the adults in the colony keeping the hungry little suckers fed. Fluffy is doing her best, but as a lone pseudo-dragon parent, she is clearly overwhelmed.

Baby pseudo-dragons could and should be handled from early on, especially if they're to be socialized to humans.

Sasha replenishes the tray yet again, and locates a jar of almond butter and another of fruit preserves. She mixes a spoonful of each, trying for an easily digestible consistency, then looks into the nest and whistles a coaxing invitation.

[Sasha doesn't want to collide with Fluffy, but she will definitely start feeding a hatchling if she can pull one out of the nest without causing too great a disruption.]

Baby pseudo-dragons are somewhat clumsy. There's an ear-piercing squawk that sounds like two of the hatchlings are squabbling with each other, and then one hatchling emerges in response to the whistling, and then a second one.

Fluffy trills reassuringly at the babies, and continues her feeding efforts.

Sasha swipes her right ring finger through the almond butter and fruit mix. She gives the spoon to the first hatchling and picks up the second in her left hand, cradling it close to her body. She offers her tasty finger to lick.

[Important question: what colors are the hatchlings?]

The two hatchlings greedily lick away the almond butter and fruit mix. The second's tongue tickles. It's very squirmy.

[My honest answer to "what color is a hatchling" is everyone who adopts a hatchling gets to decide what color it is. Does that work?]

He would, Virmad thinks, be distressed to have missed the hatching; it’s a shame to wake him, but...

He goes to Gerae’s room first, then. “Grid, could you” — he winces apologetically — “wake Gerae?”

Virmad hears some thumps, muffled borderline heretical swearing, and then about two minutes later Gerae emerges. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Gerae says, looking bleary. "Is there an emergen--" He hears the chirruping and his eyes go wide. "We have to help Fluffy!"

[Sure, but then you should tell me which of the two present hatchlings is blue!]

Sasha should have planned ahead and made a smoothie. There are all sorts of options for protein and vitamins, if you use the blender. "Grid?" she asks. "Is Ione awake? Or Alaric, or Sulen?"

Meanwhile, she's mixing another round of fruit and almond butter. She hums to the hatchlings as she works.

[The one that is licking Sasha's finger eagerly is blue. :) ]

“I didn’t think you’d want to miss this,” Virmad says, gesturing for Gerae to lead the way. “Sorry to wake you so soon.”

Gerae nods, and hastens toward the pseudo-dragon enclosure where Sasha is already dealing with two hatchlings. She's holding one; the other appears to be trying to eat a spoon.

[Please join

zuhrovet and anyone else who shows up for this at this thread starting here. :) The spoon-eating hatchling is going to be very curious about Virmad, and will be any color you want.]

Sulen is not always awake, but they are right now, and appear in the doorway a few minutes after Sasha, holding a glass of water. They put it down on the nearest available surface and tentatively crouch down, watching the hatchlings. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Sasha has speaking to the hatchlings in Kirrish ("Hey, little froglets, it's just like catching flies.") She looks up, a bit embarrassed. "Oh, good, you're here. Could you run a can of tuna and a couple of bananas through the blender? On the other side of the room, I don't want to scare them, but their food should be a paste and I doubt you want to chew it yourself."

Alaric stumbles into the common room, bleary-eyed and with hair more disheveled than usual. "Was that the decompression alert? Or the we're-being-chased-by-angry-Kel siren? We should probably have one of - oh. Huh. Should we get some kind of squeeze bottle?"

"Fuck, please," Sasha says. "Could you print at least six? There are quite a few babies still in the nest, and pseudo-dragons aren't meant to be single parents."

Two more hatchlings emerge from the nest while Fluffy is gathering up more food, squalling, and head straight (clumsily) toward the tray.

[Hatchling #1 for Sulen, hatchling #2 for Alaric, each of you can choose what color your hatchie is!]

Sulen admires a magenta and purple hatchling before reluctantly going to make the smoothie. They're not fond of handling fish products but it seems worth it, looking at the little creatures.

[Is the tuna and banana in the cargo hold, or do they need to make a trip to the galley?]

[The tuna and banana is in the galley.

I am not-so-secretly hoping there will be much hatchling art.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 3

Chapter 2.6: Hatchlings!

checking on the babies

A conversation outside, Paging Seyli

Re: A conversation outside, Paging Seyli

Pseudodragon Uncircled

Re: Pseudodragon Uncircled

Re: A conversation outside, Paging Seyli

Re: A conversation outside, Paging Seyli

Re: checking on the babies

Re: checking on the babies

Re: checking on the babies

Re: checking on the babies

Re: checking on the babies

Re: Pseudodragon Uncircled

Re: Pseudodragon Uncircled

Re: checking on the babies - paging Ione, Alaric, and Sulen

Re: checking on the babies - paging Ione, Alaric, and Sulen

Re: Pseudodragon Uncircled

Re: Pseudodragon Uncircled

Re: checking on the babies - paging Ione, Alaric, and Sulen

Re: checking on the babies - paging Ione, Alaric, and Sulen

Re: checking on the babies - paging Ione, Alaric, and Sulen

Re: checking on the babies - paging Ione, Alaric, and Sulen

Re: checking on the babies - paging Ione, Alaric, and Sulen

Re: checking on the babies - paging Ione, Alaric, and Sulen

Re: checking on the babies - paging Ione, Alaric, and Sulen