Complete Private ✪ Finweald A Scaly Surprise

[Luthien]

That was weird… The marketplace was known for its bustling nature, with the sounds of haggling customers and hollering merchants eager to sell their wares echoing all around, and it wasn’t uncommon to miss what others might say as a result. Even now, long after she’d left the stall and its keeper, Lúthien still couldn’t figure out what the spoken words had been… except for the fact that someone or something had apparently been quite pleased to hear of her latest adventuring tale.

Her steps had taken the girl towards the forge next, where she had willingly procured the materials required for a particular item that she’d been eyeing for a while now. While the item was being worked on something else had caught her attention, a label with the ‘Children of Eternity’ that had rested on the wooden table along with a price tag. It had taken her a moment to check her UI, confirming that she did carry enough for whatever this mysterious item was, and without much thought Lúthien had added it into her request.

"Advice: Don't let this thing stay hungry for too long."
"Wha—oh!"

The initial confusion towards the unexpected tip received from Ms. Forge was quickly replaced by a look of surprise as the girl was handed over a scaly silvery egg. It was held close to her chest instinctively, the oblong-shaped object still warm to the touch, despite the odd mist that emanated from it. Certainly not what she had expected, but now that Lúthien had seen it the name of it made sense in her head. Whatever previous concerns she might’ve had from the market were quickly forgotten as something new had been presented to her, and an excited smile quickly pulled at her lips before she gave Ms. Forge a hasty goodbye and headed out the door.

　

To: @Yugam
From: Lúthien

Whatcha doing...?
Beleg finally let you go for the day?​

Her hands fluttered through the air with practiced ease as a couple of messages were sent, the other keeping a safe hold on the scaled egg she’d received as the girl walked through the familiar streets of Finweald in the direction of the inn where the hunter and her shared a rented room. A stop had been made along the way to get some fresh cuts of meat for the little bloodwurm that awaited, before another couple of messages were fired off again.

　

To: @Yugam
From: Lúthien

Got something really cool at the forge today!
Bet you can’t guess what it is~​

Perhaps an unfair game considering that a forge was the last place she would’ve expected this little bundle of joy to be at, but she was curious to see what his guesses would be. A few strokes in the air soon caused a key to materialize from her inventory, gently falling onto her open palm before the blonde unlocked the door to their shared room.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Luthien

Whatcha doing...? Beleg finally let you go for the day?

‎

‎

Are you kidding? Hed chain me to the floor here if he could. Took work home with me tonight

Got something really cool at the forge today! Bet you can't guess what it is~

‎

‎

Is it my will to live?

‎

Im in our room. Please come give me an excuse to not work

Yugam waved the message box away before staring into the mirror and pulling down on the skin beneath his now crimson eye. A more masculine face, a couple more inches in height. All in all just enough to make people not connect the dots between Yugam and Ari. Ari couldn't say he wasn't please with the results, but it was strange to see someone else looking back at him in the mirror. It was done now though. Not that he couldn't just revert back at any point he chose...but god that would hurt.

Yugam pulled his shirt back on as he went back into the room proper and sank into his chair with a sigh. Considering that the Embertorch still lacked walls, it was far more comfortable to be working out of the inn than in the summer heat. While the Whistles had been kind enough to set up a tent where Yugam usually worked, he still got the distinct feeling that it was there to shield the documents from the elements and not him. Still, at least he benefitted.

The little bloodwurm slowly dragged itself around the table, it's little costume scrunching up and then flattening with each movement. "Yeah, I'm bored too bud..."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

His last message popped into view just as the blonde unlocked the door, a soft chuckle escaping as she stepped into the room before turning around to properly lock it. "You better not be planning to pull an all-nighter..."

Though Lúthien liked the League and its members—including Beleg, even if she never verbally admitted it—she wasn’t exactly keen to let all that paperwork ruin their quality time in the evenings. A hand waved away the open chat screen that partially obstructed her view, before practiced motions had her key disappear back into the void of her inventory.

"Where’s Tub-Tubs? Got a surprise for him—" The excited look on her face quickly vanished upon seeing the unfamiliar figure currently sitting at the desk, the smile on her lips turned into a frown as her brows furrowed in thought. "Who are you?"

The warmth that had accompanied her voice evaporated entirely, her posture shifting just enough to keep the silver egg she carried pressed close and out of view. Narrowed eyes made sure to keep the stranger within her vision even as they looked around the room for her boyfriend, the tension quickly gathering on her exposed shoulders easy enough to see... and if the unexpected “guest” was perceptive enough he might’ve caught the faint cracking of static as it started build up around the elf.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

The sound of the door opening behind Yugam drew his attention just moments after his last message had been sent. The man's head lulled backwards, hanging over the back of the chair at an uncomfortable angle as crimson eyes found Luthien. "Yo,"
"Where's Tub-Tubs? Got a surprise for him—" the elf said before her eyes narrowed, and a spark of electricity filled the room. A metallic taste hung in the air as Luthien's steely gaze turned to a frown.

Yugam practically leapt into the air, before lifting the chair he was sitting on and holding it out defensively, as if it could shield him from anything his tempestuous girlfriend could throw at him. "Woah, woah, woah, chill! It's just me!" the man said, as if that actually clarified anything.

Tubby, the brave little bloodwurm that he was, slunk his way up to the highest leg of the chair he could and reared back proudly. If worms could speak he'd probably be doing his best Gandalf vs the Balrog impression right now.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Woah, woah, woah, chill!” His reaction is almost instant as the mood in the room quietly shifts, the man quickly bolting out of his chair before grasping the sides and raising it defensively to protect himself from whatever the blonde might throw his way. ”It's just me!"

The voice is impossible to mistake for anyone else’s, but that only seems to deepen the frown on her face as her mind struggles to understand why Ari’s voice is coming out of someone who looks nothing like her boyfriend. Faint crackling can be heard now as the electricity around the ranger builds further, before the sight of Tubby on the chair-turned-shield causes Lúthien to hold off from zapping the unexpected stranger in their room.

"… is that really you?" She’s clearly skeptical of the whole thing, but she’s unwilling to attack the man if it means risking the wurm’s safety.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

The sound of crackling electricity did not subside when Ari tried to explain who his reasonably confused girlfriend. But instead of just remaining at the same level it was, it began to climb even higher in intensity, until the thin hairs on the man's arms began to stand on end.

"… is that really you?" Despite the situation, Ari couldn't help but be a little bit sarcastic. "Do you know anyone else who keeps a tiny bloodwurm dressed up as a Japanese train as a pet?" the man quipped before trying to come up with some other way to prove to Valeria that he was, indeed, her boyfriend, and not just a poor cosplayer (not that anyone would even want to cosplay as Yugam).

"The first time we met, I bumped into you, and you dropped your ice cream. Dark chocolate. I tried to buy you a new one but they were all out of that flavor."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

While the face was that of a stranger the subtle changes in his expression as the man spoke were a perfect mimicry of her boyfriend. His sarcastic quip was quickly met with an unamused expression from the elf,one that Yugam no doubt recognized with ease, while the static around them began to subside slowly.

She wouldn’t be surprised if someone with harmonics could replicate the man’s voice with ease, though managing to get even the faintest nuances of his speech was another matter entirely. "Would it have killed you to gimme a heads up via message before I got here?" A relieved sigh escaped her lungs as he spoke of the sacrificed dark chocolate ice cream that first brought them together in NYC, the last traces of electricity finally dissipating as the ranger relaxed once more.

"You’re lucky Tub-Tubs was with you ‘cause you were this close of getting fried to a crisp." She pinched the air between the fingers on her free hand to show how close the man had been to tasting lightning, the other arm carefully cradling the egg close to her as it came into view once more.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Yup this was it. Yugam would've recognized that expression anywhere. She was not happy. So, this was how he died. The second time at least. At the hands of his loving girlfriend, who'd you'd have thought would be able to recognize him even if he did look different. Oh, the tragedy.

Thankfully Luthien did not actually try to take a live X-ray of Yugam's skeleton, and the man could feel the electric crackling in the air begin to subside. "What, I forgot! I figured Tubby being...Tubby would be enough to clue you in either way, geez." That was a very picky worm after all. So far, the only people Tubby seemed to like were himself and Luth.

"You're lucky Tub-Tubs was with you 'cause you were this close of getting fried to a crisp," Luth said, bringing her index finger and thumb together, almost touching. "Yeah, maybe. But you woulda felt bad afterwards when you realized it was me. I still got your teeth-marks in my shoulder from last night," Yugam said with a shrug, "Whatcha got there, by the way?" the man asked, finally noticing the egg now that imminent death by electrocution wasn't an immediate threat. "Is that your surprise? Are we making a really big ass omelet or somethin' tonight?"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

Color quickly rose to her cheeks as her boyfriend brought up some of the fun times™ from the night before, and how guilty she would’ve felt if she’d actually zapped the man today. "L-Look, I couldn’t see ‘em—and t-that’s beside the point…!" Instead she motioned towards their little pet in a train costume, deflecting the topic back to the wurm and his known weakness.

"B-Besides, we both know he’s pretty food motivated." Granted, it wasn’t a lie that the wurm was picky, especially when it came to someone actually handling him, but that still didn’t meant he couldn’t be momentarily pacified by a deliciously bloodied fresh piece of beef— "Oh, almost forgot! C’mon Tub-Tubs, time for dinner."

She’d placed the egg carefully on the small table they used for meals before making her way then to the small kitchen that occupied a corner in the room. A few flickers in the air with her fingers caused a small paper bag to materialize and fall into her waiting hands, giving the little wurm a wide grin before looking for his plate. The ceramic bowl she’d acquired for Tubby’s meals was soon filled with the now unwrapped treats: raw poultry hearts and a pair of blood sausages that hadn’t been cooked.

The platter was carefully placed on the floor for the wurm’s easy access, a damp towel being used to clean her hands, before Yugam’s comment of the egg caught her attention. "Wha—No Yu, that’s not dinner." The towel was placed on the counter before she moved towards the egg, disturbing the faint mist that had gathered around it as she picked the scaly object back into her hands.

”Found this cutie at the forge today, and you’ll never guess what’s inside~" The excitement was almost palpable as she spoke, walking closer to Yugam so he could get a better look. "It’s a basilisk!"

So much for letting him guess…?

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Would there ever be a day when Ari didn't get a kick out of embarrassing Val? Not in a million years. A self-satisfied smile tugged at his lips as the woman's face began to glow red and she began to stammer. The man made a brief dismissive gesture at the mention of Tubby being mood motivated. She wasn't wrong but still.

As Val fed Tubby, Ari began to inspect what he could only presume was tonight's dinner. And tomorrow's breakfast. And possibly lunch. Because this thing was massive, and Ari was almost certain he could feed an entire army with it. At least until Val began to scold him that it was, in fact, not dinner. "Well, what is it then?" the man asked before Val began to explain how she came upon the not-dinner, and asking Ari to guess at what was inside. Presumably yolk, and other eggy things, but knowing his girlfriend enough to know she'd answer the question herself, Ari withheld his sarcasm.

"It's a basilisk!"
"A...basilisk...like a 'turn you to stone' murder-lizard. And you thought this was a good idea...why?" When it hatched was its power active? Would it turn them to stone? Could it learn to control it? Would they be turned to stone before they could finish teaching it? Ari could already feel his last few remaining lives waning as he thought about all the OSHA violations the living, breathing concrete machine must bring about.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

A pout soon settled over the once smiling lips, it was hard to miss that her boyfriend did not share the same enthusiasm and with good reason as she did when it came to the scaly silvered egg that she held. "N-Noo, it's not that kind of basilisk... I think?" Ms. Forger had never said anything about petrification, far as Lúthien was aware the little one within this shell was similar to the ones they’d seen in the labyrinth many months ago.

”And you thought this was a good idea...why?"

"’Cause they’re cute…?"She gave him a sheepish smile, quickly choosing to elaborate further. "M-Miss Forge also gave me a ton of tips on how to care and raise it too!"

She held the egg closer to her chest, arms wrapped protectively around the rough surface and causing the light mist that radiated from it to shift in response. "I’m sure it’ll be fiiineee—oh!" A look of surprise crossed her face as Lúthien stopped talking, eyes shifting away from her concerned boyfriend and towards the egg in her arms as her brows furrowed in concentration… and then she felt it again.

"O-Oh Yu! Yu, it’s moving!" And just like that her radiant smile was back, crimson eyes gleaming excitedly as she looked back at the hunter.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"You think..." Well, that was comforting. "Who is Miss For-" The sound of cracking stone drew both the player's attention, both of them turning to look towards the egg. Val flashed him a concerned look, before another cracking sound filled the air as the surface of the egg began to split, spider-webbing across the stone-like shell.

Ari turned around, and in his palm, a disc of polished blood-crystal took form. Holding it up, the man used it as a mirror, hoping that if the basilisk was of the statue creating variety the myths about their powers not working through reflections worked. "Val, I love you, but I swear to god if this thing turns you to stone, I'm gonna crack that thick head of yours open," the man swore as the elf instead leaned closer to get a better look.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"You think..."
"Yeah, the way Miss Forge described them it might be an egg from the ones in the ruins."
"Who is Miss For—"

A proverbial pin was placed into their conversation as the egg began to shake, the cracking sounds as the hard surface of the shell began to split accompanied by a low huummm that seemed to come from the creature within. "It’s hatching…! Shoot, Miss Forge said it would happen soon—but I didn’t think she meant this soon!" Was it safe for the hatchling within for her to even be holding it right now? Oh but placing it on the counter might be a worse idea, what if it accidentally rolled off the edge while trying to break free?!

"T-Towel… Towel!" She looked towards the kitchen, pointing at the dampened towel shed placed by the sink not that long ago, before another loud crack was followed by something slimy beginning to drip into her cupped hands. "Yu hurry, please!"

Ah, the disgusting sweet miracle of birth…

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"Yeah, the way Miss Forge described them it might be an egg from the ones in the ruins."
"The ones from the ruins!? Oh, that's even better!" Ari deadpanned, hardly able to believe his own ears. Valeria was going to be the death of him, Ari was absolutely convinced at this point.

But, being the good boyfriend that he was, Ari went and retrieved a still slightly damp towel from the sink, and put it on the small desk he'd previously been using to do some paperwork. He would've complained more, but fuck it. He hated paperwork anyways. "Fuckin' gross..." the man grimaced, stepping away to a safe distance with his mirror as soon as he was able. "Uh, so, do you have any idea what you're supposed to do once it actually hatches? Assuming it doesn't turn you in the next Statue of David, of course."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Oh c'mon, don't make that face Yu... it's not that bad." At least it wasn't some unknown creature they'd never seen before, and this one would just be a teeny baby... how much trouble could a newborn be?

Despite his own reservations in the matter he diligently picked up the damp cloth that the blonde had requested, a grateful smile displayed on her lips along with a silently mouthed "Thank you!" as she followed him towards the desk. Lúthien was more than happy to carefully set the egg down the very second after Yugam had laid it out, using a corner of it ti wipe off whatever goop had gotten on her gloves before taking them off.

"Fuckin' gross..."
"That's nature for ya~"

A snorted chuckle left her lips as she watched her boyfriend take a few steps back, mirror still in his hands and aimed towards the shaking egg as a larger crack ran along its side. "It's gonna be hungry, so I'll have to feed it first." She stepped into the kitchen for a moment, picking a dish with halved pieces of chicken hearts that hadn't made it into Tubby's plate.

"From what Miss Forge said they're pretty omnivorous, which is a good thing..." Her words quietly trailed off as she came back to the desk, the small plate set down a distance from the egg before she pulled Yugam's chair closer and sat down. Another crack caused part of the eggshell to finally break away, a soft coo now audible from the hatchling inside before a tiny clawed paw struggled against the opening.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"Oh c'mon, don't make that face Yu... it's not that bad," she said.
"You say that now," he countered. Forget the fact that it was a potentially very deadly monster, it was a newborn. Assuming Ari lived through the next few moments, there was going to be a lot more crying in his future. The man honestly felt bad for the other patrons renting rooms in the inn. And in the bar downstairs.

"That's nature for ya~"
"I reiterate. Fucking gross." Glad Val found it entertaining at least, given that she snorted in amusement before going to find food for the baby lizard. "If it eats Tubby, we're breaking up," the man said. Having heard his master, Tubby slunk his way over to Yugam before starting to crawl up his leg towards the safety of his pocket.

In the crimson hued reflection, Ari saw a tiny claw poke its way out of the thick shell that encapsulated it. And then it started making noises. Despite his reservations, Ari couldn't help but continue to watch through his mirror.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"If it eats Tubby, we're breaking up." She looked back at the man when he spoke, an offended look on her face before she snorted. "Of course I’m not letting them eat Tubby, you know I love the little guy."

Besides, that wasn’t exactly the main diet for this species… though a part of her felt like her boyfriend wasn’t gonna be too happy when he found out what else the basilisk needed as nourishment to survive. "It’ll be fiiine, Miss Forge said they will take at least two decades, if not more, to get as big as the one we saw in the ruins." That and the one they’d come across had already been quite the anomaly too, the woman doubted whatever hatched from this egg could be as terrisome as that one had been… though that still didn’t mean it wouldn’t be a force to be reckoned with in due time.

Almost as if encouraged by the voices beyond its shell the creature within began to thrill as their efforts doubled, deeper cracks appearing on the egg’s surface before more chunks finally gave way to the pressure and the struggle of the little one trapped inside. "That’s it, c’mon… you’re almost there, Tirsk~"

Her words seemed to spur it further as multiple paws began to poke out of the rustics holes it had managed to puncture into its prison, before the remains on the eggshell finally crumbled away to reveal the goop covered critter to them. "Awww, you’re so cuuute~!" The happy squeals from the blonde quickly captured the hatchling’s attention as their head turned towards her, the clue color underneath their multifaceted eyes whirling quickly within them, before a soft glow began to emanate from them once the hatchling hacked up a glop of albumen and inhaled its first breath of fresh air.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Despite the obvious joke he'd made, and Val's good reception of it, even going so far as to let out a snort of amusement, Ari couldn't muster more than a faint smile back at her. The fact remained, the egg was an unknown, its contents, a barely understood variable. The possibility that it would try and eat Tubby was not out of the question yet, nor what it might try to do to either of them. Sure it might just be a babe, but in a world of magic, who knew.

But Ari's reservations would not halt the basilisk's hatching. The shell cracked and fell away as the creature within clawed its way out, eager to greet the world, and potentially attempt to eat it. When it had finally broken through entirely, its body slick with slime...nothing in particular happened. No statuette in the form of Valeria, no wormfood. Just the strange cooing sounds of a tiny creature.

"Awww, you're so cuuute~!" Val squealed, and Ari's blood-mirror melted into his skin as he turned to get a better look at the creature. "Uh, I mean, I guess it kinda is?" the man said, with a faintly confused look on his face. "In a...kinda creepy kinda way?"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Hush you, they’re not creepy at all." Brows furrowed as her lower lip jutted out in a light pout while she spoke, though by now his girlfriend’s… unique taste in fantastical creatures and where to find them shouldn’t have surprised the huntsman.

The blood mirror Yugam had conjured for protection had disappeared back into his veins once no imminent dangers revealed themselves in the room, while the ranger occupied herself in getting the new hatchling cleaned up as best she could. "Hard to believe such a small little thing can grow so much with time, huh?" Had she not personally seen the basilisk of the ruins with her own two eyes the blonde would’ve assumed this would get no bigger than a mastiff, maybe.

With most of the goop now trapped in the damp towel she’d felt confident enough to push the plate of halfcut chicken hearts towards Tirsk, dangling one of them long enough to capture their attention before the young one started to consume them. "That’s it, good Tirsk." One of them slipped from their mouth as they attempted to chew, landing on a stray document that Yugam had been working on before, before the little ravenous critter picked it back up.

"Whoops," Perhaps the desk hadn’t been the best place to have a basilisk hatch and eat its first meal. "Beleg probably won’t notice, right? Just… hide it among a stack of papers or something."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"You are literally the only one in the world who would think that..." Ari deadpanned. It indeed was not a surprise to the man that the elf had found the little lizard, with its all too wide eyes and vicious row of teeth to be cute.

"Hard to believe such a small little thing can grow so much with time, huh?"
"Yeah, no kidding," Ari agreed as he stepped back to let Valeria do...whatever it was she needed to do with the newest addition to their growing menagerie. He had no idea how to care for any living thing, let alone a newborn. Tubby was blessedly easy. Just throw food or blood at him and he was happy, but Ari had a feeling that the basilisk would not be so simple. "Tirsk?" the man asked, having heard it now for a second time. "That the name you came up with?" He ignored the dirtied papers. They were legible still after all.

@Luthien