Home 26: Rooms to let, fifty cents

[Deathkeeper]

Dragon Mountain

Edgar nods. He starts digging through the piles looking for a rod.
”So...any other treasures you’re proud of?” he asks conversationally.

[bc56]

Dragon Mountain

"Somewhere in here, there's a ruby the size of your head I got from some dwarves." Is that "got" peacefully or violently, Aethii? Edgar will have to rummage through the hoard, tossing aside jewelry and antique arms, until he finds the object Aethii was talking about. It's an elaborately carved bone rod, sharpened at each end and hollowed out.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Fort Aegis]

Time passes...slowly.

A minute feels like an age to Sylvess as he waits and watches. His tail flicks round to coil round Spako's.

That same egg moves again, then another, then another.

"M-must it take so lo- oh!" Sylvess cuts himself off as one egg finally goes from simply shaking to making tiny, faint tapping sounds. It wobbles. It gives off a cracking sound. A tiny fracture in the shell becomes visible, and there's the faintest sound of an indignant squeak from within, the egg's occupant apparently objecting to the amount of work it's taking to get out.

"I-i-it's happening. It's really happening."

[Deathkeeper]

Dragon Mountain

"The size of my head?" Edgar asks incredulously. That is a pretty big gem.
He stands up straight, artifact in hand.
"Here we go, Aethii. One magic wand." he proudly declares as he hands it to her.

Fort Aegis

Spako fidgets, adding a soft light above their heads to the little empty mage-light fixture he built up there. He resists the temptation to just crack the egg open immediately and save his child the trouble.
"Yes. Yes it is. Um. Is this one of mine? Or yours?" Spako can't quite remember which side was his. Just the respective numbers.

[bc56]

Dragon Mountain

"I suppose that is rather large." Aethii replies. It might be the single most materially valuable item in her hoard. Then Edgar brandishes the wand at her. "It's not a wand! Be careful with it!" She comes over to it. "Here, give it to me." She holds out her hands for the rod.

[Deathkeeper]

Dragon Mountain

"Relax, I'm not going to drop it." Edgar assures Aethii as he hands it to her.
"The difference between a magic rod and a magic wand is only a little bit of length anyway." What really is the distinction in the end? And what's a scepter compared to the two?

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Fort Aegis]

A few more insistent taps and the crack grows and widens. Then it splits into two, then three, and with final determined squeak and a fierce headbutt (for a little baby dragon a whole 0 minutes old anyway), the top of the eggshell finally splits and gives way, revealing...

"O-oh. I- y-y'know, I always hoped that as part of this-." Sylvess mumbles awkwardly, "B-but to see it-"

Emerging from the egg comes a little copper dragon, his mouth open in mimicry of Sylvess' standard goofy grin. He wriggles his shoulders, splitting the egg a little further, and reaches his forelegs out, gripping the edge of the egg as he peers up at his two dads.

"Spako, i-it's a little me. I-" Whatever else Sylvess was going to say is lost as tears of joy and relief from his burden start pouring out.

The baby dragon lets out a confused little "meer?" and tilts his head to one side, perplexed by this strange behaviour. For the moment at least he seems content to remain only halfway out. Curiously for a baby, the just-about-visible tips of his wings already have a faint touch of green and blue about them, suggesting he may end up matching Sylvess' pronounced colouration. He doesn't have his copper father's eyes, however. While Sylvess' are a bright green, the baby's are a pale yellow.

"Um, sorry Spako." Sylvess lets out a heavy breath and wipes a tear away with a claw. "I sort of lost track of which egg came from which of us."

[bc56]

Dragon Mountain

"I always thought a wand was something you wave around and a rod is something you touch things with?" Aethii doesn't seem to know either. "This wand, er, rod, is used to turn one creature into another for a time. It works through a transfer of blood, so I'll poke you and myself with it at the same time. Is that okay?"

[Deathkeeper]

Dragon Mountain

Edgar blinks.
"Um. That doesn't sound particularly sanitary. Or safe, if we have different blood types. Are you sure this is a good idea? Where'd you get a thing like this anyway?"
He's a bit incredulous. This sounds like creepy blood magic to him.

Fort Aegis

Spako blinks.
"Oh. I don't think I bothered to keep track, either."
"That one was yours, Master Algix." says Kubo, who has presently returned with a pot and some heating stones in his oven mitts. He sets down the pot, which smells like what it contains: beef that has been cooked until it's gotten very soft. And mushrooms. "Congratulations."
"Uh, thanks Kubo. That'll be all." "I'll be right outside." The kobold attendant bows and steps out of the egg chamber.
Spako nudges the hatchling onto one of the flat, warm stones that was brought in with his nose, ignoring his tiny protests.
Meanwhile, one of the eggs on Sylvess' side starts to crack and split, a tiny "peep" coming from it as well.

[bc56]

Dragon Mountain

"I'm sure it's fine, right? It's magic, it's got to be safe." Aethii begins examining the rod. "I got it from a museum that got it from an adventurer who got it from a dragon's hoard a long time ago? Now which end goes in which person?" She keeps looking through the carvings on the rod. "Here's the dragon, and his mouth points... That way!" She points that end at Edgar. "Ready?"

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Fort Aegis]

The little copper dragon lets out another little squeak of protest as he's nudged over, the egg rolling onto its side and forcing him to wriggle the wrest of the way out, one of his back legs kicking at a stuck bit of shell. He wobbles uncertaintly on his feet, his wings twitching, ultimately giving up and flopping down onto the stone. Climbing out of an egg is tough work, and his body's still adjusting to having bits that move and do stuff and the warm stone sure is nice and warm...

More eggs shake. Another one starts to show signs of someone starting to try and come out.

Sylvess leans over to peer at the next one making a noise. "M-maybe we're going to be lucky and they'll all be nice and quick?"

[Deathkeeper]

Fort Aegis

Spako crouches low as he eyes his son. Oh, dear. So tiny. So very tiny.
Presently, a small silver head pokes out of his own eggshell, crying weakly.
"Well, they could be quickly. The eggs all got made at the same time. Maybe they'll all..." At this moment, another egg that was twitching unceremoniously splits open to reveal a wet, golden hatchling with fully developed horns. She takes one look around and fixes her gaze on her struggling brother, flopping over and pulling him free. Together they crawl onto a warm stone a very confused Spako lays in front of them.
"...go quickly?"

Dragon Mountain

Edgar does not look reassured.
"Uh, didn't you say you had a wizard friend? Maybe we should ask them before we stab each other with a magic items?
What if it just gives them tetanus or something? Aethii doesn't even seem like she knows entirely what it does!

[bc56]

Dragon Mountain

Aethii blasts her water breath all over the rod. "There, all clean!" She shakes her head at the suggestion of the wizard friend. "I do, but she lives a couple hours away and by the time we get there and back it'll be late and I'll be tired." She tries to smile. "Lighten up a little, just try it! Come on!"

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Fort Aegis]

Sylvess's eyes widen as he watches gold and silver babs emerge.

"Does- um, d-does the gold one seem a bit...quick out the egg?" Sylvess hesitantly asks, glancing over at Spako. Certainly seems like she's a bit more with it than the others. And those horns seem remarkably well developed, too.

"A-also, um, how? I-I mean I was hoping for a pure copper a-and we both had, y-y'know, copper in us, but I don't understand how that gets gold or silver-"

At that point the other egg Sylvess had been watching finally splits open, and a brassy face emerges. The little brass dragon lets out a sleepy yawn and stretches, accidentally knocking his egg off-balance, causing him to tumble backwards.

"Oh, watch yourself there, little one!" Sylvess sweeps a claw under to catch the baby, carefully turning him back over and depositing him out of the egg onto another stone.

[Deathkeeper]

Fort Aegis

"I don't think it's a...bad thing? Winry did say she would bless one of them." And really...who's going to argue with that theory with a hatchling sporting horns like that?
Spako rears up to display his lower neck and belly.
"W-well, I got these when I got that blood sample from Meirhin. But alloy dragons are pretty rare. So maybe that's because mixed blood just kind of...separates out after a generation or two? I dunno."
Another egg cracks, this one sounding very indignant as its occupant gets stuck with her nose only halfway out. A nose the same color as the scales being displayed.
"Oh hey, you must have gotten those from her, too. You can do it." Spako coos to the hatchling, who does manage to force her way out of the eggshell after some trouble.
"Aw, a little tiny Mei."

Dragon Mountain

Edgar decides to not tell Aethii that shooting water out of your mouth looks a lot like something else which would also not be that sanitary. "Ugh. Fine. But you're the one going on the quest if this gets stupid." he groans as he hesitantly puts his end of the rod to his arm.

[bc56]

Dragon Mountain

The rod cuts into Edgar's arm and Aethii's hand. Their blood mixes in its hollow center. And there's a flash of light.

What Aethii believed it would do would be to make Edgar a dragon, like her. But she's never used this artifact before, and there's a good chance it goes wrong somehow.

And it does. Edgar should be fine, and become a dragon like Aethii had hoped, although the exact details will be hard to predict. But moments after the change takes place, Aethii stumbles back with a cry of surprise. Edgar may be a dragon, but Aethii has become a giant tiger-woman, all fuzzy and quite rotund.

[Deathkeeper]

Dragon Mountain

Aethii might be alarmed to find Edgar sitting on her hoard. He doesn't exactly have many options, when he's suddenly bearing a frame as large as Aethii's normal one. In fact, he is quite a bit bigger as his build has not changed. The rotund dragon flexes his (likely useless) wings and looks over his striped blue hide. This is...well it might not be so comfortable if he wasn't lying on the perfect bed. How relaxing. And oh, a tiny tiger!
"Oh gosh, you're adorable. Fuzzy Aethii!" he coos, poking her middle with his suddenly massive nose.

[bc56]

Dragon Mountain

Aethii is booped! She stumbles back again, running her hands through her fur. "I am fuzzy? And wow, you're huge! And still stripey!" She looks at him a little more. "Hey, careful with my hoard! Don't break anything!"

[Deathkeeper]

Dragon Mountain

Aethii is not blessed with grace like Edgar, though as a dragon originally she might have enhanced strength. Either way, she likely won't be moving around as easily as Edgar did.
Speaking of, in his current reptilian state Edgar doesn't make much note of the two of them having quite dramatically outgrown the outfits Pride made for them.
"Oh come on, you sit on it all the time." Edgar plops himself down. He pokes her again. "So how's it feel, being me? I'm not really sure what you wanted me to get out of this, exactly." He's fairly sure this wasn't the plan. But he does feel huge which is something.

[bc56]

Dragon Mountain

"It's... Fuzzy? And warm. You're very warm." Aethii shrugs awkwardly. "I thought we would both be dragons at the same time! We could fly around, catch some sheep together, you know." Aww, that's romantic. Or maybe it isn't. Hard to say.

[Deathkeeper]

[Dragon Mountain]

Edgar shrugs his wings. Which he has now. Weird.
"Well, it's only supposed to last an hour or two, right? I'm sure we could make the most of it. Your wizard friend probably couldn't get here in time to change only one of us back. Ah, well. We could always sleep it off." He seems to have been right. She does kind of seem the right size of a teddy bear to a dragon. He doesn't think he'd have trouble falling asleep on this huge bed either with someone so warm nearby.

[bc56]

Dragon Mountain

"What should I do to make the most of all this?" Aethii gestures at her bulk and totters a short distance. "You're the one who's normally a big fuzzy tiger, what do you enjoy about it?" She thinks about what he said a little more. "Yeah, a couple hours, give or take. It'll be done by tomorrow morning."

[Deathkeeper]

Dragon Mountain

Edgar neglects to answer that if he had a good answer to that they probably wouldn’t be having this conversation.
”Um. Lounging, mostly. I’m very well built for that. And looking down at shorter people. But I guess that you’re already used to.” Is she ever.
”We got any fancy chairs or beds in here?”

[bc56]

Dragon Mountain

"There should be one in the adjoining room over there," Aethii points out. "It's for honored human guests." She starts wobbling towards the door she indicated. Looks like she hasn't gotten the hang of walking with her new weight yet.

[Deathkeeper]

Dragon Mountain

Edgar playfully nudges her from behind with his nose.
"Ah! The Count's waddle isn't as easy as it looks, is it? If it helps, you still look adorable." Luckily a dragon's size means it's much easier to fake how confident he is in his own gait since he can walk rather slowly and deliberately and still outpace Aethii.

[bc56]

Dragon's Mountain

"Woah!" Aethii stumbles and has to catch herself with her hands. "No, it isn't. Maybe you could do a lady a favor and carry me the rest of the way? You're plenty large enough." She laughs a little awkwardly.

[Deathkeeper]

Dragon Mountain

Edgar chuckles, a booming sound that fills the cavern more than he intends.
”Oh come now. I’ve been thinking about looking like that forever just because you like it on me. The least you could do is wear it and see what I have to go through just for your warm hugs.” he bursts out into giggles again, tail flicking against the wall of the cavern.

[bc56]

Dragon Mountain

"But you're magically strong and graceful! This is way easier for you than it is for me!" Aethii complains, but relents. She struggles to open the stone door, but then manages. Beyond is a small bedroom with human sized furnishings."Why'd you want to see this?"

[Gnrlshrimp]

Fort Aegis

"I don't think it's a...bad thing? Winry did say she would bless one of them." And really...who's going to argue with that theory with a hatchling sporting horns like that?
Spako rears up to display his lower neck and belly.
"W-well, I got these when I got that blood sample from Meirhin. But alloy dragons are pretty rare. So maybe that's because mixed blood just kind of...separates out after a generation or two? I dunno."
Another egg cracks, this one sounding very indignant as its occupant gets stuck with her nose only halfway out. A nose the same color as the scales being displayed.
"Oh hey, you must have gotten those from her, too. You can do it." Spako coos to the hatchling, who does manage to force her way out of the eggshell after some trouble.
"Aw, a little tiny Mei."

[Fort Aegis]

With most of the eggs hatched, it's probably become quite apparent by now that one of them has not moved at all, yet.

At least, it should be. Sylvess is still distracted by the last shaking one. He's so good at this. "I-I feel like Winry did, um, a lot more than she suggested she would. I-I can't believe we'd have naturally got such a diverse range of babies."

Speaking of babies, the copper one seems to have perked up a little bit. He's lifted his snout up and is sniffing the air, perhaps catching a whiff of delicious soft meat.

"I-I mean we've got one of each colour we, uh, could get. I-including electrum, which I honestly didn't know was a thing. A-and there's a little me, and I guess all that leaves is a-"

Crack. With a remarkable show of force, the sixth baby decides he's had quite enough of being stuck in his egg and busts his way out, flopping onto the ground.

"A-a little you." Sylvess finishes, awkwardly, looking down at the similarly patchwork multi-metallic dragon baby.

"O-oh, right." He awkwardly scoops the baby up and deposits him on another stone.

Which just leaves one still-silent egg...

[Deathkeeper]

[Dragon Mountain]

Edgar tilts his head, which is more of a movement than he is used to.
"You asked what you should do to feel things that I like doing. I said lounging, so I suggested you find a couch. Unless you'd rather sit on all these coins. Not sure that the metal would be as comfortable for you right now." It does kind of need a rather dragony shaped body.

Fort Aegis

Spako is practically vibrating over the little patchwork hatchling.
"Awww, he has down!" he coos as he strokes the wet down-feathers on the hatchling's head.
He whistles, and Kubo returns in a more usual kobold outfit (shorts). His uniform is a bit too susceptible to baby dragon drool stains. The kobold is carrying a number of shallow stone bowls. Normally they use more practical things for eating than these old-fashioned things...but baby dragons have a tendency to destroy anything made of less stern stuff. So they can eat on the stone-carver's practice works.
Nurse Kubo begins putting the baby-safe meat into the little bowls for the hatchlings who are feeling strong enough to get their first meal.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Kubo. I guess this really isn't in your duties. You don't really have to-" "Nonsense, Master Algix! We only get to do this once in our lifetimes if at all. I'm just happy you picked me. They're all happy and pretty and shiny so far. A very good clutch, yes." the kobold nods, his look almost as proud as Spako's.

The last egg stubbornly refuses to budge.