[FIN] The Painted Egg - (Rhonann/Hargitt)

[Painted Moose]

The Painted Egg
Prompt 1

Solo or RP Format
Counts as 5 RP growth Points
Solo word minimum is 750, RP post minimum is 7

Spring has arrived in Tendaji; in most places flowers were blooming while others might only see a slight temperature increase. The weather was nice so you decide to take a stroll. As you leave town and enter a small clearing, you notice strange colorful dots all throughout the grass.

"Oh stop right there!"

Freezing, you stop with your foot hovering just a breath above the grass and then as you slowly take one step backwards you notice that something colorful had been nestled against the ground. What was this? A Gaein girl comes forward and offers a big smile, "Thank you for stopping! You nearly crushed the egg." From there she explains that the whole field is full of colorful eggs that she had spread out for the villagers to find. Apparently in Belrea this time of year is a time for festivities and one of their most popular games is finding brightly dyed eggs that children create with their parents who later hide them away. As a member of the Academy she had been granted permission to come and share this knowledge with those in Tendaji and so offers to allow you to play with those already shifting through the wide expanse of fields.

[ Roll a 1d20 to determine what happens during your hunt!]
1. You are reaching out for an egg when it suddenly floats away! What in the? But then you notice wings behind it. A sprite is trying to steal your egg away!
2. You find a total of 8, totally normal, painted eggs!
3. You pick up what appears to be an egg but doesn't have the same weight a normal egg should have and you notice a line down the center. As you pull the two halves apart, a strange vial [an eye of the goddess] falls out!
4. You find a total of 2, totally normal, painted eggs!
5. You pick up an egg but later begin to smell something foul coming from your bag, it seems that you picked up a rotten egg!
6. You feel a bit competitive and run around as fast as you can to collect every egg, too bad a little boy just left with a basket full!
7. Oh no, watch your step! You accidentally step on and break an egg!
8. You find a total of 10, totally normal, painted eggs!
9. You find an extra large egg hidden in some tall grass. Later, it hatches into a Xaraan!
10. You're a little late to the party, all the younglings have already gathered all the eggs before you even got a chance, how sad!
11. You find a total of 5, totally normal, painted eggs!.
12. You hear a quiet scratching noise coming from a slightly larger painted egg you just picked up. It later hatches into a Sailscale!
13. You find a total of 1, totally normal, painted egg!
14. As you're walking, you hear a strange noise coming from the bushes. A keldari pops out at you! Whether you get startled or just shoo it away, a few eggs fall out of your basket and crack as they hit the ground.
15. You find a total of 3, totally normal, painted eggs!
16. You're walking towards a particular egg when you feel something beneath your foot as you take a step. Whew! Close call, you move your foot and the egg remains unharmed and you add it to your basket!
17. You find a total of 15, totally normal, painted eggs!
18. You feel your basket start to wiggle a bit and then hear giggling. As you look down, you see a youngling taking your eggs! They make off with 4 of your eggs before you have a chance to stop them!
19. You find an unpainted egg. Figuring it's not a part of the egg hunt, you leave it alone and continue on.
20. It seems that something is weird about one of the eggs you've picked up. As you stare at it the egg begins to wobble and even glows from the inside?! It later hatches into a Sitara!  

[Cornetified]

Rhonann's roll~  

[Painted Moose]

[1/7]

Hargitt wasn't sure he liked any of this.

Spring was all well and good, but the change in weather often brought a plague of idiocy with it. How many teenagers had be seen necking on his way into the village that morning? Pretending to be hiding behind a shed, a tree, next to the inn....It was as if something had been switched on inside of them, and it bothered Hargitt to think he'd been that way once. Granted, he DID enjoy being able to move about without a thick cloak surrounding him but the general thrum of energy vibrating from every wall was a bit overwhelming. He was an introvert by nature; someone who preferred to be on his own during a hunt or at the very least, in the back, but today...today they needed provisions and here he was, thrust out into the center of it all.

Kissing teens.

Laughing children.

Birds.

Where were they even coming from?! There were no song birds native to Sauti so why-?

Maybe that's why he hadn't noticed the Geian girl calling out to him, asking Hargitt to stop. He'd done so anyway, mostly out of confusion for the sounds. When he finally found the culprit, a...rather strange looking birdish...creature? sitting on her shoulder, he paused to listen to the speaker.

"You nearly crushed the egg."

With a rather impressive 'harumph' Hargitt looked down and....couldn't quite piece together what he was looking at. There, below him, was an egg but one not naturally colored. Rather, it was dripping paint onto the grass and dying everything around it pink. Apparently in Belrea this was normal; or so she said. As a member of the academy, I've come to Tendaji to share this tradition and -

Yes, he supposed someone from an esteemed academy had nothing better to do than to come to Tendaji and paint eggs.
 

[Cornetified]

Passing through yet another town, Rhonann found herself quite irritated. Everyone else seemed so happy and energetic and... happy. Meanwhile, she walked everywhere with a cloud over her head. She was on a mission, and thus far had no luck She had no time for-

'Watch out for the eggs!'

Rhonann looked up with confusion as a girl ran toward her. Was that one of those Belrea folk? Oh, what were they called again..? A wealth of information was suddenly thrown at her by the excited youth though, along with a basket that already held two brightly colored eggs, and she was encouraged to find more and fill the basket.

As the girl skipped off to pull in more players, Rhonann stood and stared at her new basket. "What the blazes is this?!" she asked sharply, looking around quickly for someone more sane to explain the circumstances she suddenly found herself in.  

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

The familiar voice drew Hargitt's attention to his on again, off again sparring partner. He edged carefully around a family, cheering on their little ones with enough enthusiasm that Hargitt thought he might be hit with flailing hands. At the very least the little ones were definityly going to have support; and really, even if they didn't get very much, would mean a lot.

He, however, had no such support and didn't wish for any in that moment. He'd rather be far away from here, but as it stood.....there was no escape.

When Hargitt finally made it to Rhonann's side he held up his basket in a show of solidarity and motioned vaguely to the field. "The faster we get hunting, the sooner we can get out of here. I'm sure she'll be pleased so long as we can manage an egg. Are you up to the task?" It was as much a challenge as it was a show of sympathy. Hargitt understood the frustration, the acceptance of something he wasn't keen on, but he wasn't about to let it beat him.

Or allow Rhonann to beat him, either.  

[Cornetified]

Still glaring around and finding no one really willing to stop and explain anything, Rhonann was relieved when she spotted a large body headed toward her. Ah, she recognized those spikes. Hard to miss. She looked at the basket he held and couldn't help a small smile. The already small basket looked disproportionately small compared to the large body holding it. She wanted to remain irritated, but if her stoic sparring partner was willing...

"I think I can manage an egg 'r two," she assured with an exasperated smirk, knocking her basket against Hargitt's lightly. With everything going on as of late, a short break might be enough to get her back on the trail with a fresh mind. A few younglings were already running around with an egg or two in their baskets, and she could see the Geian host running around to make sure everyone was participating. "Let's get this over with."

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

[3/7]

Hargitt passed Rhonann a small smile before turning his crystalline gaze out onto the landscape. It was harsh, that was for sure, certainly not anything as lush as the Geian was used to, but he had to give her credit; she'd made due with what she had to the point where the kids almost looked at it like the Sauti landscape was something ethereal. It was nice to see; a lot of these kids lived hard lives, scraping by with what they could in an unforgiving land, and they all deserved a little time for some fun.

He led the way out into the 'hunting grounds', and started his hunt. It wasn't hard to find them; the landscape was a lot of hard stone and dirt, which meant that the brightly colored eggs were glaringly obvious. In no time at all he had three eggs sitting neatly in his basket, each as flamboyant as the last, and he had to wonder...what would Jakkoa say when he showed back up at camp with these? Would he ask for an explanation?

....Would it be funnier if he didn't give one? Just showed up with the eggs and said nothing?

Suddenly Hargitt found this hunt all the more amusing.  

[Cornetified]

Okay, so it was.. just collecting eggs. Rho's gaze was fairly sharp thanks to working with the crossbow, and she knew that Hargitt was of a similar talent. While she was loath to show enjoyment on the outside, her stride was quick as she headed out to start adding eggs to her basket. She headed for a particularly rocky area where she figured many eggs could be tucked away into crevasses and holes.

When a moracker squeaked and darted away as she stepped by, Rho caught a glimpse of a bright blue egg in its mouth. Well, the area was short at least one egg now..

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

Hargitt had seen the entire incident, and couldn't helping smiling, even if it was a ghost of one. So far his luck was panning out far more than hers, but at least Rho's hunt wasn't uneventful.

He stooped to pick up another egg, and slipped the little pink thing into his basket. So far the majority of his finds had been some shade of pink...which was as odd as it was amusing. Maybe he'd been thinking of a certain someone a lot more than he knew?

Still, his hunting had brought him in a rather 'congested' area with youngsters running this way and that. So for the time being he was stuck; too afraid to move and chance hitting one, as well as unwilling to take their prizes.  

[Cornetified]

Checking on her opponent's progress, Rho had to smirk at the sight of the big guy surrounded by little younglings. Adorable, and good news for her. He would be stuck for a moment, at least.

Climbing along the rocks, she reached down to pick up a little egg by a little bush when she heard a strange sound. Something brushed against her hand and she yanked it back with a short shriek. She'd never felt the like of it before! Hearing a few flat splats, Rho glared down at the eggs that had dropped from the basket when she'd moved so quickly. "A'ight! Whatever ye are, I'm gettin' that egg!" she growled, peering around to see if the thing she had touched was still there. Some sort of snake thing...

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

[5/7]

Hargitt didn't mind the kids.

He was used to being swamped in young kids, especially rough little boys who shoved so getting them to stop pushing their way to the front wasn't so hard. A gentle hand here, a stern look there; all in a days work.

What he didn't like was mischievous little brats who thought they were being sneaky.

It became pretty obvious fairly quickly that the boys who kept acting up were trying to get his attention. When Hargitt felt a tug at his basket he looked down to see a pair of pale hands scooping several eggs out of his basket. For a hot second he almost let the kid get by with it; after all, it was a game for children, and who was he to say anything?

Then the little brat curled his lip, stuck out his tongue and ran.

"Hey! Get back here!"

The egg thief was already too far for Hargitt to get without flat out hauling a** across the space, but the boys were now making their way to Rhonann. "Rho, heads up!" He gestured toward the kids, as just in case she hadn't seen.  

[Cornetified]

She could hear Hargitt's voice in the background, but she gave it little mind. She had to go after her target! The slithery thing was still there... Was it poisonous? Would it bite? The skin felt weird.

Her head rose when she heard the second call with her name though, eyes narrowing at the approaching boys. Bunch of little trouble makers, by the looks of them.

Getting an idea, she grinned sweetly and waved her hand. "Boys, I can't reach this egg here. Will one of ye get it fer me?" Egg or no egg, she could leave happier if she wasn't the only one startled by the snake..

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

[6/7]

Hargitt wasn't sure what she was playing at, but part of him didn't trust Rhonann around those boys. Naturally they were little brats who should be punished, but...it was just a game, one meant for children, and he worried they may have gotten themselves into more than they could chew with her.

The boys, drawn in like moths to a flame, moved in closer. They looked at her skeptically before one of the little windlings stepped up closer to the rocks with a brave face. "I'll get 'em!" And keep them, more like, Hargitt thought. Just what was she playing at?

He got in real close and stuck his hand down into the crevice, all bravery and no forethought. All at once Hargitt saw the boys face change from fierce determination to outright panic before quickly withdrawing and screaming. The little panicked child took off as fast as his legs could carry him, but his friend was left looking warily to the pair of them. "W-what's in there?! What'd you do?!"  

[Cornetified]

Making little encouraging comments about the boy's bravery, it took some effort for Rho to resist snickering. Wait for it..... Laughter burst from her as the boy jumped in a panic. The laughter felt so good, temporarily lifting a heavy weight off of her shoulders... she almost couldn't stop herself to talk. Pressing her hands against her sore abdomen, she took a deep breath to respond to the second boy. "I did nothin'. There's an egg there fer sure, but some snake's guardin' it. Thought I'd ask fer some help from a couple strappin' lads~ Guess it'll have ta stay there."

She glanced over at Hargitt with her wide smile and held up her basket. "Welp, I got my eggs." There were actually only two left in her basket after the spill, but she found that she didn't mind all that much. It had been a much needed break from the ordinary. "How many you got?"

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

7/7

A snake? And she'd just let them stick their- Hargitt scrunched his brows, and where once he may have smirked at her antics his face was set into a firm frown. He'd been bitten by a keldari not long ago, slowly recovering from the effects of it's venom, actually, and while he knew this likely wasn't the same creature it still rubbed him a little raw. How could she so casually subject children to something like that?

She had her arm in there first; if it were really that bad she wouldn't have done it.

It may have made sense, but damn if it didn't leave a bad taste in Hargitt's mouth.

The boy took off after his friend, shouting the other boys name and tossing some worried looks their way. Hopefully he wouldn't say anything about it; after all, the group had started the whole thing off by stealing from him so maybe they could just call things even?

"None." He held up his basket, and turned it upside down. "They got more than they bargained for, though, so I'm keen to let it go."