The sparkling orange dragon peers down at the heavily hooded creature standing before her, flicking her tail and tasting the air with her reptilian tongue. "So so so serious," the Geperna entreats, blue-hued eyes whirling in merriment. She squats over her clutch of eggs, bringing up two claws to tick-tack-tick upon her nose in thought. "If you wish to bond one of these," Netwi'Suah remarks, picking up a tiny egg and rolling it down the length of one arm, bumping it off her wrist and catching it, crooning, in the palm of her other hand -- all this before tucking the precious little life back beneath her belly -- "you'll need to prove that you won't be a stick in the mud about caring for one of my children. Having a sense of humour is important, you know!"
She flicks out her tongue again, testing Glinnyndir. "Bring me the most amusing item you can find. Then I will allow one of these little tykes to take you up on your quest... or whatever it is you're here for."
(Written by Dray, of the Nexus)
Glim tilted her head in thought as she slowly left the nest that Netwi'Suah guarded. The most amusing item I can find..? She wondered, absently stepping out of the way of a resident of Corona. I have not had much chance for... amusement.
She continued to turn the puzzle over in her mind as she walked back out of the confines of the Nidus, and settled her back against a convenient tree on the edge of Nidus territory. What sort of amusement does she wish? Amusement of laughter, or amusement of fighting boredom? Glim mused as she picked at stones embedded in the soil at her side. Why am I even doing this? I'll just have to continue running soon...
The idea had been so simple in theory - flee to another world, where no one knew her, and start life all over again. But no matter the world she fled to, everyone looked at her as... as a thing, not a person, but a thing to exploit and gain riches from. She had taken to world-hopping via any method available - from catching a ride with visiting dragoners, to bargaining her way aboard a ship bound to another planet, to deliberately making 'friends' with a world-hopper and randomly Mindhopping her way through the universe after them.
It had been working relatively well for her in the years since she had left her parents... so why, then, was she here and trying to bond with another dragon?
Perhaps, a traitorous voice whispered in her mind, because you are lonely, and every tale across the 'verses states that bonded dragons will not betray their bonded.
Shut up. She hissed back. She had survived this long, gotten this far, by herself. She did not need another!
But oh, to finally have someone to speak to, who would not look at her with the acquisitive lust for money that everyone turned on her when they knew. It would be a dream come true.
So then, Glim's mind returned to task, A thing of amusement...
Her eyes trailed over the land around her, gaze unseeing as she ran through the inventory of items she had on hand. Much of it was practical - clothing, grooming, food, rudimentary camping supplies - but she did have a few knicknacks that might serve the purpose. A set of carved stones she got as a gift from a young child, a piece of crafted metal, and, that which she was most interested in at the moment - a wooden puzzle-toy. Six interlocking pieces, each piece made of a different wood, that had to be shifted and pulled in the proper order to solve the puzzle.
Perhaps... perhaps that was interesting enough for Netwi'Suah.
Plan decided, Glin stood from her place and turned back towards the Nidus, fishing through her pouch for the puzzle.
"Is this... acceptable?" Glin stated, as she reached out, the puzzle held lightly in one gloved hand, towards the dragoness. She watched, motionless, waiting for acceptance or - if she was being honest - the more expected denial.
Netwi'Suah had butted her nose down close to Glinn's proffered puzzle, intrigued by the little thing. "What is it?" she asked, sniffing the interlinking wooden blocks.
"It's a puzzle," the dragonborn replied, shying away a bit as the Geperna grew too close -- she didn't want Netwi to notice the colour of her scales, after all. Instead, holding up her arms, Glinn' did a demonstration by fiddling with the links, removing one or two, and holding the pieces out.
The shiny Geperna considered, then chuckled. "That's rather quaint. Oh!" She lifted herself up, then scraped out a little mottled egg that had begun to shake. The egg gave an explosive crack, and a deep green shape unrolled in a tangle of limbs and floppy, hatchling-stunted wings. ::It's not quaint,:: the little dragoness announced, ::it's interesting!::
"How would you know, you didn't even see," Netwi'Suah chided her daughter.
The baby Geperna took a moment to click her beak-like muzzle. ::I can see it all in my heart... no, that's the wrong one. In my mind's eye.:: She continued to unsort herself, then wound up waddling to the dragonborn. There was a low croon to her voice as she said only to Glinn', ::if you feed me, I'll keep your secret safe forever... fair trade?::
::Hold up the party!:: A second dragonet had squirmed out of his shell, and now he was squawking most unbecomingly. Netwi'Suah was not making much less noise: she looked displeased that all of her brood were finally fighting their ways out of their shells! ::I'm going with you!::
Glait' looked over at her brother, casting him a look of well-mannered amusement. ::So long as I'm fed first, I don't care whether you ride upon Glinnyndir's cap.::
(Written by Dray, of the Nexus)