2024-07-24 - The Shimmering Pyrite and Ocher Portoro

It was always some sort of luck to take bets on whether the shell outside reflected the dragon within. But in the case of the large, black egg nestled neatly in the sands among a smattering of particularly small ones, the temptation to speculate would remain, persistent and curious.

Most agreed that it would have looked rather large and stately among its littler peers, standing tall like a stalwart guardian or drinking in the admiration as if it were a finely sculpted work of art - had it not have been jostled onto its side with the pointed end rather comfortably buried in a miniature drift, placing it more on the level of its siblings.

The egg itself was stony and black, symmetrical and squat with an overlarge bottom and the texture and sheen of carefully polished marble. The shell itself was unmarred, yet gold winked, twisted and flecked in orderly, thick dashes, arranged single file in a large band around its middle. These glittered, suggesting something finer, perhaps more vain within.

There could not be a gold inside this egg; golds never had such strange shells. Still, the glitter struck some as portentious, and the overall effect was beautiful in spite of - or perhaps because of - the two seemingly incompatible natures, and the egg's resemblance to a fine and sturdy marble of Terran creations of the old and the noble.

The quake has since marred the beautiful shell. A jagged crack spiders lightly down one side and through the largest golden spot upon its surface; while the shell is cracked, the outer membrane remains mostly intact, resulting in a slight depression that warps the shape of the egg. Hopefully the little creature within is well.

One may get the sense that this egg houses a strong-willed little dragon upon approach. Bossy, brassy, theatrical and at times overprotective, there is nevertheless a good core at her heart. She adores music and the egg quivers and rocks in its presence. She loves to see and be seen - a proud mental shout, a rambunctious rhapsody, may on occasion escape the egg and her clutch. Yet she is somewhat particular - if one approaches her with the intent of using her for glory, for rank or clout, one would firmly be rejected.

For Rioth feels as if she's learned quite a bit. She has flung herself into as many minds as she could reach and has retrieved many reasons to be cynical or hopeless. Norms exist for a reason; norms also make humans and dragons unhappy.

Rioth had once believed herself to be gold like her mother; she understands now that she is not, but it should not stop her from loving and modeling herself after her mother's admirable qualities. And she has vowed that one day, once she's free, she will do her best to fix things for everyone else.