(Mystery Egg) Lame Egg

Having found herself in a different part of Astorea, the rather rambunctious felis was enjoying the sights and smells- as well as the looks she got from strangers on the road when they saw just how tall her lance was in comparison to her small size. It was easy with a small body, even without rogue or notable mobility, for the mischief-maker to find her way through narrow cracks and alleyways, making it more than fun for her to explore and taunt people at the same time. Once in a while, out of sheer boredom, she would poke someone with her 'big stick', before using a playful phantasmia spell and running into the shadows of alleys rarely used.

It was in such an alley during her maniacal maneuvers in Filnweald that she saw them: three eggs, huddled together in a wicker basket, rather plain in appearance yet oddly alluring to someone whose tail was dipped in chaos. Stalking closer, she noticed no one was around. While many people knew much about pets and also about eggs, Lady Briar wasn't really one for caring about how the systems worked, per say. She was more interested in the fact the basket was left all by its lonesome with three eggs in it.

"Why only three?" She muttered aloud, picking one of the eggs up and sniffing it with her feline nose. Her tongue darted out with its sandpaper texture to scratch the already imperfect surface, before she made a slight gag impression. "Apparently you're not ripe enough to eat yet...Your taste is as chaotic as my wishes..."

Wait, did she just say the egg was chaotic? "Whatever's inside here...Must be worthy of my chaotic self, if it can make itself taste so putrid and impure. I'll have to keep it with me...I can always eat it if it hatches into something boring." Smiling to herself, she stashed the egg into her inventory and rushed away before anyone could see her.

It really was a good thing she came to the city to poke and play, wasn't it?

 

Finweald was a cute place. It was an obvious thing that the people there had a love for minipets, and as Blithe walked along the streets, her face pressed up against the windows of various stores, she stared in wide eyes at the various scenes. Mini pets being groomed, a cafe with mini pets, mini pets wearing costumes- It was just right up her alley. Spinning in a circle as she entered a square, she threw her hands up in the air, "Tres tres bien!~ Everything in this city is wonderful!" She got some weird looks from others around her, but she ignored them as she continued on, her excitement growing.

She passed by an alleyway, thinking nothing of it, but something caught her eye. She paused for a second, taking a couple steps back away from a colourful store and into the alley, cocking her head as her pink eyes laid upon a small basket. It seemed to be out of place among the garbage alley way, and after glancing left and right, she took a step into the alleyway and crouched down beside the basket, glancing inside.

In the basket were 3 eggs, but... They were different then normal eggs. They were strange looking, and as Blithe did some more inspecting, it made sense to her. She'd heard about inbreeding in mini pets, and how some would throw them out. And honestly, that made no sense to her. Why would you hate something so beautiful for being different? She knew the feeling, having to hide yourself because you were different. A frown pulled at her soft pink lips, ones that were usually pulled up in a smile, and in a very quick swipe, she nabbed up one of the eggs and tucked the rest in, before hurry out of the alley way. She would've took them all, but she felt as if they'd be perfect pets for someone else who had their heart in the same place as hers.​

 

Hati and Skoll had run off as soon as they were in town, dead on the trail of something unknown and no amount of calling out had stopped them on their full charge. Gwyn trotted after them, eyes scanning for their tracks and weaving through the streets on the trail of the twin hounds. A particularly annoying fetch quest had left her on a mad dash through the area to collect a bundle of different plants, meat drops from enemies, and some other odds and ends. Whatever the NPC intended on making sounding like an absolute clusterfuck of a dish, but Gwyn wasn't in the habit of turning down a chance to stretch her legs or see something new.

It had ended up a bit of a waste of time, minus getting to help someone out. That at least she enjoyed. However, her war hounds had gotten more and more tired with their task to help her sniff out and hunt down the items. It was only a matter of time before they got bored enough to wander off entirely and the source of the misleading scent was found in time.

The two canines stood over the basket, sniffing curiously and rumbling lowly to each other. "If you think either of you are eating those, you are mistaken. Off with you! Shoo!" The huntress waved them to the side with a small smile. They didn't seem overly bothered and neither did the eggs. No harm, no foul. She leaned down to pick one up, giving it a sorrowful once over. Funny that her tames, abused as they were despite their recovery so far, had found something else broken and abandoned. They had no use to the breeder that made them now, but Gwyn? She'd find them a place in her growing horde of companions. "Good dogs."

 

Kyupin enjoyed walking through town on days like these. Seeing the villagers going about their daily lives, working had to make an honest, earnest living. She enjoyed waving to them and getting the occasional wave back. And with all the rumors of this trade city, she’d made it a point to take her little stroll through here. It was fascinating to see the minipet industry taking such a firm hold of the area.

She rounded a corner and slowed to a stop, eyes dropping to a basket of eggs. There was nobody around, and the eggs didn’t seem to hold the same luster as those presented in stores.

Kyupins heart sunk to her gut. Were they… abandoned? Or perhaps forgotten, if she were positive. But after everything she’d been confronting, it was hard to stay so positive.

She couldn’t understand it. Except she kind of could and that had her swallowing what felt like a thousand needles. Unwanted. Abandoned. They would grow up without love because they were not exactly what the breeders needed to sell. It made her sick.

Kyupin thought to her own pets, mini and beast alike, and drew close to the eggs. They would not grow up alone or unloved. Not if she had anything to say about it.

Kyupin looked around her, at the lines of stores, and couldn't find any worried owners. She sighed and crouched at the with basket. Her gaze soft with pity and a simmering love. She reached out and coddled one egg in her palm. Let it feel and relish the warmth. Gently, she brought it close to her face and planted a soft kiss on the surface of the shell, smiling.

Part of her wanted to take all of them home with her, but a small voice in the back of her head told her there would be many others that would come to show these little guys the love they deserved.

She walked away, holding the egg close.