[Hey, bro, it's cool, you are on the Teen Girl Squad for a reason.]
At the moment. I'm debating whether to take it outside before it has a chance to hatch completely; the Dex claims Deinos tend to be fairly rambunctious despite their size, and I'd rather not have a destroyed room if I can help it.
[A KNOWING PAUSE.]
I was wondering what you think would be best for it.
GOSH, CARMEN, YOU BELIEVE IN HIM AND HIS KNOWLEDGE OF DRAGONS, WOW.]
Well...
Hiccup does a quick look-up on the pokemon so he can make an informed decision. A surprise would have been fun, but being prepared was more important. Besides, pretty much nothing could make a dragon hatching less exciting.]
I guess it depends how much space you have right now... It should probably be in an open area--not too small, but also not too big, since it's blind... [He knows Carmen probably has figured this out, but he's mostly thinking aloud.] Maybe stay there, since it'll be softer and won't have any distracting sounds?
[As promised, she's there within a few minutes, pushing open the door with the toe of her shoe because she has her arms full of a rapidly-cracking blue-and-black egg, cradled snugly in a nest of what appears to be a much-folded tan trench coat. Tagging along a few steps behind her is Zack, out of her Gear for once, barely able to restrain his own excited beeping and booping. Hatching eggs is exciting!]
[He grins over to Carmen and Zack as they enter, looking brighter than he has in weeks. This and the news from earlier in the week that Astrid had arrived are just what Hiccup needs to hasten his recovery.]
Here. [He carefully takes the bundled egg, easing it down to yet another nest, this one made of a blanket. There are actually quite a number of blankets laid out on the floor, now that he doesn't need to be wrapped up in them constantly. With Deino's entry, Hiccup figured that even simple measures could be taken to grant safety.]
I put things away, so we shouldn't have to worry about it getting into anything, after it hatches.
[She's perfectly content to sit back and watch Hiccup as he works here; frankly, that's mostly the reason she came down in the first place, because it takes all of about two seconds in Hiccup's presence to figure out just how crazy he is about dragons, and she's honestly curious to see how he takes to this one — and, once it hatches, how it takes to him.
Riku had given her the rundown of this particular dragon's capabilities when she'd purchased it from him, extolling its virtues in battle, and she'd come away from it thinking only of how she was going to have to start early with this one, nipping any potentially aggressive tendencies in the bud, and make sure it learned plenty of moderation from the very beginning, lest its own power get the better of it later.
And what better way of exposing it to good influences, she thinks with a smile, than letting the first person it meets upon hatching be Hiccup.]
I'd mostly be worried about it hurting itself, trying to experience a world it can't see without having learned how to adapt to it.
[As if on cue, the big crack in the egg splinters off into two others, and a big piece of shell falls off as a stubby blue-and-black head bumps against it from the inside.]
The blankets should help with some of that. [He's really hoping that, along with their supervision, will be enough to prevent any injuries a Deino would normally receive in the wild.
Hiccup stays low and close to the egg. He knows it's best for hatchlings to break out of the egg on their own, so he forces himself to keep the interference to a minimum, merely picking up some of the larger bits of shell that fall onto its surrounding nests. With each inch that becomes visible as it hatches, Hiccup's grin seems to stretch even wider.
Even with the tough kicks and bumps of the tiny dragon proving it's strength--or perhaps because of that--the viking is completely enchanted.]
[It takes about another fifteen seconds of nudging and splintering before the baby Deino seems to get the idea that it is apparently inside some kind of thing; it takes all of two for it to decide that it does not want to be inside that thing any more, and so its next impact is not just a mere bump, but a mighty headbutt that sends the whole shell cracking into halves.
And then it's out in the open air for the first time, a tiny blue dragon with black fur and a stubby horn atop its head, shaking bits of egg chips off its body as it gets its first taste of the outside world.
Zack, literally bouncing in place, almost begins to make excited noises at the sight, but a slight motion from Carmen keeps him quiet. If she's blind at birth, then she'll be attuning into the sounds around her as she tries to orient herself, and it would probably be better all around if the first thing she heard outside of her shell wasn't Zack going boop.
Meanwhile, the Deino seems to have just become aware of the blankets at its feet, and decides to investigate these warmthings in the best way it knows how: by biting them.]
[Hiccup's first instinct is to reach out--it's an adorable baby dragon! The first of its particular species that Hiccup has seen! The immediate feeling-by-teeth causes him to stop, though. He can deal with having one foot. One hand? Probably more difficult. Really, how did Gobber deal?
He remains quiet, content with watching the Deino in silence as it figures things out. Before he does speak, Hiccup lightly drums his fingers against the floor, hoping that will alert the pokemon to the presence of another so that it won't be too surprised when there is suddenly a (soft) voice.]
[Oh! Noise! Noise and a voice, and this is suddenly new and interesting stimuli that the Deino has not yet encountered! It used to hear noises through its shell while it was still waiting to hatch, obviously, but those were muffled and faraway and this is noise right in front of it.
IT MUST INVESTIGATE.
Thankfully, it chooses to do so by headbutting in the direction of the noises, making noises in its enthusiasm that come out as a cross between a chirp and a friendly growl. New thing, where are you? Thing? FEAR NOT, IT WILL FIND YOU. By...thrusting its head in that general direction in the hopes of hitting something.]
I'll have to figure out if it's male or female first.
[Her answer is just as soft as Hiccup's, and she quietly removes her Gear from her pocket and covers the speaker with her gloved hand before pointing it at the Deino, waiting for the results to come back.]
[gdi dragons, why so amazing and cute. The Deino's searching earns a light chuckle and a cautious hand edging near again. Here's to hoping that it will sense the presence or at least choose to investigate by non-violent means.
And if not, oh well. Hiccup knew the risk.]
Right. Yeah, I guess.
[He divides his attention, ready to listen to what the 'gear has to say while he keeps his eyes glued to the newborn.]
[As the hand edges close, the Deino does indeed seem to sense something moving closer and lunges for it, thankfully favoring headbutting things over biting them at this point. But when it connects with Hiccup's hand, it abruptly goes very still and seems to briefly shiver all over, absorbing this new sensation and remaining perfectly frozen so as not to accidentally break the contact.
This is a different warmthing! It's firm and smooth instead of fuzzy.
Is this the noisemaking warmthing?
Maybe by pushing its head against the warmthing, it can find out.]
The Gear says it's a girl.
[And what a pair she and Hiccup make, side-by-side. Same haircuts and everything. Carmen can't help but smile.]
Go on, Zack. You can go say hello.
[Eagerly, the Porygon2 hops over, swinging around to Hiccup's other side and snuggling in close to his leg for a better view.]
[It's been a while, but Hiccup's still used to hard-headed dragons butting into him, so he manages to not wince. For having just hatched, though, the Deino packs quite the punch.]
Girl, hmn? She's beautiful and strong.
[He starts with a reassuring rub of his thumb against her snout, then moves his fingers down her jaw, then neck. There weren't scales, like he was used to, but Hiccup gives an experimental scratch. When Zack joins him, he, too, gets a pat on the tinybirdish head.]
[Oh. Oh. The warmthing is doing something that feels quite pleasant! It is a thing she likes a whole lot. ...Did headbutting the warmthing make it do the nicething?
She wriggles insistently, pushing against his hand wherever it comes into contact, testing this new theory to see if it prolongs the scritching.
Zack, meanwhile, lets out a quiet but rapid string of beeps and boops that, a minute later, elicits a chuckle out of Carmen.]
Zack would like me to tell you that you're good with dragons. Something we all already knew, obviously, but it bears repeating.
[Whether because of the wriggling or not, the scritching does indeed continue! Carmen's words finally get him to drag his gaze away from the Deino, first to her and then to the Porygon2 beside him.]
Thanks, Zack! [He hadn't been used to receiving compliments back home, so even this one from the pokemon pleased him.
Hiccup mulls over the name for a few seconds. Having by now met a good number of Carmen's team, he's fairly confident that he understands her naming scheme.]
Someone you know? Or do you have a last name in mind to make a pun?
[OH GOOD yes the warmthing can just continue doing that forever, thank you, because that is a nicething and all things considered, she is pretty happy about being born now because there were not nicethings like this in her egg.
Carmen, meanwhile, opts to come over at this point, still keeping a short distance between them, but aiming to give her dragon the chance to start getting used to her presence as well.]
There's a famous group of musicians in my world who all wore their hair in a style like hers. One of their universally-acclaimed albums — that is, a recorded collection of their music — was called Abbey Road.
[Though she was always a bit more of an Elvis girl, herself.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
audio;
audio;
Your Deino? Are you in your room?
audio;
At the moment. I'm debating whether to take it outside before it has a chance to hatch completely; the Dex claims Deinos tend to be fairly rambunctious despite their size, and I'd rather not have a destroyed room if I can help it.
[A KNOWING PAUSE.]
I was wondering what you think would be best for it.
audio;
GOSH, CARMEN, YOU BELIEVE IN HIM AND HIS KNOWLEDGE OF DRAGONS, WOW.]
Well...
Hiccup does a quick look-up on the pokemon so he can make an informed decision. A surprise would have been fun, but being prepared was more important. Besides, pretty much nothing could make a dragon hatching less exciting.]
I guess it depends how much space you have right now... It should probably be in an open area--not too small, but also not too big, since it's blind... [He knows Carmen probably has figured this out, but he's mostly thinking aloud.] Maybe stay there, since it'll be softer and won't have any distracting sounds?
[Pause.]
Or, well, my room is already kind of destroyed.
audio;
And feel free to keep thinking out loud, it's endearing.]
If that's an invitation, we can be right down. But I'd better hurry; that crack in its shell is getting longer by the minute.
audio;
[There isn't too much to clean up, but what little there is will be out of the way to make room for baby dragon.
CARMEN, HE IS SO EXCITED. DRAGONS.]
action BECAUSE DRAGONS;
We're here. What should I do with it?
[HICCUP, TAKE THE WHEEL.]
action BECAUSE YES;
Here. [He carefully takes the bundled egg, easing it down to yet another nest, this one made of a blanket. There are actually quite a number of blankets laid out on the floor, now that he doesn't need to be wrapped up in them constantly. With Deino's entry, Hiccup figured that even simple measures could be taken to grant safety.]
I put things away, so we shouldn't have to worry about it getting into anything, after it hatches.
action BECAUSE YES;
Riku had given her the rundown of this particular dragon's capabilities when she'd purchased it from him, extolling its virtues in battle, and she'd come away from it thinking only of how she was going to have to start early with this one, nipping any potentially aggressive tendencies in the bud, and make sure it learned plenty of moderation from the very beginning, lest its own power get the better of it later.
And what better way of exposing it to good influences, she thinks with a smile, than letting the first person it meets upon hatching be Hiccup.]
I'd mostly be worried about it hurting itself, trying to experience a world it can't see without having learned how to adapt to it.
[As if on cue, the big crack in the egg splinters off into two others, and a big piece of shell falls off as a stubby blue-and-black head bumps against it from the inside.]
And here we go.
action BECAUSE YES;
Hiccup stays low and close to the egg. He knows it's best for hatchlings to break out of the egg on their own, so he forces himself to keep the interference to a minimum, merely picking up some of the larger bits of shell that fall onto its surrounding nests. With each inch that becomes visible as it hatches, Hiccup's grin seems to stretch even wider.
Even with the tough kicks and bumps of the tiny dragon proving it's strength--or perhaps because of that--the viking is completely enchanted.]
action BECAUSE YES;
And then it's out in the open air for the first time, a tiny blue dragon with black fur and a stubby horn atop its head, shaking bits of egg chips off its body as it gets its first taste of the outside world.
Zack, literally bouncing in place, almost begins to make excited noises at the sight, but a slight motion from Carmen keeps him quiet. If she's blind at birth, then she'll be attuning into the sounds around her as she tries to orient herself, and it would probably be better all around if the first thing she heard outside of her shell wasn't Zack going boop.
Meanwhile, the Deino seems to have just become aware of the blankets at its feet, and decides to investigate these warmthings in the best way it knows how: by biting them.]
action BECAUSE YES;
He remains quiet, content with watching the Deino in silence as it figures things out. Before he does speak, Hiccup lightly drums his fingers against the floor, hoping that will alert the pokemon to the presence of another so that it won't be too surprised when there is suddenly a (soft) voice.]
Do you know what you're going to name it?
action BECAUSE YES;
IT MUST INVESTIGATE.
Thankfully, it chooses to do so by headbutting in the direction of the noises, making noises in its enthusiasm that come out as a cross between a chirp and a friendly growl. New thing, where are you? Thing? FEAR NOT, IT WILL FIND YOU. By...thrusting its head in that general direction in the hopes of hitting something.]
I'll have to figure out if it's male or female first.
[Her answer is just as soft as Hiccup's, and she quietly removes her Gear from her pocket and covers the speaker with her gloved hand before pointing it at the Deino, waiting for the results to come back.]
action BECAUSE YES;
And if not, oh well. Hiccup knew the risk.]
Right. Yeah, I guess.
[He divides his attention, ready to listen to what the 'gear has to say while he keeps his eyes glued to the newborn.]
Does Zack want to get a closer look?
action BECAUSE YES;
This is a different warmthing! It's firm and smooth instead of fuzzy.
Is this the noisemaking warmthing?
Maybe by pushing its head against the warmthing, it can find out.]
The Gear says it's a girl.
[And what a pair she and Hiccup make, side-by-side. Same haircuts and everything. Carmen can't help but smile.]
Go on, Zack. You can go say hello.
[Eagerly, the Porygon2 hops over, swinging around to Hiccup's other side and snuggling in close to his leg for a better view.]
action BECAUSE YES;
Girl, hmn? She's beautiful and strong.
[He starts with a reassuring rub of his thumb against her snout, then moves his fingers down her jaw, then neck. There weren't scales, like he was used to, but Hiccup gives an experimental scratch. When Zack joins him, he, too, gets a pat on the tinybirdish head.]
action BECAUSE YES;
She wriggles insistently, pushing against his hand wherever it comes into contact, testing this new theory to see if it prolongs the scritching.
Zack, meanwhile, lets out a quiet but rapid string of beeps and boops that, a minute later, elicits a chuckle out of Carmen.]
Zack would like me to tell you that you're good with dragons. Something we all already knew, obviously, but it bears repeating.
[She looks the little scene over, considering.]
I think I'll call her Abbie.
action BECAUSE YES;
Thanks, Zack! [He hadn't been used to receiving compliments back home, so even this one from the pokemon pleased him.
Hiccup mulls over the name for a few seconds. Having by now met a good number of Carmen's team, he's fairly confident that he understands her naming scheme.]
Someone you know? Or do you have a last name in mind to make a pun?
action BECAUSE YES;
Carmen, meanwhile, opts to come over at this point, still keeping a short distance between them, but aiming to give her dragon the chance to start getting used to her presence as well.]
There's a famous group of musicians in my world who all wore their hair in a style like hers. One of their universally-acclaimed albums — that is, a recorded collection of their music — was called Abbey Road.
[Though she was always a bit more of an Elvis girl, herself.]
Abbie Rhode — that's a fair name, isn't it?