[closed] playing midwives to an egg

[gekkajuu]

Who: Jade (witchhooded) & Atsushi (gekkajuu)
What: Jade comes over to shrink Atsushi's egg so it's easier to protect until it hatches.
When: Backdated a couple of days to Atsushi waking up as an egg mom.
Where: Thesa, to start.
Warning(s): Two weirdos and egg shrinking??

It hasn't been that long since Atsushi woke up with a giant egg next to him, but it feels like forever. He's been so focused on taking care of the egg the whole time... The network post was supposed to help, but he got more bad jokes than useful advice out of it.

Still, he got a promise of help from Jade, and for that, he is very grateful. If she can shrink the egg, that would definitely be convenient...

For now, it's still big, and Atsushi does what he can to keep it warm and safe regardless, surrounding it with blankets and turning up the temperature. He considers going to the mess hall or medical bay and asking for something to help keep the egg warm a little better, but in the end, he doesn't dare to leave. He just sits there, starting to sweat as the temperature rises, and very carefully bends himself over the top of the egg, where it isn't surrounded by blankets. If anything happens to the egg... he's not sure he can forgive himself.

Comments

[witchhooded]

Anyone who knows Jade is probably not surprised she didn't crack a bad joke. First and foremost, she is known as an animal lover; despite her grandfather's hobby - hunting - she adores critters of all kinds and couldn't bare to hurt one. So long as it was innocent, any animal in need was someone Jade was going to protect. As such, Atsushi's message was something she had no problem offering to help with.

Getting onto the station is incredible easy. It's made even easier for her because there's no actual strain on Jade to teleport in this instance. It comes from Dharma, she thinks, or at least whatever mysterious power it is that pulses within the ship. In the blink of an eye, the impersonal, cold hallways of Thesa replace the just barely familiar walls of her temporary dwelling. Wood shifts into metal and the air becomes a bit cooler, perhaps - it certainly feels more controlled, in some strange way. It strikes her then, looking about in confusion, that she doesn't know where... Atsushi, Mr. TeaOnRice himself, is. She purses her lips for a moment before deciding that yes, the spacey thing is necessary here.

With a bright green flash, it's core resembling lightning, she materializes there; his room is warm, she realizes. A lot warmer than it needs to be. The light settles, and Jade's there like she's always been. It's unmistakeably her: The dog ears are a dead give away.

"Hi! I am Jade," she announces with a little clap of her hands. Her fingers loop together, and she walks a little closer to him, expression friendly but curious still. "You are Atsushi, right? It's sooooo warm in here, you have to be trying to replicate an incubator!"

[gekkajuu]

Still sitting on the bed with the egg, Atsushi yelps at the sudden flash of light, and it's a testament to his self-control that he doesn't squish the egg hard enough to crack it. For one brief, terrifying moment, he thinks the egg must have been a dragon's after all, and dragon mom came to get it back.

But it's Jade, which is a relief in more ways than one.

"That's me... Thank you for coming." Atsushi's body relaxes a little too much, all but melting over the egg in his relief - though he never puts unnecessary pressure on the poor egg, of course. It's just that all the stress (and the heat, probably) is catching up with him. "Yes, I figured I needed to get the egg warm, and I didn't know how else to do it... It's so big." And a bath was not an option. Vorin had declared it so.

[witchhooded]

"We are both pretty lucky that I found you so fast, I see!"

The way he seems to be running the gamut of emotions makes her knit her brows together, though the smile only falters a touch. Really, it's her voice that gives away her concern most. She reaches Atsushi, the sparkling red flats on her feet pat-padding with each step. Jade leans forward, balling her fist up and resting her chin on it in thought. Her large, circular glasses slip down her nose a tad and long, wild and dark hair spills over her shoulder.

"I would like to see the egg, and then we can worry about the temperature in here. You just found it today and it is your's to take care of, right?"

[gekkajuu]

"Yes! That is: it was left here, and nobody was sharing the room at the time... I can't imagine who would simply leave an egg, though, let alone one this size."

Carefully, he moves away so Jade can study it if she wants. As the video showed, it's white and huge, about the length of Atsushi's arm in diameter. Even releasing the egg, he hovers, glancing over at Jade, a little unsure.

"... You're sure that it's safe to shrink it, right?"

[witchhooded]

Jade tosses her hair over her shoulder, then runs a hand through her bangs. It's a lot bigger than any egg she's ever seen, but it kind of reminds her of...

"Ostrich?" It's posed like a question. Her eyes narrow in thought and tilting her head, she falls deep into consideration, wondering what might lay such a large egg. She can't recall seeing anything (or anyone) on the ship that looked like they laid an egg - it's such a mystery!

"Well, in any case, it's good you got it, I think you are doing the responsible thing here!" The smile that crosses her face is genuine and wide, her bunny teeth flashing again. His question makes her laugh, though, and Jade stands her full height, unfolding her arms. With her fists on her hips, she continues,

"I've shrunk loads and loads of things before! A whole planet once, and everyone was fine! I promise it will be okay, I am an expert in shrinking and growing!"

[gekkajuu]

"I don't think even ostriches lay eggs this big... and I haven't seen any ostriches around." If there's any trace of sarcasm in that last statement, it's at his own expense, just for how he managed to end up in this kind of situation. "Some people have suggested it may be a dragon or basilisk."

He is doing the responsible thing, of course he is... but it's not like he has a choice! Who knows what would happen to the egg if he didn't at least try to take care of it?

"Sorry... It's not that I don't believe you, but shrinking things that way isn't really possible, where I'm from." Actually, there's probably someone with that kind of ability somewhere, but if so, Atsushi hasn't met them. "I guess I'm just worried... When it comes to this egg, there are so many things that could go wrong."

And it's a responsibility that was just dropped into his lap. If he messes up, he will take it very, very personally.

[witchhooded]

"There are plenty of things that can go wrong just by letting it sit, but if it is smaller and wrapped up tight then it will be warm and you will be a lot calmer!" Her smile is electric, confident, pleasant; any number of things that probably betray how badly she wants him to trust her. It's clear that he's in pain, and Jade won't stand for it.

...Except she is standing, so.

She just shrugs before framing the egg with her fingers, as if preparing to take a photograph. Her tongue hangs out of the corner of her mouth, concentration explicit on her face, and... there's a crackle of green light, again, before the egg begins to shrink. Jade closes the distance between her hands as it goes, tinier and tinier till it's the size of an average chicken egg.

"Phew! See? Not so bad! He's all in one piece!!"

[gekkajuu]

He does trust her, he really does! It's himself he can't risk trusting - including the decisions he makes, which may or may not include trusting her.

He sighs, a little embarrassed at how calm he definitely isn't at the moment. It would have been so much better if the egg had been left with someone else... or if he hadn't heard that heartbeat and felt with incredible urgency how alive the egg is.

Seeing Jade at work is beyond interesting. She really has some amazing powers, doesn't she? And, more than that: she seems so confident about using them! There's no hesitation at all, and for a moment, Atsushi can't even bring himself to look at the shrinking egg the way he probably should, focused instead on Jade and her incredible... Jade-ness. She's kind of adorable.

Then it's done, and Atsushi feels a little bad for letting his attention wander. He picks up the egg, very carefully, and lifts it to his ear. "I can still hear it!" That probably shouldn't be his first point of interest after Jade's feat of strength, but it's the most important thing - the only way he knows to check that whatever's in the egg is okay. Only then does he finally begin to relax, smiling at he looks at Jade. "That's incredible! It's very impressive!"

[witchhooded]

The goal from the beginning of this adventure, however short it's been, has been to relax Atsushi. Jade knows her powers well and she knows how true they are, she knows them from the ground up and then some, and if she can use them to be... useful, she thinks they're more than worth it. Downright cool, even.

So when Atsushi smiles up at her, she gives him an awkward sort of thumbs up, leaning up with her other arm firmly at her side. "Good to hear it! The eggie's still beating! Now!"

Jade places her fists on her hips, then, tilting her head with a raised brow and a smile on her lips, "How are you gonna keep him warm?" As she speaks, she starts to float a little, intending to go deal with his thermostat.

[gekkajuu]

Okay, she's floating. No biggie. She's just -...
He has no time to focus on that!! Thankfully her words still ring in his ears, belatedly sinking in.

"Yes! I was thinking I could wrap it in some cloth and carry it on me when it's possible, leave it at a safe, warm place when it's not?"

Still carefully keeping it cupped in his hands for now, he frantically looks around for some fabric. It's probably warm enough in the room that the egg can do without, but he's nervous about breaking it after all this time. Maybe the Natha have provided some spare clothes somewhere... Otherwise Atsushi can take off his shirt, but that's also kind of... awkward.