Abby had been in the lab all day. They had a new patient, another CSI from Las Vegas that had apparently arrived straight from an encounter with a zillion fire ants (maybe...Greg was a little freaked out and hadn't explained it very well), which meant most of the salves she'd made had been used up in attempt to keep the guy from scratching his entire epidermis off. And that meant she had to make more.
She walked into the kitchen to get some coffee, smelling faintly of mint, even after wearing gloves and washing her hands.
"Ooooh, is it hatching?" she asked, immediately forgetting the coffee.
"So it would seem," Qui-Gon replied with a smile. Whatever was inside the egg made a tiny sound, perhaps a chirp, and shuffled back and forth a bit. The crack widened, showing just a flash of something yellowish. "It is quite determined, I am glad to say."
This had been going on for an hour or two, perhaps, and each outward push seemed to grow stronger.
"They all know how to hatch and when. I don't understand the evolutionary background, but it's so cool," she said in awe, sitting down near Qui-Gon and watching the bird intently.
"A great many creatures in my galaxy are the same, though so many have evolved independently of each other," Qui-Gon agreed. "Although there is a particular species of reptile on Kystix-3 which hatches only when another species chews on its shell. Unfortunately, the latter species went extinct, with the reptile species quite nearly following before someone discovered the truth."
I found Qui-Gon in the kitchen with his egg, and was pleasantly surprised to see it hatching. "It seems I've good timing," I said, helping myself to a cup of tea and sitting down beside him. "How long has it been hatching?"
Pleased as usual to see her, he shifted just a bit to give her more room. "You usually do," he said with a curve of his lips. "Perhaps two hours. Its chances of success seem to be increasing, however." The egg gave a sudden hard push, widening the crack by a significant margin and punctuating his words. Whatever was inside definitely had a beak of some sort.
"Oh, it is a bird," I said, leaning a bit closer to peer at it. I held my teacup safely out of the way; it wouldn't do to spill on the poor thing just as it hatched. "I've seen countless children born, but do you know - I don't think I've ever watched an egg hatch?"
He arched an eyebrow, eyes glittering a bit. "Is that so? This place is full of new experiences, however small." Of that, he was entirely appreciative. Some were not so pleasant as others, but all of them were instructive, and most of them would be impossible in his own world of origin.
The chick made another shove and a little determined chirp, its head appearing this time, the shell cracking just enough for a first real breath. "Hello there," he said. It blinked bright ruby eyes at him and chirped again.
Arthur was not in the habit of taking food from the kitchen, usually. But he felt that his new horse, who still required a name, should have some carrots and apples, as they were readily available. Just in the Compound, actually.
When he stepped into the kitchen, Arthur found a man gently talking to ... himself? He frowned, stepping quietly further into the room to catch sight of the egg, and only frowned deeper, with more curiosity. "What's hatching?"
"I cannot say for sure," Qui-Gon replied with a narrow smile, glancing up at the other man. "Though apparently it will be a bird, whatever other characteristics it might eventually reveal."
A sharp chirp came from the egg, along with a rustling sound, and the crack along the top widened considerably. The end of a long black beak poked through it, and then disappeared again.
Qui-Gon quirked him a wider smile. "Not at all." He nodded at the nearest seat. "THough I cannot be certain just how long it might take. Whatever it is, it has a great deal of determination."
Another thrust of the beak, and a piece of the eggshell chipped away, leaving a hole large enough for the creature to blink out of with a bright red eye.
[ooc: hope you don't mind a late tag! I figure they ought to talk finally.]
Jim had almost never seen Qui-Gon outside of the council office, so to walk in seeing him staring at an egg was a bit surprising. He walked over to grab a glass of juice from the fridge. After a moment of hesitation, he walked over, offering a smile.
"Hey," he greeted, then glanced down at the egg. He raised a brow when it seemed to be moving just a little. "Is that...alive?"
Qui-Gon chuckled. "Hello." Glancing back at the egg, he replied, "I do hope so. Otherwise the chirping sounds it insists upon making would be quite disturbing." The egg shuddered just a bit, the crack across the top widening, developing two smaller cracks branching along the sides.
"It is my gift," he said by way of explanation, quirking his lips. "From the island. I am told it is likely some sort of bird."
"Well, I guess if the island can give people dogs and horses, it can give birds," he said, sitting himself down and watching the egg move around. He had never seen anything hatch before. The closest he had even been to something like that was having a nest of birds outside his house's kitchen.
"Any idea what kind of bird it's going to be?" he asked.
"I haven't any idea," he replied, with a narrow smile. "I hope the size of the egg indicates it will not grow overly large." There might be no correlation, he supposed. "It does make a rather strange gift, but I cannot say I mind." It was somewhat better--or at least less emotionally straining--than the other gift the island had chosen to give him in the past.
The egg went quiet for a little bit, perhaps resting for another assault upon the outside world. Qui-Gon arched an eyebrow at Jim. "Did you receive some sort of creature?"
Comments 43
She walked into the kitchen to get some coffee, smelling faintly of mint, even after wearing gloves and washing her hands.
"Ooooh, is it hatching?" she asked, immediately forgetting the coffee.
Reply
This had been going on for an hour or two, perhaps, and each outward push seemed to grow stronger.
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The chick made another shove and a little determined chirp, its head appearing this time, the shell cracking just enough for a first real breath. "Hello there," he said. It blinked bright ruby eyes at him and chirped again.
Reply
When he stepped into the kitchen, Arthur found a man gently talking to ... himself? He frowned, stepping quietly further into the room to catch sight of the egg, and only frowned deeper, with more curiosity. "What's hatching?"
Reply
A sharp chirp came from the egg, along with a rustling sound, and the crack along the top widened considerably. The end of a long black beak poked through it, and then disappeared again.
Reply
"Do you mind if I watch with you?" he asked. He did not wish to intrude, but he could not help his interest.
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Another thrust of the beak, and a piece of the eggshell chipped away, leaving a hole large enough for the creature to blink out of with a bright red eye.
Reply
Jim had almost never seen Qui-Gon outside of the council office, so to walk in seeing him staring at an egg was a bit surprising. He walked over to grab a glass of juice from the fridge. After a moment of hesitation, he walked over, offering a smile.
"Hey," he greeted, then glanced down at the egg. He raised a brow when it seemed to be moving just a little. "Is that...alive?"
Reply
"It is my gift," he said by way of explanation, quirking his lips. "From the island. I am told it is likely some sort of bird."
Reply
"Any idea what kind of bird it's going to be?" he asked.
Reply
The egg went quiet for a little bit, perhaps resting for another assault upon the outside world. Qui-Gon arched an eyebrow at Jim. "Did you receive some sort of creature?"
Reply
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