#hatchparent

[thedargonden]

[8] THE TRUTH

October 23rd, XX19

3:00 PM

Tafla sits quietly on the sofa drinking a cup of tea. The look on the green dragon's face is distant and a bit sad.

As someone walks up to the hallway door to her right, she shakes her head and puts on a quick smile.

Orie emerges from the hallway with a face that shows she has something on her mind. When she looks up and sees Tafla, she smiles at her.

ORIE: "Oh, hi Tafla!"

TAFLA: "Orie! How are you?"

ORIE: "I'm alright. I was just going to play my game in here, but you probably aren't that interested in Celeste. I'll play it later."

TAFLA: "No, no, don't let me get in the way of your game. Come sit with me! Tell me all about... Celets?"

Tafla motions Orie over toward the empty sofa seat to her left.

ORIE: "It's Celeste, Tafla, haha."

Orie sits on the sofa with Tafla and starts to reach the controller with her left hand before quickly switching to her right.

ORIE: "It's about this girl who's trying to climb a mountain while also dealing with her own depression. She's a really cute, mostly positive person who tends to have trouble staying on top of her anxiety.

She tries helping everyone she can, maybe even to a fault, and after everything is still determined to climb the mountain."

Tafla takes a sip of her tea and shoots a smirk at Orie.

TAFLA: "Sounds a lot like you, Orie."

ORIE: "You know, I was thinking about that earlier and I kinda agree.

Oh, also a week ago when I played last, I was just getting to a climactic encounter with her 'other self' who is essentially a purple embodiment of her anxiety and depression given form, which honestly reminds me a lot of Phoenix, haha..."

Orie starts the game on her switch and puts the controller on the sofa right in front of her.

TAFLA: "Is this one of those hands free games where you don't even need to use the controller to play?"

ORIE: "What do you mean?"

TAFLA: "Your injury. How are you going to play it with that?"

All 4 of Orie's eyes widen as she realizes she can't play the game with this injury.

ORIE: "Noooooooo!

Whyyyyyyy!"

TAFLA: "Aw, Orie! I'm sorry! I can look into the game another time!"

Orie sets the controller down and turns the switch off.

ORIE: "No, it's okay. This injury is just so frustrating!"

TAFLA: "I bet..."

The room becomes quiet as the two dragons stare around the room. Tafla sips the rest of her tea, then sets the teacup and plate on the coffee table in front of them both and looks to the redwood floor.

Orie closes all four of her eyes and tilts her head up toward the white ceiling.

She taps the sofa with her right arm unconsciously and sighs.

ORIE: "Hey... Tafla...?"

Tafla quickly looks over to Orie with concern.

TAFLA: "Yes?"

ORIE: "I've been meaning to ask... you mentioned something to Phoenix about my biological hatchparent and guardparent..."

She opens her eyes and looks to Tafla.

ORIE: "What were they like...? What happened to them...? All you've ever told me about my hatchparent is that he's a healing sorcerer..."

Tafla is surprised by the question and her mind starts racing to figure out what to say.

TAFLA: "W- well... uhm... I certainly didn't expect this question to be asked right now...

H-hey... Orie, do you want some tea? I'm going to go make some tea for you. Give me one second."

Tafla gets up and brings her tea cup with her to the kitchen in the same room.

ORIE: "That's not really an answer..."

Tafla ignores Orie and continues getting a box of tea bags and sugar out of the cupboard.

ORIE: "Hey. Tafla..."

She proceeds to get out more tea cups and at the same time takes a couple tea bags out of the box. She lays the bags inside the tea pot. Orie gets up to move toward the kitchen

ORIE: "Tafla?"

She begins to pour the already hot water from the kettle into the teapot. Orie stops near the fridge.

ORIE: "Tafla! Please tell me!"

Tafla drops the kettle into the teapot, breaking it, and pouring hot water all over herself.

TAFLA: "Agh!"

Tafla turns around to face Orie.

TAFLA: "Look, I'm sorry... I just... I don't know what I can tell you... I'm afraid you'd be upset if you found out the truth."

ORIE: "I'm getting more upset not knowing, Tafla!"

Tears begin to form in Orie's bottom eyes and Tafla sighs.

TAFLA: "I know... and I'm sorry, but I can't tell you right now..."

ORIE: "Why not! It’s MY hatchparent!"

TAFLA: "..."

ORIE: "I deserve to know! You never have told me anything important about them! You always skirt around details and pretend like it’s fine! PLEASE TELL ME!"

TAFLA: “I... I don’t know what to say! You’re putting me on the spot here.”

ORIE: “UAHGH!”

Orie’s tears begin to trickle fast down her face.

ORIE: “Why don’t you trust me with any information about my family??”

As Tafla is at a loss for words, Orie steps toward the hallway.

TAFLA: "Orie!"

Orie runs into the hallway and down the basement stairs next to Phoenix's doorway with tears streaming from her face.

Tafla stands in the hot water from the spill, looking around for a towel to clean herself up.

She sighs and looks to the wet ground.

She sends a telepathic message to Orie,

TAFLA: ⦕Orie... I'll tell you soon... I promise... Just give me some time to clear my thoughts and mind...⦖

Tafla reaches for a small towel hanging on the fridge handle. and puts it on the floor to wipe the mess up.

Meanwhile, in Phoenix's room...

PHOENIX: "Hey, Arakados. Was that just Orie running by, crying?"

Arakados is completely entranced by Phoenix's computer. They look up at her and give her a confused look.

ARAKADOS: "Hrm?"

PHOENIX: "Orie was crying. I think you should go comfort her."

ARAKADOS: "Oh. Yea yea, gimme a seconderg."

PHOENIX: "She's... your girlfriend. What are you doing that's more important than your girlfriend?"

ARAKADOS: "I'm finishing up for now."

PHOENIX: "Whatever."

Arakados had looked through Phoenix's entire laptop by now. There's nothing left to see.

No secrets.

No nothing.

They check the desktop through the file explorer one more time, click the view tab and zoom out the file layout. They... see nothing new.

They sigh and start to get up....

Before something catches their eye.

Right in the file explorer view options, next to a check box, there's an option that reads 'Hidden items.'

Their eyes widen as they realize this wasn't checked.

They were sure they had clicked it before, but maybe it must have turned off after taking a break and they must have missed something big.

They check that box again for later, and close the laptop.

They get up and begin to move to the basement.

As soon as Arakados is gone, Phoenix quickly gets up and opens the laptop.

She unchecks the 'Hidden items' check box and clicks back to the Home tab of the file explorer, then quickly runs back to her bed.

PHOENIX: "No one can know the truth..."

[thedargonden]

[4] GOOD AS USUAL

October 11th, XX19

1:00 PM

Orie is playing on her switch again. In the game, the character she's playing as wanders into a castle ruin. There are these glass-like blocks with little white specks on them all around the place, but she can't interact with them.

Down a path she uncovered, she dashes through dangerous and spiky areas to land on a ledge on the right.

ORIE:

"Woo! I did it!"

She walks to the next room where only a mirror stands in the center of the room. Thinking nothing of it, she walks past it.

But the character realizes that her reflection showed a creepy and purple version of herself, before said purple version bursts out of the mirror and runs away.

ORIE: "Hrm..."

Orie starts to think about that.

Phoenix bursts through the doorway and sits in front of the TV, looking furious.

ORIE: "Oh hi, Phoenix!"

PHOENIX: "DON'T even start with that!"

Phoenix stares daggers at Orie.

PHOENIX: "WHAT is your PARTNER doing on MY DJ SYSTEM, in MY ROOM, looking in MY SONG LIST FILES?!?"

Orie realizes Arakados has been in Phoenix's room since a week ago.

ORIE: "Ohhh right! Wait why didn't you ask me before?"

PHOENIX: "I didn't care at first. In fact I actually like Arakados. They’re pretty cute.

But they haven't left my room for DAYS, and I'm going to LOSE MY MIND if I don't get some FUCKING ALONE TIME!!!"

ORIE: "Did you just call Dakka cute?" ::o

PHOENIX: "SHUT UP, THAT'S NOT THE POINT AND YOU KNOW THAT!"

Orie sets down her game controller on the sofa next to her and sits up.

ORIE: "They are trying to look for your 'super special secret,' that silly derg."

PHOENIX: "My... What?"

ORIE: "They believe there may be a secret song on your song list or something that you're either embarrassed of, or don't want us to hear."

PHOENIX: "... No. I don't have a 'super special secret'... Or whatever you said.

And besides, even if I did, I wouldn't hide it in my MusicBoxe! If anything, I'd hide it in my laptop!

... Not that I have a secret on there anyway..."

ORIE: "Oh."

PHOENIX: "And that's NOT AN INVITATION, you understand?"

ORIE: "Uh huh!"

Phoenix starts to turn toward the doorway.

PHOENIX: "Good. Well I'm going back to my room to slee-"

ORIE: "Wait!"

Phoenix stops to lock eyes with Ori.

ORIE: "Do you have a minute?"

Orie gestures to the empty sofa seat next to her as Phoenix starts toward her again.

PHOENIX: "For?"

ORIE: "To talk, you know... Like friends do."

PHOENIX: "No thanks, I'm not a talking type dragon."

ORIE: "Please?"

PHOENIX: "Just tell me what you want to say right now. I don't want to sit down."

ORIE: "Alright.

First off, are you feeling okay?"

PHOENIX: "What do you mean?"

ORIE: "Like...

mentally..."

PHOENIX: "As good as usual. Why?"

Orie glances at the bandage around Phoenix's forearm.

ORIE: "You're not... Doing... Uhhhh...

Something with a knife, are you?"

Phoenix glares at her.

PHOENIX: "What are you insinuating?"

ORIE: "I'm just checking up on you...

I'm worried about you, you know?"

Phoenix bares her teeth at Orie.

PHOENIX: "It's not YOUR businesses to worry about me, Orie.

Fucking hell, is everything that happens to me suddenly your business just because you 'care' about me? What, do you want me to give you a reward for pretending to care about me?

Or, do you think I'm your child or something? No. You're not my hatchparent, Orie. You barely even know me. I only live here because I've got nowhere else to go. No other reason.

If you're asking if I'm cutting myself, my answer's no. That's my final answer and I won't change it.

Don't ever bring this up again or I'll actually literally kill you."

Phoenix begins to stomp out the doorway.

ORIE: "But-"

PHOENIX: "Bye."

Orie stares into the doorway as Phoenix disappears into the hall.

She sighs. This wasn't what she needs to hear right now.

She wishes she could help Phoenix somehow, but clearly she has trouble opening up, and lashes out toward her when pressed.

Besides, she has a hard enough time dealing with her own mental health issues, even if they tend to be hidden below surface level.

Orie reluctantly accepts the fact that she won't be able to get through to Phoenix and picks her controller back up to play more Celeste.

Meanwhile, in Phoenix's Lair...

Phoenix storms into the room brushing past Arakados in front of her MusicBoxe DJ System. They barely even look away from the screen with their red dragon eyes.

ARAKADOS: "Oh hi. You look like someone stepped on your tail."

PHOENIX: "DON'T-"

Phoenix stops before getting to her bed and looks at Arakados with an apologetic look.

PHOENIX: "Sorry... please... don't even start with that..."

ARAKADOS: "Alrighty then."

PHOENIX: "Thank you."

Phoenix flops onto her bed with anger and pretends to go to sleep.

Arakados continues searching through Phoenix's laptop, acting as if they are using Phoenix's DJ equipment, as they overheard Phoenix from the loungeroom.

They silently chuckle to themselves about how devious they are, and wonders what kind of secrets Phoenix would have on there.

It's only a matter of time before they're uncovered...

[thedargonden]

I’ve changed the design of Orie!

Instead of being a blue dragon with a silver mane, she’s now a silver dragon with a blue mane! There’s not anything story related about this change, but it just felt better to  me. I have also changed some small scenes, such as the “hatchparent” scene from [8] THE TRUTH, the dimensional bag scene from [9] ORIE'S HATCHDAY BONANZA and smaller scenes from various episodes!

[thedargonden]

[7] UNINVITED GUEST

October 19th, XX19

6:00 PM

As the pink sunset shines into the loungeroom, Orie sits at the loungeroom dining table behind the sofa, right next to the front window.

Her left arm is still broken, but that's not stopping her from sloppily attempting to eat cheesecake with a fork in her RIGHT hand.

ORIE: "Gah! Why is this so difficult!!!"

She carefully positions her fork over the end of the slice and as slowly as she can, moves downward into the cheesecake.

She succeeds, going through the graham cracker crust on the bottom. But when she tries to pull the bit of cheesecake up, her unbalanced fork holding sent the whole fork and cheesecake bit to the floor.

ORIE: "Nooooooo!"

;I enchant this cheesecake to feed itself to me, right this instant!;

In response, the cheesecake slice lifts up into the air quickly and crams itself down Orie's mouth.

ORIE: "MOOOHH!!!! FSHTAHPH ITH!!!!!!"

She quickly gets up, almost collapsing, being unbalanced on 3 limbs. She limps over to the refrigerator past the sofa and around the corner to the hallway door.

Orie opens the fridge door, then opens and pours a can of root beer down her throat to help get the cheesecake down and also taking big gulps.

After a moment she coughs and collapses to the floor, finally able to swallow the whole slice of cheesecake.

ORIE: "Alright. Honestly, I deserved that."

Her voice is more raspy and breathy now, probably because she had to swallow a whole slice of cheesecake.

Phoenix emerges from the hallway and turns to her left to look around the corner at Orie.

PHOENIX: "Woah, what happened in here?"

Orie coughs again.

ORIE: "Tried enchanting a slice of cheesecake to feed itself to me."

PHOENIX: "Sweet Myrka, Orie, how do you keep finding ways for your sorcery to almost kill you? Weren't you taught anything about your magic?"

ORIE: "No, not really... I had been raised by an idnagol. Not a myrkur. Idnagols don't know that much when it comes to how myrkuran sorcery works. All they know is that it does."

PHOENIX: "What about your parent who WAS a myrkur?"

ORIE: "What do you mean?"

PHOENIX: "I mean, uh. Of course one of your parents was a Myrkur. You look like an Idnagol, but you also have Myrkuran sorcery. You got that from your family, right?"

ORIE: "I don't understand..."

PHOENIX: "Who raised you? Your hatchparent? Your guardparent?"

ORIE: "Hatchparent? ...Guardparent....?"

Orie stares at Phoenix, completely lost on what she's saying.

PHOENIX: "OH MY GOD, Orie! Had no one taught you about this?"

ORIE: "Not exactly... I know the words, but... I don't really know what they mean."

PHOENIX: "Oh my god. Do I really have to give the talk to a fully grown dragon?"

ORIE: "The talk?"

Phoenix sighs.

PHOENIX: "Fine. Okay, so. We as a species are different from most other life. Most other life need a 'female' and 'male' to reproduce...

However, we're not so much like that, as all of us typically have both uhhhh... parts for reproduction."

ORIE: "Uhm... so what does... this... have to do with hatchparents and guardparents?"

Phoenix begins to blush a little bit.

PHOENIX: "SHUT UP! I'M GETTING TO IT!"

ORIE: "Alright..."

PHOENIX: "Anyway, to cut it short and not get into any... awkward bits... when a dragon lays the egg, they are called the hatchparent. Whereas the other one in the... relationship is the guardparent.

Hatchparents tend to care more directly for the egg itself, hence they're called the hatchparent. Guardparents tend to be less closely protective of the egg, but more so the whole family unit.

Though this doesn't describe ALL cases. Sometimes the guardparent can be more protective of the egg itself, and the hatchparent more protective of the family, but the way I described first is the typical relationship."

ORIE: "Huh... So, do you have a hatchparent or guardparent?"

PHOENIX: "Well... no... unless you count... nevermind."

Phoenix squints her eyes and shakes her head.

PHOENIX: "Anyway, who were you raised by?"

ORIE: "Well, I was raised by-"

A knock interrupts the two dragons as they look toward the door frame where the knock was. Behind the door frame stands a shortish pine green looking old dragon. Her long lime green and curly mane waves in the wind. Her white horns show mysterious markings etched into them, almost as if they were in a different language. She holds a dark bag over her right shoulder and near her wing.

TAFLA: "Hellooooo! Am I disturbing you two?"

Orie smiles wide as she sees this dragon and jumps up, limping toward her and she clears her throat from all cheesecake residue leftover.

ORIE: "TALFA!!!!"

TAFLA: "Come now, Orie! You know it's 'Taf-la' and not 'Tal-fa!'"

ORIE: "I know, I'm teasing!"

Orie goes in for a hug with Tafla, but avoiding using her left arm for the hug.

TAFLA: "Orie! What happened to your arm??"

ORIE: "Oh... myrkuran sorcery... as usual..."

Tafla sighs and lets Orie go.

TAFLA: "I told you to be careful with that magic."

Phoenix thinks of saying "So did I, Orie" but she doesn't want to be rude in front of a new dragon.

TAFLA: "Oh, if only your hatchparent were here. He's a-"

ORIE: "Yeah, I know he's a healing sorcerer, Tafla. You've told me every time I got Injured."

Phoenix goes up to Tafla and holds her right hand out for a handshake.

PHOENIX: "Hi, Tafla? I'm Phoenix. So, you're Orie's... hatchparent?"

TAFLA: "Well, of course. I'm her adoptive hatchparent. Her caretaker, if you will."

PHOENIX: "Oh, whatever happened to her biological hatchparent?"

Tafla’s expression widens and she quiets to a whisper.

TAFLA: "Uh... ehehehh... well... they... they’re still alive, if that's what you're asking... but..."

Tafla gets close to Phoenix's ear and shoots a small look at Orie with her white eyes as if to ask her to not read her mind. Orie nods and looks away.

TAFLA: "I don't want to upset Orie by bringing this up around her... let's just say for now that her hatchparent gave her to me to keep her safe, and her guardparent is uhm..."

PHOENIX: "No need for the rest, I know her."

TAFLA: "How do you know Perseus?"

Phoenix seems to flinch at the sound of that name.

PHOENIX: "I... uh... well... she is the myrkuran queen... and I am a myrkur."

Phoenix feels the beginning of an anxiety attack coming on.

TAFLA: "Oh, you really ARE a myrkur! I thought it was my eyesight already going bad or you were an idnagol shapeshifted as a myrkur. Orie's hatchparent used to-"

Tafla looks over at Orie, who's now staring at the two.

TAFLA: "Oh... sorry, I shouldn't talk about that right now.."

PHOENIX: "Yeah... probably not..."

ORIE: "So... Tafla, what brings you to the den?"

TAFLA: "I couldn't miss your first hatchday on your own, Orie!"

ORIE: "Oh yeah! That's in only a couple of days, right?"

TAFLA: "Actually it's in 6 days!"

Phoenix looks away toward the hallway and closes her eyes.

ORIE: "How long are you staying?"

TAFLA: "Hrm... how long do you want me to stay?"

ORIE: "However long you want!"

TAFLA: "Well, in that case, I'll stay here until the 31st!"

ORIE: "Oke! That sounds good! I'm so glad you're visiting, Talfa"

TAFLA: "Oh, since I'm going to be here for a while, I'm glad I brought my trusty dimensional bag with my runestone equipment!"

Phoenix looks back toward Tafla, but not directly at her.

PHOENIX: "You're a runic sorcerer?"

TAFLA: "Of course. Didn't you see the markings on my horns?"

She points to her horns.

PHOENIX: "Sorry, I'm not familiar with idnagol magic."

TAFLA: "Oh, Orie, I've got some presents for your hatchday! But they're only for your HATCHDAY. You better not look in my mind or in the future to see what they are, otherwise you'd spoil the surprise!"

ORIE: "Well, duh!"

Phoenix starts to feel tears forming as she slinks away from Tafla and Orie and starts into the hallway.

ORIE: "I love surprises, why would I spoil HATCHDAY surpri- Hey wait Phoenix, where are you going?"

Phoenix ignores Orie and continues into the hallway.

ORIE: "Sorry, one second Tafla. Phoenix!"

Orie walks toward the hall doorway and peeks her head in.

ORIE: "Phoenix? Are you okay?"

Phoenix ignores her again, and walks into her room, tears dripping from her snout.

ORIE: "Phoenix..."

Orie steps back toward Tafla and sighs.

TAFLA: "Is she... always like that?"

ORIE: "Well, a lot of the time, yeah. I think something happened before we met that messed her up mentally, really badly. Now she tends to take her anger and sadness out on me. We're friends though, so it's okay."

TAFLA: "That's not friendship. That's just mean. She shouldn't do that to you even if she's suffering..."

ORIE: "No, it's not like that. I know there's good in her, she just has a hard shell she hides behind. I'm trying to help her break out of that shell, and I think I'm doing well so far."

TAFLA: "I know you mean well, Orie. I really do. But I wish you wouldn't let others do that to you, no matter if you KNOW they don't mean it with your mind reading."

ORIE: "I know... but Phoenix is different. I know she cares a lot about me. I want to just show her a friendly face and that I care for her, flaws and all."

Tafla sighs and closes her eyes for a moment.

TAFLA: "Alright... I trust she isn't as mean as you say..."

She puts her hand on Orie's chest.

TAFLA: "I just want to make sure you take care of yourself first, Orie... okay?"

ORIE: "Yes ma'am."

Tafla and Orie hug each other again, and afterward, Orie talks about setting up an air mattress in the loungeroom.

While Tafla gets settled into the den, Phoenix lays in her room bawling her eyes out on her mattress while Arakados and the laptop are nowhere to be seen.

Phoenix doesn't feel safe around herself right now.

She puts her claws around her neck for a moment and then shakes her head, pulling them away from her neck and around a pillow.

PHOENIX: "N... no..."

She hugs the pillow close to her body and continues crying silently, for if Orie heard, she'd probably come in.

After a couple moments of being silent, through a broken voice, Phoenix casts a spell.

PHOENIX: ;I enchant myself to not be conscious for... 10 hours.;

Suddenly, Phoenix's body goes limp and her crying fades a bit.

Her grip on the pillow fades and she sleeps through tears for the rest of the night.