Characters present: Dan, Finch, Punk
Date: 12/20/23
Season: 3

[Finch bursts into Dan’s home, carrying a letter in their paw. Dan and Punk look up from what they were doing.]

[18:11:06] <✦[rp] Finch> DAAADDD

[18:11:11] <✦[rp] Finch> you got a letterrr

[18:11:15] <✦[rp] DAN> o hello

[18:11:16] <✦[rp] Punk> oh hsit hey finch

[18:11:24] <✦[rp] Finch> oh and. you too. hi. you

[18:11:23] <✦[rp] DAN> a letter from who..

[18:11:30] <✦[rp] Finch> the wizard. big letter.

[18:11:36] <✦[rp] Finch> its addressed to you! so uh. take it

[Finch hands Dan the letter.]

[18:11:38] <✦[rp] DAN> oh wow! to what do i owe such honor

[He breaks the seal and opens it, pulling out a folded note.]

[18:11:41] <✦[rp] Finch> whatsit say

[He unfolds the letter to begin to read, before realizing that very long. Finch tries to find a good angle to read it at while Dan holds it.]

[18:12:43] <✦[rp] Finch> daaadd what's it say

[18:13:14] <✦[rp] DAN> ah, a lot

[18:13:17] <✦[rp] Finch> mhmprh

[18:13:21] <✦[rp] DAN> its about the egg!

[18:13:29] <✦[rp] DAN> wiz has been doing some crazy reading…

[18:14:39] <✦[rp] Punk> reading wut theres like egg guides out there

[Dan shrugs, and begins to read the letter to himself.]

[ Dan,

I’ve been doing some looking into what we need to know for hatching this egg ever since we retrieved it from Faulkner. I’m sorry I can’t give this to you in person, I’ve been swamped with building Doc’s arm, and tweaking my own. This recent wave of humidity has done a number on all of the fine motor systems. I’m hoping this book of information I sent over with Finch suffices,

Based on what the books I’ve been reading have said, Faulkner was doing the right thing, however, in my further researched opinion, it got some real significant things wrong. See, I think Faulkner is used to dealing with End-Dragons, they’re an ancient race of dragons that are now long dead from the common world. They’re the basis for which the Operators designed Ender Dragons, which you and I and the layman are more familiar with.

End-Dragons may look like the Ender Dragon we know all too well, but they’re significantly different. As you probably well know, Ender Dragons are from a time long passed, when the Council of Operators were first building our known world. They were a way to reward most players with power beyond previous comprehension, flight.

Another gift was that of the dragon’s egg. In most worlds, the egg is not much more than a fancy rock. That’s what I’d mostly known it to be. Most worlds don’t have a viable dragon egg, the stories of their existence are extremely rare. This was why I thought it would be a good symbol in the first place, give meaning to something that could be shared as a symbol of progress and teamwork needed to defeat our world’s Ender-Dragon. I had no clue there could be a tiny seed of life growing inside.

Anyway, there are several stories I’ve read about groups of people who have managed to hatch their eggs. These are stories told from one mouth to the next over and over again, so I’ve been taking them with a grain of salt. One of the most significant differences between an End-Dragon and an Ender Dragon, is how deeply connected Ender Dragons are to the nature of the Code, and the specific root code of a given world. End-Dragons are often like you and me, they’re intelligent creatures, but they're static, virtually powerless compared to something like an Unknown. Ender Dragons are dynamic creatures, similar in some ways to being minor deities, with some, as far as I know, undocumented power.

They’re affected by the people in the world as much as the world itself is affected by them. In one such case of a dragon being hatched, the players within the world built it a shrine in the End much like Faulkner did. However, most of them left the dragon egg alone out there with the exception of one lonely player who would visit it frequently. When the dragon hatched, the text was unclear as to how, it was outright hostile to anyone who wasn’t its “parent” player.

There was another documented example that I found much more intriguing, for many reasons. This specific group of players placed the egg within the center of their town. Or, maybe in the center of the “community”? The translation was vague. It said that the players would spend time talking to the egg where it was placed, they would whisper secrets to it, tell it about the weather, tell it stories, tell it about their lives. When it hatched, after some time of this, it was apparently friendly and sweet to everyone it met. It brought the community together more than anything, according to the text.

I’m still not sure how the hatching process works still, but I think that specific case might give you some idea of what sort of nest you could build for the little egg. Maybe something in Verdigris? There’s some theme of the importance of community here, and who it chooses to mimic and become.

Hope you can glean something from this. I’ll see you soon, if all goes well.

- Wizard ]

[Finch turns to Punk as Dan continues to read.]

[18:13:22] <✦[rp] Finch> oh. punk you. while youre here

[18:13:25] <✦[rp] Finch> are you feeling better

[18:13:58] <✦[rp] Punk> im feelin pretty good

[18:14:07] <✦[rp] Finch> great. glad you aren't doing worse

[18:14:13] <✦[rp] Punk> me too

[18:14:14] <✦[rp] Finch> also.. what about the egg

[18:17:21] <✦[rp] Finch> so. anything interesting in there.

[18:17:38] <✦[rp] DAN> well, wiz said.. or wrote i guess.. that there are stories of other worlds whos dragon eggs hatched successfully

[18:17:52] <✦[rp] Punk> oh damn rlly

[18:18:12] <✦[rp] Punk> i guess that makes sense it is an egg its bound to be a baby once in a while

[18:18:12] <✦[rp] Finch> huh

[18:18:20] <✦[rp] DAN> true true true

[18:18:28] <✦[rp] Finch> its also bound to be on someones pl-

[Dan and Punk both shoot Finch a look.]

[18:18:28] <✦[rp] Finch> i should stop talking i think

[18:18:37] <✦[rp] Punk> yep!

[18:18:42] <✦[rp] DAN> but wiz hoped that these stories would help me figure out how to go about building its nest…

[18:19:06] <✦[rp] Punk> oh shittt a nest ..

[18:19:04] <✦[rp] Finch> cant we just slap it on the ground and be done with it

[18:19:24] <✦[rp] DAN> noo finch it needs tlc.. its a baby…

[18:19:42] <✦[rp] Finch> tlc? is that

[18:19:44] <✦[rp] Finch> some kinda samwhich

[18:19:49] <✦[rp] Finch> i wouldn't mind an egg samwhich

[18:19:54] <✦[rp] DAN> tender love n care silly cat

[18:19:20] <✦[rp] Punk> so do we have like any prroof that our egg is gonna hatch or is this like . just in case

[18:19:39] <✦[rp] DAN> i mean. i think its plenty capable of hatching. and so did faulkner…

[18:19:46] <✦[rp] DAN> and considering its supposedly happened before

[18:20:06] <✦[rp] Finch> why would you care about an egg much less love the thing

[18:20:10] <✦[rp] Finch> it cant even give you anything!

[18:20:15] <✦[rp] Punk> uh yeah it can

[18:20:18] <✦[rp] Punk> baby dragon bitch

[18:20:21] <✦[rp] Punk> thats everything

[Dan shakes his head, chuckling slightly.]

[18:20:55] <✦[rp] DAN> it doesnt have to give anything for me to care abt it and love it

[18:20:58] <✦[rp] Finch> okay and whos to say that baby dragon will do something useful. and won't just. eat you. repeatedly. or like. what if prince gets ahold of it. what then. sculk dragon. horrific

[18:21:18] <✦[rp] DAN> it can hatch into a real sentient bitty dragon. thats so cool. of course im gonna care for it

[18:21:23] <✦[rp] Punk> nah you could like idk train it or something make it be ur little friend

[18:21:25] <✦[rp] Punk> companion

[18:21:30] <✦[rp] DAN> well, actually

[18:21:38] <✦[rp] DAN> in the stories wiz mentioned in the lettter

[18:21:39] <✦[rp] Punk> no way ur well actuallying me rn

[18:22:04] <✦[rp] Finch> well what happens in the stories

[18:22:05] <✦[rp] Finch> tell.

[Dan mimics fixing fake glasses.]

[18:22:29] <✦[rp] DAN> well. theres two stories and the egg hatching went very differently in both

[18:22:37] <✦[rp] Finch> explain

[18:22:43] <✦[rp] Punk> omg tale of two dragons

[18:22:52] <✦[rp] DAN> one world did something kinda like faulkner was trying to do, gave it a shrine in the end. alone. with one player coming to see it every once in a while

[18:23:16] <✦[rp] DAN> and when it hatched, it had formed a bond with that player. its "parent" i guess, that had come to see it in the end

[18:23:19] <✦[rp] DAN> but

[18:23:29] <✦[rp] Finch> but?

[18:23:31] <✦[rp] DAN> it was also hostile towards all the other players in the world

[18:23:41] <✦[rp] Finch> useful in a pinch i guess

[18:23:45] <✦[rp] DAN> yeah

[18:23:48] <✦[rp] DAN> again, another but

[18:23:57] <✦[rp] Punk> what if we all go visit it then what would happen

[Dan nods.]

[18:24:10] <✦[rp] DAN> yeah

[18:24:21] <✦[rp] DAN> in the story about the other world

[18:24:54] <✦[rp] DAN> the players all made a .. shrine... nest... thing.. in the center of their community, and everyone visited the egg. spent time with it, even talked to it about all sorts of things

[18:25:07] <✦[rp] DAN> and eventually when the egg hatched, it was friendly to everyone

[18:25:09] <✦[rp] Punk> aw cute

[18:25:15] <✦[rp] Finch> cool great but what did it do

[18:25:19] <✦[rp] Finch> just sit around and look cute?

[18:25:38] <✦[rp] DAN> well. wiz didnt detail anything else and i doubt the stories would have gone that much into detail

[18:25:55] <✦[rp] DAN> they're more word of mouth stories, passed down for a while. so.

[18:26:05] <✦[rp] DAN> im not sure how much weight all that stuff holds but

[Dan flips through the letter again, rereading some of the sections.]

[18:26:17] <✦[rp] Finch> so we could either have a dragon thats friendly to a few and aggressive to some or. friendly to all

[18:26:20] <✦[rp] Punk> thats sick we could have a friendly dragon child dude

[18:26:21] <✦[rp] Finch> well. i have. an idea

[18:26:37] <✦[rp] Finch> put it in corroded. put it in a secret place in corroded if we're all so determined to hatch the thing

[18:26:37] <✦[rp] Punk> never good when u have ideas

[18:26:52] <✦[rp] Finch> but only corroded can go see it. we dont want. that. other cat finding it

[18:27:04] <✦[rp] Finch> then we can use it. a backup plan if the void thing doesnt work out

[18:27:15] <✦[rp] DAN> hmm

[18:27:20] <✦[rp] Punk> i guess but what ab like fungus and shit then theyll have a dragon on their ass whenever they visit

[18:27:30] <✦[rp] Finch> why would i care about them?

[Dan shakes his head, he doesn’t like the idea of the dragon being used for something like that.]

[18:27:42] <✦[rp] Punk> uh cuz theyre cool guys

[18:27:52] <✦[rp] DAN> the fungus people havent caused much trouble and..

[18:27:56] <✦[rp] DAN> ollies over there...

[18:27:57] <✦[rp] Finch> for now

[18:28:19] <✦[rp] DAN> im not having any more sibling disputes please and thank you

[18:28:28] <✦[rp] Finch> grhpmph

[18:28:48] <✦[rp] Finch> so whats your idea

[18:28:51] <✦[rp] DAN> well

[18:28:59] <✦[rp] Finch> to do whatever it is you want, and keep prince faaar away from it

[18:29:42] <✦[rp] DAN> yeah

[18:29:05] <✦[rp] DAN> i love the idea of the bitty dragon being friendly with everyone but also

[18:29:16] <✦[rp] DAN> im worried about having it in the town

[18:29:12] <✦[rp] Finch> prince.

[18:29:14] <✦[rp] Finch> he exists

[18:29:23] <✦[rp] Finch> he will continue to exist if we dont do anything about it

[18:29:17] <✦[rp] DAN> yeah

[18:29:20] <✦[rp] DAN> and faulkner too

[18:29:51] <✦[rp] Finch> oh right and faulkner, thats... ollie's roomate, yeah?

[18:29:59] <✦[rp] DAN> but yeah. i just worry that like. the wrong people might be able to get their hands on it too easily

[18:30:03] <✦[rp] DAN> yeah..

[18:30:05] <✦[rp] Punk> i mean surely nobodies gonna tell prince ab it . if dragons not raised near prince it shouldnt be friendly to him right

[18:30:18] <✦[rp] DAN> true but just. hes like everywhere

[18:30:26] <✦[rp] Punk> how dude he sits on his ass watching cartoons all day

[18:30:15] <✦[rp] Finch> what if he finds out

[18:30:37] <✦[rp] Finch> what if he comes over to corroded for whatever reason while nobody's watching and finds it and takes it and now we have a sculk dragon to worry about and then we all die forever

[18:30:39] <✦[rp] Finch> what then

[18:30:42] <✦[rp] Finch> what then, punk, what then

[18:31:01] <✦[rp] Punk> then we run lol!!!

[18:30:45] <✦[rp] DAN> isnt there like... three.. 2.5 princes....

[18:30:55] <✦[rp] Finch> two.

[18:30:59] <✦[rp] Finch> at least by my count

[18:31:07] <✦[rp] Finch> if there's more then.

[Finch shudders.]

[18:31:17] <✦[rp] Finch> i dont want to think about that

[18:31:03] <✦[rp] DAN> wel... likee

[18:31:18] <✦[rp] DAN> doc's arm..... whatevers happening there...... im counting as a half.. maybe a quarter

[18:31:32] <✦[rp] Finch> i forgot about doc. did he ever. get that. fixed?

[18:31:41] <✦[rp] Finch> bet not it'd be hard to fix something like that

[18:31:43] <✦[rp] Finch> er

[18:31:45] <✦[rp] Finch> no offense

[18:31:53] <✦[rp] Punk> idk hes like smart or something

[18:31:56] <✦[rp] Punk> hes called doctor

[18:31:58] <✦[rp] DAN> i mean.. i think docs a little worse off...

[18:32:01] <✦[rp] Punk> thats smart

[18:32:40] <✦[rp] Finch> is being a doctor really mean youre smart?

[18:32:46] <✦[rp] Finch> its just a title. or really a name

[18:32:59] <✦[rp] Punk> well yea i think so u gotta like work for that title

[18:33:05] <✦[rp] Finch> i can call myself a doctor all i fucking want and that doesnt really change much, well, I do think I'm smart but, you know

[18:33:17] <✦[rp] Punk> damn ok i didnt think abt that

[18:33:18] <✦[rp] Finch> i can go around to a new place and call myself doctor finch. would that make me smart?

[18:33:25] <✦[rp] Finch> would it?

[18:33:36] <✦[rp] Punk> no id never accuse u of being smart

[18:33:40] <✦[rp] Punk> i see ur point

[18:33:55] <✦[rp] Finch> glad

[Finch turns back to Dan.]

[18:34:39] <✦[rp] Finch> so dad

[18:34:43] <✦[rp] DAN> mhm?

[18:34:55] <✦[rp] Finch> if you REALLY want to do this whole. egg. thing. and not take the easy way with this

[18:34:58] <✦[rp] Finch> what do you suggest we do

[18:35:12] <✦[rp] DAN> ive never been known 2 take the easy way kid

[18:35:18] <✦[rp] DAN> but um. im not sure!

[18:35:20] <✦[rp] DAN> yet at least

[Dan holds the letter from the Wizard tightly in his hands.]

[18:35:43] <✦[rp] Finch> i still think my ideas the best

[18:35:45] <✦[rp] Punk> well do we know how long its got til hatch time do we have to think like . fast

[18:35:45] <✦[rp] DAN> wiz's given me a lot to think about

[18:35:56] <✦[rp] DAN> ummm

[18:36:00] <✦[rp] DAN> good question actually

[18:36:16] <✦[rp] Finch> didn't wiz say last time it was gonna be a while?

[18:36:53] <✦[rp] Finch> which good thing i dont want to deal with having. a 'sibling' here already.

[18:36:55] <✦[rp] Finch> especially now

[18:37:05] <✦[rp] Finch> i still think itd be best to get rid of the damn thing

[18:37:13] <✦[rp] Punk> ur no fun

[18:37:19] <✦[rp] DAN> youve already got a sibling you goof whats another one

[18:37:25] <✦[rp] DAN> also not getting rid of it

[Finch pouts.]

[18:37:45] <✦[rp] Finch> fine.

[18:38:48] <✦[rp] Finch> so.

[18:38:51] <✦[rp] DAN> hmm but yeah. i think wizard did say it'd be a bit

[18:38:55] <✦[rp] Finch> yeah

[18:39:00] <✦[rp] Finch> so nothing too much to worry about

[18:39:06] <✦[rp] DAN> so i guess i dont have to rush too hard with my decision

[18:39:07] <✦[rp] Finch> plus! in the meantime we can do more fun things!

[18:39:18] <✦[rp] Finch> like hang out. or

[18:39:19] <✦[rp] Finch> uh

[18:39:24] <✦[rp] Finch> what else.

[18:39:35] <✦[rp] DAN> hm

[18:40:12] <✦[rp] Finch> oh we could all do something fun together!

[18:40:16] <✦[rp] Finch> thats not related to the egg.

[18:40:22] <✦[rp] DAN> thatt would be cool

[18:40:33] <✦[rp] Finch> like i dont know wander around verde drug until we find something to do in there

[18:40:36] <✦[rp] Finch> or

[18:40:57] <✦[rp] Finch> talk a nice walk or cook food together or

[18:41:10] <✦[rp] Finch> do litterally anything

[18:41:18] <✦[rp] Punk> you find cooking food fun

[Dan chuckles softly.]

[18:41:33] <✦[rp] DAN> cooking food can be fun

[18:41:48] <✦[rp] DAN> u ever got a mean meal coming to fruition over the stove. its like art.

[18:42:23] <✦[rp] DAN> and cooking for people is cool

[18:42:17] <✦[rp] Finch> cooking food means you get food at the end

[18:42:23] <✦[rp] Finch> which is the important thing

[18:42:27] <✦[rp] Punk> well u kno me . hold meat in fire . thats as artisticc as i get

[Dan smiles.]

[18:42:44] <✦[rp] DAN> plenty artistic 2 me

[18:42:37] <✦[rp] Finch> do you.. not season it? or anything

[18:42:54] <✦[rp] Punk> season lol what

[18:42:58] <✦[rp] Punk> thats like summer and shit

[18:43:07] <✦[rp] Finch> ...sure

[18:43:08] <✦[rp] Finch> yeah

[18:43:09] <✦[rp] Finch> okay

[18:42:51] <✦[rp] Punk> however i make a mean cake

[18:44:01] <✦[rp] Finch> i mean

[18:44:05] <✦[rp] Finch> if you make a good cake.

[18:44:09] <✦[rp] Finch> i would like to have some!

[18:44:10] <✦[rp] Finch> just uh

[18:44:13] <✦[rp] Finch> wear gloves

[18:44:15] <✦[rp] Finch> the entire time.

[18:44:31] <✦[rp] Finch> you know, as a safety precaution

[18:44:40] <✦[rp] Punk> i can do thst

[18:44:42] <✦[rp] DAN> cake get baked in oven.. i think itll be fine.. all contaminants cooked out yano...

[18:45:02] <✦[rp] Punk> the kid likes ttheir safety who am ii to deny tem that

[18:45:13] <✦[rp] DAN> fair enuff

[18:45:28] <✦[rp] Finch> thanks punk

[18:45:32] <✦[rp] Finch> see, someone who understands

[18:45:48] <✦[rp] Punk> no problem . i might spit in it though

[18:45:56] <✦[rp] Finch> hey!

[18:45:57] <✦[rp] DAN> hahah

[18:46:06] <✦[rp] DAN> its ok finch ill eat the spat in parts

[18:46:16] <✦[rp] Finch> thats still UNHEALTHY

[18:46:22] <✦[rp] Finch> and BAD FOR YOU

[18:46:20] <✦[rp] DAN> not for mee

[18:46:21] <✦[rp] Punk> very hot though

[18:46:27] <✦[rp] DAN> hehe

[18:46:36] <✦[rp] Finch> what?

[18:46:46] <✦[rp] DAN> dont worry about it kid

[Dan ruffles the fur on Finch’s head, and Finch purrs loudly.]

[18:47:17] <✦[rp] Finch> thanks dad

[18:47:23] <✦[rp] Finch> so... cake time?

[18:47:41] <✦[rp] Punk> sure lets fuckin cake

[18:47:50] <✦[rp] Finch> yay! cake time!

[Cake time together.]

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