Here's the little story I wrote for the pet page of my new achromatic Shaefu, Bloodlusting; she was hatched from an egg I bought from Drow today. :P

(One thing I should mention before you read what follows: the character of Angelique is the OC version of my HA. :) )

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The specialist Egg Marketplace was as busy as it always was; those who could not find the creatu egg they so desired would flock here in an attempt to find what they were looking for... Preferably at a decent price, at that. Most of the eggs in question were relatively standard fare - Malals, Tesuris, Otachies, Drindians, etc - and, thus, were sold at very affordable rates. If one was lucky enough, they might've gotten the chance to snag a so-called 'seasonal' egg, such as that of a Vaspi or Uilus, for a good price, too. Everyone loves a bargain, after all.

But for one Scrian noble, none of these eggs were of interest.

Madame Angelique Duchamps, a well-known and decidedly wealthy member of Scrian high society, had recieved word that an egg she'd been longing to purchase had been reduced to a price far more affordable to her. She quietly and smoothly made her way through the marketplace with the grace of a Drindian in flight, saying nothing but the occasional polite 'excuse me' when trying to get through. She was accompanied, surprisingly, not by one of her many Drachids on this occasion, but by Beauteously, a mutant Meiko whom she had raised by hand after it had been abandoned by its pack. Her slender pet stayed close beside her as she always did, glancing around every so often to take in the new sights and smells this place had to offer.

"Mama, might I ask what egg it is you've come here for?" Beauteously asked as they continued to walk along; though an adult now, she still felt inclined to refer to Angelique as 'mama' or 'mommy'. Angelique looked down at her trusty companion, flashing an excited smile.

"You'll see, darling, you'll see," she replied, with the very lightest of French accents playing upon her tongue. She looked up ahead, and her smile brightened yet further when she saw that, yes, she had found precisely what she had come here for. Up ahead was a market stall much more ornate and clean than those that surrounded it, and the man running the stand was dressed quite finely. This was the stall from which one could purchase the highly sought-after 'CS' eggs. Doing her best to hold in her excitement, Angelique maintained a polite and dignified air about her as she came to a stop in front of the stall.

"Good afternoon," she greeted the seller, whom flashed her a politely charming smile.

"Same to you, Madame Duchamps... Or might I call you Madame Drachid?" he somewhat jokingly greeted her in turn, to which Angelique laughed, light-heartedly. She had become especially well-known for her near-obsession with Drachids, which had led to her aquiring that nickname. In all honesty, however, she quite liked it.

"Please, call me Angelique," she responded. Beauteously took a moment to sit down beside her, and quickly became distracted by a moth that perched on her snout. "I've actually had word that you've recently obtained a Shaefu egg... I'd very much like to purchase it from you."

"My, my, you caught word of it fast... It's only been here for an hour at most," the smooth salesman remarked, with a chuckle. He took out a leather-bound book and looked through the pages until he found an entry from earlier that day. "Ah, yes, here it is... The egg is being sold on behalf of someone named 'Drow', for 58 million tu."

"I'll take it, thank you, sir," Angelique spoke up before the seller could say any more. Beside her, Beauteously sneezed, sending the moth perched on her snout flying away. The salesman smiled and closed the book, placing it down behind him and turning away momentarily to find the requested egg amongst his stock. It took only a few moments before he turned back to face his customer again. In his hand was a very finely-carved wooden box, which he placed on the counted and carefully lifted the lid so that Angelique could inspect what was inside. Sure enough, there it was, clear as day; a Shaefu egg, sat comfortably upon a tiny satin pillow. Once again, the Scrian noblewoman smiled brightly in excitement.

"It's beautiful..." she breathed. "Here's hoping it hatches into something just as beautiful, eh?"

Angelique took out her purse and withdrew the rather large amount of tu required to purchase the Shaefu egg. She'd been looking forward to this for a long time; the Scrian royal family, most of whom she was personally familiar with, were very fond of keeping Shaefus, and Angelique knew they would love to see her arrive at their next social event with one of her own at her side. And more to the point... She found them adorably fluffy. Thanking the salesman sincerely after having made the payment, she picked up the ornate box the Shaefu egg was being held in and began to carry it with her as she and Beauteously made their way back out the way they came.

"Will you be hatching that today, mama?" the mutant Meiko asked. Angelique nodded, smiling as though she couldn't stop even if she wanted to.

"Absolutely... I can't wait to have a Shaefu of my very own," she replied, affectionately petting Beauteously's head with her free hand as they neared the Egg Marketplace's exit. Excitement danced in Angelique's eyes and hope dwelt in her heart.

Maybe, just maybe, this egg would hatch into something wonderful...