Welcome to Gaia! ::

Once upon a time...

There lived a young boy, and a young girl. In the poor eastern district they grew up right next door to each other, but could only spare a few smiles and glances. She became fond of him. He was more fond of chasing stray dogs.

As they grew up the infrequent glimpses became rare, she learned sewing from her mother, he was taught glassblowing from his father. Both had to work hard. They grew through adolescence, the young man struggling to perfect his skills and rise above the station he was born into, the young woman becoming the best so that she too, could rise in the shadows alongside him. The years passed, the markets in the poor eastern district began to thrive. Those born of noble class were given reason to travel the dusty cobblestones of the once poor markets, seeing for the first time the skill of the jewellers, artisans, dressmakers and weavers who had struggled under adversity and were eager to show their worth.

But the true fancy of the rich were the small, glass dragon eggs created by the young man. He had a knack for colour, an eye for ingredients, and the way they caught and held the light placed them in high demand both for jewellery and decoration. His wealth grew until he was able to set up a fine shop next door to the young woman, where she had once watched him peeling potatoes as a boy. The life of the rich suited him, he thrived in it.

She thought her heart would leap right out of her chest the day he finally set foot in her tailor's shop, but he simply wanted a fine coat altered. The next time, it was a shirt to repair. Each time he reclaimed his garments she longed for his praise, and her hopes wilted when it was never followed by more. Finally she couldn't keep it to herself any longer, and confided to him how much she loved him.

But her admission of love was not returned by the young man. He had laughed. With a wave of his hand he dismissed her emotions as foolish, unrequited, and left her alone and heartbroken.

Yet he returned to her shop, every time he had something needing her seamstress skills. He never failed to praise her. But the young lady ceased to pine over him, and when the presence of his face in her thoughts, or his garments on her table, troubled her, she slowly found a way to get over her heartbreak.

To this day, the young man hasn't noticed the clever holes sewn into the pockets of his jackets and trousers, and remains bewildered over how forgetful he has become regarding the location of his little glass treasures.

Rules:

- Little eggs will be included in new posts between now and 2010, each image is not limited to one individual and you do not have to post to claim the egg.
- You can save the images when you see them, and be prepared to upload them at your own image host towards the end of the competition.
- You are not permitted to display your eggs anywhere until the competition is over, to keep your treasures safe.
- No collaboration or discussion about how many eggs you've found is allowed. Dragons can be fiercely possessive over their shinies and really don't tolerate sharing well at all.
- The prize will belong to the individual who wins it, no co-owning will be allowed since this is a solo competition
- In the case of a tie, the winner will be chosen using a randomizer.

- Lastly, feel free to RP! ICly, dragons are allowed to grab/hoard/play with shinies, wizards are allowed to wonder why their little companions' compulsion for theft has increased. As long as actual amounts or individual eggs are not described, feel free to have as much fun with this long-term contest as you'd like.

This is what you are looking for:

Any new post is fair game for an egg, you might find them in the main thread, guild, or event threads. =3