[Touching] How Does it Feel?

[Sher]

2.02.3189

It was time.

The radiant heat from the sand, as well as that of various dragons' bodies, had brought Brinleth's last clutch to a point of readiness. They were expected to hatch within a week or so, and though Rusith had let Coreanth near them since the new gold had come around (and a few other dragons), she had become as obsessive about this clutch as she would have been about her own.

The proto-minds within the eggs had developed much more rapidly than the shells had hardened, and their personalities were becoming clear. The names Kadia had given each of them as references had apparently stuck - at least, Rusith called them by those names. She might've had a clear idea about what those eggs contained, but she wouldn't give hints, not even to Hers.

The mid-sized gold sat up from her critical examination of the eggs, heaved a great sigh, and sent out the mental call on an open band. Candidates, and anyone else desiring to connect with the eggs, you may assemble at will.[/color] To Coreanth, she added out of courtesy, I'm opening the Sands for everyone now. Should you like to observe and help me keep watch, your presence would be appreciated.[/color]

Kadia had been forewarned by perhaps a candlemark and had taken care with her appearance, for once. Her hair was neatly tied with a leather thong, keeping stray bits away from her face; a seashell pendant hung from a similar string around her neck. Her favorite Gather dress, cotton dyed a muted maroon, was unadorned save for a bit of white needlework around the bodice made to look like ivy leaves. With any luck, the dress would draw attention away from her less attractive physical attributes. She really didn't expect to be looked at much, however; today was about the clutch. She felt so disconnected from the entire event that she was sitting in the ground-level area of the stands, arms crossed on her knees. If anyone wanted to greet her specifically, well, at least she was there.

This Touching was already strange. Rusith must have been in a good mood to open it to everyone. The dragon had withdrawn a bit further from the eggs, eyes gleaming the green of optimism blended with apprehensive yellow. Mine, it's hard,[/color] she said suddenly, tail lashing in sudden agitation. Why should I feel this way? They aren't MY eggs.

From her seat, Kadia's laugh sounded faint to the gold's ears. You may have everyone else fooled into thinking you're as level as a bit of glass and cold as an icicle, but I know you care.

Rusith didn't care to comment on that bit of fluffy nonsense, but her rigid posture spoke volumes anyhow. Her gaze was aimed right at the main entrance to the Hatching Cavern, ready to meet the eyes of every last person to walk through that huge archway...

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((Feel free to have your candidate touch as many, or as few, eggs as they please. Do try a bit of interpersonal interaction as you all move along. There's no candidate dress code or special conduct code, except of course where harming eggs is concerned.))

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[/size]
((Remember, the other half are NPC eggs.))

[li]The Fuddy Dud Egg
Of an average size and shape, this egg is smooth to the touch. The sparkling shell looks like some sort of painting gone wrong, the way gold, lavender, and blue swirl into each other at irregular points. Its surface is warm like the rest, but there is no response to any outward stimuli. However, anyone who touches it will hear the faintest mental echo of their own thoughts- as if they spoke to themselves, unwillingly. It rests on its side in the shadow of the massive Dancing Square, the narrow apex pointing toward Lady's Embrace.

[/li][li]The Lady's Embrace Egg
Third largest of the clutch, this egg is fat on the bottom with a very narrow apex. It has a grainy sort of texture almost like fine sandpaper. Pastel pink and vibrant red clash in patterns like open flower buds (or reproductive organs, to those with dirty minds). Whoever touches it will receive a naughty tingle and a slightly fishy smell, a hint of amusement, but nothing more. This egg sits deep in the sand, almost touching against the Motion of the Ocean.

[/li][li]The Dancing Square Egg
Named for the varied green angles and planes making ridged squares and rectangles across its shell, this giant doesn't wait to be noticed; it demands attention. Not that it lacks for that, what with its size! Whatever is inside will respond with satisfaction and subtle interest when touched, then abruptly vanish after several minutes without so much as a thought of farewells. It sits near the Pompous Speech, somehow giving the impression of leaning away- perhaps even protectively- toward the echoing Fuddy Dud.

[/li][li]The Drum Solo Egg
Though average in size, something about this lopsided egg seems menacing. Maybe it's the way a single blob of black sits glaring out of an otherwise attractive orange shell. Anyone nearby will feel pulsations rolling out from it that only strengthen and resolve into an emotion when physical contact is made. That emotion is pure unbridled rage so strong that few will even notice the silky surface beneath their skin. The only mercy is that this outpouring of emotion is formless, and lacks direction. It sits near the outside of the clutch; next to it, nearer the center, is the Dancing Square; the next nearest is the Sneaking Hand.

[/li][li]The Pompous Speech Egg
It's the colors that draw people to this one. If there is a base hue it's impossible to discern; a dizzying rainbow of speckles splatter everywhere across the shell, giving the impression of texture though it is as smooth as quality glass. It is commonly considered to be a queen egg due to the radiance of the yellow and gold speckles. It really is shaped less like an egg and more like a ball. When touched, there's a sense that the contents of this egg would like nothing more than to be admired all day; vague rustling, like dry leaves in a light wind, can be heard. Though it is positioned between several other eggs, it seems to be somehow detached from the rest.

[/li][li]The Motion of the Ocean Egg
Undoubtedly the smallest egg in the clutch, this perfectly formed egg has smooth grooves dug regularly into its shell in what looks like a stylized 'crashing wave' formation. The colors enhance the effect, all in splashes of blue, that shade into sea green at the widest point. Whoever touches it will sense a vast and unyielding patience, that has a tang of brine like the air near a beach. It is safely in the middle of Lady's Embrace and Sneaking Hand.

[/li][li]The Sneaking Hand Egg
This egg is almost perfect, were it not for the unfortunate-looking gray lumps forming what could be a hand reaching across the otherwise unmarked black shell. Second largest of the clutch, its presence is undeniable and rock-solid: a presence that waits to be touched, then reaches stealthily into the depths of one's mind looking for something to take. It is near the Drum Solo, but not quite as close to it as the Dancing Square.[/li][/ul]

[Snow]

Eavan was once again helping prepare the meal for the evening. Her brown wher-hide pants was sprinkled with flour from the bread that was to be baked. Her chore was almost done when she heard, ‘Candidates, and anyone else desiring to connect with the eggs, you may assemble at will.’ Her eyes widened in shock and a small gasp escaped her lips. Around her other people were reacting to the announcement as well. She took a look down at herself and realized that she was in no way presentable for the touching, especially not with the flour covering her pants and her tunic.

Quickly she dashed to the candidate barracks. Once there she stripped out of her dirty clothes and put on a more suitable outfit. Nothing horribly fancy, but something presentable and she took a moment to take her hair down from its throng and gave it a quick brushing. Once she was satisfied she didn’t look like a common drudge, Eavan made her way to the hatching ground.

She hoped she wasn’t late having to go change and was glad to see that she was one of the first people to arrive there. Rusith seemed to be staring right at her when she entered the ground, but Eavan was not put off. Living at the weyr her whole life she was not ignorant of the ways of a gold when a clutch was on the sands, even if this clutch wasn’t technically Rusith’s. Eavan straightened her shoulders and purposely walked towards the towering gold and the clutch.

Eavan walked by the eggs first, heading for Rusith. She gave a bow to the queen. ”Thank you Rusith for coming to our weyr to protect these eggs. We are respectfully in your debt.” Though her words could be mistaken as someone sucking up, she truly did mean it. She had noticed Kadia sitting on the ground level of the stands and walked up to her next. Again she bowed politely and said, ”Good day to you Weyrwoman. I want to thank you as well for coming to our aid in a time of need.” Having given the Weyrwoman and her gold the proper polite greetings Eavan was ready to touch the eggs. Nay…she was about ready to hop up and down from excitement for being able to finally touch the eggs.

So far no one had determined that there was a right or wrong way to touch the eggs, so Eavan decided to start from one egg and then randomly go to the next. The eggs had been named more in reference to what they resembled than anything else. The smallest of the clutch The Motion of the Ocean egg was the first she walked up to. Its shell was a beautiful display of blues and greens. She gently laid a hand on the egg, even though she knew the shell was hard, and got the feeling of patience. Apparently the inhabitant of this egg knew the value of patience which was not a bad virtue to have in any aspect.

Eavan moved on to the The Sneaking Hand, The Drum Solo, and The Lady’s Embrace eggs. The Sneaking Hand egg she didn’t much care for since it seemed to want to take something from her without asking. The Drum Solo egg was very hostile. ”Surely there is nothing to be THAT angry about.” She murmured to it. Eavan could condone rage, but only when it had a purpose and a direction. This egg seemed to have neither. The Lady’s Embrace egg made a coy smile spread on her lips. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she was sure the dragon that came from this egg would prove to be a hand full for its rider. As if remembering she wasn’t the only candidate, Eavan looked up to see if anyone else was touching the eggs now.

(she'll touch the rest after some interaction with others)

[azure]

Julim had been carrying sacks of tubers and dried vegetables up to the kitchen from the stores. It took a lot of soup and stew to keep a Weyr running and the stored foods were kept well away from the kitchen warmth. He was used to this kind of chore, he was strong enough to carry a well filled sack and well used to moving in tunnels. Sunset's tunnels were smaller and not as polished as he was used to from High Reaches Weyr, but he liked that. It was a constant reminder that he was in a new place with a new chance to make a life for himself.

He heard the summons and hurried to get the sack to the kitchen. Leaving food unsecured in the tunnels was a bad idea. There was no reason to encourage tunnel snakes, they were enough of a problem without feeding them. Sunset Weyr had more Fire Lizards then High Reaches had though, and many of the Flitts had been trained to take on tunnel snakes.

Once the sack was delivered, he took off running to the barracks. A quick cold dunk in the bathing pool felt like it froze off any sweat or smell of tubers. He wasn't foolish enough to get his hair wet though he wished he could, a cold wet head in this weather was a bad idea. A quick brushing through with a damp hair brush would have to do. A bit of leather tied it back off his face, today was about looking at the eggs, not showing off hi hair!

He got into his best clothes as quickly as he could, the Queen and her rider deserved no less. The barracks fire got a bit more blackrock tossed on and the pot containing his precious fire lizard egg got a careful turn to keep it evenly warm.

Even with having to do all this he was the second candidate to the Sands. The others must have had chores further away. He certainly hoped that they had heard the call! He paused outside the Sand'sentrance to take a few calming (and definitely cooling) breaths then entered at a polite walk. The Queen could still turn him away, he had seen it happen to others.

He approached the Queen and made the proper bow. "Queen Rusith, Weyrwoman Kadia thank you for allowing me to be here and for the opportunity to touch the eggs. I promise to treat them with the care and respect they deserve." He waited a moment when he stood, in case either had something to say.

Keeping the same careful walking pace he went over to the eggs, glad to be able to finally see them fully. The couple of looks from the entrance had done nothing but make him more curious and eager to get here.

Letting the feel of the eggs guide his steps, he stopped first by the Dancing Square egg. No wonder he had stopped there first, the egg was demanding attention. This probably meant the egg was a queen or bronze? It didn't matter though since he intended to touch them all. Julim gently touched the green egg and gave the egg time to feel his mind and feel the dragon inside in his turn. When the egg was satisfied - and wasn't it VERY clear when that happened? he moved on.

The Fuddy Dud egg was next, and Julim wondered about the echoing feel. Was the dragon inside deliberately reflecting back what it felt? Was there a secretive little dragon inside, not wanting to be known yet? What kind of dragon was like that? A smart one perhaps? He gave the egg a few minutes, the dragon would need to chose when it hatched and certainly deserved a chance to learn who would be out there waiting for it.

The Lady's Embrace was a surprise, and a mostly pleasant one. If this was a small queen the Weyr would be a very different place as she grew! If it was a green then her rider was in for quite a time. He was sure it was female though.

He went to the Sneaking Hand next, still having the hope deep inside that there was a bronze here waiting to pick him. The egg was big enough, and the presence strong enough, but the feeling that it was sly was just strange. He had never thought that a bronze could be like that. Maybe there was a Queen in there? Queens could be anything people could be, from the stories told about them. Well, maybe it was just taking a deep look at him and didn't know he felt it. After a few minutes he moved on, not really liking that egg. For all his faults, Julim was not sneaky. More in-your-face obnoxious.

He liked the look of the Drum Solo egg. Orange and black was a spectacular combination. He'd have to try to get himself an orange embroidered black shirt when he could because it was eye catching. Gently he touched the black shape and was shocked back a step. What was that? He carefully touched it again and let the rage go through him. What could this dragon be so angry about? That it didn't get attention first? Or that people thought his egg was average? Julim understood anger quite well and spent many minutes trying to project that there wasn't that long to go until the dragon would be out and that his egg was both spectacular and perfectly shaped. Big dragons could come from average sized eggs, the dragon would just have to pick his rider carefully.

He moved on when it got hard to tell that it was the dragon's anger and not his. He moved back from the eggs a bit to take some deep breaths and remind himself of all the reasons he had to not be angry here. Whew! That was a strong egg. He went to the Motion of the Ocean egg next. This was a very nice change after the Drum Solo. Patience was something that didn't come naturally to Julim but he had worked hard to learn it. This egg had more of it while in the egg then he thought he could ever have. Was there a Brown in there? It always seemed to him that the Brown's were the most patient (and the most boring) color in the Weyr.

Pompous Speech was a lovely egg. People thought there was a Queen in there, Julim wasn't so sure. It could be a bronze, it felt much like his father's bronze acted. Wanting and expecting admiration and not letting people know much of what he was truly like. He kept what he thought and felt for his rider and the queens and other bronzes of the Weyr. Anyone else just got to see the picture perfect image and actions.

Thoughtfully he moved on. Julim would stay here until the touching was over. There were more eggs to touch and if he got lucky there might even be time to return to a few of his favorites.

[ambigious]

That morning, Ophelia had had the greatest luck in landing the candidate chore of mucking out runner stalls. Although a few of the other candidates that she had been assigned with groaned at the thought, Ophelia didn't speak a word of disapproval. In fact, she liked the physical labor; she liked to see the direct result of her work, and enjoyed knowing that it was helping a creature in need. Something silly like doing dishes still helped, but somehow helping a runnerbeast was more rewarding. Thus, the young woman was using a shovel to scrape dung out of one of the stalls, her sharp black hair held away from her face by a leather thong that wound around her head. The added feature made her sharp features look almost pretty as she bent over her work, with a fine glow of sweat on her pale skin.

Shade, the ever present canine, currently reclined at his ease against one end of the runner stalls. He was curled up into a tight ball with his tail wrapped over his muzzle, and although he looked relaxed his eyes were open and watched Ophelia's movements intently. The grey runner beast whose stall was being mucked watched the canine closely, his ears pinned back against his skull. He snorted every now and then, but aside from their initial introduction that morning Shade heeded him no mind. The outgoing canine merely wuffled every now and then when the straw tickled his sensitive nose.

"Isn't this nice, to be outside, Shade?" Ophelia murmured as she paused and stood up, wiping beads of sweat from her brow. "It's still cold, but I'm burning up in here," she added and fanned out her shirt. The runner snorted and glanced over at her, ears perked. The hint of a smile crossed her lips as she wriggled her fingers in a wave. "Almost done, big boy." However, it would appear that the runner beast stall would have to wait, for at that moment a commanding voice rang through her head, startling her. She cocked her head to the side with a pinch of her lips and listened intently, then set her shovel to the side with a sigh.

"Alright, boy, come on," she called to Shade as she wiped her hands on her cotton pants and trailed out of the stall. As she did, she ran her hand down the grey's flank, who glanced back at her curiously. "Sorry big fella. I'll finish this later." With a final pat, Ophelia and Shade exited the stall. Since she didn't have time to go back and change, Ophelia simply headed straight for the Sands, her black hair still held away from her face by the leather thong. A green tunic that hid beneath a brown whool vest, and brown whool pants which tucked into sturdy black wher-hide boots made up the rest of Ophelia's outfit, and she shivered relentlessly as she made her way across the Weyrbowl. The thick vest provided much needed comfort, but the sweat that still stuck to her body sent goose bumps running down her spine. She tucked her hands in her pockets and hunkered down into her tunic to protect her delicate chin.

Once they reached the entrance, Ophelia commanded Shade to wait, who whined in disapproval but sat at the entrance, ears perked. With an affectionate pat, Ophelia left the canine and headed into the sands, hastening her stride as she felt waves of heat rushing forward to meet her. Her quick eyes instantly darted among the eggs as she entered, noticing that other Candidates had already gathered; there was that lad who was afraid to touch female candidates, and Eavan. Of course Eavan was there; she was probably the first. With a soft snort, Ophelia turned her attention to Rusith, an impish grin sliding across her face. "My dear queen," she said, and bent over in a languid bow, her arms sweeping wide on either side of her. "We meet again." The candidate righted herself, her smile somewhat more friendly. "Thank you for the chance to touch her eggs." Was Opelia being honest? By faranth, she was! After that, the candidate stepped over towards the eggs, instantly warming as the heat of the sands licked up her boots.

Of course, the first egg to draw her attention was the The Dancing Square Egg. It seemed that she was not the only one drawn to the egg, for the aura that it exuded seem to draw attention to itself. Smirking, Ophelia wandered over, careful not to brush against or hit any of the other eggs or candidates. Despite what others may assume, she did not wish harm to shell or skin. As she approached the Dancing Square Egg, however, another feeling wriggled its way into her consciousness. With a frown, Ophelia paused and turned, coming face to face with the Drum Solo Egg.

[ooc: whoops! have to run. will finish later]

[Snow]

Eavan noticed the entrance of more people, two of them being Julim and Ophelia. Eavan gave a grunt of approval as both bowed to gold. She would expect no less from Julim, but Ophelia...at least the girl was showing some polite manners. Eavan’s brought her attention back to the clutch. The biggest egg in the clutch, The Dancing Square egg, had been demanding her attention since she approached the clutch. Now, finally, she was giving it that attention. Eavan gently laid a hand on the smooth shell of the giant. Instantly she was rewarded with a feeling of satisfaction and interest before the inhabitant apparently got bored of her.

Eavan tried not to take too much offense at being quickly dismissed. After all she could imagine that growing was more interesting. “It’s nice to meet you, too.” She said softly as she moved on. Eavan passed Julim on her way to The Fuddy Dud egg. ”Well met, Julim. How goes the touching?” The question was, of course, redundant, and the glint in Eavan’s eye said that she knew it was an unnecessary question. “I don’t care how many touchings I’ve been to, they are always exciting.” She stepped up to lay a hand on The Fuddy Dud egg.

To Eavan, the shell of this egg reminded her of spring with the light lavender and blue coloring mixed with the gold. There was no response from this egg which was slightly odd after touching eggs that put off some strong emotions. Eavan couldn’t help but feel like she was speaking to herself. She wanted to say something to the strange egg, but nothing appropriate came to mind. Instead she aimed comforting thoughts towards the egg.

After that she went to touch The Pompous Speech egg. The shell of this egg was quite beautiful with the gold and yellow speckles being most prominent. Most people considered this egg to be a gold and Eavan had to admit that it certainly did have qualities to suggest it was. However, one could never be completely certain about the contents of an egg. Eavan couldn’t help but feel like she should stand there and simply stare at the egg for awhile, no doubt that was what the inhabitant inside would like for her to do. ”Now, now, deary, weyr life is too busy for you to lie about and be adored. Though I’m sure you’re a beauty.” She gave it another tender pat, not helping but admiring the amazing smooth shell.

[Sher]

Rusith rumbled acknowledgment for each of the candidates to greet her, but her eyes hardly seemed to blink. The whirling in them had quickened slightly now that people were actually arriving. Their respect was gratifying, and fitting just now. Kadia might act like rank never mattered, but the gold had what she considered to be a 'realistic' view of things. Should she be able to step down as the top gold, and take a secondary rank, Rusith would happily deputy the Weyr, ensuring order as best as possible. Instant obedience in the face of an emergency was crucial; as long as they all remembered who was the authority in any given situation, she was satisfied, be it herself or Coreanth- any dragon, really. Backbiting and insubordination could endanger them all- just like back at Telgar.

Kadia was not privy to her gold's emotions or private thoughts, at present. Her dragon seemed like a remote island, viewed through a cloud of fog- distant, wavering, totally indistinct. It was worrisome. They rarely kept things from each other, but the thick-bodied goldrider was trying to stay objective and not feel vaguely injured by the wall of quiet Hers had raised between them. She was mindful of her duties, however, in spite of her private distraction. "Good day to you, too! Honestly," she told Eavan with a lopsided smile, "I think everything would have worked out anyway. Don't let me keep you - have fun!"

Well, it was supposed to be fun. As the young woman walked toward the eggs, Kadia found that her eyes were pulled back to her thoughtfully. Then Julim arrived; he received a nod and a go-ahead sort of wave. Now with two candidates to watch, Kadia was close to putting aside her worries about Hers. Then a word exploded in her mind: ...there![/color] Bewilderment sloshed around in her head, entirely her own as the rest of Rusith's words were cut off.

What? she ventured, sitting straighter. I didn't hear the rest of that.

You weren't meant to!

Kadia scowled with half her face. I see.

I'm sorry for snapping, Rusith muttered, half-remorsefully and half-agitated. But she didn't elaborate further. Her rider ran a hand through her short hair, just as glad Ophelia hadn't directly greeted her- she might not have even noticed.

It's okay. Surprisingly, it was.

Now there were other folks edging carefully onto the sands, one of them- shockingly- the stonesmith, Master Primbel. His firelizard was nowhere in sight, but that didn't mean she was out of mind. By now everyone in the Weyr had heard about the egg hunt escapade, and some still doubted all the eggs had been found. The stonesmith was wringing his hands, all but falling over himself in not-so-smooth bows toward the gold and her rider in turn. So, some of the weyrfolk were curious enough to come after all. Primbel made his way more slowly than most realized he could move toward the Fuddy Dud, and when he left it a clear frown had gathered on his face. The very next egg he touched, the Lady's Embrace, made him jerk his hand away and hurry out of the Hatching Caverns for some reason. Kadia had to swallow a laugh at his discomfort.

[azure]

Sept 5, 2011 21:33:10 GMT -5 Snow said:

”Well met, Julim. How goes the touching?” The question was, of course, redundant, and the glint in Eavan’s eye said that she knew it was an unnecessary question. “I don’t care how many touchings I’ve been to, they are always exciting.”

Julim was a bit surprised to be talked to, and took a second to respond. His mind was fully attuned to the feelings of the hatchlings and it took a second to get back to talking.

"There are a few really strong minds in there." He said quietly, remembering the Drum Solo and Sneaking Hand. "I'm wondering if hatching isn't going to be sooner then they expect." Or maybe there would be some Weyr altering personalities born. Please, could he be a part of it this time? His face reflected his hope for a moment until he got his polite mask back on.

Julim knew Eavan understood and had the same desire, but he'd been disappointed enough times that he preferred to keep to himself just how much he wanted this.

[weetia]

Patala's feet were barely on the ground when she got the summons to the Hatching Ground. "W...what?" she stammered, still a little confused. She was a candidate? She had only the clothes on her back and the little saddle bag with one change. Maybe her foster mother would eventually send on her few other things, though she wouldn't hold her breath.

She was still feeling the cold of the winter weather from her long rider to Lemos, and the ride from Lemos to here. Her foster father had almost shoved her at the dragonrider, and Patala surprised herself by being a little hurt. She wanted to come of course, but why was he suddenly so glad to be rid of her?

Bewildered and lost, Patala followed the trickle of other people her age following the summons, and saw the enormous form of a golden dragon. She had heard, maybe that this was not actually the mother of these eggs? But the queen was curled quite protectively near the eggs anyway. Patala knew that foster mothers could in fact grow attached to their foster children, so why wouldn't this fostering queen?

Several people bowed to her, and said something as they passed her, and Patala stared, eyes wide. Dragons weren't like runners, they understood everything you said, so she had to be careful. No ungrateful babbling. Though Patala didn't even know the dragon's name until she heard another candidate say it, and she hung back.

Still shivering in her warm riding hides, the girl bowed as she came closer to the queen, just as the others had, and looked up at the golden head. "Thank you for allowing me to be here, Rusith," she said. "I truly appreciate the opportunity to visit with the eggs...." she trailed off a little, wide-eyed. "I will be careful," she promised.

She stared at the eggs, and the candidates moving among them. "We...touch them?" she wondered aloud, and she walked hesitantly to the nearest egg. She had no idea that any of them had names, but this one was very small. The splashes of blue green on it were pretty, sort of like waves, and she touched it delicately first, with just the tip of her finger while she checked to see that they really were hard enough. She was surprised by feeling a presence....calm and steady and she pulled her hand away, slightly. The egg felt like it was waiting....like that was ok. She put her hand back, touch the egg with her full palm, though still gentle. She had been waiting since her parents died, but not very patiently these last turns. Patala wasn't sure how she felt about more patience now. Surely, this was the time that she had been waiting for all along? Even if she didn't Impress, her steady unchanging life with no future had suddenly been turned on its ear, and surely now she was supposed to keep moving?

She walked away, to a larger egg near it, with grey lumps. She trailed her finger's across its surface. She felt mental fingers touch back into her mind. That was...interesting, more active than the other egg. It was still subtle, but not seeming so happy to wait. Patala wrinkled her brow, not sure if she could explain what she was feeling. It was there, and then it wasn't.

[ambigious]

As she stood face to face with the Drum Solo Egg, the feelings that poured forth from the glistening shell resonated within Ophelia. She felt a kinship with this egg, oddly enough, and deviated from her path towards the Dancing Square Egg and knelt by the Drum Solo Egg, studying the surface. The single, menacing black spot that marred the eggs shell captured her attention and she studied it, fascinated. "You don't care about fitting in, do you," she murmured as she extended a hand to touch it.

The moment her fingers made contact with the egg, a rage almost equal to her own rolled through her. However, Ophelia merely continued to run her hand over the shell, unperturbed. She was no stranger to these feelings, and thus was unperturbed, though a slight frown marred her brow. "What made you feel like that, you poor baby? You haven't even been born yet..." her words were a mere whisper through her thin lips as she pressed her full palm against the shell. It was then that she noticed the rage was not directed at her, but simply there. Abruptly Ophelia chortled and rose to her feet, still maintaining contact with the egg. "You're a spunky one. I'll definitely keep my eye on you." With a fond pat, Ophelia smiled down at the egg and then moved on. The moment she took her hand away the rage ebbed, and despite herself a sigh parted her lips. She felt surprisingly vulnerable now that those seething emotions weren't running through her.

As she turned, she noticed that Eavan had approached and left the same egg, but had missed her comment. Ophelia merely glanced at the other girl without saying anything more, then turned and continued to walk towards the Dancing Square Egg. This one was easily the largest of the clutch, and Ophelia admired it's shape as she paused before it. Without a word, Ophelia extended a hand and caressed the warm shell. Immediate interest prodded at her mind, and she couldn't help but grin at the invasion. "Find something you like?" After another moment, however, the invader vanished, leaving silence in its wake. Ophelia chortled as she gave it another caress. "Suit yourself." After drawing her hand away, she heard a faint voice and turned to see Patala walking in. It was sheer luck that she heard the words and, seeing how disgruntled the other young woman was, couldn't help but respond.

"They're sturdy enough to touch, I assure you," Ophelia called to Patala, even as she continued walking among the eggs. "So knock yourself out." Her steps invariably lead her towards the Sneaking Hang Egg, due to the seemingly perfect texture of the egg. But then, as her course lead her towards its side, she noticed the odd gray coloring that rippled along its shell. Still studying the egg intently, Ophelia knelt next to it and placed a hand upon the granulated surface. Instantly she felt her mind invaded as some sort of creature attempted to take something from her. The ends of Ophelia's lips twitched into a grin as she pressed her fingers more firmly against the shell. "Sorry, cutie," she said, "but that won't work on me."

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Despite the fact that the air was loosing most of its chill bite, Coreanth was still not used to even that frigid air. Thus, the large queen was attempting to soak up what rays she could on her Weyrledge when she received Rusith's comment. The thought of being able to enjoy a Touching from the warmth of the Hatching Sands instantly appealed to the gold as she lifted her head, eyes whirling in anticipation. Thank you for the offer, Rusith. I will be there shortly.[/i] Rousing from her ledge, Coreanth extended her wings in a stretch that forced a sigh from her muzzle. Laina,[/i] Coreanth reached out to her rider, who was currently shuffling frantically through some records. I go to Rusith's touching. Would you like to join me?[/i]

The Jr. Weyrwoman snorted without taking her eyes off of the records she was skimming. "You know I want to, love, but there's so much I have to do..." Eyrlaina groaned as her fingers flipped page after page. Where were those dratted assignments? She needed to familiarize herself with the wings. Coreanth snorted from her ledge. It would be impolite not to congratulate Rusith on the clutch,[/i] the Queen prodded, even as she stood and prepared to launch into the air. "It's not even her clutch-" Don't tell her that.[/i] "-but you're right." However, Eyrlaina merely plopped into a chair as she continued to search. At Coreanth's prompting she threw her hands into the air in exasperation, clearly disgruntled.

"For Faranth's sakes, Core! I'll go congratulate Kadia and Rusith when I sharding well have time," the Jr. Weyrwoman snapped, her brown eyes aggravated. Very well.[/i] Coreanth was used to her rider's mood swings, and merely sent Eyrlaina subtle feelings of comfort and affection. Instantly contrite, Eyrlaina closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as Coreanth took off from their ledge and glided towards the Hatching Sand. Sorry, my love. No apology necessary. I'll let you know how it goes.[/i] A tender smile crossed Eyrlaina's face as she bent back over the records.

As for Coreanth, the young queen dropped easily into the space above the Hatching Sands and bugled to announce herself presence. How are things so far, Rusith? My rider sends her congratulations, but cannot make it right now,[/i] Coreanth added as she glided down to land on one of the lowest ridges. Her contently whirling eyes, slightly tinged with orange as her maternal instincts took over, roamed among the Candidates.

[azure]

Prinner took a few more deep breaths and made his way into the cavern. If he waited any longer he was going to talk himself out of going in at all. The Queen wasn't going to eat him, he had been searched and chosen to come here. He had as much right to come in here as anyone else. Right?

He had been at the entrance way long enough to see what he was supposed to do. "Queen, Weyrwoman, I am Prinner, newly searched and chosen to be a Candidate. Thank you for the opportunity to see the eggs."

Alright, now he stood here a bit to give them a chance to tell him to go away. He held his breath, expecting just that to happen. When it didn't he almost gasped out loud, but managed to be fairly quiet as he took in a deep breath and walked over to the eggs.

There were so many! And they were so colorful. He had expected them to look all the same, not like a child had been set loose with a paint kit.

The Motion of the Ocean egg was what he approached first. It was probably a blue in there, it wasn't the largest or smallest egg so Prinner felt somewhat confident. The air of patience and strength had him staying there for a bit. Truthfully he could have stayed there forever. It took another candidate wanting a turn to make him move on.

A quick touch of the Drum Solo egg had him backing away warily. A beast like that would be put down and not allowed to breed. What did they do with an uncontrollable dragon?

Fuddy Dud had blue in it, so he tried there next. Was there a dragon in there? There had to be, for it to echo. Prinner imagined the hatchling was in a protective ball, refusing to listen and to let anything in. He had some sympathy for it, the poor thing had no control over who was going to be touching it next, shoving their emotions in at it.

What next? He knew what was going on now, and he was curious. What did the bigger eggs feel like? He touched the Pompous speech egg and happily admired it for a few minutes. It was what he felt and it was making the egg happy - Prinner was smiling when he pulled away. If it really was a Queen in there, he bet he would like her.

Sneaking Hand egg had him retreating quickly. He did not like sneaky people, not even went they were dragons! Some of the worst teasing and harassing in his life had come from sneaky people. polite to his face.

He was a bit nervous about touching the Pink and red Lady's embrace egg, but the feel of the dragon inside both made him flush and laugh. This one would be a tease. How funny! If this was what a green dragon felt like, then maybe he did want one to chose him. Who cared what the hold dwellers thought?

Moving on he touched the green Dancing square egg. He liked her too! It had to be a girl in there. He wouldn't mind if she picked him, either. He was a surprised and rather shaken Candidate by the touching. He wanted to meet these dragons, he wanted to be chosen There were only 2 he didn't like - making dragons much nicer to be around then people.

[Sher]

Rusith flicked her right wing open, acknowledging Coreanth with the motion and with a high trill of greeting that was a bit surprising considering her most common vocalizations were the deep and rumbly sort. So far, they are all behaving. I... wasn't expecting to worry over Brinleth's eggs so much. The older gold took her time about pulling the wing shut, pretending that it felt good to fold one wingsail at a time and that it wasn't a cramp in the shoulder joints causing her to take such care. The next strange confession: I don't know what I'll do when they actually start hatching.

Of course, she did her duty and conveyed Eyrlaina's message to Kadia, but now her human half was brooding fiercely and giving her the silent treatment. The gold was at a loss of how to respond to the role reversal. MINE, she roared in her rider's mind, demanding attention.

What do you need my input for? Kadia mumbled. Give her our thanks. Both of them.

A most unsatisfactory reply, but Rusith did as suggested anyhow. We owe you and Yours a debt of gratitude,[/color] she said. When the eggs hatch, would you be willing to supervise with me?

((Short, but I finally got the boys to go to sleep. I've got to catch up on some housework.))

[weetia]

Patala's brows met in something almost a frown as she still stood at the egg others were calling the Sneaking Hand. "I'm not sure Sneaky is quite the right word for you," she told it. "You remind me of the runners who will pretend to be lame when you get out a saddle. They're just a little too smart for most people to handle, because people expect runners to be pretty stupid. You're probably a handful, but you just need an alert person." She shook her head at it. "I don't really like that sort of trick, though. You wouldn't get away with much with me." Suddenly she felt a little more comfortable. She pulled her hand away from the oddly lumpy egg, and looked for the next egg.

She saw that noone was currently touching the egg that the older man had touched before rushing off. It had an odd discordant mix of pink and red on its surface, and she approached it slowly, trying to figure out what the gaudy patterns made her think of. They were odd...not quite floral. She put her palm completely against the shell now, no longer tentative and nervous. She didn't quite regret it instantly. That was...interesting. "My foster parents wouldn't like you at all," she told the egg, without thinking about it. "But I think I do. You feel like someone I would want to sit and giggle with, like I've seen the other girls do sometimes." The color was rising slightly in her cheeks, as Patala stayed touching and talking to the egg. "I don't even know if I'm the kind of girl that can behave like that, but I think you would make me want to."

Patala was smiling as she stepped away, and looked around at the other candidates. Two of the other girls looked extremely confident and secure. One of them had spoken to her and seemed...maybe a little too confident? But Patala had to admit that as disoriented as she was, she was probably an annoyance to the candidates who had been anticipating this day.

Patala went next the large egg that had almost perfect green squares on it, that she had heard someone call the dancing square. She walked around it, looking at it before touching it. She reached out to it, curiously, and felt its mild pleasure at her attention. "Well, you sort of like being touched, and looked at, don't you? It's almost like you expect it, though. Like its your due." She studied the ridges on the shell, and felt the egg's vague curiosity, then felt when it ended. "Well," she said, surprised that now she felt nothing but eggshell. "I'm not interesting enough to talk to?" she asked with a raised brow. "Maybe you should spend more time getting to know a person before you decide that."

[Snow]

Eavan nodded at Julim. ”The eggs know when the right time to hatch is, but you are right there are some amazing babies here.” A tender smile crossed her face as she tenderly patted the shell of the nearest egg. She had touched all of them by now, but she was loathe to leave and so just stayed around to talk to people and keep touching the eggs. After all, there was no rule stating a candidate couldn’t only touch the eggs once.

Into the sands walked a girl that Eavan had never seen before. From the look on her face it wasn’t too hard to tell that she had probably just been dropped off. Poor thing, she thought. A weyr was a far cry different from any other place. To be here for the first time and to go directly to a touching was probably rough. Eavan heard her question and Ophelia answer her. The question only affirmed her guess. Well if she was that new to the weyr she should be formally welcomed.

”Excuse me, Julim.” She said politely as she walked towards the new girl who was busy touching the eggs. ”Hi. I’m Evan. Welcome to Sunset Weyr. I’ve never seen you before, so I’m assuming you’ve just been dropped off not long ago. I don’t want to bother your touching, but if you need anything just let me know.” She said with a friendly smile.

[weetia]

Kolaris had started straight back to the Barracks after he heard the summons, but he had been working at chores in the kitchens, and was covered in baking ingredients. Flour and sugar sprinkled over his clothing, and in his dark hair, with little bits of dough stuck to his hands. He took the time to clean up when he reached the barracks, knowing that he would still look like a bit of a mess when he was done. At least he wouldn't be a walking cake batter when he stepped on the Sands. Even he knew that he needed to show more respect than that. He wouldn't do anything to make the Weyr rethink how they counted his age.

Finally clean (or as clean as he could get quickly) Kolaris changed into fresh, unwrinkled clothes. He hurried to the Sands, aware that most of the other candidates were probably already there. As he entered, he slowed down to a more normal pace, and he bowed when he approached the gold and her rider. "Thank you Weyrwoman and Rusith," he said. "For coming to help our Weyr, and for letting us approach the eggs." He had his hands behind his back, and he was trying so hard to seem mature while he barely hid the little bounce in his knees and the excitement in his eyes. He wasn't worried about the other candidates getting there before him, even if it did give them a better chance of Impressing this time around.

He contained the bounce as much as possible, walking slowly to the closest egg and mostly succeeded. He touched it, standing there for a few moments before moving on to another. After touching three of the smaller eggs in the clutch, he found his way to the Drum Solo egg, and was stunned at what he felt when he touched it. He'd never met anyone, human or dragon that angry. He pulled his hand away quickly, very uncomfortable. Even when he got in the worst trouble, he didn't think he had ever made anyone that furious. Had someone done something to this egg? Or was it just mean to start with? Kolaris thought he would probably give a wide berth not just to this egg, but to whichever person Impressed it. His bounce was gone as he walked away from the egg, glancing nervously over his shoulder as if he expected the egg to somehow attack him.

After that, the Lady's Embrace was a relief, though it confused him more than the other eggs. He'd heard a lot of people say the egg probably contained a green, and he was a little bewildered about how he felt touching the shell. At least the occupant seemed to have a sense of humor, and even if she was confusing, they would probably get along. He stayed there, touching that egg for quite a while, convinced that green or blue was definitely the way to go. Obviously if he got a bronze, he would do all the oiling the dragon needed, and work as hard as he needed to, and be happy about it. But surely with a smaller dragon they would have more time to have fun together. Finally, though, the odd feelings that he couldn't quite place were a bit much. He walked away reluctantly, and headed for the pompous speech. He would touch every egg in the clutch, even if he didn't particularly want a large dragon. Bronze would be better than none at all.

It was a very pretty, large sparkly egg, and Kolaris wrinkled his nose a little at its expectation of adoration. I really agree that you're probably a gold, he thought at it. and I'm a boy, so you won't have you're feelings hurt that I'm walking away and letting the girls come touch you instead. He certainly wouldn't want to somehow offend an unhatched queen. But even if it turned out that this was a bronze, he was pretty sure they wouldn't get along all that well. It felt like the egg was stuck up and impressed with itself.

The motion of the ocean egg was more his style again, tiny and blue to blue-green. While he had no interest in having that kind of patience (why sit still? Life is too exciting and interesting for that.) himself, maybe it would be good to have a dragon that would be patient with him. At least it would be better than that judgmental pompous egg. And much, much better than that furious one.

He passed Ophelia then, a candidate with a large enough personality that he knew of her, even if she was probably barely aware that he existed. He grinned, a little mischievious suddenly. He wouldn't do anything big, nothing hurtful or risky. He nodded to the large, sparkly Pompous Speech egg. "I didn't see you touch that one yet," he told the other girl. "It feels like you would get along with it really well, though. I really think you should spend some time with that one." There, that was actually kind of helpful, wasn't it? Maybe it was a little bit of an insult from his perspective, but if they really did get along, then she would just see it as a compliment. Of course, it might be frustrating to her to be paired with a dragon just as self-important as she was. Would they compete with each other for attention?

He definitely had his bounce back now, and he walked toward the dancing square. Again, this egg was probably a larger dragon, but he certainly wouldn't turn it away. While the egg welcomed his attention, after a moment it seemed to get distracted, and he could totally understand that. There was so much in the world to pay attention to, who really wanted to focus on one thing or person for a really long time? Whoever Impressed this egg would have to be a really interesting person, and Kolaris reflected for a moment that it would be worth all the effort of taking care of a larger dragonet to know that this one thought him fascinating enough to choose.

[weetia]

Patala smiled at the girl who greeted her, turning away from the eggs for a moment. "Hello, Eavan," she said. "I'm Patala, lately of Foothills Hold." She looked down at the travelling clothes she was still wearing, starting to feel a little warm now that she had come from the cold winter weather, then through between to the rather hot Hatching Grounds. "Yes, I was just dropped off," she acknowledged. "The assistant Candidatemaster J'ain brought me here today. This morning I was just expecting to spend the day accompanying my foster father on his business trip to Lemos, and now I'm here," she laughed a little, still bemused at the rapid change in circumstances. "touching dragon eggs and hoping that one of them will like me."

"I don't think I'll need anything right now," she said, "But all I have with me is what I took to Lemos with me this morning, so until my other things get sent along I'll have to see if someone at the Weyr can loan me a change of clothes," she admitted, a little embarrassed. She bobbed her head a little, "Thanks for offering to help," and she looked away at the sparkly egg she hadn't touched yet. "Maybe we can talk after this?" she asked hopefully. Patala had never been close to any of her foster sisters, feeling out of place as the only girl there not blood related, but maybe she could make a few good friends here at the Weyr.

Patala walked away to the sparkly egg, and touched it lightly at first. "Well, you're another one that expects a lot of attention, aren't you," she said to it warmly. "You're not malicious about it though, you just know how wonderful you are, and you expect everyone else to know it too." She smiled more at the egg, rubbing the shell lightly, almost unconsciously. "You'll want someone to spend hours polishing your hide, and telling you how amazing you are." She stepped away, shaking her head and still smiling. The egg reminded her of a runner she had seen once at Lemos Hold, a prized racing stud. He had been aware of his own worth, and had his own handler devoted entirely to taking care of him instead of the other runners. It was almost as if he knew exactly how many marks he was worth, from all his victories before being put out to stud. At the time she had been just as admiring as everyone else, even though she had been told that the trainer and rider were just as important in a race as the beast.

After a few other eggs, Patala found herself near the orange egg with a large black blemish. She touched it, and frowned almost immediately. "And I thought that other baby needed a steady hand," she said aloud. "You have nothing to be angry about, not yet at least. No one has done anything to you." She continued touching the egg, but didn't stroke it, instead feeling like she was glaring it down. "I'm not afraid of an angry little egg," she told it. "If you were angry at something, I would understand, and maybe even help you deal with it, but you just want to be angry. You could learn a lot from that patient little egg. You should just calm down"

She walked away, not looking back. A runner like that, would be gelded if the owner had any sense. Hopefully, since dragons were intelligent, he could learn to control his own rage. And surely, it was a male. Patala had never met a female of any species with quite that much fury in her, unless their young was threatened.

After touching a few other, less distinctive eggs, Patala came to the last one in the clutch that she hadn't touched. Stroking the sparkling multicolored shell, she tried to focus on what she felt from it. "What are you," she asked aloud. "You aren't telling me anything about yourself, even that patient one let me know that much." Somehow, that just made Patala more curious, and she leaned to look closer at the swirling colors. "I think even runners tell me more about themselves when I touch them," she coaxed. "Surely you have something interesting to say." She stood there for even longer than she had with the Lady's Embrace. "Maybe you're just holding out to make me curious," she reflected. "You're waiting to be a surprise," She traced one of the swirls of lavender to where it disappeared into gold. "Or, you might just be a really good listener," she guessed. "That's ok," she told the egg. "I'm a really good talker. We'd get along just fine."

Patala had heard many of the candidates make little guesses about colors of the hatchlings, but she really had no idea. All she could guess was the small eggs might be the smaller colors, and that wasn't certain either. "I don't really care what color any of the eggs are, anyway," she noted. "I don't know enough about dragons to know what I would prefer."