Touch The Wind [WoC EGG TOUCHING]

[Zen]

Turn 2762, Mid 3rd Month

Candidate Master S'bol

Nesporth had received word from Sularenth that she would permit the candidates amongst her clutch. S’bol imagined it had probably taken some convincing on Melana’s part. Sularenth was not the most agreeable of golds in his experience, but he certainly couldn’t blame a mother for being protective of her children. So he had Nesporth call the candidates together and when everyone had arrived he launched excitedly into an explanation, “I’ve called you all because today you finally get to go in amongst Sularenth’s eggs for the first time! I do hope you remember from our lessons, but the Egg Touching is very important for familiarizing you with being on the Sands among the eggs, for those of you new to candidacy, but even more important for introducing the eggs to you. It is believed that familiarity with candidates before the Hatching helps lessen the ah… hm… accidents that sometimes occur, as the hatchlings will have already met you and won’t be as scared or overwhelmed by your presence on the Sands when they hatch. Such is the belief, anyway.”

S’bol grinned, clearly quite happy about today, as it was always fun to watch the candidates interact with the eggs, especially the first timers. “I’ll remind you to be on your best behavior. Sularenth is not a patient gold and isn’t likely to tolerate any nonsense around her eggs. If you do something that displeases her it is highly likely you will be removed, and depending on the offense you may even be barred from standing for her clutch, so remember that if you get any silly ideas. Hm. Anyway,” S’bol didn’t wish to dwell on the negative, “A few riders are waiting without to ferry you up to the hatching cavern, it’s a deal faster than walking and will be how you’ll be getting there on Hatching day as well. Once we go inside, you may walk among the eggs and touch them, gently, as you please. Some may touch back. For those of you experiencing an Egg Touching for the first time, it is a very unique experience, so keep an open mind and try not to be too surprised if another mind reaches out to yours when you touch your first egg.” He chuckled good naturedly and waved them all to follow him to their rides.

Once at the hatching cavern, he paused them at the edge of the Sands, speaking softer than before, as though raising his voice might wake the eggs prematurely, “Step carefully, mind Sularenth and the Weyrwoman, and enjoy the experience.” With that he stepped aside to let them pass, moving closer to Melana to watch them and giving her a happy grin as well, “Hello, Weyrwoman. I hope Sularenth is in a good mood today?” He chuckled softly, his gaze flicking to the massive gold hovering over her clutch, “I think if Nesporth’s clutchmother had been as intimidating I might not have Impressed. Though Zalmaarrrrr-”

He cut himself off and tossed a sheepish look at Melana, unsure if it was wise to bring up the former Weyrqueen around her, after what had happened. Rather awkwardly, he tried to backpedal, “Ah… well… that is to say, Sularenth isn’t the first intimidating clutchmother I’ve witnessed. I should think it speaks well to the courage of the candidates, don’t you? They ought to make brave riders.”

OOC: The limits for this Touching are as follows:
1 Candidate - 5 Eggs max
2 Candidates - 3 Eggs max per candidate
3+ Candidates - 2 Eggs max per candidate
You cannot transfer between candidates, like only interacting with 2 for one candidate and then 4 for another. You can see somewhat how the interactions worked in our last Touching HERE. And here are the egg descriptions for Sularenth's Clutch.

Choose one to start with and have your candidate approach and do whatever you’d like them to do, then I will PM you a response from the egg. It will be ‘secret’ (through PM) to simulate the fact that you only know what’s going on with the eggs your own characters are interacting with. Through this, you’ll get a glimpse of the personality of each dragonet within the eggs you choose to interact with, but remember, you can only interact with a limited number in this manner, so choose wisely! Please BOLD and UNDERLINE the egg you are interacting with to make it a little easier for me, and everyone else, to keep track.

After I’ve PM’d you an egg response, you can reply to the THREAD with how your character responded to what they experienced with the egg (double posting is allowed for this thread). Do not post the egg's responses in your reply. Depending on the dragonet’s personality, it might respond again, or it could ignore you, which is your queue to move on to another egg. In this way, your candidate can have quasi conversations with a couple eggs.

I will also keep track of which eggs are currently occupied so you don’t have to hunt through the entire thread to figure out what eggs are free. Green eggs are free, while red eggs are taken. I obviously cannot be around CONSTANTLY to update the list immediately, so you should still at least check the post or two before you make a new one to see if I've gotten to them yet or not.

Also, since the Touching means the Hatching is very close, please remember to post in the Mauling Permissions thread if you haven't already!

Stout Egg: Treyvin
Broad Egg: Treyvin
Flashy Egg: Kisoraz
Glossy Egg: Vanisha
Dark Egg: Lounessa
Cold Egg: Podrell
Blushing Egg: Ceela
Earthy Egg: Ceela
Wisp Egg: Brenna
Blaze Egg: Lounessa
Tunnel Egg: Yvinka
Root Egg:
Spotted Egg: Vanisha
Petite Egg: Podrell
Exotic Egg: Lounessa
Rusted Egg: Kekoa
Tarnished Egg: Lounessa, Ceela
Rebel Egg: Kekoa
Dazzling Egg: Mine, No Touchy

[Alyx]

Melana and Gold Sularenth

It was a decent enough day for this; it would have been earlier, had Melana not had to spend most of the morning hours arguing with the blasted Gold to agree to the endeavor. As it was, it wasn’t until an hour past nooning that Sularenth finally relented to her rider’s logic, throwing a distinctly ‘unpolite’ order at the Candidatemaster’s Blue to gather the candidates to meet her Brood. She was clearly unhappy with the whole idea, even with Melana’s logic as to why it was the best course for her young. Sularenth would, if nothing else, be Sularenth. Nothing would change it, good or bad.

As the first of the Candidates arrived, dropped to the Sands a safe distance away by those that played ferryman for them, Sularenth’s felt the need to make her displeasure known to everyone. The rumble was deep in the Gold’s chest, low and warm, and Melana was almost positive she could feel the sound vibrating in the Sands under the soles of her boots. ‘Stop it.’ Sularenth’s growl damped off for a moment, red-edged eyes scanning the class of would-be riders as they clustered about for S’bol’s last-minute warnings. Maybe Melana had pushed for this a bit early? She frowned, eying the Gold a moment before S’bol’s voice pulled her around.

Melana gave a soft snort of laughter, reaching her hand up to push a bit of dark hair behind her ear as she pivoted to face the Bluerider. “Well, with Sularenth, the term ‘good mood’ is up for debate, but I am hoping so. She should behave, at least for a candlemark or so, as long as no one twitches wrong.” Sularenth picked that moment to growl again, the bone-vibrating rumble rolling over the Sands and the gathered candidates again. Melana frowned at her. ‘I said stop it. It's for a good cause, quick trying to be scary.’ I do not have to try. I am scary. ‘Sula, honestly, please, just stop.’

S’bol continued to talk, catching himself, but not quite quick enough. Melana glanced over, the anger in her stomach dying off as soon as she saw the man’s sheepish grin. It wasn’t his fault… he wasn’t trying to prick at her nerves. The Goldrider gave a hefty sigh, a shadow drifting over her features for a moment as she let her eyes drift over the field of candidates. How many of them hadn’t wanted to be here? She gave a soft, uncomfortable nod. “Like mother, like daughter, I suppose.” It was all she wanted to say on it.

But they were here, even with the stories floating around. Melana took a deep breath, then exhaled and managed at least a passible smile as she looked over at the Candidatemaster again. “Indeed, be it courage or crazy, I’m glad they are willing to take the risk. They look like a good group. I am… thankful they were willing to take the risk.” Melana turned to look at the Gold, watching the dragon lift her head to nose the Tarnished Egg a little more to rest against her shoulder before scanning the rest of her batch. The Gold’s gaze seemed to track the candidates as they moved, but at least she had stopped growling.

Melana shifted her gaze back to S’bol and gave a soft shrug. She’d play it by ear, honestly; if anyone wanted to touch Sularenth’s beloved choice egg, Melana would deal with that wrath when it came.

Candidate Brenna, Haella and Green Tsulocanth

Brenna had been literally counting the days since Sularenth had laid her eggs. How long did they need to wait until they could see them? Touch them? How long did Dragon eggs need before they hatched? Could it be now?! So much excitement, even with the tragedy of the Flight still hanging like a specter over the Weyr; Brenna refused to let it darken her own mood. Eggs meant a hatching, and that meant she might get her own dragon!! How could she not be excited?!

Some of the other candidates had been moodier over it all, S’bol had been stern, reminding them that you didn’t always Impress your first or second, or even your third time on the Sands.Treyvin had been one of the only ones to do the Timing endeavor that hadn’t Impressed, and Riasu said she’d stood a few times before coming here. And then there was weirdo Kisoraz, who was like G’rett’s age and still looking for his dragon. Brenna had many, many examples of why she should be patient and prepare herself for the fact she might not pass the muster this time.

Did it work? Shards no! She could feel her heartbeat fluttering in her throat as S’bol gathered them together; she managed not to squeak when he informed them that they would be getting their first real chance to see the clutch today. She rocked back on her heels, biting her lower lip to keep from smiling too wide. Finally!! Did this mean they were close to hatching?? Like how close? A month? Two months? A week or two?

Okay, okay, she took a deep breath. Slooooow down. One thing at a time. Brenna forced herself to focus, trying to grab all the info S’bol was given them before they got their lift to the Sands. It wasn’t anything new, honestly - he’d been sure to go over it at least a few times since the Clutch had been laid. She was happy to see him wave them to the riders waiting and bee-lined for the familiar shape of Haella’s green resting nearby. Tulasanth wiggled a little bit, almost as eager as the Candidates as Haella helped Brenna and a few more aboard.

Go? The Green’s happy voice slipped over her riders minds. Haella laughed, reclaiming her seat. “Yes. Go.” The Green exploded off the ground, winging her way after S’bol’s Blue. The sight of Sularenth on the sands took Brenna’s breath away - she forgot how big Golds could get! Haella’s Green touched down, and the Assistant Candidatemaster waved them down. “Remember what S’bol told you. And be careful.” The Green was gone, and they hurried to join the cluster of other candidates as S’bol gave them some last bits of advice.

Brenna nodded quickly, longing for nothing more than to finally be doing this. With S’bol moving off to join the Weyrwoman, the Candidates spread out over the Sands. A quick scan over the eggs, her brain stalled for a moment. Shouldn’t she feel like a pull or a push or something? Or did they just walk in and choose? With so many eggs, how did you pick just ONE to start with??

She knew which one she didn’t want to start with, that was for sure. That shiny looking one by Sulrenth. One look set off all the warning bells. Even if S’bol said there wasn’t a Gold egg, it still looked sharding shiny from here. And Sularenth had it right by her; so many reasons not to get too close. One, she didn't want a Gold Dragon - too much drama, all that pressure. Some of the girls among the Candidates wanted that, but Brenna was not one of them. And two, well... Sularenth had very large teeth and a temper that Brenna didn't want to get acquainted with.

Besides; Brenna wanted a fighting dragon. She wanted to fly Thread with G’rett, protect people, be the thing of Bard’s Tales! A Brown, or a Blue. A nice Green maybe… or even a Bronze? Even if S’bol had plainly said it would never happen. ‘The Dragon Chooses.’ Wasn’t that the saying? Brenna took a breath, stepping off with the rest to walk among the scattered clutch. She tried to do what they were told - keep her mind open, think clearly, blah blah blah.

Just pick one and start. Seemed the best plan, right? Brenna paused by a trio of eggs, huffing softly. Right… just pick one. Sounded simply, until you were standing there next to them and fighting the urge to touch them all. How many could she get through before S’bol pulled them away? Best to stop thinking and get touching, or she’d second guess herself right out of her chance!

Crouching down, she felt the warm sand under one knee as she settled into a stable position. Darting her tongue over her lips, she suddenly hated she was scared of what might happen when she reached out. She was actually shaking, but that didn’t stop her from reaching out and pushing her palm gently against the shell of the Wisp Egg.

(Brenna touches the Wisp Egg)

[Zen]

Podrell, Yvinka, Kisoraz

Initially it had been a little strange having a dragon so regularly visit his mind that wasn’t Ama. She was the only other dragon he’d ever spoken to, really, other than that very brief conversation with Quilath. But Podrell had already grown used to Nesporth as well, as often as the blue was calling the candidates for lessons or chore assignments. S’bol was an agreeable sort of man, though not particularly authoritative as one might imagine for someone in his position. He was an eager teacher, though, and pleasant to be around. So he listened to the man attentively after everyone had gathered, his interest piqued at the reason. S’bol had been talking a lot about the Egg Touching since Sularenth had laid her clutch, so it was mostly review for them all as S’bol summarized before they left for the hatching cavern, but Podrell still found it a little hard to believe that eggs could somehow communicate. Then again, dragons were also far more articulate than he’d ever imagined, so anything was possible, wasn’t it?

He was careful to hang back until Yva had found a rider to ferry her up. He had no desire to ride with her and give her any excuse to cling to him some more. He rode up on a blue with Kisoraz, who for some reason looked rather uncomfortable as he climbed to the dragon’s back. From what he knew of the Mirranese candidate, his parents were riders, most of his family were, actually, so it didn’t make too much sense that he wouldn’t be comfortable on a dragon’s back, but it wasn’t like he knew Kisoraz well enough to pry into it. They gathered at the edge of the sands while they waited for everyone to arrive, and it was the first time he’d been this close to a gold dragon. Shells but Sularenth had to be over twice the size of Ama, and probably Nesporth as well. He’d seen bronze dragons up fairly close before, but not many times, and he couldn’t tell if it was his memory distorting things or if Sularenth really was that much larger than the bronzes he had seen as well.

He listened to S’bol as he gave a final warning, but his eyes never left Sularenth. The freshly healed wounds from her battle with Zalmaranth only served to make her look all the more intimidating than she already was. It wasn’t at all what he expected of a gold. In his head, he supposed, he equated them with a Lady Holder, it made a certain amount of sense, or so he had thought. Sularenth didn’t seem to fit that idea whatsoever. She reminded him more of a captured wild feline he’d seen once, fierce, intelligent, ready to lash out at any moment and take your arm off. Or in Sularenth’s case, simply swallow you whole.

Yva’s now familiar giggle drew his attention briefly as he was afraid in his distraction she’d gotten close enough to latch onto him, but instead she was bouncing in place beside Ceela and asking the other girl just where she should start with so many eggs to choose from. In true Yva fashion, she didn’t seem to wait for an answer before darting off onto the sands, remembering after a few steps to slow down with a cautious glance at Sularenth, and settling at the Dazzling Egg, the very first egg she came to. Podrell quite pointedly walked in the opposite direction, wandering around the little groupings of eggs as others settled near the ones they had chosen. He saw Kisoraz pause and reach out to place his hand on the Flashy Egg before he stopped himself at a trio of eggs. The Exotic Egg rather dominated the group, but the more unassuming Petite Egg drew his interest first and he settled to one knee and hesitated only a moment before he pressed his palm to the smooth surface of the shell.

The contact was there immediately, overwhelmingly, and he nearly drew his hand back in surprise. It seemed to wrap around his mind as if afraid he would leave as quickly as he got there, trying to tie him to the spot and make him stay forever. He disliked the feeling, but remembered what S’bol had said about keeping an open mind. “It’s alright… I’m not going to leave,” he felt a bit silly as he reassured it, though he wanted nothing more than to pick a different egg and hope it wasn’t so clingy. He got enough of that from Yva. The coil about his mind somehow seemed to tighten and the disbelief was plain. It could see his discomfort, his desire to be away, in his mind after all. “Well… if you’d just calm down a little, I wouldn’t mind staying,” he refuted, as reluctant as he was.

He couldn’t help but hope this particular dragon would not choose him on hatching day and felt the instant indignation and hurt like a pained wail, even though there was no sound. He flinched from the odd sensation and drew his hand back, severing the connection. Shells, he wasn’t used to guarding his thoughts. Though he had tried to be reassuring, the dragon within the egg had been able to see his true thoughts through their connection and what he had said had only fallen flat when held up against the truth in his mind. He had no desire to stay and cause the dragon any further distress, so he stood and cleared his throat uncomfortably before moving on, settling warily at the Cold Egg.

[Alyx]

Brenna, Candidate

She braced for something, anything, her excitement bubbling. Yes, late-night candidate common room chatter had talked about what could happen, along with stories of ‘bad touchings’ and things heard second and third part from relatives and siblings. Nothing really could have prepared her for the first jolt of contact. Brenna’s eyes went wide, her jaw dropping open just a touch as the Wisp Egg made itself known.

The happy, warm energy flowed over her, Brenna let the smile take over her lips. ‘Well hello to you too.’ She tried to focus her thoughts the way Haella had explained in class - nothing too loud, too sharp, but to think clearly. The sensation of having her brain searched over was a bit unnerving, but the presence in the egg didn’t feel like it was going to hurt her. Her nose wrinkled up a little as she smiled, a soft laugh escaping her. "Okay okay, I’m sorry to make you wait."

How did she explain it? "Well, I guess we are here to meet you and your siblings. S'bol said it makes for a better chance of bonding on your hatching day, and to help you not be so scared of all of us standing around here when that time comes. Does that answer your question well enough?" She wasn’t it would understand her words, but she wasn’t totally sure how to picture it either. She glanced around her, taking in the other candidates and their eggs, S’bol and the Weyrwoman watching over them - trying to commit it all to memory before trying to picture it for the hatchling in the Wisp Egg.

"Like this, kind of. Everyone is meeting your siblings. Exciting, isn’t it?" She shook her head softly, her own excitement dancing over her thoughts. "It's my first time doing this, and you’re the first egg I’m meeting. I hope I’m doing okay."

Zen

[tovaana]

Lo’qui :: Bronze Jarath

Had it been any other gold, Jarath wouldn’t have cared nearly so much. But it was Sularenth’s clutch – and the flight had just started to fade completely from Jarath’s mind (and not as present in Lo’qui’s thoughts)  until Sularenth had laid her clutch and was now a constant reminder that Jarath had had the flight stolen from him. It was bothersome to Lo'qui even more, because Jarath wouldn’t remember the event, only knowing that the eggs weren’t his and so obviously he’d lost, but to Jarath, that didn’t make sense… and so Jarath would randomly dig rather evasively into Lo’qui’s memories for the tragic event… and starting the process all over again.

At first Jarath didn’t want anything to do with eggs that weren’t his, so it surprised Lo’qui when his bronze showed interest in shuttling candidates to the clutching site. ‘You… want to visit the eggs?’ Lo’qui asked when Jarath made the suggestion. Riasu will need a ride. Lo’qui bit back his feelings, shielding them from his dragon who had obviously forgotten that things were awkward between the siblings. I haven’t seen Riasu in a while, I imagine she misses me. The dragon mused, though Lo’qui could feel that it was definitely the other way around, with the dragon missing his sister. He sighed. At least Riasu hadn’t left Mavros yet, and he did want to mend things… it was just so… infuriating how reckless she’d been with his own dragon. She needed a dragon of her own to be reckless with… though he knew he didn’t believe or want that, he didn’t want to lose her like he’d lost his father.

‘Alright.’ He said, putting the gear on his large dragon that allowed for many riders along his long back. If anything, his dragon’s large size could be put to work.

They landed where the ferrying was going on and the bronze rider spotted his sister, but didn’t have to reach out to her, Jarath was on top of that.

Why, if it isn’t mine’s otherness. As relations between humans didn’t make much sense to the dragon, he only knew Riasu meant a great deal to Lo’qui, and Jarath seemed to know there was something special about her – which was why it was one of the only humans he remembered and used the name for. I imagined you’d want a real escort to the eggs. The bronze teased.

A few candidates had rushed over when the bronze had landed and Lo’qui helped them to the ladder that hung from the side to make ascent of his mountainous steed easier for those unaccustomed of climbing his behemoth beast.

When Riasu came over, Lo’qui smiled, though it didn’t hold his usual energy. “Jarath insisted.” He said, so she knew that he wasn’t trying to force her into an awkward situation or use his dragon to make their amends. “But it’s good to see you.”

It’s always good to see me, too. Jarath added, making sure he was the center of their attention, as it seemed to be drifting. Lo’qui smiled and stepped aside, letting his sister go up before he did.

When they arrived, Jarath landed them as far away from the eggs as he could get, he could feel his dragon’s mood souring. The sooner they could get out, probably the better. But as they unloaded the candidates, he was surprised that his dragon lingered.

Looking lovely, as usual, Sularenth. The bronze offered the gold, his eyes glancing at the eggs only momentarily, focusing his best on the gold dragon.

Lo’qui rolled his eyes, leaning on his bronze, waiting for him to be ready (he slightly hoped that his dragon would turn a corner and stop the moping nonsense).

kevna Alyx

Treyvin;

He tried to remember back to the time when he’d been excited about eggs being on the sands… but everything seemed a blur since his last hatching experience. The fact that the whole thing had been back in time didn’t help his memory either – like the event had been a whole other life, a different world.

The egg touchings weren’t as bad as the hatchings themselves, right? But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to remember, as any time he thought about dragon eggs the memories of the hatching would burst in on his peace. His stomach rumbled nervously and his hands felt clammy despite the heat of the cavern. While Ceela didn’t seem to understand his hesitation, she’d been the one to somehow always find him and drag him to lessons or like today – to the hatching. And of course she’d picked the largest bronze to ride. That hadn’t bothered him so much though, he liked to fly – and the larger the dragon, the smoother the ride it seemed. A large bronze, like his brother… bigger than his brother’s even. Yeah. He shook his head… or, when he got old enough, he could just join his father at sea.

Thinking of the ocean always calmed Treyvin, so he tried focusing on that feeling as Ceela gravitated to Yvinka and left him to his own feelings. It was one of the nice things of having a distractible friend – her energy was hard to swallow with abilities like his own, but she didn’t stick by his side for too long.

His bright gaze surveyed the cavern, his fists clenched as the view brought back memories of the terrible hatching day. Terrible? He clenched his teeth. Hatchings were supposed to be glad events. He forced himself to look up and around, pointing out to himself that there was no audience to mess with him… just overly excited and nervous candidates that pressed in on his own nervous feelings.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, waiting until the candidates had gone forth and were distracted by the eggs… he could feel the candidates on the sand almost like a map – the eggs were there too, but it was almost as if the shells acted like a shield against his mind. Curious about this phenomenon, he finally moved to the outskirts of the eggs and paused only to glance at the golden mother… he’d done this before and she hadn’t struck a candidate… he’d done this before. He took a breath. He’d done this before, this wasn’t a hatching… he kept repeating this as he stepped through the clusters and paused near a couple of rounder eggs that were alone. They reminded him of the moon, or balls that children played with- they were more round than egg shape. With this thought he crouched before the Stout Egg and took a preparatory breath before laying his hands gently on the smooth round surface.

Ceela;

It didn’t matter that Ceela had been to many hatchings or egg touchings, they were all wonderful, and she was so excited that she’d forgotten about Treyvin’s reluctance as soon as the dragon had hit the sands. “Oh, look at them all! Sularenth has done wonderfully, look at all the colors and sizes!” Her eyes skimmed the surfaces of the eggs and she flew toward Yva to share in the excitement, especially as this was her friend's first egg touching. Ceela wasn’t offended at all when the girl flew off to the eggs almost mid sentence. She just grinned and took a deep breath of the warm environment, relishing in one of her favorite hands-on experiences as a candidate. One of these beautiful eggs could contain her dragon. She wanted to touch every single one, she wanted to be sure that if her dragon was there, that they’d know Ceela was there, waiting for them.

Ceela had touched golden eggs before, not because she hoped for a gold dragon, but because it seemed an honor to acquaint herself with the little queens. The older she got, she realized that it was a risk of actually landing herself with a gold… but she really didn’t care about the color of her dragon, as long as she could fly with them. Of course some dragons came with responsibilities… but Ceela wasn’t one to think too much about the consequences of her actions. So, naturally, she wanted to touch the egg that seemed to be protected from the candidates.

She wasn’t so unfeeling though, and decided that she wouldn’t push the gold for that right as everyone had arrived. So she shadowed behind Yvinka and followed her to the Blushing Egg that was a companion to the egg her friend had chosen. It was a beautiful shade of red that paled toward the top. She could only imagine the contents of the egg was just a wonderful and beautiful. ‘Hello, little beauty.’ She said, thinking of something she could entertain the egg with – perhaps of red-fruit, which was a similar color to the base of the egg? So she plucked a memory of a time she’d been stuck in the kitchens cutting the redfruit for a dessert that was going to be made. ‘These are a delicious little treat you can look forward to when you come out.’

((Treyvin is at the Stout egg and Ceela with the Blushing egg! Zen ))

[kevna]

Riasu - Candidate

Riasu listened to S’bol give explanation for their gathering, and instruction for the egg touching. It was all too familiar for all the times she had interacted with eggs on the sands of Ierne Island Weyr, but this was her first Mavros touching, and subsequently she felt an increasing anticipation. Would Mavros be where she found her bonded? Were one of these eggs protecting her future dragon? When Sularenth had clutched initially, and no gold egg had been laid, she had been disappointed. It hadn’t lasted long, for optimism always followed, and the color of her dragon wouldn’t matter to her once she had her or him.

S’bol had stopped speaking, and the others were scurrying to find a ride. She started moving towards the dragons grouped for the ferrying, picking out a green nearby, until the landing of the large bronze diverted her. A range of emotions skidded over her brain as Jarath spoke to her mind, pleasure at seeing her childhood friend, a stubborn anger towards his bonded, who just so happened to be her brother, and a little hope that maybe they would work it all out.

“Why, if it isn’t the handsomest of bronzes. Looking good as ever, Jarath.” She said with a half-smile, her fondness plainly clear as she reached the bronze and her brother. Her eyes slid to her brother at his words, and she nodded, hiding the disappointment that came at them. “Well, I’m glad. Always taking care of me, aren’t you Jarath?” While her words were solely directed to her brother’s bronze, in part they were for her brother as well. Even if her pride kept her from directly saying it to him. She reached to rub the bronze’s eye ridges, but her brother’s last words brought her attention back to him, and her smile widened slightly. “You too.” She said with feeling.

Jarath’s redirect to himself had her laughing out loud and shaking her head. He could always break any tension in her. “Yes, yes, you too, my dapper bronze.” Lo’qui stepped aside, allowing her to mount ahead of him. She scaled the bronze and settled herself behind where Lo’qui would sit, and watched the last few candidates who had to use the ladder scramble up.

The anticipation grew as they launched into the sky, and continued to grow the closer they got to the eggs. As soon as they landed she was dismounting. “Thanks, good looking.” She patted the bronze, and then looked toward Lo’qui, giving him another small smile and a nod. “And thanks to you too.” She wanted to say something, like ask him to get Klah with her or something, but her stubborn pride held her tongue.

She turned toward the sand and started walking away. Towards the eggs, and quite possibly towards her future.

tovaana
-

Kekoa – Candidate

He strummed his gitar quietly as S’bol spoke. He knew exactly how loud he could strum without getting S’bol’s attention, and he had learned to stay in the midst of the group to avoid S’bol seeing the gitar. He had been told a few times not to bring it to classes, but he usually could sneak it in. He had been reprimanded a few times, but leaving the instrument at his cot just felt so foreign and wrong. As soon as S’bol finished speaking he ducked down, and quickly jogged to the nearest green dragon waiting to ferry them up to the sands. He opened his mouth to say something charming to the small greenrider as he situated his gitar on his back, but she narrowed her eyes at him and put her hand up in the stopping motion.

“Don’t even think about it. Your pretty words won’t work on me again, Kekoa.”

“I was only going to beg the pretty Talaria and her elegant Tanith for a ride-though the way your eyes are biting me, just makes me want to drown in them all over again.” He put his hand on his chest and his best smile. She narrowed her eyes at him, and placed hands on her curvy hips. “Go find someone else to beg a ride off of.” She snapped, and he put his hands on his chest, giving her a hurt look. “None will-“”Save it Kekoa, I mean it.”

“Till next time then, my raven haired beauty.” He ducked away, but not before hearing her snarky comment about not being his. He would have to soften things with her another time. He ended up joining a few others, including Vanisha and Riasu as they scrambled up the largest bronze he had ever seen. He winked at Vanisha, hoping to get a pretty blush from her, but only getting a wobbly smile. She looked beyond nervous. “We got this.” He said softly, patting the knee closest to him and then enjoying the brief ride that took them to the sands.

His excitement meant he lost the poor nervous red head to the crowd, but he didn't dwell on it. He would catch up with her later. Once inside the hatching caverns, he listened to S’bol’s warning with half an ear, his eyes caught on the looming, growling gold, and the tarnished egg she protectively loomed over. He had had a mind to stick to average sized dragons, assuming they would house blues or brown dragonets, but the temptation to woo a golden dragon, an angry one at that, and win her over enough to touch the egg was too much for him. But better to warm her up to him. He moved to the duo eggs, Rusted and Rebel, giving the golden beauty a winning smile.

“What a fine clutch, dear Sularenth. Your graciousness in allowing us here is majestic.” He gave an elaborate bow, steadying the gitar with one hand, and using the other to flourish the bow. “To be near you is blinding, your golden beauty is quite like heaven to me. Thank you, my fine Queen for this amazing opportunity.”

He turned his attention to the Rusted Egg, a little plain looking for his liking, with a seeming texture to it. His eyes then moved to the Rebel egg, noting the egg prints that denoted moving. With one hand on his gitar, he reached out the other, placing it gently on the Rebel Egg, humming an upbeat melody to it.

Alyx

Vanisha – Candidate

Her palms just wouldn’t stop sweating. It all felt like a blur, so unreal. S’bol had said they could touch the eggs today, hadn’t he? Someone murmured something unintelligibly excited to her, and she only nodded and gave a smile. Was this what terror felt like? Being so close to freedom, being able to touch it, only for it to be ripped away by a man? Asirikai wanted to take her away-this clutch… it was her only hope, but impressing on the first stand? Her eyes wandered to Riasu, who had been standing on the sands for turns, unsuccessfully. She was born to dragonriders, and she hadn’t even impressed yet. What were the odds that she would impress now? She was herded along with the others and found herself before a large bronze and a ladder. She numbly reached out, climbing it slowly, the sweat on her palms making the climb precarious.

She settled herself, and barely noted Kekoa placing himself before her, turning and winking at her. Normally his advancements made her uncomfortable, but nothing could seem to pierce the numbness. His words of comfort brought another wobbly smile, and nod, but she was glad his excitement seemed to pull his attention from her. She didn’t want to chat. She didn’t want to please.

Entering the hatching caverns was a blur too, and she was herded in, people on either side of her brushing up against her. The excitement they exhibited still didn’t touch her. So much apprehension, fear, anxiety, and the glimmer of hope. Her eyes scanned the eggs, and when they were given leave to approach the eggs, she found herself frozen. The growl emitted from the gold made her jump, pierced through her numbness, and propelled her forward. The smallest egg, the Petite egg called to her, but Podrell got there first, so she diverted her attention to the nearest egg in her path, The Exotic Egg. The egg was far too large, she would never impress to a dragon of such size, seeing as the larger dragonets were usually not green. So she sidestepped, and reached out to the spotted egg, her hands hovering over the egg, frozen again.

She took a breath, blinked, and then resolve crept in. Her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched. She could do this. She would. This was her last shot. That resolve pushed her hands to finish their path, landing on the pale cream Spotted Egg. Hello?

[Taxx]

Candidate Lounessa

Finally. Lounessa had been looking forward to this- and hoping it would happen- since the eggs had been laid. She hadn't been certain if Sularenth would allow it; she knew well enough from her time in Ierne that some mothers didn't like the idea of people invading the Sands before the eggs were ready to hatch. But for whatever reason, the queen had allowed it and here she was. She turned her attention to S'bol as he went through his speech, giving advice and the warning about not angering the clutchmother. Common sense, really. Who'd risk riling up Sularenth?

She got a ride from a bluerider; they'd introduced themselves and she'd given her name in turn, mostly for the sake of attempted respect. They didn't matter. Not yet, anyway. She did thank them once landed again, a single word tossed over her shoulder as she went to join the other Candidates. They'd probably just assume she was eager to get on with the Touching. And now here she was, gazing over the clutch and wondering, hoping that her dragon (her bronze, let it be a bronze) was somewhere along them.

Sularenth was an imposing figure, crouched and watchful- the growling didn't help, a cold wave of fear momentarily distracted Nessa from her inspection of the clutch. But permission was granted, and Lounessa noticed the queen's nudge of the Tarnished egg. Her interest piqued- was there something special about that one? She seemed to be especially protective of it. A bronze? Or perhaps just a favored egg that was nothing extraordinary. Impossible to know, but Nessa had every intention of at least attempting to interact with that one.

Best give the queen time to get used to the candidates first, though, and the girl turned aside. She caught sight of Riasu, lifted her hand to wave and smiled, but didn't call out as she stopped at her first choice, the Blaze egg, and knelt to rest her hand on it. She didn't reach out with words, yet, just a sense of welcoming, and waited to see how, or if, it would respond.

kevna Riasu mention
Nessa Touches the Blaze Egg

[tovaana]

Ceela;

She grinned, as the egg seemed to preen at the compliment. Egg touchings were rather peculiar compared to having a dragon talk into one’s mind. She wondered if egg touchings was what it was like to have a dragon attached to one’s mind – maybe a cross between the two experiences… like a mind melding and the ability to talk and hear the dragon. Ceela didn’t really care what the answer was, but it was fun to think about what it was going to be like once she impressed (because no matter how many hatchings she’d been to, she’d never really contemplated seriously what she’d do if she didn’t impress).

When the little egg wondered and questioned the words Ceela had chosen, she was glad to offer the answer- that is, if she’d had time to offer one. Suddenly the dragon was digging and it only surprised Ceela a little, because it’d been a while since she’d experienced how nosy some eggs were. It made sense; they were young and curious – and oh very stuck.

After the initial moment of surprise, Ceela embraced the feeling, imagining herself following the dragon through her memories and glancing at them with the dragon. She’d offer a word here and there, but the egg didn’t pause long enough to hear her until a memory of the ocean appeared and was pressed fervently to the forefront of her thoughts. She grinned, trying not to get distracted as she remembered the salty breeze and warmth from that trip. It was a beach in Southern, nothing like the beach in Mavros, but Mavros had beaches, so the little one would get to see a beach, if not a southern one.

‘It’s the beach! Oh it is so much fun, finding shells and making necklaces- swimming!’ She realized it was also asking her about the location of the beach, but luckily the impatient egg had pressed on already. With a small giggle to herself she pushed through the memories with the egg, running and chasing it as it looked for things. Ceela was content on seeing what it wanted to see, discovering with the dragon different memories- some that she hadn’t thought about in a while. And she thought she had been saved from answering questions about location, that is, until the egg discovered flight.

‘You can go many places when you learn how to fly.’ She was practically beaming, pulling the most recent memory of her flight to the cavern on the back of Jarath. It was such a wonderful feeling to be above the ground, almost feeling free from social constructs or expectations – perhaps even from reality. It was her dream to be able to fly on the back of her own dragon and have that freedom (aware of the responsibilities to a degree, but somewhat disconnected from them).

And again the dragon was rushing around searching for new experiences and Ceela followed excitedly behind, waiting for the opportune moment to show something that might catch the eggs attention… Hmmm… Beaches, flight… Perhaps beauty of some sort? And a passing memory had Ceela figuratively holding her hand out and catching it, pulling it to the front of their conversation. It was dark out, even the moon was just a sliver – which made it easier for the stars to shine. ‘Night is as beautiful as day! Night is when it's dark out- but there are the stars. And day is when the sun shines.’ She shared, and fast-forwarded to the sunrise – the blushing of day, similar to the egg’s fading look. ‘And this is a sunrise- the changing of night to day.’

Treyvin;

The presence of the egg made itself known quickly and strongly – which was slightly overwhelming…but at the same time, it drowned out his surroundings, letting him focus solely on the egg. And the energy that made itself known wasn’t unpleasant… it felt like… he couldn’t quite put a finger on it as the mind interacted with him. The egg seemed to realize that it might have overwhelmed him and… apologized? Or at least seemed to regret something. ‘It’s okay, it’s nice to… uh, meet you.’ Unofficially of course, since he couldn’t see the dragon.

And it seemed to try and explain itself, and the shadow of the dragon in his mind made him smile. The dragon had a sort of energy of a pet – like a canine or flit. That’s what he’d been feeling earlier. Treyvin’s hands almost absentmindedly pet the egg, but stopped when he realized what he was doing, it wasn’t like the egg could feel his hands.

Treyvin felt the egg’s boredom deeply, every feeling it felt seemed potent – like touching the egg heightened the connection… reminiscent when he was touching a human. He usually avoided physical touch for that reason, and it wasn’t often he held prolonged touch like he was doing with the egg.

“Okay, okay.” He said aloud, chuckling a little – relaxing into the playful and pleading personality. “Uhmmm.” He had forgotten that the eggs liked to be entertained for the most part- as they were indeed stuck until they hatched. So he thought to what he loved most… the sea, the open ocean. Drift wood – and finding a good piece and chipping away at the pieces to reveal a shape of his own making and imagination. Of course, he had had only so many years practice so the shape of the shipfish he’d carved was somewhat crude, but recognizable nonetheless. ‘Some things that I like, I guess. Do you know what you like yet?’ Though, after saying this, he realized that the egg probably didn’t since it was… well… an egg.

Zen

[Taxx]

Candidate Lounessa

Nessa winced at the sudden, overwhelming presence that flooded her mind. Unexpected and a tad frightening, if she was honest with herself. It left her dazed for a moment before she recovered and began to attempt to push back, to pull her mind from the hatchling's, but it choose that moment to retreat on its own, withdrawing into silence and closing off. Nessa pulled in a breath, reeling from the force of the invasion and taking a moment to pull herself together. Her mind echoed with a sense of derision, mocking her desire for a bronze.

Rude, she managed, feeling more like herself than the emptiness of before and finding a flash of irritation at the blunt dismissal. I'm allowed to want what I want, just like you are. Still- the power of the youngster was appealing, was something Lounessa could see herself being partnered with. And while she hoped it was bronze... maybe, came the thought, maybe color didn't matter? She couldn't quite help scorn the thought of a blue, a green, because she knew there was only so far she could go with them. And she didn't really want a gold, even though there was no better chance of achieving the role of Weyrwoman one day.

She wanted a fighter. A dragon with the strength to go for what it wanted without fearing the consequences. We could be good together. If you are what you seem to be. A bit of a taunt, hoping she'd bait the dragon into interacting with her. She wanted more than that blaze of seeking and then the coldness of nothing at all, and she hoped she'd get it.

[kevna]

Kekoa

For a moment he thought he had done it wrong, wasn’t he supposed to feel something upon contact? He was surprised by the first contact when it came on suddenly and vigorously, giving off the concept of a growl, obviously showing off its annoyance. The contact was so exotic and strange that his initial response was delight, and a chuckle, which interrupted his humming. He considered the irritation the egg clearly emitted into his mind, and tsked at it playfully after recognizing it was irritated at the music. He was about to inform the ignorance, his mouth opening, but the following mind sensations coming from the Rebel Egg interrupted him and he winced playfully.

He was completely entranced though at the feelings and non-sounds the dragon could share just through touch of palm to shell. Then suddenly the dragonet seemed to withdraw. Dismayed, Kekoa reached back out to the dragonet.

*This* and he hummed a different tune, slightly less upbeat and more melodic, *my friend, is music. It’s an out of the shell delight.* Then he tilted his head and tried his best to mimic the dragonic “sounds,” *while this must be an in the shell delight?* He was teasing it, he couldn't help it. He considered the best way to flirt with the little dragonet, to get it to like him-not that he was too concerned since a dragon that didn’t like music would hardly bond to him-and smiled at the idea that popped into his mind. *This is also an out of the shell delight.* He brought to mind the peaceful waves of the ocean, sitting in the warm sand, and watching shipfish jump out in the deep. The memory was so crisp he could almost smell the wind.

Vanisha

Her eyes widened in wonder at the immediate contact, that of surprise, which she immediately shared. She drew closer, wanting to soak in every moment, her nose almost touching the shell. So caught up she was she didn’t notice when she bit her lip, a little bashful when she realized the Spotted Egg had picked up on her resolve, and considered itself the cause.

“Oh, no, forgive me.” She said so softly it was almost a whisper, feeling a blush warm her cheeks, and she shook her head. “How very rude of me-it isn’t you at all. You are a delight.” The wonder was very apparent in her voice, and chewed on her lip as she considered how to convey why, as it so clearly wished to know, she had felt so and shared it so. “I just want to be a dragonrider, and someone else thinks my path is another way. I just hope it isn’t. I can see how that was confusing.” Her regret was clear, and she rubbed at one cheek, feeling the embarrassment at her slip up on her cheek through it’s warmth.

She tilted her head, wonder at the sudden bombardment of curiosity as it asked who she was and how she had come to be. She followed the dragonet’s line of thought about it’s siblings, the Petite egg’s chattiness and the silence from the Exotic egg leaving it in the lurch, and then the very picture of Vanisha joining it on the sands surprised a giggle out of her. She quickly covered her mouth, surprised by the sound she had emitted in such a public forum. “Well, as fun as that sounds, I regretfully do not see it being possible, though I truly enjoy your company too.” She continued her soft voice. She pictured herself, trying to mimic the way the dragonet had shared with her, and pictured her fellow candidates eating and training. “We need different things right now. Don’t worry, you will get to join us out here soon enough, and then there will be all sorts of new people to talk to, and fun things to do.” She imagined a flying dragon, remembering the exhilaration it instilled in herself.

[tovaana]

Ceela;

Ceela was having so much fun chasing the young one around in her mind, that at first she didn’t notice when the young consciousness started to slow. It was fun doing things, and Ceela did have the tendency to overlook details when she was enjoying herself. It wasn’t until they paused at the night sky that she realized how still the egg was, and upon reflection, realized that the egg had indeed slowed down. Huh, she hadn’t thought of tiring the dragon out, even if Ceela hadn’t done it on purpose, she felt sort of bad and wondered if she should have tried pacing the dragon… they’d been having so much fun and Ceela let the thought slip out of her worries- the dragon hadn’t been harmed, and it had seemed to thoroughly enjoy itself.

She rubbed the egg, subconsciously reacting to the egg’s pleasure from the sunrise… ‘I wish I could show you everything… but it’ll be more fun to actually experience it yourself, I promise.’ The egg didn’t seem to be one that would understand patience, and manifested this by its plea for more. It’s exhaustion seeped through the connection, so much so that Ceela yawned, even though she wasn’t tired at all. It had been a lot to go through in a short amount of time… and the egg hadn’t done a lot of pausing or considering. She grinned. ‘You’ve got a little of my spirit, little one.’ She commented, feeling like the egg would enjoy life immensely when it finally was ready to escape its shell.

‘Okay, okay… one more… but it’s my turn to do the work.’ She wasn’t quite sure how to do it, but imagined herself picking up the consciousness and carrying it back to a memory with the beach that it had enjoyed. She imagined herself carrying the egg with her into the waves; following herself in the memory as the memory Ceela swam to the shallows where there were no waves. ‘Ready? We’re going under now.’ She warned. Then she followed herself into the water and peered through the salty water that stung her eyes for a little bit – but she got used to it. There was a shelled creature that floated by, and all sorts of colorful fish. The memory version of Ceela had to surface often, but Ceela used her imagination to keep them under, just watching the sea life flow through the colorful coral. ‘There…that’s nice, now, isn’t it? You can dream of fish, swimming and flying now when you sleep.’ As the egg seemed like it needed some time to rest before the next candidate came along to get to know it.

Treyvin;

Treyvin thought about the curiosity that prodded him, watching the shadow of a dragon float above the ocean. ‘Oh… I mean… it’s not just ocean.’ He brought them to the coast of his home and then into the jungle. He really hadn’t meant to bring up home, and it made him miss his mother for a moment – he’d just chosen the coast he was most familiar with… even for all the time he had spent at Mavros, even the two years back in time, he still didn’t consider it home…? He wondered if that would change… but those thoughts didn’t linger long, he was only a bit miffed that he’d thought of home when thinking of the first land he could show the egg.

He felt the egg become distant as it thought about its question and he smiled a bit. ‘We have warm sands too – these beaches that I like, are sort like the sands you like.’ It was a thing people bonded over, he had realized, feeling the ‘same’ about something. It was something he recognized when watching people interact… there was more bonding when the same feeling was being felt. The sands were home to this dragon, comfort, and it was for Treyvin too.

It wasn’t that surprising that the dragon inside the egg wanted to know more about flying, that was what dragons did, didn’t they? The egg pushed flight back into their thoughts and Treyvin thought about it, subconsciously bringing up the last flight on the back of the large bronze he had ridden to the clutch. It was nice… the wind rushing by, the tingling sensation of being so high up, and being able to see things from a different perspective. ‘Yeah, it is nice.’ Trying to hide the bits of fear he felt sometimes on the backs of dragons… he wasn’t sure if it was his own fear, or fear of others that bled into and influenced his own feelings. ‘I mean, I really do love it. It’s just… new to me. I’m used to being on things that float in the water, called boats.’ He showed the egg his father’s ship, a bit of pride at the memory of the vessel. He’d never been on it in open ocean though, so he pulled up a different memory to show the egg what it was like to feel the ocean move a ship. The warm salty breeze, the gentle rocking, and the beautiful horizon. He supposed flying was a similar sensation, especially the part with the horizon, just a bit more exhilarating.

Zen

[Alyx]

Melana and Gold Sularenth

Melana watched the Candidates fan out over the Sands. Most moved with respect, maybe a little fear, for the massive Gold resting within snapping range of them all. She hadn’t had much time to really focus on the Touching when they had been ‘Timed back’. It had been hectic, to say the least, and so many candidates combined with two clutches of eggs on a Sands they weren’t totally sure would going to stay warm. Probably for the best she didn’t remember most of it honestly.

The Bronze among those ferrying the Candidates to the Sands had only been a mild surprise; Lo’qui cared very much for his sister, so it made sense he’d attempt to be there in some form to show his support. It hurt Melana just a touch to see them; she enjoyed the Bronzerider’s company quite a bit and counted him as at least partly a friend; the chaos after Sularenth’s rise had made it impossible for her to speak with him, and when she finally had the chance, she’d thought better of it. His dragon had been Sula’s first choice and she was pretty sure both Jarath and Lo’qui had known it.

Sularenth rumbled softly beside her, pulling Melana’s attention back to the Gold as she lifted her head to look in the direction of the Bronze. Flatterer. Melana smiled, ducking her head a touch. You are looking handsome as always, Jarath. Sularenth missed the large Bronze’s company, but it wasn’t enough to distract her from watching the little people wandering among her ‘children’. Here to see how your young lady fairs? There was humor there, and Melana let out a soft breath. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as she thought.

Melana already saw the looks; it had been hard to miss them. Bright eyes, wanting and wondering, all catching the gilded sheen of the Tarnished Egg at Sularenth’s side. She couldn’t blame them; if Melana had been a candidate with them, she’d want to touch it too. It was that lure of possible power, of forbidden knowledge and the edge of danger in both Touching the egg itself and braving Sularenth’s temper and, at this point, reputation as a killer.

Sularenth seemed to sense her thoughts, the Gold’s head shifting back around to nudge the Tarnished a bit closer against her. ‘You will have to let them Touch it.’ I do not have to do anything. The Gold’s voice was warm with warning again, her eyes edging with just a hint of red. ‘Sula… please. If you want your favorite to find a rider, you have to let the Candidates meet it.’ It needs no such help from the likes of them. Sularenth rumbled, the sound vibrating through Melana’s body.

“What a fine clutch, dear Sularenth. Your graciousness in allowing us here is majestic. To be near you is blinding, your golden beauty is quite like heaven to me. Thank you, my fine Queen for this amazing opportunity.” Sularenth’s attention shifted abruptly, centering on the young man speaking to her. She tilted her head, eying him with curious displeasure before watching him move toward one of the eggs. Melana smirked. Did he try to flirt with me? ‘Maybe. Trying to make a good impression on the mother?’ What an odd young man. ‘At least you didn’t try to eat him.’ He might be too flowery for my tastes. Melana choked, her hand darting to her mouth to smother the laughter. She coughed, turning away from the candidates for a moment to regain her control.

Are you going to live? Sularenth’s voice was tinted with amusement as Melana nodded and turned back to face the clutch, the candidates, and her dragon’s pinpoint gaze. ‘I will, yes.’ Good. Sularenth turned her attention back to the candidates, watching them with a protective, almost uncomfortably intense, interest. One boy all but bolted back from one egg, and Sularenth’s chuckle rolled over Melana’s thoughts. ‘Everything alright?’ Yes, it is fine. The boy must have commitment issues. ‘What?’ That one is very… needy, shall we say. I’ve calmed it. ‘Oh…. okay.’ Melana waited for a moment, then huffed. ‘Sularenth? About the favorite?’

Sularenth didn’t take her eyes off the candidates, but Melana could feel the dragon’s temper smoldering. ‘Sula..’ Fine. The word was so sharp in her thoughts, Melana winced just a bit, stepping a half-step back out of reflex. Sularenth huffed, her sides rising and dropping with the gust of breath. Fine. They may touch it. ‘Thank you.’ But if they hurt it, I will end them. Melana blinked, not sure if the threat was idle or not.

tovaana and kevna (For Sula reactions)

Brenna, Candidate

Any worries Brenna had about how the baby in the Wisp Egg would react to the thought of all those people around them evaporated in a blink. She almost could feel the egg shifting under her palm, the excitement coming off the shell under her hand in waves. She couldn’t let the low laugh, enjoying the absolute energy and joy the little creature seems to radiate. It also seems to reach to reassure her - after a moment, when it questioned her, she nodded and tried to return the support.

“You are doing just wonderful, as far as I’m concerned.” She shifted her palm, patting the Wisp’s shell gently. “I’m not sure if there’s an actual task or something we are supposed to complete, but I think all of this is just for getting to know each other. At least, I think so?” Didn’t they make a pair, all flustered and still silly excited? Brenna shifted her feet a little, her smile dimming as the baby in the egg continued to stress over the moment. It thought it disappointed her? Never!

“I think you are doing great at this touching, just so you know. And, as a first egg to touch, I don’t think I could have picked a better one to meet.” Brenna tried to make sure the baby felt that she was speaking the truth - after all, she was just one of many that might come to speak with it, and she didn’t want to leave him or her with doubts over its ability! “I am sure your siblings are doing just as good, but my brother always says don’t compare yourself too much to others, you’ll lose sight of what makes you perfectly you.”

Zen

[Taxx]

Candidate Lounessa

Well. That could have gone better. But, even through her disappointment in convincing the dragon, she couldn't help but see its point. What if it was a blue, or a green? Fiery as they might be, they weren't what she wanted. She couldn't be Wingleader, or Weyrsecond, on a blue or green. She might make Wingsecond, with the open-minded willingness of their Weyrwoman and Weyrleader, but it was a poor conclusion to what she could achieve... and it wasn't really about power, it was about proving to people that gender didn't always matter. And why couldn't a girl Impress a bronze, if she was determined enough?

She pulled back from the Blaze egg, saying nothing else; it had already withdrawn again, obviously done with her. Rising, Nessa brushed sand from her knees and turned. Her gaze flitted again to the Tarnished egg, then around to the rest of the Candidates, finding them all occupied with their own eggs. No point in not taking her chance now, before someone else swooped in. Shoulders squared and chin up, Nessa approached, stepping carefully around the eggs in her path until she stood in front of the queen and her rider.

She bowed to both as she spoke. "Weyrwoman Melana. Weyrqueen Sularenth, may I have your permission to Touch your beloved egg?" Showing proper respect of their ranks and acknowledging the gold's protectiveness to indicate she understood well enough the consequences of upsetting this youngster. She could only hope it reacted favorably to her- she'd hate to deal with Sularenth's anger if the interaction went badly. With the queen's permission granted, Nessa knelt, a prickle of nervousness crawling up her spine at being so close to the huge gold while hoping to interact with an egg she clearly favored.

She settled a hand against the Tarnished egg and, as before, reached out with an open welcome, but said nothing.

Nessa Touches the Tarnished egg

[Alyx]

Melana and Gold Sularenth

Melana was still weighing exactly how committed Sularenth was to the whole ‘I will end them’ thing when the motion caught her attention. One of the Candidates stepped from their egg, then turned in the direction of the Weyrwoman and the Gold. Melana did her best not to hold her breath as the girl clearly headed for them - there was very little doubt she was going to peel off to Touch one of the other eggs as she moved; you could read the determination in her features.

Sularenth rumbled softly, her massive head shifting from overseeing the event as a whole to focusing on the girl almost as soon as Melana noticed her. Crimson-tinted eyes tracked the girl’s path, rumbling again in low warning. Melana wasn’t sure if Sula was trying to scare the girl off or just keep her on her toes and really didn’t have time to ask. All the woman could do was shoot a quick glance at S’bol, then centered her whole attention on Nessa and the Gold, looking for signs she might have to intervene.

The girl was well-spoken and quick to the point; a blessing with the Gold’s warming temper. Melana nodded to the girl’s greeting, then looked up at the mammoth Gold’s head hovering over them. Sularenth inhaled, her barrel swelling for a moment, then the wash of warm breath blew over both her rider and the brave, young woman. ‘Sula?’ Sula tilted her head to better focus on Nessa for another moment, then gave a rough huff.

You may speak with it. Melana let a breath out she didn’t know she was holding, flashing Nessa a slight smile. Be Careful with it. Sularenth added with a warning tone to the words, continuing to keep her focus split now on the Clutch as a whole, but mostly the candidate at her side daring to touch her ‘favorite’.

(Sularenth grants permission begrudgingly lol Taxx Zen )

[tovaana]

Ceela;

The blonde candidate frowned slightly at the tantrum… that’s what it was doing right? Throwing a tantrum? It seemed similar to what she’d seen children do, or at least, it felt like a tantrum. She was the youngest in her family, and while she loved children – she didn’t usually deal with kids when they were naughty. She was used to playing games in the streets or wilds, but she’d never been required to deal with a tantrum like this. Usually when the younger kids got whiny or didn’t like what was going on, Ceela simply distracted them with something – which was what she’d hoped her memory of the water would do… and it seemed to work.

The egg went from being unpleasantly impatient to its original curiosity- just with less energy. It was endearing to experience the awe and curiosity of a creature that was experiencing things for the first time – it was a sensation that Ceela wanted to always feel toward life. Curious and excited, and then to take the chances in order to experience them. She just had to be present. The curiosity and questions she felt the egg ask about the fish seemed rhetorical, since as always, the egg didn’t give much time for the answers that it sought.

Ceela was a bit disappointed that the egg was fading, and she felt a moment of sadness that the egg had felt frustration toward the end of their conversation. ‘Soon, little one.’ She assured as the presence faded with exhaustion. Ceela didn’t move though, wishing she could pick the egg up and cradle it to sleep – though… she glanced up at Sularenth… she guessed the golden mother wouldn’t appreciate that, even if she promised to be careful. So instead she let her fingers slide along the sides down to the sand and waited till the egg was gone. But before it faded completely, the egg sent her an image of a fish that Ceela had shown it– and it seemed to have no context, but it still made Ceela smile. Perhaps the dragonette wasn’t as disappointed as she thought. She sighed and reluctantly stood, though her reluctance was short lived at the thought of discovering a new personality. It was like a treasure hunt! And perhaps one of these beauties would have her green, or blue – brown? The color didn’t matter, but it was fun to fantasize about.

A rumbling caught her attention and she glanced up at the mammoth gold that was scrutinizing an intense candidate… Lounessa, that was her name. She watched with awe for a moment, her eyes intense with curiosity at the egg Sularenth protected. With a hum she reeled her curiosity in, perhaps another time, as she wasn’t going to simply ‘wait’ until the girl was done. Instead she glanced around, but couldn’t make up her mind… so she closed her eyes with a soft smile and turned in a circle until she was a little dizzy and opened them, letting the first available egg her eyes landed on be her choice. Her first step wobbled and she giggled to herself as she made her way to a trio of eggs where one of the younger candidates was touching an egg.

She flashed a smile at Brenna and collapsed in the warm sands in a casual kneel with her feet off to one side. Her attention was on the ruddy egg and she fingered the surface of the Earthy Egg with one hand. She ignored the way her head was still a bit light headed, and instead came up with a memory of hundreds of small birds swarming the sky. They looked like dots in the air, all flying together – almost like they were one creature, creating shapes – bending and swirling all together. The birds were silhouetted against a darkening sky and to Ceela were quite mesmerizing. She’d only seen such a thing a couple of times, so it’d been memorable to the young adventurous candidate. ‘What do you think of them? Each little dot is a bird!’ She asked and told simply, preparing herself for a new personality that would merge briefly with hers.

((Ceela is touching the Earthy Egg!)) Alyx for brief mention of brenna 

Treyvin;

Treyvin wasn’t used to such cramped quarters in his mind. He didn’t know how to hide feelings inside him. He’d only started to learn how to corral other’s feelings away from his own, so he shouldn’t have been surprised that the egg had caught on to his subtle feelings… but it seemed to be flipped for Treyvin – since usually he was the one catching subtle feelings of others, and now this egg was catching and questioning his feelings. Treyvin swallowed. He couldn’t remember what the egg touching last time had been like, but in this moment it felt so foreign for someone to be curious about his own feelings for a change. It left him a little baffled and he almost let go of the egg, but he stopped himself. It was a… bitter sweet sort of feeling. He couldn’t decide if it frightened him or maybe even made him emotional that someone could read him like he could read others.

‘Uh… it’s not…upsetting. I mean, not really… I don’t think.’ He tried to think of how to explain the complicated feelings that were tied to home. ‘It’s just where I came from…’ He remembered the way the egg had been easily confused by the lack of information and so he showed the egg briefly of his adventure from his home to Mavros on the back of a dragon. ‘I just miss home sometimes. It was a big decision to come here.’ And yet if he hadn’t chosen to come to Mavros, he probably wouldn’t have met his father.

It was easier when the egg was focused on the images in his mind rather than the feelings. He unconsciously smiled, totally unaware of the things going around him. The curiousness of the egg about the jungle made him think of going foraging with his mother, so he showed him briefly a memory of him as a child following his mother and carrying a basket with the different things she found. He was distracted though by the thoughts the egg had about ships made him chuckle a little. ‘Uhh, that’s an interesting way to think about that.’ He chuckled again… if only ships could fly in the air, but then… would there be a need for dragons? He frowned. He took the wings and put them on an imaginary egg with a grin. ‘We have dragons for the sky.’ The egg had been a joke, and he wasn’t sure it was obvious enough, so he switched the flying egg out with a memory of dragons practicing flight patterns in the sky. ‘But I like the idea of flying ships, I’ll pass that on to ship builders.’ He thought with humor. ‘Ships are too heavy, they’re built to float in the water – I only know of birds, firelizards, and dragons that can fly… nothing built by people.’

Zen