Touch The Wind [WoC EGG TOUCHING]

[kevna]

Kekoa - Candidate

His new melody did nothing to impress the dragon, and he smiled indulgently at it, slightly wondrous that anything could find music annoying or a hindrance. What was life without music? The dragonet’s question for music was plain enough, wondering what the purpose of music could be when sounds alone conveyed purpose and communication. *Ah, but music is a form of communication too, and it can convey strong emotions too.” He said with some excitement, encouraged by the question. He could be persuasive, maybe this little egglet could learn to appreciate the beauty of music, especially if it could understand the true nature and purpose of music.

He brought to mind the Duty Song, how it conveyed duty to protecting Pern, he quickly switched to the Question Song, and how it communicated confusion, and then quickly switched to the Red Star Passes song, and how it inspired fear and resolve to arm and fight. *See? It can inspire and teach!*

Kekoa raised his eyebrows when the ocean did nothing to inspire relaxation or even envy of the outside world, and seemed to produce the opposite emotions in the little dragonet. He let out a breathy, confused chuckle, and wondered how best to continue this conversation, when the little dragonet started to communicate it’s interest. The picture was so clear, the way the dragonet could know just what that formation was for, the clear duty bound desire-but not just that, the desire to lead, to take charge-Kekoa wrinkled his nose. *Eh. No. The flying part sounds like fun though. Why lead, when you can follow?* It was a partial tease, but he really was interested in why this little egglet could know so young the desire to lead, when it hadn’t experienced anything yet. Didn’t children like fun first and learn duty? Not that he had learned much duty as of yet. In fact, he tried to avoid it as best he could.

Vanisha - Candidate

The reassurance and encouragement was reassurance enough that she had been forgiven of her little mishap. The resolve it sent her next, and the obvious message for her to follow her dreams made her smile again, and nod. She wanted that. She wished she could. But… She couldn’t say no, could she? How did one not care? Desire to follow the dragonet’s advice warred with her inner fears. She had tried to follow her dreams before, and here it was that they could be thwarted all at once, again. That inspired the memory of Degranik, the grief, and she quickly pushed that down, hoping to avoid her previous mishap with the little egglet. No need to burden it if she could avoid it.

Their shared amusement was a thrill for her, and Vanisha wished she could stay here, next to this little egg, until it hatched. It seemed to enjoy her compliments immensely, and their continued communication gave her a sense of true hope. Then the feeling of being surrounded by warmth and comfort, a lovely homey feeling, filled her, and she had to swallow back tears, and she did her best to reciprocate, adding an appreciation to the emotions as well. Never had her mind been so open to another. She didn’t want to hide her feelings, didn’t feel the need to with this little dragonet that seemed so willing to take her as she was. Yet she almost felt off balanced by all the openness. Why couldn’t other human beings be this way? Why couldn’t she be this way more?

The dragonet shared in her exhilaration, and it’s question had her nodding quickly-“Yes, let us fly together. There is nothing I would rather do.” She felt hope. Could this little one be her's, and she their's? It seemed too good to be true. To easy. The first she came into contact with. Maybe if she didn't impress to it, or any dragonet, and she ended up marrying Asirikai, she would be able to take reprieves, pretend, with this dragon and whoever did impress it. There was another candidate hanging behind her, she could feel the pressure of needing to rotate, but she didn’t want to. Not at all. “I cannot wait to meet you out here. It was such a pleasure getting to know you.”

[Taxx]

Candidate Lounessa

Permission granted- and warning grasped quite clearly- Lounessa knelt and reached out to the egg. Sularenth was a very hard to ignore presence above and beside her, and while she knew that dragons could not kill, there was nothing to stop the queen from driving her from the egg or the grounds with force, or by a terrifyingly adequate show of ferocity. It was hard to ignore those thoughts, as she settled next to the Tarnished egg, and it took a moment to allow herself to focus more on it than on the touchy gold.

She recognized the feeling of being separated and protected- perhaps a bit too much for its tastes. Its desire for something besides the zealous attention of its mother, and the loneliness of the forced separation... she sympathized. She got that. Sort of, anyway.

The impatient prodding turned to a sense of instigating Sularenth and the resulting amusement of that, and the girl shifted as she flicked a glance upward. Don't. Please. Your mother frightens the bravest dragonrider, and I'm far from that. An image- a memory of the gold bending a bronze to her will, forcing him to his belly; her eyes brilliantly red as she stood over the bronze. See? And that was before she was Weyrqueen.

What else? No way she was going to give the youngster a reason to rile up Sularenth. She went back in her own memory, picking moments from it- her time in Ierne, the Hatchings she'd stood through, various moments between family that stood out for some reason or other. Her father, his bronze Jarath, her younger siblings- fleetingly, her interaction with the dragon from the Blaze egg, which prompted the idea of her wish to Impress bronze, with a belated apology in case it was not bronze, but she couldn't forget a dream she'd held on to for Turns...

And then she stumbled on her own sense of separation, as she reached for the memory of leaving Ierne and the family there. Of leaving her twin. She knew what it felt like, sort of. They wrote, and they visited each other when they could get away, but it was far from the days they'd shared together. You miss your clutchsiblings. I get it. Would you... perhaps, if you were to help, I might ask Sularenth to allow you to visit?

Oh, she was taking a risk. Sularenth had pulled this egg aside for a reason, and here she was, boldly suggesting she might make the queen relax her protection. It wouldn't work. There was no way it would work. Why had she brought it up- what if the dragonet agreed? Stupid! She really was going to get herself booted from the Sands.

Alyx idc it's up to you and whatever egg-baby says.

[tovaana]

Ceela;

Ceela let out a small breath and giggled to herself. She’d met eggs were less than enthusiastic, or easily frightened – so it was always nice when she didn’t have to worry about that with the baby dragons. It was the second time now that she was greeted enthusiastically, but this egg was more gentle in its curiosity – simply wondering and seemingly asking questions about parts of the memory. It was a funny thing to try to describe what was simple to adults, because they were common-day things… but to the youth, each mystery solved or explored in the universe was met with wonder. It helped her remember just how wonderful the world really was.

She would have answered the many question marks stamped about her memory, but the dragon suddenly seemed to realize that Ceela was there and the source of the image. And Ceela couldn’t help but giggle again at the way the young dragon tried to make sense of her.

‘Oh, I wish I were a Dot-bird!’ She insisted, thinking it was rather clever for a creature of very little experience to come up with something so creative. ‘But I’m just a human, but wouldn’t I look better with wings like a bird?’ She first showed the image of herself, smiling and waving- and then imagined wings of a bird on her that spread outward. She imagined herself jumping from a hill into the sky, to fly with the dragons. ‘Those are dragons- much larger than birds.’ She said, and imagined a few birds to join the imagination to show the little egg the size difference.

‘Oh and flits!’ She imagined up her little flit, ‘this is Flutter, my green firelizard… she's like a… Dot-dragon!’ She giggled again, twisting the term that the egg had come up with for birds.

Treyvin;

Treyvin smiled despite himself. The teenage boy might have been self-conscious about the way he was physically reacting, except that he was so absorbed in the egg and the way he could feel it reacting. ‘That’s awfully kind to offer.’ He said, a feeling of guilt flicking pass as he again wondered himself why he hadn’t gone to visit home. It was… selfish. And ever since reconnecting with his father, he’d felt guilt about not being very interested in his step-family…yet, far more interested in the step-family connected to his father. ‘I should go home to visit, soon.’ The logistics of before the hatching or after would have to wait, though he certainly didn’t want to be away when the eggs hatched… for various reasons (his father insisting he try before joining his crew…and perhaps the part of him that did want a dragon, but didn’t want to experience the hatching fiasco again).

‘Uhh, those are plants. There are a lot of them, they all do different things – at least, the ones we’re gathering do.’ He didn’t want to admit that he couldn’t remember many details that his mother had taught him, since he’d been so focused on being tasked to the ships. He was glad their conversation didn’t linger too long on the subject, and instead Treyvin enjoyed the amusement that the egg got out of Treyvin’s flying egg. Treyvin grinned, feeling a warmth spread through him… this… this was different than having a friend. He then knew and was reminded that having a dragon would be far more intimate, far more… precious than any other connection he could have. All his relationships were lopsided, where he could understand and empathize to a great level what his friends were feeling, and they were not only ignorant of his feelings, but also that he could understand them so intimately. If he were to have a dragon… awe filled him at the thought and then he remembered that ‘why’ so long ago when he’d touched the eggs back in time and had attended the dragon hatching. It’d just been the egg hatching that had traumatized him and had made him forget….this. This feeling of being connected. It was like his pets, but to a stronger degree.

‘I...want to be a dragonrider.’ He thought absentmindedly, a little disconnected from the conversation, as he was distracted from the egg’s curiosity with his own ‘ah-hah’ moment. Really, this had no connection with the realities and duties of a dragonrider, except for the intense desire to be understood.

‘Oh uh… sorry.’ After a moment when he realized that the egg had been curious about builders. He brought up a memory where he had watched a ship being built- he had helped bring tools and material where needed, but he hadn’t been trusted at the young age to actually do anything. So his younger self had just watched in amazement (especially when larger things were being moved and he wasn’t allowed too closely) as the ship was brought slowly together. But the memory was perhaps not the clearest, as his heart and thoughts were still somewhat distracted.

Zen

[Taxx]

Candidate Lounessa

It agreed. Because of course it did; why would it pass up a chance to have someone else speak up for it? Just, why her? Not that she'd been looking forward to this, after all, and now she ran the risk of getting herself removed without the chance to talk to any other eggs. But aside from changing her mind, with the chance of her upsetting the dragonet in a new way, she'd have to follow through. At least the youngster had agreed to try to help, but even helping each other out was in no way a guarantee Sularenth would even give them a chance to make the request.

Just back me up? The absolute last thing she needed, in this, was for the dragonet to deny any involvement, throwing Nessa to the watchwher. There was only one way this worked out for them both, and the chances of that were very, very slim. Putting this off wasn't getting her anywhere, so after that last thought, Nessa pulled her hand from the egg and pulled in a deep breath because this was possibly the dumbest thing she'd ever done since her days as a kid and she was already pretty sure she was going to regret every part of this.

Sula couldn't kill her, but that was about as far as the pluses went. Dusting her hands of sand, Nessa straightened, standing straighter; she wasn't going into this already cowering. She was doing it for the dragonet, which she could only hope meant something to the queen. She turned back to Sularenth and Melana, bowing once more to the two. "Sularenth, thank you for allowing me to Touch your egg." Another pause to catch her breath before continuing: "Please forgive me for being presumptuous, but i talked to your egg and they informed me that they were very lonely sitting here on their own. You have removed this egg from their clutchmates... it shared its loneliness with me and it is something I understood. I suggested asking you to allow it to visit its clutchmates and it asked me to." A short flick of her eyes toward the Tarnished egg and a mental plea for it to speak up as it had said it would.

Nessa spoke as she kept her gaze on the gold and her rider; she'd never been a coward and she wasn't going to start now. Even if Sularenth was definitely enough to turn a person into one with no effort whatsoever. She'd already braved the queen once, and this was probably definitely pushing her luck, but... well, too late now to take the words back.

There was only waiting to see how Sularenth reacted to her brashness.

Alyx
oooooo she went there. bounces

[Alyx]

Melana and Gold Sularenth

Melana left watching the rest of the candidates to S’bol, her attention wholly focused on the young lady at the Tarnished Egg and the looming Gold. Her tongue darted over her lips, the slight energy dancing over her nerves.

Now, logic and lessons would remind her that Sularenth couldn’t actually do damage to the girl, but it wouldn’t be the first time that Sularenth had proven to be a beast of her own nature. She had, in fact, scared the daylights out A'zael to the point the Bronzerider would not step foot into the weyr she had shared with Srunae unless the larger Gold was not present. And there was the moment the whole Weyr was positive she was going to swallow young Aleni and Vitra’s father. Did she trust her dragon? Yes, with herself. Not generally with others and definitely not with impulse control.

I can hear you. Melana’s mouth flickered into a slight smile. ‘I know you can.’ Then why do you think so loudly? ‘Because you get angry when I try to hide things from you.’ The Gold didn’t look at her as they spoke, the dragon instead tilting its head to focus a better view on the girl crouched by her favored child’s shell. ‘Please be gentle.’ Melana watched the dragon, looking for queues she might have to step in to keep Lounessa safe.

When the girl lifted her hand from the egg’s surface and moved to stand, Melana gave a quick exhale of breath. It was done - it hadn’t gone so bad, and perhaps Sularenth would take this as a sign that the candidates didn’t want to harm her precious favorite. The relief lasted only a breath; Lounessa turned to the massive Gold and spoke, relaying the wishes of the Tarnished baby. Melana’s eyebrow lifted, eyes darting from the girl to the Dragon as Sularenth regarded the candidate speaking to her.

Oh, did it now? The tone was deep, riddled with a tone of humor Melana rarely heard. The Gold dropped her head, exhaling over Lounessa in a gust of hot breath as she considered the candidate’s words. And somehow it convinced you that tell me this was a good plan, did it? ‘Sula, please.’ The Gold didn’t even react to Melana’s please, her spinning facets a blend of orange and blue locked on Lounessa for a long, tense moment before turning her head to regard the egg. Her nose brushed the shell, a deep rumble echoing over the sands as she took a few minutes to speak with her offspring.

You will be the death of me, I hope you know that, child. The Gold’s tone was borderline exasperated, a tone that any mother or child would recognize at a breath. Sularenth snorted, turning Lounessa, almost bumping the girl with her nose. Step back. Melana was already two steps in motion, not sure what was happening, her hand reaching for the girl as Sularenth shifted her weight. “S’bol.” It was one word, and Melana hoped he heard her.

With a huff, Sula rose gracefully from her spot. The motion scattered sand over those closest to her, a gentle shower of warm, soft grains. The Gold shifted her wings against her sides, casting a look over the clutch scattered over the golden canvas, seemingly oblivious to the chaos she was causing. Melana caught Lounessa’s arm, pulling the girl back a few steps as Sularenth stepped away; only a few steps for the Gold, but it was enough to though the whole event off kilter. ‘Sula! What are you doing?!’ Do not shout at me, Melana. I do not plan to eat anyone. ‘With you, I never know. And that still doesn't answer my question!’ The Gold rumbled again, the chuckle rolling over Melana’s mind as she took another pace, then dropped her head to the pair of eggs.

I need this one. The thought was open to everyone but clearly directed at the young man that had attempted to ‘charm’ Sularenth when he arrived. The Gold gave Kekoa only a moment to move, then nosed at the pair of eggs he’d been crouched by. Sularenth separated them gently, nosing the Rebel Egg softly as if to ‘return’ it to the boy to speak with, then turned her attention to the Rusted Egg. Jaws opened, the golden mother all but swallowing the egg into her mouth; she lifted it from the sand, shifted it around, and closed her teeth against it.

Egg in tow, Sularenth picked her way back to her wallow and the Tarnished Egg. She nosed the sand, creating a second ‘pocket’, and parted her jaws to deposit the Rusted Egg into its new location next to her favorite. The Gold fussed around with the pair, settling them to her personal liking, then turned and lowered herself back into her hollowed-out spot with them both close by. She shifted her wings, clearly not caring about what effect her actions might have done.

Melana watched the whole thing play out with a mixture of panic and sadistic humor. Only Sularenth would think moving eggs with people in the Sands was an ashing good idea! Danovelith would have told the Tarnished Egg to wait. “Are you done?” Melana did her best to not sound shaken by the whole thing. Sularenth turned her head, eying her rider. For the moment. Melana rolled her eyes, tossing her hands slightly in frustration. “I swear, Sularenth, one of these days…”

Melana turned her focus to Lounessa, trying to look calmer than she felt. “I guess you can go back to talking to it if you like. Just… don’t ask her to do that again, okay? I don’t think my heart can take it.”


Sularenth text key:Private/Directed/Broadcasted for everyone to hear
(For referance)
TLDR: Sula has 'relocated' the Rusted Egg from its location by the Rebel Egg to now rest by her and the Tarnished Egg.

OOC: Okay, lets see, tags...
Taxx for the chaos you caused :P
kevna because of poor Kekoa
and tovaana and Zen for just being present for the drama.
Enjoy!!

[Taxx]

Lounessa :: Candidate

Oh, rumbled the queen, pushing her face far too close to Nessa and making her feel, both literally and figuratively, about two inches tall. Did it now? Her breath was… nope, don’t think bad thoughts… it was heavy with the scent of the meat she ate, and the girl had to fight to keep from gagging outright. And somehow it convinced you that telling me this was a good plan, did it?

She wasn’t entirely sure how to answer that one, because she’d already done it and so it clearly meant yeah, didn’t it? Luckily enough, though, it didn’t seem like Sularenth was actually expecting an answer, as she turned back to the egg and gave it her full attention, and Lounessa breathed relief without that intense gaze fixed on her. For two seconds, anyway, before the gold ordered her back and she went, hardly needing Melana’s pull for guidance but grateful for it all the same; the Weyrwoman was the only one who could exert some control over the gold if necessary.

It wasn’t toward Nessa that the gold moved, however; it was toward Kekoa and the egg he was in the midst of talking to, the Rusted egg. Bewildered, Nessa watched the queen fit her jaws around the egg and lift it, each step careful as she returned and set it beside the Tarnished egg. Every eye on the huge gold as she settled once more into the wallow she’d created for herself. It was hardly the reaction Nessa had expected- something more like a threatening growl to drive her off after her brazen request had been what she’d thought Sularenth would give in reply. But listening to her- or more likely, the Tarnished egg?

Well, the dragonet had its companion, a brother or sister to talk to now. And Nessa was more than willing to nod agreeably at Melana’s request. She had no intention of continuing their chat, though; someone else could take over now. She stepped back and then headed for another egg, a brief glance over the clutch before she decided on and headed over to the Dark egg and crouched by its side. Hi, she greeted, as she placed a hand on the egg and waited for something in return.

Nessa Touches the Dark Egg

[Alyx]

Brenna, Candidate

Brenna could almost feel her muscles relaxing, the Wisp Egg seemingly as pleased with the exchange as she was. She hadn’t really thought about how nervous she was going into this whole Touching thing; the spooky stories from the other Candidates clearly had her set thinking the worst without really knowing it. But the Wisp Egg? Totally a sweetie, and she was so glad she’d started with it.

Motion to her side caught her attention briefly, Brenna looking up to return the smile Ceela tossed her way as the other girl claimed an Egg near her before refocusing on her own egg. After all, it had questions and she wanted to answer, it would have been very rude not to. So… why had she picked it? Brenna smiled, sighing softly. “Well, I’d love to say there was some long, complicated reasoning to it, but mostly it was because your egg is pretty.” Okay, it sounded super silly, but honestly, that was it? A big, pretty egg right there, and an overwhelming need to touch it was about all she could offer the baby.

The other questions were quick together and Brenna shook her head. She’d brought up G’rett, so she wasn’t super shocked the baby had other questions about him. “Oh no, I’m sorry, he’s not here. He’s a rider already.” Closing her eyes, she did her best to focus on an image of the man, dressed in his leathers, standing by the mammoth Mastromideth, his hand on the Bronze’s shoulder. “He brought me here. He offered me the chance to be a rider. I couldn’t say no to that. But maybe you’ll be able to meet him after you come out. I’m sure he’ll be here.”

But did she have any other advice? Ugh, the little dragon was right. G’rett would probably have loads of advice honestly. He was good with things like that, while she was just finding her footing out from under their parents' watchful eyes. Her hand shifted, fingers drumming just lightly on the shell and she laughed softly. “Yea, most of my advice comes from him. I’m sure my parents would have had great advice, but I never listened to them. Secretly, I think they were happy G’rett came back to take me off their hands before I got into too much trouble.”

“As for advice, I’d just say to be yourself more than anything.” Brenna pressed her palm against the shell a little more firmly. “You have nothing to worry about. Anyone would be lucky to be your partner, and I mean that not just cause you were the first egg I touched.” She rubbed her hand against the egg’s curve gently. The hatchling inside seemed to have so much energy and curiosity, it was hard not to want to stay and keep it all to herself. It was such a wonderful experience!

Oh, did it now? And somehow it convinced you that tell me this was a good plan, did it? The voice startled Brenna more than a bit; she’d had G’rett’s Bronze speak in her mind before, and S’bol’s Blue - but nothing carried the force like this one. Her head came up, her attention slipping away from the Wisp Egg to the scene playing out across the Sands. She could almost feel her throat tighten and she was fiercely glad that she hadn’t been tempted to touch the Tarnished Egg. From here, it looked like Lounessa was not having fun. When Sularenth moved, Brenna had an instant moment of wanting to run; not like she would get very far. But the panic was there.

Thankfully, the Gold didn’t seem to be interested in her at all; instead, the Dragon collected one of the eggs and returned to her spot to place it with the Tarnished Egg. Brenna could almost feel her pulse in her ears, her knees feeling like they might give out under her if she tried to move. She waited a few moments for her heart to resettle into her chest from her throat, watching until Lounessa fled to another egg before refocusing on her own. She hoped the Wisp Egg didn’t hold her distraction against her. “Sorry about that…”

Zen for egg
tovaana for response to Ceela

[kevna]

Kekoa – Candidate

If there was one thing that was apparent, it was how difficult it was to change the egglet’s mind. Though he seemed to have succeeded when it came to music, though even after experiencing the pleasure the dragonet shared at being correct in it’s way of thinking, it soon conveyed a reluctance to actually change it’s mind to music being ‘useful.’ A little obstinate creature.

He wasn’t so surprised when the dragonet sent derision in place of any and all progress he had made, especially when it came the questioning of leading. He wasn’t affected by it, I mean, leading was for some, but following, or avoiding most responsibility was just far more amusing. He chuckled at the obvious disdain, and was interested when the little dragonet seemed to convey that another egg would seem to get along with him far better. When the egg withdrew, he was tempted to try and lure it back out again, but instead was in the midst of an eloquent appreciation of the dragonet’s time when suddenly movement, large movement caught his eye.

His eyebrows rose as the Golden Queen seemed to come down on him, and for a brief instant he found some hilarity that he would be the first human to die by getting eaten. He rolled backwards, coming to his feet and crouching as if prepared to run. His adrenaline was pumping, if this was how he was gonna die, he might as well make it a little fun, and slightly difficult for the gold dragon. Just as he was about to jump out of the way-it was made abundantly clear she wasn’t after him, but instead after the egg. Well, the Rusted Egg. It seemed like she swallowed the egg…. He blinked, realizing she was moving the egg instead.

He whistled, admitting to himself his relief, and possible terror at the thought of… but it hadn’t happened, and he chuckled, shaking his head at himself as he watched the queen take the egg away. Of course her, ‘I need this one,’ had nothing to do with him and her hunger. “How mighty big you are.” He said quietly very much to himself, and saluted the departing queen, if a tad disrespectfully. Fear did that to him. Not that he was a afraid now. He turned his attention briefly to where he had been. Well, he couldn’t very well talk to the Rusted Egg, now could he? Though that was the one his current egg had recommended. Huh. He put his hands on his hips, looking around. Well. I mean, she hadn’t said he couldn’t touch the Rusted egg, now had she? He peered at the departing queen, annoyed at his heart rate, and made a decision. 

He smiled brightly, and followed the golden dragon’s footsteps, watching her deposit the egglet down. His heartrate was still slightly accelerated, but he ignored the twittering, and gave another elaborate bow to the queen. “Well, I wanted to get closer to you as it was dear Queen, and seeing as you took the next egg I was considering, you’ve given me the perfect excuse. How ever can I thank you, but to praise your thoughtfulness?” He put a hand over his heart, and winked, because there was no such thing as too brazen, was there? “At your leave?” He tilted his head at the gold, quite a bit more respectful then his salute had been, then he placed his hand on the slightly slimy surface of the Rusted Egg, trying an upbeat melody while picturing dancing, wondering just how this one would react.

Vanisha – Candidate

The little one’s imagery of flying had her gulping. But she didn’t want to disappoint her new friend, so she agreed. Hopefully they could work their way up to the flipping part. She tried to imagine Asiriakai allowing her to go flying in such a way if she didn’t impress this hatching, and she doubted he would be permissive… She set her shoulders. He would not dictate to her. Well… hopefully. She was further bolstered by the dragonet’s resolve as it pushed the feeling back at her, reminding her. Vanisha had to keep herself from biting her lip, and instead held onto the resolve. She would try, she promised the little one.

One of the candidates was now very much waiting impatiently for it’s chance to meet her current egg. She said one last goodbye, before removing her hand. She felt the loss of contact, and it was so reminiscent of her previous loss she had to swallow back grief. What if’s swirled around her, as she walked away, nodding apologetically to the candidate that swept by her to get to her egg. She looked around, suddenly freezing as Sularenth seemed to take over the sands! She was on the sands! She moved with a ferocious intensity, and Vanisha felt herself pale, breath caught in her throat. She shook a little, watching the insanity. Once everything had settled down, she allowed herself a shaky breath. Her eyes widened when Kekoa seemed to abandon all sense and follow the queen. Maybe he hadn’t had sense in the first place… But that was an unkind thought, and she turned her attention away, feeling shaky.

There was a certain numbness to her after the incident, so she ended up going one way, then stopping and walking the other way. Realizing she probably looked like an idiot, she stopped by the Glossy Egg and placed her hand on the shiny, smooth looking egg. Her ‘hello’ was tentative and shaky, but she shook her head and then quickly tried again, ‘Hello, I am Vanisha.' She pictured herself, auburn hair and all, touching the egg, and sent a questioning feeling to the dragonet within. Could dragonets see color? She had no idea.

Alyx for Sula interaction
Zen for eggs

[Alyx]

Melana and Gold Sularenth

Melana watched Lounessa nod and turn away, fleeing for what Melana assumed was a safer-looking egg. ‘You scared her.’ Her tone was sharp with the reprimand, and it brought the weight of the Gold’s attention back onto her rider full bore. And? ‘Sularenth.’ What? I did what she asked me to. She relayed a message, quite bravely and stupidly I might add, and I did as was asked. How it is my fault that the effect of her request sent her running? Melana’s frown deepened, a hand coming up to rest on the rise of her left hip. ‘If you continue to scare them off, they won’t want to be on the Sands for your eggs, and I expect you know how that would turn out!’

Sularenth snorted at her, dropping her head to sort the Rusted Egg into the best position next to the Tarnished one, seeming completely unconcerned with the cause and effect of her actions. Melana’s temper flared, stopping just short of another flung comment at the Gold when the voice interrupted her thoughts. Melana turned, looking at the young man who had followed Sularenth back to her hollowed bed in the Sand - the one that had tried to be so charming in the beginning.

Sula paused in her actions, turning her head to regard the man as he spoke. She rumbled, the ground around her vibrating with the echo of it as she considered the young man’s request. ‘He has a point.’ Sularenth didn’t look at her but continued to watch Kekoa for a moment or two more. He would make an excellent Harper, with how charming he tries to me. Melana ducked her chin and smiled. ‘I actually think he is? I'm not positive, but I do know we have a few in the candidate ranks.’ Sularenth chuckled softly in Melana’s mind, and the woman wondered how a sound like a laugh could be quite that menacing. Oh, then that egg with enjoy him.

Before Melana could request Sula explain, the Gold arched her neck, bringing her head more into a bowed pose. She bobbed it gently in affirmation, her voice touching Kekoa’s thoughts, a bit more tempered than her earlier greetings. You may speak to it if you wish.

kevna Sula will allow it :D None-italics speech is just to him.

[tovaana]

Lo’qui :: Bronze Jarath

She will fair well. Jarath responded to Sularenth confidently, though his confidence was mostly in his rider’s blood than in the girl herself. He had a fondness for all of his rider’s hatchlings, but if they hadn’t been Lo’qui’s – then he would not be so confident. It also helped that Lo’qui had used Jarath to help instill work ethic in his children, enlisting their help to care for the giant dragon, so Jarath had spent lots of time with them, especially as soon as Lo’qui had decided to play a part in the twins’ life.

Lo’qui waited, but Jarath didn’t move… He thought about saying something, but decided against it, instead he watched from the sidelines as the candidates moved among the eggs. He remembered the days when he wandered the eggs, often half-heartedly, as the idea of being a dragonrider had been pushed upon him. While he couldn’t imagine life without his bronze, he wondered if he hadn’t been pushed – would he have impressed? I would have found you, one way or another. The bronze responded to the trail of his rider’s thoughts, but the dragon didn’t look at him, though the dragon’s confidence was thrumming in his mind. Lo’qui smiled a little, but didn’t respond, just watching the egg touching with a bit of nostalgia.

Then the voice of Sularenth roused Lo’qui from his thoughts and had Jarath paying very close attention (more so than he had before). She talks to yours. The voice was curious, and had Lo’qui’s eyes trail away from the queen and down to his daughter who was nose to nose, almost literally, with the temperamental queen. His heart rate picked up and his paternal instinct kicked in (which was somewhat annoying, as he knew Lounessa could take care of herself), and he felt himself take a couple steps toward the sands, but felt his dragon help stop him. She won’t hurt her. Assured Jarath, almost in reverent tones.

So he just watched, baffled, as the giant gold dragon moved upon the sands while the candidates were still out there… His eyes narrowed slightly, frustration as he glanced at Melana…why wasn’t she doing anything to control that dragon of hers? Or ask that the candidate stay still? Perhaps his frustration came from somewhere deeper that he refused to acknowledge, but never before had he seen something so reckless...well, save for his sister who had taken his bronze between. He supposed if the candidates didn’t waver from their eggs, they wouldn’t accidentally get crushed or broken… but he watched as several candidates moved from their eggs as if to run, luckily most of them were mostly frozen in fear. He stepped back until his back hit Jarath, almost forcefully, his rich chocolate gaze glaring out at the sands – but were focused more on his daughter… she was fine, that was all that mattered, and he tried to focus on that. He was definitely curious about the encounter and planned on casually debriefing her after they were done for the day.

Alyx

Ceela;

She was glad that the baby dragon didn’t dwell on the disappointment, as she was glad that the dragon thought her self-image with wings looked so good. ‘It would be nice if humans could have wings like dragons.’ She mused wistfully, slightly distracted by the thought, but brought back to their conversation by the sensation of a scoff.

Ceela rolled her eyes at herself very quickly and briefly, duh. She giggled along with the dragon, not at all phased at the mistake she’d made. Ah well, of course the dragon knew what dragon looked like, especially with a mother dragon hovering over them.

It was amusing that the egg was so interested in size differences, she supposed it would be hard to fathom when it hadn’t experienced life as of yet. It was an interesting question though – because… one could impress to a flit… but it wasn’t a dragon… they weren’t the same in intelligence or even in the way of impressing. One could have many flits, but just one dragon. That was hard to explain to a little egg though, and she supposed she would answer as simply as she could… ‘I guess size is relative… so, to me firelizards or flits are more like dot-dragons and dragons themselves are big… or you will be once you’ve grown. Once you've grown to a full size dragon, I imagine most things will be smaller.’ She was imagining what it would be like to be a bug, a bit distracted by the idea of relative size, when a voice vibrated in her mind to her very bones. She gasped, not at all prepared – and looked up at the gold that was facing off Lounessa. Fear was a funny thing, it gave Ceela goosebumps and a little thrill, especially when she didn’t believe she was actually going to die. And this is what she felt as soon as the gold moved into her nest- and there was an urge to flee too, but she didn’t – having a quick thought that the gold wouldn’t dare step on an egg (though she wondered how aware the gold was of anything else, such as the humans) so she hurriedly crouched lower and practically hugged her current egg.

But her fear twisted into curiosity and she became less aware of her current egg, her attention wandering as she leaned away and tried to see what the gold was doing. She left the Earthy egg, crawling a little and watching as the gold picked up the egg with her mouth and returned it next to the one she favored. Ceela’s mouth was slightly open in awe, but it turned into a little smirk at Kekoa’s salute. She just sat there in the sands, her heart racing in her chest… “Wow…” She whispered. She’d forgotten about the egg she’d been touching moments before, her distracted mind holding fast to the current scene and watched as Kekoa practically followed the gold to touch the egg she had moved. She smiled. Kekoa would do something like that. And now Ceela wanted to know more than ever both what had happened, and why the egg was ‘going to be the death’ of the queen. It was intriguing on many levels, but also reminded Ceela of her mother and when her own distractible nature would drive her mother crazy.

She shuffled to pick herself from the sands, not bothering to brush off the sand that had gathered on her pants, and forced herself not to run at the egg that was now open. Her throat was a little dry when she arrived and she looked up at Sularenth with a bright smile. She glanced at Melana with a smile too, then back to Sularenth. “I hope you don’t mind, I’d love to offer my company to…” she pointed at the favored egg. “That treasure of yours.” She quickly bowed, forgetting to do that when she arrived. Her eyes lingered on the gold while she waited for an answer, before collapsing in a heap across from Kekoa, the Tarnished egg nesting a bit between her kneeled legs- it’s warm hard surface pressing against her legs. She grinned wide at Kekoa as she placed her hands on the surface. She didn't close her eyes right away though, it was hard to do that when touching an egg favored by the queen that practically hovered over them. 

She’d been so excited about getting close to the gold queen and finding out what had happened, that she hadn’t prepared an image or memory like she sometimes spontaneously did for the other eggs… so she let her curiosity get the better of her. ‘I have to know what happened to get your mother to almost swallow your sibling and deposit them right next to you.’ She almost whispered it in her mind, as if someone could hear them.

kevna Alyx

Treyvin;

He smiled distractedly down at his egg, trying to focus on the image of the ship being built and the dragon’s enthusiasm of experiencing everything for itself. ‘You will.’ He simply said – just as his memory was shattered by a tidal wave of noise and startled Treyvin. It was a voice in his head, and even though he was used to the occasional voice – he hadn’t been prepared for the queen’s presence in his mind. It shook him a little, or did it shake the others around him? He was starting to be aware that his peaceful bubble with the egg he’d been conversing with – had shattered. He glanced around nervously at the candidates around him that were feeling all sorts of confusion and shock… fear – there was underlying fear, as Sularenth commanded that sort of respect. And it should have prepared him for what was about to happen, but how was one supposed to know that the large queen was about to be among them?

It felt like slow motion, each step the queen took, the rising crescendo of feelings in the form of color and texture as it slammed into his defenseless mind. He had spent the last many minutes with the Stout egg in complete and utter openness and he hadn’t had time to ‘close’ it, so to speak – as he had only started to realize how vulnerable it had left him when the queen had spoken.

He felt bile rise in the back of his throat as the urge to run took his feet. He pushed himself off the egg and stumbled backward, his heartbeat in his ears – it was the only thing he could hear, but it played the rhythm to the chaos in his mind. He let out a cry that echoed against the cavern walls – but it didn’t occur to Treyvin that his voice was one of the only loud sounds happening, especially when everything felt loud inside him. He curled up into the sand, burying his head in his arms, his head between his knees that dug into the sand as he fought the rush of feelings in his mind like swelling in the ocean – ready to crest onto the beach.

“No.” He told himself with a painful moan and he knelt there for a moment, eyes squeezed closed until he both had control of his meager defenses and the emotions around him had mellowed. There was concern somewhere around him, and he hoped it wasn’t for him… If he hadn’t just discovered his resolve to be a rider, he might have fled the sands for the day… but he remembered the safety and intimacy of conversing with the egg, remembered his resolve, and repeated multiple times in his mind that he was okay and that he would be a rider. His head raised slowly from its position and he crawled quickly back to the duo eggs, but in his haste, was touching the Broad Egg instead, as they looked rather similar, and he hadn’t been paying much attention to what they looked like. ‘Sorry… sorry for leaving so quickly, it was just…your mother…’ but he had a hard time explaining, especially since it wasn’t the event itself, but the emotions provoked by the event… still he replayed the little that he had seen before he had buried himself… and was careful to leave that part out.

Ceela to the Tarnished egg - if Sula is willing xD
Treyvin to the Broad egg - by accident
Zen

[Alyx]

Melana and Gold Sularenth

Melana was fairly sure this was the most interaction Sularenth had had with candidates since the pair themselves had been bonded. Even in the Timing back venture, she had simply watched them for the most part, disconnected and unconcerned with even acknowledging the little people waking among her young existed, save for threatening one or two of them as the process played out. Not that this had been all bad, but given the Gold’s current history and reputation, Melana would love for this to finish out without any actual trauma.

She nodded to Kekoa, giving the man a demure, short smile to let him know she had heard her speak to her, but for the most part, his conversation - and request - was to her dragon and not her. Melana kept part of her attention on the conversation, glancing to meet S’bol’s gaze for a brief moment before returning her eyes to the rest of the candidates around them. Well, that had been exciting. ‘I can’t imagine what you would be like with a True Gold egg, Sularenth.’ Oh? Why is that? ‘I’m pretty sure you would eat anyone that breathed at it.’ The Gold’s warm, slightly dangerous chuckle rolled over her thoughts, but Sularenth made no attempt to tell the woman she was wrong. ‘That response didn’t exactly help.’ It was not supposed to.

Ceela’s approach broke off the conversation, Melana tilting her head slightly at the girl’s unsteady movements. Melana couldn’t blame her; she was pretty positive the whole sands was sharing the same panicked, adrenaline-fueled shakes right now. Sularenth shifted her focus solely on Ceela, watching and waiting for the girl’s question. Melana expected that it was the Tarnished Egg since the other ‘new arrival’ was already claimed; the girl’s words were pretty steady, given what had just played out, and Melana could almost sense Sula’s subtle approval of the candidate’s bravery. Melana fleeting wondered if Sularenth enjoyed all the flowered words and bowing a bit too much.

The Gold reached her nose out, stopping short of nudging the girl as she considered the request, then gave a gentle huff of warm breath over Ceela. You may. As long as you do not let it convince you to do it anymore ‘favors’. Melana’s hand darted to cover her mouth, smothering the outburst of laughter at the Gold’s clearly humored tones.

tovaana Sula will allow it, None-italics speech is just for Ceela (and Melana).

[kevna]

Kekoa - Candidate

He would never admit to anyone that the Queen’s assent to his request gave him quite a bit of relief. Now he could just focus on the little egg before him. He tried not to make a disgusted face at the slimy feel of the egg. Well, at least the Rebel egg hadn’t been pulling his leg. He felt the joyful reaction to his imagery and the music. ‘Well good, at least some egglets have some reason.’ He told the little one inside, plopping himself down for the long haul. He laughed joyfully when the dragon reciprocated, showing the shadowy draconic figure dancing. ‘I’ll play the music for you, so you can try it.’ He promised. He doubted the dragon would find dancing very easy with it’s proportions, but he’s like to see it try.

His eyebrows rose when the little one started mimicking, or trying to mimic, the music, and he found himself nodding. He mentally clapped, excited that this one had some real potential. He delighted in the joy sent his way and could picture sitting with this little one by the fire, playing music, and it crooning along. Yes, not a bad life at all. ‘Oh I will, even if it means sneaking out of classes to see you again.’ He was pretty good at doing that, especially if the class was boring enough or tiresome enough. Adventures were far more enjoyable than classes, well depending on the class really.

Its question had him smiling brightly. ‘Oh do I.’ He showed the little one swimming, then sitting on a beach next to a bon fire playing his gitar. Kekoa looked over to see Ceela joining him, touching the egg closest to him, and smiling at him. He winked at her. Shards she was breathtaking. Ceela inspired the next little bit as she showed the little dragonet flirting with the ladies, making them laugh and twirl for him. Chasing them in a game of tag. He’d never outgrow that game. ‘What do you think, chasing part of your game?’ He couldn’t help the curiosity and the hope. Maybe this was his little egg-it sure would be fun and relaxing, everything he wanted.

tovaana for Cella mention

Vanisha – Candidate

It took her a moment to realize the calm and tranquility she suddenly was feeling was coming from the egg, and it felt like a breath of fresh air. Maybe that’s how she had regained control so fast. It would make sense, that it was the egg, and not herself. It was a kind welcome, and a ready response to her question. It made sense, being able to see what she showed mentally, but unsure if it could actually see in color since all it knew was its dark egg.

‘It is quite alright, no apology needed.’ She assured the little one, trying to reassure it that she was not displeased at all. She would see what it looked like when it hatched, and she was a patient person. It’s concern and inquiry only made sense, and she felt only somewhat relieved when it conveyed it had felt flashes of panic on the sands. So not just her. ‘it was your mother.’ She replied, and then pictured the golden queen entering the sands, moving among both eggs and candidates, and the move of one egg towards another. ‘She’s a considerable and majestic creature.’ Vanisha commented, slightly in awe of the mother, thinking about her coloring and size, and how small they were in comparison. It was difficult not to feel inconsequential when you looked at the queen.

Vanisha blinked, realizing how rude she was being. ‘I apologize, I did not mean to ramble.’ Then she couldn’t help but ask, ‘How do you pass the time in there?’

[Taxx]

Lounessa :: Candidate

Her hopes for an egg she could converse with were crushed the moment she felt the shock from the youngster. It was as startling as the fierce intrusion from the Blaze egg had been, and Nessa jerked in surprise at it. The wariness faded, though, and she attempted some sort of connection, started to introduce herself maybe? But it really didn't seem to sink through to the dragonet, as the uncertainty built on itself, one worry morphing into another and another, the little one losing itself in its spiral of fear and confusion.

Too much, far too much. She didn't have the first idea of how to calm the youngster, and she wasn't sure if it would have worked anyway. Lounessa pulled her hand from the egg, tucking her arm into her body and taking a moment to ease the worry that had begun to infect her. Her third egg and- well, she'd had one okay interaction, but she hadn't really spent that much time with it, really. Neither the Blaze egg or this one seemed to want anything to do with anyone... maybe she'd get lucky this next time?

Rising and backing a step from the Dark egg, Nessa glanced over at the Cold egg resting nearby, but decided against it. Who knew what it would be like, sitting so close to that ball of anxiety? She glanced around- took in where the others were- and made her next choice. With fingers crossed and the hope this one would prove more fruitful, Nessa moved to the Exotic egg and knelt at its side, taking a breath to brace herself before resting her hand against its shell.
Nessa Touches the Exotic egg

[tovaana]

Ceela;

She wasn’t sure her heart could handle it. Dragon heads were so big, or especially golden dragon heads. The gold dragon filled her vision and felt like she might just fall over when the dragon breathed on her. It wasn’t the most.. wonderful smell ever, but it made her feel more alive than she had ever felt before. She had the strangest urge to reach out and give the dragon a hug, but she only had a bit more sense than to do so, and so it was probably good that the dragon moved so that Ceela could collapse in front of the egg. The words of Sularenth echoed in her mind – and she wondered if the egg had simply wanted the egg that Kekoa was touching to be near it… but then, why hadn’t the egg simply asked its mother in the first place, instead of the candidate? She was still curious and confused, and felt even more so when her connection to the egg was met with… laughter? She blinked at the egg; breathlessly giggling in the way girls did when laughter was simply contagious, especially when they were already giddy.

But her laughter was small and faded, because she felt that the laughter wasn’t… well, it was genuine, but… it didn’t seem kind necessarily. Well, not unkind, perhaps it was more surprised than anything, like it had somehow gotten something so amazing that it couldn’t believe it had gotten it. It must have been that ‘favor’ that Sularenth had been warning her of. Amused, she paid attention to the egg and the story it might tell.

There were a couple of things she learned that were interesting – but first Ceela could understand the egg might have felt so bored and disconnected being all alone… she couldn’t imagine being cut off from people in a room all by herself… She glanced at the egg that rested next to it… one thing she hadn’t thought of before, was that the proximity of the eggs was important, and now she realized – there seemed to be logic in the clusters of eggs, so they could be together. And then another tidbit, Ceela herself had never in her time as a candidate been ‘threatened’ by an egg. ‘Oh?’ She asked, a bit mystified and trying to keep the benefit of doubt for the thing, not particularly liking the idea of the egg having ‘threatened’ Lounessa. The girl kept mostly to herself, but she didn’t seem the bad type either. But, the egg did seem to feel badly about it, and that was enough for Ceela, especially as the egg was just a ‘baby’ so to speak. So Ceela was quiet as she listened to the rest of all the egg had to say and she nodded as if the egg could see what she was doing. ‘I’d be glad to pass on the message.’ She said, giggling a little to herself and shaking her head. ‘You’ve been naughty, but I’m glad you’re no longer by yourself… do you know why Sularenth would separate you away from the others?’ She couldn’t help ask the egg. ‘Were you being naughty?’ The blonde guessed curiously before the egg could answer the first question.

Then to the egg’s plea for entertainment she continued along with some of the thoughts she’d had while the egg had told its story. ‘Well, if I were a gold dragon…’ She imaged herself as a dragon with phantom eggs. ‘I’d keep all of my eggs together like this.’ She put all the eggs together. ‘And then I’d switch out who was in the center, so everyone gets a chance to be in the middle! …not that I know about being a dragon mother.’ She giggled, ‘but it’s a thing to imagine anyways! I like to imagine things that never were. Like if I had wings! Or, if dragons could have more than one color. Or if I could be a shipfish in the ocean. Do you like to imagine things? I imagine that would help with your boredom.’

Treyvin;

The surprise from the egg was interpreted first as surprise that he had initially left, or maybe that Treyvin had come back at all… but then after a few moments he began to pick up on the nuances of confusion were something more… plus, the feelings from the egg felt different, this was a difference consciousness. ‘I’m alright,’ he assured, as he opened his eyes and blinked at the egg duo, feeling a flash of embarrassment and mortification at the mistake he’d made. ‘Oh, I just… I thought you were…’ He stammered in his thoughts, glancing at the egg… ‘I’d been talking to your sibling next to you before your mother entered the sands…’ He amended, feeling silly, but like most teenagers trying to put hide it best he could… it was hard though, when minds were connected. Plus, he hadn’t shown the part where he had fled and came back in haste… so of course the egg was confused at the mistake he’d made.

The dragon in the egg was sharp and had picked up that Treyvin had been hiding something. ‘I don’t have anything against being honest…’ Treyvin blurted, feeling like he was being called out. It took him a moment to feel comfortable like he had with the other egg- but it had been the last posed question that had the lanky boy’s shoulder slump in ‘defeat’. First Treyvin only showed the egg the end of the scene again; where he scrambled away and then closed his eyes- but Treyvin paused… this was still not the whole truth. He’d never told anyone before. It was one thing to admit he was a coward, it was another to admit his secret that he was not normal. Then again, no one had been able to sense that Treyvin held back this truth about himself. It was again another one of those things about being connected to a dragon. ‘You… can you keep a secret?’ This egg wasn’t ‘his’, he couldn’t tell this dragon or make sure his secret was safe, he’d just have to trust it. ‘Can I trust you?’ He sighed, feeling like now that he was going to tell the egg that he was making a bigger deal of it than it really was. ‘I’m just… I’m not normal, so I don’t usually tell others about this part of myself. I want people to treat me like I’m normal, and not like I’m a… a… dragon with four wings… or… or a dragon with two heads.’ Though his explanation didn’t seem quite the same as his case, he was struggling to explain why he didn’t tell others about this part of himself.

Zen

[Taxx]

Lounessa :: Candidate

No rush of intense searching, no shock of worry and fear; more like the Tarnished Egg, but hopefully with a better outcome. Nessa relaxed, settled more comfortably beside the egg, and lightly ran her fingers along the shell. Why was she here? To meet you. To talk about whatever you might want to talk about. Ah- I suppose I should introduce myself? My name's Lounessa. Do you know your name? Did it? Or maybe that something that came closer to Hatching. How did a dragonet choose its name? Did the mother give help, a pointer or suggestions? It was something to think about, but perhaps not now.

Oh yes, your mother knows. She glanced at Sularenth and passed on the image of the gold watching over the Candidates kneeling beside other eggs. She's keeping a very close eye on all of us. Turning back to the egg then, she continued, I don't suppose there's anything you want to know- about me, maybe, or what's outside of the Sands?