Welcome to Gaia! ::

Gamma Clutch Touching!

The egg spiral will start from the bottom left and move inward
Flamingo Tongue Snail Egg - Perhaps not the most stunning of all shells and personalities, there's something about the patience and politeness that exudes from this egg that makes others want to gather around it, even if the egg itself doesn't seem too pleased. Rambunctious action around this egg will results in an unhappy feeling when the shell is touched, though quiet and calm feelings are greeted politely in turn. Size indicates a green.

Eel Egg - There is hardly anything to this egg except for a feeling of extreme possessiveness, as though it is laying claim to all hands that touch it. Repeat touches may change depending on how long one dwells on the shell, rendering feelings such as happiness and even delight at being re-visited. Outright ignoring this egg results in a hostile situation should a hand not come back more than twice, but otherwise the dragon inside seems rather mellow if devotions are paid. Size indicates a green or blue.

Clownfish Egg - Settled in neatly amongst the others, this egg seems to enjoy its position with four others somehow leaning against it. Anyone who touches this egg is greeted with a feeling of contentment, as if the dragon within knows exactly where it wants to be, though there seems to be a little bit of awkwardness too lurking beneath the shell. The size of this egg roughly indicates a green or blue.

Green Sea Turtle Egg - This egg is a little hard to see since it's half buried in the sand regardless of how often it's dug up. Touching this egg gives off a feeling of, well, silliness - as though the dragonet inside isn't taking things seriously. A second or third touch will yield the same results, though probably a bit more extreme and perhaps even a bit chatty. Size indicates a green.

Majestic Angelfish Egg - Pride emanates from this egg like light does from the sun. Whatever the dragon inside is, they've got a strong sense of self and, perhaps, sit on a very high horse. When touched, it's almost as if this egg appraises them and then categorizes them. Size indicates either a large green or a small blue.

Emperor Angelfish Egg - Situated directly in the center of the clutch, as if it pushed itself to be there somehow, this egg is large and vividly marked. Other eggs give it a wide berth, as though they know something, but touching the egg itself gives nothing more than feelings of ambition and power. There are no angry feelings here, but the overwhelming desire from this egg may turn a few hands away. Most certainly a large brown or bronze based on the size.

Nembrotha Kubaryana Egg - Leaning heavily on the one next to it, this huge egg completely dwarfs its companion in size, though certainly not in attitude. Curious hands will be met with the sensation of domination, though anyone willing to look further may be startled to find a small well of gentleness and shyness that could either be considered a figment of the imagination or a momentary lapse in character. Size indicates either a blue or brown.

Nembrotha Cristata Egg - This egg seems to be standing more upright than its leaning companion, demanding all the attention that can be offered to it as though it is aware of how downright tiny it is. Feelings of superiority as well as pride mix well from beneath this shell, though it would be hard to ignore the sheer amount of vanity this egg possesses. This egg is most certainly a green based on its size, though whatever is inside certainly doesn't seem to think so.

Reef Triggerfish Egg - This egg rests far away from the other eggs in the clutch, enough that it looks completely unnatural. Any attempts by the Queen to roll it back into place result in the egg somehow returning to its former location within a day, as though the dragon inside simply refuses to be around others. Touching the egg gives off an impression of extreme unease, as if some form of judgement is being passed, and further touches yield the same result until finally something akin to calculating emerges. Likely a brown or a bronze, this egg is rather large.

No matter the size of the clutch or any drama with the Weyrleaders, some candidates would always be excited. Talisan was easily one of the more excited faces. He shifted from foot to foot, his eyes on the egg and the gigantic queen that stood near them. It was the closest he'd ever been to her, and, Shards, she was huge. Huge and beautiful. She was so shiny, and so strong looking!

The grinning boy snapped to a sober look when he passed his Weyrleaders and the great Queen. He gave a short, excited little bow to the pair of humans, greeting them, and then thanked the dragon for allowing him to approach her clutch.

There. Formality out of the way. Now he could get to the fun part, the important part, the part that made him want to spew his wonderful breakfast up over his shoes: The touching.

This was Talisan's first touching. He'd been picked up on Search earlier in the Turn, and had yet to see a clutch, an egg, or a baby dragon. He was willing to bet they were adorable and ferocious, and probably more than amazing.

The first egg he laid hands on was the Flamingo Tongue Snail Egg, and his hand jerked back from reflex. Not only was it more alive than he expected, more warm, but it felt to him that the dragon within didn't exactly enjoy his excitable presence near it. He laid his hand on it again, and the feeling didn't change. It was only when he calmed down and caressed a bit more calmly did the feeling dissipate into something less... Well, disliking. You're a quiet little one, aren't you? Talisan thought to himself, Well, I'm sure you'll like it here! Very relaxing, Benden is.

With a smile at the egg, Talisan moved to the next egg, the Eel egg. He caressed it's shell carefully, like he'd done with a repeat touch with the one before. His touching was a bit more confidant after the first touch was well received. At least this dragon seemed to like being touched! Maybe a little too much; Talisan didn't think the dragon wanted him to stop being around! He felt a little sorry, but gave the egg one last pat before moving to the next egg.

This one was a little smaller it seemed to him, and Talisan happily patted it gently. The Clownfish egg had a happy dragon within, that was for sure. It liked to hide a bit, though! With the other eggs all nestled around it, it was hard to just pay attention to this egg and not the others. Maybe it would be a shy dragon? But it wasn't mean, and that made Talisan like it all the more. He would be excited to see you when you hatched, Dragon! You and your rider would be his friends, he was for sure of that!

It was hard to see the little egg nearby, and Talisan nearly tripped over the Green Sea Turtle Egg. He corrected his step in time, leaning down to caress the egg. This one made him smile, for sure. A big, delighted smile. What a fun feeling dragon! You didn't let the fact that you were a dragon (Undoubtedly, an awesome dragon too) drag you down into seriousness. And such a pretty shell! You would be an awesome, wonderful dragon, and Talisan hoped that he'd be able to meet you and be your best friend!

The next egg, the Majestic Angelfish Egg, wasn't nearly as fun feeling as the last egg. He gave it the proper attention though, and was rewarded with at least a pleasant feeling from the egg. It felt... A little bossy, a little judging. Kind of like the candidate master! Well, Candidate-Master egg, he still liked you. He gave it one last pat before moving on to the next.

So. His first, and probably last, Touching. Not matter what the outcome of the upcoming hatching Antigonos welcomed this experience; what good Harper denied the chance to expand their horizons?

...Nine eggs.

Well that wasn't exactly a great showing. Still, nine eggs to touch was nine more than he'd ever touched before, and one could never predict who would Impress and who would not. His chances were as good as any Weyrbrat's, as good as anyone's.

Though he was usually the sort to keep cool, the Harper could feel his heart beginning to race. What would it be like? Would he know if one of them was for him? For once, the outwardly charming, inwardly utterly selfish young man wore a grin of genuine, almost totally innocent glee. Somewhere in the back of his mind was the thought of what a dragon could do for his ambitions, but most of him was really truly fixated on this chance of a lifetime.

As soon as the signal was given, Antigonos stepped forward and bowed deeply to Weywoman, Weyrleader, and Queen dragon. Whether he Impressed or not, it would be good to leave these people with a favorable impression of him... Well, if he left any at all of course; while he knew he was charming and handsome, he also knew that candidates were a twelfth-mark a dozen. Unless he met his dragon out there, or went on to truly excel at his craft, these people would probably never even know his name.

In the hopes of making himself known to them, and in the hope of finding that special bond everyone raved about, Antigonos stepped out onto the burning sands and made for the first egg.

It was one thing to be comfortable around dragons, even respect and admire them and the riders they'd chosen, which Eliaza certainly did. It was another to live in a place where they not only visited but lived right alongside you. That took a little adjusting, but she'd gotten used to it. She hadn't really had a choice, had she? Aside from a few moments of uncertainty on dragonback, when she'd gotten perhaps a little too friendly with the shoulder of the rider who brought her here, she'd settled fairly well, she thought.

But standing on the Sands, looking up at the gold hovering over her eggs was something else entirely different. Eliaza had a bit of a fearful lump in her throat, one that shw swallowed down twice before deciding that she was just being silly and following the others out toward the eggs. Nothing was going to happen. She certainly wasn't going to do anything to provoke Yirath or upset the weyrleaders. Still, she did feel very small just now.

She smiled at Kestril and R'nvar, all the same, giving them both a polite bow of acknowledgement before offering the same to Yirath herself. As she straightened, she exhaled, let her shoulders settle into something like their usual position, and headed toward the spiral of eggs.

The Flamingo Tongue Snail Egg got her attention first. A tiny frown crossed her brow when she first laid her hand against it. She hadn't expected to feel much of anything coming just from the eggs. After all, wasn't that sort of thing supposed to happen once you'd Impressed? Then, she knew from stories and songs, there was nothing kept secret between a rider and her dragon, but before the hatching had even happened? Eliaza left her hand against the egg, though, and little by little, her frown eased away. More than that, she had the strangest urge to apologize for being so surprised by the presence under the surface. She actually cracked a smile, but kept silent, thinking the "I'm sorry
" to herself instead.

Now aware that she might feel something when she laid her hand on the Eel Egg as she stepped up, she was caught off guard again, jerking her hand back with an audible, if quiet, gasp. Cheeks turning rosy, she put her hand against the shell again and was rewarded with the sense that she was not meant to pull her hand away again, or move on. There were other candidates behind her, and those in front had gone ahead, but it seemed very clear that this egg wanted her to stay. It took some effort to peel her hand away again and she looked back over her shoulder more than once as she brushed by.

Not so much a shock with the third egg touch, as Eliaza smoothed her hand over the shell of the Clownfish Egg and smiled once more. Not a grabby little dragonet in this egg, then, was there? Not that she particularly minded grabby. It was just that after such an intense reaction, touching an egg with such a calm and centered feeling to it, came as a relief.

Eliaza heaved another sigh, this one relaxing her shoulders and straightening her spine even more than the last. She padded on through the spiral with her fellow candidates, already more eager to get her hands on the next egg than she expected. Oh yes, she was beginning to understand her brothers' dreams.

It was such a small clutch. Galeia gnawed her lip as they lined up and the adults moved to block her view. Nine was the number she’d heard mumbled about in the lower caverns, and the number had an anxious tinge to it. How could the next clutch possibly produce a queen with only nine this time? While the Candidatemaster nattered on about the rules and protocol, she watched the weyrwoman and, of course, R’nvar. She never knew whether to pity him or respect his position.

Her expression was thoughtful as she approached and made her curtsey to the weyrleaders, though her gestures were more carefully displayed when greeting Yirath. Immense. She simply never could get over the size of the golds. She followed the line on to the eggs, and looked anxiously over them. She was not a nervous person by nature, being skilled at handling most social situations, but this bothered her. Her paused very slightly before lightly touching the Flamingo Tongue Snail egg .

The sedate feeling about it was a small blessing, and Galeia lingered at the back of it, letting a few other Candidates go by until she was ready to move on herself. Even if it was a less-than joyful little dragonet inside, it at least seemed stable.

She approached the Eel egg next and having seen others smile and linger at it, laid her palm across its shell with too little guard. A sudden possessive feeling washed off the egg, and she snapped her hand back and to her chest as if she’d been injured. She stared at it, almost… fearing? No that was stupid. Who feared eggs? Still, that feeling of being grabbed at made her reluctant to touch the shell again. She did so anyway, determined not to be bested by a shell, but even with the warmth the egg gave made her glad to part ways quickly.

The Clownfish egg was next en route, but she had to lean over carefully to bush its shell since it was walled in by other eggs. It was, like the first egg she’d touched, another small blessing. It wasn’t much more comfortable than she was, but she felt content to stand with it for a minute before giving it an affectionate pat and moving on.

The Green Sea Turtle egg made her twitch an uneasy smile. This one was going to be a proper little fool, and a green by the size of it. The weyr hardly need another one, but she hoped it would show its antics come Hatching. It might do the weyr some good see something a little less serious. She sighed at the Majestic Angelfish egg before getting up the nerve to touch it. At least there was a merit to it being a small clutch. This wouldn’t take too much longer. The dragonet inside had a very definite presence, and Galeia had a sense of being judged. She gave the shell a wry response. “Like what you see? Well you’re going to flops as foolishly on the sand as all the other when you’re hatched. Don’t let it outdo you, little one.”

Touching the Emperor Angelfish’s surface led to Galeia licking her lips in thought. “I have a couple of ideas of who you could Impress to.” She’d have to watch when Hatching came. The size and attitude of this dragonet could make an important person of its rider.

The Nembrotha Kubaryana egg was the next over, and curiously colored. Galeia glanced over the clutch as she approached it. Only one more left after this. Reassured that it was nearly over, she laid her hands against the shell. For a moment she wasn’t sure if it had noticed her, but the attentiveness in her attitude triggered a surge of something from beneath the shell. Some insistence, or was it gentleness? Galeia cocked her head to the side and moved on after a few moments.

The egg’s leaned-upon sibling was no less strikingly colored, and Galeia half-expected a similar attitude from it. She brushed the Nembrotha Cristata Egg expectantly… and snorted. “You’re a sassy thing for one so small, bad as that other one earlier.” Despite her chastisement, her finger rubbed the shell kindly and she gave it a last sweeping touch.

Done, finally, now perhaps she could go get a nice bath and wash off the sweat the hot sands had– but no! She’d forgotten one! Galeia had missed the Reef Triggerfish egg lurking so far away from the clutch. She gave it a rueful look from afar and considered skipping it entirely, but then reprimanded herself. What sort of Candidate skipped increasing their chance at Impression. Tossing her heavy curls, she marched toward the separated egg and laid a hand against its surface. “You made me come over here,” she muttered when the dragonet inside stirred uneasily at her touch. After she’d touched the thing for a decent turn she broke from it before it could begin considering her in any real depth. “Done,” she sighed, and followed the line of Finishing Candidates from the sands. Once she cooled down she might have a cup of klah to steady her nerves.

The small size of this clutch sent a chill down Winderick's spine. With so few eggs on the sands and so many candidates he doubted he would Impress this turn. He distanced himself from the other candidates at first, watching them go through the motions and taking notes. All in all it seemed pretty simple. Surely all candidates felt tense at Touching. He just needed to manage his emotions, which he normally did anyway.

He bowed before the Queen, keeping his black thoughts to himself, and immediately headed toward the Reef Triggerfish Egg, drawn by curiosity and sympathy. Winderick often felt like the man on the outside. Maybe the dragon inside this egg would understand. The nervous mood of the egg surprised him. The dragonet echoed his emotions a little more than he would have liked. He tried to send the dragonet encouraging feelings before giving it a pat on the shell and moving on.

Even with such a small clutch there were too many eggs to choose from. Deciding to simply go in order from the inside out, since the inside was where he started, Winderick touched the
Nembrotha Cristata Egg next. The little egg's audacity came in stark contrast to the last egg he touched. He sort of liked this spunky little dragonet. I wish I had your confidence today.

The Nembrotha Kubaryana Egg quickly turned Winderick off, for he disliked the feeling of being dominated.

Next in line was the eye catching Emperor Angelfish Egg. Winderick had been admiring it from a distance for some time but stuck to his chosen path to make sure he touched every egg. He touched the egg with excitement, smiling in appreciation of it's beauty, when his expression suddenly changed. He did not stop smiling, but his smile was tempered by something else. This dragonet clearly had a future in mind for itself. Winderick felt tempted to join it in fulfilling it's ambitions.

Touching the Majestic Angelfish Egg seemed almost like looking into a mirror. He stayed close to this egg for a while, letting the dragonet take its time looking into him while Winderick did the same to the dragonet. The dragonet's final opinion of him seemed generally positive, or at least not negative. Winderick thought they would make a great team. Even if this dragon didn't chose him he made a note to meet it in person after it hatched. His nervousness beginning to fade into excitement and anticipation.

After that interesting encounter the Green Sea Turtle Egg was a bit of a let down. This dragonet reminded him of a child jumping up and down for attention, which was an odd sensation to get from a stationary egg. Asking the dragonet to calm down only made it more exuberant. Shaking his head, Winderick moved onto the next egg.

The Clownfish Egg struck Winderick as a little shy at first. After a couple of seconds it seemed to warm up to him. He got the impression that this dragonet was an easy going type, a welcome relief from the last egg he'd touched. He stayed with it for about a minute or two before moving on to the next egg.

Much like the Nembrotha Kubaryana Egg, the Eel Egg almost turned Winderick off because of it's possessiveness. However, since this egg was so pushy, he decided to give it what it wanted for a minute so that it wouldn't bother him again. After giving it a chance he decided it wasn't so bad after all. There was a tender personality underneath the greed. Perhaps in time it would blossom.

Finally Winderick came to the Flamingo Tongue Snail Egg. Although the egg seemed a little unsure of him at first it's unease quickly turned to pleasure. Winderick liked its grown-up attitude even though he didn't find it interesting otherwise.

Deciding to go against the flow of traffic, since that was just the way she worked, Sil decided to start with the reef triggerfish egg. In doing so, she noticed that she was trailing behind the tall young man she'd noticed at the candidate lesson. A hint of approval flickered through her emotions as she decided he was definitely not the stupidest person in the group, but then she was by the egg, which was nowhere near the other eggs. She could relate to that. All of those eggs would probably Impress to someone from this group of candidates, which didn't speak well for their standards. If she were an egg, she would want to distance herself from them, too. However, upon touching the thing she was incensed, shocked by the feeling that she was being judged. How dare an egg presume to judge her? Even if it did contain an unborn dragon, that was just ridiculous. She scowled briefly at the egg and moved on.

Laying her palm flat on the gradually curving shell of the nembrotha cristata egg, Sil felt compelled to look at the egg and devote her full attention to it, rather than simply pass by after a brief touch. She wasn't sure what it was about the thing which drew her attention, but it was a very strong compulsion. At least this one, unlike the one beside it, was able to stand up on its own, which was funny, since it was definitely smaller than the other one. These comparisons, by the way, were made after she'd moved on, since Sil found herself partially unable to think very hard about any of the rest of the clutch while touching this egg. The egg's apparent vanity surprised Sil and made her smirk when she thought about it, given its diminutive size.

The nembrotha kubaryana egg was her next destination, being so close to its sibling as to lean on it. It was while she stood before this one, that she noticed the variation in size. She hesitated before going to touch it because she wanted to make sure she'd gotten the feelings from the other eggs out of her mind, as one would when tasting wines. When at last she touched this one, it was an instant battle of wills as she felt the egg's ridiculous attempts to dominate her. The idea of being dominated by an egg was laughable, but she automatically resisted the egg's attempts even so, though a more mature-minded person might have refused to get involved in such a power struggle. She did not linger long enough to get a sense of the underlying shy and gentle nature the egg also possessed.

Sil was not unaware that she was also trailing that annoying boy from the hallway. She simply chose to ignore it. They weren't supposed to talk on the sands, though she couldn't imagine how it would disturb the eggs if they did. She clung to that as an excuse for not saying some of the barbed comments which were on the tip of her tongue, ready to rip into Winderick at the slightest provocation. Yes, that one had earned her enmity.

Had it not been for the tall one - Antigonos, she thought his name was - very obviously stepping aside to allow her to touch the eggs, her mood as she approached the emperor angelfish egg would have been much darker. As it was, she had no special difficulty getting through the hopeful young men and boys clustered around this large, vividly colored egg. Her elbows were as sharp as her tongue at need, and she knew how to place them to great effect to get what she wanted. Touching this egg, with its feelings of ambition and power, made her wonder if maybe there was a reason the other eggs seemed to be distanced from it. Wasn't that something their mother was supposed to arrange? Well, at least it made it easier for candidates to cluster around it.

The majestic angelfish egg was another prideful one, though it was also small. This clutch would clearly be full of personalities, many of which would clash or be in competition. Sil wanted to be part of it. She knew she could hold her own and she wasn't afraid of confrontation. She hoped one of these eggs would contain her dragon. Why the feeling should strike her so hard beside this egg was a mystery to her, but it did. Perhaps it was the faintly judgmental feelings she got from this egg. Again, she found it a mild affront that an egg would presume to judge her, but it was less offensive than the first egg's judgment had been, perhaps because she didn't get the feeling that the egg was trying to figure out how to use her.

She moved on to a half-buried egg, wondering how it could be that an egg, not too large at that, could manage to be in that state for a touching. Again she wondered why the queen hadn't arranged the green sea turtle egg to be more accessible. When she lay her hands on it, following a brief period of rest to clear her thoughts during which she began to encounter people moving in the opposite direction, meeting their eyes with a defiant stare that dared them to complain about her backward progress, Sileny recoiled. All those strong personalities had not prepared her for something so effervescent. She didn't think this would be the egg for her, but if she was wrong, she certainly wouldn't turn the...cheerful dragonet away.

Three eggs remained.