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BURD CLUTCH TOUCHING

Secondary Warden V'tyai stood at teh edge of the makeshift Hatching Sands, thumbs hooked on his scarred wherhide belt. Brakiheth sat cuddled with her eggs, large and small, though she seemed to be paying more attention to one of the tinier of the clutch - the bright yellow ones. Odd for a queen. But, he reasoned, perhaps normal for one such as Brakiheth. The entire situation stunk of impropriety from a Running Gold to a blue mate.

He felt sorry for T'di. He always seemed a relatively harmless man, if a bit clumsy. T'di never talked much, had the rather impressive ability to loom. V'tyai envied that. Though... He cast a sidelong look to the old man next to him.

M'onk stood there smiling, his eyes narrowed in on Kaelyandra crouched by the gold dragon. He stooped with his cane in hand, wiry fingers curved around the wood; the old bronzerider unnerved V'tai in a way few did. He felt more at ease even when certain handlers became too friendly.

"You trust too easily," The older man said. "Thy're prisoners."

V'tyai bared his teeth in something like a smile. "You'e agreed to let them Stand. What happened to tradition?"

"This has nothing to do with tradition. This whole thing is a show, V'tyai. You know that as well as I do." M'onk pursed his lips, undeterred by the low growl he must have heard from the bluerider. He smiled again. V'tyai may or may not have shifted his weight away from the man. "But Kaelyandra appears quite opposed to the idea of them Standing, let alone being a part of Touching the eggs. I suppose we'll have to allow it."

Warden M'onk turned to V'tyai, eyes cold and smile bright. "Announce it to the inmates that those allowed to Stand will also be invited to touch the eggs with the less corrupt of those here." He didn't have to speak the rest of it, the threat. V'tyai heard it loud and clear. Instead of becoming indignant and snarling, he turned to the eggs and sighed.



So it was. On the day of the Touching, V'tyai sent guards to get his allotted criminals and non-criminals to gather around their makeshift Hatching Sands. He stood in front of them with a scowl etched on his face, arms crossed over his chest. "Here's the rules. You go there and you bow to both rider and clutchmother. You touch the eggs gently, you do not speak too loudly, you do not move the eggs. I will cripple you myself if there is any funny business and believe me, please, no one would protest."

The bluerider stepped aside and waved his hand to the eggs. "Have at it."



Golden Melody Egg
Yellow. Bright, bright yellow. This egg is one that's easy to spot. The shell is decorated with a cheery pattern of music notes in paler yellow and darker gold, and while there is nothing particularly metallic about the sheen of the shell, some might hang their hopes on it. But it doesn't seem big enough... When touched, the egg gives off an unmistakable sense of anxiety. It's "chatty", inasmuch as eggs go, but there is a nervous energy to it rather than eager excitement.

Maritime Monochrome Egg
This mid-sized egg is a deep steel grey, its base lined with darker swirls like the curling waves of the ocean. It sits tilted at a relaxed and seemingly restful angle, considerably more patient than some of its siblings - it has the same martial attitude to it as the Little Hunter, but without any of the swagger and bravado. But the mind within is far from complacent. It is bright and alert, examining the situation with a watchful and faintly protective sense to it.

Little Hunter Egg
This egg is so small! It's ridiculously small! It seems too little even to hold a green, somehow, but that doesn't stop it from being overstuffed with personality. White flecked with dark brown, with a crest of black at the top, it wriggles occasionally as if displeased by its current position. Anyone touching it will be instantly overwhelmed by belligerence. What? You think you're so much bigger than the Little Hunter? Yeah you just put your head down on its level and it will RUN ITS SHELL INTO YOUR FACE.

Marvelous Dancer Egg
The Marvelous Dancer egg is a bit of a mixed bag. Notable because of its large size (it's quite big, especially compared to some of its shrimpier siblings), its taupe shell with orange-and-maroon streaks isn't as eye-catching as some of its siblings. Still, it's loud, as if the dragonet inside yelling for people to look at it. Those who touch it find themselves bombarded with friendly, borderline-desperate interest, and it seems fonder of females than of males. Pretty girls in particular seem to get the most attention.

Noisy Socialite Egg
Large, purple, and decorated with tiny white v-shapes, the Noisy Socialite egg sits next to the Marvelous Dancer egg and seems very nearly as loud as its sibling. Certainly, it doesn't like that its neighbor outdoes it. Candidates moving toward Marvelous Dancer can rest assured that they'll be hearing some shouting from Noisy Socialite quite soon. Its mental presence isn't quite as friendly, though - it's more interested in making itself known to Candidates than it is in being nice to them.

Winter Visitor Egg
Patterned in high-contrast light and dark grey with a bright yellow spot dead in its center, the Winter Visitor egg sits toward the middle of the clutch and seems to like it that way. Not as loud as some of its siblings, the egg's large size seems to put it at something of a disadvantage. It doesn't want to be quite so big, but it will welcome the attention of the more quiet-minded Candidates. Loud ones (and criminals) tend to leave it a little skittish.

Cheerful Sneak-Thief Egg
Take a seat by this bicolored blue egg for a while, because the curiously-round, alarmingly blue Cheerful Sneak-Thief egg wants to hang out with you! Medium-sized, more globe-shaped than egg-shaped, and sitting at the fringes of the clutch, Cheerful Sneak-Thief is much calmer than many of its siblings. It's curious, sure, but right now it's more interested in figuring out all these Candidates. Some more shrewd minds might find an appraising eye on them for a moment, but it's so quick that it was probably just imagination - right?

Preening Princess Egg
Much quieter than some of its siblings, the Preening Princess never the less manages to catch the egg if what you're looking for is a pale blue and white egg. Oh, there's the unmistakable sheen of a queen on that pale hide but other than that, the only reason it sticks out is for it's lack of color. This little thing is warm and welcoming, brightening up more when someone thinks kind things. The very loud and the very mean receive the same welcome but little else.

Emperors Groove Egg Sitting pretty in the middle of the clutch with it's royal blue shell and near neon green feather pattern, Emperors Groove is not the largest of it's clutch but it certainly comes up against Noisy Socialite in the loud category. Socialite simply has more interesting things to say; Emperors Groove wants to shake it's groove thang and bust out of the shell.

Strawberry Wine Egg
Why hello there! The Strawberry Wine egg is in the middle of it's size group, yes, but it knows it has flair. Just look at all of those dashing stripes on it's blood covered shell. This egg is friendly to a fault, cheerfully beaming itself into others heads. Even the nastier of the minds will get laughed at, mainly because the Strawberry Wine really doesn't care what you think.

Tiny Professor Egg
A large brown egg sits front and center on the sands, wide at the bottom and tapered at the top. There are pale brown claw marks on the side and what appears to be... a very angry face in the center? Despite that, it is a slow moving presence in the egg. It pokes and prods at the minds touching it, perhaps getting a bit too personal with looking into their past actions and personalities. Any unintelligent persons are treated with condescention.

GROUP HUG Egg
OMG PEOPLE. NO. NO. FOR REAL.
PEOPLE.
GROUP HUG is totally happy to meet everyone, even you grumpy Dust dealer! Yes. Yes you! Sitting far back in it's grey and pink shell, the GROUP HUG egg is one of the smallest of it's group and certainly round. It's too small to even squish a green in there, unless you roll it into a tight ball... which GROUP HUG supposes is possible. This egg is very enthusiastic and no matter the person, it will greet with glee, and perhaps a bit of snark.

Fly Away Home Egg
As small as GROUP HUG and Little Hunter, Fly Away Home is round and soft tan with darker specks of near brown. There is no real feeling coming from it, but it's just chillin', waiting maybe. People are greeted with enough to not label it hostile but it's certainly not about to lick your face in enthusiasm.

RULES

• Prisoners eligible to Stand are invited and encouraged! Any stupid behavior will be subject to IC consequences such as V'tyai's wrath and inability to Stand (or stand).
  
• You may touch as many or as few eggs as you want. HOWEVER, each player will be getting three egg responses. For the eggs you want a responses from, bold their names.
  
• Again: three per player. Not three per character.
  
• Kaelyandra is smiling like a smug cat. Not something to make a rule of, but interesting never the less.
  
• Follow all of the other shop rules
  
• This Touching will be open until January 31st at 11.59PM whether or not there are admins around to officially close it.

Saain smoothed the sleeves of the obnoxious red jumpsuit, picking at the ends in nervousness. The usually solemn woman glanced over the clutch, shifting slightly. She really shouldn't be putting all her hopes on this; yet, returning home with a dragon when she finally got released and returned to her son. That, this... the flits in her stomach and the ache to find herself and it all rested on the mound of eggs with their smooth shells.

She nodded at V'tyai and took a deep breath, composing herself before bowing to both Kaelyandra and her gold before stepping onto the sands and approached the eggs. She bypassed the front and the shinny golden egg and looked over the others. Perhaps this one? Saain reached out, stroking the Marvelous Dancer egg. It was rather pretty, if large.

Best behavior, best behavior. Things were starting to pay off.

He was being permitted to stand, as long as he didn't do anything to screw up, and Blyte was intending to make the best of things. This was the best chance he had to be something more, not just a criminal, not a duster, but something great.

After the instructions were given, he stepped carefully onto the sands, not wanting to take a step out of place. He was going to touch the eggs, and maybe one of them would want him. Or maybe not, but he had to give it a shot.

He bowed to the queen and her rider, and then moved over to the eggs. They were all pretty, in their own ways, and he picked one almost at random to start with. The Strawberry Wine Egg. It was red, blood red, something that appealed to Blyte. He stroked it gently, feeling slightly silly as he did.

Rokana stood with the others, yawning as the warden went over the 'rules' of things. Such a pity that there should be anyone as stupid as to need such 'rules.' It should go without saying not to harm the eggs, or even step out of line, after all--something told him that the warden would be the least of their problems with a protective gold-mother looming over the eggs. He eyed some of the prisoners standing, wondering wether crippling any who stepped out of line would be a mercy, compared to the gold's wrath. Or hell, her rider. There was something irresistible about the gold rider, a certain volatility that peaked his interest. Perhaps, on another day, he'd try to get to know the woman he had seen about the prison, she was the type who would make a good ally. The warden and his seconds on the other hand seemed as if they would make ideal allys, but to put things blunt, he found them disgusting. Brutes. Greasy, stinky, brutes. Nothing redeeming in them, not that he'd seen, and even if there was, the layer of grease and brutality about M'onk and his nature made the young man loathe to do any digging. V'tyai might have a chance. There was something there, but thus far, the only times he had seen the rider were near the warden, and that stench was more than enough to keep him from even investigating the second.

As the warden directed, Rokana turned his eyes to the eggs. The clutch was small, in size and number, from what he knew. It had been years since he had seen eggs on the sands, and even then he hadn't paid much attention. He had been provided for then. Why ruin such a luxurious life with the plague of work that a dragon would bring? Oh but how things changed. In a few years, he had successfully gotten himself more or less exiled from his father's home, his inheritance, all of it. His teeth clenched as he thought, jaw muscles jumping in rhythm beneath those high, polished cheekbones. Oh, how things had changed. None who had known the young man in his earlier days, days still fresh and hardly in his past at all, would ever have pictured him on the sands, in hopes of a dragon. None would have ever thought he would welcome the hard work, and hard life of a dragon rider, but now it would be a blessing. To have a dragon was to have power, to have pull, or at least what little pull anyone could get under that greasy M'onk.

Power, he told himself. Power was why he was here, the only reason he was here. But the moment he had seen the eggs, he had begun to hum with excitement. A persistent smile tugged at his stoic expression, threatening to shatter the distanced and calm visage he struggled to upkeep. Despite himself, he was a child again, in a manner. He wanted to touch all of them, to hear the whispers that others spoke of, the touch of another's mind to his own. It was a deep yearning, perhaps one that even Rokana would not admit to himself, that pulled him forward with quickened steps as the Warden released them among the eggs. Maybe there was a chance, just a chance, that he might be able to escape his self-imposed loneliness. He told himself that power was the only reason he was here, but somewhere deep in the young man he yearned for that connection with a dragon, hell, with anyone. The idea of someone knowing his every thought, his every emotion, frightened him. He had never been that honest, not with anyone, but perhaps, just maybe, on some slim chance....

He walked among the eggs, watching the others as they touched and were touched. Oh! Which one first, Which one first?? Desptie the man's calm demeanor, his eyes fluttered and jumped from egg to egg, before settling on a small, blue, egg. The cheerful sneak-thief egg drew his attention almost immediately, and with hasted steps he approached. It seemed to watch everyone, discerning and weighing. It was hardly as brash and obnoxiously loud as the others. The group hug egg seemed nice enough, but something about its manner made Rokana keep his distance. The dance and socialite were an immediate no. They were presicely the type that drove him up the walls, but the Sneak-theif... He stood before the egg for a long moment, eyes blazing with excitement, and finally his smile broke through. No one was paying attention to him anyway, so why struggle to keep up his reputation? As he stood, he hesitated. More than anything he wanted to lay his hand on the egg, and feel the touch in return, but it was almost frightening for someone who often struggled to keep others at a distance. But what risk was there? With a deep breath, he laid his left hand upon the egg, gingerly at first, before letting his hand almost sink into it, take in the textures and shape of the shell. He could feel the beginnings of a mind touching his own, and leaned forward as if it would help him hear the little dragon inside speak.

Oh, now this was fascinating. There wasn't a thing short of a direct meteor strike that could have kept Leevi away from an event like this. Growing up in a Weyr (or at least the part of his life that he categorized as 'growing up') had taught him quite a lot about dragons. They were the facts of the world: Golds were fertile, Blues were not. Until now, anyway. Incontrovertible proof of just the opposite! Proof that Blues could indeed breed. Why, it would set all of Pern on its head! Strange, though, that T'di wasn't around to see it. Leevi would have thought that the man would be interested but apparently no one had seen him around in a while... odd, that. But presumably he was away on patrols or something.

At least, that was what Leevi, ever the optimistic one, assumed.

His optimism waned slightly as he looked over the small clutch. Not just small in number, but the eggs were literally small themselves. Not that size meant anything, of course. It only mattered that the eggs were there at all. Well, and that they were viable. Well. Moment of truth, he supposed. Not that he was going to Stand, of course. His research was at a delicate stage (it always was, but the interviews were particularly important).

In deference to the fact that he wasn't Standing and was just there to sate his scientific curiosity, Leevi hung to the outliers of the clutch. He stood for a while simply watching the Little Hunter egg. There! It definitely moved! The mindhealer sighed in relief at the eager little egg. “You go, little egg,” he muttered, literally egging it on.

Well. Touching one egg wouldn't be too bad, would it?

He placed a hand on the white surface of the preening princess egg. Just what was that sheen anyway? Gold? It was hard to see against the pale shell, but he could've sworn there was something...

(randomizing to see which she touches next. If she gets proffy again, I'll just choose myself *is silly*)
Malta jumped back with a start. She didn't realize that she had had a smile on her face until a few seconds after she also realized she had been staring at the very smart egg in front of her.
...
She was... intelligent... huh...
It had said something positive. to her. well not exactly said but... said.
Grow up
She wasn't sure what that had meant, but she did feel a little more confident. Why had she thought this would be scary?
Oh, right, the big gold dragon and the people...
But she found that the people kept slipping her mind. The egg had been... nice to touch. She felt oddly good.
Well! She stood up a little straighter, having been admonished so... well... and having a nice trickle of new confidence.
Might as well touch another.
She reached out to touch the Cheerful Sneak-Thief Egg, still smiling.

He left the egg with a bemused expression, happier than he had been in a while. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting to happen when he had touched an egg, but that wasn't it.

He glanced around, deciding that perhaps he should talk to some of the other prisoner candidates once this was all over. It would be interesting to see if they had gotten the same sort of feelings from the eggs as he was.

Blyte moved to a small egg next, round and soft tan. It was speckled rather than striped, and he touched the Fly Away Home Egg gently.

Joscelin stepped lively towards the sands, a brisk walk since hurrying was undignified. He had finished his shift on time but it had taken a bit longer than expected to clean up. He wasn't going to appear before the riders dusty and in his work clothing. So a bit of time latter and dressed in soft cotton, a deep cream beige top and black leather pants, carroty red hair under control he walked down onto the mis-shift hatching grounds.

Brakiheth was not supposed to clutch. She had ran and been caught by a blue and laid eggs that lead to all sorts of chaos. T'di hadn't been seen and M'onk was not a happy warden. Not that M'onk was ever happy. Thankfully the times they cross path were few, Joscelin kept to the archives and records. The room was safe and followed rules and C'ap wasn't bad for a dragon rider.

Prisoners... Joscelin kept his face neutral as he walked onto the sands, ignoring the red jumpsuits as well as he can, obnoxious shade of red that they were. Non-violent, non-violent and V'tyai, M'onk, and Kaelyandra was here so if they did anything, they would have to be quite stupid. Still...

He approached the Preening Princess Egg, the pale and blue egg attractive for its simplicity. Some of the eggs were an eyesore or busy with patterns and designs. Joscelin reached out to lay a hand on the smooth shell.