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Malina stopped, and stared, stricken by the sudden and unmistakable death of the little Green that she had been watching. Oh. Oh... oh no! She clapped a hand over her mouth, twin tears of grief trailing down her cheeks. Oh... that... that just wasn't fair. How could life be taken from one so young, so soon? The Green had been merely minutes old, and had not had the time to do anything, anything at all with her fragile young life. Sadly, Mali watched the other Green, and hoped that this one would live. This was the egg that she had liked so well. She didn't want to see this Green follow her sister.

She wasn't weyrbred. Her understanding of death was not what the Weyr might expect. She had a far greater attachment to continued life than any rider, or perhaps even any weyrbrat. It was just... too sad to see a baby die. A baby dragon. They'd been prepared for this. There had been lessons, and everything, but somehow she just didn't feel ready. She didn't feel ready to watch baby dragons die. Couldn't they please find their riders? Anxiously, she watched, and hoped, and couldn't help but fear.

---

Well, that was unfortunate. With a clutch of this size, one might almost expect for one or two dragonets to go between, but that was never the hope. Pern needed every dragon ever shelled, so it truly was too bad. It was a natural enough occurrence, and he did not mourn one little Green too deeply. But he was not a dragon, and he was not of Trine. Galvanth keened for the baby, and once again S'raid recognized his mournful call. It was like him to do so. He would not grieve for her truly.

Had she been a Silver, a Crimson, or a Black, he likely would not have grieved for her at all. Baby dragons were baby dragons, but though he had told Moira that they were all alike, he had no attachment to the Runts and the Duds. A clutching female was one thing. That struck him on an instinctual level, hit him precisely in the paternal urges that he so scarcely utilized. They only made him protective, really. Not much more. He was not truly a nurturing sort of dragon.

S'raid knew this very well. It suited him just fine. He personally did not care for the insistence by Trine and Malvren of treating Atypicals as equal (and in some cases superior) to more traditional colors. But there were uses to be found in them, and he needed to discover why it was that the Golds of this place clutched successfully, and if something could be done to assist the Benden Queens in doing so. Something about their lifestyle, perhaps?

His eyes strayed in the direction Moira had gone. Perhaps the key lay somewhere within these walls. Perhaps she would discover it. Certainly, he needed to keep an eye on her. I always have an eye on Moira, Galvanth informed him, though he did not sound pleased about the idea of spying on a Queenrider. Even a Queenrider whose Queen was but a hatchling. Now that was instinctive, though it was also no little annoying. It will be fine. I won't misuse the information. With that Galvanth would have to be content.

This being his first hatching Devlin was taking everything in for the first time - and he watched as hatchling after hatchling impressed to his fellow candidates - though the girl who got th gold did seem to rub it in a bit to much for his liking...though it seemed to be directed to someone in the stands rather then her fellow female candidates.

The quick and exciting pace of the hatching was interrupted however when the little green failed to impress and went forever between...he bit his lip slightly but such things the had been told happened from time to time - and while yes it was certainly sad he felt it was important to keep his mind on the events still going on and turned hi attention back to the crooning little green as she searched amidst the females and the violently rocking egg that seemed about to hatch.

It would taste a bitter lie to say that Ofelia hadn't felt her stomach drop the moment that small green from before had simply....vanished. She'd heard about dragons not impressing and going between in their grief but since she'd never seen it before how could she know what to expect? Her eyes didn't water, she didn't cry, but she certainly felt uneasy. Those around her seemed far more torn apart by what was going on than she and her brother, and Ofelia wondered a bit if she should actually. . .join in the sadness and tears?

There was no time to do so, however, as another egg began to rock and the small green from before continued her little walk amongst the Candidates. This one was a success, right? It wasn't panicking though it likely did need to hurry up.

"ow much longer will this last, ya think? I got brine I need ta be workin'."

PIIIIINCH.

As he passed another piece of meat to Viridith, Kyros - K'ros? K'os? K'ys? - allowed his eyes to wander over the sands... and back up to the stands. Picking Ofie out again, he gave the tanner another wave.

"Friend?" Viridith asked, nudging gently for another piece of meat.

"I suppose so, yes," Kyros responded, "we've only spoken once but I like her. I'll introduce you later on, at the feast... At the rate this hatching is going, she might have someone to introduce to me too."

"Dragons find Theirs wherever they are, so long as they are can be seen or smelled," the long-limbed green responded as she swallowed. "If you had been at the top of those stands I would have clawed through anyone and anything to reach you. You are Mine, so I found you... in my own time."

"Yes," Kyros smiled and scritched one of her eyeridges, he'd heard dragons liked that, "in your own time."

Though she'd been distracted by her thoughts, concerned furrowed Akaya's brow as the green beelined back for her mother. She tried to recall the lessons--certainly red and orange were bad, but grey...grey was worse, wasn't it? Her panic was evident, and Akaya sucked in a breath--one that hissed out as that poor little green went between. There one moment, gone the next--and never coming back. Ridiculously, Akaya's mind jumped to the Ballad of Moreta's Ride--and she was ever more aware of what that really meant. She hadn't seen Alumanth's death, though it had affected her all the same...but this nameless green brought a more personal experience to the grief. She had wailed--Alumanth had keened...

The other green's reassuring (if not insistent) croon brought her back once again. A croon that seemed more...decisive, somehow, than the other's had been. Her comfort extended to several of the girls, Akaya noted, as she hurriedly wiped away at her own wet eyes. As a candidate, it was her duty to stand and offer choice--she'd thought it a plantitive excuse prattled off at the lesson, but now she understood how important it really was. The wider the choice, the more likely the dragon would find a partner.

And the loud echo egg was shaking--fit to burst at any time, it seemed. Akaya was terribly curious about what that one held...

The green finally seemed to make her choice - perhaps she had been waiting for the other dragon to appear. speaking of the other dragon - he was a rather handsome little brown and good natured to boot. Surely that was a good sign and recalling the feelings he'd had when he touched that egg Devlin couldn't help but think the beast was quite literally marching to the tune of his own making.

B'tar shut his eyes and heaved a mournful sigh as the poor little green panicked and flashed between, leaning against Primath as though to remind himself that she was firmly still there. He didn't bother looking to S'raid, the man wasn't terribly sentimental seeming at the best of times, and B'tar wouldn't have wondered if he'd minded the loss of a green simply because it wasn't a bronze.
That only one had been lost was good, a testament to the broad selection of candidates that Trine had brought together, but there was no gathering that was perfect.

---

Salin flinched in sympathy for the distressed green as she went between, and did his best to tear his attention away, back to the hatchlings that still wandered the sand, trying to pretend that he didn't smart with sympathy that out of so many, the distressed thing hadn't been able to find hers. Even Weyr born, it still wasn't pleasant. The absolutely violent shaping of the Echos egg though, drew many eyes, including his, and more interest at such a handsome brown.

Akaya was very charmed by the brown who'd emerged (if also with a sad sigh that there was no chance he'd even look her way). Not only did he seem to be in good spirits, he seemed to have kept the sense she'd felt from his egg. Perhaps he and Tereth would be good friends? Browns who both enjoyed life and music! And then she could write songs about both of them--yes, that was a sound plan!

She spared a glance to see where the other had gone--was that another Stands Impression? Weren't those supposed to be rare? she wondered, though she couldn't begrudge the dragons finding Theirs no matter where they'd been--much better than them leaving for between. If nothing else, surely Trine would get a reputation as a Weyr to visit for Hatchings if one was in the right age range!