Welcome to Gaia! ::

For once, it had been Eliza making sure Cetalese was the one aware that they had somewhere to be. Her extreme enthusiasm for the Touching both infected Ceta on their way to the Hatching Sands and made her visibly smile. It was hard not to catch a bout of energy from that much excitement.

The rack of white robes for the Candidates caught her eye when she entered. Good. She had been wondering when they would get their robes. The Weyrlingmaster arrested their attention almost as soon as the full lot was assembled on the Sands. The way he was treating this, it was almost as if he wanted them to blow through it as fast as they could. That didn't really fit with making sure the eggs stayed safe, did it? The point of a Touching-- she'd been told-- was to acclimate the eggs to the people who would be on the Sands during the actual Hatching so there would be a minimum of maulings. If the eggs didn't have time to register you were there, how was that going to help anything?

Too many questions, not enough busy hands, Cetalese told herself firmly, the way she had told her siblings a score of times before. She bowed politely to the great Gold sitting behind her eggs, looking at them all suspiciously, before letting herself even consider the Clutch of eggs before her. If she got distracted, she might forget to bow. Her duty done, however, Ceta breathlessly moved her attention to the large Clutch of equally large eggs.

Immediately, Ceta could see that the Queen's egg seemed to glow more than the others, drawing the eye of anyone from its position in the raised center of the Clutch. However, Cetalese also knew there were a great many other eggs for her to go to, all equally likely to produce a dragon that could be her life partner. Since there was no way to know which would yield Browns or Bronzes, the best plan would be to make sure she visited each at least once in the time given to them. One of the girl Candidates had cut straight through the others eggs, clearly making a beeline for the Queen's egg. Cetalese purposely kept her mind blank. It was none of her business what the other Candidates chose to do.

A heavy breath escaped her and she turned her attention to more important things. Her eyes skimmed over the eggs, taking in each uniquely mottled shell, their positions and distance from her, and the sizes of the eggs. Were they always so big? As her eyes roamed-- and Candidates ranged around her to get their chances at the eggs-- Cetalese approached more slowly as her plan built itself in her mind. Instead of heading straight into the eggs, she swung around to the side. So many were already at some of the eggs that she didn't want to risk crowding and potentially tipping over one of the eggs.

As she made her way to the scattered stars egg, her focus was on stepping sure-footedly, but simultaneously she wondered where Eliza had gone first. Her friend was as much of a whirlwind as she had feared and too hard a wind could knock some of these eggs over. The humor in that thought eased Ceta's tense expression somewhat. She was the only one at this egg for now, so she took full advantage of the chance to look a dragon egg over up close. A lot like a larger, prettier version of her firelizard's egg, really. She reached her hand out and rested it against the curve of the egg, confident internally that the pressure on a hardened egg wouldn't be harmful to it.

The careless caress of the egg's personality startled Cetalese and caused her shoulders to tense. No one had said anything about that! The trace was so faint though... The thought to ask someone didn't even occur to her. She simply placed both hands on the egg to try to get a better feel for.. whatever that had been.

The dragon inside, obviously. She could still feel it there, but it was faint. It was with an awareness of what the Touching actually was that Cetalese slid her hands from the egg and turned to look at the eggs clustered more closely together. This would be interesting.

She worked her way in towards the main cluster of eggs, firmly but carefully resting both hands on the guiding light egg and caught a wisp of welcome, warmth, and love. So far, the eggs were distant but kind, and that eased some of the concerns Cetalese had hosted after meeting a rather possessive Green and her rider. She was happy to let her hands linger until she saw another Candidate coming, and she moved her hands on to the orbiting egg, whose equally-- almost overwhelming-- welcoming of her attention reminded Ceta of her youngest brother. She jumped when she felt the intense anger streaming from the clouded egg, and it was cautiously that she removed her hands from it. That one did not like her-- or, she suspected, anyone-- a bit. It seemed as if whatever color the egg held would likely spend all of its time criticizing everything its rider did. Warned now of the extreme temperaments the eggs could have, she only brushed the explosive egg with her fingertips, and felt a stab of annoyance. Why wasn't she touching it properly? Ceta paused and then rested her hand fully against the egg's shell, but felt only an increase in the irritation from it. Was she going to push it over now?

Cetalese removed her hand and rubbed it against her pants as she moved on to the next egg. Perhaps there were some eggs that she would not return to for a second touching.

She moved around the eggs she had already touched and closer to the central cluster that held the Queen and a few of the larger large eggs in the Clutch. There was one on the other side of the orbiting egg she hadn't touched yet, and so with a hint of apprehension she rested her hand against the distant sea egg and was relieved. This one was again interested in her well-being, although she wasn't entirely sure it would be meant for her. As with the guiding light egg, though, that didn't seem to matter much to it. Ceta took a moment longer to send back feelings of appreciation for its good will and moved on to the rocky band egg. Ceta straightened her back, instantly chastised for not coming to see this egg first. She shook her head slightly, pushed a feeling of apology towards the... Bronze, maybe? inside the egg and with an affectionate caress for such willful extroversion turned her attention toward the egg in the very center of the Clutch.

The luminous egg sat patiently in the center, and without even touching it Ceta could tell that even if it took her several minutes to get to the Queen's egg, she was fine with that because it wasn't as if she were going anywhere. Ceta waited for the girl already communing with the egg to be done before stepping up to take her turn with the luminous egg.

Unlike when she had first found her firelizard egg, once Cetalese had summoned some courage, she carefully reached out and rested a hand on the egg before letting her fingers slide down it. Another caress over the tip of the egg and down the side resulted in her leaving her hand on the warm, hard shell for a moment. That confidence from the rocky band egg was muted in the luminous egg, but Cetalese well understood that not all confidence had to be noticeable. Still, this lady would likely never hesitate to give her opinion. For just a moment, she felt a flare of hope that maybe she would be... She held her breath and sent a quiet mental caress out to the queen inside. She would pick the rider most worthy for her. As she had thought earlier, any of these eggs was likely to hold a dragon for her. Being a Queenrider was a very slim chance for anyone on the Sands. A quick glance at Brakiath reminded Cetalese not to linger too long with any one egg, and the intense almost... concentration it felt like the egg was directing at her was-- no, not unnerving. Just... intense. Cetalese found herself staring at the shell, as if she could see the eyes watching her, and then she quickly removed her hand, as if reminded of how apparent she was being with her interest. With a quick little bow to Brakiath, Cetalese moved away from the luminous egg.

The next pair was pressed against one another, one seeming to be supported by the other. Her reach for the first egg ended with her jerking her hand back in surprise, her slightly widened eyes the only sign that she'd been otherwise startled by the forceful presence of the burning egg. She'd been through enough eggs to understand each "felt" differently, but that one... it was almost as bad as the clouded egg. She moved away as she mentally corrected herself. Bad wasn't the right word. Serious. Intense. All of these eggs were intense, in their own ways. Some of them, though... they made her uncomfortable. They felt like an embodiment of all the unnecessary aggression of confrontations that she always tried to avoid. She wouldn't worry now about which of these eggs she would Impress; that wouldn't be determined until the Hatching and she still didn't understand some Candidates' obsession with rank. Your dragon was the partner that ultimately was made just for you. Or you for it. You couldn't get chosen by a dragon for which you weren't suited, even if you tried. Cetalese was very sure that whatever colors were in those eggs, they were certainly not for her.

The swirling egg, on the other hand, gave Ceta the feeling of being welcomed into some kind of group of very close-knit friends. Ceta was glad there was some balance between the amount of friendly or at least kind eggs and the sharper eggs in the Clutch. She wasn't aware that so many dragons were so... forceful. The thought didn't seem as worrisome with her hand against the swirling egg, but with her long stance with the luminous egg still in the forefront of her mind, she moved on.

Her next egg was fairly close, and she felt confident enough to rest both hands on the egg. The presence of the brilliant flash egg almost crawled under her skin, as if trying to investigate every little part of her. Cetalese sent back a short pulse of surprise and then apology if she had startled whatever curious little dragon was inside. She was as curious about the dragon as it was about her, and that seemed to please it. Although, she imagined this egg would be happy with every Candidate, if that was the case.

The only eggs she had missed were on opposite far edges of the Clutch. She trekked first to the tailing trail egg, it being the closer one, and after a brief brush brought a sense of a less eager curiosity than that of the brilliant flash egg, Ceta put both hands on the shell. A strange combination of emotions briefly pressed on her, then the egg's curious nature waned and made room for a reserved welcome. Seeing others coming to visit the egg, Ceta made her goodbye short and stepped away to leave room for some of the many other Candidates.

The last was a small egg put rather far out from the rest of its siblings. With the hot sand beneath her feet, Cetalese made a quick trail around the far outside of the Clutch to reach it. She would have to pass by the Clutch again on the way out, so she could make her second rounds then. It would be sad if she missed this little one, so far away from the others. Why had Brakiath moved it so far from the group? She reflected puzzlement in her expression as she approached it and reached out a hand, her mind turning the problem over in her mind. There must be a reason to keep it separate--

Negative emotions, despair, listlessness, overwhelmed her. Cetalese leaned a bit harder on the egg and then pulled her hand away as if through unthinned numbweed. She was too withdrawn to be a dragon rider. Becoming less submissive just from riding a dragon? If anything, her failure at the Hatching would only make her more likely to let others push her around. No, it wasn't her preventing more waves from being made, it was just her inability to be strong, that was all. It was too bad really. She came all this way for nothing... Eliza would probably Impress this Hatching, and then Ceta would be separated from the only real person she could call a friend in the Weyr...

Since the Queen was too far in for her to reach easily or quickly, Cetalese made what was almost a beeline for the guiding light egg. The mind that made her so good at fixing problems without needing to confront others about them often lent her a hand in other matters, like her pattern for the Touching and this plan to rid herself of the black eating away at her heart. There had been only two eggs that seemed to have the level of calm that would disspell such negativity. Ignoring the other Candidates nearby or at the guiding light egg, she quickly rested both hands on it and let the egg's presence convince her that not all dragons were so forceful or negative, that she could Impress, that her unspoken hope for the ability to speak up would be answered. She closed her eyes and let her hands fall away. Her sense was returning and with it the realization that there were in fact other people around. She opened her eyes and looked up at the strong-featured younger boy standing over the egg with her, her expression some indeterminate phase between emotions in the same way that his seemed to be blank. After a moment of eye contact, Cetalese lowered her eyes and moved on to give the eggs she wasn't unnerved by a second touching.

Touching the enormous luminous egg was quite a nice experience. It seemed very keen to get out and do things, and while it was certainly very sure of itself it wasn't too forceful about it which was nice given he might well find himself answering to the rider of his dragon one day. Patting the golden shell gently Zerivon then moved on to the last egg that he knew couldn't possibly be for him. The swirling egg certainly shared its queen's confidence but there was something here that was... uh... boisterous, enthused, words like that. While it seemed to have more bounce than he could relate to he certainly looked forward to meeting this dragon.

Ah, and what about this little egg leaning against it? Seeking protection behind such a kind but powerful dragon-to-be? An admirer?... Uh. No. Slightly not. The only reason this egg wanted to be close to its much larger sibling was to challenge it. The burning egg just about overwhelmed with with its almost savage will to do... stuff. He didn't know what it wanted, but one thing it didn't seem to want was to hang around. Like the swirling egg and the luminous egg it seemed to want to hatch yesterday or something. Pulling his hand back and straightening up from touching the little egg Zerivon pursed his lips slightly; whoever Impressed that one was going to be in for a rough ride.

Moving onward Zerivon came up beside the distant sea egg, and tried to size it up inside his mind. Looked like about the right size to be a brown so again he doubted this one would be for him but just as he'd greeted the other large eggs he laid a hand gently on its shell... Well it certainly seemed to like him; he felt as though it was asking after his wellbeing after his encounter with the burning egg. Could it know that he'd just come from there, or was it the caring protective sort in general? Well, whatever the reason it was nice to encounter another friendly presence even if it probably was a brown inside.

Stepping away fro the distant sea egg Zerivon scanned the clutch to work out how many eggs he had left to touch, he'd kind of lost track of numbers thanks to the intensity of the encounters with those he'd already met. Humm, so... one, two, three, four. Well over half way there then, and by shells - these shells to be exact - he hoped that there were no more nasty surprises in store for him. The next closest to him was a pair of eggs that rested against on another, and in fact the distant sea egg seemed to lean towards them too. Wondering why this was and hoping that the two weren't together for the same reason as the swirling egg and the burning egg, Zerivon moved onward towards them.

The egg her hand currently rested on (orbiting egg) was very welcoming. An emphasis on the 'very'. Maybe almost too welcoming? No. Not too welcoming. Clingy. Narisa wasn't sure she liked overly clingy, but something about it was sort of adorable. A small giggle escaped as it seemed that this egg, and it's dragonet, had completely forgotten about her. Or something of more interest had caught it's attention. Amused, Narisa moved on to the guiding light egg, which was nestled against this one. She easily let her hand slide from one egg to the other. This egg was smaller then a good portion it's clutch siblings. Sweet and patient. You will be a loving one. The sensation seemed to come and go quickly. Interesting. Was it shy? Frightened a little? No, that didn't seem right. And there was some strong feeling for the previous egg she'd touched. This one seemed to really be fond of it.

With one last pat to this egg, Narisa found herself approaching the luminous egg. Unconsciously, she felt herself straightening up more as she placed a hand on the Queen egg. Like when she would meet important clientele back home. This egg deserved much respect. Confident and intelligent. Yes. This would be a fantastic Queen. And powerful. At least, that is what Narisa thought it was. She didn't think any other words fit the feeling. You will a strong Queen. And an all around fantastic dragon. Especially with this Queen not feeling any embarrassment or gloating over what it was. Very strong. Smiling, she let her hand linger for a moment longer before she moved on with another glance at the Queen egg.

This egg, the brilliant flash egg, had her blinking and trying not to laugh. So much curious enthusiasm! She thought it was such a funny egg! Almost too enthusiastic for her, but it was a doll. And seemed to be placed exactly where it should be among it's clutch siblings. A doll. She thought before moving to a new egg. This one (the rocky band egg) was still located near the Queen egg. And when her hand made contact, she was surprised by it's vigorous feelings of 'why hadn't she been paying attention to it?!'. Attention whore. That fit this one quite nicely and pulled a grin from her as she ran her fingers along it's shell. Sorry, love. Gotta spend time with the others. Narisa let her hand run along it's shell once more before moving away slowly.

The swirling egg. It was one of the larger ones Narisa had approached. The feelings she got when her hand finally lay upon the shell was warm and enthusiastic. Again. This one would probably give the other enthusiastic one some competition in that arena. Impatient or overly eager. Like the other, Narisa felt amused by the egg yet couldn't help but feel that it might be too full of energy. But she enjoyed being near it. However, its neighboring egg, the burning egg, radiated annoyance by the gallon. She kept her fingers light on this one, not sure of the feelings coming from it. Yet at the same time she felt drawn to such a feeling of savage pride. And the annoyance it seemed to feel towards it's neighbor. Interesting. This was probably another one that would need watching when it hatched.

Stepping away from the burning egg, Narisa looked over the clutch. Which had she not spent some time with yet? Her light blue gaze was drawn towards an egg far off to the side. The void egg. Oh? She hadn't spent time with that one. Curious about this tiny egg, Narisa approached it and placed a gentle hand along the shell. Immediately, her good feelings from previous eggs dulled down from the gloom and brooding coming off this egg. Strange. Why did it feel like so? Narisa found that instead of being turned away, she placed both hands along the shell, as if she might discern more about it with two hands. Why...wait. There was a flash of something there. Something other than those dark feelings. She blinked at the tiny egg. Very slowly, her hands slid from it's shell while her mind worked around what she'd felt. Darkness and gloom. But that last...it had been something shiny.

Eying the void egg still, perhaps a little reluctantly, Narisa started to move back towards the main grouping of eggs. Only she didn't quite make it all the way back before coming across another egg. This one wasn't quite as far out as the void egg, but it also remained somewhat apart from the main grouping. Placing her hands along this shell, she felt a patience that was quite different from the brooding egg before. The scattered stars egg seemed to be in no particular hurry or just didn't mind things as much as they others. In fact, it almost seemed like the most laid back of the eggs. Narisa rather enjoyed being around this egg. Though the void egg still drew her gaze again, even as she moved on to what she thought was the last egg to receive her affections.

And again, she felt surprise fill her when she lay a hand on the tailing trail egg. Instead of peaceful, energized, or gloomy, this egg was questioning. Was it curious? Or just naturally would question things? Narisa tilted her head a little, looking over the egg. There was confidence there and what she thought may have been a love for life? Perhaps? Curious why such an egg wasn't lodged somewhere with the central clutch eggs. She smiled and gave the egg a little pat before stepping away.

Well, she was pretty sure she'd touched all the eggs by now. Looking over them all, she nodded to herself (like someone who is used to taking quick inventory) and found she was indeed correct. Looking at the grouping of eggs, Narisa felt herself move to pay the luminous egg another visit. The Queen egg was still just as fascinating as the first time she approached it. And Narisa found her feelings renewed on how wonderful of a Queen this dragonet would make. Letting her feet take her where they would, she was drawn back to two particular eggs. The void egg and the scattered stars egg. Again, she felt the same things as before. And yes! There had indeed been a brief moment of something shiny and bright from the void egg! Grinning a little and wishing both eggs well, Narisa reluctantly started to make her way off the sands.

Nawa was calm as she arrived at the Touching, inwardly excited but carefully restrained; she didn't rush, or fidget, or otherwise display her eagerness except for a small smile. She was, as always, on her very best behavior, following all instructions given to a T. She donned one of the provided robes, bowed to Brakiath and Hers, and would have thanked them, if the Weyrlingmaster hadn't put an emphasis on being quick. It was understandable, of course, there were a lot of Candidates, and it didn't take much to slow things down, so she settled for a grateful smile instead before going to the eggs.

She had a brief moment of indecision about which egg to go to first, but settled quickly on the luminous egg - yes, because it was gold egg, but not out of some ambition or sense of entitlement. It was a Queen, though still in its shell, so it made sense in Nawa's well-ordered mind to 'greet' it first, as it were. And what a fascinating greeting it was! All the things that she would have expected of a gold were there, with the exception of arrogance. It had a power that was almost pleasant, which was refreshingly surprising. She did not linger, intent on doing as she was supposed to, and didn't feel the burst of intensity other Candidates might have.

The young woman moved on the the rocky band egg, which was quite the change from the one before it. While the gold egg drew attention simply by being what it was, this one demanded it knowingly. And yet...it didn't seem unpleasant. It wanted the attention, wanted to be appreciated - needed, maybe? - but didn't neglect to welcome her when she touched it. She did stay a little longer, since it so clearly wanted her to, but soon moved on regardless. Whatever boy Impressed this dragon would need to be especially devoted.

The swirling egg had a passingly similar feel, with that enthusiastic greeting it had for her. This one seemed less desperate for the attention, however, and perhaps more confident in that way. It was also desperate to get out, though she couldn't blame it. Imagine being stuck in an egg with so much going on around you! She'd certainly be eager to get out and participate.

The burning egg was an enormous change from the first three she'd touched. This one was unmistakably proud, rather than simply confident, and had a different tone to its impatience than the egg it leaned against. It was more of a general impatience, not just one to get out of its egg. She didn't spend much time at all with this egg, since it obviously wasn't pleased by the attention - and if it didn't have time for her, well, why spend hers there?

The guiding light egg was a return to nicer feelings - the nicest so far, albeit faint. Such a lovely dragon must be inside! Gentle, patient, and unlike the rocky band egg, not looking to draw attention. This was an egg she wanted to linger on, enjoying the peaceful sensation, but she reminded herself that she shouldn't hold things up, and moved on.

Nawa rested her hands on the orbiting egg next, and found it to be another agreeable individual, friendly and happy to meet her. It didn't have a long attention span, though, and quickly refocused on the guiding light egg. Maybe they were already friends?

Next up was the distant sea egg, yet another very likable egg. By and large, it was an excellent clutch so far, and she was certainly looking forward to the Hatching. This was welcoming, too, and seemingly interested in her (and everyone else who touched it, she assumed) and her wellbeing. What a courteous, wonderful dragon must be inside! Judging by its size, it was probably going to Impress to a boy, but there could always be a surprise.

She went to the clouded egg next, and was in for quite a shock after the other eggs she'd touched! This one was different, and not in a good way - not just unhappy, but angry! It had a very unpleasant feel about it, like it was judging her and displeased. Everyone judged everyone, of course, it was only natural, but there was getting the measure of someone and then there was being critical, mean about it. Nawa was quick to withdraw her hands.

Closest to that was the explosive egg, which was certainly an improvement over its closest neighbor. Friendly at first, as well as intelligent, and so she was quite startled when those sensations gave way to a burst of anger that caused her to draw back and frown. What had she done?

Shaking it off, she went to the brilliant flash egg, and her smile returned as quickly as it had vanished. This one was not just friendly, but outright outgoing, and apparently happy to have company. How delightful! Much as she had with the rocky band egg, she lingered here for a few moments longer, since it seemed to be what the dragonet inside wanted.

Nawa visited the scattered stars egg next, from which she didn't get as an intense of a feeling as she had from the others. There was obviously something there, patiently observing, but not actually paying attention to her. Hm. Intriguing.

Nearly finished, she made her way to the tailing trail egg, which was also something of a mystery. Initially, it was almost rude - what are you? - but that soon faded and was replaced by warmer feelings. The switch was a bit disconcerting, to be honest.

The last egg she touched was was also the smallest, although she only touched it last because it was so far away...and no wonder it was! The void egg was a gloomy, brooding little thing. Which raised the question, was it out here because it didn't like the other ones, or because they didn't like that it was such a downer? Nawa patted it gently, feeling a bit sorry for it either way, and left the Sands.

Lilias strode onto the hatching grounds when it was her turn, closely followed by the flirtatious Allaxon whom she had absolutely no time for. She strode up to the Queen and Queen Rider and bowed deeply to each respectively. After the niceties had ended she was permitted to approach the clutch.

Lilias began with the Luminous Egg and was greeted with a calm, concrete confidence and a sparkling intelligence. Though th egg radiated power, Lilias felt at ease in it's presence and as she stood with her palm splayed on the warm shell she was rewarded with a feeling of anticipation, she smiled at the gold egg. This was going to be a steadfast gold and a good leader in her estimation. Lilias was going to look forward to the dragonets hatching and was also looking forward to befriending the rider whomever she would be.

Lilias moved to the next egg and stroked the shell thoughtfully. She was instantly bombarded with enthusiasm as if the egg was putting all it could into greeting each new hand it touched. She was pleased deeply by this reaction and thought the Swirling Egg most likely contained a brown or a bronze it was a pleasure for even her to touch. She moved on with a light feeling in her heart. The touching seemed to be going well.

Her light mood was stopped short the moment she placed a palm on the Burning Egg. She was bombarded by a strong feeling of pride and a deep seated impatience. This dragonet wanted out now in order to satisfy a strong drive. A drive toward what end Lilias didn't know and the creature unseated her a little. She quickly removed her hand and returned to her own feelings which had been sent a roiling by this egg. Lilias thought of the implications of the possibility of her impressing the Burning Egg and thought that its rider would have to exhibit the same amount of passion toward the same goal of the hatchling. She turned a little green at the prospect.

Moving on, Lilias reached the Explosive Egg and touched the shell firmly. She was greeted cordially and with a keen sense of wit. She paused, this egg was quite intriguing and a refreshing change from the last one that she had visited. She felt an almost like presence from this egg to her own ideals until she seemed to have lingered to long and was met with an upsurge of anger. She stilled and then quickly continued on, not wanting to upset the fiery youngster longer. She liked the egg but wondered at where the anger had come from, perhaps it was wanted to proceed to the next candidate? What an odd little dragon.

Feeling confused she moved on to the Void Egg. This egg greeted her with a sense of gloom. She cocked her head at the waiting shell. Who would be so gloomy at a touching she asked herself. Did this egg not want to meet its life partner? She felt her own spirits falling but stayed as she tried to figure out the baby within. A flash of brilliance greeted her after a moment and she smiled. The egg was a trickster and hiding something from her. Cheeky devil, she thought and then smiled at the egg before traveling on, giving the shell one last pat fondly.

The Clouded Egg bombarded her with what felt like an examination. She very nearly scolded the brat in her head. It was an angry, grumpy feeling egg and she didn't like the attitude one bit. Smarten up, she whispered in her head, or you will never attract any but the most unsteady candidate. She grimaced slightly at the thought of this creature meeting everyone on the hatching grounds. She would try and stay away from this determined youngster.

The Orbiting Egg astounded her with its warm welcome and its slight clingyness. She enjoyed this one imensely and the little darling put her in a much better mood then the previous egg. It felt good to be wanted. Lilias felt that she was being drawn away from a little and hid her disappointment as well as she could. She wondered at the amazing difference in personalities that the new dragons exhibited.

The Guiding Light Egg filled her heart with gentleness and caring. She felt almost as if she were in her mother's arms again, which was absurd because she was in the middle of Trines hatching sands. This egg reinforced the renewed hope that there were gentle and pleasant souls on the sands, (like the egg before it) and she resolved to not worry about the others. She wished this dragonet well in finding one who would love it back just as strongly.

The Brilliant Flash Egg emanated a bubblyness that Lilias was instantly drawn into, the curiosity and confidence that this egg displayed warmed Lilias and she longed to meet the creature, whether she impressed the hatchling or not she was determined to become its aquaintence so she could bask in its happy Aura.

The Tailing Trail Egg was curious as to what exactly Lilias was and this confused her for a little bit. But she was soon greeted by and easy warmth and she left the little darling with a slight smile on her lips. She had always liked curiosity.

The Scattered Stars Egg seemed to be experiencing everything at once and this intimidated Lilias a bit because she liked to focus on one thing at a time usually. The egg gave off a deep patience and Lilias smiled at that. Perhaps it was being patient with her.

The Distant Sea Egg made her grin. It was quite interested in her and Lilias found this gratifying as she was interested in all the eggs as well. It seemed to generally care how she felt and Lilias felt more cheerful for it. She liked this egg as well.

The Rocky Band Egg stunned her with its intensity. It wanted all of her attention now and seemed to banish thoughts of the other eggs to the far reaches of her consciousness. It was very demanding and reminded her slightly of some of the other dragons she new. This would be a wonderful dragon and it was a great egg to finish up with. She smiled at the egg and giving it a last pat she strode of the sands with a happy smile
on her face. It had been a good touching and though it seemed a little difficult to remember exactly who was who she did recall who she had visited last.

Time went in bursts and starts. There were days that seemed to stretch on for weeks, where Peradan questioned everything and wondered if life at the Weyr would truly give her glory. Then there were days that flew by, like the days immediately proceeding Brakiath's Flight, when Peradan had waited eagerly for eggs, only to realize that they came weeks and weeks after the Queen had actually taken to the sky. Since then, time seemed to drag by. Peradan tried to interest herself in the politics of the change in Weyr leadership, but it felt remote from her as of yet. Surely, when she became a rider (and she was confident that she would be- why else would she be Searched), it would all make more sense. For now, she was content simply to enjoy herself, knowing that if she did Impress at this most recent clutch, any free time she had now would be long gone.

The night before the Touching was pure torture. Peradan hardly slept at all, tossing and turning, wondering what the eggs would look like, how large they would truly be, and whether or not one of them would actually call to her. What if none of them dead? What if she felt nothing from the eggs? They hadn't made a mistake in Searching her, but that did not mean that her dragon was in this current clutch. The thought of waiting months for another clutch to come again made her stomach lurch slightly, until she tasted acid in her throat. Peradan refused to even consider that anymore. Everyone said that on the day of the Hatching, the baby dragons could sense hesitation and fear. She would be confident and welcoming, and let love seep out of every pore.

Then it was the actual Touching herself, and Peradan was crowded in with her fellow Candidates, listening to the bellowed instructions and indulging in a shiver of anticipation. This was the moment so many of them had been waiting for. This felt like a proving ground. Peradan had always been ambitious, but there had been an aimless quality to it. As she stood with the others, a certainty bloomed within. She was meant to ride dragons, and so she would be known. In what capacity and on which color she did not know, nor particularly care. They were all wonderful.

Peradan spared a glance to try and find those she knew before throwing that inside and marching inside the sweltering Hatching Grounds. A fine sheen of sweat immediately broke out on her face. It was distasteful, but everyone else was dealing with the same thing. It was more important to pay respects to the Queen and rider currently than it was to worry about her face and appearance. Somehow, she doubted the eggs cared.

Bowing deeply to Brakiath, and then equally deeply to Abigail, Peradan got her first sight of the eggs. They were large- much larger than she had thought. Though she knew nothing of clutch sizes, she thought that this one was fairly good sized, and what it lacked in number of eggs, it made up with in their size and sheer presence. Like most of the women, her eyes drifted to the gold egg. It was well within her rights to touch it, but it felt so stereotypical to go to that one first. But if she didn't touch it, she would be missing out on an opportunity. Peradan had as much of a chance at the gold as any of those girls, and in the end, the temptation was too much to resist.

Squaring her shoulders, Peradan marched up to the luminous egg. Her fears of not feeling anything from the eggs were ill founded. Just standing near the golden shell made her yet more confident, and when she finally lay one hand delicately against the surface, that same sense of confidence flooded through her, along with ones of power and intelligence. Yes, Peradan could understand this egg. The longer she stood, the more the feelings intensified, while something else came in. It was a earning, a plea for action. Yes, she understood that too. If only eggs could talk! "What would you say?" Peradan mused softly, before pulling herself away with a small amount of reluctance. There were more eggs in the clutch than just the Queen, and they were catching her eye, beckoning her over.

She had wanted to head towards the burning egg, but even getting near it made Peradan jittery. Whatever was inside clearly wanted out. Yet... "Your time will come, little one." She dared to put a hand on the shell, and underneath the impatience she felt passion. It was a wonderful feeling, mixing well with the confidence from the Queen egg. It seemed angry though, a fact that put Peradan off it. That the anger seemed to be directed at a larger, calmer egg was slightly humorous, but overall she was not pleased.

On the opposite side of the gold egg was the brilliant flash egg. It lacked the anger of its siblings, and Peradan was happy to give it more time than she had given to its angry sibling. Something about the egg seemed sociable. Perhaps it was just the way the egg was positioned in the clutch, but Peradan expected that this would be a dragon who made many friends. That could be very useful. The cynicism from that little voice in her mind made Peradan step back, wrinkling her nose. It wasn't right to think like that on this day, out of all days. Today was reserved for happiness and confidence, not her ambition, and especially not a small, nasty part of her soul that Peradan refused to let take over.

Though it was far too large to contain anything that she could possibly Impress to, Peradan's eyes were drawn to the rocky band egg. It wanted her attention- why not give it? She knew what it was like to be the center of someone's universe, and she knew what it was like to want to be that to someone. She would stay and pay it heed for a little while longer, admiring the mottled shell and large size. It was really too bad that it probably contained a brown or a bronze. Though there were aspects of each egg that the Candidate could easily relate to, Peradan found herself drawn more to some than to others. This happened to be one such egg. There was no use in sulking though. She had one more egg she wanted to visit, before taking a break to stretch out her knees. They were cramping up from squatting and kneeling so much in the hot sand.

The void egg was certainly not the friendliest of eggs. It lay well out of the clutch, and was much smaller than any of the others. Still, Peradan approached it with the same happy anticipation she had approached the others. The closer she got, the more that feeling dampened, until she stood before the small egg and contemplated just turning around and going back. She had come this far though. Maybe the egg just needed to warm up to her? Crouching down, Peradan laid her hand against the shell. Her unhappiness grew worse and worse. Tempted to break away, but now faced with a challenge that she could not ignore, she stared at the egg, as if the dragonet inside could see her, and stare back. Finally she felt something, some intelligence, some light... It was just a flash, but it was there. That was enough, for now.

Next Balt touched the explosive egg. Seeing the other candidates’ reaction to this egg, he was determined not to be startled. What he found surprised him. What were those other candidates so scared of? At first this egg made him want to smile, even laugh a little. He bit his tongue, still pre-occupied with the clouded egg. He didn’t want it to think he liked this egg better. Maybe that was a little silly. Without any warning, while he was still trying to figure out what was so peculiar about the explosive egg the dragon lashed out at him from inside its egg. Balt jumped back, hissing sharply through his teeth. At least the clouded egg was honest! The explosive egg was probably just as nervous as its clutchmate, but it was also two-faced and Balt didn’t like it. Cheeks blazing red he quickly straightened his posture, glaring at the other candidates, knowing they were laughing at him even if they didn’t show it. Well, they wouldn’t laugh when he found His.

Stalking away from the main group, he kept walking until his fury finally burned off. The last thing he wanted was to inflict his temper on an unborn dragon and make a bad impression. When he stopped he found himself next to the void egg. Unfortunately, this dragon did not greet him with a warm welcome. He paled, worried that he was to blame for the egg’s reaction. What if all dragons felt this way and he was just too stupid to see it? Was that why he was still trying to Impress? His mother was already part of a Wing when she was his age, why wasn’t he? He backed off after only a few seconds, cold and sick inside. Turning his back to the other candidates, who were too distracted by the eggs to even notice him, he rubbed his face vigorously and took the long way back to clear his mind. Shards, what was he coming to? Was he truly a failure or was that egg just messing with his head?

Desperate to reclaim his composure, he sought refuge from himself in a simpler, more logical question. How many eggs had he visited so far? There was the luminous egg, the rocky band egg, the burning egg, the distant sea egg, the clouded egg, the brilliant flash egg, the guiding light egg, the orbiting egg, the explosive egg, and the void egg made ten. That left three eggs. Where were they? He quickly went over the layout of the nest in his head. This turned out unnecessary, for straight ahead of him lay an egg he couldn’t remember touching.

The trailing trails egg came as a welcome change from the last two eggs he visited.
At first he felt a little put off by its rude questioning – he was no longer in the mood for critical eggs – but he soon realized the egg was less critical than curious. He stayed with this egg for a while, comforted by its friendly and inquisitive nature. This dragon was too caught up in its surroundings to deceive him. He felt foolish for thinking it would. Something about that void egg just wasn’t right. However, he believed this egg – the trailing trails - would make a great partner. Balt needed a dragon that was confident and aware of its surroundings, not just a brute. ”You’re pretty strange yourself. In a good way. I hope one day we can fly together.”

The scattered stars egg seemed different from the others. At first he wasn’t sure what to make of it. It reminded him a little of the guiding light egg, but not as opaque. Perhaps he only felt anything from this egg because he was no longer in such a hurry. It possessed one of those middling personalities, neither hot nor cold, neither friendly nor hostile, which he always struggled to make sense of. What he got most from this egg was a feeling of indifference, even clarity of experience. It seemed to soak everything in without forming any opinions at all. Balt didn’t like it. He didn’t like people like this either, always refusing to pick a side. Not one to criticize dragons, Balt made his way back to the main clutch without saying anything to the scattered stars egg.

Twelve eggs. Who was he missing? Balt looked around and found his eyes drawn to a large egg next to the burning egg. He remembered seeing this egg earlier, but strangely he couldn’t recall touching it. He touched the swirling egg and immediately regretted forgetting about it. This egg radiated the kind of self-confidence he always strived for, yet in private he often felt more like a failure. After his experience with the void egg his hope for a self-confident dragon was higher than ever. ”I’m sorry I left you behind before. I get impatient, too. I hope you hatch into a brilliant bronze.”

Before leaving the sands, Balt re-visited the burning egg, the clouded egg, the rocky band egg, the swirling egg, and lastly the explosive egg. He felt as though he had a score to settle with this egg. The dragon lashed out at his mind again, making him wince, but he held his ground and gently patted the egg. ”See? You can’t scare everyone away.” He didn’t say this to mock the dragon inside. Sooner or later it would have to choose a partner. He didn’t want this egg to remember him as one of the boys who ran away.

The orbiting egg was up next, and another friendly one. It was quite nice how much it seemed to like him actually... but then it stopped paying attention to him. Well fine, it was probably just focused on its sibling, that was fine. Reaching over, Zerivon then touched the guiding light egg and felt he could understand why the orbiting egg had turned its attention back here. It was warm, caring, but not at all forceful. It was tempting to hang around with it for a while longer, just enjoying that feeling of gentle welcome but there were other people wanting to touch it and he still had two to go.

Straightening up again Zerivon headed over to the scattered stars egg... Was there something wrong with it? The feeling coming from it was quite faint and it didn't seem to be paying him any mind at all, positive or negative. Frowning slightly the lithe candidate stroked the shell gently, almost wishing for a sting like the explosive egg or the harsh determination of the burning egg... Maybe it was just thinking about something else? He hoped so, it was upsetting to think there could be something wrong with an egg. Maybe he'd ask somebody who knew more later on, one of the veteran candidates who'd been here turn and turns or something. Giving the scattered stars egg a final reassuring pat, Zerivon moved to the last egg in the clutch...

Apparently the trailing tail egg thought he was strange. Well that was nice, wasn't it? He thought it was pretty strange too so there... Oh, well now it was welcoming him and he felt a bit bad for telling it it was weird. It didn't seem to care too much though, it was as confident as it had been initially abrupt. Hopefully this one would do alright when the hatching came... hopefully they all would come to that. Stepping away from the last egg, Zerivon scanned the sands thoughtfully. It looked to him as if some of the candidates were revisiting some of the eggs... should he do that? He wouldn't know which ones to go to though, maybe just the ones he'd found pleasant? Maybe it would be best to just leave it and get off the burning sands, they weren't meant to hang around too long after all. Decision made, Zerivon bowed briefly to the queen dragon and rider again before turning away and setting off swiftly for the exit. Was his dragon inside one of those eggs? He had no way of knowing, but he had to admit his confidence wasn't the highest. How did you avoid getting your hopes up, but at the same time keep your heart open to the hatchlings as they smashed out of their eggs? You couldn't really, could you? No, you just had to take the plunge and risk getting hurt. Again.

On the edge of the sands Zerivon turned to take a last look at the eggs, and his fellow candidates moving amongst them. Sure was a lot of competition, but if his dragon was there it would find him and nobody else... although if one of the others wasn't there who would have been best for a dragon, maybe it would pick him instead. Giving a faint sigh Zerivon shook his head, no point thinking that way. He'd get lucky or he wouldn't... Shells he wished it could all be over with right now. Turning his back on the eggs once more Zerivon headed over to change back into the normal clothes and tried to put away the gnawing uncertainty and fear in his gut along with the white candidate robes. All he could do was wait... He really hated waiting.