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 Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 5:12 pm
As the Candidate that had been touching it stepped away, Zara approached an egg next to the one she had just left. It didn't seem to be able to make up its mind whether it was orange or blue, although the size certainly suggested a green inside. Then again, small blues had broken through the shells of eggs that were much the same size. It was busily colored, although not too busy thanks to the few colors making up its pattern. "Whatever you are, I think you'll have just the right amount of energy," Zara murmured, running her hand lightly down the egg before stepping away to await her chance to touch another.
This time the wait was not long, and the wiry Candidate stepped up to an egg whose pattern overwhelmed its relative lack of color. Varying shades of brown (and the occasional touch of blue) it might be, the lines and stripes and dribbles gave it a look that was nearly ugly. At the same time, there was a strange beauty in the rich, natural shades. Would the dragonet have a personality that seemed to be as unappealing, save to its rider? Perhaps...as she backed away from the egg, Zara reflected silently that this time, the appearance of the eggs seemed that it might reflect the true variety present in draconic temperament.
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 6:12 pm
Though he'd sternly told himself he'd sit back and be a good boy, Jiriar soon found himself back near the eggs, completely engrossed with the fiery orange streaked against the cooler, deeper blue. He waited quietly for a young woman he assumed to be his age, give or take, to move away from it before he approached. He'd never been the type to truly note the richness of colors, but this egg was vibrant enough that he almost felt a little dizzy trying to sort the patterns all out. Bizarre--beautiful, but still bizarre.
The dull, almost ugly egg with vibrant blue hues caught his attention next, but the lanky man son realized with a start that someone was speaking to him. Hazel eyes rolled lazily to their corners to observe his cousin, unable to keep a grin from pulling across his face. "You could say that. Good to see you... You touched any yet?" He found himself surprisingly relieved to finally find a familiar face. Jiriar had never been one to work himself up in a tizzy over details, but it was nice knowing he still had family here in this strange, new place.
"What do you think of her?" He'd ask quietly, inclining his head respectfully towards the Queen. Yes, he understood the thrill of the eggs... but maybe he simply wasn't used to seeing dragons yet. No wonder they needed so many herdbeasts to keep the dragons happy, especially if they were even half her size!
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 6:55 pm
Dusen had slept through the candidate master's call, only waking up when one of the last boys out, shook his shoulder. He had quickly gotten dressed, and straggled in late. He bowed to the queen respectfully and then moved to touch the eggs.
He had seen the clutch before, during the last touching, so they weren't entirely unfamiliar to him. They were just as pretty as the other clutch had been, and Dusen wondered if perhaps one of these would be for him. If not, well, there was always next time.
He moved into the midst of the sands, claiming a lone egg, running his hands down it. He smiled thoughtfully, and then moved on, glancing around the grounds for anyone he knew.
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 7:04 pm
The twins waited until the blue egg wasn't occupied by another Candidate before they approached it. Again they crouched in front of the egg, but this time Davril reached out her hand first placing it on the blue egg. She wondered at marvel that was hiding inside the shell. Giant dragons came from such a small egg. She imagined any one of the eggs on the sands hatching and the dragon inside choosing her as it's other half. She didn't even know what she would do, she had a feeling her heart might explode. The brown-haired girl stroked the egg affectionately before she withdrew her hand so that Davian could touch it as well. I bet you'll be a pretty green, she knew that most would guess blue because of the eggs colour but she, herself, wasn't so sure.
The sixteen year old waited patiently for his sister's hand to withdraw and when it did he placed his hand on the warm shell of the egg. He thought of the dragon that was growing inside the egg just waiting to break free and he shook his head slightly. He could still barely believe that he was here, at Ista Weyr, participating in a Touching and later a Hatching. He gave the egg a gentle pat before he stood, his sister standing as well. He tugged her sleeve lightly and they stepped away from the egg to let another Candidate have their turn.
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 7:11 pm
Having a tremendous height seemed to be an advantage for Jisken as his fingers left the shimmering blue egg, his eyes peering over the heads of other Candidates to look for other eggs to touch. After a moment, one caught his eye, if only because of its...how to be polite...rather odd coloration. Jisken quirked a bushy eyebrow at the strange egg, and he wondered if he was the extroverted type to attract that sort of egg. Then he shook his head, ridding himself of such thoughts. He'd seem dozens of instances where the color of the egg indicated little to nothing about the dragon, and speculation could only harm in an instance like this. He decided to put his prejudices aside, and as he had before, simply approach the egg for a momentary touch.
Because this one actually had a noticable pattern, unlike the blue, when Jisken's fingers ran across it he found himself tracing the lines of the medium-sized egg, attempting to find some rhyme and reason for what his mother surely would have thought of as tacky. His sister would have liked the design, for sure, and as Jisken thought of her he was almost reminded of a frock she had made two turns ago, one whose clashing colors caused it to remain unsold. It had later been recycled into washcloths, to his sister's dismay, and he remembered that she had cut a cross-section from it before it had been disposed of, so she could remember the colors should she ever be suitably inspired (or her parents gave her permission to make another one, whichever came first).
However, a dragon was never recycled, and Jisken felt sure that it would find an according match among the crowd. He let his fingers slip away, then returned to his search, peering over Candidates to find his next choice. Somewhere in the distance he noticed Firyal, and for that he gave a knowing smile. But, she would have to wait for later: he only had now to focus on the eggs.
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 7:30 pm
Glancing about for the next egg to approach, Zara found herself drawn towards a soft grey egg that was neither large enough to prompt speculation of bronze or brown or small enough to warrant guesses of blue or green. A mystery you are, she found herself thinking, delicate fingers tracing around one of the dark spots that wound their way about the egg's shell. Whatever you contain, it's sure to surprise somebody. Would the dragonet within be as shy as its soft colors, or deceptive in its quiet? Or would it be bold, proclaiming its superiority despite the muted colors of its egg? One could certainly never tell...giving the egg a last gentle pat, Zara moved on to the next one.
This one was the largest she'd touched so far, and the most wildly colored. Pink, green, purple, yellow...it was definitely an attention-grabber. Normally she would have moved past it, but it was just small enough that it could still contain a large blue--and as such, it was her responsibility to ensure that the dragonet within had a chance to 'meet' her. "I wonder if you'll be as loud as you look," the young woman whispered as she ran her hand hover the egg's surface. "Or maybe...perhaps your egg's bright colors will make you want to hide?" Realizing her words, she shook her head in amusement at herself. Silly...the shell determined nothing save whether the dragonet within was a queen. And yet, Touching always seemed to make her forget that, if only for a little while.
With a smile and another respectful bow to the queen guarding the sands, Zara moved to the back of the group, waiting to file out with the rest of her peers.
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 8:58 pm
Jessmet had learned to sleep well among so many other girls; their various sighs, snores, and the sound of bodies turning over produced a sort of white noise. Almost soothing in its variations. The Candidate Master's bellow, however, was anything but. Jessmet gave herself to the count of three to gather her wits about her: Touching the eggs was important. She smoothed her flyaways down and expertly rebraided the last few inches of her braid. Pulling on trews and tunic, she reminded herself to put on boots instead of the sandals she usually wore around the Weyr.
The mass of female candidates swarmed from their individual alcoves in the general direction of the Hatching Grounds. Jessmet was somewhere in the middle, moving quickly but not frantically. She had done this several times before so she had some idea of what to expect. The queen would be there, presiding over her clutch and inspecting the candidates. This clutch wasn't especially large, with only fifteen eggs, but there was always a variety of sizes and colors. Many of the weyrfolk regularly placed bets on which eggs would produce what colors, and which would be the first to hatch. Jessmet had never bothered with such speculation; it wasn't practical. Every Hatching was different.
The heat of the sands could still be felt through the thick soles of her wherhide boots. Judging from the heat the eggs would be hatching any day now. Eventually Jessmet moved to the front of the informal line which approached the Queen. She bowed neatly and stepped aside for the girl behind her. And there were the eggs. Large enough that Jessmet could have curled up inside one. It would be warm in there. Protected. Could the dragonlings hear what was said around them? Did they know when one nervous candidate after another placed their hands on the smooth domes, or traced the patterns with a finger? Was one of them waiting for her, Jessmet?
Tuning out the hushed voices of the other young people, Jessmet stepped carefully from egg to egg, admiring the splashes of color on one and the subtle markings on another. Her hands caressed the shells, as always impressed by the combination of strength and fragility therein. She did not linger long, knowing there were many others waiting their turn.
Once again paying attention to her surroundings, Jessmet wound her way through the crowd to stand along the wall of the Bowl. From her vantage point she cast an admiring look on the queen and kept an eye on the candidates. Most of them were unfamiliar, only having arrived within the last sevenday, although, of course, some of them she had known from her years in the Lower Caverns. Was that Kiriwar? She had promised to look for him.
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 9:11 pm
Kaskel was among the first of the Weyrfolk to awaken on the morning of the Touching, for he had to be waiting in the crèche room for even the earliest drop-offs as parents started their work day. Having participated in several Touchings already, he was prepared with a substitute to care for the kids when the call came to head to the Hatching Grounds. He hustled to get there in time to enter with the other candidates, jogging fast enough that there was already a slight sheen of sweat on his skin when he set foot on the hot Sands.
The crowd that had come to see the eggs was so large that he actually had to wait for a few minutes before there was even space to bow to the Queen who presided over the event. This gesture was given to her with great respect, for Kaskel had grown up in the Weyr, and knew full well that she and her kind represented the welfare of his people. All of Pern would depend on the dragons, should Thread begin to fall again.
Before approaching any of the candidate-swarmed eggs, he looked around to see if any of his cronies were present. He found Firyal in the crowd first, but he’d need to push people to get to her. That wouldn’t do, so he waved, on the off-chance that she might notice him. He idly watched her interact with the eggs and other candidates, until her movements led his eyes to another familiar figure who was much closer. A small, slim, strawberry blonde morsel that would make most men’s mouths water… if it were actually female, that is. Grinning, he made his way over to Weylin.
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 9:29 pm
One good way to tell that they were related was that they both had the same easy going smile; Jessan recognized his grin on his cousin's face. His turned his cool blue eyes toward the unusually colored egg in front of both of them. Blues and oranges, strange how they didn't seem like they should go together but worked so well for this little one. "I wandered through the eggs, such a small clutch but I think because she," and he nodded towards the Gold, "is a junior Queen. From the gossip I have heard, they have to curb their flights some."
Slowly, he reached his hand out and ran it across the egg. He wanted to say he could feel a life pulsing inside of it but it was warm and hard just like all the others. "As for her, a beauty for sure. A proud mama. I was standing at the last Hatching and their were two of them watching. I wonder what they think of us."
Withdrawing his hand, he looked around and watched some of the others touching and talking softly amongst themselves.
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 9:41 pm
Some might have been surprised to see a tall, lean girl waltzing onto the sands late; those people were those that didn’t know her. If they had known her, they would have known that the simple fact that she, Quinnel, had actually made it to the Touching was a feat in and of itself. As it was, she had nearly missed this one, distracted as she was by some birds’ song. It had taken a scolding to get her moving.
Bowing to the Queens, Quinnel eyed the conversing Candidates briefly before turning her attention to the clutch resting on the sands. A boldly colored green and pink egg was the first to draw her gaze, but it was an averaged-sized brown egg (Picasso Egg) that managed to catch her interest. Walking with a bounce in her step – she nearly looked as though she were skipping – she made her way towards the egg that had caught her attention. She waited patiently for a Candidate to move before stepping next to it.
“ Hello little one. Can you hear me? Probably not, but that’s alright.” She whispered before crouching down. With nimble fingers she traced the streak-like markings from the top of the egg to the bottom, content to simply stare at the egg for a moment before continuing her hushed, one-sided conversation. “ You make me think of mud; in a nice way, mind you. Stomping in mud puddles during a rain shower… yes, yes, mud in a nice way. I think you’ll like mud. If you don’t like mud, surely you’ll like rain: it’s cool and wet and sounds so pretty!”
Standing up, Quinnel brushed the sand from her skirt before patting the egg. “ Maybe one day we can play in the rain together. Until then, bye-bye pretty-mud.”
With that the auburn-haired girl’s eyes swept the room, ascertaining whether any of the remaining eggs merited a visit.
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Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 12:06 am
Weylin cast a cursory glance over the Sands, tipped his head to one side, and contemplated the Candidates (Faranth in the skies, there were so many of them—he hadn’t realized they were out in such droves nowadays!) as they all moved between the eggs. He looked at the Candidatemaster briefly and shook his head. The man really had his work cut out for him, and Weylin didn’t envy him in the slightest. Unable to catch sight of any familiar faces in the crowd for the time-being, he ran a hand through his hair and wiped the first few beads of sweat from the back of his neck. Even this early in the morning it was hot. Sighing at the realization that it could only get worse, he walked toward the eggs, trying not to trip over or jostle anyone.
After only a few seconds, he found himself hoping that some of the Candidates went home after this; there wasn’t enough room in the Weyr for the vast numbers they were putting out. Giving up on his attempts to penetrate the crowd, he shook his head and stepped away. When the rest of them started leaving, he’d put in his time, touch a few eggs, and then escape as quickly as he could. The Queen could understand stragglers…after all, she was overrun at the moment, and there were far more annoying Candidates than himself. He hoped.
As he scanned the crowd once again, he caught sight of the most dazzlingly handsome man he had ever laid eyes on and grinned, lifting a hand in greeting. He wasn’t sure if it was horribly lucky or horribly unlucky that he was attached to one of the most dazzlingly tall, dark, and handsome men Ista had to offer, but he didn’t bother questioning it. And it wasn’t like the sea of Candidates had ebbed any. It was only occasionally possible to see eggs among the Candidates for the moment, but Weylin would pounce as soon as it thinned. Until then…he shrugged and walked over to stand next to Kas.
“All this for only fifteen,” he remarked thoughtfully as soon as he was in range, sweeping his hand wide and then shaking his head.
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Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 2:37 am
Rayale, still blinking and sleepy from his early awakening, bowed to the queen as he entered the sands, the heat rising from under his sandaled feet reminding him of the beach, and the deep blue of one of the eggs attracting much of the attention didn't remind him of it much less, looking like the sea at night to his eyes, lighting up to brilliance under cool moonlight.
He glanced at the candidate master again, kicking himself for feeling out of the habit of early rising, or at least, this particular fellow seemed to have a talent for catching most if not all of them in an drowsy state. Was it simply a vindictive habit or were they supposed to be sleepier to touch the eggs?
He pondered this as he picked his way over the sands, laying a gentle hand on various eggs in turn, although his puzzled, awed expression indicated that he still wasn't sure if what he felt from them was his own astonishment at the experience, which still seemed as amazing as it had the first time, or if there was actually some half felt response from inside the egg.
Were the dragons inside aware of them at all? Or were they sleeping? Maybe it was like something in a dream, a vivid one where you think you feel someone close at hand and then they're gone. Perhaps that was what it was like.
He tried to picture it, curled and sleeping sound within the shell, like being surrounded by the solid hold of the ship, but somehow he didn't think that was quite it either, because unlike the hold of a ship, they were alone in their solid beds of shell.
When he realized he'd been standing maybe a little too long, he shot a hasty look at the grumpy queen and a hurried half bow before moving on. He saw a few familiar faces in the crowd, and took a somewhat distracted interest in this, remembering one young man in particular from sitting by the water side, wishing for the time to go down to the sea. Crimel, that was it right? He'd had a flit named Toad.
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Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 6:43 am
~*Catch a dream and turn it to an idea...
Somehow, Kellar had managed to sleep through everyone else waking up. Somehow, even though he told himself multiple times that he wouldn't sleep in, he had done just that. He woke with a start as he realised he seemed to be the last one still in the sleeping quarters. He muttered a curse under his breath and quickly got up, changing into his usual outfit fairly quickly before heading to the sands. Though he started out in a mad dash, nearly tripping over his own two feet, he gradually slowed as he reached his destination. He gave the Candidatemaster a quick apologetical glance as he walked in.
He stared in dismay at all of the other Candidates, realising that there was a very good chance he may not get an egg this time. He then gave the Queens a bow, not wanting to forget, then began to slowly make his way around the Sands, eyeing each egg and the beautiful hues that played allong their shells. He kept thinking about the day when these wonderful beauties would hatch, how happy he would be if one somehow managed to pick him out of everyone else. He promised himself he wouldn't be picky with what color he got, and it was easy to follow through with it. He believed that 'beggers can't be chosers' and if he were so into getting a dragon, he shouldn't be picky or too hopeful for a certain color.
He waited anxiously for an egg to free up, quickly moving at any opportunity to touch the colorful shell of an egg. His thoughts couldn't stop going to when they would hatch and when some of the Candidates would Impress their dragons. Oh how he hoped he was one of them. He soon found himself at a free egg. He closed his eyes as he gently touched the surface of the egg, moving his hand slowly over the surface. It was only when he reaopened his eyes did he happen to see the brilliant iridescent shine this particular, deep blue egg had. It almost took his breath away as he stared at it. My, aren't you beautiful? he thought, a gentle smile on his face. Reluctantly he backed away from the egg, not wanting to spend an unfair amount of time with it.
He stood back and waited for any others to free up, which he would eventually make his way over to. Gently touching the warm shell, admiring the brilliant displays of color... Although every single one of the eggs were beautiful, even the less brightly-colored ones, it was hard for him not to favorite the first egg he managed to touch. Though it was plain, it held a secret beauty that showed itself once the light hit it. He longed to go over and touch it more, but he realised that would be unfair, and so he just stood to the side, or stood close enough to continue to admire the natural paintings that the shells displayed.
... Now take that dream and write a story!*~
~*The Spellbound Dreamer*~[deviantART gallery]
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Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 7:02 am
There were just so many Candidates. Kiriwar had never understood the sheer scale of people to eggs, glancing at the many mulling about and waiting, then at the much smaller clutch of eggs... This was going to be a very tough Impressing, he could tell that now. He chuckled very quietly, glancing over his shoulder briefly at the Queen and bobbing his head politely to her. Then he moved to another egg, waiting his turn to rest his hands in the shell -- there were so many potentials with this egg, with the other eggs, that he could possibly be a rider soon...
There was that shivering excitement and nervousness, all jumbled together in his belly. He was just a simple Vintner boy. Was he really capable of being a rider? Apparently, someone was sure he was. But was he ready? He glanced around a little, having become immersed in running his hands over the shell, before slowly stepping back, flashing a sheepish smile to those who had been waiting, showing a dimple in hopes of charming up some forgiveness. He wasn't sure about this all would turn out... but he was sure it was going to be interesting.
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Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 7:29 am
Avoiding the other Candidates as much as possible, Elora made her way over to one of the lovely eggs. This one really caught her eye, though she wasn't really sure why. The shell was just so... blue! Though, she admitted to herself, she always had liked the color, especially the darker, deeper shades of blue. However, if the hatchling inside were to match the egg... She really couldn't picture herself Impessing a male dragonet. A green she could easily envision herself with, or maybe -she briefly dared to hope- a gold. But then, as she'd been told both times that she'd stood before, it was the hatchling's choice. And if the one within this egg or one of the others wanted her, she'd be sure to be available for them.
Gazing at the irridescent sheen on the curved shell, she hadn't even realized that she'd moved until she felt the surface of the warm egg under her hands. Caressing it for a moment, she heard movement nearby and reluctantly moved away.
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