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There were, at best, two remaining chances for Aislin. Two, in total. That Bronze would not give her a moment's notice. Perhaps the Green or the unhatched egg might hold hope for her future. It all came down to these final moments. Turns of effort, of frustration, all came down to a lovely, but otherwise unimpressive Green, and an egg that had scarcely so much as budged during the entire Hatching. Her chances were not good. S'raid would not hang his hope on these last two, though he felt certain that she was more able, and more worthy than any the rather paltry few alternatives.

But he had molded and shaped her into what she was today, tempering her into something more than the pot metal she had been when he'd found her. ... Oh, she'd been better than that, to be sure. She'd had potential. Pensively, he watched her, and wondered. Have I ever been wrong? Galvanth asked, only a small portion of his attention on his rider. Just as S'raid began to formulate a scathing reply, the Bronze spoke up again. ... Don't answer that. Very well. He wouldn't answer that.

His silence, however, was very pointed. Pah! What an utterly useless Hatching. One Bronze, one Brown, and all the rest Blue and Green? It was no better than Crimson Alumanth's clutch, and really, that said quite a lot. That a Queen could not beat a Crimson's clutch was rather pitiful. He was disgusted. S'raid watched the infant Bronze with a patently bored expression. Was that the best their Weyrleader could do? At the other Hatching, there had been a number of Browns, along with the Gold and the Bronzes. Trine had outdone them by far.

What a parade of greens. Zhac watched them tearing through the ranks, Impressing Candidates willy nilly. Even that huge one that should have been a blue or brown was a bit of a disappointment. Not only green, but aggressive as well. Of course, green and aggression had their own value. But the future of the weyr depended on more than a single hue, and aggression had little place outside of fighting thread.

Well, there were rumors about that based on the influx of the southern continent’s huge hatchings, but he had little nose for troubles outside his own affairs.

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Galeia righted Winderick carefully, until he seemed able to stand on his own weight. No reprimand for her unorthodox position on the boy’s side of the hatching grounds had come yet, and she was ill inclined to move back to her 'proper' position. “Winderick?” she pressed, trying to draw his attention. She glanced back to see the large green before Tia. She felt a mixed relief for the woodcutter girl, but a more immediate pang for Winderick as she understood what he was staring at. “Did you break anything?” she demanded a little more strongly. She glanced back at the eggs. Shattered shells were spread everywhere, and a weakly wobbling egg. Oh shards, and a bronze headed for the boy’s line. She nudged Winderick into position, though she honestly didn’t think there was much hope in the effort. Bronzes were said to Impress only certain kinds of men, and while she knew better, he couldn’t make herself lead him away for the infirmary yet. Maybe the green… She lapsed into worried silence and glanced from Winderick’s face to the dragons.

Tiamine! Your Yanath is hungry. Let's be away from here... she wants the space to herself.




Her Yanath. HER. Yanath. Those words suddenly became the only important things on the sands, between herself and the striking green.

She hadn't come here planning to impress, she hadn't had the faintest plans about it, the chances had been just too thin, but there she was. Yanath, and it was like a puzzle piece falling into place that she hadn't known was missing.

"Shard what she wants." She only vaguely cared what the other green thought, or how the other girls were doing after Yanath's buffeting. "You must be so hungry..." She needed to take Yanath to the side, that was the way they'd been told to do it right? Get her a bucket of food...

Yes please, Tiamine, lets have some food, she can have the sands and find hers.


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B'tar "Hm?" For a moment, B'tar was actually confused at the reasons for K'la's tearing eyes and hysterics, thinking that perhaps the incredbly -large- green had smashed into the boy.

"I'm sure he's alright, I don't see any b...Oh. OH! Congratulations!" It dawned on him a second or so later that she was gesturing to one of the boys who had impressed, and he felt foolish for not paying better attention to them. He should have recognized K'la's boy, she doted on him enough in her fashion. "We'll congratulate him after the hatching finishes of course!"

I like these greens Primath noted, smugly, clearly pleased with the spitfires on the sand. darkgreen]They have spirit. They'll drive him mad.

Galeia glanced at the girl’s side and the green picking her way through the Candidates, then looked back at Winderick. Her expression was pained, but she had no idea what to say now. Anything she said would probably hurt, and she didn’t have the nerve to raise his hopes. There was too much risk. He was right though. There was no time. She gave his arm a hard squeeze and turned away, breaking into yet another dash across the sands. The bright grains stung her feet horribly, but she slid into place with a hiss of discomfort before the green could pass her over entirely. Maybe something glorious would happen….

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Quite suddenly she felt dizzy. Despite her sudden urge to call Yvoth to her and take her to the lower sands, some sort of distant pragmatism noted that her knees were wobbly. She stepped back and retook her seat with a ‘whump’ of settling fabric. She put a hand on B’tar’s arresting him for aid now. “We will!” she exclaimed with a surprisingly weak voice, as if the thought were a revelation. He had finally Impressed! Her dragon and son were no longer guilty prides against each other in her heart. She glanced at B’tar with a teary grin, but suddenly seemed to become aware of herself upon seeing his expression through her emotion. “Oh, you must forgive me,” she said, loosening her grip but not retaking her hand. “I’m just – oh he’s such a lovely little blue.”

The bronze didn't seem to think very much of the greens...

Mmh, good, it seemed that he wasn't going to hang around like some of the others had. Like that first green who actually dug an actual hole in the sand and then sat in it. Still, perhaps she'd be dim enough to be useful to him in the future, if this bronze (or the green who hadn't chosen, or the unhatched egg he supposed) decided he was the one... Still, the bronze would be best to start with, the snooty green hadn't even glanced at the boys, and the other egg looked like it might not hatch at all.

Shards the sands were hot.

Grimacing, Antigonos shifted his feet, eyes still fixed on the bronze. Come on. What other candidate here could match the ambition that had radiated out from his egg? He was the obvious choice, unless there was a lad very much like himself in the ranks who he didn't know about. That was possible. The whole point of being a man like him was keeping it secret from the rest of the world.

The green continued to pace, eyeing each girl and then rejecting them with a derisive snort. Not good enough. None of these were good enough. Hers was here... hers should be standing out! Getting frustrated, the haughty green took an irritable swipe at one of the nearer girls to clear some space around her.

Then her head perked and she turned, intent on going one direction now.

Everyone thought that the green was going to Impress first, what with the way she was practically hunting now but the bronze beat her to it. He'd walked by Antigonos once already then stopped and deliberately backed up, ruffling his wings as he came even with the boy.

Tilting his head to the side, then the other, it was but a moment later that he gave a nod and bugled a loud demand of His. Your Acriculeth is hungry Mine! Feed me!

He watched the bronze Impress. It was remarkable. It seemed the boy he picked was a good one for the Weyr. He turned his eye back to the lone egg. Will it hatch or is it one of the other types? Even though he didn't fully agree with helping a dragon hatch, it was a sad thought to have possibly lost a fighting dragon.