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Welp! Another Hatching had gone by, and Mal hadn’t Impressed again. But there was really no reason to worry about that; with all the gold dragons here----how many were there now? Six? With six Golds running around---and four of them were at or almost at breeding age----it was really only a matter of time before there was another clutch on the Sands. Nothing to worry about! Besides, Mal had bigger problems on his hands.

“Aeron… please, come on…” The Candidate was lying on his stomach and trying to coax out an angry, angry firelizard from under a table. “Come on, baby. It’s fine. I promise, I didn’t Impress anything.” Or anyone, for that matter. He sharply drew his hand back as Aeron snapped at it. For the love of Faranth, would they have to go through this every Hatching?! Pulling himself up, Mal brushed off his clothes and said, “Fine. Be that way. Maybe I will Impress something now, just because you’re being so awful.”

It was a snitty thing to do, but it did the trick. The Bronze firelizard, perhaps understanding the tone even as the words went over his head, poked his nose out from under the table and hissed up at his owner again. Every time he left Mal alone, he knew something bad would happen! He just knew it! Whirling red eyes glared over at the happy new Weyrlings and their charges. Aeron was not impressed, no pun intended, and he did not want something like that happening to His human. Well, he better make sure that Mal wasn’t hiding any dragons on his person. Climbing up to Mal’s shoulder, Aeron began his careful investigation with Mal’s shirt.

Because, you never knew!

Mal winced at the tiny claws digging into his skin, but it wasn’t like Aeron was trying to hurt him. “Good boy, Aer. Good boy… you get a treat now!” A tidbit of meat was carefully offered and the firelizard eagerly snapped it up. Well, at least Mal no longer had to worry about Aeron biting off his fingers.

Shards... O'asis could hardly believe how early it still was! Out on the Sands, it felt like weeks had crept by - but it hasn't even fully dark yet. He certainly didn't feel tired, though. How could he? Anyone could tell by glancing at him, seeing his face lit up and eyes alive, that he had more energy beneath his breast now than he'd ever had since the day he was born.

Uktenath wasn't entirely the same, however. O'asis Mine, we will not be here long, will we? he inquired, examining the room in a supremely unimpressed manner. Stuffed to the gullet as he was, the young bronze couldn't imagine what the attraction of this Feast was. His wasn't hungry, he was very sure - so why couldn't they just go to bed now, rest, so that they could rise early tomorrow and make ready for the day?

"Not if you don't want to, Uktenath," O'asis replied.

I do not see the reason for it, the dragonet answered honestly, following His into the room. Why should we be here?

"To celebrate!"

I do not need to celebrate, Uktenath answered. O'asis looked at him, surprised.

"You don't want to celebrate?"

The young dragon looked at him evenly, ever patient. I do not need to. You are Mine, and you were always Mine. I do not need for others to see that. Unlike some dragons, after all, Uktenath did not need to strut about and brag. He was what he was, naturally, without trying. And O'asis was His, because that was the way it was to be. It was not a great feat, nothing worth the fuss that this Feast made of it.

But O'asis smiled then, meeting Uktenath eye-to-eye. "We're not showing it off, Uktenath, we're sharing it." The bronze slipped his head to the side, uncertain of what his rider meant. "Just trust me, Uktenath. You'll see what I mean, once we find S'van."

I see, Uktenath answered simply, and offered nothing more. If His thought that this was important, then Uktenath would accept that it was. Even if he didn't understand, he loved and trusted His, and knew that O'asis would not mislead him. Besides; he was curious now.

"Atta boy," O'asis grinned, giving the bronze a brush of two fingers over his eye ridge before moving on again. That seaholder friend of his had to be around here somewhere....

"Kas!" S'van crowed, so pleased that he could scarcely contain himself. "Kas, I knew it! I knew it!" Faranth, he couldn't have been happier. He really, really couldn't have. Grinning from ear to ear, he swept his friend up in a hug, mindful of the bronze dragonet. "Your lad is beautiful, absolutely beautiful. I'm so proud of you." He couldn't help it. He couldn't help but be proud, be thrilled. Okassis had done exactly what he had hoped to do in Impressing Uktenath, and now they could definitely go forward with their plans.

Galliath, of course, could not come. He was too big now to mingle with the younger dragonets. He watched His from the ledges above, curious and as excited as S'van himself. Hello, I am Galliath. Mine speaks very highly of Yours, the brown said as politely as he could manage. He wanted to ask the bronze if they could play, but S'van had told him to wait. Newly hatched dragons were generally tired after all, especially after feeding.

"Gall's excited too, Kas. We'll have to get together again after the Feast. He's too big to come, unfortunately." Poor Gall. He had wanted to come meet the new dragonets as much as S'van had wanted to come see Okassis-- what was it now? O'assis? O'kas? -- but his growth had made that simply impossible for now. He wasn't quite old enough to fly, but he was large enough to get underfoot in a pretty major way.

"And Nan Impressed the Queen! That's amazing. You, Nan... Shells, Jess, Jiriar and Kiriwar Impressed as well." Speaking of Jessmet... he heard the newly Impressed greenrider call out to his friend and turned to wave as well. "Jess, congratulations!" "Hey, Kas, we can be roommates again!" The ex-seaholder couldn't keep back the grin that threatened to split his cheeks, and he really didn't want to try. After all, unlike the last Feast, this was one that he could really enjoy. He wasn't going to be lonely anymore, not ever.

Weylin was trying to shake off some of the younger of the weyrbrats-turned-Candidates, who were bouncing around him and chattering animatedly about their first Hatching. Amidst eager half-shouts of "Did you see that Green? Faranth, wow!" and "I can't believe so many people fainted!" he was beginning to feel significantly more tired than he had previously been. Eventually, the younger children abandoned him in favour of finding their younger friends who hadn't Stood, and Weylin could breathe again. Shards....had he had that much energy this late once upon a time?

He supposed his adrenaline rush had worn off before theirs, and that was all. Shaking his head and smiling, he pushed his way through the crowd to a table and poured himself some wine. It was late, Weylin was tired, and he needed to relax. The insanity of the fainting and the maulings and then Nandeli Impressing the Queen....no man of the Weyr would be safe again. He shook his head wryly and wondered idly where his flitt had got to.

Speckle had arrived at the feast before his owner and was currently attempting to dive facefirst into a plate of roast herdbeast, though Weylin's thoughts about him rerouted the dive into an easy glide to Weylin's shoulder. He misjudged the landing and scrabbled madly with all four paws, sticking to Weylin's shoulder by virtue of sharp talons. Weylin yelped, reaching up and dislodging the little flitt so he could reposition himself. Settling himself happily on Weylin, the vivid blue flit leaned his head down and nuzzled Weylin's ear.

"Shardit," Weylin murmured, getting a croon from Speckle in reply. Shaking his head wryly, he slipped away from the tables toward the dancing, curious to see who was awake enough to start that up.

It was Jessmet that he heard first, and turned to greet - "Jessmet!" O'asis called jovially, waving back to the amateur archivist. "Congratulations yourself!" Uktenath turned his head to see who His was speaking to, but offered no words himself to the girl or her green, his clutchmate. He simply didn't see the utility.

The bronze began to complain, worried over his own lack of understanding - I still do not see what is important, Mine--

Then came another loud shout - and unlike Jessmet, who had kept her polite distance, this one could have nearly been throwing himself at His. "S'van!" O'asis cheered back joyfully, returning the embrace with a smile that was all but shining. "Shards, S'van, I can barely believe -- Uktenath! This is my brother, S'van." Wrapping an arm around his friend's shoulders, O'asis made no small part in proudly presenting the seaholder to his young bronze.

The bronze observed the boy with the braid critically. Your brother, Mine? he questioned; and, slowly, came to understand. It was important to His that they be here because the people were important, and wanted O'asis to be here with them. Because His was very fond of these people, because they meant a lot to him, because they were very good to him. And if they were very good to O'asis, they were very good to Uktenath - they were important to him, too.

Uktenath turned his gaze slowly back to his, affixing him with a serious and solemn stare. He is a very fine brother, Mine. I am pleased for him. In response, the delighted O'asis beamed even harder, and Uktenath was indeed pleased to see that he had made His so happy.

"No sharding joke, he's too big!" O'asis exclaimed laughingly, jostling his friend playfully with another one-armed bear hug. He didn't usually feel the need to be this touchy, but shells, he couldn't help it! "Good thing we can move out of the alcove. I don't think he would have fit much longer, let alone now that we've got Uktenath and Nan's to cope with! He's gonna be a bruiser, you know," O'asis predicted of the bronze. "You can see it already, in his bones. Shards, S'van... it's all happening. Everything, you know?"

It was clear to Uktenath that His needed to indulge in the companionship of his brother, and that was fine. Uktenath stayed close, knowing that his place was hardly threatened by the friendship of the brownrider. Indeed, he had people of his own to concern himself with....

I am Uktenath. Yours is Mine's brother, he answered Galliath calmly, craning his head to where the brown was roosting on the ledges. He is very important to Mine.

Unlike certain others, who His had been mistaken about. Uktenath's eyes slid earthward, finding the lighter-colored face of his own brother, Naedreth. Already, it seemed, Naedreth was trying to pick a fight with him. Treat him like he was lesser. It wasn't hard for him to see why His, on the Sands, had been watching this one so closely. But His had been mistaken, and Uktenath knew, in a way of knowing beyond knowledge, which of the bronzes was destined for the greatness that His craved. And that was how he knew that his brother deserved nothing but contempt; because Uktenath was great, while Naedreth merely thought he was.

It is, Uktenath agreed coldly. He would have drawn himself up straighter, if he hadn't already been poised regally. But there were some small differences in his stance, vaguely threatening, entirely self-possessing, that promised Naedreth that he was aware of him, knew him for what he was, and was unimpressed.

He hadn't Impressed, but that certainly didn't mean Anont wasn't going to show his support; on the contrary, all thoughts of disappointment were currently in the back of his mind. No, he was here to find Kiriwar- K'riwar now, he supposed- and congratulating the other boy to no end. He'd seemed friendly, after all, and it always helped to support the new Weyrlings! (And, really- she was a lovely little green!) So now the issue would just be finding his friend among the Feast. He'd ambled in after a while, expecting to be able to find K'riwar fairly easily.

...And, well. Look how well that one had turned out.

Mulling his way through the crowd, Anont was slowly realizing just few friends he had- how few people he knew!- at the weyr. It wasn't terrible, really; mostly due to him not getting out, putting himself into conversations and meeting people. He hadn't thought it was a big deal, at first, but now, he was feeling a bit...

..Awkward. Yes, that was a word for it. Frowning slightly, he opted to move for one of the back walls, moving out of the larger crowd. He was going to meet more people.. really. ..Eventually.

Sighing, Anont pursed his lips slightly. Well. He'd get there, with time.

It was so sharding late. J'riar could barely keep his eyes open, jaws cracking with a yawn he couldn't quite suppress. Really, between the shock of seeing several other Candidates topple without warning and that little green mauling some of the girls up pretty good, he counted himself lucky to have gotten taken out of the action. As always, his eyes flickered downward to watch the quiet green curled up at his feet, unconsciously sensing his gaze.

She lifted up her small head to watch him for a moment before a soft coo stirred in her throat. Do you need something, mine?

His heart threatened to melt a little. "You should sleep, Ianquith, I know you're exhausted..." He felt like his head was about to hit the table at any moment, here. But, he was forcing himself to stay awake, peering around for any sign of familiar faces.

Some are gathered there. I have been watching them. Ianquith spoke up softly, settling her chin back between her forelegs even as she observed the bronze and His. The thought was uncomfortable of having to speak to someone so much higher in rank than she, but she would do it. Yes, that would be polite... even if it was frightening.

Chuckling slightly to himself, J'rirar obediently glanced over--and felt a grin spreading across his face. O'asis and S'van, hm? Well, good! But... he wasn't sure about getting up right away, not when he was so fardling tired. Besides, he could feel Ianquith's relief--she really was content just to sit and observe, rather than make the first move.