Too Hot to Touch (TOUCHING)

[Kino]

Naret had waited as the rest of the candidates filed in after the second bell, looking back towards Rhia once it seemed as though they were all there. When she began speaking, his excitement level went up once more. After her little speech, they were told to line up in order of how they'd arrived. His excitement was tinged with a bit of nervousness at the idea of going first, but as he walked over to Rhia three other candidates stepped ahead and lined up before him. Naret blinked, but he couldn't exactly say anything, and he didn't think it was such a big deal anyway. Third was...close enough to first.

When they reached the sands, Naret looked ahead to where the Queen lay surrounded by her clutch. Then as the first girl stepped out, he watched how she went to greet the great beast. He squinted one eye slightly when she properly greeted Kaith and even asked for permission; he hoped a respectful bow would suffice for the dragon. They were telepathic; perhaps she'd be able to tell he was doing all he could?

The second girl stepped up quickly, half-shouting her greeting and then pausing, and then squeaking. She seemed a bit embarrassed afterwards but, well, she'd still been able to say something to the dragon. Naret had never felt put-off by his inability to speak before, but standing there next in line to meet with the golden queen of Dark Moon...he rather wished he could.

Naret took a deep breath in and then stepped across the sands at an easy pace, letting his long legs take him easily to where the queen lay. When he finally stood in front of her he made sure to keep his posture proper, lifting his chin a bit to first look at the queen, and then dipping forward to give her a bow. Unlike the semi-formal bows he'd give the candidate master (a dip of the chin), he bent forward at the waist and brought his right arm to tuck around him at the waist as well. When he was standing straight once more, he offered a smile to Kaith. Naret thought he'd wait a moment to see if there would be some sort of 'go ahead' from the dragon, but if there was none he'd simply step off towards the eggs to let the next candidate go.

[Edited. So sorry x-x today has not been the most amazing of days...]

[Akki]

You know when someone tells you can’t eat for twelve hours starting at midnight? And at 11:59 you’re not hungry at all but as soon as midnight comes you find yourself suddenly starving simply because you know you can’t eat?

That’s how Faine felt now about the licking. She would have never even thought about licking an egg before but now that Rhia said they can’t do it, she wanted too. What did an egg taste like? Would they taste like a rock or what? Oh, the questions that needed answering! She blinked furiously for a few moments, trying to keep these thoughts out of her head as she stepped into the line that was forming.

When the second girl let out a rather high pitched squeak, Faine clapped her hands together in surprise. “Oh! That’s exactly how I feel!” She blurted out to Orena with a large grin on her face. Actually, that was probably how all the candidates felt – all bubbly and excited on the inside but it seemed Orena was the only one who was able to voice it perfectly. She waited as patiently as she could for her turn; the really-good-at-running boy was in front of her and paused for a moment after his bow. When it was her turn, she stepped up and bowed deeply.

“I hope that you don’t mind that I’ll be touching the eggs, er, again.” Faine smiled widely at the gold dragon. Oh yes, the second time touching dragon eggs was definitely as exciting as the first time.

[mc16neo]

Kegin took a spot in line. He waited as each Candidate took their turns. He thought it was odd she said no licking. Why would anyone do that. it was an egg. He wouldn't lick a flit's egg let alone a dragons. Once it was his turn Kegin went forward to the clutch. He bowed his head to the Queens rider. "Thank you for this opportunity." he said. Kegin looked at the Queen and bowed his head as well. Kegin was sure to move slowly to the eggs. He made sure everything was visible and nothing was done quickly.

Kegin went to one of the eggs that caught his eye. He made his way over to it and crouched down to it. Kegin put his hand on the egg and gently rubbed the shell. "Hey there. Am I the one you wish to Impress to?" Kegin spoke softly. He was kind of hopeful. He put his head to the egg slowly and listened to anything that might be in it.
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Sinic saw the others and was excited to be on the sands. When it was his turn he made his way to The Queen and her rider. "Greetings. Thank you for allowing me to look and these eggs. I am honored." he said. He moved to the eggs slowly and saw one he liked. It was a strong feeling that made him want to touch this egg. He went to it and gently touched it. The egg felt like...well...an egg. He didn't know how it was supposed to feel but it wasn't bad.

Sinic smiled as he moved his hand over the shell. "It is a pleasure to meet you. i look forward to your hatching." he told it. Sinic stood from the egg and moved away from it. He made sure that he didn't accidentally do anything to the eggs that would be taken of as bad. He didn't want to have his foot hit an egg by mistake.

[Drgnwlf71]

Kalaht was next. He heaved a huge sigh of excitement. He closed his eyes. Positive thoughts...Kalaht...positive thoughts. When he was ready, he walked inside. His eyes got wide and his jaw dropped. Never had he seen such a beautiful sight. The eggs, Queen Kaith was exceptionally beautiful. He vaguely remembered what the CM had told the others. He wanted to go and touch egg, now but he knew there were formalities first then permission must be given. He took all he had to refrain himself form doing so. There was a excited glint in his eyes though. Curse those formalities! He opened his mouth.

"Salutations, Great and Beautiful Queen Kaith." he said. "It would a great honor and a privilege to touch your wonderful, awesome eggs" He sighed and closed his eyes. He bowed. "It is such a honor to be nominated as a Candidate for this wonderful event." He smiled. He thought he would have trouble for his shyness but when it came right down to it, the shyness had faded at the moment. He was glade of that.

Kalaht was a curious fellow but not too as to get him into trouble. He knew his limitations. Even though his inner child was screaming to touch the eggs, he was able to control it. Some times it was hard but this time it was easier. Being a dragonrider would perhaps soon become his reality. He had always dreamed of becoming something great, but this? A dragonrider? WOW! That, that was something BIG. It was a major thing to him. It was so surreal to him but now, now it is coming true. Goosebumps were emerging all over his body. It was excitement. He let out a small squeal. This moment, right here.....accounted for all the mistakes he had done in the past. After this, there -was- no turning back. He knew once Impressed, he was going to be one of the best. He already felt a connection with one of the eggs. It was to calling to him, wanting him. He felt a pull. Never had he seen a gold dragon before! She was absolutely gorgeous! The sunlight hit her just right to allow the sparkles in her hide to dance before his eyes. He smiled again, tenderly.

At that moment and time, he could the excitement of the one before him. He chuckled a little. He touched her on the shoulder as to not startle her.

"Don't worry. You'll do great." he whispered in her ear. He went to the egg that he had a connection with and reached out and touched it. Instantly, a love of great proportions washed over him. He closed his eyes and let it flow through him. He sighed. "Soon, love.....very soon we will meet." He told the egg. Shivers enveloped him as tears in eyes emerged on his face. So much love. So much compassion. His hand caressed the outer shell with such a gentle touch.

"This is the one. It calls to me." he said absently. He thought it was amazing. He opened his eyes. "Precious." he said. "Absolutely wonderful." As his hand glided gently over the egg, he almost feel it move. "It moved!" he squealed. He clapped his hands in excitement. He smiled at the wonderful, beautiful moment. "Be at ease, little one. Not yet, not yet....shh, shh! It is alright. I can wait." he whispered to it. He was a different person. He was more patient. "We will meet soon enough." he chuckled, softly.

The feeling he had was unexplainable. It had changed him for the better. It was so beautiful. So........right.

[Bluesilk]

It wasn't that she was scared precisely, it was more like certifiably worried, and not without warning. Elanee ran a hand through sleep tousled hair and tagged along at the end of the group. No, she decided, she was not afraid. Of course if there was anything to be afraid of it was the largest, broodiest Queen on the planet. Do not lick the eggs... right... that was not on her list of priorities. She wondered a bit at the Candidate Master's warnings, no doubt all of those came about because some dimglow actually tried to get away with them. Of course... back on Fort, half the rules were because of her and her gang.

But this was not Fort and this was not her gang. In fact she barely knew any of these kids by more than name or face. Elanee hadn't expected a touching this soon... or really at all from what rumors flew about Kaith's protectiveness. Though, she supposed she couldn't blame the Queen. If she had a whole cartload of lovely eggs, she probably wouldn't want anyone else near them either.

Glancing down, she wiggled her toes in her hastily pulled on boots. They were not exactly the best running material as her sore toes noted, but they would be useful on the sands at least. No, she would have no burnt feet today. As the Candidates filed out onto the sands and began their greetings to the Queen, Elanee paused at the back of the group to look around.

Kaith was huge and ah, the was the Weyrwoman by her side. And the eggs, piled on sand mounds in front of her. Elanee's breath caught in her throat then. Hope and promise of something greater, something bigger than just one person. Her dark eyes drifted back to the Queen standing over them. To be bonded to a creature like that... She couldn't even begin to imagine. She'd lived in the Weyr her whole life, surrounded by dragons. And yet, this was a sight that she would never tire of. When it finally came time, she bowed and introduced herself to the Queen quietly.

[Minajerie]

Well, this too, Andilay had been through. And, though a bit wearily, she got into line after the Candidate Master's announcement. She reached behind her, to the small of her back where she felt... nothing. Not only did she leave her hair unplaited, but had left her wicked knife as well?

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Admin's Note:[/hr] This was bordering on the insane. She instantly felt naked without the blade- which made her a bit more alert, a touch of adrenaline coursing into her system. But it wasn't like she could have taken the weapon into the sands anyway. Last time had been a fluke, and obviously the queen dragon hadn't deigned to notice.

But she might have this time. And this time she knew better. So all was well, sort of.

When it was her tern to go up to the Queen dragon, she once again stepped forewarned, slapped a fist over her heart and bowed deeply. She managed a fair greeting and thanks to the honorable queen for allowing her to touch her eggs once more.

Taking her consciousness in firm grip she walked carefully and with all the grace of a swordswoman who was completely in control of herself. She walked to one egg, laying a hand on it's colorful swirling shell and let their warmth mingle, then she moved on to touch another. Sometimes she felt the need to stay a few moments. Perhaps caressing the egg. The silver and gold egg one of them, as well as the swirling eggs. She couldn't help but lightly trace one of their swirls with one of her fingers.

Hopefully one of them housed her dragon. And her instincts said it wasn't impossible, so that made her hope bloom all the more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh goody! She got to pet dragon eggs today! Blissy could barely contain herself. Her brother's dragon's FIRST CLUTCH!! And she got to stand for it!! Now if she was lucky, R'khol would be busy elsewhere and not hear about the candidates touching the eggs until later. If he saw her here it would ruin the surprise! Sure, it would still technically be a surprise, but an earlier one than she had wanted. She wanted a dragon from THIS clutch. She knew it wasn't up to her to decide, but well, it's what she wanted, and a girl could always hope right?

She stood patiently in line, fidgeting only a little as she waited her turn to bow to the queen. She was a bit curious about the taller girl in front of her. She seemed a bit disheveled this morning/afternoon, but she seemed to gather herself up and gave a rather interesting- and prideful- bow to the queen. Well, she couldn't do that.

She fidgeted a bit, but then stepped up to give a good humble bow, hands clasped by her knees. "Thank you great queen for allowing me this opportunity." She stood and truly looked at the queen. A close up view! She was beautiful, and she was glad Kegrith had caught her.

She stepped lightly toward the eggs. Going about them as carefully as she did threading through a large group of rambunctious children. She bent to listen to one egg. Moved and stroked another. It was a fun experience. One she had had before, but not with these eggs. Or these fellow candidates.

[Spirithawk]

Kaith raised her huge head as the Candidates came in. Her jewel-faceted eyes were whirling swiftly with the slightest flecks of yellow. She was agitated, but she knew this was a necessary step in the process of her babies finding their human partners.

She stepped forward, curling her body protectively around the heap of mounds as far as it would go. She was mollified a bit when the Candidates bowed to her.

Kaith let out a soft croon when Orena came to greet her. She could feel the nervous excitement coming off the girl. She moved her wedge-shaped head and nudged the Candidate towards her eggs.

When Kegin, Sinic, and Kalaht came up, she snaked her head forward to peer at them sternly. She blew out air at them in warning. They had better behave or she would kick them out.

"Kaith, step back so they can touch them dear heart." Christae said with amusement. She turned to the Candidates. "Welcome my dears. Be careful and enjoy this opportunity. I would like to know your names, so those of you who have already come up, please come introduce yourselves when you are finished."

[Kandarra]

Heartened that the queen didn't seem to mind her presence, Jerodyn moved to touch the first egg. It was surprisingly soft in texture, but the heat had hardened the shell enough that it didn't yield to the slight pressure of her hand. It was red and silver and swirly, and gorgeous. With a trailing touch, Jeri moved her hand away and moved to the next, which was a beautiful deep blue. She laid her hand against it, and like the other, it was warm.

Moving throughout the rest of the clutch, she glanced over and saw the golden Kaith nudge Orena, and giggled, covering her mouth. Her poor friend had only been able to squeal. Looking back to the eggs, she touched them all until she came to the huge one. Gold and silver, it practically loomed over Jerodyn, and she touched it with awe. That dragon would certainly grow up to be bigger than even Kaith. With a last look at all the eggs, wondering which of them might hold her dragon, she bowed again to the queen and thanked her. She turned to the Weyrwoman. "I am Jerodyn, Apprentice Weaver. Thank you for allowing us today." With a respectful nod to the goldrider, she walked back to Rhia, lost in her thoughts about baby dragons and Impression.

[Marnark’tranarprol]

Orena's eyes nearly popped right out of her head when that big gold head came at her so fast. Well ... maybe not so fast, but when she was on the receiving end, it sure looked that way. She was rooted to the spot in terror, the expression showing clearly on her face. Oh, no! She was being rejected, she was gonna get bit in two!! And she couldn't even will her feet to move, what was more embarrassing than that?! But the fatal bite and growl never came. Instead, she got nudged by that huge golden head that could easily of swallowed her. Orena staggered sideways from the contact, then burst into laughter of relief and amusement. She laughed so hard tears came to her eyes. Orena didn't quite manage to get her balance back after that, more or less staggering across the uneven, soft sands toward the eggs.

Giggling to herself, she kind of rather just plopped down to her knees in the sand next to one of the eggs, leaning forward to place both palms on the shell. She had been quite terrified indeed, and the relief of the terror was just as extreme. Worse, the wild swing in emotions from elation to terror and then back again ... !! It was enough to make anyone sick in the middle. Sniffing, she just chortled and grinned, leaning her cheek against the egg, oblivious to the heat of the sand on her skin.

"Helloooooo in there, little dragon!" She giggled, before giving it a friendly pat and clambering back to her feet again. Stooping to dust off her knees, Orena sort of staggered her way through the rest of the clutch, making a point to visit every egg. One of these was going to be her dragon, Rhia said so! So it had to be right! Wait ... had Rhia said that? Orena couldn't remember anymore, it had been a crazy day already. Anyway, it would be awful if she skipped an egg just to have that one maybe have been her dragon. Who knows how its feelings might be hurt!! So she visited them all, admiring all the colors, tracing all their shells with her fingers, feeling each of them and making sure to say hi to all.

After the very last egg was greeted, she sort of manage a half semblance of a steady walk toward where Christae was standing. She giggled a bit to herself, feeling the heat more than a little. "Good morning, Weyrwoman." She greeted. "I'm Orena! Ehrrrr... yeah. I'm a ... was ... a tailor." She grinned a bit, then hopped over toward Jerodyn to hug the other girl. "HI! Did you see that?!"

[Drgnwlf71]

Kalaht looked up at the Queen when blew out air. He smiled at her. "Do not worry, beautiful Queen Kaith, I will not harm them." His eyes at that moment were sad. He sighed and smiled tenderly at the jet black with teal swirls on it. "This one, it calls to me. I even feel a strong pull when I walk away as if it knows. Its an incredible feeling, one that I would hope it live with for the rest of my life." He touched it one more time and tears of joy emerged from the boy's eyes. "I am happy just to be here. I always wanted to be something great but here, I have a chance to be a dragonrider. A dream quickly becomes a reality. A dream that I had ever since I was little." Kalaht sniffed. "If anything happens, I don't I can take it. I think I would run away and never come back if I didn't Impress. This will be a great one, Golden Kaith." He gently patted the egg. "No matter what the color, I will love him/her. Your baby that lies within this egg will be safe with me."

Kalaht approached the Goldrider and stood back a respectful distance.

"I am Candidate Kalaht, brother of Hold Guard Thomas." His eyes were sad for a moment as if he had suffered a loss. He sighed. "Thank you for this opportunity, Goldrider Christae and you too Golden Kaith." He snapped to attention and saluted them both and turned and went outside, thinking of the Impression and how great it will be. Kalaht sighed with frustration, wishing that his brother was here to see him Impress.

[Kino]

When his silent introduction seemed to suffice, Naret stepped away from the queen and moved towards the eggs. He was nervous, and just only because the queen had curled herself so around the eggs. The boy couldn't actually pinpoint why he was nervous, but he felt it when he reached a hand out cautiously and gently let his fingers graze the shell. When the Gold Rider spoke up, Naret turned to listen. Her encouragement helped to ease the nervousness he'd felt, as did a glance around at the other candidates. He continued through the eggs. It wasn't until he'd reached the last egg that he'd yet to touch that he became fascinated enough by the shell's color to pause for a moment, as most of the others seemed to be doing with their first.

The egg he'd stopped at was the one that looked like it was made of ice. Most of the reason it fascinated him so was that it looked like ice, but the shell was quite warm to the touch, as all the others had been. When Naret reached to graze his fingers along the shell, he traced along the crack-like-lines decorating the exterior. Getting another idea from the candidate master and candidates, Naret then crouched for a moment and cautiously, still nervously, rested his ear against the shell. He imagined he might have heard some schuffle of movement, but it could just as well have been the footsteps in the sand of everyone around him.

Standing now, Naret turned to head towards the Weyrwoman. As he made his way he pulled out the small pad of paper he always kept in his pocket, with a writing stick tucked into the pages. He wrote his name onto a new page - for once, taking care to make his writing somewhat neat - and then tore the page out. When he reached the Weyrwoman he gave a smile, dipped his head forward in a bow, and then handed the slip of paper to her.

[Spirithawk]

Kaith did not like the boy's condescending tone at all. She swatted him down onto the sands and towered over him, her eyes flashing slightly red.

Do not patronize me whelp. Your dragon may not be in that egg. You may not Impress. Only the hatching will tell. Take care not to try my patience. The dragon's voice was coldly angry and somewhat snobbish. She was the Queen after all.

Christae had been greeting the Candidates that had come up and welcoming them to the weyr but she looked up when she felt the anger from her dragon. Christae strode forward quickly to placate the irritated queen. "Easy Kaith, he isn't used to dragons. Why don't you take a look at the other Candidates?" The Queen moved away, and the WW held out a hand to help the boy up. "You have to be careful how up speak to a brooding Queen lad. Kalaht you said your name was?"

Once she had helped him up, she gestured towards the tiers. "Rhia will be wanting to speak to you all after you've finished the touching. I suggest you wait for her there." Her voice was calming.

Kaith was not in a good mood, but she wasn't in a bad mood. She turned away from the offending Candidate, her gaze prowling around to see any other Candidates that might be out of line.

Christae accepted the note from Naret and smiled. "Well met Naret. I look forward to seeing you Impress. Please wait for Rhia on the tiers."

Kaith caught sight of Blissy and her wedge-shaped head whipped towards the girl. She stared at her, wanting to see her reaction. She also wanted to make sure that these children knew she was the Queen here and they were here only because she had allowed it.

[Bluesilk]

Oh yes, staying at the back of the group was a good idea. Elanee had seen a broody Queen or two at Fort, but none so large as Kaith. Then the gold took a swipe at the chattering Candidate in the front. Whoops! Broody was an understatement, at least he didn't look harmed. The tiny Candidate scooted around the side, keeping her distance from the Queen but doing her very best not to look suspicious. As Kaith wordlessly interrogated Blissy, Elanee found herself distracted by the dark blue egg with the white cap. It reminded her of one of the old drudges at Fort. She waited a moment, holding her hand over the surface, glancing back at Kaith to make sure nothing was wrong before actually pressing her hand against the surface. Almost hard, it would not be too long now before these beauties would hatch.

She paused and looked over the clutch off eggs once more, taking it all in. It was not the first clutch she had gotten to touch, nor would it be the last. Though she had to hope that it would be the last she would see as a Candidate. Elanee picked her hand from the blue egg and strayed towards the green one, it was almost a silvery shade and the dark purple zig zags that crossed its surface were unlike anything Elanee had seen before. Here too, the small girl paused to look back at the Queen before doing anything else.

As she laid her hand gently down on the surface she felt like energy was shooting up her arm and Elanee drew her hand away quickly, a smirk spreading across her face. Yup, that one was likely to be a troublemaker no doubt. She found herself wishing the egg the best of luck and she giggled softly to think of the human that bonded to so energetic a dragon. Turning once more, she decided that the silver/gold striped egg was certianly not something for her and neither was that dark black one.

Instead she found herself at the chocolate brown egg and decided quickly that it couldn't hurt to say hello to this one. Elanee ran a hesitant hand over it's surface and let out a sigh. She really should visit all of the eggs, it was proper after all. After taking a quick turn with the remaining eggs, she turned finally to the Weyrwoman and bowed shortly.
"I am Elanee, of Fort, I transferred in with brownrider T'nan. Thank you for giving me a chance here." She smiled slyly, looking back at Kaith. "And your lovely Queen too."

[seneth]

Nodding to the Candidate Master’s instructions, Bicran’s late entrance had earned him a place near the end of the line. Giving him enough time to put aside his boot knife, and shift about in anticipation. Age had no place here, not when faced with the prospect of a new life. A new generation, he thought, stretching for a better look.
Finally when it was his chance to approach he stopped in mid step. His eyes taking in the subtle, and the bold mixes of colours and markings. This Queen is a’fine dam… He thought softly, admiring the fine breeding and variation that surpassed that of Eastern. T’think dragons could create such…variety. Well not just any dragon… Bicran added with a inward smile, bowing low to Kaith.

As he straightened he bowed again to Christae, “Thank you fine Queen, Weyrwoman, for this opportunity…congratulations on the fine clutch.” He said slowly, struggling to get his tongue around the longer words. Feeling his cheeks heat slightly, the lad lowered his eyes. His expression open, truly grateful to have another opportunity on the sands.

With slow movements he looked again to the queen before approaching the eggs. His tread careful so he didn’t disturb them. His outstretched hand slow, almost hesitant, as the turn old worry that he’d hurt the egg worried him. Others didn’t… Steeling himself he bit his lip as he reached slowly down.

It was the warmth he felt first, then the smooth, smooth shell. Eyes lightening up, he smiled as he ran a second hand across its surface. He was like a child facing his first dragon again. The lad grinned softly, as he approached a couple of other eggs at random. His movements always slow, respectful. After a while Bicran backed away and bowed to the Queen again in thanks.

It took him a few breaths to tear his eyes away from the eggs to approach and reintroduce himself to the Weyrwoman. “Candidate Bicran, formally Candidate of Eastern Weyr, and Apprentice Beasthandler.” He said offering another bow and a smile.

[Akki]

The redhead let her hand run over one egg and then paused, her thoughts whirling around violently in her head.

Faine knew she shouldn’t do it. She had just witnessed the large Queen knock down a boy and he was only talking. Who knew what trouble she would get into for this. But it was sort of too late to back down; the CandidateMaster had put the idea in all of their heads. Once something got into Faine’s head, it simply wouldn’t ever leave until it was done. It was how part of her OCD worked, something needed to be done three times or else she wouldn’t be able to sleep that night.

She bent down low, close to one of the eggs. She could only hope that Rhia, Christae and/or Kaith weren’t watching. The redhead hesitated for a few seconds before quickly leaning forward and touching her tongue to the egg.

It tasted…sandy. Oh Faranth, there was sand all over her tongue. Faine quickly stood back up and coughed quietly, wiping her tongue on her arm. Oh that was a bad idea. But at least she didn’t feel the compulsive need to lick it two more times. The poor silvergoldstrippedegg, it just got violated before even being hatched! She was immediately regretting her action already. Kaith was going to gobble her up and eat her now, she could see the image of the giant dragon bearing down on her, teeth snapping in her direction.

[Minajerie]

Andilay was feeling more awake by the time she made it back to the gold and the Weyrwoman. "Greetings, um, Weyrwoman Christae. I'm Andilay, former traveling sword for hire. It was an honor to touch the eggs of another of Kaith's clutches. Perhaps this hatching I will have the grace to get out of the way when a dragon rushes my way, hmm?" She said the last part in a light hearted- joking fashion. She hoped there would be no blood spilt at this hatching, but such things happened. And if, again, it was her blood, she would still bear no grudge. After all, she would not berate a child for running toward it's mother, why should she do so to a dragon running towards it's bonded?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She could feel it. Eyes. Someone was watching her, and it gave her a tingling sensation in her back area. Blissy scanned the sands, looking at the other candidates, stopping on this one, or that one as recognition hit. But none of them were looking at her. So she continued her search out of the egg area. The Weyrwoman? Master Rhia? No... so she looked up... and stared into the intent eyes of Golden Kaith.

At first, she was a little nervous and apprehensive. But after a moment, she took in warmth instead. She did not feel scorn or anger at the stare from the queen dragon. She merely had the queen's attention. And that made her smile. Not a cocky, 'look at me', type smile, but a smile that would share the warmth of how she was feeling... to whoever noticed it.

It was a smile for the possibility of a bonded, and for the simple being of Kaith's beautiful children, wrapped up like special packages waiting to be opened.

It was on that, warm fuzzy note, that she left her last egg with a fond and faint pat, before turning to introduce herself to the Weyrwoman.

Wait. Introduction. Well, she was herself... from Keroon hold. That should be sufficient. After all, The weyrwoman didn't ask about her family tree. Her surprise wouldn't be ruined?

She gave a little bow to the weyrwoman and to Kaith upon coming into their presence yet again. "Hello, um, I'm Blissy. I know my names a bit odd, or unique. Anyways, I'm a... well I took care of the children and I know some herb lore. I'm a daughter of Keroon Hold."

[Foxfrost]

He was not precisely surprised to hear that they would be touching the eggs today. Such a thing happened before a hatching, he had been told. They had not yet done so, and he was not sure why, but the idea of touching eggs seemed rather trivial and silly to him. What difference would it make in whether they laid their hands on some shells or not? Still, he said nothing, and followed the rest as they made their way to the hatching sands. He was shod in boots of wher hide and did not fear the heat on his feet, so much as the heat of the sands themselves. It was already unbearably humid in this climate. Hatching sands were said to be very, very heated places, where the air would surely be thick and humid. Hard to breathe in, no doubt. He found himself not looking forward to this, not like the others seemed to be.

When they arrived, he found his inner fears confirmed. The sands were scorching, and he had to remind himself to breathe in the unbearable heat of them. He wanted to request that he be exempted from this 'touching' business. Yet, at the same time, hadn't someone said that this was a necessity, a part of procedure if he was to stand? For whatever reason unbeknown even to himself, the thought of standing, besides the aspect of gaining rank and a certain amount of respect as being a dragonrider, was not appealing to him the way it seemed to the others. As though they might imagine more of it than he did, or could. It was said to be a thing only understood by those who underwent it, experienced the Impression. Yet, he often thought of it as an invasion of the privacy that was his own mind. Who wanted to share their mind with someone, let alone something

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Admin's Note:[/hr] He was not sure when that thought had first begun to nag at him. Still, it was no doubt there. It unsettled him and though he had not voiced it aloud, it was there, pressing at the back of his mind all the time.

Dragonriders and Weyrlings. They seemed so honored and happy to be bonded for life with a dragon. Why had no one ever seen that it was downright disturbing to think of? Your mind, no longer your own. Dragons were surely not on the intelligence par of a human. There was no way a beast like that could be equal to a human. Yet everyone acted as though they were to be revered and as though they were somehow a sign of superiority. He wanted one for this. Why did others want one, then? They seemed so sharding excited. He was wary. He was perhaps the only one aware of what exactly it meant, perhaps. Maybe others only thought of flying, or such things. Or the whole 'honor' of fighting Thread to be 'heroes of Pern'. To him, however, the people on the ground with flamethrowers were just as much heroes as dragonriders. Humans had created dragons. Therefore, humans were superior. He had no way of knowing things as otherwise.

He was not last in line, but nor was he first. Somehow, he drifted nearer and nearer the back, saying nothing when people passed him by. Finally, it was his turn, and that strange, almost rebellious feeling rose. It was not in his face, nor in his tone of speech when he finally spoke up. It was deep in his gut, like a sort of rebellious revulsion. They were having to be careful, because they were having to respect and honor a giant beast. It suddenly felt confusing, where as before he had never questioned it. They were her eggs, however. That much was clear. Perhaps she was testy about having anyone touch things that were hers. That, at least, made sense. Besides, why did dragons not honor humans? Without humans, didn't the creatures die? Did not unimpressed dragons go between

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Admin's Note:[/hr] Why, without them, dragons would not, and could not, exist! And yet, he fought these thoughts and feelings back, because some part of him could understand that he did not understand.

"Good afternoon," he greeted the Queen, and made a very graceful, sweeping bow from the waist. He knew he was supposed to say he was 'honored to be allowed to touch her eggs'. There was a pause, however, which likely was mistaken for losing his nerve, and then, "I would be honored to touch your fine clutch of eggs."

There was none of the strangeness at saying such a thing he felt in those words. Sincere enough, because they had to be. Sincere enough, because they were hers, and it was all right to ask, and felt right enough. Strange, because why should anyone be honored to touch an egg? Dragon or no, it was an egg. Were dragons honored to touch candidates? He didn't think so. Why, then, were dragons always given precedent as superior beings? He really didn't know. Still, awaiting her permission, he decided he meant to find out, somehow.

~~~~~~

It was as though trundlebugs did a tittering dance in her stomach when Rhia announced they would be allowed, finally, to touch the wondrous eggs that were Kaith's clutch. Her eyes lit up at the news, and she shot glances from side to side, to see if the reactions of sheer excitement were found in her fellow candidates. It seemed to be the case, for nearly all of them, and she let a grin break out on her face, rare as it usually was to see anything more than a small smile. Today they would see the eggs that might hold their mindmates, their bonds! Her thoughts began to race, even as she tried to regain control and composure. She could not, however, and realized part of her didn't wish to. Today was a day to be excited, and she would allow herself to enjoy that excitement.

She followed Rhia to the hatching sands, remembered the instructions. They made sense, and she hoped that Kaith would be in a good mood. Still, why anyone would dare to kick an egg, or want to lick it, was beyond her. Licking an egg--had anyone actually done that, or was that just a quip on Rhia's part? A sort of humorous warning not to do anything too untoward or strange that might upset the clutch mother? Probably that was the case, but having seen a few of the residents of the Weyr, she wouldn't have had too hard a time believing that one or another had, at some point, dared to try licking one. She was sure, however, that it would not have gone over well.

They reached the sands and Yori noted that they were indeed hot underneath her feet. Nothing too severe--the feet of a runner were more used to such punishment from constant use--and yet it was notable, even through wher hide. She wondered if it would be worse in the customary sandals candidates were given. Still, the soles of the sandals looked to be sufficiently thick enough, and she realized that it was a silly thing to worry about. Then, she saw it, for the first time. The clutch of eggs, guarded by the golden queen. And what a queen it was, and what a clutch she had borne! She was certain she stopped breathing for all of a minute, though in reality it was a mere few seconds. A real dragon clutch, and she would be standing for it! It was almost too exciting to have been real, and yet logic and sensibility knew it was very, very real. No matter how magical it felt, dragons had been laying eggs, and candidates had been Impressing them, for many Turns. She was just another one of many, even though to her, it felt like she was one of the only ones to have ever existed in that moment.

She got into line, watching what each candidate did to better see Kaith's reactions to them. Apparently, her initial idea that respect was the way to go stood. Finally, it was her own turn, and she gave the words and formal introduction she'd meant to from the start.

"Greetings, lovely and fair Kaith. I am candidate Yorisa, and I would be honored if you'd do me the privilege of touching your marvelous clutch of eggs. I promise to treat them with gentleness and the respect due them, if you would allow me?" She felt the excitement quivering in her chest, and could barely, once again, remember to breathe. She hoped the gold would allow it, even if she couldn't see why not, since all the others had been allowed. Still, as she waited, she felt a creeping sense of elation building. This was so amazing, that only the actual hatching, she was sure, could compare!

[Spirithawk]

When Blissy moved away from the eggs, her attention on the girl was diverted by two Candidates asking permission to touch the eggs. The first one didn't really impress her. She didn't think he was a threat, but he didn't seem as excited as the others.

Behave yourself. She told him simply but haughtily and turned her attention to the very respectful girl. She was not above enjoying compliments and flattery even though she knew that many of them were simply afraid of her size and the fact that she was the weyr Queen. Few realized the exact nature of her power over the other dragons but they would see soon enough once Thread fell.

You may. Her jewel-faceted eyes watched both Candidates as they moved to touch the vessels that held the future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rhia's grey eyes scanned the Candidates, watching for anything that might cause trouble. She blinked and did a double take. Had Faine just licked an egg? Rhia let out a groan. When would she ever have well-behaved Candidates who weren't making it their life's ambition to make her life difficult?

She glanced at Kaith to see if she had seen, but luckily the Queen was paying more attention to Blissy, Iechi, and Yorisa than Faine. She had to admire the girl's daring, but she had specifically told them not to do that, and Faine had disobeyed her.

Rhia strode quickly across the sands, bowing to the Queen and then continuing on to Faine. "Come with me." She told her quietly. The girl was going to have to be punished even though she thought it was amusing, especially the girl's face when she tasted the sand. She'd have to get the girl to wash her mouth out.

OOC: Come with me if you want to live. LOL

[Akki]

Getting caught by Rhia wasn’t nearly as scary as getting caught by Kaith. Of course, that wasn’t to say that a shiver of fear didn’t tear through Faine when the Candidatemaster told her to go with her.

“I’m sorry! You said not do it, I know but it kept going through my head and wouldn’t leave me alone until I did it.” She whispered back, her words almost slurring together as they spilled frantically out of her mouth. She hated herself for licking the egg – it wasn’t like it even tasted good. Licking it really wasn’t worth any punishment she was about to receive. Oh Faranth, what if they kicked her out of the weyr? She scrunched up her face slightly, sand still sticking to her tongue.

“Sorrysorrysorry.” She whispered, dutifully follow Rhia. “They don’t taste good, by the way.” She mumbled, just in case the brownrider was wondering.

Ooc||Someone had to do it. We regret nothing D<

[Spirithawk]

Rhia was torn between laughing at the audacity of her student and being the stern, uncompromising Candidate Master. "That warning was meant to stop you from doing it, not plant the idea in your heads." She sighed. She had planted the idea in their heads, sort of.

She led the Candidate out to the caverns that lead in to the Lower Caverns and stopped just out of earshot of the Hatching Grounds. When the girl said that they didn't taste good, Rhia couldn't help herself. She started to laugh.

"Girl, you are lucky Kaith didn't see you," she said breathlessly. The girl was probably freaking out because Rhia wasn't yelling at her, but she couldn't help but laugh. The girl's face had been priceless.

"You know I'm going to have to give you extra chores or something as punishment for disobeying me right?" She hoped that the girl realized she wasn't being mean to be mean. She had her duty, and her Candidates had theirs. "I'll just make you do an extra two days of changing glows." Glows were fairly easy, just a little tedious. It was better than latrines.