Lost...

[Dragon]

"Well lets go to the hatching sands and see them and I am sure Christae will be happy to know she has new candidates here", he said. He led the way to the hatching sands holding Rhia's hand as he went.

[kestral]

Another, actually real, smile crossed Kazrael's features, though vanished almost as soon as the previous one had.
"Again, that'd be wonderful," he muttered with a slight nod, and gestured at Aidrian to follow, as he started after Kia.
It would be just as well, he thought privately, for him to be allowed to see the Hatching Sands before the actual day, this time. After all, perhaps he wouldn't get lost, and miss it...or, arrive late, which was almost as bad.

His head raised a fraction, and absently, the young man smoothed his tunic again as he started after G'han.
Even though he often seemed oblivious, he rarely was, and there was a foreign, mischevious sparkle in his gaze as he glanced at Rhia and the bronzerider.
Weyrmates, they had been introduced as?
Briefly, the youth wondered how to riders of male dragons could be weyrmates, but pushed it away, as he thought reverently that he of all people, was going to go see a queen's clutch.
Thinking no one was watching, he grinned broadly.

[Spirithawk]

Rhia smiled at Kia. "Egg touching is just as important as the clutching and the hatching. It is a special event for the Candidates, at least it was for me and the others. You are allowed to feel the eggs that your dragons will come from. You can feel them pulse with life." She hoped that Kia didn't feel embarassed.

"But, like I said, that won't be for another sevenday or so. Kaith, our Queen would bite anyone's head off if they tried to go near the eggs. She only lets her mate, her rider and the Weyrleader Sh'iron near the eggs and they aren't allowed to touch them. Kaith is normally a nice gold but don't mess with her and her eggs." She laughed. She noted the boy's excitement and hid a smile. She had been torn by grief when she arrived at the Weyr. The dragons had changed that. She had watched the others and saw that they were nervous and excited too so she knew the expression.

[kestral]

Kazrael listened intently to what Rhia was saying; and though it wasn't addressed to him, thought it was just as well that he had heard it.
Why didn't all weyrs go with that tradition? he wondered absently as he strode behind the others.
Oh, from what he'd heard, very many did do so...but not all. If it was important as the Brownrider said, shouldn't it be mandatory?
He shook off the musings, and turned his attention back to the path; brows lowering as he concentrated intently on their path.
Not getting lost, as he had so easily before, was rather important.
He felt a...hope? here, that he might actually Impress this time. Stubbornly, the youth endeavored to supress it, but it was still there.

Maybe he actually would.
One could never know.
Kazrael started to hum under his breath, eyes not downcast, and straightening visibly from the former slouch that he had occupied.
Even having been here for such a short time, the change of scenery was working miracles...
But noticing a glance, he abruptly drooped again, though his eyes shone.
"I cant believe it," he murmured under his breath, over and over.

[kestral]

((*waves* I got to go, folks...but it was great to get the opportunity to roleplay with you all! *snickers* How I love Kaz...))

[Miki]

Kia happily walked after Rhia and G'han. She stood next to but a bit far away from Kaz. She moved her hair from her face, it was getting a little long and she needed to cut it. She looked back at the other girl, and smiled. "Come on," she said quietly.

[Spirithawk]

Christae looked up when the two riders and Kia entered with two strangers.

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

"We have a coupla people for you to meet Christae." Rhia called out. She bowed low to Kaith and motioned for the others to do the same. "We said that you'd probably let them get a peek at the eggs."

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

Christae smiled and walked forward, her hands outstretched in welcome. "Welcome to Dark Moon. I hope you are happy here."

[Miki]

Kia bowed and then looked at Rhia, excited. "You get to see the eggs? Can I as well," she asked.

[Tenma]

Miya strolled into the hatching sands as the others came into view. Her firelizards played happily in the air above her head. WHen Karie saw the eggs she flew over to see them but Tonu stopped her and the two continued to play, while Tonu made sure they didn't get to close to the eggs. She stood off to the sides to see if they were going to touch the eggs. ~If they do, I will.~ She thought to herself.

[Spirithawk]

Christae smiled when she saw Miya. The candidate had been making an effort to be agreeable. "Hello Miya." She called. "I was just welcoming our new candidates to the weyr. You may all look at the eggs, but don't go too close. Kaith isn't exactly in a nice mood." Christae couldn't wait until her dragon's eggs hatched, for more than one reason. The Queen was extremely moody.

[kestral]

Kazrael flushed as they entered the sands, as much at the presence of the Weyrwoman and her gorgeous, Golden dragoness, as the heat that suddenly assaulted him as he took his first step into the large chamber.
They were permitted to view the eggs.
The mere thought of that was exilerating, yet terrifying. What if he moved too close, and angered the obviously protective clutch mother?
What if she decided that he wasn't worthy to stand her clutch?
Kazrael tried, in vain, to shake off his irrational fears, but couldn't...not entirely, at least.
He took a quivering breath, and took another step onto the scorching sands.
Surely the hatching was imminent, if they were this hot. He had been a Candidate long enough to recognize the signs.

A tremulous smile spread across his features, and he clutched his hands together, eyes fixed on the golden sands beneath his feet.
Hearing another female voice, he glanced up in some alarm. It was not the tones of the Weyrwoman, whom he had vaguely heard mingled with those of the brownrider woman, but younger.
Not another one he thought with a deep sigh. There were so many female candidates, but surely only one Queen egg?
He was slightly puzzled, but had heard of the phenomanon of Greens impressing girls more frequently...not to mention blues, and even browns, as Rhia was proof.
Kazrael's eyes went round, as he finally took a look at the entire clutch. His dark green gaze swept over it...locking on the eggs, as immovable as a magnet attatched to metal.
Was this real?

[Miki]

Kia stepped on the warm sands. The eggs were surely hardening more and more and soon enough they would be hard enough to touch. She smiled as she looked at the familiar eggs. Tokagae stayed wrapped around her neck, learning from his experiences at the clutching that he could not touch the eggs. She looked perplexedly at Kaz's discomfort. "It is ok," she whispered to him. She looked at all the candidates around her. Would most impress greens because the most common for a girl was a Queen or Green and there was just one Queen. She frowned. True, all were important but she always felt like the lowest rank in her past and she didn't want it to continue.

[kestral]

Kazrael glanced over at Kia, surprised to realize that she was still there. In the excitement of seeing the glorious clutch for the first time, he had briefly forgotten that the other Candidate was still there; as was the girl who had first greeted him, and the brownrider...and her Weyrmate, and the Weyrwoman and other girl.
The bronzerider had been correct. There were lots of people in this Weyr, and at some point...well, at some point, he would have to speak to most of them.
He sighed again, this time ruefully, and brushed a lock of hair away from his features.

He was even more surprised, however, when she spoke to him, and reddened, not looking away from the beautiful eggs, which held most of his attention fast.
"Is it?" he asked mildly, voice absent. Belatedly, he realized that what he had intended to be only in his mind had been out loud, and blushed further.
All he seemed to be able to do was make a fool of himself. How exhasperating.
At this thought, a ghost of a smile flickered across his features, and abruptly vanished as he eyed one of the eggs, with clear interest.
Hesitantly, the young man took a step forward, and abruptly stopped, glancing nervously towards the Queen once more, and then her rider.
Sure, he couldn't touch the egg, but he would like to look at it a little bit closer...

[curth]

V'lar entered the hatching sands, looking around at all the candidates. He remembered when he was in here looking at the fine eggs. He went over to the Weyrwoman and stood right next to her. "So, how does the clutch look?" asked V'lar to the Weyrwoman.

[Tenma]

Miya ignored the others and just looked at the eggs. She didn't make any comments in fear of upsetting the weyrwoman...again. SHe looked at each egg wondering what would come out, whether she wanted it, and if she did want it, would it impress her. Miya's dark brown eyes just glanced over the small eggs as they probably held weak dragon. She also merely glanced over the queen egg, for she wanted a firebreathing dragon.

--------------------------------------------------------

Mine, You are late again. Siarath's voice rang in Nira's head.
~Hush, Siarath I know.~ She replied simply as she ran towards the candidates. She felt the hot sands penetrate her footwear but she did her best to ignore it. She didn't want to look like a fool in front of new candidates. "Hello, I am Nira, rider of green Siarath." SHe said.
Siarath flew down to meet the other, landing right beside her mine.

[Dragon]

G'han waved a hello to V'lar then went up to Nira when she came in, "Hello Nira. How has everything been going lately? It seems we have plently of candidates for the hatching". He pointed out to the candidates that were there and noticed Kadan was not with them.

.....................................

Kadan was walking around the weyr and was told that some people were at the hatching sands looking at the eggs. He ran over there and greeted everyone then stood next to Kia and the other candidates. He looked over to notice a couple of new candidates. "Hi my name is Kadan I am a candidate as well", he introduced himself to them.

[Spirithawk]

Christae smiled at V'lar. "The clutch is healthy. All except for that one egg." She lowered her voice so that only the older riders could hear. The candidates were only paying attention to the eggs. She caught Rhia's eye and the brownrider walked closer. "We are thinking that we might have to bring that egg /between/. It happens sometimes that those types of eggs don't hatch."

"The others are all very healthy. Even the smaller ones are healthy. They will just hatch out smaller dragons." Christae had raised her voice when she spoke about the smaller eggs being healthy so that the candidates could hear. Kaith looked up when the green landed. She growled, whipping her head so that her many-faceted eye was even with Kazrael.

Get away from my eggs.

"Kaith love, he just wan'ts to see them." Christae said, hurrying forward and placing a calming hand on her Queen's wedge-shaped head.

I don't want anyone harming my eggs.

"Golden love, no one wishes to harm our eggs here." She said soothingly.

((and no candidates overhear her comments....none of that))

[Tenma]

"That is good, that means less hatchlings will go between when their mine isn't here." Nira smiled though the thought wasn't completely happy. She walked over to Christae so that she could talk about the little egg. "It would be nice if the egg atleast hatched, even if the hatchling didn't impress. It might be better to know that the dragon didn't die in it's shell.

Siarath back up away from the eggs. Sorry Kaith, is this a good distance? Siarath asked not wanting to leave her mine in the weyrbowl.
~Where are you going?~ Nira asked curiously as Siarath backed away.
Kaith is being protective of her eggs. Siarath replied.
~Ok but don't leave.~ Nira said not wanting her dragon to leave, they were best friends.
I will try.

[Miki]

Kia took a deep breath before saying quietly to Christae, "How do you know it won't hatch? Great things come in small packages and there is no proof that it will not also simply hatch a smaller dragon." She looked at all the eggs. This egg could be oddly colored but still healthy. How could one tell? Other ones that she presumed healthy could die in their shells. She hoped she wasn't making a fool of herself since she was still a little unintelligent with the hatching and such. She looked at Kaz. She just meant he didn't need to worry about the future but he interpreted it diffrently.

[kestral]

Kazrael, though he couldn't hear the words that the golden queen addressed to her rider, recognized the unmistakable growl which she uttered upon his taking a step nearer to the eggs.
Warily, he backed up, with a deep bow to her, and twined his hands in his tunic.
There were several other Candidates who had arrived, one of whom was a male -the first fellow male candidate he had seen- and another rider soon entered.
None of these people took anoy notice of him, and so much the better as far as he was concerned.
Since he, evidently, was not supposed to draw any nearer to the eggs than his present distance, he would keep it.

Inclining his head nervously to the gorgeous dragoness, he shuffled backwards and watched the softly gleaming eggs from his new, 'safer' position.
He continued, too, to watch the other candidates as they approached them, from half-lidded eyes.
After all, Kazrael was thinking. When the male candidate introduced himself, he just nodded curtly, and moved his stare to his boots.
He certainly didn't want to risk angering the Queen...or losing what chance of Impression he had.
So he would simply watch and admire from back here, and perhaps enter into conversation, if someone deemed him worthy of speaking too.
A wry, slightly cynical smile, twisted his lips.