The Egg Touching (Happy Holidays Clutch)

[Zen]

Gold Egg
Orlaith is never very far from this egg. It shines a rich gold in color, much darker than its mother, and seems a little smaller and slimmer than a normal Gold Egg though it is certainly still the largest egg on the Sands. It sits apart from the others.

Grey Egg
Set slightly apart from the others, this egg has a slight silver sheen to it. Orlaith keeps a close eye on it. It has a pleasing look to it and is smaller than only the Gold and Rusted Eggs.

Rusted Egg
Second in size only to the Gold Egg, this egg is larger even than the Grey Egg. It is portly and rounder than most of the others, and also lighter in color. It almost seems as if the egg is rusting, with rich orange flecks scattered about its surface. It sits near the Grey Egg with the Freckled Egg beside it.

Freckled Egg
This egg is average sized compared to its siblings. It has two spots that bulge out slightly and on these bulges are two dark dots, almost like freckles. It sits against the Rusted Egg.

Dark Egg
This egg nearly rivals the Grey Egg in size and is quite a bit darker than its siblings. It sits not far from the Rusted Egg with the Burnished Egg beside it.

Burnished Egg
In contrast to its neighbor, the Dark Egg, the Burnished Egg is brighter in color, leaning toward a dull gold. It is average sized and incredibly smooth.

Smudged Egg
The Smudged Egg dwarfs its neighbor, the Small Egg, though it is only slightly larger than average itself. It has a large grayish smudge near the top of it that almost looks like an indentation at first glance.

Small Egg
Sitting in the shadow of the Smudged Egg, it is easy to overlook this egg. It seems to be the smallest egg in the clutch, but only by a little. It seems even smaller than it actually is because of its placement beside its much larger sibling.

Solitary Egg
Rather round and portly, this egg sits by itself, unlike most of its siblings. It seems to be almost at the center of the clutch and has a proud air about it, as if it knows it is the ‘center’ of attention.

Horizontal Egg
Unlike the others, this egg is buried sideways, as if it is laying down. It sits between the Vertical Egg and the Diagonal Egg and seems to be the largest, though it is only average sized overall.

Vertical Egg
The Vertical Egg sits straight up, as if standing at attention. It is only slightly smaller than the Horizontal Egg that lies beside it.

Diagonal Egg
Leaning heavily on the Horizontal Egg, this egg is the smallest of the trio, only slightly smaller than average.

Center Egg
This egg sits with the four smaller North, South, East, and West eggs circled around it. One gets a rather comical sense about it, as if the four eggs are doting on it. It is slightly smaller than average.

North Egg, South Egg, East Egg, West Egg
These four eggs are all roughly the same size, smaller than all but the Small Egg and possibly the Buried Egg. They sit circled around the Center Egg in coordination with the cardinal directions (North, South, East, and West).

Right Egg, Middle Egg, Left Egg
Positioned in a slight curve around the Guardian Egg, the Left and Right Eggs are about the same size while the Middle Egg is noticeably larger than the other two. All three lean slightly back toward the Guardian Egg, as if seeking shelter from danger beneath it.

Guardian Egg
This egg towers over its neighbors, quite obviously the largest one in the group of four. It leans forward, toward them slightly, as if it is trying to shield them from any danger.

Buried Egg
This egg is pushed far away from its siblings and is almost buried completely in sand, only a small portion of its surface showing. From what can be seen of the egg, it seems rather small.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

All twenty-two eggs were sufficiently hardened and Talaria expected they would hatch within the next one to two sevendays. Most everyone who had wanted a look at them had been allowed through in small groups already, though Orlaith had not allowed anyone but Talaria to go among them. She stayed curled protectively around her Gold egg with a careful watch on the Grey as well.

“My love, we must allow the candidates among them. They are sure to hatch soon and I would rather it go without incident. The egg touching is supposed to minimize injuries….” She gazed over at her queen from the tiered stone stands where she sat and had slept these past few sevendays with Orlaith’s insistence that her rider not leave her to sleep in her own weyr, “We have few enough candidates as it is without your children mauling them.”

Orlaith snorted, Perhaps if the candidates moved out of the way sooner they would not get mauled. Would you have me chastise my children for trying to find their lifemate?

The Weyrwoman sighed, “Not at all, love… but back to the original issue. Will you allow the candidates among them now or not? They need to see them soon, before they hatch.”

The pale Gold raised her head from the sand and surveyed her clutch, Very well… they may come… if they know how to behave.

“Thank you, dearheart. You’ll send word to Navith, won’t you?”

Yes, yes… of course. She shifted on the sands, mindful of her eggs, and reached out to the Blue, Navith, do have yours bring the candidates to the Hatching Cave, please. They are to participate in the egg touching now.

Navith raised his head from his place in the Candidate’s Quarters. It was still morning, the Candidates had likely had their breakfast and A’zael was about to saddle them with their morning chores. Well, this would be a pleasant surprise for them. I will do as you say, my queen. They should arrive shortly.

The dark Blue peered into the commons area where A’zael was already assigning chores, A’zael, Gold Orlaith has informed me that it is time for the egg touching. Chores can wait.

A’zael looked up and back toward his dragon as he heard this, his face brightening, before turning back to the Candidates that were assembled, “Well, well… lucky for you all chores are being cancelled on account of an egg touching. Everyone follow me on up to the Hatching Cave and conduct yourselves accordingly. For those of you who have never been to an egg touching before, and for those who have, I’ll remind you… before you approach the eggs address the queen the Weyrwoman and be polite. Orlaith cannot abide rudeness in any form and she is within her rights to keep you off the sands on a whim. You’d do well to remember that.” He fixed them all in his gaze to give his words a better affect. “Now then, let’s go shall we?”

With that he led them through the lower caverns and up to the Hatching Cave where Talaria was waiting for them.

“Welcome, all of you… I’m sure your Candidate Master has done well to tell you the appropriate way to behave at an egg touching…,” her bright blue-green gaze shifted to A’zael momentarily, “After you have properly addressed Orlaith you may approach the eggs.”

Orlaith turned her great head to give the candidates a look over, Why are there so few?

Talaria glanced back at her, Did I not tell you we had few enough candidates that we didn’t need them getting mauled? I was not joking. But do not worry, love… our Searchriders will be working tirelessly until Hatching Day to give your children as many options as possible.

*Fuzzy timing can be used for any candidates that are created after this but still wish to participate in the touching, we’ll just assume they were here the whole time and you can post them going among the eggs if you wish, or you can have them arriving late with your own reasons for it.

[missing]

Midnael stood back from the others, watching the sands carefully. He had convinced Finiky to go off and get some sun somehow, even though she normally behaved herself, he couldn't really be sure how much the Queen would really appreciate having the green around. When it came his turn to approach the Queen he bowed respectfully, his long blond hair falling forward across his shoulders. He kept his head down until the Queen acknowledged him before straightening and stepping out onto the sands. The warmth of the hatching grounds seeped through his boots as he looked around.

He watched the other candidates mill about, a rather lanky girl with light brown hair seemed to be inspecting each egg carefully and mentally cataloging the details of each. She didn't seem to be interested in the eggs the way the others were, true she still had that look of longing in her eyes, but her actual activity was more analytical. The girl seemed to be amazed, not just by the eggs, but by the wonder of whole process.

Midnael turned this way and that, not really sure what he should do, so he just mimicked the actions of the others and touched each egg in turn. When he came up to the golden egg he didn't actually touch it, being male he really had no reason to, but he did offer the Queen admiration of a job well done in making such a beauty. At the solitary egg he smiled a bit to himself, wondering what that dragon would be like. Out of the corner of his vision he saw one egg practically buried in the sands. He approached it very cautiously, careful not to actually step near it in case some was hidden under where he might be stepping. He laid his hand on it very carefully wondering if it would be okay.

The girl he had been watching earlier came up behind him, looking at the egg but not touching it, "Why do you think it's over here? And why is it buried?"

He frowned a bit, "I don't really know..."

[Alyx]

The words that passed Rider A’zael's lips were nothing short of a rush. Cleissa's eyes brightened, her lips curling into a instant smile. No Chores and they got to go see the new Eggs? Days like this were what made alot of the grunt work the Candidates did worth it. Tongue darted over her lips, A’zael's words simply a refresher for her; she had walked this way before at least once. She hoped tho, that this time would be the last and that one of these Eggs had been made for her.

She walked with the others in silence, reminding herself of the rules several times before she reached the sands. Despite the eggs, the warm sands, and the excitement, she still had to say that the most impressive view in the Hatching Room was the Gold herself. It never stopped taking her breath away every time Cleissa saw the Queen, even at a distance. Nothing could or would ever compare to the metallic hide and overwhelming aura that was that of a Gold Dragon.

Waiting her turn, Cleissa smiled softly, bowing deeply to the reclined Gold and her rider. She never knew what to say to a Dragon - or if it cared enough to even hear her, but still; she hoped a deep bow was enough. As she straightened tho, it was the two eggs nearest to the Queen that captured her attention.

Gold and Grey. Amazing. Cleissa blinked a rush of little blinks, as if she expected one of the other to vanish. But the pair remained, sitting on the sands like trapped gems in the shores of a vast ocean. She stared at them for a moment, then snapped back to herself. A shiver ran over her as she pulled her eyes from them, glancing back up to Orlaith's facets in awe. "Amazing. Congratulations, Gold Orlaith. They are all beautiful."

A rush of red took to her cheeks as she gave another small bow, then turned to follow the others among the resting eggs. She longed to take her shoes off, to feel the sand on the bottoms of her feet, between her toes - but she didn't. Instead, she wove among the Eggs with a joyful look, fingers brushing gently over the smooth, stone feeling shells. To believe that something so small would become something so big was a mystery to Cleissa, but she loved the fact she could be her, to take part in it.

Hopefully though, this would be her last time on the Sands. Maybe, just maybe, this time she would walk out with a Hatchling of her very own - finally taking that next step on her path to being a Rider. Even with the images of the metallic eggs resting near Orlaith burned into her mind, she didn't try to get near them. A Gold or a Grey - both beautiful, but she really didn't think herself quite that lucky.

Moving among them, Cleissa took notes of them; a darker one and a goldish one sat off together, looking very much like a cuddling pair of birds. A bigger one with freckles was sorta off with another, near Orlaith and her two shiny ones. One with a big, smoky mark on it sat near probably the smallest egg she had ever seen, looking like it might tilt and fall any moment. Cleissa stopped briefly in her path among them to crouch down and place a palm flat against the tiny egg. With her free hand, she scooped up a handful of sand from near her feet and tucked it along the eggs base. She glanced up, making sure that she wasn't getting in trouble, and then continued. A few handfuls against the back and base made it at least look a little less likely to fall.

Smiling, Cleissa straightened and dusted her hand off against her legging. Fingers played over the two eggs a moment more, almost wishfully, then she stepped off. Eyes caught motion; a pair standing off from the group. Curious, she moved closer - only then did she notice the egg buried in the sand near the boy. Strange. Stopping near them, she glanced over her shoulder, then back at the two and the egg as she heard them talk. "Do you think its a dud? Or maybe she thinks its sick or something? Can she tell that?"

[missing]

Midnael turned towards the newcomer, pushing his hair back from his face once more, "I don't really know the first thing about dragons. The firelizard nests I found at home were all buried, but that was for saftety. Who would bother a dragon's egg with the Queen right there? You would have to be very stupid indeed... So I highly doubt that it is for any similar reason. As for it being a dud... it's bad luck to speak of such things."

"True," the girl who he now remembered was called Pala chipped in, "We don't want to give the poor thing a harder time than he or she will already have digging themselves out from under that sand. A Queen knows her clutch though, and I'm sure she has her reasons even if we don't know them. It is fascinating though. The way I hear it, nearly everything about a dragon's hatching helps make them who they are, and there are so many things that the riders consider good luck or bad luck... For instance if the first dragon out of it's shell bursts through," she made small explosion gesture, "It's good luck not only for that dragon, but for the rest of the clutch. A bronze first is also a good sign, although I wonder if burgundy is also good now..."

Midnael stared at the girl, wondering how in the world she could talk so much, and she bounced from topic to topic as if that were how everyone followed a conversation. He wondered if she had ever listened to herself at some point.

[kyra]

Alexander had run off to get Zyika from the kitchens at the words of no chores. It was normal for Zyika to be forgotten, since her chores weren't like the regular candidates. "Come on, hurry!" He said grabbing his sister's arm and running her back to the Hatching Cave. They just barely made it back while the other Candidates were walking into the Cave. Taking the back of the line Zyika tried to catch her breath. She knew she looked like a mess, but nothing could change that right now.

Standing next to her brother, Alexander, they looked at the eggs afar before even thinking of going close. Alexander had told his firelizard to stay home and he hoped that would be where Alyzin stays. He truly did not want to make the Queen upset by the troublesome thing. "Are you ready?" Alexander whispered to his sister. Zyika looked at her brother with a sad smile, "As ready as I'll ever be." Knowing this would be the last time she would stand. Her brother was lucky this was his first time standing, Zyika had stood for many turns without impressing.

Her eyes wandered to the Golden Egg with a small smile. The egg was gorgeous no doubt. "You have a beautiful clutch, Gold Queen Oriaith." She bowed down to both the rider and the queen. Alexander followed his sister in the bow to the two. Even though he wanted to run to the eggs he walked slowly trying to hide the excitement from his face.

He touched an egg slowly as if afraid to upset the Queen, "Go on touch the egg. It's not it's gonna attack you." Zyika told her brother with a slight smirk on her face. Sure perhaps he was older then her, but this was his first time standing unlike her. Alexander touched the egg with a bright smile. He walked around the eggs touching them slowly. But staying far away from the Gold and Grey egg.

Zyika looked and saw a few people she remembered, they had each stood in the sands with her as well. She hoped that everyone would impress this time, even if she was the only one not to impress. Sighing she touched a few of the eggs already remembering each of their feels was like. Pausing she looked at her brother again and smiled seeing how happy he was.

Her eyes flickered to the candidates talking about the egg hiding in the sands. "For all we know it could be a white dragon." She added softly, yet loud enough to be heard. It was sad to think of any of those eggs being duds and she highly doubted they were.

Alexander looked up after hearing his little sister speak. He ran a hand through his hair, "When was the last time we had a white dragon?" He asked.

[brete]

Egg Touching? Oh shards that meant she was finally getting close enough to a dragon and it's eggs to really get a grip on what it was like. It was like it was all real for Brete now. She would be right up in the middle of a whole clutch of dragon eggs with the extreme privilege to touch them all if she so chose. Sucking in her breath she looked at the candidate master and for once thought nothing of his gorgeous face. Following the rest of the group she wondered which egg she would be most drawn to as well. She knew there was a gold and silver on the sands for sure, not to mention there was going to be greens and burgundy. It was an all you can dream buffet down there right now and Brete had a free dinner pass. Running a nervous hand through her long dark hair she shuffled her feet at the entrance of the cavern. She watched as all the other candidates went in just so she could see how they approached the watchful queen. When she had a good idea of how the situation was supposed to go she took a deep breath and went in to pay her respects.

Walking up slowly Brete smiled at the rider and the dragon happily and confidently. She admired the beauty of the queen as she approached and nearly lost her ability to speak at all at the size of her. Bowing low she politely greeted the queen and complimented her on the size of her clutch. When acknowledged she stood up and then turned to the weyrwoman and bowed again and greeted her as well and congratulated her on the clutch and her queen. With that done she waved politely as she made her way among the eggs. It seemed no one had really gone up to the gold or silver as of yet and Brete knew it must be a sort of fear or extended respect. Slowly she approached the gold egg looking at the queen for permission or rejection. Seeing no real threat she walked up to the egg reverently. Reaching out a hand she slowly stroked the egg, closing her eyes in wonder at the warmth of it. Brete could feel the life in the shiny object, it was alive and it was a miracle. The girl couldn't believe she was actually touching the queen egg. Brete had no actual hope of impressing the queen but it was still an amazing thing to be touching it for real. Smiling up at the Queen dragon she let the wonder and honor shine through her eyes. "Thank you." she whispered to the Queen. Knowing it was probably a bad idea to stick to one egg she let her hand finally fall away from the egg, feeling as if her arm were being snatched away from life itself. Sighing she smiled again as she approached the Grey egg happily. Again she looked to the Queen. Reaching out slowly she was again amazed at the feeling. The life in the egg was so apparent how could anyone not feel it even off the sands, how could she not have?

This was the most amazing experience she had ever been exposed to and she didn't doubt that it would be for the rest of her life.

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

Salar saw the girl with the beautiful straight black hair walk in and was amazed like her at the pure site of the eggs. He couldn't believe he was finally here instead of watching from the stands. The eggs were everywhere and they were so amazing close up. Walking in a daze up to the Queen he bowed as low as his body would let him and kept his eyes on the eggs. How could something so amazing be happening to him? Bowing to the weyrwoman Salar made his way to the egg that had caught his eye first. The solitary egg struck a chord with him. It was by itself and Salar knew how that felt. He walked up to it and smoothed his hand over it happily. "You are the center remember that! You are important and wonderful and will be loved and respected." he whispered to the egg getting down on his knees so that he could touch the whole egg. How could this egg be so amazing and why was it by itself. Salar wanted to ask the queen but one did not ask the queen her reasons for putting eggs where she did. Salar knew he would have to move on to other eggs soon but he couldn't bring himself to do so at the moment.

"Are you dreaming of your bonded? We are all dreaming of you. When you come out there are so many of us that would do just about anything to have you. So don't worry your bonded is bound to be here. You be strong, break that shell and find your bonded." he smiled and patted the egg lightly as he got up to go.

[tealah]

Mya didn't much see the point in meeting with all the other candidates to be assigned her chores - it was pretty obvious where she was going to be going. Still, she didn't much like surprises so she wanted to be there in case plans changed.

Good thing, too. Mya's mind had been wandering somewhat from this routine, when A'zael's surprise announcement brought her attention back to the present with an unpleasant snap. The egg touching? Mya swallowed back her automatic reaction, to think it was a waste of time they could be spending on other things. It is important, she reminded herself as if by rote. It prevents injuries from a chaotic hatching. Preventing injuries spoke well enough to the healer in her, so it was without any sort of outward protest that she followed with the rest of the candidates to the hatching cavern.

Once there she took a moment to just observe what the others who'd been candidates longer were doing. It seemed a silly ritual to appease the pride of the Weyrwoman and her dragon, but when dealing with something as large as the gold dragons maybe it was for the best. She watched as the other candidates approached, and then it was her turn, and she stepped toward the gold and her rider.

Having spent a little time in the Weyr now, she was growing accustomed to dragons, but this was the first she'd seen of a dragon quite this large. She'd not even been near a black or bronze, though she'd seen them from a distance now. This near the gold, she found that words failed her. She wasn't exactly the best orator anyway, but the flowery phrases some of the other candidates were using to praise the gold, and the clutch, were far beyond her right now.

She cleared her throat once, then executed a quick bow as she'd seen others doing. "Good morning, Weyrwoman. Good morning, Orlaith. Very, erm. Thank you for... uhm. Letting us in here." She rubbed at her arm, incredibly irritated with herself with her lack of speaking skills. It was a lot easier to tell someone they were going to need their leg amputated than it was to mouth polite small talk. Sketching another quick bow she followed the other candidates out to the eggs.

Well, best get this done, then. Mya started over to a very large freckled egg touching a very small egg. The size comparison amused her, though she of course wasn't being whimsical enough to chose the pair for that reason. They were just closer and unoccupied, that was all.

[Zen]

Lellen was quite overjoyed when A’zael announced they would be skipping chores for the much more pleasant and exciting Egg Touching, and even happier when it happened to be truth and not just some dream he was waking up from. He hummed a pleasing little nothing tune to himself as the whole candidate lot made their way to the Hatching Cave and only thought to seek Salar out after they’d already arrived and he’d gone off among the eggs. As others were paying their respects to Orlaith he surveyed the eggs, dreaming as most of the others surely were that his dragon would burst forth from one of them on hatching day. More and more he was picturing himself with a lovely little Green and all the fun that entailed.

Talaria looked over each candidate that passed by and addressed Orlaith, and nodded to the ones that greeted her as well. She watched Orlaith for any sign of irritation but as of so far she had simply watched each candidate and seemed to be satisfied with their shows of respect. She told Talaria to thank the girl that seemed a bit mesmerized by her Gold and Grey eggs and offered congratulations on her beautiful clutch. The Weyrwoman raised an eyebrow at the girl that seemed a bit stuttery. Orlaith noticed as well, Not very eloquent is she?

Talaria gave a small smile, amused, She is simply in awe of you and your clutch, my golden beauty, as she should be. She of course did not know if this was true or not but it pleased Orlaith and that was her goal.

A’zael gave Lellen a nudge forward when it was his turn to address the queen, noticing his gaze had gone a bit blank, before going back to watching the others just in case anyone got any stupid ideas. A Gold dragon eyeing you was usually enough to make just about anyone behave, but there was always the stray one or two that just might….

Lellen smiled softly at the Candidate Master and dipped his head to Talaria, then bowed well to Orlaith, “Beautiful golden queen, it is an honor to be allowed among your glorious eggs.”

Orlaith perked a little at this one, This one knows how to speak properly… I like him. Give him my gratitude for his generous words.

Talaria shook her head in the slightest, “Orlaith thanks you, candidate.”

Lellen smiled happily at the Weyrwoman, “She’s very welcome.” He then turned to decide which egg to have a look at first… and spotted his brother toward the center of them all with a fat-looking egg sitting on its own. He was about to make his way over when he noticed a few other candidates had grouped together around… something. His brother forgotten for the time being, he made his way over to catch some of what was being said and noticed an egg shell barely poking up above the sand.

A white dragon? He looked down at what could be seen of the egg and glanced back toward the rest. It was so far away from the others. It seemed more likely to him that it would be a dud for being pushed so far away like this, but he didn’t want to think about unhatched dragons so thinking it was a white instead was just fine with him.

He looked up at Alexander, “Western’s never had a White dragon… not that I can remember, and I think I’d be able to remember if there was….” He knelt in the burning sands to brush his hand over the shell and brush a little sand off it, “At least its nice and warm… most of the ones that’ve turned out duds have been cold when you touch ‘em.” He stood once more brushing his knees off and smiling around at everyone, “Well, more eggs to explore.” And he wandered off, remembering his brother then and hopping over the sands toward him. The heat was starting to go through his boots and the less contact he had with the sand the better.

He came up behind him and draped his arm over his brother’s shoulders, “You like this one?” He looked over the egg Salar was currently occupied with. He got a sense that the dragon within this particular egg knew exactly that it had been placed at the center of its clutchmates and felt it belonged there. It made him laugh, though he assured himself it was just his imagination at work. “D’you see that buried egg over there?” He glanced back toward it, “There’s others speculating if it’s a dud or a White dragon. I forgot about White dragons, haven’t seen one just about ever. It would be fun to ride one of those, there’s hardly any on Pern… but then again, they don’t rise or chase.” He made a face and chuckled, “I’ll leave you with your egg then.” He waved back at Salar as he walked off. If his brother was interested in that egg he didn’t want to intrude on it.

He moved on to a group of five smaller eggs, four about the same size circled around the largest one, “Interesting little gathering you’ve got over here, mm?” He brushed his fingers over each of them, hovering over that center egg for a moment. He felt that ‘calling’ like he’d told Salar about and rested his palm firmly against it. “Are you trying to talk to me?” He smiled at the thought and shook his head, “Choose me at hatching and you can talk to me all you want.”

He stepped lightly over to a group of four eggs, shifting from one foot to the other as he looked them over. Once more he brushed his fingers over each one and thought maybe he felt that calling again but couldn’t place which egg of the four it was coming from. He moved on once more, making sure to spend some time with each egg, except the Gold and Grey anyway. Even in his dream world he didn’t have a chance with those two.

[missing]

Pala watched Midnael with a mild curiousity. She had wandered off from the buried egg, continuing with her rounds, but the boy stayed near the buried egg without touching it further. Somehow his presence there called the egg to the attention of the other canadidates. At first she thought he would be upset by this, the boy didn't seem to like company, and then she realized that he smiled a bit every time a new candidate walked over or was overheard mentioning the egg.

He was making sure it didn't get ingnored...

The realization popped into Pala's head like a whisper. Surely the boy could simply spend more time with the egg himself, it seemed to strengthen the possibility of impression, so why go through the trouble of making sure others noticed it? She'd had the feeling of interupting a special moment when she had spoken to him earlier, what she thought had been mental questions had once again been out loud and she chastised herself, this time sure to make it in her head.

Unlike the other candidates she didn't really felt drawn to one egg or the other. Part of her was relieved, but then another part... larger than she expected was sad. She shook her head against such foolishness, she had to use this opportunity learn more about dragons, if she was going to be working with them and their riders then she needed to be prepared for every aspect of their lives.

[kyra]

Alexander looked at the boy that responded to him. 'Never been a White Dragon?' He thought and then began to wonder what it would be like to ride one. He walked over and touched the little egg in the sand and smiled. 'You'll make it, won't you?' Zyika looked to the boy who spoke to her brother. "So that's the twin." She shook her head slightly mostly speaking to herself. Her eyes wandered to the girl who touched the gold and grey egg. Her eyes wandered to the Queen noticing the Queen didn't seem to mind.

She moved slowly without really thinking to the last two eggs that she hadn't touched. Before touching them she looked to the Queen and bowed, "Please do not be bothered by me touching your golden egg and grey egg." She said before she touched the egg and smiled, but before getting to attached the let her hand fall to her side. Her eyes looked at the girl who was brave enough to touch the two first, "My best of luck to you. I believe you shall do very well." She said with a smile.

Alexander looked around looking to where his sister had gone and noticed her by the golden egg and decided to not bother her. His eyes saw the dark egg. Walking over he touched the egg and smiled, "Well aren't you a pretty one." He said with humor in his voice. His eyes wandered and knew he should better touch each egg and spend a little time with them. It would be dumb of him not too besides that was what his younger sister had told him to do.

Walking slowly around he touched each egg and complimented them, saying that they would all be strong and healthy. He found them all to be interesting. The only ones he stayed away from was the Golden and Grey egg since he already knew he had no chance with those.

[jassen]

Jassen fidgeted in line, eyes downcast as the candidates slowly proceeded past the great Queen and onto the sands. In spite of himself, he'd been growing comfortable in this Weyr, the press of bodies in the Crafthall still recent in his mind and making the relative isolation of this place comforting... but now he was back, again, amidst a large group, the first Touching he would ever experience. The oppressive weight of the caverns was redoubled by the sight of the massive golden Queen...
"Calm," he whispered to himself on the very edge of hearing. "A steady glow, a single lick of flame. A steady glow..." He continued mumbling at the floor of the cavern until he realized, with a start, that he was next in line to meet with the Queen.
He drew himself up, took a deep breath, and stepped forward, bowing low to the Queen and searching for words eloquent enough for the moment. Finally, he settled on, "My honor, great Queen, and thank you for your invitation... I know little of clutches... but I've rare if ever seen such beauty as your eggs." He stood there for several long moments, head bowed, eyes watching gold Orlaith somewhat nervously. Finally, the gold made a gesture, and after a beat he realized she was nodding him onward. He turned to Talaria and bowed again, but had even less idea what to say to her, and ended up simply saying "Milady."
The smith hurried onto the sands to save himself from his (perceived) awkwardness, eyes roaming the clutch and the many candidates already walking among the eggs. He marveled for a moment at the heat rising from the sands, then began walking, reaching out and brushing fingers along each egg he approached, trying to keep his doubt of ever bonding a dragon out of his mind in case they could somehow feel his negativity.
The buried egg raised his curiosity, but the group of people already clustered around it kept him from approaching, so he moved on to others. A few moments were spent pondering the curious illusion of a dent in the size of the smudged egg, fingers brushing slowly around the odd mark. He made a point of resting his palm on the small egg, wondering idly just how much of a connection there was between egg size and the dragon's size in life, and the burnished egg not far away drew his attention as well for its fascinating, metallic color. He gave the larger dark egg a few moments' attention, although the size and dark hue didn't seem to speak to him at all - though he wasn't sure if his own reaction to the eggs mattered. Wasn't it just what the dragons thought of them, not the other way 'round?
He spent several long moments admiring the large golden egg from a distance, having already learned that it was a woman's chance only and he wouldn't be welcome approaching it.
As he proceeded, his eyes fell on the rusted egg, and he paused, walking around it and examining it from all sides. The color was familiar to him, and his fingers traced the designs buried in the flecks. "How beautiful," he mused softly. "A color I've learned to recognize as a flaw, aging and weakening metal, but here representing power, heralding a new birth..." He lingered by the egg for some time, before pulling himself away to complete the touching.

[Alyx]

'Bad Luck'? Cleissa never got superstition and she really didn't like that the boy had snapped at her. As others joined them, he didn't speak as sharply with any of them... she gave a soft frown. Whatever... not her problem. She could say something, but feeling most like a outsider then she already did, Cleissa simply moved away from the cluster around the partly buried egg.

Toes scuffed a little in the sand as she moved, feeling... lost. She hoped for some sign, some 'pull'. Something, anything... to tell her where to go, which to touch. Nothing. If ever there was ablow to one's ego, it was being alone on the sands, surrounded by the all those eggs and not knowing it one was for you or not. What was this? Her third time on these sands? Fourth? Cleissa tried not to remember, weaving slowly around the eggs.

Motion. She looked up, watching the girl as she touched the Gold and Silver eggs resting in the Queen's shadow. Cleissa felt a pang of jealousy - not just cause she had touched them, but because Cleissa didn't have the courage to do the same. Brave was one thing, but Cleissa didn't think it was for her to be with one of those hatchlings.... Greys and Golds were both brave, beautiful Queens of the Skies. Not exactly a good match for a little baker drudge.

Lost, Cleissa moved restlessly, eyes casting from egg to egg. Slow steps paused, fingers touching a tall egg resting by three smaller eggs. The group didn't seem to be getting too much attention - Cleissa felt sorry for them. Everyone was so focused on the egg in the dirt that the didn't seem to notice the others. "Poor babies. Feeling left out? I kinda know that one. Don't worry - you'll get your chance to shine. You all will."

[wyren]

Stepping out onto the hot Sands, Filonna felt her heart suddenly fly with happiness. This always happened to her whenever she stepped onto the Sands, even if there wasn't a clutch on the Sands and she had pulled cleaning up the hot sands. It was just that on these Sands had birthed the past of Tkana Weyr and now it held the future of the Weyr. She couldn't help but be giddy as she moved up to the eggs that Gold Orlaith had been brooding over the past couple of months.

Taking a deep breath, she bowed to the Weyrwoman as she neared the eggs, then bowed to Gold Orlaith before stepping any closer. "They are truly beautiful, my Queen," she whispered, stepping out of the way, so that the next Candidate could praise the Queen before Touching the eggs. Though it seemed like she was actually one of the last ones this time, chalking it up to not paying attention to what was happening around the Weyr.

As she neared the eggs, she just with the two eggs that Olraith seemed to be most watchful over. It was easy it see that both held a possible Queen, and as s female, Filonna brushed her hands along their shells more out of respect for the life within rather than actually Touching them to possibly Impress. As she had been a Candidate for nearly three Turns, she had seen a few Golds and Greys walk off the Sands and figured she had a good idea what type of woman these Queens of the Weyr were looking for, and to her, she didn't fit the bill. However, it never hurt to show some respect.

Moving on, she moved among the eggs, stopping at the Solitary Egg and the Buried Egg, paying just about as much attention as she had to the Gold and Grey Eggs. These two loner eggs called out to her, making her stand near them and press her forehead against their shells. She spoke kind words to the young dragonets within, offering kindness and hope that Theirs would be on the Sands and there would be no need to be alone much longer.

Once she was done with the rounds, she moved out of the way, allowing the rest of the Candidates to pass through the short maze of the eggs. As she stood out of the way, watching the eggs with keen orbs, she couldn't help but move her hand to her chest, placing her fingertips gingerly over her heart. Was there was dragonet among this clutch that would chose her? Would she walk off the Sands with a lifemate, or walk off alone once more?

Shaking her head, she pushed those thoughts away, moving on to happier ones. There would be much to celebrate and Filonna wasn't about to ruin the good mood of the Touching by drawing on her past experiences with the Hatchings.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[madbeez]

Rauget rested idle while A'zael passed out the chores for the day, leaning lazily against a wall and examining his calloused hands picking almost absentmindedly at some of the dry skin. A girl next to him wrinkled her nose at the action, and he gave her a grin and a wink in response--he didn't find much insulting, being the gentle-giant sort. This was all much too predictable for his taste... this song-and-dance had been going on for quite some time, ever sense he was old enough as a weyrbrat to be helpful in any manner of chores the Weyr needed. And that was much younger than the others. He's shot up like a sapling around nine turns, though he didn't fill out in bulk until he'd hit fourteen. He'd been a right ol' laughing stock before that, looking much like a starved runner, but the point of it all was at least he had been big enough to help with the more difficult stuff.

It did make it a little irritating that as a candidate, he usually wasn't tipped by the kindly in the weyr. It wasn't practice to get payed as a weyrbrat, being as you'd already live off what the weyr provided you, but as a candidate no one even looked kindly to offering out treats for a job well done. Of course it was all worth it if he Impressed a dragon... which he must, this time around, it was already awkward enough being several heads bigger than the other candidates without being as old as he'd be next round... if they'd even let him participate next time.

He sighed, and then shrugged, allowing a grin to spread on his face. Why worry, really? He wasn't the type to fret about what wasn't under his control. It was just all these Turns and the approaching Hatching which was getting under his skin. Rau knew he could overcome such dark thoughts--cynical-ism never helped any candidate, not in his experience.

Speaking of which--the egg touching!

Rau's breath caught in his throat. No matter how many times he'd gotten this close before, the impact never lessened. Those words were so full of promise and hope they couldn't help but lift his spirits.

He did grin sheepishly at the mention of being polite. In the budding excitement, he might have forgotten had he not been reminded.

A'zael led them to the Hatching Cave where Talaria reminded them once more. Rau rubbed a sheepish hand behind his neck, wondering if he was the only one in the group who felt that might have specifically been directed at him?

He regained composure and calm, turning an admiring and respectful bow towards Orlaith. "Thank you for allowing me the honor to view your amazing clutch, Queen Orlaith," Rau said humbly, "Fitting of a magnificent Gold." He turned to give the Weyrwoman a bow as well. "Though, of course, it comes as no surprise," he grinned and couldn't help the mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Impertinent, cheeky even. But one couldn't argue that he was not honestly impressed.

It was difficult to move towards the eggs, because that would require choosing one that stood out against the rest. He would wind up touching each one, like he had every time before--Rau wasn't sure if it helped or hindered his chances, but he'd stick to the strategy. His fingers twitched as he mused, eyes alighting on the gold egg and a certain level of amusement curving at the corners of his lip. But, shaking that half-hearted thought free, he finally stepped forward to walk towards the solitary egg in the middle of the clutch. It was a good one to start with, he thought; Rau figured there was an undeniable character even in this unhatched form to whatever dragon lay inside.

He ran his fingers over the shell, attempting to communicate his silent admiration, and then stood up to go towards the guardian egg and all the eggs which it appeared to be so protective over. Rau spent his attention with each one, silent for perhaps the first time in many turns, and then got up to go to the center clutch. In this way he examined each and every egg... except for, of course, the Gold for pretty explainable reasons.

Not a single time did he attempt to strike up a conversation with his candidate group around him--not out of scorn, for he was an easygoing and friendly man--but out of absolute concentration on the eggs he examined.

Finally, with a respectful brush against the grey egg, Rauget lifted his head and stood up. He stretched--there was a crick in his neck, when had that happened?--and then smiled peacefully. That was about all he could have done in his favor. Now it was up to those little, wonderful creatures in their shells.

[tealah]

Mya stroked the large, rust-speckled egg lightly. She was somewhat surprised at the feel of the hard, hot shell. She'd never touched an egg before, after all, let alone a dragon egg. She contemplated it with more interest than she'd shown towards the eggs since she'd arrived, and found herself wondering what sort of dragon would hatch out of it. Had to be a bronze, look at the size of it. Bigger even than the gray egg. Though in the few classes about midwifery that she'd taken at the healer hall before she settled on trauma care, she knew that a bigger casing didn't necessarily mean a bigger baby. Was it the same with dragons? She wondered at it.

She swept her hand over the smaller, lumpy egg leaning against the rusted one, once more marveling at the warmth. But there was a boy approaching with his eyes intent on the rusted egg, so Mya moved on to another pair of eggs, this a large dark egg with a brightly burnished little egg. Before touching them, she glanced about to see the whereabouts of the other candidates. When she saw many of them grouped around a single egg, she frowned. Why were they paying so much more attention to an abandoned egg like that? Even if it wasn't a dead egg, there would still only be one of them that would Impress to it; why lessen their chances of Impressing to one of the other eggs by paying sole attention to that one?

Why did she even care? Mya fixed a scowl to her face and ran her hands down both the dark egg and the burnished egg. In this way, the healer made her way around to all the other groups of eggs, quickly petting each one and avoiding talking to the other candidates by simply ignoring them if they tried to start up a conversation. She was here for the unborn dragons, not to socialize.

Finally, only two eggs were left for her to touch, though it certainly crossed her mind not to even try. Still, as a girl she was expected to touch the gold and gray eggs, though truth be told she could no more picture herself Impressed to a mother dragon than she could a fighting dragon.

She kept her eyes warily on the weyrwoman's dragon as she moved closer to the two eggs she guarded. "Nice dragon, good dragon," she muttered under her breath. She knew she wouldn't tolerate her dragon eating prospective candidates, but she was still too new here to know what sort of control the weyrwoman had over hers to want to test those limits. Still watching the queen out of the corner of her eye Mya slowly ran her hand over the surface of the gray egg.

Did it really matter much what she Impressed, if she Impressed? She'd still end up as a dragonrider, not a healer. Troubling thought, that. Would there be any specific color that would best allow her to continue practicing her trade? She wondered, as she moved on to stroke the gold egg. She'd not really been around the Weyr long enough to know more than the fact that blues and greens made better searchriders. She didn't even know what most of the dragonriders even did. "I don't want to be useless," she whispered to the egg. "Just another fighter or breeder, like any other dragonrider. I'm a healer. Tell your brothers and sisters."

Suddenly feeling very foolish - a feeling that was neither usual nor comfortable for her - Mya pulled back from the eggs, and the gold dragon, and stalked back over to the candidatemaster. "They're... interesting," she muttered grudgingly to him. Her hand still tingled from the warm of those shells, the warmth and the life... she squashed that thought before she could start feeling foolish again.