Let the Stories Unfold {Touching}

[Zirin]

J’dol had the nervous jitters. He couldn’t believe the day had finally arrived, the day the candidates would come touch his eggs and get their first contact with th- My eggs. Mine. Not yours. Idiot. Kayath snapped, wrapping herself around her small clutch possessively. J’dol grinned up at the large topaz dragoness , checking the position of the sun as he did so.

He had gone and posted a notice on the barracks message board to let the candidates know that the touching would be occurring today; he wanted them to have plenty of time to prepare for this. It wasn’t that there was much preparing to do, but as he had mentioned it would be shortly after the lunch hour, he wanted them to know not to wander too far from the barracks. It was just about time now.

“Kayath, Iirla left us in charge for this since she’s bed-ridden with the baby, so make sure you behave okay, my dear Princess?” J’dol rubbed at an offered eye ridge and gave the sub-queen’s freshly oiled hide a final look over before giving the nod to go ahead. With a trumpet that echoed throughout the Weyr, Kayath reached the minds of not only the candidates, but also the Weyrfolk. She wanted to make sure everyone who wanted to touch her eggs would come; candidate or not. The hour is upon us! The eggs of both our clutches have hardened and we wish to share them with you today in the traditional Touching! Hurry up, we won’t wait all day!

Shaking herself off, she glanced over to Izanycorth before stepping back a tiny bit from her eggs. She wanted people to touch and admire them, but she was still a very protective sub-queen. J’dol glanced back at the two clutches. Twenty-one eggs in all, a rather fantastic number, he thought. He glanced back to the hatching sands entrance, waiting for the first few candidates to trickle in.

---

{{OOC: To keep things nice and easy, we ask that you touch only one or two eggs per post, to a maximum of six eggs per candidate. Staff will post the egg’s responses to its touchers.}}

The Clutches:

SPOILER: Click to show

Passage Egg
The Passage egg is a small grey egg with a simplistic design. Its only marking is a white, mist-like marking wrapped around its middle.


Stream of Life Egg
Patches of soft, flowing blues mar the shell of this other green egg, reminding onlookers of a bubbling stream. The Stream of Life Egg is of middling size.


Black Cat Egg
The Black Cat Egg would be a rather dull black egg if not for the four parallel, claw-like markings running down its side. It is a not a large egg, nor is it small.


Lion Egg
The Lion Egg is by far the largest egg on the sands. Its orange-gold shell, covered in blotches of darker oranges and golds, shines in the sun. In the center of the egg is a strange marking that looks like a feline’s eye. This shiny golden-hued egg sits heavily guarded between Izanycorth's claws.


Ocean Egg
The Ocean Egg is on the smaller end of the size scale, though by no means is it the smallest in the clutch. Its shell is a deep sea blue with splashes and waves of greens and blues rippling across the surface.


Rising Star Egg
The Rising Star Egg is a decent sized egg. Its shell is primarily a deep blue with a single large splotch on one side that looks mysteriously like the sun. The shell is flecked with star-like specks of white.


Calmest Mind Egg
The small Calmest Mind Egg is likely the most normal looking egg in the clutch. It has a soft blue shell with a few black speckles here and there.


Death Egg
An egg of middling size, the Death Egg is a bit intimidating in colour. The shell is a dark red colour with wisps of dark greys and blacks swirling across its surface.


Life Bringer Egg
The Life Bringer Egg is the smallest egg of Izanycorth’s clutch. It’s shell is a bright but soft pink covered with butterfly-like patterns in an equally soft green.


Giver Egg
A mostly black egg, there isn’t much to the Giver Egg. On one side of this large egg’s shell is a pale yellow, sun-like marking, but otherwise no colors mar its shell.


Chaos Egg
The small, round Chaos Egg is simply that: chaos. It is a conglomerate of different colors in a chaotic pattern on an otherwise white shell.


Healer Egg
Light purples and greys swirl chaotically along the dark blue shell of the Healer Egg. It is a relatively small egg.


Peaceful Egg
This soft-looking egg is on the smaller size. The shell of the Peaceful Egg is a gentle combination of white and light blue.


Soaring King Egg
This egg is a sharp, steal grey colour with a strange dark grey shadow that looks similar to a bird wrapping around the shell. The Soaring King Egg is among the larger eggs in the clutch.


Throne Egg
The white Throne Egg is rather small, with a black throne-like marking on its longer end.

SPOILER: Click to show

Looking Glass Egg
A middle sized egg of the clutch, the Looking Glass Egg is nonetheless eye catching. With a sharp silvery colour, this egg would be rather plain if it wasn't for the metallic sheen that tends to reflect light into onlooker's eyes. The shell itself is smooth to the touch, but rarely feels warm.


Secret Stone Egg
The largest egg in the clutch, the Secret Stone Egg manages to stand out in the clutch, both because of its bright shell and its size. This egg has a rough, bumpy texture to it; some parts are even sharp to the touch. The shell is a myriad of colours and designs. The base colour of the egg is a soft, rosy pink. Speckles and splotches of various whites, greys, and blacks cover the surface.


Puff of Smoke Egg

The Puff of Smoke Egg, a rather small egg, is just as unique as its siblings. Its shell is a dark grey bordering on black. Swirls and spots of various lighter greys cover the soft surface. Occasionally, one may notice the lightest wisps of dark blues and reds. This egg almost seems to be vibrating, making an odd humming noise as it clicks against its neighbours.

Burning Branch Egg
The Burning Branch Egg is among the larger eggs of Kayath’s clutch. Amongst the more colourful of her eggs, this egg has a dark brown base with swirls of lighter browns that give the egg an almost grainy appearance. The rest of the shell becomes a chaotic mess of reds, oranges and browns. Touchers beware, the shell of this particular egg is always hot.


Ball of String Egg
The smallest of Kayath's clutch, the Ball of String egg has no less personality than the largest. It is a surprisingly round egg that is littered with grooves and bumps. A tan brown colour covers its surface and is dashed with lines of dark brown and blacks.


Golden Scales Egg
A large-sized egg in the clutch, the Golden Scales Egg is a strange one. It is long, incredibly long, and quite thin yet it is perfectly symmetrical. The shape is so odd that the egg will only ever rest on its side. The half of shell itself is a deep, bronzed-orange in colour. The rest of the shell is covered in an equal number of spots and splotches in a variety of differently coloured circles on each end.

[Elessar]

Liam had spotted the notice immediately, and thus rushed off to his friend-- more than friend? --Cayin, to tell him the good news. After all, this was something they simply could not miss! It increased their chances of Impressing by who knew how much, and it was simply exhilirating on top of that.

He was lounging in bed when Kayath's voice reached his mind. The hour is upon us! The eggs of both our clutches have hardened and we wish to share them with you today in the traditional Touching! Hurry up, we won’t wait all day! Jumping up, his eyes blazing with excitement, he quickly made sure he was presentable before rushing off toward the Sands.

Arriving, he was surprised to find that he was the first one there. Stepping forward slowly, he bowed low to both Queens. "Izanycorth. Kayath. I thank you graciously for this chance, and you as well, Weyrlord J'dol." He deepened his bow a bit, holding it for what he figured was a significant amount of time, before straightening up.

He was certainly glad he was the first there, not because it meant he got first crack at the eggs, but because it meant he didn't have to be shy. He decided to approach Kayath's eggs first, figuring Izanycorth would be the angrier mother since Iirla had come out of labor so recently.

The first egg he approached was the Burning Branch Egg. He liked the colors on the shell and the patterns they created. Gently touching his fingers to the shell, he almost drew back-- it was hot! He did not, however, remove his hand. He wanted to see what this egg was all about! After a few minutes, however, he moved on.

He took a few moments to decide before reaching out to the Looking Glass Egg. In sharp contrast to the previous egg, this egg felt cool, almost cold against his fingers, but he liked the metallic, silver sheen that ran over the entire egg, reflecting light off of it. It was certainly a beautiful egg.

Then again, all of the eggs were beautiful! He would be priveleged to Impress to any one of them!

[twitchie]

Ooma was brushing her black hair, drawing her comb through it in angry rough strokes.
Shardit! She'd slept funny and had a headful of tangles...

It took a good amount of brushing to correct the silky locks. Ooma then busied herself with splashing her face.

Kayath's voice made her freeze, water droplets dripping from her cheeks, running down her neck.
The touching!

Ooma's pulse raced. Her fingers itches with anxiety to touch the shells...

Fooosh-
Ooma raced to her closet and tugged on a deep violet dress. Little stones and beads formed a decoration belt along the thin and tight waist-line. Cute sandles covered her feet.
And for this special time Ooma pulled her black hair into a neat bun, leaving her bangs out to delicately frame her face.

Last she threw on her bangles and earrings and rushed from her quarters.

-

Ooma began to walk across the sands, dress billowing around her legs. Her heart fluttered and thudded in her chest, rocketing from excitement.
She saw Liam touching Kayath's eggs so she went toward Izanycorth.

"Izanycorth, your clutch is beautiful. Yours as well Kayath."

Oh. Ooma was drawn like a magnet to the huge Lion egg and within moments Ooma was standing in front of Izanycorth's paws. Meekly, she reached to touch the egg, respectfully bowing to the Gild. The shell was so... majestic. Ooma wished she could hold it to her.. She caressed the warm shell, running her fingers across it. Oh. It was fantastic! How dreamy it would be to impress a majestic egg like this, or really impress at all. After 4 turns of waiting... Ooma was losing hope...
She stared at the egg as if asking why... why?

Ooma watched and waited for others to join and arrive.

She turned around and headed to Kayath's clutch, distancing herself from the girl. She took sudden interest in the larger eggs of Kayath's clutch, resulting in her rubbing the Secret Stones egg tenderly. Her fingers slid along the bumps and she closed her eyes to try and 'feel' the hatchling inside. Why have I yet to impress? Am I not capable of impressing?

Ooma asked herself and maybe asked the egg as well. Oh, this egg was brilliant! Just awe-inspiring... "Kayath, what a splendid clutch."

She said.

[jovia]

Since Linda had saw the notice on the board earlier that day, She had gotten ready for it. Of course she knew the Fire Lizards were not welcome at the clutch area, her siblings had told her that much. So it took a bit for Linda to sit her fair down and tell them what was going to happen and that they couldn't go in with her. However because of that they ended up even more clingy even as she got thick shoes on to combat the heat of the sands. The young candidate didn't know how long the touching would last but she was going to be as comfortable as possible the entire time.

Not much happened that day however, she had even spent some time helping in the healers even. But as soon as she heard the call from Kayath, a smile upon her face as she recognized the Topaz a little bit, she rushed to get there as fast as she could. Hoping to be the first one there, she was a bit sadden to see a male candidate there. However it seemed he was looking at the Topaz's eggs... But nobody so far was looking at the golds eggs. At the entrance of the sands she gave a low deep bow towards the two queens. But before she could really go in she did notice another one in amongst the eggs... Another female who was obviously in love with the more then likely gold egg.

Linda inwardly shrugged as she looked up at the two queens. "Greetings Great Izanycorth, Greetings Precious Kayath. It is nice seeing you both again and how healthy your eggs are. I am sure all of them will hatch into strong healthy Dragons that are so majestic... They are your children after all." Linda smiled up at them before her eyes glanced around at the eggs... It was a touching after all and well there was so many to choose from. But from what she knew the mothers were rather prideful and protective... so if she spent the same amount of time on both eggs then yes that would be good.

Well Kayath she knew was the most prideful, and she didn't know if the gold hated her intrusion when she laid them. So with a bow she smiled to head over to Kayath's clutch. She would check up on them for a bit, then go to the golds.. then mingle between the two. It sounded like a good plan. She tried to keep a good distance from anyone else there besides the dragons however. The Looking Glass egg grabbed her attention first. Slowly she moved forward towards it. Her hand gently reached out to feel over the cold shell, her face immediately frowned as it wasn't as hot as it was supposed to be? But maybe it was just the type of Dragon didn't need so much heat? Carefully she would run her hand over as much of the egg as possible to check up on it... Especially near the sands. After knowing, at least to her knowledge, nothing was wrong however the young woman grew at ease.

When Linda walked amongst the eggs after that one however, she stopped near the Secret Stone egg. The texture on the shell was rather different to her, so many bumps and sharp projectiles... It was like it was trying to protect itself from the outside world. Tender hands caressed it as a smile spread across the woman's face. It actually reminded of her a little bit of herself, hard and tough outer shell to deter people from what was inside. Inwardly she felt as though this was her favorite... Linda would have to keep an eye on it to see what hatched and to whom it impressed that was certain.

[Zero]

Theault grunted sleepily and rolled over on his side in the grass. Like all days this had been a lazy and relaxed sort of day so, naturally, he had found himself outside. Why not? The weather was nice and just right for a nap under a leafy tree. But something had interrupted his peaceful bliss and he was slowly waking. Slowly opening his eyes he squinted against the glare of the sun and quickly threw his arm over his eyes to block out the blinding sun.

"Uncle Theo! Uncle Theo!"

Ah, the source of the disruption. Slowly sitting up, Theault set his back against the tree and brushed some grass from his hair before setting his eyes on the young child currently running-no, sprinting, towards him with a large, dark mutt in tow. "Uncle Theo!" The dark haired youngster panted before collapsing on the ground near his feet and began to anxiously tug at the mans boot, threatening to rip it off entirely. "The Queens and and and...eggs! Can we? Oh please Uncle, please!"

Laughing the ex-wherhandler pulled his leg away and regarded his nephew with a raised eyebrow and a questioning look. Then it clicked. He had to be referring to the two clutches on the sands. It must have been time for the Touching. Shaking his head, Theo ruffled his hair and sighed. "Boy you know we can't go and touch 'em. You're too young to be a candidate and I'm not one either." The child folded his arms over his chest and pulled a frown and Theault chuckled at the resemblance between him and his father.

"Maybe...what if..What if Uncle Vl'kan lets us look at them? I just wanna see..." Theo knew he wasn't going to win this argument. Running a hand through his hair he slowly got to his feet and brushed himself off. "Alright alright, let's go. No promises though, okay? And he's your cousin not your uncle."

With a whoop and a cheer the young Traylor jumped into his Uncle's arms and Theault lifted him up and positioned him up on his shoulders. "You comin' too, mutt?" As if in response the boys canine barked and trotted off to take the lead as the trio made their way back to the Weyr.


Can I eat those I dislike? You dislike everyone, Thormyth. The garnet huffed as he moved to backwing and land on one of the lower hanging ledges that hung over the sands. He wanted a good look at those who would be daring to touch his eggs. Vl'kan shook his head and looked up as the Garnet landed on the ledge directly above where he stood in the first row of the stands. Personally he was exhausted with all the recent events and making sure Iirla and his newborn daughter were well and taken care of. He only made it out here today due to Thor's nastier, and more possessive, than usual commentary.

"Noo...It was how big?" Theault chuckled at the given response of the size of the fish and bounced the boy on his shoulders. "Well you'll have to show me where you saw him, cause I've never seen one that big-..."

"Oh OH! There they are! I can see them, Uncle!" The boy wrapped his arms around his Uncle's forehead and dared to lean as far forward as he possibly could, desperate to get as close as he could to the two clumps of eggs. "Easy now Tray. If you fall Vl'kan might let Thormyth eat you." It seemed that false threat was all that was needed, for the time being, to calm the boy as his eyes grew as large as dinner plates as he regarded the large garnet, seeming to just now realize how close he was to the crimson dragon.

"Don't worry Traylor, I won't let him eat you." Reaching out, Vl'kan ruffled the boys hair before recrossing his arms and turning back to the sands. "Come to watch I take it, Theault?"

"The boy wouldn't take no for an answer." Grunting, Theo readjusted the kids weight on his shoulders. "You mind?" The Weyrleader gave a small shake of his head, his response overwhelmed by the excited outbursts of the Master Thiefs son.
"Aw, I bet that one is a bronze. Oh and look! A black one. Right..right there, a white egg!..."

[/font]

[Zirin]

For Liam:

The Burning Branch Egg
A subtle warmth fills your mind as the being within the egg reaches out to you. It searches gently, probing your mind to see who you are. The warmth seemed to withdraw for a moment as the egg senses your self-conscious nature, yet a moment later it grows as it finds your need to protect others. The egg seems curious and intrigued about you as it pulls away.

The Looking Glass Egg
Where the other egg offered warmth, the Looking Glass Egg was nothing short of a frigid, forceful push into your mind. Its search is brief, finding nothing it strongly disliked, nor anything it felt particularly fond of. It was done with you in the blink of an eye, leaving only a subtle dislike and a strong chill in its wake.

[Zirin]

For Ooma
Secret Stones:
A forceful presence makes its way into your mind. As it works its way into your thoughts, you can't help but feel like you are being tested. It is looking for something.. ah, you value your beauty above all else? A sudden anger burns firey hot within you and egg's presence withdraws from your mind, leaving little more than disapproval.


For Linda
Looking Glass Egg:
The cold emotions of the egg press into your mind, fishing around for the things that would please it. Well, certainly that confidence is intriguing, and that bitter hate... how delicious... The emotion withdraws, a curious feeling left in its wake.

Secret Stone Egg:
No, no, no! The emotion of the egg seems to rebel the moment you touched its shell. To feel such a strong amount of hate was wrong! Just wrong! The egg seems to scream in your mind before withdrawing as quickly as it can.

[twitchie]

Ooma visibly flinched at the egg's rage, her hand touching her temple as she stumbled backwards.
Her cheeks reddened and she was angry.
How dare the egg be so rude and stubborn. Valuing your God given gifts was not a crime!

But at the same time, Ooma felt hurt. Being so dejected was rather new to her. Normally she was either slapped, shouted at, or ignored...

Ooma hardly turned around in time to avoid tripping over a certain tan egg.
With little hope and a heart of dismay, Ooma stroked the oddly textures Ball of Strings egg egg, finding herself smiling at how 'cute' and unique it was. What an interesting egg! It was tiny, like a runt, and definately not something Ooma would go for willfully. Either she was desperate or somewhat humbled...
Every jag and hump and pimple on the egg's surface could likely tell a story. A story Ooma wished to learn... Wistfully, Ooma imagined what the egg might hold and who would impress it...

[jovia]

The first egg Linda had touched... the cold one... The feelings it gave her and left behind as it left her conscious it just.... Linda couldn't help but frown a bit as she stood there a bit dumbfounded. Well it was doing well that was certain.... but she didn't know if she liked it liking those things about her? Was her hate really that much a part of her that it was something the Dragons liked or dislike? A little bit rattled Linda tried to clear her head.... But then maybe it wasn't her hate but something related to it? Linda tried to convince herself it was something like that... However as she tried to calm her down the screaming and violent reaction from the next egg knocked her off her feet.

Linda's eyes were wide, she hadn't meant any harm as she instinctively reached out to try to comfort it... But flinched and retreated her hand... If it was that violent at her just touching it maybe it would be best not to... If she was one to cry she would have wept openly but she held her tears back for later when she was alone. Now Linda was really rattled as she slowly got up off the hot sands, only now realizing it was burning herself. She should hurry up and leave Kayath's clutch shortly... not wanting to ruin the Topaz's clutch even more then she might have already.

Her last stop before heading off to the golds was at the small Puff of Smoke egg that seemed to be unique as well.. The humming and vibrating seemed rather interesting. More hesitant and jumpy then before... It took Linda a few moments to compose herself to reach out to the smaller egg. Her hands gently wandered over the shell before she gave a little smile then headed to the golds.

The black egg with the golden sun... the Giver Egg that seemed to be possibly as big as the gold. Maybe since it was so large it wouldn't have anything to fear from her? She was so confused, wanting to be happy and smile because of the first egg... but cry at the same time because of both... How would this egg react to her? Slowly she reached her hand out, but looked up at the gold to see if she denied her. But once her hands hit the shell she blinked a few times. Gently her fingers ran over the shell, mostly over the marking. To her markings could be bad things so of course she had to check for the eggs own health.

[King Walrus Jackson]

Geso has seen the sign posted just like everyone else should have, but his need to be away from others had led him to his spot by the lake again. He had already made Glados run off elsewhere so she wouldn't try to follow him onto the sands, as he had been warned about it. Geso was trying to soothe his nerves by skipping rocks across the water, when he heard the Mother Dragon's voice in his head.

"I'm getting really sick of hearing voices in my head." He grumbled as he stood up. Realizing what the dragon had said, he quickly ran towards the Sands, not wanting to be the last person there.

-----

Geso walked out onto the sands, feeling almost naked without his knives, which he had left just out of sight in the tunnel against a wall. While he didn't like to do it, common sense said bringing weapons into arms reach of a mother dragon and her clutch was a Bad Thing. As he stepped onto the sands, his boots protecting his feet from the heat, Geso stopped in momentary awe of the two great dragons also there. The vulnerable feeling came back for a quick moment, before his eyes were drawn to the eggs. More importantly, one egg in particular, a dark red one that was close to the bigger female.

Geso swallowed softly, then let his features clear into an expressionless face, although his raging emotions could probably be felt by any dragons who were listening for them. Confidently, he walked towards the dark red and black egg, and after a second to consider what he needed to do, rested his hand on the Death Egg, letting his emotions flow to the baby dragon inside, his anger at his parents, his ruthless fighting spirit, his willingness to do anything it took to win, to achieve his goals, and his refusal to be cowed or dominated by another. Unbidden, came his other emotions, ones he hadn't wanted to let loose. His fear of letting others in, his trouble trusting others for a fear of a knife in his back, the protectiveness he had felt the one time a boy had hurt Glados back at Solace Hold, and a deep yearning for one person to not look at him like he was the worthless son of an abusive alcoholic and his adulterous wife. Startled by the rush of emotions, Geso jerked away from the egg, a startled expression on his face. Not knowing how to handle this, Geso looked around for another egg that might catch his attention. Spotting one that looked interesting, Geso walked a bit away from the Death Egg.

Geso peered closely at the grey egg, that had a darker grey marking of a bird upon it. Geso unconsciously reached out to the Soaring King Egg, and rested his hand on it. Feeling the same emotions he had felt with the Death Egg surfacing, he distracted himself by posing a question to the little one in his head, unknowingly broadcasting it for other dragons to hear.

'You have a bird on your shell, little one. I wonder if that means you're going to be a great flier? If so, you are lucky... able to just fly away and be free from that which would harm you.' Geso thought wistfully, then blinked, and removed his hand from the egg, looking around, for the first time noticing the other candidates.

'Stupid!' He hissed to himself. 'How did I not notice them?! I should know better than that!'

[Zirin]

Kayath's eyes whirled with a combination of worry and excitement. This was one of the moments she had been waiting for! Candidates would come to ooh and aah over her clutch! It was so exciting! J'dol smiled up at her as the candidates began shuffling in. Kayath crooned happily every time she was acknowledged. This was even better than she had hoped.
Of course, as the candidates actually began touching her eggs and reacting to them, her carefree glee lessened and she began feeling more protective, especially when one girl had the audacity to actually scowl at her egg. How dare she! Stay calm, they won't hurt your eggs Princess. J'dol wandered throughout the eggs as well, keeping a close watch. He was getting worried though... kayath's eggs were causing negative reactions... was it the eggs, or the candidates?
Well, she supposed things were going well but... wait were there people in the STANDS! You, You on the stands! I don't care if you're a candidate or not, get down here! Everyone should bask in the glory of my- our clutches!

---

Firo strode into the sands proudly. He knew what to do, he had been watching Touchings for as long as he could remember. Stepping onto the sands, he offered both dragonesses a deep, respectful bow before following the other candidates in amongst the eggs. Which to pick which to pick. Surely something no one had gone to yet, and certainly not one that a woman had touched.
He moved first to the Throne Egg, bowing again to Izanycorth before pressing his hand softly against the mostly white egg. He waited patiently, calmly, for a response before moving onto a second egg. The Ocean Egg was the next on his list. He found the colours and ripples to be quite entrancing. He placed his hand against the shell, rubbing gently.

---

"Ah, Liam wait up," Cayin moved at a slow pace and followed his friend into the hatching sands, remembering to bow only because others had done it. He waited at first, watched the others go about touching the eggs they had chosen. It was interesting to see all the different expressions on their faces as they felt things, or at least thought they felts things. Finally he decided he should move forward and try one of his own, though as he was walking past Kayath's clutch, he noticed Linda looked rather... unusual.

He smiled at her, wondering if she needed comforting of any sort. Well, he was always available to comfort, but she had seemed like the type you didn't want to approach first. No, he would show support from here and hope for the best. He sat down next to the Calmest Mind egg and simply let his gaze wander the soft coloured shell at first. Finally he placed a palm gently against the shell, closed his eyes, and waited.

[Zirin]

For Linda

Puff of Smoke Egg
At first it is not an emotion or feeling that reaches into your mind, its a gentle lullaby; soothing and quiet. The sound grows louder slowly, and as the volume grows the emotions behind it begin to seep into your mind like a warm spring breeze. You and I share something in common, it seemed to say as the song changed from soothing to lonely. Slowly the tune grows quieter in your mind until the only thing left is a lonely echo.

[Bellatora]

Thank you little ones. Iz rumbled her approval, her tail twitching slightly, though, as they approached her egg, a slight hiss coming from her lips as a Candidate attempted to touch her precious daughter.

"Easy Iz..." Iirla's voice was rather weak from where it came near the entrance to the Hatching Sands. She held her young daughter wrapped up to keep her warm and safe. She had yet to let her little Kiira out of her sight yet... Iirla looked tired and rather frail at the moment. She should be resting, she knew that... but she needed to be here. For Izanycorth.

Iz crooned softly to Hers, her eyes whirling colors of agitation, worry... and happiness at seeing Hers. Iirla smiles softly and walked towards the sands slowly, still holding onto Kiira tightly. She should find Vl'kan and ask him to hold Kiira so she could rest for a bit... as small as Kiira was, she was rather heavy for Iirla to be carrying around right now... She spotted him and smiled softly at him. He was such a handsome man... and he made a good Weyrleader, whether he thought so or not. "Vl'kan..." she said softly, just taking him in. He was a good, strong, handsome man. And he was all hers... And this little baby was theirs - precious. More precious than anything. She should probably be spending more time on the clutch, but she couldn't help but be distracted... though she did turn back to the clutch and the Candidates walking amongst the eggs when she felt Izanycorth's agitation once again and had to soothe the queen. There were some Candidates of interest here. Izanycorth gently licked the shell of her gold egg in adoration as the Candidates finally left it to her and her alone.

Iirla watched them, each one, wondering who would be the lucky ones to Impress at the coming hatching....

Ooma

The Lion Egg
The egg shoved its consciousness into the girl's mind, none to gentle at all. It seemed to rattle around to the most important things, skipping over whatever it found unimportant, looking at the pains, the sorrows, the happiness, and for a certain something. The egg seemed to pull its consciousness back suddenly, leaving her as empty as when she had come. It didn't reject her necessarily, but it was done, it saw no more point in looking through the mind of the young woman.

Linda

The Giver
The egg roused immediately to a touch. So. Someone had so chosen to touch its shell. To deem themselves worthy. Well the dragonet would decide if they were worthy or not! With little warning, the dragonet inside shoved at her mind, sifting, looking for something, anything... Hrmm... She was interesting. But not what this one wanted. Not devious enough. Not dark enough. Hateful she was, but that was not what it wanted. Not what it wanted in the least. It gave her a dismissal in the form of a feeling and the draognet inside seemed to turn its back on her as it closed itself off to her.

Geso

Death Egg
The Death Egg was quick to react to Geso's touch, its mind immediately intruding on his... and looking everywhere, captivated by what it could learn. What it needed to understand. Every hardship, every joy... Every emotion. It had to know. It had to understand. It had to learn... But soon it was leaving with what seemed like a good natured pat and that was that. It was gone and seemed to be pondering again, the feeling it left behind was almost hollow.

The Soaring King
The conciousness of this egg did not take long to seem to fly into his mind, its presence pushing into his mind as painfully as possible, almost seeming to hiss mentally as it did so, casting around for his memories, some the most painful, some the ones that made him the most uncomfortable. The things that would bother him most. The egg did not stop. It did not want to. It was enjoying this. Though it was displeased as he tried to ignore it and more upset as it pulled away, the young one inside seeming to turn towards him, trying to pull at his mind, though the connection was severed. Finally it had had one it liked... and here he was, pulling away from its shell! No! he wanted to explore more! More memories... more pain!

Firogel

The Throne Egg
It's mind pressed gently, almost sweetly against his mind before shoving its way in, moving slowly, carefully at first, through his mind, picking at his memories, some sweet, some... the young one's mind turn to were painful and it tore at these maliciously for a time before seeming to pull away and give silent apology before moving to anther memory... And another... The egg finally withdrew, but left a soft caress on the boys mind. It liked this one.

The Ocean Egg
This egg was rather passive about his adventures. It did not seem particularly interested in the Candidates... and this one seemed to have something to offer even. However... It reserved judgement. It needed something more. To test more... but... maybe. This one did show some promise. The egg withdrew, its touch almost wraith-like in its lightness.

Cayin

The Calmest Mind Egg
Oh... someone was touching its shell? It was time to play a game, it supposed... A game of GET TO KNOW YOU! With that, the young one seemed to become excited. But wait... how could that be a fair game. It would get to know him, but he would not get to know it... But... But... It was distracted again by the thought of knowing what was inside this man's head. It pressed gently, trying ot to cause any pain. It had to make this as just and fair as possible. It was its right.. but he had a right.... He seemed a good man... It would have to look more.... it wanted to. It liked him. It liked him a lot. But was he the one that could help it make the world just?

[twitchie]

Ooma was once again dismayed.
No egg seemed to like her! Would she ever be worthy?
Tears stung her eyes.. she should leave... she was a dud. Her search- dragons had been wrong.
For 4 sharding turns she'd missed every chance! Why couldn't it change?

Ooma was turning around, dress swirling around her legs in her haste, a tornado of flowing fabric... But.. she hesitated once again attracted to an egg. The Choas egg was amazing. Small and round and just a rainbowed orb of brilliance!
She had to touch it! Shards and shells, it could ignore her too... it didn't really matter anymore.. Four turns of rejection was finally breaking Ooma...
Why am I so overlooked? How can I change myself to be worthy of this honor? All I want is a friend... a forever bonded partner.. I want to follow my father's path as a rider.. Share what he felt with Georonth... Maybe even if I impressed maybe.. maybe my dad would have a spark of life again... that's all I want little one.. I don't mean harm. I want to be your friend....

Her thoughts and feelings trickled into the little egg, more than Ooma had meant. She couldn't help share with this egg. It.. it felt good to have someone to talk to... The abuse she suffered from her half-brother N'can. How he'd been proud for once when she'd walked the sands 4 turns ago, but loss interest.. And of her confusion and joy and shock of learning about Rizor, her other half-brother. Would she ever get to meet him?
Did she really look like her mother? She'd never know.. and was it her fault her mother died?
Ooma actually caressed the egg with one hand momentarily to wipe tears from her face... This was who she was. She'd kill and do and give anything to show these eggs she wanted ti be worthy. Wanted to be their friend. Why couldn't they see?

She stroked the mottled rainbow shell wistfully.
She then smiled painfully. What if.. what if she never impressed?
Ooma's heart constricted painfully. Her life would have no value... this was her one goal...

[jovia]

Linda almost reeled from the small grey ish type egg... The lullaby... did she know it? did it use something from her past she had forgotten? A thoughtful frown had crossed her face as she tried to remember futilely. A gentle pat was her way of saying good luck and leaving though, what it had made her feel reassured her. There was nothing she could do if she truly did hurt the Secret Stone egg or traumatized it. She hadn't meant to, and well she will be waiting to see when it.. if it, hatched to check it out.

The Giver egg, thankfully wasn't as volatile as the others, it was blunt and upfront it seemed. Taking apart her mind to sift through it, then left as quickly as it came in. Linda merely stood there for a few several moments in slight awe. Much like everything had its own personality, these eggs already had it even well before hatching. Part of her yearned to know all of their personalities even though they wouldn't ever be hers. But now it was time to look at a few more eggs of Izancorth's before she went to rest. It was oddly taxing and her fair was probably worried about her... Though not worried enough to run in here against her orders.

Before the young candidate went very far, her feet stopped near the Black Cat egg soon as her eyes caught sight of the claw markings on it. Linda slowly reached out, her fingertips treaded lightly over the egg as she traced the claw markings. It had looked like a feline might have gotten to it, but thankfully it was just the colorations. Immense relief flooded through Linda, at least they didn't have to worry really about the possibility that it might have killed the precious life within.

That was that though, one last egg before she would retreat to the stands to rest and watch for a bit longer. She had spotted Geso near the Soaring King egg earlier and curiosity was getting the best of her. Her feet brought it to the rather large egg... Part of her actually liked the larger Dragons, well they didn't have to be the kings and queens really just the bigger the size made them seem more... sound to her? It was complicated and she couldn't really explain it herself. Carefully she pressed her hand against the shell, as she waited to see just what might happen next.