Touching of the Tropical Island Clutch

[Tashe]

She had done it, and Farnath she was proud of her eggs. Her clutch had been hard to struggle through, but they were all worth it in her eyes. In fact, Millieth was so protective over her painful clutch, that she even got angry at her Mine for straying to close to her eggs. And at this moment, the two Queens of their respective kinds were arguing in a heated battle, one trying to convince the other why she needed to let the eggs be touched... and the other absolutely against it.

/NO. NEVER./Shard it Millieth! They 'have to' Impress! And if they aren't touched then it'll give them a horrible chance at being Impressed! Of course Kaegan knew that not all eggs necessarily impress to one of those who touch them, but tweaking the truth was one of her main defenses against her angry Female. /NO. I will not allow any snot nosed, sniveling brats in to touch my eggs! They will hurt them, or break them... or take them!/ No they wont! They know better than to do anything like that! F'rah and the Candidatemaster make sure they take classes just for that reason. Again, a lie, because F'rah had little to do with the Candidates. Throwing his name in there might help to prove to Millieth something, but still. It was a lie. /SO WHAT? They will take my babies away from me!/ Well yeah! Thats what Impressing is for! Would you rather have them DIE? Because if they don't Impress then they will! That did it by the look on her face, and the fact the anger in her eyes drain to fear. Of course Millieth wouldn't want any of her children to die, and Kaegan knew that, one of the signs of a good manipulator. /Aright. But if they threaten my eggs in anyway then I 'Will' either eat them or throw them out./ Grinning in her triumph, the Junior Weyrwoman watched as her Queen lovingly shifted the Palmtree egg once more before raising her head.

Roaring the well known call of the beginning of the touching, Millieth raised her wings in agitation. /The touching is beginning!/Quickly forming her body into a threatening position, the young Queen eyed the doors in despise. /If they so much as put a toe out of line.../

[Requiem]

"She hasn't been by the weyr in two days?"

"Two nights," S'rei emphasized. Two days wouldn't worry him, but two nights? Shmee was likely just throwing a fit. He'd assumed as much the first night, and forced himself not to go looking for her, despite the uneasiness it generated in his belly. She couldn't just run off every time they had a disagreement, knowing that he'd panic and search for her, begging for her forgiveness. Aside from the fact that even S'rei was too prideful for such spineless groveling, it would only encourage her childish behavior. The Weyrwoman simply could not run away from her Weyr and her duties every time she didn't get her way.

It did not change the fact that he worried for her. S'rei had overtaken Laurie in an attempt to make certain that Shmee had gone to stay with his sister, only to find that the greenrider wasn't aware of her absence at all. Now he was definitely beginning to worry. Even if no one had done anything to his weyrmate, she could still have gotten her own wherry-brained self into trouble. He wouldn't rest easy until he was sure she was all right. The dark, sleepless circles beneath his eyes attested to that.

Lauranna shrugged mildly. "She's pregnant, Rei." He glared at her, the woman realizing that she wasn't supposed to be saying that in public. "In her condition," Laurie ammended, "it's only natural that she might do some odd, irrational things. I'm sure she's holed up somewhere close by. Probably swore an old friend whose dragon is clutchmates with Aslath to secrecy. Speaking of, has Salenth tried to get her location out of Aslath?"

"Of course. She refuses to tell him."

"If Aslath's not worried, you needn't be."

S'rei grimaced. "How am I supposed to keep an eye on her if I don't know where she is? How quickly she forgets that Selenitas has enemies."

The greenrider let a hand fall on top of his, gently prying his fingers apart. He'd been wringing his hands without even noticing. Laurie smiled knowingly. "My brother's in love." The man pulled a face. Right now he just wanted to slap Shmee for being such a careless idiot. She was the Weyrwoman! She had no right to expose herself like this, with the whole Weyr depending upon her! "She'll be back once she cools off, Rei. Don't make yourself sick with all this worrying."

The siblings stepped onto the sands, both edging away from Millieth, though not truly paying her much mind. S'rei had a very specific goal in mind. If Shmee wanted to hide from him, fine. He wouldn't drag her back. But he wanted to know where she was so that someone, at least, could keep an eye on her. Any responsible Weyrwoman who intended to disappear for a time would have alerted the next in the chain of command. Kaegan should know something of use.

Lauranna's gaze swept over the eggs, a nostalgic smile touching her face as she remembered her own time as a candidate. "They're beautiful," she whispered to Millieth, as the two finally cleared the young gold.

The Weyrleader stopped before Kaegan, frowning slightly. "Shmee is gone. Did she tell you where she went?" he questioned the girl directly. It didn't really occur to him that the junior Weyrwoman might not know this already, or he would have been gentler about breaking the news.

[Tashe]

An unhappy snarl picked up from Millieth as soon as the Dragon saw the two adult humans stepped onto the sands, the unwelcoming nose picking up in volume the closer they came. This increase of danger caused Kaegan to whip around, ready to warn the people coming to not come so close to her Queen or the clutch. But the two adults approaching were the last two she had expected to see, the Weyrleader and his sister had begun to cross the sands, undoubtably coming to speak with her. Quickly spinning around to face her angry Millieth, Kaegan threw up her arms in worry and tried to calm her instinct driven Female down. After doing so, at least to a degree, the Junior Weyrwoman hurried over to the two before they could really get any closer. It was better not to tempt her agrivated Gold's patcients anymore than they absolutely had to, and staying as far away from the clutch as humanly possible was a good way to not invoke her wrath.

"Shmee is gone?... Of course! That has to explain her not coming by and talking with me for the last few days." Waving at Laurie before turning her attention back to the Senior Weyrleader, Kaegan tilted her head to the side slightly as she thought about the last time the Weyrwoman had spoken with her. "I believe her exact words were, 'Unless there's anything else you need, I think I'm going to go. Is that all right?' " Nodding slightly before opening her eyes, the young Goldrider tapped a finger on her chin. "She sounded rather sad Weyrleader, even though she tried to hide it. That is the only thing I remember before she left us at the hatching." Quietly scuffing her foot into the sand, Kaegan suddenly brightened up as a thought struck her. "Can I help in some way, like talk to her through Aslath or something? Is there a place perhaps, that she likes to go when she is upset? A place that is safe and could calm her down?"

[midnight]

Sikowy was in the kitchens, helping to prepare that night's dinner as part of her chores. She found chopping vegetables to be therapeutic, and she was starting to zone out when the Queen's roar echoed through the Weyr. She jumped in surprise, almost cutting her finger off in the process. "What's going on?" She asked a nearby cook. "Is Millieth angry?"

The cook laughed. "No, girl! That's the touch, get out of here!" She gave Sikowy a light shove, and Sikowy dropped what she was doing and ran. She had seen clutches before, at Benden, but she had never been given a chance to be a candidate before, and she was really looking forward to having a close look at the eggs. It was hard to believe that she even had a chance to touch them.

She slowed her pace as she neared the Hatching Grounds and caught her breath before she stepped onto the sand. She winced at the heat of the sand and did a funny little hop-skip for the first few steps. She found her gaze drawn upwards, to Millieth. She was so...big! And shiny!

She stopped a safe distance away from the clutch and pulled into a deep curtsy that was directed at the Gold dragon as well as the Weyrleaders. "May I have the honor of touching the eggs?"

[neeuqtar]

Rath was, as usual, crouched near the Hatching grounds, watching over his mate and his eggs. If Benden wanted to get to the eggs he'd sired... well, they'd have to get past him first. And he didn't look as if he would be very pleased to be challenged. Mine, Millieth and Hers are holding the Touching now. He paused, as if thinking. You should go? R'non laughed. Yes, I should, though it means I'll have to stop avoiding the Weyrleader, who no doubt will be there to glare at me from across the Sands to defend Kaegan's honor. He sighed, making his way along the river to the Hatching Caverns.

Entering, he bowed deeply to Millieth, knowing how protective she had to be of the Clutch that had caused her so much pain. Oh look Rath, it's the Weyrleader! Why am I not surprised? he commented to Rath in mock-glee. The dragon snickered. Don't be so mean. If you manage to win him over, then maybe you won't get kicked out of the Weyr and have to live alone again. Then I won't have to leave Millieth. A quirk of a smile flashed across R'non's face as he skirted the Sands, staying away from the gold dragon and her eggs. She would be going through enough soon enough... and though R'non felt no true loyalty to Selenitas, like his dragon, he was feeling quite protective of Millieth... and loyal to her and Hers.

"Kaegan, Weyrleader... and is it Lauranna?" R'non greeted the trio, with a little half-bow out of respect for S'rei. There was no reason why he shouldn't display proper respect for the man, though he didn't particularly like--or trust--him. But then, perhaps the only creature he trusted was Rath, and even that was kept mostly to a minimum, especially shortly after the dragon had pulled such a stunt as Chasing Millieth. "I thought perhaps I should be here, unless you have another custom?" he commented, raising a brow. He'd heard the tail end of the conversation, but there was no need to let on to such a fact. It would likely only get him in trouble... but Shmee gone was troubling. If anything was prone to change events... it was Shmee's erratic behavior. R'non felt a flash of pity for the Weyrleader. What a woman to have to deal with...

[Requiem]

S'rei worried his lip. Obviously, Shmee hadn't come to Kaegan after all. Why would she just up and leave like this?! Only the fact that Aslath remained at Salenth's side, apparently unperturbed, kept the Weyrleader from going into a mild frenzy. Whatever was going on, Shmee was apparently safe. He just wanted to know where she was. Was that too much to ask?

He saw the young woman out of the corner of his eye, nodding to her in the event that she would wait for acknowledgment. The young man pinched the bridge of his nose wearily. "Normally she runs off to Laurie." His sister chuckled at the irked tone, S'rei rolling his eyes. She'd been teasing him incessantly since he expressed his annoyance about her knowing of Shmee's pregnancy before he did. "I honestly don't know where else she'd be. This is our first big fight since Aslath's Flight."

Only then did he realize R'non had stolen up upon them. Lauranna caught the sudden guarded expression that came to her brother's face, even as the Weyrleader responded, somewhat absently, "Rath's the sire. I'd be surprised if you didn't come."

The greenrider smiled broadly, flouncing a few paces closer to R'non. Her eyes ran lingeringly over the older man's frame. Hmm. Nice enough, all things considered. "And we're glad you did," the woman purred, her green eyes narrowing. "Lauranna. Eh. My friends call me Laurie." Again, she flashed her winning smile. "My brother says you're a veteran from the wars. I'm intrigued. Always been stuck here in the dull south, you see. Surely you can spare a few minutes to gift a woman with your stories? No need to leave. I wouldn't dream of keeping you from the clutch."

He watched his sister, mildly bemused, before turning back to Kaegan, keeping his voice low. Lauranna should be sufficient distraction for R'non. "Any help you can give would be appreciated. I just want to be sure she's safe."

[irbre]

Tenmor had heard the news of the Touching and had set off as quickly as possible. Sadly, his immediately arrival had been hampered by the fact that he had dutifully been doing his chores. He had finished in a hurry, which no doubt meant sloppy work, which would probably lead to a scolding or punishment of some sort. Still, Tenmor thought that the promise of a Hatching was important and had arrived in what he considered record time. If he hadn't been doing anything, he would have made it his duty to get there first. As it was, he was, apparently, a few people late to be the first.

Tenmor hesitated at the entrance, head tipping to the side slightly. There was a Candidate there already, but also quite a few adults. One had to be the Queen's rider, and he vaguely recognized on as their Weyrleader, S'rei. There was another woman he didn't know, and another man. Tenmor suspected that that man was the Benden rider whose bronze had Flown Millieth. The atmosphere was tense around the former Benden rider, that was obvious. Tenmor moved quietly around the small group, towards the Queen.

Millieth did not appear to be too pleased with the events, but one of the Candidates had already moved forward to ask for her permission to Touch the eggs. Tenmor followed quietly, keeping his distance for a moment and attempting to calm the turbulence in his mind and gather his thoughts. He took a quick, deep breath and moved forward to stand before Millieth, unable to help but feel a bit of awe in her presence. She was massive and glorious, the gold of her hide defining every graceful arch of her body. He bowed low before her, eyes fixed on his feet. "Glorious Millieth, I wish for the simple honor of Touching a few of your precious eggs," he stated humbly, gaze still fixed on the warm sand.

[ ARHGHOEIWHOID. FAIL. ]

[Tashe]

Smiling to the first candidate as she dipped into a curtsy, Kaegan had to momentarily draw her attention from her superior, since Millieth was starting to puff up and hiss. Fluttering back over to the Queen, the young Weyrwoman twittered at her Gold before replying to the female candidate. Then repeating the same routine with the young man as he approached, the redhead tried to shush the hissing female. "Of course of course. As long as you both remember all the rules! I wouldn't want Millieth to get angry at you hoppefuls!" After listening to her Gold unhappily grunt in agreement before narrowing her slowly changing eyes, she fluttered her hand playfully at the two. Slowly slinking her way back to the Senior Weyrleader she sighed loudly, dropping the happy facade for a moment. It wasn't a comforting thought that even S'rei couldn't think of a spot she could be, but then again, it was Shmee. And of course she couldn't be with Laurie because she was right there, standing five feet away, with no Weyrwoman in sight. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear." Looking up as R'non appeared, she gave him a small wave, troubled emotions flitting across her face before returning her attention to the serious conversation. With Shmee gone, Kaegan lost one of her very few female friends...

Tugging on a lock of her hair, Kaegan closed her eyes and tilted her head, her universal sign for thinking. Shmee hadn't said anything at all to her, no type of clue or hint... no nothing, and she had been rather talkative of late. This lead the young woman to conclude that her Leader's decision had to have been either impromptu or well hidden. Mumbling something under her breath, Kaegan looked up at S'rei before answering his statement, although she first had to remember exactly what he had said. "Yes of course. I want make sure she is safe also... I want to give Benden no chance at all of finding her by chance." Nodding slightly before crossing her arms, the Junior Weyrwoman looked over her shoulder at Millieth. Hey Missy. Would you do something for me? /What?/ Can you talk to Aslath for me so I can reach Miss Shmee? /Humph. Fine... But I can't promise that Hers'll be willing to talk with you./ Great. Can you tell her 'Shmee, we are worried about you, and S'rei is worried the most. I would like to know if you are alright, and maybe even where you are. Please talk to us. I miss you.' Listening to her dragon grumble about being a messenger bird, Kaegan broke her concentration and returned to the youngest man in the room. "Well I asked Millieth to talk with Aslath. But as you know they might not be willing to talk with me... Oh dear I hope she brought supplies with her. Wherever she went. I mean she does have Aslath with her right?"

[randi]

Millieth's call echoed through the Weyr, causing the teenager to lift his head. It rang with familiarity in the mind of Laron, yet he found himself turning to the nearest person for confirmation. When that person proved incompetent, a sigh hissed through his teeth, his work falling from his hands.

He ran towards the goal with little on his mind. If it was a false alarm, then he could easily make up a reason for his presence. What eager candidate didn't want to see the eggs, even if it was not yet time? That first Hatching, he had been nauseous with excitement.

The end to the monotonous cycle stood ahead, a chance as large as the Hatching Grounds themselves. Of course, it was only a chance. Being left Standing didn't exactly make him feel confident, but the instant that doubt appeared in his mind, he squashed it like a bug. He wouldn't be left Standing this time. Even if he was, he would wait. He could wait until he was too old, and was more than willing to. The longer a goal remains unobtainable, the sweeter the taste when results finally occur. His parents had taught him that, probably one of the only things that hadn't been completely useless.

Laron arrived at the Hatching Grounds, noticing that others had gotten there beforehand, and not just candidates. Both Weyrleaders S'rei and R'non were present, as well as another 'rider he had seen around now and again. He was mildly interested in the lack of Weyrwoman Shmee, but immediately lost the thought when his light eyes looked upon what he could see before him.

He felt the familiar fluttering in his stomach, and silently hated his body's reaction to this occasion. The sight of the queen made him feel incredibly tiny in size, and, truth be known, he hated being just another candidate, though he supposed that it was wonderfully better than being the 'veteran', the one left Standing. He lifted his head to look up at the golden Millieth, his shoulders pushed back slightly to portray his confidence that felt lacking within. He would break the cycle. Somehow.

He bowed deep to her in respect, a rarity to be given without cause, but then again, he had to have respect for any creature that had given birth. Yet another lesson taken, one of the rare ones that he could use still. "Miladies," he directed at both dragon and rider, "may I have your consent to Touch a few of these precious gems?" He swept his arm to indicate the clutch as he rose, not daring to look anything but the towering gold dragon before him.

[Kisha-Ra]

Janisi dropped the skirts she’d gathered up as she hurried after the two boys who she’d been working with before the call for Touching. It was a good thing she and Odian had been working with weyrbred Jarathon or they might never have found the way here. Janisi knew she certainly never would have remembered which paths, boats, and bridges to take on her own.

Now the rushing was over all three had stopped before entering the hatching grounds to catch their breath and make themselves a little more presentable. Janisi smoothed out her crumpled brown skirt glad of the heavy cloth that wrinkles just dropped out of and did her best to tuck her hair back neatly. Her mother always said first impressions counted.

Janisi’s heart lurched northward for a moment when she thought of her mother, and her eyes burned in that strange, tight way that meant tears were fighting their way forward, but not for her family. It was her darling Erria, so far away and seemingly so long ago, that she wanted to weep for, if only she’d known her mother didn’t approve of Erria Janisi would have kept quiet…

Now she shook her head violently (undoing the results of the efforts with her hair) and blinked rapidly, hoping neither of the boys had noticed her lapse. Looking for something to force her thoughts into order Janisi’s eye lighted on Odian fussing with his tunic. ‘Are you quite done?’ she demanded in the same tone she used on tantrum throwing littles.


Odian smoothed and tugged at his clothing to cover his nervousness, and concentrated on calm thoughts. I am a still pool, serene and cool with hidden depths. Events may drop like thrown pebbles but all they will do is make ripples on the surface. he told himself over and over hoping that he might believe it if he repeated it enough.

He tried to forget all about being Odian-the-failure, the boy who couldn’t get to grips with any kind of real work or find himself a craft, and think himself into Odian-the-candidate, a boy, no a young man, who radiated confidence, who would try to turn his hand to anything asked of him, and who would balk if he did fail. Frankly it wasn’t working too well. He wondered exactly how much Touching effected the choices of the dragonets, opinions were varied even among weyrfolk.

In fact Odian spent so much time in thought that he utterly failed to notice how long his preparations were taking. He was adjusting his tunic for the ninth or tenth time when Janisi’s voice cut sharply into his gloomy musings and made him feel like a child. Still he responded with an urbane tone and a slightly raised eyebrow. ‘Oh I think so, I do have to be at my best to meet the dragonets, and their Lady mother, I do so want to make a good impression on them.’

With that he smiled insultingly at his impatient peer and sauntered confidently on to the hatching grounds, only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight of Milleth. He hadn’t realised until now just how big a queen dragon was.


Jarathon ignored his fellow candidates in favour of getting his breath back. When the Hatching started he wanted to be close to the grounds, it would be nice not to turn up somewhere out of breath for a change. Besides he had something a bit more important to do than mess around with his clothes.

One hand snaked up to catch hold of Wraith, his little green salamandyr, who was indulging in her irritating little habit of combing his hair with her talons. He needed to make her understand this. ‘Wraith. Wraith.’ Jarathon tried to catch the salamandyr’s attention. Once she looked curiously at him he continued. ‘Wraith, go back to our room, you can’t come with me. Milleth wouldn’t like you.’

Bug? Yeesh bug. Bug bug bug. Wraith fluttered her delicate little wings and raised her frill a little. Jarathon sighed and lifted his hand, with Wraith on his palm, closer to his face. ‘No. Milleth isn’t a bug, she’s a dragon, and no, you can’t see her. Go to the room and wait until I come back.’

With a last plaintive Buuuuuuug! Wraith hopped off her humanpet’s hand and fluttered her little wings to control her glide before vanishing between. Jarathon sighed with relief, he was worried Wraith wouldn’t understand, or would pretend not to, and try to follow him. He didn’t want her frightened or hurt because of her obsession with dragons.

He followed Odian onto the hatching grounds and grinned for a moment. It was funny to see the normally self possessed older candidate standing there looking at Milleth like a gape faced idiot, but not so funny that Jarathon forgot his self imposed duty to sort these two out. He walked up, stood to the left of Odian, and discreetly kicked the older boy in the ankle. ‘Bow.’ He hissed, and followed his own instruction with a look shot back over his shoulder at Janisi to make sure she wasn’t as dumbstruck as Odian.

Satisfied with the respectful bows of the two holdbred candidates Jarathon paused to consider what to say. However Odian jumped in before him.


‘Great Lady, would you grant us the honour of meeting your offspring?’ Odian inquired, desperate to make up for looking such a fool.


‘Please?’ Janisi added her own simple plea.

[adair]

It had been her father that had told her what was going on, his dragon bellowing at him so that he in turn bellowed at her and pushed her out the door. So there Devai was, tossed out of her own room nearly onto her head, and now running down the corridors until she could finally reach the sands and maybe, just maybe, actually touch the Eggs that rested about the fierce Queen that her parents had told stories about...

Blond pigtails near bouncing behind her, Devai was nearly stopped once or twice by the rumors that flew around her, hearing the whispers of weyrwoman, pregnant, and other things that her curious mind wanted to stop and wonder about, but for right now there were more pressing issues on her mind. If she arrived late to the Sands, then Millieth may just decide not to let her on, and even the mischievious trickster of a girl knew better than to do anything that would ruin her chances of touching the gleaming shells that now lay hardening on the sands. Like, pull a prank, or try and tug the gold's tail or something like that, all things her father had warned her about, as if she would actually do something like that... Hah!

Finally poking her head into the caverns of the hatching sands, Devai's greyish blue eyes widened and sparkled happily, though she was slightly displeased with not being first here... And it seemed that not only candidates were here, but riders and other adults as well, again raising her curiosity, but most of her attention was caught by the hissing queen, causing her to gulp even as she began to make her way forward. Other candidates stood around, asking the queen if they too could step forward, and Devai knew that she had not the pretty words the male did, more like the girl was she... After all, she couldn't try and make a dragon smile... Especially not a clutching mother, though she would have liked to and probably would have done so to if she thought she could get away with it.

Instead she simply walked up to the two other candidates, a little ways away from them, and performed her own bow of respect before popping back up, her eyes meeting those of the whirling queen with no hint of aggression, but respect and an unwillingness to flinch or look away. "Queen Millieth!" She called up, her voice just loud enough to be heard. "It would be an honor to touch your clutch, if you would but allow me." She then dipped her head once again, awaiting either her or her rider's reply.

[mangotango]

Alviar had gotten a bit lost on his way to the Touching. He was much too excited to remember the careful instructions a very kind woman had given him, and thus backtracked several times before finding the Hatching Grounds through a happy mixture of luck and determination. He would have searched all day if he had to, though by then the Touching would have been over and the Candidate officals none too happy with him- he assumed. He wasn't entirely sure if people got in trouble for missing something like the Touching... He'd had the process explained to him and thought it was quite excellent idea and might work well. Then again, Alviar thought just about everything was an excellent idea in theory (if not always in practice), so that might not mean anything.

When he did enter the Sands it was in a half-trotting/half-bouncing gait that only served to reinforce the idea that he really had no idea what he looked like. If he could have seen himself when he acted this way he might have been embarrassed into stopping. A tall, muscular young man prancing about like a colt in the spring was not the kind of image he meant to project. Although it would explain why everyone looked at him that way.

He was not long in spying his fellow Candidates. It wasn't hard, after all. They were the ones standing up before the Clutch, looking nervous and apparently addressing the Queen- he couldn't hear them from where he stood. But he recognized Tenmor. That cinched it!

He moved forward, slid slightly in the sand, and then righted himself and made his way forward. The eggs were so beautiful! He could barely drag his eyes away from them to stare up at Millieth. He went to ask if he might be able to touch her babies, but the words stuck in his throat.

[adair]

A gentle smile touched the lips of a rather tall male as he casually strolled down the hall, following the directions of some polite older lady. Of course she might have been a little more reluctant to be so polite had she known that all he had thought about in that moment was taking the knife in her hands and running it down her chest... But then again, maybe she would of liked it... Who knows.

But anyway, so there he was, walking down the hall, a small tune being hummed under his breath even as he moved closer to the place he had been directed to go... The Hatching Caverns. The entire reason for his being here was said to rest on those warmed sands, and he was not going to miss this opportunity to come and greet his potential partner for life. And if that wasn't bad enough, he also had to meet the sharding creature's mother..

Great...

Just great...

Running his fingers through his thick hair, Saidi then ran his hands over his face, making sure his mask was still on perfectly before putting on a brilliant and gentle smile before walking inside. Instantly heat hit him, the kind that he had rarely felt before and slightly annoyed him, though no outwards sign of this was made. Instead he walked peacefully over to the gold, falling into a perfect courtly bow before standing back up straight, and doing the same for the rider. "Beautiful lady and Shimmering Gold, if you may allow me onto your sands to touch the jewels that are your clutch I would appreciate it greatly."

Though disgusted by the servile words that spewed from his mouth, neither lips nor eyes showed the young man's, instead only respect and honor showed as he awaited their decision.

[Tashe]

Silence had befallen the two Weyrleaders like a think cloud, the thought of Shmee in possible trouble worried Kaegan to no end, if something happened to her than the Junior would automatically become her replacement. Kaegan was too young and certainly not ready to become leader quite yet, that train of thought bubbled through her mind, adding onto her fear of loosing a friend. Jumping slightly as Millieth picked up her emotions and snarled at the next candidate to enter, the young goldrider excused herself from the Bronzerider and left him to his thoughts for a moment. Scurrying over to the Queen as she snapped her jaws as more Candidates entered and bowed, Kaegan tripped in her haste, causing her to fall back onto her rump with a squeak. Oh how embarrassing... Jumping up and taking the few steps that lead her right up next to her growling Dragon, the Weyrwoman rubbed the side of her arm before addressing the candidates. Fortunately the first four that arrived were the few she remembered from the Candidate manifesto. Listening to Millieth growl deeply from the back of her throat at the candidates, Kaegan continued to speak. "Of course, please go ahead. Remember to follow the rules that you learned and no horse playing." Nodding slightly in dismissal, the Goldrider sighed before patting her Gold on the leg. Don't worry my love. Everything will be alright... so please try and calm down.

Both of the Females watched as three more Candidates filed in, two of which requested permission and the other froze, it gave Millieth another reason to be unhappy. /Their words are all forced! They add disgusting praises to their askings, none of them are acting as they are./ Eying the male who did not bow as he approached, Millieth knew she could not lash out in frustration without incurring her Mine's attitude, so she did the next best thing. "You may g---" These brats were annoying her with their forced niceties, they would now see her power. Puffing her chest out in agitation, the Queen stretched her wings out to their full extent and bellowed, causing even her Mine to stumble back.

"MILLIETH!" Watching as her frustrated Queen vented her anger, Kaegan could do nothing but clasp her hands to her ears and wait. Slapping the Gold's shoulder as the Dragon swung her head downward and barred her teeth at no one in particular, the Queenrider nervously looked to the three candidates, hoping they weren't to scared to continue on. "Oh dear oh dear. Please try to ignore her Roar. She was venting her anger, so please bow and move on..." Pointing to Alvair, Kaegan continued. "And it would be for the best if you just say something like 'Please allow me to touch your guarded clutch.' Something simple and something /you/."

[adair]

Devai rocked back at the roar before cocking her head. Seems like all her father's stories about clutching queens were correct... But she hadn't eaten anybody yet, which was a good sign... Maybe... Anyway! She had better things to think about, namely the eggs!

Turning around, Devai's storm cloud eyes looked over the clutch just waiting for her itchy fingers and a bright smile took over her face as she walked to the first. The Beachsand Egg, so tiny and brightly yellow drew her touch first, an intense happiness and warmth greeting her and causing her to giggle lightly, stroking it once more before moving on to the next. Walking over she squatted beside the Valley Egg, looking it all over before daring to touch it, though even after she did she didn't feel too much anyway. Shrugging, Devai stood up and looked for the next one.

Pretty red and orange Mango Egg drove her away without even a touch, as did the large Tribal Egg, but the Palmtree Egg was much more friendly, greeting her touch with a burst of happiness that caused her to laugh aloud again. Patting it on the top, Devai near hummed as she walked over to another egg. The Sea Egg was another happy little egg and a brilliant smile showed crooked teeth as her fingers stroked the ripples that edged its shell, not even caring about it and in fact thinking it added to its cute image and she spoke to it for a while before moving on. The Sexton Egg near shoved her away with the hatred it held, the blond actually sticking her tongue out at is as she walked away.

Devai hesitated over touching the Shipwreck Egg for a moment, chewing her bottom lip before reaching out and stroking her fingers over its shell, relaxing and touching it more as she reveled in the loving nature, though she hoped it grew a little more backbone, wanting to prod it out of being so submissive. Before she could do this though, she moved to the Tropical Egg it lay by, the little thinker inside not forcing her away like the aggressive ones had earlier. The Lagoon Egg nearly put her to sleep and while it didn't herd her away like the others had earlier, it certainly wasn't comfortable with her touch.

Only two eggs were left, she moved first to the Compass Egg, delightedly stroking it, drinking in the happiness and peacefulness of this egg before almost reluctantly making her way to the north of the clutch and the aptly named North Star Egg, wondering if she should indeed touch it since it seemed so large and would more than likely hold a bronze or brown, probably, but it didn't throw her off and didn't even have the same preference that the Lagoon Egg had, so she spent some time happily touching it as well.

Finally Devai had touched (or tried to touch at least) all the eggs and she knew she had to make her way off the sands or try and face the wrath of the noteably angered Queen dragon. So, with a nod and a bow, the blond headed girl bounced off the sands, intent on talking to her family and friends of the great experience.
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Saidi merely cocked an eyebrow at the roar before turning his back on the Queen. It seemed like her rider had it all control and he needn't worry. Instead he simply looked over all the eggs, wondering which ones he should touch... There were definetly a few that called to him, and he set off in a direction that led him away from the Queen.

The Mango Egg, with its base of blood red looked quite nice so he shrugged and began to touch it, its rebellious nature somewhat calling to him before it sparked at his hands and a feral grin spread over his face as he tapped it with his fingers before he moved on. The North Star Egg also seemed quite interesting, the intelligence spilling from it something interesting and causing Saidi to spend some time around it before he grew bored and searched for the next one to touch.

And he found one that caused a fierce grin and his fingers to curl into something that resembled claws before he nodded and moved forward to touch it. The hatred and anger spilling from the Sexton Egg, which had scared so many others off, merely called the hidden part of him to rise and if anyone would have looked into his eyes at that moment they would have seen a feralness that he usually held within. "Not gonna scare me away little one. You aren't that scary yet." He chuckled and he spent a great deal of time around it just to spite it before standing and calmly turning away. Eventually he moved around and touched them all before sighing. It seemed there was nothing else to see here, so he simply wandered off and away from the sands, intending on maybe going to find someone to play with. Surely someone could be involved in an 'accident...'