Touching of the Precious Stones Clutch

[glamourie]

Keliris tilted his head slightly and stared at Aslath as the queen turned her temper onto first another boy whose name he didn't bother to learn, and then back to Mutasim. However, rather than continue to stare, as soon as Aslath moved to swing her tail, Keliris turned away. He couldn't bring himself to watch someone even smaller than he was get abused so badly, no matter what the circumstances were. He didn't know Mutasim. He didn't care to get to know him. He was just one in a million faces to Keliris, one of all the people at the Weyr that he didn't care to understand. Watching him possibly get hurt was beyond what the dark red-haired boy was capable of ignoring though. He didn't want to watch, didn't want to see and know he did nothing or said nothing. His conscience couldn't deal with that. Just because he pretended to be heartless didn't mean that he really was.

However, Shmee's arrival made Keliris look up. He frowned slightly. She looked really, really sick, and the way she stumbled against the Weyrleader was concerning. He actually spoke under his breath, though the words were meant more for his brother than anyone else, "I hope that the Weyrwoman is all right..."

"I'm sure she'll be fine. She's up and moving around," Kaliran whispered back, looking over at the Weyrwoman. Truthfully, he was well-aware that she looked, well, dreadful, but considering that she was walking around, it must have been a good sign. She looked like she really was sick, though, and he knew that must have been why Keliris was sympathizing. Considering that Keliris had come off firehead less than a turn ago (and still looked pale from the experience), it didn't surprise Ran at all that his brother was obviously worried. Despite his disposition, Lir was really bad about putting himself in other people's places when it came to things he could relate to. Kaliran, on the other hand, tended to not put much thought in things that didn't concern him. Which was why he didn't stare at Shmee or make any effort to acknowledge her except to bow in polite greeting to the Weyrwoman.

Keliris, too, bowed, though he didn't think she even noticed him. That was okay, though, since he wasn't good at talking to people, and it wasn't his business. He fleetingly toyed with the concept of walking over and wishing her well, but it would come off sarcastic. Even when he tried to be nice, he didn't express himself very well. Minding his own business was more logical. He doubted that the Weyrwoman or Weyrleader would appreciate him bothering them.

Crouching next to Kaliran, Lir bit his tongue. The egg really was fascinating, but he didn't want to touch any. It struck him as 'cheating' to touch when he didn't really think he was going to Impress anything, and wasn't too eager at the idea anymore. He wasn't going to get his hopes up again just to have them dashed before his eyes. He wasn't sure that he could handle such disappointment again. He'd be at the Hatching to make sure Beka went, but -- Beka! He spotted Beka. Springing to his feet, Lir actually waved for her to come over, earning another bemused look from Kaliran, who obviously thought that his brother had stepped out of his mind. Since when was Lir nice to anyone? But Keliris was so happy that she'd actually come that it took all of his effort not to run over and carry Beka across the sands in his excitement. Mood swings were not at all uncommon for the older of the brothers.

Kaliran decided to ignore his older brother's obviously strange behavior in order to put one hand against the Hematite Egg; compared to what he was expecting, it had such a strange texture that he actually looked twice at it before moving on. The next one he touched was the Lapis Lazuli egg, before moving to the Amethyst Egg. At that one he lingered with a smile, if only because he had the distinct impression that it was among the most friendly of the eggs, if eggs could be friendly. He wouldn't 'speak' to any of them; that struck him as odd... but getting to see the eggs up close was really fascinating. "Aren't all of these eggs the most beautiful things you've ever seen, Lir?" he asked over his shoulder as he moved to touch the Tourmaline Egg. But the reaction was instantaneous: his hand was burnt and he yanked it back, actually slightly scalded, and stared incredulously. "It bit me. The egg bit me."

"They're magnificent, of course, did anyone expect Aslath to be anything le--- what?" Lir turned his eyes away from Beka to follow Kaliran over to the Tourmaline Egg and blinked, twice. "What do you mean it bit you?"

"Touch it! It burnt my hand, look." Kaliran held his hand out for his older brother to examine, the burns on his fingers turning to shiny red marks. They stung, but he was more shocked than anything else. He wasn't aware that eggs often bit. What in the world was that all about. "Why'd it bite me?"

Keliris crouched down and then, almost gingerly, laid one hand against the egg. Unlike his brother, he was not burnt, although his touch did not linger very long. He didn't want to touch any of them to begin with but if there was one burning people, the least he could do was pay attention and find out what its deal was. However, he dropped his hand a moment later, an inquisitive look on his face, before he turned to look at Kaliran. "I don't have the foggiest idea. It didn't burn me." Realization dawning on him, Keliris actually laughed under his breath. "How funny, an egg of any kind liking me better than you. We'll have to visit the records room and make a note of this. It's bound to never happen again." Little did he know, the only reason the egg 'liked him better' was simply because he hadn't touched the Lapis Lazuli Egg before it, like Kaliran had.

Rolling his eyes, Kaliran examined his burnt fingers almost pitifully, though he replied indignantly enough that it was clear the only part of him more than superficially injured was his ego. "Pfft. My hand hurts now..."

[Requiem]

Salenth shifted uncomfortably at Aslath's roar. She was usually such a calm dragon, that he found himself at a loss as to how to respond. At first. Beloved. He is nervous. You have already sent one candidate from the sands...and he can't be too comfortable when he sees how you are looking at the small one. We won't let him hurt the eggs. I won't let him hurt our children. Please calm down. The bronze was feeling stretched just a bit thin, with the two he cared about overreacting to everything that crossed their path. The pragmatic voice of the quartet was getting hoarse.

***

He stared at Gina blankly, before it clicked. Hadn't all the others asked her permission? Mutasim usually wasn't this slow on the uptake, but his idea of respect was tainted by his upbringing. In Bitra, the low could not deem to speak to those in authority, as that in itself was considered insolence. Couple that with his natural reticence, and it just hadn't occured to him...Most likely it was too late, now, though, and frankly, he was somewhat annoyed at the golden creature for being so testy. Or, rather, he was annoyed at her for forcing him to be so nasty to his Jabari. Mutasim already regretted it. Keenly. He had never considered that the brown would attempt to defend him, or that a situation like that even had the potential of cropping up. His flit's despondence lingered in his mind.

The tail descended on him with deadly force, Mutasim's substantial speed hampered by the foot that was only recently healed and his blatant shock at falling under the attack of a dragon. Though he managed to avoid taking a direct hit, the tail struck him a glancing blow to his shoulder, Muta falling heavily to the sands and skidding a few feet from the sheer force of it. He was on his feet instantly, struggling to regain the breath that had been knocked out of him even as he prepared to evade another flailing from that tail. Luckily for him, it didn't come.

His eyes never leaving Aslath, the small boy backed up, not daring to turn his back to her. One hand had gone to his shoulder. Painful. Not broken, he noted distantly, his logical mind still very much in force. He'd be bruised, though, and it would be sore. Well enough. He deserved it, for treating Jabari so badly. As for Aslath? Mutasim had no intention of coming near her again. If she was this violent simply because he hadn't spoken to her - shards, flailing that massive thing around like that could well have killed him - then he didn't need to put himself in that position. Not for eggs that held nothing for him. His curiosity was officially gone.

The small boy faded back, turning only once he was sure the queen was distracted. He had to find Jabari. Trying to project his remorse as best he could, Mutasim went in search of his beloved brown.

***

Salenth took a pace forward at Aslath's actions, determined to intervene - had Shmee not arrived. What was she thinking? Annoyed or no, that hadn't been a casual flick, and Aslath was huge compared to the stupid child. It was with relief that he greeted his mate. Now he could devote his attention to his clutch and not have to worry about her. The bronze watched the candidates closely, though he didn't truly believe they would do anything to harm the eggs. That would just be stupid.

The Weyrleader might have tried to say something to the tiny candidate - had intended to see that the boy was okay - but the child was up so fast that he thought better of it. There was no reason to prevent him from leaving...if he'd stayed, there might have been further problems. Besides, he'd caught sight of Shmee, and that did not make him happy. She shouldn't be up. The fact that she'd felt the need to come here only accentuated the fact that S'rei couldn't keep this situation under control. Though, if he was fair, he really had no hope of doing so when it was Aslath acting up. Of the three that he spent most of his time with, it was the gold that he had the least influence over. If Salenth couldn't calm her...

Pushing aside the flare of hurt pride, S'rei looked down at Shmee, his expression bleak. "I wish you didn't have to come." His gaze traveled downward. "You didn't even wear shoes," he chided gently. The Weyrleader drew his weyrmate into his arms, not remarking on her weakness, and lifted her easily. She'd always been light, but she'd lost weight since her miscarriage...more than she'd gained over the pregnancy. It worried him.

S'rei hadn't spoken much to Shmee recently. He couldn't find anything to say. His usual defense for unpleasant situations was humor, but that seemed entirely out of place. The Weyrleader could sense their relationship growing strained, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out how to fix it. Even now, he simply held her, unable to find anything to talk about. She seemed so fragile...

[kaedryn]

Tokala, having been watching closely from the side all the action going on with queen Aslath actually -attacking- a young boy, was imminently relieved when her bonded, the Weyrlady Shmee, made her faltering way across the sands to calm her queen. Golden amber eyes narrowed at the sight of her frail body and stumbling walk. She was finally able to make her way over to the weyrleader and her queen, but her weakness made him want to leap forward and help her, but he knew it would have been inappropriate to do so. Being new to the weyr, he had heard of Shmee's travels, as well as her subsequent illness. Were the two somehow connected?' He wondered.

Tokala finally shook his crimson hair about his face, reaching a hand up to scratch at the freckles on his nose. As he was now, he had no business prying into the affairs of the queen and her bonded. Once he had, hopefully, impressed a dragon, then he would make his vows to protect her to death. The golden eyed boy's focus was once again shifted from his inner thoughts to Shmee when she made her announcement. A grin once again touched his face, but this time it was somewhat tinged with sorrow seeing the proud woman so weak and in so much pain. He took a moment to salute both her and her mate, hoping it was not inappropriate to do so, before turning back and bowing to Aslath.

With his duty done, he turned to the gleaming eggs of all colors on the sands. He seemed first strangely drawn to the Ruby Egg, the bright red egg appearing to almost be a jewel. He noticed other's shying away from it, especially at first, and he wondered why... It seemed to actually be frightening people away, and he did indeed feel somewhat of strange buzzing in his fingers, but it certainly was not enough to drive him away. The Sapphire Egg was next, its gleaming blue shell a distinct contrast to its red sibling. A mischievious light blazed in his eyes when he touched this stone. Ah, the pranks they would be able to pull! But it seemed just a little childish... Hmmm... He next moved on to the Hematite Egg and touching it felt almost like touching a piece of the sky brought to earth. Stroking fingers over its deep darkness made him feel like he was standing outside on a moonless night, staring up at the star-studded sky. Surely such beauty came from the heavens themselves...

Moving on, he gently caressed the Peacock Egg, with just the tips of his fingers. At first it had not seemed at all special and he wondered why he was so drawn to it, until he noticed all the colors actually swirling in it. A fierce protectivness raised its head in him, a warriors instinct he had already felt before today when he wanted to defend Shmee in her frailty. He moved on, taking the time to at least attempt touching all the stones, some repelling him instantly, others not welcoming him but allowing him to touch them. His smile blazed forth once again, such a wonderful way to pass the time!

[missa]

Well, she was grumpy, that was obvious. What had the candidates done this time to deserve Aslath's temper rising at him. Surely him assuring her he wouldn't hurt the eggs had to do some good for her temper. Obviously not. Well, they might as well- What was she doing here? Beka's gaze found the Weyrwoman, and instantly she frowned. Shmee did not look well enough to be getting up and about, defiantely not well enough to come to the Hatching Sands... Without shoes. She said they could touch the eggs though, and well, Aslath seemed to be obeying... Beka bowed again, movign away from the Gold as soon as she could.

Now that she could Touch the eggs, Beka honestly had no idea which one to approach... They were all lovely, some caught attention more than others, but then those that didn't draw attention... Why was Keliris waving at her? A glance around was given to see if he was actually waving at someone else, before she moved over. What did he want? She was here wasn't she? He hadn't had to come and get her, though the only reason she'd come was because of Anai's insistance.
"Hey..." Words were practically whispered as she reached them, keeping her touch away from any of the eggs. If she was going to touch one, it wouldn't be by accident, and she'd prefer it to be one that she chose. Not one that was screaming for attention.

"I hope you had nothing to do with Anai's tactics in getting me to come."

~

The Weyrwoman! Saviour of the day! Oh... She looked awful though, shouldn't she be resting? Or at least, wearing shoes? How silly, risking her health for a bunch of candidates that were going to be eaten by a rather large and protective gold... Oh what was that? They could Touch them now, well, okay. Smiling brightly at Aslath once more, she bowed, waving as she headed off towards the eggs. The Crystal Egg was the first one to get her attention, her eyes blinking as she placed her palm on the surface.

"Hi! Well, you're certainly a free spirit aren't you?" Words were murmured, before Rielana started chatting to the egg happily, despite what others said. So what if the egg couldn't reply, it could still hear her couldn't it? Smiling, she bid the egg a gentle goodbye, she moved on. The Garnet Egg was next, Rielana finding the reddish tone rather interesting as she drew closer. Another happy egg! Yay! Crouching by it, Rielana gently stroked the shell.
"Your mother is very portective, I can see why, you're all so lovely..."

~

Religna honestly didn't understand the hostility, she'd never had to protect anything in her life, so what would she know. She knew nothing of a bond between rider and dragon, but to her, it seemed Aslath relaxed the moment Shmee made an appearance. Whether that was the intelligent thing to do was still in debate. Since Shmee looked like she was about ready to collapse. However, it was not her problem. Bowing to the Gold once more, Religna gave them not a second glance, instead concentrating on the eggs.

The Peacock Ore Egg was the first one she noticed, at first, it seemed dull. So unlike the rest of the clutch, that was what drew her in, towards the egg. However, it wasn't dull at all, still, didn't like attention. Gently laying her palm on the egg, Religna tilted her head to one side, as though listening to something. It really was a great experience to be able to Touch a dragon egg... It really was... She wouldn't give up this chance for anything. Nothing. Sending a feeling of good-bye at the egg, Religna moved away, towards the other eggs. One in particular, the Silver Egg. Not that she understood what was drawing her attention to these particular eggs, maybe it was the kind feelings... Fingertips brushed the shell, before jerking back with surprise. It was... Warm. Warmer than the other... Odd. Cautiously, as though afraid the egg would burn her, Religna allowed her palm to rest on the egg.

[lennae]

A patch of sunlight rested warmly on the nape of Lennae’s neck as she stood in a meditative pose, willing her body to relax and her thoughts to silence themselves. Her muscles quivered and her mind thrummed with excitement however, ignoring the calm state that the young woman wished to find. Finally, after weeks of doing nothing even the least bit strenuous, she was to begin training once more. After all, she had promised to teach Keliris a few things, and it would do her no good if her form was as bad as her pupil’s.

Finally deciding that it would do her no good to continue simply standing, she took off with a whirl, running through the patterns that had been ingrained in her muscles from years of practice. Her knives felt like a mere extension of her body as she shuffled about, thrusting at imaginary opponents and dodging phantom blows.

Her weapons dropped to the floor with a clatter as she fell to her knees, clutching at her head. There was a voice in there, yelling at her, telling her to report to the Hatching Sands. The eggs, touching. The concept of another being in her mind was completely foreign to her. She felt invaded, but as quickly as it had come, the feeling passed, leaving Lennae to ponder upon the message, though it didn’t take her long to realize that it had been the queen Aslath speaking, telling everyone that it was the day of the touching.

A vague memory of a rather vivid and frightening description of the queen sent Lennae scurrying for her weapons, quickly stashing them in her bag, where the rest of her belongings were kept. She would rather not be on the receiving end of Aslath’s wrath, she decided firmly, rushing down the stairs of the barracks two at a time.

Unfortunately, she decided a few minutes later, she feared that she would. Her breath came in gasps and there was a stitch in her side as she neared the Hatching Grounds, knowing that she was late, for there was hardly anyone behind her. Scared as she was, Lennae entered the grounds head high, unwilling to give the queen the benefit of seeing her cowering away. If the queen thought that Lennae was scared, then the battle was already half lost for the candidate.

Still, she remembered to mind her manners, and as she approached the queen, she bowed low before returning to an upright position. For a moment, she debated apologizing for her tardiness and finally decided against it. Excuses would be futile, and so Lennae merely moved toward the clutch after paying her respects, quickly hoping to blend into the candidates as they moved from egg to egg.

Lenna meandered amongst the eggs for a while, not touching, merely gazing. She wasn’t quite sure what the purpose of this was, whether or not to touch every shell that she passed or merely the ones that caught her eye. Eventually, she grew bolder, placing a hand out to touch the nearest egg to her. It was the Topaz Egg. She took a moment to admire it’s hidden beauty before moving on.

Perhaps it was the coloring, or perhaps it was the way the egg seemed to give of an air of authority, but Lennae found herself drawn to the strictness of the Alexandrite Egg. It reminded her all-too-much of home and the aloofness of her former companions, and so after a brief minute surrounded by the egg’s aura, Lennae found herself wishing to move on, to escape from the familiar feelings.

[Tashe]

Bowing once again to the mighty Queen dragon and the others who had joined her, Saraina spoke once more before sliding past Aslath and the weyrleaders. "Whenever you want to see it, I shall gladly bring it to the Weyrwoman's rider weyr." Reaching out and grabbing Gina as soon as she too had bowed, the first of the two raven heads slowly made her way past the two fearsome dragons. Depositing the other candidate to fend for herself in the vast hatching grounds, Saraina set off on her own to find the eggs that called to her. After clearing her mind of rash eagerness, it took only a few moments before she found the first of the eggs.

From her current position the egg looked to be of an ugly brown color, far different from all of the other eggs that she saw, and that was what had first attracted her to the Peacock Ore egg. A diamond in the rough, or rather a rock in a mound of diamonds. But it wasn't until she drew closer that the true colors of the egg began to shine through, and it was quite teasing the way that the egg was so different than it first appeared to be. Gliding closer to the interesting egg, Saraina paused a moment to inspect the shell before stroking her fingers down the side of the egg. The warmth under her fingers picked up an octave but didn't sear her fingers, and because of that the candidate hesitated to take her hand away. Eventually taking a step back from the Peacock Ore egg, Saraina nodded to it before twisting about in search for another egg.

The next egg that caught her interest was an interesting orange hue, and its vividness seemed to drag a small sense of wariness from the back of the grey eyed girl's mind. The feeling of bitterness that seeped off of the Citrine egg brought back the memories of the unhappy guards that had chased her many times through the streets of her old home. But with that essence of emotion came another, the sense of triumph when she successfully escaped the clutches of a furious guardsman. Inching closer to the brightly colored egg, Saraina slowly made her way to it and before long she found herself directly in front of it. Although the bitterness increased as she crept closer, the candidate let her hand briefly wonder over the vivid casing. Slightly surprised at the sharp tingling that shot up her arm, Sara took her hand back from the egg quicker than she had done with the first egg. Stepping back and nodding slightly, the candidate quietly moved on to the next egg.

At first the pink color on the Rose Quartz egg repelled the young woman, but the small feeling that flowed off of it caused her to change her mind about the medium sized egg. Circling around the group of larger medium eggs, Saraina silently made her way over to the light pink egg. Bending down to inspect the egg with a closer eye, the raven headed girl bobbed her head with a slight motion before placing her hand on the egg's shell. Getting up a few seconds later, Sara nodded to the Rose Quartz egg before moving onto the next egg on her list. There was just something about that egg that reminded her of herself, for the loneliness that it put off wasn't sad but happy. It was rather odd...

As she turned around, the candidate found herself looking at the Pearl egg with an odd sense of watchfulness. Not noticing that she had moved from her spot by the rosy egg, Saraina found her self in front of the rainbow patterned egg. It was strange how this particular egg caused most of the tension bleed from her shoulders as if there had been nothing there in the first place, and that was what had drawn her to it. Carefully stroking the egg's shell for a good solid minute or more, Saraina blinked herself out of the relaxed trance and cleared her throat before getting up. It was time to look for other eggs, but this one was going to be interesting to watch when it hatched.

(*decided to not make three novel posts and spaces her touchings out over a few* ;w; )

[lilliana]

All candidates report to the Hatching Sands for the Touching!

You were kidding, right? Jaron had just settled once more by the river, dipping his feet in. He had taken a liking to doing that, every now and again – it gave him a bit of rest from his never-ending chores. And now, of course, was the time that Aslath picked to finally hold the Touching. Why couldn’t it have been earlier today, when he had been trudging from rider to rider, in an attempt to find Mal of Green Meriath, for some little message? Really!

“Gossip, you really don’t need to come to this. I promise you. It won’t be that exciting…” But, of course, the green didn’t listen. Why would she? She never listened to him! Scolding her humanthing for even thinking that she would listen, Gossip trailed behind him, watching him intently. The candidate would have sworn that the chattering behind him when he stumbled was laughing…and he probably would have been right on the mark.

Arriving at the Sands with even more abused feet, he thanked Faranth that he was wearing some semi-nice clothes. Not like he, of all people, would leave the Barracks without wearing something nice…but still, it wasn’t something that he thought really fit Selenitas’ Gold Queen’s Touching for her first clutch. But what could one do, considering how late he already was? Bowing unnoticeably, actually trying to avoid the gold’s gaze, Jaronirew slipped around and went right to the Tourmaline Egg. Beautiful, the egg was absolutely beautiful.

Jaronirew actually sighed upon sight of it, and he lay a hand delicately upon it. It was immediately noted that this dragonet was vain as vain could be – reminding him, really, of his own Gossip. At this thought, the boy actually giggled, imagining himself with a dragonet such as this. Gossip might just try to kill it. She would hate being second-best if he did impress…and that was probably why Jaron would have to sneak off while she was sleeping to go to the Hatching.

At this thought, Jaronirew heard a scolding chirp. “Really, Gossip, I would much prefer you go…you know, before the huge queen sees you and tries to take you for a snack. Aslath’s probably hungry, and she doesn’t really like people around her clutch, to begin with.” But, of course, he should have known that this challenge would make the green stay, as it was. No petty, golden dragon would ever scare the small green. Psh. She was certainly too amazing!

Shaking his head, Jaron lifted his hand from upon the Tourmaline Egg with a single last caress, and went to another beauty, a rival, apparently, of the one he had just touched. The Lapis Lazuli Egg was certainly lovely, as well, and Jaronirew couldn’t resist from brushing a hand on it’s shell…but shards! The candidate snatched his hand away, blowing on the fingers that had made contact with it. Was the dragon inside of it blowing flame already? But no…a candidate came up right behind him and placed a hand on the egg casually, and there was only a look of happiness that paused on his face before he lifted it again. The egg was a demon, plain and simple.

Now that that was determined, Jaron moved on to the next egg, the Sapphire Egg. This one didn’t try and burn his fingers off, so he let them linger briefly on the surface. The innocence and mischief that the egg seemed to radiate made the candidate giggle quietly, and he covered his mouth with a hand after a couple moments. It was so cute…but, of course, he couldn’t show favoritism. Moving on with a last pat, Jaronirew came to the next egg.

The Peridot Egg was adorable. This was certainly the first thought that came to mind upon laying a hand on the surface of this egg. This was another haughty one, although maybe it wasn’t quite so vain. He let his hand linger for a moment, before feeling that the dragonet within the egg wasn’t satisfied with him, and pushed him away. Shrugging once more, Jaron stepped away from the egg, and looked about at the others that he had yet to touch.

[Administrator]

((Quit getting grounded, people!!))

I do not wish to calm down![/color] Aslath snarled. Do not tell me what to do! Her hostility toward Salenth was a first, surprising even her. Shifting her stance uncomfortably, her eyes whirled in distress. I am sorry,[/color] she mumbled, hoping she hadn't hurt his feelings. Miserably slinking down to lie on the sands, she lay there. Why did she have to be so... horrible? She never snaps at Salenth. She... She was a monster!

Shmee solemnly allowed S'rei to lift her, relieved that the burn in her feet had been removed and that she wouldn't have to support him. She had noticed he hadn't tried to be as close with her as he once was, but she put all the blame on her. It was her own fault. He was angry she had lost the babe, of course... "I'm sorry," she replied softly. If she had had only a little bit more energy, she would've tried standing up by herself, but she just couldn't hold up her own body. Resigned, she let her head roll against S'rei's chest.

"What has she done?" she asked in that quiet monotone. "She hasn't tried hurting people, right?" She had seen the boy get up, but she wasn't sure if it was because of Aslath or not. She sighed. "I wish these stupid eggs would just hatch," she said, an alarming amount of bitterness in her tone that she didn't even try resisting to say.

Shmee had a strange mix of emotions towards Aslath's clutch. Since her miscarriage, she was extremely protective, checking in with Aslath about them even as she lay recovering on her caught. Then again, she was paranoid about them. About the candidates, about making sure nobody horrible Impressed the little hatchlings... And none of these worries were voiced to S'rei. She couldn't have him worrying about her too much. Hell, he wasn't even interested in her as much since she miscarried, how could he ever care about something as trivial as these problems? Her blue eyes flickered to watch the candidates mingle with her eggs, not bothering to try striking up further conversation with S'rei.

Aslath grunted at Saraina. Nobody but S'rei and their immediate trusted friends were allowed to come to Shmee's weyr. Was this girl that idiotic?

[Requiem]

Salenth visibly shied back as Aslath's mind-voice crashed through his head. It was a natural reaction. Bronzes instinctively obeyed every command of a gold, and the venom in her retort was enough to send him reeling. He'd forgotten the power of a queen. Aslath had spoiled him. For some reason, be it affection or respect or acknowledgment of the ten turns he had on her, the gold had never once taken up a commanding tone with him, yet alone such a biting one. Just a turn ago he simply would have backed down, unfazed. Now, though, it was enough of a shock to his system that his eyes shifted to a faint orange hue. She was right. It wasn't his place to criticize, and any role he was allowed was just that - something she allowed him. He may be the lead bronze of the weyr, but she was still the senior queen.

Salenth? The bronze's gaze shifted to His, and instantly he felt a stab of guilt. His rider was struggling through one of the hardest periods of his life, at this moment, and here he was worrying the man over nothing. I...was just reminded of something I had forgotten. You can tell me, Salenth. Please. What is it? A byproduct of having to reestablish their original bonding was that the two could mask more from each other than perhaps was healthy. Most dragonpairs enjoyed some of this. Salenth and S'rei, while unable to mask emotions, could keep their thoughts from each other with little effort. The bronze weighed the distress he'd cause the Weyrleader by obviously witholding something against allowing S'rei to know...and decided it was better to keep quiet. The man was on edge, and might...grow angry...about things that he shouldn't. Maybe another time.

It was unsatisfactory for S'rei, but he seemed to accept it, even though it was with less than perfect grace that the man dropped the topic. Aslath's mind-voice drew his attention back to her, the bronze staring dully at where she lay in the sands, at first not quite comprehending. She was...apologizing to him? Aslath had every right to call him out when he was overstepping his authority. Still, the hues of his mutlifaceted orbs shifted toward a calmer color, the male moving closer to her, though somewhat reluctant to actually touch the gold. He was still struggling to shake off some of the force of her command. There is no need to apologize, the bronze replied, calmly. He did not go into the reasoning. She surely knew it, and speaking such things might just make her feel worse, if she was remorseful about speaking sharply to him. Salenth never wanted to see his mate distressed.

S'rei frowned, as he watched the interplay between the two dragons. What was going on there? It also kind of hurt, really, that Salenth wasn't being completely open with him. Though it must be something between him and Aslath, the Weyrleader didn't like these secrets. Shmee's voice drew his attention back to the woman in his arms; she was such a shadow of her former self that he'd actually forgotten he was holding her, so nearly weightless she was. The man shook his head silently at her apology. Why did she feel the need to say that? He wanted to take care of her. It wasn't a burden for him.

No life, in Shmee's voice. S'rei's jaw tightened against the seething anger that seemed to be a constant backdrop to everything he did these days. They'd taken her child, and with that, her spirit. Worse still, though it had been weeks, he had been chasing nothing but wherry tracks, and was no closer to finding the culprit than when she first collapsed in her own blood. "She is behaving as well as can be expected," S'rei responded diplomatically, toeing the line between honesty and tact. He didn't want to upset Shmee over something that was already in the past. There was no sense in it.

A brow quirked at her tone. What did she mean by that? Did she mean that, after the eggs had hatched, she could finally stop worrying...or was it a darker statement? Could Shmee feel bitterness toward Aslath, who had managed to keep her clutch while the Weyrwoman was bereft of her babe? No, that couldn't be. No matter how deep the pain, he couldn't imagine she could ever wish something that hurtful on her bonded.

He had no words. And, when he had no words, he knew only to show his feelings through actions...but even the thought of anything beyond a platonic kiss made him balk. She seemed as if she might shatter at just the barest flaring of passion. And he couldn't help but think that Shmee would not be receptive to anything that might leave her pregnant again, that had the potential of causing her another wound as deep as the one she now bore. S'rei hadn't touched her in that way - and wouldn't touch her. Not until he had been given a sign that he could be sure of. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Shmee.

It was a horrid cycle that the two had fallen into and, unless it was broken...the only direction this could travel was to hurt and disappointment.

[boober]

If there was ever a time that Cezine appeared as anything less than her usual calm, collected self, this was it. She certainly wasn't doing anything exciting, like flailing about in a mad panic. But there was an obvious expression of confusion on her face, an expression that she wore very rarely. Aslath's actions upon the Candidate's entrance had been met with vague puzzlement but not outright confusion. It was the queen's first clutch after all, surely she was entitled to her strange behavior. Since she'd taken a moment to observe, Cezine had obtained a fairly decent grasp of what the gold was looking for and, she hoped, accomplished this. The fact that Aslath had resorted to violence was cause for concern, but... what could she do against a clearly angry queen? She debated leaving the Touching, as there was clearly something amiss.

But what was this? Shmee had stumbled onto the Sands, a mere ghost of her former self. While the Candidate was not particularly close with the Weyrwoman, nor was she really even /familiar/ with her, she had heard that the other woman had been bedridden for some type of illness. And she certainly looked it. Alarm showed briefly on Cezine's face; Shmee was obviously in no condition to be up! What was she doing? Apparently, Aslath's behavior had actually drawn the Weyrwoman from her bed. Plainly puzzled, Cezine stood and watched as Shmee approached the Weyrleader, who was forced to take her in his arms lest she collapse. Even as she still wondered what in Faranth's name was going on, all of the Candidate's confusion and puzzlement had disappeared, replaced by an expression of avid observation. After a moment, though, everything seemed to calm down, if just slightly, and apparently all of the Candidates were free to touch the eggs, without having to receive permission from the clutchmother.

Slowly, as if she feared inciting the queen's wrath once more by quick movements, Cezine slipped toward the clutch. Her gray eyes were pale, especially striking surrounded by her dark skin and hair. But she was oblivious as she approached the Hematite Egg, running one hand over its shell slowly. Her eyes fell half-closed, as if she were paying close attention to the sensations that were coming to her from the egg. But the truth was, her mind was still working over the events that had just occurred. After a few moments, she left the egg, moving on in an almost distracted manner. The Emerald Egg was next to receive her attentions, and while it brought a brief smile to her face, the Candidate still seemed distracted. It just wasn't right; she was trying to focus her sole attention on the eggs, but somehow, it just wasn't working. Giving the egg an almost apologetic pat, Cezine moved on. Her attention was captured by a couple of voices as she rested one hand upon the Lapis Lazuli Egg.

She looked up to see the two brothers, and it was then she realized what she felt was amiss. Among the Candidates, she was missing Rawign. Where was he? Had his injuries kept him from the Touching? Or had it been something more? Walking away from the egg she'd been touching, the young woman approached the two brothers. "Is Rawign still in the infirmary? I thought he would be here." No, there was really no preliminary comment from her; just get it out, done, over with. The quicker she cut to the chase, the quicker she'd get the answers she wanted. Cezine would be most disappointed if Rawign had chosen not to come to the Touching, though if it had been in light of his feline injuries, she supposed that would be excuse enough.

[glamourie]

Him? Have anything to do with Anai harassing Beka to come to a touching? Keliris blinked at her, as if in total innocence, and it was a very foreign expression on the usually foul-tempered boy's face. His eyebrows were raised, his head tilted to the side just slightly to emphasize how long his reddish brown hair truly was, and he managed to keep from scowling for more than thirty seconds. He looked younger when he wasn't offering hostile expressions and nothing about his posture gave any indication to him being hostile. He truly was trying his best to look meek and mouse-like -- ironically, the innocent expression made him look far more like Kaliran than should have been allowed. The resemblance between the brothers was criminal, with the only major differences being that Kaliran truly towered over Keliris in height, and seemed to have the more masculine features of the two. There could be no denying they were siblings, though.

"Would I ask Anai - again - to chirp, chatter and squawk at you until you came to the Touching? Am I the kind of individual who would do that?"

It was a trick question. If she said yes, he'd have acted offended. If she said no, he'd have smirked at her because he did do exactly that, and she knew he did. She had to have known, seeing as Beka'd been the unfortunate victim of his stubbornness in the jungle not even a month previous, where they'd first met. Keliris was very willing to do things most people would stop and stare in disbelief at the idea of. He also prided himself on his ability to justify most of them. Like asking Anai to drive her humanpet nuts. He was more than justified in that, since Beka wouldn't have come otherwise. He did hope, though, that Aslath was in better spirits during the Hatching. He wasn't sure how he'd get Beka onto the Sands if she arrived with Aslath raging as she had when they got there.

Very slowly, though, Keliris's eyes were drawn back to the Tourmaline Egg. He was fond of it, though he would not be so bold as to admit that aloud. The egg was special because it had burnt Kaliran and not him - and in a way he felt horrible at that concept. But everything in his life seemed to pick his younger brother over him. Firelizards - times two! - people, it wouldn't have surprised him a lick if all the eggs hated him and liked Kaliran. Some part of him was bitter, though he couldn't hold it against the younger brother. Keliris was used to being nothing more than Kaliran's protector. He didn't have to like it but he was accustomed to his role, and... he didn't blame Kaliran; it was his choice, really. He was the one who chose to chase everyone around him off, and try to put Kaliran before himself in everything; he was the one who was more willing to get beaten up than see his younger sibling hurt. But... he was a little tired of it all, tired of the monotonous life he'd been leading. He was looking forward to the Hatching if only because he was sure Kaliran would Impress, and then he could leave. Where he'd go, he didn't know, but he would be able to leave in good conscience anyway.

Not that he'd told anyone about that plan. In a way, he was excited to see who Impressed the Tourmaline Egg too. He had the distinct feeling it was going to be a green, though he wouldn't tell anyone that. His suspicions just came from the pretty color of the egg, though. Yes, Keliris was superficial.

Kaliran, on the other hand, did not like the Tourmaline Egg. It was mean. He decided he liked the Amethyst Egg much better, and intended to lurk near it for the rest of the time he was at the Hatching, if only because he was worried more might burn him. His hand definitely stung and he fully intended to find Rawign to do something about that, if the Healer wasn't busy sulking about being thrown off the Sands. Truthfully, he didn't see what the big deal was. If he was worthy of Impressing, he didn't need to touch them anyway, and Rawign seemed to be very skittish around Aslath as it was. Maybe he was being inconsiderate but Kaliran didn't have much sympathy for someone who was scared of dragons. He couldn't understand it remotely.

Blinking, Kaliran watched as Jaronirew, one of the other candidates, came and went. His head tilted and he quirked an eyebrow as the boy jerked his hands away from the Lapis Lazuli Egg, one of the most beautiful ones in the clutch. His head tilted to the side just slightly, almost as if understanding. They'd both touched the two prettiest eggs, in opposite order, and had matching burns from the opposite ones. Did the eggs not like each other for some reason? There was only one way to test his theory, though...

Just as he turned back to Keliris, though, both he and his brother glanced over at the dragons. Neither of them knew the dragons well enough to decipher a change in color, though the positions they assumed were strange, at least to Keliris. He was cut off from musing about it, though, when Cezine showed up and a guarded expression moved over the dark red-haired boy's face. "Hello, Cezine." He glanced at Beka, as if to ask if they knew each other, before turning back to the older girl. Her question about Rawign made him narrow his eyes, almost skeptically, though he replied with a startling simplicity that implied there was far more to it than what met the eye, "Rawign... left. I'm surprised you didn't see him." He did not point out the fuss Aslath made over the eggs, or that he suspected it was because of how much trouble Rawign had bowing. That was none of her concern. None!

"Hey, Beka..." Kaliran didn't know her very well, but he turned to her, a mischievous smile coming over his face. "Can you help me test something...?"

[caffelatte]

The Touching? Time for that already? Blinking steel gray eyes at the blue flitter next to him, who chirped with a certain amount of curiosity, Mavorn slowed his sewing before stopping entirely. Until just then, he had been catching up on some mundane clothing repairs, whilst Nosy dozed nearby. That one went between bubbling excitement and utter laziness so quickly that it was kind of shocking. The only real consistent thing with the little blue, was his general amicable nature. Of course, it wasn’t long before the blue was up and about, chattering into Mavorn’s ear, taking a moment or two here and there to gnaw some stray dirt from his claws or to fluff and primp his wings. Strange behavior for him, certainly. Since when did Nosy care what he looked like? Ordinarily, Nosy and the one to whom he looked were rather similar in that. To add more mystery to the whole thing, Nosy just popped out of the room, leaving the brown-haired boy to wonder. Well, it wasn’t worth delaying even more over, or so the candidate determined before he dropped his sewing on his cot and left for the sands.

As he walked, many rushed around him, all of them ultimately headed for the same place. Mavorn himself, however, was in no great hurry. The eggs weren’t going anywhere, after all. They would still be there when he got that far. It wasn’t an issue of slothful behavior, so much as it was one of practicality. Why swarm the great queen all at once? Golden Queens had a tendency of being rather broody, (politely speaking), when it came to their eggs and honestly, Mavorn had no desire to antagonize the magnificent Queen any more than needbe. His plan was a simple one: Go, bow respectfully, look at the eggs a little, leave.

Oh, he was curious enough to want to see the eggs, but touch them? Intellectually, he didn’t believe that made much of a difference in the end. The dragons knew who they wanted. Pawing their shells wasn’t going to change anything. Sure, it got you more used to being around the eggs (and the Queen!) beforehand, but really that was for candidates who ... well .... needed that little bit extra. He didn’t. Not really. This wasn’t arrogance on Mavorn’s part - just another point of practicality. While he personally felt respect for the queen and her young ones, he didn’t fear her or them. When the time came, either he would be chosen or he would not. Either he’d get out of the way before one of the hatchlings tore him to ribbons, or he would not. Aslath would chomp his bloody head off for being a nuisance, or she would not. That was life (or death, as the case might have been). In any actuality, he felt no anxiety. What would be, would be. Worrying oneself silly over it wasn’t going to help matters. Serene calm in the face of potentially getting his head gnawed off...that was Mavorn for you.

As he made his way slowly, but purposefully to the edge of the hot sands, he couldn’t say Golden Aslath looked entirely thrilled to have all of those candidates there. In her place, perhaps he wouldn’t have been much better. Then again, if he suddenly started laying eggs, something told him there’d be a lot more wrong with the world than just swarming candidates.

Taking in everything around him, he had to stop for a moment. He knew most of the other candidates to see them and what he saw, he wasn’t quite understanding. Keliris (whom most others seemed to call “Lir”, though Mavorn had never quite fallen into that habit), had been holding up one of the other candidates (very dark hair - his name escaped the weaver), though now they parted ways, with the dark-haired boy retreating from the sands. Now what was that all about? Obviously he’d missed something, but he said nothing as he passed the boy, his eyes firmly forward. He looked like he was in pain as he moved, but you didn’t see someone’s pain, (especially when it was someone you barely knew), unless they wanted you to. It was a rule.

So it was that Mavorn kept moving, perhaps being among the very last candidates to the sands. At least, he hadn’t seen anyone else behind him, anyway. Even if Aslath hadn't been as upset as she appeared to be, Mavorn would not have made a verbal address. A man of few words, was the weaver boy. He stopped and bowed to the queen deeply, respectfully, with an air of, I will be brief. True, moving swiftly was not one of his better qualities, but if sprinting after Keliris in the jungle had taught him anything, it was how to move those long legs of his when the situation demanded. Not willing to test his luck with her (for he had been close enough to hear the command of "bow and get moving"), Mavorn moved off with a fair amount of haste.

These are amazing, he mused as he stepped around some of the other candidates. His face did not betray his wonderment, though his eyes might have been a tiny bit wider than usual. The Platinum Egg had caught his eye right away, though as he had decided before he’d even arrived, he wouldn’t be touching any. The sheen on that shell was just remarkable! The Lapis Lazuli and Tourmaline eggs were also rather gorgeous, but they couldn't hold his attention, though there were quite a few gathered in that direction. The Pyrite Egg was shiny and attracted his interest for a moment. Was that a gold, he wondered? Hmm...

Before long, his attention was caught wholly by the Rose Quartz Egg. It was among other eggs, but only peripherally, it seemed. Alone in a group? He could relate. Such a pretty shade of pink, too. Without even realizing it, he'd stretched out a hand, his fingertips just barely grazing the surface. Alone, but then what else was new? Surrounded by others, situated among them, yet having no real need or desire to become one of them... Wait, wasn't he keeping his hands to himself today? Oops. So much for intellectualism.

[missa]

There was a moment where Beka considered ignoring his question, since he already knew the answer, but decided against it. Instead raising an eye brow at him and crossing her arms.
“You threw me over your shoulder and you expect me to say no? Anai did promise to get me here, and she scratched me to do it. Short answer, yes, you would.” She didn’t sound annoyed, amazingly. More… Amused than anything else, firstly at his question and at the innocent look she was receiving. An expression Beka had never thought she’d see on his face, it had only ever been a scowl or a frown. The difference in his features was rather amazing, he looked like his brother. To be completely honest.

The moment another young woman approached, Beka became quiet, looking down at the hot sands instead of her. She seemed curious about someone, who had it been? She hadn’t seen anyone leave the Sands, but that could have simply been her being a little later than Anai would have liked. What did it matter if she was at the Touching, and not the Hatching, she wouldn’t Impress. Her doubts had already come to the light, when she’d been talking to Keliris, and the doubt had only grown. Sure, she’d like to Impress, but since when did anyone get what they want?

Suddenly being spoken to by the other brother, Beka very nearly jumped, looking over at him with a startled expression on her face. Keliris she knew, had kind of expected to talk to. His brother, she did not and knew nothing about. Of course she was a bit uncomfortable with him speaking to her. The startled look passed as he asked for her help, replaced with confusion and suspicion. She didn’t like the sound of that, not one bit. However, with a glance at Keliris as though seeking comfort, nodded.
“Sure, what do you want me to do?”

~

Rielana didn’t expect any response from the egg, and when she got none other than that of the feelings she’d originally gotten, smiled. There were so many she’d like to Touch, before Aslath decided to throw them off. Whispering a good-bye to the Garnet Egg, Rielana stood, pulling her hand away from the side. What other should she try. So many called for attention, and Rielana would have loved to give it to each and every one of them. That was just her for you though. Slowly, her feet carried her over to the Platinum Egg.

It had a sort of, silvery shimmer, very pretty in it’s own way. Hm, well, it wasn’t really a shimmer, more a silvery shine. Yes, that was better, a shine was better than a shimmer. Gently, Rielana reached out her hand to the egg, laying her palm on the shell, smiling. Welcoming, friendly. Nice, why was it that there were so few that didn’t like the Candidates? Aslath certainly didn’t like most of them, perhaps her children were just… Trying to prove her wrong?

~

Religna wasn’t at all sure if she wanted to leave the Silver Egg, there was a strong reluctance that kept her hand on the shell. Briefly she considered moving, the thought fleeing before it had even gained purchase. It was a nice, friendly egg, and Religna liked that kind of feeling. However, it was also a tad over-whelming. Religna liked her own company, and having something else so close to her mind was rather un nerving. How would she react if she Impressed?

[saberlin]

Rilliana tried to pay no mind to the Queens outbursts, knowing that if they had been at her she would have been eaten by now. She lingered around a few more of the eggs, anxious too know what sort of dragon would hatch out of each one of them. She had watched as other people went around and touched the eggs, fondled them, played their hands across them. They were all as excited as she. If not more so. Some of them had never seen eggs before, some of them had never stood, never known the heartache of knowing that your dragon is not on the sands. Then she heard a voice of one of the girls she knew had stood before, Beka.

"Beka, its good to see you on the sands again."

((lame post I know, sorry guys!))

[Tashe]

From the Topaz egg to the Alexandrite egg, and from the large imposing Ruby egg to the Hermatite one, Saraina moved her way quietly about the four of them. Each of these four precious stones had completely different feelings emitting off of them, but each emotion called to a different part of the candidate's soul. Taking a few minutes to confer with her feelings at each of the eggs, and letting a stray hand wonder over their glittering shells, Saraina cracked a genuine grin. It was only around dragons that the candidate showed her softer side willingly, although there were the few occasions that it was coaxed out of her outside the dragon world. Standing up from the Alexandrite egg and nodding to it quietly, the raven headed candidate moved toward the door to wait for her friend to finish with her touchings.

--

Moving from Garnet to Malachite to Marble and then Peridot, Gina spared a few minutes at each egg to caress it's gem like shell. It was simple really, either the Egg called to her emotions or they didn't, and the Candidate enjoyed the various tingles and heat that each egg caused her hand to feel. Like Saraina, most of the eggs played on her different emotions that comprised her soul. From her random bouts of haughtiness to the kind and caring feeling that arises when she helps children younger than she is, and from her stern leadership to her more submissive side, Gina sought out all the eggs that remained to be touched that called to her. Weaving her way between the Emerald and Diamond eggs and letting her fingers brush their tips she paused in her threading to speak quietly to one and then moved on to the over. After a few moments with those two eggs, Gina spun her way carefully over to the Hermatite egg and then the Amethyst egg. Spending the same amount of time with those two as she had done with the other eggs she had greeted, the stern blue eyed candidate nodded each of the eggs when the time came to leave them. A motion she had picked up from her Senior candidate friend. The last egg that called to her was the Platinum egg, and after she had been crouching in font of the egg for a few moments content with just stroking it, Gina rocked slightly to gain momentum so she could stand up faster. Rising so that she stood up straight, the young woman bounced off toward her awaiting friend after giving the Platinum egg a final wave. "That was wonderful! I never knew a touching was so exciting!"

(Omg Muse I am so sorry for the most horrible of horrible posts in the history of posts that really should be shot. I'm having a hard time concentrating recently and... D: I'm just really sorry. I feel so bad because it is so impersonal, but but... if I could do better at the moment than this then I would. I sware I'll try and redo this post... <3 )