Face your Fears (Touching)

[Tashe]

If Kaegan had thought it hard to convince Millieth to let the Candidates come onto the sands before the incident with Hepaticath's last clutch, the Weyrwoman had just been fighting an almost unwinable battle. She had been arguing for days with her Gold, and in the end it had boiled down to a shouting match that anyone could have heard if they were passing by the hatching grounds. Kaegan's voice could get very loud if it needed to be. But fortunately for everyone's sanity, Millieth finally (if grudgingly) gave in to her Rider's reasoning. The Queen wasn't in a good humor and neither was Kaegan, but at least the Candidates were being allowed on the sands.

Silence permeated the sands, broken only by breathing. The usual chatter that went on between the Weyrwoman and her Salamandyr had been stilled because of the tension between Rider and Dragon. It seemed as if the thirteen eggs that lay before them were cursed, the Goldpair always got into squabbles around them. Tapping her fingers gently on her leg, Kaegan focused on her breathing, counting each time she inhaled. She didn't like being angry with Millieth, but sometimes the Queen's stubbornness agitated her to no end. She understood Millieth's anxiety over letting people close to her eggs, and she wished she could just let the Gold have her way. But for the sake of the hatchlings and the Candidates, Kaegan always had to play the devil's advocate. Lifting a hand, the Weyrwoman tickled her Salamandyr's neck.

/Emoyan, the Candidates are now allowed on the sands. Once they touch, they will leave. I will not permit dawdling./ Shifting slightly, Millieth nosed one of the nearest eggs before huffing. She didn't like bespeaking humans, but since Emoyan had lost his partner she had very little choice in the matter. And she refused to use the Brownannoyance to be her messenger, it would have taken him longer than she would have liked to cross the sands and then speak to the Candidatemaster. Pulling her lips back as the first of the brats entered the sands, Millieth focused an eye on the young human. The intent was clear in her gaze. Step carefully or be eaten.

[Rei]

Crystoph didn’t dawdle as Emoyan nodded to them to proceed. Millieth’s mood was all to clear and the red head had no intention of being a outlet for her anger. Bowing deeply to her he strode confidently across the sands to where the eggs where laying. He had been through this kind of thing many times before. The sight of the eggs brought a small tendril of fear into his stomach that he worked to quickly squash. What if none of these hatchlings found him acceptable either? It was a sobering thought but not one he could easily rid himself of.

Kneeling before the Death Egg Crystoph placed his palm on the smooth shell and caressed it. With a slight tremble he drew back from it. He wasn’t sure why, but he suddenly felt very empty and he didn’t like the feeling. Not at all. Giving a final glace to the dark egg, Crystoph proceeded to the rest of the clutch. He worked in a semi circle, making sure that each egg was at least touched once. He lingered on any that interested him for one reason or another. However, for the most part, every egg got the same amount of attention. With a final caress to the Poison egg the candidate turned and began to make his way back towards Emoyan. As Crystoph strode forward he watched the other candidates paying special attention to what eggs drew them.

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

Erilena shifted awkwardly on the hot sands. For once in her life she was nervous and she didn’t like the feeling not at all. Instead of being bouncy and loud as was her norm she was strangely quiet and subdued. To be honest Millieth cut quite an imposing figure and it was obvious that the great golden queen didn’t want anyone near her eggs. Not that Erilena could blame her. When permission was finally granted the candidate walked forward with the rest and bowed briskly to the queen before approaching the eggs cushioned comfortably on the hot sands.

The candidate worked her way around the clutch carefully, spending a bit more time with the Burning egg and the Unknown egg. Erilena liked the bright colors displayed by the shells quite a bit and so they undeniably where her favorites. Even if the Burning egg made her hand smart she still liked it. But the Unknown egg was definitely her favorite. It wasn’t only the color that attracted her either. It was the sense of almost laughter she got from it. Strange to be sure. With a stroke to a particularly bright streak of green she walked away from the egg. She set her sights on the entrance to the grounds and walked sedately away. She didn’t hurry like some of the more skittish candidates. Didn’t they know that acting on your fears only heightened them? No it was better to feign indifference and that is what Erilena planed to do.

[rii]

The heat was pleasant, comforting even. Reminded him of a hot forge. Rulven idled at the entrance and let his eyes take in the sight of the large hatching sands and the immense gold hovering protectively around her clutch. He had been around the Weyr long enough to be accustom to the dragons – but first experiences should always leave a lasting impression. Even if the motherly dragon wanted them gone as soon as possible.

The former smith watched from behind the other candidates – not a hard feat considering his height. There was a bit of apprehension from him. A while back the seed had been planted, of wanting to not impress; to leave the weyr. It had grown over time, though obviously not nagging enough to actually make him pack his belongings and head out to the farthest Hold.

After a few of the others had gone out ahead, Rulven followed out onto the sands. Again the heat rising up from the sands served to relax his mind. He studied Milieth as he followed the other candidates examples, bowing respectively to the queen before turning his attention to her clutch.

The first egg he touched, the Snake Bite Egg, caused him to recoil almost instantly. The venomous stab had.. not been what he expected. Rulven didn't know what to really expect, but that had not been it. He glanced curiously at the candidates around him before moving on. The following onslaught of feelings from the other eggs, most of them had a similarity – fear. Some with a sinking sadness. Some with both. A few were the oddities of the clutch, but Rulven had to wonder – what were they afraid of?

He wanted to comfort them. Somehow, someway, but the numerous touches to the different fears were starting to nag at his own inner demons. By the last egg, the Unknown Egg, Rulven was just glad to find one that wasn't plagued by fears. Finished, Rulven spared one last parting glance at the queen, giving her a short bow and quiet 'thanks' before heading out. On the way he rubbed his two large hands together – why did he have a sudden chill..

[dragon]

Emoyan stood near the entrance to the hot sands, watching the Golden mother intently, waiting, aware of the Candidates he'd already rounded up and brought over. Timing, time was always important. Sensitive to these things as all riders were, Emoyan was especially so, as it was now part of his job, to see these youths through their lessons and on to the sands and hopefully into the WeyrlingMaster's care, ultimately.

They were good kids, most of them.

When Millieth finally granted access, Emoyan turned and gestured silently for the Candidates to move in, hoping they remembered everything he'd been drilling into their heads already. How to act, move, and behave. Respect. Now was not a time to lecture them - tensions were already high, and if they didn't know their stuff by now, maybe they deserved to get bitten once or twice.

He stayed by the doorway, himself, not stepping onto the sands, merely watching warily as the youths moved around the eggs and Millieth, hoping that all would go well. The Weyr needed this to go well ... Keagen needed this to go well, or she might never get her dragon convinced ever again. And that ... that would be bad. Very very bad.

---

Llannu didn't have to be near the eggs to be scared. He'd heard enough stories already (granted mostly from weyrbrats who were trying to scare the wits out of the poor holder lad) to be scared of not only the momma dragon, but all the babies too! Thankfully he was already familiar with the sands themselves, what with chores and what not. So he wasn't shocked when his feet landed on scalding hot silica granules. Wringing his hands together until they turned red and blue, he hurried through a jerky honorary, trying to imitate what the Candidates ahead of him did, trying to remember what all he'd been told. Ohhhhh, what if he forgot something? What if he got eaten? What if someone randomly found him out, and came to drag him away? Llannu's eyes were as wide as saucers.

Rose was there, her still young frame hunkered around the back of his neck, hidden in his thick hair that fell like a sandy mop. Peeping out past his ear, Rose watched the giant Gold dragon, and wondered if she was destined to get that big. My, how she could rule the skies, then! It would be awesometastic!! With the tiniest meep, she turned her attention to Keagen herself, little eyes glittering from her hiding place. Was that what happened to those who belonged to Golds?

Edging up to the first egg, Llannu nearly fainted. It was huge!!!!! He reached for it with a hand, then snatched his hand away again, twisting his fingers again, glancing around and then up at Millieth. Somehow, touching felt ... bad. But ... he was supposed to, right? Biting his lower lip in between his teeth, he tried again to touch the egg, fingers grazing the textured shell ever so lightly, just knowing someone was going to come lop his hands off for the transgression. Never mind he had been told to, and everyone else was doing it.

Oddly enough, the fears presented by the egg didn't bother him all that much: the poor lad was already so wound up in a constant state of spookiness or fear that he hardly noticed another cup in the ocean. All he noted was that the egg was not, after all, cold, but quite hot to the touch. And ... bumpy. Like a smooth-ish rock wall. Trying his hardest to not just randomly bolt from the sands, Llannu patted the bright flame-colored shell and edged toward the next egg.

[lex]

You can hardly grow up in a Weyr without seeing at least on Touching or Hatching, and Casta had seen quite a few in her twenty years. As a youngster, she had been permitted to peep with the others her age from behind the stands as the Candidates filed out onto the burning sands, but she had never in her life thought that she would be allowed to join them. It had never been a possibility at Benden, where no dragon had ever looked twice at her – and where drudges like herself were the lowest of the low. No, no matter how much of a fancy she might have to stand at a Hatching, she had never been asked to. And at Benden, you didn’t do anything unless you were asked or told to, at least if you were a girl. It was much safer that way.

And yet, here she was – in line with the other Candidates, intensely grateful that she had put on a pair of fairly heavy-duty boots to go the gardening that morning. She could feel the warmth on her feel through the soles, but it wasn’t unbreakable if she kept moving – that was a blessing. Casta had done her best to brush the dust and grass stains from her skirts before arriving, but she still looked very much like a girl who had been interrupted in the middle of hard work. For a moment, she wondered if the Queen dragon would mind her appearance – couldn’t Millieth stop her from going forward if she didn’t like the look of her?

But then it was her turn, and she curtseyed deep to the dragon when she came to the head of the queue. None of her nervousness showed on her face, and her hands stayed steady, but all the same….this was a dragon, and if the rumours were true then she wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea of people walking among her clutch. If there was one thing Casta had in abundance, it was common sense – and her common sense wasn’t about to let her forget that the huge gold beast in front of her was capable of killing her with a snap of her jaws.

The first egg she came to was the Unknown – cautiously, she laid her hand on the coarse shell, and withdrew it with a gasp when she felt a distinct current of amusement from within. “Oh!” she murmured softly to herself. She hadn’t expected that at all. Never letting the watchful Queen out of her sight, Casta moved on, her fingertips lightly brushing each of the eggs, her expression a mixture of confusion, fear and delight. Each egg was different, but the delighted half-smile never left her face no matter which egg she touched – even the Worthlessness egg didn’t stop her feeling entirely elated by this strange, new experience. She didn’t dawdle, but she didn’t hurry either – Casta walked with a measured, even pace across the sand.

[Ember]

Dyleshi may have lingered a bit longer with the eggs had they not been so...strange. Were eggs supposed to be like that? The first egg he touched had left him hugging himself lightly and wanting to dash off the Sands. He'd been under the impression that touching the eggs would be an interesting experience but he was starting to doubt it. As he moved away from the Darkness Egg, the boy almost stumbled into the Worthlessness Egg.

Crouching down, Dyleshi brushed his fingers over it lightly. The emotions from the egg made him more sympathetic than scared. He knew that feeling well enough. Of the eggs he'd already touched, this one was the only one he felt inclined to stay longer at. Still, if he wanted to leave in one piece then he had better hurry. Not to mention if he lingered too long at that egg he may very well start crying. Not cool.

He drifted over to the Feline Attack Egg next and tentatively put a hand on it, near the claw mark pattern. He immediately flinched back, frightened by the unwarranted aggression. He gulped and lightly rubbed the egg again before moving on. Had he somehow angered the egg? Or maybe it was afraid? Dyleshi shivered and decided to try one of the more colourful eggs. Colourful normally meant happy, in the young boy's mind.

The southern born boy stood in front of the Unknown Egg for a moment trying to figure out the patterns on the egg shell. He really couldnt make out what was what though. He was pleasantly surprised to feel a happier emotion out of this egg when he touched it. He had the distinct impression that if it had a face it would be smirking at him. An odd egg but not as odd as the others. He moved onto other eggs but made a brief pass by the Unknown Egg again at the end. When he walked out he managed not only a credible bow to Millieth but he also wasn't shivering...too much.

[mierce]

While the other candidates hesitated or gave pause during their walk out onto the hot sands, Cerdic regarded the experience with utmost glee. Today was his first opportunity to make an impression upon the great Gold, and despite the tremendous pressure he ought to be feeling, Cerdic was absolutely alight with anticipation. Fortunately, Emoyan had suitably gone over proper behavior in the gravest of manners, else the boy might have simply launched himself across the burning sands and rolled amongst the eggs. Surefire way to get himself reduced to shreds by one seriously pissed off dragon.

Instead, he followed the other candidates in a slightly wavering line. Grey eyes at first were focused on the colorful collection of eggs that lay nestled and he paid not too much attention to the Gold. It was, however, a fairly long walk from the edge of the arena to where the Gold had made nest and as he drew closer, Millieth’s true size finally came to bear. Cerdic’s eyes slowly lifted from the eggs and rolled up towards the towering mother dragon, and he stopped. The candidate behind him collided into him—not enough to knock them both over, but it was enough to jar Cerdic back into reality. He apologized and continued walking, but now his widened eyes were on the Gold herself. She was so large! Oh boy oh boy, would he love a dragon as large as her!

At length, it was his turn with the eggs. Bringing his right hand up to his left breast while bending his left arm behind his back, he bowed deeply and held the position for a moment before standing upright again. Taking a deep breath, he approached the eggs with assured steps. If Cerdic ought to have been feeling uncertain by the cacophony of negative emotions emanating from the eggs, it was totally lost on him.

The first egg he came upon was the Burning Egg. With barely restrained excitement, he extended a hand and gently pressed him palm against the surface --- only to quickly withdraw at the burning hot touch. That, was very much not expected! He didn’t want Millieth to think he was repulsed by the bright egg so he ventured another touch again, this time with only the tips of his fingers. The heat radiated through the limited contact, enough to bring a flush to his cheeks had he not pull his hand back.

He moved onto the Death Egg next, finding its absence of color a stark difference to the brilliance of the Burning Egg. He tilted his head curiously at the egg, wondering why it felt as if the egg did not want to be approached. He mentally shrugged to himself and, once again, pressed his palm to the black surface. He was immediately hit by the sensation of … well, nothingness. The emptiness jarred with the happiness he still felt regarding being able to touch the eggs, introducing the first rays of doubt into his heart. He broke off contact, reflecting a moment before moving onto the next egg.

The next eggs he approached were all fairly similar to the Death Egg in emotions, each touch leaving Cerdic feeling increasingly uncertain about himself. And with each egg, he was less and less willing to offer his entire palm to the surface of the eggs. After leaving the Abandonment Egg, Cerdic found himself almost relieved to be confronted with Poison Egg. So much so, that he dared to touch it with both hands (carefully, of course). He might have not thought to let go until he heard someone clearing their throat for him to hurry along.

His final egg was the Hidden Dangers Egg. By now, Cerdic already felt like he was swimming in a mess of emotions. Considering that, the random reactions from this egg felt right at home with how he was feeling. Despite it all, he smiled reassuringly at the egg, as if having experienced all the other eggs, he finally understood what this one was feeling. He tenderly stroked the curved surface a few times, then finally stood up.

After giving the ever watching Queen a less energetic bow than before, he turned around and started the tedious walk back to where Emoyan stood waiting.

[Tashe]

Flicking her tail at a candidate who was taking too long of a time at a certain egg, Millieth growled slightly. She hated Candidates, all of them were snot nosed brats who wanted to befoul her eggs with their sticky hands. Only the older candidates, those closest to her Rider's age were spared from most of her threatening snarls. They at least, had lived long enough to know to be clean. At least clean enough to touch her eggs. Shifting her wings, the Golden Queen made a blatant point to ignore the fact that one of the Candidates had the audacity to bring a flitter with them onto the sands. It was only excused because the small female was both a hatchling and a Gold. Fortunate for the boy. Momentarily removing her gaze from her clutch, Millieth flared her nostrils before bespeaking her Rider. Mine. This anger between us is not making this easy to bare. Then you should have listened to me. Although she didn't want to admit it, and probably never would, the Queen knew that Kaegan was at least partially right. I do not like Touchings. I know. But they make the Hatching shorter and easier for everyone to bare. Turning her gaze away from her Rider, Millieth refocused it sharply on another Candidate. The sudden movement caused the girl to jump and move on.

Letting out a sigh, the Senior Weyrwoman let go of the frown on her face for a more favorable expression. One that did not take so much energy to keep up. At least the tension had diminished somewhat between them, and Dash was certainly in a better mood, bouncing happily on her shoulder and chatting her ear off. Not that she was necessarily listening to her Salamandyr, but she caught gist of his conversation. He seemed to be feeding her updates about her hatchling... er, child, through a source that could only have been Azaran. The Flitter seemed to have claimed sole protective rights over Kai, and Kaegan didn't have the heart to tell him otherwise. And anyways, it was a beneficial system. Turning her own eyes onto the sands, the Weyrwoman ran a hand through her hair and began to inspect the Candidates as they trickled in. She tried not to let Millieth's bias toward the rank sway her perception of them.

[midnight]

Meagen was tired, why was she tired... well she didn't exactly know. She hadn't slept well for awhile, why she didn't know. Excitement, other things? She really didn't know. But today was the touching, an event the girl had waited for awhile. She was in a new Weyr, a safer Weyr. Here she could find true solace and safety. She never again had to worry about what would happen, if she stayed another day. No she had true and complete safety. There was no way that she could even possibly have what happened before, happen again.

But there was more important things to think about. Like her friends and the Touching. Another touching, in a new Weyr, with a new clutch. The eggs were colorful, and she found herself wandering behind the other candidates. Almost in a daze, but she was careful. She knew how Queens could be about their clutches. Each step she too was carefully placed, she stayed as focused as her tired mind could keep her. As she did this she paid each egg in her path careful attention. She didn't dally long thought, at least not till she got to a certain egg.

The Death Egg was what attracted her attention most. She took a scant moment longer with the egg and then looked towards her fellow candidates. Maybe she would go do her chores and then go take a nap, that sounded splendid actually. A nice long nap, to cool her heart and nerves.

[Requiem]

Late, late, late. Darting through the crowd at the Main Hall, he snatched up a blanket and tucked it under an elbow. The slight figure bustled - for lack of a better description - towards the Hatching Sands, pausing to stare at the great space he'd only ever seen from the Stands. He blinked, blowing hair from his face and glancing at the great, gleaming gold hovering over her eggs.

"I know I'm late," he murmured to Emoyan. "The ovens are all full this morning like you wouldn't believe. Probably to make everyone feel better." Little known fact: the kitchens tended to go all out when tragedy struck, a silent comfort. It was rather inconvenient for Xerxes at the moment, but he didn't dwell on the circumstances. There was no reason to get all upset about something you couldn't change, right?

His bow to Millieth was completely proper, but it was clear Xerxes was weyrbred and - in his own peculiar way - somewhat fearless. He approached Kaegan with a brisk friendliness, flaring out the blanket. Whether she remembered him or not was questionable, but of course a drudge would know the young goldrider on sight after five turns - even without Millieth's presence.

"Shouting can make a person hungry," he commented cheerfully. Crouching, he began removing what amounted to a small feast from the basket. The eggs would be there when he finished. (Being eighteen and weyrbred...he'd already taken notice that the Touching didn't seem to have much of an effect on Impressions. At least not in any way he could tell. Taking the time to see Kaegan more comfortable wasn't likely to hurt anything.) Who knew...it might make Millieth more comfortable, too? Maybe? She seemed awfully stressed.

***

Would you like another set of eyes? Salenth questioned Millieth quietly. He'd come to rest high above where dragons usually came to watch the Hatchings, well off the Sands. The great bronze still bore the burn scars from the attempt to steal from Hepaticath's clutch. Unlikely that any would try again - particularly with so many people present - but it couldn't hurt to have another dragon there, right?

[Shiny]

Jerash's bright gray eyes tried to look ahead, only seeing little slices of the sandy arena between the candidates in front of him. Even if he wasn't short, he wasn't tall enough to get a clear view, unlike the tall candidate next to him. A light breeze was somewhat comforting to the perspiration starting to form at the top of his forehead. Whether the sweat was forming due to his somewhat shaky nerves or the fact that it was hot out, he didn't know. His brows furrowed slightly and a small frown took over his lips, lost in thought as his feet carried him across the burning sands. Kisaen would be here instead of me if he were still alive.

He winced, realizing just how hot his feet were getting. He picked up the speed at which he took steps to keep his feet from getting boiled. And if he was here instead of me, I would tell him to bring thickly-soled shoes. Ouch...

The line was suddenly moving a little slower. He swayed side to side, finally able to see the reason between the bodies. Oh - people were bowing. And then he looked up. A gigantic golden dragon sat near her clutch, looking as if she had the intent to eat every single one of them (especially the younger candidates). His anxiety was cranked up a notch just by the sheer appearance of the Queen. I'm doing this for my brother. I can't screw this up. That sobering thought was his cue.

Somehow, Jerash gathered the courage to look the Queen in the eyes, trying to convey his respect and sincerity with his own for a split second, before bowing deeply. As he straightened again, his solemn expression grew a small polite smile. Finally, it was time to touch the first egg. Brushing his palms against his pants to brush off any excess dirt, his nerves sung excitedly as he stood in front of the Death Egg.

He placed his hands on it lightly, and every emotion, every present thought inside of him seemed to just shut off. It was as if this egg was a black hole that was sucking up whatever made someone human. This Egg makes me feel dead inside. Jerash couldn't go without at least one Mr. State-the-obvious comment. But... it's better than feeling other emotions. Like perpetual guilt and sadness. Lightly letting go, he somberly moved on to the next egg, feeling as if he were attending a funeral.

The next egg looked quite similar to the Death Egg, but it was darker. It shimmered slightly, making it seem as if its shell was molten with emotions that screamed sly, sneaky, hidden. He hesitantly raised his hands, not knowing why his nerves were shouting at him not to do so. Fingertips lightly connected with the warm shell, and Jerash's eyes opened impossibly wide with manic fear.

The Darkness egg engulfed him in silence and panic. His nerves had been trying to tell him that touching this egg was not a good idea due to his extreme fear of the dark, but he'd just taken it as excitement for the Touching. He was frozen in place as the incident with his brother, Kisaen, replayed for his mind's eye. It was pitch black - a beast, a feline was ripping his flesh - was that blood running from his wounds or just the warmth of the egg at his fingertips? And his younger brother lying behind him, might as well stick a glowing neon sign on him that says "free meal" with that lame, useless leg of his.

He ground his teeth together. I won't let this happen to me again! The muscles in his face contracted into one mixed with fear and anger as he pressed whole palms against its surface. An explosion of bad emotions erupted in his head, but somewhere in the flood of them was a strange one - was that... understanding?

And quite suddenly, one trembling hand was pressed against the large scar on his forehead, the other resting at his side. Knowing that he looked very shaken by what he'd just felt, he tried to pass it off by pretending that he had only wanted to fix his bangs (which, in fact, did serve a higher purpose - to hide his facial scars). Did someone push him away from the egg? Did the egg itself push him away? Or perhaps he subconsciously let go, knowing that he was done with it?

Either way, if he didn't move on, he would crumple up and die. All other eggs but the Feline Attack Egg were actually soothing to him after experiencing the Darkness Egg. As he finished with the Freezing egg, he reflected on the Touching. It sure wasn't fun - thanks to his near-breakdown - but it was definitely interesting.

[jaq]

It was her turn, she was ready, she was excited, but she appeared calm. She kept her emotions in check so as not to disturb the Gold Millieth. Dyu could tell that the gold was irritated and not fond of people gawking at her clutch. It reminded her of one of the breading females that she used to care for in her family's hunting canines. That canine never liked it when anyone came near her new born pups, you had to tread carefully and respectfully and that is just what Dyudahlii did now.

Earlier she had prepared herself by bathing, she had made sure that she was as clean as possible, scrubbing until her skin felt raw, just like when her mother used to prepare her to handle the baby pups. She even took special care washing her hair and combing out all the knots, reweaving her decorations back into her hair after they too had been cleaned. Her furs and leathers were more difficult, but they too were cleaner then ever before, even her ever-present headdress was impeccably clean.

Dyu had wanted to bring a gift to the gold, but she figured she could not hunt or trap anything big enough for its liking and she halfway turned down her idea of making one of her decorations in fear that the gold would be displease, Dyudahlii had taken note of how many people disliked her idea of decorations. So she toned it down a bit. She had woven and intricate knotted bracelet, large enough to wrap around one of the gold's ankles, this time, the only decorations being the most beautiful and largest feathers from her collection. She was lucky she had found enough spare rope back in her old home, when she went to retrieve more of her collection. So now, she had that gift, wrapped in clean leather, tied to her back, a much smaller bracelet of identical design, tied to the top of the package for the Weyrwoman herself. Dyudahlii planned on going to either the Candidate Master, or the Weyrwoman to see if her gift was appropriate.

Bawnii and Klaiid were in their usual place outside the barracks, they had calmed down a lot since they had been there but she knew it would be stupid to take them here, she promised to herself that she would make it up to them later. She had sent her flit, Qinaii off to check all her traps, she knew that would keep him busy, she did not want to offend the Queen by bringing him with her, thus, hoping to show the Queen that she and her clutch had Dyu's undivided attention.

She bowed deeply to Millieth and then walked over toward the eggs constantly assessing the gold's behavior so as not to make a wrong move. Dyu started to hum, a sweet, quiet lullaby, the one her mother used to sing her to sleep with. She hoped that it might somehow sooth the fear and jumble of emotions that were radiating off of the eggs. She worked her way through the clutch, making a point to tough each egg, all the while humming. She did not make a clear path from one side of the clutch to the other, rather she went to whichever egg she was drawn to at any particular time. Still she did not dawdle and she tried to give each egg equal attention.

She had gone to the Rejection Egg first, the sadness of it drew her to it, when she touched it, she felt the urge to hug it, to comfort the creature that lay within. But she didn't, she had a mission to touch all the eggs and she did not think that Millieth would be too happy if someone had the audacity to actually hug her eggs. Dyu let her fingertips linger on the egg, slowly sliding them across the egg as she walked toward the next one, the Abandonment Egg. As she neared it, the hatred that rolled off it, saddened her. She wondered how something, not even born, could feel such hatred. When she touched it, the heat of it shocked her and the hatred intensified. She kept humming her lullaby even thought tears threatened to fall. She had knelt down to tough the half buried Worthlessness Egg, the desolation it emanated reminding her of how she felt when she had lost her parents.

Next she had touched the Snakebite and Poison Eggs. The Drowning Egg and Freezing Egg had calmed her a bit, though it left her a bit drowsy and her hand was still chilled as she headed to the Burning Egg. The heat from this egg felt as though it would burn her, but the chill from the previous egg allowed her to give the same amount of attention to this egg as to all the others.

The Death Egg made her feel empty, an unpleasant but not unfamiliar feeling. She shook of the feeling, she still had four more eggs to meet. The next egg almost made her falter in her lullaby. The coloration of the Feline Attack Egg sent her flashbacks of the torn canine bodies, of her parent laying, lifeless on the forest floor. Her eyes began to glisten again with unshed tears. When she touched it, she could feel the aggression and fear flow from the creature within and she only hoped it would bond with someone that was patient and caring.

She walked toward the next egg. Only three more to go. The Hidden Dangers Egg, with its warm yet cool surface, calmed her a bit as she studied its various patterns. Next was a large egg, the most colorful in the clutch. The Unknown Egg seemed to emanate confusion and once she touched it, it seemed to her that the little dragon was enjoying itself, it seemed mischievous. At least confusion wasn't a bad feeling to Dyu, she was often confused here, the way of life so different from what she was used to.

Last but not least, was another black egg. She could almost see movement on the surface of the egg, but she knew it must be something with the lighting. She walked closer, an unsettling feeling rising in her spine. When she touched the Darkness Egg, she knew its feelings well. She remembered the first few weeks after she lost her parents, she felt this way when night fell. Curled up in the cave with the two pups, the darkness seemed like it could consume them, the fear would rise as the silence deepened. She shook her head, fading back into reality. Once again she felt sad. But she couldn't linger, she had touched all the eggs now and must make her exit before she angers the Queen.

She walked again to edge of the clutch and bowed once more to Millieth before she made a path toward the Weyrwoman. Having stopped a few feet away from the woman, she bowed her head . "Excuse me Weyrwoman Kaegan, I don't wish to disturb you, but I have something for you and your Bonded, Queen Millieth if you would accept it." Dyu raised her head as she untied the package from her back and held it in her arms as she awaited a response from the Weyrwoman.

[absinthe]

Junaes was crouched beside the Poison Egg, hand resting lightly on the shell. The Touching so far had been a marvelous experience for the young man. He hadn’t been the first on the Sands but certainly not the last either. He’d remembered the respectful bow to the queen and her bonded as the Candidate Master had drilled into them. Creampuff was nowhere to be seen; the candidate had convinced him that now would be a good time to go visit that twin of his, and the little blue had immediately agreed and disappeared. Somehow he hadn’t thought that Millieth would tolerate firelizards around her clutch, although it didn’t seem as if others thought likewise, if the presence of the gold hatchling was any indication. But it didn't really matter.

He’d already touched several other eggs and been subjected to the widely varying emotions that came to him through them. The candidate had never experienced anything like it before. This egg in particular seemed quite… attractive, even though he wasn’t really one for garish colors. Reluctantly he pulled his hand away and stood to move on. They’d been told not to linger too long on any one egg. He moved on to the Freezing Egg, resting one hand against the shell only to pull it back as it seemed to be bitten by an intense chill. Obviously the egg was aptly named, and after a moment Junaes put his hand slowly back onto the shell. That biting cold returned but with it came a sense of… peace, almost, and tranquility, like a calm night on the fishing boat with the only sound being the lapping of the water against the boat.

Jarring himself out of the thought, Junaes pulled his hand away and regarded the egg for a moment. He felt like he’d lost a few minutes there and decided to move on lest he incite the ire of the great golden queen who watched over them all as if she might banish them from the Hatching Grounds any minute. The Rejection Egg came next, and the sensations that came from beneath the shell were just as unique as the others had been. Despite the urge to let his mind wander, the candidate focused solely upon the egg beneath his hand. It was amazing to him that unhatched eggs of any variety could give off such potent emotions.

[subtlemystery]

Kaerlin honestly had no idea if he'd be allowed to stand, he'd done his best to get to lessons, but even he knew he simply had to try harder. That was all there was to it, and Kaerlin was a person that when he made a decision to do something he didn't let up. So now that decision was made, all that was left was to go to the Touching and see how things went. At least if they booted him, he might be able to Touch a few eggs first, and after the last hatching, that thought filled him with excitement as light steps carried him towards the hatching sands.

A quick bow was offered to the queen, a delighted grin brightening his entire face as he practically skipped forward. He tried to slow his steps to a calm, measured pace, but they didn't obey, but tehy did become more comfortable as he walked forward. The Drowning Egg was the first one he ntoiced, the deep blues frightening as well as interesting and he headed for it happily. Peaceful huh? But there was something else under that, and it made Kaerlin frown. His features abruptly became less smily and he pulled away. The egg was scared? Of what? Feeling it best to move on, Kaerlin briefly wondered if all the eggs would be so misleading.

The Death Egg was after that, why he didn't know. After his hand had rested on the shell a minute though, he began to feel uneasy again, another sad egg. He wanted to wrap his arms around these eggs and tell them it would all be okay, because while he might not be able to do anything - as this egg suggested - a little bit of comfort went a long way. He had a feeling that the Queen wouldn't like him hugging her babies though, so Kaerlin reluctantly tore his hand away.

Now he was beginning to feel slightly deflated, he missed the happy eggs. Naturally, he wouldn't let this pull him down though and he picked himself up again, making his way to the edge of the clutch, for the black and red Abandonment Egg, he was sure that this one - despite it's name - would be a happy little thing. It was even warm to the touch, but that didn't bother him, what startled Kaerlin into yanking his hand away, was the pure hatred in the sensation of the egg. He'd never felt that from an egg, and he was completely startled by the rejection, so much so that he didn't even ponder the eggs reaction, just watching it sadly before walking on.

The Unknown Egg was much, much better. It was confusing, Kaerlin liked puzzles, but the best bit? The amusement? Kaerlin liked bright colours, and laughter, so it was by this egg he stayed, letting his fingers roam over the confusing colours happily. This was the happiest egg he'd felt drawn to by far, but he couldn't stay with it, and it was with the deepest regret he left it, and spooted Junaes. Back at the edge of teh clutch, wandering over to him, though glancing at the Abandoment Egg unhappily, he smiled eagerly again,
"Hey again! These eggs are all so sad, don't you think, I wish I could cuddle them all." Sadness touched his eyes as he reached out to touch the Rejection Egg. Happily waiting for his friend's response.

[Tashe]

I go to eggs? Guard them from stickybrats? "No Dash. You need to stop listening to the big Goldy, she puts silly thoughts into your head. You can protect them if bad things happen." Okay. No listen to big Goldy, okayokay. I remember. Will only listen to Beautifulmine. No listen to Azflitter either! He be Bronze, but he no be Bronze Mandyr. Although she would have preferred it if the Brown Salamandyr would take orders from her Firelizard, Kaegan did not voice her opinion. "Dash, any new news on Kai?" There was a moment of silence before the little male started to chatter again. Little hatchling is sleepin'. Azflitter watches like mother, ladybird singing and knittin'. Yesyes. All quiet. Ladybird was the nickname that Dash had given the babysitter that Kaegan favored to use when friends were unable to watch her son. She liked to sing, hence the segway to the Mandyr's nickname.

Tickling Dash's neck behind his frill, Kaegan didn't notice Xerxes until he was practically upon her. The all clear from her Mandyr had allowed her mind to briefly wonder. Because of Millieth, she was extremely nervous about leaving Kai back in her Weyr. Startled out of her thoughts, the Weyrwoman looked to the Candidate as he spoke, eying the basket curiously. The last time a Candidate had come to her barring gifts during a touching was when R'wign still wore his white robes. Rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment, she hadn't realized someone had heard her yelling before, although it didn't surprise her. Noise carried very well on the hatching sands, especially when one was purposefully loud. Giving the candidate a small smile, Kaegan tapped her leg quietly, trying to think why his face seemed vaguely familiar. "Oh, well... stubborn females tend to get screechy." She paused, before adding. "Thank you, this is very nice. Candidate -? I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

--

As Salenth touched her mind, the Golden Queen lifted her head from the sands to stare up at him. As long as you promise to eat anyone who angers me. She wanted to add 'and tear into them painfully', but she decided against it at the last moment. She was feeling better now that the Bronze was there to help her watch the proceedings, although she wished he could have been there earlier to have helped ease the stress. Shuffling her wings, Millieth turned back to the Candidates with a significantly lightened glare. When a young male approached her Rider, the Gold debated quietly on whether to deny him access or not. Once more deciding against any more action and then momentarily returned to watching her eggs. Grubby human childlings. She muttered this mainly to herself, although it was extended for Salenth to hear as well.

--

As another person (a female) approached, Kaegan wondered why she seemed to attract them to her during the Touchings. Not that she minded, she liked the company. Maybe it happened to Savitri as well, and possibly Shmee before them. She tended to not watch other Queen's clutchings or touchings. Going through her own was trouble enough. Brushing some sand off of her brown leggings, Kaegan looked up as the female Candidate spoke. Well that was new. No one had ever, save for a very ambitious firelizard and herself, had gifted the Queen with something of her own. The Weyrwoman blinked a few times before finding her voice to speak. "Is it my birth day?" She turned to Dash, though obviously addressing all of them. "This is the second Candidate to come with a gift, any more and I might become spoiled. Not that Millieth isn't already." VERY spoiled spoiled. The mention of her name and the word gift brought Millieth's attention onto the trio of humans, fixing them with a questioning gaze.

"Here," she patted the edge of the stone couch with her hand, "go ahead and put it down, I can see it is a little cumbersome. We would be happy to accept your gift." Accept what, KaeganMine? This girl has brought you a gift. I think you could at least give her thanks by not glaring at her anymore. "Thank you very much, Candidate -?" She needed to start observing more again.