R2: Candidate Lesson 1

[Ruby]

As the older candidates who weren't in a lesson rotation yet might have noticed, there was another large announcement for the first rotation's next lesson posted in the main room. However, this time, another announcement- almost identical- followed it. There had been enough new searches that a new lesson rotation was starting- today. It was nearly time, but the room was, once again, almost empty. It seemed that no matter what she did, Kemma couldn't get people to show up to a new lesson rotation on time- probably no one wanted to be the first there. She didn't totally blame them. At least SHE'D done this before.

But there were a few already in the room. There were close to twenty desks laid out in rows, even though Kemma knew there was no way she'd need so many. With a motherly smile for those candidates already present, she commented, "Thank you all for being early. I'd really like to start on time, so I can get you all out of here as soon as possible." Tucking a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear, she paced around to the far side of the desk, briefly thumbing through a sheaf of hides. Everyone would be here soon, and then the impatient Candidatemaster could get started. This would be a short lesson- all she needed was students.

To pass the time, Kemma asked all the present Candidates their names in turn, checking them against an attendance sheet she had drawn up from the records. "Anyone I didn't call?" she asked, noting the strays. They must have been newly arrived. Making a note to herself to go add them to the lists later, Kemma put down her writing implement and stood up straight again, returning to the front of the desk, watching as more candidates filed in, taking seats at the individual desks spread throughout the room. "Does anyone have any questions before we get started?" she asked, crossing her arms. No doubt there were questions- Kemma was just curious about what they would ask.

Present
Ferneth
Ceryl
Piden
Rylier
Kalushka
Derrin
Rawign
Cloar

[Ember]

Ferneth had seen the announcement and had been rather happy about it actually. Being new to candidacy as he was meant that non of this was old or boring yet. Scratch that, the chores were pretty dull. Other than that he was pretty happy being a candidate and quite eager to learn. Ferneth had arrived to the lesson early, surprised when he notice few others there. Why wouldn't they want to come? It was mandatory after all. Whether they liked it or not they had to come.

He quickly took his seat at one of the desks in the second row. Ferneth may not mind going to the lesson but he certainly didn't want to seem too much like the candidatemaster's pet. He grinned as Kemma brought up a good point. The sooner they started the sooner everyone could get back to what they were doing before. When she asked Ferneth his name he dutifully gave it to her. More and more candidates entered the room. Oh joy. More people I don't know, he thought with a slight frown. He'd have to fix that eventually but for now it looked like the lesson was about to start.

Questions? He wished Kemma would just start already, but he supposed she had to ask. Ferneth had none at the moment so he kept quiet. He wondered what type of question people would ask before the lesson even began, but he supposed someone might come up with something. If not the lesson would just begin and he could stop being so antsy.

--

Ceryl was one of the ones to come just before the lesson started. She had just arrived the day before and didn't expect a lesson to happen so soon. She quickly found a seat while ignoring the other candidates around her. She just wanted the lesson to end quickly so she could go back to her sewing. Ceryl had been working on a shirt she owned, trying to make it a little prettier than it was. The colour was wonderful but it was a bit too plain for her liking.

The girl wasn't very interested in attending the lessons at all but she knew her parents would want her to at least give candidacy a chance, plus it was the mature thing to do she supposed. Ceryl was all for acting mature. Although she absolutely hated the idea of chores. Were they trying to turn her into a drudge like her parents or something? Maybe candidacy was all a ruse to get more drudges. On second thought, that seemed highly unlikely. She reluctantly turned her attention to the candidatemaster for the time being.

[Ruby]

Piden had sighed, reading the announcement in the common room a few days previously. He'd had these lessons before, having been a Candidate here for a few years now, but never in order, so he'd started ditching fairly early on. He had also determined that the interim candidatemasters were nothing special, and neither had any of the candidates. Not that people needed to be special, per se, to get Piden's attention- he just hadn't felt like it at the time. He had had better prospects.

Now he didn't. And now there was a permanant Candidatemaster, and it could be to Piden's advantage to have her... *ahem* interested in him. It was worth attendind lessons, anyway. So he went, even showing up a bit early, hoping he might have a moment alone with the Candidatemaster- Kemma, he mentally corrected- before lessons started. That could be worthwhile.

No luck, though. There were already a few strays present, so he figured he'd save any potential seduction until later. Candidates though... that was a different story. He slid into an emply desk in the second row next to a brown haired older boy, holding his hand out beneath the cover of the desktops and greeting the other boy in a low voice, "Hello, I'm Piden." The girl in the room didn't interest him much right off the bat, but she'd do if this boy didn't seem to be avalible and willing to be friendly. Kemma, too, was surprisingly uninteresting to Piden, who was usually automatically attracted to authority figures. Ah well, this one would be distracting enough for now.

[ladybug]

Rilyer was actually excited about candidate lessons. He was glad to be out of the boring old mine and into the vibrant Weyr, and he wanted to learn everything he needed to about his new home. He arrived on time and sat down in a seat near the middle. That way, he wouldn't seem too overeager, but he could still hear and see just fine.

The Candidate Master was kind of cute, he thought to himself as she paced around before the lesson. He blushed faintly, feeling a little guilty about having such a thought. Shaking his head slightly, he concentrated on the other candidate's names. He wanted to learn most of them. They could be wherhandlers or riders together some day, after all. Ferneth, Celyn, Piden...he could manage those so far.

The other candidates would probably resent him for delaying the lesson, but he raised his hand when Kemma asked for questions. "Forgive me if you were going to cover this anyway, Candidate Mistress," he said politely, "But are wher and dragon candidates going to have different duties at all? What about those of us who are interested in both?"

[Ember]

Ferneth was pleased at his good fortune. He was sitting beside a friendly person. Despite being interested in whatever lesson they would be taught, he couldn't help but want to talk to the others. The lesson hadn't started yet so he saw no reason not to chat a bit. He took the offered hand and shook it briefly, offering his name in return, "Nice to meet you. I'm Ferneth." He mentally kicked whichever one of his parents had suggested that he have a 'th' ending. Among family he didn't normally mind but it was just plain annoying with new people.

Of the other people there Ferneth recognized Rilyer as someone he'd done chores with before. The girl he had never seen before so he suspected she was even newer than him to the weyr. While Rilyer occupied Kemma's attention (he already knew he'd stand for dragons so the answer didn't matter to him) he took the opportunity to talk to Piden. "How long do you figure this lesson will be?" he asked curiously. Fair enough question in his opinion.

--

((Go figure I spell her name wrong. XD))

Ceryl found herself the only female candidate in the room at the time she had arrived. She finally decided to look around at the other candidates. As she had guessed she didn't know any of them. She spared a dark glare for the candidate who was prolonging the lesson's start. She didn't like to admit it but he had a good question. Ceryl just hope that was his only question for a while.

[ravenmane]

"Stop it, Jashta. You can't come. Fog's only coming because he's blind, and you would most likely leave him somewhere if I did leave him." Kalushka glared at the green fire-lizard that was crouched on her bunk. Jashta hissed angrily at her owner before scooting beneath Kal's furs. The candidate sighed quietly as she stroked the blue salamandyr perched on her shoulder. Bad? His query was timid and shy as though the poor thing expected to be hit for even talking. "No, Fog. You're not bad. Jashta's just being a grouch because she's proddy." She gave the blue another scratch before moving away from her bunk and towards the entrance to the candidate.

She was late for lessons, something that didn't happen often, but Kalushka had found her mind wandering when it was needed when she was suppose to be getting ready for lessons. There weren't many candidates present when the girl entered the room. Only four other people were present out of fourteen other candidates. I wonder what everyone is doing then... Kalushka thought briefly before she offered a small bow of respect to the CandidateMaster. "I'm sorry for being late, CandidateMaster Kemma. Is it alright if Fog stays with me during the lesson? He's blind." Kal glanced at the woman as she reached up to offer Fog another comforting scratch.

[[Blah. No Kalushka muse. :/ ]]

[flupine]

Derrin came scrambling into the room, late as always, but he did put in a good effort, which unfortunately showed. Running into the room, Derrin's face was a pale shade of red, or really pink. A nice tinge covering his face, his eyes were wide and a little wild looking as they shot all over the room, unsure of who he should be apologizing to. Derrin's chest heaved deeply as he tried to get in enough oxygen but his breathe seemed to be wheezing oddly. Pretty little Derrin looked quite a mess.

Raking a hand through his hair to push it back from his eyes, he shrugged his shoulder and used his nimble fingers to straighten out his tunic so it lay more evenly across his shoulders. He was looking a little lop-sided as of the moment. Oh Faranth, this was not good, not good at all. Gulping in another ragged breath, Derrin rushed into his trade-mark tirade, this time of an apology. "I'm sorry, really sorry. I didn't notice the announcement posted." Did Derrin ever notice anything? People? "Sorry...sorry, I really am sorry but I should probably go take a seat now.. yes a seat. My name is Derrin by the way." He smiled brightly and gave a small wave, a blush tinging his cheeks pink instead of exertion. "Hi everyone!" Well.... wasn't that sweet? Just a little?

Stumbling forward but catchign himself quickly, Derrin shuffled forward to an empty seat in the front of the room. He held no qualms about being labeled as a teacher's pet. In fact, he would prefer it. He wanted a Wher and if this got him ready then.. so be it. He would throw himself in bravely. Sitting down heavily in the chair, cheery eyed and bright faced as compared to his earlier moment of tragedy, Derrin had obviously recovered already from his terrible fear of being late. And he even noticed a couple of the students that he had seen and met. Well, this wasn't so bad. Setting down a stack of papers clutched tightly in his hand that had remained relatively unnoticed, Derrin went about, obtrusively of course, of setting his desk up to take notes. He was not just ready, he was so ready that it was annoying and he probably did not even need all the things he brought. Which was even more annoying.

But Derrin was soo cute... would anyone notice? Perhaps Derrin should concentrate more on blinding people with his smile to make them forget how he blunders. Poor boy.

[Ruby]

((THIS LESSON IS NOW CLOSED TO NEW ARRIVALS))

Kemma took down names as people came in, figuring they could get started soon. People who were late were late, and they could deal with sorting out their homework on their own. She gestured absently at Candidate Rilyer, prompting him to ask his question even though Kemma was apparently distracted. Finishing her marking of the attendance sheet, she placed it on the desk behind her, turning her full attention to the room. "Good question, Candidate," she began, smiling at Rilyer. "This is the training for both Wher and Dragon candidates, and those of you interested in both. It is mostly focused on dragons, since obviously that is my specialty," she continued, gesturing to her Rider knots and smiling wryly. "Whers will be covered briefly, especially since there's a clutch on the sands, but most of what you'll need to know about them will be covered far better by the Wherlingmaster, once you Impress."

She had just barely finished when another Candidate arrived. Retriving her sheet, Kemma added Kalushka's name, then answered the question. "Yes, it's fine. I honestly don't mind having either flits or 'mandyrs at lessons, as long as they're well-behaved. If not, Mellith will ask them to leave, and I can guarantee you they will go. That goes for everyone, of course," she added. And then, on Kalushka's heels, another boy. Derrin, this one, also went on the list. Then Kemma smiled rather indulgently- he reminded her of a child much younger than he obviously was, and that won major points. Kemma loved the smallest ones. "Hi, Candidate. And everyone else," she said, then picked up her notes and launched into the lesson, remaining leaning on the front of the desk.

Lesson One

"Alright, it's time. Let's get started," she continued, clapping her hands and standing up straight. "For those of you that don't know me already, I'm Candidatemaster Kemma of Green Mellith. You'll see both of us around, and don't be shy to ask either of us anything. Mellith is very agreeable toward humans- in fact, I think she likes them more than other dragons, so she'll be happy to help out. I suggest especially that Holdfolk have a chat with her about what it means to be a member of a Weyr." Taking a deep breath, Kemma walked around the desk and launched into the meat of the lesson. "First of all, on behalf of Shmee and Ka'rys, welcome to Selenitas Weyr and Candidate Training. No doubt some of you have gone through this training before, but due to the temporary nature of the Candidatemasters in the past, and inconsistancies between Weyrs, you are all required to do the whole set of four lessons over again. Sorry, I know it's annoying, but that's how it is. Clear these lessons, and you never have to take them again, unless you transfer. The end is in sight." She smiled wryly at this. No doubt these candidates would be happy to be out of here as soon as possible, but she didn't mind.

"So. Moving on. First and foremost, I've been told to remind you that you are a Candidate, not a Rider. In the ranks of the Weyr, you are equivalent unskilled, underage Weyrfolk, even if you are already over age. If a cook asks you to help, you help, no matter what. The only exceptions are if you have a lesson, if you are to attend a Touching, or if a Hatching begins. At those times, you are the most important people in the Weyr, and your first responsibility is to get yourself to to where you need to be. Beyond that, only drudges are below you, and you are still expected to treat them fairly. Candidacy may be stripped from you if there are reports that you do not.

"As candidates, you are restricted to the Candidate Barracks after ten at night and before seven in the morning. Beyond that, stay out of Rider Weyrs, the Hatching Sands and the Weyrling Barracks unless you are explicitly sent there by a Rider or the Headwoman, and have my or Mellith's approval. This holds EVEN if you are being sent to the Weyrwoman for disciplinary purposes. Beyond that, you may go wherever you will during free time, provided you complete your chores and make it back for Curfew. You are also expected to eat three meals a day in the Dining Hall, although you are not required to eat with the other Candidates. I will eat at seven thirty, noon, and six thirty, and you all are invited to join me."

Kemma paused to clear her throat, feeling like she was talking way too much. "Other rules that you should know about... let's see." She contemplated a sheet of notes briefly. "Candidates may not have any physical or mental disability, may not be over the age of 22 unless they want to stand for Whers only, may not be under the age of twelve, and may not stand if they become pregnant. Candidates may not stand if they are recovering from an injury on the day of hatching. Alcohol is highly discouraged, as you will not be allowed to drink at all if you manage to impress, from the time your dragon hatches until you graduate Weyrling Training. Fighting is absolutely not allowed, because you may damage your or another candidate's chances at Standing, and that's simply not fair to either of you. Lessons are required, chores are required and will be posted were today's announcement was, the touching is required... let's see, is there anything else I must tell you you can't do?" Smiling wryly once again, she returned to the front of the desk, sitting on it this time.

"I think we're done with the can nots. Now: the reason you are here. You are here to provide hatchling dragons, or Whers, with the chance to bond with a human presence. Whers can live without us, but become feral and quite dangerous. Dragons cannot. They will suicide if they can't find their mate. That is the reason for this training- to provide Selenitas clutches with the most informed, prepared Candidates possible, to prevent as many deaths as possible. I encourage you to ask questions at any time, and no question is 'stupid' here. If you getting the answer means you are more suitable to impress, by all means, ask. I don't like seeing hatchlings between, or whers go wild. Hatchings are magical times, and each and every one of you will present a highly valuable option for future clutches, I am certain. This does not mean you will impress, of course, but not one of you should be worried about that now. When you walk onto the sands, I hope you will do it with conviction, believing you are there to, at the very least, attempt to save a life. If you don't manage to- well, at least you tried, and that is an honor not many receive."

With a final smile, Kemma hopped off the desk again. Rather active, this woman was. "Alright, that's all for today. Your next lesson will be posted on the board, and I may have Mellith call you all to it, once she knows who you are. You may ask questions now, and I will be here for quite some time to answer them. Those of you not from Selenitas are especially encouraged to ask any questions you have now, or to set up a time to meet with me one on one. Homework is to meet a Rider or Wherhandler, and ask them about their Hatching experience. Once people have asked their general-interest questions, I will dismiss you."

((So. You do need to read this, but responses can be way short if you want. "Homework" is optional, but if you want something to talk about with a rider, it's a good start I encourage you all to stick around and RP, but only if you want))

[glamourie]

[ posting here like the thread said ^^ ]

Why, exactly, was he there? That was Rawign's thought process as he examined his nails pointedly. The fact that he had to attend lessons still was embarrassing all together; he'd been a candidate for how long? In his opinion, they should have been exempt - him and Mutasim - from lessons. They'd already attended most lesson sequences, and failed to Impress. He somehow doubted that a class was going to fix that. Huuumph. He tuned out the sound of Kemma speaking as he pushed back his cuticles with the thumbnail of the opposite hand, as though his lazy manicure was the most important thing in the world. He honestly thought he shouldn't have to be assigned chores, either -- he was a healer, wasn't that enough? They were all overworked as it was. Complain, complain, complain; he mentally found every excuse to do so, though he did not speak nor look up in any way. At least, not until the word flits was spoken.

So. She allowed them? Shard it, Kemma could have stated that before the lesson, when he'd required feeding and groveling to his firelizards to keep them from following him. His hands dropped to the desk in front of him and he leaned back, balancing the chair on the back two legs. That one statement was the only one that kept his attention, though, and he tried his best to keep from completely zoning out. The problem was, he'd been through most of it before -- when --

Candidates may not stand if they are recovering from an injury? Abruptly leaning forward, Rawign leaned over the table, enraptured of the lesson all at once. Since when was that a rule? He'd stood while injured. The thought made him drop one hand down to his shirt to trace one of the scars lining over his torso. The fact that he was still a candidate not withstanding, he had stood while injured, and S'rei had downright threatened him about it. (Okay, he'd basically implied that he'd regret it if he skipped, but still - Rawign hadn't wanted to offend the then chair-throwing Weyrleader. He still wasn't eager to get on S'rei's bad side if he could help it, as he was fairly sure he was an easy target for projectiles.) Was it wise to point out to her that he was the exception to at least one of her rules? Probably not. If it came up he would, but Rawign was certain the response would be something catty like, "And you're still here." To which he'd doubtlessly have to reply, "And I'll still be here at the next clutch too, and the next one, and the next one - being healthy doesn't merit Impression, after all. I'm a failure!" The fact that he found that so amusing was probably a bad thing - but, eh, live and learn.

When she called for questions, Rawign raised his hand slightly. He was unable to help himself. "What about if you Stood while injured because the then-Weyrleader told you that you had to, or else? Is that an exception? If Weyrleader Ka'rys, for example, decides to, I don't know, go up to one of them -" He pointed at Ferneth absently "- and tell him, say, 'You have to stand even if your ankle is broken' - do you have the authority to over-rule that?" Curiosity killed the cat. Here's hoping it didn't do the same to the healer.

But! On a serious note -- "I have a more serious question regarding the rules. I'm a healer. These curfews - do they necessarily apply to my craft, and when I am able to take infirmary shifts? I typically take the night shift to accommodate the other healers, given that Kalierre and Savitri are both around during the day shift. Am I going to get in trouble for this?"

[dragon]

((As per orders)) ((Not sure how to start this))

Cloar sat in a chair that was not already occupied, and made himself comfortable. This, however, did not mean that he looked comfortable. He was slumped down in his seat, sitting more on his back than on his rump, feet apart from each other and flat on the floor, hands folded together in his lap, and his spine curled so that his top portion was more or less upright. It made him look more close to normal height, if one ignored all the lower length snaking down to the floor. He was completely relaxed, and at ease.

Today he was dressed simply - practical above anything else. His hair was tied back in a simply loose tail, and his shirt was completely sleeveless, leaving his arms completely free. This, actually, reduced the number of rips in the backs of his shirts. His trousers were of a simple cut, and the whole outfit was in dull earthtones ... something that would hide stains or burn marks really well.

This, he thought, was going to be interesting. Cloar was always interested in learning new things ... and if he was going to make it at all here in the weyr he'd just arrived at, then he was going to need to know a lot of things that he didn't know. He had no idea what all the candidate lessons would cover, but he hoped it was a lot. There was so much he just didn't know. And knowledge was something that he valued pretty highly. And as such, Kemma had his complete attention, even if it really didn't look like it.

He was by no means the bright-eyed eager looking kid that leaned over his desk in anticipation ... and certainly was not a teacher's pet. But he was paying attention, storing away every bit of information that came to his ears. He would remember this. And he paid more attention when the questions started ... listening to what was asked, and what the answers were. If something he was curious about wasn't asked by someone else, he'd ask. But so far ... so good. He was content to sit and listen.

Homework ... not exactly homework by the definition. It wasn't work done at home... but going and finding a rider to talk to ... that might be easy, it might not. Finding one that had time to talk to him was one thing. Actually catching them was another. A candidate on foot was not as quick a traveler as a rider. Maybe he'd ask some of the other candidates the best places to find a rider holding more or less still. Someplace besides the messhall. He really hated having his meals interrupted, as as such, paid the same courtesy to others that he would like. Food was important, after all.

[Ruby]

((you are by all means still allowed to join this lesson, just so you know. DOOOO IT))

This class appeared to have more questions than her previous ones. This made Kemma smile- she liked questions that she could answer. So with a touch of a grin at the corner of her mouth, she pointed at Rawign, inviting him to speak. She was actually surprised to see this one here; past reports had put Rawign as someone who shirked as much as possible, or at least who had attended plenty of these before. Of course, instead of making Kemma unhappy or worried or something, it just made her more pleased. After all, she had (somehow, magically) caused him to appear.

He had decent questions, too, answered easily enough. "Especially if it was the Weyrleader's clutch, that is acceptable. Clutch mothers and fathers have absolute authority- these are THEIR babies, after all. They are totally within their rights to tell you to leave, or require you to attend, as they see fit. Also, Selenitas has recently updated the rules for Candidates. In the past, when there were low numbers of Candidates to stand, this rule was repealed in hopes of more Impressions. Now, however, we have enough Candidates, and the rule has been re-instated as far as I've been informed. Be aware that it could change, but it's also no reason for you all to go get yourselves hurt.

"As for Curfew- get your supervisor or the Headwoman to send me a schedule to sign, and it won't be a problem. That applies to anyone else in a craft that could have night hours, by the way. Really, Curfew is just in effect to try to get you all enough sleep, so it's not that dramatic of a rule, but it'll be easier for everyone if you don't break it. That's kind of my... creed of sorts, I guess. It's just easier for everyone if you don't break rules. Sound good?" That was easy enough, right? Hopefully so, since Kemma really didn't want more paperwork. "Any more questions?"

[glamourie]

Rawign raised an eyebrow slightly, tempted to counter Kemma's statement with the fact that he was fairly sure he'd been allowed to stand due to how he'd attained his injuries, not because of a need for candidates. While Aslath's first clutch was doubtlessly impressive, they'd had a lot of candidates, as far as he remembered. He was pretty sure that S'rei lifted the rule for him because he'd been injured in a feline attack where he, Z'hin and Paryal were all nearly killed. They weren't out trying to get into trouble. He and Z'hin were trying to help Paryal -- and, ironically, they'd ended up with far worse injuries than she had. That fact was not lost on him, and he was fairly sure the only reason he survived was because of Z'hin and Jessereth's quick thinking. He still owed them a thank you, but how does one thank someone for nearly dying to save you? Answer: It goes better unspoken. Though, technically, the worst of the brownpair's injuries came from them protecting one another...

Those thoughts were abruptly, and firmly, pushed out of his mind. Rawign lifted one hand absently to ask his next question, which was really simply clarification on the first, "Who do you count as my superior, candidatemaster?" A double-question if there ever was one. Asharra was technically the ranking healer but she was almost never seen. Most of the healers were not seen often. Rawign technically ranked Savitri in craft, as he'd been a journeyman for two turns, opposed to her being an apprentice. Kalierre was the only one he considered his real superior, and that was in dragonhealing; otherwise he saw them as equals, and he was not about to admit any other journeyman could possibly be superior to him. He worked his tail end off to get his knots, and he was one of the journeymen at Selenitas the longest. He was proud of that fact. "Would you require word from Asharra, or would Kalierre of Phremath suffice? Typically, I work with the latter more often, and I am sure she would be happy to tell you what shifts I'm on duty." He was pretty sure that if Kemma tried to keep him out of the infirmary at certain hours, Kali would not be grateful in the least; they didn't have many healers who found it suitable to actually tend to their craft...

He got more than enough sleep, though. Rawign liked sleeping. He'd managed just fine without someone trying to mother him, thanks. He didn't give voice to his sarcastic thoughts, instead running through his mind with other mundane questions that could possibly be used to irritate. He was so tempted to ask if being a healer on duty technically qualified as chores. It should have, considering the whiny people who came to the infirmary. He kept his mouth shut, though, instead lacing his fingers together to fix the woman with an intense stare. Rawign had a problem with authority figures on most fronts. He took orders from ranking healers well, but... he'd never been one to obey often, and he wasn't about to start.

[dragon]

Cloar listened to the questions and the answers, and wondered what was rolling around in the backs of people's heads ... what made them tick? Why ask those questions, over any other possible questions? Why answer them the way they did? It was all just random fluff, really, as there was no way he could ever have those answers. He was just a curious young man who, mostly, just wanted to know why things were the things they were.

He was quite curious to hear the questions that he might not have asked, and to hear the answers to them. But there was one that he had that had not been asked, and he wanted to know the answer to it. So, when an opportunity presented itself, he raised his own hand into the air, before posing it:

"What is the significance of the Touching?" He asked, curiously "What does it do for the egg? Or the hatchling inside? Does it do something for the Candidates? I don't understand the reasoning behind fondling an egg's shell." His words were by no means derogitory ... they were just curious, because he indeed did not understand. After all ... no one that he knew of fondled flitter eggs before they hatched. Or wherry eggs. Or any other kind of egg for that matter. He certainly understood that dragons were different, but ... fondling thier eggs?