Is it hot in Here?

[Luna]

They are Ready, Mine

Luna looked towards the Hatching Sands, despite being separated from Raineth by many tons of rock. You sure?

Yes, Lunamine. Call the Candidates.

Luna set down her pen and quickly made her way towards the Sands before pausing. Did she even have a bell to summon the Candidates? Even if she did, they didn't know the report sequence. Well, that was rather problematic. It seems she wasn't as good as a Candidate Master as she thought. She only hoped that she'd be a better WM.

After a few seconds she started out again and made her way to the Lower Caverns. It only took her a few minutes before she found the Head Cook and told her to relay the new to all the drudges and for them to find any passing by Candidates to report to the Hatching Sands immediately. She then made her way to the Candidates Barracks to tell anyone actually there. She figured most would be doing chores, but a few might actually be there. Without a fire lizard or bell, trekking it was the best she could do. Especially without all the green riders for messengers. Oh how she sometimes missed the easy way a big Weyr ran. But she was doing this because, in some ways, big Weyrs were lacking and she was hoping to fix that.

After having made her rounds she finally arrived back on the Hatching Sands to start a quick lesson. Hopefully she'd make it back before the majority of the Candidates.

[Risa]

Absorbed in kitchen chores, Sandra wouldn't have heard the word of the touching if someone hadn't forced her out of that absorbsion.

Aenoth had been assigned there as well, and had jumped when he'd heard. It wouldn't do to leave another canidate miss out, and so seeing the older girl remain lost in her work, he shook her shoulder slightly. This got the reaction he was looking for, the girl seemed almost like she was waking from a dream. "Come on, the weyrwoman is calling the touching." he said, hoping she would hurry after hearing that.

Jolted by this news, Sandra jumped, muttering a quick thanks for the thought. She had seen him a few times, but never spoken to him. Since arriving, Sandra had kept busy, too much so to really socialize much. Still, that didn't mean she couldn't be friendly. Right now though wasn't the time. After this, maybe.

Aenoth shared her way of thinking thankfully. Time to talk was later. Now, they all had to get to the sands. Besides, this would just bring them something else to talk about once everything was all said and done.

[Khell]

“Ouch! Ow! Get off, you crazy woman!” Khell had gotten the message to meet up with the candidates and Weyrwoman but he just really wanted to finish his breakfast. The drudge, however, wasn’t about to allow that as she batted at him telling him ‘Get your move on boy!’. He left the table, hands covering his head. His breakfast was clearly ruined now; it would be cold by the time he got back. “Darn drudge.” He muttered as he left the dining hall. All he wanted to do was eat.

He couldn’t even remember the message now and had to stop and think for a few moments. Shards. Where were they supposed to go? The Lake? No, that didn’t make sense. Thankfully he didn’t have to think for very long as another drudge walked by and repeated the message. He grinned at her and with a quick “Thank you!” was off. He walked through the winding corridors of the Weyr. He had memorized a few of the halls by now and would only get lost a few times – it was definitely an improvement. With a turn of the right, he finally reached his destination.

He walked onto the sands, the heat almost burning his feet. The Weyrwoman wasn’t there…well that was rather awkward. Did he get the place wrong after all? Shards.

[Ayla]

Vittoria was, in all places, the latrines when a drudge entered to announce the Touching. Thankfully, she was just about to leave... but still. Being caught in the latrines? Not exactly something anyone liked to do. Vittoria grimaced, but thanked the drudge and exited the room.

The Dining Hall was to her left, and she though the kitchens were just around the corner to the right. If she went through the kitchens, she could get to the hallway that led to the Bowl, and then to the Sands. It would be much faster than going to the Dining Hall and trying to find a way through the caverns. Vittoria turned right and walked quickly around a corner.

"Shardit." The kitchens were not right there. Vittoria debated over trying to find the kitchens or just turning around and going through the Dining Hall. She decided on the latter; wandering around for something she wasn't sure of would take much, much longer than going the long way. She turned around and retraced her steps past the latrine and to the Dining Hall.

After Vittoria got through the maze of tables, she was in a wide hallway. A few people were walking in the direction of the Sands, and she followed them. Vittoria picked up the pace a little, and was passing a few of the slower people. Within minutes, the air became warmer as she got closer and closer to the hot Sands.

Small white grains were beginning to appear on the floor and stick to Vittoria's shoes. She was close, but resisted the urge to begin running. She was eager for a dragon, but not desperate. After rounding a corner, Vittoria saw the great expanse of the Hatching Sands. The gold in the center, protecting twelve eggs, made her catch her breath. Such a beautiful creature.

Vittoria walked to the group of already arrived Candidates. The Weyrwoman didn't seem to be there, which was strange, but Vittoria guessed that she was off alerting the others. How else would the drudges get the message?

[Luna]

Luna frowned as she finally again came in sight of the Hatching Sands, over half, well just about all the Candidates she knew of were here. She was only currently missing Shmee and anyone else who just recently got dropped off. She'd passed D'mar (her blue rider friend) and asked him to make sure the Search Riders knew to point the Candidates here if anyone happened to arrive now. She didn't want anyone missing this if at all possible. It was a common myth that if a Candidate touched an egg it helped avoid maulings and maybe even form bonds so that the dragonets wouldn't between.

Slightly breathless from her tour of the Weyr she smiled at her Candidates. "Well, as the drudges may have told you, it's time for the Touching of the eggs." She motioned for them to enter the Sands so they could come in sight of Raineth and get a better look at the eggs. "Now Queens are known to be very protective of their clutch's so it'd be best to start with a bow to her before even thinking of going towards the eggs. If for some reason she doesn't like you, I wouldn't push the subject, just leave." She smiled to soften the comment, but hoped it wouldn't come to that. She'd never heard of the clutchmother sending away a Candidate, but a CM's job was to warn them of anything that might go wrong so they could come away unscathed.

"Now, after your introduce yourself to Raineth you may go among the eggs and touch them. We do this in the hope to decrease the chances of maulings and increase the chances of Impression so make sure to touch all the eggs you never know which one might hold your dragon. Any questions?"



(( Credit for this Picture goes to the wonderful Risa ))


Artic
Desert
Tundra
Cave
Taiga
Savanna
Prairie
Marsh
Moutain
Rainforest
Ocean
Twilight

(( I'm not even sure what you'd call this theme so ... Terran? ))

[Wangri]

Piene was one of the few lounging around the Candidate Barracks when the Weyrwoman summoned them. He had already done his chores quickly, abiet a bit rushed and of poor quality. But he wasn't being graded on quality until at least Weyrlinghood, which would be a long way away. For now, all he was concerned about was quantity.

And the Weyrwoman's voice echoing through the nearly-empty Barracks. Jumping out of bed, he sauntered over to the goldrider with a fairly neutral atmosphere. For once, he was open to something. When he approached, the boy showed an unfamiliar gesture of respect: he bowed It usually took something like the brute force of a proddy gold to give someone respect, and since Luna was linked to her dragon she too shared the respect.

The petite group made there way to the Sands, where the out-of-breath Weyrwoman/CandidateMaster swiftly and effectively explained things. Piene listened and understood, but he certainly did not obey. Someone else could test the gold's mood first. He was certainly not going to get gobbled up at his first touching, no. A light, easy smile faintly pulled on his lips as he awaited the first guanine pig to step up.

-------

Pasine was doing dish duty. She enjoyed the cleaning and organizing aspects of the task, but not so much the dirty, half-eaten food. Thankfully, the chore wasn't hard since there weren't nearly as many mouths to feed as a full-blown Weyr. In fact, she even ran out of dishes and had to go scour the Dining Hall for more. That was where she overheard another Candidate, whose name Khell she did not know, being attacked by an overeager drudge. She watched the numerous spectacle blankly, waiting to take his plate once he left. However, once he did, the drudge turned her targets to Pasine. With a small squeak, she dropped her dished on the nearest table and made for the Sands at top speed.

There she found a small number of Candidates already gathered, the majority of the minority scouting for the Weyrwoman. Pasine joined the group silently, but did not join in the search. What distressed her more was the intense heat radiating off of the Sands. Could she perhaps hurry up?

Oh! There she was. And with no time to spare on greetings, thankfully for once, she dived straight into the information they needed. Fantastic! Pasine soaked in the instructions, trying to ignore the heat. All she had to do was wait for questions, then she could get on with the Touching and off the Sands! It felt like she had already been here for an eternity, anyway.

[Khell]

Khell felt much better when Vittoria arrived, it was nice to know that he hadn’t fudged up the location after all. He was pretty worried that he’d stand there all day long only to find out they were supposed to meet up at the barracks or something. He grinned when Luna also appeared; he could definitely confirm that he had got the message right.

Touching of the eggs? Now? The drudges certainly hadn’t disclosed that tidbit of information then again they probably thought it was obvious. He peered over Luna’s shoulder and chewed the inside of his cheek as he stared at the Gold Queen and the clutch of eggs. He wanted to listen very carefully to the Weyrwoman but he was slightly nervous now. What if Raineth didn’t like him? The possibilities of what could go wrong were suddenly running through his head non-stop. She could swipe at him, bite him in half, anything. He was worried now.

Introduce yourself to Raineth, bow, touch the eggs. Gotcha. Khell could remember that, it seemed easy enough. As for questions? Yeah, he had one. What was the percentage of him doing something dumb and getting killed by a gold beast? He stifled a sigh and quickly glanced around, curious to see who else was here. He hadn't met a fair number of the candidates yet, unfortuatenly, and was actually looking forward to it. He didn't recognize the shorter boy and faintly remembered seeing Pasine in the Dining Hall when he was down there. He frowned slightly when he noted Shmee wasn't there. Would one bring the baby to the touching? Probably not...but he was curious.

[Risa]

~Sandra~
Wide eyed, for once she listened carefully to what she was told. This was too important to miss an instuction after all, and with the threat of a gold's teeth as a reprimand, she had little desire to make an error of ignorance. The heat was uncomfortable, but it wasn't something she was about to open her mouth and complain about. After all, standing as a canidate, she would need to be right back here on the sands anyway, why ruin her chances and complain.

Seeing none were stepping up, she found use of her voice. "I have a question. If she, that is to say the Queen, doesn't like one us, does that mean we're no longer canidates?" It seemed a fair question, given that it really would affect them. "I mean, if she doesn't like us now, would she let us back for the hatching?"

~Aenoth~
Giving a slight nod as he recognized Khell, Aenoth listened to the dreamer girls question. She had a valid point, at least in his mind. Then again, he was more interested in some 'what if's' but that could wait. He was interested in hearing this answer before anything. It would be a big hint. Since he didn't know all the others, he could hardly do much more than accnoledge them anyway, so there was little point in being social at the moment. All the more energy to focus on the questions and answers.

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

((Ohh, gorgeous pic, Risa!))

Shmee ran, panting, onto the Hatching Sands, out of breath and bright red. Not only was she embarrassed at being late, but she was, quite honestly, a mess. Her short dark locks flew every which way, and looked as though she hadn't even bothered to brush it. Her clothes were casual-- far too casual. Her white top was several sizes too big (she couldn't remember if it had been her maternity shirt or not, but nevertheless, it was baggy) and her pants were only held up by a ragged belt. Sandals was the only protection the woman had against the heat of the Sands. "I'm so sorry I'm late, Weyrwoman," she managed to gasp out as she made the walk of shame into the gaggle of candidates, standing next to Pasine. Shmee wanted to die of shame, and she could even feel the mild prickling of tears behind her eyes. Nevertheless, she ignored them. She couldn't think about such nonsense now.

The reason she was late was because, when she had heard about the lesson, she had been in the middle of suckling Shei. She wanted to calm the babe a fair bit before letting her be babysat for one of the few times in her young life. Of course, she couldn't just pull Shei off, and then she had made the mad dash over to the woman who had agreed to babysit her, and had run to the Hatching Sands before getting all emotional at seeing Shei so upset at the babysitter.

"What did I miss?" she mumbled to Pasine.

Then, just as she asked, she gaped, seeing the eggs for the first time. They were beautiful. Yet close by, she did catch sight of the powerful Raineth. Her heart dropped a little. Would the queen be angry at her tardiness?

[elfie]

Ayver

"These needles are horrible." Words were muttered, a comment meant only for the maker as nimble and long fingers moved over a shirt in need of mending. Ayver had taken on that chore eagerly, knowing it wouldn't take him long, and it would be done correctly. He'd seen some of the stitch work of the Weyr, and it appalled him. Hazel eyes lifted, scanning the Lower Caverns were he'd situated himself. He could see the goings on of the small Weyr, and still get his chores done. A lovely spot, he'd claimed it as his own. Although, it would be better with his old needles...

"Sweet, go and fetch my old needles from the Hall, will you?" Ayver cooed, reaching up to caress the light blue hide of the rather chubby fire lizard draped across his shoulders. Kriss shifted back his inner lid, giving an inquisitive chirp as he received both directions and the image he was to find. The young flit jumped from his owner's shoulder, swooping in the air over him, before abruptly disappearing between.

Of course, that was about when the Weyrwoman bustled in, summoning the Candidates to the Hatching Sands for the Touching. Ayver rose quickly to his feet, setting the shirt he'd been patching down in the corner. He doubted it would neither be noticed or moved with the short staff already busy with so many other things. It's be safe there until he got back.

Long legs swiftly carried him toward the Sands, one silver scarred hand rising to sweep thick locks back into a half tail and tug his tunic straight. As he entered, he saw that he was one of the cleaner Candidates there, for lack of having any dirty chores when the summons was issued. A slight grin quirked his lips at that as he took his place, listening intently as the Weyrwoman spoke. As soon as she finished, he thought it prudent to bow to Raineth, the slight but polite bow not mocking as it might have been toward a few of his elders. A queen's wrath was something he did not want to see.

Which was exactly when Kriss appeared from between with a scolding chirp to settle on the adolescent's shoulder and present the needles to him that he had found and brought back as instructed. A slightly sheepish look appeared on Ayver's visage as he silently directed the flit to take them to the spot he'd been earlier and then stay there. He even promised him a full meat roll if he stayed out of the trouble and didn't beg in the kitchens. Kriss sent back an emotion of agreement, winging into the air to chirp happily at his giant golden cousin before darting away and leaving his owner to pretend like nothing had happened.

Luckily, another Candidate arrived then to distract Ayver and hopefully the others. A girl who's hair was a mess and her clothes far to baggy. Hazel eyes studied her with surprise, before nose wrinkled. Oh, that girl needed help. Perhaps Ayver could talk her into letting him fix her hair, and tailor her clothes. How could anyone wander about like that? He'd probably be in tears too, if he looked like she did just then.

Imner

It was almost as if he were home again, breaking up and bagging hunks of firestone for the dragons to use. While it wasn't exactly needed at the moment, this was a new Weyr with no weyrling--and they usually took care of the firestone bagging from what he knew. So instead of helping in the kitchens, he'd obtained permission to be allowed into the firestone store room, and this was what he had been doing for the past hour. However, Imner was also easily forgotten there.

The Weyrwoman had already made her round, and Candidates were beginning to enter the Sands when he was remembered, a drudge sent to inform him of the summons. Imner sighed lightly, not really upset he'd been forgotten, but not pleased that he was be a little late. It wasn't proper. The sturdy lad closed the room quickly but properly, before trotting toward the Sands. He didn't have time to clean up, so when he arrived he smelled like phosphorous, sulfer, and soot. His clothes were no longer clean, and his face and hands were smudged with black.

Imner arrived at the tail end of the questions, missing the fire lizard fiasco, and from their tenor he assumed he knew what the Weyrwoman had said earlier. Regardless, as soon as he entered the Sands, he turned and bowed deeply to the golden guardian of the eggs before taking his place among the others. For quite a few other people, the movement might have seemed over done, flamboyant, or of someone trying to gain favor and sucking up. However, for this miner lad, it was simply a show of deep respect, there was no cheeky grin on his features. They were set into a polite but slightly eager expression, gray eyes shining with joy at just being there. He didn't even shift his feet on the hot grains, barely noticing at the moment beneath the thick soles of the boots he always wore.

As he stood there, a woman had arrived, seeming rather out of breath, and not at her best. She also seemed to be nearly in tears. Was she alright? Imner wasn't sure, and neither could he really ask, for she was in the middle of a different cluster, and it wouldn't be proper to call across the distance even if that were something he usually did. It wasn't.

[yankeegeek]

Jarev
He was in the kitchen, helping cut up vegetables and meat for the next meal, when the summons came. He hadn't done this sort of work in too long. Thankfully, the actual cooking and serving would be done by someone else. Carrying plates or breakable objects was better undertaken by a drudge or Candidate who wasn't as impatient as he sometimes got.

He was shooed, kindly but firmly, out of the dining area, and given semi-clear directions to the Hatching Sands. He took just long enough to wash his hands and face, and change shirts, his old one being stained with grease and bits of carrot peel.
His hair was still somewhat tousled, but he contented himself with tying it back. Fussing and preening weren't his style.
There was already a crowd on the Sands when he arrived. He paused, and listened to the Weyrwoman's instructions. Even if he'd heard this before, he wouldn't snub her or the queen by ignoring her.
The eggs were a thing of beauty, he had to admit. He wasn't an artist, as such, but he could appreciate nature's wonders.
He bowed deeply to the rider, then to the dragon, smiling, before he took his first step over the warm sands, toward the clutch of hardening eggs. If he was afraid, it didn't show on his face or in posture.

[Luna]

Luna was slightly baffled by the amount of Candidates appearing in her Weyr. Hadn't she tried her best to greet and learn all their names? Incessantely pestering all her old rider friends and having Raineth bespeak all the Search dragons to learn of anyone new coming by? Maybe her Weyr-Benden's Weyrwoman was right, Candidates weren't Searched. They just pop into Weyrs out of thin air. She paused before answering the girl's question as she caught sight of a few stranglers coming up. It wouldn't do to have to repeat herself a bunch of times. Although she'd probably have to anyway. No matter how good of a group she got, someone was bound to have a hard time learning something.

Her outward facial expression didn't change as she waited, but she was slightly disappointed in Shmee's appearance. She'd already had a rocky start with the woman and now she was showing disrespect by showing up late and wearing that? Didn't she know these were Raineth's children and it was a privledge many would love to have? She also noticed the boy, but it appeared he'd been helping with the firestone. It was impossible to mistake that smell, even for a gold rider. She choose to say nothing about the fire lizard, but made a note of it for later. Some Queens were so proddy they'd take a chunck out of a flitt's hide without thinking about it. So far Raineth seemed fairly easy going, but it would just take one bad incident to ruin that mood. At least the boy had sent it away rather quickly.

She waited another candlemark after everyone had arrived to just make sure no one else was going to show up before beginning again. "As I was saying, today you will all get the chance to touch Raineth's clutch. You should make an effort to touch every one because you can never be sure which one may hold your dragon's egg. Even if being a dragon rider isn't in your future at least you have this rare experience."

"Now, when you approach the eggs you should bow to Raineth and introduce yourself before going to touch any of the eggs. She may be a dragon, but she's an intelligent being and deserves respect. If you can't give her respect I'd have to ask how would you treat your dragon?"

"And in answer to your question," she said, indicating Sandra, "If, for some reason, the queen doesn't like you and you need to leave, you will no longer be a Candidate at least not for any of her clutches. I wouldn't worry though, I haven't heard of any Gold rejecting a Candidate outright."

[Ayla]

Vittoria drew herself up to her full height when the Weyrwoman arrived. First impressions, no pun intended, were very important. She put an interested, but very polite look on her face, one she had mastered years ago while speaking to an overly dull family member. The next few Candidates to arrive were unremarkable, except for Shmee. Vittoria did not think highly of Shmee in the first place; bringing a child to Candidacy and probably Weyrlinghood didn't seem like a good idea to her. This problem was compounded when the woman showed up in disgraceful clothes, a breed apart from Vittoria's carefully tailored appearance. Her face betrayed her contempt, but only for a moment. Then, she turned back to the Weyrwoman and listened to the directions.

She was to bow, introduce herself, wait, then go touch the eggs. Vittoria could handle that. She brushed nonexistent dirt off her skirt after Luna had finished speaking, then approached Raineth. She sunk into a respectful bow, not quite as exaggerated as Imner's had been, but still quite deep. "Thank you, Gold Raineth, for this opportunity to touch and possibly Impress one of your beautiful young. I am Vittoria, from Cove Hold," Vittoria said. She winced internally as soon as the words passed her lips; the introduction she had given seemed far too formal for the occasion. She bowed again for good measure, but this time it was more of an inclination of her body than a bow.

Vittoria straightened up and took a tentative first step toward the eggs, her eyes trained on Luna and Raineth to pick out any hint of dislike. She couldn't stand to just forfeit her Candidacy because she overstepped the boundaries. She was seventeen, eighteen in a few months. If she didn't Impress this clutch or the next, she would have to go back to Cove. Although she knew that Candidates who were past the age limit were allowed to stay, the shame of Standing for multiple clutches and being rejected was just too great. At least at the Hold she had rank.

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Shmee could feel the stare of the candidates on her. She was unsure for a moment-- she felt so uncomfortable here, that she was half-tempted to go back to the candidate barracks. But she dismissed that thought the moment it came. This was all she had left for a chance at a real future. She couldn't leave just because she was older, shabbier, and late. Firmly, she made herself straighten her baggy shirt out. Any dignity she could earn back would go such a long way. After all, she thought wryly, these people's opinions wouldn't matter on Hatching Day. All that would matter was the opinions of the dragons that would hatch. This, at least, seemed to comfort her a little. With a timid nod to the Weyrwoman, showing that she had understood, Shmee stepped forward, biting her tongue so to hide her irritation from the girl who managed to get ahead of her. It would have been good to prove her confidence by being the first to go. Instead, Shmee used this time to make sure that her eyes were completely dry before stepping forward. When the girl ahead of her had left, Shmee bowed.

"My name is Shmee, from Benden Weyr. It is an honor to Stand for your clutch, queen-mother," she said, hoping her tone sounded as grateful as she felt. This, at least, was something she could understand with the queen that no other candidate could, she thought, slightly optimistic. They were both mothers. Shmee hoped that the queen could see the similarity, and accept it rather than show derision for it.

She resisted the urge to gulp as she stepped away, and made her way toward the first egg. It was extremely hesitant, and her eyes were trained on the queen at first. However, seeing the first girl waver in her step, Shmee found a bubble of courage in her, and stepped toward the egg nearest her. With a smile, she placed one of her small hands onto the shell. Either this would show her confidence or her folly. She could either be the brave first candidate to touch and egg, or the one who made the wrong move and touched without another signal. She could only hope that it would be the former.

[Risa]

~Sandra~
She had only seen Shmee a few times, but felt bad her fellow canidate had to rush in so last moment. Still, with the fact her being a canidate hung in the balance of the... of Raineths approval, she had enough to worry about herself to reach out to any others. No animals in the hold had taken to her, most seeming to outright dislike her. Sure, dragons were smarter and differant from normal creatures, but it didn't help her confidence.

Listening to what the others said, Sandra stepped forward as they had. "Greetings great queen. I am Sandreline, of Karoon hold. I am honored to Stand for your clutch." She said, eyes wide, though with her head down in her low bow, she hoped no one else would see her lack of confidence. She had to be strong, but the fear of being rejected was very real to her.


~Aenoth~
He followed the three girls, waiting for each one to finish speaking before he bowed as well. "Golden Raineth. I'm Aenoth from Narat hold." he said, calm and collected in his usual manner. Straightening, his eyes fell on the young woman who had brought a child with her. She was acting bravest of them all, to reach out and touch an egg first. Brave, or foolish, he didn't know though, and had no desire to emulate a foolish mistake.

[Khell]

Khell shot Aenoth a quick grin, a reply to the nod, before letting his thoughts wander. Could dragons be homophobes? What if Raineth was a homophobe and didn’t want Khell near? This was all very interesting. And nerve-wracking. He ran a hand through his black hair and sighed softly.

He watched as Shmee ran and had to bite on his lip to keep silent. Normally he would have no problem telling someone that their outfit did not work but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything to Shmee. She was nice plus she had a cute kid that Khell still wanted to play with. He wiggled his fingers in her direction with a lopsided smile. He turned away from the woman, eyes stuck on Vittoria as she went up to Gold Raineth. What a brave girl, going first like that! Soon more candidates were heading up there and Shmee was pressing her hands against the egg. Shards, that meant he should go up there now.

He walked towards the large dragon, staring at her. He stopped in front of her and bowed deeply, a slightly forced smile on his face as he straightened. “I’m Khell from Crom Hold. It’s…” He paused, completely forgetting what he was about to say, “…niiice to meet you?”. That was a terrible save, but it was all he could think of at the moment. He stood there awkwardly for a moment before a “Kay.” was mumbled and he stepped to the side where the eggs were.

[Wangri]

Pasine[/u]
Pasine quicky tried to whisper something to Shmee, but her friend seemed smitten with the golden mother. She huffed quietly, crossed her arms on her chest and looked away for a moment in frustration. Why was she interested in that dragon? As amazing and enormous as she was, the Queen was already Impressed and there were a multitude of Unimpressed eggs practically calling out for 'mines. It didn't make any logic! But, then again, Shmee was much more sentimental than she, Pasine remembered with a surrendered sigh.

Unfortunately, her little session meant that she was one of the last to stand before the Gold. Hurrying across the Sands half because of the heat and half because of the sense of urgency, the Candidate stepped up to the dragon. Then she bowed so low her hair brushed the sand. Strange how standing before such an enormous beast changes opinions, no? "Greetings, grand clutch mother. I am Pasine, who hails from Benden Hold. Innumerable thanks for allowing me to stand at your clutch," she spoke as she bowed, not standing straight until she was done. Perhaps she had laid it on too thick? She paused, but did not feel the sensation of dragon teeth ripping her limb from limb, so she assumed she was safe. Now came the true test; imprinting on a growing dragonet.

Slowly and carefully she stroked the shells of the first egg, one on the far side that nobody as far as she had seen had touched before. It was warm and surprisingly soft. Leathery, almost, but smoother. Not quite like cloth, but similar. Instead, the texture floated inbetween all relations. She pondered that thought for a while, continuing to pet the egg absent-mindedly before the heat eating her feet made her move on.

Piene[/u]
Piene was last, but he was last by his own terms, sharddit. After the uptight girl shuffled away from the Gold, he sauntered up for his turn. By now he was certain that he would not become dragon fodder, so the Candidate acted extremely relaxed considering the situation. It was only the great beast's size the kept him from shoving his hands in his invisible pockets.

Hm. Perhaps he could have a little fun with this and pretend he was that uppity girl that went ahead of him. Twirling his hands in an over-extravegant bow, the boy pleaded with a heavy layer of sarcasm, "Oh grand beast, I beseech that you permit me to gaze upon, nay, thing upon your magnificent clutch! I may only be Piene, of Crom Hold, a humble Vinter boy with no heritage, but perhaps you could find it in the depths of your dragon heart to allow me passage." He paused, pretending she was replying with the utmost dignity, then continued, "Oh, how kind! How marvelous! How grand! I feel faint." He put the back of his hand to his forehead and swooned, fanning his face from the Sands' torching heat. Then he lightly walked over to the eggs, not wanting to push it too too far. The grin that was plastered on his face meant that he probably had already pushed it too far already. (Indeed, Pasine was glaring at him over the oval of an egg from across the Sands.)

Then, suddenly, he was at an egg. Which egg it was in particular, he could not tell. The thing he was most worried about, however, was what to do now. Badly his eyes wanted to glance over at others and follow their example, but Piene was too much of a solitary spirit to do so. So he began awkwardly rubbing the egg with one hand, the other clinging to his forearm as if he was afraid it was going to fall off. Embarrassed for himself, the Candidate stopped immediately and moved onto another egg before someone noticed.

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[yankeegeek]

Jarev knelt, unselfconsciously, to stroke one of the smaller eggs that looked as if it had been dusted with silver. They were firm, but not as hard as they'd be later, he suspected.
He listened to the other Candidates' greetings, watching them out of the corner of his eye, though most of his attention was on
the clutch or the queen. They appeared to be divided pretty well equally between boys and girls. A few of their names, he could recall from earlier, but not all.

Shmee's greeting, " My name is Shmee, from Benden Weyr. It is an honor to Stand for your clutch, queen-mother," and her stepping up first, elicited an approving grin from him. He really doubted that the dragons were all that worried about clothing or
neatness in human terms. Nor was she the only one to arrive slightly after the rest. He glanced over, trying to catch her gaze.

Straightening, he moved aside a little, to let others have a chance
to touch 'his' egg. He wondered, and turned to Luna after a moment. "Are they near to Hatching, Weyrwoman?" he asked, pitching his voice to carry across the Sands.

[elfie]

Ayver

Hazel eyes darted about as the Weyrwoman spoke, roving over the others as they stepped forward to introduce themselves. It was interesting to see the various personalities exhibited in their greetings. Quick mind made sure to memorize every name, for Ayver hadn't been there long enough to meet even three of his fellows. Wouldn't take him long to become known, though. He wasn't introverted in the least, and he would bet a mark he'd soon have a reputation as being up for anything at this Weyr. And he did mean anything. A cross between a smirk and a grin quirked the corners of lips as he realized it was his turn to become known to Raineth.

Long legs brought him to the perimeter of the clutch, hips swaying only slightly in their usual rather feminine gait as he stopped to dip into a bow. It was only a light bow, small but respectful, for anything else would probably have seemed teasing and that would get him into trouble. Or maybe more trouble. He wasn't sure what he'd gotten into after his slip and subsequent scolding from Kriss. That was for later, though. Now, to put his attention where it belonged--on the queen before him. "Hello, golden beauty. I'm Ayver, apprentice of the Weaverhall. An honor to look upon the hide worthy of being made into the most glorious of dyes." Words were light and cheerful, but not at all impolite. He sincerely meant what he said even if it would seem foolish or silly to most of his fellows.

"Oh, and I am sorry about the earlier incident with my fire lizard." Tone turned rather sheepish and definitely apologetic as he then strode forward among the eggs. He doubted he'd be rejected now, not when he hadn't been immediately scolded just moments after Kriss had appeared. Lanky frame moved among the smallest of the eggs first, his mind whirling with images and thoughts about what might be waiting in each egg. Nimble and long digits were only lightly callused, so he could easily feel the slightly bumpy texture of the lovely mottled eggs. The sense of anticipation and excitement was hard to tamp down.

Imner

The sturdy lad had watched curiously as the ones before him had announced themselves, wondering at all the flowery language they seemed to use. Where not a few words ample enough? Oh well, each to his own style, as he always heard. A thoughtful expression was spread across mobile visage as he listened, making an attempt to learn everyone's name. The expression and his pose of hands held loosely at his sides probably gave him the impression of what one would call a 'dim-glow'. He was oblivious to this line of thinking, though.

Stormy eyes of gray blinked as Imner realized it was his turn, taking a pace forward to bow to the clutch mother. The movement was the same as before, as he thought was proper. "Imner. Minercraft. An honor." Voice was surprising deep and rough for one his age, though it seemed to fit burly and sturdy build. Words were short and precise, and no more than needed to be said. Which to some made him seem brusque, slow witted, or rude--sometimes a combination of all three.

The lad shifted the jade bangle on his wrist, moving forward almost immediately to begin peering and studying the eggs, running short fingers over them. He could feel that they were slightly bumpy, but the exact texture was lost among the many calluses and hard patches of skin he had gained. Pace was slow and ponderous, but not in the least hesitant. Everything involved some sort of risk, and the higher the risk the better the prize. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they sayings went. And becoming a dragonrider was the greatest reward of them all, at least he thought so, second only to finding a great vein to mine. Imner moved equally among the eggs, spending the same amount of time on each. They all deserved that, didn't they?

[Lucius]

"Hey! You!"

Ingasa looked up, wiping away tears from her puffy red eyes. Before her stood a woman, perhaps a rider..?

"Yeah, you! You're a candidate, right? There's a touching right now. You'd better get your sorry hide over there, before you rot in that corner!"

Ingasa tried to reply, but the woman was gone as soon as she was done. With a sigh, she stood and smoothed her brown skirt. She would try not to cry again, but she had just heard that two Fort riders had lost their daughter and were searching desperately. One, the greenrider, seemed like a wreck. From the descriptions the watchdragon gave her, it seemed like M'ril and F'tor were searching for her. And if M'ril was so awful as to be in that condition...

Oh, what had she done? Those two men had loved her and raised her as their own. And she had left them out of the shame of not Impressing, a fact that had more to do with the fact that her dragon was not in any of the clutches she had attended so far. Perhaps right now, there was a Hatching at Fort and a little green was searching for her as well. And since the green couldn't find her, she had to choose another, or worse, go between.

Just thinking about it made her want to cry, and she calmed herself by saying that as soon as she Impressed, she would send word to Fort. And she would tell F'tor and M'ril she was all right. And if she didn't... Well, she would, anyway. Because F'tor and M'ril didn't deserve this. Yet she could not leave Surion, not yet. Only if she failed would she return to Fort, perhaps to bear children for one of the riders there.

With a sigh, Ingasa entered the sands. She imagined that her eyes weren't so swollen now, and her black-brown hair was somewhat manageable. That might be better. She paused, then watched the others. Yes, this was yet another Touching. She knew the rules and etiquette by now. Greet the Weyrwoman first...

"Hello, Weyrwoman. I... I'm Ingasa, a candidate. Sorry for being late," she whispered. "No need to go over the Touching routine. I know it by now." After eight years of standing at--how many clutches? Fort had four queens, and all clutched often. Quite a population...

After waiting in line for a while, she stepped forward to the queen and bowed.

"Greetings, great Raineth. I am Ingasa, of Fort Weyr. I..." She swallowed. "I am honored to be allowed to Stand upon your sands." And Stand she would, it seemed.