[G] [P] [EVENT] 734.09.13 | Carpe Diem [Hatching] - Printable Version +- World of Pern (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum) +-- Forum: Southern Pern (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=5) +--- Forum: New Katila Weyr (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=81) +---- Forum: Hatching Grounds (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=83) +---- Thread: [G] [P] [EVENT] 734.09.13 | Carpe Diem [Hatching] (/showthread.php?tid=2216) |
734.09.13 | Carpe Diem [Hatching] - Rhaedalyn - 13.Jan.14 That one moved! Rhaedalyn giggled as Aradissicath believed yet again that her eggs were about to hatch. They were about due but she hadn’t seen a single twitch out of the massive clutch yet despite continuing her guard of the Sands with her dragon. In truth, she was making sure the gold continued to behave herself though her mood was rather improved since everyone had cleared out yet again and left her alone. It seemed Aradissicath liked having the hatching circuit to call her own and didn’t enjoy sharing the quiet space with anyone else. Rhaedalyn tended to agree; she got a lot of work done and they were able to swap stories. Aradissicath was starting to create beautiful ones now instead of simply asking questions or trying to build on others. “Hush, darling. We’ll definitely know when they’re ready to hatch. You don’t need to eye them up so much. Besides, it’s Ren’s birthday today. They can’t hatch; it’d be terribly rude to steal our attention from him.” Rhaedalyn held up the shirt she had been working on in secret as a gift for the bronzerider. He seemed to like the last one she managed to make without poor stitching or horrible colour choices so a new one was deemed acceptable for a birthday gift. She had been relieved it survived the landslide and smuggled it to the new location of the Weyr to work on when she could. R’nya had a habit of checking up on them but Rhaedalyn had learned to keep an eye out for the peeping bronzerider coming to check on them and the clutch. Whisper chirped her agreement with the assessment. R’nya’s birthday needed to be perfect and that included a lack of dragonets prancing around stealing their attention and time. They had gifts and snacks for the wonderful man! A purr of what sounded curiously like a sigh of longing made Rhaedalyn giggle again and she patted the little gold on her head. Her crush on the bronzerider was sweet! “All we need to do is collect the dinner items and the pie I was promised would be set aside for us later, and we should be ready to host our little par…ty… are you kidding me?” Rhaedalyn gawked at her pair of blue firelizards as they stared at the eggs and a quiet hum started. I told you! I told you I saw one move. Aradissicath was on her feet and shifting back and forth, anxious. It was hard to tell if she was excited or disappointed and Rhaedalyn didn’t think it was wise to ask. Her dragon had been very possessive over the eggs and even the sand they were nestled in. Hissing had become the usual mode of greeting for anyone brave enough to stop by and the poor Candidates that had been properly Searched solely for the large clutch seem terrified out of their skulls of her. The smug look on some of the ‘brats, like Indivara, led the goldrider to believe they told horror stories but the bad mood of the gold dragon certainly didn’t help anything either. “I’m sorry I doubted you, love. But… R’nya’s birthday…” Rhaedalyn frowned as she stared from the eggs starting to quiver down to the shirt crumpled in her lap. It wasn’t like the man was that big on celebrating his day anyway. It had always been a chore to work with Kahleena in getting him to agree to go along with their ideas and outings to celebrate so perhaps a hatching would be welcome? In fact, the more she thought about it, the more Rhaedalyn realized it could be a special gift for him. Not everyone had a dragon that sired a clutch and then had it hatch on his birthday. Still, she couldn’t help the slight taste of disappointment in her mouth as she tucked the shirt back into her little work basket of threads, needles, and material. They hatch, Aradissicath reached out to Xyreith, giving him the honour of being the first to properly know their clutch was about to burst free of their eggs and leave her loving care. She knew it was for the best but they symbolized so much to the dragon that liked to daydream almost as much as her rider. They gave them a chance to relax all day and dream up wonderful things with no one around to disturb them and their stories. But the babies needed their bonded to help them grow and become amazing dragons to be proud of. Still, if a Candidate so much as looked cross-eyed at one of her hatchlings, Aradissicath didn’t see the harm in eating them. “Dissi! You can’t eat the Candidates. We’ve discussed this several times already.” Aradissicath gave the impression of smirking. She hadn’t realized she gave voice to her idea but rolled with it anyway. Perhaps not, but I can sit on them. Or eat their firelizards. With that new idea in her head, the large gold leaned down and licked Rumour as if testing out the idea while purposely annoying Rhaedalyn. Rhaedalyn bopped her lightly on the nose and then smiled as the first of the crowd started to appear. “Best behaviour, okay?” Getting up off her little blanket that helped keep the heat of the sands at bay, Rhaedalyn started looking for the Candidates. She felt as nervous then as she did when she was marched onto the Sands in her robe, looking to Impress the little gold. She had failed twice before finally succeeding so she knew what they were all going through. The nerves, the excitement, the fear of rejecting, the fear of Impressing and wondering if she’d be good enough. Now there was a fear of a successful hatching hanging over her head and how everyone would view Aradissicath and her afterwards. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - R'nya - 13.Jan.14 The sound that rumbled free of Xyreith was somewhere in the vicinity of a sickly gurgle tainted with an excited squeal. R’nya just about dropped his drink as he spun around to gawk at his dragon, wondering where from between such an ungainly sound had come from, and why the heck it was coming from his dragon. Xyreith’s expression was almost comical enough to make the bronzerider laugh out loud (though he naturally refrained) and the way his eyes were flickering colours was almost enough to make R’nya sick looking at; he shifted his gaze to focus more on Xyreith’s nose. “What in the world?” His voice was purely confused, and R’nya stepped a few feet closer to his dragon. They had been making their way around what was slowly becoming the new Katila, checking up on goldriders and the young women hoping to become one, while R’nya tried to figure out what the majority of the girls had planned. They did not all get along, and they were not all as friendly with one another as he would have liked. This, R’nya was unfortunate enough to know, meant he would either end up having to slough through six separate birthday parties and politely eat cake at all of them – or all hell would break loose and they’d actually work together to torture him. Neither sounded particularly appealing, and he was in the process of working out an escape plan with Xyreith when the sound had been created by his usually much more dignified dragon. The man was still gawking at the beast in concern. Xyreith stopped in the entrance way, fast and sudden enough that R’nya was catapulted off his neck and over his head. The dragon’s quick reflexes caught the man in one outstretched paw, and he gently set R’nya down – the withering glare of death the bronzerider was aiming at his dragon would normally have had an apology being given. Xyreith, however, was far too busy looking from Aradissicath to the clutch and back again. He gave a sudden croon of delight and strode smugly across the sands to the gold’s side, nudging her shoulder with his nose, before licking her cheek. R’nya half expected the great lump to start bouncing on the spot chanting ‘yay’, what with how he had been behaving since Aradissicath contacted him, and he stood in the entranceway glowering at the bronze beast for several moments before he realised there were anxious candidates too afraid to worm their way past him. He flashed the lot of them an irritated look, and stalked across the sands to where Xyreith was with the girls. A deep sigh was puffed out half way there, and R’nya settled himself beside Rhaedalyn as he flashed the girl a gentle smile. “A lovely way to end the day,” he tossed Rhaedalyn a wink, but kept a polite distance between them. He had been privately awkward ever since their flight, unsure on how to handle his own tumbling storm of emotions and thoughts and desires that came into play around the young goldrider. He had withdrawn entirely, however, when he had realised that whatever it was budding between Rhaedalyn and the bluerider Z’ia appeared to be serious – at least on Rhaedalyn’s part; the coiling vine of jealousy that had threaded through him would not allow him to acknowledge Z’ia as anything positive. So he had withdrawn, refusing to give anyone any reason to gossip about them, or cause trouble. Rhaedalyn seemed happy, and R’nya was quite capable of being happy for the young woman. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - R'vi - 13.Jan.14 Humming? That meant the eggs were about to hatch. Ryvian frowned and looked up at the sky. It was definitely the afternoon still. Their clutches seemed intent on hatching at the worst possible times ever; like the middle of the night or right after a celebration that involved too much bad wine. What a considerate clutch! Well, assuming they didn’t take six hours to actually begin cracking shells and popping out. Ryvian wondered if he had just jinxed them with that thought. His robe was dug out of the pile of clothing he had brought down to the new location with him. His hut still stood in the old location so he had dawdled in bringing things down with him unless it was absolutely needed. Within minutes his clothes were stripped off, tossed on the floor, and the robe was slipped on. Shoes were quick to follow since, like B’jin, Ryvian wasn’t fond of strolling through the hot sand and burning his adorable toes. There was a desire to go find Indivara and not only make sure the girl was still going to Stand but to enter the circuit together. They were friends and he had never had the chance to do so with Indivara yet despite his own numerous walks before the cracking eggs. Despite that desire, Ryvian didn’t give in and continued towards the Sands. Indivara was likely with V’ler as per the new usual and they’d show up together on little Veeth’s back. It didn’t matter, of course, Ryvian told himself as he jogged across the new and smaller Weyr; Indivara was happy and he was a supportive friend that would still be able to stand near her as they watched the hatching together with the crazy mix of fear, anticipation, and excitement. As he rounded the entrance, Ryvian laughed lightly as he surveyed the area. Some riders and dragons were already settling in but he was one of the first Candidates on the scene. Apparently Standing as often as he did, he had mastered the fine art of robing and dashing to the clutch before it started without him. It was actually boarding on sad but Ryvian didn’t care as he strolled towards the eggs and claimed a nice spot before keeping an eye out for Indivara so he could flag her down. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - V'ra - 13.Jan.14 Indivara was a trembling mess, and trying so hard not to show that to V’ler, as she zipped around the little tent they shared, digging desperately through the assorted clothing (most of which was her’s – or things she had stolen off other people) that was piled on the floor. Where was her candidate robe? She was growing particularly frantic as she dug through their blankets, when a pointed cough came from behind her, and Indivara spun around. A vicious glare was levelled on V’ler, who was holding her candidate robe up with his usual smug expression, and Indivara quickly relocated to where he was, hitting him in the chest as she snatched the robe. “Bastard.” Stripping off, and pulling on the robe in a series of quick movements, with her back to V’ler in her usual modest ‘I’m not modest’ manner, Indivara then proceeded to dig up her shoes and flopped onto the bed while she tugged them on. Stamping her feet slightly to settle her feet into the boots, Indivara stood up and then promptly set about shoving V’ler out of the tent and towards Veeth, ignoring his protests until he very firmly set her aside so he could go back to the tent to get some stupid crap he apparently couldn’t live without. Huffing, Indivara peered up at Veeth, and pet him gently on the nose before she set about scrambling up his side, settling herself comfortably in her usual spot and glaring disdainfully down at V’ler for taking so bloody long. The next thing she knew, they were landing at the Sands and Queenie and Saph were flitternig around her head and Indivara was wondering exactly how badly she needed to puke, that maybe she should have gone to the toilet first… Did she really need to pee, or was that just a phantom sensation from how terribly nervous she was all of a sudden? The girl’s face had gone a pasty colour as she stumbled away from Veeth, deep blue eyes searching the milling candidates until she saw Ryvian and Indivara beelined for him, shoving someone out of the way with a sharp jab of her elbow as she went. A trembling hand slid into Ryvian’s, and gripped tightly, knuckles going white as Indivara stood close to the elder Weyrbrat, just barely leaving enough space between them that she was not actually pressed up against him. While she was not visibly trembling, the girl was trying with great dedication to keep her breathing regular, and her wide-eyed gaze darted between the eggs. Would they all Hatch safely? What if there were duds? What if there were another Hoth?! Her fingers clenched around Ryvian’s, all thoughts of actively Impressing completely overwhelmed by the sudden terror that she’d be mauled again, the girl’s breath hitching slightly. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - SunsetWay - 14.Jan.14 Tavynia, Weyrbrat and Gold Candidate Tavynia hadn’t expected Ryvian to come for her since they were Standing for different eggs and wouldn’t be near each other on the sand anyway but it still would have been nice to stroll up hand in hand, looking like the adorable couple they were before parting with a sweet kiss. She would have been fine with how it had ended up if she hadn’t walked onto the Sands to see Indivara draping herself on Ryvian. The little whore just wanted everyone, didn’t she? She already missed her chance with the twin and was now mated to V’ler; who was also gorgeous though his prickly personality never made Tavynia bother seducing him. She glared thoroughly at the pair for several long seconds before another gold Candidate jostled her as she ran by to claim a good spot near the egg. Where were the manners around here? One girl was all up on her man and another just steam rolled whoever she wanted. So very rude! She’d teach them; or at least Indivara. The other girl wasn’t worth her time and it would like petty to retaliate over such a thing. Skipping up to Ryvian and Indivara, Tavynia smiled sweetly at the twin and barely spared a glance to the girl. “Good luck, Ryvvie,” her words were sweet and nearly a song as she got up on her tip toes to cup his face. A slow kiss was given, purposely dragging it out to show off to Indivara and remind her and Ryvian both what Ryvian now had. As she walked back towards the golden egg Tavynia held her sweet smile but she was less than thrilled. She had seen the way Ryvian clutched Indivara’s hand tighter as if to keep the girl from leaving but she had also noticed she held more of his attention in that moment. She’d have to work on that boy a bit more but it’d have to wait. She had a gold hatchling to Impress. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - Rhaedalyn - 14.Jan.14 Rhaedalyn had to keep reminding herself to breathe as they waited for the eggs to hatch. With so many, she had thought they would begin hatching immediately and there wouldn’t be any long delays like some of the previous clutches had. Still, they ended up waiting for nearly an hour before the eggs did more than shake and wriggle around amongst each other. She had just started to think about giving R’nya his gift while they waited, despite being in front of essentially the entire Weyr, when an audible crack stole her attention back to the reason why everyone had gathered. The Wish egg was the first to really get the show going with pieces of its shell fall to the ground and a little nose poking through but it was the Fabrication egg that beat its sibling to the punch and solved the tricky puzzle of the shell. By now, Hope had managed to get a foot free before anything but it resulted in the egg shifting and rolling to its side so the freed foot ended up sticking up into the air. Rhaedalyn gasped and wanted someone to help the poor dear, or to do it herself, but she knew better and simply waited, again holding her breath even as her gaze drifted to Happily Ever After that was losing bits of shell as the seconds wore on. Amongst all of the commotion, Surreal quietly made its way from the shell and watched hatchlings and humans interact. It was all very strange to In the lull that followed, Rhaedalyn found her voice enough to ask if it was lucky to have a brown hatch first, like it was for bronzes. R’nya’s positive answer made her smile but four greens had already hatched as well, which would be frowned upon by some. Then again, she had Impressed at a clutch that was all green with one gold and Aradissicath was amazing so it was all subjective. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - Sennia - 14.Jan.14 Sennia would’ve seriously considered sitting out the Hatching if the fear of never being allowed to Stand didn’t plague her. That, and S’bel’s insistence she hurry up. Dragons were humming, the eggs would be cracking, and she needed to be there. She hurried through her clothes for the familiar garb of a Candidate, tugging back her hair to tie it back, before rushing off as she was supposed to. Which, amusingly enough, seemed all for naught. Since the eggs had not yet popped when she got there. So Sennia was made to wait off to the side, on the hot sands, as everyone else. It was the anticipation she felt would kill her. Rather than staring at the eggs, she found herself stealing glimpses in the gathered to see if S’bel was around. He might not be the most supportive friend ever, but he was really the only one she had. He’d been the one to shove her out here, after all. Well, that and her sense of duty. This was why Sennia was here. To stand for the egg she’d touched before. As she clasped her hands behind her back, the skin cold even in the heat of her nervousness, she tried not to think about all the other failed Impressions. She wasn’t the only one who had stood several times before. She wasn’t alone in that rejection. Then it started. The eggs rocked and cracked. It was a surreal feeling being present for it. Sennia almost held her breath as the tiny dragons began to climb out of their prison. Every one of them were tiny delights. Color never mattered to her, not now. Not when the dragonets stood for so much promise for whomever they impressed. Rankings and expectations were damned now. Instead, it was the excitement of the bond soon to be created. She envied the boy who attached himself to the Brown. The following impressions were just as bittersweet. For every pair that walked off, Sennia found her breath catching in her throat until she was near faint with trembling hope. How wonderful would it be to actually Impress? It was a quiet desire she clutched to her chest even when she had spouted out her aversion of such earlier. Better to deny and not get her hopes up, aloud, then share such an intimate secret. There wasn’t anyone in the weyr she would reveal so much to. No one close to her. Perhaps that was why she wished a dragon more than anything else. To have someone attached to her for the rest of her life, in mutual understanding and a shared sense of thought. Someone who she could not be taken from, as she had lost her husband and daughter. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - Firah - 14.Jan.14 As the humming echoed through his mind Firah stood staring at the well worn robes in his hands. Part of him still wanted to just toss the robes aside and skip out on the hatching all together, he'd done it before so he doubted that the Candidatemasters would be suprised if he did it again, but the other half urged him on. With a sigh the Beastcrafter shifted his weight from one foot to the other before quickly and roughly stripping off his shirt and trousers to pull the slightly beaten up robes over his head and shoulders. Feet and socks were shoved into boots while Firah combed his hair back with his fingers. His nose crinkled as he smoothed the fabric of his robes out. He wasn't entirely fond of the robes, not just because of what they stood for, but because he thought they looked terribly silly. Striking out across the Weyr with determination, the Candidate decided that the sooner he got to the hatching sands the less likely he was to turn right back around and leave the hatching to run its course without him. The wall of heat that greeted him was no more or less horrid than it usually was and the sweat immediately beaded on the edges of his forehead. Swiping at it as he crossed the sands, Firah stalked over to Sennia, who was the only face he really knew among the others. He flashed her a smile. "Well, worst case scenario, there'll be a feast. Good luck Sennia, hope it turns out how you want it to go." Firah gave her a small wave in parting before moving back over to the group of chromatic candidates. He picked a place somewhere to the left of Indivara and Ryvian. Firah watched quietly as the first seven of the eggs hatched and, in their own time, Impressed. He had touched one of the eggs that hatched a Blue, it had passed right by him though, and Impressed a boy close by. The almost envy that he felt startled him. Why should he be envious? Maybe it was because this time around he'd felt very attached to the emotional responses that he'd received from the eggs. Firah hadn't touched very many but those he had had been intriguing enough to leave a lasting impression. Touching the end of his scar, the Beastcrafter shifted so that most of his weight was sunk into his left heel. With forty plus eggs, they were in for a long hatching. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - V'ra - 15.Jan.14 Caught up in the horror of a budding panic attack, as iron bands constricted around her lungs and her blood turned to both ice and fire in her veins, Indivara was barely able to see her own nose, let alone the flouncing attempt of Tavynia to stir up trouble. Indeed, Indivara wasn’t even aware the girl had joined them; she couldn’t hear anything but the pounding of her own breathing and the rushing sound of her own blood in her ears as she struggled not to puke – or worse, perhaps – flee the Hatching Sands entirely. What would she do if she were mauled again? What if one of the eggs cracked and the baby was nothing but half developed mush like that little gold? What if, what if, what if… Indivara choked on a breath, and then gasped suddenly as she felt Ryvian squeeze her hand, head turning and huge, barely focused eyes staring at the young man in bewildered terror for several moments. She calmed, slowly, over the course of the following hour as the eggs made a racket but did not seem to be in any hurry to hatch. She was still terrified, but the distracting conversation Ryvian struck up was bowed into, and Indivara let her friend distract them both as her breathing returned to normal. It took a little while longer before she relaxed the iron clad grip she had on his hand, twisting her hand slightly to weave their fingers together, telling herself she did so only because it were more comfortable that way. “They’re hatching…” it was almost a reverent whisper, and Indivara both stood up taller, and subtly moved a little closer to Ryvian, her gaze shifting between the eggs that were beginning to crack, before a brown finally greeted the light of the Pernese sun with a stumble. Indivara smiled, but she was far too wrapped up in vivid recollections of being mauled by Hoth for laughing to give voice to her amusement. Blue eyes widened dramatically in a pale, scarred face as the blue Hope wandered towards herself and Ryvian. He could not Impress them, surely! Nyvian had gotten a bronze, and so surely Ryvian would be destined for such a dragon himself; Indivara, perhaps because of her terror at every bronze Hatchling that had cracked shell since that fateful even with Hoth, was less firm in her belief that she would reshape the world of Pern by Impressing a bronze. How could she, when she flinched every time one looked her way? But surely she was destined for bronze long before she would form a lifelong link with a blue.. None the less, she was still disappointed when the little creature wandered away from them, having been sure it would choose one of them, despite her reservations that a blue would bring either of them. She squeezed Ryvian’s hand slightly and gave him a gentle bop with her elbow as she turned her gaze up to grin at him as the first lull settled around them. “He wasn’t good enough for you,” she teased, blue eyes sparkling. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - R'nya - 15.Jan.14 R’nya may not have been grinning, but any of his girls that knew him, would have been able to read the pure joy radiating from the stoic bronzerider as he watched the first of the eggs finally hatch, chatting lowly to Rhaedalyn between appearances: reassuring, teasing, delighting in the appearance of each new little baby. He could feel Xyreith’s pride, as the bronze dragon glowed happily, sitting proudly next to Aradissicath and occasionally poking her with a claw, just to make sure she did not become too wrapped up in her own possessive emotions about her babies hatching and leaving her. They could not stay eggs forever! There was a mild concern about the number of green that were making themselves present, however, but nothing too bad just yet. There were many eggs yet to hatch and Xyreith had some understanding of the ratios to expect; at least half the clutch would, technically be half green. He was both amused and slightly disgusted by the memory that flickered across the surface of R’nya’s mind, that Aradissicath had come from an all-green clutch. The great bronze wasn’t quite sure how to form a comeback to that, but settled on making a snide comment about it being Saquith’s fault; useless brown. The lull included more mild talking, and several cheerful quips from Xyreith about his offspring and the young men they were choosing to Impress. There were not many girls on the sands – there never was – but it seemed as if the dragonets could sense the will of the Weyr, and were avoiding Impressing the women in exchange for the steady and acceptable bonding to a boy. It was, perhaps, better that way and R’nya watched as another egg started to wobble, pointing it out gently to Rhaedalyn who looked as if her attention were elsewhere for a few moments. Probably, Aradissicath was complaining! The Stargaze egg was the first to take up the call to arms once more, toppling over sideways and rolling in a half circle, before bumping gently into the Visionary egg, the pair of them rocking quickly and with a shake and a shudder, Stargaze managed to finally escape his shell. The Finally managing to collect himself, While As As How impolite! Huffing with outrage, the Unhappy, and finding that pain was not a manner in which While the young man helped his little bonded move off the sands to be looked at and fed, the Believe egg had found its way free, and the Clearly – and understandably – anxious to be with his dragonet, the young man pushed past his companions and dashed across the sands – unintentionally, and unfortunately, giving the Daydreamer egg a solid kick and sending it flying a good foot above the air towards the Manifestation egg. While the new blue weyrling stood stuck somewhere between frozen terror and shaking uncontrollably and expecting to be eaten alive at any moment, the two eggs smashed together, and inelegantly dumped a pair of green dragonets onto the hot sands. As soon as the two girls dizzily picked themselves up, the youngster took one horrified glance towards the clutch parents and their riders, before fleeing like Thread itself were about to fall upon him to his dragonet. When he had reached him, he began shoving the little beast off the sands, attempting twice to pick up the solid little blue before giving up and simply eyeing off Aradissicath every other second. He couldn’t die, not now, not when he’d Impressed! Disinclined to be outdone, or be the last of the batch to Impress, the R’nya, finding the entire process far more amusing than worrying (though, if he took the time to think about it, was slightly sorry for the Weyrlingmaster that got stuck with the kids) had leaned over to press a delighted kiss to Rhaedalyn’s cheek before striding over to Xyreith and giving his nose a gentle hug. The man was mumbling under his breath, clearly thrilled with the arrival of yet more browns – but most importantly – a bronze… even if it were a rather pathetically natured one, if his sulking over a scratched foot were any indication. Xyreith snorted again. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - R'vi - 16.Jan.14 Even with all of the Hatchings under his belt, Ryvian wasn’t sure if he’d been at one that was so entertaining. The hatchlings seemed to all have crazy personalities, the newly Searched Candidates were amusing with their nervousness and jumping at every sudden movement, and the flying egg from a poorly placed foot was both terrifying and laugh-worthy at the same time. Yes, this Hatching was off to a grand start. Of course it had its disappointments as well and Ryvian had to work hard to keep from frowning or sighing in defeat with the blue dragonet stared at him and then left without Impression. Was he really so undesirable? Not that he’d let anyone know he was still worried over never Impressing, never being good enough, or never living up to the expectations that were placed on him to be like his bronzeriding brother; although he knew deep down that he was the only one who really held such expectations. The squeeze to his hand and gentle elbowing made sure his thoughts stayed firmly in the present and his determination to stay positive didn’t waver as he smiled at Indivara. “As expected. You have to be pretty special to be my mate.” Somehow, his smile never even so much as twitched as the words that were meant to signify the lifemate in the form of dragon suddenly sounded like a weyrmate in the form of a human. Thankfully, more dragonets started to announce their presence and Ryvian turned his attention back to the clutch, waiting for what would happen next. When the strutting blue strode by him some time later, Ryvian was too amused and caught up in laughter to even have a hint of rejection overtake him. “Now, that is a blue that might have been worthy of me. What attitude!” Ryvian absolutely loved that hatchling and made a note to keep tabs on his antics as he got older to see what would become of him and his rider. The same idea could have been had for the bronze Ryvian wasn’t sure if he should find pathetic or be sympathetic over. Scratches hurt! The little guy wasn’t expecting it either. “I’m starting to think bronzes aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, Di,” he grinned with a glance to Indivara. Sure, his brother’s dragon was pretty cool, and even Xyreith was impressive in his own ways but Ryvian hadn’t been a fan of Hoth for what had happened with Indivara at the small bronze’s hatching and now there was the whining bronze that thankfully didn’t look their way. He could feel Indivara tense at times and recalled vividly how she looked with each bronze that hatched in the past and even though he knew the girl wanted to believe she could Impress one of the mighty beasts and change the Weyr, Ryvian suspected his friend never wanted a bronze to get near her again. As more eggs started to crack, Ryvian’s attention returned to them once again, although he caught sight of R’nya kissing Rhaedalyn’s cheek and the goldrider fidgeting shyly; which he had to point out to Indivara. “Do you think Rhaedalyn will die of embarrassment or at the hand of one of the jealous golden girls?” He honestly was surprised there weren’t more fights amongst the girls R’nya kept close to him since the bronzerider was handsome and girls would always be jealous of other girls. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - V'ler - 16.Jan.14 With the two most recent additions to the green population, V’ler added two marks in the green column on the chart he had prepared for the Hatching. Indivara had tried to rush him out the door but there wasn’t a chance he’d show up without his writing tools, especially with such a large clutch. He wanted to keep track of the numbers along with the crazy events on the sands, and who Impressed. As always, V’ler sat atop Veeth for a good view and close to where the Weyrlingmaster stood waiting to collect names of dragonets and honorifics of new riders. Unlike with B’jin, V’ler was careful not to step on the toes of cranky old men or women with something to prove and stayed a careful distance from the dragonrider he wasn’t as familiar with. Even from where he sat, V’ler could see Indivara and Ryvian and found them almost comical. They both seemed nervous, almost scared at times, but continued to smile and reassure the other. He didn’t know what was being said but it was clear they were joking around more than offering advice or soothing stress away. Their antics from day to day were enough to drive a lesser man insane but V’ler had turned all the unspoken words and drama into lyrics, using the friends as inspiration. He almost didn’t want them to acknowledge what they had or didn’t have since there was a lot of potential to milk out of them still before writing their sappy love songs that were sure to come out one day. Not that he needed them; R’nd and B’jin were providing enough to last a new song every week. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - Rhaedalyn - 16.Jan.14 Aradissicath was handling the entire affair rather well in Rhaedalyn’s opinion. She sat mostly quietly, swatting at Xyreith was the bronze pushed his luck too much here and there but she didn’t storm across the sand to eat anyone or any of their firelizards. It was a grand success in the goldrider’s books! Or, it was until a particularly excited fellow kicked one of the eggs. The low rumble that came from Aradissicath actually startled Rhaedalyn enough that the girl took several steps away from the great gold before collecting herself and putting her foot down. “You will not eat him for that, Aradissicath.[/i] It was a battle of wills for much longer than Rhaedalyn would have liked. She didn’t have the confidence in her abilities to control the dragon and it was terrifying to think what would happen if the gold had the stronger mind in their connection. In the end, Aradissicath backed down but mostly due to the newly bonded boy nearly dragging his hatchling off the sand and sneaking out of view. Thankfully, everything else seemed to go rather smoothly and Aradissicath calmed down once more though it seemed like she wanted to go check on the whining bronze. He’s clearly of Xyreith’s making. I am made of sterner stuff. Rhaedalyn giggled at the comment and glanced at Xyreith but didn’t say anything to the bronze pair, especially not when R’nya caught her off guard with the kiss to her cheek. She blushed and looked at her toes, fingers suddenly playing with each other. She hadn’t expected that! Fret later, dear. More of dear eggs are anxious to greet the Weyr. Aradissicath was still sad over losing her reason to spend time on the quiet Sands but she was warming up to the idea of showing everyone how amazing her clutch would be and nosed the girl into watching as a foot appeared from Hallucination before it quickly slipped back inside the shell. It seemed like the egg was living up to its name as some people squinted and rubbed their eyes as if unsure they actually saw a dragonet about to hatch. It was doubly confusing when Illusion unknowingly copied its sibling and stuck a foot through the shell and pulled back to hide again. Everything seemed to fall silent for several minutes as everyone kept watch on the two eggs near each other, waiting for one or both to show themselves. It was finally Pensive that broke the silence and scrambled free of his shell. Despite the quickness of his appearance, Finally, more shells started to break away in larger pieces and Fantasizer egg had taken that time during all the commotion to wriggle enough that she finally emerged to little fanfare. In fact, As Walking was clearly too slow for Rhaedalyn smiled brightly as the gold pair made their exit and spun around to give Aradissicath a hug. “She survived and she’s full of so much energy! Definitely your baby, Dissi. We’ll have to meet her later.” Her reservations about other goldriders was momentarily forgotten in the joy of a new gold dragon gracing their numbers. She had been so much fun to watch, but those poor girls; she knew the disappointment and wished them all happiness and luck as they left the Sands. Once Upon a Time was knocked over by Myth as it tried to break free. Instead, it only served to assist Once Upon a Time in the struggle as the impacted side crumpled away and a green hatchling rolled free. Myth wasn’t happy about still being inside the egg and muffled squeaks of protest were heard coming from within. Finally, with enough motivation, Myth got moving again and bashed into Phantasm which freed them both and sent green hatchlings sprawling. Never in a hurry but not one to want to be left behind either, Romanticist was heard tapping against its shell until a small hole turned into a larger one. A blue head peeked out and it wasn’t long before he was fully released from the shell. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - T'drin - 16.Jan.14 You were rather adorable when you were first hatched too, Gel, T'drin replied quite drily earning a grunt from Gelabrith. Did you see the size of this clutch, Gel? he told the bronze, Forty two eggs. There's bound to be more bronzes. T'drin shook his head as Gelabrith grunted again and hummed in full force. One bronze wouldn't be unheard of but with a clutch this size there had to be more. It couldn't be only one and the rest greens, blues, and browns. There was a gold, of course, but T'drin was more concerned with the bronzes. They would be his and Gelabrith's competition when they matured or their compadres, his concern was warranted. As the next few hatched, more blues and a green was his only thought until Gelabrith's humming took on a different cadence. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - Firah - 16.Jan.14 Firah frowned at the Blue who passed by him and watched as the boy immediately to his right bent to greet his new mindmate. He crossed his arms for a moment before touching the side of his face with a sigh. Was the whole clutch either haughty or exuberant? With eyes trained on the Bronze who had hatched the appearance of the Believe Blue was startling. Cautiously Firah moved his body to and fro as he attempted to keep an eye on the bouncing and chittering Blue who was currently doing circles around him. Just as quickly as the Blue had begun bouncing around it stopped and sighed. The hatchling's rainbow eyes made the beastcrafter tense up for a moment, until he realized that he felt absolutely nothing. Hadn't he heard the new Weyrlings jabber on about how stupidly amazing the moment of Impression felt? Firah was left with his confusion until the boy the blue had actually Impressed to came running up to collect his Dragon... and kicked an egg into another egg in the process. If his eyes could go any wider he would not have been considered human. Despite feeling pity for the boy Firah pressed the palm of his hand against his forehead as he replayed the scene in his head. Running through the egg ridden sands had been a stupid idea. When the boy finally managed to make his way over to them, Firah made sure to step well back from the Blue and the boy in case Aradissicath did decide to eat the boy. And with her rumbling like that he wanted nothing to do with the new Bluepair. In fact he didn't retake his old position until they were well off the sands. Obviously his Blue based harassment wasn't over quite yet as he was jostled by two more of the little hatchlings as they passed around him in their mock fight. And then the Gold egg hatched. Folding his hands behind his back, Firah watched as the wobbly female began to walk over to the gaggle of Gold candidates. When the little Queen Impressed he let out the breath he'd been holding. Good, Sennia hadn't Impressed. He remembered her saying something about not actually wanting to Impress one, hopefully that was still how she felt. They hadn't been able to speak very much in the recent days. Moving out of the way of a passing Brown, Firah glanced at the adult Dragons that ranged around the arena. If there was one thing that was truly impressive about them was their size. When he had first been deposited in the South it had been something he had to wrap his mind around. Dragons had been bedtime stories, things from myths and then suddenly he was drowning in them. Now he knew too well that they existed. With a little shake of his head he returned his attention to the sands, with all the little hatchlings running about it was probably best not to get distracted. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - R'nya - 17.Jan.14 Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - R'vi - 17.Jan.14 Ryvian’s feet were starting to get sore from standing for so long without moving and he casually lifted one foot slightly off the ground to roll the ankle and relieve the pressure for a bit before switching feet. It helped but he still would have preferred to walk around or sit down. Such was the downside of a large clutch, especially one that was filled with exuberant hatchlings that were zipping around every which way! He didn’t want to accidentally stroll into the path of one of the babies and be devoured by an angry gold dragon. As he considered leaning on Indivara to help distract him from the standing and waiting between eggs, a haughty bronze made an Impression and Ryvian snorted softly. What a contrast from the last one! He really wasn’t sure about that colour of dragon anymore. They seemed to be all over the board with personality what with the pathetic one, the current snooty one, and the hyper child types like Ronarth. They all seemed like too much of a handful and definitely more suited to someone like his brother who had the patience and personality to counter and handle them. He actually ended up missing the brown appear and Impress as the little blue that spilled free of his egg caught his attention. He was such an odd array of hues but it was the confusion he displayed that really drew Ryvian in. He could get behind that emotion since he had often felt it while being surrounded by eggs as well. He quirked his head to the side as the blue came a bit closer and then hesitated. It was likely going to end like the last few that came towards them had – with the hatchling moving right on by to find someone else. When he turned to leave, Ryvian gave a little laugh, not at all surprised he had just be proven correct in the assumption he was being toyed with again. When the blue came back and marched right up to him, however, Ryvian felt his entire world shift. He gasped and stared down at the blue that stared up at him. He squeezed Indivara’s hand a bit tighter, not at all convinced anything was real in that moment, as his other hand started to reach out to pet the little blue only to hesitate. Would touching him make everything real or would it ruin the dream and he’d wake up alone in bed? No, it was all real. He knew it deep within as surely as he felt that void in losing Nyvian being filled so perfectly that it was like he had never been alone before. The sudden pangs of hunger didn’t hurt the realisation it was all real either. Finally, he allowed himself to touch the blue’s head and when nothing exploded and the ground didn’t swallow him and he didn’t fall out of bed, Ryvian smiled at the hatchling that had deemed him worthy. All that waiting, all those turns, all the doubt that started to consume him until a little egg not long before had encouraged him to be strong, was worth it. The moment was perfect. Almost. “I’m not leaving you, Di. You’ll join me over there soon, I know it.” It wasn’t just a pep talk or fancy words designed to keep Indivara on the Sands and keep her spirits high; Ryvian completely believed it. He had to. He couldn’t imagine leaving her behind like Kerrin had done so long before them and then Nyvian did to him soon after. He didn’t want to see Indivara left standing alone on the rapidly emptying hatching ground with nothing but shell pieces and shattered hope. It had nearly ruined him and had in fact broken him for months. Indivara wouldn’t have anyone else from her immediate and close circle of friends to Stand with her and make comments about how none were good enough for them and it was their friends that were suffering with inferior dragons. As baby steps were taken to catch up to Vydoriath, Ryvian reluctantly let go of Indivara’s hand and gave his best hopeful expression. The walk to the feeding area felt like the hike to the lake. He had just been mentally complaining about standing still but now Ryvian didn’t like all the walking and distance it created between Indivara and him. Somewhat shell-shocked, the newest blue pair went up to the Weyrlingmaster to report in. “Blue Vydoriath and…” he glanced down at the dragonet that had been quiet thus far, as if watching how everyone would react to their bond. The voice that finally filled his mind was like warm laughter and Ryvian smiled at the little guy. “Blue Vydoriath and R’vi,” R’vi’s smile grew as he led his dragon to a spot where they could sit and eat but also have a clear view of Indivara. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - Rhaedalyn - 17.Jan.14 Rhaedalyn was thrilled with each pair that bonded and moved off to the side but it was seeing Indivara, someone she considered a friend of sorts, Impress that made her give him a squeal of joy and bounce on the balls of her feet. The young woman had wanted to Impress for so long and despite her rough exterior, she had been kind and helpful when Rhaedalyn needed it most so it warmed the goldrider to see her with a dragon of her own. It wasn’t the bronze the girl always said she would Impress but the blue looked adorable and was no doubt perfect for her all the same. Incongruous didn’t seem to like all of the attention staying on its siblings and violently kicked at its shell until it fell away enough for a green hide to appear in the fading light. The green pair went to get food and another lull took over the eggs. They were still rocking and cracking but there didn’t seem to be much more effort being put into actually hatching. There were eight eggs remaining and despite the movement to indicate that most seemed to well, Aradissicath started to worry that she had laid duds. She swatted at Xyreith’s paw when it came by to prod her again and added a tail whack to his backside for good measurement. She may have had lousy spatial awareness but she had grown rather skilled in landing a thwack to the pestering bronze. “Dissi is worried about the remaining eggs and if… when, they’ll appear.” Rhaedalyn explained softly to the bronze pair that had kept her company throughout the ordeal. Yet again she was glad that if someone other than her precious bluerider Z’ia had to win the flight, it was R’nya. Aspiration was the first to finally prove that all was well as the top of the egg shattered from a good head-butting and the hatchling crawled free when he toppled the egg over. Woolgathering, On Gossamer Wings, and Optimist all retaliated with high pitched shrills of protests from within their eggs but each one finally broke free and perhaps unsurprisingly produced all greens. Satisfied with his job, Rhaedalyn couldn’t stop the giggle at her dragon’s comment but did her best to pass it off as something done for Vagary had taken the opportunity of everyone being distracted by the greens to quietly make his way out of the egg that been hit earlier on during other moments of excitement. The first thing he saw upon taking in the new world was It, naturally, turned out that The remaining two eggs sat on opposite ends of the mess of egg shells and Rhaedalyn had trouble deciding which one she should focus on as her gaze bounced between them. It was Inspiration that proved it didn’t want to be the last to hatch as one leg and then another shot through the weakened shell. A little more wriggling of the legs finally had enough of the egg broken away that Seeing that his immediate audience of siblings and Candidates was severely lacking, All eyes were on Emotionalist and Rhaedalyn could feel the tension coming from everyone, especially Aradissicath. They both wanted everything to go perfectly like how it would in their stories but the final egg was close to ruining that dream. It had stopped shaking, the shell riddled with cracks that needed a light breeze to knock it apart. Rhaedalyn was about to ask R’nya what they should do when He may have been the last to hatch but That one is also yours. A pampered brat. Rhaedalyn bit her lower lip to keep from giggling. Xyreith was a bit of a brat but so was Aradissicath. It was easy to see that bronze hatchling as the product of both of the grown dragons sitting near her but she’d leave such remarks to Xyreith if he felt so inclined. “They all hatched, Ren! And a bronze to end on. That’s as good as opening with a bronze or brown, right?” Not that it mattered to the girl. The largest Katilan clutch had hatched without a dud or any serious injury! She was so proud of Aradissicath and the hatchlings that the desire to hug them all was overwhelming. Luckily, the hug she gave to Aradissicath was enough to satisfy the urge. “Forty-two beautiful babies! Well done, Dissi. And you as well, Xyreith.” Rhaedalyn looked up from the golden neck her face was buried in to compliment the bronze. He had been extremely kind to Aradissicath when she was sand-bound and he deserved the praise as well. As she suddenly remembered what day it was again, Rhaedalyn turned her attention to R’nya. “Happy birthday, Ren,” the words were whispered and she quickly pulled the shirt from her basket to present as the gift it was meant to be. She knew they had an audience although most would still be focused on the dragonets but it didn’t matter to the excited and extremely relieved girl. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - V'ra - 18.Jan.14 It was the kind of silence that was deafening; Indivara stared at Ryvian, blue eyes wide and so many emotions playing through them that, had the girl been a dragon, the only colour visible would have been the colour of rainbow puke. Her tongue darted out to lick at suddenly dry lips, and Indivara let Ryvian’s hand pull free from her own without fighting it, her own fingers as numb as her mind. Her stomach felt heavy and her blood felt cold in her veins. Ryvian had Impressed – and it was a good thing, she knew it was a good thing. He deserved a dragon of his own… but he had abandoned her! He had left her all alone on the sands without anyone to call friend. Her bottom lip trembled suddenly, and Indivara took a moment to become aware of the fact that she was about to fall apart like one of those girls who didn’t deserve anything and she pulled herself together with some effort. Biting down harshly on her bottom lip, Indivara turned with a determined swirl back towards the clutch; not that she had any hope or belief that she would Impress. How many times had she and Kerrin and even Nyvian told Ryvian that ‘that’ clutch would be the one? How many times had he walked off those sands, with nothing at his side but airs of disappointment? Indivara was hardly stupid, despite the opinion of many people around her, and she was smart enough to know that the presently hatching clutch was the only one where no one had told the young man that this time he would be lucky, that this time his dragonet would crack shell. No, this time he’d walked on without any such well wishes that Indivara was aware of – and this time he had walked off before the end, with a pretty little dragonet in tow. Despite Indivara’s solid and determined stance, the girl felt nothing but hopelessly depressed. Ryvian had just wished her luck, as they had unwittingly wished him so many times. Had he just passed the curse on to her? She knew the limitations that were enforced upon the women that wanted a real dragon – not some gold snot nose bitch (Indivara ignored Krypth’s rather snippy response to that) – and she knew she’d already pressed so many buttons she was quite lucky she hadn’t been eternally banned from being anywhere near the sands. She was just glad none of the gold had ever so much as looked in her direction. Indivara detested the idea of being bonded to such a colour, but she was also fairly sure that S’kef would rather sacrifice a gold dragonet by tossing her between than he would allow Indivara to graduate with such a creature. Indivara’s breath hitched in her throat as the bulky little dragon sat quietly where he was, staring at her and clearly waiting for her to join him, expression patient but expectant. And slightly smug, Indivara noticed, though she wasn’t sure if it were in his eyes and features she learned that, or the suddenly overwhelming emotions she could feel swirling into life alongside her own. The girl’s knees buckled, and she stumbled forward before she could fall. Gentle encouragement kept her walking, completely unaware of the people around her, or the other dragonets, as she closed the distance between herself and Venseth. A visibly trembling hand reached out, and gentle fingers brushed over the young dragon’s face, from nose tip to the top of his head, awe on the girl’s face. “Hi,” Indivara murmured, and was slightly startled by the suddenly overwhelming feeling of laughter. Baby dragons felt very strongly! “Indivara,” her voice was a murmur, and Indivara looked both flustered and incredibly proud as she lifted her chin, staring up at the Weyrlingmaster in a forthright manner, but not quite disrespectful. “And Venseth.” The dragon’s name was spoken loudly enough for V’ler to hear, since she knew he kept his own personal records, and the girl watched as their names were marked down by the Weyrlingmaster. Turning, she lead Venseth over to where Ryvian was standing with his blue; the last few feet were crossed at a run after a skipping half-step was taken, Indivara throwing both arms around his neck with a half laugh, half sob as she clung to him. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - Flora - 18.Jan.14 Flora watched again from the sidelines her fateful pup by her side. Her body had healed up from that last hatching she was at but she was still content to watch the others impress inside. Her eyes glanced over the eggs as she watched the candidates go onto the sands. she knew the eggs would all soon hatch and impressions would be made. She wasn't upset or angry about not being there herself there was plenty of time to go back she was still only a weyrbrat. She leaned down and petted Iris as they both watched. She wondered if any of her friends would be making it this time. He breath caught as the first egg cracked what would it be? Would it be a good sign or ill omen. Re: Carpe Diem [Hatching] - Alerae - 21.Jan.14 Alerae was ready for the Hatching, as she had been keeping an ear out for when it might be occuring. She dressed quickly and plaited her hair down her back to keep it out of the way. She firmly told Tank and Opal to remain in her rooms as Aradissicath had been seeming rather waspish and she didn't want to risk her darlings getting hurt. She joined the other girls as they were herded into the Sands. Her eyes moved between watching the Gold egg and the rest of the Hatching. With so many eggs, the Hatching was bound to take some time. She would luck out though, for as soon as the egg hatched, she would be leaving the grounds, hopefully with a new mate. Alerae froze as the Gold egg began rocking. When it fell down and stopped moving, she let out a brief cry of dismay. Not another dud Gold so soon after the one Indivara had discovered. A sigh of relief seemed to be emanating from everyone as the shell broke, revealing the gold dragonet. She was an energetic one, more like the typical Green as she spun and jumped around. The little one might be a bit of a handful. She giggled, but was hushed by one of the other girls. The woman's eyes shot open as the Gold suddenly turned and came right at her. And knocked her over. "Oof!" was all that she could manage as she suddenly had a dragon standing over her. She looked into the eyes of the dragonet...but felt nothing. She didn't see the rainbow eyes or hear any voice in her head. Her face fell as they seemed to realize that they weren't bonded at the same moment. Alerae coughed on sand as the Gold left her to figure out who her Rider really was. Alerae slowly stood back up. What was wrong with her? Why would the Gold come so close, and then leave. What did that simpering waif have that she, Alerae, didn't? A most unbecoming scowl had formed on the woman's face as she turned and left the Sands, not bothering to see how the rest of the Hatching fared. |