[G] [C] 731.04.19 | Reach For The World Above [GROUP 1 EGG TOUCHING]

G’rem & Blue Remeneth – Weyrling Master

The day was mild, but this was of little concern to G'rem. He was soon to spend thirty minutes on the sharding hot sands, just so the Candidates could see the eggs. If it wasn't tradition he wouldn't do it, it irritated him and the queen on the sands, and would be much easier to avoid her wrath. Luckily for today's group, Nirinath was feeling quite placid. Tapping his stick on the ground he surveyed the group of twelve before him. The Weyrleaders, to whom he gave a sly glance, had deemed the clutch large enough to allow the Candidates to be split into three groups of twelve or thirteen. Which was perfect of course, keeping an eye on a dozen irritating twenty turn olds around a highly-irritable Gold and her eggs was G'rem's idea of a fun afternoon.

"Ahem. Alright. Those of you that were here for the last clutch know how this goes, or I sharding hope you remember anyway! For the rest of you, listen up carefully. If you misbehave or upset Nirinath in any way, you will be escorted out of the Sands and barred from future touchings." G'rem paused, staring at each Candidates with hard eyes.

"You will enter single file, quietly. Pay your respects to the queen. Bowing and thanking her for this privilege," he added, seeing the vacant expressions on some faces. "Then, you can slowly go amongst the eggs. Do not trip, do not stumble, do not move suddenly. We don't know why, but the eggs emit various feelings. They are strong, and shocking. Keep your wits about you and don't recoil sharply. If you damage an egg you will never stand and will be reduce to drudge's work for the rest of your pitiful life."  G'rem paused again, letting his words sink into the Candidates before them. While he had never seen a Candidate damage an egg, he had heard rumours from other Weyrs when they had lived in the North.

Glancing over to Tsuen and D'ren he gave them a short nod, gesturing for them to enter the Sands before leading the Candidates inside.

Inside, Nirinath was poised protectively over the clutch of eighteen. G'rem waited for the Weyrwoman to speak to her Gold and to persuade the 'strange, grimy children' to touch her precious eggs like she did every clutch. At Tsuen's signal, he let the Candidates proceed forward, watching them like a hawk as they approached the eggs.

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Alrighty guys, here's how it goes down! Get your Candidate in, and pick one egg per post. Feel free to interact with the NPCs in passing! Once you've picked an egg, you'll get a reply from Katila Weyr detailing what the egg feels like to your character. Once everyone has picked one, you can pick a second! We may go to a third, depends how we're going for time. Make sure you head over to the Egg Bets thread and post your bets on what's in each egg!

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Played by Featherpirate

Valerian had convinced himself that the class dedicated to touching the eggs wouldn't be a big deal despite the fascination with dragons he had held since he was a child or the odd little friendship he felt he had with green Larrikith. It was the dragon within that was the main attraction so why would he care about the shell that currently nourished and housed the little guys? He knew they were just as important, perhaps even more so since they inspired hope, but the idea of standing on hot sands with a cranky dragon and equally cranky group of riders didn't appeal to him. Still, he wasn't foolish enough to skip such an apparently important part of being a Candidate--an odd tradition without any actual proof that it worked-- nor was he going to do anything to bring harm to the eggs or himself.

As G'rem issued their instructions in his gruff and straightforward way, Valerian ran a hand through his hair, fingers gently massaging at his scalp, as he looked around at the others in his class. He was a bit disappointed that Allendris, Erisi, and even Kuminari had been tossed into another groups. Instead he had some of the dimglows and the amusing kid that had shown up late to the sexuality class. Kerrin? That sounded about right. He'd have to try socializing with him a bit more since they seemed to have the same view on some people. He didn't get a chance to continue his inspection of the group as G'rem stopped giving out the rules and was now ushering them into the Hatching Circuit.

As he walked over the sands that still left his feet tingling through the thick soles of his boots, Valerian found he was holding his breath. The sight of Nirinath posing so regally near her eggs was nothing short of stunning. Even the clutch was more impressive than he expected! That thought would have annoyed him given the stance he thought he had already taken on the whole thing but Valerian was now to caught up in the moment and trying to follow the rules so he didn't end up as a dragon snack or responsible for setting the dragon population back a few more turns. He had tuned out most of the others around him as he approached the clutch and Nirinath and took a deep breath to steady himself and shake off any negative thoughts circling his head. He really didn't want the beautiful golden queen to misunderstand and think he was about to purposely harm her eggs!

"Thank you for allowing me to view your eggs, Queen Nirinath. It's quite an honour," he might have had a sharp tongue but it also knew when to spiel pleasantries and in this case, Valerian meant it. He bowed first to the dragon following his words and then gave a deep head nod to the weyrleaders before moving closer to the eggs. He had no idea which one to pick, having not thought about that part in advance. He imagined some would try to find the eggs that housed bronze or go for the most colourful or the largest. Instead, he followed his instinct and came up upon one of the smaller eggs that was fairly nondescript in its pale tan with cream marbled throughout it colouring. Without further questions and no hesitations, Valerian knelt and gently placed his hand on the shell.

---

Cool Façades Egg

Cool Façades Egg
Valerian's gentle touch was rewarded with an equally gentle feeling. Though at first it is quite hesitant, it is soothing and calm. A light coolness spreads throughout his body, reaching into every fingertip and toe. It provides relief from the burning sands, though it doesn't quite remove the entirety of the heat. After a few moments there is a hesitant tap in Valerian's mind, as if the inhabitant is checking on whether he could be trusted. What feels like hours passes before it seems like Valerian passes whatever checks the growing dragon had placed. A soft loyalty wraps his mind, trust and kindness spreading throughout him.

Kerrin stood with uncharacteristic solemnity as he listened to G'rem's speech with only half an ear. He knew the routine, even if he hadn't been allowed to stand for Nirinath's first clutch. He'd dreamed of this moment often enough since boyhood to have already gone through every single motion in his mind, step-by-step, at least a thousand times. His father, too, had lectured him time and time again on what would be expected of him once he'd stepped foot on the Hatching Circuit - and from the unusual hoarseness of the old brownrider's voice and the way those searching dark eyes had met his own in the morning hours before Kerrin had joined his class for their Touching, the boy somehow knew that his father was just as anxious as he was. The man would never say it aloud, but Kerrin suspected that B'ker was just as eager to see his boy Impressed as the weyrbrat was himself to step onto those sands on Hatching day and find his proper lifemate.

Kerrin loved Ayyonth, he really did, and Zhiranth too. He reveled in the closeness he felt with them, well knowing that the ability to hear and communicate with another's dragon as clearly as he did with those two was a very rare gift. But for all the joy and pride he felt when he felt the warmth of Ayyonth's affection or Zhiranth's reassuring protectiveness touching gently upon his mind, the boy was also acutely aware that there was simply no way those weak and tenuous mind-links could possibly compare to the bond that R'nd or his father shared with their respective dragons. He could not possibly know what it felt like to share your entire being with another creature, but shells, he wanted to! He craved it. Kerrin had overheard those foolish hold-bred Stolens whispering about how horrifying it must be to 'sacrifice one's entire life and soul' to a dragon, or some other such ignorant nonsense. The weyrbrat suppressed a scoff as he revisited those thoughts, his gaze lingering a moment on the other Candidates as they walked in a single-file line ahead of him towards the sands. What did they know?

For a rider, being with his dragon was Completion.

Soon enough it was his turn to green Nirinath, and he faced the gorgeous gold beast he felt those tense and unsavory thoughts simply evaporate beneath the sheer force of his awe for the queen in that moment. Kerrin acknowledged, easily, that in many ways he was a selfish, bratty, and insolent boy. That was the whole reason he hadn't stood for Katila's first clutch, after all, and even though his attitude had improved vastly since then it still simply wasn't in his nature to easily show respect or deference towards others. However, when widened almond-shaped eyes met those of the gleaming golden queen, Kerrin felt his head dip in a bow as if of its own accord, a lump of emotion rising to his throat. "Thanks, Nirinath," he whispered, voice thick, and he could feel the beginnings of hot tears welling up in his eyes as it hit him: maybe, just maybe, there was a dragon waiting out there for him.

And if there was, it was all thanks to this beautiful, glowing creature in front of him.

Kerrin bowed once more to the weyrleaders, hastily, quite obviously feeling rather embarrassed to have lost his composure so thoroughly and in front of so many other Candidates. They were all older than him, and Stolens at that, which didn't help matters any when it came to his self-consciousness. Quickly he made his way to the clutch, dragging a sleeve across his eyes and hoping the others were all so overwhelmed by their Touchings that they wouldn't notice his quiet sniffling as he knelt reverently beside a rather eye-catching egg. The unique pattern on its shell appealed to him; in fact, dare he say that the yellow and green crosshatching pattern was rather stylish? He smiled at the thought that a little fashionista dragon might be lurking inside of it. Well, who knew? Kerrin reached out, gingerly touching the Irresponsible Flight egg.

The sands burned under her feet. How stupid was she to not have worn solid respectable boots. Not that she could find any that fit her. Lymsleia kicked herself for  wearing  her every day shoes. She'd felt sand between her toes at the beach, but this was rediculous, it felt like her feet were roasting on hot coals.  But the eggs were an enticement. She  simply stared. Star struck at her first view of dragon eggs. She felt her knees buckle a moment a thought.  She stepped lightly ont he sands, she wanted to dance, but G'rem's warning keep her leggs firmly planted step by step.The dark-haired girl approached the golden Queen, Lymsleia felt her voice shake as she inhaled. Emotion clouded her mind, and then easing away as she brushed away a tear.

She bowed low, but then on a whim took it a step farther, sliding to her knees, and bending foreward pressing her head to the sands. She could practically feel blisters forming on her brown forehead. "Thank you, Nirinath, your children are lovely, and I  for one am honored to be here." she felt unusual bowing so low, but it felt right. This female had given her all to produce this clutch, and she was apparently the last fertile female on the planet. A scary thought. Lymsleia rose slowly, measuring her breaths and checking her pulse as she got to her feet again.  She looked once at the eggs, just a for a moment realizing she didn't know what the 'children' yet looked like, but

She backed away slowly from Nirnath and turned her attention back to the eggs.  The few times she'd had a dragon touch her mind, she realized how gentle they all had been. Sweet, intruiged, though she'd really only met Ronarth on that level. She admired him. The big bronze who'd fathered this clutch of children made her smile.

"Dragon-man, dragon-man, between thee and thine, show us a love that's more divine." she intoned as she moved among the eggs carefully. G'rem's warning played in her head repeatedly as she walked towards the eggs. What was it like to truly touch the mind of a dragon. Ronarth's touching of her own mind had felt like a thin thread, not worn-thing, but naturally  so, perhaps a rider-to dragon bond felt more like a good strong rope? She mused on it as she found herself standing in front of one of the eggs. She looked at her choices. Most were intriguingly colored. No chicken could have produced eggs like this. The pale yellow, green,grey and white of the Detailed Presence egg had her attention. She scanned the sands again, the grey-blue egg reminded her for a brief moment of looking at mirror her eyes were almost the hose shades, but she shook her head. No she needed to be focus. What sort of dragon lay within such a swirled shell? She smiled, knelt down, it felt easier to get on the dragon's 'height' and touch the shell. "Who are you?"  she breathed in a cooing voice. It was the same voice she used with infants. "Who will you become?"

Irresponsible Flight
Kerrin's ginger touch was rewarded with a violent shake from the egg. Or was it all just in his head? A thought flashed through the front of his mind. What was that? Heat? Another! The egg shivered, sending thought after thought after thought through the youngest Candidate's mind. They were fast and rapid, with no relevance or true content. As the speed intensified, heat began to pour into Kerrin's mind, filling every pore on his face and his hands. This heat was no competition for the Sands, the temperature on his knees and shins was long forgotten for the new feeling he was experiencing. Something in the egg's thoughts dared him to try and focus on one individual thought, as it tried to drag him to insanity.

Detailed Presence Egg
Lymsleia's touch earned no response from the egg. Further caresses continued to offer no response from the egg, nothing tangible or visible anyway. This egg was very quiet and subtle in it's actions, as if it's inhabitant was just sitting back and watching. Although, given it's size, one might thing the dragon inside was too underdeveloped to hatch, perhaps. Slowly, the thoughts in Lymsleia's head cleared away, leaving her mind empty and blank. Meekly she looked around, observing everyone and everything. There were tiny patterns in the sand where people had walked. The way the eggs were arranged, how the Candidates were knelt beside them. There were patterns everywhere, how she breathed, how others moved. On the eggs, and on Nirinath's shining hide. While the egg didn't create a feeling, it did seem to clear Lymsleia's mind so she could see all the tiny details.

Valerian was far removed from everyone and everything surrounding him. He was barely even conscious of the hot sands beneath his knees that he had fallen to from his crouch after the soothing sensation touched him. G’rem had mentioned the eggs emitted various feelings but he hadn’t worn them how strong they could be. As a man who held his emotions close to himself and didn’t place a strong trust in most, it was completely overwhelming. This egg with its reserved colouring and hesitant occupant was reaching out to him. When the tap against his mind came, he didn’t recoil or try to block out the intrusion both thanks to Larrikith merrily poking around in his mind before but also because he simply didn’t want to. He was curious and even worried that he was about to be found lacking and let the little explorer search for what it was after.

When judgement came in the form of loyalty with trust and kindness flooding his mind, Valerian breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you for trusting me,” the words were barely audible as realization that this tiny and vulnerable creature didn’t view him as a threat. The dragonet within wasn’t negatively judging him for any of his actions leading up to this moment but found him as someone that could be let into its little world and protect it. Valerian now had both hands on the shell and wanted to say more, to say how much it meant to have that loyalty, to say he’d work hard to never disappoint the dragon but he was suddenly drawn back to the Hatching Circuit by a male giggling nearby and the calm and cooling sensation receded. The moment was over and Valerian felt at a loss without that trusting touch. He could now understand more accurately what the riders had with their dragons and how B’jin could put up with such abuse from Larrikith and still give her a loving smile.

She wanted to hold onto that clarity and make it her own. "Thank you." she whispered to the egg. She felt her body slump against the sands, whispering her thanks to the small dragon inside the egg. Did they remember when they hatched who spoke to them? She was intruiged by this but got to her feet. Lingering by one egg, while letting its sibling stay untouched by human hands and hearts wasn't right. But she did silently thank the little dragon again for clearing her mind of the thorns and weeds which plagued it.  Lymsleia could see the path now. And what glorious path it was.

  She managed to find her feet, pushing off the sand slowly, she looked around. The other eggs were touched by other candidates. She reached back out to hestitant touch the egg that had given her clarity and then withdrew her hand. "Thank you."

With a small smile, Valerian gave a light petting to the egg and got back to his feet. That was intense and the harper was glad he had decided to follow through with attending the class after all. It may still be a silly tradition and he might not Impress the little trusting dragon but he was thankful for having that brief experience all the same. It was actually a shame he had to leave the little thing behind and he found himself whispering words of encouragement to grow strong, stay safe, and maybe they would be able to meet again soon.

Trying to contain the smile the waves of kindness had inspired, Valerian stepped back from the little egg and glanced around at his classmates. They were all still engrossed in their own experiences and G’rem didn’t seem ready to pull them off the sands just yet so maybe he could Touch one more egg. Two steps to his left and he was facing a bluish-grey egg that seemed to be the darkest in the clutch. In Valerian’s estimation, that made it unique and deserved his attention. Once more crouching down, he placed a careful hand on the shell.

---

Empty Room Egg.

Empty Room Egg
Valerian's careful hand wasn't rewarded. True to it's name, the Empty Room egg felt exactly that, empty. It wasn't slow to reveal itself, or quiet, there was sheerly nothing there. Was there even a forming dragon inside? Perhaps the egg was physically empty, or the dragon was mentally not there. Maybe it was the inhabitant's way of rejecting Valerian's touch. It was impossible to know, but no doubt Valerian would be leaving this egg dejected and unsatisfied, potentially worried.

Lymselia's clarity made her world -at least for her almost become shades of grey. The path was clear, though as grey scale melted back into the colors of the sands. A cool beige with the colors of the candidates outfits remind her of where she was.

She moved and took careful note of the light as the patterns in the her small universe swirled and moved. Was this what it was like to be a dragon, to have everything so blissfully clear? The next egg that on her list intruiged her wildly.  The Indecision Paramount Egg had her attention te swirls green reminded her of the grass she used to race her runners on with her brothers. And the white clouds above them as they passed. She smiled at the egg. "Your sibling little one, made me mind clear as the night sky..." she cooed to the egg. "What will you do, enlighten me please?" she questioned gently, as she reached out to touch the shell.

Kerrin nearly reeled back in surprise from the violent shudder and searing heat that radiated from the egg, but for better or for worse, even this egg's intensity was hardly a match for the weyrbrat's own stubbornness. His face and palms burned with the heat, and his mind felt as if it were vibrating with the thoughts that flashed rapidly through it, yet he was determined not to give up or back down from the egg's subtly whispered challenge. So this cocky little dragonet thought it could drag him down with it, did it?! The boy grinned wildly, teeth clenched with the force of his effort to rise up to the silent dare and focus on one of the thoughts that hurtled through his mind, even as he felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. Finally - when it seemed as if the two of them had reached a standstill - Kerrin broke away, startled by the sudden clarity of his own thoughts and left flushed and staring at the egg as if he weren't exactly sure what he had been doing just seconds ago. After a long moment of uncharacteristic stillness, the boy touched his face, and then he looked at his hands, turning them over to check both the palms and the backsides. He'd half-expected blisters to have formed there from the heat, but both his face and his hands seemed to check out as completely normal and unharmed.

Kerrin blinked, and then grinned again, almost wanting to laugh at his own silliness. Sharding egg had actually fooled him! "I guess this means you win, egg," he conceded quietly, not wanting anyone within hearing range to know that he had actually lost at a game... even if it was one that existed entirely within his own mind, this time. At length he rose from the hot sands, glancing about his surroundings and seeing the other candidates already engrossed in their second touchings, judging by their shifted positions. A few steps forward brought the weyrbrat face-to-face with one of the few eggs left unclaimed -  though he couldn't imagine why no one had touched it, as the pastel greens and greys that swirled throughout its shell were rather, well, charming and cute. He wondered how different this gently colored egg might be from the flashy one he had just touched, or even if it might surprise him by being much the same. Curious, Kerrin knelt beside the Brighter Side Of Things egg, setting both hands on its shell.

Indecision Paramount Egg
Love instantly sparked the second Lymsleia touched the egg, wrapping around her hands like thick woollen gloves in the icy Northern winter. Rapidly it whisked up her arms and dove for her heart and mind, encasing them like armour. The reaction wasn't strong like that of the Love Thy Neighbour Egg, but it was strong enough. The inhabitant of the egg cooed gently to her, her gentle, quiet words inspired little peaks of happiness that Lymsleia could feel along her hands. It was a pleasant, tingling sensation.

Brighter Side Of Things Egg
The second Kerrin's hands touched the shell two things happened. First his vision altered, everything coming lighter in hue, then he was filled with a blistering happiness. It bubbled and boiled beneath his skin, it wasn't hot in any way, in fact it was a surprisingly nice feeling, despite being so peculiar. The inhabitant seemed to giggle, or it emitted an emotion much like a giggle. Everything Kerrin looked at radiated happiness, even potentially sulky or angry Candidates looked blissfully happy under the egg's influence.

Razzah was very nervous when he was allowed to enter the chamber where the queen and her clutch lay. He had listend to the instructors words carefully and when it came his time he walked out slowly but admiringly and stopped a few feet from the clutch. Raz turned and bowed to the queen "Thank you, for allowing me among your clutch M'Lady" such respect in his words. He stood up straight again and easily and very slowly walked among the eggs; none really caught his attention just yet untill...

There laying in the hot sand was a milky colored with a grey spot on one side; and he felt a strange attraction to it, maybe because no one else had bothered to go to it. Razzah walked up to the egg and smiled at it as if he were smiling at an admiring child. With a slightly trembling hand Razzah reached out and placed his hand upon the shell. He smiled again at the texture of it; it felt right to him, how he imagined the egg would feel and he liked it very much.


Hesitant Strikes Egg

Disappointment.

Valerian simply stared at the egg that didn't seem to want anything to do with him until finally managing a frown. Had he been rejected by the tiny creature inside, having been found unworthy of even a blast of hatred or annoyance? He didn't think he ranked so low as to earn the routine of being ignored despite that being one of his own tactics when people were just too dense to warrant a proper response of disgust. That was probably why it was the first reasonable explanation to hit him. What else could it be? Perhaps the dragonet was sleeping and the gentle touch he had given the egg didn't wake the creature. That was plausible and Valerian was on his way to liking that idea with the decision in mind to increase the pressure of his touch when he hesitated. The shell seemed harder than he had been expecting before entering the Sands but there was still a fear that a small fracture could form and cause the dragonet harm or get him eaten by an angry golden dragon looming not too far away, watching them all closely. Right then, keeping to the soft touch it was!

Then again, after receiving such a cold reception that was oddly close to being heart-breaking after such warmth given with trust of the first egg, Valerian didn't think he wanted to touch another egg. Would the next one try to kill him? No, it wasn't worth physical pain or another blow to his ego. Finally removing his hand with the frown still in place, Valerian stepped back, shaking his head, "I didn't want to meet you either." No, this one didn't want anything to do with him, and not for the first time he hoped that was all it was and the dragonet within was okay, but the first egg did. Perhaps he could go back and revisit it? The temptation was great to do just that but when green eyes sought out G'rem, he thought better of it, not wanting to risk the stick to his presumptuous head and hands.

The weight of his thoughts about the eggs suddenly hit him as he took several steps away from the clutch to observe the class still working around the eggs. Why was he so excited to have been trusted by one growing dragon and so dejected that one didn't care for him? He wasn't one to visibly show his emotions if he could help it but there he had been smiling and frowning with hopes rising at being accepted into this world one moment and being dashed in the next. It was all a lot to take in and Valerian knew he didn't need or want to Touch another egg, believing it would only further complicate his train of thoughts and opinions on the whole endeavour.

Hesitant Strikes Egg
The egg's surface was smooth and like tanned leather, as well as being quite warm from sitting in the burning sands. It's clear to Razzah that the inhabitant of the egg is quite hesitant, reaching out with a gentle brush on his conscious. This touch is followed almost instantly from a sharp strike, somewhat like a slap on the face. Only it isn't like a slap to him, it isn't hurtful or negative. Instead the strike is quiet positive, perhaps more alike a friendly hit from a friend during a tousle. The initial strike is followed by several more, warm and almost tingly.

Razzah was surprised at the strikes that hit him so; but he smiled at the feelings they inspired and softly Razzah cooed at the egg below his breath. The inhabitant of the egg seemed shy at first but playfull and Razzah liked that very much; he hadn't wanted a Dragon who was overpowering anyway. He knew he might not get to impress this one but it would make him rather happy if he did.

Razzah removed his hand from the eggs surface like lovers releasing hands and fingers still fleeting reaching for each other. After a moment or two Razzah spotted another egg that stuck out to him and slowly he made his way over to it. This time the man knelt down to the egg and tentively placed both hands on the eggs surface. Razzah gazed at it as if he could see the cute baby resting within it; he wasn't like the others and didn't treat the eggs as things to touch. Razzah caressed the egg gently as he would a human babys cheek; clearly since learning these creatures exsist, Razzah has become quiet facinated by them.

Indecision Paramount Egg

Kerrin's eyes grew wide as that sense of blistering happiness rushed through him, crashing over his senses like a searing wave of sunshine, though the sensation was oddly pleasant in the same way that the weyrbrat imagined plunging into an unimaginably frigid lake on an extremely hot day might be. The dragonet's giggle manifested itself in his mind and brought a wide smile sweeping across his face, filling him with a sense of brightness and contentment that didn't fade even when he finally lifted his fingers from the pastel green shell. "You'll be a fun one!" Kerrin whispered to the egg with cheer, already eager to meet its inhabitant. Would it be another bright and perky green like Grith, perhaps? Though he wasn't entirely certain Katila could handle another one just like her!

Still, the overwhelmingly positive experience had him aching to touch yet another egg, and one in particular immediately caught his eye. Unlike the other two, this one was blue, a shade so dark that it stood out amongst its brothers and sisters.

Kerrin had not seen Valerian touch that egg, nor had he noticed the other young man's disappointed withdrawal from it. If he had, he might not have touched it himself, for he was a boy who did not like failure in any form and preferred not to place his bets on things that seemed unlikely to go his way. An egg that did not react in any way to a touching was either a dud, or else a monumentally picky (or else just sleepy) future dragonet - or so the weyrbrat liked to think, fancying himself an expert on such matters compared to the largely clueless Stolens. As it was, Kerrin's already good mood was even further bolstered by the blast of positivity from the Brighter Side egg, and though a glance around his surroundings revealed that most of the candidates had already finished their touchings and were now stepping back from the sands, the youngest of their ranks felt confident that he could squeeze in just one more. Settling beside the eye-catching blue of the Empty Room Egg's shell, and hoping G'rem hadn't been keeping count of the number of eggs he'd touched, Kerrin laid his hands on its dark surface.

Indecision Paramount Egg
Razzah's gentle touch and caress as if he were touching the inhabitant of the egg earned him no favour from it. Complete and utter boredom radiated from the egg, as if this whole experience was just something it had to do, but had no interest in doing. Much like some of the Candidates that wandered amongst its clutchmates, in fact. It wasn't a dismissal of Razzah's touch, merely a sigh and a groan, a mental rolling of the eyes. Did it have to do this again? All these grimy hands were getting quite tedious and mind-numbing, all touching it with such a delicate hesitancy. Where was the bold slap of a firm hand on the smooth silky shell? Nowhere to be found amongst these Candidates, that was for sure. It seemed to call out in a dull drone, much like an unenthusiastic server at a market: Next.

Empty Rooms Egg
The response to Kerrin's touch was immediate. A sharp, deep voice screamed at him. The words were unintelligible, but authority oozed from every syllable. A quick glance at G'rem would confirm that it was in fact the Empty Room egg shouting at him. Beneath his touch the egg seemed to vibrate, a soft but constant feeling. Every cheeky move or phrase Kerrin had said was jumping to the forefront of his mind, how dare he be such a troublemaker? Tricksters had no place on the Sands trying to Impress a dragon! With each recollection of his pranks or sly words, the egg shouted louder and with even more authority. How dare he!

---

The touching is now closed, please do not touch more eggs, though feel free to react to them still.

Kerrin retracted his hands sharply when the egg's knife-edged words - feelings, rather - of screaming admonition buffeted his mind all in a single terrifying instant, loud enough in his own mind to nearly bowl him over with the sheer power of its wordless rebuke. Nearly! He remained still however, save for a quick and frantic shake of his head as if meant to physically dislodge the memories the egg's inhabitant had dredged back up from the depths of his consciousness, and stared at the dark blue shell in utter bewilderment. Had that really been a dragonet speaking to him like that?! Kerrin whirled around to direct a suspicious gaze at G'rem, tempted to accuse the crotchety old bluerider of some sort of cruel treachery just to teach him some kind of bizarre personal lesson alongside the usual boring Candidate class nonsense... but shells, even he knew that there was just no possible way that even G'rem could have sabotaged Nirinath's clutch. Not only was it impossible to do, but no dragonrider would ever dream of approaching the queen's eggs with trickery in mind.

So that left only one possibility, Kerrin concluded with an indignant snort. There was a little dragonet version of his father in that sharding egg. Just what he needed! Dad, with teeth and talons and enough body weight to squash him if he misbehaved. "I have some choice words for you when you come out, little one," said glumly to the egg, standing and brushing warm sand off his knees. Maybe that still-developing dragonet didn't realize how serious he was when it came to being a good dragonrider, but sure as a green would fly, he'd tell it! Preferably while he was still bigger than it, of course.

Anyway. That was enough egg touching business for him; he was quite through. "I'm out," he announced to no one in particular, with a final pat of loose grains from his pants. Let G'rem try and stop him if he liked, but the event was clearly wrapping up, and the sands were sweltering hot, and Kerrin was quite set on leaving.