2022/05/11 Gold Malvayth has Flown, caught by Bronze Xyxyth of A'tay. Their Hatching will be PC, and take place in Telgar in August around the 20-22nd! Update your Candidate Applications and prepare for some fun!
2022/04/21 New default layout! I hope you enjoy it! If you find any bugs, please report them in the discord #bug-squishing channel!
05/JUL It’s Hatching time!! Come take part in the shenanigans here
30/JUN Gold Thallyath of Ista Weyr has laid a clutch! More information here
27/JUN A bluerider, and then a greenrider, are found dead. More information here
30/MAY After the Touching, many Candidates found themselves preyed upon in the form of their food. More information here
18/MAY Another goldrider - Ameris of Benden - is attacked. More information here
05/MAY Multiple individuals are attacked whilest out of the Weyr! More information here
04/MAY Take a chance OOC and guess who you think the murderer is! You can win prizes! More information here
03/MAY Goldrider Cazan and her twin brother Cazelarias are attacked. More information here
24/APR Goldrider Ashara of Fort is murdered by two brownriders. More information here
12/APR Searchrider B’jin was attacked at Telgar Weyr, surffering a slash to his throat. While in Benden, bluerider B’dor is found dead in his weyr. More info here
05/APRMore attacks occurred today. More information here
03/APRMultiple individuals found their death this day; more information here and here
28/MAR Tragedy has struck again! Across all the Weyrs, multiple people - primarily dragonriders - have fallen ill after eating muffins. There have been multiple deaths, and others are in criticle condition. More information here
24/MAR Weyrwoman Ameris and her son, Rislan, poisoned! More information here
18/MAR Benden’s Weyrleader M’ris and his children have been poisoned! Resulting in sickness and death. More information here
18/MAROn 18.03.742 Bronzerider A’dris of Vyaniorth was found dead in his personal bathing pool. He appears to have drowned after drinking an excess of alcohol. Afterwards it was realized that Machiya of Gold Cameth from Telgar Weyr had disappeared. Having never arrived at her destination, it is suspected she had an accident between.
11/MAR Gold Racoth of Donmaline went between taking Bronze Beruth of T’rel with her shortly after she had been caught, due to T’rel strangling Donmaline. He did not survive. more info
25/FEB Congratulations and thank-you to Guest for taking on a moderator role! <3
Welcome to the Month of Lovetm! This month's Monthly Event is all about Romance, whether it is asking someone out on a date, or getting sweaty between the sheets! Anything and everything counts, if it even looks sideways like it could be related to Valentine Day -- including lover's spats, or breaking up, Flights Wins (or Flight Losses!). Honestly, this month has a huge opportunity for interpertation, so go wild!
Ahh, the fresh snow, the crisp air, the naked trees... welcome to Winter! Or, just the Colder Months for those in the more Northern Weyrs, while Ista is just... not as hot. But it is time to enjoy the end of the Turn, so folks should get together, spend some time gossiping, and drinking Hot Chocolate (alcohol and marshmallows opional)... does Pern even have marshmallows????? (they do now!)
Welcome to the Touching! Candidates are divided into four (4) groups, who each visit the egg for 2 hours, with an hour gap between sessions. There are currently about eighty (80) candidates Standing for this clutch – meaning each group compromises of approximately 20 candidates. For the purpose of RP, all PC Candidates are in the same group, which is being threaded below.
This Touching commences at 9AM. They are the first group, meaning that no one else has yet Touched the eggs yet! Because the group comprises of 20 candidates, and there are 27 eggs, there should be plenty of opportunity for each candidate to Touch the egg they want without too much waiting or hassle. Candidates are expected to be polite and demure; the egg safety is paramount and anyone found to be goofing around will be removed. Firelizards must be well behaved but are advised not to be on the Sands for the duration of the Touching. They are allowed to view from the rafters.
Eggs are approximately 4 to 5 feet in length, and approximately half to two-thirds that in width. They’re rather squat and roundish. Eggs are laid in a leathery state, much like an earthen snake egg. They slowly expand as they harden with the youngster growing within. When a candidate Touches an egg, they will find the shell to be hard, but kind of lumpy and bumpy in some spots, and smooth in others, depending on how the dragonet shifted during the hardening phase.
Additionally, when the candidate’s hand connects with the shell, the dragonet within will reach out mentally and touch their mind. The response the dragonet has to each individual candidate is extremely varied and often considered private by the individuals. A negative response from a dragonet does not denote the inability to Impress the hatchling within! There have been several cases in the past – PC and NPC – when characters Impressed to a hatchling from an egg that they thought hated them.
OOC, you are welcome to create any response to any egg you wish. If you would like a Team Member to provide a response from the egg, that is also possible! Just tag them in the Discord #Hatchings channel, and one of the @Team will respond with a single prompt word, eg “anguished” at which point you may interoperate that any way you wish.
Egg names will be provided once DeeStar comes online. In the meantime, please refer to them OOC as “Egg 01” through to “Egg 27” and we’ll adjust them for names later.
Until such a time as either character posts, you can assume that Vaeyla and Nadioth are present and that the gold dragon is glowering, and Vaeyla is reassuring her; you can assume that N’mor and Rhezalth are present and that the bronze dragon is watching with curiosity, while N’mor is leaning against him looking vaguely bored.
-- Please post IC with your characters hereafter. If you have any questions, hit us up in Discord!
Ayontay took another long inhale and exhaled slowly while their Weyrlingmaster went over all of the rules one final time as they stood on the hot sand with the eggs not too far away from them. This was his fourth Touching but it didn’t get any easier. He knew some people firmly believed that touching each egg before the Hatching helped increase the chance of finding their lifemate but he wasn’t too sure about that. He knew some people that only touched a couple of eggs but ended up Impressing to the dragonet that came from a totally different one. It didn’t really matter about the here and now of it all, but being there when the shell cracked; now that was the important part.
But this part was kind of cool. Well, in theory. It was amazing to be able to connect with the little ones like that through the egg but it was also the reason why Ayontay was nervous and even a little anxious. Eggs in the past had felt like they were judging him, and he supposed they were since they were looking for their match even if they couldn’t form the full bond yet. If he wasn’t being judged or scared away from a vivid emotion, Ayontay found some of the dragonets could be sweet and soothe him.
He was hoping for the soothing. He was still shaken up from the kiss at the party and being compared to his father and the past several days had been a bit of a blur and a bit stressful as he tried to continue playing his usual happy self like nothing was bothering him. He glanced to the stands to see if Madiquel had been allowed in after all but didn’t see her. Either she hadn’t been, she was running late, or she was bending down fixing her shoe. Ayontay wasn’t sure which he hoped for. He kind of wanted her to share in the moment with him since she hadn’t been there for the other three he attended but at the same time, he didn’t want her to see him react negatively to anything that might happen. Maybe all of the dragonets would hate him this time or make him cry as they acted as bullies?
Once the Weyrlingmaster gave them the permission to begin, Ayontay smiled at Vaeyla and Nadioth as he approached one side of the clutch and gave a small half-hearted wave to N’mor. While the bronzerider was best friends with his brother T’ryn, they had never been quite as tight and Ayontay sometimes still felt awkward around the older teen that was now ranked so much higher than him.
While he knew some people went through every egg they could without any thought to it, Ayontay usually started by going to the ones that stood out to him or felt like they drew him in. The first one that caught his eye wasn’t on the edge of the clutch but just beside it so he approached the egg, took a deep breath, and placed his had gently on the rough surface.
He immediately felt another presence in his mind, as if someone was rifling through his memories to find the one they were looking for. He was immediately struck with the longing for acceptance as memories of watching his dad from afar were picked out and then replaced with the one of R’nd learning who he was and truly becoming his dad, for all the awkwardness that brought about after which left Ayontay smiling. He also felt the acceptance from his friendships, especially that of Madiquel’s. She was always there for him and supporting him. It might not be as much as he currently thought he wanted from her but he realised it was actually enough and special.
He felt a wave of warmth envelope him briefly, making Ayontay believe the dragonet within accepted him for all that he was as well, faults, quirks, and all. As the warmth pulled away from him and he was left staring at the egg, Ayontay found himself wearing a faint smile even as he wiped away a tear. It wasn’t much, but the dragonet had found one of his fears and eased it for him in a matter of seconds and Ayontay was grateful for it. “Thank you,” he whispered and moved on to the next egg, though he wondered if he could just hang out with this one for a bit more.
Unlike her brothers Ayontay and Korlin, Mylorah didn’t have a lot of Touchings and Hatchings to her name yet. Not that that was a bad thing; T’ryn and N’mor Impressed at their first Hatching after all. Too bad she hadn’t! So she was on to number two and still had the butterflies dancing in her belly as a result of it. Then again, glancing to Ayontay and a couple of others she knew had Stood multiple times, it didn’t seem like the nerves ever went away, and this was the easy part! They were only touching some eggs to get a feel for what was in store for them if the Impressed. The Hatching itself would be what deserved the nerves and respect. Injuries could happen from an excited dragonet and adrenaline was high during the whole event and you crashed hard when it ended and you were still alone on the sand without a dragonet beside you.
But that wasn’t something to think about just yet! That morning was dedicated to meeting all the little guys and gals and Mylorah was excited to do so outside of the tummy fluttering she knew would pass soon enough. She had a feeling it was mostly caused by the way Nadioth glowered at them and she did harbour a bit of fear that someone would either be careless and damage an egg or accidentally trip and break one. She was still surprised R’dare had managed to get through his Touching and Hatching in one piece given how clumsy he could be. She smiled at the idea of him face planting in front of an egg even as she carefully made her way to the clutch and her first egg.
Last time she had definitely gone for the gold egg like she was instructed to do before being allowed to touch the others since that one was also at Ista. She loved M’ris for letting the girls Stand even without a gold egg and giving them a chance to Impress any dragon that might want them. He seemed like the type of guy that put dragons above expected roles and that just made him so much cooler in her mind. Plus, he was pretty hot and she couldn’t help but be a bit envious of Ameris for locking him down.
This time, Mylorah didn’t put much thought into which eggs she would wander to and hoped she could make it through most of them, just to have the experience. There wasn’t a gold egg this time and she still chose to Stand as being on green or blue didn’t really bother her either. Just the idea of finding her own dragon was a wonderful idea; just like having her own home would be. After her mother died and the hut was lost in the landslide, she had been living in communal rooms with Candidates and a girl was really starting to need her own space and privacy.
The first egg she approached looked much like the others though it tilted more to the right than the ones near it and that was charming to her so it received her touch. At first she didn’t feel anything and frowned, assuming the dragonet was asleep or perhaps a brown that didn’t want anything to do with her. Then she gasped with the force of emotions hitting her and tugging her back and forth though she knew her feet didn’t move an inch.
The dragonet was attempting to show her how ambivalent she could be, no doubt due to her laidback nature and desire to be friends with everyone. She never saw herself as someone that was always on the fence but she was certainly getting some examples of it now in the form of the first boys she had kissed and slept with but also the girls she was now exploring. That didn’t mean anything, she promptly thought back to the dragonet. There was nothing wrong with being friendly and enjoying both sides.
Her thoughts shifted to how she both didn’t want anything to do with her father but also had a secret wish to know what it would be like to have a dad and be loved like a daughter again.
Gold, green, even blue… she couldn’t even firmly pick a colour of dragon she hoped to one bond with.
Decisions? Those were frustrating when given too much time. She’d bounce back and forth weighing the pros and cons until she couldn’t think anymore. It was why she was rather impulsive now, thinking that just diving in was the better choice than overthinking everything.
Mylorah frowned as she realised that perhaps she did walk the line a lot, not wanting to stray too far in one direction or the other. Following the line was safe, but somewhat boring. Was the dragonet telling her to be more impulsive in all aspects of her life? Or perhaps they were learning to be ambivalent from her. Maybe the Touchings were more to benefit the dragonets in helping them continue growing and mature before they hatched.
As she slipped her hand from the shell, Mylorah sighed as she realised she was now indecisive about the whole event and what it brought about and who it benefited. “Thanks a lot, little one,” she grumbled, wondering what the experience would mean to her later and then laughed when she decided to think on for a bit longer before going to the next egg.
Kordiavis considered himself to be rather fearless when it came to making large decisions or taking an action that might backfire horribly in his face. One of the largest actions he could think of being when he was sixteen and plotting to run away with an older woman he thought he was in love with. Luckily that was discovered and stopped since she turned out to not love him and was using him for a rise in status, but it hadn’t deterred him from still going after what he wanted, even if the risk was high.
Most wouldn’t consider Impressing a dragon to be a high-risk situation, but most didn’t have a dragonless ex-rider for a mother that could switch moods faster than he could turn around some days. It had taken him a while to oddly find the courage to become a Candidate and try his luck. He wasn’t sure if he was afraid of what his mom would think or if it was the fear of actually Impressing that had him hesitate and not Stand for the last hatching but he was ready now. Being around dragons so regularly now, Kordiavis was finding it hard to imagine a life back in a Hold, settled down with kids, and no dragon to talk to. There was still a chance he would never Impress, after all, he was only in the Weyr because his mother was offered a job as a goldrider mentor and he tagged along, but he was certain there would be a dragon for him one day.
Now, as he considered the eggs before him, Kordiavis hesitated. Of course some of the chattier dragons had bespoke him and he found he really enjoyed conversing with a couple of them, but what would it be like to have an unknown entity prodding his mind? Some of the Candidates that had Stood before assured him it wasn’t scary and kind of a thrill but it wouldn’t hurt. Keeping that in mind and noticing he was the last one left standing off to the side while everyone else scurried off the eggs, Kordiavis strode forward as well.
He didn’t know which to go to first but saw an egg that was off to the side. It wasn’t away from the others and it clearly looked like it belonged, but it also looked like the quiet loner of the group mingling just on the edge of the party. As he got closer, he also noted the egg was a bit shorter than the ones near it. Damn, how much more symbolism could he handle? They were both short and didn’t like socialising if they could avoid it.
Frowning, Kordiavis went through the instructions in his head, taking a breath, and placing his hand lightly on the shell which he found smooth, though it looked like that was abnormal from the rest of the shell appearing textured.
He was immediately struck with feelings of neglect. It wasn’t so much that the egg was forgotten or was the least favourite child, it just didn’t always receive as much attention. It didn’t even get any of the others rushing to it until he came along a couple of minutes later. Kordiavis found he was frowning and feeling a kindred spirit to the dragonet. He knew how that felt. Sometimes in his childhood, he felt like he was forgotten by his mother or even hated. He was often left to his own devices but it made him more inquisitive as he explored the Hold and surrounding area and made him more creative as he started to express himself in painting.
Smiling, Kordiavis petted the egg and murmured soothingly, “you’re not neglected. They’re letting you find out who you are. I hope you remember me when you hatch.” He didn’t want to think he would Impress, especially to this little guy and then have his hopes dashed, but he did want to see who was inside and if they could have some decent conversation.
It was finally time, for the first big event around the hatching. The touching. He never actually attended a touching, or a hatching for the matter. But was relatively excited for the two event's, the possibility of getting a lifemate of his own so close and yet in a way so far. He smiled for himself, Hunter laying lazily over his shoulder as he entered the sands. The brown not seeming terribly happy about being waked by his bonded and requested to leave. He had just been sleeping so nicely, and he did not like being woken from a nice nap. But the brown seemed to snort as he set off from Siroll's shoulders and landed on a nearby rafter. Green eye's peering down from his spot, sure he was lazy but the brown thing could tell something was gonna happen.
Siroll listens to the master as he spoke, he listened, this was information eh manly already herd during class but still, it was likely more important than ever now.
As the master finally allowed them to start the touching his eyes found the familiar face of one of the female candidates. A quit surprised look as he remembered her speaking about being a queen candidate. But he did not think much of it, besides she was weyrbreed so it made sense for her to be there. He watched her touch the first egg and as she seemed to be done he carefully made his way closer to her. A slight smile on his lips as he passed her, "Morning Mylorah" he spoke a soft nod in greeting as he sat down by an egg but didn't touch it instead he looked up at her "How did it go?" his question was offered with a smile as he watched her for a moment.
Then he placed his hand on the egg in front of him, the shell under his hand smooth and warm. But the oddest thing was feeling something push against his mind.
Mylorah was still considering the egg she had just left and almost walked right by Siroll without noticing him sitting on the ground. Luckily, he had called out her name and it was enough to shake her free from her thoughts and glance around, smiling when she saw the man. “Hi, Siroll. It went okay. They’re curious little ones, that’s for sure! You never know what they’ll stir up in you.”
Standing behind him she bent down and draped her arms around his neck to give him a loose backward hug. “Your first Touching!” she exclaimed softly but still with a lot of enthusiasm. “You’re going to have so much fun with it. We should hang out after and discuss the reactions, if you’d like.” The offer was genuine, knowing that it could be rather overwhelming for the first time for anyone, but probably even more so for a holdbred kid that wasn’t used to dragons buzzing about in their heads.
“I’ll leave you to it. Have fun,” Mylorah kissed Siroll’s cheek before slipping away and to find another egg. She hoped this one wouldn’t leave her quite as confused.
ooc: She's not going to touch another one yet until others get in and have some fun <3
Nerreh was finally going to be Standing for a Hatching. She was ecstatic that it was finally happening, and the morning of the Touching she was awake much earlier than she actually had to be, constantly waking and checking how soon she needed to be up before eventually giving up and rising.
By the time the first group of Candidates reached the Sands, Nerreh was practically vibrating with excitement. She’d grown up around dragons, been around them her whole life and never before been this close to the eggs prior to a Hatching, and even then she’d never been allowed too close. Golds and their moods had kept her away, the respect for gold dragons instilled in weyrbrats from a young age keeping her youthful exuberance at bay. As the small group reached the Hatching grounds and entered, Nerreh couldn’t help shooting a grin at Vaeyla and waving at her friend. Of course, she immediately gave a respectful nod to Nadioth, remembering the gold’s words about wanting only the best Candidates. Nerreh knew she was a good Candidate, she was! There was little about dragons that could be taught outside of personal experience she didn’t know, she would make a great dragonrider. She would! She even gave a respectful nod to Rhezalth, though not quite as big as the one to Nadioth. N’mor was ignored.
Once it was clear they were allowed to begin interacting with the eggs, Nerreh chose one at random and headed over to it, resting a palm that was only sweaty from the heat of Ista, not nerves (Ista was hotter than Telgar, it was only reasonable!). The shell was warm beneath her hand, and she gently swiped her thumb against the lightly textured surface in greeting.
Immediately Nerreh felt the gentle pressure she recognized as ‘dragon’ against her mind, not as delicate or controlled as the adult dragons she’d spoken to. It was questioning, unsure, looking for something in Nerreh it wasn’t sure it would find.
And why would it?
What did she honestly have to offer a dragon? Her stellar personality? Yeah, right. She was just a scared little girl who desperately wanted to be special. So what if she wanted a fighting dragon? She was too much of a coward to Stand until she was eighteen, despite being allowed to Stand much younger. Sure, it was discouraged but if she was really meant for a fighting dragon she would have pushed on anyway, right? Fought for it. But no, she hadn’t, she’ hid behind the veneer of her little brother needing her. Which he did, but Nerreh wasn’t in a state of mind to give herself much credit. She could have started Standing a turn or two ago, but had put it off. Cause she was afraid, wasn’t she? That she would never Impress, that she would Impress a color that meant she was just a normal woman and would be expected to be feminine. Gold riders were ladies, even if they were more relaxed than Holders, from what Nerreh knew. She didn’t want to be a lady! Shecouldn’t to be a lady. She just… she couldn’t. But of course she wasn’t a boy, so she couldn’t just Impress a fighting dragon with no worry. Fuck, why couldn’t she have just been a boy? Everything would have been easier. And maybe she would know she was good enough for a dragon.
The mix of confusion, insecurity, and anxiety that swirled through Nerreh’s thoughts seemed to distress the egg, and she felt it’s own apprehension about hatching, bolstered by her own feelings.
“I’m sorry.” She mumbled, pulling her hand away from the smooth surface. Nerreh stared at the egg for another moment, worried, before steeling herself and turning away from it. She couldn’t even touch an egg without upsetting it, why would she ever Impress a dragon? She vaguely headed towards another egg, less sure of everything with each step.
I still do not see why I HAVE to let them touch them The grumpy gold complained at her rider for at least the tenth time that morning. You absolutely know why., was all Vee told her, her words and thoughts all laced with amusement which was not entirely appreciated by her beloved dragon. There was really no sense in being upset with her, she had been no different with Evritt for a long time. Exactly!, Nadioth argued as she caught the line of thought. No need to TOUCH them with their filthy hands!, she had huffed out loud as the candidates had shuffled in, some nervous, some not so much. She had been grumbling and watching them closely ever since they had been brought to the sands and it had been all Vee could do to win the battle of steel wills when Nadioth had decided that she hadn't wanted them near her eggs after all.
The gold had finally settled however and was now curled in a half moon shape behind the clutch, Vee resting on her leg, Evritt laying on her back, jealously watching the candidates as they began walking between the eggs to choose one. Nadioth uttered a low growl of warning every so often and Vee would smack her leg and chastise her for it while Evritt giggled from her back, half encouraging her, so that she would then have to chastise them both, though half-heartedly. "If you two don't behave...." We are behaving! I haven't run the grubby little beasts off yet., the gold replied, for all to hear, to which Vee could not help but joining Evritt in laughing at. "That's because you like children, even grubby ones." No. I like your child because he's "mine". These I tolerate because I have to." Vee snorted and rolled her eyes as she moved to lean her back against Nadioth, her hide warming her back, as she let one leg swing slightly as he hung down from Nadioth's leg. "Just watch the touching and they will be gone soon enough you fussy beast.", she told her dragon with a smile.
Dusk: Smallest in the clutch, pale grey in color, slightly lumpy.
Weather: Average size, Tan with brown spots, slightly rough texture.
Azure: Same color as the sands, larger than average.
Star: Largest egg in the clutch, the shell is bright white with a spattering of dark brown freckles around the very top of the shell.
Aurora: Grey bands of color seem to wrap around the shell, but only half way up, the top of the shell is unmarked and white.
Rainbow: Shell is mottled in color, orange, and yellow patches. Sitting lopsided in the sand regardless of how often Nadioth fixes it.
Rain: This egg in average in egg height but fatter around. Light tan in color with random white, teardrop spots here and there.
Nebulae: Not as small as the Dusk egg but still very small compared to the other eggs on the sand. Plain, dark grey shell
((OOC: These are just a few, if you would like another description of an egg that is not listed here I will be glad to provide one for you or I am sure Thistle or Sunset could pop something off real quick if I am unavailable.
All other eggs are going to be fairly average in size, no overly interesting coloring or patterns.
As was previously mentioned...
Please assume that Nadioth doesn't like most of your candidates, and is watching their every move, give or take a few who she either knows or thinks are quiet and respectful enough not to earn her reproach, feel free to claim either of the two of those spots, because other than Nerreh I am a slacker and haven't posted with the other candidates. No one should take it personally, obviously, because she is a gold and known to be temperamental.
Vaeyla is doing what she does best...keep Nadioth from having a raging temperamental fit. Her son is also there, yes, but he's literally like a firelizard at a hatching, there for decoration that occasionally makes noise. Please don't post any interactions with him. If your char knows Vee feel free to wave at her or something and assume she returns said wave but I am not going to swear I will be able to post again any time soon.
Close to two thirty-days, actually. She'd arrived on the second of the fourth month of the Turn, and it was now the twenty second of the fifth month of the Turn. When she had arrived, she hadn't expected for there to be a Gold on the Sands.
But only a few days after she'd arrived, the Golden had Clutched. And that had excited her, although really she didn't let it show. That just... wasn't her. To her relief, there wasn't a Golden Egg on the Sands. Not that there was anything wrong with Golds, they were just as good as other Dragons, but she didn't want a Gold. Being bound to an Egg-layer, having to be a 'lady', went against everything her Uncle had taught her.
Remembering how hot the Sands had been, the young lady had pulled her hair back, and dressed in her cooler clothing, although really in the heat of the Sands that was only barely going to do anything. But it would help to extend the amount of time she could remain on the Sands, and so it was worth it.
She stood, tall and proud, on the Sands, ignoring the sweat beading down her brow, as the Weyrlingmaster explained the rules. For the most part, they were very common sense - what idiot would play around Eggs? Dragon eggs they may be, but they were still Eggs, at risk of being badly damaged. Once they were permitted to approach the Eggs, she bowed low to the Gold Dragon, before approaching a nearby Egg, the Rainbow Egg.
To be quite honest, she didn't know how she felt about Touching the Eggs. They were just... Eggs, right? So what, exactly, was the point? But it seemed to be tradition, and as much as she loathed tradition, she feared not being allowed to Stand. And so, she knelt carefully, carefully schooling her face as the sands scalded at her knees and shins. A pale hand carefully reached out for the Egg.
Never in a million Turns could she have anticipated this. It took everything she had to keep from jolting back, from pulling away with a gasp of shock. It was as though, suddenly, she had not been alone, although she had never before felt alone. Well, she had felt alone a lot before, but this was an entirely different version of 'alone'. As though she were merely one of a half, waiting for the other half to slot into place.
The feeling was... almost unbearably trusting. The Dragonet inside seemed almost naive in its trusting, willing to accept her so readily despite having only just met not even a fraction of a Candlemark before. And, no, she didn't feel like she deserved it. Why should it trust her? What had she done to earn its trust?
Suddenly uncomfortable, she withdrew her hand, and stood, looking around. Something about the Star Egg drew her, and so she went to that one next, carefully kneeling at its side. She became almost painfully aware of the Golden Mother laying half curled by the clutch, some others nearby. But, she knew, if she intended on rising up the ranks, she would have to get used to being around Dragons that didn't have the kindest of intentions, and so took a deep breath, and reached out to carefully touch her hand to the shell of the egg.
This egg seemed to grab her, as though it had snatched her hand and pulled her in. Thankfully, from the first egg she knew what to expect (at least somewhat), and so didn't flinch back this time. This egg, however, seemed a bit more interested, almost eager. It couldn't wait to hatch, to meet the Candidates, to get out of its shell. For a brief moment, Theodosia allowed herself to smile, before carefully saying farewell and standing, stepping back to look at the other eggs.
Siroll smiled up at Mylorah as she spoke, "Sure" he said cooly feeling slightly embraced by her sculking excitement for this being his first touching. But it was short lived before he sent her a bright smile, about to say see you later when her lips brushed his cheek. Had she just kissed him on the cheek? He just watched her slip away, lips stopped open, as if he been about to say something as he watched her blinking surprised. He knew the weyr was less strict on marriage and women binge good and ladylike and all but still. He hadn't expected that kind of goodbye from her. He huff, in a light laugh, as he turns his attention to the egg finally composing himself. Weyrbred women were wired, not ladylike at all so free and wild. It was odd, hell his father would disapprove of the strongly. But so far Siroll was okay with them, he hadn't really built a strong friendship with any weyrbred women and Mylorah was the only he'd really taken the time to talk to. Mainly because she started it, a few weeks ago.
The Nebulae egg was small, but smooth, dark in color. Siroll had to admit it was hard to let his guard down when he first touched it. But the small egg seemed happy to have him there. Its mind pushing around his a delighted feeling overwhelming him as he just sat there, then as if the egg's mind gave a light push against his which brought Siroll back to reality as his hand left the shell. He justs at there hand hovering over the shell for a few moments before he smiled wondering for a moment what the little gray egg would hatch into.
Misharan had never really expected that he would fairly regularly interact with dragon eggs. To be fair, the dragons had fled South before he was born and the Holds thought them gone for good, but still. Even after they’d returned he’d not thought he’d get to meet one. Hoped maybe, but not actually believed it. And now he was preparing to ‘meet’ a clutch of dragon eggs for the… twelfth time? No, thirteenth. Over three turns of this. And it was still super exciting each time. The Hatching itself more-so than the Touching, but the Touching was still exciting.
Within a few touchings Misharan had developed a sort of Touching ritual; wait for the go ahead, close his eyes, shake his head a bit, open his eyes and walk towards the egg most directly ahead of him. Repeat as long as necessary. Today the first egg he spotted was a fairly nondescript grayish tan egg of medium size, and it was currently unattended by another Candidate. He headed over to it, pausing a few feet away to say hello to it, speaking out loud, and telling it he was here to say hello and would be touching it. He had no idea if the eggs could hear speech, but Misharan felt better giving them a bit of a warning before touching them. Maybe he was weird, but whatever. Better to be polite, just in case.
Greeting given, Misha reached out a hand and gently rested it upon the egg. He waited patiently for the dragonet inside to decide if it wanted to reach out to him.
Apparently, it did, and within a few moments Misharan could feel a little tendril of curiosity pressing against his mind. He sent back encouragement to it, letting the egg ‘explore’ his memories and emotions, encouraging it to connect with him. Did he think this particular egg would hatch for him in a few days? Misha had no idea. Maybe, maybe not, but he felt that they all deserved the chance to connect with people, find out what they wanted in a lifemate. This egg in particular seemed to appreciate that, as far as Misharan could tell from its limited communication. He stayed with it until the presence receded, seemingly satisfied with its exploration. With a little pat to the surface of the shell, Misharan stepped away from the egg.
“Good luck.” He said, before closing his eyes to start the process of finding another egg to stop by.
Hair Tala has wavy light brown hair that she keeps cut above the shoulder. It lightens significantly in the summer and sun. It curls more strongly in the humidity.
It had been a while since Tala had stepped foot on the sands of the Hatching Grounds, since before she’d discovered she was pregnant. This was hardly her first Hatching, but it felt different now. Maybe she felt more prepared for it? She’d dealt with a human baby, so Tala felt more confident that she could handle a dragonet with no problems. Dragons could talk to you from the start and could tell you what was wrong much more easily than a baby.
Still, even with the added perspective age and experience brought, Tala found the Touching was still somewhat nerve-wracking. The sands were hot as usual, and Tala was sweating. Having been born and grown up in the South she had a fairly good heat tolerance, and some of the sweating was definitely from nerves. Maybe most of it. But at least Tala could pretend it was just the heat.
She had chatted cheerfully with some of the other Candidates before they entered the Hatching Grounds, but as soon as she had set foot on the sands she had fallen silent, and the quiet hum of no one quite daring to speak had set in. Tala walked over to a nearby unattended egg, sure in her step, and sat down beside it, resting her elbows on her knees and placing both hands on the smooth shell, feeling the warmth within it.
Immediately she felt a soft mental touch, but before she could even think anything in response Tala felt a wave of fear and the presence retreated. Tala tried sending soothing thoughts at the egg, and though she could feel the mental presence of the egg at the edges of her consciousness, it remained distant. Deciding the egg had decided it didn’t want her there, Tala whispered a goodbye to it and stepped back.
A few turns ago, she would have panicked at that sort of response from a dragon egg, worried that meant she was not meant to Impress. However, she’d learned over time that sometimes that just happened. She still worried a little, but usually managed to push the worry down. Tala figured that maybe she had found a bronze or maybe a brown and they just had no interest in her because she was a woman. She had no proof for this, as Hatchings were chaos enough she always missed the eggs in question hatching, but it seemed logical enough to her.
Not deterred by the rejection of one egg, Tala headed towards another egg, hoping for a more positive interaction.
Hello loves! While I haven't been writing, I have been working on updating some issues that have been hanging around on the layout! The Character change box is now at the bottom of the page, beside the up/down arrows! Green and Gold dragon flight dates have been shifted to the bottom of the page, where the (useless!) discord widget was located. Where the dragon flights were in the header, is now replaced by a Monthly Event box! This will be updated at the start of each month, with a fun mini-event you can take part in, if you want to! Thistle!
