[G] [C] 741.01.09 | Touch More, With Feeling

Rhaedalyn bit her lip as she tried not to laugh or even smile as she watched Aradissicath rearrange her eggs yet again. Her dragon loved being on the Sands, found the entire time enjoyable and even hosted her story-telling sessions for the younger dragons before she clutched because she was so at peace and wanted to share the moment with others--on her terms. If she had to share the Sands with another gold, that wouldn't be quite as pleasant and Rhaedalyn was thankful that Helyna and her gold's Flight didn't happen any sooner than it had. She couldn't imagine what would happen if they both had eggs out at the same time. At least with this, Iliyith was hanging out on her side, leaving Aradissicath and her eggs alone and Aradissicath seemed fine by that.

It was obvious in hr good mood that morning as she moved the eggs around in the best layout to ensure the Candidates would have easy access to each one without tripping over the eggs or each other. Rhaedalyn knew this day was always tough on Aradissicath. She wanted the world to meet her babies but always got nervous something would happen to them. It was why firelizards weren't allowed. The gold didn't have any issue with them most days, but they were distracting and she didn't need one popping up in front of a startled Candidate that fell over and damaged an egg. Whisper was the only one allowed and only because the bossy gold was playing security to ensure none tried to sneak in. She currently sat on Rhaedalyn's shoulder and was already doing her job, looking around for intruders as the first group entered the Grounds.

"Welcome!" Rhaedalyn called out when they approached and smiled brightly at the young faces. She knew some of them were pros at Touchings now while others wound find themselves at their first one and probably more than a little nervous. She recalled the ones she attended and how she was always nervous. You just didn't know what would be in the eggs and the reaction you would get. Not to mention the stories she heard that came out of Thallyath's Touching. That was why, as Aradissicath sat primly beside her, Rhaedalyn did her best to help calm their nerves.

"We're both so excited to have you here in Fort and with us today. Please take your time with the eggs and enjoy yourselves. And remember, even the negative things might feel real, but they're just in your head and we're all here for each other if you need a moment or even some water." She waved to the table with jugs of water she had asked to be brought in and kept topped up throughout the day. Rhaedalyn really did want everyone relaxed and to know they were cared about. It was why she planned on checking in with any Candidates that stayed back or seemed rattled and knew the Weyrlingmaster was on the same page as her.

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This is future-dated to make sure everyone has a chance to participate given ooc schedules can be a pain at times.

First off, you don't need to bow to Aradissicath. That's just not something we have in this game. If your character is overly polite, sure. Bow or thank her, though don't get too close.

Candidates are divided into groups of twenty (20) who each visit the eggs for an hour, with a 15 minute gap between sessions. For the purpose of RP, all PC Candidates are in the same group, which is obviously this thread.

This Touching commences at 9am and these guys are the first group, meaning that no one else has Touched the eggs yet. Because there are 42 eggs, it’s not likely a Candidate will touch every egg. A minimum of one is required. OOC: Feel free to Touch as many as you want but 2-3 seems to be the norm. (but not the rule! Go for more or less if you desire.)

Candidates are expected to be polite and demure; the egg safety is paramount and anyone found to be goofing around will be removed. Firelizards are not allowed on the Sands during the Touching. Aradissicath doesn’t mind them in general but her eggs are important and she will not have distractions during the time.

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. All the eggs are roughly the same mottled greenish-tan, except for the gold egg, which has a bit of the metallic gold color in the shell, in addition to being larger than all the others.

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.