Ista Weyr Log: Aerianth and Volath's Hatching, January 2007

Aerianth and Volath's Hatching - January 28, 2007
Logfile from Madge

Hatching Sands(#1296RJqs$)
This huge cavern arcs high overhead, a volcanic bubble in matte black rock left open to the wide sky at the top. The black sand of the Istan hatching grounds reflects less light than a paler sand would; as a result the cavern is darker than most, particularly when the sun's not directly overhead. Tunnels lead off to the bowl and the queens' quarters to southeast and southwest. Tiers of galleries provide seating for spectators, while ledges above offer perches for dragons.

Besides the span of the galleries to the south, one can head over towards the entrance to the hatching grounds, or into one of the Queen's tunnels to the southeast and southwest.

The people here on the dark sands are K'ylon, Balinne, Griere, V'lano, and Candidates.
Dragons here include Aerianth, and Volath.
Sandy Mound, and Glowbasket are lying around loose on the dark sand.
Obvious exits:
Dragon Ledges Main Entrance

The candidates shift uneasily on the hot sands, eventually being herded into a loose semi-circle around the eggs. Nolee waves her arms around, leading them in a quick respectful bow to the clutchparents before the blonde scoots over to the edge of the sands.

Volath's eyes whirl a little speedily and he angles his snout around his mate to get a glimpse of the doorway through which he's accustomed to the white-robed humans appearing. His eggs are shaking: Where are the candidates? Their arrival earns from him a long, pleasant whuff of satisfaction, after which he draws new breath for more humming. "There we are," V'lano says, more simply, watching his weyrmate with the mother queen.

Aerianth flutters her wingtips, hardly a small motion for such large pinions. Her hum grows stronger, excited to see the herd of candidates arrive, watching them without the usual wary reservation.

Balinne tip-toes her way on to the Sands, looking a little sweaty. She finds a comfortable spot near the Weyrleaders, and turns a wary eye towards the clutch. "Just be ready to grab 'em when they Impress," she mutters to K'ylon. She scans the arriving candidates, smiling for a few, shaking her head for another, and then nearly doubles over. "Madge?" she all but yelps, her face suddenly expressionless.

K'ylon nods solemnly to Balinne, "Aye." He, too, scans the faces of the gathered candidates. "Wonder which will be ours."

"Oh, you nay knew either?" Fadra says dryly as she moves closer to Balinne and K'ylon, taking up post there and crossing her arms. "Well, at least I know 'twas nay some underhanded trick. Aye, that's Madge. I nay know where she got permission, but there she is. Splendid."

Overstuffed Wardrobe Egg quivers, its lumpen surface expanding in rhythmic contractions. A sudden crack along one edge of its sandy-brown patch, and then a tail-tip shoves through with brute force, quickly followed by two short forelegs on the opposite side. Out splays the compact, well-muscled form of an ochre-toned brown. Red eyes whirl speedily as he claims his feet, which then conduct him along with surprising steadiness as he immediately makes his rounds of the white-robed candidates. The brown seems to stare fixedly into many of the candidate's faces, and one very foolish, very daring teen steps out of the semi-circle, and promptly gets trampled as the brown rushes over him, in favor of the short, shy young girl hiding just behind him. Ista's off to a running start with young Pressa calling out, "Um... Dorsoth's hungry!"

Balinne grits her teeth, still a little hard to read, expression wise. "Oh, I have a sneaking suspicion I know who." But then she's quiet, just watching.

"Then she must have managed the whole sevenday," remarks V'lano, casting a sidelong glance at the weyrling team, one brow arched and quirking twitchingly. "Dry. May I assume as much?"

Tolemic gasps a bit as the heat hits in a wave. "Shells!" The halt in momentum is only temporary, for he winces, lifting his feet up higher, and moves over to join Niklo. "That was fast - Niklo, d'd you see that brown?"

Illatus steps onto the sands with the other candidates and follows the bow of the junior queen riders, then moves along with his fellows to stand around the cluster of eggs, his face grimacing at the heat of the sands. He looks rather pale, quite understandable in the situation really. He's shocked at the speed of the first impression, barely blinking as the girl impressed to a brown. He glances to his friends. "Wow."

Kamia shifts on the sand, startled, eyes wide as she watches the first impression, the scariness of it all starting to finally sink in.

Amira sidles along the semi-circle toward Kaelana. Her breathing is shallow and her face is pale as she keeps her eyes on the eggs that will decide her fate. "It seems like there's so many more from down here," she says nervously to Kaelana, wringing her hands.

Fadra's fine dark eyebrow arches at V'lano, even as she gestures B'ryce away to collect thier first weyrling. "She'll be dry a fine time longer'n a sevenday, if'n she comes out o'this with a dragon," Fadra says. "I hope someone warned her."

Nolee claps her hands together as the first dragonet emerges and claims a lifemate right away. "Jays!" she hollers. "Remember to watch out, beware, mind the claws, all of those things and--oh dear. Healers already? Is that trampled one all right?"

Niklo wanders out between Tolemic and Tzivya, as if surrounding herself with older candidates for security. Or something. But at all the excitement she just shrugs. "Yeah," she grins slightly at Mic, "'Nother hatchin', more babies."

Tannim starts to shift from foot to foot almost immediately, his eyes go wide as the brown breaks from his prison egg and quickly finds his lifemate. He smiles at Kamia, "Are the all that fast?"

Madge is a new development and she certainly looks the part. Tugging on the hem of her robe and shifting in sandals that don't fit as well as they could, she casts wary, nervous glances this way and that and stands apart from the other candidates. Should anyone give her any looks and she catches it? She'll be giving them very /what/? looks in return.

K'ylon is uncertain what Balinne and Fadra and V'lano speak of. Instead, his attention wanders to more familiar faces on the sands. He's doing a little skip-hop himself. Nervous.

Tzivya gives Fadra another cold look, though it briefly turns sad before she turns away and moves with the candidates. She settles into the semi-circle, and smile to the first Weyrling pair. She settles in next to Niklo, grinning to her friend. "No, some take a lot longer. It all depends, y'know?" She glances to Madge. "Madge!" She calls to her. "Come stand with us, hey?"

V'lano, attending mostly to Fadra's words, does nothing more than lift a slender, tanned hand to shield the side of his face, as if by so doing he might deny the Istan tradition - or whatever it is that causes candidates to get bloodied on these sands. "I warned her," he notes, droll.

Red Velvet Swag Egg shudders once, and then a series of brief, but intense heaves shake the ovoid, as it refuses to be silenced. Back and forth along its long axis it rocks, disturbing the fine, black Istan Sands it's mounded upon. A sudden pitch sends it careening over the lip of its home, reeling and spinning like a drunken sailor, until gravity brings it to rest far from where it once sat. A teeter-totter game ensues, this time rolling the egg along its shorter sides. And then, with a giant shudder, it comes to rest...a hairline crack tearing a jagged line across stately, scarlet draperies.

Tolemic boucnes a little on his tows, sweat flying already as he shakes out his hands and arms. "These are sure different from down here than up there, huh?" he asks Nik, nodding toward the Stands. As if cued, he stops paying attention to the eggs and even the hot sands to scan the galleries.

Kaelana gives a faint wince from the heat of the sands, fitting in near the edge of the semi circle. The comment from Amira gets a twist of her heard and a hike of her robe, as she replies, "Not to worried about that, thoguh they could've at least made it a bit cooler in here." She gives the sands a small kick, wincing as some lodges in under her sandel.

Balinne is trying very hard not to bore holes into Madge's skull - can she feel the heat? "At least it's going quickly," she mutteres towards K'ylon, her own feet still.

Kamia shakes her head up at Tannim, shaking a bit now. "No, not all of them will..." She mentions timidly, her eyes darting to Tzivya's egg to see what happens.

Illatus looks over at Madge, slightly shocked to see her there before his attention turns back to the eggs. He shuffles his feet in the heat, then looks over towards Niklo, the only other candidate near his own age. "You allright, Nik?" he asks quietly of her, before quickly looking back to the eggs.

Fadra looks positively thrilled. "And we're starting off well, too. Lookit that, healers already." Something suggests that maybe it's not /all/ sarcasm in Fadra's voice, but she crosses her arms and considers the goings on. "Though, I imagine we can find her smashed later this eve, if'n she /doesn't/ end up with a dragon. Who knows."

Niklo gives in a little there, nodding. "Yeah..." she says at last, "Guess it is pretty different, eh?" The young candidate bites her lip at Illatus's question, takes a deep (and perhaps a little shuddery) breath, then nods. "Yeah." Pause. "Yeah! I'm fine." A grin.

From the Rafters Egg gives a little wiggle, barely enough to get noticed. Did it move? Maybe it was just a shadow, for now it remains perfectly still upon the dark Istan sands.

Madge's reaction to Tzivya's beckoning is met with hesitance. Er. But, after weighing the odds and having seen a bit of a trampling already she decides the odds are in her favor the more people she has around her. So, with little sidesteps that mince and skip she shuffles over to the other candidates and balls her hands around her robe. A grunt of a greeting is all they get.

Amira nods, shuffling her feet because of the heat and nervousness. She keeps her hands clasped together to keep their shaking down. Her eyes dart quickly over each egg that moves.

K'ylon murmurs to Fadra, "Aye, and it's a normal enough reaction." Still he guesses something else is at play, and sets to watching this unexpected candidate just a little bit harder.

Tannim smiles the newly arrived candidate not having seen her before. he gives a varied look towards Tzivya but his attention is soon caught back up in the eggs and all that is going on before him. One noticible change though from when he walked is is he is no longer shaking.

"Well, would you have done any better?" V'lano arches the other brow at Fadra now, which makes the twitching constitute waggling, and after a last long glance of his dark merry eyes he crosses his arms and turns to the scene, attentive to hatchlings and candidates.

Stage Fright Egg lies in quietly, barely giving the occasional tremble. It draws worried looks from many, and speculation that it will not hatch successfully. And then those apprehensions are allayed as, without fanfare, the shell pops and out flows the form of an ultramarine blue, like a seamonster emerging from the waves. Forward he moves, towards those white robes, his movements hypnotic, graceful. Unlike some of his brethren, this particular hatchling seems to know early on who will fit him perfectly - and exactly where they are. A soft snort, and he nearly scampers up to a rail-thin, tall young woman who wears sorrow on her face like a mask. A sudden gasp from her, and she falls to her knees, tears trailing off her chin, spattering onto the upturned muzzle of her lifemate.

Illatus smiles and nods to Niklo, but keeping his attention on the eggs. He lifts his eyes for a moment to glance over the galleries, searching for any familiar face, before lowering his eyes back to the eggs with a slightly dissapointed expression and catching the impression of a blue, clapping and shouting his congratulations.

Tzivya gives Niklo's hand a squeeze and the girl a shaky grin. "Not so bad, see? Can barely tell there's a thousand people watching our every move!" She looks to the girl on her other side. "Not met you properly. I'm Tzivya, Balinne's niece!"

Tolemic leaves off studying the stands to look sidelong at Madge. "Hey," he offers with more than a touch of confusion when she joins them. Then a flash of blue catches his attention, but by the time he's whipped around to look, Impression's already taken place.

Kamia starts to get even more nervous now that none of her closer friends have impressed, and she looks at the other Candidates worriedly, 2 eggs down... only so many more to go.

Nolee watches the Stage fright egg, her hands up over her mouth as she stares, sighing relief as the shell breaks open. "Oooh, that one's very pretty. That's right," she helps, pointing wildly at the pair to follow a member of the Weyrlingmaster's team off the sands. "Food's that-a-way."

Rocking heavily, the striated curves of the Red Velvet Swag Egg heave and ripple, much as its dam's belly once did in laying it. One fissure, then two, spread longitudinally over its surface, quickly webbing into an intricate maze along its western face. As more cracks force their way deeply through the shell, a goo-encased head shoves partially outward, punching viscerally against its confinement, seeking to win free. And suddenly, there is an explosion of shards that litter the black sands with memories of a none-too-comfy prison - and in their wake, a long, tall wilderness of green hatchling struggles to her feet, tossing back her wobbling, shell-crowned head, and giving a stuttered trumpet to announce her arrival.

Balinne jumps, one hand on her heart. "Faranth, forgot how fast it was," she says, spying the green straight away. There's a softer look for the dragon - biased? - and she says, "Pretty thing, hm?" to K'ylon, sparing in a tight-lipped grin.

Tannim is started as the egg shatters sending him jumping backwards none to noticeably. A flush comes over his face, possibly from embarrassment or maybe its from the heat of the sands. He ohhs nudging Kamia, "Look a green." Tod has left.

Niklo had been doing just fine until Tzivya decides to mention the audience. Then she seems to choke, shudder, and starts to say something... and then the Red Velvet Swag Egg hatches. "Look!" All nervousness is forgotten. "Look, that's my favorite! A green, look! A green!"

Kamia oohs quietly over the green.. her eyes blinking a bit at the deep colors and her size, looking around the other Candidates, to see if she finds her match among them. "She's a beaut..."

Kaelana looks half bored and half watchful, not stupid enough to let her disinterest get her on the end of a hatchlings claws. She glances at her friend and asks, "Whats up with you? Nervous or something?" She doesn't comment on the newest dragons, but is wary of them nonetheless.

K'ylon ayes softly to Balinne. "She's a looker alright. Delicate." His words are sparse now that there's work to be done, and impressees to take care of.

Madge glances over at Tolemic and lifts an eyebrow. "Madge." And then, again, for Tzivya, "Madge." At least she has that part down. Every crack of shell and new name called out has her twitching, then looking irritated with herself for being startled; her feet shuffle around constantly.

Illatus's eyes are drawn to the green that seems to be taking her time. "How pretty," he says, glancing at the other eggs and shuffling his feet in the black sands. He glances to the candidates around him. Looking at Madge, "Nice to hear your name," he says, grinning to her.

From the Rafters Egg wiggles again. It's first attempts is more practice than anything, as it attempts to figure out this rocking thing. Shimmy. Shimmy-shake. But it's not quiet got it yet. Maybe a little bit more of a /rocking/ motion will work?

Tzivya grins at Niklo, "Maybe she's for you?" She says, in a hopeful voice. She looks back to the green appraisingly. "Though, she's got a serious look to her, probably not so good for you. Madge gets a warm smile. "Relax, it'll be easy, hey?"

Volath rumbles a note of approval for the first green out of his clutch. Well, he would. He bends down his head a little for a better look at her silver-tipped shape, the thoughtful notes in his throat resolving soon into more egg-encouraging humming.

Tolemic nervously licks his lips and swallows, blue eyes flashing over the twitching eggs to linger on that green. After a second they flick up to Aerianth, then Volath, then again over to the stands. "Madge," he repeats, sparing the attention to peek over at the new Candidate. "I'm Mic." Then he's back to the green and the eggs, watching them with all the skittish intent of a bovine at dragon feeding time.

Amira smiles at the green's entrance. "Nervous? Of course I am. I've never been this nervous in my life!" She takes a deep breath and doesn't comment on Kae's lack of a reaction to the hatching. She instead watches the green, as it might prove to be dangerous.

Script Egg isn't moving; its probably rather impossible, really, with the way it's been more than half-buried, with both apexes concealed beneath small mounds of sand. To compensate, however, it's tapping. Tap. Taptaptap. Excuse me? Is anyone out there?

Kamia tilts her head confused. "Why hasn't she found her match yet?" She looks over to Tannim worriedly, an looks at the other eggs, then the green dragon again.

Illatus looks over at the tapping eggs and frowns in concern, before turning his eyes back to the green admiringly. He glances at Kamia, "She's taking her time, knows what she wants," he says, smiling and looking back to the young dragonnet.

Balinne spares a moment to wipe at sweat on her forhead. "Forgot how hot it was," she notes, rolling her eyes. "You OK?" The question is posed to K'ylon, and she gives him a curious look. "Breath."

Niklo gives Tzivya a half-nervous, half-hopeful look. "I... I dunno," is her only response, eyes still fixed on the little green. As for all the introductions being made here, of all places, she just plain ignores them. Plenty of time for that later! Now there's room for only the eggs, and the dragonets emerging from them.

Stately Forest Greenheaves herself upright, her eggshell 'crown' spinning crazily upon one headknob, until a regal toss of her neck sends it flying. Yes, much better now! A soft, disdainful snort, and her strong, supple form gives a huge stretch, her carmine gaze taking note of the noises and things around her. And with a huff, the proud lady reorients her eyes on those white-clad, pink things some meters away, and takes her first, sure steps. And promptly spills face first into the Sands.

Tannim steals a quick glance up towards the stands to see if his family made it by some off chance. He doesn't look long, not wanting to miss anything down here lest he get trampled or mauled or something. He grins at Kamia and shrugs. "Must be picky, has to be the perfect one." He shifts from foot to foot, sweat starting to run noticeably down his forehead.

Madge's lip curls at Illatus. "Uh. Yeah." Her name is good. It doesn't change or jump out at her. Tolemic gets another look, then Tzivya, and finally she nods and takes a deep breath. Oh yeah, breathing. "Easyeasyeasyeasy." When in doubt, stick to a mantra. When the green topples she winces. Ow.

Kamia whimpers at the poor Green, wanting so much to go help her, and so worried that she is ok. "It's ok beauty... take it slow" She encourages at her distance, not wanting to get in the way of the dragon's other half.

Kaelana does look nervous on closer inspection, but it's not likely for one to take the time away from the stumbling dragonet or the shaking eggs. "Well, hopefully your nervousness is from optimism and not... well, hopefully -your- dragon is out on these sands."

Nolee overhears Kamia's question in the midst of shifting from foot to foot to ease the heat even at the edges of the sands. "Some of them take a little while. Hopefully not too long. But a little while." She looks back in time to find the dragonet flopped over, and to tilt her head, puzzled. Oops.

Rocking, rocking, rocking, poor In the Rafters Egg still can't seem to get the hang of this 'birth' thing. It lies still again, resting, perhaps. Just when one might suspect it had given up on life, its shell bursts with a startling *SNAP* sound, shattering into a million fragments. With a startled squawk, the Headstrong Stone-Wrought Green Dragonet is spilled out onto the dark Istan sands, breathing her first breath of life.

K'ylon remembers to breathe -barely. A smile flits over his lips as the regal green trips. "Remember that, Bali?" He relaxes somewhat.

Kamia her eyes dart to the newest arrival, completely and totally feeling out of the water now, taking a few steps back to relieve her feet and get a better view.

Fadra gives a slanted look past Balinne to K'ylon, looking momentarily bemused. "If'n y'faint on me, K'ylon," she warns (though maybe she's bantering?) you'll nay like where y'wake up - nor what you'll be wearing."

Illatus looks at the green as she tumbles, and then at the newly-hatched one, smiling at the creatures. He spares another glance and Madge and frowns, "Don't remember me, huh?" he asks, shuffling and hopping between his feet. "They all come at once, don't they?" he says, to no one in particular.

Balinne snorts, but there's a curious uplift in her mouth. She's finally starting to enjoy herself again. "I remember. Didn't think I would, but I do." She chokes a bit of laughter at Fadra, and spares the Weyrlingmaster a look. For now, she'll pretend they're friends.

Tzivya slips her hand free of Niklo's, focusing on the eggs shattering around them. Her eyes are wide and her breathing is fast as she watches the hatchlings find their partners in life. She glances over at the weyrling staff on the sideline biefly, especially Balinne, but she can't be distracted long from the winged beasts being born.

Tannim winces as the green falls over his healer instinct wanting to go help the poor thing but better judgement prevails as his attention is shifted to the new arriving green. He winces some as sweat stings his eyes, wiping it away with the back of his hand. he motions this time to Tzivya, "Oh another green."

Dramatic Mask Egg gives a wiggle, gives a shake, and tumbles off its mound to roll to a halt at the base, where it cracks open and spills a distraught looking brown onto the sands. He rises, spreading out his wings for an examination that concludes with an approving grunt, before throwing himself into a hunt for something only he knows. He's woven in and out of the candidates three or four times, nary stopping to look at a one for longer than a second, when he suddenly gives a little shriek of surprise. Spinning back around, the brown catches his own long tail between his claws and comes spilling to a halt no where near anyone. It's when a tall boy from the Harper Hall steps forward and kneels next to him that the brown stops bemoaning his own injury to look contently at his chosen. "His name is Copaeth," the boy tells those closest to him, "and he says he's fine."

Amira grins at Kaelana's words if not at her as she looks out at the green- no two greens- that populate the sands so far. "I'm nervous because of everything, I think. And maybe your dragon is out there, too." She glances quickly at Kaelana.

Tolemic's feet shuffle on the sands, absently scooping and kicking out a little hollow. "Watch," he tells himself, or perhaps just the air. A short little whistle escapes his lips at the sight of the newest green, but he's looking over at the other eggs soon enough, missing the first green's faceplant. "Hey, that brown moved quick. They move faster'n you think, don't they?"

Madge, after looking at Illatus again and more intently this time, does remember him. "Oh. You." Did he expect something other than nervous recognition? Apparently she only has one mode right now, and it's anxious. Wiping her sweaty palms up and down her robe she mutters, "Sorry. I ain't all that-" Twitch. Another dragon.

Niklo doesn't seem to notice when her friend's hand slips from hers. Nope, she's playing it cool. Mostly. All her attention is on the young dragons wandering, and the eggs unhatched as she unconsciously shifts her weight from foot to foot on the hot sands.

Script Egg has, somehow, made a space in which it can wriggle. So that's exactly what it does, in what seems to be futile attempts to dislodge itself completely. The tapping from within has lost it's rhythmic quality and yielded to a staccato beat of impatience.

Illatus grins at Tolemic and nods, before quickly looking back at the dragonets moving across the sands. He smiles at Madge, grinning slighly and murmuring, "Yeh, I guessed," as he watched the brown impress, "Yay, first boy to impress," he says, chuckling to himself.

Kaelana lets out a strained laugh, deciding on her response. "If K'ylon isn't a liar, then maybe you're right. I don't know enough either way to guess if he -is- right, so i'm just going to go with my gut feeling and root for those who actually deserve it." She takes a small shuffle, the heat of the sands slowly seeping through the thin soles of her sandels.

Tannim nods agreement to Tolemic as he over hears his second comment. "They sure do, no wonder they say be vigilant." He sighs as he is blinded from the stinging sweat in his eyes, grumbling to no one in particular. "They should have us wear head bands or something to stop the sweat, I can't see now."

Stately Forest Green lurches to all fours again, pinions working to pull her free from the groud. I meant to do that. Roughly snorting accumulated sand from her nostrils, she takes a moment to gather herself, then sets off once again on her adventure. Hmm, no, not that one... Nor that one. No, not even /that/ one. She seems to know what she's doing, taking her time in rejecting one Candidate after another as she strolls by with wobbly grace.

Kamia relaxes as the forest green dragon seems to get her feet under her, and settles to watch the dragons again

Illatus lets out an involutary giggle at the way the Forest Green appears to be dismissing the candidates she passes, "Definately knows what she wants, doesn't she?" the boy says, apparently becoming more at ease with the whole process now he's survived the first few minutes of the hatching. Something he didn't really expect to happen.

Amira nods once, in agreement. "If you do, then you'll be rooting for yourself. You were Searched, so you deserve it." She crosses her arms to better keep them controlled and follows the hatchlings with her eyes.

V'lano, after a moment checking on his weyrwoman to be certain she - and Aerianth - are all well, edges around to Volath's shoulder and leans there. Volath looks down at his rider for a moment, 'hm?' but receiving no feedback, goes back to watching his daughters (and his sons too, sometimes) while humming encouragement for those hatchlings still shellbound.

Nolee notices that V'lano is over yon leaning on dragon shoulder, and she slowly and carefully makes her way over to him, her eyes on the dragonets much more than the candidates. "They're all alive!" she comments. "Well, so far, anyway." Obliviously, she sighs. "Hot day, isn't it?"

Script Egg's wiggling about has done little to help it; on the contrary, it's now deeper in the sand than when it started, and the hatchling inside seems terrified at the prospect of being buried alive, as the sand trickles back to fill in over it's shell. The egg gives a jump that could be frantic, and when it lands the shell spider webs neatly, but doesn't fall apart as such. It's a flurry of shards, most of which end up clinging to his hide.

Balinne murmers, "Get ready," to no one in particular. She's anticipating something, but whatever it is, it's interupted with the hatching of a brown. "oh. Well, Nevermind." Hm. More waiting.

Kaelana raises a brow, seeming to have had this conversation before, "I think the time to dicuss the validity of my claim would be once all the dragonets have cleared the sands, wouldn't you think?"

Tzivya glances over to Illatus, "Taking her time finding it, though. Maybe she rattled soemthing when she fell over?" She says, with a small laugh. Her cheer is forced though, and her humor fake. She glances up at the stands a moment, searching among the people there for familiar faces.

Madge sticks close to Tzivya, just shy of grabbing the other girl's hand. She's too proud, and possibly too paralyzed, to do so. But the closeness is appreciated, the sheer reminder that she isn't alone. Fingers flex and feet twitch and sand is sprayed from sandals and all is generally in motion.

K'ylon silent urges the hatchlings towards their lifemates, whoever they may be. And if he has favourites, he can be forgiven. At least he isn't holding his breath anymore.

"Always hot on the sands," V'lano replies, though after this he straightens and lifts a lazy salute to the junior weyrwoman, glancing her way once before looking out at the sands again, only to find a brown hatched in his brief distraction. "There's another live one," the weyrleader observes. "Beefy little brown. Must have had a rich egg. How did the candidates turn out for you? Everyone combed and brushed and -dressed- quickly enough for your liking?"

Amira grins. "That's the only time it can be more than speculation for -any- of the candidates. Not just you. Oh, look another brown." She points out the newly hatched... hatchling.

Niklo is beginning to settle into all this, hot, audience, everything. That is, until she spots the Script Egg hatch. "Oh no!" the youngster groans, smacking her forehead. "A brown... I was wrong. Uncle might be right... bettin' ain't for girls." Sigh.

Fadra tilts her head off to the side at the browns hatching, and her gaze flickers up to the ledges, where the bulk of her lifemate sits, no doubt. "Aye, they are handsome," she agrees with no one, or perhaps that someone she's trying to spy, before calling to Niklo, "Oh, Niklo? I do believe that's /one/ week o'chores."

Illatus frowns at Tzivya, "No, they always fall over a little, don't they?" he asks, his eyes moving to admire the brown as he breaks shell. "He's a little bit... out of shape, isn't he?" the boy asks. "Looks a little, y'know, bulky?" Illy shrugs. He looks over at Niklo, "Where'd you get marks to bet with?"

Tolemic rises up onto his toes, stumbling a little before he manages to catch himself again. "S'that a brown? Whew, he's a sturdy looking one, isn't he?" Back onto his heels he goes, craning his neck to search out the other free hatchlings. "Has that green chosen yet?"

Tannim doesn't see the brown hatch as he is still wiping his eyes. When he finally does get them clear he sees what the other are talking about with the green but his attention moves quickly to the brown. In his shifting he inadvertently nudges madge and whispers an apology, grimacing slightly. "Sorry bout that."

Headstrong Stone-Wrought Green sits among the remains of her egg. With a start, she jerks her head back and peers around her. Eggs. White-things. Hm. With a determined snort, she rocks herself up onto all fours, but though the motion is self-assured, her balance is not. With a startled squeak she tumbles tail-over-head and lands in much the same position she started out in, following in her sister's motions.

Kaelana grins, finally letting her attention rest of the little dragons storming about, "Maybe I'm not as bad at this candidate thing as you all give me credit for then?"

Griere seems intent on ignoring any and all conversation. Well, perhaps not -all-. Every once in a while she gives a silent little nod that suggest her queen might have her ear. While Aerianth might be pleased to have the candidates around, her lifemate's eyes are still sharp - sharp as new dragon claws on an unwary candidate, perhaps.

Tzivya looks over to Niklo, "What'd you bet, anyway? I Haven't had much chance to catch up with you lately." Fadra's voice reaches her and she winces. "Oh. You bet with /her/. Well, you get what you get then, sorry hon." She glances at Illatus. "Did her chores, I expect. They pay pretty well, really."

Niklo forces a weak smile at Fadra's call. "I know... I know," she nods grudingly, then shoots Illatus, and Tzivya, a look. "Naw, not marks... chores. A week's chores." The girl bites her lip. "If my other guess's wrong... ugh, don't wanna think 'bout it."

Amira shakes her head quickly. "If you mean that you have as much of a chance as anyone else, yes of course. But you didn't do to well with the rules of candidacy." She grins at her friend.

Balinne leans over to nudge K'ylon gently. "Brown," she says, and points at the most recently hatched one. "And the greens sure look haughty, don't they? Definitely Aerianth's clutch."

Illatus grins over at Niklo as he watches the hatchlings warily, shuffling his sandals in the sands. "What was your other guess, then?" he asks, grinning and glancing up at the galeries again before lowering his eyes back to the sands with a soft sigh.

Tolemic looks down at the much-smaller Niklo. "You were betting chores?" he echoes. "For what? And you're paying attention to the hatchlings, right? Like they told you?"

K'ylon chuckles low, the sound breathy. "Aye. They are hers alright. And taking their time, too," he murmurs to Balinne.

Tannim casts Niklo a sideways glance and gives her as much of a conforting look as he can at the moment, "Thats why I wouldn't bet, even with you."

Kamia shifts back and forth, moving closer to Tannim.

Balinne snorts, and her smile is wry now. "Yea. Probably picking out the ones that are going to give us the biggest headache!" She sighs, and rubs her own head in anticipation.

The Stately Forest Green strolls along unevenly with unhurried determination as she finally picks up this walking with six limbs thing. No one has yet met her high standards, and so it seems her quest will continue. Red eyes whirl frantically as she deigns to peer at another candidate, then prowling past in a huff as that human yet again fails muster... Wait. Ah, there! Finally. In her excitement she temporarily forgets her manners, hurling her body forward to claim her prize with a proprietary snarl.

Fadra says with a snicker, "I've got a headache already."

K'ylon shakes his head. "Like I said, I probably deserve it."

Niklo nods, then smiles adorably at Tolemic. "Yup, chores. An', yer much taller, so s'long as you keep an eye out, an' I stick close t'you, I'm good!" Perfect logic. Even if she is watching too. To Illatus: "You'll see soon 'nuff, I'm sure." A slight frown.

Tzivya shifts her weight, suddenly painfully aware of the heat of the sands and how long it's been since she moved. She's turning back to the hatchlings just in time to catch the Stately Forest Green's eyes, and her own eyes turn into wide saucers of shock. "Feryth? You're Feryth?" A wondering hand reaches out, caressing the little green's head with a shuddering sigh. "Forever, yes, definately forever!"

Balinne jumps, as the dragonet does. "There we go!" she says, grinning. "There's another one, finally." She's squinting now, peering through the haze to try and see who it is... "Tzivya!" Before anyone else can move, she's on her way out there, grining like an idiot. "Tzivya!" she says, softer, but none the less excited. "Come, follow me and we'll get her fed."

Illatus watches as the green launches herself towards her intended lifemate, letting out a whoop as he realises Tzivya is the intended, "Way to go, Tzivya," he calls out, cheering to her and smiling. He grins at Niklo, "I'm sure I will," he replies.

K'ylon cheers softly. "Yay Tzivya!" But most of his attention is upon the remaining dragonets - it'll be his turn soon enough!

Kaelana gives a wry twist of her lips, for once not responging to the comment with a snide comment. She glances across to Tzivya and gestures for Amira to do like-wise, just saying, "My point exactly."

Tannim is started as the green lunges towards his position choosing Tzivya next to him. His face lights up in a bright smile as his friend calls out the hatchlings name. "Oh Tzivya, congrats. See I told you."

Madge's rock is stolen! The green is given a strange, crinkly look, one that's both irritated and curious, and she's shuffling away from Tzivya to be apart from the others again. "Um. Good for you." She'd attempt an awkward pat on the shoulder or something but, well.

Fadra's short stature isn't helping her now - this newest Impression, with that picky green, has her standing on tiptoes. She even lowers her pride enough to put a hand on K'ylon's shoulder, to help her balance, her chin tilted up. "Who is..." and then she's flat on her feet again, saying, "Oh..." She doesn't even have to tell anyone to go. "Quick, she is, hmm?" Fadra asks of K'ylon. "At least /I/ didn't have t'get her." A mutter, and Fadra's trying out, "Feryth. Fer-yth. Feryth. Not bad."

Powdered Wig Egg shivers, freeing nearby grains of sand to trickle downward from its built-up mound to join their brethren below, then the egg slides to one side, wobbling wildly, the hatchling within unable to bear the stillness of confinement for too long. The grayish flecks on the shell seem to vibrate, losing form like the plucked string of a gitar.

Tolemic takes several hurried steps back as Feryth comes charging. "Feryth? She's lovely, Tzivya," he says, grinning at the sight. "See, Nik? Gotta stay on your toes. --Say, have you seen any bronzes yet?" He cranes his neck again to look.

Amira has been watching the greens closely, so she catches when one of them finds Tzivya. "Tzivya! Congratulations!" she shouts to her secret buddy. She smiles widely at Kaelana. "That's one of my friends down."

Kamia smiles finally at that, but doesn't allow it to distract her, she keeps her eyes on the hatchlings for her safely.

Niklo glares at Illatus, but her expression quickly becomes one of surprise as her best friend Impresses right next to her. "Tziv!" the girl gasps, "Y-you... oh, Tziv." She grins, voice softening. "I knew y'would. I knew it!"

Tzivya looks up at Balinne with a mute nod. Her friends, the crowd, the sands - none of them exists. "She's hungry, so very hungry." A hand falls to her stomach. "We are. She is. I mean..." She confusedly trais off, and then is off after her aunt, with the little green beside them towards where she can be fed.

Illatus also returns his eyes to the other green and the brown lumbering about his sands, his eyes also flickering between the eggs. Time to concentrate now. His sandals shuffles on the black sands.

K'ylon murmurs to Fadra, "Aye. Not a bad name at all." He grins a little at the balancing act.

Headstrong Stone-Wrought Green snorts determinedly and, with another uplifted jerk of her head, rocks herself back onto all four... and stays upright! With a triumphant little whistle, she takes off towards the row of candidates. Her steps are sure, even in her baby-stage, and though she stumbles now and again, she's quick to recover. In fast succession, two, three, four candidates are passed over with a haughty snort towards each.

Brighid has been here the whole time, almost hiding behind some of the other candidates. She smiles her congratulations to the newest pairs and shifts uncomfortably on the hot sands. Nerviousness radiates from the girl as she watches the eggs and hatchlings.

Nolee shakes her head, leaning into the shade provided by Volath's mass. "I didn't brush them. They might've brushed each other, though. Mostly they were too busy fighting. Or kissing. Or being contrary. Or all of those things." A shrug: what can you do?

Shrewd Savannah Brown snorts his triumph at what remains of the nuisance that was his egg before casting a keen eye around the Hatching Sands. All these admirers, these loyal subjects, here to see him? You shouldn't have. But something says he's plenty glad for the observation, even as he stands on legs that are wobbly with the stiffness of being curled. Taking a half-step from his mound, he languorously stretches out his back legs - then his front, and then his wings, all in turn. With all limbs in proper order, he has the good grace to turn around. White. What is all that /white/?

Illatus smiles as his eyes follow Tzivya and her lifemate off the sands, then revert back to watching the green lounging past a line of candidates and the brown getting his feet underneath him. "They go so quickly," he says, glancing at the unhatched eggs.

Kamia can't help it, she lets out a tiny giggle, her hand brushing Tannim's lightly. "Aren't the sweet?" She does have the ood sense to remember they are dangerous though, and stays relaxed enough to getout of way.

Madge has taken to biting on her fingernails to keep herself from fraying her robe to pieces with worrying. Every now and again she'll spit, just a little turn of her head and a *ppt*. Her feet seem to be moving of their own accord and she squirms in place, sweat trickling down from her temples and along her cheeks.

Tannim shakes his head at Mic's question, "No bronzes yet that I have seen." he gives the older candidate a shrug before noticing Madge has moved away some again. He quickly motions her to rejoin them, "He we wont bite." he calls over to her his eyes darting from her and back to the eggs and hatchlings.

"Kissing?" V'lano has been grinning a pleased smile for the latest impressions, including Tzivya's to that green his Volath was so interested in - but now he glances a more bemused look over at Nolee. "Fighting? They had wits about them to fight and make up even while the dragons were humming?" Faux-impressed, the weyrleader looks out at the sands all over again, brows up. "Well, maybe they're fit for our wings after all, then." Teasing, mock-serious.

Kaelana shrugs, her good deed of the day (in her opinion at least) ends up unrewarded, the girl already having been watching the greens. She does ask, though, "Liking the greens are you?"

With a final snort, Headstrong Stone-Wrought Green Dragonet seems to have found what she's looking for. Making an abrupt U-turn, she comes face to face with a strawberry blonde girl, plops herself down, and claims her for her own.

Niklo sighs happily as she watches Tzivya and her lifemate leave the sands, then goes back to watching again. Overhearing Kamia's comment the girl grins mischiviously. "Guess ya wouldn't say that if y'got trampled by one, eh?" She winks.

Kamia blinks in shock at the little dark green. "Right Naurimeth.. we better get you something to eat.. why are you laughing at me?" She can't help it though, she smiles, breaking the ranks to move to dragon.

Tolemic spares a moment from his own sands-watching to study Madge and her nibbling. "You're all right," he offers with another quick grin. "Just keep your eyes open and your feet moving." Which his own are doing, shuffling deeper into the little hollow he's already created.

Nolee shakes her head again, missing the hatching and moving about of the brown dragon with the attitude. "Noo, noo. Not just before the humming. Ages before. We've been on our toes, you know." She nods importantly, then just looks confused by his pretend-pride. "Um...yeh." The girl finally agrees, her eyes scanning over the candidates. "Aww, was that another one paired?"

K'ylon tugs himself into a semblance of dignity and steps toward Kamia. "Naurimeth is it? Well done, Kamia, follow me." He leads the newly impressed pair to the corner.

Opening Night Jitters Egg trembles and twitches repeatedly, moving about in its raised mound of sand. A small fight, and soon a lanky, egg-goo covered bronze hatchling tumbles forth. He blunders along in his search for the right one, owlish eyes blink almost comically as he makes a serious consideration of a short, roly-poly girl with brown hair, snorting thick mucus all over her robe as he prods her tummy. And passes her by. Then a sudden shriek, and he launches himself at a tall, blonde-haired girl...knocking her down and barely missing stepping on her as he falls face-first at the feet of that handsome, arrogant youth from Nerat. Draconic eyes look up in adoration, and the boy appears stunned and disbelieving as he steps forward, murmuring soft words to his new weyrmate.

Amira shrugs at Kaelana. "They were the ones being indescisive. Those are the ones I think are dangerous." She now also keeps her eyes on the brown, as he starts getting ready to move.

Tannim now stands semi alone the girls on either side having both now impressed green. The look on his face however is one over joy, "Kamia, she is beautiful. Oh I am so happy for you."

Madge eyes Tannim, her thumb pressed in between her lips. Removing it, she speaks. "No thanks. Just fine over here." And not over /there/, thanks, where people are getting plucked up and carried off like fish from a pond. Tolemic's advice is heeded, but her eyes have dropped to his own feet. "You're gonna bury yourself." That said, back to fidgeting, her eyes on Kamia and her new lifemate.

Kamia places a hand gently on the dragon smiling a goofy amused grin as she walks with the dragon. "K'ylon knows where the food is

Illatus grins as the Headstrong green seems to have decided to chosen. He lets out another encouraging whoop, "Yay, Kamia," he calls out to the girl, returning his eyes to the eggs just in time to see the bronze hatch and impress. "There's a bronze," he comments.

The Powdered Wig Egg shudders lastly, sending up fine dust from a shell fairly disintegrating from around a curled green form within. Though all of the commotion her egg's undergone was only the result of her stretching limbs and nudging nose, it takes her a moment to realize her freedom and, blinking, step free of her gooey confines to consider the new world revealed.

Tolemic looks at Niklo and Madge as Kamia's escorted off the sands. "That was Kamia, right? What'd she say her green's name was?" Trust him to remember the name of a girl.

Niklo's words ae no sooner out of her mouth than the very person she's speaking to Impresses. "Well," she says, snickering softly, "Guess you won't be gettin' trampled this time around. Way t'go, Kamia!" Hopping from foot to foot excitedly, she nods to Tolemic. "Kamia, yup! And Naurimeth!"

Fadra watches K'ylon take the green away with a quiet twist of the lips, content to let him go and instead watch the prowl of that brown, whose curiousity in the candidates has her bouncing just on the balls of her feet, on edge.

Kaelana nods, the comment deemed appropriate, "I don't think much of them are ones for decisiveness, but it's good to be on edge. I agree." She takes a shuffle to the left, the wince returning as the sand in her sandels scratches over now raw feet.

Illatus watches as the powdered wig egg hatches into another green, ohing at the grace of the creature as she breaks free of her shell. "Such a pretty egg, that was," he says, grinning around him, "Guess beauty breed beauty, eh?"

Shrewd Savannah Brown is pacing the line, a slinky prowl with his head low to the ground and his hindquarters bobbing slightly as he wanders around the people. Why are they in his way? Well, maybe this will move them. With a baring of clean, white, still-formidable baby fangs, the brown snarls towards his opposition. He stalks back and forth, looking for a through-way, stopping only once, to look perturbed, before heading back the opposite direction. There's got to be an exit somewhere.

Tannim watches as a bronze finally hatches and as quickly as he does he has found his lifemate. He cheers for the candidate who had bunked next to him and smile, calling over congratulations. He shrugs towards Madge then, "Ok, suit yourself." His attention though is once again drawn back to the eggs as another green emerges.

Balinne returns to the Sands, looking a little drunken. She's not, of course, drunk. But she is still grinning like an idiot.

Madge will suit herself, thank you very much, and remain right /here/. And completely miss the brown's fang-baring, though the reactions of others draw her attention. Her expression is one of bemusement. Why're they so scared? Why is /she/ so scared? No! Nervous. Right. With a decisive nod to finalize that inner outcome, she resumes nibbling away at her fingers.

Fadra looks at the returning Balinne with a quiet smirk. "I bet her glee is just /paralyzing/," the brownrider murmurs, craning her head around her approaching staff to narrow her eyes at the brown. "Watch that one," she warns the candidates in a tone so low they'll likely not hear her.

One by one the lights that glare all over the Thousand Burning Lamps Egg go out. Wink after wink leaves the shell in increasing darkness, its gloss fading beneath a thin layer of leaking egg-goo, its source a crack growing at the eggs odd apex.

Amira smiles at Kaelana. "And it helps you know if you've Impressed sooner." She laughs and turns back to the hatchlings. She stops short as she sees the brown snarling. "Yeah, dangerous."

Tolemic huhs? over at Madge. "Bury myself? Oh hey, look at that brown." He misses the bronze's hatching and Impression to watch the irritated brown, even going so far as to step forward, out of his sandy depression. His stillness lasts for only a few seconds before he's shuffling again.

Shrewd Savannah Brown looks beyond frustrated - with his neck arched, he looks down his nose towards the band of white-things blocking him in, and then back towards his parents. Must I /really/ go on with this nonsense? Then, suddenly, his head jerks back around, to the side he lingered at only moments ago. As though he's attached to a leash that's been suddenly tugged, he slinks closer to the candidates, stopping in front of a girl with dark shaggy hair and brown eyes that hold the same sharp glint as his own.

Brighid's eyes widen and she almost takes a step farther back from the snarling brown hatchling. Visibly steeling herself, she streightens her shoulders and holds her ground, obviously determined that she's not going to show just how scared she really is, though she looks ready to bolt at a moment's notice.

"I think it was - and there, another," V'lano replies, distracted for a time by the movements of the brown who's taken so much longer than his hidemates out of these shells have done to choose. The weyrleader does lift a lazy hand to flicker fingers by way of an indicative point. "Oh," he adds then, drawing the hand back to shield his eyes from glare, even with Volath's shadow there to help. "It's my favorite." Wry, that.

Madge holds no ground against this sudden invasion. Powerless, unsuspecting, she's well and truly caught by the brown dragon, small and fierce, that's claimed her. Her hands fall to her sides and she stares. A wince, her face pinching, and she doubles over. "Takavath," is her gasp, her arm around her middle while her other hand reaches for him. /Him/.

If it were dignified, Fadra would fall over. "Oh, Faranth. What'd I do t'deserve this class? Am I a bad person?" she asks of no one in particular. And her gaze flickers away from Madge and Takanath, to V'lano. Affecting a migraine, massaging her temples, Fadra glances at Bali, who has barely made it back, to say, "Would you /please/ take them away? I nay think I can do it safely, right now."

Balinne face is, once more, in shock. But, it only lasts a moment before, as with Tzivya, she's moving before Fadra can, this time towards Madge. When she gets there, she pauses to look down at the brown, and then the new weyrling. "This way," she says tightly, turning on her heels to lead the pair away. There is little, or no, expression discernable.

Illatus glances over at Amira, "I'd have thought impressing at the end would be better, then you know who you're going into weyrlinghood with." He sighs and watches the brown and green as the move about the sands. A look of shock crosses his face at the choice of the brown, before says, "Congrats, Madge and Takavath," with no hint of insincerity.

Tannim stands near motionless lost in his own world of the eggs and hatchlings now. He watches as the brown snarls, he himself, for some reason unfazed by him. His eyes follow him as he suddenly changes directions returning back towards him and past to Madge. He jumps this time out of the way more than anything. "Congrats Madge."

Niklo seems to have caught on that the young brown in one to watch, for her gaze keeps flicking back to him and just happen to be on him when he picks his lifemate. "Madge?" the girl repeats the name, blinking. "Oh. Well, congrats!" she cheers, despite not having met the other candidate before.

In the Spotlight Egg tips. It's a thoughtful little move, as if the egg is just considering this whole hatching business that has taken its siblings by storm. For a moment it seems that's the only move this dark egg will make. But then the rocking starts - a heavy sway that shifts its base in the sand and sends fissures and canyons running through the darkness to converge at the white-lit apex.

Kaelana agree's, replying with a frown, "I think the hatchlings run around for a while to put us on edge, wouldn't you think?" She gives a small laugh, eyes still surveying the impressee's going about.

Tolemic's eyes remain on the brown despite his earlier words to Madge. When he Impresses, Mic laughs a short, breathy laugh. "Nice brown," he calls after the ex-Guard. "She's going to have her hands full, I bet," he adds more quietly to Niklo. Fadra is not bored, for the record. And is still standing there, massaging her temples, watching.

Lively Alpine Meadow Green hops along on a cheerful path toward those white-robed figures. Not wanting to be late for mealtime, she holds her head up high, taking confident action before she loses her nerve. Her long youthful limbs tangle in one another as she trips. For a moment, her balance is unsteady and she flails, snow-capped sage wingsails held aloft, and in the next moment, she's having her very first meal: a tongue coated in sand.

Amira nods and shrugs. "I think they do, but I know that they probably aren't. They just don't know where to look." She warily watches the hatchlings that are searching the sands.

The crack at the top of the Thousand Burning Lamps Egg grows wider still, glimpses of color within not badly matched to the hue of the shell itself. One last shudder and that shell breaks apart, revealing a shining new hatchling, eyes whirling, head lifted in curious enchantment.

Tannim recovers from moments earlier edging closer now to Niklo as he feels all alone. He shudders as the poor green falls muzzle first into the sands, "Eww I bet that doesn't taste all that good." He says to no one in particular, maybe to the green?"

Kaelana hmms at the gold, "So Niklo was right on that one, good call I say." She gives a small titter at Amira's comment, "When you impress, you should ask your dragon and tell me! I'd be interested to know."

Tolemic bounces up onto his toes once more, craning his neck at the steadily-diminishing number of eggs and hatchlings. "Where's that green going? Are the eggs all hatched ye... Oh hey, a gold!" For no readily apparent reason his attention swivels up to the galleries again, wide grin on his face.

Illatus ohs as the gold appears out of her eggs, he watches her a moment, echanted by the movement and looking over at Niklo, "That was your other bet?" he asks before looking back to the green lumbering around. No sense in him watching a gold, is there?

Brighid, contrary to her actions toward the savage brown that just impressed to the former guard, takes a half a step toward the fallen green before catching herself and stepping back into her little depression. Her attention is caught by the sudden hatching of a shinning beauty, her eyes wide at the golden hatchling's appearance, "Oh..."

Niklo bobs her head in agreement to Tolemic's words, grinning at the older candidate. "Better her than me!" she replies, making a face. "Even if he has a real nice name." When Tannim moves closer she reaches out to brush his arm comfortingly, and then-- "Gold! A gold! I was right!" The girl bounces in place, cheering. "Only one week's chores!"

"I misspoke, then," murmurs V'lano with a careless wave of one hand, dismissive. "Not a favorite. A hunch." Just then he realizes the golden egg's split is yielding its somewhat predictable payload, and at this he smirks a little, with an approving nod of his head, else silent on the matter. "Yes, one of the fighting ones. But not one of your candidates - if I mark my bet right, Madge hasn't been in candidacy long. I saw her a seven and some ago - and she was supposed to be dry for the time after that." Brows twitch, but he just puts up a hand on Volath's haunch and leans, eyes thoughtfully merry.

Lively Alpine Meadow Green is undaunted by this setback, and handles it with grace by licking herself down the haunch, spreading the sand. There, soothed the itchy spot, really! She next dips her head, investigating an abandoned bit of eggshell. Gathering her courage, she creels encouragingly to herself, and stands upright, wobbling. The eggshell bit is now stuck on her head, framing her face like a wimple as she blithely returns to her quest.

"I am a bad person," Fadra confirms for herself. "There's nay /any/ way this could get wose."

Amira gasps, loud. A gold? She takes a step back from the new hatchling. "If I Impress. And if you do, then you can askand tell me. Maybe you'll get her." She points at the gold, grinning.

Tannim looks to Niklo whom he is now standing next to and smiles, "Oh a gold! You called that one huh?" He grins then leans away as she starts to bounce all over the place. "careful you may just have all the hatchlings jumping on us."

Balinne shares a look with Fadra, and shakes her head. "You're not bad.. but you're probably in trouble." She doesn't even grin at that. Her arms fold over her chest, and she appears content to remain that way for the rest of the Hatching. Not even the Gold gets her to smile.

Illatus smiles at the green hatchling, "Definately confident," he says, glancing at his fellow candidates and shuffling his feet. His eyes flicker between the other eggs, for a moment linger on the gold, and then return to the Meadow Green.

The last crack of the Spotlight Egg breaks it in half, black curtains splitting up the middle and shattering the pale cap into so much shining dust. What is left, sitting between the two broad curves of shell, is a green hatchling still tucked into a ball as if she doesn't yet realize the constricting walls are gone.

Ista's Weyrlingmaster looks less amazed than everyone else, at the hatching of the gold. Her face betrays distress, and she stalks away from where she's taken up post, closer to V'lano. "/You/ did this on purpose!" Her accusation is dark. "You /knew/ this was going t'happen. I nay know /how/ but you /did."

Balinne stares at Fadra, eyes wide. "She's gone mad," she says to the air. Her attention goes back to the Hatching - /someone/'s gotta look out for the weyrlings.

Tolemic turns back, his eyes going straight to the Alpine green and missing the hatching of the newest green. "Huh. Bet she's going to rethink eating that sand later. Wonder if she even knows she's not supposed to be eating it?"

Kaelana sighs, seeming to have had -this- conversation more then once, "Let's just enjoy this momentous occasion and -not- worry about me. I daresay they are more worthy candidates for your sympathies." About the hubbub, she mutters, "People seem to have a thing with shiny things."

Nolee just stares at the Weyrleader; he always speaks in riddles, and her puzzlement is clear. Brushing candidates? Dry candidates? "I don't recognize her," Nolee admits quietly. "But I hope she's bathed recently at least. With water. Wet water." The hatching of the gold goes unnoticed as she watches the still form of the latest green. "Get up," she urges. "C'mon, up." Then she's half-hiding behind Volath, watching the ire of Fadra with fascination.

Tannim watches the gold then notes as spotlight egg breaks open to reveal another green. He nudges Niklo and smiles, "Oh look another green, have any bets on that one?"

Niklo just bobs her head cheerfully. "I guessed it, yup!" she confirms proudly, as though she hadn't been wrong on her first guess. A slight smirk, but she stops bouncing, instead going back to watching the dragonets more carefully. "So many greens," the girl comments softly, "I guess I could get lucky, eh?"

V'lano, distracted from his conversation with Nolee to receive Fadra's frustration, replies with smirky grin and a tip of a nod, as though he accepts - admits - her accusations. "I allowed her," he murmurs. "And I knew this would happen, too." He casts another little fling of a hand out to gesture at the sands at large, encompassing. It's distant and arcane knowledge, kept for only the most adept of weyrleaders to know - but when there are eggs, often there tend to be weyrlings, in time." His tongue parts his lips swiftly, then he glances back at Nolee, hiding in Volath's shadow: "She won't bite. Not with me watching."

Enchanting Amber Gold picks careful, prancing steps away from the ruined remnants of her glorious shell. Petite paws splay wide over the hot sand, a study in contrast, gold on black. She makes it only a few meters from her birthplace before realizing the wonder arranged before her: so many people, both those robed in white near enough to focus whirlingly on, and those higher and farther up in the stands. All these she regards in a sweep of her head, chin up in careful consideration.

Amira sighs and shrugs. "It might also be that they're more rare than any other color. Though people do like shiny things." She shrugs, watching all of the active hatchlings.

Illatus eyes the next green to emerge on to the sands, "Well, there's certainly a lot of greens," he comment, looking back at the one that is away from her egg. His feet shuffle at the heat leaking through his sandals.

Nolee folds her arms and stares bovinishly at Fadra, not liking this all that much. "You do know she's--well, she got in a fight with one of them, right? I heard all about it." Apparently, only half about it.

With a few more impish, precise steps the Lively Alpine Meadow Green prances up to one last candidate for her consideration. Delight warms the eggshell-starved red that swirls in her eyes, and with a careless little flutter of her wings she steps one more pace forward, putting herself in inviting reach of a tall, brown-haired girl. There. All taken care of.

Kaelana just has to ask Amira, a near whisper, "Do you think people would be offended if I put my hand over my face like so-" She lifts a hand up over her eyes, "- and yelled 'Ah, my eyes! The shinyness hurts'?" She gives a little laugh, though how much of the comment was in jest she's not saying.

"I know," V'lano remarks, only, in a droll, low rumble.

Brighid tears her gaze away from the young gold and back to the greens, "No, Brighid. She'll pick someone else. Don't think about her..." Only those nearest might be able to hear her muttered words as she shifts again. A look of determination on her face.

Tulle on the Twirl Egg has spent a whole lot of time doing absolutely nothing. Now, all at once, it makes a sickening sound, and a canyon of a crack appears. First a snout, then a pair of paws, all cornflower blue, stick through the crack, pushing and shoving and twisting until, in a tangle of limbs, the blue within is released and lays flat on his belly in the sand, looking indignant at his ungraceful arrival in the world. To his feet in a second, not to be caught on his belly long, the blue begins pacing around, embarrassed, before suddenly some /tug/ gets his attention and he hurries away from his cracked shell to boldly enter the mass of candidates. He skids to a halt in front of a tiny boy with blonde hair, cocking his head at him before nudging him demandingly. "C'tram? Erm...Prelth? Ohhhh..." It all dawns on him at once. "Oh, of course you're hungry...we'll, um...we'll get you some food. Right now."

Amira suddenly freezes and starts to sway on the spot. Finally her eyes lock on the Lively Alpine Meadow Green and she falls to her knees before her, whispering something. She gently strokes the greens eyeridges and repeats what she wispered at the level of a shout. "Myrienth!"

Balinne has relaxed a little.. maybe. Enough that she's smiling when she approaches Amira and her green. "Congradulations, sweety," she says with a smile. "Come, this way and we'll get her fed. Mind her steps."

Amira looks up at Balinne. "Food? Oh, right." She stands and follows Balinne, watching her green- her green- follow.

Fadra deadpans at being mocked. "Y'know well 'tis nay what I meant." She points, now, accusingly, at Volath. "/He/ told ya. Ugh." Shaking her head, until the dark spikes that are her hair wiggle her consternation as well. And being so distracted in her wrath at V'lano, and Volath, even, the Weyrlingmaster misses Amira, leaving her staff to pick up the slack At least /someone/ is paying attention. Thank Faranth for Balinne. Fadra even has the grace to look mildly embarassed when Bali steps forward, and so she steams from near the Weyrleader, arms crossed and gaze hooded as she watches the progress of that Gold.

Tannim casts a sideways glance towards kaleana as she puts hand in front of her face, not sure exactly what she is doing. As he is watching he sees one of the greens come up to Amira and he smiles as she confirms his name. "Oh Amira, she is lovely." His eyes return once more to the other green as a blue appears and quickly impresses.

Illatus looks at the Meadow Green chooses her lifemate, the cheers, "Way to go, Amira. Myrienth, you've got a good one there!" He says, looking to the dragon before his eyes move back out onto the sands, a cheer errupting for C'tram and Prelth as well.

Myrienth croons to her new partner, encouragingly, then flapflaps along after her toward the promise of food.

Beguiling Sunlit Satin Green blinks a faceted eye open and only after she's had a look around does she begin to uncurl from her egg-shaped position: a leg straightens, a wing stretches, her tail uncoils from around her side. She's slow about it, deliberate, batting her heavy-lidded eyes around the cavern, taking it all in as she finally rights herself and stands up on her unsteady legs.

Tolemic leans over to confide to Niklo, "Course you can get lucky. I'm safe, though - no bronzes. I -told- Seliene I'd be back at the docks. You and your dragon can come visit me, 'kay?"

Niklo overhears Kaelana and raises an eyebrow. "Mmhmm..." she mumbles to herself, turning when she hears more calls of congratulations. "Oh, Amira!" Recognition, and a cheer. "Green! That's great!" At Tolemic's comment the young candidate laughs. "Still eggs out there. Who knows?" A smirk. "Y'might get green, an' I'll be left!"

"He did not," remarks V'lano, with a fond glance up at the bronze whose attention is now cruelly divided between his daughters golden and green out on the sands. "What trouble is it to you, Weyrlingmaster? Whomever she's with will need to learn all the same things you teach any other, well - most of them, and then some. You wouldn't have wanted an incomplete experience, I'm sure?" Poke, poke, poke.

Enchanting Amber Gold inclines her chin once, turning her head a little aside as though sharing some splendid secret with the watching crowd. Now prepared, she sets out toward what remains of the semicircle of candidates, eyelids slowly shuttering and re-revealing her deep, thoughtful gaze in a series of comely blinks. Coming up short on a first investigation she doubles back for another, pacing fitfully along the line of white robes, glancing at a short pudgy girl from Keroon here, a taller one there. Only glances - nothing more.

Kaelana looks put out at her companion having left as if the green impressing was Amira's fault. She lets out a hmph, but still calls out a congratulations to the other girl.

Illatus grins over at Tolemic, "You're mighty confident of yourself, expecting a bronze," he says, chuckling before returning his eyes to the Satin Green. "Well, she's a slow one."

Nolee continues to hide out behind the clutchsire, curious about what's happening between V'lano and the Weyrlingmaster. "You can't fight here," she hiss-whispers. "People can -see- you!"

Discarded Bubblegum Egg has, discreetly, been gathering quite the collection of cracks. And now, amongst the chaos of its siblings hatching, it feels the distinct need to do the same. It neatly falls apart, spilling a moist and creeling green onto the sand, where her smooth, bright hide becomes positively plastered. Dragging herself to her feet, the doll-like hatchling wanders, crying, directly to a young girl from Telgar Hold, hiding her head pathetically in the crook of her chosen's arm. The young woman looks stunned, her mouth becoming a small 'o' as she stares at the dragon in front of her before she assures, somewhat shakily, brushing sand away from her lifemate's hide with unshaky hands, "Etteth, you look fine."

Tolemic says complacently, "Nothing wrong with greens." Which reminds him... "Hey, who'd she look to? Amira? And has that gold done anything?" He looks for her, only to have blue eyes caught by the shameless dark green. Lips purse in a soundless whistle, and he misses Etteth's Impression.

Tannim turns to Tolemic and nods at Illatus's comment, "Nothing wrong with being confident now." He looks as another green emerges and finds herself a lifemate. Very few eggs left he thinks to himself looking out over the remaining candidates still standing on the sands.

Beguiling Sunlit Satin Green leaves the goo and shatters of shell behind her, though they follow the trail of her tail in a sticky line. To feel the eyes of the cavern on her makes her tuck her head to the side, coy and shy, and yet she doesn't hesitate as she heads towards the mass of white robed candidates. She cants her head at one, drops her chin at another and draws away from both and keeps searching.

"We aren't fighting." V'lano turns a blind side to Fadra to tell Nolee this through a grin. Volath, for his part, bends his muzzle down and fixes a gaze on Nolee with one whirling, curious eye - not for long, though. She's permitted her hiding, so that the bronze can keep his attention on the sands.

Niklo grins, nodding at Tolemic and Illatus. "Nothin' wrong with green a'tall!" she agrees, then shrugs, looking around. "An' the gold... she seems t'be jus' wanderin' around. Like most of 'em." Sage nod. "Still there, though. See?" The girl guestures in the general direction of the young queen.

Illatus smiles at Tannim and nods, "Certainly not, but a bronze is not better than any other colour," he says to his fellow, looking at the Satin Green. "Take her for instance, certainly confidant, very pretty." He shrugs, "All the dragons seem pretty... must get it from the mother? Or father?" He shrugs.

The Enchanting Amber Gold makes one more approach, regarding again the white-robed offerings provided for her selection. Her eyes whirl slowly, hunger plain in their rich burgundy hue, but she keeps calm: this one thing must be done first, above all else. One last glance-over and her head goes down at last, neck arching low to express obeisance and love for just one green-eyed, honey-skinned girl.

In the Pit Egg strains, pulls, and whistles until finally the shell has had enough. With a trumpets blare, In the Pit Egg shatteres, spilling a bewildered young blue onto the sands. With a frightened chirrup, he scrambles to his feet, wings and tail going wild. In a tripping rush, he takes a leap forwards and lands nearly atop a frightened boy from Harper Hall. The squeal of surprise is quickly turned into a squeal of delight as the young boy leans down to help up his lifemate. "His name is Berth!"

Niklo's flopping hand freezes, then drops to her side and she tips her head, blinking. "W-what?" the candidate says aloud, staring at the young dragon that seems to have chosen her. "I... oh, Eviath." A smile beings, small but growing quickly, "Together. Yeah... I like that. A lot."

Tolemic throws his head back and all but crows, "Niklo! Told you you and your dragon'd get to come visit me down at the docks! Eviath's /lovely/, Nik. She suits you." The other green, the blue, the last of the eggs, are all nigh-forgotten as the last of his neighbors Impresses right beside him.

Tannim nods to Illatus in agreement, "No of course not and they are all lovely, or handsome as the case may be." he turns his attention then back to the gold and green, watching as the gold walks over to Niklo arching her neck towards her. "Oh my! Niklo Congratulations, you got the gold!" he starts to shake again now as another blue impresses leaving, how many eggs?

Fadra holds her breath - and then barks a laugh. She can't help it, and whatever anger she had for V'lano is disappated when the gold picks her lifemate. If only to get away from the clutchsire and his /dispicable/ rider, Fadra reaches into her pocket to wander closer to the newest goldpair. "Niklo," she says, "and Eviath. Follow me, then." And she's striking a path in the direction the other weyrlings went.

Illatus's eyes move to the gold, when the gold stops moving, and then up to her chosen lifemate. "Niklo?" he mutters, questioning it himself, before exclaiming a louder, "Niklo! Way to go!" Clapping his hands.

The Beguiling Sunlit Satin Green spots the one. The one for her. It is an obvious relief for one who was so stranded, so adrift in the world all alone. She sighs a heavy breath as if she could not have stood to be alone for one moment longer. It lifts her head with rapture and her body goes soft towards the man with short dark curls.

V'lano laughs, turning around as Fadra leaves him in this strange defeat. "Oh, fantastic," rumbles the weyrleader then, stepping over to Nolee's hiding spot - it's not like she's well-hidden - to watch the rest of the hatching from there. "What do you think of her," asks V'lano sidelong, of Nolee presumably, "Weyrwoman?"

Brighid's breath catches as Niklo impresses to the little queen, "Oh, Niklo! Congratulations." She almost sounds like she's going to cry now that the gold is no longer hunting and forces herself to focus on the remaining hatchlings and few eggs.

Niklo looks on the verge of tears, but she manages not to cry -- just yet. "C'mon, Eviath," she says quietly, not quite trusting her voice, "Let's getcha somethin' to eat, eh?" Reaching out to brush her fingertips against her new lifemate's golden neck, she slowly moves off to follow Fadra.

Tolemic shouldn't have forgotten to watch. As he turns away from Niklo his eyes meet those of the green. His hands start to shake, his eyes widen and all but roll back into his head. One trembling hand reaches out to steady himself on her head. "Oh Aath," he groans, utterly lost in his own private world. "I'm yours, sweetheart. Forever."

Nolee notices the egg numbers are dwindling, so she peeks her head out from where she'd been 'hiding' -- taking shelter, really, near Volath. For once, she catches a keen moment, seeing a pair just-post impression, then another. "Jays," she whispers. "Amazing."

Makeup Spill Egg is not quiet about hatching. It practically explodes, spreading egg shrapnel all around, and the brown inside looks quite pleased with himself about all of it. Yes, that is my mess. All sorts of eager to get to where he needs to be, he puffs his chest and starts forward with unsteady and unsure steps. Towards his parents. After a few moments staring up at his mother, whose size seems to have tempered his own ego, he turns away again, his chest no longer as puffed out as it was. There's only a few steps of curiosity before the brown bumps right into someone's legs. What's this? Oh, there you are! The young girl he's chosen staggers a moment, then proudly announces, "His name is Kadieth!"

Tannim is still shaking as Mic calls out a name and he looks over to see him looking at the green. "So much for the docks Mic! Way to go." He looks around as he realizes he is one of the few left on the sands. He shifts from foot to foot watching as the last of the eggs finish hatching.

Illatus grins and cheers for Tolemic as well, "Way to go, Tolemic," he calls out. He glances over to where the brown impresses and smiles. "The eggs are going quickly, aren't they."

Griere finally moves away from Aerianth's side, stepping towards V'lano with a tip of her head towards the rest of the sands, the shattered remnants of eggs and the candidates who remain.

Fadra is back just in time to spot Mic's Impression. "Aath? Well...that's....short. C'mon. She's hungry, I bet." And again, Fadra forges a way.

T'mic's able, after long shuddering moments, to drag his attention back to Fadra and her instructions. "Are," is all he manages before stumbling after, one hand caressing Aath's headknobs.

"Oh - that's the last of them. Fourteen." V'lano slips a hand out of one linen pocket with a quarter-mark piece in the palm, hefts it in a small arc and catches it, then pockets it again. "Excuse me, Nolee?" A deep dip of his head and merry, laughing eyes for the no-longer-newest weyrwoman, and the Istan Weyrleader steps to his weyrwoman, then with her saunters out through the ruins of the eggshells, across the sands, to a place before the remaining candidates.

"Remember all of you were selected to stand here because you have what it takes. That your dragon was not here today means little in the long run. But a Weyr needs more candidates than eggs to ensure every hatchling can find his or her rider. Each of you has given us a precious gift," and here V'lano glances significantly across the white-robed folk who remain, "in permitting us to let our young dragons consider you. We wish only to repay you as best we can: with our hospitality, and if you wish it, your new home." He smiles, broad and inviting, swinging out a hand in gesticulation, welcoming.

V'lano turns his attention then up into the stands. "We welcome all of you to come feast Ista's new dragonriders!"

Tannim nods his head towards the Weyrleader his body dejected looking but more from the heat and all the anticipation that not impressing. He manages to flash him along with the Weyrwoman a smile as he looks about as to what to do now.

Nolee scoots off the sands as V'lano moves away and begins to address the remaining candidates, her first stop being one of the many stands with water for those visiting. "That seemed fast," she muses mostly to herself. "I don't remember if it was that fast last time."

Illatus blinks as he realises that all of the eggs, in fact, are gone, and looks to those who remain around him. He nods to the weyrleader, a look of dissapointement obvious on his face, and he looks over at Tannim. "Maybe next time, eh?" he says, chuckling dryly.

Tannim nods to Illatus, "Maybe. Certainly not the end of the road though." he gives him a smile, trying to cheer him up. "Hey at least we don't have to worry about all the extra chores and work that endures them." he winks giving a soft chuckle.

Griere smiles at the candidates, the smooth practice of her expression tinged with the excitement that has just taken place and a touch of sympathy. "We invite you to bathe and change and, if you like, enjoy the meal in the living cavern." The bathing and changing, though, sounds a bit required.

Illatus grins at Tannim, "Just the end of this path, eh? Y'know, I was kind of looking forward to those chores. Would have been interesting." He nods graciously to the weyrwoman, "Thank you, ma'am," he says, his voice sounding a little strained, and his face looking it.

Brighid looks at the shattered shells that are all that's left of the clutch, utter dejection plain on her face. She sighs heavily and moves closer to those others left standing, "I hope Mum and Da aren't too upset that I didn't impress..." She raises her voice above a whisper and gives the weyrwoman a small bow, "Thank you."

Tannim nods to Griere, "Ma'am thank you. Can we get our stuff from the candidate barracks or will have it moved for use?" he turns to Illatus and nods, "Yep a new journey awaits. Or an old one depending."

"Bathing and changing," murmurs V'lano, head tipped toward his weyrmate, voice now lowered to the level of more private conversation, "sound delightful to me." A glance up then and at the candidates he smiles, tipping nods to Illatus, to some others. To Brighid he notes, "If they are, I invite you to ask them to speak to me or the weyrwoman," as if she weren't right next to him. "We'll be glad to help any way we can." To Tannim, louder so all the candidates can hear: "You can feel free to pick it up yourself if you like; it may be a few hours before the staff can get to it." That said, he speaks again, low, to Griere; and then the pair head off to prepare, themselves.