Nia
Sr. Weyrwoman 
niact[M:-790]
Posts: 991
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Post by Nia on Nov 18, 2012 23:25:26 GMT -5
It was midday, and fairly cold at that. Avalle sat on a mat out in the Sands sipping her klah, trying to warm herself up. There was a helpful yellow flitter in her lap, sleeping peacefully. Avalle lazily scratched Yulari with one hand, drinking her klah with another. She really, really hated the cold. Even leaving the warm sands to get a warm drink was painful. The Junior Weyrwoman was actually fairly glad Callistath had chosen to fly and clutch now. It was a good excuse to stay in the warm Hatching Sands. Too bad though. It looked like the eggs were going to hatch quite soon.
Now, even. Callistath stirred from her nap, opening her eyes to inspect her eggs. Aw, hatching already? Avalle said with a bit of a pout, drinking a bigger gulp of her klah. She'd have to get dignified for the Candidates soon, then. Callistath shifted her position to better watch all her eggs as well as the Sands in front of them. I think I saw the big one move, Avalle commented, drinking down the rest of her drink and standing up. Yulari had changed positions from Avalle's lap to her shoulder, then taking off into the air to study the eggs. Yes, they'd definitely been moving.
As per the last two clutches, Yulari was the first to start her hum. The yellow hummed, fluttering down to balance herself on Avalle's head. She was promptly shoed away. Need to look professional, sorry, she apologized to her firelizard, who didn't seem to mind and took off into the air. The humming grew louder as the rest of the Weyr caught on, and naturally Callistath joined in. She waited a little before sending out her announcement. A lady didn't arrive early, after all.
ALL CANDIDATES TO THE HATCHING SANDS. SHOW YOUR MANNERS OR DO NOT SHOW ANY PART OF YOU AT ALL, [/color] Callistath announced, loud and clear through the minds of the weyr. Avalle felt herself snicker slightly. That was some way to tell them to be polite, she guessed. Avalle yawned and stretched, cleaning up the little area she'd made as her home for the past couple weeks. Goodbye, warm sand... I'll miss you, she lamented. Be serious, you have an important job to do. Callistath scolded Hers, disappointed in her Rider's lack of seriousness. Yeah yeah... gotta glare at the Candidates, I know, she replied nonchalantly, but sorted out her area and moved to stand closer to Callistath. Her posture straight, her gaze focused, it was like she was a completely different person than the girl who first Impressed all those turns ago. The eggs themselves were picking up their rocking, the green egg to the left rocking quite violently in particular. As if to match it, the large greenish blue egg was also twitching quite frantically. Each egg twitched occasionally, but those two stood out with their frequency.[/blockquote][/size] |
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Cathaline
Lady Holder
cathct[M:50]
Posts: 3,279
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Post by Cathaline on Nov 18, 2012 23:48:28 GMT -5
Shards, that was terrifying. Calmere had known, from the candidate lessons, that Callistath was extremely particular about candidate behaviour due to incidents from the past, but it was another thing entirely to have that commanding voice ring out in his mind. Instantly, his nerves were thoroughly wracked, and it was with shaking hands that he donned the traditional white robe and sandals.
Still, he wasn't quite ready yet. He waited in the common room for Taza to pass through, and gave her a chaste peck on the cheek. "I'll see you after," he murmured. After. They might both Impress, or both not, but truly, what he feared most was being broken up. He didn't know if their relationship could survive that if one was left behind.
Jumping back before her purple flit could attack him for his impropriety, he paused just outside the barracks to don a makeshift beard and mustache. Now Hermodris would never recognise him. Wishful thinking, but still - had to get to the sands. Couldn't let his sister see him! Racing ahead, he made it to the sands, bowed to Callistath, and took his place. "Thank you for letting me stand, your queenship," he said, voice shaking a bit as he focused on the eggs. Everyone here knew him by a different name, if they recognised him at all in his totally fabulous disguise. This...was going to be awkward.
----
Vinnie was thrilled when the dragons began to hum, absolutely thrilled. Her little grandson and granddaughter would be standing for this hatching, and it was also a wonderful way to cheer everyone up in the midst of death and plague. Wiping her hands - she'd been pitching in with the washing-up, given how many weyrfolk were down with the sickness - she hurried to the creche. "Draolor, love! The wee dragons are hatching, you don't want to miss this." The poor child. She was doing her best to keep his spirits up after the tragic news they'd received. It hadn't quite sunk in for her yet that she'd never see her daughter again; there simply hadn't been time, with the Headwoman ill on top of everything else.
Bundling her grandson into his jacket and mittens, she led a gaggle of weyrbrats to the sands and got them situated. You never knew; maybe one of them would manage to Impress from the stands! But it certainly looked like a good batch of Candidates, as far as she could tell at the moment.
----
Mine! AnimatamoraMine! There are new babies hatching![/i]
Anima snorted. She could hear the humming, most prominently from her own dragon sitting alertly on their ledge. "We're going, we're going," she said, swinging her leg easily over his back. It was always fun to watch, Zucherroth didn't want to miss it, and there was always the entertaining prospect of him outing another pregnancy or something. Honestly, sometimes she took him places just to see the hilarious outcome. But Zuchie plus babies always gave her the warm fuzzies, anyway.
No one watching from afar would've noticed his blindness, expertly guided by Anima as he was. Weaving his way onto a ledge after dropping her off was another story, but he found the way by following the mental trails of other dragons. What a lovely clutch, Callistath![/i] he chirped.
She pregnant?[/i]
No, there is no life inside her. But all the eggs are alive![/i] He could sense the little minds groping their way toward freedom. It was not a certainty, of course, that all would break shell, nor that all would Impress, but that there were no duds was a good sign. It was a small clutch for a gold, but healthy.
----
W'al was sitting in the feeding area, sweating a bit; that was natural on the hot sands, but it was the glassy eyes that showed the fever. Delilah, arms crossed, stood behind him, on healing duty tonight. The two of them weren't exactly close - he hadn't been her weyrlingmaster - but they'd interacted before, and she said softly, "You don't have to take this class, do you? You're ill." But she knew the answer already. Everyone was ill right now. W'al was a sensible man; he wouldn't be waiting to greet his new weyrlings if he thought he couldn't handle the class, and it was disrespectful of her to ask.
Even as she was kicking herself, though, he gave her a grin. "I'm not doing so badly myself. Everything will be just fine."
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Minute
Wingrider 
minuct[M:-133]
Posts: 207
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Post by Minute on Nov 18, 2012 23:52:30 GMT -5
Kurin
He had been restless these past few days. A hatching was coming up, yet another even where he was supposed to stand and hope for the best. At his last one, the one with the two oranges, he had been left standing. There was always that risk with this one yet this wasn't what her was nervous about. Deep inside he was worried what would happen if he did impress, mainly what color he would impress. His act included a dislike for lower ranking dragons, anything ranked below king in fact. If anyone asked he had always said that he would get a king, no ifs, ands, or buts. Yet as the day approached he began to worry. Fighters made up most of the population, chances were she would end up with one. What would he do if this happened? He couldn't reject his dragon just because he wanted to pretend to be someone he wasn't. Yet to accept one would probably be to accept incredible mockery.
That wasn't all though. There was always that ever-lingering chance that he might impress a female dragon. After all, cross-impressions happened. The mere idea of it scared him. Female dragons had flights, which lead to flightsex. Plenty of men rode male dragons, and if one of them caught his dragon... he didn't like to think about it. It wasn't that Kurin has any problems with those that were attracted to members of the same sex, he just wasn't sure that he was. It was a line of thought that he didn't like to follow as it always lead to silent questions and awkward feelings. Besides, if it did ever come to him being with another man his father probably wouldn't approve.
Shards and shells, his father. Rin always was a rather traditional man and would probably be enraged if his son impressed anything less than a king, let alone a female. It all made him feel rather nauseous in the end.
Suddenly a voice entered his head, Callistath's voice calling him to the sands. He dropped the sandwich that was in his hand and raced out of the dining hall and toward the candidate barracks. Once he had pulled on his robes he made his way to the sands and got in to place. In order to keep in character he forced a proud smirk on his face. Looking up at Callistath he called, "lovely clutch, my queen." This part was completely honest. "Can't wait to impress my boy." The last part was said with incredible pride, like he was one hundred percent sure that he was not only going to impress but to a male. It was far from the gut-twisting anxiety he really felt.
Tiana
Tiana had been curled up in bed, snoring away. Yes, it was midday. Yes, she probably had some chores she should be doing. But all that couldn't matter less to her at the moment. All day yesterday and most of the morning today she had been sparring. It was rather exhausting work that resulted in a good, heavy sleep. In fact the queen's call barely managed to wake her. Slowly she pushed herself in to an upright position and began to think, processing what the words meant. When the meaning finally got through to her she sluggishly got up and pulled her candidate robes on. No underwear of any sort were put on, partly thanks to a lack of modesty and partly because she was too tired to remember.
She looked half dead when she arrived at the sands, slowly getting in to position. Not at all like a girl who was here to impress a dragon. In fact this was the first clutch she would ever stand at, something that should be incredibly important to her. Yet at the moment she couldn't bring herself to be any more enthusiastic than she would for a candidate lesson. Luckily she did remember to bow to Callistath, although it was a little belated.
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Lan
Weyrlingmaster 
lanct[M:-1025]
Nomming ALL the kidpets!
Posts: 1,266 
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Post by Lan on Nov 19, 2012 0:24:13 GMT -5
Waroth heard the command from Callistath and transmitted it to her rider. Nimara, having recently taken residence in R'len's Weyr due to the ex-Weyrleader's insistence that she be there to prevent her from getting the Plague, had been using the ironrider's desk to look over the list of recent Searches and Candidate Transfers that she had received from Jasmine. "Looks like it's about that time," she more calmly told her weyrmate, reorganizing the hides into a neat stack before leaving the desk. She made her way over to R'len and smiled up at him, taking his hands in her own. "I should probably be there for my Candidates." He was given a soft kiss and then she dropped one of his hands to lead him via the remaining connection into the adjoining room where Waroth and Kaezeth were keeping watch.
Do you want to come? She asked Waroth, although she already knew the answer.
You're are NOT leaving my sight! Waroth grunted definitively. And neither are my kids. Nimara grinned and turned to give R'len a peck on the cheek. "I'll see you down there."
Waroth landed in their normal place on the stands, where Nimara could best see her candidates. Nimara ran down to the candidates' entrance to supervise their arrival, stopping briefly to bow respectfully to Avalle and Callistath as she passed by. Once in place she gave each of the candidates a smile and said "Good luck", although some also got a warning look to mind their manners. Callistath was all about manners.
Hanei was in the middle of chores when the call came. A quick, frantic look to the cook in question made the older woman dismiss the girl and she bowed sporadically in thanks as she made her way to the exit. While she didn't exactly run to the Barracks, she didn't exactly walk either. By the time she got to her room and through on her robe and sandals she was absolutely freezing. However, duty and excitement in equal parts urged her onward. The walk between the Barracks and the Candidate's Entrance was still the longest walk ever, though. She didn't realize that snow would be this cold. In the south they never really had snow.
She offered a smile to the Candidatemaster as she felt the heat of the sands overwhelm her like a great wind attempting to knock her over. Suddenly she wasn't so cold anymore and she felt right at home on the burning sands. Respectfully she stood before Avalle and Callistath and curtsied deeply. "Thank you for this opportunity, Queen Callistath and Weyrwoman Avalle." P'ryt, her father, had taught her the names of those in charge at Dalibor long before she had even decided to transfer. A polite smile was offered to both of the ladies and then she took her place in line closer to the other female candidates that had shown up. Calmly she searched the stands for the large iron that would signify her father's arrival. She really wanted him to be there and watch her Stand for her first Hatching!
Callistath's eggs are hatching, L'and my boy. It would be respectful of us to go and see them! Direth tried to convince his rider, who was currently held up in his bed thinking he was going to die.
"But Direth! There's plague out there! I could die! Then you would die and we would both be dead!" He grumbled and shifted the furs tighter over his head, as if to keep away germs that were attacking him right that very instant. Direth grumbled from his chambers.
To miss this would be impolite! When L'and shivered in response, he continued, I promise nothing bad will happen to you so long as I am around.
Yeah, I'm sure that's what the other dragons said before their riders DIED--
I am not other dragons! I am sworn to protect you, L'and, and I will never let you fall... Direth's mindvoice betrayed some of his hurt and L'and sighed. The bluerider lifted the blankets from over his head and groaned. Fine... but if I die, it's your fault.
Direth made sure to land a bit farther away from the other dragons then bellowed his congratulations to Callistath for the fine clutch. L'and stuck right by the blue's side, looking miserable. He was certain that he saw the rider just a couple tiers down from them coughing. He was probably coughing up blood which would somehow travel to L'and and then he would die. Of course, if he died Lillis would most likely murder him... |
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Reky
Alphahandler
rekyct[M:-999]
SO PRO
Posts: 1,554
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Post by Reky on Nov 19, 2012 0:30:16 GMT -5
Veritka was glad of his tendencies to stay in his room on a regular day, but on the day of the Hatching, he became even gladder. When Callistath's voice came into his head, he was immediately filled with the same flustered nervousness that had taken him at Agrippith and Nikianeth's hatching. He had taken his lunch to his room to dodge the midday rush, and had been eating it happily, feeding scraps to Meeka and Mali. The call to arms, however, made him freeze. He carefully set his fork down and crawled out of the bed. Mali, too polite to steal food, watched him go - but Meeka considered the plateful of art supplies quite seriously.
Veritka swallowed hard and sorted his head out enough to get his robes on. He did up his sandals after first trying to put them on the wrong feet. As a poorly thought-out afterthought, he dumped his sock drawer on the floor to occupy Meeka while he was gone. "Um, eat if you need to," he told his little firelizards, "And Meeka, you can play with my socks. I don't care. Uh. Be good! And don't come to me at all! Stay right here!" Mali looked like she understood, but Meeka had flown down to the socks and was testing their qualities. Veritka hoped they'd obey, said goodbye, and then ran off.
Being so close to the Hatching Sands took a lot of time off his sprint. He still panted fiercely, though, and had to fight the urge to buckle to catch his breath. It was such a disrespectful posture. He allowed his bow to linger a little, though, and only thanked Callistath when his breathing had leveled. Then he stood perfectly still and straight, watching the thirteen eggs. He vividly remembered the disappointment that had struck him at the last hatching, but bucked up. This was a new day, he told himself. Even if he was just a cook-wannabe kid from the middle of blizzardy nowhere, there had to be a dragon that would like him. He realized, then, that his sandal had come partly undone - but it was too late now.
Humble Veritka from Cold River Hold sucked in a deep breath of hot, sandy air, and accepted his fate.
---
"C'mon, dad, the hatching's about to start!" Feoran barked. He had been more cheerful about it at first, but R'fus' reluctance had soured his mood considerably. He was frustrated with his father. A hatching was a happy thing! But all R'fus could focus on was the negative.
"You gon' bring me out there'n catch me the Plague," R'fus grumbled.
"It's baby dragons, for Faranth's sake! None of them have the Plague yet!" Feoran said, exasperated. He had no clue how to get R'fus excited.
"Don't care 'bout any baby dragons. It's the shardin' people I'm worried about."
"Look, do I have to help you walk there? Is that it? Because if you need help, dad, you can ask me--"
"I ain't no cripple, kid! Fellis ain't ever gon' do that to a man. Down right kills any pain y'got--"
"Shhhh! Stop talking about that. Someone will hear you."
"Ain't no one listenin' to anythin' but the baby dragons, kid."
Feoran frowned. "Maybe you're right. But hurry up! We're going to miss it!" With that, Feoran walked off quite determined. When he got to the Stands, he was almost surprised to see that R'fus had followed him there. He smiled, but he was beginning to feel his allergies setting in, what with the room full of dragons and having been inhabited by Callistath for weeks. He pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and sneezed into it, then beckoned for R'fus to come.
"Here, you sit with me," Feoran said. R'fus did, and Feoran saw Eondith alight on one of the ledges. He also did a quick sweep to see if that shady wherhandler that seemed to hang around R'fus was there, but figured he was sleeping at this time of day. Then, he settled with excitedly daubing his runny nose and watching the hatching with watery eyes. It would be great! And even if R'fus had too much of a headache to enjoy it, Feoran had gotten him to at least attend, and that was enough of a success for the day.
---
"Right," R'len smiled to Nim. "Better go do that. See you." And when Nimara and Waroth had left to check on the Candidates, R'len pulled on his best Hatching clothes and went out to have Kaezeth fly him down to the Sands.
As iron Kaezeth dropped onto a high ledge, R'len vaulted up the steps of the stands to secure a spot for him and Nimara. Kaezeth whistled and hummed his congratulations to Callistath, despite being a little sore about having lost her to Akanith. R'len grinned when Nimara finally came to join him, tugging her against his side and kissing her cheek. He also placed a hand on her belly, still smiling, before finding her hand with it instead.
"Excited?" he asked, leaning into her so she could hear him over the hums and buzz of excited conversation. "How are your candidates?" He eyed the shaking eggs with a joy that stayed strong throughout his many years of Hatching-watching. He always loved a good Hatching. [/blockquote] |
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Chek
Weyrlingmaster
chekct[M:-15]
I'm so magical I vomit rainbows
Posts: 1,091
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Post by Chek on Nov 19, 2012 1:15:55 GMT -5
Hermodris was one of those people in between chore shifts when the call came, walking along arm in arm with a giggling girl from the lower caverns. Candidates really should watch themselves with flirting like she was doing, but the ring of small white bumps around her ankle really did a lot to make her dismiss the things that would otherwise keep her out of good spirits.
Flirting made everyone happy.
Reluctantly, she pulled her arm free, catching the other woman's hand in her own and daring to place a gentlemanly kiss atop her knuckles – but matched it with a bit of a bawdy wink. Then, pulling awaya with all signs of reluctance, she absconded with all speed to the Candidate's Barracks.
It was a matter of minutes to doff her clothes, tunic and boots flying every which way, and pull on her white robe, smoothing her rough hands over it before slipping her sandals on, intentionally ignoring the bumps that she brushed with the back of her hand as she did so.
Hatching day, not time to think about plague symptoms.
Snatching a while ribbon off the floor, she checked it for cleanliness and shrugged when it met standards – it wasn't hers, but Willow probably wouldn't mind the lend of the ribbon for a few hours. She worked a quick braid, tying it off with the ribbon, and then, knowing time was trickling away, left the room in a rush, pausing only briefly to give herself a look over in a mirror she could see through someone else's open door.
Yeah, she looked good. All was well.
She hit the Hatching Cavern at a dead run, stopping just off the Sands themselves to recollect herself and, once more, make sure she was at her best. Venturing forth onto the sands, she quickly moved up to the line of Candidates, sweeping into a deep, courtly bow to Callistath, “Thank you, beautiful lady, for allowing myself and these others onto your Sands this day, and for a chance to Impress your undoubtedly magnificent children.”
She stepped back in line, right in between where the girls were forming up, and the boys – in fact, just a little closer to the boys side of things; not intentional, but she'd been lining up with the guys for so long now that it was habit.
She just happened to glance over to see who else was there, and... wearing a fake beard and mustache, was her brother.
She had to bite her lip to avoid inappropriate laughter.
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turkoizdog
Wingrider
turkct[M:-85]
Cephalove!
Posts: 256
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Post by turkoizdog on Nov 19, 2012 1:28:11 GMT -5
Babies!
Dragon Babies!
Meena was outside with Ava when the call came. The dragons were hatching! "Ava, the dragons are hatching! They're hatching!" she cried, bouncing between bare feet. Ava barked excitedly. "Come, I need to get ready. Have to make a good impression if I want to... well, impress." she giggled.
Since Meena was currently clad in an olive green oversized blouse and dark blue shorts, she had to go back to her room to change. And unfortunately, Ava couldn't come with. "I'm sorry Ava, you can't come." Meena told her puppy back at the room. Ava whined. "Callistath is very particular about her hatchings and I have to be on my best behavior. You too, Shulie." The green flit had sprinted up Meena's leg and latched herself onto the small girl's back.
"Hmph!" came Shulie's response, as she climbed up on top of Meena's head, then glided down, landing softly on the bed. Taran, who was already seated on the bed, nuzzled his sister slightly. He understood. They had to be good and stay home so Meena could be good and impress a dragon.
"Just try and keep each other company, alright? I'll be back soon." Meena got dressed and, after planting kisses on each of them, she was off.
Meena got into line quickly, and stood straight-backed and silent. It was her second hatching, and she was already older than most candidates... if she didn't impress this hatching, she was worried it would become less and less likely that she would impress at the next one. But, she tried not to let her worries show. Instead, she bowed to Callistath as they had been instructed, and said "What a beautiful clutch, my queen. Thank you very much for letting me stand."
For once, the normally energetic Meena was calm, and on her best behavior.
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Kestrel
Wingrider
kestct[M:821]
Posts: 374
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Post by Kestrel on Nov 19, 2012 1:36:51 GMT -5
Taza was seated cross-legged on her bed, her back against the stone wall of her room and a slate gripped in her hand. A frown was fixed on her face as her chalk moved across the slate in white frenzies, marking out rows of numbers and calculations with ease. She felt guilty taking time to herself when so many were falling sick, and workers were needed more than ever—but in truth, she’d been overworking herself picking up extra chores since the sickness struck, and needed the time to clear her head.
She’d heard that others were getting letters, from far beyond Dalibor, listing out entire families as dead. While she couldn’t help but be worried that she might get sick, or that Calmere might fall ill, nothing scared her more than those letters, to the extent that she had been purposefully avoiding any firelizards she didn’t recognize. She had thought about asking her dear purple to take a letter back home, but hadn’t yet worked up the courage. Numbers, at least, were safe.
Her chalk slowed in its scribbling, hovering over the slate, and Taza sighed, pushing a frazzled lock of black hair out of her eyes. She had been focusing so intently on her calculations that only now did she realize that the purple firelizard wound into the hair at her shoulder was not crooning, but humming—startled at this realization, she turned to look at him. He pushed away from her shoulder, circling around the room as he gave her pictures of shaking blobs beside a big, shiny yellow thing, but even with the rather poor image quality, there was no mistaking what it was. “Shards, now? I’m…I’m not ready!” Taza sprung off her bed all the same, slate abandoned as she quickly pulled on her robe and gathered her unruly hair back in a ponytail. She had been warned, of course, that Callistath was very particular, and she wasn’t going to take any chances by not preparing herself properly.
As if to reinforce this, Callistath’s own voice rang out a moment later, more warning than celebratory. She had always thought hatchings would be happy occasions, but then, Taza supposed she knew remarkably little about weyr life. She ought to know more by now, having lived there for at least a while, but the plague, it seemed, had arrived at Dalibor soon after she did—too soon to give her time to find out much about things like dragons and hatchings.
Still, while perhaps not one she was ready for, witnessing a hatching was certainly an honor, and Taza hoped that it might bring at least a little light to one of the darkest winters Dalibor had experienced in some time. Seeing Calmere waiting for her in the common room brought a bit of a smile to her face as well, and she laid her hand over his for just a moment after the hasty kiss. “Good luck, Calmere,” she said, before they parted ways. She still wasn’t entirely sure what she felt about him, nor whether she had forgiven him—what was forgiveness anyway? How was she supposed to know if she felt it or not?—but she really did hope that there was a dragon waiting for him in one of those perfect eggs. Perhaps a dragon would bring more stability to his life, and be able to help him in ways she wasn’t sure she could.
She tried to smile as she took her place with the other female candidates, bowing to Callistath as they had been taught. For now, she would try to put the plague and its nightmares from her mind—this was a time for life, new beginnings, and the hope they brought.
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Rappu
Pridesecond
rapct[M:55]
Sailor Melty Rainbow Death
Posts: 496
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Post by Rappu on Nov 19, 2012 2:31:28 GMT -5
Draolor let granma stuff him into a pile of warm clothes. He didn't really feel like going, but granma sounded so excited and 'sides, you didn't say no to granma. He looked back at his bed one more time to check Mim was safely tucked away underneath the blankets and then walked after Vinnie. He tried not to think of Lemos and his family now, so he wouldn't cry in front of everyone. Again.
Never having been to a dragon hatching, Draolor was NOT ready to be greeted with a sight of so many big dragons. Sad thoughts were mostly forgotten the moment he saw Callistath, who was so huge up close. "Wow," he whispered, completely awestruck. He nearly walked onto the sands, but Vinnie prevented him at the last second and pulled him into the audience.
"Did you see?" He nudged Vinnie. "D'you think she'll eat all the bad candidates?" He peered out to the sands, hoping he could see the eggs move. "Only she probably won't eat 'em, just sort of scare, right? She could take all of the candidates in her mouth easy," he concluded in an excited whisper.
----
OOC: going to continue later. Cal&Minanth are present from the start of the hatching.
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RavenSong
Jr. Weyrleader
songct[M:-364]
Posts: 710
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Post by RavenSong on Nov 19, 2012 2:43:55 GMT -5
P'ryt was playing with Weaver when Callistath's call went out. Hemetath lifted his head, humming softly. P'rytMineOwnLove, Hemetath said. Hatching begins.
P'ryt looked up at Hemetath, a proud smile appearing on his face. "Well let's go," he said, setting Weaver back into his bucket before leaping onto the Iron's back. Hemetath let P'ryt off at the Stands before winging up to the dragons' ridge, greeting Callistath before falling silent. Vocally, his hum was so deep it was felt more than heard. P'ryt took a place on the edges of the Stands, making sure he'd be where Hanei could see him. On seeing his daughter look his way, he waved, beaming at her. Yes, he saw her. P'ryt settled in to watch, hoping that his baby girl would Impress and be unharmed. He knew Dalibor Hatchings could be bloody.
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ALL CANDIDATES TO THE HATCHING SANDS. SHOW YOUR MANNERS OR DO NOT SHOW ANY PART OF YOU AT ALL.
The mental bellow startled the crap out of Nartovyn, who had never been addressed by a dragon in his short life. He dropped the dish he was washing, accidentally breaking it. He hastily apologized to the kitchen staff, then excused himself for the Hatching. He sprinted as fast as his gangly legs could go to the Candidate's Barrack, ducking into the girls' side after donning his traditional white robes to grab his twin and drag her with him.
"We're Standing together," he said. "Good luck, sis. Maybe you'll Impress before me, or get a higher-ranking dragon than I do." He grinned, winking at her. "Promise that you won't ignore me if you Impress and I don't, though! I promise I won't ignore you!" He nodded to Nimara as he passed her, then bowed politely to first Callistath and then Avalle.
"Thank you for permitting me to Stand, beautiful Callistath and lovely Junior Weyrwoman Avalle," he said politely, his words delivered with practiced care. He'd praticed for hours to get it right, and hoped it was acceptable.
---
K'var and Finavair were also in the Stands, watching the Impression. Finavair was more or less off by herself, her firelizard left behind in her weyr. K'var's Bip was in his lap where he sat, having chosen one of the best places to watch. Argotath and Asuth were seated next to each other on the dragons' ledge, watching intently, their voices raised in song.
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NaraevhynMine, are you well enough to attend? Simhath asked Nara, who was ill from plague in her weyr. Too ill, really, to do much. Her four flitters were curled up in her bed with her, Simhath having insisted on Hers being in bed instead of on her couch.
I am not, Naraevhyn replied mentally, shifting to get comfortable. She felt dizzy and nearly vomited from just that motion. Go, love. Watch. I will be fine. Ranulf is here. Tell me what colors hatch? Simhath sighed and flew off, keeping a mental eye on her rider as she settled in to watch the Hatching.
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Post by kelsin on Nov 19, 2012 7:35:57 GMT -5
Callistath's call found Kelsira eating in the dining hall. Even though she had guessed that the hatching would be soon, the unexpected voice caused her to jump. Sheepishly, she glanced around before clearing away her mess. She was nervous, hopeful, and eager all at once, which made for an interesting mood. Agate rode at his usual position on her shoulder, chittering indignantly at her, for almost being dislodged.
"Shh, it's alright", she murmered distractedly, running a calming hand down his back. Now that the moment was here, she was quickly shifting into a no nonsense sort of mood. Reaching the barracks, Kelsira took a moment to re-braid her hair before slipping on her robe. Gently, she removed Agate from her robes and placed him on her bed. After a firm order to stay there, Kelsira joined the stream of candidates making their way to the sands.
Stopping before the Queen and Jr Weyrwoman, Kelsira bowed deeply and offered her thanks for being allowed to stand. Finding a place among the girls, she smiled at the candidate master's encouragement. Turning her gaze towards the rocking eggs, she wondered which one would hatch first.
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Post by wild on Nov 19, 2012 10:45:51 GMT -5
Callistath’s urgent call boomed off in her mind as she lay, awake, in bed. She’d had a lot to think about these past few weeks, mostly about certain someone’s and her place at the Weyr. She’d finally forgiven Xiro, and she hoped to work on building her friendship back up with Saia and Fel. She dearly hoped that the blackrider would be alright, and they’d be able to do things like going shopping at gathers and adventuring around the Weyr, once more. Rask took up half the pillow, sleeping there as he was. Raksha chuckled at the black when she turned over, and his tail twitched. She had to make haste, she wouldn’t be late! When she thought about it, she wasn’t sure who this day mattered to more, her or Callistath. The gold had clutched many a time, and as protective as she was over her young, all Raksha wanted was a dragon to be protective over. Just one.
She went through the routine that she knew so well: putting on her white candidate robes, walking down the hall amongst the ramble of other equally as excited candidates, and finally, waiting in line at the cavern entrance to the hatching sands. There was only one thing that was different this time, she wasn’t as excited. She’d done this three times already, or was it four? She’d lost count over the turns. She didn’t recognize any of the candidates around her, meaning none of them had stood when she last did. Chances were the majority of them were doing this for the first time. How many of them would be like her today, or would they all walk away with a life-time partner, and leave her, by herself?
She hated to be negative, and what was more she hated to feel defeated by her negative thoughts. She had to be realistic with herself, she wouldn’t be standing here today if she’d really been defeated. They’d let her stand, so she couldn’t be completely useless to dragonrider-kind. She glanced all around the cavern, trying to picture what kind of a sketch this moment would make. She did this for each and every hatching she went to, she pictured each moment as a frame, a picture, a frozen moment in time. It made it more special, and more beautiful, somehow.
Finally the line was moving. As the soles of her footwear touched the warm sands, she couldn’t help but smile. It was like the first time. She approached Avalle and Callistath, until she was the one standing before them. “Raksha of Crescent Hold,” she bowed, even though they may have remembered her from before. “It’s an honour, thank you to you both.” The candidate girl moved on, as was customary, looking back to glimpse the large gold dragon. She was beautiful, and Avalle must’ve known.
Coming to stand among the group of candidate girls, Raksha made sure to push her way to the front. She had to be seen, she had to be noticed. This was her time, just as well as theirs. It was more pivotal for her, she thought. They could have many more tries afterwards, but she may not, this really could be the last. She couldn’t be certain, and so, she had to treat this time as if it were her last. She had to impress. And so, she watched the rocking eggs, hoping, praying, that they could hear her plea.
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Ondine
Jr. Weyrleader
ondct[M:-155]
Posts: 436
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Post by Ondine on Nov 19, 2012 15:28:55 GMT -5
It was cold.
That was Z'an's thought as he sat in the much larger weyr that had been given to him as part of his Weyrleader duties. Well, it had its advantages, such as being able to entertain all of the guests he now had and do all of the paperwork he had to do. It was also right above the Hatching Caverns, and that was just fine by him as well. Callistath's clutch could be expected to hatch at any time now, and both he and Akanith wanted to go. For, well, obvious reasons. Plus, during this season of plague, any excuse for joy was an excuse to be seized on with both hands.
So far, the only thing that he had was the little band on his ankle, and he was thankful in all too many ways for that. He could at least lead his Wing like this, especially after...after what happened to Mayday. That still haunted his thoughts from time to time, it was so easy for him to imagine what had happened with painstaking clarity. He shuddered, and banished the thought for the hundredth time, back to wherever it lurked. Fortunately, Akanith took that moment to perk up, and began to hum.
Oh, he knew what that meant. Let's go. He was happy to put aside paperwork for this, especially since the Stands would be warmer than his weyr. Hmmm, maybe he could do his paperwork in there? At least, once Callistath was off of the sands. Saddling up the big Iron, he climbed on the massive King and flew down as Akanith talked to him the whole way. Do you think they'll be intelligent? It would be so terrible if they didn't inherit that part of their mother and father. How much of the parents is passed on to the children, anything?
It was all Z'an could do not to laugh as the Iron hid his feelings about his children behind science and biology, it was almost as if the dragon hadn't ever had babies before. Which, of course, he had. Although, as the man recalled, he'd done this last time too. I guess we'll see in a few minutes. The two flew into the Hatching Caverns, and the big Iron took extra care not to think about doing something embarrassing, like stumbling. He'd done it just last night, in their weyr, walking from the ledge. Even after twenty turns, he still tripped over himself on occasion. It would be terribly unseemly for it to happen here, as the father of the babies, and even with Z'an by his side, the people and dragons already here pressed in on him, even though he was in the air.
Hey. Hey! Akanith, you're fine. We're here. See? You can stop flying now. The Weyrleader patted the Iron's trembling shoulders, feeling the dragon quake just slightly under him. I'm here. If anyone has an issue with you, they go through me. Which was somewhat amusing, considering that Akanith was much bigger than him. But it seemed to do the trick, the King relaxing under him. Big, regal, wise...and as shy as possible on the inside outside of Flight.
The Wingleader dismounted and strolled over to the spot that was swiftly becoming 'his', quickly spotting Avalle. She'd been a good teacher for what to do as a Jr Weyrleader, if a little prickly, but he could handle prickly. He gave her a wave, a bow to Callistath, and then he sat down, wondering how this hatching would turn out. With most people sick, there might be a lot of room in the Stands today. With luck, and the grace of Faranth perhaps, there wouldn't be Between'd dragonets at the end of this. His rider safely off, the Iron flew up to his ledge, far enough away from other dragons not to have to talk, close enough not to disrespect.
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Post by larkwing on Nov 19, 2012 16:43:21 GMT -5
Suya
It had been terrifying, increasingly so more and more. Death was clinging to the face of Pern and clawing its fingers into the rock walls of Dalibor's Weyr. The scent of it hung in the air and shown on the ashen faces within the infirmary, it glimmered in the iridescent patches that marked those for dead or dieing. Suya knew all of this, and she had kept herself, her mind full of questions and curiosity despite her otherwise timid behavior. There was no normalcy in her routine anymore, and she took herself away from the few candidates she had heard of. Or, at least she had wanted to.
Kai, that blasted blue firelizard of Kurosaki's, had woken her one day not too long ago from this one and had refused to cease his chirping and bad habits until Suya had gotten up from her cot reluctantly and followed him down toward where the boys kept their rooms. She had paused among the doorways, wondering what sort of trick Kuro had in store for her, and yet there was something in the blue's urgent trills that pulled at her. Something was wrong. The older boy had fallen ill as well, though he had hid it fairly well. So far he had only the slightest cough and the ring around his ankle, which even now she batted his hand away from as she put a bowl of soup next to his cot.
"You're good enough to be moving on your own, don't know why I had to bring you food...again."
Kurosaki's lips curved up in a small smirk of satisfaction as Suya brushed a few straggly pieces of hair from her face, her eyes betraying her worry for her fellow candidate. They heard the call at the same time though, and barking out a shot of laughter, Kuro shook his head. "I would be getting ready for my death when those eggs hatched...come on, maybe I'll get lucky and one of them will rip me apart instead." His grim attitude was normal, but now it held a ring of truth, as if the other candidate actually might have wanted the events he foretold to happen.
Shaking herself mentally, Suya left him to prepare for the dragonets, her feet taking her body to her own room where Daray and Ana greeted her. Both she-dogs were all smiling jaws and wagging tails, the smaller grey pup weaving between Suya's legs back and forth as Daray sat near the white robe. That piece of cloth had become increasingly familiar to the girl. Sighing, Suya shook her head again and changed into it, her eyes looking at the two canines and giving a firm command vocally before leaving her room once more.
She did not know, nor did she care, where her roommate was. The girl had other things on her mind instead as she went back down the hall and waited for Kurosaki. Moments went passed without any sight of him, and finally fed up with waiting the candidate peeked into his room to find it empty. Angry now that he had left without her despite her help, Suya stomped off into the direction of the hatching sands, barely registering as the candidatemaster wished her and the others luck. No, her eyes sought out the tall, blonde head and breathed out a sigh of relief, her shoulders sagging slightly before straightening again as it was her turn to go up to the Golden Queen.
How she had almost forgotten what this all meant, Suya had no idea. Callistath was a Queen, the same sort of dragoness she hoped to ride one day. Lifting her head with a somewhat haughty smugness, she inclined it in a little respectful tilt as she did her best curtsey and lowered her gaze to the sands. "I am Suya, I am most humbled at the opportunity to stand for your clutch Great Queen." Done with her greeting and thanks, she walked away calmly and steadily, her head held high until she stood among the other girls. Only then did she let her eyes wander back to where Kurosaki was now doing the same before going to watch the quivering eggs.
Kurosaki
The moment that Suya had left his room, Kuro had fallen back on his pillows and heaved out a breath. He didn't feel like forcing the soup down his throat and into his stomach right now, and so the hatching came at the perfect time. Shivering from a cold that was no where to be found under the warm blankets, he reached for the spot on his ankle, itching it and hoping that the patches would come off like dead skin. He had no such luck though. Already the boy had claimed himself gone, and if people had thought him pessimistic and a loner before, he was even more so now.
Kai chirped by his head, Kuro's hand moving from his foot to the firelizard to scratch at the blue's eye-ridges. "Come on boy. I want you to stay here, but I know you will not." The creature tilted its head, trilling as if to agree. There was much work to be done arranging His' room and doing other things, but right now His needed SuperHelper more than ever! Flapping his wings before settling down, Kai rubbed his little head against Kurosaki's cheek, the candidate giving a half-smile before setting the flit on his bed once more and going to change into his robe.
For not the first time he wondered why he had ever wanted to put on this thing in the first place, but no answer came just as no answer came every time he thought the question. Instead he just kept going, not waiting for Suya as he headed toward the sands and kept with the back of the group, melding between people and shadows and keeping his head down. He didn't want attention, and he certainly didn't want anyone to see the marks on his ankle. So far he had not been told to go to the infirmary, but his condition wasn't all that bad yet. Stifling a cough, Kurosaki took in a shallow breath, unable to take in any more than that.
His turn came up soon, and bowing his head and body, the candidate greeted the Gold and tried to look as normal as he could. "Th..thank you beautiful Callistath. Kurosaki of Igen Hold could not be more thankful for this opportunity." He forced himself to walk away and toward the back of the group of candidates before bringing a white sleeved arm up and coughing into it, hoping the sound of the people in the stands and humming of dragons would hide it from others.
Armania
You should not be here NiaMineLove. You should be with the healers getting better. I do not like you being sick as you are.
Nikianeth moved to ruffle Armania's dark hair with her soft breath, the smell of dragon hide mixing with the stale air of the orangerider's weyr. "Enough Niki. We will attend the hatching as we have always done. Come Nix, Flare, Callim. We are all going." Her little fair of boys flocked to her and the dragoness, Nix automatically settling on Nikianeth's head and falling back into his peaceful rest. Flare was as protective as ever, his worried chirps echoing off the stone walls as he inspected Armania once more, the twelfth time today. Callim simply wove himself around Nia's neck, the brown nuzzling His gently before crooning to Flare to stop his silly ways.
See, I'm fine. I can stand, I can move. Let's go Nikianeth. Armania reached for the orange, her lungs taking in as much air as they could without sending her into a coughing fit. The patch of skin at her wrist was her claim to the illness, another one around her ankle. She had seen the healer, as many had seen the healers, but in the end she had decided that there was not much that could be done when more and more people were getting sick. Armania would rather have attention being given to those that she served to protect than to herself. Nikianeth could only silently agree with Hers, both worrying over her rider and understanding where she came from with her decision.
Landing on a ledge above the stands, Nikianeth let her rider get off, watching her walk down to a seat, wobbling only slightly as she sat. She was there however, and she was safe for now. Sighing a breath of relief, Nikianeth dipped her head to Callistath and started humming. Greetings to you Callistath, and greetings to your children. May they find their riders today and shine bright in this world.
Laelia and Sakalas
Babies, babies oh there will be so many babies Mine! Anibrith crooned happily as she nudged Laelia up onto her neck, the excited green catching her rider up in her feelings as well. Even then though, Laelia still had part of her mind worrying over those that had fallen ill or had already succumbed to the disease that was starting to grow more and more into power. She had thought she had even seen T'von coughing the other day, but perhaps that and the shiny patch of skin had been just a trick of the light, just the cold air. Holding a hand against her middle, as wide as it had grown with the baby that was close to coming into this world, Laelia feared for its safety now more than ever. Anibrith nudged her rider gently, wondering why she was worrying over nothing. No one can hurt us, we're protected. We're good. Those firelizards can't do anything to us because we have our Pillie-protectors. Oh Ani, if you only understood...
Her thoughts were quickly broken by a familiar voice, the dyed purple and normally red hair bouncing in curls as the greenrider sat beside the older girl. "Oh how are you doing Lae? I'm doing well, see we're all doing so very well. Everyone in my group is fine and not sick! Oooooh, how's the baby, can I touch, it's so cool." Saka's normal chatter was a welcome distraction for Laelia as she listened, Anibrith crooning a greeting that was only given back in the form of a snort by Lorenth as the brighter green settled on another ledge. Saka's trio of firelizards were there with her though; Noki curled around her neck like a cyan necklace, Riku flapping noisily as ever behind her and the newest member Maybelle chirping lovingly at Laelia's unborn child just as Saka was. I'm bored already...big surprise.
Gwendolyn and Mayalene
You still feel well? Rahmith nudged his rider gently as Gwendolyn straightened her dress, her eyes on the sands below. Nodding slowly, the weaver pulled her braided white hair to her front, twisting the strands at the end before reaching up to pet the black's nose. I feel fine love, don't worry. She looked across to row of seats to another pair of rider and dragon, this one belonging to a Cyan. Mayalene had a bright pink curled up on her lap, Mouse shivering slightly as she tried to hide from all the loud noises that were overwhelming her. Maya slipped a gentle hand down the pink's spine, the young flit crooning softly before going back to her shivering.
Seleneth warbled a hello Rahmith which he answered, but other than that she was not talkative as she normally was. Instead her head hung low over her rider, the normally dusky cyan hide paled with the worry she had felt for her lifemate. Mayalene coughed into her sleeve, her own body trembling almost as much as that of her firelizard. Oh my sweet Mayalene. You should not be here. Crooning softly, the cyan sat stoically, her eyes focused on her rider more than the hatching below.
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Post by kestrad on Nov 19, 2012 17:49:50 GMT -5
Aricelli ran back to her room as soon as she heard the announcement, paying no heed to the angry chattering of the green firelizard on her shoulder annoyed at having to leave its meal early. She pried Ilta's claws from her shoulder and changed into her white candidate robes as quickly as she could.
"Stop it! This is important," she grumbled, swatting the flitter away as it tried to land on her shoulder again. "Callistath might make a snack out of you if you come with me, with the way you behave. Go chase some wherries or something while I'm away, all right?"
The flitter chittered sullenly as she landed on Aricelli's bedpost, watching as the candidate practically ran out of the room to take her place on the sands. If a stupid dragon hatchling dared to steal Hers she would tear it apart. Nothing would steal Hers away from her!
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Nia
Sr. Weyrwoman
niact[M:-790]
Posts: 991
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Post by Nia on Nov 19, 2012 18:23:09 GMT -5
He honestly didn't like to go to Hatchings all that often. Kio didn't even really know why he was going now. Perhaps, if anything, it was in inquisitive nature wanting to see if the Plague would affect newly born dragons. What if their pretty little Junior Weyrwoman was infected, and passed it to the eggs? That sure would be a shame, wouldn't it. Though Kio didn't even know if it was possible, and he was just letting things play out in his head. Just in case, he'd had Kiosk stay back in the Wherhandler caverns. It wouldn't do for him to lose his little protector.
Eyeing the Stands, he tried to look for a vaguely empty area to be alone with his thoughts. But instead, he spotted R'fus sitting with... some kid. Hmm. From Kio's observations, R'fus didn't really have "friend". He sauntered up the Stands anyway, sitting down right next to his Bluerider. Disturbingly close, in fact. "R'fus! I certainly didn't expect to see you here. Weren't you holed up in your room, crying because of the Plague?"
Meanwhile, A'li had picked a spot rather high up in the Stands, sitting himself down to watch. It sure was crowded. Why don't you ever try to catch Callistath? he wondered idly, glancing to where Beiruth sat. The Purple thought for a few moments. Something that was not all too common, so A'li was interested in the answer. I dislike my ladies to be larger than me, he finally decided on, causing A'li to facepalm.
Vyna had been brushing her hair when the dragons started humming. She panicked a little bit, disliking that her hair wasn't up in its usual ponytail. She'd (luckily!) just finished changing when Nart came to get her, but alas, her hair was still not up. "But wait! Waaaaiiit! I'm not ready!" she whined, but let Nart drag her out to the Sands anyway. She'd grabbed a couple ponytail-holders just in case she had time to quickly fix her hair, though she knew that was a lost attempt. Waaaahhh....
But the Sands were impressive, and Vyna still felt so little compared to all the big dragons. It awed her out of her complaints, and she grinned back at Nart. "Of course not, dummy!! I wouldn't ever ignore you. But if you break that promise and ignore me, I'm going to be really mad!" she replied with a playful "hmph!". She knew her brother wouldn't ever ignore her. He took care of her! She followed him up to the big Gold dragon and the intimidating Junior Weyrwoman, bowing hastily. "Um, yes! Thank you for p-permitting me to Stand and... stuff," she trailed off, looking up at the Gold dragon and losing her carefully-practiced speech. "Sorry!" she said nervously, turning and running opposite of Nart towards where the girls were supposed to Stand. Oh shard it all!!! Her very first Hatching and she'd totally ruined it already....
Down on the Sands, Avalle was watching each Candidate approach with the flat glare that Callistath had "recommended" her to use. But so far, it wasn't even necessary. For once all the Candidates had been properly educated on how to behave (she'd have to make it a point to thank Nimara later) and they were all very respectful. Callistath's pride and happiness grew, a did Avalle's. She even smiled when she spotted Z'an in the Stands and waved back to him, although she quickly realized what she was doing and dropped her hand as well as her grin. She turned back to the Candidates instead. Some of them were really weird, she had to note, after a failed attempt to say something by a little girl. Must be her first time.
Now, eggs.
They all continued to shake, the two that had been violently shaking before seemed to have slowed down to match the occasional twitches of the other eggs. The cloudly blue egg in the front instead started to rock back and forth at a constant pace, picking up its speed and shaking until cracks appeared. The egg was no match for this determined dragonet, and soon a brightly cyan foot was seen pushing straight through the egg. She wiggled her front leg around through the hole she'd made, flexing her toes. She pushed what was likely her head against the egg and pushed through the top, toppling the egg over and sprawling the Cyan out into the Sands.
And she was... a horrible plague monster. No, not really. Just a healthy little Cyan. She bounded out of her egg immediately, set up and ready to explore. Her hide was covered with little explosions of lighter colored Cyan, and she was as bright as her coloring. She didn't seem the slightest bit interested in the Candidates, despite her growing hunger. Why Impress now?! There was still so much she wanted to experience and do and just... discover! There was no point in hurrying over to attach herself. This was a once in a lifetime change, you know! She had to make the most of it!
While the Cyan sniffed around the eggs; whacking several of them with her excitedly moving tail, the camo-colored egg all the way to the left swiftly broke open. The Blue that emerged immediately jumped to gather his bearings, sitting up and standing. He was a rather dark blue, leaning towards the color of dark jeans, with a darker patch over his wings and down his back. Now, first thing. Survey the area. He looked around and noticed with quite a bit of irritation that he was not actually the first one on the Sands. Annoying. He was MEANT to be first. He was meant to lead. He knew what to do, he knew how to make decisions, and he certainly was going to be the one to lead this Clutch better than the silly Cyan and her inability to focus.
But, leaders didn't snap at their subordinates, despite his growing desire to. So the Blue controlled himself, and decided instead that he would be the first to Impress. That worked. He walked forward with even, precise steps, looking over the Candidates gathered. He scanned the girls before dismissing them and moving directly to the boys. That was one thing he knew. His was a boy, and his was in this pack somewhere.
The blue-green egg near the middle of the clutch began to crack quite neatly. The dragonet inside shook the egg and it split open. A Pink sat in the remains of her eggs, shaking the egg-goo and shards from her dark pink hide. She looked around, first keeping her eyes on her Cyan sister for a while, and then watching her Blue brother disappear into the male Candidates. They both seemed ok, which was good. Delaying their Impressions a bit, but that was fine. She did want to stick around to make sure the rest of her brothers and sisters would be okay, but she knew she had a responsibility far more important than that.
Not wasting any time, unlike her siblings, the Pink was headed straight for the girls. Hmm. Finding Hers was a little tricky, though. None of the girls really smelled right. It took her a little bit of re-orienting herself to be able to hunt down Hers. And yes, there she was indeed. Hiding from Hers with her exhaustion and... was that a lack of undergarments?! No, that would not do at all. Tsk tsk, Tiana. You are very, very lucky your Sitath found you! It simply will not do to walk around without underwear on. No, not at all. Come with me, we must find you some underpants, and then I am going to have a talk with you about your sleeping habits, the Pink scolded Tiana much like a mother would scold a daughter, gripping her robes with her teeth and attempting to drag Tiana away with her.
Her Blue brother looked over to them first with a shocked expression, and then anger. He wouldn't be first to Impress either....
 Pink Sitath ca8cb3 Sitath is the mother to Tiana's strength and protector. Her home and her family, however she chooses to define both of those, are her responsibility, and she takes that very seriously. Tiana is expected to protect and work to keep both of those safe, although of course the woman counts herself in both of those lists. Strict, Sitath will be sure to keep everyone around her toeing the line that she sets, making sure that everything is done properly and well. This goes double for anyone in her family, or in the place she calls home. Any responsibilities and duties given to her are sure to be taken incredibly seriously, even for the most mundane things, and she does not forgive slacking at a task. At the same time, she can be intensely caring and motherly. People are her's to take care of, and Tiana is their protector. Those who are hurt, who are ill, suffering in some way, all fall into the purview of “Being taken care of by me” without a second thought. It doesn't matter if you're a total stranger or one of her family, you're about to be comforted by a dragon. Of course, the way that you're comforted might change, and how far she's going to stick her neck into your business to make sure you're actually okay. [/size] |
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Cathaline
Lady Holder
cathct[M:50]
Posts: 3,279
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Post by Cathaline on Nov 19, 2012 18:55:23 GMT -5
This being Calmere's first hatching, he didn't know what to expect. From the cheerful warnings given by the Candidatemasters, he expected blood, but the dragonets who hatched first appeared to be, well...fairly normal. The cyan was a little excitable, but hadn't harmed anyone. Not knowing the blue's inner workings, he thought he seemed pretty patient and responsible. And then there was the pink...did anyone ever fear pinks? Anyway, she headed right for the girls.
Meanwhile, the blue was coming toward the boys, and Calmere stiffened. This was it. Any minute now he might have his first encounter with a real live dragonet. He glanced at the girls long enough to assure himself that the pink hadn't Impressed to Taza or Hermodris. He didn't know the girl who had gotten her very well, as more than an occasional chore buddy, but it was still good! He would've clapped for her, except he didn't want to outrage the blue. Or his dam.
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W'al chuckled at the pink's attempt to haul Tiana off the sands, pleased with his first new weyrling, and in the stands, Jazz cheered for her candidate's graduation to what was sure to be a bright future. Zucherroth, however, commented, He is getting very angry, Animatamora.[/i] A cloud was settling over the blue, and the whiterider leaned forward, interested to see what would happen next. Not that she would ever wish for a maiming or even a serious mauling, but as much as she enjoyed just watching Zuchie coo over babies, some mayhem would be fun. Good-hearted mayhem to distract from the very serious threat lurking within their walls, as the soft coughing throughout the stands attested.
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Post by wild on Nov 19, 2012 19:27:42 GMT -5
Raksha watched… and waited… and then the wait was over. A cyan foot could be seen by all, followed not long after by the female dragonet’s full body. She was beautiful, with her variation of shades. Raksha looked from person to person jealously, wondering who would be the one to impress her. She quickly looked back to the cyan, not wanting to miss who her gaze fell on. But then, it mattered not, for she was taking her sweet time. Raksha frowned at her. Her impatience would do nothing to hasten the cyan, however. Oh well, she was adorable, and for the time-being, a girl could dream. Then, second to hatch, was an equally gorgeous blue. The male dragon seemed disappointed about something. What, Raksha couldn’t tell. He wandered to the girls, definitely more intent on impressing than his cyan sister. Then he wandered away from them just as quickly, creating another downward twitch of the candidate’s lips. He wanted a boy, which was clear.
Then, a pink burst from her shell, her egg having been rocking violently. Raksha chuckled at her, wondering if she’d be just as silly as the rest of the Weyr’s pinks. She took less time than both the cyan and the blue, and came to the girls, deciding upon Tiana. Raksha clapped for the blond whom she’d just recently come to know. It was a good match.
Her attention turned to the stands, wondering who was all up there. Every other time she’d hoped to see her uncle, but now that he had passed, she didn’t know who she hoped to see. Xiro, her mind not so subtly coughed. She rolled her eyes, inwardly, at herself. They could be friends now; at least that much was good. They’d have to work towards it, however. She smiled at the thought, completely unaware that she was smiling at all. She stared at the cyan; her peripheral’s keeping an eye on any and all other eggs that began to rock.
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Reky
Alphahandler
rekyct[M:-999]
SO PRO
Posts: 1,554
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Post by Reky on Nov 19, 2012 19:40:15 GMT -5
Feoran was enthralled by the hatching already. Between sniffles and sneezes, he grinned and watched the little dragons come forth. He took great relief in seeing them healthy, and also some solace in the fact that his discomfort came only allergies, and not from the Plague. He had yet to even develop any bumps upon his ankles. In his infinite entrancement, he did not notice Kio approach and sit beside R'fus - which was probably a good thing.
R'fus, on the other hand, was quite aware of Kio's appearance. He wished that the wherhandler would have sat a little farther away, because the proximity only magnified the sour tension between them. For a long while, R'fus had not been sure what to think of Kio. His old infatuation had since been replaced with some bizarre mix of wariness, lust, and indifference - but still he had no choice but to trust him. He pressed his cracked lips together and leaned forward, as if to make himself a wall between Kio and Feoran.
"Weren't you sleepin' on wher-hours?" he said to Kio. His deep and gravelly voice ducked easily below the roar of the crowd.
Feoran had been watching obsessively, his back straight and high, his hands poised over his knees in excitement. At the same height as his father, the gawky, broad, 6'2"-tall boy was perhaps a little big to have such a childishly ecstatic demeanor - but such was Feoran. He was a dork. But he was an attentive dork, and when R'fus spoke, he heard it anyway. He had become attuned to R'fus' under-the-breath comments.
He was immediately suspicious. The hair on the back of his neck prickled up. "Who's that?" he asked R'fus. It was that shady wherhandler! He knew it!
"S'just a friend," R'fus said, and it was an acceptable half-truth. Friend, probably not. "Business partner" was perhaps a more accurate and passive-aggressive term, but R'fus refrained from using it in such a public place. The bluerider turned his head away from Feoran.
"Nice to see you out in the daylight," R'fus said to Kio through his teeth. "You look terrible."
Feoran meant to interject and get to the bottom of it, but the pink had just Impressed. His attention was stolen back to the newly-bondeds, and he clapped vigorously. His interrogation could wait, he supposed.
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Also playing witness to the occasion of joy among the dark times of the Plague were E'rin and Jarith - whose personal experiences were even darker than most. It felt strange for him to be watching a Hatching without his parents, F'lan and X'ni, up on the ledges with Enlith and Seceth. There was a great empty hole in his heart where they had once been. It was mostly on Jarith's bright, cheery advice that he had made haste to the Hatching Cavern, and she curled about him on a ledge and hummed happily. Her hide sparkled in the midday winter sun, and E'rin supposed it was pretty, and supposed that the Hatching was nice, but he still felt strange. Idly, he looked around for A'lan, and offered him a half-hearted wave upon finding him.
Osine was bedridden and furiously so, but she had sent Viorth to watch the Hatching for her. The cyan took great pride in being, perhaps, the only dragon there without a rider. She sent Osine creative and descriptive captions, and images of the babies.
Pash and Ardith, and Skelis and Tiberth were also there. Cleo would have liked to be, but stayed with her sick patients instead. Samael was being minded by Q'sis by being kept up in his weyr - but she humoured him and stayed put. And in the center of it all, both of his own free will and against his common sense, was Veritka.
He was terribly nervous. He fretted incessantly. He had thought that this hatching wouldn't have been as bad as the first, but he realized that it would not be the case. Just because he knew how they went did not mean that he could take it in his stride. He worried about Impressing or not Impressing; about how angry the blue looked; about if the pink would rip Tiana's dress; if the dragons would care that his sandal was undone. Still, somewhere in the muddle mess of his overwhelmed brain, he found an excitement. He held onto it and felt invigorated. He vibrated with nervousness, but held his head high and strong with his mustered courage. It wasn't like he was going to die! The worst that could happen - oh, well, maybe it was death, he considered, but mostly he just wouldn't Impress, and wait for the next hatching. He thought of Meeka and Mali, his newly-reorganized room, that his hair was looking good that day, and that he had bought himself a new embroidered vest, and felt very good about all of it. Yes. He felt very good about himself.
Yes! This hatching will be amazing! he told himself. It will all be amazing and so are you, even if your nose is pretty big, Veritka! You've got this! You're awesome! You live in a Weyr and was born in the middle of a snowstorm! You're great and this will be the best day ever! And inside, he was grinning ear to ear - but kept his face straight on the outside, lest Callistath think he was getting cocky. [/blockquote] |
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Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman
azhct[M:-1490]
Totes.
Posts: 1,627
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Post by Azhdarchid on Nov 19, 2012 20:01:54 GMT -5
The leading lines of dragonsong pushed into the kitchens where Q'sis was scavenging. So many of the Weyrfolk were sick it was a much easier job than usual to pluck his favorite dishes before they ever reached their tables. He dipped his thumb in a pot of fingerfish stew and stuck it in his mouth, biting on the pad as he grimaced. Not all the vitals he was stocking up on today were for him. Using a thick wherhide bag, he scooped up a half-gallon of the fin-riddled broth and capped it off, then tossed that bag in a larger sack he was bearing about on his right shoulder.
The hum intensified, throbbing louder than his own heartbeat in his ears and up his legs, but the tanrider shuffled no quicker along the line of unattended pots and pans. He only drew off when a harried worker popped her head in to check that nothing was smoking. Eventually he strode out into the Bowl, and waved down the silent sentinel perching on his ledge. Unath made no noise as she descended either, apart from a grunt when a passing fighter forced her east before landing. Q'sis jogged up to her and she sniffed at his bag as he ascended her arm, accidentally bumping her snout into the backs of his legs as her neck coiled after him. She knocked him flat over the natural saddle between her last two neckridges.
"Thanks woman," Q'sis muttered as he reoriented.
You're welcome I love you Q'sis, she replied, all on one mental "breath." Q'sis smiled a little, and rubbed the velvety tip of her nose before directing her up to the weyr. Once he'd dismounted again, he took his usual leverage over the willing tan's nerve and muscle and flew off toward the Sands while his human half made easy stride to the toasty innards of the weyr.
"Lunch," he announced to his tiny flock, and sat down with the bag on a few layers of furs he had hauled up in lieu of a table. Curiously acquired cushions with bright dyes and intricate embroideries stood in as chair backs when braced against stones, though there were none quite tall enough for his comfort. "I've sent Unath, don't get in a tizzy. You won't miss anything." He held out the rank bag of stew to Aylina with one hand, and with the other motioned Samael closer to collect her own stuffings directly.
Unath swooped into the Hatching Cavern and clasped her reddish nails onto a hunk of ledge right next to Akanith. Her head trained out toward the heat of the Sands, and she ignored the father of the clutch. Immediately a wet newborn pink projected through the thin jelly of tan's telepathy, linking to Wenth and Naireth- and distantly, Mith. The pink had already Impressed. Hardly missed anything, Q'sis amended. Fighter and girl, what an auspicious start, he grumbled further, then turned Unath's head toward a blue doping around in the more appropriate locale among the boys. The dragon's eyes had a wide field of vision, however, and the cyan did not go unrecorded.
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Minute
Wingrider
minuct[M:-133]
Posts: 207
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Post by Minute on Nov 19, 2012 20:06:38 GMT -5
She barely noticed as the eggs started hatching, instead spending all of her energy on focusing on standing up. This was something she only partially succeeded in, swaying as she stood. The cyan emerging from her egg didn't even get so much as a blink. Upon the blue hatching a small yawn left her and she began to stagger. This was not how she had imagined her first hatching going. She had expected to be totally focused on the eggs, holding her breath with every movement. Yet there she was, barely noticing what was going on. The hatching of the pink didn't get any reaction at all, just a bleary stare.
Some part of her noticed when she approached the girls. However, it was not until a voice entered her head that she really woke up. Tsk tsk, Tiana. You are very, very lucky your Sitath found you! It simply will not do to walk around without underwear on. No, not at all. Come with me, we must find you some underpants, and then I am going to have a talk with you about your sleeping habits. She now felt completely awake. But how could she not? For the first time in her life she was whole, not just some girl fighting against the world. She was no longer Tiana the wannabe guard or Tiana the candidate but Tiana, weyrling of pink Sitath. It was impossible to describe, amazing and overwhelming all at once.
Another tug on her robes jolted her back to reality. come on, Tianamine! We need to get you in to something decent. With a small laugh the newly impressed weyrling crouched down to be closer to her dragonet. "Relax, eggs are hatching, the last thing people are going to be paying attention to is my lack of underwear." Sitath simply gace her a pointed look followed by another tug at her robes. Tiana gace a small sigh before asking, "besides, aren't you hungry? We need to get you fed, clothes can wait."
For a moment she was silent as she pondered this. The little pink then let go of her robe and said, well, I guess I do feel a little hungry. But after I've eaten we're getting you changed, and don't think I've forgotten about your sleeping habits! Tiana simply shook her head and stood up, leading her dragonet over to the buckets of meat. She then began to feed it to her, slowly as to ensure that she didn't choke. Sitath ate slowly and neatly, almost completely opposite to Tiana's own feeding habits.
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Kestrel
Wingrider
kestct[M:821]
Posts: 374
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Post by Kestrel on Nov 19, 2012 20:16:26 GMT -5
Though the eggs were still rocking, none of them had hatched just yet, so Taza decided to spend a moment glancing at the male candidates to see if she could pick Calmere out of the crowd. She wasn’t familiar with most of them, though she’d seen them around—and she did spot the boy she’d shoveled snow with before. Kurosaki, was it? But…where was Calmere? There was some busy bearded fellow she was quite sure she hadn’t seen before—he had to stand out, a candidate with a beard that long—was that even allowed?—but before she could peer a bit more critically at him, there was a snap, and her eyes lit up as she witnessed a cyan crawling at last from one of the eggs.
A cyan! Taza didn’t know much about them, except that they were one of the more recent additions to dragonkind’s peculiar spectrum, but from what little she knew they had a good reputation. Big, strong females, not clutchers, but with good flame. A welcome addition to the weyr, certainly. Her eyes followed the cyan’s every movement as she romped around between the eggs, a little surprised she hadn’t made any move toward the candidates—weren’t dragons supposed to impress just after they hatched? Well, shows how much she knew, she thought. The blue that followed seemed at least a bit more focused, if perhaps less exuberant, and she found it difficult to divide her attention between the two dragonets. The blue seemed set on impressing a boy—what if he chose Calmere? If her husband did impress, Taza certainly wanted to see it.
But new movement caught her eye, and she had to abandon the blue and cyan’s progress to study the pink. Another one with focus—maybe the cyan was just strange that way?—and she was heading for the girls, too. Taza could scarcely breathe as for the first time, a baby dragon drew closer and closer. But perhaps fortunately, the little one already seemed to know just who she wanted, and inspired no false hope in the gathered collection of lesser girls. Taza felt herself relax as she watched the pink tug at the robes of a girl she didn’t know, though she also felt a little—was it disappointment? She supposed that would make sense—most everyone wanted to be a dragonrider after all, and she figured some part of her probably did as well, even if she hadn’t thought much about it. One dragon for someone else meant one less dragon that might choose her. But that seemed like a selfish way to think about things, so she tried to bury the thought. It seemed somehow improper to think that way, too—each dragon, certainly, chose the person best suited to be with them, and Dalibor certainly needed proper riders who were suited to be so. So however it worked out, it had to be for the best. Yes, that was a much better outlook. She tried to fix it solidly in her mind as she turned her attention back to the other dragons.
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Post by larkwing on Nov 19, 2012 20:29:36 GMT -5
Suya watched as the first of the eggs hatched, the first of the thirteen. Vaguely she wondered about that number, wondered if there was something about it that was ironic considering the events plaguing Pern currently. Shaking her head she decided she was just being foolish. The cyan was not in need of impressing anyone quite yet, and Suya dismissed it easily enough. The dragonet was not meant for her, just as the blue and the pink that followed were not meant for her. She did admire the blue's tenacity however, and the male received a smug little smirk to his behavior.
It was the pink that actually chose her rider first though, and when she headed for the females, Suya stepped back happily to allow the pink to find someone else, which she did. Not for me...I want something better than what my sister would get. Mayrie would get a fighter, I'm aiming for something bigger, something better. She looked back at the sands, her posture straightening as she forced her eyes to stay on the eggs and away from taking peeks at how Kurosaki was fairing. It would not do to miss her chance, if it were to come by, just because she had been staring at some boy. Huffing, the girl narrowed her grey, green eyes and blew a chunk of bangs from her line of vision.
She was becoming more and more impatient, and it was mostly because she had expected impressing ot be easier than this. However, just as many candidates learned their first time standing, Suya too learned it was not as simple as one may think. The heat from the sands made her wince as she moved from taking more weight on one foot, then placing it on the other. Already beads of sweat were starting to roll lazily down the back of her neck, pulled out from the mixture of stress and heat. She told herself steadily that it was nothing more than those two things, she had no fever. She was not sick.
Blinking, Suya bit her lip as well, her mouth parting to take in a breath before exhaling just as steadily. Calm, stoic, nothing to make them think she was bothered. Just as she normally did, the girl stood there with that knowingly determined look upon her face, her eyes dark and brooding as her mind played itself out a hundred miles away from the sands, wondering ten things at once, none of which really had to do with what was going on around her. Realizing this once again, the candidate balled her hands into fists, her nails pricking into her skin to get her to focus. When that only partially worked she went to counting the eggs, the dragonets, the candidates, then on to the stands with how many of each color she could find.
It was enough to curb her attention to the world around her, and her obsessiveness with it all helped her to stay grounded. When had been the last time she slept? That thought worked its way through the others, and she sighed. It had been a while since she had stayed a whole night resting, she had been so worried about the sickness, about catching it and dieing before her time....dieing. It was a scary thought, and vaguely she wondered how her parents were doing, her siblings...Mayrie. Shaking her head and then pulling away her hair from her eyes when it fell in front of them, Suya let herself take a small glance in Kurosaki's direction.
The older candidate was alright, still toward the back of the pack of boys. He was starting to feel the heat of the sands though, and standing upright like this was causing him to ever so subtly weave back and forth now. Locking his knees to stop the sensation, he took in a breath and then released it, also relaxing his legs when he remembered that it could cause him to faint. He almost laughed at that thought, he feinting on the sands! With his luck it would be right as a dragonet, perhaps that high-and-mighty blue, would decide to start attacking them. Something bad was going to happen, surely with everything going outside and inside the walls of Dalibor, this hatching would mirror it as well in some way. |
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Minute
Wingrider
minuct[M:-133]
Posts: 207
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Post by Minute on Nov 19, 2012 21:32:10 GMT -5
OOC: Listen to this while you read this post. MEANWHILE, IN THE WHERLING BARRACKS:There was a wall, a wall covered in words, bits of fabric with writing on them that had been attached to the wall, and string. These words all related to the plague, it was notes, no, not just notes, it was on attempt to figure it out. On the bed across from the wall sat a red-headed girl and a black wher, staring at the wall with incredible intensity. When the call from the hatching went out Naisk mumbled, baby dragons hatch."I know."Watching baby dragons hatch is waste of time. Research plague."Agreed."And so Naitia and Naisk went back to staring, not blinking once. |
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turkoizdog
Wingrider
turkct[M:-85]
Cephalove!
Posts: 256
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Post by turkoizdog on Nov 19, 2012 21:33:25 GMT -5
Meena grinned. A blue, a cyan, and... a pink! All colors she loved, and all seemed like very good dragon babies. She watched the cyan run around. It was like her, in dragon form! The cyan was so curious, and so sweet... it was right, there was so much to do and see, it didn't have to try and Impress right away.
The blue headed over to the males, as expected. Blues preferred to impress males, so Meena was of course hoping for the pink or the cyan. Or one of the others, since she knew there was the possibility of sub-queens like the tan or orange, or maybe a rarer white or yellow. Looking at the biggest egg, she realized there may even be a king in the bunch. Oh, this was nerve-wracking, for sure.
As the pink approached, Meena stood up straight, though it walked right past her and Impressed to a girl Meena didn't know very well. Looking around, she realized that she didn't know very many candidates very well. Yrri had graduated, and other friends and people her age had dragons already. Also, there was no sign of Meeko. Whoever he was.
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