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After what seemed like a lifetime Nelioa finally made her way towards the clutch. Keeping her footing on the hot sands and walking carefully around the eggs. She placed her hand gently on first one, then another. Even though they where not so fragile as they looked she caught herself smiling again when she felt the hardness of the shell under her palm.

"I cant wait to see you little ones." she whispered as she walked around. The green egg that was tilted on the sands caught her eye. She placed her hand on it and nearly righted it before she caught herself. That was not her place to adjust the eggs. She scolded herself and gave the egg a little pat. "if you wish to be tilted that is your choice huh." she said as she looked at the mottled shell. Thinking about it she didnt suppose it mattered if the egg was upright or if it was on its side, the dragonet had to break it and tumble out onto the hot sands either way.

Something about the egg kept her there longer than the others. She wanted to spend time with it, and kept her hand rested lightly on the shell the entire time. Nelioa knew she was thinking too deeply into things, surely the dragonet inside hadnt willingly chosen to be tilted like that. What if it had though? Choosing to be willfully different of its siblings. But the queen could have righted the egg at any time to adjust it on the sands, surely.

After a long moment she gave the egg a final pat. "I will be watching for you little one, to put my imagination at rest." she said with a chuckle as she raised from the sands and dusted herself off. Giving one last look at the crooked egg she walked off the sands and near the stands to wait and watch. She didnt want to vanish to her chores just yet, she wanted to watch the clutch and the others complete their touchings for now.

This Touching seemed to be going much quicker than the last; at least in his own mind. Or maybe it was because some of the eggs were closer together that he hadn't had to walk as far to get to each one. However, something about this group of eggs seemed tighter knit than the blue cast batch he had several distant dreams about. It almost felt like some of these eggs were more grounded. Maybe that was from their earthy tones? He wasn't certain but it felt like it.

As soon as he turned around, he was confronted with another available egg. This one wasn't far from the last few eggs he had touched; a plain but the obsidian patterns gave a striking compliment. As his fingers ran across the surface of the small egg, his heart spoke of his triumphs and most recent failures. If he could wish for a wise companion to keep him from making foolish mistakes or at least keep his feet on the floor sometimes...yes...something to balance his drifting nature. He didn't want to think of himself as flighty but many the time, even though he was driven to his goals...he'd sometimes miss the slippery when wet sign and fall flat on his face. The thought caused him to wince as he rose from the little egg. Well, everyone surely had things they could improve...right?

Looking around quickly, he moved with a few other candidates towards the next egg that were further away from the center of the clutch. One of these eggs was tilted in such a fashion that Veyes' brow furrowed as he pondered the best way to touch it without knocking over. So finally, his hand settled on the underside rather than on the top. He'd rather support from a fall than be the cause of the fall if anything were to happen. It was the only egg he didn't spend as much time getting to know because he'd rather be safe than sorry.

Once he gently backed away from the precarious position, he took a deep breath and released it slowly. Only a couple of eggs to go, the furthest one was actually at this instance easier to visit but as he approached he felt a feeling that this one really wanted to be left alone. Boy oh boy, he could sympathize with this sentiment at times. Especially, after the lake incident. Not that things weren't getting better but there were days when he'd like to tell the world to go to thread. However, in his heart it was mostly an exasperated cry for breathing room and a need for privacy. This Weyr had way too many people and everyone knew it. So his hands only briefly stroked the green speckled shell hoping that the hatchling within would forgive the intrusion.

As he withdrew as quietly as he arrived he shuffled around to seek out the last egg he could touch today and found a large...well not nearly as large as the giants but still a big egg with shades of brown circling its oval surface. He knelt down and cocked his head to the side as his fingers crawled across the shell like a spider. His mind drifted as he relaxed occassionally touching small triangles like they were buttons on a fine coat. His dreams again seduced him and he could only imagine what it would be like to fly high...far....together. So many sites to see, places to explore. What an adventure we could have and maybe...others would join us. Or would we travel alone? Or would we battle thread together....would others look up to us, one day? Would our accomplishments together be remembered in story?

He might have sat there all day teasing his brain with goals he wasn't sure how yet to achieve; but then he floated him back to the earth once more as his waking eyes caught side of people moving closer, Will we share our dreams? Will there be one upon the sands this time that will be right for me? was his last thought as he slowly took to his feet. Well, if not this time, he promised himself to avoid moping about it....and he'd keep studying all that L'thor would teach him and work hard until his lifemate found him.

With that thought in mind, he pulled his fingers away from the last egg and briefly glanced at the gold. Would she be the Queen he'd follow in time? Would the one who impressed her be a Weyrwoman one day? Was their someone among the girls...smart enough...wise enough...and strong enough...to be that one's life mate? Strangely enough, those questions circled around his brain as he headed off the hot sands barely noticing how warm his bare feet were this time because so many thoughts kept his mind distracted.

Had that been Mal, waltzing on by him? So it had... A tired smile would pull at his lips, soon turning into a faint grin before the herder shook his head and kept moving. With luck, they'd have words later, of course, and he was interested in what the young man had been up to. Well, besides trouble. Almost forgetting to bow to the queen, Jiriar soon stepped forward to let his fingers trail across the multitude of colors that made up the clutch this time. So many eggs.

So many Candidates to choose from.

His lips quirked into a wry smile while an absent pat was left on one of the speckled greens. More dragonriders... One day, could it be him? He hoped so, he really did. And yet, the talk with S'kagi at the last Hatching Feast had eased some of his worries. He'd stay here as long as he could to try and be there if a hatchling that wanted him made its way into the world... and if it didn't, well, maybe he could at least stay nearby. Close enough that he could still visit the friends he'd made here; S'van, E'si, Mal, Kiri, and Inaari, to name a few.

Long legs carried him deftly from egg to egg, and he made sure to touch each one (except the queen, of course) before he'd slowly stand back so the other's could have a turn. One lad in particular had caught his eye--his enormous size made it hard to miss him! Looked a bit gruff, even surly. Definitely the sort of guy one would think twice about messing with.

Goran was unaware of the attention, only knowing he'd bristled instinctively at the tone he'd been awakened with and it'd taken a good bit of control to keep him from lashing out like a fool. Eggs. Dragons. That was more than enough to keep him even quieter than usual, and he ignored the gaggle of young bodies he'd been tossed in with. They didn't matter to him. All he wanted to do was touch the eggs.

A short, awkward bow was issued towards the queen, the movement unusual with his broad back and bulky shoulders, before he'd step onto the scorching sands and approach. Thick, rough fingers awkwardly grazed a few of the shells, not exactly sure what he was supposed to be thinking or feeling right now. Eggs. He was this much closer to actually getting a dragon one day... so why did he feel so hollow and closed off?

Was this what he really wanted to do?

It was actually pretty interesting, taking the objective step back to watch the rest of the Candidates interact with the eggs. There was a lot of emotion to see here; people hoping and wishing and wanting, dreaming. A few traces of desperation here and there, especially around that Queen egg; lots of loving pats and caresses, fond smiles, sighs.

Okassis shifted his weight uncomfortably, scratching at his backside as he watched and thought. For a moment, he wondered if it was rude to itch one's butt at a Touching - but hey, they were dragons. They'd understand itching.

The moment was decidedly surreal, and it grew stranger the more he looked on. Stranger and people he knew both, Okassis suddenly recognized, that were every bit as much wanting as he was. He'd known before that he wasn't the only Candidate on the sands, - obviously. And he'd known before that there were a number of good, deserving folk here. But he'd never connected himself to the rest. He hadn't seen his emotional palette so plainly on the faces of others. The people here, they had ambitions like him. They wanted everything he did, at least; maybe, just maybe, he wondered, if one or two might want more.

What was Okassis, then? What did he have to offer a dragon, that no one else here did? Just his drive, his determination to make things change? But if those same thoughts seemed to cross the faces of others as well....

Then maybe it came down to character. Or simple luck. He was here; that meant that some dragon had thought he was dragonrider material. All he needed was to find the egg that might agree, right? But would that be enough - if he partnered with a dragon that decided he was good enough? If that was all, then it really could be anyone else on the sands....

It had to be more. He knew it well, that dream of perfection; looking for that dragon that would suit him wholly, who he would somehow boost. And with that sort of perfection, he was certain, they could accomplish anything. Especially including, what had to be done to save the people of Pern from themselves.

He wasn't doing any good here, Okassis decided. It was time to move on from the Hatching Grounds, before his muddled thoughts screwed with whatever good vibes the little dragonlings needed. With a final wry smile, the ex-Trader departed. He'd better go get ready for the day....

It hadn't taken Allende long to acclimate herself to the general layout of Ista Weyr once she was brought in. Mere moments after being deposited in the Candidate Barracks by the Searchrider, she was hustled into her sleeping quarters (shared with three other girls) and given a basic schedule to follow until directed otherwise by the candidate master. Since dwelling on the strangeness of a new place did little too alleviate the strangeness of being a stranger, Alle immediately introduced herself to the one roommate who was present, and managed to convince the girl to give her a quick tour of the candidate barracks and the Lower Caverns. Figuring her particular set of skills would be best put to use among the working women of the Lower Caverns, she volunteered immediately and was put to work stirring great vats of boiling water for laundry. Afterward, she'd been permanently assigned to it for the duration of her candidacy, and her work schedule was designed with her candidate classes in mind.

So it wasn't too big of a surprise for her to already be up and about when the call for the candidates came. She'd woken early in the hopes of catching a few spare marks to herself in order to read a scroll she had borrowed from the Weyr archives on Ista Island's geographic history. She'd been fascinated by tales of a smoking mountain emerging from the sea, and on the advice of the senior women in the Caverns, had located and borrowed the scroll from the archives at her first chance.

Normally it would have pained her to set it aside, but as soon as the reason why the old man was bellowing at them to assemble assimilated, she promptly reassessed her priorities. Unlike two of her roommates, Allende had never been to a Egg touching before, in fact, prior to L'thor and his green beauty Raith's arrival at her hold, the closest she had ever been to a dragon was about ten leagues down when a small wing of the great beasts flew overhead en route to Lemos Hold. Upon meeting Raith, however, her appreciation for the term 'dragonlength' had grown considerably. Then again, arriving at the Weyr and beginning her candidate lessons, was also showing her how much she had been left in the dark by her father. There was so much to learn, and if the other girls were telling even a small part of the truth, she was about to learn a whole lot more just by being allowed on the Sands. The excitement she felt whenever being faced with a new challenge was almost too much to take! She'd listened to her intuition when psychologically duking it out with her father in front of L'thor, and she was pleased to realize that she hadn't regretted it yet.

Clothing herself with an eye too time and footwear, Alle heeded the advice of her roommates and made sure to add some extra socks and put on a pair of boots with he thickest soles she owned. The general heat made wearing something light and airy a necessity for the rest of her, but she wasn't going to compromise proper shoes. Luckily, she was able to get herself together fairly quickly, and was out with the rest of the girls, content with keeping herself somewhere in the middle of the pack.


Entering the Hatching Grounds, however, proved to be something close to a feeling of awe inspiring fear. Between the sheer size of the cavern and the giant golden bulk of the dragon queen, Allende was momentarily frozen just inside the entrance. Around her, the rest of her fellow candidates mixed and mingled before going towards the eggs, sometimes murmuring between one another, and other times just coming in, bowing to the Queen, and proceeding to the eggs without a single word to another human being. The cut and dry choices perversely irritated her, but that stray thought was quickly replaced by the realization she might be perceived as being rude for not yet giving her respects to the mother dragon.

Scurrying forward in a whirl of cream fabric, she curtsied as best she could given her ungainly height once she was within sight of the adult Queen. If the mother noticed, she gave no sign, but with that dutifully accomplished, Alle allowed her bright eyes to roam across the sands, taking in her first sight of dragons in the shell. There were several obvious favorites among the boys, chief of which were the two large eggs and a couple brightly colored smaller ones. She smiled then, noting the expressions on some of the younger lads, and wished with all of her heart that no matter what her destiny was on these sands, that the best bonds possible would arise from this clutch. The air was heavy with promises and dreams, hopes and fears, all mixed with private desires and whims. For her fellow humans, she could only hope that those chosen would live up to the task, but for the dragons, she wished only for happiness.

Eventually, she took her own cautious step forward, easing her way through the milling crowd to pause here and there, paying her respects and studying the varying shell patterns with a scientific enthusiasm. Her circuitous route did have an eventual end culminating with the Queen Egg, but during her minutes watching the others, she'd decided that rushing forward to touch the shell of the Queen was somehow both a waste and anticlimactic. Surely the little Queen deserved to be properly appreciated, and someone like Allende could only do that after having seen what other eggs looked like after all! She did pause to linger near one particular brightly banded shell, but when others arrived to touch it, she moved on.

Finally she reached the end, but she paused just before reaching the Queen egg to curtsy again before the great golden mother. On a whim, she also bowed to the Queen egg itself, before reverently allowing her scarred hands to caress the shell. Wincing at the unsightliness of the burn scars, Allende averted her gaze from her own disfigured hands and instead fully took in the unusual darkness of the queens shell. It was obviously gold, but the burnished look was strangely appealing, especially once she noticed how it gradated towards a paler color at the bottom. Simple, in comparison to the bright bars and bands of the other eggs in this clutch, but marvelous none the less.

Satisfied that she had both seen enough and introduced herself properly, Alle made way for other girls and retraced her steps back to the entrance. No matter what happened on Hatching day, she was content with being allowed to go this far, and come what may, she at least knew she had made the right decision to strike out on her own.

On this particular morning she was going about her usual routine – picking out the day’s attire and tucking her hair into a neat bun. Looking into her burnished little mirror and twisting the stray strands – she’d gone and left her hot iron at home with… her mother, shards it’d never be the same again – was interrupted by the call for the Touching. After recuperating from the Candidate Master’s jarring speech and instructions, Weiwin started to put her things away. For a moment her eyes closed and she was seized by apprehension, nothing out of the norm at first but, then, she felt like she was caught up in a sea of fickle emotions sloshing her from one stark realization to the next. She had thought about not impressing a hatchling – what, with her icy stares and cool demeanor what bubbly little dragonet wouldn’t want her as a lifetime partner? When she had first landed in Ista Weyr she had believed herself to be utterly daft for ever agreeing to undertake candidacy. However, when she swung around and got a glance into the majestic blue dragon’s great, whirling eye and its many facets, she cursed herself for ever questioning this being’s judgment.

Now she thought of another ‘what if’ that had never quite occurred to her - what if a dragonet chose her? The work needed to sustain this life in question would be new to her, no doubt, but something she could get used to. What, though, of all of the other needs that couldn’t be simply covered by an oiling or livestock? What of the total devotion that was supposed to come along with this bond, and what of the intrusion of her mind? Her life certainly wouldn’t be her own anymore, but would her mind remain intact? or would the melding of minds change this intrinsic quality? More importantly, was she ready to chance all of this happening to her?

In short, she had a sudden fear of the nature of commitment. It took all but a second for her to blink away these thoughts and but a few more seconds to breath away the turmoil roiling her gut. Enough of her silly thoughts, it was time to go and touch some eggs. ~

She added herself to the train of hustling and shuffling Candidates.

----

She paused over the threshold of the Hatching Grounds. Her eyes cast about the enormous bowl, catching glimpses of eggs between the arms and legs of her peers. And when there was room, she gave a pleasant dip of her body in thanks and reverence to the Queen. Upon recovery of her stance, she took another breath to quell any lingering fears, old and new, of what was spread before her.

Her only recognizable thought for a time was that her mother should be here, if only to capture the clutch and numerous Candidates on hide.

When it came to touching her first egg, she did so with hot hands heated by the very sands of the bowl: thanks to her days spent in the kitchen, she had developed a lovely tolerance for hot things; consequently, scooping hot sand in her hands was plausible. It seemed as if the other eggs she came in contact with followed each other in quick succession, but, then again she felt a little heady given where she was and whom she was with. Her exit from the Hatching Grounds, she was certain upon reflection, was accomplished due to muscle memory and unconscious guidance.