Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was midday and the Weyr was abuzz. Among the usual sounds came a happy announcement - Elenneth's clutch had hardened enough for the candidates to get up-close and personal. A chance to touch the shell of what may be their future life partner - what an event! The kitchens were busy with people eating early as dragonriders and weyrfolk alike ran to the Stands. True, it was not a big event and so there was plenty of room to breathe, but seeing those they worked alongside, those they cheered, or maybe even those they dislike react to the eggs was sure to be entertaining for the first little while at least.

Hannele had been up only for a few hours, returning from her weyr to find Elenneth pondering over her eggs, moving them gently in their small cluster until she had found perfect spots. She adjusted the sand around them before glancing towards Hannele. "They're right where they belong," she said encouragingly. Such a lovely group of ten eggs had never been seen by any Weyr before, she was certain of that! Elenneth's careful grouping had not been for naught. Everything felt right at home.

As the candidatemaster and his assistant led the candidates in, Hannele met them, standing on the sands. Her head was lifted high, her arms crossed as she scoured their faces. They were unworthy of bonding to these dragons. All candidates were. She had been. They had proven themselves so far, but it was time to kick up the heat. "Be careful." Her tone was that of warning, and it was all she offered to them. She would not hesitate to retaliate if one of Elenneth's precious ones were hurt. Assuming, of course, that the gold didn't drop them from a tall height before Hannele could get to them. She returned to the stands, crossing her legs and watching them as carefully as a mother watching her infant.

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((WOO, Touching time! Just a few things to note before we get started.

First off, no one post until I claim the next one. I'll post all of the egg descriptions there. The purpose of this is to help us get a better feel for your character and how they handle certain feelings or impulses. I said earlier that we have already decided Impressions, but it's never too late for us to change our minds.

Please respond to each egg in character as best you can. I would like if everyone could bold the egg's name when you approach it:

Jeff approached the Example egg carefully.

Just mostly to help us sort out the paragraphs when we're looking for a specific response.

I'd like all of these responses to be in one post. It'll take a while for all ten, I imagine. Feel free to do a few then edit the rest on, but use only one post per character, please!

I know the post said that the other people are milling about, but please don't post with them. Idle chatter will clog the thread up and take away from the candidates and their current ordeal.))

Aethian
finished

He had been offered a position as a candidate... but Aethian was reluctant in the extreme to take it up. What was so great about a dragon, anyway? All they ever seemed to do was eat, sleep and take off to get chewed up by Thread. All these people going goo-goo eyed over them as if they were the most adorable creatures ever to set foot on Pern. Pah. The dragonriders themselves pretended to be all confident, assured and in control, but if they ever lost their beasts they became mopey and weak. Pitiful, really, to be so utterly dependent on another creature for fulfillment. Whers, now whers were nice practical animals. Self reliant, none of this touchy-feely gunk, useful with a wide range of capabilities... Missing out on the last wher clutch was something Aethian genuinely regretted. Oh well, there would be future opportunities. That was one life lesson he'd learned well: waiting patiently for an opportunity would often turn out in your favor.

Opportunity, in fact, was the reason for his surly and unfriendly presence in the entrance to the hatching cavern. Dragons... well, for all his contempt he couldn't deny they had potential to be useful. Going between for example, learning that would open huge vistas for him: he could go anywhere on the continent! Anywhere at all! Dragons could hunt, and they were big enough to deter much violence... vague thoughts of dashing off to the Southern Continent again drifted through his dreams these days. The place drew him like a moth to a flame. The opportunity, the freedom of it was like a drug for him. On the downside, of course, there were the duties everyone expected riders to fulfill... eurgh. Well, he'd figure a way around that. The only things that scared him were: being under the thumb of that diminutive, spiteful, arrogant... female masquerading as a brownrider, and being obligated to fight Thread. No sir, that he could do without. Forever.

And yet... when opportunity knocks...

So, here he stood. Or leaned, to be more accurate, against the rock wall with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. They were overeager to the extreme, weren't they? Rushing around and slobbering over the eggs. It made Aethian sick. He would bide his time and wait until the others had spread out and he could have more elbow room. Elbow room... he thought longingly of the Southern Continent, before shaking his head and resuming his patient waiting.

As he quietly leaned where he was, watching and waiting, observing the eggs and those who walked among them, Aethian took little notice of the fact that he stood close by the Sympathy Egg. Oh, he knew it was there, but his attention was elsewhere and he felt little need to observe closely what he could see with his peripheral vision. The first tickle against his mind, therefor, he brushed off impatiently; breaking his stillness and rubbing his scalp as if he had an itch. After a moment, it returned and he was shocked enough to turn his head slowly toward the egg. A green, he had forgotten the useless name now, had pronounced him suitable, but he had never before felt the mental touch of anything in his life. It shocked Aethian momentarily that these young beasts would be even remotely aware within their shells. He had the vague sense that the egg, it felt weird thinking of an egg as a being that thought, was aware of him. Not merely aware in a physical sense but... aware on a different level. One he hadn't explored before. Curious, Aethian gave in and walked across the sands with measured steps until he reached the egg. Tilting his head in a manner that suggested he was considering it, he kept his hands firmly in his pockets and stared hard at the shell. Yes... it thought it knew him. He felt that it knew him mentally much the same way a human might know him by name. Yet, the longer he stood here the more... deep this egg's knowledge of him seemed to become. What snapped him awake and brought a look of anger and contempt to his face was the fact that he felt himself responding, reaching out hopefully like some lovesick... whatever!

"You don't know me," he hissed, eyes narrowing, wrenching his gaze away from the shell and firmly striding away. Determinedly, and even a little cruelly, he shoved the alien presence away from him. How dare it... do... do that to him? What did that stupid egg know? Nothing! That's what!

Thinking only of avoiding obstacles, Aethian walked some distance away before pausing to see where he was. There were too many others close by him, so he walked a bit further off. He found himself near the golden yellow shell of the Righteousness Egg, and paused to consider it. There was a good deal of speculation about this one, not least because the shell was yellow but everyone said it wasn't a queen. Well, his experience with that know-it-all egg had taught him one thing. Tentatively only because he was very new at this, Aethian tried to reach out with his mind and see what this supposedly special egg was all about. He was disappointed. Here again was the never ceasing tendency towards emotional garbage favored by so many in this place. Disgusting.

Suddenly nervous, Aethian remembered Elenneth and glanced up sharply at the golden dragon. Touchy feely they might be, but dragons could swallow you whole if they felt so inclined, and Aethian suddenly found himself wondering whether Elenneth could hear his thoughts toward her eggs.

He felt it would be prudent to get a bit further away from her all of a sudden.

Not wishing to appear frightened by the queen dragon, he paused by another egg: trying to appear as if he was simply moving to a new object of study. The egg he had chosen, Honesty Egg, was pleasing enough to look at. Indeed, Aethian spent several relaxing minutes letting his eyes slide slowly over the patterns on its shell. Hey, whatever he thought of the hatchlings no one could ever say their shells weren't pretty. ...And really, the baby dragons weren't so bad. If anything, and he hated to admit it, it was his fault for being so touchy. A small tinge of guilt that he had been so unfriendly with the Sympathy egg troubled him for a brief moment, before a sense of acceptance from the egg beside him smoothed it over. Aethian blinked, and looked down at the shell. Yes... he hadn't noticed it before, but there was something there. He drew minutely closer, a slight frown of concentration on his face. Something about this egg in particular made him stop and pause. There wasn't... happiness per say, and there wasn't affection either. It simply... understood what he meant and accepted it. Accepted him, in a strange way. Aethian felt, without knowing why, that if he chose to sit down here and just - just talk to the egg it would listen. Listen without judging, without prejudice, and absorb what he said like a sponge. But if someone else were to inquire as to what he had confided, Aethian knew this little being would become like a rock: giving back nothing when it was squeezed.

Being both moderately selfish and lazy, and knowing that this egg cared about neither, he indulged his whim and sat gingerly down in the warm sands beside the egg. After five minutes of simply watching it and tentatively making casual remarks, he moved. Reaching his hand out slowly as if afraid of being burned he very lightly touched the shell with just the tips of his fingers. Smooth, warm, without a single blemish. It was delightful, but a thought made him jerk his hand back sharply. He knew what it was like to despise being helpless, and nothing defined helpless better than these eggs. If he were stuck in a shell, with no way to move away if he didn't want to be near someone, he would resent being touched very much. He got the sense that the egg was laughing softly, but detected no amusement at his own expense. Thus, he got up, dusted his pants off gingerly and walked away without prejudice. That was quite a pleasant egg, really.

Feeling pleasant and amiable, Aethian approached the Meekness Egg. After the smooth, flowing colors of the Honesty Egg, this one seemed almost repugnant in its roughness. Still, he had nothing better to do. Hmmm... he felt very little from this egg. Perhaps the hatchling was sleeping? Did dragons sleep inside their eggs? They certainly slept enough outside of them: sunning themselves and lazing about... This one seemed to be half buried in the sand, which made it seem even smaller when compared to the other eggs. Nothing to say, nothing to do. On to the next egg, Aethian supposed. And yet, when he stepped away he was not as grumpy as he might have been otherwise: what was there to be upset about, anyway? If the thing wanted a nap it could bloody well have a nap. He certainly didn't blame it: these sands with their heat could make anyone sleepy... when they weren't having their feet scorched off of course. No wonder the mother turned the eggs so often. Have to ensure they're cooked evenly on all sides.

A camouflaged egg. Interesting. Wouldn't that be a health risk? Someone might step on it. Aethian moved closer to the Humility Egg, walked one lazy circle around it, and then headed off. Another one that failed to draw his attention. Well, whatever. It wasn't the egg's job to attract his interest. Still... he was starting to grow bored. Didn't any of these eggs have spunk to them?

He was drawing closer to his point of origin now, Aethian warily noted. He had no wish to meet that Sympathy Egg again. Stupid thing, he thought without an real conviction. Even as the thought left him, though, Aethian found himself standing beside the Truth Egg, and a vague feeling of unease flickered though him. After a moment, he realized that he felt... watched. Like something was observing him, studying him, learning his secrets, judging him and finding him wanting. Feeling nervous, and afraid, he looked around. It couldn't be the queen; she wasn't even looking at him! Then his eyes fell upon the curve of a white eggshell, and from the jolt in his chest he knew that was the source of his fear. All at once, everything he had ever supressed, all the little lies he had told himself, the ones he had told others too, came crashing down on him like a boulder on his shoulders. He wanted to stumble back, but felt paralyzed and horrified alike. Clearer than ever before, unable to dilute the image with rose colored glasses, he saw himself for what he really was. Furniture. He was the equivalent of furniture. All he did was take up space, and the only action he did take to influence the world around him caused strife and pain to a minor or major degree. Bit by careful and irresistable bit, he felt the monster in the egg tearing down his preconceptions and beliefs. The worst of it was that he couldn't argue: he knew that this was Truth, had somehow always known and never wanted to admit it. For the first time since he'd set out on his journey, Aethian had his answers. The reason he'd begun to feel guilty, unsatisfied, was that part of him, deep down, knew that what he believed and did was wrong. To leech a living off of folk who had earned it, worked for it, sweated and bled for it, was horribly wrong. Worse, was the word that hovered on the edge of his mind, but that he fought futilly to suppress. Murderer.

Oh shards, oh no, too much, too much, stop, get away, get away NOW, leave me alone! Leave me ALONE!!

Paralysis broken, Aethian slammed the door on the Truth and stumbled away from it, blindly, unable to focus on anything. He brushed off inquiries after his health with overblown anger, meeting kindness with a frown, a shaking fist and a curse until he was left alone. It took him several minutes of deep breathing before he regained control. It was then that he felt a soothing touch in the back of his mind, and looked up to see the red and pink mottled shell of another egg, close by him. In his fear and his confusion he hadn't run very far from the Truth at all, but had stumbled next to the Love Egg. In that moment he realized that his renewed calm was not the result of his actions alone. Softly, subtly, the egg had crawled between his terrified thoughts and aided him.

Fresh from his encounter with that horrible egg, Aethian wondered briefly but loudly why the egg would bother with him at all. Already his mental defenses were trying to dilute the unpleasant revelation that had been forced on him, but none of its sting had been lost. The egg soothed him, comforted him, told him that it was all right. It did not cover up what the Truth Egg had revealed; it changed his viewpoint on it. The very things that made him such a horrible person in some ways gave him potential in others. Somewhat reproachfully, the Love Egg pointed out other truthful viewpoints Aethian had missed in his fear and panic. His resourcefulness, his intelligence, his sense of mischief. And more, a desire, faint but growing stronger slowly, to change. With soft but irresistable warm thoughts, the Love Egg bandaged the slashed psyche of the young man standing beside it. Aethian was surprised, when their 'conversation' was finished, to find that he had both hands pressed lovingly against the smoothly changing colors of the egg shell. Not being a creature of Truth himself, he was able to lie to himself about the watery quality of his vision.

In a snap of the fingers it was over and he was getting to his feet. His eyes were normal and his breathing calm. He was grateful to the egg, but shy about expressing it. The egg understood and accepted. Still, this was new to him: nothing had ever really touched him this way, harming him and beginning to repair him all at once. Yet... As his thoughts slowly began to trickle into a normal state again he couldn't think badly of the Truth Egg. Nor could he think poorly of any of the other dragons or eggs. Whatever happened now... however his life went from here, Aethian was determined never to insult another dragon. Criticising was acceptable when reasonable, but nothing further than that would pass his lips again. He stood on steady legs, bracing himself to continue.

When he did get the courage to do so he was not off to a good re-start. The next egg his steps brought him to was the Modesty Egg. It started with a vague idea that he should get his hair cut, or at least combed. That small impulse, however, grew quickly into disapproval so strong that Aethian spent several seconds simply staring slack jawed at the grey shell of the egg. Then he was skittering back hastily, quickly blocking the foreign thoughts as they began to move to his character and conduct. He'd had quite enough of that, thank you. One mental barrage a day was enough. Throwing a glance over his shoulder, looking bemused but slightly amused, he thought to himself, Well, I've found the eggs that have punch to them. Be careful what you wish for indeed...

Beginning to feel very tired, mentally worn out from so much happening so quickly, Aethian was seriously considering leaving the sands early and finding a quiet place to nap. But a vague thought, born of Truth Egg's observations, kept him standing and determined to see this out. If nothing else he'd at least get close to the last eggs. With that in mind, and thinking longingly of his bed, he approached the Loyalty Egg. He chose it over the other because the violet and lavender were like balm to his tired eyes. It was like with Honesty Egg; he enjoyed simply watching it for a few minutes, letting his eyes go unfocused, paying attention only to the swirls and patterns of color on the shell. He felt a touch on his mind, and warily moved closer: mindful of recent experiences. But the new presence was kind, it only wanted to know him, to be... friends? Habit made him scoff at first, but then guilt tore at his stomach and he chased after the presence, apologising in short, vaguely unformed thoughts. The egg sensed that he didn't mean to be mean, and forgave him. The fact that it was so accomidating made a small smile turn up the corners of Aethian's mouth, and he ran a hand lightly over the smooth surface. This egg he didn't mind touching so much. To its inquiries about his friends, he simply replied that he had none, which was true enough though the thought now made him feel strangely sad. Conversly, this seemed to please the Loyalty Egg, and Aethian walked away from it feeling that that meeting hadn't gone so badly.

It was a good thing, too, because Impatience Egg put him off right from the start. It was a slippery slope from the first thanks for the attention to a demand for more. Aethian at first tried to go along with it but... he didn't like such demands being placed upon him, and his new promise never to think badly of a dragon was put to the test. He sensed kinship of some kind with the little egg, as if they were on the same side of an invisible wall that divided the population. Yet... when he tried to make the egg slow down and think, tried to explain about waiting, being patient, watching for opportunity, he hit another wall - and this one stood between himself and the egg. They just couldn't understand each other. Aethian couldn't understand wanting attention so badly, demanding it in fact, and the egg simply didn't know what 'wait and be patient' meant.

Feeling nothing but tired, and a little irritable after that last egg, Aethian threw a glance around to see if anyone was watching before slinking out of the cavern. He was tired. It was time for sleep. Maybe a nap by the lake or in the gardens. Besides, his feet hurt: by now they should be at the medium rare stage, and he had no wish to make it to well-done.

((Done))

Mari did have to admit, Elenneth was a very intimidating figure, huge, golden and obviously watching the candidates all very closely. But of course Mari had nothing to fear, she had stood twice already and had seen what the queen’s were capable of and she would not be so foolish as to do anything to provoke the gold dragon. Or her rider, she added mentally, spotting the Weyrwoman standing near her dragon. She registered the warning before beginning to move closer to the eggs that Elenneth had carefully placed for the candidates to view and touch. She watched for where the other candidates were going, and went to other eggs, not wanting to crowd.

The first egg that she approached was one of the larger ones in the clutch, the Sympathy egg. It was a deep dark brown, with a different colour at the top. Curious she approached in and realised that the tip of the egg was purple. As she stood near it she felt something touch her mind, assuring her that fears and concerns were ok, she didn’t need to say anything, it understood. What understood? She stared in shock at the egg as the feeling came again. “Fears? I have no fears,” she scoffed in response, but the feeling didn’t relent, “what do you mean? I fear nothing! There is nothing I worry about...nothing...” she shuffles a little, but closer to the egg, not away from it, somehow drawn by the comfort and reassurance. Tthere is nothing that I, that I need to,” she tried to deny it again but trailed off; how could it know, know those things that she keeps locked in her heart away from all, away from even her own eyes, she brushed it gently with her hand, belatedly remembering why she was even standing next to it; with the touch the feeling strengthened and she snatched her hand away and stared almost fearfully at unassuming egg. Then she turned and fled from it, somehow scared of its comradary and kind acceptance of her fears and worries.

Fleeing from the sympathy egg Mari almost ran into the Love egg, stopping just in time to keep herself from colliding with it. That would be a sure fire way to attract the attention of the queen and her rider. Gasping for breath the looked down at the egg she was in front of, slightly surprised at how small it was but also amazed at the bright colours that covered it and made it stand out in its own special way. As she stared at it she once again felt a presence brush her mind, flinching she was unprepared for the gentle and strange feeling that filled her mind. It actually took her a few moments to realise what the feeling was, but when she did tears came to her eyes. Love. Love? What is this love? It is something she has never known, no one ever loved her. But she doesn’t need it...does she? Standing there she felt suddenly lonely and she leaned towards the egg “would you love me?” she whispers it, reaching out a hand to gently brush the hard egg. The feeling of love that washes over her is amazing and she gulps, wondering if the feeling was for her or just for all the candidates then deciding she didn’t care as long as she could feel it. Sinking to her knees next to it she waits, one hand resting very lightly on the shell, allowing the strange feeling of love, to wash over her, envelope her in a way she has never known before. It is a while before she can make herself stand up and move away from the egg, but eventually she does, still relishing the feeling of being loved for who she is while at the same time gently showing her little things that she could changed to be loved even more. Her mind filled with these thoughts she moves on to the next egg.

Reaching the Truth egg Mari smiled, she felt so strange already, the sympathy and love eggs touching her very deeply and yet she felt rather peaceful still after being near the love egg. The truth egg was very plain, small and white with what looked like blue veins, rather unremarkable really; until she place her hand on the hard shell. It was as though she received a shock from the egg and she got the sudden feeling that this egg knew her, like nobody ever could. “You know me. I can tell” she murmured softly as the feeling grew inside of her. All the cruel words she had ever spoken, all the people she had dismissed and forgotten seemed to rise before her eyes, nothing was hidden from her and she suddenly wanted to tell someone, to beg for forgiveness for it all. She struggled, her hand still resting on the egg with all the memories and that strong urge before finally wrenching her hand away and moving away from the egg as fast as she could. Honestly, what was with these eggs? Were they trying to shred her confidence, find all her faults or simply deciding whether she was right for them?

Mari almost didn’t want to go to the next egg after what the truth egg had done to her but she did still approach the Meekness egg. This egg was a pretty green, mostly dark with splodges of a light green across it, the lighter green parts made it look rough and without really thinking Mari reached out to touch it, to see if it was rough or as smooth as the others. It was smooth but that fact didn’t really register in Mari’s mind, for suddenly she felt calmer, content and her swirling feelings slowed. She crouched next to it for a moment, taking refuge in the small bubble of peace that it offered and allowed her mind to calm. After the strong encounters with the other eggs she was relieved that this one wasn’t out to prove something to her, it felt so nice just sitting there next to her, her hand brushing against it. After a while the hot sands began to burn her legs and she reluctantly stood, unwilling to leave this little sanctuary of peace. Once she’s taken just a few steps she felt the presence of the egg fade and she was easily able to leave.

Walking up to the Humility egg, Mari couldn’t help but be a little nervous as to what it would do to her. The brown patterned egg certainly didn’t look threatening, but then neither had the Truth egg. It didn’t take long to figure out what it was capable. “Stop it, leave me alone!” she exclaimed, hating the feeling that she was nothing, not important to anyone, especially seeing as she knew it was true. There was nothing she could do to escape the clutches of this egg, it held her tight and forced her to accept that she wasn’t the most important person on the planet and she really shouldn’t act like she was. Then when it was almost too much for her the feelings changed slightly, suddenly it was telling her that it was ok, it didn’t matter if she wasn’t the most important person, the egg wasn’t that important either and it didn’t really mind so why should she. Mari stared at it, surprised but strangely reassured and comforted.

The Modesty egg was the next one she came across, its shell was a dull grey with a light strip across and it and a white blodge, certainly not the prettiest egg in the clutch but still very commanding. Even before she touched the egg she felt guilty and she knew that it would get worse once she actually came in contact with it; and yet she still reached out her hand. The affect was instantaneous, guilt filled her; everything she have done wrong, every time she had acted high and mighty, said cruel things and been nasty to people, every moment that she had acted improperly for her age and gender; all of these moment filled her up and dragged her into a well of shame. The worst thing was that she knew all this, the egg didn’t have to tell her what she’d done. “Again? I cannot take this!” she cried aloud, “What more do you want from me? I have bared myself to them, to all the other, why must I do for to you?” tears welled up in her eyes at the wave of shame that crashed into her as she half collapsed onto the sand, unable to escape from the guilt, “why? Why do you do this, I know I am not good enough or perfect, you don’t need to tell me!” It felt like every bad thing she ever did was passing through her mind, from the time she was just a child to the present. She felt unclean and unworthy and she was sure that she would never feel like herself again and this guilt and shame would never leave her, forcing her to suffer for the rest of her life. After she felt like every moment of her life had been shown to the egg Mari felt a slight lessening in the dissatisfaction, as though the egg had seen everything and was not completely displeased. Even with that it took all her willpower to just to push herself to her feet and stagger away from the unyielding egg.

Mari half stumbled to the Loyalty egg, drained and still feeling very battered after her experience with the modesty egg. The loyalty egg looked nice though, the soothing shade of violet and pretty patterns made it look welcoming and seemed to beckon her closer so they could meet and get to know each other. So Mari found herself drawing closer to it, wondering about the friendly air that seemed to draw her it. Once she was close enough to reach out and stroke the smooth shell she was surprised by the egg’s strong desire to know her. Not like the others who ripped her apart and laid her bare, no this one just wanted to know so they could be friends; because they would be friends right? They would be friends and there would be no others. It enquired almost sharply about her friends, unbidden the faces of Calyx and Zane came to mind, they were the only other candidates that she had really spoken to and gotten to know at all. In response to the thoughts of the two boys there was a sudden flair of jealousy and resentment from the egg; they were friends now, so why should Mari think of the others, from within her she felt the first tinges of distaste and dislike about the boys. That surprised her and she jerked her hand away and stared at the egg with a slight frown on her face, why would she think such things? Cal and Zane had been nice to her when they had been assigned to the kitchens together and she had sought their company on other occasions simply because she had talked to them before. But friends? She wasn’t sure whether they were or not but now that she thought about it they probably were her friends. Her very first friends in fact. That thought also surprised and she moved away from the egg, deep in thought and thinking she might seek out the boys after and see what experiences they had with the eggs.

Looking around she saw that finally the biggest and by far the most impressive egg was free of candidates. Heading towards the Righteousness egg she once again found herself feeling a little apprehensive about what would happen, the eggs were all so different and she wasn’t sure what to expect. This egg however was a welcome surprise. As she drew near to the stunning yellow and white egg, she immediately felt a gentle, soothing, calming love. The feeling was like nothing she had ever felt before and she let out a soft sigh as she brushed the egg. There were no judgment or conditions in this love, it was completely unconditional and Mari let her hand rest against the shell for as long as she dared. She felt encouraged and optimistic about going to the remaining eggs and she wished she had come to this egg first, though maybe it was better this way, letting it gently wash away the dark thoughts the other eggs had bought to the surface. Eventually she realised that she had been standing by the egg for longer than she had meant to and she took her hand away with a sigh. But she didn’t really mind leaving it, for she still had more eggs to visit and they too deserved her attention, smiling she stepped away from the egg before suddenly leaning back towards and whispering, “thank you.” She then backed away from it and glanced up at the great queen who sat nearby, acting on an impulse she bowed to the gold then turned away to see the next eggs.

Walking back towards the middle of the clutch Mari was startled by a sudden plea for attention, looking around she realised it came from the Impatience egg. Immediately she made her way over to the small grey egg; at first it looked plain until she was closer, then she saw the pretty coloured lines that covered the egg. Close to it now the cry for attention was even stronger and Mari placed her hand on the egg, reassuring it that she was there and looking at it. The feeling of wanting to be seen, to shout and demand attention was a feeling that she knew well. It was something she remembered from when she was a child, just another weyrbrat at Southern; even less special than the others because she didn’t know who her parents were and with no real skills to draw attention to herself. She knew what it felt like to want attention to want to force people to look at her, just her and no one else. Stroking the egg gently she tried to reassure it; she had she had learned how to get attention and soon it would too. Soon, very soon it would have the attention of all the Weyr, and then it could go out and get attention from all of Pern. Smiling Mari turned from the egg, for the first time feeling like she had done something good.

It was almost fate that she came to the Honesty egg last. Walking over to the pretty egg she stared at the rippling colours that swirled across the egg, they were very soothing and gentle to look at and they drew her even closer. As soon as she reached it she felt the desire to spill all her secrets, it was sort of like the loyalty egg, it didn’t force its way into her head and rip her secrets out it. But at the same time it was different, it didn’t ask to know like the loyalty egg, it just offered to listen and it made her want to tell all, especially after being left so raw by the other eggs. “I know it, worthless, unloved, cruel.” She muttered to herself, bending down to crouch by the egg, tucking herself into a little ball and was almost completely hidden by the large egg. The other eggs had made her face all these things about herself and she almost couldn’t stand to let it all go unsaid. “Would you listen if I told you?” she asked curiously, not really expecting an answer, “I wonder if I could even say it all?” she added, more to herself than the egg. After a long moment and a peek round the sands to see if anyone was within hearing distance she began to speak softly, slowly revealing the way the other eggs had made her feel, the things she had learnt about herself and the conclusions she had been forced to make. At last she ran out of things to say to this egg who hadn’t judged her at all, no matter what she said and she stood, feeling at least slightly better for getting all that off her chest. “I just hope you don’t remember all of that and tell whatever candidate you Impress, if it’s not me.” She said with a little giggle.

As she left the honesty egg she looked around, watching the other candidates as they made their way from egg to egg. Occasionally she saw them react to the eggs in a way that seemed disturbingly familiar and suddenly she remembered her own reactions, flushing she looked away from the others and began to make her way off the sands. Now that she thought about it, her feet were beginning to ache from the heat and she was sweating, both from the heat and from the strength of her emotions. A quick bath was defiantly first on the agenda and then something to eat she decided as she finally left the area, and after that maybe she would fine the other candidates, Cal and Zane maybe. Talking about what had happened might make her feel a bit better, and she also just wanted to chat with people, for probably the first time in her life. The thought made her smile and she giggled slightly, her whole face for once alight with happiness.

(complete)



Be careful? Why? Curious, Auren watched as the Weyrwoman left them with that advice. Was Elenneth upset by their being near her clutch? Was that what she meant?

As the others wandered out amongst the eggs, Auren tried to hide her nervousness as she went around toward where Elenneth presided over the scene, and bowed to her. "Your clutch is lovely," she said to the great gold of Telgar. "Thank you so much for honoring us with the privelege of touching them. I promise you, I'll be careful around your children."

Having said this, she smiled and retreated, starting toward the Righteousness egg. Looking from it's glistening shell to the rest of the clutch and back, she suddenly realized that it had been seperated from the rest. It sat there, alone on it's own little mound of sand, almost seeming to watch over the rest of the group, or perhaps prefering quiet solitude. The warm, nearly glowing shell seemed to call to her, pulling her closer. The more she looked at it, the warmer and lighter her heart felt. This one seemed to suggest that there was some good in everyone, and any wrong done by someone would be forgiven if asked. It put her in mind of a guardian spirit, watching over and protecting all. However, it was also leaving an afterimage imprinted on her eyes, and eventually she had to move on, lightly brushing her fingertips along the shell before regretfully leaving it's presence.

The Humility egg was rather different from the other. It didn't draw her eye... rather, when she tried to look at it, she found her gaze sliding off toward another of the eggs nearby. Blinking, she tried to focus more intently upon the gleaming brown shell. For some reason, the two largest dark brown circles put her in mind of Pern's two moons, one larger than the other, and both appearing bigger than the other objects around them. Suddenly, this made her feel very small. Compaired to the those moons - indeed, compaired to Pern itself - she was less than the tiniest grain of sand. Feeling almost inconsequential, she left the egg without touching it's surface. A glance back at the Righteousness egg helped to reassure her some as she went on to the next.

She didn't have far to go before reaching the Meekness egg. Approaching it, her pulse steadied, her thoughts settled. Peace, this lovely lightly patterned dark green egg seemed to promise. To her mind, it almost seemed to radiate calming emotions to anyone who chose to come near. Auren stayed in that peaceful atmosphere until the feelings instilled in her by the Humility egg had disappeared, before brushing her fingers lighly along it's surprisingly cool smooth shell in thanks. Feeling better than she had when she'd approached, she moved on.

The Honesty egg was next. The depth of color, combined with mingling lines of cooling blues, greens, and purples, put Auren in mind of a flowing stream. Looking at it, watching the play of light of the shell, she felt almost as though she were standing with a good friend, one who she could tell anything. A growing urge to share a secret with it was building within her... and she suddenly shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Had the egg been subtly using those patterns to hypnotize her? She would never reveal a secret, not even one of her own, unless she had no other choice. If the secret could be harmful, then it should be revealed to the right parties, someone who could help with the problem before it got worse. But none of her secrets were like that... so why should she reveal them? Feeling almost betrayed, she backed away from the shell.

For reassurance, she glanced at the first egg she'd visited before moving toward the Loyalty egg. A nice violet in color, with only a pair of wavy darker purple lines and an odd blotch between them, it didn't seem willing to trick her. In fact, it felt rather as though it wanted her to be it's friend. A small smile began to form as she stepped closer... and stopped. Another feeling had intruded for a moment, one that she didn't like at all. What had that been about? Staring at the shell, all was fine until that stray emotion caught her again, definitely eminating from the shell before her. Jealousy? Was this egg actually jealous of anyone else that she might have already hung out with? Jealous that she'd visited other eggs first, and was going to see more after it? Jealous of the relationship that she had with her firelizards? She didn't mind being someone's friend, but didn't agree with this feeling that she couldn't be anyone else's. This, more than anything, left her feeling rather sure that this one wouldn't be right for her, and she turned away to find another.

Seeing a trio of eggs near the front, she headed toward the smallest first. The Truth egg looked to be the smallest of the clutch, and she turned for a moment to glance at the other nine egg. Yes, this one was the smallest, all right. Still, there was nothing wrong with that. Stepping closer for a better look, she nearly slid as the sand slipped a little under her feet. She'd have to be careful not to fall into the depression in which this egg sat. Changing her stance for better balance, she looked at the pale blue lines on this shell. As she did, a feeling of guilt crept up on her. This egg seemed to demand to know the cold, hard truth about everything. She, herself, had not been entirely honest with everyone who'd asked about Tirlan. Yes, he had been her friend. But when he'd bought her those pipes, he'd asked if it was possible for the two of them to be closer. How many people had she deceived, never mentioning that they'd been dating? Desperately, she turned once again to look at the egg closest to Elenneth, and received another shock: How had she missed noticing that the Righteousness egg was the largest? Oh great, she thought, now everyone's going to think I'm greedy, going to look at the biggest egg first! Or think that I'm deluding myself that it's a queen, when we all know that that's impossible. Still, even from this distance, it's pure light brought her a measure of comfort.

Quickly, she turned from the sight of that egg, and nearly bumped into the Love egg. This one, with it's whirl of reds and pinks, didn't demand anything of her. For a moment, all she felt from it was comfort. Shortly, though, a quiet contemplation stole over her as her thoughts turned again toward Tirlan. She'd keenly felt his loss, and for over a Turn now she'd been unable to get over him. Why? They'd only been dating... and only for a few sevendays, before he had to leave and she got the horrible news. Surely... Then it hit her. It may only have been a short space of time, but her feelings for him had been true, as they still were. She loved him. No wonder his memory still lingered!

Trying to turn from these thoughts, she found the Sympathy egg standing before her. Dark red, with purple near the zenith, it exuded an aura of understanding. It didn't blame her for how she felt... indeed, it seemed willing to share that pain with her. She let that quiet understanding wash over her before gently brushing it's surface with her fingertips before turning toward one of the last two eggs.

The closer of the two was the Impatience egg. A very dark grey in color, it didn't seem to be very inspiring. However, she was well aware that it was the dragonet curled within that was important, not the appearance of the shell. With that in mind, she approached it to examine it more closely. The egg seemed to welcome the attention, though she was left with the uneasy feeling that it wanted more. Her attention alone was a start, but Auren was left with the notion that it would rather that all eyes were upon it. A tracing of very thin lines of color along the shell seemed to support this theory. The random scribbles seemed to be a desperate attempt to catch the eye, though they were nearly swallowed by the depressing grey of the rest of the egg. A part of her felt truely sorry for it, the small part of her that regretted being the last to know of anything. For the most part, though, this one seemed to make her nervous, and so she departed from it's company, risking another glance at the largest egg as she moved away. She knew that she probably shouldn't, but she was unable to stop herself from seeking it's reassuring light.

Finally, she walked over to the Modesty egg. This one was grey as well, though a lighter shade than the last. A darker band circled the top of the egg, marred by a single white star. She hadn't gotten too close when a wave of guilt intruded upon her thoughts, bringing up memories of Tirlan, of every stolen kiss, every gentle caress, every kind word... and warping them, making them seem shameful. This egg, it seemed, didn't approve, not at all. It seemed to think that it was better than that, and everyone else should be, too. Hastily, Auren backed away from this egg, wishing that she didn't suddenly feel so... dirty.

Turning, she ran across the sands. Without knowing exactly how she got there, she found herself next to the Righteousness egg once more. If it could act as a guardian to the others, then surely it could help her too... right? In the presence of this large egg, she once more felt it's calm, pure light wash through her, and all the filth that the Modesty egg had left in her soul was washed away. She wished that the last egg hadn't left her with the feeling of needing that protection. Indeed, she rather enjoyed being on the giving side of that enlightening, loving protection. That was why she'd impressed Lia and Syndil, after all. Yes, they were greens, but they had also been so very hungry, just out of the shell! She couldn't have just turned her back on them. Once more, she felt that everything would be all right now.

A streak of green flashed past her vision, distracting her. Looking over, Auren saw Lia hovering nearby, looking at another egg. Aparantly, she had decided to have a good look at the clutch, too. "I don't know if that's a good idea, love," she said to the camoflaged green, though there was a hint of humor in her voice. "This time is for the candidates to get a good look at the eggs, and the last time I looked you weren't named as a candidate."

Looking over at her human friend, Lia chirped and zipped to another egg, as Syndil spiraled down to land on the girl's shoulder. If people were going to look at and touch the eggs, then Lia would, too. They were fascinating! So much bigger than the last clutch that hatched. Besides, her person didn't know that she'd already seen more than half of these big eggs. She wasn't going to stop now!

Kurta had remained respectfully silent, toe-in-line and eyes fixed on the dominating figure of Hannele while the Weyrwoman had spoken to the motley crowd of Candidates. The stout woman seemed to be faring the worst out of the lot, visibly wilting underneath the sweltering heat of the Hatching Grounds. With her thin hair plastered to a sweaty, flushed face she was beginning to look feverish.

Still she was determined to persevere, and gamely hobbled forward once the Candidates had been given their leave to roam amongst the eggs. 'Oh, they're so big!' It was one thing to observe from the Stands as she'd done on numerous occasions before, but to stand amongst them? Even from a distance she could feel the tug of the unborn dragons inside those gleaming shells. It was a confusing tangle of emotions, and for a moment Kurta stood in their midst, slowly turning and gaping like a fool before a more impatient Candidate shoved her aside to join the other hopefuls gathered around the largest of the clutch.

"Oof!" Having lost her balance, Kurta toppled over like a landed whale, flailing helplessly for a moment and spraying sand everywhere in the process. Several nearby eggs, and those attending to them were doused with the peppery flakes, and in turn glared before moving on. Left alone to her own devices, the Candidate eventually managed to right herself, legs wobbling to support her weight and hands groping for some means of support.

That support provided itself in the squat, almost ugly Modesty Egg. At first unaware of just what her palm had braced itself against, Kurta gave a sudden shuddering gasp as unfamiliar, unwelcome thoughts intruded on her already overwhelmed mind. She was very much a pathetic human, wasn't she? Yes, the further that alien presence probed the less it liked. She was slovenly dressed, fat, and no wonder those men didn't like her. It was all very clear to Modesty, and in turn it became alarmingly, upsettingly clear to a now teary-eyed Kurta, who wrenched her hand away as though it'd been scorched by the kitchen fire. Unsettled by the mental barrage, the Candidate hovered before the otherwise unassuming ovoid with a look of horror permanently etched on her now grimy face. She clasped her hand to her chest and unthinkingly massaged it before moving on, pale and shaken. Well that didn't go so well...