The Dragonriders of Pern® is a trademark, Registered U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, of Anne McCaffrey. This is a recorded session, generated by Harper's Tale MOO on Sunday, June 4th, 2000, for the benefit of members unable to attend. Logged by Andraya and D'renn.

Dodging Blues... For the Last Time

High Reaches Weyr hatching Dragonets! @move me to #5000 to watch from the Galleries (do /not/ go on the Sands!), and cheer on your favorite Candidate. Or heck, cheer'm on at random. Hatching Hatching Hatching!
-- entered by Nuff on 2000-06-04 14:57 MOO Time.

Celestine gets up from her cot, removing the green and two blues from her shoulders. "Here, now, you three. Hush... I'll be back," she promises, with a smile. Then, it's time to take a deep breath, calm down, and try not to hyperventilate. "One... Two... Three... There we go," she sighs, looking relaxed. "Oh, I do hope Arthur's in the galleries... He's my little brother, see," she explains, to a curious onlooker.

D'renn stumps into the barracks.

<All> Trydanth senses that Tiareth raises out of the depths of High Reaches' late spring, blossoming gold and purple in simple, elegant announcement. >> We are Hatching. << So magnanimous of her, the old queen, to include Chiernnath in her declaration.

Gromytel, mid-bite of bubbly, glares at D'renn. "Hey! I'm not done with my meal yet," he grumbles, shoving the pastry into his mouth. A few flakes dribble down, and he brushes most of them off. "Sheesh. What's with the hurry? Can't a guy finish a meal for once?"

<All> Trydanth senses that Sardrinth buggles silvery bells of exitement and anticipation << We will have brandnew babies! >>

D'renn is here and glowering. "Can you hear? Can you? Please put your robes on...."

<All> Trydanth senses that Chiernnath's voice slides like warmed honey, coating, enriching, and sending tendrils of velvety warmth through each of his baritoned words. << We are Hatching! >> Voice booms in reiteration of Tiareth--magnanimous gold, indeed.

<All> Trydanth senses that Cairhoth thrums gossamer and autumn wind, long strands of vibrant, glittering excitement. And praise. << New ones, indeed! >> A bugling celebration then, colors firming to russet and umber.

<All> Trydanth senses that Erranth runs raspberry red along the breadth of the High Reaches, triumphant tones sounding like a well-strung harp. << They hatch! It is time! >>

<All> Trydanth senses that Siulth doesn't have anything much to say at all except a lot of froth and seafoam that bubbles over like champagne. << Ooo! >>

Lyrica looks up at Celestine and shakes her head as she sits back on her cot, busily oiling her trio of 'lizards, "Hu?" She asks, not looking like she comprehends this completely, "Here? I hear the wind blowing... must be a storm brewing."

Sorana blinks at D'renn, cocking her head. "What? Hear what?" Like the obedient little Candidate she is, however, she flees to the bathroom, and comes back, nice-in-white.

Zali looks up from the chair she's in, slowly setting the book she was reading upon the table. "What?" comes her quiet voice, eyes scanning D'renn's face before she closes the book completely and turns in the chair. Stretching, she looks at her fellow candidates then back.

Miana perches idly 'pon edge of rumpled cot, wrinkled in the fact that it's never (repeat, /never/) made, stroking a twittery gold stretched full-length cross her lap. "Didn't hear anything..." she states

<All> Trydanth senses that Revnath praises Tiareth and Chiernnath and the newcoming dragonets with no words, merely bursts of happy, sunshine golds and oranges and reds that overlap like flames.

Loren shuffles around under heap-of-blankets, head peeking out every so often as she comes to the end of her cot. "Faye, have you seen Shini and Wufei? They're gone. And so's my other sandal. It was right there, with my robe, and now it's gone." Candidate emerges and snatches up her not-quite-robe, shuffling back to the bathroom and returning in white and one sandal 'fore awaiting an answer. "Where can it be, Faye? ...huh? Hear? No, all I hear is.. well.. nothin'." Loren never hears anything important. Of course.

Ragis struggles into his robe, for some reason the barracks seem more crowded than normal. He tugs the snug robe down and settles on the edge of his cot to slip into the sandals. He's amazingly calm considering his nerves of the previous sevendays.

Hayama burbles and bubbles quietly on human pet's blue and pink cot. "Whazzat?" Faye simply inqires, hair atousle, oddly coloured rushes draped over shoulders and head. Nudging away a wooden llama and a brown firelizard, she tumbles off her cot. Plop. "What, Lor?"

Sasha idly uses her new knife to experimentally whittle away at a piece of wood.

Vynret barely rolls out of his cot, cocking his head a bit to see if he can hear anything. His hand pats under his cot, and above it, and pulls out his robe, which he promptly shrugs on over his head, standing up.

Edaeyn escapes in from the bustling activity of caverns and Weyr.

Tatoria looks up quickly at D'renn. Hear? Hear what? It seems to be echoed by the other canadates as well...So she asumes she not missing anything. Robes? Oh...That means that...The moment has arrived. Hastily, she grabs, up her robes and goes to change. When she come back she's all in white, trying to straiten it a little, and finally giving up.

"Robes, robes!" D'renn himself is wearing a painfully loud shirt, and a bright pair of shorts. He has no shame... but then, it's hot on the Sands.

"My sandal. It's gone, Faye. My other sandal. So're Wufei and Shinigami; where can they be?" Loren flops on her cot with a sniffle, and shudders a bit 'fore looking over to Cook-Candee. "I only have /one/ sandal." She's not nervous. Really. She's just overly-preoccupied with the sandal.

Maurice looks up--what? Huh? Oh. Yeah. That. Time? Okay. The boy throws on his robe, shimmying into the badly-made thing, grumbling under his breath.

Miana ohhs...right. Robes. Genius Mia, she is, 'n' opts simply to dive 'neath ransacked rushes to slip into less-than flattering robe borrowed from Melsa. Good enough. "S'okay, Lor. Both 'o' mine are gone." Pity her!

Zali scrambles out of her chair, drawing her lower lip in to nibble before snatching up her room and disappearing, coming back clothed fully in alabaster. Nervously she dusts it down, though it's completely clean from the last time she took care of it. Shaking hands begin to tuck back stray strands of hair and then she moves slowly towards her friends. Nothing is said... yet.

Sasha starts at D'renns voice and hurridly searches for her robe. Hurridly she pulls it over her head and ties the braided girdle around her waist. Her fingers tremble so much that the fabric quivers.

Edaeyn goes, with the barest pause, from the doorway in puzzlement, to her cot and her robe, fairly flying to reach it. She moves as if this were a ritual long undergone, after the initial blur of movement quite slow and calm, the putting on of robe - and soothing a cacophony of firelizards - methodical and even.

Lyrica sighs and grabs her robe, shrugging into it before grabbing her sandals, "What, Loren? What did you lose now?" She asks, brushing her insistant fair back onto the cot, "No, you stay there, guard my things." With that settled she looks back up, "Well... is this alright?"

"Oh. Robes." Faye struggles to her knees, blinking around at the barracks. "/Oh/!" With a squeak, she dives under multicoloured blankets, limbs and lumps scrambling around. Robe's under there, somewhere. "Go with one sandal!" muffled voice tells Loren, ex-Cook then sliding out, clad in white. Record time.

Pia escapes in from the bustling activity of caverns and Weyr.

<All> Trydanth senses that Telynth sings his excitment, a brilliant, bright and very minty song.

Sorana bites her lower lip, the dawning confusion on her face shifting to something else. "Uhh...what's going on? Why do we have to put our robes on?" Green'd eyes begin to shift, as she edges towards the group. "Faye? Do you know what's going on??"

Ashan escapes in from the bustling activity of caverns and Weyr.

Auri has connected.

"But I wanna know where the other one /is/, Faye! And Shini and Wufei, too." Loren hops up and begins to pace, peeking at cot-huddled remaining-firelizard s every so often. "Why're we in our robes, anywho, Faye? I's'it time? Now? Augh, I /need/ that sandal. Even if it is thin."

Ashan trails after Pia, "Well, I dunno 'bout /that/..." she says as she makes her way to her cot, draining her juice and opening her clothes press...

"It's /time/!" Pia carols, dropping her sand-strewn towel onto the floor by her cot. "Did everyone finish their robes?"

Calissan scrambles around just like the rest, hastily patting his robe into place. Okay. We're ready. "Ashan? Hey.. we can't start yet, Ashan isn't here." Oh, but there she is! And Cal is content now. Pay no attention to the fidgeting.

Sorana's head whips around, eyes going widewidewide as she stares at Pia. "What?!" the former-'folk shrieks, mouth agape. "Time for.....eggs?!"

*thunk* Auri falls out of her cot. How come she's always taking a nap when these things start. "Eggs? Huh? Wah? Now? Oooh!" All said from her position on the floor. Basket is grabbed at blindly, and robe is pulled out.

Edaeyn settles onto her cot and retrieves the sandals from beneath it. "It's a trifle late to ask that now ..." But the smile offered to Pia is amused enough to take the jibe out of the words. She slips her feet in, frowning a little at the fit. "Should have aimed for larger ..." Odd that she can think of such things now, but in her mind, the personal outcome assured, and she can relax and watch and enjoy. It's a gift, in a way.

Vynret straightens his robe with barely-shaking hands, supposing full well that this must be /it/, the time. The last time he wore his sandals, he never figured he'd need them so soon, and his toes twitch. Oh well, barefoot for him.

"Um, robes?" Faye offers to Sorana over an ivory-draped shoulder, whilst tossing around others' rushes and robes, scrabbling 'round, searching for her own things. She's making a, uh, little bit of a mess, but it's for a good cause. She must find her sandals. "I've got my robe, but my /sandals/." White pillowcase-like robe is tugged at. "They were /here/. Awh, no, Loren, do you think some one took theeeeem?"

Sasha takes a deep breath, as she feels the humming of the dragons, vibrating through her. The urgency of their thrumming voices sends shivers down her spine. Her eyes are wide with fear and excitement - longing, impatience and uncertainty are emotions that play over her features, unhidden.

Celestine wanders around, checking everything. At an especially loud creel, she dashes back to her cot, to find the green and a blue making an awful racket. "Here, now, Flora, Pom... Hush, mommy's going to be back as soon as she can," she promises, dredging up a rather stale-looking meatroll. "Heh. Eat that... Nice and chewy. Keep you at it for a while." And, that problem settled, she hunts around for something else to keep her mind off of the imminent stress.

"Of course it is, silly," Pia retorts, retrieving her neatly folded robe from her press. "Can't you hear the humming?" She waves her hand towards the door, face far more calm than her rapidly beating heart would suggest.

*thrum, thrum*?

Miana simply scowls at her sandal-less feet. Weeell they're gonna get scorched but 'least Mia gets to brag twenty turns down the road. Rockrockrock 'n' the nervous ex-Trader simply fidgets. Oooh, new emotion for her?

"Wufei and Shini! My sandals, you sandals; maybe they took them?" Loren shuffles one-sandaledly over to former-cook, sniffling. "How could they do this, Faye? How? They took it, they took it! Why, why, why! And there's only two of them, but they pro'lly took yours too 'cause they're evil. Why." How mean. And Loren /needs/ these sandals, too. Really.

Ashan smiles as she hears Cal call her name... a wink and she just slips her robe on over that purple and yellow polka dot bikini...so what if you can kind of see it through the fabric? She doesn't have time to change, doncha know... "Well, lets get this over with..." of course you can /hear/ the humming... the entire weyr is practically shaking with it

Lyrica shakes her head, "Thought it was just a storm blowing up.. the wind sounds like that sometimes." Nervous? Nah, she's as calm as she could possibly be. Zali is given a wave and she walks over to stand beside her, "Ready for this?"

Ragis ties the sandals onto his feet and glances around, a bit pale, but no more than most of the other candidates. His quicksilver eyes dart nervously around the room at his fellow candidates.

D'renn is loitering by the door. "Everyone ready? Line up in pairs please...."

Gromytel, already in his robe, hunts around for something else to eat, and ends up with a fistful of candy sticks. "Yum... Hey, D'renn? Can I take these sweetsticks with me?" he asks, chomping a bite out of one.

Maurice wanders over to D'renn, decidedly non-hyper about the whole deal, taking his place near the front.

Ashan is just slipping her sandals on her feet when she looks up at D'renn's instructions...

Zali's hands slowly twine in the fabric of her robe, sapphire eyes darting quickly about before they finally land on Lyrica. A smile crosses her lips and she takes a deep breath, holds it, then slowly allows it to come out. "As much as anyone is," comes her soft voice before optics flicker towards D'renn.

"No, Grom." D'renn's very decisive about that. "You can't.... COME ON!"

Sorana glances wildly around the room -- breathe, Sor, breathe -- then zeros in on Vynret. "Vynret! Stand next to me? Pleeeeease?" CandiGirl skitters over the the Paradise ressie, eyes wide.

Thrrrrruuuuuummmmmmmmmmmm..... It gets louder. And more urgent.

"Pairs? Oh yah. Pairs. Who wants to hold my haaand?" And Auri's chubby little hand is shamelessly advertised, as she waves it in the air, trotting up to D'renn excitedly. "C'mon. It's a nice hand. I won't sweat, really."

Pia emits a tiny squeek and trundles over to stand behinde D'renn.

"Line up?" Loren still doesn't get it; the poor girl. Candidate continues to pace near Faye, and suddenly reaches out to snatch the ex-cook's hand. "Faye, Faye can I hold your hand? Stand with me, please? I wanna stand with you." Ex-runner hops, hops, hops. "C'mon!"

Edaeyn brushes her hair back out of her face, taking the moment to curl a few strands where she wants them to go. There's no time to do the braid again. "These sandals are too big ..." Nimoleon might be heard to grouse. Once-guard ignores this comment, though she has a suspicion of what exactly has happened, moving swiftly but with almost eerie calm to the line. A flashed smile flickers across her features for all and sundry, then retreats into silence and stillness.

Sasha looks wildly around at Auri " come with me!"

Tatoria looks down at her sandels, remembering everytihng she's heard about how hot the sands will be. She's a little nervous, standing there, but she'll never admit. If fact she doesn't even reclect it the way she stands and watches all the hustle and bustle. She blinks. Oh? Pairs? She walks quickly to near everyone else and hopes that's considered lining up in pairs.

Oops, there goes someone's blue-dyed sandals. They'll find it in the pile of Other People's Stuff that Faye's making, hopefully. "Like Relena?" she wonders to Loren, glancing worriedly around the barracks. "I can't go without /sandals/." Constant emphasis, she uses. "D'renn, I can't go without /sandals/," the Cookcandie complains as she latches onto a Loren-arm. "Oh well ..." she mumbles as she waddles into line.

Ragis stands and makes his way to stand in line before the weyrlingmaster. He doesn't know who he's standing beside, just takes a place.

Vynret has been looking about at the other Candidates, then hears D'renn, then someone calling his name. "Hmm? Yeah. Yeah, sure," he says to Sorana, gratefulness in his eyes.

Ashan is also making her way to the two-by-two line that is forming... taking Pia's hand cause its the nearest she lines up tossing the ex-vintner a wink... "Piece-a-cake..." she whispers...

Miana trundles obediently after massive (well, semi-massive) throng of fellow bouncy candidates, digits working at themselves in heat of nervousness...pair s? Oh...Farenth, she positions herself near any old person. Near Tatoria? Close enough.

Gromytel pouts, then shuffles over, part of one candy still concealed in a sticky fist. Grumbling, he takes a little bite out of it. "Yeesh. Nobody likes good food like I do... Won't even let me have it on the sands." Reluctantly, he wanders over, waiting for someone to line up with him.

Lyrica shrugs, "Well, as long as they don't try to..." Well, she tried to get the words out. Without asking, she grabs Zali's hand and turns toward D'renn, "Alright, let's just go do what he says.." She tells her fellow candidate quickly before muttering, "And they want us to do this without wine...."

Sasha lines up at the door, as ordered and realises that her legs are quivering uncontrollably underneath the fabric of her long robe. Looking over to auri she waits to see if the girl will be her partner.

Sorana grabs Vynret's hand, dragging him into line -- right behind Lyrica and Zali. "Lyri!" she whispers -- sorta -- and grins. "Hold my hand, too?"

Calissan just shuffles into place wherever he'll fit, fidgeting all the way. It's time, it's time, it's time.

"Good, good Faye. You can have my sandal once we get on the Sands, if you want, but le's go." Loren scurries over to the forming line and settles for a spot behind Miana, still hopping. "Le's go, Faye, i's starting! Eggs, eggs, they're moving? Moving eggs." Loren's smart, really, you just can't tell right now. "Faye-faye-faye. Faye." Happy Loren. Very happy Loren.

Auri scampers up to Sasha, and grasps Sasha's hand, beaming up at the other girl cheerily, not nervous in the least, if a little bit flustered. Now that she's in line and ready, blue eyes blink demurely. Nice thrumming, really.

Celestine jerks up at the yell, looking startled. Then, walking over, she hunts for a stray person, finding him in Gromytel. "Grom! You don't mind that I'm with you, do you?" she asks, an enormous, fake-looking grin plastered onto her face.

Maurice shifts back and forth, on then off the balls of his feet. He's not lethargic, he just looks like it, beady little eyes flickering back and forth quickly.

Faye scrunches toes up and wriggles them, casting a worried glance down at them. Poor things are going to burn on the Sands. "Lor-lor-lor. Loren," she returns whilst other hand tries to comb through hair, toes still a-wiggling.

Vynret remains silent, which isn't anything unusual, but he's also a bit dumbfounded by the whole thing. What's that? Oh, just getting dragged into line. Yes.

Tatoria isn't about ot get picky about who stands next to her on the sands. Miana is as good a person as any...She turns a smile Miana's way, and acts not nervous and very calm. She's ready now.

Sasha looks terrified, and yet thrilled .

Lyrica nods to Sorana as well, "yeah, sure.. um.. let's just get this over with.. quick?" As if anyone could speed thigns up.

Zali allows herself to be drafted, free hand rising to rest against her chest to try and calm her thudding heart. Still nibbling upon her lip, she glances behind her at Sorana and Vynret then back towards D'renn.

Edaeyn bites the corner of her lip, the only sign of nerves she is quite sure she shouldn't be having. "Not long now ..."

Gromytel shrugs. "Sure, whatever..." Then, he waits, sneaking the occasional little nibble out of the candy in his hand.

Miana responds with equally anxious smile, peridot-etched eyes wide 'n' glittery. Bouncebouncebounce. Shouldn't of ingested that much sugar prior hatching, perhaps? No matter!

Sorana is already tightening her grasp on Vynret's hand as she grabs Lyrica's. "Thanks!"

D'renn looks over the ranks of white-clad Candidates with a lopsided, worried smirk. "Well, I think it's time to go....."

[Meanwhile on the Sands...]

Sands
Heat rises -- ripples -- wavers in a stifling curtain that envelops dragons and eggs while smothering riders and visitors. The black sands have been raked into ruts and dips, an alien, uneven surface for anyone trying to walk across them. Some say tension seers the heat: residue of hope, fear, relief, sadness, pain and ultimate joy staining high grey walls and lurking about the many viewing ledges that speckle the walls. Ancient murals of dragonlore fade across the walls near gallery and entrances.
Gold Tiareth and bronze Chiernnath are here.
You see Ayers Rock Egg, Baltic Sea Egg, Egyptian Sphinx Egg, Geisha District of Kyoto Egg, Golden Gate Bridge Egg, Hanging Gardens of Babylon Egg, London Eye Egg, Mystical Stonehenge Egg, Pearl of Bahrain Egg, Roman Coliseum Egg, Spanish Steps Egg, and all the other eggs here.

Tiareth is telling Chiernnath what do do, where to go, how to best block the Sands and her eggs from everyone's view, not to mention setting him on anything that comes into the Sands, Rider or not. Nuff has to jump around yelling at them, telling them which people are okay. "No no no, bad dragons. Move back, move back. You have to let us try and keep everyone safe. Your eggs will be fine, yes they will. Yes." Nuff guarantee. No refunds or exchanges.

From the Galleries, Merra comes up the stairs.

On the Gallery ledges, Xhuryth scrambles in, careful of wings and tail.
On the Gallery ledges, Banoth scrambles in, careful of wings and tail.
On the Gallery ledges, Melsa slides from Xhuryth's neck and lands gently on the ground.
On the Gallery ledges, Nali slides from Banoth's neck and lands gently on the ground.
On the Gallery ledges, Ash dismounts from a breathless Pav... "Heyla Sorsh..." she's here...but she's hoping to hide from her daughter's view...

From the Galleries, Alexander walks in.

G'vin also tries to keep his dragon in check, though he's not quite as frazzled as Nuff is. He is mellow; he is calm...At least for now. Chiernnath moves to hover over a clump of eggs. His. Tiareth's. Stop /looking/..

On the Gallery ledges, Erranth scrambles in, careful of wings and tail.

From the Galleries, Kariel comes up the stairs.

Ciera moves into the heat, shimmered and blurred by the ripples that rise off the Sands.

On the Gallery ledges, Xhuryth idly settles back on silver-splashed haunches, fanning her prodd-nervous wings, frazzled and curious.,... nudging 'gainst Banoth with or with out his concent trying to take view of the sands rippling of heat.. Melissa once -Melsa now, bubbling "OH! Remember this? I do! Don't you? "Looking to Nali in high spirits.

From the Galleries, Rauve walks in.

From the Galleries, Merra carefully makes her way to Araamis, although she's a bit wary of Janysi. "Hello, love," she says, smiling at him and automatically takes hold of his hand, clasping it tightly in hers. She nods politely at Janysi.

From the Galleries, Caoileann walks in.

From the Galleries, Janysi twitches, looks somewhat wary and ducks her head in acknowledgement of Merra's sort-of greeting.

On the Gallery ledges, Erranth settles down on the ledge, looking faintly uncomfortable here without his rider, esconced in the ground weyrs for the time being. But ah, he is her eyes right now, since she can't come up here.

From the Galleries, Caoileann comes running up after Kariel and Rauve. "Geez...guys. You move fast." And /she's/ taller. Go figure.

From the Galleries, Araamis brushes his lips lightly against Merra's hand in greeting, onyx eyes sparkling. "Hello, yourself."

From the Galleries, Kariel scuttles his way in, expression brighter than either of the suns of Pern. "Hurry /up/, Rauve..." he whines... "We're not gonna get a good seat..." Darting skillfully between the people, his small stature an advantage in this, he finds a front row seat. "Hurry /up/!!!"

On the Gallery ledges, Nali's eyes shine with suppressed excitement as she remembers her own times on the Sands. "I sure do," she says to Melsa with a grin. "Looks a little different from up here, though, eh?" Banoth idly scooches a little closer to Xhuryth - under the pretense of makeing room for other dragons, of course.

From the Galleries, Rauve lopes in after Kariel, braid tautly held in the clasp of his hand. Caoileann is regarded with an affectionate grin, the boy sidles to the taller girl, smirking at Kariel. "Oh, we'll be fine, wherry-brains. There's plenty of room."

From the Galleries, Andraya slips from the group of weyrbrats, ducking in between legs, scooching past full benches. "Scuse me, please", she apologizes, and suddenly finds a tiny spot in a far corner, rather close. Scrunching down, hugging coltish legs with her arms, she settles down to watch the spectacle and enjoy it vicariously in her own fashion.

From the Galleries, Damia all but dashes up the stairs, opting for a seat near the front and shoving anyone out of her way that might prevent her from grabbing that seat. A couple of burly miners start to shove back, note that she's only a lovely woman and stop, merely sending her false-smiles. Damia ignores them. And, seeing no one she really knows but Ane's fosterling -- whom she doesn't /really/ know -- and therefore she doesn't really have to worry about specifically sitting near someone. Anyone else who comes up those stairs that she knows is welcome to sit by her, after all. "Already..." The baker mutters to herself, sapphire optics already searching the sands for those Candidates that she would recognize. Not that they'd be out there. A higher pitched version of the dragon's hum can be heard coming about the regular fair of flits that frequents Damia. Even Wyrre and Risidan are no longer 'kingly' and Ozu-Zarkh no longer cowardly. AT least, for the m oment. Namely the two browns, two blues, and the green. Awwwwww....

From the Galleries, K'shaw walks in.

Nuff convince Tiareth to ease back some, sort of like trying to hold back the tide, and takes up position on one of those great big dragon-feet. One arm is hooked around 'Reth's leg. "Now don't do anything bad. They will be here soon."

From the Galleries, Inersi walks in.

Mystical Stonehenge Egg refuses to bend to anyone's will, including Tiareth's, and settles in a deeper sleep beneath the watching dragons.

From the Galleries, Coibre speaks quietly the man beside him before both turn to look consideringly at the eggs on the sand.

From the Galleries, Shava climbs the stairs into the galleries. She looks around, barely knowing anyone present and climbs down towards the lower tiers hopefully finding them not full, and a seat open so she may watch the hatching. She looks to the sands, looking for a specific candidate that she knows, and hasn't seen since she was Searched.

From the Galleries, Raetar runs right up to the front for the ledge, dodging people left and right, standing in awe before the two dragons, and the clutch of eggs. Soon enough, he's pushed back into a seat.

From the Galleries, K'shaw sits down in an empty spot, looking on the sands and smiling as memories return of his own turn on the sands all these many turns ago.

From the Galleries, Caoileann puts her hand to her chest, drawing in a deep breath as Rauve sidles up. "My stomach's all fluttery," she admits. "Never been to a hatching afore. I think there's room next to your friend. Would he mind if I sat with you?"

From the Galleries, Janysi steeples her fingers and peers intently at the Sands, head tilted just slightly to one side and lips pursed. She's quite easily tuning out Ara and Merra, which is quite a feat considering that her brother /is/ right next to her. A few lines of song run randomly through her head, and she concentrates on them instead. Stupid brothers. They all ought to be beat over the head with two-by-fours. Even though there's only one of them.

From the Galleries, Kariel grimaces at Rauve, fidgeting in his seat as he peers at the eggs... "Could you be nice to me? Just for this? And then pummel me later or something for it...?" he pleads, straightening out his outfit... can't look bad in front of this crowd. Or the eggs. Or the candidates... or if Siannen shows up. He whimpers subconsciously... where /is/ his sweetstick girl?

On the Gallery ledges, Xhuryth rumbles lowly.. not minding.. or is she? Nyah.. Banoth is eyed.. but she is shifted some, against others as she extends her neck.. Ooo.. eggies... Melsa laughs.. "Oh.. simply. .WONDERFUL!" She laughs.. clinging to her Xhu's leg...seated 'tween the forpaws

G'vin climbs up into the crook of Chiernnath's arm, thereby disableing him from causing undue mischief concerning the eggs. "Nuff.. This place does fill up quick, eh?" He nibbles on a snack rather absentmindedly.

From the Galleries, Kerine walks in.

From the Galleries, Rauve glances, empurpled eyes narrow, toward Kariel. "He'd better /not/," he growls toward the smaller (if that's possible) boy, a grin saved for Cao excluesively. He slouches into a seat, Caoileann's elbow tugged at lightly. "Sit?" Kariel's whines are dismissed with a wave of his hand. Hush.

Nuff looks up -- then up again -- then all the way up. "Oh, there you are. Yes, it ode. And we have yet to see the Candidates." Another egg shifts and moves, moves and shifts, and Nuff looks around. "Where /are/ the Candidates?"

From the Galleries, Adar comes up the stairs.

Thesy moves into the heat, shimmered and blurred by the ripples that rise off the Sands.

On the Gallery ledges, Saoirse dangles her legs over the ledge-edge, braced between two Siulth-paws. "Ach h'lo Ash," she waves absently from her perch, glancing over only briefly before turning her eyes back toward the Sands. "Glad I'm not down there this time. Faranth knows it's flamin' hot enough up here as it is. Hey, did that one move?" She points at an egg near the perimeter.

From the Galleries, Caoileann folds, neatly depositing herself on that seat - the elbow tug all the reassurance she needs. Leaning over a little, she smiles at Kariel - a friendly smile, tinged with nervousness for all that. All this. So many people - and eggs . "Hi. I'm Cao, by the way. Don't think I ever introduced myself."

From the Galleries, Merra clasps Araamis' hand tighter even as she studies the eggs. She glances up at her mate and smiles shakily. "I really don't think Edaeyn or Ragis will have to be nervous, anyway. I'm nervous enough for both of them!" she says with a weak laugh, leaning carefully against him.

From the Galleries, While looking around the Galleries, Shava notices Adar and gives a wave, "Adar," she calls to the Journeywoman, trying to get her attention amoung the throng of people.

On the Gallery ledges, Banoth gives Xhuryth a sidelong glance, then rearranges his wings in the draconic equivalent of a shrug. He turns his observant, if somewhat detached, gaze to the sands, the eggs, the dragons. But mostly the eggs. Babies on the way, no doubt; should be an event worthy of his attention. Nali absently runs a hand along her lifemate's side as she waits for the arrival of the Candidates and the beginning of the Hatching.

From the Galleries, Kariel grumbles under his breath, crumpling into a slouch promptly. He eyes Rauve and Cao momentarily and pouts... staring at Cao's proffered hand for a moment before responding haughtily, "Hello." And sapphire gaze falls to the eggs. Hmph.

From the Galleries, Kerine edges into a place near the front, bumping into one, two, three different people on her way there. "Oh, sorry, oh, no, my fault, oops! Was that your foot? So sorry!" But the little lady has a good view of the sands, and lifts up on tiptoe - much to the chagrin of the lad behind her - to better it.

[D'renn and all the candidates step from shadows to sand, joining the eggs. Except for Pyrene since I hadn't connected yet, but ICly speaking, she was there.]

D'renn leads the Candidates onto the Sands with his usual long-suffering-this-is-a-Hatching expression.

Areiah moves into the heat, shimmered and blurred by the ripples that rise off the Sands.

From the Galleries, Adar looks up as her name is called over the general noise of the crowd, and turns in its direction. "Shava?" A smile appears on her face as she follows the voice to a fellow 'crafter. She seats herself and grins. "Tatoria's got a cheering section now."

Pearl of Bahrain Egg wobbles tentatively in its sandy spot - much more content to be admired for its pearly beauty. The dragonet inside thinks differently, however, and more wobbles ensue.

Ashan steps on the sands with Pia in tow... bows to the dragons and moves over to one spot on the far side of the emerging semi-circle... outta the way you see... the faint outline of her purple bikini that she didn't have time to remove is seen under the white of candidate robe and despite sandals on feet she's already shifting...

With her sweaty palm firmly clutched to Ashan's, Pia traipses out onto the sands, emiting a "Shards!" when her bare toes touch the sands for the first time. Never-the-less, she turns and sinks into a deep bow, salutation aimed towards the proud egg momma and poppa.

Ayers Rock Egg is rather content to bend to any dragon or human will, such as the mommy and daddy that are working around them. After all, its not coming out. Well. At least it isn't until it is. Just a wiggle here or there. But until then, it's sweet dreams for this egg.

From the Galleries, Alexander dodges through the crowd, ducking between two burly miners who turn and curse at him. He's no lovely lady, nuh uh! Yes, he's lost his nanny. Okay. Edging his way next to Caoileann, who looks vaguely familiar, he peers down into the sands, searching for familiar people... Oohh! Pia and Loren! And..uh..

From the Galleries, Rauve simply glares at Kariel, at least he's not pummeling, eh? The possessive male in him is awakened as Cao's hand is abruptly found and held. The Candidate's entrance is regarded with nothing more than curiosity, his torso inclined for a clearer view. "Oh... they're moving already, Cao.." he whipsers, braid grasped and tugged at.

Sorana drags and is dragged: pulled Vynret and being yanked along by Lyrica. "Vynret!" she hisses, beginner to bend down in a semblace of a bow. "Bow!"

Edaeyn pauses on the edge of the sands, physically rocked by the waves of heat and the sight of the stands positively filled with people. She takes a deep, calming breath, eyes closing for a moment before she steps forward and bows, just a notch stiffly, to gold and clutchdaddy.

Tiareth moves again, shifting her now-skinny but still monstruous self forwards a bit, over her purple-fluffed Nuff, before subsiding into rough growls and wicked little mutterings. The look she gives the candidates is resigned aloofment.

From the Galleries, Damia all but hops up from her vantage point, staring down at the eggs and the Candidates and clapping and hooting wildly. "Yeah Faye! Go Auri! Sorana! Edaeyn! "Finally she stops her cheers, for that's all the people she closely knows and apparently the only ones she's willing to trade her 'dignity' for. Flitters, upset by the sudden standing, chitter wildly as well and whilst it does interrupt their humming and might /sound/ like cheers, it's directed mostly at 'mia and each other. The miners trade looks with each other, unsure of how to react to such a jubilant person in their midst. She sits back down, practically on top of them, but they don't say a word, merely exchanging more looks behind her back. "Oh...it's rocking..." 'mia points out, looking from one miner to the next. And even that they can't resist and therefore they stare down at the sands expectedly.

Vynret makes his way onto the scorching sands, any chills quelled by the heat. Walking gingerly with bare soles, his eyes flick first to the parent dragons on the sands, and he bows the slightest bit, then to the galleries, blinking. The whole of Pern must be watching.

Lyrica wanders out, Zali on one side, Sorana on the other, and gives a quick and graceless bow before looking back at the eggs. She takes her place on the sands after her companions are done; once again, she's not nervous.. nope.

Auri enters the sands. Ow. So that's what she forgot: sandals. But sandal-less Auri remembers her manners like a good little girl, and dips a deep curtsy to the dragons before her, winking at the queen with an annoying, 'remember me?' expression.

From the Galleries, "Fine," says Cao. "Be a jerk. I don't care." She sticks her tounge out at the smaller boy, but smiles at Rauve as he take her hand - then whips her head back with alacrity. "Moving? Oh, look! There's Pia!" She bounces a little in her seat.

From the Galleries, K'shaw falls asleep.
K'shaw has disconnected.

Miana flicks endless tresses of raven 'hind ears idly...yep, gotta keep herself occupied somehow. Deep-breathing 'n' rigidly formal bow is indicated in the direction of Clutchmother and respective sire. Politness is good, 'n' ex-Trader toddles off after Tatoria 'gain.

Celestine, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves, begins the Hot Sands dance, feet going up and down quickly. Then, bowing, she steals a glance at the eggs... Ooh, pretty.

Sasha follow her parner, Auri onto the sands, bowing low to the dragons in front of her, feeling completely in awe of them.

D'renn trawls his way over to the side of the Sands, near to his assistants. "Salea, you didn't bring anything to drink, did you?" asks the brightly-clothes weyrlingmaster.

Baltic Sea Egg rocks gently, back and forth, lapping over the hot sands and retreating to its customary hollow.

Zali follows along at Lyrica's side, hissing softly as her feet are burned by the scorching sands. Turning, she sinks a shaky curtsey towards Tiareth before following Lyrica and Sorana, shifting from one foot to the other in pain. Need sandles...

Kh'et moves into the heat, shimmered and blurred by the ripples that rise off the Sands.

From the Galleries, Merra squeezes Araamis' hand again. "There's Edaeyn...!" she says, breathlessly.

Salea moves to perch beside D'renn, a goofy grin already creasing her face. Flicking sand of her calf length boots, she watches the Candidates mince across the already-hot sands.

Spanish Steps Egg vibrates with a delicacy that is belied by the egg's lovely coloring. Once, twice, thrice, it wiggles with a light gentleness.

From the Galleries, Shava smiles to Adar, "Yep, when I heard that the hatching was soon, I caught a ride from Gar's watchrider and came. I hope she Impresses. How have you been up here at High Reaches?" She keeps her eyes on the sands while talking, picking out Tatoria once the candidate once apprentice is spotted.

Sorana pulls up from her bow, green'd gaze homing in on the eggs. Oh. my. /Eggs/. She whimpers slightly, once, saying to Lyrica, "Lyri...look...look at the /eggs/....Vyn! They're moving!"

Tatoria steps quickly on the sands, right after Miana. She glances around, first at the crowd, then at the other canadates, then finally at the eggs. Oh...They're moving. They're moving. She scammbles to her place on the sands and gives the Queen an, probably, over-exagerated bow. Then she waits.../not/ think abotu the heat o nher feet. No...not a t all.

Edaeyn flashes an ironic smile towards the stands, looking for no face in particular. Then, her attention shifts to the eggs, eyes wide and intent, her manner that of an observer who, outwardly at least, expects no more. "Good luck ..." might be heard in a brief whisper.

Geisha District of Kyoto Egg quivers slightly, shaking delicately and deepening its nest of sand before subsiding. It is not it's time yet.

Sasha's eyes sparkle with exhilaration as she stands on the sands. The heat sears through the thin soles of her sandals, but she hardly notices the discomfort, being far more absorbed in the status of the huge eggs that loom before her. Her mind is in turmoil......running through it is one theme.......'If only.....!'

Loren hops gleefully out onto the Sands --no dance yet!-- still clinging to Faye's hand. "Faye, Faye, it's /time/! It's really-really time. You think the egg will hatch today? The egg with the pretty colors?" Which egg with the pretty colors? Loren's too excited to be specific. "Faye, ooh, Faye, /eggs/. With little dragons.. good luck, Faye, good luck!"

From the Galleries, Janysi squeals with typical Jan-ish delight at the sight of her friend down there, and claps her hands.

From the Galleries, "Ow!" The rather burly miners both turn upon Damia at the same time. Even /that/ manages to cow her rather much and she notes that she was banging her fists onto their thighs. Sigh. She always manages to do that, doesn't she? "Terribly sorry..." She manges to appologize, but gazes back out onto the sands promtly. And meanwhile, Edaeyn's name is shouted from someplace else in the stands and the woman stands, seeing who it is. Merra? She didn't know she knew Edaeyn. How very odd.

Ashan hrms... eggs... twitching... dragons... heat... a glance is spared at the weyrling staff standing on the sidelines ready to kick 'em back into play if they stray and just grins, shuffling one foot and finding a stance that's not so hot...

On the Gallery ledges, Estsanth scrambles in, careful of wings and tail.
On the Gallery ledges, Ndi slides from Estsanth's neck and lands gently on the ground.

Tai stands meekly, here in one corner, hands clasped behind her back and hair pulled back into a bun. "It's hot here," she sighs, all-suffering. "I'd forgotten about all that."

Golden Gate Bridge Egg shivers, golden-orange struts catching the light, for a moment gaining superiority over ash-gray smog before settling back into obscurity, Not long now...

Gromytel is pulled down by Celestine, having nearly forgotten to bow, and then stands up again. Looking, slack-jawed, at the eggs, he forgets to shift his feet, and finally comes back to reality with an "Ow! These sands are hot!"

From the Galleries, Araamis nods. "Yes ..." he answers softly, not taking his eyes from the eggs and candidates assembles on the Sands. "Yes, there she is."

Maurice stands quietly, rocking back and forth in a growing semblance of that age-old Candie-dance. If it wasn't for his constantly moving eyes, one might assume he doesn't care about the whole deal at all...

Egyptian Sphinx Egg is its usual enigmatic still self, set among the Sands statue-still.

Vynret eyes widen a bit, his gaze passing over the eggs. Of course they're moving! The fingers on his free hand twitch, curl, and uncurl, and he picks up his feet discreetly, not very high off the ground.

Pia shuffles through the sand, feet liberating tiny sprays of sand with each step. "Hothothot." mumbles the Candidate, words somewhat garbled by the nervous chattering of her jaw. "Shawn.... This is /really/ scary."

Lyrica nods to Sorana, "Cause they're gonna hatch." Yep, you can say it, she's brilliant, "Just try not to get too nervous.. don't want anyone dragging my backside across these sands... a cold courtyard is enough." The rocking eggs are watched again and her feet shifted back and forth before she looks up toward the stands and back; too many people. "I wish they'd hurry.."

From the Galleries, Adar leans over to Shava to answer the question, but her eyes are on the sands and the wobbling eggs. "I've been fine. It's nice up here, once you get used to the cold." She grins as she picks out Tatoria. "Oh, there she is~"

"Lor, Lor, Lor," squeaks the sandal-deprived Faye, wriggling delicate toes into Hot sands. Hothot. Politely, she dips self forward into a bow. That's over with. "C'mon, c'mon. Good luck, good luck, hot, hot, hot."

From the Galleries, Rauve grins broadly toward Cao, leaning to slide his wiry arm around her waist. "Miana, too.." he mumubles quietly, trying to catch each movement of every egg. Violet gaze flickers eagerly over the candidates, lingering in his biased favorites.

Nuff reaches up to pat Tiareth's lowered chin -- well neck at least -- muttering her own condolences. But she grins happily from her perch on 'Reth's paw, waving to a particular candidate now and then when they stumble, or look positively ill with nervous fear. "S'kay. You really are supposed to be here now. Just do as we practiced and form an circlet around the eggs. "

Ashan shakes her head, "Nah... just look at it like this..." she pauses, grinning at the candidate next to her, "Very seldom are there any serious injuries..." even now she's been the smart alec..

Miana blinks rapidly, long last the realization that hatching sands=burnt feet coursing her mind. Ow. Coming from someone adapted to chill misty Tillekian temperatures, anyhow, her soles baking. Owwww.

London Eye Egg wobbles a bit, testing the sands

Oh, duh, Sorana. She stares at her feet for a moment, the various, "Good luck!"s that were being spouted out faltering into: "Ouch. Faranth, it's /hot/ in here!" An elbow jabs into Lyrica's side gracelessly. "Lyri, Vyn, it's sharding /hot/!"

Hanging Gardens of Babylon Egg does not move at all, merely remains still under the ever watchful eyes of the hovering Chiernnath and Tiareth. Tw--ooh, was that a twitch? A movement? Nary a breeze rocks this egg to life.

Sasha tears her gaze away from the ovoids to glance quickly at her fellow candidates. These people who she has come to know and trust more than anyone /ever/ in her life..... She can see from their faces their mixed emotions, which does little to settle or reassure her. Rather they fill her with fear again....so many good candidates, all deserving......Quickly she snaps her head forward again.....breathe...focus on the eggs....try not to think too hard.....

Edaeyn wipes her brow, taking slow deep breaths to conserve coolth as much as anything else. Her steps are smooth and even, working sideways about the eggs ... as if this were somehow just another touching. "Loren will be lucky if she gets goobed, in this heat," is observed to no one in particular.

Ayers Rock Egg is rockin' and rollin' and here to stay. He won't ever die. Far too young to do that. Not even born, in fact! The rolling is a bit aggravated. It doesn't wanna wake up!

From the Galleries, Ndi edges in from one of the nearby ledges.

"Faye, Faye, t'is hot, t'is! And I'm coming, coming." Loren dips in a semi-polite bow towards the clutchparents, giving each a vague beam before scurrying off with Sands-partner. "Oh, good luck all!" Candidate gives a wave to her fellow sufferers, and then begins to do the Dance of the Candidates. "Ooh, very hot, very! ..you think they'll goob me, Faye? You think? So many; what if they /all/ goob?"

Baltic Sea Egg takes a rougher stance, becoming stormy in its movements and crshing forcefull against the sides of its hollow. It is time!

Zali's grip on Lyrica's hand tightens as she looks slowly over the eggs, picking out her two favorites before turning to gaze at mother and father dragon. Shifting, she moves closer towards her friend, and leans in to whisper towards her. "I think I should have made some sandels... or at least bought some." Burning feet are lifted one at a time from the hot sands.

Ragis stumbles upon the sands and makes a shaky and rather hurried bow to the queen and her bronzen mate before scurrying to join his fellow candidates. He glances around the sands and his attention is caught by the rocking of the eggs.

Salea pityingly glances at the candidates cum white hopping dancers, and nods an affirmative to D'renn. "Right here" she says, patting the water sac at her belt.

Baltic Sea Egg lies still a second, gathering itself for one last mighty wave against the barrier of the shell preventing it from washing over the sands. The rocky barrier cracks, the top cracking and falling to the side. Over the jagged ridge created by the last heave, a silvered nose appears, like froth at the top of this green and blue wave. It lingers there a moment, just hanging as if in eternity, before the egg slowly tumbles to its side, spilling forth Roving Puss-in-Boots Brown Dragonet.

Roving Puss-in-Boots Brown Dragonet
 A taste of avaricious gold hunts rubies throughout this grimalkin's hide: bright colors pad along his sweeping wingspars, curl about eyeridges 'knobs, and prowl the salient ridges of his lithe and sturdy spine. Softer aciculate tendrils of silver whisker his narrow face and lighten the variegated browns creaming his neck and rump, while spokes of dried grass careen amongst the autumn-hues of scarlet, ocher, and green at play over his shoulders and back. The short barrel of his chest is tabbied in alternating stripes of beer and ale, while bearnaise smothers his expressive tail down to its spatulate fork. But it is a fastidious line of seal's dark-brown that boots those sleek legs and coats each dainty, cheliferous paw. No ogre is he, no brutish tom, for despite his great size and tensile violin-string strength, indolence luxuriates along every roving curve.

Celestine, pulling her gaze away from the eggs - were they that pretty the last time? - scans the galleries, searching for "Arthur! Where are you, Arthur? Little brother?" Finally, she spots the face she's looking for. "Arthur! Down here!" she calls, waving violently with her free hand.

Auri squeezes Sasha's hand, and looks up at her reassuringly, then raises the other hand to wiggle a hello to everyone else, both those in the galleries and those on the sands. Didn't get to say her greetings, you know. Then eggs are spotted and gawked at, and the adoring sound that comes from Auri's little mouth is something like "Ooh..."

Areiah has gotten herself just about as far from the action as is possible - and, somehow, ended up near -- "Tai! Hi! Gosh, it's hot, isn't it? I don't remember it being this hot before." Absentminded little thing, isn't she? But - "Ooooh. Look. Brown."

Serious injuries. Pia /remembers/ those, and her whole frame begins to tremble. "Shawn, if any of those dragons run this way with violence on their mind, be sure to pull me out of the way." A tight smile accompanies that request.

Mystical Stonehenge Egg refuses any favorites, shunning all admirers as it sinks further into the Sands. To every season there is a time, and though the dragonet fights and kicks and batters from inside, the egg remains as firm as stone. Old stone. Weathered cracks appear along the side.

Lyrica winces, "'Couse it's hot.." then tries to rub at her side with her occupied hand. Having no luck, she just gives a scowl. Shaking it off, the expression becomes a bit wide eyed as her hand is squeezed on Zali's side; which end to protect first? Before she has time to answer the question, the brown makes its way to the sands and stops her completely, "Oh.. he's big.. "

Tatoria shifts her feet around a little. She's awlways thought sand was nice, maybe not better than snow, but nice...now she's begining to see Sand's other...darker..hoter side. Oh /ouch/. She watches the eggs quiver, shifting only slightly on her feet.

"That's a brown," D'renn says, almost accusingly. "Hey, Nuff, it's a brown!" he shouts over at the Weyrwoman gleefully.

"Brown," Tai comments, a hand relinquished from behind her back to point at the new arrival.

Kh'et gets dragged out by Thesy, and in truth, all but clings to her, even as he bows to the clutch parents. Things are very diffrent from this point of view, where you aren't the focus of everything. Ragis gets a proud, loving smile and a bob of the head.

Faye exuberantly wiggles fingers Sorana-wards, calling a cheerful, "G'luck, Sora!", that-a-way. So busy, hobbling around on the hot Sands. "By Faranth is it hot - what's that? - oh, no, Lor, I don't think anything's gonna goob you." Time to state the obvious to Runner-friend with an accompanying nudge: "It's brown."

From the Galleries, Caoileann nestles in a little closer, one arm slipping around Rauve's slender waist in return. "They're all here," she says...just as an egg cracks shell. "Ooh, lookit! A brown. Ooooh." All thoughts of head-laying on shoulders are put aside as she leans forward a little to stare at the brown. Neat.

From the Galleries, Shava nods and watches each of the eggs as they start to move about, "This is so exciting, but I bet its nerveracking for the candidates." She watches as the first egg hatches, "Oh look, a brown is the first one to hatch," and she points to the dragonet, then looks to the candidates, trying to pick out which one she'll think it will choose.

From the Galleries, Ndi hop-skips away from Estsanth to join the main crowd in the galleries, staring down at the rocking eggs with an entranced expression. Gee, just like that time with Estie. "I wonder if someone can Impress two dragons?" the girl asks (ain't she bright?) while leaning over to peer around for good friends. "Auri! Oh, good Faranth, it's Auri! Auuuuri!"

Salea ahs, smiling. "There's a good omen" she says, noding at the newly hatched brown. Of course, she'd take anythign for a good omen at this point. "He's a big one..."

Ashan raises an eyebrow... "Ooo a brown... good start..." she's not /involved/ you see.. she's just convinced herself she is meerly a spectator with a good seat

Sorana's already tense voice lilts into a lovely, carrying shriek. "Vynret! Look the egg it's---brown!!!" She sways: one, to-the-side, two, to-the-side, and -- pause. "You too, Faye!"

Miana leaps nearly three handspands. They /hatch/? Well, yes, of course. They're eggs. "Tatoria!" exhales the psychotically bouncy ex-Trader, brought to a standstill. "A brown!" Interesting how much easier it is when you've got someone to bond with on the sands.

"Brown!" Loren shrieks this oh-so-obvious observation, and begins to hop a bit more fervently. "Brown, that's good! Brown, and such a neat brown, too. Oh, Faye, this is so /won/derful, isn't it? All these eggs, the neat egg, they're all gonna hatch and some of us will Impress and isn't that a good thing?"

Edaeyn takes a step backwards, hands reaching out for support and balance. She nearly falls over into the nearest candidate. "My apologies ... terribly sorry ..." rumbles soft voice, ever courteous, although she cannot take her eyes from the brown. "So that's what they look like." Satisfaction, fascination ... regret? ... in her voice.

On the Gallery ledges, Banoth rumbles his approval from first-hatched brown to first-hatched brown. An excellent color. Biased? Of course not.

Nothing can stop the pounding of Sasha's heart within her breast, or still the jangling nerves which rage beneath her relatively calm exterior. Beads of sweat stand out on her forehead and irritably she brushes them away, as the temperature continues to rise....

Calissan is really fidgeting, now. There's a dragonet on the sands. "Shawn?" Like she'll hear him. Oh well. Carefully, he shuffles into place in the rough semi-circle, just watching everything at once. Or trying to, anyway.

Ashan squeezes Pia's hand and lets go... reassurance is everything and candidate adds Pia-pulling to her list of mental rememberances

Maurice nods slightly, a brown, a good, solid color. Dark eyes finally have their focus--that brown is watched, rather intently.

Chiernnath croons over the newly hatched, his eyes whirling with the unusual feeling of paternal pride. Tiareth gets a positivly glowing glance whilst the bronze continues to watch the movements of the eggs, his rider crouched between his forelegs nibbling on a snack.

Ragis shifts from foot to foot as he catches sight of Kh'et and Thesy at the edge of the sands and returns a slight, nervous smile as his quicksilver eyes return to the eggs, wide and almost frightened.

Vynret shifts his feet a little faster. The eggs. They're cracking now and--Shells! A dragonet, a brown. Paradisian Candidate watches the dragonet for a moment. He mutters something, certainly inaudible.

From the Galleries, Kariel finally simply blocks out the two beside him, concentrating on the eggs. Usual bright, delighted smile is offered to certain candidates... Edaeyn, Ragis, and then grimaces at Pia. Ugh. If /she/ Impresses, the weyr will never get a moment free of her whining. He shrugs... then gasps as the little one breaks free, "Rauve! Loook!" As if he can't see it...

"What color was that? Oh. Right. Brown." Auri eyes it from the corner of her eye. "Hmm. Pretty pretty for a brown. See Sasha? It's got gold, and a little bit o' pink around the shoulders." Auri smiles happily. Pink. Yay.

Gromytel giggles gleefully. "Ooh, brown! Pretty brown... Sorta looks like food," he comments, taking a meditative lick of the tiny bit of candy hidden in his hand. "But not /sweet/ food," he adds, to anyone who's willing to listen. "More like a drink... or maybe something to spread on bread. Hey, that rhymes!" Yep, he's a bright one.

From the Galleries, Damia all but jumps up as the egg hatches, hooting and calling to those on the sands -- just like anyone else. "It's a brown!" Well, wasn't that just redundant? And yet, 'mia felt a need to say it anyway. She nearly runs down a particularly small 'brat with all her jumping -- even the miners have joined in. "Go for it, FAye!" Just like FAye to forget sandles. to a Hatching. That was /not/ smart. Catia's probably going to have to look at her after this. "Go Edaeyn!" All of them! Sure! Why not? The 'brat is swept up in the moment, right into 'mia's arms where he seems content to stay, staring down with lovely brown eyes at the activity on the sands. 'mia sits back for now, gripping the 'brat fiercly to her. No one knows what could happen to such a little tyke.

Zali flutters her unoccupied hand quickly before she forces it still. Dancing eyes turn on the brown and she nods at Lyrica's comment, hand now coming up to move those pesty strands of fly-aways so that she may see better. If her grip on Lyri's hand could tighten any more than it already is, she does so, still dancing back and forth.

Sasha holds her breath... A brown dragonet...

"Brown!" Pia carols, all thoughts of malicious, Candidate-trampling dragonets abandoned. "And he's so.... gooey!" With a sideways glance at her sands-mate, the ex-Vintner inquires, "Are they /all/ going to be that gooey?"

Ashan looks over to another place where her name is called... just a couple of candidats away, "S'gonna be okay, Cal... right? Just got good seats..." a wink a grin and she looks back at the eggs, squinting

Tatoria noddles her head in awe. A brown..it takes a moment for the reilaztion there's a borwn dragon wandering arounfd the sand to hit. "A brown!" She turns a wide grin on Miana, and then quickly turns bajk, not wanting to miss a wonderful moment.

From the Galleries, Rauve grins obliquely at Cao, his grip tightening unconsciously as the brown is first seen. "He's... brown?" He fofers, at a loss. "I see that Kariel," he mumbles with a hint of amusement.

From the Galleries, Inersi reaches for a lone rock, large eyes staring at the activity around him, confusion running rampant. "What's going on?" He asks, hoping someone hears him.

Roving Puss-in-Boots Brown Dragonet lands on his feet, of course, though he's a bit shaky on them for a few moments, rocking from side to side a few seconds so he is forced be still a little. Not for long, as time is of the essence and he strikes out into the world, a mission and a goal on his mind.

"It's brown, it's brown," Faye announces to Loren - again - toes clenching sand and letting go, clutching it 'tween toes and letting it go. Over and over again. "Isn't it nice, Loren? Look, he's moving, already."

Lyrica goes cross eyed for a moment, Zali's grip on her hand being quite noticeable right now. The brown is given another glance before she looks over at the squeezing candidate, "Zali.. if my hand comes off.. it'll just make things worse." She winks, then, letting her know that she is joking before looking over at Sorana, "How are you holding up?" Better to talk to the others than watch... for now.

Sasha's fists clench and unclench uncontrollably as the stress of the moment surges through her. Glancing at Auri she voices her agonisingly impatient feelings "I just can't stand the waiting.....We are so close now.....I just want to know, one way.... or the other."

Maurice follows that brown with his eyes, flickering his gaze briefly to the other candidates. Yes, it's a brown, that much is obvious... Right? Now where is it going?

Nuff bounces up and down on Tiareth's paw, grinning at D'renn. "A brown! Oh Tiareth, how wonderful. None of that starting with a big lumpy bronze for you. A brown is just perfect, and look at the boots on him.!" Nuff rather likes these dragonets now, now that she does not have to wear white. She can wear puprle. Reams and reams of fairy-godmother purple.

Golden Gate Bridge Egg quakes with the action of some unseen force from within, tilting haphazardly to one side and obscuring the orange expanse for a moment.

Edaeyn clasps her hands behind her back, fingers entwined, shoulders held stiff and eyes unwavering on the dragonet. The rest of the world? It's out there somewhere, but that's for another time and place. "Just wait ..."

"Ooh, Faye, lookit, lookit! It's a /brown/ and it's moving and this is /so/ great!" Loren's beam brightens up a few notches and the girl clings to her ex-baker friend's arm. "Yes, yes, yes! Nice, nice, nice!"

From the Galleries, Kariel pouts profusely, shifting in his seat and simply watching. Hmph. As he overhears Pia's comment, he groans... "Did you hear her? Did you? Are they going to be gooey... /Faranth/..."

On the Gallery ledges, "GO! MIANA! -" Proddy Ling is'not to be messed with as she shouts her lungs out over the roar of the crowd, smile prominate on her garnet lips, eyes flickering. "Look Nali! Dragons!" *Sweatdrop* Xhuryth bubbles idly as silver etched wings fan out.. the pair, Xhuryth and Melsa - Nobody's angels! Twin pair of eyes.. watching brown and then the Candie they're rooting for. -among other things.

From the Galleries, Andraya looks at the first Hatchling, a brown, then at the milling group of white-clad candidates. Not for the first time, she's glad that she's still young enough to not have to worry about the awsome responsibility of taking care of a newly-Hatched dragonet. Not that one would want her anyways, but still, it /is/ fun to dream about. With a sigh of half-relief and half longing, she watches the dragonet take off across the sands looking for his lifemate.

Celestine giggles, stealing glances up at her brother. Of course, he probably can't hear her over the dragons and the crowd, but... "Hey, Arthur! Look, brown!" Admiringly, she looks it over. "It's nice... I mean, not that blue or green or bronze or gold isn't nice, too," she adds, hastily, in case it'll help her chances. "Not that I can Impress bronze, but it's still nice..." Yup, she's babbling.

Miana quivers...just that, ardent thoughts the only type that plunge through her muddled mental state of habitually calmly controlled Trader. Not now! She's hyper on sugarsticks and there's a /dragonet/. Searing pain evoked from the sands to her scorched feet is promptly forgotten. Silence is golden.

Vice grip. That's what Sorana's hold on Vynret and Lyrica is. A vice grip. "Holding up?" she nearly squeaks, staring at the brown rather dumbly. "Uhhh...look! He /moved/!!!" Shriek.

From the Galleries, Inersi goes home.

Ayers Rock Egg rocks along. It's a brown that hatched seems to be the general consensus, put it's just an egg and is rockin' along, hummin' a song, nothing can ever go wrong. Well. Until it gets out into the World.

On the Gallery ledges, Nali nods absently to Melsa - yes, dragons - but says nothing, keeping her eyes on the new arrival. "He looks pretty steady on his feet for a hatchling," she muses, a thought echoed by her lifemate.

Ashan nods to Pia... "Yup..." she answers...they really are going to be that gooey...

Ragis tucks his fingers under his arms and shifts from foot to foot, from heat and nerves. He looks at the brown and sighs softly, so lovely. He moves slowly to a cluster of his fellows and chuckles softly. "Course he's moving...." he mutters.

Zali jumps slightly at the voice on her left before turning wide sapphire eyes upon her friend. "Sorry, Lyri." Comes the gentle murmur before she loosens her grip... a tad bit. Burning feet are finally put to the back of her mind as she watches the brown dragonet warily, right hand clenching new pleats into her robe.

Egyptian Sphinx Egg is inscrutable, poised, silent.

From the Galleries, Merra stands rock-still, attention riveted to the brown hatchling. "Pick Edaeyn, pick Edaeyn, pick Edaeyn..." she mumbles over and over, not aware she is speaking aloud. She comes out of her daze long enough to shout "GO EDAEYN!! GO RAGIS!!"

Vynret can't feel his hand or soles of feet anymore, but what's the matter? His eyes stay glued to the cracking eggs and the brown dragonet, now making his way around the sands.

Crackeling, crumbling eggs tug Pia's attention this way and that, eyes unable to focus on any one particular object. Restless, too-hot feet add to her whole air of disorganized excitement, as she weaves her weight back and forth. "Gooey hatchlings," she echoes again.

From the Galleries, Rauve chuckles wryly at his 'companion', amethyst gaze trained on the said 'gooey' dragonet. "Oh, Kariel.." he murmurs indistinctly, smiling. Edaeyn and Miana are glanced to haphazardly, as is Ragis, for a moment.

Geisha District of Kyoto Egg twitches. Just slightly. Perhaps? No. Not yet... It would be graceless to hatch just now.

Mystical Stonehenge Egg seemed ready to endure whatever may come, yet its ancient stones are no match for the bronze marauder that prowls forth in defiance of all this egg's admirers.

Wolfish Wild Thing Bronze Dragonet
 He is all imagination, this bronze dragon, with gnashing teeth and terrible paws, wild-thing eyes and terrible claws. He looks the monster, with that wolfish grin, those dark-forest wings and sails of burnt-tin. His hide is dark, copper and black, and greens razor his 'ridges and narrow-edged back. This king of all wild things, this prince of dreams, this creature of adventure is not all that he seems. He moves like a shadow, a playmate, a friend, and mischief commands him from end to end.

Lyrica is squeezed at both ends.. just what she was looking forward to. She takes a deep breath as one side is slightly released and turns to Zali, "Thanks.. but it's alright, I can handle it." Sure, she handled being chained to Pia, didn't she? After that, she could handle anything.. except the absence of wine, maybe. Then again, she's delt with it for this long.

Roman Coliseum Egg shifts again, but is otherwise silent; an echo, of battles fought, won, and lost.

From the Galleries, "Ow! Hey!" Kerine exclaims, looking briefly from the activity on the sands to the young man behind her, who offers little more than a sheepish nod in apology. "That was my toe!" Hmph.

Tatoria has stopped thinking about the hot sands, but still continues to rock back from foot to foot. It's still hot weather she's paying attention or not. She pares at glance at the hyper Miana, and at the other rocking eggs. What colors do they contain? Only time will tell. Hopefully before everyone's feet burn off. Blink. A /bronze/. So what if she can't ride a bronze...It's still cool.

Sasha is completely stunned at the sight of the brown and then the new bronze - suddenly this is really happening - she never dreamt it would feel like this. The heat is meaningless as she gazes on the rocking eggs with wonder. she squeezes Auri's hand hard.

Maurice blinks slightly, a rather shocked expression fixating on this new little bronze dragonet. Well. Bit of a rowdy little fellow isn't he?

Miana fairly shifts back 'n' forth between feet at the warmth penetrating her soles. Argh! The egg /hatched/. The lovely delicate poise of Geisha egg shattering to reveal what? A /bronze/. S'okay! Life goes on! Attention returns to the brown. Pwetty.

Edaeyn casts a sideways look at Ragis. "He'd have to ... at least to breathe ..." The thought of the dragonet forgetting that concession doesn't bear thinking on. Her gaze strays, despite the saturated excitement in there, and catches the hatching of the bronze square on. Laughter, soft and cool. "That one ..." But no comment to follow.

Salea blinks, one dragonet turning into two before her eyes. They're multiplying. "He's a fierce looker", she comments on the bronze.

From the Galleries, Caoileann shoots a narrow-eyed look over to Kariel. "Shut up," she says. "How's she supposed to know that? Do /you/ know everything? Betcha don't." Thusly satisfied, her gaze returns to the brown. "He's /beautiful/." A murmur of excitement causes her to glance as another - so soon?? - hatches. "Lookit the bronze. Oh, that's pretty." But...she likes the brown. So back to that she goes.

Roving Puss-in-Boots Brown Dragonet trots down the path made for him, a wall of white cloth and multicolored heads on either side. He's lost his Marquis of Carabas, and he might be making a fool of himself before the great queen Tiareth. He stop and regards a lad from under gold-laced eye-ridges. No, he's not it. He'd say he was the Marquis, but only Roving Puss-in-Boots Brown Dragonet may call someone that.

Sorana swings her VynretHand outward, pointing to the newest arrival and breathing, "Vyn....look at him...." Sure, she can't have him, but, "He's awfully pretty."

"Bronze." Another Tai comment resounds, pointing and then rocking back onto her heels. Hot.

"Ick, nasty bronze...." D'renn shudders deliberately, watching that mail prowling across the Sands.

From the Galleries, Damia winces downward at Merra's rather loud voice, but she's not going to outdo Damia. Not after that speech in the living caverns. Unfortunately, before she can say anything more, the little child on her lap whimpers. "What's that noise, 'mia?" See, all the brats know her. The baker, however, has to think for a moment on that one. "Oh, that's just the dragons humming. try to ignore it. Or if you want, I can cover your ears." Though compassionate, she's anything /but/ the person who's going to sit back and let someone else outshout her. She's noisy and she's going to let the world know! The little boy whimpers again and nods, but turns back to the sands. Gingerly, the apprentice places slender, calloused hands over the child's ears. Whimpering stops. "GO EDAEYN! GO FOR IT AURI!!" See? She's not about to be outdone, however, she swipes the kidlet up, swinging him out in front of her. "It's a bronze!" She shouts almost the same.

He's a looker all right... Shawn's eyebrow raises higher as she looks over the new addition to the sands... She just whistles.... "Whoo..."

Ragis nods in response to Edaeyn. "If only to breath....I hope he'd move to find his lifemate too......" he says softly. He watches the brown and then spots the bronze moving about. "Oh my.....he's a monster, isn't he?"

Ifnesh trots upon the sands, tragically, fashionably late. He snaps his fingers, salute-bows at the appropriate dragons, and joins the circle of people. "A bronze. A brown. I join the circle. I join my destiny. I am. Ifnesh." Snap. Snap. His robe hangs upon him loosely, toga-like.

Wolfish Wild Thing Bronze Dragonet kicks aside his shell with a flick of one dark paw. Bah. Eggs. There are better things to hunt down, like supper. Perhaps a candidate. Perhaps supper and a candidate. The dark little dragonet stretches into a low-headed slink and moves towards the forest of whitish creatures. Oh goodie, and adventure.

Gromytel pulls his hand out of Celestine's, eyeing her. "Sheesh. It's not like he can hear you. And if you shout like that, I won't be able to hear anything." Fortunately, his tastebuds will remain intact, so that he can eat sweets all day long. "Ooh! Bronze! I /like/ bronze... Not that active, though," he amends. "It's all active." And active means no time to eat candy. And candy is good.

Zali manages a wan smile towards Lyrica, finally drawing her eyes away from the brown to course over the bronze one. A soft 'oooh' is emitted before she again shifts her burning feet. Robe is twitched so that it lies in the right places before she finally releases her hold upon it. Taking another deep breawth, she holds this one.

Kh'et glances from the bronze to D'renn, "What's wrong with Bronzes?" He does, after all, resemble that remark.

"Nothing in general," D'renn answers affably. "That one seems to be a bit... erm... I dunno. Vicious?"

Pearl of Bahrain Egg continues to shift back and forth in the sand, watery background a-sparkle and pearly parts a-gleam.

Edaeyn cocks an eyebrow, wondering why D'renn has a problem with bronze ... but that's a question for later, and she blocks out the rest of Pern again, focusing so deeply there's no room for nerves ... if she even thought there was cause for them in the first. "He's not half so fierce as he appears ..."

"Ooh, Faye, bronze and brown, bronze and brown! /Male/ dragons, aren't they neat?" Loren likes the nice male dragons; they don't goob as much as greens do. "Ow-ow-ow. These sands are /hot/. Are they getting hotter, Faye? Are they?" Eggs suddenly lose Loren's attention as she finally hears a shout from the crowds in the galleries. "..Faye.. are there people up there?.." People. People are bad.

"Hungry," Tai answers in response to D'renn's comment, grin blossoming across her face. "They're all sort of vicious."

Golden Gate Bridge Egg rocks more violently now, a faint spiderweb of tiny cracks starting to lace across urban activity, expectancy growing.

From the Galleries, Kariel glares at Cao, nose crinkling again. "You always defend her and she mever does anything for you. But make you look wrong. What's the point?" And with that he silences, focusing on the two hatchlings anxiously.

Vynret nods dumbly to Sorana, even if he's not even looking in her general direction. It sure is a bronze, and his gaze lingers on it for a moment, then he's back to his nervous looking-pattern. Galleries. Eggs. Dragonets. Candidates. Sands.

Miana peers...well.../not/ the Geisha egg. Good thing. /Looked/ like the Geisha egg, and the ex-Trader's nerves are eased, whatever little is left of them. Urr...big scary bronze-hatchling, and Mia eyes that one with a measure of wariness. All covered in dripping egg-goo too, what a fashion statement.

Auri isn't really the type to get scared of dragons, but there's something creepy about that bronze, and she backs away a bit behind Sasha. Don't wanna get charged, now. The brown, however, gets Auri's approval. "Pink," is repeated, happily.

Pia recoils slightly from gnashing teeth and pointy talons of the bronze. "Glad I'm not a boy," she confides to Shawn. "I bet he'd run me over -- watch out for him." For a moment, she gazes up at the stands, green eyes scanning the assembled crowd. Are they up there?

Maurice peers between brown and bronze, a spark of life coming to his quick-moving eyes, though his expression wanders more towards the bronze, and it's startling apparant personality. A little... hyper?

See Faye nudge Loren accordingly. "'S a bronze," she bubbles to friend, "but I think it's too big. Bronzes are too big, you know?" With a hard squint, gaze momentarily flicks to galleries. "Lots of people, yes."

From the Galleries, Raetar goes home.

Sorana's eyes widen further -- she might break them if she doesn't stop that, soon. "Vynret...the rest of the eggs're hatching and -- look! The one I touched," pointing VynretFingers zero in on the Golden Gate egg, "is moving!" A pause, as green'd gaze flickers over the rocking orbs. "And the rest."

[And finally I join the fray]

Lyrica nods at Zali's ooh and then looks over at the bronze, "Ha.. knew it." She nods, "At least I'm ahead so far.. Now, maybe they'll all hatch the way I betted..." If she's lucky. A gaze is flashed to Edaeyn and she smiles, not bothering to call an encouragement.. it would just be wasted. Ashan is nodded to as well before she goes back to egg/hatchling watching, her feet shifting on the sands all the while.

Salea laughs, watching D'renn backwinging ut of his comment about bronzes. "All males have their purpose", she says, grinning.

"..there.. people.. galleries." See Loren blink. See Loren totter. See Loren shuffle behind Faye in an attempt to hide. "People.. ooh, dear, oh dear. /People/." Candidate shivers, but continus to focus on the dragons--people can wait. "..hatchlings.. they're so /small/, aren't they? Well, c'pared to th' big ones.."

Tatoria mouths a 'wow'. That's one scary, hungry, scary bronze. ERmm...she keeps an eye out for that one like it's going ot eat her, and watches the rest off the eggs, takign guess and which will hatch next. Then there's still that borwn...

Wolfish Wild Thing Bronze Dragonet isn't nasty, he's terrible. Skulking, wolf-like, the young king of dragons lopes towards the candidates. He shakes out the dark-forest of his wings, and pauses a moment to adjust that tail before snuffling at the air. His little round tummy beats him to growling, and with a shake of that many-toothed head he's off again, loping towards a group of boys.

From the Galleries, Rauve blinks at Cao's sudden outburst, eyes duely bulging as he catches sight of the bronze. "Whoa.." is all the ever-eloquent boy can manage, wilted bangs forgotten even as they droop into his eyes. "Shut /up/ Kariel," he snarls softly, undertones in his voice promising at /least/ a tongue-lashing, at another time. Eyes settles on the bronze again, enrapt.

From the Galleries, A few faces of vintners stare down rooting for 'theirs', some of the faces familiar. There are a few shouts of "PIA"! Laughter and a bit of pantomine among them and other words drowned out by the cacophany.

From the Galleries, Auri isn't the type to get scared of dragons Damia's butt. She was scared of dragons the first time she was at the WEyr and untilshe really /met/ one, she was scared to death of them. But 'mia won't bring it up -- namely beecuse she can't read Auri's thoughts. "GOGOGOGOGO!" Well, isn't that original? Well, atl easet it's something and even the little tyke on her lapis up and waving his chubby little arms about in a rather distressed fashion. Of course, he's not distressed, merely excited. And of /course/ there are people in the galleries. Who /wouldn't/ want to gawk at those who have to shuffle around on the hot sands just so that a gooey, slobbery dragonet can Impress them and make them their slaves forever?

"Do they, Salea?" Thesy winks at her former weyrlingmaster before her eyes go back to regards the newly hatched dragonets, "Oh dear, that one's definitely a monster," she chuckles, pointing at the bronze.

Shawn's eyes keep slipping toward the Stonehenge egg...she's attempting not to notice that it hasn't started moving yet or anything like that... she just shuffles to a cooler stance and crosses her arms over her chest...squinting again as she watches the bronze dart toward some candies...yum, chocolate

Zali hears the comment from Loren and shifts her optics towards the Stands, releasing her lip as she stares at the large amount of people. Shaking her head, she tries to distinguish her friends from strangers and has no such luck. Turning back, she nods at Lyrica's comment. "How much did you bet?" comes her question, trying to draw her attention elsewhere than the dragonets.

Edaeyn catches the flashed grin and smiles in return, one brow arched in Lyrica's direction. "Fancy that bronze?" she inquires low, somehow making her voice heard. Poised? Perfectly. So far.

Faye gives an assuring nudge to Loren; it's addictive, nudging her. "Aww, 's just people who wanna root for us, Lor."

Celestine smiles giddily. "Oh, this is fun... You know, Gromytel, you're not going to Impress anything with that attitude. You need to be positive, and happy, not grumpy. And stand up straight!" And you thought she just babied her firelizards.

Pyrene finds Auri in the shuffle and latches onto her hand in desperation. Any familiar face will do. "Is it just me or does that bronze remind anyone else of a blue??" she wonders, voice grumpy with stress. It's hot.

Ayers Rock Egg is a nice gentle egg. Pay attention to his rocking! After all, hard to be vicious when you're still an oval sphere. And he eats less. And doesn't have the runs. Just so much better than these other hatchlings.

Maurice continues to watch that maurading little bronze, darkly glittering eyes not at all matching his rather sloping posture and uninterested expression. Hmm.

Miana blinks, peeking out from Tatoria as bronze heads off in a lumber towards the throng of males. Good. Not that she was /scared/ mind you. Instead jewelled gaze flickers over everything to be flickered over, biiig sparkling ovoids and dripping dragonets. Lovely.

From the Galleries, "Pyrene?" Ndi rocks back on her heels in a moment of fearful recognition before she wipes away old grudges and shrieks. "Nan'rene! Go Nan'rene! Whoooooo! Auri! Sora! Um, everyone everyone else, too!" Oh, yes, Ndi knows how to make everyone feel equally loved. Really, she does.

"But they're.. I mean, all those people are /looking/ at us." Which, to Loren, is a lot different from /them/ looking at /dragons/. "It's /so/ scary.. but lookin' at th' dragons is okay. So I'll just lookit them and.. not think about all the people looking. Like the poetry thing." Where she thought about cookies, instead. "Aughsh, I'm /hot/. Burning." Really? Who'da thunk?

Wolfish Wild Thing Bronze Dragonet fakes towards Pia and Ashan a minute, happy enough to oblige anyone that wants to be run-over. But he detours at the last minute, in around past a couple taller girls before finding himself face to face with a pack of mischievous lads all frozn with one emotion or other.

Auri squeezes her nanny's (yes, Auri still considers Pyrene her nanny) hand. "Hiya Py! Look...that brown's got pink on his shoulder. And the bronze...uh..." squeezes in closer to Pyrene. "Yah. Blue. Right." Easily influenced, this girl.

Roving Puss-in-Boots Brown Dragonet picks up the pace, booted paws flashing dark against the white-in-comparison sands. He passes from one candidate to the next, leaving each unsatisfied. Then, he spots his Marquis! Suddenly coy, he circles 'round the back of the flock of three his chosen has attached to. Draw her out, lull her into a false sense of security - not that anyone could be secure with that brute of a bronze out there - and when the time - timing is essential - is right, he'll bag her!

Ragis's eyes are fixed on the rocking of the eggs rather than the brown and bronze.....he knows he'd not be able to control one of those beasts though they do get an approving glance. "Of course you're hot.....its the Hatching Sands after all.....It has to be hot....

Lyrica lets out a laugh and nods, winking as she does so, "It'd be unique." Faye and Loren are also given encouraging grins before she glances Pia-ward, apparently gratefull for some space between them. The bronze is watched as is the brown, "OOoh, which one?" She asks, finally becoming a /bit/ involved in the goings on.

Gromytel glares at Celestine, shuffling away. "Sheesh. Just because you don't like candy... 'It's not good for you,'" he mocks. "But it tastes good. And that's what counts." Too bad adults don't share his perspective.

Sorana continues swaying -- back and forth, side to side -- as she gnaws on her lower lip, eyes following the brown. "Oh....." Nothing more: she merely watches, struck into speechlessness.

Maurice stays right where he is, all alone and away from the group of candidates, listening quietly to the noise as his gaze flickers back to the brown. Oh, 'e's found someone as 'e?

Pyrene still considers Auri a brat, so that makes them even. "He's got pink?" she peers at the dragon in question. "Told you browns were the best."

Edaeyn shakes her head at the antics of the bronze, wondering creeping at the corners of her eyes, a smile growing on her lips. "Of course, that still would mean no wine ..." She can't resist a small jab in that direction.

Wolfish Wild Thing Bronze Dragonet fakes a horrible grin and takes a step forwards, as if to see who takes a step back.

Tatoria wasn't scared of some ol' bronze either! But no need not to be careful...right? She watches the Big Bad Bronze prowl off after the guys...Relife there? A little...OOo....more eggs are a rocking and that brown is still looking around..

Golden Gate Bridge Egg heaves a last shudder before giving up the metropolitan rush. Ash and smog seem to disappear in a puff, and orange chips fall in a shower of sparkles. As dusty gray and gold settle, a single fluid blue flow of motion emerges from the shards, regal and poised.

Regal Prince Charming Blue Dragonet
 Smooth, suave, and debonair, regal charm fits as closely around this dragon's lithe body as his azure hide. Chiseled with noble lineage, his gallant muzzle and pate are touched with a deep royal blue that reflects in the facets of polychromatic eyes. The crown of his darting head is capped 'round headknobs with a circlet of purest gold that sparkles beneath his indigo skin, a mark of princely heritage. The graceful crest of a sinuous neck arches down to meld into a well-muscled body as dashingly handsome as his visage. Refined legs slide down to powerful gripping claws, feet dipped in gloves of periwinkle, and talons gilded with twining gold and silver. A similar aureate and sterling talon tips each of the spindly bones of the wing, navy supports ending in pinpricks of starry shine. The astral haze of wingsails stretches between these darker anchors, wings forming a shimmering, sparkling cape flecked with the silver that the sweetest dreams are made of.

Ashan looks down at herself... she's definitely not male...no bronze for her, nope... a sideways glance toward Pia and Cal..yep they are still breathing... well isn't that a relief

"Hot, hot, hot," Faye chants to herself, giving Loren another nudge as she huddles closer. "My feet are burning," she complains, toes wriggling into sands and leaving sands as she hops. "And it's just people, Lor. No need t'worry."

"Ooh, Faye, lookit that bronze; he's tryin' 'a scare ev'one." Loren giggles at the bronze's tactics, then switches her eyes back to the newly-hatched blue. "Blue! Lookit it, lookit! Isn't that /neat/, Faye? He's kinda silverish." She's forgotten the people--/thankfully/.

Vynret concentrates on the brown. He's staying in one general area, unlike that malicious bronze that's running about. Vynret's attention is drawn to the cracking of another egg, revealing a blue. Ooo.

From the Galleries, "MOVE!" Damia then shouts, just as loud as the next person. "Sorana..." The woman groans. She's never going to Impress at this rate. And meanwhile, she hears 'Nanrene! From somwhere. And Damia isn't the only person in the place to know /that/ name. "Pyrene?" The baker asks, more of herself than of anyone else. How could she have missed the new knot on /that/ woman's shoulder. "PYrene!" She shouts, more as a sort of bolsterer of confidence than to really get the woman's attention. AFter all, what good would getting her attention be? She needs all of it for the heat of the sands and the bronze/blue/browns out there. Or the blues painted bronze. Whatever.

Lyrica just can't resist. A small dot of pinkish tongue flashes out of the rainbow mixture of colors still present on her skin for a moment in Edaeyn's direction and then she shrugs, "Nah, never happen." There, she's safe.

"Blue!" Tai squeaks, beaming. "Pretty," she adds, head cocked to this side.

And /now/ it gets interesting. "Blue." Pyrene makes a face and Auri is clutched all the tighter. She might need a brat shield... you never know...

Pia gasps, feet somehow impeding her fearful flight rather than aiding. "Get it /away/!" But away it goes, fortunately, and the Candidate lapses back into jitters, feet shuffling down into the sands in hope of some trace of coolness.

Who's afraid of the big bad bronze, the big bad bronze, the big bad...yah. Well, Auri is. But then the blue distracts her, and she smiles sweetly in his direction. "Aw...that's a cute little dragonet. He doesn't look very blue at all." Not in hue, in temperament. Blue's are evil, remember? At least, according to Pyrene.

Zali pulls her lip in again, the poor thing would become tattered if she doesn't stop doing so. Loosing sight of the brown, she keeps both eyes upon the bronze. He looked... dangerous to say the least. Shuffling her feet, she again tries to push back errant locks of sienna before tugging gently on Lyrica's hand. "Spot anyone in the sands?" she asks, loud enough for her friend to hear. Leaning, she glances at Sorana then back towards the peopled Galleries.

From the Galleries, Caoileann sniffs at Kariel, not even /bothering/ to look back at him. "Because she's family, of course." Twit. Cao watches the brown circle, and leans forward just a touch more, while still snuggled in the embrace of Rauve's arm. "He's circling. Wonder if he found someone?"

Sorana suddenly /shrieks/, her grip on Vynret and Lyrica spasming once. "Vynret! The egg! It hatched! And--" she stops swaying, breathing, "He's absolutely stunning."

Miana opts eventually for simply gnawing like a madwoman at sculpted nails. Always a good way to pass the time, and eyes twitch wider (if possible) at epitome of elegance that spills next from the Golden Gate egg. Pretty. Yep, Blue and Brown, best colors. "Tatoria, /look/!" she points, as if the girl can't see them for herself.

Maurice doesn't move as that bronze terrifies people--he appears to simply not care, simply rocking back and forth in that candidate dance. /Hot/ sands.

Sasha glances up at the crowds watching - so many faces - she can't pick out anyone she recognises. Swinging her head back to the action unfolding on the sands, she admires the blue that has just hatched, and casts a jealous look at the boys, wondering who wil impress that handsome bronze...

Nuff bounces up and down again, making assorted happy noises about it being Blu. "Not quite purple, but..."

Ragis glances down the row of candidates and grins. "How's the foot, Loren? You ever find that second sandal?" he asks before he's drawn back to the eggs, noticing the blue that just tumbled out onto the sands.

Calissan is indeed breathing, albeit a little quickly. "Wow." That, too, is breathed - and well and truly inaudible over the Hatching Noise. Fidget, fidget. Let's ease the tension with small-talk? "See anything you like yet?" he asks, lifting his voice to carry to Ashan.

Celestine sighs at Gromytel, then looks around. "Ooh, blue. Blue is pretty. But this one is sorta sparkly... Aren't blues s'posed to be /blue?" Awww, isn't she logical?

Edaeyn's eyes widen at the sight of the blue, the smile garnering just a moment's wistful note before it fades and she simply wathces, milking the moments for all they're worth. Her eyes sneak sideways to observe the faces nearest each candidate, then gyrate, twist, settle at last on the blue with avid curiosity. Pure and simple.

Ayers Rock Egg isn't afraid of the big, bad, bronze. No. She is just rocking contently. Go to sleep. He's a creep. Dum-de-dum-de-dum-dum-dum. But wakey time will come soon enough for her.

Salea sweeps the sweat off her brown - even if she's not in the limelight, its still hot. Raised eyebrows spot the third newcomer - another male..."Ah! That one looks like a little lordling.." she comments, passing the water over to D'renn for a sip.

Geisha District of Kyoto Egg wriggles slightly, settling deeper into it's nest of sand. We will wait.

Egyptian Sphinx Egg doesn't move, just rests still beneath the golden sun that is Tiareth.

Tatoria ends up mouthing 'wow' again as she peers at the blue. Oh just...wow. She's never seen a blue quite like that before...She hops a little-partly becasue of hot sand and partly because of excitment-and grins at Miana. "Blue....Yes! Blue..." So she isn't color blind. That's good.

Ashan shakes her head in response to Cal's question... "Nope..." see? She's just not rider material... "They're all cool though..." she's got the best seat in the house... shift, shift.

Wolfish Wild Thing Bronze Dragonet , the big bad bronze, bares his teeth again happily impresses the one boy who stands his ground. No matter that Maurice stands his ground out of apathy, he's still there. That dark slathering snout is pushed towards the ferret-faced candidate, his growling now fading into happy -- still hungry -- snuffles.

Faye glances down a moment at Loren's one sandal - rather enviously? She has no sandals. Faranth knows Relena stole them ... "Oh, it's a lovely blue! And he has some really shiny colour, too. See, Lor?"

Roman Coliseum Egg flares up, the crimson end wobbling a bit before all falls silent once again.

From the Galleries, Irulan walks in.

Tiareth watches a candidate trying to get off the Sands and falls lower, sulking. Great. They don't even want her dragonets after all this trouble.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon Egg moves not. Neither the escalating commotion of the sands, nor the increased activity within causes the enigmatic egg to twitch at all.

D'renn takes the water gratefully, swallowing a mouthful before looking out over the Sands. "Wish they'd hurry up and Impress," he comments, passing the skin back to Salea. "Oooh, nice green over there...." There are of course other dragonets hatching all the time.

Regal Prince Charming Blue Dragonet picks himself up from the scattering of shards with sweeping ease, casting a look across the ocean of white robes and dingy sand. Let the festivities begin. A first step, and then a second, grace coming compartively easily as he begins to make the rounds of his subjects.

"Oh, s'fine, Ragis! T'anks for asking." Loren reverts her gaze back to Faye, nodding. "Yes, yes, pretty colors, very pretty colors, and kinda sparkly. S'neat." Sparkling is bad, though, to Loren; it stands out. Draws people. "Ooh, Faye, this is so exciti-i-i-ing!"

Wolfish Wild Thing Bronze Dragonet hears D'renn, and like a good little dragonet...

Wolfish Wild Thing Bronze Dragonet turns his jewel faceted eyes toward Maurice, and steps forward.

With that wolfish fellow safely Impressed, Pia heaves a huge sigh of relief. "He Impressed," she notes to Shawn, clutching her hand tightly. And, slightly louder, hails a "Congrats!" to the rather unfortunate lad. Least it's not her!

Edaeyn's fingers twitch and her shoulders tighten even further, the ex-guard stretching to almost full extension. Beyond that, however, there is no sign of nerves ... but isn't that enough? "Congratulations, M ..." she trails off, waiting for a name.

M'rice blinks. Wha-at? Him? Now? "Sendakth, you can't be serious. Me? Well, okay, fine, if you really decide you want /me/..." The new weyrling blinks up at D'renn... "Now what?"

Ashan also shouts her congratulations, desire to 'not be here' overwhelmed by the excitement of 'being here'

"Oh, good." Sorana breathes a sigh of relief, not relaxing, just less tense. "Oh! Maurice! Good job!" Now where did the rest of those dragonets get to...

Pyrene cheers delightedly. "Maurice!!" she calls, and then in an undertone to Auri, "That /was/ his name, wasn't it?? And Sendakth! Lovely!" There. OK, first one down, 21 to go and then she can go get drunk.

Auri relaxes. It's gone. Whew. Blonde curls are tucked behind perky ears compulsively. Gee...she's sweating up a storm. And this robe is helping either. She wiggles her bare toes. Neither is the lack of sandals. She beams at Pyrene. "Isn't it just lovely here? Nice and warm."

Ashan might just get drunk too after this days work now how is that for a shocker?

Miana settles, eventually...yep...big, bad bronze is off with some /other/ victim to torture now, and faint fingerwiggle of congratulations is rewarded to the 'victim'. Cheerful Mia! "Sendakth!" she reiterates, mostly to Tatoria, just because...Mia's observant?

Ragis sighs in relief as that bronze Impresses way far away from him, he grins and calls his congratulations. He turns his attention back to the brown and blue and ponders.

Roving Puss-in-Boots Brown Dragonet sees his chance and slinks forward hastily. Just a little bit out of line with the others, perhaps they danced the Sand-dance away from her or she danced the Sand-dance away from him. Pussy-footing around the other, not-his candidates, he soaks in her sienna hair and her eyes, light like him. Come to the castle I've gotten just for you.

Sasha's eyes glow with pleasure only being able to imagine what the boy is feeling "Well done Maurice! He's wonderful!"

From the Galleries, Rauve smiles blandly toward the sands, thin brow etching ever upward. "Ah, Cao... they're so beautiful...Impression?!" all this expressed in a coarse whisper, though inflection clearly reveals emotion. "Congrats," he murmurs to the fellow now joined with /that/ bronze, Cao leaned against for a brace. "Wish that brown would Impress already."

Gromytel looks at Edaeyn. "Hey! Where're ya going... They only got a couple out!" True enough. And then the bronze Impresses. "Awww... Geez. How comes I didn't get bronze?" As if that's the only one. "Or brown... And that blue's icky. It's all sparkly... sparkles are for /girls/." And everyone knows girls are icky.

"Over here, M'rice... and Sendakth," D'renn beckons. "You'll have to wait till it's all over then it's time to go and eat..." Looks like that bronze will be /hungry/ too.

Roving Puss-in-Boots Brown Dragonet turns his jewel faceted eyes toward Zali, and steps forward.

Maurice? Oh well, why not. "Congratulations!" is called softly though it should carry to the new bronzerider and Thesy's attention is drawn back to ... well, you know.

Vynret breathes a slight sigh, either from pure anxiety or the fact that that wild bronze is no longer a threat. He turns toward the galleries for a moment, maybe looking for some familiar faces, but the rippling heat obscures their features.

Lyrica shouts her own congratulations and grins again, did she bet on him too? Most likely, "Well, looks like this is going to end up being a good hatching after all." Her eyes flicker over to Edaeyn, "And I'll be thirsty enough by the time it's over." She looks at Ashan and calls, as softly as she can while still being heard, "Want to get together afterward? We can drink to their sleepless nights." Yes, she's going home after this.. but wait, Zali is... "Zali?" She asks, "What's his name?"

From the Galleries, Caoileann smiles, big and wide, and says in a hushed voice, "It's so...wow." A quick nudge given to Rauve. "Look. He picked. And it's...ooh! Zali!

"Oh! M'rice, M'rice! Congratul/a/tions to you!" Loren waves an arm frantically at fellow-Candidate-turned-Weyrling, and /glows/ with cheer. "Wonderful, wonderful, Faye! Two more out, now. Brown-and-blue, isn't that neat? ..ooh, ooh! Zali! ZAAALIIIII! Congrats, /congrats/!" Finally, someone she /knows/! "Zali, Zali! How great, great!"

Ashan eeps as she jumps when Zali impresses... she just squeals...cool cool

Tatoria grins. Ipression is made! "Way to go!" She calls out, cheering, and turns her attention bakc ot wobbling eggs and wobbly dragonets...and how hot the sands are....suddenly focusing on that agian. Must-concentrait-on-eggs-and-dragons....

"Congratu/lations/, Maurice!" Faye waggles a hand to him 'fore attention snaps back to other dragonets. "Loren, Loren - there's so many eggies."

"ZALI!" Pia gasps, bouncing on burnt-toes to beam at her friend. "You did it!" Shawn's hand is shaken in the excitement, ex-Vintner turning to gleam at her sands-mate.

M'rice wanders, with Sendakth bouncing behind him, over to D'renn. Apathetic candidate looks slightly less than uninterested now, roving glittering eyes peering down at Sendakth in wonder. "Well."

From the Galleries, Akira comes up the stairs.

Pyrene screams again. "Zali! What did I say? What did I say?" she gloats smugly, feet shifting, "I told you so!"

Ashan eeps again as Pia starts crushing her hand tighter... she reaches over to pry the candidates hand off... "Pia... you're hurtin' me..." she drawls

Sasha sighs with a curious mixture of deep happiness and contentment, tempered with a tinge of disappointment. Turning to Zali her face glows in heartfelt congratulation. "Oh well done!....Well done! You are soooo lucky!"

"Wait -- who was that? Who? Who?!" Sorana peers, jumping upward -- never mind about Vynret and Lyrica's hands. "ZALI!!!!!!" Call it a bugle, call it a shriek, call it a scream: whatever it is, it gets her point across. "Oh, Zali!"

Edaeyn blinks a little at Gromytel in seeming confusion. "Going? I'm not going anywhere ... and I think they're all wonderful ..." her voice drops soft, wistful, then swoops upwards, "congratulations, Zali! He's beautiful ..." Handsome? Well, hopefully the dragon won't take offense.

On the Gallery ledges, Saoirse gleams wickedly toward the sands. That bronze (and the rider that goes with him) are already on her Zephyr recruitment list.

Miana peeps up, what? Zali something? Oh! She impressed. "Great, Zali!" comes a hearty congratulations from seafaring Tillekian trader who is evidently loud and obnoxious when she wants to be. Well, brown out of the question, Mia settles for obsessing at the distinctly resplendant blue.

Nuff fluffs her purple skirts -- all twelve layers of gauze, and leaps off Tiareth's paw. The skirts flare and billow in the heat, bustling out around her so that she almost just sinks onto the Sand. "See that? I told them Zali would be one of the first but did they believe me? No... they said she was too skinny."

Ragis grins at Zali and calls, "Congratz, Zali......we told you....." He sighs softly and sifts once more, the heat begining to be a bother it seems.

From the Galleries, Aife comes up the stairs.

On the Gallery ledges, Nali leaps to her feet and adds her congratulations to all the others. "Zali! Congratulations!" Not that her former fellow Candidate is likely to hear her, absorbed in her brand new lifemate, but Nali the brownrider just had to congratulate Zali the brownrider.

Regal Prince Charming Blue Dragonet paces forward, gait gaining speed without the appearance of rushing as his eyes dance from one white figure to the next. No, not that one. Or that one. He needs a proper damsel. Pyrene gets a passing glance, mildly speculative, but is quickly discarded as a option. He knows where he'll be appreciated.

Auri hops, and waves a congratulatory signature Auri-wave in um...congratulations? "Yay Zali! Zalizalizali!" Cheerful as ever, never mind the heat. "Lucky," she says admiringly. "It's got pink on it, too." Yes, we /know/,Auri.

Tiareth watches the Candidate leave again, and falls deeper into despair. Unwanted. Unloved.

From the Galleries, "Oh sweet egg'a Estsanth, Zali Impressed!" Ndi squeals, practically tottering off of the gallery ledges in her excitement. Her fellow Candidate. Impressing. "Whooooooooo! Go, Zali! Go, Zali!"

From the Galleries, Rauve blinks. "Took him long enough," he quips in quick response to Cao, grinning lopsidedly. He eyes Miana for a long moment, then Edaeyn again. "Cripes," he mumbles gently, tentatively watching the goo-slathered creatures wobble around.

Faye's hand waggles now, to former Dolphincrafter, a cheerful, "Zaaaaaali!", called to her. Then it's back to dragonet-and-egg oogling. "Lookit, most of the eggs are /moving/, Loren."

From the Galleries, Aife is late, late, late! In a swish of green linen and red hair, she hurries up to the edge of the galleries, foregoing an actual seat in favour of leaning over the railing to better see the sands.

From the Galleries, "Go Maurice!" Of course, Damia doesn't actually /know/ the now-Weyrling -- she's picking those things up from other people. and then another one Impresses. "What's the name what's the name what's the name?" Lets be /really/ annoying, eh? What /is/ the name of that delightful brown that the ex-dolphineer Impressed, eh? And of course, the little child cradled in DAmia's arms is just as jubilant, caught up in the moment. And meanwhile, Wyrre has taken an express interest in the blue dragonet that has just popped out of its shell. Well, just is relative...Anyhoo, the blue is all but falling off the raling, staring at the newly-hatched. He's /just/ like Wyrre. Only bigger. And less experienced. The blue flit puffs out his chest, strutting about on the rail. See? /This/ is how it's done. And Risidan joins him, just thinking he's all that ;).

Tatoria congradualates another person. "Yeah...Zali!" Oh...there's that blue again..moving...loking..Pyrene? No? Then who? She shifts from foot-to-foot, watching, leaning over, just slightly, as if it will get her a better look.

On the Gallery ledges, Banoth coolly extends a forearm for a step so Nali can swing up and compose herself in the natural saddle between two neckridges.

Zali looks at Lyrica in surprise, sapphire eyes not sure of what to do. Then she feels it and turns back, the wide optics still unsure. Releasing Lyri's hand, she slowly sinks down and wraps her arms about the little brown.. and what's that? A tiny tear trickles down her face. "Puizuth?" says her soft voice, testing it out before she turns shining eyes towards her friends. "His name is Puizuth!" comes her happy cry.

Kh'et smiles and nods his approval (as if he had any choice in the matter). Finally, he's not the youngest bronzerider about anymore. "Congradulations...." sent to both brown and bronze.

On the Gallery ledges, Banoth goes home.

"I know, I know! Ooh, Zali, Zalizalizalizalizali, tha's /wonderful/! Great-great!" Loren doesn't care about /names/ just now; people she knows are much more important. "Ooh, yes they are, Faye! Which do'ya think'll be next?"

Pia lightens her clingy grip on Shawn's hand apologetically. "Sorry," is her absent reply, attention focused as it is on the exploding eggs. "Yeah, Zali!" She carols again. He has a /name/ now.

Pyrene squeezes Auri's hand absently. "I'm sure there'll be another pink dragon for you, dear..." she murmurs, smiling at Puizuth and Zali. The blue gets a frown, but at least Auri's safe from being used as maul-protection.

Ashan swipes her eye with her free hand... She's not crying, nope that's not a tear... that's sand in her eye... yup... /really/... and a glare gets caste toward anyone that thinks different...

Celestine squeals, bouncing up and down with excitement. Or pain, if those sandals aren't thick enough. "Oooh! Zali!!!!!!!!!! Good for you!" Yep, time to yell. And so she does, in a surprisingly loud voice. "Ohhh... Puizuth! He's beautiful, Zali!" Awww...

Salea shepherds the new lifemates out of the chose - mess - that's the sands. "Congratulations, Zali, M'rice..." she continues down the line, helping to sort out dragonets and lifemates alike.

Sorana muses over the name, a wide grin of delight spreading 'cross her rather heat-flushed features. "Puizuth....Lovely name, Zali!" she finally calls, beaming. Zali. Puizuth. A nudge goes to Vynret. "Isn't he lovely?"

From the Galleries, Two vintners are leaning over the rails peering and watching Pia there down below nudging each other as if punctuating their unheard conversation. While another glares at them and sends down probably unheard well wishes to the candidate.

From the Galleries, Atandra walks in.

"Puizuth ..." Edaeyn savors the name with a vibrant smile, though she blinks once in a fashion that might be taken as suspiciously slow. "Puizuth, Sendakth ..." And she waits for another name to add to the list.

Faye tightens her grip on Loren's arm - poor her - toes wiggling in anticipation as she peers at egglets and dragonets. "Yeah, Zali and Puizuth!" she calls one last time. Whee.

Lyrica flashes Zali a smile as she walks away, leaving one hand free and slightly red, "Congratulations." She nods and then tunrs her attention back toward the eggs, "Now.. I wonder.. I did wager on all of them so... " So now she waits.

Vynret notices another Impression--the first brown, and Zali. Everyone else's done such a good job in yelling their congratulations, he decides to remain virtually silent, continuing to watch the eggs and dragonets on the sands. "Erm." He's a little startled by Sorana's nudge and question, "Yeah..." he mutters.

Ifnesh blinks glazed eyes at the new riders. "...yeeeeah..." Curls are brushed out of his eyes, dazed. "Zali. Puizuth. Congrats. Darkeness. Light. ...yeeeeah..."

Congratulations are hollered this way and then, before: "Hey, Shawn.. hot enough for you?" Calissan is attempting that small-talk stuff again, as he's been watching everything, and saw the sand in her eye, y'see. He's also participating in the Sands Dance - up, down, up, down. It's certainly hot enough for him.

Miana just...kinda...echoes everyone else in their commendable notes on Zali and her dragon's announced name. She simply wiggles beside Tatoria, high-strung with eager vibes. Yep, Tatoria is apparently her chosen person to torture with blatantly obvious statements for the time being.

Green green green stalks across the sand with spindly chicken legs. And Yagath finds her slave in innocent young Baba.

A couple of smaller eggs hatch together, dumping two little draognets onto the sands. One is small, and dark, and purpley-blue, and one is small and pale and heather-lavender and green. Together they stand, shoulder to shoulder, as if afraid to go further.

Zali slowly staggers to her feet and moves towards D'renn, her eyes flicking back down to her new little life-mate then back up. She can't believe it... she always thought it was a mistake she was Searched. One hand reaches out towards Puizuth and a loving smile creeps across her lips.

Ashan really actually did have sand in her eye... and she just beamikles over at Cal.. yup, she's hot...uh huh...who isn't?

Regal Prince Charming Blue Dragonet seems to accumulate a growing sense of urgency, snaking his way from one batch of candidates to the next and sniffing at them with the poise of a connoisseur before rejecting each one. /His/ princess isn't in this bunch, or that bunch, or even that one. With a huff of royal irritation, he skirts around the groups to continue his search, drawn to a particular set of clinging candidates.

Ragis wipes the back of his hand over his brow, ridding it of sweatbeads and looks expectantly back at the brown. "Wonder what's taking him so long to choose? To many to choose from maybe?" he says softly, not even bothering if someone hears him or not. He shifts once more as hte heat starts to creep up that leg.

Dancing Loren, dancing Loren. Isn't this wonderful? Loren's making a fool of herself in front of half of Pern, and she's yet to notice. "Ooh, Faye, this is so /exciting!/ I can't wait 'til the next egg Hatches! And loot that blue, he's so /neat/. Regalish, you know?" Hop-hop, cling-cling; let's just hope Faye doesn't mind this.

Pyrene sighs and points to the pair of dragonets. "Another blue!" she notes in despair. OK, she knew there had to be /some/, but how many do they really /need/??

Gromytel, not finding anything to watch in the current group, sucks at the bit of candy in his hand. "Hey... those two sorta look like treats," he comments idly, waving in the direction of the new-hatched green and brown. "A little too purply.

Auri isn't. Hot that is. She's..."Pleasantly warm," she adds to Pyrene, describing what she feels the climate on the sands is like. Never mind the steadily soaking robe she's in. She blinks at the Prince Charming Dragonet. "Are you sure /all/ blues are evil, Nanrene. This one looks awfully nice." Uh-oh. Auri's doubting authority. That's not good.

Edaeyn takes a deep breath, foot scuffing in the sands in restless movement ... and unfortunately, she tips some into her sandal. She hisses softly, attention snapping away from the eggs as she tries to shake it out. Otherwise, she remains anchored: no shuffling here.

Ayers Rock Egg doesn't need any blue dragons actually. Even if its rocking does get faster. Not quite a lullabye anymore. Rock and roll, perhaps. But not quite yet. It's time is not here.

Miana rocks, back 'n' forth and so on, occasionally bouncing at the heat baking her poor, scorched feet. Shoulda worn sandals. Shoulda worn sandals. Her best interests are in the legions of dragonets that now pour unto the sands. Umm...wow?

Nuff bounces happily in her skirts, though its hard to tell, and claps. "See? Oh Tiareth, you darling. You /did/ make some purple ones. You darling, darling dragon."

Faye eyes her not-so well-sewn robe, giving ivory cloth a light tug with not-Loren-squishing-hand. "Lor, I think I should've put an extra row of stitching in," she murmurs, poking at where scrap, white fabric and pillowcase meet. "See?"

From the Galleries, Oh how very un-prince-like. Wyrre would know what to do. You don't go /looking/ for your princess, silly dragonet, /she/ comes looking for you! You're royalty, plus a man, and therefore higher in stature than her. The silly litle blue flit shakes his head in mockery of the dragonet below him. Sigh. Some never do learn. "Go fer it Auri!" She'll bet the blue likes /piiiiink/. And yet, she doesn't say that. After all, she doesn't know what the poor, Hatching-stressed girl would say. She has a better chance of Impressing if 'mia doesn't join in. Thel ittle child in her arms wiggles about, pointing here and there. "They are lovely, aren't they?"

Sorana's eyes train back on the blue, as she shifts again, sweaty hands moving slightly. Icky sweat. "Vynret," she whispers, green eyes wiiiide. "Where d'you think he's going?" Of course Vynret knows she's talking about the blue: who else?

Pia wedges a toe into the sand, feet hunting for some tiny morsel of relief amid the too-hot ground. "I wish I'd brought sandles," whines the Candidate. "My feet are burning!" Lifting one, she prods the sole with her finger. "/Burning/!"

Tatoria does a few more steps in the 'Hot Sands' dance and suddnely stops...at least for a few moments as she calls out the obvious. "Greeeeeeen! Bluuuuuue!" Green-blue....er..Green and blue...Eye's fixed on the pair, but mostly on the green, a smile slinks onto her face. Greeen...

Geisha District of Kyoto Egg shifts--just that, no more, no less, it is not it's time.

Sasha glances at Pyrene over Auri's head unable to speak - it's all too overwhelming. Auri likes the blue, Pyrene's face is a picture!

Lyrica looks over at Auri and her towel turned robe then notices her bare feet, "Auri... she's going to be roasted by the time this is over with." She does notice the two hatching but only nods; seems she got that one right too but was wrong about somethng else. Faye and Loren get a chuckle before she turns back to Sorana, "Hot.. it's sharding hot.. I should have just worn my boots..."

"Clever old Tiareth..." D'renn replies to Nuff rather sarcastically. Purple. Huh.

Ashan looks down at Pia's feet... s'not a pretty sight nope, but she's not gonna tell Pia that is she? "Don't worry, Pia... looks like you won't be able to feel 'em much longer..." shift, shift... she could give Pia one of hers and they could stand there together like storks? Nah...

"Hrm, uh?" Vynret blurts, glancing toward the Candidate that feels the need to squeeze his hand till it falls off. "Wull... I dunno," he offers, with a slight shrug. Whatever she asked, his is the universal answer.

Regal Prince Charming Blue Dragonet floats his gaze with no small amount of boredom over the debutantes before him. Sigh. He's seen it all - but wait! Dancing gingerly through the heat, his neck cranes over the white-robed crowd for the flaxen-haired beauty that's caught his iridescent eye. Limbs plant in the sand as he all but stumbles to a stop, presenting himself with a draconic parody of a bow. Rising with a flourish of tail at Faye, the dream in a hastily stitched candidate robe, he claims her happy ending as his own as he gazes into hazel eyes.

Pyrene glares down at Auri. "I told you that robe was bad for you... The heat's affecting your brain. Pleasantly warm!" She grumbles for a minute before finally declaring: "/All/ blues are evil--Faye!! Oh, congrats!" Who said she had to be consistent?

Pearl of Bahrain Egg clouds over as tiny striations wreak havoc on its surface, its centerpiece orb seeming to pop whole from the watery background. The brittle structure collapses around a slick green form, born into the world riding upon a clamshell-shaped piece of her egg.

Mischievous Goldilocks Green Dragonet
 Virescent shades undulate gently over the soft hide of her cherubic form, rippling down a smooth neck as grass-green mingles with glints of molten gold. Innocence reflects in a glittery halo, subtly dusted with malachite, set primly atop her crown while her slim muzzle tapers into a childlike expression. Inordinate wings carry a tallow hue, pale green whispering lightly along the 'sails. Beryl spills across the capacious frame, her youthful appearance shifting with the tenebrious shades that stretch down her throat to hint at a vespertine nature. Verditure comes to a conclusion, vibrant emerald fairy-brushed along her back, winding down to tail and silver-taloned paws alike.

"Ooh, maybe you should'a.. but i's too late, now, right? We gotta /stand/ here now. Hot. Burning feet." Ever so eloquent Loren is, with all those nice verbs and adjectives. Blue is noticed, and so is Faye. "Faye? FAYE! Faye, Faye! Oh, oh Faranth, Faye! Faye, you Impressed! Faye!" Cheer, Loren does. A /lot/. "Oh, oh, wha's his name?!"

Celestine is practically giggly, now. "Hey, look! /Purple/ dragons!" Two of them, to be precise. But what else, from Tiareth. "Oooooh. Faye! Faye, isn't he /beautiful/?" And he's Faye's, too, sparkles and all. "Aww... It's all so touching," she sniffles, wiping a tear from her face shamelessly.

Regal Prince Charming Blue Dragonet turns his jewel faceted eyes toward Faye, and steps forward.

"Faye!" is Pia's gleeful exclimation, foot dropped with a thud in her excitement. "You did it!" And then there's the gold, and she stares in a sudden nervous awe.

Edaeyn reaches up callused fingers to smooth tightly-curled, damp hair out of her eyes ... her fingers pause at temples as the blue makes his choice. "Faye!" she choruses with the others, with the small distinction of being below most of the females in pitch. Deny individuality.

The little wrinkly puprle blue finally heads, looking somewhat like a gnome in search of trouble to hide in. No not you, no not you, no not... hullo. The dragonet tilts its head at the young Harper Candidate Arumpall and tilts his head.

From the Galleries, "Faaaaayyyye!" The shout rings loud and true across the Caverns, along with so many for everyone's favorite baker. "She's done it!" The woman turns to her miner companions with a grin and a grin and another grn. "She's got a dragon! She's /always/ wanted one and now she's got one!" In the heat of the moment, Damia even manages to keep back tears of joy and regret. Such a happy occasion! "What's 'is name?" she inquires, leaning over the rail so that even the little child in her arms giggles with the enjoyment of being so high of the ground. That, fortunatley, cues 'mia to lean back just a little, eager as she is.

From the Galleries, Tegran comes up the stairs.

Lyrica does glance back at Fay once more, just in time to catch her impression, "Faye? Congratulations!!!" She calls, seeming quite happy with this turn, "I knew it, I just knew it and I should have wagered on her... oh well, guess I'll listen to myself next time." That is, if she can quit talking to herself, eh? She shakes her head and then stands there watching, shifting again from one foot to the other to avoid the heat of the sands.

"Faye, Faye, over here!" D'renn gets to call this one, pleased and proud for Faye. And it's blue.

Ragis gapes slightly as the blue stops in front of Faye.....now that was unexpected. "Gratz, Faye! What's his name?" he calls down the line. He turns back to the other eggs and wonders which will crack now.

"Oh--my--Faye!" Sorana squeals, voice dissolving into shrieks as she point-point-points at Faye. "What's his name, Faye?!" Vynret is, again, nudged. "Look Vyn! Isn't he perfect for her?"

From the Galleries, Akira nearly falls off galleries jumping. "Oh lookit! Look! It's /Faye/! That's Faye the Fah! It's Fah! Friendly Faye! Cook Faye! She impressed! See the blue? Well it impressed to /her/, and she impressed to /him/, and it's Faye!" Whee! "Oh, what is the name?"

Ashan squeals again, "Faye!" whee! and down goes another one

Miana squeeps, another Impression? They all vanish too quickly, and a jubilant squeak of "Congrats, Faye!" courses o'er the thickened crowd of candidates amid the other complimenting cries. Yes, Faye /deserved/ that dragonet. Now...who else to bother? Oooh, green? Pretty.

Arumpall is quick to fall to his knees, nodding his head. "I do know your name, I do! Stiltskinth stiltskinth stiltskinth!" And so he becomes R'mpl.

From the Galleries, Blue-green eyes lift with the loud shout of a name, but Kerine just grins indulgently, looking back to the sands. Ah, hatching day. What fun.

Salea is standing in amoungst the new Weyrlings, enjoying the frazzled, fusion of new partners-for-life. Lookinng to D'renn, she grins, "Looks like we'll be busy.." she nearly cheers.

See Auri's jaw. See Auri's jaw drop. See Auri take much constraint not to drool. "G...g...greeeeeen." Pyrene's hand is dropped, 'pleasant' heat ignored. "P...preeeetty."

Tatoria waves her hands in the air. "YEah /Faye/!!!" A grin, a hoot, and a dance later, Tat, is back staring in random eggs and dragons. OOoooooooo. Greeeeeeee. She shifts on the sand. Impressions impressions everywhere!

"Green," Pia amends her thought, flashing a sheepish smile at her sands-mate. "And isn't it adorable?" coos the Candidate. "So ladylike!"

Blink. Blink. Blink. Faye abruptly lets go of Loren's arm, delicately curling them 'round blue dragonet, instead. "His name is Lainnoth!" she announces to those wishing to know, still blinking. "Yessir, D'renn!" And the two head Weyrlingmaster-wards.

Nuff wrinkles her nose at D'renn. "Well I like purple, even if they always grow into some other color afterwards. We remember, don't we Tiareth, which ones started out the right color?"

Mischievous Goldilocks Green Dragonet lets out a vexed creel as she pops into the world. Cold, cruel world. Lifting herself off of her pleasantly plump behind, the green goes in search of a nice, little egg shell to get back into. She broke hers.

From the Galleries, Sieryn walks in.

"No more Faye," Loren murmurs quietly, glowing at her newly-Impressed friend. "Faye, ooh, Faye!" Green is given a quick glance, and Loren nods appraisingly towards it as her friend moves away. "Faye, Faye, Faye, Faye and handosme-blue Lainnoth.. ooh, oh Faye! This is /wonderful!" Loren beams. /Beams/. Her friend Impressed; she /has/ to stay here now, Impression or not. Loren wants to visit.

From the Galleries, Irulan tilts her head to peer with thinly veiled disdain at the sands. "Dragons!" She wouldna have come, but that nanny who'd been looking after her had hitched a ride, so poor Iru had to go to.

From the Galleries, Caoileann noddles rather belatedly at Rauve, so caught up in the hatching at times that it's only that anchor of arm and side that's keeping her tied to the earth. So much all at once, and all so wonderful to watch. A soft exhalation of breath as the green hatches...and a big beam for Faye, even though she can't see it.

Ayers Rock Egg rocks. Rolls. Cracks. Booms! Open goes the shell and out stumbles a little brown creature, seemingly sleepy and confused. Who? What? Where? Oh! Sands! Time to pick someone! Little limbs are stretched out and eyes are blinked in a draconic yawn as he sallies forth into the big bad world.

Pudgy Poppa Bear Brown Dragonet
 Colours created from the sandman's dream coalesce as this fabled dagon, whipping imagination and fancy into a soft, rounded, brown-tufted visage and gruff-growly body. Specks of gold, bronze, and deeper earth-tones furry his spindly headknobs, fuzz the blunted claws of neckridges and spine, and fade to too-hot porridge at the tip of his truncated tail; milky klah traces patterns up wingarches to spars before it runnels into those gentle, oversized sails and splashes down onto his fubsy forelegs. Filled with paradoxes, he is lean but not angular, muscular but not bulky, and both podgy and strong as gruffness and indulgence are combined beneath that velvet-crushed hide.

Gromytel runs a hand across his forehead, wiping away sweat. "Yikes, it's hot... Oh, good. I don't like that sparkly thing... "Eeeeew. Green. Green is for /girls/." Luckily for him, someone out there actually /does/ like it.

Sasha's heart leaps as one more of the eggs begins to crack. Craning her neck, she tries to catch a glimpse of the little creature emerging - "It's coming....it's breaking out!" she whispers, more to herself than to anyone in particular.

Vynret nods again, just as dumbly, to Sorana. "Y..." he trails off, noting the blue's Impression to Faye, and then a few more. Gee, they're Impressing all around him. More dragonets hatch, drawing his attention; a green and a brown.

From the Galleries, Sieryn overhears the comment. "Green is for /girls/? I don't know about that.."

Ragis blinks as a pair of eggs split and a green and a brown make their appearances. He sighs and looks at them both in appreciation, both beautiful despite the egg-goo that hangs onto them.

Miana oohs, 'nother brown. Makes Miatwit happy, doncha know, 'n' the painfully evident observations set off again from the ex-Trader to a poor, tortured Tatoria. "Looklooklook! Another brown! They're the best color, ya know." Go ahead, she dares someone to disagree.

Celestine giggles, and laughs, and nearly falls over. "Aiee... It's so cuuuuute! Awww... Isn't she special?" Oh, dear. "Ooooh, brown... Lookit that brown. It's so purdy!" Sheesh.

Pyrene eyes R'mpl and Stiltskinth, before snatching up Auri's hand. "What is it? Are you alright? You can't take that robe off now--Oh, the green?" she peers at the creature. "Yes, very pretty. Not blue either." Let's keep pointing out those morals.... if once a brat always a brat, then perhaps the same thing applies even to reluctant nannies.

London Eye Egg chucks, sliding onto one side. Depressively, it stops moving, still, but basking in the heat of the sands.

Tatoria dances on the sand. something she'd normally be proud off, dancing and all, and it really doesn't bother her that she's dancing, but that /heat/ is a killer. "Oh! Brown! Brown!" She smiles at Miana. Brown is nice, but so is green...

Pudgy Poppa Bear Brown Dragonet is brought out of his hibernation. Oh. Dear. Blink. Blink. A little stretch of the wings as he shakes out all his stubby limbs. Someone had cracked /his/ egg. Or perhaps he did it. Oh. No matter. Little head turns around at Things to Pursue.

"Lainnoth ..." And another name joins Edaeyn's congregation of memories, held to because she knows it's all she'll gain from this. The brown gets a sharpened gaze, amusement and detachment ... the latter slowly crumbling, but the amusement just building with each moment.

Ashan can't focus on any one thing and its giving her a headache... she she just squeezes, hops, and closes her eyes for a moment only to glance up to see the brown emerging. A quick check...yup, things are still moving forward despite the heat

Sorana's head, once again, whips around, several blinks heralding her cry: "Green! Brown! Lovely!" This time she nudges both of her peers, saying, "Oh, my aren't they lovely. And that brown--with the gold pieces on him--and the green, too...Lyri, Vyn, aren't they darling?"

Geisha District of Kyoto Egg trembles. Soon. Yes, soon it will be time.

"Ooh, brown." With Faye gone, Loren only has the dragons to talk to; the other Candidates are clinging to everyone else, and Loren doesn't wanna interrupt. T'is impolite, you know. "Brown.. so nice.. i's not like the other browns. I's chubby." Too many cookies; that's why Loren's robe looks a bit tight.

Sasha gazes across the sands, at the newly hatched brown and green. Her eyes widened considerably at the enormous cracking sound and the fear through her body is emphasised by the violent quivering of her limbs.

Mischievous Goldilocks Green Dragonet :'s chubby limbs take her by Candidate after Candidate, an occasional niggling thought - hunger? - causing her to sniff at this bare foot or that sandaled one. A clutchbrother's empty egg draws her tenuous attention, and she makes hastilly towards the abandoned shell.

From the Galleries, As much could be said for the besotted Rauve, his eyes keenly attentive, ever scoping over the sands. His hand twitches and tightens as another brown is hatched, fawn brows risen comically high. "Cao, Cao, Cao.." he murmurs repetitively, blinking a himself.

Auri regains composure with a quick flutter of thick lashes. The little golden candidate places both hands on her hips. "That brown needs to go on a diet." And then, in a lower tone, "Like D'renn." And she means this earnestly really. Then back the girl goes to mentally worshipping the green.

The scent of fried eggs scents the cavern as the clear stuff drips from dragonet wings and flanks, sizzling on the volcano heated sands.

The little puprlish-green, all lavender and spice and all things nice, steps -- no, cances -- out towards the candidates. She moves like a song, nevermind the provencal quilting to her light sails and svelte haunches. And then there is a candidate in her way.

Lyrica raises an eyebrow and, if she weren't dyed a few pretty shades, she'd probably pale at the use of the word, "Um.. they're.. handsome dragons." She finally agrees and then lifts her chin just a bit; cute.. ugh. "I don't think that I can stand standing here.. well.. not for much longer." She notes, shifting back and forth a bit more now.

Miana bouncebounces a bit more, optics adhered to scattering of dragonets...all loping off in opposite directions. Worried? Perhaps, a pristine air is maintained, however, sweeping sable locks irritably from her eyes. Should've brought a tie.

Pia pulls her too-squeezed palm towards her body. "Shawn," she manages, "now you're hurting me!" Turn-about's fair play? Hardly. Glancing back onto the sands, she eyes the green. "Is it trying to get back into an egg?" is inquired of Ashan.

Ragis isn't clinging to anyone, doesn't really need to perhaps. He chuckles as the green tries to go back into an eggshell.....and not even her own. "Too bad it doesn't work like that, eh, Lor?" he says around the candidates between them.

Gromytel looks warily at Celestine, who looks about ready to topple. "Uh-oh. Watch out. That sand is hot..." And then, looking at the purple-green, he smirks. "Good. Thank goodness it's not /mine/. I don't want green, see," he informs everyone. "I want bronze. Or brown. Or mebbe blue..." Anything but green.

From the Galleries, Caoileann squeezes that hand in return, tearing her eyes from the sands to smile at Rauve, then letting them go right back again. "Rauve! Another brown. Lookit him, he's all pudgy...." Her eyes look for the white-robed figure that could be Loren. Hm. "Whatcha think? Loren?"

Pyrene looks worriedly at the green dragonet and backsteps a touch. She may not be blue, but she can still bite. "Auri, she's pretty, but keep in mind she's got sharp teeth, OK?" she checks. "And that brown is a /far/ superior creature to D'renn. It's just baby fat, and no matter his mental age, D'renn doesn't have that excuse." Her eyes follow the brown.. he's terribly pretty really.

Ashan shrugs, "I dunno..." she drawls... "Looks to me like she's investigating that egg the brown just came out of..." well, whatever... its hot, "Is it hot out here to you Pia?" she inquires too politely...the heat has gone to her brain you see

Pudgy Poppa Bear Brown Dragonet makes a dragon scowl over at Goldilocks. He may be new to the world, but no one is sleeping in his bed. Or ex-bed. And to that end, he dashes off towards Goldilocks. Nuh-uh. Not this way. /That/ way. Towards the candidates!

From the Galleries, Goldean walks in.

Loren giggles in the general direction of Ragis, nodding a bit as she cranes her neck to see where the Impressees went off to. "Yep-yep. She's funny, though, hmm?" Green is abandoned, and ex-runner's amethyst swivles back towards the brown. "He's funny, too. Tryin' 'ta get 'ere out here!"

From the Galleries, Goldean walks in quietly looking about to the group.

From the Galleries, Sieryn goes home.

D'renn heard Auri. And Pyrene. And makes a few, important mental notes.

From the Galleries, Coibre goes out.

Edaeyn watches the dragonets rush in all directions and takes a cautious step back, shoulders shivering a little before they relax. Nothing to worry about, really ... just stay alert, quick on your feet ... and remember. That's the most important part.

Miana simply oggles atta commanding brown. Ooh...that's a good thing! She's hyper, yes, 'n' lightning gaze flashes to the Galleries. Anyone she knows? Can't tell, but Melsa promised, and the trader is appeased. Dragonets are more interesting anyway.

Sorana's eyes stay on the brown, mostly, flicking a few times to the green -- "What on Pern is she doing?" -- before moving back. "Lovely, lovely, lovely. Isn't he, Vynret?" Vynret can't be tired of hearing that, can be? Of /course/ not...

"I'm doing ok," Pia notes, wrist lifted to sweep the accumulated sweat from her brow. "At least, not that you've stopped hurting my hand." Lips twist into an amused smile at the brown's indignation. "So now they'll fight over the egg instead of the Candidates?"

From the Galleries, Rauve grins faintly, abruptly maudlin gaze flickering toward Cao. "I've given up on guessing, I'm horrible at it, really," he answers, "That green's awfully pretty," the boy adds, for no apparent reason, lopsided smile only growing.

Oops. Mischievous Goldilocks Green Dragonet breaks her new egg as well, sending shards flying with a loud pop. An indignant shriek follows the collapse of the bed, and she reluctantly moves towards those in white at hunger's stimulus. Ashan is gravitated towards, those delicate nostrils twitching. Sniff. Sniff.

Ashan is carefully avoiding a glance to the ledges where her mother is... She's denying her presence you see... out of sight out of mind? Not hardly... she clears her throat and swats at the dust in front of her face, "Ew, sweat, yuck..." she grunt mumbles

On the Gallery ledges, Blink.. did she? She did!! As Mia-bird looks up, Xhuryth lifts silver denoted muzzle in a throaty bugle.. Melsa wildly waving her hand towards the Trader- if she is there, and if she does see, it's pure chance..... "MIIIIIIIIIIAAAAA!" She laughs, Proddy or not, Melsa shouts her support of her Mia-bird!

Tatoria blinks as the brown scammbles towards all the canidates in a hurry. Oh....Then there's still that green out there, althoguh the brown's nice....Oh drgons dragons everywhere! She bounces up-down-right-left. Slightly hyper...but really excited. Who isn't after all?

Auri stares at the brown. "That's not very nice," she comments, and it chases the green away. "That's like...not hospi-hosp-hospitable. Yah. Not hospitable. That's not polite." Hmph. Typical for a brown that doesn't contain any pink. Then, blue eyes turn back to the green...

Ragis chuckles at Loren's reply and nods. He watches both dragonets and hopes they'll both get themselves sorted out and head in the right direction. You just can't stay in bed on a lovely day like today, sun shining and dragoneggs cracking, tis too exciting, no?

From the Galleries, Andraya watches in silence, then a shift, a reformation of the knot of candidates, allows her to espy a quite familiar face. In a sudden, unprecedented upward leap, she shouts out "Go, Pyrene!" at the top of her eight-year-old lungs. Then face flushed crimson at her sudden fit of bravado, she sinks down to her haunches again. It wouldn't do for one of the nannies to spot her, not now, not while she has this prime, if terribly cramped, spot.

From the Galleries, Kaitlyn walks in.

Ashan takes a step back, dragging Pia with her... oy...

"Oh dear. Oh dear." D'renn watches Impressions left right and centre, fidgeting rather. At least he's not hot.

The candidate, Ibareast, stands his ground in front of the dancing green. He might not be the prettiest of Candidates. In fact he is even uglier than Ifnesh. And nevermind his beastly manners or his stable-boy aroma. He is right there.

From the Galleries, Goldean goes home.

Edaeyn's lips quirk, laughter silent there, though with an ever-so-slightly hysterical tinge to it. How many has it been? She runs through the count in her head, then the remainder, then again, soothing herself with the mantra of numbers.

Sasha suddenly exhales realising that she has forgotten in the excitement to breathe. This is too exciting, nothing like she imagined it would be - still in her mind over and over she is chanting If only...if only...

Pudgy Poppa Bear Brown Dragonet will pursue Goldilocks to the end of the woods! To the end of the earth! Well, at least to the end of the sands. But that's not quite necessary as he skitters after the green, and kicking up a bunch of sand as he does so. Snuff. Snuf. Not really touching her, but there is warning in his wuffs. Back, scoundrel! Back!

From the Galleries, Kaitlyn makes her way quietly into the galleries, finding a place to the back. Standing up on tiptoes, she watches the hatching down on the sands.

Miana wiggleswiggles. Yep, 'n' if Melsa is there, she gets a brief lil' fingerwiggle from a suddenly shy Miana, and one to Xhu. Okay, right...dragons. Green and brown. Focus?

Pia, drawn back by Shawn's grip on her wrist, stumbles. "Shawn, what are you---" Words break off when she sees the advance of the green. "Was it gonna run me over? Huh?"

On the Gallery ledges, Xhuryth absently bubbles.. she was waved at.. Croon.

Tiareth watches the unfolding saga with her eyes whirling. For comfort she edges a might closer to Chierrnath, though her tail is now propped near Nuff for solace.

Loren continues to giggle at the green's and brown's anticts, and pauses in her looking-for-Faye to focus on them. "Will they ever go search?" Candidate murmurs queitly, suddenly thoughtful. "Or maybe they'll just chase each other for a while more."

Ashan eeps... "No, its gonna run me over!" she squeals... especially since the pudgy brown is following... Pilot to bombadeer...mayday mayday

From the Galleries, Caoileann murmurs, "S'fun, though. Even if you don't guess right. An' she's gorgeous..." Her voice trails off as she peers. "Is that Shawn? She's sniffin' at Shawn!! Or is it Pia?" Hard to tell, and now she's craning her head.Trying to /see/.

Vynret's taken to little spells of nodding whenever someone near him says anything, so another of Sorana's questions is just nodded-at. Eyes still wandering the sea of eggs, candidates, and dragonets. Wow, by the way.

Pyrene watches in curiosity. "Ashan?" she wonders aloud and smirks. "Oh that'll be interesting... If she doesn't get run over." She peers anxiously across. She wants to see Ashan Impressed, not smushed.

Celestine chuckles at Gromytel. "He sounds just like Arthur... Awwww. Look at that little green. She's so ky/ooooot/!" And, swinging her head to look at another hatchling, her carefully-done bun wobbles a little, the large creation shivering in its red ribbon case.

Salea watches, in between her frequest walks up and down the far ends of the sands. Glancing out amoungst the Candidates, she welcomes in a new pair. "J'ck! and Beanstockth! Good, come join..."

Sorana edges just /slightly/ back -- "My, my, he's in a hurry," she notes, peering over another Candidate. "Who -- is he going to Shawn?" Nudge-nudge to Vynret. "D'you think he's going to Shawn, Vynret?"

Ibareast -- B'east -- brushes the sand from little Beautyth's nose and helps her over with the others. "I am hungry too, love."

Lyrica just smiles at Ashan, "Yep, and she didn't want to... maybe she'll change her mind now." The girl just beams, "Or... has it chosen yet? Well.." She waits, chewing her lower lip but.. really, she's not interested in the hatching, oh no, not in the least. Sorana is given a shrug of her shoulders, "I'd say Shawn.. "

"Both of them?" squeeks Pia, retreating with Shawn. "Oh, oh, what to do?" There's no where to run.

Auri shakes a finger at the offending brown. "Hey. Py...is he allowed to do that? That's kind of mean." She blinks. "Though everybody seems to like Ashan lots. I like Shawn, don't you Py?" But she likes the green too. *droool*.

Edaeyn tries very hard not to laugh at Ashan's plight, fingers twitching and tapping against her sides. "I hope you're not betting, Lyrica ..." is said in an exaggeratedly stern tone.

Zai lowers down to the side of Puizuth, one hand drapped lovingly over his neck while she watches her friends. So caught up is she in the Impression and watching her friends, that the hot sands don't bother her anymore. Go figure.

Ashan isn't changing her mind quite yet... she's backing up and panicking as two dragonets come barreling toward her... now this she did /not/ need...

Chiernnath croons to all his little dragonet's, managing to embarass his rider with paternal gushiness. Tiareth gets a distracted look before gaze returns to eggs, dragonets, and weyrlings.

D'renn shakes his head at the dragonets out there. Scary creatures. "I don't remember Trydanth's clutch being quite this..... forward," he comments to Salea, waving one hand vaguely in the air to beckon B'east and Beautyth over.

Mischievous Goldilocks Green Dragonet squawks pitiful as the big, scary brown causes her to veer away from Ashan. He's scary to /her/, anyway. Eyes scan over the candidates sadly, silvered paws plodding through hot sands until she finds herself confronted with her very own likeness: innocent, wide blue eyes and golden curls. Head dips piteously as she turns an entreating gaze up at Auri. Will she share her porridge? And maybe a bed?

"Best seat in the house, eh, Shawn?" Calissan calls, grinning lazily. Well, as lazily as one doin' the Sands Dance could be, of course. "Good color on that green," he remarks, nudging the Candidate beside him.

Mischievous Goldilocks Green Dragonet turns her jewel faceted eyes toward Auri, and steps forward.

Having successfully warded off the green menace that is Goldilocks green dragonet, Pudgy Papa Bear Brown turns his attentions to his charge that he has so valiantly defended. Hark! Fair maiden. Or at least this is implied by his various sniffs at Shawn's robe. And then accentuated by his muzzle thrust into her stomach and stare into her eyes. His robed thingy.

Pyrene spares a look for the parents at Chiernnath's croon. "They're very pretty!" she calls to him. She's getting bored now you see. Too blase to watch hatchlings... or maybe she's too afraid to see what happens to Ashan--until "Auri!" she squeaks, desperately leaping back and letting go of the girl. "Oh, my dear... Oh, congrats!" Genuine joy fills her eyes--hey! She finally got her out of the nurseries!

Sasha releases Auris and whispers "go on...she's yours!"

Gromytel watches Ashan and her situation. "Hey! That's not fair! How come a /girl/ gets two and I don't get any?" Yep, complain righteously. And then the green turns away. "Hey! That's not how it's s'posed to work... I wanna dragon! Or candy!" He's flexible.

From the Galleries, Rauve blinks at that thought, arching himself to get an view at her. "Pia on a /green/?" he wonders softly, mostly into Cao's ear. Chuckling, the sands are given another scan and.. "/Auri/ on a green?!" A uncharacteristically beaming smile flushes his face.

Edaeyn's laughter fades, dim silence on her lips for a moment as she runs over something in the back of her mind, then, with full heartiness in an unusually deep voice, "congratulations, Auri ... and Ashan! Or should I say, condolences?" is added with what hints at a smirk.

Fye is so very caught up in her handsome blue Lainnoth, you see - but when gaze lifts she's cheering on whichever Candidate or new-Weyrling comes into view. "Auri? /Auri/!! Yah!"

Miana peeps o'er various heads of fellow candies. Lanky height has its advantages, 'n' Mia goes wide-eyed. Big dragons...'bout to run someone over? Eeesh, anything for impression, she supposes, tugging vexingly at a lock of onyx. "Excellent, Aur! 'n' Shawn!" Cheerful cheerful!

From the Galleries, Kariel jumps up and yells, giggling frivolously. "Auriiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ahhhh! He can't stop giggling... or bouncing, for that matter.

Vynret barely gets time to register Sorana's question before the green looks toward another candidate and Shawn Impresses the brown. No answer needed, then, he supposes, and doesn't even nod to Sor.

Pudgy Poppa Bear Brown Dragonet turns his jewel faceted eyes toward Ashan, and steps forward.

Lyrica almost yells but stops herself, she's calm after all. "Congrats, Auri!" She calls, giving the girl a broad smile and then looking over at Ashan as she impresses as well, "Great! I knew it..Congrats Shawn!"

Tatoria watches, intent on the dragonets. Ready...waiting...boncing...dancing...trying to stay focused here. Brown...Green...Hazel? Ah...yeah. Focus. Dragons...Oh..HOT. Dance...Dance...up-down-right....Blink. "Yeah Auri!" Is yelled at the former candidate....now gone Rider and the other newly impressed..."Whoooooooo! Ashan!"

From the Galleries, Damia jumps up and down and up and down and up and down, regardless of the boy in her arms. "Go AURI!" Damia knows and Impression when she sees one. She hasn't lived at the Weyr for four turns /NOT/ to know one. "What's 'is name! She's Impressed! I can't believe it. My lovely little Auri has Impressed!" It's a proud moment for Damia and though sh emight not look it, she's very much Auri's mommy. Damiamum to be exact. Fostermother. Awwww...she's impressed. Saphpire optics practically melt as she gazes down on her most favoritist 'brat /ever/. Even /if/ she loves pink. And the other frilly things that 'mia can't /possibly/ stand.

Ragis's eyes follow the two dragonets as they both move in the same direction, a short distance down the cluster. He grins as the green takes to Auri, good choice.....in his mind at least. "Gratz, Auri! Shawn? Good job!" he calls to the girls.

"Auri!" Pia hails, delighted gaze set on the younger Candidate. "You did it!" And then, "SHAWN!" Relinquishing her sands-mate's hand, she bounces on her toes. Bounce. "What's his name?"

Sorana squeals, jumping up and down...and up and down again. "AURI!!!! You got her--oh--Auri!!! And--" a cock of the head, and a broadening of her smile, "Ashan! You too! Congrats!"

From the Galleries, Caoileann blinks as the green veers off, and goes to..."Auri!" And... "Ooh! The brown and Shawn? " Beamish grin. "Keen!!!!" Cupping her free hand around her mouth she yells, "Congrats!" It's not as loud as she can go, but it's loud enough.

Pyrene glances to see what's become of Shawn then and hahs. "Told you so!" she calls again. Oh, this /is/ fun. She enjoys this. Being right.

Auri looks up, blue eyes sparkling wildly. "I've got a pretty dragon! She's hungry!" Name? Oh yah. Name. "And uh...her name is?" Auri's head bends down. Very short term memory. It's the heat. "Miravith!" Gold locks bounce as the girl throws her chubby arms around the green's neck.

Calissan squeaks. A genuine squeak. Best seat in the house, indeed. "Shawn! Shawn!" Oh, oh, oh. "She - him - did you see that? Did you?" Cal asks excitedly of the boy beside him, beaming. That's his friend out there. And look at what she did.

"No.... No...." D'renn's stunned. "Ashan Impressed? And Auri?" Beckoning to the new weyrlings, his face brightens. "Wait... Ashan Impressed. I'm in charge of her for the next 18 months..... hah."

Geisha District of Kyoto Egg twitches more firmly--is it time?

Sasha shrieks "Welldone! Auri! Brilliant Shawn!" unable to keep herself from jumping up and down, she grins manically at Pyrene and the others.

Geisha District of Kyoto Egg unweaves its patterns, bright colors disbanding and falling apart, as from the shell rises the proud occupant.

Noble Babar Blue Dragonet
 From the great grey-green greasy Limpopo river of his paws rises this pachiderm in blue. An abundance of everything defines this dragonet, from his broad and heavy feet to the convex splendor of his vast sides, and onwards -- upwards -- to the gold-crowned spars of his capacious wings. But despite his large and rotund size, the grey-blue fabric of his hide pools in wrinkles about the width of his shoulders and sinks back into the depths of those pearly-toed paws. Only where a velvety flush of emerald crushes his chest and withers does his hide stretch taut, as if his skin could hardly contain the noble ideal of this young prince.

Pia sidles over to Cal, sheepish smile twisting her lips. "Wanna hold hands?" She asks of him, own still-sweaty palm extended. Better not say no.

Salea looks up, eyes and mouth and entire face awash with her delight. "Shawn! Ah, there's a troublemaker.." she shakes her hea, still grinning.

Egyptian Sphinx Egg shifts, setting off the tiniest of sand-drifts.

Ashan would worry about the green and breathe a sigh of relief but now the... OH! OH! Eyes go wide and mouth just drops and she just peers down at the chubby and lovable face... "Orsoth? Food?" yeah, yeah, she can do that... Wait a minute... I mean /wait/ a /minute/... hand reaches out to touch that face... and she grins... "His name is Orsoth!" she squeals... just sorta lost for a long long moment.

Miana lurches, yes...the sparkly egg jerks. Her competition with Loren flickers...'n' gazes. Whoo..../large/ blue. Extremely large blue.

On the Gallery ledges, "Isn't that one of your sprogs down there, Ash?" Sorsh drawls, jerking a thumb toward Shawn-on-the-sands. "That brown's awfully nice anyway," she remarks, turning back to watch.

Edaeyn pities Ashan even as she envies her. And then, "Miravith, Orsoth ..." Could anything be sweeter? And there goes the egg that so many have admired and cherished, and she leans back, head canted forward in a position awkward for motion, but ideal for observation.

Calissan wouldn't dare say no - and, with minimal fidgeting, takes Pia's hand in his own. "Orsoth. What a great name."

On the Gallery ledges, Melsa sighs darkly, dismally as Miana has yet to impress, a worried look shared within the ranks of wings, including 'lings and wings such as Xhu n' Ban n' Nali.. n' who ever looks her way.. .. Huffed-sigh.. she waits.. and watches...

From the Galleries, "Hey! That was Shawn!" Aife, leaning over the railing still, is as proud as if she had orchestrated her goddaughter's Impression all on her own. The slightly sarcastic apprentice sharing the rail with her tells her so, too--but he's just jealous he's not out there himself.

Celestine's gaze is focused, for a moment, on the spectacle. "Oh, good for them! Yay! Auri! And Ashan! Ooooh!" And then she swings her head to see the big blue hatch. "Ohhhh!" As she does, though, the ribbon's tentative hold on her hair lets go, and it swings down and over her shoulder. "Yikes... Oh, shards. I don't have a mirror to put this back up," she frets. "And... Oh, Orsoth and Miravith. That's so pretty."

"Ooh, blue.. neat blue." Loren's gaze flickers to the newly-hatched and then the shards of her favorite eggs, and the shivers as she contepmlates scurrying forward and snatching them up. "No. Can't go, nono.. ooh, Auri! Great! Shawn, that's wonderful!" No-more-Candees.. not many, at least. Ev'one's going away from Loren.

Sorana blinks at the blue, mouth forming a sort of 'o'. "He's /big/, Vynret. Really big." Eyes shift, turning to the other eggs, then back to blue. "Wowie."

Thesy grins when the brown chooses Shawn. Dragoncare and dragonhealong lessons should be fun then. "Congrats, Shawn!"

Pia clutches Cal's palm with all her might, thankful gaze meeting his face for a quick moment. "And look," she gestures, hand waving towards the new hatchling. "Blue." Duh.

From the Galleries, Rauve slams back into his seat, wincing, but with a smile. "Oren'll have a fit," he mumbles toward the floor, Cao's hand brought to his chest a moment. Wide violet eyes are again caught up as another blue --a large blue-- hatches, brows fidgeting restlessly about his dark optics.

Egyptian Sphinx Egg stirs again into restless, determined life. No more waiting, no more anticipating....

Pyrene glances to Chiernnath and Tiareth... "They may be pretty-ish... when they dry off, but do so many have to be blue??" She peers at Nuff and G'vin. Maybe it's their influence... She's lost her brat shield now and moves to clutch Sasha instead. "Sasha...." Be a shield for her?

Noble Babar Blue Dragonet tumbles end over end out of his shell, rolling to a flop-stop with his tail going one way and his wings going the other, falling over his head like huge ears. Now what is he supposed to do again? Oh yeah... One leg is set before the other, getting the large blue up on his feet again.

Vynret couldn't ever get tired of ogling at all the activities on the sands, and so he continues to do so. "Yuh..." he mumbles to Sorana. And she didn't even ask a question of him, did she? Oh, well.

Egyptian Sphinx Egg falters, forgetting the answer and losing the game. There is nothing tidy about the collapsing of its shell, egg-walls falling helter-skelter about the poking parts of the emerging dragonet.

Insatiate Mer-Monster Gold Dragonet
 Intrepid she is, this leviathan queen, with no siren's grace to refine the monstrous length of her serpentine form. Rising like a kraken from the depths of her inky, night-black paws to the coral-strewn twilight of wings' erratic spars, a distant song of gold froths the tangled sargassum of that ill-fitting hide, and ebbs undaunted up untidy curves of neck and head. The salt-encrusted canvas of her capsizing 'sails, windthrown and weathered to palest sea-glass, brines a flotsam of shadows across the expanse of her imposing withers, and brindles the fragmented abalone that pearls her full flanks and awkward, silver-shiny tail.

Lyrica nods, "Very.. biggest blue yet, I'd say." She agrees, shifting from foot to foot, "Let's hope he just doesn't step on us, right?" She chuckles, watching the blue move and, more importantly, watching where he's not moving to. "Then again...hay... he rolls too.. better be on the watch.." She doesn't want to be a sands stain, after all.

"Shards, gold." That's all D'renn has to say on the matter.

Miana eyes Loren-bound, idly waving her over semi-discreetly. Yes, come be sociable /while/ drooling over the dragonets. Eyes dart back to these, of course! Glittering ovoids vastly fading out to mere fragments of shells 'n....gold! "Ohh...Tatoria! Gold!" Hide?

Sasha clings to Pyrene and wide eyed gazes at the gold ahead of them. Soooooo beautiful! she exchanges glances with Pyrene who will she choose?

And /now/ it's the gold. Pia sucks in a breath, air rattling nervously in her throat. "Look." She manages, free hand again darting out to indicate the hatchling. "Look!"

"Gold!" Loren shreiks. Really. "Gold-gold-gold." She's not as neat as blues-and-browns-and-bronzes, but golds are, in their own way, neat-to-Loren. "Ooh, this is getting even more exciting by the minute!" Dancing Loren's steps speed up--anxious, nervous, and nausous, too. How nice.

Chiernnath's paternal prideometer goes up with a loud welcoming croon to the gold hatchling. Tiareth is shot another glittery look before gaze is snatched again by the miniture queen on the sands.

From the Galleries, Deje blinks in from ::between::!

From the Galleries, Caoileann chuckles. "Oren'll get over it, though." A barely suppressed giggle for the blue's antics turns into a long - and /very/ loud squeal as the gold makes her appearance. Sorry, Rauve. You didn't need that ear, did you? "Gold! Rauve, it's a gold! Looklook.."

Tatoria blinks. Hey...another blue. Ooo...It's a biggie too. BIG. More steps are compleated acompanied by a muttered chant of 'Hot'. Ooo...I belive another egg's moving. What color shall this one be...? OH MY....GOLD! "GOLD!" A /little excitement? Whatever calm Tat had before this is compleatly shattered. "There's a /gold/ out there!" She bounce up and down, hot sands forgotten and beams at Miana...Who's not excited?

Gromytel snickers. "It's a monster! Boy, I pity the girl who gets that." Of course, he pities everyone who's not a guy. "At least that blue is nice and big."

"Oh darling," Sorana admires, cocking her head. "Look at /her/. Stunning, she is." Aren't all golds? Bare feet are remembered -- "oh shards" -- and she begins swaying again. One-two-three, left, one-two-three, right.

From the Galleries, Despite the fact that most of her friends have already Impressed -- well, two -- Damia is stil rather attentive. Which is pretty good for her, miss two second attention span. And then, the egg she had wagered with sprouts a gold. Lips form into an 'oh' "Ooooooh. Gold." comes out of them as she looks down at those still waiting. Wow. There're still a lot of Candies out there. And the gold has hatched. C'lumsy's goig to owe her a dinner, that's for sure. It /was/ a gold. "D'you see that?" 'mia asks of the child on her lap. The miners look disgruntled, but nothing more. The boy shakes his head and 'mia lifts him up so that the 'brat might see what he couldn't on her rather low lap.

sock after shock. Every shell breaking seems more surreal than the last, as Salea gives up watching the pendemonium on the sands and eyes the choas on the sidelines. Eyebrows raise - a gold?

Noble Babar Blue Dragonet looks up at his clutchsister. Big blue and even bigger gold... But sister on the sands or not, he's someone to find, and he trudges out purposefully--if rather slowly. Now. Hey, wait a minute... These white things. Aren't they what he's looking for?

Insatiate Mer-Monster Gold Dragonet slides out onto the Sands, tail dragging heavily as she leaves behind the wreckage of her egg. Somewhere is a voice that's calling her.

Shawn just stands there for long moments until Orsoth reminds her that he's hungry /again/...and she grins, "Come on...we gotta go over 'ere to the side..." she'll worry about D'renn tortures later... right now she's got other problems... she leads her new lifemate...the thought sounds foreign in her brain over to the side.

Calissan openly admires the new gold - and nods to Pia, grinning, lightly. "She's bigger than I thought she would be, somehow." Not that he's complaining, of course. She's still lovely.

Ragis looks up as 'Gold' echoes up and down the line of candidates and sighs. "This one is going to have a tough choice.....too many females out here for her to pick from." he murmurs to himself. He shifts once more, not able to feel his feet any longer, but knowing that he'll just burn them worse if he stands still.

Edaeyn's breath flies in sharply, the guard snapping around to face the egg. Unfortunately, her feet slip, that position she took to watch the last few coming back to haunt her, and the once-guard wobbles precariously, hands reaching for a support that is suddenly more than physical. She takes a shallow breath and straightens, biting the corner of her lip. Watch. Detached. No matter, none ...

Nuff heard Pyrene, she did, and is about to reply when Tiareth's latest goldchild hatches. "Well", she says after taking in the greeny-salty-encrusted little queen. "You do manage to breed interesting ones, 'Reth. And its not blue."

From the Galleries, Despite all the noise going on throughout the mass gathered in the galleries, Tegran's ear is caught by a shout that stood out from just a little ways away, and he stops with his arms motionless in the air, halfway through hastily brushing all the dust off of him and still catching his breath, and looks over his shoulder to his left at a familiar face that had just leaned out over the railing. He turns fully around, squinting as if that would help identify whether it /was/ the person he thought it was, whom he hadn't seen for Turns, and that thought nagging on his mind as he slowly makes his way over towards Aife.

From the Galleries, Rauve mellowly regards Cao, and twitches a bit as he turns to view the new queen. "I see, I see.." he murmurs in a great rush of breath, misted eyes caught and locked on Edaeyn. His braid is literally yanked at now, head moved with the force it's tugged.

D'renn shudders again. "She looks scarier than that bronze Sendakth... scarier than Tiareth," he mutters to Salea.

Auri follows Miravith, who follows Orsoth, who follows Shawn. "Side. Right. No, D'renn won't hurt us. We're too cute." Nobody heard her say that, right?

London Eye Egg lies still, quiescent, but not for ever. Smokey tenrdil of heat rise from under the egg as it twitches - just slightly - to the side.

Lyrica looks over at the gold and grins, "Well, she's certainly not gracefull but she'd give any of those males a run." She laughs, then looks back over at the blue, watching it as well. "I did say this was going to be interesting, didn't I?"

Pyrene looks over to the gold. "She's not pretty either," she muses. "Still at least she isn't blue.... Of course, that /was/ a given. Who did I bet on for her again?" she blinks up and down the line. "Drat. She already Impressed." It's most likely R'sli's fault. She /knows/ he fixes the betting.

Sasha nods in wonder at Cal's words. "she's much bigger!" shifting her feet uncomfortably on the sands, she still hopes...

Miana involuntarily steps back a take.../not/ going to get in the thunderous queen's way, no. She effects a nice happydance to match Tatoria's, and oohs/aahs as is obligatory to the lumbering blue. Big. Like a brown. Can squish things.

"She's... scary!" Pia notes in faint tones of surprise. "I thought that golds would be a bit... nicer." Gaze flicks to Auri's dragon in comparison. "More like that one." But, the oceanic lure of the gold drags her attention back and she lapses into a pensive silence. A trembling silence.

The gold attracts Vynret's gaze, but not for long. He's not really eligible for her, and although it'll be good to see who she Impresses, his gaze drifts elsewhere for the moment, noticing other eggs moving, other dragonets wandering about.

Celestine teeters again, this time worse. "Oh, shards. Gold. She's... she's gold!" So she's impressed... who wouldn't be? "Oh... But that blue is so majestic, and... Ohhhhh. I just wanna Impress." Poor girl, caught in a dilemma. Gold or blue, gold or blue... Which one should she wait for? Or will she be left standing?

Thesy gasps for breath a little. Faranth, what a gold, even for a clutch of Tiareth. Glance flies over the candidates, the bluerider wondering who she will choose.

Salea nods to D'renn, sipping from the sac of water at her sidYou can teac that one discipline, right?"

From the Galleries, Aife is not paying attention to Tegran--or anything else going on behind her. She's staring breathlessly upward at the new-hatched queen. "She's not pretty," she says to herself, or her firelizard armada, or the apprentice next to her. "But, wow."

"More eggs, more eggs," Loren says, beaming. And dancing, but of course. "This is /so/ exciting.. I wonder who'll Impress that gold." More thinking for Loren--it's getting too stressful for the poor girl, really.

From the Galleries, Atandra tries to keep track on her fingers howmany eggs are left and how many Candidates there are to go with them.

Noble Babar Blue Dragonet wanders over towards where a few candidates stand, looking up at them, quite forgetting his wings all flopped over the top of his head like that, the gold tips giving him rather a crowned effect. Are they for him? ... No. Hm. He trundles onward, one foot in front of the other.

Edaeyn steps back, smiling as if she has a secret ... though it's a dark, sorrowed one now. She admires the queen in every inch: awkward or graceful, beautiful or somewhat discordant, it makes no difference. "What are the odds now, I wonder ..."

Roman Coliseum Egg gives a more violent rock now, one that goes unseen amid gold-ogling but that is sharp, crisp, orderly.

Tatoria doesn't move, aside from the dance. After all, she hans't moved much since this began. /Not/ that she's getting in any dragonets way....especialy that queen. No...not giving up gorund /unless/ she has too. Then she'll do it quite eagerly. No need to be squished.

From the Galleries, Andraya gasps as the egg hatches, revealing..gold. And /what/ a gold. Suppressing a shiver that tries to grow into a shudder, she scans the crowd for the ex-nanny. Crossing the fingers on both hands (although she has to cross the left hand manually), she leans far forward, hoping with all her heart. "Go, go to Pyrene..." she urges the little goldling softly.

Insatiate Mer-Monster Gold Dragonet glances dismissively at her blue brother. Large and imposing he may be, but she's the haggard monster of the Sands, scraping and crawling her way out towards those robed in sea-foam white.

Tiareth needs no crusty monster's hide to be scary, she can do it from behind her perfect facade of sunlight'd hide.

Sasha watches the Roman Coliseum Egg quivering - it must break soon....

Miana spares a glance to refruit-tinctured feet, scowling something fierce. And now the regret sets in at the absence of sandals, but ex-Trader keeps overactive trap shuts and settles for regarding titanic gold 'n' scatterbrained-appearing blue in tacit veneration. Wow.

Sorana peers around the line, murmuring, "Did Krishensia already -- oh! She did and -- oh!" Green'd gaze travels back to the gold, nose wrinkled in mild distaste. "She's not very graceful, is she, Vynret?"

Edaeyn fingers the edges of her robe, surprised to discover her fingers are clammy ... though that is but a blip at the back of her consciousness before the queen commands her attention ... as a danger to avoid, as an ally to be worked with? She shakes her head, trying to dislodge the last thought, though it clings with limpet stubbornness.

From the Galleries, Tegran loses sight momentairily of Aife as a group of crafters in front of him suddenly rise to peer further onto the sands. The sudden increase in noise so closely shakes Tegran for a second, shaking his head as he continues to walk across the galleries, too many things on his mind at once. He rubs his forhead, forefinger and thumb on his temples, and he veers down through the crowd towards the railing. He glances around for the origional destination he had, and at the same time catches sight of Miana. His brows suddenly raise and he mentally lets lose a string of curses for nearly forgetting, leaning against the railing on his forearms.

Noble Babar Blue Dragonet pauses. What about this one? It's standing all alone, you see, this Pyrene thing... Maybe this one? Hm. It's a possibility...

Spanish Steps Egg comes to life, somewhat with a light, gentle movement. Not now; it is not the right time. Yet the egg maintains it's gentle movment.

Gromytel keeps up the foot-shifting, waiting impatiently for the end. "Come on. I'm not gonna Impress, so can we get a move on? I have candy that needs eaten." Ah, yes, pressing business. Eating.

Pyrene takes another look at the gold. "Y'know, Sasha... She looks dangerous too... slower than a blue maybe, but I suddenly wish that we were in the galleriies now... No!" Oh, not again. She eyes the blue rebelliously pulling frantically on Sasha's hand. She's not giving it the pleasure of a yay or nay.

Transfering weight from foot to foot, Pia hangs from Cal's hand. "Which way is it going?" Asks the Candidate, eyes screwing shut. Better not to look.

And it is getting so hot! Sasha gazes across the sands watching the dragons moving through the shimmering heat haze, and wipes her free hand on her robe.

Lyrica looks over at the other rocking eggs, "Alright, there's only a few... this can't take much longer.." Or is it she can't take it much longer? She shrugs to herself and gives Sorana's hand a light squeeze, "Oh, who needs grace when you're that sharding big? I mean, anyone of thos edragons would listen, right?" Her free, dye stained hand is swept over her bare head, "It's hot in here, though."

Ragis's gaze moves back to the other eggs, after all, he doesn't have a bet on for the gold and he's not likely to attract her. He's caught by the movement of another egg and waits rather impatiently to see what color will spill from the lovely shell.

"Eggs." Loren's so wonderfully observant it's scary sometimes, isn't it? "Hatching eggs.. so neat. And Hatchlings. Wonder who the blue'll Impress to?" Gold is, for a moment, abandoned, and the blue focused on. "S'a weird blue, going towards Pyrene like that. Hee-hee-hee!" Candidate continues to giggle, and keeps a wary eye focused on the strange-blue. "Weeeird."

Tatoria uh-ohs...A blue and Pyrene? Well /that/ would be....interesting? glancing back and forth from blue to gold mqakes her slighlty dizzy, and she wobbles a little, but that wobble was all part of her hot sands dance, of course.

Vynret is reminded to lift his feet up and down some more, although by now the heat is a constant, and he's grown a bit used to it. "Mmm..." he mms to Sorana, after all, he's not really watching the gold too intently.

Sorana just laughs, calling across the noisy, crowded sands, "Pyrene! What if it's your destiny?" She couldn't resist that....hopefully Pyrene won't remember. The gold is, however, given due attention, watching her movements for a moment. Eventually, green'd gaze returns to the blue: which is more entertaining?

"Nonono. Not a blue to Pyrene, that's evil." D'renn, panicking?

Celestine's gaze settles on the gold. That blue seems to like... Pyrene? The blonde does a double-take, tail-like braid whipping behind her. "Pyrene? And a... blue?" Didn't they say this happened last time? Well... more gold for her.

Miana just eyes warily of the glorified queen to be a thing of gargantuan tonnage and monsterous.../everything/ when full grown. Nope...cautious Miana just sticks to drifting a hazy gaze over remaining shells to be broken and the shuffling blue. At long last doubt begins to stain her emotions.

Thesy just laughs. Would serve Pyrene right to be stuck with a blue.

Salea chuckles, at the though of D'renn panicking. "Sounds good to me.." she mutters.

Edaeyn's hands return to the curls, brushing them back, pushing them away, coincidentally turning her vision into bars of light ... though not blocking it entirely. A part of her wishes she could, while another can't bear to look away.

"It's going that way," Calissan offers to Pia, ever so helpfully. "Just keep breathing." Up, down, up, down go the feet. Hot, hot, hot. "Look - oh, open your eyes, you have to see this - a blue, for Pyrene?"

Shawn holds her breath... the curse of the blues... no /way/... not Py... she bounces and when she does so does Orsoth... a giggles and she kneels down to scritch the blue... "Foods comin' soon... promise..."

From the Galleries, Caoileann's eyes flick back and forth from Edaeyn to Pia-of-the-eyes-screwed-shut to Pyrene, to the blue approaching Pyrene and then back to the gold. Those fingers around Rauve's waist flex open and closed, but she's gone quite silent in trying to watch all the action. Likely she'll have a neckache when she's done.

Pyrene doesn't dare to break her gaze from the blue, but Sorana gets a fist waved at her. "I don't believe in destiny!" she calls, desperate now. Not even to irritate D'renn would she Impress blue.

Well.... Maybe Pyrene'd take blue to Impress... one never knows??

Sasha waits with baited breath wondering what must be going through her friend's mind....

Insatiate Mer-Monster Gold Dragonet watches more her brother more carefully. Where's he going? Trailing slowly in his wake, her tail drags a wash of sand behind.

"Py would be /nice/ on a blue," Fye chirps happily to no one in particular, one arm curled protectively around Lainnoth. Because blues are nice.

Noble Babar Blue Dragonet goes on. No. Not Pyrene. His is not this one. His is clinging to that sticky-sweet lad elsewhere, paying /no/ attention to him and that simply cannot be. Hey. Celestine. Wake up... No, not a blue for Pyrene, a blue for /you/. My queen.

Pia's eyes obligingly fly open. "Poetic justice!" She announces, features crinkling into half a leer. "You'd make an excellent blue-rider!" And her gaze follows the gold, expression shifting wistfully.

Noble Babar Blue Dragonet turns his jewel faceted eyes toward Celestine, and steps forward.

Edaeyn tucks the strands out of the way, breathing unsteadily, and inwardly berating - even laughing at herself - for such nerves. She's made the decision far and long ago, after all. And yet ... and yet ... her eyes risk the stands for a moment, but then snap back to the queen. At least she won't miss the moment.

Pyrene nearly faints with relief--or possibly disappointment. She's not telling. "Never mind, Celestine..." she calls over with a touch of malevolence. Another blue who hates her. It's definitely in the genes.

Miana peeks. A blue for Pyrene? No...not possible, as is proven while the monster takes to Celestine instead. Semi-mandatory congratulations are voice, and lower lips is fiercely mauled with the ex-Trader's gnawing. Ohh...they're all disappearing.

Ragis sighs in mock-disappointment as the blue turns away from Pyrene. "You got lucky there, Py....." he calls. "Gratz, Celestine!" He directs his gaze back to the eggs and waits........he's getting pretty good at waiting.

From the Galleries, Of course Pyrene would be nice on a blue. After all, Sardrinth is blue, and she washed his feet. But the blue veers off, and the gold now makes it's way towards Pyrene, who it seems has been a part of her life always. "Go, go," she whispers softly. Andraya holds her breath then, without realizing it, rocking back and forth as if to urge the young queen to her old caretaker.

Lyrica looks over at Pyrene and the blue and then back to the blue, "Who's he going after.. Celestine?" She asks, peering over the sands, "Oh.. well, this should be interesting..."

With the blue safely Impressed, the Insatiate Mer-Monster Gold must search elsewhere. A rattling flutter of salt-splashed spars demands /attention/, a seabird's cry stirring the sultry air of the Hatching Cavern. Where, oh where...

Celeste is watching Pyrene avidly, until she realizes where the blue went. "Oh! Oh, my... My Babarth! He's beautiful!" She beams, drops Gromytel's hand, and loops her arms around what of his neck she can manage. "And I'm Celeste," she informs everyone, proudly.

Tatoria calls to Celestine. "Whoooooo! You saved Pyrene! Congrats." She turns eyes back to the gold, muttering about red painful feet and dancing and sand, as she watches the eggs behind the gold and of course the gold, herself.

Sasha glances over at the successfully impressed candidates.. and sighs a little, turning her attention back to the gold which is still searching...a gold? could a gold possibly want her? No couldn't be.....

From the Galleries, Rauve sighs quietly, the monolithic gilded dragonet regarded in silence only broken by ragged breathing. What's this? Why is /he/ nervous? Certainly not. The braided boy clears his throat, nose crinkling as his underlip is subject to a bite. His eyes travel from the gold to Edaeyn, and for the last time, it fixes there. "Oh, cripes.."

Sorana nods, calling, "Celestine! Good job!" Emeraldine gaze moves back to the gold, CandiGirl muttering, "Where on Pern is /she/ going..." Lyrica and Vynret's hands are clenched, still, though it is no longer a death-grip.

Salea waves for leste and Barbarth to make their way over to hte other assorted Weyrlings, while keeping an eye out for other emerging pairs.

That gold has Pia's attention, despite her vow to not look. "Cal..." she mumbles, fingers twitching in his grip. "This is so /stressful/!"

Hanging Gardens of Babylon Egg shakes and rattles, the occupant inside eager to blast through the meager barrior that keeps the world at bay. Sparkles of greens and other assortment of colors sprinkle like glitter as the egg shatters to insistant dragonet inside...

Hanging Gardens of Babylon Egg releases its heady aromas, vines tearing and crumbling this bastion of greenery into a scatter of leaves and blossoms. A new flavor takes over, spice-heady on the Sands as a cookie-brown dragonet.

Gregarious Gingerbread Brown Dragonet
 From the uneven forms of his muzzle and head, over rounded shoulders, and along the somewhat doughy curves of his rump, browns swirl ginger and spice in a veritable feast of warm, toasted colors. Neck-ridges turn crisply black at their edges, as do the seared tops of paws so large they promise a dragon that will eventually dwarf many of his brethren. His fresh-baked wings are dusted with golden sugar, their sails crystallized with translucent granules that caramelize at the tips of his spars. On his short stub of a tail, all his hues run in a vain attempt to catch each other, foiled by his plump raisin speckling.

"Barbarth ... and to you, Celeste, congratulations." Nerves have wrecked Edaeyn's speech patterns, although that no longer matters. Alone, simple strength of standing by herself, suddenly is accompanied by a flood of loneliness. She lets her gave fall away, finally.

"Weird gold," Loren murmurs idly. "Kinda strange." Gold's motions are followed--she's not coming /this/ way, is she? No female-dragons for /this/ Candidate.. hopefully. Celeste gets a beam and a fingerwiggle, Loren congratulating with: "Babarth! Celeste! Congratulations!"

Pyrene looks about. "Gold still... Ugh. She'd be hefty if she stood on your foot," she notes to Sasha still squeezing her hand rhythmically. "Nothing else close? Probably for the best... Oh! The pretty egg hatched! And a brown!!" She forgets the dangers of nearby dragons to point to the gingerbread one.

Deje chirps in congradulations, whirling eyes focused on the one called Celeste.

Roman Coliseum Egg quivers once more, edging slightly and then curving into silence once more. Nono, not time.

Sasha gasps as another beautiful brown dragon hatches, looking good enough to eat! " He's a handsome fellow!"

Lyrica shrugs, "Don't know, over the sands most likely." She winks, then nods as the brown emerges, "Look, a brown." Well, this one has her attention, "Looks like.. nah.." The thought is brushed away with a blink, "Still, there's always the chance she might be headed for you." An evil grin is flashed; she couldn't resist.

From the Galleries, Janysi has ceased to bother with such trivialities as her remaining sedentary. She's flown to the edge of the railing, where there is a teeny space that she can barely fit into. Flying Jan. She's digging her fingernails into her palms and making tiny squeaking noises in the back of her throat. Yes. She's a strange sort.

Miana eeps! Big brown...big...kinda plump brown. Eyes widen...really...kinda...large, girth-wise. "Tatoriaaa! Another one!" She can be excited, all the same.

Gromytel claps idly for Celestin... Celeste, and then his jaw drops. Mmmmm... Food. Or dragon. Or both... He starts drooling, quite unaware of how he looks. "Oooooh, that looks tasty."

Tatoria is really gettign tired now. She's good and dancing and can do it for a long time, but this long on hot sands isn't easy. sTill one must dance if they want to relive thier feet at all. Still dancing, Tat, blinks at the brown. "Barown! Brown!" She calls out to everyone who already knows. Gold, brown....Wow.

Gregarious Gingerbread Brown Dragonet shakes the egg goo from his wings and takes a tumbling step forward, nearly pitching headfirst into the sands. A rather boisterious creel announces this brown's arrival, and he demands attention. Lookitme!

On the Gallery ledges, Erranth has left.

Ragis watches as yet another brown hatches and shakes his head. "Lots of browns aren't there?" he asks no one in particular. He watches that gold out of the corner of his eye, trying not to get trampled if he can help it.....by dragon or candidate.

"Vynret! Look! Another /brown/....isn't he," she blinks, gnawing on her lower lip a bit, "cute, actually. All roly-poly." Didn't know Sorana had it in her to use Auri-phrases, did you?

Edaeyn chuckles softly at the brown, although you would have to be listening very closely to overhear her ... and who is, at this tense moment? "Nothing wrong with browns ..." she speaks only to talk, though usually comfortable in silence breaking out of the mold now and fighting the urge to do, say, even whisper *something*.

Celeste giggles, leading the blue to the side, with the rest. "Oooooh... That brown looks like something Gromytel'd like." And judging from his expression, he does. "Grom! Close your mouth!"

From the Galleries, Irulan has disconnected.
Irulan succumbs to the dream world!

From the Galleries, Aife has disconnected.
Aife curls up and drifts off, to sleep, hopefully not to dream....

Attention? Oh, please... that brown has sheer adoration from Gromytel. Finally, reawakening himself to reality, his jaw snaps shut. "Oh, wow. Oh, I /like/ that one... It's tasty-looking!" And so it is... "A little active, though," he adds, dubiously.

Insatiate Mer-Monster Gold Dragonet glances - just glances - towards the spiced brown. But her trade is saltier, this wrack of a dragon tossing from side to side across the Sands as she seeks out that voice, that voice that calls to her. Crashing to a halt before a set of Candidates, her tail etches sinuous patterns against the darker sands.

"Cal," Pia repeats, prodding the lad with her finger. "Aren't you nervous?" /She/ is, which is quite evident in the trembling of her knees and the jittery twitching of her eyes.

Pyrene looks at the gold again. "She's not rushing. That's a good sign..." she decides, peering across curiously to make belated private wagers on who she'll take. "How's the brown doing?"

Miana exhales a sigh, perhaps, okay...gotta be calm, cheerful. Right! Okay...and wary Miatwit just eyeballs the leviathin-like gold...like the stories all the drunken sailors at the Shipfish used to babble. Shiver.

Edaeyn swallows hard, biting the corner of her lip, seeming the taste the tang of her own sweat. She glances behind her, starting to reach out for support before she pulls away, conflicted by the ambivalence of wanting to lean against something, and refusing to do so, holding with her own traditions and standing firm.

From the Galleries, Caoileann's attention flicks back to Edaeyn, and she says softly, "She should have someone to hold her hand." Creeling call draws her back to...another brown. "Lotta browns," is commented, rather unnecessarily. But...who's that gold stopped by?

Lyrica can't help but chuckle at the actions of the brown before looking down at her arms and, maybe for the first time, sees the irony of the situation, "Oh my... even faded I look like a rainbow..." She shudders; rainbows, cuteness, what next? Pia is given a smile as she notes the girl's nervousness and then it's back to hatchling watching.

Loren shudders a bit for no particular reason, and resumes her hopping--it's to hot to stop. Brown's movements are /followed/, and closely. Loren doesn't want to get trampled. Trampled is a Bad Thing, you see. Even if it wasn't purposely. "Brown-brown-brown," Candidate announces, beaming. "S'a brown."

Calissan isn't nervous at all. He can't Impress a gold, after all - but he's certainly watching her avidly enough. "Nah.." he replies, shaking his head just a little. "It's just hot."

Vynret almost ceaselessly continues to shift his gaze about, although he's begun to linger in certain spots for longer amounts of time than he used to. More Impressions. A couple eggs are still there that he liked. And the gold's still looking for a rider.

Three litttle baker-candidates, all in a row, and all as round as a porcine all impress together by the hairs of their chinny chin chin: blue Strawth, green Stickth, and brown Brikth.

Sorana peers at the gold, swinging her hands a little bit. "She's over there," she mutters, eyeing the gold. "He's looking at....Gromytel?! /Him/?" Lovely.

Gregarious Gingerbread Brown Dragonet stumbles a bit, following a line of movement only he sees--mayhap the trail of sand clumps?--towards the white sea of movement. His One is out there.. somewhere. Sniff. You?

Roman Coliseum Egg flutters, rocking gone more serious, hairline cracks perhaps forming here, there, tiny stress fractures beginning to flake away at the shell. But... still not yet. Not yet.

"Well, I'm nervous," Pia confides, ducking her head towards the lad. "I hope my parents aren't watching." And she hopes that if they are, they can't hear her.

Tatoria isn't nervous, or at least she's not ever going ot let on that's she's nervous. Watching everything she chants under her breath, brown gold hot brown gold hot brown gold hot...She glances around and wonders who'll be the next to impress. Hmm. Gold..Bown...to who?

Fye waggles a not-Lai-hugging hand to the three little fellow former-Bakers. "G'job, you three!"

Insatiate Mer-Monster Gold Dragonet is the slow rush of waves against the shore, then the rush of a storm on the cliffs. Batten down those hatches - here she comes! Booming forward, she stops. Her brother may have decided otherwise, but....

Ragis's eye is caught once more by the rocking of the eggs....or perhaps that egg. Pondering which will crack next and who will Impress it and just.......well, pondering.

Just watching is making Sasha shiver, not only with fear although she would never admit it, but with excitement as well.the gold is approaching - Sash holds her breath....

Sorana holds her breath, eyes fixated on the gold. "Who....who.....Impress, you little thing!" It's the stress. And the constant, burning heat.

Pyrene winces. She's going to rush after all. "Last time I stand for Tiareth's clutch," she mutters, choosing a new scapegoat.

Edaeyn sets her foot back, balancing in preparation to move with uncommon swiftness out of the way of the sweeping-wave gold. When a force of nature threatens, there's little doubt about who will win the struggle. Nerves turn to silk gauze now, fading by force of will alone.

From the Galleries, Now who seriously would have thought that /those/ three would Impress. They're probably the most prissy three she's even seen. Yes, even the guy that Impressed the lovely blue. Oh he's going to have a kiniption when he actually realizes that a /girl/ Impressed a brown instead of him. Ah well. Damia can't /help/ but grin in amusement at /their/ bemused expression. Bakers kick royal butt, but that doesn't mean that one baker can't laugh at another. 'specially those ones. They've been a pain in 'mia's neck sinece the day they got to the Weyr.

London Eye Egg rocks determinantly. This igg is hip and ready for any urban party being thrown. Even a hatching. With a determined noise, it starts a beat, the shell moving in time to some inner music...

From the Galleries, Rauve is drawn to gaze at Caoileann, simple adoration registering for a few breaths meager worth. "She should, but she's strong... the gold's moving." He states the obvious with a gravelly voice hitched in awe, his entire self leaning, but for what? His view is a good one, he just wants to be closer.

Pia quavers like a leaf, wordlessly.

Lyrica isn't watching the gold, though that seems to be the center of attention, her eyes are on the other candidates as she watches their expressions, "Hm.. well." Well what? She's not telling but she does have that wicked grin on her face again.

Miana barely allows any etchings of worry to crease her features...more of pain from the sweltering heat than anything. Pantpantpant. Okay...only a few more eggs. She can make this warmth.

Gromytel sighs, watching the brown with wide eyes. "Oh, he's lovely." Then, drawing in breath for a /larger/ sigh, he catches a whiff of bubbly from his robe. "Whoo-wee! That smells awful..." And so it does. They're much better before they get baked to fabric. Then, rubbing sweaty hands on his outfit, he ends up smearing melty candy on it, as well. "Ohhh, eeeewwww..."

Tatoria peers at yet another rocking egg. Will it be another blue? Or brown? Maybe a green...or a bronze...She stops her dacne for a moment, glances at the stands, and glaces back to a brown a gold and some rocking eggs....Ok, now back ot dancing.

Loren continues to hop about, and makes her way over to Tatoria--she has to have someone to talk with, right? "Ooh, 'lo Tatoria! Isn't this all exciting? Too exciting for /words/, you know? And Faye--oh, Fye! Fye, she Impressed, that's wonderful. Good luck to you, yupyup. Good luck." Luck is a good thing, right? So what if Loren makes no sense--it doesn't matter in the least.

Insatiate Mer-Monster Gold Dragonet recedes, the tide of her passing retreating slowly.... then she rushes forward once more, captivated by the slightest mutter from /her/ treasure, /her/ Candidate... /her/ Pyrene.

From the Galleries, Etain walks in.

Insatiate Mer-Monster Gold Dragonet turns her jewel faceted eyes toward Pyrene, and steps forward.

Half fish, half fallen angel, none of her human at all as from the tangled bay rises this glorious -- monstrous -- leviathan queen. No sea-hag here, to stretch webbed and skinny fingers for her prey. No. They are fat, greedy, clutching fists of thought that reach out towards you and pull you in. Down. Into the riptide of her touch -- that sunken paradise -- into the whirling depths that drown you even as they burn. She will not let you know fear, not your Cadgwith, too eager and effusive is she to allow any hesitation. Never for a moment does Cadgwith contemplate denial: her touch is beguiling, her song bewitching, and for a singular moment perfection is in the unity of the One.

London Eye Egg shakes off serene, ashen fog, pieces falling and tumbling to the ground; in a blink it is over, and as if by a shake of a wand, what was grey and distant sprouts wings, rags turning to riches as the beautiful and mysterious stranger makes her debut.

Cinderella at the Ball Green Dragonet
 Bright splashes of mint crown this darling's delicate headknobs, entwining and descending, to adorn her fey neckridges in gay ribbons of colour. Dressed in a hide of green, her flowing gown of forest hues is awash in satiny splendor, while ethereal shades of pearlized mist etch fine lines over her foresails to create a web of glistening dew culminating in the fairy hooks of her silvered talons. Her spindly legs are at a contrast to seemingly oversized wings and their dish-rag sails, but nobility shapes the rest of her: a dream decends about her limbs, whirling through frothy sea-green foam and aquamarine to dissolve into the perfect fit of her vitreous paws.

Pyrene's first step is not forwards but back, one shocked hand flying to her mouth and then equally swiftly, but tentative yet, reaching out to a golden head. And suddenly a wild radiance rings through her: "Cadgwith?"

Roman Coliseum Egg shudders, the dust of millennia sliding from its battered walls with the muted cry of crowds long gone. The excitement of the sands becomes too much, and weathered fractures slide open in a ragged gate, letting its lone warrior step into the arena.

Steadfast Tin Soldier Brown Dragonet
 Affable refinement defines this angular dragon, melting the stoic curves of his noble brow and softening the rigid tendency to those soldier-stiff wings. Though adventures have weathered and dulled the once florid paint of strong shoulders and tin-plated chest, a hint of crimson and gold still color the sworded curves of his ramrod straight spine, and style the rigid hooks of his flanks and inflexible tail. The raiment of his rusty-brown hide is further beaten by the smoke and fire of blackened flames that flare up from the cinder of those ash-dusted paws.

Miana blinkblinkblinks rapidly. Big gold toooo who? Pyrene! "Congratulations, Py! Knew ya could do it!" Be /loud/ and annoying, s'her motto at the moment. Yay! 'N' indeed the gold could be placed with no better candidate. 'Nother green? Oh. Need browns 'n' blues 'n' neat colors! Brown...okay...that works!

On the Gallery ledges, And Sorsh sits back, smug, at that Impression: that gold, and Pyrene. Looks like storm's a-brewin'... and won't it be a fun one to watch.

Shawn squeals from her place on the sidelines... "PY!" fellow 'brat ... wait..weyrlings together? Whee!

Zai strokes gentle fingers along sun-kissed ridges as she looks towards the remaining eggs, dragonets, and candidates. Then she watches as the gold heads towards Pyrene, a smile curving along her lips. "I told you so, Pyrene!" comes her call towards the newly Impressed pair, head turning to rest gently against Puizuth's own.

From the Galleries, Damia hops up, competely in the thrall of the moment, barely peripherally aware of the 'brat in her arms. How perfectly ironic, eh? Nanny impresses and 'mia's holding a 'brat. "Pyrene! Go pryene! You're gonna be a Weyrwoman! PYRENE! RENE!" Allt he neames of the nanny echo around the Hatching caverns from her throat as well as from those of others. "Whatshername?" Is the next thing out of the baker's mouth and despite the jostling, the child in her arms is giggling frivolously, the joy of everyone around him completely taking over any fear that he should have in the arms of this particular baker. "Cadgwith! How lovely?!" Well, it's sorta lovely. But still, even if 'mia /doesn't/ like it, Rene Impressed a GOLD.

Gregarious Gingerbread Brown Dragonet follows his trail of sand clumps to a group in white. Raising his brown muzzle, he sniffs them delicately, before moving on. His special One is not there, and so he moves on. Hurridly, he shuffles clumsily along, his tail wagging behind him.

Tatoria's face fills with a large grin. "Whooooooooooo! CONGRATS PYRENE!" Another good impression. Another good one. Eyes dart for a glance at the brown, but are taken awat quickly by the hatching of a /green/...and so it seems another brown soon after! My My...many many browns.

Ragis can't help but grin at the gold's choice. He knew it......just knew it. "Gratz, Py!" he calls. He sighs and turns back only to have found more dragonets having cracked their shells. Beauties....all of them.

From the Galleries, Etain smiles quite largely as teh gold dragonet turns to Py. "Congrats to Py" she calls out loudly.

From the Galleries, So she is - and to Pyrene, no less. Moss-green eyes widen as she watches the Impression, then turn back to look adoringly at Rauve. "WaPyrene! Pyrene got her. Oh, that was /wonderful/...A flicker-quick motion back to the sands, then 0- and gaze stays caught. Another brown. Steadfast. Ooh.

Tai calls out a holler of congratulations, stirring from her silence to wave a hand in cheeriness. "Yayyy!"

Thesy stares at the gold. Then at Pyrene. Then at D'renn. And laughs, "Congrats, D'renn!" And congratulations to the latest weyrwoman, too ... of course. Preen?

"Noooooooo!" That's D'renn's devastated whine. "Not Pyrene. Not gold. Someone tell me this isn't happening........."

Sorana's voice, strained from former calls, doesn't give up, shrieking into: "PYRENE!!!! You did it! You're a--" Uh oh. "You're a /weyrwoman/." Does this bode well for the Weyr? Sorana is not decided.

Vynret, still peering (even if it's only half as intently), notices lots of things, all of a sudden. Gold Impressing, to Pyrene. Two eggs hatching, almost at once, a green and a brown. He studies them both for a moment, as they're close to the end of the hatching dragonets.

Sasha lets go of her friends hand, but grips her arm in sheer glee! "Oh! I'm soooo pleased!"

"Oh, oh! Pyrene! Great! Oh, tha's /WONDERFUL/!" More shouts from Loren, and the Candidate pauses in her brown-watching to dance gleefully. "Splendiferous!" ...um. "Ooh, this is wonderful, wonderful! And there's a green, too! Gold-and-brown-and-green and all the others, how interesting!"

From the Galleries, Andraya sits, a sea of silence in the babbling confusion around her. Her skinny arms are wrapped about herself, and a huge grin splits her face.

Edaeyn snaps back a step, nearly falling over as tension gives way for the moment. "Congratulations, Pyrene!" Oh, those ritual words, the same but for their fierce intensity. She's not given to bright displays of emotion, but the tones are there beneath the words nonetheless.

Gromytel is all alone, with the flurry of recent Impressions, and so he waits, breath held, to see how these last turn out. One hand, though, plays with the sticky fabric, fingering it idly while he watches.

Cinderella at the Ball Green Dragonet delicately surveys the crowd, eyeing the Candidates and her brothers and sisters. My...anyone for a dance? Taking one tentative step forward, she poses, then moves forward at a graceful trot...to end up with a snoutful of sand. This is no way to get ready for a party! Raising her eyes piteously, she scans - won't someone help her to get ready for the ball?

Miana indeed is allured by presence of yet another brown to the sands. Her kind of hatching, and emerald optics survey the russet soldier in exaltation. Ooooh.

"Pyreeene!" Faye calls happily with a grin, one hand flapping t'wards the new 'ling and Gold. "Congratu/lations/!"

Steadfast Tin Soldier Brown Dragonet tumbles, fallen to a position that's far less dignified than he might have hoped, paws buried slightly in the sand and then extracted with staunch dignity. That's much better. Step, step, step, he moves away from broken shells and surveys the opposition. Hmm.

Sorana, done screaming at Pyrene with the rest, turns to look at the brown. And the green. And--"Oooo...they're lovely too. Vynret, don't you think so?" Green'd eyes travel....matching hide to steadfast brown. "Sturdy one, he is," comes the obvious remark.

From the Galleries, Rauve falls back again, blinking at an attempt to mask... some odd emotuion or another. "Congrats, Pyrene..." he whispers quietly, caught off guard by the stare of moss-green eyes. Congrats, himself. He looses her eyes to find himself watching the brown, braid flung casually over his shoulder.

Lyrica calls her congratulations to Pyrene belatedly as she catches the calls of the others and then looks around; she can't leave yet? Well, can't win all of them, "Hot." She notes, moving from one foot to the other; the colors on her feet showing through the open areas of the sandals, "Bad enough I had to come out like this.." A nod is given Sorana, "Nice, very nice."

Pia would sink into a little clump of quivering Vintner, but Cal's hand holds her up. Somehow.

Ragis chuckles softly at the three hatchlings, the one in particular taking his attention. She fairly floats across the sands as she dances thru the heat. That reminds him to shift his feet again, surprisingly he's still a bit graceful despite not being able to feel his feet.

Pyrene wakes up a little and stares around her, eyes widened foolishly--but then, when your world's broadened infinitely and at the same time narrowed to a single shining point, it can be hard to focus. "Side of the sands?" she's prompted by turns of watching Hatchings and the pair stumble off in that direction.

Sasha stares open mouthed at the two new dragonets who arrived so close together, her attention is momentarily drawn to see Pyrenes's reaction to her new lifemate, but then is dragged back to the brown and green.

Gregarious Gingerbread Brown Dragonet stumbles right into an isolated white clad candidate, his brown muzzle landing on Gromytel's right foot. He has found his One. His reason for being. A soft croon comes forth at /his/ Gromytel!

Miana simply observes...yes, she'll shut up and be quiet once as ex-Trader contemplates the brown deeply...an elegant guard-esque symbol. "Tatoria..." she starts...and just falls quiet. Ooh.

Gregarious Gingerbread Brown Dragonet turns his jewel faceted eyes toward Gromytel, and steps forward.

Calissan goes ahead and wraps a whole arm around Pia, good and supportive-like. "Hey.. did you see the green over there?" he murmurs, pointing with his free hand. "She's kinda pretty, don't you think?"

Edaeyn snorts softly, impassive face promptly cracking with a tinge of a smile ... though even then, her eyes close, the ex-guard simply too drained to watch any more, and as well, too drained to keep herself from hoping.

Tatoria thinks everyone here is ready to /stop/ dancing. At least becasue of these hot sands. Dancing is /much/ more fun when your feet aren't burning up. Much more. As for that brown...It's very...masculen? And probably not for he...oh dear. These sands are hot....

D'renn beckons the new, monster-looking gold. "Come here, Pyrene, and... Cadgwith?" he tries out the name tentatively.

Vynret nods to Sorana, eyes on the brown that just now Impresses after being on the sands for, in his opinion, quite a long time. He looks back to the other brown, and the green. Not many dragonets left.

"Pretty," Pia echoes weakly. "She is."

Cinderella at the Ball Green Dragonet stately begins her circuit, passing by lads from Keroon, to be drawn forwards by thoughts of colours and dancing. One leg after another...this would be so much easier with help! A friend to confide in? Someone to tell secrets to? Daintily, she stops to peer at a shy girl from Nabol...no, not her. This one needs someone with both feet on the ground, not tentative.

On the Gallery ledges, A /blast/ of a scream is given, backed up by a pair of nonhuman lungs screaming out their cheers.. "MIANA! GOooooooo" Idly musing as she laughs.. praying for her friend. .- Leaning hazardously 'against the railing till nearly Xhuryth hasta hold her to keep her from falling.. Miss Loudmouth indeed.

"..another brown.." Which brown to watch? Loren doesn't know. The one with the wagging-tail is adorable, but that brown catches this Candidate's attention, too. With a final shake of the head, Loren reverts her gaze to the newly-hatched soldier--he'll be an interesting thing to watch, you see. "Brown-brown, two browns, two browns and a green.. ooh, Gromytel! Congratulations, congratulations! Good for you, good for you!" Name isn't commented on--Loren's too excited to comment on that sort of thing right now, really. "..neat brown, pretty green, this is /so/ exciting!" Can't you see her shivers? Must be hard what with all her hopping.

Steadfast Tin Soldier Brown Dragonet steps forth resolutely, rusty muzzle sloped upwards ever-so-slightly as he sniffs at the air, and slips sideways with even, equable steps. A small knot of boys is nosed, a sandal eyed, a robe inspected. No, not neat enough. Not... sturdy. Step, step, step.

Nuff smacks Tiareth's tail happily. "Well, you do have a thing for High Reaches folks, Tiareth. Or rather your children seem to.  Not Preen I hope? No? Oh good."

Sasha tries out the name of the new gold - "Cadgewith - I like it Py" she shouts over the noise of the hatching grounds. turning back to look at the beautiful green which is moving past the other candidates, she sighs wistfully."so lovely..."

Miana allows suggestive hints of genuine smile to taint her facade atta brown, reminding her faintly of Tealc for oddest reasons. Ohh...so pretty.

Gr'tel's jaw drops again, and this time he forgets to close it. "Nuh-uh... You're... Hanselth? Oh, Hanselth!" And, exuberantly, he kneels on the sands, lost in the candy-covered dragonet before him. Finally, though, sands are too hot, and he gets up, tugging the brown with him. "And... I'm Gr'tel," he informs D'renn. It's important.

Lyrica sighs as she looks at her feet; being both colorfull and hot at the same time isn't really all that easy. "Shards I wish I'd remembered that lining." She notes to Sorana, "Or at least thought of bringing something to drink with me...." But then someone would have caught her and she would be no better off than she is right now, "Oh well.. at least it's cool outside." And that does her a lot of good now..

"Cadgwith," Pyrene agrees with D'renn and said dragon nearly knocks her over with a headbutt of acknowledgment. Which finally seems to knock a small matter of colour into the once Nanny... "Oh, /shells/..." she lets out, staring wildly at D'renn, Nuff... assorted others and then Cadgwith again. There's been a mistake somewhere, but perhaps she'll choose not to let on,

D'renn just shrugs, reaching out a hand for Salea. He wants the water. "Gr'tel and Hanselth... alright, over here you two. Food soon." D'renn's at the fidgety stage of the Hatching.

Edaeyn shakes her head as her eyes open again, dark and shadowed now, but marked with the well-remembered masks. "A bit of a martinet, is he not?" she comments, with the quirk of a smile marring her lips ... and it is marring, for it makes her expression look more grim than anything.

Spanish Steps Egg crackles like bushfire, awakening reluctantly from its slumber as eggshards continue to fall like thorns; cracks widen abruptly, as if a sword cut down the briar hedge of shell. The time has come, the time is now. The mysterious barrier falls away and stretching out of sleep hatches this maiden princess.

Spanish Steps Egg crackles like bushfire, awakening reluctantly from its slumber as eggshards continue to fall like thorns; cracks widen abruptly, as if a sword cut down the briar hedge of shell. The time has come, the time is now. The mysterious barrier falls away and stretching out of sleep hatches this maiden princess.

Bewitching Sleeping Beauty Green Dragonet
 Dawn breaks blue and misty gold over the orchard greens that steady her breathy delicacy, imparting a regal richness to her more pastoral shadings. Briars may ward against thorny ridges and the talons that spike her slender fingers, but there are roses too, entwined among the brambles, to soften her curves and pink her cheeks. Likewise, aspen forests the 'spars that catch at cornsilk 'sails, but brighter apple runes summer into her limbs' supple length. Careless freckles of opal and peridot spill across her muzzle, to lend a provincial air to the nobility that sleeps, enchanted, within this dragon's sylvan lines.

Salea passes the water, her eyes still caught on the scene around her, avidly drinking up the details.

Sorana follows the green's tracks with her eyes, flicking over satin hide, and traveling on the the brown. "Not them over there," she murmurs, tweaking the edge of her rather sweaty robe. "Huh?" Gaze goes up to Lyrica. "Oh! Yeah...." Another tweak to the edge of her robe. "Definantly."

"Hrmph." And /here/ is Loren's new approximation of this new brownling. "Went straight to the boys. 'spected, though." Soldier that he is, you see. "Well. ..ooh, another green! So charming, all these hatchlings are, hmm?" It doesn't matter to Loren wether she Impresses or not, just as long as she can talk-and-hop. Those are good things.

Celeste, quite recovered, watches everything. "Oh... Brown! And.. two pretty greens. Ohhh..." But she loves her blue. And he makes a nice backrest.

Miana flicks a brief frown to flanking Weyrfolk.../oh/ sure. /They/ get water 'n' coolness and so on. But the ex-Trader is quiet about it, not about to argue with anyone in the middle of a hatching. 'Sides...she /likes/ that brown.

Vynret's eyes wander. Green, brown, green. That appears about the last of them, and he just watches the dragonets, contemplative. This is either it, or it's just not. Well.

Tatoria watches the two dragonets. One inspecing, and stomping atound, the other dancing..or at least looking to. What a pair. Tat gasps as anothe egg breaks. Oh my! Another green! "Another green!" Green x 2 + 1 brown. Ooo....she watches intently, glancing at eggs now and again.

Sasha's feet are getting hotter and hotter. Irritated, she begins to shift from foot to foot. Another Green! ...and what a beauty!

D'renn drinks the water. He's entitled to it... he doesn't get to go to the Post-Hatching party.

Cinderella at the Ball Green Dragonet finds the scent of what she's looking for. Like the starting notes of a waltz, she homes in on the perfect dance partner. Colourful and hot - the two elements she searched for - draw her closer to one particular group of white - or somewhat white - clad candidates.

Steadfast Tin Soldier Brown Dragonet watches a pair of candidates, a trio, a group. All interesting, all white, all... wrong. Head is lifted higher now, ramrod tail curved slightly, sending up a soft cloud of sand behind him as he begins to march, steps coming faster and with more surety. He can sense that... the One is here, but unseen, unclear, as of yet unknown.

Nuff grins over at Pyrene, and some of the other candidates still looking shocked. "Don't worry, we won't try and take them away till tomorrow. They tried that with Nuff though, and it doesn't really work."

Bewitching Sleeping Beauty Green Dragonet steps delicately from the pile of gooey egg shards, cornsilk winking as wings sling goo from them. Innocence embodied, she cocks her head to the side, a delicate little creel emanating from her still wet muzzle. Making a dainty creel Tiareth-wards, she begins her quest for beauty. Someone out there is as pretty as she is, right?

Edaeyn folds her hands behind her back again ... shallow breaths, but quick, smooth and even. Don't look at her eyes ... she averts them slightly to ensure this. "Should have laughed R'sli off," she murmurs. "Would have been easier." And all the weight on Nalla, too. It's a good thing she doesn't hold grudges.

Miana wriggles, set off into a nervous mental rant with herself now at the few remain dragonets. Impression or not, impression or not? She effects a cracked grin at Tatoria's bouncing 'n' dancing aside of her...though for now the maiden is silent. Focus. Focus. Focus.

"Esh, he went away." Loren's confused now. "Seemed decided." But it's not her place to say, really, so she just continues to watch and continues to hop. It takes up the time well, you see. "Well, i's neat, anyways. Neat greens, neat brown, so interesting this whole Hatching is." Loren's obsessed with interesting now. How nice. Yet another thing to blather on about.

Sorana murmurs something incomprehinsible to herself, squirming a little. It's so /hot/ out here. "Oh, look, another green. And brown. And green." Blink. Lotsa dragons.

Lyrica sighs at Sorana's agreement or at her own sweltering feet; too bad the heat isn't enough to make the colors run but that would probably just make it worse, "Alright, stand a few more minutes and then it's over.. and then I get to drink whatever I want." Yeah, so there. No one wil be able to stop her.

Ragis sighs softly as he notices that there are more eggs cracking and watches as many as he can see, in curiosity and in wariness not to get run over. His eyes roam from green to brown and back again a couple times over, wondering and somehow still calm. The only movements he makes are to shift from foot to foot so that his feet don't blister.

Cinderella at the Ball Green Dragonet As if at the peal of a bell, Cinderella at the Ball Green stops her rushing, her dancing, her posing and prancing. It's time to go home. She's found her shoe cum Lifemate. Without a second look, she entwines herself around Lyrica, proclaiming to all the they are one, to live happily ever after.

Pyrene finds her way back down to Auri's side again. "Auri..." she giggles, hysteria of some sort catching up to her. Cadgwith manages to avoid sitting on Miravith as she settles her bulk down and Pyrene again turns eyes to see what will befall the rest of her friends. And squeaks. "Look.. look at those greens!"

Cinderella at the Ball Green Dragonet turns her jewel faceted eyes toward Lyrica, and steps forward.

"They tried it with Trydanth too," D'renn comments carelessly to Nuff. "He didn't like it either." See, they're all reprobates.

From the Galleries, Atandra has disconnected.
Atandra falls asleep.

With nobody to hold hands with, Sasha's fingers twist nervously together. Not many left now, what chance does she have? Leaping in the air she shouts with joy as Lyrica impresses! "Yes! Lyrica!!!"

Lyrica's eyes go wide for a moment and she looks down, "Niamhyth? Wha??? Oh, yes.. of course.. I am..I am?!?" What?

Nuff grins again. "I knew it. There you go. Means nothing."

Steadfast Tin Soldier Brown Dragonet lifts his head as high as it will go, sudden vigilance and alacrity propelling the watchful movement. What is that melodious sound? Footfalls grow fainter, slowing as though he might not hear that voice again. After all, if he hears it again he might be able to decide where it's coming from. Or even if he doesn't. His head turns, and the brown waits.

Sorana stares at Lyrica, then her hand, then the dragon. "Lyrica.....? Oh!" Sorana pulls her hand from Lyri's, grinning at her. "Lovely name!"

Celeste giggles. "Oh, Lyrica!" she calls out, happily, as one of the greens decides. "Oh, good for you!" Yep, she's all happy for her friends. "Oh, it's so emotional," she mutters, scrubbing at tears.

Peia stands holding hands with Morie... brat solidarity in time of stress, until that green appears in front of her. Before Morie can react Peia steps forward and (against all sense of justice) is Impressed rather than mauled. "Luvmyth!" her voice rings exultantly. If M'rin is watching, he can start trembling.

Shawn squeals again..she's going horse cause she's squealing so much as Lyri impresses... "LYRI!!!

Edaeyn's eyes snap away from contemplation of space and sands, and the smile returns, however grim. "Lyrica, congratulations ... Niamhyth is beautiful ..." and then, with an almost smirk, "I'll save some wine for you."

"What's that, Lai?" Fye peers at the blue, then to the Sands. Fellow rainbow-one has Impressed? "/Lyri/," she cries out, "and Niamhyth! Congrats!"

Tatoria bounces and dances some more...oooo....She has a feeling she's going to be feeling this for awhile...Ooo...Ooo! "Yeah Lyrica! Green!" That leaves one green...and that brown. Oh who? Who who who?

From the Galleries, Etain remembers the signs all to well and the name gives it away. "Great Lyrica!"

Miana blinkblinks! Lyrica? Yes! How absolutely perfect! "Congratulations, Lyri!" she parrots of the resounding cries going out about the Hatching Cavern. Happy. Be. Happy.

Zai leans gently upon her new life-mate's form as she watches the rest of the eggs and hatchlings, a soft, happy sigh coming from her. Spotting Lyrica and a dragonet, she claps joyfully. "Lyri!! Congrats!" comes her call, a smile splitting her face.

From the Galleries, Deje suddenly disappears ::between::!

Pyrene forgets Peia to shriek delightedly for Lyrica. "Lyri! Niamhyth!" she calls, even remembering to gloat. "I told you!"

Auri pats Miravith's neck contentedly. "Ooh...yes....those greens are lovely." And then she watches with amused cerulean eyes as Morie, without Peia, is promptly impressed by the green..."Maurinith!"

Bewitching Sleeping Beauty Green Dragonet moves delicate little feet across the sands, her glittering eyes shifting with brightly hued colors as her search for beauty continues. Innocence and primness combine into the delicate green as she searches for that special someone who can compliment her regal beauty.

Pia lifts her voice gleefully. "Lyri!" Her fellow chained ash shoveler. "Yea!"

From the Galleries, Caoileann rests her head on Rauve's shoulder now, excitement muting into something a little sadder as more and more eggs hatch, and the dragonets impress. Look that it may be over soon. And there'll be those left behind. Wonderful and depressing, all at the same time. She smiles for the Impressions, however. Can't help but do that.

From the Galleries, Andraya peers about her. There: the knot of weyrbrats and their keepers is a few paces to her left. Edging over, slowly, she starts to make her steadfast way over to the stairs, so that she can make it back to the bratcave before anyone can notice she's gone..wait..maybe if she waits /right/ here..yes. All she has to do now is wait untill the group passes, and then blend in with the rest of them...

Loren continues to dance--dancing is a good thing, especially on these sands--while all the time commenting on random things. Lyrica's Impression is suddenly noticed, and the ex-runner shreiks in delight. "Oh! Lyri! Oooh, that's great! I'm so happy for you! And what a nice name, too!" Names? She finally menitoned it; no matter, though--dancing is the important thing. "Oh, this is so wonderful!" All her friends are Impressed--who wouldn't be happy?

D'renn scowls. "This is /not/ good. Too many brats." And a nanny.

Shawn giggles as she overhears D'renn's mumble...

Sasha glances at Loren, flashing a smile at her! "Isn't this incredible?"

Nimoleon sloshes around in sandals too big for him, looking either cocky or panicked ... take your pick. The blue from nowhere certainly does, bumping into him with all the exuberance of a canine pup. "Irisvylth ... ack!" Teeter, one, two, three ... thud.

Loren nods at Sasha, still glowing with both heat and happiness. "Oh, it is, it is!"

Steadfast Tin Soldier Brown Dragonet crows his delight, a fluttery little rumble turned into a croon; he hears the voice again! And this time, it is happy, approving, and altogether good. When he spies the source of the voice, he is happy to observe a straight back, good sandals, and... well, the robe's a bit offcentered, but, yes, Edaeyn will do very nicely.

Salea eyes D'renn. "Does this mean you can't be a brat anymore?" she asks innocently.

Steadfast Tin Soldier Brown Dragonet turns his jewel faceted eyes toward Edaeyn, and steps forward.

From the Galleries, Takovic walks in.

"Shuddup, Salea...." D'renn growls, then calling to the other Impressees. "Lyrica... Edaeyn... Morie, Peia.... All here please?"

Sorana stretches onto her tip-toes, muttering, "Where's she going? And him -- Edaeyn!!!" She squeals, jerking on Vynret's hand. "Good job!"

Ragis calls belated congratulations to Lyrica and the others who Impressed. He's shifting just a bit faster from foot to foot as the number of his friends dwindles. He grins as Edaeyn Impresses right next to him and pats her gently on the shoulder. "I knew you'd do it.....Michel will be quite pleased, I'm sure...." he says softly.

Miana peers...nope...last brown...gone away. But is she heartbroken? Nah. "Congrats, Edaeyn!"

From the Galleries, Etain smiles again, more people she knows are impressing. "Edaeyn!!! Great!!!"

Ifnesh stands, tapping his feet. Is there not a dragon that dances to /his/ beat? Then emerging from a dark shell in the shadows way backstage, a blue makes a dramatic theatrical entrance, heading towards the man in a graceful, swimming motion, creelings musically. He sweeps his curls out of his face. "Dragon. My lifemate. I am. F'ish. He is. Arielth."

Shawn screams this time as Eda gets all snuffled and such and just jumps up and down and squeals..nope definitely letting that 15 year old persona /out/

Vynret noticed the first green Impress, and so he watches the other green, and the brown. Is that all? No, no more brown, he's gone to Edaeyn. So it's the green, he watches her intently, likely wondering it she's the right dragonet for him or not. Ah, well.

Nuff is still there, of course, she's busybusy doing weyrwoman things.

From the Galleries, Janysi shrieks. Loudly. Twice. And that's all there is to it.

"Ooo," Pia notes, "Edaeyn."

From the Galleries, Rauve nuzzles lightly against the crown of Cao's head, readily pulling her closer to his side. Lyrica is eyed with intense amusement, and then... The brown he had observed earlier Impresses, and he follows with a disoriented blink. "Edaeyn!" he bellows in his husky tenor, crimson flushing 'cross sun-kissed skin.

Fye bounces once at the brown going to Edaeyn, looking to Lainnoth happily. "Edaaaa! What's his /name/? And /Ifnesh/!" The odd poet. "F'ish! Arielth!"

"Edaeyn! Ooh, that's great, great!" Loren beams in the general direction of Edaeyn, still dancing despite a lack of eggs--she didn't Impress, but that's okay.. there's always next clutch, right? Right.

On the Gallery ledges, Melsa sighs softly, she leans back.. 'She didn't impress.." Some how..doesn't register...

Lyrica calls her congratulations over to Edaeyn as she takes care of her own lifemate, still a bit shaken from what she thought was the impossible.

From the Galleries, Ndi has disconnected.
Ndi yawns and slumps over. 'Nite!

Tatoria kicks some sand as she continues her dance, although she's rather wearly looking, and somewhat disheveld. A smile apears on her face again as she congradulates. "Whoooo! Edaeyn! Congrats!" So much joy...so mcuh excitement. Now that leaves the last green. Wow.

Celeste bounces and cheers. "Edaeyn!!!! Go, Daeya!" Oh... "Oh... I'm all sniffly!" And so she is. "Oh... Who's getting that /green/?" Yep, it's an important question.

From the Galleries, Damia had nearly lost all her energy due to the lovely screaming and screetching and all that of earlier. And then Edaeyn Impresses. That makes just about all the Candies she knows. The woman hops up with just as much exhuberance as before, carring the 'brat on her lap with her. And the 'brat had nearly fallen asleep. He's just slightly more awake now, but still..."Edaeyn! Go EDAEYN!" Once again the baker's shouts echo along with so many others around the enormous Hatching Cavern. Oh what a wonderful day! "What's 'is name? Huhuhuhuh? Of course, that /would/ be next thing out of her mouth. Meanwhile, the 'brat is close to wailing. Until the cheers fill him. /Anyone/ would be hard put to stay sad after those cheers echo resonantly through them. Ahh, Impresion.

Salea shrugs, ignoring D'renn's outburst for the moment. Moving down the line, she offers congrats to Lyrica...and Edaeyn, amoungst the others.

Sasha watches the last green, wondering....

From the Galleries, Kariel bounces in his seat excitedly, about to chirp. Yes, chirp. Well, it /is/ purple-and-pink boy. "Edaeyn!!!"

Edaeyn stands very still, eyes widening once, twice ... another notch ... then, "Anwyllth ... Anwyllth ..." The name is savored in a startled rush of breath, congratulations buzzing in the back of her mind. "Tha-nk ... Ragis," she murmurs, the smile returning, legs finally giving way ... "no, I'm not shorter ... really ..." And laughter, and from the sands they go.

And so Sorana joins the diminished sea of eyes, all trained on the green. "Go to, green..."

From the Galleries, Kaitlyn walks out.

Lyrica leads Niamhyth over in the direction D'renn indicated, still a bit dazed and confused.

From the Galleries, Caoileann perks, at that, and calls out happily, "EDAEYN!" She looks pleased. Quite pleased - and then draws both arms around Rauve to squeeze happily, before returning to that ore subdued head-resting.

From the Galleries, This trying to see is a futile effort for Takovic. He's behind taller people, and wouldn't be able to see anyway. Squinting painfully hard, he knows results only from what he hears. "Edaeyn!" He smiles, recognizing the name. "Congratulations, congratulations!"

From the Galleries, Janysi shrills in the back of her throat, sounding almost exactly like an overexcited fire-lizard. "Araararaararararara, did you see?" she bellows, bounding backwards and tackling her big brother in an enormously energetic embrace.

From the Galleries, Araamis finds himself about to fall over backwards and bursts out laughing, wrapping his arms around his little sister. "I saw, you goofball, I saw. Calm /down/ ..."

"Anwyllth! Edaeyn! Congrats!" After shouting a few more congratulations, Fye peers down at Lainnoth curiously. He's getting hungry.

Bewitching Sleeping Beauty Green Dragonet is not in a hurry even though the rest of her clutchmates have gone and found their perfect mate. She delicately tips her head as she senses her Beauty nearby. Not to be hurried by the crowd, she examines each and every one in the sea of white-clad candidates. That girl? No. That boy? No. Her Beauty is here.. yes.. and ohsoclose. She creels a gentle hum to catch some attention.

From the Galleries, Caoileann has disconnected.
Caoileann seems to blend into the background and vanish.

Ragis's eyes remain on the creeling green, where else would they be with a beauty like her around? He shifts from one side to the other and watches, wondering what direction she'll be going. There aren't that many left to choose from, but all are worthy or they'd not be here today.

From the Galleries, Telarion's eyes snap open, jolted out of sleep by some unknown thought. Head swivels as he scans the room, a look of relief crossing his face when he realizes the hatching is still going on. He didn't particularly want to be there, but it wouldn't do at all for him to sleep through the party afterward.

Sorana gently chews on her lower lip, her swaying all but stilled, as she watches the green. A small tilt upward, the loosening of her hand: and so she waits.

Sasha is panting very slightly under the heated conditions, watching the green steadily and hoping...so much, yet knowing it probably won't be possible...

Tatoria figets on the sand. She can't take much more of this, but sh'es not going anywhere either. Not a chance. With a smile to Miana, she goes bakc to green watching.

Celeste waits, breath held, while the green skims the few remaining Candidates. "Oh, choose, choose!" she murmurs, anxiously. "Ohh, this is stressful. I'm never doing this again." She's not, of course... But that probably hasn't sunk in yet.

From the Galleries, Rauve strokes light fingers through Cao's hair, even as she sleeps. Attention is deflected --though it's a difficult thing to do, with Cao in his arms-- and he eyes that green, intense. Free hand grips his braid, pulling it over his shoulder with a grunt.

A hand ruffles through her hair in a nervous gesture....this is torture!

Loren keeps amethyst eyes focused on the little green, though more out of curiousity than anything else. "Impress, you silly thing.." Loren's tired of waiting, and the sands are much-to-hot. /Much/. "Hrmph."

Miana nns...just rocking amid the burning sands. The brown's impressed...but she can still cheer for her friends, right?

Sasha glances round at the others - there are just too many...She must choose one soon! taht hand goes through her hair again.

Bewitching Sleeping Beauty Green Dragonet turns glittering eyes on the Beauty that stands out like a masterful work of art. Wings flutter again, giving a glimpse of cornsilk sails before her delicate movements land her at the feet of Ragis. Creel. /Her/ Beauty. Wings twitch again as the dragonet expects him to be awe-struck by her innocent prettiness--that /is/ the way of life!

Pyrene continues to watch, eyes catching Edaeyn's and winking. "All things considered.. I might let you off that demonstration," she says to her, chuckling at Anwyllth, before going to the green on the sands. "Oh... one left? Then we can go..." and she winces. They can't go get drunk.

Bewitching Sleeping Beauty Green Dragonet turns her jewel faceted eyes toward Ragis, and steps forward.

"And Ragis," is Pia's half-enthuastic addition. But her head is held high, no matter the tears streaming down her face. Can't see them from the stands, anyways.

From the Galleries, Etain's lips curve into a large smile. Ragis did it. "Way to go Ragis!"

Sorana sags, releasing Vynret's hand in a jerky motion. "That's it then." But: her head lifts, her mouth stops trembling, and she walks out. What's done is done.

Ragis blinks as the green stops in front of him and stares. "You.....you want me?" he asks in awe. "Oh.....yes, Peorth! You're lovely......" He reashes out to encircle as much of her as he can and calls, "She's Peorth...." He looks to the edge of the sands at a certain Bronze and Blue riders.

"Ragis! Ooh, congratulations!" Loren's dance continues on, the petite Candidate still clapping for the newly-Impressed and the earlier Impressees, beaming gleefully. "Ooh, great! ..esh, I'd best step off.. my foot's gonna be /so/ blistered." And off she shuffles, back to the barracks, and, perhaps, Tillek. Or not. One must keep in touch with their friends, right?

Daeyn smiles to Pyrene in a fashion more giddy than anything, eyes bright. "Don't think I'll be doing much demonstrating in the near future ..."

"Ragis! Over here!" D'renn calls, summoning Impressees and dragonets alike with waving arms. "Time to eat......"

Sasha watches the successful candidates and their newly impressed dragonets in silence, as they help each other at the edge of the sands. Standing a little apart from the remaining candidates, she drops her head for a minute, not wanting anyone to see the tears that have risen unbidden to stand in her too bright eyes.

Tatoria sighs, since that's the last dragon, but congradulates Ragis anyone. "Hey! Congrats!" She then glances at newly made riders and the spot where the eggs were and gets off those /hot/ sands, still proud.

Chiernnath sighs with contentment and shuffles out of the sands, lead by a rather agitated rider anxious to leave the insufferable heat.

Lyri frowns, "Oh well.. at least I'm not squeemish.. now that I have that wager to live up to.."

Ragis nods and coaxes the creeling gren to the side. "There's food here...." he murmurs.

Pyrene glances over to Ragis--R'gis? And grins... "Oh, Telynth and Kh'et will be delighted, I'm sure!" she calls across, having recovered enough to tease. "OK... we go this way now?" and she follows everyone else, out of her area of expertise.

From the Galleries, Sigh. Now Damia has to go and fix up the lovely Hatching Feast that always follows these types of things. And she choes to be a baker /because/? Well, whether or not she's happy about it, she's got mounds of people to feed and she's going to go do that. 'brat is placed down and a little shove toward the steps is offered him. "Hurry 'long to the 'caverns now. If you don't get there quick, you'll miss all the good food!" And with a wink, the baker follows the toddling youngster down the stairs and toward the scrumptious feast that awaits them. She can't /wait/ to see the new Weyrlings once they come!

[I arrived late, due to a few 'minor' complications with my original plans and spent the whole hatching in some kind of adrenaline shock with very little idea of what was going on (the fact that I had to use java didn't help). Fortunately, a very many people logged it and were willing to send me their copy so that I could gradually build up some idea of just how many people I ignored that night! Still, it was great fun, it obviously ended well for me, and my love goes to all of SearchCo, the candidates and a few others who made 'Double-O-Search' a great experience for me, Cadgwith or no Cadgwith]

Back to Pyrene's logs

Back to her history

Back to the log index