The following is a log of roleplay from PernMUSH . The World of Pern(tm)' and 'The Dragonriders of Pern(r)' are copyright to Anne McCaffrey (c) l967. This is a recorded online session, by permission of the author but generated on pernMUSH for the benefit of people unable to attend.

9/26/02

Candidate Barracks

This cavern has a rather low ceiling, with many openings for air, since this becomes an abode for a large number of people before every hatching. Every inch of the floor is kept clean, although little of it can be seen due to the many rows of cots that fill most of the space. The central part of the cavern is rather dim, as most of the glows are on the walls. Little decoration is evidenced except for a few personal effects. You wouldn't call it uncomfortable unless the unusually low ceiling for a weyr makes you claustrophobic. On the wall, scrupulously maintained, is a list of Candidates and their assigned chores for the day. Tampering with it is rumored to be an offense punishable by death or latrine duty for the rest of one's life.

The normal ruckus of the barracks is almost constant.

Shawnah wanders into the barracks, nose wrinkled slightly... and anyone she walks by would probably notice: she has the smell of the beasthold emanating from her clothing. "Ugh. And to think I used to do this /all the time/.." she's mumbling to herself.

Bianca stands near the end of her cot, in the process of making the thing up. She seems to have reached the blanket phase, and is adjusting one of those over another, just so. Wrinkles seem to be her bane though; when she pulls one out, another pops up on the other side.

L'han yaaaawns and scratches at his over-grown scruff and peers about the barracks. "Hey...ladies."

Yashira steps in just after L'han, arching her eyebrows. "And gentlemen. Tarien says that Mirrath's amenable to an egg touching - so everyone, we're taking a little trip to the hatching sands."

Cheni sits on her cot, towel drying her hair. She looks as if she's been half drowned by a dragon which is closer to the truth than fiction. With quick efficiency, she separates her hair into three sections and plaits a loose braid, just to get her hair out of the way. At L'han's greeting, she pauses in typing a simple leather thong at the end of her braid. Then Yashira's statement causes her to drop the thong completely and fumbling fingers nervously reach for it.

Shawnah turns and starts to give a little salute to the candidate coordinators, and then blinks at Yashira's words, glancing down at her dirty clothing. "Well.. figures.." she says with a snort. "I hope they don't mind the smell of muck."

Bianca gives that top layer of blanket on her cot another gentle tug, which has the effect of forming several small rippled wrinkles all along one side. This is abruptly forgotten about though, since she doesn't bother looking: instead, she peers across toward the riders as they enter, one brow arching.

L'han waves a dismissive hand to Shawnah, "Eggs can't smell, girl, don't you know that much?" He shakes his head and turns to Yashira, whispering loudly, "That one thinks the eggs can smell."

"They love muck. They'll be making loads of it soon enough." Yashira claps her hands twice. "Come on, let's get a move on." Who's brisk? Yash is brisk. She turns about, striding from the barracks and just eyeing L'han. "Look, you're one to talk."

L'han now scratches at the back of his neck, hunching over slightly as he lopes after Yash. "Whatcha think she meant by that?"

Shawnah quirks a brow at L'han, grinning. "Well.. one never reeeally know, right?" she asks, fingers wiggling in a mysterious way at the 'really'. "I meant the dragons though.." and then glancing over her shoulder to give her fellow candidates a grin, she follows Yashira.

Cheni sigh and takes a deep breath, looking straight in front of her, she stands and squares her shoulder. Another deep breath and she looks out to the entrance. "I knew it would come to this."

Galleries

Stretching along the eastern wall of the hatching cavern, these tiers of seats have enough room for several hundred spectators for Clutchings and Hatchings. To one side, long shallow steps descend to the entrance. There is also a railing separating the lowest tier of seats from the Hatching Sands themselves. Other parts of the galleries are closed off from the sands by a wall to the north and south. From here you can reenter the bowl, or follow the pathway down to the Sands.

The afternoon is quite cloudy, with only a few open patches through which the sun pokes. There seems to be a light breeze and the fall air is freezing against you. The ground is icy beneath your feet.

L'han salutes crisply, "Weyrwoman Tarien, ma'am!" He turns to make sure the others are showing their own respects. Only he lost the lot of them.

Yashira ushers in some Candidates, scowling faintly.

L'han is much relieved, "Ah! There you are." Now Yash gets a frowny face. He was worried!

Shawnah walks in line behind Yashira and L'han with the other candidates, following like a duckling does its parents. "Not nervous, are ya?" she asks, turning to glance at Cheni.

Standing by the stairs leading to the sands, Tarien grins at L'han -- until that salute, at least. "I'll never live any of this down, will I?" she asks, amused, then waves to Yashira and the Candidates as they arrive.

Cheni nervously picks up the leather thong she's dropped five times already along the route and finally shoves the thing in her pocket. Half the thong droops out as she can't coordinate her hand to complete simple tasks. "Me?" She squeaks, then blushes and looks out to the dragons nervously. "No, not at all, calm, soothing, respectful, that's me."

Yashira eyes L'han right back. "What? I wouldn't follow you, either. I'm not sure if I'd end up tumbling off a cliff or something."

Bianca attempts to bring up the rear without lagging too far behind, her hands tucked as deeply into folds of her skirt as she can manage. Granted, next to Cheni she looks pretty calm, but that's only because the fidgeting of her fingers is well concealed. She does bow her head to Tarien, though, "Ma'am."

L'han pauses smiling at his young charges in an all-encouraging manner to snort at his fellow brownrider, "Maireth doesn't knock me off of cliffs. Only Candidates."

"Ah. I'm beginning to understand why you live in Ursa's weyr. Protection," Yashira murmurs.

Shawnah laughs, "Better than I was first time, then. It's not bad, though, really. Kinda neat.." she says, glancing around to grin at Bianca too. At L'han's words, she quickly turns back, a look of complete innocence on her face. They would never! A nod is then given to Tarien. "Afternoon, ma'am." her grin twitches slightly, a mischievous smirk.

Tarien clears her throat a bit, smiles, and address the Candidates, "Mirrath and Indrath have said they're willing to let you come out onto the sands for a bit. The rules are simple -- no sudden movements, no running, no playing around. If either of the dragons starts to get cranky, we'll ask you to leave -- please, no arguments. Other than that? Be careful. You may -touch- the eggs, but don't poke, hit, or kick at them. And... that's it." She grins at L'han and Yashira, "Whenever you're all ready, come on down."

Cheni laughs nervously. "Wouldn't dream of it L'han, never been to a cliff around here, didn't even cross my mind." Again, she eyes the gold. "Totally harmless I am." She smiles sweetly, all innocence at Tarien, hoping she'll pass on the word to her lifemate. "Running around? What if you feet won't move?"

"Come on, there's no need to be wussies," Yashira says, waving for them to follow as she steps out onto the Sands.

Bianca, still behind Cheni, sniffs delicately. "They -don't- bite," she says... though that might actually be for her own benefit. Only then does she manage to move again herself though, taking a deep breath and heading down.

Hatching Sands

This is the immense cavern containing the hatching grounds of Telgar Weyr. It stretches for several hundred feet across, and even farther in length. To the north is the large mound of sands used by the queens for their clutches. Looking up along the high walls of the cavern, the ledges where dragons and their riders observe the hatchings are visible. Much of the eastern wall is dominated by the galleries, where row upon row of tiers are capable of seating hundreds of people.

Shawnah steps onto the sands, idly wiping her dirty hands off on her even more dirty skirt. "Well.. here I am again.." she murmurs, and glances left and right before giving a little curtsey to Mirrath and Indrath. After standing, she heads for the first egg that catches her attention. Which happens to be the first one which popped out those sevendays ago - the colorful moon egg.

Yashira slows down once she's on the Sands, peering about with an odd expression on her face. "Huh. This feels odd."

Bianca sidesteps when she reaches the sands, getting out of the way of any who might come down behind her, but not yet closing on the clutch. She actually shivers a little bit, then straightens and squares her shoulders, but waits there near the base of the galleries, looking around.

Tarien threads her way easily back to the sands, with the ease of the past several months of practice. "Odd?" she asks of Yashira, while watching the Candidates. "How so?"

Cheni waits until another candidate goes forward first, much like a guest at a dinner party waits to see which spoon to use. She furtively watches Shawnah's every move and takes one more step, close to Blue Eye Egg just because it was the closest to her. "it's alright to touch them? How?"

Blue Eye Egg

This next sphere looks more eye than egg, with a wide middle that's perfectly circular and a uniform shade of dark ebony. Closest to the egg's 'pupil' is a pearly white, which is drawn away from center as if by a paintbrush. The faintest hint of pink shows through next, before it's swept away and out by muted cerulean. At the outer edge, the blues darken to a shade similar to evening's last breath of twilight.

Picture of Blue Eye Egg

Yashira grunts once, turning to peer at Tarien. "Ehn. It's only been... what, three turns? since I was coming out here and touching eggs and standing for Cariath and Spineth's clutch. I still remember it clearly, so everything looks... odd."

L'han has hunched down close to the sand, not touching any egg, just getting his face right close to where he can talk to it. Not talk to the dragon inside, mind you, he's actually talking to the egg. Something about silly candidates and thinking he could smell them. Pfft!

Shawnah gently lays a hand across the egg, tilts her head, and then traces a finger down its curved side. "Hmm.. bumpy." she observes, and squints at it a long moment before turning away, toward another egg. "Just.. y'know, touch it." She answers Cheni, ever so helpfully. Noticing Bianca just standing there, she jerks her head back a little. "What you waiting for?" she asks with a grin. At Yashira's words, she chuckles, "This all feels new to me again.. it's been. Umm. Quite a bit longer since I've been here." she gives Tarien a glance, and as she walks by L'han, she pauses, smirks, and continues on her way.

Perhaps a minute passes before Bianca finally detaches herself from that spot near the stands, smoothing out the impressions of her booted toes with one swipe of a foot. Then she launches out, steering wide around L'han and his rather odd conversation, but ending up finally near the moon's flame egg, which she stares at intently for a heartbeat before crouching near.

Oddly enough, in spite of its warmth and the hardness to its shell, the Blue Eye Egg feels rather... wet.

"Gently," Tarien replies to Cheni's question, with a smile. "It's perfectly all right to touch them, just be gentle. Like... ah, stroking a feline, maybe?" Yashira's reply prompts a touch of wryness to that smile, "I think I can understand that, and I'm not sure it gets any -less- odd as time goes on." She's left biting back laughter at L'han's running commentary, and Mirrath, for her part, simply watches, placid -- for now.

Yashira nods once, crossing her arms and standing, watching the Candidates move among the eggs. "Ranly! No running."

Cheni takes another deep breath and with a delicate touch, only using the very end of her fingertips, she barely makes contact .. then snatches her hand away in surprise. Her eyes widen. "It feels wet!" She frowns, confused, her head tilting to one side. "How could it be wet on the sands?" Curiosity overcomes timidity and still using her fingertips, the candidate nervously allows more of the surface to be stroked. "More smooth like, a grape, maybe?" Jumping back automatically as Yashira chides Ranly, she chuckles sheepishly. "Silly me."

Bianca's gaze lifts over the fiery shell, one brow arching as Ranly gets himself a warning. She sniffs delicately then and gazes back down at the shell, then smoothes back the hair on one side of her face, turning her head down and bringing her ear near to its surface. A slight frown manifests after a moment and she straightens, reaching instead with the tips of her fingers to brush along it. The frown intensifies.

Shawnah starts to run a finger down that next egg - the marbled bronze, before she jerks her hand back. Frowning, she leans forward slightly, and then even more, until her ear is almost touching its sandpaper surface. She also jerks back at Yashira's reprimand, and with a sheepish grin and an odd look for that egg, she walks away from it and toward another.

L'han is keeping a watchful eye on the candidates, for all it's impossible to tell, unless you overhear more of his intent conversation with the egg, "I don't think you fell like a grape at all. You feel like an egg."

The Blue Eye Egg's mostly quiet, save for the occasional noise that sounds almost like a muffled groan.

Yashira eyes the egg L'han is speaking to near-apologetically. She murmurs something about trauma before it's even out of the shell to herself.

Cheni catches Bianca trying to listen to the egg and shrugs. When in Telgar, do what the Telgari's do and her ear is pressed lightly against the surface of the Blue Eye Egg. She shakes her head and a look of disbelief, combined with self derision crosses her face. She mutters to herself. "Don't be silly, you didn't hear a thing." Lips pursed, unsure, she steps back and heads off to another egg that appears to have a Shadowed Face on its surface

Shadowed Face Egg

This egg looks almost as though it's shrouded within a deep mist of fog -- both colors and features are blurry and indistinct. Wispy pine green rubs elbows with pale peach, which is lined in shadows to give it the impression of a cherubic face in profile. Two spots of carnation pink make up the only bright colors among this egg's muted shell, quickly embraced by cloudy reds and grays.

Shadow Face Egg Picture

Bianca shakes her head after several moments of contemplation, rising from where she crouches. Sand is dusted from her skirts, keeping her occupied as she crosses over toward another egg, the one with the vitreous aquamarine shell. Beside it she crouches again, and after peering around cautiously, gives it a slow caress.

The Shadowed Face Egg is smooth to the touch, and seems to be a little cooler than some of the others.

Tarien bites her lip that much harder, but not in time to quiet the first bit of laughter that threatens to escape. "They certainly -look- like eggs," she finally manages, after a moment.

The next egg Shawnah approaches is the cat's paw egg. Another thoughtful frown appears on her face, and she holds her hand out toward it, hovering just above touching it. She takes a few steps closer, still not quite touching it.. and her brows quirk up, and she grins, though there's a slightly perplexed look on her face. "Well.. if you didn't hear anything, then I didn't just hear this one burp.." she says, brows raising even more as she apparently hears the sound again, and backs slowly away from it.

Cheni smiles softly as she examines this egg a little closer. "Oh, this one is just beautiful." Pausing before she crouches down, her usual humour rises. "Alright, mine didn't groan and yours didn't burp. That's our stories and we are sticking to them?" But the egg's beauty attracts her once again and Cheni coos as she crouches by the mutely tinted egg. Not able to resist touching the inviting surface, as soon as her fingers sense the temperature of the egg, she clears her throat, looking alarmed. "This one seems cooler, is it alright?"

Like so many of its clutchmates, the Shadowed Face Egg is almost entirely silent.

"Ranly! No pushing," Yashira informs the rowdy little Candidate.

Rivaar is late. As usual. His feet are quiet on the sands as he jogs on up, smoothly incorporating himself into the conglomerate of candidates in the back. He whistles faintly as he does so, and makes sure his smudged face shows an appropriate expression. I've been here the whole time, it says.

L'han goes on to tell his chosen confidant about the candidates seeing things, and then about how some think they can sneak in late without any of the frighteningly intelligent - and devastatingly handsome - Candidate Coordinators noticing.

Mirrath may be smallest among golds, but she's still rather -large- -- to her advantage when she starts to loom, those whirling eyes fixed on the rowdy one. Tarien's distracted from watching him by Cheni's comment, and offers a reassuring smile, "They're all fine. Both Mirrath and Indrath watch them all quite closely."

Bianca startles a bit at the aquamarine egg, pulling back from it to blink. Then she oooooooohs, a sound that is meant to be awed and respectful, but comes out rather like a too-enthusiastic squeal. Poor egg. She brushes her fingers over it again, too, far more gently than she cooed.

Yashira grimaces at the squeal, and pokes her pinkie finger in her egg, wiggling it around a little.

Shawnah sends Ranly a little squint, and almost a scowl, before she goes to just ignoring the little upstart. Well, mostly. She looks as if she's just /waiting/ for him to come her way, toward a foot waiting to trip someone. Rivaar is given a little grin when he's noticed, and then Bianca sidelong glance before she goes to tracing her fingers along the hourglass pattern on the egg. After a moment, she leaves this one, too. So far, it seems she holds no special liking for any /one/ egg, though that burping once gets a backward glance now and then, as if waiting for it to make other noises.

Cheni finds herself in the shadow of Mirrath's looming figure as the gold fixes on Ranly and swallows hard. "Oh, right, of course, they are taking care of the eggs wonderfully and these are the best eggs I've ever seen, amazing they are, so .. so.." She desperately seeks for a word. "So ..full of potential." She scurries past the gold and heads towards the back of the mound, not before a last caress of the egg that is at this point, her favourite.

Yashira poked her ear. Ack.

Bianca is oblivious now, it seems, to the peril of her fellow candidates, or the assurance of the status of the many eggs. She does scoot over to another nearby egg, resting the fingertips of both hands on its shell and slowly tracing the twisted spiral there. "Ooooooh," she breathes again, probably traumatizing another unborn dragonling, but she pays no attention.

"What's going on?" Rivaar whispers as he draws up to Shawnah, not quite looking at her as he rolls up on his tiptoes for a better look. At thirteen turns, he is among the shortest of the candidates here collected. "Are any rotten?"

Sunset Over Standing Stones Egg

Midnight blue, pure and dark, paints the top of this egg, before it gives way into a lighter shade of cerulean. As it drops into the background, pale seafoam green is a thin line separating blues from a wider stripe in the warm, golden shades of sunset. Clouds on the skyline are alight in bright magenta, then fade into blackness. At the forefront, grey-black shadows are geometric shapes against the night sky, giving the impression of hulking monoliths that stand at ever-present guard. Three soft, white dots rests at the egg's center, just above a horizontal brick of darkness, forming a glimmering triangle.

Sunset over Standing Stones Egg Picture

Warmth exudes from the Sunset Over Standing Stones Egg, and, as each color changes, perceptive fingers can pick up a bit of thickening of the shell.

Like so many of its clutchmates, only silence can be heard from the Sunset Over Standing Stones Egg.

Shawnah glances back to the gold, and then to Rivaar. "Shh.. don't let her hear /that/. No.. none we're rotting. I hope. Just a couple of the candidates." she sends another glare Ranly-wards. She then kneels at the egg she's arrived at, peering at it closely.

Ranly is kicking sand at other Candidates. Yashira glares at him, stalks over, then grabs him and flips him over her shoulder. She heads for the exit, Ranly half stunned.

Cheni peers over the mound of eggs at Bianca after the girl's last exclamation. She murmurs helpfully. "Babies like soothing, lulling sounds, I think?" Growing ever bolder, especially when she's got the eggs between her and the Dam, Cheni gently presses both hands against the geometric shapes that edge the lower surface of Sunset over Standing Stones Egg. She presses her ear against the top surface and chuckles. "I knew it, it must have just been my empty belly complaining at the other egg." Tsking lightly as Rivaar mentions rotting eggs, she gives a significant -look- in Rivaar's direction. "It's not nice to insult a babies looks, especially in the mother's hearing. Yashira's swift solution to the Ranly problem brings an evil grin to her face and she waggles her fingers at the lad as he departs.

Mirrath takes a step forward, then relaxes again, as Yashira steps in. "Perhaps," Tarien remarks, as she watches the spectacle, "we ought to make sure he -doesn't- come back down here. And no, Rivaar, none of them are rotten," she adds, amused.

Rivaar blinks when Tarien herself answers, and then shoots her a grin. "I d'know, 'Ren, you better make sure," he says. As far as he's concerned, no good could possibly come out of his big sister's dragon's butt.

Bianca, oddly, waves a sort of farewell to the departing Ranly, though this quickly becomes a more hesitant sort of peering-accompanied gesture at Cheni. "I'm not being -loud-," she points out. "And..." Anything else she might have had to say gets cut off in favour of a similar peer, this time at Rivaar. She stares at the boy for a moment, then shakes her head, and moves on to another nearby egg, the one featuring some anonymous auntie in profile.

"An' I wasn't doing no insulting," the boy adds, then. "I was just expressionisming legitimate concerns!" Rivaar wipes the grin off his face, choosing to look surprised instead. "These being such pretty eggs, n' all.. "

Shawnah gives a little cheer as Yashira drags Ranly off, which she cuts short with a cough. After giving Rivaar a -look-, she shakes her head and starts tracing a hand across the colorful cloud of this egg, looking thoughtful when she reaches the warmest point. After a moment, she leans inward to the encroaching tendrils, pressing her ear against that warm spot. Eyes widening in surprise, she give the egg a soft tap, listens again, grins, and gives it another.

Cheni blushes at the double rebuke and decides silence is best at this point. Yep. She is silent, not observant, not looking over at her fellow candidates Cheni. Of course, that doesn't stop her from darting little glances now and again as she moves on to another egg. When Shawnah taps at the egg, she opens her mouth to comment but shuts her mouth just about as quickly. Lets look at pretty Blue Reflections, shall we?

Blue Reflection Egg

A wash of pale blues covers this egg's surface, looking in some spots as if the wispy color was placed there by the soft touch of an artist's brush. Circles of radiant white shine through in a seemingly random pattern, scattered lazily about this smallish offering. At the heart of the ovoid, blue melts into lavender, then to faint hints of darkest violet, while deep blue grey provides a skirt around shell's bottom where the sand rests.

Blue Reflection Egg

Smooth and warm, the Blue Reflection egg seems almost to vibrate beneath even the most casual of touches.

"Listen, brat," Tarien begins, with a grin that's mostly good-natured, with only a little bit of put-upon-big-sister, "I think Mirrath's smart enough to know about her own eggs. The -Candidates-, on the other hand..." She trails off, grins, and falls silent again, to simply watch once more.

A quiet hum can be heard from the Blue Reflection egg -- at least, so it seems...

And while Tarien is watching, Rivaar is sure to show her his tongue. Blaaaaaaah. It may be interesting to note that his tongue is purple-- a rather bubbly pie type of purple-- and that this may explain his tardiness. But the boy then behaves himself, scrunching his nose up a bit before he drifts out among the eggs. The fiery one seems to be of some interest, and so, too, the egg whose markings bear a striking resemblance to a windswept figure's silhouette. The pink one is avoided like the plague. How girly.

Bianca scoots over at length to pay a visit to the red rosette egg, though she examines it visually for a long time before actually coming to touch it: first with one hand, and then both. She blinks a few times then, but shrugs whatever was there off, leaning in to peer more closely at its markings.

Shawnah, since her head is tilted at that angle to listen and tap, sees Cheni's look. She lifts her head, giving Cheni a questioning look.. and then she hears Rivaar. Quirking a brow at him, she snorts, and then stands up before the sands can burn her buns off, brushing herself off and wandering into a large grouping of eggs.

Cheni stops in midtouch as her name is softly called from the galleries. Wandering over to the edge, her eyes widen as a inner caverns worker apologetically mutters some news that causes a wee bit of a frown appear across the candidate's face. "I need to see the healers, if you will excuse me, nothing important, just a bit of a rash that they have scheduled me in for now to have a look at it." *** Disconnected from PernMUSH ***

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