Logs:Egg Touching - Elaruth/Bijedth
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| RL Date: 22 February, 2014 |
| Who: Ali, Faye, Hattie, Lilah, Morvyn, N'muir, Zhivka |
| Involves: Fort Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: The Candidates are let onto the Sands to touch the eggs. |
| Where: Hatching Sands, Fort Weyr |
| When: Day 25, Month 1, Turn 34 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: K'zin/Mentions |
| The Weyrwoman's gone and chosen a great day for it, weather wise. There's a blizzard going on outside, and it's through that blizzard that Hattie sends one of the Headwoman's assistants to bring the Candidates to the galleries, with nothing /like/ a promise to see the eggs, but the opportunity for those who are able to behave themselves. The Weyr's senior goldrider rattles off a list of rules about as long as your arm, like she could recite them in her sleep, the main points being: no running, pushing or shoving; no loud noise; don't apply too much pressure to the eggs; if you're told to move, you /move/, and, first and foremost, don't upset Elaruth. Not that Elaruth looks /happy/ to start with, sat to one side of her clutch, tip of her tail within reach of her precious gold egg. She's watching all right. The point about no running, pushing or shoving has Morvyn leveling his gaze on a handful of the youngest candidates. /Clearly/ those rules are meant for them. He straightens his shoulders and looks towards the protective queen, dipping forward in a small bow before he moves to stand to the side. He folds his arms in front of him and looks out at the eggs with a neutral expression. It doesn't seem like the Harper is going to be one of the first, or one to ever, touch the eggs themselves. Lilah is certainly not attempting to upset the large gold that occupies the sand, especially given that she's upset her rider before. So instead, she has found her way, with measured steps that do not have any quick movement that might draw attention, to that egg that so closely resembles her own hair instead of the golden one that Elaruth guards. Instead, she brushes fingertips across the surface of Caught By the Sun egg, tracing one line that seems to be shaded red, though her gaze is sliding in a study to observe her fellow Candidates and the weyrleaders, rather than the egg. Ali's wearing her thick-soled boots today, along with a summer dress to accommodate the heat of the galleries, and a wet scarf that she's used to tie up her hair. There's no sign of Isyath, and the junior's looking nearly as unsettled as Elaruth, moving amongst Isyath's clutch and checking all the eggs by a habit long formed, while the Weyrwoman recites the rules. It's when she finishes that the dark-haired woman looks over to study the group of candidates, as if just as interested in the outcome. There's no invitation to come and examine the clutch she's standing amongst, but then it's a safe bet that these eggs are too soft yet. Despite previous misgivings about being out here with the eggs and the dragons and all that, Zhivka seems to prefer this to the alternative. Which is more shoveling of snow outside, which has become basically her least favorite thing ever. She listens to the rules, staring at Elaruth the whole time with big eyes. And once they're given leave to do their thing, she... doesn't, really. Not yet. But she does at least stop staring at the dragon to look at what the other candidates are doing. Bijedth is next to Elaruth, his wing awkwardly lifted out of the way so that he can be wedged right next to her as close as two creatures can be, his hands in front of him gently flexing as he kneads at the sand as if he were a giant kitten. Or perhaps he's using the sand as his stress ball for he isn't quite so agitated as his mate though he does watch them. N'muir stands somewhere between Isyath's clutch and Elaruth's own eggs, but turned sideways so he can look from one end of the cavern to the other easily. In his typical fashion, he looks about as unhappy as Elaruth at having the Candidates on the Sands, his arms crossed over his chest and a frown touching the lines of his face and arching his dark brows. He casts a look over at Ali and the other eggs on the sands, his arms knitting a little tighter before he looks back at the Candidates. He eyes Lilah. "Gently." Just in case it needs to be said again. Hattie remains in the first row of the galleries once the last of the Candidates have headed down to the Sands, using that slight vantage point to see where the various young people wander to and which eggs they approach. When she's about to step foot on the Sands themselves is when she hesitates and looks over at Zhivka, non-plussed. "I can't and won't promise you another chance," she says with a shrug of her shoulders. "If you want to stay here, it's up to you, but if you can't do it /now/... Well, eggs wait for no-one on the day they choose." She lingers a moment more in the galleries, gaze seeking out first N'muir, then Ali, then she follows after the white-knotted folk, her path one that carries her right to Elaruth, who leans in against Bijedth and makes a quiet, miserable sound as her Sands are all messed up. "Well, there's a point there," Morvyn mutters to a girl standing beside him with a shrug after he hears Hattie's point to Zhivka. He strides forward, making his own way through the eggs. He pauses near one that is black, The Black is the New Black Egg, and rests his palm gently to feel it's warmth. "Of course," Lilah murmurs under her breath, and it may or may not reach across the clutch of eggs to the Weyrleader's ears, but the incline of her chin in a nod certainly does. And her brush is gentle, hands steady and unshaken where they trace light patterns against the egg. They still after a moment, resting against the shell to prolong the contact, her gaze finally dropping as she seems to concentrate. After another turn about the smaller-by-comparison clutch of her queen's, Ali moves up to stand next to N'muir. That it conveniently places her between the candidates and Isyath's clutch is probably no coincidence; certainly she doesn't immediately seek any conversation with the Weyrleader, readjusting her hair to keep it off her neck as she watches the candidates moving slowly amongst the eggs. There's a little smile as she spots the candidates bending down to touch the eggs. "Elaruth scared the bejeesus out of me when I did this," she eventually murmurs, quietly, her gaze flickering to that egg she cradles so protectively. Zhivka glances first at Morvyn and then at Hattie, then back to Morvyn. When the man goes to do the egg-touching thing properly, she slowly moves to follow in his footsteps. Almost literally until she breaks off to wander another way. She pauses by the Fluffy White egg, fingertips moving to trace over the not actually soft shell. "I can do this," she tells it. "Easy for you. All you have to do is sit there." She glances toward Elaruth and her miserable sound. Which isn't because she's touching the egg but she can't know that for sure and she jerks her hand back away from it. The Weyrleader's gaze narrows at that lifted chin but he forgives it (or stores it in the back of his mind for later) enough not to seem to feel the need to march over there. Although when his attention swivels to find Ali nearby, he looks back at Lilah as though he might just march over there after all. He doesn't, and his body language is mild but there if one is looking: he shifts his weight to the foot furthest from Ali and nibbles at the corner of his lip. At her admittance his weight slowly shifts back to the foot closer to her and there's a small release of tension from his arms. "I can imagine," he murmurs, and his nibbling is interrupted by a small smile. "She's especially protective though; it makes it scarier. I've seen clutchmothers who are /thrilled/ to have Candidates on the Sands, like they're just happy to see something from the outside world." And he smirks. "Isyath seems... happy?" Part of Lilah's strategy, it seems, is to visit as many of the eggs as possible in the time allowed. The candidate already straightens away from the egg that she's currently touching and moves on. She only takes the few steps to the next egg with a glance to the Weyrleader that lingers only a moment before she lays her hand against the klah-colored Non-Conformist egg with the same intentness (and the same gentleness). And Elaruth does look about ready to scare the bejeesus out of anyone who makes a wrong move, though just /what/ a wrong move would be, in her eyes, is anyone's guess. On her way to meet her lifemate, Hattie passes close by the Essence Egg and trails her hand along the white-gold hide of the tail that now curls around it, its colour not so different to the shell of the egg. "Ease off, darl," she murmurs as she goes to tuck herself in against the little queen's chest, reaching a hand up and out to Bijedth in fond greeting. It takes a few moments (or more), but Elaruth slowly, slowly draws her tail back to curl it around herself and her rider instead. There. "The egg touchings don't bother Issy," Ali admits to N'muir, though can't help feel compelled to add, "But then, she'd rather be anywhere but-" her gaze goes distant; Isyath circles above the Weyr as normal, unconcerned. With a growing smile, she says, "Thought she might've eaten me, when I dared touch Issy's egg." It's remembered fondly enough /now/, well after the fact - certainly /she's/ not the one over there right now. "You should go help Hattie ease her mind." The shift of her weight suggests she's intending to stay right here. Since she's already looking over there like something horrible might happen, Zhivka watches the exchange between dragon and rider uncertainly. But nothing horrible is happening so the little blonde tries not to stare this time. Instead she weaves her way around the Out of the Ashes egg, this time a palm follows the curve of its shell. "How do they all know how to hatch at the same time?" she asks abruptly, voice raised just enough so that she can be heard. Faye's presence on the Sands is an all but silent and certainly incommunicative one. She doesn't seek to engage any of her fellow Candidates in conversation, nor does she look up enough to keep dragons or riders in her line of sight, leaving her focuses on nothing more than the eggs themselves and her own footsteps through the sand. She stops beside the Judgement Egg, head tilted, like she's listening for something, then moves on without touching it, though she does angle a long look back as she approaches her next target. Bijedth pauses his kneading of the Sand in order to devote his attention to meeting Hattie's touch, Candidates forgotten for as long as she'll allow him to press his head into her hand and rumble contentedly at the offer of attention. N'muir smiles for Ali's reverie though it doesn't quite reach his eyes, but he nods, and it though it's intention is at first an acceptance of Ali's suggestion it turns into something akin to a casual bow farewell. "Probably a good idea." N'muir doesn't unknot his arms from across his chest as he makes his way close to Elaruth's clutch and the Candidates, his path veering towards Lilah. "'You in a rush or something?" Lilah only lingers for a moment at the Non-Conformist egg, long enough to try to attempt to make some sort of connection, if what they say is true. She is straightening even at the Weyrleader's question, her lips only curving slightly at N'muir in a self-deprecating smile: "Last time, I stayed at one egg the entire time." Her gaze slides across N'muir, questioning, before she takes a few testing steps towards that golden egg, the first to do so. It is a slow approach, as if she expects either the bronzerider or one of the dragons to stop her at any moment. Hattie could probably stand there for a fair while, running gentle hands over Bijedth's nose, a kind of peaceful smile beginning to sink into the lines of her features, but then Elaruth makes a soft, strangled kind of sound in the back of her throat as one of the younger male Candidates nudges a foot in against the base of the Emotional Equilibrium Egg, as though to see how difficult it might be to /move/. "Maybe the first one starts and then the humming-" the Weyrwoman is answering Zhivka, yet she doesn't get to finish her answer, turning to /stare/ over at that boy. With her focus /and/ Elaruth's attention over there, the queen doesn't fret at Lilah's approaching the gold egg. After assuring herself the candidates are staying near Elaruth's clutch, Ali eventually retreats to do another turn around Isyath's, before finally seeking the somewhat cooler climes of the galleries. Rewetting her scarf, she settles in next to K'zin, the pair chatting quietly while they watch the candidates move around the sands. Moving on, slowly, to the Eyes of Rage egg, Zhivka's attention is torn between Hattie, Elaruth and Lilah. The first in part because she doesn't finish, the second because she might possibly eat someone. And Lilah because she might possibly get eaten. Zhivka's fingers rest against the egg but she's not really paying any attention to it now, instead watching Lilah like she can't not watch what might happen to her. "Oh," is N'muir's deadpan response to Lilah. "Why?" His arms finally unknit, hands seeking out pockets to shove themselves into. For a moment, he might almost be relaxing. Maybe. A little. Until there's that /noise/ from Elaruth. From this vantage point, he can't see what the fuss is all about with the gold and her lifemate but his head swivels in their direction. His attention quickly turns to find the victim (or culprit) on the other end of Hattie's stare. "Hey." It's a firm warning for the Candidates in the direction of Hattie's stare - he hasn't narrowed down which one it is yet, and so his glaring takes turns shifting from Zhivka to the boy to another girl, and he immediately abandons Lilah in pursuit. "Do we have to cut this short on account of someone breaking the rules?" Or so he assumes, and he once again looks over at Hattie. Is the answer is written on her face? "It was part of a strategy-," Lilah begins lightly, but then the Weyrleader's attention is pulled away. She doesn't bother finishing her own sentence where he leaves her. Instead, she takes the reprieve to cross the distance to the Essence egg and place her hand upon it, barely touching it. Her gaze, though, is lifted, wary, as if she can catch some warning that may make her pull away. Now would be a good time for Hattie to immediately remember that boy's name, but she can't. Instead, she has to point right at him - the skinny boy with the dark hair that looks like it hasn't seen a brush in about a turn - and tell N'muir, "Him." Behind her, Elaruth is tensing up, as if she might stand and head over there to deal with him herself. Possibly with teeth. "She doesn't want him here anymore." To the rest of the Candidate population presently on the Sands, she lifts her voice to say, "If anyone else feels like /feet/ are better than hands to touch shells with, I suggest you depart before you're removed." With Hattie helping address that issue, it affords Elaruth the opportunity to watch Lilah. Not move towards her or even twitch her tail, but just /watch/. Stare. The 'hey' jerks Zhivka's attention over to N'muir but her big eyes are clearly saying that it's not her fault! Whatever it was! But with the culprit pointed out, she goes back to watching Lilah, not completely unlike Elaruth. And while she watches, she sort of starts making her way that way. It's slow, like if she doesn't make any sudden movements, she won't attract attention. Except probably not on purpose. She's just uncertain about the whole thing. Hattie commands and N'muir does the dirty work, aiming his path towards the boy unfortunate enough to be singled out by the Weyrwoman's finger. He isn't rough or gruff but there's a hand laid to the boy's shoulder with a solid weight to it that announces rather plainly how much trouble the boy has landed himself in. Bijedth remains perfectly calm, straining his neck to all the better witness the drama unfold with contented curiosity. He leans gently into Elaruth like he might be trying to keep her there, relaxing when it appears that Elaruth /won't/ be getting up to introduce the Candidates to the inside of her mouth. N'muir pauses to scan the crowd of Candidates, his eyes grazing Zhivka as she crosses his path on the way to the gold egg, but he doesn't stare at her or Lilah the way Hattie and Elaruth do. Instead, his attention goes straight back to Hattie, watching her. "Are we... all good with me escorting this lad out of here? Anyone else coming with us?" Where Elaruth remains unmoving, so does Lilah, tension like a rod holding her muscles still as dark eyes meet the dragon's. And after a moment, she is the first to look away, ducking away from that regard before she moves to straighten away from that golden egg, no sudden movements on her part just in case. And once she's stepped away from the egg, her mouth quirks into a small, encouraging smile towards Zhivka as her own path brings her away from the egg to the next one. (Which happens to be the Tears in Rain egg.) Hattie's smile is /not/ at all nice. "Leave him in the galleries to stew for a bit," she proposes, tone just the wrong side of /sweet/, and all absolutely meant for the boy to hear. She even looks right at the poor kid while she's speaking about him as if he's not there, or is merely some furniture that needs relocating. Her focus darts away to follow Lilah's path, then pick up on Zhivka's approach of the Essence Egg, but then she looks back up at N'muir and bares her teeth in an odd, humourless grin, just for the benefit of the lad he's escorting. Elaruth turns her head to nose against Bijedth's shoulder, and might rest there and relax enough to just keep an eye on the roaming Candidates, yet she doesn't /quite/ eliminate Zhivka and the golden egg from her range of sight. "Hi," Zhivka squeaks a greeting for the gold. But that's all she'll say. Really. She seems to relax, anyway, without Elaruth staring her down and it lets her focus her attention on the egg that she seems a little nervous about touching. She holds a hand out like she /wants/ to but it just sort of hovers there for a few moments before she makes contact. And it doesn't explode or implode or anything! Once she's done, she glances at Elaruth again, then backs up a few steps and turns to find something else to touch. N'muir nods and turns the boy towards the galleries, escorting him up and away from the warm sands with the help of that heavy hand on the boy's shoulder. While N'muir's back is turned, Bijedth bends his nose to 'kiss' Elaruth's as she turns into him, his touch tender but brief as he takes up the place of overbearing clutchparent when it seems that Elaruth is just beginning to tone herself down. Now it's Bijedth turn to stare at Zhivka, his head angled in her direction as her hand makes contact, his stare only easing once the girl has taken a few steps back. Then it's someone else's turn to get stared at as another girl tries her hand at touching the egg. Then he bends his nose again to Elaruth to ensure she remains undisturbed. Or as undisturbed as she can be in this state. To Elaruth, Bijedth is the essence of calm, his core a quiet, still place where no wind blows, no current vibrates, no mountains shake. He simply /is/, and he is /here/, all for her. « You relax. I will help. » Hence the staring. He helps! However maybe his method of helping isn't much help for his mind wanders: « Do you think the other eggs have been sitting like that long? » There's something silently approving in Hattie's expression as she regards the girls who have managed to get up the courage to touch the gold egg, though there's the faintest glimmer of surprise that Zhivka numbers among them, given how things started out. "Okay," she calls. "If there's one more egg you want to see, go to it now. /Don't/ rush. We'll be leaving in a few minutes." Rather, the Candidates will. Elaruth doesn't look like she'll be moved, comfortable where she is, cosily tucked in against Bijedth and content to let him do the staring now. After all, if it weren't for the Candidates standing in amongst the eggs, she'd have pretty much everything she wants within her reach: rider, mate and (unhatched) children. Zhivka is even remembering to breathe, tucking some stray strands of hair back behind her ear as she finds an egg that's sort of on the way out. She doesn't seem to be in a huge hurry to leave now that no one has eaten her, granted, so it's still quite carefully that she strokes the bleak colors of the Plague egg, tracing around its weird little shapes while she glances around at the other candidates, some of which look sooo much more comfortable than herself. To Bijedth, Elaruth leans into that calm, completely trusting and quietly devoted, no further encouragement needed for her to do as he suggests. It's much safer and much more comfortable there in the stillness, no fretting or alarm able to nibble away at fraying nerves. « You always help, » she assures, the wisps of words warm and grateful. As for those other eggs: « ...I should check on them. » But not /now/, not when the 'nest' has footprints all over and through it. « Later. » Across the sands, N'muir lingers near the stairs watching the scene from a distance with his usual air of irritation, arms once again knitting across his chest. Bijedth stretches his nose out towards one brave male Candidate who has a mind to veer close to the bronze and gold dragons to give his thanks and eyeball the favoured egg on his way out. For his braveness, he'll earn himself a face-full of Bijedth's hot breath on his way by. N'muir takes the cue and pushes himself up and away from the stairs, waving a hand in the air to urge the Candidates in his direction. "Okay, you heard the Weyrwoman," he calls out. "Let's try to wrap this up nice and easy, shall we? If you've had your fun, please begin to head back to the caverns." One of the younger girls, who looks far too young to Stand, half-shuffles, half-wanders over to Hattie on her way out, trying to pretend that Elaruth and Bijedth aren't there looming over her. She murmurs something that doesn't go further than the Weyrwoman's ears (and maybe those of the dragons), and Hattie seems utterly unable to keep from actually /smiling/ a proper smile in response. "...Er, no, dear," she answers, voice wry, "the babies won't try to eat you if you don't get them fed quickly enough." The girl flushes scarlet, yet bobs something like a curtsey and excuses herself to the galleries as quickly as she possibly can without running. She might not hear the question that was asked but Zhivka can certainly hear Hattie. And even though she smiles, the little blonde seems relieved enough to hear that the baby dragons are unlikely to eat them. At least for not feeding them quickly enough. She makes her way toward the galleries but pauses long enough to offer irritated-looking N'muir a bright smile and a, "Thank you." He's much less scary than huge dragon parents with sharp teeth, after all. N'muir isn't anticipating the thanks, evident enough in the way he looks at Zhivka and then does a double-take and stands rather awkwardly. "Uh. Okay." His smile is almost a nervous one, his arms knitted tightly across his chest. He inclines his head in a belated acceptance of her appreciation. "You're -uh- you're welcome." But that small glimpse into the softer side of the Weyrleader is put firmly away to address the other Candidates that trail behind Zhivka: "Report to the Headwoman's Assistant; I'll find out if you wander off somewhere." Just in case anyone had thoughts about slipping away for some time alone. |
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