Logs:Huh. Weird.
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| RL Date: 13 October, 2009 |
| Who: Dashaya, Genefra, Hattie, Kash, Xhonya |
| Involves: Fort Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Elaruth allows a group of candidates to come touch the eggs, Nakasha amongst them. Afterwards, Kash and Dashaya talk in the galleries. |
| Where: Galleries/Hatching Sands, Fort Weyr |
| When: Day 3, Month 13, Turn 20 (Interval 10) |
| Of all the days to try and convince Elaruth to let Candidates near her eggs, Hattie could perhaps have chosen one that hasn't involved copious amounts of snow and a gallery quite crowded from - almost literally - dawn 'til dusk. But no, today has declared its afternoon worthy for an attempt, which leaves Hattie standing in the row of seating closest to the Sands, put squarely between her queen and the group of Candidates gathered together. "Before I let you onto the Sands, let me be clear about a few things. If I tell you to back off, you back off. /No/ sudden movements. If Elaruth wants you gone, then I'm afraid that's how it has to be for now. You /must/ be careful. They're eggs - not rocks or toys. And even with all that, don't be afraid. Be sensible." She begins to look the group over, like she could be searching for something amongst them. "I know this might be an odd request, but if any of you have anything on that's going to make some sort of noise - heavy, clanky, jewellery, for example - please take it off. It'll unsettle her. Are we clear on everything?" Xhonya is there amoung the candidates, of course she is. Hattie's instructions are met with a serious gaze and the occasional nod. Her weight shifts to the side, just to see past her to the eggs down below, tugging her lower lip in between her teeth before looking back at the rider to see if anything further will be said. For once, Kash seems amongst the less excitable of the candidates, though it's hard to miss her beaming - if somehow thoughtful - smile. She's shucked off her coat, and now, as she listens, smooths down her loosely-laced dress, listening with her head tipped off to one side. "Understood," she promises, just one voice amongst the group, her nod obviously meant to convey more than the quiet words. Excitable, Genefra has that one down very, very well. She's practically quivering with it, bouncing a little on her toes, hands clasped firmly behind her back to keep them from--well, it's hardly like they could just fly away on their own, but one wouldn't know it from the death grip she's keeping them under. "Clear. Very, very clear. Very, very, very clear. Very, very--" One of her neighbors puts an elbow into her shoulder which at least shuts her up rather than causing any serious scuffle. And from between bouncy as all tarnation and as nervous as a runner, Dashaya's somewhere in the middle of the lot. She's peeking over Xhonya's shoulder and nodding her understanding as the facts are listed, though Genefra makes her oddly toned amber eyes flash that way with a glitter of amusement at her. Eyes dart back forward with a more solemn nod. "Yes, ma'am." Elaruth doesn't look at all pleased by this turn of events, but the young queen doesn't step forward from her post at the outer edge of the clutch, eggs arranged before her all in her line of vision. She fidgets, wings rustling and one paw flexing and curling into the sand beneath her, focus occasionally shifting to her rider and the group with her in the galleries. "Right then. Let's go." Hattie turns and heads out onto the Sands, taking slow steps that take her round the perimeter of the area occupied by eggs. "Remember, this isn't about your friends or what anyone else is up to," is her parting piece of advice. Soon, her steps carry her to her queen, one hand set against gold hide as she joins Elaruth in monitoring the area before them. Hatching Sands, Fort Weyr The pale, golden-hued sands occupy nearly the entirety of the hatching cavern, with the dam and sire traditionally claiming the north with their eggs scattered throughout. To the right are the galleries, which stretch up nearly the entire length of the wall and provide the only visual break in what would otherwise be a monotonous tableau. Lighting comes from both the entrance and through glow baskets spaced throughout, ensuring that the place is well-lit at all times. The heat here is tolerable, but only barely, and heat mirages are relatively common. Turns of hatchings have resulted in the sands being littered with fragmentary bits of shells despite thorough cleanings, subtle bits of history being left behind. Xhonya glances to the side to look at Dash and grins eagerly at the blond Candidate. She bounces once on her toes eagerly and then clears her throat, curbing her excitement and following Hattie down onto the sands. Elaruth gets the majority of her attention for a long moment, a tiny frown trembling on her lower lip that passes quickly. It's only uncertainty of the gold's mood that makes her hesitate before she shuffles with exaggerated slowness closer to the clutch. She, by far, is not the bravest to be the first to lay a hand on an egg though. It's not that Kash /pushes/ past other candidates on her way out to the eggs, but those that don't head straight for them, and linger around the edges instead? She bypasses them, no question about that. Though she casts a wary glance towards Elaruth, she's one of the first to reach the actual eggs, considering them in turn for a moment, before she draws closer to the Where's My Aquarium? Egg, and presses both hands flat upon the surface, softly. The smile from earlier has faded out into absolute concentration; what she says, after a moment more, is, "Huh. /Weird/." For all the warning Hattie just offered, Genefra upon the sands has a very hard time keeping her attention on what she's doing--which is mostly following suit, finding an egg and, well, touching it, as might be expected. There are just a fair number of other people about, and all of those people are also doing things, and a lot of them nearby. It takes quite an effort, but she at least manages to keep her eyes mostly on her egg. And on Elaruth. And maybe on just those few eggs nearest the one she's pickded out. Keeping her mouth shut seems to be taking up most of her self-control. Dashaya takes her time and spans the edge when the others do and waits until Kash surges forward and lays hand to shell. Quirking an eyebrow at her reaction, she turns her attention on the eggs and moves on in near one of then with care. Keeping an eye on the big gold mama, she flattens a palm to the Furry Red Monster Egg carefully and narrows her eyes in focused consideration. /Oh/, boy. There's next to no aggression to be seen in how Elaruth moves, just a little bit one way, then another as movement here and there catches her attention more than the general steps of Candidates heading towards eggs do. The pale queen is clearly jumpy, agitated even, but who's to know how such behaviour will be read by those who don't know her temperament? She manages one step towards one of the youngest Candidates who all but plasters himself up against the Flirting With Darkness Egg, but then Hattie's voice rings out and the poor kid takes a couple of hasty steps back, only to return a few moments later and very gingerly set hands down against the shell. Xhonya follows Kash's example with the same wariness that has accompanied her whenever anything regarding this clutch or candidacy comes up. "They're just eggs," she murmurs to herself, as if this might boost her eagerness to approach one. When she does, it's the Cheer Up Emo Egg that she places the palm of her hand against. Wariness deepens when her hand is pulled away after only a second and scrubbed against her thigh before both hands are tucked firmly behind her back. Weird indeed. "Like overgrown chicken eggs," Nakasha concludes, her voice slightly louder this time, as though she intends to share this comment with her companions. "Only cooler, of course, because chickens may be cute, but they're not--" You know. Anything as cool as dragons. "Suppose I should've guessed they would be, but--" She takes a few steps around her egg, ever careful, then abandons it for the Beware The Loch Egg. She seems to have nothing but scorn for that younger candidate; her head lifts to give him a longer glance, now that he's touching more sensibly, but her expression is unamused. Chicken eggs. Dashaya glances over at Kash with this revelation and lifts both her eyebrows this time. Well, that's news to her. But, right. She's crubbing a hand lightly over this egg and then pushing away for a new one, her steps taking her over to the Furry Red Monster Egg, trailing her fingers over the shell. Oh, and her mouth twitches. Okay, that egg is something. And.. yes, moving on to the next, careful, slow. There's probably good reasoning behind why Hattie has stayed right by Elaruth's side for the duration. Not only does she keep one hand in constant contact with her lifemate, but she murmurs quietly - a running commentary of what's going on, should anybody stray close enough to hear her. The closer and longer Hattie stays, the more the little queen seems to relax. Eventually, she sits and settles with her tail curled around her, yet paws still move through sand and wings continue to rustle every now and then whenever there's movement just a little too sharp for her liking. Her yellow eyes still betray her concern, now tracking - rather, studying - a Candidate stuck immobile and staring at no egg in particular, though her gaze does swing towards Genefra briefly for that musical interlude. Curious? Maybe. Then back to that immobile somebody who looks utterly lost. Nakasha makes a face at a candidate who laughs at her description of the eggs, calling it 'the dumbest thing I've ever heard', but doesn't further argue the point. If they're not going to be nice? She won't talk. Mostly. That doesn't mean, as she ends up at another egg, she doesn't initiate another conversation, this one quieter, and ending with, "I think it's a blue in there, but don't ask me why. Just /feels/ right." Dashaya still seems to be rather close enough that she's able to hear all of this, and the last comment definitely has her glancing over that way toward Kash and over to Hattie, dropping her tone to murmur softer. "You think so?" She lingers over the next egg, studying the shell quite more closely as if she could see the occupant herself. Of course she can't, so she shakes her head with a smirk. Naaah. Next! "Might be right, you know," Hattie murmurs to Nakasha and Dashaya, having reluctantly left Elaruth's side and gone to retrieve the lanky young woman who just /won't/ move until the weyrwoman reaches out and begins to tug her carefully, carefully towards the galleries. Thankfully, there's less tugging and more guiding after a few steps. "Okay, everybody," she calls. "I think that's enough for today. If you could make your way from the Sands - same rules as before, no running. Don't be afraid to take a look at any eggs on your way back." "Absolutely," declares Kash to Dashaya, as though there's no possible way she could be wrong. She gives a firm nod towards the egg in question - the Burnt Geometry Egg - and then grins. "I am!" That's to Hattie, a bright, airy kind of confirmation, before-- reluctantly, just as she's reached over to put her hands on yet another egg, there comes the sign to leave. She draws her hands away, inspecting them thoughtfully, as though she expects something to have come off onto them, then drops them back towards her sides, and, obediently, takes her first few steps towards the galleries. Dashaya eyes Kash a touch skeptically and chuckles low in her throat, just before she lays her hands to the Waterbound Flock egg. Which is just about the same time that Hattie claims that its time to shoo them all away. "We'll have to see how right you are when it comes time for them to hatch." Mirthfully offered, she reluctantly retracts her hands from the egg and steps back over the sands to join them at the galleries, rubbing her hands together and peering at them and then Kash's too. Nope, no transfer of color. Hmm. As little by little, Elaruth reclaims the Sands, she's already padding over footprints and gently nudging at eggs that haven't moved. Once it's just dam and eggs again, she unfurls one wing and hides half the clutch from view, neck arced around the rest. Hattie ends up shoving the stunned Candidate towards someone she must assume is one of her friends, a concerned look gone after her even if she can't spend too much time settling anybody down. "Thank you for your co-operation, all of you. You're welcome to stay here a while until dinner, or you're free to roam. If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them." Nakasha shakes sand off of her shoes as she reaches the galleries again, reclaiming her coat, though she doesn't seem to be in any immediate hurry to leave. To Dashaya, she notes, seriously, "We will. And I /will/ be right. Blue - remember that." Having said all of this, in a low voice, she turns her attention back towards Hattie; she seems intent upon taking a seat again, leaning forward so that she can ask, "Will the eggs change the way they feel much, from now on? Know they get harder over time, but do we feel the difference?" Hattie shakes her head just minutely, directing her reply mostly towards Nakasha, but also towards the group as a whole. "There's really not that much difference over this period of time. You'd have felt a difference were you to be introduced to them much earlier, but we don't do that for obvious reasons. Though I'm sure some of you will have noticed that some of the shells have different textures." If there are other questions, she holds up one hand to prevent their being asked, maybe looking a bit apologetic. "If you'll excuse me, for now Elaruth calls. I'll be back shortly if there are any more questions." And with that, the goldrider steps back onto the Sands and heads over towards her queen once again. Dashaya apparently has no questions that cannot wait until she can snag someone else, so after Hattie hurries off, she tracks the woman's departure and glances back over the heads of those that linger around to Nakasha. "Did you know that there would be so very many patterns? I'm rather surprised there wasn't someone going behind us and painting them. And you didn't feel any thumping, did you?" The answer to Kash's question draws a thoughtful nod from the candidate, followed by a, "Thank you," to Hattie. She's silent as the weyrwoman makes her excuses and leaves, thoughtful enough that Dashaya's glance in her direction, and the words that follow, draw an element of surprise to her expression. But; "I had no idea," she admits, head shaking. "They're pretty, though - prettier close up than from a distance. No... they seemed pretty quiet. Babies kick all the time, but maybe dragons sleep a lot? Got a favourite?" Dashaya has to shake her head there faintly after a good moment or three of consideration. "Naw. No favorites right now. The green one I went after first was pretty, though." The Flawed Glory. "They're pretty, most of them, but I hadn't felt anything either. They're all rather quiet. Did your brother tell you how they felt when he did a touching like this, if he did?" Nakasha fans herself with one hand, visibly pink-faced despite the fact that the galleries aren't anywhere near as warm as the sands were. "Me, either," she says of favourites, frowning thoughtfully. "The bright coloured ones, though, most of all. Noo--" She pauses. "I don't remember if he did, anyway. /He/ wasn't much into the eggs, I remember. Except he had a favourite... and it hatched a /green/ and he was really disappointed. He didn't," she explains, laughingly, "want to Impress green." Dashaya alights on a seat as she listens to this and quirks a brow towards the end, her lips quirking something awful. "He didn't, did he. Well, I guess that it was incredibly lucky that he didn't, since he apparently got the bronze. Was that what he -did- want? Though. If he'd Impressed the green, I wonder what his reaction really would have been." "You have to love the dragon you get, don't you? Guess he would've loved a green as much as he loves Cadejoth." Kash concludes this without pausing for much thought, though as soon as she's said it, there's a pause that she obviously intends to fill as soon as she can get her head around it; "Don't know, though. He wanted /bronze/, oh yes. Believed he was going to, too. Absolutely convinced of it, and sure enough... Reckon people would've made awful fun of him, if he didn't. Still, Cadejoth's-- not the bronze he anticipated. So. There's that to take into consideration, too." Dashaya chews on her bottom lip somewhat and considers. "You certainly should, I'd think. T'rev says that there's been only a few that were at odds with the dragon that chose them, and I suppose it's one of those love/hate relationships that you have with your sibling or a loved one." Wait, pause. "And what was it that he was anticipating? One of those that is the most perfect at every single, little everything that he could ever do?" Nakasha pauses for a moment, and then nods, enthusiastic. "Right? I mean, you still /love/ them, even when you want to kill them. That's what K'del says, anyway." Her gaze slides away from Dashaya and back towards those eggs on the sands, as, unconsciously, she wraps both arms around her mid-section. "Sort of. Traditional bronze, I think: strong, good leader, good with everyone, sedate, all the rest. Cadejoth's... more like an excitable child, I guess. It's kind of adorable." Dashaya laughs outright this time. "It all depends on what the ratio for loving without wanting to kill them versus loving but totally wanting them to croak. Though you never -really- want them too." She gets rather quiet after that one and frowns, consideringly. "I can't even imagine what it would be like to have one but then lose it. Can't be like now, when you don't have one. I mean, can it? If they say it's so horrible? Must be wretched. And is he? Adorable?" It's a thought that results in Nakasha's smile instantly dropping away to nothing; she looks utterly serious, her hands clutching for each other within her lap as she shakes her head. "To /lose/ your dragon..." she breathes it, more than says it, eyes seeking out Elaruth on the sands, then darting back to Dashaya. "It's almost unthinkable." It takes her a good few moments more before she adds, nodding, though much of the delight has left her tone, "He is. Adorable, I mean. Like a... little dog? But huge. Super excited about everything. And Kas was always so ambitious, so determined to be the best at things... it's kind of an odd combination, but they adore each other." Dashaya smooths her hands over her skirt and hangs her head at the mere thought. "As I said, I can't even really imagine it. This would be why I hear of so many that suicide if they lose theirs." She actually shudders there and glances up at Kash out of the corner of her eye. "Then let's not think of it. -- Ambitious, well, his adorable little dog-like dragon caught the gold, so I suppose he must be pretty proud of himself." Not thinking of it seems to suit Kash very well indeed, because her nod towards that is a firm, determined one, and the rest of what she has to say is much lighter. She laughs, even, as she says, "Kinda. I mean... he only caught because the rider of the bronze Iovniath was going for /stabbed/ himself." She seems to take a kind of ghoulish pleasure in this, eyes laughing. "Poor K'del. Gets to the very top, and it's only 'cause someone else didn't want it, and would go to /any/ extent to avoid it. He's doing a good job, though, I think, and so he's proud of that." Dashaya starts to say something there but instead, she just stares at Nakasha for a long moment. "Wh-what? Why did the poor man stab himself? Was the goldrider that they would catch in a way .. just that horrid?" Some dark kind of laughter lightens her eyes with an impossibly amused flash. "Wow, that's sometihng that I'd never thought of. That's .. Well. If he's good at it, then how he got there never really matters, I guess." Her tone says she knows this is a downright lie, but hey. She can try. The staring? That kind of makes Nakasha smirk. "Tiriana's a bitch," she reports, "but mostly, he just didn't want to be Weyrleader, that's all. Alreayd had been, I think? Somewhere else." She shrugs; she doesn't know. Her shoulders straighten as she adds, "Well, right." /She/ does believe it, then. "What he does with it is what matters. And maybe Cadejoth'll catch properly next time, and maybe not. But he'll at least leave a proper legacy. People'll remember that he may have been really young, but he was good." She hesitates, then adds, "Anyway. Reckon it's dinner time, and I'm /starved/. Coming back with me?" Dashaya peers at Kash with a widening of her eyes at such plainness. Well! She didn't hear that bitch comment, really. "Wasn't he one of the youngest, ever? Or the youngest." Dashaya checks on that and tucks her skirts around her rather conservatively, only to smooth over them again and just blusters through the rest. "Mm, I'm hungry too. Let's go, huh?" Nakasha seems not even to notice the way Dashaya reacts to her pronouncement; what she does respond to is the question about her brother's age, and her answer is a proud one: "I think so! It was his seventeenth turnday, that day, and he'd only graduated a few months before that. Incredible, isn't it, what can happen in weyrs?" She draws herself to her feet, grabbing up her jacket, and grins. "Off we go, then!" So they do. |
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