Into the Abyss (Touching)

[Lark]

.:AARIN:.

~The Dreamer Egg~

HI! The cheery greeting the egg gave the candidate was anything but what he expected probably. The egg pushed against his mind eagerly, hoping...maybe...maybe? The dragonet inside so desperately wanted to find Its too! Maybe this one, maybe...maybe... Don't be worried, I won't dismiss you. You have hopes like me. I'll see you one hatching day. The dragonet inside sent the hopeful and happy thoughts to Aarin the best he could. The egg wasn't sure if this boy was Its or not, but maybe, hopefully.

~The Reckless Egg~

So many candidates on the sands and only one had dared to come up and touch it?!? How could they not see its greatness? How dare they! GET YOUR BUTS OVER HERE YOU SHY LITTLE IDIOTS!!!!!! Huffing, the egg sent out small tendrils to everyone near it. They were so small compared to the ones that were sent through contact of touching, but they were still there.

[Aarin]

“Thank you,” he told the egg, smiling a bit now. That was a vastly different experience. A different experience altogether. He patted the egg lightly with a chuckle. His spirits were definitely lifted, so the dragonet did its job masterfully. So not all the dragonets were, well, unpleasant was not quite the right word. This Touching was really far too interesting. His curiosity levels peaked again, and while he would totally not mind hanging around this egg and feeling those ecstatic and soothing thoughts (though it should not have been the job of something not yet born to give him any form of comfort, he mused to himself with a twinge of guilt), there were other eggs and emotions to experience. So far every egg had been very different from the others, so despite the fact that two had (not quite) told him off, and one had been very kind?, he figured that every one would be completely different from its clutchsiblings, just as humans, and even ungulates, to an extent, were different from each other. He should have suspected as much going into this, but he really had not given the whole dragon thing much thought before becoming a Candidate, for all he lived at the Weyr. This cheered the normally clueless boy immensely. There was a reason he stuck to the edges of conversations, and that was because he loved to people-watch and learn about others. This was an interesting learning experience all on its own. And one he simply could not stop now.

Since he was once again empowered, he wanted to touch all the eggs. All of them. He would limit himself, something he was very good at, but choosing the exact right one to touch was less important. Any of them would hold something interesting and wonderful inside. The thought came to Aarin that he was completely missing the point of the whole Touching process, or at least was from what should have been the Candidate’s point of view, but he realized he did not care. He barely considered himself a Candidate at all, so this fit in perfectly fine with his worldviews. Since he had thusfar been touching small to mid-sized eggs, he thought he might go for a larger one. Oh, he was not going to go for that hulking purple one with the heart on it. Big probably meant really high-ranking, and that was definitely going to be a dragon who would shove him off in a heartbeat. Instead, he’d go for one of the less-big-but-still-pretty-big ones and see how that panned out. One of the larger eggs, in all of its geometric glory, was shoved off to the side. How interesting. The others had been so carefully laid in their pattern, but this one was so obviously separated. It left Aarin blinking in confusion, and he timidly walked over to it, his head tilting to one side as he gave it a careful looking-over. He could sympathize, though. He tended to stay to the edges of crowds, too. It was a good way to learn. That might not have been what it was doing over here, but it was a good chance as any for the young dragonet inside to take. Still standing up, he placed a hand on that very white shell. He thought, friendly and curiously, at the egg, knowing full well that it would pick up on his emotions. Being at the edge of the pack gave them something in common, right? That was cool.

[Zara]

Protect... It resonated in her deeply. "Protect...." It was a word formed on her lips, which she left hanging in relative silence. This egg would find the best one for it. She stood there, stroking the shell for a moment. She closed her eyes, letting the dragonet inside the egg travel as deep as it so wished... though it was odd. She almost wanted to pull back, but... no. She wouldn't. She stayed. The one word.... It was protecting something. Hmmm... "Thank you..." she whispered softly, stroking the shell one last time and reluctantly leaving it. THIS egg truly intrigued her... and so did several of the others. She bowed to the queen again. "Thank you as well, Loraketh," she said, bowing to the queen again as she turned to the other eggs again. She had visited them all... Should she revisit a few...? No... that would be unfair. Especially to this one which was such a favor to visit as it was.

She turned and headed to the stands to watch the others and ponder. So many eggs had had so many different effects and reactions on her. She wanted to visit them again. Experience them again... even those that had not been particularly pleasant.... but... She would let the other Candidates have their time. It wasn't right of her to take it up.

She noticed a girl in the stands. She had to be a refugee. She wasn't touching eggs... she wasn't quite looking in the right direction right now. It was... odd... She was considering going to talk to the girl, but of course she didn't.

Xaemia sighed. She wished she was a Candidate. But even if she was suitable... she would never be allowed. sHe was blind after all. Oh well! Life handed you disgusting things and how you decided to deal with them was what mattered and what shaped you. There were worse things in the world after all.

"Did the Queen just say that the Candidates like the brown's rider? From Southern?" She said it allowed quietly to herself, but she did not have anyone to say it to. Not really.

Samara leaned up against her dragon, watching the candidates that she had just did a lesson with the other day somewhat proudly. Although she didn't have that much to do with their training as of yet. But... They were doing well. She had confidence that these riders could easily be some of the best the Weyr had yet seen. This Weyr was incredible. So divers and so open... She would love to call this home. For good.

[Akira]

Tiris was as lazy as his firelizard at times, but when he heard Loraketh's call, he acted as though someone had lit a fire right underneath his rear. He was up, dressed, and running out the door well before either of the confused firelizards could even chirp at him. He sent them both a silent push to keep them in the room, though he knew Buster wouldn't take much convincing. Max on the other hand flew to the window of their room and watched His curiously.

Tiris had never gone anywhere without his firelizards before, and knew Max was more than confused at his sudden eagerness to be away from them. He didn't let himself dwell on that thought for long though, he had a Touching to attend! This young man was more excited and energetic than a young runnerbeast foal who had just discovered his legs! He was at an all out run by the time he drew near to the large form of Loraketh on the Hatching Sands.

Tiris slid to a stop before the large female, and almost doubled over as he panted loudly for breath. It took him several minutes of this before he was finally able to speak. Greetings Queen Loraketh. I am sorry for taking so long to get here, please forgive me. It was obvious that the young man was excited, yet still out of breath from his run to the Hatching Sands.

After Tiris finished respectfully greeting the golden queen, he turned his attention to her eggs. The first one that caught his attention was the Unthinkable Happenstance Egg. It was on the outskirts of the clutch, and he sorta felt bad for it being all by itself. He didn't know if Loraketh had pushed it away, and if she did why. Well, he was going to find out one way or another, so why not now? With that thought out of the way, he made his way over to the lonely looking egg.

Tiris knelt down next to it and wondered if he was allowed to touch it or not. Well if he was going to get in trouble then let him. He gently reached out, and touched the egg's shell. It was a strange egg, and it's coloring truly interested the young man. He still wasn't sure why it was off by itself, but far be it from him to say anything. He felt bad as he got up, and slowly left the egg's side. He didn't want it to be all alone, it didn't matter to him how mean it was, it shouldn't be alone.

Tiris turned his attention back to the rest of the clutch after silently apologizing to the Unthinkable Happenstance Egg for leaving it. It didn't take him long to decide which egg would be next on his list to visit. A small smile spread across his face as he slowly made his way towards the Glass Menagerie Egg. There was something about the strange coloring of the egg that intrigued his curiosity, and made him want to know more about it.

Tiris again knelt down next to the egg, and cautiously placed a hand on the smooth shell. He wasn't sure if all eggs were as smooth as this one, but he quite enjoyed the feel of it. It was smooth, and yet, cool all at the same time, now that really intrigued the young man. He wasn't sure if it was normal for an egg to feel that way, but he made a mental note to ask someone about it after he finished touching the rest of Loraketh's clutch of eggs.
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Rayas was nervous about approaching the large gold female that guarded the clutch of eggs. He knew that the majority of the Trelis riders and dragons didn't like the Southerners, and what was he? A Southerner who had fallowed his father to this strange place just to make the man proud. Now that he thought about it, he realized it might not have been the greatest idea he had ever had. He shook his head at the thought, and made himself focus on the task at hand.

Rayas slowly, cautiously approached Loraketh and her rider. He bowed deeply to each one before speaking. I hope you do not mind my presence here, and I also hope that you will allow me to touch your eggs. He kept his face down, not daring to look either of them in the face. He was afraid of what might happen if he raised his head. Well, what was the worst that could happen? He could get eaten, that's what! He bit his tongue and tried to force himself not to think of those thoughts any more.

[Lark]

Hmmmr.... Loraketh looked down at the boy who came to her next, nodding her head. He was a candidate, enough said. The next boy however after that was met with a low hiss. "Loraketh!" Inali snapped at the Gold, and immidiately the hiss was cut off. "Don't worry Rayas, she won't bite." Much. Tread carefully Ar'rex's hatchling. The dragoness threw her head back as she fought against Inali's hold futilely. No Lore. I'm sick of you acting like an immature green! The Queen snorted as she relaxed her head, hanging it near Hers face. There's someone in the stands LiliMine...I think you should talk to her.

Inali looked up where her Gold was meaning and picked up an eye-brow. One of the candidates had gone to the stands...was it her? No, no. The Weyrwoman kept looking until finally she spotted another form. That one there? With the far-off look in her eye? Loraketh nodded her head. She's like Yours. Hers? Inali took a moment before she realized the gold was talking about Inoria. They had recently found out that the infant was sending images to the dragons. They weren't fully developed of course being so young, but the healers and harpers had seen that kind of behavior a few select times before.

Getting up, she gave a careful order to her dragoness not to do anything bad while she was gone. Loraketh snorted and nudged her rider onward, stepping back a few paces from her guarded egg in order to let candidates approach and stretch her legs. Inali reached the stands quickly enough, and she slid in front of the girl. "Hi there, is that seat taken?" She pointed to the space next to her. I wonder why's she's looking over there instead of directly at the sands?

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.:AARIN:.

~The Unthinkable Happenstance Egg~

Another one!?! The shy part of the egg went to Aarin and immediately showered him in praise and love. Oh how wonderful he was, how smart and just wonderful! Quickly though, before it came back...he had to leave. His touch lingered only that long thankfully, and right as the evil side of the egg turned to reach him, the boy had left. The egg rocked slightly as the two sides faught, then it suddenly stilled.

.:TIRIS:.

~The Unthinkable Happenstance Egg~

HA! So someone didn't escape it this time? The sly presence of the dragonet slid into Tiris' mind like a tunnelsnake, poking and prodding every sensitive part of the boy's brain that it could. Well, wasn't this fun? Lazy, this boy was so very lazy. A small thought piped up then...wasn't laziness sometimes good? The more dominant personality squashed the chime though and went back to its prodding. Too quickly the candidate was gone and over to the next egg though. Oh, so you're sorry for leaving me huh? Well boy, come again then anytime. The message was anything but nice though.

[Akira]

Tiris didn't like the way the Unthinkable Happenstance Egg made him feel, or the thought that he believed had come from the egg. That didn't change his mind though. Just because it could be hateful, didn't mean it had to be all alone. Oh well, there would be time to think over that later, he had to give his attention to the Glass Menagerie Egg now. Which he did with a small smile on his face. It was nice to feel the cool, smooth shell beneath his fingers.

(((OOC: Sorry that's so short! I'll add more next time!!)))
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Rayas quietly flinched when he heard Loraketh's hiss, yet still he didn't lift his head. Then he heard Inali's voice, and couldn't resist the urge to look any longer. He nodded at her words, then turned his attention to Loraketh's warning. I will be as careful as I can. He didn't like addressing the gold queen. It made him terribly uncomfortable. So he didn't linger long after he spoke. Instead he quickly moved off to start touching the eggs, all the while being extremely careful.

The first egg that he visited was the The Poisoned Apple Egg, and he wasn't real sure what to make of the rough egg. The shell was rough beneath his fingers, but for some strange reason he thought he felt a gentle curiousness coming from the egg. He shook his head, and slowly pulled his hand away from it. He didn't want to linger too long at any one egg for fear of upsetting their mother. So after a quick glance back, he moved off to another egg.

The next egg Rayas visited was the The Warrior Egg, though what it was about this egg that had caught his attention, he didn't know. He knelt down next to it, and cautiously ran his hand along the purple shell. He sighed quietly as once again he was too afraid of what Loraketh would do if he didn't move on to the next egg. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't want to leave the purple egg, but his fear quickly won out over any curiousness he might have felt.

[Aarin]

Hehe… I like you too, Aarin thought back at the abundantly friendly egg. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling of desperation that came from it. As he drew his hand away, he couldn’t help but wonder about that egg, and the dragonet inside. It would be okay, right? He absently shook his hand and shoved it in his pants pocket as he looked around. He should probably touch at least one more. That would leave him with having touched a third of the eggs, and that was sufficient without irritating the mother by getting all handsy with her children. Still, he clung to the edge of the clutch, watching as his fellow Candidates walk stone-faced from egg to egg. As he patently sank into the background, he wondered if the others were as fascinated and overwhelmed as he was. Perhaps because they all really accepted themselves as Candidates, and thought they actually had a chance at this, they were not trying to mop up every drop of the experience. After all, either they Impressed, or most of them had at least another shot. Aarin knew it was this or bust, and there was a 99.95 percent chance of bust. Oh, he would be perfectly happy to go back to his studies, and work with animals the rest of his life. They were his passion, after all. He would not have demanded to join the Craft if he did not thoroughly enjoy it. But still, this was such an interesting life. Sure, the dragonriders, once Thread fell from the skies again, would be putting their life on the line day after day, with relentless work and training, and would subject themselves to such unimaginable pain… but they were well recompensed, in Aarin’s mind. If just being touched by a yet unhatched dragonet was such an intense experience, let alone the few paralyzing moments of being talked to by another’s dragon… Well, these Candidates right here had quite the life ahead of them, the little things. He chuckled to himself. Right. Touching eggs. Aarin was lucky he could see straight for how lost he got in his own head.

Aarin slowly worked his way back into the rest of the Candidates, surrounded by the clutch. Which egg would make a good last touch? He considered the rest of the eggs. They probably all contained strong and interesting personalities that he would be able to interact with just barely, for a second. He supposed, then, that he might as well just go for aesthetic appeal. Even so, that was a hard choice, too. So many eggs were so attractive, many with bright, gaudy colors that should have belonged more to gemstones than dragon eggs. He could try again for a large egg, but he felt like he had pushed his luck with that too much already. He could not be sure that Touching the eggs did not influence them in some way, and he really could not afford to confuse the higher-ranking dragons for even a moment. They needed to find theirs immediately, so that those people who they bonded to could start on their journeys to become Weyrleaders and Wingleaders and Weyrling Masters and whatnot. Eventually, Aarin found himself hovering over one of the smaller eggs, swirled in equal parts white and black. Well, that was definitely a nice-looking egg. From appearance alone it exuded balance. Aarin was fond of balances. They were what kept people together. He bent down and placed a hand on the top of the Dualities Egg. This was his last egg, then he would toddle off to the stands to watch the other Candidates finish up.

[derek]

Zion next approached THE HOPELESS TRUTH egg. He reached out his hands, running them over the egg's quickly hardening shell, though it was already rather hard. He got the feeling of wanting to be a hero from this egg... well, that certainly wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, but Zion didn't think he was cut out to be a hero, nor did he want to be one.

In response to those thoughts, he decided it was time to throw caution to the wind and approach the egg in between Loraketh's great claws. He bowed to the large golden Queen, nodded at Inali, and then lightly placed his hand on the shell of THE RECKLESS EGG. He got an air of importance and arrogance, but there was something else, too... he wasn't sure what, so he stayed a few more seconds and then moved on.

THE DREAMER EGG was his next choice. This egg seemed very excitable, and Zion could tell it was a bit naive before he even had his fingers on the egg for more than a breath. Interesting, this egg. He shook his head and stood back to make room for someone else while he decided on which eggs to touch next.

*ooc* from my phone, sorry its short

[Lark]

.:ZION:.

~The Hopeless Truth Egg~

So, another person was coming to it? It would save this one too most certainly! It would come to this one's rescue. Peaking into the boy's mind, the egg caught the thought of "he didn't want to be one." This one didn't want to be a hero?!? Why not? There were so many good things, and people always loved you. Besides, it was the egg's job to uncover the truth!

~The Reckless Egg~

FINALLY! It was about sharding time that someone else came to give it the proper respect it deserved. Diving into the candidate's mind, the egg sifted through the boy's feelings. Hmmm....yeah...yeah...Okay there fella' too much talk about you. Didn't he ever think about this egg? Snorting, the dragonet inside scooted away. No secret mumbo jumbo for you kid.

~The Dreamer Egg~

Yes, yes it was being touched again! Oh, maybe this one?!? Maybe...maybe.....wait! WAIT!!! Where are you going off to now? The egg sighed as if its dreams had been shattered. It didn't even get the chance to really look into his mind much....>.>

[kitsuneko]

Bryden hoped he wasn't going to make a habit of being late for thing, but then he hadn't been at Trelis Weyr for very long, and at least he was only slightly late for the Touching of the eggs. The rest of the candidates--not that he'd had time yet to really meet any of them--were just beginning to spread out among the eggs when the newest candidate strode quickly into the Hatching Grounds. He bowed respectfully to the clutchmother and her rider and said, "My deepest apologies for being late, Weyrwoman. I just recently arrived and am still settling in. Thank you for allowing me the chance to meet your children before the Hatching."

After that, he turned his attention to the eggs. Granted, he would doubtlessly be happy with whichever dragon ended up choosing him, but that didn't stop him from gravitating toward the larger eggs. Even he knew that the highest ranking riders were usually the ones bonded to bronzes, or occasionally browns. The first egg he chose to approach was the Warrior egg, deep purple with an almost heart-like marking on the shell. He stroked the egg lightly and wondered what type of dragonet was inside it. There were plenty of other eggs, however, and he soon moved on to the next.

The next egg he touched was the Bronzed Fish egg, though he wasn't sure there'd be any response from the egg that seemed so much like a dud. After that he stayed for awhile with the Point of No Return egg, noting its blood-red color. Would this egg hatch one of those Garnets he had seen around the Weyr?

[Zirin]

Aarin

The Dualities Egg
So, you’ve come before me, believing you are worthy? The egg gives an almost sinister feeling of doubt as the hidden hatchling probes at your mind. At first the feeling seems to dominate your mind, trying to force it into submission, testing your strength of will. Then suddenly, as if sensing something, it backed off. This boy was quite the thinker, wasn’t he? The egg mused. It could use a thinker. It had great things in mind, however, and it wasn’t quite sure if this boy had the will to live up to that. Well, the hatchling would give him another chance on hatching day. Be prepared, boy. Time is running out.

Bryden

The Bronzed Fish Egg
Well, this one was quite the dreamer… The egg replied slowly, its feelings lazy and unclear, as if lost far away. This boy’s dreams were far different from its own though. It probed and prodded; softly, slowly, and finally it pulled away. Life wasn’t all about living up to some high standard, and it seemed as if Bryden’s goal was too much for the hatchling. It’s mind pulled away, pushing the boy off to go see another egg.

[Aarin]

Aarin reeled back from the egg, shaking his head. That… that was intense. It was not at all what he had been expecting from such an innocuous looking egg. He blinked a few times. Well, that was definitely a dragonet that was going places. While the youngling inside had, after trying to completely overwhelm him, given him a feeling that he might inspect Aarin’s mind again, he did not think that they were compatible, most likely. Places were far from where he was going. He lacked ambition. He was content with his lot in life. Being a dragonrider would definitely be interesting and probably the best thing that could happen to him, but becoming a master of the Beastcraft was more where he saw himself. Breeding the animals for the Weyr to eat was a completely necessary job too, after all. Good luck, little dragonet. Remember, one of the people currently pacing the sands is going to be Yours. Aarin sincerely hoped that it would find him or her soon. For the time being, he rubbed at his head, attempting to stave off a headache, and paced over to the stands, where he took a seat. He leaned forward on the rail, which is a place he would never get to sit unless he became the Master Beastcrafter or something. For the time being, it was a good vantage point to watch his fellow Candidates mill about and get their heads assaulted by unhatched dragonets too. He smiled faintly.