[Touching] Infinite Dreams

[Fel]

Spensa - Touching Ice Wall

Spensa frowned at the egg's original seemingly negative judgment. Well that was just patently wrong of it; she knew she was a far better Candidate than any of the others here. Cowards, the lot of them. The frown soon faded though, replaced with a smile as the egg seemed to recognize that fact. Yes, of course she deserved a dragon. Just maybe not this one; it didn't seem to be particularly fierce, which just wouldn't suit.

As the dragon inside was clearly not for her, she felt no sorrow at parting from that egg and heading to touch the Ice Wall Egg, sparing only a moment of contempt for Rekka. If the girl were to actually push back against Serapheth's demands, despite the gold's reputation for violence? Well, that might show something worthwhile. But she doubted that was going to happen.

"How about you? Do you recognize the value of courage?" she whispered to the egg as she touched it.

---

Kee - Touching Relaxing Respite

Kee nearly jumped out of her skin when the egg wobbled. As though the sudden onslaught of emotion wasn't enough--was that what it was really like to have a dragon?--the egg actually moved. Only once, but the Candidatemasters certainly hadn't mentioned the possibility of anything like that! She would know, she'd hung onto their every word as they'd spoken of what to expect at the Touching. Not that anything they said could have possibly prepared her for... this. It was absolutely wonderful!

She would have happily stayed with the egg the rest of the day, the experience had been so marvelous, but she knew she had to move on or risk drawing Serapheth's ire for disrespecting the other eggs, and it didn't sound as though annoying the gold was a good idea in the slightest. With a soft sigh, she took her hand off of the egg and moved toward a mid-sized mottled tan one, the Relaxing Respite Egg. As before, she let her fingers rest on its shell.

"Hello!" she chirped. "I bet you're as nice as the other one too. Everyone's been so great. Your shell is really pretty, like good dirt. I know not everyone likes dirt, but they're wrong. We need good soil to grow food."

[Arcane]

Mithras- Touching Bewitching Dame egg

Mithras smiled at the enthusiastic, energetic egg. This felt like a good clutch- or at least an extremely extroverted clutch. Two eggs, genuinely pleased to meet her, who she was genuinely pleased to meet in turn.

If all reacted with such joy, it would be a challenge to know if any truly liked her.

But that was a selfish problem. The eggs were simply being themselves. This touching was for them- not for her.

Candidates did not get a choice, in which dragon would be theirs, through some inherently slightly unfair quirk of nature, just as dragons could not choose whether they wished a rider at all, through some unfair quirk of theirs.

Trying to push aside for the moment thoughts she could do nothing about, Mithras approached the Bewitching Dame egg, with its shell of rich purples and blacks. If this egg held a male dragon- would it be displeased with the name? Or did Serapheth already recognize a more feminine energy?

"Hello," Mithras said, as she put a hand on its shell, "I suppose you cannot sense how vivid your colors are- but you'll see them for yourself once you hatch. Should your name displease you, I hope you'll give your mother some grace- she had twelve other eggs to name and the appellation fits your pattern, even if not your nature."

[Femisis]

Candidate Izumi- Tag Liurnia, Touching The Budding Hero

Izumi was no stranger to touchings, having been to several before, so it was practiced habit for him to bow to Serapheth and offer the proper greetings. Not that he didn't mean what he said, being a mother was hard regardless of species, and they deserved that acknowledgement. He didn't linger, though, as he was a bit late to the party and wanted to get to know the eggs.

He hadn't gotten that far when Serapheth spoke her piece and he flinched a bit despite knowing it likely wasn't directed at him specifically. One couldn't be too careful though, not when it could get you kicked out of candidacy, and he made sure to make a mental note of it. Attention back on the eggs, he found himself drawn to The Budding Hero along with another candidate who seemed to be coming on very strong. He couldn't talk, though. He'd probably done the same at some point.

"You know, I've never thought about that. The klah bark thing," Izumi clarified, nodding at Liurnia as he laid a hand on the egg. Energetic, this one was. Very energetic. "Don't be too eager to get out of there. I was just on an adventure and I'm pretty sure it shaved turns off my lifespan." He'd also found a few grey hairs after the camping incident, not that he would ever admit that to anyone. That was going with him to his grave.

[Jabberwoky]

The Spare Egg certainly had a flicker of offense, but it was soon very clear that the dragon inside was trying to be the better person, trying to extend friendliness to Bronson even if he doesn't deserve it.

The Stunning Harper Egg didn't seem to be offended. The little egg was happy enough to just greet those around it.

The Bubbling Brew Egg met Tygir head on, confidence and a strong attitude of 'we can do it' together!

The Beast's Stripes Egg flared with a sense of greed and strength. Yes, fawn over this egg, feed its little ego.

The Royal Bee Egg was outright offended that Costanza dare touch it. Surely this was a little horrible dragon inside.

The Budding Hero Egg reflected eagerly and cheerfully. Though it didn't actually read minds, it was just happy to greet new friends.

The Ice Wall Egg could have knocked Spensa off her feet with its overwhelming enthusiasm. Whether it actually 'recognized the value of courage' was up for debate.

The Relaxing Respite Egg could have sat down with Kee all day just listening and relaxing with her. Serene, gentle, and calm.

The Bewitching Dame Egg was more than eager to meet more people, but there was something certainly off with this egg. Something felt too good to be true.

[Grayson]

Candidate Gariston - Open!

Gariston took three precise steps backwards from Serapheth, then turned towards the eggs, abandoning Rekka to her fate.

Ignoring the various looks from the other Candidates, he stepped up to an egg with a pattern that seemed familiar; the Beast's Stripes was the first egg he'd reached. Large enough to be a good-sized dragon within, but small enough that he wasn't obviously making a beeline for the largest eggs.

He took a moment to school his thoughts into warmth and welcome, before reaching out to touch the egg. "Good day to you," he offered as he made contact. He always felt like an idiot, talking to things that couldn't talk back or even really hear him, but it seemed rude to just walk up and touch them without some sort of greeting.

[Windra]

Liurnia - @ Izumi, Mithras
Touching Bewitching Dame

A wave of cheerfulness caused Liurnia to draw her hand back with a satisfied smile. Nothing over-the-top like 'HOMYGOSH I found you at last!!' but definitely not rejecting or scornful. She hadn't gotten a direct confirmation that anything here was gonna be bonded to her, but she felt confident. And even if not ... like ... whatever.

"I dunno if dragons have like ... specific allergies or if some stuff's poisonous to 'em. Ya get some with firestone allergies but ... cookies? Fish? Onions? Onions are pretty gnarly for cats and dogs so I'd bet on that one but uh ... " Liurnia looked at the candidate now - finally - and took account of the long hair and fine face. "Good luck to ya, ma'am!"

And off she trotted!

There was a guy already at her next target, but that was cool. Liurnia slid beside Mithras and gave the shell a loving little rub like the way one would stroke a cat. "Now this girl. Lookit that shade of purple! Aren't you gonna be a pretty thing!"

[EW-NA]

Tygirtaull -Touching the OmeletteSpare Egg
--

A little fang peaked from the corner of his lips as a snarky grin spread on his face. He couldn't deny the sensation of... something from the little bubble bath of an egg. He liked confidence, especially from an egg that seemed on the tinier side of them. Size hardly matter, Tygir knew that. After all, he was rougher and tougher than those bigger and broader than him. This egg was probably the same.

"Make sure to not pick a loser," he snickered before standing to go for the next egg.

Which one to choose? There were a lot left- lotta big ones but not all of them looked very awesome. He wanted to touch another exciting one-- bright colored! Tygir was just going to go for the closest that caught his eye. Instead, it would be one that he almost caught with his foot!

Tygir stopped the swing of his leg just in time before making contact with the Spare Egg. Stepping back, he stared down at the white shell in mild surprise before raising a skeptical brow at it. He hadn't meant to almost trip over it. He just had overlooked it .. Ah whatever. It was an egg, right?

Tygir swiftly let himself drop down on his haunches, continuing to stare at the egg with his unchanging expression. This was a joke right? Was this really a dragon egg? If so, why did it look like a wherry or bird one?

Reaching out, Tygir used the nail of his index finger to give a few test taps on the Spare's hard shell. Almost like he expected a different sound or sensation to prove it's deception. Nope, it was like the others... Maybe.

"What happened with you?" He asked, not realizing he bought into the 'fools errand' of speaking to unhatched dragonets. "I think your Ma let you out without gettin' your pants on."

Now, Tygir had heard the ol' speeal about it only mattered what you were on the insiiiiide more than enough times but that was wherry dung!! The outside was important too! It was what people saw first and if they didn't realize you were cool and awesome immediately, then you had to work double to prove it after!

Well, maybe the dragon inside looked the best out of all of them, once passed the shell. Tygir hoped so, for their sake anyway. "Well, hopefully you get to ditch this boring shell of yours soon," he told them, offering a final tap, but with his finger pad over the nail tip. "You should get to look awesome, compared to everyone else."

Looking awesome took work. Anyone who said otherwise was lazy and a liar... or too ugly to bother trying!

[nineofswords]

Candidate Bronson - touching the Bewitching Dame egg, Liurnia

Bronson rolled his eyes at the egg's sense of offense. What, was it upset that he'd pointed out that it was an egg? Or maybe it was annoyed that he thought there was a white in there. He'd be annoyed by that too if he was a dragon of any other color, of course, but what was Bronson supposed to think? Gold eggs had gold dragons in them, why shouldn't white eggs have white dragons? Whatever, at least it was being polite now, as it should, considering he was soon going to be its better as a bronzerider.

He took his hand off the shell without giving a word of farewell and wandered off to the next egg, trying to get this over with as fast as possible. The next one he wandered to was a big purple egg called the Bewitching Dame. No prizes for guessing what was in there, no doubt a garnet. He put a hand on the shell of the creature's egg. "Well, what're you like, then?" he asked, already bored. Hopefully, this one would give him the due respect he deserved as a soon-to-be bronzerider. If he had to endure the indignity of touching all these eggs that were beneath him, at least it should be an enjoyable experience for him.

He glanced sidelong at the other candidate who was fawning all over the egg. "You hoping to be a garnetrider, then?" he asked, frowning slightly. She didn't fit his usual image of a garnetrider; he tended to assume most garnetriders were more masculine women, tomboyish, which Liurnia didn't strike him as. He supposed it technically carried more weight than being a greenrider, so maybe that's why she was hoping to get one.

---

Candidate Heiro - touching the Ice Wall egg

Heiro smiled at the egg under her hand. Thank you for being understanding, she told it, trying to project her fondness at it as she did. She took her hand off and squeezed Rekka's shoulder. "Good luck," she told her fellow candidate. "Try not to let it get to you. Serapheth is just being protective of her eggs, like any good mother would. I'm sure you'll make for a great rider, and your enthusiasm will actually be appreciated by whoever picks you."

She wanted to stay, but she knew she couldn't linger. She had a duty to these eggs and herself and - hopefully - the rest of the Weyr, if she'd be allowed. Whatever picked her, of course, she'd try to do her duty by, but she wanted to help as much as she could. So she went to the largest egg in the clutch, the Ice Wall egg, the egg most likely to hold the largest sort of dragon in it. She placed her hands on it. "Good day to you," she said. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Heiro, and I'm looking forward to meeting you when you hatch."

[Ezra]

Candidate Nielle - Open
Touching the Wild Wanderer egg

Nielle had been patient waiting her turn, letting her classmates go before her, her eyes on the golden guardian of a mother that laid these eggs. She knew that dragon was certainly not one to be trifled with. As such, she gave the proper bow of respect to her and her rider.

Pondering for a moment, she decided to approach the Wild Wanderer egg. Reaching a hand out, she placed it gently on the shell, tracing the pattern with her finger as she spoke. " Hello there. I'm Nielle and I hope that you are not too overwhelmed, meeting a lot of people I imagine could be stressful. " She said in a calmer tone than she normally used. This time, she was trying to surpress her energy, so not to overwhelm the dragon within. Sometimes she wondered if that was a reason she had not found her bonded yet. However, the smile on her face she was not able to hide. Despite having been a part of many hatchings by now, she always did enjoy this part of the process. There was something fun about this that she could not quite put her finger on.

[FirebrandPhlox]

Candidate Costanza - Touching Budding Hero Egg

Costanza recoiled from the Royal Bee, shocked that an egg could produce such disdain when it couldn't even see him. "Well fine, you nasty little thing. I didn't like you either," he told the egg in a harsh whisper. He quickly glanced around, hoping none of his classmates, or worse, Serapheth, had heard his exchange with the egg. He adjusted his clothes, composing himself before trying for another.

He approached the Budding Hero Egg, which had a much more approachable feel to it. He placed his hand on the shell. "How are you doing today? Are you friendlier than your pretentious sibling over there?" He asked the brown egg. He hoped it was. His ego couldn't take multiple eggs outright rejecting him back to back.

[Agenothree]

Candidate Timon - Touching Entangled Gems, Rekka (mention)

Timon smiled as he felt a sense of confidence and strength from under his hand, as though being called a spare didn't trouble them. Well, that's what he thought he detected. Perhaps he was missing something. Knowing he had no way to tell for certain, but positive he felt no strong rejection, he decided he'd call that a win for Team Timon, patting its blank shell gently before moving on.

But hearing Serapheth's voice echo through his mind like a roll of thunder, Timon froze in place, looking to her and hoping to Faranth he wouldn't find her eyes on him. Thankfully, it looked like a different Candidate had pissed her off, but enough that she elected to project her voice to all gathered Candidates. While he was relieved to find he hadn't done something wrong himself, Timon couldn't help but scrunch up his nose to himself. It irked him that Rekka's error had gotten everyone a tongue-lashing from Serapheth. Sure, he wasn't perfect, in spite of Turns of experience as a Candidate plus being born in a Weyr, but pissing off a Weyr's senior queen was number one among things not to do.

Banishing his irritation to contemplate later, Timon acknowledged Serapheth's rebuke by bowing low, a wordless promise to do better and obey her command. Moving on to find quite a flashy sort of egg, he walked carefully to one called Entangled Gems and gently rested a hand upon its shell. "Hi there," Timon greeted easily enough, his usual crooked smile working its way onto his face and into his attitude again. "Hope you don't mind some company?"

[Femisis]

Candidate Izumi- tag Liurnia, Garriston, touching The Beast's Stripes

Izumi's brow slowly climbed toward his hairline as Liurnia rambled on, unable to get a word in edgewise before she was off with a "Good luck to ya, ma'am!" MA'AM! Sure, his hair was long, but he definitely looked like a man! Right? ... he would have to figure that out later. "Sheesh, what a ball of energy. Not you, her. You're very nice. I hope your person comes by today," he said to The Budding Hero before departing for the next egg.

He saw Garriston before he saw the egg, but the unique pattern on The Beast's Stripes caught his attention before he could make a beeline away from Garriston. The other candidate kind of rubbed him the wrong way, but he wasn't going to make trouble over it, especially not here. Time and place, and Serapheth wouldn't hesitate to eat them. Probably. "Have any reacted strongly to you yet?" Izumi asked Garriston conversationally as he approached, then laid his hands on the egg. "Whoof, you're ready to go, aren't you? You're going to run into something if you're not careful." Hoo boy, the green striped egg was coming on strong.

[Arcane]

Mithras- Doubled Vision Egg

Mithras smiled at the egg, ignoring the flicker of suspicion at the back of her mind. The egg was doing nothing wrong in simply greeting her. As a candidate, it was her job to see the best in all the eggs- not look for something to judge or find wanting.

"Pretty and kind," Mithras agreed to Liurna with a smile, "As a dragon should sgtrive be. The protectors of the world ought to be friendly and welcoming to its people, I think."

Dragons were large and could intimidate a holder without trying. But a bit of good will and a friendly greeting went a long way towards putting anyone at ease.

Mithras approached a small egg next, that did not currently seem to have any other visitors. She smiled at it, "You have some excellent siblings, it seems. Which will help you find your way. They will be your classmates and your friends."

[Jabberwoky]

The Beast's Stripes Egg snapped, aggressive and predatory. Sure, Izumi was just touching it, but this egg wanted to see a fight.

The Bewitching Dame Egg was certainly spoiled by the number of candidates giving it attention. It wanted to be fawned over, and this was exactly what it wanted.

The Spare Egg would have puffed out and been eager and bold if it were not, you know, an egg. This dragonet clearly had something to prove.

The Ice Wall Egg remained as joyous and overwhelmingly positive as ever. There clearly was only one setting on this egg.

The Wild Wanderer Egg flickered once, then retreated. This egg clearly didn't like any attention.

The Budding Hero Egg happily greeted Costanza with the same joy as it had all the others. Eagerness, adventure!

The Entangled Gems Egg bluntly rejected Timon, judgy and stubborn.

The Doubled Vision Egg seemed to only lazily greet Mithras, overall very bored of the encounter.

[EW-NA]

Tygirtaull - Touching the Royal FuzzBuzz Egg
--

After sufficiently greeting the most eggly egg of the bunch, Tygir took a moment to stretch his legs and brush off all the sand pooling in the creases of his pants and boots. Ugh... eggs were neat and all but why couldn't they be on cushions or in baskets if they were so special? Who wanted to be in sand?!

Pulling his feet from his personal sinkholes, Tygir had already decided his next egg of choice. Passing the larger ones, the candidate went right for the Royal Bee. To him, this seemed like one of the more stand-out eggs. Because it had yellowgold stripes - obviously. Now he knew there was no way this egg was a gold dragon, it was way too small! Didn't matter anyway 'cause Golds were for girls(mostly)~ That didn't deter him.

"Bet you'll look neat when you hatch," he said, crouching down again to touch the small egg. "You're the only one with some solid gold. At least enough that matters."

Tygir had always wanted a real gold buckle or some kind of proper flashy accessory. His family would never be able to afford such a thing in all their lifetimes, but Tygir thought riding a gold striped dragon would be a fair alternate! If that's what came of it.