[Hatching] A Million Marks and a Dream

[Kitarial]

Candidate Bede - Fujin

“As someone who’s been forced to live with him for several turns, you’re definitely not missing much,” the young man agreed, eyeing Fujin. Not too loud, or boastful, or annoying. That was good. Tolerable, in Bede’s eyes, was good. He lapsed into silence for a bit, until Fujin asked who he thought might impress. Sighing, he answered honestly.

“I don’t know, but… I hope it’s someone nice. That egg reminds me a bit of my flit, Silk, and I think it deserves good things,” he replied, watching as the egg continued to shake and crack. It probably wasn’t too much longer until the next baby was spilling out onto the sands, and the young man couldn’t wait to see what came out of this egg in particular. Would it be the elegant garnet he’d pictured? Or maybe something else?

[Ezra]

Benedict of Garnet Benesk - Daphne, Eloise, open?

Benedict really had no actual reason to be present for this hatching, yet here he was, sitting with his two sisters Daphne and Eloise. He was surprised to not see P'nelo glued to Eloise's side but then was reminded that she had taken ill with a stomach malady and was likely sleeping. He also knew if he had said anything, he would likely be needled by Eloise about where Cole was. He was not sure why people thought they were together but if it kept the weirdos off Cole's back, he was always willing to be the partner stand in. But that was not relivant right now.

Shaking his mind free of those thoughts for now, he turned to Daphne. " Well.. these dragons seem nice and bitey so far, exception being that cute lil green that just hatched. Just glad it ain't me down there." He replied, with a chuckle and looked at his sisters. " See anyone down there you still know?"

[Jabberwoky]

Unlike the others so far, the Bewitching Dame seemed to take its time. The checkered shell cracked in small, almost delicate pieces which fell away both too fast and too slowly at the same time. But finally the purple shell was pushed away and the dragonet shook off before she sauntered towards the candidates.



A garnet!

Her hide was a rich maroon, streaked with stripes of a bright, almost neon pink and a pale underbelly. Her movements were certainly refined but there was no delicate nature to her. She knew what she wanted as she approached the candidates. Izumi was briefly sniffed at, but she turned her chin up and walked away as if she were offended. No, many of these would simply not do.

But then she came to Spensa.

Hmm, well there is certainly potential in you. You definitely need work, darling. A lot of work. She poked and prodded at Spensa with her nose, not out of curiosity, but out of judgment.

This was going to be an interesting weyrling class.

The small egg, the Doubled Vision moved, sort of.

--------

Hatched: 4/14

[MothyCake]

Candidate Fujin - Bede, Spensa (mentioned)

Fujin watched as the dragon hatched, chuckling a bit, "A garnet. Huh, I wasn't expecting that, but it's a welcome change." However, the dragon seemed rather.. how could he put it.. snobbish?

Kind of reminded him of his mom, he thought quietly to himself.

"Well, congratulations to Spensa, huh?" He looked at the next egg, the Doubled Vision egg. Now, that was an interesting egg and he was curious to see what would hatch from it.

[Fel]

Spensa of Garnet Xanneth Tag: Br'on

Spensa watched as a boring green hatched. No fire to her, just sickening saccharine sweetness. Yawn, next. The egg was one of the less appealing ones, it had just been so haughty and that sort never seemed to have any real fight in them. Once again, yawn, next. Eventually they'd come around to more interesting eggs again.

It got worse when the egg hatched and a garnet slowly picked her way out. Spensa frowned. She didn't hold with the belief some from Benden had that those all needed to be killed on sight, but that didn't mean she necessarily wanted them around. It would be better for everyone if they just... stopped being hatched. Pern didn't need more of those. But it seemed Fort had one more now, she supposed. Lovely.

The garnet approached the Candidates, her nose stuck up in the air as she declined to choose some people. Spensa ignored her as she approached. Aberrant mutant.

Hmm, well there is certainly potential in you. You definitely need work, darling. A lot of work. And then she poked Spensa with her snout.

"Yeah, I know there's potential, I'm gonna be the best sharding warrior there ever was!"

That, my dear, is not what I meant. You should contain those barbaric tendencies of yours. Honestly, are you not ashamed to have your arm all but dripping blood?

Spensa glanced down at her blood-spotted sleeve, briefly tugged it up to look at her lacerated forearm, then shrugged. "It's practically stopped already. Not even enough to give me a worthy battle scar. Though there's one on my calf--"

That is quite all right. No rider of mine needs to be so bloodthirsty. I will teach you to be civilized, in time.

"Rider of yo--oh. Oh. Oh no. That... can't be. I'm supposed to be a brownrider, like my father. And you can't stop me from feasting on the screams of my enemies!" Spensa practically marched over to the meat buckets, trailed by the garnet with rainbows in her eyes. She had an idea.

"Trade dragons with me," she told Br'on, gesturing at the arrogant purple little thing. "You don't want yours, and this one doesn't suit me. She wants to civilize me. So take her. I'll take the properly bloodthirsty one."

Xanneth sat primly, her tail draped over her front feet. Her rider would feed her soon. She was too beautiful not to be adored.

[Kitarial]

Candidate Bede- Fujin, mentions Spensa

Bede’s breath caught as a gorgeous garnet stepped from the shell, taking her time in sniffing at one candidate before approaching someone he didn’t really like- Spensa. Grimacing, he offered Fujin a headshake. “I’d suspected garnet, but I can’t say I’d have picked her of all people if I were that dragonet. But, hatchlings want what they want, I suppose,” he answered with a heavy sigh.

A shame such a gorgeous garnet went to Spensa of all people, but at least the dragonet seemed fine where she was, and Spensa wasn’t throwing a tantrum. That he could agree was a good. A much calmer impression than a few others, at least. The next egg to move, if only barely, was so small Bede doubted it would be anything but a white or green. Not a dragon Bede thought he’d impress himself, but hopefully healthy, despite the egg’s small size.

[nineofswords]

Br'on of Green Mesomelath - Spensa

Honestly, this whole hatching was a nightmare. Everyone seemed to have an opinion on this green, like it was any of their business. She'd biten him! What dragon did that to their rider? Not that he was even supposed to be her rider. This dragon was clearly broken.

And then Spensa came over and said the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. He looked at the garnet she'd bonded to. "Uh, why would I want your dragon?" he asked. "It's still a girl, which I'm not. It's still just as bad a fit. Plus, that one is...pink." His voice dripped with derision at the word.

He laughed in her face when she said the dragon wanted to civilize her. "You know what? That's a perfect match. You need civilizing, you maniac. I don't want to see what you'd do with...this." He gestured at Mesomelath, and his tone held the same derision as it had when he'd said the word 'pink'.

Mesomelath preened. Well, at least someone appreciates me, Br'on, and gives me my proper due. She moved to circle around Xanneth appraisingly, looking her larger clutchmate over. Well, how does it feel to know that your rider prefers me to you? It's understandable, of course, and you should probably get used to it, because I'm clearly the superior dragon.

[Windra]

Weyrling L'rnia of Brown Bubovirith - @ B'ron, Mesomeloth, Timon, Spensa

L'rnia flinched at the snap. Not like she didn't deserve it and all but ... screw this guy. Couldn't see a good thing if it was staring him in the face. Or biting the shit out of his hand. "Suit yourself," she snarled back with a raspberry. "At least your Bonded knows her worth. You sure don't. Jackass. No wonder Bubby bit ya." In an aside to her dragonling, L'rnia cocked her head in the brown's direction. "Did he even taste good? I mean you really chomped him."

Bubovirith swallowed his grub and looked on forlornly in thought. Hmm. More food. It may wash the taste away. Teeth tore into the herdbeast flesh that just didn't seem like it was enough for his growling stomach. Tongue flicking over his teeth, his opalescent gaze fell on the milky ones offered by his future rider. What?

"You wouldn't, like, bite me, wouldja Bubby?"

You call me that again, and the chips are off the table. His wings dipped on a sharp angle - cat's ears flattened against the back of its head, but in flighty appendage form.

L'rnia huffed. "Yeah well ... you've got a dull hide and look the color of poop. Love the wings though. Stripes."

She gently gave his left wing a tug. He didn't fight back at the gesture, watching her askance. Feeding was far more important right now - although he did glower, partially, in B'ron's direction. Then Timon's, and Spensa's.

"Timon got a pretty green. Maaaaan, I totes knew you'd get something all ... chipper. Lookit her!" It wasn't so long ago that they tried sneaking into the Hatching Grounds, only to wind up back where they'd started. Timon was one cool duck in her book. "Spense I don't think that's how this works! None of ya gonna get Bubby!"

The wing L'rnia held in her hand flipped up and gently whacked her on the head. That one move sent Bubovirith off balance and he sprawled sideways onto the ground. Oomph!

--

A'ksei of Blue Amishuth - @ Safrey

Now that's a darling lady if ever I've seen one, Amishuth's voice boomed into Safrey's head. Look at those beautiful freckles. They sit perfectly well on that charming face. Pinpoint lady bugs on a flower, if I may say so.

"How in Pern's name can you see her face so well?" A'ksei bleated without averting his eyes.

Mostly because you are staring directly at her, A'ksei. Not that I can shame you for such an endeavor. I would not want to rest my eyes anywhere else! With a note of humor as his rider smiled cheekily, the blue rolled his green-blue orbs, However, you'll be boring holes into her with the intensity of your gaze. That would be unbecoming of such a pristine sight.

"Fair. I've been caught," sighed the trader-turned-rider with a flippant shrug. He winked at the ... handler, based on her knot, completely unashamed of his brash and bold behavior. "Yet, he does have a good eye. You are a very pretty maiden, come to se some very pretty dragons. Quite a shame you can't bring your wher along. Do you think they would have enjoyed this?"

[MothyCake]

Candidate Fujin - Bede

Fujin snorted a bit as he saw the headshake before looking back at the pair, "It's what the dragons want. Not every match is going to make sense. In fact, some people should just be happy to impress to a dragon." Of course, that was just how Fujin thought. He didn't really care for people who had to have a specific color, though he did not really make his views known unless someone annoyed him enough.

"I wonder what the next egg will be." He said as he watched the egg, "It's pretty small, but who knows, it could have a large dragon inside." After all, it didn't seem that egg sizes automatically dictated a dragon's color. There was always a chance for a surprise.

[Arcane]

Daphne of Brown Ogatath- Benedict, Eloise

Daphne had been a candidate recently enough she maintained social connections with several of the current candidates and was familiar with many more. Several of whom, in her estimation, would make excellent riders.

"I truly cannot believe Gariston has not yet Impressed," Daphne shook her head, several feathers bobbing with the movement, "Truly- does no dragon wish to cultivate advantageous connections with Lemos?"

Ogatath sighed, Again- Daphne- why would a dragon give a forsk about forsking Lemos?

"It is an extremely prestigious hold," Daphne sniffed, "And Gariston himself is so handsome and accomplished."

Their love had never been meant to be. A female brownrider was no match for a man of the Blood. But that didn't mean Daphne did not recognize the benefits a dragon would gain from such a match.

Some of the matches that had been made were even more surprising, "That garnet must have a fondness for heathens. Spensa bit Ogatath- for the audacity of saving her life."

Daphne should perhaps have kept the incident more discreet- in protection of Spensa's reputation- but when she was so quick to harm her own good name, why should Daphne hide the harm she had done to Daphne's own dragon?

Daphne had never held fondness for Bronson, but she regarded his obvious disappointment with a bit more sympathy. Like her, he had sought to fill his gender's traditional place in the weyr and now, as a greenrider, was forced to reckon anew with his identity and role, "The new greenrider- Br'on- wished dearly for a bronze or brown. Traditionalist that he is, I fear he will not accept his new match easily."

And strained as their relationship had always been, Daphne doubted he would welcome her counsel now.

She still shouldn't have bitten him. He's her rider, Ogatath huffed.

"You pushed me," Daphne reminded him.

I needed to get your attention. And I didn't bite you. I'd never hurt my rider. It's different.

Healer Actaeon- Kouichi

Actaeon leaned near the railing, in one of the front few rows of the hatching sands. He did not especially care for the quality of his view, but he was here as a healer, as much as a spectator, and a clear path to the sands was critical. So far, none of the minor wounds inflicted appeared in need of urgent treatment and neither candidate was proactively seeking treatment.

As both victims had already Impressed, he would see them in a few candlemarks, when their dragons came in for their initial check-ups, and could give them ointments to prevent infection then.

"Do you think the smell of blood is appealing to hatchlings?" Actaeon asked his colleague absently. He was not weyrborn, but dragons were carnivorous and their firelizard cousins Impressed through being fed. It would be logical, for the scent of meat to lure them, "It seems otherwise coincidental, for both wounded candidates to Impress so soon after."

The rule could not be universal. Daphne had not Impressed until the hatching after the one where she was wounded. But correlations did not have to be perfect to be real.

[Dragon_Dreamer_2018]

Candidate Rekka - Nielle, Timon/T’mon, Izumi; hatching reactions (mentions of B’ron, Lr’nia & Spensa)

Rekka laughed, delighted with Nielle’s quip back; finally, someone who could play her game! Feeling eggcellent about their chances tonight, eh? Hehehe. Puuurfection. Before the redhead could respond, they were joined by two other candidates. Timon, and Izumi, if she remembered the names correctly. While Nielle and Timon were bantering, Rekka took the opportunity to briefly consider Nielle’s ‘what’s your favourite egg’ question. And eventually jumped in with: “..uhh, I’m not sure which one is my favourite; but also, that Ice Wall is really cool. It’s so big!”

Then Timon started wondering what was in the fiercely rocking egg. “..A dragon, obviously! But yeah, I dunno. Maybe it’s a bejewelled blue? Because of the shell?” Rekka clearly did not know how this worked, it being her first Hatching and all. “Anyways, I sure hope the baby doesn’t let this dragon too long. Or maybe it wants to keep us guessing!” They grinned, their eyes twinkling.

The baby in question turned out to be… well, not a blue, but he was a very annoyed-looking brown. Who proceeded to chomp on Bronson’s hand. Ouch. And then Impressed to another candidate whose name Rekka vaguely recalled as Liurnia.

Next came a green, who was ALSO a bitey baby, chomping on Spensa not once but TWICE, (oouuuch) and then eventually impressing to Bronson, who then apparently had a tantrum over this. Oh, and his name was B’ron, now, according to the mindvoice that’d suddenly snarled into their heads. “..Heh. That dude got a feisty queen of a green, if you can bee-lieve it. Also, is.. this amount of, uh, bite-y-ness normal?” Rekka asked her companions.

And then there was another green, who looked super duper adorable and happy, in comparison to her chompy siblings so far. She trotted along among the candidates, and for a good second Rekka thought she might be theirs, but no, the baby was for Timon! The young candidate was close enough to witness the swirling burst of rainbow in the hatchling’s eyes when she looked at Timon, and Rekka wondered to herself if that would be what it was like; to know that you’d just met your lifelong bonded, just from seeing their faceted eyes swirl rainbow?

“Congrats, dude! She’s suuuper cute.”


Then out popped another freshly-hatched baby; this time a garnet, if Rekka remembered their dragon-colour lessons correctly. What a stunner! All the babies so far had such pretty colourings!

Aaaand then the garnet baby impressed to Spensa. SPENSA, of all people. Who then stalked off straight to B’ron, new baby at her heels.

“…man, B’ron and Spensa are both lookin’ like sour grapes. I hope they aren’t wine-ing about this too much, amiright, guys?”

[MothyCake]

Kouichi of Green Kuzoth - Actaeon

Kouichi had been watching the hatchings along with other healers, sitting next to Actaeon. He was admittedly relieved that the candidates did not seem seriously injured enough from the bites to be tended to on the sands, though he still kept a close eye on it.

As he heard the other's question, he looked over and just blinked in confusion. What was Actaeon even talking about? Kouichi just looked downright confused before beginning to think quietly. That.. really didn't make a lot of sense, but it felt like he had to respond.

He took a deep breath before shaking his head, "I don't really think that's the case. Sure, yes, the smell of blood may attract them, but, if it did, wouldn't that mean there would be more incidents of candidates being attacked on the sands than we have on record?" He could remember his own hatching quite clearly. No one had gotten injured, thankfully.

"In fact, from my experience, bitings during hatchings is actually pretty rare. When I impressed Kuzoth, no one was injured on the sands. However, that doesn't mean that it doesn't happen, of course." He remembered a fair bit of injuries he had seen in his turns as a healer.

[Kitarial]

Candidate Bede - Fujin

“As long as they’re happy, it’s not really my place to question matches, I guess,” Bede replied, running one hand through blonde curls in a steadying motion. He was nervous, but he had plenty of hope left in him still for getting what he wanted. For now, at least. Fujin’s other statement, though, had him speaking just a tad defensively before he fully registered he was even speaking.

“I want a specific color but… I mean- it’s not because I’m against other colors. I just-“ and he sighed here, not sure how to really explain. “I just want my mother to be proud of me,” he admitted softly, not mentioning the otherperson he was hoping to catch the attention of. He just wanted his mother, and the man who he’d almost started seeing as a father, to look at him again. To go back to the easy affection they’d once had for him.

He didn’t know why he’d said all that, but he decided to change the subject as abruptly as why he’d brought up his real reasons for wanting bronze. “I don’t think it’ll be anything big from that one, unless a really tiny blue or garnet is somehow in there. I’m betting on white or green.”

[MothyCake]

Candidate Fujin - Bede

Fujin blinked a bit, when he heard Bede's reasoning for wanting a specific color. He just looked at the other in surprise. He took a deep breath and turned to look at him, "Listen, you may think of me as a dick for saying this, but you should consider your own feelings. My mom, my entire life, told me I'd never be a dragonrider, but I ended up being searched. That's honestly when I decided to only care about myself and work towards my goals, without giving shards about what other people think."

That.. probably wasn't helping and Fujin reached out to touch Bede's shoulder, before moving his hand back and sighing.

"If it makes you feel any better, the dragon who impresses to you is going to be a lucky dragon." Was that how you cheered people up? He had absolutely no idea, but Faranth damned, he was actually trying to help cheer Bede up.

"Imagine if a tiny brown was in that egg, though."

[EW-NA]

Candidate Tygirtaull – Tygr, Tgyr, you are not very nice
–

Finally getting himself back on his two legs, Tygir glared down at the state of his white robe. Or rather – his speckled and off-tan stained body bib. This is why he hated white – it was the worst, most miserable thing for clothes to be made of. People who thought something without color made them look pure and clean were the biggest chumps at the front of the sucker line. It was just a welcome mat for every stain one could get – now he personally looked like he'd taken a roll in the dirt, or shat himself, or spit food out of his mouth.

Uuuuughghhghg....

Tygirtaull sneered and jerked his hands, snapping the held front of his robe away, not interested it looking at it any more. Despite his best efforts of brushing what sand he could, there was just no saving this. All because of that annoying little booger of a Green. The candidate was mad enough to spit... which he did, to the sand beside him. He was still finding crunchy bits along his tongue and teeth.

Not wanting to deal with it anymore, Tygir turned his gaze up, as the candidates and stand spectators were vocalizing that the next dragon had arrived. Another Green, but a much more reasonable one. The small dragonet was also brightly patterned, prompting Tygir to lean up a bit. He could deal with a Green like----aaaaand off it went to some fast talker of a candidate. Well, so much for that!

Back on focus, Tygirtaull was all attention when the next egg started to wobble. The one that looked like a flamboyant hat! Tygir had gotten 'good vibes' from that egg, and eagerly waited for a peak at it. And, what a Garnet she was! Maybe she looked less like a hat or a coat now, but he was diggin' those back marks!

The Garnet didn't lunge or bite... but once again, off to someone else. A candidate who didn't seem that enthused! Shards-- what was with this bunch!? These radical looking dragosn were picking people who barely seemed to want them!! (Other than the Green with Timon) It was taking everything in him not to huff aloud in frustration!!

---except about the first Brown. He was fine with that one going to the country bumpkin who cut in on him at the Touching.