[Hatching] I'm a Puppeteer

[Jabberwoky]

There are other ways of persuasion
There are other modes of control
There are other means of deceit
There are other roads to the soul
There are other actions of passion
You have so much left to learn
Want to save your men from the fire?
Show me that you're willing to burn, woah


Midday.

After a long stretch of waiting.

One single egg was waiting.

Something about the day seemed different. Something seemed strange. Like something was just off. As the clouds passed, there was just a strange feeling that permeated the candlemarks from dawn until right now.

But then the little egg twitched.

Then it shook. It rattled. It rolled.

Kuzoth sent out the call, a hum picking up through the Weyr.

The single egg was hatching.

[Agenothree]

Candidate Melora

Melora looked up from her midday meal as a hum began to reverberate through Fort Weyr, a sound she had heard countless times: Fort's hatching sands were about to greet new life once more. Sighing, she resigned herself to make ready, finishing her bubbly pie daintily before making her way to her quarters. Unlike most Candidates, she didn't look forward to attending Haurchefath and Kuzoth's singular egg, pathetic and not-gold as it would be, for she was not like most Candidates, and she was meant for more than a blue and a green's child.

Noting a chill as she dressed in her pristine white robes, Melora frowned, thinking to her shawl, though she couldn't wear it to a hatching, in accordance to what rules she had to follow as a Candidate and for fear of a dragonet ruining one of her favorite pieces. Smoothing a hand down her robes, she was assured she was ready, and made her way forth. Standing at her full height, radiating pride and confidence, she walked onto Fort's sands. As was custom, she gave Haurchefath and Kuzoth a polite curtsy, though it was nowhere near what full graceful capabilities she might afford a queen, and took her place. Sweeping a strand of her fine golden hair behind an ear, Melora made ready to wait, to bypass this hatching and find herself meeting her golden destiny.

[nineofswords]

Heiro - Open

Heiro was trying to keep busy. There was a hatching right around the corner, and it was easy to get caught up in the rush of excitement that could cause. But there were still chores to be done, a duty to the Weyr as a candidate. The dragon that hatched would be just as important as any other, although only one candidate was going to have their life changed today. She was trying to manage her expectations.

Still, she couldn't stifle the flutter of excitement she felt as the hum went out through the Weyr. She finished up what she'd been doing and hurried to her quarters to change into her white robes. She quickly scrubbed her face and arms and tied her hair up in a bun so it would be out of her way. She took a moment to confirm that she looked presentable (and determinedly ignoring the odd feeling she was getting, because it was probably just nerves) she quickly made her way to the sands.

Once there, she gave the green as low a bow as she would any gold. "Thank you for allowing me to stand for your hatching, Kuzoth," she said and went to take her place.

Heiro wasn't usually a fidgeter, but she couldn't seem to stay still, didn't know what to do with her hands. She kept adjusting her robes. "I hope this is an uneventful hatching," she said to whoever ended up next to her. "I have this...weird feeling. Maybe it's just me, but it's...I don't know." She shook her head, then smiled at her neighbor. "Sorry. Probably hatching jitters. You'd think I'd be used to them by now."

[Calingaladha]

Alara of Garnet Alubrath - OPEN

A single egg from a green was certainly an interesting addition to the Weyr. Without an immediate duty to attend to, Alara decided to go watch the little spectacle. It was almost certain to be short, but not necessarily uneventful. Alubrath was happy enough to come perch, even if it was only for a bit.

Alara made her way to the surrounding seating, flopping unceremoniously into her chosen spot. “I’ll bet this was a surprise to Kuzoth’s rider. I’m not sure if I dread the day Alubrath drops an egg or not. Seems like an awful lot of hubbub. But maybe she’ll take a crack at it.” , she joked to nobody in particular.

Crossing her legs at the knee, she wriggled and leaned back to get as comfortable as she could be. Not that puns would keep her tailbone from digging into the hard stone. It could still be a while until the dragonet emerged.

[Ezra]

Aris of Blue Haurchefath - Kouichi & Kuzoth ; Open

It was still hard to believe this even happened. Both in the fact that Haurchefath had actually succeeded in a mating flight and somehow this egg even HAPPENED.They knew that it baffled them for sure and if not for actually seeing this through, he would not have believed it either. But Haurchefath was an attentive clutch dad and did look after Kuzoth's needs very well, and if allowed, likely sat with their single egg to give the green a chance to stretch her wings and an egg sitting break. As the egg was on the move, Aris sat near Kouichi, his fellow in this very unusual circumstance of surprise clutching. " Let's hope this kiddo is right as rain and finds their person soon. Weather seems a bit.. off?"

Blue Haurchefath

It had seemed it would be another day of about the same, even if something smelled off in the air as the clouds rolled past and had the blue slightly anxious for whatever reason he could not pinpoint. He was sitting in his dutiful place behind Kuzoth, freshly fed and having brought her a meal earlier. But then the egg was moving, rattling and rolling. Her hum permeated the air and he lifted his head up and directed his gaze towards the enterance to the hatching grounds. He adjusted his position so that he could clearly see and protect Kuzoth and the egg if he was needed, ever the vigilant knight, as a true hero would do! This was all so splendid!

--------------

Candidate Kaelin - Open

One egg.. and he was sure it was not going to be him again, why would it? No dragon seemed to find him worth it and he was starting to ponder if he was just not cut out for this kind of stuff.. not like Thane! Thane should have been his mother's son, he was not a disappointing failure and had impressed their first hatching if he recalled. He had no real friends much anymore and most of whom were around now he either did not know well or were not the type of people that would associate with him he thought. Soon enough he would age out of dragon candidacy and his chance would be gone forever.. but at least there was still whers right? There was nothing shameful about being a wher handler and they didnt maul in their hatchings.. not where he could figure out anyway. Regardless, he ran through the motions, dressing in his robe and arriving on the sands, bowing to both clutch mom and sire and their riders, thanking them quietly for the opprotunity and took his place in line, deciding to stand in front this time, maybe the dragons just could not see him cause he was always in the back? Time to try a new tactic.

[FirebrandPhlox]

Candidate Aneesa - Heiro

Aneesa was tending to the typical chores forced onto the candidates when Kuzoth sent out the call and the hum of dragons filled the air. She instantly tossed her scrub brush aside and ran back to her quarters to change into her white robes. Even though the hatching was only a single egg, Aneesa felt that it was only fair to the dragonet and its parents to treat the event as she would a larger hatching. It had to be lonely, to be the sole egg on the sands.

After donning her robe and making sure it looked nice, she pulled her braids back and tied them together at the base of her neck. With a quick glance in the mirror, she smiled and headed to the sands, eager to welcome the newest dragon to the weyr. Even the overcast skies couldn't put a damper on her excitement.

Upon entering the hatching grounds, she gave a smart bow to Kuzoth. "Thank you for having us," she told the dragon before making her way across the sands to a familiar face.

Aneesa smiled at the other woman, who was having a hard time standing still. "No, no, I understand what you mean," she said with a light laugh. "After all that...excitement at the last hatching, I think we'd all appreciate a dragonet that is a bit more subdued." She rubbed her arm that had been injured at the last hatching. Though it had been fully healed for well over a season now, Aneesa still felt some soreness on chilly days like this one.

"I think it's nice that you still get a little nervous," she said with a smile. "It shows that you care about the hatching, even though it's just the one egg this time. Think it'll be a green like the mother?"

[MothyCake]

Kouichi of Green Kuzoth - Aris, open

Honestly, despite how much time had passed, Kouichi hadn't really accepted the reality of the situation. His green dragon, who had chewed firestone her entire life had laid an egg. It was one egg, yes, but it was still something he had not expected. He honestly wished it hadn't happened, but nothing he could do now.

Looking at the two dragons, he did give a light smile. Even though there was a good chance Kuzoth would forget this moment in three days, she seemed happy. The green dragon was watching over her egg lovingly, her eyes showing a warm, happy hue.

As he looked at Aris, he took a deep breath and spoke not above a whisper, "I wouldn't be surprised if today ends up weird in general.. Kuzoth chewed firestone her entire life.. this.. shouldn't really be possible.. However.. she's happy. That's all I really need to see. I'm.. just worried, that's all.." He gave an awkward smile to Aris.

[nineofswords]

Heiro - Aneesa

Heiro smiled at Aneesa as she approached, and couldn't stop a slight blush from coloring her cheeks as she remembered their last interaction, also at a hatching, where Aneesa had called her pretty.

Heiro smiled warmly at the mention of the last clutch. "It was a spirited one, wasn't it?" she asked. There had been so many beautiful dragons in that clutch, and many with large personalities. She understood why none had chosen her; she was much more subdued than most of them had been, and she would've hated to have a partner who resented her more withdrawn nature. All the same, though, she was pleased for everyone who had impressed. Including her former roommate, which had been something of a shock.

Heiro's smile was a little more forced when Aneesa said it was nice that she still got nervous, and she gave a slightly self-conscious laugh. "Thank you. Usually it's good nerves, since every hatching is special in its own way for everyone who impresses. Today, though..." She sighed and looked up at the sky. "I don't know. Maybe it's the weather, but I just feel...on edge somehow." She shook her head. "Maybe I'm just over reacting or...reading too much into things. Or perhaps the last hatching's violence affected me more than I like to admit and I should go speak to a mindhealer before the next one." It didn't feel like that last one, but she'd know for sure once the dragonet was out of its egg, she supposed.

Heiro nodded thoughtfully at Aneesa's speculation. "It's very likely it'll be a green. Or a blue, I suppose, as those are the most common colors." Neither was really something she wanted, if only because blues very rarely won queen flights, and Serapheth never even let them try to chase. She wanted to help people, to protect the people who devoted their lives to protecting others, and that was easier to do the more power one had. And sadly, browns and bronzes were the dragons that often carried the most overall power at Weyrs like Fort. Even if it wasn't as strict as other Weyrs about the rest of the hierarchy, the position of Weyrleader was still one held almost exclusively by browns and bronzes at Fort. But if this egg was destined for her? Well, she wouldn't turn it away. She'd find some other way to support people who fought and died for the people of Pern.

She shook off her musing. "Sorry, got lost in my own thoughts there," she said to Aneesa, looking down sheepishly. It was a trait her family often found tiresome in her. "Forgive me. And...I'm also sorry we haven't interacted much since the last hatching," she added. She hadn't wanted to push, especially if she'd misread Aneesa's simple kindness as flirting. She was probably misremembering it, anyway, but that wasn't an excuse to not spend time with her fellow candidates. "We've all been very busy, but that's no excuse."

[Ignys]

Candidate Neidellah - Open

Neidellah was glad she had opted to wear a scarf onto the hatching sands. While it wasn't terribly cold, it was chilly enough to warrant one when a stray cloud passed over the sun. Luckily, the sun still poked through regularly. Perhaps even more lucky was the fact that this hatching only included one egg. It wouldn't take long at all. She took her place in line, stretching her arms overhead with a soft grunt.

"This'll be a quick hatching." She murmured, mostly to herself. She wondered if the odd circumstances of the egg conception would result in anything strange, or if it would just be a normal hatchling. Her only hope was that the dragon that hatched wasn't looking to cause too much trouble. A little was all in good fun, but she had witnessed plenty of that during Serapheth's last clutch.

[Dragon_Dreamer_2018]

Candidate Rekka - Neidellah


Draconic humming abruptly fell across the entire Weyr, interrupting Rekka’s midday meal.

Aha, there it is again!

She’d only heard it the once, but dang, that hum REALLY was not forgettable, nor something anyone could ever easily forget. Not with the way that sound could even vibrate right through into her very bones!

Rekka grinned, the young redhead immediately shoving the last bite of bread into their mouth as they leapt up. Cheerfully abandoning her plate, the now-sixteen-Turns-old almost practically teleported to her room, so swift was the energetic Candidate’s haste in her quest to grab their still-pristine Candidacy robes. Finallyyy, something to hopefully break the weirdness of that strange feeling they’d had alllll day so far. Hatchings always trumped weird feelings, any day! Never mind that the clutch she was Standing for this time was composed only of a single egg, it was still so, so.. eggciting! Well—wait, wait, a better bad pun: omelette it slide, ‘cause it’s still so eggciting? Rekka snickered to themself at that, the sound muffled as they hurriedly chewed their still-bread-filled mouthful; impatiently tugging slender arms through the robe sleeves even as she grabbed her latest favourite headscarf and tied it securely into place atop her fiery curls.

There! All nice and presentable for their second time Standing!


Rekka skipped on out the door, promptly falling into step with the crowd of fellow Candidates as they streamed into the Sands. The redheaded girl gave the clutchparents a suitably flamboyant bow of her own, somewhat mirroring those of her classmates, and quickly found herself a nice spot on the heated sands; which turned out to be right next to Neidellah.

“Yo, Neidellah. You’re lookin’ eggcellent today!” Rekka grinned up at the taller Candidate, hazel eyes twinkling. They nodded enthusiastically toward the singular egg already trying its absolute hardest to hatch, “I’m so egg-cited, I might eggspode! Yeah, I know, I know, enough yolkin’ around. Anyway, what colour d’ya think is gonna pop outta that shell? Bet it’s a cherry bronze!”

Rekka knew full well—after a whole Turn of lessons too—that a green or blue was far more likely than bronze, but hey, being contrarian was way funnier. And was SURE to ensure Rekka stayed memorable…

[Dragon]

Siyanna - Open

This was strange, really. A single egg. A green dragon as the mother. Siyanna wasn't sure how to feel about this, but when the call went out, she changed into her robe and went down to the sands with the rest of the candidates.

She bowed carefully to Green Kuzoth, wondering what would be in this single egg. "Thank you for allowing me this honor."

Then she took her place with the other candidates, eyes on the solitary egg.

Keir - Open

White robe settled carefully around him, Keir licked his lips as he entered the sands. One egg. One. Of course, it wouldn't want him, but it felt even more hopeless than usual with only one egg.

Still, he bowed wordlessly to the clutchmother and took his place, hoping beyond hope that he might Impress.

[FirebrandPhlox]

Candidate Aneesa - Heiro

Aneesa grinned wider at Heiro, catching her cheeks flushing as she approached. She had hoped that the other candidate had remembered that part, but hadn't quite mustered up the nerves to talk about it with her. Or to talk to her much since the last hatching.

As Heiro wondered aloud about her trepidation, Aneesa nodded along, but frowned slightly. She liked Heiro, she was nice and considerate of others. Aneesa didn't like hearing that she might still be shaken from the violence of the last hatching. "Hopefully it's just a bad feeling and nothing else. Maybe it's just the dreary weather."

"Oh, don't worry about it, I've been busy too," Aneesa said a bit sheepishly. Admittedly, she had wanted to spend more time with Heiro after the last hatching, but the life of a candidate was busy, and she had gotten distracted with her own duties and healing.

"You're all better now, right?" She asked, gesturing towards Heiro's midsection. "I tried to visit you right after the feast, but you hadn't woken up yet." She could feel herself blushing a bit, admitting that she had been concerned for the other woman. She leaned into it, trying to give what she thought was a charming smile.

[nineofswords]

Heiro - Aneesa

Heiro gave Aneesa a comforting smile. "I'm sure it's just the weather," she assured Aneesa. "It doesn't feel like fear exactly, which is why I'm having a hard time figuring out what it is. I'm probably just making something out of nothing because it's a hatching."

She was eager for the subject change, not entirely comfortable dwelling on an odd feeling that she could neither shake nor explain properly. "That's the life of a candidate, I suppose, though," she said, smiling. She nodded when Aneesa asked if she was better. "Yup. All healed up, cleared for regular duties. I have scars, but so does every dragonrider, right? I just got a jumpstart."

"I'm sorry I wasn't awake," Heiro said. "But it was probably for the best. I was not really going to be good company. And your arm? Has it been giving you any trouble since it's healed? I know broken bones can cause some minor pain when the weather changes. I hope that's not the case for you?"

[Calingaladha]

Alara of Garnet Alubrath - Kouichi

Alara decided that her current spot was too boring. Nothing was happening yet, anyway, and she wasn't comfy. She wandered her way nearer to Kouichi, mumbling pardons to various comers as she maneuvered among the growing throng of people.

"Congratulations to yourself and Kuzoth." she said, once she was near enough she could be heard easily enough. "I imagine this came as a bit of a shock. One for us to remember, even if the dragons can't. She seems like a good mother, in any case, and that's all an egg needs. Even if the circumstances surrounding it are a bit odd."

[FirebrandPhlox]

Candidate Aneesa - Heiro

Aneesa gave Heiro a small chuckle when she said she had just gotten a jump start on the scars. "I'm glad you've got a clean bill of health, but try not to get too much of a collection before you've impressed. I'm sure that you'd look plenty ravishing with scars, but I'd hate to see your pretty face get messed up without a really good story behind it." She flashed Heiro what she hoped was a charming smile to go along with her flirting.

"Oh, don't sell yourself short," she said, waving her hand. "I think you'd make fine company, even if you were drugged up on numbweed and whatever else the healers had to give you. I'm just sad you didn't get to enjoy the feast food while it was still warm."

At the mention of her arm, she rubbed it again. "Oh, it's healed up fine, too! It gets a bit sore when the weather is foul, but it doesn't really hurt, per se. Nothing I can't handle. If a few aches took me out of it, I wouldn't really be rider material, right?" She gave another small laugh. "I guess it's the start of my own injury collection. Hopefully we won't add to either of ours today."