It was high noon when a stir went through the Weyr. The dragons seemed restless and distracted, and the small clusters of fire lizards wouldn't keep calm, flitting about and wreaking havoc wherever they went. Within the bowl, few dragons bathed, and even fewer fed but the herd still stampeded to and fro, eyes wild and whirling back into their heads to show the whites as they picked up on the energy of the dragons.

Despite all the energy, it seemed a magical force had descended upon one portion of the Weyr; the hatching grounds. Iolath and her rider had retreated there only an hour ago, and surely that was too early to hear word of any sort. The only glimpse anyone had gotten was a poor drudge peering in to see if the Weyrwoman would need lunch brought to her, only to be scared senseless by the great bellow of the golden queen. When interrogated, she was of little help, but admitted upon seeing no eggs upon the sands just yet. "Can't expect results just yet!" "But -Tiazoran- queens only went to the sands when they were right and ready!" "And how would you know? You're Telgarian!" Yes, it seemed all the dragonriders had some things to say about their queen; she was rightly infamous to them. Some viewed her as strong, others viewed her as being inadequate because of her age, and domineering attitude over her Weyrleader. Why would she show such domination over everything when so little had still improved? There were still food shortages, and the animosity between Weyr and Thyra still going strong. Would the Weyrwoman ever be able to fulfill her duties and set things right?

Within the hatching grounds, Alesia sat reclined back on a stone step, watching Iolath with amusement as she shuffled through the hot sands, sweeping them this way and that, flattening a place here and forming a hill there. It was this meticulous fussing that had Alesia oddly amused by her golden queen, enough so that she wasn't furious about having her chance at breakfast taken from her. "You know, I -am- hungry" she said with a chuckle, mimicking the simple dragon logic and demanding that she had heard so much from her better half. And you will get your food when we call for someone. When we -invite- them in. A soft laugh echoed at the response, but was halted as she watched her queen assume a squatting position, contractions rippling the huge girth of her belly. Alesia mused for a moment how it reminded her of poor young dragons that had gorged too much after a feeding trying to pass what it had digested, except without the bent tail. She was careful to hide such an undignified thought from her queen, which now peeled her lips back in a snarl as a large egg finally dropped to the stands. Alesias yelp at the sight of it caused Iolath to turn an eye toward her, but quickly looked down towards the egg. Not a queen egg, but still rather large. "Quite cruel for a first egg, isn't it?" The Weyrwoman mused, still rife with satire despite such a solemn and important moment. Iolath paid her little mind, sniffing and crooning at the egg she had just laid. It wasn't hardly a minute after that another followed, and another.

At 7 eggs, Iolath laid down amongst her mottled masterpieces, three of them being very large eggs that showed promise of holding bronzes, or at least browns. Already, her bloated stomach was looking better for what she had already laid. Already, it was lunch time, and Alesia was half starved for it. Behemath will have his rider get someone. Everyone wishes to see my eggs, he says. I will let them. Iolath's smug tone and sudden allowance of any sharding person in the Weyr admittance into the stands to see her eggs that she had laid so far issued a groan of annoyance from Alesia. "Yet you would allow noone when there weren't any eggs on the sands at all? Oh, never mind.. as long as I get a cup of klah and a decent meal...."


((Okay, this is where we will all pretend that everyone in the Weyr has common sense, even the craftbred ones, and that NO ONE walks onto the sands.. except whoever is bringing Alesia food I suppose, and even that should be done with caution. Everyone else.. there's plenty of room in the stands for people to crowd in and 'ooh and ahh' at the eggs.. or whatever you want to do. You don't even -have- to, but I'm just.. throwing something out there XD lol. It's just an opportunity to post your characters without being obligated to really rp.))

Almost as soon as Iolath informed her rider that people were allowed to arrive, Darengon slipped into the Stands from a back entrance and quietly moved through the tiers, to the front row. Seloss followed at a distance, and then perched on the candidate's shoulder, eyes whirling in a self-satisfied way: it had been he, after all, who had informed his pet of the proceedings on the Sands.

The average-looking candidate leaned against the boundary and yearned to pass it and approach the eggs. Seloss trilled excitedly and launched from his shoulder to circle to dragoness loosely, once or twice, at a delicate distance, and then remove his antics from her immediate proximity and to the rafters. You want to be digested by a hungry clutchmother, wherrybrain? Although Darengon had never before seen a clutching dragon, he had a feeling that any cluthmother was highly emotional and most likely would find irritating firelizards a source of distress; nonetheless, he couldn't help but smile, ever so slightly, as the firelizard's feelings of jubilation and celebration, aimed at Iolath, bled into his vague consciousness.

Because he had started to sweat, the candidate stopped trying to retrieve Seloss and focused on the eggs and the dragon laying them. He was almost covetous of them, in a ridiculous way; the stands were still relatively empty, although the murmur of voices and footsteps in the nearest cavern entrance began to build. The eggs were much more Iolath's than anybody else's, and he didn't have much of a claim to them at all, but he couldn't help a small feeling of possessiveness rise within him. His plain brown eyes were fixated intently on the larger ones, darting carefully between the three, and once or twice to the dragon guarding them.

What had alerted them of the prescence of the lad was in fact his firelizard, which caused Iolath's eyes to whirl a tad faster, reclining her head back to watch the flitter warily. "A change of heart, dearest?" A snort would reply the taunting jibe. He knows not to come too near. But now, to look at the stands to find the human attached to the flitter. The lad was the first in, already looking hungrily towards the largest of the eggs. That brought a smile to the Weyrwomans face. Ambition was a commendable trait to Alesia, as long as it isn't tainted with an ill temper. This young man didn't seem to be particularly sinister from a glance, and it would have gotten to her if this was one of the few troublemakers in the current batch of candidates. For now though, he would have to keep his distance, but sooner than he thinks, he'll get the chance to be near the eggs.

Without warning, Iolath stood up once more, letting forth a vicious hiss. People coming into the stands would falter at first, but a sigh of relief emenated through the crowd as it was not fury, but another egg being laid upon the sands. It was nothing special or extraordinary.. a larger egg, but not the largest so far.

Upon awakening at dawn, L'gan was immediately aware of a slight change in the energy of the room. He glanced to the sleeping dragons on their stone couch, Iolath taking up considerably more room than she had that first night with Behemath. The two were coiled up peacefully enough, but Behemath opened one lazy eye to regard his rider. Probably. Was his simple answer to L'gan's unspoken question. A wide grin split the Weyrleader's face. This would surely raise Weyr morale, and if he was lucky, he would be able to beg off facing anymore of that abominable paperwork that just seemed to pile up higher and higher in favor of visiting the Sands later. But until the eggs were safely on the Sands, L'gan knew there was ample work to be done. He swung his legs out of bed, trying not to disturb Alesia, and shrugged into a light shirt and trousers. He padded into the adjoining chamber and sat down, prepared to work until the eggs hit the sand.

Shortly before noon, as he was beginning to tackle plans for reworking the fighting wings, Alesia and Iolath set off for the Hatching Grounds. At that point, he gave up even pretending to focus and began to pace the weyr and hallways anxiously, even going so far as to abandon his normally jovial demeanor and snap viciously at a greenrider impertinent enough as to inquire about Iolath's progress. In his quarters, Behemath was as intent as befitted Threadfall, all senses focused on the Hatching Ground as he strained for word from Iolath. L'gan returned to him just as the bronze's eyes began to whirl blue. Iolath's rider requests food. ...And the stands are open to anyone who wants to view the eggs. L'gan, who had immediately made for the door at his bronze's first sentence froze mid-step. "EVERYONE? Shards, what's gotten in to her?" Behemath chose not to respond and instead launched off the ledge, gliding easily to the ledge reserved for him overlooking the Sands. He crooned a fond greeting to Iolath as he surveyed the seven eggs already laid.

L'gan strode quickly through the weyr, his long legs taking strides so great that the druge bearing the food next to him had to scurry to keep up. At the entrance to the Sands, he turned and relieved her of the plate of food, smiling apologetically. "I doubt she'll allow you on the Sands, but if you have a few moments to spare, you may view the eggs from the stands." Without waiting for a reply, he entered the grounds and settled himself next to Alesia on the steps, kissing her cheek as he handed over the plate. His eyes were drawn next to the eggs, and a happy flush that had little to do with the heat emanating from the sands crept into his face. "Amazing." He said simply.

Iolath became more alert as someone came onto the stands, rasing her head from the egg she had just deposited. "Oh come now, as if your mate's rider would do anything to the eggs." Alesia taunted her gold, that snorted good naturedly in the Weyrwomans direction. Just to show I could, I would forbid him closer, if he hadn't the food for you that you wish for. For a gold, she sure acted as if she were filled with hot firestone air.

"Thanks" was her breathless reply as she accepted the meal, flushing deeply red at his public show of affection. A quirky smile bent her features oddly, which she masked by taking a bite of her roll as she looked toward the eggs that the Weyrleader now admired. "Look there. Three that are sure to be bronzes already, or at least impressive browns." Normally she would harp about all colors being equally important, but she now catered to the bronzerider ego somewhat. Though no pushover Weyrwoman, it joyed her secretly to be able to praise the siring ability of his bronze to be able to produce more like creatures. After all, didn't men always want sons?

"Iolath is a glutton for attention." Alesia commented about Iolath's allowance for the Weyr to see the beginnings of her clutch. "She will probably tire within the hour and send them away."

The news of the Golden Queen's clutching had gone through the Weyr like Thread in a green field, whisperings muttered around, debating. Queen Egg or not? How many had been laid so far? How was Iolath's? Through it all, three people could not wait to see this for themselves.

Though normally shy, Crys would happily brave the milling people, just to look at the eggs. To find a place on the stands and watch, after all, it wasn't every day one saw a clutching. Or eggs at all really, let alone actually stand for them as a Candidate. Which she did get to! However, the doubt she would actually Impress often invaded her mind. Sometimes pushed away, or drowned out by more imediate thoughts. Thoughts that could change whether a job was done right or not.

She didn't need to push her way through, slipping easily under arms and through gaps. At her first sight of the eggs though, she froze. A small gasp coming from the small candidate, eyes widening as she tried to count. However, her mind couldn't concentrate on such silly things, there were dragon eggs infront of her!

~

Convincing Caeser to stay behind was possibly the hardest thing Acacia had to do, she didn't mind leaving him, not for the short amount of time she'd actually be gone. More, Caeser did not want to miss out on seeing the big gold clutch, he might learn something. Eventually, Acacia gave in, allowing him his usual roost on her shoulder. Warning him that she would send him back at any sign of mischeif.

Like Crys, her fellow candidate, Acacia did not need to push through the crowd. Once standing beside the other girl, Acacia grinned, raising her hand in a half wave. The other didn't even blink, so intent was her gaze on the sands. Acacia soon saw why, the eggs were definately something amazing to look at, more so than anything else. More so than flitt eggs... No offense to Caeser... The idea that such eggs could hatch the next generation of Pern's fighters was amazing... Mind blowing.

~

Of course Acacia would be there, which was why Tracey had considered not going to the clutching. After all, one word from the venomous tunnel-snake and she would be sent home. Ah, but would they really do that? Risk sending the yet to be laid gold between? Not likely, and as she was the only one worthy of such a creature... They couldn't be sent away.

Satisfied by her assurance, Tracey allowed ehr gaze to go back to the eggs. Unlike Acacia and Crys, she'd had to push to get this far. No one was going to allow her any closer. They wanted to see the eggs too...

L'gan couldn't help but grin widely as he gazed fondly at the three largest eggs before forcing himself to abandon any bias. "As long as they're all strong, I'll be happy." He stated fairly. "Faranth knows we need as many Threadfighters as we can get at this point." He paused a moment before continuing. "Although bronzes are always welcome.." He trailed off as he once again regarded the eggs thoughtfully. "They look like they could even rival Behemath's size." Larger dragons mean bigger clutches and better wings. The bronze replied blandly, although the tip of his tail flicked to betray a hint of agitation as he regarded his queen on the sands.

Shifting his attention to the stands, L'gan smiled as he watched the Candidates stare intently at the eggs, as if hoping they would hatch now. They would have a bit more of a wait in store for them, but the reward of a life would more than make up for that, he knew. "I thought I had heard wrong when 'Math said everyone was welcome to observe. I guess not. But she has much to be proud of. 7 eggs laid within an hour, and it looks like many more to come. It's an excellent first clutch." He smiled proudly, pleased at Iolath's success.

In the breath of space following the Queen and her mate's arrival, more candidates began to arrive, with the rest of the weyrfolk. One diminutive, unusually pale candidate accompanied the others, and in a desperate moment, slipped between the crush of bodies and staggered against the barrier, catching her breath, before pulling herself upright and gazing hungrily at the eggs.

Selena had, since coming to the Weyr, finally discovered a form of life she preferred-- having harbored a general dislike for fellow human beings from the first moments she could form coherent thoughts as decisive and far-reaching as these. The dragons, however, were a race apart, and-- although most would have scorned her had she openly informed them that their life parners were foolish-- she'd had very little chance to have extended conversations with them, much less specifically forming any companionship more than sensing their relative presence. She had, on maybe three occasions, spoken to a dragon-- one green, one blue, and one brown-- during free evenings, while she had sheltered on the Rim, and dragons had brought their riders to relax in the cool semitwilight.

And now, seeing the eggs on the sands in front of her, the fact of her candidacy began to connect somewhere deep in her brain; the conclusion-- her inevitable Impression, as surely she had to Impress, of course, resonated deeply. To have a lifemate: what was it like, that moment her mind would be bridged by another's, and then to know, with certainty, that she would have somebody close to her forever? What if she didn't get along with whoever shared that connection, or if she was somehow insufficient? Selena sighed, bringing her gaze back from the eggs and the mysteries they presented, the mysteries she had not, until now, begun to realize.

"They are quite spectacular, are they not?"

Selena turned marginally, to see a plain-looking candidate, messy brown hair crowning an average face with curiously green eyes. Selena said nothing, but tilted her head. Her long black hair was unbound, and it swept past her shoulder and fluttered gently at her motion.

"Well, I'm Roaland. Just arrived, actually, this morning." He smiled in what she supposed was a friendly manner.

"Selena." She paused, warily; he seemed nice enough, but she was loathe to pass a certain judgement yet. "I've been here for much longer. Just a day after the Flight, actually." Again, she paused, considering. "The Searchdragons are quite quick, apparently, but I transferred from another weyr." She stopped, half-stunned, for she rarely talked about her past.

Roaland didn't seem to mind or notice; he stretched luxuriously. "Me, too. It's not uncommon, but I suppose most people stay at their home Weyrs. Mine was Fort. You?"

Selena swallowed. "High Reaches." Her own shock gave way to inexplicable mortification, and her pale skin reddened quite obviously.

Roaland grinned and turned back to the eggs. "Well, it's more waiting from here, as usual. And then touching." He wasn't particularly thrilled, having been through countless cycles, but an excitement bubbled up within his abdomen. The new queen, a chance to loose the Clutchmother's and father's previous opinions of him-- it had always been laboring under others' impressions of him, at Fort. Now, a sort of excitement thrilled through his veins. He really did enjoy turning over a fresh leaf. His eyes lingered on the Weyrleader and his Weyrlady, but soon enough he turned Acacia. "Aren't the dragon eggs just beautiful?"

"Eight, Actually." Alesia murmured behind a piece of wherry steak, gesturing to one that had only just been lain. "Probably a brown, or an impressive blue." But just as she said that, Iolath stretched her neck towards an unseen figure, eyes whirling quickly for a moment in recognition. Asaujarth, Lamorath and Jiraljith are here. Their riders bring a candidate and wish to speak with you. You may go to them, but everyone must leave. I will not have others here without you. And very suddenly, Iolath growled deeply at the crowd, warning all dragons to have their riders usher them out. It was a jarring, instantaneous effect of startled riders urging everyone to leave, and Alesia sighed. How bossy, she was! It seemed everyone was rightfully about to stampede their way out of the Grounds! "Just let them know I'll be coming then, Iolath!" She hastily washed down what little of her meal she had just consumed, standing up and wiping off her simple coppery toned tunic and pants she had hastily donned for the clutching of Iolath's eggs.

"A'breeq,L'ricor and Aubria are here." The names came quickly to her. She had gotten to know many people in Tiazora, practicing her ability to remember names, and daresay she was rather decent at it. Of course, it helped that Aubria's green was a part of the clutch Limaru's gold hatched from, and that A'breeq was the rider of the bronze that sired Iolath. Oh yes, he was definitely one she wouldn't have forgotten. Call Alesia sentimental if you wish, but she held him in particularly good light as something of a father figure because of his role in Iolath's creation. She supposed it was her own craftbred reasoning for it all. "I just need to take care of this... get out of this heat. Oh, do come if you feel you're up to it, L'gan.." But she was in no mood to wait for him, smiling over her shoulder hastily to disappear into the crowds.


(continued on Home is Where the Heart Is)

L'gan watched appreciatively as the newest egg was added to the fast-growing clutch. He opened his mouth to comment, but was suddenly silenced as Iolath let out a fearsome growl, scattering the more timid Candidates immediately and prompting the riders to make a hasty exit. Behemath himself spread his massive wingspan and with a final fond croon to the queen, launched off the ledge and headed back to his weyr. New dragons have arrived to stay. The bronze informed his rider at the same time as Alesia. L'gan was looking forward to some of his old weyrling friends joining the Kharasi ranks, and kept a close eye on all newcomers, hoping to reunite with some. He recognized the riders' names immediately, although none were from the same clutch he had Impressed from. He shook his head and waved after Alesia as she left. "I'll pass, I still have more work to do up in the weyr." He sighed exaggeratedly woebegone manner and made his way out of the Hatching Grounds, bowing his head to Iolath before he left. Once outside, he turned and took a long stride toward his weyr when a small figure suddenly raced into him, a pointed elbow jabbing painfully into his abdomen. He grunted in surprise and took a step back, mentally reassuring Behemath after he realized that it was only a wayward Candidate and not a crazed attacker.

Cailyn reeled backwards after running into a tall rider, stumbling for a few steps before regaining her balance. She thanked her time on a rocking boat for helping her to not completely topple over. Shaking her head, she glanced up at the man's shoulderknots and prepared to apologize for ramming into him, before freezing in shock. He wasn't simply a rider. He was the Weyrleader! She flushed deep red and cringed inwardly. This couldn't be good.

L'gan peered curiously down at the girl before him, red from her neck up to her dark brown hair. He recognized her vaguely from when B'litz had returned with her from Hurricane Hold after delivering a message to the Lord and Lady Holders there, but he couldn't quite place her name. He opened his mouth to inquire when he was suddenly interrupted by a torrent of words flowing nonstop from her.

"Weyrleader! I'msosorryIreallydidn'tmeantobumpintoyouIwasonlytryingtoseetheclutchbecauseIheardfrom adrudgethatIolathhadfinallylaidsomeeggsandthateveryonewaswelcometoseethemandIjustgotso excitedthatIcouldn'twaittogetheresoIranallthewayfromtheothersideoftheweyrandI'msososososorry!"

And just as quickly as they had begun, they stopped as Cailyn abruptly closed her mouth, clicking her teeth together in the process. L'gan was silent for a moment before bursting into laughter. Cailyn flushed deeper still. This was not at all how she had imagined meeting the Weyrleader. She had planned to be courteous and polite, mature to the upmost to prove her readiness to Impress. Instead she had lost her head and babbled on like a drunked wherry, quite different from her normal demeanor. She subsided into an uneasy silence, quite sure that the Weyrleader now would recognize her as the bumbling fool who had made such an idiotic first impression. Catching his breath, L'gan took pity on the girl and replaced his grin with a more kindly smile. "Calm down, calm down girl. I only caught about half of what you said." Cailyn took a deep breath and repeated herself, this time slowly and carefully. When she finished, L'gan hesitated before speaking.

"I don't mean to upset you, but Iolath has just sent everybody out of the Sands. I'm terribly sorry, but don't worry, there will be plenty of chances for you to see the eggs. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm drowning in paperwork and I really should finish some of it." He placed a kind hand on her shoulder before striding off, leaving Cailyn in stunned silence. When she had recovered somewhat, she let out a long string of oaths she had heard from the sailors around home but had never had the courage to utter herself. A drudge stared in disbelief as he passed, incredulous that such words were coming from so young a girl. Finishing, Cailyn blinked back tears. This was just great. Nothing had gone right for her from the moment Onerith had landed in Kharasi. After unloading her few belongings and pointing her in the direction of the Candidate Barracks, B'litz had disappeared, leaving Cailyn feeling alone and insignificant. She had made only one friend so far, a nice enough girl, but one with enough phobias that she was about as likely to Impress as a runnerbeast was. Another girl snored so loudly in the bunk next to her that Cailyn got only an hour or two of precious sleep a night, and as a result she was groggy and too late to see the eggs being laid. And finally, to top it all off, she had just made a complete fool of herself in front of the Weyrleader himself. She groaned and turned around, trodding slowly to the kitchens, intent on drowning her problems in copious amounts of klah and bubbly pies.

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It took a better part of the day, and into the second for the clutch to be completed. A slight damper on many a wage to find out that not a speck of gold other than the mother glimmered on the sands. Regardless of this, 7 eggs showed promise of at least bronze or brown, while many others were hardly discernible to be much different than the others. Now, with the hot evening sun bearing down on the Weyr, the gold would finally rest, curling her body as well as she could around the 23 eggs that now lay on the sands. Not as many as Alesia thought, but with the size of a few of them, she could see why the gold had grown so huge.

Quite a few of the girls would be unhappy that the gold they had been waiting for wouldn't show up. A pity indeed, but strong goldrider prospects would be even stronger thread battling green and blueriders.

Alesia looked up lazily from over the hides in her lap, examining the slumbering gold and her eggs hardening on the sands. Once they were fully hardened, candidates would be allowed on the sands. It was something that frightened and excited her; remembering how thrilling it was when she herself went to touch the golden egg that would hatch Iolath, but at the same time she worried that something would go horribly wrong. What if some blundering fool fell upon an egg? No no, those shells were too hard for that.. weren't they? Alesia was quick to snuff those thoughts. The last thing she needed was for Iolath to wake up in a frenzy at such horrible thoughts of her eggs getting smashed.

(Eh, feel free to throw people in here for rp.. rogue candidates sneaking in.. dragonriders beseeching an approval for entry to see the eggs.. someone given the arduous task of bringing Alesia food, which could be -anyone-... but you don't have to. Hehe.)

It might chance that Iolath would wake anyhow, perhaps alerted to the presence of a candidate, quiet though she was. The tall, pale blond crept in and lingered at the door, fear striking her heart; but she quickly overcame it at the sight of the Weyrwoman and skirted around the very edge of the sands, clinging to the barrier separating them from the Stands, and finally coming to a stop. The tray of brothy vegetable stew in a hollowed-out, round lump of bread was accompanied by a small smoked Bigmouth steak.

"Weyrwoman Alesia," Kai blurted and placed the tray on the table, half-bowing out of deference. "The infirmary bid me send you food; said you must not have eaten for candlemarks." She indicated the bigmouth steak. "Hurricane Hold's recent tithe arrived only a little bit ago, and there's some good..." she trailed off, realizing she was blathering, and clamped her mouth shut, stepping back. Her eyes darted to the eggs and back quickly, as though looking at them was a criminal offense.

The golden figure shuddered and groaned, one eye flashing open to take in its surroundings, but the Weyrwoman was quick to her feet, crooning out loud to her gold in an awkwardly tender moment on front of the young woman. A small, gentle smile etched into Alesia's feathers, stroking the golds head to soothe her before regarding the candidate. She had figured someone would bring her food, so no berating would dare escape her lips. Instead, a gracious, lopsided grin would be offered as she helped close the distance between the two of them. "Everyone worries themselves so much over whether I have eaten or not? Are you sure it's not an excuse for ambitious candidates to come flash a peek at the eggs?" The girl seemed the sort to have died on the spot had she let that comment linger too long, so she was quick to continue after just a quick breath, laughing a bit to assuage any fears the girl might have let manifest in her head. "Oh, that is the way of such things. They like to send candidates down here; they think they are doing you all a favor... Oh, that does smell good... Oh and yes, tithes.. which reminds me.." She relieved the girl of her burden, gesturing her to follow. "I have some things I'd like you to take to the headwoman. I'm sure the Masterhealer can do without you for a little while; I do not wish to keep calling people in here and aggravating Iolath" Her tone told the girl not to disagree with her.

The tray was set down on a makeshift table next to her cot, frowning a bit. "They didn't send klah though.. oh no matter. I still have some redfruit juice. Goodness knows if I drink any klah now, I'll never get some sleep.." Turning to the hides, she stacked a few of them and rolled them up, binding them together. "The Headwoman will have my head for working on these.. but they need to be done... Oh.. I'm missing something.. hold on.. won't take me long." Hurriedly, the Weyrwoman dug through the strolled hides, trying to sort through them to find the document she needed, which would unintentionally give Kai a little while to look around.. and for her player to post. Hehe.

"Well..." Kai paused, flushing. "Nobody has reason to come in while she's guarding them so carefully, so we're all finding the excuses we can..." Kai trailed off again and followed her, wondering if she was going to be functioning as a deliverywoman the entire day. "Of course," she replied uncertainly. It wasn't as if she had something to be doing; otherwise, she wouldn't have been sent in the first place; however, it never struck her as possible that the staff was trying to give them opportunities to see the eggs. Kai was on the verge of offering to go get some klah and bring it for delivery when she remembered the Weyrwoman's somewhat stern warning about aggravating the queen, so she instead wordlessly held her hands out for the hides. When Alesia bent over to find some of the missing ones, however, she bit her lip and looked guiltily over her shoulder in a brief glance; turning back, she checked to make sure the woman was still occupied, and then turned her full attention to the eggs; it was the first time she'd seen the eggs after they were fully laid. Her eyes widened in fear and awe of the great gold, and of the mottled shells she protected; with a small noise of satisfaction, she turned back to the Weyrwoman, guilt etched onto her features.

It was afternoon in the Weyr, and the sunlight coming in from the cavern entrance was suddenly obscured by an extremely large shadow. Those who turned to look would see a boy of the almost unthinkable height of six and a half feet, although he was doing his best not to look it. His hands were jammed into his pockets, and his head was bowed so that his feathery blonde hair fell over his face.

A large and heavy-looking something was slung over his back on a single strap in a cloth case, and those who knew something about Harpers would realize that it was the eponymous instrument of the Craft. He quietly deposited this and a medium-sized backpack on a nearby bench, and sat there quietly for a while. It would appear that he was watching those who had come to visit the eggs, and he was looking at the clutch as well. For Summer--that was his name--was one of Kharasi Weyr's newest Candidates.

"Ah, here it is" Alesia smiled and pulled out a particular hide and added it to the rolled up stack she held, hastily binding it. She sensed Iolath's wariness before she had seen the lad herself, but looking up, she saw a lad sitting on the benches, and she frowned. Didn't anyone announce themselves any more. Testily, she called out to him. "And you, have you any business with me, or are you just another candidate peeking in on Iolath and me?"

She now held the parchments random, ringing them slightly in her hands in annoyance, effectively trapping the girl there in the uncomfortable situation. Alesia was still staring at the hulking figure. He was too tall; she half wondered if he was a dragonrider, but he didn't look the type.. not yet anyways. Iolath would confirm that he was unbonded, which surprised the woman. Sometimes dragons could sense things that people couldn't understand.

Summer jumped up as Alesia addressed him, correctly identifying her as the Weyrwoman that the Searchrider had commanded him to report to.

"The latter, I'm afraid," he replied, grinning. He approached her and wrenched one hand from its usual place in his pocket to offer it for the Weyrwoman to shake. "I'm sorry if I'm unwelcome. My name is Summer; a rider and his blue just brought me here from the Harper Hall. I was told to introduce myself to you. It's an honor, Weyrwoman."

If he had seemed intimidating before, Alesia's opinion of him would probably change once she saw him up close. Although he was tall, he was practically a stick in terms of width, and the way he shuffled while he walked revealed the lifelong awkwardness that his height had imposed upon him. Summer had a friendly smile that showed itself while he spoke, and his voice was calming and smooth. While he awaited a reply, his fingers kept going back to his hair, tucking a particular strand behind one ear although it inevitably escaped seconds afterward.

"Oh," Kai said quietly, in surprise, as she reached for the parchment but it was snatched out of her grasp. Sucking in a breath, she turned to see a tall candidate approaching. That's odd. The Gold let him on the Sands? She glanced back over her shoulder, at the dragoness this time, and not the eggs. Perhaps proddy mothers still had some sense, after all. Kai wondered who his rider had been-- she'd never had to report directly to the Weyrwoman; her presence was announced to the Candidate Master, who reportedly directed the arrivals' information to her on a sevenday basis. Then again, she wasn't exactly Rider material, while this lad was tall enough to cast a shadow she could comfortably stand in. Probably a Bronze, she lamented silently. Well, she always had her Healing to fall back on. Speaking of which...

Kai glanced half-desperately at the parchment, maintaining a firm grip on the ones already in her arms, and then watched the new candidate, wide-eyed in apprehension. Summer, eh? Just one of the many new faces we'll be seeing now that the Eggs are hardening and the Searchriders are getting antsy.

The gold dragon still had her head perched upon her forelimbs, but the eye regarding the humans would be the color of fire within her skull. Alesia had warned the gold to stay put where she was despite the rude entry. Alesia was not a short woman by any means, and shook his hand with confidence as she looked up at the young man. It wasn't often that she came up to a man's chest, and it intrigued her slightly, but it wasn't the foremost thing on her mind. "You're holdborn, yes? Dragons will kill only in three situations; during Impression, when their rider is in danger, and when a gold is guarding her eggs. The only reason you haven't been done bodily harm is because I was here. Normally, a person requests permission from both Weyrwoman and gold before stepping off the stone and onto sand." She actually kept her tone sincere. "And if you aren't holdborn, then I must say that you are far too bold in your comfort around dragons."

Now, Iolath's great head came out to touch Alesia's shoulder, in need of reassurance from her rider, and feeling a need to come towards the 'intruder' to let her prescence be known. Upon seeing Kai, her eyes took on a more friendly hue for a moment, making note to her rider how patiently she was waiting. "Oh!" I just have you standing there, sorry dear." She handed over the parchment to the girl, offering a smile. "Iolath personally thanks you for being so sincere on her sands."

Summer's expression quickly fell from one of excitement to one of dread and disappointment as Alesia spoke. **Not a day in the Weyr and I've already fallen into bad favor,** he lamented.

"I'm really sorry," he said passionately, looking warily over his shoulder at Iolath. "I was raised in the Harper Hold, and they tell us all about dragons' history, but nothing about the dragons themselves. I didn't mean to intrude." It was true that half of Summer's boldness at walking across the sands had stemmed from his complete lack of knowledge about dragon behavior, but he expected that would change very soon. He looked over his shoulder again, and realized with a dropping sensation in his stomach that since Iolath had been curled up, he didn't realize how large she was at her full height. He backed up a little bit, further away from the gold, but couldn't decide whether to move closer to Alesia for (hopefully) protection from her dragon, or further away out of respect. In the end, he decided on an awkward shuffle in which he ended up standing squeezed against the nearest bench.

He winced as Iolath rose to leer at him over Alesia's shoulder. They made a quite intimidating pair: the cool and collected Weyrwoman who was very clearly in charge of all the goings on around her, and the gold dragon who was larger than Summer had ever imagined. But despite wanting to hide behind his hair and curl up to seem as small as possible should Iolath choose to attack, Summer met Iolath's eyes with his own. The pressure of keeping up the staring contest with the gigantic queen was making his heart pound dreadfully, but somehow he felt that it was the right thing to do.

He had already apologized verbally to the Weyrwoman, but he felt that he had not yet done the same for the queen whose children he was hoping to stand before for Impression. And he couldn't bear to live with that on his conscience, even if he didn't Impress. So he stared into her multifaceted eyes, whirling with what he guessed was outrage and betrayal, and he thought to her, **I am sorry. I didn't understand. Please forgive me.**

***

OOC: I'm not implying that Summer is a HAD/talk-to-all-dragons/whatever; he's just doing his darndest to win Iolath's trust.

"Thank you, Weyrwoman," Kai mumbled, taking the parchment at long last and looking up into Iolath's eyes. "Well, I-- " she stuttered for a moment before gasping out a panicked "Thank you!" and shot Summer a fleeting look of indiscernable emotion. Then, before anybody else tried to address her, she fled in a short of walk-jog with her head down. She'd do her best to find the Headwoman and get out of any misdirected rage she might have; and then, return to the Infirmary.

The fact that he was holdborn gave the lad a little bit of grace. The lad recoiled visibly, going so far as to back away when Iolath came near. Alesia hastened to the golden head, stroking the queens eyeridges to soothe her. Iolath turned to the lad, looking at him for a moment. If she had heard his mental plea, she would not give any indication that she had, but instead looked away dismissively, eyes turning to a more calm hue before going to roll her eggs on the sands so they would not overheat on one side.

"Don't worry lad; you haven't done any true harm." Alesia murmured, turning her attention away from him for a moment to wave a goodbye to the harper girl. She frowned, looking at her queen thoughtfully. The golden one was busy turning her eggs, trusting her rider's judgement. "Nope, no permanent harm at all. I believe you've probably learned a lesson about coming in unannounced onto the Hatching Sands. Oh, don't worry, you'll have your chance again to see the eggs up close. Once they harden, the candidates will be able to even touch them." Now, she even offered the tall lad a smile. "I hope you Impress a big dragon to support your frame. It's all for the good anyhow; we like strong, tall stock in this Weyr." She guessed from his overall demeanor and stance, he wasn't usually one to flaunt his attributes.

With a sigh, the Weyrwoman used a rolled up hide to bat the two firelizards that stretched out on her cot to the side, eliciting angry cheeps from the bronze and the ghostly colored gold. The gold was obviously still quite young, being half the size of the bronze. Once she made room for herself to sit down. "Oh, what is the Weyr to think of me, fraternizing with every candidate that wanders in? Now don't you get all flustered; you're not the first and definitely not the last to come wandering in..." Now, she fanned herself with a hide, considering. "Have you been to the candidates barracks and spoke to Nako yet?"

Summer gave Alesia a weak smile; he was glad to hear that he hadn't completely crushed his chances of acceptance in the Weyr, but all the same, he would exercise much more caution around Iolath and dragons in general when he next got the opportunity. He also made a note to track down the first friendly dragonrider he could find after this and beg him or her to tell him any more things that made dragons angry.

"I haven't yet," he replied, gathering his things and hoisting them onto his shoulders. "But I will now. Thank you again, Weyrwoman, for being so understanding."

He gave her a small bow, leaving her to rest on her cot, and gave one to Iolath too, making sure to meet the gold's eyes if he got the chance. He would do his best to do all he could here, and get past today and all the other slipups without a second glance over his shoulder... that was Summer's way.