Xavier skidds to a stop, "Hi! I think so." He pauses to catch is breat, "I ran over here fast as I could when I heard the news."

Andreas isn't as enthusiastic... it's still magical of course, but he's wary now that there's a girl that likes the same egg he does. I mean, isn't that against the rules?

Telinda laughs, shaking her head, "I dunno, eager or what?" She grins at Andreas and nods, "Who else was there?"

Xavier says "Tandrum was there. I thinking he is coming. And Kern, too."

Tandrum walks over from the Lakeside Meadow.

Xavier says "hey Tandrum."

Tandrum heys Xavier back. "Kern got sidetracked." He bows a little. "Ma'em."

Telinda grins, "Well, I thought we'd do something a little different today. We're going to play a game on the sands, which will please Tia to no end, because she keeps reminding me how bored she is!"

Tandrum turns pale beneath his tan. "She's not hungry or anything is she?"

Andreas tries to peer in towards Tia and see her boredness in action, but can't quite see. "Do we need t' bring anything for the game?"

Telinda shakes her head, "Absolutely not, except for yourselfs. Are you ready? I'll explain everything out there."

Tandrum waits for everyone else to answer before he commits.

Andreas nods, and rolls his sleeves up. Ready for *gulp* Anything.

Telinda grins, clapping her hands together, "Alright, lets head out there then."

You walk toward the sizzling hot sands.

Xavier walks over from the entrance to the hatching cavern.

Tandrum walks over from the entrance to the hatching cavern.

Tandrum keeps his distance and bows to Tiarnath and Rnayth.

Tiarnath warbles, happy to see her lifemate, but peers somewhat cautiously at the candidates. A look from Telinda is enough to sent them a warble too -- oh, this is the game..right!

Xavier grins up at Tiarnath but gives her plenty of room.

Andreas strides over from the entrance to the hatching cavern.

Kytiara walks over from the entrance to the hatching cavern.

Telinda smiles, waving cheerfully to Kytiara, as she places a hand against Tiarnath's flank, "Now, Tia's quite happy for this to happen, and thinks like I do, it'll be better out here on the sands where the actual hatching will happen. However, we'll stick to the edges, I don't want you falling over the eggs!" She smiles, "So, that saying, I want you all to pair up. Andreas, you go with Tandrum, Xavier, oh, and Kyti, excellent, you pair up."

Xavier looks oer at Kyti and nods.

Tandrum looks at Andreas and moves slightly to stand near him.

Andreas looks Tandrum over once again, sizing his fellow candidate up, then nods briskly. "Eggs are hard to fall over, big as they are," he says.

Xavier nods. "but a person could fall INTO them.

Kytiara tilts her head, wondering exactly what she's gotten into, but follows instructions. At least there's nothing sharp or pointed involved.

Telinda smiles, "That's good. Now, this is called the 'Hatching game' and what we do is this. Each of the pairings has two components, a 'candidate' and a 'hatchling'. Yes, one of you get's to play the hatchling." She grins at the gossiping candidates. "Now, you can swop around, so it doesn't matter who's which this time. Once you've decided on that, then the 'hatchling' curls up and pretends to be an egg, and the candidates act as if this is the real hatching and the eggs are rocking. When the 'hatchling' decides to hatch they may do so, and then start acting like a baby dragon until they find their 'candidate' and impress to them. " She giggles. "Now, this can be a lot of fun, but it also gets you thinking of what the hatching might be like."

Xavier listens to Telinda.

Telinda grins, "Any questions?"

Andreas lifts one foot from the sands and hmmms. "Must be pretty warm for the egg and hatchling!"

Xavier grins.

Tandrum shakes his head. "Not really. Except do we have to actually sit on the sands?"

Tandrum adds. "That is, if we're the egg?"

Telinda grins, "If you want to, yes. It's up to you if you're pretending to be the egg."

Andreas turns his head to look at Tandrum, waiting for him to make the choice.

Xavier looks at Tandrum "of course an egg sits on the sands, Tandrum!"

Telinda giggles at Xavier, "Xavier, it's up to whomever is playing the egg!"

Tandrum considers the heat and looks at Andreas. "I'll be the hatchling first?" His tone indicates he'll do either if there's any objection. Without really even looking over at Xavier, he answers him as well. "I know that Xav. I was just wondering how I was going to explain burns on my bum to the healers." He grins a little. "Guess I'll just have to do a lot of moving around."

Xavier grins up at Telinda, "but this is role Play, Right? You gottta get 'In Character'. So, if you are an egg, you gotta dowhat an egg does. Sit on the sands!"

Telinda laughs at Xavier, "I guess so" she remarks, and then remarks to Tandrum, "Well, eggs about to hatch move around a lot."

Andreas nods stiffly again and backs up against the very edges of the sand, nearly off the map so to speak. "Like we do, from foot to foot."

Telinda laughs, "Indeed so, you can make this as elaborate as you want. You could pretend you're wearing your robe or whatever."

Xavier grins. "this is gonna be fun!" He looks over at Kytiara, "You gonna hatch thsi time around?"

Kytiara shrugs, smiling slightly "It doesn't matter...these are /your/ games! You pick."

Tandrum closes his eyes like he's trying to imagine what it's lke to be in an egg.

Xavier blinks, "My games?

Xavier says "you don't want to play?"

Telinda laughs, "I think she means that this is more for you than her, Xavier!"

Kytiara nods at Telinda, almost laughing "Exactly. I had my turn a bit ao!"

Tandrum pops an eye open and looks at Andreas. "Ready for the dragon of your dreams?"

Xavier scratchs his head, "Well, then I guess it would be best for me to play the part of the candidate since that is what I am going to be, right?

Andreas's glance flicks ever so briefly to that sword emblazoned egg as Tandrum asks that, then admits, "Probably not, but if we waited till we were ready, we might be waiting forever!"

Telinda grins, "Alright, Xavier and Andreas are the candidates! Lets start the hatching shall we?"

Tandrum chuckles. "Either that or the eggs'd start hatching while we're debating." His quick eye follows the direction of Andreas' look as he steps out onto the sands.

Xavier nods to Telinda and says to Tandrum, "We wouldn't want /that/ to happen!

Telinda grins and looks over to Tiarnath, who sits back on her haunches a little and starts off a low humm -- not enough to get the other dragons excited, just enough for people in here to hear.

Andreas looks at his fellow candidates, and then warily at the "eggs." "Just don't claw me."

Kytiara shrugs, and crouches down on the sands, feeling almost silly. But as long as other people have to do it... be the egg. /Become/ the egg....

Xavier stops and looks up at Tiarnath, "is /that/ what they sound like?

Telinda nods, "Alot louder, Xavier, and they are all humming!"

Tandrum curls down, wrapping his arms about his legs. His eyes close, then open once. "Well of course I won't claw you." Then he goes back to being an egg. He's a big egg, but he's pretty impatient with being all confined in that space. He sretches moving slightly like he's testing the confines of his prison.

Xavier says "wow."

Andreas mmmmphs, and nudges at the sand with the toe of his boot, shifting just a little left-right, left-right. Telinda gets a slightly dark and amused expression as he asks, "Do the hatchlings talk?"

Telinda giggles, "Well, I guess the make noises, but talk, no, only to those that they impress. Now, be the candidate!" she grins, directing him with a wave of her hand.

Kytiara carefully keeps her bottom off the sand and clasps her hands around her knees, bitng her lip to keep from smiling. Eggs don't smile...

Xavier stands nervously shifting from one foot to the next as he watches the eggs.

Tandrum mumbles from the confines of his shell. "No. But candidates pretending to be hatchlings do." That said he, shuts up and goes back to being a hatchling. He starts rocking back and forth like he's going to fall over on his side and crack that shell pretty fast.

Kytiara rocks just slightly - teasingly if you will. She's the egg that everyone watches for a while expectantly before finally showing hairline cracks. The annoying egg that gives people high blood pressure. You know the one.

Xavier watches the egges rock back and forth.

Xavier nudges andreas and points, "look, Taylor just impressed a Bronze!"

Tiarnath looks curiously at Kytiara, wondering which way is up right now, funny egg shape she is. She warble-hums, much amused by this pink-things trying to be hatchlings.

The Tandrum Egg gets still. It's either afraid to hatch or trying to figure the quickest way out of this place.

Xavier grins at Jur

Andreas keeps shuffling in that case, watching the "hatchlings" crawling around, rocking around, and tries desperately to remain serious before he gives a quick look at Tiarnath. Do they look as silly to the dragon as to him? And then at his fellow candidates, and Telinda, and just anyone out there. Shuffle... two step. "Just how hot -will- the sand be?'

Telinda smiles, "Hot! Hotter than you can imagine" she says, giggling at Tiarnath, as the gold cocks her head first one way and then another. Then, because the Kytiara egg is an egg afterall, she shovels some sand it's way.

Andreas mutters as he watches Kytiara get sanded, "I hope she doesn't try t' drown me.."

Kytiara, being the type of egg that it is, continues to rock jently, throwing in a good wobble every few minutes. A small pile of recently added sand unbalances the rocking somewhat, so it's a big rock to one side, a small one to the other.

Tucking himself tighter, Tandrum does a fast somersault, scattering as much sand as possible perhaps trying to imitate shell flying about with his explosive entrance. Coming to a halt on hands and knees, Tandrum lets out a most demanding creel using his voice to advantage for this. He's a blue...the pure blue of a rainwashed sky and he's hungry. Very hungry.

Xavier giggles ad he watches Tandruth 'hatch'.

Tiarnath cants her long neck towards the new 'hatchling', wuffling the little 'dragonet' with warm breath.

Jerel seems to have... forgotten exactly what they're doing and blinks at Tandrum, flicking a grain of sand off his shoulder. "What's he doing?" He asks Xavier, gesturing to the creeling Tandrum.

Xavier grins, "He's pretending to be a newly hatched dragon. This way we can pretend the hatching is actually taking place."

Tandrum unfolds his damp wings (those'd be his arms) and falls face forward in the sand like he's not gotten his legs under him. From that position, Tandrum looks at Jerel. "I'm a hungry dragonet. Hungry enough to eat candidates maybe." Nevermind hatchlings don't talk. Clambering awkwardly, he tips himself back up to all fours.

Andreas reaches up to rub at his ears. Ay yi yi. Noisy screamer of a dragon that's hatched for him. And no meatrolls to feed it either. And falling in the sand. Faranth help him. "You can eat Jerel, right? I'm too skinny to be good eating."

Telinda giggles at Tandrum, and nods, "Jerel, ssh, lots of dragonets on the sands now. Better watch you don't get clawed."

Kytiara dares to 'crack' (her posture loosens somewhat), and begins to rock more violently. Small poofs of sand are tossed about as she moves more quickly.

Tandrum really does have trouble moving on all fours but shells those sands are hot and he's not going to stick around to have his hands burned off. He moves towards the circle of candidates, peering at each one but it looks like he's having trouble finding just the right one. Raising his head, he whuffles then another creel comes out of him, this one getting choked off by a fit of coughing.

Tandrum recovers and sits there looking imperious.

"Eaten? Clawed?" Jur pales slightly at that and absently kicks up some sand. "Aww, that's no dragon.. Just some guy." Helpfull as always..

Xavier chuckles at Tandrumth and winks at Jur, "Hey Jur, isn't Tandrum funny?"

Tiarnath warbles and lowers her head to nudge Tandrum in the right direction. Candidates. Don't just sit there.

Xavier grins up at Tiarnath.

Tandrum stifles his instinct to run away and looks stubbornly back at his 'dam'. His point made, he patters over closer. One slow-moving candidate gets sideswiped by Tandrumth but fortunately for him, Tandrum has no claws. He moves ever closer to his target seeming to have found it finally. This nice little blue Tandrumth goes over to the only quiet candidate and looks at him. Gazing deeply into Andreas' eyes, Tandrum rather loudly announces. "I'm Tandrumth. You'll never be alone again." Tan mutters quietly. "Lucky you." Raising his voice again, "Now feed me!"

Joslyn walks over from the entrance to the hatching cavern.

Kytiara is still rocking, though she does show some cracks. Quite a few, actually. She somersaults a bit, and a wingpokes out of the shell. Everyone 'oooohhhh' at the hatching green!

Joslyn and another fair-haired young girl come trotting in at the same time, gabbing about the idea behind 'The Game' in respectfully low tones as both sketch bows to sire and dam. "Playin' at Hatching?" she asks after getting the 'lowdown.'

Telinda grins, "You can be whichever you want, currently we've more candidates than 'hatchlings' but we'll swop around in a bit."

Small Boy candidate oohs and ahhs at the hatching green. Nudging a few other candidates, he grins. "She's purty."

Andreas tries to back up further, back against a wall, ankles dug into the sand. That nasty Tandrumth isn't gonna get him, right? Eeek and ay yi yi! The tall candidate gulps, and looks at the blue. He turns his pockets inside out. No food on him. "We can go to the hall after this."

Jerel blinks at Xavier. "Who's Tandrum?" He watches Tanrum...th's progress and shakes his head. These people are craaazy. He shakes his head again as Kytiara 'hatches'.

"Guess I'll make up for it an'be a Hatchling, then," says Joslyn with a grin as her fair-haired companion hurries off to be a Candidate. "Whadda I have t'do? Act like a egg?"

Small Boy looks hard. "At least her wing is."

Telinda nods to Joslyn, "Yep, rock and roll around a bit, then hatch, then find someone to 'impress' to!"

Tandrum does a creditable imitation of a person imitating a dragon warbling. "Hall? What hall? Sure you don't have anything for me to eat in there?" Tandrum looks pitifully at Andreas.

Xavier points over at the one near Andreas, "that one is Tandrum, Jur."

Kytiara decides to get it over with and springs out of the shards of the once-egg, shaking each limb before going straight to the task of peering skepticly at Candidates. No more procrastinating for her!

Andreas hmmmphs, and reaches over to ruffle Tandrum's hair. "You search my pockets and even if you -are- my lifemate, we're going to have to have a chat."

Joslyn giggles at the weyrwoman and dutifully curls up as close to the Sands as she can get without actually burning her rear. Once achieving some semblance of egg-ness, she begins to rock precariously, ruining all her effort to stay upright by toppling over with an 'oof'. Convincing as an egg she's not, especially when she rights herself with a grumble and mutters, "Pretend that didn't happen."

Jerel ohs, peering at Tandrum. "They're silly." He whispers confidentially to Xavier, meaning the humans present on the sands.

Xavier grins and winks at Jur, "Yeah."

Telinda laughs at Joslyn, shaking her head, before looking towards the other candidates, "When you've impressed, you can swop around if you want."

Tandrum suffers the indignation of getting his hair ruffled and grins. "While you're at it, I have this itchy spot on my back...And of course we can talk. You can talk to me all you want. Just scratch my back. I'll always listen." He crawls off to the edge of the sands.

Joslyn peeks up to ascertain who might be a Candidate and who's a Hatchling/egg at this point, pale green eyes flickering over the assembled before she goes back to rock-wobbling--bouncing neatly from one foot to the next. "C'we Hatch whenever?" she asks in a whisper to Telinda.

Xavier grins over at Andreas, "Now you can oil him! cover himin oil!"

Andreas rolls his eyes, then follows after Tandrum dutifully. "I'll show you a back scratching," he mutters menacingly.

Telinda nods, "Whenever you like, Joslyn" she says, giggling at Tandrum and Andreas, then sniggering at Xavier, "No encouraging!" she says with a wink

Xavier grins.

Kytiara plays the selective 'nudge' game. One candidateis nudged and rejected. Another is nudged, and rejected. Getting closer...

Joslyn shoots a grin up at Telinda before she starts making what are supposed to be cracking noises but sound more like a string of bizarre grumblings. "Any color?" is asked in an aside. The game was proceeding well before she arrived--doesn't get all the facts, and she's likely to botch the whole deal.

Telinda nods, "Any colour you like!" she remarks,

Xavier watches as several other candidates impress around him.

Kytiara decides to knock Xavier over "I'm..." she decides to /make/ a name. Goodie "Annoyingth and I"m yours forever and ever!" she squeals. Of course, this is pretend, so she can /be/ annoying.

Tandrum stands up quickly, drawing himself to his full height. Grinning, he shakes sand out of his clothing but doesn't make any other response except a "Your turn" to Andreas.

With a giggle--er, crackle--Joslyn ceases her rocking to execute a sloppy sommersault leaving her spread-eagle on the Sands. "I'm a blue, then!" she exclaims, then puts one hand over her mouth and Ooopses quietly.

X'vier falls back on his rump. He looks around and announces "He says his name is Annoyingth!"

X'vier reaches up and scritches Annoyningth behind the ears.

Jerel frowns in confusion at Kytiara and Xavier. "Why'd you do that?" He asks, question directed at Ky- err.. Annoyingth. "Silly people." He repeats, shifting uncomfortably in the sand.

Joslyn stumbles in her best attempt at looking utterly clumsy--not so hard, really--and tilts her head at the remaining Candidates before she starts hopping off toward a cluster. Her bootlaces have something entirely different in mind, however, and succeed in tripping the girl up and sending her toppling to the Sands once more with another "Ooof!" The very picture of a clumsy dragonet, she is.

Andreas mmmmphs, and looks at the sand warily, then at Telinda. He has to go down there? In his  nice trousers? A forlorn and long suffering sigh later, the moody brown curls into his egg, crouching with his long arms wrapped around his knees. Yeah, this is one likely to tear a gash in some poor candidate without meaning too. He just didn't KNOW any better. But he'll have to hatch first.

Xavier turns to Jur, "now i get to pretend I'm a baby dragon.!" He turns and heads away from teh candidates and crouches down in a crouched position.

Tandrum keeps shaking sand out of his clothes and watches Joslyn trip, wincing a little when she hits the Sands then edges out to play candidate.

Telinda hrms, "Well, looks like we're one short" she says, stepping away from Tiarnath and closer to the other 'candidates', "Guess I'm one of you now" she adds with a wink. Getting into acting mode, she grins, pulling at an imaginary robe, then scratching at the shoulder, then pulling, then scratching. Pull. Scratch. And then -- "Oh My! It *moved*" she calls out

Jerel grins at Xavier, noddng. "I certainly wouldn't want to be you.. Curled up in that sand." That /hot/ sand.

Xavier has never seen a hatching before, so he doesn't know for sure how an egg acts. He remembered that the other eggs rocked a bit, so he rocks a bit too."

Andreas doesn't move. Not much at least. He breathes in, body tightening, then exhales... loosening. Just the slightest quiverings of an invisible shell.

Joslyn pulls herself to her feet once again, rubbing at her injured backside in a decidedly humanlike manner before she remembers the blue dragonet she's supposed to be. With a pathetic attempt at creeling, she bounces her way over to the line of Candidates and submits each to a long study, grinning all the while.

Tandrum watches all the 'eggs' and also tries to follow 'Joslyth' just in case she trips his way, mumbling under his breath about being alert the whole time.

Xavier rocks a bit more then finally rolls away from the other eggs and "hatches". He looks around a bit, blinking as if trying to figure out what he is suppose to do next. Oh, yeah.. creel, that is what he's suppose to do. Xavier then, "creels a bit" looking up at his dam.

With all the silly hops and croons she can manage, little Joslyn hurries over to Jerel, keeping herself a good seven or eight paces back that she can get a running start when the time comes. Looking between Jerel and Tandrum a moment, she creels once again and then just stands.

Andreas rocks a shoulder up against an edge of a shell, popping his lips loudly as he does. The first crack. He then tilts his head back and smooshes his face against the top of the egg. That egg tooth will come in handy yet.

Telinda's eyes widen at the appearance of the dragon that is Joslyn. "Wow!" she exclaims, rubbing imaginary sweaty palms against the fabric of an imaginary robe. Worthless this action is, since the weyrwoman simply wipes a hand across her brow again, transferring the beads of sweat.

Tiarnath croons down to her newest 'son' whuffling him gently and softly tapping him in the right direction of those candidates. And what is that silly lifemate doing?!

Tandrum looks at Joslyn, then steps slowly away from Jerel giving the hatchling space whatever her choice. Nodding a little with Telinda, Tandrum remarks softly. "Beautiful blue isn't she...he...she?" Tandrum gets this really confused expression on his face while he tries to decipher the gender thing out there.

Jerel quirks a brow at Telinda, watching her instead of the 'dragons'. "What are you doing?" He asks, still frowning in confusion.. Eventually his vacant gaze travels back to the candidates crawling around on the sands.

Xavier heads toward the candidates stoping in front of first one, then another, then another, rejecting them all. None of them are /the one/ that he is looking for.

Telinda grins at Jerel, "I'm a candidate, like you, and I want that dragon!" she says, pointing to the Xavier-hatchling. "He's mine you know!"

Joslyn pouts at Tandrum for a moment, the beginning of her quip coming out before she catches herself. "I'm a she, you--" An 'oops' and a snort later, she falls back into being the pretty blue hatchling once again with a chuckle for her own inability to stay in character. That being the deciding factor, the girl-blue uses her running distance to go barelling headlong at Jerel and flop down at his feet as she buts her head against his knees. "I pick you, J'rel, and my name's Joslyth and I'm a /boy/ blue dragon!"

Ysanne hurries in, a little breathless, pausing to bob respectfully before joining hte otehrs on the sands. "Sorry... chores!"

Andreas smashes at the egg, and one arm rises over his head, a languid stretching, the wing emergent first through the broken shell. It fans a little, drying itself. A slow deliberate creature this one is, isn't it? No games and fumblings. It practices the movements before taking them.

Telinda grins, "Be a candidate or a hatchling Ysanne, we're doing the hatchling game. Feril will catch you up!"

Jerel just /blinks/ at Joslyn. "Pardon?" He eventually asks, scratching his head.

Xavier the hatchling bounds up to Telinda and examines her closely before turning away to find another candidate.

Ysanne mills with the other candidates. "Uh... since I'm late, maybe its better to be a candidate?" She looks a little confused by what exactly is going on, and shifts nervously within the group of hte others.

Tandrum grins at Jerel. "Oh boy. You got the boy blue dragon." Tandrum winks and waves over at Ysanne, sort of forgetting he's standing about. He whispers over at Ysanne. "Xavier dragon there still has to choose and Andreas is coming out of his shell now I think."

Telinda grins at Ysanne, stepping over a bit to leave room for the candidate, "Here, come stand by me"

Ysanne ohs at Tandrum, nodding as she figures out whats going on, moving to huddle with Telinda.

Joslyn looks up at Jerel with wide green eyes and another giggle, sitting down all but on his feet and attempting to look adoring. "I'm Joslyth, silly boy. I'm a dragon, 'member? And now you have t'take me off and shove food down my throat and itch anywhere I tellya to." With a 'butt' at his legs, she adds, "An'tell all the other folks what you're dragons name is. They're just dyin' t'know, I'm sure."

Xavier the /gold/ dragon bounds up to Ysanne and eyes her up and down, sniffing. Hmm, is this the one for me?

Tandrum gets back into his candidate persona and watches Xavier bound about. Andreas' performance keeps his attention though. After all, he's coming out of Tandrum's favorite egg so maybe this one will like him.

Andreas twists and contorts his frame to fit the shoulder, body and head pulling up next as the hatchling climbs out of his shell. Which would work if there was something there to support him other than air, but his fail is purposeful, landing on hands and knees as he stretches and leans back to dry the other wing.

Telinda shifts the weight on her feet, first one foot, then the other. She grins as she looks towards the Xavier-dragon, nudging Ysanne, "Maybe looking for you!" she exclaims

Ysanne widens her eyes at teh Xavier-dragon, making soft sounds that border between excitment and fear "Oh.. look!" she whispers to Telinda.

"My.. dragon's name," Jur grins crookedly and continues, "is... What is it?" He blinks again, and looks dangerously close to pouting. Sharding stupid memory-that-refuses-to-work.

Xavier sits back on her/his but and croons, "i've found her, I've found her" he announces to all the other dragons. (S)he then turns toward Ysanne "hi, I'm Xavierth and I am you, and you are mine, and together we will grow old and wise and run our own weyr and be the most important rider/dragon pair in all of Pern!"

"Joslyth!" the bluedragon with the blond hair repeats for the third time, wriggling in a fury of feigned itches that leave her squirming on her chosen's feet. "Now tell everyone else so I could have som'n to eat. Hungry work bein' locked up in a shell for months an'monts, y'know!"

Telinda laughs at Xavier, "Well, Ysanne, that's quite the offer you know. How can you refuse?!"

Andreas begins almost grooming, looking under each wing, and then beginning his lazy way towards mom. She has to do the inspection, make quite sure he's ready to do the candidate thing. He might be flawed after all. Points off for bad attitude.

Jerel nods vigorously to Josly..th and proclaims, "Her-err.. His name is Joe's wreath! Err.. Gels-ith?" Blink.

Ysanne hugs Xavierth, blinkin. "I can't refuse. How could I refuse such a wonderful dragon." Grinning she turns first to Telinda, then the others. "She says her name is Xavierth! Isn't that wonderful?"

Xavier has never seen a baby dragon before, so he reaches up and scratches behind his ear, looking more like a dog than a dragon, but hey . .give him a break. :)

Tiarnath blinks all three membranes and glances down at Andreas. She snorts, whuffles him a couple of times, then taps him to let him know he's done. Of course he's the wrong color and dressed wrong, but what mother could be picky over her children?!

Telinda grins at Ysanne, "Wonderful. Congrats!" she remarks.

Ysanne looks lost now that she's 'impressed'. "Now what do we do? I missed that part."

Tandrum says "You get to be an egg."

Joslyn giggles in a decidedly un-draconic manner as she uses Jerel's legs to climb to her feet and whisper, "Joslyth," with a reassuring pat on his shoulder. "Like Joslyn but with a 'th'," she adds with a quick nod. "Now you haveta feed me an'oil me an'itch me an'all that." Another whisper explains, "But not really 'cause I could feed myself an'I don't think I need no oil--but you could itch me sometime if you really wanna."

Tandrum sighs longingly as he watches Andreas the Brown.

Andreas turns himself around in that case to head towards the candidates, slow and precise. This is one anal brown, folks. It will probably be a glorious first flight, though, taking his time to get ready, probably last to go up in his clutch, but ah, what potential.

Xavier chuckles and announces, "this Game is FUN! CAn we do it again sometime?

Telinda chuckles at Xavier, "Sure we can. We'll get some of the other candidates out here trying it, eh?"

Jerel nods again to Joslyn, then glances quizically at Telinda. "And now I have to sit in the sand and be silly too, right?"

Xavier grins. "good!

Ysanne turns a slow, confused, circle, looking about for confirmation of Tandrum's words. Which a few assorted nods seem to confirm. Shrugging, she moves to pick a spot to harden in.

Joslyn dusts off her sandy rump and bends to tie her bothersome bootlaces as she sheds her shoddy dragon-demeanor and is once again just Josy-the-clumsy-Candidate. "I get t'Stand and ooh an'ahh at the baby dragons now, right?" as she turns toward Telinda.

Xavier grins up at Ysanne and says, "Now YOU get to be an egg/dragon!"

Telinda grins at Jerel, "That's it, yep!" she says to include Joslyn too.

Andreas pauses some distance from the candidates, looking down the line from a farther place. He won't move again until he knows. Each one gets a long, steady going over.

Joslyn looks down at her trousers, blouse, and vest with a bit of a frown before she closes her eyes and mumbles, "Robe. Robe," several times. Opening them, she giggles and looks over the Sands. "So now I gotta robe. Oooh! Ahh! Lookit th'baby dragons!"

Telinda grins at the Andreas dragon, hopping from one foot to another as she watches the dragon make its way over the sands. Head sweeps across the sands, looking for other eggs that are moving and that she might have missed.

Ysanne hunches over her knees, holding them as she shuffles from foot to foot, the heat of the sands not condusive to sitting, or standing in one position for very long.

Jerel beams at the Weyrwoman and curls up on the sands, 'hatches', and 'impresses'.. And eventually leaves.

Tandrum shuffles restlessly, trying to watch all the candidates and other 'dragons' wandering about.

Nerian strides over from the entrance to the hatching cavern.

Nerian does polite bow-things and the like and looks to see what's going on.

Standing still, Joslyn realizes that the Sands are three times as hot as all her bouncing and rolling around led her to believe. "Hothothot!" she can be heard to cry over a wince, her feet taking up a quick hop despite boots and socks. "Oh, yeah! What a pretty little...Andreas is a brown, right?" she asks herself. "What a pretty brown!" with a wave for the arriving Candidate.

Telinda grins, "Ah, Nerian, we're playing a hatching game. Feril will catch you up."

Andreas creeps his way forward, trying to stay low... maybe he can still manage to surprise his can... he is NOT pretty, he's not he's not, he's not! And he's becoming more red than brown hearing that. But he won't break free and say anything. Nope. Not him.. he's headed for Tandrum dutifully.

Shadara strides over from the entrance to the hatching cavern.

You say "I think we're short on candidates and dragons, so be whichever you'd like to be. Shadara, talk to Feril, she's catching Nerian up on what we're doing!""

Ysanne rolls her shoulders, banging her elbows out against her shell.... Its cramped in this egg-crouching place. And hot. And she's tired of wondering who is going to be her lifemate.

Tandrum eyes the brown trudging dutifully towards him, shifting restlessly since well he's rolled in the hot sand and he's been standing out here for quite a while now.

Andreas puts his forepaws on Tandrum's feet and lifts his gaze, not saying anything. Silent he'll be golden and brown. Hopefully the message gets across.

Shadara peeks onto the sands and spying everyone, she walks out and bows to the Bronze and Gold parents and then follows Telinda's comments, hmming a little at the instructions, "Uhhhh, okay." She looks around and hmmms, shifting from foot to foot as she tries to figure out who's playing hatchlings before joining in

Joslyn beckons the other Candidates to join the semi-circle she's part of despite the hop-hopping she's adopted in recent moments. "Wonder what's comin' outta that Ysanne-egg," she can be heard to muse thoughtfully. "Prob'ly Ysanne," she adds to herself, giggling before sobering into the wide-eyed Candidate the game demands.

Shadara chuckles and decides to play a hatchling for now If no one minds?

Nerian walks over by the candidates who are playing candidates.

Tandrum wince a little at the imaginary weight of forepaws on his feet but he gazes back down at Andreas, the silent gold-brown dragon and happily announces. "Andreth. His name's Andreth." Tandrum smiles happily.

Feril grins, after explaining the game to the latecomers and directs people to choose one of the other.

Andreas lolls his tongue out and yelps, trying to sound hungry.

The Ysanne-dragon reches up over her head, and snaps out her hands, their finger-wings tossing aside colourful shards and punctuated with a shake of her head. She pauses to look at the delightful pale-grass hue of her wings. Ooo, what a delightful sight I am, but ooo so hungry, and ooo, where is my lifemate? Her moment of appreciation is disrupted by sight of the candidates. Out there! Yes!

Tandrum nods, "Well come on. Let's get you fed." Quietly he adds. "And off the hot sand. I think we're all gonna need numbweed later on." Tandrum turns and leads Andreth to an imaginary tub of raw meat.

Shadara chuckles and grins before going to the Candi-egg area and curls up, is that a wince from the heat of the sands, or is that the pale, swirled jade shell of an egg shuddering as it's hidden treasure tries to break free?

Andreas follows along dutifully again, after standing and stretching all of those tensed muscles. "Can I stop being a dragon now?" He eyes his beloved egg.

Joslyn covers her mouth with one hand as she watches Ysanne's Hatching, lowering it to follow the Ysanne-hatchling's progress. "That was a pretty neat Hatchin'job, I think." So says she who slipped, sommersaulted, then tripped and Impressed to one who couldn't remember her made-up dragonname.

Tandrum looks at Andreas. "I guess so unless you really want me to find you a tub of raw meat?" Bowing to his fellow Candidate, Tandrum says "I'm honored you impressed to me but I think I hear a lake calling my name." He bows to Tiarnath and Rnyath again, sand still seeping out of his clothing from his previous role as hatchling and steps silently out.

The swirled jade of the Candi/Shadara egg shimmies, little cracks of russet color, like hair blowing in the breeze, streak across the shell, something's happening to it as the hatchling inside tries to break free from the thick shell around it.

Nerian watches warily, her bearing that of someone ready to jump out of the way at a moment's notice.

Xavier grins at Tandrum, "You could oil your new dragon.

Ysanne minces along the sand, stopping to conder the flick of a wing, making each motion a precise and delightful thing to behold. Just because one is hungry and searching for one's lifemate doesn't mean one shouldn't take care. Such an important event demands best appearances. Small, controlled steps move her closer to the waiting candidates. ..oh, not that one - too unkempt. A toss of head and a snort. ...not bad, though a little less than what ...oh! Whats that? Her head cocks to one side. Thats interesting.

Andreas glares at Xavier, and looks for something to toss at him. "Don't even think about it!"

Xavier looks at Andreas and just smiles.

Tandrum turns to Xavier before slipping out. The look in his eye does not bode well for the boy.

Joslyn's hands absently pluck at what ought to be her robe but is actually the hem of her vest, those pale green eyes flickering between the Ysanne-dragon and the Shadara-egg. "Bet Ysanne's a green," she whispers to the Candidate beside her, nodding at the mock-dragons picky demeanor.

Tandrum walks down the tunnel.

Andreas sits on the sidelines to watch for now, trying to shake off those horrifying implications of Xavier's.

The Candi/Shadara egg seems to shatter into dust, tumbling a deep indigo blue hatching onto his back and he lets out a squall of surprise. His dark, indigo wings flap back, streaks of copper and bronze glinting as he finally gets righted and shakes off the sand, tail lashing a bit.

The Ysanne-dragon pushes her way through a couple of condidates, nearly knocking one over as she makes a direct for a girl to the back of them. She sniffs the drak-haired girl and sighs, looking about again as she doesn't find what she is looking for.

Joslyn rocks back and forth on her heels several times, one of the more confused Candidates mistaking her for an egg and pointing with a "Lookit th'Joslyn-egg!" before the green-eyed Bitran hurries over to explain. "Just got hot-feet," before she feigns wide-eyed awe at the assembled actors. "Picky dragon," is her summary of Ysanne.

Nerian dodges as necessary before resuming her place.

Ysanne turns on the commenting candidate and sniffs, tossing her head in a disdainful manner. Its clear she isn't walking over *that* way anytime soon. Though she does pause long enough to consider a boy not too far off from there. But that too is discarded with a shrug. A long sigh escapes her.

Nerian watches both "dragonets carefully, still poised to move quickly.

Xavier walks down the tunnel.

Giggling at Ysanne's acting job, Joslyn makes a remark or two about pretty darn good greens before she lifts first one foot, then the other, peering at her soles. "Gonna bake me through an'through," she adds with a quiet sigh. "What's Shadara s'posed to be?" she asks Nerian in a whisper. "What color, I mean?"

Nerian murmurs back "she hasn't said yet."

Ysanne's sigh grows deeper - a familiar sound in the kitchens of late - as she moves and circles about Telinda, tilting her head this way and that, considering the merits of such a pick.

Telinda grins and pokes her tongue out at the candidate/dragon in front of her, pretending to be nervous enough to shift.

Andreas stands again finally and bows to the gold before yawning big time. "I think I have t' go t' bed."

Telinda grins at Andreas, "Night, Clear skies!"

Andreas walks down the tunnel.

Shadara looks about, indigo eyes peering at the candidates around the Shadara/dragon. Head tilts and a sneeze comes from her/him before she moves towards Nerian and sniffs at her.

Ysanne's eyes widen and flutter at the saucy candidate. Such antics cause yet another, and deeper perusual of the girl. Each step of this perusal is punctuated with a nod of her head. With a smile at Telinda, she sighs again and hmpphs, moving on, head lifting a little, and chin cocking in a haughty manner. She *is* being terribly picky.

Nerian takes a cautious step back, but says in a quiet and relatively calm voice "hello there."

Joslyn ponders the Shadara-dragon with what ought to be a critical eye, but it's really not helping her with this any. "Hey, Shar?" she whispers, then stops and realizes that would just completely defeat the purpose of pretending. "Well, maybe she's a big ol' bronze!" she finally settles for, then summons up the appropriately dazed and respectul expression.

Shadara gives a poor imitation of a rumble, then waddles, , indigo blue eyes the same color of the dragon she's trying to imitate. Her/his head tilts again and she sniffs at Nerian again and rumbles thoughtfully, or rather tries.

Telinda chuckles and then pouts as the dragon moves on, nudging Nerian standing next to her, "You see that? Huh! The dragon's these days! No taste what so ever!"

Nerian can't help but giggle at Telinda's comment, then says back "either that, or another one's waiting for you. Maybe a big scary brown."

"S'alright, Telinda-ma--er, Telinda," Joslyn assures with a grin, leaning back to speak to the weyrwoman. "I hadya pegged for a gold dragon, anyway," is added before she looks back at Shadara and her eyes then Ohhhhs. "You're a blue, ain't ya? I mean--my what a blue you are!"

Telinda Oohs, "You think so?" she says, eyes scanning the sands for more 'eggs' She hrmfs, "Don't think there are many left!" She looks over at the Shadara-dragon and grins, "Maybe I'll get yours!" she comments.

Ysanne sniffs Nerian's way, shrugging. She circles again, considering her figners appreciatively as she sends sidelong glances along the gathered candidates. Her sighs come again, plaintive as she heads back to a previously discarded group, passing right past Joslyn. Right past, that is, until the last moment when she turns and blinks at the girl.

Shadara tries to rumble again before nudging Nerian's knee with her/his head, that sad sounding, imitation of a rumble coming out again. Good thing this is only pretend, Shar does a very poor imitation of a dragon rumble.

Nerian looks down, then giggles again. "Well, if it likes me than it must be a blue!" As an afterthought, she says "I'd better wait and see if it tells me its name."

Joslyn, who'd been pondering Shadara-the-bluedragon, giggles at Telinda, nodding toward the Ysanne-green. "Maybe this little green?" and she waves at the mock-dragon. "She don't like me none 'cause I's callin' her names."

Nerian oohs as Shadara whispers in her ear. "His name's Shadarth!"

Ysanne smiles brightly at Joslyn, holding an arm up and considers it against the pale green of the girl's blouse. Its not very nice to call your lifemate names, you know. I'm Ysanneth, and terribly hungry. Why haven't you told me how beautiful I am yet?" She can't help a bit of a giggle by the end of that.

Telinda grins, "And is it a blue, Nerian?" she asks.

Nerian nodnods!

Telinda laughs at Nerian, "Well, that's good then! And Joslyn too!"

"/So/ sorry, Ysanneth!" the green-eyed Bitran gushes, going so far as to hug her 'dragonet' before straightening up and adding. "You're just /so/ pretty I couldn't think o'good words for it," as she too becomes a mess of giggles.

Shadara chuckles and grins as she stands up and wipes her forhead, Those sands get Hot."

Ysanne rubs her chin on Joslyn's shoulder. "I'm hungry." And even as she says the words, her stomach rumbles quite loudly.

Nerian nodnods.

Shadara giggles at Ysanne, chuckling a little, "You sound it."

Joslyn says "I heard!" And she pats Ysanne on the head...knob before her own stomach chimes in with a grumbling churn. "An'you're makin' me hungry, too!" A sidelong glance at Telinda is accompanied by a quickly thoughtful frown. "That happens, don't it? Gettin'hungry 'cause the baby-dragons are?"

Ysanne grimaces at her stomach.

Telinda nods to Joslyn, "Aye it does. You sometimes don't know whether they are hungry or you are."

Joslyn puts one hand over her stomach, rubbing it a long while before she nods at the weyrwoman. "Well, I'm pretty sure it's me right now," before she elbows Ysanne lightly. "O'course, Ysanne could just be /really/ good at playin'green dragons...Too good."

Ysanne grins, a small sound escaping her as she is elbowed. "Hey! Its not my fault I'm hungry. And I was just making pretend in my head."

Joslyn says "Well all your 'making pretend'..." and she pats her stomach a few times, remembering to keep up that quick bouncing from one foot to the next. "...put ideas in my head, Greenie."

Ysanne makes a face. "Don't you dare call me that once we get out of here!" Her nose crinkles as she laughs. "It was just a game!"

Telinda smiles, "So, how about we finish off with a little egg touching?"

"What?" and Joslyn blinks several times at Ysanne, taking a moment to ponder the girl's demand before a grin steals over her mobile lips. "Oh, Greenie? Howcome? Sorta sticks, I think," as she turns to Telinda with a quickly bobbed nod. "Real eggs, right? Not Candidate-eggs?"

Telinda nods, "Real egg, I wouldn't advise touching some of the candidate eggs! Your fingers might get bitten off!"

Ysanne nods in agreement; but her tummy has other ideas as it makes another protesting noise at how long its been since it saw food. Not as loud as the first one perhaps, but no less evident.

Nerian looks over at the eggs and, more importantly, at the dam and sire.

Shadara chuckles and looks at the eggs after smiling at Telinda and then Joslyn, "I don't bite." she says before moving over towards the Warrior Poet egg.

Joslyn giggles at Telinda's advice as she starts surveying the closest eggs with a thoughtful gaze. Having played at Hatching, she's far enough away to manage flailing around without disturbing the Clutch, and thus has a nice little trot before she's beside a real egg at all. "I dunno," she continues quietly. "Some o'th'Candidates might like it. Bet Tandrum would 'cause he flirts with anything--I think...How much longer 'fore they Hatch, Telinda-ma'am?"

Shadara smiles as she kneels down and listens to the Warrior Poet egg, hands stroking it and for once, the eggs around it as well

Telinda ponders Joslyn's question, "Not long now, possibly another month or so. It's hard to tell."

Nerian doesn't even bother hiding her vtol-line to the starry egg, though she only gives it a fleeting touch before paying some attention to its neighbors.

Shadara blinks a little, "That's not much time, is it?" she says softly, listening quietly to her favorite egg.

Ysanne tries not to look nervous at the mention of how little time is left. Her eyes scan the eggs.

Joslyn tilts her head as she comes up beside a darkly swirled shell, considering it before she lays one hand on the upper end and gives a delicate press. "Harder'n harder," she notes with a shake of her head. "Lotsa time for muckin' an'stone-baggin'," she adds with a grin for Shadara.

Nerian listens mostly impassively.

Ysanne makes a slow way amongst the eggs, favouring none over another as she lays her palm flat on those she touches. "They really are getting quite hard, aren't they? I remember when we first touched. And I thought they were hard then."

Ysanne grins at the eggs, making a point of visiting as many as possible.

Nerian does rounds, visiting and touching every egg at least once.

Celestial walks over from the entrance to the hatching cavern.

Celestial bows to Tiarnath and Telinda, "Sorry I was late ma'am..."

Telinda smiles at Celestial, "No problem."

Celestial smiles and trots off toward the eggs.

Shadara grins and moves around touching more of the eggs though the Warrior Poet egg is always near by for her.

Ysanne takes her time as she circles eggs and egg clusters. She cocks her head to consider some of the more brilliant markings and hues that are presented; her fingers making their way over some of the more striking of these markings. She pauses over one smeared with swirlings of blue.

Celestial meanders around, slowly touching each egg, not yet showing a sign of liking one more than the rest.

Nerian finishes touching the eggs each once, ending up back at the black starry egg. After giving it another gentle brush, she says "I think I'd better get off before I get faint again. Thank you for letting us play the hatching game and touch the eggs again."

Nerian walks down the tunnel.

Shadara chuckles and waves to Nerian before moving back to the Warrior poet egg again, "I like you for some reason." she murmurs to the egg, hands stroking it softly, "WHat will come from you my pretty?"

Ysanne turns to Telinda "Does someone record which dragon comes from which egg?" She's moved on to another egg by this time, pausing to consider deeper and darker tones.

Joslyn's egg-touching circuit works its way around the Sands in an utterly random fashion, hands resting on this egg or that though she remains a safe distance from Shadara's preferred egg. "I betcha it's a brown," she offers up, taking a moment to press on ear to the nearest shell.

Telinda grins and nods to Ysanne, "There's records of every hatching, yes."

Ysanne looks pleased at the response she gets to her question. "I think its going to bee too busy to see what happens of the ones we like. I'd hate to be forever curious."

Telinda smiles, "People in the stands will take note. Several people do it so that we don't loose the information."

"They keep track o'what comes outta all th'different eggs?" and Joslyn blinks as she straightens up from her decidedly silent shell. "Like, 'That blue-swirled egg...'" She stops at Telinda's explanation and Ohhhhs loudly. "Now what comes outta /each/ egg, just what comes outta /all/ th'eggs."

Shadara chuckles and nods to Ysanne, "True, though before any hatch we'll likely be watching our favorites."

Telinda nods, "What colors, yes."

Joslyn's hands rest lightly at her hips as she surveys each egg in turn, frowning a bit thoughtfully before she looks back to Shadara and notes, "I ain't gotta favorite, really. Too many t'pick an'choose from."

Celestial nods as she hear's Joslyn's Statement, "Yeah....me too..."

Shadara shrugs a little, "They are all amazing, but something about this one just... calls to me, I guess." she says as her hands run along the Warrior Poet egg.

Ysanne peruses quietly. "I think my favourite changes everyday when I'm in here. Maybe its a mood thing."

Shadara smiles again and stands up after a final stroke across the Warrior poet egg, "I need to get back to work." she murmurs and bows to the dragons and Telinda before heading for the bowl.

Shadara walks down the tunnel.

Shadara has left.

Ysanne sighs, and excuses herself.

Ysanne walks down the tunnel.

Telinda smiles, taking a deep breath, "I think that's about enough for today" she remarks.

Celestial aws, looking up from the egg she had been carressing.

Telinda grins, "There'll be plenty more time for egg touchings, Celie, no need to worry."

Celestial smiles, "Okay......thankyou!" She bows again to both the rider and the gold.

Celestial scurries off the sands and waves a quick good-bye before leaving.

"At least a month," as Joslyn gives a final egg a quick pat and steps back to send a wave toward the dragon-parents. "Thanks for all th'time," as wave melts into bow and she sends a smile to Telinda. "And for playin'games with us."

Telinda grins. "You're welcome."

Celestial walks down the tunnel.

Joslyn turns on her singed heel and scoots after the other Candidates with a parting beam for those still behind. In a typical display of grace, she loses herself on a bootlace and tumbles off the Sands, her cry of "Shardin'stupid laces!" ringing out behind her.

Joslyn walks down the tunnel.