All references to worlds and characters based on Anne McCaffrey's fiction are copyright © Anne McCaffrey 1967,2000, all rights reserved, and used by permission of the author. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, by Anne McCaffrey, used here with permission. Use or reproduction without a license is strictly prohibited. For more information, visit the Worlds of Anne McCaffrey.

Candidate Barracks - Southern Weyr(#396RAJL$)

Shadara chuckles, 'Well mainly it's the fact the healers say I'm due any day now, from the looks of me."

Telinda grins and nods to Shadara, "Why don't you head up to the galleries with the others Tia says are up there. I'm sure there's cold drinks and everything."

Shadara giggles and nods, "I'll leave now, so I make it there by the time the candidates are all changed."

Shadara walks toward the Lakeside Meadow.
Shadara has left.

Aidan nods quickly and bends over his cot, pulling open his press and almost tossing things out by the handful as he rummages for thick-soled footwear.

Imara walks over to an empty cot with her bag that she hasn't even set down with. She sits down and pulls out a pair of boots.

Auralia struggles with her boots, rumaging in her things for thick socks to go with them. One foot hangs in the air, while the other is firmly on the ground. She swings around, almost knocking another candidate over, before the boot falls into place and she can try the other one.

Telinda looks around, "Are we ready then?" she asks.

Craw comes back from where ever he is and where that happens to be is some place that has made the walking Ash mound into a walking candidate who just happens to say "Oh hello ma'am Telinda, how are you doing? Did you think of what I said the other day. I was meaning to ask you about that? Are I ready for what? I mean I just had a bath so I hope it isn't something that will get me dirty.", having put her other boot on, "I am."

Auralia nods, having put her other boot on, "I am."

Imara takes off her sandals and shoves her feet into her boots. She stands up and nods. "I'm ready."

Telinda peers once at Craw, smiles, then simply says, "Get your boots on Craw, we're going somewhere" in a tone that brooks no argument. Without waiting to seewho's ready, she heads out. "Come on, you lot, touch some eggs!"

Telinda strides over to the Lakeside Meadow.
Telinda has left.
Imara walks toward the Lakeside Meadow.
Imara has left.
Aidan walks toward the Lakeside Meadow.
Aidan has left.

You walk over to the Lakeside Meadow.

Telinda walks toward the Entrance to the Hatching Grounds.
Telinda has left.
Aidan strides over to the Entrance to the Hatching Grounds.
Aidan has left.

You walk toward the Entrance to the Hatching Grounds.

Imara strides over from the Lakeside Meadow.
Imara has arrived.

Telinda looks around, "Ok, Craw's holding us up a little. Before we go out, do you have any questions?"

Aidan pauses for a moment, then asks, "Should we bow to Tiarnath when we go outthere? I've seen others do that..."

Telinda shakes her head to Aidan's question, "Not really necessary, she's going to be protective, but just be respectful of her and you'll be fine."

Craw comes running after half hoping to get his boots on right. The lad is speaking in his rapid fire sort of way but whatever it is is mostly hidden but thereis the occasionally snipets "Why my boots? ... why is sand always hot? ... I really like your hair."

Telinda can't help it, and lets her lips curl slightly at Craw's compliment, "Alright. The eggs are going to be soft. As the sands get hotter, and they're out there longer, they'll gradually harden. Until then, no tapping the eggs, or Tia'll have a fit. You can touch them, look at them, rub them, but no violent moves. The sand'll be hot, but it's getting hotter with every day. Remember that. Any more questions?"

Auralia shakes her head, "I don't think so, Weyrwoman." She moves from foot to f
oot uneasily, wanting to get onto the sands and not, all at the same time.

Imara shakes her head. "No questions here."

Craw thinks about this for a moment and then opens his mouth open to say a question only pauses slightly before finally saying "Do you mean that, that I can ask questions and you will listen too me? I mean really do so 'cause I can understand if you don't but I just want to make sure 'cause well it is really important to me."

Telinda smiles, "Craw, I'll answer the questions so long as you think about which ones, you're only allowed to ask perninent, important questions for now."

"Oh what is a perninent question then." Craw says quite seriously "I mean I don;t want to annoy you too much and well maybe I should just shut up. I mean I can do that, and you can tell me too 'cause well I understand that mostly, but well I just what to know what a pernient question is, I mean what is a pernient quest ion? Is it a question about this planet or something like that?"

Telinda grins, "Craw, shut up!" she says, though not bad naturedly, "Right, lets go touch those eggs!"

Telinda walks toward the sizzling hot sands.
Telinda has left.

From a distance, Telinda strides over from the entrance to the hatching cavern.

Auralia's face shows it all. Disgust. Yep, definately disgust. She rolls her eyes to another candidate and then eagerly follows Telinda.

You walk over to the sizzling hot sands.

Aidan walks over from the entrance to the hatching cavern.
Aidan has arrived.

From the Galleries, T'dru looks around at Shadara and Lashana then back at Kinoa. "Oh well, you still owe me that prize anyway." He smiles a little, eyes twinkling, but he turns towards the sands as the candidates come in. "And I think I'd best not follow his example right now anyway."

Craw strides over from the entrance to the hatching cavern.
Craw has arrived.

From the Galleries, Shadara chuckles and hmmms, "Prize? Now that sounds entirely intriguing."

Imara strides over from the entrance to the hatching cavern.
Imara has arrived.

From the Galleries, N'all's expression hardens as the Candidates walk in. He looks at a candidate for a while, frowns and then looks at another one.

From the Galleries, Kinoa flashes another grin T'dru-wards and then follows his gaze over to the sands. "Yes, now's probably not the best time," she murmurs, but all this talk of people ripping shirts off their men has her cheeks faintly pink. At Shadara's query, she smirks but doesn't answer, letting T'dru handle it if he wants to.

Auralia steps out onto the sands, looking around cautiously. The eggs are giventhe longest glance, although her eyes flit between the Queen and the Bronze from time to time.

From the Galleries, Lashana sits up, at least onto her elbows, as the candidates and Telinda walk onto the sands. This gives her a perfect opportunity to raise an eyebrow towards Kinoa and T'dru, lips quirking into a half smirked grin oncemore.

From the Galleries, T'dru just flashes Shadara a quick grin, "Oh it's nothing really." His eyes move away from the Assistant Weyrlingmaster and he gets quiet so he can watch what's going on.

From the Galleries, Shadara chuckles and grins at Kinoa and shakes her head, "Well now there's this rumor about you and a certain bronzerider, Kin."

Telinda smiles and gestures to the eggs, even as Tiarnath lowers her head protectively over the gold egg and peers at the candidates as they file in. A deep rumbles emanates from her chest as she examines each one carefully.

From the Galleries, Kinoa hmms softly, putting on her best innocent look. "Really, which one?" she asks curiously, keeping her eyes on the candidates and the sands.

Craw walks in and sticks in the background. The lads mouth is closed firmly and he seems to have developed a slight tick in his shoulder but other then that he is a well behaved little candidate who just happens to be listening into what is going on around him. When the gold rumbles though his eyes widen but stays still.

From the Galleries, N'all watches the Candidates, and for a brief moment compassion softens his countenance and looks at T'dru, "remember what I said, T'dru. We always lose a few." His face sets back into its normal mask.

From the Galleries, Shadara sighs softly and she nods, 'Some from their own stubborness."

Imara walks in behind the other candidates. She stops as she spies the eggs, andstands there, just looking.

From the Galleries, T'dru nods shortly at N'all. "I will." His eyes move acrossthe Candidates below solemnly.

From the Galleries, Shadara chuckles and points at T'dru, "Him, Kin." she says before shifting in her seat again with a sigh, "We'll do our best not to lose any, but there's always at least one."

From the Galleries, N'all suddenly laughs, then goes immediately quiet, "Apologies."

From the Galleries, Kinoa blinks several times. "/Really/," she replies to Shadara, giving T'dru a sidelong look. "My, it's interesting how rumors get started, isn't it?" she comments, smirking some more.

From the Galleries, Lashana looks over at the weyrlingmasters and then down at the candidates before muttering something very softly to herself which seems to include the words after and impression, though it is a rather soft mumble.

Auralia walks, slowly and rather carefuly, up towards the Cherry blosson egg, gently pulling a hand from her side to lan over and....No, she pulls it back, as if she is scared of Dragonflame and other tortures. And then, looking around to see that no one is watching, she lets her hand rest lightly on the egg, and smiles in delight.

Tiarnath cannot flame, isn't that just wonderful! Maybe it was an inbred thing.Who knows. She stares at the first candidate to touch her egg, another rumble, deeper still, like a fathomless ocean, echos out across the sands.

From the Galleries, T'dru blinks at N'all once, smiles slightly at Kinoa and nods, "Isn't it though?" However, that's about all he says before leaning back some to whisper at Master Lashana. His looks seem to go from Candidate to Candidate as he quietly gives her names to faces.

From the Galleries, N'all looks at T'dru, "Ceruth was amazed at how we dwell on our "removable hides"."

Telinda strides over to Tiarnath, the sleeves of her light linen shirt flapping in the breeze that she generates, "Stop that, Tia, you know they have to touch the eggs!"

From the Galleries, T'dru breaks from his conversation, to grin at N'all, offering quietly. "I had trouble explaining to Duirath that I wasn't shedding horribly the first time he saw me take mine off."

Imara slowly moves toward an egg which looks like a desert sunrise. She reaches out and carefully strokes it once with her hand.

From the Galleries, Lashana nods at each introduction, one sided though they are, frowning slightly and muttering back a question pitched low enough to only find the ex-harper's ears.

From the Galleries, Kinoa grins, overhearing N'all's comment. "Luiseth likes them, though she says she wishes mine were more colorful." A small shrug for the vagaries of draconic logic.

Auralia jumps back at the rumbles, looking around in alarm. When there seems to be nothing happening, she sends her hand out yet again, as a homing signal, well, almost. She kneels down in the sand, mesmerized by the egg.

From the Galleries, Shadara giggles softly, "Saith keeps asking me when I'm going to lay my eggs, and why mine move when Tiarnath's stay so still."

Aidan, now that someone has already touched one of the eggs, moves forward through the burning Sands, finally pausing in front of the Midnight Creek egg. His ha nd hesitantly reaches forward, and pulls back after a moment. Forward again, retreat again. The third time he attempts to touch the egg, he succeeds. Third time has always been a charm. His fingers trail through the mud-like texture of the egg, and down over the silver moonlight-kissed reeds.

Craw loosk at the rest of the candidates and sees them all touching the eggs. A look of confusion is on his face happens while Craw scritches the back of his neck before he too decides to touch an egg, one of the ones farthest from the mother that is.

From the Galleries, N'all nods to Shadara, "And I'd bet she doesn't quite the "they hatch internally" idea, does she?"

From the Galleries, Doesn't quite get the . . .

From the Galleries, Shadara laughs and nods, 'She's still confused at the difference between a hatchling and a baby. She's never seen a newborn, so expects then to look like a hatchling."

From the Galleries, Kinoa glances over at Shadara. "She thinks you're going to have a dragon?" she asks somewhat confusedly.

Tiarnath cants her long, graceful neck to warble curiously to her lifemate, causing Telinda to frown momentarily, her hand resting on her stomach. A hand reaches out to touch the golden snout, and a moment or two pass with the pair in silent communication, a smile playing over the Weyrwoman's lips. As she turns back, Tiarnath seems to settle a little, her wings rustling as she does so.

From the Galleries, "Well, I've never found much flaw with it," Lashana utters in a slightly more carrying pitch, adding as an afterthought, "Draconic logic, ofcourse. Much simpler than humans, at times."

Auralia seems content to stay where she is, murmuring something under her breath about how beautiful this egg is, although that could just be the impression that people get. Whatever it is, she is fully concentrating, and quite happy.

Craw looks at the egg he touched a second time with a wide eyed expression and then shakes his head in disbelief. Craw then goes to another egg and lightly touches it.

From the Galleries, Kinoa grins at Lashana. "You're probably right, if I let Luiseth make all my decisions my life would be much simpler." She'd eat, bathe and then lie around all day, but still.

Imara touches the sunrise egg again, and this time her hand lingers on its surface. She takes her hand away and gazes at it for a moment before running her fingers lightly across it.

From the Galleries, N'all nods to Kinoa, "Aye. And for me, I'd be running around, peeking in people's homes and spreading gossip."

From the Galleries, Lashana chuckles. "Might just wind up getting oiled a bit more often than you'd like though, I'd wager." she winks at Kinoa and then turns to eye Shadara with a smile, "And have you decided where you'll foster yet, lass?"

From the Galleries, Shadara chuckles softly, "I'm not certain, I know she understands it's not the same, but I have to keep telling her it's not the same. She is getting worried about me though, I'm over a sevenday past when the healers first expected the baby to arrive."

From the Galleries, T'dru comments quietly. "I'd just be peeking in homes and having to keep all the secrets."

From the Galleries, Kinoa smirks at Lashana's last comment. "Oh, I don't know, I rather enjoy being oiled."

From the Galleries, Kinoa's words grab T'dru's attention quite promptly. He looks at her once then jerks his eyes back to the Sands and the goings on there.

From the Galleries, Shadara hmmms a bit, "As far as fostering goes, I really don't know, I want to be near my child."

From the Galleries, Lashana's gaze only wavers from the pregnant greenrider for a bare second to glance at Kinoa with an eyeroll before coming back. "Ahh, well Southern's right there, lass. Lots of the riders used ahh, what was her name," she pauses to think, "Well the wet nurse down there. Good lass, very cheerful with the littles."

From the Galleries, Kinoa is currently lightly covered with oil, though not of her own volition. She can't help but grin at T'dru, then nods at Lashana again. " She's right, the Hold's nearby, or you could even foster it here at the Weyr. That's why we have nannies isn't it?" Practical as ever.

[I had to go, log ends]