Vitali blinks at Kayjay, "Not walking on it? Not walking on what?" He settles back on one elbow, casting a quick smile over to Niare.

Kayjay points to her ankle. "That.. I have to use the crutches for another few days. Suriath was just reminding me." She snorts. "He can be SO bossy."

Alianne flops onto the sand, some distance from her fellow candidates and Kayjay. Auralia's entrance is half noted, only because another presence is sensed, but she doesn't offer anything byway of greeting. She's listening. And watching.

Vitali laughs, "Just concerned for you, he wants you to take care of yourself, and not do things that will make you worse..." He begins the sentence smiling at Kayjay, but by the end he has turned his head to eye Niare.

Auralia is, as per usual, scantily dressed, and obviously ready for bathing. Her nose wrinkles. Candidates. Everywhere. Shards. A half, mostly hesitant wave is executed, and the greenrider moves towards the group. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Yeah. "Hi."

Aithne listens to the others for a moment before offering Auralia a wave. "Good Evening!" She calls over then settles back on the sand.

Kayjay waves a crutch at Auralia."Evening. Seems a lot of us are heading down here." She shrugs. "Cooler."

Auralia ohs. So that's the reason. Well, it makes sense. "That was my idea as well, I must admit." She stretches, almost like a feline, "Too hot for anything else."

Vitali grins at Auralia, and waves. "Hey," he calls, "It IS too hot for just about anything else. Especially after being out touching the eggs- it's go to be hotter there than anywhere else in the Weyr."

Alianne isn't going to say anything. Perhaps she's trying to blend into the background; becoming one of those much sought after but rarely found 'speak when you're spoken to' types? Who knows.

"Please tell me you -didn't- touch the eggs? In this heat?" Auralia gapes. Just gapes. Oh, and wiggles her rather animated toes.

Kayjay shakes her head at Aianne. "Quit pouting. You have too pretty a face to have it wear a frown all the time."

Niare shifts under Vitali's repeated looks, red staining her cheeks again. She folds her hands, then refolds them. She nods to Auralia, "He touched the gold egg." She unfolds her hands again and points at Vitali.

Aithne nods her head quickly to Vitali, 'I really want to add some layers to the soles of my sandals.'

Once again, Auralia gapes. And turns her head to Vitali. "You didn't? And Tiarnath let you? Huh. I don't think -I- even touched Feilynth's egg, and I was a possibility for Impressing it." Well, perhaps. She steps scratches some sand from her leg, brushing hair from her face.

Vitali blushes and nudges Niare, "What're they going to think, you tell them all that?" He asks, and turns his attention to Aithne, "Sounds like a good idea. What kind of shoes DO they let us wear out there? Or do we have to go out barefoot?"

Alianne blinks. Pouting? Who's pouting? Not Lianne, of course not. Oh, wait. She drops her expression for a moment, replacing it with a slight grin. Silly, but a grin none the less. "Really?" she asks, of Kayjay.

Aithne blinks,'Barefoot? Our feet would blister!' She looks to Kayjay and Auralia in query, "We do get to wear shoes...right?"

Kayjay nods. "Yes, you. Pouter." She sighs. "It was a one time rebuke, not a life long sentence to exile, dear. And yes, you do have a nice smile." She nods to the other candidates. "Of course you can wear sandals, the thicker the sole the better. It is hot on the sands and if you impress, we don't want you dealing with blistered feet instead of taking care of your new lifemates."

Vitali nods his head in relief. "Sounds good. Better get some good, thick-soled shoes made, then."

Auralia nods, quickly, belated thought it is. "Far too hot for anything else. If it goes on like this, it'll be as bad as when I Impressed. Heat wave then, too. K'tor got horrible sunburn. That was funny."

<Southern Weyr> Auralia imagines Auralia stealing all their shoes just before the hatching so they have to go on barefooted. Hee.

Kayjay shakes her head. "Check the storerooms first. There should be some there that will fit just about anyone." She blinks at Auralia. "Sunburn? I better make sure there is sun lotion available before the hatching. Good point."

Relief sweeps across Aith's face as she settles back down.

Alianne beams slightly, maybe even a little over exaggerated. But that's okay, right. Dropping the beam a few shades, she nods at Kayjay. But she doesn't say anything. Instead, she turns to the new conversation on.. footwear? Eyebrow quirks in curiousity.

Auralia nods. "Can you imagine K'tor like that? Anyway. Yes, that's probably a good idea, Kayjay."

Kayjay grins at Auralia. "No, I can't imagine him red and peeling. He is a bit fastidious about his appearance. It must have really stood out against a white robe as well."

Aithne winces,'Poor K'tor.'

Auralia smirks, digging her toes into the sand with a rather amused grin, "Oh, indeed. 'course, I didn't know him heaps then, but it was funny."

Niare smoothes her faded hide and starts making little marks on it with her pen, even though the light is fairly dim. She frowns, then stuffs the hide in her pocket with a displeased mutter.

Aithne slowly sits up and finds a small stick before she begins to absently draw patterns in the sand beside her.

Alianne doesn't even bother to find a stick. Instead, she traces her fingers. Suddenly, she looks up, over towards Aithne. "Hey, Aith. Did you guys play the game?" she asks.

Aithne shakes her head, "Not while I was there at least...I got tired.'

Vitali yawns as he stretches idly, "Played what game?"

Alianne ahs, shifting her attention back down to the sands. "Okay then." She didn't miss anything. She looks up from her sand doodle, over to Vitali. "The hatching game." is her simple explination.

Stella walks over from the Coastal Path.

Auralia flops, onto the sand, listening curiously with her feet paddling in the water.

Niare peers at Alianne, "What is the hatching game? Sounds...interesting?"

Aithne snickers softly,'Your turn to explain, Alianne...I did yesterday.'

Vitali stretches himself flat out onto his back, and glances over at Alianne, propping his head up as he tucks his hands behind it. "Yeah, what IS the hatching game?" He asks, with a grin.

Stella wanders down the path onto the beach, head down, lost in thought.

Alianne giggles softly, looking between the two that asked, then grinning over to Aithne, offering a nod. "You two haven't heard of the hatching game?" Tsk. She shakes her head. Hands are brought up from doodling in the sand, to clasp the girl's knees closer to herself. "WELL," she starts off, "it's a game where two groups-- the eggs/dragonets and the candidates-- act out what it'd be like with hatching and Impression." Any quesitons?

Aithne glances over to offer Stella a wave in case she is looking. She giggles as Alianne finishes the explanation, "It is quite fun." She adds.

Auralia raies a brow, "It can be fun, indeed. Especially if you have...quirky dragonets."

Aithne glances over at Auralia and ohs softly, 'Like you, by chance?'

Alianne shrugs a bit at the addendum from Aithne. "Isn't that a given?" Grin. She turns her eyes over to the previously quiet rider, nodding slightly. "Like Josy, even. Or Vay." she says, giggling at some memory.

Vitali cocks his head, "So, someone plays dragonet, and someone else plays candidate? And the 'dragonets' pretend to Impress to the candidates?"

Kayjay watches Alianne, nodding with approval. She winces slightly as she adjusts her foot and then turns to Suriath. "No, I don't need a healer, it just aches a bit."

Alianne nods at Vitali. "Exactly." Very good. Looks like Ali can explain. At Kayjay's speech, she turns, half before realizing that she was talking to her dragon.

Vitali puhes himself up onto an elbow, "What do Josy and Vay do that makes it fun?"

Aithne laughs! "Vay made the best green" She notes before looking at Kayjay in concern.

Niare wrinkles her eyebrows with puzzlment, "Sounds interesting. But what does it do to show you what a hatching's like? I'd not know the first thing about being a baby dragon. I'd have to make it up, so I wouldn't teach anyone anything."

Wave? Nope, Stella didn't see it. She continues on her walk, though does stop when voices penetrate her awareness. Then, seeing who all's there, she waves.

Auralia raises her brows. Listening. "Really? I wish I coulda seen it. Josy'd do it pretty well." Smirk.

Vitali persists, "Why? What makes the 'best green'? And how do we know how to act like hatchlings?" He sort of echoes Niare's query.

Alianne giggles, nodding to Aithne. "He did." she affirms. And turns back to Vitali. Turn, turn, turn. "What'd they do?" she echoes, puzzling a moment. "Well, they just acted, well, silly. And a lot like the dragonets." she says, grinning again. She turns over to Niare and shrugs. "You just guess. Or watch the others." And then giggles at Auralia.

Niare tucks back a stray hair and looks over at Vitali with a shrug.

Aithne glances over at Alianne at her words then at Vitali and Niare.."Have you ever played pretend when you were little? You know, where you pretend to be something you aren't?"

Vitali grins. "Show me. You be Vay being a dragonet." He rolls onto his side, to watch, an expectant expression crossing his face.

Alianne lets Aithne take over. There must've been a reason that she did all the explaining the other night. She blinks over at Vitali. "Me? You want -me- to do an impression of Vay doing an impression?" Whoa. Talk about confusing references.

Niare nods slowly, as if she understands, but her expression is blank, "But. I thought you said it was to show what it would be like. So if I were just pretending, and I didn't know..." she trails off to wait for Alianne's demonstration

Vitali grins from ear to ear, and simply replies, "Yeah." He shifts, as if making himself comfortable fo the impending performance.

Aithne giggles as she sets aside her sand sketching to watch Alianne.

Alianne's demonstration? Meep! She blinks, looking between Niare and Vitali in disbelief. "You actually think I could? Act like Vay, I mean." She looks over to Aithne. Help?

Stella wanders over towards the group, curious. "What's up?" she asks.

Niare points out, "Well, you said he was funny. Or he would be? So you can pretend. If you think /I/ can pretend to be a hatchling, then you can pretend to be someone else being a hatchling."

Aithne pauses for a moment before she nods her head quickly,'I think you would make a very good impression of Vay and a green dragon.' Better than her at any rate.

Vitali twirls his free hand and nods, "Go on, go ahead. Because I"m very curious, and would love to play this hatchling game with you, but not without an example. And you did say Vay was the best. It's just playing pretend!" He insists, using their own argument.

"It's very helpful," puts in Auralia, "For learning what you have to do. In a more realistic way."

"Its different, though" Aithne points out. "If you want to see the game as it should be played..we should just play...None of us knew what to do before we started."

Niare looks over at Vitali and nods, then back to Alianne, "So if he's 'the best', you can just pretend to be 'the best' hatchling, and you've done Kovayir being a hatchling, right?"

Alianne pauses a moment, looking at Aithne. No help there. So, she sighs, shrugging a bit. "Well, I can -try-, I guess. Not that you'd leave me alone until I did." The second sentence is muttered, the first in a conversational tone. She crouches down, beginning to become an 'egg'. She looks up one final time before starting her acting, at Auralia. She shakes her head at Niare's question, however.

Kayjay pouts. "No one ever taught us this game when I was a candidate.."

Vitali nods to Niare, and shakes his head to Aithne. "It's not different. Why is it different? It should even be easier, because..." He leaves off as Alianne speaks, and he bursts into an enthusiastic grin, "Wonderful."

Auralia grins at Kayjay, sticking her feet deeper into the water, "Me either. We could join in this time, couldn't we?" Is that a look of hopefulness in her eyes?

Stella finds an out of the way place to stand and watch silently.

And the prospects are looking better and better. Alianne beams, uncrouching from her egg position and looking between the two riders. "You want to play?" she asks, really hopeful. "It really is easier to learn as you go.."

Kayjay sighs, feeling petulant. "I can't because of this sharding ankle, but you can, if you want. Joslyn was playing it, and so was Tiri, and they aren't candidates" She sighs. "I will just sit and watch from afar."

Auralia hmms, pulling herself to her feet with a groan, "Shards I feel old. Sure, I'll play. You can watch." She moves back towards the candidates, wondering, "Can I join in? Can I be an egg? Please?"

Vitali announces, "I want to be an egg, but not 'till I see some egg action there and get an idea what I'm supposed to be doing."

Aithne grins at Auralia, "Please do." She just peers at Vitali,'You have seen the eggs.."

Niare nods to Vitali, "We've never seen a hatching. I don't even know if eggs don't start flying around, or doing somersaults and stuff."

Stella slips over and finds a seat near Kayjay. "How you doin'?" she asks.

Alianne beams, sending a somewhat sympathetic smile back to Kayjay. She nods to Auralia, then, scooting over and making way for the greenrider. "Okay, Vitali. Then you can be a candidate, then." Grin. "You, too, Niare."

Kayjay looks startled at the question. "Me?" She squeaks. "Fine, just fine. and you? How are you doing, Everything alright? Getting enough rest?"

Auralia beams, and all at once, drops to the ground. Stop, drop, and roll? If the shoe fits, wear it? And if the Auralia-egg rolls, roll it. Er. But anyway, she rolls. Rocks, too. Fun.

Niare looks helplessly at Vitali, then grumbles, "Well. I suppose we either play it here or play it by ear on the sands." She stands, laying her pen in her hat.

Alianne giggles at Auralia and recrouches into her egg position. To Aithne, she says; "You can choose where you want to be, Aithne." she informs, starting to shudder and twitch something like an egg would.

Vitali winks at Niare as he stands up, then reaches for her to clasp her arm. "Niare! Look! The eggs are rocking!" He cries, pointing with his other arm at Auralia.

Stella smiles and nods to Kayjay. "Yes, I'm doing fine, Kayjay."

Auralia does a forward roll. Head over heels. No, wait. That would be heals over head. Because one is normally head over heals. At any rate, her face gets rather sandy. The egg blinks, and wipes at said face with odd...hands? This is one wacked egg, anyway.

Niare grins, announcing, "I'm going to pretend to be Amia." She immediatly starts squealing and clutching back at Vitali, in a fair impression of the excitable young candidate. "Oooh! Look! It moved!"

Alianne grins. Maybe she isn't partaking in the acrobatics like Auralia, but she sure is rocking back and forth. Its too hard to keep all in one piece, anyways. "You can hatch first, Auralia." she says, in a whisper towards the greenrider. Yay?

Aithne just watches for a few moments. "My Cot is where I want to be." She says quietly as she stands..and slips out without another word.

Aithne walks toward the Coastal Path.

Vitali looks down at his feet. "Wait, the sands are supposed to be hot," he muses, and starts prancing from foot to foot." He stops, "Wait, you want to be Alia? Who should I be?"

Kayjay nods to Stella. "Good.. why don't you play along with them? Practise makes perfect?"

Niare purses her lips, "Be Mordain? Merrick? Puter?"

"I can?" Oops. Eggs can't talk. She shuts up. And collapses. Right onto her stomach. Belly flop? At any rate, ouch. "I'm a hatching now," she notes, clearly. "Like...a green. Pretty. Like Iesath." Awwww. "I'm hungry, too."

Stella shrugs a bit a Kayjay. "I've never been one for make-believe and games." she replies quietly.

Vitali shakes his head, a mischievous grin splitting his face. "No, I'll be Niare!" He announces, and immediate strikes a more haughty pose. He looks at the hatchling, and fakes a yawn.

At least the eggs are allowed to talk. All in the fun of the game, y'see. Alianne giggles very un-egglike, watching the green 'dragonet', stopping her own rocking. Another giggle erupts at Vitali's announcement. "Niare?" she calls over, through a giggle. Oops. That's right. Eggs don't talk.

Auralia snorts at Vitali--er, Niare. Visibly. Huh. Flapping her arms about, she streeetttches her neck, and peers about. Croon? Oh, oops. "Croon!" And waddle. Waddle across the sands. This is the stuff blackmail is made of.

Niare brings back her hand, expression fierce as she tries to give Vitali a back-handed slap on the arm. "Hey!" But she calms down, and goes back to being Amia. She points, "Oooh! Niare! Look! It hatched!!"

Kayjay gazes at Stella with almost a look of pity. "That is sad, not to be able to imagine."

Vitali grins as the girl smacks his arm, chuckling at the blow, then he reassumes his character as well. "Oh yes, I suppose it did. And your point?" He asks, pitching his voice somewhat higher.

Alianne brings a hand up to her mouth, as if to hold back any more giggles. Faranth knows how long those stick around. Rocking back and forth, slowly, eyes follow after Auralia-hatchling, a very amused grin threatening to split her face in two.

Stella smiles slightly. "Oh, I can imagine, Kayjay. I just can't play. I'm too serious, I think."

Auralia attempts to waddle. Really, really attempts. But it's just not working. She flops, back onto her face. Sigh. Nonetheless, she peers up at the faces around her, inspecting each. She does a full circuit. Nothing. "Croon!"

Vitali frowns, "Oh yeah, hot sand," he repeats, and hops from foot to foot for a minute. He then stops, shaking his head. "Nope, Niare, you're gonna need good shoes, 'cause I can't be you AND hop on hot sand. One or the other."

Niare shoots Vitali a very un-in-character glare, but squeals, "Oh, she's coming your way! Look!"

"Oh, and if you 'Impress'," informs Alianne, "you get to come out here and be an egg while the dragonet gets to be a candidate. And if you Impress, you'll know because the 'dragonet' will whisper his or her name to you." Okay. Back into the character. Be the egg.

Vitali grins at Niare, "Oh, yes, I do suppose it is. Isn't that nice." He lifts his nose just a little farther into the air, grinning as if he KNOWS it'll irk the girl. He peers down at the 'dragonet' to see what it's up to.

Kayjay shrugs at Stella. "Your loss. If you impress, you will probably see the need to to play. Suriath pulls me into play whether I want to or not sometimes."

Auralia peers up at Niare, and turns on her heals to wander away. Nononono! "This isn't fair! There aren't any candidates." Okay, so hatchlings can't talk. But hey. Her arms flap about some more, and she peers around. Hey! Slowly, she waddles away from the group of candidates. Right off the 'sands' in fact. A stands Impression?

Niare's eyes widen, but she does a better job of ignoring Vitali. In fact, her own nose goes a little higher as she turns away, making an effort at continuing to be Amia. She hops from foot to foot, pointing at the Auralia-dragon, "Look! Niare! Where is it going?"

Kayjay puts a hand to her forehead in mock surprise and anticipation. "Oh my.. where is that hatchling headed to?"

Auralia is heading over to Kayjay and Stella, of course. Where else? Because something is Right.

Stella smiles at Kayjay, then turns her attention to watch Auralia and the game.

Alianne quirks an eyebrow at the disappearing from view Auralia-dragonet, and blinks. Grin spreads as the candidate seems to have figured out the gist of her aim, and she starts becoming the egg once again.

Vitali snoots, "Who knows? Who cares?" as he shifts his weight all onto one foot, in order to push one hip out at a rakish angle.

Stella giggles when she sees Vitali's posing. "Oh, dear..."

Auralia stops. Just stops. No matter that the whole sands is watching her. Who cares if hers isn't a candidate? This is Right! Beaming, she Crooons! And looks up, too. But to who does she look?

Stella senses "Auralia looks up. Right into yours eyes, too, although it's possible that it's hard to tell if it's you or note. She grins, good naturedly. "Stella? My names Aurath, and I know you're not one of Them, but you are Mine. And that's okay, isn't it?""

Vitali makes a silly expression that looks as though he is trying hard to suppress a grin from underneath that haughty look.

Stella blinks at Auralia, then grins, and tries to get in the mood of the game. She looks up and around at everyone briefly, before turning wondering eyes back to the 'hatchling'. "She says her name is Aurath!" she announces.

Auralia beams! She was accepted! And croons. Only...it sounds rather human. Ah dear. The facade is fading.

Auralia really has the sands' attention. Even the lone -egg- is watching the odd Impression. With a grin on her face, none the less. Arms are stretched out to the side, and Alianne giggles a bit, clutching her knees closer to herself. A chuckle is emitted at the new 'Weyrling pair' and she moves on to do her hatching thang. Rocking back and forth, Ali 'splits open,' rolling forward and ending in a not-very-convincing creeel.

Kayjay giggles, then blinks back mock tears."Oh, how beautiful. Congratulations, Stella I am sure you and Aurath will be so happy together." She sighs, "How beautiful."

Vitali announces quickly, "That means Auralia has to be a candidate now, and Stella has to be an egg," he pauses, "Right?" He asks Alianne.

Alianne grins, turning towards Vitali and nodding, "Right." she confirms, before slipping back into her role. "And I'll be.. a bronze!" Cackle. Err, croon.

Kayjay grins. "Right, Vitali! Off you go, egg!"

Niare dabs at tears, continuing to be 'Amia'. "Oh...how wonderful! So beautiful! I can't believe it." She bounces, "Congratulations, Stella!"

Auralia ohs. That's right. Back on her feet, she brushes herself off, and peers about the candidates. More peering. Does she have a problem with her eyesight? Anyway, she moves towards the other candidates, and stands in a line, peering at the bronze. "I'm Vitali. Only I'm not quite sure how to act."

Kayjay rolls her eyes and stage whispers. "Flirt a lot."

Stella laughs quietly, and shrugs a bit. Then, as she makes her way over to the 'sands' she says to Auralia. "Be flirty."

Vitali sniffs, "Yes, yes, let's get ON with this hatching already! I have things to do, even if YOU guys apparently don't." He shifts his weight to the other foot, casting the other hip out sharply. He breaks character to laugh at Kayjay, then Stella- "Oh no!" He glances to Niare, "I'm sure you've got something to add," he rolls his eyes.

Niare nods at Kayjay's comment, "Flirt and be a pain to Niare, here." She elbows 'Niare' and adds, "Really mean."

Vitali nods his head, "I knew it."

Alianne giggles, un-bronze like. A giggle that sprouts into a soft laugh at Kayjay's suggestion. Alianne wobble-walks, ungainly-like, making her way over to the line of whiterobes. Hm. Oh, no. That's wrong. "Creeel!" Much better.

Auralia beams. That's easy, then. She swaggers her hips a little, looking pointedly at Niare. Er, Amia. "Heya, pretty." Ignoring Vitali-Niare, of course. "Bronze. Ooh. I bet he's mine!"

Aithne strides over to the Coastal Path.

Stella selfconsciously crouches down into a semi-ball, doing her best to imitate a soon-to-be hatching egg.

Vitali grumbles goodnaturedly. "Well, if you're going to be Vitali, I'm going to be... Merrick!" He grins brightly, "That's it!" He drops the hip-shot stands, and lets his shoulders hunch. He takes on a nasal whine, and points at Auralia-Vitali, flirting with Niare-Amia. "You better stop, or I'm gonna tell Kayjay!!"

Niare coos at 'Vitali' "Oh, Vitali! I'm sure you'll get the bronze." She bounces from foot to foot because the 'sands' are hot, after all.

Auralia moves her arm as if to wrap it around Niare, with a very...elvis-ish kind of look on her face. "I bet I will, babe. And you might get a green." Waggle his brows, and pose beautifuly, that's what she does. Oh. Feet. Yeah, they get a half hearted movement. "Whatever you say, Merrick."

Kayjay sniffs. "Put a sock in it, Merrick, or I will pull you off the sands and stick you in the stables where you will muck for ever." She giggles. "Sigh... too bad this is only a game."

A snicker is heard from the direction the 'egg' that Stella is playing. Or trying to.

Alianne walks forward again, surging in on the candidates. Coming in for a charge? That stops, however, as Alianne falls over. Laughing. It takes her a short while to get back up again, and by that time, she's reduced it down to snickers. "I, um, fell. Ouch!" Blink, blink. "I mean, creeeel!" She looks between Auralia-Vitali and Vitali-Merrick with indesicion. And giggles at Kayjay.

Niare glares at the real Vitali, "You can't change who you are in the middle!" She turns back and gives Kayjay a nervous look, pointing out to 'Vitali' that, "You better watch that bronze or it might miss you!"

Auralia wiggles he--his hips at Alianne-the-bronze, and casts his eyes on her. Er, him. "He's coming this way, see? Of course he won't miss me."

Vitali bites down on his fist to keep from choking with laughter at Auralia playing himself, then retorts for the real Niare, "I can too!" he declares, "And I don't wave my hips around like that, either." His face is rather an interesting shade of pink about the cheeks, actually. He coughs and goes back into Merrick-mode, "Sniff, sniff, Everyone's so mean to me! You all hate me, I know it." He whines.

Wanna bet? Dragonets know spite. Err, at least this one seems to. Alianne-the-bronze hop-steps up between 'Vitali' and 'Merrick,' giggling like she shouldn't be. And she stops, looking at one of them.

"You whine too much to Impress a bronze, Merrick." Auralia-Vitali snorts, eyeing the bronze. Closely.

Vitali lets out a triumphant shout, "Heh! Show you, 'Vitali'! You musta done something naughty you shouldn't have! His name is Liseth!"

Alianne snickers, looking over at Auralia and offering an undragonlike shrug. And then turns back to Vitali. And snickers again. "Croon?"

Vitali remembers his nasal whine, "Oh, of course, food. Gotta get you some food. Wanna eat 'Vitali'?"

Auralia blinks. And blinks again. A pause. "Ah, Amia, I guess that wasn't my bronze. It'll be hatching soon, of course." Of course. What else for him?

Auralia EEKS! "You can't eat me. I mean, I'm far too suave and loved by the chicks to be eaten."

Alianne falls over -laughing- at that, barely able to gasp out the next words: "Vi--ta--li-- you'--re--a--n--egg--now.."

Niare bends over double, giggling in a most un-Niare-like fashion. Maybe she's still pretending? No...those laughter-tears look awfully real. She takes a moment to straigten, then down she goes again at Aurlia-Vitali's latest comment.

Vitali straightens, "So, am I an egg now?" He runs for the 'sands' and huddles down into an egg-ball, not waiting for a reply, just calling, "'Vitali' will be yummy, you'll like him..." He wraps his arms around his knees, then starts rolling around on the ground.

Stella-egg chooses this moment to 'hatch'. She flops onto her belly, mid-rock, and so lands on her side. "Um... I'm a... blue." she says to specify her 'colour'. Then imitates a croon. Pretty acurrately for a human throat, actually.

Vitali rolls over onto his back, kicks his feet a little, and continues rolling along.

Auralia wrinkles her nose. "There'll be another bro--" Pause, "Amia? What are you doing? You're really strange." Moving away. "Where are the decent girls around here, huh?" Snort.

Alianne stands up to join with the ranks of the rest of the white robes-- but only barely. She's still laughing and wiping away reminants of laughter-tears. That must've been too much. Catching her breath, though still giving the occasional snicker, she announces her new persona. "I'll be, um..Who should I be?" Drawing a blank there, Ali?

Vitali wriggles in an energetic, un-egg-like fashion, sending sand spraying.

Alianne suddenly beams, "I got it! I'll be Leonette!" she announces, giggling as little as she can.

Niare wipes her eyes, taking deep breaths and shrugging her shoulders. She peers around, "'Vitali'? Where did you go!" She bats her eyes when she locates Auralia-Vitali. She casts a quick glance at Alianne, having avoided being that one on purpose.

Vitali cries from the 'sands', "Oh no!" The laughs, "Oops, no talking," he reminds himself, then kicks a foot free. "I'm hatching!"

Vitali shakes his leg in the air.

Auralia ignores Niare. She's too...Giggly? A pause. Leonette? Just...nope. Ah well. "Here, Amia! I'm here, babe." A pause. "Is that egg a bronze?"

Kayjay sighs, stands up, shaking sand off herself and places her crutches under her arms."Excuse me, hide work still needs to be done. Enjoy yourselfs. More foot hopping though if you want to be realistic." She chuckles.

Alianne giggles a little bit more before catching a breath and managing to stop. "Oh, look! A blue." she says, nodding definatively. Taking a step forward, to help the hatchling up from her fall, she, too, falls on her face.

Vitali kicks his other leg free, lying on his back in the sand, head facing away from the 'candidate' crowd, both legs sticking straight up in the air. He wiggles his feet.

Kayjay strides over to the Coastal Path.

Stella/blue hatchling rights herself, with some very un-incharacter giggling. Then, getting back into the roll, she CROONS! and nudges Alianne/Leonette's shoulder with her nose. Which causes her to fall right back over again.

Auralia sticks his/her nose into the air, tossing his head, and eyeing the Vitali-egg. "Can anyone see what color he is?"

Vitali flops to sit straight up, then rises into a odd half-crouch, and assumes a truly regal expression. He strikes a glorious pose, spreading his 'wings' and fluttering them delicately to dry them. "I," he announces, "Am the gold."

Alianne doesn't right herself quite so quickly. She giggles really hard at the nudge from Stella-dragonet, then suddenly jumps up from the sands, standing up again. "Yeowch!" she announces, quite loudly, "those sands are hot!" Hands work at her clothes in attempt to clean them from the sand. But then there's the 'gold'. And she laughs all over again. Managing to pull herself back, she points, "Oh, look! A gold!" Duh.

Gold? Auralia-Vitali sighs. "What a joke. No bronzes? There's gotta be a bronze?"

Alianne covers her mouth with a hand, holding back the new surge of laughter. She grins down at Stella, beaming really bright. "Oh, Stelth! Of course!" Giggle.

Vitali takes a few strutting steps, fanning his 'wings' elegantly. "Yes, I AM glorious... Look at me. Look at ME!" he demands, in a melodic, higher pitched voice than his own.

That does it. Collapsing on her side, again, Stella is literally /rolling/ with laughter as she hears Vitali/queen.

"No you're not, you're just stupid," says Auralia-Vitali, with a snort, craning his neck about to look for more eggs.

That's okay. Stella gets to be a candidate, now. Maybe she got mauled, and that's why she's on the sands? In any case, the quite filled-with-laughter Alianne slowly makes her way to the 'sands,' crouching into the shape of an egg again.

Niare covers her mouth, laughing, gasping, "I'm having to hard a time being Amia. I'm going to just be myself!" She straightens, exaggerating her own haughtiness, the same way Vitali had. She sticks her nose in the air. Gold? Who cares?

Vitali preens, dead center 'stage', shrugging his shoulders a few times to show off his beautiful, beautiful 'wings', which he holds bent at the elbows, fingers splayed. He rolls his shoulders one last time, then goes mincing across the sand, as if parading him... er, herself before the candidates.

Stella rises, wiping tears from her eyes, and moves to join the line of 'candidates'. "Now, who can I be..." she murmurs thoughtfully, then snaps her fingers. "I know! I can be Largon." She grins to herself, then assumes a hands-in-the-pockets, pensive look. Glancing at the 'gold', she shrugs.

Alianne is laughing hard enough to be shaking. That's sort of what an egg does, right? Laughter increases-- if it's possible-- at Stella's announcement; and follow through.

Auralia is sulking, slightly. Because Amia went off and did something. Yeah. But, nose in the air, he meanders towards 'Leo'. One girls better than none. And Niare isn't possible. "Heya, babe."

Vitali loses his composure as he snerks, trying to hold back laughter as his alter ego flirts with the pseudo-Leonette. He bites his lip and flutters his wings imperiously, "No, no, look at ME!" He sways, letting his hips slip from side to side, bent at the knees, then he sways his way over toward the candidates awaiting his, oops, her glorious golden presence.

Alianne yawns a bit from her eggie position, falling back and landing on her butt. With a giggle at herself, she shakes her head. "Sorry guys. It's been fun, but I" yawn "need to get some sleep." And without further ado.. she's gone.

Alianne walks toward the Coastal Path.

Stella shuffles her feet, slipping into the background. Just like Largon is wont to do. She breaks pose and waves after Alianne. "Night!" she calls. Too late.

Vitali yelps as Alianne-egg just takes off. "Oh no! That one's lifemate wasn't on the sands! We didn't have a big enough candidate pool! It just went *between*! This is a tragedy!" He spreads his 'wings then, putting his 'royalty' face back on, "Forget her, just watch me. I'm too pretty to be ignored anyway."

Vitali blinks a minute, "Wait, who is who now?"

Auralia is still here. But male. All too male. But that's just too hard. He stops, mutters, and announces, "I'm myself now. But without Iesath. 'kay?" So back to bouncy Auralia she is.

Stella says "You're the queen, Niare is Niare, Auralia is... well, Auralia, and I'm Largon."

Vitali grins, "Okay, forget you, Largon." He lets his wings trail behind him as he floats along... and stumbles in the sand. He lands in a sandy heap at Niare's feet, then gazs up, Up, UP! with an expression of utter adoration. He even bats his lashes.

Niare nods, nose still up, but she throws covetous looks at the 'gold' on the sands as she shifts slowly from foot to foot.

Auralia is herself, yes. But with a green lifemate that isn't amused, or so the greenrider candidate's face would show. "Shut up Iesath. Of course I still love you. Oh shhhhh!" Hey, wait a moment. She's not going to Impress, anyway. "The gold went to Niare? Oh! Congrats Niare!"

Vitali stage whispers, "You shoulda worn a skirt," to his 'sister', then rises to his knees to whisper, in the same loud rasp, "My name is Gorgeouth! I love you! I'm hungry!"

Niare giggles, "Oh, Gorgeouth! Of course I will feed you!" She peers around, "So I'm an egg, or are we done?"

Stella sticks her tongue out at Vitali, then slips back into her role. Shuffling her feet, she watches Niare and the 'queen', and offers a subdued, though genuine, "Congradulations, Niare."

Vitali wipes sand off his face, "Done, I hope?"

Stella straightens her shoulders, and looks around at the others.

Auralia slumps, slightly, "But I didn't get to make Iesath suitably upset at me for Impressing!" She laughs, "Done, I think. I, at any rate, am heading to bed. To sleep. Because I'm tired. Is this reasonable?"

Vitali ponders, finger to chin. After a moment, he nods. "Yep, sounds reasonable."

Auralia beams. "Wonderful! On that note, farewell, goodnight, and please, please, please, don't let the cot-bugs bite, huh?" She turns, making to leave.

Niare sticks her nose in the air, "So if we're done, I'm me and that's Vitali and I get to beat him up for making me so snooty?" Her eyes twinkle with humor.

Stella waves after Auralia. "Good night!" she calls after the retreating greenrider. Then she chuckles at Niare. "I'll help?"

Vitali shies away quickly, stumbling in the sand a bit and coming perilously close to losing his balance and winding up in the sand again. "But I let you Impress the gold... That's got to be good for something!"

You walk toward the Coastal Path.

C