Sands

The out-of-doors of Igen Weyr seems a blissful respite from the oppressive heat of this sandy colosseum. Heated from beneath by volcanic vents, the air above the hatching sands shimmers, lending a sort of unreal, dream-like quality to the area beyond even the magic that happens here at Impressions. Despite its blistering temperatures, the sands are incongruously soft, almost powdery, and flat save for the worn stone queen's bower that rises up to break the monotony and provide a place of respite for the doting mother-to-be.

It's early, admittedly, but what better way to wake up than to be awakened to touch eggs? Khu might not be among the Weyrlingmaster's staff, but she is clutch-sire adjacent - and Ixzhulqvoth is an enthusiastic herder of candidates. And, so, the brownrider is dispatched to round up a reasonably-sized group of candidates and usher them into the waiting arms (so to speak) of those who are actually in charge on the sands. Rules and advice are given along the way, issued deadpan: "There is no running on the sands. Keep your voices low. Do not linger if someone else would like to touch the same egg. Do as the dam's rider or sire's rider or weyrlingmasters say. If you are feeling overhwelmed, there will be water off to the side of the sands - do not be afraid to step away to collect your breath or your thoughts. Do you have any questions?"

Sonya is one of those people. Those people who wake up early. Who wake up cheerful! So when she's awakened to touch eggs Sonya is quick to hop up to quickly dress. Dressing is important, no one wants a nekid candidate on the sands. Knuckling out the last vestige of sleep from her eyes she follows, listening intently to the rules. Morning person or not it is still BK, Before Klah, so intense focus is to be had. When questions are asked for she hesitates. SO MANY questions but so much uncertainty on how to ask them. Apprehensively she steps onto the sands with no questions yet escaping her lips.

The healer-turned-candidate heads out onto the sands with the small crowd, thankful he put his thicker sand boots on before leaving the barracks. Considering the weather outside, the warmth from in here is rather welcome, aside from the almost too warm heat below his heels. Terin carefully listens to the instructions from Khu and his head shakes in both no questions and affirmative understanding.

Satisfied, Khu dips her head to the candidates and steps away to check the state of the waterskins and the like that have been set aside. "Go forth. Make contact. And remember to breathe." While the assistants will wrangle the herding from here on, she'll remain close by to help those that might be feeling a bit much. Ixzhulqvoth lurks on the ledges in the meantime, as close as he can possibly get without actually getting down there with the lot of them.

Sonya may be nervous as heck about touching the eggs along with complete uncertainty on what exactly will happen. However there's little doubt in her mind which egg she wishes to approach first. Perhaps the smallest egg on the sands she'll head straight for the **Small but ENERGETIC! Egg* right away.

Oh. OH. OH WOW! What is that music? That feeling?! It's a strange sensation that moves you from your head to your toes; an urge, an impulse, that practically demands you to get moving! Yeah! Time to sweat! It's a vibe that's intense, but blissfully short-lived, an psychic activation of nerves that quickly resolves in a state of euphoria and calm before fading completely.

Terin takes a look at the grouping of eggs upon the sands. Having been born, raised and heavily exposed to the Weyr, this is still the first time he's had an opportunity to see them up close and personal. What was minor colorization changes from the Gallery is full of personality and explosions of color when face to… shell. The first one he wanders toward is a rather beige one, its own casual appearance compared to its friends. He gently rests his hand upon the top of Coffee IS Life Egg to get a feel for what this whole touching thing is about.

It's a sensation that starts at your toes and rises steadily, as if you're immersed in a rising tide of comfortably warm water. But it's more than that, isn't it? It percolates, bubbling through your nerves and viscera until it reaches your mind. The energy is strange and deep, the kind of energy that's terribly akin to the feeling one gets from a well-brewed mug of klah. It lingers a while, warming you through your very heart and soul before it ebbs, washing away to leave a faint chill behind.

Dhiammarath lies coiled, silent with inner lids closed over whirling blue-tinged eyes. Only the rise and fall of her ribcage suggests life, that and the weight of her gaze. Otherwise, the queen exists in a semi-haze between sleep and wakefulness, yet mindful of all who step close to her precious children.

Terin slowly lifts his hand from the egg with a smile on his face, although he may feel the crash from that one later. Or, he may return to it on occasion. Why go to a water station when you have a good egg to touch upon? In the meantime, however, he does want to explore the Sands' occupants. Finding another rather plain looking egg amongst the colorful grouping, he comes upon the Just Wait for the Side Effects Egg. This one almost looks like an extra large version of the capsules he'd help put together as a Healer. Amused at that comparison, considering it is a dragon's egg, he rests his hand upon its oval surface.

Initial contact is cool and refreshing, like a burst of mint on the tongue. The feeling expands and shifts, bringing with it a strange feeling of utter and complete restoration. Those aches and pains from chores? All but gone! A potential caffeine-related headache? A thing of the past! … or is it? Is that an ache in your gut? A thickening of the tongue? Are you losing hair? Is that an itch? The feeling travels through you, as if feeling out who you are - but it seems to leave nothing but accidental chaos in its wake. By the time the good feelings pass so, too, do the uncomfortable ones, leaving you alone on the sands once more.

Sonya gasps in surprise the moment her hand touches the hardening shell. "Oh!" is squeaked out. No matter how much one discusses the Egg touchings it's impossible to fully understand what will happen until one experiences it. Well this is her first experience. Shifting her feet unconsciously perhaps she's giving into the need to move. To dance! She's even sweating to the beat. Oh wait, that's the heat from the sands. Taking a deep breath she runs her hands along the shell of that small but energetic egg and leaning in she stage whispers. "Good morning!" of course her whisper isn't /that/ quiet so she quickly looks around to see if anyone is actually paying her any attention.

Sonya steps back after a few moments from her very first egg touching evah. Drawing in a deep breath she slides between several eggs with a predetermined destination in mind. Clearly there is at least a little planning in anticipation of this day for soon enough she finds the Taste the Rainbow egg and lays both palms across it with no hesitation.

Do colors have a taste? This egg seems to suggest that they do, with various hues shifting across your vision and carrying with them a ghost of flavor. Granted, those flavors have no Pernese equivalent, alien and strange in the way that one might expect from a creature that hasn't tasted anything. It's like a taste-based hallucination that works its way into your mind, testing out new combinations of color and flavor, feeling out the ones that you seem to like best, before it ultimately fades away into bland blahness.

Sonya decides that this one, too, is quite interesting. Thus far nothing bad has happened when touching these eggs so she's slowly growing bolder with more confidence. Clearly though the predetermined stage of her game is done. Straightening up from this egg with little outward reaction other than a lick of her lips as if finding something tasty. A deep breath is taken. A glance towards the gold who lingers between sleeping and waking. Then a sweep of her pale blue eyes across the eggs. Ensuring she's not also heading towards one another candidate might she takes slow, pondering steps towards It's not a Real Diamond Egg.

When you do eventually touch it, it will seem like nothing happens - at first. Something eventually glitters and glints in your periphery, enticing and brilliant. A tingle rises in your skin, at your wrist or finger - perhaps here? Or there? - as if the inhabitant of the egg were experimenting with how it might look with you. A tickle at the earlobes; a prickle at the collarbone and neck. But, really, what do you want? What do you think will look good? What will feel good? What will feel right? It's a strange kind of dialogue, one that ends after it's exhausted its inventory of ideas.

Terin instictively smacks his lips and tongue as though his mouth was dry and sticky. Maybe that water would be good right about now, or the coffee egg. Instead, he focuses on another egg as a palate cleanser, going from the calmer, cooler colors to the full spectrum of color with the Better than 8-Bit Egg. He rests his hand upon its surface.

Contact is made and it seems to take a moment or two to register. But, when it does, you're greeted with a sense of something that just wants to play. The type of game doesn't seem to matter, either, though it surely has its strengths - as do you! So it pokes and it prods, testing and trying; do you want to move? Maybe jump? No? How about this puzzle? Do you like puzzles? It tries a few other simplistic things, working through a limited library of notions, while trying to get a feel for you, your interests, and your playstyle (whatever that means.) Eventually, though, the plug is pulled and all goes dark, leaving you alone.

The calls back to youth, and some odd, vivid technicolor version of it, causes Terin to audibly chuckle while removing his hand. He gently scratches behind one ear and looks over the eggs again. That beige one catches his interest again and he returns for a second helping of Coffee IS Life Egg, resting his hand on the surface of that bundle of warm energy.

A second visit? Of course there's plenty! And while the warmth is familiar, things take on a slightly different taste as you settle in with it. Do you like creamer? Sweetener? How much? None? Would you like something on the side? A pastry, perhaps? Something savory? The exploration of your desires continues, a low-key conversation of sorts, all engaged without words; just a sense of something wanting to be a better host. That buzz returns again, energetic and warm and satisfying until it fades again.

Sonya focuses on remembering to breath. Such sound advice! Shivering a little at the contact of hand to egg she stays very still. Briefly everything from the heat of the sands to the sounds of other candidates around her are blocked out. Her full focus is upon the egg before her. "So bright." she murmurs. Long minutes pass as she lingers at that egg. Other than the occasional murmur she's silent. Slowly she'll stand, stretching out her back. Licking her dry lips she does take a moment from the eggs for some water. Break time is brief though as she eyes the eggs. Determinedly she picks out a new egg to caress…fondle…TOUCH! Is it Really Magic Egg watch out. Here comes Sonya. Cause…well pink! Pink is fun.

It's a refreshing kind of coolness, this one; you'll feel it almost immediately upon contact, only for it to spread throughout you. It's not unlike the feeling of drinking down a delicious fruit smoothie - only without the taste or the calories! But, when it's gone - and it does pass all too quickly in this heat - you're left with a vague sense of emptiness. What would fill it? What do you want? It's an opening that's left for you and you alone to figure out. Will it have what you want? What you need? What will restore you? Sadly, there is nothing left for now and it tumbles away, leaving you to your own devices.

Terin could stay at this egg all day. He might find himself with a klah addiction after this, which I suppose is better than partaking of his herbalry supplies. Cough. He's a responsible guy though, so if he does return to that egg once more, it'll be between a few more 'tastes' of the eggs on the Sands. It is a temptation, though, as is that Dark Temptation Egg nearby. He steps over and can't resist to put his hand gently upon it.

It starts out bitter; there are no two ways around it, really. This one's an acquired taste, coming on strong before it finally mellows out around the edges. There is sweetness there, lurking at the edges, but it takes a little time to break it down. Smooth. Rich. Downright decadent in some places, even, and potent enough to threaten to overwhelm someone with a lesser sense of taste - and self. Because there is a force in this one, a raw personality that just needs someone to temper it. Are you the one? And, just like any exceptionally rich dessert, it's gone after only a few moments, leaving only a ghost of a taste behind.

Sonya again offers not much in the way of an outward reaction. The heat is starting to get to her but…so many eggs! Clearly unable to touch all of them this time she gravitates back to the very first egg she touched Small but Energetic! Egg gets a loving touch.

Your dedication is admirable! Yes! Welcome back! It's as if you never left, really; the egg is right there with you again, all raw energy and bouncy vibes, even if it translates into your nerves and muscles feeling the beat. It's an egg. It can't move. But you can! Yeah! Shimmy! Shake! You can do it! And that, really, is the core of this one, isn't it? Encouragement. Bolstering. It knows you can do the thing. Do you know you can do the thing? You can definitely do the thing - even if it doesn't know exactly what that thing might be. And it will cheerlead you all the way until it has to take a breather and cool down a bit. Are you sweating? Great! It'll just leave you to that…

Terin's facial expressions changed a few times through that egg, but eventually landed on quite a pleasant one. "Huh." His hand pulls back once more. He looks over his fellow Candidates to see which eggs they're gravitating around. In that process, there is one that catches his attention. Taking a few strides over towards the Now, Back To Me Egg, he explores the top of the surface with a light touch.

At first, it just feels like a normal egg - in as much as eggs can be 'normal'. But things shift rapidly, transitioning into a sequence of sensations and sensory inputs that seem to happen before you've really registered any one of them. Over there, do you feel it? That's the cool water of Ista's waters lapping at your feet. Touch again; is that a cool, 'Reachian wind rushing over your face? Again - and it's the feel of your favorite blanket, warm and inviting. Now, it's taken on the scent of that food that you like. It's a slow-yet-somehow-rapid transition, flickering through your memories and drawing up this or that to try to see what you want - and what it can promise. It's that egg that the other eggs wish it could be - and it could be yours. But before that thought develops further, it abruptly fades, leaving you with little more than a new sequence of memories and what-could-bes.

Sonya is ALL smiles. This egg. It makes her want to wiggle. Dance. Just move. So she wiggles just a little bit to some unheard beat of music within her head. But…other eggs call to her so with reluctance she'll depart this potential best egg ever to weave past several eggs before ending up at Just wait for the Side effects egg

It feels pleasant enough at first, faintly refreshing and somehow minty. All the sweating, the aches and pains, all of that just dissolves away into a vague sense of euphoria. But at what cost? Is that a bit of itching on your foot? A dryness in your mouth? Do your eyes feel watery all of a sudden? Is that a stomach cramp? It's hard to make sense of that rapid shifting of sensations, as if something were feeling you from the inside out and trying to figure out how you tick. It wants to make things better - it does! - but it just seems to make things worse along the way. After a while, it ebbs away, leaving you as you started - no worse for wear.

Sonya steps back so quickly she's just barely avoids stumbling. Nothing to see here. She's fine. Clearly not expecting whatever it was she felt at that egg she collects her wits and moves on. There is some eye rubbing and a quick scratch along the inside of her boots at her ankle. Drawn to Now, Back to me Egg a hand is laid on it with light contact. Her head tilts curiously to one side as the egg is studied intently.

This is a normal egg, isn't it? Of course it is - until it isn't. Suddenly, it's as if you're transported to a Southern beach, warm water lapping at your feet. A breath later and that wet warmth is cool, Telgari snows drifting over your toes. And over there, can you taste it? It's that food you like. That smell? It's that aroma that you utterly adore! The transition is paradoxically slow and fast, happening before you realize it - and, yet, slowly enough that you can experience each and every turn through your experience. It's as if all the things you want are being laid out like little promises, promises that this egg can offer. It's the egg that other eggs wish they could be. It's a feeling that fades quickly enough, leaving you with only the memory of what could have been.

Terin pulls back from the egg as Sonya approaches, and there's a moment of blinking as he collects himself from the back and forth. Well then. Just near-by, he spies the It's a Pillow! It's a Pet! Egg and the odd patterns wraped around its form catches his attention. He rests his hand over the top of that egg.

What is this, really. It feels like an egg, but it draws up such warm and comfortable feelings that it might not be. It seems to wrap itself around you, providing a comfort and warmth that's more than merely superficial. But, more than that, it's something that you could probably rest your head on - if it weren't hard and actually an egg. It's that kind of comfort, enfolding you like a friend. And it will stay there like that with you until it's time to go, soft and inviting and happy to listen to any secrets you might deign to whisper to it.

Sonya was so narrow focused she just barely takes not of Terin out of the corner of her eyes. Flashing a brilliant, if distracted, smile his way she returns the study of that egg. There's a few blinks though, her eyes widening at some point. Interesting! Her look is one of polite interest but a hint of confusion swirl in those lightly colored blue eyes of hers. A finger twines into her long hair twisting it loosely around the digit in a nervous habit. The other hand though continues to trace along the egg shell, lightly brushing off some of the clinging sand. She'll linger at this egg for a few moments more.

Oh, you're back for more? It has plenty to give, this egg does. Impulses fire, looking for that activity you enjoy and that song that you like and that other thing that you adore. It picks through the pieces of things that you relish and starts to reflect those, a special-made fantasy of possibilities just for you. And, all the while, it just wants to know you - everything about you. There are no words, but the presence is intrusive all the same, its purpose clear. And after a little more of that tempting and teasing, it fades again, first into a fall of diamonds, then back to the egg that's very real under your fingers.

Is Terin kneeling at the egg? He almost appears to be leaning over it from that position before he lets the sensation fade. The heat of the sands on his not-so-padded knees certainly helped him out of that, too. "But it looked so comfortable," he replied in defense at a few people who looked his direction while he swiped the stray sand from his slacks. Maybe he'll find one he doesn't want to put his head on, like perhaps Head-On Egg.

Relief! Oh, sweet, blessed relief! Touching this egg is a balm to the soul - and, more specifically, to the head. It's cool and comfortable, centering itself around your head. It settles there, easing any aches or feeling of overhwelm that might be registering. It seems to want to know how you are, how you're feeling- and how can it help? The helpfulness bubbles up, smooth and slick, and eases over your entire being. Does that help? Its embrace might not be as warm as some, but it is restorative - at least until its efficacy has worn off and it fades into the ether.

Sonya's eyes are crossing but she sticks by this egg. She likes it! However soon the urge for food drives her to back away and eye the clutch then eye the entrance. Stick a fork in her she's done. For now. So many more eggs! So many more little minds out there but! Food. And somewhere not hot and sandy. Sand clings to her pants in various areas but she pays it no attention. Nope, right now, first on the agenda is drinking water. Then she'll find out the rest of the process of departing the sands.

She's still off to the side, tending to a few of the other candidates that have apparently called it quits for the day; at least one's visibly reeling a bit, with Khu lending a helping hand to get the poor lad to a safe spot to sit. "Are you well, saa?" That's directed to Sonya with a note of concern. "Come. Drink. Rest. If you are done, you may go whenever you would like."

Sonya looks very…overwhelmed suddenly. Still though she dredges up a bright and sunny smile towards Khu. A thirsty smile though which is fixed when water is taken. Rest is also taken. "Thank you. This was…enlightening." surely all questions have been answered! Once rested she'll make her way out quietly with a pause by dam and sire for a quick bow and a murmurs thanks towards them!

Terin releases his hand from that egg and there's a moment he's frozen there. It wasn't unpleasant, but he is calculating the sensations in terms of herbology and making determinations on what ingredients in a salve could reproduce that. It would be so beneficial! He'd touch upon it again, but considering it was for less the egg and more for Healer purposes, he advises against it and looks out towards the dwindling crowd. Perhaps it would be better to join those off to the side. He starts over towards the water, giving a nod back towards Khu to indicate his own completion there. He steals a longing look at the Coffee Is Life Egg, but doesn't dare go out again. Maybe next time.