Who | |
What |
Amani brings some Candidates to meet the eggs after dinner. |
When |
It is sunset of the thirteenth day of the fourth month of the fourteenth turn of the 12th pass. |
Where |
Hatching Sands, Southern Weyr |
OOC Date | 21 Jun 2018 06:00 |
"These eggs are gonna give me nightmares."
Hatching Sands
The Sands are surprisingly soft to the feet and to the eyes: rich grains of gold commingle with the ground basalt-black that mark the shores of Azov's Sea. The whorls of lighter color pattern into the sands, larger-grained and often settling at the top, as golden driftwood against dark shores. … but the moaning from above sounds like the chorus of the damned, lessening the natural beauty here below.
The mildness of the day means it's quite warm on the Sands, though bearably so, at least. Sunset is a more alert time for Zymuraith; she's done her ritual prowling around the clutch, any necessary readjustments made, and lays at northern cusp of the two concentric rings of eggs, jeweled eyes calmly observing the entrance as she awaits the return of her lifemate…plus a few. Amani has decided to round up a small group of Candidates to bring in to meet the eggs in the wake of dinnertime and instructs them along the way. "Bow when you enter, of course. And…be prepared for her to ask you to do something odd. She's a dragon of interesting whims." As most well know. At the entrance, she pauses, a silent exchange passing between queen and rider, and then she chuckles. "Nothing too weird for now. She just wants you to walk in single file, in each others' footprints, once around the entire clutch to the left before breaking to go touch them. Don't ask why, because I can't tell you." Seriously. She's just as much in the dark in terms of reasons as the rest of them.
This is Jaymes' very first time stepping into a hatching cavern and onto the feather soft sands with eggs all around. And a very large (brooding) queen that could very well ban him from ever returning if he happens to offend her. So, no pressure or anything. The former Herder can feel the heat of the cavern as he approaches the entryway and immediately bows to Zymuraith upon arrival — hopefully he didn't screw that up. And he'll also lead the candidate train around the entire clutch before making his way toward Ghost Light Egg to run a gentle palm over its surface.
The world dims, the air cools, the Sands become dark wood beneath your feet…and silence falls. Does the quiet solitude comfort, or does it make you nervous? Are you truly alone here, Jaymes, in this place where so many eyes might see? Are the shadows friend or foreboding? And you… Do you stand as an intruder, a pretending player on the stage? Or are you precisely where you’re meant to be, a steadily glowing beacon of safety and strength? The shadows whisper such questions before leaving you back upon the warm Sands to contemplate.
Big dragons make Talya nervous, more so these days. While she's noticed the eccentricities of Zymuraith, she definitely did not expect quite a request from the gold dragon. She is bowing, which then turns into a twitch as she rises up from it to stare at the other candidates in question. Did she hear that right? But there goes that Jaymes candidate. "Huh," is about all she says and then carefully follows in the footsteps at the end of the pack, more focused on the footprints in from of her than the eggs themselves. When she's done, she looks straight to the brooding gold just to gauge if she did anything wrong… and goes to the nearest egg she can find, placing a tentative hand onto The Devil's Fruit Egg.
Well, well, now. Is this heat truly from the Sands, or something else entirely as it slips along your skin? A luscious sweetness invades your tongue, a decadence indescribable, and such color clouds your vision, deep and rich, scarlet and purple and midnight blue… Forbidden things. Tempting things, drawing you deeper and deeper. What calls you, Talya? It wants to know - what is it you really, truly want more than anything else in this world? What if this could promise it to you? Would you question the cost? Consider that as you’re released, desire’s grip leaving you right back where you stand.
Jaymes tilts his head and regards Ghost Light Egg with a curious look while his hand lingers upon its surface. He's suddenly feeling the creeping anxiety of standing in front of a large crowd and decides to remove his hand from the eggshell, stepping back and away soon afterward. As he puts some distance between them, he turns and almost bumps into Written In the Stars Egg. Well, since he's here he might as well crouch and run fingertips along its shell, then finally his entire palm.
It’s darkness again for you, Jaymes…but oh, is it a most brilliant darkness indeed! If you have ever looked skyward in the depths of the night, you’ll find the magnificence that draws your eyes upward to be presented tenfold, the stars glinting sharply and seeming to dance with scintillating fire in a message drum rhythm. It’s a dance that demands your attention, unspoken declarations insisting that you learn them and speak them to the world. They offer their glory for you to carry, for you to protect and keep…but are your shoulders broad enough to bear it all? Hope flares and fades, and the brightness of the sunset seeping in through the entrance to the Sands surrounds you once more.
Reveka is used to pomp and ceremony, and given the superstition ridden culture she comes from, Zymuraith's requests don't seem quite so odd. She files in after Talya and Jaymes, bowing deeply to the clutch mother and following her mates around the clutch. When she breaks, it's to meander through the eggs, taking her time. When she does approach one, tis Cross My Path Egg she lays her hand on.
Did you just get headbutted by something…furry? Because the sensation of a faceful of fur, blacking out your vision with a sense of impish affection, is just that sudden. It lingers, too, in pleasant vibration and silken softness snaking around your arm, your ankles…then leaving you in shadow. Where did it go, such fleeting feline pleasure? Don’t you want more of such simple comfort? Two emerald points of light ahead seem to beckon…but a silvery glint of claws reminds, Reveka, that even this can have a dangerous edge. Is it worth pursuing anyway? Try as you may, you’ll follow into shadow that fades, your fingers finding only a smooth shell rather than fur with your return to reality.
Talya has been through this egg touching thing before, but it has been a while. She opens her mouth, as if wanting to talk to the egg, and then snaps it closed with a clack. Her brow furrows in confusion before she jerks her hand back to herself. She'll go away and ponder on this feeling for a moment… and peek in at Zymuraith, being sure that the gold is still satisfied. Her next target isn't quite as quickly chosen, moving amount the inner ring before finally settling a hand gently on the jade color of Khepri's Ancient Scarab Egg.
The Sands pull away around you, stretching out to every horizon as far as you can suddenly see. Could it be Igen all over again, Talya? Would you know this desert? Yet as you look on, sunset fades to falling night, a sense of wistfulness with it, the dunes somehow mystical and alien beneath unfamiliar stars. You’re here…but where are you going? Are you safe along your way? At your feet, a sudden whispering of many tiny legs upon the sand rises, a scuttling of glinting emerald and jade and gold carapaces swarming away…and showing a path. Are you repulsed, wondering at the appearance of something so mundane? Or do you see the way they lay out for you, if only you’ll look closer? Follow along or stay, the Sands return to the cavern alone, and back you come.
Jaymes lingers near Written In the Stars Egg and can practically feel the cool night air beneath a starlit sky. Crisp and clear, he stands to full height once again and studies the egg for moment until he's making his way toward Find A Penny Pick It Up Egg next. His movements aren't quick to draw attention to himself, so he crouches beside this new egg much like he did the other only this time both palms lay flat against the shell.
It isn’t an image that assails you so much as an impression - nostalgia. There’s a life beneath your fingertips that still grows, but something begs you to consider the legacy in the ichor that runs through unseen veins. Through those of its dam and sire…and back, back, back through Turns, to Faranth and Carenath themselves. So many faces, voices, lives and demises, fleeting as the flickers of burnished metal behind your eyes like sunlight through leaves… Will you join them, Jaymes? Will you fall in among them? Honor those the dragons heed, in thought and favor, word and deed… What does that look like? What was and what will be - this egg leaves the importance of both whispering in your ears.
Despite the alien sensation of having something other touch her mind, Reveka nearly leaves the egg chuckling. She shakes her head to clear it of the furry feeling of it and sighs. Looking up, she moves on and her hand next comes upon Ghost Light Egg. She wonders what this one will have in store for her, bracing herself.
The white glow seems to fold around you, shrouding and embracing…safe. Yes, this one will keep you from the shadows that threaten to press in, Reveka. There’s steadiness here, quietude, but the sensation that it can’t remain forever. Light is nothing without a little darkness, and that’s alright. It may even be good to explore beyond the glow. Go now. Go forward! And with a little nudge to the front of the stage…you’re back on the Sands.
Calliope has been here the entire time, unobtrusively going from egg to egg, not touching any just yet. It's as if she's getting a feel for the entire Sands, an occasion she likely hadn't been expecting and still isn't quite sure what to do with. The uncertainty shows on her face occasionally as she moves slowly towards another egg, this time lifting her hand to actually touch as she crouches down near the Bane of the Supernatural Egg.
Who are you? It’s not a question you hear so much as feel, a sense of curiosity mingling with intense scrutiny flowing around you like a cool evening mist. Are you friend or foe? What do you feel beneath your fingers, Calliope - steadiness, or scorching? No, no…you are no enemy, and what you feel in the end is cool, solid, reassuring. This could be your anchor, if you wish. Do you wish? The mist evanesces away, cool night giving way to the warmth of the Sands once more.
Talya does not want to look closer, or stay longer with this egg. Nope. She was intrigued at the first moment but then seems to get a sensation over her skin and gives a violent shudder, as if trying to shake something off of her. No thank you. She yanks her body away from the egg and gives it a narrowed eye glare. Peeking to the gold to make sure that momma didn't see that look she just gave one of the shelled babies, she moves on only to rub her hands over her bare arms as if still removing the sensation of creepy crawlers off of her. Definitely going to be thinking about that tonight… She tries to look for a nicer egg to touch, and ends up settling for Doorway For The Devil Egg.
Eyes within eyes within eyes - your eyes peer back at you from this shell, reflected over and over in eerie echo. Your very breath echoes, too, in counterpoint to itself. Move, and what you see moves…and then those little glints out of the corner of your eye that can’t possibly be you catch your attention. Look, and they won’t be there. Are you confused yet, Talya? Or have you been confused this whole time. FOCUS, it implores you. Figure out what’s real and what the distraction is…and walk forward through it all. Just…don’t walk into the egg when it lets you get back to it.
Noooo. Reveka wants to stay with that egg… it feels safe there. But, she's thrust off to the pangs of reality again and she must move on! Her hand next presses the shell of The Night Avian's Bad Omen Egg, it's blues and feathers intriguing her. A brief glance is given to the other candidates as she braces for the next brush of mind.
Night falls fast around you, but the Sands remain. Stone walls fall away to an open sky, twilight revealing the first stars of evening. A warm breeze whispers through oasis palms - is it familiar, Reveka? Too familiar, perhaps? The choice to feel pain alone or bittersweetness is yours. Don’t listen too closely, or else risk hearing the soft hooting call of an avian - melancholy and low and beckoning. Don’t follow! Wander here as you will, find the beauty in the night…but cleave to the road beneath the stars that you know takes you where you ought to be. And that road, for now, is right back into the sunlit cavern.
Calliope's head cocks to the side, apprehension as well as plain old curiosity in her gaze before she closes her eyes. Several other expressions slide over her features before a calm, pleasant one sticks. "I, goodness." are her only words before she seems to be left with nothing again. There's a long glance at the Bane of Supernatural Egg before she rises slowly and moves off towards another egg. It's not a quick decision, which egg to touch, especially after she realizes what exactly happens when you connect with such things. Next she places a hand gently on the Worn for Luck Egg.
Something tickles your nose, tempting a sneeze. Look up at the sun to stop it coming! Drat, it’s raining. Cool mist touches your face instead, sand hardening to cobbles beneath your feet. Where are you? Are you a wanderer here, or sure-footed? Make up your mind and go forward! Are you an explorer, or do you need to have a set road? Either way…perhaps it would be best to have a little something for luck along the way, Calliope. But what? Perhaps a bit of what you feel beneath your fingertips, cool and uneven and smooth? Oh dear, here comes another sneeze. Best be on your way!
Talya's head spins! This clutch's eggs seem to really be messing with her mind, and while she wants to separate away from the egg she seems to be too discombobulated. It's almost like she's /leaning/ into the egg, just don't tell Zymuraith… And finally she disconnects and steps back, blinking her eyes. "These eggs are gonna give me nightmares," she mumbles to a passing candidate, only to glance to the gold. Hopefully she doesn't find that offensive. She meanders now around among the inner circle, but never touching, instead finally going for the center with what she hopes is a nicer egg, it's glowing right? She lays a few fingers on Ghost Light Egg this time.
What is a nightmare but a shadowy dream? Here, you’ll find none, Talya…though the threat lurks in the shadows that tease the edges of your vision. But here, you are held in a soft, steady glow, cool and safe…though you are awfully exposed, standing in the midst of this dark wooden floor, unable to see what lies beyond the light clearly. You’re being watched…but by how many eyes? Does it truly matter? Stay within the embrace of the light and you may not have to worry…until the time comes for it to go out, leaving you standing on your own in the midst of the eggs once more.
Reveka steps away from the egg, a look of bittersweet melancholy upon her face. "Nightmares indeed…" She mutters as she moved on to her next choice in egg. Triskaidekaphobia Anonymous Egg seems to be her next pick, her hand smoothing over the shell with a bit more confidence. "Let's see what you've got, eh?" It's like a near challenge now, trying to be ready for the egg.
Is that a challenge, Reveka? Because this one will challenge back, if you’ve any need for a sense of evenness. Sand shoots up into jagged spires around you, a maze rising for you to navigate. Follow your instincts, trader! Find your path! But no matter where you turn, it’s thirteen steps to each bend. Does it grate at the superstition in your blood? What would it mean to have a life bound by such rules? Surely being bound to such sets of steps, lovely dancer, will be worthwhile in the end…but do you have the patience to get there?
Calliope's eyes nearly cross before she lets loose a sneeze. Confusion crosses her expression before she seems to almost stumble while standing still. Who knew such things were possible. One more rub, gentle as can be is given to the egg before she rises and just stares at it for long moments. Then she's back to moving about the sands, circling and deciding on which egg she might venture to touching next. Who knows, as she rather blends into the background once more.
Talya is actually lured into this egg, even with the feeling of something lurking. There's a nice spot here, if she just doesn't move away from it she's good… Plus she also have a good sight of all the rest of the sands around her. Still, she doesn't want to go back to the nightmares of the rest of the eggs, but then that itchy feeling of being watched finally draws her away and she moves on. With only a glance over her shoulder at the center egg. She takes her time, moving among the eggs and observing the candidates, finally settling on a spot at The Pharaoh's Watcher Egg and placing a hand upon its shell.
There are no eyes to follow you here, Talya, but you are not alone - oh no! There is ghostly opulence glistening from the midst of the sand around you, tall pillars painted in rich colors holding up a star-spangled ceiling above you in a long hall that beckons you forward. Round about rise whispering mists, a sense of welcoming urging you forward…and with you, always with you, a protection over your heart, seeing you wherever you will wander, near or far. But does it lie with something you already have, or something you will have…or perhaps both? Will you recognize it for what it is? Keep walking forward, worthy one, for forward is the only path to answers. The light ahead grows to engulf you, the embrace of the unknown welcoming…and here you are once more.
Talya likes this egg! She shows this by lingering the longest that she has than any of the other eggs before. After the nightmarish last few she touched, she is happy with the feelings that this egg produces. Both hands linger on the egg for a bit before she realizes she should move on, before being told to scram. The short Candidate will wander the outer edges until they are rounded once again and sent back to the barracks, enjoying the warmth of the hatching sands and deciding to leave on the beter vibes she got from that last egg she touched.
Reveka is set back to reality with her blood singing with the heat of superstition and an air of caution. Despite the grating at her inate nature, there seemed to be a weight of choice with that egg. Something to think on. She's had enough for now, and makes her way back to bow respectfully to Zymuraith again before being ushered back to the barracks.
It is indeed good timing, considering Amani is starting to gather up the Candidates that seem a little more…enthralled than others. Zymuraith has watched it all with cool curiosity, though perhaps with a bit of a side-eye for someone leaning on one of her eggs. But all in all, she seems pleased. Amani will likely wind up in a long discussion once she returns. For now, she'll lead this group of Candidates back to the barracks, fielding their questions while leaving dam and sire to chat over all the white knots instead.