Last egg touching
Who: Avey, D'kai, Fayre, Jakkal, Javeri, Niala, Sunniva
Where: The sands
When: Day 19, month 2, turn 18
What: The candidates gather one more time to visit with the eggs.
Fayre is looking rather boring, today. Usual black braided hair, usual pink sarong. She's reading a book of some sort while sitting lower ring of the galleries, though she seems a bit distracted since she hasn't turned a page in quite some time. Every so often, she'll glance towards the sands or the entrance to the galleries.
Through the entrance comes Javeri while sucking on her thumb. Mending today has lead to a pricked thumb and while it's no longer bleeding she still has it in her mouth. Just in case it starts bleeding again or just because it still hurts. At least a needle in the thumb is no reason to go to the infirmary. She's had enough of that lately. Looking around to see who else is around she sees where Fayre sits and heads down. "Is it not a good book?" she asks when she gets closer. "Or are you distracted? It doesn't look like you're really reading it."
Jakkal enters from the bowl and glances around. Spotting Fayre he makes his way over, "I'd heard you wished those who had completed their chores to report here, Ma'am?" his voice is at a low rumble, but he offers the gold upon the Sands and appologetic look at it echoes slightly anyway.
Fresh from the living caverns would be Sunniva, arms folded over her midsection and her expression one of not-quite-thereness. The couple of candidates coming with her are a bit more cognizant of their surroundings and call greetings to those already gathered before dispersing themselves among the various seats. Sunni, on the other hand, blinks owlishly when she hears Jakkal's voice, then glances around apologetically with a soft, but surprised, "Oh! Oh, there you all are. How are you?" It's a general greeting, one that likely encompasses the eggs -- mute though they may be -- from the look she sends that way.
Fayre sets her book down onto the bench at the first sight of Javeri. "Oh, just some borin' stuff from the records room. Passin' the time until you folks got here, y'see." She winces, noticing the candidate's pricked thumb. "Ouch! Are ya okay? It might hurt, but I promise, sewing is real important for weyrlings, so it is a good skill to pick up." As more arrive, Fayre gets to her feet and smooths out her pink sarong some. "That's right, lad." That being directed to Jakkal. "Care for another trip onto the sands?" She gestures broadly towards the hardening clutch of eggs, briefly adding in a softer tone towards Javeri, "Try not to get blood on any of the eggs, right-o?"
Pulling her thumb from her mouth she holds it out with a grin. "Not bleeding anymore. Just hurts. Only bled a little. It's just sore now." Javeri looks around and waves to Jakkal and Sunniva and the others. She starts to put her thumb in her mouth again, but stops and shoves that hand into the pocket of her skirt instead. maybe she finally realized that it did look somewhat childish. The potter waits for all the others to make it down before finding a nice spot in the middle of the group before everyone heads down.
Jakkal nods. "Yes, Ma'am," he replies, trying, and failing, not to boom out as much as before. He shakes his head and glances about the cavern as the other Candidates gather around.
A look of concern crosses Sunniva's features as she looks at Javeri, mouth pulled into a partial frown. She shakes her head after a moment, offering, "Had I known you had mending today, I would have seen about finding a way to help you." There's a nod and bright smile, then, for Fayre, "Oh, yes. Thank you. Oh, I can hardly imagine how hard they must be now. They only have a few sevendays left, don't they?" That smile is turned to Jakkal and then she motions the other candidate to join her -- which is somewhere in the middle, roundabout where Javeri is.
Fayre leans forward slightly to inspect Javeri's not-bleeding finger and nods her head approvingly. "Ah, perfect then!" Again the weyrwoman nods, this time for Sunniva's benefit. "Aye, not long yet." She frowns, adding in a more anxious tone, "I hope there's no blood on the sands then, either." And on that happy note, Fayre strides onto those very sands, waving her arm behind her to encourage the candidates to follow. "Y'know the drill. Be careful. Don't run. Share."
"I was being super careful too," Javeri tells Sunniva with a grin. "I don't know why I can't get the hang of it. I never cut myself so bad doing my pottery. Dirty, yea, but it's part of the job." A good part judging by her tone. Once out on the sands she looks at all the eggs again. "Oh, well, at least I won't be mending much longer! I mean one way or another we'll know soon enough. Is it hotter out here than last time?" She fans herself and brushes her hair over her shoulder.
Jakkal looks thoughtfully at Fayre as he hangs back allowing the others to move onto the Sands before him. While be bows low to those clutchparents who are present, he ignores the eggs for the moment and more to speak to Fayre. "Ma'am?" he offers, his voice a low rumble which echoes slightly off of the walls around him. He shakes his head at the noise and gives the stone wall a glare.
There's a grin aimed Javeri's way as Sunniva replies, "You /could/ be one of the ones that Impresses and then you would have to make straps, which is far more intricate than just mending things." She heads out onto the sands with the others, taking a deep breath and then fanning herself a bit in unconscious imitation of her fellow candidate. The eggs are regarded, though she doesn't immediately move toward one just yet. Just looking.
Fayre stops about halfway across the sands, jumping a bit when Jakkal's booming voice erupts behind her. She turns to face the young man, smiling politely as she does so. She tilts her head curiously to the right side and responds, "What's up, lad?" Her chestnut eyes glance around the caverns as she speaks, still keeping tabs on the other members of the group.
D'kai's been here the whole time (really!) though head-to-head with Mikhuth in some deep, enthralling conversation that every so often has the bronzerider chuckling and thumping the dragon's shoulder. Finally, though, once the candidates have made their way down into the sands properly, he turns and straightens, clasping his hands behind his back and nodding curtly to the milling candidates. For once, the clutchfather remains back from the scene, though the moving shapes beneath him don't ever quite evade his strict attention.
Well, they're not out here to /just/ burn their feet so Javeri looks for an egg to head towards and then does just that. She's shown no interest in picking out a favorite and really just seems to be visiting them at random each time they come out here. Taboo to Touch egg gets the first stop on her trek and even after checking her thumb for blood she sets both her hands down on it.
Jakkal nods to the junior weyrwoman. "I have an idea that is..." he pauses, letting the echoes of his low rumble stop before continuing, "relatively safe which may prevent gorings." He watches as some of the others begin to more towards the eggs, shifting his stance slightly as the heat begins to effect him even through his thick work boots.
Picking her way along the outer edges, Sunniva does take a moment to raise a hand in a small wave to the clutchparents and the quasi-elusive D'kai just over yonder. Her eventual wandering brings her to the Evil Eye egg, which she lays just a hand on, some murmured words being passed from candidate to eggshell. Just a touch, a light pat, and longer moment spent studying the glinting things upon the shell.
Niala has been around, moving from egg to egg, seeing which one catches her fancy today. It's the fey wood egg she's paying attention to now. She places her hand gently on the shell, tracing the grain and muttering to herself and to the egg. She seems pensive, thoughtful, but the feel of the shell and the random patterns and shapes that can be seen in the shell cause a small smile to cross over her face. Jakkal gets a look, "And what is your plan to avoid gorings?" Curious, not condescending, her attention split between the young man and the egg.
"Well, the egg touchings themselves are a real help, believe me." Fayre explains with an earnest nod, gesturing towards the collection of eggs. "Y'should see the records. Number of deaths plummetted once they started being used. But anywho, what's the idea?" All the while she's glancing around the caverns, making sure nothing is going wrong.
Halfway through his answering grin and wave to Sunniva, D'kai can't help but to twist his head towards Jakkal at his words. Eyebrows lift in interest, and even as he moves away from Mikhuth he drags his hand along the sleek hide until contact underhand is lost. "Evening," he bids Fayre lightly as he draws up to her, and even before he can inquire, Niala's done it for him and he flashes her a swift, wide grin.
Maybe it's just that she doesn't want to think about gorings, but Javeri does not seem to listen to what the small group is speaking about. Who wants to think about blood when they've just been bleeding anyway? "Blood and eggs and I tell you what," she mumbles to one of the nearby candidates, "I have seen more than enough blood. I sure hope there's none come hatching day out here."
And being near, if not the one Javeri's talking to, Sunniva merely inclines her head to the other candidate. She moves away from her chosen egg, drifting until her hands inexorably find the Dim Glows one again. "I do hope it goes well, without injury. But, I suppose I would just be grateful for the hatching to be at a /decent/ hour." Her mouth pulls to a side, gaze flicking over to where Jakkal and the others are talking while she listens from afar.
Jakkal blinks at the reply from the side and nods to Niala as she echoes the weyrwoman. "You may not have been aware of it, Ma'am, but there were a handful of cows and mares which went into heat a few months early. The calves are a fair size now--" he raises his hand between his hip and chest to indicate the size, "--and when they feel threatened they charge. They're still young though, and without any horns. Perhaps the Candidates could spend some time with them?"
Niala returns D'kai's grin moving away from the egg, letting her fingertips brush the shell as she leaves. She moves in quick, mincing steps, the heat from the sands traveling up through her work boots. It's best to keep moving. She finds herself near Jakkal and cocks her head to one side as she listens. With a shrug and shifting from one foot to another, she gives him a smile. "Hmm...might work. Would have to separate them from their mothers if they're not weaned. /They/ have horns. We could make a game of it." A giggle, that's evidently a funny image. Then it's back to scoping out the eggs. Which one next?
Fayre raises a hand to her face, cupping her chin thoughtfully as she listens to Jakkal's idea. "Mmm. I suppose that could work. Learnin' to be calm when around young, dangerous animals. I don't want any of y'all thinkin' y'should be close to the hatchlings when they pop out, though. I mean, y'guys should just be tryin' to stay outta their way for the most part. Unless they impress ya, o' course." She casts her gaze over to D'kai and shifts her weight slightly to face him. "What do you think? It's probably Xie and Balinne's decision."
"You can hope, eh?" This is directed over D'kai's shoulder, for Sunniva's comment with a laugh. "I couldn't believe Mickey hustled me out of bed at that hour." It's spoken shortly before Jakkal's finishing his thought, and so the bronzerider has a moment's worth of contemplation before he glances sidelong towards Fayre, returning her gaze with a thoughtful smile. "Y'think everyone's nimble enough to duck and avoid a broken rib or two?" Because /that's/ reassuring.
Javeri's hand gives the egg she's at one final pat before she moves onward. By now there's something of a routine with this egg or that coming before another or after another. It's not exact as if an egg she is looking at is busy she will find something else. "More time with cows?" she mumbles to Sunniva as she goes past her. "That's all we need. More time with cows." Shaking her head she grins and steps over to Not Superstitious Egg this time.
Nose wrinkling just a bit, Sunniva cants a look toward Javeri. "Well, it might not be so bad if we are not mucking after them," she begins, then frowns a bit at a particular thought. "Though it would be awful if any of us got hurt with the bovines and could not stand." She just stays where she is for now, either touching Dim Glows, or standing a short distance back to look at the shell.
Jakkal nods. And now that he's offered the idea and does more than his share of noise on the Sands, he moves towards the Fuzzy Soldiers Egg, waiting until the Candidate there moves on before moving forward to gently place his hands upon its shell.
Ooo! There's one! Niala spots the Mother's Bane egg and heads over to it. It's so normal, it's interesting. Squatting down, she scrutinizes it carfully, noting the crack. With a sharp intake of breath, she reaches out to finger the crack, but sighs in relief as it only appears to be an illusion. She looks up to the clutchparents, expression clearly reading, 'see, I didn't break the egg!' Javeri gets a sly smile though. "Come now, the calves are cute and darling. /They/ don't smell bad, it's just their waste that some people find offensive."
Now that her minidiscussion is done--or at least, Jakkal has moved on to the eggs--Fayre finishes her trek across the caverns and ends up near the two dragons (well, the two dragons not currently surrounded by an eggshell) and D'kai. "Y'know, that lad's idea made me think of another one. Maybe Xie and Balinne should do exercises where they...well, run at the candidates, and they have to dodge. 'course, they'd look silly, but it'd get their reflexes goin'. Last one standin' gets a day off chores, or somethin' like that." Presumably the weyrwoman is talking to Deke, but she's currently facing the clutch rather than the young man.
Giving the current egg one last look Javeri looks at Niala. "They're cows. Gross. Not everyone likes to be around stinky animals." All animals are stinky. She wrinkles her nose at the thought and then nods towards Sunniva. "It would be horrid to get this far and then break a rib during some exercise," she agrees. "I can't even imagine." And, let's face it, she's not the only one who sometimes has bad luck. She clearly can imagine Balinne and X'lar rushing at people trying to dodge because as she steps up to Supernatural Toll egg she giggles behind her hands. "No one could dodge em long," she offers just loud enough to be heard. "They'd be giggling too hard at the sight."
"They are cute, baby animals," Deke'll give - whoever he's talking to - that, although he's moved a few steps back to give room for a young candidate to stand and wait to touch his egg of choice. "Run at them?" Fayre's idea has him chuckling at the image, and though she's speaking to the eggs he peers curiously at them. "What about - throwing something at them, instead? Balls, or the like.. I'd forsee that wearing Balinne and X'lar out quicker than teaching the candidates anything."
With a few words intoned to the Dim Glows egg, Sunniva eventually moves on to the cryptic Mystery Messages egg, back to study the script upon it as if it might have changed while the shell hardened. She crouches near it, hands splayed fully upon the surface, and eyes moving slowly, oh-so-thoughtfully from one side to the next. Her head tips to Javeri with a soft laugh, the mental image likely hitting her at the same time. "Oh! Oh, that /would/ be rather delightful."
Jakkal steps back from Fuzzy Soldiers Egg, not participating in the discussion he planted the seed for. He waits until the two Candidates who waited nearby to visit it before stepping forward again to crouch by the shell, conscious of anyone approaching his spot.
The Mother's Bane egg, though frightening in some ways, doesn't seem to hold Niala's attention for very long. She gets up and shakes out her feet, cooling them slightly, and gives Javeri a curious glance and a shrug. "To each their own, I guess. The babies are nice, they'll come up and try and suck on your fingers, it's adorable." Anyway, back to other babies. Niala makes her way to her favorite, the Evil Eye egg. "Hi there, haven't seen you in awhile." She reaches out her hand, brushing the shell lightly. "You've really hardened, when are you going to hatch? Soon? In the middle of the night?" There's an almost earnest tone in Niala's voice as she holds her one-sided conversation with the egg.
"Aye, they're cute, but I don't like thinkin' 'bout that when I'm eatin' them, y'know?" Fayre seems to be really good about killing the mood tonight. She bobs her head in response to D'kai, agreeing, "Hey! That might work better." But the weyrwoman suddenly frowns when she realizes the image is indeed rather funny. "Oh, er. But not if it makes everyone laugh. 'cause hatchings can be serious, y'know? Oh well."
Around to the other side of Mystery Message does Sunniva go, though she eventually rises to her feet to look around again. Mouth drawn to a side, her hand flattens on the top of the egg while she ponders. Silent, at least for now, she eventually pulls away, with no set destination in mind -- just an outstretched hand to lightly touch any currently unoccupied shell she passes.
It is now onward to another egg and Javeri looks back at the previous egg once before she stops near another. There's another candidate already standing near Speckled Shell egg so she waits rather than seek something else out. After all she's right there and won't be waiting there long because she never really seems to be. All the candidates in a hurry to try to either get to a favorite or get to them all. Soon enough the candidate moves off and the potter can step up to take a look at it. She reaches out to pat it after once more checking her thumb to be sure she's still not bleeding. Nope. Still ok.
Avey picks her way timidly over the sands until she finds herself in front of the Pop Goes the Luck egg. She reaches out to touch it, hesitantly running her finger along the brown line on the shell, and squatting down to get a better look at the colorful shapes.
"Nah, me neither. I just try not to think about it, you know? Plus I don't know how often they eat the babies ones?" D'kai lifts his shoulders in a light shrug, although the vaguely confused expression is quickly replaced with one of amusement. "Well, at the time, sure. But I guess any practise is better than no practise at all?"
"Well, yeah. Don't use the babies for cookin' since they're small yet. But they were all babies at one point, yeah?" Fayre babbles on while gazing at her own clutch of babies--well, Lieryth and Mikhuth's babies, anyway. "Anywho. We should pass it on to X'lar and Balinne, that's for sure. Um, the dodgin' stuff. Not the eating meat part." She clears her throat, readying herself for a new topic of conversation. "What is Fort like, anyway? I haven't been there much."
Niala is still having her one sided conversation with the Evil Eye egg. It's nice to spill all your worries to something that can't answer back, at least not yet. As she talks, she's stroking the egg, tracing the outline of the pupil and swirling over the blended colors that form the iris. Finally, with a pat, she stands and lets another candidate look at the egg, moving over toward the Dim Glows egg. "You're interesting," she mutters. "From here, you're just an egg, but from here," she moves, "I can see something that looks like a flame." A smile. "Neat." A brief touch for the egg, and she circles the sands, touching an egg there and there, talking quietly with some candidate or another.
Avey pats the Pop Goes the Luck egg a final time and says to it, "See ya." Then she sidles over to the Pants on Fire egg and admires the colors. "Now this," she says to herself, "is a completely and totally awesome egg." She lays her hands atop it. "I wonder if you've got awesome colors too, dragon-in-there."
Talking to the eggs works for some and for some it just seems too, silly maybe? Whatever her excuse Javeri never says anything to the eggs on the sands. Maybe she's just not talking out loud, but whatever the case her communion with each egg is done silently. Next on her stop is Traditional Taboos and she leans closer to study it once more.
Jakkal continues his pattern of moving back when someone else wants to see Fuzzy Soldiers Egg. He doesn't move from that general location though, apparently lost in thought of just distracted.
Deke points out, laughter in his voice, "Everything was a baby once," and leans back against his lifemate, shoulders flat against Mikhuth's broad chest. That chuckle carries onward, though he doesn't comment further on the dodgeball event other than a nod for Fayre which leads to: "Fort's - oh, it's great. Winter's pretty terrible, though, which is why I lucked out with coming here when I did." The candidates are observed closely for a moment, until he mutters in a low voice to his companion, motioning to the Fuzzy Soldier's egg, "Would be just his luck if it hatched a green, eh?"
Not so much distracted as lost in her thoughts, Sunniva finishes up the last leg of a slow, meandering circuit of eggs that lands her near the Seven Years egg. A hand rests on the apex, caressing the bright part upon it, but seems to have nothing in particular to say to it as she has for others. A glance is given to the other candidates as they mill about, studying them as much as she studies their choice of eggs to touch.
Fayre shudders at just the thought of a cold winter in Fort. Lieryth, though she didn't seem to be listening all that intently, shudders slightly too, causing her wings to stir up some of the sand just a tad. "We don't like the cold." As if that needed saying. She leans back against her gold, following D'kai's leaning-on-dragon lead. The goldrider follows his gesture with her eyes, peering at the Fuzzy Soldiers egg with a chuckle. "Aye, would be. Y'can never tell for certain what'll be what. A blue from it would be a surprise too."
Jakkal steps away from the egg finally, and just keeps going until he's leaning against the wall and watching the others idly.
Pale Brown egg has no one near it so that is where Javeri goes next. It involves walking a short distance as it was not near where she was so it takes time. Her steps are slow and careful and she makes it to the egg not long before someone else who was much closer makes it. Without seeming to think about it she sticks her pricked thumb in her mouth as she uses her other hand to reach out and touch the egg. When she pulls her thumb out she uses her hand to wipe sweat off her face. She spends as much time with the egg as with all the others, but it looks to be her last visit. The heat does eventually get to one.
Mikhuth allows D'kai to shift his weight before he nudges closer to Lieryth, coiling his body as though to offer what little extra heat he might as his lifemate repositions himself according to the bronze's new angle: conveniently enough, facing Fayre, although his head's tilted to allow him a proper view of the sands. "It's not so bad, as long as you bundle right up in layers. And there's skating! Skating's loads of fun. Any good bets on it?" On the egg, that is, or any of the eggs, really. "They're looking tired," and that's the candidates.
Avey pauses only briefly at the Mystery Message egg and the Supernatural Toll egg; they don't hold much interest for her. The Evil Eye egg on the other hand -- she walks all the way around it before gently laying her hands on the shell. "Hi," she says to the dragonet inside. "Uh, cool egg." Then she laughs, self-conscious about talking to eggs.
Lieryth shuffles slightly, just enough to angle her head towards Mikhuth, but the gold also takes care not to unbalance her rider. That would be embarrassing. "Skating?" Surely the weyrwoman has heard the word before, but she sounds it out oddly, as if she's never actually said it aloud. "Never done it. Barely leave Ista, an' even less so to places that are in winter. Think I'd like it?" Fayre squints her eyes at the candidates, wiping some sweat away from her forehead to get a better view of the gaggle. "Tired from candidacy or tired of bein' on the sands for now?"
And the gyre comes to fruition and a touch beyond, with Sunniva coming to a resigned stop not at the first egg she's touched, but the second. Dim Glows it is, then, though she eyes it with a puzzled look. She's scarcely aware of the heat, at least until she stops and finds she's sweating -- Faranth forbid! A hand is passed over her forehead and her nose wrinkles, her free hand resting on the shell for now.
Avey looks around and notices Jakkal leaning against the wall. She beckons him over, gesturing at the Evil Eye egg in front of her. "Come look at this!"
D'kai reaffirms and repeats surely: "Skating! I can't believe you've never been!" Nevermind his first experience with snow, much less ice, came about during his own candidacy. "It's almost like - hmm. How to describe. Like gliding! Only it's without the dragon. You'd love it!" And his mouth opens partway as though to continue the thought with something else before he says, instead, "Both, a bit. I know around this time I was just ready for the eggs to hatch and for everything just to be /done/ with. Waiting, and chores."
Jakkal shakes his head at Avey's call over, "You enjoy it." He calls back, past the point of caring about the echoes his reply causes, though he was speaking at his lowest of rumbles. He waits another moment then bows to both clutchparents and makes his way up the stairs to rest on the lowerst row of benches.
The sound of Jakkal's voice bouncing around on stone makes Javeri wince and she nearly puts her hands over her ears. But she stops before then and glances at her thumb. "Well, drat," she mumbles as she puts her thumb in her mouth again. "Bleeding again," she says around it and decides that means it is time to stop going around touching eggs for sure. "Stupid sharding needle," is added as she moves away from the eggs to not be in anyone else's way.
Fayre suddenly snaps her fingers as something clicks while she's gazing at the clutch. "Oh, right! Y'asked me 'bout bets. Sorry. Naw, I haven't been placin' any myself this go 'round, 'cause I think people would find it unfair since I have my link with the clutch mom an' all." She looks around shiftily and leans in to whisper, "Plus, it'd be way more embarassin' if I was wrong 'bout my own dragon's clutch, eh?" As for skating, Fayre crosses her arms as if for warmth, even though she's on the piping hot sands. "Well, that does sound fun. I'd demand a hot mug o' tea and a warm blanket after, though."
Half-turning to look at Avey, Sunniva notes with a half-smile, "That is a lovely one, isn't it? Of course, they all are, but that one has glittery bits on it, it looks like." She rubs the one she's at, adding, "And this one has a rather lovely effect, as well." There's a momentary glance Fayre- and D'kai-wards, then over to the couple of candidates that are either headed for the galleries or looking that way. "Are you alright, Javeri?"
"Yes, I like it," Avey agrees. "I wonder what's wrong with Jakkal? He just... left." She frowns, concerned, but then goes over to join Sunniva next to 'her' egg. "So which do you like best of all?" she asks her.
In the galleries, Jakkal watches from his seat in the Galleries. Now this is a view he knows much better. The shell was harder then he had expected. Physical proof that the time was nearing... He settles his elbows on his knees then his chin in his hands.
D'kai 'hmms', slowly drawing his thumb along his chin as Jakkal - and then soon afterward, Javeri - both stand and move away from the eggs, chuckling and wagging his head as he says, "Never saw people quite so loathe to stay. Not even the touchings we had before this." But he shrugs, says nothing to the departing candidates although he catches Sunniva's curious glance and returns it with a palms-up lift of his hands. "Oh, I meant - you might've been privvy to other people's thoughts on the eggs. Which they think'll hatch what. You know." For skating? He grins sidelong at her, saying only, "Naturally."
Thumb coming out of her mouth Javeri waves to Sunniva. "Hey! I'm fine. Thumb is bleeding again. I really jabbed it with the needle I guess." She looks at her thumb and wipes it on her skirt. "Don't want to touch anything with the blood and all, you know? Can't get the eggs messed up. Stupid needle." It bears repeating that the cause of her bleeding is stupid. That is the item responsible not her. This time she just presses her thumb against her hip to let her skirt catch any of the last little drops of blood that might try to get out. Not even enough to leave a visible spot when she pulls her thumb away to check.
"Does Fort have some nice tea and blankets, then, or will I have to bring my own?" Fayre asks, stepping forward onto the sands and away from Lieryth as she speaks. "Alrighty folks, this egg touchin' is over for now! Thanks for comin', and thanks for not runnin' around screamin'." She makes a few shooing motions towards the galleries, but she's smiling as she does so. Over her shoulder, she calls to D'kai, "Oh, well. Most people do think the pure brown 'uns are gonna hatch brown."
Avey looks disappointed -- /she/ wants to stay. "Awwww," she complains.
Answering Avey, Sunniva gestures to the one she's at with a half-smile, "I think this one?" She's uncertain, though, and she soon pulls her hand away. "But I do adore them all." There's a tilt of her head to Javeri and a nod, though she does seem to be mulling that situation over a fair bit. At Fayre's words, she glances over, "Oh. Oh, thank you for letting us touch them again," she remarks, then starts to join the others as they move away.
"Yeah.. thanks," Avey adds, doing her best to summon some graciousness admit disappointment. She's only partly successful. With a shrug to Sunniva, she heads out of the grounds.
Where: The sands
When: Day 19, month 2, turn 18
What: The candidates gather one more time to visit with the eggs.
Fayre is looking rather boring, today. Usual black braided hair, usual pink sarong. She's reading a book of some sort while sitting lower ring of the galleries, though she seems a bit distracted since she hasn't turned a page in quite some time. Every so often, she'll glance towards the sands or the entrance to the galleries.
Through the entrance comes Javeri while sucking on her thumb. Mending today has lead to a pricked thumb and while it's no longer bleeding she still has it in her mouth. Just in case it starts bleeding again or just because it still hurts. At least a needle in the thumb is no reason to go to the infirmary. She's had enough of that lately. Looking around to see who else is around she sees where Fayre sits and heads down. "Is it not a good book?" she asks when she gets closer. "Or are you distracted? It doesn't look like you're really reading it."
Jakkal enters from the bowl and glances around. Spotting Fayre he makes his way over, "I'd heard you wished those who had completed their chores to report here, Ma'am?" his voice is at a low rumble, but he offers the gold upon the Sands and appologetic look at it echoes slightly anyway.
Fresh from the living caverns would be Sunniva, arms folded over her midsection and her expression one of not-quite-thereness. The couple of candidates coming with her are a bit more cognizant of their surroundings and call greetings to those already gathered before dispersing themselves among the various seats. Sunni, on the other hand, blinks owlishly when she hears Jakkal's voice, then glances around apologetically with a soft, but surprised, "Oh! Oh, there you all are. How are you?" It's a general greeting, one that likely encompasses the eggs -- mute though they may be -- from the look she sends that way.
Fayre sets her book down onto the bench at the first sight of Javeri. "Oh, just some borin' stuff from the records room. Passin' the time until you folks got here, y'see." She winces, noticing the candidate's pricked thumb. "Ouch! Are ya okay? It might hurt, but I promise, sewing is real important for weyrlings, so it is a good skill to pick up." As more arrive, Fayre gets to her feet and smooths out her pink sarong some. "That's right, lad." That being directed to Jakkal. "Care for another trip onto the sands?" She gestures broadly towards the hardening clutch of eggs, briefly adding in a softer tone towards Javeri, "Try not to get blood on any of the eggs, right-o?"
Pulling her thumb from her mouth she holds it out with a grin. "Not bleeding anymore. Just hurts. Only bled a little. It's just sore now." Javeri looks around and waves to Jakkal and Sunniva and the others. She starts to put her thumb in her mouth again, but stops and shoves that hand into the pocket of her skirt instead. maybe she finally realized that it did look somewhat childish. The potter waits for all the others to make it down before finding a nice spot in the middle of the group before everyone heads down.
Jakkal nods. "Yes, Ma'am," he replies, trying, and failing, not to boom out as much as before. He shakes his head and glances about the cavern as the other Candidates gather around.
A look of concern crosses Sunniva's features as she looks at Javeri, mouth pulled into a partial frown. She shakes her head after a moment, offering, "Had I known you had mending today, I would have seen about finding a way to help you." There's a nod and bright smile, then, for Fayre, "Oh, yes. Thank you. Oh, I can hardly imagine how hard they must be now. They only have a few sevendays left, don't they?" That smile is turned to Jakkal and then she motions the other candidate to join her -- which is somewhere in the middle, roundabout where Javeri is.
Fayre leans forward slightly to inspect Javeri's not-bleeding finger and nods her head approvingly. "Ah, perfect then!" Again the weyrwoman nods, this time for Sunniva's benefit. "Aye, not long yet." She frowns, adding in a more anxious tone, "I hope there's no blood on the sands then, either." And on that happy note, Fayre strides onto those very sands, waving her arm behind her to encourage the candidates to follow. "Y'know the drill. Be careful. Don't run. Share."
"I was being super careful too," Javeri tells Sunniva with a grin. "I don't know why I can't get the hang of it. I never cut myself so bad doing my pottery. Dirty, yea, but it's part of the job." A good part judging by her tone. Once out on the sands she looks at all the eggs again. "Oh, well, at least I won't be mending much longer! I mean one way or another we'll know soon enough. Is it hotter out here than last time?" She fans herself and brushes her hair over her shoulder.
Jakkal looks thoughtfully at Fayre as he hangs back allowing the others to move onto the Sands before him. While be bows low to those clutchparents who are present, he ignores the eggs for the moment and more to speak to Fayre. "Ma'am?" he offers, his voice a low rumble which echoes slightly off of the walls around him. He shakes his head at the noise and gives the stone wall a glare.
There's a grin aimed Javeri's way as Sunniva replies, "You /could/ be one of the ones that Impresses and then you would have to make straps, which is far more intricate than just mending things." She heads out onto the sands with the others, taking a deep breath and then fanning herself a bit in unconscious imitation of her fellow candidate. The eggs are regarded, though she doesn't immediately move toward one just yet. Just looking.
Fayre stops about halfway across the sands, jumping a bit when Jakkal's booming voice erupts behind her. She turns to face the young man, smiling politely as she does so. She tilts her head curiously to the right side and responds, "What's up, lad?" Her chestnut eyes glance around the caverns as she speaks, still keeping tabs on the other members of the group.
D'kai's been here the whole time (really!) though head-to-head with Mikhuth in some deep, enthralling conversation that every so often has the bronzerider chuckling and thumping the dragon's shoulder. Finally, though, once the candidates have made their way down into the sands properly, he turns and straightens, clasping his hands behind his back and nodding curtly to the milling candidates. For once, the clutchfather remains back from the scene, though the moving shapes beneath him don't ever quite evade his strict attention.
Well, they're not out here to /just/ burn their feet so Javeri looks for an egg to head towards and then does just that. She's shown no interest in picking out a favorite and really just seems to be visiting them at random each time they come out here. Taboo to Touch egg gets the first stop on her trek and even after checking her thumb for blood she sets both her hands down on it.
Jakkal nods to the junior weyrwoman. "I have an idea that is..." he pauses, letting the echoes of his low rumble stop before continuing, "relatively safe which may prevent gorings." He watches as some of the others begin to more towards the eggs, shifting his stance slightly as the heat begins to effect him even through his thick work boots.
Picking her way along the outer edges, Sunniva does take a moment to raise a hand in a small wave to the clutchparents and the quasi-elusive D'kai just over yonder. Her eventual wandering brings her to the Evil Eye egg, which she lays just a hand on, some murmured words being passed from candidate to eggshell. Just a touch, a light pat, and longer moment spent studying the glinting things upon the shell.
Niala has been around, moving from egg to egg, seeing which one catches her fancy today. It's the fey wood egg she's paying attention to now. She places her hand gently on the shell, tracing the grain and muttering to herself and to the egg. She seems pensive, thoughtful, but the feel of the shell and the random patterns and shapes that can be seen in the shell cause a small smile to cross over her face. Jakkal gets a look, "And what is your plan to avoid gorings?" Curious, not condescending, her attention split between the young man and the egg.
"Well, the egg touchings themselves are a real help, believe me." Fayre explains with an earnest nod, gesturing towards the collection of eggs. "Y'should see the records. Number of deaths plummetted once they started being used. But anywho, what's the idea?" All the while she's glancing around the caverns, making sure nothing is going wrong.
Halfway through his answering grin and wave to Sunniva, D'kai can't help but to twist his head towards Jakkal at his words. Eyebrows lift in interest, and even as he moves away from Mikhuth he drags his hand along the sleek hide until contact underhand is lost. "Evening," he bids Fayre lightly as he draws up to her, and even before he can inquire, Niala's done it for him and he flashes her a swift, wide grin.
Maybe it's just that she doesn't want to think about gorings, but Javeri does not seem to listen to what the small group is speaking about. Who wants to think about blood when they've just been bleeding anyway? "Blood and eggs and I tell you what," she mumbles to one of the nearby candidates, "I have seen more than enough blood. I sure hope there's none come hatching day out here."
And being near, if not the one Javeri's talking to, Sunniva merely inclines her head to the other candidate. She moves away from her chosen egg, drifting until her hands inexorably find the Dim Glows one again. "I do hope it goes well, without injury. But, I suppose I would just be grateful for the hatching to be at a /decent/ hour." Her mouth pulls to a side, gaze flicking over to where Jakkal and the others are talking while she listens from afar.
Jakkal blinks at the reply from the side and nods to Niala as she echoes the weyrwoman. "You may not have been aware of it, Ma'am, but there were a handful of cows and mares which went into heat a few months early. The calves are a fair size now--" he raises his hand between his hip and chest to indicate the size, "--and when they feel threatened they charge. They're still young though, and without any horns. Perhaps the Candidates could spend some time with them?"
Niala returns D'kai's grin moving away from the egg, letting her fingertips brush the shell as she leaves. She moves in quick, mincing steps, the heat from the sands traveling up through her work boots. It's best to keep moving. She finds herself near Jakkal and cocks her head to one side as she listens. With a shrug and shifting from one foot to another, she gives him a smile. "Hmm...might work. Would have to separate them from their mothers if they're not weaned. /They/ have horns. We could make a game of it." A giggle, that's evidently a funny image. Then it's back to scoping out the eggs. Which one next?
Fayre raises a hand to her face, cupping her chin thoughtfully as she listens to Jakkal's idea. "Mmm. I suppose that could work. Learnin' to be calm when around young, dangerous animals. I don't want any of y'all thinkin' y'should be close to the hatchlings when they pop out, though. I mean, y'guys should just be tryin' to stay outta their way for the most part. Unless they impress ya, o' course." She casts her gaze over to D'kai and shifts her weight slightly to face him. "What do you think? It's probably Xie and Balinne's decision."
"You can hope, eh?" This is directed over D'kai's shoulder, for Sunniva's comment with a laugh. "I couldn't believe Mickey hustled me out of bed at that hour." It's spoken shortly before Jakkal's finishing his thought, and so the bronzerider has a moment's worth of contemplation before he glances sidelong towards Fayre, returning her gaze with a thoughtful smile. "Y'think everyone's nimble enough to duck and avoid a broken rib or two?" Because /that's/ reassuring.
Javeri's hand gives the egg she's at one final pat before she moves onward. By now there's something of a routine with this egg or that coming before another or after another. It's not exact as if an egg she is looking at is busy she will find something else. "More time with cows?" she mumbles to Sunniva as she goes past her. "That's all we need. More time with cows." Shaking her head she grins and steps over to Not Superstitious Egg this time.
Nose wrinkling just a bit, Sunniva cants a look toward Javeri. "Well, it might not be so bad if we are not mucking after them," she begins, then frowns a bit at a particular thought. "Though it would be awful if any of us got hurt with the bovines and could not stand." She just stays where she is for now, either touching Dim Glows, or standing a short distance back to look at the shell.
Jakkal nods. And now that he's offered the idea and does more than his share of noise on the Sands, he moves towards the Fuzzy Soldiers Egg, waiting until the Candidate there moves on before moving forward to gently place his hands upon its shell.
Ooo! There's one! Niala spots the Mother's Bane egg and heads over to it. It's so normal, it's interesting. Squatting down, she scrutinizes it carfully, noting the crack. With a sharp intake of breath, she reaches out to finger the crack, but sighs in relief as it only appears to be an illusion. She looks up to the clutchparents, expression clearly reading, 'see, I didn't break the egg!' Javeri gets a sly smile though. "Come now, the calves are cute and darling. /They/ don't smell bad, it's just their waste that some people find offensive."
Now that her minidiscussion is done--or at least, Jakkal has moved on to the eggs--Fayre finishes her trek across the caverns and ends up near the two dragons (well, the two dragons not currently surrounded by an eggshell) and D'kai. "Y'know, that lad's idea made me think of another one. Maybe Xie and Balinne should do exercises where they...well, run at the candidates, and they have to dodge. 'course, they'd look silly, but it'd get their reflexes goin'. Last one standin' gets a day off chores, or somethin' like that." Presumably the weyrwoman is talking to Deke, but she's currently facing the clutch rather than the young man.
Giving the current egg one last look Javeri looks at Niala. "They're cows. Gross. Not everyone likes to be around stinky animals." All animals are stinky. She wrinkles her nose at the thought and then nods towards Sunniva. "It would be horrid to get this far and then break a rib during some exercise," she agrees. "I can't even imagine." And, let's face it, she's not the only one who sometimes has bad luck. She clearly can imagine Balinne and X'lar rushing at people trying to dodge because as she steps up to Supernatural Toll egg she giggles behind her hands. "No one could dodge em long," she offers just loud enough to be heard. "They'd be giggling too hard at the sight."
"They are cute, baby animals," Deke'll give - whoever he's talking to - that, although he's moved a few steps back to give room for a young candidate to stand and wait to touch his egg of choice. "Run at them?" Fayre's idea has him chuckling at the image, and though she's speaking to the eggs he peers curiously at them. "What about - throwing something at them, instead? Balls, or the like.. I'd forsee that wearing Balinne and X'lar out quicker than teaching the candidates anything."
With a few words intoned to the Dim Glows egg, Sunniva eventually moves on to the cryptic Mystery Messages egg, back to study the script upon it as if it might have changed while the shell hardened. She crouches near it, hands splayed fully upon the surface, and eyes moving slowly, oh-so-thoughtfully from one side to the next. Her head tips to Javeri with a soft laugh, the mental image likely hitting her at the same time. "Oh! Oh, that /would/ be rather delightful."
Jakkal steps back from Fuzzy Soldiers Egg, not participating in the discussion he planted the seed for. He waits until the two Candidates who waited nearby to visit it before stepping forward again to crouch by the shell, conscious of anyone approaching his spot.
The Mother's Bane egg, though frightening in some ways, doesn't seem to hold Niala's attention for very long. She gets up and shakes out her feet, cooling them slightly, and gives Javeri a curious glance and a shrug. "To each their own, I guess. The babies are nice, they'll come up and try and suck on your fingers, it's adorable." Anyway, back to other babies. Niala makes her way to her favorite, the Evil Eye egg. "Hi there, haven't seen you in awhile." She reaches out her hand, brushing the shell lightly. "You've really hardened, when are you going to hatch? Soon? In the middle of the night?" There's an almost earnest tone in Niala's voice as she holds her one-sided conversation with the egg.
"Aye, they're cute, but I don't like thinkin' 'bout that when I'm eatin' them, y'know?" Fayre seems to be really good about killing the mood tonight. She bobs her head in response to D'kai, agreeing, "Hey! That might work better." But the weyrwoman suddenly frowns when she realizes the image is indeed rather funny. "Oh, er. But not if it makes everyone laugh. 'cause hatchings can be serious, y'know? Oh well."
Around to the other side of Mystery Message does Sunniva go, though she eventually rises to her feet to look around again. Mouth drawn to a side, her hand flattens on the top of the egg while she ponders. Silent, at least for now, she eventually pulls away, with no set destination in mind -- just an outstretched hand to lightly touch any currently unoccupied shell she passes.
It is now onward to another egg and Javeri looks back at the previous egg once before she stops near another. There's another candidate already standing near Speckled Shell egg so she waits rather than seek something else out. After all she's right there and won't be waiting there long because she never really seems to be. All the candidates in a hurry to try to either get to a favorite or get to them all. Soon enough the candidate moves off and the potter can step up to take a look at it. She reaches out to pat it after once more checking her thumb to be sure she's still not bleeding. Nope. Still ok.
Avey picks her way timidly over the sands until she finds herself in front of the Pop Goes the Luck egg. She reaches out to touch it, hesitantly running her finger along the brown line on the shell, and squatting down to get a better look at the colorful shapes.
"Nah, me neither. I just try not to think about it, you know? Plus I don't know how often they eat the babies ones?" D'kai lifts his shoulders in a light shrug, although the vaguely confused expression is quickly replaced with one of amusement. "Well, at the time, sure. But I guess any practise is better than no practise at all?"
"Well, yeah. Don't use the babies for cookin' since they're small yet. But they were all babies at one point, yeah?" Fayre babbles on while gazing at her own clutch of babies--well, Lieryth and Mikhuth's babies, anyway. "Anywho. We should pass it on to X'lar and Balinne, that's for sure. Um, the dodgin' stuff. Not the eating meat part." She clears her throat, readying herself for a new topic of conversation. "What is Fort like, anyway? I haven't been there much."
Niala is still having her one sided conversation with the Evil Eye egg. It's nice to spill all your worries to something that can't answer back, at least not yet. As she talks, she's stroking the egg, tracing the outline of the pupil and swirling over the blended colors that form the iris. Finally, with a pat, she stands and lets another candidate look at the egg, moving over toward the Dim Glows egg. "You're interesting," she mutters. "From here, you're just an egg, but from here," she moves, "I can see something that looks like a flame." A smile. "Neat." A brief touch for the egg, and she circles the sands, touching an egg there and there, talking quietly with some candidate or another.
Avey pats the Pop Goes the Luck egg a final time and says to it, "See ya." Then she sidles over to the Pants on Fire egg and admires the colors. "Now this," she says to herself, "is a completely and totally awesome egg." She lays her hands atop it. "I wonder if you've got awesome colors too, dragon-in-there."
Talking to the eggs works for some and for some it just seems too, silly maybe? Whatever her excuse Javeri never says anything to the eggs on the sands. Maybe she's just not talking out loud, but whatever the case her communion with each egg is done silently. Next on her stop is Traditional Taboos and she leans closer to study it once more.
Jakkal continues his pattern of moving back when someone else wants to see Fuzzy Soldiers Egg. He doesn't move from that general location though, apparently lost in thought of just distracted.
Deke points out, laughter in his voice, "Everything was a baby once," and leans back against his lifemate, shoulders flat against Mikhuth's broad chest. That chuckle carries onward, though he doesn't comment further on the dodgeball event other than a nod for Fayre which leads to: "Fort's - oh, it's great. Winter's pretty terrible, though, which is why I lucked out with coming here when I did." The candidates are observed closely for a moment, until he mutters in a low voice to his companion, motioning to the Fuzzy Soldier's egg, "Would be just his luck if it hatched a green, eh?"
Not so much distracted as lost in her thoughts, Sunniva finishes up the last leg of a slow, meandering circuit of eggs that lands her near the Seven Years egg. A hand rests on the apex, caressing the bright part upon it, but seems to have nothing in particular to say to it as she has for others. A glance is given to the other candidates as they mill about, studying them as much as she studies their choice of eggs to touch.
Fayre shudders at just the thought of a cold winter in Fort. Lieryth, though she didn't seem to be listening all that intently, shudders slightly too, causing her wings to stir up some of the sand just a tad. "We don't like the cold." As if that needed saying. She leans back against her gold, following D'kai's leaning-on-dragon lead. The goldrider follows his gesture with her eyes, peering at the Fuzzy Soldiers egg with a chuckle. "Aye, would be. Y'can never tell for certain what'll be what. A blue from it would be a surprise too."
Jakkal steps away from the egg finally, and just keeps going until he's leaning against the wall and watching the others idly.
Pale Brown egg has no one near it so that is where Javeri goes next. It involves walking a short distance as it was not near where she was so it takes time. Her steps are slow and careful and she makes it to the egg not long before someone else who was much closer makes it. Without seeming to think about it she sticks her pricked thumb in her mouth as she uses her other hand to reach out and touch the egg. When she pulls her thumb out she uses her hand to wipe sweat off her face. She spends as much time with the egg as with all the others, but it looks to be her last visit. The heat does eventually get to one.
Mikhuth allows D'kai to shift his weight before he nudges closer to Lieryth, coiling his body as though to offer what little extra heat he might as his lifemate repositions himself according to the bronze's new angle: conveniently enough, facing Fayre, although his head's tilted to allow him a proper view of the sands. "It's not so bad, as long as you bundle right up in layers. And there's skating! Skating's loads of fun. Any good bets on it?" On the egg, that is, or any of the eggs, really. "They're looking tired," and that's the candidates.
Avey pauses only briefly at the Mystery Message egg and the Supernatural Toll egg; they don't hold much interest for her. The Evil Eye egg on the other hand -- she walks all the way around it before gently laying her hands on the shell. "Hi," she says to the dragonet inside. "Uh, cool egg." Then she laughs, self-conscious about talking to eggs.
Lieryth shuffles slightly, just enough to angle her head towards Mikhuth, but the gold also takes care not to unbalance her rider. That would be embarrassing. "Skating?" Surely the weyrwoman has heard the word before, but she sounds it out oddly, as if she's never actually said it aloud. "Never done it. Barely leave Ista, an' even less so to places that are in winter. Think I'd like it?" Fayre squints her eyes at the candidates, wiping some sweat away from her forehead to get a better view of the gaggle. "Tired from candidacy or tired of bein' on the sands for now?"
And the gyre comes to fruition and a touch beyond, with Sunniva coming to a resigned stop not at the first egg she's touched, but the second. Dim Glows it is, then, though she eyes it with a puzzled look. She's scarcely aware of the heat, at least until she stops and finds she's sweating -- Faranth forbid! A hand is passed over her forehead and her nose wrinkles, her free hand resting on the shell for now.
Avey looks around and notices Jakkal leaning against the wall. She beckons him over, gesturing at the Evil Eye egg in front of her. "Come look at this!"
D'kai reaffirms and repeats surely: "Skating! I can't believe you've never been!" Nevermind his first experience with snow, much less ice, came about during his own candidacy. "It's almost like - hmm. How to describe. Like gliding! Only it's without the dragon. You'd love it!" And his mouth opens partway as though to continue the thought with something else before he says, instead, "Both, a bit. I know around this time I was just ready for the eggs to hatch and for everything just to be /done/ with. Waiting, and chores."
Jakkal shakes his head at Avey's call over, "You enjoy it." He calls back, past the point of caring about the echoes his reply causes, though he was speaking at his lowest of rumbles. He waits another moment then bows to both clutchparents and makes his way up the stairs to rest on the lowerst row of benches.
The sound of Jakkal's voice bouncing around on stone makes Javeri wince and she nearly puts her hands over her ears. But she stops before then and glances at her thumb. "Well, drat," she mumbles as she puts her thumb in her mouth again. "Bleeding again," she says around it and decides that means it is time to stop going around touching eggs for sure. "Stupid sharding needle," is added as she moves away from the eggs to not be in anyone else's way.
Fayre suddenly snaps her fingers as something clicks while she's gazing at the clutch. "Oh, right! Y'asked me 'bout bets. Sorry. Naw, I haven't been placin' any myself this go 'round, 'cause I think people would find it unfair since I have my link with the clutch mom an' all." She looks around shiftily and leans in to whisper, "Plus, it'd be way more embarassin' if I was wrong 'bout my own dragon's clutch, eh?" As for skating, Fayre crosses her arms as if for warmth, even though she's on the piping hot sands. "Well, that does sound fun. I'd demand a hot mug o' tea and a warm blanket after, though."
Half-turning to look at Avey, Sunniva notes with a half-smile, "That is a lovely one, isn't it? Of course, they all are, but that one has glittery bits on it, it looks like." She rubs the one she's at, adding, "And this one has a rather lovely effect, as well." There's a momentary glance Fayre- and D'kai-wards, then over to the couple of candidates that are either headed for the galleries or looking that way. "Are you alright, Javeri?"
"Yes, I like it," Avey agrees. "I wonder what's wrong with Jakkal? He just... left." She frowns, concerned, but then goes over to join Sunniva next to 'her' egg. "So which do you like best of all?" she asks her.
In the galleries, Jakkal watches from his seat in the Galleries. Now this is a view he knows much better. The shell was harder then he had expected. Physical proof that the time was nearing... He settles his elbows on his knees then his chin in his hands.
D'kai 'hmms', slowly drawing his thumb along his chin as Jakkal - and then soon afterward, Javeri - both stand and move away from the eggs, chuckling and wagging his head as he says, "Never saw people quite so loathe to stay. Not even the touchings we had before this." But he shrugs, says nothing to the departing candidates although he catches Sunniva's curious glance and returns it with a palms-up lift of his hands. "Oh, I meant - you might've been privvy to other people's thoughts on the eggs. Which they think'll hatch what. You know." For skating? He grins sidelong at her, saying only, "Naturally."
Thumb coming out of her mouth Javeri waves to Sunniva. "Hey! I'm fine. Thumb is bleeding again. I really jabbed it with the needle I guess." She looks at her thumb and wipes it on her skirt. "Don't want to touch anything with the blood and all, you know? Can't get the eggs messed up. Stupid needle." It bears repeating that the cause of her bleeding is stupid. That is the item responsible not her. This time she just presses her thumb against her hip to let her skirt catch any of the last little drops of blood that might try to get out. Not even enough to leave a visible spot when she pulls her thumb away to check.
"Does Fort have some nice tea and blankets, then, or will I have to bring my own?" Fayre asks, stepping forward onto the sands and away from Lieryth as she speaks. "Alrighty folks, this egg touchin' is over for now! Thanks for comin', and thanks for not runnin' around screamin'." She makes a few shooing motions towards the galleries, but she's smiling as she does so. Over her shoulder, she calls to D'kai, "Oh, well. Most people do think the pure brown 'uns are gonna hatch brown."
Avey looks disappointed -- /she/ wants to stay. "Awwww," she complains.
Answering Avey, Sunniva gestures to the one she's at with a half-smile, "I think this one?" She's uncertain, though, and she soon pulls her hand away. "But I do adore them all." There's a tilt of her head to Javeri and a nod, though she does seem to be mulling that situation over a fair bit. At Fayre's words, she glances over, "Oh. Oh, thank you for letting us touch them again," she remarks, then starts to join the others as they move away.
"Yeah.. thanks," Avey adds, doing her best to summon some graciousness admit disappointment. She's only partly successful. With a shrug to Sunniva, she heads out of the grounds.