Xanadu Weyr - Observation Level
Dark blue seats form a semi-circle around the sands below, the lowest row separated from the multicolored red and white sands by merely a railing. The seats climb upwards, each row a bit higher than the previous, and they are broken up into sections by three sets of staircases. Between the first and second section, a glass wall descends to separate the observers from the heat of the sands. Air is kept in motion through a set of fans, and so these seats are quieter and cooler than the rest… though the noise and heat of the sands is still present.
Lights are evenly spaced along the outer wall, lighting the seats and the sands easily, though they tend to be dimmed unless a major event is taking place. A large balcony overhead connects to the glass wall. Vents for cooling run along the bottom of it, and the ledge provides a place for observers of the draconic kind to watch without obstructing the view for others.
The sand below is variegated in hue, individual grains of red and white that have a pinkish hue when seen from across the circle of the hatching grounds but - up close over that railing - are clearly two varieties mingled.
Morning time and there are indications that the hatching is not very far away now. Betting pools already starting to form on when they will hatch and what colour from which egg. Some people already starting to arrive to support family standing on the sands or traders to take advantage of the influx. Kelani for her part is sitting in the back of the Observation deck with a breakfast roll in one hand, a notebook resting on her lap and a pencil in another hand. The page already half filled with simplistic drawings of eggs and writings on each. At this hour the observation level is mostly quiet.
Whither there be people, there be Nikolan, recording history by virtue of the camera ever within reach. It might be noted that the normally calm young man has a less than serene demeanor this morning - especially when he glances Sands-wards. During those infrequent looks towards the eggs, his expression takes on an odd amalgamation of desire and irritation - with maybe just a hint of trepidation. As he ranges through the Sands, snapping pictures of those few early-bird family members, traders, and off-duty riders quietly discussing the clutch and the prospects therein, he passes Kelani's perch, nodding amiably to her and peering unashamedly at her notebook. "Neat," he remarks. "I can't draw a straight line with a ruler."
Jaelynn has had a rather busy day of working with different areas around the weyr, it was so much fun… No not really. Though now the dragonhealer is making her way up the steps heading over to a seat and settles down upon it before she catches sight that she is not the only one here. She blinks a bit and ohs before offering a smile and even a slight wave. "Hey." Is offered to both Nikolan and Kelani before a yawn escapes her and she has to try and cover it.
It must be the betting pools that have a foreigner peering through the glass at those funny looking shapes. The Half Moon Diver still damp from the trip from the docks. When eventually she catches sight of Kelani it is with a soft smirk, and likely due to Niko's commentary. The knots are eyed and the smile slants crooked. "Trying to capture them before the shells shatter into a million pieces?"
The comments from Nikolan have Kelani looking up to him, then back to her drawing. "Well I am hardly an artist, but well there is a certain expectation to at least be able to sketch a little as a healer..drawing lumps and wounds out so can keep record on them and monitor progress." There is a nod to the camera, "That might prove more useful at times, but I imagine us lowly journeyman would still be expected to draw things out." She says with a half smile. She looks up to see the arrival Jaelynn and then Tanit and greets with a wave of her pencil. A glance down at her drawings, "Yeah, something like that. Also my thoughts about them…and would love to compare it with how they are once they hatch." There is a look towards a couple of the eggs with a furrowed brow, "I can only hope they are not as dark as they seem."
"More so than I am," Niko replies without any rancor, peering down at the egg-shaped doodles thoughtfully. "With pen and paper, anyway." He hefts the camera in his hands and gives a toothy grin. "Of course, there's more than one form of artistry." The healer's remarks about the usefulness of the camera as a tool draw a startled - then thoughtful - look from the techcrafter. "Huh. Many times you need to visually record something, healer-like?"
Jaelynn checks out her pocket a few times before finding some jerky she tucked away and is quick to chew on a piece while casting a curious look back over to Kelani. "I'm sure it'll work out just fine. Can't keep thinking about that, I mean I suppose you can but don't want it to take over all your thoughts." There is a slight pause as she casts a faint glance towards the sands and eggs. "Well… I'm hoping that with plenty of good thoughts it will override any other things so to speak at least."
"Never stood myself." The dolphineer admits with a smirk, "So I can't say I understand the fascination. Riko mentioned they were kind of strange though." Tanit moves over to take a glance at the sketchbook. Niko gets a look. "Aren't you the guy who was taking pictures of everything at the gather however long ago?" Jaelynn gets a chin tip of greeting. "I just don't quite understand the fascination, they are huge, messy and very loud. With how Lerith is I'm amazed no one has gone deaf."
"Well there are times you just want to record a particular gruesome wound as a progress of its healing for one. I imagine one of your pictures could capture way more detail than a healer's drawing of one. Or just something particularly strange…an extra appendage, weird bulges, lumps or just step by step of certain medical procedures where the intricicies may be missed by an average artists." Kelani says her eyes quite bright and expressive and she flips pages in her notebook to give examples of some of the drawing she is speaking of. Frankly some of them looking like weird blobs on a page and nothing much like a 'wound'. There is a look up to Jaelynn and she nods, "Oh, its not weighing on me like it used to, now I am just…curious. I am ready to ..meet them properly, impress or no." She looks up to Tanit curiously, "Have you paired yet with a dolphin? How does that work anyway?"
"Don't have to be a Candidate to be interested in eggs," Niko remarks as he slides bonelessly to the bench next to Kelani, peering thoughtfully at Tanit. As she mentions the gather - and his obsession with his craft - he grins toothily at her, then raises the camera and snaps a picture of the dolphineer. "To be fair, I'm always the guy taking pictures of everything at everywhere. It's kind of my job and everything." He shakes his wrist, causing the techcraft and candidacy knots looped around it to rattle against each other. Kelani's words drag his attention to her notepad, and he watches her flip through the pages with a rather disgusted fascination. "Sounds absolutely gruesome. I'll bring it up to my Master. Don't know what good it'll do you, persay - 'specially as one of them," and he gestures towards the eggs, "might well have first dibs on you, but he might talk to your Hall. Your lips, their ears, Jaelynn," he adds, glancing at the other Candidate. "If anything can make those creepers less… well, creepy."
Jaelynn looks to Tanit at that and smiles a bit before shrugging. "Well… I suppose it all depends on the person. I mean… I work with dragons all the time." Being a dragonhealer it is sort of a given right? "I don't think they are that bad, a few now and then can cause issues but I think that is a given in anything and with anyone." She nods a bit to what Kalani says to the drawings. "We do that sometimes with dragons, though we have a sktech already made and make marks over the areas in question so we can see if anything improves from one checkup to the next if we don't have a picture of it." She smirks a bit to Nikolan. "I'm not to worried about it… Though I do like keeping my ears right where theyare honestly."
It is morning in the Hatching Observation area, and some of the candidates and distinctly not-candidates have gathered discussing the usual topic of late as Lerith's eggs harden. "It isn't anything like what people describe for dragons, for one thing they have a legitimate language. Sure, it sounds like clicks and whistles but trust me some of them have quite the potty mouth. Getting cussed out in Dolphin is kinda fun. I haven't been paired yet, usually you work with a few different pods until you find a partnership that just clicks. The dolphin and person must agree to it." Tanit explains with a shrug, as for being a candidate the dolphineer shrugs again. "I mean I have a legitimate interest in which of you will net me the best bets, but beyond that." She shrugs, as Niko is explaining his craft to Kelani the dolphineer tilts her head thoughtful. As for the eggs, "Are they really that creepy?" Niko gets a smile, a little too curved at the corners. "Sounds like your craft is good for all kinds of things, I mean no offense to the artists out there, but if you have really high-quality images that last just as long if not longer?" You are clearly on to something photographer. "I mean hell, if you could come up with something that could withstand 200 meters of water pressure, I would love to be able to send the sea craft images of some of the wrecks they have me dive. Rather than just guessing at what caused the ship to sink.
Early morning has Zasheir climbing the stairs to the observation area with a green flit in his arms demanding that she be fed, "Okay, okay. You need to hush a little or Lerith is going to eat you." Likely the gold wouldn't, but saying it to the green, might get her to quiet! His other hand dips into a small pouch where he keeps tidbits of meat to feed the flit who clambers up his arm to sit on his shoulder, balance shifting with his stride. When voices are heard, the beastcrafter-turned-candidate gives pause to see who all is up here, not wishing to interrupt anyone's conversation.
Kelani looks quite interested in Niko's offer and grins, "Yeah, the main hall would be the place to go. The most interesting cases get sent there or least reported there. I can imagine having 'real pictures' would aid in our learning so much more. I mean I love my anatomy books, but still there is …artistic interpretation you have to consider even in life drawing." She looks over to Jaelynn and nods, "Yeah, we got 'human diagrams' for marking off the locations of things. That makes things easier…but imagine being able to keep a picture of a particularly interesting case or the first time you did a thing well…" She says expressively, "Perhaps it is a waste of resources for something like that, but still there would be some use for it for sure." She tilts her head up to Tanit as she speaks of the bond and nods, "I have met Atlas and a couple others I can't remember. There is definitly an intelligence there like the dragons." There is a look up as another candidate joins the group and she waves her pencil in greeting to him as well. "Good morning."
Jaune wanders into the observation level, from the hatching arena.
Jaune has arrived.
Aww, why not interrupt? That's how you make friends. Nikolan waves lazily as the sound of a complaining firelizard brings Zasheir's entrance to his attention. "Man, I think every Candidate but me has a firelizard now," he grins, stretching his arms along the backs of the seats upon which they've gathered, making himself quite comfortable. "I'd almost be jealous, if I didn't hear what y'all have to put up with because of 'em." Shrieking, squeeling, demanding - it's like having a child, only smaller and more mobile. "Mind, I can't make any promises," he warns Kelani. "That's up to the craft and depends on whether they think it's worth it, but I can at least drop a bug in the right ear." Tanit's suggestion earns a hard glance and a thouhtful frown from the journeyman. "I… don't know. I know in general how to assemble a camera, but I'm not sure what that would take. I can see what they say, though." He sounds more than a bit dubious, however - a waterproof camera? "I can see," he repeats, shrugging. "And yes," he adds, voice dropping an octive and going flat, "they are that creepy."
Jaelynn ponders the idea of a picture and then doing the marking and likghtly taps her finger against her chair. "That would be a interesting thing Kelani… Though I get the feeling it is easier for people then dragons. Can you see ones for a gold?" She questions with an amused tone before chewing on another bit of jerky. A glace is sent to Tanit and she smiles a bit. "I bet that would be interesting pictures, from down below and the like." She offers a slight wave over to Zasheir andhis little friend there.
Sea-green eyes lift to focus on the new arrival and the green pest accompanying him. "If you feed them, they don't go away." Tanit notes with a long-suffering sigh, as though this is spoken from experience. Mention of Atlas has brows drawn together. "I haven had a chance to see Kalen since his accident, I trust he's recovering ok?" Because the healer probably knows? "I would venture to say smarter than dragons, though I don't have the experience on the draconic end to know for sure. They have much longer memories than sometimes even people do though." She eyes Niko with a smirk. "If I could I'd sell you one slightly used blue by the name of Pest." Of the eggs again the dolphineer laughs. "Well maybe they will be a bit friendlier once they are out of the eggs." Maybe. DOUBTFUL. She does fish, not flighty things. Tanit eyes the eggs, "Isn't there a legend or something that says the gold ones are shiny somehow?
Poor Nikolan…he may be right. Because Jaune walks into the observation lounge with a tiny but thriving firelizard atop his shoulder, doing its best to burrow into his ear canal. Much to Jaune's chagrin. "Sssssstttoopppp." A hand flutters to try and keep the firelizard at bay. Then a bit of jerkied meat is offering and the firelizard gets to chomping instead of burrowing.
His gait slows when he begins to notice just how crowded the observation lounge is this morning and wonders if its worth it. It IS probably worth it though, and he stands on the outskirts of the big conversation to get a measure and feel for whats being discussed. "I've noticed the feeding thing too. Thumper just won't wander away now. I'm stuck with him."
"I couldn't let her starve. Egg woke me up a few mornings ago, buried under my pillow. None of you were around." Zasheir answers as to the green flit he's got. "If someone had been around, I would have…" Well, foisted the thing off on them and left really quickly! Too softhearted to make a qet-away and let the thing starve though, so now he's got himself a fiesty, sarcastic little green on his shoulder. Mention of eggs being creepy has his gaze traveling over to the sands, "They are. Very creepy. Some of them moreso than the others." Quite a few he refused to touch again after the first time.
Tanit says, "That's how they get you." The dolphineer laughs at poor Zasheir's misfortune. Tanit offers the photographer a wide smile, "I appreciate it." Even if it's just the thought. Still as more people filter in she takes her cue to depart. "I'd best be heading to see Sephany, but you lot have fun with your eggs and see you around."
Speaking of firelizards, a blue appears from between and is hovering in front of Jaelynn clutching a rolled up note and hisses out fiantly to his person. The dragonhealer hums softly and reaches up to take the note and let's Robin rest upon her shoulder while she reads over it. A faint sigh escapes her and soon she is up and heading towards the steps. "Seem I should take my leave as well. Been called back to work on finishing something it seems. See you all back at the barracks and the like." This offered before she is heading off down the steps and soon gone.
Kelani nods to Tanit, "Yeah, he will be scarred but he was doing well last time I saw him. He was out of the infirmary when I was candidate over at Monaco but I haven't had a chance to visit him since." She says with a motion to the eggs below as explanation. There is a look over to Jaelynn, "Well regardless of size though they all have the same general shape I imagine, so could still mark on a picture if the wound is on the neck, tail or legs or where on the torso. I should show you some of our charts." The comments of the firelizards causes a nod from her, "Yeah, Chlora can be a pain sometimes but she not so bad as others. Now that she is mature though I am not looking forward to her going proddy…that was an unusual experience."
Jaelynn meanders over to the hatching arena.
Jaelynn has left
"Proddy?" Zasheir looks to the green, then back to Kelani, "They're just flits. Not dragons. We don't get all mixed up like they say riders do, right?" Oh man, is he perhaps in for a small rude awakening. At least his is just green and not gold. To those that leave, he offers a nod and wave as they head off to their duties.
"Just imagine if you Impress a green," Niko murmurs to Kelani, barely stifling a grin. "And, hmm, looks like you may have that fun, too, Zash," he adds, storm-blue eyes peering up at the other Candidate with a wicked twinkle. "You found her in your bed, you say? Maybe you should take a page out of my book and not use it." His grin radiates innocence as he waves lazily to those leaving - and entering, with a nod to acknowledge Jaune. "Man, y'all are going to have fun. Baby firelizards and maybe baby dragons, all at once."
"My hands almost seem full right now from this. Thumper seems to think the best time to eat is 2 am or something." Jaune murmurs from the sidelines a bit. "I have been jumped weyrs and holds too often since about 14 to have been around for that." Towards Kelani, with a bit of a sly smirk to the subject matter. "And Thumper seems to think I shouldn't be doing the choreboard or something. Hes a bad firelizard."
"Well I don't know what dragons are like…save I have gotten a bit flustered when a gold rose at the weyr. It didn't feel so strong as that, but it was with a friend's blue and we were sitting right there when the flew. We didn't lose controls like riders do but well It.. was just a bit awkward for a few days." Kelani responds with a shrug before looking over to Niko then to the eggs and back, "Shards…why did you have to bring that up. Yeah…that would be more than a little awkward if a friend was involved." Her dark skin colours a touch at that. "At least with the firelizards it is more like a buzzing fly in the mind instead of a roar that the riders speak about."
Well, Zasheir certainly looks a little uncomfortable as he looks to the green, then back to the others, "As long as that's all it is…" A buzzing instead of a roar. He might be able to handle that. When Sarcasm trills, he jumps before reaching int othe pouch and pulling another bit of meat out to feed her. Thoughtful is he as he glances to the eggs, likely considering what sort of fun having a dragon might be. "I've never really been around a weyr before coming here…" He admits quietly. So no sense of what a dragon could mean to him. "Been at my uncle's ranch, learning to be a beastcrafter."
Gazing out over the eggs, lips pursed thoughtfully, Niko murmurs, "I've been around during a few flights. Got some good shots, too, before things got, ah - interesting." The curve at the corner of his lips isn't quite amused. "Can't say much about firelizards, though. You guys'll have to tell me all about it once they're of-age." Yeah. There's a snicker in his voice. He's enjoying this, the brat. "I mean, I've never heard of a firelizard flight baby, so if that's anything to go on…" Given the sheer number of dragon flight babies, it might well be a significant statstic.
"You really think that we'll be affected that much?" Jaune seems a bit incredulous and crosses his arms over his chest. "Even with Leirith pressing when she was looking for me, it wasn't that much. Just…loud. I didn't feel like I needed to instantly step to or something." His head slips sideways and bumps Thumper, the firelizard upon his shoulder who pounds lightly back and forth with his forepaws to indicate his discontent at it.
Rolling his lean shoulders in a shrug, Nikolan pushes himself up from his seat, clearly finished with his loafing off for the morning. "I don't know. I have neither firelizard nor dragon, though I'll tell you well enough that even being around a dragon flight can get the juices flowing with a speed that defies nature. I couldn't even begin to guess how much more it might be when that dragon is living in your brain." He taps his temple with a sly grin, then waves that same hand in farewell. Leaving his camera to rest gently against his chest, he saunters off, prowling through the stands to find acceptable shots of visitors.