Xanadu Weyr - Hatching Sands
The large circular "stage" is surrounded on one half by a towering wall, thin slit windows high overhead letting in some light without truly endangering the objects on the sands, though plenty of lights are spaced at human-level all the way around. The other half is ringed by the dark blue seats of the observation level, rising upwards towards the back wall. The circle itself is filled with a mix of red and white sands, deep enough to cover the largest of dragon eggs with ease. To one side, a small door is visible, hidden away behind a platform meant to provide a place for the clutch parent's lifemates to stand during the on goings.
Dinner is just past this chill fall evening and once again the AWLMs have assembled a group of Candidates to spend time on the sands getting comfortable wit the eggs. This time the Weyrwoman has coaxed Seryth further away and to one side, the sand carefully brushed from the eggs so they may be more clearly seen. The queen is clearly not happy about this, as her yellow-fleck eyes give evidence to her mood. Thea is seated on the folded forearms as it has proved the best way to keep her settled. As the group is ushered in and given the standard instructions of no running, no fooling around, keep from loud talk, she waits, beckoning them onto the sands and to the eggs with the smile of encouragement so many seem to need.
Flandynn shows up with all of the panache of a debutante at a Turn's End ball, only those are eggs (not suitors), and he is far from wearing his best ball gown. Yet he is more than happy to a little touchy-feely for the sake of getting to know each other. The teen crosses out towards the sands, all wide, dark eyes, and jaw loose enough to part his lips. "Wow, they were right, I-" It is a nudge from a fellow candidate that has the teen cursing under his lips and falling into a hasty and quite low bow. "So, what do we do now? We… we really touch them?" Stage-whisper.
Wrangled in again, during an over extended break in the barracks, Landers strides in on after the manageable size group. His attention is once again drifting to Seryth, smirking with amusement to see the Weyrwoman sitting on her forearms again. A glance to Flandynn though, since he found some common ground to talk with the other candidate, "Jus hope I don't cry again out here… sharding shameful…" he hisses with a snort, "some of 'em are strong willed." An eye toward a few of the eggs that have certainly garnered his attention since his first touching. Still, he hadn't been able to experience all of the eggs, and this was a welcomed breather from the arduous chores the Headwoman has found for him.
The dinner calling for the Candidates has Kiley among the group of other candidates eager to touch the eggs. Curiosity has brought the woman back to see what the rest of the eggs have to offer and show her. She makes her way onto the sands with a careful step, taking note of the heat that greets her once more with a deep breath . The breath is slowly released, serving the purpose of also calming the woman down as she casts her gaze to the Weyrwoman who beckons them in. A bow is given in greeting to the queen who has grown irritated with their constant presence upon the sands and among her children. It takes another moment for her to straighten and then to look to the eggs, choosing one and moving forward with a slight hesitation and a glance to the queen who sits there watching. She pauses, however, before the egg and she smiles towards Flandynn for his questions. "We touch them." She insists and then comes to settle a hand upon the Avenue of the Dead Egg.
Karona comes in towards the back of the group, smelling faintly of the forge, but she looks clean enough. She wouldn't be out here if she hadn't first cleaned up to a respectable state. Thea and Seryth get a long low bow, but the candidate waits back to eye the eggs. "Hmm." she murmurs, eyes casting over the ones she had yet to touch. She furrows her brow slightly, then picks out a multi-coloured shell, making her way to lay a careful palm on the surface of the Monument of Time and Space Egg.
Flandynn's voice drops even lower, shooting a covert glance towards Landers. "Really?" His features school into something between a fittingly impressed and amused line, complete with quirked lips and curious eyes. Huh. Getting the idea that these aren't wherry eggs by any stretch of the imagination, and not about to actually voice that thought aloud, the teen fetches up next to one egg, shrugs his shoulders, then reaches out to touch Love's Timeless Temple Egg.
Karona seems to be bracing for something, but there's a puff of breath, exhaled in relief, as the mind in the shell reaches out to her own. "Mm. Hello." she says, because it's only polite. She starts to hum then, a harper lullaby, swaying slightly from side to side. "…my father… he used to sing to us." she murmurs, tone hushed but fond. Those are good memories. "You like those, do you?" she queries, then attempts to hum a few bars of another song, a duty song perhaps. It's perhaps obvious why she never became a harper, but the proper tune is in her mind, and that's what matters.
Lan lingers on the outset as candidates start rushing to touch the eggs. There was about half the clutch in which he didn't manage to experience, however he definitely waits until the girls have made their choice. It was the gentleman inside. Or maybe he was conflicted with approaching the eggs too fast. A look to Flandynn, a nod, "Aye. Really." Then noticing the other's path of choice before his own starts toward Stele Transitions egg. There's the usual walk around done before his hand swipes across the shell.
"Be polite. Don't run. Don't yell or make fools of yourselves." R'iahn strides onto the sands after some of the Candidates, rattling off the usual rules as he gives a jerky bow to Seryth and a smile for Thea. "Weyrwoman. Seryth." Politely enough, he greets, then lingers a dragonlength or so back, watching the Candidates with narrowed eyes.
Kiley draws in a deep, shuddering breath as eyes close to enhance the scene the egg presents. The woman's head tilts slightly, right then left as she takes another breath. A shiver runs down her spine as the woman tenses up just so to whatever it is that is shown to her, fills her mind, and ears and another breath comes to calm herself. She doesn't jump, however, slowly opening and blinking slowly and then slowly closing. Her brows furrow and she remains a thoughtful silence before whispering. "Because I am curious.."
Over on her seat, lounging against the backrest of Seryth's chest, Thea catches that smirk from Landers, but unsure what that's all about merely raises a dark brow. An incline of her head acknowledges those bows, including R'iahn's and a half-smile accompanies it, but it's clear her concentration is on keeping the restless queen still.
Karona's head bobs, and she hums along to something only she can hear, as best she can. She seems at first unable to remain still, the egg capturing her body with the images it is sending, the sounds. And then it fades, she falls silent and still, brow furrowing slightly. "That's Fort… I touched eggs there too… I… hmm." she shakes her head slowly. "Faces, lots of faces… there, there's one." she says, furrowing her brow as she concentrates on replicating the image. "…my father…" Because who else matters more?
Lan isn't exactly educated in the ways of the shore or land bound, so the image has him pulling back with confusion, "Tis a lot of sand. Can not be real…" he notes, to himself, again provoked to make some reaction to what lies underneath the shell. The older candidate takes a deep breath as if it would be his last, finding his hand one again sweeping over the shell, tempting his fate with it, the willpower of his mind and the perseverance of soul. "I be not going home yet, mate…" spoken as a last determination, lingering there to see what else the egg has to show him.
Flandynn's hands are not often open that first egg he touches. Hardly a beat, a breath, a blink and the teen is plucking his hands right on off of that shells as if he just touched hands to a hot iron. "Crackdust!" He bounces back a step, only to cringe at his lifted voice and then shoot a rather obvious glance around to see if anyone noticed/heard his reaction. A muttered "Sorry" follows, murky eyes sharpening while focusing upon the Timeless egg. No, that wasn't a wherry's egg at all. A breath later and he chuckles to himself, and walks with a bit more of a strut to another egg nearby. Clearly it had nothing to do with what the Timeless egg gave him, clearly… So anyway, he'll get more into this and fondle An Eternity at Attention Egg.
For those watching the reactions of the candidates, Lan seems to be affected by this egg physically. He starts -leaning- to the side, stuck in the trance that his connection with the egg has on him. Eventually that leaning gets to extreme angles. It was as if someone pushed him to the side as he actually stumbles, nearly taking a plummet into the hatching sands, able to catch himself only due to his sea-legs! The man blinks at his near fall, not knowing exactly what caused it. No matter, his hand came away from the egg to break his connection with it so that he caught himself in time. In time to also hear the expression from Flandynn. Shooting a glance over, there is a knowing look underlying the smirk. However, he wasn't finished with the egg he was at, grunting toward it, "Whar the shells be a 'Temple'…" he says the word with an unfamiliar twang, the word barely said in the way he heard it. A hand goes upon the shell, the sailor determined to figure it out.
Karona furrows her brow, hunching forward over the egg without even realising it. "I… slow down, slow down, I can't keep up." she complains, though she at least manages to keep her voice quiet. "My time… I…" she leans in closer to whisper, "I write… letters to my father. Or I visit." Does everything involve her father? Quite possibly. She's a real daddy's little girl, Karona. "…why? I don't. I don't!" she protests, at /something/. Her feet shift uncomfortably in the sands, face turning red. "It's… hot." she murmurs. But surely she must be used to heat, as a smith? She rubs at the back of her neck, then grimaces, turning her head round to eye the galleries. No-one there, at least, not /directly/ behind her. "Strange… strange." she murmurs. Her brow furrows more, and she suddenly straightens her back. "Here to stand." And hopefully be found worthy? She seems to be bristling at the egg's questioning, or maybe it's that persistent sense that she's being watched. She keeps glancing to the galleries now.
Kiley tenses suddenly, her face contorting in pain and then her head bowing down slightly while her bottom lip is taken into her mouth to hold the sounds that she would make inside. An uneven breath is drawn, trembling, and then held tightly. It comes out as a gasp, startled as eyes flutter helplessly in the onslaught of what it shows before closing tightly with a determined push forward to see it through. Her head shakes once, then twice in response to some question the egg pushes forward. "I am aware." Or so comes the response, and then she shudders visibly and shakes her head again. "Don't." Her plea comes even softer than the previous response, a whimper that slowly is snuffed by the action of taking her bottom lip into her mouth once more and biting down. Soon a breath is drawn in shakily before coming back the same way as she opens her eyes to stare at the egg in a silent contemplation, bearing all her thoughts to the mind inside.
Karona blinks. "I don't… I…" shoulders slump as the mind withdraws. "I don't understand…" she murmurs, patting the egg on the shell. "Maybe you'll explain later." she decides, moving back to eye the eggs once more. The Lost in Fathoms Below Egg is the first she sets eyes on, and up she gets, moving over to examine the shell. "Blue, so blue…" she murmurs, laying a hand on it.
Flandynn might just have yanked those self-same hands right from the surface of that shell, just as puzzled at the sensations as the egg before. "Shells, this is… shells." Because that is what he is touching, and the feeling within is something that brings on a most curious tilt to his head. He admits, with a murmur, "Huh, I had no idea…" Whatever thoughts curl through his mind are left unsaid, mixing with ideas of curiosity. To the depths with this thing doubting him, for his own doubts over what is within that shell reign. "Really?" Yeah, question right back at you, egg.
Lan's reaction isn't so obvious this time. He wasn't about to take another tumble or yell out. The reaction is subtle. It was like a student having an epiphany in regards to a difficult problem after studying it for hours. The man leans back from the egg, nodding in after thought, "Epic…nah have ya name lost in the sands of time…" he whispers to himself, clenching his fist at the side, chin lifting. There was a glance over his shoulder, inspecting how the others were doing. A time later he leaves it, reluctant. Sluggishly he works his way toward another egg, several times having to glance back, that moment of epiphany staying with. Until his hand rests on the Monument of Time egg.
Karona licks her lips, leaning into the egg, as though longing to fall into the imagery completely. Her other hand raises of its own volition, settling lightly on the egg's shell. "Are you going some place? Oh, no, please don't." she entreats, holding both palms flat to the egg's surface. "Such a refreshing touch, on these hot dry sands." She furrows her brow, and shakes her head. "I'll find you."
Another breath is drawn as Kiley is free to do so to calm herself, remind herself where she is and that her fingers rest along the shell of an egg. They stroke in the gentle reminder, though it does not stop the shaking from the previous feelings and the thoughts that crossed her mind. Lips press into a thin line as her bottom lip is released again while her held breath is released through her nose. The curve of a smile begins to form, brief and fleeting as it is quickly gone and replaced with a look of confusion. Eyes flutter open again to stare at the egg, brows furrowing and then her hand is drawing back to be considered while her gaze tilts upwards. Confusion lingers and slowly there is acceptance of something before she steps back and away from the egg. To the next one she steps, her steps a little less sure than before as thoughts continue to linger as she steps before the next egg. She considers the egg and the coloration before fingers tenderly settle upon the shell of the Islands of Strange Stone Egg.
"Ya have ta see… iffin thar be anythin ya like…" Landers' seafaring accent speaks to the egg, not without a casual glance back to the egg he just left, frowning at it as if wanting to return, only to put his mind toward this one. It wasn't fair not to have a clear mind for the dragon inside to inspect. Difficult to do with the promises of what the other would be. Gritting his teeth, he tries sweeping his hand over it once again.
Karona's hand lifts from the egg to grab at something, coming up with only air. The woman seems disappointed, or perhaps her stomach does, as it's growling. It may be after dinner, but she worked all through dinner, didn't she? Of course she did. "Oh, do share. It's rude to tease." she pleads, though the image can not nourish her. "I… I don't /know/." she admits, tone pained. "I work? I guess. I… I behave? I am very polite. …I try to be." these are good things, right? Right.
Flandynn removes himself from the Eternity Egg, something akin to a frown touching his features. It isn't so much an angry twist, or unhappy, more of skepticism. Hands draw down his sides, as if wiping away what he felt. He breathes out slowly, a bit more hesitant to try another. His eyes float along, noting the other candidates, sweeping over the egg that broke his egg-touching virginity, and instead moves approach a different one.
Laughter slips from the woman's lips suddenly, a smile fixating upon them once the laughter fades and it remains in place. Kiley's fingers easily trail along the shell, thoughtful, happy, and utterly care free for the moment. Whatever the last egg showed her was nothing that this one could not cure and the happiness is quite infectious. More laughter follows, a soft giggle of delight before it begins to fade away along with those happy looks. Silence begins, lingers and then a breath is drawn as a startled gasp and the woman removes her hand. The sudden removal causes a shock and she stares at her hand, blinking at it as her gaze travels up her arm for a moment. A frown settles in, determination kicking forward to face whatever it is that lingers in this shell. Her hand reaches forward and her fingertips settle upon the shell.
Karona's eyes open slightly wider at some thing, and she nods slightly. "…sure. Sure. We could… if… that could happen…" she murmurs. "…after… after food." she decides, with a grimace, stepping away from the shell, stomach rumbling once more. Her eyes drift to the galleries, /still/ a little paranoid she's being watched, but again she seems to see nothing there, as she moves off to one side of the sands to eye the eggs. Which one next? This will take some thought. Food apparently isn't a thought - she can eat /after/.
"Jonas…" Landers' says without thinking and to what he was answering is unclear. Touchings were starting to get like that. No one knew what caused the reactions, no one knew what was going onside other's heads. As it was, it was all sort of a cryptic experience. There is a slight exhale of breath for the name he knew so well, his head tipping down as his hand draws away from the shell, "Tis many that be coming and going, but Jonas…" there was a shake of his head and a hand that stroked from his brow down to his jaw, rubbing his face with a wilted expression. Sucking in his breath, his hand tentatively reached out again, his expression schooled.
R'iahn narrows his eyes at the Candidates as they mince and twitch and mutter to themselves, watching for anything that might thoroughly irritate Seryth. "Oi, lad!" Called quietly to a stringy boy barely old enough to stand from a nearby hold. "Don't drool on it." He heaves a longsuffering sigh, then squints Karona-wards for a moment. Leaving the candidate alone, though, the man shifts a little on the sand and wrinkles his nose. What? It's hot!
"Because…" There's no real answer for the egg, for the question it offers and the look that crosses her face is helpless. It can't really see Kiley's expression but that is what comes across her face before she's drawing in another deep breath that shakes with fear. A shiver runs down her spine and her eyes close just a little tighter in response to whatever it is that brought that shiver. Eyes open and her hand pulls back from this egg as fear continues to cause the woman to tremble, as she stares at it a moment longer. She shakes her head and whispers a soft apology as she turns away to find another egg to settle at, unable to face whatever it is that resides in the shell. She takes some time away from this egg to look at the other candidates and to regain composure as fingers begin to twist at the bracelet on her wrist, seeking comfort of some sort.
Karona catches R'iahn's squint, and shoots a vague smile his way - she's fine, really! As if to prove it, she moves back towards the eggs, though she's not really giving any thought to which, or where. It's the Claimed by the Sea Egg she lands beside, hand brushing against the shell tentatively.
A philosophy spills out of Lan, "Not all of us know fer what reason… But I reckon we be knowing it soon enough. One day." His hand keeps on the egg, having wanted to know if there was more to this than he knew. Would the egg respond back to him? To his words or to his thoughts. Or did it only want to know more and to ask more. Fixing his stare on the shell, his eyes close to breathe in what experiences this egg has to offer.
Flandynn's eyebrows fall down to overshadow his eyes, concentrating. A wrinkle forms between those brows, etched there by way of thought and curiosity, just as his lips come to a turn in wry amusement. "A like soul…," but as he remains, things change, differ. "… Or not." He can feel the question at the end, it is answered as the teen leans a thigh against the egg's shell. Ready? Sure. Bring it.
Karona's palm presses against the shell of the egg, feeling its way around, as if checking the egg's texture. Perhaps she is. But she seems relaxed, at least, exhaling in a soft sigh. "That's nice, reminds me of the beach at Ierne." she murmurs. "I wonder…" she starts, then shakes her head, dismissing whatever thought that was looking to become. "…I suppose it could be any beach, there are rather a lot of those…" she murmurs.
While Lan lingered at a few of the eggs during this 'touching' business, on this day and on the last, he doesn't now. It seems a curt goodbye, an understanding that what is - is. There is only a pause that is taken to cause him to pivot around and view which of the clutch he hadn't managed to see yet. It would seem Love's Timeless is on the agenda.
Karona starts to look a bit green around the gills. Just faintly. "Ooh, er… sit /still/." she mumbles, face paling. "Where? I… well. Here. There's the forge here…" she furrows her brow, and shakes her head. No, that's not right - if she could /go/ only one place. Here isn't /going/. "Harper Hall." she decides. "Yes. Harper Hall."
Kiley regains her composure with a deep breath and then moves to the next egg, she stands beside the egg for a lot longer and then takes a deep breath. A hand comes out to rest gingerly upon the shell of the An Eternity At Attention egg. She steels herself against what may come, tense and waiting for the egg to show her what it has to offer.
Karona's eyes open wide, and again her hand clutches at air, grabbing nothing. Then, she gulps, and spreads her hand open, as if to drop something, before lowering it to rest flat on the shell. "Is it, though? I think… I think, perhaps. I think we will see when the time comes." she murmurs, patting the egg's shell.
Lan lifts his brow at the egg, stilling a tap of his foot with a certain amount of concentration. A frown for the egg as he detaches himself from it. "Frilly…" he notes with a slight laugh, "better find ya a pretty lass." There's a gentle pat given to the egg, a departing touch at that. There was likely one more that he wanted to really touch and he headed that way now, leaving the Love's Timeless to someone better suited.
Flandynn isn't much sure he likes this egg either. It is a slow process, and maybe he really should linger, but it is pretty obvious that he doesn't want to. Fingers leave that egg's shell, fingers that want just as bad to wipe away what he felt, although there is no amount of rubbing that might be able to scrub out his mind of all of those mingled thoughts. "I…" his voice drops to a conspiring whisper, meant just for that egg. "I've a journal. I may let you read it some day. It has a lot of pages yet to be wrote on." But his throat clears and the teen is standing once more. He takes a deep breath, filling his lungs with the warm air, exhaling and tempting fate once more to lay palms upon Islands of Strange Stone Egg.
Karona opens her eyes wide at the egg, and shakes her head. "N-no, no I don't think… I don't think /that's/ worth it." she says, backing away from the shell. "G-good luck finding someone who'll brave that." she whispers. She frowns slightly, and glances over the eggs, there was no way she was leaving the sands with /that/ in her mind. Love's Timeless Temple Egg is the one she settles on, hand making cautious contact with the surface.
Karona does not smile, no. The face she makes? It's a frown, a disgusted sort of frown. Ugh, a sappy lovey egg. But, despite herself, her heart slowly begins to melt, her expression softening with amusing rapidity. "I… I'm… good? I don't… I… I believe in rules. Rules are good." This is a quality, right? She sure seems to think it is. "I /don't/ believe in frolicking and… dancing." she snorts, and yet, she doesn't get up and leave the egg. Perhaps she fears her feet would not be under her control if she did.
"What…?" That word pretty much well sums up every last bit of Flandynn's thought process after touching this egg. He was so completely into it with a an amused grin, a bobbing of his head as if in encouragement, fingers moving upon that shell as if tickling and tempting and trying a 'come hither' sort of gesture, but all stops in a breath, in less than a breath. And now, he is left to say that simple word again. "What…?" More words should probably follow that first one, but he is absolutely without an idea here. Blank face is blank.
Overwhelmed by the touch this time, the aggressiveness has Lan taking a step back, narrowing his eyes at the shell. "Yah… I pity the soul that gets ta be your mate. Imagine that be what D'len's mate be like." He shudders at the thought of green Szayelth, eyes taking in the other eggs and how many of them are occupied. Shuffling away from the Avenue egg, there is an obvious decision made for the look that overcomes his face. "Be done…" this spoken outloud to one of the assistants on his way out, nodding at Thea and her lifemate as he strides off, considering a few eggs on his way by. The sailor had his favourites and it looks like he'd sleep on it.
Kiley makes a face at this egg, tilting her head slightly and waiting. A sigh of frustration follows the first response, the corner of her lips twitching before she releases a sound of surprise. Her body tenses at what is shown, nose wrinkling and then her expression changes entirely to reflect on what is shown. Silence remains as the woman stands at the egg, until the first word comes out. "No. I don't think I am." No hiding the truth of what she feels and then she chuckles softly. "I could.." Comes her next, breathy and full of whimsy before her head shakes. "You grow from the things that happen even if you want protection from it."
Karona tilts her head at the egg, screwing up her face slightly. "You seem excited to see me. I've been right here the entire time, you know. I've heard about the memories of dragons, but sheesh." And yet, there's fondness sneaking uninvited into her tone. "I… what? Sit still, please!" she asks of the egg, hand going up to her head. "All this running about is making me dizzy." Or perhaps that's the skipped meals talking. "Pie. Pie makes me happy." Yep, definitely the skipped meals talking. "…sad? Sad… I don't like to think about sad… It was so long ago. Friends… Lost friends. I suppose they're still out there, somewhere." she frowns. "No, hey, you got that out of me, you're not fleeing like that!" she pleads. Despite herself, the affection of this egg is contagious.
It is a lot of stuff for one guy to process, each and every bit of it showing with the strain upon Flandynn's features. His lips part, as if to say something, as if to give rise to words to express, but he fall silent again. The heat of the room causes a sheen of perspiration to break out on his forehead, darkening already dark hair. Eyes squint shut to try to lessen the abuse of color and sensation upon his retnas. The sands seem to shift beneath his feet, move of their own accord as he widens his stance, leans a bit more on the egg for balance. Such a position has him feeling that shell, the heat, the surface which isn't as perfect as sight would have one believe. On the exhale, he leaves the egg, coming back to the world about him. "Oh, I like you." But he drops his eyes, looking to the sands, allowing his senses to readjust. What a trip. "If I might be excused, ma'am…?" his voice rasps, floating towards Thea in query as he begins to navigate the maze of eggs towards the edge.
Karona furrows her brow at the egg. "No?" is all she can manage. Some questions are just too complex to answer in such a short time. Can /anyone/ be sure? There's a lot riding on this hatching, lives will be changed, that's kind of a huge deal. Karona gulps slightly, and shakes her head, moving away from the egg. "Th-thank you." she says, bowing to Seryth and Thea, before turning, and heading off the sands at a normal pace. There was something about pie, she ought to look into that.
R'iahn's eyes follow the leaving Candidate, wrenched from watching the group as a whole. "Aye." He offers, then nods after Karona and turns to peer at Flandynn. Thea is offered a quirked brow from the bluerider, and an amused shake of his head. "Stomachs bigger'n their ambitions." He grumbles (mostly)good-naturedly, eyes flicking in a vague roll before focusing on who remains.
Kiley is utterly lost to her surroundings and the candidates that leave, all that matters right now is the egg that rests under her hands and the thoughts and feelings it gives her. Eyes are closed still as her head tilts back to consider what she sees in her mind's eye as a breath is drawn in slowly. "I wouldn't know." Though cheeks color as the question is deemed rhetorical and the woman promptly shuts her mouth from any other response as she waits for it to finish seeking what it does. "Well.. It is.. No." Cheeks darken again and her head lowers in embarrassment for answering again. Lips are pressed tight together as she refrains from popping out any more answers, waiting for the mind of the other to return.
Kiley tenses and straightens all to suddenly, her spine suddenly unable to bend and twist as it normally does as the egg continues and then switches into something else. Her spine slowly begins to sag into a stance that lacks posture as eyes open to stare at the egg, frowning and uncertain of how to respond as so many things now linger in her mind. She takes a single step back and remains focused upon that single egg before her eyes lift to consider the surrounding area and those who are assembled. Her back straightens into the proper posture though eyes remain wide and dazed before she bows before Seryth and Thea. "Thank you, ma'am." R'iahn is given the briefest of glances as all others on the Sands are before she turns and carefully makes her way from where the eggs reside, this second time just as hard as the first.
From her perch on the barely-contained Seryth, Thea watches the Candidates leave, giving R'iahn a flicker of a wink for his grumbling. As the last candidate steps off the sands, the Weyrwoman slides down, allowing the disgruntled queen her freedom - which she uses to head over to her babies and re-cover with warm sand. Hmph!
R'iahn flashes Thea a smirk and a sketchy salute as the last Candidates head off. "Be well." He calls quietly, snapping a generally-correct salute and huffing. "I best go make sure none've them are sick or carrying on." Calm enough in face of that potential, he runs a hand through sweaty hair, makes a face. "Shardin' things." /There/ it is! Remarkable he's held off. With another, sketchier salute for the Weyrwoman, he turns and strides off after the retreating forms of the Candidates.