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Nexus; Dragons 2017!
Topic Started: Aug 16 2017, 07:40 AM (718 Views)
Telmaril
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The End of Ascalon
[ *  *  * ]
Even on a planet as patently illogical as Teragaia some things were inevitable. The seasons just so happened to be one of them. Spring had long ago faded away, replaced by a summer as blistering hot and sickeningly humid as any even the eldest of oldtimers could remember. Every day the mercury hit at least a hundred. Every afternoon thunderstorms unleashed torrential rains. Every evening simmered with the kind of thick, sticky humidity that invited indolence en masse. Only night held the faintest promise of relief, bringing with it cooler temperatures and a respite from the relentless heat.

It was on one of those late summer nights that a drumbeat shattered the sleepy stillness. The rhythm was likely familiar, as was the message it imparted, but everything else? They were 90 degrees off normal. That was a harper drumming, calling all and sundry to the weyr’s Hatching Sands to attend the momentous event, but only one drummer played. No dragons hummed. No firelizards gathered. No proud mother-to-be crowed her victory to the star-strewn skies. In fact, an uneasy stillness settled over the weyr like a shroud, cloaking all and sundry in uncertainty the likes of which dragonriders rarely felt.

What in the name of great golden eggs was going on here?

The drums rolled on, repeating their message in finitum, and one by one unwitting Candidates began to trickle down towards the Sands. There the strangest surprise yet awaited them. A score of well-worn tables had appeared in an alcove to one side of the Sands proper, each heaped with the accouterments of bonding. Some were piled high with white Candidate robes in every size and shape imaginable. Others groaned under the weight of buckets upon buckets of fresh-butchered meat. Yet others were draped with clean linen and trays of medical equipment laid out with a healer’s obsessive attention to detail.

And yet, one vital component of this tableau was missing: a clutch of dragon eggs. For perhaps the first time in Haven Weyr’s long history the Hatching Sands were completely empty. Even the shells from the last hatching had been removed, leaving a smooth golden expanse broken only by rake-marks left behind by some fastidious drudge.

Why, then, did those pristine sands seem to radiate a vicious chill?

The drumbeat rolled on, the crowds gathered, and murmurs began to spread through the masses. This was more than one of good Harper Tomlin’s accidents. This was more than some weyrling prank.

The question, then, was how much more.

At long last another drummer joined in, pounding out a countermelody that added legitimacy to the mystery message. This addendum came from Masterharper Kessia herself, and even drumming she managed to sound as bemused as the rest of the weyr probably felt.

Go to the Sands, Her staccato drumming commanded, This is not a drill.

This is not a drill!
It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll
I am the captain of my fate, the master of my soul


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Telmaril
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The End of Ascalon
[ *  *  * ]
OOC Notes

Hello and welcome to this year’s dragon bonding! I’m so, so excited to get this bonding going, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed scheming it up.

Just to reiterate some stuff from my news post: This bonding is open to everyone. You’re welcome to bring any or all of your characters, regardless of whether they have a dragon already or not. All ranks and types of dragon will be available. This bonding will not close. If you need to join late, that’s totally fine, I’ll leave you an easy way to jump in after the first round.

Bolded for emphasis: In-character actions have in-character consequences. All the standard rules of bondings apply, and if you break them, on your own head be it. This isn't a reflection of my opinion of you or anyone else, it's just a way to keep things fair.

My next post will be in roughly one week. Feel free to post as many times as you’d like between now and then.

You’re welcome to send your homework in whenever you’d like to, but remember, I can’t write your dragon(s) until you’ve sent it in! Get it done!

What do I need from you this first round? Get your character(s) to the Hatching Sands! Put on a robe, chatter amongst yourselves, wonder wtf is going on, and we’ll get the ball rolling here in the next round.



NPC Dragon Names and Codes
Gaia, female ???, bold #a3dda3
Bolt, female blue, italic #26a6f0
Shield, male silver, bold #c63d77
Oak, male brown, italic #1f32bc
Drop, female bronze, italic #dda44a
Depth, female red, bold #a37980
Walker, male green, bold #32b82d
Vodka, female white, italic #fd8231
It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll
I am the captain of my fate, the master of my soul


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Telmaril
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The Lightning In A Bottle Female Blue Mottle, Annoth

Bold #748896

Cobalt is a living weapon, conceptualized, crafted and trained for the sole purpose of war. In the hands of her creators she was precious little more than a blue steel blade expertly wielded.

It stands to reason, then, that Annoth would be the shield to Cobalt’s sword.

There is absolutely nothing subtle about Annoth. She’s a bold, brazen, in-your-face sort of dragon, one who pulls no punches and tells no lies. If she thinks something- and in spite of her rank she’s always thinking, always sorting through variables looking for the odd one out- you’ll know about it. This brutal honesty keeps things clear, keeps expectations at a manageable level, and who the hell cares if they make some simpering idiot uncomfortable? Annoth’s not here for them. She’s here for Cobalt, for those Cobalt cares for, and for herself, in approximately that order.

It should go without saying, then, that Annoth can be a somewhat difficult dragon. There’s more wild dragon in her than there is Pernese dragon, more wild in her than tame, and every moment is a constant battle between animal instinct and sapient consciousness. She wants to be more, wants to be better, and so she keeps fighting- but much as Cobalt herself struggles to be normal, Annoth will never not feel the call of her primordial forebears. Left to her own devices she’s every bit the worst kind of blue mottle, snide and sarcastic and terribly inflammatory no matter how the odds are stacked against her. Even with Cobalt’s intervention- and she’ll likely have to intervene, lest her bondmate wind up with her tail in the fire!- she’ll still be a headstrong powder keg looking for a match. The difference is that with Cobalt attached at the heart she has a healthy, constructive outlet for the restless energy scorching her soul. Cobalt gives her a project, something to work on when she simply can’t sit still, and more importantly gives her the impetus to focus on her own self-improvement. Alone she’s accountable only for herself and seems to revel in playing the heel. With Cobalt in tow her actions reflect upon both of them, and she’d sooner die a thousand deaths than see her bondmate framed for her poor behavior. Over time Cobalt might well see her bondmate learn to think before speaking, or to keep her comments to herself altogether, but only time will tell.

Behind the scenes Annoth goes from loud-mouthed firebrand to sheepishly clingy lapdog. She reserves her awkward affections and her terrible jokes for Cobalt and Cobalt alone. While she survived the Nexus relatively unscathed, she’s still coping with the fallout of being abandoned on the sands all those years ago. Loneliness killed her once, and while she’s since rebounded she remains an intensely devoted creature. Cobalt will also find herself privy to a trait Annoth steadfastly denies: patience. She’ll teach her bondmate everything she can no matter how long it takes or how often she has to correct her, and if she helps bring the Warforged out of her shell along the way, so much the better.

Annoth’s mindvoice is felt more often than it’s heard. Like some clash of thunder just over the horizon her voice thrums through your bones and shakes your very core. Even the touch of her mind is harsh and abrasive, for all the world like grit scooped up and flung at speed by a rising storm. Only for Cobalt does she rein in these destructive tendencies. Even then her mindvoice is rough and ringing, her mental touch almost harsh enough to sting, but beneath it all burns a love as deep as it is fierce.

While the majority of bonded dragons are only distantly related to the wild dragons of old, Annoth could pass for a wild blue with very little effort. She’s massive even for a blue, stretching 43’ from blunt muzzle to forked tail-tip, and every inch of her fairly bristles with the ungainly muscle characteristic of wild blues. Thick, tough scales line her belly, her legs and her spine, meant to deflect blows that would otherwise end her. They’re the dull, weary yellow of sun struggling through the edges of stormclouds. Speaking of stormclouds, Annoth looks a bit like she was crafted from one. Her hide swirls with all the muted blue-greys of a storm about to break, slashed here and there with almost luminescent streaks of pale blue-white. These ‘lightning strikes’ erupt en masse across the underside of her broad, short wings, for all the world as if they were lightning rods drawing the ire of the heavens. Perhaps it’s fitting, then, that an Annoth roused to anger breathes great gouts of lightning.


The Starfish On The Sands Of Fate Male Bronze Mottle, Ocellarith
Bold #ffa245[/b]
In a world as unpredictable as Teragaia it’s easy to lose sight of small kindnesses. What does a cup of tea or a kind word matter when there’s mad dragons on the loose? Like the old man in the story, there’s only so many starfish you can throw back into the ocean. Sometimes you can’t save them all.

But that’s okay, because Ocellarith is here to remind you that to that one starfish, you made all the difference in the world.

It goes without saying, then, that Ocellarith is a self-styled ‘hero to the unfortunate’. He likes to be liked, likes to be needed, and has a tendency to leap into things with all four feet. Hesitation is anathema to him. If he’s going to do something- and Oce is always doing something- he may as well do it now. Patience will always be one of his weak points, as will listening to reason when he’s in over his head. He’s a bronze, after all, afflicted with the same pride that permeates others of his rank, and though there’s no arrogance in Ocellarith he nevertheless tends to think he knows better than others. It’ll be the work of a lifetime to rein him in, to teach him control, to temper his wellspring of compassion, but if anyone’s up to the task, it’s Tidesweep. Of course, one can’t work on a dragon without being worked on in turn, and Ocellarith’s not so secretly hoping his brazen fearlessness will rub off on Tide. He wants her to see the world as he does, bright and bold and full of opportunity, and nothing will stop him from trying to bring her around to his way of thinking.

Whether she actually listens is up for debate, of course, but that’s not going to forestall the attempt.

While Oce tends to come across as somewhat flighty, especially for a dragon of his standing, there’s a startling maturity lurking just beneath the borderline-hyperactivity. His hide may be bronze, but his heart is solid gold. He cares about others, whether they’re passersby or friends he’s known since hatching, and he’s unselfish to the extreme about his affections. If he can figure out a way to help you, he’ll do it, immediately and without expecting anything in return. Better yet, Ocellarith is resilient in the extreme. Whether he’s just lost a chase or just lost a friend, he’ll bounce back stronger than ever before, ready with his characteristic lame jokes and gentle teasing. Better yet, he’ll try to learn from the experience, mulling things over until he’s figured out precisely what went wrong. (...and then never repeating the mistake again, at least in theory, but that’s still a work in progress.) Oce’s got an empathetic streak surprising for his rank, and he wastes no time in putting it to use whenever someone he cares about is in a bad way. After all, what else are lords good for?

Plenty of bronzes have big, booming voices, and Ocellarith is no exception. The difference is, his voice rolls, crashing from near-silence to thunderous right back to quiet stillness. Much like the beach he spends much of his time at, his voice hisses and swirls and laps against listeners’ ears, never quite the same when you listen in a second time. His mind-touch is a touch scratchy, a bit rough, but as rich and vibrant and inviting as a tropical shoreline all the same. For Tide he chains the tempests he’s capable of, bubbling around her like an outgoing tide in some sheltered bay inviting the timid to come play.

Given Tide’s close ties with water, perhaps it’s fitting that Ocellarith resembles nothing more than an enormous clownfish. Oh, he’s definitely a bronze dragon, complete with dramatic fins running the length of his spine, but pattern-wise he’s very fishy. The majority of his sleek, aquadynamic frame is a bright bronze so saturated it could almost pass for straight-up orange. Thick bands of a far paler creamy-gold circle his neck, his chest, and the base of his tail. Deep, dark blue scales- the only scales on his otherwise-scaleless frame- edge his spinal crest and outline each patch of almost-white. On the rare occasion he feels the need to get dangerous, Ocellarith breathes a cone of intense cold.


The Let It Begin With Me Female Brown Mottle, Serenth
Italic #f6efdf
When you’re in the grips of addiction every outstretched hand seems ready to strangle you. The shame, the guilt, the fear- all of it clouds the mind and saps the will. Alone and unaided few are able to claw their way back from the edge of that yawning abyss.

Thankfully for Jacien, he has Iyenath, and now he has Serenth, too.

Serenth, you see, is a deceptively strong dragon. Not physically, necessarily, though she’s no slouch when the time comes to throw her weight around, nor in terms of raw strength of personality. In fact, at first flush Serenth comes across as mild-mannered to the point of near-passivity. There’s no push to her, no edge, no steel, and that’s precisely the face she wants to present to the world. Instead she’s flexible, letting the trials of life twist and bend her only to spring back just as strong as before. This malleability extends to all aspects of her life. When tough love is required, she’ll dole it out with a heavy emphasis on ‘love’. When a shoulder to cry on is necessary, she’ll offer hers no questions asked. Most of all, though, she’s a companion, there through all the slings and arrows of life, asking nothing save friendship in return.

The longer one spends around Serenth the more her true personality shines through. She’s a kind dragon, a dyed-in-the-wool optimist with a knack for finding silver linings in the blackest of stormclouds, and believes fiercely in those rare and elusive things called ‘second chances’. Everyone makes mistakes, no matter how hallowed or how hated, and what kind of friend would she be if she judged others based on their worst and weakest moments? She values patience in all things, but treasures none more than patience with oneself. Yes, everyone has their moments of self-loathing, but Jacien has far too many of them. He’s let himself hurt for too long, let himself grow cold and crystalline, and now it’s her job to help him undo the damage he’s done to himself. He needs patience, needs kindness, needs someone to believe in him when he can’t believe in himself- and perhaps most importantly, he needs someone to show him that faith needn’t be a dagger clutched in bloodied hands. Serenth believes right down to her bones, in kindness and in recover and in things greater than dragonkind, though she’s not quite brave enough to put a name to what it is she believes.

Serenth’s voice is often a quiet thing, a tinkling chime that draws attention without demanding it. More often than not she sounds as if she’s singing, each individual word rhythmic and lilting in a way that comforts as much as it encourages. The touch of her mind is equally as gentle, calling to mind the warmth of summer sun after an unexpected thunderstorm. For Jacien she never stops singing, every touch of her mind flooding his with birdsong and laughter and all the best things in life. She is his touchstone, his reason for living, and in turn he is her reason.

Though Serenth escaped the Nexus with her personality intact, her body wasn’t quite so lucky. Even as an adult she’ll be something of a runt, lucky to hit 32’ long and never quite escaping the awkward proportions of late adolescence. She’s got more tail than she knows what to do with and legs at least two sizes too long for the rest of her. On the ground it looks as if she doesn’t quite know what to do with all that limb. Only in the air does she properly unfold, and oh, when she does it’s a sight to see. Serenth’s got a good bit of wild bronze in her, and it shows both in her backswept horns and in the blue-green scales that stream over her shoulders, hips and spine like so much patina. Otherwise her hide is the warm, cracked brown of old leather book covers, paling to almost-cream across her underside and muzzle.
Edited by Telmaril, Oct 8 2017, 05:39 PM.
It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll
I am the captain of my fate, the master of my soul


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The End of Ascalon
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Saving for later, part 2: THE SAVENING
It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll
I am the captain of my fate, the master of my soul


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Telmaril
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The End of Ascalon
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Saving for later, part 3: LATER NEVER DIES
It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll
I am the captain of my fate, the master of my soul


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Telmaril
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The End of Ascalon
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And one more post just in case, cos I'm a wordy birdy.
It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll
I am the captain of my fate, the master of my soul


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Tidesweep
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[ *  *  * ]
Tide

Tide had no been enjoying the summer. While the heat wasn't as bad here as it was normally on Flare, it still made her lethargic and just a wee bit grumpy. She didn't want to cuddle. She didn't want to go outside and play ball with Jason or any of her companions. Didn't even want to take walks along the beach when it was relatively cooler. All she wanted to do was sit in a tub full of ice water and not come out till the heat had finally left. The only bright spot in all this was the fact that it rained almost every day and lulled her to sleep in the afternoon. Otherwise she would have been sleep deprived on top of all that. It didn't help that recent events had her worrying more than normal and nightmares were far more common than she wanted to admit.

At least out loud anyway.

The drumbeat was loud and so abnormal that it took Tide far too long to make out what it was saying. Standing up quickly, she dried herself off as she moved towards the window to poke her head out. The night, other than for the drumbeat, was still and cool. Just like any other night this past summer. In fact, once she realized what the message was saying, it made the quietness of the night all that more disturbing. Why weren't the other dragons and drummers delivering the message as well?

Not liking this one bit, she quickly tugged on clothes and passed Gold on the way to the living room. Pushing back his hair, she planted a kiss on his forehead. "I am heading down to the sands. Something is...Wrong. Stay here and keep them safe? Just as they keep you safe." Wrapping her arms around him, she hugged him tighter, the unease making her fear the worst was going to happen and that she would never see him again. Unlikely as that was to occur, it still didn't make the unease fade away.

"I'll be good mom...Just come back okay? If things get too rough, I'll just head over to Zhi's with everyone. Between us, we can survive everything." Tide chuckled at that, knowing that it was probably due to the fact that Zhi and Jason had been together in the strange fog that brought her and the others from Planet that had brought her back her son.

Finally releasing him, she grabbed her bag and dashed off to the hatching sands. What had started off strange only got stranger as she entered the arena. Tables were laden up full to the point of cracking. One of these things was not like the others though. While the robes and food were normal enough sights at a dragon hatching, the medical equipment was not. Shivering, Tide clutched the strap of her bag to her as she moved towards the robes. This time, no matter how hot it got, she wouldn't remove her clothes. Plunging her hands in, she quickly found a robe big enough to hide her bag and clothes once tugged over her head.

As she was straightening out the white fabric, she looked around and noticed the strangest thing yet. No eggs. Not a shell nor an indentation. No sign of the proud mama or even restless riders. Nothing. Nada. Her mouth suddenly felt dry as she tried to swallow. Just what in all the seven seas was going on here? Moving away from the robe table, she started to mingle along the crowd, just looking for a familiar face. Just someone to help her try and make this strange hatching seem...More normal?

She hadn't yet notice the chill radiating from the sands, but she would soon enough.

Suddenly, another drummer jumped in and Tide jumped herself in surprise. "Not a drill...What the hell is going on here?"


Posted Image

First the adventure with Dorth's eggs.

Then random fires popping up everywhere.

Not to mention that manor in the forest.

And this blasted heat.

Of course it would all be topped off with a dragon bonding with no dragon eggs. Cain was really starting to hate summer now and he was fairly sure that not even Taki could make all of that emotion go away.

The chill was enough to make him glad that he wasn't wet when he stepped onto the hatching sands. Usually so warm and inviting, this time there was an ominous chill to them. Picking up a robe, he slipped it on and moved close to a wall to watch the crowd as they mingled and chatted. He was fairly sure it was only a matter of time before a curious Taki made her way here and if she got here in time, Cain wanted to make sure that he spotted her first. Before anything happened.


(At the Beach: Ball, 640 words (Just Tide's part)

AN: Characters will be coming in separate posts. Namely cause I'm not sure how many I can stick into this first round before time is up XD So here is Tide and Cain! )
Edited by Tidesweep, Aug 19 2017, 02:45 AM.
"Death has a bone to pick with you and I'm here to help out." -Cain Skelington

"The waves have their own music...Are you listening?" - Tidesweep

"Don't take my silence for agreement. That would be a mistake."- Gertude Weavian

"I will protect what is mine with a will forged like a diamond."- Mildred Fresi

"Healing can take time. Lucky for you, you should having nothing but it for awhile."- Jeremi Kgute
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Tidesweep
Shrine Attendant
[ *  *  * ]
Mildred and Jeremi

The cousins were new to Haven. In fact, they had just arrived that very day and of the two, Jeremi was the grumpiest. Mildred had gotten him in trouble once more and how someone older than him by a few years could be so immature at times, the male would never understand. While he knew that his cousin was serious minded, it didn't always equal cautious and by the rules. The only rules that Mildred often followed were her own and she reckless was her middle name.

Jeremi really had no doubt it was. She probably changed it.

"We both have to have a fever from whatever we picked up in that cave you dragged us into. I distinctly remembered it not having another opening. Not to mention, I don't remember being this close to a town...And what is with those drums? I can't understand why they sound so somber and lonely and really, the guy could probably use a few lessons." Jeremi was mostly complaining to complain as he walked along the side of the road, Mildred happily just ahead of him as the other looked around at her surroundings. He hadn't even been able to have his usual cups of coffee before Mildred was already dragging him out of the house to go spelunking. In her words, she needed a 'doctor' and a 'plant expert'. What he highly suspected was that she just wanted someone to help her carry the rocks she was probably hoping to find.

This was a far cry from that.

"Oh come! I don't think they are that bad. What i'm more concerned by is the time lost...I don't know about you, but I'm fairly positive it wasn't night when we left and I don't think we spent that loooonnngggg in the cave. Maybe an hour at the most?" She appeared relaxed, but Mildred was highly tensed. This was some high level magic going on here. Or that is what she thought anyway. Time manipulation. Dimension crossing. Her fingers played with the rings on them as she worried over it in her mind as to who could want her dead that badly to expand so much energy into the plan. Now she wished she hadn't dragged Jeremi along, but how was she suppose to know that this was going to happen?

The drums added an eerie effect to the night and it didn't help that Mildred swore they were being tugged along in a specific direction. Not a hard pull. Nothing like that, but a tug none the less. Mildred was willing to follow the tug since it was such a weak tug. That didn't mean she was going to let her guard down anytime soon.

Approaching the hatching sands, they noticed that they weren't the only ones out and about this chilly night. Many others were there too and Mildred only relaxed a fraction. Many of these people seemed normal enough and then she caught sight of some...Interesting people and had to stop and rub her eyes as Jeremi continued forward, no fazed in the least by the fact that some of the people in the arena had horns or wings or was the completely wrong skin color. To him, it didn't matter. Unless one of them had a huge cup of coffee, he wasn't interested in any of them in the least.

It didn't take him long though to figure out that they needed to put on the white robes on the one table and he had no idea what the bucket of meat was on other table. The smell made his noise wrinkle, but he let it go for now. Maybe they were suppose to feed something? At least the piles of meat made it clear that him, Mildred, and the others here weren't on the menu. Provided they probably played their cards right.

Just as he finished shrugging on the robe, Mildred was by his side and trying to drag it back off. "What are you doing! They might be trying to bring about the end of this world. Don't you see how some of them look? I bet they would kick puppies." Her words hissed though her teeth as Jeremi shrugged her off and marched into the center of the crowd, not wanting to hear anything about it form Mildred.

"I bet they won't. Quite judging people by their appearance. If I was a psychologist, I would say you have some kind of paranoia disorder or something like that. I don't know. I'm not an expert when it comes to the mind, but enough is enough Mildred. We are distant cousins. Distant. So why don't we put that word back into our relationship for now? If you want to leave, fine. You can leave. I'm staying. I want to see what happened." His voice was low as he shot his cousin a glare, frustrated and just wanting to go to bed right now. But something told him to wait here and the fact that more drums joined in with the first round only proved that. Now if he could just figure out what the drums was saying, it might be reveal a nice clue about the whispered murmurs he was hearing in the crowd. He couldn't make out much and whatever he could make out confused the hell out of him. But he was willing to stay and figure things out.

Mildred let out a frustrated growl, but she stuck close to Jeremi still. She refused to put on the white robe though. Whatever ritual was going on here, she wanted none of it. None. Catching sight of Cain just resting there, she eyed him, wondering if this was a sick joke or if she should start bashing in his skull. Either way, she didn't like it and the chill the sands were giving off? Did nothing to calm her nerves one iota.


(Just decided to make a new post for these too. So welcome Jeremi and Mildred~ First ever dragon bonding for them so it should be fun~

Dog Days of Summer: Fever, 980 words)
"Death has a bone to pick with you and I'm here to help out." -Cain Skelington

"The waves have their own music...Are you listening?" - Tidesweep

"Don't take my silence for agreement. That would be a mistake."- Gertude Weavian

"I will protect what is mine with a will forged like a diamond."- Mildred Fresi

"Healing can take time. Lucky for you, you should having nothing but it for awhile."- Jeremi Kgute
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Belial
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Archduke
[ *  *  * ]
Go, Archduke, Kivalth commanded, laying her scarred, weary head in her rider's lap for an eye ridge scratch before nosing him off of her stone couch. Something strange is afoot. And were it not, I would still insist.

Belial stood creakily, eyebrows threatening to disappear into his hairline. "Really, now? I had thought our bond, to you, sacrosanct beyond consociation."

It was. But I have had time to think since the events at Blackthorn, where I became injured. Let one not say that I am ungrateful to Girith for hunting my meat for me in my recovery, but I tire of relying on a mate.
Housewife I am not. Nor are you, Archduke, and yet here we languish, incomplete but for that role.


Not that all of Kivalth's reasoning made complete sense as she laid it out verbally, but Belial could feel what she was getting at. The desire to move on, the desire to go forward with life instead of being trapped here, the feeling that perhaps they could heal together in the hard work of raising a new life from infancy to glory.

She wanted more independence, too. He could sympathize.

"All right, love. Please tell Seil she is on duty to watch Kaya should Raferties have plans to also attend this."

Belial patted his beloved red mottle on the nose and turned to leave. Just in time to be struck upside the head by a little gold blur that meeped irately at him for daring to leave without her.

Hello, Rielle, nice to see you too. The gold firelizard made herself comfortable perching on Belial's horns and curled her tail around his neck, and then the archdevil was cleared to leave his weyr. Finally.

He'd never joined the throng of Candidates before. This time he was glad he had his wing in a sling, bandaged to prevent it getting jostled -- and also to keep it from dragging on the ground. He found a robe, changed, stood around with everyone else.

Devils were not particularly sensitive creatures about the temperature and archdevils less so, but even Belial noticed the sands were alarmingly cold. Lethally cold, for dragon eggs.

What was going on here?


Posted Image

The drums spooked Melorius from a nap, and the crying toddler buried his face in Aletha's chest to scream.

Her temporary wilderness shelter that passed for a home really didn't offer much shelter from the noise of the drums thundering down from the Harper Hall. This kind of tantrum happened periodically, when the Harpers had messages to send while Aletha was trying to put Melorius down.

Elzathiel all but summoned himself, drawing on the sudden pull of stress to lever himself across dimensions and materialize beside her.

"Give. Me," the erinyes demanded, arms outstretched. Aletha gratefully handed over Melorius, who was equally grateful to be handed over. "It's okay, little man. It's just drums. BIG drums. Have you ever seen drums so big you could fit inside of them?"

How an erinyes summoned from Hell knew more about calming human children than a human woman, Aletha dared not question. The old saying about looking gift horses in the mouth was common to her world as well as Earth, and this was one gift horse she wasn't looking in the mouth. Elz had Melorius distracted and sniffling instead of screaming almost instantly, engaged in thinking about giant drums instead of being upset about the sound of them.

On the bright side, though, Elz made her feel miles less overwhelmed by the prospect of...motherhood? Was it motherhood if she'd just acquired a toddler by accident rather than adopting or birthing a child by intent?

Either way, the end result was Aletha heading up to the Weyr to answer the drums, Melorius safely in Elzathiel's watchful care.

She was fine with leaving her armor behind to don a Candidate's robe. Poetic Justice, however, was not leaving her side. Oaths given to Hoar were not to be reneged upon.

She was not the only armed Candidate on the abysmally cold Hatching Sands, she noticed. Veterans were edgy, the sands were eerily cold, and something just felt... wrong.

This is not a drill indeed.


Posted Image

Most people of Teragaia had enough experience WITH Teragaia to know something weird was going on.

Arieh Harel had just appeared, however.

This was his first encounter with anything dragons. The soul-shard had no idea what was happening. Only that people seemed to be congregating at the big hollow mountain thing (they called it the Weyr, pronounced weer).

For once, he was without Vesper, who was doing her own thing somewhere else. Arieh just followed the flow of people who explained the meaning of the booming drums. Apparently dragons would be hatching, and they needed to Impress on riders or they might die for lack of a bondmate.

That sounded awful. Really awful. So of course soft-hearted Arieh was going to throw himself into the mix of Candidates.

Did he know why he had to change into a white robe? Nope! Did he know the sands weren't supposed to be cold? Not that either. Did he question the lack of actual eggs? A little bit, but maybe they were just...somewhere else, and the hatchlings would come out. Maybe?

He was aware of the tension, though, he couldn't miss that. But was it the kind of tension because something was wrong with this picture or was it pre-Impression anxiety? The problem was there was too much of all of it. Hard to read the chaotic mess of energy and emotional radiation when there was just. So. Much.

So for the time being, he just waited. He'd see what happened next when everyone else did.




Three of six! The others to come...later. After some sleep and stuff.

EDIT: Postscript to mock my own characters -- talk about missing the forest for the trees, Belial. Yes, the sand is cold! Lethally cold for dragon eggs! DID YOU NOT NOTICE THE SAND IS CONSPICUOUSLY VOID OF AFOREMENTIONED EGGS?

Even Arieh is more observant than you are and HE doesn't know wtf he's doing here. Aletha at least has that excuse too for missing the missing eggs thing, you know, how's she to know protocol when she's from Faerun and never seen a dragon that wasn't scaly, spellcasting, and trying to eat her, but YOU have done this before, you great blundering idiot.
Edited by Belial, Aug 22 2017, 05:30 PM.
"Life is not about what you deserve. Life is about free will, life is about what you choose. Afterlife is about what you deserve, and all the Heavens forfend you deserve me." --Belial

"Redemption is a work in progress. I've...got a lot of work left to do." --Shrayla

"Fair winds and good fortune to you, friend." --Khareesh

"I think you have me mistaken for someone penitent, and I don't appreciate it." --Melonwei

"If someone rains on your parade, start dancing in the rain." --Linah

"The rules of the Lord of Poetic Justice are very simple. You do unto others as you would have me do unto you, aye?" -- Aletha Hoarfrost

"War's the candy, I'm just the wrapper, but that doesn't make me ready to die any time soon." --Arieh Harel
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Raferties
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Lorekeeper
[ *  *  * ]
Cobalt

For a bit, Cobalt utterly ignored the drums. They simply meant nothing to her, once she judged that they didn't signify an attack. Thankfully her Bondeds were more astute and what's more knew how to prompt their Warforged into action. Though the full significance of a dragon's hatching went completely past Cobalt other than it was a vital to the survival of the weyr the fact that there was something odd about it - possibly meaning trouble - was enough to get her there. She was a loyal creature by nature, and her loyalty was to the weyr. If there was trouble she would stand against it.

It was only the fact that she saw those who had come before her taking the robes that she realized she might ought to do the same, though this was a task more easier said than done. None of them were quite sewn to account for her height or build perfectly, and the first one she tried to don tore. So she – after some mental back and forth with her Bondeds – improvised, finding the largest one she could and tearing the front in half, then the sleeves likewise and using those strips to tie it to her neck like a cloak. Perhaps not quite 'traditional' but she saw little purpose in it otherwise.

The sands were cooler than normal for a hatching, but this wasn't something Cobalt would know. There also were no eggs, which was odd as eggs were supposed to be hatching, and there was a bit of tension in the air. So Cobalt kept her chains loose in her forearms and her senses on the alert.

Anari
Anari's otherwise calm day of practice, patrol, and a little relax was interrupted in the 'relax' phase by the rumble of the drums. She'd been allowing herself rare moment of totally letting down her guard when it started, and thus it took her a moment to realize what she was hearing.

"Dragons...hatching?!"

When it dawned on her at last, the former lieutenant all but launched herself from where she'd been laying against (bonded) and scrambling to get into her weyr.

/What's wrong?/ asked (bonded).

"A dragon hatching! I'm a junior weyrwoman, and Oroveth a gold - we should already be there to observe! It's our duty!"

/A'ri - something is wrong,/ said pureblood gold spoke up. /No female I know of has a clutch on the sands - I hear confusion from other dragons. No one knows what's going on./

"All the better reason to get there!"

A quick trip later, Anari stood in the only place she felt she could be effective if trouble broke out - on the sands. She'd had to don traditional white garments to do so and surrender her flail, but things were so unusual she was willing the risk.

No eggs.

The sands unnaturally cold.

All else was usual.

What's going on??

She spotted Tide as well as others she knew, gave them waves, followed the suit of some others and put her robes over her clothes and armor – no one was taking her flail this time around! - the moved to speak with Tide.

"Pretty good idea you had. I admit I'm not liking this one bit. No eggs, cold sands..." She shook her head. "At least it seems more or less everyone is sticking together. That should be good. This isn't like the last time at all." She shook her head.

Raf and Keldos

News of a dragon hatching at first got a smile on Raferties' face – until the word from Girith added in that there were no known clutches, the repetitive nature of the message, and the final confirmation with such intense words prodded him into action. Bu his own habit whenever there was a dragon or firelizard hatching he attended. The thought of what could happen otherwise – a dragonette or new-hatched flit sentenced to Between because of his absence – was more than his kindly heart could take, naturally. Typically he viewed such events with joy and anticipation. But this time there was a sense of confused anxiety, a sensation that only grew when he finally stepped onto the sands. His wings instinctively fluffed around him against the chill that shouldn't be there, and although all seemed ready with no one to man the tables there was a certain something missing.

Namely, the eggs.

He was brought out of his reverie as Keldos came to his side. When he'd heard the news himself, the Archangel knew that his Little Brother would also be alerted, and make his way there. It was only natural that Keldos follow as well. As if he would let Raferties face potential danger without him there to help take some of the blows for him! When Keldos arrived, however, and the two angels had a small conference about the situation he fully agreed that this just wasn't right. Just when they were wondering what they should do about it, they noticed Tide's actions.

"A sound idea," Keldos agreed with her, and Raferties nodded.

"If this is a hatching, no matter how odd, we should follow tradition. And I for one will not deny another layer of clothing, no matter how thin it may be!" Keldos couldn't help but chuckle – he knew well Raferties' dislike for the cold – and the pair moved to the appropriate table. It took some improvisational cosmetic alterations to get a pair of robes to fit them, namely by tearing some slits in the back for their wings, but with Raferties already wearing only clothes and Keldos able to retract his armor to gilded armbands, leaving him in princely tunic and pants attire (he would never be unarmored or unarmed!), they soon were at least technically in the proper Dragon Hatching Attire. With a nod to one another of 'be careful and stay alert,' Raferties waved to Tide as Belial joined him at the table and got changed as well. Raferties smiled to see Belial up and about a bit, instinctively knowing he'd seen to Kaya's care for the time and gently tucking an arm around the archdevil (okay, it was so a bid to steal some of the inherent warmth Belial always exuded). He also was quick to greet Rielle as politely as he could, since she sometimes took offense to his proximity to their shared devil.

"We have both seem some things before, but this I believe is a first."

Meanwhile Keldos saw Cain and went to his friend.

"Cain, have you seen anything like this before?"

Taki

Simply curiosity had been the lure. Myrgwae were notoriously curious, and so when the rumble of the drum had been translated Taki knew she simply had to see it. She'd almost seena dragon clutch hatch before on another world – that had been Dorth's – but events had thwarted it and sent Dorth's eggs really far away (though they had been saved) but now was her chance! It wasn't Dorth's eggs, which was sad as she really wanted to see that, but baby dragons simply had to be adorable! So as quick as she could she scurried there with the full blessings of her Bondeds.

And where else would she go when she got there but where all the people were going – directly onto the sands! She was quite happy to slip into the white robes, but as there was no one there to tell her otherwise kept her hat on her head where it properly belonged. She made an odd little picture, certainly, as she scanned the area with ears twitching.

*Where are the eggs?/ she mused 'out loud' in the manner of her kind. Spotting Cain, she gave a happy chirp and ran over to hug the skeleton more or less at the same moment he was about to answer to Keldos. *Hi Cain! Where are the dragon eggs? Do you know? Do we have to find them? Won't they not hatch if they get too cold?/ A blur of questions once more, little fuzzy ball of sunshine!

((And I'm in! Homework pending!))
Edited by Raferties, Aug 22 2017, 09:08 AM.
Note: Until further stated, Scarheart, Belial, and Cassandra have standing permission to powerplay Raferties or Anari.
Raferties and his Shinies ~~Anari and her Shinies~~ Keldos and his Shinies~~Cobalt and her Shinies~~Taki and her Shinies~~Kemori and his Shinies
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Miunari
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The Lost One
[ *  *  * ]
Nika, accompanied by Valorn, was curious as to what was going on, given she had just arrived and settled in in her little house in the outer corner of the village, close to the forest to keep better contact with Valorn and Fenrir. Said unicorn was also the one who told her about this event, whatever it was. He had been a little vague on what was exactly going on, which made sense after she arrived as she noticed the general confusion around. While nobody told him Valorn said he wouldn't join but told Nika to put on one of the white robes. Curious she left her unicorn and headed on towards the sands, still not knowing what was going on and not expecting dragons at all.
Edited by Miunari, Aug 27 2017, 10:41 PM.
My heart wants what it wants ღ

Primary Character & her Shinies
Selena Damons, female Shapeshifter, bold #00A6FF
Anaizth, male Silver Mottle Dragon, bold #5a5959

Voyath, female Green Dragon, Bold #07ab21
Miu, female Shay Illaro, Italics #A3EAFF

Secondary Character & her Shinies
Naya, female Kitsune, Bold Italics #6B0D6B
Elendeth, male Black Mottle Dragon, Bold Italic #00031c

Yui, female Void Astrum, Italics #470047

Tertiary Character &[url=XXX]her Shinies[/url]
Nika, female human
Valorn, male Valor Unicorn
Fenrir, male Sylvan Illaro
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Tidesweep
Shrine Attendant
[ *  *  * ]
Tide gave Anari a nod as the gold rider approached and then a blink of surprise as she started to talk to her. Looking around, the Flarean was sure that Anari was talking to someone else but quickly realized that Anari was in fact speaking to Tide. The shock of that made her very confused and she couldn't be sure what time Anari was referencing as there had been very few...Normal dragon bondings. "Are we talking about the one where someone upset the mother and was almost eaten? Or the one where the mother decided a rock cliff was better and of course, wild dragons had to attack and try and prove her wrong? Or do you mean the most recent one where we all got stuck on another world trying to recuse the eggs from rock? From where I am standing...None of these dragons bondings is quite like the last one. Which considering the last ones I have gone too...Is a very good thing. Though this is not."

She couldn't repress another shiver as she spotted more and more people she knew. At least she knew that whatever happened, there were cooler heads around. She would give Raferties a wave back as she watched him walk over to Belial. It was nice to see the archdevil walking around. Not that Tide knew much, but she did know that Raferties had been concerned over him and that was enough for her.

Cain looked over at Keldos as he approached, ignoring Mildred's sharp yelp as the once motionless skeleton moved quickly. Too quickly for her tastes. Not that Cain paid her much mind as he searched his memory banks. "Nope. Can't say I have. Which isn't saying a hell of lot for this place. I guess we just have to be prepared the best we can. Even if we know nothing."
"Death has a bone to pick with you and I'm here to help out." -Cain Skelington

"The waves have their own music...Are you listening?" - Tidesweep

"Don't take my silence for agreement. That would be a mistake."- Gertude Weavian

"I will protect what is mine with a will forged like a diamond."- Mildred Fresi

"Healing can take time. Lucky for you, you should having nothing but it for awhile."- Jeremi Kgute
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Miunari
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The Lost One
[ *  *  * ]
Selena, who had been nudged out of bed by an alarmed Anaizth, was still half asleep as said silver dropped her off at the sands. She certainly had no clue why she had to be there, given the fact she already had two dragons bonded to her but when the silver mottle insisted she had to go she trusted him on that and got ready. Upon arriving she noticed that there was something off, first of all there were no eggs at all, second of all the sand was pretty damn cold. Grabbing a robe and somehow draping it around her she was too tired to remember to leave her weapons, since nobody demanded it. Nearly falling asleep again she would nod to those she knew before waiting on what would happen next.


(Selena totally is a sleepyhead :D
And I hope it is alright to bring her in even if she doesn't get another dragon?)
My heart wants what it wants ღ

Primary Character & her Shinies
Selena Damons, female Shapeshifter, bold #00A6FF
Anaizth, male Silver Mottle Dragon, bold #5a5959

Voyath, female Green Dragon, Bold #07ab21
Miu, female Shay Illaro, Italics #A3EAFF

Secondary Character & her Shinies
Naya, female Kitsune, Bold Italics #6B0D6B
Elendeth, male Black Mottle Dragon, Bold Italic #00031c

Yui, female Void Astrum, Italics #470047

Tertiary Character &[url=XXX]her Shinies[/url]
Nika, female human
Valorn, male Valor Unicorn
Fenrir, male Sylvan Illaro
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Retsom
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
The sun was especially warm where Retsom lay, eyes closed and a slight snore coming from him. It helped that his side was lined up along part of Tanzanth, the sweet mottle content to be there with him. On his other side Vallasta was preening her green and blue feathers, pleasantly quiet in the daytime.

Their peace would soon fade away as the sounds of drums would start faint, easy for him to ignore in his sleep. Granted Tanzanth would lift his head, lavender hues highlighting across his scales as he looked towards the direction of it.

More dragons are hatching. Do you wish to wake and possibly greet them? If you want to continue sleeping you can though. Tanzanth's mind speak would be as soft as his underbelly was to touch.

Patience was definitely Tanzanth's strong suit thankfully as Retsom stopped snoring, waking slowly to the thoughts of other young dragons being born. Both eyes would slowly open, staring at the bluish.... Nope purple... No green.. Apparently the color changing sky.

As the silence stretched Retsom would finally turn his head towards the sound of Tanzanth's frilled tail sliding over the ground, almost counting the seconds that he waited. Retsom knew that his white dragon would never push him but wanted to go all the same. With a small smile he would nod, Tanzanth giving a toothy dragon grin in return.

Let me fly us this time. We will get there much faster.

"If you really want me to, Tanzanth. I feel like I may be a bit too big for you sometimes."

His companion would scoff at him before they exchanged a small chuckle. With that, they were off, landing in the tense atmosphere of the summoning. Retsom would be willing to follow what everyone else was doing but would keep a hand to Tanzanth's side. His hand would carress along the circular scales, seeking comfort in their sleek softness and Tanzanth's calm.

"Hello Cobalt. How are you fairing?" Seeing the warforged Retsom felt that it would be good to at least converse with her.... With someone to cut some of the tension and quiet that was over the area... That lacked the obvious part of a dragon hatching.... The eggs. This was a world ruled by the IF though so maybe they were and he just could not see them.

-----------------------------------------

"Praneeth! You move too fast!" Ixeh's cloth shoes padded on the sandy, chasing after her blue mottle dragon. Breathless laughter filled the air and filled her mind as they ran about.

They ran until Ixeh gave up, falling to the sandy shore with Corain pacing up to run a wet nose along her face. Praneeth's head when then appear above her, water dripping from her nose onto Ixeh cheek.

"No... NO, no, no, nonononono. Eek! PRANEETH!" Salt water soaked her dress as the dragon dropped a mouthful of it all over her. "That is not fair to do... Or nice."

You never said I had to play fair. Anyway, you could use a wash off after all that running.

Sitting up she shook out her hair, getting ready to say something when both her bonded seemed distracted. Pausing she would listen carefully over the waves of the rushing ocean, the sounds of drums drifting on the air.

"Sounds like we have somewhere to be Praneeth. Corrain please go home and keep Yozak company." With that she would climb on to Praneeth, letting the wind on the way their dry off her clothes.

When they arrived she would go over and put on a robe of her own assuming this is what was supposed to be since everyone was wearing them. The robe would pool about her lithe figure, swamping her in nothing but white.

Look! You have found the perfect look for when your dress is needing cleaned! Laughter would follow this across the bond as Ixeh shook her head.

She would tie it up about her so at least from the knees down would not get tangled in it. While she tied the energy for the area would strain at her, letting her get a small idea what everyone was feeling. Best to be alert for it even as she had to follow an antsy Praneeth about the area, even waving to Tide briefly.
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Belial
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Archduke
[ *  *  * ]
Posted Image

Heat makes the prey weak.

On silent claw tips stalking, hidden, coiled, poised to spring. Shadows hiding, watching, the one alert thing amidst the indolent and sleepy. Lips curl over fangs, heartbeat slows, hunter's calm.

That one.

The buck may be in his prime, young, strong. Not usual prey when there are elders, fawns, the injured to hunt. But this one is too stupid to live, dozing carelessly away from his herd. Confident. Too confident. A fatal miscalculation.

Muscles bunch, tensing, weight shifts. Leap!

DRUMS!

The buck awakened with a start and bolted away to safety just as Kemashi's Hound landed, furious, snarling, right where he had been just seconds before. The beast had a mouthful of dirt and twigs instead of hot, bloody venison, and she was angry.

At least until Shrayla took control back of her own mind and body and forced herself to shift back to her more humanoid form. She coughed out the loam and groaned, sore from the shift in ways she never had been before the...incident.

She'd preferred being broken. Being repaired was awful.

The werewolf rolled off her back and to her belly, groaning more as the twisting motion sent more shattering aches through her...admittedly naked body -- clothing didn't survive the shift -- and tried to shake the leaves out of her hair. And the fork.

There was a cutlery tree here too. Illogical Field. Best not to ask questions.

She was looking around for some of her stockpiles of clothing -- she had them all over the forests, deserts, mountains, anywhere the Hound had to run -- when the meaning of the drums actually sank in.

Wait, what?

A Hatching? Wasn't Weyrwoman Sandasa just saying this was the first time in Haven history there were no eggs on the Hatching Sands? Even Yuleth was only halfway through carrying her current clutch, nowhere near ready to lay them, let alone hatch them!

Most of the queens have yet to even rise to mate, Anaeth supplied helpfully. Odd, is it not? I suggest you get to the Hatching Sands. And while they will make you change upon entry I also suggest you find clothing first. Nudity is generally frowned upon.

Shrayla pulled an oilcloth sack of low-quality clothes out from under a rock formation and selected a mismatched ensemble from her supply before shoving the sack back into its hiding spot. She dressed in the oversized burlap shirt and sackcloth pants in a rush and headed back for the Weyr at a run barefoot.

At least she had a good instinctive sense for direction.

Although her fair of firelizards wouldn't have let her get lost, popping into being near her head and pulling her by the ears to make her run faster. The lot of them seemed to be radiating anxiety rather than the joy one might expect to associate with a birthing of some sort.

When Shrayla got to the Hatching Sands, she figured out why. They were colder than the Silver Marches and emptier than the plains of Cania. Thankfully Cania was not the measure for temperature, however, because Shrayla had no fond memories of the bone-snapping chill.

Her rags were doffed for a Candidate's robe, familiar by now -- she'd met Tiombeth at a traditional Hatching.

The bright side to being so unarmed and nearly naked was that if things went drastically wrong...shifting would be easier. Although Shrayla wasn't entirely sure that was a bright side at the moment.


Posted Image

"Get. Your. Ass. Up."

Alianne's tone was unrelenting and unforgiving, equally so was the toe of her boot lodging underneath Jacien's armpit and kicking him over, forcing him to crawl to his hands and knees, groaning.

Sobriety, Day Three. It wasn't pretty. Jacien was sweat-stained, as well as being stained with other things best not mentioned. Alianne sneered, disgusted, but peeled her colleague out of his clothing, dragged him through a thorough and painfully cleansing bath, dried him up, dressed him in new clothing, and dragged him down to the Hatching Sands by the back of his neck.

"You need to get outside of yourself again or you'll never get better," Alianne growled when Jacien put up a token protest at the proverbial door. "There's nothing saying you'll Impress again, but you need to DO something or you're just going to lie on the floor and hurt and feel sorry for yourself."

"Fine, then I'll stand up and hurt and feel sorry for myself," Jacien snapped, in the grips of an uncharacteristic mood swing fully attributable to withdrawal from a depended-upon substance (fellis, for those curious). "I'm not doing this unless you're standing out there with me. Prove to me that you're not a hypocrite wrapped up in her own head about a hand she no longer has."

"We have been friends for a long time, Jacien, so I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that to me," Alianne ground out through clenched teeth. "Because I understand that you're struggling with sobriety. But open your mouth again and I will use my brand new, fully mechanical hand to crush your larynx and shut you up. Are we clear?"

"...yes ma'am, Knight Commander." Jacien fell into a peevish silence for a while while Alianne dragged him progressively up the queue to the Sands. Traffic was becoming a little choked at entry, but it was at least still moving. It gave Jacien the time to think, come to a realization from a part of his brain *not* steeped in pain and chemical imbalance, and exhale a low, ashamed sigh. "I really am sorry, Ali. I don't even know why I- It just- I used to handle pain so much better, until it became everything. Now I guess I'm like a rabid animal, just trying to make things hurt as much as I do. Which is irrational, because I don't actually want to hurt anyone, least of all the people I love, especially you. You're the closest I have to a sister since all my kin-sisters died."

"I'll accept your apology when I've seen more evidence of good behavior," Alianne murmured after a few moments, her tone having shifted from staccato cold fury to a more tepid placation.

Perhaps as a sign she was willing to stay long enough to see evidence of Jacien's newfound self-awareness, Alianne also exchanged her attire for a Candidate robe, but she kept her sword on her person.

"What? I like to think I had good instincts even before Myune invested so much into honing my abilities," the paladin defended, strapping her holy avenger about her waist and making her robe look more like a dress...or, perhaps more appropriate to the circumference of the muscles of her arms, a warrior's tunic. "Something is wrong. Very wrong. First of all, eggs. This is a hatching event, right? No eggs! Secondly, eggs have to be hot, and the Hatching Sands are really not right now."

She speaks correctly, added Rhun, the black mottle flit popping into being just over Jacien's head. Be prepared.

Jacien tried to shake off his sense of stupor, and what he got was anxious. Was he physically up for what was about to happen?


Posted Image

You must go, mine. Junior weyrwomen must attend all Hatchings, Mialuth insisted. And then maybe you can tell me whose eggs they are?

"You don't know?"

No. I have yet to rise, Yuleth is still carrying, Barrandath only just rose...there are no eggs on the Hatching Sands that belong to any of the golden queens of Haven Weyr. Mialuth paused, considering. The recovery teams had also reported an utter lack of Mottle nests abandoned in the wild. None of their eggs on the sand either. This drum cadence is very strange. So you should go.

Linah laughed, but privately, in a place even Mialuth wasn't allowed to see, pain stabbed at her. Could she go to a Hatching and risk Impression after...what she'd done to Myth? Then again, Impression was destined, so either she was qualified or she wasn't. Besides, Mialuth wanted to know what was going on.

"Fine, but I'm going armed. I'm getting that weird buzzy ringing in my head that usually means trouble."

Not quite the Presence, but almost? She couldn't quite describe it, but it was almost like fifteen degrees off sensing a rival Immortal nearby.

She was taking her daggers, at least.

Then she did a quick head-count and came up short. "Mialuth, where's my daughter?"

Zhi asked me not to inform you that she intended to go to the Hatching Sands ahead of you, Mialuth replied simply, guilelessly.

Goddess bless Pernese dragons.

"I swear, that girl will be the death of me. Just remember, beloved Mialuth, if it isn't my head, I'll be back soon. I know it's a shock, but-"

I know now. I wish you had told me the first time.

THAT twinge of guilt made it across the rider/dragon bond just fine. "I'm so sorry, I thought I'd have more time before that would happen. And I am so, so thankful Sandasa convinced you to stay."

Forced. She and Yuleth forced me to stay. They are quite powerful. Queens can will lesser dragons into compliance, but one queen has to be much stronger for it to work on a fellow queen. I...was not grateful until I felt you return to me, and then I believe I promised to bring Yuleth the choicest buck I could find the first day I grew big enough to hunt.

Linah blinked away a few tears but giggled, because that sounded like a terribly Mialuth way to thank the older queen. "I love you, Mialuth. I really do. And I'm trying to be better."

I know. Now go. I'm terribly curious.

She wiped her eyes before she darted out her door, as barefoot as she usually preferred to be. She noticed something was wrong when she got to the Sands proper.

They were cold. She'd burned her feet Impressing Mialuth, but now she felt like she was walking on snow.

The absence of eggs was also pretty suspicious.

She relayed this all to Mialuth, who felt it was odd enough to come and perch on the rim of the Weyr, overlooking from a distant high perch.

Linah's other interest, however, finally caught her eye, and the Immortal caught up with her thirteen year old adopted daughter -- dressed like a Candidate, predictably -- in short order.

"There's a clear age limit posted on the entryway," Linah chided. "Must be fifteen years or older to be a Candidate."

Zhi just smiled enigmatically at her in that distant way that she'd adopted since wishing on a comet had granted her the ability to speak with spirits.

"No, I'm right where I need to be. They told me to come here. She's waiting for me to catch up with her, I think. Or maybe I'm waiting for her. It's hard to tell in a place like this. Time isn't behaving itself."

Linah raised both eyebrows. "What makes you say that, exactly?"

Zhi nodded at another Candidate, a slightly heavyset man with square plastic glasses frames and short, curly hair, five o'clock shadow over pasty skin, looking every bit like a man who worked in a cubicle daily and didn't get enough sunlight.

"Kevin. Perfectly alive, you see him right there. His ghost is also over there," Zhi nodded in another direction, to an empty space Linah couldn't see filled with anything but sand and air, "and I'd say he's a Hatching casualty. And the dragons. They're everywhere. One minute full-grown, the next, mewling hatchlings, and then not only grown but veteran, scarred from battle and experience."

"I have to admit, I don't see anything," Linah muttered, checking the snug fit of the daggers hidden in the small of her back. "Not a thing."

"They're all around us," Zhi intoned, raising her hands to indicate the entire facility of the Hatching Sands. "We're surrounded."




thank you owl for the permissions and details for zhi's psychic stuff and i'm sorry for the late words were not cooperating with brain
"Life is not about what you deserve. Life is about free will, life is about what you choose. Afterlife is about what you deserve, and all the Heavens forfend you deserve me." --Belial

"Redemption is a work in progress. I've...got a lot of work left to do." --Shrayla

"Fair winds and good fortune to you, friend." --Khareesh

"I think you have me mistaken for someone penitent, and I don't appreciate it." --Melonwei

"If someone rains on your parade, start dancing in the rain." --Linah

"The rules of the Lord of Poetic Justice are very simple. You do unto others as you would have me do unto you, aye?" -- Aletha Hoarfrost

"War's the candy, I'm just the wrapper, but that doesn't make me ready to die any time soon." --Arieh Harel
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