Taking a sneaky peak (open/candidates?)

[guest]

Oh, she had heard that they weren't allowed to. She had been told that they shouldn't. She had been warned that Renth was mean and so was her rider. But would all of that stop Lianra? Of course not! She wanted to see the Eggs for herself. Maybe not touch them, not yet, but at least look at them with her own eyes. She wanted to see the golden egg for herself because seeing it would make it more real to her. By looking at it, she would at least have a picture to go along with what she has been imagining for a while.

It was just before dusk and there would still be many candlemarks to go before the Headwoman called lights out for the Candidates, so Linara figured she had enough time to scurry to the Hatching Grounds and get one good look from the outside of the Eggs. She approached, wearing the finest clothes made of all black that were in her possession and stopped in front of the Hatching Grounds, too scared to look inside.

but if she really hoped to ride a queen, or any other dragon for that matter, she knew she had to have courage. She had heard from some of the people she talked to was that dragonets right when they Hatched, respected courage and those who were brave Impressed. Linara was going to be one of those girls. She would show everyone how brave she could be.

Creeping closer, Linara put her hand on the rocky edge of the entrance to the Hatching Grounds. Then she looked inside. It was dimly lit and she thought it was hard to see anything. It took a little while but her eyes adjusted to the light and she could see for herself the eggs that lay on the Hatching Grounds. They were all...beautiful.

"Wow...so pretty."

[Kisha-Ra]

Idara almost held her breath, trying to make as little sound as possible. How long had it been since she’d crept up to peer at a dragon’s eggs, two turns? Longer? Longer probably she hadn’t even been old enough to stand for the last clutch laid at her Weyr community. Not that anyone knew it would be the last then…

Her mind didn’t remember the time clearly but her body remembered how to move, slowly, stealthy, keeping off the sands, not tell tale boot prints in the sand and if you were caught skulking around the stands rather than the sand it was much easier to protest your innocent intentions.

So Idara stalked forward, a study in grace and poise, the very pinnacle of stealthly movement. It was a shame that her platinum blonde hair caught the remaining light quite noticeably and she had neglected to change her emerald green shirt for something plainer. She had to see those eggs and send a report back. Yes, there, a glint of gold. There was a queen egg for sure, a lot of others too though. Idara got a bit closer to have a better look before Renth returned. Some sound made her eyes flick sideways to the enterance of the hatching grounds, a deep black shadow in grey black shadows. A human shadow. Idara worked her way around the stands towards it.

[guest]

The girl was almost too distracted by the glistening golden Egg to notice that there were the sounds of another person coming. Her eyes had been focused on the Queen Egg for a very long time, but they did occassionally fall on the other ones that surrounded the golden one and she could see the black egg near it clearly from where she was. It was kind of creepy, but at the same time it was beautiful. She wished that the Eggs were hard enough so that she could go and touch them, especially the Queen Egg. If she hoped to Impress the gold or black beauty that lay inside, she knew she was going to have to Touch it as affectionately and lovingly as she could.

She was about to sigh with her longing when she heard footsteps behind her and immediately she got scared. What if it was the Candidate Master? What if it was Maylina? Or Her weyrmate? What if it was one of the Weyrleaders or another dragonrider? Biting her lip, she slid away from the entrance, hoping that whoever it was wouldn't see her. But she could tell in the light that they were coming straight for her and the sounds of their footsteps became louder and louder until they were almost close enough to talk to.

"Hello?" She whispered, trying to feel brave. If she got in trouble, then so be it. No one, no matter who they were, were going to tell Linara that she couldn't just look at the gorgeous Eggs! Even if it was Maylina herself! "I'm staying here, no matter who you are!"

Her voice was fierce even though she didn't feel that way, but she knew she had to have courage if she was going to Impress anything!

[Kisha-Ra]

Idara leaned forward against the low barrier separating the stands from the business area of the hatching grounds and fixed her eyes on the girl in black, Idara’s expression was completely neutral, an expression she was getting good at now. It was important for a spy to be able to converse about anything without showing her true feelings. She searched her mind for something to say, preferably something that wouldn’t start an argument, a commotion here was sure to attract someone’s attention.

‘Well I can hardly send you away, seeing as I have as much right to be here as you.’ Idara commented, deliberately keeping her voice relaxed. Now there was a sentence that held double meaning now, technically neither of them had a right to be her, if they were caught they might even be banned from standing, however to judge by her tone the other girl thought she had a right to look at Renth’s eggs. Of course now Idara had more or less admitted she was here illicitly the other candidate could go and inform on her, but that would put doubt on just how she’d known what Idara was doing, an impasse.

[guest]

Who was this other girl, Linara thought, frowning at the female who had just stepped into more the light. She didn't recognize her from the Candidate barracks, but that could be explained by the fact that she hadn't been given a roommate because she was so new. All the other girls had roommates, though. She wondered which room this girl was in, if she was a Candidate. Though by her words and what she suggested, Linara couldn't help to think that she was.

"Of course you can't send me away," She snapped in reply, trying to make up for the fact that she had been a little afraid of the girl at first when she didn't know who exactly she was. "Why are you out here, anyways? I thought most people would be too scare to come and see Renth's eggs."

Her words were a challenge to the other girl's character and Linara couldn't help seeing this newcommer as a threat to her chances of Impressing the queen of the Clutch.

[Yamamoto]

Lithe was sitting more in the shadows than the two girls. He had been there abit longer then they had and had wacthed them sneak in. He lisitined to them talking and when it sounded to him like they were fighting abit he just giggled. He liked looking at the eggs. Even if he was told to leave he would have just come back becuase he though that the eggs were really pretty to look at. Tree and Sky where somwhere else. Lithe did not want to bring them becuase they would somtimes make to much noise and could possiably get him caught. After a bit he dicided to go and join the two girls in there hiding spot so he crept down there and sat there behind them and wisphered " Now now you two there is no reason for fighting. You will just get cuaght that way."

[Bookworm]

Renth finished off her last herdbeast. Full and satisfied, she quickly flew back to the Hatching Grounds. She hated to leave her legs, but a girl had to eat. She crooned at the sight of her eggs safe and sound on the sands, all looking lovely as ever. They were getting harder, and she was sure they would hatch soon. Landing among the clutch, she nosed a few eggs, rolling them over to make sure they got even heat. She then turned her attentions to the gold egg, piling up more sand around it.

It was then that a faint whisper reached her ears. She lifted her head, eyes whirling red and yellow with alarm. She hissed, craning her neck and stalking close to the stands to find out who was there. Noticing shadowy figures in the stands, she bugled. SPIES![/color] she screamed, leaping into the air and flying back to her clutch, landing in front of it and flaring her wings protectively. Mine, help! There are spies in the sands! They want to hurt my eggs![/color]

"Shards!" Maylina started running to the Hatching Grounds, hoping Renth was just being paranoid again.

[Kisha-Ra]

Idara didn’t move from her relaxed leaning, though she was really quite a ways from actually tranquil at the moment, firstly this girl whoever she was, a newly arrived candidate and somebody’s only daughter would be Idara’s guess from her actions, was being rather loud and would probably attract attention if she kept at it and secondly she was quite offensive as well.

Idara took a breath in preparation to answering when a third person, a boy this time, drifted over and whispered a question. Idara kept her calm face on, though the question was quite insulting to her mind she was doing her best not to fight and she didn’t need some boy to come along and tell her she didn’t want t get caught either.

‘We’re not fighting, whoever you are.’ Idara answered the boy first and then turned to the other girl. ‘Well it’s pretty obvious that you’re not the only person who wants a quick look.’ Idara considered adding that she’d snuck around peering at dragon eggs before but something told her that one of the other two would call her a liar so she kept quiet on that score and let her gaze slide back to the eggs. She wondered if any of them contained another black queen, or another of the big silver males. Those two and the white were the only strange colours that hadn’t been duplicated in the second gold clutch Idara recalled. Or maybe there’d be even more different coloured dragons…

This contemplation was interrupted by the return of Renth. Idara’s breath caught in her throat and she slowly hunkered lower down, hopefully out of site of the ebony. However some sight or sound, or maybe even scent had alerted the black dragon. Either that or she hadn’t actually noticed and was simply paranoid. Either way it meant Renth’s rider, a woman with a reputedly formidable attitude, was on the way.

Idara looked around for another way out, forgetting for a moment that the new weyr wasn’t made like the old ones, and came up blank. ‘Time to go.’ She whispered barely above the volume of a breath. ‘We’ll have better luck looking innocent if we’re outside the entrance.’ Idara slunk that way without looking to see if the others were coming, of course her speed was hampered by her desire not to be seen by Renth.

[guest]

ooc: I guess I wasn't clear, but Linara wasn't being loud or anything....

ic: Surprised by another voice, Linara turned quickly and glared at the other person. It was Lithe! What was he doing sneaking around? And he didn't even realize that they weren't fighting. She wasn't being loud at all!

"Hush, if someone hears me, then they're bound to hear you, too," She said coldly to him, her eyes narrowing. She hated hated hated being surprised by people like this and it was getting on her nerves.

It would have been better if she would have tried to arrange a peek with some of the other Candidates because now all of them were here bickering at each other when they should have been admiring the Eggs! They were all so silly, but it was still irritating because all Linara had wanted to do was look in and sigh..

She was about to say something else to Idara when she heard a distant bugle that had managed to reach all the way over here. A shadow was cast over the Sands and it was so large that Linara knew that it must be Renth! She was back! Gulping in terror she ducked down almost at the same time as Idara. This would probably mean that her rider Maylina was going to come back, too! Oh, no! If they got caught...Linara didn't even want to think about what could happen!

Ducking down on the floor of the stands, she crawled along quickly and saw that there was a row of stairs just next to her. She quickly made her way down them, keeping as low to the floor as possible until she got to the bottom row. Then she continued to crawl, hoping that she could get out a lot faster than the other two so she wouldn't get caught. She hoped that from the way she was crawling and had crawled down the stairs, Renth wouldn't have seen her because she was hidden by the row above her each time.

She was almost to the entrance now, though!

[Bookworm]

((Sorry Yama, but I want to continue this and hopefully finish it before the Hatching is done.))

Renth couldn't see the candidates, hidden as they were, but she stayed close to the stands, bobbing her head as she searched for signs of movement. Flitterthings! Help me![/color] she commanded, scaring Maylina's flitts half out of their wits with her voice. But they obeyed, blinking out of between on the sands. Blue Bermuda, green Star, and brown Copper started searching the stands, flying over the benches.

It didn't take Copper long to spot one girl near the entrance. Bugling, he dove and grabbed her collar in his claws, pulling her back. In the same moment, Maylina strode onto the sands. Scowling, she followed Copper over to Linara, shaking her head and glaring down at the girl. "You're no spy!" Bemused, she turned to Renth. She's not a spy, just a stupid, annoying candidate. Privately, she thought that this could have been avoided if Renth had just allowed an egg Touching, but she didn't want to upset her dragon with that.

Star and Bermuda, meanwhile, had found Lithe and Idara. The flitts circled around them, keeping them from running away. "Who else is there?" Maylina called.

[guest]

Oh, no no no! Just when she had neatly hopped to her feet and was about to scramble to the entrance, something brown and almost larger than her head came buzzing by. Gasping with terror, she ducked, nearly hitting her head on one of the rocky 'seats' in the very last row of the sands. He had caught on, though and she didn't want to try to yank him off in case he ended up hurting him and making the situation even worse! Twisting her neck as far as she could to keep the flit from digging into her skin, she tried to make it a little further out, but nearly ran smack into the woman who she was starting to avoid.

Her eyes went wide in surprise and shock and she stopped struggling against the little lizard's grasp. Oh no no no she was going to be in trouble! But not if she talked fast! And what was this? A spy? What was Maylina talking about?

"No, notta spy," She said, quickly, rubbing her neck from where Copper was throttling her. Now she was feeling angry. Maylina, queenrider or not, needed to call this nasty firelizard off of her! "Can you move him? He's gonna scratch up my neck!"She did not sound scared, but annoyed that the firelizard was still attached to her.

"There are two other Candidates here" She said quickly, nodding in their directions. "We just wanted to see the Eggs..."Her sentence hung because she knew that Maylina would understand how it felt to be Candidate who couldn't even touch the Eggs before the Hatching that would come later.

[Kisha-Ra]

Idara let out a hiss of sheer frustration, she knew there had to be something bad about such an overabundance of firelizards as this Weyr currently had, one of those things naturally was the ability of dragons to command the less intelligent creatures. She tried thinking of between but either the firelizard that caught her was smarter than that or more afraid of Renth than between.

Idara had no desire to be covered in firelizard scratches, plus she was already caught red handed, so when Maylina asked who else was there she answered. ‘Idara ma’am.’ And wondered if now was a good time to pretend to be stupid.

[Bookworm]

Maylina eyed Copper and sighed. "Oh, please. He's harmless." Sending him an image to lay off the girl, she held out her hand, and the brown landed on her forearm. She called the other two flitts back as well. She turned to the other girl when she made herself known. The name sounded vaguely familiar, and Maylina knew she was a candidate. "Just wanted to see the eggs, eh?" Maylina repeated, chuckling. Sneaking onto the sands! Something I might have done myself. She didn't dare say that out loud, though.

Renth growled and padded up behind her, lowering her head to address the three candidates directly. Her eyes were whirling with molten red. Maylina decided to let Renth do the talking. How dare you sneak onto the sands without my permission! You stupid candidates might have done something to hurt the eggs? Humans are so clumsy, what if you fell on one and crushed it? What if you somehow started an early Hatching? A thousand things could have gone wrong and it would have been YOUR fault! Stupid candidates! What do you have to say for yourselves?[/color] She hissed, waiting for the candidate's answers. Maylina put a hand on her dragon's knee, both backing her up and trying to soothe her.

[Kisha-Ra]

Idara nodded in agreement to the statement that they had only wanted to look at the eggs. Maylina seemed fairly calm about all this which ment they were probably going to catch merry hell in a minute or two. Her suspicion was borne out by Renth approcing like a malevolent and highly annoyed shadow creature, the kind of thing that woke children in the night and sent them crying to their mamas. But Idara was no child to be frightened by shadows and Renth might be angry now but dragons forgot quickly.

To Idara’s amazement Renth sounded like a paranoid child herself and she realised that among dragons Renth was very young to have a clutch, she was like a girl who had only just become a woman before having a child. In that moment Idara felt a little sorry for Renth, though if she was human instead of a creature with a head bigger than Idara’s whole body the girl might have felt bold enough to tell her most of her concerns were silly. How could they fall on an egg from up here? None of them were crazy enough to go on the sands. Plus the eggs would be hardened now and if there was anything on record that caused premature hatchings Idara would bet her last mark that the candidate would have been told about it and threatened with a fate worse than death if they ever dared do it.

However Idara said none of this because even though dragons had never hurt people on purpose there was something about a mouth that big that made you want not to test the theory. Instead she looked at her feet and apologised. ‘Sorry Renth.’ She spoke quietly but clearly. She wasn’t sorry she had looked, but she was sorry she’d gotten caught and upset Renth.

[Yamamoto]

Lithe finally reaveled himself aslo. Though he walked down and sat on the row of benches closest to the sands. That was when Tree and Sky appeared and landed on ethier shoulder. They both gave looks to the firelizards that had been flying near there pet. Lithe just sighed. He was not going to tell Renth she was being silly. Though he certainly was not going to apoligze. To any other dragon he would have. Though not to Renth. He knew she would forget and it problery would not matter latter. He just looked at Maylina and said " I was looking at them to. My name is Lithe." There was no hint of apolige in his voice. He did not want to. It would take quite abit to get him to do so. Though it would never be a heart felt apolige.