About time! (Open)

[Jenth]

Jorindath’s discomfort was reaching its limits, the usually kind and friendly violet was losing patience and becoming snappy. She complained of the eggs that bulged through her belly stretching her hide, which is a surprise since she never used to care so much about those things. For once the young violet was acting like the queen she was but Inolyn was sure if she liked it, or whether it would last past hatching. Maternal instincts only lasted as long as the eggs did, leaving the hatchlings to their new lifemates.

But since Inolyn was stuck in the Weyr she had decided it would be more productive putting herself to work then lazing about. Among the many things she liked to do was help the drudges of the lower caverns with laundry. At first they had been hesitant, she was a young weyrwoman and much too important to help with laboring tasks, but in time they accepted and welcomed her. Mostly they spoke of gossip and news; who was jumping from bed to bed and recent births. Time passed quickly and being outside helped her keep an eye on Jorindath, whom she was told could start clutching without and warning. Up till date there had been a few false alarms, the violet going to the hatching sands only to inspect and dig around to make sure they were to her standards. Inolyn soon stopped following her, the time would come eventually.

I feel so much lighter! It took a few seconds to register what this meant, the girl nearly dropping the basket she carried. “Sorry, got to go! Jorindath’s laying!” By the time she reached the entrence Jorindath had just laid her third egg. Oh you wonderful dragon, you could have told me so I could be here with you!

I couldn’t wait, the eggs were ready The violet lay down in wait, it would take till tomorrow till all the eggs would be on the sands.

[ShadowReine]

I just saw Jorindath go to the Hatching sands

B'can dropped the record he was working on. "Don't make me jump. And she's gone there six times."

I know. But this time she isn't leaving. We should go check on her

The tan sounded almost worried about his mate and his eggs. Almost.

"Ask her first. She might be one of those queens who likes to be alone when she's laying." It was, after all, a rather private thing. And B'can did not know Jorindath very well. What mattered, of course, was a decent sized clutch. Violets did not lay nearly as many eggs as golds did, of course.

Lovely Jorindath, would you appreciate my company? the tan sent to the violet, his tones showing a different affection from the comfortable ease he shared with a rider. But with a bit of an edge. He *wanted* to see the eggs!

[Jenth]

It will be a long wait, expecially by myself. You are welcome to see our clutch Jorindath sent back equally as loving tones with her own acsents of pride. Everyone had been waiting for today and she did not plan to disappoint. Oh! A sharp spike shot through her thoughts as her body trembled with a contration, dragging herself back to her feet.

Inolyn sat herself at the bottom of the stands closest to her dragon. All she could do was comfort her dragon, and the shoes she wore wouldn't be much protection from the heat radiating from the ground. Honestly she wasn't sure whhy she waited but she wouldn't feel content to leave till the whole clutch had been lain.

[ShadowReine]

In bare moments, the tan spiraled down into the hatching grounds. He touched down, allowing B'can to dismount.

The tanrider might not stay the entire time, but he was sure that Inolyn would not be willing to leave Jorindath, and he could at least be moral support.

There were already three eggs on the Sands, looking a little wrinkled as new-hatched eggs tended to. They would expand and then harden. B'can knew it was normal, but it was odd to see them...he had never bothered much with observing clutchings before.

For his part, Apolloth settled to the Sands, regarding his mate with a little bit of confusion and concern. *He* knew very little about the process of laying eggs, and it did not seem to be entirely...comfortable. Still, those were his children as well as hers.

Healthy dragons, that was all that mattered to either of them, in the end. Would they even give the Weyr another violet?

It would be hard to tell. Violet eggs did not stand out the way gold eggs did.

"Inolyn. Three already, I see."

That was a good sign for a large clutch.

[Jenth]

"Four..." Inolyn pointed, just as it droped onto the sands with the others. This one was a good size, visable just a little larger then the rest. A good sign of things to come, but Inolyn wasnt keeping her fingers crossed for a violet queen. More fighting dragons was what she hoped for, numbers would slowly rise and there were already too much tension between to four queens and only so much Weyr. "Its about time she started laying. Was starting to worry whether I would have to roll her out of her weyr."

Jorindath reached up to nuzzle Apolloth, but a small protective part of her wished to push him back and away from the clutch. There may be only four now, but she would not have him squashing and breaking her children! Actually she should be more concerned about the fact he was more interested in eggs then her, but eggs were first.

Inolyn gave a small sly smile to her dragon's thoughts, but said nothing. "Take a seat, it'll be a while. What are your guessed, as the father's rider?"

[ShadowReine]

B'can hrmed. "How many came from the last tan-violet clutch? Although Jorindath is a little larger, so might lay better."

He sat down, carefully, next to Inolyn. Apolloth nuzzled the violet, then moved back a little. She needed space to put the eggs that were coming at regular intervals, after all.

"That one looks a good size. Tan, maybe?" After what had happened with the last tan-violet clutch, he was not going to assume a bronze. There might not even be any greens.

Well. He would have to see what was going on with them. There were beautiful eggs, at least. "And that very small one...barred or green. But we'll have to see. You never know what might happen. We might get even *more* new colors."

If there was a violet, Apolloth would be insufferable for months. He was already incredibly smug about being a father.

[Jenth]

"Kelth's last two clutches had fourteen, though I expected more from the last with Wuith as the sire." The hatchlings though were large! The new colors were mostly the size of browns and that's all they could hope for. That and a few more which the entire Weyr predicted.

Inolyn studied the latest egg Jorindath was hovering over as she nosed warm sand around it to cradle it. "Hmmm... brown maybe? Or equivilent, hard to tell when the rest might be barreds." They all looked alike right now, no unusual markings or patterns, just normal eggs.

"Jorindath surprised everyone when she hatched from a gold egg, she'll do it again. Traditionally a violet, calm tempered, fire-breathing queen shouldn't exist."

[ShadowReine]

"Neither should a light brown dragon the size of a small bronze," B'can pointed out. "Of course, Apolloth thinks he's considerably better than any bronze."

More so since having flown a queen, even if she was violet, not gold. "Still. She is, most emphatically, a queen. And proving it quite nicely right now."

He glanced over at the dragons for a moment. "And quite the attractive creature, too." If one liked purple. Not everyone did, after all. Some people thought the violet queens were, well. Gaudy. Loud. They certainly stuck out at a distance, almost more than a full grown gold did.

Almost. He did wonder why the new colors had not yet shown up in the whers. The last clutch had been all normal colors.

[Jenth]

Thoughts of what bronze Kayth would think of that flooded into her mind. Certainly the Tan might be concidered equal but while he was Nayarath's mate, He was above them all. Then again, the coppery bronze may not have it in him to pick fights or stomp on ambitions. Such quarrels amoung dragons were very rare, and mostly included one's riders.

"Jorindath had thought herself pretty, but thats no different from any other female. She just doesnt think she's the most beautiful creature on Pern as other queens do." Her deep, rich color and lighter violet wing sails, perfect hide and long tail. She was beautiful. The violet was vain, and Inolyn was sure once the eggs has been lain she would be torn between protecting them and showing them off to anyone curious and brave enough to approach her for the privledge.

"Violets stand out no more then barred, charcoals, tans and skys do. They're different and thats the only thing people think when they see them." Even Nayarath seemed to think that Voluspath was more important then Jorindath, purely over the color of their hides. Because violets were smaller then her, they were under her...maybe...

[ShadowReine]

B'can considered that for a moment. "The way things are going, the older colors will be almost rarer than the newer ones."

Violets were different from golds, he had definitely noticed that. Different in personality and, presumably, in the riders they chose for themselves. Tans were different from bronzes...although Apolloth seemed to be the most bronze-like of Aphelion's tans.

"But some people think violet is a rather garish color for dragons to come in. They should look at some of the greens." Maideneth was pretty bright, he thought. Of course, greens were a lot smaller, so the brilliance of their color was distinctly less obvious.

Jorindath was pretty big. Bronze sized, he thought. "And you're right. Every female thinks she's pretty. Some of them are even right."

It wasn't...exactly...a line, although it came dangerously close to being one.

[Jenth]

Inolyn trained ears picked up his last words, but whether they were directed at her or Jorindath there wasnt much certainty. Since they were taking of dragons, it had to be the violet he meant, watching as she layed a fifth.

You are beautiful, and talented. You are mine and no other will love you like i do Jorindath was incouraging, and ahd always been since choosing to part with T'lat months ago. It was a decision everyone tended to think for the best, but that had not made it ease the pain of her heart.

"I get told I'm beautiful all the time..." her voice seemed bored but her eyes stared off into the distence with a thoughtful shine. "But being a queenrider you cant trust what those bronzeriders say for a moment." Standing up she threw her voice and arms in mocking displays. "'Oh Inolyn, your hair is as beautiful as ever! Oh Inolyn, Jorindath has only grown so fine under your such loving care! Oh Inolyn, your voice can only be compaired to the beauty of your face! Oh Inolyn, we could be so wonderful together!"

Laughing softly at herself, even Jorindath found preformance entertaining. They had heard it all before in the past two Turns and very few had actually meant what they said. The young girl would be a nice prize to the many males who went from bed to bed. Just cause the Weyr was far from being monogamist didnt give some the excuse to just... sleep around! Collapsing back in to her seat Inolyn sighed, so much pressure and so many respocibilities. The eggs... it had been so long ago yet it was still so familiur...

In a cavern wide and deep
Great eggs of dragons rest
Sitting, waiting, dormant, still
Upon their sandy nest

Over them she hovers
Their mother, violet queen
Waiting for her eggs hatch
Brown, blue, bronze and green...

[ShadowReine]

B'can laughed. "Does the fact that I'm not a bronzerider mean I'm more trustworthy?" he teased.

Well. He had gotten nowhere with a certain young goldrider and did not seem likely to do so. Inolyn was attractive to look at, good in bed, and fun to be around. He could do worse...and there was always the chance, especially if this was a good clutch, that Jorindath would choose Apolloth again.

Some golds were loyal to one mate, and violets were, after all, queens. Not sluts like greens...he felt a little sorry for greenriders and what they had to put up with.

"Not that Jorindath isn't looking as fantastic as one could expect, given the circumstances." After all, being egg heavy made a queen look just a little...pudgy.

[Jenth]

Inolyn smiled, "Well you haven't given me any reason not to trust you. Unlees there's something you want to tell me about of course?" She was only teasing, B'can didnt have a dishonest bone in his body. And not all bornzeriders were that bad, D'mas she knew from all their time together as weyrlings. Now he was Weyrleader and she couldnt think of maybe a more deserving person, other then L'han.

Looking at the violet, she could be much worse. She had always been well toned due to her active behaviour, now she was just rounded in the middle. "You can't blame her for looking fat, she's clutching more children then i'll ever have in my lifetime! Once they're lain she'll lose all the weight." Jorindath's clutching behaviour had secretly scratched at the back of her mind, giving her funny thoughts. But with no weyrmate those thoughts would never menafest, maybe it was for the best...

[ShadowReine]

B'can laughed. "I said 'given the circumstances', and I meant the eggs. She'll look a lot better once they're out. And better again once they're hatched."

Brooding queens tended to lose a bit of muscle tone from not leaving the Sands very much. He glanced at the eggs. "They're looking pretty healthy, too. We'll have to get the Searchriders out."

They could use a couple of new ones, too. "We should test some of the young greens and blues for Search sense. Maybe the barreds, too...they're small dragons, they might have it."

He could think of a few candidates. Greens and small blues were definitely better. Far less likely to intimidate holdbred Candidates with their size, if nothing else. Besides, Searching would be far, far beneath Apolloth's dignity. Even if he was the father of the hatchlings that so urgently, now, needed partners ready and waiting for the big day.

[Jenth]

"I think the blues are much more tempered as search riders, more calm and balanced. I also dont know if age would affect the quality of searchriders...." Surely a young pair wouldnt be experienced enough to know what exactly to look for in candidates. There was always that brown or bronzerider from time to time brought in a someone more for intended for their bed then the hatchings sands. It was an old practice...

The heat eventually got to Inolyn as she waited, taking a nap against B'can. Between laying Jorindath had come over to look over her rider, only for a second before returning to her eggs. Eventually the violet gently nuzzled her rider, weary from the many hours of egg laying. It is done... Eighteen eggs rested on the sands, glowing slightly in the light. Jorindath, full of pride yet very tired, curled up around her eggs and was asleep.

Eighteen! Four more then Kelth and the clutch was fairly even. There was nearly no way to tell one egg from another, all about the same size and patterns.

[ShadowReine]

"Eighteen. She's done very well." B'can raised his voice a little, as if to be sure the violet could hear him complimenting her.

Not that it was really anything she did...other than a good long flight. Apolloth would be insufferable as long as he remembered. Which meant at least until the Hatching, with the eggs right there, and probably a bit afterwards too.

B'can too had slept, but he had not left Inolyn's side. She was not his weyrmate...and he was afraid to ask her to consider changing that. Afraid of Jorindath choosing somebody else next time. Afraid of his own rather torn feelings. There was still Brylorea.

Yet, he was tempted to. So tempted. "We should go get something to eat," he suggested. "And drink. Definitely drink."

Of course, every rider in the Weyr would know how many eggs within... "And three, two, one..."

Eighteen eggs! Apolloth broadcast to the entire Weyr, it having taken the tan a few to realize Jorindath really was, yes, done.

B'can could not help but laugh. "Definitely no need to tell everyone how many eggs there are...I think the proud father just deafened me."

All he got from Apolloth at that was a sense of distinctly smug amusement.

[Jenth]

Inolyn laughed, placing an arm around him in a brief hug. "Even I heard that one." She was proud of her dragon, eighteen was a good number but the way the violet had complained she had expected more. Now that the whole Weyr, maybe nearly the whole world thanks to Apolloth, she would now have to receive congratulations on behalf of her dragon. Jorindath herself had stirred, rumbled in her sleep and fell silent and still again.

"Apolloth's going to have to be careful, if he cant control himself now he might not be allowed back in again. Thats if he doesn't want to hurt his chances of catching her again." Inolyn lead the way out towards the kitchens. Really she didn't want to have to put up with the fuss everyone was making about the eggs, they wouldn't hatch for some time. Still, she had to eat and there wasn't really any way around it.

"How's Brylorea, by the way?" It had never been a secret that B'can and the youngest goldrider were a couple, separated as they were due to her weyrlinghood. Now they were free from those restrictions, but had the feelings survived? Inolyn didn't see why not, B'can was quite hansome...

[ShadowReine]

B'can took a breath in, then let it out. "I would scarcely know. Her dragon hates me."

Which might be an exaggeration, but really...Voluspath simply was not willing to tolerate Brylorea and B'can's relationship readily. "I don't know."

He did not want to give up on his feelings for her, he did not *want* to let them go, but he could not act on them. Not when every time he tried, Voluspath needed something. And Apolloth was doting on Jorindath and NOT about to help his rider with HIS mating issues.

After all, Jorindath was his mate, and APolloth simply did not understand these human complications. He might catch her again, he might not. That was how dragons operated.

"Sometimes, I think the dragons have it easier. All running on instinct and such."

[Jenth]

"I am sorry to hear that..." But honestly, Voluspath didn't like anyone but herself and her rider. You had a chance if you were a bronze but anything else was far too beneath her.

Inolyn gave a small grin. "Yes, the dragons seem happy with how their lives work. Though right now Apolloth's not going to listen to what anyone says regardless of what it is." Proud Apolloth dotting over the eggs and his sleeping mate, not thinking this might be the only clutch he'll ever sire whether it be with Jorindath or any other. They just didnt think about what would happen in the comming days. They were happy when it happens and disappointed when it doesn't, but they always ended up with a new partner.

"I'm sure when the eggs hatch though, he'll be up chasing all the pretty female dragons again. I dont really envy greenriders, to be truthful..." Might be nice sometimes... but those were the thoughts of a lonely rider with more options then she'ld ever want to concider. Entering the dinning caverns Inolyn only picked up a few pasties and red fruit juice, choosing to sit at a smaller table to the back having already accept numburous cheers and condradulations. She never really did like sitting at the head table.

[ShadowReine]

B'can followed, determined to keep any unwanted congratulations away from the queenrider.

Besides, really, Inolyn had not laid any eggs. It was right for the queenriders to have the particular status they did, but cheering over the clutch, right now, was not something that appealed to the stocky tanrider. "Do you want wine?"

He knew he did, just a glass or two, just to take the edge off the odd tiredness from being in the hatching grounds so long. At least Hatchings were generally much, much shorter. They did not drag on for many hours the way clutchings did.

And *then* they could celebrate, when they truly knew what they had. But that celebration was for the new riders.

He remembered when Apolloth had Hatched. If they were lucky, eighteen young people would know that before too long at all. He really hoped there would not be any duds...not in this clutch. Or worse, betweening dragonets.