Attending Her First Hatching

Writers: AL, Ames
Date Posted: 25th July 2011

Characters: J'ren, Lisadi
Description: J'ren takes Lisadi to her first ever dragon hatching
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 16 of Turn 6

The call for the hatching had come and J'ren had the presence of mind
to request someone to send a firelizard with a note to Lisadi and let
her know to get ready. Then he set about getting _himself_ ready,
putting on his gather finery, rich red with gold that swirled over his
tunic, the top button left undone to had a bit of informalness to a
rather formal outfit. He shrugged on his jacket, tugged on the collar
of his sleeve and then mounted his dragon.

**Come on old boy, let's go get Lisadi.**

The vision of Emerald Falls came into mind and Kenaranth angled down to
a landing. J'ren dismounted, his long legs immediately launching him
forward in a quick sprint toward the hold proper.

The little messenger had given Lisadi ample warning. She'd struggled
with what to wear for many a sevenday as most of her clothes were not
suited to such a grand event. Thankfully, one of her friends had
loaned her a pale pink gown that with permission, Lisadi had
embroidered a fine golden trim around the sleeves and bottom. Now, as
she hurried to prepare, she sent Trewlin off to her dear friend who
arrived only moments later to take the two children.

"Have fun, Lisadi," the woman said with a smile, hugging her before
turning and disappearing with the children. With her dress on, and her
hair partially pinned up, Lisadi hoped she would look presentable at
such a fine event. Turning, she made for the doorway and began the
walk towards the grounds, hoping to save J'ren the time of finding her
amidst all the corridors and hallways.

J'ren came to a stop, hardly taking three steps before he saw the very
woman he was looking for. A smile sprang to his face and he offered a
bow to her before extending his hand. "Lisadi, you look very beautiful
tonight." He placed a polite kiss upon the back of her hand, then
turned to lead her toward the bronze who waited and watched with
whirling blue eyes. "I brought an extra jacket. Going /between/ is
very cold."

"Thank you," she said, blushing slightly at his compliment. She
followed him and accepted the jacket gratefully. "I didn't think about
that. I've never been /between/ on a dragon before. What does it feel
like?"

"It's going to be a bit frightening." J'ren didn't like to mince words,
he wanted the woman to be prepared and not panic. "And colder than
anything you've ever felt." J'ren tugged the jacket from where he had
tucked it and held it out for Lisadi to put over her arms. "You'll not
feel anything. Absolutely nothing. And it will feel like you're just
in a void, but it all ends within three breaths. Just sit tight and
stay calm, okay?"

It really did not sound all that pleasant. She gave him a slight nod
as she quickly stuck her arms into the jacket. She followed his lead
as they made their way back to his dragon. There was nothing she could
do but hope he really, truly did know what he was doing.

"It's going to be all right." J'ren assured her, but didn't dawdle.
He helped her into the straps, then settled in front of her. "You may
hold on to me if you like." It would probably make her feel better in
the long run. Once he was in, he urged his bronze into the air and
there was a sweep across the main hold before J'ren gave the
coordinates and the two went /between/.

She nodded, gulping as she wrapped her arms around him, feeling more
secure that way.

A few breaths later, the two came out above the Weyr that flanked the
sea. The light glittered upon the water in greeting as they angled
down to the bowl where other dragons with other passengers were
arriving. J'ren unstrapped himself, then proceeded to help free Lisadi
from hers. "Doing all right?"

Her eyes a bit wide and wild, she nodded at first then finally
answered, "Yes. I've never felt anything like that before." She was
still trying to fathom what had just happened. "Did we _really_ travel
far in just those few seconds?"

"Yes, we did." J'ren chuckled softly. It was always awe inspiring
when one really thought about it - especially if one wasn't used to
such travel. "And we'll do it again when the feast is over."

"That was truly amazing," she remarked, still not quite believing what
had happened. "Today is truly going to be a day of firsts for me!" She
looked around her eagerly, trying to take everything in all at once,
which of course only made her feel a bit light-headed and lost. Things
even _looked_ completely different at the Weyr.

"Just wait until you see the hatching." J'ren guided her away and
toward a crowd that was trying to crunch into the hatching cavern.
Everyone was excited and the air was full of the buzz of voices. J'ren
drew Lisadi a little closer. "It can get a little crazy, people
hurrying off so hold on to my arm so we don't get separated." The hum
of dragons drifted in the air, an accompaniment to the excitement that
was thick and writhing.

Lisadi did exactly as he told her. She was a bit overwhelmed by the
massive crush of bodies as they entered the hatching grounds. This
only made her cling to his arm a bit tighter. She hadn't _meant_ to
notice how strong and muscular his arms were or feel that slight tug
on her own thoughts. **You are courting with Sarban and J'ren only
asked you here as a friend. Do _not_ think such thoughts.**

J'ren smiled down at her, a gesture that was meant to be reassuring as
much as anything. He reached over with his free hand to pat hers, then
guided her out of the jumble of people and eased into a row, aiming for
two seats. "This isn't a bad spot." He commented, though the seats
were on inclines so that there were very few really bad spots.

She admired absolutely _everything_ around her. The people. The
dragons. Oh, so many dragons. Then, however, her eyes rested on the
eggs on the sands. "Oh, my, they are so _big_," she blushed slightly
realizing how silly she must sound. "I'm used to simple eggs for
breakfast. I've never seen an egg quite that large, though clearly it
fits with dragons as they wouldn't fit inside a tiny egg."

"If you look at them closely enough, you can see the differences in
them too." J'ren commented as he lowered down into his seat. "I like
to look at them, think about their shape and their placement and ponder
personalities for them. For instance, that one down there." The
bronzerider indicated one egg that was oddly shaped. "That one looks
like it might belong to a dragon who enjoys having fun and is something
of a merry maker. See that one that's hidden behind the bigger? A
dragon who's a little shy."

She couldn't help but enjoy his commentary, gazing with wonder at each
egg as he pointed them out. So much to see and do she could hardly
take it all in as the events of the hatching started to truly unfold
before her very eyes. People hurrying in, eggs cracking, small dragons
scurrying to their chosen ones. It was truly an amazing event and
Lisadi was thrilled to be a part of it.

Last updated on the August 4th 2011

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Attending Her First Hatching