Only a few candidates had answered the summons to Irua's clutch--most people weren't content at the thought of bonding something that sounded so sedentary as a plant! Those who did, however, had lined up a few paces away from the feng-shui style vases, eyeing the sprouts that actually moved a bit. Irua had been eyeing the candidates with something almost like motherly possessiveness... but it was nothing like the more animal dragonesses who'd graced these bays before.

Siche had come down to the bay just to see how the bonding would work. She was curious and, for once, free of other business. It appeared that something was happening down in the bay proper... leaning over the rail of the stands, as was her usual perch, the Minister settled in to watch.

A striking looking candidate, this one a quadruped in bright tones of red, blue, white and black, was suddenly moving restlessly, as if drawn to one of the vases. Rella Cray inevitably made her way to the violet vase, second from the left of the row of seedlings. A tiny green head poked up from the foliage, its eyes little more then tiny spots. Blinking, then opening a flourescently bright maw, the seedling emitted a high, reedy note. It was as if someone had blown the smallest of a set of panpipes. Rella! Its... no, his voice exclaimed, as the dragonet became aware of its surroundings, oh, such a wander-ful creature! You must take me with you--I'm Nongil! The seedling made another flutey noise, and as if on cue, his siblings began to make their choices.

The second candidate to bond looked almost exactly like the dragonet that had chosen her! Well, at least in skin tones. Ageas had settled beside a warm, orange-toned vase, within which a brown and green mottled dragonet had sprouted. Ekai, for that was her name, gave the half-dragon's hand a gentle nuzzle. No words were really needed between them!

Excitedly, nervously, Regan Hedgeburrow almost didn't realize that her mind was being tugged at. If her parents had found out that she was here, bonding a dragon (albeit a plant dragon), they'd probably kill her! Or worse, never let her have second supper again! Either thought was terrible to the halfling, but at the same time, she had been rather fed up. She wanted a pet--no, a companion, and what had she gotten? A useless robot. So, she'd decided to take matters into her own little hands and... well, here she was. And things, much to her excitement, were going as planned! Invariably her eyes kept falling back to the dragonet in the blue vase... and soon, she couldn't resist the urge to come over. What's taking you so long? Hurry up! the voice, feminine and unsurprisingly childlike, urged the halfling forward, and didn't let up until Regan was standing over the seedling. Hey you! The dragonet creeled. The foliage about her was a pure green, but the tiny head that had poked up--the head that now stared at her and weaved a little, almost like a snake--was an earthen brown. I'm Icua! And seeing's you've got me, let's go find some fun! She struggled to uproot herself, as if she could somehow bound out of her vase and onto the moss below, but failed. Straining again, she finally gave up. I guess I've still got some growing to do, she said, her voice conveying something extraordinarily like a pout!

The last of the candidates to come forward was a peculiar man, one Fazril. A researcher of plants, some kind of botanist, it seemed natural that he should bond a dragon within his field! Drawn to the red vase--the one at the last of the line, the man suddenly found himself staring down a spotty green male. Fazril, the seedling said, his voice just a whisper, I'm Odarmer. I'd like to go with you. The dragonet said not another word.

And thus, the hatching was over, as suddenly as it had begun! It was almost as fast a hatching as some of the Mutts that had lived at Star City all of their lives, given how few seedlings there were, here. Siche, holopad in hand, jotted down a couple of notes. Interesting...