As per Old-World style hatchings, the candidates had been assigned to create their own Impression robes--well, most of them. Some had had to have help, given that they weren't wholly human, and thus lacked the opposable thumbs to even begin to sew! And, like with Old-World hatchings, they paraded out into the Bay in a single line, threading about the clutch of eggs that Daellanth jealously guarded. The queen only backed away when her rider reprimanded her--revealing a slightly larger, more well-kept egg then the rest of the clutch. Accordingly, the females gathered around this gold egg, nervous under the heated gaze of the large, clouded gold.

Linaeas had shown up to record this clutch... considering how Star City and the traditionalists that had swarmed this event seemed to clash, he was interested to see just what might happen. There was a group of them (albeit a small one) sitting near the front of the audience tiers, gossiping amongst one another, criticizing the way the dragonet-food was being handled, and even taking bets on which candidate might 'Impress' what kind of dragon! It was hilarious, in a sense. At least, Linaeas found it so. So did Taxoness, but then, the big xenodragon wasn't allowed in the bay today. Daellanth had strictly forbidden the slimy, slobbery, alien-creature from being anywhere near her babies... which left Linaeas hoping that no one went bondless, considering that he wouldn't have his bond to relay names, if they did!

The thrum of the bay became nearly intolerable, at least, to the wolf-like Archivist's sensitive ears... and then everything suddenly fell silent. One of the traditionalists gave a small whoop before being yanked down into his seat. All that remained was the low, ever-present hum of life-support... and the clinking sound of eggs nudging against one another.

One of the eggs shuddered violently and shattered, revealing a light, bronze-coloured hide. The traditionalists appeared to do a wave, and some of them rattled noisemakers... or blew on bullhorns. The bronze, startled by the sudden noise, ducked his head under his spindly wing... but a young boy stepped forward to guide him away from the rest of the eggs. "Relax, Tyth," the young boy said, "It's not a problem, I'm here now!"
~Thank you, T'lyd,~ the bronze replied, perking right up again. He'd used the old fashioned honorific of Telyd's name...

Linaeas muttered under his breath, making certain to catch any of the other males who bonded from this clutch. Wonderful, he'd have to go eliding their names, if their dragons hadn't already!

At this point, like in many hatchings, all heck broke loose. A green and two blues all seemed to hatch together, and now they were stumbling about the cluster of eggs in that clumsy, baby-like way of newly hatched dragonets. The green, a beautiful thing that she was with deeply clouded wings, finally gained her bearings and headed straight for Kashani. The girl, surprised, fell to her knees before the dragonet, announcing, "Her name is Hannath!" She sounded overjoyed as the Impression firmly took hold.

The first of the blues to have hatched, a noon-sky sort of colour, didn't wait much longer to announce his choice. Quin'Kal... or perhaps it would now be 'Q'kal', met him half-way, and, upon passing the Archivist, announced that the dragonet's name was Lakuith.

The last of the blues seemed uncertain, and hesitated as more shells cracked. However, when a brown dark brown dragonet made as if to find his own bond, the pale blue streaked forward to come head to paw with Noocith. ~You're very... white,~ the kit said, staring up with huge, green-blue swirling eyes.
Noocith snrked. ~White enough that they didn't make me have to wear one of those stupid costumes, yep. Don't tell me you actually want to bond me...~
~But I do! I'm Cinototh, and I want to travel everywhere with you!~ Sweet talk, baby talk. Noocith snrked again, then shrugged his great wing shoulders. Well... why not? So long as he wasn't a ball-and-chain, like some of those dragonets out there...

The brown had, in the meantime, slunk forward, and now sat at the foot of Terrian. He nodded once, slowly as if he as confirming some unspoken question, then said, ~I'm Nerith.~

As Terrian (or T'rian, if he chose to take an honorific) moved off to the feeding tables, a whole gaggle of eggs began to crack open at once! The first to spill to the sands was another green, this one a sage-y colour. Chelleth, as the dragonet was named, quickly found her way to one Alagael Aguiar, making way for the barrage of hatchlings to swarm amongst the candidates.

Josal Swith, for once taking the initiative rather then hiding away, stepped in the path of a nearly copper-coloured brown. The hatchling squalled, but as soon as the two of them locked eyes, the bond was made. Wosth followed his new rider for his first meal.

The next candidate to Impress wasn't a human at all--well, perhaps he was part human. Sorien, in loose, toga-like Impression robes that somehow suited his Centaur-like build, watched as a brightly hued blue pranced up to him. ~Heya, S'ien! I'm Rosineth!~ The dragonet called, creeling for food all at the same time. The young Hyddi-taur smiled, the warmth of the bond flooding him with good-will. "Hello there, Rosineth. Let's get you some food." And off they went.

Two dragons were vying to bond first: a grassy green and a warmly shimmering bronze, both swarming the candidates, looking for their Chosen. Anoryth, the green, bonded a moment earlier then her brother, literally stumbling at the feet of the tumbler Roryn Panuk. She gaped her maw up at him in amusement, before demanding to be fed!

The bronze, Vimahath, had stopped just as suddenly at Mahavir's foot, but at least he had more dignity! He gazed up at the ex-rider and, tentatively, reached out to forge a new bond over the shattered remains of the old. His would be a strong bond, he would make sure of that.

Now, Farazo had been watching all of this, the excitement of the Impressions and the animation of the newly hatched dragonets... all this time feeling a little detached from it all. It was strange, to see such an otherwise normal hatching, displaced as it was in the metal and moss of the hatching bay! It was almost like something he might pull out of his imagination, it seemed so out of place! So distracted was he, that he didn't noticed the midnight-blue dragonet that had been approaching him! Not until it creeled, ~Please, F'zo, I'm Zorath! Could we get something to eat?~... and by that point, all thoughts of the strangeness of this place were washed from the young Pernese man's mind.

He wasn't the only Pernese boy to bond, however... Mohren watched excitedly as a brown--not just any brown, but a brown with those same, peculiarly cloudy wings as the green before--approached him with a look of determination. As soon as blue eyes met whirling green, the bond was made. M'ren could have whooped for joy, leading Horeth off of the mossy floor!

With only three eggs left--one including the golden egg that seemed to want to be fashionably late--it wasn't long before the final two began to show stress-lines. They fell against one another, cracked slightly, and then the two dragonets pushed their way out into the world. An emerald-rich green and a chocolate brown stared at each other for a moment, then parted, heading in different directions. The green made for the circle of girls standing about the queen's egg and, smirking slightly, approached Sabre. The shifter had been inscrutable throughout the entire clutch... probably not expecting to even Impress, this time around! Salisbureth, on the other hand, had plans of her own. The green butted her in the back of the leg, and Sabre turned around, surprise briefly colouring her features. Salisbureth squalled up at her, a quick noise, before gaping her mouth in a huge, baby-like grin. Flooded with loving emotions, it was all Sabre could do not to stroke the dragonet's damp cheek... rather, she led the dragonet off to be fed.

The chocolate-coloured dragon had found his match, but not with any of the humans! No, he stopped before a many-winged creature, a dragonet that was about the same length that the hatchling was! Smirking faintly, Tiymeth nudged Mali, demanding to be led to the food. ~And then, perhaps, we'll get our first lesson in this strange bonding stuff,~ he added.

Finally, finally the queen egg began to shudder. It didn't so much crack as explode, little bits of shell raining stickily down on all of the females present, causing some to cringe and some to shriek, others to simply wipe bits of albumin from their cheeks. The queen--for she certainly was a queen!--was still in a fetal crouch, but she slowly unfolded, much like a blossoming flower. Rolling smoothly to all fours, she positively smirked... and before anyone could do a thing, she had sat herself at the foot of Sanoki. Daellanth rumbled her approval, and Osanith, for that was the hatchling's name, returned a higher pitch noise of her own.

And that, as it turned out, was the end of the hatching... but not the end of the festivities. No, the traditionalists had seen to bring with them more then one skin of wine, and that, combined with the more exotic drinks to be found all around the station, would keep the Old-Worlders (not to mention any who happened to join in their revelry) up past the day shift, and late into the night!