Karen Kenobi

Bonding at Calyeni

Edmy would flip. This place with the dragons, people of all types, and ... magic, powers, science and technology... Everything seemed to coexist here! Karen was thrilled and she wanted to delve into the mysteries of this library, that book, this big tome.

But more, she wanted very much to see the dragons up close and personal. She got the chance, shortly. When she wandered through one of the big caverns, there were not one but two females on the sands with eggs aplenty around them.

That was as close as she could get, any closer and the dragonesses would surely have her hide. Until she was accepted by them, the people of Calyeni anyway, she couldn't see the dragons.

"I must be crazy," Karen muttered to herself. 'Dragons. I can't bring a dragon back to Edmy. Could I?'

She blinked and looked around. There were lots of little stores with trinkets, and she knew by now (she'd been there for two weeks at least) that her money spent just as well as anyone's.

She went to one stall in a market, and haltingly said, "where - find - gift - everyone?"

The seller at the stall tilted her head, lifted her eyebrow, and blinked. "We don't sell slaves, if that's what you're looking for."

Karen was surprised that she understood the woman so clearly. Why couldn't she make herself understood that way?! "No, no slave... Gift, for someone who has ... everything, already?" She held her hands on a Sith item that gave her ideas for words, and the stall owner nodded.

"Something special. Good, yes, go that way. Flitters, eggs, take a while to hatch. You'll be here a while."

"I - I will?" She stammered.

"Of course. You're here for the hatching, aren't you?"

Without pause, Karen glanced back at the Caverns. "I suppose I am, then."

She bowed to the woman, thanked her and went on her way. The stalls were packed in, but not as hard to reach as those on Edmy's world. She did find one she was interested in, and realized what thewoman had recommended was a little pet for Edmy! Of course - that would have to wait, because she'd hardly want to give him a gift that had already become attached to her!

But then Karen made her way back to the Caverns. She was hustled back into a room, and given a crash course on local events. There were eggs, she'd seen them, but now they were hatching and she was one of the few people who had the talent or been in the right place at the right time, to stand for them.

"I guess that would be great," she said, and allowed the attendant to bring her hastily to the sands. There were a number of beautiful little hatchlings sitting on the sands, near broken eggs, and other still-rocking unbroken ones nearby.

"They've already hatched?" Karen asked, but there were few people paying attention to her.

Several of the already hatched ones walked around until they decided to pair with one another, rather than finding a rider-type to bond with. Karen was slightly disappointed, but then the other eggs began to break open too.

At least two pairs of dragonets bonded each other, a couple stayed unbonded entirely, and a couple others decided to make their way to the candidates. This was all so very strange - but then Karen's life had been quite queer all along, she just hardly realized it.

One of the eggs hatched to reveal a fantastically beautiful black with starry markings, who paired to a man named Tom. He was so lucky, Karen thought.

The biggest egg on the sands broke open to show off twin red-and-whites, with subtle differences in their markings. One of them shook himself off, and walked right up to Karen. He gave off a loud trumpet, and mentally he told Karen, I am right here! You can stop looking! You've found me!

"Brychwynth," Karen said, the name coming to her mind as easily as any Force-given talent. "You're hopeless!" He sat there on his haunches grinning with a little tilt on his head, and she rubbed his chin.

They were about to leave, someone had told her that once the hatchlings come to bond, they'd be hungry and there was always food available where hatchlings could reach it, Karen stopped. There was something pulling at her, almost as though the cord on her neck was being held by someone else's hand.

A teal blue female dragonet jumped into the air, and then ran quickly - almost flying - at Karen too. The dragonet had an almost human sheepish expression on her muzzle when she said, Wait, I ... I really like your clothes.

Again, a name appeared in Karen's mind like an oasis turned real. "So do I, Delyth, come, let's get you two something to eat."

They left the sands at last, but Karen could tell that Brychwynth would be trouble when he stuck his tongue out at Delyth, and she turned away shyly. Karen heard there were several other bondings, and most to each other on the sands, but honestly - she hardly cared about anyone but herself and her two lovely dragonets.

Brychwynth! Annoying pest!

Delyth - shy girl!

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