Getting used to life where one felt next to no emotions was surprisingly difficult. Kiah felt no sadness at the deaths of the other experiments, no guilt at killing Xero...but she also felt no joy at being freed, no outrage on the victims behalf, no excitement at the idea of bonding a dragon...no nothing. Everything seemed gray from her point of view, nothing touched her, colored her experiences. And while she realized that this was a good thing, no one else would be in danger from Hate or any of her other "personalities", she sometimes missed feeling something, anything.
As the day of the hatching approached and the other candidates began to show signs of increased excitement and anticipation, Kiah went through it all with no change in demeanor. A healer or two tried to get her to talk to them, perhaps wanting to help or they were curious at her lack of emotions. Kiah never spoke to them, or anyone, really. She kept to herself and waited, doing chores without complaint and keeping to the darker parts of the complex during the day. Fourteen years locked in a dark cell seemed to have sensitized her eyes to the sunlight.
When it at last came, Courir skidded into the room she shared with another girl, screaming, "It's happening, the eggs are rocking!!" at some ungodly hour of the morning. "What...? Eggs, what?" she mumbled, having been up late wandering. Come on Kiah, the dragons are HATCHING!!" Courir continued, sinking his teeth into the first bit of exposed skin he came to, her hand. "Ow! Alright! I'm coming!" Rubbing her bloodied finger, Kiah sat up and fumbled for her cloak before leaving the room. No excitement or happiness spurred her to move very fast, consequently she was last on the sands.
She stood for what seemed like an eternity in the darkest corner of the sands that was as close to the eggs as possible, watching with a mildly interested look. Courir was hopping from foot-to-foot on the hot sands, doing a kind of dance in an effort to attract any hatchling to her. He seemed to have taken it into his paws to be both her chronicler as well as taking up for the emotion she lacked.
At last, while she was gazing up at the packed stands, a shimmering orange dragonet hatched rather energetically and headed straight for her. It took her by surprise when it snagged the end of her robes in it's teeth. It was a long wait, wasn't it? I am Trialth. a silk-smooth and ice cool voice filled her mind. "Trialth?" she whispered, kneeling down next to the glassy orange and placing her hands on the warm hide, as if trying to reassure herself the dragonet was real. She was different from most dragons Kiah had ever seen, with three horns and a bony fringe. Yes, I'm here...I'm real, not another empty voice. Trialth assured her, and gently took the sleeve of her robe in her teeth again. Come, I'm hungry. she murmured and led a still quite startled Kiah off the sands, Courir crowing happily behind.