Poker Face

Writers: Jelena, Leigh M-F.
Date Posted: 25th August 2016

Characters: Naton, L'exan, D'lew, B'hal, Gallee
Description: All "hands" on "deck".
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr, Dolphin Hall
Date: month 7, day 6 of Turn 8

Naton wandered into the Dining Hall, his bag now free of the records he'd been asked to deliver. No harm in having a little snack here before heading home. He was pretty sure everyone back home was asleep already. Little Tonya for certain, Veerona too and Jylanya seemed pretty sure to nod off as well when he'd left. He had told her not to wait up. Naton was quite the night owl and it was a nice evening for a walk to the Weyr.

His attention was soon drawn by something other than snacks. At one of the tables sat a small group of riders playing dragon poker. It had been too long since he'd had a good game and he felt his fingers itching to play at the sight of them. He walked over casually, nodding in greeting.

"Gentlemen, lady, good evening. Are the cards treating y'all fairly?"

"Nope," L'exan said, shaking his head, and put his cards down. "I fold."

"That's the third time in a row," a blond with brownrider's knots protested. "You could at least try to stick it out."

"Hey, the last time I tried to bluff on a hand this bad, I had to sprint naked to Larzeth so he could get me to our weyr," L'exan countered, and the other players burst out laughing.

"I think I was actually there for that," the female greenrider commented. "But I was rather snockered at the time, so I can't remember for sure."

"Oh, you were there. Liked whatcha saw, too," L'exan sassed, and winked at her as another round of laughs was set off.

Naton was instantly drawn to the friendly banter between the players at this table and he really was feeling like a round of dragon poker. But he couldn't just invite himself to the game, could he? Well, he could try. "Any room for a slightly novice player at your table?" he asked innocently. "I haven't played in ages and my hands are itching."

The four other players paused, looking at each other thoughtfully. "I don't see why not," the brownrider said with a shrug. "Could make things interesting."

The male greenrider nodded agreement while the female greenrider tapped her chin. "I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"We're playing for favors, goods, or Marks," L'exan supplied after a sip of his beer. "Got anything to offer?"

"Hmm," well, he had marks, of course, but he wasn't sure Jylanya would appreciate him throwing it away gambling. Perhaps he could bet a wineskin or something? "What kind of favors are we thinking about?" They were dragonriders after all.. and Naton had some prejudices still hanging around in the back of his mind.

The brownrider motioned to Naton's knots. "Well, someone in your craft could offer to let someone swim with dolphins under your supervision on a certain date," he suggested, then patted the male greenrider on the shoulder. "D'lew here makes beautiful quilts for a variety of uses; wall hangings, baby blankets, lap blankets for the aunties and uncles who can't move around much, stuff like that."

"He wagered a sewing lesson with me," the female greenrider put in. "And I know how to emboss leather, so I offered that to L'exan so he could get a present for his daughter. And B'hal there-" the brownrider "-knows how to make a cold tomato soup that's so delicious, it should be classified as an addictive substance, like fellis."

"Family recipe; I learned it from my father," B'hal said proudly.

"And since we're all dragonriders, we can offer rides, goods transports, stuff like that," L'exan finished.

"I see," Naton said, thinking face on as he sat down at the table. "Well, as for goods, I have a wineskin lying around that is quite wonderful, but not to the tastes of either my wife's or mine. And favors.. well, like you said, I can offer dolphin swims and for those of you who like fishing, I could offer a trip to the best fishing spots around. Does that sort of thing work?" If not, he'd use some marks to back himself up.

B'hal brightened. "My Chenbith loves fish. A trip to one of those places would be wonderful."

D'lew nodded to the other greenrider. "Didn't you say you wanted to find a nice wine for your best friend, Gallee?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Looks like we're all agreed then. D'lew, would you give L'exan a new hand and deal in- I'm sorry, what was your name, sir?"

"Oh, sorry!" Naton said, eagerly taking a seat. "Naton. My name's Naton." He barely couldn't stop himself from rubbing his palms together in excitement. He hoped the cards were in his favor tonight. Then again, if they weren't, he might get invited back more easily.

L'exan got his new hand and nodded to Naton as D'lew passed him some cards. For a few minutes, there was a thoughtful silence as everyone studied their hands. "I raise my tomato soup with two spare buckles," B'hal stated.

"I raise my leather with fighting strap repair needles," Gallee immediately added.

"I wager a consultation on your next outfit," L'exan put in. "I used to be in the tailorcraft, I still know a few things."

"I could use that," D'lew said. "I raise a quilted scarf."

"Can I call with this handy pocket knife, then?" Naton asked, knowing he had more than a few extras lying around back home. Jylanya would probably be glad to get rid of most of them. He wasn't exactly sure he knew what constituted a call or raise here, but he was sure he'd get the hang of it soon. Besides, with the cards he'd been dealt so far, he might even stand a chance!

Gallee leaned forward and picked up the knife Naton had put on the table, unfolding it and then folding it back in. "Works for me," she agreed, before taking two cards and pushing them face-down towards D'lew. "Two for me."

B'hal nodded appreciatively at the knife. "That's an acceptable wager. One card please, D'lew."

"Sure thing." The male greenrider passed one over. "Any cards, L'exan?"

"Nope. I'm good," the big man said cheerfully.

"So everyone ready?" D'lew asked, and got a round of nods. He put his cards down on the table. "Three of a kind."

"Full house," L'exan said with a smirk, and proved it.

B'hal groaned. "One pair."

"Two pair," Gallee chuckled.

"Aww, flush," Naton said, putting his cards down. He'd seriously thought he'd stood a chance to win. Well, the night was still young! He pushed the knife over the table towards L'exan.

The bluerider examined the tool himself and nodded in satisfaction. "This one's going to Neia," he said, pocketing it. (How he manage to do that when his pants were so snug was a mystery.) "Tailors always need something like this on hand."

D'lew collected the cards and dealt another hand. L'exan discarded one card and took another, rearranging them to his liking. Not terrific, but not terrible, either. He might be okay with it. He had another gulp of beer and watched everyone's face, trying to suss out who might have the weak hand.

"Hey, out of curiosity, what Turn was your wine made, Naton?" Gallee wanted to know as she also got rid of one card and replaced it. "Oh, blast, never mind. I fold," she said in disappointment.

"First time you have this evening, I'd say you're doing okay," B'hal said encouragingly, taking no cards himself.

"It's from the second Turn of the Pass. A northern vintage too, one of the few I took with me when I came South." Naton asnwered Gallee as he took his cards. And such a shame he didn't like it himself at all. But it came to good use now. He looked at his cards, his face a show of trying to hide mild disgust. His hand wasn't nearly that bad, though, if he was lucky he could even make a full house... "Can I bet half my wineskin? I'll pour half in an empty skin, or combine it later for the full amount when I bet the other half." He said as traded in just one of his cards, hoping fervently for a second eleven. No such luck.

"I intend to win both halves later!" Gallee warned him with a wiggle of the finger.

"You have to get better hands first," D'lew kidded. "All right, everyone, show them."

L'exan put his down. "Three of a kind."

"Same here," Naton said, almost pouting. "Only mine are just a bunch of fives."

B'hal leaned over for a look. "I think that could win you something, but I'll have to double check," he noted.

"Nah, his tens trump my fives," Naton said in a resigned tone. But there was always another chance, of course! For two full candlemarks the game continued, winnings going back and forth across the table. It wasn't so much the winning or losing of things that tied Naton to the game though, it was the friendly banter among the group and the feeling that they accepted him as one of their own without question.

"Well, that was fun," Naton said as the cards were stacked back together. "Even if I did lose more than I care to admit."

"At least it wasn't Marks," D'lew pointed out.

"Hey, need a lift back to the Dolphin Hall?" L'exan offered. "Least I can do for such a good sport."

"True that," Naton agreed with D'lew. He turned to L'exan with a grateful expression. "That would be great. I can give you the wineskin for Gallee to take back, if you'd like. Or you can come pick it up yourself, Gallee." Naton stretched lazily in his chair. "Well, I loved this. Thanks for including me, guys. If you're ever in need for another player, just send me a message at the Dolphin Hall."

"Oh, we'll do that," B'hal said with an evil grin.

D'lew smacked him on the shoulder. "Be nice, he played well."

"L'exan, would you mind?" Gallee asked. "I have drills tomorrow-"

"No problem," L'exan assured her. "I'll call that the trade for the bracelet Ashuli's gonna get."

The greenrider beamed at him. "Thanks!"

L'exan stood up from the table, also stretching. "Larzeth's gonna meet us outside. Need a jacket?" he asked, picking his up from his chair.

"If you have one at hand, that would be most welcome," Naton said, getting to his feet as well. He hadn't expected to go home so late, much less a-dragonback.

"All right then." The bluerider dropped his jacket around Naton's shoulders and escorted him outside. A few meters from the exit, Larzeth was awkwardly touching down, since he had his harness in his forepaws. "Thanks, Lightning Lad," L'exan said, approaching. "This here's Naton. He's the one we're giving a ride to." He picked up the heavy straps and had them properly fastened in short order thanks to long practice. Larzeth crouched to make mounting him easier, and L'exan nodded to Naton. "If you need a boost, lemme know." It was possible Naton had ridden dragons before, given where the Dolphin Crafthall was located, but it didn't hurt to make the offer.

"Oh, I didn't mean to take yours," Naton said, holding out the jacket for L'exan to take back. "I just figured if you had one lying around. Don't worry, I've got a warm bed waiting for me at home." When they reached Larzeth, Naton greeted the blue respectfully. "Greetigns, Larzeth - " he had made sure to remember the dragon's name. "Thank you for taking me home. And thank you, L'exan, I think I can manage myself." He had indeed climbed a few dragons over his time at the Hall and all his work with the dolphins kept him fairly agile, but it still showed that he wasn't an experienced rider as he hoisted himself up on the blue's back with some effort.

"Hey, it's a loan, not a gift," L'exan teased, and dropped the jacket back onto Naton's shoulders before he strapped the dolphineer in. "Passengers get priority. It's part of my moral code." He glanced at his dragon. "Not a word outta you."

Larzeth snorted.

"Yes, Sir," Naton said with a salute and a grin. "As long as I don't get an angry Wingleader at my door when you have to skip drills from a cold!"

While Naton got offered rides often enough, he still felt the same excitement every time he felt the dragon's hide beneath his hands and the jolt to the stomach when they lifted. Oh yes, he was lucky to be living so close to the Weyr.

"If it's just a cold, who'd skip?" L'exan asked, and strapped himself in. "All right, up we get!"

Larzeth rocked back on his haunches, then sprang skyward, calling to the watchdragon. }:Taking a dolphineer home, be back shortly.:{ He oriented in the correct direction and flew, letting his passengers admire the night sky. On a peaceful evening like this, the flight to the Hall didn't take long, and soon, the blue was settling onto the dock as gently as possible.

Naton wanted to ask if /between/ didn't make colds worse, but decided against it. It was better just to enjoy the view. The ride felt all too short and when they landed at the Dolphin Hall, he almost felt sorry the night had come to an end. "Thank you, L'exan, Larzeth. For the ride and the fun evening. I really do hope we can do it again sometime!"

"I'll gladly fleece you any day," L'exan kidded as he helped Naton down and reclaimed his jacket. "In seriousness, it was nice to have you. How long will it take to grab the wine and bring it back? I have some spare time tomorrow if that'll be more convenient."

"Oh no, I'll be in and out in a jiffy, just a minute," Naton said and indeed he was. Not much later he came outside with the wineskin balancing on his shoulder. He handed it to L'exan with a flourish. "With my compliments to the lady." In the end Gallee had gotten the so desired wine amongst her winnings.

"Thanks for being such a good sport, truly. This is gonna mean a lot to Gallee," L'exan said sincerely while he took the skin and strapped it to himself. Then he offered his hand to Naton for a shake. "You have a good night."

"Same to you. Clear skies!" Naton said as he gave the offered hand a firm shake. Then he waved the pair off and disappeared back into the Dolphin Hall, ready to find his bed and hoping not to wake Jylanya in the process.

Last updated on the December 17th 2016

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Poker Face