Mark for mark
Who: T'rev and Mecaith, F'vel and Saulienth (NPC), N'eph and Telyhath, Rhodya and Gedroth
When: Late afternoon on day 3, month 5, turn 19 of Interval 10.
Where: Lakeshore, Fort Weyr
What: Rhodya sits down with T'rev and her fellow T'rev-mentees over a game of poker. Gedroth remembers past lessons and refuses to wrestle with Telyhath.
Afternoon sunlight is starting to turn ruddy and the shadows long around the edge of the lake, but there's still a few hours of daylight left for T'rev and the cluster of three weyrlings he's sitting with. There's a place along the lake's shore where several low rocks cluster together, mostly flat-topped and it's here that they've set up for what's getting to be a weekly card-game. The wingleader is currently dealing out the cards for a second hand, grinning around the circle of only-slightly-younger faces, with the notable exception of N'eph, a full turn older than he is. F'vel is the third of the weyrlings, the Bollian's accent as thick as T'rev's own Nerat when the two of them get to drawling, though the inflection is slightly different. Saulienth has sacked out for a nap in the sun, the little brown making a whistling snore, while his weyrling learns the ins and outs of poker. "A'right, everyone ready for round two? We usin' tokens still or ready t'move onto real marks?" the wingleader is teasing just a little.
N'eph has taken what he's claimed as his spot, one of the flattest and, when he's brushed it off, cleanest spots of their little rock arrangement. The cards from his last (losing) hand are carelessly flicked over to F'vel, whose turn it is to deal. Lazily, almost bored, he leans on one arm while the other hand rattles the small stack of tokens he still retains. Luck hasn't been on the side of this big better today at least. "I'll match you mark for mark any day of the week," he tosses out, the tone too indifferent to be a true boast, though he's definitely serious. Telyhath is entertaining herself by walking up and down a section of beach not too far from those sitting, though the napping Saulienth has gained a bit of her attention and her path bows to circle him briefly before she continues on her same pacing exploration.
Rhodya sweeps up the tokens she just win, clucking smugly. "Well, you know I'm happy to take your marks any day, but it ain't fair to poor F'vel gettin' thrown in with a couple of sharks." She pats her fellow brownrider's shoulder with a big smile and starts gathering the cards for her next hand. Gedroth took straight to the lake as soon as they got here and he's been swimming ever since, but the young brown's feeling restless today and comes crawling out of the water. He emerges too close to Saulienth to be anything but intentional, and shakes water off himself, splashing the other brown and hopefully waking him. << We should wrestle, >> he suggests, his voice reedy and eager, his feet shuffling excitedly beneath him.
T'rev laughs at the byplay between the threesome. "Yeah, probably better t'stick to these for a bit," T'rev's still got a decent number of tokens in front of them, their bright primary colors winking in the sunlight. "If y'wanna go for marks though N'eph, come by The Glass Fountain most fourth days, wing plays then," he offers to the weyrling. "So long as Telyhath's sleepin' an' all." He waits for his next card as F'vel passes them out, tongue stuck partly out from between his lips. Mecaith's sitting placidly nearby, watching the young dragons like some massive and regal babysitter. Cold water. On hide. Saulienth wriggles a little in his sleep, stretching one forepaw up towards his face, leg and tail downward like a large dog. One eye cracks open and he looks up at Gedroth for a moment, with a much-abused look to him but then he yawns and rolls over, shaking sand off, careless of where the stuff goes and trots on over, playfully bouncing to and fro. << Okay! No teeth ! Mine doesn't want us to get in trouble. >> T'rev lets out an easy-going: "Whoa there," as he gets a little shower of sand and brushes the stuff off his shoulders and out of his hair.
The boys have all the fun. Drawn by Gedroth's emergence and the suggestion he offers to their clutchmate, Telyhath reverses her energetic trotting and nears the pair of browns again, watching with naked interest but not inserting herself into their midst just yet. When using marks is dismissed, N'eph lets out a puff of air that communicates his disapproval of tokens, but that doesn't stop him from peeking at his cards like a practiced pro and tossing a call's amount of tokens out into the middle of their flat rock. He does note T'rev's offer, though, with an arched eyebrow of interest, before focusing on the hand. A focus that's quickly cut by a spray of sand. N'eph's nose wrinkles when the grit reaches him and with a shake he rids himself of most of what's fallen on him. He surveys the damage done to his duds, but now that it's done, there's no helping it. He straightens the light jacket over his shoulders and gives himself one last shake before selecting two cards to be exchanged for new ones.
Rhodya gets a pretty direct hit of sand and leans violently away from it, spluttering. While she's distracted, her cards are exposed, and if N'eph's a cheating man he'll be able to see the beginnings of an unpromising hand. She flips them together immediately afterwards, hiding the evidence, and tosses a few marks in to raise the bid. "Baby, take it away from here," she orders her brown, who stops wriggling excitedly around Saulienth to consider this request. << Let's go, >> he tells his brother, giving Telyhath a playful shoulder bump as he trots past her. She's not invited to join, though, the poor thing. Once they're safely away from the riders, he calls, << Okay, no sharp things! >> and whirls to charge the other brown.
N'eph gives no indication that he's snuck a cheating look at Rhodya's cards. Indeed, when she raises, he gives her a lagging, teasing, "Oooh. Someone has a high hand." His poker face isn't so much a poker face; instead he acts in the same, goofy and boasting manner no matter what his hand holds. Nonetheless, he calls her without even thinking about it, the tokens shuffled out with ease. Telyhath squeaks when she's nudged off balance by Gedroth, but she doesn't protest any further. She merely trots behind the pair of browns, giving them their wrestling space for now while she just watches curiously.
F'vel sighs with exasperation and flicks sand off his trousers and one side. "/Saul/ c'mon we done talked about this," he says unhappily and turns to look at the smaller of the two browns. Saulienth ducks his head and hides his eyes under one paw, backing up three-legged. << Sorry, sorry! >> comes quickly and then as soon as he's out of sand-chucking range goes bounding off after Gedroth. << C'mon Telyhath! C'mon! >> He bumps one pale brown shoulder against his bigger brother as he goes, happy-go-lucky. T'rev meanwhile is raising, his own poker face more of his usual cheery, relaxed demeanor. "So, how's things goin' in them Barracks? Y'all survivin'?" he asks, without picking up his cards again.
Gedroth squawks when his sparring partner invites Telyhath into the game, letting himself be pushed a few steps back. << She can't. She'll get hurt, >> he tells both of them, sending them a fuzzy memory of Chielyth all scraped up and crying. He circles to put himself between Telyhath and Saulienth, blocking the green out while he resumes his attack on the other brown with a fierce headbump. Rhodya grins at N'eph and shoots him a wink. "My lucky night, huh?" She raises T'rev's bid even further, tossing the tokens out easily.
"As much as one can survive in those cots," N'eph comments with scoffing jest in his tone. But otherwise he has no complaints. And yes, yes, the tokens are all a tangent, it seems, for he keeps throwing out just enough to stay in the game with his replenished hand. Telyhath stops in her trotting after them, remaining at a good distance while the others continue. Her voice reaches them strongly no matter what, though. << I will not, >> she protests, that same mildly laughing scoff that was in her rider's voice coloring her words. To his image of Chielyth, she sends one of her, a ridiculously muscled green with oversized teeth and an intimidating stance. See? Looks just like her.
<< She's not as little as Chielyth! >> Saulienth argues, planting his feet and puuuuushing back with his head. T'rev tilts a look over at N'eph, mouth quirking upward and raises again, just a little. "Ain't comfy?" he asks the greenriding weyrling and sits back a little, waiting on Rhodya's next move. << I think we should let her, >> the smaller brown says, though he's got mental laughter like the whooshing of win through willows dancing in his mind at that picture Telyhath shows.
Rhodya splashes some more tokens down on the table, shrugging at T'rev. "They're about as comfy as any cots in the old residents' dorm. Which is to say, they ain't, but at least I'm used to 'em." She gives N'eph a teasing nudge with her elbow. Gedroth takes the image Telyhath sent them and doodles on it. He takes out the teeth (because no sharp things allowed), leaving only gums, and slaps mittens on her giant paws. Then he juxtaposes that image with a regular picture of himself and Saulienth, still about two times larger than her. << But she is littler than us! >> A beat, then, << Telyhath, you are standing right here. /You/ are littler than us! >> Ducking his head, he moves the impact with Saulienth up to his shoulder, so he can put more weight against the other brown. He shoves back hard, trying to buttress his mental argument with physical reinforcement: look at him, pushing Saulienth back.
N'eph matches Rhodya's bet, naturally, though he's no longer looking at his hand to see what he's got. "Not if you knew an assistant headwoman or two, who could get you an extra mattress," he says with a slight leer that suggest he definitely knew more than one and in /that/ sort of way. He doesn't say why he didn't just bring his extra mattress with him, but with the shortages that have been popping up it's no surprise that he's been made to cut back. Telyhath mentally huffs at them, a sharp frost tickling at the edges of their minds, and she begins walking again past them, toward the water, with a pouting flounce. But she doesn't get as far as the water for as soon as she gets level with Gedroth, she launches herself at him without warning. Though she pushes at him with all four paws, she keeps her claws as gentle as possible and relies instead on the sudden momentum and the element of surprise to throw the brown into Saulienth. Her wings flare out to assist in balance, but she can't help but fall after that initial attack, so she scrambles to her feet, beaming a challenge at him while she does.
Puuuuush back, goes Saulienth, trying to hold his ground against the bigger brown. He's not strong enough yet, no matter how hard he plants his feet and his hindquarters are slowly drifting backwards. Truth of the matter is, it's possible Saulienth and Telyhath aren't that far apart size wise. But ... color matters? T'rev's got another flip of a red token to add to the pot, eyes on Rhodya with a disarming smile. "Sleepin' better then, regardless of the lack o' creature comforts?" And his smile widens at N'eph's remarks. "Useful t'have friends on the staff, yeah." Telyhath's surprise attack leaves Saulienth off-balance and F'vel looks around at the trio with raised brows. Sighs then turns back, eyes the pot and folds, shaking his head.
"Some of us try to play by the rules," Rhodya informs N'eph primly. The act breaks down quickly, though, when she dissolves into chuckles. "It ain't that I was ever sleepin' badly, per se," she tells T'rev as she calls his bet, "just that Gedroth keeps me on my toes. And he is getting more regular, these days," she admits with a glance at him. Gedroth gets shoved back by Telyhath's charge, and he throws his wings out with a cry of confusion that gets Rhodya's eyebrows arched. He's not looking at his rider for help, though; the stubborn little thing is going to try figuring this one out on his own, first. << It's not that I don't /want/ to wrestle you, >> he explains to Telyhath, retreating towards the water. << But I have hurt Chielyth. Rho tells me I must be careful of my size and strength. Can we do something else? >> He lays down right there on the shore, water lapping up to his chin as he puppy-eyes Telyhath.
N'eph's eyes raise from the poker rock for the briefest of moments to watch his energetic green's attack, but the only clue to his thoughts on the matter is a facial expression that has a vague impression of 'good girl.' Then he returns to the game, intent on getting it moving again. "So are we done inflating the pot, or should I just push all in right now?" he asks, free hand half-jokingly poised to do just that. Telyhath follows after Gedroth as he retreats, back arching like a cat or ferret full of the aggressive spirit as she goes. But when the bigger brown turns his appeal on her, she falters, undecided on whether she should break her attack or not. She looks back to Saulienth uncertainly for a second, including him mentally with a silvery, questioning sense sent his way. << I guess, >> she relents reluctantly to Gedroth finally, abandoning her rigid stance altogether.
Bomp. Saulienth sits down and looks between the other two a little cross-eyed. He shakes it off though and gets to his feet, heads over to bump his muzzle lightly against Telyhath's side fondly. << Hey we can play a splash game! >> he offers and swats at a bit of shallow water. T'rev just gestures expansively to N'eph. "Do whatever seems right, man," he tells the greenrider. Mecaith turns to look at the players briefly and then settles his chin down atop paws.
Rhodya pats the pot affectionately, saying, "I think I've fattened it up 'bout as much as I'm going to. You gonna tell me your night's just gotten luckier than mine?" she asks, eyeing his pile of tokens with a curling smile. Gedroth rumbles at Telyhath, a note of apology in it, and sends her snippets of admiration for how fierce she is. If she weren't so little, says his wordless message, he would so be wrestling her. But he can't! Instead he slaps a paw through the water that was just tickling his chin, sending a spray of it at both Saulienth and Telyhath. << Splash game sounds good. Or tag. Splash tag? >> Ever fond of putting concepts together, he has to tilt his head and think about this one. << I'm not sure how one plays splash tag. >>
"You tell me," N'eph answers Rhodya, revealing his cards without a flourish. All the embellishment is in the sharp corners of his strong smile, as he beams at her over the pair of jacks, with ten kicker, that he's been carrying this whole time. Eyes flick away from her, to T'rev and F'vel, too, gauging the strength of that single pair. Telyhath considers for a moment, a pulse of cool air holding them while she thinks. << This is what we're going to do, >> she decides for the group, leaping her way into the water to join them. Smaller as she is, the ripples she causes in the water lap at her chest. << You, >> she designates Saulienth, << are the splasher. We're the runners. Whoever you splash with water gets to be the new splasher. >> There's a beat after she's decided this, then it's all action and she's diving away from both of them, mental giggles falling in her wake as she lumbers through the shallows.
T'rev's cards flip over, something stronger than whatever N'eph just showed and F'vel folded before to keep an eye on Saulienth. "C'mon over t'play with the wing sometime," the bronzerider tells N'eph with a wink though he's actually pushing his tokens into the middle. Saulienth listens avidly to Telyhath, takes in the directions and is very very agreeable to all of it. Mecaith though is stretching upright as T'rev gets up from his rock. "A'right then, next seven, right here? And I'll catch you guys sometimes in between too. Hang in there. Won't be cots forever," he notes encouragingly and leaves the cards behind for the trio to keep playing with as he meets up with his bronze to head off for duties unknown.
Rhodya puts her card out - face down. Whatever she's got there, she's going to concede the loss rather than show what she was gambling on. Not that N'eph might not know, perfectly well, that she's got a pair of jacks to match his - and crap that doesn't even match his high ten. "They're a vicious bunch, that wing," she jokes. T'rev may be gone, but the game continues without him, the three weyrlings bonding and stealing each other's tokens until dinnertime. Their dragons, meanwhile, take to splash tag with a vengeance, though the game quickly dissolves into madness and a basic rule of 'splash everybody you can.' All in all a good evening.
When: Late afternoon on day 3, month 5, turn 19 of Interval 10.
Where: Lakeshore, Fort Weyr
What: Rhodya sits down with T'rev and her fellow T'rev-mentees over a game of poker. Gedroth remembers past lessons and refuses to wrestle with Telyhath.
Afternoon sunlight is starting to turn ruddy and the shadows long around the edge of the lake, but there's still a few hours of daylight left for T'rev and the cluster of three weyrlings he's sitting with. There's a place along the lake's shore where several low rocks cluster together, mostly flat-topped and it's here that they've set up for what's getting to be a weekly card-game. The wingleader is currently dealing out the cards for a second hand, grinning around the circle of only-slightly-younger faces, with the notable exception of N'eph, a full turn older than he is. F'vel is the third of the weyrlings, the Bollian's accent as thick as T'rev's own Nerat when the two of them get to drawling, though the inflection is slightly different. Saulienth has sacked out for a nap in the sun, the little brown making a whistling snore, while his weyrling learns the ins and outs of poker. "A'right, everyone ready for round two? We usin' tokens still or ready t'move onto real marks?" the wingleader is teasing just a little.
N'eph has taken what he's claimed as his spot, one of the flattest and, when he's brushed it off, cleanest spots of their little rock arrangement. The cards from his last (losing) hand are carelessly flicked over to F'vel, whose turn it is to deal. Lazily, almost bored, he leans on one arm while the other hand rattles the small stack of tokens he still retains. Luck hasn't been on the side of this big better today at least. "I'll match you mark for mark any day of the week," he tosses out, the tone too indifferent to be a true boast, though he's definitely serious. Telyhath is entertaining herself by walking up and down a section of beach not too far from those sitting, though the napping Saulienth has gained a bit of her attention and her path bows to circle him briefly before she continues on her same pacing exploration.
Rhodya sweeps up the tokens she just win, clucking smugly. "Well, you know I'm happy to take your marks any day, but it ain't fair to poor F'vel gettin' thrown in with a couple of sharks." She pats her fellow brownrider's shoulder with a big smile and starts gathering the cards for her next hand. Gedroth took straight to the lake as soon as they got here and he's been swimming ever since, but the young brown's feeling restless today and comes crawling out of the water. He emerges too close to Saulienth to be anything but intentional, and shakes water off himself, splashing the other brown and hopefully waking him. << We should wrestle, >> he suggests, his voice reedy and eager, his feet shuffling excitedly beneath him.
T'rev laughs at the byplay between the threesome. "Yeah, probably better t'stick to these for a bit," T'rev's still got a decent number of tokens in front of them, their bright primary colors winking in the sunlight. "If y'wanna go for marks though N'eph, come by The Glass Fountain most fourth days, wing plays then," he offers to the weyrling. "So long as Telyhath's sleepin' an' all." He waits for his next card as F'vel passes them out, tongue stuck partly out from between his lips. Mecaith's sitting placidly nearby, watching the young dragons like some massive and regal babysitter. Cold water. On hide. Saulienth wriggles a little in his sleep, stretching one forepaw up towards his face, leg and tail downward like a large dog. One eye cracks open and he looks up at Gedroth for a moment, with a much-abused look to him but then he yawns and rolls over, shaking sand off, careless of where the stuff goes and trots on over, playfully bouncing to and fro. << Okay! No teeth ! Mine doesn't want us to get in trouble. >> T'rev lets out an easy-going: "Whoa there," as he gets a little shower of sand and brushes the stuff off his shoulders and out of his hair.
The boys have all the fun. Drawn by Gedroth's emergence and the suggestion he offers to their clutchmate, Telyhath reverses her energetic trotting and nears the pair of browns again, watching with naked interest but not inserting herself into their midst just yet. When using marks is dismissed, N'eph lets out a puff of air that communicates his disapproval of tokens, but that doesn't stop him from peeking at his cards like a practiced pro and tossing a call's amount of tokens out into the middle of their flat rock. He does note T'rev's offer, though, with an arched eyebrow of interest, before focusing on the hand. A focus that's quickly cut by a spray of sand. N'eph's nose wrinkles when the grit reaches him and with a shake he rids himself of most of what's fallen on him. He surveys the damage done to his duds, but now that it's done, there's no helping it. He straightens the light jacket over his shoulders and gives himself one last shake before selecting two cards to be exchanged for new ones.
Rhodya gets a pretty direct hit of sand and leans violently away from it, spluttering. While she's distracted, her cards are exposed, and if N'eph's a cheating man he'll be able to see the beginnings of an unpromising hand. She flips them together immediately afterwards, hiding the evidence, and tosses a few marks in to raise the bid. "Baby, take it away from here," she orders her brown, who stops wriggling excitedly around Saulienth to consider this request. << Let's go, >> he tells his brother, giving Telyhath a playful shoulder bump as he trots past her. She's not invited to join, though, the poor thing. Once they're safely away from the riders, he calls, << Okay, no sharp things! >> and whirls to charge the other brown.
N'eph gives no indication that he's snuck a cheating look at Rhodya's cards. Indeed, when she raises, he gives her a lagging, teasing, "Oooh. Someone has a high hand." His poker face isn't so much a poker face; instead he acts in the same, goofy and boasting manner no matter what his hand holds. Nonetheless, he calls her without even thinking about it, the tokens shuffled out with ease. Telyhath squeaks when she's nudged off balance by Gedroth, but she doesn't protest any further. She merely trots behind the pair of browns, giving them their wrestling space for now while she just watches curiously.
F'vel sighs with exasperation and flicks sand off his trousers and one side. "/Saul/ c'mon we done talked about this," he says unhappily and turns to look at the smaller of the two browns. Saulienth ducks his head and hides his eyes under one paw, backing up three-legged. << Sorry, sorry! >> comes quickly and then as soon as he's out of sand-chucking range goes bounding off after Gedroth. << C'mon Telyhath! C'mon! >> He bumps one pale brown shoulder against his bigger brother as he goes, happy-go-lucky. T'rev meanwhile is raising, his own poker face more of his usual cheery, relaxed demeanor. "So, how's things goin' in them Barracks? Y'all survivin'?" he asks, without picking up his cards again.
Gedroth squawks when his sparring partner invites Telyhath into the game, letting himself be pushed a few steps back. << She can't. She'll get hurt, >> he tells both of them, sending them a fuzzy memory of Chielyth all scraped up and crying. He circles to put himself between Telyhath and Saulienth, blocking the green out while he resumes his attack on the other brown with a fierce headbump. Rhodya grins at N'eph and shoots him a wink. "My lucky night, huh?" She raises T'rev's bid even further, tossing the tokens out easily.
"As much as one can survive in those cots," N'eph comments with scoffing jest in his tone. But otherwise he has no complaints. And yes, yes, the tokens are all a tangent, it seems, for he keeps throwing out just enough to stay in the game with his replenished hand. Telyhath stops in her trotting after them, remaining at a good distance while the others continue. Her voice reaches them strongly no matter what, though. << I will not, >> she protests, that same mildly laughing scoff that was in her rider's voice coloring her words. To his image of Chielyth, she sends one of her, a ridiculously muscled green with oversized teeth and an intimidating stance. See? Looks just like her.
<< She's not as little as Chielyth! >> Saulienth argues, planting his feet and puuuuushing back with his head. T'rev tilts a look over at N'eph, mouth quirking upward and raises again, just a little. "Ain't comfy?" he asks the greenriding weyrling and sits back a little, waiting on Rhodya's next move. << I think we should let her, >> the smaller brown says, though he's got mental laughter like the whooshing of win through willows dancing in his mind at that picture Telyhath shows.
Rhodya splashes some more tokens down on the table, shrugging at T'rev. "They're about as comfy as any cots in the old residents' dorm. Which is to say, they ain't, but at least I'm used to 'em." She gives N'eph a teasing nudge with her elbow. Gedroth takes the image Telyhath sent them and doodles on it. He takes out the teeth (because no sharp things allowed), leaving only gums, and slaps mittens on her giant paws. Then he juxtaposes that image with a regular picture of himself and Saulienth, still about two times larger than her. << But she is littler than us! >> A beat, then, << Telyhath, you are standing right here. /You/ are littler than us! >> Ducking his head, he moves the impact with Saulienth up to his shoulder, so he can put more weight against the other brown. He shoves back hard, trying to buttress his mental argument with physical reinforcement: look at him, pushing Saulienth back.
N'eph matches Rhodya's bet, naturally, though he's no longer looking at his hand to see what he's got. "Not if you knew an assistant headwoman or two, who could get you an extra mattress," he says with a slight leer that suggest he definitely knew more than one and in /that/ sort of way. He doesn't say why he didn't just bring his extra mattress with him, but with the shortages that have been popping up it's no surprise that he's been made to cut back. Telyhath mentally huffs at them, a sharp frost tickling at the edges of their minds, and she begins walking again past them, toward the water, with a pouting flounce. But she doesn't get as far as the water for as soon as she gets level with Gedroth, she launches herself at him without warning. Though she pushes at him with all four paws, she keeps her claws as gentle as possible and relies instead on the sudden momentum and the element of surprise to throw the brown into Saulienth. Her wings flare out to assist in balance, but she can't help but fall after that initial attack, so she scrambles to her feet, beaming a challenge at him while she does.
Puuuuush back, goes Saulienth, trying to hold his ground against the bigger brown. He's not strong enough yet, no matter how hard he plants his feet and his hindquarters are slowly drifting backwards. Truth of the matter is, it's possible Saulienth and Telyhath aren't that far apart size wise. But ... color matters? T'rev's got another flip of a red token to add to the pot, eyes on Rhodya with a disarming smile. "Sleepin' better then, regardless of the lack o' creature comforts?" And his smile widens at N'eph's remarks. "Useful t'have friends on the staff, yeah." Telyhath's surprise attack leaves Saulienth off-balance and F'vel looks around at the trio with raised brows. Sighs then turns back, eyes the pot and folds, shaking his head.
"Some of us try to play by the rules," Rhodya informs N'eph primly. The act breaks down quickly, though, when she dissolves into chuckles. "It ain't that I was ever sleepin' badly, per se," she tells T'rev as she calls his bet, "just that Gedroth keeps me on my toes. And he is getting more regular, these days," she admits with a glance at him. Gedroth gets shoved back by Telyhath's charge, and he throws his wings out with a cry of confusion that gets Rhodya's eyebrows arched. He's not looking at his rider for help, though; the stubborn little thing is going to try figuring this one out on his own, first. << It's not that I don't /want/ to wrestle you, >> he explains to Telyhath, retreating towards the water. << But I have hurt Chielyth. Rho tells me I must be careful of my size and strength. Can we do something else? >> He lays down right there on the shore, water lapping up to his chin as he puppy-eyes Telyhath.
N'eph's eyes raise from the poker rock for the briefest of moments to watch his energetic green's attack, but the only clue to his thoughts on the matter is a facial expression that has a vague impression of 'good girl.' Then he returns to the game, intent on getting it moving again. "So are we done inflating the pot, or should I just push all in right now?" he asks, free hand half-jokingly poised to do just that. Telyhath follows after Gedroth as he retreats, back arching like a cat or ferret full of the aggressive spirit as she goes. But when the bigger brown turns his appeal on her, she falters, undecided on whether she should break her attack or not. She looks back to Saulienth uncertainly for a second, including him mentally with a silvery, questioning sense sent his way. << I guess, >> she relents reluctantly to Gedroth finally, abandoning her rigid stance altogether.
Bomp. Saulienth sits down and looks between the other two a little cross-eyed. He shakes it off though and gets to his feet, heads over to bump his muzzle lightly against Telyhath's side fondly. << Hey we can play a splash game! >> he offers and swats at a bit of shallow water. T'rev just gestures expansively to N'eph. "Do whatever seems right, man," he tells the greenrider. Mecaith turns to look at the players briefly and then settles his chin down atop paws.
Rhodya pats the pot affectionately, saying, "I think I've fattened it up 'bout as much as I'm going to. You gonna tell me your night's just gotten luckier than mine?" she asks, eyeing his pile of tokens with a curling smile. Gedroth rumbles at Telyhath, a note of apology in it, and sends her snippets of admiration for how fierce she is. If she weren't so little, says his wordless message, he would so be wrestling her. But he can't! Instead he slaps a paw through the water that was just tickling his chin, sending a spray of it at both Saulienth and Telyhath. << Splash game sounds good. Or tag. Splash tag? >> Ever fond of putting concepts together, he has to tilt his head and think about this one. << I'm not sure how one plays splash tag. >>
"You tell me," N'eph answers Rhodya, revealing his cards without a flourish. All the embellishment is in the sharp corners of his strong smile, as he beams at her over the pair of jacks, with ten kicker, that he's been carrying this whole time. Eyes flick away from her, to T'rev and F'vel, too, gauging the strength of that single pair. Telyhath considers for a moment, a pulse of cool air holding them while she thinks. << This is what we're going to do, >> she decides for the group, leaping her way into the water to join them. Smaller as she is, the ripples she causes in the water lap at her chest. << You, >> she designates Saulienth, << are the splasher. We're the runners. Whoever you splash with water gets to be the new splasher. >> There's a beat after she's decided this, then it's all action and she's diving away from both of them, mental giggles falling in her wake as she lumbers through the shallows.
T'rev's cards flip over, something stronger than whatever N'eph just showed and F'vel folded before to keep an eye on Saulienth. "C'mon over t'play with the wing sometime," the bronzerider tells N'eph with a wink though he's actually pushing his tokens into the middle. Saulienth listens avidly to Telyhath, takes in the directions and is very very agreeable to all of it. Mecaith though is stretching upright as T'rev gets up from his rock. "A'right then, next seven, right here? And I'll catch you guys sometimes in between too. Hang in there. Won't be cots forever," he notes encouragingly and leaves the cards behind for the trio to keep playing with as he meets up with his bronze to head off for duties unknown.
Rhodya puts her card out - face down. Whatever she's got there, she's going to concede the loss rather than show what she was gambling on. Not that N'eph might not know, perfectly well, that she's got a pair of jacks to match his - and crap that doesn't even match his high ten. "They're a vicious bunch, that wing," she jokes. T'rev may be gone, but the game continues without him, the three weyrlings bonding and stealing each other's tokens until dinnertime. Their dragons, meanwhile, take to splash tag with a vengeance, though the game quickly dissolves into madness and a basic rule of 'splash everybody you can.' All in all a good evening.