Guess the Gold!

Writers: Corrin, Duskdog, Iluva, Shawna, Yvonne
Date Posted: 14th November 2024

Characters: N'kyri, H'run, M'kayre, Th'reyos, Zariah, T'gyrlan, G'zan, Harki, L'kav
Description: N’kyri and H’run take bets on who the new goldrider will be.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 12 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Diara, Tiyo, Halia, Nosarre, L'keri, G'zan, K'mai, Zaphare

N'kyri

It was dinner time at the weyr, but N’kyri had already eaten fast and early with H’run. Now he and the other bluerider were set up in a prime location near the main entry to the dining hall, like merchants at a stall, waiting for business. The operation was simple enough. They sat together on one side of the table, two small ledgers and a pouch of marks between them, as they took turns cajoling the crowd.

“Think you’ve got a nose for who our next goldrider is?” N’kyri called over the diners with easy cheer. “Step up and put your marks where your mouth is! Favorites right now are Diara and Tiyo, you’ll get 3:2 for either of them. Or make your fortune with a longshot on the beautiful Halia, for 30:1!”

N’kyri wasn’t actually sure _which_ girl was Halia or what she looked like, but it sounded good.

M'kayre thought the whole thing was a rather crass display, but he'd been expecting it to happen sooner or later. These things always did. He sauntered over, eyeing his former wingmates critically. Of course it would be these two, part of the trouble squad. He was a little bit surprised that L'keri, G'zan, or K'mai didn't seem to have their grubby little hands in this, too.

"Let's see the ledger," he said, tapping the table. "What odds have you given Nosarre, and what makes Diara and Tiyo the favorites? I don't think I even recognize those names."

"Ah, M'kayre!" N'kyri was happy to greet the bronzerider, and his purse. He flipped the odds ledger around and slid it across the table for the man to peruse. "Your dear girl is just behind them, at 4:1. Not bad at all. She'd be higher, but she _has_ almost aged out, you know. Diara and Tiyo are younger and from good rider families as well."

"Gold eggs are few and far between -- if a girl is suitable for one, of course she's most likely going to have to age a bit before she gets a second or even a first chance. I hardly think getting passed up by greens in the meantime is a mark against someone Impressing gold." M'kayre snorted. "As for these others, one of them named their daughter 'Tiyo'. How good can they possibly be?"

Nevertheless, he dug five marks out of his pocket. No small amount. "On Nosarre," he said, slapping them down on the table.

Th'reyos afforded luck the same amount of faith as he did his own capabilities in games of guessing, but if there was one thing he knew how to do it was ride a high to its very end. And since he was indeed a betting man, he strolled up just behind M'kayre and waited for the man to dissect the list.

"Gimme Halia," he smirked, his mark skating gently toward the two blueriders. "Gotta give some love to an underdog, right?"

"One mark on Halia," H'run said, writing down Th'reyos' name in his own book. He added an extra curlicue to the 'y'. "And five marks on Noserre, from M'kayre." He did not add the extra curlicue to the 'y' in the Weyrsecond's name. Once he was finished, the marks were swept into the bag on the table and H'run beamed at them both. "Excellent choices, my good men-- and may the best man win. Or woman, I should say."

"Oh, I'll put a mark on Zaphare. I like her energy," Zariah said, fishing one out of her own pocket. She was never afraid to put her money not on the best choice, but the most entertaining choice.

"On Tiyo," said T'gyrlan, coming up besides Zariah. He put down a whole mark as well. "That's E'kavas' sister, M'kayre. It's a fine family."

"E'kavas has a sister?" M'kayre asked. "Hrmph. I wasn't aware. I can see why she'd have good odds. Not better odds than Nosarre, mind you -- that's where my marks will stay -- but I suppose you could have chosen worse."

G'zan pushed his way to the front, barely eyeballing the odds list. "Who's on the bottom? Halia? Ain't nothing wrong with Halia!" He may or may not actually remember who Halia even was. But there was something about the underdogs that he just couldn't resist. "I don't have the marks of master fancy-pants over here, but I'll put a half-mark on Halia, and a half-mark on..." He squinted down at the ledger. "Sanvi! I'd give the whole bottom half of the list love if I could."

"Zariah... a mark for Zaphare. T'gyrlan... a mark for Tiyo. And G'zan puts a half mark each on our Lower Caverns long shots, Halia and Sanvi." This time H'run let N'kyri sweep the marks into their bag while he wrote down Zariah, T'gyrlan and G'zan's names in his book. "All excellent choices, I'm sure. But! There is only one gold egg for our Candidates."

Harki pushed past G'zan to study the list. "I'll put an eighth mark on... mmm..." The last time she'd bet it was on who would be the next Weyrleader, and she'd lost. At least she'd known who the bronzeriders were. For all she knew, H'run and N'kyri had made up the names on the list. "N'kyri, who are you betting on?"

"Diara and Tiyo," he replied promptly. "Usually I enjoy backing a longshot, but H'run and I did our homework. I think either of those two have a pretty solid chance."

"Mmm... put me down for Tiyo," Harki said, sending a sidelong look toward M'kayre.

L'kav was more than prepared to let the blueriders' extensive research guide his bet, as he generally didn't keep tabs on candidates. But peering over Harki's shoulder, squinting at the list, he did recognize one name: "Oh I'll put a half mark on Diara. That's Sellek's girl." And if memory served one of her fathers rode green as well.

"Excellent choice, both of you!" Beaming, N'kyri collected the bets while H'run jotted them down. The purse was getting heavier by the second.

The crowd was thickening as a few more riders and weyrfolk pressed forward, curious. N'kyri leaned back in his chair, a glint in his eye as he gestured to the ledger, meeting the gaze of anyone even remotely looking his way. "Come on, don’t be shy!" he called with a grin. "Come make your fortune with one lucky girl. You don’t want to miss the chance to say ‘I called it!’ when our future queen finds her lifemate."

Last updated on the November 19th 2024

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Guess the Gold!