Game Among Friends

Writers: Heather, Len, Paula
Date Posted: 20th May 2014

Characters: G'wen, E'naer, R'axe, S'vin, Sh'lua, T'bel
Description: The boys invite the new bluerider, R'axe, in for a game of Dragonpoker, but things don't go to plan for E'naer
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 7, day 6 of Turn 7

R'axe

It was just a game between friends. Gathered around a round table at
the dining cavern, they had dragonpoker deck out. E'naer was
dealing...or trying. Feral kept stealing cards from his hand. "Stop
that..or I use you as bet in a game," he scolded the gold firelizard.

"Like she listened to you," Sh'lua chuckled.

Like his name, Swift snatched the card from Feral and tried to take
off. Before he could spring, G'wen leaned over and grabbed the chubby
little flit.

"Thank you," T'bel said as he took the card out of his flit's mouth
and handed it back to E'naer.

"Ugh," E'naer looked the card's chewed edge. "Is there anyway we could
get those flit to go somewhere else while we play?" he asked from no one
particular.

Sh'lua's eyes glazed and suddenly all flits popped out and disappeared.

"What did you do?" E'naer asked with astonished voice.

"Just asked Galerith to invite them to give him a scratch...He
complied and now has fair of flits to entertain him," the bluerider
replied smugly.

Passing through the Dining Cavern was R'axe. He had already had his
meal, he always liked to have that out of the way, and in his right
hand was a cup of klah. The bluerider's eyes scanned those that were
currently in attendance. There was usually at least one person in the
Cavern that sparked R'axe's attention, and more often than not, that
person ended up in R'axe's weyr for the evening.

Tonight his eyes zeroed in on a round table of men gathered to play
dragonpoker. R'axe allowed his gaze to land on each individual present
at the table. They were all nice looking, one was downright delicious,
and R'axe considered his chances. It was so hard to find good male
partners around the Weyr. They were either clinging to some female
"weyrmate" or had a male "weyrmate" who insisted on being "exclusive".
R'axe snorted. As if there was such a thing as "exclusive" at the
Weyr. He'd never seen it.

R'axe drew closer to the table, nodding his head as he caught the eyes
of some of the men.

"Oh, hello tall, dark and oh so handsome," S'vin purred at the
newcomer. "Care to join us? It's strip poker, if that's okay with
you."

G'wen rolled his eyes. "It's a new dragonrider, not fresh meat."

E'naer chuckled. "You turn everything into a strip," he remarked to S'vin.

Sh'lua sized the man up. He was wearing bluerider's knots, like he and
looked like he could offer some serious competition for him when it
come the attention of greenriders.

T'bel nodded to the seat beside him. "You going to just stand there
and ogle or are you joining the game?"

"Don't mind if I do." R'axe flashed a smile as he hooked a chair,
flipped it around, and seated himself so that he could brace his arms
along the back of the chair, "And I highly doubt that this is strip
poker, since we're in the middle of the Dining Cavern, but I think you
could convince me for a private tutoring session sometime in my weyr."
He winked at S'vin.

S'vin about purred at the attention. Beside him, G'wen rolled his eyes.

"Despite S'vin's best attempts, no, it's not really a strip. We aren't
betting with marks though," E'naer chuckled. He did give the new
bluerider appreciative look over before dealing him a hand. He was
weyrmated, not blind. "I'm E'naer, by the way. Weyrlingmaster's Third
and dragonhealer."

"I'm Sh'lua, nice to meet you," the big bluerider offered his hand for
a shake. "I don't have fancy titles," he winked at E'naer.

R'axe accepted the man's handshake as he glanced around the table,
"I'm R'axe, and I also have no fancy titles." He flashed a smile at
Sh'lua. And as far as R'axe was concerned, he _liked_ having no fancy
titles or responsibilities to take him away from his leisure time.

G'wen caught the look E'naer was giving the new man. Sighing inwardly,
he tried to not look stressed.

T'bel glanced over and saw his face. To save G'wen the problem of
having to speak, he said, "I'm T'bel, his one is G'wen and that one,"
he pointed to S'vin, "Is trouble."

"Nice to meet you." S'vin purred.

R'axe knew that it would require no effort at all to convince S'vin to
have a little time in the bed with him, but he wondered about G'wen,
the greenrider that had been the most quiet so far. He felt an air of
distrust from the young man and wondered why. Looking down at his
hand, R'axe threw two cards onto the table face down and waited for
the dealer to give him to new cards to add to his hand.

"So, just where have you been my whole life?" S'vin winked at him.

"Well, I only transferred here about six months ago. I am surprised we
have not met before." R'axe flashed the smile he knew made most people
all fluttery and tingly. It worked every time.

That did cause Gwen to obviously roll his dark eyes.

Sh'lua felt like rolling his eyes too. Yep, this blue rider was a serious
rival.

E'naer just concentrated to dealing the cards.

R'axe glanced back down at his cards, "If we aren't betting marks,
what are we betting?" He quirked an eyebrow and directed his gaze at
E'naer, who seemed like the quiet leader of the group.

"With food and drink. Take some cookies from that bowl," E'near nodded
towards large bowl, which was half filled with cookes and sweetrolls.
"Of course, Sh'lua keeps eating bets and if G'wen keeps loosing, he'll
be so drunk I have to carry him home."

G'wen rolled his eyes at that, just before S'vin said, "but I'm losing
too, can_you_carry me up to my weyr?" That got another eye roll from
G'wen.

"Sorry, just G'wen," E'naer replied. "But I'm sure Sh'lua or R'axe are
more than happy to help you," he quipped.

"Anytime, anytime," Sh'lua said and wiggled his eyebrows.

R'axe shook his head, "I am no draft beast. Any time you want to
_walk_ over to my weyr, however, is an entirely different story." The
bluerider had never heard of betting cookies, of all things, in a
dragonpoker game. Where were the marks? Where were the beltknives, and
other trinkets?

"You boys ready to show your cards yet?" He asked.

G'wen sighed heavily and threw his cards on the table. "I'm out."

S'vin laughed. "You should be happy this_isn't_strip poker, or you'd
be completely without your clothes, wouldn't you?"

"Now, now, this is a public place," E'naer said. "Does anybody want a
new card or rise?"

R'axe raised an eyebrow. Hadn't E'naer been paying attention? He had
thrown down two cards earlier and was still waiting for them, "I need
my two." He said, tapping the cards that lay face down on the table.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my attention wandered," E'naer said with sheepish tone
and quickly dealt him two new cards. He hadn't been paying attention,
at least not to the game.

G'wen nervously glanced over to his weyrmate, and then to the new man.
"Erm...maybe I should just go."

"Why, don't you want to play anymore?" E'naer asked.

"No, not when you so obviously want to."

"G'wen, what do you mean by that?" E'naer was confused. Something had
riled up his young weyrmate and he didn't catch what it was this time.

G'wen had turned to walk away. At E'naer's words, he slowly turned
around and settled his hands on his hips. "You don't know what I'm
saying? You_really_don't know?" It came into his mind in one clear
moment to give E'naer a taste of his own medicine. He leaned over
R'axe and, before the man could say or do anything, grabbed him by the
back of his head and planted a firm kiss onto his lips.

Sh'lua made a low whistle, when E'naer just looked surprised. T'bel
and S'vin studied their cards, not daring to look up.

R'axe reacted naturally, despite the surprise, and returned the
greenrider's kiss. His cards face down and forgotten on the table.
G'wen was the last man at the table that R'axe had expected a kiss
from, since he had seemed nothing but possessive and jealous of E'naer
since R'axe had sat down. R'axe wasn't complaining though, the soft,
anger behind G'wen's lips was enticing.

"I wish someone was kissing me like that," Sh'lua murmured, not
bothering to hide his envy.

G'wen broke the kiss off and nodded to the door. "So you coming to my
weyr or are you gonna play only with your cards?" Without waiting for
an answer, G'wen turned away and walked through the crowded dinning
hall.

For a brief moment R'axe's eyes flicked between G'wen and E'naer, and
then with a lift of his eyebrows he pushed away from the table,
tossing down his hand of cards in favor of following the greenrider,
"Lead the way."

E'naer sighed and tossed his cards to the table. He had lost his mood
for the game. "Looks like my weyrmated deserted me and I'm all alone
tonight," he said mournfully. Not that he really blamed G'wen. If he
wanted to have fun with others, he wasn't going to deny him.

S'vin looked coy and was just about to open his mouth when there was a
loud stamp under the table. All that left his mouth was, "Ouch!"

T'bel gave him a measured glance before glancing at E'naer and sighing.

"Looks like the game is over," Sh'lua remarked. "See you around,
mates," he left the table with last, comforting pat on E'naer's
shoulder. He got a feeling any flirting wouldn't be well received
right now.

Last updated on the May 25th 2014

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Game Among Friends