The clink of hard-earned marks sounded in the weyrling barracks late one night. The six weyrling riders, three bonded from the first clutch, three from the second, were gathered around a single dimly-lit table in a far-out-of-the-way corner of the least-inhabited section of the barracks, and hoping that the Weyrlingmaster would not catch them.
"You do know this is horribly against just about every rule the Weyrlingmaster has set, right?" H'omi groaned has he threw another mark on top of the pile.
C'mas and B'jar shrugged. "What they don't know can't hurt them, or us." C'mas said.
His young weyrling, Kjoreth, looked up from where he was curled up in the giant pile of green and blue bodies that were the group's dragons, and snorted. And I guess no one's going to tell them, are they?
C'mas smiled and reached over to scratch his dragon's eyeridges before picking up his playing cards.
"I'll see your one mark, H'omi, and raise it another two." Kaarewen said as she tossed her bet onto the middle pile. She glanced around at everyone, but nobody bet any higher. They all showed their hands at the same time.
C'mas cursed and threw his cards down. "Dammit, the bluerider chick won again!" He muttered as Kaarewen grinned smugly.
"I think she's cheating!" Aseicien grumbled under her breath to Elewen, who would have answered similiarly; but she couldn't, so she didn't.
"Well I'm cheating, and I'm still losing." B'jar muttered.
"Hey, hold on a minute." H'omi spoke up, looking at Kaarewen's hand. "Didn't you have those same cards the last time?"
C'mas and B'jar glanced at each other, and B'jar spoke up. "And where was she keeping them?" The bluerider was wearing a loose gown with no pockets and no place to hide things. C'mas and B'jar glanced at each other again, then they turned and looked at Kaarewen with interest.
She blushed slightly and stood up. "Well, I think that's enough for one night, I'm going to bed." She left, and the others shrugged and followed suit.
Of course, no one noticed that B'jar had taken the marks from the table. He winked at his weyrling blue dragon. "Our little secret, Delth." The weyrling just yawned and followed his rider so he could properly go to sleep.