Backgammon

Writers: Avery, Yvonne
Date Posted: 12th October 2007

Characters: Cyrek, Corran
Description: Cyrek and Corran chat about this and that over a game of backgammon
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 6, day 1 of Turn 4

Cyrek grit his teeth and cast the dice - a one and a three. Abysmal.
He stared at the chips on the backgammon table, but no matter what he did, he'd have to leave a piece open and no doubt Corran would send it back to the start. It just wasn't his night for games. "Blast. Are you sure you're not cheating?"

"I'm positive." Corran grinned. "I used to play a lot, with my brother."

"A dragonrider teaching you to gamble? Shocking." Cyrek made his move
- bad as it was - and folded his arms. "I think you use weighted dice, myself."

"We learned it as Guards. It comes in use in the Tavern, though only when I'm off-duty, of course."

"Mmm. Are you still on loan to the Vintner Hall?" The Steward had very little to do with the Guard rosters - that was the Captain's duty.

"Not any more. I'm back to Hold guard duty in the day. It gives me time in the evening to see people, as opposed to taking breakfast then and going to night duty. You miss your friends that way."

Cyrek smiled as he watched Corran roll the dice. He _had_ missed the guard's company. "How was it? I must confess that I haven't been to the Vintner Hall's Tavern since it opened. Mariss would kill me if I went without her, and I am not about to bring her to a place like that."

"It's not that bad of a place, if you go before the evening rush.
That's when people come in and settle down for a whole night of drinking and gambling. Perhaps one day you could take her for an early dinner. The food is not half bad and the entertainment is good.
I had to deal with more than a few fights, though- and there _was_ a greenflight. That was bad." He shook his head.

"Shards and shells. You'd think they'd have the brains to know better," Cyrek said. "That's irresponsible, and unwelcome behaviour in a Hold."

"I thought you could tell when your dragon was going to rise. If he'd just stayed at home...but it's too late." Corran shook his head. "I have to confess, though, if that was a greenflight, I almost wonder about goldflights." He still hadn't found someone to settle down with, and the flight had reminded him that he really needed female company. He hadn't had any since Amethyst Cliff was hit.

Cyrek shuddered. To feel like that... about a _man_?! Trouble had chased more than his fair share of greens and golds, and the Steward was inflicted with his firelizard's lust each time. To have that magnified was unthinkable. And that was another reason to keep his daughter away from the Tavern. "Quite frankly, I'm more than happy to live at a Hold rather than a Weyr. I toyed with the idea of going to Dragonsfall Weyr after the earthquake, but I just couldn't imagine living like that."

"Dragonsfall isn't a terrible place. Some of the women are, ah...loose, it's true." he said delicately. He'd taken advantage of it a few times, in fact. "They have female crafters, though, and the sexes are more equal there. The Hold could learn a few lessons on that."

"That I am not adverse to. I'm sure that a woman can be just as good as a man if she puts her mind to a task," the Steward said. "Look at Mariss. If my position here wasn't so tenuous, I'd be thinking of promoting her to Understeward. I was thinking about it back at Amethyst Cliff Hold, but I never had the chance to bring it up with Lord Alalir."

"She'd do a very good job." Corran said. "It's, well...if I can be frank... It's almost a shame Mariss is here. She could do so well at whatever she set her mind to, but the Holders here will never recognize it."

"Mariss is just going through a difficult time. She'll be fine."
Cyrek toyed with a game piece, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger as he tried to let Corran's words slide off him. Mariss would be fine... and where else could they go? Here, he could continue to protect the remains of Amethyst Cliff Hold's citizens, and still be able to afford the lifestyle that his daughter had become accustomed to. To move elsewhere involved too much uncertainty.

"She is strong." Corran agreed. Knowing this might be sensitive, he changed the topic. "Did you hear about the hurricane at Dolphin Cove?
K'ran has been keeping me updated on it."

"I have, but you're probably better informed than I. Unless it affects our Weyr, I hear very little news." Cyrek paused. Gossip was beneath him, but... "I heard that there were lives lost in the move between Dolphin Cove and Dragonsfall. Is that true?"

"There were two eggs which didn't Hatch, and there was a bronzerider who disappeared *between* with two more." Corran replied. "An already underpowered Weyr didn't deserve that. K'ran didn't think so- he's decided to transfer there to help rebuild."

"A good man, you're brother. Apparently the Weyrleader also has Weyrlings who are fifteen turns in the air." Cyrek sighed. "I suppose it's necessary with the Wings so thin, but it seems so young. Still, desperate times call for desperate measures." A phrase he was well acquainted with.

"I heard about that. They're so young, but what can he do? Risk Thread falling to the ground? That would devastate more than just the Weyr. He has to think about his territories, not just his men. Still, I don't know if I could have done that; I'd hate to assign men under my command to do something so dangerous so young." Having commanded Guards, he knew about assigning people. The thought of having a Weyrleader's job made him glad he wasn't a rider, though.

"I wonder how it will affect Searches if parents know that their children will be sent out to face Thread at that age."

"It would be negative, I imagine. I think anyone would be reluctant."

"I only hope that the move won't backfire. And I wonder why he didn't just put in a call for transfers to the other Weyrs..."

"I think he did, but it's possible that it might be a pride issue, not wanting to appear too weak."

"Yes, but his leadership cannot be questioned unless it's by the senior queen. And after suffering a disaster such as his Weyr has..."

"Every Weyr needs wings to fly, though, and Dolphin Cove can't ask for too many lest they endanger another Weyr's territory. It's a balancing act, just like we live when we consider how much land should go to crops versus animals."

Cyrek was beginning to feel as though he was being lectured to, not discussed with, so he changed the topic. Somewhat. "And River Bluff Weyr has a gold egg on the Sands, I hear. I'm sure that they're ecstatic about that."

"It is wonderful news. I'm sure all the girls there want to Stand for one."

"I'm half tempted to send Mariss, Searched or not, just for the experience!" Cyrek smiled. "But I'd be scared that she'd never come back to me."

"If she Impressed, she wouldn't be able to. Or do you mean if she didn't?"

"A bit of both." The conversation was drifting back into somewhat uncomfortable territory. Cyrek scooped up the dice and rolled them onto the backgammon board: double sixes. He grinned. "It looks like my luck is improving. Looks like the game's not lost yet!"

Last updated on the October 14th 2007

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