A Surprise at the Golden Egg (Open to all!)

[Invisible]

It was a beautiful day outside, but that mattered little to the people inside. After all if they cared about the state of the outside they would not be in here. In here was the Golden Egg. The newest casino to open up, shortly after the hatching at Telgar Weyr, business inside was booming. Riders from Telgar came daily to try to win at cards and other games of chance or to just enjoy the company of a lovely young lady.

Non-riders came too into the noisy bustle of marks being won and lost. Always more lost than won if anyone but the house kept track, but that sort were never encouraged to linger at the Golden Egg. No, the cotholders, traders, and riders who were encouraged to remain were the sort who had more marks than sense. There were plenty of those to go around. Being no fools the Golden Egg even catered to the Caminar stating all marks spent equally.

And if there were fools? They were encouraged to leave quietly. And if they did not leave quietly? Well, the men who looked as if they’d spent time in Crom’s mines for one offense or the other didn’t care if they made a little noise doing their job. No one was sure who the owner of the Golden Egg was, but some speculated it was a relation to Lord Telgar himself. Those rumors, true or not, tended to keep trouble to a minimum. Within easy riding distance from the Weyr even for those with no dragon the Golden Egg was hopping today. There was a special announcement to be made and this fact had been spread about. Many had gathered to see what treat the casino would use next to try to lure business to them.

[dragon]

D'ray was one to be found in these kinds of places. He'd save enough marks for a nice trip over to a casino. Most of it was to pal around and flirt as usual. He found the ocassional shift a nice change of pace. Well here he was today, in this casino. He wasn't spending marks at the moment. He'd one a few marks earlier and decided it was time to call it quits for the time being and find some ladies to chat up. There were other dragonriders and the sort over as well, that was for sure. D'ray mingled with them, but now he sought more feminine company.

D'ray found himself at the bar, buying some young lass a drink. Young being about his age. The drinks were handed to him and in turn he handed one to this fine young woman with a wink. "Nothin' like a nice brew to start conversation", D'ray said with a grin and cheery tone. He raised his glass to hers, to motion for a toast of sorts. "To good times", he said with a grin as he looked the woman directly in the eyes. There was a hint of something there. D'ray was putting on the moves. He wasn't completely outright with his intentions but he wasn't worried about being subtle either.

[Xinnai]

Riri cocked one hip against the bar, listening to the loud sounds and calls from the casino around them. The Golden Egg was definitely the place to be today. Watching the pretty brownrider as he ordered drinks, full lips couldn't help but to curve into a sensual smile. Oh yes. She had certainly picked a good one there. Just strong enough in his face and body to look masculine, but with those long eyelashes he definitely didn't reach toward manliness.

She accepted her drink from him with graceful fingers, dark brown eyes holding his. He was about her age and wasn't she thankful for it. She'd had men older than her father approach her in the den. Definitely good today. She drank lightly from the drink at his toast, the glass falling as she sent him definite bedroom eyes. Something there? Their very stance spoke of definite intentions. "And even better ones to come," the dark brunette murmured, sliding just a bit closer to him. Where he was slightly cautious, she was flamboyant. It was just Riri's way.

[dragon]

Needless to say, this girl's actions was definently acceptable to the ever flirtatious D'ray. He'd certainly set the bait and cast the line, but this catch was easier than others. Not to say the girl may have been easy, but this was going just perfectly. He didn't have to do much work to keep this one's focus on him.

"Oh really now?", he said with a smile. "Can't wait to see what's in store", his tone clearly showing amusement and interest. Was she so bold to approach closer? Was she really going to invade his space? He certainly knew when was the right distance to react in a certain way, and his reaction was to place an arm around her waist and rest it on the other side at her hip, drawing her ever closer to him. "I certainly chose the right time to come here", he spoke in a lower voice, nearly a playful growl in his tone. It certainly wasn't the alcohol, yet.

D'ray took a sip of his chosen brew and looked the girl in the eyes. "I'll have to come around more often. This place has got some nice drinks", he said with a grin as he leaned back against the bar, arm still around her. He then turned and gave her a wink, "Scenery ain't that bad either".

[Xinnai]

Eyebrow arched and a low laugh was circling from her throat, rising up only to be lost in the overabundant noise of the gambling den. "Me, either." She let herself be snared by his arm and drawn in to him. Bodies close to brushing, clothes within close proximity. That playful little game she so enjoyed.

She shifted her curvaceous little body, shoulder tilting to him, facing him as her arm looped up, aiding her in her quest for a drink, even as their arms brushed. Eyes were watching him as long, dark lashes flickered down, brushing at her light cocoa cheeks and rising back up. Riri had mastered the art of flirtation a while ago. She sent him another sultry look, eyes watching his. Deliberately, she let her eyes drop to his lips as if contemplating a drink. How far would he go? How fast?

"It does indeed. This is a fine one. I thank you." She motioned with her glass and then glanced away, as if embarrassed by his praise. She was thrilled of it, in all actuality. Delighted. "I'd say the same of you, but then that would be an understatement." Head turned to look at him as she flashed a smile. Oh yes. She was a flirt, this one.

[Invisible]

It was shaping up to be a good day. The house was winning more than losing and the wine was flowing so no one minded so much. A cheer erupted at a table in the corner as a bluerider won his hand of dragonpoker. Three tables over a crafter just lost again at dice and got up to storm out of the casino. He brushed past a well-dressed pair with the look of privilege to them.

The woman looked to be the simpering type as she hung off the man’s arm in her revealing gown. The man looked a little like a bully with squinting eyes and a way of muscling himself past people should they get too close to being in his way. They head for the bar with their heads together whispering although the man seems to be keeping an eye on things around him. They stop near where D’ray and his companion are. The woman behind the bar appeared with two glasses of wine which she handed over without waiting for payment.

“But, Girrard, you said we’d go to Ista today. I feel so pale,” the woman said before sipping her wine. “Now, now Miranda, you just wait. I told you I have a surprise for you today,” Girrard answered as he held his wine without drinking it. “Fine day, Miranda. A fine day. Greetings to you,” he added to D’ray and Riri.

[dragon]

D'ray smirked, obviously taken in by the comment but agreeing it as truth. "Oh, ofcourse. Why should all the guys get the eye candy anyway? I'd say a lady like yourself deserves a treat as well", D'ray said with a wink. It was all a game to him, and all he found in this woman was someone to play with. Sure, she may be a nice girl to settle down and get to know. But D'ray never settled down. Infact he was sure no single lady would ever sink him. Life was all fun and games and when it wasn't, D'ray made it that way. A fun personality with a laid back attitude meant D'ray rarely found himself in a fight.

D'ray looked over at one of the blueriders that seemed to find his luck in a game of dragonpoker. "Seems like I'm not the only lucky dragonrider today. That fellow's probably raked in more chips than me", he said with a chuckle before hearing a voice next to him. Ah, a man and a woman. Did they mention something about Ista? Ah well, D'ray's attention was everywhere else. But he did hear when he was addressed. "Greetings", D'ray said with a polite smile and nod of his head. The knot on his shoulder clearly defined him as a brownrider in the weyrleader's wing. He'd often found that was also a useful tool. But with any luck, he'd not need any tools to get him out of a fight. D'ray's dominant thought, really, was just to "get to know" this young lass better.

[Xinnai]

Riri laughed and fluttered, sidling closer to him. "Why indeed? I think your thoughts to brilliant. So, some arm candy I have with me now." Smile curved, seductive and slightly predatory. She was enjoying herself immensely with this one. She might even have to think about seeing him again, something she didn't normally do with the beaus she picked up at the Golden Egg. She had some fun with them, flirted and played some games. Then was back again for another.

Riri saw the new man and women enter and internally pouted. Oh, how she would love to have a dress like that! She plucked, suddenly shamed, at her inferior cotton dress, leaning closer to suggest to her brownrider that they perhaps should move on and find a quieter location. But the man was speaking. She sighed.

"Hello," she replied in kind, small smile of greeting in place. "How are you all this afternoon?"

[Invisible]

Girrard reached behind Miranda to give her bottom a pinch before taking a drink of his wine. “Soon enough, darling. I told you we had to make a business stop first." Miranda giggled and gave her companion a saucy wink before drinking her own wine and setting her cup down on the bar for now.

When Girrard greeted someone she looked at the rider and the girl with him. Unable to place him, although to be fair she looked unlikely to be able to place her own name on any given day, she graced them with a sunny smile, more sly for D’ray than Riri. “Hello! I’m Miranda and this is Girrard. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Not enough to let loose of the arm she has, of course. D’ray clearly doesn’t look like the sort to be able to afford her.

Girrard sets his drink down to extend his hand to D’ray. “A pleasure to see so many of Telgar’s finest here. If there’s anything I can do for you just let me know.” So he has something to do with the place even if he either expects people to know or just likes to make them wonder.

[dragon]

D'ray could only give a mental smirk at the man's actions towards the woman. Clearly he was being more outright than D'ray. But he was quick to return the same type smile to the woman who would greet them. D'ray was never attatched to any one woman. For him, it was all about having a good time.

"Pleasure to meet you both as well. I'm D'ray and this is...", he trailed off and waved a hand at the woman he was with to give her own name. D'ray was being a bit typical and he hadn't quite set her name to memory yet, but he covered it quite well with offering the simple courtesy to give her own name. D'ray smiled at the girl he was with, expecting her to do so.

At the man's comment, D'ray only smiled and shook the man's extended hand. "I think I've got all that I need right now. Extra marks, a drink, and a woman", D'ray said with a knowing wink. Surely the man could understand where he was coming from. Surely he was enjoying the same things. Common ground was so nice. In it's own way, it gave the persons a certain bond and allowed them to relate to one another better. At the word woman, D'ray's hand moved in a gentle caress to his arm candy's side. It was more of a playful gesture than a loving one, but D'ray would have pulled it off to look either way. It all depended on how the person wished to interpret such a move. With that, he took a sip of his drink. Clearly the man had some form of control or ties to this place. So why not show how much he enjoyed the place?

[Alsivor]

Pleased as punch at the way his hands had been falling today, Y'vor cashed out of the card game he'd been playing in and gave the other players a jaunty little salute as he walked off with some of their marks. Hey, best to quit while he was ahead, right?

The brownrider sauntered on over to the bar and dropped his elbows down to the surface, looking up and down the length of it, eyes drifting casually over it's occupants. Ah, there, another rider from the Weyr, Blizzard he was pretty sure though he didn't know the other brownrider well. Rather than hailing him, he caught the barkeep's eye and slid the right mark-piece onto the bar's surface. "Your special of the day," he ordered with a slight drawl in his words. Y'vor was feeling good. Good play, good day. All he needed now was a good drink to cap it off with.

[Invisible]

Girrard picked up a drink again for a sip and then patted Miranda on the cheek. “Well, it’s a pleasure to have you here. You make sure the people here keep you happy and if not you let me know.” Miranda just smiled although that smile switched from man to man. When Y’vor showed up he got some wattage too, but not much. Instead she took up her own drink to finish it off.

Setting the glass down she tugged at Girrard’s hand. “Girrard. Come on, please. I want to go.” Her wheedling begging tone caused Girrard’s face to darken and he turned to Mirada to speak.

Or maybe it wasn’t her tone that caused that color on his face. As he opened his mouth no words came out, but the glass he held did slip from his fingers to shatter on the stone floor. The last of the glass noise was lost in Miranda’s scream as Girrard fell to the floor.

[dragon]

D'ray nodded to the other brownrider who made his way to the bar for a drink. Ah, D'ray recognized him from Thunder's wing. A wing notorious for being seen in places such as these, gambling. "Good day", he said to him with a polite smile.

However, attention was quickly taken away as he turned to the sound of a shattered glass. D'ray's eyes widened as he watched the man's body fall to the ground. His body simply reacted on instinct as D'ray lodged himself from his female beauty of a prize and tried to catch the man falling to the ground. Whether he'd actually succeed or not didn't enter D'ray's mind. Infact, nothing did. D'ray was shocked and confused at what was going on and found his body was reacting completely of it's own accord. He'd either miss, catch him and fall with him, or managed to stay up and yet still catch him from falling completely to the ground. Either way, D'ray had made an action.

[Alsivor]

Y'vor flashed D'ray one of his trademark friendly smiles, then nodded thanks to the barkeep as he accepted a rather garish looking glass and eyed it for a moment, laughed and passed the server a tip along with the fee. "Good day. Interesting drinks they've got --" the last part of Y'vor's sentence broke off as Girrard's glass went crashing to the floor and the brownrider blinked a few times, set his glass down carefully and exhaled. "Shells ..." he murmured, one hand extended as his fellow rider moved to catch the falling man, a step taken to offer assistance.

[Invisible]

Girrard fell and for his troubles D’ray got but a slumping of man against him before said man wound up on the floor. It was a sudden thing and Miranda was crowding him and now she screamed again realizing that if Girrard was dead she had gotten dead man cooties on her. The high pitched, shrilling screams were interrupting the gaming going on and people began to whisper and press closer.

“What’s going on?” several of them said. More of them added things such as, “That’s Girrard. What happened? Is he dead?” Finally someone yelled, “Is there a healer? Does he need a healer?” Although those close enough could see a healer would do no good. Miranda, distraught, fainted into the arms of one of the bouncers just as he got himself shoved through the crowd.