Wyll looked up from the game of cards he was playing as he heard heavy footsteps enter his weyr. He smiled as he heard the chink of coins. His friend, Nira, looked up from her nap, shook her head, and went back to sleep. Wyll turned to look at the new arrival and said, "So, Mikal, you ready to lose some more money?" The tall man looked determined and held out his coinpouch. He shook it and said, "Double what you won last time. Your luck can't last forever."
He took a seat at the table Wyll was sitting at and grabbed the deck. Mikal shuffled it expertly and dealt. Wyll smiled to himself as he picked up his cards. His luck held and there was no way Mikal would beat this hand. Wyll bet about a quarter of what Mikal had in his pouch and sat back. Mikal looked at his hand and drew three more cards. His expression didn't change and he met Wyll's bet. Wyll laid down his cards and waited to see what Mikal had.
Mikal laid down his cards and groaned. Wyll had won again, but just barely. Wyll grinned broadly and said, "Well, I think my luck holds still." Mikal smiled amiably and said, "Yeah, now I gotta go tell the other guys that I lost again. They bet me that I wouldn't win. Seems they were right." As Mikal stood up, Wyll shook his hand and said, "You and the others are welcome to play me anytime." Mikal laughed as he walked out the weyr and back to the main room.
Nira lifted her head again and blinked her blue eyes. She laughed at Wyll's satisfied look and said, "Don't you ever get tired of beating them?" Wyll shrugged and replied, "As long as my luck lasts, I'll enjoy my winnings." Nira looked at him shrewdly and Wyll squirmed slightly under her gaze. He looked down at the cards on the table as Nira said knowingly, "You know that luck of yours will run out. What will you do then?" Wyll shrugged and started dealing the cards again. He concentrated on the cards and replied, "When my luck runs out, it runs out. Until then, I'm not going to worry."
Nira shrugged and shook her head. She didn't understand Wyll's attitude about his luck. She knew that he was counting on that luck to Impress a dragon. He hated the fact that dark dragons controlled Eien. He wanted to fight to end the dark age and bring on a new one. She only hoped that his luck didn't run out in the middle of a battle. Wyll looked up as he felt her staring at him and asked, "What's the matter?" Nira looked away and said, "Did you sign up for candidacy at Fire Ridge yet?" Wyll thought a moment then nodded. Nira stood up and shook out her wings.
"You wanna go check to see if you're on the list?" Nira asked. Wyll nodded and put his cards away. He stored his winnings from the game with Mikal in the pouch on the bookcase in the corner placed the book back that hid the small cabinet. Then, he checked over his living space and tidied it up. He looked in on the dragon's weyr and swept out some of the dirt that had accumulated on the floor and couch. Nira helped as much as she could, fanning the dirt away with her wings. Finally, he changed and followed Nira out of the weyr.
