Welcome to Our World [M]

[DragonSong]

Gwen laughed again; she couldn't help it. "He probably just had a fly near his nose. Or he was trying to get someone's attention." She gave Teirna's neck a fond pat as the mare shifted her weight between her back hooves. "Honestly, unless you're actively being mean to them or are...I dunno, carrying anger or frustration in some sort of way, horses typically don't give much thought to you."

Teirna nuzzled her shoulder and she smiled, twisting her head to kiss the animal's cheek. "They can tell your moods-- if you managed to make friends of them, they're loyal to a fault. If not..." She shrugged. "They typically couldn't care less about you."

[quaggan]

 "Sounds like they're more reasonable than a lot of humans I know" Sharrow admitted. They wouldn't care about things like caste, or who his parents were - just judge him on his own merit. "And that's quite an useful ability - sensing someone's mood would come in handy when watching out for temperamental cholerics who would take their frustration out on the environment.

Gwen and Teirna appeared to be really close - the previously suspicious and guarded fledgling looked so at ease and in high spirits now. The magic of good company, Sharrow supposed. She seemed to truly love horses - she must have been genuinely happy with her work. "How did you two meet?" he asked. Prying into her past was not wise, but this recollection should bring happy memories instead.

[DragonSong]

The fledgling vampire suddenly blushed-- or as much as she could, at any rate, her pale skin tinting just a bit toward pinkish.

"Well, I...sort of stole her," she admitted in a mumble, shuffling her feet.

[quaggan]

 That was not an answer Sharrow expected. He bit down on the further questions that bubbled up, summoning back his manners. He shouldn't stare, either - he didn't exactly see a lot of vampires blush. He knew that their skin could become more lifelike in tint and colour when supplied with blood of appropriate quality, but few bothered with keeping up mimicry when there was no victim for them to deceive. Perhaps it was the fledgling status that played a role in it - Gwen probably couldn't be expected to display mastery and control inherent to the ancient masters. She also seemed to be the type that would prefer not to relinquish what little she had left of her lost humanity.

He stared at the mare instead, who didn't seem all that concerned to have been stolen (or at least that's what he assumed, he was not so arrogant as to claim the ability to read horse body language at this point). "Well, Teirna doesn't look like she's complaining, so I assume she was an accomplice."

[DragonSong]

Gwen smiled a bit and patted the mare's shoulder, which earned her an affectionate nuzzle against her shoulder. "Well, sure, let's go with that," she chuckled quietly. Shrugging, she added, "I mean, it's not like she was doing much--just a cart horse, probably would've been worked into the ground in a few years."

Her brow furrowed in a frown for a moment, but then Teirna huffed a breath at her and she smiled again, returning to rubbing the brush over her dappled coat.

[quaggan]

 "A cart horse?" he blinked. He knew that horses were used for a variety of purposes, both as mounts and beasts of burden, even to the point of creating specific breeds better adjusted to a given tasks. "I wouldn't have guessed. She looks like a rideable sort."

A stablehand passing by chortled. "Oh, for Inima's- I can't even tell if it's a pathetic attempt at flattery or a pathetic attempt at sounding knowledgeable about horses."

Sharrow chuckled, not embarrassed at all about being made fun of. "Does it have to be either?"

[DragonSong]

Gwen couldn't help chuckling a bit herself, sparing the stablehand a quick, appraising sort of look as she did.

"Most horses are a "rideable sort"," she said to Sharrow with another small smile, crimson eyes glinting just a bit. "Just because they're plow-horses or carthorses or what-have-you doesn't mean you can't still ride them."

She patted Teirna's flank as the mare bobbed her head in what seemed like agreement. Rather abruptly, she moved around to Sharrow's side of the horse and placed her hand over his where he was brushing her. "Here. You can use a little more force, you're not going to hurt her--and you need a bit of elbow grease to get all the dust out of her coat."

[quaggan]

 Sharrow followed the advice, pressing harder on the horse's flank. She did not kick him or run away, so he took it as a sign of success. Another stablehand leaned against the wall and watched him work. "Nice job there, miss" she smiled at Gwen. "You'll make a proper worker out of this flesh bag yet!"

"That's a new one" Sharrow remarked, running the brush down Teirna's coat. "And not very indicative, if I may say so."

"You may not."

"Both of us are made out of flesh" he pointed out. "'Blood bag' would be more applicable, as I've heard many vampires and dhampires such as yourself use it, but it would imply that you're dangerously famished and about to attack me in a fit of ravenous hunger-"

"Trust me, kid, it's not hunger that makes me want to attack you..."

"Hey! Raina!" another stablehand called for her. "This dung won't shovel itself, and the longer you stay here chatting, the more it will stink!"

"Oh, thank the spirits" the girl sighed. "Dung is preferable company when compared with this smartass."

Sharrow raised a hand to wave at her back, but Teirna was having none of it. She snorted with disapproval, making him quickly return to brushing. "My bad. It was probably rude to focus my attention somewhere else."

[DragonSong]

Gwen had gone eerily silent. She didn't even seem to remember Sharrow's presence until Teirna shifted to butt her muzzle against him pointedly.

The fledgling let out a sharp breath, glancing after the other stable hand before returning her attention to the mare.

"...Why do you let them talk to you like that?"

[quaggan]

 "Talk to me like- oh" he realized. "I suppose it must have sounded bad to you. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking when I engaged in my usual banter with Raina."

  How could he have been so thoughtless?! This wasn't just a conversation, it was an assignment from Lord Saroian himself! He told Sharrow to make Gwen feel more welcome here, to be her friend. To think that such a simple-sounding task would be beyond him! He failed despite the information given to him, didn't have the skill to take advantage of the circumstances, and now he's only made her feel worse!.

He doubted that he could still salvage the situation, but the least he could do was to explain, to the best of his ability. He owed Gwen that much. "Raina and I know each other. I'm on pretty good terms with everyone here in the castle. I have to, since I live here. I suppose our little chatter sounded really unpleasant, but none of us truly meant those words. We were just exchanging some playful barbs."

[DragonSong]

"Mmm." Gwen narrowed her eyes. She didn't look convinced. "Far as I can tell, they're all like that," she muttered after a moment. "They think they're...better than humans, somehow."

She didn't seem to realize that she was leaving herself out of "them" once again.

[quaggan]

 Sharrow's ears caught the lack of distinction. It seemed that, at least on some level, Gwen was still thinking of herself as human. It wasn't that uncommon among the newly turned to frequently forget their new state and still act human. It was relatively harmless, save for that one instance when Jean forgot the alchemical concoction that allowed her to go outside safely and almost got burned up in the sun. Words were safe in comparison.

It appeared that the fledgling's opinion of what was going on in the castle was rather... low. Sharrow suspected that he could talk and talk until his tongue fell out of his mouth from overuse, but that would only make her more suspicious. What should he do?

What would Lord Saroian have done?

"You're right" he acknowledged. "That's a really common attitude among vampires. But there are people who do not subscribe to it, and want change. I won't ask you to give your trust easily, but I would like to benefit from your knowledge. Most of the people here are old, and were turned a long time ago, they lack the freshness of your view. What do you think needs to be done to change it? What would you have me do?"

[DragonSong]

She shot a look at him over the mare's shoulder, then quickly turned her attention back to what she was doing--which happened to be brushing the same patch of hair over and over.

With a sigh, Gwen rocked back on one heel and propped a hand on her hip, brow furrowed. "Why are you asking me for advice? I'm--I'm just some fledgling. Hells, I'm not even really that properly!"

She shook her head and moved to put the brush away, frown deepening. "Look, I...I just don't belong here. I'm not like you--the others. Doesn't matter what I think."

[quaggan]

 So it didn't work. Again. Lord Saroian wanted him to build a rapport with her, to make her feel more at home, but all he's achieved was the exact opposite. No, he couldn't afford to get distracted by feeling sorry for himself. He had to press on. If his previous attempt failed, it was still a learning opportunity: now he knew what not to use.

He should play off her words, that was the basis of all communication. He suspected she lacked a place to belong in, and that spurred her flight. While some fledgling vampires managed to integrate back into their mortal lives, but that clearly was not an option - at least not here and now. What should he say? His eyes wandered to the horse - the only thread still tying Gwen to her past life, and one she was clearly very attached to. "Where would you say you belong, then?" he asked. "With Teirna?"

[DragonSong]

She shrugged, brow slightly furrowed as she seemed to be attempting to focus on the task before her.

"I don't know," she answered in a very small voice after a few moments. "She's not even mine, not really. I stole her."

Teirna whuffed a soft breath against the young woman's cheek and pressed her velvety muzzle against her, earning a very brief smile and a stroke along her neck. Sighing again, Gwen turned her head slightly to look at Sharrow out of the corner of her eye.

"Look, I--I appreciate you...talking to me and all, but what do you want, really?" No one else in the castle had made such a concerted effort to try to befriend her before--or whatever it was he was doing.

[quaggan]

 Teirna looked like she didn't mind being stolen - for all Sharrow knew, it could have been her idea to begin with. He could definitely imagine the horse following Gwen around doggedly until the fledgling relented and took her along.

He tensed up at her words, instinctively. Well, perhaps this was to be expected - his efforts had probably lacked in subtlety, and the circumstances did not favour him to begin with. Wary by nature or by learning, Gwen must have found his attention suspicious from the start. There was no use lying - her superior vampire senses would expose any attempt he could have mustered; and a proper relationship with an ally should not be built upon lies.

"Because this is what I do" he confessed. "It is my duty. Everything else is secondary. I won't lie, it's true that Lord Saroian regards you as a possible ally. But even if he hadn't, I would still do my utmost to make you more comfortable. Even if you were to get on Teirna right now and leave, never to be seen again, it would not have been time wasted. This is what I do."

[DragonSong]

Gwen shook her head slowly. "But why though?" she murmured, frowning. "I still don't get why you do all this for--for them. For Saroian, I guess. I mean..." She huffed, then admitted reluctantly, "I guess he doesn't seem awful, but he's still... He runs this place. He's never done anything you disagreed with, disapproved of?"

[quaggan]

 Sharrow stared at the horse brush for a while, as if avoiding the question. "The full story is long and boring, so I'll spare you the regret and just explain the basics. I suppose I should disclose at first that I've been raised by Lord Saroian for most of my life and owe him pretty much everything: my education, my freedom, it wouldn't even be an exaggeration to count my life as well. Everything I have that's worth having, I gained by his will."

"To answer your prior question; of course we don't always get along. He's refused to turn me time and again, for example." He seemed quite willing to disclose it, despite being aware that it would have won him no points.

[DragonSong]

Gwen nearly dropped her brush.

“You want to be turned?” she all but squawked, whirling on him so fast that Tierna jerked her head back in surprise. A combination of shock and something very much like fierce, angry indignation warred for dominance in the fledgling vampire’s eyes.

[quaggan]

 Sharrow was grateful for his honed reflexes, pretty much the only thing allowing him to stay composed whilst facing an angry vampire. Oh, he doubted that the fledgling would attack him - if she could force down an urge to assault him the moment they met and suck out his blood, she was unlikely to kill him now. The stable staff were glancing in their direction, but he was quite confident that he wasn't in any danger. He signalled them with one of the hands he kept behind his back.

"I do. As you surely recognize without a doubt, it has never gone beyond wanting." Lord Saroian was yet to change his mind, thus the boy hasn't asked other vampires at the castle. They wouldn't act against their master's wishes, and even though Sharrow didn't understand them, it was not a prerequisite for respect. He would not go behind his back.