Welcome to Our World [M]

DragonSong · May 04, 2018, 10:34:12 AM

Gwen caught sight of the mare easily, and visibly relaxed. She moved toward the animal, clucking low in her throat, and the horse lifted her head and huffed at her in a friendly sort of way.

"Hey, pretty girl," she murmured, stroking the massive creature's neck.

quaggan · May 04, 2018, 03:16:56 PM

Sharrow decided to give her some space with her horse. Was she the kind of person who got along with animals better than people? If so, he should introduce her to the cook's fat cat... or perhaps she was just in a castle full of strangers, and this horse was the closest actual thing she had to a friend. Either way, he should give them some space - and not just because he needed to saddle his own.

One groom finally decided to take some mercy on him and help, another approached Gwen. "I'm glad you're taking her out on a ride - she's so antsy, I was worried she might just kick down the door and charge away!"

DragonSong · May 09, 2018, 09:47:05 AM

"She can be like that," Gwen replied absently, stroking the horse's neck and letting her nuzzle into her shoulder. She glanced toward the doors of the stable.

"You could probably keep her outside, if you lot have a paddock. She doesn't like being cooped up in a stall all day, not used to it," she murmured as she stepped back, leading the horse out into the aisle.

"Easy, Teirna," she soothed when the Percheron tossed her head. "We're heading out to stretch your legs-- would you like that?"

quaggan · May 09, 2018, 03:16:44 PM

"She won't leave if we do that?" Sharrow asked. "The stablemaster considered putting her in the paddock we have, but was worried about her breaking free." The last thing they wanted was to get on their guest's bad side by losing her horse.

DragonSong · May 14, 2018, 07:47:20 PM

Gwen shook her head. "She shouldn't. We've been together a while-- I'm her herd, she wouldn't go anywhere without me unless she had to."

quaggan · May 15, 2018, 01:16:47 PM

"Must be nice to have friends" Sharrow remarked. He would have to tell the stablehands. Of course, there was always the possibility of a lie that he always tried to consider, but he doubted that it was the case. There was no benefit to lying in this case - all she could gain from it was losing a horse. He didn't like trust - trusting more than one person was dangerous, could lead to inevitable conflicts of interest. He didn't want to put himself in that situation.

"Shall I call stablehands, or do you prefer to saddle her yourself?" he asked. He didn't know the details of her journey here, he couldn't make assumptions about her skill with horses or lack thereof.

DragonSong · May 16, 2018, 01:19:49 PM

She shook her head as she backed up a step, the mare following right behind her. "I just need her bridle. I should go bareback, I haven't done it in a while and need to keep up the practice."

quaggan · May 17, 2018, 04:55:47 AM

Sharrow nodded, waving one stablehand away. The other groom just finished saddling a horse for him. This was yet another craft that was alien to him - one he should probably learn. After all, he wouldn't always have Lord Saroian's people to hold his hand. And what if he wanted to pose as a stableboy to spy on someone? There was so much things he needed to know, and his one small mortal life was too short.

He led the horse outside the stable and cautiously climbed into the saddle. Maybe he should have done that inside, where there were footstools for him to use - his height was not an advantage when it came to riding. "There's mostly mountains around here, but we can take the road. This time of the year there shouldn't be any merchant caravans, so it should be fine."

OOC: Please let me know if you had in mind a better place to ride around!

DragonSong · May 18, 2018, 12:20:48 PM

She shrugged and nodded. "Alright. You know the area, I'll take your word for it."

The mare followed her as she moved to slip out of the stable, not needing a lead or a treat it seemed to stick beside the fledgling vampire.

quaggan · May 20, 2018, 01:48:49 PM

Sharrow cautiously urged the horse forward, considering her words. If she didn't know the area, did she happen upon the castle by accident? Quite a fortunate coincidence. His mount slowed down, so he cast a glance behind him. Should he call the grooms or stablehands to help her get into a saddle? She didn't look like the kind who would need it, but it was better to ask forgiveness than permission.

"This way. There isn't a lot around the castle itself to ride around, but there is a road. Please follow me."

DragonSong · May 21, 2018, 09:32:41 AM

Gwen nodded, but rather than follow him on foot, she gripped a handful of her mount's mane and swung herself up onto the massive horse's back. The mare held still placidly as she did so, obviously unbothered.

Gwen couldn't help smiling, just a bit. Mounting such a tall animal from the ground would have been nearly impossible as a human; vampire strength came in handy once in a while.

"Alright, where to?" she asked her guide, patting the mare's neck absently.

quaggan · May 22, 2018, 10:23:06 AM

He couldn't help but sneak a jealous glance as she easily swung herself onto the back of her horse. It wasn't just her height - Sharrow had really no complexes about being short, it was quite an advantage in some aspects that he was not willing to give up. But this awesome strength was something he couldn't just ignore. It was a quick, harsh reminder that to her, he was but a weak prey she could kill or maim without any effort. Without even any thought. What advantage was there to being mortal?

He shouldn't let that distract him. He was supposed to take her on a ride, not contemplate the mysteries of philosophy. He cautiously urged his horse forward. He could hear the clopping of Teirna's hooves against the stone - unlike his mount's, they were full of energy, as if she was trying to break the rock with every step.

DragonSong · May 22, 2018, 03:53:16 PM

The fledgling glanced back over her shoulder at her companion. "I don't know the area. Where exactly are we going?"

quaggan · May 24, 2018, 05:43:04 AM

"It's not too far away" he began explaining. While the whole point of having a castle in the mountains was solitude and security, it couldn't be completely cut off from the outside world - especially since not every person in Lord Saroian's employ was human and could live without food.

"There is a road nearby that is sometimes used by merchants and travelers" he began explaining. Perhaps volunteering information would put her in a better mood and show a spirit of cooperation. Or perhaps not. "Lord Saroian has one of the staff act as a master of an old trading post there, to buy 'supplies' for running her place. Those supplies later are sent here to the castle. It's just behind this mountain. It's a better place for riding - mountains aren't exactly suitable terrain..."

DragonSong · May 25, 2018, 12:02:31 PM

Gwen shrugged. "Alright, guess we head that way." She clicked softly to Teirna, urging the mare into a steady trot as she followed the faint path away from the castle.

quaggan · May 26, 2018, 01:43:49 PM

Sharrow led her over a winding, almost faint path. Back when he was first brought to the castle, he was very lost and couldn't even guess how people were even supposed to find their way to this fortress of solitude. The heightened senses of a vampire would probably come in handy, but he didn't have those at his disposal - he had to learn it the hard way. He put the unpleasant thought of their guest possibly finding her way here better than he, behind, and directed the horse forward.

They soon found their target: a small but well-maintained road that could allow passage to one merchant wagon at once at most. Still, it was more than enough for Sharrow and Gwen to ride side by side.

DragonSong · June 01, 2018, 02:41:27 PM

As they rode, Gwen found herself relaxing gradually more and more, and there were even a few moments when a small smile tugged at her lips.

"So." She glanced sidelong at Sharrow as they reached the main road. "You and the-- I dunno what he is, the lord? You...get along?"

quaggan · June 01, 2018, 07:51:43 PM

"Lord Aleksander Saroian" he automatically responded. It wasn't like he was revealing critical information - she could learn that much from any other member of the castle staff. But that she didn't even know that begged quite a lot of questions. How did she find this place? How much did she know? Was she aware of the past between Lorian and Lord Saroian? Did she just try looking for any reasonably powerful vampire in hopes that they could protect her?

But it was rude to answer a question with a barely related question - if he wanted some responses, he would have to first give some of his own. He glanced at her - she looked more relaxed, riding really had a good effect on her. "Yes" he replied in the end. He didn't want to sound stingy with his words, so he quickly followed it up. "I'm loyal to him. He's-" he cut himself off before saying something stupid like 'he's shown me more kindness than any other person I've ever met'. All it would accomplish would be making her think even less of his standards.

"He's a good person" he finally said. Stupid. As if it would mean anything to her. No, he had to do better. "In all the time I've known him, he has always been an exemplar of virtue, both in his work and as much outside it as I've seen. That's what he's trying to achieve - to bring order to the vampire society and keep them from being the monsters most people think they are."

DragonSong · June 08, 2018, 02:59:04 AM

The fledgling vampire eyed him sidelong as he spoke, trying to glean as much as she could from what he said and what he didn't say.

"You like him," she noted, tilting her head slightly to the side. A rather disturbing thought struck her and she screwed up her face. "Oh gods, you're not like...together, are you?"

Whatever this Aleksander was doing for vampire-human relationships, if he was involved with someone he seemed to have practically raised she was out of here. Gods help her, she'd take the boy with her.

quaggan · June 09, 2018, 06:17:55 AM

Was it some kind of psychological warfare? It was shameful to admit that it was working - just the mental image alone made him suddenly lose focus and stare blankly into space. "Why... How... No..." he finally managed to stutter out. "Is it- Do people or vampires even do this where you're from?! That's-" He had to pause to catch his breath. "Well, the answer couldn't be more negative if it was dropped under Hyoite's biggest glacier! Ugh... I will need to ask around the staff if they keep anything to get the image out of my mind." Doubtful. They weren't the kind to get high during work hours, but he had to try.