Being a Noble Gets Boring (open)

[Anonymous]

Dylan was fighting the urge to take a long nap. What was being a nobleman but paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork? He'd had his fill of that for today. So what else was there to do? He could take a turn about the property. No, that was boring if there weren't any women along. He could go shopping, but he didn't really have anything he needed at the moment. He could even go visiting, but he couldn't think of anyone interesting to visit!

"Gods, I'm bored!" he said aloud, stamping his foot. He was surprised that it hurt, and upon removing his boot, found that he had stubbed his toe. Well, at least making a bandage for that was something to do. After wrapping his toe in a piece of linen, he sat on the couch and was fighting sleepiness again when he heard a knock at the door.

[Anonymous]

It was nice to be back in Arca. Sophia knew that some of the best customers she got were among the residents of the area. Being among the large houses did not bother her so much because she found them so pretty to look at, but on occasion her horses would become jumpy due to the new sights. Recently she'd heard about a nobleman, one that she knew she'd never paid a visit to before, and figured she might try stopping by on her way into town.

Coming up to his estate did not phase her, it appeared similar to places she'd visited before, but she found it strange that such a place was so peaceful and quiet at this time of day. As she stopped her horses she quickly dismounted the bay she'd been riding and left them to stand on their own, for she knew them to never run from her. Walking up to the front entry she looked up at the intricate carvings above the door, smiling for the attention to detail on such a standard-looking home from afar. Giving a quick knock on the door earned her the sound of shuffling feet coming from inside before the door was opened and she came face-to-face with a maid of the household. Smiling at her, she glanced back at her horses down the drive before looking back to her. "Hello, I've heard this is the residence of a Mr. Bleathely? I was wondering if I might have a word with him?"

[Anonymous]

The maid smiled. "He's resting on the couch at the moment. He's just stubbed his toe. May I ask who is calling?"

Dylan's head came up. "Show her in, Gracie, show her in. I don't really care who she is at the moment. I'm bored stiff."

"Yes, Master Bleathely," said Gracie, and she promptly motioned for Sophia to follow her and led her to where Dylan was sitting. He motioned to a chair across from him so that he could see her better. "Why don't you sit down, miss...?" And he had to stop because he did not know her name, but recovered himself quite nicely. "To what do I owe your visit on this lovely day?"

[Anonymous]

Sophia was about to answer the maid when she heard another voice from inside the house. She followed her inside and looked around herself for a moment before walking to the chair the man had indicated. Impressed by the interior of the house, much more so than the exterior, she settled into the chair as if it belonged to her. "I do apologize for bothering you, sir, but I was on my way to town and could not help but notice that yours is one of the few estates that does not house a horse trained by myself," she explained, a cunning smile alighting her face. "And the name's Sophia, Sophia Rayner," she added.

Of course she knew how nobles tended to react to her, usually with either humor or annoyance depending on the person, but she could not deny how popular her beasts were with the wealthy. She was a bit surprised, though, that the man she sat before was so young and she concluded that he'd surely inherited for it was a rare sight to see one so young sitting on fortune.

[Anonymous]

Dylan considered the offer. "Well, I have to admit, my carriage horses have been acting rather strange since my father died a few months ago. Perhaps they just miss his leadership, but I am at a loss as to what to do. I was never really good with them. Do you have any suggestions, Miss Rayner?" he asked.

[Anonymous]

She smiled knowingly as she listened to him, and she realized also why such a young man owned such a large estate. "If he was near them quite often then they might be missing him still, and if he really was their leader as far as their work went then they might find it strange if others take over for him," she explained. "Of course, that's only initially as long as you or whoever your driver might be fills in that missing role and they become accustomed to how they are instructed." She found herself wondering what his horses might look like and if they really were troubled. "It's also a good idea to keep in mind the aspect of their trust in their master. You see, some horses are docile as lambs once fed and would follow that person to their deaths but the other extreme are the ones that are hostile toward those that do not have their trust yet; it's really a matter of earning their trust, wherever on the scale their personality might be, that gets them in sync with whoever is working with them."

[Anonymous]

"I'd pay you anything you asked," he said, smiling. "All I need is that they are taken care of and trained well. It is possible that they still miss him. After all... I still miss him." Dylan looked sad for a moment. He didn't know what else to say.

"How long have you been training?" he asked after a minute to compose himself. "You must be very experienced if so many nobles own beasts trained by you."

[Anonymous]

She nodded, a smile on her face as he talked until he mentioned missing his father, which prompted a sympathetic frown and gentler eyes until he regained his composure. "Ah well...I've been around horses all my life and I just have a connection with animals in general which is really the only gift that I bear. Lucky for me, though, it seems to earn me a fair living wherever I go... I could definitely work with your horses for you but I must ask if your stables could accommodate a few extra head? My own horses travel everywhere with me and I'll need more than a day to work with a team like you have," she explained.

Sophia made herself more comfortable in the chair, leaning back a little before continuing on. "I train a lot of their pets too, little tricks and such as well as real training, but I prefer the horses since I get the best money off of them...." She chuckled and grinned knowingly towards Dylan. "If you have the slightest bit of doubt, though, feel free to confront your peers at one of your balls or whatever, I'm sure if you asked around my name might pop up a few times." She bore a proud smile as she tilted her head up to look at the ceiling, satisfied to sit and gloat.

[Anonymous]

Dylan smiled. "Oh, don't worry about that. You've convinced me that you are good at what you do just by telling me what is probably wrong with my horses. There is only one more thing I need to know. How much do you charge for your services?" he wanted to know. "As for your horses, there are only four of mine. I've got plenty of room in the pasture for yours. "

[Anonymous]

Sophia nodded along as he spoke, liking that this man was so willing to agree to the request she had made. "I'll cut you some slack if I can stay on your property, perhaps then three hundred gold for the team instead of four," she suggested, knowing how much of a hassle it could be to secure space for herself near the estates of noblemen. One detail she failed to mention, though, was that she actually preferred sleeping outside if the ground wasn't wet from the rainy season. It was always good to feel safe, right? At least she thought this much to herself.

"I have not seen your horses yet, but sir I can assure you well enough that I do my job fairly well, though of course you've already been told that... I think this could work out, though, I rather like the look of your place here. Healthy plants...the horses didn't try to run when we came up...seems like everything might go well." Sophia could not help but crack a smile, liking it ever so much whenever she got good vibes from new places she visited. She did not lie when she said that she liked his estate, the house being rather tasteful despite its look from a distance and the lawns and foliage alive and well as far as she had seen.

[Anonymous]

"I'm sure the servants will thank you for your compliments. They work very hard trying to keep this place the way it is," Dylan said.

 "Three hundred gold is just fine," he continued. "How long do you want to stay? I'm sure it shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks, but what do you think?" he asked. "Also, just thought I'd mention, there is a lovely sun room here. You're welcome to use it whenever you want, if you should ever need a break.

[Anonymous]

Sophia nodded along as he spoke, listening politely enough, twitching a brief smile when he agreed to her price. Something caught her a bit by surprise, though, which was the offer he extended to her for the use of the sun room of the house. She had never had an offer quite like that and she just stared at him for a moment while she collected her thoughts before she moved to speak again. "Well, it depends on how they take to me, but most I can get to do just about anything in two or three weeks, yes. I'll be fine just staying in the barn so don't worry your servants with arranging anything, I'm used to it by now."

She remained quiet for a moment more, taking the time to dwell her thoughts on his comment again. She had to admit that she had never actually been in a sun room before, only heard of them and what some were like and they had always sounded like a nice place to kill time...but there was work to be done and she decided that she would see if she even liked the thing before she might ever hold any sort of desire to spend time in it. "To be honest I've never been in a err sun room...if you wouldn't mind just point me in the right direction, I wouldn't mind taking a peak before I get everything settled for the night," she said, standing from her chair and looking to a few of the halls in sight from where she was in the room.

[Anonymous]

Dylan was a little taken aback when Sophia wanted to stay in the barn. "Um...you're sure? You will be plenty warm enough?" he asked out of genuine concern. He was worried she wouldn't. Humans were not made to sleep in barns.

Oh well. She could always use the sun room extra if she wanted to.

He led her into a room where pretty rugs covered the floors. There were chairs in all four corners, and the curtains, which were currently open, were soft and lacy to let in more light.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked. "I like to do my reading here, or even just sit.

[Anonymous]

Sophia was used to her employers being concerned over her sleeping arrangements but not overly so...Dylan was already being strangely hospitable just with letting someone else use a private room of his. Of course, she was used to sleeping in less than ideal conditions and had grown somewhat attached to being among nature as she slept. Before moving to follow after him she answered, "I'll be fine, I'm used to it. I might only come in if we get a cold spell since I'd have the option then if I'm still here."

When they reached the sun room he'd spoken of she followed him past the doorway and stopped after taking a few steps. The space was large enough and well furnished; she could tell even better from this room, that he said he spent some time in himself, that his was quite the rich legacy. Shaking her head and smiling, Sophia looked around a bit before taking a short walk about the room to look out windows and peak at the small collections of books that were here and there. Satisfied with such a pretty little room she turned and walked back to face Dylan. "This place is quite beautiful for how simple it seems...I like it. If the invitation really is there for me I would love to come here every now and then." With that she angled her head and out at the yard from the window and noticed how she could see a few pastures and the barn nearby. "Would you mind if I go down there?" she asked after turning back  to face him again. "I'd like to meet your horses and maybe get mine settled before I do much more."

[Anonymous]

Dylan nodded and escorted her outside. "Those four that you will see in the pasture are mine. The two bays are Arielle and Griffin, and the two blacks are Belle and Zephyr.  You needn't worry, they are all very friendly, but I feel that I should warn you that Belle is due to foal soon. She'll probably want me there when it happens, so I shall be checking in on her periodically. Other than that, there isn't anything else to know that you don't already."

[Anonymous]

Sophia followed along with him as he led her outside, the closer sight of natural greenery unleashing a bright smile upon her features as she walked. From the fence line she looked across the pasture at the horses while Dylan pointed them out to her. Nodding along as she noted each name, the woman eagerly strode past him and slipped under the fencing to get into the field. Once there she took her time in getting closer to the equines until they showed a bit of interest in her, though all except the pregnant mare. "Ah yes," she whispered to herself as she back out and slipped under once more to get on the side she was really supposed to be on. "It might be fairly soon...she's showing disinterest in me right now so she must have plenty on her mind already."

She turned and kept walking, heading for the barn that stood all on its lonesome. Opening the doors carefully so as not to swing them roughly against their hinges, Sophia stepped inside and found the stables to be in nice order. "I take it that you don't expect anything but the best from your servicemen, sir," she said with a chuckle as she turned to give a shrill whistle; although her own horses were ones to listen, they often made a point of being lazy or slow in what they would ever do for her. As she saw the first coming over the hill she made her way to an empty pasture and swung the gate open for them before whistling again for her own purposes. Confident that they would listen, she turned to look at Dylan again while a small smile nestled upon her lips. "I think this will work out quite nicely...but now that I think about it it might be best to put off whatever work I do with Belle until she's had time to adjust with her foal; I'll work with the other three in the meantime," she explained, an expectant glint in her eye.

[Anonymous]

"That will be fine," he said, and laughed as he saw her horses coming over the hill when she had whistled. "Smart, aren't they? I wish I could teach mine to do that."  Griffin, the bay stallion, grunted, as if to say, "We wouldn't listen to you if you did." This caused Dylan to laugh even harder. "I could almost swear they know what I just said."

He considered her comment about Belle carefully. "Yes...she hasn't been eating as much lately either. Maybe it will be sooner than I thought," he said with a look of concern in his eyes. "My father was the one to breed her, so I don't really know much about horse birth."