Anything but fish-guts (Mutt)

by **Alea Davenport** on November 22nd, 2011, 4:22 pm

82nd Fall, 511

It was getting cold. Colder than usual. Alea knew she couldn't sleep in a tent much longer, and she was running out of time. She'd been enjoying not having to do chores, but every time she had to spend money on food or supplies, she became painfully aware that her money supply was only going down, and she had no way of bringing it up. She recalled a conversation she'd had with a friend about what sort of work was available, and tried to convince herself that as long as she never had to clean fish-guts again, she could handle it.

That was why she was leading her horse to the Frostfawn stables. She and the Gilding had rarely gotten along, but she thought maybe if she could learn to properly care for him, he might be more agreeable. And with luck, a position in Frostfawn would get them both a place to sleep out of the cold. Her cat was, as usual, curled up on the Gilding's back. The two animals had been best friends since the day they'd met, and both seemed determined to make Alea's life difficult. They were the most well-behaved when she left them alone.

Alea finally reached the stables of Frostfawn Hold. She knocked timidly on the doors before opening them and calling out, "Hello? Is anyone here?"

by **Mutt** on January 20th, 2012, 2:27 am

Kayin Frostfawn stepped into the stables. He had been wandering the hold checking on things, he was very surprised to hear a voice calling out from the main door of the stables.
"Yes, May I help you?" He inquired of the young lady at the door.

oocSorry for the wait, and for the shortness... trying to hurry this up for you

by **Alea Davenport** on January 20th, 2012, 2:38 am

Alea faltered for a moment, unsure of how to express what she wanted. A moment later she shook herself and decided to just start speaking, and hope useful works came out. "I was hoping I could get a job here. I just arrived in Avanthal this past season, but I'm running low on money and it's getting colder outside and I heard that if I worked for a hold I might be able to get a place to stay as well and maybe keep my horse..." She cut off abruptly, deciding that the stream of words erupting from her mouth had probably gotten most of the message across.

Feeling a little more courageous, she took her horse a few steps into the stables, allowing the doors to close behind them. Alea sighed in relief as the bitter winter cold was shut outside. The air inside the stables smelled strongly of manure and other animal stenches, but it was worth it for the warmth.

by **Warden** on April 27th, 2012, 12:24 pm

The request took him by surprise; an eyebrow raised quizzically. "This is... unusual." Kayin said. "Normally we only allow Vantha, of the Frostfawn hold, to have a job here. Are you sure this would be the best position for you?"

The Frostfawn leader shook a entanglement of hair from his scarlet eyes, and gave the young woman a once over. She was still shivering from being outside in the cold, a feeling that Kayin had never been able to comprehend or imagine. Still, he pitied her for it. Her appearance was disheveled from one who had been living in a temporary home, and the animals behind her were not much different. The gilding and even the cat reclining on the horse's back showed signs of ill grooming, and perhaps even some undernourishment. In the end it was the animals that won Kayin over, as they often did.

"I'll tell you what." He said after a moment's silence. "You stay here tonight, and we'll put you to work. If you do well, I'll consider putting you on as a worker. You'll start with mucking out the stables. I can't let you handle any animals, but I'll make sure you and you're friends are fed tonight and have a place to sleep. You can stable your horse in that empty one right over there, then grab a shovel off the wall and get to work."

He gave the girl a smile of encouragement as he gestured to the stable and then the shovel. Inwardly Kayin hoped that the girl would prove a good fit for the job; he did not want to see anyone or any animals forced to starve and freeze outside in Morwen's embrace. Not while he could help it.

by **Alea Davenport** on April 27th, 2012, 4:00 pm

Alea bit her lip as the man hesitated to agree. Her skills were more suited to the Coolwater hold, but if she had to clean more fish guts, she didn't think she could stand it. She would rather start from the beginning at ANY other task.

When he decided to give her a chance, she nearly jumped up in excitement. She would work hard for this job, she had no doubt of that. The only people she had a problem working for were her parents, and that was just because they were her parents. She was happy to make herself useful to just about anybody else.

But first, she had to get her horse into the stall. She glanced nervously at the Gilding, knowing his tendency to make trouble. She pulled him into the stall, suspicious when he followed obediently. Her suspicions were well-founded when she tried to get back out, though. When she tried to get around the horse, he stepped sideways to block her path. Under her breath, she muttered, "Look, do you want to eat tonight or not?"

As usual, her words had no effect on the horse, and she wondered again why she even bothered treating her animals like rational beings. Regardless, she had to get past her horse somehow. Going forward wasn't an option, so she ended up having to clamber over the other end of the stall. It was a bit tricky, especially with her horse trying to nibble on her long hair, but she eventually managed to escape. She quickly darted around to close the stall before the Gilding could cause any more mischief.

She wanted to express her frustration with the beast, but the man who controlled whether or not she starved and froze was watching, so she flashed him a quick smile and darted off toward the shovels. Before she started digging into the manure, however, something occurred to her. Where was she supposed to put it?

She looked apprehensively at the man. She could do the job if she just knew how... but would that be enough? She tried to gather information from him without sounding completely ignorant. In her thick Denvali accent, she asked, "Where should I shovel the muck? I am sorry, I have not done this before." She was terrified the man would send her away, being unable to find a use for someone with her lack of skills. But she needed this job, badly.

by **Warden** on May 6th, 2012, 5:38 pm

Kayin had turned to leave to attend to his other duties when he heard a clamor over by where she was stabling her horse. When he looked back to her he saw the girl he had just employed climbing awkwardly over the short wall, with her Gilding making an effort to get her attention. Or simply trying to annoy her.

Finally she set to work, and he was about to leave again when she asked a question of where to put the waste. He had to smile back at her.

"Yes, of course. It's not a problem, I can walk you through it." He stepped over to her and gingerly took the shovel, not wanting any of the muck to end up on either of them. "You get a big shovel full and you take it over to this rolling container. We send these over to the Winterflame hold. They use it to help their crops grow. It works wonders, I'm told." He said while proceeding to demonstrate. "When the whole thing is full, just push it over to that corner over there. Someone comes by and takes it off our hands. And when you finish, just ask any of the Frostfawn that work here, you'll get to know them in time I'm sure. They can set you up with any other duties. Just do what they tell you to do and you'll do fine."

Kayin smiled and handed the now empty shovel back to her. "There you go. Are there any other questions you have? By the way, My name is Kayin Frostfawn. May I ask yours?"

by **Alea Davenport** on May 11th, 2012, 4:03 am

Alea smiled in relief. Kayin Frostfawn was a lot nicer than she had expected, and having a place to spend the winter made her feel much less worried about freezing to death.

Accepting the shovel, she smiled back. "I'm Alea Davenport." She was about to get back to work, eager to make a good impression, but she remembered one more thing she needed to make sure of. "Um, I have a Kelvic friend who as been staying with me. Would it be all right if he stays with me in the hold from now on? He wouldn't need a separate room or anything." She waited anxiously for Kayin's answer. If Yuros were to be left out in the cold... she didn't think she could stand it. Her mind began coming up with possible alternatives in case Kayin said no, but none of them would guarantee him safe shelter. Her knuckles were turning white from gripping the handle of the shovel so hard.

by **Warden** on May 15th, 2012, 4:01 pm

"Hm. Alright, Alea. It's not for us to turn away any animals or Kelvic in need." Kayin said thoughtfully. "But it is up to you to accommodate your friends. You must work hard, pay attention, and do your duties first and foremost. Some pay good coin to stable here, and bring in good business that supports our Hold. If you understand your responsibility, I can let you to it."

One of the other Frostfawn came in, meaning to talk to the leader. Kayin gestured to him. "Ahh, Garrut, there you are. My new friend here has need of a place to stay. Is there anything you can arrange for her?"

The man made a short reply of sure, he could set up something in the lofts or something like that, and Kayin smiled back. "Very good. Come find me after you are done helping our new worker. See that she is allowed to stable her companions properly, and then set her to work on whatever you need doing. Alright?"

And to Alea, Kayin said, "I will see you around Ms. Davenport. I hope everything works out for you and you find a good place here." With that the Frostfawn leader flicked some dark hair from his solid eyes and turned on his heel to leave.

by **Alea Davenport** on May 22nd, 2012, 1:16 am

Alea's enthusiasm at the chance to prove herself was plain on her face. "Yes, yes I will work very hard! Thank you, thank you so much!" Her parents would never have believed the words coming out of her mouth at that moment... but then again, her parents were an ocean away and there was a remarkable difference between being forced to work and working of your own free will.

Alea followed Garrut, paying attention to everything he said and did. She wanted to make a good impression on the Frostfawns. Mostly that was so she and her animal friends would not have to starve or freeze (and maybe while she was here she could learn to care for them better), but part of her just wanted the chance to prove that she could be useful, in the right circumstances.

by **Valkyrie** on June 25th, 2012, 10:51 pm

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Alea Davenport :

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