Finding My Ride(Open)

[Jaeden Kincade]

75th Day of Spring, 510 A.V. Jaeden had been walking for five days, further exploring the Sea of Grass. He slowly came to realization that walking every where wasn’t the best way to get around. He simply felt himself fortunate that the grass was so tall. It allowed him to avoid several creatures of the wild that the grasslands presented, including one Glassbeak, which Jaeden felt he wasn’t prepared to hunt. Sam and him had departed each others company before he could accompany him to pick out a horse. Jaeden was now feeling a soar need for one as his feet and legs ached slightly, taking higher steps to maneuver through the tall grasses. He slowly neared the top of the hill, his hands falling to his knees in a slight hunch as he took a moment to catch his breath. His eyes then widened a bit as he overlooked a large encampment. Huge tents were erected over a large area of the land before him as the people within went about their daily duties. “Awesome! Hootie hoot!” Jaeden suddenly said at the sight of civilization. His eyes then fell down to a sudden movement in the grass as a Prairie Dog stuck it’s head out to stare at Jaeden. “Are you still following me? Shoo! You can’t have my undergarments.” Jaeden slowly shook his head as he began walking towards the large encampment he would later learn was called Endrykas. After initial quarries were made about his business, Jaeden went about touring the encampment. He made several stops around to various people, giving small talk and speaking of his recent hunt. He then eventually made his way to the general store, selling off the excess jerky that Hex and him had made from the beast they had hunted, keeping enough for himself to replenish his own rations. As the chimes of the bells passed, Jaeden eventually found himself wondering towards the sounds of several horses in a distant part of the encampment. Slipping through the flaps of a large tent, he soon discovered several fenced stables, the horses behind them standing with pride, or otherwise eating. “Oh, grand,” Jaeden said as a smile crossed his features, “this is certainly what I would be looking for.” Jaeden then slowly began looking over each of the stables, examining the horses within. Casual glances were given to some, while a more curious look were given to others. Finally, Jaeden stopped in front of one Stable, observing a particularly large Nightwalker, as it kept naying to the female in the stable next to it and turning back and forth. Jaeden frowned in confusion as he could have sworn he read that the sign that all of the females in heat were kept in secluded stables, and he was certain this kind of place wouldn’t miss any that were. “Holy shyke,” Jaeden said, suddenly recognizing the movements, “he’s flirting.” An amused smile crossed his face as he crossed his arms along the stable’s railing, continuing to observe the Nightwalker’s behavior. It was almost as if Jaeden were finding a kinship in it, and it drew him to look over the Nightwalker further. He noticed it’s large, toned build as muscles rippled under the sheen black fur of it’s hide. The long black main whipped around as it tossed it’s head up and down, it’s tail held high as it attempted to garner the attention of the female horse in the next stable. More and more Jaeden was liking this horse. Now, he simply waited for the stable’s owner to come along.

[Dhanya]

Pygmy had grown to love Endrykas but more and more she came to realise that there were only so many things you could do in a day before running out of entertainment. This seemed to be especially true when you were an entertainer. An inconsistent creature of emotion though she was, Pygmy was dedicated to her work and had been practising daily. She was thoroughly sick of it, truth be told. She was worried she was running out of local songs to learn and had taken to wandering the horseyards looking for interesting things to look at. She had started to prowl around looking for good riders to watch and hoping she could figure out a thing or two about Drykas horsemanship.

Perhaps about Drykas riders as well. They were a strange breed, in her city-raised eyes. Very sensible, though she could see the fire beneath that in most of the people she had met. They weren't terribly good at flirting with her, either. Since she'd been staying with Vanator the people she had met had seemed to be terribly respectful. Terrible because any time she batted her eyes, the hint was missed. Pygmy had come to believe that whatever rules there were to engagement, she was obviously entirely unfamiliar with them.

She'd have taken to reading except that she couldn't read.

Still, watching horses wasn't so bad. Made her wonder what it would have been like to have been born a horse instead of a goat. She might have been able to run faster, although she would have been considerably less awesome and inspiring an individual. A doctor of the mind would have said she was in denial, when in reality she just had very high self esteem and an ironic pig-headedness.

She was sitting on a fence and watching a mare pointedly ignore a stallion, when a man approached. She didn't pick him for a Drykas, she'd never seen a Drykas with a streak in his hair and it was cut short. He was a bit stockier as well. Not bad looking, though and most importantly, he was a new face. Pygmy was beginning to live for those.

"I don't fancy your chances." She called out, as Jaeden examined the stallion from afar. "He's far too willful, you're better off with a gelding."

Having stayed in Endrykas for almost a season, Pygmy had developed a taste and an ear for their witticisms. This was the Drykas equivalent to pigtail pulling; suggesting a man couldn't ride a horse.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden slowly leaned back, seeing the short legs of the young woman dangling over the fence she sat upon. A smirk sharpened along the corners of his mouth as he looked back to the Nightwalker. Tilting his head, he soon turned in his lean. “True indeed,” Jaeden said of the young woman’s assessment of the horse, “but I do enjoy the willful. Nothing great, after all, comes easy.” Jaeden then took a scan around the area, looking for the stable’s manager. Figuring he would come along soon, he decided then to simply pass the time in idle conversation with one he pegged as equally spirited. He noted right away the young Kelvic’s eyes, and his gaze only occasionally swayed to take in the sight of her remaining figure as he always did with any female. Her short height and cute nature caused Jaeden’s fantasy mind to kick in. The smirk remaining, Jaeden’s gaze once again rose to meet her own. “Jaeden Kincade,” Jaeden then said in introduction as he turned in his lean, only to find the Nightwalker suddenly nudging him from his lean. “Oof. What are you, mister shove-n-stuff?” Jaeden took a couple of steps forward, resuming his lean along the fence that the Kelvic woman sat upon. “And you?” Jaeden said as his forearm half draped over the railing. “What’s your name pretty eyes?”

[Dhanya]

"I know many great people that are easy." Pygmy replied, teeth present in her smile.

She giggled when the horse pushed him and blushed when he said her eyes were pretty. Not many had the balls to do that and it took her aback. She laughed for a moment, taking the time to get her thoughts back into an order. The man before her was so definitely not a Drykas.

"You're not from Syliria by any chance?" She asked, now taking closer stock of him.

He didn't tower over her the way most Drykas did but he was certainly broader. More forward as well, which was a welcome change. Pygmy crossed her ankles and swung them at the knee. She didn't bother to hide her perusal, what would be the point? She could always leave if she decided he wasn't to her taste as a conversationalist.

"I'm Pygmy. Pleasure to meet you, Jaeden." She dipped her head a little in greeting. "I still say that horse will outsmart you. He's got a one-track mind but lots of smarts about it. Like a lot of men I know."

She had an inkling that Jaeden and the stallion were perhaps of a mind. Maybe they would get on well, not that she would admit it at this stage in their conversation.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden shifted in his lean once again as his back settled up along the railing. He gave a quick nod to Pygmy, looking back to the Nightwalker for a brief moment. “The pleasure is all mine, Pygmy.” Jaeden said, slipping his hand into his rune sack before pulling out some of his rations. “Indeed, I am from Syliras. Guess I sort of stick out from the rest of the crowd around here.” A quick bite was taken to the strip of dried meat, satiating a slight hunger that had started to rise. “Just came across the encampment here earlier today and figured on getting myself a good horse, considering I’ve been walking everywhere up until now.” Jaeden explain, dipping his hand into the rune sack again before pulling out some dried nuts and fruits, offering them to Pygmy. His smirk returned as Pygmy mentioned the horse outsmarting him, and he looked back to the Nightwalker. “Well, wouldn’t be the first time an animal has done so.” Jaeden said before looking to Pygmy once again. “I don’t necessarily find that to be a bad thing either. It would keep things interesting. Life would be boring if the animals and people there in were predictable.” Jaeden then slipped his hand to the pouch at his waist, taking a count of the amount of gold mizas he had on him as he began the slow calculations as to what he would need for the horse, equipment and supplies to go with it. “And what about you, what’s a cute little goat Kelvic like yourself doing here?” Jaeden then asked as he looked back to Pygmy.

[Dhanya]

Pygmy was impressed that someone could travel such a distance by foot, it would have taken a very long time. Even with Pon, she had spent more time travelling than she had cared to. New places were a joy but the roads between could be long and devoid of interest. Novelty only absolved so many sins for only so long.

His talk of predictability appealed as well, though truthfully, Pygmy preferred being the most unpredictable thing in a room. It was her perogative, perhaps. Her strategy and personality when she was in parts unknown. If everyone was racing to keep up with her exuberance then she had some hold over her circumstance that she otherwise would not have.

"You're a flatterer." She said, smiling and leaning in closer, her posture relaxed. "I like that."

She took a nut from his palm and placed it between her teeth, biting it into two halves. They were shelled, which was thoughtful.

"How do you know I'm a goat?" She asked, tone light, playful. "I could be a horse or a sheep... or an octopus."

Goat was actually a fair guess. She'd never met a horse with eyes as pale and golden as hers, not yet anyway. She wondered how he'd guessed, entertaining thoughts that he might be a magician or some other prognosticator of unknown means. The more logical choice was that he'd seen a goat about, unusual in Endrykas it seemed. That was a boring hypothesis though.

"I'm here to see and sing and dance and flirt with the locals." Pygmy then replied, she reached over and ran a finger through the white streak on Jaeden's head. "What brings you to the sea of grass, other than 'orses?"

[Jaeden Kincade]

“Yes, yes. I try.” Jaeden replied with a smile over being labeled as a flatterer. He then slowly looked up to him as she questioned his ability to guess her animal form. “Well, I have a small amount of experience with Kelvics, having met more than a handful in my time. A Kelvic who could shift into a horse would be a bit taller than your cute little stature. One who could shift into a sheep would likely have thicker and more curly hair,” Jaeden the explained before stroking his finger along side Pygmy’s strait brown hair, “and an octopus? Really?” Jaeden gave a slow chuckle, keeping his hand held out for her to take more if she liked while grabbing a few pieces of dried apple. “No, in the end. It was the eyes that gave you away,” Jaeden finally answered after a short moment of chewing. “While I offer massages in Syliras as a means of income, I’m a hunter by trade primarily. I’ve seen the eyes of many animals, and the eyes of a goat tend to be pretty distinctive. The golden hue of the iris, that rectangle pupil, very interesting in the long run. Though admittedly I don’t hunt goats, I will occasionally try to procure their milk if I find them in the wild.” Jaeden slowly crossed his ankles in his lean, becoming a bit more comfortable. “Well, I’m not stranger to flirting, and I certainly wouldn’t mind to here you sing if given the opportunity. Dancing you‘d have to do solo as I have two left feet when it comes to such, otherwise I‘d hop in on that with you.” Jaeden said as he offered some dried snacks to Pygmy one last time before slipping the rest back into the rune sack at his waist. He then pulled out his water skin, washing the lingering contents in his mouth down with a long drink. He then smirked at her question over his purpose for being in the Cyprus region. “Would you believe that I wondered in here by mistake while gazing at clouds? It turned out to be a fruitful mistake though. I met a nice woman who gave me a warm welcome, we hunted a rather large beast, and I’ve recently sold off the spoils of that hunt. Aside from picking up a horse to ride, everything else is done on a whim.” Jaeden then pushed himself from his lean as the stable’s owner, Atticus Rin, approached. Jaeden him slowly discussed the Nightwalker for a short time before Jaeden dipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out a fair sum of gold mizas in payment, having obviously already decided long ago on the horse he wanted. Atticus then began grabbing the supplies for Jaeden’s purchase aside from the horse itself as a saddle, saddle bags, bit and bridal, blanket and hood, and lead were gathered and slipped along the horse. A bag of feed was set aside for feeding after a short ride. “Well then,” Jaeden said smirking towards Pygmy, “would you care to come and watch me make a fool of myself?” Jaeden then slowly began to follow Atticus as he began removing his leather armor first, and his shirt shortly after, carrying them gingerly in one hand while the other began to remove his sword and it’s sheath from his belt. All would be set aside as they reached an open field outside of the stable tents. “Fortunado then,” Jaeden said, looking over the horse for a moment before looking to Pygmy once again. “Hope he brings me some small fortunes in my riding him, but it’ll likely just bring some soreness initially. I have very little experience riding.”

[Dhanya]

It was not exactly an enjoyable moment, having her component parts broken down into a summary of what she was. Jaeden's offhand mention of milking wild goats first drew a momentary surprise, then swelling ire. She was not sure of the reason, though glimpses of it flashed like polished silver behind her eyes. She could turn into an animal, that did not make her one. What business did he have equating her presence with that of a simple, uncomplicated animal that he had used for food.

Her expression grew sharper, though the difference would have been difficult to tell by someone who did not know her well. Her lips became a soft line, no longer smiling and while she was not frowning at him, she was no longer giving him the same attention. Her posture shifted, knees and feet less directed towards him, shoulders straighter and facing forward. His story of his recent accomplishments and experiences were difficult to hear beneath her own thoughts. Vanator had made more of an impression upon her than he likely realised. She was learning to think before acting.

"Really." Pygmy said, watching Jaeden approach the horse. "I wonder if he has any experience being ridden."

She folded her hands on her lap and watched, hawk-like, as Jaeden mounted the horse.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden gave a sidelong glance, raising an eyebrow at her change in tone before looking back to the Nightwalker, figuring she would voice what was on her mind if she wanted. “Couldn’t honestly say,” Jaeden said as he approached the horse, humming the only song he himself knew as the large steed stomped his leg at his approach first. As he approached, a small mark along his back came into view. It’s appearance looking like a tattoo, red like wine in color, resembling a single link of a chain that was entwined in a thorn lined stem that had a rose blooming at it’s end. His hand closed, slowly hovering under Fortunado’s nose for a brief moment as the animal took in Jaeden’s scent. Continuing to him, his hand then stroked along side of the Fortunado’s neck, patting lightly as he tried to garner some sense of a familiarity with the Nightwalker. His hand slowly raised to the horn along the saddle, his foot slipping into the stirrups. A quick push off the ground with his foot sent his leg swinging over Fortunado’s back. Slowing, a few of the other Drykas around the camp began to gather, observing Jaeden and the large Nightwalker he sat upon. “Alright then big fella,” Jaeden said leaning forward as his hand patted along Fortunado neck once again, “let’s see what you can do.” The horse gave a sudden exhale, tapping it right front hoof along the ground for a brief moment before Jaeden gave a light kick to the Nightwalker’s sides. Jaeden, however, wasn’t prepared for the sudden outburst of speed that the horse displayed as it’s rear legs vaulted forward, gaining it’s top speed in only a few steps. Jaeden’s body was forced back, his hand grasping the saddle’s horn to keep him on as he echoed out in a surprised yell as Fortunado began making circles around in the riding area. Jaeden kept reaching out with his free hand, trying to grasp the reigns as they laid over Fortunado’s mane. Finally, Jaeden’s grip along the saddle’s horn loosened just enough to send him rolling backwards off Fortunado’s back. Jaeden saw the grass racing past him as he flew through the air for a split second before landing with a hard thump along the ground. It was fortunate that the grass was so long in these lands, as most of it absorbed his impact with the ground, limiting his injuries to mere scrapes, scratches and eventual bruises that would appear later. Jaeden let out a slow exhale as his face tense and red for moment in the slight sting his fall had left in it’s wake. His gaze slowly raised to meet the look of a young Drykas girl, likely no older than nine years of age. “How am I doing?” Jaeden simply asked in a casual manner to the child, still waiting for the sting to finally leave his body. The little girl just slowly shook her head in reply, an expression of slight disappointment on her face. “Yeah, thought so.” Jaeden then said as he rolled to his back, his gaze falling to Fortunado who had stopped about six feet away from him. “Round two then, I suppose.”

[Dhanya]

Pygmy watched with surprise as the stallion made short work of removing Jaeden from his back. She hadn't been expecting that at all. Perhaps a lack of skill in the saddle but not, well. She wondered if it was the horse or the rider.

She was in the pen once Jaeden fell, shushing the horse and taking his reins. She made a calming sound she'd learned from the Drykas, something they seemed to use instead of "woah". He didn't seem particularly upset, more pleased with himself.

"You should take him into a round yard and get him over the pigroots." Jaeden had been too preoccupied with the reins to see the horse kick up his hind legs.

It was a fairly shirty sort of behaviour from a horse that was keen to dissuade his rider by misbehaving. At times it could have indicated discomfort but from the look of Fortunado, she highly doubted it. She slapped a forceless hand on the horse's shoulder in reprimand, though it was hardly the sort of thing he'd be bothered by.

"You've got a bad attitude, come up, hup hup." She tugged on the reins, resorting to a short poke to the ribs when he didn't move, she wished she had a crop. "There's a yard we can use around the corner."

She was still in a bad mood but not bad enough to let Jaeden get thrown again or risk the horse thinking he could get away with bad behaviour. The yard was empty, thankfully and recently tended. There were no branches within, only dirt.

"You weren't leaning back enough." Pygmy offered, handing him the reins and walking outside the pen so she could watch again.