A Lesson on the Road [Alric Wilmot]

[Ainyi]

Sitting was never Ainyi's strong suit.

Stringing a bow, she did, often and well. Flitting about on light-footed steps was another forte. She would even pull out a sword once in a while, as the need showed itself. But sitting was entirely different. Sitting required the body to be still regardless of how still the mind was. There had to be enough of a disconnect between spirit and body that no matter how much nervous energy was inside you, it wouldn't affect your outward composition.

And Ainyi's mind was never still. Even now, with the baffling city miles away, even laying in the grass and listening, with Halik tied up beside her not a quarter mile from the caravan, her mind was racing. That and she was getting tired of the mixed reactions to her. One man got mad at her for stating how fat he was, and called her a bitch. Another seemed to take her home's traditional garb as a sign of prostitution, and kept feeling her up and asking how much; at least, until she put him on the ground. Others just kind of stared at her like they didn't know what to make of her. She heard that Zelvita has many people of many cultures, but then why is it no matter where she goes, she feels foreign?

She tried to find some sort of comfort in her friends, but even that was hit or miss. The great hulking man with the odd eyes hardly said words, and when he did he sounded so...snake like, was the best way to put it, that she couldn't understand half a word he said. And Alric; well, he was alright when he wasn't bemoaning the unglamorous lifestyle of a traveler. At times, it was hilarious, but others, it just got old. She wondered if feeling this ambiguous was normal. She left Wind Reach because it was no longer home; because everywhere she looked, she was reminded of a mistake she couldn't fix. And now that she was in a new world, she almost wondered if everything she did was a mistake.

She could have mused like this for hours, but before she could, a soft screech was heard, and she sat up, strands of grass stuck in her hair as Braghna perched on her forearm over her bracer. She looked around. She had to be back to the caravan soon, before it got too dark. She had about an hour to work with. That means she has an hour to hunt.

Smirking, she cooed soft commands to Braghna to follow her, high in the air. She climbed up onto Halik's back and grabbed her bow, plucking it's string to ensure that it was still tight. Using her heels, she coaxed him into a very soft trot and used her feet to steer right and left, as she had an arrow knocked in her bow. She moved just far enough away from the caravan that animals would show their face, but not so far as to be out of sight. Most kept a good eye on her, because you could see her hawk circling above her location.

Once she found a spot that was on a gnoll, too high for sight from smaller, more prey-worthy creatures, she stopped Halik, and crouched low over the horse's frame. He pawed at the earth at first, but soon quieted.

After time passed, a large jack rabbit came into sight. He was far enough away that he wasn't sure of her presence. Far enough a way to make shooting him in one shot a challenge. Ainyi liked challenges.

Slowly, quietly, her arrow slid back as she pulled, her thumb and fingers pressed on her cheek, elbow resting down. The point of the arrow was aimed at the back of the neck; it was a fairly large point on the body, that would sever any of the good meats. Perhaps it wouldn't be as glamorous as a stag, but at least she could take her personal cooking pot and make her own rabbit stew by her own tent and pretend to ignore the rest of the others. Mostly. Maybe she would share with Alric, if he didn't complain about her cooking skills.

The rabbit inched closer, nibbling on grass and cleaning it's face unexpectantly. The arrow was trained on it, waiting for the opportunity to come.

And it did.

[Alric Wilmot]

Alric made his way through the thick foliage with as much grace and subtlety as he could muster. Which ,of course ,meant that he broke a few less twigs than normal. Other than that, he still sounded like the clumsy oaf who had never traveled through a forest. Which, indeed, he was. It had been a few days since they had left Syliras, and unfortunately, it would be many more before they reached their destination. Alric cursed as another branch blocked his way. Honestly, why couldn't animal trails be better maintained? Even if they were just dumb beasts, they should know that a clear path was easier to move through! The Caravan was moving soon, and it had fallen to Alric to retrieve his Inartan friend. Bones was hardly interested, and the other men seemed either afraid of her, or too interested... Regardless, Alric didn't trust the others to properly fetch her. Granted, they undoubtedly knew more about the wilderness. But Alric knew people. Or at least, he thought he did. One of the men had told Alric that he had seen Ainsley take this particular deer trail into the forest. Alric had used his hypnotism to make sure the man wasn't lying before going. After all, one less mouth to feed meant more money in their pockets. He was blessed as the trees became sparser and sparser. Eventually just dirt and grass were underfoot, and nothing lay above his head waiting to mess up his hair. It was getting extraordinarily difficult to stay clean out here. He much preferred the ships of the Suvan. They may have been cramped, but at least they were quick. And he didn't have to deal with this...nature. As he cleared the foliage, he saw a person in the distance. After some additional squinting he realized that it was a woman, and most likely two more creatures. He let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness! He was beginning to think he'd spend hours in this dreadful place. Alric opened his mouth and let out a shout. "Ainsley! We're moving! Come on, before they leave us both!"

[Ainyi]

"Ainsley! We're moving! Come on, before they leave us both!"

The shout made the jack rabbit move, and the best she could do was nick it's back foot. The creature squealed in pain, before she tried to whistle above. Braghna thankfully caught it just before it got out of sight, and sunk his talons into the rabbit's neck. He chirped happily at her as he pecked at it's eyes.

But she was not happy at all. That kill was all Braghna's. In the moment where she would have earned her own food tonight, some idiot yelled just before her arrow flew and messed everything up. It's like being caught in the high of the chase, only to be thrown out of it just before it's peak.

And she knew just what blithering, inexperienced idiot would interrupt a hunter with their bow cocked.

"Rich Man!" She bellowed back to him, looking back up with eyes a fiery green. She gave Braghna orders in Nari to follow from above, knowing he would take the rabbit with him, as she leapt on her horse to meet him face to face. About a horselength away from him, she jumped down from the saddle, and cocked her head up to him, eyes wide.

"Why, in every god's name, are you here?! You never hunted, and I finally find one little rabbit to eat for the night and you-" She realized how in his face she was getting, about all of this, and now she looked at his eyes, and instead of seeing the normal blue for his color, she saw a mellow green. She saw a strawberry head of hair, and blood.

She pulled away before she heard the voice. She turned away and sighed, trying to breathe and stop it all. He didn't know any better. He's been kind enough to help her this whole time, why would he knowingly try to trigger that?

"...Sorry," was all she could say, trying to run her hand in her hair. It didn't work; it was massively tangled at the crown of her head and she knew it. She might have to spend all night getting it straight. She debated how to deal with it before a rabbit fell out of the sky next to Alric, followed by a bird. It's eyes were pecked out, and it's head was barely connected to it's body by the remnants of it's neck. He looked up to Alric before chirping in it's own sort of greeting and continuing to peck at the head. Ainyi wasn't sure why he liked the brain so much, but as long as he was fed and happy.

"We need to get back, yes?...Would you, er..." She paused for a moment, trying to think of something to make up for her bad behavior. "You want to learn to ride, yes? We still have light before darkness. I could teach you before we get back. Braghna can take back the rabbit. What do you say?"

Braghna looked at her questioningly, before eyeing the creature in his hands. Truly, she shouldn't eat any of it, if it was Braghna's kill, but she couldn't have her bird getting fat, could she?

He rubbed some blood on his beak off on the grass and curiously(rather gently) really, pecked at Alric's foot, chirping at him questioningly. Ainyi smiled a bit at that. The two were quite interesting to watch.

[Alric Wilmot]

Alric could tell right away that he had made a mistake. Although, he was really not expecting Ainsley's outburst all the same. He knew she was a whirlwind of emotion, but he had never truly been at the forefront of her wrath. She hurried over to him with a dark look in her eye, beratingly calling him 'rich man.' He never realized how much it could sound like a curse. Alric flinched just a bit. He wasn't used to being yelled at. "Why, in every god's name, are you here?! You never hunted, and I finally find one little rabbit to eat for the night and you-" Alric backed away feeling small. Almost instinctively, he reached out with his djed, feeding waves of calm emotions into Ainsley's torrent of anger. He didn't even realize what he was doing until she had cut off. He stopped soon after, surprised that someone could use magic without meaning to. He did not like the implication. "...Sorry," Alric blinked, and let out a sigh. He had no idea if she was actually sorry, or if she was reacting to his hypnosis, but at that moment he didn't care. He was just glad that she didn't kill him. Alric had always assumed Bones was the only friend he had that could become a potential threat. Though, now, he realized Ainsley could too. In fact, since Alric had no martial discipline at all, he should probably regard everyone as dangerous. He shook his head. No, even if they where dangerous, they shouldn't attack him. He had too good of a grip on his friends for that. "Apology accepted," Alric said, trying not to show his new-found fear. "Though I must also offer an apology. I should have realized that you were not just twiddling your thumb. I believe it may be best for us to forget the whole matter." "We need to get back, yes?...Would you, er..." She paused for a moment, though Alric did not know why. "You want to learn to ride, yes? We still have light before darkness. I could teach you before we get back. Braghna can take back the rabbit. What do you say?" Alric stopped, and thought. He would prefer it to going back through the brush. And riding was quite the useful skill to have. He supposed that this might be her idea of making up for her outburst. And honestly, Alric rather liked the idea. "Yes, I'd like that. I don't know how much I'll learn in this short amount of time though. Still, It sounds promising." As Alric spoke, the hawk, Braghna, flew close and landed. Alric ignored him at first, until he started pecking at his foot. Alric nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden contact. He tried fruitlessly to shoo the bird away, but the blasted thing just continued. Finally, the stupid thing backed off, giving a ridiculously cute noise much too benign for such a wretched creature. Honestly, how could Ainsly stand the thing? Petch, how could she stand the wilderness? "Well, then. Now that your hawk is done trying to eat my foot, why don't we start? We don't have much time, I'm afraid. They were quite serious about leaving you behind. Me too, if I took too long to get you."

[Ainyi]

"Apology accepted, though I must also offer an apology. I should have realized that you were not just twiddling your thumb. I believe it may be best for us to forget the whole matter."

She hoped she wouldn't. Not because she was still mad at Alric; He seemed to have the best intentions looking for her the way he was. Others would have left her. But he didn't. She would remember her outburst, so that he wouldn't do it again. So that if something made her angry, she wouldn't act the way she did...before. She couldn't do that.

"Yes, I'd like that. I don't know how much I'll learn in this short amount of time though. Still, It sounds promising."

She smiled, and was about to reply when Braghna began berating him. She giggled as Alric tried to dance away from it. He didn't realize that Braghna was slowly beginning to like him. Red-tail hawks choose mates for life. while she was fairly certain Braghna would never mate, he seems to have stuck by her with some affection for quite awhile. And now that she was spending so much time with Alric, Braghna began to see him less and less as a threat to his family, and more and more a part of it. Perhaps in time, the rich man would see that.


"Well, then. Now that your hawk is done trying to eat my foot, why don't we start? We don't have much time, I'm afraid. They were quite serious about leaving you behind. Me too, if I took too long to get you."

She nodded, unable to really help the giggle. "Yes. Let's. Though, you ought to know, Braghna was trying to get your attention. He probably wanted to share his kill with you. It is sign of respect. So, it appears we are taking our meal together tonight, yes?"

She would let him do with that as he would. "The riding, will be easy. I will give you basics, and ride just behind you. Then you will ride us back to camp. That way, hunters respect you more." As she said that, she got an idea. She took a couple fingers of the rabbit's blood, and slathered some under the scar on her arm from the Yukmen, and wrapped it in some cheap bandage. He was intelligent enough to know what his riding in with a wounded woman would look like. As funny as it was seeing him moan and grumble about the camp, this way perhaps others might be nicer to him and help him more. She didn't care what the other campers said about her.

"Now then," she said deftly, "The horse." Before she continued, she thought back to her father, how he taught her when she was a girl.

"First, you...the horse needs to know who will ride it. You never touch a horse from behind. They will get scared, try to kick you. They do not like what they do not see. So, let it smell you, see you." She brought his hand up to Halik. Halik had known him as well at this point, and so as he smelled the hand his ears were perked, and no doubt the horse's mouth flesh probably felt funny to the rich man. She stroked the horse's neck and gave him a good pat before gesturing to the saddle.

"Then, you have to get on the horse. I can jump on there easily, because my work is physical. You, rich man, should work on strength." She demonstrated. At fifteen hands tall, his back was at the same level as the top of her head. She placed her arms above her head on the saddle, and pushed down on the horse as she jumped up and put one foot on the stirrup, and swung the leg over. "But that will take work. For now, I will give you lift, and we will work on moving, steering and stopping, yes?" With that she offered a hand. Braghna had the rabbit in his claws, circling lazily above.

[Alric Wilmot]

"Yes. Let's. Though, you ought to know, Braghna was trying to get your attention. He probably wanted to share his kill with you. It is sign of respect. So, it appears we are taking our meal together tonight, yes?" "As long as you don't invite your bird to our meal, Ainsley, I'd be happy to eat with you." Alric was happy to share a meal with a friend. To be honest, he saw it as quite the innocent invitation. But the hawk just frustrated him. He didn't particularly care if it was trying to be friendly. It still pecked at him. And if it was coming to respect him, then why did it continue to increase their level of interaction? Everyone knew that the more you respected something, the more you let it be. Honestly, animals and their primitive minds. They were so slave to basic emotions... Ainsley interrupted his thoughts. "The riding, will be easy. I will give you basics, and ride just behind you. Then you will ride us back to camp. That way, hunters respect you more." Alric nodded, though he really didn't care to be respected. There was a hidden power in being ignored. And he was quite content with it. But if his friend wanted him to be respected he would not argue. After all, what good was a tool you never used? "Now then," she said deftly, "The horse. First, you...the horse needs to know who will ride it. You never touch a horse from behind. They will get scared, try to kick you. They do not like what they do not see. So, let it smell you, see you." Alric nodded once more, and walked toward Halik. It seemed logical. The way the beasts eyes were placed, it would not be able to see directly behind itself. Most likely it kicked anything it saw in its peripheral vision, in case it was a predator. He was wary of letting the horse smell him, however. Its nostrils were big enough for his whole hand to get sucked in. Though with a little prodding from Ainsley he proceeded. He stuck out his right hand, under the beast's nose. It smelled him, and it...tickled. Alric smiled despite himself. Perhaps Horses weren't too bad. Ainsley continued. "Then, you have to get on the horse. I can jump on there easily, because my work is physical. You, rich man, should work on strength." She demonstrated. In a nearly flawless demonstration she got onto the massive things back with little effort. "But that will take work. For now, I will give you lift, and we will work on moving, steering and stopping, yes?" With that she offered a hand Alric took it. He was not surprised that she was more adapt than himself, and stronger. Despite the fact that he had no mother growing up, he had very little if any gender bias. Unlike others, he was not accustomed to women much at all. To him, cleaning, cooking, and raising children simply seemed a part of everyone's life. It had been a part of his father's, and save for raising a child, it was part of his too. To Alric, these exotic skills, were simply restricted to warriors. And he had seen plenty of female warriors. His own Womiyu superior being a female who knew how to fight. Because of that, he felt no embarrassment at being taught what might be considered a manly art by some, from a woman. Alric stepped into the stirup, and used Ainsly's hand to steady himself as he flung his other leg over. The Horse's back was bigger than he thought it would be. "So, Ainsley... were do I put my hands?"

[Ainyi]

"As long as you don't invite your bird to our meal, Ainsley, I'd be happy to eat with you."

She made a mental note to have Braghna behave himself. As much as she didn't like it, their ways were not the ways of this world. She thought that she could keep everything about her the same; carry her culture with her everywhere. That others would live with the easy interaction, with an earthiness. She had tried so hard now for almost two seasons to do it, and she'd only made one friend, and even he was becoming uncomfortable with her ways. As he was getting on the horse, all of this was going through her head, and she realized if she wanted to live in other cultures, she had to learn and accept social differences.

Braghna would still be at dinner, though. Just, more...off to the side. And behaved. On that, she couldn't compromise on. She may forget many things about her home, but she couldn't disrespect the one friend that went with her when she was very alone.

"So, Ainsley... were do I put my hands?"

She snapped back into it. Her stirrups were especially high because of her short stature, so he should be able to use them.

"Before you put your hands anywhere," She said, "Make sure your feet are well into the stirrups. Your feet fall out, it's harder to control the speed." She sat up as high as she could to place her head over his shoulder and look. Taking his hands, she directed them toward the reigns. "Halik has been trained for a rider who does not use reigns, because I use my hands for archery. But he also knows how ride with reigns, and that will be much easier to teach."

She checked where he was sitting, and ordered, "Get closer to the horn of saddle. When you are going long distance in one direction, you can wrap the reigns around horn. Keep one hand on reigns, one on horn. You pull reigns on right side of his head, he will turn right. You pull reigns on left side, he will turn left. Pull very hard, he will turn very hard. Pull lightly, he will turn lightly. Very...logical, yes?"

Halik began pawing at the ground and let out a light whinny. As he did that, muscles twitched under them and she chuckled slightly. "He wants to ride. You can feel it in there."

Ainyi bit her lip. This man needed to learn something else, from his reaction to Braghna. Enough to become a good rider. "Before I teach you about speed, you must know something else, with horses," She began, leaning back in the saddle. "A horse is more than a means of transportation. It understands. It feels. It cares for it's owners as much as their owners care for them. If you respect your horse, and treat it as a friend, it will do the same. Be understanding with it; if you try to take care of him, he will you. If you are not good to horse, you do not deserve it."

She hoped that sunk in enough. Alric had a very large distinguishable difference between human and animal. With Braghna, she would have to let that behavior slide; that was a cultural difference. But horses were different. If they aren't happy to carry you on their back, then it will show.

"...So, that's the gist of it," She finished, breathing out a little. "All you need to do now, is give him a firm kick. Watch ground for sudden dips or holes; if his ankle breaks, we'll be left behind and he'll have to be put down. I would not be happy with that."

With that, she left Alric to try. A firm kick would get them into a steady running gallop; enough to make the wind blow in their hair and to really feel the power of a horse. She stopped instructing, and wrapped her arms around his waist, with a strong, unaffectionate grip. Her eyes peeked over his shoulder. And she waited.

[Alric Wilmot]

"Before you put your hands anywhere," She said, "Make sure your feet are well into the stirrups. Your feet fall out, it's harder to control the speed." Alric paused at the words, noticing the stirrups. He had assumed they were just for climbing on and off the horse. He thought it interesting that they had more than one function. He slid his feet in with relative ease. He was almost surprised that they were up so high. But then he remembered that Ainsley was nearly as short as himself. Inartan-sized, you could say. "Halik has been trained for a rider who does not use reins, because I use my hands for archery. But he also knows how ride with reins, and that will be much easier to teach." Alric nodded. He did not quite understand. But he thought he would soon enough. "Get closer to the horn of saddle. When you are going long distance in one direction, you can wrap the reigns around horn. Keep one hand on reigns, one on horn. You pull reigns on right side of his head, he will turn right. You pull reigns on left side, he will turn left. Pull very hard, he will turn very hard. Pull lightly, he will turn lightly. Very...logical, yes?" Alric blinked when she said 'horn'. And did not at first realize that she meant the strange stub in front of him. He took care to memorize the words and terminologies. Before, he hadn't even know what stirrups were, but as Ainsley talked, he picked up on all of these things. He had a good memory, and he doubted he'd forget these lessons. He was quite pleased to learn how to direct the horse. He hadn't realized that it would be that simple! Was that really how you got it to turn? He had expected it to be so much harder for some reason. He agreed with Ainsley, it was quite logical indeed. Ainsley said something else, but Alric hadn't been paying attention. He snapped out of his musings, listening intently once again. "Before I teach you about speed, you must know something else, with horses. A horse is more than a means of transportation. It understands. It feels. It cares for it's owners as much as their owners care for them. If you respect your horse, and treat it as a friend, it will do the same. Be understanding with it; if you try to take care of him, he will you. If you are not good to horse, you do not deserve it." Though Alric nearly balked when Ainsley said that a horse could understand, he kept quiet. He wasn't going to start an argument here. She was not obligated to teach him anything. He would not risk giving offense. Besides, their was some truth to her words. Animals may not be able to understand, but they did feel. He had manipulated them enough to know that. And if they could feel, then he supposed that if he did treat one poorly, they might feel angry enough to attack. So he heeded her words, even if he disagreed with some of them. "...So, that's the gist of it," She finished, breathing out a little. "All you need to do now, is give him a firm kick. Watch ground for sudden dips or holes; if his ankle breaks, we'll be left behind and he'll have to be put down. I would not be happy with that." Alric balked this time. "Great, a first time rider, and you bring up that. No pressure, I suppose. After all, if I fail, the horse will only die." Alric tsked, and turned his head to the horse. "I'll do my best, lad. But if you see a hole or some such, you'll probably have to steer yourself away." He didn't know why he talked to the dumb beast. Halik couldn't understand him. Still, for some reason, it calmed his nerves. Ainsley might not find his words amusing, but he did, and they lifted his spirits just enough that he was able to fight his nervousness. "All right, here we go." Ainsley grabbed onto his waist. He was slightly surprised, but did his best not to let it show. He had forgotten that when riding a horse you grabbed onto the one controlling it. He gave a light kick to Halik, not knowing how much pressure to apply. The horse moved forward slowly, along the trail that Alric had come to find Ainsley. He was going much too slow. At this rate, it was likely that the Caravan really would leave them. He kicked again, a little harder this time. Halik responded by going faster. It still wasn't enough. Alric didn't feel comfortable kicking the thing a third time, he was afraid he might hurt it. He decided to fall back on his own methods, and connected a cord of djed to the beasts mind. He had gotten so used to the manipulation of animals, it was surprising how easy it was. He was uncertain of what the animal was feeling at that moment, but it mattered little. He sent forth a feeling of urgency, and implanted an image of the caravan. He kicked one more time, and Halik took off. Now this, was an acceptable speed! The trees whizzed by them, hitting Halik's chest, where before they hit Alric's head. It mattered little to the horse, however. He was made of sterner stuff than Alric. Alric was surprised how quickly he picked up on turning Halik in the right direction. Though it felt a bit like the horse already knew where to go. Regardless, Alric felt rather proud of himself. And he soon forgot that Ainsley's lesson was a way of making amends. Instead, he enjoyed the ride. He may have dislike the wilds, but horses... they were alright.

[Ainyi]

((OOC note: Because I'm too lazy to go through every post and correct myself every time I said 'reign' instead of 'rein', I am just going to say this note as an acknowledgement, and write them properly from here on!))

"Great, a first time rider, and you bring up that. No pressure, I suppose. After all, if I fail, the horse will only die. I'll do my best, lad. But if you see a hole or some such, you'll probably have to steer yourself away."


Ainyi giggled almost girlishly before adding, "Oh don't you worry, Halik's smart. You're funny when you're scared." She wasn't sure how serious about that last statement he was. At least this kind of scared was funny. She didn't know what he would do if something real bad had happened.

And soon, they were off. A slow pace, but it's good to start there. He gave another kick, and went a little faster. Progress was progressing, but she wondered if it was fast enough. Since he seemed to get the hang of it, she was about to tell him how to get up to speed faster by kicking farther back toward the haunches, but all the sudden Halik just...sped up. He was running pretty fast; the last time he ran this fast was the first time he was out of Alvadas and able to really stretch his legs.

Come to think of it, odd behaviors seemed to happen conveniently around the rich man. When they first met, Halik was trapped under some cargo in the street, and he offered to help her. But all he did was...well, she couldn't tell. But Halik just looked unnaturally calm. He didn't even paw at the ground like he normally does. And now...the rich man sped him up without any commands. How? As much as she enjoyed him as a friend, he did things that perplexed her; that confused her; that most of all, disturbed her. Why had she calmed down all the sudden earlier? She knew she had the willpower to pull away, but the rate at which she calmed was...not normal for her.

It was something to address later. At the moment, her friend, regardless of how he commanded her horse, was riding for the first time and she didn't need to see his face to know he was enjoying it. Your first ride always has a magical quality to it. The first time you feel your hair whip back from your face, and feel the hooves pounding under you and watch the ground disappear under you. You almost feel powerful. She smiled softly and leaned her head on his back, resting for a bit.

"You are doing well," She commented, a little tamer of a tone than normal. " If you ever get sick of that awful moving hut they call a wagon, I'd welcome a riding partner. The caravan leaders can whisper all they want; I will not care, and besides..." She paused, realizing something, "My common is better, yes? I would like to keep getting better. I want to be fluent. Sooner is better."

They came upon the caravan just a the sun kissed the horizon and they were starting to move. The heckles they got were less than what one would call polite. Some directed toward Alric were about how long it took him to woo Ainyi at risk of being left behind, others mocked Ainyi for the fake bloodied badge on her arm, but mostly they were chuckling at the spoiled rich boy riding in on the horse, and the feral bird woman sitting in back letting him ride.

As they came upon the wagon with their things inside, she whistled and Braghna dropped down to rest on the rail of the wagon, after putting the dead rabbit in her hand. the head was practically severed, but it was otherwise good. The hawk chirped wearily before getting into a comfortable position. It probably took a lot of flying to keep up with Halik at that speed. She was glad he did.

"Rich man," Ainyi said in more of a questioning tone than a statement, "Halik...is a smart horse. But he is true, yes? When he was stuck in the alley, he was scared, with good reason. But then you...you wanted to help, and he just stopped everything. Even his habits when he's calm. And just now, I was going to teach you how to speed him up, but before I could...he just did." Peeking over his shoulder a bit, her grip around his waist softened as they slowed to a trot to keep up with the moving caravan. "...What are you doing, Alric?"

[Alric Wilmot]

Alric was enjoying himself. He was getting the hang of this much more quickly than he had gotten swordsmanship. He turned the reins to the left, and Halik went left. He truned them to the right, and he went to the right. He pulled back, and Halik slowed. It was all basic. Though, a part of him wondered if part of his success was due to the horse for being so well trained? "You are doing well," Ainsley said, a little tamer of a tone than normal. "If you ever get sick of that awful moving hut they call a wagon, I'd welcome a riding partner. The caravan leaders can whisper all they want; I will not care, and besides..." She paused,though Alric did not know why, "My common is better, yes? I would like to keep getting better. I want to be fluent. Sooner is better." Alric kept his eyes in front of him, but he did respond. Because, to his surprise, she really was getting better. He had begun to forget that she was not fluent in it. "Actually yes, your common is much better. I had begun to actually forget that you couldn't understand everything I said. Though, maybe that's because you can nowadays. You still have an accent, granted. But, your language skills have improved dramatically since I first met you." Finally they cleared the brush and came back upon the trail where the Caravan was. They had just finished packing up. He had asked before they left why they traveled at night, for at first it didn't make sense. They had said it was safer to be moving in the dark, rather than stay still, leaving yourself open to unseen attack. The people, who were jeering him now, had told him that it was better to be a moving target. He and Ainsley followed behind the caravan, and the jeering died down quickly. They did not like him, but they didn't bother him too much, for the most part it was Ainsley. He had paid for his trip. Or so their leader said... He smirked a bit. He actually was well off. But he only spent it sparingly. For things like food and water, or bodyguards, he paid them. But when it came to travel, he usually had a long 'talk' with the overseer on why he shouldn't have to pay. This time had not been an exception. "Rich man," Ainyi said. It was a term of endearment, though it sometimes came out as an insult. "Halik...is a smart horse. But he is true, yes? When he was stuck in the alley, he was scared, with good reason. But then you...you wanted to help, and he just stopped everything. Even his habits when he's calm. And just now, I was going to teach you how to speed him up, but before I could...he just did." She was peeking over his shoulder a bit, her grip around his waist softened as they slowed to a trot to keep up with the moving caravan. "...What are you doing, Alric?" Alric kept Halik going at a steady pace, he was falling behind the Caravan just a bit, but he did not notice. It was against his beliefs to tell a lie. But at the same time, he did not always tell the truth. He misdirected, used metaphor, and employed other clever ways of getting out of telling a person something he did not want them to know. But he did not want to do that with Ainsley. She was a good friend, like Miro had been, or Kinneas. He didn't want to do that. Still, he felt uncomfortable revealing himself to a non-wizard. They never really understood. In fact, he wasn't even sure if they could understand what it was like. Still, he did not lie... "Ainsley, I... have an ability, other than my illusions. It allows me to influence how a person feels. It isn't really control mind you. It's more like..." He trailed off thinking about a proper analogy. "It's like when you're angry, and someone gives you a compliment. It softens the anger. But it doesn't drive it away. I can do similar things, without actually saying anything. There are other things too, but they all go back to that same comparison." Alric tried to think of something else to add, but ultimately was afraid of revealing too much. He sighed, and brought Halik up closer to the Caravan. "I won't lie to you Ainsley, but I ask that you ask no more on this. I don't feel comfortable sharing this yet. Once, I would have been happy to tell you all about it. But, now..." He looked to Bones, the man who he had a friendship with, and the man who had nearly killed him when he was outed as a hypnotist. "...things are different."