13th of Spring 514AV
Grace inhaled the familiar smell of manure and feed with an underlying hint of sawdust. A feeling of ease came over her as she could see a few horses already peering out of their stalls to see who was coming in. Grace glanced behind her shoulder, her comfortable aura receding some. She didn't really belong here, she didn't have a horse boarded nor did she work here, and yet for three days she'd been here despite it. Grace's eyes scanned the small garden that was at the entrance to the Sanctuary it wasn't empty, it usually wasn't, a pale woman walked through. Grace had been awed at first by the scales that covered her skin, but never asked. The woman seemed to have a confidence in her stride that Grace couldn't quite bring herself to just go up to her and start a conversation. Grace nodded to her, a sort of greeting and stepped into the barn. For now she would feel permanently guilty for lurking around the barn, petting the horses but trying to keep her distance. Grace wasn't the only one who missed being with horses, her dog was already running down the halls trying to reach up to the horses to see who he could play with. The corner of Grace's mouth turned up at this, she stopped by one of the stalls, housing a horse that she liked. She was an older mare, maybe the oldest one at the barn as far as Grace had seen. Her name was carved carefully onto a piece of wood hanging on the stall, Vitchani. Grace folded her arms so she could rest her head on them and leaned on the stall door, giving a click with her tongue to attract the horses attention. The mare stood toward the back of her stall, her head down and her hind leg bent, she was resting. She was sure Vitchani wasn't sleeping but she looked like she could have been just waking up. The mare's head shot up, eyeing Grace through her forelock, a strand of hay stuck between the course hairs.
"Vitchani, c'mere girl." Grace let her arm swing into the stall, rustling her fingers together to attract the mare's attention. Grace sighed, as the horse shifted her weight, and ignored her. Vitchani turned to her water bucket, caring less about Grace, who was waiting for some sort of recognition. Grace wasn't one to give up very easily. Glancing around again, she felt like she was committing murder as she eased the hatch open, opening the stall. She knew she really shouldn't just walk into strangers barns and play with their horse's. Even worse was if someone found her in the stall with the mare. A thought rang in the back of her head that she shouldn't lock herself in a crowded space with an unfamiliar horse but Grace largely ignored it. Vitchani didn't seem dangerous in the least. Jeno appeared behind her then, wanting to come in and play with the mare.
"Shh, Sit Jeno." Grace whistled, pointing to the ground. She didn't know the horse very well and didn't want the Deerstalker to cause a scene or get her in potential trouble. Grace closed the door, frowning slightly at Jeno's whimpering on the other side. She leaned over the edge, rubbing the dog's head briefly before turning back around. Soon he would be quiet and keep a look out for danger. Grace had liked these stables since she found them, she though they were very well kept and the horse's were definitely in top notch care. she couldn't judge herself too well, but she knew enough to know when a horse wasn't being treated right, most people could tell. Grace was used to talking to the horses, but she hadn't done so in so long she felt a bit self conscious about speaking out loud. She shrugged it off, horse's tended to be more comfortable with her when they could hear her anyway. "Okay, hun, we're gonna to get to know ch'other. Kay?"
Grace's voice caught the mare's attention more than her clicks did, possibly because now she was in the stall. The mare turned, some joint popping with the morning air as she did so, and threw her head up. Grace didn't step forward but she didn't step back as the mare drew closer, wiggling her lips in Grace's hair. She didn't mind so much about the slobbery saliva ruining her hair, but she smiled at the more or less friendly gesture. She reached up to pet the horse and felt teeth, she jerked to the side her heart picking up speed slightly. "Ey, ay!" Grace tried to hold her ground against the horse, knowing it would show the horse she wasn't going to be pushed around, but she stepped to the side once. Grace then offered her relaxed hand for the mare to sniff. Vitchani ignored her hand and nuzzles her pockets searching for some sort of treat. You are such a nibbler. Grace smirked, amused at the minor bad habit, and gently laid her hands on the mare's forehead, causing the animal to rear her head again. This time she knocked Grace in the chin. She realized this horse, though tame and calm, was definitely mischievous.
"Hey now, it's fine, I'm not here ta mess with ya." Grace offered her hand again, glad the horse brought her nostrils down to sniff it. Slowly she slid her hand up to pet the mare's neck, and the mare didn't react. "There we go, you're gonna be calm for me now, aren't ya?" Grace couldn't help the grin spread across her face. She hadn't touched a horse for nearly a season, let alone seen them. She'd been stuck in the wretched ship largely holed up in her little cabin. Grace started to run her hands along the horses neck and through her mane a bit, loosening some knots. She moved down to rubbing the horse's side, fine dust swirled off the mare's coat, making Grace smile. She'd forgotten to check and see if any one had seen her go in the stall, as the Sanctuary never seemed to be empty. No one seemed to mind that she was there but Grace was certain once she started going into the horse's stalls and playing with them, the owners might not take too kindly to her.
Grace arched her hand so her fingers acted similar to a curry comb and scrubbed them in circles, watching the dust raise of the mare. She wasn't unhealthily, but she hadn't been groomed in a day or so, and seemed like she enjoyed rolling in the dirt. The mare turned, curious but not threatening to see what Grace was doing to her coat. Once she saw Vitchani pinned her ear's back, nipping Grace's elbow, forcing her to stop. "Don't like that, d'ya?" Grace glanced at her hands which were already brown, dirt settling into her finger nails. She stepped back up to be near Vitchani's face, stroking her cheeks and forehead. "How're ya with groomin'?" Grace questioned, aligning her body with the mare's and running her hand down Vitchani's chest to her leg. As her hand cuffed the back of the fetlock joint, the horse's hoof gave before Grace could cluck her tongue, letting Grace get a clear look at sole. She glanced up at the horse as she held it there for a couple seconds. As she let it drop, she grinned "Good girl." She patted the horse's neck, genuinely happy but not at all surprised the horse had known what she was doing and listened to her. She repeated the process on all four hoof's, happy with the results.
"Well ya aren't hoof-shy, that's good." Grace ran her hands along the horse again, making sure she wouldn't get spooked when Grace picked up her tail. Grace tug on it slightly, not enough to hurt the horse but imitate her brushing the tail. "Good, good. You're very calm." Grace grinned patting the horse again. Grace was glad with the results. She hadn't meant to test the horse on her tolerance level, but Vitchani responded well to classical grooming technique's which made Grace more comfortable. Grooming was what she knew best when it came to dealing with horse's and it had a familiar pattern to it that she liked. "Oh boy, how I miss ya'll." Grace gently ran her hand along the horse's neck again, her mind racing about all the things she would love to be able to do and the things she didn't even know how to do but wanted to anyway.
"Vitchani, c'mere girl." Grace let her arm swing into the stall, rustling her fingers together to attract the mare's attention. Grace sighed, as the horse shifted her weight, and ignored her. Vitchani turned to her water bucket, caring less about Grace, who was waiting for some sort of recognition. Grace wasn't one to give up very easily. Glancing around again, she felt like she was committing murder as she eased the hatch open, opening the stall. She knew she really shouldn't just walk into strangers barns and play with their horse's. Even worse was if someone found her in the stall with the mare. A thought rang in the back of her head that she shouldn't lock herself in a crowded space with an unfamiliar horse but Grace largely ignored it. Vitchani didn't seem dangerous in the least. Jeno appeared behind her then, wanting to come in and play with the mare.
"Shh, Sit Jeno." Grace whistled, pointing to the ground. She didn't know the horse very well and didn't want the Deerstalker to cause a scene or get her in potential trouble. Grace closed the door, frowning slightly at Jeno's whimpering on the other side. She leaned over the edge, rubbing the dog's head briefly before turning back around. Soon he would be quiet and keep a look out for danger. Grace had liked these stables since she found them, she though they were very well kept and the horse's were definitely in top notch care. she couldn't judge herself too well, but she knew enough to know when a horse wasn't being treated right, most people could tell. Grace was used to talking to the horses, but she hadn't done so in so long she felt a bit self conscious about speaking out loud. She shrugged it off, horse's tended to be more comfortable with her when they could hear her anyway. "Okay, hun, we're gonna to get to know ch'other. Kay?"
Grace's voice caught the mare's attention more than her clicks did, possibly because now she was in the stall. The mare turned, some joint popping with the morning air as she did so, and threw her head up. Grace didn't step forward but she didn't step back as the mare drew closer, wiggling her lips in Grace's hair. She didn't mind so much about the slobbery saliva ruining her hair, but she smiled at the more or less friendly gesture. She reached up to pet the horse and felt teeth, she jerked to the side her heart picking up speed slightly. "Ey, ay!" Grace tried to hold her ground against the horse, knowing it would show the horse she wasn't going to be pushed around, but she stepped to the side once. Grace then offered her relaxed hand for the mare to sniff. Vitchani ignored her hand and nuzzles her pockets searching for some sort of treat. You are such a nibbler. Grace smirked, amused at the minor bad habit, and gently laid her hands on the mare's forehead, causing the animal to rear her head again. This time she knocked Grace in the chin. She realized this horse, though tame and calm, was definitely mischievous.
"Hey now, it's fine, I'm not here ta mess with ya." Grace offered her hand again, glad the horse brought her nostrils down to sniff it. Slowly she slid her hand up to pet the mare's neck, and the mare didn't react. "There we go, you're gonna be calm for me now, aren't ya?" Grace couldn't help the grin spread across her face. She hadn't touched a horse for nearly a season, let alone seen them. She'd been stuck in the wretched ship largely holed up in her little cabin. Grace started to run her hands along the horses neck and through her mane a bit, loosening some knots. She moved down to rubbing the horse's side, fine dust swirled off the mare's coat, making Grace smile. She'd forgotten to check and see if any one had seen her go in the stall, as the Sanctuary never seemed to be empty. No one seemed to mind that she was there but Grace was certain once she started going into the horse's stalls and playing with them, the owners might not take too kindly to her.
Grace arched her hand so her fingers acted similar to a curry comb and scrubbed them in circles, watching the dust raise of the mare. She wasn't unhealthily, but she hadn't been groomed in a day or so, and seemed like she enjoyed rolling in the dirt. The mare turned, curious but not threatening to see what Grace was doing to her coat. Once she saw Vitchani pinned her ear's back, nipping Grace's elbow, forcing her to stop. "Don't like that, d'ya?" Grace glanced at her hands which were already brown, dirt settling into her finger nails. She stepped back up to be near Vitchani's face, stroking her cheeks and forehead. "How're ya with groomin'?" Grace questioned, aligning her body with the mare's and running her hand down Vitchani's chest to her leg. As her hand cuffed the back of the fetlock joint, the horse's hoof gave before Grace could cluck her tongue, letting Grace get a clear look at sole. She glanced up at the horse as she held it there for a couple seconds. As she let it drop, she grinned "Good girl." She patted the horse's neck, genuinely happy but not at all surprised the horse had known what she was doing and listened to her. She repeated the process on all four hoof's, happy with the results.
"Well ya aren't hoof-shy, that's good." Grace ran her hands along the horse again, making sure she wouldn't get spooked when Grace picked up her tail. Grace tug on it slightly, not enough to hurt the horse but imitate her brushing the tail. "Good, good. You're very calm." Grace grinned patting the horse again. Grace was glad with the results. She hadn't meant to test the horse on her tolerance level, but Vitchani responded well to classical grooming technique's which made Grace more comfortable. Grooming was what she knew best when it came to dealing with horse's and it had a familiar pattern to it that she liked. "Oh boy, how I miss ya'll." Grace gently ran her hand along the horse's neck again, her mind racing about all the things she would love to be able to do and the things she didn't even know how to do but wanted to anyway.
PC/NPC Talking -- Common -- Thoughts
