(Windmount Track and Field)Failing at Riding (Letixia)

by **Joris Mevelk** on March 14th, 2014, 4:40 am

19th of Spring, 514 AV

It was a lovely spring day all things considered, the sun shining high in the sky and the spring air relatively crisp and clean. Well, other than the pungent aroma of the horses on the Windmount Track and Field, a fact that Ser Joris Mevelk noted with a crinkling of his nose. He was walking along the field, tugging at the reins of the horse he had chosen for what seemed an exercise in futility. The beast snorted at him, continuing to move as he directed thankfully enough though that still didn't aid in the petching smell that never seemed to vanish.

The tall man was scrawny by anyone's definition, his arms lacking defined muscles of any sort. His dark hair was a messy affair, spiking up here or there and looking rather like he had simply gotten out of bed like that. A goatee darkened his chin, a contrast to his dark hair as it was well trimmed and kept. His manner of attire was rather common all things considered, making him look rather like a citizen rather than a those knights and squires that rode these Tracks. The single sword pin on the collar of his coat denoted him being anything but, the title of knight being possessed by him through it.

It was rather obvious to anyone that he did not wish to be here, in fact it was more necessity than anything else that had prompted it. Joris was a fine mage by any definition, however he was shyke all at riding and it showed. He hated to admit it, but there it was really in plain sight for anyone to note. Really, the man hated horses at the end of the day since to his eyes they were smelly loud beasts that took up far too much space all things considered. He much preferred his magic as that was actually something he knew he possessed control over.

As if the brown manned horse he was tugging along had read his mind it neighed slightly, as if in protest to his thoughts. The man granted it a sidelong look of amusement, his lip curling upwards slightly. He supposed it was just another thing about Syliras he still had yet to acclimatize to. Joris still expected at times to wake up on the streets of Sunberth, this whole life as a knight nothing more than a dream. Yet each time he awoke it was the stone ceiling of his apartment he saw, a silent prayer to Sylir given each time.

Finally the man reached a bit of open field he deemed satisfactory and brought the horse to a halt. He turned a look to the horse, holding up his index finger as he actually spoke to address it. His Sunberth accent was still heavy and pronounced, another thing he thought of as being a stigma of his origins. Sunberth just loved to follow him no matter where he was or where he went.

"Right, so, lets get an understanding here mate, you and I are going for a little ride. If you don't toss me on my rear end half a dozen times then hopefully this will be quick and painless for the both of us. We square?" The mage-knight said, cocking his head to one side as he finished.

The horse snorted slightly in response, Joris rubbed the back of his neck after that, unsure of how to take that particular response. He assumed that it was a yes, so he shrugged and moved to the horses side and put one foot in the stirrup. Just as he was about to attempt to throw his other leg over to get in the saddle however, the horse moved forward a little causing the messy haired knight to throw out his arms as he fell back onto his rear end on the ground.

"Holy petching shyke!" He exclaimed, glaring up at the horse from the ground as he sat there.

"You have got to be petching kidding me. Come on, I though we had some kind of deal worked out here." He said tersely, gritting his teeth in no small amount of anger.

He noted a few errant chuckles to the side and turned his glare on a pair of his armored brothers trotting past on their mounts, looking somewhat amused and shaking their heads. The little bit of anger died out of course as he knew it was all in good natured poking, nothing too serious really. Everyone probably remembered their first attempts at riding, Joris was simply going through the same motions. So he did what always did, stood up and prepared to mount the horse again. Giving up never helped anyone, the Knights had no place for slackers or people who threw in the towel. Joris was not leaving until he managed to at least properly mount a petching horse.

by **Letixia Raigner** on March 14th, 2014, 7:46 pm

Leti had just finished saddling up a horse she wasn't used to, since Igor was currently being used by another person. This one was a chestnut, but as to what breed, she didn't know. Horses were like humans in her mind, they all looked a little different, but all alike. Leti grabbed a hold of the reins, and looped them around the horn to hold them in place. She then slipped her left, armored foot into a stirrup, and grabbed a firm hold of the horn. She bounced up and down on the ball have her right foot, then lunged upward with thrusts from her thighs, while pulling herself with her arm on the horn. She managed to swing her leg over the saddle, and found herself sitting in it just fine. She pumped a single, steel fist into the air, for this was the first time she'd gotten the mounting right on the first try. It was a a huge win for her.

Lightly picking up the reins, she tapped the sides of the chestnut with her heels, starting him forward slowly. Leti led him out of the barn, and to the track and field. She wanted to try to get her horse to move at a pace faster than a walk today. As she rode around, she saw an odd sight. There was a man at the track who hadn't mounted yet. And he appeared to be quite uncomfortable in his situation. As she got closer, she saw that he had a Knight's pin on his cloak. Leti herself, preferred to mount while still in the barn, for there were walls and the like to assist her if she didn't quite make it. She rode up to him, eyeballing his appearance. Despite having the pin, his body, particularly his arms, looked like they'd never seen a day's hard work. It confused her. What sort of person become a Knight, that isn't physically fit?

And then he fell onto his rump trying to mount up. Much like she'd done many a times in the past few days. He was built like a scholar, rode like a newborn squire, just who was this supposed Knight? So she decided to find out.

"Hello Ser."

She made no comment on his mounting, for she was no expert either, and she didn't wish to embarrass a Knight and end up running laps around the city. She smiled at him, "Would you like to ride with me Ser? I'm going to try him out at a trot today, for the first time. I could certainly use the pointers." It was quite common for a squire to ask a Knight for help, in an regard. This would let her find out if he knew more about horses than his little stumble let on. Perhaps he'd just gotten unlucky.

by **Joris Mevelk** on March 14th, 2014, 8:40 pm

Joris stood slowly, his attention brought to another presence nearby by way of spoken address towards him. Dark eyes glanced upwards to a mounted woman around his own age, perhaps a bit younger with lovely green eyes and long brown hair. The mage knight gave her a quick glance over; noting she wore not sigil of rank and due to the armor she wore the man figured she must have been a squire. He took the reins of the horse and returned her polite smile with one of his own more cocky ones, reminding himself of his station. Though the value of a knight uncomfortable with riding was somewhat up in the air.

He was something of an oddity compared to other knights, weak and frail in appearance though his projection abilities were nothing to balk at. A resourceful mage was the most potent kind, the kind that could take advantage of an opponent. It was just like he’d been taught after all, to be ever aware and to make up for physical weakness with strength of the spirit. He was strong in his own way, and that most certainly was suited to his preference. Let others swing around hammers, clashing swords with one another as he continued on the path to mastering the meta-physical.

“Well, hail and well met to you, squire. What a coincidence, I’m just trying to dust off the cobwebs myself as you can see. I’d be happy to trot around with you.” The man said, trying to come off as possessing just a little more experience than he actually possessed.

The tall mage knight gave the horse a stern look, which just earned him another snort as he put his foot in the stirrup. The horse didn’t move this time and allowed him to awkwardly swing his leg over the saddle and get at least properly mounted. Joris shifted around in the saddle, adjusting his position until he managed to get comfortable enough. It was coming back to him slowly but surely at the very least, though it still felt awkward. It was rather like when he put his armor on, he recognized why it was useful and why he needed it however it still felt odd. Another Sunberthan trait that he just couldn’t let go of perhaps.

He gripped the reins of the horse, patting the creature in some silent thanks as he turned it to face the squire. The man attempted to find his center of balance as his slipped his boots into the stirrups, swaying a bit as the animal moved. Finding it, the man offered the woman a look as he slouched a bit as per the norm for him. The very shining example of a knight he was no, then again most wizards had their odd quirks here or there. He figured that as long as he had his priorities straight, which he knew in his heart that he did, then he was worthy to continue his service.

“Names Ser Joris Mevelk, Mage-Knight of Blue Company, 2nd Regiment, Gold Quadron. You’re a squire, yeah? Might I know your name and Patron?” He asked, raising an eyebrow in inquiry.

He didn’t bother hiding his status as a mage knight of Syliras; he had nothing to hide after all as his skills were used in the service of the Order. His magic was a source of great pride anyway; it set him apart from the rank and file and the common citizens. At least that was how he saw it, that his powers were a boon rather than a stigma and were to be valued rather than cursed. He still was nowhere near close to how powerful a projectionist as his own Patron was, but he improved every day.

He turned the horse back around and started moving him slowly forward, his indication obvious that the woman was free to join him if she wished. Honestly, considering today’s activity was hardly his favorite kind he could use a bit of good company. As he moved forward he held the reins tightly, maintaining his center of balance precariously as the horse moved. Magic was his most obvious forte, with everything else usually back sliding in favor of improving and training his knowledge of the arcane.

by **Letixia Raigner** on March 15th, 2014, 9:49 pm

Leti smiled at his response to her offer. She could understand getting out of practice at things, especially if your post never required the use of horses much. She figured many of the Knights stationed within the city rarely had the need, the need for steed. When he spoke again though, she realized that she'd forgotten her manners.

"Apologies Ser, I was rude. I'm Letixia Raigner, squire to Ser Ranqor Grayne."

Leti rarely got to meet the Mage-Knights of the Order, since most of them were either really busy, or didn't train in most of the same aspects as the more mundane 'standard' Knights. She saw him give her an opening to join her. She gently tugged at her reins, not finding the horse to reply to her commands. Once more she tugged, to no avail. Then the squire realized that she'd been giving him the wrong command. She tapped him lightly with her heels, and he began forward, and with a bit of a struggle in the reins, she got him next to Ser Joris. She pulled back on the reins a bit to slow him down to try and match the Mage-Knight's pace.

"I hope this question isn't inappropriate Ser. I've never met many of the Mage-Knights. Do you hold a post and patrol like other Knights? Or do you have different duties, Ser?"

She had relaxed her grip on her reins, holding them just enough to not drop them. Olaf had taught her to not grip too tight or you could send the wrong commands to the horse. She maintained her posture on the horse, but relaxed her shoulders a bit. She assumed she would be doing this for a while, and she didn't want to be stiff all night.

by **Joris Mevelk** on March 15th, 2014, 11:42 pm

Letixia Raigner, a pleasant enough name that rolled off of the tongue easily enough for Joris’ tastes though he was hardly an authority on names. The man lightly and almost tentatively dug his heels into the horse to signal it to go into a bit of a trot, nothing too fast as he didn’t want to risk losing control. Though he hardly felt like he was in control of the creature all things considered, he felt much more like a passenger on the horse than he did the actual rider. His attempts at control were either too much or too light and nervous, shifting between one or the other.

He didn’t try anything too ambitious yet; slow and steady was the way to go for now just starting out and nothing fancy. His grip on the reins didn’t slacken, almost as if he was afraid of falling off if he let go of them. The mage knight swayed here and there and attempted to hold his center of balance into the trot, feeling his body shake a bit at the trot. It wasn’t really that fast all things considered and the man was pleased for it. Joris wasn’t sure if he could keep his balance if the creature started to move much faster than this.

He turned his attention to Letixia’s question regarding mage knights, turning his gaze ever so to smirk at the squire riding next to him. The Mage Knights were not exactly well known as magic itself was extremely rare across Mizahar; wizards existed in a vast minority. Adding to that was the fact that joining the Syliran Knights required dedication to the city and the Order itself; it translated into there not being that many Mage Knights. So it was natural for a squire to possess a little curiosity on the subject.

“Sure, we run patrols and guard postings just like any other. I make rounds in the Castle on most days and occasionally a little bit out into the Cobalt Mountains, it’s just our weapons that are different. Magic is a tool like any other, luv, I might not look like much but I can hold my own against the odd bandit or two.” The man replied, shrugging a bit and shifting a bit on his horse.

Their path took them to a track with a single fence in the middle and defined space for doing laps around it. It was a good place for some practice in the art of riding horses, Joris figured that a few laps around would get him into the swing of things. The dark haired man nudged his heels into the horse, not getting a reaction at first from it. He did it again and then tugged back at the reins, slowing the horse down a bit as they came onto the track. As he did he addressed the squire with him today, always one for conversation.

“Of course, we are also on call to handle and give advice on threats of an arcane origin. Fighting fire with fire as it were. We typically know our stuff, so having a varied pool of disciplines to call upon is a rather useful thing.” The man continued, slowly relaxing his hold on the reins as he felt just a little more at ease with this situation.

The dark haired man commanded the horse to fall back into a trot, a slight snort his response as it moved as directed. The woman looked quite tall to his eye, attractive and eye catching though he wasn’t too certain on her personality. He did rather like a woman in uniform, though he had to wonder if she’d make it to the title of knight eventually. He rather hoped she did, a new knight was something to celebrate in his opinion as well as encourage. Joris had found his purpose in the order; he believed that others could as well.

As they moved down the track at a relatively steady pace he turned his gaze upon her once more, pondering her station. He was not familiar with her patron by name and she hadn’t mentioned his company so where she was stationed was up in the air. As an unranked Knight technically he held authority here, but Joris was never one to hedge rank outside of combat. Besides, today’s Squires were tomorrow’s Knights and this one looked at least disciplined enough to his eye.

“So, where are you stationed normally, luv? Also, if you don’t mind the asking, why’d you join up with the order?” He asked casually, a rather innocent question in his opinion.

by **Letixia Raigner** on March 17th, 2014, 2:50 am

She knew next to nothing about magic, but did find an interesting thought spawn from his explanation of his duties. Magic, just like the sword on her hip, was a weapon. While she held no particular view on the arcane, she'd heard many pointed and downright vile opinions on the matter, that mages are evil, they magic goes against the good gods, that magic will destroy the world. But if magic were a tool, then it had no mind of its own. Swords aren't evil, but murderers with swords are. So perhaps, magic wasn't bad. Not that it mattered to her, she never figured she'd have to deal with it, not with the Mage-Knights in charge of fighting that fire, as he'd put it.

She sidled along with him as he began his approach to the track. He certainly had her attention. There was always a part of her that wanted to know about magic. Not learn it or anything like that, but just learn about it. What sorts of magic were there? Could only magic fight magic? What should she do if she were to be attacked by a mage?

"We patrol the Nettle District mostly." She didn't say that she wished she were stationed outside of the city. Patrolling the city was certainly honorable work, but she yearned for more. Syliras was safe because of the Knights, but not much happened within the boundaries of the city. She wanted to make a difference, a real difference, a big difference.

The other question though, "I... It's a little complicated, if you don't mind a longer story." As she approached the turn of the fence, she made sure to give wide berth, since her turning was still awkward at the best of times. "When I was younger, I think it was about three or four years ago, I was a civilian. I lived with my father, a merchant in the bazaar, though he's originally from Yahebah. I used to go out in the woods a lot on my own to fish. I never felt scared being alone out there because of the Knights' presence. Nothing bad ever happened. Then one day I met a Myrian woman, by the name of Kaie. She couldn't speak Common very well, and I'd never met a Myrian before that. Some miscommunication happened, and I was under the impression that she was going to kill and eat me. I'd never been so afraid in my life, despite the fact she was trying to help me build a fire. But in that fear, I remembered something my dad told me. He told me that fear could kill faith. That one's faith must be strong enough to fight fear every moment of every day. I was young, I barely knew anything of Yahal, and still don't know much. But my faith in him, and in my dad, steeled my resolve that day. After that, I wanted to help conquer fear where ever it may be, whoever it might affect. And so I turned to the only other thing that helped my fears fade. The Syliran Knights."

She hadn't been paying attention, and allowed her steed to drift over, and bumped into Ser Joris' mount. Correcting him, then recorrecting her overcorrection, she continued, "And that brings us to today. My dad was never so proud as the day I was accepted as a squire, though part of me thinks he was relieved that he didn't have to marry me off to one of his friends' sons."

"Apologies if my riding is poor, I just learned earlier this season, Ser."

by **Joris Mevelk** on March 17th, 2014, 9:43 pm

The Nettle District, Joris supposed it didn’t exactly come as a surprise all things considered as he himself was normally stationed in the city proper. Occasionally his Wing was sent out to the Cobalt Mountains for a bit of a patrol, but for the most part they kept to the city. This was fine by Joris as he was not a conflict hungry man himself; he had gotten his fill of seeking conflict for a life time in Sunberth. He figured that the wise move was to continue to hone his abilities and then wait for conflict to come to him. Wait and watch, observe and prepare, those were his tactics and they served the Mage Knight well.

Joris grunted and lurched forward a bit as his horse quickened it pace a bit, surprising him and taking him a moment to get his bearings. He tugged at the reins, signaling it to slow down and get back into pace with Letixia’s horse. The Mage Knight still felt terribly out of his element riding a horse, it just went to show that when one concentrated on one aspect of training then the others would fall by the way side. His Projection was what was important to him however; it was his outlet and means of expressing himself.

The story that came from the squire’s lips was long, though Joris figured he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon so he listened without comment. A long silence filled him as he listened to her story, one of hundreds similar no doubt but all of them always made him feel further an outsider. His father wouldn’t have told him any of that shyke because the petcher had never been around, and his mother had always touted survival being more important than anything. They both probably would have seen his joining the Knights as just a convenient move, a new way to keep on living.

The man had not noticed the tightening of his hands on the reins and was brought back to the world by Letixia bumping into his mount. This disrupted his tenuous hold on his center of balance, causing him to sway here or there for a bit before her recovered it again. His mount snorted, as though it were amused at his inexperience in the art of riding. Idly the Mage Knight pondered unraveling the strands of his Astral and giving the beast a phantom bump on the nose. He thought better of it however, simply rounding the bend at his continued pace.

He favored the squire a wry grin, raising an eyebrow to her in silent inquiry to her statement of being a rather poor rider. It was obvious the Knight himself was no master of the art either; he was swaying and concentrating too hard on just holding his balance. It was obvious to any onlooker that he had no grasp on the idea of controlling the horse and instead let it take him along while only giving it the most vague of direction. Joris rather disliked his weakness in regards to riding, but such was the way of things unfortunately.

“Bah, at least you haven’t fallen off of your horse, luv, I’d call that a resounding success. You’re doing fine, a few more laps and you’ll be fit to lead the charge against a horde of bandits.” He said, chuckling a bit at the end.

“Sounds like you got a good Dad, I doubt many would be so encouraging to their daughter’s pursuing their dreams. Dreams are good, and yours seems to give you some drive to keep going. Don’t lose that, you hear? I want to be able to call you a sister in arms one day.” The knight said, tugging at the reins to slow the horse down.

“Take my advice though, fear isn’t a bad thing. Fear, no matter how scary it might be is what keeps you from doing stupid things. The trick is, to hear your fear and not let it rule you. Take me for instance; I’m afraid of what my magic could do to me if I abuse it. My patron beat into my head what could go wrong doing what I do, however, that same fear keeps me from making the stupid mistakes. I listen to it; I get a feel when I’m going too far. I just don’t let it cripple me.” Joris said, allowing his hands to relax a bit on the reins of the horse once more.

The tall man had been speaking from the heart, or rather speaking from the experience that he had gained over his short years. Fear and he were old friends but the man never wanted that fear to rule over his mind, as that was the path that led to self-defeat. He was confident he had found a good equilibrium to his fear, one that gave him some sense but also kept him from going too far with his magic.

“So, anyway. The Nettle District eh? I wonder if your Patron wouldn’t mind you coming out on a patrol in the Cobalt at some point. Maybe just to get you comfortable with it, after all a good squire should have a varied experience right?” The man offered.

by **Radiant** on April 5th, 2014, 7:59 am

Joris :

Notes :

My radiance is not bright enough?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, beam me a PM and we can work it out.

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+1 XP
Rhetoric	+2 XP
Socialization	+2 XP
Riding: Horse	+3 XP

Completed (Windmount Track and Field)Failing at Riding (Letixia)