[The Sanctuary] The Way We Move. The Way They Move.

[Kavala]

Timestamp: Early Spring, 514 AV

The Sanctuary's foaling was in full swing. Kavala wasn't getting any sleep - none whatsoever - between two young babies and a five year old. Couple that with three dozen mares all foaling out, and the head healer at The Sanctuary was stretched thin. The boarders barn had weanlings in the field already, being the best spot to separate out mares from foals, especially of those animals that would be parted through sales. The broodmare pasture was filled with either overbloated mares or mares with frolicking foals at their sides. Half the foals were born in that very pasture under the careful eye of the staff, and more than a full measure of them had yet to drop and produce. All the babies this year were Denusk, glowing with iridescence in the bright sunlight.

Kavala had relied heavily on some of the new helpers to get her through this season. Lys, Lyn and Grace had all been a big help, being extra eyes and ears on the animals for when the mares needed help and the babies an extra boots. So far they'd only had one still birth in all the foaling, and due to the big wall about the property, zero predation. That made Kavala smile, for her profits from the new breed were going to be in the black this year. And with that being so, she'd be able to sell off some of the mixed blooded brood mares that were not Denusk because some of the 512 Denusk mares were getting old enough to breed finally.

She'd cheated, a bit at least, and bread yearling Denusk stallions to mixed blooded mares in hopes the Denusk traits would pass. Those stallions would be useless for breeding back being too closely related, so all the male offspring besides two or three of the best would be gelded and trained as warhorses. Kavala figured that'd be about twenty for this year alone. After the bloodlines of the yearlings were used then she could geld all but the best of them and train them as well adding them for the horses going to the Kuvay'Nas. Silk, Ghost, and maybe one of the black nightwalker stallions could be then used with the Denusk fillies on the ground in three years... so it was worth keeping those stallions. She figured giving it a good ten years down the line and she'd have all straight Denusks and straight Striders in her program and that was it. But in these early stages she had to plan bloodlines carefully and get as much diversity into the breed as possible early on, so that it didn't develop negative traits that were passed on when bred. A horse with an extra tick neck, shorter legs than desired, or a low tailset wasn't exactly useless. They could still be trained to be warhorses and utilized. But why breed them if they weren't perfect?

The Konti yawned, shook herself awake from her inner musings, and finished tacking up Sivak, a gentle seme stallion that she was going to use to give a lesson with today. She didn't know how the client was. But she knew she had an appointment as per Cadra making one from someone inquiring. So she was to meet the customer at noon, give them a riding lesson or two, and perhaps sell them a good mount. She didn't know what style of riding the client wanted to learn so she went with a standard saddle and bridle and would ask them questions once they got there.

And at noon, she was waiting in the arena, the horse gate open to welcome any newcomer, and ready to give a lesson.

[Stefan]

Horses... why it had to be horses? Stefan was afraid of most animals, especially if they were bigger than him. Dogs? No problem, he liked them. Cats? They were nice. But... horses? He was deathly afraid of them.

So one would wonder, why in the world did it occurred to him to make an appointment to get riding lessons in the Sanctuary? He didn’t quite know for sure. Perhaps he didn’t wanted to be scared anymore... Spring was the season of opportunities, after all. That fear was completely ridiculous, and he needed to get rid of it. He didn’t want to be afraid, not to mention that know how to ride a horse could prove useful in the future. That’s it, if he managed to get through it.

Stefan rose up early, put his green cotton shirt and white linen pants and went to the Sanctuary, following the indications of the scroll they gave him when he first entered to the city. It was quite far away from the city, but the walk was pleasant, and helped the young man to get his mind out of the animals.

When he entered, he couldn’t help but be in awe. From the outside, the place was incredibly imposing and beautiful, and the inside was also quite impressive. The architecture was marvellous; a pure work of art, that only an expert could manage to even dream. It was truly breathtaking. Stefan took several minutes to admire the place, before asking somebody where the riding arena was. It was the moment to get to it, and quickly. He didn’t want to be late, after all.

However, his confidence was washed away quickly as soon as he stepped on the riding arena. The first thing the Human saw was a stallion, big and imposing and his face went instantly pale. Stefan’s heart was racing as a void began to form on his stomach, but then he noticed someone else. A blond-haired Konti, with beautiful blue eyes that he knew quite well...

“Kavala, is that you?” he spoke, somewhat baffled, though his mind was just cursing everything and everyone. He knew her, from a disastrous date last Winter. It was a business he didn’t managed to get right, and though in the end he got paid, he couldn’t help but feel bad about it. The fear made him drop his calm demeanour as he spoke “I... never mind. This was an awful, awful idea... I’ll retire myself, and quickly, sorry for wasting your time again...” he said nervously, not wanting to say anything else to the Konti, as he backed away, only to be meet by a fence on the arena, which nearly made him trip. “Petching great...” he thought.

[Kavala]

Kavala would look different, completely different, than the last time Stefan had seen her. Dressed in her leathers and armed, she moved with a warriors grace as she gently played with the big chocolate colored stallion with the riot of blonde mane and tail. She was busy tugging on his lower lip which he was tossing his head about and pretending not to be able to get away. Sivak was a goof, first and foremost, with more sense of humor than most people had. He also had a knack for knowing his job and just exactly what the clients needed. He could smell fear a mile away, that's why Kavala used him for new students and those who hadn't any experience with horses. Because he could smell fear and was smarter than the average human in Kavala's mind, he'd developed a technique for dealing with it.

He showed fear to the humans who feared him, ducking behind his mistress and whinnying fearfully all the while carefully pretending to hide behind her while peaking out occasionally. Now, an eighteen hundred pound stallion looked ludicrious trying to hide behind a hundred and ten pound Konti, but the effect regardless tended to calm the nervous and unsure folks down. And he had other tricks up his sleeve. The stallion could feign napping anywhere and everywhere in response to a nervous rider asking if he was going to run away or bolt. Faking a nap tended to reassure those fears as well. Sleeping horses didn't run. And if the lesson was bareback, he'd even sometimes stretch out on his side in the area dirt just to make it look legitimate. Kavala frowned on him doing so while saddled though. It tended to bust the wooden framework of the saddle called the tree and thus make the saddle useless.

So meanwhile, the giant stallion ducked behind the Konti, and Kavala frowned at Stefan, instantly recognizing him for who he was.

"Stefan? Hi there. Welcome to The Sanctuary. Are you here for your first lesson? I... I should probably go trade horses. This one seems a bit afraid of you. I think its the fact you are a man. I didn't know who my client was this afternoon or I would have saddled you a horse that isn't so shy around men." Kavala said, turning and giving Sivak a raised eyebrow that was her version of "What are you doing you dork?".

"Learning to ride is never a bad idea. Avoiding something you keep putting off is though." She said, glancing again at the horse trying to hide behind her. He shivered, looking scared, when in reality all he was doing was shaking off a fly biting him on his rump. But the effect was good. Kavala made a mental note to give Sivak extra sweet feed tonight to reward him. The horse was born in the wrong profession. He should have been a thespian.

[Stefan]

It was odd to see Kavala carrying leather armour and also weapons with herself, but he couldn’t help but like what he saw. Stefan always had a thing for leather, and seeing a woman clad on it was a pleasant experience. Or at least it would, if there wasn’t a beast behind her... it was an irrational fear that gave him a mix of emotions, and not a good one at that.

Still... the horse itself seemed fearful, and it was indeed something funny to see the enormous horse hiding behind the Konti, even though she was imposing herself, at least for the young man. He breathed deeply, still nervous, looking for the exit with his hand.

Of course, the thing that bothered him the most was the expression of Kavala, though Stefan knew he deserved it, and perhaps also a slap on the face. He couldn’t get out of his mind the fact that he screwed up big time the last Winter, and he was quite sure that the Konti remembered, too.

Stefan got close to the chocolate-coloured horse, without making eye contact with the Konti, not to appear impolite, but just to not to bother her. He tried to touch the white spot on the horse’s face, but was still reluctant, and once again gave a step back, on the verge of a panic attack.

He gave a deep sigh, still without looking at the Konti “...Look, I don’t want to waste your time, I know you’re a really busy woman. And the horse doesn’t seem to like me, anyway.” Excuses; these were just excuses as he tried to hide the fear that was already showing. His face was pale, and his hand was shaking as he got it closer to the face of the horse, who was itself trying to hide from him.

“...Why the petch I am doing this? This is rubbish...” he said under his breath. But yes, it was rubbish.

Stefan closed his eyes shut, and took the reins of the horse, putting his food on the saddle. It was difficult for him to get up, and it took him a good ten chimes of work -the fact that he was shivering madly didn't help -but in the end, he managed to get on the back on the stallion "...Well, I finally did it... now what?" he said, almost out of breath.

[Kavala]

Kavala wasn’t wearing armor. Stefan was mistaken. She was dressed in the traditional Rivarian garb which they simply called ‘Leathers’. It was a body suit of sorts made of leather that wrapped her body protectively letting her fight or work with ease. Most of the Akalak wore them and humans that lived in Riverfall for more than a season or two tended to jump on board the fashion trend as well.

She had greeted him politely enough, knowing that not all clients were going to be people she might have enjoyed or been challenged by. Coin was coin and she had a business to run. Truth be told she hadn’t given the human much thought after their horrible business arrangement in the winter. It was something she’d most likely want to forget ever happened. He’d been so awkward, so … almost pushy about things that he had no business pushing. And worst of all, he hadn’t listened to her when she’d spelled out why she wanted to hire his time. He’d just simply kept telling her he was new at the whole seduction thing, which was laughable because she hadn’t been there to be seduced. She’d been there to hire a man’s company for the evening so she could talk and spend time with someone who wasn’t going to pressure her for anything other than perhaps coin at the end of the day.

Kavala watched him step up to her, reach around, and try to pet Sivak’s nose. Sivak would have let him. The stallion was a gentle giant and something of a comic, but he wasn’t shy about getting attention or rubs, even by strangers. But Stefan wouldn’t follow through with the touch. Instead, he gave up before he’d even accomplished the touch, and stepped back.

She didn’t understand it. And truth be told, it pissed her off a bit because here he was thinking she would pit a new rider wanting lessons against a horse that wasn’t trustworthy or something? Kavala started to open her mouth and tell him just how sweet Sivak was when he sighed and started muttering at his feet.

Excuses rolled off his tongue. He didn’t want to waste her time? Why had he arranged for a lesson then? Of course she was busy. She was in the middle of foaling season, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t make time for a lesson or two. That kept new business walking through the gates. She heard his mutters…. Kavala was standing right in front of him even as he started calling everything rubbish and she wondered if that meant her too.

Then the bastard had the nerve to reach out and touch her. He actually touched her? He stroked her leather clad arm like he had a right too… like he was Cheva’s gift to women. She watched him reach out in disbelief and trail his fingers down the leather. He even made a comment though she didn’t hear it. She was too busy moving.

She crouched, snapped a leg out and swept his feet out from under him dumping him in the soft dirt of the arena. One booted foot landed hard on the offending hand after snapping into his chest to lay him out flat on his back, the other planted solidly against his throat. She didn’t care if she broke every finger in his hand or crushed his throat – though she was more gentle there with the weight of her body on his hand instead. A she held the second foot on his throat, she simply stared at him. Her ice blue eyes cold. The stallion behind her went from playful to watchful, digging his massive front foot into the arena dirt, waiting for cues from his mistress as to what she wanted him to do. He was perfectly capable of trampling a downed enemy. He had before. But he was also highly trained and wouldn’t act independently of his mistress. She would have to give the command first.

Kavala’s voice was calm when she spoke, which was almost a full chime after she dumped him on the ground. “Don’t you ever touch me again. And don’t let me ever catch you touching another woman either without her consent, you piece of shit. Now I’m going to let you up. Once you get up, I want you to leave. Don’t return here. You are not welcome. Go insult someone else and waste someone else's time. But be warned, they may not be as gentle as I have been at reminding you about manners.” She said abruptly, angry beyond belief that he had had the audacity to touch her. If she hadn’t been a second marked healer of Rak’keli, she’d have simply sliced his fingers off. She was Kuvan after all, and he was not. Here, in the lands of Riverfall, women had rights. They were not objects to be fondled and complimented awkwardly. They were just as important as men.

Kavala hoped Stefan understood that.

[Stefan]

It was too fast for him, and everything happened like a fleeting glimpse of the corner on his eye, like a mugger’s blade in the dark, but it certainly hurt as much. Before he couldn’t even notice, Stefan had Kavala’s feet on his left hand and his throat. He thanked all the gods that she didn’t break anything.

At first, he listened to her, but then, it all remained silent, almost as if the time stopped. Her eyes were cold, but his dark brown eyes were hot and fiery as a huge grin painted itself across his face. His heart started to pump blood across his veins at an accelerated rated, as it pounded like a drum; something that Stefan could essentially hear, and that he loved so much. The gal wanted to fight? Well, he’ll be damn if he didn’t please her!

Just as Kavala finished speaking, Stefan clammed his hand into the Konti’s foot, and quickly moved to one side, making her lose her balance. Following that, he stood up as quickly as he could, getting himself on top of the Konti and taking the dagger from her hilt; a wide, excited smile carved on his face.

Stefan’s mind was racing as he did that madness. He was a lover, not a fighter, preferring to talk things out or flee than actually fight... but when that was the only choice, he always fought like the scoundrel he was. For him, fighting was like seduction: the position, race, rules nor anything else matter, only if you did it well. Was this the day of his death? Well, if it was, so be it. That moment, he had no fear for anything on Mizahar, and the adrenaline and lust blinded him.

“Well, Miss Kavala, wasn’t that bold on your part? I have to admit, you are full of surprises...” he said, examining the dagger, ready to throw it at the slightest movement. Still, he couldn’t help but notice, it was finely crafted, sharp, and ready for everything “Every rose has its thorn, after all, don’t they? Or in my case, cut the string of a piano and he’ll cut your bloody fingers off!” he said with a calm voice, almost like that of his mentor.

He made a pause to tuck the dagger into his pants, forgetting about the horse, and giving her hand to Kavala to help her to get up “Insults? Me? Don’t make me laugh... you’re the one insulting me, my dear, and to be frank, your words are like darts piercing my poor, poor heart...” he said with mocking melancholy, followed by a chuckle “Also, you have a class to give, don’t you? You don’t seem like the kind of person that gives up so easily... or are you?”

[Kavala]

The human saddened her in a way. He was diseased, a number of them in fact. It was something humans frequently were found with. It had a name. It was called arrogance and overconfidence. He grabbed her foot, threw her on the ground completely unskilled, and disarmed her without ever having grappled or trained the way she had. Never mind that she'd worked hard, hours and days and years on her body and her training. He smoothly disengaged her like she was nothing. He took her weapon like she wouldn't resist. He threw words at her like he was talking to a child. Kavala considered herself reasonable, and she'd given him a chance to walk away. Then he took her dagger and ignored her, studying it calmly then shoving it in his pants.

He was a thief to boot.

When he reached for her hand to help her up, a grim smile played across her lips. She could not hurt him, not really, not without being compelled to heal him. But Rak'keli was not her first mistress. Nysel was, and he was a God that had both darkness and light in him. He did not suffer fools to follow him. Nor did he restrict his followers to act when they thought someone was beyond redemption.

There was no compulsion when one killed. And she'd been taught not to hesitate when she struck. Kavala had NEVER disliked someone as much as she disliked this man. He put on a front. It was one of awkwardness that covered arrogance. He didn't care about anyone or anything. All he wanted was something she didn't want to give - had no interest in giving - and that he'd come here to her home, insulted her, and then stole from her... was beyond imagining.

Kavala would protect her own. She wasn't a pushover. And she certainly wasn't one of those people that let humans rule the world unchallenged. So when Stefan reached for her hand as if she needed help up... as if insultingly he now suddenly was putting on the whore face again... she lifted her hand as if to take his.

Instead, she summoned her djed, forming res, and pushed it out of her hand without a thought. Stone was her friend. Stone called to her like it called to all Geomancers. It answered with a roar and formed a spear as big as Stefan himself thrusting up from her hand skyward, through his chest. She impaled him on it, calling the earth upwards and through his torso where he leaned over to assist her up.

There was no chance of life because it split him open like a giant stone knife then thrust to the sky like a mountain being born. It left him impaled, hanging, slowly sliding down the length of it where it pushed open his rib cage letting his visceral cavity and its contents spill out.

Kavala just stared. The stallion behind her screamed and bolted, circling the arena with his tail flagged, eyes on the fresh stone spike and the man hanging from it slowly sliding down its length until he could slide down no further due to the width of the stone.

The Konti got up under her own power. She stood there staring at the death she caused. She stood there facing it. Then she turned away, walking over to where the stallion was standing snorting at the scene to calm him. Later, she'd deal with the body... the spire of stone... and remove them both.

[Shai]

However hopeless the situation appears to be There yet always exists the possibility of putting up a stubborn resistance Kavala : Skills: Horsemanship 1 Intimidation 2 Planning 1 Reimancy 1 Unarmed Combat 1 Lores: Planning for the Denusk Bloodlines Sivak: A Thespian in Horse Form Unarmed: Sweeping the Leg Stefan: No Longer Welcomed in The Sanctuary Reimancy: A Spire of Stone Check : If there are any concerns with my grading please feel free to toss me a PM. I am more than happy to explain my reasons or reevaluate them if you feel I've been unfair.