Solo A Stable Job

[Solemn Warborn]

30th of Summer, 514 AV A Stable Job Solemn walked into the White Elk Stables dressed to the nines. If there was one thing that was certain, it was that Laria Skyglow knew her craft well. Every article of clothing had been designed to accent his best features. His shoulders were already broad and powerful, but in his new parka, they looked even more so. The dyed fur shirt beneath it was even closer fitting and had the same effect. He wanted to make sure he looked good when he asked Lusina for a job as a groom. He entered the front of the stables, hoping she’d be there, but like any good manager, she was not. Solemn guessed she was out actually doing some work within the stables. Inside the stables, it was warm, so he removed his parka and hung it on a nearby hook. Slowly, Solemn wandered through the stables, stopping on occasion to offer a curious horse his hand to sniff and, for those horses interested, strokes along their long faces and necks. He didn’t have much experience with the large creatures. His love was for dogs, but he knew the majority of his work would be with the horses. Still, he was dedicated to learning and, given a good teacher, could become competent at most anything he did. He was almost to the very back of the stables before he saw anyone. It was Lusina, carrying a heavy bale of hay toward a pile of bales in a corner. Solemn ran over to her, if it could be called that. It was more of a fast amble. When he finally did reach her side, he took the bale off her hands, his powerful shoulders hefting the load easily. “Here. Allow me.” Lusina was more than capable, but Solemn could handle it a lot easier. “Solemn! What a gentleman. Thank you.” She looked tired, her face flushed with effort. Likely, she had already moved several of them. Her face had brightened with recognition when she saw him; he was glad he had been in often enough that his face was familiar. What he hadn’t realized was that he had frequented enough that Lusina knew his name. Avanthal wasn’t large, and Solemnhad lived there his entire life, but he was still surprised. “I assume you want this with the rest?” Lusina nodded. “What brings you in today? Did Padrin want you to take the dogs out?” “Actually, I came in to see if you had a job available. I was hoping to be a groom.” “That’s wonderful. I can always use more help here. I know you have plenty of experience with dogs. What about horses?” “Next to nothing,” Solemn admitted. “But if you have someone experienced train me, I’ll learn it well, and once I learn something, I don’t forget it.” Lusina followed Solemn as he headed toward the pile. “Good, because you’ll be working with them a lot. I’ll get one of our more experienced grooms to give you some basic lessons in caring for horses tomorrow morning. We’ll be glad to have you, as long as you’re sure you want to work for us. I won’t lie to you, Solemn. The work isn’t glamorous. You’ll work harder and longer than most, and you’ll get paid less than pretty much everyone.” “I want to work here. As far as my pay goes, I only need enough to get by.” Lusina smiled. “You’ll have the gratitude of the animals and their families. And you’ll have my gratitude for everything you do, starting with unloading the rest of the hay, of course.” Solemn smiled and nodded. “You’re welcome.” At the end of the day, he was exhausted and sore. After he had finished with the hay, some of the grooms showed up, and he jumped in to help them with their work. Many showed him the basics of brushing down a horse and cleaning their feet, and one even showed him how to muck a stall. When he donned his parka to leave for the night, he looked back at the stables, proud he had done his part to keep them and the animals within clean. Mostly though, he was proud he had done what any respectable four-year-old would have done. He had landed himself a job.