[Windmount Stables] A Drykas by any other name (Open)

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

He caught the gold miza like a it was a holy artifact and tucked it into a pocket.

"I don't think Horse is up for interspecies romance," he agreed. He whickered at Horse, who stepped up to him, ready to follow him out of the stables. "We'll be at the gates."

His scimitar was strapped to the saddle, and there was some food left over in there that he would eat, keeping the miza for later spending. He should probably get himself a new bow, come to think of it. It would making catching meat again easier. His makeshift snares didn't work half the time.

[Jaeden Kincade]

About three quarters of a bell's chime later, Jaeden slowly made his way towards the front gates, a smile on his face as he leaned in to a woman whispering into his ear. "What? Right here?" Jaeden said with a chuckle looking to her. "Wouldn't the Knights arrest us or something for that? It'd be awful distracting to many of those who walked the streets." He then shook his head slowly as he slowly rose the woman's hand, kissing the back of it lightly before apologizing and bidding her a good day. He then turned and gazed around the front gate, searching for Samael as a longsword and quiver of arrows were now strapped to his belt, as well as a composite longbow slung over his shoulder.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam watched Jaeden's misadventures with quiet amusement, but he watched with an eye to learn. Maybe then he could woo Nel away from Murdoch. Swordplay and archery, however, were more of a priority, as they would keep him safe and fed. Nel would be icing on the cake.

"Ho, Jaeden," he called as the man approached. He had been sitting on Horse's back because, centaur-like, he felt more at home there in a new place. But he slid down to the ground with a cat's grace to wait for him.

"So, how many bastards have you got running around?" he asked with a grin.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden slowly walked towards Sam, raising his hand in a greeting before it fell to a rest along his waist. Jaeden looked back to the woman as Sam posed his question. Then a blank look on his face appeared as he pondered over such possibilities before a slow shake of his head was give. "None that I'm aware of," Jaeden answered as he took a quick glance up to the sky. "Well, looks like we have about five chimes before the sun sets," Jaeden said before looking back to Sam. "That should be a fair amount of time to get some decent practice in for the both of us." Jaeden then motioned towards the open land that sat right outside the city walls of Syliras. They wouldn't venture to far outside, but enough that they would be away from the steady flow of traffic that was constantly entering and leaving the city itself.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam laughed softly and nodded. He whickered to Horse, petted his nose, then reached out and took Jaeden's hand to hold up to Horse's nose.

"They rely on smell more than we do, so when you're making friendly with a new horse, it's generally a good idea to let them get your scent. If you don't know the horse, it's best to offer a closed fist -- harder to bite off your fingers that way. And don't walk behind them. At all. Not 'til you know what you're doing. You will get kicked in the face, and then your face won't be attractive to the ladies anymore. They'll just use you for your body."

Horse seemed bored, but not adverse to Jaeden after Sam's coaching.

"Do you know how to mount or should I give you instructions and a leg up?" he asked. The question was honest and lacking in condescension. He didn't want his meal ticket to get hurt, so he had to know what he was and wasn't capable of.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden, left his hand limp for Sam to offer to the horse. He gave slow and subtle nods as Sam instructed him on the initial stages of getting to know a horse. It wasn't totally uncommon to courting a female. Let them get to know you for a little while, don't raise your hand to a woman, and you'll get slapped if you smack them on their rears without so much as a "hello" first. Jaeden then gave a slow smirk and nod as Sam made the comment about women using him for his body. "You know, I'm okay with that too," Jaeden responded as he began to lead them towards open land. He then shook his head slightly. "Never even led a horse, much less mounted one. I'll watch you go over the steps and then make my attempts from there, but out in the lands there," Jaeden said motioning towards the open fields along the city walls. "Dirt is much softer to land on in a fall than cobblestone."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"I was gonna walk you over there so you get used to it, but..." He climbed aboard, slowing it down so Jaeden could see. He would break it down if necessary when they got to it. "Lead the way, captain! Oh, and once you know what you're doing, we can work on swordplay on horseback, though that'll be easier when you have one of your own. Do you want me to come with you to help you choose a good one? They'll try to cheat you if you don't know what you're looking for..."

Sometimes when Sam found a friendly ear, he suffered from verbal diarrhea.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden gave a slow nod as he slipped his bow from his shoulder, setting it along the ground nearby in the clearing when they had reached far enough away from the city to avoid any straggling traffic. He didn't want to fall off the horse at some point and break his bow after all. He then slowly observed Sam as he dismounted and mounted again, having him repeat the steps until he felt he had a hand on it himself. "Yeah, I'll try to look for you in the city when I decide to purchase. Though it's likely to be sometime away," Jaeden answered as he stood there with his arms folded. "Unless I actually get a job at the Bathhouse here, I'm likely to be making a few hunting trips back and forth in the Mountains and Wild Lands to earn some extra coin from the animals I hunt." Jaeden then tried his hand, as he slowly approached the horse from the side. One hand reached up to the horn of the saddle, hooking the reigns with his thumb as the other rested along the top of the saddle itself. His left foot then slipped into the stirrup as slow hops were made. The horse slowly began to turn, causing Jaeden to hop forward along with it. Finally, with another strong push of his leg, he hoisted himself into the air, but fell short as he began swinging his leg over the top of the horse, the heel of his foot only reaching half way across before his own weight carried him back down to the ground with a thump. "Oof," he exclaimed, lying there for a moment as he watched a few patches of the clouds above. "Ohh, nice."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Well," Sam said while offering Jaeden a hand up, "if you're going to play gigolo in the bath houses, you'll probably be able to afford a horse fairly quickly."

Once he helped the man up, he spoke firmly with Horse, who would be better about holding still for the novice rider. After several repetitions, he got Jaeden mounting and dismounting with relative ease. He adjusted the man's posture, seat, and the position of his legs and hands, giving him instructions on how to command Horse to start walking and to stop.

"Much like with a woman," he added, "you have to be firm and confident."

[Jaeden Kincade]

"Just so long as the horse doesn't nibble my ears," Jaeden said as he sat along the horse, staring down at the back of it's mane as if waiting for it to rear up on it's hind legs. "Well, it all depends on how many of the ladies request my services," Jaeden then said in reference to Sam's statement at the bathhouse job. "I don't actually consider myself a gift to women, but I do like to make sure they are pleased with my company. Such is not always the case though." Jaeden slowly began moving the horse forward as it began taking slow and simple steps along the ground. Jaeden looked slightly uneasy over the movement, having had traveled by foot for all his life before now.