[The Sanctuary] Animals! Animals Everywhere! (Kavala)

[Gianne Basete]

18th Day of Summer Early Evening The Sanctuary Gianne heaved a great sigh as the Sanctuary finally came into view. She'd gotten lost in the city, despite having a map, and had to get directions several times before she finally got on the right track. Gill had been patient through the whole thing, even as they walked up and down the streets and back again. When she learned she had to go back outside the city and to the east, following a confusing route, she thought she'd scream. It probably would've been extremely simple to anyone in the world except her, since she couldn't follow directions to save her life. She honestly didn't know how she'd even made it to Riverfall without a calamity. In her eyes, it was a miracle. The entrance she came to was a gate leading into a courtyard. It was unlocked, so she pushed it open and led Gill inside, closing the gate after her. Stalls lined the yard, which was equipped with a round pen and arena. Ahead of her was what looked like the main building. A few horses were in their stalls, and one jutted its neck out and nickered loudly in their direction. Gill lifted his head sharply and called back a reply, anxiously dancing back and forth. Gianne was too tired to reprimand him for bumping into her, so she just shuffled out of the way with a grimace in the horse's direction. Looking around the courtyard more closely, she inhaled the thick scent of animal and instantly loved it. That smell was one of the best in the world in her opinion. I could get comfortable here, she thought dreamily. It was exactly what she'd come searching for. "He-ll-o?" she called out loudly, dragging the word out. That got the attention of some dogs, whom Gianne heard barking in another area. It was muffled so she assumed they were indoors. Still looking around, hoping to spot someone, she walked around to Gill's other side and pulled at his saddle's cinch, loosening the girth considerably. He snorted contently, bobbing his big head.

[Kavala]

ooc: Many thousand pardons for the delay. I had a really rough week last week.

Kavala lifted her head and raised an eyebrow at the visitor. They got quite a few these days with the Summer in full swing and all sorts of spring babies getting into mischief as they grew into their summer sizes. Calves needed tending, lambs in the midst of their teenage troubles got cuts and bruises. Goats needed dehorning or foals needing gelding... Sanctuary was busy. And the rebuild after the utter destruction of the spring storm, was one of the worst robbers of time. They'd managed to have one barn up for boarders but it wasn't much, and it wouldn't suit for the winter. Kavala had to have the rest of the facility in good working order before too much time had passed. And to do that she needed more help than she had currently.

It was just a sad fact of life, but a fact nonetheless.

So when the new horsewoman came through the gate, dismounted and looked around Kavala wanted to half sigh and half hope. Was this help or more work? Boarders they could use, but hopefully the woman didn't want to trade off her mount but was instead looking for employment. Kavala noted the way she lead the horse, how she handled the gate, and paused.

The woman looked tired. Bone tired. Perhaps she just wanted to board then. Kavala straightened from where she was driving a stake into the ground to measure out the dimensions of a new building, and laid down her tools. She brushed her hands off on her leather pants and walked to meet the pair.

"Hello. I'm Kavala. How can I help you? You look like you need to have a seat before anything though." Kavala said, concern lining her face but also caution. Strangers were strangers, no matter how tired they looked. "Fine horse you have there. Tell me about him?" She asked, curiously, adding... "While we find him a place to rest a while and get you someplace in the shade with something to drink." The konti fussed, the mothering coming naturally.

[Gianne Basete]

Gianne's cheeks flushed as the Konti woman approached her with a greeting. She hadn't even noticed that she was outside with her, so she was obviously more tired than she'd assumed. She introduced herself as Kavala, and had a great air of authority. "I'm Gianne. It's a pleasure," she said, and then stifled a yawn with back of her hand. With a sheepish smile she added, "Sitting sounds really good right now. I know Gill," she motioned to the horse, "could use a really good rest. He's carried me all the way from Zeltiva. I got him for the trip here, and he's been invaluable." "I'm hoping to board him, but I was also wondering if you had a position open here. I planned on being around for a while, and I'd need work," she finished lamely, not knowing how to word her situation well. "I would help with anything you need me to." The obvious concern Kavala was showing had Gianne relaxing more than she'd been allowed to for a while. It felt amazing to finally be done traveling. She wiped a majority of the sweat off her face and motioned politely for Kavala to lead the way. "If Gill and I could have a cold drink of water, that would be amazing. I'd be fine after that, he needs a lot more than I do. Then we could sit and talk." OOCDon't worry about the delay, I know you were busy. No upset on my end.

[Kavala]

Kavala nodded, beckoning the pair to follow her. They didn't have the boarding stables open yet, but she had a nice stone-fenced paddock with a cover the horse could relax and get a bite to eat within. "Gianne. Nice meeting you. Sure, we can find Gill someplace to relax. I'm sorry for the mess. We don't have a stable up yet, after the storm, but we do have paddocks." The Konti said, gesturing for the Konti to lead the horse forward.

They traversed the gates, piles of lumber and building materials, and navigated the decidedly 'under construction' areas of the Above in a path only the Konti seemed to be able to pick out of the chaos. Soon enough they were at the far side of the facility where stone fences temperately separated horses from each other in small paddocks scattered with hay. Kavala swung a wooden gate open, gestured for Gianne to lead Gill inside, and shut the gate behind her. She picked up a pair of buckets sitting nearby and ignored a well pump to instead dip them from a lukewarm trough and carry them inside the paddock.

"He's hot. You don't want to give a horse cold water when they are hot because it can shock their system and send them into colic. What you want to do instead is give them room temperature or slightly warmed water because then they can absorb it quickly into their bodies." Kavala said, setting down the buckets of slightly sun warmed water. "Then Gill can have all he wants to drink. And when hes rested and cooler, later in the afternoon we can wash him down with cold water and give him a cool drink and he'll love us a whole lot more." Kavala said, slipping back out of the small paddock to go find some hay. She returned with an armload of hay and pitched it into the paddock then produce a couple of crabapples from her pocket to treat the horse.

"So we have lots of need for help. What sort of work are you looking for?" She asked, curious. When Gianne was comfortable and ready to leave the horse to his own devices, Kavala would lead her over to a temporary shelter for humans covered with a tarp for shade and a scattering of chairs for privacy. Pouring them both fresh cold well water she produced more apples, this time not crab, for the girls to snack on as well.

[Gianne Basete]

"That's no problem with me, just lead the way." And that she did. Kavala picked her way neatly through the construction materials piled about the area. Gianne wondered if the effects of the storm this last spring would ever completely heal over. When they reached the paddocks Kavala opened a gate and ushered the two inside. A few horses nickered and in his excitement Gill almost stepped on Gianne's foot. She got him to stand still as she went to uncinch his saddle and watched Kavala attentively as she fetched some buckets of water. A question was on her lips but Kavala spoke first and she shut right up. Her cheeks flushed a little in embarrassment. She'd been about to ask "Why not get him cold water?" and she was glad she hadn't. So instead she nodded vigorously, a slightly guilty look on her face. She definitely had a lot to learn. Often times Gianne had went out of her way to get Gill cold water on hot days like this when he was overheated. She wouldn't make that mistake again. Gill was lucky she hadn't ended up killing him somehow with her own ignorance. She pulled his saddle off and slung it over to sit on the stone fence then pulled off his bridle. He smacked and licked his lips with the relief of the bit leaving his mouth then plunged his nose into one of the buckets, drowning it quickly and emptying the second one halfway. Kavala left again and Gianne wondered if she should follow, but instead she stayed with Gill. She'd have to talk business soon and she wasn't good at that. When Kavala returned she was loaded down with hay and she threw it into the paddock. Gill had a moment of indecision when she also produced a few crabapples. Hay first, or apples? This was probably the hardest choice he'd have to make for a long time. But he chose the apples, nearly inhaling them before turning his complete attention to the hay. Gianne patted his rump with satisfaction, glad he was now more or less settled. This was a load off her tired shoulders. Now it was straight to business. She waited until Kavala led the way to a nice shaded spot before answering. Gianne sat in one of the chairs and leaned forward, elbows on her knees. She also gratefully accepted the fruit and water, taking a bite then quickly downing her drink. "Thank you," she said contently then wiped her mouth on the back of her dusty hand. "Alright, let me see," was the awkward start to her employment plea. "I'm a good rider, but I don't know anything about medicine or training animals. I really want to learn everything I can involving horses though. I love dogs too so I'll do anything you want me to with them. I don't know what else you've got, but I'll definitely help with the repairs here. Even though I don't know how to build anything either. Honestly you could think of me as a clean slate, but I want to learn. If I could be a groom that would be great. There's something about brushing a horse and mucking manure that makes my day better. I like the meticulous labor." She smiled a little, wondering if that sounded weird. Gianne didn't think that people normally admitted that they like to muck up after animals but it made her feel accomplished when she cleared out a filthy stall, making it clean and comfortable again. She loved the heavy smell of horse on her skin when she always finished grooming Gill, and the slight tiredness in her arms from continuously brushing back and forth. If she did that with a whole herd of horses each day she could go to bed tired and happy every night. She didn't know if she should add anything else so she clasped her hands between her knees and lapsed into silence. This was her first time ever asking for a job, so her knees were shaking a little with anxiety. Should I give more information? Did I sound unprofessional? Probably. What's she thinking?"

[Kavala]

Kavala nodded, listening carefully. When Gianne was done, Kavala went and retrieved a small carefully hand written brochure that she handed Gianne. "This is a list of jobs available here, what they pay, and the hours. We could really use a Riding Instructor because we don't have one other than me. When your not giving lessons your helping with the horses to groom and care for them. The job pays 5 gm a day and if you are willing to apprentice to me on training the horses, you can move up to 6 gm if you help me start working the yearlings and two year olds when you aren't giving lessons. The job comes with room and board here, and other than you having to meet the requirements of a Kuvan in Riverfall... to gain your citizenship, then that's all there's too it. Kuvans can be any race but they must be competent in a weapon. You'll get a tattoo on your wrist when you get your citizenship and it will give you full rights to everything Riverfall provides." The konti said.

Kavala paused, taking a breath, and letting Gianne look over the list. Then, when Gianne seemed to be done, she added... "Babysitting is extra pay, and any of the other duties you want to learn or help out with like cooking, philtering, making medicine for the clinic... all that stuff you can get extra coin for." Kavala said, nodding. Then she waited to see what Gianne thought.

[Gianne Basete]

Gianne soaked up Kavala's words like a sponge. She was greedy for this information; this job that she so badly desired. She would glance occasionally at the brochure, but didn't read it yet. When she read she was never able to listen to someone speak at the same time, so she'd wait until Kavala was done. A riding instructor! The idea of getting such a good job right off the bat never even crossed her mind. Gianne had assumed she'd be mucking manure and doing all sorts of grunt work. This was even better than she expected, plus she'd still help care for the horses. Her face was light up with an ecstatic smile, showing off all her teeth. She was practically vibrating with excitement. The prospect of apprenticing under Kavala was the icing on the cake. Learning to train had been one of her hopes. As soon as Kavala was done explaining the main parts, she ducked her head to read the brochure. Absently she chewed her nail as she examined the written information, and when she was done she looked back up with a renewed smile. Kavala added a little more so she waited until she was done again before speaking. "All that sounds perfect! I definitely accept, when c-," she said in a rush but then broke off as the Kuvan thought struck her. Her smile deflated considerably as she realized she didn't meet that requirement. "I have a bow that I use, but I'm not quite competent." Gianne mulled that over for a moment before continuing. "That means I can't start directly, right?" The disappointment was obvious in her face and voice. If she seemed pouty she didn't mean to. It was just a major blow to her plans. "Or am I misunderstanding?" She really hoped that was the case.

[Kavala]

Kavala smiled. "No no, you can start immediately. I actually need the help immediately. But what I mean is that you want to get your citizenship and be a Kuvan here. You'll have full rights and protection under Riverfall's laws. That means you need a weapon at competent and should be working towards that. Bow counts, for sure. Just be working actively on it and when your ready go get your citizenship test and get marked. You won't regret it." Kavala said softly.

"Would you like a tour of the rest of the facility? There's a lot below ground and I'll let you pick your own quarters." Kavala said, knowing that while they were all identical and windowless, some color schemes suited some people better than other.s "Then you can rest, relax, and can start first thing in the morning. Basically for a day or two you'll just be following me around figuring out how things work and helping where you can. As lessons come up, you can break off and teach, then come back and help. We work around the clock here, especially during foaling season, because emergencies come up after hours a great deal. So even though you aren't a healer, you might be woken up at any time if we need a hand. You know horses, so sometimes we need people to walk colicing horses in shifts and that sort of thing. It won't be anything out of your level of comfort, but I promise you'll learn new skills." She added, smiling once more then running her hand through her loose straight hair.

"I need to check on my son. He's been with a groom way too long. Do you mind if we stop by Aweston's office on the way to take the tour?." She asked, her ice blue eyes meeting Giannes.

[Gianne Basete]

Relief washed over her features, making her smile. "That's great. For a second I was worried. Getting to work as soon as possible is fine with me, I would've rather not had to wait around. What will getting my citizenship entail, by the way? Do I just go and say, Hey I'm ready, and they give me my tattoo?" Gianne nodded vigorously at Kavala's offer. "I'd love a tour, and no no be my guest checking on your son. You're the boss! I'll just follow along," she said, her smile growing. A beautiful woman like Kavala surely had equally beautiful or just flat out adorable children. She liked kids; their energy and innocence. It was always refreshing being around them since she'd spent most of her life around cursing sailors and rough contracting men. She had to admit that she didn't have the most innocent childhood. A lot of foul language had been learned at an early age from her father and his friends, and when she would sneak off to visit him at work there were a few times she'd witness very physical disputes. Never the most pleasant thing for a child to learn about, but what was done was done. Gianne liked to think she turned out really good nevertheless. Her mother would probably disagree though. "You need to dress like a lady and grow your nails out, dear. Stop cutting your hair with your father's razor, you look like a little boy! Elbows off the table! Poise! Yadda yadda yadda I make a lot of noise!" she would said. Maybe not that last part, but a lot of times that's all Gianne heard. When her mother opened her mouth, she had tended to shut down until she was done speaking, then just nod like she'd listened.

[Kavala]

Kavala smiled. "Becoming a Kuvan in Riverfall is a big deal. It's like you would become an adopted daughter to all the Akalak here. You can attend Council Meetings, vote, and are allotted incredible rights under the law. Without citizenship you are nothing really, chattel. But getting your citizenship is fairly easy one you have a skill competent in a weapon or unarmed combat. You go apply, and then are assigned someone to test you. They then make sure your skills are up to par, and then you go get tattood at Riverfall Ink under your wrist. Once you have it, it can't be taken away. The test is just a combat run, nothing fancy, and you'll be respected where you won't without one. I'm about there with my dagger now, so I can go apply." She said, excited for the prospect.

As they spoke, Kavala lead Gianne back out to the stables where they collected a boy that looked to be about two. He was walking and talking and had dark blue skin with a shock of white hair, golden eyes, and scalings. He was neither Konti nor Akalak for certain. The boy squealed when he saw Kavala and she took him from the groom, swinging him around until she set him on his feet and gave Aweston a grateful smile. "Aweston.. this is Gianne. She's going to be a riding instructor here. Thank you for watching Tasival. She's the reason I left you with him so long. I won't do that again." Kavala said, smiling and bending to kiss Tasival's forehead. He frowned, scrubbed at the spot, and then peered openly at Gianne in curiosity. "Human?" He asked, fascinated. "Like Awe is?" Kavala smiled, nodded, and took the boys hand. He evidently could walk well because he followed along easily as Kavala started the tour.

"We'll see you later, Aweston. It's your turn to cook at the twentieth bell, but I'll do it if you want since you had to keep Tasi so long." The groom grinned, smiled, and said... "Deal Kavala. Nice meeting you Gianne..." And with that the duo turned trio departed.

Kavala took Gianna on a complete tour. She started with the rubble up top, some of the rebuilding projects and then lead her deep into The Within. They ended at a row of private rooms, two of which were occupied by Elem and Serrif. "You can pick any of the other four you want. They are all decorated a bit differently in hopes of making them more unique." She said, letting Gianne go open doors and take her pick. Tasi she swung up onto her hip to kiss and whisper too, entertaining him for being so good on the tour.