[The Fringe Forests] A Big Misunderstanding [Sama'el]

[Gianne Basete]

"No no! Not disappointed in the least," she hastily assured him. Of course she'd seen Drykas in the city and Sanctuary, just never spoken to any of them. Somehow this hadn't gone quite how she expected her first conversation with one would go. What a shame, but she would make due. Sama'el seemed to be her own age, if only a tad older, and a few inches taller. Where he appeared to have barely an ounce of fat on his body, Gianne was thicker. She was nowhere near fat, but no one would ever get poked by a hip bone either. It had always been an internal debate with herself weather she could be called voluptuous of just... healthy. No time to think of that long fought war with herself though. She perked noticeably with his mention of Zeltiva and smiled. "I don't know why the beer would taste funny, except that maybe you're just not used to it. I for one quite like it. Won't see me lose a drinking match in your life, I'll bet you that," she said proudly. Maybe a little too proudly. Her father had been a drinker, but not a drunk, and he always held his liquor with great finesse. The skill was either weirdly genetic or just a coincidence. A few days before Gianne had left home to travel to Cyphrus, she and her father had gotten rip roaring drunk, much to the fury of the ultimate authority. Mother. She cringed a little at the memory of being chased around the house, trying to avoid being hit by a wooden spoon. That spoon had bruised her backside many times throughout her childhood. She could almost feel it now, smacking the tender flesh on her rear until it was red and raw. Quickly Gianne shoved the thoughts away, bring herself back to the present. "What did you think of the rest of the city?" And then another thought came to her. "We could have walked by each on the street and not even have known it," she said with a crooked smile. That lightened her mood quite a bit. They had a little something in common from being in the city at the same time, at least at one point. For some reason that made this encounter feel more comfortable, setting her at ease. The stiff set of her shoulders relaxed to something much more natural. Several muscles that she didn't realize were stiff unknotted. "Did you happen to study at the University? I never got around to taking any classes even though I lived there. Kind of a shame, really." It was obvious that talking was becoming easier for her.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el smiled through it all. He was a friendly sort of fellow unless given a reason not to be, and he was glad that his social faux pas was water under the bridge now. But Zeltiva's beer was brewed with some weed that came from the salty waters of the sea, and he was sure he would never enjoy it. But he was polite enough to leave it alone. "It was a good city," he promised her. "But I don't have the makings of a student, and I'm happiest on the Sea of Grass. They put their horses in stalls there, and..." He shrugged, not wanting to offend, but Drykas rarely penned their animals in. The materials for pens were harder to come by, and while the Seme could carry a great deal, the Drykas had long ago learned to travel light, and they were always traveling. "I get seasick," he said, turning the slightest bit green at the memory of his recent passage over the Suvan Sea. If they had not been in such a hurry, he would have suggested circumnavigating it on their horses.

[Gianne Basete]

Her grin stretched further, making her eyes crinkle at the corners. "Bad thing, seasickness is. I've never had that problem, but I've also never been on a ship or even a boat for an extended time. Just out on short circuits," she babbled on while she crouched to rummage through one of the large bags tied behind the cantle of her saddle. Obviously it was a disorganized pack, because it took her a few moments to finally retrieve a stiff bristled brush from its cluttered depths. Gianne stood and approached Gill, who was still making friends with the beautiful Dohaina. He rolled an eye around to look at her, rumbling with pleasure when he caught sight of the brush. It was a favorite pastime of his; being groomed. The other horse forgotten, he met his rider halfway, sticking his nose against the rough bristles and wiggling his lip across it with a loud rasp. "So," she continued slowly, "you have a very beautiful horse. How long have you had her?" Gianne peered at him over Gill's withers, running the brush across his body in long, slow strokes. His eyes half closed in relaxation; head lowering a few inches. She hadn't noticed the gnosis that marked Sama'el, since she wasn't looking too closely. To her he seemed like a normal man, if a little awkward. Her gaze was steady now, showing no ill feelings and only calm curiosity. Grooming Gill always calmed her down. Or any horse for that matter. Gianne glanced away to view a particularly sticky patch under his mane, scrubbing at it fiercely before smoothing the fur back again with more steady strokes. He sighed heavily through his velvety nostrils, slouching his weight to one side and resting a back leg on the tip of his hoof. Now her eyes were back to Sama'el, bright and unwavering. "Gill here has only been with me for a little while. Carried me all the way from Zeltiva." As she said this her free hand fondly caressed his big cheek, her nails scratching him gently as one would a dog.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Dohaina remained where he had left her, his last orders standing until he told her otherwise. Cyphrus Striders were likely the best trained and most intelligent horses in the world, of course, and faster than most stormwinds upon the Sea of Grass. He smiled up at her and whistled a series of notes she knew well, and her alert faded into a relaxed saunter down to join them. "She came out of the teeth of a summer storm two years ago," he said, bemused at the memory although part of him was still in awe of that, thinking Zulrav Himself must have sent her to him. "Her name is Dohaina. It means gift." He nodded at her words about Gill and their journey from the east. "I came to Cyphrus from Zeltiva on a Windrunner stallion. He's back in Endrykas getting fat now." He chuckled affectionately and gave Dohaina a gentle scratch in one of those out of the way places she couldn't reach.

[Gianne Basete]

The dry rasp of bristles against Gill's hide was background noise now. Sama'el called Dohaina forward, who was obviously a splendidly trained animal. Anyone who had such high quality horses grained automatic respect in Gianne's eyes. And quality didn't always come hand-in-hand with breeds or bloodlines. Gill for instance was a random mutt from Zeltiva, and he was a great horse. Probably not quite so much as Dohaina, but still a mount she was proud of. He rarely gave her trouble and took good care of her when they were out riding. "You're very lucky to have her. She's obviously wonderful." The admiration was obvious in her voice. Gianne smiled then at his jibe at the Windrunner. "I know how that works. I'm all too experienced with fat horses," she said, loudly patting Gill's round gut for emphasis. He tilted his head and rolled an eye at her, giving her a look. It's not fat. I'm all muscle, he seemed to say. With great dignity he turned his head away and started cropping at the grass under his hooves, ignoring the lot of them. The grooming now done, she moved back to her things and stored the brush away. She picked up the saddle blanket, still slightly damp from sweat, and tossed it over Gill's back, who only twitched an ear in acknowledgement. "So," she started again, "do you go to the Sanctuary very often?" Gianne grunted slightly as she hefted her saddle now, swinging it over to rest on the saddle pad. Gill lifted his head and turned a baleful eye on her. She had to agree with him, being saddle probably wasn't all that fun. She offered him an apologetic shrug and gently scratched his withers. Maybe Sama'el would think she was crazy for treating Gill like just a stoic human. He was a horse of few words, though most tended to be. She ducked her head and smiled privately at the thought, feeling that being thought of as crazy might be justifiable.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

He smiled gamely as she saw to her horse, and he continued to show affection to his own. There was something idyllic about this setting, though he hoped she wouldn't linger long outside the city. The Akalak were possessive where women were concerned, but the Sea of Grass had grown more dangerous yet since the djed storms. Sama'el nodded to her question. "Kavala Denusk is like a sister to me," he said. Many did not understand that although her blood was Konti, she was a Drykas through and through, although he still wondered at her ability to stay in one place for so long. It must be her connection to Semele.

[Gianne Basete]

She smiled right back, both at him and the thought of Kavala. "Again, you're lucky. She's an amazing woman; you could say she's my role model. I work for her. It's a better job than I could have ever hoped for when I came here." Gill grunted as Gianne pulled his girth tight and looped the strap several times so it was secure and unlikely to slip. Then she took off his halter and replaced it with the bridle. He chewed loudly on the bit for the first few seconds it took to settle between his lips, then relaxed. She patted his cheek absently then looked back at Sama'el over the seat of her saddle. The same thing had been running through her head; the fact that she should probably get back to the Sanctuary. Before she stopped to take a break in the water she'd been out for a few hours, so by the time they got back Gill would likely be tired, and so would she. "I'm sure I'll see you there then, if you stop by." Again she smiled, then paused awkwardly as she thought of a proper way to say she needed to go. But he probably knew that if she'd been tacking up then she was preparing to leave. She ducked under Gill's neck and offered her hand to him. "I'm glad you weren't a thief, and I did enjoy this conversation but..." Her voice trailed off, leaving him to fill in the rest. "I've been gone from the Sanctuary a while and I shouldn't be away from my duties much longer. Wouldn't want Kavala to come down on me." She offered a grin. "It was a pleasure to meet you Sama'el. I'm glad you were my first Drykas."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"She is a great role-model," he agreed with a smile and a nod. He hoped this Gianne was a hard worker, or Kavala would have her hide. And hard work wasn't all she would need if she wanted to become as Kavala was. Gifted. "But Kavala was your first Drykas," he assured her. "Just a Drykas who doesn't wander." He considered how far they were from the Sanctuary. "I will escort you home, if you wish. If you work for Kavala Denusk, then your safety on the Sea of Grass is my responsibility." The place where Issima's bones might still rest would still be there on the morrow, and it was better to focus one's energies on the living than the dead.

[Gianne Basete]

She gave a noticeable start of surprise. Kavala a Drykas? But she was a Konti. Of course, Gianne didn't know that other races could become Drykas if they were chosen by a Strider. So this was news to her. She would ask her boss about this later. Not an interrogation, just mild curiosity. "I appreciate the offer. If you honestly don't mind, the company would be nice. Gill isn't very talkative after all," she said with a grin. "Safety in numbers." She slipped her foot in a stirrup and hoisted herself into the saddle, spinning Gill in the direction of home with a twitch of the reigns. "I hope this won't be taking away from any important business of yours."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el acknowledged her request and vaulted up into Dohaina's yvas with his usual acrobatic flair. What had originally been a showy sort of thing to impress Dymphna Whitefeather was now impressive, but more economical, nothing more than the quickest, most convenient way to get from the ground to horseback. The golden mare snorted and turned toward Riverfall too. The Drykas smiled sadly in the direction of the cliffs. Issima was gone, and only the tree and some bone and fabric likely remained. The Drykas gave their dead back to the Sea of Grass. He could visit the site later; with luck, her spirit had gone walking on the Web to be reborn among her people. "Let's go," he said. "Your safety is my business now."